By the time the party had made their second report to Lady Devy, they had been in the Belhaim environs for three days. The next seven days would be calm in comparison to the first three, with the companions getting to know Belhaim, its inhabitants, history, and other potential threats in the area, completing self-appointed tasks (Iacobus), attending local religious services (Jiri and Shalora), and enjoying all that Taxfest had to offer... including being heavily taxed by the imperial authorities.
Evening and night of Oathday, 10th of Gozran
When they returned to the Inn of the Wise Piper on the evening of Oathday, after making their report to the Baroness and seeing Bophre Malak and the Bellathis back to the Malak farm, the party mingled with some of the locals -- most good-naturedly, and one out of an unhappy sense of obligation (Iacobus). The magus had found that the young man he had spoken to earlier in the day about retrieving the remaining treasure from the Witch Tower dungeons -- Dario, son of Selia Waldemar, the town carpenter (not that Iacobus cared what his name was or who his parents were) -- was awaiting him with two other fit-looking young men and an equally muscular young lady. The four accepted to meet Iacobus at dawn the next morning to help him haul out the treasure, for a fee of 10 gold coins each, and a round of ale at the inn once the job was done (Iacobus was especially reluctant to agree to the latter condition, but eventually relented). For the sake of the safety of his hired hands, and more importantly to ensure that they did not cheat him out of a few coppers, Iacobus ended up deciding that it would be best if he led his workers on the morrow. The four friends were eager to hang out with the heroes and to hear of Iacobus and the companions’ exploits against the kobolds, but the irate magus rudely avoided speaking to them any more than he needed, had no interest in learning their names, and promptly barred himself in his room once he had finished his meal.
Iacobus: not the friendliest employer?
The remaining companions took pity on Iacobus’s hired hands, welcomed them at their table, and recapped the day’s highlights without mentioning the name “Aeteperax.” Part way into the evening, Shalora and Akiro attempted to improvise a number of flute and voice duos, which sounded less than inspired and somewhat out of key, but the inn patrons’ mood improved somewhat when Jiri bought everyone a free round of ale. Talia and the patrons were especially relieved by, and grateful for the group’s success against the kobolds.
Fireday, 11th of Gozran
Today was market day, and the companions found that the population of Belhaim had increased significantly, with many colourful gnome loggers milling about town, as well as wood folk selling everything from pelts, meat, mushrooms, wild onions and herbs, spring flowers (for making dyes), fresh fish, and other goods.
Iacobus - Return to the Witch Tower and sale of the Canteclure family crest: As convened, the evening before, the magus and his four nervous hirelings met in front of the inn and left for ruins of the Witch Tower at first light, the peasants bringing wheel barrows, sacks and spades with them. It was a good thing Iacobus took charge of the group, else harm might have befallen them at the hands of ‘Zorg,’ the invisible fiend who dwelled in the torture chamber, or in the knee-deep toxic sludge that flooded one of the passages. In the end, Iacobus and his hirelings retrieved 18,500 copper coins from the dungeons, as well as the Canteclure family crest. The magus brought the family crest to Arnholde Devy, who was prepared to offer 100 gold coins to add it to his collection. Iacobus sought a second opinion on its value (insulting Lord Devy by doing so) from the town’s money changer, Chosk Grellen, who agreed with Lord Devy’s appraisal but would purchase it from Iacobus at a lower price in order to make a profit, since Lord Devy likely would be the only one interested in such an item.
Chosk Grellen, moneychanger
Ultimately, Iacobus sold the Canteclure crest to Arnholde Devy for the 100 gold coins offered by the latter. The magus spent the remainder of the day in his room, counting his money, which he would eventually deposit in the vaults of the House of Abadar for safe keeping (at a rate of 2.5% per week).
Canteclure family crest --
sold by Iacobus to Arnholde Devy for 100 g.p.!
