Deep Anchor inn, Dock Quarter, City of Safeton. Night.
Edgaar resumes his enquiries among the patrons of the inn for the purchase of a boat, Tellius decides to join him, the others remain at a table drinking quietly. Edgaar and Tellius have no success. Those few who have a boat of the type the group are looking for are not willing to sell it for less than twice its worth, which is beyond the groups means. One owner explains that the boat is his livelihood and he will only sell if he makes a tidy profit for he would be without income while he sought a replacement.
Edgaar and Tellius decide to go to the Foaming Prow to see if Captain Tack can help. Just as they are about to exit the they bump into an elf as he enters. The elf is dressed in a garish assortment of bright colours. He pauses in the doorway and starts talking to Edgaar and Tellius but his sentences are half nonsense. Edgaar and Tellius politely ask him to let them pass but they just get more nonsense in reply. The elf is obviously mad. The elf attaches himself to the pair and despite their best efforts they are not able get rid of him short of violence. From the reactions of the patrons it appears the elf is a familiar character and the pair's misfortune is providing some amusement.
Tellius and Edgaar leave the inn by different doors and find themselves out the back of inn with the mad elf tagging along. Tellius uses his magical abilities to try and get the mad elf to speak his real name, he having referred to himself to a dozen different names already. This results in a burst of more nonsense. Meanwhile Edgaar spies a raven on the roof of the inn watching the three of them. Odd behaviour for this time of night. The mad elf also notices the raven and while he is distracted by it Tellius and Edgaar hurry on to the Foaming Prow.
Meanwhile inside the Deep Anchor the rest are sipping their ales and wine, or in the case of Saab, throwing down pint after pint. Aurin appears to be daydreaming or meditation having not moved a muscle for some minutes. A short while after coming out of deep thought he is aware that one of the patrons is watching them particularly closely. Aurin sinks deeper into his hood and tries to keep an eye on the stranger. Another patron approaches the table and asks if they are the ones who reported the raid at Sevon. Apparently word has started to spread throughout the city. Saab replies that they are indeed the ones. The patron then questions Saab about the what he saw. The patron apparently knew one of the villagers and is eager to learn of his friends fate. The conversation quickly comes to the attention of the rest of the inn. The background noise drops as many listen in on the conversation. Saab answers the questions with brief responses then tells the patron the group intent to pursue the raiders south and suggests the patron join them to avenge his friend. The patron declines saying he has a family here in Safeton that he needs to look after. He thanks Saab for the news and returns to his own table. The background noise of the inn slowly returns to normal.
The mad elf returns from outside and drifts amongst the common room most ignore him, other tell him to go a way, others are not so polite. Eventually he wanders overs to the groups table. As he approaches Aurin quickly leaves for the bar. The mad elf takes the vacated seat and starts to babble to those present. Rondo in his typical rough speech tells him to move on, as he tosses a tin piece onto the table. The mad elf gratefully takes the coin but continues to babble. Saab yanks the chair out from under the elf and places it on the table. The elf falls flat on his back but is immediately distracted by something he notices on the ceiling and proceeds to tell the group all about it, but as usual it is nonsense. This gets a burst of laughter from the inn.
At Rondo's suggestion the party move to another table. At the bar Aurin keeps an eye on the both the elf and the stranger who was watching them. Aurin notices the stranger is ignoring the group and is watching him at the bar. The stranger gives Aurin a cold smile
At the Foaming Prow Tellius and Edgaar catch up with Captain 'Tack'. Edgaar asks for help with raising funds to purchase the boat but the captain says he needs all he has and more to work his way up to another ship. Reminded of the loss of his ship the captain curses those responsible and drowns his sorrows with a long pull from his tankard of ale. A quick round of the Foaming Prow yields no better result than the Deep Anchor regarding the purchase of a boat. Tellius and Edgaar return to the Deep Anchor. At their return the mad elf get up and joins Edgaar and Tellius as they sit at the table. For a moment the group think they are safe as there is no spare seat for the elf but their hopes are dashed when the elf drags up a chair from another table.
The group resigns themselves to the elf's presence. They guard their talk, order food and secure lodgings for the night. After they finish their meal the group go to their rooms. The group gather in one of the rooms to talk. The elf follows and attempts to join them but he is left in the corridor. The elf makes a nuisance of himself knocking on the door and such. The characters ignore him and discuss their next move. They decide to leave before dawn and walk to Elredd.
In the early hours of the morning the group pack their gear and go down to the common room. The elf is not present but there is a patron at one of the tables. There are also a few inn staff preparing food for the day. The party purchase some food to boost their supplies for the road and head for the south gate.
As they leave the inn the patron gets up and follows them. Tellius also notices a raven following the group and warns the others. Rondo challenges the person following them. The stranger simply says what he does is his own business. As the group passes through one of the inner gates Rondo brings the stranger and his behavior to the attention of one of the guards at the gate. The guard tells Rondo the stranger is of no concern.
When the group get to the south gate and exit the city the stranger ceases to follow them and remains within the city. The raven however continues to follow the group. Rondo speaks of shooting it with his composite bow. Upon hearing this Aurin explains that the raven is his pet. Rondo is angered that Aurin tried to conceal this fact from the group and threatens to shoot it if it continues to follow them. A tense situation develops which is diffused when Aurin calls the raven to perch on his shoulder.
The group head south along the coast road and pass Sevon. They travel all day without incident seeing no other travellers on the road. They did see two large cargo vessels off the coast during the day. One travelling up the coast the other down. Just before dawn the group make camp off the side of the road. They discuss a routine for making camp and setting watches. Saab and Lucien go off to hunt. Rondo goes to sleep. Aurin goes off to search for herbs. Edgaar relaxes. Saab and Lucien return with a couple of rabbits which they cook for the group. The night passes without incident.
The party break camp at dawn and continue south down the road. After a few hours they catch sight of an individual leading a mule ahead on the road also travelling south. They slowly close the distance. When the group gets near the traveller stops and greets them. The mule is laden with a wide assortment of items including, pots, rope, cage with pigeons, hatchet, and various parcels. Lucien and Tellius nod a greeting but pass him by. Edgaar, Saab and Aurin stop to speak with him. The traveller is a peddler who works his trade along the coast road. He asks about the group, where they are headed and why. He also gives some advice about the road ahead. He explains that the further south one goes the more dangerous it gets. Orcs raid from inland using the Suss forest to cover their movement from the Pomarj. Pirates attack shipping and raiders strike coastal towns from the sea. It is normally reasonably safe north of Fax but things have gotten worse in recent months. He offers to sell some of his wares. Aurin purchases some maps. He asks if he can travel with the group while they are going the same way, for protection. Saab gives him permission.
Saab, Edgaar, Aurin and the peddler catch up to the others. Tellius and Rondo are annoyed that Saab allowed the peddler to join the group. Tellius uses his magical ability to ask the peddler why he wants to travel with the group. The peddler says he wants to find out where they are headed and why. This immediately raises Tellius and Rondo's suspicion. The peddler is told he is not welcome and is not to follow too closely. The peddler now wants nothing to do with them. The group move on while the peddler waits. When the group are out of sight Rondo ducks off the side of the road and hides awaiting the peddler to observe him. He waits for half an hour before giving up when the peddler does not appear. Rondo goes back up the road to the point where they first spotted him but there is no sign of him. An attempt to track where he went yields no information. Rondo jogs to catch up with the group.
The group travel the rest of the day without further incident and make camp at sunset.