[IC] Graveyard Shift: Session 1

With plans made, you weave your way through the side streets of the Middle City until you reach the Procession Road, Nornholt's main thoroughfare. The heat is much worse in the direct sunlight, so you do your best to stick to the shade of building overhangs. At the main road, you split into three pairs to cover more ground before your rendezvous with Olarie Dribbage: Nekurr, Mengus, Hildar, and Barvek turn west, while Nera and Tronus go east toward the Lower City.

The four of you heading west dodge chickens and horse carts until you reach the Fauton Gate that opens into the Upper City. Passing through, the traffic continues, but the buildings grow appreciably more opulent. Sticking to the shade costs you a bit of time, but after about a twenty-five-minute walk, you reach Nornholt's Central Plaza, the town's nerve center and administrative nexus.Mengus & NekurrMengus and Nekurr have little trouble finding Saint Durvin's Cathedral: The whitewashed walls of the cathedral tower higher than any other structure in Nornholt, and the blue-green tiles of the dual-domed roof reflect the morning sun and remind you of how hot you are. You notice a handful of supplicants flowing into and out of the main sanctuary, either seeking the blessing of Nornholt's patron deity or just some refuge from the unrelenting sun. You also spot one of the resident monks entering the structure through a smaller side entrance.Barvek & HildarA short distance away, Hildar has to nearly jog to keep up with Barvek, whose familiarity with this area compensates for his shorter strides. Barvek, you know the guardhouse well; the wood-and-stone structure serves as both the headquarters for Nornholt's city watch and constabulary, as well as the common area of the barracks where many of the guards live. You have mixed feelings about being back here, Barvek--after decades as a city guardsman, you're now an outsider, at least in part. You sop the sweat from your brow with a handkerchief as you decide what to do.Nera & TronusAfter your four colleagues leave for parts west, Tronus and Nera, you two turn eastward for decidedly downmarket digs. You soon reach the Damar Gate, the portal from the bustle of the Middle City into the slums of the Lower City. Two guards hunch in the shade of the gate and eye you carefully as you pass through, no doubt curious what business a Dwarf and a Catfolk have in this part of town. You know that the gate remains open until sunset, when it closes to keep out the crime for which the Lower City is notorious.

The security checkpoint only slows you slightly, so within ten minutes, you're at the edge of the district. The scenery changes. The horse carts and wagons move more quickly, as if their drivers are worried someone might hop on uninvited. And while there are a few permanent structures along the Procession Road, you see that most of what passes for architecture here is little more than shacks and shanties.

Children, chickens, goats, and washerwomen alike move from one source of shade to another, dodging mud puddles as they do so. Meanwhile, beggars and itinerant merchants ignores the heat as they panhandle and hawk their wares. You can only imagine what other sorts of things are going on in the darker alleyways beyond immediate view.