PRYMPTOWN
COURIER
Vol. 2,
No. 8 (Aug. 1999)
EDITORIAL
I like
to call this one The Waffle Session. Not
that my players appreciated
it. I call it that because most of the
session was dominated
by three PCs arguing over the future direction of the
campaign. Personally, I loved it. Seeing players grapple with the
challenges inherent in a multi-scenario, open-ended campaign
makes my day. However, it was not
thrilling for those
players whose characters tend to take a backseat in the
campaign.
To be
honest, the main characters have tended to be Alexander Petrok
-- the natural leader-type, Perpegilliam
Brown -- the lovable
anti-hero, and Vladamir Kostitov, who has matured into a rival
leader-type. And then there are the
others.
While
Barada is popular amongst the party, his player's track record
for missing sessions has really hurt the character.
Hristo
seems doomed by the personality his player assigned to him
to always be the bystander, never getting involved even in
his own sub-plots (he's like teflon -- I throw them but they
don't stick!).
For
those readers who haven't figured it out, Gabriel Lanovastorm
is played by the former player of the late Abraham
the Radiant. As the party's only cleric,
Abraham had an
important role in the party, and he was fun to use for sub-plots,
even if he didn't pursue them all the way (he never did find out why
his shrine was being vandalized...). The
phenomenal dice-rolling
he's been having with Gabriel has made the dwarf a combat
machine.
Poor
Dargog. His player showed up once or
twice, but his player never
got a chance to shine. Due to the
unpopularness of his character,
and the poor attendance of his player, he's been dropped
from the campaign. Still, Dargog may
show up again as an
NPC. I thought he had potential.
And then
there's Enlock, the new guy. His player
is inexperienced
with such role-playing intensive campaigning, but he seems
eager to stick with it, and has had pretty good attendance
so far. More importantly, he isn't a
hobgoblin. Given the
track record for hobgoblin PCs so far, that's definitely in his favor.
This
editorial was dedicated to those "Other PCs" described above. They
don't get much to do in this session, and the remainder of this
issue is devoted to the Big Three.
There's a letter from Alex to
his
father, a journal entry from Vlad, and a background story for Peri. Yes, I know he already got one and that it's
Gabriel's turn, but Peri's
player wrote it, and it saves me time from having to write
another. Plus it makes for a nice theme issue.
Just one
more note, which I'll stick in here. My
idea last issue about having
an Interparty Warfare fiction feature is a bust. It's the first feature
I've received negative mail about, for one thing. Plus, two sessions
ago, Alex and Peri's players happened to show up early
and we
actually tried to resolve the combat.
I'll tell you, it's a lot easier
wrapping up a battle in a narrative without game mechanics! Those
two went at it for an hour, and we had to quit with a stalemate. Man, can
those two fight!
14TH
PLAYING SESSION
Cast
(and because a few players requested it):
Barada,
Neutral male Flannish human mercenary (1st level fighter).
rchernan@hewitt.com
Alexander
Petrok, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian human templar of
Zilchus
(1st level paladin variant).
RKJanik@us.ibm.com
Perpegilliam
Brown, (Chaotic) Neutral male Hairfoot hobniz rogue
(SECOND
level thief!).
TJRatz2@mindspring.com
Hristo
Neutral Good male Wesevud ("Central") noniz ex-town
watchman
and rogue (1st level fighter/1st level thief).
pinback@speedsite.com
Vladamir
Kostitov, Lawful Good male Oerdian human
prestidigitator
for the Governor's Guardsmen (1st level illusionist).
RSerio@harper.cc.il.us
Gabriel
Lanovastorm, Mentherim ("Common Hill")-Dwur veteran
(1st
level fighter).
lokiknight@mindspring.com
And
introducing Enlock, Neutral Good male Oerdian apprentice
(1st
level magic-user)! bryant@netchi.com
Quote of
the month: "Pimpegilliam
Brown?"
~One of
the players.
Setting: Prymp
Readying
23rd. Sunday.
