Porthca Landing I: Memory of the Sea

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Banrigg finished his second helping around the same time the Knight finished his first, and he covered his mouth to let out a quiet belch. “I completely agree, tha’ was delicious, thank ye Mr. Braen. And thank ye as well fer the information, I will go find these Defallions.” Banrigg then takes the Knight’s plate and stacks it on top of his own, placing their utensils on top to make it easier for them to collect. As he did so, the dwarf shot Salt a curious glance as his tone changed to serious. ‘That doesn’ sound ominous ‘t all, now does ‘t. He’s an interesting one fer sure.’ “Don’ worry about it mate, t’would be hard to ruin the good feelin’ that meal just caused me. Just...you be careful there Sir Salt, if yer business be as ominous as ya make it sound.”
 
Tristan nods, "Another night at least, maybe two. I'm in town on business for the Church of Waukeen and imagine it will take a couple days to complete." He leans back in his chair, a smile on his face as he talks. "Speaking of, what can you tell me about the DePorthca's?"
 
The Sleepy Werewolf:

Making a small note in her ledger Earda nodded again. "Hm ... the De'Porthcas? Well, as one might guess, they're where this places' name came from. Supposedly the original De'Porthcas were smugglers and this was their favorite place to make deliveries and pick up new goods. These days they're mostly known for being master merchants, though they've been beset by some troubles of late." Glancing around, Earda leaned in, "I heard just the other day, the funeral for their eldest was interrupted by an evil spirit! Was panic on the streets for a while, until everyone calmed down again!"

Pushing herself back she continued, "Of course, it begs the question of if one believes in evil spirits to begin with."

The Tuckered Kraken:

Collecting the plates Braen laughed, "Well, good to see our cookin' pleases even non-sailors. Half th'time think they'd eat the floorboards if I put em' onna plate." At the change in tone Braen looked at the Knight for a moment, "Now lad, if ya be gettin' into fights, I cannot suggest ya do that. At yer age? Leave th' vengeance an' th' justice to th' youngin's. They've got th' energy fer it."
 
The knight chuckled at Banrigg's warning and reached up to pat him on the back before seemingly thinking better of it. "I s'ppose it probably sounded a heck of a lot more ominous than it was intended. Anyways, pardner, I'll be just fine." He stood from his seat, his lack of a weapon becoming more obvious now that he was fully visible. Looking over to Braen, he shook his head.. "Never too young or too old ta make yer mark on the world. I've came a long way to right these wrongs, and I'll be darned if I'm goin' ta turn back now." He picked up his helmet and put it back on, securing it in place with a clink before nodding to the two and raising a hand in farewell. "I'll be seein' you both if I see ya. Good luck with yer fishin', friend. All sorts of fish in these waters, but from what I've heard they're sheriffed by sharks." He walked out of the Tuckered Kraken and shielded his eyes from the morning sun as he sighed slightly to himself. Well, they were nice. Wish I had more time to talk to the dwarf, haven't had the chance to meet one of them before. Maybe next time. The knight began to head in the direction he had felt the pull towards the night prior, growing more reckless as he drew nearer to his goal.
 
Eliza's claim made Virra's expression light up. "Wait, you have? Seriously?"

She was stopped from asking any more when Anthol began to speak, but she watched the half-orc's face turn pink with an intrigued smile. Her attention soon shifted to the head of the house when he offered them some transport, however. A carriage ride out to Wyford with semi-interesting company wasn't the worst change of pace she could have asked for... good for a brief distraction, at least. And from the sound of things, Anthol was open to providing them with even more than that.

She looked at him and weighed her options. He was offering. "Well, now that you mention it... how about a living wage?" she suggested, smiling brightly. "Being a supernatural investigator is great and all, but I gotta eat too. Oh, talking of which." She nodded down at her plate. "Some rations for the road would be fantastic. I don't know where you found your kitchen staff, but you should ask them what dark magic they're using to make these sausages so juicy."
 
De'Porthca Manor:

At Virra's mention of a wage, Anthol raised an eyebrow, "A living wage would imply you're in the employment of the De'Porthcas. Are you in a roundabout way asking to be hired?" He raised his hand slightly, "By no means do I take what you all are doing for granted, given that very few of you are directly involved in this matter and instead have offered yourselves in aid. I am willing to supply, but if you wish to seek wages, that's another discussion."

Porthca:

As the Salted Knight made their way further out of town and along the beach, towards the direction they had felt the ache the night prior, the closer they got the stronger it got, becoming distracting in its intensity. When it finally reaches its strongest, it begins to fade again, as looking down the Knight can see faint remnants of foot steps and wanderings not yet destroyed by the waves. Perhaps a few deep lines drawn in the sand as well.

