6 - Fort Coral

The Tide Dancer glided up to a stone pier, one Joe assumed was created by magic since it appeared to be seamless. Joe had his gear stowed into his dimensional storage item, which he had nicknamed his dim-bag. Between him and the gangplank was a throng of his crewmates: Wakley, Emlar, and Cendi, the whole night crew team, even the captain.

"Sorry to see you go, son," the elder gnome stated. "You and Hah'roo were some of the best short-timers I've had in years. If you ever change yer mind about striking out across the sea, you go see Dorain Barburrow. He lives up there in them big houses on the hills." Captain Ego pointed to the western end of the city, which was the highest elevation-wise. "Have him send us word. I'd be happy to make the trip back down here ta pick ya up."

'I will, sir. And thanks for the ride. I really needed to get out of Duskrug and get a fresh start."

"Was my pleasure. Good luck to ya," he said, shaking Joe's hand before heading back to his duties.

While the captain was well respected by the crew, this departure removed any formality from the gathering. Joe was clapped on the back, hugged, and shaken. Even socked in the leg by a surprisingly strong Izzy. He, in return, shook hands and received well-wishes, promising to see them all again.

"Yah better, boyo," scoffed his drinking mate and first friend on the Dancer. Wakley clasped Joe's shoulder and gave it a good squeeze. "We ain't settin' back out ta sea for three days, so I fully expect ta down a couple buckets o' booze with ya before then."

"I'll be there, wherever there turns out to be."

"Oh, don't you worry, boyo. I know the wheres. I gots a whole tavern crawl mapped out for us."

"Of course you do," he smirked at the lush, clasping his arm. "See ya then, Wake."

After one last round of goodbyes, Joe trotted down the gangplank to the stone pier. Leaving Hah'roo to find her spot on the beach, he worked his way through the seaport until he found the main road into the city proper.

Once again, Joe was surprised by the races. There were even more types of people than he had seen in Duskrug. The birdfolk here were more brightly colored, and there were far more selkies and sea-elves than even in Peregrine harbor. The biggest difference Joe noticed was, in general, height. In the north, folks tended to be his size or taller, except for dwarves and gnomes. Here, about a third of the people around him were shorter than he was.

The halfling/hobbit-like buccas were by far the most numerous. They looked like a combination of many races he had seen so far. They were taller than gnomes, standing over Joe's waist. They were also stockier than the slight gnomes, though not nearly as stocky or as tall as dwarves. They had slightly pointed ears similar to an elf, along with that race's brilliantly colored eyes. Unlike the classic Tolkien beings, though, they were not exclusively barefoot with furry toes. The biggest difference these small folk had from Earthlore was their hair braids. Almost every bucca he saw had a specific set of beaded braids, and many of them wore the same pattern. Joe's best guess was it was connected to family or clan ties, similar to the Scottish tartan.

Joe headed up the steep road into Fort Coral. The lane switched back on itself twice as Joe trudged further and further upward from the wharfs. The roadway finally leveled off as he passed through a thick set of walls

Once he entered the upper city, his distant architectural assessment from the ship held up. The town had a distinctly Caribbean look about it. The buildings were made mostly of brick and stone and then coated with a thick layer of some creamy-colored clay and curvy terracotta shingles coated the rooftops. Covered walkways connected many of the buildings, suggesting frequent showers.

The road he was on clearly catered to sailors. There were taverns and inns, of course, but also places quick to entice wages or exchange loot from those who had been at sea for a while. Gambling establishments, playhouses, brothels, pawn shops, and such filled this stretch of road.

On the corners were vendor stalls, mostly with snack food, which after the first block, had Joe's stomach rumbling. He stopped at a busy-looking booth that his enhanced nose drew him to. The delicious scent of grilled fish lured him to the street chef. What he came away with could barely be called a bowl as it was just a half of a coconut shell, but it was filled with a medley of grains, sliced vegetables, and spicy chunks of a pink-colored fish. Its smell and taste were outstanding. If this was average fare for Fort Coral, Joe was going to enjoy his stay.

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He followed the main thoroughfare for two more blocks until it deposited him into the city's central plaza. His bowl long since emptied, Joe picked up a bundle of sweet baked dollops a few minutes later. They were akin to mini, broken-up apple fritters. Munching on the sweet blobs of slightly fruity fried dough, Joe made a circuit around the square.

