S01E01 - Arrival In Kethryn
Introduction
Day: 1
Time of day: Morning
Weather: Sunny
Characters: Hadley, Tasha, Elena
Location: Kethryn, Cern
Questions
I’m going to use a tiny bit of DM fiat for this first episode and say that the weather is favourable. It’s mid-summer, a sunny day with a light westerly wind strong enough to carry the Running Hind into port in Kethryn. Hadley is at the rail, gazing at the city as they draw near to the port.
The Running Hind heels gently in the westerly breeze, canvas full as she glides toward the wooden sea wall surrounding the Kethryn docks. Sunlight flashes off the brackish water of the lake and glimmers on the drenched wooden pylons of the great sea gate, its massive door standing open allowing passage for the fishing boats and merchant ships that frequent these waters. Hadley rests his forearms on the rail, watching the practiced choreography of the deckhands as they ease sheets and call distances, their voices carrying in the clear morning air.
Beyond the gate, the docks of Kethryn crowd the water—timbers, pylons, and platforms layered with warehouses and fish sheds, bristling with masts and furled sails. The smell reaches him even here: tar, salt, the sharp tang of fish. A bell tolls somewhere inside the wall. The ship answers with a blown horn, low and brief, and the Hind slips through the harbour threshold, shadows passing over her deck as the gate towers slide by on either side.
Questions
I don’t know if Hadley has been here before. Let’s see:
Has he? - 50/50 - 69 - No he hasn’t
Despite his long years on the road, Hadley has never set foot in Kethryn. From the rail, the docks are a churn of movement and sound as the Hind eases into the harbour. Fish markets buzz along the wooden dockside, voices shouting over one another as catches are weighed and bargained for. Urchins dart barefoot along walkways, vanishing between crates and pilings. Out on the water, boats come and go in a steady flow, oars flashing, sails unfurling.
Ahead, a dock pilot stands on a raised platform, coloured flags snapping as he signals the berth assigned to the Hind. The crew respond at once, lines prepared, the ship slowing as she glides toward the wharf. Hadley’s gaze drifts from the pilot to the crowd beyond, habit asserting itself. Faces, hands, posture—nothing specific, just the old instinct to read the mood of a place before it turns. The Hind inches closer, timbers creaking softly, and Hadley watches as deck hands spring from the rails onto the dock, lines casting out to be coiled round great wooden capstans, finally bringing the ship to a slow, creaking stop against the dockside.
Questions
I’m wondering if anything catches Hadley’s eye as the ship docks. Not necessarily dangerous, just anything of particular interest. Let’s see:
Does anything catch Hadley’s eye? 50/50 - 12 - Yes (almost an extreme yes)
Let’s roll some words to see what it is: Ruined, Work
A little way down the quay, half obscured by a stack of fish crates, Hadley spots a man sitting on the edge of the wharf, leaning against one of the wharf’s supporting pylons. He is not begging, not exactly, but neither is he part of the bustle and tumult of the docks - something that stands out in a place where almost everyone is hauling, shouting, or hurrying. One of his arms is bound tight against his chest with a strip of soiled linen while the other fiddles aimlessly with a coil of rope.
The man’s clothes mark him out as dock labourer, but they hang poorly on him, as if they belong to a heavier man. When he moves, Hadley notices an awkwardness in his movements as if his limbs are stiff or painful. Long years of noticing detail tells Hadley that whatever happened to him was recent, and whatever work he once did here, he can no longer do. No one is paying him any attention, the business of the docks flowing around him as if he were already part of the pylon he leans against.
Tasha comes up from below, pausing at the rail beside Hadley as the noise and colour of the docks reaches her. Her eyes are bright as she takes in the press of people, the layered walkways, and the city rising beyond the harbour wall. Even here, amid the smoke and shouting, there is a beauty to it and she smiles with pleasure at the sight of worked stone catching the light above the timbered sprawl, banners on turrets, high above, that stir lazily in the breeze.
Elena follows more slowly, keeping her hood low, shadowing her face. She draws her cloak close despite the summer warmth. Her gaze is steady and watchful, lingering on the crowd without ever settling. To Hadley’s eye it is a familiar posture, born of long habit rather than fear. In a city like this, an elf is noticed sooner or later, and that notice is not always welcome. She remains a step back from the rail, cautious and withdrawn as always, as if already assessing the risks of walking through the crowds beyond.
“Hadley - what a beautiful city!” Tasha’s eyes are bright with excitement. Hadley raises an eyebrow, a slight smile on his lips.
“If you says so, Sister. My eyes don’t see beauty as readily as yours but perhaps it’ll come to me.” He smiles at her fondly, amazed as always at her ability to see through the grime and stink of the world to a beauty that evades his eyes.
Captain Masren Valqir joins them at the rail, his boots thudding softly on the planks. He rests a hand on the timber and looks out across the docks, then turns to them with a tired smile.
