Session 38 (Part One):
Four cyclopes appeared over a ruined wall. Aakin fired his bow to try and provide cover fire to buy time for the crew to escape. Minerva then used her dimensional hop ability to move the entire party other than Aakin five feet up and out of the net. They fell the short distance and landed awkwardly, with Pielanga falling flat. But they were free. She then cast spiritual weapon and sent her force rapier in to assault the cyclopes guard.
The cyclopes opened up with their crossbows hitting Minerva and Chauncey, then three of them fled backwards while the fourth continued to use his crossbow. Chauncey flew in and assaulted the remaining cyclops while Will, Silas, and Pielanga got up to the top of the ruined wall. Lillit moved into cover from which she could cast spells on the battlefield. Aakin and Minerva moved to cover with a clear view of the battle.
Chauncey killed the cyclops in the guard post, as two of the other cyclopes came around the side of the building into the net area. Silas, Will, and Pielanga moved to intercept as did Minerva’s spiritual weapon. Isobel cast haste as battle was joined and another seven cyclopes showed up. Isobel cast glitterdust and blinded some of them. Lillit cast mass daze and Minerva cast holy smite, resulting in a number of blinded and dazed cyclopes. Only a few were able to act but they began smashing into the party and Chauncey, Silas & Pielanga were severely hurt.
Isobel dismissed Chauncey and summoned a bralani, which then fired off a lightning bolt through the group of cyclopes. Lillit used the last of the beads from her necklace of fireballs then moved in closer. Minerva began healing Silas and Pielanga as the now weakened cyclopes began a new assault. Will reposted an axe strike and killed one. Minerva was felled by a Cyclopes as it took down the bralani in a cleave. Lillit used a wand of cure light wounds to heal Minerva back into the battle as Will and Silas finished off the giants.
They began healing and taking stock of the valley. They passed near the raised dais in the center of the valley and a voice cried out to them for help in their thoughts. They approached the triangular well at the top of the dais and a marid, a genie of water, appeared and appealed to the crew to free her. She said her name was Vailea and that she had been a captive there since the days of Ghol-Gan. In order to be set free, someone would have to use a wish granted by the marid to do so. Minerva did not hesitate and immediately wished the genie free. Vailea was overjoyed and very thankful. She promised to return in one year’s time and grant Minerva a full wish.
Vailea told them of the valley and the gem that was made into the immortal dreamstone: the lens of reflection, a gemstone used by the oracles of ancient Ghol-Gan to see into the future. She also told them of Ishtoreth, the great cyclops and how he controlled the cyclopes through terror. She gave the crew numbers of cyclopes and rough locations only; being unable to leave her well, she did not have exact information for the crew. She said that one group of cyclopes led by one of Ishtoreth’s female lieutenants, Ummashtar, with her brother Kaval left Sumitha over 2 months ago on an expedition to nearby islands in search of food and had yet to return. The other lieutenant, Shaija, remained behind and was training the other cyclopes with great fervor.
She warned them of a group of gargoyle archers that had taken up residence in the valley as well as what she had heard of a massive trapper located somewhere in ruins. She also mentioned Phantabe, a fiendish tyrannosaur created in the days of Ghol-Gan that the cyclopes feared greatly. She then bowed low to Minerva and vanished.
The crew moved on to a cook house and split up to attack from different directions at the same time. Isobel summoned Chauncey and at the prearranged signal, they charged into the building. They managed to surprise the cyclopes and took them down quickly, with the cyclopes getting some large hits on Silas and Chauncey before falling. With the back-up taken care of, they moved on to the main hall and the massive doors where Vailea said most of the cyclopes would be.
In order to deal with the large number of cyclopes in the large building, they decided to create a large fire in the cook house, create a loud noise to draw out the giants, and ambush them as they investigated the fire. Aakin took a potion of expeditious retreat in case of his being discovered, went close to the doors with some thunderstones and threw them at the doors, then hid behind some columns next to them waiting for the cyclopes to come out. The rest of the crew waited by the cook house for the cyclopes to arrive and spring the ambush.
The plan worked very well, with the cyclopes being hit with multiple spells and martial attacks from Aakin, Silas, Chauncey, Will, and Pielanga. They fell swiftly without doing much damage. The crew then entered the halls, and found doors leading north and south. They went south first and after an antechamber Pielanga identified five cyclopes training hard on the other side of a set of doors. They moved into position and got Silas to open the doors.
There they found four cyclops warriors firing crossbows at human sized targets under the direction of a heavily armed female cyclops. Silas stepped back and waited for the cyclopes to come through. As the cyclopes got to the door, Will, Chauncey, and Silas struck. They rapidly killed two of the giants, as Silas and Fancy Will hit vital areas in rapid succession, and spells fired in from Lillit and Minerva. The two cyclops warriors cleaved through their enemies with a critical hit on Chauncey, then Shaija ordered one to warn Ishtoreth before she attacked herself.
Isobel teleported the heavily injured Chauncey out of the battle to her side, as Will and Silas took down another cyclops. The last warrior other than Shaija broke free and made for the exit, but Aakin had prepared for this as he had understood what Shaija was saying. He fired an arrow right through the cyclops’ eye, killing him. He fired another arrow into the lieutenant. She charged Will and severely struck him. Minerva placed herself so she could channel energy without hitting the cyclops, healing the party a little. She then cast mass cure light wounds to add onto the healing.
Isobel healed up Chauncey a bit more as Will struck, then Chauncey attacked again to kill her. They searched the area, made sure that there were no more cyclopes. After that they moved north and entered a massive hall with huge pillars carved like cyclopes. Fallen rubble blocked passageways out, but double doors still stood in the north. In the northeast corner, a giant animal hide was on the floor beside a pile of bones stripped of meat. Ishtoreth, the great cyclops, stood there. He bellowed and moved to attack.
Session 38 (Part Two):
Isobel cast enlarge person on Chauncey, making the dragon almost as large as Ishtoreth. Lillit cast aggressive thunder cloud and then she moved to cover behind a column, while Will, Chauncey, and Silas moved in closer to the massive, horned cyclops. Pielanga and Minerva moved behind columns, while Aakin fired in arrows from a safe distance and Isobel fired off some magic missiles from a wand.
Ishtoreth charged through, being wounded by his attackers as he did so and stopped by Chauncey. Will moved in to strike, but got hit by Ishtoreth as he got close. But this distraction allowed Silas to get in close, flank him and strike hard. Minerva hit with a pistol shot, as Aakin shifted behind a column and fired from cover at the cyclops.
The great cyclops found himself surrounded so he struck out in a furious rage, critically wounding Chauncey and taking him down while wounding Silas and Will. Pielanga tried to position for a flank, throwing daggers while carefully approaching. Silas began to strike true against the cyclops, doing terrific damage, but still not taking the monster down. Isobel dismissed Chauncey and then summoned a dire lion to the fight. It struck well, wounding the cyclops.
Ishtoreth swallowed a potion and healed himself a little. He then slammed Will and Silas against columns with his massive club. Minerva moved in to aid Will, but took a hit as well. Ishtoreth took down the dire lion, but Isobel summoned another one. He took two shots from Aakin, teetered, and fell dead.
The party were satisfied they had secured the area, so they decided to use nap stack to rest and keep going. Aakin took a look around at the Ghol-Gan runes and read about heroes from the ancient empire. They then moved north, through the doors looking for the immortal dreamstone. They found a rubble strewn hall with several statues and two runic circles. They left these and continued on.
They found a chamber with a domed ceiling. In the center of the hall there was a thirty-foot-high egg-shaped structure with stairs climbing up the sides ending before a stone wall chiseled into an eye, circled with glowing runes. Stars moved across the top of the structure. There were doors to the east and west, and a corridor leading southeast.
Aakin translated the runes as “Only by blinding yourself to the world around you can you see the way forward to the Eye of Serenity.” Taking this literally Will closed his eyes and tried to walk right through, hurting his head in the process. They found some old musty incense in a storeroom to the east and found the second chamber to the west having magical silence and darkness. Silas explored the darkness, but could find nothing of interest by touch. So they gave Silas the incense and had him inhale it in the darkness. He came out blind, but he could see the doors in the sides of the egg-shaped structure. He pointed them out where they were, but so he wouldn’t go in alone, Minerva used the incense as well.
As Minerva and Silas entered, the structure became translucent and the rest of the crew could join them. A flare of light swept the chamber from a large crystal atop a six-foot-high silver pedestal in the center of a dais. Two large statues faced the pedestal, holding up large, curved swords.
As they entered they found Will and Isobel being slowed by some effect. The crystal lashed out and sucked life energy out of Pielanga. Aakin grabbed hold of the immortal dreamstone and almost had his soul sucked into the object. Once he had it off the pedestal, two gholdakos—mummified cyclopes—emerged from the statues and moved to attack as the slow effect ended. Isobel cast haste before the undead breathed and blinded Lillit, Will, Aakin, and Pielanga. Lillit changed Jib-Jub back to animal form and used him as her eyes. Aakin used the witness spell to see through Isobel’s eyes. Isobel summoned a dire lion to help. The gholdakos began clawing and biting, but were no match to Will’s luck, Aakin’s archery, and Silas’ combat abilities. They soon took them apart. The walls of the chamber became open again, and they left the chamber.
It was then that Paeta and her daughters appeared and attacked. Trying to draw them away, Minerva, Aakin, and Isobel teleported to the tower to give the dreamstone to Bikendi. The remaining party was able to fight in spite of their wounded and blinded state, and soon slew the two lesser phase spiders. Paeta fled, cursing them all.
Minerva cast remove blindness on Aakin as Bikendi appeared before them and asked for the stone. They allowed Aakin to be possessed by Bikendi, who then used the stone to finish his ritual. This depleted the souls and returned the immortal dreamstone to being the lens of revelation. Bikendi moved on and the haunted fort was free of its haunts. Aakin was left with the knowledge of the underwater treasure cache in an old sunken shrine from the days of Ghol-Gan and Minerva collected up and counted the treasure found by Bikendi’s body.
Minerva, Isobel, and Aakin rested using another nap stack while waiting for Paeta, but she never showed. They then teleported back to the rest of the group. Minerva used the incense to return the cleansed lens to the chamber. They waited for Minerva to recover her eyesight then moved on. They found a chamber with the treasury of the cyclopes. After looting that, they decided to take on the gargoyles to help secure the island.
Will decided to walk up first hoping for the possibility of parley. The gargoyles did not care for the rules of parley and affronted Will by attacking. Most of them took to the air and sniped with arrows as Silas and Pielanga engaged the ones that stayed on the ground. Will acrobatically leapt off the ledge of the raised platform where the gargoyle’s nested and speared one with his rapier in mid-air. As Aakin sniped them down, and Minerva tried to aid will by dragging a gargoyle down. Will killed his gargoyle and leapt onto that one, killing it and then falling to the ground below. The gargoyles proved to be a minor annoyance compared to the cyclopes and they began to flee. Aakin sniped the last ones dead as Minerva requested Will get off her and the gargoyle corpse.
Session 39:
The crew then began to systematically search the ruins of Sumitha for loot and to guarantee that it was completely secure. They found some missives dating back to Ghol-Gan that were written on stone tablets in an open air rotunda which had little of interest to them and then headed into the structures built into the rock to the east. Silas informed them of the nature of trappers and they proceeded into the dark. They came to a low-lying cave with water and rotting garbage. There was also a shiny, bejeweled short sword on the floor that Fancy Will—having ignored everything that Silas had said—immediately went to pick it up.
The floor around Will rose up and folded over him as a huge maw opened up in the center of the undulating, tentacle covered mass. Silas and Aakin attacked and tried to kill it quickly, but the creature proved very tough, especially against Silas’ punches. Will began to suffocate as the trapper started crushing him. Chauncey began tearing at it as the trapper lashed out with pseudopods and hit Chauncey with a powerful blow. Silas shifted to a tekko-kagi to do piercing damage. Lillit hit it with a greater aggressive thundercloud spell, rendering it inert. Minerva then used her knives to cut Will free from the suffocating corpse.
They studied the weapon Will had picked up and found it to be a magical giant-sized dagger. After Minerva healed up Will, they found an empty chamber with frescoes of ancient Ghol-Gan. After they searched it thoroughly they moved on to find some rotten carcasses in a chamber near where they entered Sumitha. They supposed it was a larder. The chains and humanoid manacles in the room next to this area indicated that triceratops was not the only meat the cyclopes ate.
Having explored all the eastern cave buildings, they moved out and headed north to the three remaining buildings. The first building had smashed tables and chairs scattered about the single, large room. Searching it, they discovered various coins from ancient empires: Azlant, Thassilon, Ghol-Gan, and one they couldn’t identify. They determined the coins would be very valuable to collectors.
They headed to a western building and found what seemed to have been a garden had been maintained. The roof had collapsed for the most part, allowing in rain and light. The last building was also empty, but surprisingly of human scale. The architecture was quite different from anything they had ever seen in use. Lillit recognized the style as Azlanti, though what an Azlanti building was doing in Sumitha was anyone’s guess.
With Sumitha secure they decided to continue along the old highway following the route that Isobel has flown to see what they could find. They travelled a few miles east and found a massive stone bridge, flanked by gigantic statues of cyclopes with massive gemstones for eyes. There were runes in Ghol-Gan all over the bridge detailing the history of Sumitha. Impressed with the appearance, they decided to leave the gemstones unless they were really desperate for money. Chauncey and Aakin noticed that there was something large was flying over the mountain to the north of the bridge. Remembering what Sefina told them about flying lizards, they supposed those to be them.
They proceeded onward, moving down off the plateau through switchbacks and then over another large bridge, though not nearly as ornate as the first. The arrived at a broken dock on the northeastern bay where a few canoes and catamarans of cyclops size were beached. After looking around, they decided to move south through the jungle a see if they could deal with the “walking trees” on their way back to the southern bay and their ship.
As they moved south, the land rose up into hills where they found a rather open stand of giant palm trees, some of them over seventy feet high. As they approached the crest of the hill, the crew noticed a number of palm shaped treants walking towards them in a very aggressive manner. Will spoke first and tried to be pleasant. He failed. Aakin angrily told the treants that this would not end well for them: it would end in fire and axes. Though obviously shaken by his words, the treants looked even angrier than before and kept coming forward.
Realising the crew was destroying any chance at peaceful negotiations, Isobel stepped forward and proposed a mutual “leave alone” policy. She was sincere enough that the treants stopped before attacking. Angrily they asked why the crew would threaten them with fire before trying to talk. Isobel assured them that the crew would live on the island and stay away from the treants’ grove. When asked about whether the crew would need wood, Isobel and Silas suggested they would replant any they took. The treants agreed so long as they were consulted on which trees could be cut. Isobel agreed. Lillit suggested bringing some bamboo onto the island for a fast growing harvestable wood. The treants would allow a grove of bamboo if they wished to bring some. They would even help grow it to help protect their trees.
Will then asked if the treants knew of any plants that would be good for skin and hair care on the island. The treants knew of some plants in the kelp fields and the mangrove swamps. They gave him proper instructions on how to harvest them while leaving the plant alive and intact. They warned them of the dinosaur that the cyclops named Phantabe. They said he destroys trees and animals alike in a never ending hunt for food, moving in and out of the jungle on the western side of the island. They also mentioned that should Will go near the kelp fields that they should be careful as something unnatural lived there. The treant they were speaking to called himself Slenderpalm—the closest he could come to his name translated into Common—and everyone agreed they would send workers to him for guidance with harvesting. With the agreement in place the crew left the grove in peace.
They arrived near Sefina’s Grotto and signaled the Risky Venture. They sent over a ship boat and the crew returned to the vessel for the night. They began discussing what they would do next. The decision was made to hunt down the tyrannosaur as it would be a direct threat to any workers they brought in to build a town, docks, and repair the keep. They began discussing tactics to take down the fiendish beast. Aakin had a little knowledge of such things and so they began discussing how they could create a holy effect on their weapons. Chauncey would be of little help, so Isobel decided on some other summoned creature of a celestial nature to fight.
In the dark of the night, the alarm went up with the cry, “We’re under attack! We’re being boarded!” The officers woke up and quickly grabbed their gear. A small sloop had somehow managed to make it all the way into the bay and up to the Risky Venture without being seen. As they arrived on the deck, the captain of the attacking vessel was revealed to be Gortus Svard, the hobgoblin pirate they had defeated when they first set out to be pirates. He swore at them and said that now was the time for his vengeance. He then ordered all his men over the side and to “watch for him.” Whom he meant became clear when Aakin reached the deck and the attacking pirates shouted, “There he is! Grab him! Get it from him!”
Silas meanwhile ran to the edge of the ship, jumped off the railing onto the helm of the sloop, and smashed into Svard. Svard was knocked overboard by the power of the strike. As the crew got up on the deck, they began fighting back, taking down some of the pirates. Aakin cast greater invisibility on himself and fled below decks. The attacking pirates then began consulting a device that seemed to point in the direction Aakin had gone and followed him. Aakin realized they were following him and he called to Minerva for help. She changed course from going up on deck and headed to the bow to find Aakin.
Isobel cast a spell to bring Chauncey immediately and sent the dragon to save the crew at the helm. Aakin got a look of the devices they were using as they came below decks: it looked like a dial with a chip of an ioun stone on a dial. The dials were pointed right at his location. Minerva used her dimensional hop ability to get to Aakin. Minerva grabbed the tengu and cast dimension door and took them to the beach. When Minerva asked Aakin what was going on, he told her they either wanted him (unlikely) or the Pirate Queen’s Pearl. He was insistent that they not get it from him.
On the deck, as the battle began turning against the attackers, some of them pointed towards the shore and shouted, “How did he get over there?!?” Silas smashed into a number of pirates and began taking them down. Svard climbed back onto the deck swearing at Silas in orc, not realizing that Silas did not speak the language. As he got onto the deck, Chauncey charged in and knocked the hobgoblin overboard again.
Ashore, Aakin realised that there were other pirates on the beach. Three were looking around with the devices, saying the Pearl was right there. Aakin cast greater invisibility on Minerva and then she cast teleport to take the two of them to Sefina’s Grotto. She took them in and Aakin was able to resist her beauty and keep his head. Back on the ships, the battle was soon finished as the crew got the upper hand on the pirates, their surprise long gone. Svard once again climbed up out of the water. Chauncey tore into him and shoved him overboard again at the last action. Lillit threw a dagger and killed the one fighting Isobel and Pielanga.
Svard once more climbed up the ship screaming that he would kill them and Silas knocked him out. With the attackers killed, Silas began investigating how the sloop, Zarongel’s Strike, made it past the watch. They found the remnants of an illusory aura, as a powerful invisibility effect had been placed over the entire ship. Minerva cast sending and communicated with Lillit where she and Aakin were and the situation. Silas tied up Svard and put the shackles of compliance on the hobgoblin as well. They then waited until morning to retrieve Aakin and Minerva, though they kept Svard awake all night to soften him up.
The next morning, Aakin conducted the interrogation on Svard but found him a reluctant subject. He eventually got out of him that he had been equipped and outfitted by Yohannas Quay. Aakin and Silas recognized the name as the First Mate of the Storm Wolf, a pirate ship that sailed out of the Steaming Isle. Captain Sculberd Craggs ruled the ruined volcano in the same archipelago as Tarin’s Crown. It was a bounty job; kill as many of the crew as Svard liked then bring them the Pirate Queen’s Pearl. The Pearl was a priority.
Svard apparently was unaware of the pirates on the shore. He had been set up to take the fall. Aakin was finished. He nodded to Silas and said, “Meeting in the Captain’s quarters,” and then left. Silas took Svard up on deck and Isobel shot him in the back of the head. They dumped his body overboard. He had been warned.
In the Captain’s quarters, Aakin apologized for taking off when he did. He then explained why he had not joined them when they first landed on the island a few days before. When getting ready to start out for the island after the octopus attack, a wave of fear ran through Aakin—not his own. After taking time to contemplate this, he discovered that he was getting the stronger of his divine powers from the Pirate Queen's Pearl and NOT from his faith. He still had all of his powers, but should the pearl statue be taken from him all powerful spells and divine abilities would be unavailable.
Something seems to have happened to Besmara. She still existed and very few of her faithful would know about this: any cleric or inquisitor of low power would still have all of their abilities without realizing there was even a problem. If word got out that Besmara was missing or some other fate, Cheliax might bump up its scheduled invasion. They needed to move fast and try and take care of these new enemies who somehow had known that he was the one with the Pearl.
Session 40:
After keeping Svard awake all night, they decided to rest before starting to hunt Phantabe. They decided to have Minerva cast align weapon on their various weaponry and ammunition in order to overcome its fiendish resistance. They headed over the fields and glades on the western side of the lake near the triceratops corral, looking for signs of the tyrannosaur.
Lillit decided to talk to the local monkeys and see if she could determine where Phantabe was at that moment. They informed her that it was down by the beach, hunting seals. Lillit then flew over to where the creature was to be and located the monstrosity coming back from eating seals. Lillit started off by casting baleful polymorph just on the off chance it might work. It failed, but she drew the attention of the Phantabe and began to follow her.
As she led the creature to the rest of the party, Silas, Pielanga, and Will moved into the center of the open field to draw the beast right to them. Isobel summoned Chauncey using a spell so she could fly out of range of the beast while still having a summoned Bralani to aid the crew. It charged forward and chomped down on Silas, nearly killing him. It held the navigator in its mouth. Aakin moved in and grabbed Silas’s foot, healing him somewhat with a cure critical wounds spell. Silas pulled out a dan bong and attempted to break free of its mouth, but failed.
Lillit cast a ray of enfeeblement, making a significant impact on the creature’s power. Will and Pielanga began flanking Phantabe as Minerva cast holy smite. Isobel cast an evolution surge on Chauncey and gave the dragon an electrical breath weapon. Chauncey blasted Phantabe, carefully avoiding hitting the rest of the crew in battle with it. Aakin cast another cure critical wounds on Silas and completely healed the half-orc before pulling back out of the melee.
Phantabe tried to consume Silas, but the navigator used his dan bong for leverage and kept himself from being swallowed. Lillit cast a lightning bolt on the monster as Silas tried to hammer at the beast’s palette. Will’s rapier struck hard and Minerva cast spiritual weapon and began needling the creature to death. Isobel gave Chauncey energy attacks, and set down next to Phantabe and began striking for energy damage, though its resistance to non-holy strikes kept his full damage weak.
The crew with ranged attacks began firing shots into the beast as it finally swallowed Silas whole. Silas began to carve his way out. In doing so he did enough damage to finally kill the creature. After healing up, they had Lillit ask the monkeys about the pteranodons. The monkeys were frightened, but told them that there were more than five. They then returned to the ship and got the crew to begin cleaning up the fortress so they could determine what repairs would be necessary and planned out their docks.
They spent the rest of the day scheduling out and assessing how long the repairs and upgrades would take. They also did some calculations to find out how much it would cost. They pulled out all the rotten and broken lumber to build a giant bonfire outside the fort for Shelyn’s solstice festival. Dahryen took command of the repairing crews, entertaining them with songs and stories to keep morale up through the hard work.
Minerva and Aakin followed the tracks left by the raiders who had been on the shore and found they had left by boat after they realised the jig was up. Unfortunately, they learned little about the raiders that they didn’t already know.
They rested overnight and then set out the next day in the Zarongel’s Strike for the grotto Bikendi told them about, just Minerva, Silas, Isobel, Pielanga, Aakin, Will, and Lillit. They left Dahryen in charge. When they got to the spot where Aakin said the shrine should exist, they cast water breathing and freedom of movement spells. They went down and found a derelict ship on the ocean floor near a maze of coral growing across an ancient, giant-sized ruin.
As they began getting their bearings, three gigantic sharks swam in and attacked. Isobel summoned an orca to battle the sharks. Minerva used sound burst on the sharks to good effect, but the sharks were still able to bite down on Lillit, the orca, and Silas. They found themselves caught in the sharks’ maws for a moment, but the freedom of movement spells allowed them to get free. While Silas hammered on the shark, Lillit cast storm step through her shark.
The orca bit at the shark while Pielanga and Aakin began striking at Silas’s shark to kill it. Isobel cast haste and the crew redoubled their efforts in taking down the sharks. Lillit cast lightning bolt and killed one shark, freeing the orca. Another moved in and bit Isobel, while the others concentrated their fire and killed the shark on Silas. They then surrounded and finished off the remaining shark.
They navigated their way through the coral maze and discovered two statues outside the shrine covered in coral, but holding large gemstones in their hands. They identified the gems as fire opals, and after some effort managed to pry them out of the coral.
They headed into the open passageway, looking in carefully. As they passed inside, Will, Aakin, Isobel, and Pielanga fell under the effects of a symbol of insanity trap. They withdrew and bound the confused crew. They went back up to the Zarongel’s Strike to wait out the effects of the confusion. They rested and went down again after dark, trying to get in before the trap reset itself.
After returning down below, they entered the atrium and were promptly attacked by a gigantic sapphire jellyfish which descended on them from above. Will had swam ahead and was the first accosted by it. Aakin fired arrows into it as it began to electrocute Will. All around the jellyfish got blasted by the electrical power. The crew assaulted it and damaged it heavily.
In the middle of the fight, Aakin fired off the rod of wonder and promptly hurt his crew by encasing them in a stinking cloud. Pielanga became nauseated. Isobel used a wand of magic missiles and killed it. Aakin pointed out that he helped kill it, as it died shortly after the stinking cloud effect.
Stairs climbed out of the chamber to the southeast and led up out of the water into a small chamber lit with magical everburning torches. There they found dozens of small crates and chests, filled with loot and treasure.
Session 41:
They dragged the treasure back up to the Zarongel’s Strike and headed back to the Island of Empty Eyes. As soon as they got back, they found the entire camp in uproar. Dahryen reported that the pteranodons had attacked while they had been on the treasure hunt. The crew fought them off, but the lizards had made off with five of the crew. The officers rested for the day and got fully prepared before going to hunt down the beasts.
Lillit, Minerva, Aakin, Silas, Chauncey, Isobel, and Pielanga went to the mountain where the pteranodons nested. As they travelled the discussion turned to Will’s sartorial sense—Will having been left behind so that any attack would face the crew, Dahryen, and Will—and how obsessive he was about clothing style. The conversation drifted to clothing in general and it was noted that Vailea, the Marid, had nice simple clothing. Silas pointed out that his clothing was very similar to the Marid’s, except that she wore a bra and he wore a blouse. With no one having anything else to say to that, the conversation died.
Isobel cast enlarge person on Silas while Minerva cast righteous might on herself as they arrived at the mountain aerie. They were promptly attacked by twelve flying lizards, swooping down from above and catching Isobel, Chauncey, and Pielanga by surprise. Lillit cast an ice storm on three of the pteranodons. Chauncey became the prime target of the dinosaur attack, as Aakin and Minerva combined their attacks to kill one of the flying beasts.
Lillit used a mass pain strike to further weaken the pteranodons. Then Silas grabbed one of the pteranodons and proceeded to use it to beat another lizard to death with it. Lillit helped finish off the remainder with a lightning bolt.
They began searching the nest aerie and found a magic ring on the finger of an old victim of the pteranodons. It was found to be a ring of improved swimming which Minerva immediately claimed. They also found a number of pteranodon eggs that they decided to preserve for the feast.
Wanting to avoid any more attacks from the islands denizens, they decided to follow along the coast and deal with the other threats that Slenderpalm and Sefina mentioned. They descended to the northern mangrove swamp and encountered the massive anaconda almost immediately. The gargantuan snake struck quickly and soon had Chauncey trapped in its coils. Isobel cast grease on Chauncey and Minerva cast spit venom on the snake. She managed to blind it for a round though she failed to poison it.
Chauncey was able to slip free, but Silas then got caught in its coils. Isobel cast another grease on Silas as Minerva moved in to heal Silas. Lillit cast baleful polymorph and turned the snake into a newt. It scurried off into the swamp.
They continued around the northeast bay of the island where they found and expansive beast. As they walked, small crabs began to emerge from the sand. Soon thousands or the tiny crabs emerged and swarmed the crew. Aakin, Isobel, Chauncey, Silas, and Pielanga fled the area to try and attack from a distance. Lillit and Minerva were swarmed but used area effect spells to damage the swarms and destroy them. As they fought, two massive shark eating crabs emerged from the nearby surf to attack.
Aakin fired in arrows as Silas and Pielanga charged to the attack. Minerva cast a spiritual weapon while Lillit hit them with one of her last lightning bolt spells. The crabs tried to grab Silas, but his combat skill kept him from being grabbed. He then smashed the crab’s shell in, killing it. They finally took the last crab down, then debated whether to add the meat to the feast menu. Minerva was determined to preserve as much as possible.
They continued along the coast line, following down the east coast of the island towards the southern bay. As they approached the kelp fields at the southern point of the island, Aakin and Silas noticed some driftwood boards on the shoals just off shore. They used the farglass and Pielanga determined that there was a ship wreck there. Using Besmara’s tricorne as a boat, they travelled out to the area and swam down to the bottom to search it. They determined it to be the Sea Sparrow, one of Isobel’s father’s ships. It was lost over a year before. They found a hidden strongbox and brought it up to the surface.
They found a magic cutlass, some scrolls, and various treasure items and coins. The jewelled scepter was a family heirloom of the Carthagnions which was being shipped from a vault in Absalom to the Carthagnion family in Sargava. Isobel claimed that as her own. They rowed ashore and transformed the tricorne boat back into Aakin’s hat. Aakin was given the cutlass for his use as he was the only one who knew how to use it.
They continued on to the kelp fields. As they approached the shore, Silas slapped the water multiple times. Two sargassum fiends emerged from the kelp and attacked. Isobel, Aakin, Pielanga, and Chauncey began moving towards the monstrosities. Aakin saw the plans of the Chelish fleet, detailed out in full. Isobel saw a pile of treasure including the titles top her father’s estate in full.
The fiends attacked, grabbed Silas and Aakin, and bound them with their kelp. Isobel cast haste and got everyone in her area including Lillit for a change. Silas grabbed one of Aakin’s cutlasses and attacked the monster holding him. Chauncey was grabbed and pulled in as well. Lillit cast greater aggressive thundercloud on the one holding Silas and damaged it…and Silas somewhat as well.
Minerva cast searing light and continued a slow wearing down of the monsters. Minerva and Pielanga were absorbed into the monsters, making Isobel and Lillit the only ones still outside of the creatures. Minerva used dimension door to escape as Lillit cast a magic missile off her wand and killed one, freeing Chauncey, Aakin, and Pielanga.
Chauncey, Aakin, and Silas finally shredded the monster and ended the fight. Minerva did some mass healing before they set out for the southern bay. Finally they teleported back to the ship, ready to rest for the night.
Session 42:
The next day they travelled to Drenchport to recruit workers to begin work on their new port and the fort. They picked up 740 fishermen, carpenters, masons, and scrimshaw artists. They purchased some old boats to repair and transport people. They began work on setting up a fishery and training the scrimshaw workers to farm. They started building a set of docks, a tavern, some farms out by the lake near the triceratops corral, and some houses in town to give their new people shelter. Work began in earnest on refurbishing the fort.
On the journey back from Drenchport, Will had terrible nightmares about looking for his governess through long black corridors, feeling helpless. He looked pale and drawn in the morning after, his life force apparently being drained out of him. He talked to his crew and they recommended he talk to Minerva. She was stunned by how low he looked and realized that he had been drained of constitution. She cast restoration on him and began trying to figure out what had happened to him.
They arrived in time for the Winter Solstice. Large bonfires were set up and everyone was in a festive mood. This night, Will was chased through black halls in his nightmare by members of his family. Once again, he woke drained and pale. Minerva determined that Will’s soul was being drained from his body. Minerva and Aakin decided to stay up and watch Will sleep to try and figure out what was happening. Other than being somewhat bemused by Will’s nighttime sleep preparations (which includes lots of cream), they didn’t notice anything in particular out of sorts.
Will fell asleep and entered a nightmare where he was being chased by his family and red mantis assassins while looking for his governess. Aakin and Minerva woke Will up and he remembered the nightmare, but couldn’t give them any more insights. They moved Will to the hospitality’s hammock , but he fell into the nightmare once again.
Lillit cast a divination spell to see if she could figure out what was to be done about Will’s nightmares. She was told to “confront the rider in the grey mists that lie near.” Lillit interpreted the “grey mists” as the ethereal plane. Lillit remembered that Paeta and her daughters were hired by a night hag named Haetanga, and that night hags attacked by riding on a dreamers back while sucking their souls out through the use of nightmares. Realizing they had to confront the night hag on the ethereal, Lillit brought her divination results to Minerva and Aakin.
They decided to gather the party and wake Will up right before casting a plane shift spell to bring them into the ethereal and confront the night hag. Once Will had brought in the night hag again, they woke him and shifted into the ethereal. They arrived away from the ship, but they could see enough to know where it was relative to their location. Isobel summoned Chauncey as Will went back to sleep to see if he could draw out the night hag. She appeared on his back and attacked the crew with a scream.
Haetanga tore into Will, clawing and biting him. Silas slammed his fists into her, using his knowledge of combat to overcome her resistance to damage. Lillit cast a ray of enfeeblement on the hag and made it through her spell resistance, severely weakening Haetanga. Minerva cast a prayer, affecting both the crew and the monster. Isobel cast haste on the group, and then Will kipped up, stepped in, and struck at Haetanga with a flurry of stabs. Aakin then used the flank created by Silas and Will to increase the accuracy of his clustered shots with a bane ability attached, killing the hag.
They took her heartstone, a massive emerald, and then shifted back to the material plane. They found themselves in the ocean. To the north-northeast and island could be seen about seventeen miles off. Silas determined it to be Bonewrack Isle, where they encountered the grindylows before they took control of the Man’s Promise. They decided to teleport back to the ship from the Fever Sea and were soon home.
The next day, the workers managed to open up one of the collapsed passages under the main tower of the fort. They revealed a circular chamber with a domed ceiling; in the center of the floor was a raised blue disk surrounded by golden runes. A large brass door led father east. Minerva determined that the circle on the floor was magical and that it was a teleportation circle.
Will, Aakin, Lillit, Silas, Isobel, Pielanga, Chauncey, and Minerva decided to step on the circle. They found themselves 120 feet above where the treants lived and began to fall. Lillit floated as she could naturally fly and Chauncey could use his wings. He promptly grabbed Pielanga at Isobel’s command. Isobel landed on her feet with her boot’s of the cat and minimized her damage. Minerva used her dimensional hop ability to reduce the falling damage by shooting downward some 25 feet.
The treants were curious as to what happened. Slenderpalm informed them that there had never been a tower or building there. He stated that the cyclopes used teleportation circles, but obviously the one they used was malfunctioning somehow. After Minerva healed them up, they returned to the tower to investigate the circle more closely.
Lillit determined that it was in fact misaligned due to cave-ins and that it was connected to some teleportation circles in Sumitha. The crew had just walked by it when they had been at the cyclops ruin. She figured out how to fix the circle with Minerva’s help. Minerva cast make whole while Lillit and Isobel made the final corrections.
They checked out the double doors beyond the teleportation circle and found some stairs leading down to another set of doors. Through those doors they discovered an oblong chamber with a sunken floor which resembled an amphitheater with stone columns supporting the ceiling. A small pool of water covered the floor near the far wall surrounding a giant statue of a cyclops.
There was no magic and the water was sea water that had seeped in from the nearby bay. Lillit determined that the statue was a representation of the Ghol-Gan deity of wisdom and vigilance. Silas was determined that at some point it should be moved into a museum. Minerva thought he was crazy but did not care enough to argue the point. With nothing of interest, they decided to leave it be and return to their repairs and upgrading the town and fort.
On the following day (Kuthona 23rd), they set out for the Steaming Isle to deal with the raiders who were seeking Aakin’s Pirate Queen’s Pearl. They left Sandara Quinn behind to keep the repairs going and make sure no one takes off with the silverware.
Session 43:
After eight uneventful days of sailing through the Shackles and the Fever Sea, the Risky Venture arrived at the Steaming Isle on the last day of the year. The island was the three remnants of a volcanic caldera, with incredibly steep walls and sparse vegetation. Three channels opened into the bay in the center of the steaming caldera.
They circled the island, but the mists and steam prevented anyone from being able to see the pirate base and dock through the three channels. They went to the eastern side of the island and sent Chauncey flying up with Lillith, Isobel, and Pielanga to look down into the caldera and do reconnaissance on the pirate base from above. Through the mists they were able to perceive some buildings and plantations as well as Captain Sculberd Craggs’ ship, the Storm Wolf, docked on a long thin pier. They couldn’t pick out much more than that.
After an extensive discussion and coin tossing, they decided to enter the caldera from the south-western channel. Isobel, Aakin, Silas, and Lillit noticed that the currents were acting in an unnatural manner and began pushing them towards the sides of the channel as they passed through to the central bay.
Aakin dived in as Silas began to fight the currents at the helm. Aakin was barely able to spot with his keen eyes a huge water elemental that was attacking the ship. Will dived in after making a spectacular swing on a rope and tumbling dive directly into the elemental as Aakin fired shots into it.
Chauncey dived in and between him, Aakin, and Will, they managed to defeat the water elemental in short order while Silas succeeded in pulling the Venture from the rocks. Aakin, Chauncey, and Will got back aboard and the ship sailed one.
As they entered the inner bay, a beautiful woman with purple eyes rose up out of the water and greeted them. She named herself Akoria and this island was her home. She asked the crew’s intentions and Will called out that they wanted to kill Sculberd Craggs. Akoria said they could talk and asked to parley with Isobel. Isobel invited her into her cabin along with her command crew to discuss terms. Lillit recognized her as a gillman, a race of humans descended from the survivors of fallen Azlant.
Akoria admitted that they had an agreement with Craggs to act as the watchmen to the entries into the bay. In return, the pirates would help protect them for other intruders. As such, she was unsure as to whether these new pirates should be given preference over those she already had a treaty with. Will expressed that he was from Taldor and thus of solid Azlanti descent as well.
Akoria was impressed with William, especially as he presented his family’s ancestry and how he was descended from Aroden. While Akoria may have been impressed, the rest of the crew were dead bored by this. It was even more ridiculous as all prominent Taldor families seemed to find a way to trace their lineage back to the last Azlanti.
Akoria asked if Will was captain and he pointed out Isobel to the gillman. She eyed Isobel and noted that she was both very young and very short to be in command. But still she went on to explain that Craggs had broken his agreement to keep the base small and had even broken a taboo amongst the gillmen by entering the ruins of the ancients on the island and looting them.
Once the crew assured her that their intent was simply to destroy Craggs and his crew then leave, she agreed to help them a little. She would guide them to a place on the shore where they could disembark and approach the pirate base by land, thus taking Craggs and his men by surprise. They would also be understanding if Isobel and her crew entered the Azlanti ruins, as they had already been defiled and getting rid of all remaining pirates would make such an entry necessary.
Leading the crew of the Risky Venture to shore, Akoria then departed. The crew moved as stealthily as they could, but ran into difficulty when approaching the base when Chauncey sneezed, Will let out a startled cry when that happened, and Minerva yelled “Will!” for making that sound. They lost the element of surprise.
Captain Sculberd Craggs and boatswain Emilia Corantine charged the command crew of the Risky Venture as the two crews clashed on the beach. Many of the enemy crew had ioun stones whirling about their heads, including Emilia. Craggs had four implanted in his tattooed face. Craggs stayed back and used his bow to begin striking Isobel, hitting her multiple times and significant damage. Will charged forward and engaged Emilia. Emilia cast mirror image on herself, creating four of her. Pielanga approached Craggs to set up a flank with the next attackers. Isobel cast greater invisibility on herself to try and protect herself from Craggs’ arrows.
Minerva cast flamestrike and managed to hit both Craggs and Emilia with it without hitting the rest of her people. Silas moved in and began working on eliminating illusory Emilias. Will took out another illusion and then struck true. Emilia surrendered immediately, as Craggs used one of his stones to put up a protective shield and back up to keep using his bow. Minerva cast holy smite on Craggs and the rest of the party attacked the Storm Wolf’s captain. Will managed to finally take the enemy captain down, after which the rival crew surrendered.
The party soon determined that the majority of the ioun stones were of incredibly inferior quality. Some of the enemy crew had marks on their skin where they had tried to implant them the way Craggs had done. They looted Craggs and Emilia and got their cracked ioun stones that had at least some value.
Lillit interrogated Emilia and she told the quartermaster about First Mate Yohannas Quay and his study of a device they had found in the Azlanti ruins. This device allowed them to make new ioun stones, but they didn’t understand it well enough to produce consistent quality items. They could see the curved white stone structure in the walls of the caldera from where they were standing. The crew proceeded to move on to the Azlanti structure and confront Quay.
They found a set of double doors half open allowing entrance to a round chamber. Strange designs covered the walls. Two circular portals formed from a coppery metal provided exits to the southeast and northeast. They found them to have a moderate magical aura of an indeterminate school. Will touched the indentation in the southeast portal and a voice spoke asking for a stone to be given in a very archaic tongue. Will shoved a blue ioun stone into the indentation and a bright light filled the portal. The door opened.
They found another circular room with remnants of corroded metal and other debris. Shards of colored crystal lay scattered about. They proceeded to search and found nothing of value. They continued on to a third circular chamber that had a campsite built next to two curbing staircases heading down and another exit leading back in the direction of the other exit from the first chamber. When they checked out that passage, they found a surgery where they believed Quay was attempting to install ioun stones in people’s skin. Minerva took the surgical tools, healing kits, and a bottle of four doses of Padzahr.
They proceeded down the stairs and found a high-ceilinged chamber with a tall device formed from interwoven crystals in its center. Dozens of sparkling stones orbited the structure. Above the chamber’s floor, a metal gantry encircled the upper portion of the crystalline edifice. Several metallic ladders led to the gantry. Standing near the entrance was an ancient crystalline golem that Quay, standing on the gantry, commanded to attack.
Quay cast greater invisibility on himself as Silas moved in. The light level spiked high and the crystal creatures filled the room with brilliant light, dazzling Isobel. The crystalline creature then produced a wall of fire on Minerva, Will, and Silas. They got out of the wall and Minerva used her spiritual weapon to strike at the construct. As Will moved in to strike, a blast of flame from the crystalline creature nearly fried the swashbuckler.
Quay cast a disintegrate spell on Isobel, but failed to destroy her. In response, she cast glitterdust on Quay and sent Chauncey through the fire wall after him. Lillit dispelled the wall and Silas charged back in as Aakin attacked the crystal creature with his arrows, but found it hard to damage. Quay moved at alarmingly fast speed and cast flesh to stone on Isobel, turning her to stone. Chauncey immediately vanished. Pielanga charged in to be able to assault Quay while Aakin used his judgements to penetrate the tough crystal and began doing real damage. Minerva used her dimensional hop ability to get up to spitting distance at Quay and cast spit venom, blinding him.
