BBG: Chapter 47

Beregost was a trade town around halfway down the Coast Way between Baldur's Gate and Amn. The Town itself had around three thousand people in its environs, most of whom were engaged in either agriculture or some part of the Hospitality Industry. This was for two main reasons, the first being the trade goods that Beregost produced, while the second was based on the position of Beregost on the Coast Way. In regard to the first, Beregost was famed for two specific types of trade goods, the cheese known as Beregost Blue, a tangy and pungent cheese shot through with blue veins that was exported all over the Sword Coast, and an extremely potent variety of Pipeweed which could compete with Maztican Tobacco in certain markets.

The second reason, its position along the Coast Way, meant that a lot of caravan trade came through Beregost. Going north to the City of Baldur's Gate or south to Amn. The volume of trade that flowed through Beregost was astounding for such a small town. Because of that, Beregost had no less than four Inns, The Jovial Juggler, the Burning Wizard, the Red Sheaf, and Feldpost's Inn. We stayed the night after we arrived at Feldpost's Inn, before Jaheira and I healed our injured party up in the morning. Somewhat true to form, Imoen was up and ready to go before the rest of us, and by the time the rest of us made it out of our rooms and into the Common Room of Feldpost's Inn, we found Imoen chattering away with a Red and Yellow-robed Elven Wizard. Ironically, it was Mei who spoke up first on seeing the scene.

"Oh, hey! It's Master Firebead!" Beamed Mei.

"Hello, Mei. I'm pleased to see you're doing well." Nodded the Elf.

"You know each other?" I questioned.

"Master Firebead was a frequent visitor to Candlekeep! He knows a ton of useful stuff!" Chirped Imoen.

"What sort of useful stuff?" I queried.

"Oh, this and that. I am a qualified Master of the Fifth Circle, after all. Knowledgeable about the Arcane, the Planes, Various Monsters and Beings, my true passion, however, is History." Offered the Elf, Master Firebead.

"Do we truly have time for this?" Asked Jaheira.

"N-now, Love. Be patient w-with them. It must be exciting seeing a f-familiar face after all this t-time on the road." Tried Khalid.

"Still." Frowned Jaheira.

"Actually, there is something that Master Firebead needs help with." Informed Imoen.

"He needs help? A Master of the Fifth Circle?" I questioned.

"I may be a potent Wizard, but that helps me little when it comes to procuring certain books. It seems everywhere I search is out of this particular volume." Shrugged Master Firebead.

"What volume?" Queried Mei.

"History of the Fateful Coin by Luckbringer Betha of Neverwinter. It's about the History of the Goddess Tymora and her Followers." Spoke up Master Firebead.

"I know it well." I nodded.

"Are you a follower of Tymora, then?" Asked Master Firebead.

"I am." I confirmed.

"Robar is being modest. He is one of Tymora's Favored." Snorted Jaheira.

"L-love. Please. L-let's not." Winced Khalid.

"I thought you wanted to dally here?" Questioned Jaheira sharply.

"Y-you know that's n-not what I meant." Frowned Khalid.

"You are?" Queried Master Firebead.

"I don't like to advertise like that, but yes." I affirmed.

"I don't know why Jaheira did that. She's usually more sensible." Sighed Mei.

"Impatience, maybe?" Asked Imoen.

"She's a Half-Elf. She should know better. Still, better it's done here, in a mostly empty common room, than out in the street." I groused.

"Anyway, I already offered to help Master Firebead, so we might want to get on that." Opined Imoen.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Questioned Jaheira.

"And now you've upset Jaheira more." Sighed Mei.

"L-love, c-calm. We aren't t-too far b-behind schedule at all." Placated Khalid.

"I'll be right back." I insisted.

Then, I headed over to the Bartender to do a bit of business, selling Montaron's Studded Leather Armor Plus Two, Xzar's Bracers of Armor Plus Six, and Xzar's Robes of the Mummified Priest-King. He wouldn't take the Bracers, telling me they were too rich for what he had on offer, but told me I should try the Thunderhammer Smithy to sell those. The rest of everything, however, had him buying the Robes and Studded Leather Armor for seven-thousand-nine-hundred-eighty Danter, of which I spent three here to purchase the copy of History of the Fateful Coin I knew he had on hand, returning with the Book and Danter to the group and handing the Book over to Master Firebead.

