Storm King's Thunder [CLOSED]

[Baba Luga]

II. Papers and Ponies
Luskan, City of Sails. Flamerule 16, 1491
​

"You should have a seat. We're having a meeting, so forget pride and sit down, why don't you," says Rathas Fellwell from behind his massive, disordered desk. He addresses an auburn-haired dwarf and kenku who just entered his second-floor office. Even if they were hesitant to sit, there's been no time for the man to take note of it.

He sets down the sticky bun he's been eating, wipes his fingers against each other, and gives them a final scrubbing in the coarse hairs of his beard. "It's madness. This day has gone off already a bheur hag's tit. Have you been to the beach even? Those wizards. They roasted a ship full of giants last night. It's common spectacle now. Do you understand what I'm telling you? What it means for sea trade, these notorious seafaring giants, toasted or not, once the talk begins? From where I sit it's all papers and ponies, opportunities and offal." He gestures to the open door behind him, which leads to a large room where assorted Zhentarim amanuenses sit at desks scribbling furiously on reams of parchment. "Already I've got snakes asking about reopening the old Northern Means overland route to Fireshear. Scared of the nautical way. All on account of some what, a ship of dead giants?"

"You two don't know each other at all, do you?" he asks suddenly. "You and me, Bell, we go way back, but Ms. Ironfist, We're mutually new faces, though I've read your Gauntlgrym reports. Good stuff. Welcome to Luskan. Bell, she was at Gauntlgrym since Bruenor Battlehammer took it back from the dark elves."

Lost for a moment in thoughts of the ancient dwarven city, Fellwell soon shifts back to his initial subject. "All of this giantism has me shuffling people around. What I need is flexibility. Can you do that? And, with hands spread thin, how do you feel about working with some amateurs, not even Fangs yet? I ask you that because, well, let me tell it: Before that giant ship plowed the dunes, she tangled with Captain Suljack's sloop Snapdragon. I won't ask you to truck with Suljack rowdies, but there were apparently some traveling mummers on board who saved the Snapdragon. Strange world. I've got no feeling for circus folk, but it's a good story, exotic entertainers who faced down the giants themselves, to tell the fearsome tale to clients? If people tremble at giants and find solace going by wagon instead of ship, why not encourage them they're making the right decision? What do you say?"

 

[Ellywyck27]

Ruthenia Ironfist, a youngish octogenarian dwarf, daughter of a Zhentarim Captain, read the air as easily as she could sniff the quality of her own stout brews. This Mr. Fellwell character may not always lack proper authoritarian manners, but it was clear that this day was no day for formalities and hierarchicies. Good. Get straight to the bone. Treat us all as intelligent equals.

Ruth sat on the edge of the seat, one hand reaching to steady her axe in her belt - but her hand met nothing but the gray shirt of her common clothes. Right. She had uncharacteristicly left her weapons and armor in her room; fully geared up was not exactly the right way to dress here in a coastal city amongst humans and other kind. She pretended to have to scratch her knee instead, but her gaze never left Mr. Fellwell as he started talking of the commotion of last evening. She had seen and heard some of it with her own eyes and ears, but too late to have been any use as informant and too little to be of use as intelligence.

As he talked of sea trade, flexibility, and working with amateurs, Ruth nodded, gave appropriate quiet hums, gentle grunts, and comfortable body language. She nodded respectfully to Bell at their abrupt and short introduction, although it was no more helpful to her than the name and appearance she already had. Each question Mr Fellwell asked, she opened her mouth to answer. And then closed it again as he continued without waiting for a response.

She was tracking. She looked to the feathered one to her right. Was Bell also following where this was going? Ships. Flexibility. Working with non-Zhentarim. She had never tried sailing much, but if times were this desperate, she was willing to do her duty. Besides, sailors had their skill sets of value Zhentarim or not, and they could work at a common cause if all were willing. And the expectations couldn’t be that difficult if it was only to be the two of them and a ship of... Wait. Circus entertainers? And. What— The wagon way?
....
For the first time there was a pause to actually respond, Ruth had no ready answer.
She exhaled as she thought.
And was surprised to hear Bell speak first.