Perpegilliam
Brown had returned safely to Prymp with one thing
on his
mind -- training. He had suffered too
much in Skull Keep
for lack
of training, but would not suffer like that again. His old
trainer,
Tilwich Tourmaline, would help him with that.
Seeking
out the
noniz was Peri's first goal, which did not prove difficult.
Tilwich
was still ready to train him, but Peri had another favor to
ask. He needed a place to stay while he was
training where his
party
members would not be able to find him and annoy him.
Tilwich
was not interested in a roommate, however.
Undeterred,
Peri
went to the south side of town and the Green Grove Hostel.
The
gruff hostelkeeper was willing to give Peri a room for the
week.
Money
was no object, of course. With his own
secret cache of
treasure
kept from the others, Peri was quite well off.
In fact, his
next
stop was the Bank of Prymp. He was
shortly granted an
audience
with the chief accountant, a half-elven maid named
Araya
Cilandriphael. Peri honestly related how
he came by his
treasure
hoard, and the Chief Accountant was suitably impressed
to give
him an account.
Shorn of
his excessive riches, Peri made his way back across town.
His last
goal of the day was to retire early so that he would be
fresh
and alert when his training began in the morning. However,
Peri
happened to cross paths with a human prostitute. The ill-
reputed
woman at first thought Peri was a child, but upon learning
that he
was instead a lecherous hobniz, she took him on as a
customer.
Readying
24th. Moonday.
Peri
arrived bleary-eyed and tired at his rendezvous point with his
trainer. Tilwich scowled as he led Peri to a small
building Tilwich
had
rented for this purpose. It was a
two-roomed cottage devoid
of
furnishings. In the larger room, Tilwich
made Peri perform all
manner
of activities to judge where his skill level was. These
excersises
were the same as Peri had performed to pass his last
period
of training, and despite some sore muscles, he performed
at least
as well this time as he did the last.
Tilwich
let Peri go early that afternoon -- which was unfortunate
because
thieves spotted and recognized him, trailed him to a
lonely
street, and then captured him in a lucky ambush. But that
adventure
has already been told, and Peri was free once more by
evening...
Readying
25th. Godsday.
Vlad had
just told Laird Tapinov and his advisor, Coraz, that he
would
convince the others to go with him to Galdol, to thwart the
pirate
lords. But Vlad had two favors to ask of
them.
First, Vlad
wanted more training. The only trainer
he knew of,
though,
was his uncle all the way south in Hexpools.
Coraz also
knew an
illusionist in Hexpools, and promised to send a
messanger
south to contact this trainer and arrange for him to
come to
Prymp. However, given the distances
involved, they
had
decided after consulting a map that it would be at least six
days
before the trainer arrived. This was
disappointing, but
Vlad
accepted it.
Second,
Vlad wished for them to arrange transport via sailing
vessel
to Galdol for him and his party. Tapinov
commanded
his
advisor to look into it.
Enlock
walked into town. He surveyed the many,
strange
buildings
for something, anything of interest.
Sadly, Prymp
looked
to be as boring as every other town he had known.
Was
there to be no freedom from the ennui and malaise
which
hovered like a dark shroud over his soul?
Enlock
wandered
without purpose until he spied a gnome moving
with
purpose in the same direction. Having
nothing better
to do,
Enlock followed the gnome.
Hristo
walked into the Tavern of the Grinning Gargoyle.
Several
of his party members were there, as they frequently
were
when they were all in town. Enlock
walked in behind
him and
sat down at a nearby table. Both men
were ready
for
breakfast. Hershel the Tavernkeeper
provided ample
servings,
as usual. By late morning, Alex finally
arrived,
having
completed his duties at the church services.
The
only one
missing was Peri.
Peri was
at his second day of training, where Tilwich was
subjected
him to strenuous new exercises and tumbling
manuevers.
Back at
the tavern, an argument was going on of such
curious
content that it intrigued even the languid ears of
an
eavesdropping Enlock. The band was
deciding what
direction
they should take next. Vlad proposed
travelling
west to
Galdol, to take on the pirate lords and end their
economic
hold on Relmor Bay. Alex proposed they
travel
in the
opposite direction; that they try to re-establish
friendly
trade with Almor. Vlad countered that
Almor
would
re-establish trade on their own once there were no
more
pirates sailing from the Province. Alex
counter-
countered
that he would not be able to go on so distant a
mission
because there were still loose ends to tie up in
Prymp. He was convinced that not all the thieves
responsible
for desecrating the chapel of Zilchus had
been
caught, and such was his duty.
