Drawbridges connect the place, at least four large islands in Luskan. There is an enormous amount of things to see, the most important and obvious being the Host Tower of the Arcane.
The Tower is a simply gargantuan black structure, like a charred tree trunk, which looks like there is a hand on top of it, with other hands joining, arms of a black tree. The towers and turrets are enormous fingers of this big black thing, famous across Pherun as the Arcane Brotherhood.
The Arcane Brotherhood are mixed up in all kinds of things, including a school for training wizards. The blast had come from the tower.
The main city expands over a river, the River Mirrar, which heads all the way to Mirabar, an important trading place. It’s a much easier passage getting to the North Shore of Luskan.
There is a giant water tower and immense keep as the gang approaches the docks of the open shore. It’s a keep clearly run by the Mirabar Watch, almost a separate City State in the town, manned by the City of Mirabar.
The tower is set against the area where the cliff rises, providing less view than where the adventurers were standing. The wall is steep and they can’t see.
But, it’s nicer here, even with the knives flashing in the laneways. Around Jacks is one of the most dangerous places in all of Pharun and the Sword Coast put together, rough as guts.
This is like the Wink and Kiss in Yartar, underworldy haunts, only peopled by real salty sea dogs and underworld figures. It’s a mess of laneways, an incredibly romantic location.
Luskan evokes ideas of joining the pirates, sailing the seven seas. Many songs and stories come from this place. We’ve all been here before, but it’s fucking shit – miserable, hard, rough, which doesn’t diminish the romantic quality of it, but it’s not a Disneyland of piracy; its a real place with hard edges.
The place is held together by the factions, the Ships, the Gangs, Factions. Five of them, relationships between them are always changing, with deals, backstabbing, alliances shift and move, wars in the past spill over to the present. Luskan operates on a knife edge.
The adventurers pass the headquarters of the Ships. These aren’t actual ships, but the factions are known as Ships, like mobs.
No police rule this place, the whole place is sketchy, like Deadwood. Being a Ship doesn’t mean you’re an organised crime group, but it’s not far off.
The gang march up to the North East of Luskan, where there’s another set of piers, with smaller vessels bobbing gently on the dark sea. A seadog at one of the end of the pier leans against a post next to a smallish vessel. He looks available for a chat, but importantly, he has an empty vessel.
Londer: “Hello my good man!”
Seadog in a thick dialect: “Glasueroiuewoifjslkjflskdjflskjfsdj”
Londer: “Right, great. That looks like a nice ship!”
Seadog: “Soifjlsakjdf;lskdjflksjdf”
Londer: “Is she for hire?”
Seadog: “She hires!”
Londer: “Just a bit of a fishing trip”
Seadog: “No questions, none asked!”
Londer: “Are you part of a Ship? Tell us about yourself!”
Seadog: “Sdlfkja; sldkjf; laskdjf…” {chapters of talking, new section, new story, goes forever, nobody else can fit a word in}
Lodner: “That’s lovely!”
Seadog: Takes swig of drink, very drunk “DSLKfjalskdjf;laksjdf;lksdjflkjasd!”
Londer: “Do you think the weather will be favourable for rock climbing? We’re going to climb those cliffs over there.”
Seadog: “Aaeyy;lkasdjflkasjdflkjasdlfklskjdflkajsdlfkjasldfkja;lskdjf”
The seadog starts inviting the gang onto the boat, making it clear that he thinks they are fucked in the head, idiots. The seadog holds hand of the womenfolk. Lea swats him away, Miss Moss sniggers.
The salty seadog puts the sail up, and off they go.
The cliff is quite fast to get to, and within 40 minutes, they’re at the base of the cliff though still a little out so the boat doesn’t smash against the rocks. The exact location is tough to pinpoint, though, and the cliff is pretty high and pretty vertical. The sun is setting on their backs, it’s about 7.30pm.
Londer wants to climb the wall, and have Thoradin attached to him, but Thoradin makes it clear that the proposal is highly undignified.
The gang have to swim to the cliff, and when they hit the bottom rocks, they’re a little wet, a little cold.
Without further ado, Lea begins climbing, already mountain-goating her way up the cliff. Thoradin sees her doing that, and says, “I want a mountain goat! Where are the mountain goats?”
Nobody answers.
None of the gang has any trouble getting up the face of the cliff, but it’s graceless, there is no style at all, but they all get to the top a third of the height of the cliff. There’s a little ledge to hang out on. Those who are flying fly.
Waves crash below, and now it’s getting really dark. There is still some dusky light, but when the gang looks up, the cliff towers above them.
They all feel the frission of the exciting adventure ahead. When they look out across the water, they can see the lights of Luskan. It’s beautiful. Cliff walking at night is absolutely lovely.
Lea is like a pig in shit.
