Scroll 2 - treating of the geography and travel information of the tourist towns of Ythor - the gateway to the Continent.

 

 

The Traveller's Guide to the Empire of Corwyth.

Published by the Corwyth Royal Press (Lower Level Dungeons, Imperial Palace), in the 14th Year of the Gryffon.

Section 2: Tourist towns on the coast of Ythor.

Carpaasian Ocean

The Ocean surrounding the Island of Corwyth is a beautiful one, with waters of blue-green, and many interesting marine species dwell within it. From the Docklands of Corwyth to the nearest town on the mainland, Pallmor, it is a four-day journey by sea. Ships travel frequently between Corwyth and Pallmor, transporting goods, exchanging information, and providing a way for adventurers to set out upon their travels.

Around the Cape of the mainland it is said that there are sea monsters, and apparently apocryphal tales of Merpeople abound. However, it may be worth checking with the fishermen of Laulec, who claim to have visited the Undersea Kingdoms.

PALLMOR

Landing at the harbour of Pallmor, one disembarks at the Toothfish Docks. These are not exactly the best part of town. It is advised that travellers move off these docks as quickly as possible in order to avoid being relieved of their possessions. One thing, though: in the harbour, where the water deepens VERY abruptly, lie many shipwrecks, and many adventurers have lost their lives diving for sunken treasure. Good equipment is a must, of course, and good information is also necessary.

The town of Pallmor is an impressive one, although not as large as Corwythen. Immediately past the city gates is the Pallmor Marketplace, where gaily-coloured booths are set up by various merchants – some of whom are natives of Pallmor, and others which are itinerant. Permission from the Viceroy must be sought to set up a booth. All kinds of items may be bought here, and entertainment such as juggling, rope-walking, snake-oil exhibitions and thieving occur here. In the centre of town on the Pithywothy Street (the main street of the town) is the Smoked Swordsman Inn, an elegant inn which is the only place in town where travellers can stay. Often adventurers from far-off lands pass through here, with tall tales and lots of gold. The many rooms on the second story are available for five scudi a night, or a tall tale is accepted in lieu of payment for the first night.

Farther north along the Pithywothy Street is the Pallmor Barracks, made of greystone and well fortified. It is run by Captain Aldin Dunnay, of the Order of the Soldiers of the Emerald Star. There is a Weapons Shop here (although most adventurers consider the choice to be somewhat limited in comparison with the weapons available from Corwyth), and the Captain is happy to explicate at length about the history and geography of Ythor. Sam Affor, one of the sergeants, will be happy to send messages to Corwyth for any traveller in need of urgent news. The Gaol is usually full, and many escape plans – doomed, alas! to failure – have been hatched here. The only way out is a pardon.

Against the north-western corner of the town, at the end of the Pithywothy Street, is the Viceroy’s Palace. It is not exactly well-maintained, but has a certain run-down, shabby grandeur. During the day Viceroy Copius Twodworthy is happy to receive visitors within the Blessed Reception Room (no-one knows it is given this name), and will consider any request for setting up a booth in the marketplace. (Operating a booth without a licence is an offence punishable by ten days’ imprisonment.) The Viceroy is a well-known figure in Pallmor, mostly because of his malapropisms. He’s suspected of being wiser than he seems, and can actually give some extremely helpful information – although it may be difficult to separate the useful from the bizarre.

Inside, the palace is extremely dusty, with moth-eaten furniture, bell-ropes that crumble in your hands as you pull them, holes in the floors, and so on. The servants seem to have been chosen for their excessive deafness and/or dim-wittedness.

LAULEC

West of Pallmor along the coast is the coastal fishing town of Laulec. It is five days’ walking distance, or can be reached by boat within two days as the westerly currents are quite swift.

Upon reaching the harbour, the most noticeable feature is the very long pier, from which excellent fishing takes place for those who do not wish to hire a boat and do deep-sea fishing. Disembarking, one can see that there is a huge skeleton of a beached whale which takes up a large amount of space on the beach – it has been turned into a tourist bureau and pottery centre.

The sand is gritty, with many small, hand-sized, blue Laulec turtles scuttling about, almost indistinguishable from the blue-veined shells that abound here. It is said that the turtles make very good eating, but they are so fast that few can catch them. Fllotsam is often washed up here. Fishing boats are drawn up here, unless the fishermen are out fishing – however, most fishing occurs at night. Laulec’s major industrie are fishing and that famous fine blue pottery.

Approaching Laulec by foot (which is sometimes wiser because of the sea-monsters which regularly attack ships in the area of sea just between Pallmor and Laulec), the traveller would pass through the village gates which are unguarded. A signpost directs the traveller left towards the beach, and straight ahead for the Laulec Anchor And Tackle, a sandstone inn which is run by a fisherman’s widow, Mistress Joanina. She cooks seafood well – but the traveller may find the cuisine limited. EVERY meal is seafood. Accommodation (one coron a week with meals) involves sleeping outside in a hammock, which makes for an uncomfortable night when it rains – or a room inside, permeated by the smell of fish. Surprisingly, there do seem to be a few people who stay here quite often – it may be that the fishermen of the area have interesting tales to tell (and useful information for treasure-seekers), or the Sibyl of the Sands may be the attraction.

Turning left and proceeding down the sandy path, the traveller would find himself closer to the beach where the fishermen’s huts are. There are about eight huts, all quite rudely built, but the fishermen are very friendly. Too friendly, perhaps – it’s hard to get away from their tall tales! They’ll tell you about every fish that ever got away – but they do have interesting sea information, and shipwreck information.

A few more steps down from these huts is the beach proper... and past the beached whale, further north-west, is a wide open area of sand... There is a white post in the ground, a hanging basket dangling from the post, a small circular stone pond, and an eerie air of stillness. Here is where the Sibyl of the Sands dwells – or so they say. As a seeress, what she says is extremely accurate.