Eryn hugs the blink dogs tightly as the Hammers begin to break camp. It’s clear that the dogs will not leaving with them. Aenbrun smiles and pats the dogs, and the others say their goodbyes.
The Hammers are thankful for their horses as the group is not slowed down by Marellye’s condition. The elf is well enough to guide her own mare without help. Answild rides next to her in case she needs assistance. The blade-initiate still does not fully understand what continues to affect Marellye as there doesn’t appear to be lasting injury.
Travel into Hex 2619 (Wilderness: Woods - Noney Woods)
Wandering Monsters (3) - No & Getting Lost (16+4 = 20) - No
Movement: 48mi. - ((3mi. x 1.5 {mountains penalty} = 4.5mi., rounded up to 5mi. leaving hex 2718) - (6mi. x 1.33 {wooded penalty} = 8mi. travel through hex 2619) = 13mi) = 35mi. left for the day.
They make their descent down the mountain. It’s warm for an autumn day, but a light breeze means that everyone keeps their cloaks on. The temperature drops a bit once the group enters the Noney Woods.
Travel into Hex 2519 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Whitewrym Steppes)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 35mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 2519 = 29mi. left for the day.
[The center hex at 2621 turns out to be swamp. This in-turn allows us to calculate hex 2519 as plains.]
Jane guides the group slightly southwest. They emerge from the woods into grasslands. They have crossed over into a southern section of the Whitewyrm Steppes.
Travel into Hex 2420 (Wilderness: Swamp - Venomous Moor)
Wandering Monsters (3) - No
Movement: 29mi. - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi. travel through hex 2420) = 20mi. left for the day.
[The half-hex at 2420 has to be a terrain type that works for both forest and swamp. Those are the two predominant terrain types of the atlas hexes it straddles. Cross-indexing against the table that I have, it turns out that this half-hex can only be swamp.]
The group gives Gamin a foul look as his southern path leads them through a nasty moor. Their progress slows considerably. Jane smirks while the dwarf simply shrugs his shoulders and says that it was in the hands of fate. Besides, that hydra is somewhere in the hills to the north. Why would they have wanted to travel back through there?
Travel into Hex 2319 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Whitewrym Steppes)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 20mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 2319 = 14mi. left for the day.
[With the Whitewyrm Steppes almost completely wrapping around the Zaruktharbh Highlands, I’m going to rename them the Whitewyrm Highlands. Retcon!]
Yet even more steppes greet the Hammers as they happily exit the fetid moors. Fara wonders at the size of the Whitewyrm plains. How far do they extend? Jane says she’s seen bigger.
Travel into Hex 2220 (Wilderness: Forest - Cawli Forest)
Wandering Monsters (5) - Yes
Woods Roll (6) - Animal Roll (4) - Boar
% in Lair (n/a) - No - a Sounder of 4 Boars
Monster surprised (2) - Yes & Party surprised (1) - Yes
Movement: 14mi. - ((6mi. x 1.33 {wooded penalty}) = 8mi. travel through hex 2220) = 6mi. left for the day.
As the sun is halfway through its descent, the group finds itself back in forest. While traveling through a particularly heavy patch, they come across a small group of boars. Though they pose no credible threat, Elladriel makes the call to hunt down the beasts. Their food stores are getting low and she’d rather not take chances.
[I decide to run this one as if it’s a dungeon encounter as opposed to using the Domains at War rules. A group of 4 ordinary boars are 12 hit dice total worth of creatures, which seems to be in line with a level 1 difficulty.]
Sounder of 4 Ordinary Boars
Difficulty Level 1
Party level: 1 - adventuring against 1 encounter
Easy (+2), Group Size: 11 (+2), Well-Balanced: (+1) = +5
Resolution roll: 12+5 = 17 (Excellent) - no mortal wounds
Reward: 200xp from the encounter
The group makes quick work of the beasts. Gamin enlists Aakisun’s aid and takes an hour to properly render the boars. The dwarf promises the group that tonight’s feast will be worthy of royalty. Forgotten are the doubts many had about taking this southerly route as their mouths begin to water at the thought of dinner.
Travel into Hex 2119 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Plains of the Wanderer)
Wandering Monsters (5) - No
Movement: 6mi. travel through hex 2119
[This will put the group right on the edge of sub-hex 2020 when they resume their journey tomorrow morning.]
The Hammers exit the forest onto what they believe are the southeastern extents of the Plains of the Wanderer. Marellye asks if they’re near where they came across the caravan, but Jane explains that was further to the northwest. She says they might come across its tracks, assuming that it headed farther south than where they’re headed. She assumes that to be the case.
They make good time crossing the plains and camp later than they usually do. The delay turns out to be worth it. Gamin, true to his word, cooks them up an amazing meal.
He boasts that he added special dwarven spices to the meat. When pressed, the dwarf refuses to divulge the secret. The rest of them will simply have to appreciate the dinner for what it is without knowing his family recipe.
The Hammers of Tydsford - A Ship on Troubled Waters
Katala, Knights the 12th, 607 Y.E.
The decision to not go back into the tower is unanimous. Whatever the hell is below the Tower of Baleful Secrets can continue to rot. This is especially true if the mountain underneath is as trapped as the tower itself.
Maybe the Hammers will come back and clear it out when they have some more experience under their collective belts. Maybe Lord Tydsford will finally get around to dealing with the tower. Either way, this is not the time.
Blood Spires (Mountains)
Wandering Monsters (1) - No
Answild tends to Marellye, but mostly keeps her comfortable. Aside from some lingering red spots where the magic arced through her body, there are no signs of harm. She’s never seen the elf so weak.
When they’re not playing with Aenbrun and Eryn, one or the other blink dogs lies next to the ailing elf. The enchanted creatures are definitely more intelligent than normal dogs. Eryn tries to give them the names, Lono and Beara, after two legendary warriors. They give her quizzical looks and both shake as if they’re throwing water off their bodies. The blink dogs then both yap and bark, and then blink into the woman nearly knocking her over in their excitement.
Much of the afternoon is spent discussing the path they’ll take heading back home. Mostly, it’s an argument between Jane and Gamin. The navigator wants to take the same path as the one they took to get here.
The dwarf insists that they should take a more southerly or northerly path, but one that parallels the way they came. It’s clear that this time, Gamin doesn’t want to explore for the sake of exploration. He wants to do whatever it takes to avoid the pride of griffons. That includes not traveling back through the Efnigh Woods.
In the end, Wine tells them both to shut the hell up. He produces a shiny silver coin from one pocket and holds it up for everyone to see in his good, right hand. This he says, with a bit of a wet slur, is his lucky coin. The embossed stamp of a kraken decorates one side, while the other has the impression of a ship on troubled waters.
This coin, he continues, has seen him through countless difficult decisions out at sea. It’ll settle this dispute. As he flips it high into the air, he calls out for Gamin to call it. The dwarf yells out “Ship!” and sure enough, the silver coin lands kraken facedown.
Having won, Gamin says they should take the southerly parallel route. A grumbling Jane Wythey reluctantly agrees. When he thinks no one else can see, Wine gives the dwarf a conspiratorial wink. Gamin grins from ear to ear and plops himself down in front of the fire for a draw from his wineskin.
Aenbrun shakes her head. The arbalester knows what’s going down. She would tell Jane, too, if it weren’t for the fact that she doesn’t like the navigator.
[Today was a day of rest required after each foray into a dungeon, whether scouting or adventure. No wandering monsters, so nothing much else going on.]
Answild wakes bright and early. The cold mountain air helps; she didn’t sleep well. But today is an auspicious day. Tonight is the full moon, and goddess willing, she will be its celebrant.
The rest of the Hammers are roused. They break their fast on a cooked meal, something they haven’t enjoyed in two days. They’re then off back up the slope and into the forbidding tower.
Meanwhile, as the day continues, it gets warmer. The skies are mostly clear and the sun is drying up the puddles. The hirelings stretch their legs and setup a proper camp once more.
Blood Spires (Mountains)
Wandering Monsters (4) - Yes
Mountains, Hills Roll (4) - Unusual Roll (2) - Blink Dog
% in Lair (20%) - No - a Route of 8 Blink Dogs
Monster surprised (6) - No & Party surprised (6) - No
While Aenbrun and Eryn are out hunting and foraging, they come across a strange pack of canines. The dogs seem to be playing, but the odd thing is, they disappear from one place and appear in another in some weird game of tag.
The two groups notice each other around the same time. The humans freeze not knowing what to make of the situation, but realizing that they cannot outrun these enchanted beasts. Eryn slowly puts her bow down, but Aenbrun keeps her aim on one of the dogs.
Suddenly, half of the dogs blink to surround the two. Their barks and yaps at the woman and to each other almost sound intelligent. Eryn is terrified and raises her arms straight up in the air.
Blink Dog Decision
Reaction Roll [2d6]: 10+2 {Disposition} = 12, Friendly, helpful
Just as Aenbrun seems ready to try to shoot one at point blank, they all blink away. Then, just as sudden, they blink back in to tackle the larger woman, bowling her over and knocking her arbalest away. But, instead of mauling her, she is covered in licks and nuzzles.
Eryn Haucey lets out a laugh of joy as her terror vanishes. What wondrous creatures. She too gets her fill of play time with the dogs as they all chase each other about.
