Furnishings at the Green Arches fall into three categories:
The attic rooms.  Simple, older, plain but comfortable beds- thin cloth mattresses stuffed with kapok, laid over a layer of Honoan woven mats.  Small wooden table next to each bed, shared bathroom.  Simple but clean.  It would be a C, brought down to a C- due to the difficulty of going up and down to the fourth floor and the sometimes inconvenient sloped ceiling.  This is the attic.

The standard rooms.  The beds are fitted with sheets made from Elven silk-floss, a fiber they get from certain trees which has a feel somewhere between satin and cotton.  Soft, cool and smooth.  Otherwise, much the same, with larger rooms and more furniture per room.  Honoan floor mats.  A C+

The garden terrace rooms.  The beds are similar to the standard rooms but larger.  The rooms have lamps are powered by continual flame spells, decorative curtains, and better furniture.  B, or B+ if having a terrace overlooking a pretty garden is important.

The food is the same no matter what kind of room you have, and is an all around B, leaning towards Wood Elf cuisine.  When available, fresh game is on the menu, and on those days (luck, generally, but they make an effort on holidays) it’s a B+ or A.  (The next locally observed holiday is the Feast of the Sea King, celebrating the god of the ocean, expect fresh fish).

There may be A and AA level places, for the wealthy and aristocratic, in Fidelis, but Nina and the Navigator wouldn’t steer you there.

Abadon looks to the others, then pays for the cheapest room that has a private washroom.

"The attic will do for me," Qui said.  "Stairs aren't a problem."

They settle in to the Green Arches in.

It's a good, solid, standard kind of establishment with a good reputation. There aren't many Elves in Fidelis, and when Elven visitors come, the often come here.  There are several staying here.

Once the party has established a home, there is the question of what to do next.

If you are in search of a Magemonger (a specialist in the buying and selling of goods for magic users, not a seller of magical items, normally.  Magemongers are ideal merchants to sell odd items to, they are often interesting in unusual things) there is one not far, on Fidelis's "upscale" shopping street, which is called Old Street.  "Dodley Family Arcane Sundries and Particulars".

If you want to find the Order of Paladins immediately, they are right there on Orders' Plaza, a fortified white stone building that looks like a small castle, with a Winged Sword emblem above the entrance.

According to the Elves here there are two places you will find Dimeste House:  their store (also on Old Street) and their family lodge on the outskirts of the town to the north, off of Center Street.

Or of course you could do a general wander about town, or stay here and talk to Elves or maybe collect rumors and news.

"Well, I ought to track down a Magemonger," Atraxus says while fetching out one of the odd bottles taken from the ship. He keeps a firm grip on it to keep it from floating up to the ceiling---or worse---falling up into the sky.

"Otherwise I won't be able to afford much of anything here," he finishes, stashing the bottle back in his pack.

"Afterwards, perhaps we should speak with the paladins about their missing knight?"

"An intriguing place to visit, by sound of it.  Certainly a prudent establishment to gather and engage in sale of unique items and ingredients to assist powerful mages," Abadon opined agreeably.  "That is an odd bottle, Atraxus - is it heavy?  You appear to be holding it slightly strangely - no offence meant, if that is your custom position.

"I will accompany you as well, if only to take in the local scene.  Sadly, by funds are limited, with the journey being a long one, but one never knows where new opportunity can be found."

Dodley Family Arcane Sundries and Particulars is on Old Street, between a shoemaker's shop and the Silverwater Bakery.

It's a strange shop, much longer inside than the narrow street frontage might suggest.  The main room is lined with shelves, but one side of it is built like a stage, much higher than the other, with little stairs leading up to it.  There are boxes, bottles, potted plants, skulls, and horns.  It's not easy to match some of the last two to familiar animals.

The reason for the divide in floor height is immediately obvious.  The proprietors are Halflings, and apparently like to stay on the high platform side, which has the counters, and a door to the back area.

A male Halfling in brightly colored attire seems happy to see you.

"Welcome, welcome!  Haven't seen you before but every customer is a friend I haven't met yet... and you... you must be..."

The Halfling takes a moment to assess Atraxus and Abadon.

