Spitz by Marcus

As a young boy, Spitz would wander through the temporary smuggler towns of Kelthann, as he often did, wedging himself into the shadowed nooks created where canvas tents met wooden facade, and spying on the smugglers and their whores. One night as Spitz crept from one smuggler's den to another Spitz met Jelle’skar Spellfilcher, who, having just buried one cabin boy, found himself in need of another. Spitz went home and snuck away with a few favorite items: fishing pole, some clam shells with smooth holes in them that glowed in the moonlight, and his other pair of trousers. Then he officially signed on to the “Monarch Manta,” which left that same night, never thinking of his fish mongering parents or five siblings again.

Jelle’skar, an albino half-drow, was both the master and mage of the ship, smuggling magic goods throughout the Sea of Fallen Stars. Based out of Westgate, Jelle’skar also made a point of stealing books of spells, not only to sell, but also for his own private collection.

During their first voyage, it became apparent to Jelle’skar that Spitz might make a worthwhile apprentice. Jelle’skar began to teach Spitz how to cast spells. When they next went out to sea, Spitz assisted Jelle’skar on his private errands, keeping lookout and casting sleep spells on the casual passerby or casting any other minor spell that Jelle’skar simply didn’t want to bother with.

This continued for many long voyages, as Spitz worked his way up to deckhand and began to earn enough to purchase his own small flat in Westgate. When on shore, Spitz would frequent the revelry halls mingling with bohemians and adventurers. It was at one of these gatherings that Spitz met Nettel, an avant-garde flutist with whom he started an off and on relationship. Unbeknownst to Spitz, Nettel was the youngest daughter of a wealthy perfume merchant, which wouldn’t have mattered except that she became pregnant. Nettel had a falling out with her family and moved in with Spitz, much to his horror.

The first few days were okay, but then the reality began to set in and they began to irritate the fuck out of each other. Whenever word came that Monarch Mantra was shipping out, Spitz couldn’t wait to be gone. Spitz secretly hoped that when he returned she would be gone, but she never was. Quite the opposite. She was in high demand as a flutist; her compositions, themed around bleak prospects and ruined virtue, were popular among adventurers, and the like.

Upon returning for the first time, Spitz was introduced to his one year old son, Dhogogoth in a now fully furnished flat. Spitz couldn’t pronounce his son’s name, so called him Dog.

Again, things were okay for a while, mostly because Spitz had been at sea for so long he was willing to be an attentive partner if it meant getting some serious sex. Nettel even got him to marry her. But things started to go bad. Nettel’s popularity backfired. She was no longer considered avante-guarde and she lost her audience base. She also got knocked up again. Spitz fell back into his old habits, hitting the revelry halls and taverns, rarely coming home.

At one particularly decadent masque, Spitz hooked up with a woman all in black silk that seemed to be perpetually about to fall off. She insisted on going back to his place, but since Nettel was in his flat, he took her to Jelle’skar’s safe house. They had rough sex, and at one point the woman choked Spitz out. When he came to, the safehouse had been stripped of everything, even Spitz’s clothes were gone.

Spitz went home naked. The door to his flat was locked. Nettel had locked him out. His head pounding, Spitz cursed and banged on the door. Nettel shouted through the door, “Go back to your slut!” And then continued to wail a bunch of incomprehensible gibberish that Spitz didn’t understand. Apparently a “friend” had told her about his leaving the party with the silk clad woman.

Spitz managed to break down the door, but dislocated his shoulder in the process. There was then much shouting and throwing of household items. Spitz calmed her down enough to figure out what she knew and how she knew it. He then set about discrediting her sources of information. The friend was a known opium eater, etc. She calmed down, apologizing for doubting him. He grabbed some clothes and set out to find Jelle’skar. Spitz  told him what had happened. Jelle’skar had been holding some important items for the Night Masks in that safe house. He cast a spell on Spitz and Spitz collapsed.

Spitz woke up in a Night Mask interrogation chamber and after several days of questioning and torture, the Faceless personally came and burned a domino mask brand onto Spitz’s face. Then, suddenly, Spitz was released and told that he had till Sundown to get out of Westgate.

His face still burning, Spitz barely made it home where he convinced Nettel that they had to leave. Spitz never found out what happened to Jelle’skar. They left and headed west. Nettle, still pregnant, became sick on the journey; so, Spitz abandoned her and Dog at a Lathanderian Monastery, taking all the money and continuing to Waterdeep on his own. Needing employment, Spitz joined the adventurer’s guild in the hopes of poaching the spell books of others.