Will attacked the crystal construct and finally broke through its structure, causing it to explode. Pielanga was deafened and collapsed; everybody took a fair amount of damage. The device for creating ioun stones was shattered and Quay screamed in rage. He then ran out of attack range and cast a fireball on his attackers. Minerva healed Pielanga and kept her from dying. Lillit hit Quay with a couple of lightning bolt spells, finally bringing the wizard down.
They looted his corpse and carried the statue of Isobel out of the ruins. There was some discussion about setting Isobel in the center of their new town with a plaque reading “Our Founder”, but they eventually used Quay’s spellbook and some teamwork to cast a stone to flesh spell out of the book and free Isobel; it erased the spell from the book, however.
They then began getting saplings from a lime orchard and seed for tobacco and sugar cane. They bade goodbye to Akoria and then they set course for Bloodcove to sell off their plunder.
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Akoria was impressed with William, especially as he presented his family’s ancestry and how he was descended from Aroden. While Akoria may have been impressed, the rest of the crew were dead bored by this. It was even more ridiculous as all prominent Taldor families seemed to find a way to trace their lineage back to the last Azlanti.
Akoria asked if Will was captain and he pointed out Isobel to the gillman. She eyed Isobel and noted that she was both very young and very short to be in command.
Great little sidetrek here, Scourge of the Steaming Isle. I love the little details you add, like Will's ancestory (or his attempts to construct one). And captain Isobel, aren't you a little short to be a stormtroo... oww, captain?
Session 44:
That night they said a few prayers and drinks to the passing years dead to celebrate the Night of the Pale. They passed into 4713 uneventfully and arrived at Bloodcove on Abadius 3rd. They met up with a representative of the Aspis Consortium who cheerfully helped them negotiate the sale of much of the plunder they took from the Steaming Isle. Lillit and Aakin purchased the Sea Wolf from the rest of the crew in order to have a second ship of their own.
As they made their deals, the Salty Flagon, Captain Pierce Jerrell’s schooner, came into port. As soon as he recognized the Risky Venture, Pierce immediately made for their ship with a bottle of wine and some news. He and Minerva cracked open the wine and Minerva’s stash of Caydenbrew and began to talk, with Will, Lillit, and Pielanga tagging along. He had been looking for them and was glad that he had to do nothing more than sail into the port where he was going to start making enquiries.
Pierce had heard a rumour that a shipment of smuggled rum was going to be leaving Hell Harbor for Cheliax very soon. It was top grade stuff and would be on board the Jester’s Grin, a Shackles corvette captained by Fargo Vitterande. Pierce was thinking it would be great for the party if the Venture could take it. He also began fishing for an invitation to the celebration. He assured them that they didn’t have to worry about any repercussions as Vitterande was just a smuggler, not a Free Captain. The rumours he heard showed that Vitterande used his cover as a smuggler to occasionally spy for Cheliax as well as often working as a smuggler for Arronax Endymion.
Pierce’s fishing for an invite brought up a lengthy discussion about the invitation list. Will in particular was adamant that all proper rules of etiquette in civilized society be observed and that Isobel invites each and every Pirate Lord, prominent Free Captains, and Isobel’s family be invited.
The next day, the Risky Venture and the Sea Wolf headed out for the Island of Empty Eyes. Aakin managed to out sail Silas and got the Sea Wolf home in only five days compared to Silas’ nine. In the interim they careened the Sea Wolf, dragging it up on the shore and removed the barnacles and cleaned the hull. They then left it beached for the time being. The Risky Venture sailed back into port near the end of the day of Abadius 12th.
The repairs to the fort were now complete, and the additional seed and saplings were welcomed by the burgeoning farmers. As they waited the week before the Jester’s Grin would pass near, Isobel had Sandara bless the rebuilt shrine in the fort in the name of Besmara and organized a work crew to fix up the watch tower on the western edge of the island.
The next morning—before the work crew left—a cry went up on the northern edge of the town. The missing cyclopes that had gone to find food had returned and were attacking in vengeance for what had befallen their brethren at Sumitha. Isobel cast teleport and transported herself, Will, Silas, and Aakin from the ship to close to the rampaging giants. Lillit flew while Minerva and Pielanga ran towards the attack.
There were five cyclopes all together. Two were noteworthy in that a large male wielded a flaming harpoon and a female—who seemed to be their leader—who wielded a scimitar. Aakin fired arrows into the one with the flaming harpoon, seriously wounding him with a clustered shot. Will charged another cyclopes and began to duel. The cyclops with the harpoon screamed in rage and charged forward, skewering Aakin, and leaving him in a pile of feathers—dead on the ground.
Silas stepped in and engaged the raging cyclops harpooner. The other cyclopes began slaughtering the people running away. Isobel summoned Chauncey with a spell and sent him into the fray as Minerva, Pielanga, and Lillit arrived. Chauncey took another chunk out of the raging cyclops and was severely attacked in return, knocking the dragon down. The other cyclopes attacked and destroyed the eidolon as he lay unconscious. The female cyclops cast a spell and her skin took on a stony cast to it.
Isobel summoned a bralani azata and had him attack the cyclopes. Silas and Will finally managed to take down the druidess even though she had cast stoneskin on herself, causing the harpoon wielder to turn and attack Will. Will was nearly killed by the assault, falling to the ground gravely wounded. Minerva moved in and began healing Silas and Will to the best of her ability as Lillit cast a ray of enfeeblement on the harpoon wielding bloodrager. Lillit then cast a lightning bolt through the cyclopes, killing the harpoon cyclops.
Isobel summoned Chauncey again, although he came back wounded. Chauncey, Will, Silas and Lillit finished off the remaining three cyclopes with a barrage of strikes and spells. They then tended to the wounded and collected Aakin’s remains. The decision was made to try and raise him from the dead and Minerva began making the preparations to do so.
With most of their money spent on improvements on the island, they decided to liquidate the magic items off the cyclopes—which were too large to be used by the crew—to raise the funds to buy the diamond they needed to complete the raise dead spell.
Minerva, Pielanga, Isobel, and Lillit went shopping in Senghor via a teleport spell. After selling off the unusable magic items, they took their money to a jeweller’s and purchased three very valuable diamonds—one for immediate use and two as insurance for future raise dead spells.
They decided to begin nosing around for information on ships that might be ripe for taking. They heard about a Captain Mercy who just lost a ship called the Barnacled Claw in a fight with another pirate. Mercy was looking to get an expedition to a grand treasure: a city of gold on a lost island off the coast of ruined Azlant. They decided that they would consider that as an opportunity, but with the Jester’s Grin less than a week out, they returned to the island to raise Aakin and prepare for the raid on the Grin.
Minerva cast raise dead on Aakin, finishing the Cayden Cailean version of the spell with the traditional mug of ale splashed in the face to complete the revival. Minerva, Lillit, and Will then travelled with the work crew to the western tower to see if they could get the teleport system through Sumitha up and operating.
After a few days, they finished the digging out and completed repairs. They signalled the fort that they were ready for a test and Will stepped into the teleport circle from the western tower. He arrived at Sumitha and then returned to the west tower. He did it again and began walking towards the second circle when he was attacked by two of the cyclops statues in the hall. He fought back and was stuck fighting them.
After a while, the others at the fort became concerned as Will didn’t show up. So Silas, Aakin, Pielanga, and Chauncey came through from the fort to find Will in combat with the two animated statues. They attacked and soon smashed the caryatid columns into dust.
With the teleport travel system now properly set up, they placed a guard duty at the western tower to watch the sea lanes for passing ships. When the Jester’s Grin was spotted a few days later (Abadius 19th) coming out from Ghrinitshahara, they set out and began pursuit. They were spotted and the ship turned and tried to flee back to port. They tried hard, but Silas and the crew of the Risky Venture proved to be too skilled. Realizing they could not escape, the Jester’s Grin turned to face the Venture—taking the fight to them.
Session 45:
As the ships began to approach each other Isobel cast buffing spells on Chauncey for when boarding occurred. The captain of the Jester’s Grin proved more skilled and took the weather gauge, maneuvering into position for a crossing-of-the-T maneuver. The Grin blasted the bow of the Risky Venture, injuring crew and reducing their maneuverability. Minerva grabbed a number of crew and went to the bow to begin repairs and keep the hold from flooding.
Due to a miscommunication, Thalios fired off the Venture’s aft cannon which wasn’t even pointed the right direction. There was some discussion amongst the gunnery crews as to which commands meant what while Aakin and his crew reloaded the rear cannon. Aakin fired his bow at the helm of the Jester’s Grin but completely missed. Lillit began blasting the enemy ship with lightning bolt spells, but didn’t do much significant damage. Silas tried to maneuver the ship into better position for attack, but wasn’t able to get the better of the Grin and she slipped away while reloading her guns.
Thalios fired off the aft cannon and hit the Jester’s Grin with a glancing shot. Isobel and Silas tried to steal the weather gauge from the Grin but were out maneuvered. The Grin swung around and blasted the stern of the Venture, smashing Isobel’s quarters and shattering the glass in her windows. Minerva rushed back and began repairing the damage there. Thalios missed with the rear cannon but Aakin managed to take out one of the enemy crew in the rigging of the enemy ship.
In response, the captain of the Jester’s Grin cast confusion on the helm of the Risky Venture, affecting Chauncey, Silas, and Thalios as the ship lurched from a series of hits along the portside of the vessel. Chauncey sat babbling and Silas injured himself while Thalios attacked Aakin with a belaying pin. Aakin began commanding the gunnery crew and they fired off the port guns, hitting the Jester’s Grin with several shots. Aakin moved back from Thalios and fired off some more shots into another rigger, killing him.
Lillit responded to the confusion spell by casting an ice storm on the helm of the Jester’s Grin, but didn’t do any significant damage. Fancy Will swung down from the rigging and took over the helm, as Silas started babbling and Thalios continued his attacks. Isobel cast glitterdust on the helm, but failed to blind any of the people there. Will began to complain that by being stuck at helm he was giving up numerous opportunities to swing over to the enemy ship when they passed.
Silas came to his senses and took the helm as Thalios started babbling. Aakin used his crews to reload the cannons, but didn’t get them loaded fast enough to fire again. Will returned to the rigging and got ready to swing. Lillit flew out over the water to be in better position to strike when the ships finally came to be grappled. The Jester’s Grin fired off a devastating series of shots into the waterline of the Risky Venture’s portside and the Venture began to list. Minerva got the bilge pumps working and began shoring up the portside as quickly as she could. Silas barked out some additional orders and additional crew aided Minerva’s crew, allowing them to repair the list.
Thalios began striking himself in the head with a belaying pin as Aakin coordinated with Silas to maneuver in for a powerful side shot. Aakin fired an arrow into the enemy captain, but did little damage: Captain Fargo Vitterande proved to be a wererat. Lillit cast mass pain strike onto the Jester’s Grin, affecting the entire crew at least mildly. Many who were scorched by lightning fell over in pain. Greatly reducing the Grin’s active crew. Silas made an amazing series of maneuvers to get the Venture close enough to try and grapple. Aakin gave commands and they successfully managed to grab with the grappling hooks.
Fancy Will and Pielanga swung out and attacked, leading the boarding parties. Will landed at the helm and struck at Captain Vitterande. Chauncey charged over and began tearing into Vitterande’s half-orc bodyguards alongside Will and Pielanga. Minerva tended the wounded while the rest of the crew boarded the Jester’s Grin and joined in the assault. Vitterande abandoned his post and his bodyguards, slipping below decks through a small crack in the side of the aft castle.
Lillit cast greater aggressive thundercloud while the others moved around striking at the half-orcs. Though they did make some decent and strongly damaging strikes, they soon were taken down. Minerva used her dimensional hop ability to step over and heal Pielanga, who took a number of hits. As Lillit and Isobel arrived at the helm and the crew of the Jester’s Grin surrendered, Vitterande appeared on the fore deck and asked for parley.
He began to talk to them and discuss terms for the taking of his cargo. Lillit felt as though her will was under attack, so she cast feeblemind at Vitterande in response. It had no effect, but he claimed that they had just broke the rules of parley as he had not cast a spell himself. Will suddenly realized that something was up and that it was actually an illusion, but before he could say anything he fell over laughing uncontrollably. Silas then bull rushed the wererat, going right through the illusion and went over the railing into the water.
Immediately they began to try and locate Vitterande’s real location. Aakin was outraged over this breach of the Code, so he fired off a blistering invective that thoroughly shook the wererat. Will shook off the hideous laughter as Isobel fired off another glitterdust, this time revealing Vitterande as being up in the rigging and blinding him. Isobel then got hit with a hold person spell from the wererat, but was able to resist. With a visible target, Minerva hit with a searing light as Aakin fired off arrows and Lillit cast another ice storm, freezing the rigging. Will, Chauncey, and Pielanga moved in and Chauncey and Will were able to get in strikes.
Vitterande jumped from the rigging into the water—abandoning ship—just as Silas was making it back up on deck. With the battle finally over, Lillit, Pielanga, Isobel and Chauncey went down below decks to check out the hold and see if the cargo was there as Pierce said it would be. They found scores of barrels and casks of high quality rum, but before they could take full stock, rats swarmed out of the cargo and began attacking.
Realizing that any fire, acid, or lightning attacks would destroy the rum, they fell back on weapon strikes. Will, Silas, and Minerva came to the others aid, and they managed to destroy the rats with only a few of them getting bit and infected with disease. Minerva promptly went to work and used remove disease spells to complete the healing. Upon inspecting the rum casks, they found an insignia that Silas, Aakin, and Lillit identified as marking the rum the property of Arronax Endymion, lord of Hell Harbor.
They returned to the Island of Empty Eyes in triumph and began repairing the Risky Venture in earnest. A shopping trip was organized to sell off the Jester’s Grin and pick up furnishings for the now completed fort. They travelled to Port Peril using the Jester’s Grin and the partially repaired Risky Venture to use on the return. Will made sure they picked up decent furnishings, table cloths, silverware, and porcelain dishware that would be acceptable in the courts of Taldor. Silas and Isobel made sure to contact Alkenstar representatives and ordered some more cannons for shoring up the defences of the island.
Aakin took the opportunity to travel to the Berth of the Sea Wraith—the holy shrine to Besmara—with Lillit and Pielanga in disguise. They spoke to the attending priest, with Pielanga pretending to be a priest of Besmara. Aakin was trying to determine how much the priesthood of Besmara knew about the disappearance of the higher powers of the goddess. The priest seemed confused, as his powers that he derived from the Pirate Queen were still intact. Realizing that the priests were not powerful enough to be affected by Besmara’s disappearance, they inquired as to who would know if something was wrong.
The priest mentioned Old Maab, an ancient priestess and former pirate who lived in the townhouses across the bay on the Crescent Harbor. Thanking him, they proceeded across the bay and sought out the old woman’s residence. Aakin and Lillit had heard of her as a notorious pirate, but found her with an eye-patch and one leg selling salted fish down near the docks. When they asked her about Besmara and whether she was aware of any change, Old Maab was also unaffected.
Old Maab mentioned Laharra Seaspray would know, the high priestess of the Holy Isle at the center of Besmara’s Throne. If anyone would know if something was wrong with the Pirate Queen, it would be her. But this was not welcome news to Aakin, as it would require travelling to an island that was notorious for wrecking ships. Aakin always meant to do the Voyage—the pilgrimage of worshippers of the Pirate Queen to her most holy site—but sometime in the future when the Chelish plot was dealt with. After taking their leave of the old pirate, Aakin asked Lillit to commune with her monkey and determine whether they should go to Besmara’s Throne openly and now. Lillit responded that it was not a monkey, it was a voice in her head!
Session 46 (Part One):
After a lengthy discussion, Lillit cast her divination to determine whether they would get the information they were seeking if they went as a group to Besmara’s Throne, or one individual. The answer came back, “Many may succeed; One will. But soon or long will not have an effect.” It was decided that Aakin would attempt the Voyage immediately and that the Risky Venture would follow behind at a distance without rendering aid. That way he could claim to have done the journey from Port Peril to Besmara’s Throne on his own as the ritual required. He set out in a ship boat with just enough provisions to get there. He was so successful in his navigation, that he made it safely to the island after four days and lost the Risky Venture somewhere south of Dahak’s Fang.
He found the mists surrounding the island thick and difficult to navigate through. He travelled around to the northwest side of the island and located a great waterfall. He found the entrance to the Queen’s Processional—a long narrow canyon leading into the center of the island—near that spot and began to sail through the sharp rocks and shoals. With difficulty he passed through the shoals and maelstroms into the Processional, as a number of hermits living in small caves on the sides shouted down encouragement and insults as he made his way in.
The Risky Venture arrived in time to see his boat passing into the canyon. They decided to travel to Rapier Bay on nearby Motaku Island. There they relaxed and partied while waiting for word from Aakin that he had succeeded in seeing the High Priestess. They began shopping for a few items and bragged a bit to increase the overall infamy of the Dainty Lass.
Aakin was attacked by a pteranadon as he travelled through the canyon. Aakin fought back with his bow and took a number of nasty bites—forcing himself to use healing magic on himself—before finally slaying the beast. After getting applause from the watching hermits he continued on until he ran against a sharp rock and began taking on water. Aakin decided to list the boat a bit and with bailing and seamanship he finally pulled into a dock that came out of the mist; he had arrived at Queen Bes. Panewa Oala, the port reeve, came down to greet him.
He offered to get Aakin’s boat fixed for 150 gp, but Aakin didn’t have that much on him. So they pulled the boat out of the water and they proceeded to the inner docks. The mists parted and he found himself looking out on the Cove of the Queen. In the center was a horseshoe shaped island, the Holy Isle of Besmara. A number of watercrafts sailed the cove, moving to and from the island where Besmara’s chief temple lay.
Aakin paid a modest fee to take a boat over to the temple, practically tapping out all his remaining coins. Some acolytes in black silk bid him a hearty greeting and escorted him to high priest Laharra Seaspray. She asked for Aakin to relay the tale of his Voyage. When he was finished, Laharra seemed impressed and told him that she would commune with Besmara to determine what he would need to do to complete the Holy Labours—tasks meant to earn the blessing of the goddess. Aakin was able to perceive that she was nervous as she told him this and confronted her with the fact that he was aware of the goddess’ disappearance as well.
Stunned, Laharra asked how he would know of it when as far as she knew she was the only person aware of the problem. Aakin revealed himself as an agent of Besmara and that he had the Pirate Queen’s Pearl with him. As he showed the amazed cleric the statuette, she inquired into what he had experienced when Besmara vanished. That he was able to still use his full power while in possession of the Pearl was very important to her. She asked to use the statuette to commune with the goddess and find out his labors as well as any useful information on what was going on. She would then return the Pearl to him so that he could continue his work out in the world as Besmara’s agent.
He agreed and she paid for his stay at the Rough Blessing Hostel while she prepared the tasks for him. The crew of the Risky Venture used a sending to contact Aakin and found that he would be on the Throne for the better part of a week. As such, Minerva decided to finish the repairs on the Venture while in Rapier Bay rather than wait to head back to the Island of Empty Eyes.
After two days, Aakin returned to the temple to be given his first Labour. Laharra returned the Pirate Queen’s Pearl to Aakin and confirmed that somehow Besmara was being held somewhere on Golarion. The commune was cut off before she got anything else other than his labors. To find her, she suggested getting an item that was touched by the goddess herself. That in conjunction with the Pearl could lead him to her gaol. The statue he had was blessed by Besmara, but not actually touched by her. There was an item known to have been touched by the Pirate Queen, the Necklace of the Sea Witch, but it was said to have been a part of the treasure of the first Hurricane King.
The Treasure of the First King has long been lost, though rumours that some hint of the treasures location exists in Fort Hazard somewhere have been bandied about for years. That Kerdak Bonefist has never discovered it in his nearly three decades as the Hurricane King is a bad sign that these rumours may be just that and nothing more. She did have some good news however: Aakin’s coming to his faith through the wreck in the Eye of Abendego meant that the labours he was given wouldn’t be as hard as some were. He was already considered to have accomplished something just from surviving that and recovering the Pirate Queen’s Pearl.
The first Labour was to show his good judgement. He was sent up into the highlands of the Throne to an old Ghol-Gan ruin. He had to select the most valuable item from the ruin and return it to Laharra. He travelled through the jungle and found a smashed tower similar in structure to the one at the fort on the Island of Empty Eyes, though in much worse shape with a broken wall and smashed in roof. Aakin noticed that animal tracks indicated that no creatures seemed to approach any closer than twenty feet. As he approached the main arch, he realized that it was surrounded by an assassin vine. He was able to sever its lower connections and kill the vine before it was able to entangle him.
He found a central chamber with a number of odd items, some rather grotesque. He cast detect magic and found three items that were magical. He thought about it for some time, assessed the items, and he selected a crystal orb that was carved and shaped like a giant eyeball. It was a divination item and he returned it to Laharra. She confirmed that it was correct and then gave him the second Labour: Aakin had to navigate his was at night through the jungle to the Hollow, a sinkhole lake. He then had to dive to the bottom and bring back proof that he made it there.
He rested a day and then set out the following evening. He got misdirected a couple of times, but finally made it to the Hollow near to dawn. It was a mile and a half wide with sheer cliffs 50 feet tall. He lowered himself as far as he could with a knotted rope before diving in. He swam down to the bottom and found a number of perfectly round spheres. Aakin determined that they were created naturally because of the way the water circulates. He selected two of them, each the size of a fist. As he did this and began to return to the surface, an ochre jelly began moving towards him through the water.
Session 46 (Part Two):
Aakin swam as quickly to the surface and began to climb as fast as he could manage. The ochre jelly followed and was gaining on him as he got to his knotted rope. He was then able to move fast enough up the wall to get to the top first. He then ran into the jungle and managed to lose the ooze after a long run. He left one of the orbs in the sun and kept another in his pack to see if there was a difference. He got lost on his way back to Queen Bes. He ended up taking a day and half to return to the temple, giving the orb from his pack to Laharra.
One of the orbs bleached in the sun, the other remained smooth and moist. Laharra agreed with the proof, and gave him his last Labour: row back and forth between the temple and Queen Bes six times by himself within two and half hours. He rested for a night—using sending to arrange a time for pick up— and performed the final task the next day. When he succeeded, Laharra blessed him and presented him with a Besmaran pearl. His had a permanent shield spell attached to it so long as he kept it on his person. He thanked Laharra for her help and promised to find a way to free their goddess.
Laharra promised to seal the island off from any more Voyages until Besmara is freed. She paid to have his boat repaired and Aakin sailed out through the canyon without incident. He rendezvoused with the Risky Venture and told Isobel and the officers about the capture of Besmara and her being held somewhere on Golarion. They then set out for Senghor to see if they could find Captain Mercy and join her treasure hunt.
They arrived in Senghor on Calistril 9th, and Minerva walked off the ship and asked the first person she met where they would find Captain Mercy. As the crew groaned and prepared for a lengthy search, to their surprise the little old lady pointed down the docks to the Silver Wave pub where she had seen the captain last.
They walked into the Silver Wave and they soon located Captain Mercy, accompanied by a male Halfling and a male gnome. Minerva bought them a round of rum and Isobel introduced herself. Captain Mercy had heard of the Dainty Lass and was willing to talk about her treasure hunt. The island where the treasure is located is found in an area of the Arcadian Ocean near the east coast of the ruins of Azlant known as the Turmoil.
Her problem was that the Turmoil was patrolled by ships loyal to a pirate lord called Admiral Uriah Tame, a tyrant and dictator who occasionally eats guests who displease him. The last time they met Captain Mercy and the Admiral squabbled, during which the Admiral lost his left hand. Captain Mercy could risk the Turmoil without the Admiral’s permission; the Admiral has some way of communicating with his ships, however, and that would involve fighting every ship she met.
Her plan was to use the Risky Venture as a cover. Isobel would address Admiral Tame and gain permission for the Venture to pass unmolested through the Turmoil while Mercy and her two officers remain aboard and out of site. For this service, she will split the treasure recovered 50/50. Isobel agreed, and they set out for the Turmoil the next day.
They took days to get to the floating town of Armada, Admiral Tame’s seat. A score of vessels were lashed together to form a platform upon which the buildings were set. This structure culminated high above in a timber steeple crowned with a great lantern. Upon enquiring where to go to see Tame, they were directed to the high steeple. There they found a roiling crowd indulging in all manner of vices while female lizardfolk writhed and danced for the entertainment of all.
There was a massive door set in the far wall and there were the bodies of many victims—some still alive—were gibbeted, hanged, and crucified from the walls and ceiling. Silas pushed through the crowd, cowing down any who would resist. This opened a passage to Tame and his cohorts. A vast figure dressed in unflattering silks, Admiral Tame was a disgusting person to behold. Tame demanded to know who Silas was. Silas introduced his captain to the Admiral as the Dainty Lass.
Isobel asked to be given permission to pass through the Turmoil. Tame was curious to know why he should do that. Isobel responded by saying it would be in his best interest and summoned Chauncey to her side. There was much screaming and commotion. Tame was highly impressed and now was more willing to talk. He warned Isobel that travel in the Turmoil was dangerous; she might run into Captain Mercy, the villain who took his hand! Silas challenged Tame that he could best the Admiral’s champion in single combat. Tame accepted and summoned the Chastener.
The Chastener was a sea giant with a massive scythe. Silas drank a potion of enlarge person to even things up and moved to the attack. As they fought, Minerva used the distraction to free the tortured people who were still alive. The fight went poorly at first for Silas, as the scythe did terrible damage to him and opened up great wounds. At last, Silas changed his approach and began living up to his sobriquet Iron Fist by attacking the scythe. He eventually smashed it through but only after a series of powerful blows sending shards into the giant. At this point Silas was in terrible state as he took the attack from an enraged Chastener.
Silas moved in to grapple the wrathful giant. Now on his turf, he began to do much better. He managed to pin her to the ground and placed the shackles of compliance on her and he commanded her to flee. She fled back into her cave to the cheers of the crowd. Tame was highly amused and welcomed the crew with open arms—embracing Will, Isobel, and Silas, much to their disgust. He returned the shackles of compliance to Silas when Will pointed out that if they find Captain Mercy they would be of great help, gave permission to Isobel to travel throughout the Turmoil, and even placed an Unseen—something that allows his ships to communicate with each other—on their mast. They departed as soon as they could get away on the next day’s tide.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, there was a delay in getting the 9th level stats for all the PCs. On top of that, we integrated the Background Skills optional rule from Pathfinder Unchained—check out Fancy Will’s new background Craft skill! Then life intervened making it very difficult to have time to write up the new stats.
As a result of all this, we are woefully behind in the current stats. Let’s try and fix that: here is the primary crew of the Risky Venture as they were at 9th level:
Captain Isobel Imperia Novennia Charthagnion
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) summoner 9
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor {mage armour}, +2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 63 (9d8)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +7
Defensive Abilities Shield ally (+2 AC/Saves when within reach of eidolon)
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +6/+1 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged pepperbox +8/+3 (1d8/x4)
Spells (CL 9th; concentration +15)
0-level (at will)—detect magic, guidance, mage hand, message, read magic, resistance
1st-level (7/day)—enlarge person (DC 16), grease (DC 17), mage armor, shield, unfetter (DC 16)
2nd-level (6/day)—bull’s strength, glitterdust (DC 18), haste,lesser evolution surge (DC 17)
3rd-level (4/day)—black tentacles, dimension door, evolution surge (DC 19), greater invisibility
Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +15)
8/day—summon monster V
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 22
Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Augment Summoning, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Extra Evolution, Great Captain, Leadership, Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Flaws Nonathletic
Traits Merchant, River Rat, The Governor’s Child, World Traveler (Sense Motive)
Drawback Maimouphobia
Skills Appraise +17 (+18 when bargaining), Bluff +15, Climb –3, Diplomacy +18, Disguise +6, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (arcana) +17, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +16, Knowledge (local) +9, Knowledge (nobles) +9, Profession (sailor) +12, Ride +14, Sense Motive +13 (+14 when bargaining), Spellcraft +17, Swim +10, Use Magic Device +18
Languages Common, Aquan, Draconic, Halfling, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ bond senses (9 rnds/day), eidolon link, life link, maker’s call (1/day), share spells with eidolon, shield ally, transposition
Gear amulet of natural armor +1, boots of the cat, cloak of resistance +1, headband of alluring charisma +2, potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork dagger, 2 pistols, 10 bullets and powder, scroll of mage armor, wand of mage armor, spell component pouch, tricorne hat, 32 pp, 2gp, 5 cp
This large blue-black lizard’s head is the size of a dog with a glowing rune on its forehead and wings on it’s back. It has a very short rounded snout and it’s big eyes make it almost nauseatingly cute.
Chauncey
N Large Outsider
Init +6; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
----- Defense -----
AC 25, touch 11, flat-footed 23 (+2 Dex, +14 natural, -1 size)
hp 78 (7d10+28)
Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +2
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. Enchantment Spells and Effects, evasion
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +13 (1d8+7), bite +13 (2d6+7), and 2 wing buffets +11 (1d6+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks pounce (full attack after charge)
----- Statistics -----
Str 25, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +7; CMB +15; CMD 27
Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +4, Fly +7, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (planes) +8, Perception +10, Swim +16
Languages Common
SQ evolutions (bite, claws, flight (wings), improved natural attack (bite), improved natural attack (claws), improved natural armor, large size, limbs (x2), mount, pounce, wing buffet)
Pielanga, Captain’s Steward
Female half-elf (shoreborn) rogue (spy) 7
CN medium humanoid (human, elf)
Init +4; Senses Perception +13 (+17 on overhearing conversations, traps, and secret doors); Low-light Vision
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 35 (7d8)
Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +2
Special Defences +2 vs. Enchantments
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee brine’s sting +10 (1d6+5/18-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +10 (1d4+1/19-20)
Special Attacks Sneak attack (+4d6)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +8)
At will—prestidigitation
----- Statistics -----
Str 13, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Atk +5; CMB +6; CMD 21
Feats A Life at Sea (Razor Coast) (Profession [sailor], Perception), Dodge, Pass for Human, Sea Legs, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +16, Bluff +11, Climb +13, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +16, Disguise +11, Escape Artist +14, Knowledge (local) +13, Perception +13, Profession (sailor) +11, Sense Motive +9, Sleight of Hand +14, Stealth +19, Swim +17
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Canny observer, elf blood, elven immunities, evasion, honeyed words (2/day), keen senses, low-light vision, minor magic (prestidigitation), poison use, skilled liar, uncanny dodge, water child
Gear +1 shadow studded leather armor, brine’s sting, belt of incredible dexterity +2, masterwork daggers (3), alchemist’s kindness (x5), arsenic (x5), masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, bloodroot (x1), blue whinnis (x1), flint & steel, heatstone (x2), hip flask, mess kit, mirror, poison pill ring, silk rope, masterwork thieves tools
.
First Mate Dahryen Moon
Male human (Kellid) bard (buccaneer) 9
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +12
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 74 (9d8+9+7)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +6
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. bardic performance, sonic, and language based attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 keen boarding pike of repelling +12/+7 (1d8+5/19-20/x3)
or +1 boarding pike of repelling +10/+5/+10 (1d8+4 (19-20/x3)/1d6+4 (x2))
or +1 boarding pike of repelling +10/+5 (1d8+4 (19-20/x3)) and osiriani short sword +7 (1d6+3/19-20)
or longsword +9/+4 (1d8+3/19-20)
or osiriani short sword +9/+4 (1d6+3/19-20)
Special Attacks Hilt bash, knock out (+3 bonus to hit, +6 nonlethal damage)(1/day), song of surrender (DC 15)
Spells (CL 9th; concentration +12)
0-level (at will)—dancing lights (DC 13), daze (DC 13), ghost sound (DC 13), mending, prestidigitation, read magic
1st-level (6/day)—feather fall (DC 14), grease (DC 14), hideous laughter (DC 14), identify, silent image (DC 14)
2nd-level (5/day)—cacophonous call (DC 15), glitterdust (DC 15), invisibility, silence (DC 15)
3rd-level (4/day)—charm monster (DC 16), confusion (DC 16), haste, slow (DC 16)
----- Statistics -----
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Arcane Strike, Dazzling Display (boarding pike), Double Slice, Intimidating Prowess, Quarterstaff Master, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (boarding pike)
Flaw Spell Futility
Skills Acrobatics +15, Appraise +5, Bluff +15, Climb +10, Diplomacy +15, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +3, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (history) +6, Knowledge (local) +10, Linguistics +5, Perception +12, Perform (comedy) +15, Perform (oratory) +15, Perform (percussion) +7, Perform (sing) +15, Profession (sailor) +7, Sense Motive +15, Sleight of Hand +11, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +11, Swim +7, Use Magic Device +10
Traits Acrobat, Buccaneer’s Blood, Osirion Staff Fighter, Reactionary
Drawback Hedonistic
Languages Common, Hallit, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Bardic Performance (23 rnds/day, move action), countersong, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate (2 targets, DC 16), inspire competence +3, inspire courage +2, inspire greatness (1 ally), song of surrender (DC 14), versatile performance (oratory, singing), well versed
Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, +1 keen boarding pike of repelling, longsword, osiriani short sword (appears similar to a khopesh, but no special abilities), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, explorer’s outfit, fine spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, pepper, allspice, basil, rosemary), flint and steel, grappling hook, rope, soap, waterskin, 6 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
.
Minerva Wood, Ship’s Surgeon/Carpenter
Female human (Chelaxian) cleric of Cayden Cailean 9
NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +4
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 shield)
hp 67 (9d8+18)
Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +11
Defensive Abilities +2 vs. Charm, Compulsion, and Emotion Effects; +2 Trait bonus vs. mind-affecting effects for 1 hour after drinking alcohol
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +9/+4 (1d6+3/18-20) or
+1 morningstar +9/+4 (1d8+3)
Ranged pistol +7 (1d8/X4) MF 1
Special Attacks Channel positive energy (5d6)(4/day) (DC 15)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +13)
7/day—rebuke death
Spells (CL 9th; concentration +13)
0-level—animate tools, light, mending, stabilize
1st-level—air bubble, bless water, command, cure light woundsD, enhance water, remove fear
2nd-level—consecrate, cure moderate woundsD, drunkard’s breath (DC 16), sound burst (DC 16), spear of purity (DC 16), spiritual weapon
3rd-level—cure serious woundsD, prayer, searing light, speak with dead (DC 17), water breathing
4th-level—cure critical wounds, dimension doorD, holy smite (DC 18), ride the waves (DC 18)
5th-level—breath of life (DC 19), teleportD,
Domains: Healing, Travel
----- Statistics -----
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 19
Feats Drunken Brawler, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Lightning Reflexes, Self-sufficient, Siphon Poison, Turn Undead (DC 15)
Flaw Choke Under Pressure
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+5 Jump), Appraise +1, Bluff -1, Climb +2, Craft (carpentry) +15, Craft (ships) +13, Craft (siege engines) +13, Diplomacy +1, Heal +18, Intimidate +1, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +16, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +5, Survival +11, Swim +9, Use Magic Device +2
Traits Anatomist, Fortified Drinker, Principled, Ship's Surgeon
Drawback Doubt
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ Agile Feet (7/day) (Su), aura (good), dimensional hop (18 5ft. inc./day), healer’s blessing
Gear +1 studded leather armor, amulet of natural armor +1, force shield ring, +1 morningstar, +1 rapier, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork artisan's tools (Craft [carpentry]), artisan's tools (Craft [ships]), artisan's tools (Craft [siege engines]), backpack, belt pouch, flint and steel, healer's kit, hip flask, holy symbol—wooden (Cayden Cailean), holy water, signal whistle, silk rope, 13 gp, 2 sp
.
William Eudonius “Fancy Will” Telastrum III, Boatswain
Male human (Taldan) swashbuckler 9
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception –1
----- Defense -----
AC 25, touch 18, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +4 Dex, +3 dodge, +1 natural)
hp 88 (9d10+18+7)
Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +4
Defensive Abilities +1 shield bonus to AC when fighting with two weapons
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee rapier of battlefield movement +19/+14 (1d6+9+9/15-20)
or mwk dagger +16/+11 (1d4+2+9/17-20)
or rapier of battlefield movement +17/+12 (1d6+9/15-20) and mwk dagger +14 (1d4+1/17-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +14 (1d4+1+9/17-20)
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +9; CMB +10; CMD 24
Feats Critical Focus, Dazzling Display (rapier), Dodge, Fencing Grace, Greater Weapon Focus (Rapier), Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier)
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +16, Bluff +3, Climb +13, Craft (basket weaving) +8, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +16, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (nobility) +12, Perception –1, Profession (sailor) +11, Sense Motive –1, Stealth +2, Swim +10
Traits Fencer, Rich Parents, Touched by the Sea
Languages Common
SQ Charmed life (4/day), derring-do, dodging panache, kip up, menacing swordplay, nimble +2, opportune parry and riposte, panache (5 points/day), superior feint, swashbuckler finesse, swashbuckler’s grace, swashbuckler initiative, swashbuckler weapon training +2, targeted strike
Gear +2 mithral chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, rapier of battlefield movement, belt of tumbling, masterwork rapier, masterwork dagger, potion of cure light wounds, 2x potion of cure moderate wounds, courtier’s outfit with jewelry (50 gp), manticore chopsticks, silk scarf, tengu feathers, 2x belt pouch, hip flask, 317 gp.
.
Silas Rand, Ship Master and Master-of-Arms
Male half-orc brawler 9
CG medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses Perception +15
----- Defense -----
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +3 dodge, +2 Dex)
hp 94 (9d10+27)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +6
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +15/10 (1d10+6)
or brawler’s fury +13/+13/+8/+8 (1d10+6)
or +1 short sword +16/+11 (1d6+6/19-20)
or dan bong +15/+10 (1d8+5/19-20)
Special Attacks Jabbing Style (+1d6 on 2 sequential strikes, +2d6 on 3), Knockout (1/day, DC 19)
----- Statistics -----
Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +9; CMB +15 (+16 Dirty Trick, +19 Grapple); CMD 30 (31 Dirty Trick, 34 Grapple)
Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Enforcer, Greater Grapple, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Jabbing Style, Power Attack, Toughness
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff –3, Climb +18, Diplomacy +5, Disguise –3, Escape Artist +10, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +11, Knowledge (geography) +11, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +8, Linguistics +8, Perception +15, Perform (oratory) +10, Profession (navigator) +13, Profession (sailor) +13, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +0, Swim +15
Traits Bare-knuckle Fighter, Bruising Intellect, Ease of Faith, Skilled Crewman (Knowledge (geography))
Drawback Attached (Belt Buckle with Family Crest & Symbol of Desna)
Languages Aquan, Common, Ghol-Gan, Osiriani, Polyglot, Tengu
SQ Brawler strike (magic, cold iron, & silver), dirty trick training, grapple training, martial flexibility (7/day, swift action), martial training
Gear Mithral chain shirt +2, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +2, cackling hag’s blouse, cloak of resistance +2, potion of cure moderate wounds, ring of protection +2, +1 short sword, shackles of compliance, Svingli’s eye, dan bong, bed roll, belt buckle with crest, belt pouch, compass, crowbar, false manacles, dice, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (geography)), tanglefoot bag, waterproof bag, 26 gp, 4 sp
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Aakin, Cook’s Mate and Ship Mascot
CN Medium Male Tengu Inquisitor 9
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +15
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +5 Dex)
hp 53 (9d8)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +10
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee tidewater cutlass +8/+3 (1d6+2/18-20) &
bite +2 (1d3) or
bite +7 (1d3+1) or
+1 short sword +8/+3 (1d6+2/19-20)
Ranged composite longbow (Str +1) +14/+9 (1d8+1/x3) or
composite longbow (Str +1) +12/+12/+7 (1d8+1/x3)
Spells (CL 9th; concentration +13)
0-level (at will)—brand, create water, detect magic, disrupt undead, guidance, light
1st-level (6/day)—cure light wounds, divine favor, interrogation (DC 16), peacebond (DC 16), sanctuary (DC 16)
2nd-level (5/day)—blistering invective (DC 17), cure moderate wounds, hunter’s lore, tongues
3rd-level (4/day)—burst of speed, cure serious wounds, righteous vigor (DC 18), witness (DC 18)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +13)
At will—detect chaos/good/evil/law;
9 rnds/day—discern lies;
1/day—hydraulic push
Inquisitor Domain Conversion Inquisition
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 22
Feats Clustered Shots, Coordinated ShotB, Covering FireB, Focused Shot (+2), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Flaws Slow Runner
Traits Besmara’s Blessing, Cheat Death, Hurricane Savvy, Zealous Striker
Drawback Headstrong
Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +16, Climb +8, Diplomacy +16, Disguise +12, Heal +8, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +14, Linguistics +11, Perception +15, Profession (cook) +11, Profession (sailor) +19, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +18, Swim +10
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Draconic, Elven, Ghol-Gan, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Protean, Sahuagin, Skald, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Bane (9 rnds/day), cunning initiative; detect alignment; judgement (3/day); judgement of Sacred Destruction +4, judgement of Sacred Healing 4, judgement of Sacred Justice +2, judgement of Sacred Piercing +4, judgement of Sacred Purity +2, judgement of Sacred Protection +2, judgement of Sacred Resiliency 2, judgement of resistance 8, judgement of Sacred Smiting (Chaos, Magic); monster lore +4; second judgement; solo tactics; stern gaze; swaying word (1/day, DC 18); teamwork feat; track +4
Gear Pirate Queen’s Pearl, Masterwork studded leather armor, tidewater cutlass, composite longbow (Str +1), 20 arrows, Besmara’s tricorne, lesser bracers of archery, boots of elvenkind, belt of incredible dexterity +2, 5 ft. pieces of rope (x5), backpack, candle, canteen, cooking kit, fishing kit, flint & steel, wooden holy symbol (Besmara), mess kit, whetstone
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Lillit
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) witch 9
Init +0; Senses Perception +3
----- Defense -----
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +1 deflection, +2 natural)
hp 57 (9d6+9+9)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +9
Defensive Abilities DR 1/— vs. electrical creatures and attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +4 (1d4–1/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +4 (1d4–1/19-20)
Spells (CL 9th; concentration +15)
0-level (at will)—daze (DC 16), light, message, read magic
1st-level—burning hands (DC 17), cause fear (DC 17), detect secret doors, hypnotism (DC 17), touch of the sea (DC 17), unseen servant
2nd-level—aggressive thundercloud (DC 18), burning gaze (DC 18), carry companion, detect thoughts (DC 18), gust of wind (DC 18), share memory (DC 18)
3rd-level—burning monkey swarm (DC 19), lightning bolt (DC 19), silver darts (DC 19), storm step (DC 19)
4th-level—divination, ice storm, mass daze (DC 20)
5th-level—break enchantment, mass pain strike (DC 21)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +15)
At will—feather fall, healing hex (2d8+9 1/day per creature healed), know direction
1/day—levitate
9 minutes/day—fly, tongues
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 22, Wis 12, Cha 20
Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 13
Feats Alertness B, Amateur Investigator, Evolved Familiar, Extra Hex (x2), Fast Learner, Improvisation, Persuasive
Flaws One Arm
Traits Ancient Explorer (Knowledge (local)), Shackles Seafarer, Storm-Touched, Worldly
Drawback Superstitious
Skills Acrobatics +5, Appraise +8, Bluff +10, Climb –3, Craft (all) +8, Diplomacy +12, Disable Device +2, Disguise +10, Escape Artist +2, Fly +8, Handle Animal +10, Heal +13, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (engineering) +8, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (history) +19, Knowledge (local) +19, Knowledge (nature) +19, Knowledge (nobles) +8, Knowledge (planes) +13, Knowledge (religion) +8, Linguistics +8, Navigation +8, Perception +5, Perform (all) +10, Profession (sailor) +13, Profession (all) +3, Ride +2, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +2, Survival +10, Swim +16, Use Magic Device +20
Languages Common, Abyssal, Aquan, Celestial, Infernal, Polyglot, Sahuagin, Tengu
SQ charm hex, deliver touch spells through familiar, empathic link, feral speech, flight hex, healing hex, hexes, inspiration pool (5/day), sea creature empathy (+10), share spells with familiar, speak with familiar, speak with simians, superstitious (50% chance of rolling a save vs. harmless spells), tongues hex, water lung hex
Gear headband of alluring charisma +2, cloak of resistance +2, wand of cure moderate wounds (13 charges), wand of magic missiles (24 charges), amulet of natural armor +2, bracers of armor +2, ring of protection +1, masterwork dagger, masterwork backpack, belt pouch, everburning torch, pot of black ink, ink pen, journal, mapmaker’s kit, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (nature)), spell component pouch, thieves tools, waterskin, 6 pp, 17 gp, 8 sp
Jib-Jub
N Tiny Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +6
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +5 Natural, +2 size)
hp 25
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +7
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d3–4)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 10
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +11, Perception +6, Stealth: +11, Swim +14
SQ Amphibious, gills, improved evasion
And here are their current 10th level stats:
Captain Isobel Imperia Novennia Charthagnion
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) summoner 10
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor {mage armour}, +2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 70 (10d8)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +8
Defensive Abilities Shield ally (+2 AC/Saves when within reach of eidolon)
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +7/+2 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged pepperbox +9/+4 (1d8/x4)
Spells (CL 10th; concentration +16)
0-level (at will)—detect magic, guidance, mage hand, message, read magic, resistance
1st-level (7/day)—enlarge person (DC 17), grease (DC 18), mage armor, shield, unfetter (DC 17)
2nd-level (6/day)—bull’s strength, glitterdust (DC 19), haste,lesser evolution surge (DC 18), summon eidolon
3rd-level (4/day)—black tentacles, dimension door, evolution surge (DC 19), greater invisibility
4th-level (2/day)—greater evolution surge (DC 20), teleport
Spell-like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +16)
9/day—summon monster V
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 22, Wis 10, Cha 22
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 17
Feats Augment Summoning, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Extra Evolution, Great Captain, Leadership, Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Flaws Nonathletic
Traits Merchant, River Rat, The Governor’s Child, World Traveler (Sense Motive)
Drawback Maimouphobia
Skills Appraise +19 (+20 when bargaining), Bluff +16, Climb –3, Diplomacy +20, Disguise +6, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (arcana) +19, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Knowledge (geography) +19, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (nobles) +10, Profession (sailor) +13, Ride +15, Sense Motive +14 (+15 when bargaining), Spellcraft +19, Swim +11, Use Magic Device +19
Languages Aquan, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Halfling, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ bond senses (10 rnds/day), eidolon link, life link, maker’s call (1/day), share spells with eidolon, shield ally, transposition
Gear amulet of natural armor +1, boots of the cat, cloak of resistance +1, headband of mental prowess +2 (Int, Cha), potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork dagger, 2 pistols, 10 bullets and powder, scroll of mage armor, wand of mage armor, spell component pouch, tricorne hat, 32 pp, 2gp, 5 cp
This large blue-black lizard’s head is the size of a dog with a glowing rune on its forehead and wings on it’s back. It has a very short rounded snout and it’s big eyes make it almost nauseatingly cute.
