Head out of the cathedral into the streets of the Champion's District.
It's a little past noon, and the oppressive sun, the foggy humidity, makes you wish for rain.
People go back and forth on the street, going about their lives' endeavours.
Down to the right, there's two burly half-orcs competing in a feat of strength and cursing at eachother in gutteral orcish.
A small crowd has gathered.
Their innane game seems to consist of hurling a heavy sack of flour as hard as they can at eachothers' chest from 10 feet away.
It would seem that, according to them, the one who drops it first or falls to the ground from the weight of the sack, is an utter and complete loser.
"You know, I'd say that the thrower is an utter and complete loser as well. Flour-sack pugilism? Please." Altai makes sure that he's not talking loud enough to be heard by the bag-throwing half-orcs.
To the right, as you pass by, there's two or three guys in the alley with an impromptu table, doing the "stab the knife between your fingers reallyreally fast" from Aliens. People are betting on it for some reason.
A hawker accosts the party. He's selling some manner of unguent.
"What does this salve do? Restore chopped-off fingers?"
The man with saddleleather complexion and teeth like the colors of wild maize responds...."It would be better to enumerate the things it does NOT do. It cures all sortes of rheumy affectations of the bones and joints, headaches, earaches,etc.......etc,hemorrhoids, and.....between thou and me,.....th' misses awakes every morning.....looking AND feeling 20 years younger...." he smiles at that.
He eyes you up, "and a steal at only 1 g.p. a bottle."
"Uh, Altai ... where are we headed?"
"What are ye lookin for, handsome lad? For a fee,....a wee one, I can point you in the right direction...."
the hawker squeezes one nostril shut with a grubby, purple stained hand; blows a snotter on the cobbles of the street.
"Arch; sinuses......haven't quite gotten used to the danderous foliage hereabouts...."
"Lay orfim you lout! Nowon wontsyer hornswaggle! Tis rendered sheepfat mixet wit rosehips sow it donna smell loik pyoo-ak!"
a bawdy fishwife is the next pushy hawker; she's a basket filled with good sized fish; all about 2 or 3 feet long; though gutted and cleaned, they still all have their heads on.
"Owwa bowt you distinguished genitulemin help owt a workin lady wi twelve youngones at hawm all growling of stomich in boy a good fish! Tis true, oyve th' finest wares by way of fish in awl Sasserine, an all were flippin about in th wudder this verry morn."
They look good; not too stinky.
Sooty, huh?
Pip looks at the bawdy fishwife in mock astonishment
"Twelve younguns? But you are just a maid fair lady! Here .."
Flips her a gold piece
"Give me your best fish, lovely lass, for elevensies approach, and I feel peckish!'
Strums Lucille, practicing the flamenco frills he learned from the eladrin last night:
"If I could have just one wish
I'd wish I'd wish
For a big fat fish!
A juicy morsel baked in coals
Some haddock or fillet of sole
For hobbits always want to eat
And eating fish is a sweet treat!"
More people buy her fish at the singer's behest; seemingly with a glazed look in their eyes.....
she looks over Pip shrewdly; then, "yow take a cupola them......ye need t' stretch yer legbones, wee sprat now. I JEST!!! Take you two, though; and annerthin you need to know, ask Allibutt Annie. I kin tell you're new about here.....OR I'D KNOW O' YE!"
Oso gives the fishwife a small pouch of silver. "That's for whatever we are about to ask. Annie, you are a fine woman."
heh heh.....dooosex makina....anybody see the shining exclamation point over her head?
Beldan rolls his eyes. “Rustics!” he mutters, not really listening to the woman.
"Well, we need to find someone somewhere in the Shadowshore district. Where would we go to ask some questions around there?"
"Unless Annie you know where we can find a retired witchwarden," Oso looks round at Altai. "That right?"
I kin tell you're new about here.....OR I'D KNOW O' YE!"
Pip finishes his impromptu advertisement jingle and makes a sweeping bow
"Indeed I am a newcomer to your fine city Lady Annie! Just a wandering minstrel, blessed by a thwack of Bandobaris' walking stick at my birth, and favored by the Court of Stars in my prime!"
He accepts the two fish.
"Now I'll need me an oven, breadcrumbs, some dill and lemon."
Do you guys mention his name?
"Hmmmm,.....retoired Witchwarden, eh? Hmmmm.....oi now a few wot fits the discription. There's a potionbroker in,....oh, but he's not in Shadowshore, naw is he. Zever, you be lookin for? I think I...."
10 gold pieces later; she tells you guys whereabout he lives.
"Funny, you guys don't look like the legbreaker type."
"We are masters of disguise." Altai almost takes off, but catches himself. "Um, so... You mean, he hangs out with the criminal types? Or is he wanted by them?"
