"There was a wonderful spicy eel dish that I just had in the tavern... but since I just had it, I'm fine to continue our journey on to Mivon." Zelona replied as they loaded up the ship and prepared themselves.

"Gnomes in large groups are so fascinating..." she added as she leaned and looked out at the small town from the ship's rail.

Back on board Helga has had the dagger stored in your makeshift cabin, however, there is still plenty of room for all of you to stretch out and sleep comfortably when you want to.

Above deck, one of the sailors is running a new crew member, a Halfling, through her paces, ”I’m going to sail through the night, which means that Carin and I will be pulling night shift.” she says indicating the half-elf among her crew.  ”If she’s any good, I might keep her on.  She won’t take up too much room in the cabin.” she says indication the smaller, hutch like, cabin at the rear of the vessel that the crew use.

Once The Lady is manoeuvred back out onto the river, Yolen has the sail raised to catch a bit of the breeze, although the river’s flow is providing most of your movement. Then she leaves the helm to one of the crewmen, and heads down to the cabin to get a couple of hours sleep.  As darkness sets in, Helga returns to the deck has the sail lowered and, with Carin, settles in to guide the vessel through the night.
It is only a couple of days further on, but you become accustomed to the routine aboard The Lady.  There are two hot meals a day – cooked at the bow of the vessel when the sails are down.  Both are soup, served with a piece of hard bread – The soup is made from a mixture dried vegetables and whatever fresh food the crew have – often a fish that has been caught on a line run from the back of the boat.  Then sailing, cleaning and maintenance during the day and drifting during the dark hours.   To sustain them between meals sailors get a ration of dried fruit – and tend to live on fresh water from a barrel supplemented by the occasional glass of ale.  Helga runs a tight ship!

Perhaps the one change you see, is that the Halfling takes over cooking duties after the first couple of meals and, while they will never be good, they are certainly an improvement – and seems to meet with Helga’s approval.

The first day of sailing the river meanders slowly, and the banks are made up of scrubland.  You sight the occasional thin plume of smoke, which you are told is probably hunters or humanoids – but nothing exciting happens.

The next morning the landscape is very different.  The banks have almost disappears to be replaced by large beds of reeds and an extensive wetlands.  Now you see occasional small boats and even the occasional herd of cattle up to the bellies in the water.  It the distance you spot a fortified settlement that is set on a low hill and peeping across top of the reed beds.  It is an Aldori stronghold, home to one of the ruling families and where they train their feared mercenary units.  Altogether you can spot half a dozen strongholds – most are little more than fortified villages, although there are a couple that appear to be the size of a small town.

Then you can see Mivon itself in the distance, massive and well defended – the city in the marshes.  Helga navigates inside the long harbour wall, and points out a pier belonging to House Yitis – and others belonging to Vysulty Shipping and the Merchant League.

”I normally berth at The River Master’s jetty  ..” Helga suggests, but giving Adoven time to  choose another destination, should he wish to.

---

OOC:  You can find some information about Mivon here:   http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....d:mivon#main_traders

Adoven thinks, and says "when Captain Yitis-Aldori brought the Roths to Tusk, we extended the courtesy of our facilities to him, including the jetty. Perhaps they would return that courtesy for V&A?"

"I suspect the Lady Viktoria stops there, after all, their larger vessels  use our pier when they come to Tusk.  There will still be fees to pay, of course ..." Helga says before shouting instructions to her crew. Slowly Lady of the Lake moves across the channel, rowed by a pair of long oars known as sweeps -   until the new halfling crew member throws a line ashore and the boat can be  pulled into the side of the pier.

Zelona helped supplement the fish supply on the boat as they headed south, taking wing and catching fish as an eagle helped her practice in flight. She decided to save her trick for the return voyage as they caught enough of a wind to help them along to the south.

As they neared the city of Mivon, Zelona asked, "Helga, if I were looking for a specific person in Mivon, how would I go about finding them? I need to find Anada Yarki, an elven woman said to live here in Mivon."

Helga grins, almost as if she had been expecting the question.  "Everyone here knows of her, but you need an appointment to see her.  She lives in a compound in Central, up with the nobs." Helga responds.

"However, I have some friends who could set that up for you.  For a fee of course ..."

Then something catches her attention, and she turns sharply  "GET THAT LINE TIGHT ..." she roars at a hapless dockworker.

"How big a fee?" Zelona asked the ship's master.

"I'm trying to do a favor for a friend and try to find someone who's missing. Or at least, not heard from in a while."

"I don't know." Helga replies, "I haven't seen him for a while, and I am not part of the crew any more.  But he has more contacts than anyone else I know.  He runs a bar further along the docks ..."