“Well, that’s us,” he says. “Kethryn, safe and sound. We’re for unloading and then a round of good vittles at the Crouching Gull.” He nods to Hadley first, then to Tasha and Elena. “I hope our roads cross again. It’s been a welcome change, having passengers who don’t smell of tar and bilge before the day’s begun.” He grins broadly.
There is no great ceremony to the farewell. A clasp of the arm for Hadley, a courteous inclination of the head to Tasha and Elena. The crew are already moving past with lines and fenders, the work of securing the ship and unloading cargo underway. The captain steps away to see to it, leaving them with the noise of Kethryn.
Questions
I don’t know if Tasha or Elena have been here before - I should have worked that out earlier. It’s unlikely in both cases I think - Tasha’s life has been a restricted one and the Savis elves are quite isolationist. Let’s see:
Has Tasha been here before? Unlikely - 65 - No Has Elena been here before? Very unlikely - 66 - No
And our first random event, right on the dockside! Let’s roll to see what it might be:
- New NPC
- Decrease, Important
The three of them wait their turn as cargo nets swing across the deck, the crew calling to each other as they guide the nets down into the hold. After a moment, they are able to step onto the gangway which dips slightly under their weight, wood creaking, the rope rail swaying in its loops. Captain Valqir raises a hand in farewell as they descend onto the dock. The sounds of the city surround them - boots on planks, shouted prices and curses, the slap of water against pylons.
As Hadley steps onto the quay, his attention is drawn back to the injured man seated on the dockside - he is no longer alone. Two rough-looking figures stand close to him. One, a big man with a simple face and huge shoulders, leans on the wooden piling while the other, not as broad but tall, looks down at him. They are not dockhands - they have the wrong cut of clothes and to Hadley’s eyes, the wrong bearing. He recognises the stance of men who are used to violence. The tall one crouches down, speaking quietly to the injured man, while the other keeps a hand resting casually on the haft of a cudgel. The injured man’s face has gone pale beneath the grime. As Hadley watches, he tries to stand, his free hand hauling at the piling, but his fingers slip and he slumps back down onto the planks.
Questions
I’m interested in seeing what happened to this poor soul and the “New NPC” event is a good opportunity. I interpreted the spark words (“Decrease”, “Important”) as the poor fellow’s circumstances worsening even more, making him even less important.
I think the two roughs will do something unpleasant to him. Maybe they have some business with him or possibly they’re just being cruel. I’m thinking that they push him into the water.
Do they? Very likely - 71 - Yes
Hadley pauses at the foot of the gangway, pack settling on his shoulders as he watches.
The two men break into laughter. The bigger of the pair exaggerates the dockworker’s movements, swinging his own arm stiffly and dragging one leg as he lurches about, grunting like an animal. The taller man leans back against a piling, laughing openly, unbothered by who might be watching.
The injured man makes another attempt to stand. He gets his feet under him this time, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the planks as if sheer will might steady him. As he rises, the tall man shifts his weight and extends a foot, casual and precise, deliberately tripping the injured man as he tries to steady himself.
The man stumbles, windmilling once with his good arm before the quay drops away beneath him. His cry is brief and thin, swallowed by the shouts of the fish market and creaking rigging, and then he is gone, vanishing over the edge with a splash. The two men step to the waterside, laughing uproariously.
Questions
I think Hadley would, without question, run to the man’s aid. I don’t know if he can swim however.
Can he? 50/50 - 43 - Yes
Hadley swears under his breath and shrugs out of his pack in one sharp motion, tossing it back toward Tasha. He breaks into a run along the quay, his sword belt thudding to the ground as he unbuckles it, boots hammering the planks. Somewhere in his mind he is a little bemused at the instinct that drives him forwards - not long ago he would have turned aside from this. Barrels blur past as he vaults over them. He hears Tasha’s shout behind him but ignores it.
The two men are still laughing when he reaches them, bent forward to watch their victim floundering below. Hadley doesn’t slow. He shoulders between them with force enough to stagger them apart, a solid impact that knocks the breath from one and wipes the grin from the other.
His foot hits the edge of the quay and he dives without pause, arms tight, body straight, cutting cleanly into the churned water below. The lake closes over him at once, cold and heavy, the sounds of the docks muffled into a distant roar as he kicks down toward the struggling shape beneath the surface.
Questions
I think we need some sort of roll here. Hadley can swim so he can get himself out of trouble but can he grab the man and haul him to the surface as well? This sounds like a DEX check to me.
Hadley DEX (14) - 9
The man fights him, blind with panic, thrashing and clawing as Hadley gets an arm around his chest. He hauls the terrified man close and forces them both upward with steady kicks, fighting the drag of sodden wool and the pull of the lake.
