He smiles and gives the lady a polite nod of his head. "That being said, please call me Chad. Master Wassen is back in Hell's Harbor laboring away."
Chad looks over the offered drinks, settling on one that looks like a chilled tea. Taking a surprisingly refined sip, followed by an appreciative sigh. "I echo my captain's remarks on your hospitality. This tea is just the right combination of sweetness, bitterness, and coldness to be refreshing after the walk up here from the harbor." His face turns more serious. "How could spies from Cheliax have managed to establish themselves down here in the first place is my question. It is not exactly an easy trip down the coast anymore, after all."
Thren also takes a spot of tea and enjoys a sip. "Chelish spies don't have that hard a time getting here to the Shackles, Chad. Several of us are expatriates, including the lord of Hell's Harbor. Once you're in the Shackles your background is your own affair. Bag Island is full of halflings who were once slaves. Really, if you can make it here on a ship and not drown, getting here isn't hard. It's establishing you're not still Chelish that's the trick. For me, it was when I got thrown off my first ship-a Chelish cutter-and picked up as I drifted in the sea." The bard shrugs. "We're all suspicious, but we're not exactly patriotic. All the ships moving around the Shackles, getting a spy in wouldn't be that hard."
Thren takes another sip of the tea. "Your assessment's spot on, Chad. That reminds me: I need to know how much we still have aboard the ship." She smiles. "It makes nights easier when I'm awake enough to give orders."
"Do not forget the entire Chelish navy attacked Port Peril but a few months ago," Dindreann adds. "The Eye of Abendego makes things difficult but not impossible, and there are many words I would use to describe those who rule Cheliax and their military, but 'incompetent' is not one of them." She smiles. "Indeed, given you are new Free Captains I expect you are considering entering the Regatta? That of course is all about proving you can navigate near the Eye. If it were impossible, no one would enter, no matter how enticing the prize. And of course... the Eye is in part I am sure why Cheliax wants the Shackles. What a marvelous defensive barrier to have on your side."
The priestess sips her own beverage. "As for tea, a bit of bergamot and cardamom is the secret. That much I'll give you for free." She winks.
Chad nods, his face turning sour. "Aye, that they did. Nearly sent me to meet the judgement of a different goddess for my troubles too, I might add. I suppose it matters little... once we root them out it will not matter much how they got here." Hearing the secret of the tea blend he smiles. "What would it cost to gain an introduction to your preferred supplier? I may not drink much tea, but others," he nods at Threnody, "drink enough that it is wise to have established supply chains in every port we could call upon."
Hearing about the wrecker, Chad tsks. "I know that all is fair in love and piracy, but wrecking is just low. I would not be here if not for the kindness of others pulling me from the waves. This Vakaria and her like make other folks less likely to do so." His face turns thoughtful.
"That said, what does this relic of yours do that they would have targeted it? I hardly believe anyone would cross those devoted to Calistria for mere golden ornamentation. I mostly ask in case it will require... special handling... or on the off chance that they might try to use it against us."
"I doubt that they were able to target a specific ship. Perhaps if they knew the captain and their personality, but wrecking is an opportunistic way to gain prey. Like a pit spider, they must wait for whatever comes along. Likely they just drew this ship into their trap by chance."
"Let's drag this Vakaria out of her trap."
Lark nods thoughtfully at Kahuranga's idea. "Well, whether the prize was taken by luck or design, we'll get it back either way. It will be our pleasure." He smiles at Dindreann. "We knew Captain Fairwind's job would be more than playing courier. I'd be grateful for anything else you know about Vakarla. With that and a quick resupply we can be on the trail of your relic is short order."
"What I have heard of Vakarla is she has fooled many a sharp-eyed captain--including, apparently, our own, and we do hire merchant marines with good credentials. My guess is she is talented in magic, possibly illusions or summoning. She moves her trap of course from place to place, but most of my sources reliably report her latest trap is near the Rampores. I can provide a rough guess as to where she might be in the Rampore Isles," and will offer the headings, And otherwise I trust your good nautical sense to determine where would be good places to devise such a trap--and of course take care not to fall into one."
"Seems to me the sooner we get going, the sooner we're done. Well, once the crew gets done their leave at any rate. Getting them out of here might be a bit troublesome if we want to head back to sea to quickly." The bard smiles knowingly. She looks to her captain and fellow officers. "Is there anything else we need to know?"
