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[TheBiggerFish]

"I would prefer the latter route over the former."

[FelixSparks]

"I'm fine with either route, but if we're going back towards Beregost I may need to drop by and visit my family. Specifically, my mother. I want to know all I can about her brother before I drop in on him. I've been told Wizards are not fond of surprises, so if she also sent him a message informing him of my plans to visit, I think that would be for the best." He nodded stoically before grinning. "That, and my dad said I'd never amount to anything if I wasn't a baker, so I've half a mind to rub our success thus far in his face."

[Dwarmin]

"Seems like we're decided then. One more day here, three days to Berdusk on horseback, four days visiting Arwens family, and no worse than three to reach Elturel by river or road. Should get us to Leosin with a half of a week to spare."

Johanna was mostly hoping she would have more time to study the book..

Action: Onward to Berdusk! (like, after tomorrow)

[My Name is Immaterial]

Chapter 4: On the Road.
In which the party gathers new companions, and goes on a road trip.

Greenest, 11th of Alturiak:
The last day in Greenest was a flurry of preparations. Supplies were packed for weeks of travel, weapons sharpened, horses groomed, letters written, papers prepared, spells studied. The whole town, so recently terrorized by an attack from a vicious attack from a dangerous cult, united to help prepare their saviors for what lies ahead. Anyone who could spare something gave biscuits, dried fruit, or a few coins, and those who had nothing to give brought their prayers and thanks.
At dawn on the 11th, without much ceremony, three* horses set off, seen off by the Governor of Greenest and a few other citizens. The lead horse is a large stallion, ridden by a warrior clad in shining chainmail. He wears no livery, as Arwen Dunwood is the definition of a free-blade: a man who lives and dies by his own terms, no one else's. However, certain experiments into magic have earned him the moniker 'Spell-Sword'.
Taking the rear of the company on a chestnut mare is an exceptionally tall Dwarf, or perhaps an exceptionally Dwarven Half-Elf. Like all of his breed, he is quite handsome, but his visage is marred somewhat by an unfortunate scaling of his skin. The day is cold, but Adrik Ungart seems unfazed, wearing only a light tunic and trousers, along with some worn black boots.
In the center, astride an elegant grey pony, rides the Lady herself, Johanna Stonesthrow. The Dwarf is a wizardess of no small skill, evident from the vibrant gem faceted into her fashionable, yet functional warhammer. She absentminded strokes the spine of a leather-bound tome, snatched from the chambers of an elite cultist.
The ride to Arwen's home of Berdusk is uneventful, and the party arrives in three days.

Berdusk, 14th of Alturiak:
The trio arrives at the outskirts of the city in the late afternoon, having made good time on the roads, despite congestion from caravans of goods, primarily wool and wine. As per Johanna's schedule, they have, at most, four days in the city, and number of tasks to accomplish. A boat must be hired, provisions need to be bought, and, of course, Arwen's relatives require at least a brief visit. Arwen's uncle, a wizard, may be of interest to many of the party and may help them answer some of the riddles they may have. And, the adventuring company needs to be brought back to fighting strength, so new recruits must be brought on board.

Spoiler: Map of Berdusk (click to show/hide)

_{* The party has recruited four of the cult's pet drakes. Taking them with you will likely be difficult, for a number of reasons: horses are skittish around them, they only eat meat, and they're not good at blending in. If you were to try to bring any, one would be the practical limit, and it would require constant explanation-or a quality disguise.}

[Dwarmin]

Johanna coughed into her gloved hand, looking across the river. Like many people she was not prepared for the sudden chill, which came up from the river and cloaked most of the city of Berdusk for many months of a year-she had noted from here that most of the homes and businesses were tall and not wide, tightly cramped together with narrow streets, four stories tall or more. Only the poorest lived on ground level-everyone else built upwards to escape the cold. In this city, wealth and power were usually determined by height, not acreage. All of which probably explained the general lack of landed nobility in general. There were a great number of rich upper class, however-and merchants from all classes, many of them not permanent residents in any sense.

In her estimation, Berdusk was a place you usually passed through on a way to better things. Not that it was a bad place to spend some time...they had really good wine, natural parks, and opera houses.

"Well, there's Berdusk." She said, waving her hand at it, as if she was using an incantation to make it look slightly better. To her the city had always looked slightly askew, as if it was one bad storm away from sliding back into the river.

"I've been here before, though it's been many years. My parents called this place the City of Stairwells-you're just climbing through here to get wherever else you're going. Also a joke, most of the buildings have four floors or more. But, I'm sure Arwen knows more than I. Where around here do you live, boy?" She had grown much more interested when he had mentioned he had an uncle that was a Wizard.

