The Gaming Den

Agreed, go all out.

You pocket the merchant's pass and hand 10 Gold Pieces to Cris before stepping into the small rowing boat laden with wicker baskets. Dod pushes the boat out into the river, saying, 'Moor up at Lobster Wharf. It's very crowded there and nobody will be bothered about you. But don't come back here without my boat. Remember I've got your horse! No boat, no horse. Do we have an understanding?' You nod your head in agreement, smiling, and wave goodbye, reminding Cris to feed and water Stormheart whilst you are away.

You pull on the oars to send the small wooden boat on its way, gliding silently downstream towards the infamous city. Catfish River runs through the middle of Port Blacksand, and you see that the city wall arches over the river to allow small river craft to pass beneath it. As you go under the arch, the river turns noticeably darker and has an unpleasant smell, polluted by rubbish and sewage dumped in it. You need no reminding of the dangers that lurk inside the city, which is run with an iron fist by Lord Azzur and his Imperial Guards, who bleed payment from all who live here. It is known as the City of Thieves for good reason, being the preferred port of call for every pirate and freebooter of the Western Ocean, and home to Allansia's most notorious thieves and robbers. The first landmark you see from your boat is the high wall surrounding Lord Azzur's palace. On the opposite bank, two rowing boats are tied to an iron ring on a mooring on Axeman's Street, which leads up to Executioner's Square. Passing under Palace Bridge and Middle Bridge, you see plenty of seedy-looking characters busily going about their daily life. People are shouting at each other, and others are fighting. You hear dogs barking loudly, and the occasional shout for help, giving the port an air of dark foreboding. You pass under a third bridge, which is in a bad state of repair. It is lined with skulls on spiked poles, both human and non-human, which make eerie whistling sounds when the wind blows through them. You see a small hut underneath the bridge with steps leading down to it from above, and deduce it must be the fabled Singing Bridge where Nicodemus lives. Seeing nowhere to land your boat here, you carry on rowing, passing a row of dilapidated fishermen's cottages where women sit outside chatting, mending nets and gutting fish. At last you see the Black Lobster Tavern on the corner of Harbour Street and Lobster Wharf where the river meets the sea. The river is choppy here, and you have to row hard to reach the quay and moor up. There are three sailing ships docked in the harbour, one of them a pirate ship flying a black flag with the skull and crossbones. You jump out of the boat and walk up the ramp to where an ugly bunch of seamen and henchmen are standing. You try to push past them, but a bearded man in a black hat shouts, 'Grab that scurvy rat. We need another galley slave for the Flying Toucan.' (Harry holds a merchant's pass.)

You wave your merchant's pass at the thugs waiting at the top of the ramp, yelling at them to move out of the way. 'Let the merchant through!' shouts a bearded man in a black hat. You barge past the press gang to join the thronging crowd of sailors, fishermen, beggars, entertainers, and fruit and flower sellers milling about on the wharf. There are some drunken sailors standing inside the Black Lobster Tavern with their tankards in hand and arms around each other, singing loudly.

Go in the tavern?
Head down Harbour Street towards Singing Bridge?

Adventure Sheet
Harry Balzac
SKILL: 12/12
STAMINA: 13/20
LUCK: 10/11
Weapons: Sharp-Edged Sword, Bow (6 arrows)
Armor: Bronze Shield, Finely Crafted Chain-Mail Coat, Winged Helmet
Magic Items: Bracelet of Power, Elven Boots, Cursed Copper Necklace, Tyche Ring, Dragonfly Pendant (worn around neck)
Provisions: 6 Meals (restore 4 STAMINA each)
Potions: Potion of Fortune (restores LUCK to Initial+1)
Money: 22 Gold Pieces, 14 Copper Pieces
Keys: Iron Key, 20 Brass Keys, Silver Key (in Silver Box)
Knives: Knife, Long Knife, Serrated Knife
Items: Map, Ball of Twine, Candle, Small Brass Bell, Oil Lantern, 2 Pieces of Chalk, Brass Owl, Rope, Bag of Copper Nails, Water Flask, Unicorn-Head Goblet, 4 Teeth, 3 Silver Buttons, Glass Eye, 3 Polished Stones, Dried Nettles, Cast-Iron Pig Trinket, Locket of Hag's Hair, Box of Fish Hooks, 2 Lead Balls, Glass Vial of Green Gas, Brass Compass, Lucky Bones, Large Ruby, Merchant's Pass
Jars: Rats' Tails, Small Bones, Worms, Dead Flies, Lotus Flower, Noop Powder, Siff-Saff Paste
Running Total of Game Overs: 1