"A.....little of both... Xever's got a few gambling debts. Bad ones.
He has a problem with dice.....he has the sickness."
"Huh. That could explain his recent... proclivities. Oh well, I guess you could say we have some debts to settle with him."
She explains pretty good where his gaff is; it's in Shadowshore...a two story with a sturdy black wooden gatedoor that opens into a cobbled courtyard; describes it good so you can find it. There's a bit of street art on the wall of the building facing the street, of a somewhat buxom mermaid with flowing green hair strumming a harp. Next to the mermaid, some ruffian or other painted up a rather geometric-looking wolf (looks like the "x-ray art" of the Original Australians) with open jaws preparing to bite the mermaid on the rump...
"Hwelp,....I've some shopping to do now yerr wee friend is helped me clean out m' wares so quick...have a blessed day, my young gallants, one and all!" she cackles, slings the fish basket over one rounded shoulder, and hobbles off to lay away the night's feastings.
"Sounds like he is gonna be ready for us, what with those debts and legbreakers? Perhaps we should scout this witchwarden's place rather than charge in.."
Oso keeps a dull cloak over his fine armour and weapons. He thanks Annie again as she walks off. Then he murmurs to Pip, " Good girl that, twelve kids huh, wonder if she has a man about the place?"
" Good girl that, twelve kids huh, wonder if she has a man about the place?"
Pip laughs
"I would think she does, unless she splits like a gelatinous cube!"
Pip glances at the generous backside of Annie departing.
"Oso, dear chap, you should ask. I'd love to have you courting her, think of the fish!"
Pip hoists the two fat tunnys Annie gave to him.
"Uh, any of you mind if I cook these real quick? I'm kinda hungry."
"Rumblegut's.....down th' way! They'll cook em for ye!"
"Oso, dear chap, you should ask. I'd love to have you courting her, think of the fish!"
Beldan chokes, either supressing a laugh or gagging, its hard to tell.
"Anyway ... So what was that fish lady saying, I didn't catch it. Are we going to Shadowshore?"
"Rumblegut's.....down th' way! They'll cook em for ye!"
"Then to Rumbleguts I go!"
Pip wanders down the street whistling
"A fish all hot and flaky
Broiled, fried or bakey
Will fill a hobbits tummy
For fish is always yummy!"
Elgan, listening and watching all as is his usual wont, watches Pip go singing doen teh street, and looks at ALtai, Reise and the others.
HE scratches his head.
"CIty fo'k jes' don' make no sense!" He mutters to himself. Then grins.
"But dey ain' nevah borin'!" And the creolelf strides down the street, following Pip,...
Off to Rumblegut's, a tumbledown jukejoint on the western point of the Champion's district girdled by the western wall.
As it is a mere 2pm after the business of the seance, there are a mere three customers until the party triples this count by walking in with their piscean charge.
This seems to inflate the spirit of the proprietor, one Rumblegut, a dwarf with a frightening shock of hair like cotton candy threads bloated with arterial blood.
"COME IN!!! COME IN!!! THANK MORADIN, FOR HUMEY'S THAT DON'T PRACTICE THE ABOMINABLE HABIT OF NOT DOWNING A FLAGON ERE THE SUNSET!!! ARR, IT BE A FISHBAKE YE WANT? I HAVE TH' FACILITIES TO FACILITATE THAT! ANNY'S WARES ARE ALLERS WELCOME TO STINK UP MY JOINT."
A bored, hungover looking Hepmonish chef comes out and retrieves the fish from the bard.
A serving girl brings out massive steins of dwarven beer, dark like rye and fullbodied like Oso's women.
A serving girl brings out massive steins of dwarven beer, dark like rye and fullbodied like Oso's women.
"Thankeesai noble Rumblegut! May the ore run pure and the beer brew frothy through all of your long life!"
Pip raises the stein of dwarvish stout
"Here's to new adventures!"
A saucy tairt brings the cooked piscean victuals back wrapped in banana leaves, with chopped fried potatoes(they don't have newspaper)
"So, what brings you manly men to Sasserine?" she says, trying to work the tip angle with a wink here, a coyly draped bit of womanflesh leaned on a shoulder there.
Oso looks at Pip's full mouth and decides to speak up. "Now we is here to find a man called Xever. He is- no, he was a witchwarden and it seems he is making waves and causing trouble. You know of him?"
Quietly Oso whispers to Altai and Beldan, "I isn't sure if Xever will know if I keep asking everyone about him? Not good at asking sneaky like, what about you?"
"Well, you know what they say.....lucky at dice, unlucky at love...and Xever proves that the converse is true.
His icy blue eyes have melted many a doxy's heart, and his gambling's put him in the poor house in hock to half th' sharks in Sasserine.