Tour of Belhaim with Arnholde Devy: Theon Sensina, the flatulent bladder, and... studded leather barding for Mischief? While Iacobus was busy with his own affairs, Arnholde Devy took the other three companions on a tour of Belhaim, introducing them to most business owners and trades folk -- nearly two score people in all! There was a pride among the villagers which manifested in an upkeep of most buildings that was superior to that which the party had seen in most Taldan towns and settlements in their travels -- all in all Belhaim was a very pleasant village, even though many of the locals stared at the dwarf, elf, and Tian with undisguised curiosity. Lord Devy in turn took every opportunity he could to compliment the much-taller Shalora on her beauty and choice of clothes. At one point during the tour, the group stopped by Sensina’s Hides, and owner Theon Sensina was all too happy to greet the group (he was thrilled that they had managed to prevent the “kobold war” he thought was impending), and Shalora in particular, who had previously commissioned a special leather potion collar for Mischief. The cheerful man convinced Jiri to sit on a strange-looking leather bladder, which emitted a loud flatulent noise that made the leatherworker explode with laughter, while Arnholde rolled his eyes and blushed at Sensina’s uncouthness. Sensina offered the bladder as a ‘comical gift‘ to Shalora, who accepted it graciously and handed it to Mischief. She then asked Theon if he might be able to fashion studded leather “barding” for the fox, an item the leatherworker had never crafted before, but which he would be more than pleased to attempt for his “favourite lady” and “best customer... after Lady and Lord Devy, of course.” Eventually, Arnholde’s tour took the trio to the home of Bassy, Belhaim’s oldest resident and local historian, near the end of Canteclure Road beside Delbin’s Devices.
Theon Sensina, leatherworker and prankster
A meeting with Bassy: Bassy lives in a colourful home, much smaller than all the others in the village. In contrast with the white, brown and beige tones of other homes in the town (accented among Shelynites with brightly painted shutters and doors), her four walls are a mixture of purple, pink, red, yellow, and orange, with murals painted over top the garish colours on three of the outer walls.
The three murals illustrate:
- a human woman in full plate driving her sword into the heart of a black dragon;
- a brightly coloured butterfly in a high mountain valley;
- a long-tailed bird with a long, multi-coloured tail arcing back over its head.
The interior of Bassy’s house is very similar to its exterior: it has very low ceiling, and looks as though someone tossed buckets of paint at random on the walls, and then hung all sorts of paintings, portraits, and simple works of art all over the place. The companions found wood stove with kettle on it and the main room, a half-dozen chairs (both small and human-sized), a small table, and a small desk with ink pots, quills, and stacks of paper.
Arnholde introduced Shalora, Jiri and Akiro to Bassy--an elderly gnomish woman with vibrant and penetrating bright green almond eyes and antennae-like eye brows of the same colour, and long faded pink hair with streaks of green. Her gnomish heritage explained how her grandmother could have personally known Belhaim’s founder a thousand years ago. Bassy welcomed the group into her cosy home in a child-like voice, kindly requested that one of two human orphans living with her prepare tea for the guests, and referred to herself as “the youngest resident of these parts.” Like many others in town, the old woman was immediately drawn to Mischief, gave him a pet and a scratch behind the ear, and brought him a bowl of water.
Bassy, Belhaim's oldest resident
As she was introduced to each of the three party members, Bassy addressed them individually in turn. To Shalora, stooping low inside the house, she said: “My dear... the colours of your cloak really bring out the sparkle in your eyes... which I can just barely make out from down here. So tall, like your kin... are you finding it difficult to breathe up there? I remember crossing the Five Kings Mountains once and I was so high I could touch the clouds, kind of like you... and it was so hard to breathe up there... but so beautiful to see everything with a bird’s eye view... I loved it!”
Shalora - Admired by all?
As her gaze went to Akiro, she spoke with delight: “And oh my, a traveller from the far east... I have always wanted to go there, but somehow always ended up going west, north and south instead. You’ll have to tell me all about your homeland, I’m dying to hear... I expect it’ll provide great inspiration for my next book.” Upon realizing that Akiro was mute, Bassy responded with an enthusiastic “Well, then, I’m sure we’ll be able find a way to communicate... lack of speech should not be an impediment to friendship and understanding, should it?”