Chauncey
N Large Outsider
Init +7; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11
----- Defense -----
AC 28, touch 12, flat-footed 25 (+3 Dex, +16 natural, -1 size)
hp 89 (8d10+32)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +2
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. Enchantment Spells and Effects, evasion
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +15 (2d6+8), bite +15 (2d6+8), and 2 wing buffets +13 (1d6+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks pounce (full attack after charge)
----- Statistics -----
Str 26, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +17; CMD 30 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (claw), MultiattackB, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+13 to jump), Climb +5, Fly +9, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +11, Swim +19
Languages Common
SQ evolutions (bite, claws, flight (wings), improved natural attack (bite), improved natural attack (claws), improved natural armor, large size, limbs (x2), mount, pounce, wing buffet)
Pielanga, Captain’s Steward
Female half-elf (shoreborn) rogue (spy) 8
CN medium humanoid (human, elf)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14 (+18 on overhearing conversations, traps, and secret doors)
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 39 (8d8)
Fort +3, Ref +11, Will +2
Special Defences +2 vs. Enchantments
Defensive Abilities evasion, improved uncanny dodge; Immune sleep
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee brine’s sting +11/+6 (1d6+5/18-20)
or +1 sap +11/+6 (1d6+2/Nonlethal)
Ranged mwk dagger +11/+6 (1d4+1/19-20)
Special Attacks Sneak attack (+4d6)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +9)
At will—prestidigitation
----- Statistics -----
Str 13, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 22
Feats A Life at Sea (Razor Coast) (Profession [sailor], Perception), Dodge, Pass for Human, Sea Legs, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +17, Bluff +12, Climb +14, Diplomacy +12, Disable Device +17, Disguise +12, Escape Artist +15, Knowledge (local) +14, Perception +14, Profession (sailor) +12, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +15, Stealth +20, Swim +18
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Canny observer, debilitating injury: bewildered, debilitating injury: disoriented, debilitating injury: hampered, elf blood, elven immunities, evasion, honeyed words (2/day), keen senses, low-light vision, minor magic (prestidigitation), poison use, skilled liar, uncanny dodge, water child
Gear +1 shadow studded leather armor, brine’s sting, +1 sap, belt of incredible dexterity +2, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork daggers (3), alchemist’s kindness (x5), arsenic (x5), masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, bloodroot (x1), blue whinnis (x1), flint & steel, heatstone (x2), hip flask, mess kit, mirror, poison pill ring, silk rope, masterwork thieves tools
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First Mate Dahryen Moon
Male human (Kellid) bard (buccaneer) 10
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +13
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 81 (10d8+10+8)
Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +7
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. bardic performance, sonic, and language based attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +3 keen boarding pike of repelling +16/+11 (1d8+8/19-20/x3)
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +14/+9/+14 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)/1d6+7 (x2))
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +15/+10 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)) and osiriani short sword +10 (1d6+3/19-20)
or longsword +10/+5 (1d8+3/19-20)
or osiriani short sword +10/+5 (1d6+3/19-20)
Special Attacks Hilt bash, knock out (+3 bonus to hit, +6 nonlethal damage)(1/day), song of surrender (DC 15)
Spells (CL 10th; concentration +13)
0-level (at will)—dancing lights (DC 13), daze (DC 13), ghost sound (DC 13), mending, prestidigitation, read magic
1st-level (6/day)—feather fall (DC 14), grease (DC 14), hideous laughter (DC 14), identify, silent image (DC 14)
2nd-level (5/day)—cacophonous call (DC 15), glitterdust (DC 15), invisibility, mirror image, silence (DC 15)
3rd-level (4/day)—charm monster (DC 16), confusion (DC 16), haste, slow (DC 16)
4th-level (1/day)—dominate person (DC 17), freedom of movement
----- Statistics -----
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +7; CMB +10; CMD 23
Feats Arcane Strike, Dazzling Display (boarding pike), Double Slice, Intimidating Prowess, Quarterstaff Master, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (boarding pike)
Flaw Spell Futility
Skills Acrobatics +16, Appraise +5, Bluff +15, Climb +11 (9 instead of -5 penalty when using the Climb skill to attempt an accelerated climb), Intimidate +18, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +9, Linguistics +5, Perception +13, Perform (comedy) +15, Perform (oratory) +15, Perform (percussion instruments) +9, Perform (sing) +15, Profession (sailor) +7, Sleight of Hand +11, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +11, Swim +7, Use Magic Device +10
Traits Acrobat, Buccaneer’s Blood, Osirion Staff Fighter, Reactionary
Drawback Hedonistic
Languages Common, Hallit, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Bardic Performance (25 rnds/day, move action), countersong, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate (2 targets, DC 18), inspire competence +3, inspire courage +2, inspire greatness (1 ally), song of surrender (DC 14), versatile performance (oratory, singing), well versed
Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, +3 keen boarding pike of repelling, longsword, osiriani short sword (appears similar to a khopesh, but no special abilities), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, explorer’s outfit, fine spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, pepper, allspice, basil, rosemary), flint and steel, grappling hook, rope, soap, waterskin, 6 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
Other Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, keen boarding pike of repelling (double), longsword, osirian short sword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, explorer's outfit, fine spices - cinnamon, cumin, ginger, pepper, allspice, basil, rosemary (worth 10 gp, 1 lb), flint and steel, grappling hook, hemp rope (50 ft.), soap, waterskin, 1,400 pp, 6 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
.
Minerva Wood, Ship’s Surgeon/Carpenter
Female human (Chelaxian) cleric of Cayden Cailean 10
NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +4
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +1 Dex)
hp 72 (10d8+20)
Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +12
Defensive Abilities +2 vs. Charm, Compulsion, and Emotion Effects; +2 Trait bonus vs. mind-affecting effects for 1 hour after drinking alcohol
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +10/+5 (1d6+3/18-20) or
+1 morningstar +10/+5 (1d8+3)
Ranged pistol +8 (1d8/X4) MF 1
Special Attacks Channel positive energy (5d6)(4/day) (DC 16)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +14)
7/day—rebuke death
Spells (CL 10th; concentration +14)
0-level—animate tools, light, mending, stabilize
1st-level—air bubble, bless water, command, cure light woundsD, enhance water, remove fear
2nd-level—consecrate, cure moderate woundsD, drunkard’s breath (DC 16), sound burst (DC 16), spear of purity (DC 16), spiritual weapon
3rd-level—cure serious woundsD, prayer, searing light, speak with dead (DC 17), water breathing
4th-level—cure critical wounds, dimension doorD, freedom of movement, holy smite (DC 18), ride the waves (DC 18)
5th-level—breath of life (DC 19), righteous might, teleportD,
Domains: Healing, Travel
----- Statistics -----
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +7; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Drunken Brawler, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Lightning Reflexes, Self-sufficient, Siphon Poison, Turn Undead (DC 16)
Flaw Choke Under Pressure
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+5 Jump), Appraise +1, Bluff -1, Climb +2, Craft (alchemy) +6, Craft (carpentry) +17, Craft (ships) +14, Craft (siege engines) +13, Craft (stonemasonry) +4, Diplomacy +1, Heal +24, Intimidate +1, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +16, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +5, Survival +11, Swim +9, Use Magic Device +2
Traits Anatomist, Fortified Drinker, Principled, Ship's Surgeon
Drawback Doubt
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ Agile Feet (7/day) (Su), aura (good), dimensional hop (18 5ft. inc./day), healer’s blessing
Gear +1 studded leather armor, ring of protection +2 , +1 morningstar, +1 rapier, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork artisan's tools (Craft [carpentry]), artisan's tools (Craft [ships]), artisan's tools (Craft [siege engines]), backpack, belt pouch, flint and steel, healer's kit, hip flask, holy symbol—wooden (Cayden Cailean), holy water, signal whistle, silk rope, 13 gp, 2 sp
.
William Eudonius “Fancy Will” Telastrum III, Boatswain
Male human (Taldan) swashbuckler 10
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception –1
----- Defense -----
AC 27, touch 19, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +3 dodge, +1 natural, +1 shield)
hp 97 (10d10+20+9)
Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +2
Defensive Abilities +1 shield bonus to AC when fighting with two weapons
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee rapier of battlefield movement +20/+15 (1d6+9+10/15-20)
or mwk dagger +17/+12 (1d4+2+10/17-20)
or rapier of battlefield movement +18/+13 (1d6+10/15-20) and mwk dagger +15 (1d4+2/17-20) )
or estoc +1 +13/+8 (2d4+4+10/15-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +15 (1d4+2+10/17-20)
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 22
Base Atk +10; CMB +11; CMD 30
Feats Critical Focus, Dazzling Display (rapier), Dodge, Fencing Grace, Greater Weapon Focus (rapier), Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier)
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +22 (+26 to move through a threatened square or enemy's space, +27 to move through an enemy's threatened area or through its space.), Bluff +3, Climb +14, Craft (basket weaving) +7, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +17, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Perception –1, Profession (sailor) +12, Sense Motive –1, Stealth +2, Swim +10
Traits Fencer, Rich Parents, Touched by the Sea
Languages Common
SQ Charmed life (5/day), derring-do, dodging panache, kip up, menacing swordplay, nimble +2, opportune parry and riposte, panache (5 points/day), superior feint, swashbuckler finesse, swashbuckler’s grace, swashbuckler initiative, swashbuckler weapon training +2, targeted strike
Gear +2 mithral chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of elvenkind, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +2, rapier of battlefield movement, +1 estoc, belt of tumbling, masterwork rapier, masterwork dagger, potion of cure light wounds, 2x potion of cure moderate wounds, courtier’s outfit with jewelry (50 gp), manticore chopsticks, silk scarf, tengu feathers, 2x belt pouch, hip flask, 317 gp.
.
Silas “Iron Fist” Rand, Ship Master and Master-of-Arms
Male half-orc brawler 10
CG medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses Perception +18
----- Defense -----
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +3 dodge, +2 Dex)
hp 107 (10d10+30)
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +6
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +16/11 (1d10+6)
or brawler’s fury +14/+14/+9/+9 (1d10+6)
or +1 short sword +17/+12 (1d6+6/19-20)
or dan bong +16/+11 (1d8+5/19-20)
Special Attacks Jabbing Style (+1d6 on 2 sequential strikes, +2d6 on 3), Knockout (1/day, DC 19)
----- Statistics -----
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +10; CMB +16 (+17 Dirty Trick, +22 Grapple); CMD 32 (33 Dirty Trick, 36 Grapple)
Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Enforcer, Greater Grapple, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Jabbing Style, Power Attack, Toughness
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +15, Bluff –3, Climb +19, Diplomacy +5, Disguise –3, Escape Artist +10, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +13, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (geography) +13, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (nature) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Linguistics +10, Perception +18, Perform (oratory) +11, Profession (sailor) +14, Sense Motive +18, Stealth +0, Survival +1, Swim +19
Traits Bare-knuckle Fighter, Bruising Intellect, Ease of Faith, Skilled Crewman (Knowledge (geography))
Drawback Attached (Belt Buckle with Family Crest & Symbol of Desna)
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Ghol-gan, Giant, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Sahaugin, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Brawler strike (magic, cold iron, & silver), dirty trick training, grapple training, martial flexibility (7/day, swift action), martial training
Gear Mithral chain shirt +2, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +4, cackling hag’s blouse, cloak of resistance +2, potion of cure moderate wounds, ring of protection +2, +1 short sword, shackles of compliance, Svingli’s eye, dan bong, rope gauntlet, tekko-kagi, tonfa, charts of the fair winds, headband of vast intelligence +2, bedroll, belt buckle with crest, belt pouch, compass, crowbar, false manacles, dice, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (geography)), tanglefoot bag, waterproof bag, 100 pp, 212 gp, 4 sp
.
Aakin, Cook’s Mate and Ship Mascot
CN Medium Male Tengu Inquisitor 10
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +16
----- Defense -----
AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +4 shield)
hp 58 (10d8)
Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +13
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee tidewater cutlass +9/+4 (1d6+2/18-20) &
bite +3 (1d3) or
bite +8 (1d3+1) or
+1 short sword +9/+4 (1d6+2/19-20)
Ranged composite longbow (Str +1) +16/+11 (1d8+1/x3) or
composite longbow (Str +1) +14/+14/+9 (1d8+1/x3)
Spells (CL 10th; concentration +14)
0-level (at will)—brand, create water, detect magic, disrupt undead, guidance, light
1st-level (6/day)—cure light wounds, divine favor, interrogation (DC 16), peacebond (DC 16), sanctuary (DC 16)
2nd-level (5/day)—blistering invective (DC 17), cure moderate wounds, honeyed tongue, hunter’s lore, tongues
3rd-level (4/day)—burst of speed, cure serious wounds, righteous vigor (DC 18), witness (DC 18)
4th-level (2/day)—cure critical wounds, greater invisibility
Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +13)
At will—detect chaos/good/evil/law;
8 rnds/day—discern lies;
1/day—hydraulic push
Inquisitor Domain Conversion Inquisition
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +7; CMB +8; CMD 24
Feats AlertnessPQP, Clustered Shots, Coordinated ShotB, Covering FireB, Focused Shot (+2), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Target of OpportunityB, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Flaws Slow Runner
Traits Besmara’s Blessing, Cheat Death, Hurricane Savvy, Zealous Striker
Drawback Headstrong
Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff +17, Climb +9, Diplomacy +17, Disguise +13, Heal +8, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +14, Linguistics +12, Perception +16, Profession (cook) +11, Profession (sailor) +20, Sense Motive +27, Stealth +19, Survival +6, Swim +10
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Elven, Ghol-gan, Giant, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Protean, Sahaugin, Skald, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Bane (9 rnds/day), cunning initiative; detect alignment; judgement (3/day); judgement of Sacred Destruction +4, judgement of Sacred Healing 4, judgement of Sacred Justice +2, judgement of Sacred Piercing +4, judgement of Sacred Purity +2, judgement of Sacred Protection +2, judgement of Sacred Resiliency 2, judgement of resistance 8, judgement of Sacred Smiting (Chaos, Magic); monster lore +4; second judgement; solo tactics; stern gaze; swaying word (1/day, DC 18); teamwork feat; track +4
Gear Pirate Queen’s Pearl with a dark blue rhomboid ioun stone, a cracked magenta prism ioun stone, and an iridescent spindle ioun stone, mwk studded leather, +1 composite longbow (+1 Str), +1 short sword, tidewater cutlass, arrows (20), 3 daggers, belt of incredible dexterity +2, besmara's tricorne, boots of elvenkind, bracers of archery, lesser, cloak of resistance +2, hat of disguise, ring of protection +1, 5 ft. pieces of rope (5), backpack, box of fishing tackle, candle, canteen, cutting board—wooden, fishing pole—simple, flint and steel, knife—cutting, ladle, mess kit, pot, seasonings—local, skewer, skillet,
.
Lillit
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) witch 10
Init +0; Senses Perception +5
----- Defense -----
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +1 deflection, +2 natural)
hp 57 (10d6+10+10)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +11
Defensive Abilities DR 1/— vs. electrical creatures and attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +5 (1d4–1/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +5 (1d4–1/19-20)
Spells (CL 10th; concentration +17)
0-level (at will)—daze (DC 17), light, message, read magic
1st-level—burning hands (DC 18), cause fear (DC 18), detect secret doors, hypnotism (DC 18), mage armor, unseen servant
2nd-level—aggressive thundercloud (DC 19), burning gaze (DC 19), carry companion, detect thoughts (DC 19), gust of wind (DC 19), share memory (DC 19)
3rd-level—bestow curse (DC 20), burning monkey swarm (DC 20), lightning bolt (DC 20), silver darts (DC 20), storm step (DC 20)
4th-level—divination, ice storm, mass daze (DC 21), threefold aspect
5th-level—break enchantment, cloudkill (DC 22), mass pain strike (DC 22)
Patron Spirits
Spell-like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +17)
At will—feather fall, healing hex (2d8+10 1/day per creature healed), know direction
1/day—levitate
10 minutes/day—fly, tongues
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 24, Wis 12, Cha 18
Base Atk +5; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Alertness B, Amateur Investigator, Evolved Familiar, Extra Hex (x2), Fast Learner, Improvisation, Persuasive
Flaws One Arm
Traits Ancient Explorer (Knowledge (local)), Shackles Seafarer, Storm-Touched, Worldly
Drawback Superstitious
Skills Acrobatics +5, Appraise +9, Bluff +9, Craft (alchemy) +9, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +2, Disguise +9, Escape Artist +2, Fly +13, Handle Animal +9, Heal +14, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (history) +21, Knowledge (local) +21, Knowledge (nature) +20, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Knowledge (planes) +15, Knowledge (religion) +9, Linguistics +9, Navigation +9, Perception +5, Perform (sing) +9, Profession (sailor) +14, Ride +2, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +2, Survival +11 (+13 to avoid becoming lost when using a Mapmaker's Kit as you travel), Swim +17, Use Magic Device +19
Languages Common, Abyssal, Aquan, Celestial, Cyclops, Infernal, Polyglot, Sahuagin, Tengu
SQ deliver touch spells through familiar, empathic link, feral speech, flight hex, healing hex, hexes, inspiration pool (5/day), sea creature empathy (+10), share spells with familiar, speak with familiar, speak with simians, superstitious (50% chance of rolling a save vs. harmless spells), tongues hex, water lung hex, weather control hex
Gear headband of vast intelligence +2, circlet of persuasion, cloak of resistance +3, wand of cure moderate wounds (13 charges), wand of magic missiles (24 charges), amulet of natural armor +2, bracers of armor +2, immovable rod, ring of protection +1, masterwork dagger, masterwork backpack, belt pouch, everburning torch, pot of black ink, ink pen, journal, mapmaker’s kit, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (nature)), spell component pouch, thieves tools, waterskin, 6 pp, 17 gp, 8 sp
Jib-Jub
N Tiny Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +5
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +5 Natural, +2 size)
hp 28
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +8
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d3–4)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +14, Fly +19, Heal +11, Intimidate +7, Perception +5, Profession (sailor) +11, Spellcraft +10, Survival +11, Stealth +11, Swim +15, Use Magic Device +6
SQ Amphibious, gills, improved evasion
Session 47:
They set a course due south from Armada at the direction of Captain Mercy. As they travelled, they changed course multiple times in reference to various atolls, reefs, and islands at her direction. She stayed in her cabin and really only came out to give corrections and to eat. Finally after two days they came to what Captain Mercy called the Veiled Isle. It was a volcanic island surrounded by vented gases creating a mist like appearance. They also spotted another ship off the shore.
They identified the interloper as the Greedy Gull captained by H’ongr Hy’y’yth ii’ Smiles, a female lizardfolk pirate known for her flashy costumes and a predilection for eating live rats. When questioned by the officers of the Risky Venture, Captain Mercy revealed that she got her information from a sealed iron maiden where the body of Gideon Habb was being kept. She got it from Obed the Liar when their ships met in combat. Gideon’s corpse revealed through speak with dead potions that he had arrived at the island after the captain of his ship—the Brine Breath—caught a jungle fever and went mad, leading to the isle and then went screaming into the jungle.
The crew explored the island looking for the captain and discovered the treasure. They went back to the ship to get help recovering it and discovered that something had scuttled the Brine Breath and destroyed most of the crew before they got back. Habb escaped in a row boat and assumed that all the other crew had died. He died of starvation before Obed the Liar stumbled across him and placed him in the iron maiden. Lillit decided to ask some questions and cast speak with dead and discovered that a sea serpent destroyed the Brine Breath, the treasure was defended by monsters of some sort, and that some of the crew may have escaped on a raft.
Minerva consecrated his remains and dumped it overboard to allow Habb to rest. They then raised a white flag with gun ports open as they approached the Greedy Gull to indicate parley. She accepted parley and when the Risky Venture came in close and they sent Will unarmed over to the Gull to act as a hostage in good faith while Captain Smiles and one of her officers came over to join the Dainty Lass and her crew on the Venture.
Captain Smiles and Demented Dubb—her dwarven first mate—arrived in good faith and greeted Isobel with a friendly demeanour. Captain Isobel started off implying that they had been blown off course and weren’t quite sure how they got there. Smiles played coy and stated that her ship was here for a reason, but was unwilling to divulge this information. They danced around the issue for a while and eventually Minerva got disgusted with the innuendo and banter so she walked off to get a drink.
Finally, they decided to reveal to each other that they were both here for the treasure as they weren’t making any headway. Smiles verified that Gideon wasn’t the only survivor. Archibald Roxby escaped the island with a raft and the Greedy Gull had found him. She wasn’t able to save him but did get the location of the Veiled Isle and the City of Gold. She then admitted that her crew was in a bit of trouble. Roxby talked about a screaming white phantom that attacked them in the night. While Smiles had been able to make it to the top of the caldera and verified the city, but since then they has been assaulted by the creature: her description was of a white furred ape, nine feet tall with four arms. Aakin recognized it as a girallon, but some of this creature’s behaviour seemed odd including its ability to coalesce out of the mists. It attacked and dragged a victim off into the night. The night before it had torn one of her crew apart in front of them.
Aakin cast a hunter’s lore and determined that the girallon was also a vampire. They began to discuss methods of dealing with vampires and also the possibility of just leaving. They settled on a 10% share for Captain Smiles and her crew if they unite their efforts and fight off the vampire. To see if this was all worth it, Isobel and Pielanga flew off on Chauncey accompanied by Lillit and surveyed the island. They saw the City of Gold was partially consumed by a new volcanic cone, but what she could see was very valuable. She returned convinced that it was worth the effort. With that they prepared their tactics and waited for night fall.
Will, Aakin, Isobel, Pielanga, Chauncey, Lillit, Dubb, and Minerva waited amid deck, with Silas and Isobel at the wheelhouse with Captain Mercy and Captain Smiles. The crew of the Greedy Gull came over and placed themselves through the crew of the Venture to draw the vampire to the ship. At midnight, five human vampire spawn crawled over the sides of the stern castle and assaulted the group at the wheelhouse. Will charged up to the wheel and began attacking the undead. He managed to damage one enough to cause it to turn gaseous and flee after just a few hits.
They managed to eliminate the spawn fairly quickly, but then the vampiric girallon appeared mid-deck and attacked Isobel directly. The crew rushed in to battle the large monster, as Chauncey and Isobel were drained of their life energy. Each wound seemed to do almost no damage and the beast kept healing. Aakin’s bane ability and clustered shots combined with Minerva casting daybreak arrow did significantly more damage, but the vampire was still running strong. The vampire inflicted massive wounds on Will and drained even more of Chauncey’s energy. Silas took what knowledge they had of vampires and decided to pin the creature, get Pielanga to bind it with his shackles of compliance, then have Will run it through with a broken oar before it could realize what was happening and become gaseous.
Silas drank an enlarge person potion and grabbed the vampire. The timing had to be perfect, yet the coordinated efforts of the crew worked and Will managed to plunge the oar straight through its heart. Minerva then began the process of beheading and anointing the head with holy water. They then began healing up and preparing for the expedition in the morning. In spite of restoration spells, Chauncey remained slightly drained of life energy as they set out for the beach.
There they found a gigantic pyre had been created on the shore. Captain Smiles stated that some of her crew were thrown on the pyre while they were still alive. Their remains could be made out amongst the burnt ashes and logs. Just beyond this they found a path that Smiles and her crew had cut through the undergrowth. They began up the trail in single file. They soon discovered a corpse strung up above the trail that Smiles identified as Jacob. As Silas looked to see how it was suspended, he noticed that the mashed corpse was moving.
As Will began to climb up to cut the body down, Aakin fired an arrow into it to check if it was undead, living, or otherwise. A mass of hornets poured out of the corpse and attacked the party. As most of the party couldn’t affect the swarm, they ran ahead up the trail to try and avoid being stung to death. Minerva fired off a flamestrike spell and managed to smash down the numbers considerably. Isobel dismissed Chauncey and summoned a large fire elemental. This proved very effective against the swarms, but then Aakin used his rod of wonder and produced a massive thunderclap which damaged the swarm, but also damaged everyone in the party. Isobel was also deafened by it.
The swarms moved away from the fire elemental and towards the fleeing members of the party. Lillit cast a gust of wind spell and pushed them back while dispersing some of the swarms. However, they engulfed Will—much to the amusement of the general party. They continued to flee as Minerva brought a holy smite spell and did a little more damage. Isobel cast a dimension door spell and they moved to the other side of the swarm so that Lillit could be more free in casting a lightning bolt. The elemental moved in and smashed most of the remaining hornets, setting some on fire.
Lillit cast burning monkey swarm just for the visual effect. Isobel let the elemental go, and the fire that had been set dealt with the rest of the swarms. Isobel summoned Chauncey and they proceeded on. They found a second corpse which had been peeled alive, his face still trapped in a scream. At the top if the rise the path finally reached its end on a broken ridge crested with ancient trees of great size. One tree was stripped of bark and was festooned with thousands of bones. Amongst the branches great ape-like skulls, shards of legs and arms, rib cages, and jawbones were thrust into the trunk.
As they gazed on this gruesome sight, they were ambushed by a troupe of girallons. Isobel and Lillit both got bit before they could react. Isobel cast enlarge person on Chauncey, who drew more of the girallons attacks due to his imposing size. They tore into Chauncey and managed to injure him somewhat before the party regrouped and returned the attack. Lillit and Demented Dubb fell unconscious to the ground, severely injured. Will moved around and began striking hard with his rapier.
Silas slammed into the girallons and moved back to back with Will to try and take the heat off the others. Minerva used her channel positive energy to heal up the wounded though she helped heal a girallon as she did so. Now conscious, Lillit cast storm step, passed through a girallon and killed it. Silas, Chauncey, Aakin, and Will smashed down the remaining girallons, with Aakin finally taking the last one down with a clustered shot.
Session 48 (part one):
After defeating the girallons Silas climbed the ossuary tree and got a clear view of the caldera lake and the volcanic cone. He also saw a flash of gold at the western edge of the volcanic island in the middle of the lake. He observed that there were two low areas from which the lake could be approached, one each on the eastern and western side of the lake. Since the eastern edge seemed swampy, the western edge was selected as the best route considering how much gold they would be removing.
They flowed along the top of the ridge heading west. Aakin and Silas noticed that there were tracks left behind by medium sized barefoot humanoids. Lillit recognized the tracks as those of orcs. They made it to the western edge of the island as the sun began to set. Lillit talked to a monkey and found out that occasionally some orcs escape from the eastern side of the island and flee this way, but he hadn’t seen any that day. The monkey said that most of the girallons were on the eastern edge as well, but that he had seen some around recently. Lillit threw the monkey a silver piece for his troubles, drawing some incredulous comments from the others.
They decided to set up camp at where they were for the night. At the mid-watch, Aakin heard a band of girallons coming and shouted out an alarm. Pielanga was up and ready as Aakin fired arrows into one of the beasts, but two of the creatures smashed down on Isobel’s tent. Isobel was bit and pinned under the two girallons as the others moved in and attacked the rest of the group. Minerva cast a searing light and damaged the two attacking Isobel as Silas moved to her aid.
Isobel summoned Chauncey who attacked the two girallons attacking her. Will flanked with Captain Smiles and Dubb as Lillit and Minerva stayed back and cast spells in support. Isobel rolled and tried to get out of the way as Chauncey and Silas drew the attacks away from her. Aakin kept moving to keep his distance and use his arrows effectively. Pielanga moved to help Silas and Chauncey with flanks. Some of the girallons moved in to attack Minerva and Lillit as their spells were doing too much damage.
Minerva used her dimensional hop to take herself and Lillit out of range of the girallons’ claws. She cast another searing light and finished off one of the girallons. Using a jabbing style of combat, Silas eliminated another one. With Chauncey taking down the last one on Isobel, Silas then bull rushed another girallon and joined the battle with Will, Smile, Mercy, and Dubb. Aakin finished it off with a skilled series of shots and the combat came to an end.
They kicked the girallons over the edge of the ridge and reset the camp. Isobel’s tent was destroyed and unrecoverable, much to her displeasure. They rested an extra few hours in the morning to compensate for the lost rest time and then got ready to move out. Minerva prepared treasure stitching to collect the gold on a tapestry or valuable cloth. They decided to get one of Fancy Will’s expensive bed spreads to use for the purpose and sent Chauncey back with Lillit. While there she decided to check on the Unseen that Tame had attached to their mast. Dahyren helped her check the main mast and found nothing magical. Unsure, Lillit cast a dispel magic and dispelled the air elemental that had been summoned and bound. Doing so removed their protection from Admiral Tame while in the Turmoil and may have possibly tipped Tame off that something was amiss. They then returned with a bed sheet.
Lillit found an overgrown trail leading down the inside of the caldera. She led them down the trail and about halfway down the slope, a part of the jungle suddenly moved to attack: a giant flytrap. The monstrous plant grabbed Lillit and began to devour her. The dense jungle made for a difficult battle; movement and visibility were greatly reduced making it hard to hit the giant plant or move in to do damage.
Minerva cast spiritual weapon and placed the rapier opposite Chauncey as the dragon moved in to attack. Lillit managed to cast a storm step even though she was held in its maw and blasted herself straight up, heavily damaging the plant. Silas moved in and slammed it hard with his fists, drawing its attention. It grabbed Silas, but it was so badly damaged that the party quickly finished it off.
They moved on and got to the lake. The volcanic fumes were so thick, they couldn’t see the base of the volcanic island through the rotten egg smelling mists. They found an abandoned camp with a jetty and a crude hut. There was also a raft lying in the shallow water by the jetty. Lillit inspected a number of massive stone heads lining the lake and facing outward with angry looking faces. She determined the work to be of Tulita origin. As they inspected the cabin, Minerva determined that the camp had been abandoned by humans and then girallons took over recently.
On edge, they heard the girallons coming. Five of the beasts emerged from the jungle and attacked. Chauncey charged in and attacked a couple of the monsters by the shore of the lake as Minerva cast holy smite on as many as she could, blinding two. Will and Captain Mercy moved in and flanked one of the girallons coming from the jungle. Lillit fired off an ice storm, carefully avoiding hitting Chauncey. After that, it was a swift battle to finish off the greatly weakened remains.
They decided to use Aakin’s Besmara’s tricorne to row to the island. They towed the raft with a rope as Aakin could only make his hat a boat once per day. As they got about halfway across, the water surrounding them began to boil. Then Aakin found himself fighting to keep the boat upright as a massive creature hit the boat from below. Silas tried to pick up the pace while the rest of the group waited for the creature to show itself from beneath the water. Minerva cast a sound burst into the water to hopefully damage it.
A hydra like aquatic creature called a scylla rose up out of the depths. The members of the party who were ready for an attack struck, with Lillit casting a lightning bolt, Minerva cast a prayer, and the rest striking with their weaponry. Chauncey took burn damage from each of his claw, bite, and wing attacks. It then breathed out boiling water across the deck of the boat hitting Will, Lillit, and Chauncey. Lillit fired off an ice storm and the others struck hard causing the beast to withdraw in pain.
Session 48 (part two):
Minerva healed up the wounded and they proceeded to the island. There they found large statues of shark humanoids covered in beaten gold. The buildings of the city that remained above the ground were all covered in gold. They found four gold plate statues surrounding a golden spire. Beyond was a steep stair going up with each step having disks with ravenous beasts on them, each disk solid gold.
As they climbed, they saw a stone platform to the south with a pole coming out of a pile of rubble covering what appeared to be a stone face. Will and Silas jumped over and began clearing off the face. They found the pole was scrimshaw made from a single mandible from a whale and was very detailed. It depicted something being made from the scylla and the afterbirth from a whale. Silas determined that something once hung from the pole and located something buried off to the side of the platform. There he found a 700 lb solid gold gong which he dragged back up onto the platform.
The steps rose to a huge temple without walls and a stone roof atop stone columns. Each column was covered with animal figures, mostly sharks. A carving occupied the center of the four arches in the middle of the structure. The rooftop had a dozen bird figures of gold, one above each pillar. The carving depicted battles between dragons and figures holding staves and wearing masks. The sun was blotted out by the largest of these dragons, which held a mouth full of screaming women.
As Silas inspected the carvings, he discovered that one of the four figures fighting the dragon was not being immolated. The staff in the carving was removable and Silas pulled it out and found that it was a key. As he did so, they were attacked by a large basidirond blasting out its hallucinogenic spores.
Will saw his rapier turn into a viper and he fled down the stairs. Isobel saw herself in quicksand and began flopping on the floor, struggling to get free. Chauncey, Dubb, Mercy saw themselves being attacked by a swarm of spiders and began stomping on them. Pielanga felt herself suffocating and collapsed on the floor holding her breath. Smile saw herself shrunk to one tenth her normal size and tried to remain still so that the giant monsters wouldn’t see her.
Minerva, Silas, Lillit, and Aakin attacked the plant creature, but Silas caught a disease from the spores he got on himself. Then Silas and Lillit succumbed to the hallucinogenic effects. Lillit began to believe that she was suffering a witch’s worst nightmare: she was melting! She struggled to hold herself together as Silas believed himself shrunk as Smile did. The basidirond struck Minerva, but Minerva struck back hard and killed the plant. She the treated Silas’ disease and helped the others as they “came down”.
Silas and Minerva considered drying the plant out in the sun for “later use”. After everyone was back to their senses, Silas discovered a keyhole at the base of each of the four central columns. After some consideration, Minerva put the key in the hole by the column Silas got the key from and turned it. It opened a secret trapdoor back at the first platform they had arrived on, the one with the golden spire.
They decided to continue exploring the surface before checking out the secret tunnel. They found a collapsed building behind the temple. As they approached and tried to explore it, two ochre jellies flowed over the top and attacked. Aakin couldn’t think of anything else to do, so he activated his rod of wonder and turned the stone roof of the structure into a flesh wall. Aakin then backed up towards the pavilion.
Silas withdrew as Will charged. As Will’s rapier struck, he split one of the jellies in two. Chauncey moved in and hit them with wing buffets. Dubb attacked with her Warhammer to good effect but Smile, Pielanga, Isobel, Lillit, and Mercy backed up. Minerva used the butt of her musket as an improvised club and began smashing the yellow masses. Lillit knew enough about ochre jellies to know electricity would make it worse, so she summoned a small earth elemental to smash into the oozes.
Aakin used the rod again and filled the entire battle area with flashing colourful lights which blinded Chauncey. This had no effect on the jellies. Lillit mentioned that if this sort of thing kept happening, Aakin would be retrieving his rod of wonder from somewhere uncomfortable to use it. Silas charged back in and began slamming the jellies as Will continued to attack anyway, creating two more jellies.
These weakened jellies became easier to destroy, and they quickly took them down to two again. Then Aakin fired off his rod of wonder one more time and created a fireball that those battling the jellies were caught in as well. That killed one and Silas finished off the last in a desperate attempt to avoid another rod of wonder shot.
Session 49:
Minerva used her channel energy to heal the party before they began to explore the ruins that the ochre jellies had been at. Silas squeezed in, distorting his body and dislocating limbs to get inside. Will simply jumped up, swung in, and slipped through with annoying ease. They found an old abandoned bath house. They searched the collapsed building and found nothing of interest. In order to complete a more thorough search, Minerva cast a stone shape to allow the rest of the party to join them. They were unable to find anything else.
They moved on to a building that seemed to have once housed workers with gold owl statuettes on the roof. They found a few useful items then removed the gold owls. They then went to another building that seems to have been a smelter for all the gold work they were seeing. It had at the apex of the structure an ugly monkey statue holding the entire roof up, and that roof was holding back an avalanche of pyroclastic material that would bury the entire town. To take the statue they would have to rig up the roof to stay up without it. Under Minerva and Lillit’s direction, they swiftly secured the building from collapse. They found a significant amount of gold flashing bits lying around.
The party began to search the building and collecting up the gold, but were interrupted by a flight of cockatrices which had their nest in a cave just above the ruined building. The cockatrices bit Minerva, Captain Mercy, Lillit, and Aakin, but they avoided the petrification effect. Will moved in, swiftly killing cockatrices and moving from beast to beast. Dubb, Lillit, Silas, and Minerva got bit as Aakin stepped back and began firing his arrows into the creatures. Minerva got bit a third time and finally began to have her body petrify. Shortly thereafter, Chauncey and Will finished off the remaining cockatrices.
Minerva dealt with healing her petrified arm and the minor wounds inflicted by the beasts. Will and Silas climbed up to the nest and were attacked by six young. Silas kicked one out of the nest and it landed in the building below where it attacked Minerva. Will killed one as Minerva killed the one below. Silas decided to take them alive and reduced three more unconscious while Will killed the last. Silas collected the three unconscious cockatrices as well as three unhatched eggs and placed them in a bag of holding to keep them safe and harmless until they could find a good buyer. Silas promised to open it up every few minutes to keep the air flowing.
After searching the nest they found a potion of cure serious wounds, a gold needle, and a silver-hilted scimitar. They then collected the monkey statue and descended down to a colonnade of frowning, fearful faces looking out over the water. They began getting concerned about all the faces around the caldera, as they all seemed to be facing away from the volcano and they seemed to be warning intruders away.
They began collecting the gold items and returning the way they came and towards the platform with the open trapdoor. They began removing the gold disks from the temple where the basidirond was and were attacked by five sepulchral guardians, constructs similar in appearance to undead. Silas, Chauncey, Pielanga, Captain Mercy, Dubb, and Captain Smile were affected by the aura of dread given off by these constructs.
Captain Smile, Dubb, Captain Mercy, and Fancy Will formed a line and waited for the guardians to approach. Isobel fell back on magic missiles off her wand, but found that they were resistant to spells. Aakin fired off arrows augmented to deal heavy damage against the constructs. Minerva cast remove fear on Silas while Chauncey charged the guardians. While he did great damage, they swarmed him and began shredding the dragon. Concerned, Isobel used her maker’s call to bring Chauncey beck to her side.
