Andwise Tighe-on-Hearth

Starday, 1 Growfest, CY 591
Thick, dark clouds hung over the coastline outside of the port town of Seaton, moving slowly inland and bringing with it the heavy rains typical of this time of year. Spring has just begun to give way to the Low-Summer, a time when farmers and merchants alike celebrated the coming planting season.

As Coldeven comes to a close, the entire countryside has begun what is commonly called Brewfest, a week-long celebration hailing the coming season of crops. Prayers, songs, games and great feasts accompany the festival as farmers make ready for planting their new crops. Seaton, while far from a farming community, is not exempt from such displays of festivity, and everywhere in the city there are banners and displays dedicated to the gods of fertility and crops; Atroa, Velnius, Beory, Ehlonna and even the old god Obad-Hai all see dedications in their honor, as do the prominent sea gods Procan and Xerbo. Everywhere you can see signs of celebration.

Andwise has found himself in this place, though it is far from the rolling hills and comforts of home. Seaton is a military town through and through. At the close of the Great War, King Skotti of Keoland ordered an increase of his naval presence in this area in an effort to ward off the slaving ships of the Hold of the Sea Princes. As such, the traditionally fishing and farming community has seen itself change, growing ever larger to support the burgeoning militia presence.

While the weather outside portends a modest start to the festival, the interior of Harland’s Hostel is warm and inviting, with a large hearth already roaring with flame and hot breakfasts served quickly and efficiently by the wait staff. Harland Underbough, the proprietor, was a halfling of some notoriety here in Seaton, and his accommodations include those sized to one of his own stature, which has suited you just fine these past few weeks.

Daily check-ins with Hilgo Bandylegs, your dwarven contact in the militia, have become boring and tedious, though you are both grateful and dejected that your experience thus far has not been as full of excitement as Uncle John’s stories. Your reverie of his tales is broken with the clatter of a plate before you as Idrissa, one of the four halfling serving girls, drops a heaping plate of meats, potatoes, eggs and bread in front of you.

"Good day, master Andy!" she smiles. "Festival starts today! Can you not wait?"

Andwise
Roll a persuasion check, please.

Andwise
Idrissa smiles back as she turns to take her leave, saying "So sorry, mas... Andy. Gotta work!" and she bounds back into the kitchen, leaving you standing at your table.

Andwise
Seaton is in the early stages of preparation for Growfest, though the actual first day of the week-long celebration is today. Even some of the militia, many of them hailing from farming communities themselves, get into the spirit and stop to help revelers put up streamers, sing along with the wandering minstrels and cheering as the various small parades make their way about town. Everywhere people are in jovial moods, which somehow adds a bit to your melancholy.

Turning this way and that, with no apparent destination in mind, you find yourself near the dock area. The soldiers in the docks lean more toward the marines, soldiers who specialize in waterborne combat and who are said to ride skiffs onto shore to assault the enemy lines before even the cavalry arrive. Numerous ships dot the piers, most of them from Keoland based on the flags they fly, but many from different locales about the Flanaess.

As you stroll, unable to avoid the festivities even down here so far away from the town center, a sight catches your eye. A man and woman appear to be arguing (yelling?) at a soldier, whose open arms indicate that he is trying to get them to calm down, of which they are having none.

Andwise
You cannot make out what they are actually saying, though you do pick up the fact that apparently someone is missing. The couple seems to blame the militia? Or perhaps they blame the militia for not finding the missing person?

Andwise
You watch the couple and the soldier argue back and forth for a while, with the woman getting visibly more red-faced as they go. Eventually, her male companion (husband?) puts his arm around her and leads here away, back toward the interior of town. Though they walk through many groups celebrating Growfest, they do not seem very festive.

You follow them for a while, when they stop at a street vendor to purchase some pastries and drink.

Andwise
The couple looks down, startled by your sudden appearance and outgoing greeting. "Um. Yes. This one." the man says quietly, indicating a pastry stuffed with spiced pumpkin and coated in a honey glaze.

"And we are.... fine. Thank you for asking." he adds, slowly leading the woman as they start to walk away.

Andwise
The woman stops short and hisses at the man "You see? It is not my imagination! Jared would not just run off like boys will do!"

The man mutters unintelligibly, eyeing you with a bit of of a grimace as he tries to contain the woman. "Our boy. Jared. He just reached his thirteenth year and went missing. Town's guard say there ain't much to do 'cept wait for his return. Probably off goofing in the city, what with the festival and all."

Realizing he has spoken too much to a stranger, and again leads the woman away.