"When a Half Orc and a Gnome travel together, that can mean only... adventurers?  Am I right?  Well bless you gentlemen, without the likes of you what would I sell?  Chicken blood and fish scales?  Welcome to the best..."

There is a voice from the back room:  "Only!"

"...Magemongery in Fidelis.  Fully Guild registered of course AND a member of the Order of The Fair Balance.  You've got something for us, then, I'll bet.  Fairwind Dodley at your service."

Alison nodded at the group's decision. "I will await your return."

She will sit and try to listen to the local gossip and rumors.

Alison hangs around in the Common Hall of the Green Arches Inn as she waits for Atraxus and Abadon to conclude their business with the Magemonger.

Yes, there are things to learn just by observing.  Having a Bard's "people skills" helps.

Whether these have anything to do with the current matter they are here to look into, that's another story.


There is an upcoming holiday, The Festival of the Ocean.  Lots of cultures have specific Ocean Gods, but not Fidelis, so they just make the holiday generic.  There are depictions of a Sea King who is not Neptune and a Sea Queen who is not Namaka, rather, these are more or less just "Holiday Characters" like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny, but the festival honors all Sea Gods, just to make sure.  (Like the rest of the settlements of the Southlands, Fidelis is dependent on the sea).  Decorations get put up, it's a day of general celebration with ocean themed events.  The parade of decorated floats... actually floating floats, on the canal around the fortress... is a big draw.

She hears Veritas getting mentioned now and then.  From what Alison can gather, it's a small town/outpost/fort something or other belonging to Fidelis, to the west.  It sounds like it has a reputation of a hyper-Fidelis.  What Fidelis means to the rest of the Southlands- Strict, Orderly, Do-Gooders, Justice-Seekers- Veritas is to Fidelis.  It's Fidelis Squared.
They say the very air is Lawful Good.  So there is a prison there, in the hope that that exposure to the sheer overwhelming Goodness of the area helps rehabilitate people.

Sometimes, it even works:  there is a whole Order in Fidelis called the Order of the Reformed, who are ex-villains sworn to do good deeds to make up for their past badness.  Their symbol is somewhat similar to the Paladins- the Paladins have a winged sword, the Reformed have a winged coiled trumpet.

A peculiar little detail:  there is an Orc in the Order of the Reformed.  There are no native Orcs in the Southlands.  Like many others, all the Orcs here are immigrants, or offspring of immigrants.  There are other native nasties, though, like Gnolls and Hobgoblins.  The Order of the Reformed has done a better job at reaching Orcs than others.  This may be because the Orcs here are away from their regular culture and frame of reference.  But the Goblins and Hobgoblins have more hatred for the Reformed than any other Order, even Paladins.  This may be because their leaders see this Order as undermining their command.  Whatever the case, wearing the winged coiled trumpet is a death sentence if captured by Hobgoblins.

Atraxus grins at Abadon's comment. He fetches the bottle back out of his pouch and holds it for the Gnome to take and inspect.

"It's the nature of the bottle," Atraxus explains. "We found it in an airship full of other strange items. Unlike most items that are pulled toward the ground, this one seems to be pulled toward the sky. Keep a tight grip on it. I'd hate to lose it before finding out its worth. Perhaps we can exchange it for enough to afford comfortably staying here in the city."

---

Atraxus nods politely to the shop's proprietor.

"Well met, Master Dodley, and well observed. I suppose you could call us adventurers. I'm Atraxus Wildheart, and this is Abadon Crystalfist. We're here in the wizard Arcto's stead to look for your city's missing paladin. Before that, I was hoping you might be interested in this bottle." Atraxus carefully withdraws the bottle from his backpack and hands it to Magemonger Dodley.

"It floats up rather than falls down, so please take care as you inspect it," he cautions.

"Hmm.." hmms the Halfling thoughtfully.  "A lot of things float up, but generally they are underwater at the time.  Perhaps the thing in your bottle is a bit unclear on where it is.  Or maybe... let's have a look, shall we, because I suspect..."

He points to a knob at the end of the bottle.

