Munarei hisses as the last missile hits him. Three images gone. Leaving two.
With an exasperated sigh, Rhialla raises her hand, making a gesture with a piece of flint coated in silverdust. "If you can't see reason, then you're far to BLIND!" she says snapping her fingers as the air between both images explodes into a burst of golden light.
Sighing with exasperation, Ashlei begins throwing daggers at the obvious images...
Full ATTACK(Thrown Dagger!)
+
"This guy loves his illusions...!
From hiding, Herzag launches two daggers in quick succession at their foe.
"Turnabout is fair play," says Cassiopeia as she moves up behind Herzag. "Sap him! We can tie him up."
She casts a spell and Herzag vanishes.
Blinking furiously as Rhialla's spell dazzles him Munarei clears his sight to discover he's wounded by one of Herzag's blades. He has no images left, and he hasn't hurt any of you.
"Stop! Stop! I surrender. What do you want?"
It is obvious he is feeling worried as he is now speaking in the Common tongue.
What are you doing?
Flashing a smile as he missing daggers teleport back to her belt with small flashes, Aslei saunters over to the edge of the water.
"You will vacate the premises immediately! This area no longer belongs to you...now or ever! And...make sure you talk to a certain local naga lady...who really likes your face. GOT IT? And bring her a gift! Something nagas like...some nice mice or...what do you your kind eat?"
"You heard the la... Well, the Cap... You heard her" - Herzag snarls - "Move out, but make sure to drop by the Naga Miss before you leave. I am sure you will not regret it" - he adds - "Bu this fight... Let's leave it at that, before it turns sour"
Munarei slinks off with wounded pride. Delighted by your success Sarlis guides you through the muddy wilderness to a small clearing over a mile away. In the clearing is a corpse wearing the rusting remnants of a chain shirt and a backpack.
“This one came to ask questions,” Sarlis says with a sneer, “unwise questions, which only ones like those you seek would ask, and which made plain the intentions of those who sent him. He also
tried to barter for naga venom, but one of my neighbors gave him far more than he wanted. Do what you like with the body.” The corpse, has been dead over a year and little of his equipment has survived the
humid jungle, other than 27gp in a rotting pouch and 60 feet of moldy rope tied in an elaborate series of knots in his pack.
Sarlis believes the knots are a code but doesn’t know what it
means.
A PC who succeeds at a DC 20 Knowledge (history) or Linguistics check identifies the knots as Sargavan naval code used before the colony’s independence from Cheliax.
A PC can unravel the code with a DC 30 Linguistics check, or the PCs can take the rope to any major port in the Shackles and find a knowledgeable specialist who can translate the code. The code outlines orders: “Go to nagas, collect poison and information. Deliver both to the captain of the Diamond Star.”
What are you doing now?
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Cassiopeia looks at the knotwork on the rope like it's familiar but she just can't place it. Then, suddenly, she snaps her fingers.
"This is a knotwork code. It's used by Sargavan sailors. It says: 'Go to nagas, collect poison and information. Deliver both to the captain of the Diamond Star.'"
"So now we know where to find the traitor in our midst." Rhialla says, giving Cassiopeia an approving nod.
"The 'Diamond Star?' Sounds pretentious. I'm assuming naga venom is dangerous stuff then. Who is the poison for? Let's see if I can figure anything else out on this guy...'tell me a tale' oh jeweled wonder!"
Ashlei uses her magical ring on the corpse!
"Thank you cap'n," says Cassiopeia with a nod. She waits to see what the corpse does in response to Ashlei using her magical ring.
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After getting what she can from the corpse, Ashlei saunters up to Cassie.
"Soo...you're into knots are you?"
She then winks and wanders off to tell the captain what she learns from the corpse.
.
The corpse, the remains of a male Sargavan smuggler named Varad, has been dead over a year after being bitten by a Naga.
For information on the Diamond Star you need to travel to a Shackles port and make Knowledge History/Local or Diplomacy rolls.
Where to now? Quent or Port Peril are the nearest ports.
After getting what she can from the corpse, Ashlei saunters up to Cassie.
"Soo...you're into knots are you?"
She then winks and wanders off to tell the captain what she learns from the corpse.
"Oh, you know, just like any sailor or shibari expert," muses Cassiopeia idly. "Something to do." She goes back to consulting her spellbook as Aleksara wanders off.
~~~~~~~~~~
"All right, one naga quest completed. Should we return to Quent and see what we can dig up about the Diamond Star?"
