Exiting the station, the adventurers take a moment to explore Fundus Park, a small town on the south-western shore of Fundus. The town has several amenities one might need after a lengthy journey; a tavern, several inns, even a tourist information centre. A park of rolling green hills can be seen beyond an ornate bronze arch bearing the town’s name. Outside the station, a line of guards tries to disperse a gaggle of miners. Firien picks up a flyer dropped by one of the miners. The flyer calls for better mining safety laws and shows an image of a rotten wooden footbridge where a miner has supposedly fallen to their death.

Firien, Arti, Gomruss and Guy decide to taxi-pool for 4 silver each. The ruckus of the town is replaced with the chirps of grasshoppers as the taxi departs. The road north to Caelum’s Landing divides patchwork fields of yellow rapeseed, maize, wheat and other cereals dotted with the windmill homes of farmers. The taxi appears to struggle with Arti’s impressive weight. Fortunately, the adventurers arrive in the Wind District without incident.

Wind District

The Wind District of Caelum’s Landing is where shoppers, tourists and adventurers can find the heart of the Relief’s commerce: stalls of travelling merchants, workshops of craftsmen, and skilled alchemists who can both heal and invigorate the most daring of adventurers. Today is the Guilds Exhibition when guilds and entrepreneurs from all over the Relief gather to recruit members and promote their business. Among the attending guilds are representatives from:

  • The Church of Caelum. Offering spiritual advice, recruiting acolytes and accepting charity.
  • The Commission. Recruiting explorers for expeditions.
  • The Diamond Guard. Recruiting squires.
  • The Ministry. Offering careers advice.
  • The Inland guard. Recruiting trainees.
  • The local Bounty Hunters lodge. Offering jobs to retrieve, deliver, exterminate and eliminate.
  • The Merchants Guild. Selling goods and offering business advice.
  • Caelum’s Landing University. Handing out prospectuses and offering vouchers for free glider lessons.
  • The Ingenium Inventors Association. Exhibiting new inventions such as: the photochromascope, various automated cooking implements and new gemlock weaponry.
  • The Miners Union. Raising awareness of the terrible conditions in the Resonant Mines.

Firien leads the party to the Church stall where their insecure half-orc friend Grevik is filling in for the tardy dragonborn. Firien opens their package and reveals a plethora of pastries and cookies from the Sugartooth Bakery, their family business. Laid out on the stall, the sweet treats successfully attract further Church patrons. Gomruss eyes the overflowing donations jar on the stall while Arti’s gaze drifts to the sparkling inventions on display in a nearby open warehouse.

“You’ve got to show the world you have balls, man! Thrust into the future!”

“Yeah… yeah! I’m gonna THRUST!”

Gomruss to Grevik.

Arti and Firien follow Guy to the warehouse while Gomruss discusses career opportunities with a tabaxi, Lethiah Khan, at the Ministry’s stall. She suggests he might find work with the Arx Institute of Archaeology. Guy approaches a grey-bearded dwarf, Brogar Stonehelm, who is conducting a demonstration of his new triple-barrelled gemlock rifle. Claiming to be an investor, Guy is allowed to hold the weapon before it is locked away in its display case. With careful manoeuvring, Guy is able to determine the magical properties of the lock. He also discovers the rifle is to be transported back to Ingenium by airship after the exhibition.

At the stall behind them, Firien and Arti enlist the help of Dobbin Tinkertop, an artificer with experience constructing warforged. Examining Arti with his curious eyepiece, Dobbin discovers an alcove in Arti’s chest, but is unfortunately unable to determine what the missing piece might be. Captivated by the glowing contraptions on Dobbin’s workbench, Arti tries to put each of them in their chest to no avail.

“Fascinating. This alcove here alludes to there being some kind of missing power source. And yet… your friend is very clearly moving around, fully functional. I’ve never seen anything quite like it!”

Dobbin to Firien.

Meanwhile, Gomruss has encountered the local town crier who is impressed with the dragonborn’s booming voice. Reading from the crier’s scroll, Gomruss attracts the attention of a sly yet sophisticated human, who demands Gomruss pay the 500 gold owed to his employer. Fortunately, Firien, Arti and Guy return in time to intimidate the man’s cronies and they withdraw. The human gives Gomruss five days to pay up and says he’ll be waiting at The Hearty Tankard inn.

The adventurers notice that Arti seems to swoon every time the Commission is mentioned. They guide Arti to the Commission’s stall where they meet Bartholomeus Fairchild, the famous writer and newly inducted Crow. The flamboyant bard jumps into a prepared speech, encouraging the adventurers to join an expedition. He is delighted to sign Firien’s annotated copy of Barty’s Guide to Caelum’s Landing. Barty has no knowledge of the warforged, but is kind enough to mark Crowswood Place, the Commission’s headquarters, on Firien’s map.

The Dragon’s Chalice

At midday, Firien guides the party to their favourite tavern, The Dragon’s Chalice, where Brigid, the voluptuous half-orc proprietor, is happy to receive their order. Spying a River table in the corner, Gomruss feels compelled to gamble. Fortunately, Arti is there to grapple the clamorous dragonborn.

“We don’t let him gamble, right?”

Arti speaking for the first time to Firien.

After a hearty meal and some flirtation, a drunken half-elf leaves the River table and spots Gomruss. Apparently the dragonborn owes him 20 gold! Once again it falls to the party to intimidate the debt collector and his thug friends. Gomruss suggests the half-elf meet him in The Hearty Tankard in five days.

“This pompous lizard owes me twenty gold!”

“Woah! You can’t call my friend that! Apologise immediately!”

Guy admonishing the drunkard’s racist remark.

Firien, Arti, Gomruss and Guy have advantage on CON saving throws until the next short rest.

Exiting the tavern, the quartet are once again accosted by Constable Michael Denover, who has since realised his badge is missing. He claims one of their party, Casey Closed (a pseudonym given by Blythe), must have taken it when they bumped into other another. It is clear to Guy the Constable does not wish to report his missing badge to his superiors. Instead, the Constable requests they bring Casey to his office on Saint Lydia’s Way should they see her again.

Next: Session 3

Previous: Session 1