On the north side, toward the sea, were more theaters and taverns.

The west side of the plaza displayed a huge temple to the greater god of the ocean and sky, Blu. Joe had learned of this deity from the sailors aboard the Tide Dancer. Blu was one of the first gods, a primordial being, utterly vital to the world but completely unfathomable in power. There were many other smaller gods of waves, storms, tides, and wind, but they were all subservient to the elder, greater god.

On either side of Blu's cathedral were two more churches. The closer one was to Mairree, the sibling god of Murrcee. Mairee was the god of companionship and revelry. The fact that the god of frivolity and friendship held second place in the order of the divine here in Fort Coral suggested Joe was going to like it here.

On the far side of Blu was a church Joe didn't know. Around the central structure was a trellis covered by a net strung horizontally, just over head height. Hanging from the net were hundreds, if not thousands, of ribbons and charms. The ribbons all bore names, dates, and some with small notes written on them. He guessed many of them had to have been there for years to have accumulated such a number, yet none of the ribbons were tattered or faded. A divine blessing must have been preserving the fluttering mementos. When Joe asked, he found that this was the temple of Harqin, the goddess of remembrance. It was a reminder to Joe that the lives of those who plied the oceans were often lost, and this fort city was on the far edge of the civilized world. Fort Coral seemed to be a city that fully embraced the sentiment of 'Live merrily, for tomorrow we may die."

Joe looked past the three main churches and noticed that this city also had a district dedicated to the divine powers. Stretching to the western hills were several blocks of temples and shrines devoted to the Hundred Gods.

As he strolled and snacked, he came across a large bulletin board. On it were dozens of pages stamped with metallic marks. Most were bronze or silver, but there were also a few slips with copper or gold stamps. The symbol was a stylized shield with the letter 'A' emblazoned in the center.

Joe looked up and saw behind the board was an expansive compound of buildings which also bore the same letter 'A' over the door. A black signboard was posted on the wall, which stated:

The Adventurers Guild of Fort Coral Guild leader: Septimus Silver Circa: 776 AG

Only those who dare win.

Joe looked back to the slips once more and saw each page held a quest request. Some were requests for deliveries to places Joe both did and did not recognize. These he skipped as he had just arrived, and if he planned to sail away again this quickly, it would be aboard the Dancer.

There were several hunting quests, ranging from humanoid creatures like goblins, gnolls, and somethings called shellycoats. There were more monstrous beings, too: beasts, wyverns, manticores, and more. This grouping of tasks held the greatest appeal to Joe. They were straightforward, and they were all local.

The labor-based quests Joe skimmed, but if he was going to work, he'd probably try and get a license to perform his healing for a fee and do that.

Lastly, there were some more complex quests requiring teams or special skills. These he skipped, as well.

He cycled back to the hunting quests and saw four that he liked the look of. He left the pages behind, though, for the moment. Before he made his final choice, Joe guessed that he would need to get his guild membership squared away first.

As he opened the thick, heavy wooden door and entered the guild house, he suddenly understood the local construction immediately. The day was already getting warm outside, but the interior of the clay-coated hall was pleasantly cool. Joe expected that in a world of magic, environmental charms would be common, yet it also made sense that mundane construction would be factored into daily life.

Like the Corsairs of the Ardent Watch Club, there were several heads mounted on the wall. Joe scanned the collection but saw none that had the overwhelming shock-value of the titanic dragon from the Count's club. The largest he saw was a fearsome, wereshark-like creature. The jaws of the monster looked large enough to swallow a person whole, but not a war-horse, like the dragon could have.

A woman was standing behind the long counter that ran almost the whole length of the atrium; it stopped just short of an ornate window with a stained glass border. She looked to be human and about Joe's age. Her auburn hair was tied into a practical ponytail. Backlit as she was by a window, Joe found himself just standing and watching her work for a few seconds. It was a striking sight: the girl, the glinting motes of dust in the air, sunlight highlighting the tints of red in her hair. She was making notes from a stack of pages into a large ledger with a look of fierce concentration. It normally would have been a common, easily dismissible sight, yet due to the combination of light, features, and determination, Joe found himself simply enthralled by the scene.

Finally, she noticed his presence, and a bright smile lit up her face.

"Hi. Sorry, I didn't hear you enter. Was a bit lost in this, " she admitted, gesturing at the pages. "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. How can I help you?"

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