Traveling Merchants! Mob Vengeance! Ancients Libraries! Rival Adventurers! This is the Orm News Update!

The folks in Orm have been enjoying the pleasant spring weather that has been around in the fortnite since the Veneral Equinox. The weather isn't the only topic folks in Orm have been discussing. Here is the latest word on the street in the City-State:

A couple of mornings ago a decapitated body holding a bloody bindle containing a severed head was found by the morning staff of the Burning Witch. The body, propped in the tavern's doorway, is said to be that of a transient recent to Orm known as "Bindle". Orm's Civil Defense Force have been unable to turn up any leads in the murder but one name has been on the lips of Burning Witch patrons as the party responsible: The Crooked Hand! The tavern rumor mill is filled with gossip of how "Bindle" owed the Ormian thieves guild a not small amount of gold for an unknown transgression. More telling may be that the body displayed the crime organization's calling card: a broken right hand. Some say, with so many new players on the scene in Orm, the Crooked Hand is trying to send a message has to who rules the underworld of the City-State.

An ancient library uncovered! Magic-users Journeyman Crannoc, Phasmo, and Scamandros have teamed with the half-elf Sergio Cankersore open a research library filled with texts from a bygone era. Rumored for be worth thousands of gold pieces, the collection of books and scrolls covers an extensive array of subjects. The library will be open for use for a charge but in the meantime, it is getting notice from Orm's intellectual crowd from the Impossible Fortress' Enchantress on down. The Society of the Coruscating Seal has one word for the new librarians-- jealous!

Speaking of new arrivals to Orm, the adventuring company known at the "Midnight Marauders" sailed into the Bay of Favul in a captured Sea King ship. Company captain, the Sir Rolf Von Pattyn of the Holy Empire-That-Is, is offering to pay for maps of area dungeon whispered about in Orm's adventuring community known to some as "The Complex". Von Pattyn will pay 10gp per room contained on the map plus 50gp for additional exits outside of the one known to the halfling Bitterleaf clan. In addition, Sir Rolf is willing to hire out his company for a variety of services. (read below in Appendix 1 for more on the Midnight Marauders)

Bartamus Fludge has returned to Orm! The traveling merchant, last seen during the Resplendent Fête has once again set his train of giant ferrets and halfling porters up just south of the Monument of the Gods with a fresh array of goods and oddities. Fludge or his assistants will gladly assistant interested customers but thieves beware: little slips past his hill dwarf guards. (see below in Appendix 2 for what is available)

New develops in the disappearance of Johan Bitterleaf! Locals to the village of Kêm found remains, rumored to be Bitterleaf now missing for a month and a fortnite, floating in the nearby fens. Under the authority of the Rani, Impossible Fortress steward Merdinus is dispatching a party organized by Journeyman Crannoc to look into the body, whether it is the disappeared Bitterleaf, and if it all has ties to strange sightings villagers have been reporting near the settlement. The party is to set out not this week but the next.

Appendix 1: The Midnight Marauders

Not an accurate portrait of the Marauders but it
gets at their vibe. 

Seasoned adventurers hailing originally from the Holy Empire-That-Is, the Midnight Marauders' nucleus is formed by a trio of Cerulean War veterans but has since expanded its ranks. They include:

• Sir Rolf Von Pattyn: The company captain's Von Pattyn, the bastard son of an Imperial noble, is a skilled swordsman whose war dog Brutus is always close by.
• Thom Slauder: This group's giant of a quartermaster was burned in the siege of Kouz and still wears the scars on half his face.
• Jacq Twigg: Thin and hook-nosed, Twigg is a skilled thief known for wearing the garments of a monk of the Church of Law.
• Aladee Nightthistle: A half-elf exile forbidden to ever return to her father's court, Aladee is as known for her skill as an archer as she is for her charm with the ladies.
• L'dy Meggee PakPak: This cunning hob from the Sunset Praire recently wed the kobold PakPak (much to the disppointment of her mother, a Viscountess).
• Zarthur Mare: This magic-user has achieved the level of "Beholder" in the Transcendental Congress of the Aureate Precepts. He is known for his interest in mystical visions, dreams, and the like.

As stated up above, Sir Rolf is not above hiring out his group to other adventurers if he finds negotiations agreeable. Along with dungeon delving, the Midnight Marauders are skilled at spying, gathering intelligence, and being able to develop and operate mercenary forces. Those interested in hiring the Midnight Marauders should examine the table below:

Serious Aladee Nightthistle vibes.

