Capitain Esteban Selim aka GMED's page

Selim looks at Poulain, "On my boat, respect is not given but earned. Be them Druids, Shamans or Warriors. I've been making this run for years and lost my share of men, so don't be arrogant around your captain."

Later after another 3 miles, The swamp stretches out as far as the eye
can see. Hummocks of tangled trees and
plant life grow among hundreds of water
channels overgrown with reeds and showing
only the slightest trace of a current in their
stagnant surfaces. The ever-present rumbling
of the River Queen’s engine suddenly ceases,
leaving an unnatural silence over the scene, with only the sounds of the creaking vessel,
the faint whisper of a breeze through the tree
tops, and the occasional cry of some strange
marsh animal. The boat slowly drifts to a halt
at the very edge of this marshy labyrinth.

Selim explains, "Due to the
tangled plants and drifting debris of the
swamp, it is not safe to use the sternwheeler,
lest it becomes snarled and damaged.
Therefore, the only way for the River Queen
to traverse the swamp is to be pulled with
ropes by crewmen walking ahead of the boat.
Fortunately, the water is only about 4 feet deep
in the swamp—deep enough to accommodate
the wheelboat’s shallow draft but not too deep
for a someone to walk and keep his
head above water."

Selim snickers, "Angelo, which of the two FNGs will be the first to go, I wager a Platinum on baldy, ha!?!"

Shortly thereafter, the captain has Poulain untie the boat from the dock at Whitebridge Station. Where Hurq puts the engine into gear and the River Queen clears the large desolate bridge.

Shortly after leaving Whitebridge Station, the
River Queen enters the jungle proper, rising
alot like the wall of a green fortress, the Vanji
River issuing from its dark gatehouse.

A little more than 10 miles into the jungle,
Captain Esteban steers the wheelboat into
a tributary he calls the Kurka River rather
than following the main artery of the Vanji.
He explains "This stagnant rill flows from
Kurka Swamp, in turn fed by the Brimstone
Falls on the opposite side. The Kurka Swamp
is rife with plantlife of all kinds, including
the mobile plant creatures that serve as hosts
for the badly needed arcophages."

A little later he says, "it should only take the boat a few days off
of our schedule, and what the hells, the only other alternatives are
to swim or walk once the current arcophage
gives out."

At these words, he gets a strange look in his eyes

Hurq says, "Even if the elves took it, it would probably have died due to the sunlight and so on..."

The captain looks at Mogwag and says, "Who the hell are you and why are you answering my questions? It is almost completely ridiculous one of our crew gets got and then miraculously and uncannily there is someone to replace them in the jungle."

In response to Angelo, "A decen friend of mine The station manager, named Alec Blough,
who is an experienced agent of the Aspis Consortium
well versed in the Mwangi interior.
The station’s contingent also includes a garrison
of two-dozen Aspis mercenaries, a few officers,
and a handful of Aspis-affiliated merchants
and vendors including a competent
blacksmith. A few dozen locals are kept on as
laborers as well.

Selim crinkles his nose and says bluntly to Poulain, This is exactly what you are getting paid for he cheers up a little bit and says Fact is without the fuel we cannot continue up river, so get your behind off of my boat and do some recon, pretty please with a halberd in your rear, whichever you prefer. "

Whitebridge Station suddenly rises out of the
haze that has stood on the river all day. As
if in anticipation of your arrival, the wind
rises and clears the air, giving you a perfect
view of the famous station that sits upon the
trade route cutting through the heart of the
Mwangi Expanse. The river flows through a
narrow gorge, where two massive columns
formed from dozens of tree trunks, bound
into clusters around stone pilings, and sunk
into the riverbed support this giant span. The bridge rises forty feet over the Vanji, from the
top of one tall bank to the other. A large pier
and tower of some sort rise from the near
bank, and a multi-level caravan serai can be
seen up the bank beyond. It is the bridge itself
that commands immediate attention, arching
above the river and bearing buildings and fortifications
all along its length. The shield and
snake standard of the Aspis Consortium flaps
gently from a stanchion atop the bridge’s central
supports, but that is the only movement
to be seen at what should be a bustling trade
station. The only sound is the gurgling of the
muddy river.

Upon approach to the station, Selim
proceeds slowly with all hands on alert and
docks on the other side of the river of the main pier.

Ok, Faruq you go with them, after hearing what happened to Umodo, we need to proceed carefully. So check out the bridge and once you are finished we can get the arcophage fuel. Alright?]

Selim ponders for a moment on what Umodo has been saying, "I think it would be a good idea drop the group of you off just south of the station to do a reconnoitering of the situation. This boat is just one of four erm, looking at Corax, three left in existence. but we need the fuel because we won't make it to Nightfall without it."

Selim scratches his head at hearing about Gaki at first thinking it some sort of dialect that he doesn't quite know. But then the squawks come which startle him to a certain degree.

He then responds "Upriver, tommorrow we hit Whitebridge Station and then we' continue on to Nightfall station. What or who did that to you, son?

Umodo

Selim moves over to the injured man and says, "welcome aboard son, mi name's Kapitain Esteban Selim and that is Angelo a crew member of mine on this vessel. Are you alright? Do you need anything?

After everyone on the boat comes out and helps out you are able to pull the boat across the shallow spot and it takes a about two hours to cross it.

