T1: A Visit to Spelding Square [Completed]

[Trouvere]

Ngikhnit hauls in the rope with great hand over hand pulls, and Pendrake emerges into view looking none the worse for wear – and after him, clutching onto his free arm, the other lost man.

"He's got Cobby!" exclaims the more excitable guard.

Quozen's throw of the second rope is true, and not only does Medwyn keep his head above water, he even manages to swim a little closer to the shore before seizing the lifeline. Soon enough, all three men are pulled safely from the sea. Medwyn staggers to his feet and gives the party a shaky salute, but Cobby lies among the coils of rope, and brings up a copious amount of seawater.

The tavern-goers gather around watching the commotion. There's some scattered applause and ragged cheering for the rescuers, mixed with a little bit of good-natured jeering at the bedraggled city officials.

"Now then, you lot," says the driest guard, with an attempt to impose himself on the situation at last. "You want to be getting out of here in case we have another big wave, and you do less well than my men."

They see the sense in this, or notice their cold wet feet, and begin to disperse. Gillin stands nearby shivering.

"You have our thanks," the sergeant says to the group.

"If I'd jumped in the sea like that, I'd get a bloody medal," Cobby adds. "Only went and saved my life, didn't he?"

 

[Scott DeWar]

Pendrake just smiles and coughs nervously.

"I fought some, fish devils in underground sea ven ve look fur dark evil a few weeks back vit mine companions Eanos, Semabin, Phoenix, Rowan und Lookspring. I remember how to respect das vatery grave.

Come, we go." He then turns and looks nevously toward the sea.

propsed title:

Surf's up dude!

 

[Walking Dad]

Midias

Midias is glad to get some distance to the water. His heavy armor could make another 'giant' wave his death sentence...

[sblock=OOC]

---

Midias Sunchosen
AC 17 (T11, FF16), HP 16/18, F +5,R+1,W+5
0 Level: Detect Magic, 2x Light
1 Level: Cure Light Wounds (d) - Bless, Command, Shield of Faith

Effects: -

XP:2.550
Gold: 363.5
Got in last adventure: 4 CLW scrolls

[/sblock]

 

[orsal]

Ngikhnit is feeling better about himself now that he has had a chance to demonstrate his muscle more effectively. No longer embarrassed at having been failed by his own most salient ability, he proudly looks to his comrades. In response to Pendrake's invitation, he replies. "We go... but where do we go?"

 

[Trouvere]

"Fish devils!" says Cobby wonderingly. "He's fought fish devils in the sea. And we don't even bloody well have rope. Why don't they issue us with rope?"

The sergeant ignores him. "Well, sirs, our thanks again. We need to be on our way, soon as Constable Cobby's caught his breath." Cobby takes this as his cue to get to his feet at once. "We should report this at headquarters, and then they'll be wanting the most of us over in the High District."

The excitable guard frowns a little and looks over his shoulder northward, towards the slum district. The sergeant looks uncomfortable and rounds on him, though he said nothing.

"Yes, well, you know as well as I do who pays the taxes that pay our wages," he snaps. "It's not like we've shown ourselves to be any good at fishing anyone out of the sea, or that we'd get there in time to pull anyone else out alive. If anyone fell in at all! Look, if the rich and highborn stir themselves out of bed to look at what the water did to their garden walls, then the mayor will want to hear we were there, giving them reassurance that everything's under control, after all the strange things that have happened tonight. Damned if I know what I'd tell them, though. But that's the Captain's problem."

Medwyn shivers. Gillin sneezes abruptly. The sergeant turns back to the group and looks uncertainly between the three humans.

"You might want to get your grandfather somewhere warm and dry before he catches his death of cold," he says more gently.

 

[Boddynock]

"You're right," says Peladus, smiling.

"Glad we could be of assistance. Now come on, Grandfather, let's get you home!"

Turning to the others, he adds quietly, "And perhaps we can check out the area that the guard aren't able to. What do you think?"

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Quozen nods. "We must make sure the docks are safe, I agree."

