Chad takes a couple of tentative steps upward. "Blood notwithstanding, cannot say that I feel... natural... to be up here. Still, we need to get the treasure before that monkey does. Or her crew grow spines and decide to come back for it."
The party follows Targ's directions and fortunately, they appear to be correct. Any illusions protecting the area seem to have faded, or you have trained your senses enough to see past them--but the place is unremarkable enough looking you might not have given it much notice had you been sailing past regardless. A tiny island of mostly rocks and sand marked by three longboats tied at a rickety, handmade pier, invisible from the shore. A few ramshackle huts of wood, palm, and stone lie there, one larger one in the center. Some care has been taken to arrange palm and fern around the huts so if one weren't directly looking for this place, they might pass it by as maybe an island someone does some fishing upon.
"Taniwha, let's go in low over the water up to the beach, okay?" The tiefling points towards the longboats specifically. "I can use the boats for cover in case there's more trouble."
Taniwasp and Kahuranga come in low, hugging the waves. Taniwha is somewhat distracted by his first time flying as a horse sized wasp, and his faceted eyes.
Chakam stays with the party, flying low in his large whisperer form. He tries to be as sneakily as the giant ghost-looking fey body would allow him to be.
Seeing that the others are going in low, Chad climbs up to a higher level and whispers to his armor. Within moments, the armor expands outward as a cloud of mist enveloping the freebooter. Taking out his bow, he gets ready to ambush the monkey or any other guards that might remain from the sky.
There you are...
Chad smiles to himself at the sight of the monkey. "Monkey ahoy! Time for some exotic meat."
Chad
Chakam
Kahuranga & Taniwha
Threnody & Sandara
Mr. Swabb
"What are you shooting at?" Thren says irritably as she looks around for Chad's target. "Taniwha, get us up the beach."
Sandara also tries to spot Chad's target, but to no avail, and moves towards the island.
Chakam notices the creature, and immediately moves towards it. He then moves one of his tendrils to try to grapple the enemy.
Right here! - he tells the others, as the tendril advances against the space occupied by the enemy.
Taniwha buzzes directly toward toward the trees, carrying Thren right to the monkey. He attempts to sting the other familiar, but doesn't have the hang of being a massive wasp. His stinger slashes through some foliage.
Unable to see what everyone is attacking, Kahuranga simply continues his approach, hovering about 20 feet above the sand when he arrives at the beach.
Chakam flies up, sees a monkey gripping a necklace with golden orbs hanging off of it, and grabs the monkey in its tentacles.
With a tiny grimace of determination, the monkey takes a breath and releases the orb in his hands---and he and Chakam are engulfed in a fiery explosion, as are everyone within 20 feet of him.
In a series of miracles, somehow Mr. Swabb is alive, but barely, and the other two glowing globe on the necklace he grips remains intact.
Chad winces as the orb explodes into flames. Well, I guess that is why it had that thing... still, he looks more than a bit crispy now.
Drawing another arrow and taking careful aim not to hit his fellow officers, Chad calls down to Threnody, "The pyromaniac monkey, of course. Watch your head!"
As the word head leaves his mouth, the sylph releases the arrow, saying a small prayer that it hits the monkey before it can use the other orbs on the necklace.
And Mr. Swabb is dead. Chakam can retrieve the necklace from the dead critter's form, which has two beads upon it. It is quite hot. Upon examination it is obviously a necklace of fireballs of the weakest kind.
Reconvening upon the beach, you look into the huts upon the island. The smaller huts contain little other than simple bunks, kegs of rum, and sundry clothes, tankards, and typical sailor's equipment.
The larger hut has two rooms, one room that serves as mainly a bedroom/kitchenette, with a firepit and crude, high wooden bunk. The room also contains several barrels and crates, both likely serving as storage and furniture, and the other featuring a crude alchemist's laboratory--makeshift but perfectly functional for anyone who wishes to make alchemical gear. . The sand floor shows various large humanoid footprint and occasional tiny monkey prints in an untraceable pattern--likely just Vakarla moving around her hut this morning and on prior days in activities of daily (pirate) life.
Chad lands on the beach and checks over his companions. "Everyone ok? that fireball looked hot, suicidal little critter, eh?" Chad looks over the shanty town with an appraising eye.
"Well, we should keep this place on our maps. Say what you will about their underhanded tactics, these wreckers knew how to make a hard to spot port."
So saying, he looks through the buildings to see if any shares of their ill-gotten plunder were left behind.
Chakam gets the warmest from the effect on his large shape, feeling it's strong effect go in its entirety. Yet, he feels lucky the other beads didn't explode as well.
Godforsaken piece of arse little ape! - he says, as he recomposes himself.
He pronounces some words in druidic, feeling some of his wounds close.
We should collect some of tis' mats. Ya' know, alchemy and plunder and whatnot. - he says, as he floats near the others looking around.
Being within stinging distance of the Monkey, Taniwha takes the explosion full in his waspy face.