Lillit fired off a lightning bolt and managed to destroy ones of them while damaging the other four. Isobel buffed up Chauncey and had him charge in again. The guardians attacked the line, and Will and the others began taking them down. Aakin began taking them down by clustering his shots as the others held the line. Silas charged in and hammered them from the other side, flanking with the line. Surrounded, the sepulchral guardians were rapidly destroyed. Minerva once more used her channel energy to heal. Then Minerva helped Silas, Chauncey, Dubb to deal with the magical disease that the guardians spread.
With the interruption over they went back to collecting up the gold. The removed it all from the temple and from the steps, collecting it all at the lower platform. There they set up camp for the night and decided to rest before entering the dank hole. They set up their watches and prepared for the night.
Right after nightfall, Minerva and Silas shouted a warning as a devourer wearing a beaten copper skull mask emerged from the hole and attacked. The confined space on the platform made maneuverability difficult. Will hopped up and struck, flanking with Minerva. Minerva cast a holy smite, but was unable to penetrate its spell resistance. Aakin got up and attacked with his cutlass, as he couldn’t get out of reach to use his bow. Lillit fired off magic missiles from a wand while Isobel summoned Chauncey and the dragon got a few swipes in before the monster attacked.
The skull mask flew off and struck down Demented Dubb on contact. The devourer then began to suck the life energy out of Chauncey, nearly killing him. Will desperately struck as hard he could and with skillful strikes managed to destroy the abomination. Minerva ran to Dubb’s side and brought her back from death with her rebuke death ability. After healing as much as they were able to, they returned to their slumber, after dragging the gold gong over the hole.
They determined that the mask from the devourer was a mask of the skull. Lillit took possession of it to use when the Risky Venture was performing piracy. In the morning they moved the gong and began to explore the circular chamber beneath the platform. Lillit cast darkvision on the entire party and they descended the stairs.
The steps went down into dark waters. The walls of the chamber were lined with shelves with dozens of mummified figures. Hanging from around the opening of the spire were six great iron bells. To descend into the water they used the shark tooth amulets in order to breathe. There they found a great stone lever next to the bottom of the stairs. There were two corridors heading east from the chamber each designed to look like the maw of a massive shark, with sharp tooth like protrusions of rock covering the floors, ceilings, and walls of each corridor. Both corridors led to stone doors.
Pielanga determined that the corridor on the right was nothing more than an elaborate trap that would chew up whoever set it off. The lever next to the stairs would work the bells, deafening everyone in the room should they pull it. At the end of each corridor was a false door, but the one on the left was also a secret door. So there they pushed through into a circular corridor, moving in single file due how narrow it was.
As Pielanga led them into the corridors, they encountered a number of bog mummies. Because of the tight corridors, they found themselves unable to get everyone into the fight. Pielanga, Will, and Silas moved into position with Dubb, Mercy, and Smile. They fought through the despair aura and tried to produce flanking positions, but the maneuverability was so limited it was very difficult. Minerva moved in as the combat was engaged and blasted off a channel energy to damage the approaching undead. Chauncey and Aakin were kept out of the fight altogether as the corridors and people kept them from being able to move in. Silas squeezed in with Dubb so they both could fight, even with a penalty.
Silas got infected with bog rot as Lillit fired off a magic missile from her wand. As the party maneuvered to try and take advantage of flanks, the mummies found themselves in position to flank. Minerva hit with another channel energy, and the mummies began to fall. A quick mopping up by Will, Silas, and Dubb and the party reassessed the situation. Minerva cast remove disease on Silas as Will explored the circular corridors.
Will found that the corridors were concentric circles leading to a center point. A mummy raised its arm from a mechanical trigger and pointed to the center of the circle. Will followed the instructions and a massive stone block fell on Will’s head. He managed to get out of it alive, but required Silas’ help to get out from beneath the stone.
Lillit cast detect secret doors and found a difficult to open secret door on the outer wall of the outer corridor on the opposite side from where they came in. Silas and Chauncey opened the door after Pielanga inspected it for traps. It led to a corridor that sloped upwards out of the water and curved out of sight. The corridor ended in a door shaped like a smiling face.
Pielanga found no traps on the door which opened by pivoting. Beyond they found a domed chamber with hundreds of carved faces with open mouths. The carved faces became smaller as they rose to a central face with a wide mouth at the apex of the chamber some thirty feet above. Lillit moved up to the entrance and used the last moments of her spell to determine there was another secret door leading out on the opposite side of the circular chamber. It was at chest height on the wall, but Lillit determined that the trigger mechanism was hidden within the ceiling’s apex mouth.
Silas entered the chamber and immediately the faces all began shouting warnings in Tulita to go back, Silas began climb up to open the door as the rest of the party entered except for Aakin, Minerva, and Isobel who stayed in the corridor just in case. The door slammed shut and an iron bar fell across it on the outside, temporarily cutting the three in the corridor off from the rest of the party. The mouths on the walls stopped yammering and began spewing forth a sickly-sweet smelling liquid that began to flood the room.
As Silas got to the apex and began to search for the secret door trigger, a huge wooden totem five feet in diameter and fifteen feet long fell from the opening. Silas was struck by it and was almost knocked off the roof. Silas opened the secret door as the totem hit the floor. Six mummies with crocodile faces stitched over their own were attached to the totem by hooks. They ripped themselves free as the totem hit and moved to the attack.
Aakin unbolted the door and Isobel opened it, allowing the rising fluid to drain out. However, the fluid had raised to one foot deep and Will, Dubb, Mercy, Pielanga, and Chauncey were paralyzed by contact with it before it was able to drain down to safe levels. Lillit flew up out of the liquid and joined Silas at the roof. Pielanga was hit by a mummy, acquiring mummy rot in addition to the damage. Minerva cast remove paralysis to free up those who succumbed to the liquid while Aakin Began firing arrows from his protected position.
Isobel cast haste on the entire group except for Lillit. Silas climbed down halfway, let go and landed next to a mummy. He attacked it and smashed it to dust. Then three of the mummies opened their mouths and breathed out boiling water on Pielanga and Will. Will, Silas, and Chauncey proceeded to shred the remaining mummies. Minerva cast remove disease on Pielanga before beginning the healing process that seems to follow every battle.
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Shiver me timbers, Angry Waters, how wonderfully exciting. You gotta love those Richard Pett stories! Excellent, simply excellent. It sounds (and reads) like a blast.
Session 50:
Silas had opened a secret door before joining the fray and they found a two foot high, ten foot wide passage behind it. Crawling through, Silas found a dead end. He then searched it, but after being joined by Pielanga the secret door was located. Pivoting it open, Silas, Pielanga, Lillit, Will, and Minerva crawled out into a large, circular chamber. This chamber had four large gold masks hanging on its walls. Six huge bells hanged from the ceiling forty feet above.
Each mask was about 100 lbs of gold, with angry faces. Silas realized that the central floor had a slightly different stone surrounded by gold runes set in the floor. The entire room radiated abjuration magic when detect magic was used. This did not deter them from discussing how to remove the masks from the walls.
As they searched and discussed, a clay golem shaped like a massive shark emerged from the wall and attacked them. Its tail hit a switch on the wall and set off the bells above. Minerva cast silence on the bells to make it easier to keep using magic. Lillit flew up to just below the silence zone to avoid the attacks from the golem.
Silas stepped up and began pummeling it as Aakin used his judgements and clustered shots. Pielanga used her sneak attacks to disable the construct and make it easier to hit. It hasted itself and began slamming into Silas and Will. Will located precision joint points on the golem and whittled it down. It bit Pielanga, taking a large chunk out of her. Minerva fired off her musket, but did no damage. Lillit tried to fly down and magically heal Pielanga, but the wounds created by the golem were cursed and Lillit was unable to overcome the curse. Will finally managed to hit a structural weak point and break the golem apart.
A great deal of healing was wasted as the healers attempted to overcome the cursed wounds and get the party healed before they proceeded further. Isobel, Dubb, Captain Smile and Captain Mercy crawled through to join the group. Chauncey was too large for the crawlspace, so he remained in the chamber with the angry faces.
They were almost out of magic when they proceeded to pry the iron brackets off the wall to release the masks. As they removed the large gold masks, the section of floor inside the golden sigils slid away and within the grip of four rising pillars was a caul of huge size slung by sinews to the pillars. Lillit cast a lightning bolt at it, but the caul proved immune to the spell as something began to move within the caul.
The party had prepared for the assault and Will & Silas took potions of haste right before the dragon broke free. Isobel grabbed Lillit and Pielanga, cast dimension door, and enlarged Chauncey for battle. Aakin cast greater invisibility then righteous vigor on Silas. After a minute, the creature in the caul broke free: a massive red dragon!
Will and Aakin struck first, but did little obvious damage to the massive dragon. The dragon decided to blast Will and Silas with her fire breath, engulfing them in flame. Will avoided most of it, but Silas got badly seared. Lillit decided to stay back from the fight by flying into the crawl space and casting greater aggressive thundercloud to no effect. Isobel cast dimension door again and ported herself and Chauncey on-top of the red dragon.
Chauncey attacked as the dragon’s aura of fear connected and affected Will, Chauncey, and Isobel, leaving them shaken. Unable to hurt the red dragon, the monster turned on him and tore him to ribbons. Isobel fell and caught herself before falling into the 20 foot deep pit below the caul. As they fought the dragon, the ground began to rumble and shake. Isobel saw that the pit below was empty, so she dropped. She then summoned a bralani to help in the fight. The dragon breathed fire again on Minerva, Lillit, Will, Silas, and the bralani. They managed to survive that onslaught and Silas stepped up and smashed the beast, laying it low with a flurry of strikes.
Before she had a chance to even have an attempt to free herself from the pit, Will swung down through the narrow crack, grabbed Isobel, and sung her back out—much to Isobel’s disgust. Minerva, Aakin, and the bralani healed up the party somewhat, and then the bralani was dismissed. They then began collecting up the gold and try and escape before the volcano blew its top.
With little time left, they managed to get the gold masks out to the lower platform after an hour. They then had Minerva cast treasure stitching on the gold to make transport easy. The scrimshaw pole was left behind as it wouldn’t fit and was too heavy. Isobel summoned Chauncey with a spell; he was in terrible shape, but was able to carry Silas and Lillit out of the caldera. Minerva and Isobel cast teleport spells to return the rest of the party to the deck of the Risky Venture. Silas and Lillit would join them as soon as they could get to the jolly boat.
Dahryen ran out on deck shouting to get out, but was knocked unconscious before he got far. Surveying their surroundings, Isobel and her crew realized that a ship called the Capricious had pulled alongside the Venture and that crew—led by Captain Mercy’s officers—had taken the ship and the Greedy Gull while the shore party was getting the gold from the city. Captain Mercy apologized, but stated that there was simply too much gold at stake and she was taking it all. Captain Smile snarled and joined Isobel and her officers in the fight.
Aakin led off with a blistering invective: “You’ve broken the Code!!” This lashed the crewmen and officers of the Capricious with fire damage as they winced and were shaken in fear. Captain Mercy attacked Isobel and Pielanga. Isobel backed up and used a magic missile wand on Captain Mercy. Happy Silas (Mercy’s Halfling assassin, not “Grumpy” Silas, the Half-orc navigator) attacked Fancy Will with a poisoned dagger. Captain Smile moved in and began taking Happy Silas apart. Minerva got a critical hit with her human bane musket and blew a big hole in Captain Mercy, staggering the pirate.
Minerva then used dimensional hop to move into a flank on Happy Silas with Pielanga who immediately struck with a sneak attack. Will flipped up on top of the Captain’s skylight, grabbed a rope, swung across the battlefield, and dropped next to Captain Mercy. As he struck, Mordecai Shortstone (Captain Mercy’s gnome illusionist) cast a phantasmal killer on Will, nearly killing the swashbuckler with a heart attack. Aakin struck out with his cutlass and began taking down Shortstone.
Mercy began desperately fighting Will, as he was the most dangerous fighter and she began to be truly afraid. Isobel caste haste and Smile tore apart Happy Silas. Minerva struck down Captain Mercy, and stove in Mercy’s skull with her morning star. Dubb struck Mordecai but found that the gnome had cast stoneskin on himself. Will jumped into skirmish and with a dazzling number of strikes killed Mordecai.
Captain Smile offered to tell Admiral Tame that Captain Mercy tried to take their ships, used her gnome illusionist to eliminate the Unseen from the mast of the Risky Venture, and that the Greedy Gull helped defeat Mercy. Smile would trade the Gull for the Capricious and take Mercy’s body and her 10% of the treasure from the island with her as agreed. That way, Isobel and her crew would still be on good terms with Tame and Captain Smile would be a friend. Isobel agreed, paid Smile’s share out of their own funds, then said goodbye to the departing lizardfolk.
An hour later Lillit and Silas arrived at the beach and were met by Minerva with a jolly boat. They got aboard the Venture and placed a skeleton crew aboard the Greedy Gull. They then tried to get as far from the Veiled Isle as possible. A day out the island exploded, sending out a massive tsunami. Silas ordered the ships turned back to face the island and the oncoming wave. Preparing the crew for the impact, they braced for the massive wave. The skill of the crews brought both vessels through the tsunami, losing only three crewmembers off the Greedy Gull.
They sailed on to Senghor to pick up their remaining cannons for their forts and watchtowers to bring them back to the Island of Empty Eyes. They negotiated off the gold and the Greedy Gull while Minerva bought some new sheets for Will as well as some tapestries for the treasure stitching spell. Then they spent the rest of the day getting more materials for the big party in a months’ time before heading back to their island.
They returned on Calistril 18th to discover a group of seven attractive women waiting for them at the dock. Audessa Reyquio was the de facto leader of these former prostitutes from a brothel in Quent. They abandoned their previous employment after suffering one too many abuses under a harsh overseer. They bartered passage on a ship bound for Mediogalti Island, but when they refused the advances of the ship’s crew they were marooned on the Island of Empty Eyes. They were looking for work as entertainers and serving staff instead of their old work. They began negotiations in the Medicinal Mug and Minerva gained some skilled serving staff and entertainers. They also agreed to help with the feast as long as they got good pay and would be treated fairly.
They found that the town had begun to be referred to as Octopus Bay, on account of the giant octopus that had once lived there and the octopus fishery that had been developed as part of Aakin’s investment in the overall fishery. They continued building and strengthening Octopus Bay for the next three weeks, expanding a market and piers, as well as adding an inn—the Pteranadon’s Nest. They sent out invitations for the party, including Silas’s family, Isobel’s family, all the Pirate Lords, Pierce Jerrell, Captain Pegsworthy, Alsindra Devrol, Lady Smithee, and Cut-throat Grok.
Captain Harrigan sent back a rude response instead of Grok, and the Hurricane King and Arronax Endymion politely declined. Fancy Will sent an invite to his family Oppara in as a public manner as possible, thus shaming them in front of the Taldan aristocracy. They learned that the three agents of the Council would be Avimar Sorrinash, Lady Cerise Bloodmourn, and Captain Mase Darimar. Their ships pulled into the bay on the morning of Pharast 11th, as the rest of the guests began to arrive.
Shiver me timbers, Angry Waters, how wonderfully exciting. You gotta love those Richard Pett stories! Excellent, simply excellent. It sounds (and reads) like a blast.
It was great! I loved running my group through it, especially their response to the red dragon and Captain Mercy's betrayal!
Session 51 (part one):
Kroop began work on the meal at dawn, as the first guests began to be brought into the bay. Ederleigh Baines was named Pilot for Octopus Bay, and helped navigate the ships through the shoals into close range of the dock. Silas’ parents arrived around noon, and warmly embraced their son. It was at this time that the rest of the crew discovered that his mother was a Varisian noblewoman from Ustalav and that his stepfather was a human pit fighter from Widowmaker Isle.
After this warm welcome, the Master of the Gales arrived preceding the three pirate lords who would be judging Isobel’s efforts. Isobel, Dahryen, Aakin, Silas, Pielanga, and Will formed the greeting party. Lady Cerise Bloodmourn Stepped onto the dock and bowed with a flourish to Captain Carthagnion. Isobel received her properly, while Fancy Will Tellastrum introduced himself formerly. Avimar Sorrinash greeted them all with grunts and growled phrases like, “Dainty Lass”, “Iron Fist”, etc. Mase Darimar greeted them politely but with little show.
Captain Sorrinash got to the point immediately. He wanted a tour of the island’s defences and fortifications. So they took the tour and Sorrinash asked questions to determine how knowledgeable Isobel and her crew were about defending against raiders. Unimpressed with their knowledge, he asked them to complete a challenge: sink a rowboat dragged behind his vessel, the Blood Moon in less than a minute with the cannons on the Fort.
Silas commanded the crew with Minerva and Lillit joining them and they all worked together to fire the shots and managed to sink the rowboat on the first shot. It impressed Sorrinash enough for him to gift them an impossible bottle for use with their ship. Since this reduces the damage done to a ship it is on, Minerva hugged the werewolf. The startled pirate growled, “I do not like being hugged!” They then proceeded to tour the town and discussed the way they settled the island.
After giving their visitors a tour of their fort, they all retired to the fort’s mess hall to rest and get ready for the feast itself. As they headed towards the hall, a Sargavan pulled into port. Isobel’s father Pellius, stepmother Maercella, and half-brother Encarlo set foot on the pier and greeted Isobel with disdain for the “ramshackle” state of Octopus Bay. She and her son put their noses up as they were escorted up to the fort.
In the hall Lady Cerise Bloodmourn asked Isobel for a round of their best drinks and encouraged them to share a tale of their adventures on the island. To everyone’s shock, Fancy Will stood up and regaled the entire ensemble with a rousing tale of their conquest of the island. Impressed, Lady Bloodmourn challenged her fellow Taldan to a friendly fencing match to test his fighting skills. Will accepted and a space was cleared for the two swordsmen. Lady Bloodmourn moved in and tried to test his reflexes without being able to get past his defences. Will then made a dazzling strike with his rapier on her hand, causing her to drop her sword. Cerise Bloodmourn was very impressed as were the assembled pirates, as Lady Bloodmourn was known as a skilled duelist. She bowed formally to Will and he returned the bow. She gave him a scoundrel’s sword cane as a reward for his skill as a storyteller and swordsman.
As this was happening, one of Audessa’s courtesans came into the hall from the kitchen. She looked rather distraught and tried to summon some of them into the kitchen. Silas, Lillit, Minerva, and Aakin came over and they were informed that a swarm of rats was coming up from the cellar and overwhelming the kitchen. Lillit cast web to pin the rats in place. As the rats struggled to free themselves, Minerva cast calm emotions on the courtesans to quiet their squealing. Aakin suggested sending out the appetizers and as he went out with them, he began a sea shanty and signalled to Dahryen to take up the song. Dahryen got that he needed to make some noise and drew the entire assembly into stomping and shouting to cover the noise in the kitchen.
Aakin then grabbed Will and got him to go into the kitchen to help. As Will entered the first word out of him was, “Ewww!” Will began striking and shish-ka-bobbing rats. Pielanga and Silas joined in, with Silas smashing the rats quickly and effectively using a rat-catching style of combat. They saw a rat making a break for the kitchen door. Minerva hit the swarms of rats with her Morningstar as Aakin moved to the door and stood on guard against escaping rats. Will finished off the rat swarms, causing them to disperse and flee. Pielanga killed the rat making a break for it. Minerva cleaned up the rats while Lillit dismissed the web.
Lillit, Minerva, Pielanga, and Silas investigated the root cellar and found a strange smelling residue on the floor as well as the tunnels the rats used to get in. They cleaned it up and took a sample for later analysis. Lillit then cast wall of stone around the root cellar with a wand to help keep this from happening again.
As the first course was served, Mase Darimar began talking to Isobel and Silas about navigation and their knowledge of the Shackles. He also asked about the alliance with the treants and other dealings with the island. Seeing how impressed he was with their willingness to deal with the natural world and fey, Isobel suggested they take him to meet Sefina on the other side of the bay. Minerva and Lillit took Mase across the bay and introduced the nereid to the half-elf. They only spent a little time there then Minerva cast teleport to return them all in time for the main course. Mase Darimar was so delighted, he gave them a magical conch shell called a horn of the tritons.
Then came the main course. Only a few bites in it became increasingly obvious that something was wrong. Everyone began showing signs of stomach cramps. Minerva was such a good healer she immediately recognized it as alchemical food poisoning. She immediately asked the assembled pirates which one of them tampered with the food. Lillit recognized it as a two part alchemical poison, and Pielanga was upon direction from Minerva and Lillit able to determine that one half was in the food and one half in the rum. Minerva spent the next hour tending to everyone around the hall with her healer’s kits and knowledge to help everyone out. As she did so, some of the aided pirates joked that, “if you come to the Dainty Lass’ table, you better not have a dainty stomach!” Pellius and Maercella were very smug about this, as their dinner parties had never resulted in someone being poisoned. They were not happy overall, though, as Encarlo was thoroughly enjoying himself with the whole event.
Aakin went into the kitchen to interrogate the staff. He cast discern lies and then cast blistering invective, knowing that it would only harm his enemies. None were affected by the spell other than being shocked by what he said, so he knew they were all innocent. The food had been left alone in the hustle and bustle a few times, so an intruder could have snuck in and tampered with it. One courtesan mentioned that she had felt something small pass by her, but she thought it was the wind from an open door.
After treating the ill, Minerva cast purify food and drink on all the food and then she and Pierce Jerrell got the booze from her tavern to placate the rest of the pirate lords. Everyone got back to the meal, but with a little less enthusiasm.
Session 51 (part two):
Aakin soon realized that someone has been scouting out the island and been preparing this plan for some time. Lillit cast divination to determine if another sabotage attempt of the party would happen and got an affirmative result. Silas began using Svengli’s eye to watch over the room while Lillit cast see invisibility to scan the crowd. Every one of the crew kept an eye out for the rest of the feast. Aakin decided to leave the feat and headed to West Tower through Sumitha and checked with the watch there. He put them on alert for an attack as something was happening. But under a new moon, visibility wasn’t great.
As Audessa and her courtesans went about clearing the tables, Sorrinash’s—who had been making advances throughout the meal—got more pronounced in his attentions to Audessa. Sorrinash asked about her background and where she was from. Audessa seemed quite uncomfortable under his attention, but the more she denied his advances, the harder he pursued. Audessa’s repeated refusals soon made Sorrinash unfriendly and belligerent.
Minerva sat down next to him and began to try and dissuade Sorrinash from his actions. Both of them became quite heated and angry, with their discussion quickly descending into a shouting match. Lillit came in and tried to quickly diffuse the situation, successfully getting the werewolf to back down and drink more rum. Minerva just glowered at him, acting very protective of her servants.
Aakin returned from West Tower and got the watch on alert. He then went and asked Isobel for Chauncey, allowing him to perform an aerial patrol. Isobel agreed and Aakin rode Chauncey while he flew over the town of Octopus Bay.
Late in the evening, as the party began to break up, one of Audessa’s young protégés approached Silas, Isobel, and the rest of the crew. He introduced something into Sorrinash’s drink. A beautiful naked woman had approached him while he was throwing out scraps in the back alley and asked him to serve Lord Sorrinash a specially prepared drink. It never even occurred to the man to refuse her. They immediately recognized this as Sefina. Minerva was able to determine that it was an alchemical aphrodisiac.
Minerva sent a bottle of fine rum to Sorrinash as an apology for her behaviour. Then Isobel, Pielanga, Lillit, and Minerva rowed out to see Sefina. When they arrived they found the nereid looking absolutely distraught. She set off a skyrocket firework, which shot into air and exploded in a burst of light and sound high in the sky. She apologized and said that the “tiny man” was making her do these things. Then she moved in to attack.
Lillit noticed that her shawl was missing; since a nereid’s life force is tied to the shawl, anyone who takes the shawl can command her to do whatever they say. Lillit tried to cast a ray of enfeeblement but was unable to hit Sefina. She then asked who the “tiny man” was that was commanding Sefina. Sefina told them how the tiny man had stolen her shawl and commanded her to get a male courtesan to poison the drink of a Lord Avimar Sorrinash. She was to be seen and remembered; that way, the party would come across the bay to see her. When they got there, she was to signal the tiny man with the firework he gave her. She told them that he had apparently been scouting the island for some weeks and had set this all up very carefully. Sefina was to delay them as long as possible before they could go back and interfere.
Will and Silas saw the flare and tried to figure out where to go from there. Aakin and Chauncey headed back to the nearest wall on the Fort. Minerva asked if the tiny man had a name. Sefina said that he referred to himself as the Eel. Lillit remembered talking to one of the old crew from the Wormwood who they called the Eel, a Halfling that left the crew not long after that person had joined. He was an alchemist that enjoyed torturing Harrigan’s victims with shock bombs. He remained cordial with Harrigan even after he left. Minerva cast sending and told Silas about the situation. Silas responded that he and Will would see if they could find the Eel and Sefina’s shawl. Isobel cast haste as they tried to take Sefina down without killing her. Lillit cast a daze spell to no effect and then she flew up into the air twenty feet.
Will and Silas began their search, as Aakin got off Chauncey and sent him back towards Isobel. Aakin then raised the alarm and put the Fort on lockdown as he ran back to West Tower through the teleports. Pielanga and Minerva flanked Sefina and tried to take her down with non-lethal strikes. Will thought he heard a splash of some sort down by the dock, so Silas and Will travelled down there to see if they could find anything.
Every spell used by Lillit continued to fail, but Pielanga began successfully striking with her sap. So Lillit cast greater invisibility on herself. Chauncey communicated to Isobel through their link that he was free, so Isobel dismissed him and then summoned him again with a spell at Sefina’s grotto. Chauncey promptly hammered Sefina with his strikes, trying hard not to do any real damage.
Will and Silas reached the pier, but couldn’t see anything wrong. It was quiet; too quiet. Using Svengli’s eye, Silas determined that the Wave Rider, the ship Isobel’s parents came on, had a magic masthead which was surveying the surroundings. Will and Silas jumped in and began swimming towards that ship. Silas noticed a small disturbance in the water next to the Blood Moon. He immediately changed his direction towards the ship.
Sefina summoned a water elemental, but Lillit blew thehorn of the tritons to dismiss it. Finally Pielanga and Chauncey took Sefina down. Minerva talked to the nereid and got that the Eel was planting bombs on the ships of the Pirate Lords. They left her and Isobel cast teleport to get them back to the deck of the Risky Venture.
Silas got up onto the deck of the Blood Moon where he found some wet footprints on the deck. Will shifted direction to follow him. However the alarms from the fort had set the watches for the ships on alert and they spotted Silas getting onto the deck. He shouted a warning and the crew of the Blood Moon came up on deck to grab Silas. Silas said they had an intruder on board and they responded that they were looking at him. Silas pointed out just how displeased Sorrinash would be with them if they rejected help that was freely offered. The crew backed down and allowed Silas and the newly arrived Will to follow the tracks.
Chauncey and Pielanga began searching the other ships for any sign of the Eel. Minerva and Lillit moved to the Come What May and began looking for signs of the Eel on the deck. The crew held them while getting Lady Bloodmourn. As Aakin finished reporting with West Tower and he started back, he made it back to the teleport circle below the fort and realised that there was disturbed dust leading down towards the sunken amphitheatre next to the teleport chamber. He went back to Sumitha and determined that someone had indeed scouted out the teleporters. He headed back and then descended down the stairs into the amphitheatre. There he found an alchemist’s lab. So he hid himself behind a column and waited in case the saboteur retreated there.
Chauncey, Pielanga, and Isobel began inspecting the Wavecrest, and the hunt was on. Avimar went up to the deck of the Blood Moon and Silas informed him of the bomb on his ship. Sorrinash turned into a wolf-man and followed the tracks by scent. Pielanga and Chauncey detected something invisible had come aboard the Wavecrest, and began moving to deal with it. Minerva and Lillit explained the situation to Lady Bloodmourn, and she prepared her ship for boarders.
Isobel cast glitterdust and located the Eel, and then attempted to shoot the Halfling; but his shape was odd and he seemed to pour off the deck and began swimming at great speed towards the shore. Chauncey and Pielanga jumped in the water in pursuit, but they were having some difficulty following the Eel. Minerva cast a smite evil on the area where the Eel approximately was and hurt the alchemist. Will, Sorrinash, and Silas made it down below the deck and found the bomb affixed to the side of the hull with a tanglefoot bag with a timer. It was tricky to remove, so Will ran up on deck and called to Pielanga for help. Pielanga joined them as Will jumped in and swam to shore in pursuit of the Eel.
As Isobel, Chauncey, Will, Lillit, and Minerva reached the shore, they made an approximate guess as to where the glowing Eel was headed. He seemed to pass into a crack in the shoreline. Lillit went in and determined that it was most likely one of the cracks that seeped into the sunken amphitheatre below the Fort. Lillit flew towards the tower as fast as she could. They immediately grouped up and teleported into the amphitheatre. As they did so, the Eel emerged into the amphitheatre swearing under his breath. He moved to destroy the shawl. The party moved to the attack as Aakin stealthily moved into position to get a clear shot.
Chauncey and Will flanked the Eel and began slashing into him as Minerva cast another holy smite on the Eel. Will, Chauncey, and Aakin tore into him, but the Eel took an extract that caused him to detonate, damaging the crew. Minerva hit him with a searing light followed by some solid arrow hits from Aakin. Lillit arrived as Will finally took the annoying alchemist down. Minerva picked up Sefina’s shawl so they could return it to her. On the Blood Moon after a few tense moments, Pielanga successfully detached the bomb and tossed it over the side. With the danger over, congratulations were passed around and everyone returned to their bunks.
The next morning the Pirate Lords expressed their admiration for their skills, fortifications, and how they handled the Eel. As such, they were going to support Captain Isobel Carthagnion as a full voting member of the Pirates Council. They saluted her and sailed out of the harbour.
Second Verse
Some men have died
and some are alive
and others sail on the sea
– with the keys to the cage
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler's Green!
Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.
Lyrics by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
They finished up Island of Empty Eyes in that last session and levelled up! So here are the crew’s 11th level stats:
Captain Isobel Imperia Novennia Charthagnion
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) summoner 11
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor {mage armour}, +2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 85 (11d8+11)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +8
Defensive Abilities Shield ally (+2 AC/Saves when within reach of eidolon)
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +8/+3 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged pepperbox +10/+5 (1d8/x4)
Spells (CL 11th; concentration +17)
0-level (at will)—detect magic, guidance, mage hand, message, read magic, resistance
1st-level (7/day)—enlarge person (DC 17), grease (DC 18), mage armor, shield, unfetter (DC 17), unseen servant
2nd-level (6/day)—bull’s strength, glitterdust (DC 19), haste,lesser evolution surge (DC 18), summon eidolon
3rd-level (5/day)—black tentacles, dimension door, evolution surge (DC 19), greater invisibility
4th-level (3/day)—greater evolution surge (DC 20), teleport, wall of stone
Spell-like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +17)
9/day—summon monster VI
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 22, Wis 10, Cha 22
Base Atk +8; CMB +7; CMD 18
Feats Augment Summoning, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Extra Evolution, Great Captain, Leadership, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Toughness
Flaws Nonathletic
Traits Merchant, River Rat, The Governor’s Child, World Traveler (Sense Motive)
Drawback Maimouphobia
Skills Appraise +20 (+21 when bargaining), Bluff +17, Climb –3, Diplomacy +21, Disguise +6, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Knowledge (geography) +20, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (nobles) +10, Profession (sailor) +14, Ride +16, Sense Motive +15 (+16 when bargaining), Spellcraft +20, Swim +12, Use Magic Device +20
Languages Aquan, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Halfling, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ bond senses (11 rnds/day), eidolon link, life link, maker’s call (1/day), share spells with eidolon, shield ally, transposition
Gear amulet of natural armor +1, boots of the cat, cloak of resistance +1, headband of mental prowess +2 (Int, Cha), potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork dagger, 2 pistols, 10 bullets and powder, scroll of mage armor, wand of mage armor, spell component pouch, tricorne hat, 32 pp, 2gp, 5 cp
This large blue-black lizard’s head is the size of a dog with a glowing rune on its forehead and wings on it’s back. It has a very short rounded snout and it’s big eyes make it almost nauseatingly cute.
Chauncey
N Large Outsider
Init +7; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
----- Defense -----
AC 28, touch 12, flat-footed 25 (+3 Dex, +16 natural, -1 size)
hp 100 (9d10+36)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +3
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. Enchantment Spells and Effects, evasion
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +16 (2d6+8), bite +16 (3d6+8), and 2 wing buffets +14 (1d6+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks pounce (full attack after charge)
rend (claws 2d6+12)
----- Statistics -----
Str 26, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +9; CMB +18; CMD 31 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (claw), MultiattackB, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+13 to jump), Climb +8, Fly +13, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (planes) +11, Perception +12, Swim +20
Languages Common
SQ evolutions (bite, claws, flight (wings), improved natural attack (bite), improved natural attack (claws), improved natural armor, large size, limbs (x2), mount, pounce, wing buffet)
Pielanga, Captain’s Steward
Female half-elf (shoreborn) rogue (spy) 9
CN medium humanoid (human, elf)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +15 (+19 on overhearing conversations, traps, and secret doors)
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 44 (9d8)
Fort +4, Ref +11, Will +3
Special Defences +2 vs. Enchantments
Defensive Abilities evasion, improved uncanny dodge; Immune sleep
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee brine’s sting +11/+6 (1d6+5/18-20)
or +1 sap +11/+6 (1d6+2/Nonlethal)
Ranged mwk dagger +11/+6 (1d4+1/19-20)
Special Attacks Sneak attack (+5d6)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +10)
At will—prestidigitation
----- Statistics -----
Str 13, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 22
Feats A Life at Sea (Razor Coast) (Profession [sailor], Perception), Acrobatic, Dodge, Pass for Human, Sea Legs, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +20, Bluff +13, Climb +15, Diplomacy +13, Disable Device +18, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +16, Knowledge (local) +15, Perception +15, Profession (sailor) +13, Sense Motive +11, Sleight of Hand +16, Stealth +21, Swim +19
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Canny observer, debilitating injury: bewildered, debilitating injury: disoriented, debilitating injury: hampered, elf blood, elven immunities, evasion, honeyed words (2/day), keen senses, low-light vision, minor magic (prestidigitation), poison use, skilled liar, uncanny dodge, water child
Gear +1 shadow studded leather armor, brine’s sting, +1 sap, belt of incredible dexterity +2, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork daggers (3), alchemist’s kindness (x5), arsenic (x5), masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, bloodroot (x1), blue whinnis (x1), flint & steel, heatstone (x2), hip flask, mess kit, mirror, poison pill ring, silk rope, masterwork thieves tools
.
First Mate Dahryen Moon
Male human (Kellid) bard (buccaneer) 11
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +14
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 88 (11d8+11+3)
Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +7
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. bardic performance, sonic, and language based attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +3 keen boarding pike of repelling +17/+12 (1d8+8/19-20/x3)
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +15/+10/+15 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)/1d6+7 (x2))
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +16/+11 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)) and osiriani short sword +11 (1d6+3/19-20)
or longsword +11/+6 (1d8+3/19-20)
or osiriani short sword +11/+6 (1d6+3/19-20)
Special Attacks Hilt bash, knock out (+3 bonus to hit, +11 nonlethal damage)(2/day), song of surrender (DC 16)
Spells (CL 11th; concentration +14 (18 defensively or in a grapple)
0-level (at will)—dancing lights (DC 13), daze (DC 13), ghost sound (DC 13), mending, prestidigitation, read magic
1st-level (6/day)—cause fear (DC 14), feather fall (DC 14), grease (DC 14), hideous laughter (DC 14), identify, silent image (DC 14)
2nd-level (5/day)—cacophonous call (DC 15), glitterdust (DC 15), invisibility, mirror image, silence (DC 15)
3rd-level (5/day)—charm monster (DC 16), confusion (DC 16), haste, slow (DC 16)
4th-level (2/day)—dominate person (DC 17), freedom of movement, zone of silence
----- Statistics -----
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 24
Feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Dazzling Display (boarding pike), Double Slice, Intimidating Prowess, Quarterstaff Master, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (boarding pike)
Flaw Spell Futility
Skills[/b Acrobatics +18, Appraise +6, Bluff +17, Climb +13 (11 instead of -5 penalty when using the Climb skill to attempt an accelerated climb), Diplomacy +17, Disguise +10, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +10, Linguistics +5, Perception +14, Perform (comedy) +17, Perform (oratory) +17, Perform (percussion instruments) +13, Perform (sing) +17, Profession (sailor) +7, Sense Motive +17, Sleight of Hand +11, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +11, Swim +8, Use Magic Device +10
[b]Traits Acrobat, Buccaneer’s Blood, Osirion Staff Fighter, Reactionary
Drawback Hedonistic
Languages Common, Hallit, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Bardic Performance (27 rnds/day, move action), countersong, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate (2 targets, DC 18), inspire competence +4, inspire courage +3, inspire greatness (1 ally), song of surrender (DC 16), versatile performance (comedy, oratory, singing), well versed
Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, +3 keen boarding pike of repelling, longsword, osiriani short sword (appears similar to a khopesh, but no special abilities), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, explorer’s outfit, fine spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, pepper, allspice, basil, rosemary), flint and steel, grappling hook, rope, soap, waterskin, 6 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
.
Minerva Wood, Ship’s Surgeon/Carpenter
Female human (Chelaxian) cleric of Cayden Cailean 11
NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +4
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +1 Dex)
hp 81 (11d8+22)
Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +12
Defensive Abilities +2 vs. Charm, Compulsion, and Emotion Effects; +2 Trait bonus vs. mind-affecting effects for 1 hour after drinking alcohol
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +11/+6 (1d6+3/18-20) or
+1 morningstar +11/+6 (1d8+3)
Ranged pistol +9 (1d8/X4) MF 1
Special Attacks Channel positive energy (6d6)(4/day) (DC 16)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +15)
7/day—rebuke death
Spells (CL 11th; concentration +15)
0-level—animate tools, light, mending, stabilize
1st-level—air bubble, bless water, command, cure light woundsD, enhance water, remove fear
2nd-level—consecrate, cure moderate woundsD, drunkard’s breath (DC 16), sound burst (DC 16), spear of purity (DC 16), spiritual weapon
3rd-level—cure serious woundsD, cure moderate wounds, reach, prayer, searing light, speak with dead (DC 17), water breathing
4th-level—cure critical wounds, dimension doorD, freedom of movement, holy smite (DC 18), ride the waves (DC 18)
5th-level—breath of life (DC 19), righteous might, teleportD
6th-level—heal (DC 20)D, word of recall
Domains: Healing, Travel
----- Statistics -----
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 23
Feats Drunken Brawler, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Lightning Reflexes, Reach Spell, Self-sufficient, Siphon Poison, Turn Undead (DC 16)
Flaw Choke Under Pressure
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+5 Jump), Appraise +1, Bluff -1, Climb +2, Craft (alchemy) +6, Craft (carpentry) +18, Craft (ships) +15, Craft (siege engines) +13, Craft (stonemasonry) +4, Diplomacy +1, Heal +25, Intimidate +1, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +16, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +5, Survival +13, Swim +9, Use Magic Device +2
Traits Anatomist, Fortified Drinker, Principled, Ship's Surgeon
Drawback Doubt
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ Agile Feet (7/day) (Su), aura (good), dimensional hop (18 5ft. inc./day), healer’s blessing
Gear +1 studded leather armor, ring of protection +2 , +1 morningstar, +1 rapier, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork artisan's tools (Craft [carpentry]), artisan's tools (Craft [ships]), artisan's tools (Craft [siege engines]), backpack, belt pouch, flint and steel, healer's kit, hip flask, holy symbol—wooden (Cayden Cailean), holy water, signal whistle, silk rope, 13 gp, 2 sp
.
William Eudonius “Fancy Will” Telastrum III, Boatswain
Male human (Taldan) swashbuckler 11
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception –1 (+4 when using scoundrel’s sword cane)
----- Defense -----
AC 28, touch 20, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +4 dodge, +1 natural, +1 shield)
hp 105 (11d10+22+9)
Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +2
Defensive Abilities +1 shield bonus to AC when fighting with two weapons
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee rapier of battlefield movement +21/+16/+11 (1d6+10+11/15-20)
or mwk dagger +18/+13/+8 (1d4+3+11/17-20)
or rapier of battlefield movement +19/+14/+9 (1d6+10/15-20) and mwk dagger +16 (1d4+2/17-20)
or estoc +1 +18/+13/+8 (2d4+4+11/15-20)
or scoundrel’s sword cane +19/+14/+9 (1d6+5+11/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +16 (1d4+1+11/17-20)
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 22
Base Atk +11; CMB +12; CMD 32
Feats Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display (rapier), Dodge, Fencing Grace, Greater Weapon Focus (rapier), Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier)
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +23 (+27 to move through a threatened square or enemy's space), Bluff +4, Climb +15, Craft (basket weaving) +7, Diplomacy +6, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +18, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (nobility) +14, Perception –1, Profession (sailor) +13, Sense Motive –1, Stealth +2, Swim +12
Traits Fencer, Rich Parents, Touched by the Sea
Languages Common
SQ Bleeding wound, charmed life (5/day), derring-do, dodging panache, evasion, evasive, kip up, menacing swordplay, nimble +3, opportune parry and riposte, panache (5 points/day), subtle blade, superior feint, swashbuckler finesse, swashbuckler’s grace, swashbuckler initiative, swashbuckler weapon training +2, targeted strike, uncanny dodge
Gear +2 mithral chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of elvenkind, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +2, rapier of battlefield movement, +1 estoc, belt of tumbling, scoundrel’s sword cane, masterwork dagger, potion of cure light wounds, 2x potion of cure moderate wounds, courtier’s outfit with jewelry (50 gp), manticore chopsticks, silk scarf, tengu feathers, 2x belt pouch, hip flask, 317 gp.
.
