The acolyte smiles at Dibbets and his tattoos, ”You certainly look to take your love of the Sea and Sky seriously. You needn’t mar your natural features with ink and artifice to show your dedication, however. Were you looking for someone in particular?
Unfortunately,if you are looking for the high priestesses, Mother Lorilee spends most of her time in the sea and Sister Gwyllin is quite busy with her work on the Captains’ Council. Although I am only an alcolyte I am quite well trained and may be able to provide answers for any questions you have of a religious nature.”
After a hearty breakfast, Jim follows a route similar to the one taken by Dibbets and Kaul to reach the Temple District and then past the Temple of Knowledge to the Freeport Institute in Drac’s End. The massive multi-winged and multi-storied building of brick and timber towers over the ramshackle plank and canvas shanties that surround the quad. Jim makes his way into the halls of learning and eventually finds a front desk to ask for directions.
After Dingus gets dressed, he accompanies the Groom along the waterfront and into Scurvytown. From the Fish Market they are directed toward the neglected tottering piers and a collection of dilapidated fisheries. The stink of rotting fish is overwhelming as you pick your way over the busted planks above the brown foam, fish parts, and occasional shark’s fin to reach the buildings. One appears to have been converted into a tavern with a rudimentary sign above the door that reads “CHuM Hous”. A pair of crusty looking fisherman watch you suspiciously from their perch on a couple of old barrels.
"Mar your natural features?!?! I'll mar his feckin features if he tries to show me his dedication...
"Hur. C'mon Dibbs, let's get this over with..." (whispers in a low growl) "Nature boy there is creepin' me out..."
Jim will approach the desk, trying not to look intimidating or hostile. "Excuse me? I'd like to speak with one o' the scholars here who studies the history of Freeport. Where might I find such?"
The lady looks over a book of some sort and nods,"Sure, Professor Deveril should be in his office. Um, third floor end of the hall."
Jim makes his way up the stairs and through a couple knots of loitering students to reach the third floor and finds the professor's office. A thin man with ink stained hands and fraying brown jacket is engaged in transcribing some old scrolls amidst stacks of old books. A couple wooden models of archaic looking ships stand upon his bookshelf. He glances up from his work at your knock, "Yes?"
To Kaul: "You n me both"
To the acolyte: "The tat ain't fer the Skylord, its fer me. An were lookin to know a bit more about the merfolk that used tae bob about these parts. Ye know anythin about that?"
[ooc]Diplomacy if needed:
"Professor Deveril? My name's Jim Patterson." He'll approach the man, reaching to shake hands. "I wonder if I might have a few minutes of your time--I have a few questions about local history, and the woman at the desk downstairs sent me up here."
The man stands wiping his hands on his pants leaving more smudges on his pants which already look like they lost a fight with a squid. He shakes your hand, "Jim, eh? Good to meet you. So what did you want to know?" He points out a seat hidden beneath a pile of books and an icon of a one-eyed man.
The acolyte smiles, ”Does my nudity make you nervous? I feel so much closer to the Sky Lord and Sea Mother like this,” he shakes back and forth happily leading to some disconcerting flopping too close to Dibbets’ face.
”Oh, but to answer your question- Mother Lorilee was quite close to the merfolk. Did you ever hear how she first came to Freeport? Her ship was taken by pirates at sea who threw her overboard to drown. She arrived here before the pirates made it back and their ship mysteriously sank in the harbor with all hands lost. Isn't that a wonderful story? Maybe the merfolk were involved. They had a settlement just inside the reef. A couple used to even trade at the Docks.”
”Sadly, they all disappeared a couple years ago. No one knows what happened. I mean they were always fighting with the local sahuagin, but they were run off during the Succession Crisis. Mother Lorilee has spent a lot of time recently trying to find out what happened; too much time as far as Sister Gwyllin is concerned. ”
the Groom touches the brim of his hat as he reaches the men. "Afternoon gentlemen." He gives each a look to size up any trouble and then heads into the establishment.
Once in the tavern, he will give it a good look around before deciding his next move.
Kaul mutter to Dibbet's;
Maybe's the deaders at the Mug are these trader merfolks? Might be worth tracking down this Lorilee while at sea?"
The half orc tries to ignore the disconcerting jigglings of nature boy
"What ship is this Mother Lorilee on? We might be needing a word with her..."
The acolyte giggles, "Ship? Mother Lorilee hardly needs a ship when she has the Sea Mother's protection. I said she was in the sea, not on it, Silly."
