CH. 10: Queen of Harts

[JadedDM]

The party traveled another full day after their encounter with the ettercap. They find a river, and Andar tells them that means they are nearly there. The trail follows the river, leading right to the city.

It was the day after that, on Frostday the 13th of Ruebon that they finally arrived at the city of Tu'Valie. The river opens up into the sea, and the city itself is built on both shores of the river, plus a small island between them. The three sections of the city are connected with bridges. The party passes by the tall stone walls protecting the city on their right, and gentle farmlands to their left. After ten days traversing through the dangerous jungle, they had finally returned to civilization.

(Map of the city here)

"Tu'Valie," Areilon says in awe as they approach the south gate. "It means 'rebellion' in Elvish. They say my people sought to overthrow the Eonian Empire from here. After the Carnage War, the name became symbolic for the peoples' will to survive, to rebel against their own destruction."

"It hasn't changed, from what I see, since I was here last," Andar comments. "There are nearly 14,000 people here. This is Hashadeth Island's capital city. We should be able to find anything here, including plenty of ships."

"And some decent armor for you," Areilon notes. "Oh, and a nice bed, some hot food, spiced wine...and most important of all, a bath!" She takes an experimental sniff at her own armpits, then quickly recoils. "Ugh."

The sky above greys as storm clouds begin to move in from the south. "We best find shelter soon, another storm is coming," Andar notes.

At the south gate they find a pair of elves dressed in fine leathers with bows and arrows slung over their backs and long swords at their belts. "Welcome to Tu'Valie," the male of the pair says.

"Enter in peace," the female adds.

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(OOC: Huh, it's Friday the 13th in game. Hopefully that isn't ominous.)

It is currently 12:15 PM, shortly after noon.

[HorizonsDream]

Jocelyn bows her head slightly to the guards, then looks to Andar. "Where is the best place to get cleaned up, and to get some rooms. We might be here a couple of days until we can find a boat to take us to the Bullring."

[Nuke]

Val has never been happier to see a town before. "We made it. That's why I prefer to travel by sea." She walks by the guards and tries not to glare. "Food, priority one for me."

[Breila]

Ouragana bows her head to the elven guards. "We come in peace" she assures, and listens to their answer to Jocelyn's question about rooms and baths. "We need to get out clothes cleaned, too" she adds.

[BishGada]

On the way to the city, Baeros still positions himself at the rearguard. He looks at the pup and as it obviously wounded asks Jocelyn to heal him after the rest of the party. As they stop for a break he calls Takit and the pup to him. Rubbing Takit's head fondly he asks it, "We should find a name for your little friend here. I thought of either 'Blink' or 'Ghost' or 'Shadow' since he can disappear or reappear of the thin air. So what do you say, which one do you prefer? Bark hard at your favorite name. And you too can express your opinion little one." He says to the pup, then repeats the names in the ears of the two dogs.

As the roads stretchs on Baeros returns to his usual rude behaviour and when they arrive Tu'Valie he ignores the guards' blessings and casually says, "Wow, this is a huge city... Look at those bridges..." then he looks at the guards and the sky, "Standing here all day... It's gonna be rainy, I'm sure not envy you." Understanding too late he might have stinged them he adds, "Err... Maybe you should find cover by the gatehouse. Peace upon you as well..." and he quickly catches up with the group.

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(OOC: One of the critiria for the pup's name would be his size/proportions and color. I guess Baeros can estimate which size will the puppy become when he grows up both by the size of his mother and also by the proportion of the paw to the leg length.)

[Breila]

With joy, Ouragana had realised she can now keep more spells ready for use. Knoweing they would reach the city, she learned Detect Magic, Continual Light and Irritation for the day.

[JadedDM]

"Where is the best place to get cleaned up, and to get some rooms. We might be here a couple of days until we can find a boat to take us to the Bullring."

"We need to get out clothes cleaned, too"

"We have over a score of inns, boarding houses, almhouses and hostels here in the city," the male elf explains.

