Post by hubertbartels on May 21, 2023 15:11:04 GMT -5
Freeport Arrival
Sailing into Freeport on the evening tide, the town lay glittering in the sun’s warm glow. From the heights of the Old Town and the elegance of the Last Resort to the low buildings of the Warehouse District and the Docks, the evening light gilded every thing and made it seem like a golden dream. The golden dream smelled worst than it looked.
The Dolphin Princess was met outside of the harbor by a merfolk pilot who guided other merfolk and a giant turtle to tow our ship up to a pier. Once we had tied up and lowered a gangplank, Alessa and the others disembarked. Down on the pier, there was a teeming crowd of stevedores, hotel touts, laborers and other riff-raff. Zayd cornered one such tout and had him guide us to an comfortable and expensive hotel. Our explorations of the abandoned Marekeshian caravel had left us flush with money and we could afford it.
The hotel our guide deposited us was The Last Resort, an imposing building on the edge of the Merchant District, high above a private marina used by the wealthy to tie up their yachts. Alessa was shocked by the prices. Starting with functional rooms at 15 sp/night and going up from there was a drain on Alessa’s resources. She paid for one night. The others took 3 nights.
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant was also expensive – 10 sp to 15 sp for a meal. However it gave her a chance to see the rich and famous folk also dining here. While Zayd, Talarial, Miranda and Cassander relaxed, Alessa put on her best cloak and went out to get a feeling for the district.
In the morning, Miranda expressed an interest in visiting the Port Authority to inquire about her father’s ship – the Wave Runner. Alessa wanted to tag along to look for a better place to stay. The Port Authority was down in the Docks. Miranda’s offer of 10 sp encouraged the woman at the desk to examine the port records herself rather than letting some clerk do it later. We learned that Carlos Olivares and Wave Runner were way over due in Freeport. Captain Olivares often sailed with Captain Lydon. His ship, the Gambit, was still in port. With errands in different parts of Freeport, we split up, agreeing to meet for dinner and look for Captain Lydon later.
Alessa made her inquiries, finally turning up rooms over a laundry that she could rent. The gnomish woman, Mistress Tinkerbar, had no problems with Alessa returning later at night – something that Alessa would be doing often as a performer. The room would cost Alessa 30 sp/month for six months. But the room came with its own key.
At supper time, we met outside the Last Resort and planned where to dine. Zayd suggested The Last Port, a tavern he had heard about. It was run by an elderly dwarven woman. After being seated at a booth, we learned what the other had been up to. Zayd had found lodgings in a boarding house in Drax’s End. It mostly occupied by scholars and students and it’s called the Scholar’s Quill. Cassander, Miranda and Talarial decided to also take up rooms there.
After dinner, we agreed to meet again. Then Miranda and Alessa went down in the Docks to look for Captain Lydon. We found him in a seedy sailor’s tavern, a jovial old salt holding court. Miranda bought him a drink and began to question him about Carlos Olivares.
Captain Lydon told us that on their last trip together, they were smuggling steel weapons to Ezcal in trade for certain medicinal drugs. While unloading the steel weapons, they were forced to flee by an Atryan war ship. While the Gambit fled south, Captain Olivares fled north with the Atryan ship in pursuit. And that’s the last he’s seen of Miranda’s father. Worse, Captain Lydon had to flee before receiving the payment for the weapons he had brought. Now, he was trying to raise money for another smuggling run and it was hard. Alessa heard all that and began to think...
Sailing into Freeport on the evening tide, the town lay glittering in the sun’s warm glow. From the heights of the Old Town and the elegance of the Last Resort to the low buildings of the Warehouse District and the Docks, the evening light gilded every thing and made it seem like a golden dream. The golden dream smelled worst than it looked.
The Dolphin Princess was met outside of the harbor by a merfolk pilot who guided other merfolk and a giant turtle to tow our ship up to a pier. Once we had tied up and lowered a gangplank, Alessa and the others disembarked. Down on the pier, there was a teeming crowd of stevedores, hotel touts, laborers and other riff-raff. Zayd cornered one such tout and had him guide us to an comfortable and expensive hotel. Our explorations of the abandoned Marekeshian caravel had left us flush with money and we could afford it.
The hotel our guide deposited us was The Last Resort, an imposing building on the edge of the Merchant District, high above a private marina used by the wealthy to tie up their yachts. Alessa was shocked by the prices. Starting with functional rooms at 15 sp/night and going up from there was a drain on Alessa’s resources. She paid for one night. The others took 3 nights.
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant was also expensive – 10 sp to 15 sp for a meal. However it gave her a chance to see the rich and famous folk also dining here. While Zayd, Talarial, Miranda and Cassander relaxed, Alessa put on her best cloak and went out to get a feeling for the district.
In the morning, Miranda expressed an interest in visiting the Port Authority to inquire about her father’s ship – the Wave Runner. Alessa wanted to tag along to look for a better place to stay. The Port Authority was down in the Docks. Miranda’s offer of 10 sp encouraged the woman at the desk to examine the port records herself rather than letting some clerk do it later. We learned that Carlos Olivares and Wave Runner were way over due in Freeport. Captain Olivares often sailed with Captain Lydon. His ship, the Gambit, was still in port. With errands in different parts of Freeport, we split up, agreeing to meet for dinner and look for Captain Lydon later.
Alessa made her inquiries, finally turning up rooms over a laundry that she could rent. The gnomish woman, Mistress Tinkerbar, had no problems with Alessa returning later at night – something that Alessa would be doing often as a performer. The room would cost Alessa 30 sp/month for six months. But the room came with its own key.
At supper time, we met outside the Last Resort and planned where to dine. Zayd suggested The Last Port, a tavern he had heard about. It was run by an elderly dwarven woman. After being seated at a booth, we learned what the other had been up to. Zayd had found lodgings in a boarding house in Drax’s End. It mostly occupied by scholars and students and it’s called the Scholar’s Quill. Cassander, Miranda and Talarial decided to also take up rooms there.
After dinner, we agreed to meet again. Then Miranda and Alessa went down in the Docks to look for Captain Lydon. We found him in a seedy sailor’s tavern, a jovial old salt holding court. Miranda bought him a drink and began to question him about Carlos Olivares.
Captain Lydon told us that on their last trip together, they were smuggling steel weapons to Ezcal in trade for certain medicinal drugs. While unloading the steel weapons, they were forced to flee by an Atryan war ship. While the Gambit fled south, Captain Olivares fled north with the Atryan ship in pursuit. And that’s the last he’s seen of Miranda’s father. Worse, Captain Lydon had to flee before receiving the payment for the weapons he had brought. Now, he was trying to raise money for another smuggling run and it was hard. Alessa heard all that and began to think...