"Valve.  Good workmanship, I'd bet Gnomish.  They're very clever with these things.  Anyway, if it's a valve, then this bottle is meant to contain a vapor, and now can know what it is.  There's a vapor that does exactly what you describe, falls up, and things filled with it fall up to.  In fact, the bigger the container you put it in, the more up you can get out of it... complex sciency stuff. Lots of names for it.  Lifting Vapor is the most obvious. Artificers love this stuff, because they can make floaty things. Also good for potions of levitation and flying and the like.  But sources... not so many.  Some came from the Mountain Elves, some imported, some comes from Redmond... no steady supply, really."

Atraxus could offer the bottles for sale to wizards and artificers up and down the coasts of the Southlands, but that would take a while.  That's why there are Magemongers.  They make this much more convenient for all concerned.  Like middlemen in any industry, that's what the magemongers are really selling.  Convenience.

Even empty, these well made metal bottles are valuable.

Fairwind Dodley could empty the contents into other containers, but also wants the bottles.  Convenience.  He offers 90 GP for each bottle worth of lifting vapor, and will go up to 110 if the bottles are included.

As for missing Paladins, he knows nothing and has heard nothing- but observes that Paladins are always going off on quests and doing heroic deeds, maybe it's that sort of thing.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't open it," Atraxus chuckles, inwardly grateful that he had held back his curiosity. "That sounds like a fair exchange. I will sell the bottle and its contents to you for 110 gold.

"Would you happen to know of a weaponsmith or armorer?" he asks Dodley. "I'm a bit more comfortable with mundane armaments, and I've been out of arrows for my longbow for quite some time."

Fairwind Dodley steers Atraxus and Abadon towards the next goal- weaponsmiths.

Fidelis has about a dozen, the Halfling explains, and they are all in one place.

That place is in the oldest corner of the town, with low brick and stucco buildings and narrow streets.  The pavement is old brick, loose in places.  They can hear it even before they can see it; the sound of smiths at work is unmistakable.

One might think the weaponsmiths would hold a position of great prestige in Fidelis.  Perhaps they do, they do look prosperous.  None have the look of peasants.  But maybe the higher ups in town decided that the noise, dust and smoke of their shops wasn't a pleasant thing to have close to the glorious central plazas, and so they were exiled to this less luxurious looking part of town.

They find a dozen different weapon shops on one street together, most specializing in something, each have a small sales area up front and a much larger work area in the back.  They are all cluttered together on a street called Weaponeer's Court.  The whole neighborhood seems to be a big crafts work area- if they keeps going they will run into the potters and coopers.

Despite his being a big Half Orc, the only one visible, Atraxus fits in here- this is where warriors shop for the tools of their trade.  In fact, there are a few others.  Two of them, both human, both in their 30's by their look, notice Atraxus and talk to him.  Though they give Abadon a polite nod, it's clear that Atraxus is the one who has caught their interest.

"Visiting, or new and as yet undecided?" one of them says.
"It's not a choice to make lightly," says the other.  "Though I'd bet half the orders would welcome you."
"The best is clearly The Marshall's Legion," says the first.  "Ignore what the others tell you.  Mere propaganda.  The Marshall's Legion.. .the Pennant and Swords is what you want to wear."

At this point Atraxus and Abadon note that both men have large shoulder tab insignia:  A golden pennant mounted on a spear, with 2 crossed swords behind it.

On the way to the weaponsmith, Atraxus offers Abadon a quarter of the coins from the sale of the bottle and its contents.

"Here you go," he says. "It sounded like you were short on money. Seems to be the case for all of our number. I believe Qui-Lin is in the same boat. Not sure about Alison, but better safe than sorry."

When he arrives at the weaponsmith, Atraxus is at first taken aback at the friendly nature of the Humans in the shop. Most people are at best tolerant of his kind. However, their courtesy and curiosity puts him at ease.

"We're both visitors, I'm afraid" Atraxus replies. "Still new to the Southlands, and just arrived from Deluzion Break. My name is Atraxus, and this is Abadon.

"We've heard a bit about Fidelis and its orders," he adds, "but nothing too concrete. I would be interested to hear a bit more about the Marshall's Legion. What does the order do?"

Abadon received the contents very appreciatively, clearly not having expected such, but nodding in acknowledgement to Atraxus' point on tight pursestrings.

