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The boat ride out of Briarstone felt more than just a metaphoric waking up from a terrible endless dream, the Mariner was certain the others felt that way too.
The most disturbing part of the painting is that there are six figures. His mind puts a simpleton's logic together - the Twin is dead, and now there's five. But what if we never woke up from that dream? What if we're all still there in the dungeons, all six laying on the cold granite, unconscious with spindly legged things wrapped around our necks laying little eggs inside our chests.
He doesn't say anything to Brother during the walk to the inn, just a quick glance at his bald head. Any moment now, I'm gonna wake up to see a hairless thing with fangs bursting out of his chest, the small things bursting out of Pinkie and Fearless, a cat bursting out of Cats, all right before flounder with wings eats it's way out of his.
By the time the inn is reached, the Mariner has got the RABID - do not fed animal sign above his head. All thoughts of a nice bath and warm meal completely gone.
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"Yes. Yes! Lelwyn nods in agreement with Brother Butterfly. "I can't recall the entire dream, but I had the feeling that you were important. That Thrushmoor needed you."
As Brother Butterfly and the Mariner make to leave, Lelwyn makes an offer. "Promise you will return with your companions. I will pay you 5.. no 10 gold each if you would sit for an hour so that I might complete the painting."
***
Crossing town, the two Watchmen arrive at the Silver Wagon about an hour after dusk. Stepping into the inn they are greeted with suspicious glances, and fearful in the case of the Mariner, by the innkeeper as she arranges rooms and informs them where to find their companions.
Sitting in his room, Pinkie stares at the eye and the eye stares back. There is something about it, and in his mind he almost sees a face, but a sudden knock on his door interrupts his concentration and the image is lost.
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Watchmen, I fear we are in for more danger. Recovering our identities and history is still a primary concern.
But hazards are on the horizon - literally and figuratively.
We are at a crossroads and I think it's time for each person to make a decision. The choice is simple: Stay in this city and pursue your identity and take on the dangers directly. Those that choose this route should make a formal covenant with each other. To band together through thick or thin.
The other choice is to flee. The painting showed three cities. I don't know which they are, but I assume this city is one and it's Yellow Mist endangered. If you choose to flee - I'd flee far.
I am choosing to stay here. Fight and win.
The Mariner stares for a long time with vacant eyes at the dish brought up by the kitchen maid - venison stew, rosemary cheese, fresh bread. The first real meal in memory would be the hardest to swallow as he contemplates Brother's ultimatum. He could imagine himself on the waves, he had enough money to buy a skiff and sail to the end of the world. But where would you go? You have no home, no memory, no identity. Can you go fast and far enough where dreams can't reach you? And what about these names on your arms?! He then realized that without Brother's brains and the Watchmen to protect his back, he'd be a ghoul fighting over carcass at the cursed asylum. Friends, he thinks that's what it's called.
"I'm stayin'." then shovels down the hot meal.
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Cats welcomes Brother and Mariner back with more than a little unexpected relief.
"Man, am I glad to see you guys!" Cats says, calling over drinks for the pair and making the table ready for them. "I was beginning to catting worry about you. You won't believe this...but we might possibly be a~~%%@&s and dicks."
Cats pauses, trying to explain.
"We're dicks. We were jerks. Listen to this..." Cats goes on to explain about the innkeeper. He seems quite proud how well his 'team' handled the situation. "...but yeah. Here we are on the road to salvation. We have sorries to express. Both of you should go apologize to the innkeeper right now."
After Brother and Mariner make their amends, Cats will listen to their story. In the end, he will definitely stay: he have wrongs to right and salvation to earn.
Fearless looks to Brother Butterfly. "Don't jump to conclusions Shapeshifter. Not all is doom and gloom. Everyone may be out to get us but look at the sunshine. We are out of Briarstone."
Fearless places a hand on the table. "Now clear your head. What three cities did you see?"
"You see, Brother?" Cats continues to explain. "We might truly have *earned* our way into Briarstone. I don't believe it of me, but it's true. I really think it's true. I did some bad things. And these are things we need to be redeemed from."
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Hearing Cats review of events, Jasper takes a moment to go outside the Inn and see the picture in the wall that Fearless tells him about.
He comes inside and does his best contrite apology to the female inkeeper. Using two or three really big words to emphasis how sorry he is for the past.
When he gets back to the conference table, he lays out the things they know.
"if we are supposed to go to The Stain it makes sense to visit a tavern at night. That probably means tonight. I am up for it, I just need 1 hour to take a bath, groom and polish my bald head and armor.
"
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The Mariner follows suite, taking the group's advice to make amends as best he can.
"Day is probably better, less drinkers, less attention. I'm gonna need more than a bath to be roaming around." he fingers his grayish reddish yellowish shirt stained with every manner of gross. "We need fresh clothes. Let's rest then hit the market in the morning, then get Stained."