Eventually, the women need to get back to camp. The dogs seem to understand their intent, and two of the dogs return with them. Jane and Hammond are startled, not only by the addition of the dogs, but because they were enjoying each other’s company during a rare time of privacy.
Aenbrun and Eryn give them proper warning, and before they know it, the dogs are playing in the camp. The teleporting canines get a bit rambunctious, knocking over this and that, and spooking some of the horses. But, they remain playful and seem intent upon staying with the group, at least for a while.
[It’s too bad there’s no one in the group that has the Speak with Animals spell or Beast Friendship proficiency. With a reaction roll of 12+, they might have been able to convince one or more of the blink dogs to be hirelings! Alas, the communication gulf is too wide, despite the intelligence of the dogs. The two blink dogs will stay in camp with the group for up to three more days.]
And, back in the tower…
Tower of Baleful Secrets
Difficulty Level 2 - Layer 1 Small (2 encounters)
Party level: 1 - adventuring against 2 encounters
Dangerous (-2), Group Size: 7 (+1), Well-Balanced: (+1) = 0
Resolution roll: 17 (Excellent) - 1 mortal wound, 150% treasure
Reward: 280xp from encounters, 1,120xp from treasure, 1,120gp, but no magic items
Mortal Wounds:
Marellye - d6 roll of 1: upper torso/chest/neck/head, d20 roll of 15: You are critically wounded. You die unless healed to 1hp within 1 day. If you are healed, you need 1 week’ bed rest. You actually died from shock, but were miraculously revived through witchery that no one can explain (roll on the Tampering with Mortality table - factor in only the character’s WIS modifier and the -1 for each side effect already suffered.
Tampering with Mortality - d6 roll of 2, d20 roll of 8: Your life and limb are restored, but with weird, lingering effects. You need 29 days of bed rest. You have been permanently connected to the spiritual plane and glow like a candle to the unliving. All undead can sense your presence within 60’.
The tower’s secrets are plumbed, with the Hammers facing off against both gargoyles and an arcane-altered cave bear. All seems to be going well. Better than expected, in fact. And then, as they emerge onto the tower top, disaster strikes.
The sun’s rays dapple the sky in one last attempt to resist the night. Deep blue gives way to lighter azure, with softer reds at the horizon. As she spies the wondrous view, Marellye fails to notice the perimeter runes of a magic circle that she has crossed. Blue arcs of energy course through the elf’s body and she falls dead in front of the Hammers’ eyes.
Elladriel and Aakisun drag her body out of the circle while Answild rushes to her side. Wine and Fara Darragon are dumbstruck at what just happened, and Gamin is on his knees next to the elf begging her not to die.
The light of the full moon shines down upon Answild as she does everything in her power to save the elf. But, it appears that the shock to Marellye was too great. In the midst of the crushed hopes of the others, the blade-initiate beseeches the goddess one last time.
Just then, a brilliant beam of pure light strikes the still body of the elf. Her chest heaves with a sudden intake of air as she breathes once more. A strange glow permeates her body as she chokes and coughs. Spirits, not all friendly-looking, course through her repeatedly along figure-eight paths.
The dance of the seemingly-divine power speeds up in an ever-widening circle that encompasses most of the top of the circular tower. And then, just as suddenly, it vanishes along with the glow suffusing Marellye’s body. Right at that moment, the elf’s eyes shoot open and glow for a second before returning to normal.
Answild forestalls a veritable dog pile of hugs as the Hammers are relieved to see their leader breathing once more. However, more than one set of eyes look suspiciously upon the blade-initiate. She has no answers for them. It wasn’t her doing, though she assumes that it was the will of the goddess.
[This is just me interpreting the Mortal Wounds and Tampering with Mortality results. It is not to suggest that Answild has the power to resurrect anyone. However, others may and will be suspicious of her abilities given the undesirable side effects that Marellye has incurred.]
Marellye is in no condition to move quickly, and so they slowly make their way down the tower’s central staircase. When they reach the bottom, the wooden hatch that covers the stairs leading into the unknown below the tower, flies open of its own volition, nearly coming unhinged. An unnatural moan escapes the darkness. Answild instructs the warriors to pick Marellye up and carry her. They must flee!
Rushing as fast as they can down the slope, they make it back to camp with nothing in their wake as far as they can tell. Elladriel asks what that was, fearing the bladedancer’s response. Sure enough, Answild says she is certain that some undead creature rests in the dungeons below the tower. One of the wizard’s baleful secrets must have been necromancy.
All wonder what they did differently this time that such a force was wakened by their presence. Whatever it is wasn’t disturbed by their previous foray, even when Aakisun had stuck a torch into the stair below to see how far they went.
When they learn of the blink dogs, the Hammers are intrigued. Marellye is too weak to play with them, but is heartened that such creatures have befriended Eryn and Aenbrun. At one point, even Gamin joins in on the play, riding one of the dogs about and whooping with laughter as it blinked him here and there.
For the time being, concerns over exactly what happened to Marellye seem to be of secondary importance. The Hammers are tired and need to rest. A cold wind picks up and with it comes the smell of possible rain.
The Hammers of Tydsford - We Haven’t Come All This Way...
Oehd, Knights the 10th, 607 Y.E.
The Hammers rest from yesterday’s harrowing foray into the Tower of Baleful Secrets. The traps, especially the magical ones, have the group on edge. It’s clear that the place has been abandoned for ages, so why would anyone fill it with deadly tricks?
Marellye suggest that some of them could have been placed by a mage intent upon plumbing the secrets himself. The traps could be there to keep others from gaining the tower’s secrets. Or, Gamin posits, it’s full of traps because mages are full of evil intent and mess with forces they shouldn’t.
This gets the dwarf an uncharacteristic angry look from Marellye. But, the moment does not last long as Jane wonders out loud if the group should give up on the tower for now? The storm has passed on, but the mountains are still foggy, cold, and wet. It could even be the sorcery of the tower bringing such foul weather down on their heads. Maybe they should head back to the shelter of the wooded lowlands.
The group’s leader will not consider it. The Hammers haven’t come all this way to be deterred by a bout of bad weather and some ancient traps. Marellye is intent upon gaining the tower’s secrets, if not those below it as well. She will not allow superstition to factor into their decision.
Blood Spires (Mountains)
Wandering Monsters (1) - No
The day remains cold, damp, and windy. The intemperate weather only gets worse as the sun goes down. At least the Hammers are treated to a gorgeous dusk as the sun peaks below the clouds to the west be disappearing.
The Hammers of Tydsford - The Baleful Secrets are Trapped
Wohn, Knights the 9th, 607 Y.E.
The day of the Mother of All opens with a resounding crash. A severe thunderstorm drops over the Blood Spires, bringing with it a deluge. It’s all the Hammers can do to break their camp before it blows away.
After about an hour, they find some shelter in an overhang under a sheer cliff. It’s not much, but it’s enough protection that the horses and hirelings won’t be directly in the rain. Unless, of course, the winds change.
Blood Spires (Mountains)
Wandering Monsters (2) - No
The location seems as safe as any they’re going to find in this weather. With some final words of instruction, the seven Hammers head up toward the tower. The way is slow until Elladriel spots the timeworn path that leads to the tower’s base.
Tower of Baleful Secrets
Difficulty Level 2 - Layer 1 Small (2 encounters)
Party level: 1 - Scouting
Dangerous (-2), Group Size: 7 (+1), Well-Balanced: (+1) = 0
Resolution roll: 13 (Satisfactory) - no mortal wounds
Reward: Learn that the dungeon layer they’re on is Difficulty Level 2 and there is a lower level below the tower.
Encounter Inhabitants: they don’t know because they didn’t uncover the # of encounters.
[The first Resolution roll was a 1. Marellye spent her final Luck point, and the re-roll was a 13. Lucky 13.]
The Hammers don’t spend too long in the tower, but the time they do spend inside is harrowing. The tower’s three levels are trapped all the way up. It was all that Wine, Gamin, and Elladriel could do to keep the group safe.
Remarkably, it was Marellye at one point who noticed an oddly shaped flagstone and kept Answild from stepping on it. After a thorough examination, it’s determined to be a magical trap that would have electrocuted all of them in that room. Everyone, especially Answild, thanks the elf for her keen eyesight. Gamin curses all wizards, and Elladriel chastises herself for missing the trap’s trigger.
When they descend back down and out into the late afternoon, the group emerges into a storm that isn’t as strong as earlier, but is windier. A bitter cold seeps in, and combined with the gusts, no one can get comfortable this night. Hammond and the rest have made a pitiful fire in the shelter that’s taking a great deal of effort to keep going.
Marellye relays that all they really discovered about the tower is that it’s the most dangerous place they’ve come across. They weren’t able to investigate all of the tower’s rooms because of the need to avoid traps, magical and otherwise. They did find an ominous set of stairs leading underground into darkness.
Eryn asks if they’re going back in. Marellye purses her lips and says that they’ll discuss it tomorrow. Hopefully, the weather will abate and they’ll all be able to rest comfortably.
Jane expects to find this Tower of Baleful Secrets to the east by the end of the day. The Hammers are all eager to get a move on. The dawn rises over the forest with the promise of moderate temperatures.
Fall has taken a firm grasp on the region. The deciduous trees of the mixed forest are all well on their way to changing color. The air is crisp and there is a light breeze blowing from the north.
