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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gothwalk" data-source="post: 50647" data-attributes="member: 2263">New tax laws across the High Kingdom impose a higher import fee on certain goods - particularly tobacco. There is always profit available if one knows where to look - in this case, in a clause in the merchant-influenced rules for the introduction of new laws in the city of Velarin. A Velariner merchant with an eye for profit hired a party of ne'er-do-wells and ragtags to travel to a point outside the High Kingdom - and thus outside the laws - to meet a halfling merchant, and collect from him a medium sized shipment of tobacco. After this, the group are to get it back to Velarin, moving carefully, lest meet any officials of the kingdom - or indeed, anyone who might accidentally inform them about the tax - until they are inside the borders.They can then claim ignorance of the new import laws, and avoid paying the new tax. The tobacco will be sold at the new higher price, though, and they'll get a cut of the profit.Dramatis Personae:Calin Longfell (half-elf ranger, level 2)Athel (elf fighter/wizard, level 1/1)Tabitha (half-elf sorcerer, level 2)Caturah (halfling rogue, level 2)Torvald (dwarf fighter/rogue, level 1/1)Nicolai Mikael de Barren (human psychic warrior, level 2)Kassur (tiefling fighter/rogue, level 1/1)Yrthilian (half-elf psychic warrior, level 2)In the first two sessions, they sailed down the Lure River to Honn's Lake. They crossed over and landed on the shore of Lower Honn's land, a duchy of the kingdom of Haelthan. The trip took about ten days. Nothing notable happened, save the sighting of a Haelthannic Navy Skyship passing over the lake on patrol. They then travelled overland, westward. A goblin ambush on the the first day of travel was foiled, and the group camped by a cliff near a river, with watchers posted at the top of the cliff. During the night, their rest was disturbed by a small pack of unusually large white wolves, who trotted off, also westward, when Nicolai threw them some food.The following day, they rode down to the river, where they encountered an elderly ranger. He pointed them in the direction of a bridge, and told them of a shelter nearby if it was needed. They'd find "papers" there, if they wanted them. At the bridge - old, and of dwarven construction - they found a waypost, which would probably shelter four in comfort, but would be a squeeze for a party of this size. In any case, it was only just after midday, and there was no reason to interrupt their travel. Within the shelter, they found a couple of recent broadsheets - the Times of the High Kingdom - but decided to leave them behind for the next people to use it.In crossing the bridge, however, they found that it wasn't as stable as it looked, and it was only with great care that they managed to cross it without any stones falling out. Looking from the other side, they could see that the dwarven rune carved in the keystone had been altered from "Af", used to symbolise longevity and solidity, to an Orcish rune meaning "death". Torvald decided that fixing this was a priority, and the party stopped while he and <Eoin's character> figured out a way to reach the keystone over the fast flowing river, and change the rune. Eventually, they succeeded, and the rune was altered again to "Groph", indicating just "Stone". That seemed to help the bridge quite a bit.This done, they rode on. At about sunset, they spotted ruins at the top of a hill, slightly north of their path, and soon after, heard drumming from westward. Correctly deducing the presence of orcs, they opted to head for the ruins. They found a mostly intact tower, and a stairway going downward. While Torvald went about fortifying the tower, the horses were brought into the ground level, and Kassur went to investigate the stairs. Proceeding quietly downwards, he discovered a small, round chamber at the bottom, with a doorway on the far side - and a huge centipede on the floor. He unsuccessfully struck at the centipede, and it chased him back up the stairs. Back at ground level, a few swipes of Kassur's rapier, and the application of a rock that Torvald was carrying quickly killed the creature. Caturah went to the top of the tower to keep an eye in the direction of the orcs, in case they'd heard anything of the fight.Kassur ventured back down the stairs, but slipped (serious bad rolls here), fell, and landed flat on his back on the floor of the chamber, looking up at a large spider descending rapidly toward him. He dodged it, and went about hitting it. Between himself and Nicolai, it was soon disposed of, and they burnt its web and the egg sacs it left before coming back onto the surface to recover.Next - Orcs in passing, a halfling on a throne, and stone faces of elves.</blockquote>

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