Shipwrecked in Saltmarsh

Molo makes the swap – his old leather armor (plus 8 gold) for a new set of vibrant purple leather armor. It practically glows with color.

The tanner deals mainly in leather, so she has no common (cloth) traveler's clothes for Kelnan. She does have a very stylish matching set of leather pants and vest in his size, however – only 7 gold. (No AC bonus, alas.)

Meanwhile, Fireborn listens intently to FIanna's answers. If he wasn't attentive before, the word "smuggling" definitely catches his attention. He doesn't give away his familiarity with Sanbalet or Stumpy. He reiterates his instructions for you to assemble at the tower in the morning. "We will keep you well-protected," he reassures you, before bidding you a good day.

Dain wanders down the hill and over to the Mining Company Headquarters. (#5 on the map.) It's an old mansion converted into a business office together with barracks for their 100% Dwarven employees. The humorless clerk on duty takes Dain's information without much questioning or pushback. Dain is assigned a bunk in the employee quarters, complete with regular meals. Dain knows he is expected back at work at the forge tomorrow morning in the mines, but the clerk doesn't know that. He may be a little bit late.

Katernin nods and goes to leave, returning to her shrine, exhausted and upset.

     Fianna will leave Fireborn and the guards and make it her job to find everyone and relay the version of events she shared with the guards.  She doesn't really expect much interrogation but too many slip ups or contradictions could raise unwanted suspicion.  They had truthfully done nothing wrong, she felt and shared this with everyone's except perhaps a little trespassing if the authorities wanted to be particularly literal...  But being a good person and honest is no shield against bad things happening.  We're all proof of that.

     She'll also find or get a not to Dain and advise him a very brief rundown of the time with the guards.  She left him out of the details so he can accompany us in the morning or not, share his story or not.

     Otherwise, Fianna is getting a room and resting until morning...

(Unless there is any further business – Kelnan? Dain? – I will presume that everyone is looking to retire for the rest of the day and night. Dain at the Company HQ, Katernin at her shrine, and the rest of you at the Snapping Line. Everyone except Dain and Katernin should subtract their lifestyle expenses for the day according to their lifestyle, and will gain the benefit of a long rest.)

Molo drops in his silver pieces (2) and curls around his meager possessions in a bunk room that smells like vomit and feels like home

The night passes uneventfully. While cleaner than the house you spent last night in, those of you spending the night in the Snapping Line become reacquainted with the sour fishy smell that permeates the old building that hadn't fully left your clothing from two nights earlier. Nevertheless, the beds are comfortable, and the food is nourishing. Likewise, Dain finds his accommodations in the company's transient dormitory quite sufficient, although he wonders whether he's going to get in trouble with his boss soon. Katernin is delighted to be back home, and to have a cup of evening tea with Weasel.

Day 4. A cold, thin drizzle falls. Reed wakes up ill, with a fever and chills. You've been asked to return to the tower this morning, to accompany royal investigators to the house, and direct them to the criminals you reported.

Dain Ironforge rises early after a fitful night's sleep.  He knows he is supposed to turn up for work today but some restless spirit inside him is struggling to break free. 

I'd rather be going back to them caves and the house the others talked about than back to the mines.  Them bastards who mugged me deserves payback.  And besides, I suspect me share of the goods in them caves is probably worth more than anything the mining guild will pay me.  Maybe it's time to start seeking me fortunes as a mercenary rather than an unappreciated smith?  Besides, I needs to retrieve me maul.  This one is too weird for me tastes.

He throws a big breakfast down his neck, mindful that it might be his last one on the company, and heads out to the guard tower, arriving bright and early.

Katernin explains everything that's happened over the past few days to Weasel, including her own failure to save Lucky in time. "I just... I couldn't get there in time..."

     Fianna pays for her room and some meals and sleeps as well as possible, using Prestidigitation  To clean up her own clothes, the bedding and to hide the fish smell... at least temporarily.

     In the morning she’ll ride early, get whatever breakfast is served there, before taking off for the tower.  She’ll keep an eye out for the others but she doesn’t round them up...  They’ll either come or they won’t, she figures.  Don’t want to be forcing them into this.