Travel into Hex 2219 (Wilderness: Forest - Cawli Forest)
Wandering Monsters (1) - No & Getting Lost (12+4 = 16) - No
Movement: 48mi. - ((2mi. x 1.33 {forest penalty} = 2.66, rounded up to 3mi. leaving hex 2118) - (6mi. x 1.33 {forest penalty} = 8mi. travel through hex 2219) = 11mi) = 37mi. left for the day.
The forest canopy closes overhead as the trees density increases. The group’s travel slows quite a bit as they wend their way through the forest. They have to be more careful that the horses don’t lame themselves on tree roots and other hazards hidden beneath the undergrowth.
Travel into Hex 2318 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Whitewrym Steppes)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 37mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 2318 = 31mi. left for the day.
The dense forest opens onto a vast grassland. The group’s pace picks back up. Eryn Haucey takes the opportunity to do some light hunting when she spies a family of hares bounding over the plains. Her arrows strike true and a minute later, she returns with a couple of fat rabbits for tonight’s stew.
Travel into Hex 2419 (Wilderness: Hills - Zaruktharbh Highlands)
Wandering Monsters (6) - Yes
Mountains, Hills Roll (7) - Dragon Roll (7) - Hydra
% in Lair (20%) - No - a Solitary Hydra
Monster surprised (2) - Yes & Party surprised (5) - No
Movement: 31mi. - ((6mi. x 1.33 {hills penalty}) = 8mi. travel through hex 2318) = 24mi. left for the day.
The steppes rise and give way to a low lying set of hills. The sun has just begun its descent when something spooks the horses. They’ve caught the scent of something they most definitely do not like. It’s about that time that an immense reptilian head crests the hill immediately to the Hammers’ north. A dragon!
At least, that’s what Gamin cries out at first. Eyes bug out of their heads all over the group as horses are wheeled about in a panic to head south away from the thing. But then, the rest of the twenty-foot long or so creature tops the rise and the sight becomes more horrifying. It has seven heads. It’s no dragon at all, it’s a hydra! Thank goodness for small miracles. Sort of.
Somehow the fourteen-eyed creature it still hasn’t noticed the large group. By the time it does, Marellye has herded the group east as fast as they can ride. It let’s out a chorus of hisses to give chase at the faster horses. The thing might not be able to overtake them even if they didn’t have mounts. Well, it could likely run down Gamin. He’d make a fine meal for one of its seven gullets.
[Because the hydra was surprised, the Hammers are able to automatically flee successfully. It’s likely they would have gotten away regardless due to the initial distance between them and the speed differential.]
Travel into Hex 2518 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Whitewrym Steppes)
Wandering Monsters (5) - No
Movement: 24mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 2518 = 18mi. left for the day.
[Generating the half-hex connector at 2418 gives us plains as the Whitewrym Steppes continue in the northeasterly direction. The atlas hex at 2617 turns out to be more forest. Based upon that information, the terrain of the hex the group is moving into is randomly generated as secondary plains. As it turns out, the steppes wrap around the north side of the hills continue eastward.]
Fleeing from the seven-headed serpent, the Hammers descend from the highlands back onto the steppes. The group is happy to be able to pick up the pace across the mostly-even ground. The monstrosity gave up on its chase long ago, but it never hurts to put more distance between yourself and something like that.
Travel into Hex 2618 (Wilderness: Woods - Noney Woods)
Wandering Monsters (2) - No
Movement: 18mi. - ((6mi. x 1.33 {woods penalty}) = 8mi. travel through hex 2618) = 10mi. left for the day.
As the sun is well into its zenith, the Hammers enter a light woods. Their pace slows again and then comes to a stop. Jane takes a moment to be sure of her bearings in the middle of the trees. Certain of their heading, she has them continue on.
Looks are passed between many of the others. They’re a long distance from home for their navigator to be having doubts. Then again, none of them know exactly where they are without looking at her map. They trust in her ability to see them to their destination, it’s just been a long day and nerves are a bit frayed.
Travel into Hex 2718 (Wilderness: Mountains - Blood Spires)
Wandering Monsters (1) - No
Movement: 10mi. - ((6mi. x 1.5 {mountains penalty}) = 9mi. travel through hex 2618) = 1mi. left for the day, but it’s not needed.
The ground begins to rise precipitously once more, but more steeply than earlier in the day when they were traveling through the highlands. In fact, as they slowly rise above the canopy below, they are greeted by quite the sight.
A set of jagged mountain tops rise above them. The woods continue up their slopes, though thinned out quite a bit. The reddening leaves of autumn give the mountain range an almost bloody appearance.
The elevation gives them quite the vista as they look back the way they’ve come. The view is breathtaking. However, a better sight sits just above about half a mile up the slope. The stone of an aged edifice yet reflects some of the failing sunlight. The Tower of Baleful Secrets at last.
Elladriel stops the group to camp in a secluded clearing about a quarter mile down from the tower. Time enough tomorrow to scout the structure. Who would build such a place here? Marellye nods as Answild conjectures it’s likely the abode of some practitioner of the dark arts, be they arcane or divine in nature. Either way, it’s secrets are bound to be deadly.
Down one hireling, Marellye curses the fact that she didn’t have the foresight to bring on more hirelings while they were up in Haystone. They could have hired as many mercenaries as they wanted. Gamin snorts and spits. Don’t be daft, he says. Would they have also needed to buy horses for all of them? Or, were they just going to let perfect strangers ride their newly acquired mounts south?
Besides, they have a lot of gold, but they’re not noble-rich. Not yet anyway. It’s premature to be thinking of the Hammers as a full-fledged company. This gets the group thinking over an early breakfast, and that leads to their next plan.
The Tower of Baleful Secrets lies somewhere to the east. Lord Gauwis’s man, Colmund Ferry, told Marellye that it was about three days in that direction, which is likely closer to two days on horseback. The Hammers are ready to go, having prepared themselves and then some over the course of the last three weeks.
Bidding Symas and the Crossed Hammers inn farewell, the Hammers gather up their hirelings and head to the stables. The stablemaster’s teenage son, Wheatfield, who everyone calls Wheat, sees to their needs. Answild asks after his mother, who hasn’t been doing well for some time. The boy shrugs and goes about his business. The bladedancer promises to come around when the Hammers return. It shouldn’t be more than a week, or so.
Travel into Hex 1518 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Vale of Omens)
Wandering Monsters (2) - No & Getting Lost (14+4 = 18) - No
Movement: 48mi. - ((3mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 2mi. leaving hex 1419) - 6mi. = 8mi. travel through hex 1518)) = 40mi. left for the day.
During their travel across the Vale of Omens, Hammond asks why it is that the Hammers haven’t had a home built for themselves yet in the village. They spend all of that money staying at the inn and there’s no guarantee that rooms will be available for them. Sounds to him that they have the money for it.
Marellye says they probably could, but would need Lord Tydsford’s permission to do so. It’s not a bad idea, though she doesn’t know if it’s a good investment for them. Long term, certainly, but in the short run, as long as their luck holds with rooms at the Crossed Hammers, why throw away the money?
Wine jokes they should just buy the inn, except Gamin, Aakisun, and Fara all think he’s being serious. They think it’s a great idea. Then, Wine thinks it’s a great idea, too. Marellye considers maybe they have a point. They’d have guaranteed rooms and maybe Symas would be willing to stay on as the innkeeper to take care of it for them? Answild points out that they could even have a dedicated stables built out back to house their horses.
Their elven leader wonders aloud about how much Symas would want for the inn. Gamin says that whatever he wants, the dwarf is certain he can get them a better price. Everyone laughs, except for Jane Wythey and, of course, Elladriel, who rarely laughs at anything.
Travel into Hex 1619 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Vale of Omens)
Wandering Monsters (3) - No
Movement: 40mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 1619 = 34mi. left for the day.
The Vale of Omens continues to stretch out before the group on this windy and cold autumn day. To a member, the Hammers are happy that they have horses. They find it remarkable how much distance they’ve already covered this morning.
Wine’s not having a great deal of luck with the horse that Gamin picked out special for him. The dwarf tells him to stop grousing while barely holding back a chuckle. It’s just going to take time to become friends with the horse is all. Marellye just shakes her head knowing exactly which mare Gamin assigned to the thief. At least he had sense enough not to try to stick Elladriel with the stubborn horse.
Travel into Hex 1718 (Wilderness: Woods - Efnigh Woods)
Wandering Monsters (6) - Yes
Woods Roll (2) - Flyer Roll (4) - Griffon
% in Lair (25%) - No - a Pride of 11 Griffons
Monster surprised (4) - No & Party surprised (5) - No
Movement: 34mi. - (6mi. x 1.33 {wooded areas penalty} = 8mi. travel through hex 1619) = 26mi. left for the day.
[Generation of the central hex at 1817 requires that I first assign the terrain of the connecting half-hex at 1618. That hex turns out to be hills. This then allows me to generate the center hex at 1817, which is more plains. The sub-hex that the group is traveling into becomes a woods, in-turn.]
In the middle of the woods, the beating of wings is heard long before the pride of griffons passes low overhead. The massive beasts have a twenty-five foot wingspan, the bodies of lions and the heads and front legs of an eagle. The scent of the horses is evident in their reaction. The fantastic flying creatures make a dive for the group.