The
countering went on for most of the afternoon.
At one
point,
the party seemed poised to accept going east to the
abandoned
citadel as a compromise, but this was dropped
because
the adventuring company, the Ahlissan Fist, was
known to
already be on its way there.
Peri
dropped in to participate during a break in his training.
But even
the arrival of their oft-missing comrade did not
long
draw everyone's attention away from the titanic
debate
going on. Barada and Hristo, not
interested in
getting
involved, just listened quietly and slowly sipped
from
their tankards of ale. Gabriel was more
than willing to
join
into the debate, but was hotly warned by Peri that he
was a
newcomer to the group and his input was not
desired
yet. Stymied, Gabriel looked for someone
else to
talk to
and noticed the stranger who had been sitting near
them all
this time. Gabriel introduced himself to
Enlock,
and vice
versa.
The
drift of the dwarf's conversation indicated to Enlock's
superior
intelligence that this Gabriel wished him to join
his
party of adventurers. And surprisingly,
Enlock had to
admit to
himself that for the first time in a long time he was
actually
curious about something. Life as an
adventurer
had a
sudden appeal to it, and he agreed to come over
and be
introduced to the rest of the band.
The
acceptance of Enlock was agreed upon incredibly
quickly,
as everyone felt that there were more important
matters
than grilling a new recruit. However, no
decision
had been
reached by suppertime. In fact, words
between
Alex and
Vlad were getting rather heated. Vlad
had
revealed
that the mission to Galdol was not just his wish,
but a
request from town hall itself. Alex
barked out that he
didn't
care what town hall wanted him to do, as he didn't
trust
them anyways. And upon saying such he
immediately
regretted it. It was not a templar's
place to
question
any figures of authority, especially in public.
He
knew he
would have to atone.
After
supper, only two things had been decided on -- one,
that
they were not going to go south and harass the
Provincial
army (a quest they all considered too
dangerous);
and two, that everyone would sleep on the
subject
and try to come to some compromise on the
morrow.
The
Rusty Bucket Tavern was visited that night by
Perpegilliam. Though tired from his training, Peri was
looking
for a friend and was thankful to spot him here.
Gesualdo
the Attloi stood out in a crowd in his
brightly-colored
cote and hose. When he spotted Peri
he
called the hobniz over to sit with him and his friends.
Peri
explained that he was laying low these days, and
wanted
to know if he could stay with Gesualdo and his
people. Gesualdo thought it over, and in his peculiar
accent
related that it was alright with him, but it would
be
difficult to convince his people. Peri
bought him a
few
round of beers. Gesualdo said he was on
the right
track,
but that it would still be difficult to convince his
people. Peri gave up trying, and resigned himself to
staying
again at the Green Grove Hostel.
Readying
26th. Waterday.
Nemis
Coraz was waiting for Vlad at Town Hall.
When
Vlad
arrived, Coraz told him that no captain he had
spoken
to would take his ship to Galdol for less than
the cost
of their vessel. In no case was this
amount
less
than 1,500 gp, which was unacceptable to Vlad.
He bade
Coraz return to the docks and implore a ship
captain
to transport them as far west as they he would
be
willing for a more reasonable fee.
Peri
arrived at Tilwich's shack. After
locking them
both
inside, Tilwich declared that they would work on
Peri's
fighting skills that day. Tilwich walked
Peri
through
all manner of fencing manuevers. Peri's
intense
combat experience from Skull Keep proved a
match
for Tilwich, impressing his instructor.
Alex and
Vlad joined up to take the gems they had
taken
from the pirates somewhere to sell them.
Vlad
had
suggested Gemanov's Pawnshop. The large,
rumpled
man named Gemanov greeted them warmly and
inquired
into their needs in his raspy voice.
