Paradise's Gates

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Episode no.	Episode 48
Date	2009
Game Master	Abbe
Characters	Dorothea Gloriana Honeypot Nell Velicia
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As soon as the doors were well closed behind us and I had checked that no spiders had followed us out I turned to the rangers. Honeypot helped the last one of the regain consciousness. He opened his eyes and I looked deeply into his beautiful bright steel blue ones. The others found out that Fort Rannick had fallen to hordes of ogres as I helped Kaven Windstrike, as he was called, to sit up. We decided that we should return to Turtleback Ferry to heal and regain strength. Dorothea and Gloriana started planning on how to burn the house down and Velicia objected. I thought that that horrible house really should burn, especially the kitchen. I almost felt sick just thinking of it, but when Kaven asked who I was my thoughts returned to nicer things.
"I'm Nell." I said trying to come up with anything more to say.
"You wait here while I bring the horses." I said breaking the uncomfortable silence and got up but kept my eyes on the now smiling young ranger.

I met Dorothea and Gloriana half dragging, half carrying the still towards the house when I fetched Shalelu, the bear and the horses. We entered the barn shaking the rain out of our clothes or fur.

The older ranger called Jakardros ??? stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Shalelu and she obviously knew him too. They didn't seem to like each other and she turned on her heel and marched back out into the rain. Honeypot followed her.
"It's all my fault. It's all my faul." Jakardros said over and over.
Tears fell from his eyes. It felt very strange looking at a tough soldier crying. I approached and tried to console him. I was joined by Kaven and Vale Temros as the dark man was called.

Shalelu and Honeypot soon returned and Velicia joined them talking. I was just adjusting my packs on Creampuff as Dorothea and Gloriana returned and said
"Let's go now."
"Aren't you ready yet?"
We finished up and I helped Kaven up on Creampuff.

As we left Dorothea set fire to the barn too. I thought that that might be a little unnecessary. It was in the house they had all the disgusting body parts. We went back the same way we came. I was walking next to Creampuff helping Kaven to sit straight in the saddle. I think he didn't need the help, but he didn't seem to mind my hand on his hip.

Closing on Turtleback Ferry we could see a strange light over the village. It had an orange-red color as if there was a big fire and sure enough there was. Hurrying into the village to see how we could help, we saw that it was Paradise's Gates that was burning. It was maybe 500 feet out on the Claybottom Lake.

Vi kommanderar en båt

Folk skeptiska

De märker att vi räddat rangers och vi får cred

Då hjälper till

Vi ror ut

Jag spanar

Ingen kan ha överlevt det där

Velicia ritualskyddad från eld går ombord - letar

Jag spanar. Brann snabbt. Öppen båt. Taket rasade plötsligt som fälla.

Blixt slog ned och startade elden

Jag och Honey ser lik på vattnet

Servitris och utbyggdsjägare

Präst/borgmästare möter oss -Maelin Shreed

Säger att massor saknade ~30

De har hittills hittat 15 döda och räddat ~30

Han visar oss till sjukstugan där han bor

Många offer som brända

Han erbjuder oss att sova där men vi väljer att inte belasta honom mer utan bor på värdshuset

Där bor rangers också, fast gratis

Andra dricker vin

Jag pysslar om Kaven, men lägger mig ganska tidigt, runt midnatt

Sover

I woke up surprisingly well rested. After breakfast we went to question the survivors from the fire. We found most of them at the church. We asked them if any one knew where and how the fire started but most just said that suddenly the whole barge exploded and they were thrown into the water. When questioned closer some thought there was a flash as of lighting just before the big bang. It turned out that most of the survivors had been outside or near the exits. Very few of the ones working there had survived. The owner was missing. She had been a beautiful red headed woman. The Paradise's Gates had been a gambling hall but also a brothel. From the descriptions it seemed that the whole barge had been too high class for such a back waters place as Turtleback Ferry. Velicia told us that she was completely sure that the attack on Fort Rannick, the strange weather and the fire were allconnected somehow. I asked if anyone had seen any seven pointed stars anywhere on the boat. I got no answers, but some blushed.

When the meeting was over I walked up to a girl that had blushed. She was one of the few who had worked on the barge. I took her to the side and we started talking. After a lot of convincing she showed me a tattoo she had on her butt. It was a seven pointed star like the ones we had seen before, but I didn't study it too closely as it was in a little embarrassing place. She told me that she was a member of a very exclusive club she shouldn't talk about and that was their membership symbol. Only the best of the employees could join and there were less than ten members.

Returning to the inn I saw a merchant selling perfume. I had never gotten around to buying it earlier, but this time I stopped. The merchant had a very good smell, but he called it fragrance. It was made by gnomes in ??? forest nearby. I was even cheap so I bought two bottles.

We gathered and discussed what we had learned so far over lunch at the inn. The food had been better at Pendaka and I had run out of pies. I wished that I could bring someone that could cook for me while traveling. Then I realized that Nathaniel had brought someone along to help him out and nowadays I'm a noble too. I decided to start looking for a good cook to hire.

Vale joined us and asked if he could use some of my ink I was using to write in my diary. I said yes and he pulled out big sheets on which he had drawn the layout of Fort Rannick and added even more details to them. We started discussing ways of retaking the fort from the ogres. After a while Shalelu and Jakardros joined us and they were friends again. We talked for most of the afternoon and the rangers had very much gathered strength. They seemed to be in a lot better mood even though Jakardros still was bitter about his part in leading the patrol that had been out when the fort was hit and Vale was more of the silent type. At least Kaven had lightened up. He's cute and funny. Anyway. We spent most of the afternoon that way and then Honeypot said she would go out and see if she could find out more about Paradise's Gates. I had an idea that maybe it would be easier to get someone to talk about the tattoo if I also had one. Gloriana used some of her magic to make a fake tattoo om my butt.

I looked around and found a male customer I recognized from the meeting. I talked to him an put on my charm. We talked about Paradise's Gates and I showed him my fake tattoo and he showed me that he had one too but on the inside of his arm. I said that I didn't remember how I got it since I had been so drunk and he told me that he too had been drunk, but definitely remembered the beautiful woman who did it. She was tall with red hair, green eyes and perfect pale skin. It was the owner herself that had tattooed him. I excused myself and left.

I returned to the inn. Kaven was down in common room. I ordered some late night dinner and joined him in front of the fireplace. The light from the fire danced over his face as he studied it. He looked distracted.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him.
"I'm just tired." he answered turning to me.
I looked him straight into his eyes, licking my fingers. His smile melted me and put down the bowl and walked over to his chair and kissed him.

Later we lay in bed and a sole candle lighted the room. He was sleeping on his stomach. I slowly caressed his back, studying it in the dim light. My hand followed the curve of his back down to... That was when I saw it. He also had a tattoo in the small of his back. I leaned over him and got the candle. Holding it next to him I studied the tattoo. It was a seven pointed star looking exactly as the ones we've seen before. I was about to wake him to talk about it, when hot wax from the candle reached my thumb. I bit my lip and put back the candle stick.

Nästa dag rider ut och spanar på fortet

Honey skickar kråka att spana

Får reda på att det bor ogres i brandfarligt hus

använder gamla förrådet som kök