# A Savage Tidings Tale



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 8, 2007)

*A Savage Tidings Tale*

*Subtitled: Rebel Without A Clue*

_Being the story of one Thalas Serranon, elven battlemancer, his companions, and their adventures in, around, and beyond the fabled city of Sasserine._

Dramatis Personae:

As of 7 OCT 07:

Arjan, Human Druid 1 (Vow of Poverty) (Played by *KingCrab*)
Athal, Elf Warblade 1 (Played by *drquestion*)
Kyrsith, Elf Cleric 1
Thalas, Elf Duskblade 1 (Played by *Olgar Shiverstone*)
Morderas, Half-Drow Rogue 1

Added 21 OCT 07
Quinn, Human Scout 1


_Author's Note: This is a log of a 3.5 campaign based on the Dungeon Savage Tide Adventure Path.  EN World's *Failed Saving Throw* is the DM.  I'm not the greatest fiction writer, and I don't know how often I'll update this campaign log, but hopefully some of the other players and DM will also post here to provide their perspectives._


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 8, 2007)

*Session 1: It begins.*

_In which our heroes are introduced, a mysterious letter arrives, and an even more mysterious ship is investigated invaded._

Thalas was knocking back a mid-day brew at the Hunter's Trap in Sunrise, pondering whether to take a stroll down to the arena, break out a spell book for a bit of study, or head out to Standing Stone Park for a bit of blade practice when she walked into the tavern.

The human boor talking loudly about the deer that got away and its impossible size paid her no mind, nor would he -- she was a grey-haired, elderly halfling woman, who stood but three foot in height, just over half Thalas' size.  Thalas typically took but little notice of humans except as sources of amusement, and even less of halflings, but this woman strode purposefully toward him, bowing and handing him a rolled parchment with an unusual seal.


----------



## howandwhy99 (Oct 8, 2007)

HOLY MOTHER OF...  (click)-subscribe

You just made my first daily update subscription in over a year.  

Hope you're having fun.  As an... _ELF!?_


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 8, 2007)

*shrug*

Yeah, I'm a bloody namby-pamby hairless androgynous elf.

Though dwarves are my usual schtick, I figured I'd try something different.  This way I get to play both angsty and superior, though using Wisdom as a dump stat is already getting me into trouble.  I even broke my usual rule to try out a non-core class.  

Update coming later this evening.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 8, 2007)

Thalas raised an eyebrow at the halfling woman, then broke the seal and unrolled the parchment.  It read:



> Greetings, and I trust this missive finds you in good health!
> 
> My name is Lavinia Vanderboren, and I humbly request your attendance at dinner at my estate on Festival Street and Blue Skink Lane tomorrow evening.  I thikn that I can present you with an opportunity uniquely suited to your skills.  Please inform the carrier of this letter of your response to this invitation, and I hope to be speaking to you soon!
> 
> -- Lavinia Vanderboren




_Corellon's hairless nutsack!_ Thalas thought. _A decade of ditching the nobility and they've finally tracked my down.  My uncle is probably behind this, which means I should head for the jungle immediately.  On the other hand ... the Vanderborens aren't usually marching to the tune of the Dawn Council, and have been in disgrace.  Perhaps by going along I'll find out what hand my uncle played in tracking me down.  Who knows, it could give me my first clue._

He put down the letter.  "Tell Lavinia I'll be there."  He was most certainly not going to bow and scrape to one of Sasserine's leading families, no matter how rich.  Precautions might be needed ... a chain shirt under his tunic tonight, Demonbane at his side.  A sword could appear formal, but still show he couldn't be cowed.

The halfling woman was departing the tavern; on a whim Thalas swiftly rose and followed her.  _Best check to make sure she really serves the Vanderborens!_

He darted from alley way to alleyway as she made her way across the Sunrise disctrict to the bridges to the Merchant's Quarter.  The diminutive woman looked neither left nor right, and kept up a steady pace.  Thalas meanwhile moved in a crouch, taking exaggerated care not to be seen -- never mind that it was noon, there wasn't a shadow to hide in anywhere, and the streets were crowded enough that is every move could be seen.  Sneaking had never been his strong suit.

Eventually, the halfling reached the large, walled compound that was the Vanderboren estate in the Merchant Quarter.  Satisfied that she was whom she claimed, Thalas broke off pursuit, returning to Sunrise to prepare for the morrow's entertainment.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 8, 2007)

Sasserine is an odd city.  Backed against the Amedio Jungle, it is a long, long way from the better known and more civilized parts of the Flaness.  As the only port in the region, though, it serves as a center for both trade and civilization.  Beings of many cultures met and mingled in Sasserine to exchange goods and services.  Pirates secretly serving the Scarlet Brotherhood might enter the port to do more or less honest buiness, while adventurers gathered strange animal, plants and artifacts from the jungles to the south for sale in the back alleys of Sasserine's grey market.  _If it can be imagined_, went the old phrase, _it can be seen or bought in Sasserine_.

So it was without particular surprise that Thalas found the oddly matched pair awaiting him at the gates of Vanderboren manner the following evening.  He'd arrived fashionably late, just as planned, his father's sword worn rakishly on one hip, and a moderately serviceable shirt and tunic covering his chain shirt beneath.  He'd deliberately mussed his straight black hair, the better to present his planned facade of cautious indifference.  If Lavinia Vanderboren really knew who he was, he would send the message that we hasn't afraid; if she didn't, then his current appearance would be assumed to be his normal character, and so much the better.

The two beings waiting outside the gate, however, did not appear to have taken equal care.  One appeared to be a human of indeterminate gender.  Race, even, was hard to determine as the man? woman? thing? stank to Arborea, wore about six layers of never-cured hides, and had painted all exposed skin with green and black pigments.  The other was a male elf of about Thalas' age, who paced nervously back and forth, wearing very fine clothing that was obviously newly purchased for the occasion.  

To his surprise, Thalas did recognize the elf.  He shouldn't have been startled; the elven population of Sasserine was fairly small, and even this far from the center of elvendom on Oerth all the elves of a certain age still spent time together learning the traditional elven arts of sword and bow, woodcraft and magecraft.

"Athal! What are you doing here?" Thalas asked.  He knew Athal vaguely -- they had sparred a few times a few decades back when both were still learning the sword, but had seldom crossed paths since.  Thalas had a vague memory of Athal being from one of the poorer elven families in Sasserine, an issue made much of by his parents but that made little sense at the time to a just-turned-seventy elf boy.

"I was invited." Athal flourished a parchment similar to that Thalas carried.  "My sword and services are required by the great house of Vanderboren."

Thalas sneered but said nothing.  The -- thing -- under the hides watched but remained silent.  Thalas shrugged.  "I guess we go up?"

The gates were open, and from the lighted doorway of the manor itself Thalas could see another figure just entering.  He and Athal followed, with the painted stranger training just beyond scent range behind.

The entryway of the manor was lavishly appointed with polished and inlaid wood, though the wear on many of the surfaces indicated that times were not as prosperous as they once had been.  Thalas reviewed what he remembered of the Vanderborens.   The were a weathy merchant family with interests in the shipping business, who made their money the new way: they earned it, sometimes honestly, sometimes not.  They had been successful enough to buy influence with the Dawn Council, until recently.  There had been a fire that had destroyed much property and killed the senior Vanderboren and his wife, leaving behind the two adult children, Lavinia and Vanthus.  There were rumors of financial problems, but beyond that Thalas knew little.  Human society changed so rapidly that it was impossible to keep up.

The elderly halfling woman who had delivered the message was waiting, along with another: Kyrsith, a young elven woman also of Thalas' age wearing the robes and sigil of the House of the Dragon, one of the academies in town.  Thalas knew her moderately well, as his mother had served as Kyrsith's magical tutor for a time.  They still occasionally crossed paths at some of the bookshops and magical emporiums in town, though they shared little else in common.

"Kyrsith, what brings you here?" Thalas inquired.

"I was invited, silly," Kyrsith replied smugly, "You?"

"The same. This is Athal, and ... ."  The green mute remained mute.

"Welcome all," the halfling woman intoned.  "If you would be so kind as to wait in the sitting room - " at this she motioned to a room off the foyer.  "I'll inform my mistress that you all have arrived."


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

The four stepped into the sitting room, which was finely but not lavishly appointed and decorated with a nautical theme, paintings and bas-reliefs of various ships and watercraft adorning the walls.

"Who's the freak?" Thalas asked Kyrsith and Athal in a stage whisper.  He eyed the green monster.

Athal shrugged, but Kyrsith smiled at the green mute and said "I'm Kyrsith, what's your name?"

"Arjan," came the response, but nothing further followed.

"Well, Arjan," Kyrsith began, but she trailed off as four adventurers passed through the room.  The first was a part-elven male clad in leather with daggers strapped everywhere on his person.  The second was a dwarf, dark-skinned wearing green and brown robes.  The third was an attractive -- by human standards, anyway -- human woman wearing the tattoo of a crescent moon on one side of her face.  The last was a tall human male in a fine polished breastplate.

"I see the help has arrived," the man said jauntily as he passed.

"The help?  The help!" Thalas shouted as the man departed.  "Now, you come back and explain-". There was the sound of a gong, and from the adjoining chamber came a voice:

"Lady Vanderboren.  Dinner is served."


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

The four were escorted into a large, well-lit high-ceilinged chamber dominated by a long polished table in the center which was surrounded by high-backed chairs.  The table was set for a multi-course meal.  At the far end of the chamber was a larger-than-life-sized portrait of a young, fair-skinned, bearded nobleman.  Standing facing the portrait was a tall woman in an elegant blue gown.  As she turned, her beauty became apparent.  Even for a human she was striking, thin and lanky but clearly athletic, and with less than the usual curved padding that most human women carried.  Given the woman's dress, Thalas noted that Athal was the only one actually properly attired for the occasion.  He himself looked like a ragged vagabond in comparison.  Arjan, meanwhile, was simply indescribable, and stared at the woman with what appeared to be hunger while he licked -- was that pink _frosting_? -- from his lips.

"I am Lavinia Vanderboren," the woman announced simply.  "Thank you for responding to my summons."  Athal and Kyrsith bowed their heads.  Arjan stood slack jawed; Thalas merely smirked.  "Please be seated."

Shrugging, Thalas flopped into a chair at one end of the table, opposite Kyrsith and Athal and next to Arjan.  Lady Vanderboren remained standing, pacing, wrining her hands in obvious discomfort.  _Here we go,_ Thalas thought.

"You've all probably heard the rumors," Lady Vanderboren began.  "It pains me to admit it, but most of them are true.  Due to a series of unfortunate events" _what an interesting choice of phrase_ "my family finds itself in debt to the Dawn Council, the Harbormaster, and several of the Guilds.  Wealth we still have, but it lies in our magically locked vault beneath Castle Terakaian.  The key to the vault -- a family signet ring -- is secured on one of our ships, the _Blue Nixie_.  Unfortunately, the _Nixie_ was seized for non-payment of debt, and though I have paid the required fee and more to a despicable man named Silar Vark, I still have not been granted access to the ship.  I fear the ship may be being misused by factors unknown.  In any case, I cannot risk the true nature of my plight becoming known across the city, which is where you come in.  Here is my offer."  She paused, reading their faces.  Thalas tried to put on his best poker face, but succeeded only in looking glassy-eyed.  "I'll give you 200 gold nobles each to gain access to the _Nixie_ and retrieve my key, and if possible the money I paid Vark.  Return, and there will be an additional reward for your help in reaching my vault."

_Not what I expected_, Thalas thought.  _My uncle profits from this how?  If he's behind this, he'd be sinking Vanderboren's ship, not maneuvering me into helping her.  Assuming she's not lying, and I doubt she is, helping her could be a real eyepoke to the old man._

He interrupted.  "So let me get this straight.  You want us to break into your ship, steal this key, ring, whatever; steal back your money, then break into your vault?"

Lady Vanderboren blushed.  "I sincerely hope breaking and entering will not be required.  You may be able to convince Vark to hand over the ship given that the requsite fees have been paid.  but if not, well, you have the right of it."

Thalas smiled.  _Stickin' it to the man!_ "I'm in!" he announced impetuously.

Lady Vanderboren turned to Athal and Kyrsith.  After a few questions and a bit of unpracticed fawning by Athal, both agreed to help.  Arjan merely meekly asked: "You said something about food?"

Lavinia smiled and clapped for the meal to be brought in.  Just as she did so, however, there was a commotion at the door.  Two guards were dragging in a slight, cloaked figure who was struggling mightily.

"We found this one lurking outside, yer ladyship" one guard said, saluting.  The two guards propped the prisoner up.  He/she -- probably he, given the absence of certain features -- was of moderate height and slight of build, and wore a dark cowl that completely cloaked the face in darkness, save for a few stray whisps of pale hair that escaped from beneath it.  The figure struggled to keep the cowl forward, but one guard jerked it back.

Lavinia Vanderboren gasped and went pale.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

The stranger's features were somewhere between human and elven -- not as rounded as a human's, but neither as angular as an elf's.  What was truly strange, though, was his coloration: dusky grey skin, pale hair, and dark, almost violet eyes.

"Half-elven abomination!" Lavinia hissed.  "What are you doing here?"

"I have information that may be of use to you," the stranger answered nonchalantly.  "And in return, I expect you will be able to help me as well."

"Pah!  What could you possibly know that would be of help, drow?"

"I know why you have asked these others here," the stranger continued, nonplussed.  "I've been to your ship, and I know where the guards are posted, and I know a way past the patrols.  These others won't succeed without me."

Thalas whispered across the table to Kyrsith: "I thought drow were a myth?"

Lavinia continued: "And what would you expect in return?"

"In due time," the stranger replied.  "Nothing you can't afford or won't part with."

"And why should I trust you?" she replied.

Thalas bristled.  Vanderboren's inherent superiority complex was showing -- and he did resent the superiority of the nobility.  He interrupted: "For that matter, how can you trust any of us?"

Lavinia spluttered.  "Well, I , uh, I ... I suppose you are right.  Very well, let this other join you.  Please enjoy your meal; I seem to have lost my appetite."  She turned on her heel and left the room.

Thalas narrowed his eyes and sized up the stranger, whom the guards had released.  The man pulled his cowl back up over his head and grabbed a spot at the table.  _Well, he looks trustworthy._ [OOC: Sense motive = 1].  Arjan, meanwhile, looked from the stranger to the food, and began stuffing his face.

"So, you do know that drow are mythical, right?" Thalas said to the stranger in a conversational tone.  "You didn't mention your name, either.  I'm Thalas."

"Morderas," the stranger replied, eyeing the others.  "So you're the amateurs I'm saddled with?  What good are you?"

"I've no equal with sword or spell," Thalas boasted.  _Amateur?_

"I'm not bad with either, either," Kyrsith said.

"And I know my way around a sword," Athal replied.  "Perhaps we should consider a plan while we eat?"

"Plan, what plan?" Thalas replied.  "Seems easy enough.  Row out to the ship, knock the guards over the head, grab the key and go.  Simple."

"Not so simple," Morderas said.  "I have a boat, and I exaggerate a bit about the patrols, but the ship is guarded."

"Maybe we should poke around down at the docks a bit," Athal suggested. "Sailors notice things.  We may find out what we need."

"Oh, have it your way," Thalas replied, digging in to rubbery chicken and over-cooked vegetables.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

After finshing their meals and collecting some key belongings, the group assembled later that night outside The Crimson Genie, a popular house of ill repute in the Dock District not far from the poer where the _Blue Nixie_ was reported to be moored.  Thalas had retrieved the remainder of his weapons, and though the polearm he preferred to carry stood well above his head when strapped to his back, it stood out relatively little amidst the stranger sights of the Docks District late at night.

Outside the Genie, a few scantily clad strumpets strolled, batting eyes at passers-by, and occasionally snaring a swaying sailor and guiding him up the steps inside to the common room, from which came all manner of cheers, songs, and sounds of bawdy activity.

Thalas was generally disgusted.  Not at the activity; that was normal for all animals, particularly for humans who seemed to need to rut away the majority of their short lives.  Human women were far too round in most features -- eyes, face, chest, hips -- and lacked the pleasing angularity possessed by elven women.  Plus human women tended to be too hairy and possess terrible body odor.

The others arrived.  Thalas nodded to Morderas, then pointed down the nearest dock.  "Is that it?"

Moderas nodded.  "It's moored about a hundred yards out off the end of the dock, tied to a piling.  There are usually a couple of guards up on deck.  You can just make out their torches from here."

Between the torches, the crescent moon, and their elven sight, four of the group could just make out the profile of a three-masted caravel riding genly on the swells in the middle of the harbor.  Arjan, meanwhile, was playing with rats in the alleyway next to the genie.

"Hey nature boy," Thalas called.  "I may be a master of the arcane, but I can't cure bubonic plague.  Concentrate here."

Arjan reluctantly stopped his tete-a-tete with the local vermin and joined the group.

"I think I'm going to talk to some sailors," Athal declared.  He started toward the Genie.  "Who's with me?"  Kyrsith, Arjan, and Morderas demurred, leaving Thalas to drop his glaive and follow Athal inside.

In the common room, a number of groups of sailors were drinking, throwing darts, and apparently testing the freshness of the ladies, much as a greengrocer might check his tomatoes for firmness.  Athal and Thalas soon located a likely looking group of experienced sailors who weren't too intoxicated, and a few rounds of drinks loosened tongues.  Athal gradually brought the conversation around to the ship at the end of the nearby dock.

"The Blue Fish-Thing?" the bosun of a whaler asked.  "Aye, she's been moored there a fortnight or longer.  Little activity; seems she's been put out to rot.  No business, though we'd see strange lights out there some nights.  Probably teenagers sneaking out nights to play around.  Nothing out there to be concerened about.  Doubt she's for hire."

Satisfied, Thalas flipped the man a silver and motioned for Athal to withdraw.  They rejoined the others.  "Happy now?" Thalas asked.  "Shall we try my way?"  Athal shrugged.

"My boat's this way," Morderas said, leading the way down the dockside into the darkness.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

Morderas rowed the small dinghy out to a large piling in the center of the harbor a hundred yards beyond the piers.  Tied to it by a thick rope was a large, three masted caravel, with torches burning at bow and stern.  The ship was obviously in disrepair -- wood was warped and damged, ropes were strewn about rtaher than being neatly coiled, and the sails hung slack rather than being secured to the topmasts.

Morderas secured the dighy to the piling and began to clamber monkey-like up the mooring line to the port side of the ship.  Thalas followed, with Athal, Arjan, and then Krystith behind.  They crawled over the railing and on to the deck, quietly.  Two guards stood on the main deck, one opposite facing out to sea, the other near the aft deckhouse, also looking away.  Atop the forecastle to the left, another guard paced, and a fourth was atop the aft deckhouse.  All four were armed and armored, but for the moment, not looking toward the group.  An open trapdoor and a large grating were on either side of the mainmast in the center of the deck, and doors led fore and aft into the fore- and aft-castles of the ship.

"What now?" Morderas whispered. "Let's kill the guards."

"Guard the stairs," Thalas pointed to the steps up to the forecastle.  "I have an idea."

He concentrated, reaching deep inside an grabbing the spark of magical energy he could feel deep in his gut.  He'd always had difficulty with his formal magical studies; though he grasped the basics the actual execution continued to elude him no matter how much he studied.  But he'd always had a knack for a few magical tricks, particularly when he had a weapon in his hand.  His sword was sheathed and his bow and glaive were secured across his back, but the magic flowed anyway, blossoming as a glowing, human-like form that crawled over the aft rail of the ship onto the deck of the aftcastle.  

The guards turned in surprise, moving aft, and Thalas lunged toward the near door to the forecastle cabin, motioning for the others to follow.  He slid through the door, as the others quietly slipped in behind him without a hue and cry being raised from the deck.  "No need for unnecessary killing," he whispered," but I hope there's another way out since that trick won't work twice."

They were in a small wardroom, unfurnished except for card table and some stores.  Doors led to a small side cabin and what must be a larger forward cabin.  Athal listen at the side door, reporting heavy snoring on the far side.  Morderas listened at the forward cabin door, smirking: "Someone is having a lot of fun on the other side!"  Sure enough, the sounds of noisy, sloppy lovemaking -- or at least a moaning female voice that approximated the same -- came from the far side of the door.

"Guard the doors," Thalas said, "We'll surprise them forward and see if they won't tell us where this ring is kept.  Should save us some time." He drew Demonbane and readied himself to open the forward door as Morderas drew a short sword and prepared to slip inside.  Athal and Kyrsith also drew weapons -- a longsword and wicked-looking falchion respectively.  Arjan produced a spear from under his voluminous hides.

Thalas eased the door open quietly as Morderas slipped inside.  Then suddenly there was a creak as Morderas stepped on a loose board, followed by a cry of "You dogs!" and the sound of a wet sticky thump followed by a thud.  Thalas leapt into the forward cabin, reaching inside for the insight of where his next blow would land.

