Luke's Crimson Throne Campaign

Game Master GM Crimson

Gently shooing away the house drake, Kayleigh moves across the cabin and behind the large circular table {H2,V3}. Dropping her morningstar, she then tries to flip said table over so that it lands on a significant part of the spider swarm {H3,V2}.

TableFlipMcRageSquish! (improvised weapon): 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 3 - 4 = 11

No idea if this would be considered a melee attack or a ranged one, so I didn't bother adding a Str or Dex bonus to the attack. It's probably an inappropriately sized weapon as well (CRB/144), earning more penalties. No idea what the damage would be, either.

Emi manages to avoid the worst of the acid. As badly as she wants to go after the bomb thrower, she figures Nebbin can handle it. Instead she turns and pushes past Regeris to give him some relief.

She's overly anxious though and makes her attack against the man facing Regeris before she's re-centered herself.

REF: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 2) + 6 = 12

Move to 5,3 and attack adjacent guy.

Letting out a breath of relief as he gets some room, Regeris drops his sword, quietly praying he won't need it again in the fight, and switches to his trusty bow. Realizing there's probably something else very nasty about to join the fight, he takes a moment to chant a spell and get behind Emi.

Move to 3,8, drop sword, cast flames of faithful on bow, and swift action to judge healing (fast healing 2). I think I've taken 5 damage so that's 20/23 for total hp.

The house drake hops up into the air as Kayleigh tries to manhandle the heavy table onto the spider covered floor. It dives back down into the heap of spiders, thrashing and flopping around in convulsive joy.

Unfortunately, Kayleigh fails to throw the table all the way over and the little beasts spill out from under it before she gets the heavy thing all the way over. The spiders swarm over her arms and up her shoulders, biting her everywhere at once. 4 hp and saves v nausea and poison.

To the rear the fight rages on but no further blood is spilled. The sickle wielder slides over to the side and the archer fires his little weapon as Emi, but it caroms off her blade and is lost underfoot.

Nebbin's up.

Initiative for the new page:

Emi
Spider Swarm above
Enemy with Hand Crossbow
Enemy with Sickle
Nebbin
Tassira
Bomb thrower
Regeris
House drake
Kayleigh

Reflex save: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 3 + 1 = 16

I read that as it was 3 pts. of acid damage, so half of that meant I took 1 hp; if not, I need to reduce by 2 more hp

Nebbin hisses as the acid splashes him, and swings wildly as he steps up to confront the bomb thrower.

Greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 8 - 2 - 1 = 8
Damage: 2d6 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (1, 3) + 12 - 1 = 15

Kayleigh starts doing a creeped-out little capering dance as the swarming spiders begin to find their way close to her face and underneath her armor. She barely keeps it together and silently gives thanks that Emi paid the outrageous sum of 50 gold sails for each vial of antitoxin, a price the frugal cleric would never have paid if it'd been her call. Still feeling no appreciable effect from the spiders' venom, she wonders if she might be able to attempt a second tabletop smash against the swarm.

Turning to Tassira, she cries, "Isn't there some magic you can use against these things?"

Fort Save (distraction/nausea): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Fort Save (poison; antitoxin): 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 5 = 15

"How's it going up there?!" cries Regeris from the basement, knowing the answer isn't one he's going to enjoy. As his arrows burst into flame he seeks his next target.

"Right now I'm looking at a slow death by a thousand tiny bites!" Kayleigh shouts into the hold, adding a bit of nervous laughter so Nebbin will know she's (kinda) kidding. "Do you folks need a healing channel or should I stay up here and keep these swarming spiders occupied?"

@Nebbin - nope my notebook agrees with your quick stats.

Kayleigh's able to grit through the horror of having the monsters tangled in her hair. Of smashing them against her face with the back of her armored sleeve, and still being able to function.

Tassira's up

"I've got something that'll do it!" Tassira replies as she consults her spellbook and channels some arcane energy to exchange one spell for another.

Full-Round Action to swap protection from evil for burning hands.

The bomb thrower takes another step back into the shadows, again dropping an improvised acid explosive in Nebbin's face. It rolls down the big warrior's chest, lands between his feet and rolls a couple feet before exploding. 5 hp acid damage. No one else in the melee is injured.

Regeris and Kayleigh are up.

