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drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour
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drnuncheon
Explorer
Jon Potter said:
Well, I haven't gotten to this part yet, but when asked where they came from, the answer was "across the Sea of Dreams". Make of that what you will. One thing's for certain...they ain't from around here.
(Yeah, they are githyanki. The big blue guy is an Arcane, or I guess Mercane nowadays, from Spelljammer/Manual of the Planes. Why does a Mercane have githyanki bodyguards? Hmm...he must have made a good deal...)
J
Gonna have to do it...
I just bought the Freeport city book last night. Between that book and your story, it is a must that I set up a campaign in Freeport. I've been trying to decide exactly where iw as going to start one for my friends that have only played 2nd edition before. I never read the adventures (don't know why, I bought everything else) but man, this city's got it all. Thanks for bringing it alive, making it easier to see in the dark places a little better.
I just bought the Freeport city book last night. Between that book and your story, it is a must that I set up a campaign in Freeport. I've been trying to decide exactly where iw as going to start one for my friends that have only played 2nd edition before. I never read the adventures (don't know why, I bought everything else) but man, this city's got it all. Thanks for bringing it alive, making it easier to see in the dark places a little better.
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Thirteen, Part Three: Economics, Linguistics, and History
Dru flashed a coin at the urchin standing in front of her. The child's eyes lit up at the sight of gold. "Run and fetch Lucius the Librarian from the Temple of Knowledge, and there will be another one for you," she told him, and in an instant he was gone.
The other children surrounding her, on the other hand, had not. She waded through the crowd of them to return to Di'Fier, who was helpfully assisting the blue-skinned trader with the process of obtaining a stall in the Dockside Market. More of the yellowed crewmembers were approaching, bearing crates and boxes which they began to stack behind their master, as his armed guards smiled savagely to keep the crowd back.
As Dru watched, the negoiations were concluded, and the last porter brought what looked like a stone disk to the trader. The trader set it on the table, spoke a word, and held his hand over it, indicating that Di'Fier shoudl do the same.
"It's warm..." Di'Fier reported, puzzled.
The trader turned the item over, spoke another word, and repeated the process.
"...and now it's cold."
The trader smiled, handed the disk to the Watchman, and turned to the crowd. The egg's wispy voice was still somehow audible over the crowd. "There are many wonders in my cargo...allow me to demonstrate them..."
Di'Fier barely managed to get out of the way of the crowd. The trader's guards were having difficulty channeling the crowd as the bizarre merchant began to demonstrate the virtues of a cooking knife that would seemingly cut through anything - except living flesh.
"I guess he was happy I helped him," said Di'Fier, turning the disk over in his hands. "It certainly got people's attention."
Dru nodded. "I sent for Lucius. I know he'd want to see this." She jerked her head towards the stands. "Looks like something's gathering over there as well. Maybe the rat race is over."
As the pair made their way towards the stage, they saw that indeed it was. A stubby dwarf was receiving a cask of rare spices from Captain Lydon in exchange for the struggling rodent.
I wonder how a dwarf managed to catch the rat, Di'Fier thought idly. You wouldn't think he'd be able to keep up...
His partner was having doubts of her own. What's that on the rat? It looks like...cobwebs.
Still, the matter was of little import, and the Watchmen quickly shrugged it off in favor of more entertaining pursuits.
"I still don't believe that one of those kids swiped my coin-purse," growled Dru. "And that I didn't even notice!" It was clear that the latter complaint aggrieved her far more than the former. Larceny was understandable, but for her to fail to notice it was nigh unforgivable.
"I think we've got other things to worry about," said Di'Fier. "Look."
Dru followed her partner's glance to where she saw a trio of unsavory types moving through the crowd - heading, it seemed, for their azure-skinned friend. "The Buccaneers," she grumbled. "I might have known they'd show up." She reached down and loosened her blade. "No sense in your generous friend getting the right impression of the city on his first night here."
But before she could move, the toughs had been intercepted. Three men had made their way through the crowd. Dru could spot the type as soon as they moved: the men had the assured and dangerous quality of trained killers. She tensed, feeling her partner do the same.
But there was no bloodshed. The men merely smiled at the toughs, speaking a few words and making a gentle gesture. Di'Fier's eyes narrowed. He knew an enchantment when he saw one, and the friendly smiles which spread across the faces of the Buccaneers were not usual, not at all.
Still, the situation had been defused, and the six of them walked away from the docks together.
"What do you make of that?" Di'Fier asked.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen them before...but at least it looked like they were interested in keeping the peace..."
"So, does Thuron know that he's here?" Dru asked, as she lounged in a chair in Egil's new office, idly flipping a knife in her hand.