Midnight Marauder Rates and Fees
Cost	Type of Work
500gp	Drawing up plans for an assault on a major target and other similar logistics for 1 month.
250gp	Spying in a town or stronghold for 1 month.
250gp	Gathering Intelligence in the wilderness for 1 week.
250gp	Training a troop of recruits for 1 week.
250gp	Delving into Levels 1 and 2 of “The Complex” for 1 day.
500p	Delving into Level 3 of the Complex for 1 day.
750gp	Delving into Level 4 of the Complex for 1 day.
250gp	Wereguild payment for the death of a member of the Midnight Marauders on a job for an employer.
The Midnight Marauders collect 1 full share for the entire party when accompanying another adventuring group into “The Complex” (if they are reasonably shielded from danger).
The Midnight Marauders collect 1/2 of total treasure when delving on their own into “The Complex” on behalf of an employer.

Appendix 2: Bartamus Fludge and His Wondrous Traveling Emporium

The mustachioed halfling, Bartamus Fludge, travels through Ur-Dun selling from settlement to settlement a variety of unusual items. Fludge and his assistants, the human Frugal Forum and dwarf Handsome Tiny, each manage a selection of goods carried by halfling porters and giant ferrets. Currently, they have the following to offer:

The wares of Frugal Forum and her 2 Giant Ferrets
Item	Description	Qty. In Stock	Price Per Unit
Beads	Glass seed beads of  a variety of colors	1000	2cp per bead
Huitlacoche	Preserved fungus-infested corn	52 lbs.	5 sp per lbs.
Healing Salve	Heals 1d3 hp	2	50gp ea.
Insect Repellant	A greasy salve that is waterproof	22 oz.	1gp per oz.
Tiny Bells	1” copper bells	17	2 sp ea.
Jerkins	Made of leather and fur trimmed	8	12gp ea.
Vests	Made of angora and halfling-sized	4	6gp ea.
Wine	A dark berry vintage known for drawing out the drinkers’ poetic side.	40 Gallons	1gp per pint

The wares of Handsome Tiny and his halfling porters.
Item	Description	Qty. In Stock	Price Per Unit
Backpack	Made of hemp and covered in elaborate beading.	2	20gp ea.
Ball and Cup Game	For the children	3	1 sp ea.
Buttons	Bone	120	3 cp per button
Cloak Pins	Silver skull	4	1 gp ea.
Cloak Pins	Copper birds	6	2 sp  ea.
Jodhpurs	Made of silk with ribbon at the knees.	2 pair	13 gp ea
Ribbon	Grosgrain of a pale variety	50 ft.	2cp per yard
Stockings	Made of a chunky knit and alternating stripes of color.	11 pair	8 sp per pair

Bartamus Fludge himself and his 3 Giant Ferrets
Item	Description	Qty. In Stock	Price Per Unit
Arrows	Fletched with red and yellow feathers.	29	5 sp per arrow
Boots	Patent leather ankle height footwear with brass studs.	11 pair	10 gp per pair
Boots	Knee high, sturdy leather footwear with fringe.	8 pair	7gp per pair
Caps	Felt bycockets	6	5 sp ea.
Helms	Feathered steel morions	2	12 gp ea.
Iron Rations	Wheat and bouillon powder cakes.	14 days	1 gp per day
Lanterns	Hooded lanterns featuring delicate metal work	3	12 gp ea.
Magic Candle: Company’s Candle	Only those within the radius of the light can see the candle light. It has a radius of 30’ and lasts 8  turns.	1	50 gp.
Magic Rope: Rusting Line	This rusty looking coil of wire is actually a fairly light and useable line. Any edged weapon used to try to cut this blade forces the bearer of the weapon to make a save vs spells or the weapon will rust away (without harming the line).	50 ft.	2 gp per ft.
Ribbon	Bright and made of satin	50 ft.	5 cp per yard
Salt	From the sea	20 oz.	5sp per oz.
Shields	Elaborately painted parma	2	15 gp ea.
Trousers	Herringbone britches	4	7 sp. per pair

Potential thieves should be wary, as the caravan is protected by three hill dwarves-at-arms. Those that botch pick pocket attempts or other petty crimes on Fludge's operation face the following repercussions:

Been Caught Stealing: Roll 2d6+Reaction Bonus
Total	Result
2 or less	The thief must make a save ys paralysis. On a failed roll, they end up in jail and must pay a 1d6x100gp fine to be released.
3-5	Blind justice: The thief’s eyes are attacked by strange gnome illusion magic. On a failed save vs spells, they spend their next session blind. The stolen goods are returned regardless of the roll.
6-8	Just payment: the guards take the monetary treasure the thief has on them and beat them up causing them to start their next session down 1d3 hp. A successful save vs death reduces the damage to zero.
9-11	Shakedown: The thief must pay 150% of what was taken or be banned from Fludge’s traveling market forever.
12 or more	We’ll let this one slide: The guards allow the thief to return what was stolen or pay for it and let bygones be bygones.

Players interested in buying from Bartamus Fludge, please comment below. Quantities are limited.