Mordesel strikes out again his quarterstaff a blur as it strikes for the captain's head and gut.
While continuing to inspire his allies, Anton mutters some words Rethgual Souedih and directs his arcane power towards the captain.
Mordesel kicks and strikes Odenkirk, fracturing his skull with a sickening crack. A blow to his gut winds him for a second, clearly giving him much pain. Somehow, the hardy sailor remains on his feet.
Severely injured, yet defiant to the end, Odenkirk makes his last stand.
Odenkirk delivers a brutal blow on Dane that even his armour can't absorb.
Although terrified of their enraged captain, a sailor moves up to engage.
But misses
The other crewmen seem content to wait, obviously unwilling to risk their lives when there are others more capable of doing the job for them.
Sion closes the distance between himself and the captain, "Time to join your brother." He puts another bloody cut in the man.
Durova delays, hoping his stronger friends could strike the Captain down
Dane chuckles darkly at Sion's words, wincing in pain as he does so. Hoping the drow's attack will distract Odenkirk, Dane quickly pulls away.
With a mighty swing Sion brings Odenkirk to his knees, the captain bleeding from a massive gash in hiss neck and chest. He gasps for air for a moment before collapsing onto the deck, dead.
Dane raises his Rhomphaia high and lets out a whoop of victory, shaking the blade for effect. Hoping there to be confusion amongst the crew, and a short period of time for recovery, Dane approaches Anton and Durova and asks quietly. "Can I get some assistance with this wound?"
Durova uses his wand of CLW and heals the warrior.
CLW
45 charges left.
Mordesel presses his quarterstaff to the captains windpipe, then he presses down, ensuring that he's dead. He stands, cheering. He moves around congratulating each of the sailors, slowly positioning himself in the center of their numbers.
The crew let out a cheer, pleased at the victory. They seem unaware of any double-cross for now.
Sheathing their blades, a crewman tells Anton in broken common how pleased they are that they have a ship to command.
"All Odenkirk treasure you take. All yours. We take ship."
Mordesel waits to see if the others are ready. As soon as they are he whips his quarterstaff back, hitting the man next to him.
"Sorry boys, I don't think we will be leaving any witnesses. Loose lips sink ships and all that..."
Anton smiles and makes to move towards the hold, turning back once he was fully out of reach of the crew. "Indeed... Oh but wait... Only two of you actually tried to defeat your Captain, while the rest were mewling cowards, and even they were of no help, other than the one becoming a corpse... I'm afraid you are not worthy of having this ship... or your lives." He then waves his hand to signal the others to act as they would, inspiring his allies in this upcoming slaughter.
After his proclamation, Anton begins inspiring the group. Mordesel delivers a brutal strike to the sailor next to him, leaving the man winded but still standing.
Durova fires of a Flaming blast of energy at the closest shipsman.
Attack
Damage
"Sorry. Thorn said no loose ends."
And he aims straight for the nearest sailors heart.
Durova sends a bolt of flame at one of the sailors. He catches on fire, screaming until Sion cuts the man down a second later.
"Grumblejack! Now we take the rest of them!" With this order, Dane marches back to battle without another word, swinging at the unfortunate between Sion and Mordesel.
Mordesel laughs as he continues to beat on the man next to him.
Dane crushes one of the sailors in a single blow.
Mordesel finishes off one crewman before injuring the last standing sailor with his second attack.
The last crewman, horrified at this development, can do little as your group assails him. He falls within seconds.
With that done, victory is your.
"Alright lads! We take everything of value and scuttle this thing! Let's get to it!" Dane begins tossing the ship looking for the "treasure" the crew mentioned briefly before their demise.
"That went easier than planned! Be sure you take what the Master paid that Captain as well. And don't forget our ivory!"
You begin looting the bodies.
Odenkirk has little on him of any real value. A standard greataxe, 2 throwing axes and hide armour are his primary possessions. He does have a key on him however, and some coinage (see below).
His crew were lightly armoured, but you can collect:
6 studded leather armour, 5 bucklers, 5 short swords, 5 shortbow and a total of 100 arrows. (The sixth sailor lost all of his equipment, aside from his armour, in the ocean) They also have some pay (see below).