Inside the room, Morderas stood atop a bed kicking the body of a half-naked woman from his short sword, while a disgusting fat man scrambled back into the corner waving a blade in front of him -- Silar Vark, from his appearance.  The man wore a breastplate, but from the woman's appearance it was clear she was doing some sort of "entertaining".

"Up you fools!  Intruders!  Burn it all!" Vark shouted, and from the room of snores Thalas could hear fumbling as well as running footsteps from the deck outside.  He channeled, a thin stream of blood running up his sword to tinge the blade red, and then he plunged the blade into Silar Varks chest.

The man slipped aside at the last second and so avoided impalement, but was still greviously wounded.  "Yield!" Thalas growled, as he and Morderas continued to fence with Vark.  Outside, the sound of weapons clashing was punctuated by thuds as bodies dropped to the deck.  Finally, Thalas was able to connect with a second blow that sent Vark reeling.  The man dropped his sword and whispered "Yield" as pink blood frothed to his lips.

"Watch him," Thalas commanded, and he spun on his heels and ran into the outer cabin.  

Outside, Athal was guarding the door to the deck, fencing with two deck guards while the bodies of two more lay at his feet.  Kyrsith was down, unconscious and bleeding as Arjan tried to bandage her wounds.  The body of a sailor lay in the doorway to the side cabin, as a wounded man stood reeling in the doorway.  Athal danced back and forth, sword alive as he first struck and one man, then spun to strike another.  Thalas dropped his sword and pulled his polearm free just as Athal dispatched another deck guard.  The remaining guard spun on his heels and ran, with a large splash sounding a moment later.  The wounded sailor dropped his blade and sank to his knees, crying "Mercy!"

Athal growled: "Can you swim?"  He opened a path to the deck, and the sailor bolted, a splash sounding a moment later.

Thalas retrieved his sword.  "See to Kyrsith," he said, and headed back to the forward cabin.  Vark still bled on his knees, as Morderas toore the cabin apart.  "Find the ring?" Thalas asked.  Morderas shook his head.

Thalas put the tip of his blade an inch from Vark's throat.  "Tell us where the signet ring is, and we'll let you live," he threatened, though it took Morderas putting a boot to Vark's head before the man coughed: "In the headboard, secret compartment."  

Morderas got to work, and soon secured a heavy gold ring that had a roll of parchment through it.  He glanced at the parchment, then passed it to Thalas, who read:



> Chimera looks to sunrise,
> Cyclops looks to sunset,
> Meduse looks to sunrise,
> Umber Hulk looks to sunset,
> Basilisk looks to sunrise.




_Bloody riddle_, thought Thalas.  The smell of smoke was beginning to waft up from the floorboards.

"Kyrsith's up," came Athal's voice from the outer cabin, "but they've fired the hold.  We need to get moving to find the ring and the money."

"We've got the ring!" Thalas shouted back.

Morderas turned toward Vark.  "We've got what we came for.  Let's kill him and be going."

"No!" Thalas protested.  "We can probably get a reward for turning him over to Lavinia.  Besides, he yielded to me.  We shouldn't kill him."  But it was too late -- with one stroke, Morderas slit Vark's throat.

"We're not done with this," Thalas growled, as Morderas pushed past him.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

In the outer cabin, Kyrsith was moving about, weakened but with wounds that were visibly healing up as time passed.  Thalas couldn't take time to marvel at that as he followed Morderas out onto deck.

"Did you find the money?" Athal asked.  Thalas shook his head, as did Morderas, though Kyrsith cocked her head at the lack of response.  "Guess we'd better search below.  If we can put the fire out, Lady Vanderboren may be in our debt."  He rushed aft to the steps down to the hold, as Arjan and Thalas followed.

Kyrsith pulled Thalas aside.  "I don't trust Morderas -- he's hiding something.  I think he found the money," she told Thalas.  

"Watch him," he replied, as he followed Athal down into the hold.

It was fairly dark below, but redish light could be seen coming through an open doorway to the main hold.  A woman's scream could be heard from the main hold, which cut off suddenly.  Athal came running back.  "There's a spider-thing the size of a small horse in there," he panted as he slammed the door behind him.  "It just sucked the brain out of some poor woman.  There are cages and cages of animals in there, too -- parrots and monkeys and things.  The fire is in a pile of rags.  We could probably put it out, but left uncontrolled, it will burn the ship to the waterline.  But I don't want to go face that spider thing!"

Thalas thought for a second as an idea came to him.   He ran back up on deck, drawing his bow.  Standing on the grate that opened on the main hold, he could see the profile of the spider-thing illuminated by the burning rags below him.  He nocked, drew, and released, putting a shaft into the thing's hide.  It squealed and scuttled out of sight.

Athal bounded up on deck, just as Kyrsith shouted a warning: "Morderas is running away!"  Thalas turned just as Morderas began to clamber over the side of the ship.  Kyrsith scooped up a crossbow from a dead guard and moved to the side of the ship, leveling it at Morderas.  Thalas did likewise, calling up his magic from within, and drawing another arrow.  

"I'll forgive you if you return, but if not, I'll put this shaft into your head!" he screamed at Morderas.

Just then Arjan came running up on deck.  "It's loose!" he screamed in panic.  The sound of talons scrabbling on the wood decking could be heard behind him, as the giant spider thing-pursued him up onto deck.  Arjan leapt between the creature and the rest of the party, moving into a defensive stance.  Thalas cursed, turned, and loosed his shaft and prepared magic at the creature, striking it in the thorax.  As he did so, he heard a splash from near the railing where Morderas had been.

Arjan, meanwhile, had thrown open the trapdoor to the hold, clambered down inside, and was freeing parrots from cages as quickly as he could move.  Athal was dueling the beast, but wounded it was clearly no match for the elven warrior, as after a moment of sparring he deftly put his blade through its mouth and out the back of what sufficed for a head, and the thing slumped to the deck, bubbling ichor.

Thalas paused long enough to look over the side of the ship.  Morderas hadn't resurfaced, but Kyrsith had slid back down the mooring rope onto the piling, and was looking about.  Morderas popped up from underwater at the edge of the piling to find the point of Kyrsith's falchion in his face.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with a wicked grin.

"I told you, we've got what we came for!" Morderas replied.  "I've got the money.  Let me up!"

"I think you can just tread water for a while," Kysith responded.

"I'm saving the animals!" Arjan shouted from the hold.

Athal and Thalas were forced to cease their argument over whether they should bring the spider-thing's body to town for sale.  Arjan had put the fire out and was coming out of the hold with cages of parrot and monkeys to set free.

_Shame,_ Thalas thought. _Those critters would bring quite a price to the right folks in Sasserine.  But Athal's probably right; we'd have to answer too many hard questions dragging the body back through the merchant district._

They dumped the body of the mysterious and terrifying spider creature overboard.


----------



## KingCrab (Oct 9, 2007)

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure Arjan had put out the fire by himself and let out the birds before anyone else had come down into the hold (it was while the battle with the spider creature was still going on).  He also didn't ask for help with freeing the animals.  Aside from that, you have a pretty incredible memory.  I'm surprized you can reconstruct all this without having played secretary all game.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

When in doubt, take poetic license.


----------



## Failed Saving Throw (Oct 9, 2007)

KingCrab said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I'm pretty sure Arjan had put out the fire by himself and let out the birds before anyone else had come down into the hold (it was while the battle with the spider creature was still going on).  He also didn't ask for help with freeing the animals.  Aside from that, you have a pretty incredible memory.  I'm surprized you can reconstruct all this without having played secretary all game.




I'm rather amazed at this as well. There was a lot of information packed into the first adventure.


----------



## carborundum (Oct 9, 2007)

Great story hour, guys! I know how much work it is to be secretary for the STAP, so I can take my hat off to you 
(Mine's in Dutch though, or I'd post it too)
/me hits the subscription button!


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

One trick: it's easier to write from one character's point of view than it is to capture what is going on with the entire group.  Since I play Thalas, I have a much better recollection of what he did than I do of everyone else's actions, and it's easier to maintain a coherent story.  

Another trick is to not worry about the blow-by-blow of D&D combat, but abstract it a bit so it flows (plus it helped for this session that Thalas was in a separate room for about 4 rounds of combat, so I didn't have to worry as much about keeping track of what the other characters were doing).


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 9, 2007)

Battered and bloody but victorious, the company of five -- "Vanderboren's Vassals", as Thalas was beginning to think of them -- returned to the Vanderboren manor just as the sun was beginning to appear over the eastern horizon.  They were quickly escorted in to meet a tousled but alert Lavinia Vanderboren.

" ... And that's what happened, my Lady," Athal concluded, after recounting the night's events.  "Here are the key and the money.  The ship was apparently being used as a base to smuggle exotic animals."

"We brought proof!" Thalas interjected, waving a hand in Arjan's direction.  The green-faced human was cooing over two cages full of lemurs that he had schlepped from the docks.  The exotic birds had been allowed to fly free.

"Yes," Athal continued, "and we saved the ship, which the smugglers attempted to set on fire."

"You've done quite well," Lavinia Vanderboren agreed.  "Well enough that I'll give you a bonus -- say 300 gold nobles each.  Is anyone hurt?  Please, each of you take one of these restorative vials with my compliments."  She passed out stacks of coin and gave each a small stoppered clear vial that contained a thick translucent blue liquid that smelled faintly of almonds.

Arjan protested.  "I have no need of reward nor potion, my Lady.  Please keep them.  unless perhaps you could provide leashes for these creatures, so I might free them from their cages until I can lead them back to the jungle to set them free."

"Jeweled leashes at that price," Morderas whispered _sotto voce_.

Lavinia took Arjan's reward back, promising to find a way to help Arjan take care of the rescued animals.  Thalas pulled Arjan aside.

"Look, Arjan," he said, "I don't know what you have against accepting perfectly good money earned in honest work.  But if you really don't want it, why not share it among the rest of us?  We'd be happy to help care for your animals in return."

"Money corrupts," Arjan replied, "it's the root of all evil."

"I'll take my chances."  Thalas turned back to the group, as Lavinia had returned.

"I have one more item to offer, my heroes," she began.  "I intend this very evening to return to my family's vault under Castle Terakaian, and retrieve my family's valuables.  I would like you to accompany me as my protectors, after which I'll offer you a suitable contract for long term employment ... at say 100 nobles per month?"

"100 nobles!  Can't beat that.  I'm in!" Morderas replied.  Athal, Arjan, and Kyrsith also nodded assent, though Arjan insisted that he required no such payment so long as a place to bed down and a regular supply of food -- especially pink frosted cupcakes -- could be provided.

Thalas sighed.  "I'm really not interested in long term service, Lavinia.  But I will accompany my companions, and this seems like a perfect chance to stick it to the man.  100 nobles will buy a lot of scrolls.  Count me in, for this next task, at least."

"Very well," Lavinia replied.  "Go and get some rest.  We will meet again as night falls."

And at that, Thalas left the others to get some hours of trance at his room at the Hunter's Trap.  His purse was full, and his art with sword and spell had both been tested and not found wanting.  His companions were an odd and, considerering Morderas, perhaps not entirely trustworthy bunch, but interesting things seemed to be happening.  And though working for the Vanderborens rubbed him raw, thus far it did not seem that Lavinia either recognized him or had some further sinister purpose in mind.

That evening was sure to bring more excitement, he was sure.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 24, 2007)

*Session 2: Raid & Betrayed.*

After a day of rest, study, and training Thalas returned to the Vanderboren manor to find the rest of his comrades gathered in the manor's dining room.  Lavinia Vanderboren, dressed in serviceable garb rather than her traditional finery, was waiting on them, accompanied by a short, heavily armed human male garbed in leather.

"So, are we off to storm the Castle?" Thalas asked.

"You are to accompany me to my family's ancestral vault," Lavinia replied.  "Though I have never myself entered it, stories handed down for generations say that the vault has some terrible guardian.  This signet ring will gain us entry, but what lies beyond will be quite dangerous.  You services as guard will be required."

"So we aren't storming the Castle?" Thalas whined to Athal.  _So much for sticking it to the man._  "Surely you have to know more about what awaits us.  What if we are forced to kill guards to gain entry?"

Lavinia blanched.  "I'm certain that will not be necessary.  Castle Teraknian has served as the traditional vault for noble families of Sasserine for centuries.  But do as you must.  Unless you object?  And may I introduce Quinn, who will be joining us."  At this she motioned to the short man.  "His skills may be useful."

"Are you suggesting we need help?" asked Morderas.

"I know little enough about what we need," Lavinia replied, "but certainly more help is welcome.  The vault is guarded by _something_, but what that is I am not certain."

"So long as we don't have to split our share with him," Morderas grumbled.

_I'm not sure I like this ... but she's paying the bills, for the moment_.  "Very well," Thalas replied, "You paid the piper; we'll dance to your tune."

The group exiting the manor and climbed aboard a waiting carriage, which Lavinia swiftly directed through the streets and across the bridges of Sasserine, eventually arriving outside the gates of the imposing fortress that is Castle Teraknian.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 27, 2007)

The carriage arrived at the gates to the large and imposing edifice that was Castle Teraknian.  Towers rose from its crenellated battlements, and Thalas could feel the weight of hundreds of years of construction in stone pressing down on him as they approached the walls.

Four guards armed with polearms waited near the entrance, rising to bar their way.  Lavinia silently took out here signet ring and presented it, causing the guards to bow and step aside.

"They are with me," she said, motioning the company of adventurers forward.  Thalas gave the guards a wry smirk as the six heavily armed and armored adventurers passed into the intrior of the castle.

A scurrying clerk met them not beyond the entryway.  "Lady Vanderboren.  We just received your summons, and it is an honor to meet your acquaintance.  Please, follow me -- the vault is this way."

They followed the small stooped man in silence down immense flag stoned halls until they reached a grand spiral staircase that led downward under ground.  Spiraling down its iron-grated steps, they eventually arrived in a small circular room that served as the intersection of eight radiating hallways.  The clerk motioned to one, indicating "Your vault lies at the end."

Lavinia turned and with the adevnturers behind her moved the fifty feet or so down the hall, which ended in an imposing steel-shod stone door which was set with a rune showing an eight-pointed star.  There was a door handle, but in place of a lock was a small circular depression, just big enough for a signet ring.  Lavinia hestitated for a moment, then sighed and placed her ring in the lock.  There was a click, followed by a flash of blue light that illuminated the narrow hallway, and the door swung inward.

The chamber beyond was well lit by some form of lantern set near the top of the thirty-foot high domed ceiling.  The chamber itself was rectangular, roughly forty feet wide, with large pillars supporting the dome above.  Two alcoves were inset into the walls to left and right, flanked by pillars carved to resemble giant cobras.

"Was your family into snakes?" Thalas asked.  

Lavinia only shrugged. "I know nothing of this place."

"We should look for storage or a secret passage," Athal suggested, and Morderas, Quinn, and Thalas immediately began seacrhing the room, while Kyrsith mumbled a prayer and closed her eyes, concentrating.

"I find no magic auras, except for the arcane lock which held shut the door," Kyrsith said after a moment.

"Aha!" Morderas exclaimed.  "There is a button carved into the eye of one of these cobras.  It doesn't appear to be trapped ...." He pushed the button, and there was a click followed by a grinding sound as a portion of the wall slid aside, revealing a narrow passage.

"I'll lead," Athal volunteered.  Thalas moved up behind, unlimbering his glaive, as Quinn and Lavinia followed.  They started into the narrow passage, and had moved perhaps twenty feet when Quinn gave a shout.

"Something is moving behind us," he warned, and as Thalas concentrated he, too, could hear what sounded like rattling chains being pulled across the ground.  Quinn spun, pulling his bow and loosing an arrow back down the passage just as there came a scream from Kyrsith, back in the entry chamber.

"Snake creatures!" Morderas shouted from back down the hall, and Thalas charged back into the large chamber.

Two long snake-like creatures, which looked to be formed from overlapping plates of iron, were weaving and undulating across the floor, attempting to strike at Kyrstith, Arjan, Morderas, and Arjan's giant Saint Bernard, Korlick.  The dog dashed back and forth, growling, defending his master.

One of the snakes moved near Thalas just as an arrow when whistling overhead.  Thalas struck the snake with all his might, and succeeded in driving the glaive between two scales, but the creature kept coming, and he was forced to dodge backward to maintain fighting room.  Athal plunged past, closing to strike the snake behind Thalas.

Thalas' snake hissed and snapped, then closed, striking quickly, biting down on Thalas' thigh below his armor.  Thalas howled, and he could feel an oily substance left behind in the bite.  "Their bite is poison!" he warned, dancing back and slashing at the snake thing again.  He now had a pillar guarding his flank; behind the pillar Kyrsith, Arjan, Athal, and Korlick had cornered the other creature.

Thalas channeled, prehaping to strike a carefully aimed blow to bring the snake down, when Quinn, who had obvioously been observing the creatures quite closely, suddenly shouted: "Lavinia!  Order them to stop!"

"Wha-?" Lavinia responded, hesitating.

"Order them to stop!" Quinn demanded.

In a quavering voice, Lavinia said "Stop your attacks!" and, miraculously, the snakes ceased striking and coiled, watching her.  Thalas let his magic dissipate.

"I noticed they were watching Lavinia," Quinn explained.  "It may be they are enchanted to not attack Vanderborens, or the bearer of the ring.  You may want to lead us onward, Lavinia."

Shaking, Lady Vanderboren nodded her head, and the party moved back into the narrow passage, carefully watching the snake constructs behind them.  Thalas took the opportunity to quaff the vial of liquid Lavinia had provided the day before, restoring some of the energy he had lost fighting the snake, and easing the pain of his wound.  

Lavinia and Athal the way down the narrow corridor.


----------



## Failed Saving Throw (Oct 27, 2007)

It really is amazing that Korlick rolled better than everyone else that entire session and basically got a chomp in on everything: the iron cobras, the zombie pirates...


----------



## Failed Saving Throw (Oct 27, 2007)

Oh yeah:







_Umber hulks are powerful subterranean predators whose ironlike claws allow them to burrow through solid stone in search of prey. Umber hulks are tremendously strong, standing nearly 8 feet tall and over 5 feet wide. Muscles bulge beneath their thick, scaly hides and their powerful arms and legs all carry great claws. They have no necks to speak of, but the head features a powerful maw with rows of triangular teeth and 8-inch mandibles capable of biting through any hide or bone. *Most peculiar of all are the four round eyes, spaced evenly across each umber hulk's forehead.* Umber hulks are black, shading to a lighter shade of yellowish gray on the front. Their eyes are mere blackened dots each the size of a small coin. Umber hulks have their own language._


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 27, 2007)

I see FST is getting ahead of the story ... and enjoys reminding us of what no one around the table could remember.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 27, 2007)

The party entered a strange octagonal room beyond the narrow passage.  The floor was paved with fine flagstone; the high ceiling was well illuminated with continual flame torches.  Each of the walls was carved with a detailed bas relief of some fantastic creature -- a tentacled monster with one red eye, a dragon, a fish creature with tentacles and three eyes, a two-headed giant, a spherical creature with four eyes on stalks and a large central eye above a gaping mouth, a gorilla-like beast with four limbs and six insect eyes, and a strange seven-eyed spider creature.  On the center of the room was a large carven pillar that stood upon a fresco of an eight-pointed star.  Seven of the poitns were black, and one red.

The six adventurers stood gaping at the walls for a minute, before Morderas began searching the central pillar.  Thalas pulled out the parchment they had found with Lavinia's signet ring.  "Perhaps this is some sort of puzzle -- the red point on the star  looks like a pointer."  He reviewed the odd message:



> Chimera looks to sunrise,
> Cyclops looks to sunset,
> Medusa looks to sunrise,
> Umber Hulk looks to sunset,
> Basilisk looks to sunrise.




"Does anyone see any of these monsters on the walls?  I don't.  The sunrise-sunset think probably means east or west, or left or right, but how to match the walls?"

"Hey, the pillar turns!" Morderas announced.  He and Thalas combined their efforts and rotated it, tentatively, one turn.  The pillar had eight defined stops, one with the red pointer pointing at each of the seven bas-reliefs and the entrance corridor.  The rotated it back to its starting position.

"Well, it's some sort of combination lock, and the riddle is the combination, but Corellon be damned if I can match the monsters on the parchment to the ones on the walls," Thalas grumbled.

"It's eyes!" Athal announced suddenly. "Look at the monsters' eyes!  One ... two ... three ..." He pointed at each wall in turn. "There's up to seven numbers."

Thalas looked down at the parchment.  "Well, a chimera has six eyes, a cyclops one, a basilisk two, I think.  Do a medusa's snakes have eyes?  Or does a medusa count as two?  And how many eyes does an umber hulk have?"  He'd certainly heard of all the creatures and seen drawings in books he had studied, but he'd never really paid close attention to monster eyes.

No one else knew, either.  "Why don't we try this combination idea," Athal suggested.  "We may be able to figure it out."

Thalas and Morderas started by rotating the pillar six points to the east (right), listening intently, then one point west (left).  