Not certain what spell Tassira's got planned, nor if it'll be powerful enough to destroy the spider swarm, Kayleigh decides to try a second table slam. Grabbing opposite legs of the overturned table, Kayleigh again tries to lift it and slam it on the carpet of spiders {H3,V2}. She barely gets the heavy piece of furniture off the cabin floor when she suffers a back spasm and drops it in the same spot. Knowing that an incoming spell is imminent from Tassira--and that she can't allow the swarm to target the mage--she takes only a couple steps away from the swarm (to {H3,V1}), staying adjacent to it (and, hopefully, remaining its preferred victim) while giving Tassira a clear shot at the swarm.

"Don't worry about hitting me!" she shouts to the mage. "I can heal myself afterwards...hopefully."

table slam melee (improvised weapon): 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 - 4 = 3

Modifiers are rapid shot, point blank shot, coordinated shot, judgement for damage, and flames of the faithful.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 26 Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (5) = 14
Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 13 Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (5) = 14

Seeing Emi with two opponents to face, white energy ripples across Regeris' bow before he fires two flaming arrows at the man he was in melee with a moment ago.

Swift action to change judgement to Full action to fire at the enemy at 2,4.

Regeris's first arrow takes the sickle wielder in the side. The arrow is swallowed by the man's heavy robes, but it's obvious by his reaction that he felt the wound.

Kayleigh fumbles around with the table, trying to pretend that she's not being eaten alive by millions of spiders. It feels like there are so many on her that the swarm cannot help but ride with her.

In the bow of the ship, the bomb-thrower's shoulder is suddenly grasped from behind by a two-clawed hand and pulled back, spinning him sideways. From the darkness behind a pair of spidery horrors come rushing at Nebbin. To the left is another huge spider - a twin of the first one he's already killed. It leaps at Nebbin but fails to grasp him.

To the right is a horrible monstrosity - a mockery of a man with arms, legs and a head, but all of them taken from a hideous spider. It's arms end in the wicked two-taloned hands. It's head is festooned with a myriad black eyes of different sizes. It opens it mouth, spreads its mandibles and clicks angrily.

"DIE!" it hisses as it lunges for Nebbin's throat. The big man side-steps the attack and regains his footing.

Emi's up.

Illustration of the beastie is here. Relevant knowledge category is Dungeoneering.

By now Emi has recovered her balance. She takes measure of the robed man, then slashes at him with her falchion as he steps to the side.

As she does she asks him "What exactly have you pledged your service to? It must be some very dark thing you serve."

Power Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 24

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 + 6 = 16

Move action for studied target on the sickle wielder. Standard to attack.

Emi's blow sends her foe reeling and his blood spraying across the bulkhead. He staggers against the crates, stepping just far enough away to gasp out a prayer without opening himself to a killing blow. As he completes the enchantment he stands straighter and has regained some of his own vigor. Behind him, the sniper opens the door to the stern cabin and takes a step inside. Emi can hear him cocking and reloading his little weapon as he shelters behind the doorframe.

Upstairs, the swarm follows the easy food and Kayleigh's agony is prolonged. 5 hp of damage, and Kayleigh must go back through the save gauntlet.

Nebbin and Tassira are up.

Kayleigh stops looking in Tassira's direction, her attention now squarely focused on the hundred of spiders crawling all over her, nesting in her hair, and trying to make her their bloodfeast. She dances awkwardly in place, trying in vain to brush the spiders off, emitting some shuddering sobs. Then she pulls her arms close and starts to lower herself toward the floor, perhaps hoping that in the fetal position there'll be less of her to bite....

Fort Save (nausea/distraction): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Fort Save (poison): 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 5 = 18

C'mon Tassira! End this torture!

Tassira moves into position and splays her fingers out. "Here it comes, Kayleigh!"

"ESTUANS MANUS!" She intones, and a spray of flames erupts from her fingers to engulf the spiders!

Standard Action: Cast burning hands on the spider swarm! I'm pretty sure this is going to set the ship on fire... that's why I was so hesitant to use it before.

Burning Hands: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 1, 4, 2) = 11

Should be 17 damage to the swarm. Kayleigh will need to make a DC 15 Reflex Save to take half damage.

Pulling her arms (and buckler) in closer to herself pays dividends when Tassira's fiery spell washes over her and the swarming arachnids.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20 Success, so 5 fire damage.

Regeris stares at the holy symbol, but his mind is a blank as he tries to recall the deityu.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

He instead focuses on the strange beast that has revealed itself.

Knowledge Dungeoneering - Monster ID: 1d20 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 6 + 3 = 25

"Ahh! More monsters!" Nebbin cries, swinging at the humanoid spider thing. His wounds continue to take their toll, though, and his strike is easily dodged.

Greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 8 - 2 - 1 = 11
Damage: 2d6 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (4, 1) + 12 - 1 = 16

It's like I just start rolling crap in these big battles...