Andwise
The woman stops and looks down as you take her hand, a bit startled at the overt motion by one so small. She starts to pull away, but before she does her eyes begin to tear and her face become red.

"I'm Arlene. This is my husband, Bethel. We were headed for Seaton when our boy, Jared, just up and vanished. It was by those marines down by the docks! He dreamed of one day serving the kings army, and when he saw they had a group of them stationed at the docks, well, we couldn't keep him away. We were only stopping here in the city because we haven't ever seen such a place, and what with the festival and all. He just, well.. just... vanished. One minute he was running around, the next he wasn't."

She pauses as she slips into a fit of sobbing, and through her tears and trembling she says "But those men! Those non-helpful, sons-of-"

"Arlene!" her husband interjects, looking down at you apologetically. "The soldiers say they cannot spare the manpower to find a lost boy that probably is out getting into mischief with others like him. Well, I say that ain't my boy." Bethel finishes for his sobbing wife.

Andwise
"Not sure 'bout others gone missing." Bethel replies. "Official investigation.. can't discuss... blah, blah blah. Gods, they think we be stupid!!" he yells loudly to no one in particular.

With a low voice, he adds "Some of m' mates down on the dock think the slavers 'n' smugglers prolly took 'em. Always lookin' for new blood t' man the rails and whatnot. Me? I think maybe the guild or somethin'. They's ways t' trick a lad into doin' no good, then bindin' them to th' contract." Placing a distinct emphasis on the last word.

Andwise
Sitting quietly, the time passes slowly for you. The festival rages all around, with games, parades, entertainment troupes and throngs of people moving throughout the city of Seaton. Down near the docks the events taper off a bit earlier, as most people in the district rely on early rising to make a living and so while the bars rage deep into the night, there is not a lot of traffic outside teh drunkards stumbling to and from their rooms or ships.

Perhaps four hours past sundown, with the sky full of stars and the twin moons Luna and Celene reflecting off of the harbor, you spy some furtive activity from the par end of the piers. A small boat has come across the harbor, using the fact that it is small compared to the moored ships and that the night relatively dark (and most people long-since asleep of passed out).

Two men climb out, and you see them lift a rather large chest from middle of their craft and head down the dock towards the river quarter.

Andwise
You follow the men easily enough. They stumble and jerk as they carry an obviously heavy chest. They lead you through some winding alleys before they come to what you think is their destination. All is well, up until the point that a drukard stumbles out of the dark and right into you.

With a yell, and stumble and a crash, the man falls into a pile of refuse against the wall of the building across from you, yelling and cursing as he does so. The two sneakers jerk upright, one of them producing a small stone that lights up the alleyway in your direction.

"Oy! Who's thar? Be on wit'cha for ya get what's comin' to ya!" the light-holder says. The other man is furtively working a lock on the door.

Andwise
The darkness and the newly-arrived drunk provide the perfect cover for you as you manage to squeeze into a small indent in the surrounding buildings and disappear in the shadow.

"What for, this! the drunk man says, staggering forward a few steps before stopping to urinate in the middle of the alley, in full view of the two men."

"Be off, a'fore ya go from stallion t' gelding, ya gudgeon!" the man at the door mutters. As he does, you see the lock release and the two men heft the chest into the building. The drunk, mutters, stumbles and works his way the other direction, away from the men, eventually disappearing into the city.

Andy waits until the drunk is out of sight and the suspicious men are in the building before heading to the door. He places his ear to the door, listening carefully. When he is certain he can hear nothing, he lights a candle, pulls a set of tools from his pack, and sets to work on the lock.

Andwise
As quiet as can be, you dart across the way, listening intently at the door. Hearing nothing, you check to make sure no one is coming, and then attack the lock. Almost in surprise, the lock opens easily, and with a faintly audible creak you slide open the door. A dim light shines from within an entryway, coming from the interior of the home, where you can see a lighted back room. In there it appears to be a kitchen of some sort. A table has the chest set on it, and a lone person sits in a chair, feet up on the table as well, drinking from a tankard.

Andwise
The door opens into a wide entryway with doors at either end. Across the small foyer is another, open, door, that gives a view into the lighted kitchen. From where you are, you see no stairs.

Andwise
Moving back down the alleyway you manage to catch the drunkard who loomed out of the darkness at you earlier. As it would so happen, a group of sailors fully intent on enjoying the night has come bursting out of a tavern, The Potted Pisser. From the looks of it, they are being politely escorted out by a hulking half-orc. With shouts, jeers and some rather colorful language, they all slap themselves on the back and head toward you on the street.

