The party left Linden on Tuesday April 30, heading east on the Great North Road, in two horse-drawn carts. They had 65-70 antique books to sell, a 6 foot by 6 foot antique carved wooden artwork panel depicting a fight between several warriors and a dragon, as well as some pieces of salvaged arms and armor of modest value. These would all be sold to raise as much money as possible, and to gain information that would help the party's future explorations. Mordecai (NPC fighter) expressed an interest in cashing out his share of the treasure so that he continue a few days further on into Alsberg, where he could visit his father and give him some money.
The trip east through Wegley and Nandra was uneventful, and the party reached Talengard on Tuesday May 7th, 8 days out of Linden. Duncan and Niam (wizard and rogue) were dispatched to meet with the sages of Talengard regarding a potential sale of the books, while the remainder of the party stayed in the town of the same name.
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| Talengard and the Grand Duchy of Rimini (6 mile - Hexographer) |
Duncan and Niam first met with a minor administrator, but when the size and rarity of the collection they were trying to sell became apparent, Oleran Graybeard, Master of the Library, came to discuss matters with them himself. Much of the day was spent in allowing time for numerous sages in various specialties to exam the works, after which some negotiating was needed. The sages valued the collection at 6,700 GP (a princely sum!), but as Bertram, the Master of Coin, explained, that was an amount of coin that they could easily come up with. The next day, it was agreed that 2,500 would be paid in cash, and 4,200 would be paid in "credit" for future services where the sages could be of use. The party was also provided with a much better map of Onoria than the very simple sketch map which was all they had access to previously, and a couple of small journals of adventurers who had traveled the area in the past.
Before leaving, Eustace of Jasla, the sage they had saved near Castle Langborne, and his mentor Bethziral (an elderly halfling) came to visit with the party. Knowing of their interest in Castle Langborne, Bethziral had some additional information to share. Based on her researches, she said that she believed Alferith Langborne was a direct descendent of the Tramantine family, and that was probably one of the reasons he returned to Brin-Dendra (as it was known in the Elder days). The Tramantine family were the Dukes of Sesteval, which roughly covered what is now the Shearingvale and surrounding lands in southeast Onoria. The other reason she believes he went to Brin-Dendra is because of the legends of something called the Soulfire Beacon. Legend has it that the Soulfire Beacon was the culmination of the Tramantine family's researched into dark magic. Some tales say that it is a powerful artifact that uses sacrificial life forces from the living to summon and control the dead. Others say that it is some sort of gate or portal to the underworld, or to a different plane of existence where the souls of the dead rest. Bethziral said that the only specific mention she had uncovered as to the location of the Soulfire Beacon is that it is near a place in deepest mines under the town, a place where the delvings had broken through into the Underdark. It is a place said to be holy to the duergar (the dark dwarves).
After spending the night in Talengard town, the party decided to head to Greva (one day southeast) and then on to the city of Rimini (another day east). In Rimini, they would change their new coins into gems for portability, sell the carved artwork panels, and buy some better gear while they were in a large city.
After two full days in Rimini, the group left on Monday May 13, and had an uneventful trip west along the Great North Road and back to Linden, where they arrived on Tuesday the 21st.
Next - And now what?
GM Commentary - This was a full three hour session where not a single die was rolled in anger. I was OK with it, as some important things happened from the standpoint of building out the world and setting up future adventures (at least from a myth/legend and history of the world standpoint). I hope the players were OK with it, as there was experience awarded for goals and information learned and gathered.
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