I hear Hamfist has.....leveraged him. He's Hamfist's pet now. Hamfist's pet, until he works off his debt.
I feel sorry for him, poor bastard. He's a nice enough feller. Always tipped well."
"So, is Xever here? Could we perhaps have a word with him?"
"No, he's not here. He never leaves his home anymore. Prolly afraid people are looking for him to collect on debts."
Quietly Oso whispers to Altai and Beldan, "I isn't sure if Xever will know if I keep asking everyone about him? Not good at asking sneaky like, what about you?"
"Deh Hunter aluus assumes dat dere's anudduh hunter afteh him. IF he runs, all we gots tah do iz chase 'im. If'n he hears an' DON' run, den yeh knows we gots a fight on our han's." Elgan whispers back to Oso sagely.
The druid sniffs the air as the scent of cooking fish mingles with the other,... interesting,... aromas from the small inn.
Beldan nods to Oso. “Good thinking, but if he never leaves home now, word isn’t likely to get to him before we do …”
The rogue moves out into the crowd and begins asking discretely about where Xever lives.
She explains pretty good where his gaff is; it's in Shadowshore...a two story with a sturdy black wooden gatedoor that opens into a cobbled courtyard; describes it good so you can find it. There's a bit of street art on the wall of the building facing the street, of a somewhat buxom mermaid with flowing green hair strumming a harp. Next to the mermaid, some ruffian or other painted up a rather geometric-looking wolf (looks like the "x-ray art" of the Original Australians) with open jaws preparing to bite the mermaid on the rump...
"Hwelp,....I've some shopping to do now yerr wee friend is helped me clean out m' wares so quick...have a blessed day, my young gallants, one and all!" she cackles, slings the fish basket over one rounded shoulder, and hobbles off to lay away the night's feastings.
It's cool; it's been a while.....
the few who know validate Anny th' Fishwife's explanation; it's in Shadowshore, immediately south of the Champion's district where you are now.One guy, a burly ranger type adds, "why; wot you got to sell? I'd like to offer on your wares." It doesn't sound like a double entendre from him; I know it does from me.
She explains pretty good where his gaff is; it's in Shadowshore...a two story with a sturdy black wooden gatedoor that opens into a cobbled courtyard; describes it good so you can find it. There's a bit of street art on the wall of the building facing the street, of a somewhat buxom mermaid with flowing green hair strumming a harp. Next to the mermaid, some ruffian or other painted up a rather geometric-looking wolf (looks like the "x-ray art" of the Original Australians) with open jaws preparing to bite the mermaid on the rump...
"Hwelp,....I've some shopping to do now yerr wee friend is helped me clean out m' wares so quick...have a blessed day, my young gallants, one and all!" she cackles, slings the fish basket over one rounded shoulder, and hobbles off to lay away the night's feastings.It's cool; it's been a while.....
the few who know validate Anny th' Fishwife's explanation; it's in Shadowshore, immediately south of the Champion's district where you are now.
One guy, a burly ranger type adds, "why; wot you got to sell? I'd like to offer on your wares." It doesn't sound like a double entendre from him; I know it does from me.
It's all good....the game's juddering right now.
Extracting himself from the awkward conversation with the ranger, Beldan tries to gather up his companions. “Uh, didn’t that fish-lady tell us where the guy lives? C’mon … we should be able to find it.”
What time of day did you guys wanna do this thing?
Elgan gets up and follows Beldan, a look of curiosity on his face.
You guys head down to that street.....it's about 4p.m.
The building's there, just like she said. A 3 story townhouse, with a gated courtyard on the left, surrounded by a wall crowned with barbed wire and punji spikes; over the gate, a section of the second story (1st story up from ground) reaches over like a gatehouse. The gate is painted black; the telltale mermaid mural is there sloughing her paint under the scouring of the rain and sun.
The building is bordered to the left and to the right by 2 story mercantiles....a tattoo parlor on the left, and something mysterious on the right. Whatever goes on within seems to involve sitars, cacophonic singing, gyrations, and clouds of pungent smoke.
The other side of this street, there's a cheap tavern, and directly across from Xever's place is a four story flophouse.
There's a few hawkers on the street, though they seem to move swiftly, not stopping long; none harangue the group.
A trio of ruffians skulk by, all tattoos and piercings and harsh haircuts, scowling as they size the party up; they move on too, as hyenas before lions.
Next to the flop is an alley, manned by a pimp and some hookers.
"Hey, you want check out smokey place? Look interesting. Maybe they have girl or something. Girl like me."
Youse guys goin in there?
"We could go in off the roof? well some could. Or someone could scout" says Oso looking at Beldan.
"Can fly Pip and me to the roof or someway in while you guys go through the front door."
"Why we no just walk in smokey place?"
"Perhaps a few could scout and a few could check the smokey place out."