"I...have not found it wise to tell him, especially given the proclivities of our new friend here," Egil said, with a nod towards the ratman. His spell of comprehend languages had at least enabled communication one way, and through a mixture of pantomime and repetition, they had managed to convey a few key phrases to the creature.
"Dru...what is this called?" it asked, tapping a claw on Dru's dagger.
"It's a dagger, Varesh."
"So did you find his homeland?" Di'Fier asked hopefully.
Egil shook his head. "Unfortunately, he's either terrible with maps, or his homeland isn't on any of the ones we have here. I haven't found any references to his kind in any of the literature I've studied, either."
"Have you ever come across something referring to the 'Sea of Dreams'?" Dru queried.
"Not offhand...why?"
"It's apparently where the blue merchant has come from," Di'Fier supplied. "It sounds familiar, but I can't place it either."
"What is this called?"
"That's a rapier."
Di'Fier looked over at the rat-man. "I managed to use Kenzil's spellbook to memorize a spell of translation this morning..." He spoke a few words, feeling the arcane energies settling into his ears.
The rat-man turned to him and hissed, his hackles raising. <<You cast spells the way the serpents do...>>
"No, no..." said Di'Fier, wishing the spell went both ways. "I study...in a book..." He took a book and mimed reading from it, then casting a spell.
Varesh's eyes narrowed, but he seemed to accept that answer. <<For the serpents it comes naturally. Who are you, that studies your magic in books?>>
Di'Fier cast about for the best way to explain the concept of the Watch. "I'm...a Watchman," he said, knowing the words were meaningless. He got up and positioned himself in front of Egil, as if to guard him.
<<You protect the priest?>> At Di'Fier's expansive gesture, Varesh reconsidered. <<...everyone. You protect everyone.>> He nodded understanding. <<I protect as well. I hunt serpents.>>
Di'Fier nodded. "We do too," he said, gesturing to himself and Dru.
<<You...protect by hunting? Hunting serpents?>> Varesh studied the two Watchmen, and his lips pulled back from his teeth in what passed for a grin.
<<Take me,>> he said, <<to your leader.>>
"You've got to admit, he'd make a decent Watchman," Dru said as they left the temple. "He was able to smell me when I was invisible."
"I'm not sure the Captain would like it much," Di'Fier replied. "And I kind of like our new promotions. We'll have to wait until things calm down anyway. Lydon's still upset about losing him."
"Where's the blue trader?" Dru asked.
"Roth and the bigwigs from the Merchant's Guild came by to treat him to a dinner," grumbled one of the crowd. "They'll probably tie up his entire stock and get an option on future shipments, too."
Two of the armed creatures stood guard over the stall. One looked Di'Fier up and down, its' gaze falling on the short sword at the Watchman's waist. The words were no longer translated by Di'Fier's spell, but the intent was clear.
"Must be a dominance thing," muttered Dru as they walked away.
Above the harbor, the night began to light up with greens and reds - a display of imported fireworks sponsored by Lydon. The city echoed with the thunderous booms as Dru and Di'Fier headed back through the streets to the Old City.
"Garto should have my sword ready by now - in plenty of time for the ball," Di'Fier said.
"Maybe we should go back and talk to your friend after you pick it up," Dru suggested, her eyes flashing at the idea of a possible scuffle.
Di'Fier coughed gently. "That...may not be wise. Fun though it might be."
"And Dru, Di'Fier..." Donnach said as the rest of the Watch began filing out to their morning assignments. "You're on special duty today."
"What's that, Captain?" Dru asked, pullingher feet off of the chair in front of her and leaning forward.
"You're helping Spruce down in Records. I don't want the two of you showing up to the Lighthouse Ball covered in blood."
Dru sneezed. Records, it seemed, hadn't been dusted in the hundred-and-four years since the creation of the Watch. Even the dust was dusty.
"Oh, Dru," said Spruce, his face barely visible over a stack of papers. "I meant to tell you, I found something out about what you wanted to know...you remember, the rose?"
Dru's head swiveled to look at him. She'd nearly forgotten.
"It took me a long time to find it, because there was nothing in the recent archives. But I was sorting some stuff from about forty years ago, and I found a reference to it - during the last big crime war in the city. Your father was involved."
Dru nodded.
"Well, the guy on the other side was named Morgan Haisa - he ran the Eastern District. At the end of the war, they found him dead in his room, with a rose next to him. Without a head." Spruce set the stack of papers down and rubbed his raw, red nose. "They never did find the head."
Dru flashed a coin at the urchin standing in front of her. The child's eyes lit up at the sight of gold. "Run and fetch Lucius the Librarian from the Temple of Knowledge, and there will be another one for you," she told him, and in an instant he was gone.