They break the surface together. The injured man coughs violently, sucking in air between ragged gasps as water streams from his hair and beard. Hadley keeps his hold, turning them toward the pilings as the noise of the docks rushes back in together with shouts of alarm and running feet.
Above them, Tasha and Elena have reached the edge of the quay. A small crowd has gathered, dockhands leaning down to the water, reaching out to help. A rope drops, splashing beside them. Hadley grabs it, loops it once around his forearm, and holds fast as hands above haul them in. They come up hard against the timbers, scraped and dripping, then are dragged bodily onto the planks, coughing lake water onto the dock.
Questions
I imagine the two roughs haven’t stuck around? Very unlikely - 51 - No
Hadley rolls onto his front and pushes himself up, water streaming from his clothes onto the planks of the dock. His boots squelch as he finds his feet. Tasha is there at once, breathless, dropping his pack to the dock and kneeling to help the injured man who is coughing up water. Elena stands just behind her, Hadley’s sword belt looped over one arm, her expression unreadable beneath the shadow of her hood.
Behind them, the injured man lies on his side, Tasha holding his head off the planks. He chokes up lake water, chest heaving as he drags air back into his lungs. Each breath is rough and rasping, but little by little his breathing eases. At last he looks up, eyes red-rimmed and wide, and fixes them on Hadley.
“Th-thank you” His voice is raw and gasping “I would have died. I owe you my life.”
Hadley shrugs out of his coat and twists it hard, water streaming down to patter across the planks. He gives the man a brief nod.
“You’re welcome, friend,” he says. “I saw what happened.” His gaze drifts back toward where the two men had been standing before returning to the dockworker’s face. “Those two - you know them?”
Questions
Does he know them? Likely - 14 - Yes (not quite extreme)
I’m wondering if there’s some reason they pushed him in. It might have been just cruelty but I wonder if it was some sort of deliberate action - a warning or consequence of something.
Were they targeting him specifically? 50/50 - 67 - No
So it was just cruelty. How pleasant. Are they just thugs or do they work for someone? It seems likely that they are enforcement for some local gang or other.
Local enforcers? Likely - 48 - Yes
By the way - I’m using whatever name generator DuckDuckGo throws up first. Sometimes it’s the fantastic Fantasy Name Generators site, but it may be other ones.
The man nods and his eyes flick away toward the press of the docks before coming back to Hadley. When he speaks, he keeps his voice low.
“Aye. I know them - Harl Fen and Joss Ketter.” He swallows and shifts, wincing as he does. “Fen hasn’t much brain but likes hurting people and Ketter - well, he just likes making people worse off than him suffer. They work for the Rook brothers making sure no one steps out of line.” He coughs again, then goes on. “They like to pick on anyone who’s maybe laid up or short of coin.” A faint, humourless laugh escapes him. “No reason needed - they just like being bastards to those as can’t defend themselves.”
He stops, unwilling to say more, eyes scanning faces as if worried he’s already said too much.
Questions
The party needs a place to go - Hadley needs a hot bath and dry clothes at least. I wonder if the Crouching Gull that Captain Vosqir mentioned is a good place. Probably, if he’s staying there.
Is it? Likely - 98 - Extreme No!
Oh!! In this context, I wonder if that’s because it’s owned by the Rook Brothers?
Is it? Likely - 60 - Yes!
That explains it!
Hadley nods, committing the names to memory, then looks back to the man on the planks.
“And your name?” he asks. The man hesitates, then answers.
“Berrin Cole.”
Hadley offers him a hand and hauls him carefully to his feet, steadying him until he finds his balance. “We’re looking for somewhere clean to stay,” he says. “Quiet, if such a thing exists here. I heard someone mention the Crouching Gull - might that suit us?”
The colour drains from Berrin’s face.
“No,” he says at once, the word coming out sharper than he seems to intend. He glances around, then lowers his voice. “No, don’t go there. That’s the Rooks’ place. Their headquarters.”
He swallows, eyes fixed on Hadley now.
“Fen and Ketter’ll be there, no doubt. No - I’d go to the Hunting Heron. It’s simple but it’s safe enough.” He clears his throat. “It’s back off the wharf road, near the old net yards.”
He gives a small, apologetic shrug. “It’s cheap, not much to look at, but the landlord’s an honest sort. Doesn’t ask questions that aren’t his business, and he doesn’t sell people on to the gangs.” A pause, then, more quietly, “He’s been good to me, when I couldn’t work.”
His eyes flick, once more, toward the flow of the docks. “If you’re staying in Kethryn, that’s where I’d go. If you’ll lend me your arm, I’ll show you the way.”
Questions
I’ll end the scene there I think! That was a fraught introduction to Kethryn - not entirely smooth!!! Hadley has found trouble already, almost before he got off the ship. At least, hopefully, they’ll get a good meal and a safe place to stay for the next few nights. Looking forward to the next episode!