"Wanted - Brave adventurers. Recover a lost family treasure from a band of cut-throats and murderers. Contact the Mayor at the Council Hall for details. Sizeable reward offered." read the ornate scrip on the parchment bills that sprang up overnight on all the walls of Avonmouth. Many came to claim the reward but only a few were chosen as being suitable.
There was the elf in the hooded green cloak, hood thrown back revealing his slightly haughty features and pale grey eyes. The impression of a medallion or some other bauble glimpsed through the heavy cloth of the cloak. His grey hair, contrasting strongly with the youthfulness of his face, tied back in a pony tail most of which is tucked inside his cloak. He gave his name as Angiliant.
Beside him, shifting nervously was a human male and a more striking contrast could not be made. His face is scarred, the most striking being a puckered strip of skin above his left eyebrow. His teeth are uneven and his nose appears to have been broken in a fight at least once. His clothes are cheap and shabby in appearance. He was introduced as Verlis but you heard him reply in a rather sharp manner that he prefers to be known as Earl.
On the opposite side of the room sits another elf. In contrast to Angiliant this elf has pale blonde hair and a slightly weather-tanned face. His clothes are of a reasonable quality but like the elf's face have a slightly weather beaten quality to them. This is a traveller not a student of the higher arts. As he sat down you noticed that he moved slightly stiffly as if his back carried a memory of pain. He gave his name as Andrinor.
Standing by the empty fire place, his back to the wall is another human. His blue eyes contrasting with his dark hair and tight fitting dark clothes. These eyes have been studying everyone in the room since you entered resting for the longest time on Verlis. His lips are set in a thin horizontal line and he has not said a word since he gave his name at the door, Arrik.
The last to enter is also possibly the least. A halfling. One of the other candidates had stood up and left when Raffi entered the room. The tall red haired fighter had said something about halflings being no good for anything other than trouble before claiming his weapons and leaving. The halfling had shrugged his shoulders and perched himself on a bench waiting patiently for the mayor to appear.
After a few moments tense silents the strange group started to mutter amongst themselves before a quartet of men entered the room. One the mayor appeared weighed down by his responsibilities, his chain of office like a millstone around his neck. The other flanked by two of his guards was Baron Thadimar Jubfek of Avondale. His high necked black velvet jacket lined with green silk embroided with dragons in a darker green thread.
"I thank you for your offer of service." The Baron's voice is warm and rich, with a hint of a Bormarian accent. "A few days ago I was robbed, stabbed and nearly murdered by a half-elf dancing wench whom I was offering shelter and employment to. The harlot was then involved in a daring robbery and despoilment of my family tomb on the outskirts of Avondale. Along with a band of cut-throats and thugs she stole treasure and items of sentimental value from the tombs of my forefathers. I would like them back, and her of course. Earlier this evening a number of my personal guard managed to capture one of her band as they were liasing with a known smuggler. Sadly he died from wounds he received while trying to escape, as did the smugglers. We believe that the half-elf and her band have made their escape and are heading for Safeharbour. I would like you to capture them, alive if possible, and bring them to me. In return you may keep any items you find on them that do not belong to me. Also you will receive a sizeable reward, say two thousand crowns each plus a bonus of five hundred crowns if the half-elf is amongst those you capture."
After accepting the Baron's offer, though not without quibbles, they were excused from his presence and escorted into the market square of Upper Town. Here they split up into two groups, one to search the taverns the other to search the temples for clues as to where the fugitives could have gone.
Verlis tossed a copper to the beggar and demanded more information about 'Argaf'.
"Argaf! Not Argaf!" Peter said impatiently. "He if the biggeft moft dangerouf sthmuggler in the land. He if feared by all who thail the theaf. He had a King'th ranthom in hif cave."
Peter snatched the coin from Raffi and secreted it somewhere about his person.
"That'th much better. No one knowf where they be now. Perhapf you thoud try the Harbour Mathterf office on the quay. He might know thomthin'. Or perhapth the innkeeper at the inn they were thtaying at?"
Peter paused until Verlis started to threaten him.
"The Dog and Rathor, the Dog and Rathor" he spluttered scrambling for the copper piece amongst the cobbles.
They decided to visit the taverns first and summoned the ferryman, Dunnoch at the riverside. The ferryman spoke of Greywort the half-orc ferryman who had been killed recently.
"Well me and Greywort we've been sharing the duties for years. Took a while for people to take to him but when they found how quick he could get them 'cross the river they changed their tune. Can't believe he's dead, they pulled his body from the harbour, few hours ago. Sword wounds all over him, not a pretty sight, then he never was really."
Angiliant described the people they were seaking and the ferryman thought for a moment or two before replying.
"Can't say I've seen them, though Greywort was working the river yesterday and this morning, I was at me mother's she hasn't been well recently. Perhaps he had been taken them across the river and they robbed him. They're a dangerous bunch."
About fifteen minutes of hard rowing later the boat grounded on the southern shore of the river. The ferry man took the other coins from Arrik after helping you all from the boat.
"Now if you are looking for a good inn I can recommend the Dog and Razor, second street on the left. You can't miss it, tell Rose, Dunoch sent you, I get a free mug of ale for each group I send to them you see."
Urged to leave the temple they decided to try thier luck on the dockside and so they crossed the river once more, soon meeting up with Arrik and Andrinor.
The Giant lumbered off with the cart which narrowly missed Raffi and the others as they hurried along the keyside towards Arrik and Verlis.
After a brief exchange of information they headed along the quay towards a rough tavern whose sign named it as the 'Curlew'. They ducked into the dark and smokey interior where they are threatened by a well dressed pair with crossbows. It seems that they objected to some of the questions that Arrik and the others had been asking. Raffi blurted out thier mission in a hurry. She warns them that Baron Jubfek cannot be trusted. It surns out that Argas was the leader of the Thieves Guild in Avonmouth and a bitter battle for supremacy was taking place. Freelancers, she said, would not be welcome for a while until things had settled down. She mentions that thier marks had left on 'The Flower Of The West' the day before.
Seasickness got the better of a number of the party and Andrinor along with Arrik wander onto the deck where they are warned off by the Captain who strangely appears to have been swimming as he is soaking wet and there is a puddle at his feet.
Later on the second day they arrive at a rugged, forested island. The captain tells them that they have spotted the Flower of teh West riding at anchor in a nearby cove. The companions set off in a small boat to a sandy beach where they are put ashore. They have not been ashore long before they are attacked by a group of bloated zombies that scramble up the beach towards them. The battle does not go well. Verlis is badly injured before the last of the undead are destroyed. Amongst the remains Andrinor finds a symbol of Koryis and suspects that the undead may have been the bandits they were searching for.
Verlis was on the point of death when captain Vai arrived on the beach. Despite the sailors saying that the waters were shark infested it seems that he has swum from the ship to the island. He pours a liquid from a metal phile into Verlis' mouth and whispers something to him. Verlis regains consciousness and the captain swims back to the ship.
They track through the thick brush until they find the tracks of the bandist they are searching for. Following their tracks they arrive at a broken bridge. Verlis swiftly worked out how to cross safely and returns to find that Angiliant and Andrinor had been searching the ravine for his remains. Not long after he crosses back over he sees the bandits coming around the corner to the far side of the bridge.
Continued in 'A Fateful Meeting'.
