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[JosephWongKS]

The very first crossbow you ever mined

Uh, what?

Excellent flavor, by the way.

In this world, crossbows come fully formed out of the ground and you just have to know where to dig for them.  Conversely, no one knows how to artificially "manufacture" a crossbow - it's equivalent to transmuting lead to gold in our world, and would require about the same amount of technology and energy. 

The very first crossbow you ever mined

A clarification: do we pay 25 AUW for modest lifestyle daily or monthly?

It's a monthly expense.


I've also prepared a rough regional map of Aqualonia.  Again, the map is incomplete and only reflects what Durin Stronginthejaw personally knows of the terrain.  Objects in the map are also not to scale.



The ancestral lands of Clan Stronginthejaw are somewhere to the southeast.

[Dariush]

That river... how exactly does it flow from the lake that another river falls into and into the ocean?

[Grek]

Such matters of geography are unimportant. We have drunks to recruit!

Go recruit drunks.

[Aklyon]

Such matters of geography are unimportant. We have drunks to recruit!

Go recruit drunks.

Drunkenly.

[JosephWongKS]

That river... how exactly does it flow from the lake that another river falls into and into the ocean?

If you are curious, in the future you could finance (or obtain external financing for) an expedition of adventurers to the lake.

[Dariush]

That river... how exactly does it flow from the lake that another river falls into and into the ocean?

If you are curious, in the future you could finance (or obtain external financing for) an expedition of adventurers to the lake.

Uhm. Okay, let's rephrase that: do this world's laws of geography, geology and physics correspond to ours? And if yes, are you aware that such a setup is impossible IRL?

[JosephWongKS]

That river... how exactly does it flow from the lake that another river falls into and into the ocean?

If you are curious, in the future you could finance (or obtain external financing for) an expedition of adventurers to the lake.

Uhm. Okay, let's rephrase that: do this world's laws of geography, geology and physics correspond to ours? And if yes, are you aware that such a setup is impossible IRL?

No, I wasn't aware that such a set-up is impossible.  But not to worry - you can assume that there's something interesting to do and/or find in every location on the map, and if there isn't I'll quickly make you aware of it.  My purpose isn't to frustrate you or to make you go through the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure equivalent of pixel-hunting or force you to play "Mother May I", it's to create interesting or at least amusing content for everyone.

[Grek]

Honestly, the map is alot better than most fantasy maps from a geological/geographical standpoint (crossbow mines not withstanding) than most fictional maps.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the Zambezian mountains trail south as they go off-map, wrapping around Lukano a bit as part of a subduction belt along the west coast of the Sea of Dakuqawa. Almost certainly a recent event, geologically speaking, moving northward, given the presence of the Aqualonian penisula. The mountains west of Zambezi are probably an earlier orogeny, which would put Zambezi as a very hilly country which may or may not be prone to earthquakes. Meanwhile the thus far unnamed mountain east of Mkoro's Tears probably has both rivers near it flowing northwest; one from the mountains down into the lake and one from the lake out to sea. It's a bit odd that there's a lake there, but maybe someone built a dam at some point.

Geopolitically, I do wonder how you end up with a name like 'Sea of Dakuqawa' next to a city called Aqualonia, but that can be handily resolved by declaring that Zambezi, Lukano, Mkoro and Dakuqawa are all native words and that Aqualonia, the Misty Forest, Lantern Dolphin Gulf, Meadpoint and Firestar Bay were all named by foreign colonists from across the ocean. That would go neatly with Aqualonia being a Free City, since they could very well have won their independance from whichever overseas empire it is their ancestors initially came from, thereby declaring themselves a Free City. Maybe the ceded from the Bloodstone Kingdom. Who knows?

[Dariush]

Geopolitically, I do wonder how you end up with a name like 'Sea of Dakuqawa' next to a city called Aqualonia, but that can be handily resolved by declaring that Zambezi, Lukano, Mkoro and Dakuqawa are all native words and that Aqualonia, the Misty Forest, Lantern Dolphin Gulf, Meadpoint and Firestar Bay were all named by foreign colonists from across the ocean. That would go neatly with Aqualonia being a Free City, since they could very well have won their independance from whichever overseas empire it is their ancestors initially came from, thereby declaring themselves a Free City. Maybe the ceded from the Bloodstone Kingdom. Who knows?

I doubt that Aqualonians would continue to use the old (and nearly unpronounceable, assuming Aqualonia is using a typical Indo-European language) name for the sea that surrounds it and, presumably, has a large impact on the city's life (and thus has to be referred to regularly). The only way I can see such a set of names to arise is if our hero is using dwarven names for all things he knows about and adds local names (such as Aqualonia) when he learns about them without replacing already existing ones (such as Dakuqawa). Dwarves probably didn't know about smaller Firestar Bay and Lantern Dolphin Gulf, so he took local names and started using them.

[Grek]

Well, given that Dakuqawa is also the chief God in the local pantheon (having recetly overthrown their old god), maybe the Aqualonians are slowly going native instead of naming things with the old names. And Dakuqawa probably isn't a dwarven word, since the dwarves probably don't have shark gods.