Akiro - "lack of speech should not be an impediment
to friendship and understanding, should it?"
Finally, to Jiri, the gnome said: “We don’t see alot of dwarves in these parts, but I wish we did... I’ve always had a soft spot for dwarves... so strong, burly and handsome, and a rip roaring good time if you give them enough strong ale... I find them all filled with so much more life and love than they let on underneath their party-pooper exteriors... Are you from the Five Kings Mountains, or from Maheto?... Great beard, by the way... puts the few “bearded” folks in town to shame, that’s for sure.”
Jiri - dwarven heartthrob putting
the "bearded" folk to shame?
As Shalora and Jiri explained the purpose of their visit, Shalora bade the group to seat themselves. Mischief discretely placed Theon Sensina’s flatulent bladder upon the chair that Arnholde pulled toward himself, sitting without seeing the bladder. As the flatulent sound erupted, Bassy burst out laughing at the “clever little fox’s” prank... then caught herself and apologized to the now red-faced lord, who angrily exited the home and told Shalora to come find him at his estate if she had further need of him, as the village tour was evidently over.
Mischief: Proficiency - Flatulent leather bladder
Tea was served, Bassy chatted incessantly, and she was intrigued by the group’s recent adventures (she clearly had little love for kobolds) and reasons for the group’s visit. When they mentioned the name “Aeteperax,” her eyes narrowed. She was familiar with the name, but found it odd that someone should claim that name for themselves today--for the black dragon called Aeteperax had been slain a thousand years ago, an event that tied in directly with the founding of Belhaim. She summarized the story thus:
“The Dragon Plague years were quite eventful for northern Taldor. During the years between 3660 and 3672 by Aroden Reckoning, the region endured an explosion of violent and bloody depredations by no fewer than three dozen different dragons. Among those affected by the attacks was a young woman named Tula Belhaim, who lost her family when a black dragon named Aeteperax destroyed her hometown of Nazilli on the southern edge of the Verduran Forest. She would go on to become a great hero, and the mercenary company she founded--the Slayers of Nazilli--defeated more dragons than any group in those days [perhaps a dozen and a half, according to Bassy]. Her final triumph was slaying Aeteperax in the heart of a swampland deep in the part of the Verduran Forest known today as Dragonfen.
“For her service, the Taldan emperor awarded Tula the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region, including all of Dragonfen. Her legions of admirers soon founded a town bearing her name, its buildings built of limestone quarried nearby.
“When Lady Tula was awarded the barony, the lands she had been given had long been inhabited by some fey and by the wild folk of the forest, folk who lived in accordance with the Green Faith. The influx of hundreds of people over the span of a few short years with different practices and beliefs--largely followers of Aroden and Abadarans, and some Shelynites,too--into the area known today as Belhaim generated conflicts and tensions with the wild folk and with the druids of the Wildwood Lodge, who were concerned with the damage the new settlers were causing to the forest. In time, Lady Tula managed to negotiate agreements with the Lodge, to strike a balance between the views of the various faiths, and to appease the fears of the wild folk, some of whom eventually chose to live under the Barony’s protection. All this was long before the Emperor signed the Wildwood Treaty with the druidic Lodge.”
At this point, Bassy lost the three companions, digressing into an overview of historical treaties, the lumber industry in the Verduran Forest, the establishment of the town of Wispil further north, and territorial and legal disputes between the druids of the Wildwood Lodge and the Barony of Belhaim that have ultimately resulted in the village’s decline and growing economic hardship. Underneath its well-kept appearance (in comparison to many other Taldan settlements), Belhaim apparently was on the verge of collapse... but none of this had anything to do with the party’s questions, aside from the gnome also reconfirming the overly lengthy absence of Azmur Kell, local representative of the Wildwood Lodge, and his wife, Rima, which has everybody worried…
Realizing that she had gone on a tangent and lost her audience (how she loved to recount every facet of the region’s history!), Bassy went on to speak of the fate of Lady Tula Belhaim, Aeteperax’s slayer:
“Lady Tula eventually married one of her fellow slayers, Arturic Canteclure, and built a castle atop one of the town’s hills (on the site where stood the Witch Tower). The couple had four children, but each one died of accident or misadventure before the age of 9, leaving the new barony with no heirs. Tula and Arturic’s relationship grew strained as the baroness grew morbid and obsessed with building a grand tomb for herself and her family. As she and her husband grew apart, Tula amended her will to have Arturic buried in a separate part of the tomb, rather than alongside her.