They
showed
him the three green and three white stones for
him to
appraise. He offered them 20 gold Ivids
for each
of them,
which seemed awfully low. They wished to
take
the gems
for a second opinion. They returned to
the
Grinning
Gargoyle Tavern to see if anyone else knew
where
else they could go for a second opinion.
Hristo
was
there, and he suggested they could take the gems
to his
father, who was a gem merchant. Alex and
Vlad
both agreed,
and the trio went to the Goldmund
residence.
On the
west side of Prymp Keep, in the shadow of its
curtain
wall, was the Barrows -- a morbidly named
block of
half-underground dwellings, home to Prymp's
halfling
and gnome minority. And in one such home
dwelt
the gnome called Stojko Goldmund. It had
been
quite
some time since Hristo was last there.
Hristo's
sister,
Ilyana, answered the door and was stunned to
see her
long-absent brother with two humans.
Stojko
was
equally surprised. He asked if Hristo
was still
slumming
in the Dock District, but showed admiration
when
Hristo declared that he was now an adventurer.
Before
much more small talk could ensue, Hristo
brought
the meeting to its point, and produced the
pirate's
gems. Stojko examined the six gems, and
agreed
with Peri and Hristo's assessment that they
were
worth 30 gold Ivids each. That was a lot
of
money,
but for Hristo, he would try to have it by the
next
day. To this everyone agreed, and they
arranged
a time
to make the transaction.
Tilwich
brought a straw-stuffed dummy into the
training
room, propped it to stand in the middle of
the
room, and turned his back on it. Peri
was made to
sneak up
on the dummy and stab it without Tilwich
being
able to hear him. Peri had to sneak from
varying
distances, and with different obstacles
between
himself and his target. Later, Peri was
given
some
thieves' picks. After reminding Tilwich
that he
had
never learned to pick locks, Tilwich asked him to
conceal
the picks while Tilwich was out of the room.
Peri hid
the picks in a pocket of his vestments, but
Tilwich
found it there in a minute. Tilwich left
again,
and Peri looked for a better hiding place.
Without
furnishings, there seemed to be no better
hiding
place. Then Peri unbolted the room's
shuttered
window and dropped the picks outside.
He
rebolted the shutters before Tilwich came back in.
Since
Tilwich could now not find them no matter how
long he
searched the room, Peri passed this test.
Alex
went to Prymp Keep in search of his father,
Philip
Petrok the Captain of the Watch. Sure
enough,
his
father was there. Philip greeted his son
warmly,
but his
countenance changed as his son told him how he
had
spoken words of suspicion about the town
government
in public. His father was furious! It was a
templar's
place to enforce law, regardless of who was in
charge,
and follow those laws without questioning them.
He
agreed that Alex should atone, and that the best way
to do
that would be to do whatever the laird wanted him
to
do. And if that meant facing the pirate
lords of
Galdol...
Readying
27th. Earthday.
A small
cog called The Cormorant was docked alongside
one of
the westernmost piers. Vlad saw a man up
on
deck and
called to him. The tall, black-haired
Oerdian
was
Halmir, son of Captain Hallatan Feldenov and Second
Mate to
The Cormorant. Vlad informed him that Nemis
Coraz
had arranged a meeting between himself and the
captain. Halmir informed him that the captain favored
the
south side of town when in port, and could most
likely
be found in the Champion Cock Tavern.
Peri
arrived at the training house, but Tilwich told him to
return
home and rest, and then to return again that night.
Without
questioning, Peri obeyed.
Captain
Hallatan Feldenov was indeed at the Champion
Cock
Tavern. Feathers from one of the
previous night's
bouts
had not yet been swept from the floor.
The
captain,
a round but tough-looking mariner in his late 40's,
was
nursing a beer. He welcomed Vlad to his
table. Vlad
described
the route he wished to take, without divulging
the
nature of his mission. Like the ship
captains Coraz had
contacted,
Hallatan was not willing to take them to Galdol
without
buying his ship. However, he agreed to
take them
as far
west as Dargveto. Dargveto, he believed
was the
farthest
port to the west which was free of pirates.