Thoradin is getting his stride, like the K2 guy, getting fitter as he goes. Thoradin is feeling invigorated, Brian Blessen, when he hears the unmistakable sound of rock crumbling and turns quickly to see Miss Moss lose her footing, clambering, flailing, looking for something to hold on to.
Thoradin watches Miss Moss fall ungracefully down the cliff face, at least 50 metres below everyone else. His mouth is agape. Miss Moss manages to just hold on in the nick of time.
Gunther climbs back down expertly and Miss Moss climbs gratefully onto his back, shaken. But, this also doesn’t go too well. Miss Moss climbs on Gunther’s back but when he’s getting ready to take off back up the cliff, he can’t move. She’s too heavy. Miss Moss gets off, looking sheepish.
Londer anchors his piton into a crack and dangles it to Gunther and Miss Moss. Miss Moss fastens herself to the rope, Gunther nearby, and they make their way up. Londer calls softly to guide them. At that moment, pitch black descends.
Nigh vision goggles firmly in place, Miss Moss can see in black and white, shade and light. Londer can’t see shit, and has to wait until Gunther catches up so he can put his tail in his mouth. But, Londer can’t see his hands. It’s a problem, because Londer can’t climb.
Leshanna calls out, “I can do something cool…!”
She can move someone up the hill. Londer is freaking out.
Gunther keeps trying to put his tail in someone’s mouth, while Londer is taken up by Leshanna with one of her special spells. They fly straight up to a much more comfortable environment, a craggy rocky top with patches of grass and trees. Pretty safe and pretty empty. Perfect.
Londer and Leshanna are there at the top of the hill, with the onshore breeze flicking their hair away from their faces. The others are still climbing, slowly but surely.
Thoradin dips his finger into his jar of holy water and sprays, mutters, and blesses his friends.
Lea rushes ahead, never looking back. Gunther makes a song about how Thoradin is making everyone high. Lighthouse Family, Getting Real High. Gunther sings, on and on. It’s beautiful.
Miss Moss feels embarrassed at her climbing, her face red with shame. She’s thankful it’s dark for the rest of the climb.
They all finally make it up.
Londer is having a drink, making a fire. Thoradin, horrified, throws water over the fire, while Leshanna, without hesitation, stops, drops and rolls.
The wind has picked up.
Miss Moss needs a minute. Thoradin gives her some chocolate and a lovely healing potion, and her morale is restored.
It’s very dark. Most of the gang can see much the same terrain – top of the cliff looking towards Luskan.
It’s a moonless, cold night. They’re living in black and white.
The gang don’t know exactly where the light is going to be. It appears “UP THERE”, no exact pinpoint was ever given to them as direction.
Suddenly, three large figures can be seen dragging something towards the edge of the cliff. Thoradin can see the shapes of them. He’s hidden by a rock with a hood over his head, he’s very stealthy.
Thoradin is the furthest north. The giants – which is what they look like – are even further north. Three figures walk from the forest to the edge of the cliff, with two of them pulling something huge.
The secret gang bird call is now an owl, not a song bird. It’s indistinct.
Everyone understands.
Thoradin readies a spell. Just in case.
Then, they see the light. There are three frost giants. One is standing beside or holding an enormous magic flame of some kind, it’s burning. Like a huge lantern. The giants are standing on the cliff edge, holding it up.
Beside the frost giant is his friend cranking a metal handle that turns a mechanism surrounding the light that spins. There’s a small gap that as it spins, it comes to look like a lighthouse.
Another frost giant is revealed sitting on a fallen tree trunk smoking a pipe. This giant has a tricorn hat and navel jacket, glinting in the light sits a giant scimitar. The other frost giant holding the lantern is wearing a bear skin vest, kerchief and shorts. The lanky one cranking the mechanism has a tattered jacket with tails.
Londer and Miss Moss move closer. Thoradin and Lea can see there is discussion going on with the giants, animated, between the two with the lantern. The one sitting down is saying something from time to time, but they can’t make out what it is.
Is it an elemental inside the lantern? No, it doesn’t seem like it to Thoradin, but he can’t be sure.
Miss Moss can tell the lantern is magic, definitely seems magic. She knows the frost giants hav ea long history of navel presence, and ships, and travel, and it doesn’t seem that weird that they are dressed like that. They are no stranger to the sea.
It doesn’t look like they’re happy, there may be a little bit of argy bargy going on between them, they don’t seem that happy. Body language doesn’t seem happy. They are not looking outwards at the sea.
Lantern is a very huge metal thing, a lantern isn’t exactly right, an iron maiden. A big metal thing that one is holding.
The giants are near the cliff. They make a plan to frighten the giants off the cliff into the sea, with Gunther creating a hallucinogen where there looks like a road is leading off into the sea direction.
Lea fires a dart at the giant. It hits. The giant says WHAT THE FUCK!