Session 3 - Arriving in Seahold

Feb 13, 2022
 
Three days into your journey there thunderstorms, but no rain, merely heat lightning. The Captain has the masts shipped - a momentous undertaking but the crew is efficient and obedient and barely grumbles at all as the masts and sails are taken down to avoid lightning strikes and fires on board ship while the thunderstorm rages.
On the midmorning of the fourth day, a clipper ship comes into view from the east, tacking into the following wind that you are running before, coming from the opposite direction. As it continues to approach Mate Marako will inform you that the colors and lines of the ship mark her as one of the Dwarven Patrols. They have the advantage tacking into the wind, as their beam is lower and draft is less since she is unladened and can tack faster than the Silver Swan could run direct before the wind. Not that they would dream of trying to outrun or avoid one of the Dwarven Patrols in these waters. Besides, your crew is still settling the masts and rigging back into place so there's not much speed at the moment... unless Rhys would like to turn into a blue whale again and tow them?
The ship is a five-masted clipper with tall sails and a light draft, and she tacks gracefully before the wind, leaning onto her turns thanks to some kind of outrigging floats that are being magically raised and lowered as the ship zig-zags toward you at an impressive speed. Within the hour the ship has come within hailing distance, and a steely-gray pennant emblazoned with a black warhammer and a red rose in bloom beneath a crown of gold that gleams against the sky which the sailors will tell you is the sigil of the Dwymir Vale, the Dwarven Nation currently ruled by Queen Elspeth Brighthammer, in Valehome, up the river several days.
The Arms Master from the other ship uses Sending spells when the ship is in range and commands the Captain to prepare for the ship the Scrimshaw, to come alongside. Messages are sent by reply of their identity and bearing and intention to comply and soon enough, the Scrimshaw is alongside the Silver Swan within 30 feet of running.
A contingent from the ship uses some kind of teleportation magic on their belts, apparently, and appears on your decks. Pleasantries are exchanged with the captain and the Arms Master, who are speaking in Dwarvish, a gruff but fast language. There is a great deal of discussion spent gesturing to the blue dragon head and skin which are still curing on the masthead. There are glances and gestures in your direction as well, and finally the Captain returns to Common parlance.
 
"Armsmaster General Stoneboot, this is the Coterie of House Ummo. It is they who have slain the blue drake, in compliance with the orders of their lord, Purr'tan Ummo Meksu."
Stoneboot gives an approving nod, then says to Captain Nylasha, "Very well. My crew tell me everything seems to be in order from your manifests. You have permission to continue on your present course. We'll inform Seahold to expect you within the next week or so, seeing as how you're ladened. They'll be expecting you thereabouts. And we can finally stop warning folks about the dragon. On behalf of the Realm, we thank the Purr'tan for his service."
The dwarven contingent activate something on their belts with their hands again, and once more they seem to teleport or dimension door back over to their own ship. The clipper falls away to starboard and begins making a graceful turn before resuming their original course, tacking once again into the wind and leaving the Silver Swan to continue on her way.
 
Daily life on board the ship is very routine, and also very boring. Anyone with a negative Con bonus needs to make a series of Con saves DC 10 against Sea Sickness, which grants you Disadvantage to everything you try to do while sick, including sleep, and makes it so that you cannot eat. Pietr can remove the sickness with his paladin skills, but every day is a new save.
For the rest of the party, you have 10 days of downtime for the rest of the journey. Your options on how to spend the downtime are limited to things that you have brought with you and which can be done on the ship. Carousing is not an option but you could find crew members to dice or gamble with. Your Backgrounds as Far Travelers, coupled with your recent success against the assassins and the dragon, means that at least on board the ship every member of the crew is going to welcome your attention, since everyone wants to ask questions about where you call home. Socializing is at Advantage.
Take a few moments and describe what your daily routines are going to look like while you're on board for the rest of the voyage. Use this as an opportunity to give some insights about your character. Weather tends not to rain, since immediately to your north is a desert that stretches northward to mountains which are decently far away over the haze and dunes. And besides, the captain will steer slightly more to the south to try and keep with the last of the currents driving into the straits. Fog and lightning storms are common, but precipitation is not. At most a few showers here and there over the sea.

