Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1281247" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #4: Southport. Episode 4 of 5Chuck looks up at the hooded figure, and recognizes Jim, the Vigilant. Jim winks at him. As he starts to bandage Chuck’s wounds, he shakes his head paternally. “Chuck, Chuck... it’s too bad Steve isn’t here to take care of you.” Jim binds Chuck’s wounds and takes him to an apartment nearby, where he heals him further. Chuck takes the dagger, which was still in his back when they left the bar. Examining it, he sees that it has an interesting seal on the hilt. The hilt has a stylized A, just like the one on the parchment. He tells Jim about the parchment, and how he questioned the sailors to find out about it. “Yes,” Jim says. “I saw you in the bar. That wasn’t too suave. You’re not going to get to be a Vigilant that way. Maybe you shouldn’t have won so much, or been so obvious in asking questions.” Though he clearly feels that Chuck needs a talking-to about his behavior, he cannot disguise the fondness in his voice. Chuck asks Jim if he has any more information. Jim asks him about signals, and Chuck tells him everything he knows about the parchment, signals, and map. When Chuck shows him the stylized A on the dagger, and asks about it, Jim answers, “That doesn’t bode well. It’s the symbol of the House of Asuras.” Chuck, looking unenlightened, asks him, “Who are they?” Jim seems surprised at that question. “They’re the most powerful merchant family in the world. They back both legitimate and illegitimate businesses throughout the world.” “Would they deal in poison for slaves? Grilliam told us that’s what the smugglers we found were up to.” “Poison for slaves?” Jim asks, getting a dark, foreboding look on his face. “I think I have to get involved here.” He thinks for a moment. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll signal to them from shore, ambush them, rescue the slaves, and capture the leaders.” "We've already agreed to do this for the town elders," Chuck informs him.Jim nods. “I heard about Delonia’s escape. I can’t believe Lamarack is such a fool as to not gag her! What was he thinking?” As though it were a pejorative, he adds, “Civilians.” There doesn’t seem to be much Chuck can say to this, and he’s fading quickly. Jim doesn’t volunteer any more, seeming lost in his own thoughts.  Finally, Chuck says, “The new moon is in two days. I should get back to the inn tonight.” “I’ll stay hidden until we’re ready to leave for the tower.” “Should I meet you here?” “No,” Jim tells him. “I’ll meet you at noon on the day before the new moon, about a mile south of town on the road to the tower.”“Thanks, Joe.” Jim looks at him sharply. “That’s Jim... Jim.”Chuck puts his head in his hands. “Sorry, I really had too much to drink.” Jim casts a quick spell, and Chuck is instantly sober – and hung over. “I should go find a healer,” Chuck says. “Miriel will take care of this.” It isn’t clear whether he means the stab wound, or his sudden, pounding headache. The older Vigilant scoffs at the suggestion that Chuck might head back to the Laughing Ogre by himself. “You’d better stay here tonight.” “Okay,” Chuck says, “But I think I could have made it.” “The person who stabbed you might still be out there,” Jim says. “Do you know you've been followed all day by a halfling?” Chuck says, “Yeah, I’ve seen him.” “He’s a wily little weasel,” Jim says.  “I keep trying to grab him, but every time I look he’s not there. He’s pretty good, but I’m going to catch that little rat and wring out what his deal is. We have ways of making those pipsqueaks talk.” Before he has finished his words, Chuck is asleep, exhausted from the drinking and his wound. The next morning, Madraday, the 10th of Charder, Goldpetal wakes us all up shortly after sunrise. He is worried that Chuck didn’t come back, and insists that we need to find him. Stone says he knew he should have gone with Chuck. Miriel has already left to go to the temple of Madriel for the wedding. Goldpetal says he’ll go ask Grilliam to send someone, while Paks and Stone go search the docks, since the elf doesn’t feel safe braving the wharf area.Goldpetal goes to the temple of Hedrada. He explains to Grilliam, but the priest clearly doesn’t think much of Chuck, and seems to think even less of Goldpetal. He brushes off the elf’s concern, saying he doesn’t have time to hunt down every man in town who stayed out all night. He suggests that Chuck is probably just sleeping it off somewhere, after spending the ten platinum he got yesterday.Frustrated, the elf leaves, returning to our inn. He asks about to see if he can find a grove of trees, and learns from some farmers taking breakfast that there is a shrine to Denev about a half mile out of town. Many farmers worship there, he is informed. Goldpetal finds the shrine, a simple stone shrine, properly consecrated. It’s clearly well-kept and, as the harvest is coming up, there’s quite a bit of food left there for offerings. Goldpetal performs his customary rituals with pleasure.  