Chapter 3: A Day at the Docks
Day broke over the town of Grayben's bay, the sound of bustling fishermen unloading their catch from a night of fishing already breaking the silence that night brings. In the Giggling Squid, Godfrey awoke with the sun, early mornings being a habit he had never felt the need to break. Wandering down into the tavern proper from his rented room upstairs, he saw that very few people were already awake.
Other than Karin at the bar and Borgin, who was already setting down the chairs from atop the tables after last night, there were only two other occupants. One was the large figure of the orc from last night, sprawled on the middle table he had sat at before, seemingly not making it to his room after a night of drinking. The other was the noticeable figure of Lud, once more chatting amiably to Karin. Godfrey was about to approach, numerous questions on his mind, but thought better of doing so while alone. While Lud looked harmless, there was still the fact that he had seemingly taken down two assailants without them even knowing how. Better safe than sorry…
Lud finished his apparent business with Karin, once more handing over a heavy bag that chinked recognisably with coin before exiting the tavern. Godfrey chose to watch him leave for now, before hailing Borgin to order an early breakfast. He would wait for Na'ish to appear before seeking answers, wherever he had disappeared to. He had a habit of wandering, and seldom chose to stay within whatever board they had for the night.
When Borgin approached, Godfrey figured he could at least try to find out some information while he was about it. "Hello once more Borgin. May I trouble you to place an order?"
"No trouble at all, we are happy to help! What can I get you?" Borgin chortled, reaching into his apron to grab a sheet of parchment and a length of charcoal.
"Just some cheese and a side of warm bread, please. And some milk, if you have it?" to which Borgin nodded, writing the order down. "Also, a question if I may?", causing Borgin to raise an eyebrow but nod in agreement. "That man from yesterday, the one called Lud? He was very generous, does he do that often?"
Borgin chuckled, "Only every night since he turned up about a month ago. Seems he is always wanting to share his wealth. Not many like him, and helps keep us in business, to be sure"
Godfrey was visibly shocked at this, the amount of gold involved would be more than most would earn in their life. "Ah, thank you. I would most like to thank him in person, as I didn't get the chance last night. Would you be able to tell me where I might find him during the day?"
Borgin gave Godfrey a distrusting look "You wouldn't want to be causing him any trouble would you? You could just wait till this evening once more, he's bound to turn up." Godfrey merely smiled reassuringly "Not at all, I will likely be leaving before evening falls is all, and would like to find him before I do so". Borgin, unable to detect any deceit in the man, shrugged and stated "Lud usually works down in the docks, is my understanding. Helps the fishermen unload, though which I do not know. Hope that helps you." Godfrey nodded, and Borgin went to the kitchens to put his order together.
As Godfrey was tucking into his breakfast, another figure emerged from the stairwell. The grey haired man cast his gaze across the bar like Godfrey had before him. When he saw the snoring orc in the centre, he twitched slightly, before giving a scowl of disdain and moving on with his search. Soon finding Godfrey sitting in the window once more, the man decided upon a plan of action.
First, he made his way over to the bar towards Karin, who was starting to get tankards ready to serve. "Excuse me miss, might I be able to settle my nights stay as well as order a round of breakfast. I prefer to keep on top of such things you understand". Karin turned her attention to the gentleman and, upon seeing who it was, smiled widely. "There will be no need for that, friends of Lud are friends of ours. Indeed, he came in just this morning to settle your bill for you, so feel free to make yourself comfortable."
This earned a curious look from the man. This Lud fellow was getting more interesting by the day, and in his book interesting meant that he needed to know more about him. Did Lud know he was following him last night, the same as the other group? Still, best not to let her realise that he did not actually know the man. "That is generous of him, to be sure." The man acknowledged.
"Yeah, but that's Lud all over isn't it." Karin gestured over to Godfrey in the window "Feel free to join your friend at the table, I'll bring over your food shortly". The man raised an eyebrow at this "And what, pray tell, makes you think he is my friend?"
Karin gave him a strange look at this "I had assumed, after all, Lud paid for their rooms too. There are around seven of you total, are there not?" The greying man, though surprised by this, did not outwardly show it. Seven? Was that the rest of the group that followed Lud? Still, that only amounted to six individuals, so who was the seventh? He chose instead to take this as an opportunity. "Well, we are indeed, I was just surprised that you had noticed. We tend to keep to ourselves for the most part."
Karin seemed to accept this, heading to the back to retrieve his food. The older man then proceeded to make his way over to the window table, plonking himself down directly opposite Godfrey, stirring the man out of his eating and earning a wary look. The greying man offered his hand in greeting "Hello, Garrick is my name". Godfrey carefully accepted the gesture, shaking his hand for the barest of moments "Godfrey. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
Garrick was not one to beat around the bush "Lud...or more specifically, information about him. I understand you are also trying to find out more about him?" Godfrey returned his attention to his meal, wishing that Na'ish would turn up soon, the direction of this conversation had him concerned. "Perhaps, but isn't everyone curious about him after his generosity last night?"
