Salt, Spice, and Nothing Nice

General Summary

Session One: Salt, Spice, and Nothing Nice

The session opened in the flickering candlelight of a Nexotl estate, where the brutish enforcer Varko faced judgment from a shadowed figure cloaked in influence. Having failed to steal a critical map from Professor Vanderwallen, Varko was given a final order: watch the strangers who now circle the professor. Do not interfere—yet.

Meanwhile, at the bustling Salt and Spice Inn, three strangers—Malachi, Korril, and Jasper—arrived one by one, each summoned by Vanderwallen and told to wait. They settled in, ordering drinks and sizing up their unfamiliar surroundings. Soon after, Kinuye, Maz, and Ahyako arrived as well, drawn by the same mysterious invitation.

Tensions quickly simmered. Two surly orcs—Howard and Grummon—picked a fight with Jasper, while a notorious debt collector named Karka the Collector arrived to press Maz for overdue coin. Chaos broke out in the tavern, escalating into a full brawl.

Just as things threatened to spiral, the inn’s doors burst open and a towering orc in a tricorn hat entered: Captain Poe Heranui. With practiced ease, he quelled the fighting and restored order. Moments later, Professor Vanderwallen arrived, accompanied by his assistant Damal, and led the six newcomers to a back room for answers.

There, the eccentric historian unveiled a gleaming brass orb—the Kalomandar—along with a chart, compass, and cryptic map. He spoke of an expedition to Dugallion, a mythic continent long shrouded in mystery. Each of the six had been chosen, it seemed, not by chance but by design.

Yet their place aboard the Ketzal Tolma would not be given freely. To earn their passage, Captain Heranui set them to a trial: investigate the disappearance of a critical shipment. They would not go alone—accompanying them would be the ship’s scout and tracker, Nahueya "Redfish" Tokalo.