On the
other hand, he was willing to transport the
Grinning
Gargoyle Band to Darveto for a pittance; mere
silvers
each. Vlad could not refuse the offer,
and asked
him to
have his crew ready to sail soon. It
should not be
long, he
hoped, before the rest of the party was ready to
travel.
At the
Goldmund residence, Alex, Hristo, and Vlad
arrived
to sell the gems. Stojko had the money,
and the
trade
was made. It seemed as if they were now
well-set
for
financing the expedition. Still, they
had much
money
left over on the writ the laird had given them,
and so
they went to Town Hall to try to arrange
something. Again, they were quickly given an
audience,
but this time with only Nemis Coraz. He
apologized,
but the laird was at home resting with his
family
after his recent troubling ordeal. Alex
and Vlad
asked
him if they could have the remaining amount in
coinage. Coraz pondered the matter, and promised to
discuss
it with the laird.
When
dusk fell at compline, and the third bell had rung
from the
town's chapels, Peri made his way back to the
training
house. Tilwich was waiting, and
announced
what
Peri's task was. Tilwich had hired a man
to
wander
the Old City, walking with a red handkerchief
in his
hand. Peri was to find him, steal the
handkerchief,
and return it. Peri set out right
away. He
started
out in the southeast side of the Old City,
intending
to work his way north. While following
the
curtain
wall which separated the Old City from the
Tannery
District, Peri spotted a shadowy figure
loitering
behind a nearby building. As Peri slunk
back
into the
shadows himself, he observed other figures
moving
in the dark by the curtain wall. Before
observing
anything else, Peri bolted for the chapel of
Zilchus.
The
templar Aaron was on duty that night at the chapel.
He
recognized Peri from their expedition to Skull Keep.
Peri
told Aaron that he had seen thieves sneaking
around
south of the chapel. As concerned as
Aaron
was, he
was sworn not to leave the chapel while on duty.
He bade
Peri alert the town watch. That didn't
really
appeal
to Peri, but in avoiding Prymp Keep, he stumbled
into a
watch patrol. When the ten watchmen
gathered
around
him and asked what he was doing out past
curfew,
he cried out to them about the thieves he saw
sneaking
towards the chapel of Zilchus. The
watchmen
were
concerned enough to investigate at once, leaving
Peri
free to roam some more.
As it
happened, Peri was drawing closer to Prymp Keep
when he
finally did spot a man loitering outside the tailors'
guildhall
holding a red handkerchief.
Unfortunately, the
man
spotted him as well, and he ran heading east.
Peri
followed
him as best he could, hoping the man would turn
so that
Peri could cut him off. But before that
could
happen,
the man ran into a watch patrol and was arrested.
Peri
followed them all the way to Prymp Keep, where the
man was
carried inside. Peri waited a moment,
and then
followed
up to the entry gate. When the watchmen
asked
him what they wanted, he told them that the man
they had
just arrested had stole his handkerchief from him.
The
watchmen said he would fetch the item for a price, but
Peri
made such a big stink about paying the bribe that
the
watchman grabbed him and tossed him in a cell too.
Luckily,
the cell happened to be housing the man with
the red
handkerchief. Peri struck up a
conversation
with
him. Apparently, he had worked odd jobs
for
Tilwich
before, but this was the first time he had wound
up
imprisoned for it. Peri offered to make
it up to him
by
giving him a gold Ivid -- in exchange for the red
handkerchief
and his promise to tell Tilwich he had
stolen
it fairly.
Readying
28th. Freeday.
It was
the last day of Readying. Three weeks
ago, the
Band of
the Grinning Gargoyle had just met.
Today,
they
wanted to take a ship west so they could beard
the
pirates in their lair and free the coast from their
oppression. However, they were missing Peri.
They had
all gathered once again at their usual locale.
Hristo
had mentioned casually that he had met
Heironymous
Nodd, the bard, on his way out of town.
Conversation
turned to Dargog, who was lurking
nearby,
and the others were discussing in hushed
voices
the abandonment of Dargog here in Prymp
when
they left. He always hung around them
without
talking to anyone, and never participated in
their
adventures enough to be considered a member
of the
party.
