"Temple of Calistria!" Faengrim sits up and takes note of the conversation. "I could go for a calistrian temple."
Dantes follows the discussion warily, until the charts are offered. He moves immediately to accept them on behalf of the crew, not even bothering with his usual deference to the captain. He simply cannot wait; he pushes aside his plate and opens the charts just enough to start looking at them.
"Which place has the most favorable route?" Chumtooth asks as he looks over Dantes' shoulder down at the map.
"We should consider that, also."
Chumtooth looks to Captain Fairwind. ”What Is this introduction you offer us with the temple of the lust goddess?”
Chumtooth nods, considers a moment, and says. ”Your letter will act as a voucher for us, yes?”
"Then we should go there," Chumtooth replies. "Do any of you disagree?" he asks his officers.
Still thinking of the Calistrian temple. "Hells yes!."
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The trip to Quent is largely uneventful and passes relatively quickly, thanks to your new charts and the fact that Dantes makes a remarkable discovery; the charts show wind and weather patterns in real-time!
Upon arrival in Quent, you find that the port is lively and generally in a joyful mood; a stark contrast to Port Peril. At the temple, you are met by two scantily-clad acolytes that escort you through sensually decorated corridors to the chambers of the temple’s high
priestess, Dindreann.
"Greetings to you," the high priestess greets you cordially. "Please have a seat and partake of refreshments. You will find the drinks to be most interesting, I think." Once you have taken your seats, regardless of whether you accept her offer of drinks, she reads the note, smiles, and says in a sultry voice, "How can I be of service to associates of my dearest friend Tessa?"
"We have heard rumors that we wish to know more of, rumors of pirates turned traitor against their fellows, now serving the Chelish. We want to know what you have heard of this," Chumtooth states, matter-of-factly.
Faengrim works diligently to control himself in the temple. He's heard of the priestesses reputation, the good and the bad, and he desperately wants to stay on their good side.
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Dindreann smiles coyly. "It is true that those enthralled in the heat of passion sometimes let skip secrets. But these are shared in confidence, and cannot be given away for free. There is a way, however. A ship owned by the temple, the Lady’s Sting, recently went missing. Divinations have revealed that the ship was attacked by a group of pirates who deliberately lure ships into danger so that they can salvage the cargoes of the resulting wrecked ships.
"Piracy is a fact of life in the Shackles, of course, but the Lady’s Sting was carrying a relic sacred to our faith—a gold-plated wasp statue known as the Golden Vespal. The temple seeks revenge on these wreckers who would dare attack one the faith’s holy vessels, as well as the return of the Golden Vespal, but they have so far been unable to locate the wreckers that attacked the Lady’s Sting. If you can find the wreckers, enact the goddess’s revenge upon them, and recover the Golden Vespal, I will give you a lead on the spies you are seeking."
"Where was the ship going when it was attacked? Can you tell us this much?" Chumtooth asks.
Chumtooth nods in acknowledgement. "We will make our way to seek the missing relic of your goddess, after we have made our offerings for her favors. Ka hoatu e tatou he peara hei tio."
"We shall give pearls to the oysters"
"We could follow their route and search for the ship or clues to what happened to it."
”We thank you for your hah-spi-tall-eetay,” Chumtooth says, giving Dindreann a respectful nod of his head as he rises from the table.
As he and his crew make their way to the brothel’s mead hall, he turns to Dantes and asks, ”how many days to Drenchport and how many days to the other port Tessa spoke of? Can you make a route that takes us to both?”
"Yes, captain. Right away!" Dantes gets to work plotting a course. He estimates the time needed, and reports it back to the captain.
”Good,” Chumtooth replies. ”We shall kill two fish with one spear, then. Well done, Dantes.” He turns and addresses the crew. ”Eat, drink, mount and ride. The evening is what your coin can buy. Do not disrespect our hosts. We sail at first light.”
He dismisses the crew, then begins to prowl the tavern for a harlot of his liking, the right combination of beauty and physical strength who might also have a dangerous curiosity about what a night with a cannibal might entail.
Knowledge (local)
"We could seek out the wreckers that attacked Lady's Sting. It won't be easy though; there are a lot of wrecker crews out there."
He considers a moment, then adds "Maybe if we go by Beachcomber first. I've heard that the Temple of the Hidden Name there, they might be able to point us to the right one."
Dantes checks the charts, to see how far Beachcomber would take them out of their way.
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Morning comes, as it inevitably must, sooner for some than for others.
The ship sails exactly as Chumtooth has commanded, leaving as dawn breaks the horizon. The journey to Beachcomber is short and uneventful and you arrive at about 9 AM. Beachcomber is one of Bag Island’s
rowdiest ports and many of its inhabitants are rumored to be secret
worshipers of Norgorber.
