Chapter II. The Leap Report in Felstadt | World Anvil

Chapter II. The Leap

General Summary

Sunday

  After harrowing battle at sea and the loss of the famed Captain Callistan, the party turned in and slept through the remainder of the smooth journey.   About an hour after dawn, The Return made anchor at Saltmarsh's main docks, in the heart of its harbor. Everyone had been up already working. From his position on deck as they passed a small island on the way into port, Axel took notice of two enormous standing stones with old runic carvings. They seemed to be archaic, no longer in use.   The docks were already bustling, with some of the earliest rising fishers have already returned with their catch for the Sunday market. The gangplank dropped down and most of the sailors got off with their trunks. The party discussed how they would split their money, shopping for supplies and preparing accommodations for their stay. Scrimshaw requested to distribute two gold pieces to everyone from the pouch of fifty that Festiv had given them before they departed, and then that he be allowed to manage the rest since he had a mind for numbers.  
"You just want to buy alcohol."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"I don’t need none of your gaff this early in the morning."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  As they were discussing this, Captain Ilketh nodded to one of her sailors and disembarked. As she passed the party on the docks, she told them:  
"I’m gonna take the leap."
-Captain Ilketh
"You’re going...to leap?"
"Yes. For Callistan."
-Missus Ilketh
  At the group's continued looks of alarm, Captain Ilketh explained that she was not, in fact, intending to kill herself: The Leap was an outcropping of rock on the edge of town about a hundred feet above the water where it was customary for villagers to jump into the water for loved ones lost at sea. The jump was usually not fatal, though of course there had been accidents before.  
"I’d rather not jump into the drink when a song will do."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  Lily, Kadias and Cailín were all intrigued by the leap, and decided to Captain Ilketh to the cliffs. Scrimshaw, Axel, and Helvella decided to arrange the group's accommodations and food in the meantime. Cailín requested that Scrimshaw not be allowed to carry all of the money, concerned that he would, as Axel had joked, immediately spend it on alcohol.  
"Miss Cailín, I’m a grown man. I don’t need some young thing watching what goes in and out of my gullet."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  At that moment Cailín decided to treat Scrimmy like she would her old man, though her own father had never been as irresponsible with his alcohol consumption. Before she could tell him just that, a commotion began to break out in the market. A group of five humans and three dwarves shouted clearly:  
“Get yer stinkin' yella beards away from our stall!”
-Fisherman
“What te fuck ye calling yella, ye briney fishwife?!”
-Miner
  Most of the group was relutant to get involved. Festiv had warned them of this exact tension in town, and though they all felt that whatever argument was happening was likely pointless and could be resolved peacefully, none wanted to actually step in to try to convince the arguing groups that that was true: except for Lily. The small halfling girl knelt in the sand and drew a circle with her fingers. Cailín, intrigued, asked her how it worked. Lily explained as she marked the edges of the circle with symbols that when she cast her crystals into the circle, the runes inscribed upon them would tell her what to do. If two of the three returned face up, the answer to her question would be yes, and if two returned face down the answer would be no.   Everyone had ended up listening to this explanation and watched over her shoulder despite themselves as Lily asked the runes whether they should try to intervene in the argument. She shook the crystals in her hand and tossed them on the sand: two faced up. Lily smiled and got up immediately. The rest of the group watched with a sort of awe as she approached the group of shouting laborers, all of whom were significantly taller than her, and tugged on the leg of a fisherman's pants. He didn't notice at first, so she tugged again, and he looked down.  
"Not now missy, I’m setting my stores up."
-Fisherman
"Can I help? Is there anything I can help with?"
-Lily
"Help with what?"
-Fisherman
"Well, what’s going on?"
-Lily
"They stink like egg!"
-Fisherman
"Could you just tell them to take a bath?"
-Lily
  The fisherman went on to explain that their actual problem was that the dwarven miners, whose beards were yellow from the nearby brimstone mines, were trying to set up a stall to sell their crystals in the fishermen's "lucky spot". Besides dwarven spot predation, the fisherman also complained that the dwarves' sulfurous smell would turn away potential customers.  
"Excuse me sir, but has it occurred to you that you also stink like fish?"
-Helvella Mossfoot
"What? Fish don’t stink. Fish smell like fish!"
-Fisherman
"...and eggs smell like eggs?"
-Helvella Mossfoot
  The fishermen were adamant in the power of the lucky spot and could not be convinced to share it with the dwarves, despite Lily and eventually Axehlkan trying to convince them that anyone who came to look at the rocks would be enticed for the fish. Lily in particular had a hard time of convincing them of this since she kept looking over at the crystals, desperately trying not to go over and peruse.  
"Ahem, might I be of some help?"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"Hey, pay attention all of you!"
-Helvella Mossfoot
"These dwarves don’t know a good spot when they see one. THIS spot is destined!"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  The miners and the fishermen all looked toward Scrimshaw as he pointed to a different spot across the dirt road, which he had enchanted to appear as though sunbeams flickered in and out above it.  
"That spot has been blessed by Egar himself!"
-Fisherman
"We want that spot!"
-Miner
  The miners and fishermen began to argue over the new spot, to Scrimshaw's demoralization. Helvella decided to work a new angle and sidled up to a single miner, pilling him aside.  
"Hey listen, between you and me, that spots not heavenly, but me and my friends can do magic. So I think you’ll get the spot you originally wanted if you let them get the heavenly spot."
-Helvella Mossfoot
"Aye lassie. That's a good trick. What's yer name?"
-Miner
"The name's Helvella. Emphasis on the Hell."
-Helvella Mossfoot
"I'm Stakuda Tongsbanner. We'll be good friends."
  Stakuda returned to the rest of the miners and hushedly discussed Helvella's trick. After a moment, they announced that they would take the old lucky spot instead of the new heavenly one. The fishermen were happy at first, but then became suspicious of why the dwarves had given up. And thus the arguing commenced again.  
"Oy, what's all this then?"
-Town Guard
  With the arrival of the town guard, the group decided to use the opportunity to take their leave. They had tried to help, but as Cailín observed, the only people more stubborn than dwarves were people who loved the sea, a love which tried to kill them at every opportunity.  
"Miss Lily, we were lucky back there. Now I’ve never seen the likes of those [runes], but we’re in the company of sailors. Keep those out of the eyes of the dumbest. If it’s not Egar or the Sea Saints, they’ll call it witchery, bad luck and curses."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"Your heart was in the right place."
-Kadias Trench
"That’s okay, not everything works out the way you want. What’s important is to try."
-Lily
  With the sun rising higher into the sky, the group split off to follow up on their various tasks.  

