After a short few days of downtime, Jerker arranged a voyage to Fort Whitevault, where they Tienarth had gone in search of materials to complete his refurbishment of the tower back on the Naked Isle. They figured on finding something new along the way, and a trip to Jaguar Paw Island seemed too much of a commitment. Half of the food from The Ranger was hauled over to The Garlic Frog. Urgesh declined to come along. Nate, Ferris and Ollie were otherwise occupied, so aside from the 10-man crew, they set off with another seven fighters, Jerker, Elaraia, Hocuspo, Aderian and Ghevont.
The first four days of the trip (5/16 – 5/20) were uneventful. On the fifth day (5/21), morning fog cleared to provide optimal viewing conditions and an island was spotted. They sailed into a small harbor to investigate where they were met by a friendly citizen of the empire in traditional garb (black toga, buskins) who described Harmony Pond as a peaceful religious community farming sugar cane and ebony dye. The latter product was made by harvesting leaves of the ebony tree, and it was an important commodity for the empire’s fixation on black clothing.
The village held about 500 people led by high priest following the Anointed One. Three merchant ships docked in the harbor, one flying a flag with an orange tiger silhouette on a black field. Someone said it was from Awhax. The island and village were named after an ancient holy site on the west side. Though still held in high regard, the site was some distance from the village and not used for regular worship. When conversation turned to adventure, for Tienarth’s Raiders were obviously vagabonds and treasure-seekers, it was mentioned that while the island was certainly pacified and free of wandering monsters, there were two ancient forts laying in ruins on the north and south ends of the island.
The Garlic Frog set sail once again the next day (5/22), still headed for Fort Whitevault. As the days passed, a heavy humidity brought on a torrential downpour before giving way to clear skies the day before the island they came to know was Vaneroa was seen, including the gleaming white cliffs on top of which sat Fort Whitevault. Their ship maneuvered through a narrow fjord in the white cliffs, under the shadow of the fortifications and into a shelter cove. A sprawling city buzzed with activity around a frothy river pouring into the brackish bay. The harbor was filled with innumerable ships of all sizes and design.
The city of Fort Whitevault was much larger than Slateholm, by far the largest community any of them had ever seen. Ghevont who had the most experience within the more civilized parts of the empire advised them all, especially Jerker’s crew of former rebels, on standards of behavior. The days of the rebellion were over, he told them, and there was no reason for anyone to recognize them.
Jerker wanted to find Tienarth, hoping he hadn’t already concluded business and returned to the Naked Isle. They spent the day visiting three different magic schools, finally learning at the third that Tienarth had been then as we making plans to embark. They found him at an inn called Uncanny Waters, along the embarcadero avenue.
They also learned that among the many establishments were shops specializing in magic items. The next day (5/27), most them found themselves at Mira and Cune’s Arsenal, where Mira, a stout female covered in scars greeted them enthusiastically. Her face reminded one of a pig’s, and there was little chance that any beauty ever graced her face, even in her long-ago youth. She mentioned her previous life as an adventurer and how she retired after her left arm was ruined in battle. The items for sale were part of her extensive trove of items discovered in dungeons. When asked, she explained Cune was her deceased husband.
The enthusiasm for purchasing magical weapons diminished when learning the prices asked, but Jerker was determined to acquire a magical mace for Ghevont, who was not present. The cleric had gone off to find hirelings. In the end, Jerker traded a magical long sword for a magical mace. Ghevont accepted the weapon with some hesitance, explaining that he wasn’t particularly interested in fighting. He took it after Jerker argued it was a precaution for those times when only a magical weapon would be effective against a monster. The mace is itself was of dwarven make, engraved with the symbol of a dwarven war god.
Ghevont only had time to meet with four prospective hirelings during the day. He turned down a pair of clerics who answered his call, but he ended up hiring a porter named Carl with the enticement of a salary of 6 pieces of gold per month and the chance to visit the Naked Isle. That Ghevont demonstrated his power to turn sticks into snakes seemed to have little effect on negotiations, good or bad, but the laborer seemed intrigued by the idea of naked elf maidens, and he was ignorant of the plague ravaging the island.
End Notes
- Days
- 5/13 – 5/15 Downtime
- 5/16 – 5/20 The Garlic Frog sails east
- 5/21 Harmony Pond discovered
- 5/22 – 5/25 The Garlic Frog continues on to Fort Whitevault
- 5/26 – 5/27 At Fort Whitevault
- Treasure: none
- Combat: none
- Characters
- Aderian
- Elaria
- Ghevont
- Hocusp
- Jerker
- Tienarth
- The Ranger (Caravel)
- HP 75/75 hardness 8
- Crew (10)/Passengers: 10/3
- 10 elven sailors
- Jonja
- Dwarf youth
- Urgesh
- Cargo: 18 of 75 tons *
- Food: 54 man/weeks
- Water: 880 gallons
- The Garlic Frog (Caravel)
- Hit Points: 75/75 hardness 8
- Crew (10)/Passengers: 10/ 13
- 10 human sailors
- 7 extra human sailors
- Aderian, Jerker, Elaria, Ghevont, Hocuspo, Tienarth
- Cargo: 57.5 of 75 tons *
- Food: 34 man/weeks
- Water: 5000 gallons
- 22 tons of sugar, 5 tons of cocoa, 5 tons of cotton
* See Ship Cargo for figuring cargo needed for goods and people