Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Gerrard:

Partly in deference to Dwal's sensibilities and partly to keep a low profile if possible (and not run a big tab with the family), Gerrard, sticks to the basics -- food, drink, laundry, baths.  Compared to the last month, it is lavish, but by noble standards it is relatively spartan.

Mr. Bowler personally takes Gerrard's and Dwal's laundry and returns with a cart full of fancy liquors, in bottles and decanters of all shapes, colors, and sizes. "We are preparing your baths right now," he reassures Gerrard (and smiles and nods slightly patronizingly at Dwal.) From the balcony, Dwal watches as a city guardsman beats a beggar on the other side of the square.

Meanwhile, Kei waits in the dim, narrow back alley. A few rats slip by, and a baby can be heard wailing from some unseen orifice above, but no other inhabitants are seen. But then he hears a click of the barred cellar door nearby, and the creak of the old wooden door as it slowly opens. A sharp-nosed old man quietly peers out and carefully watches for a moment. He doesn't appear to notice invisible Kei.

Inside, Peri is listening to a long, boring discussion of money transfers, deeds, paperwork, and pearl manufacturing.

"GERRY!" shrieks a middle-aged woman, suddenly barging into Gerrard and Dwal's suite. She seems upset. Dressed in a whirlwind of ribbons and fine laces, she pauses to take in the room and its occupants. "You disappear for WEEKS on end, without so much as a LETTER, and instead of coming to the House, you hole up with some dirty Dwarven trollop in a common HOTEL? What are you DOING with your life?" She is accompanied by a small staff of redfaced, sweaty attendants, all of whom look wholly uncomfortable to be here right now.

Dwal

Surprised at the entrance of what Dwal believes is Gerrard's mother Dwal will speak up and say:
"I hardly believe I am a trollop madam."

Kei 

Doing his best impersonation of a statue, Kei remains motionless as the old man makes his visual inspection. Yes, he's invisible, bit he's not silent and neither are the old stairs. He contemplates sending Peri a message but thinks better of it in case the arcane words carry to the ears of the old crony. He waits and watches.

Peri:

The thrill of the hunt has long since faded as Peri listens to a long, boring discussion filled with jargon he is almost entirely unfamiliar with. He stifles the urge to leap out and startle the businessmen just to provoke a reaction. He begins doing some math of his own, reckoning the value of lost carousing time.

Gerrard:

At once amused and horrified, Gerrard casts a sidelong glance at Dwal, saying softly with a wry grin, "Well, your beard is smooth and well-groomed, I suppose...at least this scene is happening in relative privacy."

More loudly, he turns to the lady and strides forward, embracing her in a hug, saying, "It's good to see you, mother, I have so much to tell you, but I suppose I should start with introductions.  This is Brother Fiercehammer, a member of the group who saved my life from a rather obnoxious ogre.  It has been kind of a whirlwind since, and I apologize for not writing before today.  How have you been?"

Kei watches as the old man, carefully watching his surroundings (please roll another Stealth check with advantage; beat a contesting perception check of: 5), begins to drag a corpse of a young woman out into the alley. It looks like one her arms has been gnawed off.

Peri learns about the difference between notarizing deed transfers when one party is the Kingdom, versus notarizing a private deed transfer, the fees involved, who to talk to (and who requires a small bribe), and how absurd it is that the notarizing form must be completed in octuplicate. 

Meanwhile, Mother Feldren completely ignores Dwal, treating him like a dripping faucet or a creaky door hinge.
"How have I been? How have I BEEN? Worried to death over your ESCAPADES while your brothers are doing the hard business of running this CITY. It's that Esmarelda girl, isn't it? That 'family' will RUIN us AND this city. Your father would be VERY DISAPPOINTED in your ANTICS. I need you to get CLEANED UP and out of this HOVEL and away from this dwarven HARLOT and come home and pull up your dainty SHIRTSLEEVES and do some WORK around here."

Mr. Bowler looks down at his shoes, his hands clasped, his face ashen.

Dwal

Dwal takes a seat and just watches the mad woman's temper tantrum. Torn between giving Gerrard's mother time to calm and firing a lightning bolt up her arse, Dwal will wait, watch and see what the young lord does. He understands the arrogance of wealth and the need for the wealthy to flex a bit but, he is dwarven and his natural life span is almost 3 times that of any human and this woman will be in her grave in fewer summers it would take Dwals beard to be trimmed twice. 

The revelation that Gerrard's family runs this city doesn't slip past Dwal. 

Gerrard:

Pulling out a certain fancy fan, Gerrard moves towards his mother and cools her with a few flaps, saying calmly, “You are right, mother, I did indeed leave to court the beautiful maiden Esmerelda, but I never made it to her family’s estate.  Instead, I was captured by an ogre and would have been killed if not for Brother Fiercehammer and the others.”

