<html><body><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div aria-label="Compose body">OOC: I was holding off on a reply in case an obvious plot hook occurred, but one didn't.<br></div><div aria-label="Compose body"> <br></div><div aria-label="Compose body">IC: Anne will go into the town rather than remaining on board. She'll make her way up towards the town's church, window shopping as she goes, and may stop in if there is anything of interest in the shops.<br></div><div aria-label="Compose body"> <br></div><div aria-label="Compose body">OOC: Aside from the magic shop, what shops are present?<br></div><div><br></div><hr id="zwchr"><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>From: </b>"Aaron Clausen" <mightymartianca@gmail.com><br><b>To: </b>"The Tao of Cow Rifts PBEM" <taocowpbem@zork.net><br><b>Sent: </b>Monday, January 6, 2014 3:40:37 PM<br><b>Subject: </b>[Taocow PBEM] [Oz, Vesper and Alex] Book 3 - Chapter XIV - Belmont Abbey<br><div><br></div>[GM]<br>As Oz, Ithdalkal, Vesper and Alex disembark, a whole unit of soldiers <br>and mercenaries are eagerly getting off as well. While the Hoburne Hill <br>Millennium Tree may have been a fascinating place to visit, Belmont <br>Abbey seems like a somewhat less devout and peaceful place, and more <br>like the kind of town where one might find a decent mug of ale.<br><div><br></div>As described before, the town has about seventy buildings; including <br>houses, a couple of inns, a number of shops, including what looks like a <br>genuine magic store. A fairly new concrete bridge crosses the River Wye <br>into the other half of Belmont Abbey, which seems more residential.<br><div><br></div>The town is surrounded by a hall wall [OOC: looks megadamage] with <br>several laser and rail gun emplacements, with armed sentries patrolling <br>the walls. The highway which runs east west goes right through the east <br>gate of the city, over the bridge, through the other half of the town <br>and out through the west gate. The river seems to have been widened <br>here, and there are a number of moorages where shallow draft river boats <br>and barges are docked. Above it all is the ley line, which basks the <br>twilight town in its bluish light; so bright that one can see his shadow <br>by it.<br><div><br></div>All in all it seems a prosperous place, clearly a bit of trading hub. <br>Captain von Schellburg, who joins the adventurers, explains "Zis is one <br>of ze last major outposts before entering Wales. It is ruled by ze <br>Bishop of Belmont Abbey, a very cunning man who has made alliances with <br>several other small towns to form ze River Wye League. Ze League is <br>allied with New Camelot, but is independent, and also has some treaties <br>with, how do you say, less desirable settlements, including an Orc <br>settlement in ze hills to ze west of here. Ze Bishop is a harsh but fair <br>man, but he looks out for his people and for ze League first, and others <br>second, so be warned. Do not antagonize other visitors here, even if <br>some try with you, or you may find yourself in ze dungeons below ze Abbey."<br><div><br></div>Much as the Captain stated, there is a party of Orcs, dressed in <br>mismatched armor, sitting outside the first inn they come across. The <br>inn, the Feckless Centaur, looks like a bit of dive, with a couple of <br>people already thrown out and snoring in the mud. Up the road further is <br>a better place, with the elegant name The Abbey's Retreat. It's this inn <br>that the Captain seems to be aiming for, though several of Oz's soldiers <br>along with the Captain's crew are making for the Feckless Centaur.<br>[/GM]<br><div><br></div>-- <br>Aaron Clausen<br>_______________________________________________<br>Taocowpbem mailing list<br>Taocowpbem@zork.net<br>http://zork.net/mailman/listinfo/taocowpbem<br></div><div><br></div></div></body></html>