Anyone may join this game. You may not start above level 3, for balance reasons. It is an open pbp surrounding the odd little swamp town of Marshwater
The town of Marshwater, a hamlet isolated from the rest of society by a great swamp is certainly a strange place; the buildings float on rafts with bridges over the swampy water, where alligators and large fish lurk, It is governed by a strange cloaked man, simply known as The Mayor, whom nobody has ever seen the face of, and people from other lands and realms occasionally emerge from the mists of the swamp.
Locations:
The Alligator Gar: named after the large, vicious fish that can be found in the waters, this tavern is the only one in town. Both the establishment itself and the barkeep, a strange, shriveled undead being named Sinclair, have been around as long as anyone can remember. There are a few staff, and it has 3 rooms that can be rented out.
The Chapel of the Feathered Serpent: a small chapel to a being known as the Feathered Serpent. The head priest is a man named Grigor, and there are murals, carvings, and sculptures of feathered serpents all over the chapel.
Harvald's General Store: owned by an old warrior named Harvald, this store is decently stocked, especially for a place in the middle of the swamp.
The Town Smith: the smith never speaks; he only ever makes hand signs or writes. Very skilled smith, though.
The Mayor's Stone Tower: sitting on the only piece of land in the town, the tower has no visible entrance other than several windows very high up. Occasionally, the hooded form of The Mayor can be seen inside.
The Docks and Dockmaster's office: The docks are self-explanatory, really. The Dockmaster's office is a sturdy little building where the Dockmaster lives, works, and sleeps. The Dockmaster himself is easily one of the most normal officials in the town, but nobody knows his actual name, not even him. Boat rental prices vary by boat.
The swamp: the swamp surrounding the town is very strange. Sometimes, half-submerged ruins can be found one day and gone the next, travelers from other lands occasionally come through the mists into the town, and people sometimes disappear without a trace in the swamps. Mostly populated by highly unpleasant beings.
The Houses: the houses the locals live in. Like all other buildings, they are built on rafts and linked together by bridges. The houses themselves are usually quite small and modest, due to the small size and isolation of the town.
Derathos Mel walked into the Alligator Gar and took a moment to look around, a hand casually resting on the pommel of one of his short swords. He had come through here as a sort of rest stop, for a couple of days at least, before moving on, and the way things were already looking, he wasn't sure he wanted to stay. Derathos was without doubt comfortable with swamps, having had spent so much time in them during his service, but that didn't mean he had to like them. An unfortunate circumstance that he was here now, and if he could he would have bypassed this squalid place entirely. Alas, he was there and there was little he could do about it other than accept his fate and try to make the best out of a bad situation.
Walking deeper into the establishment, he took a table near the entrance and leaned back on his chair, a hand rising to try and catch the patron's attention. If he was going to be here, he needed a drink. Preferably one that was heavy and strong, just so he could get this place out of his mind.
Naeris Draylin (Half-elf Warlock of the Fiend) was traveling when he heard rumors about a strange Hamlet known as "Marshwater" and about the mysterious swamp surrounding it, since it wasn't terribly far away, he thought small Hamlet might be worth a detour, hopefully the rumors don't disappoint.
Upon arriving at Marshwater, Naeris headed for the tavern to see what he could find out about the town.
Naeris entered the tavern and took a seat at the bar, the bar keepers appearance was surprising to say the least, and it started to seem like there might be some truth to the rumors about the town.
"I'll take some wine if you have any, if not than I'll just take ale."
The undead barkeep leans behind the counter and pulls out a heart-shaped jug made from red clay. He gets a glass, pulls put a stopper from the jug and pours some wine for the newcomer.
"What brings you to our humble town?", the corpse says, "There isn't much here."
After taking a sip of the wine Naeris replied. "I've heard a few stories about this town, and it seems like this there's more to it than initially meets the eye."
Naeris took another sip of the wine, he was glad that this wasn't one of those taverns that only served ale and mead.
Derathos watched as another patron walked into the tavern and sparked up a conversation with the undead barkeep. The entire ordeal was almost surreal. Last thing he ever expected was being served in a swamp by a walking corpse. Still, stranger things have happened. "I'd like your strongest rum," he said with a small grimace. Stranger things happening didn't exactly mean he wasn't going to try and cope with it, and he almost desperately needed a strong drink.
When the other patron said he'd heard of the town, Derathos turned to him. "Have you?" He asked. "What have you heard?"