The other children surrounding her, on the other hand, had not. She waded through the crowd of them to return to Di'Fier, who was helpfully assisting the blue-skinned trader with the process of obtaining a stall in the Dockside Market. More of the yellowed crewmembers were approaching, bearing crates and boxes which they began to stack behind their master, as his armed guards smiled savagely to keep the crowd back.
As Dru watched, the negoiations were concluded, and the last porter brought what looked like a stone disk to the trader. The trader set it on the table, spoke a word, and held his hand over it, indicating that Di'Fier shoudl do the same.
"It's warm..." Di'Fier reported, puzzled.
The trader turned the item over, spoke another word, and repeated the process.
"...and now it's cold."
The trader smiled, handed the disk to the Watchman, and turned to the crowd. The egg's wispy voice was still somehow audible over the crowd. "There are many wonders in my cargo...allow me to demonstrate them..."
Di'Fier barely managed to get out of the way of the crowd. The trader's guards were having difficulty channeling the crowd as the bizarre merchant began to demonstrate the virtues of a cooking knife that would seemingly cut through anything - except living flesh.
"I guess he was happy I helped him," said Di'Fier, turning the disk over in his hands. "It certainly got people's attention."
Dru nodded. "I sent for Lucius. I know he'd want to see this." She jerked her head towards the stands. "Looks like something's gathering over there as well. Maybe the rat race is over."
As the pair made their way towards the stage, they saw that indeed it was. A stubby dwarf was receiving a cask of rare spices from Captain Lydon in exchange for the struggling rodent.
I wonder how a dwarf managed to catch the rat, Di'Fier thought idly. You wouldn't think he'd be able to keep up...
His partner was having doubts of her own. What's that on the rat? It looks like...cobwebs.
Still, the matter was of little import, and the Watchmen quickly shrugged it off in favor of more entertaining pursuits.
"I still don't believe that one of those kids swiped my coin-purse," growled Dru. "And that I didn't even notice!" It was clear that the latter complaint aggrieved her far more than the former. Larceny was understandable, but for her to fail to notice it was nigh unforgivable.
"I think we've got other things to worry about," said Di'Fier. "Look."
Dru followed her partner's glance to where she saw a trio of unsavory types moving through the crowd - heading, it seemed, for their azure-skinned friend. "The Buccaneers," she grumbled. "I might have known they'd show up." She reached down and loosened her blade. "No sense in your generous friend getting the right impression of the city on his first night here."
But before she could move, the toughs had been intercepted. Three men had made their way through the crowd. Dru could spot the type as soon as they moved: the men had the assured and dangerous quality of trained killers. She tensed, feeling her partner do the same.
But there was no bloodshed. The men merely smiled at the toughs, speaking a few words and making a gentle gesture. Di'Fier's eyes narrowed. He knew an enchantment when he saw one, and the friendly smiles which spread across the faces of the Buccaneers were not usual, not at all.
Still, the situation had been defused, and the six of them walked away from the docks together.
"What do you make of that?" Di'Fier asked.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen them before...but at least it looked like they were interested in keeping the peace..."
"So, does Thuron know that he's here?" Dru asked, as she lounged in a chair in Egil's new office, idly flipping a knife in her hand.
"I...have not found it wise to tell him, especially given the proclivities of our new friend here," Egil said, with a nod towards the ratman. His spell of comprehend languages had at least enabled communication one way, and through a mixture of pantomime and repetition, they had managed to convey a few key phrases to the creature.
"Dru...what is this called?" it asked, tapping a claw on Dru's dagger.
"It's a dagger, Varesh."
"So did you find his homeland?" Di'Fier asked hopefully.
Egil shook his head. "Unfortunately, he's either terrible with maps, or his homeland isn't on any of the ones we have here. I haven't found any references to his kind in any of the literature I've studied, either."
"Have you ever come across something referring to the 'Sea of Dreams'?" Dru queried.
"Not offhand...why?"
"It's apparently where the blue merchant has come from," Di'Fier supplied. "It sounds familiar, but I can't place it either."
"What is this called?"
"That's a rapier."
Di'Fier looked over at the rat-man. "I managed to use Kenzil's spellbook to memorize a spell of translation this morning..." He spoke a few words, feeling the arcane energies settling into his ears.
The rat-man turned to him and hissed, his hackles raising. <<You cast spells the way the serpents do...>>
"No, no..." said Di'Fier, wishing the spell went both ways. "I study...in a book..." He took a book and mimed reading from it, then casting a spell.
Varesh's eyes narrowed, but he seemed to accept that answer. <<For the serpents it comes naturally. Who are you, that studies your magic in books?>>
Di'Fier cast about for the best way to explain the concept of the Watch. "I'm...a Watchman," he said, knowing the words were meaningless. He got up and positioned himself in front of Egil, as if to guard him.
