Dicing with Death: Episode 201

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==Synopsis==
As his parents are making preparations for his marriage to Helen, Divan heads to Hearthome to search for craftsmen his village needs. In order to get there, he first looks for a ride there in a fishing village Equinus, where Roxanna offers him a ride to Hearthome. Before he sails off, he learns of a young boy who had his feet turned to stone. On the boat ride, they encounter strange creatures in the swamp, and possibly, medusa's new residence. After arriving, they look for a craftsman and are directed to a man named Heffer, a local reject. Divan convinces him to come to Nekkraut by letting him use his crown to find out more about the village. A few days later, they pack up Heffers workshop and leave, only to run into trouble near the island of medusa's supposed residence.
==Recap==
===1st November===
It is evening in Nekkraut, as Divan's parents talk with the Town Elder about arranging a marriage with Divan and one of his granddaughters. The granddaughter aged around 20 and is 14 Hotness. It has been a long week for Divan, so he retires to his hut to sleep early that night and leaves the wedding arrangements for his family to arrange.
===2nd November===
Divan feels the need for more industry and craftsman to come to Nekkraut. He heard of the town of Hearthome 150 miles to the North-West.
Divan casts which confirms its direction to be to the North-West. Divan uses his magical crown, Sorona, to information about Hearthome. He finds out it is a great trade town. They have smiths, jewelers, artisans, all sorts of craftsmen, and workers. They are a way-point for the Tinker Gnomes who travel by caravan all over the land. Considered the one great town around that will have the workers and skilled people that Divan needs.
Divan studies Adea's Spellbook to learn what the 33 spells on the tablets are. A number of the spells are wild magic spells, so Divan cannot learn them. After 6 days Divan is able to read the whole book.
During the time reading the book, Divan also tries to learn but fails.
Divan is informed by his family that his marriage to Helen will take place this spring rather than autumn, on May 25, when Reluna, goddess of passion, is at her zenith. 
===8th November===
Divan decides to head to Hearthome by taking a boat from the coast west of Nekkraut.
By the end of the day Divan rests near Brutus's Lair and can see the family of giants, who leave him alone. 
===9th November===
Divan leaves the hill lands and enters the forest and heads to the coast. He arrives at the fishing village of Equinus. Divan heads to the piers where the fishing boats are docked. Divan lets the people of Equinus know he is after a ride to Hearthhome.
A young woman with short black hair, Roxanna, volunteers her boat. Roxanna says she has been there before. Her boat is a 25' long sailboat with a cabin and a small hold. It will take likely 6 days to sail there and another 5 back, plus however long they are in Hearthome. Divan offers to pay Roxanna a silver a day, giving a 7 silver in advance.
While in town Divan explains that he fought with the Medusa. Divan is told of a young man in town who was attacked by a cockatrice. His foot and his lower leg turned to stone. Divan is fascinated by his condition and goes to meet with the young man. Divan casts and find the petrified area is sightly magical, unlike the fully stone people Divan had inspected earlier. Divan uses his magical crown, Sorona, to to find out more. The crown reveals that this young-man was kissed on the forehead by a Demigod once upon a time, when he was very young. The Demigod, Lernaea, was the offspring of a human and Nerual, goddess of home and hearth. Divan is told the demigod Lernaea visited 12–13 years ago, and Divan explains this blessing is what protected the boy.
===10th November===
In the morning Divan sails off in Roxanna's boat. Roxanna boat can make 40 miles a day along the coastline. They head north.
During the day they sail pass the salt-marsh. In the swamp Divan sees a weird fat lizard thing with 4 tiny heads. Roxanna says there are weird things in the swamp. 
By the end of the day, they reach the mouth of a large river. Divan uses his Magical Crown, Sorona's to check Roxanna's intentions and finds that she has no ill intent towards Divan, but does have some attraction toward him.
===11th November===
The ship sails west then south along the coast. As they sail south Divan sees some giants in the plains. 
===12th November===
The ship sails around the point of the peninsula and then heads north, up its western coastline. During the day the boat sails past an island and upon it is a giant that has been turned to stone. Roxanna says this statue wasn't here the last time she sailed past 6 months ago. Divan supposes this is where the Medusa now lives.
===13th November===
The ship sails more north along the coast, seeing another island to the west. Roxanna explains they are in a bay with the far shore beyond the islands. 
===14th November===
The ship arrives at the mouth of the river. Roxanna and Divan row the boat up 15 miles of river before arriving at Hearthome late in the day.
Hearthome is a town that sits at the confluence of 4 large rivers (which are a product of many smaller rivers up the stream). Around the city are plains with very few trees. Hearthome is a bustling town, it has a 40-foot high packed-earth lined with a brick wall built around it. The buildings inside are made of mud-bricks, regular bricks, or stone, with the rare wooden structure. All the roofs are thatched, except one tiled roofed building. There is a large temple under construction that appears it will have a stone roof. The population appears to be 4 to 5 thousand. The docks are outside the town walls.
The town appears to have formal town guards unlike Divan's home, armed much the same as the Romulan fighters had been, round shields & spears, but better quality.
Divan and Roxanna head into the town to look for a metalworker to convince them to move to Nekkraut. Divan meets with some craftsmen, with a tale of being able to make something new in Nekkraut whereas Hearthome is well established and stale. The gathered craftsmen aren't convinced, so give Divan directions to Heffer, someone who is called a "reject".
Heffer is a large human male with a hunchback with asymmetrical features on his swollen face, with a producing lump above his left eye. He is 6'4" even hunched over. 8 Charisma (which isn't his appearance stat). Divan greets Heffer and offers him a place in Nekkraut to ply his trade. Heffer is suspicious this is a joke from the other metalworkers in town. Divan places his magical crown, Sorona, on Heffer's head, to allow Heffer to read Divan's thoughts to prove to him that Divan is being truthful. Divan then convinces Heffer to use the ability of the crown to learn more about Divan or Nekkraut.
In the aftermath, Heffer takes the crown off and kneels before Divan, and asks Divan to take him away from Hearthhome. Heffer says he can leave in five days. Divan and Roxanna stay in an inn while they wait for Heffer to be finished. Roxanna is concerned that the weight of Heffer and his belongings could be a problem for her ship.
While at the inn, Divan learns the spell over the next 4 days. Divan then casts to get the materials to cast the spell.
===19th November===
The ship sets off, loaded with Heffer's belongings, south down the river.
===21th November===
Near the Medusa's Island, the boat runs into some trouble.
==Experience==
No Experience given out this episode.
Category:Divan Episodes
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes