Summer - 41 Days Until the Season Changes:Deciding that your son could get into all sorts of trouble in town, you spend a couple days sorting out what to do with him.
The first step is to seriously look into sending him to a sacred village. Not comfortable with traveling alone, you take advantage of Grendel Frostmound's offer of assistance and ask if he would be willing to provide you an escort. He agrees after a little deliberation, and says he can have three guards escort you with at least two days notice should you choose to make the trip.
During these days of sorting out the Koro situation you take advantage of the Wildblood's offer of food, and during such a dinner you ask them what they think of sending Koro away. They seem supportive of the idea, but also give you yet another option to consider. There is a second sacred village a few days up the coast that is only accessible by boat. The second village is said to push the dogma of the old religion even harder than the first, and has a much higher turnout rate for Shaman. You know that Koro hates boats, but the Wildblood's are planning on heading in that direction on their next fishing trip anyway, so such a journey would work out nicely.
Both parties are willing to transport Koro on his own if you want, but you are welcome to travel with him as well. The trip by land with the town guard would take 4-5 days each way. The trip by sea with you in-laws would be a shorter 2-4 depending on winds.
Next you hunt down the woman who has been teaching Koro to mess with locks, and begin to subtley threaten her with Alred's displeasure. The girl is rude and audacious to cut you off mid sentence. You don't regonize her accent.
"Please. I know several people in your husband's adventuring group who can pick locks." She sneers. "I don't think he will have a problem with that. Killman lays foul curses and Travon uses unchivalrous weapons. I doubt Alred would be displeased by the learning of any skill."
"That may be so," you begin to counter
"but you are teaching him a skill with many immoral uses, and not teaching the morals to go with it. Surely Alred would not appreciate such an incomplete education." The girl laughs. "I don't see how the morals are my job. That should fall to his mother, shouldn't it?"
"But... ermm..." You try to take control of the debate once more, but your rhetoric is no match for hers. Eventually you give up and storm back to the house frustrated.
Deciding you might have better luck with your own son you take him out to look at the skulls and explain that thieves typicly get killed or banished, and you don't want to see those things happen to him.
Koro looks at the skulls and ponders briefly. He then assures you that he is not a theif and turns to wander off. You put your hands on his shoulders and tell him that he is loved. He holds still for a few seconds, nods, and begins walking toward the beach.
Maddening fears once more creep into your head, this time about the Hag's Cauldron. What if Koro accidentally went and got himself stewed? Or a friend did? You could be run out of town or worse... The fear festers in your head for a day or so before you decide to act on it, and take the lid of the pot to a smith at the market. You ask him to melt it down, and he refuses, not wanting to tamper with a magical item. He does however offer to buy it off you for 10 Silver, which is more than twice the money you currently have. He also offers to sell you a lock, key, and chain for three silver, or 30 copper. You don't have quite that much money, but you can sell some of your wedding jewels or try to haggle him down if you wish to keep the pot.
As you walk home, you scold your fears for being so silly. Although not something seen in every house, Hag's Cauldrons are common enough that most northerners know of the danger they pose. Since he was raised in a Kracken's cave Koro might be the only kid in town that doesn't, and that could easily be corrected with a short lecture.
To occupy your mind and keep the terrors at bay, you stay up late into the night with your book of Cantrips. Using your very limited reading ability and the many illustrations included in the tome, you earmark a few pages that you think it might be okay to have Koro help you read. You suspect learning magic will not be something you can pull off in several days, and that there is no point starting if you decide to send Koro away soon.
You have to decide soon if you wish to send Koro to a sacred village, and if so if you wish to travel with him. If you decide to keep Koro around or not to travel with him, you must decide how you want to spend your time until you hear from your husband's party.
So what will it be?Character Status:All About You...Leona Wildblood
Healthy
Perks:
Depths Adaptation: You can breath water if you need to, and can withstand the cold and pressure of the darkest abyss.
Dark Vision: You can see in the dark
Krakens Grip: You have unsightly yet powerful barbed suckers on your arms and legs. These are usually covered by your clothing, but when they are not you gain a substantial bonus to grappling and climbing most surfaces.