<<You protect the priest?>> At Di'Fier's expansive gesture, Varesh reconsidered. <<...everyone. You protect everyone.>> He nodded understanding. <<I protect as well. I hunt serpents.>>
Di'Fier nodded. "We do too," he said, gesturing to himself and Dru.
<<You...protect by hunting? Hunting serpents?>> Varesh studied the two Watchmen, and his lips pulled back from his teeth in what passed for a grin.
<<Take me,>> he said, <<to your leader.>>
"You've got to admit, he'd make a decent Watchman," Dru said as they left the temple. "He was able to smell me when I was invisible."
"I'm not sure the Captain would like it much," Di'Fier replied. "And I kind of like our new promotions. We'll have to wait until things calm down anyway. Lydon's still upset about losing him."
"Where's the blue trader?" Dru asked.
"Roth and the bigwigs from the Merchant's Guild came by to treat him to a dinner," grumbled one of the crowd. "They'll probably tie up his entire stock and get an option on future shipments, too."
Two of the armed creatures stood guard over the stall. One looked Di'Fier up and down, its' gaze falling on the short sword at the Watchman's waist. The words were no longer translated by Di'Fier's spell, but the intent was clear.
"Must be a dominance thing," muttered Dru as they walked away.
Above the harbor, the night began to light up with greens and reds - a display of imported fireworks sponsored by Lydon. The city echoed with the thunderous booms as Dru and Di'Fier headed back through the streets to the Old City.
"Garto should have my sword ready by now - in plenty of time for the ball," Di'Fier said.
"Maybe we should go back and talk to your friend after you pick it up," Dru suggested, her eyes flashing at the idea of a possible scuffle.
Di'Fier coughed gently. "That...may not be wise. Fun though it might be."
"And Dru, Di'Fier..." Donnach said as the rest of the Watch began filing out to their morning assignments. "You're on special duty today."
"What's that, Captain?" Dru asked, pullingher feet off of the chair in front of her and leaning forward.
"You're helping Spruce down in Records. I don't want the two of you showing up to the Lighthouse Ball covered in blood."
Dru sneezed. Records, it seemed, hadn't been dusted in the hundred-and-four years since the creation of the Watch. Even the dust was dusty.
"Oh, Dru," said Spruce, his face barely visible over a stack of papers. "I meant to tell you, I found something out about what you wanted to know...you remember, the rose?"
Dru's head swiveled to look at him. She'd nearly forgotten.
"It took me a long time to find it, because there was nothing in the recent archives. But I was sorting some stuff from about forty years ago, and I found a reference to it - during the last big crime war in the city. Your father was involved."
Dru nodded.
"Well, the guy on the other side was named Morgan Haisa - he ran the Eastern District. At the end of the war, they found him dead in his room, with a rose next to him. Without a head." Spruce set the stack of papers down and rubbed his raw, red nose. "They never did find the head."
drnuncheon
Explorer
Special Added Bonus Inside!
Wow, an almost completely non-combat session. There was a lot of roleplaying that I couldn't keep up with in my notes, mostly involving the language lessons between Dru, Di'Fier, and Varesh. Between that and the last session, though, Dru and Di'Fier earned enough to tip them over into 7th level - so expect an update to the Rogue's Gallery at some point.
For now, though, you get a drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour Special Added Bonus: a complete writeup of a new magic item. Amuse your friends, bewilder your players, or just give it to your local high-level wizard.
Stone of Heating/Cooling: This thin marble disk (about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 an inch thick) is inscribed with a rune on each side: one in gold, the other in silver. When the rune from the side sitting face-up is spoken, the disc will heat (if the gold rune is face up) or cool (if the silver) whatever is placed on it by about 40 degrees - although it will stop short of freezing or boiling the substance. It is intended to warm or chill drinks, hence the common appelation "Drinkstone". Some alchemists have found it useful in their work as well.
Caster level: 1st; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, prestidigitation; Market Price: 100 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
DM's Note: The "by the book" price for this item should be 900 gp: 1/2 (spell level) x 1 (caster level) x 1800 (command word). On the other hand, this object is by no means the equal of the magic items in that range (bag of tricks (grey), bracers of armor +1, etc), so I arbitrarily and summarily reduced the price to something more reasonable.
Wow, an almost completely non-combat session. There was a lot of roleplaying that I couldn't keep up with in my notes, mostly involving the language lessons between Dru, Di'Fier, and Varesh. Between that and the last session, though, Dru and Di'Fier earned enough to tip them over into 7th level - so expect an update to the Rogue's Gallery at some point.
For now, though, you get a drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour Special Added Bonus: a complete writeup of a new magic item. Amuse your friends, bewilder your players, or just give it to your local high-level wizard.
