Interlude One

General Summary

When the wave surged ashore, dozens of ships were beached, with several washed inland and left stranded as far as Wharf Street. Many of Riddleport’s piers were ruined, and several of the smaller buildings along the waterfront were damaged, including the Inn of the Golden Master.
Over the days following the event, the crimelords and overlord of Riddleport mobilized in a way rarely seen, working together to put out fires, save citizens who were swept out into the harbor, and kill angry and disoriented reefclaws, sharks, and other dangerous sea creatures that suddenly found themselves stranded in the city streets.
In the aftermath, the cost of the damage to buildings and structures rose into the tens of thousands of gold, and the total number slain or swept out to sea by the wave was unknown (thanks to the city’s inefficient census practices), although the more conservative estimates place the total number of victims between 150 to 200. Yet despite the disaster, Riddleport was quick to forget the trauma. Those who weren’t directly harmed by the wave had little compassion for those who were, while those who were affected were universally quick to turn the event from disaster into opportunity. In the days and weeks that followed, the chaos on the waterfront made for ripe grounds for smugglers, looters, and other violent criminals. Ships that were further out to sea returned to find many of their competitors no longer in a position to work against them, and the balance of power among the various pirate captains had shifted dramatically (not that many outside of that violent subculture noticed much difference).
As for the Gold Goblin, a great deal changed in one night.
Saul Vancaskerin was a thief, a gambler, and a criminal. When he first came to Riddleport, all he wanted to do was to make a name for himself. Over time, his hunger for power cost him his family, his hand, and his reputation. Now, Saul was a man trying to make good with what few years he had left. He wanted to get out from under the shadow of his past, but in a lawless city like Riddleport that was far easier said than done. Especially with a shadow as large as Sauls.
After the heroes had left to track down Alyuin’s body, Beyar spoke several of the gendarmes who had arrived on the scene. One of them, his sister’s cousin, confessed that Overlord Cromarcky had altered the patrols that night, which was why it took so long for them to show up. The news frustrated Beyar, but Saul assured him that it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Overlord Cromarcky might not have been quick to aid the Goblin, but he wasn’t siding against them either. By doing what he did, the Overlord was sending the message that he’d washed his hands in the whole ordeal, leaving it to the parties involved to settle things on their own.
As far as retribution from any of the other crime bosses, the only one Saul could link to the attack with any degree of certainty was Boss Croat. Humans were involved, and Boss Croat was unlikely to employ human hitters. Saul wanted to believe Clegg Zincher was involved somehow, but there was no proof to link him to it. Besides, there wasn’t anything Saul could do to Clegg anyway as far as retribution went. But Boss Croat?
Three days later, Saul and his new bouncer Ichol went to Boss Croat personally to deliver the gold Alyuin had left to Saul. Croat was surprised to see him and didn’t try to hide it. Saul produced the gold, plus a couple hundred more to cover the tax he knew Croat would levy on him at the last minute. Boss Croat watched with a great deal of satisfaction as Ichol carefully piled the coins into even stacks, then pushed them forward like a gambler going all in and betting every chip he had.
Saul watched the obese half-orc lean over and pull the coins to his blubbery chest. “I hope this takes care of the thing between you and me,” he said.
Boss Croat looked down at the coins, looked up at Saul, and stuck out a hand. “You and me,” he said, “we’re good.”
Once they had left the compound behind, Ichol confessed that he thought they were going to be killed once they’d handed over the gold. Saul smiled and said it was the cost of doing business, and both he and Boss Croat had paid dearly.
After repaying his debt, Saul had no idea how he was going to repair the damage done to the Gold Goblin. He’d been thankful that the tsunami had stopped short of flooding through the huge hole in the side of the gaming hall, but it still needed to be repaired. Bojask had left Saul with a great deal less gold than he thought he had. Beyar offered suggestions, but Saul sat at his desk and rubbed a piece of his formerly lucky statue, hoping for a miracle, knowing he didn’t deserve one.
A miracle did come, and it naturally came from a Devil.
Old Scratch, specifically.
During the chaos of what folks were calling the “Night of the Starfall”, Old Scratch had escaped his bindings. However, he did make good on paying off his debt to Saul by leaving behind some jewelry and gold that covered his debt. A few nearby businesses that had been damaged by the tsunami were missing a number of items that bore a striking resemblance to the items Old Scratch left behind. Coincidence, most likely. With the treasure Scratch left behind, Saul began the renovations. His planned to not only repair the Gold Goblin but upgrade several rooms as well.
He also thought about getting out.
Saul’s biggest problem, which stretched back to his gambling days, was knowing when to walk away from the table. Bojask’s betrayal was an eye-opener for Saul. He realized that he was an old man, and to survive in Riddleport as an old man you needed allies, money, or power. Saul had no money. He was earning a living with the Goblin, and before the raid had been turning a tidy profit. But with his lucky statue gone, and a general murmur throughout the city that the Gold Goblin might be cursed, Saul wasn’t sure how long that upswing was going to last.
Vancaskerin also had no illusions that he had any leverage left in Riddleport. The crime bosses across the city tolerated him at best or despised him at worst. His name was garbage in town, and no matter how he tried to turn things around he just didn’t see his standing in the city getting any better. He’d wondered if it wasn’t the Goblin, but Saul himself, which was cursed.
The Bojask betrayal weighed on Saul. Back in the day, he never would have been caught off-guard like that. Saul had been a gambler as well as a criminal back in the day, and Bojask wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. Saul should have been able to see the betrayal coming. Should have expected it. Instead, he lost his hand again, and almost died again. Sure, the heroes had helped him out time and time again but Saul wasn’t a fool. They weren’t business people. They were muscle, adventuring muscle. They’d never settle for working in a gaming hall. When they finally left, like adventurers do, Saul would be alone with no one to watch his back. He’d be an old sick wolf surrounded by young, hungry wolves. Natural selection would take care of the rest.
Saul had considered cutting his losses and fleeing. Unfortunately, what Bojask had skimmed from him left him far more destitute than he thought. If Old Scratch hadn’t paid off his debt, Saul would never have had enough money to repair the Gold Goblin. After everything that had happened, Saul was back where he started.
It seemed, however, that fate had other plans for him. Help came from the most unlikely of places – a dragon. A gold dragon.
The Inn of the Golden Master had been badly damaged by the tsunami. A small fishing vessel with one wooden wing fastened to the side of it was shoved through the front door, along with hundreds of gallons of ocean and one big shark. If it hadn’t been for Krusher Kurosh, the half-giant bouncer, who killed the shark, things could have been much worse.
@Kenoshi approached Saul when he got wind that Vancaskerin might be interested in selling the Gold Goblin. Saul didn’t trust him at first, knowing Kenoshi’s previous and current association with Clegg Zincher. But Kenoshi was one of the few people in Riddleport whose word actually meant something. When he vowed to make payments to Saul, they agreed on a deal.
Saul decided to take his retirement by hopping a boat to Korvosa and spend some time with his idiot son who had actually made something of himself. Maybe he’d open up a gaming hall in Korvosa.
As for the Gold Goblin, for the interim Kenoshi planned to complete the renovations and add the Golden Master staff to the current roster at the Goblin. He intended to reopen the fighting pit in the basement as well.

Report Date

19 Mar 2019