Though land was sighted in the morning, it is mid-afternoon by the time The Gail rounds the lighthouse cliffs, and nigh on evening by time she pulls into port. The whole time, Fargo was a complete blur, bounding from rigging, to foredeck, to rail, shouting orders and rebuffing complaints.
The harbor is surprisingly large, considering the surrounding topography. Once rounding the northern cliff, past the lighthouse, it becomes evident that the cliff is nothing more than a large, hooking peninsula stretching northward into a giant gulf. The interior of the 'hook' guards calmer waters from the tides of the outer ocean, and it is in the pit of this hook that the harbor of Rioc Alair lies. The city itself is atop the cliffs, which have been hewed back to form a man-made 'beach' of sorts out of the sandstone rock, three or four hundred yards wide and about fifty yards deep. to the center is a pass in the cliffs that ramps its way up to a walled gate that forms the city's main entrance. To the left of the harbor is a shallow, hair-pinning road that winds its way up the cliff face to a large, friendly-looking
fachwerk structure, obviously an inn that caters to sea-going merchants. Streetlamp-like lanterns line the winding road, burning with a welcoming light, having just been lit to ward off the twilight shadows that settle quickly inside this fjord.
As the ship drops anchor in the harbor, the dwarf approaches the group of five (six if you count Dayna),
"'Ere's 'here aye wishye luck goin' 'shore. Me crew an' aye 'ave bisness otherwheres 'bout town." He points to the inn on the cliff, "Tha' thar's th' Crystal Mog. If ye fin' this'ere 'Ankel, ye jus' bring 'im abard, an' we'll all parlay th' starry t'im." He winks at you,
"I 'magine ye won' be jumpin' ship on me iffin'ye wan' tah get 'ome." He turns to get back to work on the ship, and stops quickly swivelling back to face the group,
"Oh. An' if'ye wan' ta go intah th'city, be warned ye'll be asked tah leave ye're weapons 'ahind. Iffin'ye don' like those tarms, ye may leave'm with me." He hefts a small box on his shoulders, looks sidelong to make sure no one else is overhearing, and says,
"If'ye decide tah do tha' I'll give'ye me dock's tax as c'lateral." He opens the box to reveal that it is filled with platinum coins (about fifty by Fenwick's quick count),
"Iff'n Aye leaves withou'ye, ye'll not have retarn this. Iffin ye don' pay the tax the m'litia'll seize an sink th'boat an' ye'r weapons. Then they throws'ye in th' dungeon. Aye seen i' dun 'afahre. 'Sa big deal. Th'ole town comes out tah 'elp!" He chuckles,
"I'll jus' 'old on tah th'box an' ye hol' ontah ye'r weapons till ye decides if'ye wants tah go intah town."
As the group descends the gangplank, Fenwick, Riardon, Talon, and Rujah immediately feel out of place for some reason. [sblock=Perception DC 15]The demographics of the area are uniquely human. The only non-humans within sight are yourselves and several domesticated pack animals (as well as some dogs, cats, and vermin).[sblock=Perception DC 20]If the dwarves descending the plank notice this, they don't seem to be thinking it anything out of the ordinary, though they're not exactly rushing down the gangplank with excitemet.[/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Translation]
"' Here's where I wish you luck going ashore. My crew and I have business other places about town." He points to the inn on the cliff, "That there is the Crystal Mug. If you find this here Hankel, just bring him aboard and we'll all tell him the story," He winks at you,
"I imagine you won't be jumping ship on me if you want to get home." He turns to get back to work on the ship, and stops quickly swivelling back to face the group,
"Oh. And if you want to go into the city, be warned that you'll be asked to leave your weapons behind. If you don't like those terms, you can leave them with me." He hefts a small box on his shoulders, looks sidelong to make sure no one else is overhearing, and says,
"If you decide to do that, I'll give you my dock tax as collateral." He opens the box to reveal that it is filled with platinum coins (about fifty by Fenwick's quick count),
"If I leave without you, you'll not have to return this. If you don't pay the tax, the militia will seize and sink the boat, and your weapons. Then they'll throw you in the dungeon. I've seen it done before. It's a big deal. The whole town comes out to help!" He chuckles,
"I'll just hold on to the box and you hold onto your weapons until you decide if you want to go into town."[/sblock]