 
Umlilo gave us and some of the crew sweet blue dragon tattoos (Pietr got his on his left forearm). Rhys gave performances of a lifetime. Espy assisted magically with those performances. Vedemis fished. Pietr socialized and play cards, with anyone and all and the captain, who then showed him how to play a stones board game (Go). This include an embarrassing drinking result where I awoke in a stupor, tied naked with a female sailor to the mast in the crows nest.
 
The Captain will come to the party and let them know that the dragon hide has been cured enough that it can be taken down off of the masthead, and the trophy of its head is being preserved by her own magic as a Cleric of the Sea God. But she says,
"We can find a place to store both the head and the skin, or we can leave them where they are since they're doing no harm. While I'm Captain of the Ship, you will have your own business in Seahold when we arrive. Do you want us to enter port with the trophies displayed, or hidden?" We chose to take it down.
At the end of the voyage the sea traffic begins to become more common. Dwarven clipper patrols are more common, but aside from simple hails communicated via light flashes and minor illusion colored flags of semaphore, they don't pull alongside or detain the Silver Swan.
Islands and sandy tols become more common to the south as you approach, and the current and the winds become more fickle, slowing your approach. A low, jagged mountain of stone rises to meet you as you come to the point where the land connects and the straits come to an end. A wide and slow river tumbles down from wooded hills that lead up, up, ever upwards into mountains... and then up even higher beyond them into peaks that seem to float above the horizon, disconnected from the earth below them. And you realize that the 'mountains' you have been looking at are merely foothills, and the real mountains are carrying the clouds on their shoulders, rising impossibly high even beyond that, even at such a distance away on the landscape.
The desert to the north gives way to wadis and scrubland slowly, becoming sparse grasses and grasslands among rocks that shelter copses of stunted trees in their leeward region, a land of ravines and oases and fountains and springs that incredibly gives rise to a thick forest of oak and running water, white water rapids that cascade quickly down to the sea, and support the thick forests of the Dwymir Vale proper, and give rise to the slow river.
 
The stub of a mountain which is leftover at the mouth of the river is a volcanic caldera which has blown away at some point ages past off to the southwest, scattering massive boulders and outcroppings of pumice and obsidian, black sand beaches and pink quartz tidal hills and basins, making the approach to the base of the city treacherous indeed.
And it is a city. The crescent of the remaining rock around the central bore that was exposed when the volcano last blew has been carved on the outside into formiddable defenses, with canons and trebuchets and mangonels and ballistae at every crenellated terrace along a single winding and switchbacking path of wide stairs to the top. The central bore has also been carved into terraces of individual homes and shops, stretching from the deep harbor which occupies the cavity where the magma chamber once formed.
Small ships bearing the Dwarven National flag row out to greet the Silver Swan, bearing Official Guides who it seems are coordinating all of the clogged shipping traffic in and out of the many different treacherous paths through the shrapnel of the ancient explosion into the harbors proper for the city of Seahold.
The officials who come on board the Swan hand the First Mate a small set of flags with unique colors on them which the Mate instructs the Bosun immediately to display at bow, midmast, and stern. By the time the orders are given the official instructs the team to await these signal colors from the Guide Ship and they will be brought to the commercial docks when they get to them in line, which should be a few hours as it's busy today.
The Mate gives a nod and hands over an extra pouch for 'docking fees' and the official nods, checks the clay tablet they are carrying, and says, "I mean, in about an hour and a half. Of course. You'll be happy to note you're unloading near the markets themselves, of course. Should make up the time in the harbor wait lines when it comes to getting your goods to the warehouses." And with that, the official climbs back over the side and down into the Guide boats.
 
