Final Preparations¶

2023-Nov-11

• After devouring a lobster breakfast with extreme prejudice, the party (Beezer included) head over to the merchant ward
  • Rulkorf has them stop in the Temple of Gond and negotiates a half-price rush order on the development of his arcane focus, in exchange for publicity among the druid circles. He needs to return at the end of the day to pick it up
  • Afterwards, the group locates members of the Order of the Gauntlet down by the wharf
    • Kleb’s old drill sergeant, Sergeant Jones, spots him and marches up rapidly for a reunion. He denigrates Kleb’s sword-swinging and martial abilities, but obviously in good humor
    • Lieutenant Hale, the officer in charge, informs them that the next boat heading upriver is Big Mona’s Jackpot, a casino cruise boat that the Order is using to reach Camp Vengeance. It leaves at the next dawn from Dock 41, and the party is welcome to join (for bible study as well as the journey)
  • With substantial internal conflict over how aggressively he ought to be “making his own luck,” Rowan heads to the Temple of Tymora. He flags down a priest, who is friendly but visibly overwhelmed and not particularly helpful
    • Rowan agrees to lead services for the locals. He can’t read, but has memorized the holy texts of Tymora, and as much of the congregation is also illiterate, he relates to them well
    • He blesses the congregants and even performs an impromptu wedding for a couple who couldn’t afford the standard ceremony fees
    • He feels the presence of Tymora and leaves the temple a calmer, more wise, and holier man
  • Kleb searches for foldable boats, and finds one, but the sticker price (800 gold!) prevents that purchase
  • Rulkorf searches for Volo, the monster expert, who is supposedly at the dinosaur pens outside of town
    • Volo is a bald, spectacled man with a large pack and writing tablet
    • Rulkorf approaches him as an anklyosaur, and agrees to aid in Volo’s research by wild shaping, in exchange for a few questions about the local environment
    • His advice:
      • Be vigilant, even paranoid. Check for leeches, and fauna both large and small are to be feared. River is the safest mode of transport but avoid swimming if at all possible
      • Pterafolk and Aarakocra hold each other in check, the latter of whom are fewer in number but great in strength
      • Undead add another layer to the dangers – a paladin necromancer raised an army but lost control of them, and many persist to this day
      • Fog of different colors is dangerous, and can bring poison or illness
      • The Aldani are reclusive and rarely seen. It is unheard of for them to seek a fight unprovoked, or even to leave the water as a group in plain sight