The wind is steady as your ship comes within sight of Riddleport.
"There's our harbor, just past the Cyphergate," Captain Leonus says to you. He doesn't have to point out the immense arch of stone curving over the harbor entrance, as it's rune covered size draws the eye. It rises from the stoney hills on both sides of the city, and spans the 700 foot opening to the harbor.
"I'm thankful that there was no need for you to wear your arms on the trip," he continues. "I guess the raiders that frequent these waters are busy elsewhere. Anywhays, your path lies up river, to Cauldron, since that be where you be wanting to go. I'd take you there myself, but just past the docks the river gets snags and sandbars something fierce." He spits into the water. "Guess the lords of Riddleport don't want to let any ships avoid their docks."
The ship makes good time into the harbor, and soon is secured to one of the docks. The dockyards have an air of 'good enough' to them, as does the city behind them (although better houses cover the hillside to the west across the river Velashu).
"I'd not stay long in this city," Captain Leonus warns you as you disembark. "The reputation... well, you see soon enough. But to get to your path to Cauldron, take the road out of town that way." He points to the east, where you can see a gap in the hills surrounding Riddleport.
"It passes by swamps, but its a good path that will lead you to the road to Cauldron. You'll be able to meet up with some caravaners of traders on the route, no doubt. Wellaways, Gozreh watch over you."
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"As am I good sir, as am I, though a little action might have been a pleasant diversion for a time. What is this Cyphergate you mentioned?", thinking instantly of the great divine monoliths of Mendev to keep the demons at bay, "I am not familiar with such a port."
And with a formal bow and shaking of hands, "And Ragathiel, you, sir. My you never need his services."
Looking to his companions, "I feel it is wise to follow his suggestions, and to spend the least amount of time we can in this place. Let us make are way towards Cauldron", (a name of some ill portent, I don't like it he thinks), "with haste."
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"Riddleport just as Tremas had described it" Rogar quietly mumbles to himself as the sight of the harbor comes into view.
"Be grateful our ride was as safe as it was a ship like this is normally swarmed by raiders on these waters" he continues "Was a pleasure to make your acquaintance Captain and I thank you sincerely for our ride."
He bows and then turns to his companions "It is best if we do not tarry here for long, From what I...know it is not the nicest of places to stay, Best if we make for the Cauldron and spend little time here" He once again turns to the Captain and thanks him for the ride before turning back to his companions "Shall we be off?"
Rogar is a fairly Tall dwarf and is quite sturdy and strong like most dwarves but has a personality unlike any to those who meet and know him well it is easy to tell he was not raised by dwarves by his unique personality and way and looking at things.
Geoff looks somewhat dissapointed at mssing the raiders, he looks even more dissapointed that his companions do not wish to sample the "diverse entertainments" Riddleport has to offer.
I suppose...well, if you all insist. Although it would be nice to at least stop for a bit after traveling so long."
He toys with the hilt of his blade.
"Besides, it would be interesting to teach some less savory types a well deserved lesson."He says with his usual half-smile.
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"Perhaps a break at a local tavern Though I do not take to drinking myself it is a break from traveling and we could get to know each other a little better. There are some...matters that I must see to anyway." Says Rogar quite uncertainly.
Darian grins at the captain and flips a pair of copper coins into the man's hands in a gesture as old as time. "Always pay your ferryman." the cynical soldier said with a half grin.
Leading his horse and his dog out of the ship's hold he caught up with the others and straightened out his belt.
"Geoff, are you looking for trouble again? Cleaning up after that last scrap sent a weeks pay to that tavern. To be fair, I'm siding with you on that one. That guy was way outta line."
Directly off the docks are several run-down looking grog shops, catering to the dockside cilentel. Farther in looks to be other places with more promise, particuarly a tavern with a golden goblin atop the roof and a circular tavern and inn.
"Study away, Lor." Darian gestures to the big archway. "It's just called that on account of all the runes on it. When you're done looking at the old rock, I'll be there," he points to the Golden Goblin "buying the first round."