An impulse encourages the Knight to glance out towards the waves, only for the ache to return even stronger, almost bringing them to their knees as a figure seemed to stand out on the waters -- humanoid at the very least. Yet as they blinked it was gone, the ache resonating for a moment before fading again. However the Knight feels almost a sense of being in the right place, at the wrong time...
 
Banrigg waved goodbye to Salt, wishing him luck on his own endeavors as he went upstairs to gather up all of his belongings for the day. The majority of Banrigg’s belongings fit easily in his pack, but the giant mail that was currently resting against the wall had to be strapped to his back. Once he was sure that he had collected all of his belongings, the dwarf threw on his traveling cloak, covering up the large tidal wave tattoo that curled over his shoulder to crash on his chest.

As Banrigg made his way downstairs, he stopped by the barkeep one last time to ask for directions. “Excuse me Braen, where might I find the residence of ta Defallion family? Or rather, where should I be goin’ ta look fer work with ‘em?”
 
The knight grimaced at the feeling of sand blowing into the chinks of his armor. Gods, I hate sand. So coarse and rough... Going to take more than a little magic to get that out. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp increase in pain from the throbbing he had felt when he had first entered the city, and as he looked out into the waves, he gasped as he saw a figure standing out in the foam. What the... is this it?

The figure disappeared with a blink, and the knight was left staring, searching the dark waters for a clue, and finding none. Frustrated, he turned to leave, before spotting a glimmer in the sand. Well... hello there. What’s this? He walked over to the object and picked it up, looking over the brooch of different blue hues. Could this be a family brooch? I know that the ‘nobles’ of Porthca claim to hold true nobility... gods, do I wish I paid better attention all those years ago.

The knight glanced back to the city before making his way over to the docks, looking for a figure of some respectability. Finally spotting some sort of dock manager, he removed his helmet and approached the man with a warm smile. “Pardon me, sir, but might I trouble ya fer a second? I found somethin’ out there on the beaches, and somethin’ gives me a feelin’ it’s mighty important.” He held up the brooch to show it to who he presumed to be the dock supervisor and looked to him curiously. “Any clue who this might belong to, pardner?”
 
Eliza chose the wrong time to take a sip of her coffee and chocking on the hot liquid she hated herself for not immediately disagreeing with Vira.

She had come to Porthca initially to ask for a job from Ben, hadn't she? But she couldn’t possibly ask for money for helping catch a murderer, could she?

Feeling the creeping start of another pulsing headache, she tried to regain whatever composure she could muster and shaking her head said as convincingly as she could, “I think the de Porthca’s have already been quite generous with their hospitality and now a carriage too.” She tried hard not to look at Anthol, or worst, Ben.

She did so need some source of income though, but she felt she couldn’t expect anything more from the grieving family.
 
So that was a soft no. It seemed like Virra had missed the window for establishing that kind of relationship since she arrived at the manor three days ago. Still, she hadn't been expecting Eliza to react so strongly. She looked between her and Anthol, wondering if she could talk her way into being "employed" while still enjoying the same freedom in the investigation that she'd had until now. Maybe... but did she care enough to?

She leaned on her elbow and smiled at Eliza like she hadn't got the joke. "No, I agree, I guess I just wasn't sure what he was asking. If payment is gonna complicate things, I can do without it." She had money; so long as room and board was free she could last for a while. "I was serious about the rations, though," she added before the subject was forgotten.
 
Tyrius was glad he'd finished his coffee, he'd have had to avoid choking on it.

'Virra is pretty direct,' Tyrius thought to himself, 'Though I can see her point. At some point we're going to need to earn money, can't just rely on hospitality forever.'

"I agree with Eliza," said Tyrius, "though planning ahead for food wouldn't be a bad idea either." Tyrius said with a smile towards Virra.

'Can't wait to see Virra's reaction to Wyford,' thought the red headed sorcerer, 'Or to my parents.'
 
Eliza swallowed the rest of her dry toast in ahurry and got up trying to catch Vira’s eye. “Thank you for another fantastic meal. I think we have to get back to our packing for now. Vira, if you would be a dear and help me get back up the stairs, the knee is acting up again.”

Smiling a toothy grin that looked painful, she started to shuffle back towards her room.
 
Virra blinked. "Oh, sure. Wait for me." She slid from her seat and went after the wizard, taking her by the arm and helping her out of the room. It helped that there was only a foot of height difference between them, Virra being an unreasonably tall gnome and Eliza an unreasonably short half-orc. "Would you rather talk like this?" she offered mentally.
 
The Tuckered Kraken:

Braen gave a brief wave to the Knight as they left before turning to the dwarf. "They're an interestin' lot, they'll prob'ly be willin' to speak to ya at their Manor. Hard t'miss, bein' it's got th'most green in the whole port." After giving directions he nodded to Banrigg, "Hopin' t'see you around again. Maybe come back an' lemme know how ya fared, eh?"

