Several days later
Riddleport is on the mend. The mysterious shadow in the sky, the Blot, is gone and the strange events that have been plaguing the city have ended. The falling star is now accepted, by commonfolk and cyphermage alike, as having been the cause of these disturbances and now that it has fallen to Golarion, the feelings of nervous fear have passed.
When the destructive tsunami washed ashore, dozens of ships were beached or damaged with several washed ashore, one as far as Wharf Street. Many of Riddleport's piers were ruined, and several buildings along the waterfront were damaged. Over the days following the event, the crimelords and overlord of Riddleport mobilized in a way rarely seen in the lawless city, working together to put out fires, save citizens swept out into the harbor, and kill angry and disoriented sea creatures suddenly left high and dry onshore.
Despite a spirit of cooperation, those who weren't directly harmed by the disaster have little compassion for those that were; some quickly taking advantage to the chaos into opportunity, and the mixed up waterfront makes for a ripe ground for looters, smugglers, and other violent criminals. Ships that were far enough out to see to be safe return to find their rivals' craft destroyed, their crews decimated and no longer in a position to work against them. The balance of power among the pirate captains, never stable, has now shifted dramatically.
At the Gold Goblin, business continues much as usual, though the absence of Saul Vancaskerkin is noticed and commented on by all. Saul may have been a conniving liar, but he did know how to run the business.
In addition to running the business, you have Kwava to think about. The wild elf from the Mwangi expanse befriended you. Said to be a member of a secret society called the Shin'Rakorath, he has consistently requested two things from you since the accident. First he wants all the details on the dark-skinned elven woman, Kwava calls her a drow, that you fought below Riddleport just before the star fell. Second, he insists that you keep her existence a secret between you. He has bugged you for days for every recollection you have about the battle, and has personally thumbed through the journal recovered dozens of times.
In fact, today, he sits at the bar of the Goblin, paging through the now-worn pages again. His focus on the book, to the exclusion of all else around.
During the passage of days, Silvio does what he can to ensure law and order in the Gold Goblin, to prevent the threat of looters and criminals from affecting their operations.
Silvio approaches Kwava at the bar. "We've given you information about everything we know, and yet you haven't told us anything. The falling star, it seems like the drow summoned it somehow? What have your studies taught you?"
Meghan chips in where she can--as a server, dealer, security lookout, or even as a ring girl, should the subterranean arena be re-opened--proving herself to be a capable and enthusiastic worker. The Gold Goblin's new ownership can tell that the young woman really has formed a bond with them and enjoys their company, but they also likely pick up a vibe that Meghan seems to have some serious trepidation about being sent back--alone--into the streets of Riddleport.
When her new friends decide to start grilling Kwava a bit more about what he knows, Meghan easily adapts a subservient role, serving snacks and drinks but also listening closely to the conversation.
Cherry, fortunately, does have job skills to help keep the Goblin afloat - she keeps the bar open over the ensuing days, sending people out for more booze and slinging drinks like there's no tomorrow.
Of course, the events have really rattled her, and it would probably better to have another untrained person tending the bar.
Under new management, and with some wild stories to tell, business is booming at the Gold Goblin. The party clears 220gp for the week, perhaps the most profitable the casino has ever been since they got hooked up with it. Maybe its because Saul isn't skimming off the top?
Either way, the clink of coins in the safe of the place sure has a nice feel to it. A bonus of operating the Gold Goblin is easy access to the scuttlebutt that is going around Riddleport. After the disaster, and as the recovery is in full swing, the new story is about a new greed growing among the citizens of the pirate capital, the greed for skymetal.
After the initial shock of the falling star subsided, the implications of the event sunk into a few profit-minded locals. Skymetal, in any of its seven forms, is a valued and much sought-after commodity in any society, but with the presence of Riddleport's Gas Forges nearby, the smelting of the exotic ore could be a chance to get rich quick. The chance has started a Skymetal Rush in the village.
Several expeditions are forming to head to Devil's Elbow, the likely site of landfall for the meteor, each led by a different faction. You may have heard some of the stories during your down time:
.
Silvio, hardly the most sociable person, has no idea what has been circulating in the rumor mill. "We cleared a nice profit this week, I guess business is picking up with some of our competition hurt more by the tsunami."
Meghan's been un upbeat, tireless worker at the Gold Goblin in the week since the fiery starfall removed the Blot from the city's skies, so it's a bit of a surprise when she turns up over 3 hours late for the start of her shift. After apologizing profusely to her bosses, the young bard explains (at least partially) her tardiness.