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Brother Butterfly goes out to inspect the mural on the wall. He is unable to determine any religious or extra-planar significance to the scene depicted there, though the dark city looks eerily familiar to one of those painted by Lelwyn.
A brief apology to the innkeeper yeilds a stern nod to Brother Butterfly. "I appreciate the words, but you were never a problem here, unless you count the trouble I had refilling your wine cup. Your scruffy friend and you," she gives a hard look at the Mariner, "liked to throw your weight around. Being the Count's men, no one could really stop you. Especially after what happened to Klyn."
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"Fine with me. Let's go to High Mart tomorrow, then I would like to check out the Star Stelae. We can then go to The Stain late afternoon. "
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, hearing the innkeeper, the Mariner grabs Brother like like an old woman hearing fainting news, crushing the cleric into asking the obvious question about Klyn.
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Oh boy. Klyn is a name etched in Mariners arm. This won't be a good story, but I have to ask .
"I want to do my best to tread lightly and sensatively- so can you please tell me the full story of Klyn? Imagine Scruffy and I as travelers asking for a good true story.
I also promise to limit my drink and be a example for others to admire and not fear in the future.
"
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Cats gets up and approaches the innkeeper as well, also wanting to bend an ear to hear the story of Klyn.
"Oh man, I hope I didn't have a part in that. And it sounds like the Count liked having us be jerks and mean. I'm thinking that the Count might be an enemy to us now, right?" Cats asks.
The innkeeper watches the Mariner closely as she tells the tale. "I can't say I know all the details. Just rumors mostly. Klyn was a local longshoreman whose body was discovered just off the trail to Old Chapel, beaten to death. This man here was suspected of being responsible for it, but the Magistrate wouldn't charge him."
Fearless jingles his empty pouch. "I could use a few more bolts. I ran out in Briarstone." He looks up at the innkeeper as he places his hands on the counter, standing on his tippy toes. "So you say we were the Count's men? Like guards or personal friends?"
Binter’s Smithy
The center Thrushmoor’s tiny dwarven community, the town’s smithy has been in business for generations.
The Booklayer
A prominent two-story bookshop.
Builders’ Hall
This sturdy and elegant two-story edifice traditionally housed the skilled builders of Thrushmoor, who erected and repaired the homes of the town’s well-to-do for more than 5 centuries.
The Gibbet
Perched on a tiny headland on the lake’s shore, a wooden scaffold supports the town gallows. Mindful of the ruthless brigandage and piracy in former times, Thrushmoor has maintained a method of administering the death penalty by placing the sentenced criminal alive in a tight metal cage hanging as a sort of counterweight to the gallows.
Fort Hailcourse
Built in the early days of Thrushmoor, Fort Hailcourse has been the seat of Thrushmoor’s military garrison and of the town’s magistrate for nearly 500 years.
Healer’s House
This modest home also functions as the workshop and clinic of the town’s outspoken alchemist, Sentilar Ruoy.
Iris Hill
The residence of the Lowls
family since Pragmus Lowls I built it in 4487 ar, Iris Hill stands ominously atop a hill on the northwestern edge of town.
New Chapel
A relatively recent addition to
Thrushmoor’s landscape, New Chapel is the center of Pharasma’s worship in the town.
Old Chapel
This temple of Pharasma has been abandoned for more than half a century, since the mad priest Causton Creed alienated his followers and met a mysterious death at the hands of some demonic entity.
Old Manor
This was Count Pragmus Lowls’s first residence in Thrushmoor while he oversaw the construction of Iris Hill. When Pragmus moved to the new building, the old manor was converted into a luxurious stable.
High Mart
This building houses an upscale covered market where the town’s notables shop for goods imported from all the nations that border Lake Encarthan.
Pier 19
This broken, half-rotten pier,
also known as Worm’s Hook, is locally infamous for the three anglers killed here
a few years ago.
The Silver Wagon
The Silver Wagon is Thrushmoor’s only inn, and as a result, one of the town’s most prosperous businesses. It offers comfortable beds in secure rooms, and the taproom downstairs often features live music.
Sleepless Building
Home of the famous Ustalavic detective agency.
Smokehouse
In Thrushmoor, fish caught beyond the community’s immediate needs are sun-dried or smoked for preservation and export.
The Stain
The oldest tap house in Thrushmoor, the Stain has catered to local and foreign customers for longer than anyone in town can remember.
The Star Stelae
These ancient monuments came to be known as Star Stelae due to the misshapen star etched alongside other non-identifed runes on their weathered surfaces. The semicircular pieces of dark stone stand 12 feet tall atop two of the three hills in the town.
Wailing House
Isolated at the end of a rocky outcropping on Thrushmoor's easternmost island stands Wailing House, so named for the otherworldly cries of despair and rage that emanate from it every Wealday night.
