We pick up with the heroes and their crew sojourning at the small village supporting the ship squibbing business known as Rickety’s Squibs, located in a small hidden cove somewhere along the Slithering Coast. Their ship, the Rahadoumi naval ship formerly known as The Man’s Promise is in drydock, being refit and repaired.
A heatwave is afflicting the area, bringing daytime temperatures up to uncomfortable levels and causing many of the smaller rivers and streams in the nearby hinterlands to dry up. Amongst other issues, this has led to some conflicts between human villagers and the significant local water naga population.
Urgoth wipes the sweat from his brow, yearning for the ice fjords of home
Urgoth, Haldron, Jillian and Baldrick recently defeated a naga that attacked several of Rickety’s workers. Now they continue to wait for the work on their ship to be completed, and contemplate their next moves.
Haldron pulls the tricorn hat low over his face to shield against the heat and glare. He looks into the bay, seriously considering going for a swim despite the recent and violent encounter with the naga.
Jillian walks lithely over to where the others are lounging in the shade of a palm tree. Her hair rustles endlessly, moving despite the lack of breeze and the sweat plastered through it. She pulls of her gloves and wipes her brow, smearing dirt across her face in the process.
She grins despite the heat. 'The boat is coming along well. Harrigan will have to get close enough to see the smiles on our faces before he realises it's his boat.'
'We do need to start thinking about our next steps though,' she cautions. 'We've got a good crew but they're going to want action and the chance at loot. Some of them might want to go home.'
She turns to Urgoth. 'Any thoughts, Captain?'
Following the defeat of the water naga, Rickety seeks you out, thanking you for saving his workers, and offering you a discount of 500 gold pieces on the squibbing work.
Rickety estimated that the work on your ship would take about six days. It is now mid-afternoon on the second full day of work.
There’s not a whole lot to see here in the village that you haven’t already seen on your first couple of days here. The village consists of several docks and piers extending out into the river-mouth, a large boat-house, a massive un-roofed shed used as a dry dock, the big old manor house that now serves as a combination inn, tavern, mess hall and marketplace, known as the Commons, and a score of smaller buildings and huts that serve as homes for Rickety’s worker. Several trails lead off into the jungle.
The heat has been oppressive these last few days, and most of your crew have kept to the taproom of the Commons or otherwise tried to stay out of the sun.
As far as your crew, apart from Urgoth, Haldron, Baldrick and Jillian, there are:
• Your shipmates formerly of the Wormwood – Cody, Ambrose Kroop, Sandara Quinn, Blackheart Ani, Conchobar Shortstone, Crimson Cog, Rosie Cusswell, Ratline Ratsberger, Jack Scrimshaw, Barefoot Samms, Fipps Chumlett and the Owlbear. Most of this lot have proved their loyalty to you and seem content with a pirate’s life (if under a more decent captain than Harrigan), with the exception of Chumlett, who you’d trust about as far as you could throw him (which isn’t far – he’s quite fat) but seems to be kept in line by his fear of Urgoth, and Owlbear, who fought against you in the mutiny but seems to be quite a simple and trusting soul behind his muscles.
• Three sailors from The Man’s Promise, who likewise were on the other side of the mutiny, but have pledged their loyalty and at least seem like competent sailors (though they seem to be quite contemptuous of Jillian).
• Ghoran, the gnome who you picked up on Bonewrack Isle.
• Ten sailors and guards from the slaver ship you tangled with on the way to Rickety’s Squibs, who offered to join your crew after they surrendered.
• Five former slaves from the same ship – former farmers from coastal villages who seem to know little of sailing.
She grins despite the heat. 'The boat is coming along well. Harrigan will have to get close enough to see the smiles on our faces before he realises it's his boat.''We do need to start thinking about our next steps though,' she cautions. 'We've got a good crew but they're going to want action and the chance at loot. Some of them might want to go home.'
She turns to Urgoth. 'Any thoughts, Captain?'
'If action is what they want, then action is what they'll get! True, we may need to drop a few off at a bigger port somewhere, but I would rather that than have unreliable crew.' He takes a gulp of ale. 'Chubbs is the only one that worries me - very likely the little rat will ran to Harrigan the first chance he gets, and now that he has seen the ship refitted ... but I guess we will deal with that as it comes.'