Known Skills:
Physical
Striking: 2/10
Grappling: 4/10
Climbing: 4/10
Swimming: 8/10
Social
Seduction: 3/10
Bartering: 1/10
Socialization: 2/10
Deception: 3/10
Trade
Animal Husbandry: 2/10
Fishing: 2/10
Hunting: 1/10
Cooking: 1/10
Lore
Monster Lore: 5/10
Hero Lore: 2/10
Imperial Lore: 2/10
Inventory:
On Person
Long Sleeved Shirt
Long Pants
Undergarments
Gold Bear-Shaped Pendant
Bag of 40 Copper
Stored at Home
Vial of Purple Gunk
Assorted Jewelry Appraised to be worth about 320 Silver
Cantrips for the Good Wife
Enforcer, the Enchanted Shortsword of Mercy to Women
Stopper, the enigmatic and possibly magical spear
Hag's Cauldron
Wedding Gown
Formal Gown
Additional Casual Clothing
Cooking Equipment
Cleaning Equipment
Travon's Powder/Weapon Equipment Storage
Blood Relatives:
Koro Wildblood - Your 7 year old son. Koro is a half Kraken with pale, moist, rubbery skin and tentacles extending from his face like a strange beard. Koro has a hard time speaking due to his beaked mouth, but you can understand him perfectly. The Kraken also made sure that he knew his letters, so he can communicate with the literate through writing.
Loki Crood - Your uncle, and the only living blood relative you still have in town. He is currently imprisoned at the local jail for gambling, pick-pocketing, and adultery. He wrote you a nice letter congratulating you on your freedom and wedding, and invited you to visit him in jail some time.
Your Husband and His Party:
Alred 'The Fierce' Wildblood: Your husband. He is an adventurer best known for saving the life of Lord Deigo and Slaying the Kracken of Crab Port. Under normal circumstances he is a match for 3-4 men, and can easily kill at least thrice that amount when in a rage. He can be found at the house, the stables, the docks, or the tavern when not out on an adventure.
Sir Bronson Wentworth: A former knight of Lord Deigo assigned to serve your husband after the later saved the former's life from bandits. Sir Wentworth is loud and boisterous, but fiercely loyal to your husband. In battle he is at least as effective as an non-raging Alred, if not more so. Even while not out adventuring he can usually be found with Alred, but when he isn't he is likely at the tavern or the whorehouse.
Killman: A mysterious and highly unladylike sorceress who can trace her ancestry to the White Witches of Old. She is quiet and can come off as uncaring, but has a soft spot for children, including your halfbreed son. Killman fights with crippling hexes and powerful Ice Magic. She also, from time to time, uses some of the powder weapons Travon makes. She can be found at the house or the tavern between adventures, but if she isn't there you have no clue where else to look.
Travon Snips: A middle aged man who was expelled from the gadgeteer guild for reasons he would rather not get into with you. Travon has a sick obsession with watching people get torn apart by his inventions, and dosn't even bother trying to hide it. In battle he fights using strange and deadly weapons that spew sulfur, fire, and fragments of metal. When not adventuring Travon spends his time making deadly things in the lab at the house or swapping tips with guild members that can be found at the docks from time to time.
Clancy Frostmound: A wandering minstrel and poet who has fallen in with your husband's group. Clancy is the youngest son of a fairly powerful local family, and sometimes can't help but to allow his arrogance and sense of entitlement to slip through his typically charming personality. Clancy helps the group set up camp, hunts for food, and raises funds on the road through his performances. He can defend himself with a bow or short sword if he absolutely must. When not doing his thing as a wandering minstrel, Clancy spends much of his time at the Frostmound family home or at the stables tending to the group's horses.
Others:
Grendel Frostmound: The local captain of the guard. Said to be corrupt and an enemy of your family, but has offered you help if you need it.
Monna Wildblood: An ancient and long retired bezerker and your husband's great-grandmother.
Olav Wildblood the Elder: Alred's ageing Uncle. He seems friendly enough, but there is some heavy tension between him and the rest of the family.
Autumn Wildblood: Alred's widowed older sister. She is raising a young bastard daughter and has a son abroad.
Quilt Wildblood: The wife of one of Alred's older brothers.
Victoria Wildblood: The wife of one of Alred's older brothers.
Olav Wildblood the Younger: One of Alred's younger twin brothers. Forced into a rather uncomfortable marriage situation by religious tradition.
Rollo Alred: One of Alred's younger twin brothers. Forced into a rather uncomfortable marriage situation by religious tradition.
Pelii Wildblood: A woman from the tropics who somehow made her way to the northlands as a slave. She was rescued to marry the Wildblood Twins. She has one son. She is having a hard time adapting to the north, and the family tells you it is a struggle to keep her alive each winter.