"Very appreciated, and very kind of you.  It has been a long and expensive, journey, for certain, friend Atraxus.  Now, I have received unexpected assistances along the way -and thank you again- which was not my expectation of the surface lands.  Some argue that the greatest magic and mystery is the kindness of new folk."

~
The gnome nodded at being named - this was a place for his much larger friend to stock up on weaponry, and Abadon kept his ears open for information, and his eyes watching for gnomish folk or anyone walking around that fit his recognition of paladins.  Really the party would need to hit the hall, but it didn't hurt to be attentive, and look for new bits of magic squirreled away in the world.

The two men give Atraxus and Abadon and quick (and glowing) description of their Order:  The Marshall's Legion trains people for service in the militaries of the Southlands.

They aren't mercenaries, they say.  They join up as true and loyal members of whatever nation hires them.  They are trained to be leaders, not merely line soldiers.  They are a typically more expensive than locals, because the Order demands a "training fee".  They have to make up for it, and be worth it, by being better than the average local soldier.  They do this by periodically recalling members for retraining here in Fidelis.  Here, they have the advantage of pooling knowledge and tactics from across the Southlands.

This is still not good enough for a number of colonies.

"Haven't really gotten into Ushalka," one of them frets.

Apparently, there is some concern about what happens if Marshall's Legion soldiers are on opposite sides.  They are in no hurry to kill each other, and will generally look for an equitable solution rather than a fight in this case.

Some see this as a feature, others as a bug.  For the smaller colonies where they are very popular, it's great- they don't expect to fight each other anyway.

"Anyway, while the Paladins are always running off after some rumor or prophecy or a cat stuck in a tree, we protect nations. Think about that!  And, we have better food."

As they talk it is clear that there exists a friendly rivalry between certain Orders, and the Paladins and Marshalls certainly have it.  The two men point out someone else in the weapons market:

"See him?  Doran.  He's your typical Paladin.  Now, when I get an assignment, let's say a four year billet with Pomera, and a Duke says, 'Goblins are massing in the West!' I will be there, ready, with troops.  I will say, 'At once, sire, I will muster the regiment and drive them from our lands!'  Doran?  Who knows where he might be?  Off doing something, looking for a lost Font of Holy Water, whatever.  Unreliable, and unrealistic! "

Abadon nodded, and made a few notes down in his travel journal.  "A good division of duties, then it would seem, and something for independent and team-working folk to each do their best of action.  That potential conflict of conflicting membership encounters is to be expected, and avoiding injuring your own members certainly remains an important fellowship requirement.  Interesting.

"I most appreciate your time in explaining your excellent work to us.  If your fellowship confers to try and understand and resolve matters, it would make sense that we speak to the paladin order as well, to understand their perspectives when meeting with them.  Thank you again, Legionnaires, and for your assistance to the lands and their people."

Presuming Atraxus was able to resolve his restocking task, Abadon then headed over to speak with this Doran, and learn his perspective, and how to properly navigate the paladin order to assist in their missing paladin... and in what situations their order would send word for outside help to resolve such issues.

Armed with a little knowledge of Paladins, Abadon seeks out Doran, who is discussing heavy crossbows with the local crossbow maker, and what kind of wood won't cause a warped stock when it gets wet.

He seems quite happy to be interrupted by Abadon.  Of course, Paladins have an image to maintain.  If you aren't the type to smile and say "What can I do for you?" then you probably aren't cut out to do it.

Doran not only knows how to say it, but how to stand in the sunlight and put his hands on his hips when he does.

At that point, Abadon is supposed to say something like "My family is threatened by a...".  The paladin is totally flustered by the lack of a specific crisis from Abadon. He's supposed to name an Evil to be Thwarted.  If there isn't anything Evil to Thwart... then what?

"Wait... one of US is missing?  Well, it's hard to say, no one really keeps track of where we are at any one time..."

Paladins, it seems, do not become "missing."  They go on quests.  Sometimes, when a paladin does not return and it is long after the rational limit of returning, that paladin is said to be "on a quest Eternal".  But on the other hand, paladins have been known to take a long, long time.

"Sanrad of Auxene took nine years to track down and destroy Gorates the River Wyrm," Doran says.  "I am certain no one in our order would have sent a message saying one of us is missing.  That's just not how we do things."

