Blood, Plunder and D&D

"You! You stood me up!". The waitress, whose name turned out to be Ellen, was angry. Freddy looked apologetic. Normally words dripped from Freddy's tongue like honey from  a beehive, but for once he was at a bit of a loss. How to explain to an angry (ghostly) barmaid that he had not intentionally missed the scheduled tête-à-tête, but had unexpectedly found himself reading the journal of a long dead mage, inside a ghostly tower where time evidentially moved differently? Not exactly a plausible excuse. He tapped his cloven hooves together nervously. The old sailor at the table next to him, who was watching the exchange with some enjoyment, gave him a sympathetic shrug. "It was my Captain's fault" Freddy decided that some abridging of the truth and blaming someone else was probably warranted in this case. "He called us all back to the ship unexpectedly and we just now were released from duty."  He smiled his most winning smile. "And the first thi

"This is a fascinating contraption" said Whisperleaf. "You said it's called an Orrery? It's quite intricate all those little gears and moving spheres. It's like a fine watch , only the size of a horse".  Ricmo agreed from where he had crawled underneath to examine the apparatus. "It's amazingly complicated. Wheels within wheels, gears within gears, some so small I can barely see them. All whirring away". "And quite useful" said the Navigator, in a voice like dry dust blowing over sandstone. "It accurately models the motions of the heavenly spheres, which I can then use to construct the navigation tables that guide the Fleet in their journeys". The tall skeletal figure gestured toward the shelves filled with books and scrolls. "Without these, the ships of the empire would have a difficult time finding their way." Almost as an afterthought he mentioned. "It's also quite useful in predicting the future. I

Ricmo slipped from shadow to shadow as carefully worked his way along the side of the church. He tried to stop thinking about the dream they had all shared last night. It had been a strange dream, with a woman singing. And a couple glimpses of her face. He suspected he would be seeing her again someday soon. The First Dream It was late in the day and while the afternoon sun was bright, here in the vine colored lee of the decayed cathedral there was plenty of opportunities for a stealthy halfling to pass unseen. If he was careful and skilled. And Ricmo, despite his reputation for risk taking, knew how to be careful and meticulous when it was called for. And he was consummately skilled. He could hear the murmurs of conversation from inside the ruined church but couldn't make out the words. He was close to his goal though, a vine draped doorway, in the side of the cathedral, empty expect for some ancient wooden shards that had once been a door. Easy to watch and listen unseen, draped