Andwise
"Oy! Looky here! C'mere, lad! Whatcha be sayin' then?" one of the sailors yells overly loud to you.
"What? Eh? Where ya takin... wait! ladies ya say?? Ho, me boyos! Let's what the little 'un gots ta show, eh?" he slurs as he stumbles and laughs along the path back to the house.

Reaching the door, they all look around at their surroundings, unsure what to do, when your encouragement pushes them through the door.

"Oy! In th' house! Gudgeon sent us! Where be the girls, then eh? I've coin ta.... what th' hells??" one of the men screams as they all barge into the house, stumbling through the first door and moving to open the others. The men in the house begin yelling and screaming, then attack the drunks as they all move into the house behind their brazen leader.

Andwise
As the skirmish erupts in the entryway and off to the left, where some of the sailors have apparently encountered more residents of the home, Andy manages to slip past everyone, seemingly unnoticed. Inside the kitchen, you see a table, chairs, and a large area where there are cooking utensils, pots, plates, cups, etc., hanging on the wall.

A stove stands in the corner, stoked with wood and a large pot on top of it. Steam rises from the pot, as the liquid inside appeara to be heating. On the table sits the chest, its lock unlocked but lid closed.

Andwise
The chest is a standard foot-locker size thing; perhaps 4' long, 2' wide and 2' deep.

Andwise
A quick look in the chest reveals that the bottom half is filled with dirt, and there is some form of plants growing inside. Some of the plant leaves appear to be plucked off.

Andwise
You grab a few of the leaves, and realize that this is the Nararoot plant. Found mainly in the Amedio jungles across the Azure Sea, it is used to make a highly dangerous and illegal drug known as Mordayn Vapor (Dream Mist to many commoners). Breathing in the vapor of the leaves getting boiled can cause incredible hallucinations, but taking it directly in powder or liquid form is known to be a deadly poison.

You can still hear fighting going on between the sailors and men in the house, and quickly move across the room to check out the other door. It opens into a bedroom, with two windows and a door in the left wall. A trio of large, padded chairs accompany the bed and a large carpet covers the majority of the floor. There does not appear to be anyone here at the moment.

Andwise
Enos smiles as you arrive "Andwise! Welcome, good friend. I hope all is..." he begins to say before you launch into your story. Within 15 minutes, Enos has a small group of 10 soldiers gathered, and gives a quick briefing on the matter you told him about. Looking at you, he then says "Lead on, soldier!"

Andwise
By the time you return to the house, the area is quiet. As you approach, you hear some moaning in the darkness of the alleyway, and when the city watch raises a lantern you spot a couple of the sailors beaten and bloodied. They are alive, and apparently now rest in their own urine, the smell of alcohol strong around them. A pair of the guards help them to a sitting position and then lash them together.

Shortly after, Enos gives the order to enter the house, and once again a ruckus ensues. It is over in a few minutes, however, as the occupants of the house are soon subdued by the well-armed and better trained men. You are able to witness most of what has transpired from your vantage outside, though what happens inside is a mystery. Within thirty minutes or so, the soldiers pull four men from the house, all sullen and scowling, as lights go on around the area when people begin to get curious.

"Nothing here, folks! All is well, back to yer beds, then!" yells Enos, who orders a few of the men to escort the prisoners while he checks the house. From what you can tell, no one left the house, at least not through either of the doors nor any of the visible windows.

Andy
After a period of time, perhaps an hour or so, Enos and the men who stayed with him place large locks on each of the doors. They then depart back toward the watch station.

Sunday, 2 Growfest, CY 591
Unfortunately, due to the lateness of the hour, by the time you get back to the dock area all shops are closed. However, you manage to get comfortable, and have a good view of the building without having to be out in the open yourself. You nod in and out, and suddenly you are awakened by the light of day. The city is coming to life below, and you start fully awake, afraid that you have slept through anything worthwhile.

However, you realize that it was not just the light of day that woke you, but the clatter of someone trying the lock on the door across the alleyway. You see a human figure, thin as a rail and fairly tall even for a man. He is hooded, so his face is unseen, but he walks quickly toward the dock markets, passing below you as he does.

The figure passes under you, but the angle is such that you cannot see him (her?) clearly. They walk down the alley, and turn left, heading away from the docks.

Andwise
Scurrying down the stairwells and pipes, you land with a thump on the ground, causing a cat to screech and tear off into the darkness. A moment's pause assures you that no one around heard, or at least no one comes to look, and you run toward where the figure rounded the alley.

