Welcome! Dot in! We start Friday.
Five years. That was the last time the four of you sailed together aboard the Brass Bird, pursued by the Andoran navy. It was the last time any of you saw Captain Renlock. Fortunately you were set free after only a few months, but Renlock wasn’t so lucky. He spent his last years in jail until an illness claimed his life.
You learned of Renlock’s death from his trusted companion, a clockwork parrot named Cawlo that remained ever at his side. Just a few weeks ago, the bird sought you out to deliver the bad news and a piece of a map. While one side contains a cryptic clue, the other suggested you to travel to this beach on this morning to find the “captain’s most-prized treasure.” So here you are, along with three others, staring at the partially sunken remains of the ship you once called home. The smell of the surf and rotting wood hang heavy in the air, the silence broken only by the screech of far-away gulls on this lonely island north of the Shackles.
Lavanna looks at each of her old shipmates in turn, her long dark hair stirring in the salty breeze.
”I always hoped, if we ever saw each other again, that it would be under better circumstances”, she says. She bites her lip pensively.
After a long pause, she adds, ”It’s a shame that it took this to make it happen”
Jadren fidgets as he stands near his old crew mates. "I never even dreamed we would see each other again."
"Aye my friends, he was a good cap'n, but now we gotta rescue what was his an' save it from being lost forever." Kaako take a bottle from her pocket, raises it up, "Who's gonna join me for a last drink to the ol' Cap'n Renlock, 'is luck ran out, now's time for the lady to join us and follow the stars, to the sands that sustain our lives. So little pretty Cawlo, stay with us, we are the crew now, eh?"
She stands, looking longingly at the submerged ship. "Do you think that Gozreh might give her up to us, has she spared the ship enough for us to salvage her?" the tengu asks, as she jingles the coloured bands on her wrist, We should look inside the wreck, if nothing else!
Lavanna grins a bit at Kaako. ”You always did have a drink ready, even if it was rotgut. Sure, I’m in”
She follows her gaze to the ship. ”Wouldn’t be a proper reunion if we didn’t see the old homestead”
As the sun rises, a narrow beam of light passes through the nearby rocks, illuminating the captain’s wheel of the nearby sunken ship.
Having sunk many years ago, the rotting hulk of the Brass Bird brings back memories of your time aboard, sailing up and down the coasts of Avistan and Garund, chasing fame and fortune. But dreams of that glorious past have faded and now all that remains is the half-sunken hulk of Captain Renlock’s prized ship. Even now, you can see the wheel where he steered the ship, shouting orders to you and the other crew members as you chased fortune together.
You can still hear his final call to stand down as the Andoran ships closed in. The call that likely saved your life...
Captain Renlock’s wheel still looks to be in good shape, far better than the rest of the boat.
Four symbols have been emblazoned on Renlock’s wheel,indicating the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west), while the center has a wave pattern. The wheel turns freely. When Max approaches the wheel, Cawlo swoops in to land on a nearby railing. It clatters and rattles a bit before opening its beak. The voice of Captain Renlock comes from the old mechanical bird.
“My friends. It pleases this old pirate’s heart to see you gathered once again on the deck of the Brass Bird. Although my time has passed, I have found one last treasure for you to plunder. But to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, I have placed a few challenges in your way. Don’t worry, I am sure they are nothing you can’t handle."
“To open the way, you must sail from the home of the pirates to plunder the coasts of Varisia. Return home, but then make your way to Absalom to spend your loot. Finally, follow my dream and sail to the River Kingdoms and retire in peace.”
After that cryptic clue, Cawlo grows silent and stares at the old captain’s wheel.
Kaako ruffles up her feathers, before smoothing them down again with her beak, making them hold as much air close to his body to increase her buoyancy. "Come Cawlo, my Cap'ns little bird, off to see what's left of our old home." she says as she plunges into the water, her rapier held in her beak, keeping it dry and out of the salty water.
Upon reaching the Brass Bird, her heart and soul sing to the seas as she feels at home once more, Best of times with my family was spent here!
