Session 229: Hookhill shopping trip

It's a fine morning at the Foaming Mug Inn where Feno, Sergius, Maeve, Niki, Armatzi, and Dwerom contemplate their next move. Niki had sent a runner to nearby towns to inquire about supply costs to construct a greenhouse. A wooden structure would be the least costly option coming in at about 300 GP and 650 man-hours, while a stone structure would cost 500 GP and 1,300 man-hours. The real expense, however would be the glass itself as it costs 625 GP per 10x10 foot pane. Niki does not seem discouraged, however! She is intensely interested in being able to grow fresh produce year-round. Such an innovation could be a real boon for Orlane and a draw for a town whose greatest pride is their harvest and good food.

Speaking of food, the party negotiated a permanent contract with Myr to supply him 6 GP worth of fine food per day. They decided to journey to Hookhill and gather some of Myr's chosen provisions (among other tasks). To keep the mimic sated, the party pre-paid 60 GP to the inn for 10 days of food to cover him while they traveled. This is an acceptable short-term solution, but if they didn't come up with a way to support long-term food deliveries for Myr, the party would simply be continuously traveling to feed the hungry creature. So they posted job notices for a general laborer in the three Orlane inns. This way, they could hire out helpers to gather a variety of foods from nearby towns while the party did their adventuring. They will soon be managing quite the small business. Huzzah to the saviors of Orlane: job creators!

On the morning of day 16 of Sunsebb, the party departed Orlane and headed toward Hookhill. Feno attempted to hunt, but was unsuccessful, partly due to the season but also to the forest corruption. The rot seemed to subside about one mile outside of Ironguard Motte. As they traveled along the road, the party met up with the Gran March militia, a group eight strong. Showing deference and respect, Feno spoke to Captain Mookie. Feno reported the necromantic corruption in the Dim Forest. Captain Mookie addressed Armatzi and inquired of him what he thought the source of the corruption might be. Armatzi replied that he thought the source was from some evil withing the barrowmaze, which the adventurers are valiantly trying to cleanse. Captain Mookie praised the party and advised them to renew their adventuring charter, report to the magistrate in Hookhill, and visit the temple of St. Cuthbert. He then inquired about the state of Orlane and asked if they could use some reinforcements. Feno relayed that Orlane was a town in recovery and could always use support. With some additional pleasantries, the two parties went their separate ways.

Further along the path, the party observed a roadside shrine dedicated to Heironeous and attended by Sister Cauldrath Vale, a proud and fearsome woman. She seemed to stare into the very souls of the adventurers. After a brief, but meaningful interaction, a few of the party left offerings of rations and coin.

The party reached Hookhill on the evening of Day 19 of Sunsebb after a hard push to avoid one more night on the road. They were met at the gates by the city guard where they were questioned on their intent. The party indicated they would be selling some items. After some discussion about the value of what they would sell, they settled on about 1,000 GP and were required to pay a 10 GP entry duty. Based on descriptions of the various lodgings from the city guard, they then made their way to Iron Gauntlet Inn. A runner led the party to the inn for which Feno tipped him handsomely. The inn's proprietor introduced himself as Berric Ironhand Thorne. Feno inquired about the security of Hookhill to which Berric replied "the roads are safer, but only because patrols have doubled". In the common room, several interesting characters watched the party intently. The mood was heightened, but did not feel unsafe. Feno spotted some soldiers and bought them a round of drinks, which seemed to lighten the mood.

The next morning, the group set out to purchase some groceries for Myr, including some fine ale and a wheel of cheese. Dwerom took the time to cast an identify spell and identified a dagger with magical properties. Even though Dwerom is a skilled magic user, he only gets so many attempts per day to identify the magical properties of the artifacts the group collects and things are beginning to pile up unidentified. Instead of spending gold every time they need to identify an object, the party wisely invests in some scrolls that will allow two additional magic users to learn the identify magic spell so they can potentially triple their magical potency. All it will take is some magic ink. Oh yeah, and some carp. Gulp!

Next, the party found a merchant shop where they bought a few supplies and sold some amphorae that they had collected for exactly 1,000 GP. Wow, I may be able to see far away events of the present, but someone accurately predicted the events of the future!

With love and accuracy, your humble storyteller,

Vilma