The sun is just setting as you all leave the temple. You see the small flotilla from Saltmarsh there; otherwise it's a ghost town.
The erstwhile commodore of the armada approaches; a few nicks and scratches here and there bandaged; "I reckon I can put enough marines on board your Sea Witch to limp us all to Sasserine.
Maybe some or all of them'll stay on with you; IDK.....I'm for back to Saltmarsh myself after a few nights there."
The lizardfolk concur for the most part.
"Where and what is Sasserine?" asks Beldan, squinting about.
An old marine that looks like he is made of leather and scars speaks up, "that's a commonly response. Sasserine.....they said she was unnamed by foul magicks. She's the pearl of Southern Jeklea, and the Sea Princes wanted to keep her all to themselves. She's a city down this stretch of southerly shore. The gateway to Amedio."
"Me never hear of it. Meh, whatever."
He looks thoughtful; then;....
"I bet there's lots you've never heard of, wee filler..."
then somebody whispers something to him excitedly; makes a sign of a finger across the throat;
"I just jokin feller...." he adds to his challenge.
"Yeah, there lots me don't know. But me have Beetle Boy and Iron Rabbit Sh!t, so me no need to know. What me need to know, they tell me. What me know already, me keep to self. So what Sassassassassarinny like? They have good halfling girl like my Jane? Me no see Jane long time, me want get jiggy."
a younger guy pipes up; he's through with the post-traumatic vomiting fits and fear of imminent death.
"Aye the girls of Sasserine!!! There's girls from all points on the map there, and I hear they hardly wear anything at all! Makes what comes naturally all the easier!!! I hear there's more whorehouses than taverns there!" He lifts a goodly size coinpurse lifted off of a hapless sahuagin.
"I'll burn through this a few nights from now!"
There's about 25 Saltmarsh marines more than happy to jump on the Sea Witch/whatever Riese renamed it and hoist sail for Sasserine.
EDIT: now my keyboard is working properly. I decided to stick with cleric rather than pick a prestige class, because that is Oso's best role. He got the Glorious Weapons Feat which means Oso can align everyone's weapons to good for a turn or so, hopefully useful against Sasserine Demons or whatevers.
Sea Witch/whatever Riese renamed it and hoist sail for Sasserine.
Sea Witch/whatever Riese renamed it and hoist sail for Sasserine.
Probably.....
It's about a day's sail due east to Sasserine. You play in near to the shore; but not too near for the reefs. About 3/4 there the remainder of the small flotilla heads north back to Saltmarsh.....
it feels like an old adventure has ended.
It feels like a new one is trying to get underway.
You pass by sparkling sandy beaches girding hilly jungle noisy with wildlife hooting, buzzing, chirping, screaming the jungle's shadowy secrets in a wild cacophony answered only by splashing waves. You pass by stony outcroppings, massive boulders creeping into the sea, and at one place even an arch of stone where waterplay wore away the center; skuas and seabirds usher you away from their craggy nestingplace.
Finally you enter the lagoon that guards Sasserine proper, guarded by walls and towers, and the telltale broken arch of the bridge over the front.
Canoes of native Olmen row up to the boat, hawking wares; some of the marines toss down some coppers, and get tossed up mangoes, a tasty sweet greeting ending a few days at sea and nothing but canned or pickled larder.
You drop anchor in the middle of a lagoon, a ways away from another cluster of ships.
Tom: "I guess we could row over and find the harbormaster?"
It's about 3 in the afternoon.
Pip takes in the sultry city skyline and the verdant emerald jungle surrounding it
"Oso, old buddy, this looks like a place just made for adventure."
Pip strums Lucille
"Oh I've seen girls from Tenh
And I've seen girls from Greyhawk
I've been with nut-brown bints
And ones white as chalk
I've had redheads and blondes and brunettes sweet as wine
But I never saw women
like the ones from Sasserine."
Has Oso done his ritual to Kelanen yet to dedicate the warspoil blade to his deity?
Oh and it's cool; I got something to go along with that whole schema that might be interesting. The "Baron Houses" snippet I dropped a few months back...
Beldan tucks into a mango and looks squints towards the docks, looking for some of these scantily clad Sasserine girls that the old salt was talking about (and Pip is singing of).
Beldan can see them, here and there in the throng of people, busying themselves on whatever mission they are about this day. People from all over, dressed in perhaps meagre scraps of the typical attire of their native soil in patterns now uniquely of a Sasserinian heritage. In more temperate climes such lack of wardrobe might seem scandalous, but here it makes sense for the most part under an unyielding sun, plowing in air so humid it feels one could cut it if one swung their blade quickly enough.
A few minutes roll by, and a brace of clouds march in. The rain starts, cooling everything back down to a more comfortable level for the nonce. Not really pouring down hard, just a steady spritzing.
Nobody seems to notice the rain starting really; no running for cover, no umbrellas, just resignation to it coupled with relief.
A blackbird flaps over and alights in the riggings; it's shriek sounds almost pterodactylesque, it's tail split in two like a swallow's. Even the birds it seems follow a somewhat different pattern of sensibility.
There's a small island in the main lagoon, forested with jungle and topped with a domed manor resembling a massive blue halfsphere girded in twinkling gold squatting on the back of the main building also girded in twinkling and conceived by a new architecture unseen in more northern climes. The trees there seem alive with a city of parrots within the walls of this city of men.
Oso will spend a night at sea giving up Grazzt's Sword to Kelanen. He has every intention of looking up the Baron's Houses.