Silas “Iron Fist” Rand, Ship Master and Master-of-Arms
Male half-orc brawler 11
CG medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses Perception +19
----- Defense -----
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +3 dodge, +2 Dex)
hp 114 (11d10+33)
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +6
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +17/+12/+7 (1d10+7/19-20)
or brawler’s fury +15/+15/+10/+10/+5 (1d10+7/19-20)
or +1 short sword +18/+13/+8 (1d6+7/19-20)
or dan bong +17/+12/+7 (1d8+6/19-20)
Special Attacks Jabbing Style (+1d6 on 2 sequential strikes, +2d6 on 3), Knockout (2/day, DC 21)
----- Statistics -----
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +11; CMB +17 (+18 Dirty Trick, +23 Grapple); CMD 33 (34 Dirty Trick, 37 Grapple)
Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Enforcer, Greater Grapple, Improved Critical (unarmed strike), Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Jabbing Style, Power Attack, Toughness, Vital Strike
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +16, Appraise +5, Bluff –3, Climb +20, Diplomacy +7, Disguise –3, Escape Artist +10, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +13, Knowledge (engineering) +8, Knowledge (geography) +13, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (nature) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Linguistics +10, Perception +19, Perform (oratory) +11, Profession (sailor) +15, Profession (siege engineer) +11, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +0, Survival +1, Swim +20
Traits Bare-knuckle Fighter, Bruising Intellect, Ease of Faith, Skilled Crewman (Knowledge (geography))
Drawback Attached (Belt Buckle with Family Crest & Symbol of Desna)
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Ghol-gan, Giant, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Sahaugin, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Bull rush training, brawler strike (magic, cold iron, & silver), dirty trick training, grapple training, martial flexibility (8/day, free action), martial training
Gear Mithral chain shirt +2, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +4, cackling hag’s blouse, cloak of resistance +2, potion of cure moderate wounds, ring of protection +2, +1 short sword, shackles of compliance, Svingli’s eye, dan bong, rope gauntlet, tekko-kagi, tonfa, charts of the fair winds, headband of vast intelligence +2, bedroll, belt buckle with crest, belt pouch, compass, crowbar, false manacles, dice, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (geography)), tanglefoot bag, waterproof bag, 100 pp, 212 gp, 4 sp
.
Aakin, Cook’s Mate and Ship Mascot
CN Medium Male Tengu Inquisitor 11
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +17
----- Defense -----
AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +4 shield)
hp 62 (11d8)
Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +13
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee tidewater cutlass +11/+6 (1d6+3/18-20) &
bite +5 (1d3) or
bite +10 (1d3+2) or
+1 short sword +11/+6 (1d6+3/19-20)
Ranged +1 composite longbow (Str +1) +17/+12 (1d8+3/x3) or
+1 composite longbow (Str +1) +15/+15/+10 (1d8+3/x3)
Spells (CL 11th; concentration +15)
0-level (at will)—brand, create water, detect magic, disrupt undead, guidance, light
1st-level (6/day)—alarm, cure light wounds, divine favor, interrogation (DC 16), peacebond (DC 16), sanctuary (DC 16)
2nd-level (5/day)—blistering invective (DC 17), cure moderate wounds, honeyed tongue, hunter’s lore, tongues
3rd-level (5/day)—burst of speed, cure serious wounds, righteous vigor (DC 18), witness (DC 18)
4th-level (3/day)—cure critical wounds, greater invisibility, litany of sight
Spell-like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +15)
At will—detect chaos/good/evil/law;
11 rnds/day—discern lies;
1/day—hydraulic push
Inquisitor Domain Conversion Inquisition
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 25
Feats AlertnessPQP, Clustered Shots, Coordinated ShotB, Covering FireB, Deceitful, Focused Shot (+2), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Target of OpportunityB, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Flaws Slow Runner
Traits Besmara’s Blessing, Cheat Death, Hurricane Savvy, Zealous Striker
Drawback Headstrong
Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff +22, Climb +10, Diplomacy +18, Disguise +18, Heal +8, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +14, Linguistics +13, Perception +17, Profession (cook) +11, Profession (sailor) +21, Sense Motive +28, Stealth +20, Survival +10, Swim +10
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Elven, Ghol-gan, Giant, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Protean, Sahaugin, Skald, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Bane (11 rnds/day), cunning initiative; detect alignment; judgement (4/day); judgement of Sacred Destruction +4, judgement of Sacred Healing 4, judgement of Sacred Justice +3, judgement of Sacred Piercing +4, judgement of Sacred Purity +3, judgement of Sacred Protection +3, judgement of Sacred Resiliency 3, judgement of resistance 8, judgement of Sacred Smiting (Chaos, Magic, Adamantine); monster lore +4; second judgement; solo tactics; stalwart; stern gaze +5; swaying word (1/day, DC 19); teamwork feat; track +5
Gear Pirate Queen’s Pearl with a dark blue rhomboid ioun stone, a cracked magenta prism ioun stone, and an iridescent spindle ioun stone, mwk studded leather, +1 composite longbow (+1 Str), +1 short sword, tidewater cutlass, arrows (20), 3 daggers, belt of incredible dexterity +2, besmara's tricorne, boots of elvenkind, bracers of archery, lesser, cloak of resistance +2, hat of disguise, ring of protection +1, 5 ft. pieces of rope (5), backpack, box of fishing tackle, candle, canteen, cutting board—wooden, fishing pole—simple, flint and steel, knife—cutting, ladle, mess kit, pot, seasonings—local, skewer, skillet,
.
Lillit
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) witch 11
Init +0; Senses Perception +7
----- Defense -----
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +1 deflection, +2 natural)
hp 62 (11d6+11+11)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +11
Defensive Abilities DR 1/— vs. electrical creatures and attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +5 (1d4–1/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +5 (1d4–1/19-20)
Spells (CL 11th; concentration +18)
0-level (at will)—daze (DC 17), light, message, read magic
1st-level—burning hands (DC 18), cause fear (DC 18), detect secret doors, hypnotism (DC 18), mage armor, unseen servant
2nd-level—aggressive thundercloud (DC 19), burning gaze (DC 19), carry companion, detect thoughts (DC 19), gust of wind (DC 19), share memory (DC 19)
3rd-level—bestow curse (DC 20), burning monkey swarm (DC 20), lightning bolt (DC 20), ray of exhaustion (DC 20), silver darts (DC 20), storm step (DC 20)
4th-level—divination, ice storm, mass daze (DC 21), threefold aspect
5th-level—break enchantment, cloudkill (DC 22), mass pain strike (DC 22)
6th-level—cone of cold (DC 23), swarm skin
Patron Spirits
Spell-like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +18)
At will—charm +2 (DC 22), feather fall, feral speech, healing hex (2d8+10 1/day per creature healed), know direction, major healing (3d8+11 1/day per creature healed)
1/day—levitate, weather control
11 minutes/day—fly, tongues
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 24, Wis 12, Cha 18
Base Atk +5; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Alertness B, Amateur Investigator, Evolved Familiar, Extra Hex (x3), Fast Learner, Improvisation, Persuasive
Flaws One Arm
Traits Ancient Explorer (Knowledge (local)), Shackles Seafarer, Storm-Touched, Worldly
Drawback Superstitious
Skills Acrobatics +5, Appraise +9, Bluff +9, Craft (alchemy) +9, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +2, Disguise +9, Escape Artist +2, Fly +14, Handle Animal +9, Heal +14, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (history) +22, Knowledge (local) +22, Knowledge (nature) +21, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Knowledge (planes) +15, Knowledge (religion) +9, Linguistics +9, Perception +7, Perform (sing) +9, Profession (sailor) +15, Ride +2, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +2, Survival +11 (+13 to avoid becoming lost when using a Mapmaker's Kit as you travel), Swim +18, Use Magic Device +19
Languages Common, Abyssal, Aquan, Celestial, Cyclops, Infernal, Polyglot, Sahuagin, Tengu
SQ charm hex, deliver touch spells through familiar, empathic link, feral speech, flight hex, healing hex, hexes, inspiration pool (7/day), major healing hex, sea creature empathy (+15), share spells with familiar, speak with familiar, speak with simians, superstitious (50% chance of rolling a save vs. harmless spells), tongues hex, water lung hex, weather control hex
Gear headband of vast intelligence +2, circlet of persuasion, cloak of resistance +3, wand of cure moderate wounds (13 charges), wand of magic missiles (24 charges), amulet of natural armor +2, bracers of armor +2, immovable rod, ring of protection +1, masterwork dagger, horn of the tritons, masterwork backpack, belt pouch, everburning torch, pot of black ink, ink pen, journal, mapmaker’s kit, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (nature)), spell component pouch, thieves tools, waterskin, 6 pp, 17 gp, 8 sp
Jib-Jub
N Tiny Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +8
----- Defense -----
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +6 Natural, +2 size)
hp 31
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +8
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d3–4)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +14, Fly +20, Heal +11, Intimidate +8, Perception +8, Profession (sailor) +12, Spellcraft +11, Survival +11, Stealth +11, Swim +16, Use Magic Device +6
SQ Amphibious, gills, improved evasion
Session 52:
The crew talked about what to do with Isobel’s family, as they had a device that was somehow spying on the island attached to the ship they came on. As they did so, they talked about possibly taking Encarlo from Isobel’s parents and training him in fencing as an excuse to hold them longer. Will took this as a good suggestion and swam out to the Wave Rider on his own. When they enquired about getting a pilot to be able to leave, Will said he was just there for the boy. He then began trying to get Encarlo and leave with no other explanation.
Needless to say, this did not go over well with Pellius and Maercella. They immediately demanded that Captain Michaels throw Will from the ship. The crew grabbed him and threw him overboard. But as he flew over the railing, Will grabbed a rope and swung back onto the railing. They then began trying to knock him over the side using boarding pikes, but Fancy Will just sidestepped them all with effortless ease while calling out for Encarlo.
The stunned crew of the Risky Venture decided to use Will’s “distraction” to take the opportunity to study the masthead of the Wave Rider with magic to determine what it was. They found it was carved like a smiling dolphin and was creating illusions of what the mast could perceive through true sight. It was then sending the images of the bay back to someone in some unknown location through a sending spell.
Realizing that the crew and passengers of the Wave Rider had been caught spying, Aakin rowed over to the Wave Rider to arrest the captain and Isobel’s parents. There he found Will explaining that all he was trying to do was train Encarlo to be a good combatant and skilled pilot, while the crew fell over themselves trying to knock him off the ship. Maercella was practically hysterical, Pellius was in shock, and Captain Michaels was edging towards his cabin door to try and get out of it all together.
Aakin approached Captain Michaels, who immediately demanded to know how the Tengu got on board. Aakin introduced himself and asked for how to get the attention of the crew. The captain told him to ring the ship’s bell, which Aakin then did. The crew and Will stopped what they were doing and listened to Aakin as he stated that the family and the captain were summoned to the keep by Captain Isobel Carthagnion.
Will and Aakin escorted Pellius, Maercella, Encarlo, and Captain Michaels up to the keep of Octopus Bay. Pellius demanded to know what was going on. When confronted with the magical masthead, Captain Michaels and Pellius were shocked. They apparently had no idea about the spying device. Maercella seemed rather uncomfortable about it. When pressed, she admitted that her family—prominent members of the Rivermen’s Guild in Port Freedom—were interested in finding out everything they could about Octopus Bay and the Island of Empty Eyes. Smuggling while avoiding the Shackles pirates and the Hurricane King’s tribute could be very lucrative. With information about the very strategically placed island in hand, they could have either made an agreement with Isobel or set up a smuggling ring on their own.
There was then some debate as to what to do with them now that they had been found out. They also discussed the possibility of maybe agreeing to a deal with the Rivermen’s Guild. They decided on demanding a ransom of 1000 gp plus piloting fees to let them go. They also smashed the magical masthead. If the Rivermen’s Guild was going to make a deal, they would have to do so in a more respectful manner.
With that dealt with, Lillit cast speak with dead on the Eel to find out more about the sabotage attempt. They found out that Captain Barnabas Harrigan was the one who hired the Eel for the job. They didn’t get any more relevant information, but did with the last question determine that he had not been paid in advance and was not meeting Harrigan again. They decided to keep the corpse around for another week so they could ask more questions.
With her alcohol supply running low after the feast, Minerva organized a shopping expedition to Port Peril to pick up new supplies. She, Lillit, Isobel, and Pielanga teleported to Port Peril to sell off the Eel’s magic armor and made some purchases. They used a handy haversack they picked up from the Eel as a shopping bag. They also asked around to see if they could determine Harrigan’s whereabouts as well as improving their infamy with a well-placed tale by Lillit.
There was a lot of talk about Isobel’s feast and the success and failures thereof. The running joke appeared to be, “If the Dainty Lass invites you to her table, you better not have a dainty stomach!” usually followed by raucous laughter. They also determined that Harrigan has a base on Gannet Island just to the northwest of Shark Island, with a fort with cannons covering all the approaches.
They returned to Octopus Bay, and rested up for the next five days. On the 17th of Pharast, the summons arrived from Port Peril for the Pirate’s Council. They set sail for the capital and took the body of the Eel along so they could ask him more questions en route. They found out that he was going to be paid with a ship from Port Peril to the Isle of Kortos in the Inner Sea when he was done. He would have gone to Port Peril and meet up with an agent of Harrigan’s by the name of Samal Garrett. In return for telling Garrett his real name (Myskur Marquardt) and looking as Harrigan described him to Garrett, the Eel would be given his ship. Upon hearing this, they decided to come up with a plan to steal the ship the Eel was promised.
The crew arrived in Port Peril and proceeded up to Fort Hazard on Pharast 20th.
The Pirate Council met in a large chamber located in Fort Hazard itself. The Hurricane King sat at the head of a long table in an ostentatious chair while 30 smaller, less extravagant but still rather comfortable chairs are positioned around the table (15 to a side). No one sat at the far end of the table, where a second enormous chair sat—this chair was reserved for Besmara herself, should she ever decide to attend.
The Lords attending were Isobel, Tessa Fairwind, Arronax Endymion, the Master of the Gales, Avimar Sorrinash, Cerise Bloodmourn, Mase Darimar, Delemona Burie (a female human from Lilywhite), Hardluck Massey (a male human from Pex), Jolis Raffles (a male halfling from Slipcove), and Wide Olga (female human from Oyster Cay). Hurricane King Kerdak Bonefist sat at the head of the table. By his side was a ravishingly beautiful woman with raven black hair named Hyapatia, the King’s consort. Various hangers on, including Isobel’s crew, were relegated to smaller tables to the sides. Their views could be expressed, but wouldn’t necessarily be heeded. Only those sitting at the Lords’ table could vote.
The council meeting began with a discussion on increasing shares for the Island of Empty Eyes from the Sargavan tribute to full value instead of the traditional one quarter share for a new lord. Tessa presented this idea, but Bonefist opposed; he felt they should go through the same multiyear proving period as other new pirate lords in order to earn a full share. Silas pointed how they had managed to capture and hold so much within a single year, that that proved them worthy, and he defied anyone to say differently. The Dainty Lass argued how her skills were proven capable and that she was certain that she had met a standard that most people couldn’t accomplish in five years let alone one.
Fancy Will pointed out that Tessa had proposed this and did anyone doubt her perception or brilliance? This was met with some derision as everyone knew Will was besotted with Tessa. Aakin spoke up and retold the tales of their adventures with a great deal of embellishment—including many krakens defeated. It all worked, and the vote went eight to four in favour of the full share, and so it passed giving Isobel 12,000 gp.
Cerise Bloodmourn brought up the next point on the agenda. She proposed to have a large amount of the funds that would normally go to the improvement and port defense of Port Peril, as well as upgrading the Shackles’ fleet, go toward the creation of towering statues in all of the Shackles’ major ports in honor of the Hurricane King. Kerdak Bonefist smiled at her lavished praise, but the rest of the table looked uncomfortable and remained quiet. All that is except for the Master of the Gales, who called the whole project a ridiculous waste of money and effort.
Minerva proposed that they could do both: hide cannons in the eyes of the statues. That got a good laugh, but little else. Aakin pointed out what a continual drain on funds just to keep the statues in good shape. This got Tessa off the fence and sided against the statues. Will pointed out how many weaknesses in all the ships he had seen coming in to harbour. Avimar agreed that improving ships and training would be worth more than statues. Isobel suggested maybe one statue in Port Peril, as he had been ruler longer than anyone before him, but not for every major port. Her influence and diplomacy bolstered the resolve for Arronax, Mase, and Delemona. The vote went seven to five against the statues, with a small concession of one modest statue in Port Peril. Bonefist was displeased.
The food and rum was served—with many detect poisons being cast and a few jokes about “maybe it’s from the Dainty Lass’ table” “Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!” They moved on to the next item on the agenda: a declaration of Rights of Salvage for Ollo in regards to the Isle of the Black Tower and the magical sword Aiger’s Kiss that was said to be lost inside. Avimar wanted a guarantee that if anyone plundered the island he would be guaranteed a 20% take of any treasure hauled off as his was the closet port. He was opposed by Jolis Raffles simply for the reason that he had wanted similar rights granted to him at the last meeting for an island near Slipcove and was denied.
Here Silas came up with an idea which he passed on to Isobel, who played it subtly. Isobel and Silas spoke out in favour of granting Avimar the salvage rights, but actually deliberately used poor arguments (“this is how things are done in Sargava and Cheliax”) and faulty logic to cause a shift in votes against the Rights of Salvage. She then sold her vote for the salvage rights for an exemption for the Risky Venture and her crew. Avimar agreed, and the vote came in six to six with Bonefist siding with Avimar so making it squeak by. Jolis was pissed but was glad that Avimar didn’t have complete control of salvage.
Next up was Hardluck Massey stepping up to ask for the council to declare Scags Rotgram—former first mate of the Wormwood—and his ship the Devilish Duchess as outlaw for unsanctioned raiding of Sargavan ships. Bonefist asked how much Harrigan was paying for this with Massey mumbling that there might have been a “gratuity” involved. Bonefist regarded this an example of Harrigan’s increasingly poor attitude and not worthy of the council’s time. Isobel pointed out that there was some evidenced of Harrigan’s involvement with the sabotage at her Pirate’s Feast and brought over another vote to the side opposed and the vote came up eight to four against. So no bounty was placed on Scags Rotgram’s head.
Tessa then stepped up and presented her evidence of a Chelish conspiracy and a possible invasion. She gave all of the facts that she and the crew of the Risky Venture had compiled over the last year, including the disrupted spy ring that they had finished off. Arronax Endymion immediately became very vocal in his support for more funding and support for further Chelish investigations. Some thought that Endymion was a bit too quick to push for an increase in the funding and support for finding a Chelish spy, prompting several pirates to wryly observe, “Well, ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black!” and “Don’t they call Hell Harbor ‘Little Cheliax’?” These comments put Arronax into a sullen and foul mood.
Bonefist was dismissive. He pointed out that every single fleet that Cheliax sent to crush the Shackles had been so damaged by the Eye of Abendego that they were easily crushed. “Her Infernal Majestrix can sit on her throne and break wind to the ends of time coming up with plans and they won’t take us!” He concluded that it was a waste of time and the pirates shouldn’t bother with any more of this. Minerva suggested that maybe they had managed to get someone on the inside. Bonefist glared at her and a number of pirates grumbled under their breath.
The votes were split between Tessa Fairwind, Isobel Carthagnion, Arronax Endymion, Delemona Burie, and the Master of the Gale for further funding and Kerdak Bonefist, Avimar Sorrinash, Cerise Bloodmourn, Hardluck Massey, Jolis Raffles, Mase Darimar, and Wide Olga opposed at the start of the discussion. Aakin considered possibly suggesting Isobel vote against the motion as a possible way of drawing out the conspiracy by getting them to relax and maybe get sloppy.
Aakin decided to support Tessa and argued for increased funding. Silas managed to pull over Avimar Sorrinash to the funding side while Isobel persuaded Mase Darimar to vote for the extra investigations. The final vote was seven to five in favour of continuing the investigations into Chelish activity. At this Kerdak Bonefist’s patience for bureaucracy wore out. Annoyed at having lost three out of five of the debated topics—and especially irritated at the last—Bonefist called the meeting to a close, citing a desire to visit his lovely consort for some “comfort in arms.” There were still over half a dozen items left to discuss, but it didn’t matter. Feeling the effects of the food and grog the other pirates were mostly eager to comply and headed back to their ships to return home.
When Isobel and her crew got back to the Risky Venture, they found a silver raven statue with a note in Isobel’s cabin. Tessa sent them a message with a warning that Barnabas Harrigan was amassing a fleet to try and seize the Island of Empty Eyes from them. She advised them to amass their own fleet, both to fight Harrigan and to help defend the Shackles from the Chelish invasion. She suggested that they look for Scags Rotgram and see what he could tell them about Harrigan or loot the Black Tower and recovering the sword Aiger’s Kiss would increase their fame. She gave them the raven, a silver raven figurine of wondrous power, as a gift to use or sell for extra coin.
The next morning they decided to disguise Aakin with the hat of disguise as the Eel and went to see Samal Garrett about the ship. Their bluff worked and they managed to get the Red Jackal. Aakin then took Minerva’s magical musket (with Minerva’s permission) and brought it to Bonefist as a gift of goodwill to the Hurricane King. This was warmly received, and Bonefist indicated that there were no hard feelings for the votes from the previous day. He even cut down the docking fees for the Risky Venture significantly.
They decided to look for Scags first. They went about town trying to find information on where he might be hiding. After many dead ends, they finally encountered Micah Sandral, who said that the Devilish Duchess was last seen in Dagon’s Jaws, a pair of islands south of Motaku Island. The Jaws were said to be cursed, but really might just be iron heavy causing problems with compasses. They sent the Red Jackal to Octopus Bay with a skeleton crew to leave it there and begin assembling their fleet. They then headed out towards Dagon’s Jaws.
Session 53 (part one):
It took them six days to get to Dagon’s Jaws, arriving on Pharast 27th. Dagon’s Jaws consisted of a pair of rocky islands southwest of Motaku Isle. The larger western island rose to almost 300 feet above sea level. Big Jaw was covered by relatively dense jungle with a few streams trickling down to the sea. The smaller isle rose no more than 60 feet above sea level but with 50 feet of that being cliffs that surround the island and no beaches. Little Jaw had no trees and the place was dominated by tall yellow grass. A shallow three-quarter-mile channel known as Dagon’s Gullet divided them.
Isobel flew over the island on Chauncey to do reconnaissance. On Big Jaw they saw some tropical birds flying over the jungle canopy and on Little Jaw they saw some sea birds and tortoises. What they didn’t see was any sign of a ship, wrecked or otherwise. They did see some dolphins and manta rays in the sea around the island, but that was it. Isobel made multiple passes slowly descending out of fear that something would attack her and Chauncey. There they saw some feces throwing foul-tempered monkeys, a few snakes, and insects.
They decided to take a jolly boat into Dagon’s Gullet and get a closer look at the beaches on Big Jaw. Isobel, Chauncey, Pielanga, Aakin, Silas, Minerva, Fancy Will, and Lillit struck out and rowed the crowded boat into the passage, much to the consternation of the superstitious crew. From the water the land sloped upward into a series of rocky escarpments. Beyond that the terrain continued to ascend through dense brush. A game trail led into the jungle from the beach, while fragments of a ship’s longboat lay strewn among the rocks along the shore.
As they moved towards the beach, five of the dolphins and rays swam up and changed form into some form of aquatic ghoul that Lillit recognized as brykolakases, but was unable to tell them much about them. Unable to move about in the boat, the clawed beasts were able to attack without Will being able to use his normal maneuverability. Will, Lillit, Chauncey, Minerva, and Aakin got clawed. Lillit cast stormstep and went straight up to get out of the way and into flight. The brykolakases were joined by several lacedons just to add to the fun.
Minerva fired off a channel energy and drew the ire of all the undead. She was so powerful she annihilated the lacedons before they could even strike. Silas was able to smash into them with full power as he knew how to bypass silver damage reduction. Isobel cast haste and then Will began to move with Lillit’s departure opening up a little room. Three of the brykolakases struck Minerva hard, and she collapsed senseless to the deck. Lillit descended and healed Minerva some of her wounds. Minerva fired off another channel energy—killing one—and then dimensional hopped onto Chauncey’s back. She promptly slid off the dragon’s back into a pool of poison where the brykolaka had been. Apparently they exploded into liquid pools of poison when killed.
Will killed one, grabbed a rope, swung out over the side and around to the back of the boat, landing on the rudder. Aakin healed Minerva after she crawled out of the water. Lillit now moved into position and cast a lightning bolt as Minerva used channel energy as healing for her crew. Silas finished off the last one and this one was on board. It formed into a pool of poison affecting Silas, Isobel, and Will.
The diseases and poisons they got from the brykolakases did a huge amount of damage. They went back to the Risky Venture and Minerva cast nap stack. It only took four hours to get the spells needed to repair the damage done. Minerva went to work and cast multiple remove disease and restoration spells. Near sunset they set out a second time, this time better prepared for the threats ahead.
They made it to the beach and began investigating the wrecked longboat. They found a plank near the wrecked boat with the name Devilish Duchess written on it. As they began trying to find some tracks, they were attacked by a group of lacedons commanded by another group of brykolakases coming out of the surf. Aakin backed up to get room to shoot his bow as Chauncey and Will jumped in to run the monsters through. Minerva fired off another channel energy and wiped out the lacedons.
Lillit fired off lightning bolt spells while Silas joined Will, Chauncey, and Pielanga in fighting at point blank. Knowing what they were doing made all the difference and the battle lasted not much longer. They got out of the poison pools and Minerva began healing up those hit by the brykolakases. Lillit spoke with the monkeys to find out why they were so mean-spirited. They informed her that they resented being eaten by the undead, by the snakes, and that their territory had been invaded by humans living on the island.
Aakin and Minerva determined that humanoid footprints led up into the jungle and that they seemed to come and go rather often recently. They struck out to find the human encampment. They soon found a clearing with a bubbling spring in the center forming a small series of pools. Along the west side, the spring waters raced downhill through a series of sluices cut into rock toward the sea to the southwest. They found a large number of humanoid footprints around the pool, indicating that people were using this as a water source. They also found an ancient emblem of Pharasma dating back to Ghol-Gan carved into stones surrounding the spring.
They followed the humanoid tracks westward until they came near the edge of the island. A swath of barren soil was sheltered from the sea by a massive boulder. The boulder rose thirty feet above the edge of the cliff. A half-dozen crude shelters huddled around a campfire in the lee of the stone. A woman jumped up and sounded an alarm. As the people assembled from what appeared to be sleeping positions, Lillit called out for parley. The leader of the castaways demanded that Isobel and her crew surrender. Isobel greeted her with a friendly salute and asked if Scags Rotgram was with them. She explained that they were enemies of Barnabas Harrigan and were looking for help against him. They were all incredibly relieved and the lady in charge stepped forward and introduced herself as Alise Grogblud, Scags’ first mate. She and the eight other survivors invited them over to the fire to talk.
They were all in very good shape which they attributed to the magical spring which they used as a water source. Alise explained they had come here to escape Harrigan after Scags returned to the Shackles. When they were moving through Dagon’s Gullet, they were attacked by horrid undead things. Scags attempted to beach the Duchess on the western island so that his crew could escape the undead. The captain and several of his officers held the deck long enough for two-thirds of the crew to abandon ship and get safely into the jungle. Scags sacrificed himself to save his few remaining crew.
Alise told them about files Scags kept on his old commander, stored in a watertight chest on the Devilish Duchess, but where the ship went she had no idea. They did mention that they had been over most of the island and couldn’t find the ships that had disappeared, so she suspected the ships were somewhere on Little Jaw. They decided to use teleports and Minerva’s word of recall to take the castaways to the Risky Venture. Isobel decided to stay on board ship for the night and fly back in the morning. Alise asked them to pick up Scags’ body for proper burial and they agreed.
Session 53 (part two):
Minerva investigated the pool with magic and found it to be holy water that acted as a potion of cure moderate wounds. It also could anoint three weapons with an undead bane property a day. They decided on Aakin’s arrows, and Pielanga and Will’s rapiers for the morning of the next day. They then rested at the castaways’ camp for the night. They also filled all their wineskins and hip flasks.
The next day they decided to explore the last path on the island and found it led to the southern sea cliff. There they found a half-dozen towering, wood-carved heads. Each head stood ten feet in height and although carved of wood, the heads seemed not to have weathered or become covered with overgrowth. They were found to have divination magic that could be used in conjunction with amulets to unerringly navigate the way back to the island.
A booming voice called them outlanders and demanded that they step away from dusk watchers or be judged. Isobel backed up yet Lillit backed up only one step. It demanded they back up again, giving them ten seconds to comply. Lillit backed up another five feet and a cloaked statue-machine hybrid appeared from the foliage wielding a bastard sword. At this point—curious about what “judging” meant—Lillit, Silas, and Minerva stepped forward. It challenged them again, but this time they stood their ground. It moved to the attack.
It hit Silas who then grappled with the construct to keep its sword out of it. Will, Chauncey, and Pielanga moved in to flank and damage the creature as Minerva tried to investigate the heads. It called out that she must leave the dusk watchers alone. He revealed that he had been tasked by the ancients—that is all he could remember of them—to keep anyone from coming near the heads.
Lillit realized that the “ancients” probably referred to the cyclopes of Ghol-Gan, and Will pointed out that they were all dead. The construct replied that their fate was irrelevant: his contract was binding regardless. The construct was regenerating and cast a hold monster spell on Silas, paralyzing him. Aakin finally recognized the construct as a kolyarut inevitable, an outsider from the plane of order whose sole purpose is to enforce contracts and agreement. Aakin and Will tried to reason with it to no effect, but Isobel finally got through to it that they would back off and talk about this.
With that, the fight stopped and the inevitable stepped back. Will asked if the construct wanted to be on the island. He responded that he didn’t want to stay, but he had to continue to fulfill his agreement. He mentioned when asked that there were ways to free him within the contract. The pirates asked if there was any way to free him. He stated that any enquiry to free him would be interpreted as an attempt to touch the dusk watchers.
Minerva asked for the exact wording of the contract. The kolyarut recognized her holy symbol as of a good natured and well-meaning religion. So he decided to trust her and revealed that his name was Lakorian-Kriss. In order to free him they could anoint the heads with water from the sacred spring. Each head was anointed with the water from their wineskins and hip flasks. Lakorian-Kriss thanked them as a slight tremor went through the soil. The heads crumbled to ash and blew away in the wind. He then asked if he could aid them in any way.
They asked about the location of the wrecked ships. While he was unable to tell them much, he was able to say he had seen the undead pull the ships out of the Gullet and around to the eastern side of Little Jaw. He then thanked them again and vanished. They then decided to return to the Risky Venture—picking up Scags’ body en route—and begin to carefully study the eastern edge of Little Jaw. Silas located an inlet that cut a cleft into the cliffs along the southwest shore of Little Jaw. However, it was affected heavily by the tides, making it difficult to get in except at low tide.
They set off in the longboat and went into the cavern. There they found the wrecks of the ships, most of which had rotted away and sunk. But there were four still in roughly good shape, the least damaged one being the Devilish Duchess. The water stank of death and very little light was getting in from the outside. All four of the ships had their masts broke to fit in the cave. Beneath the water could be seen rotten ships and thousands of bones. As they assessed the damage and what would have to be done to make these ships sea worthy, six brykolakases moved in to attack.
Silas was the only one who saw them coming and though he shouted out a warning, they caught the rest of the group by surprise. Silas, Pielanga, Isobel, Lillit, and Chauncey got hit as the undead moved to try and keep the party separated. Lillit then cast stormstep through the brykolaka on her and got clear up onto the deck of the Devilish Duchess. Between Minerva’s channel energy attacks, Lillit’s lightning bolt spells, and the undead bane weaponry they made quick work of the monsters, though most of them got infected with disease. Minerva dealt with that and they then continued their explorations of the wrecks.
Much of the cargo once carried by the ships here had fallen into the water below and been destroyed. They were able to find a good deal of plunder on the four seaworthy ships. Aakin found while searching the captain’s cabin of the Devilish Duchess a small hidden panel in a beam just above a moldering hammock. Scags’ treasures consisted of some money, some minor magic items including a bottle of air, an ivory statuette of two entwined succubi, and three bottles of fine spiced Sargavan rum (claimed by Minerva). In addition, a small leather journal was wedged in the hollow. This journal contained a detailed accounting of Scags’ grievances against his former captain, Barnabas Harrigan.
Minerva cast make whole multiple times and they hauled the four ships out of the cleft. She did further work in order to make them sailable back to Octopus Bay. They distributed their crew to establish skeleton crews on the ships. Minerva took the Devilish Duchess, while Silas, Aakin, and Lillit took command each of the other three. Minerva made it home first but used the Sargavan rum to accomplish this.
On the docks, a delivery was waiting for them—a lacquered wooden box (delivered by a very busy and rushed arbiter inevitable that did not remain to engage in conversation) it contained a single and unusual scroll of summon monster VIII that could be used to summon Lakorian-Kriss for aid.
The fact that they braved the so-called “curse of Dagon’s Jaws” and not only survived, but returned with additional ships and crew, quickly attracted enough new sailors that they were able to crew the four new ships free of cost.
Near the back of the journal they found notes that Scags made on how to get into Harrigan’s fortress and assassinate the bastard. The details were solid, and would be of great aid when they finally made their assault.
Session 54:
They began repairing and renaming the vessels they rescued from Dagon’s Jaws. As this was happening, Merrill Pegsworthy arrived with a squadron of three ships. He had received their call for help against Harrigan and brought his Drale’s Eagles to help. Even with his help and the recovered lost squadron from Dagon’s Jaws, their fleet was still rather small. Needing more money, they set sail in the Risky Venture to Senghor to sell off their plunder and maybe take a ship through piracy en route.
As they passed out of the Shackles and began crossing the Fever Sea, the lookout spotted a sail. They soon determined that it was the Briny Siren, an Andoran ship sailing out of Sargava. Silas asked Aakin to check the Pirate’s Queen Pearl to see if it was worth going after. Aakin decided they needed the ship regardless, so he pretended to check and didn’t bother actually going for a result. He said that it was a go, so the Risky Venture changed course to pursue.
As soon as the Venture hoisted her colours, the Briny Siren heaved to and raised the white flag. Isobel and the Risky Venture’s reputation had gotten around; they knew that they couldn’t fight her successfully and that she would treat them fairly. They travelled on to Senghor, where they ransomed off the officers and recruited a number of the Siren’s crew to man her.
As they sold off their plunder and recruited crew they were approached by Chambros Egrossa, first mate of the Tyrannous. Fancy Will told him to go away, but Silas and Lillit were on deck at the time. Lillit recognized the Tyrannous as the flagship of Arronax Endymion, former admiral of the Chelish navy and lord of Hell Harbor. Silas welcomed him aboard and asked Egrossa what he wanted. Chambros apologized for interrupting them but his captain, Arronax Endymion, wanted to speak with them aboard his ship. When asked why, Chambros apologized again, saying Admiral Endymion didn’t give him the details, only that he wanted to speak to Isobel about a mutually beneficial job that would give her fleet some significant support. As a show of good faith, Chambros presented Isobel with a small wooden chest with 200 pp. They agreed to walk around the port to where the Tyrannous was berthed.
Arronax Endymion greeted Isobel and her crew heartily, but seemed worried and distracted. Nevertheless, he got right to the point. He knew that they were working with Tessa Fairwind in rooting out Chelish conspirators. He mentioned the rumour that he was one of them, but he assured them that his hatred for Cheliax was genuine and that he was loyal to the Shackles. He wanted the rumours squashed, but couldn’t go after the rumour mongers in Hell Harbour himself without looking as if he was just suppressing descent. But if Isobel did this he would give her a squadron of his finest warships.
They were interested, so Endymion explained that the slanderers were a group of Chelish performers who purchased a seaside tavern and converted it into a theatre. Their performances were popular among the citizens of Hell Harbor and by the time Endymion realized that they were the ones slandering him any move he made against the troupe would only “prove” his guilt through trying to stop the ‘truth” getting out.
When Silas mentioned the evidence they had collected implicating him, Endymion cursed and denied any involvement and pointed out that this was what he was up against. They agreed to sail to Hell Harbor immediately to get there before any spies who might have observed their meeting could pass on the association of him and the crew of the Risky Venture. There they would investigate the troupe and hopefully find proof of their work against Endymion or at the very least proof that they were Chelish agents. Endymion invited them to visit his manor once the matter was settled and there he would reward Isobel with the squadron of ships he promised.
As they headed back to the Risky Venture, they encountered Captains Alsindra Devrol and H’ongr Smiles. They had been directed in Isobel’s direction after first stopping by the Venture. They mentioned that they got support from Besmara’s Throne; an envoy from there somehow found the two captains, brought three more ships, and they had formed a squadron of five ships which they named Queen Bes’s Own. They just wanted to let Isobel know before setting out for the Island of Empty Eyes.
With this good news, they set out from Senghor for Hell’s Harbor. They rechristened the Briny Siren as Sefina’s Revenge and sent Dahryen and Rosie Cusswell to command her back to Octopus Bay along with Queen Bes’s Own. On the way they spotted an Aspis Consortium ship and a Sargavan cutter, but decided against taking either one as they wanted to keep their relationship with the Consortium on good terms and they wanted to avoid breaking Shackles law by taking a Sargavan vessel.
On Gozran 15th they sailed into Hell’s Harbor; Lillit and Minerva set out to check out the theatre. The Theatre of Corruption was closed in the morning hours when they arrived. As they investigated the building, a heavily armoured guard stepped out from behind a corner and demanded their names. They pretended to be people curious as to when the next show was, but he brusquely informed them that it would start at noon; he then ordered them to leave stating that the building was under the personal protection of Lord Endymion himself.
Minerva and Lillit decided to go into the water and using water breathing did reconnaissance from below the theatre. There they spotted a large hole in the center of the floor. They went up to the hole and peeked inside. They saw three people, two humans and a very odd looking woman with translucent blue skin. The human woman was singing Chelish opera and Lillit thought she was quite good. They were spotted and quickly fled back to the Risky Venture.
Based on their description, Aakin determined that the blue skinned woman was a tiefling, most likely descended from urdefhan stock from the deep darklands. They tried to get some background on the players from talking about town. They found out that Isawyn, the human singer, was the star and leader of the troupe; Lady Nightshade was a mysterious figure that few ever saw and never without a costume or make-up; and the human male was Gorebeard Trench, a maniac and star that occasionally would involve “volunteers” from the audience in his violent mayhem.
The crew decided to attend a late show and then hang back after they close for the night. The performance was good, with many magical illusions and effects that enhanced the story. After an enjoyable performance, Will went up and congratulated them on their performance. He got into a deep conversation with Gorebeard Trench about what life was like as a pirate to help Trench get his motivation right for the role. After a while they left the theatre and waited outside for them to shut the place completely and the crowds dispersed.
They began scouting around the building, trying to see if the guard was there. Silas meandered down the dock and was challenged by the guard. Silas acted dumb and continued to engage the guard in conversation, apparently irritating the large man who soon drew his sword. Pielanga, Minerva, and Will ran towards the commotion while Aakin listened at the door to see if the players were coming to join in the fight. He heard them preparing for an attack rather than moving to attack. Isobel moved to the corner to see what was happening while Lillit flew up and over the building.
The guard called out an alarm and asked for help. Minerva recognized it as an illusion and said so. Immediately it vanished; three barbed devils appeared on the roof surrounding Lillit and laughing at the crew. One cried out “Lord Endymion sends you his regards, fools... now die at his command!” Then they attacked with unholy blights, though Lillit got away with a stormstep spell. Silas was sickened and took significant damage by the blights.
The fight turned into a long slugfest, with the party taking damage just from striking the devils and the devils having difficulties taking down the crew. Pielanga fell into the water when trying to get up on the roof. Will and Silas got up to the roof and began hammering the devils even as they took damage from the barbs. Chauncey was summoned, but wasn’t able to much damage so Isobel dismissed him and summoned three bralani azatas to take on the fiends. Minerva and Lillit found their magic having difficulty penetrating the spell resistance of the barbed devils. Pielanga got out of the water and began working at flanking with her fellow crewmates to help overcome their resistance to damage from their weapons.
Aakin moved around the other side of the building to see if he could find a way in while the rest of the crew created a distraction with the battle. He found all the doors locked, so he climbed up on the roof to help in the combat with his bow. Minerva cast a spiritual weapon spell and her phantom rapier began doing damage alongside Will and Silas. Will was doing too much damage, so one cast hold person on the boatswain. One of the bralani managed to kill the most damaged one with a lightning bolt. Silas charged one of the two remaining and knocked it off the roof, keeping them from flanking Will. The barbed devil next to Will grabbed him and began piercing him with its barbs. The bralani killed the one attacking Will, then the party concentrated their attacks on the one down on the docks.
Silas then jumped off the roof and elbow slammed into the barbed devil down on the dock, killing the creature. Aakin moved down off the roof to the back door opposite the rest of the crew and waited. Minerva and Lillit healed some people a bit of damage as Silas broke through the door. As he did so, Aakin broke in the back and snuck in behind the old bar.
When Silas smashed in, Gorebeard charged in and attacked Silas, Lady Nightshade vanished, and Isawyn began to sing. Pielanga tried to move into the room to get a flank, but Gorebeard slammed her and stopped her before she could get there. Lillit cast break enchantment on Will, freeing him from paralysis. The bralani attacked the barbarian with their arrows as they couldn’t fire in lightning bolts without hitting Silas or Pielanga.
Isobel moved in to cast glitterdust on Isawyn. Will did a rolling flip off the roof and charged in to flank with Pielanga and attacked Gorebeard with a devastating critical hit with his rapier. Isawyn vanished, effectively dismissing Isobel’s glitterdust. Lady Nightshade summoned a dire tiger which promptly slew Pielanga, tearing the pirate apart. Gorebeard tore into Silas, hammering him hard. Silas responded hard and severely damaged the barbarian. Minerva sent in her spiritual rapier to attack the tiger while she cast sound burst on the beast as well.
Lillit cast cone of cold in the room and angled it to successfully hit the entire acting troupe, killing Gorebeard and severely damaging the rest. The bralani moved in and hit the dire tiger with three lightning bolts. Will moved in and finished off the dire tiger when an ankylosaur appeared and attacked, narrowly missing the swashbuckler. Then the dinosaur began moving much faster, indicating that haste had been cast. Silas and Will began fighting the beast.
Minerva attacked using a shock arrow while Lillit cast lightning bolt. Aakin used litany of sight to view the invisible people in the room. Lady Nightshade was ten feet away from him so he peppered her with arrows, killing her. The dinosaur vanished and Aakin immediately called out that Isawyn was over by the opening in the floor. Silas charged her immediately and knocked her unconscious, ending the brutal fight.
Session 55:
Minerva took the time to raise Pielanga from the dead, much to Isobel’s appreciation. While she did that, the rest of the crew searched the theatre and rifled through Gorebeard, Isawyn, and Lady Nightshade’s gear for magic, treasure, and any proof that would clear Arronax Endymion of any treachery.
The search turned up some nice magic items and treasure as well as documents proving that the three performers were Chelish agents sent to the Shackles by House Thrune specifically to discredit Arronax Endymion. All the evidence that implicated Endymion that they had found before was created and set into motion by these three conspirators. One name that came up in a passing reference in the documents was Admiral Druvalia Thrune, a very young admiral in the Chelish navy who seems to have been giving many of the orders.