Stone of Heating/Cooling: This thin marble disk (about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 an inch thick) is inscribed with a rune on each side: one in gold, the other in silver. When the rune from the side sitting face-up is spoken, the disc will heat (if the gold rune is face up) or cool (if the silver) whatever is placed on it by about 40 degrees - although it will stop short of freezing or boiling the substance. It is intended to warm or chill drinks, hence the common appelation "Drinkstone". Some alchemists have found it useful in their work as well.
Caster level: 1st; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, prestidigitation; Market Price: 100 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
DM's Note: The "by the book" price for this item should be 900 gp: 1/2 (spell level) x 1 (caster level) x 1800 (command word). On the other hand, this object is by no means the equal of the magic items in that range (bag of tricks (grey), bracers of armor +1, etc), so I arbitrarily and summarily reduced the price to something more reasonable.
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Fourteen, Part One: The Lighthouse Ball
DM Note: Well, here we are at last - the culmination of the Freeport Trilogy: Madness in Freeport. Needless to say, enormous amounts of spoilers follow. As we get started I want to thank Chris Pramas, Bill Simioni, and the rest of the Green Ronin folks for the great work they did on the trilogy, and the City of Adventure hardback. Now, onward towards madness...
Dru pulled at the high collar of her uniform jacket, trying vainly to loosen it. "I hate these things. The collar's too high and the jacket binds. What if we have to kill someone?"
"We did alright at the funeral," her partner answered. "We'll be fine." They turned onto the main road leading towards the Sea Lord's palace, their high boots ringing on the cobbles. "And with any luck we won't have to fight, anyway. We'll just get our medals, rub shoulders with the important people, have some of those fancy snacks, and avoid bloodshed.
Dru gave her partner a pitying look. "When was the last time anything like that happened to us?"
Di'Fier coughed. "Well, there was the...hmm. How about...no." His brow wrinkled in thought. "The Wizard's Guild Dinner was fine." He paused. "Until we left."
"And if we'd stayed, it would have goen downhill," Dru predicted dourly. "You probably would have wound up in a magic duel with Eligaard, and I'd have thrown Alust into the punchbowl." She checked her rapier as they approached the gates, then pulled her invitation from a concealed pocket in her cloak.
The guards gave the invitations a cursory glance, then began methodically wiring the pair's swords to their scabbards. "I guess they know our reputations," Dru sniffed. "If it comes down to it, we'll just have to use the silverware."
The pair of Watchmen stood, rather uncomfortable and alone, in the foyer of the palace. Dru studied the nautical mosaic under her feet, as Di'Fier scanned the ornate gilded furnishings and portraits from the city's history.
"There's nobody here," he whispered, but his words still managed to echo in the empty room.
Dru nodded. "The Sea Lord's going to be mad when he sees that nobody showed up for his party."
At the far end of the hall, the gilded double doors swung open just wide enough to admit a short, portly figure, who adjusted his jacket before striding towards the two. Dru looked down at the approaching halfling with a smirk.
"Greetings, heroes!" he began. "Milton Drac welcomes you to his home."
"I thought he was taller," muttered Dru.
The halfling forged bravely on. "I am Tomas Fleetfoot, High Chamberlain of the Sea Lord's Palace. And you are quite early...the first to arrive, in fact. If you please, I will conduct you to a sitting room where you may rest and await the other guests."
The room he led them to was hardly less impressive than the entry hall. In fact, the sheer size of the chamber dwarfed the house that Di'Fier had grown up in. Imported wood paneling lined the walls, a rich carpet lay across the floor, and two velvet couches ocupied the center of the room, with other chairs scattered about the perimeter. Di'Fier wandered restlessly around the room, pausing by the door as he heard voices.
"...the sides."
"They'll never know the difference. Serve it to them anyways."
Di'Fier frowned as the door opened, admitting a servant in the Sea Lord's livery. He bore a small silver tray on which rested some kind of small pastries. The servant paused in fromt of Dru, sweeping the tray in front of her. "Hors d'oeuvre, ma'am?"
"Thanks," said Dru, taking the tray and wandering towards her partner. She picked up one of the pastries and sniffed it, oblivious to the nonplussed servant. "Smells like crab, and cheese. But all the filling's run out of the side. Is it supposed to do that?"
"Lady Elise Grossette, of the Captain's Council," announced the Chamberlain.
The woman who entered - the first of the guests to arrive after the Watchmen - was plain but elegant, with an air of stern respectability about her. Dru leaned to her partner. "Lady Elise leads the part of the council that opposes the Sea Lord," she murmured.
Di'Fier had little time to swallow his surprise, as Lady Elise approached them. "So," she said, looking the two of them up and down. "You are the guards that everyone is talking about."