The native warrior in him enjoys the sight of scantily clad people but his armour fits like a rusty glove now.
Kelanen takes the gifted sword. Oso falls asleep with the thing in his arms; there's a dream of a blurry angelic form taking the blade then touching his chest and vesting Oso with.....
8,500 g.p. worth of stuff to slap onto your sword.
|
Loot update:
Distributed stuff:
+3 small kukri (Gittik)
+2 wavy-bladed bastard sword (Oso)
+1 mithril chain mail body suit (Beldan)
+1 huge two handed maqahuitl (for the clubhouse)
Stuff to sell:
+2 chain shirt (4250 gp)
+1 Frost scimitar (8315 gp)
+2 small scimitar (8315 gp)
and a solid silver baby rattle worth 50 g.p.
+1 huge breastplate (2400 gp)
Ruby-eyed golden thigmajig worth 8.000 gp
+1 long sword (2315 gp)
+1 battleaxe (2310 gp)
Three +1 falchions (2375 gp x3)
+1 rapier, aquatic (i.e. it can be used underwater with no penalties as if freedom of movement was cast on the user. The user doesn't get the benefit of a freedom of movement spell, just the use of the rapier works that way) (2320 gp)
5,000 g.p.
That adds up to 37350/2=18675+13050(cash and the gold statue)=31725/8=3965.625.
Thus, everybody gets 3965 gold, 6 silver and 2 copper each. Don't spend it all at once!
Oh, and I'll say the beetle sarcophagus will go for about 32,000 gold pieces, so 4,000 more each. If you want to sell it.
The Witchwardens are interested in purchasing it. Wanna sell it?
(dayum. The loot looked a little sparse there).
That's cool.
I was actually ascairt that I gave out too much stuff.
Oh well....I can always adjust.
“Looks like a nice place,” comments Beldan. “Let’s get going – there’s got to be a decent marketplace in a city like this, we can sell some of our loot.”
“Looks like a nice place,” comments Beldan. “Let’s get going – there’s got to be a decent marketplace in a city like this, we can sell some of our loot.”
For the nonce, for a fee of 5 g.p. a day, the harbormaster says you guys can leave the Sea Witch moored in the lagoon.
Tom suggests releasing the cadre of 25 marines for a rotating shore leave as well; he and 5 of them (and for the nonce, I guess Stiggy) will set a good guard aboard her.The merchant's borough is pretty much due south of her position; the Witchwarden's tower is in the north in the Nobles' section.
At the Witchwardens' Tower, where the magic guildsmen cede over coin for the beetle sarcophagus, they say they don't do it.
They also ask you uncoached about the possibility of Graz'zt's sword being acquired for purchase.They also say the magic to increase to a +2 can't be done.
Somebody pulls Pip to the side; a sharp-looking man with leather vest and more than enough blades.
"I know who can do it, chum. Seek out a gnome named Ghosty. He lives in the seedy docksides though, in the bad side of town."
You can have the chain suit "retailored" somewhat too. ;)
I guess the Witchwardens don't like "reenchanting" on other peoples' stuff. Kinduva issue like if you have a somewhat used suit of armor that's about to bust a shoulder strap and they pump it up from a +1 to a +2 then first time out the shoulder strap breaks, you lose a shoulder pad, and an ogre crushes your shoulderblade in with a warclub, well....it kinda makes their work look questionable.
Fits their "LN" outlook on life anyway's.
At the Witchwardens' Tower, where the magic guildsmen cede over coin for the beetle sarcophagus, they say they don't do it.
They also ask you uncoached about the possibility of Graz'zt's sword being acquired for purchase.
Just making sure this snippet doesn't get lost....
Beldan surveys the Witchwarden with suspicious eyes
“Huh? What sword now?”
"How you know we got this sword anyhoo?" asks the cleric of the witches.
"How you know we got this sword anyhoo?" asks the cleric of the witches.
"How you know we got this sword anyhoo?" asks the cleric of the witches.
The clerk handling sales looks distraught; a mage behind her says, "oh....we have our ways...." looking at another wizard next to her; the third one looks scarcely more than a girl and looks to be entranced somehow.
"How you know we got this sword anyhoo?" asks the cleric of the witches.
They are somewhat glad for that at least, though you can see they seem down a bit that they didn't obtain the primary weapon...
Leaving the Witchwarden's tower,.....
you see a wagon in the courtyard; two jovial roustabouts, a half orc and a dwarf, are unloading a heavy crate.
A short, pudgy, older man is overseeing them. He has his back to you all; yet something about his voice seems....
Altai; Riese; make a wil save.
It isn't combat, though it is a magickal effect.
Beldan isn’t paying any attention to the three guys loading wagons, he’s trying to peek looks at scantily clad ladies.
“I could learn to like these tropical countries…”
Witchwarden Tower is in the Noble District....and what little is worn there is silken and accompanied by pearl necklaces and diamond studdings.
Oh,....and the dwarf laborer is wearing a loinclout and a leather vest...
Witchwarden Tower is in the Noble District....and what little is worn there is silken and accompanied by pearl necklaces and diamond studdings.
bump to post
A young lovely, dressed in formfitting azure silk walks by the entrance to the courtyard with a lady-in-waiting in tow.
A blonde circlet falls over her eye, which she brushes back; catches Beldan staring and smiles back.
Her tiny chicken-sized deinonychid on a leash barks at him a few times.