"You owe me so much rum for that!" said Talathel. The elf had not enjoyed being tossed around at sea, even though Darvin had managed to save him and the crew with his quick thinking, Talathel had wanted to make the trek by foot.
"Yeah. Whatever. Can you tie that off?" Responded Darvin. Once both elf and half-elf were firmly on solid ground they moved into the Outer Market district of Baldur's Gate. The Outer Market didn't look as bad as the rest of the city, but that's because it's much easier to re-pitch a tent then it is to rebuild a building.
After a quick encounter with a Dwarf woman who ran a potion stand, and had tried to pickpocket Talathel, the two of them entered Baldur's Gate for the first time.
The devastation was obvious as buildings were grotesque skeletons of their former selves and people lie moaning and dying in the streets. Darvin and Talathel discussed their next move and decided that after their eventful sea voyage they needed to find what every good sailor needs. Rum. They entered the Pub District and found most of the buildings to be burned out and charred. An unfortunate consequence of having buildings stocked with potent alcohol and lighted by candle.
The Bait & Tackle appeared to be the only Pub still standing and the two companions entered. After a quick meeting with the barkeep, and the discovery that rum is much more expensive in the big city than it is back home, Darvin and Talathel got their rum. And boy, was it good. It was some of the best rum they had ever tasted and the barkeep assured them it was of the highest quality.
"This rum should be illegal because it's sooo good!" Shouted Darvin as he finished his pint. After the rum was gone, Darvin and Talathel set off to find the reason they had come to Baldur's Gate in the first place. A man named Marty. Marty was the brother of Thorn, Darvin's boss in Secomber. Thorn had told the two adventurers to head to Baldur's Gate and to talk to Marty because he was sure to have some lucrative work for them. The door to Marty's place of business was ornately decorated with a carving of a woman holding a dagger. An interesting omen to say the least.
The bar looked like the one they had just left, except behind this one was a short and attractive, dark haired human bartender. Now, if there is one thing that Darvin Amblecrown loves more than rum, it is women. Darvin approached the bar and did his best to impress her.
"Hi there. I am Darvin Amblecrown, mighty pirate!"
"Mighty pirate? How many ships have you captured?" asked the woman. Darvin was at a loss because he had not captured any ships nor could he really call himself a pirate, but it had sounded good in his head. After a few unsuccessful attempts to woo her and a few more off-color comments by Talathel, which caused the woman to whip out her dagger and more than explained the decoration on the door, our heroes headed down stairs to see Marty.
Marty was sitting at a table with four others and appeared to be finishing up a meeting. When the meeting was over he gestured for the elf and half-elf to sit down. After extending pleasantries and explaining why they were there in the first place Marty got down to business. He told them that the sewers of the city were crawling with strange and interesting creatures. Deformed humans perhaps and he wanted some. He offered Darvin and Talathel 20g for every body they could bring up out of the sewer. He would leave a row boat outside the sewer's portcullis for them to place the bodies into between 1 am and 3 am for the next three nights. Darvin and Talathel happily excepted this offer. Talathel was especially excited because he was very poor.
With the meeting over the two friends headed off to find a place to kill time until it was dark enough to enter the sewers. There was a park in the city crawling with people but Darvin managed to find a mostly dry spot that was unoccupied and pulled out his bedroll. He placed it behind his head settled in for a nap. Talathel sat down next to Darvin and began watching the hustle and bustle around him. And waited.
That rum was amazing! They must have put some spices in it, maybe some elixers.I don't know.Whatever it was, it was good. You must stop at the Bait and Tackle and get a pint...or two. Really, my half-elf friend can't do it justice (what with him being a half elf and all) but he does make a good point that it should be illegal.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe the guy seemed a bit off, and no one will tell us what Marty did...but...by all that is good with The Old Order that rum is amazing!
They didn't slip some sort of a delicious ruffie in there did they?
ReplyDeleteThis should have a 'guybrush reference' tag.
ReplyDeleteYes. I am combing through the old posts while my wife watches olympic's stuff.