Exiting into the main street, you see that the streetlights are still lit, but the shops are all dark. There appears to be no one about, save for a watch patrol moving away from you off to your right and toward the docks.

Andwise
Slinking into a dark corner, you watch the street for a few minutes. The patrol moves off and out of sight, yet no one else appears.

Andwise
Several minutes pass, and you begin to feel that your quarry has eluded you for now. Working back to the house, you find the lock placed by the city watch is sturdy and new.

Andwise
You work the lock for a few minutes, furtively looking around to see if you are being watched. Suddenly there is a tink sound and your thieves tool snaps! The lock, however, remains intact.

Andwise
With a grimace and a groan, you throw away the useless, broken piece of metal, and retrieve another. Concentrating intently, you give a twist and a push and the lock falls open easily.

Andwise
YOu spend a good half-hour searching through the place, but it looks like the city-watch managed to get anything that might shed light on this crew. The rooms are already fairly tossed, and the plants/chest are all gone. There are a couple of nice quilted blankets in the two bedrooms, but beyond that you don't find anything of use.

Andwise
Shuffling off to your small apartment in the city, you manage to catch an early-rising street merchant who is selling hot nuts with honey glaze and freshly-baked pastries. 3 coppers later you are licking your fingers and laying your head on a pillow. The sun is just rising, but your heavy curtains block most of it out, and you drift into a slumber.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three sharp knocks are followed by three solid BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Rise, n' shine Andy! Cap'n wants ta see ya!"

The voice is unmistakably Enos, and you are still unmistakably exhausted.

Andwise
"Sorry! Cap'n says he needs ya down th' station post haste; what'er that means." Enos replies. With him outside of your room is an escort of six men, all armed with shields and spears. They stand to either side, forming a path between them. Outside, you can hear the sounds of the daily Brewfest festival in full swing of its second day. The sun loks to be high in the sky, so you figure you got all of maybe 3 hours of sleep before Enos disturbed you.

Answise
"Cap'n said bring an escort. Guess he wants folks t' see the one what rooted out the house o' th' Vapers. Been tryin' ta nail them for a while now." Enos says with a wink, turning on his heel and walking away.

Andwise
"Uh... well.. sure?" Enos replies hesitantly before finally agreeing and taking the envelope from you. With a grin, he tucks it into his belt and leads you out into the city, the guards flanking you both as you head toward the headquarters of the city watch. Along the way, you manage to draw the looks of some folks, but for the most part citizens are more into the festive activities than anything else.

As you move, it becomes apparent that the guards are almost a necessity; you might have taken hours to get to the captain's quarters had they not been there to help part the throngs of revelers. As it is, it still takes you over an hour to reach your destination.

The headquarters of the city watch is an impressive stone structure located in the bailey of the city keep, which resides along the southeastern part of the city. Its towering walls and ramparts but against the docks and the ocean, and the fisherman, longshoremen and hubub of the Wharf District are very prominent here.

You are led through the gates into the inner bailey, and into the heavy stone building that houses the city watch. Through the twisting and turning hallways you go, until you come to the office of the Captain of the Seaton City Watch. Damien Blades is a well known man in the city, and his skill in battle is rivaled by his stern adherence to the law and to the discipline of his men. You stand before him, his impressive shadow nearly blocking the light from the window behind him. before you even have a chance to greet him, he tosses a small bag onto the edge of his desk. It rings with the sound of coin.

"50 gold. That's your reward." he says simply.

Andwise
The captain looks down at you, a knowing expression on his face. "Funny you should ask that, soldier."

He sits in his chair, pouring a drink for himself, and then striking a flame to light a pipe he pulls off of his desk. "I know you've some experience in the art of covert intelligence gathering. So, I'd like you to be my eyes. Not here in Seaton, though, a little further to the west."

He pauses briefly to draw on his pipe, exhaling slowly and deeply for added emphasis before looking at you again. "The Vapers were working with another group called the Silent Hands. They are more of a smuggling outfit than anything, and there have been reports of the Hands getting involved with some very bad people. Perhaps from the Sea Princes themselves, but perhaps not. I want to find out."

Looking to Enos and then to you, he draws a slow draw on his pipe again. "In a few days, Enos here will have your new identity. You'll travel by caravan west a few days to the town of Saltmarsh. She sits right on the inlet to the Hool Marsh, so is a ripe place for smuggling and other sorts of illegal activity. See what you can find and send reports back to me."