Knowledge (local)
Knowledge (religion)
"Beachcomber is close. As soon as the tides allow, we can set out. It should only take us a few hours to get there."
On the ship, Dantes will gather the officers together. "It isn't much of a secret that the worship of Norgorber is widespread at Beachcomber. However, even with as open as they are about that, we must be discrete in asking. The followers of Norgorber are secretive even under the best of circumstances. If we could weave the ask of its whereabouts into conversation, we might find some success."
”Alexander, can you do this?” Chumtooth asks, ”You are clever with words.”
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Alexander smiles a broad smile. No problem," he replies, cracking his knuckles.
You disembark and Alexander steps forward to the nearest person and says, "Begging your pardon, sir. I'm in the market to buy some trade goods of a... shall we say, a delicate nature. Could you direct me to someone who might be able to help me?"
The man looks dubious, but shrugs and tells you to go two blocks down and knock on the third warehouse door. You follow his directions and are met by a halfling dressed in the black clothing of an indentured servant of an aristocratic household and wearing a cherubic mask. The obsequious halfling guides you to a discreet soundproofed room in the back of the warehouse.
"I'm Slip," he says, his mask remaining in place. "How may the Temple of the Hidden Name be of service?"
”Een-foh-mayshun,” Chumtooth replies. ”What is the price you ask?”
Chumtooth nods, then turns and gathers his crew mates around him.
"What secrets are we willing to share with them?" he asks the others. "Shall we tell them one of our own, or is there one of another we can use as payment?"
Faengrim doesn't have secrets.
Except maybe that they got the treasure of Captain Wolf from Mancather Cove.
The Dominator was defeated by a single sailor. That would surely prove embarrassing for her captain.
"Tell them of how the ship was defeated. Such news would be valuable to those who hate the Chelish," Chumtooth says, nodding to Faengrim.
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Faengrim relates the tale as the agent of chaos listens intently. After the story, he pauses, his fingers pressed together. "Very well, what would you know in return?"
"The Wreckers," Chumtooth replies impatiently. "Tell us of them."
Slip pauses, and you get the feeling that he is smiling beneath his mask. "The Wreckers that you seek are hidden on an island base southeast of the Rampore Isles. They are led by a half-orc by the name of Vakarla, a wizard, I have heard.
"If there is more information that you desire, I have a way for you to get the information you seek that does not involve divulging one of your own secrets."
"Tell me," Chumtooth replies, interested in what this new offer might entail.
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"A famous ship called the Brine Banshee mysteriously disappeared several months ago. The Brine Banshee was said to have been one of the fastest ships in the Shackles, with unparalleled handling for a vessel its size, which many believed were the result of several potent spells woven into the ship. If you can find what happened to the Brine Banshee, and discover the secret of its unprecedented speed and maneuverability, you can trade this knowledge for some other tantalizing information."
"If we find the information you seek, we may well return with the answer," Chumtooth replies giving a small nod of thanks to their host.
Sensing no additional questions from his crew mates, Chumtooth says to Dantes, "Plot a course to the Rampore Isles." Turning to Faengrim and Alexander he says, "Make the ship and crew ready to sail."
Faengrim goes about relaying the captain's orders and making sure that everything is as it should be.
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The ship is underway within the half-hour, sailing towards the Rampore Isles. The journey is short, only a few hours' time. Finding the Wreckers proves to be more problematic, and you begin sailing around the Isles, looking for clues. While you do not come across the Wreckers or their base, you do spy a ship on the morning of the second day, flying a Rahadoumi flag. A soon as she spots you, she raises sails in an effort to get away. Through the spyglass, Chumtooth can make out the name Shining Star and can see the crew on deck scrambling to get the sails up.
"Set course to intercept!" Chumtooth says, pointing toward the sails on the horizon. "Keep watch for flankers, in case it is a bait ship!"
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The Kiss of Vengeance wheels about as the crew lays in an intercept course. As you near the vessel, Faengrim suddenly shouts a warning, but it comes too late! There is a loud cracking noise and a lurch as the Kiss comes to a sudden, grinding halt! Everyone must make a DC 20 Reflex save or be knocked prone by the impact. In addition, each of you takes damage from general bruising and being thrown about. The water around your vessel shimmers and fades away, revealing a hidden reef! As your vessel impacts the reef, it suffers hull damage!
Chumtooth is thrown violently to the deck. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he moves to regain his footing.
Reflex Dantes goes down, fast and hard. He lets himself be slid around the deck and pummeled by items loose on the deck.
Faengrim's eyes are full of the hunt then he sees the reef and they go wide. "Full stop! Full....." but his warning comes too late.
He tumbles about the deck, slamming into a mast and ending up on his back.
Chumtooth stands up, grips his harpoon in a throwing position, and marches into the mist in the direction of the boarding sailors.
Faengrim moves to intercept the boarders.