The whole collection of miscreants appears on time and under budget: Chris (Dojango Sangaree), Paul (Marik), Chuck (Arnoux Urag) and Tim (Antok of the Storm Tribe). Bruce yells and screams a lot, and the other players assume that this means he's in charge.
The excitement starts with the characters awaiting passage away from the Su Tai trading post, located at the confluence of the Yanyan and Go Lin Rao rivers. To pass the time, several of them decide to go shopping for magical objects. Presented with a number of choices, Marik purchases the Stolen Life, an amulet to be worn at the neck or the wrist that will heal him of 3d damage when he drops to zero hits or below, but only once (the amulet turns black and dead after it functions). This purchase costs him 400 clavars. As an afterthought, he spends an hour working Analyze Magic upon it to verify that it will in fact work as promised.
Dojango Sangaree is captivated by the Traveling Bag (as any Sangaree should be), but he despairs of being able to purchase things without being able to sell any of the good the characters have brought back from the unfortunate city of Dith Lun. Dojango then notices the Flensing Knife and asks, "How much does it cost?" When the trader tells him that he is asking for 800 clavars, Dojango thanks the man for his time and goes to wait by the docks.
Antok of the Storm Tribe looks over the locals' array of goods and admits that he has a Merchant skill of four. He explains that this is because, "I have no empathy." Dojango comments, "You really like that phrase, don't you." Antok has no rejoinder.
Is totally uneventful.
The characters arrive in Doorway City to find the place a hive of activity. The augurs have widely predicted that the 3086th Voyage will end soon, anywhere between five and twenty days from now. Most of the augurs think that Yaggo's destination will be either Moge or Aeldrine, but some feel that the Boat may touch upon Dost, Nauahl or Faia. Yaggo hasn't docked upon Faia for over 300 Voyages, so this last supposition has created a certain amount of hopeful preparation among the Faian human population.
Marik tries his own hand at augury to see if he can determine where Yaggo will stop. After an hour of meditation, he is certain that Yaggo will stop at Aeldrine, which he knows is normally a place where the residents of Yaggo's Boat can make a lot of money. It is a circular world, with a collection of nice, pastoral lands around the edge. The center of the world is inhabited by terrible things, but they are separated from the outer lands by a substantial ocean. Encouraged by this apparent success, he tries a second augury to determine which side of the Boat will touch upon the world. This time, he learns that both sides of the hull will have access, and that the Boat will extend far enough into the world to allow even the forward rigging to emerge from the Maelstrom.
The characters also run across a number of new rumors shortly after their arrival. The characters discuss them for a while, sharing what they learn with each other:
Antok suggests that the characters contract with the Red Pikes, then do some trading on the side once they get into the new world. The other characters, particularly Marik, suggest that this might be a touch premature, and that the characters might want to report to their current employer first.
The characters walk to the Market Plaza and present themselves at Jomon's townhouse. They are greeted at the door by his corpulent brother Maratelle, who greets them and tells them they are just in time. Dojango asks, "In time for what? Dinner?" Maratelle agrees enthusiastically: "Yes! Dinner!" He leads the characters inside and has them seated at the dinner table. While the characters eat, Maratelle explains that Jomon is very busy dealing in the Market Square, working for the prosperity of the family.
Jomon returns after many hours, looking deeply exhausted. He is accompanied by two bauskers loaded down with massive leather briefcases stuffed with documents. Jomon is quite brief with the characters, casting himself into a chair and asking, "What did you learn." Marik grins nervously and says, "Well, it's like this…" He goes on to spin a miserable tale of how Dith Lun has been afflicted with raiders, that the Envoy with whom Jomon had been used to dealing was slain early in the troubles, and how the city dwellers who have not yet been enslaved or killed are unlikely to be buying any filth from Jomon or anyone else for the foreseeable future.
Jomon is quite upset to hear this news, but accepts it with dignity.
Dojango adds some additional detail, commenting that, "They aren't going to be buying filth from you anytime soon, but if you have a few thousand people who need a city I suggest sending them towards Dith Lun." As Jomon thinks about this bit of information, Dojango continues on: "And about the boat. I hope you don't own it." Jomon allows as how he merely contracted it's services. Dojango offers his congratulations upon this wise decision, explaining that the boat was burned to the waterline by the same raiders who have been savaging Dith Lun. Arnoux tries to cover for Dojango by suggesting that the captain probably died courageously, but he is derailed when Dojango comes out and blandly states that he killed the captain for cowardice.
