CHAPTER K: AN ACQUAINTANCE RENEWED

Late that afternoon, the Desperate Venture resumed course for Thornward.  By the light of the moon, the ship passed by the town of Shakara, before finally docking at Thornward in the wee hours of the next morning.  Too late to look for accommodations on shore.  A watch was set up, and the ship’s crew remained aboard to sleep.

In the morning, Thurl and Elwood went ashore to arrange for off-loading of goods intended for the Thornward market: twenty pounds each of cinnamon, cloves and black pepper from Mitrick.  Thurl promptly provided the adventurers with their share of the profit, as well as their regular daily pay, totaling 23 gold pieces each.  “Take the rest of the day off, you’ve earned it!” he told the adventurers and the rest of the crew.  “We’ll be here until tomorrow.  I’ll have to find some new crewmen before we can set off again.”  One of the crewmen had contracted filth fever, apparently as a result of a rat bite during the fight against the rat swarm.  The off-duty crew happily took their leave.

He signaled Arya and the other adventurers to remain.  “Be back here at the dock around sunset.  Dinner’s on me tonight at The Blissful Maiden!”  The party needed no further encouragement.

While Thurl and Elwood went about searching for replacement deck hands, Arya sought out the local temple of Pelor to meditate, and if possible speak with the clergy.  She hoped they might have some potions or other items available that would assist the party on their mission.

Once at the temple, Arya was able to meet with one of the clerics, a human man named Aidan.  She told Aidan about the battle with the river pirates.  “Their pockets were loaded with gold from Ket!” she reported.

The cleric nodded in appreciation.  “Adds to what we know about tension with Ket,” he remarked.  “Now, how can I help you, my child?” he asked Arya.

“Would you perhaps have any potions that could help on our journey?” she asked.  “We’ve taken a beating on this trip!”

“I might have something better,” said Aidan.  He went to the sacristy of the temple, and soon returned with a long thin case.  “Wand of cure light wounds,” he informed Arya.  “Has twenty charges remaining.  Should help you at least for a while.”  The cleric handed the case to Arya.  “But please use it to help others on your way should you meet them,” Aidan requested.

“I will gladly do so,” promised Arya.  “And thank you!”

Meanwhile, Kronk and Balefire looked for weapon merchants.  A little inquiring revealed that the nearest weaponsmith’s shop was Adas and Celeser’s Arsenal, located in a part of Thornward that was favored by adventurers.  They found the shop: a single storey building of polished marble, with a yellow tile roof and a tiled mosaic floor.  The street outside the shop was lined with street vendors hawking potions and elixirs.  Inside was a young female gnome shopkeeper.

“Hello, good sirs!” the cheery gnome woman greeted the adventurers.  “I’m Adas.  Can I help you?”

The two adventurers acknowledged the proprietor.  Balefire asked, “Would you have any clearance items today?  We’re rather on a budget.”

“Let me see what I might have on hand,” replied Adas.  She went to the back room of the shop, then returned.  A number of masterwork and mundane weapons were ready to move, including a quality mundane longbow for 75 gold pieces.

Balefire asked if Adas had any old inventory that she really wanted to get rid of.  “You’re new in town, aren’t you?” she asked.  “Yes, we are,” Balefire replied.  “I’ll tell you what,” said Adas. “New customer discount: 10%.  That makes 68 gold, plus four silver for the arrows.”

“Sounds fair,” said Kronk.  The half-orc tendered the requested price, and received the weapon from Adas.  “Thank you, good lady,” said Balefire.  Kronk grunted his thanks as well.  The rogue then asked if there were an armorer in the area.

“Try the Wyvern’s Armory,” suggested Adas.  She gave the two adventurers directions to the establishment.  It was relatively close, on an adjacent street among narrow alleys and noisy taverns.
 
Kronk and Balefire entered the establishment, a single storey timber framed building, with a reinforced wooden door.  They looked around.  They noticed a large collection of mundane armor hanging from the walls of the shop.

“See anything you like?” a voice from the back room of the shop called out.  A short, middle-aged male half-elf armorer came out to greet the two adventurers.  He introduced himself as Mirodior.  Balefire replied that he was looking for affordable armor.  “My prices are the best in town!” replied the armorer.  “And I also take trades.  Especially anything that came from the tomb of Arvid the vampire.  Would you have any?”

“Sorry no,” replied Balefire.  “I’m not familiar with that name.  Can you tell me about him?”

“Used to inhabit a tomb in the Dim Forest, near the town of Hochoch,” Mirodior explained.  “Rumor has it he was vanquished some time ago.”

“Are you looking for any particular items?” Balefire asked.  “Shields,” Mirodior answered.  “Arvid reputedly had quiet a collection of them.  But probably that’s too big a challenge for young adventurers like yourselves.  It took a mighty paladin, Edward Gallahand, and his crew to drive him away.  I know him personally!”  Balefire and Kronk listened attentively as Mirodior described how Edward and allies triumphed over the vampire.  “I’d pay premium for a shield from his crypt.  But now, what else can I help you with?”

Balefire pulled out his money pouch.  “Half-empty, alas.  Do you have any items on sale?”

“Hope a future adventure changes the condition of your finances,” said Mirodior.  “I do have some mundane armors you might like.”  He went to poke around in the back-room inventory, then returned.  “Got a nice light steel shield, a heavy steel shield, and a fine suit of medium scale mail,” the armorer informed Balefire.

The rogue considered for a moment, then replied, “Thanks, maybe next time.  But I’ll look out for your shields!”  And with that, the two adventurers headed back into the district to continue looking around.

