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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarauderX" data-source="post: 1888496" data-attributes="member: 9990">Session 22: Parades & Parties in KargamAlex hopped from the ship and headed to the rickety house where he had faced the greasy man.  He searched through the house and found a small chest with three locks on the front.  Alex spent some time with them and easily overcame them, as they were similar to those he had seen in his childhood.  Inside he found some gold and a few pieces of jewelry that looked to be worth a small fortune.  The city patrol carted the bodies of the fallen away on several wagons and flushed the blood from the stone-laid street.  On the ship Lorleena’s Cutter, the rest of the party set up watches after letting the three guards they had fought go.  They fled into the dark alleys of the South Docks District.  The city patrols came by to talk to the party members that were on watch, and mentioned the valiant Sir Thovaas and how he slew the giant.  In the morning the group read through the ship’s log which had been kept by a Captain Yuri up to now.  They realized he was the greasy man they had killed the night before, and as dawn broke a half dozen men were gathered on the dock to help with the ship tasks.  They recalled Alex’s offer from the night before, and as the group all woke a score of them had gathered.  After a time the crew lieutenants and foremen took charge, directing the younger workers.  They unloaded the rest of the food stuffs from the ship, much more than the ship would need to travel.  As they worked, Jerrin investigated the disgraced protégé Simleer’s journal.  A swift feeling of nausea overtook him and he closed the book, sitting down until color returned to his cheeks.  After exercising, Varekai then took the book and read through it steadily, eating an apple from one of the food baskets that one of the deck hands had brought at the direction of Thovaas.  After the crew had unloaded all of the supplies, the lieutenants guided the ship across the river to the best port to the Artisan District.  Once there and settled they made contact with the flower shop owner and asked him about the delivery.  The owner asked that they keep the flowers safely on board until noon the next day, as they were getting the last of the supplies out of the warehouse where they were to be delivered.  The deck hands were paid, released for the rest of the day, and told that they would be paid the same rate if they showed up tomorrow to unload the flowers.  They all smiled at this and each took the gold piece they were given and disappeared into the city.  Thovaas and Quentin went to see Barister Sigrid and the barrister didn't seem upset in the least that they were late.  They discussed price, and settled on 100 gold if they lost the case or 10% of the ship's value if they got it.  After a quick meeting to review the ship's log and a few questions about the ship they went to see the property official.  His office wasn't far, and the staff was sparse probably due to the festivities.  Barrister Sigrid nodded at various guards and others who seemed to know him well, and it was apparent to both party members that Sigrid was well connected.  After being waved through the outer and inner secretary's offices the three entered the property official's office.  At the desk was a old balding man who stoicly listened as the Barrister explained why they were there.  The man thoroughly reviewed the account of the fight and the ship's log, and slowly the afternoon passed as he read.  Commenting that they were moving pretty fast on staking their claim of ownership, the dusty old man told them to make all of the deliveries that were noted in the ledger.  Once all deliveries were complete, they would return here and if no suitable heir could be found the ship would be theirs for the keeping.  For the time being he wrote down Quentin and Thovaas's names as the current co-captains of the ship.  Upon leaving the Barrister told them to be swift and rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the easy reward.The next shipment the ship was scheduled for was for transport of many of those who had come to Kargam to see the King.  The scheduled trip was to Wilheim, just to the North-NorthWest of Elarith.  Most of the passengers were probably from Elarith or parts thereof, and would be on the ship all the way to Wilheim.  In the evening Quentin and Alex ventured to see Mortis, an obese man who Quentin had many dealings with.  At his makeshift quarters Mortis ran a number of scams, including thievery, smuggling and robbery, and he was always a good source for turning a quick profit on stolen goods.  They gave Mortis the run-down on the ship, and how they had acquired it and where they were likely to be going with it – towards Elarith.  Mortis chortled and mentioned that he had the perfect passenger for them to smuggle out of Kargam.  He described the fellow as quiet, wearing a mask and dressed in fine clothing.  He wouldn’t bother anyone and no one must discover that he was on board the ship.  Once in Wilheim, the closest river port to Elarith, he only needed a safe cover to leave the ship.  When they got back, Mortis said he would pay them the rest of the agreed price.  Alex and Quentin were hesitant and told Mortis to learn more about this passenger before they would take him.  Mortis, seeming to be under pressure to get this man out of the city, agreed to try.Lastly, Quentin and Alex asked Mortis if he knew any captains.  The large man had quite a laugh at this, and mentioned there were a few.  There was a captain named Galadin that was amenable to doing what he was told and could probably be found easily enough at one of the local bars.  The two left Mortis to see him.Galadin was a homely man that always seemed to be seeking approval from those around him.  Since he had no ship of his own, having lost it to improper dealings, he was eager to take the job.  Setting down his drink he set out with them to examine Lorleena's Cutter.  He smiled as he stood on the deck and thought of Yuri being dead.  He explained that there was some bad blood between the two captains and seemed gratified that he was standing at the helm of the greasy Yuri's ship.  The party questioned him extensively and since he seemed competant enough they assigned him as pilot of the ship.  They also asked whether he knew anyone that could be co-pilot and he said he would find his old first mate.  Jerrin ventured to the temple of Elhonna and met a man with the same wild-born background.  