[FelixSparks]

Arwen gives a little smile as his home comes into view. It had been a while since he'd been home, and he was hoping his parents were well. It was cold here, yes, but growing up here made for stronger people he felt. He turned out fine, as did his family. His adventures so far had only pushed him farther, and now he returned with friends. And a drake. Hopefully that wouldn't alarm anyone too badly. Rex was well behaved, so far, but he still made the horses skittish. Arwen would have to either procure more meat or become better at hunting to keep his scaly friend fed. Which was fine by him. Normal wizards had familiars, so as a Spell-Sword, maybe Rex would be his Familiar. Larger and more suited to battle, which is the same comparison Arwen's mother had made between him and his uncle.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he nodded to Johanna. "Please don't call me boy. My family runs a bakery near the water,
 catering to people coming by boat or those who wish for a nice view while they eat. We live on the second floor of the building. My Uncle lives elsewhere in the city, where he does experiments. As far as the town itself... It's nice enough in and of itself. A bit cold and a bit abrasive, but I've found the people to be the exact opposite. Shall we get going?"

[Dwarmin]

Johanna followed Arwens line of thinking.

"Ah. But, what about the lizard-dog? I can hide him from sight-make him look like a pony, I suppose, but it'll take alot of out of me-won't have more than an hour or so. Also won't fool anyone who looks too close. Will still smell like a lizard, so it'll spook the horses. We'll need a safe place to keep him until we can get a ship. Considering everyone has been hearing rumors of giant lizards trying to flame the countryside...might incite a panic...

You're going to have train him to ride in a crate." Johanna mulled. "I could call in a favor with the Alliance. Doesn't come without strings, of course. I can deal with those." But it'll take time from my research, she thought, but didn't say. Almost wish they had left it behind in Greenest-the other Lizards they had left were apparently being lovingly adopted and trained by the city as a sort of trophy to remember their victory, probably ending up giving children rides during festivals. At least somebody had a good ending.

...

Johanna knew there was many Lords Alliance safehouses and guild halls in any city. Unfortunately, getting into one that belonged to said city was more like trying to get into a private club. You had to know people who knew people, promise favors, and generally be willing to bend over backward for your hosts. Of course, the other members of the Alliance also had their own safehouses that didn't technically belong to the city in question, not they could technically turn you down if you showed up-they just didn't make a habit of advertising their locations to the other members. Johanna was from the city of Beregost, which was firmly in the sphere of influence of Baldurs Gate. She could get in a Baldurs Gate safehouse with the minimal amount of political wheedling-that's why she had been so meticulous sending reports. Information was power, and the Lords Alliance prized it above all else.

It was all in all, a lot of trouble, but she didn't doubt the Dragon Cult would be watching. How high could a Dragon fly, and how much could it see?

Action: Johanna tries to think of any Lords Alliance safe houses or guild halls she might be able to enlist aid from in the city of Berdusk to hide Rex in, and themselves as well. Preferably ones they can reach in an hour or so, and ones aligned to Baldurs Gate.

[My Name is Immaterial]

(Johanna's History Check: 19+6)
The Lord's Alliance is always able to bed its agents, but that's, as far as they are concerned, limited to Johanna. To shelter the rest of the party, the price would be information, specifically, the recent activities of the Cult of the Dragon.
Berdusk, while nominally a member of the Lord's Alliance, the Alliance's operations in Berdusk have often been meddled with. From what Johanna could glean from the reports from the city, a secret society is embedded in the inner workings of the city. Since little irreparable damage has been to the Alliance's operations, and as their foes have faced several punishing setbacks thanks to 'accidents', it's believed that this clandestine organization is benevolent. The name "Harpers" has come up a few times in those reports, but they're primarily rumors.
If Johanna lets word of their mission slip, these 'Harpers' would probably know about it within the hour. If she doesn't, she'll likely wake up to find her papers ruffled through. Perhaps, though, there's a third, lesser evil.
As for specific places to find shelter, Johanna knows of one Albína Kolar, an innkeep in the city. Albína isn't a full member of the organization, but agents of the Alliance can always find a room in her inn, the Limping Lion.

[Dwarmin]

Johanna didn't much about these 'Harpers'-they were any one of a number of secret societies whose true aims and goals were murky. She knew this group was apparently influential enough that the Lords Alliance had accepted a certain level of what could only be termed 'genial infiltration' in their city-both groups working their own benefits, not working together, not directly opposing the other, but aligning indirectly in opposition to certain enemies. Sometimes those were the compromises you had to make...

It occurred to her how much the lizard-dog was making them stand out. The whole city would be talking about it if she marched through the front gate together...she figured someone would be watching anyway, especially for magical disguises, but there was nothing she could about that.

"Right. I know a place we can hole up. It's not far from here. Good goat cheese, if I remember right. And a big stable we can put Rex in. Keep that lizard close to you, Arwen."

