Day 11 - off to Northlake

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Day 10
After some discussions the party opts to head initially for Northlake with the intent of then moving on to Far Haven.
Gohde nods: “Right, well I will inform the squad that is heading up that way – I suspect that you won’t be able to set out properly until tomorrow. I’ll be back shortly.”
Gohde heads off to brief some of his men, and the party finds itself at a bit of a loose end for about an hour. When Gohde does return it is with a group of 6 of his men.
Gohde (to his squad): “OK, so these are the folks that will be accompanying you, let me give introductions”
Gohde: “Sergeant Rohl’dal, will be in charge, Kinogel, Fannor, Kvasir, Flaumosa and Todd. The plan is to move up to the highway near the bridge and camp there tonight. You will be setting off first thing tomorrow. Suggest you get to know each other a little, I will catch you this evening and pass over letters of introduction and what information I have.”
The rest of the day is a gentle stroll over towards the highway, a suitable campsite is located near to the main highway, but out of sight of the bridge. During the walk introductions are made.
Rohl’dal: Male Halfling, Druid/Cleric of Shanah – friendly but not overly talkative.
Kinogel: Male Human, Cleric of Wyldwood – will be leaving the squad about halfway through the journey to see if he is allowed access to the Wyldwood church in Stormhaven. Very chatty, and whilst obviously considered and thoughtful – not necessarily the sharpest knife in the block.
Fannor: Male Dwarf, Ranger/Druid – The squad second in command, obviously a seasoned veteran.
Kvasir: Female Ariel, Fighter/Cleric of Wyldwood – might be departing with Kinogel, it will depend upon how the journey goes and the attitude of the Elves encountered. She has a very broad accent that makes he difficult to understand unless you listen carefully.
Flaumosa: Male Human, Magic User – not particularly friends, seems to object that the squad has been lumbered with dead weights.
Todd: Giant, Palladin of Wyldwood – larger than life character in every way, almost overly friendly.
The squad is obviously used to working as a team, and despite Flaumosas obvious reservations quickly incorporate the party into their marching order. Again, familiars are nowhere to be seen, but it is noticeable that whenever one of the squad peels off to scout out ahead or on the flanks by the time they have moved more than 30 yards away from the party they already seem to blend in to the surroundings.
Camp that evening is a generally relaxing and friendly affair, about halfway through the meal Gohde appears and after grabbing some food, gives the party a briefing on Northlake. The squad listen in, but are obviously aware of all of this.
Day 11
The party and squad break camp just before dawn and walk over to the highway, once on the highway everyone is given a tabard with the Alveran coat of arms prominently displayed on chest and back. Then Rohl’dal concentrates and appears to be surrounded by a glowing suit of armor, he then casts a spell and moves to the head of the group.
Rohl’dal: “Lets March”
NOTE: I will be writing up the trip to Northlake next week, in that time you can address questions to Gohde and the squad. After next Friday (25th) Gohde will no longer be available.
Northlake
Major Personages
Duke Adamas (Male Ariel): Lord of the City, close friend of the King
Sir Garth (Male Human): Marshall, in military command of the city garrison and watch, sponsors and runs a warriors college, known locally as the Dragonriders Guard.
Sparrowsight (Female Ariel): Head librarian of the Imperial Studies college, since funding for the college was massively reduced, she has become somewhat of a recluse. Gohde can provide you with letters that will get you in to the college, but after that it is up to you.
Shan Swordbearer (Male Ariel): High Priest of the temple of Shanah, simply known as “The Temple”, commands the cities Cavalry force, unusually is close friends with Golderod.
Golderod (Male Human): Priest of the Wyldwood shrine, known as “The Defiance”.
Box (???): Supposed head of the underworld/criminal fraternity, gained his/her name from the habit of dismembering his/her enemies and packing the body parts in a crate left out on the highway.
Other People The Party Need To Know
Jurrage (Male Dwarf): Owner of the “Falling Star”, an ex-Pathfinder and good friend. Gohde provides you with letters of introduction.
Apana (Female Human): An elderly senior priest of Shanah, again ex-military and used to be Cagruns commanding officer. Again Gohde will provide letters of introduction, she may be able to assist with getting to Far Haven.
City Areas/Locations
The Citadel: Contains the main keep and Duke Adamas’ residence along with the main city barracks, the courts of justice, city watch headquarters and of course the jail. Generally you should stay away unless you have business in the area – just in case.
Royal Docks: Berthing for a small number of warships, plus also the city granaries and central storehouses are to be found here. With the city still considered under siege, this area is heavily patrolled and monitored.
Dragonriders Guard: Northlake has always had a military college, generally held in very high repute, nobody is really sure where the name comes from. The current college head Sir Garth is also the city Marshall and it is said that he personally oversees every graduation test.