"Should we huh... 'Collect' some poison before going?" - Herzag gives a disguised sidelong glance at the nagas...
Ashlei grimaces at Herzag's question, remembering the creature's magic and weird attitudes.
"I'm getting the idea they don't like to 'give' it out. Feel free to ask for some once the rest of us are gone however..."
She then smiles broadly and walks towards the ship's path back downstream.
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"If you think you need some Naga poison we could ask Sarlis if there are any other Naga about she doesnt like, perhaps you could milk her for some poison there Zig Zag."
He began with a smile but shaking his head.
"Quent seems to be a good choice for a next destination, Burnout think about what you want your ship upgraded or armed with."
He turned, gave Rhialla a deep kiss, then made his way torwards the boats keeping a wary eye out for anything seeking to ambush them as they made their getaway.
Throwing her hands up in the air with joy, she crows quickly.
"Speed! I want one of the fastest and most maneuverable ships in the Shackles!"
"Wasn't that what it said right on the knotted rope?" - Herzag shrugs - "Ok then" - and addresses Sarlis.
"This is a bit awkward, and I am not even totally sure how you come across your venom, but... We did help you as agreed, so is there any chance you could supply us with some of your poison? Do you keep it stashed, or..?"
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Sarlis refuses to give you any venom. You wanted information and she delivered in return for removing her ex. She can give you a dose the normal way if you really want?
Grinning as she turns to follow Percy back to the boat, Rhialla looks over her shoulder at Herzag. "Usually if a woman wants to be 'milked', you won't have to ask."
"Misunderstandings can lead to serious disaster" - Herzag chuckles - "I wanted to make it perfectly clear this time around" - he adds - "Its a shame though..." - he adds with another sidelong glance at Sarlis as they leave, offering her a polite bow.
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"Let's not press our luck. Herzag can find a wet-nurse back in port if he's that eager to milk someone," says Cassiopeia wryly.
Consulting some of the charts scribbled in her magical book, Cassiopeia squints and then says, "Quent is... that way. Wind is mild but at least not a headwind so far. We should make good time barring any encounters or changes in the weather."
A quiet journey to Quent.
The check to gather information in any Shackles port reveal that the Diamond Star was captured by the Rahadoumi navy 6 months ago. Several months before that, however, the Diamond Star’s captain, Elliece Farhaven, retired—an unusual occurrence, considering her relatively young age.
You can identify Captain Farhaven’s current place of residence, a small
fishing boat moored in the harbor of Quent
And now?
All the talk about milking, and the images of the undulating Sarlis affected Herzag more than he expected - "I clearly need 'something' to keep me occupied, that's for sure" - he replies with a chuckle, to the wet-nurse comment from Cass - "Having a hard time forgetting about that naga"
"If she got her fangs into you it probably wouldn't have been pretty," replies Cassiopeia sympathetically. "But hey! Good news! She's newly single, maybe she's on the market for a good time."
"I am under the impression the other one - Munarei? - has got a head start on me" - he laughs - "Otherwise why would she want us not to 'break' him?"
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Laughing a bit at Herzag's misery, Ashlei gently punches him in his rock-solid arm.
"Relax big boy. We know you only have eyes for...every woman who will look at you with both eyes...oh wait! You don't discriminate against the ones with only one eye either do you?"
She then goes on with her findings for the Diamond Star.
"Sounds like the 'Captain' of the Diamond Star...retired! Convenient. And did so only a few months prior to the godless catching up to the ship. This just gets weirder and weirder."
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He frowned at Ashlei's findings, For some reason he wasnt surprised. The real question was why she retired. Was it a payoff? Was it forced? Did it matter? Did he really care or was he doing this for a personal payoff.
"I heard that 'Captain' Farhaven's lving on a small fishing boat moared here in Quent's harbor. Sounds like we need to see if your flirting skills work Herzag. I would like to have a word with the former captain. Before we turn her in of course for the coin."
He smirked at the half-orc with a grin.
"I am under the impression the other one - Munarei? - has got a head start on me" - he laughs - "Otherwise why would she want us not to 'break' him?"
"Hey, she asked us to evict him," says Cassiopeia. "She's had enough of his crap. She doesn't want him murdered, just moved. Now's your chance, big guy! You can get all of the water-snake loving you ever dreamed about!" She grins impishly at Herzog, kinda wondering how far she can push it before this becomes too much.