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"I will be out and about the city a moment something I need to get done will meetcha back at the tavern don't be leaving without me you hear. Now if you'll excuse me a moment." Rogar walks out into the city seeming to aimlessly wander until he disappears from sight within the bustling city.
Terra finally makes her way off the boat, although a bit wobbly. Finally, Land! She could live the rest of her life happily if that meant never getting on a ship again. She had never felt so sick in her life. She hoists her heavy backpack higher onto her shoulders and makes her way to catch up to the guys, whom have already assembled over at the Cyphergate. The second she steps off the boat she starts to feel and look much better. She makes it to the guys as Soth starts questioning about the Cyphergate. She adjusts her glasses as she takes a good look at the Cyphergate."Umm..."
Knowledge Arcana (or -1 if kn. local, or -5 untrained for any other kn. check)
Knowledge Local
As she tries to explain what she knows (or what she doesn't know) about the Cyphergate, she sees everyone else start to walk away in different directions. Gah! Where is everyone going?! Who should I follow?! Terra looks up to Soth with a confused look.
You ask around, but no one seems to know anything about Kazmuk.
Darian heads towards the tavern, and discovers that it is a large gambling joint with a bar inside. There seems to be some kind of big deal going on around it. Scantily dressed girls with little bat wings on their backs call out to the crowd from the top of the stairs to "Cheat the Devil and Take His Gold!"
A crowd of people have gathered around, and are slowly working their way inside.
Glancing back over his shoulder Darian calls out to Terra "You coming, Tiny?"
"Ah! Look, gambling and girls! See Darian, how much trouble could I possibly get in? It is completely innocent fun!"
Geoff almost runs ahead to the tavern.
"...Ummm... well... its..." Terra stutters, not wanting to admit that she has no idea what the stupid thing is.
Glancing back over his shoulder Darian calls out to Terra "You coming, Tiny?"
"Oh! uhh... Yes!" Terra mumbles as she trails behind Darian, relived for an excuse for not having to admit to not knowing what that whatever-it-is was. ...And I'm not 'that' short... Terra lies to herself as she joins the others around the big crowd.
It takes a few minutes for Terra to see what is going on with all the tall people in front of her, but when he finally finds a gap to catch a glimpse of the scantly clad Lady, Terra's face turns scarlet. ...Why would anyone wear... Terra loses her thought as she sees Geoff sprint off for the tavern. Great, there goes the entire night... Now we're going to have to spend the night in this slutty disease pit... Terra sighs, planting her face into the palm of her hand.
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Noting Miss Terra Crux's expression, "Would you do me the honor of escorting me to a more, . . . civilized, inn?", not even realizing that as an elfkin mage, she is likely hit on all the time and might take his invitation as such, though it wasn't meant to be. "Perhaps we could stop and learn of the Cyphergates while they, . . . have their fill."
Seemingly oblivious, "I know we are not as familiar as the others who have joined us recently, but may I ask a question?", in his typical, monotone voice. "Why do they refere to you as tiny?"
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Once Rogar sees what is going on in the giant crowd but when he can see the sight of gambling a grim expression crosses his face I don't like this place not one bit.. he tries to ignore the things around him and head for the tavern as quickly as possible How can Geoff see this as "fun" he thinks to himself but shrugs off the thought and finds a seat by his companions.
"Why do they refere to you as tiny?"
"Because she's tiny! Look at her!" Darian jokes with a smirk. "I think she's part halfling." He whispers with a wink before turning to follow Geoff into the Golden Goblin.
"If you feel like coming inside, I'll be near the front probably losing scads of money since I don't have someone good at sums helping me bet."