[The encounter distance is critical here. Griffons love horseflesh. So much so, in fact, that if they are within 120’ of a horse, they will automatically attack it without any reaction roll being allowed. Unfortunately, I roll 17 yards for the encounter distance, which is only 51 feet. The griffons descend rapidly from above the sparse wooded canopy.]
Thinking quickly, Marellye yells out to let the extra remount loose. Wine, who has been leading the unmounted colt, already instinctually incensed with the approach of the flying predators bolts. The rest of the group spur their horses at a gallop deeper into the woods, hoping to evade the pride.
[I’m going to allow the reaction roll to determine how many of the griffons are distracted by the sole horse the group let loose. The griffons would rather feast on an undefended horse, for certain. But, they’re also much more powerful than most humanoids and they know it, especially small ones like poor Gamin.
A result of 2- Hostile means that only 1 griffon peels off. 3-5 Unfriendly will have 4 turn their attention on the lone horse. 6-8 Neutral will have 8 of the creatures peel off. 9-11 Indifferent means that the group will be pursued by a single griffon. 12+ Friendly results in the entire pride descending upon the lone stallion. As in my game, the roll is luckable, with each point of luck spent increasing the category by one.
Additionally, I’ll say that for each mount the group is willing to sacrifice, two griffons will ignore them in favor of eating the horse.]
How Many Griffons Pursue the Hammers?
Reaction Roll: 3, Unfriendly
[Not great. It’ll take 3 points of luck or the sacrifice of 4 of their horses to get away from these majestic, but deadly brutes. I really don’t want to slow the group back to their former overland travel speed, so, luck it is. As a whole, they have 6 points to spend. Answild, Fara, Gamin, and Wine each have 1, while Marellye has 2.
We’re not going to make Wine spend his luck given what he’s been through. Marellye will spend one of hers for sure. That leaves 2 more. We want the group’s healer to keep hers, so that means that both Fara and Gamin will spend theirs. The dwarf most definitely does not want to be carried off by a griffon as they are known to do with the smaller races.]
Lady Luck must be smiling on them this day. Inexplicably, the entire pride of griffons descend on the lone horse that Wine cut loose. Maybe they don’t like the look of all of those humanoids. Or, more likely, their frenzy for horseflesh overwhelms their senses and they go for the easiest, closest object of their desire.
The screams of the stallion are chilling, but the fear of the Hammers defers their sympathies. They push their steeds hard and do not stop until they’ve reached the edge of the woods. Even there, they worry that the aerial nightmares might follow the scent of their mounts and descend again.
Travel into Hex 1819 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Plains of the Wanderer)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 26mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 1819 = 18mi. left for the day.
Elladriel thinks that the Hammers have emerged onto the grasses known as the Plains of the Wanderer. She remember having traveled through them once long ago, though perhaps it was a stretch of them farther to the north. She’s not certain.
Once the group’s fright has died down, Wine lets out a slurred whoop. For some reason he thinks the whole thing was exciting. Stares of confusion and amazement are directed his way, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He goes on by saying how amazing it would be to have griffons as mounts! And just think of what you could do with those while out to sea.
Most of the others say the idea is preposterous, but Jane Wythey says she once saw one being rode up in Haystone. Of course, she didn’t know about the thing the creatures have for horse meat, so it’s likely the thing was kept far away from the stables. Makes sense, since she’d seen it landing atop one of the towers at the prince’s palace. She heard their eggs sell for a small fortune.
Wine smiles at the navigator, who returns the grin with a nod of her head. Gamin says you’ll never catch him getting on one of the beasties. The group’s thief says that’s fine as he can always use a good remount.
Travel into Hex 1918 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Plains of the Wanderer)
Wandering Monsters (6) - Yes
Clear, Grass, Scrub Roll (1) - Men Roll (12) - Trader
% in Lair (n/a) - No - a Caravan of 16 wagons
Monster surprised (3) - No & Party surprised (3) - No
Movement: 18mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 1918 = 12mi. left for the day.
In the midst of the plains, the Hammers come across some true wanderers. A sizable caravan of merchants are crossing the grassy sea on their way south. The group approaches slowly, and Marellye takes Gamin and Aakisun out ahead to meet the caravan guards. She doesn’t want the merchants to think that the group is going to attack.
Guardmaster Dulfa rides out to meet them with four of his guards in tow. He and Marellye talk for a short time. While she manages to convince him that the Hammers have no intention of attacking the caravan, he asks for them to keep moving. The caravan had some trouble with brigands to the north yesterday, and the caravan leader is in no mood to stop and do business in the middle of nowhere. When asked where they’re headed, the man says nothing and brings the conversation to a close.
The Hammers and the caravan continue along their separate paths. Eryn Haucey wonders what lies to the south that a merchant caravan would be heading that way to sell its wares. Nobody has an answer.
Travel into Hex 2019 (Wilderness: Grasslands - Plains of the Wanderer)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 12mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 2019 = 6mi. left for the day.
[Once again, I need to first figure out a connecting half-hex, and then a center hex, before I can calculate the next sub-hex the group is about to move into. The connecting half-hex at 2018 turns out to as forest. The center hex at 2219 is mixed, heavy forest. The terrain at 2019 turns out to be secondary plains.]
The plains continue eastward. The sun began its descent in the west hours ago. Answild wonders if they shouldn’t be renamed the Wandering Plains. Jane agrees that they certainly seem to be a rather large expanse of grasslands. They might be a good spot for his lordship should he choose to expand his domain to the east.
Travel into Hex 2118 (Wilderness: Forest - Cawli Forest)
Wandering Monsters (4) - No
Movement: 6mi. x 0.667 = 4mi. into hex 2118
As the sun disappears behind them, Elladriel, Jane, and Gamin begin looking for likely places to camp in the forest they have entered. They get far into the timberland before settling on a place. The memory of what happened in the Efnigh Woods earlier that day is still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Visions of monstrous griffons descending through the forest canopy haunt their dreams that night.
With the second day of the tournament comes the rain promised since the day before. The holiday’s conclusion will be windy and wet, but most still come out for the conclusion. The weather should provide more challenge and excitement to the competition.
Fara asks why it is that jousting is not part of the contests here? It is the main event in Haystone. Answild thinks it’s because of a lack of horsed competitors. There are few knights and mounted warriors down here in the wilds. Most are back north or to the west. Everyone agrees that must be the reason.
The Hammers escort Aakisun and Brinne back up to the keep. The two share a quiet moment of encouragement before going to their separate tournament locations. The rest of the group situates themselves in-between not wanting to miss a moment of either’s competition.
Lord Gauwis is late arriving at the courtyard. When he sits, Elladriel notices something amiss. It’s clear to the elf that the noble is suffering from some discomfiture. His priestess stands behind his throne whereas yesterday she was roaming about the area. Curious.
The tournament recommences soon after. The prize pools of each of the competitions are large sums. The blessings of Katala and Huum are invoked, and the final brackets begin.
While everyone is sad to see Aakisun knocked out of the tournament, at least he lost the fourth round to someone well-respected. The defender of the faith, holy warrior of Oehd, Judge Wrthilde is known throughout the region. When called upon to hear complaints, hand down sentences, or deliver justice at court, she is regarded as a fair voice of the Law Bringer. Her Fellowship of the Azure Sword have been operating out of Tydsford for a few months, hunting down some oathbreaker on the run from the prince.
On the other hand, Brinne advances incredibly once again. Gamin wonders aloud if the Hammers should take her on as a full member. Fara wrinkles her nose at this, but not because she doesn’t like the girl. Based on her observations of Brinne’s performance, she thinks there’s a little bit of luck in the air. Marellye concurs, but says they should keep an eye on her all the same.
Another bright spot happens when Exard of the Iron Devils is knocked out of the tournament. Answild had hoped that he would be matched against Aakisun so that the Hammers could get some directed satisfaction, but it wasn’t meant to be. He did lose to a warrior in his lordship’s employ who gave him no respect at the end of their match. That sort of thing gets noticed, as did the man leaving the courtyard in an angry tantrum.The moment arrives at last. The Hammers all give Brinne words of encouragement. She’s going up against the second-in-command of the Tydsford regulars. No pressure at all.
Brinne’s arrows are all well-placed as they have been for the entirety of the tournament, despite the wind and rain. However, there’s a reason why her competitor holds his position at the keep. Bremund congratulates the young woman on her performance and offers her a place within the guard on the spot. He’s sure she has the right stuff.
The archer doesn’t know what to do. Marellye offers her words of encouragement. The Hammers will be happy for her whatever she decides.
Will Brinne Remain a Hammers Hireling?
Loyalty Roll [2d6]: 4+2 {Marellye’s charisma bonus} -2 {Situational penalty} = 4, Resignation
She takes a while to make up her mind, but by the time the final melee event has begun, Brinne accepts Bremund’s offer. She is now part of his lordship’s archery company, the Tydsford 1st Ranged Cohort. The man tells her to enjoy the festivities and the next few days. She can report for duty on Wohn.
Everyone is both happy for her and sad to see her go. As a group, they watch as Judge Wrthilde wins the melee championship against all odds when she goes up against Lord Tydsford’s own champion, Arget of Seford. The two women trade blows in the rain for what seems like hours. But in the end, the paladin of Oehd comes out on top.