The Citadel: Contains the main keep and Duke Adamas’ residence along with the main city barracks, the courts of justice, city watch headquarters and of course the jail. Generally you should stay away unless you have business in the area – just in case.
Inner Quarter: Primarily the living quarters for families of the city garrison and watch, there is a small market area – primarily food produce. The only two inns in the quarter are almost exclusively patronised by the military and what rooms they do have are reserved for visiting soldiers.
(Note: The Pathfinders will be staying at the Sword and Anvil Inn in this quarter)
City Docks: Handles all of the civilian trade across the lake, this used to be a bustling area as a quick way to ship and receive goods from the central north cities such as Far Haven and the nomadic tribes of the North. Whilst this trade still takes place, the demands of war have focussed attention on foodstuffs, weaponry and ore, rather than exotic good. Still, trade remains strong and this enables the city to keep food prices reasonable. There are a number of taverns in the area, but few with accommodation, and even fewer without unwanted guests hiding in the mattresses. If you must stay here then the Lakeside Palace Inn is probably the best of a bad bunch.
Lakeside: This small district, only part of which actually adjoins the lake is populated by the well to do larger merchant houses.
Eastern Quarter: Primarily a residential area, many of the occupants farm smallholdings out to the east of the city and so the Eastern gate is nearly always crowded in the early mornings and evenings with people travelling to and from their small farms. Generally a reputable area, there are a number of decent hostelries in the area, although only a couple offer rooms – and even then only one or two.
The Sprawl: Every city has an area where the ne’er do well congregate, and for Northlake it is the Sprawl. Cramped winding alleys with little light make it difficult for the city watch to keep full control here. Recently there have been several mass sweeps through the Sprawl by the city watch supplemented with the military. Rumours are that they are looking for someone, although the more believable reason is conscription and rounding up any deserters.
Southern Quarter: A large residential area, properties close to the main road tend to be owned by the more affluent, whilst those in the back streets, particularly to the East have more dubious tenancy. The western side of this quarter houses the red-light district, heavily patrolled by the watch it is unclear who maintains order here – the watch themselves or the brothel madams, in any case this is probably the safest place to walk at night alone in the whole city. Note that as the main thoroughfare to Stormhaven passes through this area, the inns here are well appointed, clean, serve decent food – but are extortionately priced. The Elven invasion has of course reduced traffic on the highway to a minimum and so sometimes a bargain can be negotiated.
City Market: A collection of wide alleyways spanning the central crossroads, nearly all of the properties here are shops of varying size and quality. Similarly the alleys will often see traders set up stall, under license from the authorities of course. Any time of day the visitor to this area will be presented with a wide variety of goods and services.
Shanah Temple: Known locally simply as “The Temple”, this large ugly building houses a large number of Shanah clergy, led in worship by Shan Swordbreaker. There is also a small garrison of knights maintained by the temple and dedicated to the defence of the city.
Defiance: A shrine to Wyldwood, set within one of the city parks, Golderod leads a small but devout body of priests in maintaining the park and the shrine.
Old City: The original settlement of Northlake centred around this district, and though most of the old properties have been torn down and replaced with nobles mansions a very small number of the old Elven houses still survive, now owned by wealthy nobles as a talking point.
Northlake College: In its heyday this College maintained somewhere around 150 students of history, particularly focussing on the old Elven kingdom. Nowadays the Library is empty apart from Sparrowsight the Head Librarian and a few die-hard self-funding students. Much of the collected writing, particularly that relating to the Elven military has been shipped out to Starport but the library it still a treasure trove of historical information – if only one can find it amongst the shelves and shelves of scrolls.
Craft/Merchants Quarter: The focus of most of the manufacturing industry in Northlake, unlike most cities where the craftsmen tend to congregate in jewellers quarters, smithies etc. here the industries tend to intermingle and you can find a weaver next to a smithy and opposite a candlemaker. There are a number of decent quality inns to be found in this quarter, and since their normal clientele are visiting merchants looking to pick up goods – prices are very reasonable. Particularly well known is the “Falling Star” inn, a large establishment with an excellent reputation, normally securing accommodation would require pre-booking but with the war, there are deals to be had.
Guildhalls: At the South end of the Crafts quarter can be found a collection of Guildhalls, of particular prominence are the Weavers and the Jewellers guild. The Northlake Guilds do not particularly control pricing or ability to practice a craft within the city, but focus on providing support to their members, acting more like clubs than traditional guilds.
Western District: Another residential area, mainly containing the Ariel community, the houses in this quarter are all characterised by not having westward facing windows. This quarter is the most affected by the dust that blows is from the Cracks of Doom, and often the streets are covered with a fine layer of dust that turns to sludge if it rains. Other than Ariel, most people avoid this area for that reason and there are very few Inns.
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