“Then, one rainy day, servants found both Lady Tula and Sir Arturic both dead not even a hundred feet apart from one another. Lady Tula was found impaled on the horns of a dragon statue beside the castle’s main doors. Sir Arturic was found laying on the road leading to the castle, his neck broken. Thereafter, Belhaim mourned a tragedy they could not understand or comprehend. The bodies were quickly taken to Tula’s crypt and buried according to her wishes, and the site was sealed.
“Rule of Belhaim fell to distant relations of Arturic’s, the Canteclures. More than eight centuries later, in 4500, Baron Sarvo Canteclure, a vicious lord who imprisoned subjects for the slightest infraction, joined an ill-advised rebellion against the Grand Prince, and his family and the castle were destroyed in retaliation.
“Back in Belhaim, a man named Sir Arkold Devy was awarded the Barony of Belhaim for his role in helping to put down the seditious Canteclures. His descendents have ruled for the past two centuries. During this time, a few memorable events touched the region--most notably the earthquake that left the town unharmed, but caused the town’s quarry to flood. With access to the quarry’s fine limestone lost, Belhaim’s fortunes slowly receded.”
Throughout the meeting, Akiro was suffering rapidly worsening symptoms of illness--fever, aches, and a swelling of the dire rat bites he had suffered in the kobold lair. Seeing her companion’s increasing discomfort, Shalora asked a few last questions pertaining to Lady Tula’s tomb, to which Bassy replied:
“It’s in a remote part of Dragonfen, well off the old Quarry Road. You can find it if you follow Eskander Creek, a tributary of Rogue Creek that runs through the distant reaches of Dragonfen. Azmur Kell once told me that the crypt can be reached by following Eskander Creek north after you cross it for the second time on the Old Quarry road. The crypt is in an isolated mound, and whatever trail there might have been there is no longer discernible. You just have to follow the creek north... and hope you don’t sink in the bog, or get attacked by some nasty swamp beasts (blood-sucking stirges, giant snakes and leeches,...). My grandmother was there when it was built--she said it was well-sealed, nigh impregnable.”
As the party prepared to take their leave, Bassy gave them the following advice:
“If you’re really thinking about venturing into Dragonfen, I recommend you talk to Eudomas Biton at the hunting lodge just north up this road--aside from Azmur Kell, he has probably ventured into Dragonfen more than anyone else in town. Annagrit may also have some useful knowledge... if she’s willing to speak to you, that is... Most folks are scared of her and think she’s mad, but that’s what makes her so interesting...”
Shalora helped Akiro back to the Inn of the Wise Piper, then purchased a fully charged wand of healing (cure light wounds) recently acquired by Xemne the apothecary at a cost of 800 gold. After that, she spent the rest of the afternoon tending to Akiro while Jiri went to the outdoor market in the green in front of the inn in search of a bird of prey he might purchase...