The night’s festivities are quickly moved inside the keep so that everyone can get dry and warm. Brinne offers to pay back her month’s wages, but Marellye tells her to hush and think of it as a going away gift and reward for performing so well in the tournament. Eryn is taking the news harder than the others. She treats Brinne like a little sister. The younger woman assures her they’ll see each other plenty. Brinne can always find them at the Crossed Hammers or Cracked Chalice when they’re not off on some fool foray into the unknown.
The Hammers of Tydsford - Tournament 607 Y.E. Begins
Urd, Knights the 4th, 607 Y.E. to Katala, Knights the 5th, 607 Y.E.
The quartet of Hammers more puissant in the art of weaponry spar only lightly on the final day before the big tournament. To a one, they refrain from even light drinking or anything too strenuous. Wine and Gamin more than make up for their restraint.
Finally, the day of Katala dawns, colder than normal with ominous rain clouds looming on the horizon. She is War Incarnate, the Battlemaiden Made Flesh, the six-armed demon goddess of war. All true warriors worship her whether they know it, or not. Today will be rife with sacrifices in her name.
The Hammers make their way up to the keep. His lordship has arranged for the courtyard to be transformed into a battle arena. Surrounding the arena on three sides are wooden bleachers have been hauled out of storage. At the head of the tournament area a platform has been raised. Lord Gauwis Tydsford’s ornately carved oaken throne has been placed upon it, with an empty seat of honor immediately to its right.
There are other lesser seats arranged for immediate members of his court, but none are for family. It’s a cruel reminder that Gauwis has no wife, nor heirs. Blue-blooded nobles look down on his kind. He’s a self-made man who took his title by taming a portion of the wilderness. While most nobles look down their noses at such a person of unsophisticated breeding, the prince in Haystone respects him, at least to an extent. As evidenced by that city’s immense arena, Prince Stomund Ever values competition from his subjects, whether born high or low.
Some of the Hammers’ hirelings have entered the lists. Hammond is throwing his hat in the ring for the main melee, while Brinne and Eryn are staking some of their pay to enter the archery contest alongside Marellye, who is entering both. Elladriel will also be competing in dagger throwing and encourages Wine to do the same. Drink in hand, he laughs her off. Why would he want to spend his coin on a chance of winning when he can save his energy for their forays into the wilderness where the rewards are much greater?
Answild has also chosen not to participate, though she’s a whirling dervish with her two blades when needed. Instead, she stands ready in case anyone accidentally gets seriously injured. A cleric of Huum, the Blade’s Edge and champion of man, joins her as well as a priestess dedicated to Skurn, the lord of light and life. The former is a member of the adventuring band called the Golden Hounds, from which Elladriel learned of the Pit of Fell Horror. The priestess is part of Lord Tywin’s personal retinue.
The tournament consists of more than just melee, though it is the main event. Skill in archery, as well as axe and dagger throwing, have their own side competitions. But these are not celebrated as importantly because they’re not considered as exciting. The peasantry likes the thrill of people beating on each other. Much to Gamin and Aenbrun’s consternation, there is no competition for skill in the use of crossbows, which many regard as weapons that anyone could use. Just point and pull the trigger, right?
Lord Gauwis opens the tournament with a declaration of Tydsford’s prosperity. Great things lie ahead for the hamlet, he declares. As a sign of their riches, he offers a guaranteed prize of five hundred gold coins from his personal treasury in addition to the ten gold entry fees of however many participate. Gasps and cheers erupt from the hundreds gathered in the small courtyard. The side competitions will have base purses of one hundred gold each.
He hushes the crowd with a raised fist and adds that, as is customary, the winner of the tournament on the second day of the holiday will be his lordship’s honored guest at the feast tomorrow night. This person will sit at his right hand. Many regard this assured access to the noble as worth more than any bag full of gold.
[The unskilled at combat vastly outnumber the skilled. My assumption is that the first bracket is going to be full of many who are seeking their moment of fame, whose egos far outstrip their capabilities, or those who don’t mind burning their entrance fee to the tournament on the hope of a long shot. These are 0-level persons with some weapons training, such as Hammond.
There are 5 brackets in total. To get past the 1st bracket, the Hammers only have to avoid rolling a natural 1. In the 2nd bracket, and each bracket thereafter, things get tougher. The skilled winnow out their lessers and advance. The first three brackets are fought on day 1 of the holiday, while the final two are conducted on the second day.
In brackets 2-5, each Hammer will make an attack throw against a target of 10, as will their opponent. The combatant with the greater margin of success is the winner and moves on. Ties are rerolled. Natural rolls of 1 are automatic losses, while a natural roll of 20 will be an automatic advancement. Each bracket has an assumed skill level represented by an increasing bonus to the attack throw by the NPCs. Bracket 2: +1, Bracket 3: +2, Bracket 4: +4, and Bracket 5: +6. In ACKS terms, a +4 to the attack throw would be the equivalent of a 7th-level fighter who has no other forms of bonus, such as that which come from greater strength or magic weapons.]
And already members of the Hammers have been eliminated. While Elladriel impresses everyone with her skill at throwing daggers, she does not fare as well in archery nor the melee. This surprises her compatriots, but it goes to show how fickle the gods can be with their favors.
Fara, Aakisun, and Hammond advance in the melee. But to everyone’s amazement, it’s the latter who ends up eliminating Marellye from that competition. By way of good sportsmanship, she rewards his skill with a kiss on the cheek while she whispers that if he wins it all, she’s going to give him some talking points to bring up with Lord Tydsford.
However, all is not lost for the spellsword. She and Brinne advance in the archery contest. The younger archer receives cold glares from her family, who are present like everyone else in the domain. Eryn, who was eliminated, takes her by the shoulder and the two find other diversions until the next bracket.
Going into the third bracket, only Elladriel, Aakisun, and Brinne advance. Fara barely loses her fight and is really down on herself. Given her background in the arenas of Haystone, she expected to advance further.
Marellye manages to break a bowstring while her arrows flies wild. She nearly skewers Symas, the owner of the Crossed Hammers who is selling mutton nearby. The elf is embarrassed and buys two shanks on the spot by way of apology.
The group’s infantryman, Hammond is thoroughly trounced in his second bout. So much so, in fact, that Answild has to tend to his injuries. These tournaments, though dangerous, do not often result in serious injury. The man Hammond was fighting, a warrior from the band known as the Iron Devils, even kicked him while he was down. This drew mixed cheers and boos from the crowd.
After Answild invokes her goddess’s blessing upon Hammond she makes a point of confronting the man responsible. Putting her finger in his face, she warns him that Darra watches all in the dark of night. The fighter, whose name is Exard, dismisses her out of hand. He answers to no worshipper of the Lady of Night. Katala is his mistress and her eyes are upon him. Should she deem his actions inappropriate, she will make her displeasure known because he’ll be dead. The blade-initiate nods and affirms his words as self-fulfilling prophecy before taking her leave.
At the end of the day, only two of the Hammers’ retinue advance to compete the next day. While she put on quite the performance, Elladriel loses out in the thrown dagger competition to a local woman known for her prowess at darts. Of all things, she thinks.
Aakisun and Brinne keep the flame of hope alive for the group. The fighter’s spear, flanged mace, and shield work has been vexing his opponents. Young Brinne especially is surprising everyone with the skill she’s exhibiting.
Urd, Lords the 13th, 607 Y.E. to Oehd, Knights the 3rd, 607 Y.E.
Three weeks pass while Wine’s jaw improves. With Answild’s continued ministrations, he starts to regain the ability to chew and speak. By the end of it, and to the consternation of some, the swashbuckler is back to being his normal self. However, there’s a lingering slur he’ll never recover from. This only adds to his reputation as a drunkard.
The Harvest Feast holiday comes and goes. Despite the summer heat, the surrounding farms pulled in a good crop. As is customary, a portion of the crop is sacrificed to the gods. The village is ready for the winter to come.
His lordship hosts a festival up at the keep during the holiday. Several performers are featured, including a renown bard from the far-off township of Gedale. Rumor has it that this brilliant lutist named Cyne Howe used to travel with Lord Tydsford back in the day.
Nothing much more occurs during the remaining weeks. The autumn equinox is celebrated on the twenty-first. Answild and Fara disappear for most of that night. Other than that, the only thing of note is Fara, Aakisun, Marellye, and Elladriel all increase their melee practice. The Tournament holiday is coming and they all intend to compete.
[While waiting for Wine’s month of recovery to be over, I can move into week-by-week mode. However, I decide to do these three weeks all in one post. Not much is going to happen other than to make more rumor rolls, and the group already has three dungeon leads to pursue. That’s enough for now.
This brings up its own question: Should there be in-town event rolls? I hand-waved the daily wandering monster roll as being taken care of by Lord Tydsford’s garrison. If monsters wander into the village’s sub-hex, they are assumed to be dealt with before they get anywhere near the keep or village.
For the curious, the odds are 1-in-6 on a daily basis, or on average a 116% chance per week. It’d be boring if those were all monster issues though. There are other types of encounters that can be factored in, such as those that arise from the sub-hexes inhabitants: farmers, villagers, those inhabiting the keep, travelers, and other adventuring parties to name a few. There are also the monthly “favors” that Lord Tydsford’s liege (a baron or marquis-level noble) calls-in. These people and events suggest more possibilities for things that can occur other than monsters.