 

[ZombWie]

Human chairs are not very comfortable for kenku, but Bell has learned to fake it. The crow man crooks one foot under his rump and leaves the other leg dangle in mock comfort as he does what the boss requests of him. Bell enjoys his job and showing respect to Rathas Fellwell helps ensure that he gets to keep riding with a caravan. This respect doesn't seem extend to Rathas' food, because Bell reaches out to snag a morsel of the man's sticky bun when he turns to gesture to the open door behind him.

Much of what Rathas says is only good for conversation building, but Bell continues to follow along anyway. Something about giants. Something about wizards and ships. Something about snakes. Bell almost loses interest, but the mention of the Northern Means brings his wandering attention swiftly back to Rathas. The Northern Means is a road Bell has never traveled, but would very much like to. The kenku removes his black, pointy woodsman's cap and wrings in in his hands. Rathas starts to meander a bit after introducing the dwarf, to whom Bell gave a quick nod in return, and then the master of the Blackford Road starts in about dwarves and other business. Bell raps on the desk and mimics Rathas, "...reopening the old Northern Means overland route to Fireshear." then he gives a quick tilt of his head to show that his mimic is meant as a question to bring the man back around to the point he was making.

Bell can be flexible. Working with green fangs is annoying, but the kenku just wobbles his hand back and forth at that revelation. Circus folk are a different matter entirely. While Bell has never traveled with a circus he knows that they are good at packing their equipment from place to place and anyone who is comfortable with living off the back of a wagon is alright in Bell's book.

Back to the matter of the Northern Means. "From where I sit... the old Northern Means overland... Bell... can do that." Bell stands and pats his hand on his chest while nodding.

 

[Ellywyck27]

Ruthenia agrees aloud. “Yes. Yes, I can also do that. Where do we find our... companions? What of resources? And what are the expected outcomes of our endeavors?”
Ruth hopes for some clarity of this mission, but has a growing feeling that this mission could end up an adventure of completely unforeseen outcomes. Her pulse quickens at the prospect of new horizons.

 

[ZombWie]

"You and me,... Ms. Ironfist... We're mutually new faces." Bell nods and turns a large yellow eye toward the dwarf for the first time. "Have you been... going by wagon... I ask you that because, well, let me tell it... the old Northern Means overland route to Fireshear... It's madness... a bheur hag's tit... Good stuff. Can you do that?" Bell leans on Rathas desk and crosses his arms waiting for an answer.

 

[Baba Luga]

Bell's deft sampling of Rathas Fellwell's morning bun goes unnoticed; the socket carved out by his talons faces away from the Master of the Blackford Road.

Ruthenia can see Fellwell bristle slightly at the sound of his own words being rearranged and parroted back at him in his own voice. Meanwhile, the kenku, insofar as she can read him, seems oblivious to any discomfort caused by his mimicry.

"Easy Bell," says Fellwell, "No one said roll on Northern Means yet. Let's not pack our carts just to wait. When the man says roll, then I pack. Not sooner."

"For now, it's Dead Yeti Highway for you two," he says, referring to the Blackford Road that leads east to Mirabar by its popular nickname.

There's a sharp rap on the door of the office. Fellwell leans back and sighs. "Yes, who is knocking?" The door opens and Linlark, an old man who Bell and Ruth know works downstairs in receiving, enters, along with a tall, dashing man with bright red skin, purple hair, and horns, and another young fellow with gray skin and white hair. Both appear to be on the weary side and are loaded down with stuffed backpacks.

"Sorry, Mr. Fellwell," says Linlark. "These two were poking around out back, and I would have sent them packing, but they had your card, so...."

"Yes, they do," says Fellwell, standing up to greet the new arrivals. "Prompt! That's good. Who was it said it's a reliable Djin comes to the bottleneck when the cork pops?" He introduces himself, along with Bell Damper and Ruthenia.

"No more?" he asks, stepping out into the hall for a look. "Where's the elephant? Oh well, that's how it is then. I'm afraid I know your reputations but not your names. Bell, Ironfist, which do you think these are? My guess is the fire eater and ... er ... the one who guesses your height and weight. Am I right?"

