Games We Play

(The following journal is from the viewpoint of Foley, a halfling thief, some years later.)

Another thing about boats that I just do not like is everyone knows who and what you are unless you don’t tell anyone anything. Word spreads on a boat, and at port word spreads onto a boat like bad food, cargo and rats.

I can’t remember the name of the ship but I remember most of the people on board. The Small Merchant’s Guild said it was a law-minded, well-armored merchant ship that made the trip between Baldur’s Gate and the Moonshaes on a fairly regular basis, stopping in a mid-way point known as Mintarn. The trip took us nine days, which to me is about two weeks too long.

The captain was a surly, homely human woman with some orc in her ancestry. This actually seemed to put off Nosmo from hitting on her, but did nothing but draw Sulley’s gaze throughout the voyage. He was smart enough not to do anything to her, though, or at least nothing to get himself thrown overboard. She did wear an amulet with Tyr’s symbol on it, though, and nothing frightened off Sulley like a religious woman.

Her first mate was an actual priest to some god or goddess I forget the name of, but had something to do with water elements. This was only a start to the ship’s magical power as they also had three magi on board, two human males and one green-tinted blue-haired web-fingered elf I was told was a “sea elf”. If there’s anywhere elves aren’t I’ll be grateful.

We made our goodbyes to Melisana and her father days ago, though he was keeping tabs on us anyway. Any good businessman will keep an eye on his investment, and we cost this one around five hundred gold. It seemed like everyone was keeping an eye on us because it wasn’t more than a day on board before the purser sent someone our way asking if we were “the ones they call the Castaways”.

If any of you start talking about “the Castaways”, I’ll break your fingers. I can hear you sniggering in the back; don’t think the shadows protect you from being heard.

It didn’t help that Dane Metrik was looking for a spell and saw these people as his way to get to it. He thought that he’d start with the sea-elf woman only to find himself blacklisted from even speaking to her. She kept to herself throughout the voyage, though said something to me passing in the halls to the stairs. I think it was meant as a compliment but I wasn’t listening at the time. There’s little an elf has to say that’s of interest, and an elf woman less so. I could get started talking about drow in this regard, but I’ll save that story for when you lot can afford it.

Eventually Dane did find the youngest mage amiable to an exchange of money for spells, which lead to our first discussion as an actual group. The discussion was about money and that we didn’t actually have any that wasn’t silverware sets and a crown. But when we got some, we decided, for the time being, that money earned by all would benefit all. I wasn’t used to the vague nature of money ownership, but it made sense. If we all could benefit from getting some spells for the elf, then the elf should have some spells.

The other benefit to this is the elf then owes us all for chipping in for his spells. Loyalty through obligation is one of the best kinds of loyalty there is.

This was the time Duke Nocens came by, asking for “the Castaways”. He had heard, through our historian friend Fflewdder, that we were looking to unload some a spoon or two from the Pirate King Viadel. He was, he said, something of a collector and was interested in seeing if what we had was genuine.

Sully kept trying to ruin the transaction by talking. Fortunately not even he could make the day less profitable when the Duke saw just one spoon and he just started talking from there, talking in good ways about how long he’d been trying to make just one place setting. We eventually dropped that we might have one and he was ecstatic. We then hinted that we might have eight and he was probably more excited than an eighty year-old human can hope to get.

After seeing the set and the box, the good Lord offered twelve hundred gold for the lot, on the spot, which was almost twice the value of the metal and craftsmanship itself. I didn’t need to remind anyone that this is just the reason why we didn’t sell it earlier; we were all seeing and thinking riches, however fleeting.

Payment was in gold and gems back in the Duke’s high-priced cabin, a smart move instead of bringing the gold to us. We mentioned the crown and he laughed, saying he had two fakes already. Sully then said something that will haunt my memory forever. He said, “It might’a been a fake, but he looked pretty upset when we took it off his head.”

Even so, we got the Duke to come back to look at it and authenticate its … authenticity, though he was disappointed at the gems. Beggars can’t be choosers, we said, or something like it, and we made another five hundred for the crown. This was a lot of gold for one day so, to cover all bases, we got the purser to observe and record the transaction. Few things can ruin your day faster than a good deal going sour.

Then he mentioned the mace.

There is a point where the lure of money is just sated, when one knows your luck is being pushed and it’s time to back off. We, and when I say “we” I mean Kumar and I, tried to play it cool but it is hard to ask about things for long without letting your true motives be known, especially when you have people like Dane and Sully making deals harder. It was only a matter of time before Duke Nocens asked to be paid for his consulting services.

We learned some things about the mace, then sitting in Rokellen’s pack, but of all the important things, I’ll tell you it was named Gathering of Storm. He teased us with such prices as three thousand gold, and I briefly entertained taking it from the cleric and selling it, but by this time we were all business partners to a limited extent and you don’t stab a man in the back then expect him not to stab you in the front. Besides, business is sacred. It’s more binding than religion, and better for you. Upsetting gods is less hazardous than upsetting a loan agent, though not by much.

The purser was a paid-up member of the Small Businessman’s Association here and there within the Moonshaes and was also happy to be paid from our now much fuller coffers to teach me some things I was curious about. In fact, several of the others took the opportunity of the voyage and increased cash flow to do the same.

In the middle of the voyage, we reached Mintarn, which wasn’t as exciting as you might think. It had a half dozen whore houses, two or three dozen bars right up against the docks, and an extensive bazaar which featured little more exciting than tiny houses made from seashells and art drawn with stained sands. Dane did manage to unload some crossbows we lifted from the goblins. Rokellen and I had a few overpriced drinks and we all met back on the ship.

A few days later and we were in Baldur’s Gate the usual way. Sail up to Ohm’s Ford, take on a navigator and make the rest of the way up the river to the stench and racket of the Baldur’s Gate docks.

It was good to be home.