Stop off at the pub for no reason.

Agreed, why start being sensible now when not doing so has been so consistently rewarded.

Yes, go to the tavern.

The Black Lobster Tavern is like any other tavern in Port Blacksand where the ale flows freely. Everybody is on the make. Slippery-tongued rogues with multiple tattoos, slicked-back hair and darting eyes sell worthless treasure maps to gullible customers. Smiling charlatans with flowing locks sell dyed water as potions of strength. Sly-looking crooks take good money from would-be fortune hunters in payment for blunt swords sold as magic dragon-slaying weapons. And sly thieves simply steal money and purses from their victims when the chance comes. You open the large oak door and are met by a waft of stale air and a cacophony of noise from the drunken sailors, boat builders, fishermen and fish-market workers packed into the dimly lit tavern, sloshing down mugs of ale and bragging loudly about their sea-faring adventures. Behind the wooden bar stands a stern-looking man wearing a dirty apron over his white vest. He has gold earrings in both ears and his chest and arms are covered in tattoos. There is a sign above the bar which says Sail in a gale with Armpit Ale. The innkeeper eyes you suspiciously as you approach the bar. In the far corner of the tavern you catch sight of two men sitting at a table rolling dice with a lot of noisy enthusiasm.

Talk to the innkeeper?
Join the men playing their dice game?

Stupidly gamble our life savings away.

Yes, that sounds dumb, do it.

The dice players see you looking at them, and beckon you over to sit down at their table. You ask them what game they are playing. 'We are enjoying a little game of Dungles and Draggles,' the bearded player replies jovially. 'It was invented by a Bard called Yog. It's very simple. I roll two dice and add the numbers together. That's my Dungle score. Then you roll two dice for your Draggle score. But before you roll, you have to say if your Draggle score will be higher or lower than my Dungle score. If you guess right, you win. If you guess wrong, you lose. You also lose if you roll the same number. I'm willing to wager my pirate's flintlock pistol for a ruby. Do you want to play?'

Want to play?
Go back to the bar?

Play it!

Play it...though whether or not we can see their roll before deciding if ours would be greater or less should be specified.

The bearded man appears very pleased that you want to play a game of Dungles and Draggles with him. He picks up his dice, shakes them manically, kisses his hands for luck, and rolls the dice across the table. 'A 5 and a 2. Perfect! Seven will give you something to think about,' he announces happily. 'Are you going to roll higher or lower?' he asks, handing you his dice to roll. If you possess Lucky Bones and want to use them instead of his dice, they will increase your roll by 4.

Think the total will be higher than 7?
Think the total will be lower than 7?

Also let me know whether or not you want to use the Lucky Bones to increase our roll by 4.

What happens if we also roll exactly 7? We lose outright?

Use the bones and go for > 7.

Use bones and go for more than 7, yeah.

Roll two dice, and add 4 to the total if you are using Lucky Bones. (4,5+4=13).

The bearded man thumps the table and shakes his head in disbelief, not very amused that he lost the game of Dungles and Draggles. He pulls the old pistol from his belt and slaps it on the table, saying 'Here, take it. The flintlock is now yours. I'm not sure if it works, mind.' Pleased with your prize, you head back to the bar.

