Runelords 18.0 - Turtleback Ferry

With preparations complete, the group set out towards Turtleback Ferry. The twenty-day trip was a series of walks and short ferry rides; though Eamon brought Sebastian, there was no direct road leading there and they left their wagon behind in Medinipur. Aldern’s house was left in the care of Shadliss, as were the two female iron ravens Juliet and Rosaline; Romeo obviously also stayed with his mistress in the city.
The trip was uneventful and wet, as the rainy season progressed. There was a copious amount of unwarranted singing from the two bards, particularly while on boats, and Ilsa was cajoled into joining them a few times. Though food was generally scarce for the two undead, as they were afforded little privacy from the ferrymen and Ilsa, they could go for the better part of a week without eating and managed to buy some exceptionally overpriced chickens from a suspicious farmer in a tiny hamlet they passed through.
Eventually, they had made it to the last leg of their journey: a rower brought them all to Turtleback in a boat that may have actually been made from an enormous turtle’s shell as night fell. The old rower was a talkative sort, and they learned various things about the town they were about to make landing in: the Black Arrow mercenaries, oft daily visitors normally, hadn’t been seen in weeks, nor had anyone who had made their way to Fort Rannick to check on them; an off-shore gambling vessel, the Paradise, had sunk a few short weeks ago and brought several people to their deaths, the blame apparently laying on a local legendary sea monster; giant turtle shells periodically came ashore here, whereupon the people could make them into boats, giving the town it’s name. The rower was surprised and glad to hear that they had been sent from Medinipur to investigate the fort: it was their only source of protection from monster attacks, and most locals hadn’t really expected city-dwellers to take their fears seriously. He gave them directions to important places in town as they docked, and advised them to speak to the mayor in the morning at the church before setting out. They thanked him for all of his advice and stories, and Virgil gave him an exorbitant tip. He was thrilled at the generosity, or in Virgil’s particular case, his gluttonous waste, and offered them any assistance he could provide in the future.
After landing, Virgil, Khyrralien, Eamon and Ilsa made their way to the local bar, the Jolly Walrus, while Aldern and Luna went rather to the inn, the woman generally sick of spending time in close quarters with the bards. Ilsa recognized a friend from her past and sat with her, inviting Eamon over while Khyr and Virgil distracted themselves with entertaining the drunken patrons of the bar. Ilsa’s friend was glad to see her, and doubly so that people had come to find out the fates of the Black Arrows. She was concerned about ogres: monstrous human-like creatures that relished barbarism. The Black Arrows were their only defense, and if they were out of commission, the people of the town were in great danger. 
As the night wore on and the group became ever more inebriated, they talked to various people around the bar. One farmer swore that problems were being caused by a weather-controlling witch, while others thought ogres were to blame for the disappearing mercenaries. The night culminated in the two drunk bards, assisted by a drunk Ilsa, convincing a very drunk Eamon to let them do a line of cocaine off of his naked behind. Eventually, they closed the bar, whereupon the bards retired to the inn to have a threesome with Khry’s “girlfriend” Stacy, who was a hunk of brie. She did not survive the encounter, but was delicious.
The next morning saw Ilsa and Virgil nursing terrible hangovers. The others met in the church/town hall with Rajdeep Luthra, the mayor, also the local cleric of Erithidor. He thanked them in advance for their efforts, and warned them of possible dangers: others had already gone missing.
As they met with Mayor Luthra, Virgil petitioned the innkeeper for a glass of water. As the man leaned over, his shirt pulled up slightly, revealing part of a tattoo that looked identical to the seven-pointed sigil that had been repeatedly showing up in their endeavours recently. The devil tried to inquire politely about it, but the innkeeper shut him down, denying that he had any tattoo, and that the seven-pointed tattoo was only for sinners. Virgil backed down, his headache bothering him, and he returned to his room, stopping to ask Ilsa about it on the way. She knew nothing about people having tattoos, but promised to check herself for one in case it was some sort of magical brand that the innkeeper legitimately didn’t know about. When the others came to collect their hungover companions to leave, Virgil told them of the tattoo. Frowning at what may be the work of Xanthia’s mysterious sister, the group set out towards Fort Rannick.
Category:Rise of the Runelords