"Year 431 of the Imperial Age. It had been nearly 500 years since the armies of Ghul, the Skull King, the Half God, ruled the lands today under the dominion of the Lion-guarded Throne with armies born out of fire and darkness. In time, just as storms finally come to pass, so did this age of pain. The Great Empire of Tarsis rose out of its ashes, and peace came to Palastan. As the new city of Ptolus grew in the shadow of the Spire, rumours of great riches underground spread throughout the region. A new generation of would-be heroes made its way to the area, in search for gold and glory..."
– The Praemal Tales.
(http://enrill.net/images/play-by-posts/maps/region/Palastan-600.jpg)
You finally made it. You made it through the whole of Palastan, through the Moonsilver Forest, and then south following the Emperor's road until a town named Ashenburg. There, you decided to leave the main road and follow the trails left by many before you who decided to make it directly to the King's River which makes its way eastward through Ptolus and finds there the Whitewind Sea. Staying on the Emperor's road would have taken you to the coast, and could have represented a delay depending on the travel conditions and people on the road. Besides, it is more quiet on the trails. The area is relatively secure, and you didn't feel particularly threatened at the time.
Find the King's river you did, and you finally reached the city's gates by the end of the night. You walked by a few houses scattered along the river's gorge on your way in, and saw work being done on a bridge which would, once completed, link the heart of the city itself to the north side of the gorge. There's still a lot work to be done before that can happen, though.
Dawn is about to break, and you are now standing amongst a group of people staying there by the city walls. You are all waiting for the guards to open the gates and inspect your belongings before you are allowed to access the city proper. There are a few modest people there, as well as merchants and mercenaries, looking tired, travel-weary and wet after the heavy rains which have plagued your journey ever since you left the Moonsilver Forest. You are pretty used to them yourself. Feeling cold and damp is pretty much part-and-parcel of the experience of being alive around these parts.
Is Davin just biding his time or does he do anything during the wait?
He will wait quietly, maybe offering some small comfort or assistance to any of the nearby travellers who may need it. Engaging with new arrivals may provide some information, though I imagine he would need to mingle with folks who have already been here for some time in order to get a true sense of the place.
The folks waiting with you at the gates are grateful for your assistance. Some of them are actually fairly decent folks just waiting to be able to make it in town by searching for work, selling the few vegetables they've been able to salvage from this past year's harvest and the like. These are desperate people for whom the "big town by the Spire" represents an opportunity to start anew.
Speaking of the Spire, it dominates the skyline slightly to your right when you look towards the city gates (southward). It is an impossibly long needle defying gravity, a massive pillar of stone that seems to have been stretched by magic up and up, as far away as it could possibly get from the ground. You can see what looks like gigantic birds of prey flying around its shaft, and on the very top, something like a tower or a castle, but it's fairly hard to tell from such a distance, with the rain clouds partially hampering your vision.
Then, the guards finally come to inspect the lot of you. There are three of them, assisted of what looks like a chaplain of the Church of Lothian. They talk to each newcomer, one after the other. After a few minutes they finally get to you. The largest of the three soldiers then asks in a monotonous, mechanical tone betraying his excitement... or lack thereof : "State your identity and business within the city walls, stranger."
Davin eyes the chaplain for a moment, then speaks.
"I am Davin Dewalt, and I come to Ptolus seeking my Truth."
The fat little man that is the Chaplain eyes Davin back and asks contemptuously : "And what kind of Truth is that ... my child?"
Davin smiles and shrugs.
"If I knew that already, I wouldn't be seeking it."
The Chaplain doesn't seem satisfied with the answer. It is the guard who dismisses the idea of pursuing this potential argument : "So you are some kind of pilgrim visiting Ptolus for answers, then. You will be making donations to the Church, I suppose. This ought to make the brothers happy at least."
He throws a look at the Chaplain that must mean something to the extent of 'this is not your turf, don't push it, priest'.
"Anything else to declare, or ask, for that matter ?"
Davin smiles again, this time at the guard.
"Yes, please, if you could direct me to a decent Inn? I need to make arrangements for a place to stay, and maybe have a warm meal for the first time in a long time."
Davin adjusts his pack and glances sideways at the Chaplain.
"There are a number of inns along the market square just past these city gates. You'll find some accommodations there, no doubt, unless you are without coin, in which case you might find a helping soul by the camps, who knows."
Seeing Davin's confusion at the mention of the camps he precises : "By the sea side, outside of town. Between here and the harbour."
