Hello,
Amur brought you in good order to the north side of the Strait of Tibol-Korrin within a day, despite the frigid northern winds of Dark Season. You saw the twin fortresses on either side and smoke spiralling of their fire-pits atop their towers. Beaches on either side of the strait provided sufficient landing ground and one on Tibol side seemed easier to Amur so you asked him to go there rather than try the more difficult options of anchoring offshore or daring entry to the Strait itself and its ice-choked reaches where there might be a suitable private cove.
But first, Omen’s emissary from the Ouori found you, splashing to the surface suddenly with a bloody cod in her jaws. She offered Ahappi the cod as a gift and introduced herself as Namowg’ge, acolyte of the ocean-mother Triolina and matron (infertile cow) of the Trenchward tribe. She knew the Vadeli and their cruel smiles, and knew of Zridge the Tart who she explained sailed on a foul vessel “built like a bull Ouori” called the Banthi Belly –“ a vile cloud of stink surrounds it, crewed by infernal things and trafficking in evil goods and deeds. We hear his way is to violate the laws of the sea to open it. And you are in luck. The Banthi Belly passed into the Strait this season from the north and did not leave the waters around Tibol-Korrin. It may be beached at one of the forts or hiding within the Strait.”” And, as you discussed pursuing the ship, “Most of the humans at the fort cause us no trouble, but if I were you I’d talk to one that has angered us before and might know more about this Zridge. She is a merchant-woman at Korrin Bastion; humans are strange with their secret rutting behaviour so I can only describe her as like a bull with a harem for hire, and long pale head-fur. ” She knew Zridge wasn’t at Cow’s Isle; he must have been there in Sea Season when the pups were born. Now most pups were gone and few Ouori at all were there, except guardians like her and elderly ones. She said she’d wait for you there, north of the Strait, and the Ouori would offer great rewards for your killings of the Vadeli (or whatever justice you brought them, although she seemed to want killings).
You bid Namowg’ge farewell and Amur beached the Shadow easily at Tibol-side. There were plenty of other ships beached there, and rowboats for crossing the strait, and a tall ladder ascending the cliffs from the black shingle beach. Soon a Horali came jogging to meet you; a scarlet-haired woman in scale armour with a bow and bastard sword slung across her back, introducing herself as Friedl Longsword: “Hail there, sailors of The Shadow, famed from Giraine and Pithdaros. We saw you come but word of your heroism preceded you by many seasons. I greet you in the name of Baron Kir Teggin, Talar of these lands and to whom I am sworn as Horali. I shall escort you where your business carries you, so where would that be?” She was obviously a fan, and earnest in wanting to help you. Hearing of Zridge and the Ouori, she insisted you needed to speak with Baronet Galan Teggin; Baron Kir Teggin was away in the capitol of Manday on business. She took you up the ladder to the fort, giving you a tour and some background along the way:
For hundreds of years since the Shattering, raiders preyed upon the few daring vessels passing through the Strait of Tibol-Korrin. Only the most desperate ship’s captains risked paying off the raiders for a shaky guarantee of safe passage. Seventy years ago (i.e. pre-Dormal’s Opening; this island was still just barely reachable then under the Closing but was and is the furthest south/west isle in the region), the small baronies of Tibol (Pasos) and Korrin (Nolos) simultaneously sought to control the straits. Advancing from opposite directions, the baronies’ armies routed the disorganized raiders and secured their respective sides of the strait. A mutually beneficial pact ensured both baronies gained from what many seafarers saw as a more predictable form of extortion, and both baronies enjoyed their fair share of the tolls generated by vessels passing through the strait. Greed, however, eventually sundered the pact and war broke out (4 years ago) after a ship flying Tibol’s colours sank and the Tibolians blamed Korrin for its sinking. As the two sides bombarded each other off and on for 4 years of feuding, sometimes paused by political pressure from Pasos/Nolos, travel through the strait became too dangerous. The conflict has now ended (this year, 1623), and each side is now picking up the pieces and working to re-establish safe passage. The process of recovering treasure from sunken ships has revealed a trove of ancient artefacts further restoring both baronies’ treasuries.