The ivory had been wrapped in cloth for storage. There's 250gp worth of ivory in total.
Of far greater interest is a battered old sea-chest (25gp sale value). Using the key, it opens to reveal an impressive 6000gp, neatly stacked beneath the Captain's filthy wardrobe. This is almost certainly Cardinal Thorn's payment to the greedy Captain.
After pillaging the ship, you also find 155gp in various coinage and a wooden crate labeled ‘emergency rations’ contains seven fine bottles of whiskey worth 10 gp apiece.
Mordesel searches a little longer trying to find the seal hides, and makes sure he gets his money back from the captain. Once all the loot and their gear is off the boat, he looks to the others, Well, should we set it a float before we burn it, or let it burn here. I tend to think it should be floating, but I'm not particular on this point. He smiles mercilessly, Just watching it burn will be pleasure enough for me.
Dane adds "Let it float, no need to let the fire reach land, may just make more trouble for us to have it running on land."
Durova casts Detect Magic as he scans all the recovered gear. "I say we set it afloat before burning it. Bodies, too. We have to be sure we've claimed everything from the ship, however. We might need this coin for bribes later on."
After looting the ship thoroughly you set the vessel on fire as you send it off into the lake. It burns beautifully for a time before sinking below the waterline.
With that last task done you turn and head towards the town of Aldencross.
awaiting your signal. Fire the rocket into the air at just the right moment and you will take the first step towards claiming vengeance against Talingarde.
Destiny has taken you here. Destiny has given you a mission. There is no doubt that the future of this green and pleasant land lies in your hands. You could go to that town right now and warn them of the plots of the sinister Cardinal Thorn. You could give yourself up and face the justice you deserve. You could turn back from the horror and the slaughter that you are going to inflict upon these Mitran sheep. This is that moment. This is the turning point. After this, there is no going back. Any one eager for redemption?
.
..
...
....
I thought not. Come, my friends. We have work to do. We must burn Balentyne.
Announcing his intentions to the party as they move forward, Dane tries to begin forming the next stage of their plans. "So, we obviously cannot walk into town with 'Jack in tow, and many of us still carry the wounds of previous battles. I'd say we set up a camp, entrench it best we can, and rest and recover while we begin researching our next moves. Attacking that castle won't be as easy a feat as just assailing the gate I imagine, so we'll need to slow down and work out on observing it for a while anyway."
"We can enter the town disguised. Grumblejack will have to stay out here though. We will need information about the castle that the people might know. Infiltrating the castle also before we try to take it down."
Grumblejack shrugs.
"I can look after myself 'til you come back. You go do what you need to do, but come get me when it's time to smash some heads."
He grins evilly.
The ogre helps set up a camp.
Anton nods. "Indeed. We will need to observe the comings and goings into the tower to determine 'normal' occurrences and schedules, if there is such a thing. Gathering information on the tower and its environs, not to mention details about its occupants, would also help."
Mordesel watches the boat burn, the flames dancing in his eyes. Finally he turns to the others, So, on to Aldencross to see what we can learn, then we make a plan. His tone is somewhere between question and statement, but he continues on, We have almost a month. While we should not waste any of this time, we should take our time. Rushing in could lead to our necks in the noose.
Sion nods at Mordesel. "Indeed. Patience."
"I'm sure there is an inn we can reside, while we observe the goings and comings of the castle folk. Maybe we could even pick a few of them off, to help our odds a bit, while we formulate a plan to get in there."
He assures you that he can remain hidden and hunt his own food for a few weeks if necessary. He'd done both for years until he was captured and sent to Branderscar. The difference is that no one knows he's here. Bidding him farewell you head to Aldencross.
It takes an hour to reach Aldencross, making it roughly midnight. It is a sizable town but, of course, the shops are all shut and the streets are almost empty.
Centrally located is an inn (with a single lit lantern outside). The sign marks it as 'The Lord's Dalliance'. It's the first inn you've seen thus far. The door is locked, however.
Mordesel looks at the others. He speaks in a quiet tone, We may want to keep from making an impression. Want to camp outside the city for the night and return tomorrow? Perhaps with different disguises?