Not long after, the magic of his transformation wears off. He settles gently onto the beach, delivering Thren. Then he launches himself over to his master, still smoking from the fireball.
Kahuranga welcomes the dragon into his arms, and withdraws a wand from his gauntlet.
The healing accomplished, Kahuranga takes the time to examine the holdings of the various huts.
Thren is caught in the blast but her fiendish nature protects her from more than some singeing. "Damned little critter," Thren mutters, but she never gets to do more as Chad skewers it neatly.
When the party gets to the hut, Thren begins searching about, sifting through the sand, under the bed, any and all hiding places she can think of.
As you search through the areas diligently, you find under Vakarla's bunk something buried in the sand. Some time taken to clear it reveals a chest--unlocked, and it does not even after examination appear to be trapped.
The chest contains the following:
a mithral dagger set with aquamarine gemstones worth 900 gp
320 gp in assorted coins
A Shackles national flag designed to be flown as a naval ensign (a silver skull over crossed manacles, on a field of red and black squares) that radiates magic;
examination reveals it to be a
Shackles Ensign
Aura Mod enchantment; CL 10th
Slot none; price 10,800 gp; Weight 3 lbs
This flag, made of a material stronger than sail canvas yet sleek as silk; when openly flown on a ship will improve the initial attitude of most local pirates who are hostile or unfriendly by one step; it worsens the attitude to those opposed to piracy or the Shackles by one step. Once per day the Shackles ensign can be hoisted and unfurled to impose a sinister sense of doom upon an opposing ship's crew. It takes two full round actions to raise the flag. All non-pirate creatures (defined at the GM's discretion ) within 300 feet able to see the flag take a -1 penalty on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 minute. This is a visual mind-affecting effect. At the same time, all allies aboard the ship flying the ensign gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 minute.
a spellbook
All core and APG wizard cantrips
1st level burning hands, color spray, disguise self, grease, mage armor, magic missile, minor image, ray of enfeeblement, vanish
2nd level blur, false life, fog cloud, invisibility, knock, mirror image, rope trick, scorching ray
3rd level fly, haste, invisibility sphere, major image, stinking cloud, water breathing, vampiric touch
4th level fear, hallucinatory terrain, phantasmal killer, wall of fire
5th level mirage arcana, overland flight, wall of force
Chakam searches through barrels and sees what seems to be a pile of oilcloth and realizing it does not make any sense for oilcloth to be stored in a barrel, realizes the cloth is wrapped around something... removing it, a large golden statue of a wasp--the Golden Vespal. This large gilded statue is easily worth 5,000 gp.
Additionally, all the other barrels, as well as the supplies of rum and random sailor's kit in the other houses, which you guess has come from other ship's cargo, you have various goods (mainly timber, leather, and spices) and ship's supplies worth 6 points of plunder. If you reserved 1 point of plunder's worth of ship's supplies you'd be well stocked on your own ship for several months.
"Good. We found the wasp statue." Thren breathes a sigh of relief. "Not to mention some other useful goods. This'll keep us going for a while." The bard grins as she sighs melodramatically. "But why couldn't they have looted someone carrying a pile of gold? Or silver. Silver would do." She looks around again. "Let's report back to the Captain with the Vespal, let him know what we found so we can get all this aboard. A couple of us can stay and start getting things sorted."
"We will need to get the ship repaired and bring a launch to get all of this onboard. Taniwha's dragon magic can allow us to swim back to the ship, but I've exhausted myself for the day. I'm happy to stay here for the night. Start a fire, keep a watch, make an inventory. Plenty of rum to drink."
There is something different about Kahuranga. He seems almost wistful knocking about these ramshackle huts on the beach.
"Not that I don't want to deny the dragon the chance to do his thing," Sandara says, "But there's three empty longboats out there. Just one would fit all of us and the statue and we can sail back to the Tide. The illusions seem to have all faded by now. Then we can safely lead the ship here and get it loaded with all this other stuff. It may not be gold but we could exchange it for a pile of it easy enough."
Chad idly tosses one of the coins from the stash in the air before catching it and flipping it back into the chest. "The bulk might not have been gold, but she did have a decent stash of it. Not enough to be wealthy, mind you, but certainly enough to cover the crew's drinking and eating expenses when back in port."
Taking the flag, Chad folds it carefully until it is in a square that both will not unravel and is easy enough to carry. "The Cap'n will love this. Mind if I carry it to present to him?"
Whether by boat or magic, you make your way back to The Fearsome Tide, where the crew is happy to learn of the opportunity to fill the ship's cargo hold. Beryl gets ready to make a celebratory feast, supplemented by seafood caught by Barefoot Samms while others were working on fixing up the ship. The reefs are rich in sea life, and there is a wide assortment of tasty finned and shelled critters ready for eating. Beryl asks for help in the kitchen to get everything cleaned and prepped. Jack Scrimshaw, already deft with a small blade, volunteers.
Soon enough you have moved the ship safely off the reef and gotten it loaded up with the cargo.
