The Adventures stand on the high road with the sea on the west, and stand in front of their expensive hired coach. The atmosphere is tense. Down the road, stands a stone giant, unlike any giant they’ve seen before.
Enormous and terrifying, the creature is covered with frozen and petrified objects and faces. Inland, the trees have been seen to shake in the distance, synonymous with huge shapes moving through the greenery. Giants, most likely.
They’re close to Luksum but there’s still a ways to go yet.
They stand facing the creature, ready. Londer rains down the pain with the giant slayer, spraying its blood on the road. There’s talk of a banishment spell from Thoradin. He yells: “Be gone, THING.” The creature dissipates, as if he fades out of existence.
They take their chance and run back to the coach, clamouring to get on board. The hired help sigh with relief and the coach takes off with a jolt.
As they rush forward, Lia sees out of the corner of her eye a flash of lightning in the forest. Her spidey senses tingle. She turns and sees through a crack in the trees two stone giants, surrounding a ruined wooden keep with an iron door. They tear at it with determination, trying to get inside.
She asks the group in a low voice, “Should we stop?”
“I say let’s go!” says Thoradin. Everyone nods in agreement.
The coach hurries on into the fast approaching mist. Lia is quiet, lost in her thoughts on the scene just passed. They sit in silence and watch the cold overcast sunset, beautiful in its way.
* * *
Darkness falls. The Adventurers decide to press on, and ride hard through the night.
Thoradin and Gunther start bickering about who can see further in the night. Miss Moss scoffs and pulls out her night vision goggles with swagger. “Beat that.”
Lia rolls her eyes and starts meditating. Leshanna suggests everyone with night vision take shifts to watch for danger, and promptly falls asleep.
Those paying attention see spectral figures floating in the mist. The night is long.
* * *
As the sun rises, Luksan, the city of sails, appears in the distance. An icy river races through it with deep cliffs on either side. Where the river meets the sea, the water is tumultuous and dotted with small islands and ships. An enormous tower, the host tower of the Arcane Brotherhood, dominates the skyline, with fingers jutting out. Very little is known of the Arcane Brotherhood or how the organisation works, but its fears and well known through the land. Each of the Adventurers stop at the sight of this famed building. A big black plume of smoke emanates from the harbour of Luksan. Rooftops peek through low lying fog.
The carriage reaches the doors, and everywhere they look they see grim shadows. The buildings are grimy, salt streaked and nothing like the romantic seafaring songs the place is famous for.
Luksum is known to be held together by political groups known as ’The Ships’, factions that keep the palace in check. Membership is high in this town.
The Adventurers make their way into the town. The sun rises and the smoke rises with it. The streets are more or less empty.
* * *
Gunther spies some people running down by the harbour. He urges the coach to head that way.
As they get closer, they see throngs of people. It’s a vision of chaos. The smoke is rising from a huge ship on fire. Bodies are strewn about. Townsfolk race with buckets of water to put out spot fires while the ship burns ferociously. The wounded cry out for help. They notice that the sea itself is filled with the bobbing corpses of frost giants, charred and blackened. On the ship, more frost giants lie dead.
Some tend to the wounded. Others, more senior folk perhaps, appear to be watching and waiting for the fire to go out.
* * *
“I think the townsfolk fought off the frost giants with that tower there,” says Thoradin, pointing at a tall tower perched on an island.
Gunther scampers off to get the low down from a stunned local. “They came under the cover of darkness and tried to take Luksum. If it wasn’t for the Brotherhood, we’d be gone.”
He moves to rejoin his people and Gunther asks if he recognises him. “We’re heroes!”
“Eh? Well, I suppose I do. And we are in need of some heroics.”
Gunther quickly relays their recent skirmishes with stone giants. The man thanks him for the intel and urges Gunther to get some rest. Gunther presses him for an introduction to the Brotherhood.
The man laughs heartily. “We don’t do introductions.”
Miss Moss attempts to join the dialogue, asking if he knew the drowl Jarlaxle, but he cuts her off. He rejoins his party, then signals at Miss Moss in the distance.
He looks like a pirate or sailor, down on his luck. He beckons her to come.
“My lady, you mustn’t speak that name out in the open, ” he admonishes.
“Perhaps we will speak a little later. Meet me tomorrow at the tavern by the pier. One Eyed Jack’s. Call me Jalandin.”
Miss Moss shakes his hand.
* * *
The adventurers follow Jalandin’s nonsensical instructions to find a tavern for the night. The place is grim and filled with colourful characters who look like they know their way around a blade.
People in robes pass by, possibly members of the Brotherhood. They dismiss the coach and head into One Eyed Jack’s.