"Maybe" Garrick agreed, "but not sufficiently so to trail him into dark alleys at night…" This caused Godfrey to fully turn his attention to the man, his remaining breakfast forgotten. He had been there? Where? He had not sensed the man at all. "What is it you want?" he asked carefully.
It was at this point that Karin returned the food, leaving it on the table when she sensed the tense atmosphere between the two, who had yet to stop their staring at each other. Garrick picked up the loaf and tore a chunk off, eating it while still maintaining eye contact. Finally, he replied. "I'm thinking we could help each other, try to find out more about Lud. I fear it may be dangerous alone, but my curiosity must be sated. Did you realise that he had paid for your board?" From the look on Godfrey's face, no, he had not.
"Interesting. I agree that it could be dangerous...but yes, I had planned to find out more." Godfrey mused, then looked to the tavern entrance. Still no sign of Na'ish. Perhaps this man would be sufficient to keep him safe? He seemed to carry himself with the air of someone who knew what to do should danger arise. "Very well, I agree to this arrangement. And I might know where to start. Apparently, Lud works during the day, down on the docks."
Garrick smiled at this, "Excellent, then we shall make haste to the docks, just as soon as we have finished our meals." Godfrey agreed with this, and both men continued eating in companionable silence.
Unknown to the two, outside the tavern and lying beneath the window that they were sitting at, was Varus. He had been able to hear the conversation through the open window, causing his plans for the day to change accordingly. "Good, I'll follow them, then find out what I need without having to talk to anyone I don't desire to." Varus opened his eyes and squinted up at the bright sun that was starting to creep its way into the sky. "...Cursed sun, why can't it just stay dark…"
Once Garrick and Godfrey had finished their food, they proceeded to exit the tavern. When they did however, they immediately paused at the bizarre sight before them. There, across the street from them and against the wall of the nearby shop, was Varus. He appeared to be attempting to hide, however his method of doing so was to try to flatten himself against the wall. While being well over 6ft., and in broad daylight. Despite being obviously seen, he seemed determined to persist in his chosen hiding spot, not moving an inch as they looked him over.
Sharing a brief glance at each other, Godfrey and Garrick both proceeded to walk down the main street towards the docks. "...I assume you saw that too?" whispered Godfrey. "How could I not?" returned Garrick. They had not missed that Varus had started to attempt to follow them, being as subtle about it as his hiding had been. "Still, he should not be too hard to lose…" muttered Garrick.
The main street was starting to fill with many people now that the sun had risen sufficiently to see clearly. As the pair weaved their way through the crowds, it was not hard to lose their tail around one of the many alleys and streets that inevitably led to the town's large docks. Upon arrival, the sheer scale of the place dawned on them. With at least three or four large bays, numerous ships and many large warehouses, the dock was going to take a while to search. Not to mention the sheer number of sailors, traders and general people that were swarming the place. Finding Lud in all this was going to be no easy task.
Realising this, Garrick turned to Godfrey "Searching this place will take ages, best we split up to search for him. Do you have any way to draw attention should you require assistance?" Godfrey gave him a small smirk "I'm sure I could manage something suitable". The two nodded to each other and split ways, Garrick going towards the traders' stands and Godfrey to the nearest docked ship.
In an alley a fair way from the docks themselves, the large figure of Varus was pursuing his target with a dogged determination. This was not an easy task, given the busy streets and the near blinding light from the sun. He had almost lost them a few times even, but he was confident that he had managed to keep his pursuit of the pair of figures ahead of him. At least they were going slower than many people he knew. "I suppose that Garrick fellow is old…"
Soon, the pair he was following stopped before a door into a building, one that appeared to be a residential dwelling. They were fumbling in the pockets of their robes in search of something, one finally victorious in pulling out an old wrought iron key. Feeling this was the perfect opportunity to announce his presence to them, Varus approached the nearest of the pair and tapped their shoulder.
The figure started and clutched their chest before turning to the offending individual, "Woah, careful dear, my ticker ain't what it used to be." Varus was shocked to find that it was an old woman that had turned to face him, only clear to him now that she had turned and spoken. He looked over to the other figure to see an equally old man (even older than Garrick….if you could believe!) giving him a worried look, and realised his mistake. "Fuck!" Varus exclaimed, before turning and running from the alley in the direction of the dock. Hopefully he could still find them before they found Lud! He completely ignored the shouts of "Young'uns these days, no respect!" from the old man.
Garrick was not having much luck. While talking with the traders had revealed that the vast majority of them knew Lud, they didn't know him. All said the same about his generosity, his willingness to help, and that he helps out around the dock. Despite this, none seemed to know exactly where it was that he worked. Sighing to himself, Garrick decided to try one more trader in hopes of information. Thus he made his way over to another fish stand, the third he'd tried today.
Hoping that appearing like a casual customer would have more luck, Garrick looked over the various seafood before calling over the man that ran it. "Excuse me, may I have a few of your smoked fillets please?" Inquired Garrick. "Of course, right away sir" the man, a large burly fisherman sort, with a short beard, acknowledged. While he did so, Garrick attempted to strike up a conversation "I wonder if you could assist me, I was looking for a man in the area by the name of Lud. Don't suppose you would know where I could find him?"
