[IC, Labyrinth Lord] The Misty Isles

Warant, Isle of Chalm, early spring



The first ship of the year from the mainland lays into port in the city of Warant on the western shore of Chalm. Shortly after, the crew and dockworkers begin to unload crates of cargo - produce and a herd of sheep from the mainland, mostly - and the passengers disembark.



A surly dwarf points a thumb toward some ramshackle buildings near the waterfront.



"Drunken Goblin's where you folks'll be wanting to go. Only inn in the city that ain't full up this time of year. Ye might mention Ol' Bronzebelly pointed ye that way. Miss Ferra - she's the owner - might give ye a break if'n ye tell her I'm pointing business her way."



The dwarf, presumable Ol' Bronzebelly, gives much the same speech to all of the three dozen or so passengers getting off the ship. Similarly, an assortment of native islanders begin whispering rumors while mingling with the new arrivals, even before anyone's reached the Drunken Goblin Inn.

Spoiler:

So, I'm assuming you guys have all gotten to know each other a little bit on the month-long ship ride from the mainland, and you'll all have heard one of the eight rumors I'm posting here. I'll roll randomly for who gets what rumor.



Rolls

1d8=3, 1d8=3, 1d8=8, 1d8=7, 1d8=1, 1d8=2

Arkansan - 3

pspahn - 3

Daztur - 8

Spinachcat - 7

Opaopajr - 1

pbj44 - 2



Everyone gets the rumor corresponding to their number.



Rumors

1. Goblins have been plaguing the Old Hill road, besieging trade caravans. The Lord Governor of Warant has set a bounty of five silver pieces for goblin ears, and an extra bounty of 100 gold if presented with proof that the goblins are no longer a threat.

2. Rumor has it that there's a nest of owlbears in a cave just inside Blackheart Forest, five miles out of town. Everyone knows owlbear eggs are a delicacy, and their pelts make for the best leather on the island.

3. An old wizard's tower has fallen into ruin outside town. It's rumored to be haunted and the wizard's treasures are said to still lay within. The tower is perpetually shrouded in mist, and none have been brave enough to enter in years.

4. Legend has it, a tiny island known as the Fang to the north of Warant is home to an old smuggler's den that may still hold a cache of valuables left there long ago. Most sailors in Warant think the Fang is cursed with bad luck and won't go anywhere near it, however.

5. The teens of Warant insist that the local graveyard is haunted. They say that, if you spend the night in the graveyard during a full moon, a restless spirit will appear. The identity of the spirit is always changing – some say it's a half-elven woman, while some insist it's a full-blooded orc warrior (though why an orc would be buried there is another mystery altogether).

6. A local farmer, Old Man Hatchet, is willing to pay good gold to enterprising folk willing to clear any unwanted beasts from a cave on his property. Purportedly, the cave contains some sort of giant rodent or insect – Old Man Hatchet's sight is failing and his account varies from telling to telling.

7. Tales tell of a burnt elf village in the Blackheart forest east of Warant. Legend has it among the trackers and rangers that on a full moon, a secret place is revealed, filled with elven treasure.

8. A hobgoblin warlord in the village of Kane on the isle to the northwest of Warant is gathering followers and building a small fleet, supposedly to begin an incursion onto Chalm. Locals say the Lord Governor would pay a great sum to those bringing back more concrete evidence of this fleet.

[IC, Labyrinth Lord] The Misty Isles