Jomon asks the characters for more information about the raiders, which the characters are only too willing to provide. They say that the raiders are led by Pargat Arrow-Eater, and come from the city of Bao Lat. They claim that a group of Red Hills tribesmen told them that the thrux Virators are holding the strings, and that they are manipulating another group in Bao Lat into sending the raiders out. They also say that the tribesmen told them the raiders have been active for the last two Voyages, a figure that Jomon says agrees with the start of the troubles he had seen at Dith Lun.
The characters also tell Jomon that the raiders have several other unusual properties, including Yierdo dwarfs with magic to wake the people from hibernation, a magical gate key and an artifact that allows them to walk on water.
Jomon says that he has heard of Pargat Arrow-Eater, a hothead among the Gua Far, and that he sees no reason to doubt the rest of the characters' story. He pays each of them the rest of their payment: the second half of the White clavar he had promised at their departure. He also gives them leave to stay at his townhouse for the rest of their stay in Doorway City. He urges them to eat with the servants, and tells them to address any questions to his brother Maratelle. In return, Maratelle might have some minor requests for them.
Dojango thanks Jomon and gives him a bottle of the fern wine the characters brought back from Dith Lun. Jomon accepts it with thanks. The characters ask Maratelle if they can store their three barrels of grayfeather stork feathers, bones and whatnot with him. Maratelle agrees to do this for the fee of one Green clavar ($64) over the next Stay, and another Green clavar for the following Voyage. The characters agree and give him a Green.
At this point, Dojango is overcome with longstanding indignation. He demands of the other characters, "What possible herder could afford an 800 clavar knife!" Marik and Antok both attempt to reason with him: "Perhaps it was aimed at a village of herders? Or a gourmet chef?" Dojango fumes, "Your words of logic defy my anger!" and stalks out of the room. Maratelle offers no particular comment to this outburst.
The characters retire to their room in Jomon's townhouse to discuss their prospects for selling their goods and raising money. Dojango suggests that the characters should take the Alarm Staff they took from Dith Lun and bring it through wealthy but poorly-armed neighborhoods in the hope that the locals might pay them to take it away.
Marik walks through the Market Plaza looking for books of spells that are for sale. He finds four titles available, and buys three of them:
While Marik goes on a shopping spree among the booksellers, Antok tries to convince Bauen, the former Envoy of Dith Lun, to stay with the group. He learns that Bauen knows something of botany, and was once responsible for the care of some of the plants in the Lello Grant. He suggests that he can teach Bauen to fight with a spear, to slay monsters, and to hunt animals. He manages only to scare the fellow, convincing him that he would be best served to go back home. At this point, Arnoux steps in and persuades Bauen that he can't go back to Dith Lun, and that he had best stick with the characters for his own good. Of course, Arnoux is secretly hoping that he will be able to corrupt the fellow.
Two of the characters have some contacts in the Red Tower. The group has been hearing tales suggesting that the Red Tower is spreading the blacksore fever through the Forward Gallery, and are interested in learning the truth of the matter. They take a short side trip to the tower to visit the magicians.
As the group approaches the Red Tower, they notice that the area of the Boulevard some distance away from the tower is remarkably clear of shantytowns and settlements. Several of the characters suggest that the Red Tower magicians might spread deliberate tales of terrible diseases in an effort to get themselves some space.
Right at the base of the tower the characters do find a small shantytown primarily occupied by sick people. The characters pass through it and into the tower where they meet with Gullug, one of the Red Tower mages. He recognizes both Dojango and Marik, and greets them with pleasure. He leads the group into his private cell, where (in an effort to be informal) he removes his red facemask, revealing himself to be a Zatulph human horribly disfigured by the ravages of disease. Arnoux reacts very badly to Gullug's appearance, screaming out and averting his eyes. Gullug seems disappointed, but replaces his mask.
Gullug tells the characters that the stories of blacksore fever are not totally without base. Many people around the tower have blacksore fever, a large number of them from the Kupri stronghold of Venda's Fount. Dojango is surprised, noting that Venda's Fount is on the other side of the Gallery. Gullug admits that the Red Tower have not yet managed to isolate the cause of the infection, though they suspect that it might come from the Bilges. He says that his brotherhood has promised free aid to anyone who is afflicted and who comes to the Red Tower. The characters speculate that the disease may be carried by Holy City Humans or the Makers. Gullug declines to offer his opinions on this matter.
Gullug tells the characters that he has two favors to ask the characters. First, the Red Tower is interested in getting some flowers with medicinal properties collected from Aeldrine. Second, the Red Tower wants to have a chance to talk to a member of the oorthoi Filth Gatherers' Guild. Unfortunately, the Red Tower does not have much money available to pay for either of these services.