Dru raised an eyebrow. "Not all of it's true?" she offered, hopefully.
Lady Elise smiled. "If you've given Milton half the headaches I think you have, it's well worth your salaries."
"Cheap headaches," muttered Di'Fier. Then, a bit louder, "This is actually a bit of a surprise, after the incident with Councillor Verlaine."
"I imagine it is," said Lady Elise dryly. "And I should very much like to hear what happened from your own points of view."
"Captain Melkior Maeorgan, of the Captain's Council."
Lady Elise rolled her eyes as the dark and muscular Captain entered the room. The oil lamps glinted off of the ostentatious silver chasing of his breastplate, and winked on the jewels set in the hilt of his longsword. Di'Fier checked it reflexively, and noted that Maeorgan's blade was not bound the way his and his partner's were. He began to feel more than a bit nervous.
Meorgan's eyes lit upon the tray Dru still held. "Are those crab morions?" he said, one hand already moving to seize the pastries. Dru handed him the tray with a smile.
"Perhaps sometime later," Lady Elise said to the Watchmen as she moved towards the door, sweeping past the enormous bulk of a newly arrived guest.
"Captain Lydon, of The Gambit," called the halfling.
"Dru! Di'Fier!" the Captain bellowed as he crossed the room. "Just who I wanted ter see. I've had a theft, I have. Someone made off with me special rat that I'd found for Swagfest, and I wants them brought ter justice."
Dru glanced at her partner. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
"Aye, it is. Nobody got a look at him that did it, but 'e had an accomplice - fellow with a parrot. 'E ha da fine singin' voice, they said, but 'e couldn't dance a step." The Captain's beefy hands clapped them on the shoulders. "I know you'll find 'em, though, and send 'em to the hulks."
Di'Fie rmanaged a rather sickly grin, and Lydon turned. "Be those crab morions?" he asked, lumbering after Maeorgan.
"Captain Garth Varellion, of the Captain's Council."
"I suppose people are finally starting to show up," muttered Dru, as Varellion wandered towards Maeorgan and Lydon. "It's about time."
"Honored guests," the chamberlain began, "the Sea Lord asks that you please feel free to make use of any of the rooms on this floor. When the rest of the guests have arrived, we will assemble in the ballroom for the ceremony." With a bow, the halfling departed.
"Guildmaster Torsten Roth, and family."
Dru watched the head of the Merchant's Guild, his wife and daughter enter the room, along with another girl about Roth's daughter's age. The young girls clutched each others arms and whispered, but there was something about the way the other girl walked, something out of place with her gown...she walked like she was used to wearing a blade, that was it.
The older man approaching them bore some kind of resemblance to her - her father, perhaps. A wide grin split his face. "Ah, you must be the guards everybody is talking about."
Dru glanced sidelong at her partner. "Do you think it's the uniforms?"
Captain Marcus Roberts chuckled.
"His Holiness Thuron, High Priest of the Temple of Knowledge."
"Pardon us," said Dru, as she and Di'Fier made their way toward the elderly priest.
"Thuron, it's good to see you," Di'Fier said.
Thuron half-smiled. "Perhaps," he said. "But I worry about the speed with which tonight's performance was contrived. Be on your guard, Watchmen, and be careful who you trust."
"Lady Marilise Maeorgan."
"Still," Thuron continued, "this may be an opportunity to find out just what the Sea Lord is really up to. Lady Elise has been conducting some investigations of her own into the matter of the lighthouse. Perhaps she might be persuaded to share what she has learned...ah, Sister Gwendolyn."
The woman that Thuron greeted was slender, ageless. Her face was framed with hair of a deep green, and a miniature silver trident hung around her neck - the symbol of the God of the Sea. She smiled at the Watchmen and Thuron.
"Watch-Lieutenants Dru and Di'Fier," Thuron said, indicating each in turn. "As I was just saying to them, it might be quite profiable to all concerned if they were to share their information regarding...recent events...and vice versa, of course."
"Of course." The woman's smile was as deep mysterious as the sea. "I will speak with Lady Elise. A pleasure." She nodded to Dru and Di'Fier, and glided off.
"Have you seen the library?" asked Dru.
The library stretched the length of one of the palace walls - it had been three sitting rooms, but Sea Lord Anton Drac had their walls removed to create this momnument to learning. Since the beginning of Milton Drac's reign, it had fallen into sad disuse. Thuron looked rather mournfully at the thin layer of dust coating the shelves.
For her part, Dru fiddled unconsciously with her dagger, vaguely irritated that it, too, was wired to its sheath.
As Di'Fier wandered among the shelves, he became aware that there was another person in the library. His eyes had flicked over the shape more than once, but now he noticed: a black-clad elf, sitting, calmly reading, in a chair tucked into the corner. "Dru..." he ventured.