Kayleigh is nauseated by the spiders.

Nebbin fails to land a blow.

Tassira's fire sweeps through the cabin, arcing across the floor and frying the vermin. Kayleigh herself is pretty seriously burned. Spiders pop and screech as the flames scourge the cleric. The swarm is destroyed, but as Tassira feared the rug and benches smolder and the curtains in the bow windows burst into flames.

The bomb-thrower lobs a bomb past Nebbin and his combat, striking Regeris in the back. Dripping acid traces lines of burning pain under the archer's armor. 10 hp acid damage. No one else is close enough to be affected by the spray.

Regeris and Kayleigh are up.

The wave of fire from Tassira's spell burns at her flesh, hair, and tabard, but the pain also spurs the cleric to action. Well...at least it keeps her from fully sliding to the floor to roll up into a ball. The cleric tries to say something to Tassira but then shudders violently before wildly sweeping spider corpses off her and patting out her smoking hair and clothes.

"Got this," she manages to groan to Tassira while gesturing to the flaming curtains. "You...help the others."

@Regeris: The monster is an ettercap, and a big one at that. It's a spider shepherd of sorts, that has the ability to guide the actions of other normal vermin. It shares the ability to create and use webs and poison with its arachnid kin. But it's intelligent, and usually can manage words in the common tongue.

Regeris screams as he is drenched in acid, but he has a more important target now. He calls out to Nebbin, changing his fire. "That's an ettercap! A... very big ettercap! It's controlling the spiders!"

Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 14 Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (5) = 17
Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 27 Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (6) = 18
Crit!: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 22 Damage (flaming burst): 2d8 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 1d10 ⇒ (8, 4) + 4 + 2 + 4 + (4) = 26

Training is bow on the ettercap Regeris lets out a shot to sight his target before letting loose a beautifully aimed flaming arrow.

Firing at the ettercap and if that hits it's a 44 damage crit!

Regeris's second shot swells with Milani's indignance and it flies through the melee to take the monster in the eye. The ettercap's head explodes, showering Nebbin and the bomb-thrower with chunks of burning ichor.

Perhaps the loss of its shepherd muddles the mind of the spider facing Nebbin, but the creature fails to hurt the barbarian.

Emileva is up.

Initiative order:

Giant Spider
Emi
Enemy with Hand Crossbow
Enemy with Sickle
Nebbin
Tassira
Bomb thrower
Regeris
House drake
Kayleigh

@Luke - I'll take it! Thanks for checking in on that.

Emi continues to press the man, both with words and her weapon.

"Nothing to say? Embarrassed by the master you've chosen?"

Power Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 26

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 1) + 6 + 6 + 1 = 15

Crit?: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 12

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 + 6 + 1 = 17

Oops, forgot to include the +1 damage for Studied Target in the previous round.

Emi twists her thrust to use the curved outer side of the sickle against its wielder. The carom of her thrust yields what feels like it should be a killing blow, yet the dark man still stands. His dark eyes are wild and a rill of red blood escapes the corner of his mouth as he leans in and whispers.

"Mmm, my master is your master. You've served him before, and you'll serve him again in the end, men'jor. He is the one that your dreaming eye sees, but your wakeful mind refuses to grasp."

He pulls away from Emi's blade and stumbles backward through the doorway. Waving his crusty spider fetish before him, another copy of himself springs into existence. The two merge and separate, confusing which is which.

Behind him, the sniper matches his retreat, pressing his backside against the rear bulkhead. He takes another errant shot at Emi then fishes in his waistband to produce a vial of something.

Nebbin and Tassira are up.

Nebbin lets out a little cry of surprise as his foe's head all but explodes from the arrow streaking over the swordsman's shoulder, but he quickly regathers himself and presses forward, big blade swinging and finding its target in the bomb thrower.

"Who doesn't have an otter cap now to protect them?!" he asks the man.

5-ft. step north
Greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 - 2 = 25
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (1, 2) + 12 = 15

Kayleigh pointed out I should learn the crit threat range of my sword (though of course she did it more nicely than that).

Confirm?: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 8 - 2 = 26
2d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 2) + 12 = 17

Boom! (32 points of damage, despite rolling 1, 2, 2 and 3 on those damage dice)

Tassira swallows, nods at Kayleigh, and gives one last apologetic glance to the house drake before moving downstairs and throwing a lance of lightning at the sniper behind her target.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Damage?: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 5) + 4 = 14

Target must make a Fortitude Save (DC 16) to avoid treating everyone as if they have partial concealment (20%) for 1 round.