Dane returns Mordesel's question in a quiet tone to match. "I'd say either we go ahead and just stay out of town and camp, or we go in right now. A new disguise can be conjured in mere seconds I'd remind you."
"Disguises certainly won't be a problem. We can bed out here for the night, and enter town with the light in the morning if the rest of you prefer, however."
After setting up a camp a quarter mile outside of town you awake a few hours after dawn. The additional few hours rest were necessary to regain your strength after the combats and stresses of the previous evening. However, you are now rejuvenated and ready to proceed.
Heading back into Aldencross, you notice that the town has suddenly become a hive of activity and life. People fill the streets going about their daily business. A sizable marketplace sells almost any mundane good you could want and smiths are available. Selling your mundane gear (such as the ivory) is an easy task.
Disappointingly, magic isn't especially common here. Spellcasters are available, but can only provide, at best, 3rd level Divine spells or 4th level Arcane spells. Similarly, there is a short supply of magic weapons and armour here .
Durova turns back into a slightly more healthy looking version of himself. Similar in build, but with a few more pounds. His hair looks more kempt and presentable as well. He looks at all the interesting sights and sounds of the town, not mentioning the mission, until the group had a chance to be alone from all the eyes and ears of the townsfolk..
Dane transforms himself into an off-duty soldier of Talingarde. Allowing himself to keep his weapons and armor close at hand, yet to not be disturbed unless there's an incursion, which as he and his are the most likely source of that, good information to have regardless.
Specifically Dane sharpens his features to be more traditionally Talingarde, and less obviously Irean. His Rhomphaia loses its long blade to a more appropriate Glaive. His armor is stripped away to be little more than a simple guard's uniform, missing its helmet or anything that would serve to suggest that he's fully on duty.
Modesel is disguised much as he was before. A man in his mid 30's with a twisted leg, leaning on a decorative staff. He wears fine clothes, covering most of his skin, showing scars under the edge of his clothing.
Sion disguises himself as a bodyguard/guide for travelers and stays behind the others most of the time.
You spend a few hours exploring the town further.
One thing you do notice are posters advertising the arrival of 'Ye Merrie Men' are plastered everywhere. It seems this group of actors will be performing "The Fall of Amberlyn".
According to the posters, the troupe will arrive in four days time and will be doing an abridged version in Aldencross (an open-air performance) for the benefit of the populace of Aldencross at dawn. Afterwards, they'll be performing the play inside Castle Balentyne for the soldiers stationed there.
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You eventually discover that the only inn that caters to travelers is the 'Lord's Dalliance'.
Arriving in the inn in the mid-afternoon, the establishment is clean and well staffed. A dancing girl performs for the patrons while two bar maids deliver drinks to customers.
The patrons include five guards, clearly off duty, enjoying the show. They sit together, drinking mead and ale but (judging from the limited number of mugs on their table) are clearly not heavy drinkers.
Eight other customers also linger, some drinking heavily, some in quiet conversation, and the rest applauding the dancer.
Behind the counter, a portly man with a thick beard cleans the counter with a rag. He looks up as you enter, beaming.
"Greeting gents. Welcome to the Lord's Dalliance. The name's Bellam and if you're in the need of good drink, food or accommodation, you're in the right place."
He notices Dane and pauses.
"Sorry there sir, can't say I've seen you here before. New recruit to the Balentyne soldiery?"
Two of the guards turn their heads and glance at you curiously.
Dane shakes his head, "No sir, I'm from the western garrisons, nearer the Caer Bryr. Travelling to visit family in the south. Right now I'm not in much hurry though, hear there's a play going on soon, may stick around to see it. And all I'm going for is my sister's wedding, been making good time so far."
The guards quickly turn back to their drinking. Bellam nods in understanding, assuming (correctly) that you are all part of the same group.
"Oh of course. Always reassuring to meet good men doing their duty to defend Talingarde's borders."
He waves a hand at one of the bar maids, a buxom young woman with fair hair. She nods to him and elegantly leads you to an empty set of chairs at an oak table. Within a minute several ales are delivered to your table.
"If you are in need of a room, just let me know."
The innkeeper adds cheerfully.