Daylight is waning on the Vanji, and you should
reach Whitebridge Station on the morrow. The
shout of the forward lookout brings your attention
to the front of the boat. Coming toward
you out of the gloom, a large white form
floats upon the water down the center of the
river. Captain Esteban slows the sternwheeler
to await the strange apparition. As it draws
closer it is identifiable as a flat-bottomed boat,
apparently occupied.

Selim screams"Get that punt over here... That looks like it is from Whitebridge....

The crew throws grappling hooks and the boat is secured. Once
drawn alongside the River Queen you can see a medium sized Mwangi man in the punt barely hanging on to life.

Well I am glad to have you both aboard, is too bad Simonev was a friend of mine and a good colleague... sure we tried to outdo oneanother but thats what cap'ns do... and you to my stoic friend... says Selim as the two of you ascend the gangplank.

Captain Selim scratches his chin and orders Faruq to drop anchor.

After allowing the castaways to come aboard he says, "Welcome aboard! Were you on your way to or from Whitebridge Station? Is Captain Simonev still with us?"

Selim looks at Poulain, Mine is not to psychologize savages Mr. Poulain, men be meaty, though, HAHAHAHA! he then toasts the group.

He then listens to Angelo and says, Well Mr. Carvesan, food for the journey will be provided by Aspis of course, as well, part of what we are transporting upriver is medical supplies. The boat is also well stocked with arrows and we are transporting more upriver. Remember we are resupplying the garrison. I can provide you with 280 GP upfront costs for you to buy what you wish.

Selim pauses and says, They are the Ekujae which is a large tribe of wild elves who live primarily in the northern reaches
of the Mwangi Expanse, though they do
settle farther south sporadically. They are fierce warriors, who eat other humanoids to survive.

Selim says, Well, the assignment should not take longer than six weeks with a two-week trip aboard my wheelboat. I expect the job to
last about a month before these nomadic jungle
tribesmen give up and move on. I wouldn't doubt that there would be the option to stay on long-term if you so choose. If not, at the end, I will provide free passage back downriver to Bloodcove. The consortium is willing to pay you 20 GP per day per person for the trip north and the four weeks at the station. Any questions?

Esteban continues, Great! Hahaha!!! Well to get started I am a captain in the hire of the Aspis
Consortium, a northern mercantile group
with interests in this area, you may or mayn't know. My employers require bodies to help guard
a valuable trading depot against incursions
by cannibal savages who recently moved into
the area. The depot is well-defended and has
successfully fended off many attacks, but the
defenders are on the verge of exhaustion and
need some temporary relief from competent
sword-arms until company reinforcements
arrive from Absalom. Now, that was before my boat got captured by that demonic Girrallion and his minions. Which means that most likely the situation is much more dire than before. Are you still interested?"

Yoshiyaru sees that the River Queen is being refitted, and supplies are being brought on board.

At the agreed hour you all meet Selim inside the Tickling Keelhaul. He is sitting alone in the back of the establishment and his face lights up upon your entry and he says,

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! My saviours, my friends, come sit, and have a drink on me.

He then waves to the barmaid for the drinks to be served and after they are brought he says, "Lady and Gentlemen, you are all in luck, I am here to offer you a steady job up river"

As you disembark the River Queen, the captain stops you and says "I would like to thank you once again for setting me and my crew free from those evil buggers and, in addition, I would like to discuss with you a business proposition this evening if you care to let me buy you a
drink at the Tickling Keelhaul this evening, however in the interim I must check in with my employers and deliver what is left of my goods.”

Excellent!!!

Your group boards the River Queen and shove off. The ten miles that it took you to walk through the triple canopy jungle melts away in the afternoon sun. Dusk rolls in as the boat near Bloodcove and Selim seems relieved to make it to port.

A sinister smirk comes across Selim's face Well youngin, I hate to be disappointing you, but, I could most definitely hire y'all on as protectors for my return journey in two days or so... Well as much as I love hell fire of Anzaghan as the rest of the Mwanjjjj... Let's have a few tankards in Bloodcove, shall we?

Since the boat was anchored about two miles from the cave in the middle of the river, the night was uneventful. Selim lands the boat about a mile from the cave entrance for your group to disembark.

What kind of approach would you like to take in assaulting the cave?

The group of you board the River Queen and Selim and his crew untie the boat from the dock and he chugs the boat a safe distance from shore and out of sight of the cave for the evening. Before this happens, Chivane grabs her gear from her sailboat. And together you eat aboard the River Queen.

Selim says,

We need to get our rest this evening and then hit them hard in the morning, any ideas?

This is not good, the leader of this group is a young Angazhani. We counted 12 charau-ka, 2 normal girrallon and a dog. Did one of the girrallon's speak with you to intimidate you? says Selim.

After about ten minutes all seven of the prisoners climb up the rope and are safely out of the pit.

The one you heard shouting looks like a A massive man who looks to have orc blood in his veins stands next to you with arms
crossed over his barrel chest and says Thank you very much! My name is Kapitain Esteban Selim, of the River Queen, my crew and I were captured by these beasts about a week ago, except for Hurq, which I haven't seen since we were captured, but I gather he just hid in the boat's engine compartment, which is what that ancient dwarf does... How many and what kind of things did you kill to free us?