"I heard something" Arjan announced. Quinn nodded agreement.  "Just then when you turned it.  A soft 'click'."  Thalas continued rotating, two right, two left, two right.  "I heard a few more clicks," Arjan said, "but not on all the turns."

They retraced their pattern again, with everyone listening intently.  "We've got it right, except for the umber hulk," Athal concluded.  "It must not have two eyes."

"Well, I'll try three, then four," Thalas replied.  He and Morderas went back through the sequence twice more, when Arjan suddenly exclaimed "I head it!" after the second try.

"Guess an umber hulk has four eyes.  Or is wearing glasses," Thalas concluded, finishing the sequence.  Nothing had happened.  "Now what?"  He returned the pillar to its starting position, and there was a sudden grinding noise as five of the walls slid aside, revealing five niches containing a number of large iron-bound chests. "Oh.  Guess that's it."


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 27, 2007)

Lavinia immediately began opening the chests, throwing open one after another.

"And I was going to suggest searching them for traps," Thalas began, but Lavinia's searchings became more frantic.  In short order, she had opened all of the chests, finding all empty but one, which contained a fair amount of gold, a ledger, and a smaller locked chest.

"I don't know what has happened," Lavinia wailed, blinking back tears. "There should be far more than this.  This little will cover my debt and expenses, but the majority of our fortune is gone."

"Could anyone else have gotten in?" Athal asked.

Lavinia shook her head.  "No one else has been here."

"Are you sure?" Thalas asked.  "How many of those rings are there?  What about your brother, Vanthus?  He could have gotten past the cobras, right?"

"No." Lavinia insisted.  "That's not possible.  But there are two signet rings."

"Who had the other one?" Morderas asked.

"Vanthus," was Lavinia's tear-faced reply. "Come, let's go.  There is nothing left for me here."  She turned to depart.

"We'll be just along," Athal responded.

"We'd better ask the clerk if anyone else has been here," Thalas suggested.  The group followed Lavinia back out to the room with the spiral staircase.

The clerk was just coming down the stairs.  "My Lady, we were growing worried, you had been gone so ...GAK!!!"

Morderas had both hands around the man's throat, lifting him off the ground and pinning him against the staircase railing.  "WHO ELSE HAS BEEN IN THE VAULT!" he demanded.

"Gaaaakkkk" was the clerk's only reply.

"Morderas, release him," Athal commanded, and the half-drow slowly lowered the man back to the floor.

"I say, I've never been treated so ..." the clerk trailed off as Morderas stared daggers at him.

Arjan bounded up, and asked good naturedly: "Has anyone else been to the vault? There were things missing."

The clerk straightened.  "I assure you, no one had been here who is not authorized.  There was a young man, about four weeks ago, but he had the ring, and ..."

"Describe him!" Quinn demanded.  The clerk spit out a description of a young nobleman, dark haired, goateed.

"You can never trust anyone with a goatee," Thalas remarked to no one in particular.

"Is that him?" Athal asked Lavinia. "Vanthus, I mean?"

Lavinia nodded silently.  "it doesn't make sense.  I don't know what to think.  Please leave me -- you may meet me again at the manor in a few hours."

The party left the quivering clerk and departed Castle Teraknian.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 28, 2007)

The six adventurers met again at Vanderboren manor some hours later.  Lavinia, shaken, stood in the dining room staring at the painting of the young man on the back wall.  It was obvious to Thalas that this was Vanthus.  _Figures_, he thought, _another noble scion gone bad.  Typical._  He deliberately did not think about how hypocritical his own thoughts were.

Lavinia was blinking back tears.  "I think it's time you told us about your brother," Athal suggested quietly.  

Lavinia nodded.  "We were very close growing up, much as twins though we were a year apart in age.  We often had fun by playing pranks on each other, or on others.  We were inseparable.  Then one day one of our pranks went wrong, when we poured some assorted elixirs down another family's well.  Our parents decided to separate us.  I was sent to a school here in the city, while Vanthus was sent to one of our plantations in the countryside.  I didn't see him for many years.  When he finally did return, he was -- changed, is the best way to describe it.  He no longer had time for me; he moved out of the manor after a short time, and last I heard had taken up with a lover in the Azure District.  Then my parents were killed in the fire, and Vanthus returned, changed even more.  There was a, I'm not sure how to describe it, morbid streak in him now.  We had an argument, he struck me, and he left.  That was two months ago."

"And he started stealing the family's money a month ago," Thalas concluded.  "He's into something, something not good, you can be sure."

"Please, you must help me find him!" Lavinia asked.  "I need to know what he is up to, and restore my family fortune."

Thalas rolled his eyes -- this was getting too deep.  Athal and Kyrsith rapidly volunteered, thought, as did Arjan, who'd apparently never had a roof over his head before.  Quinn shrugged, then nodded.

Morderas asked: "I assume we're still getting paid?"  _Ah, an elf after my own heart_, Thalas smiled.

Lavinia nodded.  "Of course.  With a bonus if you locate Vanthus."

"I'm in," Morderas said.  Thalas wavered, then finally motioned that he, too, would join in. _Pay is 30 times what the average Sasserine resident makes.  I should turn it down on principle, but they'd start asking questions._

Lavinia excused herself.  Athal looked at the others.  "Now what?" he asked.

"I guess we go find this Vanthus guy," Quinn responded. "Start by checking the Azure district, and see what we can learn."

They decided to split up and blanket the Azure district, checking taverns, alehouses, brothels, and businesses.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 28, 2007)

Arjan and Thalas paired up, and headed to the Sasserine Sleigh Ride, a well known brothel in the Azure District.  A few questions to the disappointingly human hookers revealed a small tidbit of information: Vanthus had indeed frequented the place, in the company of a woman named Brissa Santos, who apparently considered herself a dancer of some skill.  But as the perfumed whore had said, "She didn't have the skills for the Sleigh Ride.  Too amateur, too plump.  The madam sent her packing."

A few more hours and a few more taverns and brothels later, and the group rejoined, having learned little more.  Vanthus had indeed been in many of the taverns in the district in the company of Brissa Santos, but no one seemed to know where  he lived or where he could currently be found.

"So now what?" Athal asked.

"Well, perhaps we follow the woman," Thalas suggested.  "She was trying to be a dancer.  Maybe she went to get training, or tried to break into another type of entertainment, or perhaps she settled for working at a less savory place ..."

Morderas perked up.  "Sounds like a trip to Shadowshore.  I know the area."

Thalas nodded.  eventually, the group decided that Athal, Thalas, and Kyrsith would check the Merchant and Nobles districts for evidence of Brissa Santos, while the others looked for Vanthus and Brissa in Shadowshore.

Thalas and his companions spent a day wandering in and out of businesses in the Merchant District and plying the art houses and opera houses of the Nobles District to no avail.  Vanthus had bought a dress here, some perfume there, but had otherwise been little seen, and nothing was known of Brissa Santos.  The three finally gave up and headed for Shadowshore to meet the others.

They stopped into a tavern called the Skinned Man as they arrived in Shadowshore, and were immediately approached by a disreputable looking man.  "Name's Cheftan," he said by way introduction.  "You 'n yer friends been looking fer Vanthus Vanderboren, ain't ye?"  Thalas could only nod.  _Guess we've been pretty obvious, after all.  Ah, well, stealth isn't my strong suit.  Best stick to swords and spells in the future._

"I be needin' t' find Vanthus meself," Cheftan went on.  "I knows where he is.  If'n ye meet me tonight, I'll be showin' ye."

"Why should we trust you?" Athal asked.

"Ye needs him; I needs him.  Not fer nothing good, I'll wager.  Strength in numbers," Cheftan responded.  "An' ye'll not likely find him otherwise.  Ye've made enough noise he prob'ly knows yer lookin' for him."

They couldn't argue with that.  They made arrangements to meet Cheftan at midnight outside the Skinned Man, then departed to find the others.  They eventually found them walking down a Shadowshore street, and compared notes.

Morderas, Arjan, and Quinn had discovered that Vanthus and an associate Penkus had recently purchased a run-down ship and a massive cargo of lamp oil.  Where the ship was or what the purpose of the lamp oil was was unknown, and they hadn't had much luck pumping the harbormaster for information.  Vanthus could be involved in some criminal enterprise, or he could be doing some sort of legitimate import/export -- Thalas suspected the former.

But as their only lead was an untrustworthy rogue they had met by chance, they decided to do what any rational adventuring party would do -- assume their erstwhile "guide" would lead them into a trap, so they'd jump in and try to spring it from the inside.

Little did Thalas realize how prescient that decision would prove to be.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 28, 2007)

Just past midnight, the rag-tag group of adventurers congregated in the dark outside of the Skinned Man, waiting for Cheftan.  The ragged man soon appeared, motioning with urgency for them to follow without speaking a word.  They followed him through Shadowshores narrow alleyways, winding their way down close to the docks without seeing a soul.  Eventually, they reached a run-down landing at which was tied a small but serviceable boat.  Cheftan motioned them aboard, and he quickly poled them out into the harbor.

The headed for Parrot Island, a roughly half-mile long wooded hump of rock that jutted out of Sasserine harbor just off of Shadowshore.  Thalas knew little about it, other than that it was uninhabited except for massive numbers of tropical birds.  _Arjan should enjoy this place._

Cheftan moored the boat at a small cove, and motioned them to follow up a long, winding path that led to the summit of the island.  There, on the edge of a clearing, he rolled back brush to reveal a stone trapdoor, which he quickly opened.  The yawning black maw had a rope dangling into it, but nothing could be seen in the pitch darkness below despite the nearly full moon.

"You're sure this is the place?"  Athal asked.

"Yes," Cheftan whispered.  "Hurry, down the rope!  This is where Vanthus has been going."

Athal shrugged and grabbed the line, lowering himself down.  Thalas followed, swiftly reaching the bottom where he quickly lit a torch to have a look around.  He and Athal stood in a ten-foot diameter chamber, with an arched brick passageway leading away to the west.  Nothing could be seen within the torchlight.

"All clear," Athal called to the party thirty feet above.  Korlick was quickly lower down, followed by Arjan, and then a whispered argument broke out up top.

"I'll be last down," Morderas insisted.

"No, no," Cheftan responded, "I know how to close the door.  Quickly, we must be down.  I will follow.  Down the rope!"

Quinn, who has just climbed to the bottom following Kyrsith, nocked an arrow and pointed upward.  "Perhaps we're about to be betrayed."

Something in Cheftan's tone had obviously convinced Morderas, as the half-drow came speeding down the rope.  There was a sudden cry from up above, and Cheftan arrived as well -- falling uncontrolled to land in a heap on the floor.  His throat had been cut from ear to ear.  The rope, cut, snaked down to land beside him.

A dark shape leaned over the trap door.  "You found me, thugs!  Say hello to Penkus for me!"  Quinn's arrow sped by the man's head just before the trap door was heaved to and snapped shut, blocking out the moonlight.

"Guess that was Vanthus," Thalas mused.  "We were a bit to obvious in asking after him.  Now there's only one way to go." He pointed down the dark tunnel that led away from the deep pit.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Oct 28, 2007)

They followed the serpentine brick passage for some distance before it finally terminated in a closed wooden door.  The moisture from the passage had swollen the door shut, and it took Athal, Thalas, and Quinn working in concert to force the door open.  Beyond was a passage roughly ten feet wide and twenty feet long running perpendicular to the serpentine passage.  Double doors hung broken from their hinges at either end of the passage, mold crusted the walls, and a rivulet of water ran down the center of the natural stone floor.

"I hear a moaning sound coming from the left," Athal whispered.  Thalas drew Demonbane, and the others readied their weapons.  Athal led, with Thalas following carrying a torch in one hand, and they turned left into the passage and passed through the swinging double doors beyond.

They found themselves in a large, damp, pillared chamber -- large enough that despite the torch and his elven sight, Thalas could not see the far side from where he stood in the doorway.  Athal was glancing about, and suddenly the moaning grew louder as from the right, three figures shambled into the torchlight.  

They looked like men, or could once have been men, but they were now clearly lifeless, with flesh drooping and dripping from their staggering carcasses.  They were dressed as sailors, but where there once had been human mounths there now gaped gigantic maws that held long teeth set into slavering jaws.

Athal sprang into action, charging to meet the creatures, as Thalas dropped the torch and moved further into the room, channeling arcane energy to fire two bolts of green energy which struck two of the creatures, slowing but not stopping them.  Athal struck true, but in turn received several bite as the creatures moved to surround him, and soon he was staggering.  Arrows flew from over Thalas' shoulder and he could hear Korlick barking, and suddenly a faint light flashed and the three corpse-pirates were turning to retreat into the darkness.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kyrsith hoisting something in one hand that the creatures seemed to flee from.

Thalas and Athal pursued, each dropping a retreating creature as Korlick savaged the last until it moved no more.  Then the group paused to catch their breath and consider their surroundings, and Athal downed a restorative draught.

"Zombie pirates," Morderas observed.  "Good thing they weren't ninjas, or we'd really have been screwed."

The chamber extended to just beyond the torchlight.  three other water-swollen doors led out of the chamber to right and forward, while to the left there was a large pool of water that had apparently seeped under the right-hand wall.  Thalas could see a humanoid corpse floating in the water, and he sheathed his longsword, retrieving the glaive strapped to his back to reach out and pull the body to the flagstone.

The water beyond was obviously much deeper, and Thalas' movements had stirred it, disturbing something below, as suddenly giant crabs exploded from the pool, grasping at him with razor sharp pincers.  Morderas, rushing to aid, was injured by one, though Thalas was able to dispatch one after another with mighty swings of his glaive, dancing back out of their grasp each time a crab closed with him.  Korlick once again ran to his side, biting into one and causing its juices to splatter over the party.  Everyone else joined in the melee as Thalas nearly disintegrated a crab with a well-placed blow [OOC: Full power attack crit with a glaive ... nasty!].  Soon the pool was silent again.

The corpse was half-eaten and had obviously been in the water for some time, yielding no clues.  The party was just beginning to catch its collective breath when Quinn, who had posted himself in the entry corridor to provide warning, shouted: "There's more of them pirates coming -- I hear moans from the far corridor."

The group quickly resumed formation and marched back down the right-hand branch of the entryway, Athal leading with Thalas just behind carrying a torch.  They entered a second large chamber, and through hanging double doors on the far side of the room they could hear more moaning, so they charged ahead, entering a narrow hallway where zombie pirates suddenly lunged out from a room to the right. 

Athal spun this way and that, trying to keep the creatures from leaving the doorway, as Thalas dropped his torch and used the glaive to attack when Athal was clear.  In the narrow hallway, the others had difficulty bringing their weapons to bear, and soon Athal was badly wounded with but minor wounds inflicting on the shambling enemy.

One surged past Athal's guard and closed on Thalas, even as he tried backpedaling to get clear of the creature, to no avail.  The pirate's jaws clamped down on Thalas' neck, and Thalas could feel the blood begin to flow before he blacked out.

When Thalas came to, the melee was still ranging around him.  Kyrsith helped him to his feet as he recovered some of his energy, and then immediately retrieved his glaive from the floor to step into line just as Athal was himself knocked unconscious.  A zombie pirate stepped onto the downed elf's body, considering, and then bit into the unconscious warrior.

_I've got to hold the line long enough for Kyrsith to pull Athal free_, he thought.  _One well-placed spell and I could drop one or two, but taking the time  to channel a spell in these close quarters and Athal will surely be eaten, and we'll all die._

Thalas instead attacked wildly, succeeding in knocking the pirate creature back away from Athal and stepping up to bar the doorway himself.  He could hear a shout from Kyrsith just as another flash of light appeared, and the undead creatures began retreating.  Thalas, Arjan, and Morderas pursued, striking the creatures' unprotected backs as they retreated and finally dispatching them all.

They dragged Athal's bleeding body back into the room, forcing a healing draught down his throat, and the elf eventually coughed and regained consciousness.

"I can still fight," Thalas said, "but I'm not sure if we can make it through another fight like that without a chance to catch our breath.  The only escape is onward, but perhaps we'd better hole up for a little while before going onward."

The others nodded, and they began making plans to secure the area to attempt to recover some strength before proceeding on.


----------



## Failed Saving Throw (Oct 28, 2007)

I should note for anyone else reading that the combat sessions under Parrot Island were marked by amazingly bad rolls by the party. Back on board the Blue Nixie, Athal pulled off some pretty spectacular swordwork that left half the thugs who assaulted them dead. But in the caves, the zombies beat the party up pretty well...


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 5, 2007)

*Session 3: Enter the Lotus Dragons*

Dramatis Personae
Thalas, elf duskblade 1/wizard 1
Athal, elf warblade 2
Arjan, human druid 2 (Vow of Poverty)
Korlick, Arjan's dog companion
Quinn, human scout 2
Morderas, half-drow rogue 1/fighter 1
Rhiannon, elf cleric 2 (NPC replacing Kyrsith)


Morderas pounded Athal into wakefulness.  Literally.  With his fists.  "Now we're even!" he told the elf; Athal merely looked confused, then fell back to rest.  

They searched the small room and finding only evidence of a storeroom and a masterfully crafted silver dagger which they presented to Athal, barred the entry as best they could while Quinn took up the watch.  Thalas fell back into a few hours of trance, after which he spent time resting and studying the spellbook he kept wrapped in oilskin in his pack.  The book had belonged to his mother, and to her mother before her, and there were many, many pages of writing in it.  Thalas had finally managed to dechiper about a quarter of the book, and the means to imprint the magical energies represnted by the symbols in the book were finally within his grasp.  He wasn't sure if this was the payoff of years of study, or if the last few days of stress had finally removed whatever block to understanding existed in his mind, but either way he was certain: he could now tap into not only his combat magic, but also into the arcane energies that surrounded him.  He'd finally be able to draw on magic to armor as well as arm him.  At least eventually -- tomorrow he planned to rely on his trusty chain shirt -- but he'd have a few tricks from his mother's spellbook up his sleeve, just in case.

Once everyone had rested, the discussed their options.  Back the way they had come was the most likely way out -- west toward the shore, where they could faintly hear pounding surf.  Yet none of them felt they could leave a likely enemy behind, so when they departed the small room, the first went right, following a winding corridor that eventually ended in a lagre stone amphitheater that was half submerged under water.  Four enormous columns held up the ceiling.  The only sound was the occasional dripping of water and the roar of the surf.  They searched, and finding no exit, retraced their steps back through the last large room they had passed through, exiting through a water-damaged door in the western wall.

Beyond was a dog-leg corridor which ended in a swollen door.  Athal put his ear to the wet wood, and frowned.  "I hear armored, booted feet beyond," he told the others, and all readied their weapon as Athal made ready to force the door.

"I can help," Thalas added, whispering a bit of magic he'd stored away from the night before.  As Athal forced the door open, the portal swung solently on its hinges, making no sound though Athal had given it a mighty heave.  Thalas winked at his companions: "I learned a few tricks last night."

Beyond, in a large featureless chamber, four humanoid figures huddled with backs two them.  Three wore the trappings of sailors, and could obviously be see to be more of the zombie pirates they had fought before.  The fourth was a skeletal figured ressed in ancient armor.  The atmosphere of the place was oppressive and evil.

Athal charged, targeting the armored skeleton, and Thalas was right behind him into the room as Morderas doged around him and struck the figure, but his sharp baldes appeared to have no effect.  

The room suddenly filled with a blast of holy light as the cleric raised her holy symbol, comanding the restless dead to retreat.  And all four figures did so, falling back into a back corner of the room, pursued by the adventurers.  Thalas successfully staggered, then dropped one zombie with carefullly placed strikes from his glaive, while Arjan and Morderas continued attacking the retreating armored skeleton, with no apparent effect.  Quinn bounded by, unlimbering an ax, but it to did nothing to harm the skeletal creature.  

Thalas switched to spellcraft, unleaching a green bolt of arcane energy that destroyed a second zombie, but subsequent bolts directed at the skeleton creature had no apparent effect.  Puzzled, he called to Morderas: "Come here, I've an idea."

Athal had by this time backed the skeleton into a corner -- it was luckily making no attempt to attack, but cowered and tried to escape -- and Arjan was waving a lighted torch at the creature.  Morderas stepped close, and Thalas channeled fire at the half-drow, setting both of the rogues daggers ablaze.  Morderas, now a veritable whirlwind of fire, struck the skeleton twice as the flames began to dwindle, but again the strikes appeared to have little effect.

_We'd better drop that thing soon,_ Thalas thought.  _They will turn and attack us soon.  And we haven't yet been able to penetrate that skeleton-thing's defenses.  Only one more trick left._  He reached deep and channeled, seeing where the coming blow would need to be placed for precise effect.  Then he concentrated on the blood in his veins, and his skin tore open as the steaming blood burst forth, dripping to the floor and running down his arms and down the handle of his glaive to drip from the blade.

Yelling "Sunrise and Sasserine!" Thalas struck at the armored skeleton.  The mighty blow cleaved bone and armor, and though his sight swam and he felt near to fainting, Thalas could see that the sacrifice of his own blood had been enough to sever the creatures sinews and it dropped, twitching.  He staggered back, breathing a sigh of relief, and then gasping from the pain caused by the magical exertion.  