Naeris glanced at the man who had just spoken, he didn't notice the man when he first walked in, but a glance was all it took to realize this man was an adventurer. After all, villagers aren't known to wear leather armor and carry a pair of shorts swords.
"I've heard a few stories." Naeris took a quick sip of wide and continued. "Some people say that the swamp is haunted, travelers resting in an abandoned building for the night and by morning the swamp consumes them along with the building. I've also heard rumors about the man who governors this town, they say no has ever seen his face, some say he's a ghost, or demon, one man even said he's a lich. But they could just be rumors."
"Rum. Reminds me of my time as a boy; I was a cabin boy on a riverboat."
The corpse leans behind the counter and brings up another stoppered jug, this one skull-shaped, and pours out some whiskey into a glass.
"As for stories, this place is full of them. Nobody knows how long The Mayor's been around. He was here even before I was, which is quite a long time. The swamp is definitely haunted, considering how many have died out there. Take my advice: those mists out there bring nothing good."
Walker Maklindek level 3 dwarf cleric +searching+: Walks in notices other people who like to still the waters of drinking with story and as he looks around in his pack for stories and takes out a bunch of books, He says, "hello" and looks down to make sure he doesn't lose track of his assortment of work. But then when he finds the papers he was looking for. He gets up and leaves.
"Never heard those before," Derathos said with a pursed lip, nodding to the barkeep as his drink was poured. "But this haunted building does indeed sound interesting. Seems I've found myself in a strange place." He took a large drink from his cup and took a moment to clear his throat. Then, to the barkeep said, "when were mists ever a good sign in a swamp? Run the other way says I, or hunker down for shit to go sideways."
"Well, there is one particularly haunted place: the old Ballantine house out floating in the swamp. 'Bout 40 years ago, the Ballantine family were the richest folks in town. However, one night, Lavinia, the family matriarch, went completely nuts. She killed her entire family and drowned herself in the swamp. After that, we decided to cut the mansion off from the town. It floated off into the swamp, and that is that."
He leans behind the bar and pulls out a glass jar full of some red liquid with fruits floating in it. In mere seconds, he downs the whole jar, fruit included.
Naeris was intrigued by this "Ballantine House", and the story provided an opportunity to learn about something which he was curious about as soon as he entered the tavern.
"This, Ballantine House, it seems like it could be interesting." Naeris took a sip of his wine before asking a question he'd been waiting to ask. "By the way, were you living in the village at the time of the separation of the Ballantine House, or do you just know about it from stories?"
Maklindek returns to the tavern and walks to the bar, and then maklindek can tell from the look in the bartenders eyes that he too must have seen the two guards blocking the way into the swamp. "I have returned because it seems without help I cannot leave this area to proceed into the swamp area". but reflected in maklindeks eyes is not the strange floating guards who seemed not to put their feet on the ground but a look of a fiery dwarf who is determined to find a way past.
"Looks like you've been seeing things, lad. The mist'll do that to you. Hallucinations, I believe they call it. Going out into the swamp alone is suicidal, at best, with all the beasties lurking out there. Nonetheless, what brings you here, newcomer? If you are seeking wealth and fun, you won't find it here."
Derathos nodded, agreeing with the stranger, "I think we should have ourselves a look," he said as he walked up to the bar. "We could find something worthwhile and make our detour here... not so useless. Derathos, by the way, a pleasure, stranger." He held up his hand to Naeris.
Naeris shook Derathos' hand. "Naeris." It was obvious that Derathos was no novice when it comes to exploration and combat, plus it would be a nice change of pace from traveling solo, so he was glad to have him at his side, at least temporarily.
"Well than, if we're done here, let's see if we can find this 'Ballantine House.'" Naeris opened his hand and caused a small fire to appear (Produce Flame) "And hopefully the beasts will at least make for good target practice."
"Makindek, "mak" for short since I'm a dwarf that's what my friends call me, I think to size things up in the swamp and reveal if those floating zweeloth guards were illusions or not we need some fairy dust", Turning his head to look from the bartender to the guys who were preparing to leave that is if we have enough people to properly use the stuff maklindek, Gets a gleam in his eyes and says, " Perhaps three of us will have better luck going to the swamp with the help of some magic fairy dust.
Anyone may join this game. You may not start above level 3, for balance reasons. It is an open pbp surrounding the odd little swamp town of Marshwater
The town of Marshwater, a hamlet isolated from the rest of society by a great swamp is certainly a strange place; the buildings float on rafts with bridges over the swampy water, where alligators and large fish lurk, It is governed by a strange cloaked man, simply known as The Mayor, whom nobody has ever seen the face of, and people from other lands and realms occasionally emerge from the mists of the swamp.