And then
Peri entered.
TO BE
CONTINUED
ALEX'S
LETTER TO HIS FATHER
Dear
Father,
Forgive
me for my misgivings earlier. As I
prepare to
go to
Galdol, my conscience beckons me to spell out
my
reasons for my previous actions.
I have
circumstantial evidence (by direct experience)
that
there is an active thieves' guild in the city.
I
have
also been investigating the nature and
existance
of another shadowy guild called The
Flying
Turtle.
Recent
occurences at Skull Keep have alerted us
about
the magnitude of the Pirate problem.
While
I have
no direct evidence, I believe that the pirates
are
dealing with the "on-land" thieves' guild. I
also
believe that the thieves' guild and "the guild
of the
flying turtle" are one and the same, and
their
relations with the Pirates forms the very real
"Guild"
of the Flying Turtle.
My
accusations against the laird are unfounded,
but my
suspicions lie with his aid, Nemis. His
actions
and "non-concern" with the pirates leads
me to
believe he has other reasons for sending us
to
Galdol.
Also of
concern is the recent sacking of the
Chapel
of Zilchus. Its timing reeks of a
retributive
strike, as it is well known the Church
had a
direct hand in thwarting the pirate threat.
I ask
that while I am gone if you could send a
patrol
by the temple more frequently. We are
still
having problems with prowlers as recently
as last
night.
Honor
calls that I serve the request of the Laird,
and so I
shall. I have left Aaron at the Chapel
while I
am gone.
While it
is hard, please forgive me.
Your son
in the bonds of Zilchus,
Alex
Petrok
The Misadventures
of Perpegilliam Brown
The
light of day had fled from the streets of Prymp, and the
encroaching
darkness made its way into every corner of that
troubled
town. Still, enough of Luna's mystical
light reached
the
streets to dimly illuminate the thatched and patch work
roofs of
the huddled buildings of the town. The
roofs poked
above
the fog that had rolled in off of the bay from the
unseasonably
warm winter. Concealed deep below the
mist
were the
narrow, winding streets of packed dirt.
In the dock
district,
the buildings pressed close upon the street, and
the
occassional second story seemed to teeter over its
shorter
neighbors. Perpegilliam Brown waited in
the deep
shadows
of those streets. He loved the night.
Two men
stood across the way from him, before the dismal
face of
a run-down warehouse. Peri was perhaps
seven
yards
away, but was totally obscured by the darkness and
fog. In fact, it was all he could do to make them
out. The
two
humans were a great contrast to each other.
Peri had
followed
the the taller man here, who was dressed in a dirty
white
cote with a clean brown jerkin and hose.
The man's
boots
were caked in mud, as though he had traversed a long
road. A scar made its way down his face, a face
that even a
loving
mother could hate. Evil loomed behind
his scouling
eyes.
Peri had
first spotted this man, who called himself Greyson,
at
Iver's Place, the hostel at which Peri boarded.
Greyson
was
asking questions about Marcus Brown, Peri's father.
Marcus
had disappeared only eight days before without a
trace. Peri could not hear all the man had asked,
but the
mention
of his father's name was enough for Peri.
Greyson
did not go far, only a block or two, before he met
up with
the fat man. The fat man had the look of
a drunk
about
him. His clothes were grey and
tattered. The man's
girdle
seemed insufficient for the task of holding up the
sagging
hose around his girth, and he would shift and tug
at his
hose in an endless battle for dominance.
His tossled
hair and
unkept beard were marred with streaks of grey, and
a
murderous glow came from his eyes.
The two
men stood close, near the warehouse, whispering
as
though they were telling the wall a secret.
Peri smiled at
this,
for he had learned in his training that walls were
terrible
at keeping secrets. Peri listened
intently, but could
make out
little.
"...wasn't
there and I even checked at..." Greyson said. "I
hate the
Hobniz ... kill 'em!"
The fat
man intervened here "...our agent across the bay..."
He went
on for a while, but Peri could not make it out until
Greyson
laughed aloud.
