24 Erastus

I’ve decided that as part of chronicling Nethys’ work here on earth, I should create a record of my adventures and deeds, going forward.

Having arrived in Breachill today, I intend to walk around the city and familiarize myself with some of the people and businesses.  First and foremost, I need to find a place to put up my feet.

The city looks to be about a quarter the size of Logas, so this shouldn’t be too challenging.

26 Erastus

This is a lot more charming town than Saringallow was.  Everyone has been pleasant and helpful.  True, humans make up about 80% of the residents so maybe I shouldn’t read too much into how easy it is to blend, but it is a pleasant change.

There are three pubs in town: the Pickled Ear, Cayden’s Keg. and the Wizard’s Grace.  The first is something of a dive, the second is a near-constant party, and the last is the most genteel of the three … although it is still a pub   Prices seem to match that order too, although even Wizard’s Grace is not outrageous for a person with both gold and silver in their purse.

There are several nice shops and businesses as well.  Considering what I passed through on the way here, I am happily surprised.  Even Rogar and Hemmer would feel welcome here I think.

I still haven’t nailed down exactly what I am to do here, but I’m sure Nethys will not leave me in the dark.

30 Erastus

Ah, the date on the harrow card.  The date when I meet destiny.  The date when I fulfill Nethys’ wishes.

But instead of meeting destiny, today I learned where to meet destiny.  What actually happened today was I learned of the Call to Heroes, which technically happens the 1st of every month, at noon.  It is a call by the city council for “adventurers” to help solve city-level problems.  Given that it happens twelve times a year, I suspect something fairly recent will be brought up (or else previous “heroes” would have resolved it already.)

I’ve no idea what may come up.  Local residents I talked to were vague about past Calls so I’m not sure if this will involve simple manual labor or require specific skills.  I have to believe Nethys wouldn’t send a warpriest to do a wainwright’s job, though.  I did learn that it is traditional to meet at the Wizard’s Grace before the Call for informally meeting with council members and other candidate adventurers.  So, on 1 Arodus, I will start the day at Wizard’s Grace, and then proceed to council chambers to officially accept whatever task they have.

1 Arodus

Well!  No, they did not need a wainwright.  Nor were they looking for me all by my lonesome, either.  But let me explain.

When I got to the Wizard’s Grace, it was already looking busy. I thought several people might well have been “adventurers” but I say that only because their dress made them stand out.  I myself left my armor back in the room but still had my bow, quiver, and sword, so as to better look the part.  There could have been council members there, I don’t know.  I learned names beforehand, but there’s no way I could have tied them to faces.  In fact, one of my goals was to try to do a little of that in the pub before noon.

However, while walking past a patron, I heard him say to his companion, “I was sent, but I don’t know why.”  That definitely caught my ear, and I paused him and said, “Excuse me, but did I hear you say you were sent?”  He looked a little surprised.

“Well, see I -“

“I was sent too, by Nethys,” I interrupted him.  And then I noticed he was holding a card.  A harrow card.  I pulled mine out and held it up.  He stared a moment and then said, “There are others.”

He was not mistaken. We all sat at the same table, and learned little tidbits about each other in that cautious way two travellers might share light anecdotes about themselves during a trip.  But it was certainly a strange mix.  There was

• Aemi, a human musician, armed with no more than an instrument
• Gath, probably a half orc if I guess right, armed
• Kyira, an elf or half elf, I can’t tell them apart, armed
• Marcus, a human who apparently works at the local mill
• Trip, a tobacco-spitting goblin, armed only with bad habits
• Liberté, a, I guess, religious scholar?  Seems like a bookworm but also seemed to be dressed like a priest or cleric.  He was the one who said he didn’t know why he was  here, which sounds like a story waiting to be told more fully.

I’m not sure why Aemi, Trip, or Marcus were interested in the Call, as none of them appeared to be the sort of person who might consider themselves an “adventurer”.

We talked among ourselves, saying little.  Everybody seemed a little guarded because apparently none of them knew the others until this last week.  Certainly I didn’t. And more to the point, as I looked around the pub, there didn’t seem to be any other adventurers – or at least nobody else dressed like one.