Getting Lodgings

  Considering their options for lodging, Axel and Helvella told Scrimshaw about:
  • The Snapping Line: an inn right by the docks, which was favored by fishermen, sailors and laborers with plain but comfortable rooms.
  • The Empty Net: an inn on the other side of the bay, accessible a short distance away via bridge, which Helvella and Axel knew was seedy, favored by smugglers, pirates and mercenaries.
  • The Wicker Goat: an inn farther from shore that was owned by a retired soldier and favored by town guards and the dwarven population.
  The three agreed that the best option would be The Snapping Line, and went to get rooms before they ran out. Outside the Snapping Line was a bounty board, upon which was tacked several wanted posters for various pirates and smugglers:  
  • Swinburne "Two-Toes" Bradford. Wanted dead or alive for murder, piracy, smuggling, arson, and kidnapping. Reward: 200 gold pieces.
  • Rosie "Grog-Crocked" Burton. Wanted dead or alive for murder, piracy, public drunkenness, depravity, and sailing under false colors. Reward: 150 gold pieces.
  • Sigurd "Snake Eyes". Wanted dead or alive for piracy, murder, impersonating an imperial officer, conspiracy, and brigandage. Reward: 100 gold pieces.
  • Sanbalet. Wanted alive for piracy, mutiny, smuggling,unlawful use of magic, conspiracy, and pilfering. Reward: 50 gold.
 