Side note: Axioms 3 suggests that Domain encounters occur with a frequency depending upon the size of the domain, which makes sense. However, its Domain Encounter Frequency by Territory Size and Terrain table suggests that the assumed basic domain unit is a 24-mile hex, not a 6-mile hex. It posits at 1-in-6 chance of a wandering monster encounter daily in a 24-mile hex that is predominantly city, grass, scrub, or settled. However, it says that if you’re dealing with a single 6-mile hex, such as that wherein the Village of Tydsford is located, the daily roll only results in a wandering monsters on a roll of 1-in-100. This seems to contradict the core ACKS rules on page 244 unless I’ve misread them.
The reason not to pursue this avenue is that it doesn’t serve the initial purpose of the experiment. While these types of events can help with the fictional overlay of the Hammers’ story, they’re less likely to help build the region on a macro scale. They can provide flavor, inspiration, and minutiae, but my gut tells me the bang for the buck isn’t there in terms of time investment at the desired world building scale.
However, the group’s actions in the village direct us to build the surrounding region. The fiction of the Hammers leads us in different directions, and gives us interesting destinations that can be used once the region is built. My hope is that over time, with enough posts and experiences, patterns will start to become obvious. These in-turn will suggest better abstractions for the gamification of the world-building process.]
The Hammers wake early to go see their new mounts. Already, there are heated discussions about who is getting which horse. Elladriel puts an end to it by stating since Marellye and Gamin did all of the work, they’ll be making the decisions.
There’s grudging acceptance and then everyone heads back to the Crossed Hammers. It’s not long before Marellye and Gamin wake and break their fast. Everyone is keen to hear their tale. The elf begins to speak, but the dwarf immediately cuts in. It’s clear to everyone that knows him that Gamin is embellishing the story quite a bit.
But, Marellye doesn’t stop him, even when he describe the giant python as almost killing them and three times larger to boot. There’s value in a good tale. Fara and Elladriel swear they’ll put the fear of Avod into Sige when next they see him. Marellye explains it’s not necessary… her and the man already had their talk and she set him straight. Elladriel does not seem convinced.
And this is how much of the day goes. Gamin and Marellye do little but rest and talk with the others. They’re still recuperating from the trip. The swordmage asks after their hirelings. Aakisun fills her in saying they haven’t seen much of them, except for Jane and Hammond, who are regulars over at the Cracked Chalice. Marellye asks him to help her keep tabs on them. She intends to track each of them down tomorrow to check-in.
[It’s now been 7 days since the other Hammers began undertaking their downtime activities. As before, I’m going to resolve these on a weekly basis when possible.]
Answild Performs
The blade-initiate can earn 10gp from her dancing performances a month. So, in a week, she’ll take in 2.5gp on average. She’s far wealthier than this, so she does it for the love of it.
Fara Gambles
She can earn 1d6gp per month. On average this means 75 silver pieces per week.
Elladriel lets everyone know that she overheard something of interest while skulking in the dark back corner of the tavern. A competing adventuring company, The Golden Hounds, was enjoying their drink a little too much and their tongues were wagging. She heard them talking about a place they called The Pit of Fell Horror. It’s a large series of catacombs buried beneath the ruins of a small town two to three days to the southeast.
The Golden Hounds weren’t considering a journey there anytime soon. They’d heard that another group, Marget’s Crusaders, were wiped out by the denizens of the place. Elladriel suggests that they wait a while before investigating such a deadly location.
Their best bet for the next dungeon to plunder is still the Tower of Baleful Secrets three days to the east.
[The Pit of Fell Horror is a 3rd-level, medium-sized dungeon.]
Both of the companions are sore from yesterday’s travel. Their early departure from the Fox’s House is made all the more difficult by having to get out of their cozy beds. It could be worse. They could be farmers, dirt poor and with no choices in life.
Marellye prognosticates again that they should just make it to Tydsford by the end of the day. She reasons that while there are no roads between here and the village, and they have to pass through the swamp, they have the horses. So, faster than when they were coming north on the riverboat. Maybe.
Travel into Hex 0915 (Borderlands: Swamp)
Wandering Monsters (3) - No
Movement: 48mi. - ((3mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 2mi. leaving hex 0815) - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi. travel through hex 0915)) = 37mi. left for the day.
Passing into the Dark Mire, Marellye can’t help but be reminded by Sige’s inappropriate behavior when they were traveling north. She hopes the man has learned his lesson. If he hasn’t, he’s bound to run afoul of someone who won’t be as gentle.
[We’ve passed back into the Borderlands now that we’re more than 12 sub-hexes away from a city or large town.]
Travel into Hex 1016 (Borderlands: Swamp)
Movement: 37mi. - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi.) travel through hex 1016 = 28mi. left for the day.
As they trudge their way through the middle of the swamp, Gamin begins to doubt the elf’s assessment. Horses or no, he doesn’t think they’ll get to Tydsford today. Marellye says that might be, she’s not infallible. But, she says if he doesn’t give up, they might just make it.
Travel into Hex 1017 (Borderlands: Swamp)
Movement: 28mi. - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi.) travel through hex 1017 = 19mi. left for the day.
The last bit of swamp is the hardest, of course. There’s a moment of panic when one of the horses breaks free. Gamin circles the others while Marellye chases the errant equine down. She’s a mare with a stubborn attitude. The elf jokes that they should save this one for someone special. When Gamin asks if she means Elladriel, Marellye just smirks and stares intently at the dwarf for a long while.
Travel into Hex 1117 (Borderlands: Grasslands)
Movement: 19mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 1017 = 13mi. left for the day.
The duo and their dozen horses finally cross over into the Tempest Plains. Marellye says she heard these grasslands get their name from the wild storms that routinely wrack the area. Gamin asks who the hell is around to notice? No one lives out here. Right?
Travel into Hex 1218 (Wilderness: Woods)
Wandering Monsters (2) - No
Movement: 13mi. - (6mi. x 1.33 {wooded areas penalty} = 8mi.) travel through hex 1017 = 5mi. left for the day.
The Silverwood is as beautiful as Marellye remembered. She’d remarked on the woods on their way north. Though sparser, they remind her of home. She asks Gamin if he thinks they’d make a good location to retire to. The dwarf guffaws… retire? Only a daft elf would think of such a thing. Life’s for living, not sitting around and reminiscing about the past.
Travel into Hex 1318 (Wilderness: Grasslands)
Wandering Monsters (6) - Yes
Clear, Grass, Scrub Roll (7) - Dragon Roll (10) - Snake, Python
% in Lair (n/a) - No - a single Giant Python
Monster surprised (4) - No & Party surprised (6) - No
Movement: 5mi. [+4 miles from forced marching, see below]
About half way across the Westward Plains, the duo’s luck might have run out. The full moon is rising over the grasslands and the sun is on the horizon. And then before they know it, they spy a twenty-foot monstrosity directly in their path.
The immense python is slithering its way across the plains. Marellye lets out an audible gasp but cannot draw her sword because it’s all she can do to keep the horses from bolting. They’ve already sense the deadly snake.
The dwarf brings up his crossbow, nocking a quarrel into place and centering the giant beastie in his sights. Marellye tells him no. There’s enough distance between them and the giant snake that they can easily outrun it. Besides, it doesn’t seem aggressive.
She suggests they take a wide berth around the serpent. She also suggests that they push themselves tonight and ride through to Tydsford. They can sleep all day tomorrow if needs be. Gamin agrees. There’s nothing to get your heart racing and clear the fog from your mind like a brush up against certain death. They hadn’t come all this way to take stupid chances now.
[There are rules to be able to take a forced march, increasing daily movement by up to 50% by traveling for 12 hours, instead of the customary 8. The caveat is that in so doing, you must rest or a full 24 hours afterward. Failure to do so incurs cumulative penalties to attack and damage rolls every day until you do rest. This is not an issue since the duo will get to their destination only a few hours later.]
And just like that, they’re back home. Answild and Fara are the first to spot them as they were outside the village giving obeisance to the goddess under the full moon. But they are quickly joined by the others.
The rest of the Hammers marvel that they were able to do the entire roundtrip in just six days. Everyone is happy to see the two and insist on hearing every detail of the journey. There are hugs all around, but Marellye says there will be time for stories tomorrow. Right now, the two of them want to sleep.
Aakisun wakes the stable master, who wonders how he’s going to house so many horses.
The Hammers of Tydsford - Horse Speed to Tydsford!
Skurn, Lords the 10th, 607 Y.E.
Gamin and Marellye go back to the stables first thing in the morning to collect the horses. After receiving some pointers from Atwulf on how to handle the ten extras, they take their leave. The elf tips the man a few more gold coins for his helpfulness, despite Gamin grumbling.
The plan is to stick to the river wherever possible. There’s no sense inviting the possibility of getting lost. Neither is an expert mapper and they didn’t bring Jane along. Marellye muses that perhaps they should have just in case. Regardless, there’s a road that parallels the river all the way down to Wyewich.
Travel into Hex 0609 (Civilized: Road - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 48mi. - ((3mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 2mi. leaving hex 0508) - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi. travel through hex 0609)) = 42mi. left for the day.
[The base movement speed for a light riding horse is 48 miles per day while it’s unencumbered. This is much faster than the rate the group is used to. When traveling on a road, as the one that parallels the river in this area, the group travels faster.]