Putting his free hand on her shoulder, Gerrard continues, “I am sorry to make you worry, mother, but these are dangerous times, and sometimes a man must do what is needed, regardless of the danger.  I know you still think of me as a little boy, and that is your prerogative as my mother, but I am working for the benefit of our family, Seaton, and indeed the whole region, though the details of such activities are better left to a more private discussion.”

Gesturing to the nearby seating area and smiling at Mr. Bowler, Gerrard entreats, “Come, sit and relax with me—these rooms are far more comfortable than any I have had these past weeks, and I would be happy to discuss whatever you would like.”

Kei 

Watching with morbid curiosity Kei remains motionless while the mutilated body is hauled into the street. What in the Nine Hell's is going on in this building? His thought prompts a message to his eyes on the inside. Waiting until the pointy nosed man has retreated back inside he contacts Peri. "Mutilated body just dumped in the street. Something strange going on in the basement". He waits silently for a reply.

Peri:

Peri begins to wonder if his invisibility would still work if he falls asleep. Suddenly Kei's voice in his head: "Mutilated body just dumped in the street. Something strange going on in the basement". Alarmed, he responds: "Aubrek and Vertheg still talking business. Should I try to get into basement or wait here and see if anyone joins them?"

Kei 

Knowing the spell has limited time he sends one more message to Peri "Get out. I think the basement needs further investigation. Meet at the alley corner." With that he descends the stairs and heads back to the corner and finds an inconspicuous place to wait. 

Peri:

Peri replies, "On my way," and retraces his steps out the window and to the corner to meet Kei.

The old man slides a burlap sack over the body, and begins to drag it down the alley, carefully watching in all directions for any witnesses without spotting any, and muttering to himself. Somebody else, inside, closes the cellar door.

Aubreck and Vertheg continue their long and boring discussions.

Meanwhile, Mother Feldren continues her angry lecture. "RELAX? RELAX? I will do no such thing, and certainly not HERE. I am not interested in any more of your hair-brained SCHEMES. You need to go HOME, CLEAN yourself up, and report to Mearle. He'll put you to honest WORK." (Gerrard knows that "Mearle" is the Duke's sad and boring right-hand man. Mother clearly wants Gerrard to go work for his brother, probably overseeing beet farming initiatives and attending cocktail parties and other trivial city projects.)

Gerrard:

Growing exasperated, Gerrard says, “As you wish, MOTHER, we will have this conversation right now.  I am involved in negotiating on behalf of the HUMANS in this region an interspecies alliance to counter the machinations of the Sea Princes by eliminating the threat of their evil aquatic allies.  This Alliance is CRITICAL to the safety of the free peoples of Keoland, and FATHER has committed a sizable force to aid us in this effort.  I do not have the TIME or the INCLINATION to go moping off to Mearle so he can assign me to some useless busy-work!”

Peri slips back out the tiny window and rejoins Kei in the alley (Stealth: 25), just as the old man turns the corner with his heavy sack. The cellar door was pulled shut by an unseen hand and possibly locked.

Meanwhile, Mother Feldren holds up her hand, not allowing Gerard a conversational inch. "ENOUGH. I am leaving. I don't want to hear your imaginative TALES. I expect to see you Mearle's office TOMORROW. Don't disappoint me, Gerry." She turns to her attendants. "Let's go." She marches out in a huff.

There is silence in the room, broken only by the distant cries of the beggar being beaten across the square.

Mr. Bowler finally clears his throat and announces with a bright (if saccharine) smile, "Your baths should be ready!"

Dwal

Standing, arms folding across his chest, Dwal watches the end of the exchange. 

"It's hard when yer kin don't believe in ya." Dwal says. "Fortunately tha Gods set those in our path ta see tha better side of what our lives can be." 

With that Dwal tightens his robe and looks to Mr. Bowler. "Lead on!" he tells him. 

Gerrard:

"Aye, Brother Fiercehammer, you and the others have shown me I can be more than a perfumed popinjay in a gilded cage.  Sadly, I think I will continue to be a source of disappointment for my family, as I have no intention of turning myself in tomorrow," says Gerrard, sounding more like a criminal on the run than a Duke's fourth son in his hometown.

"Let's get those baths, my friend," he finishes with a weary smile.

Gerrard and Dwal enjoy their baths in silence. The hotel service is top-notch, as Mr. Bowler and his sizable staff provide a steady stream of food, drink, and lavish (and highly professional) attention.

Meanwhile, Peri dusts the invisible dust off his invisible (but highly stylish) outfit, as he and Kei watch the old man vanish around the corner with most of a body in a sack. Aubreck's entrepreneurially bureaucratic dialogue is no longer audible in the alley.

Kei 

Guessing his invisibility still had some time, he waits for Peri to arrive. "We should at least follow the corpse. This sort of thing shouldn't be happening right under Gerrard's familys nose." He hopes invisi-Peri is actually standing near by.