If it is a specific paladin and a specific problem, Doran invites Abadon to come to the Order Hall and ask the elders about Paladins who seem to be taking longer than they should.  As he explains, it is clear that the Paladins have a very different structure and approach than the Marshalls.  Every paladin is really on his or her own, the Order is like a social club and training institution, not a command center.  The Marshalls get contracts to serve specific military forces, Paladins do not.  On the other hand, ordinary people are generally not welcome to ask help from the Marshalls.

Partly as a result of this, the Paladins have fewer resources, and at any given time, fewer of them are here in Fidelis.  An exception is elders who are past the age of adventuring, but support the Order by training and advising the younger Paladins. In fact it's not even normal for Paladins to live in the order.  If they are here, they are teaching, or learning, or retired or passing through.  Paladins rarely stay put if there are no good deeds to do.

"Quite the ironic situation, isn't it?" he asks.  "At least at first glance, we have the most celestially aligned place in the Southlands, and yet so few of us.  But that's as it should be.  In Fidelis, even the distant mountains are guarded by Gold Dragons, what good are we here?  I am sure, if you bring the situation to the elders of the order, they can help you.  We do not turn people away, it is against our creed to do so."

According to Doran, now, there are only a handful of actual Paladins actually here, and some novices in training, but that's normal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:56, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

Abadon dutifully noted down the directions for proper greetings, and made direct effort to not add commentary about how practical the legionnaires were versus the incredible distraction and lack of communication, coherence, coordination of the the paladin order.  If the gnomish folk had acted similarly, there wouldn't have been a community left from even a single underground horror.

Still, he thanked Doran for his assistance, and wished him the best on his next quest, whatever Evil that was being thwarted might be.

When the party of two was away from the paladin, Abadon looked up at his much larger friend.  "He seemed very earnest, but...not all that particularly practical or reliable.  I am a touch more concerned at the appearance of no tracking or communication of the Order's members, but perhaps there is a difference between the front-line action folk, and wiser minds behind the gauntlet, as it were."

Shopping is accomplished.  And, they've gotten a little background information on Paladins.


They head back, past the workshops of Weaponeer's Court, and then again along Old Street, back the way they came.

They pass one shop with a familiar name.  It is the Dimeste shop, the one belonging to Dimeste House.  It looks like they specialize in upscale home decor.  There are a variety of pillows in the window, with ruffles and flowery prints.  Several different curtains, too, matching the pillows.

And they are able to regroup back a the Green Arches Inn.

.. And off to the Paladin orderhouse!

Alison motioned for them to take seats with her. "There is a second smaller town. Veritas, which houses an suborder, and they have orcs among them. There is a strange festival of the sea too, up coming." She shrugged, "Seems quiet. What did you lot learn?"

Rather than assist the others in information gathering, Qui-Lin spent some time in quiet contemplation, trying to center her chi. She let it be known she could be found in her attic room when needed.

Abadon looked to Ataxus and Qui-Lin, neither choosing to speak or involve themselves, so he shrugged his shoulders.

"Let us talk as we walk to the paladin order hall.  The days go by so swiftly that I feel that we've been at this for weeks without even meeting the paladin requesting help yet!

"There is a strong division between the Legionnares and Paladin orders.  The Legionnaires present as very practical, organized, planned - concerned with regional affairs.  They certainly throw a fair bit of shade upon the paladin order.

"We met one paladin on the way back.  He... well, earnest is the nicest thing we could say of him.  Very simplistic, unaware of anything going on with his own Order, in his town.  He was of the belief that the paladins were always coming and going, and no one knew where people were, and accepted that lack of coordination and communication as a given.  There to help individuals.  Terribly chaotic a system for a place of order.  I can only hope the seniors - the only ones expected still around - have something in the way of planning, travel logs, mission and needs in the region, reports of dangers and concerns in the region - that type of thing.  Very concerning the representative we met."

"Very well," Qui-Lin said as she gathered herself.  Scooping up her traveling gear, she followed Abadon to the paladin order hall.

"That is concerning," she replied.  "Why would two orders, obstensibly bent towards the same end, be in conflict?  It almost sounds like the palaidns are children tolerated, or guided, by the Legionnaires?"