Aside: "Could be matey, dare say we should have a chat with this Lorilee"
"When does she usually come up fer breath? We's gots some info she'd be intrested in hearin."
The acolyte runs his hands through his long blonde hair with a concerned look on his face, "That's hard to say. She's been away for quite a while this time. Sister Gwyllin has been trying to balance temple business and her postition on the Captains'Council in Mother's place. Hopefully, Mother will be back soon, but I don't know when."
The gnarly fishermen give no response to the Groom other than narrow their eyes as one spits out over the water.
Inside the Groom and Dingus are reminded of the bar’s previous use by the stink of long dead fish. It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dim light, but the Groom is warned by a low growl and the creak of old floorboards as a big mangy dog suddenly lunges at him.
Dingus-
Cur-
"Well is Sister Gwyllin in or nae? iffin she is, then jus mention that there are a coupla fine men with inquiries about tha Sea Lord and tha Sea Pact ring"
"Iffin she knows anythin worth listenin to she'll want tae hear us out. Otherwise, leave a note fer the Mother fer when tha sea witch gets back in"
"The Sister is at the Council, but I'll mention it for you, " a look of uncertainty crosses the young man's tan face and then he bows and goes to attend to other parishoners.
Before the Acolyte leaves, Dibbets passes on that the party bunks at the Broken Mug.
To Kaul "Cmon biggun, I've had me fill o' this place"
the Groom draws his sword, but does not present it at the dog, instead he points straight at the dog. His eyes lock on the beast, "Flee you cur! You want no part of this sea dog!"
Kaul grunts and agreement, then pauses and mugs a grin;
"'Ere blondie... we've a companion who'd fair suit a robe like yours... mage who likes tae feel the breeze round his bell-end... Any chance o' purchasing one from yeh?"
The acolyte presses the fabric against his chest. "You like it? It's made from kelp strands and quite protective yet still allows you to feel one with the sea and sky. It is also really difficult to make so we reserve it for members of the order. Unless your friend wishes to seriously embrace Gozreh, I'd recommend silk undergarments."
The brute hound stops short and then quickly scampers back into a corner whimpering. As your eyes adjust you get a better look at the room. It appears a couple walls have been torn out to create an irregular common area with a rough bar formed from a flipped over metal trough that supports a couple casks and bottles. The walls are scorched in places and decorated with hooks, charred nets, shark jaws and other fishing themed items. There's a door behind the bar and one in the opposite corner from you. A couple tables have been scavenged and three more grizzled fisherman are gathered around one. One of the men stands up, "Eh, what did you do to my dawg?!"
Kaul looks slightly disturbed and nods
"Aye... silk is more o' his style right enough...
Kaul and Dibbs fast walk out of the temple...
"Hur. So what now Dibbs? Fancy finding our new shipmates and testing their mettle like?? Or maybes a roll o' the bones? I've still some coin we could gamble wit"
:
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The man stands wiping his hands on his pants leaving more smudges on his pants which already look like they lost a fight with a squid. He shakes your hand, "Jim, eh? Good to meet you. So what did you want to know?" He points out a seat hidden beneath a pile of books and an icon of a one-eyed man.
Jim picks up the stack of books and the icon and looks quizzically at the professor. Assuming he gets some indication of where to put them, he'll set them down and sit in the now-vacant chair. "Thank you kindly. I heard tell not long ago of something called the Sea Pact, 'twixt humans and merfolk, and a ring that was involved with the Pact. Can you tell me any more about such a thing, and about what became of the last Sea Lord?"
”Just set those on the ground there, John…or was it Jim, sorry. Yes, the Sea Pact. Well, that goes back about a hundred years ago. In the chaos following the death of Aroden, Freeport came out better than most. Far better than the native nations of Lirgen and Yamasa which were drowned by the Eye of Abendego. Sure we suffered through a series of small hurricanes that spun off from the Eye, but we persevered and grew stronger as a community. Sea Lord Marquetta had won the Back Alley Wars and got us through the End of Aroden. She was truly one of our greatest Sea Lords. When she finally retired, we saw a quick succession of new Sea Lords which ended with Miles Caxton in the seat.“
“With Cheliax in turmoil and the fat merchant ships Freeport had relied on no longer a source of reliable income, Freeport buccaneers had to sail farther to raid the Cheliax mainland. In turn House Davian sought to claim Freeport while our fleet was away. They nearly succeeded, but Sea Lord Caxton had begun to build the Admiralty and that with support from the Azlanti Siege Cannons, was enough to defeat the Chelish raiders at the Battle of Burning Torches. That would have been something to see…”
”Hmm… oh right, the Sea Pact. There were other skirmishes after that, but once the Thrice-damned House of Thrune came into power, Sea Lord Caxton decided to find as many allies as possible. He formed a mutual aid agreement with the nearby merfolk that made our common enemy sea devils of both types, sahuagin and Chelish. The Sea Pact Rings were exchanged to allow better coordination. The rings magically allowed merfolk to walk on land and humans to better swim in the sea. I believe I have a sketch of the ring somewhere around here, but it might take a while to find it. If I recall correctly, it was a beaten silver band with a trident and cutlass crossed upon it as its sigil. Ah, I hope that helps.”