"Here you go." I nodded.

"Where did you find this?" Queried Master Firebead.

"Call it the Luck of Tymora." I chuckled.

"Fine, may we go now?" Asked Jaheira bitterly.

"We should check out the Thunderhammer Smithy. It's why we're here." Insisted Mei.

"T-true." Acknowledged Khalid.

"Come on then." I nodded.

"Bye, Master Firebead!" Chirped Imoen.

"Farewell, Imoen, Mei, and their Companions! Do be careful!" Called out Master Firebead as we exited Feldpost's Inn.

Walking out onto the streets of Beregost, however, we came face to face with an angry Man in Leather Armor with a shortsword sheathed at his side. He hawked up a loogie and spat it out on the ground before glaring back at my Companions and I. I cocked an eyebrow at him, only just now remembering this encounter as I did so. Marl the Drunk, who lost his son to dreams of being an adventurer. I knew it was only possible to either talk him down or kill him. There was no third option here, as he was spoiling for a fight. If I killed him, there was no doubt in my mind that I'd wind up taking a hit to my reputation, which would blow back on my companions as a result. Best to try talking him down.

"Adventurers! Pah! Piss off away from my favorite Bar!" Scowled Marl, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, no need to get so bent out of shape. There's plenty of bar for everyone." I tried.

"I'll take whatever shape I like! It's you adventurers who've got everything bent out of shape! The World's bent out of shape cause of you lot! Going around, consorting with Gods know what, and dragging your trouble back to good, honest folk! What do you say to that, eh?" Demanded Marl.

"I just do what I think is right. On the whole, I like to think I've solved a lot more problems than I've caused. Mostly, anyway." I retorted.

"What you think is right? Is messing up the local economy with your treasure right? What about boasting and flashing your magic so any damn fool can hear or see it? Putting delusions of grandeur into the heads of good, honest folk, so that they go out and get themselves killed, leaving their poor old Dad all alone! It's a bad example and somebody ought to kick your arse!" Snarled Marl.

"Just a moment! Everyone forges their own path in life and makes their own decisions! I'll not be held accountable for what the Fates deal to those who forge ahead!" I insisted.

"My son was a good lad until your sort came through town! They filled his head with dreams of glory and other such nonsense, and he went out and got himself killed for it! Tell me why I shouldn't take that out of your hide?" Challenged Marl.

"Because if you knew your son as well as you think you do, you'd know he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This life, adventuring, it's a calling. Literally, it calls to something in the soul, something you're born with. Nobody gives it to you." I shot back.

"Bah! He was going to stay home! To take over the farm, maybe apprentice over at Thunderhammer during the summer. . ." Began Marl before pausing.

"Was he? Or were you just projecting your wants onto him?" I intoned.

"By Chauntea, why couldn't he have just stayed home?" Whispered Marl.

"The Realms call you to adventure, and you go. That's just how it is. He sounds like a fine lad, taken too soon, though he was taken doing what he was meant to. If you'll allow it, I'll buy you a round in his memory." I offered.

"Aye. That's generous of you, but no. I couldn't impose, especially not after I made an arse out of myself just now." Sighed Marl.

"I insist. It's the least I could do for a fellow Adventurous Soul." I pressed.

Five minutes later, forty-two Danter Lighter, and one flagon of Evermead more in my gut, I came back out of Feldpost's Inn, having raised a toast to Marl's Son. I wasn't sure what afterlife Kennair Nethalin was stuck in after death, but his father loved him very much. That much was evidently clear. Honestly, from the sound of things, it had been just sheer bad luck that had wound up doing Kennair in and leaving Marl alone. He'd heard the call to adventure just as the Iron Throne was starting its shenanigans.

So fortified with Evermead and ready to continue the business we'd come to Beregost for, I headed over to the Thunderhammer Smithy, where I met back up with the rest of the group just outside the Smithy's door.

"All right, where did you get off to while I was placating Marl?" I questioned.