Johanna urged the group to follow her at a quick pace, and worked her magic to alter the image of Rex-now he looked like a particularly squat and ugly pony carrying a pack of exotic looking cheese wheels on its back. If anyone noticed it didn't quite smell like a pony (she hoped the cheese would explain that away), that horses grew nervous in its presence, or it left behind distinctly reptilian tracks as it moved there wasn't much she could do about that either.

Action: Johanna leads the party on the quick and subtle route to the Limping Lion. She uses Silent Image to Hide Rex for as long as she can (A little more than an hour)

[FelixSparks]

Arwen shakes his head. "That will be fine, but I was hoping to visit my family first. I haven't been home in a while, and there's a couple questions I wanted to ask my uncle. Like if Rex could become a familar..." With that said, he waited for her response, eyeing the illusion curiously.

Lead the party to the Dunwood Bakery if possible!

[Dwarmin]

"I can only hide the lizard-dog like this for a short time. Let's get him stowed away safely, then you visit your family-unless your family can hide him somehow. Otherwise I need you with me to keep control of him. Even bringing him to your home...do you want the Cult to know where your family lives? I assure you, bringing Rex into your neighborhood, everybody will. Especially where people are looking more closely at you than normal."

[FelixSparks]

Arwen frowns, placing a hand on Rex's head and petting his scaly companion. "You know someone in this town who won't ask questions about This? Someone you trust to keep it a secret? I don't know what connections you have, but I know there's someone who could keep Rex not only hidden but no one would ask questions. We can go see my Uncle first... but I think my mother might take offense." It was not the ideal plan. Arwen had planned to see his parents first, let them know he was safe and well, and not too horribly maimed. But if keeping his scaly pet was the most important thing on Johanna's agenda, then Arwen could work with that.

[Dwarmin]

Johanna figured all the things she had told Arwen about how she belonged the Lords Alliance had sailed over his head. He was about to be downgraded to 'boy' again.

"...Yes, I have extensive connections. Part of my job as a Baldurs Gate pest eradicator." She said sarcastically. "Anyway, I guess I have to trust you know what you are talking about. We'll have to keep that thing hidden from sight...In my line of work I keep my family at arms length-safer that way, for all of us. If you're not concerned about that, then I suppose we can do it your way."

Modified Action: OK we're following Arwen to his bakery now!

[My Name is Immaterial]

Outside of Beregost, Arwen leads the party along quiet cobble paths bordered by farms, peaceful cottages, and craftsmen workshops. The local warrior occasionally stops to greet people he once knew, people like Beedle, the hog rancher, Sam and Alex, the twin guards, and Old Maid Marion. Their reactions are all the same: initial confusion, as if to say, "how could this battle hardened mercenary know my name?" but that bewilderment quickly vanishes, when they recognize his voice. All are greatly impressed with him, his new company, (and new wealth), especially the twins.
It's the late afternoon by the time the group reaches Arwen's childhood home: a small, two story bakery. In the world of bakers, the late afternoon is the evening, as bread kneads to be put in the oven in the smallest hours of the morning. One of Arwen's younger brothers is closing down the storefront, but as the party approaches, he stops to stare, confusion, then shock as he realized who was leading the group.
"Arwen? Is that you? _{By the gods...} DAD! MUM! COME SEE WHO IT IS!"
A middle aged man who looks like a brick oven wearing a smock appears in the doorway in the back of the shop, eyes up the group, and, without much emotion, says "Ah, you're back. Good, there's dough that needs kneading. Come help."
"Now, hold on a minute," interrupts a voice from above. A matronly woman leans out of the second story window, along with the heads of several small children, looking down on the company. "Well, I'll be! It's good to have you home, Arwen! You and your friends come up stairs! You must be hungry!" Arwen's father disappears back to kneading his dough in the back.

With horses and Rex tied outside, the upstairs of the Dunwood family home is, warm and comforting, as if you were snuggled inside a freshly baked pastry, and it smells as much. Small children cling to their mother's skirt as she fusses around, directly older daughters in minor tasks. Finally, she takes a seat across from the party at a large, well worn wooden table. "So, Arwen, dear, why don't you introduce me to your friends? Are these your "Adventuring Companions"? I can't imagine you're here to come home and settle back down... unless..." she eyes Johanna meaningfully, glancing back and forth between her and Arwen, with a twinkle in her eye, and mischievous grin on her rosy face.

[Dwarmin]

Johanna wasn't sure what to say, considering that...well...she wasn't really...

She decided to let Arwen do the introductions-she was in no rush. It was a nice, warm home-the sort that made you hungry, and fed you well. She felt she could relax here, without all the usual fillips connected to her position as a noble. But no doubt Arwens parents thought he had brought home a wealthy fiancee...