Linda Wildblood: The daughter of a local fisherman who was born missing half a leg. Her deformity made it rather hard to find a husband, so she settled on entering an unusual marriage with the equaly desperate Wildblood Twins. She has a son and a daughter.
Winter Wildblood: Alred's youngest sister. With the appointed wedding date approaching and no leads on finding her twin brothers a third wife, she volunteered to fill the role. She has a son and a daughter.
Helga Towercap: The head chef at the embassy, and quite the aficionado of local gossip.
Snarlf Leatherspike: An obese assistant chef at the embassy. Snarlf has a young daughter who gets along well enough with Koro.
Tilla Lordcaps: The wife of the dwarven ambassador. More than willing to share her views on the town's situation.
Maylyn Cold: The daughter of a subsistence farmer plagued by a nasty pack of Wargs. She has quickly become a good friend of yours and spends some of her nights under your roof.
Jung Wang: A local jeweler who has become a friend of yours. He is good company and more than willing to help you, but clearly is interested in more than your friendship.
Vicar Petal: An Elf on a mission to see the world and win converts for his goddess Aileaf. He is willing to listen to your horrible memories and worst fears, and you find his wisdom and healing magic to be of use to you.
Notable Events:
-You have found four potential sources of employment or training for you son: The Wildblood Fishing Boat, The Jeweler Jung, The Sacred Village, and Fieldwork come late summer/fall.
-You know of two sacred villages. One which can be reached by land, and one which can be reached by sea. The one by sea is more strict, but better at outputting Shaman. The guards can escort Koro and/or yourself to the one by land at any time with two days notice. The Wildbloods fish in the direction of the one by sea, and would be willing to take passengers, but are leaving in a few days. You should decide on the sacred village matter soon.
Locations in Town to Explore:
Your House: A simple building with a master bedroom, a child's bedroom, a kitchen, a living/dining room, a storage closet, and an empty room Alred has given you permission to use however you see fit. Travon keeps his lab in the basement, as no other building in town would have it.
Frostmound Home: The home of one of the more respected families in town. You know the patriarch is the captain of the town guard and the father of one of your husband's party members.
Wildblood Home: The home of your In-Laws. From what you understand most of the 8 Wildblood Brothers fish on their father's boat or serve in the town guard. Although you don't know any of the family other than Alred particularly well, they have made it clear that you are welcome to visit whenever you wish.
Governor's Mansion: The seat of imperial power in town. No self respecting southern noble wants to live in the cold northernlands, so the post of Governor of Crab Port is used by the imperial high houses to keep black sheep children and other creeps out of the way. The current occupant of the governor's mansion is said to be a reasonable man with a poorly concealed preference for sodomy.
Dwarven Embassy: The empire, only 30 years removed from a brutal centuries long war with the short bastards, enjoys an uneasy peace with dwarfkind. At the end of the war Crab Port was the only town close enough to dwarven lands and with a willing enough populous to host the embassy. Although blood hatred is still status quo in most of the empire, the hardy people of the northlands have found they have much in common with their former foes. The Ambassador and his family are highly influential members of the community.
The Tavern: Although a bit rough around the edges, the local tavern is a good place to meet people and catch up on local gossip.
The Brothel: A standard den of vice thinly veiled as a boarding house for sailors. Your parents, who both died during your captivity, used to run this place and you grew up in the apartment above it.
The Stables: Where the party keeps their horses when in town. Alred and Bronson both love to ride in their free time and are close friends with the stablemaster, so they can both be found there fairly often.
The Docks: Fishing is the town's major industry and most families own a fishing boat. In recent years, due in part to the presence of the embassy, the docks have become a part of the dwarven trade routes and all sorts of cool goods and people have begun to filter through them by sea.
The Guild Halls: A large building near the docks where several imperial guilds are working to establish a presence in the North. The Carpenters, Magicians, and Importers currently occupy the building.
The Wrath Ruins: The remains of a stone shrine where ancient men worshiped the wrath spirits. Some local families, including the Wildbloods, keep the old religion. Your wedding and most of the following festivities took place here.
The Beach: The Ocean is frigid and the beach itself is rocky, but children still show up to collect shells and play in the surf during the short summer... or they would if they were not frightened by Coro's appearance.
The Distillery: A cave with three stills that produce rather low quality spirits. Run by your husband and brothers-in-law.
There are plenty more interesting locations in and around town, but your memory of your childhood isn't very strong, so you will have to explore or ask around to find them.
Author
Topic: TSG: The Hero's Wife (Read 27398 times)