3. Wyrm's Crossing

A few days’ travel north from the Friendly Arm Inn reveals the city of Baldur’s Gate on the horizon. For those who have never visited such a large center of civilization, it seems impossibly large even from this distance.

First, though, to enter the city, the party must navigate Wyrm’s Crossing. The massive bridge crosses the River Chionthar: first to an island fortress of the Flaming Fist, and then to the river’s far side. Both lengths of the bridge are choked with numerous houses and shops; it’s practically a city unto itself!

And so at mid-morning the party steps onto the cobblestone ‘street’ of Wyrm’s Crossing. The place is a-bustle with crowds of folks moving on and off the bridge, weaving between shops, and drowning out most sounds with their chatter. Hawkers and peddlers shout their wares and prices from mere feet away. The smell of the place is just as present as the people. Truly, civilization at its finest.

As they make their way along the bridge’s first span, something grabs the party’s attention…

Two men, fishers by the look of them, accost a young girl. Even over the din of the crowd the group can hear the threats the two men are shouting:

"I’ll toss you straight off the Crossing, witch!"

"But not before we’ve taken our losses out of your sorry hide!"

They each grab one of the girl’s arms and start hoisting her towards an open section of railing. No one else in the crowd seems to care, and continue on their way as though blind to the scene. For her own part, the girl seems to have gone limp, but the fear in her eyes proves she's all too aware of what's happening.

Aiwë lends her own presence to the weight of the group.

The two men glare down at little Ida, ready to tell her to get lost, when Dieter shows up. The tall, strong young man - obviously an experienced warrior, perhaps even a killer - makes them rethink that idea. Aiwe's presence only strengthens the effect.

One of them lets go of the girl. The other man's face reddens with frustration.
The red-faced man angrily holds up three fingers. "Three days we set out on our fishing ships, and each time we were nearly scuttled! Storms outta nowhere." The girl squirms and he pulls on her arm. "This one did it! She's a sea witch, evil to the bone!"

"Ow!" the girl exclaims when her arm gets pulled. "Stop hurting me!"

The other man holds his hands up defensively. "Don't be deceived by her appearance! She's killed, and will again!" He shakes his head. "And our families starve until we bring home fish to eat."

The girl looks back at the party. Her sea-green eyes show a flicker of desperate hope. "These men are liars! Help me!"

"But she's not a child!" the red-faced man insists. "Not with the things she can do. Children don't conjure storms and murder fishermen!"

Under the party's pressure he finally relents and releases the girl, but there's still plenty of anger in his eyes. "Bah! She's got you under her sway, no doubt. Well, there's nothing more we can do here then."

He turns to the other man. "Come on, Telman."

Telman turns and spits. "Cuz it's in her blood."

His friend pulls him away, and the two take off through the crowd.

The girl looks up at Ida and blinks her dark green eyes, marked by swirls of turbulent gray. "I want to go home..."

The girl seems innocent enough, but there's something about her that makes Dieter's hair stand on edge. Whether or not she's responsible for the deaths those men accused her of, there's more to her than meets the eye.

But she can't be dangerous at the moment. Can she?
The girl rubs her eyes with the back of her hand. "Down there." She points off the rail, back towards the shore the party entered the bridge from. "It's down by the water. Mama and I lived there before..." She swallows. "That's where I want to go."

Mama! Mama... I want you back. Please, please... Accompanying the girl's thoughts is a heavy wave of sorrow, and the image of a woman's face, too pale and still.

"Those men... they..." The girl can't finish her sentence, but in her mind Aiwe sees the woman's injuries. Those men murdered the girl's mother.

The girl timidly returns Ida's hug. "Okay..."Dieter easily picks the two men out of the mass of people. Those men and women who notice the young man's fierce determination quickly step out of his way, and soon he returns to the party with the two fishermen tight in his grip.

The commotion draws the attention of a Flaming Fist guard, who stomps up to the group in shining chainmail. "What's going on here? I'll have no fighting on Wyrm's Crossing!"

The Flaming Fist guard frowns down at the men. "Is this true?" He waves over several more guards. "We'll take them from here, and we'll get to the bottom of this. Where's the girl?"

His eyes fall on Ida and the young girl, and his expression softens with pity. "By Torm..." He looks at the rest of the party and speaks in a low voice. "She needs to come in as well, but I don't want to scare her; she's been through enough. You've been friendly faces to her, haven't you? Will you bring her to Wyrm's Rock?" He points to the imposing fortress that makes up the middle length of Wyrm's Crossing. "We can make arrangements there for what's to be done with her."

The guard's polished helmet catches the light as he nods. "Of course! The Temple District is on the Gate's northwest side. You'll find the Temple of Torm there easily, along with places of worship for near any goodly deity."

Another guard approaches the first and hands him a piece of parchment. "You mean...?" The guard's eyes widen as he scans the writ, and then he gives the party another studied look. "You wouldn't happen to be the group Officer Vai sent after the bandits, would you?" He nods in confirmation to himself. "Scar wants to see you. He's second only to Duke Eltan in command of the Flaming Fist, and a good man besides. You'll find him in Wyrm's Rock, which is just as well as you'll be heading there soon regardless."

His eyes flick to the girl again, then he straightens up and takes command of the two murderous fishermen. "I can see why Vai put her trust in you. Tymora favor you for what you're doing for the girl. Farewell!"

The girl takes Ida's hand. She's quiet, but from the way she squeezes the cleric's hand it's clear she doesn't mean to let go anytime soon.

The trip to Wyrm's Rock would only take a few minutes, but with the press of the crowds it's nearly a half hour before the party arrives at the towering edifice bisecting the massive bridge. It truly is a fortress! The drawbridge is down, as no large ships are passing through at the moment, and a score of Flaming Fist in gleaming armor watch the crowds pass by.

Once within the Rock itself, a guard seated in a booth looks at the group expectantly. "Commander Scar is upstairs in his office. You'd best not keep him waiting; he's a busy man."

Meanwhile, the young girl quietly asks Ida to learn some writing. "I don't know how to write my name."