In reply to _ Helga (msg # 99):

"Ok... the suspense is killing me Helga. What's HIS name that I need to talk to to talk to the other person I want to talk to?" she smiled at Helga.

"Is he going to kick me out or clam up if I tell him you sent me to him?"

"He's called Peggy, on account of his leg.  And I'll take you down there when we are docked and sorted. If you don't know where you're going, you'll likely end up in the wrong bar - and they'll take you for everything you've got.  It is dog eat dog down here in the low quarter." she says, still watching the dock crew as they tie the vessel fast.

In reply to Zelona (msg # 100):

Adoven hears this exchange and says "perhaps I can help you with that, Zelona? I haven't yet seen a bar turn down a travelling performer, and information tends to flow when you have a way with words and song."

Zelona looked at Adoven, "you're welcome to come along. I'm not doing anything secret. Though I don't want to keep you from doing whatever it is you came to Mivon originally to do. Probably more pressing than helping me talk to a bar owner."

Yolen looks perturbed "That might not be the best approach here in Mivon." she says with concern.  "They don't like it if they feel they are being manipulated, and they throw things if they don't like the entertainment.  Sharp things ..."  She paused for a moment  "And once a fight starts it takes a lot to stop it.  These aren't people to upset."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 06:30, Wed 29 Apr 2020.

OOC:  Remember this is a fuzzy fact finding mission, remember that you are a long way from home and that you want something. Please don't do anything to start a fight.

In reply to DM (msg # 104):

Adoven frowns. "I wouldn't want it to interfere in business here. Tell you what. If you have trouble getting what you need, track me down. By that time I might have a feel for local sources of information and services."

Helga  appears somewhat mollified, "It is different here to Tusk," she explains "Up around Central the houses control things.  They don't have a city guard, just bunches of Aldori swordsmen, all trying to show that they are better than anyone else, including people from other houses.  They don't come down here much, unless they are sending a mercenary unit out.  Down here it is The Cutters, or the Fallen.  Many of the bars are Cutters friendly, the brothels and drug dens are associated with the Fallen and if you get too wasted  you may come round, half naked, on the dockside without your purse or your possessions.  And they see visitors as easy prey - because no-one really cares what happens to them.  All the really bad stuff is run by Samar's boys.  We call them the half-dead, and word has it that Samar is a vampire.  Whether he is, or not, I don't know.  No one knows. And she shrugs.

"I was brought up here," she adds by way of explanation, "and it was The Cutters who gave me my first break." Then she finishes with, "They're hard, but they are fair."

Zelona looked back and forth between Adoven and Helga as they debated him coming with them. Once it seemed settled she nodded.

"Well, I've got nothing else going, so whenever you're ready and you think it's a good time to look for your old friend I'm ready," she said with a smile to Helga.

"Sir?  Do you need me to arrange anything for you first?" Helga asks, turning to Adoven. While she is in charge aboard the Lady, Adoven is in charge  when they are on dry land.

Adoven nods. "Yes, Helga. Can you give me the names of a decent hostel here among the Cutters? And possibly the name to one of the Cutters higher-ups? It occurs to me that with them dominating the dockside businesses, I might find more common grounds with them as opposed to the Merchant Houses here."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Fri 01 May 2020.

"It would be better for you to accompany us.  That way they will know you are who you say you are.  And, realistically, have my throat cut, if you walk in to places as an unknown naming names  -  and they work out jkit was me who told you.  Somethings you just don't talk about ..." Helga responds quietly enough that those on the dock don't hear.

OOC:  Sorry.  I thought I  posted in here a couple of days ago.

"The Cutters might dominate the dockside businesses, but you probably need to allocate at least half or more of your time here with the Merchant Houses and Sword Lords so you don't offend anyone." she said to Adoven.

"If we're all going to start in the same place though we might as well head out then Helga?"

Helga nods at Zelona’s comments, ”If you are extending the business down here, you will need support from The Houses in Exile, as they call themselves.  But you could probably speak to House Yitis back in Tusk?” she half asks, slightly unsure of the protocol for aspirant noble houses.

Once the docking fees have been paid, she has dressed for stepping ashore and assigned the proper duties to her crew, Helga is ready to go.  She is wearing a suit of leather armour that looks very well made, which is complemented by a very nice looking cloak, and there is a wicked looking dagger at her belt.  ”It is always good to look tough in  in the low quarter.  Although I am leaving the Axe at home, because I don’t really want to be seen as a challenge.” she says reference the Great Axe that you have seen her with when you stopped overnight on the banks of the lake.