 

[ZombWie]

Bell slumps a little when he hears that he is not heading for the Northern Means, but instead he and the dwarf will be going to Mirabar via the Dead Yeti. He continues to sulk while the two newcomers walk in, but perks up when Rathas includes him in the guessing game. The kenku crosses his arms and rests his beak in his hand while he appears to study the gray man and the tiefling. Bell squints his eyes and points at them both and mimes squeezing their noses while making a honking noise. Whether the rest of the room gets his joke or not Bell holds his stomach and emits a strange gravely noise that can only be the sound of a kenku laughing.

 

[ramonlimon2]

Aseir squints at Fellwell for a solid thirty seconds before he announces "Five foot four if you're an inch, and we can round it down to a hundred and thirty pounds." He smirks and gives the man a knowing wink.

Turning to the rest of his audience, he takes a deep bow. "I am the great and humble Aseir Chernin, and this steady man here is Lecuis, my beloved companion."

 

[Theseiroth]

Lecius smiles at the Bell's joke, "I know a few jokes, and I am definitely known to light a few loins ablaze. But I am actually a musician good sir." Lecuis does a dramatic bow, as he rises back up he says, "Lecius is my name, magic and music is my game. How can we be of service?"

 

[Ellywyck27]

Ms. Ironfist stands in answer to Bell’s challenge. Although not in uniform, she knows her stance speaks of military training and experience on the field. “What I can do is always a surprise. What we will do remains to be seen.”
The knock on the door brings everyone’s attention, and in the scuffle Ruth shuffles to the side of the desk. She steals a few peeks at the papers during the commotion, just curious what else might be in the works. Any maps? Any marching orders? Any requisition forms for horses, wagons, or great amounts of beer and cheese?

Her mouth twitches at Bell’s honking noise. An eyebrow raises at the phrase “great and humble.” And something between a snort and a quick cough at “loins ablaze” draws a few eyes her way, so Ruth bows back in return and says “Equally pleased.”

 

[Baba Luga]

Ruthenia glances at the papers piled on Rathas Fellwell's desk, a motley compendium of names and numbers ordered by some idiosyncratic system she can't fathom at such a brief glance. The only thing that stands out is a doodle of someone being strangled by an octopus.

With introductions made, Fellwell mentions the circus master Doctor Lurr's removal to debtor's prison, an incident he's clearly aware of. "It might not surprise to hear your man Lurr's debts with the Zhentarim run fairly deep. Be assured, we'd let them go deeper still. Someone called in his marker, but it wasn't us."

In light of Aseir and Lecuis' current state of unemployment, and his shortage of capable agents, Fellwell proposes bringing the two on as contractors for a short job with Bell Damper and Ruthenia Ironfist. The job, as he describes it, requires the four travel about seventy-five miles on the Blackford Road to where it crosses the Black Raven River. North of the crossing is a keep called Nightstone, where you're to meet a woman named Shara Breakwood who has made inquiries about purchasing large quantities of adamantine and other rare materials, materials the Zhentarim can provide at a dear price for the discretion Ms. Breakwood requires.

Bell Damper knows Nightstone Keep well enough. He's camped caravans in the shadow of its walls several times, and had occasion to venture inside the keep's small walled village to get extra supplies, trade horses or get a wagon wheel fixed. The keep belongs to Lady Velrosa Nandar, who has the title High Steward of Nightstone.

The Zhenterim wants Ruthenia and Bell to meet Shara Breakwood at the Nightstone Inn, judge how sincere her interest is, exactly what items she wants and what she's able to pay. If they can learn more—what the items will be used for, if she has partners—without giving offense or putting her off, all the better.

As for Aseir and Lecuis, their role will be to arrive at Nightstone apart from Ruthenia and Bell, just as if they were traveling together to Mirabar to rejoin the rest of the circus. They'll stop in at the Nightstone Inn, where the meeting is to take place, have a few drinks, and tell the tale of the Snapdragon's encounter with the giant longship. "If all goes well," explains Fellwell, "this sows the seed in the client's mind, what to expect from prices with giants in ships increasing the risk of transport. Just a topic for conversation."

For this job, Fellwell offers you two gold each per day, doubled if you run into any kind of trouble on the road. There's also a five gold bonus for each of you if things develop enough for Shara Breakwood to have a meeting with a higher-ranking Zhent to hammer out the details. The Zhentarim will provide four riding horses to speed the trip to Nightstone, will lend and camping equipment you lack, and will cover the cost of stabling and a stay at the Nightstone Inn if necessary.

