::Rumors heard in the Lucky Ferret::
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_Many sailors have been spreading tales of ghost ships tracking other vessels on the Icelace. These ships seem to just drift into view, trailing the small trading vessels before disappearing after a short time. Any attempts to get closer to these mysterious ships ends in failure as they seem to slip out of sight quickly, when they notice they are being approached.
Many a sailor has been tossing a few extra coins into the water and keeping their lucky charms close at hand whenever they set out on a voyage. As with anything sailors see, it sometimes gets exagerated and tales of burning ships still afloat, the whole crew gone missing, or whole galleys full of undead archers raiding any ship unfortunate enough to get in its path are told in the taverns during a good night of drinking._
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_On one of the few clear days, a group of adventurers is hired by the one and only Derek Underhill, they set forth on a ship, heading to find and retrieve a lost shipment of food. As they're leaving the harbor, the raw voice of a sailor on board can be heard bawling a classic taven song, Nancy's Harbor Café.
A few days later they return, a bit more somber but looking more tired than beaten. They speak of encountering angry wyverns, strange deer, cows, a wide varieties of hags as well as a small army of pirates and least but not last a mysterious raven.
And while they point out how Celebring's magic saved the day for them more than once, the rumor also mentions that the pirates' mage managed to escape from right under their fingers._
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Returning from a business trip to Hoarsgate, a travel-dusty Sabre dumps her light pack down and orders a drink, soon picking up on the rumour and commenting to Anah with a crooked grin:
"Oi, a nekkid lass runnin' from tha Ferret ta tha commons an' back.. an' one as pretty as Jack too.. must be tha best advertisement imaginable, eh? Lemme guess, a whole trail o' "curious" fellas came sniffin' after 'er, aye? An' stayed fer drinks.. oi, idea! Have yer lasses do tha same, only we make it a wee bit more obvious an' paint tha name o' this place on strategic places o' female anatomy, mm? Crowds'll come roarin' in, I tell ye."
Winking to Anah, Sabre swigs down her grog, before having a hot bath prepared to soak the cold and grime of her recent journey away.
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_It seems the sailor Luke and the Umberlant Priestess Jack got a bit restless and had a small drinking game in the tavern. Some say Jack lost the bet and was seen running naked through the streets of the city to the commons and back to the Ferret in all her drunken glory.
A few hours later, she was seen sitting at the same table, completely sober while Luke was almost passed out on the table. Any who ask about the naked running get a blank stare and a shrug as she denies it ever happened._
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The Umberlee priestess Jack was released from jail it seems, for her involvement in the recent criminal activity in the docks. Her first thing was to go to Anah for a strong drink, a hot meal, then a hot bath at the Ferret. A few hours later and she was back out at the docks, humming to herself and accepting donations from any sailors, preaching about the destruction that may come to their ship should they displease the Queen.
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_An old and considerably more scary visage has returned to the docks, namely the seashell-armoured dwarven priestess of Umberlee, Mercy, recently released from the same jails that now house the newly arrived priestess and the green-panted sailor known as Luke.
Notably, Black Sails Lt Sabre was escorted off by Fortesque along with the other two, yet emerged from the courthouse a free woman, just a few hours later._
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It seems a new priestess of Umberlee has wandered off a ship into the city a few days ago, a small woman who seems to be a bit less scary than the previous priestess' known to frequent the docks. Only a few days seemed to pass before she was wearing the colors of the Black Sails and also seemed to have been tossed in jail for a short stay. Courtesy of Guard Captain Fortescue and his mean right hook.
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An evening of drinking and merriment at the Ferret was briefly interrupted by contingent of guards, headed by none other than the grizzled captain Fortesque himself. Tearing herself from the company of new recruit John Isle, and a male exotic dancer wearing nothing but a hat and a loin-cloth, Sabre Seesaw supervised as the captain made an arrest inside the gambling room. After an unconscious nobleman was dragged off by the guards, Fortesque shared a quick drink with the manager before briskly striding off into the night.
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After moving to the city sometime ago with his wife, the Cerulean Knight, Lycka, Aelthas can now be seen patrolling the docks district in full guard armor, organizing the patrols of three other guards as they cover the dark streets of the usually troublesome district.