"Well, while I was out shoppin' for vegetables at the marketplace--after takin' care of my other personal errand--I heard somethin' I thought demanded some deeper investigation. There seems to be a rush among some folk in the city to track down where that burnin' star landed...somethin' to do with valuable skymetals it might've been carryin'. Apparently, several ships have left port this week on expeditions, but I heard about one in particular: the Teeth of Araska, a pirate brig captained by one Grudge Treeg--fine pirate name, that--that's more likely than not plannin' on lettin' others find the skymetal first before swoopin' in to claim the booty for their own. Anyhow, I recognized the name of Cap'n Treeg but knew little else of the man, so I did a little diggin'. While makin' a tour of the docks to ask about the good captain, I had the misfortune of crossing paths with an old 'friend': I spent almost two hours hidin' in an old outhouse as a result."
"May the gods bless the name of the bard or mage who first thought up the prestidigitation spell!" Meghan exclaims with one of her crazy grins. "It's the only reason I smell presentable after that debacle! Oh--I used it to clean the veggies, too."
Walking around in a fog for the first day but perking back up after a long sleep. Throwing himself into what work he can around the Goblin definitely helps.
Smiling at Megan and waving a hand dismissively, "Life gets in the way."
Quietly listening, "Very useful spell. Sorry you had to hid out like that."
Not wanting more unexpected surprises, Orendel keeps his ear to the ground as well in the week while keeping busy. Information was currency in the marketplace of war, to butcher a phrase. He's pleasantly surprised at the end of the week that the profits are more steady than ever.
"Great job everyone! Things may not be normal, but in a world where it seems very little is, I'll take whatever normality we can muster."
When Megan discusses her findings, he nods understandingly.
"That matches what I've heard myself. Another of those ships is the Foamrunner, out of Magnimar. The Cyphermages have charted passage on that one, including Samaritha. I...hope she's okay. I really owe her after the Cyphermages cured whatever curse that bloody pirate corpse put on me. Of course...I owe all of you too as well...You've all given me purpose and friendship when I thought I was at rock bottom, even in spite of all the crazy sh!t that's happened. Oh, and our old 'friend,' Clegg Zincher's headed out there as well. He decided to get a ship the Riddleport way, it seems. The Dark Pearl. Heard the captain of that one was an abusive @rse too, so I imagine it's better in Zincher's hands."
He side-eyes Kwava a bit throughout his visits, but seems to get used to him after a little time.
"Sorry for...being touchy...the only other elf I've ever known for any period of time was my father and we...did not part on the best terms."
"So, here's the question. Should we also be getting aboard a ship or somesuch to chase this skymetal? We already know that Devil's Elbow was the place where that drow was doing her work, and suddenly the star that fell out of the sky lands there? That's more than a coincidence."
"And leave Riddleport?"
Judging from Meghan's tone, the idea has apparently never crossed her mind. In fact, she seems so surprised by the concept that you get the impression that perhaps the young bard has never been outside the city proper in her relatively short lifespan.
"But...what about the Gold Goblin? It's yours now."
Orendel shrugs.
"My skillset isn't best-suited to managing a gambling hall. I'm a fighting man, and it seems that there'll be fighting on Devil's Elbow soon. I was basically Saul's mercenary, and with his death my "contract" with him is basically over. And seeing this whole dark elf thing has gotten me curious for better or for worse. Whether we join the skymetal rush or not, I want to catch up with that witch and introduce her guts to my spear."
Shrugging, "We have people who can help take care of this place if we leave. It was kind of thrown on us and running a business kind of should be a dream not an accident."
"Let's not forget that the dark elf's book spoke of an "impending apocalypse" that she would reveal. That suggests something bad. Really bad. Doesn't help to have the Gold Goblin if Riddleport itself suffers a calamity. Not to mention I'd rather see the skymetal in our hands than in the hands of another corrupt crimelord."
On the first night of your return, and many times since, Kwava has pestered you for details about the dark-skinned elven woman, her journal, and anything else you saw while in the caves below the city. He has explored the area himself, and is beside himself with concern.