Traveling light on horseback, assuming everyone can handle a horse, Bell estimates it shouldn't take more than a day and a half each way. You could be back in Luskan in three days if you get to Nightstone, wrap things up with Shara and head straight back without spending the night at the inn.

 

[Theseiroth]

Lecius scratches his chin in thought, "Would it not be better for me and my friends to arrive well before these two?" points at Bell and Ruthenia, "That way our tale would have time to reach her, and by well I'm thinking half a day. Personally I'm not against camping outside the city to sell us being poor travelers but I've found in the past getting rumors and stories started ahead of an arrival tends to help quite a bit."

 

[Baba Luga]

"Another variation, good," says Rathas at the tiefling's suggestion. "I paint the broad strokes. That's how I see my station. And if others refine the details for a prettier picture, why should I complain? Who was it said, 'Only serve the soup and I promise not to peek in the slop bucket?' You'll find I'm easy, just no padding out the days. Don't come back here in a week telling me how you had to pace yourselves and hatch it just right."

 

[ZombWie]

Bell nods along with Mr. Felwell's instructions. It is clear the kenku is eager to take another job and stay on the road. "...the man says roll, then I pack... Mr. Felwell... Prompt!" This is a road Bell has traveled before, so he is confident in the trip. The main thing on his mind is their mission to meet with Shara Breakwood. This thought causes him to pay closer attention to the dwarf beside him. She will have to carry the conversation for the two of them. If worse comes to worst he may have to learn what information he can using more discreet methods. Either way, Bell intends to maximize his payment on this run.

 

[ramonlimon2]

"Rather a foolish determination on your part,I think, but we're grateful all the same," Aseir says of the Lurr's debts.

He smiles at the job offer, eyes a bit vacant as he reminisces. "Everyone loves a good story, and we've plenty of experience talking ourselves into a free meal or a night's stay indoors. Isn't that right?" he asks, playfully nudging Lecuis.

Turning back to Fellwell, Aseir looks him dead in the eye and asks, "to be clear, Lecuis and myself get paid for having this conversation in the inn, irrespective of this woman's final decision. Gold in our hands, no debts of anyone paid down without our explicit consent. This is the deal you are offering?"

 

[Ellywyck27]

Ms. Ironfist unfortunately can’t see a good map or the word “beer” anywhere in the mess of papers in the desk, probably due to being distracted by a very odd doodle of a woman being being strangled by a pile of worms. Or is it a tangle of yarn? Oh! The mass of spaghetti noodles has two eyes. Ruthenia decides it must be a hasty attempt at an octopus. Strange.

Mr. Fellwell’s plan begins to take form and Ruthenia resigns herself yet again to the role of messenger/scout. This man is good at his job, clearly angling for his own business best, possibly with his sight even higher. He has long term plans. And gold to back it up. She definitely regretted wearing only her common clothes today, as she was sure she looked quite unimpressive and unpromising to everyone else in the room. It was a curse to be short in a world of power.

As the tallest of them all, with his purple hair and horns making him seem to reach the ceiling (to Ruth’s eyes), makes a great tactical suggestion, the idea occurs to her that he may be trying to acquire an extra day of pay. These are no innocents she is going to be working with. Mr. Fellwell nips that in the bud.

So. Ruth looks to the bird-man, to find him already sizing her up. Obviously , she will have to carry the conversation for the two of them. If worse comes to worst she may have to learn what information she can using more discreet methods. But either way, Ruth is sure to come out the most successful of the two on this run.

After the gray human (she’s seen gray elves, and gray dwarves, but never a gray human before) receives an answer about securing his gold for his own pocket, Ruth asks, “Just two more things. Where do we arrange for Shara’s next meeting to hammer out those details, and (to the two tall circus men) are you ready to leave immediately this afternoon?”

 

[Theseiroth]

She must be joking right? Lecius makes a show of looking at his backpack, and then at Aseir's. "I think we could manage to be ready."

 

[Baba Luga]

Satisfied that the four have agreed to the job, Rathas Fellwell presents Bell with a requisition for four riding horses, feed and a range of camping gear, to be presented at the stables near Luskan's North Gate. He also gives Aseir and Lecuis a signed note that will let them store anything they want to leave behind at the Poor Squire's Townhouse, a Zhentarim rooming house where Ruth and Bell already have rooms.

