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Two pirates still on board the Scrag Fisher plead ignorance of their captain’s conspiracy and readily offer to bring the Pathfinders back to Deadbridge. Following an uneventful return trip, the party meets again with the Black Marquis. The man listens to their tale with great
interest and thanks them profusely. Having placed things
together, he clarifies any aspects of the story still elusive
to the party.
Being the greedy pirate he is, Bazzak refuses
to reward the party beyond letting them keep what
they looted. “Such is the way of the River Kingdoms,” he
declares. “If nothing else, your involvement in this affair
helped free the region of a dangerous ettercap menace.
Hopefully, that’s worth a quick mention in a Pathfinder
Chronicle. No?”
The End
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Well, that seems to resolve that. Shame about the book but at least we all had an interesting adventure and got to explore a new place.
On return to the Lodge in Daggermark Telka settles down to write two letters. One is to his mother providing a rather sanitised account of his experiences as she does tend to worry when she learns about giant spders and pirates and the like. The second is to Ambrus Valsin with a detailed account of their experiences and a recommendation to never trust the Black Maquis again.
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Bazzak sits up, regains some composure, and resumes. “The book I’m willing to trade for your service—The Memoirs of the Silver Brotherhood—contains information about an Azlanti treasure vault deep within the Echo Wood. That’s where I sent my most trusted lieutenants. Only, on their way they were waylaid by spiders and abominations and only one returned alive. Lady Riverbane sent out another ship upon her return, the Hanspur’s Luck, to search for my men. The Luck hasn’t returned either.” Bazzak points to the only other person in the room, a raven-haired beauty standing in a corner. “Lady Riverbane is my most trusted second, and she will take one of my best ships and guide you back to the Azlanti vault. Rid the river of these monstrous spiders and their abominations, find the Hanspur’s Luck, and uncover the whereabouts of my men, and the book is yours. Do it quickly, do it quietly, and do it before the rest of the Pact realize I’ve sent my best men on fools’ errands that may have killed them all.”
Apollyanna goes through the events in her mind (though her lips move near the end). "But we did clear you a path down the river, and we found you your ship, and even we saved you from Lady Riverbane. You've got to at least let us have a look at book or something otherwise--well--otherwise you'd just be an evil, old, short, fat, balding cheater with a bad comb-over and funny mustache! And everyone would know about it too!" shouts Apollyanna in defiance.