River Journey
Deverain’s Marsh - May 21
People
Locations
The beasts
Harald and Varg take the lead in the evening. They see three people crossing the river on the boat as they descend. The two barber-surgeons hide behind a mound and decide to rest there. Before the night had come, they heard a strong growl and men’s shouts in panic.
As they decide to help, Harold arrives first. The three men are two guards and a nobleman, dressed in colours like those from the Mountain Court. The growl came from a giant black bear that attacked the group. The guards try to fight it off, while the nobleman stays behind safe.
As Harold joins the fight, the two guards are taken out - the bear likes to eat necks and shoulders. Varg approaches carrying a lit torch and notices the bear is wet with his blood. In despair, the nobleman falls to their knees, growling.
The bear, hurt, sees a man coming with fire. To its right, the noblemen have become a giant man-crab, with heavy pincers. Its survival speaks louder, and the bear runs northwest. The man-crab gives chase, and the two vanish in the dark under a waning crescent moon.
Going down river
The barber-surgeons cross the river and sleep on the other side. In the morning, they take the crossing boat downhill. It takes them most of the daylight hours to arrive in Deverain.
Northern hills become flatter and flatter towards the coast. The river opens its mouth in a delta, which floods the entire region around the town. Patches of forests have been cleared, and some marshland has been dried. The town expands with farms to the west.
Varg sells their boat to fishermen who live in cabins by old decks north of the town. Walking towards the town centre, they smell sewage, salt, and raisins and see hordes of rats and cockroaches. Deverain is not built atop bygone ruins, like the other villages or the region. It has a beautiful style.
People speak a southern dialect here. But most can communicate with villagers from the north.
First time in Deverain
Harald and Varg decide to dine and sleep at the Messy Lemon. The owner, Renouart, a fat and happy man, looks pleased with a full tavern. People drink and eat.
The barber-surgeons eavesdrop on conversations about the beast noblemen. Some say the crown hides afflicted nobles in the Mountains. But if you are poor, you probably end up alone in the forest, or dead.
Some travellers tell stories of rich ruins in the north. Others mention the Piper, from the forests on the other side of the delta, who wants to start a revolution against Duke Ebbart of Deverain.
The two work and wait for a boat’s passage in 2 days, to Hendenburgh. They also learn that Duke Ebbart searches for brave adventurers to enrich the coffers of Deverain and help it gain independence from the crown.