He reports the findings to his superiors in the Shin'Rakorath and awaits instructinos. It is just now that his orders have come back, and is anxious to speak to all of you about them:
"My friends, there are things I must tell you, and then a great boon I must ask. First, the dark-elf woman you fought with is known to my organization. Her name is Depora Azrinae, a warrior of the tribe of dark elves known as drow. The drow have lived below the earth in darkness since the first Starfall, and have been twisted to evil by their time underground. Shin'Rakorath is trying to contain the drow''s influence and find out what they are up to here in Varisia." He stops and sees if any of you have more questions. Then continues.
"They have asked me to follow this Depora to her next hiding place which appears to be on Devil's Elbow, the site of the meteor landing and the skymetal rush that has happened recently. But I am not after interstellar metals. We must see what the drow are up to, and put a stop to it. My superiors think they may be trying to create another starfall like the one that ended the Age of Wonder. That is obviously going to destroy most life on Golarion and must be stopped before they get much farther. That is where you come in..."
He grimaces at the asking. "My superiors ahve already taken the liberty of chartering a ship, the Flying Cloud to transport me and my selected team to the island. Would you consider coming along to help stop this impending disaster? The fate of the whole world could ride on it."
Orendel turns to Kwava and nods.
"I'm more than considering, Kwava. I've got a score to settle with this Depora, and if your 'Lantern Bearers' are going after her, I want in. That's what 'Shin'Rakorath' means, right? Didn't realize elves had 'superiors,' though. My father'd sooner eat his arrows than call another his commander!"
"A starfall? Can you actually create such a disaster? I would've said that was madness, except I just saw the elf cause a single star to fall that created a giant tidal wave. The ability to summon multiples of such things would be truly catastrophic. Why would the drow want to recreate the very thing that sent them underground?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Cherry's busy doing what any bartender is doing - wiping down the counter, shelving bottles, and cleaning mugs. She takes in the entire story with a somewhat tired, slightly skeptical expression.
She reaches up to put a top-shelf bottle back in its place, then tugs her corset back into position and wryly says, "So basically you're just giving me more reasons to want to stab this woman, and you'll pay for my ticket to do so."
"This mess with the rocks falling from the sky feels a little over my head. But getting petty vengeance on that little monster? Yeah, of course I'm in."
She leans forward on the bar with her hands splayed out and says, "Really I don't care about their motives as much as I care about stabbing them."
This mean side of Cherry is one that some of the regulars have seen occasionally, but it's usually reserved for drunks who try to get handsy.
"HERE HERE, CHERRY!" Orendel replies, raising the blend of cheap wine and spinach juice he'd just received from Cherry. "I'll stab her in the front and you can stab her in the back!"
"Yes, my organization is the Lantern Bearers, they keep an eye out when others are in the dark. Unfortunately, we are too few, and issues in the elvish homeland are rather dire. So, I am glad you will all join me on this expedition. It sounds like that besides the drow camp, there will be others from Riddleport to content or deal with on Devil's Elbow. If we are going, we best get a move on. The ship leaves tomorrow at nine bells. Bring whatever you think you'll need for time on a secluded island."
"The drow are evil through and through and they actually enjoy their time in the dark, hating the surface-walkers who can stand the bright sun. Their plan to bring the stars down means the end of those on the surface, then they can rule in our place." answers the wild elf with an undisguised bitterness.
"We should buy enough rations for the trip. Also do you suppose there are actual devils in Devil's Elbow? If so, maybe we should buy some silvered weapons."
Silvio is inclined to purchase the following:
-Wand of Heigtened Awareness (750 go)
-Silvered Morningstar (98 gp)
-Scroll of Weapons Against Evil (25 gp)
"Given what we've encountered so far, what our enemy likes to summon, I imagine cold iron would serve you better," Orendel replies, indicating the head of his spear.
Silvio nods. "I've got my cold iron right here," he says, referring to his hefty book of the law.
Leaning against the bar and quietly listening. Silently listening to the others agree to go before chiming in, "Sounds like the thing to do. We should figure out who is gonna keep an eye on the Goblin."
"Ah. Forgot about that," Orendel replies to Silvio.
He nods at Dougal's words.
"We may not be back for a while...Hell, some of us may never come back...We should make sure the people we put the Goblin in the hands of can take care of it, potentially for good."
"I wish Larur were still around. He was the best manager this place ever had. I love Tunka, but not sure she's right for managing the place. Can you imagine if we put little Nikaro in charge of the whole joint? Ha!"
Silvio is at a loss as to who might keep the place running while they were away.