Quinn and Korlick dispatched the last zombie, and the party stood gasping for breath.  the entire melee had taken but moments, but Thalas could tell it had been a near thing.  Without the cleric's efforts to keep the creatures at bay, they would have been done for.

"Healing?" he asked, and soon the blissful calm of healing magics covered him, closing his wounds and restoring the energy he had sacrificed to destroy the skeleton.

"This thing is unusual," Kyrsith observed.  See was examining the remains of the skeleton.  "It bears the unholy symbols of Olidammara, evil patron god of thieves.  And it is no mere risen skeleton, but instead a hecueva, a being of disease and unholy blight.  They can only be harmed by silver, which is why so few of our blows hurt it.  A shame I did not realize it earlier.  I fear this adventuring is becoming too much for me -- I should have realized it at once."


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 5, 2007)

There was a single door leading from the room, to a passage beyond, which led back to the room in which they had fought the zombies and crabs the night before.  There were three other doors leading from the chamber.  Two proved to lead to empty store rooms; the third led to a natural stone passage which eventually became a cave network that was 1-2 feet deep in water.  They waded, watching the floor and walls carefu8lly for unusual signs or indications of ambush, and eventually came to a deep pool beyond which was a narrow beach.

After a bit of discussion, Thalas agreed to swim to the far side with Athal and Morderas to reconnoiter.  Thalas secured his equipment and plunged into the deeper water, struggling with the weight of his equipment.  he was normally a strong swimmer, but his also did not normally swim clothed, armed, and armored.  he could feel a strong current trying to pull him down, and as he glanced into the water he could see a dark tunnel below the surface.  _We may have to explore that later._

He pulled himself up on the far beach after a few strokes, noting that beyond about ten feet of sand was a worked sandstone wall in which was set another swollen wooden door.  He turned back to the water, looking for the others -- but Athal and Morderas had vanished.  Thalas quickly droppped his equipment and unwound the length of rope he carried, throwing it out into the water just as Athal and Morderas popped to the surface.  Morderas grabbed the rope and Thalas pulled him in as Athal made it to the beach.

"Current is much stronger than it looks," Athal said sheepishly.

They used the rope to pull the others across, finding to their embarrassment that Korlick's dogpaddle was stronger and more sure than any of their strokes.  The others then decided that Thalas shoudl go explroe the underwater tunnel first, before they proceeded.

Thalas reluctantly agreed and stripped down to his shorts, taking a dagger, his spell pouch, and tying a length of rope around his waist.  He dove back into the pool, and headed into the tunnel, which immediately became pitch black.  After a few moments, Thalas became so confused in the dark that he resurfaced.  

"I can't see anything down there!" he said, treading water.  The others looked at him helplessly.  He shrugged, and dove back down again.  The current was still strong, but in the dark he could not make headway.  Thalas returned to the beach and admitted defeat.  "Hopefully the door will led to a way out," he said.  "I can't find the way under water, and we certainly won't get everyone through even if it is a way out.  We might try the pool back in the crab chamber to see if it leads out -- we haven't checked that -- if the way ahead fails us."

They turned to confront the door ahead of them.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 6, 2007)

Morderas forced the door open, then peered into the darkness beyond.  An unholy stench rolled out of the room, causing each of them to cough.  "There's a body slumped against the far wall," Morderas said.  "I'll check it out."

The rougue slipped quietly through the door, and a few moments passed as they heard fumbled searching from beyond.  Then there was a gasp, and a thump.  Thalas and Arjan jumped into the room, holding a torch aloft, and holding their noses shut.

Morderasa was passed out on the floor, gasping.   In the corner was a bloated body that looked as if it had both died of disease and been drowned.  It was barely recognizable as human, though an intricate dragon-and-flower tattoo onone shoulder was still legible on the stretched skin.  The body wore finely worked leathers, which Morderas had apparently been trying to remove when the stench of the decomposing body overcame him.

"Guess he got what he had coming," Thalas observed to Arjan.

"Morderas, or that guy?" Arjan asked.

Thalas looked around the room, concentrating on magical auras, an noting some coming from beyond the far wall ... and noticing as well that there were discolorations along the stone of the back wall: a secret door!

Morderas came to slowly, and waved a slip of parchment at Thalas as he coughed.  Thalas took it, and read:



> These bones once be Penkus, so if ye read this, I be dead, laid low by the sick put on me by that foul dead thing!  Yet even as me flesh wracks, know t'was not the dead what brought my doom, but one I till recently called friend!
> 
> Vathus Vanderboren! Your name fills me with bile!  Spineless, treacherous cur!  You left us here to die.  You left ME here to die, after all what I done t'get ye into the Lotus.  Yer designs on the Lady of the Lotus be clear now, and with meself out of the way ... ye doubtless move even now into power, slithering amid my vacancy like a hermit crab in a shell, or a cadaver worm to still warm flesh.  CURSE UPON YE!
> 
> ...




"That corpse is Penkus.  Vanthus left him here to die, like us," Thalas said.

"He's on the list," Morderas replied. "At the top."

"Any idea what 'lap o' the Lotus' means?"

Morderas pointed at the tattoo.  "Lotus Dragons.  Thieve's guild in Sasserine.  Very mysterious, very deadly.  Flip out and kill you if you look at them cross-eyed."

"What, ninjas and pirates now?" Thalas laughed.

They opened the secret door, and found three locked chests in the chamber beyond.  Taking some time, Morderas managed to pry them open, revealling a number of bags of copper, silver, gold, and gems, as well as eight vials of magical potions -- which Thalas sadly could not identify -- a bone shaft that radiated abjuration magic, and a fine jade coffer.

Within the coffer lay a dark gem, and a note labeled "Earth Elemental Gem."

"I've heard of this," Thalas told the others, a bit of his magical training coming to memory.  "This gem will summon an earth elemental to do our bidding.  We could have it dig us out of here!"

"Maybe we could try swimming out of the crab cave first," Arjan suggested.

They agreed, and trooped back to the crab cave -- using a rope this time to cross the deep pool without risk of drowning.  They had to leave the bags of copper behind because of the weight -- a small loss, as Athal pointed out --  but they did divvy up the silver, gold, and gems.  The pool in the crab cave proved to have no exit to the bay, so they returned to the shaft below the trap door where Vathus had trapped them the night before.

Thalas grasped the gem in one hand, concentrating, then shattered it.  A nimbus of light surrounded him, then seeped into the earth as a gigantic man-shaped thing, made of the very rock itaself, rose silently from the solid rock of the floor.  Thalas gestured, concentrating, and the rock creature began tearing at the rock wall, carving handholds in the stone, climbing to the very roof where it thrust open the stone trap door, then vanished.  Sunlight poured in with fresh jungle air, and the sounds of squaking parrots could be heard from outside.

"Shall we?" Thalas asked, and they nearly tripped over one another trying to climb out.

"We'd better go tell Lavinia what happened," Athal suggested when they reached the shore, to find that Cheftan's canoe was still safe.  "Cocky bastard, that Vanthus.  Didn't see fit to sink our boat.  Guess he thought he had all the answers.  We'll pay him back."

"You guys go," Kyrsith said.  "I'm out.  This adventuring stuff is not for me.  I've learned enough -- I'm sticking to my studies from here out."

"Suit yourself," Morderas replied.  They climbed in the canoe and began the trip back to Vanderboren Manor.

As they walked back through the city Morderas remarked: "We should have kept Penkus' head, to give to Vanthus when we find him."

"You're one sick puppy, you know that?" Thalas replied.

Morderas just grinned deep in his hooded cloak.


----------



## KingCrab (Nov 8, 2007)

Olgar Shiverstone said:
			
		

> Morderasa was passed out on the floor, gasping.




Was it from his recent sex change operation?    

Just me being wise.  I love the writeups so far.  I was waiting to see what you would do with Kyrsith.


----------



## KingCrab (Nov 8, 2007)

Oh, and I like that you listed Korlic as one of the characters.  I've grown attached to playing the wonder dog.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 11, 2007)

KingCrab said:
			
		

> Was it from his recent sex change operation?
> 
> Just me being wise.  I love the writeups so far.  I was waiting to see what you would do with Kyrsith.




Ah, my fingers, they write better humor than I do.  

I thought it would be best to "write out" Kyrsith.  The sort of in-game handwave we did doesn't quite work for a story hour.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 11, 2007)

They returned to Vanderboren Manor and quickly related their tale to Lavinia.  She was incredulous.

"I can't believe my brother would do something like that.  He is not a murderous rogue.  You must be mistaken."

"I can tell you, it takes one to know one," Morderas said, "and he's definitely one murderous rogue.  He left us there to die, and I for one plan on getting payback out of his hide."

"He's right, Lavinia." Thalas agreed.  "Vathus betrayed and as good as murdered Penkus, then tried to do the same to us.  He killed Cheftan right before our eyes.  He isn't to be trusted -- and certainly anything he is planning with the Lotus Dragons is not honest work.  As much as I am loathe to admit it, I too want to get a piece of Vanthus.  Payment be damned; I'll have an explanation for this!"

The others nodded, and so too reluctantly did Lavinia.  "Do as you must.  My brother has obviously fallen too far to be redeemed.  But I would be happier if you did not have to harm him.  Please take whatever time you need to rest; the services of my manor are yours for the service you have already rendered."

They happily took advantage of Lavinia's offer, using the manor as a base to rest, refit, and prepare for their next foray.  They send the gems and coin out to be changed, dividing them equally amongst the group, though Arjan once again refused his share.  Thalas was finally able to get him to accept a healer's kit and a set of leathers for Korlick as a form of payment, but otherwise the rest of the party was happy to accept Arjan's odd attitude toward money and pocket his share.

Several of them took the time to buy new, higher quality weapons, And Thalas happily looked up from his studies the next day -- scribing a magical scroll -- to admire the finely worked glaive that he had purchased with his share of the pirate treasure.

The had an alchemist identify the bone wand and the various potions as well.  The included healing draughts, an elixir that would cause one to become invisible, another that toughened the skin into armor, and one that would aid in swimming.  They divided these up, and Thalas found himself the recipiet of a magic wand capable of bestowing an armoring enhcantment.  It would serve to take the place of his chainmail shirt on the next expedition, allowing him to travel lighter and faster.

They were also joined by Rhiannon, and elven woman Lavinia had hired to replaced the departed Kyrsith.  Rhiannon was a priestess of Pelor, radiant god of the sun, and thought she was soft spoken Thalas hoped that she would be as effective in dealing with the restless dead as Kyrsith had been.

After two days of rest and recuperation, they were ready to take on the Lotus Dragons.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 11, 2007)

They met a night in a dark alley in the Sunrise district, behind the Taxidermist's Hall.  After a bit of discussion they had finally decided that it would be bext to attempt an infiltration of the Lotus Dragon hideout, so they had approached the building some two hours after midnight, when it was hoped that no one would be in the street to oberve them breaking and entering.

Thalas, Arjan, Athal, and Rhiannon waited in a dark alley while Morderas and Quinn slipped around to the back of the Taxidermist's Hall, looking for a way in.  Time passed slowly.  The district was completely silent, with no pedestrians in the streets.  Dark clouds hid the moon, and the streetlamps had not been lit in that part of the district -- perfect for sneaking.

Morderas returned after what felt like an hour, but had probably only been a fwe minutes.

"We're in," he said.  "Quinn is keeping watch.  We haven't found any way to a basement yet, but it is only a matter of time, and you can help us search."

They followed the rogue to the back of the building, where Morderas had jimmied the lock on the back door.  They entered what looked like a storerrom, containing barrels and crates.  Morderas an Quinn disappeared up a darkened hallway, leavign the otehr to wait silently in the darkness.

A short time later Quinn returned, motioning the other to follow and keep quiet.  He led the way down a darkened hallway, then through what was obviously a well-concelaed door on one wall.  Beyond, through a narrow crawlspace, was an open trap door with a ladder leading downward.  Torchlight was shining up from below the trapdoor, illuminating Morderas' outline.

"This looks like it," he said simply, pointing downward.  Athal led the way down the ladder.

About ten feet down they reached a narrow worked stone hallway with a partly opened door at one end.  When the entire party had reached the bottom, Athal, Thalas, and Morderas listened at the doorway.  Hearing nothing, they proceeded behind Morderas and Quinn, taking pains to make as little noise as possible.  

The passage split beyond the door, and Quinn went left while Morderas went right.  Thalas hesitated, then followed Morderas with the rest of the group.  They crept along slowly, passing through a narrow chamber and a series of arched doorways.  The entire area was well lit and carefully maintained, but was quiet.  They followed Morderas to the left around another corner, then halted at an intersection while he went forward to reconnoiter.

Quinn soon returned from scouting the other passage.  "This is a big place.  I found a dining hall, and a large padded practice room.  There's more, but I figured I should come back before we run in to something.  Where's Morderas?"

Thalas pointed down the hall.  "Scouting."

"Let's hope he restrains his homicidal tendencies," Quinn said. "I had to stop him from killing a sleeping old man upstairs."

Suddenly there was a sound of ringing bells, and a stream of curses came from the hall ahead.  Moderas came running back toward them.

"Alarm," he shouted needlessly,"they're after me!"  He contonued past, going down an intersecting corridor and out of sight.

Athal stepped forward into the corridor intersection as Thalas unrolled the scroll he'd created.  He read the engraved runes, releasing the remainder of the spell he had begun casting the day before where he had prepared it.  When he was complete, Athal had grown to eight feet in height, filling the hallway.  Athal's arms and sword had lengthened, and he could reach from the intersection all the way to the distant door from which Morderas had come.  Thalas was just in time, because two armed and armored mercenaries came barrelling out of the doorway.  

The enlarged Athal struck down the first one, and fenced with the second as Thalas released a second spell, spraying a thin slippery liquid on the floor in front  of the doorway.  The man standing there slipped and fell, and Athal skewered him as he attempted to rise from the evaporating substance.

Quinn, Arjan, and Korlick pounded past, turning to follow Morderas down the unknown corridor.  Thalas could hear Arjan begin a magical spell of his own, but he soon became distracted by two more men rushing from the room.

Athal whirled and swung, and with a thrust followed by an overhand chop he cut both men down.  Thalas and Athal then moved forward through the doorway, just as they heard growling and snarling coming from down the opposite arm of the corridor.

Inside the room beyond the door, Quinn and Morderas were fighting two more armored men.  The room itself was a barrakcs, with two rows of bunks down either wall, perhaps twelve in all.  A chest stood at the foot of each bunk, and there were racks for arms and armor on the walls between torch sconces.

Another man went down, and Arjan dodged past, shouting at the last man: "Drop you weapons and surrender!"  The man dropped his rapier and put his arms in the air, as Arjan began an impromptu interrogation.

"Where's Vathus!" he asked.

"I don't know what you're taking about."

"He's in the lap pf the Lotus.  Where's that?" the green-faced druid asked.

"You're in it.  But I don't know any Vanthus."

The interrogation was suddenly cut short by snarling as an enormous wolf bounded into the room from a door at the opposite end.  Athal and Thalas were just readying their weapons as Quinn and Morderas scrambled to get clear of the ravening beast.

Korlick, however, had not been caught napping.  The dog bounded across a bunk, and entered a whirling, snarlign furball with the wolf.  Fur flew as the dog lunged and feinted.  Unable to get away, Morderas also fought like a demon, slicing the wolf across one shoulder, and distracting it just long enough for Korlick to dodge in and rip the wolf's throat out.  Thw creature collapsed with a final shudder.

"Well, that's that," Moderas said, panting.  "Learn anything useful from this one?"

Arjan shook his head.  He turned to the prisoner.   "We'll set you free, but only if you tell us where ..."  He didn't finish, as Morderas ran the prisoner through.

"Boring conversation anyway," Moderas shrugged.  Arjan simply wagged his jaw silently, at a loss for words.

_His true colors coming out,_ Thalas though._ We should not trust this one.  He's a loose catapult on deck._  He surveyed the room.

"Morderas," he asked and the others cleaned and sheathed their weapons, "how many of them were there?"

"Seven," Moderas replied curtly.

Thalas counted only six bodies of black-armored men.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 23, 2007)

*Session 4: Exeunt the Dragons*

"There's only six here," Thalas pointed out.  In the distance, they could hear the sounds of scurrying, booted feet, then all went silent.  "So do we defend here, or attack?  I say we attack -- get them while they are off balance!"

"We'd better barricade one of the doors," Quinn suggested, "that way we can retreat to this room if we have to."

They quickly piled the bunks against the back door to the room, then readied their weapons and proceeded out into the hallway by which they entered, and followed it in the opposite direction.  About fifty feet down the corridor was an open door on the left; glancing down it revealed a short passage that opened into what looked like a mess hall.

"There's a mess hall that way," Quinn said, "and further on a large practice room.  I didn't get to explore all of it.  Back that way, or do we go on?"

"Wait," Morderas interrupted, "I hear something.  There's something making a pounding sound down the hall ahead."

Thalas concentrated, but couldn't hear anything.  Athal set out down the hall, though, so he was obliged to follow with Arjan, Korlick, Rhiannon, Morderas, and Quinn following.  The passed around a couple of corners, passing through a room that could have been the kennel for a large dog, and then Thalas could hear the pounding of what sounded like a fist against a wall coming to the left of the hallway up ahead.  A weak voice called out: "Help me!"

They rushed forward.  The hallway beyond the kennel was perhaps fifty feet long, and had a series of small cells on the left side with locked doors that had small barred windows set high up.  The pounding and voice came from the first one.

Morderas and Athal conferred, then forced the door open when Morderas proved unable to open the lock.  Inside the cell was an elven male who had been stripped and tied.  He was a bit bruised, but otherwise not too badly injured.  He blinked at the torchlight spilling in from the open doorway.

"Thank you for freeing me!" he said.  "My name is Kithkanan.  I was looking about the Taxidermists Hall looking for someone, when a couple of masked men grabbed me, hit me over the head, and when I woke up I was stripped of my equipment and found myself down here."

"Did anyone pass by?" Athal asked. "And have you heard of Vanthus Vanderboren?  Any idea where he is?"

The elf shook his head.  "I haven't been here long, and I don't know anyone here.  A man in black did come running by, past my cell, a few minutes ago.  But that's it.  By the by, do you know Rufus?"

"Rufus?" Morderas asked.  "No.  Should we?"

"He's who I was looking for," Kithkanan replied, "but it isn't that important now.  Can I come with you?  I don't know the way out, and I'd hate to run into any more thugs.  I'm pretty good in a fight."

Athal looked at the others, then shrugged.  "I guess.  Here, have a dagger."  He passed a weapon to the elf.  _Another elf ... probably more trustworthy than these other folks we've picked up.  We haven't seen any elves among the thugs here.  But now we've probably got half the elven population of Sasserine in this party! Better give him something so he doesn't embarrass himself_

Thalas considered, then unslung his longbow and quiver. "Here," he said, handing it to Kithkanan.  "You can use this until we escape.  It'll do you more good than the dagger."

"Thanks," Kithkanan replied in elven.  "I will put it to good use."

They continued down the corridor, entering a rectangular chamber just as a man in black was bending over a slight, grey-haired man strapped down on a rack in the corner.

"Save me!" the racked man shouted as the man in black whirled, swinging a red-hot poker in front of him as a sword."

_This rescuing people bit is getting to be a habit,_ Thalas thought as he charged in behind Athal.  The thug was quite proficient at dodging Athal's blows, though he was also unable to strike Athal with his poker.  At least, he was until Korlick bounded past and ripped the man's throat out with a snarl.

"Best keep that beast well fed, Arjan," Thalas said, "I'd hate to have him come after me.  He's a better fighter than you and Morderas combined!"

"Cut me free, my lords," the man on the rack begged.  "I'll reward you well if you get me out of here."

"Let's kill him and get going before we get attacked," Morderas suggested, stropping his short sword on his armor.  

"No!" Arjan protested.

"I agree with Arjan," Athal added.  Kithkanan looked confused.

"We're almost certain to get ambushed any time," Thalas said.  "But we can't kill a prisoner in cold blood.  We'd best take him along.  We don't have time to escort him out."

"No sir, please, take me out of here!" the man begged.  "Just back to my home.  It isn't far.  I'm Kirsh, the silk merchant, and I have shop in the Merchant District.  Don't make me stay down here with these thugs!"

"I'll take him out," Athal offered.  "It won't take long."

"No, That will just split us up, and you may get ambushed yourself," Thalas countered.  "Rhiannon, keep an eye on him, and keep him ut of trouble.  We'll keep him with use until we either find Vanthus or find a way out."

Kirsh protested, but Rhiannon took him  by the arm and silenced him.  The group formed up, but the only exit that could be seen from the torture chamber was a door into a small room that was probably the barracks for the torturer they had killed.

Morderas poked around a bit behind the iron maiden, though, and eventually opened a concealed door behind it.  A reek pf stagnant water came from the bricked passage beyond, by Thalas just shrugged and followed the others.