"I am under the impression the other one - Munarei? - has got a head start on me" - he laughs - "Otherwise why would she want us not to 'break' him?""Hey, she asked us to evict him," says Cassiopeia. "She's had enough of his crap. She doesn't want him murdered, just moved. Now's your chance, big guy! You can get all of the water-snake loving you ever dreamed about!" She grins impishly at Herzog, kinda wondering how far she can push it before this becomes too much.
"Duly noted!" - Herzag replies with a huge grin, after pondering Cassiopeia's words for a few seconds.
"I heard that 'Captain' Farhaven's lving on a small fishing boat moared here in Quent's harbor. Sounds like we need to see if your flirting skills work Herzag. I would like to have a word with the former captain. Before we turn her in of course for the coin."
He smirked at the half-orc with a grin.
"Of course Cap - you know me, when they are not cowed by my masculine looks, I can be very... Flirty, yeah. That's the word" - he chuckles.
Ashlei sniggers.
"Sorry to tell you Herzag...showing girls your 'favorite dagger' is not 'flirting'...and in some ports its actually illegal!"
The half-orc stares dumbfounded for a moment at Ashe, then just laughs it off - "Shut up... You almost got me there for a second..."
"Not flirting... What the hell would it be then...?" - he mutters to himself.
You easily find the mooring in Quent’s harbor that holds Elliece’s small boat, an unnamed craft with a single tiny cabin.
It is sitting there with no sign of any activity.
What are you doing now?
"Time for Herzag to work his magic."
Herzag slips in and finds the tiny cabin empty, except for the bludgeoned body of a tiny winged devil, well and truly beaten to death with the ichor-stained anchor lying nearby.
.
After taking a look around the cabin, Herzag will pick up the corpse of the winged creature to double back and show the others.
"Disgusting. What is it? Hey! Give me that corpse...on second thought hold onto it Herzag. I will come to it."
Ashlei, uses her magic ring on the thing.
Cassiopeia waits outside for Herzag to give the all clear. When he comes out with the tiny winged creature she pushes off from the wall where she'd been leaning and hurries to rejoin the team.
"Imp or quasit, probably," she mutters. "Some kind of summoned creature. Someone tried to beat us to the captain here, and she likely fled after being attacked. Beaten to death with an anchor, you say? Unusual way to handle an extraplanar creature."
It is an Imp, beaten to death by the ships anchor. It was sent to Port Peril from Nidal. A woman named Zarskia was its purchaser. Zarskia was the one who sent it here to kill Captain Farhaven. It looks as if the Captain's survival instincts were still working well. She was waiting for assassins and killed it easily.
A DC 10 Perception check notices a sealed glass bottle containing a rolled-up scrap of parchment thrown on the cabin’s single bunk. However the scrap of parchment is blank?
When the bottle is opened there is a strong alchemical smell lingering on the parchment.
What are you doing now?
Smirking, Ashlei informs the others what the ring tells her.
"This is weird. It was sent from a summoner in Nidal. A woman named Zarskia 'bought' it. I'm not sure if that is the summoner herself or the the one who paid the summoner by the way... It was sent here to kill Captain Fairhaven. The Captain was expecting the attack. Is someone trying to make it look like Devil worshipers made the attack? Nidalese are known for their dark magics, right?"
"You don't have to be Chelaxian to summon devils," notes Cassiopeia. "Well, let's toss the place. What's this... ?"
She points out the glass bottle lying on the bed with the parchment in it - much like one might find washed up on a beach. "Seems like an odd thing to just leave behind in such an obvious place. I'm... hesitant to touch it in case it's some kind of trap - the captain certainly was capable and prepared."
Cassiopeia casts detect magic and scrutinizes the bottle and paper for a few moments.
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"So Captain Fairhaven hefts an anchor to kill an imp? Sounds like your kind of gal Herzag. I'm going to ask about the docks for more information on Fairhaven, maybe someone saw something, tear this place apart looking for clues."
He ordered the others while he made his way to do just that. Question the locals.
Taking a closer look at the paper in Cassie's hands, Ashlei immediately smells some sort of chemicals involved.
"Ewww. This thing reeeeeeeks. Why would it smell so bad if it is blank? That's not you Cassie, is it? I know wizards carry around some weird stuff for casting spells... Heck, this whole thing reeks of spies and sabotage! Am I right?"
"I usually smell like the sea," says Cassiopeia. "Might be alchemy? Some kind of hidden message written in invisible ink?"