"Looks like we’re gonna go pirate-hunting, huh Mister Scrimshaw?"
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"We’ll see. I’m not much for hunting pirates, but...we’ll see."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  Scrimshaw had heard all of the criminals on the board, and mentioned that last he'd heard, Sigurd and San Balay were working together. Axel mentioned that if they were going to try and take on any bounties, the party should consider investing in manacles.   The Snapping Line was constructed of salvaged ship parts. There was just one barmaid answering several men's voices shouting for "Hanna!" and "claw wine". Scrimshaw watched her grab several bottles of this “wine”—the brownest he'd ever seen, with a flushed expression. Just short of literally pulling his collar from his neck and asking if anyone else thought it was hot in there, he approached the server, ostensibly to ask about lodgings.  
"Miss Hanna, sounds like you might be the proprietor. I don’t want to take up your time, so I must get to the point and ask...about your claw wine..."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"It’s a family recipe. We make it from lobster and potatoes!"
-Hanna Rist
"Are you gonna let me have some of that?"
-Helvella Mossfoot
"Of course. What’s a drink without sharing? Three bottles, please."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"What! No!"
-Helvella Mossfoot
  Once he'd gotten his bottles, Scrimshaw arranged for the party to stay in a shared room with other boarders. Hanna gave Scrimshaw her condolences when she heard that half the group he was making accomodations for had gone to take the Leap, but her face became solemn when he told her that it was Captain Callistan that had been lost. He told her that he'd be singing him a sailor's dirge in the tavern later that night.  
"I don't know if you've heard of the Ring & Wren..."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"...Felstadt fellers?"
-Hanna Rist
"Yeah! If you need something taken care of, you know who to call."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"...Taken care of?"
-Hanna Rist
"He means we’re looking for work! Of the adventuring sort."
-Helvella Mossfoot
"Adventurers? Oh! I think that young feller, Mister Solmor, is looking for someone."
-Hanna Rist
  When asked, Hanna explained that Anders Solmor was a member of the Solmor Family, which made its money through trade and owned its own fleet of merchant ships. Recently, Petra Solmor, the matriarch of the family, had been lost at sea.  
"Terrible business that was. Young Anders inherited the whole lot of it, and got himself appointed to the council as well."
-Hanna Rist
  Axel asked Anna if she suspected any foul play involved in Petra's death, which she did not. He also asked her if she had hear of the Scarlet Order, which she seemed to have never heard of. When he asked her this, he noticed an old, toothless fisherman giving them a hard look.  
"What are you doing?"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"If you want to find someone, let them find you first."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"That’s not been my experience at all!"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  Axel, followed by Scrimshaw and Helvella, approached the old man.  
"Buy yer old man a drink. Fer bein yer senior."
-Old Man
"Tell me a story first."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"Oh, I've got a story fer ye. I was fishin in me boat after the last full moon a couple of weeks ago. Calm waters, they were. And then I feel a big tug. A big tugger! And I pull up this sucker--he be looking like a catfish. And he look back at me, and he speak to me!"
-Old Man
"What’d he say?"
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"...I dunno, I couldn’t understand him! Know what I do? I cut him up! I fillet him and eat him. If it’s from the sea, it’s fish to me!"
-Old Man
"Ugh. Lay off the grog, old man."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
Wait! I’ve got more...an order, blood red they was, come in the night they did…"
-Old Man
  Axel looked the old man over and determined that he was being bullshitted out of a drink. He kicked the old man out of his chair.  
"Why did you do that?!"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"What’s with this violence? If you’re causing trouble, you’ll have to leave!"
-Hanna Rist
  Scrimshaw tried to distance himself from Axel. The old drunk got up off the floor and resumed drinking, offering to tell more tales if Axel would buy him another drink.  
"You can sees it. These eyes have seen all kinds of things."
-Old Man
 