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"Did Klyn have family? And how long ago did that happen? I think it's important for us to find out what truly happened.
Knowing this man, the way he has been over this past week. The Mariner didn't kill Klyn. He is a hero and his actions will prove it to all. "
Brother stands up for his friends. If the Inn keeper is still skeptical.
"Mark my words today. For in a week's time you will look back on this conversation and tell all your patrons how you were the first to trust The Watchmen. "
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"Klyn was murdered about three weeks ago. I didn't know the man, though you could try asking at the Stain. That place sees more longshoremen then the Silver Wagon."
After this discussion ends, Cats will make his way to bed. In the morning, after the weird sensation of sleeping in a real bed for the 'first' time, Cats will eat breakfast and be ready to go.
"You guys ready to go the High Cat? Sell our goods?" Cats already has dreams of a nice bow and a new sword.
The Mariner puckers his lip, looking little hurt, "Uh hmm.". Finally asking, "And have you ever heard of Deret or Kast?"
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"Hey lady you seem to know a lot about them have ya ever seen me?"
"A man named Deret has stayed here in the Silver Wagon on occasion. I believe he is a travelling merchant that does business in Thrushmoor. Your man right there is named Kast." She points at Cats. To Pinkie, she looks thoughtful. "You, I don't think I've seen before."
"So you say we were the Count's men? Like guards or personal friends?"
The Mariner waits for that answer to Fearless question as well. He then answers the innkeeper cryptically about Pinkie as he ushers the men out of the bar room, "Ahh, you've probably seen his uncle. -All right lads, let call it a night."
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The innkeeper nods to Fearless. "You were the Count's men for the last few years. What you did for him, I couldn't say, though I doubt it was charity work."
"Your man right there is named Kast." She points at Cats.
Cats gives the 'duh' face.
"See? I told you may name was Cats, not Cats," Cats says affirmatively, pointing out the obvious.
Fearless looks to the others. "doesn't look like we will be getting much more tonight. I will be here in the morning." He looks to brother Butterfly for a small bit of reassurance that he is all in before heading to his room for the night.
"I'll go with whatever you all say but if you really want to know whats going on in a town you watch it at night. Just sayin."
As Pinkie starts heading back to his room he says over his shoulder
"And if anyone plans to disturb me say so now or it might get ugly.
As he enters his room he grabs his pillow and blanket and slides under the bed and resumes where he left off before he was so rudely interrupted.
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Seeing the room that he is sharing with Mariner and Cats - BB looks displeased. The place is a pigstye. The window sill has seagull poop on the outer, outer portion and you can tell some of the run-off gets inside. Disgusting.
The chamberpots look old. While there's no foul aroma it still repulses BB all the same. GODS, how many people have pissed in those things?
You can clean those things out but shouldn't the Heroes of Briarstone get brand new and totally unused pisspots?
He opens the empty dresser and it's drawers. The deep cracks of the dresser and in EVERY SINGLE ONE of it's three drawers have gunk, lint, and build up.
He runs his fingers along the tops of the two paintings that adorn the room, and finds.... DIRT. Yup a duster hasn't seen the tops and sides of the paintings in at least 2 weeks.
Inexcusable.
A look under each of the beds finds: Nothing, 1 dust bunny, and 1 dust bunny. BB claims the bed without a dust bunny under it. He makes certain to check the pillows for bedbugs.
I think I need to go downstairs and tell the InnLady how crappy these room are. Is it too much to ask for a maid to come in here and do some extra work?
Meanwhile, "Zzzzz zzzz" the Mariner has had enough of the day full of surprises, starting with the evacuation from the abyss-bound island, seeing himself in paintings of a stranger, learning he's an ayehole, and possibly a serial killer. After he adds few more bedbugs to the bed tonight, he'll wash it all off in the morning with a pleasant bath.
After this discussion ends, Cats will make his way to bed. In the morning, after the weird sensation of sleeping in a real bed for the 'first' time, Cats will eat breakfast and be ready to go.
"You guys ready to go the High Cat? Sell our goods?" Cats already has dreams of a nice bow and a new sword.
Fearless stretches as he grabs a sausage for the road. "Yea let's do this." He looks over at Brother Butterfly holding his tourist map he got from the stand as they entered the Inn, to which he seems to be plotting a sightseeing course for the day.
Sleep comes easy for some, and hard for others.
Fearless starts awake in the middle of the night to voices whispering in his ear. A dream, spirits, or something else, he couldn't be sure, and they were gone before he could fully gather his senses. Only after he's broken his fast and taken a look at a map of Thrushmoor does Fearless recall the last few words he heard.
"Bring him to the Star Stelae.
Pinkie lays awake for a long time that night, staring at the strange magical eye. There is something about it, like a reflection of a shadow in its odd-shaped iris...
