DAY 468 (13th Kythorn)(June) cont ...
And so, myself, Stephen my Animal Companion, Phteven the little dog formerly know as Mr Undead Wyvern, Sylvia, Corum, Jiggles and Irritator left the house of Scrofulous Pieter and headed back to the Old Jock's Brewery.
To celebrate our victory (if you consider not dying in a house of undead victory, which I certainly do) we went to the Singing Sword for a slap-up feed and a few jugs of ale. Corum was happy to be reliving his glory days, but I could see he still dwelled on Gharlie's fate.
'We'll get her back,' I said as reassuringly as I could. I wondered if Corum had enough money to buy a True Resurrection. I assumed he was thinking about it.
He'd need the most expensive one anyway, as it had not been safe to bring back any part of her. At least 1530 gold for the spell itself, but an eye-watering 25,000 gold for the diamonds. I don't think Corum has anything like that kind of money. I do though. Is it awful of me that so far I've not mentioned it? I'm sure we'll figure out a way eventually, and one that won't bankrupt me.
That's what happens when you take your eye's of your friends for a split second, I am fast realising. The next time you see them they are dead! How the hairy belly of fate laughs at the works of men.
Anyway, while at the tavern I asked how the road between Waterdeep and Neverwinter was, given the political situation at the moment. There were a lot more patrols on the road than normal and the army was building up in Waterdeep, but I don't think me and Irritator would face any major problems flying through the next day.
Oh well, just a few more things before I blow out the candle. Corum tells me that anyone of Neverwinter descent in Waterdeep is getting a hard time at the moment. Threats and beatings are the least of it apparently.
Both cities are in a sort of arms races over the Blue Plague. The paranoid thinkers in Waterdeep are scared that Neverwinter may attempt to weaponise it and thereby gain an advantage.
All a bit much for my head, to be honest. I've been thinking about this Plague more and more and how to combat it. Experienced healers know that their is more to the world than what we can see, and I don't just mean magic. Magic helps find the truth though. Take the Blue Death for instance, or 'cholera' as they are now calling it. This is caused by tiny creatures that we barely have names for, but that I have heard called Stromatolites.
The world is full of them. There are loads of them (thousands? I've no idea) living in every human body - not a pleasant thought. Then there are things even smaller than that, tiny beings that cause fevers and blights harvests. Some call them Demivans, and although not all are evil, if you talk to some healers they will tell you that these demivans kill more people than all the orc, goblins and bugbears combined!
And now her is the Blue Plague. How do you fight a magical Demivan? Or a Fiendish Demivan? Or whatever it is? I have heard some people talk of locking down Waterdeep. I don't know though. Fight magic with magic has always been my way, but this plaque feeds off magic.
Enough. I'm blowing out the candle now. My wife is already sound asleep beside me. Goodnight!
DAY 469 (14th Kythorn)(June)
Myself and Irritator walked out the northern gates of Waterdeep first thing in the morning. I then turned into an owl and off we flew.
It's about 250 miles to Neverwinter as the Giant Owl flies so I could just about do it in one day. We stopped at a nice inn I had already researched for a late lunch (or early dinner if you prefer) and then flew on.
DAY 470 (15th Kythorn)(June)
I landed and turned back into a man at three in the morning or so.
We arrived at a village near Neverwinter and got a room in a rather grotty inn. The innkeeper was an annoying and doltish sort of fellow and even though we paid well we ended up with a cold room with damp and musty linen. We had our magic bedrolls though, so it was no hardship.
After a substandard breakfast (if only there was some sort of Faerune wide guide I could give my remarks on this place to I pondered as I ate my slices of cold mutton. I know such things exist, but just for cities and they are usually out of date and dishonest. Would be handy for travellers such as me anyway! Perhaps I should write one?)
I had a whole story worked out for getting into Neverwinter, but I didn't need it as the guards just asked a couple of standard questions and let us in.
For what it's worth though (and I might do this anyway) I was here to research the lost druid temple I had recently found in Kryptgarden. I was going to talk to bards, scholars and other druids.
Once inside, the first thing I did was go down to the docks and look for invisible ships. I jest of course, if the Annubus was here, then it would likely be visible. I used my hat of disguise and changed into my persona 'Salty Sam' the Naval Historian - an old salty sea dog, working on his eighty nautical novel and here to chase down rumours he had hear about a nefarious invisible ship full of twats called the Annubus.
While Irri found us a good inn I went and talked to the harbour master at the Port Authority. I don't think he really believed my story, and even though I was paying well he wanted to know who I truly was.
I said something along the lines of, 'well, it's not beyond the impossible that someone might be looking for them due to the fact that they murdered some of his friends. This hypothetical person might also have the sense to do so in disguise.'
The info he gave me though was barely worth the quick thinking and definitely not worth all the gold I gave him.
All he told me was that they had indeed been in port once or twice in the last couple of months, picking up supplies. As far as he knew they were not currently here.
I thanked him and went to find Irritator. Old Salty Sam needed a drink!
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