 

[Scott DeWar]

Pendrake simply just says, "Ja" and heads to higher ground. with the others

 

[Trouvere]

Gillin leads the party away from the docks along Pike Lane, which is nothing more than an alleyway between two warehouses. His nervousness subsides once back on the main thoroughfare that bears the name Merchant's Avenue only by courtesy.

"What a day, what a day," he says. He heads on past the grandly named Carp Avenue, which is anything but, just another winding alleyway sloping down to the docks between tall warehouses. The lamps of Merchant's Avenue more or less light a wider central enclave, littered with fish-smelling trash.

Cod Street and Eel Row follow. Gillin takes Eel Row, which bends right and is open to the west so the north docks can be seen below a short drop. They're shabbier and less well lit than further south. Instead of stone, the quayside nearest the water is made of rough wooden beams supported on piles. The great wave would have drained away more quickly between these boards. Here, it has left behind some of the things it carried ashore - long fronds of seaweed, barnacle-encrusted fragments of wood, empty shells, confused crabs and other flotsam. The sea is calm again, and there's no one about.

Gillin cautiously descends a small flight of stone steps, bringing the party to the edge of the north docks near a scruffy building with a mossy clay tile roof. It lacks a name, but a ship's wheel hangs on the wall, with the designation 'BAR' written in Common, Dwarven and Gnome on the hub. Painted tankards are tied to the spokes. Hanging below is a simple wooden board that reads 'This Tavern Supports our Local City Watch - 20% discount for all Civil Servants.'

"Used to be a bad place, this," Gillin comments. "Then a while back, there was a big fight, and a few of the worst crowd met their end. It's not so bad now. Still can't say I've ever seen a guard come here for a drink, though."

In any case, it looks to be closed. Gillin looks disappointed.

Gillin leads you now into the real slums that have grown up beyond the dock district. Not far along a wider alley, he stops at a little shack - a wooden frame covered over with canvas sides, with a hatchway in front. There's a signboard here too, with a vaguely obscene drawing of a melted candle above affixed wooden lettering that reads 'Flopping Wi k' - the 'c' has fallen off at some point, leaving a mark.

"That's my local bottle store these days," he says. "It's a sad comedown from the places I used to drink. Name's appropriate enough these days, though."

He raps on the hatch, which is unbolted and pulled aside after a short delay. There's a dwarf inside, looking bleary.

"Eh? I was asleep!" he grumbles.

Gillin takes out the silver pieces that Midias gave him. "Not too sleepy to sell me more of your best rum?"

The dwarf brightens. Gillin hands him a flask and he fills it from a bottle, takes the coins, and closes the hatch without another word.

Gillin takes a long slug. "None of his rum's good, but it'll warm you after a soaking," he says. He doesn't offer the flask around. "Almost there now."

He drinks at intervals, and is weaving by the time the party at last escorts him home. Home turns out to be a single room building of slightly better quality than most in the area, at the near side of a cobbled courtyard that warrants a name continuing the fishy theme of the dock district, Crab Garth. He pulls a large wooden key from his pocket and fumbles with an equally crude lock.

"Wouldn't want anyone stealing away my Mildred," he says. "But they wouldn't. They know what she means to me, even if she's worth more than this whole square, or near enough."

"Well, lads, you've been kind to an old fellow, and maybe I didn't get to tell you my old stories, but I was a bit put off by the soaking we got. Maybe you'll come and visit again, and we can go to the Ship's Wheel, or I'll run into you on my excursion past Joe's, eh? I'd like that. I'd invite you in, but there's scarcely room for one, let alone six, 'specially as big as some of you are. G'night, boys."

Spontaneously, he hugs Peladus awkwardly with his one free arm, enveloping him in the smell of rum, old breadcrumbs and wet wool.

 

[Boddynock]

Peladus returns the one-handed hug with good nature, smiling at the old man's sudden enthusiasm. Then, before Gillin can go inside, he asks, "Ah, Gillin, I just can't stay my curiosity any longer. Who, or what, is Mildred?"