Kaako sees the soggy wooden mess of what were once their private lockers, the deep reddish brown wood and tarnished brass handles still there, the doors closed, but the locks broken. Nevertheless she cannot but take a look inside, maybe the pure white pearl is still there, though she holds out little hope.
Grasping the handle, she pulls the door towards her surprised to find a silken cloth map. The magics set into the map have obviously kept the contents from harm, but the map is but a fragment of a larger one. As she looks at the cloth the very faint lines react to her touch, and become darker and easier to see, words appear. "Lest at sea, the one that is worth the most always goes last." she blurts out as she reads, before looking around to her companions she coughs apologetically, "Have I told you that before, what my old father used to say whenever we went searching for jewels at the bottom of the seas."
Lavanna swims out toward the ship with ease. About halfway there, she dives to get a quick look underneath, before continuing on to the deck. She approaches the wheel, and touches the wave pattern with a smile.
When Cawlo delivers their message, she looks at the others.
”I doubt that his last orders are simply a call to pillage”, she says. ”Perhaps, in light of this, his meaning will be clearer”
She takes out her map fragment.
Jadren considers Kaako's offer for a moment and then finally pulls out an old tankard that looks as though it should have dust on it."You know what? One drink won't hurt. And if it's in honor of the Captain I'm all for it." He looks like he's about to say something else to the tengu but decides against it.
Jadren wordlessly slips into the water, swimming with little difficulty despite his armor. "Yes, this seems like more than simple plunder. My piece says 'Make an offering to Gozreh, but be prepared to face the storm's wrath.'"
if you are sharing your maps, the complete picture is on Slide 4.
Lavanna looks over the map. ”This seems to be our final destination”, she says. ”Can anyone tell where it is?”
"You know maybe, getting this old lady up and sailing again wouldn't be a bad idea, if we could lift her with the tide, ahh I don't know riddles .. not my best feature." she says striding in her boots across the driest part of the sunken wreck. "I mean can we get her up?"
"We'll need a ship of some sort or another if we are to go with the tides."
It looks like it could be starting from this very ship...
”Any of you old salts think you can get her seaworthy?”, asks Lavanna.
"Let's see shall we, what the state of our little home is in?" says the inquisitive Kaako, as she starts to look around the place, "Could do with looking under the waterline too!" she smiles. "Anyone else up for the guided tour?" as she starts to look and see what's keeping the ship from floating and how broken up she is.
"Let's see shall we, what the state of our little home is in?" says the inquisitive Kaako, as she starts to look around the place, "Could do with looking under the waterline too!" she smiles. "Anyone else up for the guided tour?" as she starts to look and see what's keeping the ship from floating and how broken up she is.
It looks clearly not seaworthy. All you really find in the ship is a pair of angry vipers who have made a home here.
Lavanna ponders Cawlo’s message, as she stares at the wheel.
”Directions”, she muses.
”...from the home of the pirates
to plunder the coasts of Varisia.
Return home,
but then make your way to Absalom to spend your loot.
Finally, follow my dream and sail to the River Kingdoms...”
"I like the jib of your idea Lavanna, know the directions and we know which way to turn the wheel. Or do we just take the wheel from the ship to study?" Kaako scratches his head.
Jadren is reminded of something from his first life, even before he was a sailor. When he was a thief as a child he saw someone try to break into a safe once. "Maybe it's like a combination lock."
He walks over to the wheel and turns it 'with' the tide and then back again, then once more in each direction. He stands and looks at the wheel expectantly.
You feel like you are on to something. “Sail from the home of the pirates to plunder Varisia,” indicates travel north from the Shackles up to the nation of Varisia. “Return home,” refers to traveling south. Heading to Absalom, the great city, means traveling east. Heading from there to retire in the River Kingdoms refers to heading north again.
”Try touching the points on the wheel in that order”, Lavanna says to those near it. ”N, S, E, N”
"Or maybe we just need to head north from here?" Jadren tries touching the wheel in order anyway, just in case.