He sighs, looking at the frustrated Chaplain. "Well, I guess that's it then. You may go."
Davin nods and moves into the city proper, idly jingling the few coins he has left in his pocket. He follows the guard's direction and looks for a suitable but hopefully not too expensive place to stay for a few days until he can get his bearings and begin his search for... something.
(A likely place would be the Inn that serves as the launch-point for expeditions under the city, certainly for rumors and information as well as maybe getting off to a quick start in his journey.)
Davin walks through the gate and portcullis standing between the two large towers along the city wall.
On the other side, he finds a very large round plaza already buzzing with activity. In the center of the plaza there is a large roofed market area. All around it, at this very early hour of the day, many merchants are already all set to sell their goods to whoever wants them.
You can spot a town crier adjusting a little box not far from the gates. It looks like he is about to speak in a moment.
Not far from his spot, a group of orphan-looking children seems to be playing some kind of street game.
Further along the round edge of the plaza, you can see stables right next to a relay and blacksmith, what looks like a large convenience store with all sorts of wares available for purchase, as well as two different inns ready to welcome customers who are here to stay. Interestingly enough, Davin can also see that one of the buildings surrounding the plaza has been recently burnt to the ground, like it blew up without doing much damage to the other buildings around it. That seems a little odd.
Does Davin act on his first intention to check the two inns and choose a place to stay from there, or does he change his mind for now to do something else?
The Plaza is represented by a large circle in the area marked red on the following map.
(http://enrill.net/images/play-by-posts/maps/Spire-area-E800-02.jpg)
Davin examines the merchant's wares casually as they are setting up, specifically looking for someone with decent cheese for sale, and maybe a small loaf of bread, for breakfast.
Munching on his improvised sandwich, he wanders over to the recently burned building, studying it to see if he can determine what might have happened. Minimal damage to the surrounding buildings? Is it fairly obvious it was just a fire or does it look like something else, maybe splintered wooden beams that would indicate an explosion? If anyone nearby looks like a "local", possibly the town crier (who surely knows everything happening in the city) or one of the children, he will hail them:
"Pardon me - what happened to this building?"
The building was subject to a quite violent explosion, that much Davin can tell. There are marks of scorching on parts of the walls which are still standing. The rest is just a mess of half-burnt, half-consumed wooden beams and boulders, with the collapsed roof lying on top of it all as if it had been made of some pliable material, like some tent or gigantic piece of cloth instead of the torn wooden frame and tiles which are right there in front of him to see.
One of the children is playing nearby. When Davin asks his question he is the first to answer spontaneously: "Nobody really knows what happened there, Sir. This was to be a lore master's office, see. But it blew up before the old man could earn a living at it."
The kid turns to look at Davin quizzingly: "You are one of those 'adventurers', aren't ya? Bet the old man could have helped you get rich if only he'd lived to see the day!"
Davin smiles and nods.
"Yes, I suppose you could call me an adventurer, but really I'm seeking something more than thrills or wealth. Still, I would have liked to have met the 'lore master', you said? What is that exactly?"
"Osmanthius was a lore master, yes. One of the few people who knew more about Ptolus and its underground levels than the best of delvers we currently have around these parts."
The kid snorts. "Osmanthius would have provided his advice for a fee, see. That's what lore masters do, you know? But the office blew up, and him with it, before he could even start. He had just gotten the authorization from the Commissar, and just a few days before the opening, it just.. well. You see the results, now."
Davin nods. "I see... sounds like maybe lore-master is a dangerous profession. Thanks for the help, young man."
Davin tosses him a copper, then heads for the inns to see about lodging, preferably in the inn that provides the jump-off point for underground expeditions.
Against his expectations, the kid doesn't let go after Davin threw him a copper. He follows him and shouts : "If you want an adventurer's inn, you ain't gonna find it here, you know ? I could lead you to one for another one of those coins!"
He waits to see if Davin is intrigued.
Davin pauses, then turns.
"Really. You certainly seem to know a lot about what "adventurer's" may be looking for. How do I know you're not some cutpurse, leading me into a trap where your fellow brigands can rob me blind?"
He cocks his head to the side slighty, studying the boy and awaiting his reply.
"Well... I am a cutpurse, that's true, but I wouldn't lead you into a trap!"
He then mumbles: "I like you."
Davin laughs.
"An honest cutpurse - my first surprise in Ptolus, and I've barely been here half an hour. Alright, young thief, lead on."