After about two hours the Swan's berth in the waiting shallows outside the busy harbor is flagged for them to follow the guide ships in. For anyone on deck it quickly becomes apparent that the wait was not exaggerated. There is a veritable maze of channels punctuated by islands and rocky outcroppings, all with different depths able to handle various vessel drafts and beams as they maneuver in and out of the clear channels to the docks inside the crescent cavity of the caldera. The guide ships seem to be constantly casting spells and using what look like Sending Stones to the Arcane users in the party in order to coordinate which ship is going where. Although chaotic on the surface, there is obviously a very meticulous and orderly system to it all, demonstrating Dwarvish practicality in action.
As the boat comes up to the docks Captain Nylasha will gather the party in her cabins for a quick council. "Welcome to Seahold. You will have the run of the Lower City like any other guests of the Dwarves. The Hold itself occupies the upper levels and is accessed by invite only. North along the bottom level of the Lower City you will come to a small bridge that will lead to the Villa of House Ummo here, should you get lost. There are other residents of that island and it's a pleasant enough place with parks and terraces to explore if you like. Just in case at some point in time you get lost.
But I can see that no matter what Jokku thinks he's given you as far as equipment goes, you'll likely want to stock up on certain things. I'll let Larento know. He's the Family Agent here, sort of like Jokku's assistant locally, though of course Larento answers to Jokku in all things. He'll be here presently to accompany you from the docks.
I need to see to the offloading of the cargo here and have some personal business to attend to. I will call up at the Villa later this afternoon. In the meanwhile, you will have some time to do some shopping. As the Coterie, you will of course have an allowance, but I can't tell you what that is as I don't know. Perhaps Larento will know.
 
There are several places nearby which might be of immediate interest. The Makerspace is a gated trading area where those artificers and traders in magical items and consumables make their daily trade. If you are going there, I'd go there early because they close at dusk each night. While you might be able to purchase some items outright, it is far more typical that you trade for them with magic of your own, or by taking on quests and favors to be paid out when you complete them.
There is a normal bazaar here, and several food stalls and things. That stays open until the dinner bells after dusk. (about 8pm).
There is a bath house for massages and the pleasures of the flesh for those who need to refresh and recharge. They will also have sartorial services there as well for those in need of grooming or barber services.
There is a wine house which serves excellent Parnathi vintages and desserts. I highly recommend relaxing there. It becomes busy at dusk so reserve your table with a silver to the host early even if you aren't yet ready to lounge.
And there is a stall which sells clockwork curios next to a Pet Store for those looking for exotic pets as well as interesting forms for your familiars to adopt.
And lastly there is a kenku Illusion Vendor named Keeroks. He can get you access to vistas, performances, special effects, illusory terrain and such things to add to your personal repertoire. He's also willing to pay fairly to copy one of your illusions should you have interesting battles or creatures or scenes or stories and performances to sell or trade of your own.
 
Ah, there is Larento on the docks now. Disembark now and tell him where you need to go in the city, and he will handle the rest of the details. And remember, I'll meet you before the dinner bells at the Villa, even if we end up with alternate dinner plans. Enjoy Seahold, it's a fun little town."

 
The captain anticipates at least a week, if not two before they go.
We met with Lorento on the dock and informed of a stipend of 5000 gp each credit for spending in the city. We also were informed of dinner expectations with allies of house Ummo.
 
We made our way to the makerspace first. Pietr commissioned a +1 shield and traded a +1 scimitar for a +1 longsword. Rhys obtains a necklace and a date from the vendor. Vedemis got some arrows and Umlilo got some spells.
We rested while Rhys attuned and Umlilo scribed. Then we were attacked by a fiend and some mephits. When we killed the fiend, it transformed into the vendor (Daeva). On her person, we found a note:
 
"As promised, here are a thousand gold and two souls trapped in a Mirror of Life Stealing. Destroy Silvereyes at all costs. Their Patron must not speak with him. -Shen"

 
Lorento contacts Jokku right away and we are to return by teleport as soon as possible, which is to be tomorrow. However we’re also summoned to the council to hear accusations of Murder for the Blue Dragon in the morning. Then Captain Nylasha arrived and things got hectic. We learned the patron of the House is an Ancient Silver Dragon. We’re still having the Alvar family in for dinner.