Taking the Leap

  Meanwhile, Lily, Kadias, and Cailín walked behind Captain Ilketh up the cliff to The Leap. A little ways ahead, they could see a woman sitting by herself on one of the stone benches, wearing a dark grey dress, her face covered with a veil. A pair of townsfolk, a human and a half-elf were on their way down the hill. As they passed, the human addressed the group:  
"--I’ll tell ya! Looking like the vision of the old grey woman herself! The banshee! She's there, sat upon that lonely cliff. Gave me the chills! We had to leave. I wouldn’t make the leap today."
-Townsman
  The three asked the man to explain the grey woman. He told them that the grey woman was a ghost who was always looking out to sea, whether from the leap or from the window of her house. Kadias in particular wasn't buying it.  
"The dead don’t just come to the land of the living."
-Kadias Trench
"Oh, you’ll meet the dead soon enough. The dead call this town home. Something about the sea, the spirits get trapped in the tides."
-Townsman
"I’ll make sure I’ll keep track of the chill in my spine."
-Kadias Trench
  Captain Ilketh had not stopped, and so was already at the top of the cliff, beginning to strip, shivering as she did. The three pressed on, undeterred, to join her.  
"Oh, you came after all!"
-Captain Ilketh
  Kadias assumed the human had just been superstitious. But...just in case...you could never be too sure. He focused his senses in to see if any evil or undead creatures were nearby, and didn't pick up on anything. He chided himself silently for being gullible, then went and joined the captain at the edge. Thinking ahead, he decided to make the leap in his armor so that he wouldn't have to climb back up the cliff to get his belongings.   Captain Ilketh said something to herself, then jumped over the edge. She landed feet first in the water and stayed underwater for about thirty seconds before resurfacing and swimming to shore.  
"It's cold!"
-Captain Ilketh
  As Kadias prepared himself to take the Leap, Lily approached the woman on the bench. Cailín paused in between, watching Kadias' jump while listening to Lily's conversation with the supposed Grey Woman.   Standing alone on the edge of the cliff, Kadias thought about Captain Callistan. I wish I could have saved you.  
"A spear through the heart, and twisted in a circle. We will not forget."
-Kadias Trench
  Then he jumped. Under the water was a circle of rocks that stretched deeper than the surrounding shelf into a grotto. Kadias moved a little to the side and waited for the other two to jump. Cailín briefly looked over the edge and waved to Kadias before resuming her eavesdropping.  
"Excuse me, this might be a stupid question, but...do you want to be left alone? Can I talk to you?"
-Lily
"Oh my dear…I don’t feel too much like talking these days, but certainly. You seem like a nice person."
-Grey Woman
"I just wanted to ask, if you feel like sharing, who you’ve lost and who you’re mourning."
-Lily
"My daughter. She was a sailor. I’m waiting for her return."
-Grey Woman
"Was she lost at sea?"
-Lily
"Aye, lost in a storm. It was fifteen years ago, I come up here every day to see…well, I hope."
-Grey Woman
"That’s sounds awful. I’m sorry."
-Lily
  Lily took a green stone out of her pouch and said a blessing of of heart healing over it, then set it between her and the woman on the bench.  
"You don’t have to take that, but I hope it helps heal your heart. It has a little bit of magic to it."
-Lily
  The woman took the stone and felt it over.  
"Thank you, truly. Thank you for speaking to me. It’s not often I have company out here."
-Grey Woman
"Can I ask what your name is?"
-Lily
"Mary."
-Mary
"Hi Mary. What was your daughter's name, if you care to share?"
-Lily
"Her name was Reya."
-Mary
"Reya, that’s beautiful."
-Lily
"You're here to take the leap?"
-Mary
"Yes, we lost a good man on the sea."
-Lily
"Take my most sincere condolences. It’ll feel good. I remember when I did it for my husband. If...in your mourning, you find yourself looking for comfort, I found a lot of solace from a man called Logan Brinehanded. You can find him in the Temple of Egar in town. I attend the service each week."
-Mary
"And that’s been helpful for your soul?"
-Lily
"Yes, I’m sure you’d be welcome, you and all your friends. It's been nice to meet you, Lily. Good luck."
-Mary
Lily got up and joined Cailín at the edge.  
“That was really nice. You’re a special person.”
-Cailín Starksong
  Like Kadias, Cailín also chose to make the leap in her dress, but not because she wanted to avoid the walk up. Cailín had always liked swimming in her clothes. Something about completely suffusing fabric with water made her feel like she was part of the ocean, more than swimming nude did. She closed her eyes, felt the wind on her face, ruffling her hair, and simply stepped off the edge. Her dress billowed around her as she fell, breaking the water feet first like the captain had. She swam up next to Kadias to wait for Lily, invigorated by the jump.  