The characters ask for more information about the flowers, so Gullug explains that they are used for a variety of potions and elixirs, but that they grow quite poorly in the Garden. About three hundred Voyages ago, the Red Tower arranged to have seeds for the flowers scattered throughout the hills of Aeldrine. They believe that the flowers should have grown well, and should now be easy to find and gather. He provides a couple of dried flowers as a guide. The characters hand them over to Bauen, who both recognizes the species and agrees that they do grow poorly in the Garden.
Amid all the discussion of flowers and oorthoi, Antok leaps up and offers a theory. He suggests that Prince Gufteng might have some ulterior motives behind the bonuses his Minister is offering to newly-contracted Red Pikes. Specifically, he may be trying to draw many of the skilled warriors out of the Forward Gallery during the next Stay, giving him an opportunity to make another territory grab. The characters (and Gullug) take a look at a map of the Forward Gallery, and agree that if he does have something like that in mind, he is probably going to attack Sayoch Bounty.
The characters are unable to decide how they can benefit from this, except possibly by staying out of the way. Dojango Sangaree comments that if the characters are able to figure this out, then probably the folks in Sayoch Bounty are also able to, and will be preparing for this eventuality.
The characters take their leave of Gullug and travel to the Venturer Hall in style, on board one of Marik's flying carpets. They find the place to be a madhouse of merchants and craftsmen and laborers, everyone preparing for the next Stay.
Dojango sells the bronze chandelier through the simple expedient of yelling out, "I have this wonderful bronze chandelier for sale!" to a group of traders and merchants. He accepts and offer for 600 clavars from a venal-looking Kupri human. He declines an offer of two bausker slaves selected from a string of thirty miserable-looking bauskers, and another offer of a ton of iron ingots to be delivered halfway through the Stay.
Arnoux is upset by the miserable appearance of the bausker slaves and asks the selling them what he would normally ask for them. He is told that they are normally priced at 150 clavars each. The creatures are covered in filth and look absolutely desperate. Arnoux figures out that they speak Naska, and that the slaver has the entire family on a chain.
Antok stares dispassionately at the bausker slaves. He feels nothing. Nothing at all.
Marik finds a wine-seller looking for goods and manages to sell the group's entire stock of fern wine to him for a 15% markup on the nominal price. All told, he manages to collect some 4048 clavars, which fortunately divides evenly by four. He then turns his efforts to selling the group's collection of ceramic goods when a vendor selling red cloth catches his eye. He trades three of the ceramic objects for 100 clavars' worth of red cloth (1 bolt). Dojango is totally disgusted, and suggests that Antok should take up eating little stone people. Marik, on the other hand, is overjoyed: he is totally convinced that he can use the cloth to make a really keen pair of pants, plus a nice shirt and a really sharp cloak.
Dojango thinks about having Marik barbecued, then has a change of heart. He grabs old of the paurkend and drags him through the Venturer Hall courtyard looking for Lijo Sangaree and her relatives. He threatens, "You better get one of my people to make your clothing if you're going to screw me on selling the ceramic stuff." By the time Lijo gets through with Marik, she has persuaded him to spend 400 clavars on pants, a shirt, a matching cape, and sparkling riverstones along the seams. Dojango is impressed beyond speech by her skill.
After Marik leaves, Lijo calls Dojango aside to thank him personally, and to suggest that he should definitely talk to the elder of her clan. Dojango starts to become extremely hopeful, but then is horrified when he realizes that the elder is somewhere off in the Garden. He bids a polite goodbye to Lijo, then goes off to take a cold shower (thanks to Antok's magic), all the while cursing clan elders to live too damn far away.
The characters are discussing how to sell their remaining ceramic goods when they discover that there are five open auction stages available inside the Venturer's Hall. The rules are simple: five clavars given to the Hall Warden's agent buys 10 minutes on the auction schedule. The Venturers take a 1% commission on any goods sold. In return, the Venturers offer an escrow service to ensure that bidders pay for objects the bid upon if they are able. The characters reserve a place upon the schedule.
While the characters wait their turn, Antok and Marik try to find worthwhile things to do. Antok makes himself a few clavars selling ice. In the process he is offered a job freezing down vegetables for transport out in the Garden, an offer he declines. Marik tries selling beer in the Venturer Hall until he finds out that this is a patent sold to a Venturer at great cost. He compromises by selling the last two kegs of beer in his inventory to the patent holder for 30 clavars each. Antok steps in then and makes ice for the guy for two clavars an hour.