Jiri and “Kroc” -- new best friends? One of the vendors Jiri encountered at the market was a man who called himself “Kroc,” and who spoke with an accent that he could not place -- it definitely was not Taldan and did not sound typically Chelish or Qadiran, either. The man claimed to have come up from Mwangi and now made a living as a woodsman in the Verduran Forest. Kroc was at the market selling animal pelts and smoked game meat, but it was the beautiful falcon on the perch behind the vendor that caught Jiri’s eye. Jiri and the woodsman engaged in friendly banter for a long time, with the dwarf inexplicably taking on Kroc’s accent. In the end, the two reached the following agreement: Jiri would purchase Kroc’s falcon, Rhuben, and his falconry gauntlet for 150 gold coins; the dwarf would pay Kroc an additional 10 gold per week for training in falconry, with the onus on Jiri to go to the woodsman’s cabin near the Old Fishing Holes off Fisher Trail whenever the former’s schedule allowed him to undergo training; Jiri would bring Kroc ale every training day; and if the falcon was not fully trained by the time Jiri had to depart Belhaim, then Kroc would accompany Jiri until the bird and dwarf had formed a bond, with Jiri covering all of Kroc’s room and board as well as his weekly salary.
"Kroc" and Rhuben
Starday, 12th of Gozran
Akiro - a miraculous recovery: Through the night, Akiro had strange dreams and woke to find himself fully recovered, and all symptoms of his illness and traces of the rat bites completely gone, as if they had never been. The Tian warrior spent much of his day walking his new pony, Speckles, in a meadow on the outskirts of town.
Speckles… What a pretty pony...
Iacobus - magic and money: Iacobus spent the whole day locked away in his room studying... and counting coins.
Jiri - falconry training begins: Jiri spent most of the morning and all afternoon with Kroc and Rhuben... Only time will tell if falconry training is enhanced via consumption of ale...
Shalora - A quiet day...
Evening - supper at the Malak farm... is someone falling for Akiro? The Malak family invited the heroes to have supper at their dairy farm, across the Verdira River a few hundred feet east on Old Belhaim Road. Iacobus declined to attend. Between Bophre, her mother Isadorer, the seven other family members, Carlo and Sela Bellathi, and Shalora, Mischief, Jiri, and Akiro, things were crowded indeed in the very modest Malak timber home. The family, adherents of the Green Faith, was clearly unaccustomed to seeing dwarves and humans from the orient, and the guests were subject to silent, curious gazes from many family members at the beginning of the evening. Isadorer and Bophre did their best to break the ice--the entire family was genuinely grateful to the strangers for rescuing Bophre and for taking care of the kobolds--but they were simple, shy folk. A hearty beef stew, rye bread, variety of cheeses, and a fruity red wine were served for supper. Bophre recounted her ordeal and the deeds of the companions during supper, especially emphasizing the way Akiro had silently stared down the kobolds that held her and the Bellathis captive and convinced them to surrender without bloodshed. Despite the months of abuse she had suffered, Bophre spoke with an unmistakable inner strength. As the evening wore on and the wine jug was refilled and passed around a few times, the other family members warmed to the companions, joking and singing with Shalora and Jiri and exchanging stories with them. Bophre’s gaze often lingered on Akiro, but the absent-minded Tian man never noticed.
Isadorer Malak, grateful mother
At various points in the evening, Isadorer mentioned a few other things that piqued the curiosity of the companions. She stated that, as is to be expected, there have always been wolves around Belhaim, but lately, there’s been a pack led by a beast of a wolf that’s got a taste for livestock... Ol’ Prake Abrassus saw it run off with a sheep in its mouth like a dog carries a bone! The incident happened a day or two before the companions arrived in Belhaim, and the shepherd had now placed a sizable bounty on the wolf. Isadorer also warned the companions to be careful if they decided to wander the surrounding hills, for they are full of caves and mine shafts, many of them infested with the ghosts of miners, she’d heard.
Toward the end of the evening, Isadorer offered the companions the family’s life savings of 200 gold coins as a reward for rescuing her daughter, but they politely refused the money, being all too glad to have performed a good deed that helped the family. The whole clan invited the heroes to drop by anytime they wanted, and to call on them if the family could be of assistance to them in any way.
As the companions prepared to leave, Bophre looked Akiro in the eyes and asked whether he would like to go for a walk along the river with her in the coming days. Clearly, her abduction by kobolds had not instilled fear in her. Taken off guard and uncertain how to interpret the request, Akiro eventually nodded “yes.” The young woman beamed with joy.
Bophre Malak… in love with Akiro?