The man paused in his packaging of the fish "I might, why do you ask?" the man asked suspiciously. "I simply wish to thank him for his generosity at the tavern last night." Garrick replied. The man huffed and returned to packing, a little less carefully than before "Yeah, you and everyone else. Lud is simply a generous man, why can't people accept that and move on." Realising that he would have to tread carefully, but excited that he had a real chance of some information, Garrick tried to trudge up his limited people skills.
"Get a lot of people asking about him do you? I can understand why, but I assure you, I meant no harm." The man took a moment to gauge Garrick, before sighing "I apologise. Too many people have ill intentions, and Lud has been nothing but a help since I fished him out of the water on a trip around a month ago. He had chartered a boat from somewhere far from Lumeria, and met a storm on the way past Grayben's. He was lucky we set sail straight after it finished, found him in the middle of the sea with the ship long sunk and the only survivor it seems."
Garrick listened with rapt attention. So Lud was from outside Lumeria? Well, that was one thing they had in common at least. But where had the boat set sail from? While this brought up as many questions as it answered, Garrick felt he would be pushing his luck if he continued to pester the man. "Well, consider me convinced." chuckled Garrick, before handing over a few copper for his items and stashing them in his pack. "I will endeavor not to bother him. Just pass on my regards the next you see him, if you would." The man agreed before going to serve another customer. Garrick turned and started heading back to the entrance of the docks, with the intention of meeting back up with Godfrey. Perhaps he had had more luck than him in actually finding Lud?
Godfrey couldn't believe his luck! The very first ship he had approached to ask questions, and there was Lud himself, unloading boxes from the ship and placing them onto the dock. Godfrey did have to pause at the sight of his carrying boxes many times larger than most workers, and under a single arm no less. Still, he shook himself out of his thoughts and went to approach him. He was, however, prepared to signal Garrick should this conversation go south…
As he approached, Lud finished placing the box he was currently carrying, before turning and noticing Godfrey's approach. He smiled at him. "Ah, welcome friend. You are from the tavern, yes? To what do I owe your visit?" Godfrey also smiled and walked up to him. "I simply wanted to thank you for the help you have given us thus far. Not many would pay for a stranger's accommodation after all." Lud merely chuckled good naturedly, and returned his attention to the boxes he was sorting. "Not at all friend, I love to help all I can. It is the least I can do for how much this town has helped me."
Godfrey walked round in front of Lud, keeping his back to the majority of the crowd of the dock. "That may be, but it must have a huge strain on your finances. Many may start to believe you have alternative sources of income than merely dock work…" As he said this, Godfrey made a slight movement with his hands, allowing the long sleeve of his robes to retract slightly and offer a brief view of his hands. While brief, Lud had sufficient time to catch a glimpse of the symbol on his palm before it disappeared. Once he did so, his demeanor immediately shifted from pleasant to stony.
"I don't know what you think of me, but I assure you that money is from legitimate means. I did not have...outside help, as you seem to believe. Now good day, I have many more boxes to unload" to which Lud turned away from Godfrey and stalked back up the gangplank to the ship he had come from. Godfrey considered following him, but figured the damage had been done, and he would only make it worse by pestering him. Sighing and ensuring his hands were hidden by his long sleeves once more, he started to make his way back in order to meet up with Garrick.
Upon arrival at the docks main entrance, he saw Garrick leaning casually against the wall, eyes wandering the many people still bustling about. It was not long therefore before they rested on him, to which he shrugged off the wall and met him halfway. "Find anything useful, Godfrey?" he questioned. Godfrey merely shrugged and stated "Of sorts. I found Lud, if that's what you mean. He was less than forthcoming about his source of wealth however…" Godfrey conveniently left out the reasons for this, however.
Garrick simply sighed "Well, that's not surprising. I found little of worth, besides the fact that he was fished out of a shipwreck by a local fisherman. I find it suspicious, but bad mouthing Lud in a town that clearly loves him is a bad idea." Godfrey nodded, having experienced this at the tavern from Borgin. "Perhaps we should simply return for today? If we are lucky, we can reconcile with Lud when he visits tonight, as he seems to do so every day." Garrick agreed easily, and they started to meander their way back to the Giggling Squid for the afternoon.
Just as they were leaving, Varus sprinted into the dock area from a separate street, catching his breath as he looked out over the many people gathered in the square. A quick glance failed to reveal Godfrey, Garrick or Lud anywhere immediately visible.
"...FUCK!"
Character Profile
Name: Godfrey
Race: Human
Class: Cleric
Subclass: Currently Unknown
A patron of an unknown god, whose symbol he has tattooed upon his palm. He came to the city of Grayben's Bay with his friend, Na'ish, in order to improve his skills in the healing arts. Any other motives are unknown, though he has taken an interest in the individual known as Lud...