Ports:

Hearing the Knight, the man merely continued to scrawl away on his paper, ocassionally yelling out orders across the dock. Finally he glanced over towards the Knight and the brooch he held, "Mm, those look like De'Porthca colors." With a hand he gestured to some of the ships in the docks flying similar colors on their sails and flag. Returning to his writing, "Probably one of their workers or one of the family maybe. Think I saw one of them wandering around last night ... the younger son of the original two. Probably got pulled off in a bar brawl or something..."
 
The knight smiled to the dock worker and pocketed the brooch. "Thanks, pardner. You've been awful helpful. Could I just ask ya fer directions ta their fine estate, so I might return this piece 'a paraphernalia? Then I'll be right outta yer hair." Maintaining an easy grin throughout the dock worker's exasperated and rushed explanation of how to get to Porthca Manor, he held up a hand in farewell. "Thanks again, pardner. Good luck with yer work." He turned and donned his helmet before disappearing into the crowd of people.

Being uncharacteristically focused for once, the knight quickly found his way to the gates of the decently sized manor, and approached the guards, holding up the hand with the brooch. "Hey there, pardners. I found somethin' that I'm thinkin' belongs ta one of ya?" He walked closer to give them a better view of the brooch.
 
Ander watched with a confused look on his face as his friend asks for payment. He knows he doesn't want to be in the Porthca's debt any more than he already was. The more money a person gives you, those more they tend to think they are own from you. Virra and Eliza made their way upstairs to finish packing, which Ander had done immediately after his morning rituals every day since arriving,

"Helping ensure the safety of innocent people is why I'm doin' this, sir. I'm not lookin' for anythin' more," he paused before taking annother bite. "Though, I also wouldn't mind a bit ah yer cook's food fer the road, myself."
 
"that's terrible," Tristan shakes his head. "I must offer my condolences sheen I met them. I was sent here on behalf of the Temple of Waukeen to explore new avenues of commerce. Speaking of which, I must see about setting up an introduction. Do you know where I might find them?"
 
The Sleepy Werewolf:

"A servant of Waukeen, eh?" Earda smiled, "Then I'm even more glad you stayed here, hopefully that'll bring some favor upon my simple inn. I can give you directions to their Manor if you need..." Taking a few moments the halfling attempted to explain how to find the De'Porthca Manor further into Porthca itself.

Finally, with a wave farewell he set out, finding himself soon standing at the gates of a manor where an apparent Knight stood ...

De'Porthca Manor | Outer Gates:

One of the guards stepped slightly closer, taking a look at the offered item before speaking, "Ah ... that looks like the kind of brooch the De'Porthcas wear when they're out and about." He looked over the Knight, "We're not actually of the family. Just guards on service." The speaker nodded at the other, tilting his head back towards the home, "Go ask inside quick if any of them have lost their brooch." With a quick bow the other guard quickly moved into the Manor ...

De'Porthca Manor | Dining Room:

Watching Eliza and Virra leave, Anthol turned his gaze on Ander with a tired smile, "It seems our cooks have some admirers. Yes, I'll inform them to package rations and meals for your travel. If things go well, it shouldn't take too long to get further into the Plains, roads out of here are well maintained for the trade routes after all."

After he finished speaking a guard approached to whisper to him. Nodding he replied, "Bring in our visitors, they can join us for our meal. Ben will need to learn how to greet hosts if he's going to be staying and taking over soon." Benito seemed to choke for a moment on his drink before placing it down, groaning under his breath.

---

Shortly enough, both the Knight and Tristan were greeted into the Manor and led to the Dining Room, finding Anthol raising from his seat as he gave the pair a slight bow, "I welcome you both to the De'Porthca Manor. I am Master Anthol De'Porthca. You have caught us during breakfast, but it would be remiss of me to not offer you a meal if desired. Please, introduce yourselves so we may best conduct business."
 
The Knight nodded to the two guards. “Thank ya kindly fer yer service, men. Have a lovely mornin’!” He looked over to see another person approaching, raising a hand in greeting as he spoke in a friendly voice. “Hey there, pardner! Got business with the de’Porthca’s as well? Think they’re wavin’ us in.”

He followed after the guard that invited them in, and soon after found him in front of an assembled audience. Looking around at the people, he noted another knight and nodded to him before spying a nobly dressed woman at the end of the table who seemed to be eyeing him strangely. I suppose the helmet’s staying on then. He walked up to the table and stood straight, speaking amicably. “Greetin’s, my Lord and Lady de’Porthca. Thank ya kindly fer the offer, but I’m afraid I already filled up earlier this mornin’. Besides, I’ll spare ya a look at my ugly mug, since I wouldn’t want ya frighten the young lord and lady.” He gave a small bow to Joanne and Robern. “Years haven’t been too kind ta me, and it wouldn’t be fittin’ fer such a lovely meal to be ruined by an old man’s battle scars.”