His partner looked up, followed his gaze, and stared in open-mouthed shock.
Tensin Naïlo closed the book he was browsing through, and looked up at his daughter with a thin, cold smile.
DM Note: Well, here we are at last - the culmination of the Freeport Trilogy: Madness in Freeport. Needless to say, enormous amounts of spoilers follow. As we get started I want to thank Chris Pramas, Bill Simioni, and the rest of the Green Ronin folks for the great work they did on the trilogy, and the City of Adventure hardback. Now, onward towards madness...
Dru pulled at the high collar of her uniform jacket, trying vainly to loosen it. "I hate these things. The collar's too high and the jacket binds. What if we have to kill someone?"
"We did alright at the funeral," her partner answered. "We'll be fine." They turned onto the main road leading towards the Sea Lord's palace, their high boots ringing on the cobbles. "And with any luck we won't have to fight, anyway. We'll just get our medals, rub shoulders with the important people, have some of those fancy snacks, and avoid bloodshed.
Dru gave her partner a pitying look. "When was the last time anything like that happened to us?"
Di'Fier coughed. "Well, there was the...hmm. How about...no." His brow wrinkled in thought. "The Wizard's Guild Dinner was fine." He paused. "Until we left."
"And if we'd stayed, it would have goen downhill," Dru predicted dourly. "You probably would have wound up in a magic duel with Eligaard, and I'd have thrown Alust into the punchbowl." She checked her rapier as they approached the gates, then pulled her invitation from a concealed pocket in her cloak.
The guards gave the invitations a cursory glance, then began methodically wiring the pair's swords to their scabbards. "I guess they know our reputations," Dru sniffed. "If it comes down to it, we'll just have to use the silverware."
The pair of Watchmen stood, rather uncomfortable and alone, in the foyer of the palace. Dru studied the nautical mosaic under her feet, as Di'Fier scanned the ornate gilded furnishings and portraits from the city's history.
"There's nobody here," he whispered, but his words still managed to echo in the empty room.
Dru nodded. "The Sea Lord's going to be mad when he sees that nobody showed up for his party."
At the far end of the hall, the gilded double doors swung open just wide enough to admit a short, portly figure, who adjusted his jacket before striding towards the two. Dru looked down at the approaching halfling with a smirk.
"Greetings, heroes!" he began. "Milton Drac welcomes you to his home."
"I thought he was taller," muttered Dru.
The halfling forged bravely on. "I am Tomas Fleetfoot, High Chamberlain of the Sea Lord's Palace. And you are quite early...the first to arrive, in fact. If you please, I will conduct you to a sitting room where you may rest and await the other guests."
The room he led them to was hardly less impressive than the entry hall. In fact, the sheer size of the chamber dwarfed the house that Di'Fier had grown up in. Imported wood paneling lined the walls, a rich carpet lay across the floor, and two velvet couches ocupied the center of the room, with other chairs scattered about the perimeter. Di'Fier wandered restlessly around the room, pausing by the door as he heard voices.
"...the sides."
"They'll never know the difference. Serve it to them anyways."
Di'Fier frowned as the door opened, admitting a servant in the Sea Lord's livery. He bore a small silver tray on which rested some kind of small pastries. The servant paused in fromt of Dru, sweeping the tray in front of her. "Hors d'oeuvre, ma'am?"
"Thanks," said Dru, taking the tray and wandering towards her partner. She picked up one of the pastries and sniffed it, oblivious to the nonplussed servant. "Smells like crab, and cheese. But all the filling's run out of the side. Is it supposed to do that?"
"Lady Elise Grossette, of the Captain's Council," announced the Chamberlain.
The woman who entered - the first of the guests to arrive after the Watchmen - was plain but elegant, with an air of stern respectability about her. Dru leaned to her partner. "Lady Elise leads the part of the council that opposes the Sea Lord," she murmured.
Di'Fier had little time to swallow his surprise, as Lady Elise approached them. "So," she said, looking the two of them up and down. "You are the guards that everyone is talking about."
Dru raised an eyebrow. "Not all of it's true?" she offered, hopefully.
Lady Elise smiled. "If you've given Milton half the headaches I think you have, it's well worth your salaries."
"Cheap headaches," muttered Di'Fier. Then, a bit louder, "This is actually a bit of a surprise, after the incident with Councillor Verlaine."
"I imagine it is," said Lady Elise dryly. "And I should very much like to hear what happened from your own points of view."
"Captain Melkior Maeorgan, of the Captain's Council."
Lady Elise rolled her eyes as the dark and muscular Captain entered the room. The oil lamps glinted off of the ostentatious silver chasing of his breastplate, and winked on the jewels set in the hilt of his longsword. Di'Fier checked it reflexively, and noted that Maeorgan's blade was not bound the way his and his partner's were. He began to feel more than a bit nervous.