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_Sabre Seesaw, Black Sails Lt and manager of the Lucky Ferret, catches wind of said rumours as she saunters from the warehouse to the Ferret and twitches, unleashing a long string of colourful sailor curses. In between cuss words best left unrepeated, the attentive listener can hear the black-haired wench muttering doomsday-like remarks about "the Norwick curse" spreading across the lands, adding a sarcastic, yet shuddering comment about spiders being the only thing lacking to complete the horror.
Extra work opportunities are soon available for the burlier of the dock population, as the Lt orders security tightened on both warehouse and the inn, as well as reinforcing window shutters and doors against a possible attack. Paranoid? You bet._
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Several people can be seen and heard talking loudly of bugbear designs on Peltarch, and how they've been seen not far from the city.
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_Word around the docks has it that a rather gruesome murder took place at the Pissing Goat recently, leaving one of the inner rooms scorched with fire marks, and the victim burnt to little more than a pile of ashes. The latter is rumoured to be none other than Windriders Captain Hresh's niece, and certainly the captain himself stormed into the establishment. He was followed shortly thereafter by a pair of Cerulean Knights, joining the Guards already at the scene. Guard Captain Fortesque arrived to the Goat later on, after which a fight seems to have broken out between the guards and a party of Bloodspider witnesses, leaving the latter dead on the floor.
The suspected culprit, described as a bald, foreign man, is by all accounts still at large, having fled the scene prior to the arrival of the guards._
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A certain commotion could be observed at the docks one late night, as an inspection of a ship by three blue-clad Cerulean Knights apparantly lead to a bit of panic. One of the ship's crewmen is said to have jumped overboard, and then to have run the streets screaming about some horrible affliction. Eventually several of the city guard came to the scene, lead by Captain Fortesque himself. After conferring with the knights, the captain launched into a loud tirade and stormed off, leaving his subordinates to settle whatever the real matter at hand was. In the end, one guard remained, restricting all access to and from the ship in question, while the Ceruleans left with brisk, determined steps.
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The slot machines at the Ferret were all out of order for a few days. Whatever was wrong with them seems to have been repaired.
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Rumor has it a boat came into port one night, loaded with foreigners who now seem to be competing with gangs for control of the docks, only these new lads aren't doing it with brawn, but deception and lies.
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Rumors are that a new group has been showing up on the streets of the docks in recent tendays. A strange group of men, typically in extremely fancy garb, wearing actors masks, and carrying fine canes have been showing up on 8th street, the south along the wall, of the Dock District. What exactly their doing loitering on the street either isn't known, or not openly spoke about.
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_Great commotion could be observed lately in the docks district, as large numbers of defenders rushed to the area near the Pissing Goat and the entrance to the sewers. The entire area past the bridge was cut off by the good men and women in green while battle raged in the sewers below. Word has it that large numbers of undead were trying to spill out into the docks proper, but after the first trying onslaught, the sounds of battle seemed to fade out and part of the forces dispatched elsewhere.
A group of five could be observed arguing heatedly with the guards before leaving the area with one of the captains. The same group emerged far later from the sewers, considerably worse for wear and carrying one of their own towards the temple of Tyr._
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A halfling covered nearly head to toe in red, keeping the hood of his cloak up, has been seen in several of the seedier bars in the Docks district, asking if there's any work to be had.
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Rumour spreads of a shipwreck to the north west of Peltarch, and a confrontation between those who sought to rob the survivors, and those who went to aid them.
The Seafarers, specifically one of their leaders May, got into a heated row with Micah Shilon which threatened to turn violent, until the Wavebreakers, led by Hadin turned up, and helped convince May that fighting would not lead to victory for her.
She left in disgust, and the former sailors, now merchants without a ship, entered the city safely.
Several others watched the negotiations, including the headmistress of Spellweaver Keep and several of her companions.
Micah was seen later on the site of the wreck, recovering bodies and shipping them back to the mortuary for embalment and interment.
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Rumors quickly spread of the red wizard known as Thazar has been heard asking many questions of the docks area. More than not whom runs the unions for the dockworkers and whom "controls" the action in the docks area.