They woke up Isawyn and began interrogating the bard. They discovered that the troupe of performers at the Theater of Corruption had been in the employ of Cheliax’s Thrice-Damned House of Thrune for many years, working as slanderers, destroyers of reputations, and spreaders of propaganda and misinformation. They preferred to undertake these missions under the cover of a performing troupe of actors.
They then had Isawyn sign over the theatre to Minerva (who now wanted to establish a chain of taverns, each called the Medicinal Mug) in exchange for letting the bard go with her life. She did so, although she gave them all a vicious look as she fled. They dumped the bodies through the hole and then headed up to Endymion’s manor with the evidence they had uncovered.
Arronax Endymion thanked them profusely and was as good as his word: he immediately sent orders for Brok “Madshanks” Cordain to set sail with Madshank’s Marauders, a squadron of five warships, to Octopus Bay and join Isobel’s fleet. He also agreed to take care of the theatre/tavern for Minerva until she could set up proper management and waved their docking fees for the remainder of their stay. They crew headed into the early morning markets of Hell Harbor to sell off any unwanted items and pick up some more “raise dead diamonds” before setting sail Drenchport on Tempest Cay to consult with the Master of the Gales.
They had to wait the day as the Master was off in his hidden grotto. That evening the Master of the Gales came aboard the Risky Venture and brought a list of trustworthy mercenary captains to create squadrons with. The price required was a bit too steep for Isobel and her crew at the moment, but they took the list in case their numbers needed bolstering.
When they got back to the Island of Empty Eyes, they were surprised to see Pierce Jerrell with a squadron of six Ulfen longships. He had apparently won them in a high-stakes game of towers as well as enough gold to hire crews for these ships. He offered his Lucky Gamble Squadron for Isobel’s use in the upcoming fight.
After finishing their business in Octopus Bay, they set out for the Isle of the Black Tower to see if they could recover the magical and legendary sword Aiger’s Kiss. As they travelled through the Fever Sea they spotted an Absalom cutter, the Indomitable Sea, travelling south. They changed course and moved to attack.
The Indomitable Sea attempted to run, but Silas’ skill was too much and she raised the white flag. Isobel took the ship and her plunder, sending Dahyren back to Octopus Bay with the newly captured ship. They then continued onward towards the region of the Cannibal Isles where the Black Tower lay.
They arrived at the Isle of the Black Tower on Gozran 23rd and spotted the incredibly odd tower, impossibly thin and exceedingly tall. Only thirty feet wide and four hundred feet tall, the black tower was an impossible enigma sticking up out of the center of a half-mile wide island. As they moved through the jungle they were attacked by small insects, covering them in small red boils.
They were surprised by a creature seemingly made from intestines and sharp toothed maws, which emerged from the jungle to attack them. It struck Chauncey, biting him and inflicting digestive acid. The creature’s horrific appearance caused Silas, Isobel, and Pielanga to become nauseated, effectively removing them from the combat. Fancy Will struck with his rapier and barely damaged the monstrosity; worse, acid sprayed out of the wound hitting Will, Chauncey, Pielanga, and Isobel with burning goo.
Pielanga, Isobel, and Silas retreated to puke as Lillit attempted an agony hex to no avail. Lillit recognized it as a nyogoth, a qlippoth from the Abyss. Minerva then tried to use dismissal, but failed to dispel the beast. Chauncey shifted position to flank the creature and Aakin unleashed a hail of arrows in a clustered shot which did significant damage. Chauncey and Will continued to take acid damage from the spray as the attacks hit and wounded the nyogoth. But Chauncey and Will rapidly finished it off after Aakin’s devastating attack.
They proceeded on to the base of the tower and found it to seem to be made of solid stone covered in slimy vines with no apparent entrance. They searched carefully with no success before deciding to check the top of the tower for an entrance. Lillit cast an arcane eye spell to study the roof. There she saw that the roof had collapsed in on itself and filled with soil. There plants had taken hold and now filled the rooftop with jungle plants. They decided to use Chauncey and a dimension door spell to get up to the roof.
Their search revealed a section where the ground was sunken. A few minutes of work cleared the debris and revealed a trap door opening onto the top of a curved flight of stairs winding down into the tower. Silas forced the door open wide enough to allow the party to proceed, but it was too narrow for Chauncey so he was dismissed.
The walls of the stairway were carved with images of coils of tentacles twisting downward into the darkness. Lillit cast darkvision on the crew and they began their descent. Now and then, the tentacles were shown crushing people, ships, entire cities, or islands. Amid all of these carvings was repeated an octopus eye surrounded by sinister runes. They came to a door which opened onto a curved room covered in patches of blue mold. Opposite the entrance a pair of iron posts held a gold-plated disc etched with elaborate runes. Within the center of the disc stared a bulbous eye with a horizontally shaped pupil.
Beside each post was a basin upon a wooden pedestal painted with flaking gold leaf. Within a small alcove opposite the massive disc stood a wooden statue also painted in badly flaking gold leaf. The statue was of some sort of enormous amalgam of eel, fish, and cephalopod and held its hands a fist-sized chunk of serpentine carved in the shape of a human heart. A reinforced door stood to the southwest, its hinges forged in the shapes of fish fins and spiked gills. Iron spikes had been hammered into the door to hold it shut. Crudely scrawled graffiti was on the door.
They examined the graffiti and found it was written in common and said simply “She lives.” Beneath the writing a charcoal image of a hand with splayed fingers was drawn. The disk was shown to be magical but they suspected a trap. It had transmutation magic on it, and that had them worried. They found the basins had sea salt crystals left over from evaporation long ago.
Aakin recognized all the symbols as being of Dagon, the demon lord of deformity, the sea, and sea monsters. Deciding to leave everything be, Silas removed the spikes from the door to allow them to move on. They opened the door onto a room with a row of black iron candleholders protruding from the curving southwestern wall, their candles melted long ago into tallow lumps. Within a shallow alcove at the end of the hall stood a serpentine statue carved in the shape of a naked male human being devoured by tiny, flesh-boring eels that winded their way through every part of his body save for an area over the center of his chest.
Pielanga searched the statue and confirmed that is was a trap, but it blocked another flight of stairs down. If forced, it would fire off the trap. But there was an opening where the statue’s heart would normally be. The serpentine heart from the other room would open the door safely. Aakin and Minerva went back on the first stairs to be out of the way should something untoward happen. Silas removed the heart and a blast of foul smelling liquid came out of the eye in the gold disk and nearly hit him. Silas and Will fled the room to the chamber with the candles and statue-door, but that left Minerva and Aakin cut off from the rest of the party.
Minerva and Aakin ran across the room and the disk fired another blast of water, and this time it connected with Minerva. She took a mass of damage to her mind, but was otherwise unhurt. They made it out the other side and Minerva cast restoration on herself before they proceeded. Silas placed the heart in the statue and it slid aside opening up the second flight of stairs.
They descended into a circular chamber with walls covered in old rotten tapestries, thick with yellowish fungus. The floor in the northwest portion of the chamber had collapsed into a chamber below, leaving a hole as well as cracks and fissures in the remaining floor. Moldering chairs decorated with gold leaf and a wooden table and draped with rotting silken cloth. A tall clay statue of a bloated, fishlike humanoid stood to the south and covered with mold. Another flight of stairs descended into the lower chamber.
Two more nyogoths emerged from the ruins and attacked. This time Will, Isobel, and Pielanga became nauseated at the horrific appearance of the monsters. Aakin fired in arrows to begin wearing it down. Will, Pielanga, and Isobel fled back up the stairs as Silas and Minerva took some nasty hits. Silas hammered the one attacking him with his fists to keep them from producing sprays of acid. Minerva threw a lit flagon of Caydenbrew down onto the yellow mold to try and clear a space for her. In so doing she destroyed the dangerous mold and kept if from harming the crew. She then cast a healing spell on herself.
Silas began taking a nasty amount of damage as he attempted to strike back hard. Isobel threw off the effects of the nausea and summoned an axiomic ankylosaur to fight the beasts. The monsters continued to concentrate their attacks on Silas and Minerva, seemingly in a frenzy of hunger. Lillit moved in and healed up Minerva as the Caydenite cast searing light on the one next to her and Aakin fired in arrows. Minerva then used her dimensional hop ability to move away from the creature.
The ankylosaur and Isobel combined attacks from its tail and her pistol, allowing Aakin to fire off an extra shot. Silas finished off his nyogoth as Lillit moved over and healed Silas and Minerva healed herself. Will finally overcame his nausea and flipped into the room to get in opposition to strike. Will hit it with a critical strike and killed the creature.
They searched the statue and found four 1000 gp emeralds for eyes. This was all they found so they proceeded down the stairs. Rubble from the collapsed ceiling filled the center of the room, which was shaped like three-quarters of a circle. To the southeast, two ivory statures of handsome men—that had been bound, gagged, and blindfolded, both heads turned inward to face the other—stood on either side of a closed door. The statues seemed strangely moist, as if they have just been pulled from the sea.
Once more Pielanga discovered a magical trap. The statues would fire off an effect if the door was entered. Minerva asked if there was anything that could be moved with the statues. Pielanga discovered that the heads could be rotated. So they rotated the heads to face away from each other. Then Silas and Minerva walked through the door and the trap was not set off. Will followed while the rest of the party stayed back.
The pie-piece shaped room had frescoes portraying a crystalline city rising out of a vast ocean. In several places there were iron hooks in the wall. A jumble of bones in an aged suit of black leather armor lay slumped against the wall, while in the middle of the room a circular trap door sat in the floor. Three lengths of chain had been hammered over the hatch and bound in place by iron spikes. A black handprint was on the wall next to the skeleton, along with a few lines of scribbled text.
The text read, “The Shrouded Queen yet lives below, bound by Blackfingers’ forbiddance and Aiger’s Kiss. Seek not entrance for naught but her rotting curse awaits ye—let the slumbering darkness lie!” Silas immediately began prying the chains off the hatch. As he did this, Minerva looted Captain Aiger’s body and the others observed the statues resetting. They turned the heads again so that they could join the others in the hatch room.
After determining the armor was shadowed studded leather armor and the rings as improved swimming and improved climbing. They distributed the items then opened the hatch. A shaft went down 50 feet before opening up into a chamber, but they were unable to see the floor below.
Right before they entered the Black Tower, they levelled up! So here are the crew’s 12th level stats:
Captain Isobel Imperia Novennia Charthagnion
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) summoner 12
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor {mage armour}, +2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 91 (12d8+12)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +9
Defensive Abilities Greater shield ally (+4 AC/Saves when within reach of eidolon; +2 if an ally)
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +9/+4 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged pepperbox +11/+6 (1d8/x4)
Spells (CL 12th; concentration +18)
0-level (at will)—detect magic, guidance, mage hand, message, read magic, resistance
1st-level (7/day)—enlarge person (DC 17), grease (DC 18), mage armor, shield, unfetter (DC 17), unseen servant
2nd-level (7/day)—bull’s strength, glitterdust (DC 19), haste,lesser evolution surge (DC 18), summon eidolon
3rd-level (5/day)—black tentacles, dimension door, evolution surge (DC 19), greater invisibility
4th-level (4/day)—baleful polymorph (DC 20), greater evolution surge (DC 20), teleport, wall of stone
Spell-like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +18)
9/day—summon monster VI
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 22, Wis 10, Cha 23
Base Atk +9; CMB +8; CMD 19
Feats Augment Summoning, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Extra Evolution, Great Captain, Leadership, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Toughness
Flaws Nonathletic
Traits Merchant, River Rat, The Governor’s Child, World Traveler (Sense Motive)
Drawback Maimouphobia
Skills Appraise +21 (+22 when bargaining), Bluff +18, Climb –3, Diplomacy +22, Disguise +6, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Knowledge (geography) +21, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (nobles) +10, Profession (sailor) +15, Ride +17, Sense Motive +16 (+17 when bargaining), Spellcraft +21, Swim +13, Use Magic Device +21
Languages Aquan, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Halfling, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ bond senses (12 rnds/day), eidolon link, life link, maker’s call (2/day), share spells with eidolon, shield ally, transposition
Gear amulet of natural armor +1, boots of the cat, cloak of resistance +1, headband of mental prowess +2 (Int, Cha), potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork dagger, 2 pistols, 10 bullets and powder, scroll of mage armor, wand of mage armor, spell component pouch, tricorne hat, 32 pp, 2gp, 5 cp
This large blue-black lizard’s head is the size of a dog with a glowing rune on its forehead and wings on it’s back. It has a very short rounded snout and it’s big eyes make it almost nauseatingly cute.
Chauncey
N Large Outsider
Init +3; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
----- Defense -----
AC 30, touch 12, flat-footed 27 (+3 Dex, +18 natural, -1 size)
hp 109 (9d10+36+9)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +3
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. Enchantment Spells and Effects, evasion
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +16 (2d6+8), bite +16 (3d6+8), and 2 wing buffets +14 (1d6+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks pounce (full attack after charge)
rend (claws 2d6+12)
----- Statistics -----
Str 27, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +9; CMB +18; CMD 31 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (claw), MultiattackB, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+13 to jump), Climb +8, Fly +13, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (planes) +11, Perception +12, Swim +20
Languages Common
SQ evolutions (bite, claws, flight (wings), improved natural attack (bite), improved natural attack (claws), improved natural armor, large size, limbs (x2), mount, pounce, push, rend, wing buffet)
Pielanga, Captain’s Steward
Female half-elf (shoreborn) rogue (spy) 10
CN medium humanoid (human, elf)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +16 (+20 on overhearing conversations, traps, and secret doors)
----- Defense -----
AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +1 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 48 (10d8)
Fort +5, Ref +13, Will +4
Special Defences +2 vs. Enchantments
Defensive Abilities evasion, improved uncanny dodge; Immune sleep
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee brine’s sting +12/+7 (1d6+5/18-20)
or +1 sap +12/+7 (1d6+2/Nonlethal)
Ranged mwk dagger +12/+7 (1d4+1/19-20)
Special Attacks Sneak attack (+5d6)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +11)
At will—prestidigitation
----- Statistics -----
Str 13, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Atk +7; CMB +8; CMD 24
Feats A Life at Sea (Razor Coast) (Profession [sailor], Perception), Acrobatic, Dodge, Pass for Human, Sea Legs, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +23, Bluff +14, Climb +16, Diplomacy +14, Disable Device +19, Disguise +14, Escape Artist +17, Knowledge (local) +16, Perception +16, Profession (sailor) +14, Sense Motive +12, Sleight of Hand +17, Stealth +22, Swim +20
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Canny observer, debilitating injury: bewildered, debilitating injury: disoriented, debilitating injury: hampered, elf blood, elven immunities, evasion, honeyed words (3/day), improved uncanny dodge, keen senses, low-light vision, minor magic (prestidigitation), poison use, skilled liar (+5), water child
Gear +1 shadow studded leather armor, brine’s sting, +1 sap, belt of incredible dexterity +2, cloak of resistance +2, ring of invisibility, ring of protection +1, masterwork daggers (3), alchemist’s kindness (x5), arsenic (x5), masterwork backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, bloodroot (x1), blue whinnis (x1), flint & steel, heatstone (x2), hip flask, mess kit, mirror, poison pill ring, silk rope, masterwork thieves tools
.
First Mate Dahryen Moon
Male human (Kellid) bard (buccaneer) 12
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +15
----- Defense -----
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 97 (12d8+12+4)
Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +8
Defensive Abilities +4 vs. bardic performance, sonic, and language based attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +3 keen boarding pike of repelling +18/+13 (1d8+8/19-20/x3)
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +16/+11/+16 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)/1d6+7 (x2))
or +3 boarding pike of repelling +17/+12 (1d8+7 (19-20/x3)) and osiriani short sword +12 (1d6+3/19-20)
or longsword +12/+7 (1d8+3/19-20)
or osiriani short sword +12/+7 (1d6+3/19-20)
Special Attacks Hilt bash, knock out (+3 bonus to hit, +12 nonlethal damage)(2/day), song of surrender (DC 17)
Spells (CL 12th; concentration +15 (19 defensively or in a grapple)
0-level (at will)—dancing lights (DC 13), daze (DC 13), ghost sound (DC 13), mending, prestidigitation, read magic
1st-level (6/day)—cause fear (DC 14), feather fall (DC 14), grease (DC 14), hideous laughter (DC 14), identify, silent image (DC 14)
2nd-level (6/day)—cacophonous call (DC 15), glitterdust (DC 15), invisibility, mirror image, silence (DC 15)
3rd-level (5/day)—charm monster (DC 16), confusion (DC 16), haste, slow (DC 16)
4th-level (3/day)—dominate person (DC 17), freedom of movement, modify memory (DC 17), zone of silence
----- Statistics -----
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 17
Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 25
Feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Dazzling Display (boarding pike), Double Slice, Intimidating Prowess, Quarterstaff Master, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (boarding pike)
Flaw Spell Futility
Skills[/b Acrobatics +18, Appraise +6, Bluff +18, Climb +13 (11 instead of -5 penalty when using the Climb skill to attempt an accelerated climb), Diplomacy +18, Disguise +10, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +10, Linguistics +6, Perception +15, Perform (comedy) +18, Perform (oratory) +18, Perform (percussion instruments) +14, Perform (sing) +18, Profession (sailor) +9, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +11, Spellcraft +6, Stealth +11, Swim +8, Use Magic Device +11
[b]Traits Acrobat, Buccaneer’s Blood, Osirion Staff Fighter, Reactionary
Drawback Hedonistic
Languages Common, Ghol-Gan, Hallit, Osiriani, Polyglot
SQ Bardic Performance (29 rnds/day, move action), countersong, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate (4 targets, DC 19), inspire competence +4, inspire courage +3, inspire greatness (2 allies), song of surrender (DC 17), soothing performance, versatile performance (comedy, oratory, singing), well versed
Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, +3 keen boarding pike of repelling, longsword, osiriani short sword (appears similar to a khopesh, but no special abilities), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, explorer’s outfit, fine spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, pepper, allspice, basil, rosemary), flint and steel, grappling hook, rope, soap, waterskin, 6 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
.
Minerva Wood, Ship’s Surgeon/Carpenter
Female human (Chelaxian) cleric of Cayden Cailean 12
NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +4
----- Defense -----
AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +2 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 89 (12d8+24)
Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +13
Defensive Abilities +2 vs. Charm, Compulsion, and Emotion Effects; +2 Trait bonus vs. mind-affecting effects for 1 hour after drinking alcohol
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +12/+7 (1d6+3/18-20) or
+1 morningstar +12/+7 (1d8+3)
Ranged pistol +10 (1d8/X4) MF 1
Special Attacks Channel positive energy (6d6)(4/day) (DC 17)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
7/day—rebuke death
Spells (CL 12th; concentration +16)
0-level—animate tools, light, mending, stabilize
1st-level—air bubble, bless water, command, cure light woundsD, enhance water, remove fear
2nd-level—consecrate, cure moderate woundsD, drunkard’s breath (DC 16), sound burst (DC 16), spear of purity (DC 16), spiritual weapon
3rd-level—cure serious woundsD, cure moderate wounds, reach, prayer, searing light, speak with dead (DC 17), water breathing
4th-level—cure critical wounds, dimension doorD, freedom of movement, holy smite (DC 18), ride the waves (DC 18)
5th-level—breath of life (DC 19), cure critical wounds, reach, righteous might, teleportD
6th-level—heal (DC 20), heal (DC 20)D, word of recall
Domains: Healing, Travel
----- Statistics -----
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 19, Cha 12
Base Atk +9; CMB +11; CMD 24
Feats Drunken Brawler, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Lightning Reflexes, Reach Spell, Self-sufficient, Siphon Poison, Turn Undead (DC 17)
Flaw Choke Under Pressure
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+5 Jump), Appraise +1, Bluff -1, Climb +2, Craft (alchemy) +6, Craft (carpentry) +19, Craft (ships) +16, Craft (siege engines) +13, Craft (stonemasonry) +4, Diplomacy +1, Heal +26, Intimidate +1, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +19, Sense Motive +19, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +6, Survival +13, Swim +4, Use Magic Device +2
Traits Anatomist, Fortified Drinker, Principled, Ship's Surgeon
Drawback Doubt
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ Agile Feet (7/day) (Su), aura (good), dimensional hop (24 5ft. inc./day), healer’s blessing
Gear +3 shadow studded leather armor, ring of protection +2 , +1 morningstar, +1 rapier, cloak of resistance +1, amulet of natural armor +1, masterwork artisan's tools (Craft [carpentry]), artisan's tools (Craft [ships]), artisan's tools (Craft [siege engines]), backpack, belt pouch, flint and steel, healer's kit, hip flask, holy symbol—wooden (Cayden Cailean), holy water, signal whistle, silk rope, 13 gp, 2 sp
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William Eudonius “Fancy Will” Telastrum III, Boatswain
Male human (Taldan) swashbuckler 12
CG medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception –1 (+4 when using scoundrel’s sword cane)
----- Defense -----
AC 28, touch 20, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +4 dodge, +1 natural, +1 shield)
hp 114 (12d10+24+10)
Fort +6, Ref +12, Will +3
Defensive Abilities +1 shield bonus to AC when fighting with two weapons
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee rapier of battlefield movement +22/+17/+12 (1d6+12+12/15-20)
or mwk dagger +19/+14/+9 (1d4+3+12/17-20)
or rapier of battlefield movement +20/+15/+10 (1d6+10/15-20) and mwk dagger +17 (1d4+2/17-20)
or estoc +1 +19/+14/+9 (2d4+4+12/15-20)
or scoundrel’s sword cane +20/+15/+10 (1d6+5+12/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +17 (1d4+1+12/17-20)
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 23
Base Atk +12; CMB +13; CMD 33
Feats Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display (rapier), Dodge, Fencing Grace, Greater Weapon Focus (rapier), Greater Weapon Specialization (rapier), Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier)
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +24 (+28 to move through a threatened square or enemy's space), Bluff +4, Climb +16, Craft (basket weaving) +7, Diplomacy +6, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +19, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (nobility) +15, Perception –1, Profession (sailor) +14, Sense Motive –1, Stealth +2, Swim +13
Traits Fencer, Rich Parents, Touched by the Sea
Languages Common
SQ Bleeding wound, charmed life (5/day), derring-do, dodging panache, evasion, evasive, kip up, menacing swordplay, nimble +3, opportune parry and riposte, panache (6 points/day), subtle blade, superior feint, swashbuckler finesse, swashbuckler’s grace, swashbuckler initiative, swashbuckler weapon training +2, targeted strike, uncanny dodge
Gear +2 mithral chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of elvenkind, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +2, rapier of battlefield movement, +1 estoc, belt of tumbling, scoundrel’s sword cane, masterwork dagger, potion of cure light wounds, 2x potion of cure moderate wounds, courtier’s outfit with jewelry (50 gp), manticore chopsticks, silk scarf, tengu feathers, 2x belt pouch, hip flask, 317 gp.
.
Silas “Iron Fist” Rand, Ship Master and Master-of-Arms
Male half-orc brawler 12
CG medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses Perception +20
----- Defense -----
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +3 dodge, +2 Dex)
hp 121 (12d10+36)
Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +7
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +18/+13/+8 (2d6+7/19-20)
or brawler’s fury +16/+16/+11/+11/+6 (2d6+7/19-20)
or +1 short sword +19/+14/+9 (1d6+7/19-20)
or dan bong +18/+13/+8 (1d10+6/19-20)
Special Attacks Jabbing Style (+1d6 on 2 sequential strikes, +2d6 on 3, +3d6 on 4), Knockout (2/day, DC 22)
----- Statistics -----
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 13, Cha 8
Base Atk +12; CMB +18 (+19 Bull Rush, +20 Dirty Trick, +25 Grapple); CMD 34 (35 Bull Rush, 36 Dirty Trick, 39 Grapple)
Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Enforcer, Greater Grapple, Improved Critical (unarmed strike), Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Jabbing Style, Power Attack, Toughness, Vital Strike
Flaw Blatant
Skills Acrobatics +17, Appraise +5, Bluff –3, Climb +21, Diplomacy +8, Disguise –3, Escape Artist +10, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +13, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +13, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (nature) +6, Knowledge (religion) +9, Linguistics +10, Perception +20, Perform (oratory) +11, Profession (sailor) +16, Profession (siege engineer) +11, Sense Motive +20, Stealth +0, Survival +1, Swim +21
Traits Bare-knuckle Fighter, Bruising Intellect, Ease of Faith, Skilled Crewman (Knowledge (geography))
Drawback Attached (Belt Buckle with Family Crest & Symbol of Desna)
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Ghol-gan, Giant, Jistka, Osiriani, Polyglot, Sahaugin, Tengu, Tulita
SQ Bull rush training, brawler strike (alignment, magic, cold iron, & silver), dirty trick training, grapple training, martial flexibility (9/day, immediate action), martial training
Gear Mithral chain shirt +2, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +4, cackling hag’s blouse, cloak of resistance +2, potion of cure moderate wounds, ring of protection +2, +1 short sword, shackles of compliance, Svingli’s eye, dan bong, rope gauntlet, tekko-kagi, tonfa, charts of the fair winds, headband of vast intelligence +2, bedroll, belt buckle with crest, belt pouch, compass, crowbar, false manacles, dice, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (geography)), tanglefoot bag, waterproof bag, 100 pp, 212 gp, 4 sp
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Aakin, Cook’s Mate and Ship Mascot
CN Medium Male Tengu Inquisitor 12
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +21
----- Defense -----
AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +4 shield)
hp 66 (12d8)
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +14
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee tidewater cutlass +11/+6 (1d6+3/18-20) &
bite +5 (1d3) or
bite +10 (1d3+2) or
+1 short sword +11/+6 (1d6+3/19-20)
Ranged +1 composite longbow (Str +1) +17/+12 (1d8+2/x3) or
+1 composite longbow (Str +1) +15/+15/+10 (1d8+2/x3)
Spells (CL 12th; concentration +16)
0-level (at will)—brand, create water, detect magic, disrupt undead, guidance, light
1st-level (6/day)—alarm, cure light wounds, divine favor, interrogation (DC 16), peacebond (DC 16), sanctuary (DC 16)
2nd-level (6/day)—blistering invective (DC 17), cure moderate wounds, honeyed tongue, hunter’s lore, tongues
3rd-level (5/day)—burst of speed, cure serious wounds, righteous vigor (DC 18), witness (DC 18)
4th-level (4/day)—cure critical wounds, greater invisibility, litany of escape, litany of sight
Spell-like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
At will—detect chaos/good/evil/law;
12 rnds/day—discern lies;
1/day—hydraulic push
Inquisitor Domain Conversion Inquisition
----- Statistics -----
Str 12, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 11
Base Atk +9; CMB +10; CMD 26
Feats AlertnessPQP, Clustered Shots, Coordinated ShotB, Covering FireB, Deceitful, Enfilading FireB, Focused Shot (+2), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Target of OpportunityB, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Flaws Slow Runner
Traits Besmara’s Blessing, Cheat Death, Hurricane Savvy, Zealous Striker
Drawback Headstrong
Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff +23, Climb +10, Diplomacy +19, Disguise +19, Heal +8, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +14, Linguistics +14, Perception +21, Profession (cook) +11, Profession (sailor) +22, Sense Motive +30, Stealth +20, Survival +10, Swim +10
Languages Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Elven, Ghol-gan, Giant, Halfling, Jistka, Kelish, Osiriani, Polyglot, Protean, Sahaugin, Skald, Tengu, Tien, Tulita, Varisian
SQ Cunning initiative; detect alignment; greater bane (12 rnds/day); judgement (4/day); judgement of Sacred Destruction +5, judgement of Sacred Healing 5, judgement of Sacred Justice +3, judgement of Sacred Piercing +5, judgement of Sacred Purity +3, judgement of Sacred Protection +3, judgement of Sacred Resiliency 3, judgement of resistance 10, judgement of Sacred Smiting (Chaos, Magic, Adamantine); monster lore +4; second judgement; solo tactics; stalwart; stern gaze +6; swaying word (1/day, DC 20); teamwork feat; track +6
Gear Pirate Queen’s Pearl with a dark blue rhomboid ioun stone, a cracked magenta prism ioun stone, and an iridescent spindle ioun stone, mwk studded leather, +1 composite longbow (+1 Str), +1 short sword, tidewater cutlass, arrows (20), 3 daggers, belt of incredible dexterity +2, besmara's tricorne, boots of elvenkind, bracers of archery, lesser, cloak of resistance +2, hat of disguise, ring of protection +1, rod of wonder, 5 ft. pieces of rope (5), backpack, box of fishing tackle, candle, canteen, cutting board—wooden, fishing pole—simple, flint and steel, knife—cutting, ladle, mess kit, pot, seasonings—local, skewer, skillet, tinder packet, tripod, whetstone.
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Lillit
N Medium Female Human (Chelaxian) witch 12
Init +0; Senses Perception +13
----- Defense -----
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +1 deflection, +2 natural)
hp 67 (12d6+12+12)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +12
Defensive Abilities DR 1/— vs. electrical creatures and attacks
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +6/+1 (1d4–1/19-20)
Ranged mwk dagger +7 (1d4–1/19-20)
Spells (CL 12th; concentration +19)
0-level (at will)—daze (DC 17), light, message, read magic
1st-level—burning hands (DC 18), cause fear (DC 18), detect secret doors, hypnotism (DC 18), mage armor, unseen servant
2nd-level—aggressive thundercloud (DC 19), burning gaze (DC 19), carry companion, detect thoughts (DC 19), gust of wind (DC 19), share memory (DC 19)
3rd-level—bestow curse (DC 20), burning monkey swarm (DC 20), lightning bolt (DC 20), ray of exhaustion (DC 20), silver darts (DC 20), storm step (DC 20)
4th-level—divination, ice storm, mass daze (DC 21), threefold aspect
5th-level—break enchantment, cloudkill (DC 22), feeblemind (DC 22), mass pain strike (DC 22)
6th-level—cone of cold (DC 23), mass suggestion (DC 23), swarm skin
Patron Spirits
Spell-like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +19)
At will—agony 12 rounds (DC 23), charm +2 7 rounds (DC 23), feather fall, feral speech, healing hex (2d8+10 1/day per creature healed), know direction, major healing (3d8+12 1/day per creature healed)
1/day—levitate, weather control
12 minutes/day—fly, tongues
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 25, Wis 12, Cha 18
Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Alertness B, Amateur Investigator, Evolved Familiar, Extra Hex (x3), Fast Learner, Improvisation, Persuasive
Flaws One Arm
Traits Ancient Explorer (Knowledge (local)), Shackles Seafarer, Storm-Touched, Worldly
Drawback Superstitious
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +9, Bluff +9, Climb -3, Craft (alchemy) +9, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +2, Disguise +9, Escape Artist +2, Fly +15, Handle Animal +9, Heal +14, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (arcana) +22, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (history) +23, Knowledge (local) +23, Knowledge (nature) +22, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Knowledge (planes) +18, Knowledge (religion) +9, Linguistics +9, Perception +13, Perform (sing) +9, Profession (sailor) +16, Ride +2, Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft +22, Stealth +2, Survival +11 (+13 to avoid becoming lost when using a Mapmaker's Kit as you travel), Swim +18, Use Magic Device +19
Languages Common, Abyssal, Aquan, Celestial, Cyclops, Infernal, Polyglot, Sahuagin, Tengu
SQ agony hex, charm hex, deliver touch spells through familiar, empathic link, feral speech, flight hex, healing hex, hexes, inspiration pool (7/day), major healing hex, sea creature empathy (+16), share spells with familiar, speak with familiar, speak with simians, superstitious (50% chance of rolling a save vs. harmless spells), tongues hex, water lung hex, weather control hex
Gear headband of vast intelligence +2, circlet of persuasion, cloak of resistance +3, wand of cure moderate wounds (13 charges), wand of magic missiles (24 charges), amulet of natural armor +2, bracers of armor +2, immovable rod, ring of protection +1, masterwork dagger, horn of the tritons, masterwork backpack, belt pouch, everburning torch, pot of black ink, ink pen, journal, mapmaker’s kit, pathfinder chronicle (Knowledge (nature)), spell component pouch, thieves tools, waterskin, 6 pp, 17 gp, 8 sp
Jib-Jub
N Tiny Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses Low-light vision; Perception +16
----- Defense -----
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +6 Natural, +2 size)
hp 33
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +10 (1d3–4)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 12
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +14, Fly +21, Heal +11, Intimidate +9, Perception +16, Profession (sailor) +13, Spellcraft +12, Survival +11, Stealth +10, Swim +16, Use Magic Device +6
SQ Amphibious, gills, improved evasion
Session 56:
Lillit cast light on a stone and dropped it down into the chamber followed by an arcane eye. There she saw a chamber with a pool of brackish water next to an altar. In the pool a black bladed short sword was stuck into the bottom, barely visible through the brackish water. Minerva teleported down the shaft with Pielanga, Will, Silas, and Aakin. Lillit flew down and then Isobel jumped down using her boots of the cat to land relatively safely.
Minerva, Pielanga, Will, Silas, Lillit, and Aakin were immediately hit with a waves of exhaustion spell from some unseen foe. Pielanga activated her ring of invisibility as Aakin backed up to the wall and cast sanctuary spell on himself. The Shrouded Queen emerged from her hiding place in the pool and attacked. She looked something like a hideous mix of eel, octopus, bat, and spider, all melded together into a body the size of an elephant. She wore a golden tiara that had an unusual form to it.
She attacked Minerva, biting and clawing her badly and opening up several bleeding wounds. Minerva cast two heal spells on Silas and Will, healing them and removing their exhaustion. Will struck hard, causing bleeding wounds on the monster as Silas drank a potion of enlarge person and joined the fray. Isobel landed and then summoned two Bralani azatas to aid them in combat. They fired of lightning bolts to little effect. Aakin healed Minerva, closing her bleeding wounds.
Lillit realized that the Shrouded Queen had been converted somehow into an augnagar qlippoth. She then fired off a couple of lightning bolt spells, even though the monster was resistant to electricity. The Shrouded Queen took some damage and then bit Silas while slashing at Fancy Will with her tail claws. Silas’ flesh began to rot and reek, causing Minerva, Lillit, Will, Isobel, Pielanga, and the bralani to become sickened by the smell.
Isobel cast haste and the bralani shifted to their scimitars to have a better chance of doing damage, but still proved somewhat ineffective. Aakin fired in a clustered shot of arrows and hit its vitals with massive damage, killing the beast.
Minerva began healing everyone and the party rested to overcome the exhaustion. Lillit cast break enchantment on Silas, lifting the curse. Minerva cast a restoration spell on Silas to finish the repairs to the navigator. They then looted the place, and when they discovered that some gold and silver ingots equalled the value of a raise dead diamond, they referred to it as worth a “full Pielanga”. Neither Pielanga nor Isobel were amused.
Silas waded out into the pool and after some effort removed Aiger’s Kiss from where it was embedded in the pool. As Aiger’s Kiss was removed, the pool’s waters drained away into the tiny hole that remained. Eerie but unintelligible whispers seemed to well up from the hole, but Lillit and the others determined that the portal that had apparently existed there was still sealed.
After they collected all the loot, they realized that if they wished to teleport out to the ship they would have to go back up the shaft. In order to make it easier to transport all the treasure, Minerva cast treasure stitching and put it all in a tapestry. They were going to have Lillit fly up and drop a rope down for the rest; it was at this point that they discovered they didn’t have 70 feet of rope between all of them. As they sat embarrassed at not having this most basic of adventuring equipment—not-withstanding the silk scarf that Fancy Will offered—they remembered that they had slippers of spider climbing.
They worked at it for a while, in relay, and finally got up with all the loot and teleported back to the Risky Venture—just in time to hear the ship’s alarm bell ringing. A second ship flying a Shackles flag had come a broadside of the Venture. This second ship was the Wanton Wastrel and her captain was the son of Captain Tevenida Aiger, Valerande “Barracuda” Aiger.
Aiger sent up the white flag to signal parley. They did the Captain’s Dance, allowing Aiger to come aboard the Risky Venture while Fancy Will was sent over weaponless to the Wanton Wastrel as a hostage to guarantee good behaviour all round. Captain Aiger greeted Isobel as an equal but insisted that Aiger’s Kiss was his by right and that he would be taking it. If denied, he would bring his wrath to bear. He claimed his crew would fight to the death over this point of honour.
Minerva pointed towards the Wanton Wastrel and said, “That crew?” There they saw Will had grabbed a weapon from the hands of the crew and was demonstrating proper swordsmanship to the Wastrel’s crew, who seemed eager to learn from such an infamous sword fighter. Barracuda paused and then asked softly if they could discuss matters in private. They retired to Isobel’s cabin to continue the parley out of sight of his crew enthusiastically practicing the sword maneuvers Will was demonstrating.
At this point Captain Aiger promised to give them the entire lot of plunder from his hold for the sword. The crew discussed amongst themselves the value of this exchange in “Pielangas” so as to keep Aiger from getting the full value they might be bringing in to negotiations. Isobel frowned on this, but really couldn’t stop them in front of Captain Aiger. She put forth the counter proposal of all the plunder in his hold plus a commitment to join their fleet against Harrigan and possibly the Chelish as well. If he agreed, he would get the sword afterwards.
Aiger agreed, but stated that he would want the sword up front as a sign of good faith. Isobel said alright, but if he betrayed them he would be the next to fall after Harrigan. Aiger agreed, and they spat in their hands and shook on it. Aiger returned to his ship with Aiger’s Kiss and Will returned with the plunder, getting a few waves and cheers of appreciation from the Wastrel’s crew.
They headed to Port Peril to liquidate their plunder and get more cash for building up Octopus Bay. After selling everything off, they began to discuss what to do next. They decided to return to Octopus Bay and begin training the squadrons to work as a fleet. Four days later they arrived home at the same time that Barracuda’s Raiders arrived, Aiger’s squadron of three sailing ships.
They mustered their fleet, with Dahryen—accompanied by Aakin—taking control of Queen Bes’s Own, Lillit in charge of the renamed Lost Squadron as the Eye of the Storm, and Fancy Will taking command of a new squadron named the Fancy Squad. All together there were seven squadrons filling out the fleet. Isobel took command as Admiral on board the Risky Venture, and they practiced maneuvers in Octopus Bay to see how well they could work together.
Will’s reckless tactics and maneuvers won the day over Isobel’s overly cautious approach. It was agreed a combination of the two would serve them well. They then set about watching for Harrigan’s fleet and trying to gain information on its compliment and structure. There was some debate over sending Pielanga out to infiltrate Harrigan’s squadrons and pick up information. Isobel was concerned that if Pielanga was found out, she would be killed with no way to raise her from the dead. Pielanga felt that she was letting her skills be wasted, but submitted to Isobel’s decision.
Aakin, disgusted by the wasted debate, put on his hat of disguise and set out himself to infiltrate and discover what he could of Harrigan’s fleet. When they went to Port Peril once more to get rid of plunder, he slipped away and began making enquiries. He was gone a week, then he slipped free of Harrigan’s fleet and then returned to Octopus Bay in a small ship boat with important information. Harrigan was using the Wormwood as a flag ship and the fleet was divided into four squadrons: Duskwyrm Squadron, Zura’s Kiss, Reefspider Squadron, and the Devil’s Own Squadron.
Aakin knew their compliment (all warships and sailing ships) and the names of the commodores. He hadn’t gotten close to the Wormwood to see Harrigan, but he heard and saw nothing of Cut-Throat Grok, Peppery Longfarthing, or Habbly “Stitchman” Quarne. Most important of all was the fact that the fleet would be arriving at the Island of Empty Eyes in just two days. The fleet arrived at dawn of Desnus 12th, with the Wormwood at its head.
Session 57:
Isobel commanded Queen Bes’ Own forward and Dahryen recklessly attacked the Devil’s Own, doing heavy damage. Zura’s Kiss squadron moved to strike at the Fancy Squad which was recklessly moving forward under Will’s command. Will’s squadron moved in and attacked the Reefspider Squadron, ignoring the attacking Zura’s Kiss. Will managed to damage the squadron heavily, sinking a vessel.
The Duskwyrm Squadron fired and smashed into Will’s ships, flanking them with Zura’s Kiss. The Fancy Squad was obliterated, leaving many people swimming and clinging to debris. The Risky Venture daringly moved forward and picked up survivors, including Fancy Will. The Eye of the Storm squadron attacked the Devil’s Own, sinking and disabling all but two ships. This attacked opened Lillit’s squadron to attack from the Reefspider Squadron, doing significant damage to several ships.
Barracuda’s Raiders swooped in and finished off the Devil’s Own squadron, leading a charge from Drale’s Eagles, Madshanks Marauders, and Lucky Gamble squadrons. These squadrons combined their efforts and smashed Zura’s Kiss, heavily damaging the squadron. Minerva worked to repair some ships with make whole spells as the ships moved to reengage.
The Lucky Gamble Squadron moved in and struck at Zura’s Kiss, almost eliminating the squadron. Zura’s Kiss fired out at the nearest vessels, damaging Drale’s Eagles under Merrill Pegsworthy. Dahryen moved in with Queen Bes’ Own and attacked the Reefspider Squadron, disabling several ships. The commodore of the Duskwyrm Squadron made a terrible mistake and was unable to damage any of the incoming ships. Madshanks was thrown off by this and this led to his own blunder, making him unable to damage his foe.
The Reefspider Squadron opened fire on the Eye of the Storm, all but destroying the squadron. The Eye of the Storm finished off Zura’s Kiss, sinking its remaining ships as Barracuda’s Raiders and Lucky Gamble joined forces and wiped out the Reefspider Squadron. The Duskwyrm Squadron was all that remained as Minerva repaired the ships in the Eye of the Storm squadron.
Madshanks Marauders moved in and slammed the Duskwyrm Squadron and sank the remaining ships. Harrigan’s fleet broke up and fell, and the Wormwood was revealed damaged and limping away in retreat. The Risky Venture was able to pursue and grapple with their old ship without much problem.
Lillit flew over to the Venture to join in the boarding action. As they attacked, they saw a hook handed woman vanish from the deck. Kipper appeared suddenly after firing a ballista as a sneak attack on Minerva. Sadly for Kipper, it was a glancing blow that didn’t kill the healer. Pielanga used her crossbow and got in a sneak attack on Riaris Krine before boarding. Lillit cast blood boil on Krine after flying over and touching the sailing master, though she got hit with Krine’s boarding pike.
Chauncey charged over and attacked Kipper at the ballista, heavily mauling him. Kipper then drank a potion of invisibility and vanished again. Fancy Will swung over to the Wormwood and attacked Patch Patchsalt. Patch and the Wormwood officers moved in to attack the boatswain. Will parried and riposted to kill one of the officers. Patch got off a sneak attack which hurt Will somewhat, but didn’t get a significant wound.