"There's a Bounty Office nearby with a Flaming Fist Lieutenant who was willing to buy our Bandit Scalps and Gnoll Ears for the listed bounty." Informed Imoen.

"We're now some eight hundred Danter richer." Informed Mei.

"Right. Come on, let's see if the Master Smith is in." I nodded.

"Then perhaps we can finally be on our way again. These distractions are just that. Distractions." Huffed Jaheira.

"J-Jaheira. P-please." Pleaded Khalid.

As it happened, Taerom Fuiruim was indeed in, and he was indeed willing to buy the Bracers of Armor Plus Six that we had. He was also quite willing to work with not only Ankheg Shells and the Ankhrav Shell, but also to put Yeenoghu's Doom back together again. However, he would only make up to three suits of armor plus the sword, as that was the most custom work he was currently willing to do. It would also cost us twenty-eight-thousand Danter to complete his order and would take him six days to finish everything. Personally, I thought that was fast, even for someone like Taerom Fuiruim, but then, with the Iron Crisis ongoing, it wasn't as if he was able to do much forging, now was it? He certainly hadn't looked busy at the forge, after all.

It was what he'd told me he could make out of the Ankhrav Shell, along with the finished abilities he could get Yeenoghu's Doom to have, that got me interested in paying for the work myself. So that not only could I get the Ankhrav Shell Armor, but also Yeenoghu's Doom for myself. The Ankhrav Shell Armor would wind up being essentially an extremely light form of scale mail, similar to Mithril Scale Mail, which made it usable for me. It would also be infused with the extraplanar magics of the Ankhrav, rendering it, in effect, a suit of Ornate, Nacreous, Scale Mail of Acid Resistance Plus Three that also granted Darkvision and could be worn as Light Armor.

Of course, the regular suits of Ankhev Plate Armor were also not going to be jokes either. They had absorbed some of the Ankrav's Extradimensional Capabilities, and Taerom Fuiruim could work them into suits of Ornate, Nacreous, Plus Two Full Plate Armor that could be worn as medium armor. I was fairly certain that Jaheira, at least, would wind up keeping her Ankheg Armor for a good long while, even if Khalid didn't wind up doing the same. It was all very good stuff, top-quality work, as expected from a Master Smith like Taerom Fuiruim. Of course, this, and even the Ankhrav Armor, paled in comparison to what Taerom claimed the finished product of reforging Yeenoghu's Doom would be.

Apparently, Yeenoghu's Doom would wind up being an Ornate, Razor-Sharp, Basket-Hilted, Holy, Axiomatic, Shock, Alchemical Silver Longsword of Gnoll and Demon Bane Plus Three. In effect, Yeenoghu's Doom was magical enough that it was a Minor Artifact, if one specialized more towards dealing with Gnolls and Demons than usual for such an item. I practically salivated over the implications of such a weapon. If I had that and the Ankhrav Armor, I would be fairly set as far as armor and weaponry went, at least until the time came to deal with Irenicus. I was pretty sure that would cause a whole new series of upgrades, especially with how that whole adventure started.

In the end, I wound up paying for it all, as I was the one who insisted. However, with the money I had on me after buying Marl a round of Evermead, plus the sale of the Bracers of Armor Plus Six, I had more than enough to cover it all. At the same time, I wound up fronting Imoen eight thousand Danter for a set of Shadow Armor Plus Three, studded leather armor that not only allowed her to more easily sneak about, but which also weighed less and was less restrictive than normal Studded Leather Armor, which meant that she would more easily be able to cast spells in it than she would in the current Studded Leather Armor Plus Two she was wearing. With that done, Khalid also purchased a Breastplate Plus Two to replace his sundered Mithril Breastplate. Mei and Jaheira purchased nothing, though.

As we left the Thunderhammer Smithy, however, Jaheira let out an annoyed groan at the situation. I could tell the six-day delay wasn't something that made her particularly happy. She shot me a glare and scowled at me as we stood on the street.

"This is your fault. We are here for six days, yet another delay!" She snapped.

"That being so, perhaps we ought to make ourselves useful?" I questioned.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Queried Jaheira.