Beyond the registration table is the hall’s game floor. Dozens of gamblers, waitresses dressed as succubi, and bouncers mill about the room, wandering amid tables offering various games while dealers shuffle cards, roll dice, and spin wheels. Moving through this throng are a dozen more of the barely clad, batwinged vixens serving drinks and batting coal-black eyelashes flirtatiously for tips. In the center of the chamber is a short podium atop which sits a massive gold chest affixed to the floor by similarly gaudy chains. On either side of it stands a barechested bouncer in the exotic garb of some foreign sultan’s court. Each stands with muscled arms crossed over his chest and with a naked scimitar of prodigious size tucked through his waistband. High above them, from the hall’s cloth-draped ceiling, hangs a brass birdcage within which crouches a small, bat-winged, pointy-tailed devilish creature that sulks as it gazes over the room and occasionally rattles the bars threateningly.
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"Because she's tiny! Look at her!" Darian jokes with a smirk. "I think she's part halfling." He whispers with a wink before turning to follow Geoff into the Golden Goblin.
Not really indicating if he got the joke, , he looks towards Terra, not seeing how she could let the others pick on here such, "I would imagine you could pack quite the magical punch, friend, you must learn to stand up for yourself.", in his usual, monotone, solemn voice. "Never let someone tell you you are not good enough. For anything."
Moderately impressed Darian pays his fees and enters the contest then makes his way to the bar, looking around for Geoff.
Terra adjusts her glasses and seriously considers the offer, not picking up on any unintentional meaning. "I don't know... This is Riddleport... This is probably about as sophisticated an Inn as we will find... Plus I don't think splitting up is a good idea..." Terra says as she looks around and clutches her bag a little closer to her body.
When Soth-Loren mentions being tiny, and Darien answers for her, she squeaks, "Hey! I-I-I'm not a halfling..." She finishes of with a mumble as she gazes at her feet.
When Soth lectures her about standing up for her self, she blushes. W-why is he doting over me so much..? After a moment of contemplating the hem of her robes she replys "N-no it's fine. That's just D's way of showing affe- er, b-being friendly. He teases people. He doesn't mean no harm...". I think...
As Terra watches the others go in she sighs. Great...better go supervise the children... She looks up to Soth and a passing thought of our children causes her to blush again. "uhh... W-We better keep an eye on them! She blurts out and then quickly starts to make her way into the Golden Goblin, before she says or does something embarrassing.
Knowledge (Planes)
Looking around Terra spots the creature in the cage. Aww dear... Is that what I think it is? Yes, yes it is... Kill it with fire... Looking around at the devil theme, and with them even sporting a real live devil, Terra decides not to gamble and to be alert just in case the theme is more than just a cutesy gimmick. She walks over to the bar where the others are.
Perception
A hush falls over the gathered crowd as a short man climbs to the central podium, accompanied by two gorgeous “succubi,” and stands before the gold, chain-shrouded chest there with a demoness on either side. He wears a formal suit, and his thinning black hair is slicked back. His left arm ends in a stump just above the wrist, and affixed to it is a bronze cap from which protrudes an oddly shaped key.
“Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall and your chance to cheat the Devil and win back not only your soul but all of his gold as well,” he says and pats the large chest before which he stands.
“I hope you found your reception by the Devil’s lovely temptresses suitably entertaining. Let’s take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament.”
With this, the man directs the crowd’s attention up to the imp in the birdcage. At the sudden attention, "Old Scratch" flies into a flurry of rage, banging the cage bars, spitting, howling, and screaming vile epithets in Infernal at all assembled. His theatrics are received with guffaws and even a smattering of applause.
“Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses in gold with the souls of those of you who don’t win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you’ll earn more chips. And with those chips, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you’re trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch’s treasury. Currently, all of you are Old Scratch’s prisoners in the first of the Hells, Avernus. If you want to work your way down to the ninth circle, you need to win games. Each time you win, you’ll be awarded a golden eye. If you come in second, you’ll get a silver tooth.
And third place wins a copper heart. These bits of flesh and bone are what the devils use in Hell for currency, and they’re what you’ll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first player to win a game after reaching Nessus not only keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, decide to cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you.”
