With the six of them agreed, Dain led the party back to the Temple of the Seven Good Gods. Despite the goodwill of his fellows, Glom was obviously soon uncomfortable again with the stares he was receiving in Selby-by-the-Water. Dain noticed that the goblin was soon hiding his features within his hood again. With the river’s rising, some of the streets had begun to turn into shallow canals – typical of the town, where all the buildings showed signs of water damage.
Selby-by-the-Water had been founded long ago to protect a deepwater harbor on Lake Elidyr, and had grown in a radial pattern from the harbor, with several canals cutting through the central village. Forty-seven years ago, Selby-by-the-Water was wracked by tremors, and more than half the town now lay beneath Lake Elidyr. Locals called this area “Selby-beneath-the-Waves.” What remained was still a bustling town, but folk avoided the ruined areas at night, including the docksides where Selby-beneath-the-Waves could still be seen.
Clusters of buildings rose from the middle of the Selwyn River, their top floors rising above the waterline. Strange leathery-winged reptiles the size of pigeons or gulls infested the town – many of these roosted among the half-submerged ruins. Others pulled fish from the water, or squabbled over garbage on the shore. Hawkers called out wares with loud voices – meat and cheese, draughts of ale, fortunes told, and advertisements for various inns, including the notorious brothel, The House of Yellow Sashes. Beggars were numerous, many of them old and crippled. Jongleurs and players practiced their arts for Spring Carnival at the vernal equinox.
An attendant in the temple – a Brigitine, by her garb – quickly took Dain and his company to a guesthall after a few words. Within the temple, Glom was bade to remove his hood. As the companions had feared, shock crossed the priestess’ face when she saw the goblin’s features, but she quickly composed herself. The guesthall they were taken to was dedicated in carvings and stained glass to both the Lady of the Hearth and the Lord of the Harvest. They were seated at a well-made wooden table with smooth wooden benches. A simple but generous meal was laid before them.
Dain asked one of the lay brethren to prepare rations for their quest, and to look after Anvil, his mule. He asked for either a bow or crossbow, and the brother said he would check the armories of Mardan.
After eating, they were able to speak for a while before being admitted to the chambers of the Archdeacon Warmund. Clearly, the Archdeacon had been warned about Glom and the others, for he showed no surprise at seeing any of them.
"Ah, Dain,” he said with a hint of a smile. “I see that you have assembled a force suitable for facing…shall we say…an unusual problem?”