Finally, as the others are leaving, Mr. Fellwell takes Ruthenia aside and gives her a small wooden box. "If there's a chance, Waukeen willing, get this to Lady Nandar with my compliments. It's a good gift, for her favor. I would cultivate her, and Nightstone. I have dreams of a Zhentarim outpost there some day. If the harlequins put on a good show at the inn, and you think their tale will please my lady, be so bold as to try for a full audience with her."

 

[ZombWie]

Bell takes the requisition for horses and equipment and folds it neatly so if fits in the inside of his cloak. From beside the chair the kenku picks up and shoulders his pack. Bell brought his belongings with him in hopes that he would be leaving Luskan and hitting the road immediately after meeting with Mr. Felwell. It appears he was correct in that assumption. Bell motions to the door while addressing Ruthenia using her own words in a delayed echo, "are you ready to leave immediately this afternoon?" With that Bell turns and heads for the door clapping his hands toward the two former circus folk, "Fire eater... height and weight... it's Dead Yeti Highway for you two!" followed up with a dog whistle and a pat on the side of his thigh.

 

[Theseiroth]

Lecuis rubs his hands together as he follows the others out of the office, "I love to travel with new faces! I shall tell you both about our many adventures. Like the time we made a deal with a devil for an elephant."

 

[Ellywyck27]

Ruth is taken aback for a moment by her own voice coming from Bell’s mouth. Then she’s laughs good-naturedly. “Cheeky one, that,” she says to his back as he leaves.
Held back a moment by Fellwell, she catches up to the others down at the front door. “He gave me a gift to deliver to Lady Nandar. Didn’t say what it was. Is anyone else headed to the Poor Squire’s Townhouse? I do need my gear. No? Well, I can meet you all at the North Gate. I won’t take long. No need to put any of it on. I don’t need a helmet just to ride a horse.” She jogs off, hoping to be quicker than they think.

Back in her room, she throws what she wants into her back pack, and puts aside the rest for storage. She takes a quick minute to carefully unlock the wooden box, open a small black cloth bag, and see (but not touch) a silver and onyx necklace. There is also a note from Rathas Fellwell closed with his wax seal. She carefully puts it back as it was and re-locks the box. She attaches the key onto her long sturdy necklace chain, beside the harp amulet, Holy Symbol of Milil that she kept from that day when...

Ruth puts the amulet and key back down inside her shirt, and straps on her two weapons and shield, shoulders the back pack, and carries the heavy leather coat and leggings of scale mail in her arms. She informs the Townhouse keepers that she and Bell plan to return in 6 days, and heads toward the North Gate, slower now that’s she’s carrying over 80 pounds of gear.

 

[ZombWie]

Bell shakes his head at the dwarf's question then turns down the road toward the North Gate. After crossing the bridge he stops along the route to pick up a bedroll since he won't have the luxury of sleeping in the back of a wagon on this trip. Bell shakes his head at the thought of having to sit in a saddle for the next three days. The kenku would much prefer to sit higher up with a better vantage point of the road ahead. His thoughts begin to settle on the trip ahead. Bell visualizes the road and it's various hazards, but knows that this will be a simple trip. His new travel companions are the biggest unknown. Can he trust this group to carry their weight?

Arriving at the stable, Bell begins checking the equipment provided to them. He inspects all of the tack and bags for any obvious flaws or signs of wear and cinching anything that needs to be a little tighter. Satisfied with the condition of the horses he chooses the tallest one for himself and straps his bedroll behind the saddle. He watches his companions as they prepare themselves for the road. Bell considers making an effort to attempt small talk, but it is too difficult with new people who are unaccustomed to his cursed form of communication. Instead he wonders about the Old Northern. Is there really a chance the way will be opened? If it is, Bell wants to be one of the first to travel that way. A chance to explore a new road brings a smile to the fleshy part of his face behind his beak.