Youch! One string of bad rolls on my part + a nice streak of rolls on y'alls part has turned this fight ugly...

The quick little man tries to bend over backward to avoid Nebbin's lethal swing and comes away from the stunt with half of a face. His fall is caught by the thick webs that dominate this part of the deck, leaving his bleeding corpse suspended awkwardly just above the ground.

Tassira's spell arcs over the head of the priest and finds the slinking archer. He's nearly blasted off his feet by the shock, but if his vision is impaired by the blow, Tassira cannot tell it.

Regeris and Kayleigh are up.

Kayleigh silently thanks Milani that she didn't entirely forsake her old ways when she decided her calling was of a more active and confrontational one. She casts a spell to create water and tries to put out the fire Tassira's spell started.

If that gets the job done, she'll head to and start down the stairs; otherwise, she'll stay put and continue fighting the fire.

Sorry got floored with some food poisoning but mostly operational again.

Pretty pleased at how he just blew up an ettercap, Regeris keeps his game face on and instead focuses his attentions on the cultist. Seeing the spell distorting his form, Regeris just tries to blast away the illusions.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 8 Damage: 1d6 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (2) = 12

Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 - 2 + 1 + 1 = 25 Damage: 1d6 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (4) = 10

I assume the spell is a mirror image but not sure how many images so youcan roll that, GM.

Kayleigh's efforts are rewarded with smoking success. The fire is squelched.

Below, Regeris's second arrow silences the cultist. He pitches forward and dies quietly.

The big spider scurries off into the webbed shadows, around the corner and down steps. Provoking an AoO from Nebbin when leaving the second square of its withdrawal.

Emi is up.

Ha! Stupid spider! :)

Greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 8 - 2 = 19
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (2, 6) + 12 = 20

As she steps over the dying cultist Emi replies "you went with that gibberish for your last words? Disappointing pal."

She closes on the man behind him.

Power Attack: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 8 - 2 = 20

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 3) + 6 + 6 = 18

Move to 2,3 and attack the guy with the hand crossbow.

Nebbin's back-handed heave of his great blade splits the spider like a melon. It curls up and dies, very much like the idol around the cultist's neck.

Emileva cuts down the last foe as he's raising a vial to his lips - a potion of some sort. She rescues the vial from his hand before its contents are lost.

Combat ended.

Cleaned up map of site.

In the cabin above, the drake noisily burps up a cloud of silver sparkles. It shakes its head and looks around for the nearest live spider to squish. Kayleigh can hear raised voices outside - maybe on the pier.

Below decks there are still hundreds of spiders scurrying around the long galley, seeking shelter in the webbed crates, the barrels, and the corpses of your foes. There are three closed doors to starboard and the steps down.

Besides the two corpses Emi and Regeris have added, the aft cabin features a terrible bloodstained table and pail. The cell to Emileva's left is partly lit by the open trap door in the ceiling - leading up to the Spider King's throne room above.

Tassira takes a few shaky breaths and heads back up top with Kayleigh.

"Think we should let the people outside know things are fine? Their eyes were all on me when I opened the door last time..."

"What do you think that is?" Nebbin asks, pointing to the table and pail. "I think we should probably make sure there's no one else downstairs, shouldn't we? Or in those doors?

"Kayleigh's OK, right?" he asks, calling out, "KAYLEIGH?"

More interested in clearing out down here than up there for the moment.

Regeris looks grimly at the slaughter of Devargo and the criminals. Well, we're not going to have the same problem twice.

"Let's heal up and plot our next move. Hopefully there is not a wave of attackers coming."

As he says this, Regeris casts a detect magic spell, and practical as ever, starts looting items of obvious value.

Emi moves cautiously past the table to the other side of the little room, keeping her sword ready in a low guard in front of her. She looks through the bars to see if anything more can be seen down here than from above.

"Yes, let's make sure belowdecks is clear, then get back upstairs. We might need to calm things down up there if people on the other ships have heard or seen anything."

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

As Regeris mentions healing, Nebbin lets out a groan, suddenly realizing how much pain he's in. Oh, yeah, definitely. Down 28 hp. I have some potions, I think, if we don't have channels.

"Are things fine, really?" Kayleigh asks Tassira, a worried look on her face. "We just killed the lord of this floating den of iniquity--certain people might find that troubling."

"I'm alright," she calls down to Nebbin when she hears his voice. "How are you guys doing? I've got plenty of healing left, but we might have an issue up here--lots of raised voices outside!"

Kayleigh moves to the cabin's main door and--assuming there's a lock on it--locks it tight against whomever might be massing outside. Then she looks around the floor for her discarded morningstar.