Strife, in the meantime, simply headed for the nearest sailor’s tavern to eat, drink and be merry.

By late afternoon, the four adventurers had concluded their window shopping in the nearby districts, and had returned to the ship to prepare for dinner.  When they were ready, they headed to the Blissful Maiden Inn.

“Welcome back!” exclaimed Thurl upon seeing the party enter the common room.  “Come over and have a seat.”  The four adventurers quickly made their way to Thurl’s table.  Thurl signaled to a waitress, who brought a menu for the newcomers.  “Order what you like,” said Thurl.  “The fare here is top quality!”

The adventurers happily took Thurl up on his offer.  “Roast beef for me,” said Kronk.  Arya ordered cheese rolls with honey and vegetable filling.  “I’ll take the smoked fresh trout,” added Strife.  “And make mine the roast duck with apples,” said Balefire.  Thurl himself ordered clam chowder and a smoked salmon salad.

The five diners made small talk while waiting for dinner to arrive.  Thurl described his trading business, and described some of the trade expeditions he had been involved in.  “Any good stories?” Arya inquired.

“Oh, plenty my dear,” Thurl answered.  “But the owner of the Maiden has some even better ones.  Just wait until the show begins.”

After about half an hour of fine dining, a light was directed to the center of the common room.  A slender human woman took her place in the light, holding a lute.  Mid-thirties.  Very attractive, even with a small scar on her right cheek.  Provocatively dressed.

“That’s Siren,” Thurl informed the four adventurers.  “She owns this place.  Puts on a great show, as you’ll see.”

And a great show it proved to be.  Siren began with a rowdy sailors’ chanty that got the patrons singing along lustily.  She followed up with ballads, popular songs and instrumental solos, with epic tales of adventure thrown into the mix.  By the end of the performance, the crowd was on its feet and showering the stage with gold coins!

Afterwards, Siren spotted Thurl and came over to his table.  And promptly sat in his lap and planted a lip-lock on the lucky merchant that made the male adventurers envious and left Arya somewhat embarrassed.

Leaving Thurl’s lap, she greeted his dinner companions with more restraint.  “Pleased to meet you all,” she said.  “What’d you think of the performance?”

“We liked it,” replied Arya politely.  “Great!” exclaimed Kronk with great enthusiasm.  Strife and Balefire heartily agreed.

“I see you and Thurl are . . . acquainted,” continued Arya.  “Oh my, yes!” replied Siren.  “We’re good friends.”  She looked at Thurl and winked.  “Very good friends.”

“How did you meet?” asked Strife.  And Siren related a remarkable story.

“I was a young bard, I was, traveling the lands, seeking adventure, looking for new songs and learning new things.  But life didn’t turn out like I thought it would.  I was still a young lass when I was captured by a tribe of bugbears.  Ughh!  The memory still haunts me.”

“How horrible!” exclaimed Arya.

“Truly,” agreed Siren.  “It must have been a good year or more that I was the prisoner of those foul creatures.  Then one day, a ship anchored on the bank of the Velverdyva River, and a party put ashore, looking for supplies and booty.  They found the camp of the bugbears where I was being held.

“I can still hear it now.  “Take ‘em, mates!  And free that girl!” the leader of the party ordered.  And so they did.  Slaughtered the bugbears, down to the last.  Unchained me, cleaned me up, and took me with him, he did.  Yes, he did.  His name was Jonas Grumley, and he saved me from a life of misery, and likely a short one at that.

“Happy I was to join his crew, though I knew little about them.  As it was, he was actually a river pirate.  But what did I care?  At least, I had a place to live, a job to do, and new songs to sing.  I didn’t think well of his more bloodthirsty ways, and I let him know it.  Nor of some of his crew, that Roy Inkley and Willis in particular.  But Jonas was always good to me, and I miss him.”

“What happened to him?” asked Balefire.

“One day,” said Siren sadly, “Jonas attacked the wrong ship, and he was bested by them, with heavy losses to his crew.  He managed to escape, to parts unknown.  I wasn’t so lucky.  Turned to stone I was, by a fierce wizard who did most of the damage.  Yet that very same wizard also tried to revive me.  She failed, and I died as a result.

“The gods weren’t quite finished with me, though.  For that same ship also bore a young half-elf woman, and one of the Laughing Rogue’s clerics at that.  She brought me back to life.  Convinced the rest of the ship’s crew that I was worth trying to salvage.  She took me into her service, and put me under her protection.  Until I was able to change my life, which change finally brought me here.”

“Did she help you start this business?” Arya asked.

“She did, along with Thurl,” replied Siren.  “We’ve remained friends, we have.  Her name is Miae.  She lives in Darksea, and when she’s not out adventuring, she brews as fine an ale as you’ll find anywhere.  It’s what we serve here.”

“Ale good!” Kronk opined heartily.

“By the way,” added Siren, “Miae’s lover is none other than the renowned paladin of Hieroneous, Edward Gallahand.  You may have heard of him.”

Balefire looked at Kronk, then nodded.  “We have,” said the rogue.

“Well, if you ever meet Miae, give her my best for me,” requested Siren.  “Now, I must get back to business.”  She blew a kiss at Thurl.  “Come back soon,” she said invitingly.  “You know it,” he replied.  With that, Siren took her leave, looking back over her shoulder as she left.

“Quite a girl,” observed Balefire.

Thurl had arranged for the adventurers to stay at the inn overnight, for which they were duly grateful.