The waitress was surprised when not everyone wanted stew – apparently that is also a tradition here.  So many unwritten rules. Most of the table declined, with the hope that any councillors overhearing that would not take offense.  Aemi, in particular, pled poverty and I’m not surprised.  I can’t imagine musicians earning a lot unless they are “discovered” by royalty, or at least by wealthy benefactors.  Actually I wonder if that’s why she was here – trying to earn some coin as an adventurer?

About 15 or 20 minutes before noon, people were beginning to leave to get to the council chambers on time.  We did likewise.  Most of the hallow-card-bearers sat up front, but a couple sat near the back.  The council had just introduced Warbal Bumblebrasher, liaison to the Bumblebrasher goblin clan that lived at the citadel.  She  had started to describe some apparent problem at the citadel (“The Keep“!) regarding unexpected red smoke and lack of communication when the guard burst in from the western door and announced there was fire outside the chambers.  And indeed, behind him through the doorway could be seen flames, and smoke was starting to enter the room.

We and the councillors quickly started to herd the startled citizens out the door they’d entered before they could panic.  But then there was a most impish cackle and a little burning man appeared in the flames. He wasn’t in danger — he was intentionally spreading the flames!

I knew now why I was here.  I quickly pulled an arrow from my quiver, brought it to the bow, and let fly a shot straight and true.

And missed. The wretched firebug was small and fast.

Around me, people were moving other people to the door.  Liberté yelled at the folks in Draconic, which I found odd – was that a common language here?  Smoke was beginning to fill the room, and Aemi was organizing a bucket brigade.  And the cursed little target said in a nasally Common, “Nyah, nyah, you missed me!”

The goblin named Trip said loudly, “Kill it now while it’s asleep,” and gestured in its direction. I looked again and sure enough, now it was lying on the ground as if asleep. Kyira and I both moved towards it, just as a second of these creatures appeared through the north door.  With the one asleep now, I swung and aimed at #2 instead. This time I had a solid hit, although it seemed to only slow it a little.  It might be time to switch to the sword. Hurriedly I dropped my bow and pulled out my sword, moving towards the first fiery bastard, which had apparently already ended its slumber.  I heard Marcus yelling some gibberish.

And then practically in mid cackle, they both faded from view.  I realized they must have been summoned, which saved the building from burning down but left us without the satisfaction of ending their existence personally.  And sure enough, the momentary silence was broken by one of the guards, who blurted out, “It was Calmont!  He made them appear!”

The bucket brigade was starting to prove effective, and without the nasty little animated embers walking around, no more spots were bursting into flame.  It took several minutes, and the thinning smoke still noticeably hung in the air, but finally the council reconvened in the chambers.  The aforenamed Calmont was apparently just an assistant at a local shop …  an odd choice of fire bug.  Did he really do this?

Warbal finished her nervous, stuttering plea for help, and we came to understand that the goblins that lived up the way, in the hideyholes of the old keep, had not been heard from for three weeks now.  There’d been red smoke seen, which Warbal took as a warning, or maybe a distress signal.  In either case, could maybe the council see their way to hire some adventurers to resolve or rescue, as they saw fit?

One of the council observed that while there were several individuals here this day, they seemed to represent one group. (I suppose I can understand why it might seem that way, given how we all leapt to action at roughly the same time!)  There were really two issues to resolve: one was safely retrieving Calmont, and the other was to check out the keep.  To that end, the council would provide

• 50 silver pieces for the help provided just now
• 10gp for resolving the problem at the keep
• 10gp more for dragging Calmont’s sorry butt back here

The councilman almost apologetically added we would each be gifted a potion of giant spider venom, and another of anti-plague, because, well, you know, just in case. That admission certainly suggested they were understating the conditions at the keep.  Call for Victims maybe, eh?  But Nethys had brought me here, so there was really no declining the opportunity.  The group as a whole would also be given 4 healing potions. 

We huddled briefly and decided to retreat to our lodgings to get anything we needed for this mission (like, I definitely wanted my armor!) and return within a half hour.