'For now I would suggest we make for better travelled waters, so that we can start to make a name for ourselves, and build up some trust with our new crew members through a few good fights. Thoughts?'
Baldrick sips at his own ale while pondering Urgoth's words. 'Who will we attack? How will we choose our targets? And what are we going to do here for the next four days? If we can do anything more to endear ourselves to the people here, it could be valuable to leave a trusted ally behind us.'
Haldron grins at the prospect of sailing to more traveled waters, keen to continue to build their reputation. 'Agreed on the course. As for the target; we do not have an overly bloodthirsty crew here, and nor would I be comfortable attacking anyone or everyone. I'd prefer we targeted those with a reputation for slavery and cruelty, whether they be pirates or other. Perhaps we could ask Rickety of news of likely targets that have passed through recently and their planned destinations?'
He looks inland. 'While we are here though, we should make the most of a break from the water. Perhaps we could look for adventure inland? Has anyone heard anything from the locals of interest?'
'I think you are right about Chubbs, Urgoth,' Jillian agrees. 'Short of killing him, the only other option to keep him from spreading news of our squib is to keep him close to us. But there are others here who might speak of what happened; particularly the crew from The Man's Promise.'
She shrugs. 'So word is going to reach Harrigan eventually. The real question is, will Chubbs damage crew morale and try to undermine us if we keep him on the ship, or are we best to leave him here, or at the next nearest port?'
"I would rather attack slavers and less savoury targets, but we also need to keep the crew keen. If we pass up too many targets... they may start to think about mutiny. Anyway, theres no such thing as an honest merchant."
He drains the rest of his ale. "But thats a discussion for another time. Let's see what we can do to occupy ourselves. Maybe we should talk yo Rickety, or ask around, for any possibility of action."
"Well lets find out what we can."
Baldrick moves around the taproom, trying to strike up some conversations with likely looking locals, to find out a little more about the local area and the dangers it faces. He spends a few coins to try and lubricate some tongues.
Baldrick finds himself quite popular, buying all these free drinks , but soon realises that he’s not getting any useful information in return. What starts off as obvious tale tales and improbable stories of the nearby jungle soon turns into drunken ramblings and off-colour jokes.
Seeing Baldrick head towards the taproom, Jillian glides back over to the dry dock where there ship is being worked on. Bringing some cool water to some of the men working there, she enquires about things of interest in the lands surrounding Rickity's Squib while they drink
'Do you want to go have a chat with Sandara and Ambrose, Urgoth?' Haldron asks. 'They should be able to give us some clues at to likely targets around here? I assume they'll be up at the taproom?'
Haldron strides over to the taproom to find the two, considering what he knows of the area and the lands and ports around as he walks
'Do you want to go have a chat with Sandara and Ambrose, Urgoth?' Haldron asks. 'They should be able to give us some clues at to likely targets around here? I assume they'll be up at the taproom?'
Haldron strides over to the taproom to find the two, considering what he knows of the area and the lands and ports around as he walks
[dice=Knowledge-Georgraphy]1d20 + 6
Urgoth casts a lingering look to the stocked bar, but nods and follows Haldron
Haldron beckons the two senior members of the crew over into a corner table away from the main clamour of the bar. He orders a round of drinks for the four of them and when the drinks arrive and pleasantries have been dispensed, he gets down to business.
'Repairs on the ship are coming along nicely and we should be set to leave in under a week's time. We've been discussing which direction to sail in when we are ready to go and wanted to seek your views on where we could find good plunder?'
He takes a sip of his ale, before glancing at Urgoth and adding. 'While securing plunder is high on our priority list, our ideal target are those dealing in slavery or those renown for their cruelty and greed. We'll consider all targets, but any that combine the two opportunities are of particular interest.'
Urgoth brightens up at the realisation that they are remaining in the bar, and happily accepts his drink. I should have known, where else would Ambrose be? He wondered.
'I guess thats a way to make a name for ourselves, targeting the scum of the pirate world. Not going to make us very popular with those kinda people though. Not that I'm here to make friends.'
'I guess thats a way to make a name for ourselves, targeting the scum of the pirate world. Not going to make us very popular with those kinda people though. Not that I'm here to make friends.'
'I'm not necessarily talking about targeting other pirates, though there probably is plenty of scope for plunder to be had so worth considering.' Haldron clarifies. 'I'm guessing there's plenty of so-called legit targets, particularly among the Chellish fleets, that fit the brief.'