Grinning at Kaul like a demented cheshire cat "Aye, I'd be fer findin our new shipmates. Need tae see if they're men or mice. Or I ken watch ye lose yer metal iffin ye like" Dibbets re-garbs in his precious rags once they're back outside the grotto.
the Groom walks further into the dive. "Just taught it a lick o' sense. Hoping you lot share his sensibilities. We are not looking for trouble, in fact, you all can use a refill."
He tosses a gold sail onto the bar.
"But we are trouble, all the same," as he swings the cruel looking crossbow off his back and cradles it lovingly in his arms.
"Just looking for a story of a half-fishman meeting his end with a black noose and any ring it may have had. Then we can be on our way. So, some friendly drinks or I share what I told your dog and you end up hiding in the corner."
Professor Deveril continues, ”As for the last Sea Lord, you must be pretty new here if you don’t remember the Milton Drac fiasco. That’s only a few years back. I’m third generation myself. In fact, my grandfather was in the Battle of Burning Torches. Garen “Devilfish” Deveril served on the Manticore.
"Anyway, I’m sure historians will be arguing about the significance of the last Drac for some time. All I can say at this point is that there were a lot of strange happenings under Milton Drac. It appears he was involved with an ancient cult perhaps related to the Saoc Brethren that fled Lirgen. At least that’s my hypothesis. Whatever happened, he was found dead in the massive lighthouse he had spent nearly a decade building over on T’wik Island. After the chaos of the Succession Crisis that followed, the people of Freeport decided they would try doing without a Sea Lord for a change and rely on a representational Captains’ Council.”
"If you are particularly interested in the history of Freeport, you should enroll in my class next semester. It might be handy if you are planning on staying here awhile."
The man sits back down looking nervously at the Groom's BFG. ”OK mister, just put up that big ole crossbow of yorn.”
Another man at the table, heavyset and bald with a thick gray moustache eyeballs you angrily, but stays seated. ”Had any tuna steak at the Diving Fin lately? That’s where your fishy friend ended up. Ain’t that right boys? Thought we had us a little elfy wandering around Scurvytown. Quite the surprise once we strung him up and he suddenly grew a tail. We’re enterprising folks here though. Life’s hard in Scurvytown. You gotta take an opportunity when you find it. So we sold that big ole chunk-a fish minus the elfy looking bits to that stinking slip of a cook at the Diving Fin. I hope he and his half-orc whore enjoyed the catch of the day. Haha!”
”As for that ring he had. You can have it for a decent price. I don't want it, it stinks of fish,” he sneers.
"I've got 30 sails here that says me and this instrument of pain leave with that ring, you get back to drinking a sight richer for your trouble, and we all forget we ever saw each other. A fair shake by Besmara's reckoning."
Dingus standing at The Groom's side tries to add to his menace.
Intimidate (Assist),
and adds his new Sotto Voce cantrip to the pot.
"A fair shake by Besmara's reckoning."
"Yeah, and only by the Pirate Gods reckoning! Leave your gold and be gone then!" the gang leader tosses the ring on the table with a look of disgust.
"A fair shake by Besmara's reckoning.""Yeah, and only by the Pirate Gods reckoning! Leave your gold and be gone then!" the gang leader tosses the ring on the table with a look of disgust.
the Groom pulls out the small bag with his divvied spoils from the Unicorn. It had 40 gold earlier, but buying rum for peg-leg and drinks for his companions and this smelly lynch mob, there is a little more than thirty in the bag. He tosses it on the table and scoops up the ring. "A little extra in there for have good sense."