The two companions heed Walteph’s warning from a few days ago and do not stop at Charle’s Mill. While Gamin doesn’t put much credence into what the man said, Marellye has no desire to take any chances. It’s early in the day and if it were otherwise, she might reconsider. As it is, they give the riverside village a wide berth.
Travel into Hex 0709 (Civilized: Road - Woods)
Movement: 42mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 0709 = 38mi. left for the day.
In the light woods of the Oakenwall, Marellye insists that they at the very least cross one of Thorlifell’s intricately-carved wooden bridges. Gamin agrees, but only if they stop in for a few drinks. They find curious eyes following them everywhere with so many horses in tow.
They stable the horses for a short time and enjoy a light lunch at one of the local taverns. The two find the small town to be inviting. By the time they have left, the concur it is a preferable place to stay than Haystone.
Travel into Hex 0710 (Civilized: Road - Forest)
Movement: 38mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 0710 = 34mi. left for the day.
The Oakenwall turns into dense forest farther to the south. The king’s road though keeps the pace nice and quick. Gamin comments more than once that the mayor of Port Heaford and Lord Tydsford should petition the crown to extend the road all the way south. Marellye points out that the king would then have to commission towers and forts down near Tydsford due to all of the brigand companies. Gamin grumbles and agrees. Fat chance of that happening any time soon.
Travel into Hex 0811 (Civilized: Road - Hills)
Movement: 34mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 0811 = 30mi. left for the day.
Speaking of brigands, the pair make quick work of the Brigand Hills. Despite the assurances that Sige had given them, neither can relax until they pass through. Of course, they know that it’s desert on the other side.
For a moment, they consider attempting to go over the hills straight east to get to the village of Wyewich. If for nothing else, to avoid the heat. And Gamin is always up for a bit of exploration. But, the road has been good to them thus far. They might as well stick to it, desert or no.
Travel into Hex 0910 (Civilized: Road - Desert)
Movement: 30mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 0910 = 26mi. left for the day.
The desert is hot. Hotter than when they came north on the river for certain. But the baked clay of the road allows them to pass through the wasteland much more quickly than when they were in the riverboat. When they hit the sparse clumps of yellow grass on the outskirts of Wyewich’s farms, they’re glad to have the Solai Barrens to their backs.
Travel into Hex 1011 (Civilized: Road - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 26mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 1011 = 22mi. left for the day.
After the heat of the wastes, a stop in at Wyewich is in order. The inn where they stayed a few nights ago is as good as any. They stable the horses and slake their thirst at the Broken Wand, which isn’t quite as rowdy during the day as it is at night. Everyone is hard at work in the fields with the final harvest of the season imminent.
Travel into Hex 1012 (Civilized: Grasslands)
Movement: 22mi. - 6mi. travel through hex 1012 = 16mi. left for the day.
As they leave the farmland and head south into the Coney Downs, their progress slows. This is where they bid farewell to the road. It’s remarkable how far they’ve come in such a short time today.
However, now the real journey south begins. Marellye guesses that they might be able to make it as far south as the northern valley of farms that serve Port Heaford. To Gamin’s consternation, she does not think they will be able to make it to the town itself before needing to stop for the night.
Travel into Hex 1013 (Civilized: Swamp)
Movement: 26mi. - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi.) travel through hex 1013 = 17mi. left for the day.
In fact, traveling through Mistfen Moor feels as if they’re moving at a crawl. Their moods sour with the decrease in progress on top of the rise in humidity. Swamps and late summer heat do not make for a good combination. The mosquitos are having a field day with the horses.
Gamin takes this opportunity to point out that if they were traveling in the wondrous underground caverns of his people, they wouldn’t be facing such uncomfortable extremes. Desert and swamp all in one day? Ludicrous! Marellye asks him to point the way to the closest dwarven gate and she’ll gladly do as he suggests. Her mirth only sets off another surly tirade that he tries unsuccessfully to keep to himself.
Travel into Hex 0913 (Civilized: Swamp)
Movement: 17mi. - (6mi. x 1.5 {swamp penalty} = 9mi.) travel through hex 0913 = 8mi. left for the day.
As they slowly make their way through the southwestern section of the swamp, early in the evening, Marellye starts to wonder if they just might make it to Port Heaford after all. The thought brings the dwarf’s spirits up so high that he offers to pay for their rooms and dinner out of his own pocket. The elf says they’ve got a deal if he throws in a decent glass of wine, assuming of course that one can be had in the backwater.
Travel into Hex 0814 (Civilized: Road - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 8mi. - (6mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 4mi.) travel through hex 0814 = 4mi. left for the day.
And then Marellye’s guesses are confirmed as new roads appear on the other side of the swamp. Of course the farms of the North Valley have roads. They need them to get their crops down to the port. Suddenly, they’re moving quickly again.
Travel into Hex 0815 (Civilized: Road - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 4mi. - (3mi. x 0.667 {road bonus} = 2mi.) travel through hex 0815 = 2mi. left for the day.
The next thing they know, they’re in Port Heaford and there’s still some light left on the purpling horizon. The two make haste to find stabling for the horses, which has become quite the expensive proposition. But there’s nothing to be had for it. That task completed, they make their way to the closest inn. The Fox’s House has comfortable beds and warm meals. It’ll do.
That night, the moon is exceptionally brilliant. Tomorrow will be the full moon. They can’t help but think of Answild and her goddess. It puts a smile on their faces that soon they will be back in Tydsford, well ahead of schedule. In time for the Harvest Feast, even. Marellye smiles with satisfaction as she indulges in the finest wine that the inn has to offer. It’s no Nimble’s Bliss from back home, but after this day of travel, she’s hard-pressed to tell the difference.
Neither Gamin nor Marellye has ever been in a city this big. It’s quite a bit of culture shock for the two, especially the elf. The elven capital of the Nevriande Woods is nowhere near as big as this human capital.
Moving through the city, there's quite the variety of humanity on showcase. Merchants of all stripes hawk their wares, while the well-to-do haggle, and the destitute beg. Prostitutes offer their own wares, and the two pass through a courtyard where captives are being auctioned off as slaves. Some of the fittest are purchased for use in the gladiatorial games. Haystone has an immense arena on the outskirts of the city.
At one point, a half-score of armored riders clear a bustling avenue. They're protecting some noble’s carriage. During the excitement, Gamin slaps the hand of some grubby urchin who attempts to lift his coin purse. When he raises his fist in warning, the scamp runs off and gets lost in the crowd.
The two make their way to a set of stables near the arena. Marellye has never seen so many horses. Some are being trained, while others are simply stabled here by their wealthy owners.
This is what they came all this way for. Marellye gets the attention of a young girl, who is dazzled by the sight of the elf. She gives the small thing a silver coin to go fetch a stable master. The girl loses interest in the elf and runs off mesmerized by the new shiny she has in the palm of her hand.
A large man by the name of Atwulf greets them. He confirms their what they had hoped for: There are plenty of horses for sale. When Gamin says they're looking to buy a dozen though, the man is shocked. He stammers that he does not have that many for sale, but that he would be more than happy to act as their agent. He can get them the number of horses they need, for a small fee, of course.
Marellye laughs at the dwarf's consternation. Why does everything always have to be so difficult when dealing with humans? She thanks Atwulf and accepts his offer, saying that if he does as he says, there'll be an extra twenty gold in it for him. The man agrees without hesitation. It's likely a month's wages for him.
By the end of the day, the two have what they were after. Though neither has much skill with animals, all the horses look in fine shape to their untrained eyes. Atwulf assures them these are the best horses currently available in the city.
Gamin talks him down on the price, including saddles, riding tack, saddlebags, and feed. The negotiations seem to go a little better given that the man is getting some cream off the top. He even throws in free shoeing and an overnight stay.
The deal struck, Marellye and Gamin return to the inn. The dwarf wonders aloud if they should stay a while longer in the city. They've come so far and he's sure there's more to this place than meets the eye. Marellye says that she'll sleep on it, but doesn't seem convinced.
The elf is anxious to get back to the rest of the Hammers. It's going to be a longer trip back. She hopes it will be as uneventful as she guessed. But, she hadn't factored following the river through desert and swampland with ten extra horses in tow.
[A Class I metropolis, such as Haystone has up to 15 of any given good available in any given month within the 11-100 gold range. Light riding horses are normally priced at 75 gold. Since the group is only looking to purchase 12, this is possible.
The cost for everything comes out as follows: 12 light riding horses at 75 gold each is 900 gold. A dozen saddles and tack at 10 gold each is 120 gold. Saddlebags cost 5 gold, so that's another 60 gold. I'm going to say that the feed is going to be 2 gold each, for 24 gold total. The total up to this point is 1,104 gold coins, but we get to reduce that by 10% because Gamin has the Bargaining proficiency. That brings the cost down to 994 gold. Then there's the 20 gold to Atwulf for services rendered, and the grand total is 1,014 gold.
The Hammers had 6,986 in their general slush fund, so now they're left with 5,972 gold. They're still very rich and now they all have horses. Now, let's see if Marellye and Gamin can get them safely back to Tydsford.]
The Hammers of Tydsford, Behold, Haystone, the City of Oaths
Avod, Lords the 8th, 607 Y.E.
As has become their custom, the quartet are up and on the river before dawn. The only outward sense of unease is portrayed in Gamin’s frowns and surliness. The dwarf is making it quite clear that he doesn’t like Sige, never has, and never will.