Chad shrugs. "Only if there is any particular instructions you have for handling this thing once we get it back. I don't know about my fellows here, but I'd prefer not t' accidentally incur a goddess' wrath by handling the thing wrong." Chad lowers his voice and adds, seemingly to himself, "There be enough curses to be wary of as is without adden' to the pile..."
What exactly is thes'... Golden Vespal? - said Chakam, coming out of his usual silent manner as he gestured to speak. In his core, in his very own pirate way, he couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't more valuable in their hands than brought back to some temple.
"It's a golden statue of a wasp. It will not explode in your possession, I promise." Dindreann smiles patiently. "That is all I have. I thank you for your readiness to take this on."
"I think that covers it." The captain stands and bows to Dindreann. "I look forward to seeing you again and placing the Vespal in your hands personally."
On the walk back to the ship Lark says, "Let's have one full watch rotation so everyone gets a little bit of shore leave. That should put the crew in a good mood for a hunting expedition."
"Aye Captain. I'll arrange it." Thren nods respectfully to Lark. As they move about town, she keeps her eyes open for anything interesting along the way.
"You will have to excuse me for being cautious... your goddess is not one to forgive slights." He gives the priestess an apologetic grin and finishes his tea.
As they walk back, Chad nods. "We should be able to get what we need stowed in th' course of a watch, Cap'n."
"Not at all, Chad," she replies, "I appreciate a man who looks before he leaps."
Dindreann excuses herself to attend to her duties, but invites you to enjoy the room as long as you like, and to ask one of the attendants if you want to hire a prostitute (in another room) or need anything else.
Lodging is easily attainable nearby; you are in the merchant district with many bustling travelers if you want to gather any information--or not, as you see fit.
As she moves about town, the bard has an idea and heads back to the ship. She tracks down Belina and the new charts. "Looks like we're going after wreckers, probably near the Rampore Isles, so maybe we can figure out where they will likely be?" Thren explains.
"They're not likely along the civilized parts of Rampore--too hard to hide for long." Belina points along the map. "But south and southeast, there's a bunch of tiny little coral islands. Easy for ships to wreck... easy for wreckers to set up. And... we want to sail towards these types?"
"They've got something the Calistrians want. Besides revenge. So we're going to get it back. If we know where we might find them, we can turn their ambush into one of our own. I hope." The bard explains.
Kahuranga will take the opportunity to enjoy some poetry and conversation in the House, noting that nothing here is stolen but actually quite carefully accounted for. In Quent, he takes the time to restock some of his more rare spell components. He has been avoiding throwing curses around aboard ship, so he takes some time in an out of the way place to use Evil Eye on Taniwha.
Back aboard ship, he is happy to have a clear purpose and a chance to wreck some wreckers.
Chakam likes the plan and its ingenuity - it wouldn't be what wreckers expect, definitely, as they're used to pose as prey instead. But they're pirates in their heart, he knows, and they wouldn't resist it.
As the day progresses, the druid stays on his usual tasks. He tries to keep the weaponry clean and ready for ship combat, if needed. To the best of his skills he commands the team, delegating to Crimson when needed, and studying the books with his new engineer, reminding his times at Lastwall.
The view from someone not used to Chakam can be unsettling - vines coming from many feet apart touching and cleaning cannons, while others organize ammunition while he speaks to the team with a voice that seems to come from nowhere as the humanoid plant-looking lips move; definitely something you don't see everyday.
Chad takes a piece of fruit and eats it with a second glass of the cool tea before they leave the temple. As they leave, he turns to one of the attendants. "Please do pass m' thanks to whomever helped prepare this meal. It really was delectable." Giving them a warm smile and a nod of his head, he heads out with the rest.
As they head back to the ship to plan their next moves, Chad keeps an eye and ear open to the city, attempting to get a feel for it.
Once on board again, he seeks out Ursa. "Give me a run down on what we have taken aboard 'nd what we still are awaitin'... then go out an' enjoy the port for a few hours."
Dindreann also mentions, before you go, that the name of the ship they lost was the Lady's Sting. Parting the temple, you spend a day in port and plan some possible traps. Chad gets a feel for the city of Quent.