"Not
likely!" he said, and then lowered his voice to a hush
again,
but a percevible hush to Peri's keen ears.
"The
Flying
Guild will continue to strike fear in them!"
The fat
man's eyes opened very wide at this, and he grabbed
Greyson
by the hair that hung loosely before his ear.
"Quiet,
you
dolt! Never speak of the
Guild..."
Peri
adjusted himself a bit, as a cramp in his leg had begun to
sneak up
on him. Peri lost his balance for just a
moment, and
his foot
slid on some loose dirt. He froze. The fat man
stopped
talking and shot his gaze across the road.
He
crossed
the street in a quick but cautious gait.
The mists of
the
night still swirled about when he reached the other side.
The
clanking of a closing gate could be heard in the distance.
The fat
man sighed and peered once more about him in the
dark
night. As he turned to return to
Greyson, his boot
landed
upon a small hard stone protruding from the street.
Removing
the stone from underfoot, the fat man saw the
stone
was no ordinay stone, but a a shiny marble.
Perhaps a
child's
toy...or a thief's tool. The fat man
frowned as he
gripped
it tight between his thick fingers.
Dawn
came.
Perpegilliam
Brown had wandered the streets all night, not
wanting
to return to Iver's Place, for fear that they would
know it
was him and track him there. He was
tired of walking
when the
light of day rolled over the peaks of the the city.
He
mulled over what he had heard in his mind, over and over
again. He was now sure that his father had been
captured by
this
Flying Turtle Guild. What he could do
with this
information
he did not know, but fate had been watching Peri.
The New
Market was just coming to life, with itinerant
peddlers
emerging from their tents and unlocking their carts.
People
from all over the Ahlissan Coast came to Prymp's
market
places, and Peri saw much colorful clothing and even
some
smiling faces. Once the merchants had
set up for
business,
their customers began to trickle in.
Only the open
market
could produce such a bustle of noise.
Hawkers
cajolled
the passerbys, while serious merchants engaged in
frank
discussion. Peri was always attracted to
it like a moth
to a
flame. While others bought goods, Peri
made his
meager
living -- picking the pockets of those he deemed
worthy
of his services.
The sext
bell rang at the chapel of Pholtus when Peri first
spotted
him. The man called Greyson was speaking
to a
vendor
working out of a cart. Peri walked up to
Greyson,
not
entirely sure why he was doing so.
"Good
day to you, sir. It is amazing that I
found you this
day in
such a crowded lot," Peri said, with a cheerful,
innocent
look on his face. Greyson looked down at
the
hairfoot
in his dark, green cape, brown surcote and hose.
The
Hobniz looked like a small child with his brown, curly
locks of
hair and freckled face, but the blade strapped to
his back
washed away all doubts -- this was no child.
"Do
I know you?" Greyson asked acidly.
"No,
but I know you. You are Greyson, a
member of that
which I
shall not name. I will only say, the fat
man sent
me." Peri was unsure how the man would take this,
and
every
bone in his body screamed "RUN!"
Greyson
glanced around, and then his eyes fell back on
Peri. "Come with me little one." Greyson made his way
out of
the market to a small, untraveled sidestreet.
Turning
back to the small Hobniz, Greyson began his
interrogation. "What is your name little one?"
"P..." Whoa!
Peri's mind raced quickly. If he
knew of
Marcus
Brown he may have heard of his son.
"Pulbrous
...
Silicitor." Peri looked at him
cautiously, wondering if
he
sounded convincing.
"What
fat man sent you to me, and why?"
Greyson
demanded.
"You
know exactly what fat man I'm speaking of!" Peri
barked,
his confidence building. "And as
for why...dare
I
mention the 'Guild' aloud?"
"No,
hold your tongue, Pulbrous!"
Greyson eyed the
diminuitive
stranger suspiciously. His brow furrowed
as
he
inwardly struggled over something.
"I
had been told that you could guide me into the ranks
which
you already belong." Peri said,
though he could think
of
numerous reasons why he should not have said it.
Greyson
thought longer, and there was an uneasy silence.
Finally,
he spoke. "Why he had sent you to
me I do not
know,
but I think there is truth in your words.