"That was so fun! Uh, I mean...oh…you know, the wind, it’s like...the ephemerality of life. It’s there one minute and gone the next! So brief, so..."
-Cailín Starksong
"...It was pretty fun."
-Kadias Trench
  At the top, Lily considered leaping for both Captain Callistan and for Reya, but decided not to since Mary hadn’t yet given up hope. She gracefully dove off the cliff, parting the water with her palms together. Despite her perfect landing, she hit the water hard and her vision went black. A black rune pulsed in her mind's eye, telling of pain, discord, imprisonment. She surfaced a moment later.  
"Are you alright?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yeah…I saw...a vision of imprisonment. A rune."
-Lily
"Like a symbol?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yeah, like the language of my god."
-Lily
"Imprisonment...maybe it's like what that man said, who passed us. About the spirits trapped in the tides."
-Cailín Starksong
  As they swam to shore, Cailín asked Lily if she'd ever seen a ghost. Lily said she'd only seen them on purpose.  
"Well done! Callistan would be proud. Four people takin' the leap for him. That's as good as anyone. Now, I must go get my clothes...I'll be seeing you."
-Captain Ilketh
"See? That's why I just jumped in my clothes."
-Kadias Trench
"I just like it when my dress is wet. It’s…nevermind."
-Cailín Starksong
  At Kadias' raised eyebrows, Cailín cut herself off before she made herself sound even stranger. It ultimately wouldn't matter though: on the walk back, the three passed four abandoned shacks shacks along the beach, all of which were swarming with thousands of crabs. In front, a sign had been hastily erected and labeled Crabber’s Cove. Cailín was immediately captivated and stopped the other two to investigate what was drawing so many crabs. She looked around to see if there were any obvious reason they would all gather in one place, but there was nothing apparent.   Lily jokingly suggested asking the crabs, and Cailín had already been thinking of doing just that. Emboldened by the suggestion, she laid on her stomach to get eye-to-eye with the crabs. She listened to their clicking for a minute to tune into their way of communicating, then opened her eyes and began to speak. To Kadias and Lily, it seemed as though Cailín was just speaking common, as awkward with crabs as she would have been with people, looking over to the two of them nervously to get their input on what she wanted to say, since she had never spoken to crabs before. A group of twenty crabs crawled toward Cailín, forming a semi-circle around her and speaking to her from there, clicking their claws in unison.  
"So...what’s up! Are you all having a party or something? I've never seen so many of you gathered."
-Cailín Starksong
"Yes, lots of crabs gathered."
-Crabs
"Is this place special?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yes, this is a special place."
-Crabs
"Why's that? You all just like the rotten wood?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yes, rotten wood is nice."
-Crabs
"Is there something in the wood?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Crabs. Don’t go inside."
-Crabs
"Why, because it’s dangerous? Or because you’re stingy with your wood?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Danger. People go in. Don’t come out."
-Crabs
  Cailín laughed nervously.  
"Haha...are you telling me this cause you like me?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Crabs like you. No one else talks to crabs but Master."
-Crabs
"Master?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yes."
-Crabs
  Kadias and Lily watched what appeared to be a one-way conversation in incredulation. When they heard Cailin mention master, they had to ask her to explain what they crabs had been saying, and then egged her on to keep asking about it since she was worried she was going to somehow offend the crabs by prying.  
"Where is master? Is master nearby now?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Master is always with us. Master is...below."
-Crabs
"Do you all...like master?"
-Cailín Starksong
"Yes. Master feeds crabs....Master says leave now."
-Crabs
"O-okay. Then...I'll be seeing you 'round! I'll come by again to say hi. Uh, that is, when you're not busy. Or if master doesn't mind."
-Cailín Starksong
"Master says return at midnight when the sky is dark."
-Crabs
  This was a confusing and alarming new development. Who had gone to the crab shack? The three theorized that someone had been covering up the deaths or disappearences with the crabs, but if that person was aware of Cailín's presence and not hostile about it, who could they be? With answers not forthcoming at the moment, the three continued on their way, but Cailín decided she would return to the crab shacks at the appointed time. Now she just needed to determine when that time would be. Father down the path to town, the half-party passed a house that had several tough-looking guards posted outside. Eventually, they made it back to the Snapping Line to meet up with everyone else.  