Looking over the map, Lark addresses the officers in his quarters. "So, we probably shouldn't hang onto the Golden Vespal too long. But if we sail due west first, we can stop at the Temple of the Hidden Name in Beachcomber before returning to Quent." He twists his mouth in thought. "What do you think, stop at the Temple of Norgorber to see what they might know first, or head straightaway to Quent to deliver the statue and see if Dindreann will give us a lead on the Cheliaxans?"
"We're already out this far, might as well stop in Beachcomber. We can pay the crew, sell off what we don't want, spread word of our great deeds, and see what we can learn." Thren suggests. She pauses, thinking. "We also need to get back to Brightglass at some point, see if everyone is okay, make sure the place is still there. Something to plot out later." She muses.
"I've never been to Beachcomber. I'm trepidatious of getting too close to The Grey Master. We must be careful. His acolytes keep many secrets, and are not generally interested in sharing. I much prefer the Callistrians. Best to get it over with as soon as we can."
Once back on the ship, Taniwha finds a spot close to the stove and curls up. Being a giant bug has done a number on both his mind and his body.
Kahuranga moves to the stern. It has been a while since he has had to use almost all of his magical potential for a day, and he is troubled by this relative weakness. The sylph generally apppears light and without care, but today his winds are those of the storm.
Chad nods with Kahuranga.
"Aye I agree, best not to keep a Callistrian waiting anyway. Besides," his smile turns positively cruel, "it would allow us to deliver them an... added bonus: the captain that took their ship and likely murdered their crew." He laughs.
"While any punishment or execution we would deliver would be efficient and deserved... revenge and punishment are a specialty of theirs. And giving them that chance might win us a few favors later on."
The bard frowns, but nods. "You do have a point about the Callistrians. For all we know they're aware we've got it. We should probably get back to them, and follow up on Beachcomber after." Thren agrees with Kahuranga and Chad.
"Good point about our captive. Sounds like a plan," Lark says. "Belina, set a course!"
You make decent time, although at one point you sail into a freak storm that lasts only a few minutes, but it comes and goes so quickly you have to make quick repairs to some waterlogged items on deck and tears in the rigging. This loses you about a day but this matters little in the grand scheme of things.
You keep Vakarla and her crewmate chained up in the brig, with Vakarla thoroughly trussed to prevent her from casting spells. Yamtisy assigns Larry and Barry to pump the bilges, the large warriors intimidating enough, and given that Vakarla seems to only respect other half-orcs, to keep both in line. When you arrive you make good on your offer to Targ and release him to enjoy the sights and sounds of Quent; he seems slightly displeased to be in such an orderly city, but having gotten away with his life he quickly disappears into the crowd, no doubt hoping to forget you and his service to Vakarla as soon as possible.
When you return to the Temple of Calistria, Dindreann is delighted to see you roll in the barrel containing the Golden Vespal... and her smile of joy turns a tad feral when she sees that you have also brought the woman responsible for the theft, alive for her to deal with personally. She waves to her attendants and orders them to take Vakarla downstairs. The illusionist is taken off, whimpering, no doubt to be changed one way or another by her forthcoming experience.
"You are honest and thorough," she observes. "For the return of our sacred statue, the information I promised: one of our clients who comes to visit from Drenchport has mentioned he knows personally a spy operating in the Shackles. The client's name is Jaymiss Keft, he is a scrimshander by public trade, but has many contacts on the black market. Since you have gone above and beyond by bringing me the wrecker thief--I will tell you that Keft's favorite beverage above all things is Black Kelp beer. It makes him much keener to talk. The other prize I shall offer is a favor--so long as it does not endanger myself or my temple or its servants--or dear Tessa--if it is within my capability, I will comply. Redeemable at any time--you may request fulfillment now, but you might wait until you really need divine intervention." She smiles.
"Now I must cleanse the Vespal and we must ready for its installation ceremony. Please enjoy my hospitality in this private chamber for the rest of the day if you like. Ask the attendants for anything you need... or desire." She smiles and slides out of the room, a brawny attendant carrying the statue following behind her.
Thren spends her time looking over maps with Belina. When the officers all gather together again, she talks a bit with them.
"I think we should sail to Beachcomber first, it's not that far north of here. See what the Norgorberites...Norgorbers? Norgorbs? Norgorberans?...have to say. We then continue on a course to Drenchport to see this Jaymiss Keft. We may need to reconsider if the temple tells us something different, but that's how I'd do it." The bard suggests.
"I always thought it was Norburgers. It isn't like they would tell you, right? Everything is a secret. I agree, lets get the the Norburgers out of the way. They disturb me. I prefer those who are more interested in sharing knowledge, which brings up the point of what they will expect in return for whatever they can tell us. I bet it is more challenging than some special beer."
It seems Beachcomber will be our next stop. North ahoy! - says Chakam, agreeing with the tiefling, and not risking pronouncing the correct way follower of Norgorber.
Kahuranga moves about the ship with nervous energy, but he brings it into focus and takes on extra duties.
"Given the Captain hasn't objected, let's set sail for Beachcomber." Thren gives the order.