_Vanthus has got to be here somewhere.  We owe him._


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 24, 2007)

Not far down the passage they entered a circular chamber that had two other hallways radiating from it.  A trapdoor was set in the ceiling.

"That might lead up to the street!" Thalas pointed out.  "The ceiling height is right.  Maybe we can get Kirsh out of here."  He used his glaive to knock the trapdoor open, then boosted Morderas up into the dark opening.  Morderas disappeared momentarily, then returned.

"It's an alleyway.  I'm not sure where, exactly.  It's quiet though, and dark."

"Kirsh, we'll lift you up," Thalas began, but was interrupted by both Kirsh and Morderas.

"No my lord," Kirsh protested, "Not some dark alley.  I'll just be waylaid by thieves again!"

"I'd rather keep an eye on him until we get the reward he promised, if you're not going to let me kill him," Morderas said.

Kirsh's eyes bugged, and he swallowed and went silent staring at Morderas.

Thalas shrugged.  "Whatever."

Quinn returned from scouting the two passages with Kithkanan.  "There's another secret door and a wet cave beyond down one; there's another chamber like this down the other.  The wet cave had a big pool of water in it and was open to the sky.  Doesn't look like anyone is there."

"Must be a storm drain or something," Athal said.  They followed the worked passages, slowly descending to a second circular chamber, then a third, which eventually circled back and ended at the wet cave Quinn had discovered earlier.

"Guess this is it," Arjan said.  "There must be something important about this place."

The cave was large and oval shaped, with a sandy floor that sloped downward toward the center of the chamber.  A circular opening in the ceiling perhaps ten feet across showed dark sky above, and dripped water into the pool.  The pool itself was dank, dark, and stagnant.  Kithkanan tossed a rock in, which sank with a plop.

"I think we should go back to the main complex," Thalas suggested.

"Wait a sec," Morderas said.  "There's something funny about the wall over there."  He pointed around the edge of the pool to the right side of the room.  He and Athal wandered over to investigate, followed by Quinn.  Thalas looked, but saw nothing out of the ordinary -- just a raw stone wall.

Just then, there was a "click" sound, and water began pouring in to the chamber from pipes set high in the walls around the perimeter.  It flowed at an incredible rate, almost enough to knock a man down standing in front of the flow.  Then the pool became a storm of spray, as an enormous scaled tail thrashed out.  As the splash settled, Morderas and Athal could no longer be seen, and Quinn was clamped in the jaws of the largest crocodile he'd ever seen.

_Guess those stories mom used to tell about alligators in the sewers were real,_ Thalas mused.  _We'd better take this beast down quickly, or it will be a race between him eating us and drowning_.  He channeled, preparing to strike.

The sound of bowstrings releasing could be heard, but Quinn was still dodging free of the crocodile as Arjan and Korlick distracted the creature.  Kirsh cowered back against the wall as Rhiannon darted forward, smashing at the creature with her mace.  The room was rapidly filling with water.  It was already above the tops of Thalas' boots.

Quinn was weakening, being savaged again by the monster crocodile as he attempted to back out of range of the creature's bite.  One of Arjan's spears hung from the creature's side, but it didn't appear to be slowed.

Thalas channeled again, feeling the painful bite of his magic as some of his energy was sucked away to burst as dripping black blood from the blade of his glaive.

"Sasserine and Sunrise!" he shouted, dashing forward and bringing the glaive down overhand with all his might.  The bloody blade cleaved down into the creature's scales just behind the head, severing most of the neck.  It trashed once, twice, and then was still.

Thalas slumped with fatigue.  "Is everyone OK?  Where are Athal and Morderas?"

They moved together toward where Quinn was and where Morderas had last been seen.  The water continued to flow in, and had reached Thalas' knees.

Athal's head popped -- there was no other way to describe it -- through the wall, and hung there like some sort of wall ornament.

"What are you doing?" he asked.  "We're in here -- just defeated three more of the thugs.  The wall doesn't actually exist.  See?  Illusion." He waved his hand in and out of the wall.

Thalas and Quinn closed their eyes and ran at the wall, and just as he expected to strike stone, Thalas stumbled into a large well-lit chamber.  Thalas opened his eyes.  The room was long and narrow, and where one wall should have been he could see a clear view of the large cave that was quickly filling with water.  There were no other exits, but there were a number of barrels and boxes that Morderas was rifling through.  Behind the boxes Thalas could see the bodies of three black-armored men.

"We'd better get out quick," Thalas suggested.  "That cave is filling up fast."

The others agreed, and they stepped back through the illusory wall into the cave and began wading toward the entrance.  The water was neck-deep on Thalas by the time he reached the ascending passage, though once there he quickly got clear of the water.  They moved back up the passages and through the secret door, then paused.  Everyone was accounted for.

"Back to the mess hall?" Thalas asked.  If Vanthus had been there, he was probably long gone by now, but they had to keep looking.

Athal nodded, and they retraced their steps.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 24, 2007)

The mess hall was a large, open room furnished with a number of tables and chairs.  One corner held a roughly seven-foot square cage housing a large numebr of brightly colored parrots, which began squawking as soon as the cage was approached.   Arjan immediately began cooing at them, and Thalas had to pull him away bodily.

Athal had already passed through a door on the opposite side of the room into what appeared to be a kitchen area.  There was a clang of somthing dropping to the floor, and then a retching sound.  Thalas and Arjan rushed to join the rest of the party, who were now kneeling over Arjan.  The elf was on his hands and knees, retching up his evening meal.

"Weak stomach?" Thalas mused.  The kitchen did have a rank odor to it.  The Lotus Dragons might have had riches, finery, and well-trained warriors, but they had a lousy cook.

"Elf," Arjan concluded, with a smirk.  Athal rose to his feet, shaking off the effects of the nausea.

"No, I got some of that gook spilled on me when I knocked the cauldron over." Athal pointed to a brown oily substance spilled on the floor from an overturned cauldron.  "It must be the poison the Lotus Dragons put on their crossbow bolts.  One of the thugs by the pool shot me with one and I felt the same way."

Two other doors led from the room.  One led to a storeroom which had little to recommend it except for various foodstuffs, though Kithkanan was finally able to find his missing equipment -- chain shirt, longsword, and longbow -- in one of the crates.  The second door led to a moderately sized room with a sandy floor and a number of decorative rocks an seashells.

"Meditation room?" Thalas asked nobody in particular, as Athal began poking about the place.  Suddenly a short lizard-like creature darted out from behind a rock and cowered at Athal's feet, sobbing.

"No hurt Chortle, no hurt!" the thing sobbed.  "Chortle is only cook!  Make nice eatings if big people let Chortle go!"

"Kill it!" Morderas shouted, drawing a weapon.  _Typical_, Thalas thought.

The creature -- it was a lizard-like kobold, wearing a filthy apron -- sobbed and prostrated itself on the floor.

Athal relented.  "I won't let them hurt you.  Do you know Vanthus?  Or any of the big folk here?"

Chortle only sobbed and shook its head.  "Please let Chortle go!  Make no noise! Not bother big folk!"

"Useless," Thalas said, "Let's get moving."

They trooped out, leaving the kobold, who dashed past them and down a hall, disappearing around a corner.  "Maybe we should have followed it?" Quinn suggested, but by then the creature was far out of sight.  They went back to the mess hall, and exited out another doorway, which led to another hall, and then turned through a door into what looked like an odd combination of a practice hall and throne room.  The floor was padded, and a number of straw-stuffed sparring dummies stood scattered about the left end of the room.  To the right, there stood a gilt throne on a raised dais.  Arjan, Morderas, and Thalas moved to examine the throne, while Athal and Kithkanan examined the sparring dummies as well as the doorway leading out at the left end of the room.

Suddenly, Kithkanan cried out, and was backing up drawing his sword.  One of the straw-stuffed dummies had spring to life, sticking the elf with a rapier.  In the dim light, Thalas could make out that the dummy was actually a man who had stuffed his clothing and armor with straw to look like one of the many dummies scattered throughout the room.  Another sprung to life, and Athal found himself engaged as well.

Thalas charged in, only to be struck himself as what he had taken to be an inanimate dummy turned out to be a disguised thug.  Thalas narrowly missed being impaled on the man's rapier, and dodged back out of the way.  By that time, Morderas and Arjan were engaged with a fourth man, though Kithkanan's opponent was on the ground and bleeding, and Athal's opponent was beginning to look outclassed.  

Korlick the wonder dog bounded past, hamstringing Arjan's opponent, who went down screaming, and Rhiannon stepped past Thalas, bringing he mace up to smash Thalas' opponent underhand between the legs.  The man's eye's rolled back into his head and he collapsed.  Thalas struck an another moving figure with his glaive, and the man collapsed with his belly slit open.  All of their opponents were down, despite the advantage of surprise, when Quinn, watching the rear from the doorway, announced: "More coming".

Quinn pushed Kirsh out of the way and he and Athal ran quickly back the way they had come, as the others double-checked the remaining objects in the room to make sure they held no disguised thieves.  Morderas finished searching the dead men, coming away with six potion bottles and some small vials filled with poison.

Thalas, inspired, said "Give me one of those," pointing at a potion bottle.  Morderas shrugged and handed it to Thalas.  Thalas grinned, then popped the cork and swallowed the contents in one gulp, much to Morderas and Rhiannon's horror.  It was cool, with a faint aftertaste of almonds, and he immediately felt refreshed despite his exertions back at the crocodile pool and in the most recent fight.

"Healing potion," he grinned at the others.  "Didn't know for certain, but I figured it was worth a shot.  What's the worst that could have happened?"  Rhiannon rolled her eyes at him.  "What?" he asked, and then Quinn and Athal returned, wiping their blades clean of blood.

"Dispatched two more coming up behind," Quinn said.  "Looks like we only have one way left to go." He pointed toward the door by Kithkanan, and the group formed up to proceed.

"Let's hope there aren't many of these thugs left," Thalas muttered as he prepared to follow Athal and Kithkanan.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 25, 2007)

They exited the practice room and entered a small dog-legged hallway which led to yet another doorway.  As Athal approached, there came a sudden clicking on stone followed by a snarling sound, and Athal darted through the doorway with a yell followed by the rest, one after another.  Thalas paused in the doorway, looking into the small stone-walled chamber beyond, in which the rest of the group had surrounded another one of those wolf-spider crossbreeds that they had encountered on the _Blue Nixie_.  As frightening as the creature was, it was hardly holding its own, surrounded as it was by seven hardened adventurers pounding on it with their weapons.  They made short work of the creature, and soon it collapsed.

_Well, that was anti-climactic_, Thalas thought.  _These wolf-spiders make lousy guard dogs._

Oddly, the wolf-spider was wearing an iron collar attached to a thick chain.  The chain led to a hole in the opposite wall, next to an archway leading into the next room.  After examining the chain, they stepped through the archway into the room beyond.

The next chamber was well lit and decorated with carved frescoes and inlaid tile.  A large hexagonal table of polished wood dominated the room; on one wall hung a large colorful map of Sasserine while on the opposite was a slate on which the names of a number of ships had been written.  Thalas moved to the slate, reaching into his pouch for a bit of parchment and an quill he kept there for just such an occasion.

The slate seemed to contain lists of various ships coming and going from Sasserine, with their cargoes and indications that some of them had been "holed".  In large letters of red chalk in one corner was a list of all the names of the party (minus Kithkanan) with an annotation: "Vanthus, fix this NOW!!!".  In the opposite corner was scrawled an additional bit, but it was in a language and script Thalas had never seen.  He copied the foreign bt of doggerel as best he could, and took appropriate notes on the shipping information, then turned to the others.

"Looks like they've been expecting us.  They have all of our names.  I don't know what it means, but they've done something to some of the ships."

"They're up to something else, too," said Athal, who was examining the map.  "There are red, blue, and gold flag pins on this map.  Some are on the garrisons, a blue one on the Kellani family estate, and red on the Islani family hold, and a gold on Vanderboren manor. No other clues to what it means, though." 

Thalas shrugged, and the others shook their heads with blank expressions.  Clearly they had stumbled into some involved criminal enterprise beyond mere thievery, but it was anyone's guess as to what it was.  They were all a bit tired and punchy, but determined to find Vanthus before leaving, so they once again exited by the remaining door and pressed onward.  

From the succeeding hallway came the sudden stench of decay, and they burst into a room where a swaying, shambling figure on the far wall slowly began to turn to face them  It looked like a bugbear -- one of those hairy, bestial, over-large cousins of goblins -- but it didn't move quite naturally.

"Zombie!" cried Kithkanan, bounding forward to slash the creature.  Thalas channeled, and shot arcs of green fire at the thing, slowing it, as the blow from the others weakened it until Morderas finally dodged forward and hamstrung it with a slash from one blade, then severed its head with a backhand slash of the other.

They stepped past the now-still bugbear corpse into an opulent chamber.  The walls were painted in violet, with silver lanterns hanging at points around the room.  The floor was covered with a plush purple carpet.  One wall held a large bookcase upon which stood a number of fine statues of animals, stuffed animals, and other fine furnishings.  A second wall was covered with a large mural displaying a fleet of ships under full sail entering Sasserine harbor triumphantly, flags bearing the seal of the Lotus Dragons fluttering in the breeze.  the center of the room held a polished darkwood table upon which sat a large bowl of fruits and vegetables.

Impressive as the room was, the beautiful woman standing against the far wall was even more so.  Of moderate height, she was buxom, with raven hair, ruby lips, and slanted, violet eyes.  She smirked as she saw them enter, motioning grandly for them to approach.  Her companions -- two black-armored thugs and some sort of ravenous dinosaur creature that stood on two legs almost to the height of a man -- merely growled and looked menacing.

"Well, well," the woman purred. "I am impressed.  You sneak into the most powerful guild in Sasserine, kill half of my men ..."

"All of them, unless we miscounted," Morderas interjected.

"... and then stand here calmly to confront me.  Perhaps I have misjudged you.  Given what you've accomplished, I have an offer.  You can spend your time working for the noblewoman for pennies, or you can go to work for me and my organization.  The rewards will be far better, and given the fact that you've come this far ..."

"Given what we've done, you ought to surrender," Morderas suggested.  

Athal laughed.  "Are you Vanthus' fluky?  Did he leave you here to delay us?  Where is he?  Give him up and we'll let you go!"

"And besides," Thalas added, "if what we've seen is the best you can offer, we really don't stand to gain by joining your crew of incompetents."

Her sultry smile turned to a grimace, and she made a slicing motion across he throat with one hand, releasing a chain that led to the dinosaur's collar at the same time with the other.  The thieves whipped out their rapiers and closed, as the woman began to screech in an unearthly warbling tone.

In the hallway behind Thalas, where Rhiannon and Quinn had remained with Kirsh, there was a sudden cackle of laughter and a gasp from Rhiannon.  Thalas heard a voice say: "I'm afraid this little charade is over, my dear.  It has been fun following you, but I'm afraid I'm going to remain with my mistress after all."  Thalas could hear a gasp from Quinn, but couldn't turn to look back out the doorway, as the raptor had charged Athal.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 25, 2007)

They formed a line across the room, with Morderas and Thalas in the back row, and Rhiannon and Quinn fighting whomever it was out in the hallway.  Athal met the charge of the raptor, narrowly avoiding the creature's teeth, while Kithkanan and Arjan each engaged a thief.  Thalas gripped his glaive and channeled, preparing a devastating strike on the dinosaur.  Morderas dodged and tumbled past the front line, performing a kip-up to stand behind on of the thieves, between the thief and his mistress, and stabbed backward, dropping the man with one blow.

"How do you like us now?" he sneered at the woman.  In response, she stopped her screeching, pulled a bone wand from some pocket, and with a deft flick and word of power caused the thief Morderas had just killed to rise to his feet and resume the attack.  Some of Morderas' bravado faded at that.

"_Fuego!_" Thalas intoned, and his glaive burst into flame as he smote the raptor with all of his might.  The creature shrieked in pain as the flaming blade sliced and burned through muscle, sinew, and bone, but the animal did not have to suffer long -- Athal pierced it through the heart and it fell.

The woman gasped in shock, dropped the wand, and fumbled in her pouch, withdrawing a small vial.  Holding it to her lips, she downed the contents, and her form dissolved immediately into mist which seeped backward through the back wall of the room, disappearing.  

"Come back and fight, bitch!" Morderas shouted -- but she was gone.

Kithkanan and Arjan were still engaged with the remaining thief, so Thalas turned to look back out the doorway.  Rhiannon and Quinn were engaged with a swarthy, muscular man in a strangely color shirt of chain who was fighting bare-handed.  Kirsh was nowhere to be seen.  Rhiannon and Quinn were both badly hurt, and it was clear Rhiannon was nearing her breaking point.

Thalas whispered another arcane word of power he'd finally mastered just the day before, gesturing first at Rhiannon and then at Athal. There was a blue flash, and suddenly Athal stood where Rhiannon had.  The elf laughed maniacally as the triumphant grin faded from the muscular man's face, just before Athal ran him through.  

Athal was just kicking the twitching body from his sword when Arjan stabbed the remaining thief, and the sounds of battle faded.  They were victorious, though the mysterious beauty had escaped.  

Morderas got to work searching the bedroom that was attached to the sitting room, as Athal and Kithkanan piled the bodies and Quinn collected valuables from the shelves.  Thalas concentrated, searching for magical auras, and located one on the bone wand on the floor that the woman had dropped in her retreat, one coming from the collar on the dinosaur's neck, and another on the armor the strange muscular man wore.  He pointed these out and the items were collected.

"What happened to Kirsh?" Thalas asked, looking around.

"He turned into that man," Rhiannon said, pointing at the dead man whose armor they had just stripped off.  "He had some sort of magical illusion disguising him."

"We're rich! We're wealthy! We're comfortably well off!" came Morderas' shout from the other room.  The other rushed to see what he was gloating over.

Morderas had uncovered a couple of large chests.  One held a collection of rare perfumes, some of which would bring an enormous price in the right market.  But more impressive was a large collection of jewelry and several silk bags containing what Thalas estimated must be close to ten thousand platinum dragons.  Added to the riches from the other room -- three finely crafted statues, two coffers of jewelry, some fine silk, and a collection of erotic novels that Arjan was flipping through hungrily, and they had quite a haul.  Which almost made up for the fact that they'd explored the entire complex and hadn't found Vanthus.

"Those bags bear the Vanderboren seal," Athal pointed out.  "That's Lavinia's missing wealth.  We'll have to return it."

Thalas considered that the look on Morderas' face was almost worth the loss of ten thousand platinum dragons.  Almost.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Nov 25, 2007)

After a quick bit of discussion -- Arjan protesting the morality of taking all this wealth while trying to slip and erotic novel under his tunic while Thalas pointed out that they had just destroyed the most dangerous thieves' guild in Sasserine and they were entitled to some reward, especially since they were returning Lavinia's treasure -- the began to package the loot for easy transport.

Morderas handed a stack of folded papers to Thalas: "You might be interested in this."  Thalas opened them, and read:

"This one is dated two days before the fire that killed the Vanderborens!"



> ... My parents have grown soft.  I'm not worried in the slightest that they suspect anything, my delicate flower.  The funds you've trusted be with have been more than enough to pay off the local guards, the harbor watch, and the ship's crew to say nothig about the new cargo.  Hell, they even offered to help load the barrels!  Of course, I didn't tell them what was inside -- I'm sure they'd sing a different song if they knew how much alchemist's fire was loaded into the hold of my father's new plaything.  I'll be following the ship's progress for a few days to make sure the fire does the trick, so you'll not be seeing me for at least half a week.  Keep you bed warm for me!"




"Slimy bastard.  Bet that'll pop the rest of Lavinia's illusions like a soap bubble.  The next one is dated three days after the fire."



> ... It's unbelievable.  Sure, she's the eldest sibling, but she knows nothing of life!  She spent the last half of her childhood in Thelenar learning how to fold napkins and play the violin, for Hell's sake!  It just goes to show you how insane my parents really were ... leaving everything in her care like that.  Whatever.  She'll need the house to live off of, I suppose.  Lavinia's not a bad lass, really ... I kind of miss our time together, to tell the truth.  Think she'd be interested in joining the Lotus?  I doubt it.  And anyway, a second Vanderboren tragedy might get too many people curious.  No, for now, whatever's in the vault will have to do.




"and the last, dated two days ago ..."



> ... I really wish you could have been there, my little dragon, to see their faces before I closed the door!  Lavinia's never going to get anywhere hiring fools like them.  I wonder if they've found Penkus yet?  I hope they didn't die too quickly.
> 
> In any case, on to the purpose of this letter.  Brissa's in the other room, getting ready for a night out on the town, so I'll have to be quick.  Remember that thing she hinted about to me? About the pirates who were supposedly using Kraken's Cove as a base for their smuggling operations?  Turns out she wasn't spinning tales -- I've heard that they'll be arriving within the week with a particularly rich cargo.  I'll bring her with me on the pretext of joining up with them, get their guard down, and when they're not expecting it my men'll light the ships on fire!  It'll be a simple task to pluck the treasure from the water once all those fools are dead.  Should be more than enough to make up for what we lost when Lavinia inherited rather than me.
> 
> I tell you ... burning people to death on their own boats?  It's the best way to make money yet.  Wish I'd thought of it years ago!