Kaako watches as Jadren touches the wheel, "Well turn it then Jadren, you ain't gonna hurt the ole cap'ns feelings you know. He ain't gonna shout at you for 'touching me precious'" the tengu laughs.
Touching the wheel has no effect.
Lavanna holds her chin. ”Maybe you’re right, Jadren”, she says. ”Perhaps it is like a combination lock, and those directions are the combination”
"I bet that's it. You always were the smart one."
Jadren then does just that, he turns the wheel N right, S left, E right, and finally N left.
There is a heavy grinding sound from the nearby cliff face as the secret passageway is revealed!
The passageway beyond the hidden door ascends at an incline a few feet above the high tide line of the cove before leveling off. The passage ends in a short set of stairs that descend toward a large chamber lit only by vine-choked cracks in the ceiling above.
The rough-hewn chamber has fallen into disrepair. The western wall has collapsed partially and dirt, rock, and plant debris litter the floor, nearly obscuring a large leaf pattern made from green quartz. The tip of this leaf ends in a brackish pool of water. Rising up from the water is a mold-encrusted stone statue of a woman who appears to emerge from a wave, with seaweed for hair and her arms held high in supplication to the sky above.
A faint clicking and rustling sound can be heard from the collapsed wall, but its source is not immediately apparent.
Kaako asks around, "Map, who's got the map. What do we have to do here? It's not my bit." the tengu looks at the map. "Lavanna, looks like that's your woman, eh? This'll be fun, we got to give her a present. Well me hearties, what should we give her, eh? An then, we have to face whatever the storm gods have got to throw at us. We ready?" the rogue makes a show and poses by the waters edge, her rapier pointing to the statue. She looks over the cavern.
Exploration - Search
” ‘Make an offering to Gozreh...’ “, Lavanna mutters. She looks around the chamber for any other relevant symbolism.
Lavanna takes a handful of gold coins (one for each of them) from her purse.
”Mighty Wavefather”, she intones, ”guide us this day, and see us safely home”
She tosses the coins into the pool.
”Brace yourselves”, she tells the others. ”There’s a storm a-brewin’!”
"Don't disturb them ant's over thar." she points to the western wall where a colony of ants are busy looking after themselves. "Upset them and we got problems!"
Jadren pulls his sword at the two warnings.
As Lavanna tosses in the coins, a booming voice rises from the statue. “Those who seek the blessing of the Wind and the Waves must face the storm’s fury!” As the voice fades, the water from the pool explodes, blasting the chamber with brackish filth. The explosion reveals a towering creature made from the purest azure water. Like a living tidal wave, the creature surges forward to attack!
Meanwhile, four giant ants are also coming to see what the fuss it about.
Lavanna sets her jaw, and tightens her grip on her trident.
Lavanna considers what she knows of such creatures.
Giant ants, assuming there are similar to their natural counterparts, can be poisonous and could easily snatch and carry any one of you away.
The elemental you are far more familiar with.
ELITE LIVING WATERFALL
CREATURE 6
N
LARGE
AQUATIC
ELEMENTAL
WATER
Perception +12; darkvision
Languages Aquan
Skills Athletics +15, Stealth +14
Str +4, Dex +3, Con +3, Int -2, Wis +1, Cha +0
Water-Bound When not touching water, the living waterfall is
slowed 1 and can’t use reactions.
AC 22; Fort +16, Ref +14, Will +12
HP 110; Immunities bleed, paralyzed, poison, sleep; Resistances
fire 5
Vortex (aura, water) 30 feet. Water in the area that is in the
same body of water as the living waterfall is difficult terrain for
Swimming creatures that don’t have the water trait.
Speed 20 feet, swim 60 feet
Melee [one-action] wave +17 (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+9 bludgeoning
plus Push or Pull 5 feet
Drench [one-action] (abjuration, primal, water) The elemental puts out all
fires in a 5-foot emanation. It extinguishes all non-magical fires
automatically and attempts to counteract magical fires (+16
counteract modifier).