Meorgan's eyes lit upon the tray Dru still held. "Are those crab morions?" he said, one hand already moving to seize the pastries. Dru handed him the tray with a smile.
"Perhaps sometime later," Lady Elise said to the Watchmen as she moved towards the door, sweeping past the enormous bulk of a newly arrived guest.
"Captain Lydon, of The Gambit," called the halfling.
"Dru! Di'Fier!" the Captain bellowed as he crossed the room. "Just who I wanted ter see. I've had a theft, I have. Someone made off with me special rat that I'd found for Swagfest, and I wants them brought ter justice."
Dru glanced at her partner. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
"Aye, it is. Nobody got a look at him that did it, but 'e had an accomplice - fellow with a parrot. 'E ha da fine singin' voice, they said, but 'e couldn't dance a step." The Captain's beefy hands clapped them on the shoulders. "I know you'll find 'em, though, and send 'em to the hulks."
Di'Fie rmanaged a rather sickly grin, and Lydon turned. "Be those crab morions?" he asked, lumbering after Maeorgan.
"Captain Garth Varellion, of the Captain's Council."
"I suppose people are finally starting to show up," muttered Dru, as Varellion wandered towards Maeorgan and Lydon. "It's about time."
"Honored guests," the chamberlain began, "the Sea Lord asks that you please feel free to make use of any of the rooms on this floor. When the rest of the guests have arrived, we will assemble in the ballroom for the ceremony." With a bow, the halfling departed.
"Guildmaster Torsten Roth, and family."
Dru watched the head of the Merchant's Guild, his wife and daughter enter the room, along with another girl about Roth's daughter's age. The young girls clutched each others arms and whispered, but there was something about the way the other girl walked, something out of place with her gown...she walked like she was used to wearing a blade, that was it.
The older man approaching them bore some kind of resemblance to her - her father, perhaps. A wide grin split his face. "Ah, you must be the guards everybody is talking about."
Dru glanced sidelong at her partner. "Do you think it's the uniforms?"
Captain Marcus Roberts chuckled.
"His Holiness Thuron, High Priest of the Temple of Knowledge."
"Pardon us," said Dru, as she and Di'Fier made their way toward the elderly priest.
"Thuron, it's good to see you," Di'Fier said.
Thuron half-smiled. "Perhaps," he said. "But I worry about the speed with which tonight's performance was contrived. Be on your guard, Watchmen, and be careful who you trust."
"Lady Marilise Maeorgan."
"Still," Thuron continued, "this may be an opportunity to find out just what the Sea Lord is really up to. Lady Elise has been conducting some investigations of her own into the matter of the lighthouse. Perhaps she might be persuaded to share what she has learned...ah, Sister Gwendolyn."
The woman that Thuron greeted was slender, ageless. Her face was framed with hair of a deep green, and a miniature silver trident hung around her neck - the symbol of the God of the Sea. She smiled at the Watchmen and Thuron.
"Watch-Lieutenants Dru and Di'Fier," Thuron said, indicating each in turn. "As I was just saying to them, it might be quite profiable to all concerned if they were to share their information regarding...recent events...and vice versa, of course."
"Of course." The woman's smile was as deep mysterious as the sea. "I will speak with Lady Elise. A pleasure." She nodded to Dru and Di'Fier, and glided off.
"Have you seen the library?" asked Dru.
The library stretched the length of one of the palace walls - it had been three sitting rooms, but Sea Lord Anton Drac had their walls removed to create this momnument to learning. Since the beginning of Milton Drac's reign, it had fallen into sad disuse. Thuron looked rather mournfully at the thin layer of dust coating the shelves.
For her part, Dru fiddled unconsciously with her dagger, vaguely irritated that it, too, was wired to its sheath.
As Di'Fier wandered among the shelves, he became aware that there was another person in the library. His eyes had flicked over the shape more than once, but now he noticed: a black-clad elf, sitting, calmly reading, in a chair tucked into the corner. "Dru..." he ventured.
His partner looked up, followed his gaze, and stared in open-mouthed shock.
Tensin Naïlo closed the book he was browsing through, and looked up at his daughter with a thin, cold smile.
Jon Potter
First Post
Wow!!
Excellent!
I really like the way you've taken the Freeport trilogy and really made it your own, weaving the threads of the stolen ratman and Dru's dark familial past into the already complicated Sea Lord's ball.
Very well done indeed!
Excellent!
I really like the way you've taken the Freeport trilogy and really made it your own, weaving the threads of the stolen ratman and Dru's dark familial past into the already complicated Sea Lord's ball.
Very well done indeed!
- Status