Whilst walking back to the bar, a brightly dressed woman with rosy cheeks and fluttering eyelashes squeezes through the crowd and bumps into you, apologizing profusely. You are momentarily distracted, and do not notice her accomplice slip his hand inside your backpack to help himself to your belongings. Roll one die twice to determine which items are stolen from your backpack:

Die Roll Item Stolen
1 → → → 2 Gold Pieces
2 → → → 3 Gold Pieces
3 → → → All keys
4 → → → Brass bell and 1 Gold Piece
5 → → → Knife and 1 Gold Piece
6 → → → A bottle of potion

(Rolled a 5 and a 1, so we lose 3 Gold Pieces and one of our knives.)

You reach the bar without knowing that you have been pickpocketed. If you have not done so already, you may talk to the innkeeper. Or you can leave the tavern and head down Harbour Street towards Singing Bridge.

Adventure Sheet
Harry Balzac
SKILL: 12/12
STAMINA: 13/20
LUCK: 10/11
Weapons: Sharp-Edged Sword, Bow (6 arrows), Old Flintlock Pistol
Armor: Bronze Shield, Finely Crafted Chain-Mail Coat, Winged Helmet
Magic Items: Bracelet of Power, Elven Boots, Cursed Copper Necklace, Tyche Ring, Dragonfly Pendant (worn around neck)
Provisions: 6 Meals (restore 4 STAMINA each)
Potions: Potion of Fortune (restores LUCK to Initial+1)
Money: 19 Gold Pieces, 14 Copper Pieces
Keys: Iron Key, 20 Brass Keys, Silver Key (in Silver Box)
Knives: Long Knife, Serrated Knife
Items: Map, Ball of Twine, Candle, Small Brass Bell, Oil Lantern, 2 Pieces of Chalk, Brass Owl, Rope, Bag of Copper Nails, Water Flask, Unicorn-Head Goblet, 4 Teeth, 3 Silver Buttons, Glass Eye, 3 Polished Stones, Dried Nettles, Cast-Iron Pig Trinket, Locket of Hag's Hair, Box of Fish Hooks, 2 Lead Balls, Glass Vial of Green Gas, Brass Compass, Lucky Bones, Large Ruby, Merchant's Pass
Jars: Rats' Tails, Small Bones, Worms, Dead Flies, Lotus Flower, Noop Powder, Siff-Saff Paste
Running Total of Game Overs: 1

Waste more of our precious time yammering with the locals.

Talk to the innkeeper, yeah

You sit down on a wooden stool at the bar, but the innkeeper grunts and turns his back on you to serve his regular customers. A scrawny, toothless old salt with a scraggly beard and ragged clothing sitting on your left chuckles and says 'Welcome to the Black Lobster!' before he too turns his back on you. Sitting on the stool on your right, a tanned man with a weather-beaten face and a thin, drooping moustache leans towards you and says, 'You're not from around here, are you?' He looks like a pirate with his thin moustache and the gap between his teeth. He is wearing a striped bandana on his head, large earrings and a sleeveless leather waistcoat, and has a long knife tucked into his belt. But his demeanour is friendly enough.

Reply to him?
Ignore him and leave the tavern to head down Harbour Street towards Singing Bridge?

Well, that's enough local color, get up and leave.

Agreed.

I say interact with the NPC.

I flipped a coin. Talk to the pirate.

Going to go with continue wasting time and talking to randoms.

You shake your head and tell the man that you are not from Port Blacksand. 'Neither am I,' he continues. 'My name is Mungo. I sailed here yesterday from Oyster Bay with a cargo of fish which I sold this morning in the market for a tidy profit. I spent it all on anchors, rope and fishing nets to sell in Oyster Bay. I've had a good day's business, I can tell you. I'm sailing back this afternoon, leaving on the next high tide. I'm not sure what brought you here, but if you have got nothing planned, I'm looking to hire a crew if you are interested? My deckhand has gone missing.'

Agree to sign on as a deckhand?
Join the men playing their dice game?
Leave the tavern to walk down Harbour Street towards Singing Bridge?