The fort (Fort Teggin) is a fine one, made of old white marble of Second Age architecture and featuring a lofty Zzaburi watchtower on its fourth storey, where a firepit also acts as a beacon. The 1st storey and surrounding courtyard features training grounds, stables, and market; and Dronari housing. A fine brewery was a highlight, Friedl noted. The 2nd storey was for Horali barracks, armoury and such, and the 3rd for the Talars of the Tibol barony. There in a simple, clean white hall you met the very martial Talar Galan Teggin, who had a crisp bearing but warmed quickly as you talked. He rapidly agreed that the Vadeli needed dealing with, that the Ouori alliance with Tibol was important and must be protected, but cautioned that the fragile peace of Tibol and Korrin must not be disrupted during your visit (indeed, he insisted that you talk to Baroness Lyriana Lassiter at Korrin Bastion to get her approval for your mission). It was clear Friedl’s job was to watch over you to ensure this happened, and you were cautioned not to be out at night on the fortress grounds, but could camp within the walls in the courtyard wherever you liked. (As a Talar, Boamund might be miffed not to be offered space on the 3rd storey but maybe as this is a military establishment they don’t grant higher hospitality so easily)
En route out of the upper storeys, you spotted a very odd thing. Some translucent mucusy slime oozed out of the masonry of a wall. Boamund didn’t think it was chaotic and it wasn’t acidic; but even more oddly it soon evaporated on its own. Friedl was as baffled as you were! She offered to buy you drinks at the brewery so you went back down there; she also knew an able rower who could get you across the Strait to Korrin Bastion. A Dronari, the jolly and gossipy Pasosian named Shyrsteve Antava, served fine green ales and chatted at length. You heard of the Rancid Forest and how it was a lush jungle that rotted foully in Dark Season. He had heard from a soldier out on patrol that a strange serpentine shape had been seen there one foggy morning, but it moved in a non-serpentine way that disturbed the Horali so much he needed many pints to calm his nerves afterwards. Shyrsteve said a lot of things, half seemingly idle nonsense and half hardly useful, like babbling how blood bubbled up from the ground at Baylee’s Farm by Korrin Bastion so don’t eat the turnips. You left, and got across the Strait quickly although the rower was grumpy about the cold of Dark Season (blaming Ouori for bringing Valind’s power, which the Malkioni here did rituals to stave off) and wouldn’t chat to Ahappi about the seas and sailors here.
You arrived at Korrin-side beach, a white sand beach where numerous beefy red crabs scuttled about amongst the smaller ships that tended to beach here (due to the very shallowly sloping shore) vs. Tibol-side’s deeper approach. A winding trail led up the cliffs so you followed it and were met by another Horali, this one mounted with spear and shield and in Nolosian lamellar: “Halt. I bear the duty of protecting Korrin Bastion and come as its emissary, with the iron word of Baroness Lyriana Lassister of Korrin girding mine. Who approaches our fortress and to what end? She would know, thusly I must. Speak true and so shall I.” He was Rumino Firespitter, a Horali with no soft edges but very straightforward. Like Friedl, he pressed you for information and was resolute that you needed to speak to Lyriana in person, so he took you into the fort. Again you had a look around as you entered, although he gave much less exposition than Friedl did. Korrin Bastion was almost identical in structure to Fort Teggin but unlike it showed some cracks from past damage and scars from fire; plus the stone watchtower was absent and replaced by a newer wooden watchtower structure, topped with a boat-shape of the Ship of Life Church. Ahappi spotted a pale-haired woman who smiled at him from across the plaza at the markets before going into her tent; you noted this and would visit later. Up at the 3rd storey you met Lyriana Lassiter: a tall, imposing Talar of strikingly noble presence – you could feel the power of her ancestors in her. She was the Baroness in charge of all Korrin, and swiftly got to the point with you. Again, she approved of your business under the conditions that you keep the peace around here; and she offered what hospitality she could. The Rancid Forest, you learned, had held various bandit-types for decades and they always returned, from various sources, drawn by the isolation of this area and the good pickings on merchants passing by. But the forts easily cleaned them out when they found them. There were also beasts there of numerous dangerous kinds. The lands here had tremors sometimes, attributed to the damages from the Tibol-Korrin wars. Rumino soon took you back down to the market.
You shopped at the market, hearing that it was a good site to find treasures from the Delvers’ Depths where the Tibolian ship that started the war had sunk. It wasn’t hard to find the best stall, full of jade artefacts some of which Miguel saw were magical. Fraud was pressured by the elderly shopkeeper to buy an ancient Seshnelan jade torc fit for a Talar, but it wasn’t magical and was pricey although nice. Instead, he worked out a very fine bargain, catching the merchant off guard, for a magical serpent-bracelet of jade; at half normal asking price. You then visited the tent where the pale-haired woman was, learning she was named Dionora Threethumbs. Her business was obscure and varied (silks, dyes, more?) but it was clear she was mistress of this brothel, featuring four attractive young women of diverse backgrounds, one of which Fraud soon took a shine to and paired off with in a side-tent for a day/night of “rest”. Ahappi meanwhile spoke with Dionora, finding her calmly pleasant and helpful. She said she knew of the Vadeli (you’d been told they were “encouraged” to come to the forts, which means by Hrestol’s clever pact with the Vadeli that they tend to avoid them, to break these laws; favouring slums and quaysides), including Zridge, but she was fearful of her safety and her girls’. She offered to give you information the next morning, giving her time to prepare their safety from retribution. So you agreed and departed- Miguel watched awkwardly outside Fraud’s tent while Boamund and Ahappi got drawn by a distraction out in the main yard.
A young diver/fisherman named Rogar pulled a jade statuette out of his pack in shock and exclaimed how it hadn’t been there, how he’d been diving in Delvers’ Depths just now but came back empty-handed—yet he wasn’t! The statue was strange and seemed to match the description you’d heard at the brewery: a scaly serpent or wyrm-like form with hundreds of snakes for legs; an intricate and old carving leaving an unsettling impression. As he put it away, realizing how much attention he’d drawn, and ran off to a shadowed corner you spoke to him- Rogar said he’d seen a carved building in Delvers’ Depths, shaped like Korrin Bastion but half-buried in silt; he was now too scared to return but asked if you’d investigate, and you sure were curious so you prepared to go, bringing Miguel along to give Fraud some privacy!
For Friday—time for a dip! -John
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