Maztica Campaign Interlude - The Five Flagons Tavern

In Which the Adventurers Recruit Some Hirelings...

(What Has Gone Before) 

The Five Flagons Tavern is a favourite amongst the city guardsmen, mercenaries, and adventurers of Athkatlos, and so is normally a sedate location for a drink or two before retiring for the evening.  

Not so this evening, however.

As Esparelda the Cranky Gnome and João Afonso, the Ranger approached, the sound of laughter and raucous song greeted them.

"Humans..." said Esparelda, "...always drunk."

"They don't sound drunk..." said João Afonso. "That's sounds like a hymn they're singing."

Surely enough, upon entering, the pair of adventurers saw a clutch of guards and mercenaries, banging their tankards in reverent unison. In the center of the guards, half-ascended upon a bar-stool, Osondria was leading a chorus of the Song of Helm "And we shall rise up in the morning, before his guiding liiiiight!"

Seeing Gnome and Ranger staring, open mouthed, at her revival, Osondria told the singer on her right "Take over, brother..." and alighted from her perch to greet her new partners. The guard immediately took up the strain "O Helm, our Strength in Ages Past."

"Just spreading the Faith." Osondria said to the puzzled looks with a smile. She had three brimming tankards in hand.

"We're not here to drink." said Esparelda, a little crossly. "We're here to recruit some muscle for the drains."

"I've got that covered." said Osondria. "There's mostly loners here tonight, except those two..." She indicated an alcove where two mercs were nursing their tankards. "They've been pacing themselves pretty well - I'd guess they're short of money.

"That's a touchy topic, here." said João Afonso. "No-one likes to admit they're short..." Esparelda shot him a look. "...of cash." he finished.

"Perhaps I can save us some time." said Osondria, placing a coin on the bar and gathering up a half dozen tankards. She walked slowly towards the alcove, with a more-than-slightly exaggerated sway to her hips.

"Is she actually strutting her stuff? asked Esparelda.

"I would say so...yes." replied Joao Afonse.

The gnome and ranger watched while the cleric, bending low from the hip, placed the tankards on the mercs' table and greeted them with what sounded like "Hello, boys".

"Did you see that? She flashed them some cleavage!" said Esparelda.

"That's not easy when you're wearing maille, either." said João Afonso. 

After a minute or two in conversation, Osondria shot them a smile and a "thumbs up". The pair approached the alcove to work out the hiring details.

(Editor's note: In Real Life, the gnome works in corporate contracts, and the ranger is a lawyer. I'll leave it to the dear reader's imagination what the hiring details were, save that there were death and dismemberment clauses; compensation for widows, heirs and next of kin, and the standard rate of pay. The results were placed into a ledger that was shortly thereafter mis-laid, to the betterment of all concerned.) 

Diego Garzia and Ferdinando Poe

As the newly formed (and probably incorporated) party prepared to leave, including the now rather tipsy man-at-arms Diego Garzia and his crossbowman associate Ferdinando Poe, Esparelda confronted Osondria.

"Hey! Where does a cleric learn how to navigate a tavern that well?" asked the gnome.

"Not to mention practically seducing those guys into service." added the ranger.

"Well..." said Osondria, with a smile. "I'm a cleric...not a monk." 

And she winked at the both of them...

To Be Continued...

The Maztica Campaign Interlude - That Stinking Sewer...

In which the Player Characters Negotiate for More Money...
 
(What Has Gone Before...)

The Adventuring Party, having disengaged from their bloody investigation of the storm sewers beneath the Gem District of Athkatlos, received rest, healing and recuperation at the Temple of Tymora, Goddess of Luck and Fortune. In addition, they have formed a short-term partnership with a cleric of Helm Hammerhand, the Lawful Good/Lawful Neutral protector deity of Faerûn, who apparently had something of a Divine Fling with Tymora - so, at least someone got lucky.

After consulting with their patron, Voil Guldi - Dwarven Gem Master, they sought to negotiate a 50% increase on their retainer...

Heer Güldi

"What?!" thundered Guldi. "Has the sewer beneath these streets, since first I hired you, grown by half again?" 

"No" said Esparelda the Cranky Gnome. "But your problem has. There's definitely a blockage, and now we know it's caused by kobolds."

"A lot of kobolds..." added João Afonso, the Ranger. "Nasty ones..."

"Very nasty kobolds, indeed..." said Esparelda. "Organised, too."

"If you leave it, this sort of trouble only gets worse...." said João Afonso.

"They're probably sneaking up to the streets at night...stealing..." said Esparelda, ''...valuables."

"...and spreading disease..." said João Afonso. To Esparelda: "Say, do you think kobolds can spread Typhoid?"

"Wouldn't be surprised..." said Esparelda. "Last night, my arm was itching like an iron golem on a rust-monster, before the priestess cured me..."

"All right, All Right, ALL RIGHT!" stormed Guldi. "I know when I'm being wrung through the wine-press." He sighed.  "But you're probably right - the ink on this deal's getting redder as we speak." 

Seeing the puzzled looks on Esparelda and João Afonso, Guldi explained, in a tone generally reserved for thicker-than-usual, "just looking" tourists,  "This is becoming less of an inconvenience and more of a problem." he said.

The dwarf crossed to his ledger, and made a notation with a nearby quill, then drew a handful of gold coins out of a lockbox. One after another, on a chequered board, he counted the coins into two neat stacks of ten, and a half stack of five, each on its own red square.

"Let it not be said that we do things in a miserly way in Athkatlos..." said Guldi, grandly. "Here is your additional advance, 25 danthers, with a balance of 50 danth...IF...you clear the blockage and get rid of those wretched kobolds." He presented a receipt,  "Sign here, please."

The Ranger and Gnome exchanged satisfied looks, collected the coins, thanked their patron, and headed over to the Five Flagons Tavern, where they arranged to meet their new partner - the cleric Osondria - and see about hiring on some men-at-arms.

To be continued...