'We should also consider targets that other pirates might not consider. If it's making a name for ourselves, then one daring victory could be worth 10 standard victories.'
Seeing Baldrick head towards the taproom, Jillian glides back over to the dry dock where there ship is being worked on. Bringing some cool water to some of the men working there, she enquires about things of interest in the lands surrounding Rickity's Squib while they drink
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 12
The workers are glad to be given an excuse to take a break, eagerly climbing down from where they are working on your ship and gulping down the water that Jillian has brought them. They’re willing to talk honestly about the region, but don’t seem to have much interesting information to impart.
According to the workers, Rickety chose this area in large part because there’s little of interest or import in the immediate region – no famous ship wrecks or fabled ruins apparently – those sort of things tend to attract greedy pirates, meddling Pathfinders or marauding monsters, none of which are good for business. There are plenty of dangerous creatures in the region – nagas, all sorts of snakes, giant insects, ankhegs, sharks to name a few – but under normal circumstances (the present heatwave conditions excluded) these creatures generally don’t bother the settlement here that much. There are a number of villages in the region, most of them small, poor and unexciting according to the workers. Rickety’s Squibs is well away from most of the Isles of the Shackles – the nearest ports are Ngozu at Mgange Cove and Goatshead on Firegrass Isle, but both are over fifty miles away and rarely visited by the folk here.
'Do you want to go have a chat with Sandara and Ambrose, Urgoth?' Haldron asks. 'They should be able to give us some clues at to likely targets around here? I assume they'll be up at the taproom?'
Haldron strides over to the taproom to find the two, considering what he knows of the area and the lands and ports around as he walks
[dice=Knowledge-Georgraphy]1d20 + 6
Haldron’s knowledge of navigation and geography allows him to place Rickety’s Squibs fairly precisely – located along the Slithering Coast. Although this region is labelled as part of the Shackles on many maps, the bulk of the Isles of the Shackles are far to the west and north. Mgange Cove and Firegrass Isle are the nearest major Isles, both are between fifty to sixty miles away almost due west. Port Peril, the capital of the Shackles is actually relatively close – about seventy five miles away over land, nor-north east; but much further by sea. Of course overland one must cross miles of the parched, trackless savannah that lies north of the coastal jungles and then the mountain range that guards Port Peril to the south. About a hundred miles away to the east-south-east at the mouth of the Vanji River is the infamous city of Bloodcove, just outside of the Shackles pirates sphere of influence.
“Cap’n, Mister Stormrun,” Fishguts greets you, not sounding too drunk. Quinn grins at you both from around her pipe.
“So, ethical pirating is it to be?” Ambrose continues, following Haldron and Urgoth’s conversation. “Well, I’m not opposed to that. But there’re risks in taking on pirates – the Free Captains are a fractious lot, but they’ve pacts between ‘em, they’ll band together if threatened.” The cook takes another swig from the mug in his hand.
“And if you target pirates and slavers exclusively, you’ll be thought of as privateers rather than freebooters,” Sandara adds. “That won’t serve you well if you ever wish to join the ranks of the Free Captains, which I suppose would be your goal if you’re practising your trade in these waters. Facing off against a known captain has its risks and its rewards, but don’t build your reputation on that exclusively.”
“Now, going after Chels has its risks and rewards too,” says Ambrose. “A few choice Chelaxian targets could put you in good stead with the Free Captains, but you don’t want to be the ones who draw the attention of a Chelaxian pirate hunter down this way, now do you? Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew – remember what brung Harrigan low? A few Chelish merchantmen – sure, can’t fault you. In a pinch you could probably take on a navy frigate, with yer ship good as new and the right crew … but don’t even think about taking on one of the big warships in a pitched battle should you ever hear of one in these parts.” He takes another swig, and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Anyways, as of the present you’re an unknown captain with a relatively green crew – beggin’ our pardons … you want to be real careful about sailing around the Shackles, or any of the Free Captains’ home ports.”