[Dariush]

Damn, I completely forgot about the god. BTW, is it intentional that he's named Dakuwaqa, but the sea is called Sea of Dakuqawa?

Okay, another idea. Maybe Aqualonia is the oldest city around and has been a part of Bloodstone, but then someone from the south (based on linguistical similarities) took over the city, causing it to split from Bloodstone and slowly lose its culture in favor of southern?

[Grek]

So, like Byzantium, except with shark gods instead of islam?

[Dariush]

So, like Byzantium, except with shark gods instead of islam?

That's so siggable.

Yep, exactly.

[JosephWongKS]

Damn, I completely forgot about the god. BTW, is it intentional that he's named Dakuwaqa, but the sea is called Sea of Dakuqawa?

That was an unintentional typo on my part.  Thanks for spotting it, I've fixed it in the map in the post above.

[JosephWongKS]

Year 1, Month 2, Day 1

At this early hour of the day, there are few patrons at The Smelly Donkey, and the barkeeper and owner Richorn greets you cheerfully as soon as you step into the premises.

“The usual for you, Durin?”  he asks.  You nod and he passes you a large tankard of beer, mixing in an additional cupful of sulphides that he keeps just for you and your dwarven sensibilities.  You take the tankard from him and deeply inhale the aroma, and then “drink” it in the only way you can, by pouring it all over your head.  You’ve been here often enough that Richorn doesn’t even blink at the sight.

(The price of the beer comes out of your monthly lifestyle expenses, so you don’t need to pay any extra AUW for it.)

You look around the common room and see that there are three other people around at the moment.  Two of them – Walde the lumberjack and Gyles the mushroom picker - are sharing a breakfast of blood pudding and cheese.  You’ve seen both of them a couple of times at The Smelly Donkey but have never spoken with them before.

The third person is a hooded woman whom you’ve never seen before, sitting at a table at the far corner, idly flipping a coin and catching it on her thumb while holding a mug in her other hand.


Will you now: 

(a)  Shoot the breeze with Richorn? 

(b)  Sit down at Walde and Gyles’ table?

(c)  Walk over to the hooded woman?

(d)  Something else?  (Please specify)

You have 7 Time Units left for today.

Spoiler:  Current Missions (click to show/hide)

Client - Godfrey Bertrand
Mission - Find his cat, which was last seen in the Misty Forest.
Deadline - Year 1, Month 2, Day 7
Reward - 200 AUW

Spoiler:  Advantages and Disadvantages (click to show/hide)

As a golem dwarven former-Deputy Assistant Vice-Foreman of a crossbow mine, you have superb knowledge of mining techniques and will be able to advise adventurers on methods of underground exploration and means of breaching fortified locations.  You also have expertise in appraising the quality of crossbows. 

However, as a golem you generally find less favour with religious institutions and pious adventurers, since they tend to distrust persons who are natural immune to the typical method of divine punishment. 

Spoiler:  Notable persons and institutions in Aqualonia (click to show/hide)

Note:  The list below is incomplete and may not be fully accurate, given that you entered Aqualonia only a month ago and has spent most of that time looking over the refurbishment of your office

Vargo “Redbeard” Krautheimer, Mayor of Aqualonia – Generally considered a fair and able administrator.  Rumored to have some dwarvish ancestry in his heritage, given the vast size of his beard and the care which he lavishes on it.

Cult of Dakuwaqa – The largest religious institution in Aqualonia.  Venerates Dakuwaqa, a man-shark who swam his way up to the celestial plane and punched his predecessor off the throne.  Dakuwaqa is the patron of fishermen and sailors, and enjoys offerings of fresh fish.

The Smelly Donkey – Despite its insalubrious name, it is one of the most popular inns and public houses in the city, attracting a large and diverse group of customers.  You have been to The Smelly Donkey yourself a couple of times during the past month, when you longed for the smell of beer just like mother use to brew.  Richorn is the barkeeper and owner of this place.

Godfrey Bertrand - An elector of Aqualonia for the past 25 years.  Rumored to be a "crazy old coot" who "never accepts any visitors".  Has offered you 200 AUW to find his cat within a week.

Spoiler:  Assets and Liabilities / Income and Expenses (click to show/hide)

Note:  It is assumed that you own all clothing, accessories and other personal items befitting a golem of your station and lifestyle (as described below).  Only exceptional and unusual items are listed below.

You currently own:
298 AUW
The lease to a modestly-furbished office / shop-front in a modest part of town, with attached living quarters upstairs
An excellent false beard, hand-woven by your mother and carefully washed and combed on a daily basis by you
The very first crossbow you ever mined – it is made of an alloy that no-one in your clan was able to identify, and although it is too small for your hands you still maintain it in excellent condition

You currently owe:
Owed to Stronginthearm Stronginthejaw:  2,000 AUW

Your current income (Per month):
Whatever you are able to earn from your business

Expenses (Per month):
Modest lifestyle:  25 AUW (A higher grade of lifestyle projects a higher degree of success, and as the saying goes, success (or possibly just the appearance thereof) attracts success.  However, this comes with a cost – the next grade of lifestyle costs 50 AUW per month)
Rent for your modest office-cum-residence – 100 AUW