He heads out the door hoping Dingus is on his heels. Finally a good distance from the Chumhouse, he turns to Dingus, an unnatural smile on his face, "I couldn't imagine that going any better. Good job with whatever that voice was. Although I wouldn't have minded getting at least one shot off for fun. Hurg-Hurg"
Kaul shrugs his burly shoulders;
"Reckon we should find our new crewmates, or head back tae the old..."
:
Kaul reckons that if Finn's ship is being worked on it would be at the Freland Shipyard at the far western end of the Warehouse District docks. In fact he seems to recall that the shipyard has been suffering a bit from competition with the new shipbuilders in the Shackles lately and Finn has taken an interest in keeping the local shipyard afloat so to speak. He figures he might find Dallian and some of the crew checking on progress there.
"Aye, I've not been that much in Freeport itself since leaving Taldan--mostly at sea, an' spending as little time ashore as possible 'tween voyages.
"Do you happen to know if the Sea Pact was kept up by the Council?"
"I'll consider that course, if I'm not at sea. I should prefer to learn more about Freeport when a bad mark is the only punishment for a wrong answer...." He absently rubs the back of his neck.
"You've been a great help, Professor. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"
As Jim takes his leave, he pauses down the hall for a moment, pondering. Should I ask about the dagger or the box? No, the fewer people who know we know, the better. If he starts asking around about the box, it'll bring Finn or Aspis down on him, sure as anything, and the man deserves better than that.
With that, he continues out and heads back to the Broken Mug.
Kaul taps his scarred noggin in his trademark "I've been thinking" tic
"Hur. Reckon we should head back tae the Mug. Pick up the rest o' them and pay the Freland Shipyard a visit... seem tae remember its where Finn berths his tubs..."
He stuffs his mouth with some chew as he and Dibbs walk. Kaul's bulldog jaw works back and forth as he offers Dibbets the chew bag and gruffly adds;
"Maybe's we'll find our new ship an shipmates - get all aquainted like eh Dibbs?? Hur-hur-hur!"
"Do you happen to know if the Sea Pact was kept up by the Council?"
Deveril looks thoughtful, "That's an interesting question. I guess we shall see what the change in government means for past alliances. We certainly aren't under the same kind of threat from Cheliax with the rise of the Free Captains of the Shackles and their crippling of the imperial fleet at Desperation Bay. I guess I might check with Sister Gwyllin on the Captains' Council. She's also second in line at the Temple of Gozreh and would probably have the best idea about what's going on. That is if you can get an appointment to see her. She's gotta be very busy."
"You've been a great help, Professor. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"
The professor glances at a mound of papers on the other corner of his desk. "Do you have any interest in grading papers?" he asks with a tired smile. "Just joking... slightly. I imagine you'll be back at sea soon. Maybe stop by when you're in port and tell me of your adventures. I would have loved to have been a sailor like my grandfather. You've got his military mein. Were you in the Navy? Ah, that's OK, you don't have to answer. Naval life isn't for everyone. Unfortunately, I don't have the constitution for life at sea, but I'd love to hear of your voyages."
"...but I'd love to hear of your voyages."
Jim smiles. "If I make it back from the next one, sir, I'll come by."
Clapping Kaul low on the back "Aye sounds like a plan matey. Lets see iffin tha others had any more luck than we did wi tha heathens."
the Groom gives the ring a little flip and catches it again. "A pretty good day Dingus. Let's see what the others have learned back at the mug."
The last of the lunch crowd is dispersing by the time you all return to the Broken Mug. You quickly get a table this time and the serving girl says there's still tuna steak left if you want it. Otherwise, you may order something off the bar menu.
Dibbets happily accepts some tuna steak and keeps a wary eye out for his favourite waitress.
Reporting back to the rest of the posse: "Apart from a face full o' wing wang, about all we got from tha heathens was that the high sea witch is spendin more time below tha sea than above it. She's tryin tae figger out what went down wi' the merfolk. How'd you lot fare then?" taking a big bite of steak and chewing such that the juices flow out his mouth and down his cheeks through his beard.
As Kaul scoffs a tuna steak or three, he grins at Dibb's summary;
"Oh aye... an we got some good advice fer ol' Dangle Dingus here... Silk undies apparently mate... yer magic wand 'ill thank ye for it... Hur-hur"
Jim will also order tuna. He's still in a pretty good mood, chuckling over Kaul and Dibb's description of the acolyte at the Grotto as he eats. "The boffin I saw wasn't anywhere near as...free-spirited, but he had a description of the Sea Pact ring's appearance an' reputed powers. Sounds like there were at least two, though. Which one are we looking for?"