He invited Jerrin to visit the nearest druidic grove to the city, and explained that he stationed himself in the city to learn of the local temperment and politics concerned with nature and the forests.  Jerrin took the day and met the druids in the area as they conversed and welcomed him to their home.  The leader, if there were one, was a frog that shifted to his born elven form for a time to reveal his long life span before changing back again.  He and Jerrin exchanged some information on the elder races and what they had encountered thus far.  The shaman frog croaked what he knew, and of the development of humans since he was young.  He recalled his elders giving men bronze weapons, and it brought about a new age for men who quickly developed and utilized the tools in a way that the elves never did - construction & war.  *****A day of parades and partying was had, and the Lorleena's Cutter sat lazily in the river next to the Artisan District.  Galadin worked to outfit the ship, and listed out a number of problems and needed equipment that was needed.  The crew was introduced to Galadin then let out into the city for one last day of festivities.  Varekai read Simleer's journal the rest of the day and into evening, and he was certain the man's brain was corrupted, but lacked a definitive time when it occured.  Jerrin introduced Alex to a dozen halflings at the halfling ambassador's estate.  With cheery greetings, Alex explained that he was interested in a business venture.  Four halflings, good friends to one another, had a plan to make a trip to the dwarves in the shadows of the Oton peaks to gather minerals and crafts to rival those made by elven hands.  All they needed was the cash to pay for guards and mules, as they had nearly everything else taken care of.  A 50-50 arrangement was struck and with their new funding the halflings looked to start out immediately before the weather struck the Oton peaks.  After the day had passed a dozen temporary open theaters hosted various plays and perfomances in a large circle around the castle.  The King, Marquis and the other Barons could be seen waving to the crowds below at different towers each hour, and exceptional performers were welcomed inside to entertain the King.  The castle hosted the city's noteables, among them most of the city's nobles and some from the capital Suln as well.  The castle grounds were open to all those that were worthy of entry, and the party was granted entrance to the great hall for their noteable deeds.  Once inside the party members split to find different social groups.  Thovaas, dressed in his finest, delivered the sketches of the Lorleena's Cutter he had requested and dropped them off at one of the grand tables of gifts for the King.  He then made conversation with a noblewoman from Suln and her cousin for the evening, fetching them drinks to earn favor and modestly answering their questions about his latest deeds.  Rollof stumbled to visit each member, and he struggled to steady himself on this wooden foot as the alcohol complicated the matter.  He hugged Alex several times and despite the man's state, Alex was unable to lift his purse for examination.  Quentin took the new title of captain for all it was worth, and attracted quite a crowd of socialites as they drank through the night.  Varekai sipped slowly at his drink as a complete day immersing himself into the book of the madman Simleer had exhausted him more than he knew.  Jerrin partied with several of his brethen inside the great hall of the castle before joining a large contingent of dwarves outside.  They seemed to be watching a tragic play with plenty of subtle interworkings, but to them the play was much more of a comedy as they added their own drunken dialogue.  Jerrin asked a priest of Moradin some pretty heavy questions on the creation of the world and the dwarf answered as best he could, as he had perhaps overestimated his own tolerance of the mead they were drinking.  The night wore on, and Quentin left the castle with an entourage of his own, seven women in exquisite dresses accompanying him and at their heels another three men.  Thovaas was seen leaving the castle in the company of two women, walking lazily toward the ship.  Once there Thovaas gave them a quick tour and escorted them home.  Jerrin, Alex and Varekai boarded the ship and the partiers woke up Galadin, who had passed out on his own, and continued to party until the sky started to light with the coming dawn.  Sleeping into the early afternoon the next day, Quentin woke up with two of the women that had joined him in the captain's quarters.  The door was barred and he heard the light tapping on the door echo in his skull.  He answered grogily and he and the rest of the party discussed that they would spend the rest of the day preparing the ship and would leave the next morning.  *****Thovaas collected the sketches and paintings he had commissioned from the artists and paid them well for their time.  He then found a romantic poem from one of the poets and rewrote the poem on the back of the painting and delivered it to the lady he had escorted the night before.  Alex and Quentin went to see Mortis once again.  They didn't get a firm feeling about this mysterious passenger, but at least they negotiated a hefty fee for his secret travel.  They agreed to meet him at midnight and told the other members of the party that they the first mate's cabin was to be off limits as that's where they would keep their treasure.  The two of them met the mysterious stranger and his two servants after midnight.  The stranger had a silver mask, and upon a cursory inspection they could tell the brown hood was held in place by two tiny silver horns on the top of the mask to prevent it from being pulled down.  Two servants flanked him, each dressed in fine servants clothing that was typical of those in the Servant District.  Ice blue eyes dazzled from the angled slits in the mask, and they walked silently to the ship together.  Once on board Alex set up a crossbow trap and Quentin made provisions for sleeping in the same room with them to redirect anyone who became 'lost'.  *****On the morning the set to leave, passengers and crew trickled in until noon.  The last among the passengers was a beautiful young elven lady named Karyssa who demanded that she occupy the captain's quarters once they it was made hospitable.  She had several servants and maids with her that adjusted her dress and removed any dust from her silken robes with minor magic.  The party didn't see a problem with letting her have the captain's quarters, but they would have to put their charts, instruments and personal wear somewhere else.  Currently they didn't know where that was.</blockquote>

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