Paks and Stone check around the better parts of town for Chuck, first. He is not at any of our usual haunts, and nobody seems to have seen him. They head down to the wharf area, where they visit the Harbormaster, Follisan. Though sympathetic, he hasn’t seen Chuck, but directs them to The Conch and Trident. When they find the inn, it is closed. When they ask strangers if anyone has seen Chuck, they meet cold, unsmiling faces, and get no answers. Finally, they give up without success, heading back to The Laughing Ogre, arriving shortly after the elf left.Miriel arrives at the temple of Madriel in time to join the dawn rites which celebrate Madraday. She has painstakingly cleaned her traveler’s cloak, and the hand-embroidered pattern of silk peacock feathers stands out in the rays of the sun. Verenia is similarly attired. Afterwards, the temple hums with activity, as people bustle about, preparing for the ceremony. The wedding will begin before noon, with the climax at high noon. Miriel helps with the preparations, then joins the other priestesses in a purifying bath.A sizeable crowd of guests has arrived for the ceremony; townspeople and farm folk from all around the area. The priestesses and Miriel arrange themselves in a circle around the bride and groom, holding hands. Miriel, Verenia, and another priestess are at the top of the circle, near a little shrine of Madriel, while young acolytes stand at the opposite side. Verenia tells a little story about how marriage came to be. After the Titans’ War, she tells, Madriel gave divine marriage to people as a gift for supporting the gods in the war. Marriage is to bring stability, happiness, light, fertility, and love for the peoples of the world.The priestesses link hands. Verenia invokes Madriel and chants, while the bride and groom hold hands and make their vows to each other. A priestess leads the bride and groom through more vows, these in honor of Madriel. As the ceremony reaches a climax, Miriel can feel power flowing through her into the ceremony, as from the other priestesses. She can sense a surprisingly large amount of power coming from Verenia; this is a very powerful blessing on the bride and groom. The ceremony ends precisely at noon, with the bride and groom pledged to each other. Miriel feels very drained, but happy to have participated. After the wedding, there is a bountiful celebratory feast. Miriel is seated in one of the three seats of honor reserved for the priestesses. By tradition, there is also an empty seat reserved for Madriel, who sometimes sends one of her avatars to attend the most special of ceremonies. The feast lasts all day. A few people come over to thank Miriel for her work in rescuing Reginald and to express their appreciation of having our group in the town. The bride and groom are thrilled that a hero of Southport was there to bless them.The Hornswythe River flows south to the Blood Sea. Long before it reaches Southport, before it reaches Lave, it passes through Mollis Town. There, an old mage regards his apprentice.“I have a task for you,” he says. “We are out of glitter ink, and none here in town have been selling it. Do you remember the mage, Delmeron?”The apprentice well remembers Delmeron; he was with his master when they last dealt with the wizard. He was not pleasant, and it is rumored that he deals in the magic which draws its energy from death. He nods reluctantly.“I have heard that he either has, or knows how to obtain, this ink. As you have been my apprentice these past two years, I think it is time that you begin to travel outside of these walls. Telryn, you shall go and find Delmeron; bring back a year’s supply of glitter ink.”Telryn smiles, his fear of Delmeron overcome by the exciting prospect of travel.“I will give you money for the ink, and some additional for your supplies and expenses.”</blockquote>

Verification