S1E5 - To Find a Passage

“To find a Passage…”
Belz.” The man stroked his leathery face with one hand, brushing the edge of the thick salt and pepper muttonchops framing his cheekbones. Above them the icy blue eyes peered into Zorin ’s heart searching for some reason to deny his request, he was sure of it. His other hand cupped the burgundy bowl of a long stemmed pipe.

Zorin never saw the man light it, and he noted there was no thick smoke that seemed to swirl and stick greasily to the skin as he expected. This ship’s captain absently chewed on the end of the prop and stared coldly back at Zorin. “Why are you and your family going to the new country ?”

He squinted an eye “To seek your fame?” He paused. “Sir we are leaving because…”

“Shut yer gob boy.” The old Captain leaned in and in a strong forced tone that reminded Zorin of a crashing tide on a rocky shore continued. “I can hear the winding of a tale like a fishing reel. Best to not lie to me.” His breath was hot and Zorins face went flush. He sat back his voice softening slightly. “Your hands don’t look like your fancy clothes.” Zorin looked at the purple velvet tunic he was wearing. He had saved months and months of his own money to buy the soft garment last year.
The family said it was his money to save and spend as he saw fit. Of course a few games of cards didn’t hurt to expedite those savings. Or some dice.
He looked at his hands. The palms were calloused though the nails were manicured. The plain Silver ring on the right hand was dulled from years of work with his hands. The ring itself Benedict had made him from an old spoon.
“What else can you offer besides the gold?” Zorin stared at the pouch of their gold on the table. Remembering…

Room 12?” Cordelia was walking in the front down a oily oak hallway. Benedict called back “I think it should be that last one.” The door was a varnished black, Zorin knew this was to keep the sea from rotting the wood itself. The smell was musty and the humidity gave it a thick almost greasy feel. Cordelia gripped the cold forged iron and squeezed the thumb latch.

Entering the room they saw the one bed and the faded carpet on the floor. Zorin pushed in and flopped on the bed “ahh, this will do.” He kipped up almost immediately laughing. “Just kidding Zane and I have work to do.” Zane looked puzzled. “ we do?” “Yup. See we need to get to Belz.and we only have 20 pieces between us all.” “Ah. Gotcha.” “Wait.” Benedict broke into the conversation. “No.”

“For the umpteenth time Benedict its not wrong when it’s an agreed to game.” “You could lose what little we have.” “Not now.” Zorin looked at Zane. “Oh no.” An all too familiar grin cracked the recently morose and distant Zane. Sophie smiled. “No Nono no. “ Zane ignored his brother “ 4 legged kings?” “No,” Zorin smiled wickedly. “empty sleeves.” Zane nodded still smiling and held his hand out to his best friend to shake heartily both chuckling.

“Oh no this is bad. Nonono” Benedict was beside himself distraught. He knew inside those two could do anything including ending up in the local lockup empty handed. Cordelia’s hand clasped her cousins gently. “You have to trust them”
“But they could lose everything then where will we be?”
Cordelia didn’t know how to answer but she looked at Sophie listening to Zorin and Zane plot out how they were going to profit tonight. They were chuckling excitedly and Sophie’s strong shoulders were relaxed as if she had sat down a large knapsack of heavy goods. Her stoic and cold features softened and Cordelia saw her smiling. A smile long since missed. She smiled too and turning back to Benedict took his hand with both of hers.
“We will be right here, Benedict. Together.

The tavern was floored with dark stained Oak slabs cut together seamlessly. Years of scrubbing with coarse stones gave it a smooth matte quality much like the decks of the ships in the harbor Sophie imagined. “Blue Cedar ” Benedict remarked in admiration of the bar as he ran his hand on the surface. The bar itself was made of a single long plank of the wood. It is A tree common to the Viridian forests and known for its natural resistance to rot. The plank was oiled and polished to a high sheen illuminating the natural grey blue hues of the ancient wood. The leather bound arm rest was soft to her touch as she leaned on it.
Cordelia sat at the bar next to her eating some green vegetables with a tart smelling sauce. Rosemary. She loved that smell, it took her back to thier old kitchen in Port L’for.
“There you go m’lady. A local mead from Akesh-bah-lol .” The barkeep sat down a plain pewter goblet with a honey yellow liquid swirling gently in it. He smiled gently at her, his elven eyes and high cheekbones graceful in the soft light from the iron braziers hanging from chains. Through out the large room.
“You will find the currants sweeter than any other” he leaned in, drawing his golden eyes to soft slits “as are many things in this fair city.”
“Really?” She too softened her voice. “ yes.” He leaned in further. She whispered in his ear gently “just not you right? I find you rather…” she wrinkled her nose as she shook her hands as if freeing them something wet and unpleasant. His eyes flew open his face growing flush “Madam I never would have insinuated that I would ever”. Cordelia laughed. “It’s quite alright.” Sophie smiled at her friends. It’s a good night to celebrate.I thank you for the good laugh and this wine is… quite delicious.”

Red faced the bartender bowed to her before moving to the other end of the bar where he saw other patrons to tend to.

