The World of Teréth End

Four strangers meet at the Daluj Malar amiss the Arven Dor festivites. Silda experiments with eçaba. The lure of jobs and money leads them to Thojir and the North Shore. They agree to try and find an heirloom ring lost in the Old City.

The Orguidá Eorin sailed slowly into the still Jadthàri harbor. The docks were alight with lanterns and showering sticks of fire as the city prepared for the night's festivities. Pulled against a dock by a team of violet humanoids, the ship's captain settled with the harbormaster and the gangplank was lowered for debarkation. Two passengers emerged from beneath the dark wood deck, a tall blonde woman in reptilian armor and a shorter leaner figure bundled in his clock and hood. The two exchanged thanks with the captain and instruction on where to find a good inn before walking down to the pier. Upon the pier they found a group of the violet Nuth standing still, watching them pass. The people said nothing to them, or to one another.

Picking their way through the shoreside crowds of dockworkers and festival-goers, they came to tall three-story balcony-encircled building. The plaque outside bore strange characters which neither could read. Inside, they found a wide-open tavern with a long bar toward the back wall. Behind the bar a tallish black man with white tattoos around his neck and shoulders waved them forward, asking their preference. Though rusty, the two's grasp of Jadthàri had improved greatly on the long ship ride south. The captain's words had sounded different, but he had explained that the city was a crucible of people from all places, and no two spoke the language the same.

After ordering drinks, they watched a man sitting near them at the bar sucking the juice from the blue stem of a white-petalled flower. Vorén watched the man as he slowly began slumping into his stool and staring off into space. Vorén asked the man what the flower was, and he responded "eçaba". He offered one of his remaining flowers to Silda who partook and soon was hallucinating wildly. Silda slowly noticed that the voices entering her head were the thoughts of others who had partaken of the same substance, but instead of joining the "conversation" she simply sat, listened, and admired her "extra" fingers. Vorén took the opportunity to case the room and lift the drugged man's purse and dagger.

Elsewhere, Zuroolly and Ferveo had gathered their things and were preparing to hit the streets and make some coin on this festive evening. Before leaving, Zuroolly excused himself and ambled into the back room of his house for a few minutes. Ferveo waited. After some time Zuroolly returned and said they should go. So gathering his rope and basket, Zuroolly wandered into the street with his brown robed friend behind him. They set-up on several street corners performing their "snake charming" and tumbling act, but as the night wore on past nightsdeep Zuroolly grew increasingly agitated; dodging in and out of buildings as if looking for someone. Finally, the two reached the Daluj Malar where they spotted the tall and blonde strange Silda, and her cloaked counterpart. Zuroolly drew closer and with a small cantrip pushed back the companion's hood to reveal white ears and hair. These strangers were the ones he was looking for. Ferveo followed somewhat confused.

Introductions were exchanged, and shortly following Zuroolly invited the two to stay with him but Vorén explained that they already had a room at the inn. The scraggly haired Zuroolly agreed that they should stay at the place they had paid for. Silda gradually grew more cognizant and expressed her wish to retire for the night. The group agreed to meet in the mid-morning for breakfast and thus parted company.

Silda and Vorén retired to their room on the top story of the inn and the barbarian was soon fast asleep. Vorén climbed out their window into the blue-violet night and watched for sometime the twin full moons Nuléun and Woad above him. Grabbing the eave, he prepared to swing himself onto the roof but lost his grip and fell nimbly to the balcony below. Some drunks watched him with amazement. He talked with one of the men for a time and learned some basic items about the City of Jadth; that it was surrounded by jungle and that a castle lie somewhere on the north shore. He thanked the men and walked inside and back up to his room. His second attempt got him onto the roof of the Daluj Malar where he sat and looked across the rooftops of Akazjir. Following a lengthy vigil he climbed down from the tiled rooftop and walked down to the streets where he explored the area in the pre-dawn hours. He stopped to tend on occassion to tend to unconscious revelers and dwemers, sprawled in the streets and marketplace. He was particularly interested in the high stones that jutted from ground atop which buildings and walkways had been affixed. Climbing one, he was able to see much further into the delta city, but still he could not see its end through the mists. On his return to the inn, Vorén stopped at a temple near the marketplace, but could not find a distinguishing mark on the building.

Come morning, Silda met with Ferveo and Zuroolly for breakfast. She explained that she was going to seek employment at the Bridge east of the city this day. When Zuroolly asked where Vorén might be, she explained that he slept late. Silda left the two after an egg and fish breakfast and found her way through and out the other side of the city. Along the riverside jungle road she passed several villages before reaching a tent village where a curved-sword guard stopped her approach. After some talk, the man directed her toward the work-leader's tent where she signed-up for guard duty protecting the tent village. It was explained to her that the tent village was sufficiently outside the city and received no benefit from its protections. The camp had problems with wild boars, mad monkies, crocodiles, and other jungle beasts.

When Silda returned to the Daluj Malar she found Vorén speaking with the other two. Vorén was obviously stalling as he nursed his wine, waiting for sundown. Inexplicably, the other two seemed eager to wait however long it might take. They spoke with Lzar a bit and learned of work-contractor who dealt with desperate people with undesirable jobs. Quick money. When it began to grow dark Vorén finished his last glass and the four, as a group, wandered down to the Sharm Thojir where Arun Karçur was still hiring. After another group left, Silda spoke with Arun who seemed at a loss for a job that was doable by one person, offering only a pier-master who was having troubles with his Nuth. When Arun learned that the others were also available he mentioned two jobs, an eastwardly village whose farmlands were disappearing beneath the swiftly encroaching forest, and a man (Urlun Lokor) who had been murdered in the Old City whose family desired the return of a heirloom ring he had been wearing before his death. The group decided to look for the Lokor family's ring, so Arun wrote their names into a small book and explained that 5 of the 50 tala reward was due him as his standard percentage. This was agreed to.

The group wound their way toward the Run Suluth where they hired a ferryman to take them to the North Shore. Arriving on the far side they were immediately intercepted and questioned by the city guard who had been watching the small craft rowing across the river at this dark hour. They explained their business and received an escort to the Lokor house, despite not having a writ. They were greeted by a manservant who allowed them through the front gate after learning they were there to find the lost ring. Led toward the main house a woman emerged in a white gown, introducing herself as Eserell Lokor, the mother of Urlun. She spoke coldly about the death of her son, unfazed by the questions of his murder but was unable to describe his wounds, explaining that he had been "cleaned" shortly after being returned to his family. She described the ring as a silver band inset with black stones, with a mounted jade on top. The ring, she explained, was a gift to Urlun from his grandfather and she wanted it back. Following questions about her son, she said that he was a gambler, and that she didn't know or approve his friends. She suspected that most of his dealings were done on the South Shore and she knew that he sometimes attended the stadium there as well. She said that he had an apartment on Kurin, an island in the delta, but that it was emptied following his death. Eserell thanked them for their help and big them good-night.

19 Oct 2000

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People

Arun Karçur (Rog5)
Eserell Lokor (Ari6)
Urlun Lokor (Ari4)
Lzar (Ftr5)

Introducing

Arven Dor: A two day celebration held throughout lands once Dekàlan, to celebrate the new year. To some, the festival of Arven Dor is also a celebration of Spring, while others still celebrate joint full moons Nuléun and Woad.

Daluj Malar: A three story inn along the Akazjir shore of Jadth. The ground floor of the building is a tavern where good ale and fair wine can be had at fair prices. The open first floor is a wrap-around balcony inside and outside the building, with four large iron and candle chandeliers hanging over the tavern room below. The second and top floor boasts comfortable rooms with opening windows and walls to allow the breezes in. (see more)