"W-well, I can think of one th-thing we m-might be able to d-do." Offered Khalid.

"What's that?" Asked Mei.

"L-Landrin did say she w-was willing to p-pay for the return of her items f-from her home in Beregost." Informed Khalid.

"Who's Landrin?" Questioned Imoen.

"A Gnome. She was staying at the Friendly Arm Inn because monstrous spiders overran her home here in Beregost." Admitted Jaheira.

"And w-we're already h-here." Pressed Khalid.

"We might as well do it. That will take up at least four of the six days." I insisted.

"What about the remaining two?" Queried Mei.

"I'm sure we can find something to do. After all, people are always in need of help!" Remarked Imoen.

"That's true. Many people like to contract adventurers for a variety of things." I agreed.

"Then it's settled. We'll do local jobs for the six days." Beamed Mei.

"Right, I also heard something about a wounded Paladin who's been hoping to find adventurers to deal with a couple of half-ogres that are attacking folks southwest of Town, too!" Grinned Imoen.

"Landrin's Possessions first, then we can deal with any Half-Ogres." I insisted.

And with that, we had a number of sidequests in Beregost to take care of. First up was going to be Landrin's Possessions, as we headed over to her home near the Jovial Juggler Inn to deal with the Spiders inside. I wasn't too worried, after all, in the Game, they had been just Monstrous Spiders, nothing to be really that worried about. I should have probably been more worried than I was. Landrin was a wizard capable of casting Stinking Cloud, a Third Circle Spell, which meant she had to be at least Sixth Level as a Wizard to do that. Maybe I should have thought more about what could have gotten a Sixth Level Wizard to flee their home. It definitely wouldn't have been a handful of mere monstrous spiders.

Indeed, as we entered Landrin's Home, we were greeted with not only a quartet of Large Monstrous Spiders, but also a Quartet of white and blue chitinous Phase Spiders. These were a much bigger deal than a few Large Monstrous Spiders. As we entered, the nearest of the Phase Spiders let out a horrific shriek and phased into the Ethereal Plane, diving toward us as insubstantial as a ghost. It exploded out of the Ethereal Plane, mandibles dripping with venom as it tried to bite down on my head, only for me to just about get my shield in the way, fang-like Mandibles rebounding off of enchanted steel. My riposte plunged Discordant Note right in the middle of the Phase Spider's set of eight compound eyes.

My blade thrust home, punching through one of the eight, segmented eyes and thundering deep into whatever passed for a brain in the Alien Physiology of a creature of the Ethereal Plane such as this Phase Spider. It let out a horrific squeal of pain as it jerked about on the edge of Discordant Note, and I yanked the blade free with a twisting motion, silencing the thing as it fell to the floor and curled up on itself. Then the other Spiders let out similar shrieks and began spitting webbing at us to slow us down. I soon found my boots webbed to the floor, as did Khalid and Jaheira, but both Imoen and Mei avoided the webbing, Mei firing a pair of arrows into a Monstrous Spider that punched through the black, hairy, chitinous thorax and killed the damn thing.

The others then let out a screech as the remaining three Phase Spiders dove into the Ethereal Plane, charging forward to try and bite into us from another plane. Two charged toward me, while the last went for Mei. And with that, the fight was on in earnest. I could only hope this wouldn't wind up setting us back even further from the need to heal.

The Gods only knew what Jaheira would do if it did, after all. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. I initially only wanted to do one chapter in Beregost, but there's just so much to do in the town that even cutting down on the sidequests and encounters, there's too much to jam into a single chapter. The chapter is already over three thousand words. There was no way I was going to fit it all into one chapter, especially given the upgrades I have planned for Landrin's Possessions and Bjronin's Ogre Quests. The idea is that by the time they leave Beregost, Robar and Company will be level seven.

At any rate, the next chapter will finish up Landrin's Possessions and get through Bjornin's Half-Ogres near Fisherman's Lake Quests, after which, the new gear should be ready. Then I'll have character sheet updates afterward, before Robar and Company head to Nashkel. I'll also have a few images out before the next chapter as well.

Stay tuned. . .