The characters decide that they don't trust their own ability to auction goods, so they find a Venturer willing to front for them in exchange for a 10% commission. The guy is very slick, in a sort of desperate way. The characters suspect that he spends the time leading in Stays and Voyages hustling as hard as he can, and then lying low the rest of the time. He does a tremendous job of flaking the characters' items, selling the ceramic goods at 70 clavars to the piece, the Alarm Staff for 1150 clavars, and the Dith Lun helmet for another 20 clavars. After paying the seller's 10% commission and the Venturers' 1% commission, the characters collect a total of 1372 clavars. The characters' seller takes away 153 clavars, and the Venturers Hall takes another 15 clavars.
As the characters walk away, the Venturer offers the characters a 20 clavar refund in exchange for the remaining three minutes of their time on the stage. They agree, and the man goes into a whirlwind of sales.
Marik has two kegs of "sweet uru ale", the new drink he fermented from uru mixed with lalatto fern elixir. Given that this is a unique product, he imagines that it's value is highly negotiable. He decides to sell it to someone. Dojango has Arnoux go with him to make sure he doesn't do anything silly, instructing him that, "You have my permission to kill him for cowardice." It is only later that Dojango realizes that Arnoux has compulsive carousing and lecherousness. Dojango screams out, "Which one of you people has responsibilities! Which one of you cares for your family! Aauuugh!"
Marik manages to sell both kegs of sweet uru ale for 300 clavars.
The characters head to the Zullkreftsskul tent and spend a lot of money buying three suits of leather armor with Deflect, Fortify and Lighten (one for each of Arnoux, Dojango and Antok), plus a very fine spear for Antok. Dojango buys several other items from the standard Zullkreftsskul catalog: a Firestarter, a Poison-Finder, a Perfume Amulet, and a Safe Waterskin. Marik buys a Perfume Amulet and a Breadbox. The characters notice that a lot of merchants are buying Firestarters, Poison-Finders and other items by the dozen (boxed).
For reference, all of the Zullkreftsskul's items are created at skill-15.
Dojango buys a crossbow and a bunch of bolts, though not from the Zullkreftsskul. He also buys four burlap sacks from Lijo for a clavar.
The characters spend the rest of the day relaxing, or celebrating to excess, as appropriate. Dojango the family man stays with Lijo and her people. Marik stays at his tent, cackling over his new spellbooks. Arnoux carouses, though with somewhat less success than he might have hoped. Antok wakes up in the trash heap behind Mulumchithra's Fine Foods. He remembers ordering a bowl of stew large enough to swim in. He has hazy memories of bausker females crawling all over him. He feels ill.
Their tasks at the Venturers Hall finished, the characters head towards the forward hatches to wait for the Stay to begin, led unerringly by the former Warren Runner Antok. They wait with a very miscellaneous group of other traders and wanderers, watched over by a tough-looking Red Pike Captain and his men.
The wait lasts for a couple of days, longer than Marik had predicted. The wait ends when the hatch melts away to reveal a brief, shattering view of the Maelstrom. The characters resist it's pull and look away, though they do hear a couple of terrified screams from some less-resilient Red Pikes. The characters notice that the bausker laborers and bearers are not visibly bothered by the sight: they sit upon their haunches and watch like snaggle-toothed squirrels.
Arnoux looks up when one of the bauskers chirps out in Naska, "Look at that! An angel!" Arnoux sees a semihuman form floating in the Maelstrom. The figure has no features upon it's face, has huge black wings, long flowing hair, and bears a huge scimitar dripping green flames. Beyond it, he realizes that he can see more figures, all identical: first one or two, then a dozen, then hundreds.
Arnoux describes this to the other characters, who become somewhat apprehensive until he tells them that the angels have vanished, and the Maelstrom has been replaced with a view of hills and trees, with a small village in the distance.
Marik opens his eyes at this point and verifies that the characters are actually looking out at a part of Aeldrine. The whole scene looks very normal, with the possible exception of three figures as tall as buildings playing dice in the distance. Marik swiftly creates a flying carpet and uses it to fly the entire group out of Yaggo's Boat (over the loud objections of the Red Pike Captain) and up to a great height, from which the characters are able to see a much larger city some thirty or forty kilometers away.
The session ends with the characters on the doorstep of Aeldrine, ready to either head inworld to the city, or to go back and try to make a quick clavar by selling navigational directions to any merchants without access to flying sorcerers. Each character gains four experience points.