Session 16

General Summary

Feng promised Sigrid of Thorpe that the party would look into the question of her missing warriors after traveling to Quedra. He then convinced Tekin, Timur to come to Quedra with him and Natalius, Quintus, though it took both promises that Timur was meant for something great—to play music that would save the world—and 300 gp cash.   Feng then joined up with the rest of the party, and he and Mrek went to the city guard station to obtain a copy of the incident report about their fight with Silence, which included a detailed description of the gith and his hideout. Meanwhile, Slint and Kairon spoke to the harbormaster, who said the Godsong had left at about 3 am the night before. Next they spoke to Cornelia, a tired elf woman who worked at a supply warehouse on the docks. She said the pilot of the Godsong had come in that night, dressed in heavy winter clothes that showed nothing of his skin or face, and bought normal supplies with the exception of no food or water of any kind. At 10 pm Thomas, the halfling Assistant Harbormaster, came on duty. Slint and Kairon found that he loved asking for and receiving bribes, but he confirmed Cornelia's description of Mute and said that the Godsong was a small one-person sailboat with a white sail stitched with a golden sun of Aru, and was headed north along the coast.   As the party prepared to spend the night aboard the Blind Charmer prior to its departure the next morning, Slint ran the guards' report over to Akerlind, Marta and told her it was related to the matter of the church's missing ship. She didn't recognize the description of Silence either, but urged Slint to find the Godsong.   The next morning the Blind Charmer set sail for Exmouth, the capital of Exonia. On the way the party got to know Petrov White Falcon, captain of the ship and a caravan-mate of White Falcon, Radislav. Mrek impressed him by turning into a shark and swimming around his ship, and he was interested to meet a yak-man, whom he thought legendary. He was also impressed by Kairon's obvious improvement, and took a shine to the crewman. Feng and Mrek also learned from a sailor that Exmouth hosted pit fighting competitions; he suggested that when they docked, they should seek out a man called the Doctor.   The Blind Charmer reached Exmouth without trouble. They found an incredibly wealthy city in perfect order, its street paved with neatly-cut blocks and every hint of mess promptly cleaned up by a streetsweeper. At the docks, Feng and Mrek discovered that the Doctor was none other than Whitby, George, now home in Exmouth and looking for sailors to sponsor in a fight club at his home. He invited the two adventurers cheerily. They then asked around about the Godsong, and found an urchin boy (dressed better than most people in Volscia Mera) who confirmed that it had stopped briefly the previous night to resupply then promptly headed out.   Slint sought out a wizard's shop to have Silence's sword identified, then learned that the proprietor, a cheery gnome in plush purple robes and conical hat, could cure Kairon's resurrection sickness with three castings of lesser restoration. Slint ran to fetch Kairon, and just before he closed the gnome took their gold and cast his spells. First he identified the sword, which clearly frightened him, as a +1 longsword. He asked no more questions after Slint said he'd taken it from a man he killed. The gnome then showed great expertise in simultaneously casting three lesser restorations on Kairon, who rose from the shop counter a much healthier tiefling.   Feng and Mrek spoke to a tiefling at the nearest supplier, called "Gunpowder Niff," who insisted any similarity to a famous tiefling naval captain was purely coincidental. Niff had indeed seen Mute from the Godsong, and had a record of the sale of three casks of gunpowder to him... under the name "Mrek Dread Firstborn." Niff refused to erase the name, saying that legally he could not alter the record.   At midnight the party headed for Dr. Whitby's sumptuous home. There they found a fight club in which the wealthy of Exmouth sponsored poor adventurers and sailors in a round of fights. Mrek won his first bout thanks to Inspiration from Slint, then lost the next two. Feng went much the same way, losing his first fight against a powerful blond Lygranti, winning his second easily, and losing his third. Slint lost 100 gp betting on his friends, but each fighter won 50 gp, so the night was called a wash... until, as they were leaving, a guard captain put his hand on Slint's shoulder and accusing him of cheating by boosting his "otherwise pitiful" friend Mrek's skills in the first fight. Trouble seemed imminent until Mrek convinced the guardsman that Slint was only cheering him on because they were in love. With the advice that he ought to "lock down" such a feisty lover, and a stern warning that he would be carefully watched in Exmouth henceforth, the guard let Slint, and the party, return to the Blind Charmer to hammock down before it departed for Swanmay with the morning breeze.