 

[Theseiroth]

Lecuis follows Bell, spinning the tale of trading a soul for an elephant. The story Biggins innocent enough, and reaches way out to the realm of fantasy when he claims a low level Noble took his souls place. Andrew bad jokes and poor attempts at heartwarming moments he finally ends saying "And alas, poor Podrick will be lost to all memory but mine. He was such a good kisser too"

As he finished his tale he notices no one actually listening. So he clears his throat and begins helping prepare. Checking horses and equipment Lecuis does busy work, waiting for the others to say it's time. Finally on the road but to tired to really try, Lecuis makes half-hearted/half asleep attempts to get to know his new companions.

 

[Baba Luga]

Determined to take a chunk out of the trip while the sun still shines, you exit the North Gate with four Zhentarim horses, a bundle of hardtack and jerky, and a couple of tents that have seen their share of occupants over the years. The noisy and noisome streets of Luskan fall behind as you head out for Nightstone on the Blackford Road.

A few months from now, the land up here in the North will be frigid tundra, but for now it's a boggy upland moor, full of treacherous sinkholes and chill fogs for the inexperienced traveler who wanders too far from the road. Scouting ahead, Ruth and Aseir strain to see into the distance, advising the others to speed up or slow down at any sign of shadowy figures off across the moor. They could be elk, but could also be Uthgardt barbarians, bandits or even orc raiders from the Spine of the World mountains.

Your horses carry you along at a good clip, and you pass a number of other travelers from Luskan who are on foot or driving ox-drawn carts and wagons. A few also approach you from Mirabar, most notably a large, guarded caravan loaded down with ore, for which you need to pull over to the side of the road.

As the sun sinks lower in the sky, Bell identifies a barely-discernable path leading off to the south. It winds around a tree-topped hillock he knows is called the Duke of the Sump. Tucked behind this promontory are the ruins of a few ancient buildings. In one of these, you're able to make a sheltered camp with dry stone instead of damp earth beneath your bedrolls.

Starting out early the next morning, the weather from the day before holds and you make good progress. About three-quarters of the way to Nightstone, you come across an unusual sight. A boulder, large enough that none of your arms could reach around it, rests, partly sunken in the middle of the Blackford Road. Bell is certain that this wasn't here the last time he came this way several months ago. Scanning the surrounding moors, Ruth spots another, similar stone a couple of hundred feet off the trail to the north, sunken halfway into the soft ground there. Considering what she knows about stonecraft, she's certain this type of stone comes from the Spine of the World, hundreds of miles to the north. How it got down here by the Blackford road is a mystery.

There are more of the boulders even farther from the trail. They form a sort of jagged, spaced out line, terminating in the fifth boulder, from beneath which splay the legs of a pulverized elk, apparently crushed to death beneath the stone.

Eventually leaving this grisly scene, your journey continues a few more hours until you see the Black Raven River crossing ahead of you, and the dirt road to the north that leads to the gate of Nightstone. The keep's turrets are visible about a half-mile away, through trees that grow near the river.

 

[ZombWie]

The horses trot along the Dead Yeti their hoof falls creating a hollow, muffled thud that Bell tries to commit to memory for future use. His senses are always aware of the sounds that go unnoticed by those who can speak with ease. The kenku holds a small bit of resentment toward those that possess a language of their own. To his ears they squander their gift by spilling it into the world like an overflowing bucket that never runs dry. For a mimic, access to the spoken world only comes through careful attention to the world to refill their bucket. Each drip and drop of a word or a sound adds up to quench Bell's dry throat so he can mutter an essential phrase or a necessary question. Ah, but the fault is not theirs. The speaking races are not gifted, but rather the kenku is cursed. Bell ponders his own faults that echo the ancient stories that tell of a vengeful lord that stripped his people of their flight and their ability to speak. Bell refocuses on the sounds of nature as they continue their trip. He picks up very few new sounds as these woods are familiar and this road is common. Bell realizes he has been ignoring the rest of the group's conversation and tries to catch up on what he missed only to be more befuddled by Lecuis's statement, "...was such a great kisser too."

As they approach the trail to Bell's planned camp site the kenku produces a sound that he picked up on the way. Bell mimic's the whistling alarm bark of a fox which may startle a few of his travel mates. Either way, he waves the group down the hidden trail and leads them to the ruins he wants to use as a shelter for the night. Before too long Bell is prepping the dinner fire and setting up camp.