In Which Lothar Has Someone for Dinner

by Floyd Fiftynames,

Lisenced Bard

Soljus helped Lothar & Co. return to the cavern from which they came, and the party decided to head up and check on Mick, Gahiji, the wolves, and the wagon before getting some rest and heading back to continue searching for baddies. However, their plans were deterred when they resurfaced and discovered that a mighty squall had blown through the area, and Mick and the canines were nowhere to be found. Ajanni tracked their path to a nearby farmhouse, where they found the party's standardbearer, along with the dogs, safe and sound. The house's owner was nowhere to be found, which Mick explained was the way he found the homestead. Mick then shared the dinner he'd prepared with the gang. 

Something was clearly suspicious in all of this, so the party did some investigating, and discovered that the meat they were eating was the home's owner, whom Mick had killed and prepared for eating. A wave of revulsion and horror overtook our heroes, and Riordan, being the one who hired Mick, took it upon himself to interrogate (Mick had been introduced to cannibalism out of necessity in his youth, and turned to it now and then when food became scarce), and summarily execute his charge. The experience did not sit well with any of the assembled, but the party found themselves at a loss to come up with a better solution in retrospect. 

The group lit out from the farmhouse and continued on their way towards Sea Salem. Along the way, they passed through a poorer duchy known as Errond's Port, and were accosted by guards of the local lord, acting independently, with the intent of capturing the group and taking their wealth. The party, however, was able to quickly dispatch the ruffians, and Lothar chased down and caught the final assailant, who tried to flee when it became clear they were fighting a losing effort.

The party took the would-be thief to his lord, and reported him, where they discovered the decrepit state of affairs in the land. The lord, an elderly dwarf named Eliphilet, and the party agreed to call it square (the party had returned all the goods of their assailants to the dwarf), and negotiated for safe passage to Aaron's Port en route to Sea Salem. They were escorted by a guard named Ross, whom Riordan hired after having the chance to get to know the young man. Ross was proscribed to head for the Stein & Shield, where he would wait for the party's return from Sea Salem in a few months' time. 

The party proceeded on to Aaron's Port, and got their first taste of a true metropolis. The group marveled at the number of shops, and the sheer city-ness of it all. Along the way, they made the acquaintance of a man who sold spell components under the auspice of oddities, and met a retired druid who ran a stable in the city. This druid agreed to care for the dire wolves while the party was in Sea Salem (where their presence could have caused the group trouble), in exchange for Ajanni taking the druid's (Simon) son, Simon the lesser, on as an apprentice. 

The party also visited the cathedral, where Salem introduced himself to the clergy and told them of his intentions to be made a full priest of Regius. Riordan confessed his murder of Mick, and sought absolution, and the priest who heard his confession told him to forgive the next man who wronged him.

The party made their way to the docks to book passage on a ship. While en route to the docks, they saw King Halfred on his way from his castle to a carriage, accompanied by Lothar's Uncle Elfred. Lothar elected not to disturb his uncle, as he was in the company of the King, and Lothar did not wish to interrupt, and run the risk of displeasing the regent.

At the docks, Riordan negotiated for passage on a ship, which he did with some difficulty. Shortly afterwards, he discovered that he was being severely overcharged, and he attempted to get a refund on his purchase, but this did not go well.

FF