Andwise
"Perhaps a merchant then? Perhaps seeking to establish trade there? A little snooping, a little questioning; perhaps they will approach you." the captain says, blowing smoke across his desk to settle around your head.

Andwise
The captain seems like he is just testing you, looking to see if you would have a reaction to the smoke. Or, as you contemplate, he may just not like you for some reason. You have not had any dealings with him, so it may be halflings in general.

Leaving, you and Enos return to your apartment where he leaves you. "It'll be few days, Andy. Festival has us worn thinner 'n' a gray hair. Should be able t' get you what ya need by week's end."

The festival is in full swing today, as you trudge wearily around town. Feats of strength, wit and dexterity abound, and it seems as if every section of town has its own little carnival or parade going on. The throngs are neigh impossible to navigate, but you find yourself amazed to discover Arlene and her husband Bethel eating a small bit of pastries while watching a troupe of acrobats tumbling and diving their way around a roped-off section of the street. While they seem to be enjoying themselves, you can see the sadness in Arlene's eyes even from far away.

"Shore thing, Andy. You helped me 'n the boys here at th' station look mighty good to th' cap'n, so's I would be happy t' repay in kind. " Shaking the bag, he counts out the coins to be certain of the amount, then tucks it away.

"And we'll find those that have done these folks wrong. Or we'll never stop tryin', anyways."

Moonday, 3 Growfest CY 591
Though you get a lot more sleep than the day before, you still feel a bit weary as you get up the following morning. Outside, the sun is just barely cracking dawn and a thin payer of fog covers the ground and harbor. The sky is mostly cloudy, and a faint breeze buffets leaves and mist occasionally, and from your window you can see vendors already up and about getting ready for the third day of the festival.

Downstairs, you can smell the baking breaks and cooking meats of the pastry shops and cafe's as they make ready to feed the starving hordes of revelers. From down the street you hear the creaking of wheels as the street vendors are already hawking their roasted nuts, corn, doughnuts and other.

With a stretch you wake yourself fully and make plans for the day....

Freeday, 7 Planting 591CY
It takes a lot longer that you had hoped, nearly a week longer in fact, but eventually you have all of the things required to perform the mission you were assigned. You were able to contact Hilgo, and in reply he informs you of a wagon train headed your way. Bastion Sales is the merchant working his way west to the fishing village of Saltmarsh, and would be a perfect cover for you to join, if you meet them.

Freeday, 7 Planting 591CY
The day passes slowly, and is fairly boring as you get into character with your new persona, testing it out, talking to people, fleshing out his story with the locals so as to make things more believable. As you give up for today and start to head home, you hear thunder rolling to the east and far out over the Azure Sea you can see the formings of a storm in the distance.

If that were not enough, you see a priest coming down the street, having just arrived with a caravan. He seems to be carting a dead body into town..

Wilibald
The man you address is human, with hark hair and an olive complexion. Smiling, he bows slightly and offers his hand. "Bastion Sales. Purveyor of the finest in quality gear. Have you a need, perhaps, of some fine glassware? Perhaps you seek to research the dark underworld? I've the best made lanterns by the top craftsmen in the land!" he says.

"I had no idea we were picking up more travelers, sir halfling. For whom do you work? Perhaps I have just forgotten this most important point."

Anwise
"Aye, they are not, friend." Bastion replies.

"Mining tools, y' say? Interesting to be sure. One of those who joined my caravan in Gradsul has seen fit to buy what seems like every dwarf-made nail in Sanduchar in an attempt to sell them to fisher folk here and every fishing village on the coast. And he's a priest, no less!"

I totally get it. My other game here, I started the same way, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. However there, people posted regularly, and the game has moved along really well. Here, not so much, hence my recent flash-forwards to try and get the group at least into two parties converging on Saltmarsh. It seems as soon as I get people together, others drop.

My apologies again, for the shaky start.

Bastion chuckles at your comment, replying "Aye, Master Bolger, the priest is one in the same. A boisterous fellow, full of religion to be sure, but I'm of the thought he seeks his fortune in other ways as well. Speaks well enough as to the why of things, for the children, but I'll have to see it my self to be certain."

Pausing to finish up what he is doing, Bastion then adds "You are most welcome to join our merry little company, sir. It'll be but couple of days to Saltmarsh. Do yo have much goods to bring? I've no room left in my wagon, but perhaps Mellon has room in his. He's the tall, sullen-looking fellow over there by that wagon." he points to a second wagon where an older man, tal and lanky with flame-red hair is loading and unloading goods.