He chuckled before giving the assembly a bow. “Ya can call me the Salted Knight, since I’m afraid I’ve got no other name to offer ya. I’m afraid I’m not here just fer the pleasantries, my lord, but I’ll wait until my new friend here introduces himself before I start bein’ too much of a burden.” The knight stepped back straightening up from the bow. He glancing over to Tyrius for a moment before looking away.
 
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Banrigg gives the barkeep a rough, but genuine smile through the white beard. “Thank ye kindly, I’ll be sure ta stop by again. Cheers.”

Banrigg walked out the the door, slowly meandering throughout the town, enjoying the sights and exchanging pleasantries with the locals as he got his bearings. He stopped briefly at a general store to pick up a fishing tackle, having lost his a few months earlier. After about an hour of wandering the town, Banrigg eventually spotted the manor that was virtually overgrown with plants, but as he got closer he saw that they were in fact very well kept, just over abundant. Banrigg had always enjoyed nature, having felt a very strong connection with it for most of his life, and this manor gave him a very warm happy feeling. The white bearded dwarf strode up to the front door, running his fingers through his hair and beard quickly to make himself look more presentable, then he knocked on the door.
 
Tristan stands and nods, "Good morning to you all. Firstly I must express my condolences for your recent loss and the unpleasantness which occurred during the funeral. I am Tristan, a cleric of the goddess Waukeen. I was called here from the city of Emberhallow, I believe to foster new business and expand the routes of trade and commerce."
 
Listening to the two newcomers, Tyrius looked over the armored knight and the new cleric, thinking to himself as he rarely did.

'Hmm, foster new business, expand routes of trade and commerce. Sounds like an opportunity. Could be good for both the De'Porthca's and the Silverbanes.'

"Greetings," Tyrius said with a smile, "I'm Tyrius, I'll let my friend here introduce himself and there's two others who'll probably be back shortly." Looking to The Salted Knight, Tyrius wondered what sort of reason the man would have to keep his helmet on and refer to himself with such a title. "Emberhallow, huh? How was the journey?"
 
Eliza nodded gratefully and directed the gnome to a nearby room out of view of the rest. “This should do. No need to actually use any stairs.”

Eliza slumped against a nearby wall and glanced at Vira nervously. “I don’t know how to start to be honest but I find myself needing help or advice yet again.” Glancing back towards the direction of the dining hall, the half-orc continued, “Ben has been great, but I already owe him too much.”

She looked back at Vira. “Well, the short of it is that I spent most of my money a few months ago. My parents usually sent me enough every month to pay for the school and more and since their next letter was supposed to come in the next few days I wasn’t worried. I waited for weeks but no letter came. I wrote them several times and a few months passed but I got nothing at all.”

Eliza took a few seconds to collect herself before continuing, “I couldn’t stay there any longer and I wanted to go to Chilldrift but you know how that journey would take and I definitely didn’t have enough money for such a trip. I decided to come to Porthca for the short term, I hoped Ben could help me find a job, I guess, or something to help me save up for trip back. I don’t know what happened to them. I am worried sick about them. There is something seriously wrong with them but I am stuck here hundreds of miles away unable to help.”

Cheeks flushing, Eliza looked down at her hands, “All this to say, to ask, if you had heard anything from back home. Do you know the fastest way back. As soon as I help Ben with this thing I want to go back home but I can’t do it alone. I need your help if you were willing.”
 
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Defallion Manor:

Knocking on the door there's a moment of silence until the door slowly opens, revealing a small shrub that appears to be staring at the dwarf without an actual face or eyes to stare with. It appears to be waiting passively until a young female voice calls out from within the manor, "Froot? You know you're not really supposed to be answering the door..."

Approaching from behind the shrub came a young woman, at first looking down at the shrub before her gaze shifted to look at Banrigg, "Oh! A guest, not just a messenger." The girl bowed slightly, still behind the plant, "I'm Lady Kecei Defallian, do you need something?"

De'Porthca Manor | Dining Room:

While the Knight spoke, Sidwae's eyes narrowed as her gaze didn't seem to line up with where their helmet was, but for now didn't say anything. Anthol nodded, "Greetings then, Salted Knight and Tristan of Emberhallow. Makes me glad to hear your trip was uneventful -- I've heard rumours of kidnapping and bandit attacks along the Southern trade road, though I wonder if you went that route or north along the Mountains...?" He shook his head, "Apologies, only one of you seems to be here for business, though Sir Knight has yet to explain himself...?" Anthol finished, looking expectantly at the Knight.
 
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