The Inn on the Salt Coast

Honorable Priestess of Melora,

When we last corresponded, we found an inn along the Salt Coast and decided to stay there for the night.

As we entered the inn, we heard music from a lute. Tiny raced over to the bar to get some apple juice. We noticed a group of armored men -- soldiers -- sitting in the corner.

The innkeeper stared intently at Carlagnios, as though he somehow knew our Dragonborn fighter. But he seemed glad that we had come in. He sat us down at a long table and brought us some hearty stew and flagons of beer, "on the house".

After we ate, he approached Carlagnios and asked, "Are you Carlagnios?" Carlagnios nodded and growled, "Do I know you? How do you know who I am?"

The innkeeper passed him a piece of paper. Carlagnios unrolled the scroll to reveal that it was a proclamation from the Orc King. "Wanted, Dead or Alive: Carlagnious. Reward: 10,000 pieces of gold." The poster explained that Carlagnious was wanted for the atrocities that he had committed.

It was a very curious situation: the poster had an incredibly detailed picture of Carlagnios. Even more puzzling was the amazingly detailed history of Carlagnios in the poster. The history included obscure facts (things we did not even know) about Carlagnios' childhood, where he trained, every city in which he lived, and so on.

The innkeeper seemed excited that Carlagnios was here. "Are you the Butcher of Popetu? The one who sank 100 ships, brought the Orc King to his knees, stormed the castle, and left the city in ruins?" Carlagnios nodded, and we asked the innkeeper if we could speak with him at greater length in a more private room.

After we moved to a back room, the innkeeper introduced himself as Gund. He explained that the armored men in the corner were causing many problems for him. The men were the Owl's Scouts. Gund complained that the men were just drinking all of his mead and harrassing his customers.

We asked Gund about the Owl and the state of the Fingers. He told us that the Owl took over Moran and the Fingers. In the Avery, however, the Usurper sill hold power. The Avery is in the Protectorate of Olen, which is keeping out of this war with the Owl.

Hoklithan, the city of Goverilli with the hanging castle, is rumored to be under attack (or will be under attack) by the Owl. Hoklithan is in Gibralter, which is right above Olen.

The Orc King has sent out scouts to look for Carlagnios. They just seek to monitor him (not attack).

The Witch King in the Chasm Lands has an army. He opposes the Usurper of the Avery.

We thanked Gund for the news of the lands and we asked him if he wanted us to kill the Owl's scouts. Gund encouraged us at first, but later changed his mind when he realized that the Owl might send more troops in retaliation. "Don't kill Ward (the Owl's scout)!"

We left the private room and decided to sit down and talk with Ward. Ward quickly recognized that Kale was from the Avery, based on Kale's accent. Ward explained that he came to the Salt Coast because the Owl needed someone here to be his eyes. He hasn't seen much action here (a recent attack by a wolf on a farmer, some travelers from Ortmage).

After we left Ward, we had some concern that Ward would notify the Owl of our presence here. So the next day, Kale paid a visit to Ward and his men, where Kale introduced them to his nifty "Cloud of Daggers" spell.

Elis, the Mad Mage, watched the daggers kill the Owl's Scouts and commented, "So, I see that you're not afraid to spill blood." Elis seems to be regaining more of his memories as the days pass. He noticed the iron snake around his neck and mentioned that it was one of the "tools of the executors". "They thought it would be more humane than killing. More humane to keep mages locked up like this, like animals. The judges used interesting rituals to determine who was guilty and who should be punished."

After Kale dealt with the Owl's Scouts, we searched their room and found some venomous gloves, which Kale took for future use.

Honorable Priestess, there is not much more to report beyond this. We left the inn and headed inland, past the Salt Coast. The Mad Mage noticed something about the ground on which we tread, and Garg confirmed that the ground was consecreated or descecrated by a "natural ritual". At that point, blood golems rose up to attack us, and Hylox joined them against us. They were powerful creatures who split into more creatures when we bloodied them. But we defeated them and killed Hylox.

Elis the Mad Mage noted that we should dig for the gold. When we dug into the ground, we found bones from a battle long ago and a decayed purse. The Mad Mage commented that "the Owl didn't win the last time, either." Very odd...

Until the next time, your honorable servant,

Aelar