"Nasty bastard, isn't he?  Maybe we should head to this Kraken's Cove to see if we can spike his wheel.  We're due for a bit of payback, I think."

The others nodded, then shouldered their loads to return to Vanderboren Manor, report their findings, and plot their next move.


----------



## KingCrab (Nov 28, 2007)

Just some notes:

Arjan actually killed both the dinosaur and the last thief in the final battle with two (times 3) spear criticals in a row.  (He's been enjoying stabbing people in the brain and twisting his spear.)

I liked the "Elf" comment.  I didn't say it, but I should have.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 9, 2007)

*Session 5: The Mystery of Kraken's Cove*

It was a dirty, bloody, and dead-tired band of adventurers who found themselves banging on the gates of Vanderboren Manor at two hours before dawn that morning.  The guards, unused to such a ruckus at that hour of the morning, were surly but opened the gates once they recognized the group.  They were ushered into the main hall, and Lavinia soon joined them, wearing a thin lavender robe and trying to straighten her tousled hair.  She looked stunning despite having just been wakened from a sound night's sleep.

"We have good news and bad news," Thalas announced.

"Well," Lavinia began, "I don't quite understand."

Thalas went on.  "The good news is: your brother Vanthus is a lying, murdering bastard.  He killed your parents, joined the thieves guild, and is plotting to blow up a bunch of ships in the harbor with cargoes of alchemist's fire."

Lavinia looked shocked.  "That's not possible.  I don't believe it.  Vanthus may have strayed, but he certainly ..."'

Thalas overrode her.  "We have proof," he said, waving Vanthus' letters under her nose, then dropping them in her lap for her to read. "It's all in there.  The bad news is that he got away.  We're going to go find him and bring him back dead or alive.  We're leaving in about a week to intercept him at a place called Kraken's Cove.  Do you know where that is?"

Lavinia shook her head silently, looking dumbfounded at the letters in her lap.  Her eyes teared up, and she finally spoke: "I think I need to be alone."

"I'd be happy to keep you company," Morderas suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

Thalas smirked. "You're welcome.  You might consider letting the watch know about the sabotaged ships; I don't think it is the sort of thing we'll be able to take care of for you."

Thalas bid farewell to his companions, arranging to meet them six days hence.  They were all planning on staying at Lavinia's to rest and recuperate, but he had no intention of remaining there like Lavinia's lapdog.  His share of the recovered treasure was substantial, enough to keep him going for a while, and he had a number of days to lose himself in study and training.  

He returned to his rooms above the kitchen at the Hunter's Rest, and after a good hot bath and evening's debauchery in the common room, headed out to the Emporium to pick up some supplies.  Perusing the stacks of books and scrolls, Thalas was able to find a number of useful magical tidbits that might make their next foray more profitable.  He spend the next five days carefully transcribing the various notes and scrolls into a single volume, as well as consolidating some of his own research with the notes he'd found scrawled in the margins of his mother's spellbook.  He had time to prepare one magical tool of his own -- a magical leaf that when crushed would release an enchantment that would allow him to cause one of his companions to grow to giant's size.  

Among his researches was a formula to allow the reading of any language, and he was pleased to find that he was able to employ it successfully.  The bit of strange doggerel they'd found scrawled in the Lotus Dragon's hideout turned out to be in the language of the fishes -- Aquan.  Unfortunately, the note -- "Make sure to pay the ixit's by month's end" -- was meaningless to Thalas.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 9, 2007)

Six days after demolishing the Lotus Dragon's hideout, Thalas returned to join his companions at Vanderboren Manor.  They'd been busy in his absence.  Athal had located a sage in the Noble district, one Sloren Highwall, who was an expert on geography.  Sloren located Kraken's Cove for them: eastward, across Blood Bay.  Athal had already hired a fishing boat to transport them, as the overland route would be far too long and dangerous.  So despite Morderas' protest that they should be checking out the Kellani estate for the return of Rowan and the Lotus Dragons, they soon found themselves at the docks, looking over the fishing scow belonging to a man named Zathid.

"Not much to look at, is it?" Thalas observed.

Zathid spat.  "The Gold Endeavor'll get you where you need to go.  Only eight nobles each for the trip, there and back.  I'll wait for you for a day, even loan you a dinghy to get to shore."

"Think we can trust him?" Quinn asked Morderas.

"He's completely trustworthy," Morderas replied.

They all piled into the boat and stowed their gear, and soon they were slicing across the waves, leaving Sasserine harbor and heading east.  The night passed swiftly and without incident, and at dawn the next morning they awoke to find themselves entering a large bay where the sea ran red.

"What causes that?" Kithkanan asked Arjan.

"Some say twas the curse of the gods," Zathid interjected, "when Pelor struggled with Osprem, Osprem made the sea run red with Pelor's blood.  Other's say it's the blood of all the men who've been sent to the briny deeps here by pirates."

Arjan rolled his eyes.  "It's small plants in the water.  When too many of them grow, they turn the water red."

"Really?" Thalas asked. "That sounds fascinating.  What kind of plant, and what makes them grow ...". He and Arjan were soon deep in conversation about the biology of Blood Bay.  _Maybe Arjan isn't so bad after all_, thought Thalas, _he certainly seems to know the natural world better than I_.

They soon reached a headland on the eastern side of the bay.  Zathid dropped anchor, lowered the dinghy, and pointed east.  "Kraken Cove's on the other side of those cliffs.  There's a path up them ... land here and go in overland and they won't see you coming.  More 'n my life's worth sailing into that bay.  I'll wait for ye until nightfall, but if yer not back by sundown, I'll leave without ye."

Plumes of smoke were rising from the far side of the cliffs, so Thalas could see what the man meant.  They were soon rowing to shore, and after a bit had secured the dinghy on the beach and were climbing the narrow path  to the top of the cliff.

Upon reaching the top a shocking scene appeared below.  They could just see the entrance to the cove -- part of it was out of view behind a bend of land to the right.  One three-masted ship rode at anchor far out in the cove.  Closer in, a number of ships were burning, throwing plumes of black smoke into the clear morning air.  Even the water appeared to burn.  They readied their weapons and started down the narrow path that wound down the far side of the hill toward the cove.

As they reached level ground, Quinn came running back up the trail from where he had scouted ahead.  "Something strange ahead," he reported.  "Dead animals everywhere.  Any they don't look normal."

Arjan gave a cry, and all of them rushed forward to prevent the druid from running ahead on his own.  The sight ahead was indeed disturbing.  The rotting corpses of a number of jungle creatures lay along the trail.  Each was hideously deformed, with scars oozing pus, strange bone spurs and cankers growing at odd locations, even additional limbs growing out of backs and bellies.  They didn't have much time to make sense of what was going on, for there was a strangled cry from ahead.

Four deformed monkeys closed on them from out of the jungle, and dead ahead of them roared a large, four-armed beast that looked as if it had been sewn together from the bodies of a number of other animals.  

"I knew we should have killed that taxidermist," Arjan hissed.

"That is definitely not natural," Thalas agreed.

They set their weapons as the creatures charged.  Morderas immediately impaled one, then jumped aside in horror as the creature exploded into a pool of acid.  He then shrieked in pain as a second one attacked and bit him, though he made short work of it.  One monkey approached within range of Thalas, but Thalas smashed its head with his glaive before it could get to close, and he was well out of range of its death throes.  The others dispatched the last monkey-thing behind him as Korlick met the charge of the four-armed abomination.  Kithkanan ran up behind the dog, and with a powerful blow struck the creature down, dodging out of the way as it too collapsed into a pool of hissing acid.  Korlick whined and moved to hide behind Arjan.

Morderas show a wound that was infected and still swelling with a strange growth of bone.  He said he felt light headed, and none too sure of his wits.  Rhiannon examined him, but could do nothing for the bite.

Thalas shivered, and they resumed their march on Kraken's Cove.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 9, 2007)

They reached the beach, where a grisly sight met their eyes.  In front of the large cave mouth to their left, the entire beach was covered in blood and strewn with the bodies of what must have been twenty or more men and women, each hideously deformed and with the flesh literally stripped from the bone in places.  From back in the cave, horrible shrieks, maniacal laughter, and the sounds of meal striking metal could be heard.

"We have to go in there?" Thalas asked.  Athal only nodded, and Morderas moved to take point.  The dark elf then charged ahead into the depths of the cave as the main body of the party entered a large chamber with a sandy floor.  Quinn moved ahead to find Morderas, only to return shortly to motion them ahead -- Morderas had already found trouble.

They rounded a corner to find Morderas sneaking across another chamber, slinking along the wall to approach what looked like three pirates in discussion ... only to prove to be three deformed, human-like creatures in sailor's garb chewing on the lifeless remains of another human form.  Morderas was able to get close enough to stab one as the others rushed to his aid, firing arrows or swinging swords.  Thalas loosed a both of acid energy from his fingers, striking one creature, as Athal, Kithkanan, and Korlick closed on the others.  Athal jumped up on a table, stabbing down at one, and soon all of them had collapsed into the same hissing pools of acidic goo that the monkeys had become.

"What happened here?" Thalas whispered to no one in particular, but there was no answer as they continued their march into another passage, the sounds of battle in the distance growing louder and drawing them on.

The entered an enormous chamber that must have been sixty feet by a hundred, with passages radiating from it at the points of the compass.  Hanging from the ceiling were dozens of bolts of silk fabric, arranged in row after row so that the far side of the chamber could barely be seen.

"We ought to bring this back," Thalas mused," The chicks will dig us."

"Not so much," Kithkanan replied, pointing.  Most of the silk bolts had been ruined, some by water, others by blood and gore.

From out of the silks, something that looked like a cross between a halfling and a raccoon jumped out behind Morderas and attempted to bite him.  As the others responded and moved to surround the things, Athal moved off to scout the rows of silk.  His shout of "Dinosaur" alerted them that there was another opponent out there, though they had their hands full with the raccoon thing.  Thalas moved to his right skirting the wall, attempting to get to where he could see where Athal was fighting.  Quinn, too, charged through the silks, then shouted from help.  Thalas just reached where he could see Quinn thrusting through the silks at a whirling, dodging lizard creature, just as Athal went down beneath one of the creature's claws.  

"Help Athal!" Thalas shouted in the direction of Rhiannon and the others, who were finally putting the giant rodent-thing down.  Kithkanan charged off through the silk bolts towards the sound of fighting.  Thalas concentrated and channeled, disappearing from his spot by the wall and reappearing close to the snarling dinosaur while Athal's unconscious form appeared in his former place against the cave wall.  Thalas channeled again as Kithkanan engaged the creature, distracting it, and inflicting grievous wounds on it even as it forced Quinn to retreat.

Thalas sprang forward, striking with all his might with his glaive, and the blade swept down into the creature's skull, causing it to rear, convulse, and then drop.  The body then fumed and dissolved into another pool of acid.  Thalas turned, seeing Rhiannon treating a groggy Athal against one wall, while Morderas and Quinn bandaged their own wounds.

"Tough beast," Kithkanan observed.  "Nearly took all of us down.  Let's hope there aren't any more of them."

Thalas merely panted, too exhausted to reply.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 9, 2007)

Once everyone had been bandaged or caught their breath, they began searching the large room.  Thalas concentrated on detecting magical auras and was surprised to find not only a pair of magic slippers on the raccoon-thing (sadly too small for anyone to wear), but also that the entire chamber radiated a sick, low-level necromantic taint.  He informed the others, but they could make nothing of it save Rhiannon, who speclated that it might be related to the strange magical curse poison disease that had infected every living thing they had found so far.

They exited the room through another passage, and soon found themselves in a large square trophy room.  The enormous skull of some sort of lizard creature dominated one wall, and the others were covered with painting, seascapes, bits from various ships, various bits of unindentifiable sea monsters.  One intriguing trophy was part of the hull of a ship, carved with the faded letters "T M A  UT".  Another was an enormous ship's bell inscribed with the words "Sea Ghost".

There was a large elaborately locked chest, too, built of stout timber reinforced with iron.  Morderas tried the lock but could find no way to open it, and when he suggested using their weapons to bash it open Athal just shook his head and pointed onward.  The sounds of the distant battle were growing louder.

They left the trophy room and followed another passage through which they could soon hear pounding surf, and they entered a chamber that was half-submerged under water.  Low holes in the back wall let in the surf, and the water ebbed and flowed in time with the crashing of the waves on the distant shore.

A human figure was hunched no the edge of the tidal pool, back toward them, sobbing.  It rose and turned as they entered, revealing what had once been a young pretty (if slightly plump) woman, but was now a deformed mockery of her former form.  Her eyes were gone, and strange growths poked out of her skin and torn dress at odd points.  She began to step toward them, staggering, and reaching out with hands that were now clawed talons.

"Vathus, is that you?  I've waited my love," the thing pined.

_Brissa._  Morderas pitched his voice low: "Yes, it's me Brissa.  I've returned to save you."

Brissa snarled and her face wrenched in fury, and she rushed forward swinging her taloned hands about wildly.  Arjan began intoning magical syllables, and a large grey-headed bear twinkling with golden light appeared just behind Brissa and lumbered toward her.  The wolf-bear never reached her, though -- Kithkanan struck her down with a single blow.  Her head rolled across the sand to fall with a plop into the tidal pool, and her body slumped to the sand, gradually dissolving until the only thing that could be recognized was the Lotus Dragon tattoo on one shoulder.

"Something tells me we're not going to find Vanthus here, again," Thalas observed.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 29, 2007)

*Session 6: The Savage Tide*

Rhiannon examined Brissa's body.  "I can't figure out what this is.  it's the same source that is poisoning Morderas, and I can't cure it.  It's partly magical, partly acts as a poison, and partly acts as a disease.  I can temportarily reverse it with some preparation, but that's all I can do, I'm afraid."

Moderas looked nervous.  "I'll take temporary reversal as soon as you can manage.  This thing growing on my shoulder doesn't feel natural."

As the cave where they had put Brissa to her final rest was a dead end, they backtracked to the last intersection and chose another passage, still following the sounds of metal-on-metal combat.  They soon entered a maze-like area of stone corridors and columns, here three more deformed, diseased pirates attacked them, though with close cooperation and some aggressive fighting by Korlick the wonder dog they quickly dispatched these next foes.

Passing through the maze-like chamber, they reached an area where both the sounds of the surf and the sounds of fighting grew louder, and the stone passage soon opened onto a sandy-floor cave that backed onto a tidal pool where the waves repeatedly lapped the sandy shore.

Standing with her back to the pool was a beautiful raven-haired woman dressed in form-fitting jet black armor, with a wide-brimmed hat cocked jauntily over one eye.  She held a cutlass in one hand and a dirk in the other, and skillfull dodged back and forth, thrusting at and parrying the attacks from the dozen or more diseased pirate figures that surrounded her. _The enemy of my enemy ..._ Thalas thought, as Kithkanan and Athal ahead of him drew their blades.

Kithkanan charged the mass of necrotic flesh, dropping two of the pirates with a single slashing blow before they were even aware of him.  Thalas pulled a mallorn leaf from his belt pouch, reading the arcane glyphs he had scribed there with octopus ink, then cruching the leaf as the glyphs began to pulse with purpule light.  Thalas pointed, and Athal suddenly grew to ten feet in height, his sword increasing in lenght in proportion to his growth.  Athal also charged the enemy, felling another pirate with a single overhand blow that arced nearly to the ceiling of the cavern.  

The pirates responed to this new threat, with the rearmost -- who were having difficulty engaging the woman due to the press of bodies in front of them -- whirling and advancing on line.  As they turned, the woman herself dodged lightning quick and downed four of her opponents in a blinding fury of flashing blades.

As the line advanced, Athal whirled and sliced the sinews of another pirate just as it came within reach of his blade.  Thalas moved into the open, castign first one spell to distract Moderas' opponent, and then concentrating to channel his energy into a focused, precise attack.  When he delivered that strike, Moderas' opponent dropped, and Thals continued his attack, successfully wounding the pirate that faced Arjan.  Moderas then spun and dove behind Arjan's opponent, striking him in the knees.

"It's time to end this, boys!" the woman cried, stabbing two more with a thrust from each of her blades.  She staggered back to pant, blades hanging loosely from her hands, and oberve the scene in front of her.

To Thalas' left, Athal sliced another opponent in two, causing the decaying body to splash acid over Quinn and Rhiannon, who wer eunable to get out of the way in time.  Arjan meanwhile screamed to Thalas' right as a pirate succeeded in rending his side with a pair of talons.  Athal stuck down another pirate, leaving a single one surrounded by Morderas, Arjan, and Thalas ... but with Athal's extended reach, he stepped forward and destroyed that one as well before any of the others could land a telling blow.

"Well done, me hearties," said the woman as she wiped and sheathed her blades.  "I don't know who ye be, but I be in yer debt just the same.  I be Captain Harliss Jornal of the Crimson Fleet, and these unfortunates we have just sent to Osprem's locker were me crew before Vanthus Vanderboren turned them into twisted nightmares."

Thalas looked at the others and shrugged.  "Crimson Fleet" didn't mean anything to him, either.

"Is he a wizard, then?" Athal asked.  "We're hunting Vanthus ourselves, for betraying us and attempting to get us killed.  We suspect him of much, murder and worse, but didn't think he was capable of this."

"I'll tell ye what happened," the woman replied, relaxing as the others also sheathed their weapons, and Morderas began pilfering bodies. "Vanthus approached us a week ago with an offer of cheap cargo.  We figured he was a black marketeer, and arranged to meet him at this cove.  Vanthus waited until the ships arrived, then dumped alchemist's fire in the water and set all the shipa afire."

"Yeah, he does seem to have a thing for that tactic," Thalas interjected, "he was planning the same thing back in Sasserine harbor, and used the same trick to kill his own parents."

"Aye, he's a piece of work, that one," Harliss agreed. "While the ships were burning he tried to rob me hold.  I surpried him when he came up on deck, and he dropped what he was trying to steal -- a black pearl the size of a fist.  His blood splashed on it as I struck at him,.  The pearl cracked, and a green gas began spewing from it, going straight through the side of the ship in an expanding cloud.  The pearl rolled off the deck and into the water, and when it hit it exploded.  A green mist filled me vision, and I felt famished and feverish, but then the feeling was gone.  When it passed, Vanthus and I were the only humans left -- everyone ele had transformed into one of those ... things.  Vathus dove from the deck and swam to the shore through the fire and disappeared; I came to shore to try and put the pieces together and was atatcked by what was left of me own crew."


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 30, 2007)

"Is the ship in the cove yours?" Quinn asked.

"The Sea Wyvern?  Nay, she were a derelect when we arrived.  Its yours if ye can crew it.  I've got more important things in mind.  I've sent me first mate Dvoras to kill Vanthus, and his family to even the score."

"Yuo're a bit late for that," Thalas remarked, "considering Vanthus killed his parents himself, and the only surviving family member is an estranged sister.  We were hired to track down and kill Vanthus ourselves, which is why we are here."

"Whom do you serve?" Harliss asked.

"Personally, myself," Thalas responded.  "I'm doing this job for payback to Vanthus for personal wrongs.  I won't speak for the others."

"Lavinia Vanderboren," Athal piped up, with Arjan nodding.  Thalas cringed, and Harliss frowned.  "She had nothing to do with this attack, or with her brother -- she's the one who hired us to bring him in."

Harliss' eyes narrowed.  "Well, I believe you.  But it be too late to stop Dvoras; he's already ahead of you."

"We'd better leave right away, then," Athal responded, gathering his equipment and looking at everyone else.

"Why not take some time to recover the Sea Wyvern?" Thalas asked.  "We could return in style, and set ourselves up as merchants.  There's surely a profit to be made there."

Athal shook his head.  "No time.  Our first duty is to Lavinia. You can take the ship, but you'll be returning alone."

Harliss meanwhile was scribbling on a bit of parchment, which she handed to Athal.  "Here ye be.  Give this to Dvoras and he'll call off his mission."

"I still say we take the ship," Thalas insisted.  We're in Lavinia's hire -- she can look out for herself.  It's not liek we're her only guards."

"Lavinia's been good to us!" Arjan replied.  "We owe her, for all she's done for us!"

"All she's done for you, maybe," Thalas remarked.  "You're the one living in the lap of luxury eating cake.  She may have paid for my services, but I'm no vassal.  We have the chance to set ourselves up without having to bow and scrape to some noble, and you'll throw that away to come swooping to her rescue, when she probably doesn't need rescue?  I don't wish her ill, but she hired us to find Vanthus, not be her personal bodyguard."

"We're going," Athal insisted, and the others nodded.  "You can come or stay, your choice."

Thalas sighed.  "very well.  It's against my better judgment, but since I can't sail the ship myself ..."