The walk alongside  the dock buildings is instructive.  Each pier or jetty is backed by a warehouse and There are guards on the gates to all of the piers and jetties – although the guards themselves show no sign of a uniform and little sign of military discipline.  ”You have what you hold ...”  Helga comments as a reminder of the River Freedoms.  Beyond the warehouses there is a great boulevard, which separates the docks from the rest of the low quarter and is wide enough for the bulk movement of goods.  However, it is quite muddy and not a very good quality road at all.  ”The roads are better up in the central quarter and market, but the Houses think this is good enough for the likes of us.

On the far side of the road you can see that there are tenement buildings, with a number of bars and other small businesses on the ground floor.  Mixed in with those are commercial buildings, houses and even a few makeshift huts.  ”Welcome to Mivon …” she comments with a wry smile.

It isn’t long before she leads you to one of the buildings just across the road.  ”This is The Red Eel,” she says as you get to the door, ”and it is one of the better  bars  down here.  You can even get rooms here if you want them.”

The large bar is dark, there are small windows and a few oil lamps provide most of the light -  even midmorning like this.  Some corners are very dark indeed, and you almost wonder who, or what, could be hidden down there.  The bar is decorated with various maritime bits and pieces - fishing nets, buoys, floats, oars here, floats, rope, little triangular flags and a few cutlasses, which appear to be secured to the walls.  But it looks quiet, just a few people,  sailors and dockhands by the look of them, sitting at tables.  They all stop and look up at you when you come in but soon go back to their conversations and card games.  However, you get that  ‘they are still watching me’ sensation in the hairs at the back of your neck.

”Don’t worry about them.” Helga says as she strides across the room to the bar.  ”Three beers,” She instructs the barman  ”And tell Peggy that Helga has some people who want to talk to him.”  The barman nods to someone at the end of the bar and sets about pouring the beers.  It seems that he gets an answer before he has finished, because he points to a door, half hidden in the gloom, as he hands the beers over.

Helga nods and leads you into a small room, there is a large circular table with a single oil lamp and  half-a-dozen seats.  ”Now we wait …”
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:24, Sun 03 May 2020.

Forewarned by Helga, Zelona wore her full armor and carried her shield, though the only weapons she had on her were a small club and a pair of daggers at her hip. "Right... tough but not a challenge. That is a fine balance to walk."

If Z had any feelings about the city of Mivon as she'd seen so far here in the low quarter she was pretty good about keeping them to herself, though she did wrinkle her nose occasionally at some of the smells.

She kept her hood down so that her elven heritage was on display, as her ears peeked through her chestnut hair. The dimness of the bar's interior didn't hinder her vision at all thanks to the aforementioned elven heritage, she took in the bar and the patrons. No smile on her face, though she did not look cold per se, more the casual indifference of someone who'd faced death in the face and did not fear what it held. She hoped that spoke enough to those gathered along with her finely crafted shirt of hide and the darkwood shield that had matte grey designs of twisting patterns and knots.

She got to the bar and accepted the beer Helga had ordered, then settled in to wait.

Adoven, knowing you keep what you hold, comes dressed in leather armor and buckler, with a rapier and coiled scorpion whip on opposite hips. His finely made lute is slung over his back beside his pack. All in all, he looks like a budding sword lord, for all his diplomatic posturing.

Another door at the back of the room slides open and a man stomps through.  The  most obvious thing is the wooden leg, although there are a couple of scars on his face that indicate that he lived a more adventurous life when he was younger.  While he is unarmoured, you can see that he is carrying a dagger or two -  and he looks like he probably knows how to use them.

He grins as he looks you over, "The 'Helga' school of fashion, I see.  Look hard and they leave you alone.  It's as good as any other." he says with a shrug as he looks across at Helga, waiting for an explanation.

"Hello, Peggy." Helga nods her greeting to the man.  "This is Lord Adoven, he runs V&A shipping and is my employer.  He is interested in developing business interests in Mivon," Peggy's eyebrows go up, as he looks at Adoven appraisingly.  "He is interested in some advice, and might need an agent in the city." she says laying  it out for the man.

"And this is the Lady Zelona. She wants to speak to Anada Yarki on a personal matter, and needs someone to arrange a meeting.  I thought you might be able to help both of them."  as Peggy frowns, Helga adds, "I did point out that you require a consultancy fee, and that you might have to make a few  'gifts' to ensure success in your ventures."  At which point, Peggy starts to smile again.

Turning to Zelona first he says  "Lets say 15 golds up front to cover my fees and any expenses that I have.  That should be fairly straightforward."

However, his response to Adoven is  more inquisitive. "So what do you want to do?"