When Katernin wakes the next morning, she spends a few hours in meditation asking for spells that would help help ensure these people she just met will stay safe. Once that's done, she'd have a cup of tea and go to meet everyone else at the Tower.

Kelnan happily upgrades his outfit. It's a bit stiff, but pleasantly soft and should break in just fine. He spends the evening casually chatting with townsfolk at the inn before retiring for the night.

In the morning, he confidently makes his way to the tower. With extra muscle and some new tricks this should be a simple and satisfying trip.

Kelnan spends the evening in the tavern, mostly listening to tales of fights on the docks. (A gang of human fishermen threw one of the Dwarven miners into the harbor that afternoon in some sort of petty confrontation.) He's quite happy with his new leather duds.

-- -- 

The group reassembles outside the tower, stiff and groggy but well-rested, in the cold drizzly morning. Reed is too ill to join you, and remains in the comforts of the fishy inn.

The party is immediately hailed by a group of town guards walking horses. Fireborn is with them. He introduces the guards who will be leading the expedition. It's a sad-looking lot. "Butter" is a grouchy old man of maybe 65. Farley is teenaged goon with terrible acne. Seth is their dubious commander - a cocky young man with long blond hair spilling out of his feather-plumed helmet. They wear chain mail and wield longswords and heavy crossbows. Farley and Seth have mounts, and there are five sickly-looking horses ready for each of you, as well. Butter holds the reins to a small, empty, horse-drawn cart.

Fireborn nods to you, mutters something to Seth, turns, and climbs the hill upon his finely carved wooden peg leg.

Can you ride a horse? Make an Animal Handling check, when you're ready.

I'm going to Channel Divinity: Charm Animals and Plants to try and assuage any fears the animals might have about the party. I'm assuming they're all within 30 of Katernin's line of sight. Any that are need to make a DC 13 Wisdom save or be charmed for a minute.

As Katernin sees the horses, and offered them as mounts, she takes her amulet and tries to pacify and of the fear they might have about the strange people they see before them.

The five horses warily consider this odd stranger and her symbol. Wisdom Saving Throws: 9, 13, 20, 13, 2.

 All but one calm down and are prepared to accept their new riders. One does not, and stamps and snorts in response. 

One of you may attempt to mount the uncharmed horse with an Animal Handling check.

Kelnan eyes the stomping horse warily and climbs atop one of the calmed ones. Carriages are more his speed, but an agreeable horse will do in a pinch. 

"Good morning, friends! Shall we?"

Molo scrambles up a becalmed horse.

He leans closer to Dain and whispers, “Do you think we can keep their stuff if they die?”

Surprised to find himself warming to a kobold, Dain leans down and whispers, "Aye laddie.  I reckons we will."  He wonders if he can clamber aboard the cart and will try to do so unless stopped by someone.

"Hey!!" shouts Butter, the old cart driver, at Dain. "Git outta me cart!! I ain't a carriage hack! Git a horse!" He coughs deeply and spits a massive glob over the side.

Kelnan and Molo are mounted. Three mounts await; two charmed.

"Let's go!" huffs Seth impatiently, practically pouting in his obvious displeasure about this situation.

"Bah!" snorts Dain derisively.  But he gets off the cart and prepares to stump along next to the others on foot.  "I ain't getting on no horse, fool."  He hefts his unlikely maul over his shoulder and exudes an aura of grumpiness.

     Fianna walks by butter and smiles at him.  "Oh come on, surely he can ride in the cart?  It'll make this trip so much faster than us being slowed to his walking pace..." Fianna says, trying to use her natural feminine wiles and Persuasion to get him to see reason.  18

     If that does not work she'll try her Fey Presence (WIS save vs DC 13) to try to charm him into it...  It doesn't last long but she assumed once he agrees he'd likely be too pride and/or embarrassed to change his mind so suddenly.

     For herself, Fianna will try the more untamed of the horses.  She'll talk gently to it in Sylvan and pat it gently first to try to calm it, then attempt to mount and ride. Animal Handling 4

((Not the smoothest ride, but hopefully enough to get there without being thrown.))