Tomorrow
night
many of your questions will be answered.
Go to the
tavern
just off the docks -- The Rusty Bucket.
At the right
time,
you will be approached by a man with an eye patch.
He will
guide you."
Peri
bowed to the human and slipped back into the crowd
without
saying another word. Greyson's eyes
followed the
Hobniz
until he was swallowed up by the throng of people.
Greyson
sunk his head into his chest, pondering what had
occured. His eyes fixed on the ground. There in front of
him was
a small marble.
Greyson
began to walk after where the Hobniz had
disappeared. He looked about for this "Pulbrous
Silicitor,"
but he
was nowhere to be found. Standing in the
middle
of the
crowd, Greyson thrust the marble in his pocket and
muttered
aloud, "I hate halflings..."
VLAD'S
DIARY
Day 1 -
I have decided to begin chronicling my journeys
and
thoughts as I adventure with the Band of the Grinning
Gargoyle.
The reasons for this being three-fold. Firstly, I,
and
presumably my companions as well, hope to one day
be
recognized as a great and noble champion of justice. In
the
event that my dreams do indeed come to fruition it is my
hope
that the historians and scholars of our future
generations
can use this journal to gain some knowledge of
what we
will accomplish. Secondly, I intend for
it to be a
device
to keep me sane on the long days of travel over land
and sea
which we are to endure. Channeling my
thoughts
to
written word should prove an excellent tool for keeping
me
focused on our tasks at hand. Thirdly, and most
importantly,
I hope that in the event that something tragic
were to
occur to me on our adventures that these pages
will be
returned to my family so that they may see what I
have and
had planned to accomplish. My soul would
certainly
be unable to rest if they were to think that I died
in vain
or in pursuit of some foolish quest to prove myself to
them.
Mother,
brothers, Cassandra, little ones - know that I embark
on these
journeys with a clear mind and strong heart. I seek
only to
do what I can to serve my Laird, my city, my home
and my
family name. If you truly believe this then I know my
soul
will be at peace no matter what is to come. I will continue
to smile
upon you from wherever I may be.
Alas, I
am not dead yet. Quite the contrary. I am more alive
then I
have ever been. On the morrow we should embark for
Galdol.
It will be some time before we reach there. Perhaps six
days.
Probably longer. I know not what to expect when we
reach
the pirate city. The information we have received is
vague at
best. We know there are several pirate lords, but
not how
many. It is my hope that we are able to exist in the
city
unmolested for a few days while we gather information
on their
forces. And then we can properly plan our attack.
Ideally
a less direct confrontation then a street fight against a
city
full of pirates. While our specific
mission was to
eliminate
the lords it may be more feasible for us to sabotage
their ships
instead. Or, if our reconnaissance goes well,
ambush
the lord alone, or close to it, at a time and place
where it
will go unnoticed - for a while at least. I have also
pondered
attempting to turn the lords on one another, but
at this
stage it seems a far too complex and risky plan. My
one
worry in this is that we are to be paid 50 gold Ivids for
each
lord head we return to Prymp. This gold means little to
me.
Serving the city in which I have lived almost my whole
life is
all the reward I will ever need. It is
an unbelievable
honor.
My words can not express how much it means to
me.
It seems
that my companions feel far differently on this
matter,
however. They have little loyalty to Prymp and seek
only
thrills and riches. I can, and have, accepted this. They
have
good hearts and the best of intentions. But, I do fear
that
this will make them resist any plan that doesn't involve
decapitating
every pirate lord in town. Thankfully, judging
by past
disagreements, I should be able to steer them
towards
whatever course of action I deem best. They are
an
easily swayed lot. That is with the notable exception of
Alexander
Petrok. He is headstrong and stubborn.
Fortunately,
he and I often agree so this is not an issue. I
believe
he will go with my plan of avoiding direct
confrontation
with the pirates. The money means little to
him. His family is one of the richest in Prymp.
Unfortunately,
this is all too clear in the behavior he
exhibits
at times. Enough of that for now though.
I will
talk
about my companions another day. It is late and I
have
much to do tomorrow.
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