Regrouping

  After sharing their information with each other, the group decided to try and meet with Councilman Anders to get some adventuring work. They asked Hanna about when the council would next and found out that the council meets on Saturdays, so they would have to meet with him privately unless they wanted to wait for another week. They also asked about the house with the armed men they had passed on the way back from the Leap, and she told them it was Inglo the Drover's house.  
"Big fella, keeps a low profile. He doesn’t involve himself in town business much, but seems to have a good relationship with mercenaries, marines, and the like. He's the go-between for merchants needing guards."
-Hanna Rist
  It was early evening by the time the group arrived at the Solmor Estate, s mansion complex in the back of town with a dozen private guards walking the grounds. An older human man, tall, lean and tan with silver hair and short sideburns opened the door when Axel knocked. He looked over the party briefly before asking them to state their business.  
"We heard Councilman Solmor is looking for people to solve a problem. We’re adventurers from the Ring & Wren."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"You’re here on business? Not fans of the young master? ...Business hours ceased an hour ago. My master is in the midst of his evening meal. Shall I interrupt him?"
-Solmor's Butler
"When are business hours? We could come back later."
-Helvella Mossfoot
"...I’ll interrupt him."
-Solmor's Butler
"No, wait!"
-Helvella Mossfoot
  It was too late. The man had shut the door. He was gone for a few minutes, then returned and gestured for the party to follow him. As a means of smalltalk, Scrimshaw asked the man his name. He introduced himself as Scarin Wavechaser.  
"Wavechaser, eh? I hope you've earned that name. T'would be a shame to hear a landlubber calling himself that."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"I've not done much wavechasing recently. I'm sure the details of past are of little interest to you, sir."
-Scarin Wavechaser
  Scarin led the group to the Councilman's office, where the man was bent over a desk covered in charts and navigational tools. He'd been eating and working at the same time, but with the party at his threshold, he stood up and hastily wiped his hands. A young, slight human man with sharp features and a big toothy smile greeted them.  
"Come in, come in, come in! Please don’t let Scarin scare you, haha. He’s our resident grump. But he’s served our family well, so I keep him around. How can I help you? Ah, I get ahead of myself. You can call me Anders."
-Anders Solmor
"It’s actually more a bit of the opposite. We heard you might need some help."
-Kadias Trench
"Lots at risk, no? How might an adventuring party help you?"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"Yes! It’s interesting. I was speaking with our lovely undertaker, Crag--a bit of a historian. Likes to study, spends his time around graves, likes to know who these people are, feel connected to them. He's been reporting incidents with the Hill House on the north road. People think it’s haunted. Recently the dwarves had a bit of a scare. The house is between us and the mine. It used to belong to an alchemist. Alchemist dies, no heirs, it sits there. Now people are talking about seeing woman in the window, lights in the window at night, shrieks from inside. I just want to make sure there’s nothing untoward going on, so I thought we should hire some adventurers to check it out."
-Anders Solmor
"You don’t seem to put much stock in the idea of it being haunted."
-Kadias Trench
"Just the suddenness of the appearances makes me think it might be…"
-Anders Solmor