Kayleigh's still got 4 channels left, plus a handful of spells that she can swap out for CLWs. She'd rather not channel belowdecks for fear of accidentally healing enemies.

Emi can see that the cell is unoccupied. Inside there's a pile of straw on the floor and a set of manacles fixed to the wall. The torture table has a drawer that contains some frightening-looking items. Flensing knives, needles, pliers and the like.

Tassira finds Kayleigh a shocking mess of smashed spiders, burnt hair and smoke stains. The drake lurches up into the air and settles unsteadily on the corpse of one of the fallen guards. It eyes the cleric suspiciously when she closes the cabin door.

"You're not keeping me here," it warns. A shiver takes hold of the little dragon and it starts vomitting spider soup.

Scanning over the fallen foes down below, Regeris sees magical auras around scrolls in a tube fastened to the belt of the cultist. As well, the dead man wears a magical amulet. At his belt you find a small leather satchel containing vials of non-magical substances. The lump of silver around his neck that he was using as a focus is a grim idol, but silver nonetheless. His sickle is a cleverly wrought (masterwork) item of murder. A reservoir in the hilt holds a dose of poison that channels down a groove in the weapon. The blade is wet, testimony to the wielder's intent. The blade itself is ornamentally styled to look like the tarsus of a giant spider.

The sniper turns out to be a half-elf. His gear is finely made (dagger, hand crossbow, bolts, leathers) but non-magical. The potion that Emi snatched from his hand radiates magic, though. He also has a similar leather satchel containing a jar of likely poison.

The bomb-thrower wears enchanted studded leather armor (+1) and a magical cloak. Other than a strange bag of reagents and his apron, he really doesn't have anything else of note on his person. The ettercap is a disgusting, naked monster, partly covered by a gathering swarm of his smaller cousins.

Prompted into haste by the sight of more agitated spiders you look over the rooms remaining on this deck. The foremost is a laboratory. There's a spirit stove in the corner of the room, shelves of reagents, and tables covered in glassware. Emi's nostrils pick up the distinctive rich aroma of cooking shiver. There's a notebook on one of the tables as well. There are hundreds of doses of shiver here.

The other two cabins have hammocks and the footlockers of the men who slept here. Matching locks to keys you find on the bodies of the fallen is a trivial task. Inside the footlockers you find lots of mundane possessions, as well as a few small personal fortunes in gold coin. You don't take time to count it, but between this collective haul and the chest upstairs, you've found a significant amount of cold hard cash. In the last footlocker you also find a pair of soft shoes that radiate magic.

"It's okay, little one--we're not going to keep you here." Tassira attempts to comfort the vomiting house drake.

"What's your name? My name's Tassira, and that's Kayleigh." She points to herself and the priestess, respectively.

Nebbin's eyes widen at all the gold and other things we've found.

"Maybe we should make sure Kayleigh's really OK," he suggests, "before we go see what's downstairs?"

i.e. let's go upstairs and get healed a couple times before we go down and finish this place? Maybe the dragon can keep an eye up top for us...

Going through patterns of behaviour long-since learned in Cheliax, Regeris quickly loots the easy to carry equipment. Cursing himself for his inability to identify basic iconography, Regeris distastefully grabs the holy symbol before quickly snatching the potion, cloak, shoes, and the armour. He then heads upstairs to rejoin the group.

"There is enough shiver to get this entire city addicted here, as well as a fortune of gold. We should destroy the shiver, and we could put that dirty money to a lot of good use if we can even get it out of here. Glad we're all in one piece, that was a fight. Let's gather up and heal."

He nods cordially to the drake. "I am Regeris. This is Tassira, Kayleigh, Nebbin, and Emi. We are agents of good and wish you no harm. Your freedom is our priority."

Emi's eyes widen at all the shiver found.

"I didn't think of this." she says. "We knew shiver was made here, but it didn't occur to me there would be a big stockpile of the stuff. This is dangerous. There must be at least a few people who know this is here, like Pilts Swastel say, and this is worth a fortune. Until it's all destroyed it's an incentive for grabbing Eel's End away from us."

"Yeah, we should get upstairs and see what's happening. We may need to calm things down or get the crowd on the ships under control. There's also a guard out there I'm very curious about. I've seen him both here and at Swastel's place, where we went looking for that woman the Grey Maidens grabbed. He works at both places and may be an informer for Swastel, the other way around, or a contact between Swastel and Devargo. In any case, I'd like to see what he's up to right now."

Emi goes to the stairs and up them to the cabin above.