Locations:
The Alligator Gar: named after the large, vicious fish that can be found in the waters, this tavern is the only one in town. Both the establishment itself and the barkeep, a strange, shriveled undead being named Sinclair, have been around as long as anyone can remember. There are a few staff, and it has 3 rooms that can be rented out.
The Chapel of the Feathered Serpent: a small chapel to a being known as the Feathered Serpent. The head priest is a man named Grigor, and there are murals, carvings, and sculptures of feathered serpents all over the chapel.
Harvald's General Store: owned by an old warrior named Harvald, this store is decently stocked, especially for a place in the middle of the swamp.
The Town Smith: the smith never speaks; he only ever makes hand signs or writes. Very skilled smith, though.
The Mayor's Stone Tower: sitting on the only piece of land in the town, the tower has no visible entrance other than several windows very high up. Occasionally, the hooded form of The Mayor can be seen inside.
The Docks and Dockmaster's office: The docks are self-explanatory, really. The Dockmaster's office is a sturdy little building where the Dockmaster lives, works, and sleeps. The Dockmaster himself is easily one of the most normal officials in the town, but nobody knows his actual name, not even him. Boat rental prices vary by boat.
The swamp: the swamp surrounding the town is very strange. Sometimes, half-submerged ruins can be found one day and gone the next, travelers from other lands occasionally come through the mists into the town, and people sometimes disappear without a trace in the swamps. Mostly populated by highly unpleasant beings.
The Houses: the houses the locals live in. Like all other buildings, they are built on rafts and linked together by bridges. The houses themselves are usually quite small and modest, due to the small size and isolation of the town.
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Derathos Mel walked into the Alligator Gar and took a moment to look around, a hand casually resting on the pommel of one of his short swords. He had come through here as a sort of rest stop, for a couple of days at least, before moving on, and the way things were already looking, he wasn't sure he wanted to stay. Derathos was without doubt comfortable with swamps, having had spent so much time in them during his service, but that didn't mean he had to like them. An unfortunate circumstance that he was here now, and if he could he would have bypassed this squalid place entirely. Alas, he was there and there was little he could do about it other than accept his fate and try to make the best out of a bad situation.
Walking deeper into the establishment, he took a table near the entrance and leaned back on his chair, a hand rising to try and catch the patron's attention. If he was going to be here, he needed a drink. Preferably one that was heavy and strong, just so he could get this place out of his mind.
DM - GA's Baldur's Gate
The decrepit old corpse behind the bar looks towards the newcomer.
"What drink do you want, son?"
His voice is creaky and when he speaks, dust puffs out of his mouth.
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Naeris Draylin (Half-elf Warlock of the Fiend) was traveling when he heard rumors about a strange Hamlet known as "Marshwater" and about the mysterious swamp surrounding it, since it wasn't terribly far away, he thought small Hamlet might be worth a detour, hopefully the rumors don't disappoint.
Upon arriving at Marshwater, Naeris headed for the tavern to see what he could find out about the town.
Naeris entered the tavern and took a seat at the bar, the bar keepers appearance was surprising to say the least, and it started to seem like there might be some truth to the rumors about the town.
"I'll take some wine if you have any, if not than I'll just take ale."
The undead barkeep leans behind the counter and pulls out a heart-shaped jug made from red clay. He gets a glass, pulls put a stopper from the jug and pours some wine for the newcomer.
"What brings you to our humble town?", the corpse says, "There isn't much here."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
After taking a sip of the wine Naeris replied. "I've heard a few stories about this town, and it seems like this there's more to it than initially meets the eye."
Naeris took another sip of the wine, he was glad that this wasn't one of those taverns that only served ale and mead.
Derathos watched as another patron walked into the tavern and sparked up a conversation with the undead barkeep. The entire ordeal was almost surreal. Last thing he ever expected was being served in a swamp by a walking corpse. Still, stranger things have happened. "I'd like your strongest rum," he said with a small grimace. Stranger things happening didn't exactly mean he wasn't going to try and cope with it, and he almost desperately needed a strong drink.
When the other patron said he'd heard of the town, Derathos turned to him. "Have you?" He asked. "What have you heard?"
DM - GA's Baldur's Gate
Naeris glanced at the man who had just spoken, he didn't notice the man when he first walked in, but a glance was all it took to realize this man was an adventurer. After all, villagers aren't known to wear leather armor and carry a pair of shorts swords.
