KWN.3.1 Exploring Everlund

Session Preface

Overhead, a pristine blue sky spreads across the bustling path towards Everlund. Scatterings of pillowy clouds gradually pass as the crowd grows more and more closely packed together approaching the gate. Carts pulling casks of ale, wheels of cheese, crates of fruit and grain, and sugar. An older elven gentlemen in a billowing cloak just ahead of you nods politely, a box of wine bottles in his arms. An orderly queue forms, those gathered quite accustomed to the wait and order of things. To either side, farmers tend to the fields of wheat. A pair of children hop off of a cart behind you shouting and screaming with glee as they chase each other playing a game of "guard and robber." You watch with amusement as other children from among the crowd join in, the game spilling over into the fields with laughter and cheers. The early autumn morning passes slowly as you draw closer to the gate.
Seeing into the city proper, Everlund is a stately, orderly city. Rich, vibrant colors splash across the city from the bright banners displaying family crests or merchant sigils and clay storybook tiles painted in deep blues and greens rise in orderly rows down the street. Everywhere you look, a diverse cross section of citizens meander through the walkway. As you step forth to the threshold, a pair of guards in simple leather armor with a green valley insignia depicted across the chest. One holds a hand up to you while the other holds up a ledger, dipping his quill into ink.
"Welcome to Everlund, please state your names, purpose, and disclose any goods you'll be looking to sell while in the city as well as arms you may be bringing."

Session Summary

Upon paying their entrance taxes, as well as covering several groups behind them with a generous offer, the companions enter the city of Everlund. On their way to seek out the Helmites at the Keep of Vigilance, they are approached by a merchant offering maps dressed in an over-the-top adventurer costume who introduces himself as Mercato and provides them a fully-detailed map of the city for a gold piece. With their directions in hand, the party make their way to the southeast corner of Everlund.
As the travel through the city, they overhear a great deal of excitement about an arena, several individuals discussing bets and favorites or underdogs in a flurry of overlapping conversations. Shortly before approaching the Keep, a dwarven woman's voice carries out across the noise, announcing that thanks to a lost bet, the hunting lodge, Stag at Bay, is offering free drinks at a regular's expense. Pax takes them up on the offer, downing all three free beverages offered to the party. While doing so, the party meets Leo Laughingsteel, the proprietor, and learn a bit more about the city.
Leo shares that there is indeed a great deal of excitement surrounding the Champion's Arena that began operating a couple of months ago south of the city. Funded and owned by the Zoar family, the patriarch of which serves on the Council of Elders, the new form of entertainment has exploded in popularity with a wide gamut of events involving duels, monster hunts, or other feats of athleticism. He points the party to a woman named Irisien if they wish to place bets, sign up, or learn more about the innerworkings of the arena itself.
Upon approaching the Keep of Vigilance, the party arrives just as an afternoon mass concludes and observe as the priest, High Water Merek, greets each attendee at the doors of the sactuary, many of whom seem to be wealthy merchants introducing their daughters to the priest who appears awkward in most of the interactions. Once the queue finally slows, the party introduces themselves when the High Watcher invites them in to discuss a fortuitous opportunity of their arrival.
As High Watcher Merek eats a late lunch, he explains that the Zoar family have announced a new, secretive event called "The first Champion's League" in which teams of four combatants compete in a series of challenges for a great rewards and reptutation. In short, Merek offers the party all of the compensation rewards in exchange for the Keep being able to sponsor them to further highlight their capabilities in handling contracts for the merchants of Everlund.
This reputation is all the more important lately, he explains, because the Council of Elders recently voted to break from the Lord's Alliance following the fallout between the Silver March and Sword Coast members of the organization. As such, independent factions are in the midst of a heightened atmosphere of competition for expanding operations. Excited by the opportunity, Aethuriel readily agrees, and the party begins considering who might be their fourth member and what their team's name will be.
After dropping off their belongings in the bunks available at the Keep, the party ventures back to the Bell Market to resupply. Along the way, they are asked to wait as a band of mercenaries guide a cart carrying a caged strange monstrous cat south towards the arena. At the Bell Market, Aethuriel first stops at Uraerik's Smithy where he pays 150g for the craftsman to carve runes into the hilt of his blade to allow a colleague to enchant it for him. While browsing, Tristain also orders a custom set of game dice, each with the sigil of the Triadic deities.
Leaving the smithy, the hungry party discover an inviting kebab stand where they enjoy the Pork & Pork & Pork kebabs on their way to then picking up health potions, stabilizing ointments, and potions of poison resistance from a firbolg herbalist. Finally, Pax visits the Fetching Fletcher and picks up three of the artificer's arrows that split into multiple bolts capable of hitting adjacent targets.
As the sun sets, the companions head to the Missing Minotaur, a bustling and crowded tavern. A half-orc outside bottlenecks the long lines to enter the bar, but is happy to let the companions proceed when Aethuriel offers him 5 gold pieces. Inside, the party discover a multi-story structure with subterranean floors dug out beneath them where combatants challenge each other to pit fights for coin. On the floor above, private seating allows VIPs to watch on while the rest of the onlookers crowd around on the ground floor or vie for limited seating on the top floor with a view of the entire tavern. As the evening passes on, Pax buys a few pitchers of cheap beer and snags a table for he and the Knights to watch the ensuing battles.
Among the bouts, the party watch two goblins fight tooth and nail until one, announced as Leechbrain, wins with a violent display of dominance. After a few other bouts of less interest, the proritier, Strongjaw, introduces the current champion, Bonefist and his competitor, Masterbreaker. The party looks on with great interest as the two face off, but ultimately the goliath makes relatively quick work of the dwarf, knocking him out with a devastating blow of bending his back over her knee and throwing him to the ground. Even after the fight is clearly over, the dwarf charges desperately at Masterbreaker, only to be backhanded to the ground once more. Ignoring the coin presented by Strongjaw, Masterbreaker announces "This dwarf is wanted for crimes against the city of Silverymoon. He is mine to claim when I return," before reclaiming one of her seats at a VIP table and sitting in the shadows, alone.

Session Overview

Date Played:
March 23, 2021
Party:

• Aethuriel
• Pax
• Tristain

Time Passed:
Eleint 1, 1493 (AM) - Eleint 1, 1493 (PM)
NPCs:

• Mercato Representative
• Leo Laughingsteel
• High Watcher Merek
• Uraerik Thaurongol
• Katelyn Drake
• Nelaser Mithanmyr
• Golineth Yraudhen
• Strongjaw
• Grub & Leechbrain
• Bonefist
• Masterbreaker

Loot:

• 4 Potions of Healing
• 2 Stabilizing Ointments
• 2 Potions of Poison Resistance
• 3 Arrows of Splitting
• 6 Custom Dice (ordered)
• 1 Blade Enchantment (ordered)