"Hypnotize?!" Elena exclaimed.  "Couldn't be...I sensed no charms, maybe we had a bit too much to drink?"<br/><br/>After sensing the anger in Aelwen's voice, the mage thought of changing the subject.  "Yeah...well, let's pick up camp, Nar's close by.  Now what were you seeking out in this port town again?"<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://i.imgur.com/ijx7sPq.jpg)</div><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;">Nar, City by the Sea</span></span></div><br/>Town Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1NM9_DbRIQ)<br/><br/>The town of Nar was flanked by the ocean to the north and cradled by a wall stretching out around it.  The guards standing by the gate demanded a small tax of 1 silver piece each (1/10th of a gold piece) before they could enter, a not uncommon law in for the cities of Pelluria.<br/><br/>Nar itself was an expanse of buildings in all directions, with the land itself sloping gradually down the hills towards the surrounding bay.  The homes were all very colorful, with even the working class dwellings at the docks painted in swathes of red, blue, orange, and other festive palettes.  The manors sitting atop the hills were beautiful to look at even from a distance, surrounded by primordial rings of trees.<br/><br/>Elena gasped in awe.  "Wow, it's been years since I've been to a city this size!  There's just so many people and places I don't know where to begin!"<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/GZ9Nsqk.jpg?1)</div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Towns</div><div class="spoiler_body">Like any decently sized city, there's a lot of stuff to do in Nar.    In addition to shops and inns, Aelwen can gather information, seek out important people and landmarks around town.  SKynet will list a few options below, and you can handle them in any order, as many or as little as you want!</div></div><br/><strong>Going shopping:</strong>Nar's a fair-sized city, and all non-magical equipment present in the Swords & Wizardry Core Rules is for sale.<br/><br/><em>Weapons and Armor:</em>This shop is owned by Gorrin Coldstep, a dwarf artisan.  His home is far from the water, located up in the hills.  There's a forge directly outside, where he can be seen working most of the day.<br/><br/><em>Food, Drink, and Rooms:</em>The Sailor's Respite is a working-class inn down by the docks, catering to travelers on a budget.  The food is simple fare, with fish the only meat and beer is plentiful.  A simple meal between Aelwen and Elena is 1 silver piece, a room for the night for both of them 4 silver pieces.<br/><br/>Road's End Inn is a more upscale establishment, catering to well-to-do merchants and visiting nobility.  The food includes a variety of meat and spices, with a well-stocked wine cellar.  A meal between Aelwen and Elena will be 4 silver pieces, a room for the night for both of them 1 gold piece.<br/><br/><em>Alchemical Supplies:</em>A ramshackle house by the bay is dangerously tall, three stories of cobbled-together material of stone and wood.  The ground floor is home to a withered man smelling strongly of unknown chemicals.  His face is concealed by a beak-like mask normally worn by plague doctors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor)<br/><br/>"Ah, I take it you're interested in the arts of alchemy?" he asks.  I have many potions and brews at your disposal, if you can afford the price."<br/><br/><em>Aelwen can buy holy water, charmed garlic, and a potion for 200 gold pieces.  The potion's effects are unpredictable, and you must roll on this table to determine its property.  The alchemist demands money first to brew it to cover costs. (http://www.d20swsrd.com/swords-and-wizardry-srd/for-the-referee/treasure#TOC-Magic-Potions)</em><br/><br/><strong>Gathering Information:</strong>Aelwen is very persuasive on her own, so finding out general information by chatting with townsfolk is a trivial task.<br/><br/>"This here's Nar, the northernmost settlement of Pelluria!  It's a trade city, so expect to find all manner of goods from lands far and wide!"<br/><br/>"Gregory Turoth, one of the members of Parliament, owns a summer villa here.  Sometimes when business takes him north he stops by here.  He should be in town in a few days."<br/><br/>"Apparently someone or something's been killing off all the hounds at night.  Strays out in the streets and faithful pets in their owner's home alike have been found gutted open!  I can only take solace in the fact that it's not targeting people at least..."<br/><br/>"Feeling lucky?  Try your hand at the Smiling Ram, Pelluria's most prestigious gambling hall!  Dice and cards not your thing, never fear!  We have good shows and food, too!"<br/><br/>"Library in the mountains?  Ah, you must be speaking about the Loreshields!  They are the guardians of the world's hidden knowledge, secrets too dangerous to be let into evil hands.  They do not admit visitors, unfortunately, and their tower's high in the mountains.  Don't think you can just stroll up there unless you have a royal pass.  You'll need either Prince Henry's blessing or an approval from a member of Parliament to even set foot in there!"<br/><br/><br/><div align="center"><strong>Landmarks</strong></div><br/>The<strong>Colossus</strong>is the last monument of the giant civilization which ruled the land.  A hundred foot tall statue proudly holding a sword aloft casts a long shadow over the fair city.  It is populated by site-seeing visitors and protesters demanding that the statue be torn down (before being chased off by the city watch).  Some would-be oracles imbibe hallucinogenic ingredients at the statue's feet, hoping to commune with the giant spirits of the past.<br/><br/><strong>Shrine of Cinnaess</strong><br/><br/>Beyond the local household hearth-shrines common to Pellurian families, Nar boasted an impressive temple to Sildea, God of the Sea and Storms.  Smaller shrines adorned the worship space to other deities relevant to the peoples' lives, Cinnaess among them.<br/><br/>"These are trying times," a priestess said to Aelwen as she made her offerings.  "I find myself here more often than usual these days.  It's been a long time since Nar's known hardship, but I feel a spreading darkness over this land not seen since the Dragonfire.  It might be much to ask, but maybe if you sacrifice a bit more, then the gods and spirits shall protect us more."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Offerings</div><div class="spoiler_body">Aelwen can make material offerings at shrines to gain boons.  An offer taking the form of money or an object worth 50 or more gold pieces grants her and Elena a +1 bonus on all attack rolls, Saving Throw rolls, and miscellaneous checks for the next 3 days.  Alternatively, Aelwen can pray to Cinnaess and find where she's needed most, gaining the same bonus by completing a sidequest on behalf of her patron.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Cinnaess' Quest</div><div class="spoiler_body">"My child, there are stirrings of hatred in Nar.  The dwarven merchants of the Gast family cornered the market on ironworkings and silversmithing, causing the human merchant clans to resent them.  Already scaremongers stir up conspiracies against the Gasts and the dwarves.  Something must be done to counter this fear, or blood will surely flow through the streets."</div></div><br/><strong>Turorth's Estate</strong>is located on the eastern side of Nar, right by the Mayor's Office.  The Member of Parliament is meeting with the Mayor at the moment, and already the public office is filled with residents asking about taxes, merchant feuds, and other local problems as well as the rumors of demonic activity which get squashed as "fairy tales" by the more skeptical folk.  Aelwen and Elena can wait for an appointment with the clerk, although whether her request gets heard depends upon what story Aelwen tells her.<br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Summary of Adventure Hooks</div><div class="spoiler_body">Merchant feud with the dwarven Gast family.<br/><br/>Unknown entity killing the town's dogs<br/><br/>Meeting with Turoth, securing a pass to the Loreshield's library.  Also, Aelwen can try finding out other things about the goings-on in the capital.<br/><br/></div></div>