The fog is fairly thick on the river. You take a break from the oars to look back one last time.  Behind you lie the walls of Korvosa.  From here nothing looks different.  The walls stand as they usually do.  High.  Forbidding.  Behind them you can make out a few high roofs and towers.

But that is all just a trick of the night.  It's too dark to see that those roofs are burned. That those towers are broken.  There aren't any fires raging in the city tonight, so there's no billowing cloud of smoke rising above it all.  These days, that in and of itself is the sign of a peaceful night in Korvosa.

Tarrov and the Chamberlain saw you out through the Akronas private dock. Tarrov knew of a small pier used by smugglers across the river, so that's your destination.  You scrounged what goods you could from the Arkona estate.  The servants must have been spying on the whole thing somehow.  When you went back inside, you found they had already looted the estate and were gone.

Typical.

Chandanar sighs and turns back to rowing.  He seems tired, but he has spent the last twelve hours healing you and breaking curses.  So he probably is due a little weariness.  He says in a fairly dull voice, Just to make sure I got everything, we're going to the Cinderlands to try to find this Thousand Bones guy you helped before.  Right?  The name 'Thousand Bones' means nothing to you Zuni.  But both Selvin and Izzick remember the Cinderland shaman who owes you a debt.  The two of you and Tarrick had entered the lair of a necromancer to rescue the body of a fallen barbarian prince for both Thousand Bones and the Korvosan Watch.  That seems so long ago.  You know you'll have to travel north.  But more than that none of you have much knowledge of.  Somehow, somewhere along the way, you'll need to pick up the necessary intel to find Thousand Bones and his clan, the Skoan-Quah.

Well.  At least you don't have to worry about the Queen's crazed killers coming after you.  You hope.

Chandanar stops and points.  Is that the dock ahead?

You look in the direction he's pointing.  From Tarrov's description, it seems to be your target.  A small river port with three docks, set back from the main body of the river on a small rock outcropping.  Oddly there are no lights on in the two buildings built to one side of the dock.  It is late.  And these are supposed to be smugglers.  But you would think there would be someone up still.

Lots of info thrown at you right there.  Let me know what questions come up.  Thanks

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 1):

Your boat glides forward.

There are two piers running off a central platform.  A rowboat is tied to the eastern one.  The western one has a stack of crates at one end.

A stairwell runs up from the platform to a clearing on the bank.  Two buildings sit on opposite sides of the clearing.  A larger one, probably a warehouse, has a large sliding door at one end. More crates are stacked up against the other end of the warehouse.  The other building has a sign set up outside.  Moonlight spilling across it allows you to read the name 'High End Life'.  A tavern maybe?

No one seems to be about.

Selvin was uncharacteristically quiet on the way to the boat and during the boat ride. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, perhaps thinking about the person they were going to meet. The guy had been...creepy and intense, and he was worried that the barbarians might not wait to see that they weren't enemies before attacking.

He nodded to Chandanar's summing up. "That's about the size of it, yes."

Selvin gave another nod and took to the air, carefully so as not to overturn the boat. He landed on the dock and walked a bit ahead of where the boat would be arriving just to make sure nothing was going to jump out at them. But then he turned back to catch a rope if tossed so he could tie the boat up.

In reply to Selvin Larst (msg # 3):

As Selvin lands, a raccoon goes scuttling away from the crates.  As you approach you can see one of the crates has broken open.  It was full of apples.  Now the apples are withered, brown, and moldy.  A smell of cider wafts from them.

Chandanar hefts some of your bags onto the dock as the elf ties off the boat.  He glances at the apple mess and mutters softly, You'd think someone woulda cleaned that up.  Assuming anyone was around to.  He glances towards the buildings.  Still.  Seems odd someone would leave apples here.  Smuggling them into the city would bring a good price these days

Zuni had sat comfortably in the bow of the small boat, leisurely dipping her hand over the side and into the water.  It wasn't often that she had a chance to get out of Korvosa.  It wasn't as though there was anything out here for her.  Occasionally she would look back at Selvin, who seemed oddly quiet.  What could weigh so heavily on his mind, she wondered.

"Is there anything that you all want to tell me about this Thousand Bones person?" she asked as the boat was pulled up to the dock.  Zuni hopped off of the boat and tied one of the lines to the dock.  She frowned at the mess left of the apples. "What a waste of good apples.  Seems awfully quiet about..."

"Honestly, I'm not too sure myself. I was one of the folk they rescued from the necromancer - I wasn't really privy to who sent them or why, however." Izzick stood up onto the dock, looking towards Korvosa as long as it was visible. It felt like any moment the whole place would go up in flames or be the site of a second starfall or any other number of calamities. "It would have to be Selvin who tells you any more detail than what we did."

The boat is tied off.  Chandanar mumbles something while working his prayer beads.  I don't pick up on anyone living around.  I think we're safe to poke around.  Though I think if we follow the river upstream, we might find a more...uh...'living' trade post.  We could get directions and supplies there.