Session 4: An Errand and a Reunion Report

The party was in between a rock and a hard place whilst they waited in Papan. The Imperial support that was requested from Set Luther was not delivered to them and the local officials were profiting from blatant corruption and embezzlement. That left them vulnerable, for without Imperial support it would be a simple matter for Lucius to send his enforcers to Papan to attack the party. Indeed, the group had only been given a week to return to Squall's End and that time was almost up. Staying mobile was their best chance at survival, but for that they needed a place to travel. For a whole day the party remained in Papan, debating among themselves as what would be the next best step. Drayton argued that chartering a ship and sailing to the Imperial embassy in Goldcrest would be their safest option, for there they would be given asylum. Kane and Michael argued otherwise, saying that the Empire of Corgastor was not likely to get involved in their extra-legal struggle. The two of them outnumbered Drayton, and thus had their way be the party choice. The question then became where they would go other than the Corgastorians.

Michael was the one who forged their way forward out of Papan. The swords he had collected from the nest of a the harpy struck him with a particular interest, and he wished to have them enchanted. The process of enchanting a weapon with arcane energy is complex and highly dangerous, and for that reason it's a rarity in Qadal. That was no deterrence for Michael, however, and at first light the very next day he set out into the morning light to find an enchanter. The streets were a confusing maze of main avenues and side roads that were already beginning to fill with people as the ships arrived in port to leave off their valuable cargo. It took him more than an hour to navigate the city, but by about mid morning he had found a promising building of peculiar looking construction, with low walls and a high steeple roof. The sign that daggled before it read "The House of Quim". To Michael it seemed to be a better option than any.

Stepping inside, he found a curious assortment of exotic weapons hanging from the walls. Sitting at a small desk was a middle aged man in simple robed scratching away at an aged parchment with his quill. He introduced himself to Michael as Quim, per the sign, and bid he ask for service. Michael showed Quim the swords and asked for an enchantment to be put upon them, which Quim accepted, but he asked a request of Michael and the party in return. Quim was in possession of an important package that he needed delivered to a colleague named Aphora in the western town of Izik's Rise. The party thought that they had travelled as far west as the island allowed, but the west they knew expanded beyond. Not only would it be an interesting adventure in itself, but it would give the party the opportunity to escape Papan and hopefully the gaze of Lucius. The rest of the party promptly agreed to the venture, and the next day they left the wide gates of the city behind and moved into the western hinterland.

The trip from Papan to Izik's Rise was uneventful, more so than any other leg of travel so far on their journey, and they arrived in Izik's rise on the night of the following day. This town was much removed from the walls and towers that adorned Papan. Izik's Rise was a small port town with nothing more to its gates than a wooden palisade and nothing more to its towers than a guard post that rose no more than a few feet over said palisade. The town within, however, was clean and well off with buildings of unique architecture that bore symbols of the Draconic faith. The main boulevard of the town led from the gate straight to the port with small plazas that punctuated its length. At the head of one of these non-descript plazas was a building of notable height, certainly greater than the buildings that surrounded it. It's walls were made of a reddish stone that is common in Nevan and its roof rose up high and slanted at a strong angle. Along the outside surface of this edifice were murals and etchings of great dragons and their mighty servants, lording over the native peoples like kings. The beauty of the outside was greatly marred by the strong coastal winds and the discontented defacing of local people. Aphora was said to be an attendant to this temple, and no better place could be chosen to search.

Passing through the town, the party could see the influences of Draconic culture. Houses of reinforced mud brick spiked up well over 15 feet and had Dhrak'onyth writing etched onto their surfaces. It was a strange and new sight for Drayton and Meriele, who were aliens to this place, but common sight for Michael and Kane who had spent time in Nevan. Cultural diversity and clashing lifestyles is a integral part of life on the continent, but to Drayton in particular it boggled the mind. This feeling was amplified by the fact that the day the party arrived was a festival day, so the town was blanketed by wondrous assortments of ribbons, bobbles, and lights that turned the place into a dreamland as the citizens coursed through its streets. It was a whirlpool of color and sound, one in which it would be a simple task to become lost. Thankfully, the temple of the town, to a Dhrak'onyth named Izik, was a structure which shamelessly thrust itself above all others in the town. The party was able to make its way inside and deliver the packet to Aphora, who in turn gave a receipt to prove the exchange occurred. Easy enough.

The package delivery, however simple, was only the beginning of what transpired into an unexpectedly dangerous night. Once the party had delivered the package to Aphora and received the receipt of the transaction, they returned to the streets of the city that bustled and brimmed with life. They lingered there on the high steps of the temple for a while, pondering what to do next. In that time, Kane noticed something odd on the far side of town, where the lights were dim and few people walked. A large cache of supplies was being actively managed by a group of dockhands and protected by armed guards. Normally that would be an average sight, but the party had noticed that during the time of celebration that all the town's people were among the revelers and not at work. The sheer scale and strength of the guard for the cache also made it stand out easily. Kane pointed this sight out to the party and received an unenthusiastic response. Stacked boxes were nothing extraordinary, Drayton noted, while Michael assumed they had just chosen an uncrowded night to move the cargo. A few more minutes passed on those stairs while the party waited, and finally Kane loudly asserted that they ought to go check out the cargo, since standing like fools on the stairs would serve no purpose.

That was certainly a fair assertion, and if they waited then the whole scene would pass them by either way. Sit and wait or go investigate? It really wasn't much of a choice at all. The party descended from the steps and pushed through the crowd as they moved to the docks. Coming upon the workers and guards, the party prepared themselves for a possible fight. Drayton and Meriele moved to the flank of the ground and hid in and around a nearby warehouse while Kane and Michael went straight for the group to try and communicate.

Hired Rus Cooper