Sandara nods. “They’ll see you as prey. That’s the way it works. You need to build up a reputation first, and gain the coin to back it up. I’d suggest you stick to this region – the South Fever Sea – until you’ve built things up. You’re away from the Shackles proper – Free Captains operate here to be sure, but they’re spread thin here in the south – and there’s still plenty of good targets. I respect your thoughts on keeping a moral high ground, but don’t ignore the rich targets. Going after pirates and foreign powers may be noble and may build your rep, but loot can be somewhat thin. Without some good loot your crew won’t stay loyal for long. Remember, you can show mercy – there’s no shame in it and a lot of sense in many cases. Merchants sailing these waters know the risks – if they’re smart – and their hired swords will also know the risk. Sure, kill those who fight back – you don’t want to be seen as too soft, but if you leave the merchants with their lives and their ships, just taking the loot … well, you might just be able to hit them again the next time they come back, and that’s good for pirating business.” She grins.
The talk runs on into the afternoon and evening, Quinn and Fishguts giving their opinion and advice on good and bad targets and the pirate’s life. Taking on Free Captains is risky, but there are plenty of low tier pirates and slavers sailing these waters who aren’t subject to the Hurricane King and may be more viable (though still potentially dangerous) targets. The Free Captains have a pact with the southern nation of Sargava, protecting the former colony from forced re-patriation by their old Chelaxian masters. As part of the pact, the Free Captains (in theory) do not attack Sargavan ships. As you are not (currently) Free Captains of the Shackles you’re not bound by such strictures, but again, need to be wary of pirates protecting the Sargavan ships. There are rich pickings to be had amongst ships out of Bloodcove, but one should be wary of attacking ships flying the flag of the Aspis Corporation, who can effectively close the lucrative port of Bloodcove to anyone who crosses them. Rahadoumi and Chelaxian merchants both can be rich targets, but both nations have powerful (and vengeful) navies.
Haldron listens intently, nodding and sipping on his ale. When Sandara recommends staying in the southern waters, he interjects with a question. 'So who are the top-dog pirates out these ways? The ones we need to look out for, and maybe the ones that will also help us build our reputation, when we deem ourselves ready.'
Later, when one of the pair mention the Aspis Corporation, he asks another question. 'What business does the Aspis Corporation trade in?'
Finally, when the conversation is winding up he asks. 'So Bloodcove is the closest port; do we head there?' He looks first at Urgoth, then to Sandara and Ambrose. 'Should be more targets coming and going, and a nearby port to trade out of and restock as needed?'
"Agreed, we can't just rely on scum for targets. But especially with the more honest merchants, if such a thing exists, we show ourselves to be merciful to those who surrender. And that reputation may start to ensure future targets give up the fight a little quicker. Those fighting a losing battle will still fight to the death if they know death is waiting for them either way."
Sandara blows a smoke ring as she considers Haldron’s question. “There are hundreds of Free Captains,” she says slowly, “and as is the want of pirates they may range far. Of course the most famed and feared pirate of the Fever Sea is the Hurricane King, Kerdak Bonefist, but you’re unlikely to see his ship the Filthy Lucre this far south … the other major movers and shakers in the Shackles are the Free Captains who sit upon the Pirate Council.”
“Harrigan’s been after a seat on the Council for years,” interjects Ambrose, barely slurring his words. “He’d hoped that his raid in the Inner Sea would win ‘im enough infamy and loot to get ‘im on … but the Chelish Navy set back those plans now didn’t they?”
“There are others of Harrigan’s sort on the Council – in particular Captain Avimar Sorrinash of Shark Island and Arronax Endymion,” she spits on the floor, “of Devil’s Arches. Dangerous and merciless both. Now, Lady Tessa Fairwind, captain of Luck of the Draw has far more your temperament. She’d be a fine member of the Pirate Council to ally with, if you could get her attention.”
“As for pirate captains who regularly ply these waters … well, maybe the Taldan sisters, the Bonuwat captains out of Mgange Cove – Bloody Abrafo and Big Blue Baolo are the most notorious of them, but as a rule if you mess with one of them you mess with them all … oh, and there are the three captains of Firegrass Isle; some would say they’re not really Free Captains, as they don’t recognise the Hurricane King or the Pirate Council, and they’re not known to honour the pact with Sargava. They’re good spirited as a rule though, merciful, and devout Besmaran’s in the main.”
Ambrose burps loudly. “The Aspis Consortium? What don’t they trade in? If it can be sold, they’ll sell it … or fund someone what does. They’re rich enough to hire good mercenaries and privateers too. Bloodcove is an Aspis port, but there’s plenty of ships that put in there that aren’t directly part of the Consortium.”