Of specific talk, he hears,
- as in Port Peril, much speculation about the upcoming Regatta. "I hear the Magpie Princess has got a new captain and is entering the race to make a name for herself."
- A new captain from Tian has been capturing ships down south; she's likely aiming to get a Letter of Marque. (Though the gist of this conversation focuses on her odd-looking ship, as they've never seen a Tian junk before)
- The lass at the Lusty Mermaid is selling mermaid scales that are supposed to cure blindness.
- "I hear they never have recovered the Brine Banshee. Shame, that crew were good spenders. They were headed toward Ollo, you think they were jumped by Sahuagin?" "Maybe that pirate lord who turns all his crew to weresharks."
The crew's morale is high when you depart Quent and you make good time to sail north to the Rampore Islands, taking only two or so days. Finding where exactly the Wreckers may be hiding is another matter and you spend another day sailing around the little southerly islands trying to spot a good place where they may have set up. You spot a few ships wrecked upon reefs, but clearly old and mouldering. Yamtisy warns the crew to stay alert for coral -- and to not be drawn onto a reef without realizing it.
You know some difficult terrain is ahead of you when you decide you're probably more or less in the right place. You can search at full speed or set up your trap.
Chad takes a liking to Quent as they walk it. Nice place. Might end up retiring here one day when I am old and grey.
On the journey up to the Rampore Islands, Chad shares with his fellow officers his observations about Quent:
"So they were saying that we have a new pirate in the area... her ship is rather bizarre to look at... some Tien design. The captain hasn't gotten her letters of mark yet, but if she keeps up at the pace she is she might be able to make the attempt."
...
"If any of us get blinded, there is a merchant back there at a place called the Lusty Mermaid that sells, get this, mermaid scales. Supposed to be able to cure it."
...
"Some ship called the Brine Banshee was lost on its last journey. Varying rumors as to its fate, but allegedly the crew liked to spend a fair amount of coin when they were in port. If we are ever headed toward Ollo we might want to keep an eye out fer 'em. Or whatever got 'em, for that matter."
...
He also provides a few other rumors surrounding the upcoming Regatta and his general impressions of the town and its citizenry.
Lark works with Chad to purchase the extra supplies. When the Fearsome Tide approaches the right spot they rig the barrels to float at or below the water line. If they appear slow and lumbering then hopefully Vakarla will make an incautious approach.
Using ballast you can dump if need be, your ship lays low, and you enter the area looking like you are towing barrels--perhaps hauling escaped slaves to Bag Island to the south.
Soon Xosrov shouts that he has seen a ship arrive from around a cove that he could not see past. It flies unmarked, black flags--likely unregistered pirates--it is of Rahadoumi make and, through the spyglass you can see if has the nameplate Shining Star. You can see sailors working the rigging and a helmsman turning the wheel.
It is picking up speed clearly moving in pursuit of you. Your plan seems to be working, and Belina works to steer the ship toward clear waters so you can engage at a position to your advantage.
While Yamtisy begins to bark basic instructions about preparing for a possible fight, the crew look expectantly toward you for orders.
As the ship moves forward, and the Shining Star comes closer, the three of you notice something is off, each in your own way. Kahuranga's alertness also helps Taniwha pay attention due to their empathic bond. The two sylphs realize the flags aren't quite moving with the wind--are they? Lark, meanwhile hears the waters moving in both ship's wake.... but somehow the motion of the ocean does not match the sound of the waves...
And that's when you squint and realize that ship cannot possibly be real, and, moreover---that you are NOT sailing your own ship not into clear waters, but right into a reef.
That's at least both a major image and hallucinatory terrain spell going at once. The person who set this up is clearly a skilled illusionist.
Upon hearing the report, Chad quietly draws his bow and an arrow from his quiver. He stays low to the deck, trying to make sure that their pursuers will not spot him should they look.
Chad can't help but think that the flags just aren't flying correctly. Odd. The winds don't work like that.
Shrugging it off, the freebooter tries to push the thought out of his head as being nerves.
Thren comes up on deck, still just a bit sleepy, to the commotion. "Looks like we have company! Orders captain?" The bard asks, looking back at the other ship with eyes eager for a fight.
Kahuranga calls out from his perch in the rigging, "CAPTAIN, THAT SHIP IS AN ILLUSION, AND THERE IS A REEF WHERE IT APPEARS TO SAIL."