{{keeping an eye on my surroundings, of course - you never know}}
The kid smiles broadly and reveals some teeth in a pretty bad shape. He starts walking down a street and talks as he keeps on going : "Name's Faefnir. I will be an adventurer one day, you know?"
"Delving is forbidden by the Commissar and the Church within the city walls, see? Ha! The priests of the all-powerful Lothian. They don't look too kindly upon that kind of activity, see? But they have to manage the people flooding to town somehow, so they allow them to camp all around. I know a place, an inn, where they have that big well going down the sewers though. They call it the Ladder... you'll see..."
Davin nods absently as he keeps scanning his surroundings.
"Indeed, Faefnir, and pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm sure you will be a fearsome adventurer in your time. Tell me, friend thief, why do you think the priests of Lothian discourage delving below Ptolus? It seems to me that if they are truly all-powerful then Ptolus would be a long-forgotten burg, not a city such as I see around me - after all, those with true power rarely have to work to bury what they do not want found..."
The kid seems to think for a while before he answers : "I guess they don't like when numbers grow strong enough to challenge their influence on the people, or the Commissar for that matter. Plus, each passing day brings new adventurers with different backgrounds, different traditions, different faiths to the city. It won't be long before the Church is forced to admit it doesn't have a monopoly on religion around these parts anymore..."
"Plus. The folks of Dalenguard seem awfully busy these days. The Commissar's people don't care for anything going on beyond the fortress's walls lately. They let the Brotherhood of the Sword keep the peace and all that. If you ask me, the Commissar's got problems of his own. Like there's something that's focusing all the military might of the Empire. Maybe it's the Spire. Maybe it's below the ground. But there's something not right."
"Hmm, yes - politics and religion seem to always mix, don't they? Still, where I come from it isn't as much of an issue as it seems to be here. Good to know that the Church hasn't totally forced out the other faiths. And as to the concentration of forces here in Ptolus...I can't imagine that that singals anything but trouble."
"I imagine there will be some trouble down the road, yes."
He stops suddenly, turns around to stare at Davin for a moment and asks point blank : "Do you need somebody to help you carry your supplies or your lantern or whatever it is that you'd take with you when you get down there ? I'd serve, you know, if you gave me some food and everything. What do you say ?"
Davin considers for a moment.
"Well, I would no doubt need a porter to assit me. You seem rather small for such things, and are certainly young, but you seem to have the right spirit. Have you done such things before?"
The kid hesitates a fraction of a second before answering : "Not really..."
Then he adds as if the come-back suddenly dawned on him : "But I learn fast ! I'm very able. And I'll shut up if you want me to !"
A little embarassed still, the kid then points out : "Name's Quip, by the way."
Davin smiles. "Okay, Quip, I'll take you on as my porter on a provisional basis. If nothing else, I admire your enthusiasm. Lead on!"
Quip indeed leads on with renewed energy.
You soon arrive at a large building which must have been some kind of round stone tower or temple in ages past. It must have collapsed some time between now and then, but has been recently added to with a large wooden structure that leads to two, much smaller towers built of same lumber. You can see glass widows covering all the openings of the stone structure. The wooden structure takes over the top part of this large round tower and provides it with an arched roof that blends with the rest of the new construction.
Quip turns to look at you and says : "This is the Gold Ladder. They were searching for the adventuring type earlier. We might be late to the party, but better late than never, right ?"
Davin nods and adjusts his pack on his back.
"Agreed - I doubt we'll lack for anything to keep us occupied, no matter when we arrive. An interesting building, I would have thought they might have cleared and built a new one, or rebuilt the original - things are clearly done differently here in Ptolus."
"I bet they are. Not every city is built right next to that thing, right ?" Quip says as he points towards the impossibly high Spire stretching towards the sky far behind the building and city.
"And well, the whole town is basically built on top of a huge labyrinth, if the stories are true. I mean, don't get me wrong : everybody knows there's something down there. But just 'how big' that 'down there' is, nobody really knows."
"Well then, we'd best get started if we're going to find out just 'how big' it is 'down there'. Lead on, porter."
"Alright then."
Quip leads on. You approach the Gold ladder from the side of the stone structure. You see a simple door there. The kid knocks, but there is no answer. He shrugs and enters. He calls "Angharad ?"
He walks through what looks like the kitchens. There is a door frame on the opposite wall. Davin follows... (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?p=487531#post487531)