Cherry hesitates, then says, "We could... sell it. I mean, who knows when we're coming back? And we might make enough money to squirrel away for our own little homes here... or elsewhere."
"I never thought about buying a cottage in the country, away from Riddleport," she adds a bit wistfully.
Leaning back against the bar to pop his back, "That will take time we need to someone to run the place till then though."
"I wish Larur were still around. He was the best manager this place ever had. I love Tunka, but not sure she's right for managing the place. Can you imagine if we put little Nikaro in charge of the whole joint? Ha!"
Silvio is at a loss as to who might keep the place running while they were away.
"I...don't know how to respond to that," Orendel replies. "I mean, Nikaro wants to help, sure, but he has no real training in this sort of work...and keeping the Goblin successful even with Saul's sabotage was a team effort, even though none of us really had the hands-on knowledge of running this kind of business. If we're off on Devil's Elbow, we wouldn't be able to help Nikaro even if we DID consider leaving him in charge."
Silvio grins at Orendel. "I promise I didn't suggest Nikaro seriously!" He shrugs. "Guess that was confusing since I'm a rather serious person."
Thinking on it more doesn't seem to be helping, so Silvio stands up, eager to take action. "We'll have to just do the best we can, make sure the staff knows their roles and responsibilities. There's just not time to do much else."
Before shipping out, Meghan invests in some protective gear and some silver and cold iron tipped bolts for her little-used crossbow.
"We should really include the other staff in this discussion. Keeping secrets and making arbitrary decisions was Saul's way. We're gonna prove we're better than that," Orendel replies.
"Good idea, Orendel. Alright, let's call a meeting and see if we can get the staff to choose who's in charge while we're gone. That should at least help give someone around here a sense of authority." Silvio looks around to see if anyone objects.
"Yeah, okay," says Cherry a bit glumly. "Boy, this is gonna be... not great."
"Not great, but at least more pleasant than actively fighting for our lives and getting stabbed in the back, right?" Orendel comments.
"Oh heck I'm not worried about going on the road, just the annoyance of having to figure out managerial stuff for the Gold Goblin while we're gone. We'll probably come back and find the place burned to the ground," quips Cherry.
"But hey! Maybe we get to finally put paid to that elf-creature and her evil sky-rock cohorts!"
Sighing while listening to the others talk, No we really are not suited for any of this so someone is going to have to step up. Waving a hand dismissively, "People make a living working here so I doubt they want it burned down, even if it is likely. We just need to explain things to them and hope it works out."
"Yep," Orendel replies as he leaves to go around the Goblin to get the remaining staff assembled.
Meghan remains unusually quiet throughout the discussion. In truth, part of her would like to stay behind and help run the Gold Goblin; after all, she's a Riddleport Girl to the core, having spent her entire life in the squalid town. At the same time, though, she's felt an affinity to this group of people. And her disappearing act and bit of luck powers seem custom-made for Cherry and Orendel (though the latter should've benefited more than he did from the advantage--perhaps he was cursed or just not a very skilled combatant).
In the end, Meg decides to go to Devil's Elbow and fight the dark elf and her cataclysmic scheme. Before leaving, however, she does her part to make sure the remaining staff know how to run the various games and how to look out for potential cheaters.
The staff gather together in the general gaming hall and there is some quiet moments when you announce your departure, and ask them to nominate the interim manager. Everyone sort of waits for someone else to speak, and it starts to get uncomfortable.
Then Nikaro says, "Well, I think it should be Tunka. If nothing else, we'll all be safe while your gone. She's a wise lady, if not a smart one, and she'll be able to mind the store better than most."
For her part, the half-orc bruiser looks abashed, but she does not turn down the nomination. "If I get my hands you, you little cuss..." she says, jokingly.
The rest of the staff applauds, agreeing with the plan, and secretly glad it wasn't them who was selected. No one wants to take on the city's crime bosses even with the skymetal rush distracting them all.
"I'll try to make your proud," says Tunka, a tear filling her eye before she wipes it away with a burly back of her hand. "What do I need to know about the numbers and stuff?"
"Excellent, Tunka! I'm glad everyone has such confidence in you. I'll tell you what you need to know about the finances."
In a more private moment, Silvio shows her the books, but as the half-orc's eyes glaze over, Silvio offers some advice. "Main thing is, if you need help, don't just put all your trust in a single person. Make sure you get different people to help. That'll make it harder for any employee to try some tricky business with the finances."