Minerva cast a flame strike and hit five of the officers. Silas charged in and was attack by two officers before he reached Patch. He took a scratch but then pummeled Patch to death with a flurry of powerful blows, ending with him punching through her chest.
Riaris Krine attacked Lillit with her boarding pike, giving the witch a nasty wound. She fell to the deck, barely conscious. Chauncey charged in and began killing Wormwood officers as Will eliminated the rest of them. Minerva dimensional hopped to Lillit and dimension hopped the witch out, taking a hit from Riaris Krine. Silas stepped in and slammed into Riaris, killing her.
Kipper suddenly appeared and got off a sneak attack with his bow against Will. Pielanga moved in and began attacking Kipper. Chauncey moved in and ripped into Kipper, finishing him off. Minerva moved in and cast mass cure light wounds. Lillit cast see invisibility and point out that the hook handed woman, Adelita Doloruso, was at the bow. Silas moved to the bow and prepared to engage Adelita. Isobel cast glitterdust, outlining the wizard. She the appeared fully and cast a quickened fireball which damaged Isobel, Lillit, and Minerva. Pielanga dived to the side and avoided taking any damage from the explosion of flame.
Adelita then cast a prismatic spray spell, covering the entire crew. Silas got hit with an orange beam and took acid damage, while Chauncey got hit with a red beam for fire damage. Will and Isobel got hit with blue beams, but they both shook off the petrification effect. A violet beam hit Pielanga, and she was shunted to another plane of existence. Minerva and Lillit got hit with a yellow beam for electricity damage that nearly took them both down.
Chauncey attacked Adelita, breaking through her defenses and doing significant damage. Will charged out and swung around to land on the spar, piercing Adelita with his rapier. Minerva cast mass cure moderate wounds to strengthen the party up as Lillit hit Adelita with an agony hex, which failed to have an effect. Silas decided to end the battle by grappling Adelita, pinning her and the hog tying her. Seeing their captain down, the crew of the Wormwood surrendered.
Revelling in their victory, the triumphant fleet returned to Octopus Bay for a well-earned celebration. They recovered what damaged ships they could to help reconstitute their fleet to full strength, while keeping Adelita bound and gagged for interrogation. The absence of Barnabas Harrigan was concerning and needed to be investigated.
They healed themselves completely and rested overnight. They then went to interrogate Adelita. Aakin was on point for the interrogation, and they enquired about Harrigan. Adelita confirmed that he was back on Gannet Island, awaiting word. When they asked how he would get word of what happened, Adelita replied that she would be the one telling him. At this point a cacodaemon appeared and freed the wizard. She cast a teleport spell, but Minerva realized what she was doing and cast a counterspell to stop her.
Will stepped in and attacked, but found that she was now protected by a stoneskin spell. In spite of that, he was still able to pierce her heart and kill her. Next they decided to rescue Pielanga. They used a divination spell to determine that the steward was now on the Plane of Shadow, a dark reflection of the Material Plane. They used a sending to contact Pielanga, and determined that she was on the shadow equivalent of the Island of Empty Eyes.
Minerva cast plane shift, but arrived in an arena of some sort, with Kytons dressed as pirates and shadow creatures in the stands. They cast teleport to get to the shadow equivalent Island of Empty Eyes. They then used locate object to find Brine’s Sting, Pielanga’s rapier, and tracked her down. They used another sending to talk to Pielanga and assure her that they were close and not to move. When they got her, Minerva cast a second plane shift to return them home. They arrived at the northeastern bay of the Island of Empty Eyes.
They then teleported back to Octopus Bay and got ready to assault Harrigan’s fortress on Gannet Island. They knew that for the moment, Harrigan had no way off the island but that situation wouldn’t last long. Reviewing Scag Rotgrum’s notes, they found that Harrigan kept a “pet” witch—a foul, long-tongued man who kept a trained sea serpent in the reef-maze surrounding the isle. If they bang a large gong and drop a freshly butchered bull over the side as an “offering” to the serpent, the monster would not attack them.
There was a sea cave under the island that served as an escape route. The cave was exposed at low tide, but even at high tide the tunnel that led up into the island would provide a stealthy entrance. Harrigan’s personal quarters were on the castle’s third floor. Scags had planned on working his way up through the lower floors with several of his allies, hoping to use Harrigan’s cowardice and arrogance so that when he was cornered, there would be no reinforcements left.
They set off the following day, leaving Dahryen behind to oversee the finishing of repairs on the fleet. They arrived four days later, on Desnus 20th. Silas navigated through the maze to the hidden cave using Scags’ notes as a guide. They rang a gong and tossed a butchered cow overboard. A massive sea serpent emerged from the waves and swallowed it in one bite.
They spotted the sea cave and Isobel, Chauncey, Pielanga, Aakin, Lillit, Silas, Will, and Minerva went overboard and used water breathing to get to the opening at high tide, leaving their ship obscured from the harbour. As they entered the cave, they were surprised by a massive deep tiger anemone, which viciously attacked them with its tentacles. Isobel and Will were got completely off guard, but everyone else saw the creature before it struck.
Pielanga moved back out of range as the rest of the crew were struck. The poison in the tentacles began having a horrific effect on Lillit, Isobel, draining them of their strength and ability to move. Silas went to total evasive behaviour to avoid being hit. Minerva was grabbed, but used her dimensional hop to get Lillit, Aakin, Isobel, and herself out of range. She then cast searing light on the monster.
Will and Silas withdrew as Isobel cast enlarge person on Chauncey. Aakin began using his bow, cluster shooting hit to maximize his damage. Chauncey tore into it, but its amorphous form made it resistant to attacks. It managed to grab Chauncey and poison him, as Isobel became paralyzed and unconscious from the poison in her system.
Chauncey vanished and Minerva cast flame strike on the beast. She successfully destroyed the anemone, but poisoned and weakened they retreated back to the Risky Venture to be healed, restored, and Minerva cast a nap stack to rapidly get them back to full strength. They then headed back into the cave, just as the sun began to set.
Session 58 (part one):
They returned to the anemone cave and searched the ground around the monster’s corpse for bits of treasure, picking up some small items. They then proceeded deeper into the cave, following the tunnel towards Harrigan’s fortress. They came to a cavern with an opening in the ceiling. In the cavern was a massive creature looking much like an aquatic scorpion. Lillit identified this beast as a spiny eurypterid, an aquatic vermin with a poisonous stinger.
The eurypterid attacked the closest member of the crew which was Fancy Will. He took some nasty damage from its claws but parried the stinger. Silas and Chauncey attacked and pierced themselves with the creature’s spines. Will struck solidly, but Chauncey’s bulk kept most of the rest of the crew from being able to attack. Pielanga tried to move around to flank it while invisible, but the creature sensed her in the water and stopped her cold.
Lillit summoned an orca to aid them, but it proved to be of little help. Minerva cast a shock arrow and missed because of firing around Chauncey and into combat. Aakin remained blocked until Chauncey moved, but it was fine as Will continued to strike to devastating effect. Silas finished it off in spectacular fashion by smashing his fist through its shell and ripping out something vital from within.
After healing, they swam up and saw that the hole on ceiling led to a chamber with a rail and lit with torches. Silas climbed up out of the hole and tied a rope to the railing. His sudden appearance startled four women in robes who were tending to a shrine to Norgorber. As Silas moved to deal with them, they all channeled negative energy, harming him extensively.
Chauncey exploded up out of the hole and landed near a circular black altar as Silas jumped up on the altar and began slamming the cultists with his fists, managing to kill one of them. Will used his slippers of spider climbing to run up the rope, do a back flip onto the altar, and made an attack. Minerva cast dimension door and took herself, Pielanga, Aakin, and Isobel up. Isobel cast glitterdust over the combat area, not having any real effect other than making everything sparkly.
Aakin used his destruction judgement and slew one with ease as Pielanga moved in to try and flank with the others. The two surviving cultists cast spells, one healing the other and the healed one casting confusion and affected Chauncey and Pielanga. Lillit flew up out of the sink hole and cast break enchantment, removing the effect.
Chauncey killed one and then damaged the remaining cultist followed by Silas finishing her off. They then searched the area and found some divine scrolls, incense, and an iron key. They then moved down the hall to the west and came to a door. There Aakin listened at the door and determined that there were people inside. They opened the door and found a bedroom with a bed and a stone font with dark liquid in it. A Chelish banner was pinned against one wall. There were four more cultists and a pale, black haired woman in a domino mask and dressed in an elegant black gown.
The pale woman greeted them as “Harrigan’s little pests” and introduced herself as Luccaria, high priestess of Norgorber. She dismissed Minerva’s call for parley as “typical for an Andoran rabble“ and when Will made a comment on her hair style she stated that everything Tellastrum wore was out of style; he had obviously been away from Taldor for too long.
As Will moved to attack over this outrageous insult, Luccaria asked her cultists to get Silas’ belt buckle as a trophy to demonstrate their superiority over a follower of Desna. Will quickly slew one of the cultists as Lillit arrived in the doorway. Luccaria revealed that Lillit’s missing arm had been transformed into her familiar, Jib-Jub. She wondered how much power Lillit had gained and whether that sacrifice had been worth it.
Lillit responded with a lightning bolt to her cultists. Isobel cast haste on the group as Chauncey killed a cultist by reaching into the room with his claws and bite. Luccaria made a disparaging comment about Isobel never getting over not getting a pony as a child and hit the group with a flame strike. Aakin moved into position and fired two arrows into Luccaria.
Silas charged in and hit Luccaria with a very powerful hit, knocking her out. One of the remaining cultists hit Silas with a touch of evil, sickening him. The other hit him with a bestow curse spell, but he was strong enough to resist it even though he had been sickened. Will killed one and then moved in to flank the last one standing with Pielanga. Aakin moved into the room and skewered the last cultist with an arrow. Silas made a coup de grace on Luccaria, crushing her skull and used his hasted attack to kill the last cultist.
They searched the bodies and the room, collecting more gear (including a glamored chain shirt that Luccaria passed off as an evening gown and a powerful short sword) and discovering that the font near the south wall was magical and read as strong divination magic. The water in the font responded to the spell, rising up to form a miniature version of a woman dressed as a Chelish Admiral.
They considered it likely that she was Druvalia Thrune, one of the few female admirals in the Chelish fleet. She expressed surprise at first but then calmly spoke to them, assuring them that if they wished they could take Harrigan’s place in the coming attack and act as magistrates in the new Chelish colony of the Shackles. She then said that she would see them soon, blew them a kiss, and the font exploded; Lillit, Pielanga, and Silas were caught in the blast, taking a few cuts.
With Harrigan revealed as the traitor to the Shackles, the need to defeat him became more urgent. They headed back down the hall and passed through another door. There they found a hall with flags taken as trophies and the door they came out of had a symbol of Norgorber as the Reaper of Reputation. There was a staircase going up in the hall and another door opposite the one they came from that led outside.
Session 58 (part two):
Pielanga opened the door and saw a courtyard with a lift leading up to the battlements and a big set of double doors leading into another section of the fort. Two other passages led away from the courtyard to other outside locations.
Pielanga snuck upstairs and located a group of smugglers and a tengu pirate in what appeared to be barracks. Isobel’s crew decided to attack in a direct assault, charging up the stairs and overwhelming their opponents as fast as possible. Minerva cast bless on her crew as they moved up the stairs. Aakin snuck into the room, letting Chauncey, Silas, Pielanga, and Fancy Will act as a distraction as they entered.
Silas moved in and assaulted the smugglers as Lillit flew up the stairs, into the midst of the smugglers, and cast swarm skin. The flesh fell off her bones and transformed into a swarm of army ants and a swarm of spiders, attacking the smugglers. One of them became nauseated in the army ants swarm. The smugglers tried to flee to the back of the room out of the swarms and use their short bows. They fired on Fancy Will, which the knowledge given to them by the cultists of Norgorber informing them that he was the most dangerous of all of Isobel’s crew.
Pielanga hit the enemy Tengu, named Jakaw Razorbeak, as he moved in to attack. Will concentrated his assaults on the smugglers he could reach without entering Lillit’s swarms. Chauncey perched on some bunk beds within reach of the smugglers. Jakaw made Fancy Will his quarry and began inflicting terrible wounds on the boatswain, cackling in glee as he struck. Minerva moved into the room and healed Will as Aakin opened up his shots on Jakaw from his sheltered area near the ruins of the bunks crushed by Chauncey.
Silas killed a smuggler, shifted his position and proceeded to miss with the rest of his strikes. The Lillit/swarms moved around to attack as many smugglers as she could. They were soon all nauseated by the attacks, making them completely ineffective. As they moved out of the swarms, Silas used multiple strikes to hammer them all the more. Will was a bit shaken by the swarms, and missed a number of his attacks, as did Pielanga. They both recovered in time to start doing some damage.
Chauncey then moved in killed more smugglers and Jakaw and Isobel managed to shoot a smuggler. Minerva got one with a headshot with her musket, blowing the smugglers head off. They then looted the room and watched for guards. But the thick walls kept the shots from reverberating too far in the enclosed barracks. They searched Jakaw’s corpse and found two more keys.
They checked out a door to the north which led to an office with a table with papers pinned to it with a fancy jewelled dagger. The papers set out Harrigan’s plans for taking the Island of Empty Eyes and assaulting Isobel’s fortress. There was a set of stairs that led up, so they took the dagger, the papers, and then proceeded up the stairs.
They found a small room occupied by an elderly man dressed in burlap robes and owning a monkey. His appearance indicated to them that he was Gilbrok the Tongue, the witch that controlled the sea serpent. Fancy Will stepped up and did severe damage, killing the witch before Gilbrok could even act.
After searching they found very little of value except what was on Gilbrok. They went downstairs and Minerva cast silence and drank potions of invisibility so they could go outside and avoid detection from the guards. They moved along the battlements to a nearby door which was locked, which according to Scags Rotgram’s maps would lead to the warehouse. They tried the various keys they had picked up and one of them from Jakaw worked. They slipped inside as fast as they could.
There they discovered a warehouse full of crates of plunder. They didn’t have long to get a full value on the treasure when they were assaulted by a three legged, multi-eyed beats with numerous insect like appendages. Lillit identified it as a derghodaemon, but beyond that she didn’t know much of its abilities. Its attacking them indicated that it could see invisibility at the very least.
With the spell-casters hampered by the silence spell, they hung back as the melee fighters moved in to engage the creature. Pielanga struck and opened up its armor somewhat though she did little damage. Will struck and did some decent damage, but their weaponry was not as effective as it could have been. Aakin fired off his arrows, clustering the shot to help penetrate its hide but with little effect.
Most of the derghodaemon was just outside the silence zone so it cast fear on Pielanga and Chauncey. They panicked and ran, trying to escape. Isobel dismissed Chauncey as he flew by. Silas took poison damage from its claws as Silas hammered into the beast. His fists had full effect for some reason and he became the most dangerous of the opponents from the daemon’s perspective.
Since engaging in battle Pielanga had become visible, so she would have alerted the guards had she made it out the door. Minerva hit her as she went past them, stopping her. Will began striking with his rapier to create nasty, bleeding wounds as he danced around to avoid the sharp insect-like arms. Minerva fired off her musket into the melee, hitting the large beast but doing no damage.
The derghodaemon cast creeping doom and summoned four swarms to attack the crew. Silas, Pielanga, and Will in particular were being affected by the swarms’ poisons. Still, Will and Silas managed to wear the monster down and finally killed it. The summoned swarms vanished and Minerva dropped the silence, cast her three heal spells and repaired Pielanga, Will, and Silas. Isobel summoned Chauncey once more as they began inspecting the warehouse.
Session 59:
As they began checking out the plunder in the warehouse, they heard many footsteps coming from both directions. Aakin realized that the derghodaemon had telepathy and probably alerted Harrigan and the guards. Isobel cast haste on the crew, Minerva cast spiritual weapon, and Aakin cast righteous vigor on Silas. They didn’t have much more time to prepare before two groups of guards burst in to the warehouse from both external doors.
Minerva got badly hurt by the flanking attacks, but Aakin killed one that was beside her with a clustered shot. Fancy Will leaped into the air, flipping over the heads of the invading forces, and running one of the guards through. Minerva used her dimensional hop to get out of danger and healed herself. Lillit cast mass pain strike and hampered several of the guards. Chauncey and Silas took down more of them and the attacking guards now found themselves on the defensive. After that, they took down the remaining guards quickly.
They inspected the locked door in the warehouse and had Pielanga open it. She set off a trap she missed and ended up impaled on poisoned spikes. She was able to survive the poison, and as the trap reset Pielanga managed to disarm it with wedged pitons keeping it from activating. Lillit used her wand of knock to open the door and behind it they found several empty chests with some loose coins and jewellery around. Apparently Harrigan had emptied his treasury to build his fleet.
As they searched the depleted treasury, a gray miasma filled the room and they were all hurt by an unholy blight. Will was sickened and the others began searching for the source of the spell. Lillit cast arcane eye and sent it up the stairs, seeing a number of dark winged women. The erinyes beckoned them to the fight when they noticed the arcane eye with their true seeing abilities. They challenged them with telepathic taunts, but the crew refused to take the bait.
The four devils teleported down to the attack and they attacked Isobel with their arrows, badly injuring the captain. Lillit cast suggestion and three of the erinyes took her advice to join in guarding the prisoners below. They teleported themselves away and the rest of the crew smashed into the remaining devil and killed her quickly.
They went upstairs and listened at a door. Not hearing anything, they opened it up and found an empty hallway. Another two doors led off the hallway, so they went up to the first to listen. As Will, Pielanga, Aakin, and Chauncey moved in to investigate, a group of erinyes appeared around them and Barnabas Harrigan appeared to challenge them, saying he would carve them up for meat and take the Dainty Lass’ head for a trophy.
Harrigan swallowed a potion and vanished while the devils began assaulting the rest of the crew. They concentrated their attacks on Isobel, rending her unconscious and forcing Chauncey to vanish. Minerva used her rebuke death ability on Isobel and got her back to consciousness. The captain summoned Chauncey in the hall next to the room where she had fallen and he reached in to tear at the devils.
All of a sudden the entire group were engulfed in a mass of cacophonous howls, apparently coming from Harrigan. Pielanga was frightened by it and huddled in a corner. The erinyes cast another unholy blight and sickened Silas. He took an alchemical solution called stillgut and overcame his sickness. The battle bogged down a bit, so Isobel cast haste on the party and the crew concentrated on taking down the devils as rapidly as possible while still waiting for Harrigan to strike. Lillit summoned a bralani to help with the devils.
Aakin cast litany of sight and spotted Harrigan moving towards Isobel’s location. He opened fire with his bow and managed to hit the traitor. Harrigan became completely visible as he struck Isobel with a nasty sneak attack, nearly killing her. She barely retained consciousness. An erinyes cast fear on Will and the boatswain ran into the corner with Pielanga. Silas struck hard and took down the remaining devils in a flurry of vicious strikes. He then moved in and stood over Isobel as Minerva cast remove fear on Will & Pielanga and used her dimensional hop ability to pull Isobel from the combat.
They now all concentrated their attacks on Harrigan. The bralani and Aakin fired their bows and did significant damage, but Harrigan successful feinted against Silas and began cutting the ship master to ribbons. Silas fell prone and slugged back a potion of cure moderate wounds. He rolled out of the way and drank another healing potion.
Will moved in to challenge Harrigan as Minerva moved in next to Silas and cast her last heal on Silas. Then Lillit cast enervation on Harrigan and Aakin fired in some brutal shots. Harrigan drank another potion of invisibility and tried to run away, heading down the stairs into the warehouse. Silas ran after the Harrigan, intent on finishing him off. He charged up following the sound of Harrigan’s footsteps and struck out using his combat skill to take him down. Harrigan hit the floor unconscious. Minerva brought Lillit into the room with her dimensional hop. Lillit cast magic missile and finally killed the traitorous pirate captain.
They looted his body and found a bag of holding in a glove of storing which had all the plans for the Chelish invasion. Before they could review these plans, another group of guards arrived to try and take the crew down. The fight was short and sweet, with Chauncey, Silas, Aakin, and Will decimating them in short order. They then went upstairs to search for more information and loot.
They found a war room with charts and maps of the Shackles, Inner Sea, and beyond. The only valuables they found was a crystal decanter and goblet set as well as bottles of very fine rum and brandy. They found some interesting treasures in Harrigan’s bedroom, including the skull of notorious pirate Wretched Baxus, a rod of splendor fashioned as a peg leg, and a masterwork cutlass with an ivory handle and gems. With all the loot they could find secured, they rested to get ready to take on the sea trolls and erinyes guarding the prisoners.
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Harrigan hit the floor unconscious. Minerva brought Lillit into the room with her dimensional hop. Lillit cast magic missile and finally killed the traitorous pirate captain.
Gratz to your team.
Harrigan hit the floor unconscious. Minerva brought Lillit into the room with her dimensional hop. Lillit cast magic missile and finally killed the traitorous pirate captain.Gratz to your team.
Thanks! We use Hero Points and I must say that they were all but gone by the end of the fight. In fact Jacen, who plays Silas, made the comment that anybody with full Hero Points after the fight would have some explaining to do! ;)
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We use Hero Points and I must say that they were all but gone by the end of the fight. In fact Jacen, who plays Silas, made the comment that anybody with full Hero Points after the fight would have some explaining to do! ;)
We use hero points too, real life savers. For me as a GM, hero points are a blessing, for they allow me to throw serious challenges at the party.
Session 60:
They came up with a three prong attack on the devils and trolls: Will, Lillit, Pielanga, and Aakin would come in the main doors; Isobel would dimension door in on Chauncey in the center of the room; and Minerva would cast stone shape on the floor in the warehouse to create a hole through which she and Silas could enter from above, getting surprise.
As soon as Will opened the doors, the crew in the doorway got hit with a unholy blight from an erinyes. The six sea trolls moved in to attack as two bearded devils got their glaives ready to support the three erinyes. Lillit took on dust form and fired off a cone of cold into the large dirt floored room, hitting all the targets with the intense blast.
As Lillit fired off her spell, Minerva cast stone shape and created a hole near the back above the devils for Silas to attack. Isobel then ported into the center of the room and Chauncey breathed an electrical blast to hit many of the foes at the rear of the room: Chauncey had been the recipient of numerous spells, including one that gave him a breath weapon and both Isobel and Chauncey were under the effect of invisibility. Silas dived through the hole and slammed into an erinyes.
The bearded devils struck out at him with their glaives, but failed to hit Silas at all. Aakin took out a troll with his initial volley as a scrag tried to move into position to kill Will and Pielanga. The trolls tried to kill Isobel and the dragon. One scrag tried to flee to the sea, but Aakin eliminated him with arrow shots. Lillit cast vampiric touch on a scrag to absorb damage as Minerva cast holy smite through the hole. She killed the two bearded devils, the three erinyes, and a troll as well as mildly hurt Chauncey and Isobel.
Will and Pielanga took out another two trolls as Isobel cast haste on the group and Chauncey killed the last two trolls. Silas opened the door to the cells as the rest of the crew looted the bodies. In the cells Silas found former sailing master of the Wormwood Peppery Longfarthing and ex-ship’s surgeon Habbly “Stitchman” Quarne. Harrigan had lopped off one of Habbly’s feet and put out an eye with a hot iron before throwing him into this prison cell—but he got off easy, compared to Peppery Longfarthing.
Habbly informed Silas and Minerva that Peppery had mentioned to Harrigan after the regatta that, “if you kept your officers on a shorter leash they’d inspire more loyalty among their crews.” Harrigan cut off both her hands, put out both of her eyes, and cut out her tongue to teach her a lesson and ensure that she could tell no one what she knew of Harrigan’s treachery.
When Isobel asked about Cut-Throat Grok, Habbly told her that Grok was subject to “special” attention by the cultists of Norgorber. She would be in the torture pit in the northeast tower. Isobel came to the conclusion that they didn’t kill Harrigan hard enough.
In the tower, Silas found a wide stone-lined pit with torture implements. They recognized the Wormwood’s former quartermaster even without her arms and legs or ears and nose. Grok had long fallen into insanity from the horror and pain of the torture, she was totally catatonic.
They sacked the rest of the fortress as Minerva used word of recall to get the wounded back to her surgery. The rest of the crew returned to the Risky Venture with all the plunder and departed. They inspected the Chelish plans they had discovered and realized that they had less than two weeks to mount a defence before the armada would hit Tempest Cay and Drenchport.
They sent a sending to Tessa Fairwind to warn her about the impending attack and get her advice. She told them to use the silver raven she gave them to spread the word and call an emergency meeting of the Pirate Council in Port Peril. As they travelled, Minerva used regeneration spells to heal Peppery, Grok, and the Stitchman before using a greater restoration to get Grok out of her catatonia.
All three were overwhelmingly grateful and pledged their loyalty top Isobel and the rest of the crew, especially after Isobel proposed giving the Wormwood to them to command. Five days after leaving Gannet Island, they arrived in Port Peril. It took two days for the Council to assemble and meet in the main hall of Fort Hazard.
Isobel presented the evidence and slammed Harrigan’s head on the table for good measure, raising a great deal of concern amongst the assembled Lords. But while the Dainty Lass managed to shake his confidence a little with her presentation, Hurricane King Kerdak Bonefist was unconvinced. He even suggested Isobel may have forged the information in an attempt to justify their attack on Harrigan. But even if the threat was real, Bonefist pointed out that meeting the Chelaxians on the open sea only played to Chelish strengths and strategy.
Bonefist argued that the Free Captains do their best in battle when they make small surgical strikes, or attack from defensive positions. He grew more and more stubborn the longer the meeting went, and eventually he dismissed the council, declaring his decision final. Bonefist suggested that the lords of the council make ready their squadrons for when they will be needed, but believed that whatever made it through the Eye of Abendego would be in no shape to take even a single atoll. He even implied that any captains who sail north on this foolish mission to fight phantoms might well be branded traitors against the Shackles—especially if all of this is but a ruse intended to distract the Shackles’ defenses from a still-hidden attack.
After the council meeting, there was grumbling and gossip among the pirate lords. There were whispers naming the Hurricane King a coward and a need for new leadership. This opened the door to someone taking the initiative and meeting the enemy fleet with their own with volunteers.
Arronax Endymion and Tessa Fairwind both volunteered squadrons they would command (The Devil’s Own and Fairwind’s Luck), and the Master of the Gales agreed to accompany them on the Risky Venture and help them out as he could. He couldn’t commit his ships as they might be needed to defend Tempest cay should they fail to stop the Chelish Armada.
Alahandra Boisich, pirate lord of Chalk Harbor on Whyrlis Rock, volunteered her ship as a scouting vessel to keep Isobel’s fleet—now being referred to informally as the Dainty Lass’ Longshot by disbelievers—informed as to the movements of the Chelish fleet and whether the timetable of the attack had altered in any way. They gave Alahandra the silver raven so she could send word back when she found something of import.
Aakin returned to the Island of Empty Eyes with a sloop to pick up his mother on the way to get her to safety and Minerva used teleports to get Silas’ parents out of the path of the oncoming assault. Isobel sent word to Octopus Bay to get the fleet moving and meet them off the coast of Tempest Cay. They set sail with the tide and headed north towards Abendego.
Three days later the silver raven returned from Captain Boisich on the Cloudbuster’s Dream with dire news: the entire Chelish armada had successfully made it through Abendego and was ready to attack, nearly five days ahead of schedule!
As the Chelish armada came into view on the horizon, the commodores and sailors of Isobel’s fleet readied their ships for the battle. The armada spotted tem at the same time, and the Chelaxians began arranging their ships to face those of Isobel’s as the two fleets close for battle.
A flock of greater host devils, also known as magaavs, suddenly appeared over the Risky Venture and attacked. Minerva dimensional hopped up into the rigging and cast a holy smite on the devils to no effect. Minerva got suspicious and realized they were actually illusions. As she called out the truth to the crew, the ship lurched to a halt and she was attacked by a real magaav that had been invisible. Six more magaavs were invisible on the deck and were noticeable by the sounds and things they hit.
Lillit saw the attack from the command of the Eye of the Storm squadron and used dimension door to get to the Venture to help. Isobel cast haste and affected Pielanga, Silas, Lillit, and Chauncey. Chauncey charged in and managed to hit one of the invisible magaavs. Pielanga managed to hit one with a sneak attack in spite of its invisibility and moved to flank with Chauncey. They now became visible as they attacked Chauncey, Pielanga, and Silas.
Silas proceeded to tear one of the host devils apart as Lillit cast mass pain strike to no effect. Minerva cast holy smite on the magaav attacking her and she dimensional hopped to a lower yard arm. The magaav flew down to her and breathed on her, but Minerva’s experience with toxic fumes and breath fended off the negative, corrupting effect.
Isobel cast charm monster on one and persuaded her new friend to attack the other magaavs. Between it, Chauncey, Pielanga, and Silas, the magaavs on the deck were rapidly decimated. Lillit used her wand of magic missiles to kill off the last one on the deck. Minerva used slay living on the one attacking her and came very close to killing it. She then used her dimensional hop ability to the deck beside Silas. The heavily injured magaav realized it was beat so it teleported away.
Isobel asked the charmed host devil how the armada managed to get through the Eye of Abendego unscathed. The devil told them that when Harrigan fell into Admiral Druvalia Thrune’s hands, Druvalia decided to make a strike on the Shackles. She knew that her great-uncle Ezaliah Thrune hates the Hurricane King Kerdak Bonefist for twice stealing a dose of the youth-restoring sun orchid elixir from Thuvia that Ezaliah had purchased.
Ezaliah Thrune had enough money left over to make one last bid for the elixir, but when his great-niece Druvalia approached him with her plan the bitter old man went for vengeance instead. He lent his considerable wealth and political power to Druvalia for the resources she needed to sail an armada south to attack the Shackles.
They managed the passage through the hurricane using a secret (and relatively illegal) alliance Druvalia and her elderly great-uncle made with the archdevil Geryon. In return for his powerful blessings to help guide Druvalia’s armada safely through the Eye of Abendego and the aid of a large number of devils, Ezaliah and Druvalia Thrune have promised one of their souls to Geryon as payment— though exactly whose soul depends on whichever of them perishes first. Both are betting on the other going first, with Ezaliah convinced that his niece’s risk-laden lifestyle will come back to bite her soon and Druvalia knowing she need only wait a few more years for her great-uncle to die.
Knowing what they now faced was a full Chelish armada unharmed by the hurricane, Isobel and her fleet braced for the assault.
Wow, your guys did a lot in one session. sounds like all kinds of fun. I especially liked this detial:
Minerva used regeneration spells to heal Peppery, Grok, and the Stitchman before using a greater restoration to get Grok out of her catatonia. All three were overwhelmingly grateful and pledged their loyalty top Isobel and the rest of the crew, especially after Isobel proposed giving the Wormwood to them to command.
Session 61:
Each of the Chelish squadrons were named for Dukes of Hell, adding to the intimidation of the massive armada. Isobel ordered Tessa’s squadron forward first against Mammon’s Squadron, hammering the Chelish with her reckless attack caught by surprise by the suddenness of the attack, the Chelish were unable to mount a successful counterattack against her. Arronax Endymion advanced and hammered Geryon’s Squadron, disabling four ships with the first barrage.
Dispater’s Squadron responded heavily against Pegsworthy and his Drale’s Eagles, sinking two of his three ships. Pegsworthy gave his support to Endymion in fighting Geryon’s Squadron doing a little damage. Geryon’s Squadron maneuvered away from the two squadrons attacking it and slammed in to Fancy Will’s Fancy Squadron, disabling a vessel and damaging many others.
Fancy Will maneuvered forward with abandon, leaving Geryon’s Squadron to the other two and hit Dispater’s Squadron hard. Baalzebul’s Squadron came in to support Geryon’s Squadron, and wiped out Drale’s Eagles completely. Queen Bes’ Own under Dahryen then moved to attack Mephistopheles’ Squadron, engaging them to try and draw them off from the others.
Belial’s Squadron hit the Fancy Squadron and eliminated it, sinking what remained of the squadron. Jerrell’s Lucky Gamble Squadron disabled what remained of Mephistopheles’ Squadron before it could move in to attack. Moloch’s Squadron attacked Endymion’s Devil’s Own Squadron, trying to take the prize of the fallen Chelish Admiral. They sank three ships, weakening Endymion heavily.
Lillit directed the Eye of the Storm squadron to attack Mammon’s squadron, sinking two vessels. Barbatos’s Squadron the attacked the Devil’s Own Squadron and finished off Arronax’s remaining ships. Down three squadrons, Isobel’s’ fleet seemed in dire straits. The Risky Venture moved around and picked up survivors from the sunken vessels, including Arronax, Will, and Pegsworthy.
Tessa attacked Dispater’s Squadron sinking most of the squadron. Belial’s Squadron responded by coming to Dispater’s defence and damaged Fairwind’s Luck Squadron heavily. Queen Bes’s Own attacked Mammon’s Squadron and disabled it almost completely. Moloch’s Squadron hammered into Tessa’s ships, leaving only two vessels operational.
Jerrell’s Lucky Gamble Squadron finally wiped out one of the enemy’s squadrons by sinking the remaining vessels in Mammon’s Squadron. Dispater’s Squadron was in poor shape and did little damage in its counter attack on Tessa. The Eye of the Storm finished off Geryon’s Squadron with a rain of lightning strikes and weapons fire.
Baalzebul’s Squadron and Barbatos’s Squadrons turned its attention to Queen Bes’s Own, but Dahryen maneuvered very well and avoided too much damage. Tessa got some repairs done as Dispater’s Squadron mutinied and fled the battle.
Mephistopheles’ Squadron fired off against Tessa’s Fairwind’s Luck, but failed to connect. Tessa responded by striking at Baalzebul’s Squadron in an attempt to weaken the Chelish as much as possible before her squadron sunk. It responded and sunk the last vessels of Fairwind’s Luck. Queen Bes’s Own fired in against Moloch’s Squadron to try and take the heat off the remaining fleet ships, and Moloch’s Squadron took him on in an all-out broadside, doing the first significant damage to Dahryen’s ships.
Jerrell’s Lucky Gamble Squadron attacked and took out Mephistopheles’ Squadron by sinking its last remaining ships. Belial’s Squadron joined in on the all-out assault on Dahryen’s squadron, but was ineffective. The Eye of the Storm attacked and sunk the last ships of Moloch’s Squadron, eliminating it from the battle. As repairs were done as the ships repositioned, Baalzebul’s Squadron mutinied and fled the battle, leaving only Belial’s Squadron and Barbatos’s Squadron in the fight for the Chelish.
Feeling the tide of battle shift into their favour, Queen Bes’s Own attacked Barbatos’s Squadron damaging it heavily. The fight now centered on Queen Bes’s Own as the Chelish tried to take down Red Cloak’s son. The Lucky Gamble Squadron moved in and hammered Barbatos’s Squadron, sinking three ships. Belial’s Squadron opened fire on the Eye of the Storm, damaging two of Lillit’s ships but was unable to stop her from attacking Barbatos’s Squadron, sinking the last vessels and wiping out the squadron.
Belial’s Squadron destroyed all the last of Lillit’s vessels, and the Lucky Gamble Squadron and Queen Bes’s Own began hammering the remaining ships of Belial’s Squadron. The finally smashed the last ships and sent the Chelish to the bottom. With only twelve ships still functional, they took the fleet victory with a sigh of relief. Then the Risky Venture moved into pursuit of Abrogail’s Fury, the Chelish flagship, while the rest of the fleet moved about salvaging vessels and picking up survivors.
As they chased the listing Fury, six hideous monstrosities appeared suddenly on the deck of the Risky Venture. They appeared to be some sort of giant serpent with anemone tentacle hands and a four eyed horned head: drowning devils. Will struck swiftly and the Master of the Gales transformed himself into a huge water elemental to join the fight. Isobel convinced her charmed host devil to fight the drowning devils, then had it flank with Pielanga and Will.
Isobel cast haste and the host devil tore into the larger aquatic devils. Lillit used storm step to get some distance between her and a drowning devil while Minerva used dimensional hop to get to a better position on the deck. The drowning devils used their poison and slam attacks to try and take down the party while one of the devils used its drown ability to try and kill Minerva, but her resistance to damaging liquids kept her safe. Lillit fired in lightning bolt spells as Silas, Will, Chauncey, the Master of the Gales, and Pielanga combined to shred the devils.
The last lightning bolts, a greater call lightning from the Master of the Gales, and rapier strikes took down the devils and they proceeded to chase of Abrogail’s Fury once more. Weak and damaged as she was, the Fury was in no shape to fight the Risky Venture and they had soon caught up to a grappled with the fleeing Chelaxian flagship. There they encountered Admiral Druvalia Thrune, her bodyguard Paralictor Valeria Asperixus, the margaav commander who fled the Venture before the fleets fought, and six Chelish marine officers on the Quarterdeck.
Admiral Thrune led off the battle with a flame strike hitting Isobel, Silas, Chauncey, Pielanga, and Isobel’s devil (but was unable to get through its spell resistance). Lillit cast chain lightning, hitting every one of their opponents. Silas swung across and attacked the margaav commander devils. Will swung across and attacked Paralictor Asperixus, while balanced on a railing and striking a nasty chest wound.
Minerva cast holy word on the Chelish, dismissing the greater host devil and paralyzing all the marines. Paralictor Asperixus was blinded only and Admiral Thrune was unaffected. The rest of the Chelish crew were killed by this spell. Isobel got her charmed devil to attack the hellknight bodyguard. Isobel cast heroism on Chauncey and the Master of the Gales began killing the still living—but helpless—Chelish marines as his call lightning spell struck at Admiral Thrune. Pielanga helped the Master finish off the marines.
Paralictor Asperixus proceeded to fight blind but successfully hit Will giving him a nasty wound. Chauncey flew in and began tearing into the bodyguard as well. Admiral Thrune let out a blistering invective about how Will’s clothing was frayed and out of style, demoralizing all on the ship and setting Pielanga on fire. Lillit hit the bodyguard with a ray of enfeeblement, making her far less effective.
Silas went to grapple the Admiral, but her bodyguard interposed herself and took the grapple instead. Held by Silas, Will was able to run her through her heart and move on to attack the Admiral, now the last Chelish soldier standing. Minerva moved to heal Pielanga as the devil struck with his ranseur, but was unable to do any damage. Isobel boarded Abrogail’s Fury with a dimension door spell. Chauncey soon ended the fight by finishing off Druvalia Thrune.
They looted Abrogail’s Fury and then the surviving ships of the fleet got together for a brief celebration and command council. The pirate lords lauded Isobel and her crew for their leadership and initiative in striking forth and intercepting the warships of Cheliax in a daring venture that preserved the freedom and strength of the Free Captains of the Shackles. The Hurricane King was disparaged for his meekness and complacency, which nearly brought doom to the Shackles.
With the Chelaxians mastering the secrets of the Eye of the Abendego with the Archduke Geryon’s help, Kerdak Bonefist’s passivity in hoping natural barriers alone would be sufficient to deter their onslaught was very nearly the ruin of all. Tessa Fairwind spoke up and voiced a vote of no confidence in Kerdak Bonefist and to declare that new leadership was needed for the Shackles. With all the support Isobel built at the emergency Pirate Council, the no confidence was going to pass easily.
Isobel stepped up and put her name forward for the role of Hurricane King, as the Lords she would have supported (Endymion, Tessa, and the Master of the Gales) showed no interest in the position. There was general applause and Isobel was proclaimed the new Hurricane King.
However, Tessa told Isobel that in order to claim the title and crown, the Dainty Lass must also demonstrate her power and prowess to all the Free Captains of the Shackles, not just the assembled pirate lords in her fleet. She will have to prove that Isobel has accomplished three objectives: overcoming the cannon golem that guards Fort Hazard; looting the Hurricane King’s treasury; and vanquishing Kerdak Bonefist himself by capturing or sinking his flagship, the Filthy Lucre, and by seizing the Hurricane Crown. Only by publicly confirming her victories and worthiness to rule can Isobel claim the throne of the Shackles as her own.
With these thoughts on their minds, they headed back to Octopus Bay to refit the fleet and make plans to take Port Peril. Time was short however: the Hurricane King would no doubt be preparing for an assault.
Session 62:
The remnants of the fleet arrived back in Octopus Bay to celebrate their great victory. Other pirate lords and captains who had agreed with Isobel’s position on the Chelish fleet, such as Avimar Sorrinash, arrived now that they didn’t have to shore up their defences to have another war council: this time about the Hurricane King.
Aakin waited for Isobel and her officers on the dock. They proceeded to Minerva’s Medicinal Mug for the council, walking through the town to great cheers. As they travelled to the tavern, Aakin moved close to Isobel and whispered to her that there was a young woman watching them closely and following them.
As Isobel considered how to deal with this, Silas continued to try and get Isobel to decide on where to build the waterfront docks. They moved into the tavern and started to discuss the plan. Harrigan had found a secret way in to Fort Hazard through a warehouse on the island of Lucrehold and they decided to use the same plan in taking Port Peril.
The young woman plucked up her courage and approached Minerva and Will to ask if the cleric could help her find someone. She introduced herself as Teela Daugustana and that she was looking for her father, whom she believed was a member of the crew of the Risky Venture. He had been writing her letters for a long time and she read them the last one he wrote.
It turned out that Hakhan had lied to them about his age—being closer to 34 than 27—and had a daughter with Novennia Daugustana, the daughter of Lady Madrona Daugustana, matriarch of Eleder. That the snobbish and bigoted Lady Madrona would have be mortified by her daughter having a lurid affair with a smuggler was obvious and had covered it up.
The letter was written by Hakhan and had been sent just before his death in the Sunken Pyramid. Aakin had his doubts as to whether she was really Hakhan’s daughter, so he asked for some proof before turning over Hakhan’s possessions. When told of his death, Teela was quite shaken. Minerva suggested they give her Hakhan’s possessions, but Aakin had his doubts as to whether she was really Hakhan’s daughter, so he asked for some proof. She produced manticore spikes, tengu feathers, and the earring from Gammon—the man transformed into a merrow by Shayonna the Gaunt. Aakin conceded the point.
Minerva showed some compassion and discussed what would be required to return Hakhan to life. It would require Minerva to learn how to cast a true resurrection and a diamond worth five whole Pielangas. This led once more to Isobel and Pielanga objecting to calling 5000 gp a full Pielanga.
Minerva asked Teela what the young woman could do and whether she had any sailing experience. Teela revealed that since escaping her grand mama’s house she had sailed extensively and even had a strange encounter with the Eye of Abendego that had been quite profound: aboard a pirate ship cutting close to the Eye in pursuit of plunder, the storm tore the ship to pieces. Teela awoke hours later drifting on some wreckage. She believed that the Eye had spared her, and felt a bond with the storm that she couldn’t quite define.