"There's a reef were WE appear to be sailing! Well, you appear to be sailing. I'm not sailing," adds Taniwha, flapping overhead.
"Helm! Hard to starboard! Rosie, help with the wheel." Lark orders the runner to help get the wheel moving as quickly as possible.
He continues with a string of orders, "Thren, bring the sails about, we need a hard turn! Yamtisy, get us to general quarters, but ignore that ship, it's an illusion." He points to the ersatz Shining Star. "Chakam, get your gunners ready, I'll try and have a real target for you shortly."
Lark tries to gauge their distance to the reef. "Chad, get ready to cut loose those barrels once we're turned away from that reef. We may need the extra speed to counter our momentum."
Once all that is in train the captain addresses his seacaster, "Kahuranga, if that ship's an illusion, where's the real one? Could they have made their whole ship invisible?"
"There is a spell at play to hide the reef beneath a false sea, and another to create the ship, but neither of those would hide an actual ship. The ship itself is an image that requires that the attention of the caster, who can't be more than 1000 feet or so away, unless I miss my guess. They may be hiding in the same cove this illusion emerged from, just waiting for us to wreck ourselves. I wish I could match their magic and have us appear to wreck. Perhaps Taniwha and I should take a look from a higher vantage point."
Belina at the helm works to turn the rudder, Rosie running up to help her give the strength needed for the job.
But they strain to work in haste to get the job done, Rosie slipping and falling as the wheel resists. Even if Thren gets the riggers coordinated to shift the sails... it's not enough.
The ship, though partially turned, scrapes along the coral.
The ship is not damaged beyond repair but you'll need to get it off the reef to get moving again. Belina (or anyone else who takes the wheel) will need time and a good mix of skill and luck to succeed (
Everyone is thrown about as the ship hits. Since people were prepared and warned, this is not as bad as it could be.
[ooc]So everyone takes 9 damage. I will however need everyone to attempt a Reflex save or fall prone. I'm just going to assume about half your crew is prone
And at that moment a sudden fog cloud descends upon your ship to the port side, obscuring some of your crew's view of what is happening.
Also a rope is tying itself to your rail on that same side as though of its own accord.
Ah, there's the ship, just past the fog cloud, where the clear ocean was a moment ago. The fog cloud is obscuring what you are sure are likely boarders approaching in a launch.
Thren keeps her balance even as she coordinates efforts in the rigging. From her position, she can see a rope attaching itself to the rail, butcan't see much beyond that.
"Prepare to repel boarders!" She shouts. "I can't tell who or where from, but someone's lashed themselves to us!"
Kahuranga falls from the shrouds, bashing his head against the gunnel before the winds catch him and lower him softly to the deck. He is so entangled with himself and Taniwha that neither sees anything, responding only to the cries of others.
Blood staining his face, he calls upon the winds around him and lifts himself up. Taniwha clings to the leather pauldron on his shoulder.
Chakam stands still as the ship shakes, firmly holding around with his vines. The trained eyes of the druid look around, seeing the rope being tied to the vessel. As they imagined when pretending to be prey, they were too much of a tempting target - and now they had to show the boarders who truly laid the trap to who.
He touches himself, feeling his skin toughen, and immediately starts barking orders to the weaponry crew to prepare for combat.
Managing to keep standing despite the impact, Chad still seems to take enough shrapnel to his back to bleed from the impact.
The sylph sees the rope tie to the rail from the cloud. The freebooter takes aim at the section of deck that anyone foolish enough to board would have to land on. What, do they have a cloud they use in place of a ship? If so... well, that would be awesome and we should steal it!
"Ready to shoot, Captain!"
Lark moves to hiding spot along the port rail near the rope that is attaching itself.
Chad
Chakam
Kahuranga & Taniwha
Lark
Threnody & Sandara
Vakarla
Wrecker Cutthroats
Crew and Generic Wreckers
You hear screaming and roaring coming from across the reef, and the sound of a low female voice muttering a spell, and the screaming and roaring gets closer. The rope is pulled taut and it looks like past the fog cloud you can make out some individuals standing on the reef running toward you to board. They seem to be fairly faceless, nameless thuggish sort of crew and they are probably unimportant.
Then you hear a monkey scream, and small bits of scat appear on the deck.