A Light on the Coast

[Highlander]

In the dark of a winter's night along the coastline a good way south of Sarshel, the night sky is lit by the leaping flames of a burning ship. With the wind and rain, there may be few, if any, witnesses to the blaze, and if those who perished in it had any who would seek them out, they would find the charred remaines of the ship and its crew slain among the embers and at the camp by the shore. No sign of any assailants remains, the night and weather and flooded areas having obscured the path of whoever did this, if indeed they came by land at all. An oddity too, that one of the bodies, known as a mage, seems to have found her death particularly hilarious as her bloodied corpse has an insane grin frozen on her face. Meanwhile, near Outentown a few days later a family is delighted to receive a fine chair from a strange eastern man, and in Sarshel the enchantress Peveril is seen trying to find a purchaser for a distinctive jewelled gauntlet. She is also seen the following morning looking a little worse for wear, red eyed and uncharacteristically sullen; an empty bottle stands in the kitchen in the shoppe she shares with Perry.

[Copper Dragon]

Dawnbringer D'Assanthe takes interest in the rumour, as the plight of traders is allegedly her nominal concern. No doubt word reached her of the ominous incident as she held one of her morning sermons at the Sarshel city square. She attempts to gain more information on the matter, though does not approach the site itself, and seeks to hear if pirates, shore-wreckers, or a sea-bound curse (or the Maiden of Misfortune) was behind the ship's destruction.

Unrelated, she gladly visits lady Peveril with a bottle of wine and a warm interest for the curious accessoire she's sold (or has been hoping to sell). Apparently the Dawnbringer tries to foster good relations with Sarshel's business-makers, such as the shoppe at Shield Lane 4.

[blatob]

Jonan spends the night sleeping like a baby in his room, dreaming of mounting sembian and goblin heads on the pikes. He gets up in the morning, satisfied that his purse is steadily filling up and feeling well rested and cheerful.

[Obsidian Sea]

When Nathaniel Askovar hears about the circumstances surrounding the collapsing ship, he is thoughtful. Yes, The Bitch Queen is a cruel mistress and a blessing for minstrels, being such a rich provider of tales for taverns. Nevertheless, this hardly seems Her work, and the condition of the crew hark back in some degree towards the crashing of another vessel upon the Easting Coast. It was upon the Ford Path which bridges the distance between Sarshel and Relgar that Nathaniel had, with companions, discovered the remnants of another ship, and the artefact responsible for its ruination. Could it be that similar events are relevant to the maddening of this slain lady? What was the fate of the crew at large, not to have been the victim of Bugbears, or some other familiar threat along the coastline, but instead the victims of a fire from which they ought to have leapt had it began aboard their ship?

If it were somehow the work of wreckers who had covered their tracks well, then very well. If magic were involved like the magic which brought about the demise of the last naval vessel which crashed so close to safe harbour, then it behooves a Bard with experience in dealing with such magic to seek it out. Nathaniel Askovar opts to the investigation of both possibilities. It is not, however, in the peak hours of business at the Belle's Bottom that he shall hear any word of the Arcane. He will make cheer and good melody there another time. First, the young Bard seeks the Wizard, Lori Peveril, whose tenements nearby The Golden Quill he has been long overdue in visiting. This shall be a good excuse.

Regarding wreckers along the coast, Nathaniel Askovar knows enough already. A common problem here, and perhaps on all coastal settlements, but it is not one that lacks solutions. The young Bard begins to practice again with his sword, and sends word to known and reputed adventurers that he intends to strike at a series of known campsites for pirates and wreckers in the tenday ahead. With the aid of a small war party, Nathaniel hopes to bring about the end of recent raids upon the folk who opt to travel along the Easting Coast.

//OOC: Perhaps sometime over the holiday we can try and make full use of the network that has been set up between coast dungeons, and go on an all-out dungeon delve. I cannot set a date at the moment, but I shall endeavour to do so, as it might be a time-consuming adventure that people need forward notice about. Could be lots of fun!