"I've heard a few stories." Naeris took a quick sip of wide and continued. "Some people say that the swamp is haunted, travelers resting in an abandoned building for the night and by morning the swamp consumes them along with the building. I've also heard rumors about the man who governors this town, they say no has ever seen his face, some say he's a ghost, or demon, one man even said he's a lich. But they could just be rumors."
"Rum. Reminds me of my time as a boy; I was a cabin boy on a riverboat."
The corpse leans behind the counter and brings up another stoppered jug, this one skull-shaped, and pours out some whiskey into a glass.
"As for stories, this place is full of them. Nobody knows how long The Mayor's been around. He was here even before I was, which is quite a long time. The swamp is definitely haunted, considering how many have died out there. Take my advice: those mists out there bring nothing good."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Walker Maklindek level 3 dwarf cleric +searching+: Walks in notices other people who like to still the waters of drinking with story and as he looks around in his pack for stories and takes out a bunch of books, He says, "hello" and looks down to make sure he doesn't lose track of his assortment of work. But then when he finds the papers he was looking for. He gets up and leaves.
"Never heard those before," Derathos said with a pursed lip, nodding to the barkeep as his drink was poured. "But this haunted building does indeed sound interesting. Seems I've found myself in a strange place." He took a large drink from his cup and took a moment to clear his throat. Then, to the barkeep said, "when were mists ever a good sign in a swamp? Run the other way says I, or hunker down for shit to go sideways."
DM - GA's Baldur's Gate
"Well, there is one particularly haunted place: the old Ballantine house out floating in the swamp. 'Bout 40 years ago, the Ballantine family were the richest folks in town. However, one night, Lavinia, the family matriarch, went completely nuts. She killed her entire family and drowned herself in the swamp. After that, we decided to cut the mansion off from the town. It floated off into the swamp, and that is that."
He leans behind the bar and pulls out a glass jar full of some red liquid with fruits floating in it. In mere seconds, he downs the whole jar, fruit included.
"That's some fine compote, right there."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Naeris was intrigued by this "Ballantine House", and the story provided an opportunity to learn about something which he was curious about as soon as he entered the tavern.
"This, Ballantine House, it seems like it could be interesting." Naeris took a sip of his wine before asking a question he'd been waiting to ask. "By the way, were you living in the village at the time of the separation of the Ballantine House, or do you just know about it from stories?"
"I was there, all right. I've been here longer than even I can remember. I saw that house drift off into the swamp with my own eyes."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Maklindek returns to the tavern and walks to the bar, and then maklindek can tell from the look in the bartenders eyes that he too must have seen the two guards blocking the way into the swamp. "I have returned because it seems without help I cannot leave this area to proceed into the swamp area". but reflected in maklindeks eyes is not the strange floating guards who seemed not to put their feet on the ground but a look of a fiery dwarf who is determined to find a way past.
"Looks like you've been seeing things, lad. The mist'll do that to you. Hallucinations, I believe they call it. Going out into the swamp alone is suicidal, at best, with all the beasties lurking out there. Nonetheless, what brings you here, newcomer? If you are seeking wealth and fun, you won't find it here."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1
Derathos nodded, agreeing with the stranger, "I think we should have ourselves a look," he said as he walked up to the bar. "We could find something worthwhile and make our detour here... not so useless. Derathos, by the way, a pleasure, stranger." He held up his hand to Naeris.
DM - GA's Baldur's Gate
Naeris shook Derathos' hand. "Naeris." It was obvious that Derathos was no novice when it comes to exploration and combat, plus it would be a nice change of pace from traveling solo, so he was glad to have him at his side, at least temporarily.
"Well than, if we're done here, let's see if we can find this 'Ballantine House.'" Naeris opened his hand and caused a small fire to appear (Produce Flame) "And hopefully the beasts will at least make for good target practice."
"Makindek, "mak" for short since I'm a dwarf that's what my friends call me, I think to size things up in the swamp and reveal if those floating zweeloth guards were illusions or not we need some fairy dust", Turning his head to look from the bartender to the guys who were preparing to leave that is if we have enough people to properly use the stuff maklindek, Gets a gleam in his eyes and says, " Perhaps three of us will have better luck going to the swamp with the help of some magic fairy dust.
"You won't need any fairy dust. Just a boat, and I have one out back."
Walton Gibson - Human Cleric, Level 1