Meeting Smitty Jaskir

**Story Arcs**

###### **GUIDED BY THE LIGHT**

Enlightened with the prospect of becoming a paragon on behest of Lathander, Ashes smiles and thanks Hope for everything, gathering the group back outside to discuss their next steps. Leopold and Bogladin didn't offer much in terms of ideas or plans, so Ashes acting as the pseudo leader for the group says that their next destination will be to go to speak with Smitty Jaskir.

Leopold is confused as to why in the hells he would want to go back outside, in the wrong direction and away from his own objective towards the Western Zensufi Ziggurat. Ashes persuades Bogladin, while Leopold needs no convincing as he is just tagging along for the adventure.

Worried but finally giving into the notion, Leopold agrees to come with - and the group begin to head out immediately towards the Bloodied Coast, a dangerous shore that leads towards the artisan blacksmiths home; as well as being the quickest route towards their destination.

###### **TRAILING ALONG THE BLOODIED COAST**

Reaching the beginning of the Bloodied Coast, it was almost immediately apparent without even visual sight that something was amok, the foul stench of death was in the air as the smells of rotting flesh and decaying corpses could be smelt along the salty breeze. Right near where the smells began a wooden sign staked into the sand could be found, reading the following:

"**DANGER!** Be aware that you are entering the Bloodied Coast at your own personal risk! This beach is home to many dangerous giant crab! They roam at night hunting for food, and will eat humanoid flesh. Though the thought of corpse looting may sound opportunistic, don't become part of the pile of dead bodies that litter the already haunting beach... Don't say I didn't warn you!" and at the end the signature of Smitty Jaskir can be found, noting him to be the one to write and leave this warning here.

Around the back, one of the trio spot and find a symbol etched into the wood written in thieves cant. Nobody in the group is able to deduce the meaning behind the writing, and there is also a piece of paper is adhered to the wood. Pulling the paper off the sign triggered a minor illusion spell, which caused a loud noise to occur.

The sound of a man screaming loudly suddenly echoed from the sprung trap, which caused several curious and hungry giant crabs to come swarming to the sudden source of sound, ranging in sizes from as small as a dog to as big as a wagon. The party ready to defend themselves and fend off against a small wave of crabs until they reach an abandoned but partially destroyed shack.

The shack is in ruins, a part of the ceiling has collapsed and has littered the ground with rubble, there is a corpse of a recently killed human who has been killed by one of the killer crabs around the area. The party takes the moment of calm to clear out the corpses from the area, looting through the remains of a wagon and various dead adventurers and profit seekers.

Noticing the afternoon setting sun, the group take rest inside the slightly cleared up shack and prepare themselves to push onward to meet with Smitty Jaskir.

#### 📅**DAY SIX (THE LEGENDARY BLACKSMITH)**

##### 👥**MAIN GROUP - CHAPTER 4**

###### **THE SOUND OF A CONCH**

Despite some tossing and turning and the occasional scuttle of nearby beasts walking across the sandy and blood stained sands of the Bloodied Coast, the party get a fair amount of sleep and prepare to continue forwards towards Smitty Jaskir.

Before moving ahead, the party take notice of a dock with a fishing pole resting on the floor, attached to something underneath the water. Ashes takes off his equipment and swims into the water, pulling out a sunken chest from the depths. Ashes thanks Lathander and prays using his Signet of Lathander which activates and summons a radiant spirit hammer which helps bash the lock off the sealed, airtight chest. The party disperse the loot, and move on.

Pushing ahead the group fights through some more giant crabs with relative ease, but are surprised to see a constructed watchtower with a monster perched on top, a kuo-toa. The kuo-toa spotted them in return and blew hard into a conch which it used to warn its cohorts of the intruders. The group fights their way through the beach dispatching several kuo-toa sentries.

###### **THE PATH TOWARDS SMITTY JASKIR**

After killing the monsters, the group press on towards the direction that Ashes got from the weapons merchant he bought the Light Hammer of Lathander from. Following the shore and coming across a strange sight, the group see a beached paddle boat as well as a few skeletal corpses on the sand, along with a few potions littered along the beach.

Coming up to examine it slowly, the group encounter some more potion mimics and are able to fend them off with relative ease, but a few of the potions littered around were legitimate, the most noteworthy being a transformative potion capable of giving the imbiber wings capable of flight lasting temporarily.

The group move on up the hill where Smitty Jaskir is supposedly currently living.

##### 🔨**THE LEGENDARY BLACKSMITH - CHAPTER 2**

###### **MEETING SMITTY JASKIR, THE LEGENDARY BLACKSMITH**

Moving up the hill the group see a very sturdy and somewhat recently constructed single building at the peak of the hill, and as they approach they can hear the sound of an anvil being struck with a blacksmiths hammer.

As they come closer to the home, the group see Smitty Jaskir and what looks to be his son who takes notice of the group as the half-dwarf smith works. The small child flees from the sight of Ashes into the homestead, and the group introduces themselves to the blacksmith who is surprised to see travelers come this far to visit. Smitty asks for the reason for their trek here.

Ashes takes out and shows Smitty Jaskir his work, the golden Light Hammer of Lathander. Curious and shocked to see it in the hands of the goliath, he instantly asks how he obtained it. Ashes reflects on his acquisition and the story he was told by the blacksmith, leaving Smitty upset at the news of the young paladins early demise.

The half-dwarf hides the grief quickly, and tells Ashes that he is happy to see it be wielded by one of Lathander's faithful.

###### **INSIDE THE SMITTY JASKIR ESTATE**

Being invited inside, the group step foot into Smitty Jaskir's home. Leopold arrogantly comes inside with a lit pipe and is promptly scolded and asked to step out by Smitty's wife, Marrora Jaskir.

The group chat for a bit with the family and then after Leopold finishes his smoke and comes back inside, the group are invited to come into Smitty's armory and office to discuss more. Heading down the stairs into the basement, the group make their way into this so-called armory.

Entering the door which Smitty had to unlock, the room was filled with all sorts of intricate weapons and armors being displayed or kept hidden inside various chests or boxes. Being led to the table the group sit down and talk.

###### **A SKILL FOR A FAVOR**

Ashes tells Smitty of his desire and interest in learning the art of blacksmithing, which Smitty is happy to oblige in teaching the devout paladin; if he and his friends do the half-dwarf a certain favor.

Smitty tells the group for his reason of why he doesn't reside inside the walls of Jaskir, and explains that as a result of the Raid on Jaskir which occured twenty-five years ago he was left in a major depressive state after the loss of someone very dear to him, a person which he didn't elaborate the connection with.

After the loss of them, he fell into alcoholism and during one bar crawl he got into a scuffle and accidentally killed a young human man around the age of eighteen. As a result of his actions he was stripped of his rights and citizenship and was cast outside the walls by the mayor herself, Lawretta Stowen.

Once he was cast out, he set off to better himself and after five years of constructing a home for himself on this hill, finding a wife and having children, and eventually cutting drinking from his life entirely; he has been sober for more than twenty years at this point and believes he should have a chance to earn his citizenship back and to finally let him and his family lead a more normal life, inside the walls of a city.

Ashes and the group agree to help Smitty Jaskir, and are called to come upstairs by his wife to eat the food she prepared. After having a delicious home cooked meal prepared by the half-elf woman, the group are given access to the guest room to rest for the night, which they take advantage of.

**Story Arcs**