Re: Chapter 1: Shadows of Herrod
He responds, "Details can be asked of Rielle, and I'm sure you'll be seeing her shortly. For now, I have to go as I still have a district to run! Farewell" At that, Lord Ivan Steyus disappears out the door as his flowing robe narrowly escapes getting caught as it shuts.
Noble Benson soon returned, accompanied by a few servants, and escorted your party from the keep. Your eyes took in the grand stonework and fabrics as you walked through the halls. This and the sound of lavish parties quickly diminished as the front doors closed behind you. Your party, now in the courtyard and surrounded by flowering gardens, are finally back in the open air outside the keep. The clear blue sky stretches overhead, and fresh air from the sea constantly replenishes the city. Built on a rocky rise, from here you can see not only the vast sea but the other vast sea, one of buildings and houses as far as the horizon, the metropolis of Herrod which may well be the second most populated city in all the Isles (the first being the capital of Harab).
While walking through the garden, Noble Benson, the cheerful but pudgy man, continues to speak (in fact he never stopped!), chattering constantly about a number of unimportant things. Right now he's reciting what must be the entire history of the gardens and listing every species contained therein. At first your party paid keen attention, but only after a few minutes did you decide to just zone this out, for your mind's sake.
Leaving the courtyard, passing beneath a great stone gate, you enter a clearly wealthy district. Expensive estates and mansions dot the hill on the slopes of the keep, noble families who like to keep close to the Lord's Court, as well as build their homes in the safest location in Herrod. The lawn are well kept; numerous well-dressed servants maintain the meticulous lawns and garden-beds. The hedges are perfectly trimmed, the wood freshly painted, and the streets completely clean. The buildings here are incredibly large, many 3 stories tall or more. Despite being made of wood and stone, noble houses are often kept in the families for many generations, passed from father to son, and for the ownership of any estate to change is big news. The only empty estate here now is the Steyus home, the members of which have now entirely moved into the keep, where they will stay until either their hereditary line ends, are removed by royal decree, or other reasons... Not every noble family lives in this district, only around half, but to have a house here is usually a sign of great prestige. The Delcor noble home is famously near the outer edge of the city, closer to the country, but this has not prevented them from have a historically large impact at court.
Your party passes beneath another great stone gate, another wall that divides one part of the city from the next. These walls are often cited as a form of protection, which may be true to an extent, but most of the time they only separate one class of people from another, and keep them there. Leaving behind the wealthy homes, you enter an open court of stone surrounded by buildings and filled will all kinds of people. You are now truly in the city. Stands have been set up around the stone court, and people are trying to sell nearly every kind of thing; buildings show off signs overhead and their windows are filled with items displaying what they sell. One could window shop here for along time. There are crowds and people everywhere!
Noble Benson hands each of a sack containing 50 gold. "Alright, this gold is for all the expenses you may need for your task. You know, equipment, foods, board...bribes, the usual business costs. Here's a map of the town, just to give you some bearing - no room for words on it as you see, you'll have to do that yourselves! Good luck... Oh, and one more thing! You should talk with Rielle before you go too far. To do that you should, er...' he looks around quickly and whispers 'I think you folks should get your palms read!" He points to a gypsy cart stationed across the stone court, giving a rather painfully obvious wink as he does. Then he takes his leave.
Your fate is now in your own hands.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Sat 19 Apr 2014.