The game was going well Zorin thought to himself. The 5 other players at the round darkwood table placed 3 cards facedown in front of themselves. They each took turns drawing face up cards and either adding them to thier hidden hand or placed them in the center with coins to pay the pot. These cards could be taken as an alternative to drawing cards on a players turn. Once 6 cards had been drawn the hands are all revealed with a winner takes all for the best hand.
Minotaurs Zane was at a table of Minotaurs behind the player directly across from him. Boisterous and loud they all were regailing each other with stories in a common bonding ritual called “The Boast ”. This was good but risky. Zane was giving signals to Zorin by what he saw from the hidden cards from that side of the table. The risk was not getting caught. It was the Minotaurs accelerated consumption of ale and Zane being ½ thier size that had him concerned.
“Hey are you going to fish or draw?” “Oh today is a drawing day.” Zorin coolly replied staring the player to his immediate left. He could tell the card depicting 4 stars around a crown that the dark haired Halfling 3 seats to the right laid down was the card he wanted. Her black and honey curly hair graced a dark brown scalp that was shaved around the sides and back, leaving the top in a dozen thick spiked and beaded tufts that bounced when she had raised the pot 2 silver. Not that he needed it but that the man to his left most likely needed it more given the slight inhale when she dropped it in the pot.
The man was furious. His wiry goatee seemed to twist like an auburn lightning bolt from his pointed chin. Now it trembled ever so slightly his golden eyes flashing a warning to which Zorin smiled purposefully discarding a lion reared back with 2 paws ready to attack. Taking a small silver coin shaped like a square He gently tossed that as well into the center of the table where the core of the wood was a light beige easily used as their pot for the game. “The lion and 1 silver raised. Your turn good sir”
The man drew a card from the deck he was calling a fishing hole. Mumbling he immediately placed the same card in the pot. An axe leaned against the stump on a felled tree. Good he’s not playing axes likely Zorin thought. He looked to Zane as the half-elf woman began her turn. Zane’s hand was a balled fist on the left thigh still. Someone had the Stone. He had hoped by laying down the Lion, another of the major cards it would lure them out the take it. None yet he thought.
He also was noticing Zane beginning to sway a little. “A pox on Pallus!” One of the Minotaurs began. “He’s destroyed our fair cities and enslaved many to his dark army. I hope he chokes on his pride and drowns in his own blood.” Zane laughed. “He’s nothing! I should know.” Zorins heart sank into his shoes. What is he doing? He wondered panicked.

“Would you now?” The Minotaur retorted his muzzle slightly sneering. “I fought for him 5 years ago until I lost this.” Holding up a stump of an arm ending in a brass 3 pronged fork. “Cast me out to die I reckon. I walked back to first port and have been here since.”

“I was in Bloodwood”. The Minotaur squinted his eyes. he lowered the black horns on the sides of his head, crossed his massive arms and leaned back. “Bloodwood?” He snarled. “The mines must have been terrible with you there.” Zane laughed. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do my part to make things a little harder for old doom and gloom there not just in the mines.”. The Minotaur laughed and clapped him on the back. “Salute little man.” The smaller horned female Minotaur with the deep blue eyes tapped her mug on her ornate bronze breastplate. Her muscled body wasn’t any less impressive than the others Zorin had noted. The other two raising their mugs in salute to their new found friend.
Zorin smiled.
“Oi! Fuzzy face!” Zorin looked at the halfling standing on the chair and glowering toward him her dark brown eyes burned like hot coals.”ante up! “ she plopped back down with a grunt. “ it’s 2 to you while you were off daydreamin”.she shook her hands and rolled her eyes. Zorin sighed tossing 2 silver coins into the center pile.
The game lasted deep into the night. Benedict looked up from his mug and saw Zorin approach a bit sheepish. “So there’s good news and bad news.”
“What’s the bad news…” “ I only made a profit of 4 gold after the bar tab, a certain halfling and I will never be friends and your brother is currently vomiting in a bucket.”
Benedict was stunned. ” This was a colossal waste of time. We can never get to Bellz on this.” While Zorin was being dressed down by Benedict for his irresponsibility Sophie worriedly looked at Zane bent over a bucket at the table. There were two smaller Minotaurs laughing and clanking mugs with a stoic female and a 4th the largest male she assumed was the leader. he had 3 warrior braids ending in a large silver clasp and his scarred face showed the story of many battles. She noted with a smile he had his grey and black furred arm around Zane’s shoulders gently patting him with one massive hand. His other was a trident resting on the table.
“Zorin, who are they?” Sophie interrupted. Benedict froze as Zorin smiled his crooked grin.
He chuckled “well that’s the good news. Seems Zane made good friends with the first mate and some of main crew of a ship called The Sun God . They sail to Bellz tomorrow and said I just need to talk to the captain about passage and he may be able to work a deal”
Benedict laughed and shook his head, Cordelia smiled and looked at her cousin, the hero of the night head first in a foul and sour smelling bucket.

What’ll it be son?” The captain smiled already knowing the answer.

“Zane and I can help on deck and I’m skilled at the lines and ships boat duties. Benedict is a talented iron worker and Sophie can lend her sword if need be.”
The captain nodded and thought before continuing. “And the raven haired girl?”
“Cordelia is a…” he paused the superstitious crew wouldn’t take kindly to a wizard he was sure. She’d be branded a witch and cast overboard as soon as they found out. “Healer. A talented and skilled practitioner of the healing Magic’s of the world. Of which I don’t fully understand.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear. You ALL pull your way to Bellz and we’ll be happy to have you as crew. Let’s get started, we weigh in an hour.”
The captain took a long draw from the pipe in thought as he turned to look out the small window to his right. It opened to the harbor and more specifically the dark mahogany colored hull of the sun god gently bobbing at rest.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Dice Tower Theatre’s Dawn of Dragons. This week’s episode featured some very special guests from some of our favorite podcasting friends and family. Please keep listening to hear thier promos here following our heartfelt thanks, you can find links to their shows in the episode notes.
The Captain was played By Daniel from the HappyGoLukky podcast. The Bartender was played by Brad from the Gigantic Adventures of Jeff and Simon and Fate of Isen podcasts. Both the players pitted against Zorin were played by Sam and Piper from the World Forge Podcast. Along with some of the environment sounds layered with samples by Sword Coast Soundscapes.

Cast Links:

Daniel Nichols
Brad Zimmerman