#27 - Calabas and the Unfair Fight

As told by Magnus of the Island of Seren.

Comfy beds.

Comfortable beds in an inn are about the best use of gold that can be found on this strange continent. This lesson I have learned more than any since leaving Seren. The particularly soft beds at the Golden Dragon were the best yet.

We awoke in the evening, after a long sleep, rest, meditation or puttering. Each of us was again transformed towards another step toward our true draconic selves. Does the great red wyrm not lie comfortably upon a bed of gold? Personally I feel much more durable and nimble, though I hear there are new spells and perfected skills among the others. If there is one thing I could bring to Seren from all this mainland gew-gaw, it would be an enclave of "Ghallanda" halflings and their comfortable beds.

We met in the lobby, ate dinner, and did not make plans to leave immediately. They wanted to stay in the city seeking commerce, thinking they have treasure to spend. It’s as if these men have never seen treasure, or even heard tales of treasure. Treasure is kept by dragons, in mounds.

We have some scavenged weapons, armor and sticky bits to try to sell and then to buy other stuff. It is much easier and saner to seek treasure and experiences in adventure. Pillaging the hordes of fell creatures is the source of true wealth and greatness! Not only that, but were were in a a city made up of fell creatures. We should have immediately figured out a way to destroy the whole city and reap the bounty! As it is, we seem to be on our way to do some shopping and then meet up with the youth medusa (wild adventure indeed!).

Oh yes, and speak with a gnome. We have crossed the continent and there are gnomes even here. This one called herelf Fherina Hartsdale, so Xoma has said, and said she was in Graywall looking for an uncle, or something. I cared little and ate more instead.

After this, we make our way to the market through the "normal" quarter, Calabas. Cypher stuck out and people noted all that we did. Another reason I don’t like cities. It was very different at night in this city. Unpleasant monsters wheeled through the sky and perched on buildings. They largely kept out of this quarter of the city, but we could see them there. Harpies and gargoyles, mostly. There was also a cluster of tents around the square. They called this the Goblin Market, and indeed we saw many goblins about, even an ogre or two in the company of orc or half-orc.

On the way to a merchant's trading house that we'd been recommended to, we crossed the great square and saw two notable things: an Unfair Fight between a big orc and a goblin kid, and a warforged chained to a wall.

Cypher and Xoma went to look at the warforged. They learned that he was indeed owned and put to work hauling things and guarding stuff.  He would not discuss his owners, but he did speak and said his name was Grapnel. Is not a grapnel a grappling hook? A device with hooks, a tool. Warforged and those who keep them are strange.

The rest of us went to see to the Unfair Fight. The orc was kicking the kid around and Rendar spoke up. A little standoff occurred and Rendar (and the rest of us!) managed to scare off the stupid orc. He gave the kid one more kick, then skulked off to stand at the edge of the crowd, watching us.

The kid was filthy, bloody, with a smashed face and teeth. A street urchin. Probably thousands just like him in this city. But for reasons I cannot imagine, Doongul healed the goblin with a spell, then HIRED HIM as a guide. No sooner were we rid of Halbazar than we were childsitting again. This kid is in for a ride. His name is Trug. Perhaps he'll die in our company, or perhaps not. Doongul seemed to have taken a liking to him. Doesn't change the fact that he's a goblin.

We went into the shop and sell our stuff—including that ancient hobgoblin armor—for a magic ring. To me, that was a lot of hauling stuff around for a little band of gold. Xoma took the ring, assuming it will actually protect him. Maybe we should give it to the kid—he looks easy to kill—who would benefit the most, hah!
Speaking of the kid, while Doongul was asking about buying cloth for the boy (huh?!), the goblin wandered out toward the door of the shop....and he was grabbed right out of the doorway.

We scattered out of the shop to see a man in a robe a few yards out. Big, strong. Like me, perhaps, but bald, and...with reptilian eyes and greenish, scaly skin. The others suspect he is related to the medusas. I suppose this is what a male could look like. Meanwhile, the goblin kid was being held by some gargoyle henchmen right above us.

But this was a better development. It was time to FIGHT!

But no. Suddenly we were TALKING to the creep, who told us that we were seen entering the city with the medusa girl (Sa-Jira), and that she had never returned home. Her mother—"the Ambassador"—was holding us responsible. We would have to find Sa-Jira and bring her back to her mother's house before dawn or be handed over to the “Flayer Guard”—which sounds extremely sucky.

I am betting the medusa girl is drunk somewhere, or under a some guy's’ python, if you follow my meaning. Instead of killing the man where he stood and setting fire to the whole city, we agreed to the deal and made our plans to look for her. The gargoyle dropped the goblin into our waiting arms. Now we’re working for monsters.  Cities make us all crazy, I guess. But at least we are above ground.

Xoma wanted to do some more shopping (buying poison) and we all went into a clothing store. Ugh! Next we plan to see if the medusa girl keeps her appointment with us in an hour—we were supposed to meet her after twelve hours—or if we have to go crawling through this monster city looking for a runaway medusa with mother problems.

I should have stayed in the comfy bed.