The next day dawns as uncomfortably hot and dry as the one before.
Haldron finds Urgoth early the next day, starting to get restless.
'We've still got a few more days in port here - and I'm not sure I can spend it in the bar for the whole time. Should we check in with Rickety and offer our blades for service? Or should be try and recruit any willing and skilled crew from among the locals here? Or venture into the woods looking for another angry naga?'
'Speaking of which, do Naga have nests or lairs?' Haldron asks with a sudden gleam in his eye at the thought. 'Would that one we have killed had any treasure to seek out?'
"Hmm. This doesn't look like the kind of place where we might get recruits, but I guess it wont hurt to put out the word that we are looking. Not sure if Rickety would like us stirring up the naga, so we may be better off avoiding the topic with him; easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission."
Urgoth thinks for a little while. "How about you and me go and find some of the locals who witnessed the attack yesterday - they may be more willing to share some information with us considering they were personally threatened. Meanwhile Baldrick and Jillian could hit the tavern and search for some information there. I like the sound of a lair."
After filling Baldrick and Jillian in on the plan, Urgoth will attempt to find any of the locals who were present at the naga attack the day before.
After being approached by Urgoth, Baldrick considers what he already knows about naga, wondering if they make lairs, and where these would usually be.
He then moves to the bar, trying his luck a second time with the locals, this time inquiring about the naga menace, and trying to gather information on where they may be lurking
Jillian takes a break from her work on the boat to accompany Baldrick to the bar. As they walk together, she discusses with him what she has learned of Water Nagas.
At the bar she asks her own questions of the locals, seeking out those that were there at the fight
"Hmm. This doesn't look like the kind of place where we might get recruits, but I guess it wont hurt to put out the word that we are looking. Not sure if Rickety would like us stirring up the naga, so we may be better off avoiding the topic with him; easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission."
Urgoth thinks for a little while. "How about you and me go and find some of the locals who witnessed the attack yesterday - they may be more willing to share some information with us considering they were personally threatened. Meanwhile Baldrick and Jillian could hit the tavern and search for some information there. I like the sound of a lair."
Haldron nods in agreement. 'We could probably task Sandara to keep an ear out for likely prospects in town without directly asking any questions that might anger Rickety. There's a fair chance they will make themselves known; those most eager for stories.'
Aid Another roll if needed:
Baldrick and Jillian stay in the bar in the Commons, asking about water nagas. Baldrick learns that where many nagas claim particular lairs as their homes, water nagas typically have a number of retreats, migrating from one to the next with the changing of the seasons. These nagas keep elaborate summer and winter lairs, with several favored shelters positioned between these so they can make a circuit of familiar rivers and coasts throughout the year. Fiercely territorial when it comes to their lairs, water nagas typically attack any that intrude upon their sanctuaries, only bothering to question interlopers once such creatures have been weakened by poison, if at all.
Meanwhile, Urgoth and Haldron set out into the heat, heading back towards the boat shed to see if they can find any of the workers they were with yesterday.
As they walk across the sun-baked open ground between the Commons and the boat shed, they notice a flock of birds rise up from the jungle to the north beyond the village. The birds grow larger as they fly south … and larger … and larger. Suddenly screams erupt from the dry dock as the ‘birds’ – now revealed as wasps the size of horses – descend on the workers. There are screams and cries. Locals duck for cover, run towards buildings to find shelter. Desperate workers at the dry dock seek shelter inside the ship, or plummet off the construction to avoid the wasps.
At least a dozen of the over-sized insects fly over the dock and descend to the part of the village where Urgoth and Haldron and dozens of locals and sailors mill about.
The brown are buildings, lighter brown are covered porches, green is jungle, blue is water, grey are docks and boardwalks. Purple are PCs, light blue are members of your crew, pink are locals, red are wasps. “d” indicates a door into a building. The wasps are currently all 10 to 30 feet up in the air (in some cases flying above buildings)
Roll for initiative. Baldrick and Jillian will need to make perception checks to realise anything is going on. Once they do, they can try to recruit other crew members who might be inside the bar to help them if they want (diplomacy, intimidate or bluff checks required to recruit one crew member of your choice).
The crew members out in the open are random un-named crew members – they are unlikely to be much good in a fight, but Urgoth or Haldron can try to direct them too.