Dead humanoids: 0 (good).  Dead friendlies: 0 (v.v. good).  Gold royals: 95 (bad).

We (the non-human part of the party) are drinking the last of our house clearance money in a bar in Kelven when a message arrives asking us to attend upon Captain Grygor.  We go and meet him and he asks us to take a message to Captain Thrommel in Specularum to tell him that the Iron Ring have been causing aggro around Kelven.  He feels this is the best way that we can help our long lost friends (not that anyone probably regards Stephen as a friend).

We immediately wrong foot the whole adventure by using the obvious method of travel to Specularum – floating down the river.  We were apparently supposed to use the road.  We find a boat that is going downstream and haggle for passage, getting it for 5gp provided we agree to defend the boat from any bandits.  We also meet a couple of likely lads on the boat – Pavel, a wandering fighter, and Titus, a young priest of Helim who is going to Specularum to join the Order of the Griffin.

The day passes uneventfully and we reach Voska at nightfall, which is where we are supposed to spend the night.  There is a caravan there led by Ahiktos, who has met Stephen and his cronies after Sukiskyn, so can confirm that they survived a goblin attack there.  Apparently they also attacked some big honcho in a tower and stitched him right up, so now the Iron Ring are after them.  Apparently a bloke and a tall black haired woman are the Iron Ring’s representatives on earth in the matter of pursuing Stephen.  I am not sure who I am rooting for in this.

The rest of the evening passes uneventfully although Pavel tried to put the moves on Tanara.  Not that Tanara isn’t interested, but she’s not that sort of girl.  Well, actually she is, but only when she wants to be.

The next morning we awake in our own beds, and set off again.  The river becomes the Highreach, or Volaga. The calm ripples lull us into sleepiness until by mid afternoon we see the river-forts that mark the entrance to Specularum harbour.  The harbour of Specularum is one of the 9 wonders of the modern world, and we gaze in awe at the great gates that can close off the river entrance to Mirror Bay at the heart of the city.  On the far side of the harbour a great tower rises – the Hightower – our destination.

We have been told by Captain Grygor to head for the Rattlebone Inn, which is owned by his brother or cousin or something.  But first we head for the Hightower.  We reach the Hightower and are stopped by a pair of guards.  We do a quick ‘who said that’ routine with Bryan as party spokesman, but manage to persuade them that we have a message for Captain Thrommel from Captain Grygor.  They lead us into the tower and to Captain Thrommel’s room.  We hand over the message and converse with Captain Thrommel.  We are thanked and then escorted out by Sergeant Boris, who hands us a small pouch of money (100 gp) and also recommends the Rattlebone Inn.  Our destiny obviously lies at the Rattlebone Inn.

To get their we have to pass through the city gate (the wrong city gate apparently, but we took the easy road, i.e. the river).  Entry into the city is a monumental 8 gp, which must surely be leading to serious problems with restraint of trade.  Its amazing any food gets into the place at all.  We also have to have our weapons ceremonially bound up with filthy rags for some reason and get the harsher end of the local penal code read out to us.  A warm welcome indeed to Specularum.  It appears to be festival day in Specularum – some local trumped up deity I think.  Apparently its an ancient priest called Lucor whose statue they lob in the harbour each year.  Some local noble bint is chosen to lead the procession – this year it is Lady Magda of the Toronescu (maybe we will be able to pick up a copy of OK and find out who she is later).  The place is crowded with peasants and is filthy as only a human dwelling place can be.  I imagine the next step will be to have our pockets picked.  Nope – an argument has started – its Romeo and Juliet all over again.  Seems that a dance fight between the Toronescu and Radu is about to break out.  Two guys in green livery break up the argument – they are Vorloi men.  A nice woman fills us in on the local politics.  The Vorloi are a Thyatian family that are a big merchant family that come from a town called Vorloi to the south-east.  The Toronescu are an old Traladaran family in the city, but are said to be fading since the old man, Christof, died a few years ago.  They are the power behind the merchant guild, but Christof’s brother Boris and his son Alexander are quarrelling over control of the family.  The Radu on the other hand, are the other power on the waterfront – they are the longshoremen.