Early in the day, Walteph asks for help with one particularly nasty stretch of the river. While Sige takes up the pole, Marellye surprises the two by taking the second set of oars. Her lithe elven form belies the fact that she’s stronger than either of the humans. They learn a little something about their assumptions. For all of their travels, Marellye has to wonder at how little of the world these two seem to have experienced. Given the extra strong set of helping hands, Walteph says they should easily make the City of Oaths by that night.
Travel into Hex 0910 (Civilized: River - Desert)
Movement: 36mi. - ((3mi. leaving hex 1011) - (6mi. river travel through hex 0910)) = 27mi. left for the day.
[Though we’re not traveling through it, we need to figure out the central hex at 1009 because it determines the predominant terrain for the atlas hex it anchors. Based on the grasslands connector hex at 1011, that turns out to be desert. No wonder this part of the kingdom is shaping up to be so spread out. This in turn helps us to determine that the terrain in hex 0910 is also desert. Yes, you can have a river running through desert. See Egypt.]
Most unexpected, the farmland surrounding Wyewich turns into a parched wasteland. The banks of the river retain a lushness of reeds and other vegetation. But further inland, the land appears to be desert. However, it’s not long before the Turvy turns back to the southwest and mercifully out of the desolation.
Travel into Hex 0811 (Civilized: River - HIlls)
Movement: 27mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 0811 = 21mi. left for the day.
[In order to generate hex 0811, I first need to determine the connector hex at 0810 and then the central hex dominating the atlas hex at 0611. The connector hex turns out to be plains (a savanna since it’s up against desert). The predominant terrain at 0611 becomes more plains. In the end, 0811 turns out to be tertiary/wildcard terrain for the greater 24-mile hex, in this case, hills.]
The river becomes a ravine for a stretch, winding through the lowlands of the Brigand Hills. Despite the name, Sige assures them that there’s nothing to worry about. The renegade mercenary companies were wiped out ages ago, despite the name.
Travel into Hex 0710 (Civilized: River - Forest)
Movement: 21mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 0710 = 15mi. left for the day.
Once again, the Turvy turns, this time northwesterly. As it does so, it passes through a forest. Walteph tells them that it is known as the Oakenwall. Gamin remarks that he likes the name. It makes him think of warriors standing side by side, their shields forming a barrier against all enemies. The rower shrugs and says he’d never thought of it that way, but it sounds about right.
Travel into Hex 0709 (Civilized: River - Woods)
Movement: 15mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 0709 = 9mi. left for the day.
As the river turns north, the Oakenwall thins a bit into a sparser woods. Along the way, the Turvy bisects a small town in the middle of the oaks. Thorlifell is the name of the place. Marellye smiles at the obvious elven influence in the construction of the two ornate bridges that arch over the river. Gamin seem more enamored of the defensive locks under each. The owner of the Lamprey flashes something to the guards as the riverboat passes under, and they are allowed to continue without stopping. The elf tells the dwarf that she definitely wouldn’t mind stopping here on their way back.
Travel into Hex 0609 (Civilized: River - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 9mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 009 = 3mi. left for the day.
[The connecting hex at 0609 turns out to be plains, which this close to such a major urban population must be settled farmland.]
The Turvy turns northwest one final time as Sige informs the group that they’re in the homestretch. Exiting the woods, the familiar look of farmlands stretches as far as the eye can see. This must be the breadbasket of Haystone. A small village, not much larger than Tydsford sits along the riverbank. Walteph tells them it’s a place called Charle’s Mill, but warns them off stopping there. He’s had nothing but trouble with the village and claims that it’s run by a den of thieves. Sige chortles and shakes his head. Rogues and cutpurses are everywhere, and if it were as bad as his rower says, the king would have had them cleared out long ago. Walteph just shakes his head, but says nothing further on the matter knowing where his bread is buttered.
Travel into Hex 0508 (Civilized: River - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 3mi.
[In order to generate the terrain of Haystone’s sub-hex, I first need to determine what the terrain of the central hex is at 0607. I know that the connector hex at 0609 is plains. This allows me to randomly determine that 0607 is also plains. The City of Oaths also ends up being located upon a plains, which must in turn be settled farmland.]
As evening turns to night, the lights of a great and sprawling city that Fara Darragon hails from get closer. They smell it before they can see its defensive outer wall. Sige warns them not to drink from the river at this point. Haystone, the City of Oaths lies directly upon the path of the Turvy. In fact, just like the town in the woods from earlier in the day, the city is bisected by the river.
The dock master gives Sige a frown at being dragged from her card game this late at night. What kind of sort comes in so late? Eyeing the Lamprey’s passengers, she nods her prejudices to herself and snorts. The marine thanks her and throws in a little extra for the inconvenience, though it doesn’t look like this city ever sleeps.
Speaking of which, they’d best get going if they want to find good rooms. Walteph leads the way past all of the obvious, rundown places along the river. He tells them there’s a better place further into the city. Their luck holds out as they secure rooms at The Hungry Maiden.
It’s a clean and bustling establishment. Marellye thanks the two sailors for the voyage and pays them the rest of the coin they’re owed. She tells Sige that she hopes in the future he will treat his passengers with greater respect.
The Hammers of Tydsford - The Fool Reveals Himself
Katala, Lords the 7th, 607 Y.E.
The next dawn sees the group get an early start to the day. It only takes about two hours to get up to Port Heaford. Walteph breaks out the pole as the river is calm during this stretch. Not rowing will give his lower back a break.
They stop over for a break in the small town. Gamin regrets that they don't have more time to stay. Marellye pats his should and says that they'll have to make a point of it on the return trip. The dwarf nods and refills his mug full of ale one last time before heading back to the Lamprey.
Travel into Hex 0815 (Civilized: River - Settled Farmland)
Wandering Monsters (1) - No
Movement: 36mi. - ((3mi. leaving hex 0915) - (6mi. river travel through hex 0815)) = 27mi. left for the day.
[Port Heaford is at the edge of civilization based upon my assumed placement of Haystone. Wandering monster rolls are now once per month. To figure out the central hex at 0615, I need to generate the half-hex at 0816 first. All this will help me to figure out the terrain at Port Heaford. The half-hex connector turns out to be a light woods. The atlas hex is plains. The terrain in Port Heaford's hex is settled farmland.]
Travel into Hex 0814 (Civilized: River - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 27mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 0814 = 21mi. left for the day.
[Generating the central hex of the Atlas hex to the northeast of Port Heaford, it turns out to be a land also dominated by swamp. The Mistfen Moor is born. If it turns out there are hexes joining the Dark Mire and Mistfen Moor, I will choose one of the names and retcon them into one immense swamp.]
Travel into Hex 0913 (Civilized: River - Swamp)
Movement: 21mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 0913 = 15mi. left for the day.
Somewhere in the middle of the swamp, Sige decides that it's a good time to make a move on Marellye. It starts as he "accidentally" falls into her while moving from one side of the riverboat to the other. Marellye's not so easily fooled, as she saw his nod to Walteph. At the signal, the rower did something to rock the boat and setup the situation.
Gamin's frown at the clumsiness turns to shock as he witnesses the slender elven dagger suddenly appear in Marellye's hand. With a tsk, tsk, she shakes her head. The elf defuses the situation with a kiss on her finger, which she presses to the man's cheek.
The shame on his reddened face tells her that he got her message loud and clear. Sige avoids the elf's eyes the rest of the day and turns away in shame from Gamin's stern gaze as well. It's awkward for a while.
Travel into Hex 1013 (Civilized: River - Swamp)
Movement: 15mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 1013 = 9mi. left for the day.
[I'm rolling to determining the turns of the river at the 6-mile hex level. The bias in the rolls is that the Turvy must continue to generally move north and prefer to go northwest. We need to end up at Haystone.]
Travel into Hex 1012 (Civilized: River - Grasslands)
Movement: 9mi. - 6mi. river travel through hex 1012 = 3mi. left for the day.
Travel into Hex 1011 (Civilized: River - Settled Farmland)
Movement: 3mi.
[I decide that any time that I get two identical terrain types together in civilization, I'm going to roll to see if there's a village or town. This should be especially true along a river in civilized lands. I'm going to give it a 25% chance per hex and enforce an artificial gap of four 6-mile hexes between them. Given the other parameters that I've established, I know that the largest settlement possible is a small town. Hex 1011 ends up with a Class VI village of approximately 125 families.]
Sige and Walteph get the group to the village of Wyewich by sundown. The four of them secure rooms at a nearby inn. The Broken Wand seems a nice enough place, if typical for such an establishment. Wenches, sots, and rowdy patrons abound.
Both the non-human strangers draw curious talk, but nothing untoward occurs. Marellye wishes that she'd brought some of the others along. She feels very alone it being only her and Gamin.
When she gets a chance, she pulls Sige aside and asks him if there’s going to be any further trouble? She makes no bones about the fact that both her and Gamin are deadly when necessary. She also asks for his solemn oath. She’s more than willing to allow him to keep the coin already paid while she and Gamin secure different passage to Haystone.
He apologizes with zeal saying that he acted the fool. Sige assures her that nothing of the kind will happen again. He even offers to dismiss the rest of the fare. Marellye refuses this. She has no intention of accepting his charity or allowing him some odd sense of chivalry. She accepts his apology and is happy to put it behind them.
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