They headed back to the beach, and rowed the dinghy out to the waiting fishing boat and immediately set sail for Sasserine.  Thalas had time to get some rest and study his spellbooks on the return journey, but for little else.  The opportunity to gain freedom as a merhcant with his own ship was just too good a dream to leave behind.  He resolved that after their return, if the others would not join him, he would hire a crew and return on his own to salvage the vessel.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Dec 30, 2007)

Upon arrival in Sasserine they headed immediately to Lavinia's manor.  The streets were packed with people, as today was the celebration of the Wormfall festival, and it seemed that all of Sasserine were out frolicking in the streets.  There were street performers on every corner: stilt walkers, jugglers, mimes, and others.

Rhiannon suddenly gave a yell: "Those stilt walkers have alchemist's fire!"  Sure enough, the red-and-white costumed stilt walkers who had been juggling bottles and vials had slowly surrounded the party without thir noticing and were just throwing down their vials into the center of the street.  Flames blossomed all around them, and there was the smell of burn hair and flesh as some of the party were singed.  

Thalas had escaped the worst of it, so he quickly threw a spell to enlarge Kithkanan to giant's height again, then dodged out of the way.  Kithkanan was moving to use his sword to cut the walker's stilts.  At their hieght, they were out of reach, but he was successful in cutting one down and the man fell to the pavement where the others could dispatch him.

The remaining five stilt walkers drew out additional vials and threw them down into the midst of the party, adding to the confusion, though Thalas felt a surge of magic as Arjan released a spell and suddenly found himself moving mroe quickly, striking one of the foes with his glaive.  The enlarged Kithkanan also made quick work of two stilt walkers by using his increased height and expanded reach to attack them directly without having to strike their stilts.

Morderas, meanwhile, was engaged at the front of the group with another combatant -- a street mime dressed in black with a white skeleton outlined on the clothing.  The mime was fighting barehanded, clearly adept at that fighting style, and holding his own.  Athal and Arjan stuck down another two stilt walkers as Thalas channeled, preparing a strike to finish the skeleton mime, but giant Kithkanan stepped past him and knocked the mime prone with a single blow.

"Good -- I hate mimes," Thalas smiled as his magic dissipated.

The mime surrendered.  "The Kellanis send their regards," she said, as Arjan moved to iterrogate her.

"No time," Athal insisted as Arjan began questioning, "we have to get to Lavinia's!"  He turned and ran up the street, followed closely by Kithkanan, Rhiannon, Quinn, and Arjan.  Morderas smiled, beheading the helpless mime, and rushed on.  Thalas merely shook his head in disgust -- one of these dayas, he was definitely going to have to put a stop to this behavior of Morderas -- then followed the group.

They reached the manor quickly, and the signs were ominous.  There were no guards at the gate, and the gate itself swung loosely from its hinges.  There were signs of struggle all about the grounds where the landscaping had been disturbed, with muddy tracks of booted feet and ... others ... leading everywhere.  The doors to the manor were open, and the party pounded up the steps into the entry hall.

Standing in front of them was a group of what could only be described as frog-men: squat, green warty, slimy, and holding speras as they grunted and ribbited.  Bullywugs!

"Surrender or die!" Thalas shouted from the back of the group.

"Die!" croaked the bullywugs in response, as they charged.  The two groups came together with a crash.  Thalas, Kithkanan, and Athal all dispatched an opponent, and the adventurers continued their rush up the stairs as if they had met no opposition while Morderas remained behind to dispatch the lone survivor.

They headed up the stairs to Lavinia's bedroom, finding it open but with evidence of a struggle -- drag marks and dead bullywugs.   No Lavinia.

Thalas suddenly remembered on of the spells he had studied the night before.  He wiggled his fi8ngers and whispered: "Lavinia: where are you?"

A whisper came back:"I'm in the room, and they're here with me."

"What room?" Thaklas asked, but the response was only silence. "They have he in one of the nearby rooms," he told the others.

They returned to the landing, examined the floor for tracks, then selected a set of darkwood double doors to kick in.

From the darkened room beyond poured a swampy stench.  Against the back wall, four hostages were tied to chairs -- Lavinia, her halfling serving woman, and two other servants.  The halfling had had her throat cut, but the others were still alive, eyes wide with terror, for standing over them was the largest half-orc Thalas had ever seen -- muscular, tattooed, and holding a blade to Lavinia's throat.

In the corner, the source of the smell was clear: a wizened bullywug with a strange fleshy pouch at his throat who wore wrappings of sopping wet sheets.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 1, 2008)

Athal shouted: "If you're Dvoras, I have a message from Captain Harliss."

The half-orc responded: "Make a move and she dies.  I'm waiting for Vanthus."

"We'll help you deal with Vanthus," Morderas suggested.  "We're on your side."

"I'm not interested in sides," Dvoras responded, tightening his grip on Lavinia.  "Leave".

Quinn fired an arrow, and the group launched its attack.  Thalas attempted to cast a spell that would cause Dvoras' scimitar to get slippery so he would drop it, but the magic failed, and Dvoras struck Lavinia.  As it turned out, she had been able to work her hands free, and was able to dodge aside at the mast moment.  Lithkanan and Athal charged the half-orc, as the bullywug in the corner began chanting, causing two giant dogs smelling of fire and brimstone to appear in the room.  Thala moved in, strikign one dog as e attempted to get at the bullywug, as Athal stabbed the half-orc, knocking him senseless.

Thaas dodged around the dogs, running up an dtrapping th bullywug in the corner, just as the dogs breathed fire on Kithkanan and Athal.  Kithkanan screamed in pain as Arjan flanked and attacked a dog with Korlick.  Morderas meanwhile bounded up behind the bullywug, and together he and Thalas quickly dispatched the creature as Athal, Arjan, and Kithkanan dispatched the dogs he had summoned.  Thalas concentrated quickly, detecting magic auras, and pointed out a number of interesting items on the half-orc and bullywug that Morderas picked up for later -- a necklace, two rings, a belt, and a magical scimitar and set of armor.

"Time to go," Athal said to Lavinai, "now that we have you safe."  Arjan was untying the two servants.

Lavinia shook her head.  "We can't go yet.  We're still missing two of the Jade Ravens.  They're probably in the basement."

"Who are the Jade Ravens?" Thalas asked.

"We are," the two they had just untied responded -- a human and half-elf.  "Mercenaries.  We've served Lavinia's family for some time, and were fighting off the bullywug attack before we were captured."

Oh," Thalas replied, as he suddenly remembered the man from a number of days ago.  "And got yourself captured.  So what do you think og 'the help' now, biatch?"

"To the basement!" Athal cried, running off into the hall.

"Do we have fifteen minutes?" Thalas asked, as he followed, "you see, I'd like to prepare a spell that might help, and ...." But Athal was alrady out of sight.  "Damn."  He followed the crowd down the stairs, as Lavinia led them to the basement.  

"Who is missing?" Morderas asked Tollern, the half-elf, as they headed down.

"Cascus, the dwarf, and our sorceress Liana." came his reply.

"And what are your skills?"


"I'm a ranger.  He's the thief."  Tollern pointed at the human.

They arrived in the basement.  Partway into the narrow columned chamber was a cistern, which had a passage half-full of water that led out of the basement, under the walls of the manor.  Wet footprints and mud were scattered about it.

"They must have come in that way," Tollern announced.

"How long did you have to go to ranger school to figure that out?" Thalas asked wryly.

Athal shushed them.  Bubbling and chattering could be heard from the far end of the chamber, and they moved around the cistern and crept forward.

In the chamber beyond, a human woman in tatter clothing was tied to a column, and had been draped in a new to which were tied a number of spoons and other silverware.  A strange armadillo-like creature the size of a large dog with two large feather-like feelers was leaping and pawing at her, and she had just enough range of movement to move out of the way.  She was clearly terrified.

A bullywug and half-orc were watching the spectacle, laughing.  "Dogpile the half-orc!" Athal shouted, as he charged the bullywug.  The rest of the group surrounded the enemy warrior, but despite a number of well placed strikes he fought on, only slightly winded.  Then a small green-furred creature dressed in blackmaterialized behind them, seemingly out of thin air.  One stabbed Rhiannon in the back and she fell, bleeding.  Athal smashed the bullywug and the strange feeleered beast in a series of punishing blows, though his sword dissolved into rust inthe process, leaving him unarmed.  The green creature disappeared from sight, reappearign to stab at Morderas, but the half-drow was too quick, dodging and striking back, killing it.  The rest of the group made short work of the remaining opponent, then paused to catch their breath, releasing the spoon-draped woman in the process.

"Thank you," said the sorceress Liana, the third of the Jade Ravens.  "Where is Cascus?"

The dwarf was still missing.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 6, 2008)

*Session 7: Set Sail from Sasserine*

Thalas looked at Liane.  "So what happened when the bullywugs attacked?  Where is Cascus?"

The Jade Ravens looked at each other.  "They just attacked.  We don't know how they got in, though it seems obvious now," Tollern explained.  "We fought most of them in the courtyard until we were overwhelmed."

"I was knocked out pretty quickly," Liane explained, "I don't know what happened after that."

"They are probably somewhere else in the manor," Morderas speculated.  "Are there any secret rooms in the place?  Here in the basement?"

Lavinia shook her head.

Thalas suddenly had a bright idea.  "Arjan!  Have Korlick track the bullywugs! We can probably figure out where they went."  Arjan nodded, and had Korlick sniff the bullywug corpse, then encouraged the dog to lead them.  Korlick bounded up the stairs to the ground floor, then turned down a hallway.  They found themselves in a large trophy hall filled with stuff animals and unusual creatures.

"You're going to hell for this, Lavinia," Arjan murmurred.

Down at the end of the trophy hall, three bullywugs were clustered around the stuffed form of a giant frog that stood taller than they did.  They appeared distracted.

"Kneel before thy god!" Thalas yelled in his best impersonation of a bullywug croak, as the rest of the group charged.  The bullywugs were all cut down before they had a chance to defend themselves.  "Guess the frog god was displeased with them," Thalas chuckled, patting the giant stuffedfrog.

"You're really going to hell for this, Lavinia," Arjan whispered, as he eyed the giant frog.  Then he came to his sense, and urged Korlick on.

The dog followed another set of muddy tracks, and thy entered the main dining hall of the manor where they had first met Lavinia.  Four bullywugs were there -- three sitting in chairs, feet up on the table, smoking Lavinia's finest cigars.  The fourth paced at the head of the table, and was larger and better dressed than the others.

"Surrender!" Arjan shouted.  "We've already killed everyone in the basement!"

The large bullywug turned.  "You killed chief?" it croaked.

"Yes," Arjan replied.

"He was my husband!" the bullywug roared, drawing two kukris as the other bullywugs leaped to their feet and drew weapons.  The bullywugs charged.

Kithkanan cut one in half as Quinn shot a second in the eye with an arrow.  Athal leapt onto the table, attacking the leader and killing one of the subordinates.  Thals leapt onto the table as well, killing a third subordinate and cleaving into the leader, but it fought on.  Kithkanann and Athal then surrounded it, and Arjan stabbed with his spear, administering a death blow.

"So much for the bullywugs," Thalas observed.  "But where is this dwarf?

They encouraged Korlick onward, and the dog led them out into the courtyard, where the ground was covered with blood and a dozen bullywug corpses.  

"Not this way," Liane said.  "this is where it started."  There was no dwarf to be found.  "Told you so," she said smugly.  There was, however, the corpse of a large badger.  "This was Cascus' companion!" Liane moaned.

"Don't worry, we'll avenge him," Arjan reassured her, and turned Korlick back toward the house.

The dog led them into a garderobe, and began pawing at the back wall.  

"He's lost it," Morderaas observed, but Lavinia quickly stepped to the front.

"No, he hasn't.  Of course!  The armory!  She stepped to the wall, manipulated something, and the wall swung open, revealing a large chamber beyond where a number of weapons hung from racks on the walls.  An open coffer was spilled on the floor, and the body of a dwarf lay face up in the center of the chamber.

Thalas whistled as he looked around.  He was picking up significant magic auras from some of the weapons and other equipment in the room.

Morderas dashed forward and bent to examine the dwarf.   "He's still alive, barely!" he said ... but Tolern was drawing a weapon on him.

"Step away from him!" the half-elf demanded.  

"What?" Modereas replied innocently.  One hand was on the dwarf's head, palming a set of odd goggles he wore.

"You're trying to rob him," Tollern said.  "We won't stand for that.  Get out, half-breed."

Morderas protested, but Athal had to step between Tollern and Morderas to keep them from coming to blows.  "Outside, Morderas," Athal insisted.  "You, Tollern -- don't insult our friend, or you'll have the rest of us to face."

Tollern was about to retort when Cascus, the dwarf, coughed and woke under Rhiannon's ministrations.  "What'd I miss?" he said woozily.

Their remaining search of the manor yielded nothing.  The Jade Ravens went to alert the watch while Thalas' friends guarded the manor, and Lavinia did a quick inventory of key possessions.  The raiders had not escaped with anything, though many items were damaged or destroyed.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 8, 2008)

Thalas returned to his rooms at the Hunter's Rest to get a good night's shut eye and try and forget bug-eyed monsters and talking frogs for a bit.  The next day he wanderede by the Harbormaster's office to do some research before returning to the Vanderboren Manor to divide up the spoils from their advantures.

Lavinia had paid their 200 noble monthly stipend, as well as gifting them the contents of the armory as a bonus.  There were some interesting items, but nothing Thalas thought he could use, so he contented himself with a couple of potions and a magical ring that promised some sort of protective benefit, along with a share of nearly 1500 gold nobles once the remaining equipment and unwanted weapons had been sold.  That gold would buy plenty of inks and scrolls to expand his spellbook as well as keep him in luxury for some time.  

The group agreed, together, to chip in to have Lavinia's halfling servant reincarnated -- a reasonable gesture, Thalas figured, given her generosity with the armory.  Unfortunately, the woman was less than pleased, returning to life in the body of a dwarf.  _At least she's alive, and shaving will keep ahead of the facial hair,_ Thalas mused.  _Besides, I have more important things to work on._

"I've got an idea that will make us all fantastically wealthy," he proposed to the others.

"Money is the root of all evil," Arjan replied, wiping pink frosting from his mouth.

"Noted," Thalas turned his back on Arjan. "Anyway, I've been doing some reserach.  Assuming that ship is still there in Kraken's Cove, we can sail back to reclaim it in a day.  It may cost us some gold or sweat equity, but we can get her ship-shape again in no time.  We'll need a crew of seven to run the ship, and have to hire a capatin, but I figure we can sustain the ship for about 30 nobles each, per month, investment.  With that, we'll have our own ship to run cargoes and make profits.  We could go into business for ourselves, and become merchant princes!  Never have to bow and scrape to a noble in Sasserine again!"

"But Lavinia's been good to us!" Arjan protested.

"Why not bring the ship back and sell it?" Kithkanan asked.  "I need a little bit more gold to get my sword enchanted.  Unless you want to loan me 300 nobles."

"I checked on that, too," Thalas responded.  "A merchant ship like that we might be able to sell for 5,000 gold.  Maybe as much as 12,000 if we mount weapons and sell it as a warship."

"Flip that ship?" Kithkanan asked.  "Sounds like a nice profit."

"Yes, but we could probably make more in a couple of voyages," Thalas countered.  "Sell the ship and we are still beholden to Lavinia."

"I like the idea of buying some weapons," Moderas added.  "We could pimp the boat out, smuggle some cargo, shake down some pirates ..."

Though they rolled their eyes at Morderas' suggestions, the others quickly agreed, and soon they were on their way to the wharf to hire a boat and crew to return to Kraken's Cove.  The trip went without incident and they soon arrived at the Cove where the Sea Wyvern rode at anchor, undisturbed.  The ship was in poor shape but could be sailed with the skeleton crew they had brought, and it was soon at dock in Sasserine with a crew of newly hired sailors going over every inch of her.

Thalas spent most of the next month going over every inch of the ship in between bouts of experimenting with his spellbook, copying scrolls, and practicing his fencing on deck.  He kept his rooms at the rest, though he was half-tempted to move on to the Wyvern permanently.  They hadn't hired a captain, and most of the others were content to lounge at the Vanderboren estate while he made plans for a run down to Kraken's Cove to scour the jungle for exotic animals to sell as exotic pets.

About a month had passed and Thalas had finished  stocking the ship for his journey when a summons came from Lavinia.  He rolled his eyes, but decided to respond.  If for no other reason, he'd attend out of sheer curiosity and the opportunity to get his merchant princedom established.

Lavinia assembled them all in the newly redecorated dining room.  The effect of returning her wealth to her was obvious, with all the newly hired and liveried servatns about the place.

"I've been going through my mother's journal," she announced.  "It seems that four years ago she and my father took a long sea voyage south in the Blue Nixie and established a small colony called Farshore on a large archipelago known as the Ilse of Dread.  They planned to control the trade with that colony, for the island was rich in gems, spices, and exotic animals, and thus secure their source of wealth. My parents returned, but were murdered before they could return to resupply the colony.  I plan to take up my parents' plan, and return to the island to reestablish the colony and its trade.  I could use some help -- are you interested?"

"Is Vanthus there?" Moderas asked.  "There's still the business of his untimely demise, you know."

"I have no idea where he is," Lavinia admitted. "But this might keep you occupied for a while.  It will be a six-month journey, near enough, and we'll need to secure a second ship to go with the Blue Nixie."

Thalas suddenyl saw a bed stuffed with platinum dragons.  "I know where you can hire a ship," he offered, "and it comes cheap."

Lavinia smiled.  "Yes, I've heard about your ship, which is why I thought you would be interested.  I'll insist on providing my own captain, though I'll pay her salary.  You'll travel on your own hip to look after it while I am on the Blue Nixie."

Thalas considered.  He knew that his experience sailing a dinghy around Sasserine wasn't the same as captaining a sailing ship, but he was reluctant to give up his dream of merchant princedom.  Still, a captain's salary was expensive.

"We'll agree, but we'd like something in return.  You say we're going to establish trade.  Well, for providing 50% of the ships, albeit with your supplies, we'd live a cut of the Farshore trade -- say 20%."

Lavinia shook her head.  "We don't know what we'll find there, nor when we'll return with trade goods.  I don't know what we'll be bringing back."

"Fine.  Then how about unlimited trading rights with Farshore for ourselves.  You keep your share, but we'll run our own cargoes."  Thalas countered.

"What?" Morderas whispered.

"I'll explain later," Thalas responded in hushed tones.

Lavinia considered, then agreed.

"We'll need armament, in case of pirates," Moderas put in at then end.

Lavinia reluctantly agreed to fund one ballista, on loan, and they all agreed to meet two days hence at the docks, once the ships were provisioned and the weapons mounted.

Only Arjan protested.  "It isn't safe, Lavinia!  You should stay here!"

"You just want to stay in the lap of luxury, and don't want your source of cupcakes to leave," Thalas pointed out.  Arjan pouted, but finally agreed to come as well.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 13, 2008)

Two days later they assembled at the harbor for final loading of the Sea Wyvern and their departure.  Thalas had arranged for two ballistae, not just one, to be mounted on the ship for defense, and the crew they had hired had fully provisioned the ship.  All that was left was to load their passengers and cargo, meet the new captain, and set sail.

As they arrived at the wharf, there was quite a stir around the gangplank where someone was trying to lead a horse up on to the deck.  Some noble fool --judging from his clothing and extravagantly styled hair -- was raising a to-do as a frustrated looking woman looked on with her arms crossed.

"I'm Avner Mervanci," the ass insisted, "And I demand that Thunderstrike be given the same lodging and rations that I am!  Only the best!" The woman just rolled her eyes.

"He wants to sleep in the hold and eat hay?" Thalas asked Athal.   "What an idiot."

"You're not taking that horse on our ship," Moderas interjected.

"No, the horse comes, but he says on the dock," Arjan contradicted.

"Your ship?" the woman and Avner both replied together.

"Well, yes, we own the Sea Wyvern, and we've hired her out to Lavinia Vanderboren for this voyage," Thalas said.  "So we get a say in what goes on."

"Well, I'm Captain Amella Venkalie," the woman introduced herself," and I'll be captaining the Sea Wyvern for this voyage.  And unless you'd like to swim to the Isle of Dread, you'll take my orders and like them."

"uh ... " Thalas began, preparing to protest.

Athal stepped in to smooth things over.  "We'd be happy to follow your orders aboard ship, Captain," he said smoothly, "as long as you keep in mind that it's our ship so we have some interest in what happens to her."  Amella nodded assent.

"Well, what about me?" Avner butted in.  "I'm Avner Mervanci, and I'm the most important person on this vessel.  And I insist, Captain, that you see that Thunderstrike has the finest of accomodations."

"No horse!" Morderas insisted, looking as if he were preparing to draw a weapon.

"Horse only, no man!" Arjan countered.

"You'll get on board and accept your quarters, or you'll be sleeping in the bilges," Amella responded. "The horse will be treated appropriateyl ... for a horse."

"Should I off this guy right now?" Morderas asked Thalas.