The female nods. "As for the 'best'...that depends on how much you're willing to spend."

"Money is no object," Areilon assures them.

"Well, if you aren't worried about price, and you want a great place with baths, laundry services and great food...you can't go wrong with the Queen of Harts," the male says, rubbing his beardless chin.

"Where can we find it?" asks Areilon.

"Just follow this road north to the town square. You won't be able to miss it," the male explains.

"Standing here all day... It's gonna be rainy, I'm sure not envy you. Err... Maybe you should find cover by the gatehouse."

"Does rain frighten you, human?" the female asks with a giggle. She winks. "It is only water, after all."

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(OOC: Ouragana's spells have been updated.

The puppy has light brown fur and resembles a baby doberman. Based on that, and the appearance of its mother, it should grow up to be a fairly strong and big animal.)

[HorizonsDream]

"And I assume there is a Temple of Octhanus in this city?" Jocelyn asks.

[JadedDM]

"There are two temples of Octhanus, two to Crizza, and one dedicated to all the gods," the male elf says. "One of the two temples of Octhanus is the home of the Bishop of Hashadeth, Landra Tarneth."

[HorizonsDream]

"I should probably pay her a visit while I'm here," Jocelyn says, glancing at the others. "Okay, let's get cleaned up," she says as she moves into the city.

[Breila]

"Agreed." Ouragana follows Jocelyn. While they pass through the streets, Ouragana casts looks around. Now that she feels her magic is stronger, she would like to look for new psells.

[BishGada]

Baeros, confused by the heartly response, says "Err... afraid? hmm... maybe... err.. not really... but I rather have a roof over my head, so if you don't mind I'll follow the others to the inn... by the way, where can we find a trustworthy store to replenish our gear? Not only food for journeys, but also cloth, leatherwork, weapons and armor? Also, my friends had some healing potions which proved quiet handy, so is there a place we can find those?"
After gathering the information from the guards and reaching the company he grunts, "The Queen of Harts... I don't like this name... I can't put my finger on why exactly..."
Notincing the dogs running around him chasing each other he thinks, 'Maybe I shall call him Rock, or Flint because he is muscular, or maybe Phantom, or Path Shifter for the way he moves...'

[JadedDM]

The skies grow darker as the party heads north toward the square. It's a beautiful city, and very green. Trees and grass grow just about everywhere, as if the builders always found room for them between buildings whenever possible. Numerous people of all manner of races walk the streets, going about their daily chores, some hurrying to beat the oncoming weather.

The town square is quite large, although people are starting to clear out due to the storm. In its center is a large statue of an elven warrior and an elven mage standing over a dead dragon. Looking around, they see a large, three story building with a sign featuring a stag with a crown over its head.

Stepping inside, they find the place is packed. They enter a large lounge of sorts, where people sit around talking and drinking, and enjoying themselves. Servants walk to and fro among them, most of them wearing very little.

Queen of Harts.jpg (153.83 KiB) Viewed 11389 times

Beyond this area is what appears to be a restaurant of sorts. All manner of marvelous and mouth-watering smells waft from it.

"I think I want to live here," Areilon notes.

A pair of elven servers approach, one male and one female, both with dark hair and fair skin and not wearing too much. "Greetings and welcome to the Queen of Harts," the male says.

"Is there something we can help you with?"

[HorizonsDream]

"Uh," Jocelyn says, a little taken back by the sights. "Some of us are looking for a bath, food, and a place to get some sleep," she says.

[BishGada]

Baeros stares openly at the female elf for long, and then asks, "Aren't you cold? There is a storm coming. And yes, we need room and bath, but first we must have something to eat. Coming to thing of 'eat'..." he pauses for a heartbeat to see if they get the joke, when they don't he scowls and continues, "we didn't eat since yesterday morning! Your city is so marvelous it made us forget about it, but now my stomach rumbles like an earthquake."