"Something more corporeal?"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"Something that may…not be benefitting our lovely town here. So who’s the best to deal with that? Adventurers! If it benefits our town, I’m interested in whatever you dig up."
-Anders Solmor
  Next to be discussed were terms of employment. Councilman Anders offered one hundred gold pieces to go to the house and spend one night there to put the ghost rumors to rest, which the party readily agreed to--though they requested that they recieve half of the money up front so that they could buy supplies. Anders thought this a wise request and accepted without need for further persuasion. Axel asked about getting some manacles so they could take on bounties, and possibly being put up in a house in town, since the party planned to set up shop in Saltmarsh. Anders didn't have any manacles to give them, not did he have anywhere to put them besides the servant's quarters in his own estate, so that matter was left to be resolved at a later date.   Throughout the neogtiations, Lily sensed that Anders had some other another worry that he wasn't being upfront about and directed Scrimshaw's attention to it.  
"Mister Solmor, dealing with ghosts is not a problem for members of the Ring & Wren, but local interests are more of a problem. If there there’s more than ghosts in that house, if there are say, dwarves, or other parties you may have a problem with, that's not quite adventurer's work."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"How dare you raise your voice at the master? I think it’s time for you to--"
-Scarin Wavechaser
"--Scarin. It’s fine. Listen. I thank you for your sincerity. I’m not trying to make trouble with you. This town has a pirate problem. A smuggling problem. Those bounties around town were put up by me. This house, the location, the things I’m hearing, I don’t think it’s ghosts."
-Anders Solmor
  Scrimshaw had gotten the wrong idea about what the Councilman's worries were, but now he nodded with understanding and turned so that Anders could see the tattoo on his shoulder.  
"You see this? That’s the navy. And the navy don’t abide by smuggling."
-Scrimshaw
  With the air cleared, Scrimshaw and Anders shook on their agreement. The party took their leave, intending to spend the night in the room they had acquired and go to the Hill House the next day. Before they left, they asked Anders a few more nagging questions.  
"I’d love to know how that feller got the name Wavechaser."
-Scrimshaw Cutter
"It’s his family name. His hair's not white cause he’s old."
-Anders Solmor
"An Ironbeard? Here?"
-Scrimshaw Cutter
  Anders nodded. Scrimshaw felt marginally bad about doubting Scarin earlier.  
"You have fans? What’s that about?"
-Kadias Trench
"...It’s embarrassing to talk about. I don’t know, turns out people don’t like pirates very much, and when you take a stand against them, you gain a lot of fans. And a lot of enemies. They elected me to council, I guess I’m a bit of a celebrity."
-Anders Solmor
  As the group left the front door, Scarin caught them and handed Axehlkan a pair of manacles. He holds the man's arm tightly and said:  
"Master Anders put himself out on a limb with you. If you cause trouble for my master, you cause trouble with me. So don’t go messing things up."
-Scarin Wavechaser
"...When you look into someone’s eyes, you can see their intentions. Look into my eyes."
-Axehlkan Howitzer
"He’s got a lot of enemies. I don’t want you kicking the hornets nest. Just use discretion, please."
-Scarin Wavechaser
  Axel nodded, and the group left to return to the Snapping Line to rest, hear Scrimshaw's dirge for Captain Callistan, and puzzle over the many leads they had picked up throughout the day.

Related Reports

Campaign
Ghosts of the Saltmarsh
Protagonists
Cailín Starksong
Lily Proudfoot
Scrimshaw Cutter
Kadias Trench
Helvella Mossfoot
Axehlkan Howitzer
Report Date
16 Jan 2023
Primary Location