A good nights rest and bath has done wonders for the health of Pinkie and Brother Butterfly, and by morning the last signs of ghoul fever are gone from them.
That voice? Who's was it? Who does it want me to bring to the Star Stelae?[i]
Fearless shakes his head as he notices the others staring at him. "Sorry, either sleep or something is playing tricks on me. Had another dream last night..." He looks down at the floor.
[i]Someone is probably playing tricks on me. I know it.
Cats stretches his legs out as he walks over to High Mart. He asks for directions on the way out. He is loaded up with gear and is quite happy to be out to see if there is anyone else he needs to make amends to.
Cats goes to High Mart to sell and buy.
Fearless comes over with a fistful of loot and more bolts than he can carry. "You find everything you were looking for Cats?" He stuffs some items in his haversack. "You know what? I keep hearing this damned vice in my head. Someone wants me to bring someone to the The Star Stelae" Fearless taps his head with his finger.
"Who and who?" the Mariner is wearing fresh clothes, leaning on the counter and asks Fearless with a full frowning concern. Half the concern on whether the halfling is starting to get family visits in his head like Pinkie, other half on whether the slow daft mage merchant was actually fetching the goods or the constable.
When the merchant finally returns and reveals a shiny rune etched broadsword in the old-world style, the Mariner breathes heavy, "Oh yeahhh..." he tries a few swings with the finely balanced blade, "This will give a real close shave." he winks at Brother.
"Let's be on our way."
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"I expected more haggling from these merchants. Are we, or are we not in a fishing village?
Yes, HighMart had high quality stuff, but you would think they wouldn't give you the "stink eye" when you try to barter and haggle.
"
Lamenting further on how The Art of the Sell is in his blood and he couldn't get one good deal ...
Half listening to what Fearless said.
"well, we are headed to The Star Stelae right now. The first one is a few hundred yards."
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As the group moves around in the Market Pinkie tries to keep his eyes open to anyone noticing that they are spending a lot of money. Occasionally seeing if a potential mark of his on arises.
"You find everything you were looking for Cats?"
"Dude, I told you my name is 'Cats', not 'Cats'," Kast gives Fearless a look, but then lets it go. What is wrong with these people? Don't they listen?
He takes a deep breath and lets it go.
"Yeah, check this out," Cats hands Fearless his new darkwood bow. "It's pretty sweet. Darkwood. Ain't no normal wood. It's *DARKWOOD*...so you know it's good, you cat?" Cats looks fondly upon his new bow.
"I think I'm gunna call it 'Salvation's Sting'," Cats makes a cool bow and arrow gestures as he says the name. "Ayep...that's a good name, huh? 'Salvation's Sting'. I like that name a lot."
Cats also has a sweet elven curve blade and a nifty quiver as well, but the new bow is his pride and joy for the moment.
"What about you, Fearless? What did you cat?"
Heading out for a day in town gives the Watchmen a chance to explore Thrushmoor through the ordinary act of shopping.
The Healer's House is just down the street from the Silver Wagon, and the shop's owner is an aging halfling alchemist named Sentilar Ruoy. He supplies Brother Butterfly with a few potions he's looking for, and lets it be know they are better then anything the New Church could provide. "Trilliss Mavaine's reliance on a god," he says, "makes her healing less practical than that derived purely from science."
Stopping by the Booklayer you find that it has closed, the shelves within holding more dust then books. A passing fisherman explains that the shop was forced to close after Count Lowls missed payments on rare books he had the owner procure.
Across town Binter's Smithy is run by a female dwarf named Kletta Binter, who inherited it from distant relations who had run it for almost four centuries. A bit lazy and disorganized for a dwarf, Kletta is more inclined toward creative handicraft rather than the noble (and lucrative) art of weaponsmithing. For this reason, she produces quaint ornaments such as lamps made from old copper pots and vases created with scrapped lead tiles, which she displays on the lawn in front of the workshop. Lucky for the Watchmen the smithy has more than one anvil, and other dwarves pay a modest fee to use one, creating enough weapons and armor to keep the business afloat despite sagging sales of Kletta's odd wares. It's here that the Mariner is able to pick up some axes, a warhammer, and a new polearm, while Pinkie finds a masterwork shortsword and Fearless buys an antique mithril chain shirt that was made a couple hundred years ago by Kletta's mother.
What Binter's and the Booklayer lack however, the High Mart supplies, and it is there that the rest of the items found in the asylum are sold and traded for new equipment, including magical weapons in the form of a sword for the Mariner, a bow for Cats, and a hand crossbow for Fearless.
Feeling like normal people for the first time in memory, the Watchmen head out of the High Mart and climb one of the two hills in Thrushmoor to see one of the town's mysterious Star Stelae. 12-foot-tall, the ancient menhir is semicircular. The west facing flat side is etched with unidentified, non-Kellid runes along with a misshapen star.