* * *
It’s a rugged drinking din, filled with old salty dogs, travellers and drunks. Miss Moss approaches the bar and orders a round of ales from a tough barkeep.
Miss Moss attempts to eavesdrop on the conversations around her, and hears a lot of talk about the fire and frost giants. People are clearly nervous about it. She also picks up that One Eyed Jack’s is somehow factionally allied with Ship Kurth, and the High Captain, Benigo Kurth of House Kurth.
Lia orders a round of fish for everyone using secret signals with the barkeep. He nods and barks orders at the kitchen. A pretty basic game of dice is taking place in the corner. Thoradin wanders over with interest.
Miss Moss scans the room for her next person of interest. She sidles up to a gruff figure at the bar. She peppers him with questions, and he replies warily that he’s stuck here waiting for a ship.
Thoradin looks around for dwarf brethren, and orders an ale for a likely stranger. He slides it over and says, “Here’s to swimmin’ with bow legged women.”
“Much obliged. They call me Ronan.”
Thoradin asks, “Tell me friend, have you ever heard of the Trackless Sea?”
Ronan chuckles. “Not much of a seafarer than yourself?”
“The trackless sea is the name we give to the sea beyond the Sword Coast. Once you get beyond the main sea around the harbour, the sea of swords, everything beyond that is the Trackless Sea.”
“Is it hazardous?”
“Yes, but not much is know of the trackless sea.”
“Have you heard of a foul ship known as the Malcous?”
“No, what do you know of it?”
Thoradin turns red and says, “Och, it’s just a little something I’d like to know more of. How would you go about finding out about it?”
Ronan says, “What you need is time.”
“Oh aye.” Thoradin raises his hand to order two more ales.
Lia sits in a corner intently watching the scene as she whittles some wood. Gunther sits in another corner, attempting to busk. He sings songs of the sea, and of the people he sees.
“You there with the one eye, Oh I could sing a song for you….”
The mood in the place instantly shifts; feet start tapping and punters try to sing along with Gunther.
The group decide to call it a night and stay at One Eyed Jack’s, shabby as it may be.
* * *
The next day they awake surprisingly refreshed and head to the bar to wait for Miss Moss’ contact, Jalandin.
He enters soon after, doffing his hat at Miss Moss. They head to a booth.
Thoradin and Lia slide into the booth behind Miss Moss. Gunther slides in and sits too close to him. Miss Moss offers him an egg. He accepts.
“Now, you mustn’t ask about Jhbvfsrhk.” Miss Moss apologises again.
“I have something of a proposition for your little team,” he says sadly. “But first I must tell you a little something of what have happened. I was recently on a ship The Wren. It was shipwrecked and I believe I am the only survivor.”
Miss Moss puts a hand on his shoulder.
He goes on.
“There was a lighthouse burning on the cliffs, and we thought we were safe. But it was a lie. We were headed straight to rocks and the ship was dashed.”
“I’ve seen the lights on the cliffs since. But there’s no lighthouse there. I believe it was intended to bring us to ruins.”
“It appears from time to time, and not everyone sees it. It burns only at night. I have no suspicions and I am tired. I am but one man.”
“It burns between 1am-3am most nights. The next burn, I believe, is happening this evening….and should you help me, I will put you in touch with Jarlaxle.”
Miss Moss clarifies: “So, you want us to find out who is causing the light?”
He says firmly, “I want you to stop the same fate from happening to any other ships. I want you to save lives.” He begins to draw a rough map on a napkin, and explains that it’s several hours north, high on one of the cliffs.
Gunther thanks him and bids him good day.
* * *
They start debating their plans for the day. Leshanna wants brunch and some winter clothes. Lia wants to get a good look at that Tower. Gunther wants to do both.
They find a nice little pirate eatery with nice coffee, mimosas of the deep, and smashed avo. It’s a big enough town that they’re easily equipped with basic provisions for the frosty trek ahead.
Gunther ponders a blimp and asks a local for directions to the nearest Ye Olde Blimpe Shoppe. He points down the road. “What you want is Old Sneezers. That way.”
* * *
They knock on the door. An ancient old man opens the door with curiosity.
“Hello…!”
“Are you Sneezer?” asks Gunther politely.
His eyes widened. “Oooooo!” He disappears for a moment and returns with a party balloon.
Gunther looks disappointed and says they were hoping for small blimps.
The old man casts a spell and he rises into the air holding the balloon above him. “How about now?”
The group oohs and ahhs appreciatively.
400 dollars each.
He explains that it works 4 times for 10 minutes per flight and holds just one person. When the time is up, it gently floats to the ground and won’t work again without a long rest.
Gunther hesitates and asks for the next level up. The man looks crestfallen. “It’s the best thing I’ve got.”