Teela now had a mystical connection to the storm, granting her amazing abilities. Aakin recognized her as a Shackles Mystic, a rare Shackles pirate with powers granted from a supernatural bond with the eternal hurricane. Realizing that she could be of great benefit to the crew, they decided to recruit her but were curious about her combat ability.
Fancy Will—that they had discovered had been described to Teela as “Lady Will” in his letters—tested her maneuverability by performing a dazzling display of acrobatic combat maneuvers and sked her to “do as best as she could” in duplicating it. Not only did she duplicate his moves, Teela was able to add an additional flourish at the end.
Will decided that he didn’t like Teela.
She also demonstrated some of her mystic abilities, filling the tavern with thick mist and drenching Will in water. Isobel accepted Teela as a member of her crew and told her where to get a bunk on the Risky Venture. They gave Rosie Cuswell to the Wormwood and mad Teela their new coxswain, as her abilities as a Shackles Mystic would make their ship incredibly manoeuvrable.
They then started their council to plan their attack on the Hurricane King. The decision was made to use a modified version of Harrigan’s plan and have the pirate fleet face the Hurricane King’s naval defenders and sacks Port Peril while Isobel and her crew infiltrate Fort Hazard through Harrigan’s secret entrance.
Lady Cerise Bloodmourn was also in attendance and objected to the choice of Isobel as Hurricane King. Endymion, Tessa, Dase, and others all rose up and championed Isobel’s claim to the crown, silencing Lady Bloodmourn into something of a sulk. They decided to buy some equipment from Senghor via teleport before the assault began and they took Teela along with them to make sure her equipment was up to snuff. They emphasized adamantine weapons to help fight the fabled cannon golem that Bonefist had installed in the fort.
They travelled three days to Port Peril with their rebuilt fleet. As they approached the bay, Isobel and her crew—with Teela coming along to use her abilities to good use—teleported in next to the warehouse while under invisibility spells and potions as the fleet attacked. They arrived under the waning quarter moon on the night of the fourth of Sarenith.
The door to the warehouse used by pedestrians was locked, but Teela was able to check it for traps and unlocked it, allowing them entrance. They proceeded as quietly as they could (Fancy Will was of no help) and they proceeded down the hallway. Minerva cast find the path and it led them to a large tun of rum weighing more than 2000 pounds at the back of the warehouse.
Lillit cast detect secret doors and found one under the massive barrel. Minerva suggested that she should start drinking the rum, but they decided to just roll it out of the way. Teela checked over the secret trap door then opened it up to reveal a rusted iron ladder leading to a rough tunnel. They descended and proceeded on down the corridor with light spells.
At the end of the long tunnel, they found a blank wall. There Teela found a secret door and Will opened it up on what appeared to be an old Besmaran shrine. There was a door opposite them, which they had Teela check over before Will opened it. They found old dilapidated furniture which they ransacked and found a gold holy symbol of Besmara wrapped in a rotting bandanna under the decrepit bed.
They opened up some double doors to the west of the shrine and found a chamber with multiple doors leaving it and blood stains on the floors. The doors to the north led to some old burial niches in a partially collapsed crypt. A terrible howl filled the chamber and ten ghostly pirates emerged from the niches, surrounded by incorporeal dogs.
Lillit recognized the beings as duppies, incorporeal undead with bestial features, accompanied by packs of ravenous, ghostly hounds. The hounds charged forward and attacked each crewmember, with Will and Silas receiving two packs each. Lillit cast chain lightning and heavily damaged all the duppies as Teela and Pielanga backed up and fired arrows into the undead.
Aakin proceeded to kill one and Will and Silas attacked to good effect. Minerva cast holy smite and proceeded to wipe out six more. Isobel and Lillit used wands of magic missile and the crew soon finished off the remaining spirits. They healed up before moving on to the other sets of doors.
Isobel now summoned Chauncey and they proceeded to open up the other two doorways, revealing a roughhewn crypt partially flooded with water. The entire area filled with mist, obscuring everything beyond five feet. Teela immediately blended into the mists, vanishing completely. Silas used Svengli’s eye to see through the mists and saw six zombie like undead armed with great swords approaching before the eye’s powers stopped. He recognized them from legend as draugrs, sailors lost at sea and cursed forever.
Isobel cast haste on everyone but Lillit, then Chauncey moved in to attack them all. Lillit cast dispel magic, but only managed to get rid of one effect; there were five obscuring mists left. Will and Silas moved in and began attacking by Chauncey’s side. Teela, Pielanga, and Aakin realized that the doors led to two corridors leading to the same crypt, so they travelled through the other entrance and attacked from behind providing a flank for the main combatants.
Silas took one down and stepped over his body to begin smashing into the next. Chauncey began having his life force drained out of him by the weapon strikes from the draugrs. Isobel dismissed Chauncey and summoned two ankylosaurs to help bring down the draugrs, killing one of the undead. Lillit cast gust of wind to begin clearing the mists and Minerva channeled energy to try and finish off the remaining draugrs as the flanking combatants widdled away at the undead horrors.
The ankylosaurs finished off the last draugr and Lillit finally dispersed the mists. Teela searched the crypt and discovered a secret door leading to yet another roughhewn tunnel sloping up. They healed up and followed the tunnel to a small cave. Silas located another secret door and they had Teela search it for traps. With no traps, Will opened up the secret door and found a large subterranean chamber. In the center of the chamber, a pile of metal rose up into a humanoid form, with a large cannon tracking the crew.
Session 63:
Teela charged in and stabbed the golem with here adamantine rapier that they had picked up in their Senghor shopping trip. Aakin fired arrows from just outside the door. Will ran in and flanked with Teela, striking with his adamantine rapier. The cannon golem struck Will with slams and then fired its cannon and hit Silas and Aakin, magically reloading automatically.
Lillit stepped into the room and used her wand of heat metal to cause the golem’s cannon to backfire, damaging the construct. Minerva healed Aakin as Isobel used her wand of heat metal to damage it again before summoning a shadow demon. The demon cast aqueous orb via shadow evocation to disable the cannon. Pielanga moved in to help the others and got slammed by the cannon golem.
Silas charged in with his adamantine brass knuckles and missed entirely. Aakin shot with his arrows before Will struck, followed by solid strikes from Teela’s rapier, finishing it off. Their planning for the battle resulted in a swift victory.
As they began to relax, a door on the northwestern side of the room and some six pirates emerged, surprised by the cannon golem’s defeat. They threw bombs at Pielanga, Lillit, Teela, and Isobel, damaging them all and taking down Pielanga. Lillit cast mass daze to buy some time and managed to daze all but one of them.
Minerva moved in and used her rebuke death ability to save Pielanga. The shadow demon moved in and cast a shadow evocation cone of cold on the entire bomber squad, damaging them all. Isobel dismissed the demon and then summoned five bralani azatas. Some cast healing on Pielanga while a few of them scolded Isobel for summoning a demon. She responded that would summon whatever she wanted to as the situation demanded. The others cast lightning bolt spells on the bombers or fired their bows.
Pielanga got up and fired her crossbow, but failed to connect. Silas contemplated hitting Fancy Will, as this would allow him to use his jabbing dancer style of combat to move in and get multiple strikes, but decided to just move in and hit as he could for now. Will struck hard, killed two, and shouted a challenge to them, stating they should give up before he ran them all through.
Instead, they broke and ran away.
Will ran after them, but found the room they had run back into was empty. There was a table and chairs and that was it. A thorough search found that the northeastern wall was an illusion, which Will just ran through. He fell ten feet and landed on his feet with a sudden twist and flip, finding himself in a hallway leading back to the room with the cannon golem and up out of the redoubt; it probably went up to Fort Hazard.
The bralani healed up the group before departing. There was some debate as to whether to go up to the fort or secure the redoubt and sea caves first. They decided to secure the redoubt and searched a room to the west with a bed and a large aquarium. They got Lillit to talk to the fish and find the treasure. They said the treasure was under the bed: when they looked they found a crate of fish food. They decided to forego any further inquiries.
They opened some double doors to the east and found an octagonal room with arrow slits and more double doors on the other side. Will stepped into the room and the entire room filled with whirling blades. The doors shut and locked behind him. Will danced through the room, avoiding the blades while snipers opened up on him from the sides. Somehow he made it to the other side relatively unscathed.
Minerva realized that there were probably secret doors into the snipers’ nests, so Aakin and Teela searched and located them on either side of the double doors. The party split in two, with Teela, Minerva, and Isobel taking the north branch; Silas, Aakin, and Lillit took the south; and Pielanga worked at unlocking the door and releasing Will.
Will continued to flip and dodge, taking no damage from the snipers or the whirling blades. The fight was over not long after as the snipers were no match for the crewmembers. Will got bored and began bashing the doors opposite with his adamantine rapier. Pielanga opened the door and freed Will. She determined that the trap had to be reset manually, so the octagonal room was now safe to cross.
Minerva crossed the room and bashed the next set of doors with her morning star. There was another set of double doors leading to another octagonal room identical to the first. Teela determined that the next room had a fire trap and she disabled it, allowing them to pass through and discover that beyond the next double doors was a long corridor leading down to the east.
Before heading down the tunnel, they searched beyond the last set of doors out of the starting chamber where the golem lay and discovered a barracks bereft of anything of real value. So down the tunnel they went.
They arrived at a large cave with a beach and pier leading out onto a dark expanse of water. In the distance they could make out some lights from some sort of structure on the other side of the cave. Careful observations located another pier on the other side of the cave just north of the light sources and a boat was tied to it.
Lillit sent an arcane eye to scout ahead and found some buildings on the other side of the bastion built into the rock from which the light came from. The cavern was lit with flames on the ceiling and there was a port there with one ship on the docks: the Filthy Lucre; Kerdak Bonefist’s ship. After a lengthy debate, they decided to send Lillit flying out over the water to get the boat on the opposite pier. First—to avoid something coming at them from behind—Lillit used her wand of wall of stone to fill the tunnel behind with solid rock. Then she struck out for the other shore.
Halfway across, a massive, electrically-charged skeletal dragon exploded out of the surf and tried to devour Lillit. Silas immediately said, “If only we had a way out of here,” looking at the now closed tunnel. He then asked whether he should try and bust down the wall.
Teela and Pielanga shot it with her arrows, but did little damage. Minerva hit it with a searing light spell while Lillit used storm step to get back to the beach. The skeletal dragon crashed down on top of the entire crew, damaging Lillit, Minerva, Aakin, and Isobel.
Will struck hard, but his rapier wasn’t as effective because of its hard, bone skeleton. Silas slammed into the monster with his fists, shattering bones left and right. Isobel grabbed Aakin, Teela, Pielanga, and Lillit and cast dimension door to get them to the docks on the other shore. They were immediately fired upon by wereshark pirates holding out in the bastion, concentrating fire on Captain Isobel.
Minerva fired off a holy smite spell to smash the undead dragon as Lillit cast a lightning bolt on the weresharks. The dragon, called Brinebones by the sea cave dwellers, attacked with its claws, bite, and tail slap, doing great damage to all three of the defenders still on the first beach. Will and Silas finally did enough damage with their skillful strikes to take the monstrosity down. But then Brinebone’s corpse exploded in a massive electrical blast, severely injuring the three of them.
Isobel then summoned a tyrannosaurus rex to attack the weresharks as Minerva healed the crew on the first beach. The t-rex began tearing the weresharks apart while Isobel got into a defensive position. Aakin killed one in the t-rex’s mouth as Minerva cast dimension door and brought herself, Will, and Silas over to the shore. Silas and Will began finishing off the remaining weresharks.
Suddenly a massive wereshark emerged from the water next to Isobel and pulled her under. Captain Horrus Riptooth tried to pull Isobel aside to kill the Dainty Lass as the wereshark archers abandoned their sniping and charged down to join the fray and kill the t-rex. The weresharks took down the summoned beast, but Silas eliminated the rest of the weresharks after the dinosaur fell with a few swift and powerful strikes.
Minerva, Lillit, and Pielanga dived into the water to help Isobel, with Minerva ensuring that Isobel was able to breathe by using a shark tooth amulet while Pielanga attacked, and Lillit cast ray of enfeeblement on Riptooth. Will dived in and stabbed at the lycanthrope, as Isobel tried to find a way to escape in vain.
Riptooth swam up out of the water onto the shore, swung Isobel by her ankles as a weapon and smashed Silas with her. Teela flipped through the battle to get in position to flank with Silas and stabbed. Isobel used a reduce person scroll to shrink herself, but she didn’t escape: she simply became a one handed weapon. Silas smashed the beast multiple times with powerful blows and killed the massive wereshark, dropping Isobel to the ground.
Minerva and Silas asked Aakin as to how they might finally destroy Brinebones, since it was even repairing itself as they left. Aakin stated that positive energy would do the trick, but advised to leave it alone and use it as a guardian between the sea caves and Fort Hazard. After all, so long as they left it alone it wouldn’t be a danger to anyone. They then moved on into the bastion that the weresharks had been guarding.
Session 64:
They searched the bastion but found only some rotten, half-eaten fish in Captain Riptooth’s chamber. They decided to use a nap stack spell from Minerva to get back to full strength for the final push against Bonefist. Pielanga, Fancy Will, and Teela stood guard while the others slept in the barracks room to recover.
Halfway through the two hour rest, the hairs on the back of Teela’s neck stood up and a translucent pirate floated through the door from Brinebones’s beach. All three were shaken heavily by the ghost’s corrupting gaze, its decrepit appearance cutting them to their souls. Teela moved in to flank it and help the others fight the apparition, damaging it with her magical rapier.
As Teela moved into position, the ghost reached out and touched her. Her body was wracked with aches and pains as she was aged by the undead creature’s touch. Will and Pielanga moved in and struck with their magical rapiers and began disrupting the ghost’s form. The noise woke up Aakin, Lillit, and Silas. Lillit slapped Minerva awake and they began to get up to respond to the threat. The ghost pirate hit them with another corrupting gaze, then Will struck true with multiple strikes and disrupted its form.
Silas and Aakin came out to find the guards looking dishevelled but otherwise intact. They went back to bed assuming they had been fooling around. Afterwards, Minerva repaired the guards’ wounds and they prepared to move on into the sea caves and hidden port. Silas peaked out from the tunnel that led from the bastion to the open cavern in which the port and buildings stood. He was immediately shot with cannon fire from the Filthy Lucre, damaging him with shrapnel.
They decided to proceed towards the nearest building using invisibility spells and potions. Isobel summoned Chauncey and made him invisible as Teela simply used her stealthy skills to approach the doors unseen. They arrived at the doors to find them locked and barred. Teela worked at them and soon was lifting the bar with her tools and opening the doors. There was a young man with a flute and a monkey that was surrounded by eight shifting and moving duplicates of himself, each acting exactly the same way. In addition, there were four pirate guards and six wereshark pirates, all of which shot at the door as it opened.
Teela moved in and heavily wounded one of the weresharks with a sneak attack. Aakin moved in close enough to avoid being hit with cannon fire and gave archery support to the rest of the group as Will, Chauncey, and Pielanga charged right into the center of the room and began taking down guards and pirates. Lillit used her dust form to travel into the room and cast a lightning bolt spell on the entire crowd. Minerva grabbed Silas and used her dimensional hop to get them to the opposite side of the room, behind the enemy. Silas then unleashed a flurry of strikes on the surrounding enemies, taking one of them out.
Minerva cast spiritual weapon spell and sent it to attack the bard, Kirrian “Sweetlips” Vortheen. She hit one of the mirror images and then there were only eight of him. Their weresharks were able to attack Lillit with their magic ranseurs in spite of her dust form, so Teela and Pielanga moved in to help her. Aakin used his tidewater cutlass to push a number of pirates out of the way, allowing Will to charge in and begin taking more pirates down.
Chauncey decimated a number of guards and weresharks, and Lillit moved to a safer location and cast ice storm on the bard. Isobel moved into the room and shot at Sweetlips, and actually hit the real bard. The bard then cast a spell and vanished, taking his illusory duplicates with him. Silas and Minerva’s spiritual weapon took out some more guards and weresharks while Minerva healed up Lillit.
Teela got bit by a wereshark for a significant wound, causing everyone to worry about possible contamination from the curse of lycanthropy. Teela responded and proceeded to take down the beast that attacked her. Aakin helped take out another, but by that point it was a mopping up action and Will took the last pirate down. Minerva checked over Teela and made sure she wasn’t contaminated by the curse. She then began healing up the group as Lillit scanned the room using a see invisibility spell for Sweetlips Vortheen, but he was nowhere to be seen.
The room was a trophy room, with remnants of many ships taken by Kerdak Bonefist over the years. There was a corridor and two doors leaving the chamber. Pielanga studied the west door while Teela searched the eastern one. Neither seemed trapped, but both were locked. They opened the doors and Teela walked into what appeared to be a bedroom filled with furs, animal heads, and blood stained weapons. To the west Pielanga opened up an armory of mundane weaponry.
As the rest of the party searched the armory for anything valuable, the door to the bedroom swung shut and locked behind Teela. Then the weapons flew off the walls and sliced through the air, filling the room with potential death. She managed to avoid getting poisoned by the weapons or smashed too badly by the onslaught. She then searched the room and found a number of gems and pieces of jewelry—which she pocketed—along with some coinage, most of which she shared with the rest of the group. She then unlocked both the door she came in and another that led to a hall heading east.
Aakin and Isobel figured out that she had taken some extra loot, but Aakin suggested letting it go unless it became a regular habit; there was no shame in accumulating loot for oneself, especially as she was likely preparing for a true resurrection spell for Hakhan.
They decided to investigate the corridor going east which led to a door. They had Teela look for traps—which was clear—then Will opened the door and received a blast from the cannons of the Filthy Lucre as they found the docks. Will managed to shut the door in time and they proceeded to the first corridor going north which led to a door.
There they found a dining hall with a large oval table and chairs. Sweetlips Vortheen was there with four dwarf boatswains and Tsadok Goldtooth, the first mate of the Filthy Lucre. Lillit and Minerva began having a discussion about whether the monkey holding the flute for Sweetlips would constitute calling it a “flute monkey” and if that would make the instrument a “monkey flute”. The rest of the individuals involved in the encounter ignored them and their general silliness.
Tsadok was blurred fired his doubleshot pepperbox at Will, emptying it and dropping it. He then drew forth his falchion and moving in to attack. Chauncey got into the room and began taking the dwarves apart. Silas charged in and knocked out Sweetlips with one shot, but he promptly woke up after hitting the floor. Will, Pielanga, and Aakin concentrated on taking down the dwarven brawlers. The brawlers, however, seemed determined to prove themselves against the legendary champion of Widowmaker Isle, Silas “Iron Fist” Rand, and piled onto the half-orc ship master.
Isobel cast haste on the group and Minerva used dimensional hop to get herself and Lillit into the room. Minerva cast searing light on Tsadok as Lillit cast mass hold person on her enemies and Sweetlips and one of the brawlers were paralyzed. Tsadok attacked Silas with critical hits from his falchion, taking the brawler down to the ground, dying. Minerva immediately hopped in and cast heal on Silas, saving his life.
Chauncey moved in and attacked, taking down a couple of brawlers. Silas stood up and grappled Tsadok and then pinned him to the wall. Teela and Will moved in and began destroying the two remaining brawlers. Aakin got fully into the room and took out another brawler. The last weakened brawler attacked Silas and attempted to take Silas down, but failed to even pull him off Tsadok.
Lillit cast ray of enfeeblement on Tsadok, making it impossible for him to get free of Silas’s grip. Minerva hit the last brawler with her Morningstar three times, then Chauncey bit him and he died. Silas hog tied Tsadok and then the two remaining “combatants” were both helpless. They proceeded to kill them and loot the place, like proper pirates.
There were two doors leading out of the dining hall, the western one led to a north travelling corridor ending in a door to the west and one to the north. The eastern wall led to a library/lounge filled with maps, ships logs, and pirate histories. Double doors led to the east, but Teela discovered a secret door behind one of the bookshelves. They followed the secret corridor to a grog cellar with really great food stuffs and fine liquor.
The door in the grog cellar led to the hallway on the eastern side of the dining hall. The other door led to an empty kitchen with a cold stove. Pielanga searched the grog cellar more carefully and found a locked secret door. Teela picked the lock and they found a powder magazine with bullets and black powder. Lillit cast detect secret doors—given all the secret cubby holes they were finding—and found yet another locked secret door on the western wall of the grog cellar.
Teela unlocked the secret door, then found a trap. She unlocked the second, hidden lock to disarm the deadly harpoon trap. She then opened the door and revealed a treasure vault. Four treasure chests overflowing with gems and coins were revealed. They also found a watertight case bound with silvery silk and a mithral clasp containing a pirate treasure map. It was in code and used pictograms to give directions, but there was no mistaking its purpose. They appraised it as being from the time of Turpin Irons, the very first Hurricane King.
Session 65:
The crew proceeded to the big double doors leading out of the library/lounge. Teela listened at the doors after searching them for traps and heard some growling and what sounded like a large snake slithering. Lillit listened and thought the growling sounded somewhat like a member of the weasel family. She couldn’t hear or identify the slithering.
They got Will to open the door and they found two aurumvoraxes, golden wolverine-like creatures with eight legs. As they readied for combat, Silas, Chauncey, and Pielanga were affected by a slow spell cast by a hidden foe. Minerva began discussing with Lillit on whether they should try and take the golden gorgers alive and sell off any kits they may have for profit, but it broke down when people began seriously discussing spending a whole Pielanga to raise them from the dead for future profits; it may have something to do with the talk happening in the middle of combat.
Teela moved in to attack and Isobel cast haste. This negated the slow effect on Silas, Pielanga, and Chauncey who then attacked. One aurumvorax tore into Silas with its bite and claws while the other did so to Teela with hers grabbing hold of the young coxswain. Lillit cast see invisibility and saw what appeared to be the Hurricane King’s consort Hyapatia with the lower body of a snake. Lillit realized that Hyapatia was actually a lamia matriarch, a dangerous cursed being with powerful attacks and magical ability.
Minerva cast mass cure light wounds to heal up the party quickly as Isobel received a suggestion to remove herself and Chauncey from the combat as the dragon looked haggard. Isobel was able to shake off the effect and continue to fight. Isobel cast glitterdust and revealed Hyapatia’s location on the bed in the room. Will stepped in and began striking her, causing her to abandon her spell casting and engage him in combat with her scimitars.
Silas pummeled his aurumvorax to death and then stepped in to help Will against the lamia along with Pielanga and Chauncey. Minerva cast a searing light spell on Hyapatia as the snake woman attacked Chauncey with her scimitars. With all the assaults and Teela killing her last aurumvorax, Hyapatia cursed the crew, swirled her red cloak, and vanished.
They searched the chamber and found sumptuous and valuable furnishings. They then went through another door into a lavishly decorated chamber with a mahogany bar. They searched and appraised the rooms’ value as almost as good a haul as they had ever got.
Realizing that they had pretty much sacked the entire building, they then planned their assault on the Filthy Lucre. They decided to send an invisible Will out through the door onto the docks and use him as a distraction to draw fire while the rest used invisibility to get up to the ship safely before striking.
When Will opened the door the cannons opened up but were unable to hit him. Will went up to the ship as most of the party clambered through a window out onto the docks. Chauncey moved through the door and took a shot from a sirocco cannon, which exploded in a mass of hot, blistering air. Aakin was blasted as he climbed through the window and fell into the water where dire sharks awaited him. Pielanga, Isobel, and Teela were also caught in the blast, knocking Pielanga and Isobel prone and fatiguing all in the blast zone.
Aakin climbed up out of the water and the dock to get away from the sharks as a mass of pirates came out of another nearby building—apparently a tavern of some sort—and rushed up to help defend the ship. Isobel decided that she couldn’t get through the window quickly enough and went back through the rooms to get to the docks. Teela dived through the window and rolled to her feet on the docks then ran up to the ship.
Will grabbed a rope on the Filthy Lucre and cut it, swinging up as the counter-weight pulled him up into the rigging to confront a charau-ka. The monkey man, named Powderpot, tried to knock Will off the rigging, but the boatswain danced out of the way while balanced on the yard arm. Everyone moved into position to strike when Will became visible. As Will attacked, almost everyone started fighting in earnest. A sniper in a crow’s nest with a musket opened fire on Aakin after the tengu started shooting with his bow.
Lillit let off a chain lightning which had no effect as each target was able to evade the blast. Another sniper with a crossbow opened fire on Lillit and caught her with a glancing shot. Will killed Powderpot before the charau-ka even had a decent chance to do anything and Chauncey attacked the gunslinger with the musket. He pushed her off the crow’s nest and she fell to the deck. She didn’t die, but was injured enough that she surrendered immediately to Minerva. She said her name was Omara Culverin and that she was a representative from Alkenstar, where firearms are made. She pledged to help Isobel with any gun related items the Dainty Lass may require.
Lillit successfully cast mass daze on the pirates and Silas, Pielanga, Teela, Will, and Minerva made short work of the remaining guards on the ship as Chauncey took out the second sniper. As Minerva took down the last guards, Kerdak Bonefist stepped out onto the deck, Hyapatia at his side, waving his pistol in one hand and a tankard of ale in the other. “Well, Dainty Lass, you’ve bitten off more than you can chew this time! No one who has tried their hand at sendin’ me to Fiddler’s Green has lived to tell the tale”. He then through some dust in the air and vanished.
He attacked Isobel with his pistol and damaged her considerably with his first shot. Hyapatia cast a cone of cold and hurt about half the crew. Isobel transferred some of her damage to Chauncey to keep from falling unconscious from the viciousness of the attack. Lillit still has see invisibility active and cast greater dispel magic on Bonefist, removing several effects.
Aakin used litany of sight to allow himself to target Bonefist and nailed him with a few arrows. Isobel cast greater invisibility on herself again and then dived for cover, but Hyapatia pointed out where she dove to the Hurricane King and he approached at speed and fired his gun again, producing a terrible hit to her torso. Again she shuffled off the damage to Chauncey.
Will then shouted out, “Go ahead, kill her, we’re not surrendering. You know how many of us want that position?” thereby demonstrating his deep devotion and unending loyalty to the Dainty Lass. Will then jumped up and attacked Hyapatia, piercing all her vital organs in a series of brutal strikes. Teela charged up and began striking at Bonefist as Minerva hit the lamia with a flame strike. Bonefist
Kerdak turned on Teela and struck hard with multiple gun shots, sending her sprawling to the deck with severe damage. He then shot Will and reloaded. Hyapatia attacked Chauncey with her scimitars, trying to rid the combat of the dragon. Lillit went down to the deck in swarm skin form, producing a rat swarm and an army ant swarm. The ants attacked Bonefist and the rats attacked Hyapatia. Chauncey finally killed Hyapatia, sending Bonefist into a rage.
Silas drank a potion of enlarge person and then moved in to strike at Bonefist, grappling the Hurricane King but he slipped out using a ring of freedom of movement. Isobel fled back to Minerva and Omara to get better cover. Teela stood back up after receiving some healing and threw an alchemical bomb she had developed from studying some alchemical formula books. She hit Bonefist and damaged him plus a little of Lillit’s swarm.
Bonefist pulled out of the swarm and flew over to where Minerva. Omara, and Isobel were taking cover. He shot Minerva and Will jumped over a capstan to strike at the Hurricane King. Lillit reformed at the bow of the ship. Lillit cast another greater dispel magic and greatly supressed Kerdak’s magic items. Isobel dismissed Chauncey due to his weakened condition as Silas tried grappling again. This time it worked as the ring of freedom of movement was supressed. He then pinned the Hurricane King to the deck with one massive hand.
Isobel shot Bonefist with her pistol as Minerva cast searing light again. Bonefist kept using his vampiric touch ability to drain energy from Silas. He cursed Silas “Iron Fist” Rand as a coward, not willing to let Bonefist fight. Silas retorted, “Iron is stronger than bone”.
Will struck the pinned pirate through the heart. Bonefist went gray and a woman’s scream came from Bonefist’s skeletal hand. “Mine, mine, mine!” it screamed and Bonefist cried out, “No, not now! Please no!” The deck buckled and distorted into a black rift, pulling the dying pirate in and hauling Silas in as well. Silas dug in hard to the deck to keep from being dragged to whatever fate was claiming the Hurricane King.
Will, Minerva, and Pielanga grabbed hold of Silas and the four of them pulled back from the rift. The energy of the rift sucked life energy out of Silas as they fought. Silas’s life was almost gone when the rift snapped shut, sealing Silas’s arms in the deck boarding. In his hands was all of Bonefist’s gear. Only his body had been taken by the energy draining rift. The material Silas was holding below the deck was still draining energy from him, so he dropped it then pulled out of the deck and sat down to rest.
All remaining forces surrendered and the loot began to be collected. Minerva began healing everyone and Lillit was asked what could have happened to Bonefist with that rift, and she related the legend of how Kerdak gained his infamous bonefist:
Kerdak had served as a cabin boy on the pirate ship Rock Bottom under Captain “Keelhaul” Thurl, eventually working his way up the ranks to first mate. The Rock Bottom encountered the galleon Naiegoul, captained by the lich sorceress Raugsmada. Captain Thurl was slain in the battle, along with many of the crew. Kerdak disappeared into the Naiegoul’s captain’s cabin. No one knows what happened then, but when Kerdak emerged from the captain’s cabin the undead galleon broke off the battle and departed.
Kerdak’s right hand had become fleshless white bone infused with necromantic energy. Kerdak named himself captain of the re-christened Filthy Lucre that very night, and the man known as Kerdak Bonefist was born. In the years since, Bonefist sent a number of expeditions against Raugsmada but they all vanished without a trace. It would seem that whatever arrangement had been reached between the two that night, Bonefist had wanted to break the agreement and never could. Now the agreement had come to an end, with the lich claiming her own.
Nice, looks like the dispel magic was the turning point in combat.
Nice, looks like the dispel magic was the turning point in combat.
Oh yeah. Kerdak was vicious and very dangerous. The dispel magics lowered him down to "killable". :)
: Final Verse
The bell has been raised
from it's watery grave...
Do you hear its sepulchral tone?
We are a call to all, pay head the squall
and turn your sail toward home!
Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.
Lyrics by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
Session 66:
After the battle, the rest of the pirates surrendered to the new Hurricane King, Isobel Carthagnion. As they took control of the deck, a pair of giant piscodaemons appeared suddenly on the deck and attacked. Apparently they were left over monsters summoned by Hyapatia.
They had waited until some healing had been done on Isobel and her crew to further deplete the spell casters before their assault. Teela struck one of them doing little damage and they responded in kind, giving the mystic a bleeding wound for her trouble. After the crew overcame their shock and moved in to attack, one of the creatures cast stinking cloud that encompassed the entire crew except for Aakin. Isobel and Pielanga became nauseated and they struggled to get out of the poison gas cloud.
One of the piscodaemon grabbed Isobel and struck her with its tentacles. Silas, Will, and Teela flanked the monsters and began striking to bring them down and free the now bleeding Hurricane King. Silas and Will finished off one, but it wasn’t the one holding Isobel. Minerva ran in and grabbed Isobel’s hand and then used her dimensional hop to get Isobel and her out of the creature’s grip to safety. Chauncey charged in and tore into the daemon, but was hindered by its resistance to damage. Teela and Will worked in tandem with their rapiers to finish the daemon off. Minerva once more went around healing the crew and Lillit used gust of wind to dispel the stinking cloud.
With the battle done, they finished scouting out the sea caves and assessing loot. They freed the four prisoners from the sea cave gaol and accepted the brownnosing jailers’ appeals for mercy and left them in charge of this hidden prison. They took the sirocco cannon from the gunnery tower for their own ship. Isobel wasn’t sure what she would do with the Filty Lucre, but was glad to add a nother ship to her fleets.
Once they had a good grip on how much they were going to get out of the Filthy Lucre and Bonefist’s holdings. They then removed the stone wall they had placed to keep reinforcements from Fort Hazard from joining Bonefist and his men and headed up to the Fort to declare Isobel victorious. With that announcement, the guns of Fort Hazard went silent and Isobel’s standard was raised above the ramparts. Cheers rose from the attacking fleet and they commenced the traditional looting of Port Peril that always seems to accompany a new Hurricane King.
After a lengthy night of carousing and recovery from the battle, a bleary eyed crew was assembled by Aakin in the council chamber of Fort Hazard to discuss the map they had found that seemed to belong to the first Hurricane King. The hall was abandoned other than Isobel and her people as everyone else had crawled off to recover from the celebrations the previous night. Aakin had worked on the code through the night and deciphered the “map” as a series of pictograms representing four riddles. Lillit, Aakin, & Silas worked on the riddles and solved them to mean “ocean”, “east”, “volcano”, and “fifteen miles north”.
They surmised that travelling north from Port Peril until they lost sight of land, headed east until the hit the mainland and then proceeded further east until they came to a volcano, then north fifteen miles would lead them to whatever the map was for. Aakin believed that this would be the location of the Vault of the First Hurricane King, Turpin Irons. This legendary treasure cache had been hunted for by greedy pirates for over one hundred years to no avail. But Aakin required something from the vault to aid Besmara, so that was where he was headed. The others agreed that the treasure might be worth it at the very least.
The Pirate Lords assembled as part of the assault fleet held council to find out how Isobel wanted to establish her reign: did she want to have a grand coronation or just start ruling after a full Pirate Council meeting affirming her as the Hurricane King. Isobel wanted the big party so it was agreed that they would begin preparations.
The rest of the day of the 5th was spent equipping themselves for their treasure expedition and Fancy Will resupplying his beauty products. On the morning tide of Sarenrith the 6th they set out on a treasure hunt aboard the Risky Venture. It took a full day to get far enough north to lose sight of land. They then set out due east until they reached the coast line, a second day. There Isobel, Pielanga, Aakin, Chauncey, Teela, Silas, Minerva, Will, and Lillit debarked and left Dahryen in command. It took three days to march in land before they found a volcano, ruined and old with no steam rising from its caldera.
Teela noticed that someone had carved windows and doors into the side of the volcano, hard to discern but definitely a community of some sort. They then heard what sounded like a bird call, but Lillit knew was nothing of the kind. Teela became aware of a large number of creatures sneaking up on the crew. They were the attacked by two large troops of hobgoblins and began being sniped by an unseen archer.
Minerva cast a flame strike on one of the troop formations, doing heavy damage. Teela, Will, and Silas concentrated on the sniper. The troops led off with bow shots before charging in to swarm Aakin and Chauncey. Apparently they had a strong hatred for tengus for some reason.
Isobel mounted Chauncey while the dragon began shredding the hobgoblins. Will danced in and took down hobgoblin after hobgoblin with acrobatic ease. Lillit cast horrid wilting on the hobgoblins as The sniper was invisible, so Teela threw a bomb into one of the troops and severely injured several hobgoblins. Aakin got killed by the hobgoblins, but Minerva cast breath of life and saved him. Silas smashed one of the troops so hard, they dispersed and fled.
Isobel cast bull’s strength on Chauncey as he fought. Aakin got up and used his litany of sight and killed the enemy hobgoblin archer with a shot through the heart. Lillit finished off the remaining hobgoblins with a lightning bolt spell. All remaining hobgoblins fled in terror.
Session 67:
By the time the party got up to the habitations, the remaining hobgoblins had evacuated completely, leaving almost nothing behind. They did a rudimentary search around the settlement, but only found some loose copper coins.
They travelled north for another day. As they approached the area mentioned on the map, Aakin noticed that there was a lack of birds and animals in the area. Lillit talked to some ants and got a description of a big lizard, with wings. Teela spotted a cave covered in kudzu vines and they approached cautiously.
Aakin cried out in warning, but they were shocked as a massive dragon with a long pointed snout exploded out of the cave and emitted a piercing scream. It grabbed Chauncey by the throat and dragged him upwards into the sky. There it began to tear Chauncey apart.
On the ground, the crew began using their bows and magic to attack the monster. Their attacks freed Chauncey, who began to fall. Silas drank a potion of enlarge person as Chauncey corrected his flight and charged back to the attack. Isobel transferred the damage Chauncey was taking onto herself so Minerva healed her up.
Lillit identified the dragon as a kongamato, a sonic screaming jungle dragon with a snout capable of shattering weapons. Silas promptly placed his ear plugs into his ears. Those with difficulty fighting the flying beast fled into the shelter of the cave, but it was no defence against the sonic scream which ripped right through the kudzu. Silas was immune to the deafening effects thanks to his quick thinking and preparatory equipment. Isobel had her ear drums blown out, deafening her.
They found that the rapidly moving dragon was difficult to fight. Silas grabbed Will and Teela and threw them at the dragon. Will attacked, but was knocked off by the dragon, while Teela was grabbed off and dropped while striking. Both Teela and Will grabbed the kudzu vines to get back to the ground successfully. Minerva and Isobel used dimension door spells to move the entire party rapidly into the cave where they found a pile of treasure. Isobel dismissed Chauncey, who was being torn apart, and they waited for the beast to come to them.
In the cave, the dragon entered with another scream. But on the ground in an enclosed space, the dragon was at a disadvantage. They swarmed the beast and the flanking rogues and Fancy Will’s swift sword work wounded the dragon severely. Lillit cast storm bolts on the kongamato and stunned it. Isobel summoned three bralani eladrins to act as healers for the group as they fought. Will stepped up and proceeded to pierce through the stunned creature’s hide and through its heart. The bralani healed the group to the best of their ability, then Isobel dismissed them and summoned Chauncey. Suddenly it occurred to Minerva and Lillit that they never saw Chauncey and the bralanis together at the same time; perhaps he was a group of bralanis in a dragon suit! Isobel chose to ignore the silliness and moved on.
After they finally defeated the kongamato, they explored the cave and found it was a ruined temple of some sort. The dragon’s hoard was theirs to take, but they wondered that Turpin Iron’s treasure was so small. Lillit cast detect secret doors and located a secret door in the floor under the treasure hoard that led to a corridor sloping down to the east.
Teela began searching the steep corridor as they descended into the dark. Teela stopped Will from setting off a crushing stone trap and used pitons to seal it and make it safe to continue. She then located a lightning bolt trap which she then disarmed.
Halfway down the shaft, a thin layer of gray dust of a slightly different hue covered the shaft’s floor. Teela didn’t think much of this but Will set off an empowered disintegrate trap that she missed. Will was injured but not fully hit by the beam and was able to survive.
The next trap was a meteor swarm trap that Teela did locate and managed to disarm. But as she did so a ghost of a pirate rose up out of the floor in a rage and tried to possess Teela. She failed to take control and proceeded to attack the Shackles Mystic.
The ghost wailed in anger causing Aakin, Chauncey, and Isobel lost life energy because of it. Minerva channelled energy to dismiss the apparition, but recognized that it would return if they couldn’t find a way to put the soul to rest. They moved on, realizing that they had a limited time before she would appear again.
At the end of the shaft, they found a large chamber with a massive heavily locked iron door with three complex locks. Teela failed to notice the last trap, a crushing stone trap that she was able to avoid but did significant damage to the not–so-fortunate Will. After extricating him from the trap, they approached the vault door and began searching it.
Teela took some time—the better part of an hour—to get through the complex locks, though no traps were apparent. The doors were coated with black lotus poison, but they avoided contact with the handle as they opened it. Behind the doors was a large chamber with two locked doors to the north and south. In the center of the chamber was a silver construct dressed in oversized boots, a coat, and a tricorne hat. Lillit identified it as a mithral golem that someone had dressed up as a pirate.
The golem waited for them to approach and it attacked Will as soon as he charged in. It savagely attacked Will, slashing horrible wounds across the boatswain’s body. Teela threw a bomb to try and harm it, and had some effect. Will used an incredibly precise strike to thrust into a vital moving point on the golem doing severe damage.
Chauncey charged in to try and bring it down. The rest of the crew took out their adamantine weapons and moved in to attack. Isobel cast haste while Minerva healed Fancy Will, who between the golem and the crushing stone trap was in bad shape. Using his pummeling style, Silas rapidly struck the golem many times in quick succession, smashing in sequence with Will and his precise strikes to finish it off.
They assessed the value of the mithral and other precious metals as worth 50,000 gp. That alone made the journey worth it, but behind the northern door was a true treasure trove. There they found mostly gold, platinum, and silver coins and jewelry as well as weapons and armor not fitting for piracy. Included was a full galley, completely equipped and almost ready for the sea. This was evidence that Turpin Irons was a Shackles Mystic, as the only way they could see the ship having been brought there was through a magical imposition only available to the arcane pirates. The total amount was far beyond any haul they had ever taken before, including the Emperor’s Hand.
They began to search the treasure for an item significant to Besmara and they found a magic globe with a rough map of Golarion on it. Near the Shackles was a Skull & Crossbones, the holy symbol of the Pirate Queen. Its purpose and abilities remained a mystery, but Aakin confirmed it was a blessed object of the missing goddess.
They then opened up the other door and encountered a drowning devil. It protected a teleportation circle and attacked immediately. Isobel felt her lungs fill with muddy water, but she was able to cough it out before she started to drown. She then cast haste on the group. Aakin fired multiple arrows into the devil and Minerva cast a shock arrow into the monster.
The drowning devil cast a ground zero fireball to try and damage as many of its foes as it could, affecting Isobel, Chauncey, Will, Silas, Teela, and Pielanga. Aakin healed up Will, who had taken some damage from the creature. The monster attacked Minerva with the drowning attack, who fell unconscious and drowning. Aakin pumped the water out Minerva’s lungs and cast cure critical wounds on her to save her life. Silas moved in after Will struck hard with his rapier and Teela—who had been waiting for the right moment—struck with a devastating sneak attack, killing the devil.
Upon defeating the devil, Minerva and Lillit decided to test the teleport circle and found themselves standing on a teleportation circle with two slabs of stone pulled aside next to them into a cubby hole in the wall of a small five foot by five foot room. They found a secret door that led to the seraglio in the Hurricane King’s quarters in the Sea Caves of Lucrehold. Somehow they had missed this one the first time they were there.
They examined the small room they had appeared in and found some switches that pulled the other two slabs out to look like floors of their own. The next one up from the one they ported in on was another teleportation circle. This they tried out and it led them to the captain’s locker on the Filthy Lucre. They then teleported back to the room to avoid all the questions they would receive.
They tripped the next switch and found yet another teleportation circle. They tried this one out and found themselves in the sea caves brig’s hanging iron cages, startling the jailers. They said they were “just passing through” and intimidated the guards into letting them out. After checking the secret teleportation room for any more surprises, Lillit and Minerva teleported back to the vault to report their findings.