Thalas shook his head.  "Unfotunately, he belongs to the richest family in Sasserine.  Offend them, and we'll never sell a cargo in this town."  Mordeas looked disappointed.  "That doesn't mean that a blanket party later might not be appropriate."  Moderas brightened considerably.

Avner stalked sulkily up the gangplank, and Thalas took to watching the other passengers and cargo come on board.  Many of the men and women loading various foodstuffs and supplies were unremarkable, but a few stood out from the others.  Father Conrad was an aged priest of Heironeous, who looked a bit out of place among the others.  So did "Skald", a dirty, shifty-eyed elf with a woodsy air about him.  Urol Furol was an old dwarf who'd apparently lived outside all of his life, who turned out to be an expert in jungle botany.  He and Arjan struck up an instant friendship -- probably having to do with their similar body odors, Thalas mused.

" ... and Lavinia promised we could stop and pick up specimens at the ruins of Tamoachan!" urol was explaining to Arjan, as Arjan led the old dwarf on board.

The last passenger was the one who looked to cause the most trouble.  She was a very attractive young blonde woman, with a number of piercings but without apparently a thought in her head.  Lyrith Veldaran had a very clear notion of what her looks could do to men, as she immediately began twisting Avner around her little finger.

"I'm going to make hot half-elven babies with that one," Morderas declared.

"Best of luck with that," responded Thalas.

Eventually, everything was loaded and they set sail to the east.  The plan was to sail east past the blood bay, then round the point and head south, stopping at Fort Blackwell in a week to pick up supplies, then follow the coastline south until at some point they would turn south across open ocean to head for the Isle of Dread and the Farshore Colony.

The first night out, Lavinia invited evryone over to the Blue Nixie for a celebratory dinner.  The seas were calm, so they lowered sail and rigged a chair on two thick lines to transfer passengers one at a time between the two ships.  All of Thalas' party were invited as well as a few of the passengers from the Sea Wyvern; Lavinia had the Jade Ravens on her ship as her bodyguard.

They milled about drinking cocktails as the meal was prepared. Morderas was hitting on Lyrith shamelessly, but she eventually shrugged him off and left to fawn over Avner.  Kithkanan pressed Skald for information, learning little except that the elf was a tracker of some sort.  Rhiannon talked up Father Conrad, discovering that the man was headed south to stop in at Fort Blackwell for some unknown mission.  Avner continued to lord it over everyone, his demonstration of what a boor he was only reinforced by Lyrith's cooing.

Thalas had a sudden stroke of genius just as the announcement was being made for dinner, and stepped out on deck to cast a quick spell before stepping back inside.  He grinned when he saw who was seated opposite: Avner.  _Perfect_

Lavinia stood up and began making some sort of speech as the various courses were being served, but Thalas wasn't paying attention -- he was focused on Avner.  As each dish came out, Thalas used his spell to modify it just slightly as it was set in front of Avner.  The hot dishes he cooled; the cold ones he heated.  In between dishes, he slowly expanded a damp spot on the front of Avner's trousers.  Avner frowned at the food initially, then became increasingly frustrated -- especially as he looked at the other guests who were digging in to their grilled mahi or chilled monkey brains with gusto.  Finally he stood, throwing his fork and knife down in disgust.

"This is the worst meal I've ever had!" He announced to the group, and stormed out, followed by the laughter of the assembled party as they saw the great wet spot on the crotch of his hose.  Lyrith blushed and followed.

With his amusement gone, Thalas spent the rest of the evening pumping Amella for information on captaining ships, and the risk of encountering Crimson Fleet pirates -- which seemed quite great once they were south of Fort Blackwell.

The meal finally wrapped up, and the guests, stuffed and sated, stepped out on to deck to prepare to transfer back to the Sea Wyvern.  Quinn was the first to got, but as he got halfway across, the rope snapped and the chair plummeted into the ocean with Quinn still sitting in it.

At the same time, a strange green winged creature rose from the sea, flying above them, and breathed a line of foul-smelling vomit onto Arjan.  Arjan screamed in pain as the acid struck him.  Thalas whipped off an attack spell, striking the creature with two darts of arcane force, and then Arjan struck the creature with a spear, dropping it back into the ocean.

"I recognize that thing," Thalas told the others. "It's a water mephit -- a creature of the elements.  But usually they aren't so onery, and this one was ... pickled ... somehow."

"Avner had something to to with this, I'm sure!" Morderas declared.  They quickly got another rope to the Sea Wyvern rigged, and quickly transferred the rest of the party over, recovering Quinn from where he was swimming at the side of the Blue Nixie.

Moderas and Quinn immediately stormed down to Avner's cabin, kicking in the door and throwing back the blankets to find Avner and Lyrith partially dressed and pawing each other.

"You know, now I've seen one woman naked from the waist up, and another from the waist down, so it's like I've seen a whole naked woman!" Arjan observed to Thalas, who shushed him.  Morderas had drawn his blade and was holding it to Avner's throat, threatening him.

"You sabotaged the rope," he accused. "And sicced a water mephit on us!"

Avner looked at Morderas as if the half-drow had snakes crawling out of his ears.  "We've been down here fooling around since we left dinner," Lyrith protested.  

"Put up your blade," A voice commanded.  Amella had come down to the cabin.  "These two probably had nothing to do with your incident."

Moderas hesitated, then stepped back and sheathed his sword.  Quinn looked around.  "Someone did, though.  That rope didn't cut itself." He began looking behind barrels on the deck, and soon the entire party was searching the ship.  

Thalas began to look about for magical auras, moving from deck to deck as he did so.  in addition to the magical equipment his companions carried, Amella and Father Conrad had magical weapons and armor, Urol and Skald had a few things, and evern Lyrith had some magical earrings.

Down in the bilges, Thalas picked up an aura of evocation magic in the back corner of the hold.

"We can see you, come out," he demanded, readying his sword.  Quinn and Athal backed him up.

A middle aged fat man stepped out of hiding, dropping a rapier at his feet.  "Please don't hurt me," he announced," I'm Rupert Arnas, a merchant from Sasserine.  I didn't have the money to buy in to this expedition, but I needed to get away from my family, so I stowed away,  Please don't hurt me!"

"Step clear of your weapon," Quinn commanded, but instead of complying, the man dove for his rapier on the deck.  Thalas immediately struck with his sword, and as he did so the man's form shifted, blurring, then solidifying as a familar raven-haired woman -- Rowan Kellani, the leader of the Lotus Dragons!

"This ends here," she hissed, readying her weapon.

Thalas shrugged.  "If you insist."  He channeled, a new spell that would allow his strikes to pierce right through his opponent's armor.  His sword thrust right into her heart, and she dropped, dead.  "Bit anti-climactic, that."

They stripped her of her equipment, and Athal and Quinn took the body up to the deck to toss overboard.  Rowan hadn't been doing well, and was noticeable thinner and more drawn than the last time they'd seen her.  Just before they tossed the body overboard, Morderas insisted on cutting her head off, then dashed for the stairs down.  Thalas follwoed out of curiosity.

Morderas kicked in Avner's door again, once again interrupting Avner's fun with Lyrith.  Morderas tossed the head onto the bunk, casuing Lyrith to scream in terror.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Morderas sneered.  "We found who was responsible.  See?"  He retrieved the head just as Amella arrived.  "Assemble the passengers and crew," Morderas commanded, "we have an important announcement."

Amella began to protest, but thought better after seeing Rowan's head dripping blood on the deck.  The rest of the Seaa Wyvern's contingent was soon assembled on the deck.

Moderas stalked in front of them.  "Just so we're clear ... we found a stowaway on board, and here's what we did with her," he announced, tossing the decapitated head to the deck.  "Just in case anyone else has any ideas about betraying this expedition."

Thalas could only shake his head in disgust.   _Smooth._


----------



## Bigby'sCrushingHand (Jan 16, 2008)

*I think*

my next character is going to have to be a pacifist to curb these homicidal tendencies.

maybe a halfling priest who carries no weapons and wears no armor.

cutting off heads and throwing them at people is a lot of fun though.


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Feb 9, 2008)

(Behind on updates ... apologies to our one fan.)

*Session 8: Every church hides an evil cult.*

Two weeks passed as they sailed south into the Azure sea headed for Fort Blackwell.  Although Thalas was appreciative of the quiet time to study at first -- he was nearing breakthroughs in his spell research that could prove useful in the future -- pretty soon he was just going stir crazy.  _There's only so many days you can use prestidigitation to swab the deck,he reflected, before you want to shoot a magic missile up someone's nose.

Thalas wasn't the only one with cabin fever.  After ten days into the trip, old Father Conrad kept asking the Captain when they would arrive.  "Are we there yet?" was a reasonable question once per day, but every two hours was getting a bit much.

All of which motivated Morderas to do a bit of skulking.  At nightfall, when the Captain announced that they were less than a day's sailing from Fort Blackwell, Morderas called for a crew meeting on the main deck.  Everyone gathered, expecting another repeat of the severed head business from two weeks prior, but nothing happened.  Five minutes passed, ten ... no Morderas.  Finally, Captain Amella turned to Athal.

"So ... what's this about?"  Athal turned to Thalas, who just shrugged.

"No clue."

"Back to your posts!" Amella shouted, and the crew went back to work.

Morderas appeared from the bilges a few minutes later, with a gleam in his eye.  His eyes darted a bit, then he told the others: "I searched Father Conrad's cabin.  There's nothign there.  No holy symbol, no books, very few possessions.  Something's not right about him."

"Maybe he's the leader of an evil cult," Thalas suggested wryly.  "It happens in every human church eventually, I hear -- someone gets subverted, and soon the church is just a cover for the worship of some evil god."  Despite hhis deadpan delivery, they all had a good laugh at the suggestion.  Apparently, Morderas wasn't suffering from cabin fever -- he was suffering from paranoia.

The next day they sighted land off the port bow, and the ship turned toward massive jungle cliffs.  A small opening in the cliffs led to a sheltered cove beyond, where several small ships rode at anchor, and a small town of rough stone buildings grew ramshackle on the cliffside.  

"Fort Blackwell port," Avner declaimed, "a more wretched hive of ..."

"Stow it, Avner," Amella commanded.  "We'll be docking shortly to take on supplies.  We leave again at sunrise.  Don't be late or you'll be left."

Father Conrad was the first down the ganplank when they finally docked.  Thalas was just happy to be on solid ground for a while, and away from some of the other idiot passengers.  This merchant prince business was turning out to have a few more downsides than he'd first considered.  He wandered the rough stone streets, finally stopping at a ramshackle building with the sign of a tavern out front.  

"Ah, civilization!"  He stroleld in, took in the few locals, and had a seat.  "Wine, please, your best," he motioned to the serving wench.

Thalas soon had ten bottles of the finest local vintage linend up in front of him, sampling.  "My first find!  We'll buy up samples, and trade them in Sasserine!  A fortune to be had!  Anyone want a taste?"  The rest of the party was there, minus Morderas who had wandered off somewhere, as well as Urol Furol, who had tagged along with Arjan.  Happily, Avner had chosen to remain aboard ship, so they were free of his noxious presence.  Thalas happily sipped -- some might say guzzled -- his new find.

Several hours passed, during which time the wine grew to taste better, the music became finer, and the serving wenches more attractive.  Thalas was happily in his cups, having just had some visionary ideas about combineing a pinky jab with a word in Abyssal and a bit of cheddar cheese pinched just so, when Morderas skulked into the tavern.

"Father Conrad disappeared!" he told the others.  "I followed him to the temple on the hill, where I found a bunch of red robes who didn't know who he was, and claimed not to have seen him.  I killed one, and got this." He held out a piece of parchment with strange writing on it.

"You did WHAT?" Athal asked.

"Well, I didn't have much choice," Morderas replied.  "He trheatened me.  Plus I heard screaming.  Strange things are afoot at the temple of Heironious, I tell you."

Rhiannon was shaking her head.  This was not headed anywhere pleasant.  Thalas held up a hand, wobbled, and squinted at the paper.  "Donth know the languath," Thalas said, "but waith."  He made a few gestures, and referred to a rune-covered leaf, crushing it.  "Ah, yeth, now ith makes thenth.  Ith a litht of nameth.  thayth here that thome of them have been 'impregnathed.'  Evil culthisth, like I said!"  He lowered his head to the table.

"See?" Morderas said.

Athal considered, then rose.  "Fine, we'll check it out, but only until we can find Father Conrad.  No unnecessary killing.  If this turns out to be nothing, we're turnign you over to the watch here when we leave."

"Something's wrong, I swear," Morderas insisted.  They followed him into the night, Thalas staggering and weaving a bit, and sucking down a vile human drink that Arjan pushed on him to clear his head, somthing they called "coffee".

The shrine to Heironeous was a large building, dark, with only two torches burning in the main chapel, which was quiet.

"Something's not right," Rhiannon agreed.  "Where are the paladins?  There would always be a paladin on guard here, day or night."

"There wasn't anyone here when I cam ebefore," Morderas said.  He pointed to two doors at the back.  "I went in the right door and found six monks; down the left was the office of the one I killed."

They headed down the passage behind the right door, down a flight of stairs, into an empty bunkroom, and through a doro at the back, which dead ended.  The floors were bare stone, but the wall construction wood, and it was hot and damp, even though they had descended below ground level.  Morderas found a concealed door at the back of the room, revealing another wooden staircase leading down, and they trooped down it.  

"Look, frogs!" Arjan said.  The sound of croaking frogs could be head echoing from the darkness ahead, and several small green frogs hopped about the landing one which they were standing.

"Stupid frogs," Thalas muttered, as he booted one down the passageway.  

Arjan flew into a fury, aiming a spear at Thalas' chest.  Thals stepped back, but Athal had to step between them to keep Arjan from charging.  Thalas looked, and felt, bewildered.

"He attacked that innocent frog!" Arjan hissed in a froth.

"So?" Thalas countered wittily.

"Not now!" Athal commanded, bodily turning Arjan and pushing him down the corridor.  Thalas waited, then joined the end of the line, shaking his head.  Not that he really had anything against frogs, but so many of them in one place was creepy.

They entered a large, lit chambe whose walls were carved with bas-reliefs of frog-like people in all sorts of strange poses, performing unspeakable sexual acts with humans.  "Cult," Thalas muttered.  "Told you." Humans have the strangest tastes.  He looked at one particularly perverted carving.  I'm not even sure that's physically possible.

Four figures emerged from the shadows at the far end of the room, formed a line, and charged forward croaking.  Two were men, but two were some sort of frog-men -- not quite human, but not quite bullywugs.  

Thalas wiggled his fingers, and a blast of snowballs burst among the frog men, pummeling them.  Neat trick.

Morderas, Kithkanan, and Athal charged forward, each taking an opponent, and one of the humans was soon down.  One of the frog things shouted -- an impressively loud sound -- and Morderas staggered back, suddenly unable to continue fighting.  Kithkanan hacked at the frog thing, and Thalas moved forward, readying his glaive.  Arjan eyed him, briefly, and Thalas returned the glare, until Arjan turned at aimed his spear at one of the frog creatures.  Thalas stepepd forward and cut own one of the humns as Athals and Kithkanan succeeded in knocking out the two frog things.

Moderas slowly recovered, and they proceeded into another large chamber leaving Quinn back to guard another door.  Morderas strode forward to open a door, and there was a sudden blast of heat and light.

"Morderas is down!" Kithkanan shouted, and Rhiannon began running forward, just as there came a warning from Arjan:

"Four more coming from behind!" They were caught in a vise._


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Feb 10, 2008)

Thalas, Athal, and Arjan hustled back to form a line in front of the door in the original chamber, where Quinn was busy pouring oil from a flask to form a small pool in front of the door.  Kithkanan and Rhiannon remained in the other room, fighting two more frog-people over Morderas' unconscious body.  They were hard pressed, and Rhiannon was at best keeping Kithkanan propped up against the inevitable.

Four more opponents -- two humans, two frog-menk -- barrelled through the doorway encountering Quinn's pool of oil, which he lit with a torch.  Howling, they moved away from the flames.  Thals landed a telling blow on oe frog-man as it moved, then dropped a human monk with a strike and cleaved into the second frog man.  With the battle beginning to turn their way, he cast a spell, transporting Athal to stand beside Kithkanan while bringing Morderas into their room.  With Arjan and Quinn's blows beginning to strike true on their remaining opponents, Thalas headed for the other room, casting a spell of growth as he moved to increase his reach and striking power.  His head soon scraped against the ceiling, and he arrived just as Kithkanan and Athal succeeded in putting down their two opponents.

"Darn ... waste of a spell," he mused, just as a voice came from beyond the door that Morderas had not quite fully opened before the blast of fire knocked him out.

"Intruders, heretics, you despoil the temple!"

Moderas came streaking past, back on his feet and eager for revenge, and he charged into the next room, followed by Athal and Thalas.  Morderas managed to corner the speaker -- another frog-man, but wearing an odd skin as a cloak -- and Athal soon sent the creature to meet its god.

If anything, this room was carved with runes and reliefs even more obscene than any they had yet seen.  Thalas looked around, checking for magic auras, as Morderas stripped the cloak and a set of magic bracers from their last opponent.  

The rest of the party soon joined them, and Arjan summoned his favorite companion, wolf-bear, from whatever nether regions the creature dwelt in when it wasn't accompanying them.  They sent wolf-bear through a door to the right, following after.

The room they entered was like nothing Thalas had ever seen before.  The back of the room was dominated by an altar and a statue of a giant, two-headed, bipedal frog.  Hundreds of tiny green frogs carpeted the floor, croaking in unison.  A living duplicate of the frog-god statue stood standing in front of it, complete with red skin and two deformed heads.  To the side a woman in red metal armor scowled at them, then screeched:

"You may have killed my brother, but wizards of the hopping prophet are not so foolish!  The last think you will feel will be the might of Zebolage!"

Thalas cautiously followed Morderas and Kithkanan into the room, both of whom, with wolf-bear, were trying to corner the woman in red.  Thalas blasted her with a ball of fire, just as she vomited a noxious green gas all over Kithkanan that had him reeling out of the way.  Athal and the others surrounded the living version of the statue.

Thalas shifted to his glaive, striking at the statue just as Athal landed a blow that killed the creature.  Morderas had finally put the woman down, and they turned to searching the chamber while Arjan consoled the many small frogs that were still hopping around underfoot.

Morderas managed to find a secret cache under the statue that contained a wealth of weapons and gold ... so much gold, Thalas wasn't sure they could carry it all as they began to empty sacks and backpacks and load themselves down.

Quinn, meanwhile, reported that the room next door was an abatoir -- tables covered with bloody, dead human bodies whose abdomenal cavities had been exploded from the inside out.  All wore the robes of priests and paladins of Heironeous, and Father Conrad was among them.

"See," Thalas said, "all human churches become the home of evil cults eventually."

"Do you smell smoke?" Arjan asked.  "I smell smoke."

There was a thin layer of smoke beginning to enter the room, and the crackling of fire could be heard in the distance.  Thalas, Morderas, and Kithkanan quickly loaded themselves down with bags of gold as the others led the way back the way they had come.

The temple was indeed burning, the wooden wall and stair construction having been fed by some sort of accelerant.  They gained the main floor of the temple just as the burning stairs gave way behind them.  The pews, altars, and decoration were all burning ... and five men in red robes were darting out the open door of the temple, shouting "They've burned the temple!  They've burned the temple!  Guards, guards!  Call the watch!"

Morderas glanced around for other exits, but with the rapidly rising flame and smoke they had no choice but to exit out the main doors ... into a crowd of armed people and Fort Blackwell's watch.  One of the men in red was having a hurried conversation with the sergeant of the watch.  Athal strode forward, as Thalas, Morderas, and Kithkanan tried to look nonchalant and inconspicuous, loaded down as they wree with bulging sacks of gold.

"They defiled and burned the temple!" the man claimed, gesticulating wildly.

"No.  These men are members of some vile frog cult.  There was a hideous temple in the basemwent, where all of the priests of Heironeous had been sacrificed." Athal pulled out the frog-skin cloak the red priest had been wearing.  "The fire will burn the temple and the bodies, but we brought this out as proof."

The militia sergeant looked around at the seven heavily armed and slightly bloody adventurers, considered, weighed his sword ... and then stepped from their path.

"I'd recommend you not remain long in Fort Blackwell," he growled as the others hustled past.  His men were rounding up the five red-robed men for questioning.

Thalas was quite happy when they returned to the ship, waking Amella.  "We'd better get going early, if everyoe is aboard."

"What happened?" she asked.

"We did Fort Blackwell a favor, but they might not see it that way when the sun comes up."  The entire town was now lit by the burning temple of Heironeous, and the shouts of "Fire, fire" and "Water, water" could clearly be heard.

"Do you adventurers ever find anyone or anything you don't kill, burn, destroy, or loot?" Amella asked.

"What would be the fun in that?" Morderas replied.


----------



## Abciximab (Feb 11, 2008)

I'm pretty sure you have more then 1 fan. 

Session 8: Every church hides an evil cult. - So true.

Enjoyed the Druid's concern for the "helpless frogs".


----------