The barker grins evilly and the caged imp cuts loose with another profane tirade.
“And that earns you the Devil’s Mark and an escort out of the game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is this Devil’s Mark? Well, it’s something too utterly horrible to even contemplate. The forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I can show you what it is— gods know I more than deserve the Devil’s Mark. In fact, better make it two, girls!”
With that, the two succubi accompanying him lean over and each firmly plants a kiss on his cheek with her ruby-red lips. When they pull away, their lip rouge has left clearly visible prints in the same shocking red on his cheeks. The barker beams as he cries out, “The Devil’s Mark, everyone!” which is greeted by a flurry of shouts, catcalls, and hoots.
“Now, let’s cheat the Devil and take his gold!” which prompts one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above.
Rolling his eyes at the theatrics Darian looked around for Geoff. He wasn't a terribly spiritual guy but he found the displays here distasteful. People really did lose their souls over stupid things like this and even if it was pretend Darian wasn't in the mood for that rich a wager.
"Geoff, where in this shiny hell are you hiding?"
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Terra looks at the bouncer for a long moment and finally curiosity wins over. Fine! Lets see what all this stupid s%*$ is all about...Hell, maybe I'll actually win something for once... Terra silently digs for a gold coin and hands it to the bouncer, and then she walks inside...
All that talk about gold, and it's 10,000 'silver' coins? Lame.Once inside Terra realizes that it's only her, Darian, and Geoff and she quickly makes to find one of them.
The bar is in another room off to the side of the main gambling hall (If you want to just drink instead of gamble), with resonably priced drinks.
Seeing Terra trying to make her way through the crowd Darian moves closer to her, using his larger frame to clear a path.
"You're gonna get lost in a sea of armpits in here. Lets go get a drink and wait for Geoff to get bored of losing money."
Terra nods and makes her way over to the bar with Darian.
Geoff can not restrain himself and immediately heads for a table. He makes his first wager of 10 GP.
He smiles as his obvious skill (he is definitely not known for his wisdom) makes him a little money. Never one to quit while he's ahead, he goes for more.
Alanaes pays his entry fee and enters the establishment as well. He looks around, and quickly turns away from the women dressed as succubi. Despite being an adult man, his Order has deemed it wrong to look at women in such a way. Of course, this practice is something Alanaes finds rather archaic... Alanaes decides to forget about it and just have some fun.
He suddenly bursts out, "Bah! I can't do it. This whole Vow of Silence thing just won't work out for me. I give up!" His companions nearby note that he only lasted a few hours. "I suppose I should try my hand at this game."
Alanaes puts down 7 gold.
"I think that's a new record for him..." Darian smirked to Terra as Alanaes' resolve broke. "Wanna take bets on whether or not it'll be him or Geoff that gets tossed out first?"
"I think that's a new record for him..." Darian smirked to Terra as Alanaes' resolve broke. "Wanna take bets on whether or not it'll be him or Geoff that gets tossed out first?"
"No... he spoke a few times on accident... It doesn't count. I-I'd rather not bet on our friend's ability to to gamble." Terra says, and orders an ale at the bar.
Flush with his success, but disappointed by the small return, Geoff ups the stakes to 50 GP.....
"Bah! This is a ridiculous game anyway. I need a drink." Geoff says as he storms off to the bar.
"That took about as long as expected." Darian said with a half-grin as Geoff came to join them. "Here" he said handing the smaller man a large tankard of ale. "So what the heck are we doing here anyway? I never did get a straight answer from you guys. Just that you could use another sword arm."
Alanaes follows Geoff over to where Darian and Terra are sitting and joins them at the table. "Looks like neither of us have much luck today, Geoff. I shouldn't be gambling anyway..."
"It's just a means to an end. It wasn't about the money, but a chance to get one of the girls."Geoff says with a smile. He gladly accepts the tankard and drinks deeply.