User blog:MMetzner/Session 16 - Passing Pirates

Recap

The day began with a visitor, Lorin the merchant sailed alone to Hogstone to bring an adamantine scale shirt to Farrus, and to bring news that the Guardians were already well aware of, that Landon Mutt was dead. However he also brought more interesting news that guards on the island were refusing to acknowledge his death and claiming it was propaganda spread by their enemies. Lorin also told the Guardians that Fabio Rigo, son of the first mate of the famed adventurer and mapmaker Vasco Magelos, was searching for a map and was willing to pay 5,000 gold pieces for it.

After Lorin left, Ronan brought out the map she bought from Lost Canvas noticing an X on a point within the sea. As it began to rain, a droplet landed on a point of the map on islands of the burned lands, revealing a small spot of gold underlay.

The Guardians decided to begin seeking out the Tabaxi Cleric Gifted Hand. He alone may hold answers to Farrus’ brand and curse, Maiyas visions, the mysteries of the undead creatures they have faced, and have the power to bring the tortle Doya back to life. However with Gifted Hand in hiding, their strongest lead was a friend of Mannaphi - Razza al Haq, Gifted Hands apprentice who resides on the Tabaxi island of Growing Shower. Razza told the group that he would give them Gifted Hand’s location, but only in person.

As the Guardians travelled east towards an island called Silverstreams in Brightwater Bay, where they planned to rest from a day at sea, their voyage was interrupted by the emergence of a terrifying giant constrictor snake, with the same black undead eyes of the lizardbeast hunters they fought on Hogstone. After both Maiya and Farrus were pulled under the surface by the beast, the bravery of Gauner, the lightning magic of Kyanna and the deadly aim of Ronan helped to defeat it. Ronan managed to retrieve the head of the snake, which now sits in the bow of the Proud Pelt.

We pick up in the late afternoon of the 2nd of October. After almost 8 hours of rowing and battle, you find yourselves tired and aching, but only about 30 minutes from the coast of Silverstreams. "

Silverstreams
The crew of the Proud Pelt made land on the island of Silverstreams in Brightwater Bay, they are immediately surprised by how prosperous and beautiful the settlement they pull into is compared with the ruins of Hogstone and the squalor of Sailor's Wyk.

On pulling into the docks, Ronan decided to try and cauterize where the group had taken off the giant sea snake's head. Aiming her weapon at the wound she succeeded only in taking off a bottom later. Kyanna used Control Flame to cauterize the wound more efficiently before placing the head back on the ship.

The group entered the square, approaching a statue they spotted during the landing. It appeared to be of a woman in her late 20s dressed in mail, and sitting cross-legged atop an alter, and holding a small statue in the shape of a book, made of marble. Farrus immediately recognised the object as the Scholar Statue which made Kyanna recall that one of the Guardians of Hogstone killed during the Sack was named Missa of Silverstreams.

Suddenly the group' concentration was broken by the sound of hundreds of hooves in the distance. Looking up they saw dozens of the finest horses they had ever laid their eyes on pulling a series of wheeled carriages along an iron track. It stopped at a small building, where several richly dressed people got off, before thundering away as fast as it had arrived. Spotting a large building with ten flaming torches along its rooftop, the group decide this must be an inn and enter. They are immediately relieved that this appears to be one of the finest inns they have come across, with a large flaming hearth and the smells of warm spiced wine and cooking meat. However going up to the bar, they see that the innkeep had what looked to be a horrible cold. The woman claimed it was from a lower quality of water they have access to now that Jarl Hosteen of Timberhill had comandeered the bay around Brightwater Peak. After speaking to the innkeep about the Brightwater Express, the group paid for 2 rooms to stay overnight at the inn.

Ronan used telepathy to speak to the Flumph, asking it what it eats. The flumph stared lovingly at Kyanna. With that, Maiya and Kyanna took to bed.

Gauner took the opportunity to speak to the innkeeper again, learning that Silverstreams' Jarl, Elifrith, was respected on the island and seen as a good leader, but doesn't command a fleet that could contend with the Kraken's Oarsmen who are assiting Jarl Hosteen in blockading Brightwater Peak.

Ronan and Gauner hatched a plan to gain audience with Jarl Elifrith by posing as business owners 'Tartulio & Hosmith'. Approaching the Jarls longhouse they performed some hand magic, impressing the two guards to gain entry before swaggering down the aisle towards the Jarls throne and presenting her with a sapphire. Elifrith recounted the troubles instigated by the Mutt Clan, Jarl Hosteen and the Kraken's Oarsmen led by Randyll Redbeard, explaining that the Kraken's fleet in Brightwater Bay consisted of 10 fully crewed galleys. 'Tartulio & Hosmith' told Elifrith about a group forming, to be the new Guardians of Hogstone, to which Elifrith declared that if the group could defeat Randyll Redbeard she would pay them 1,000 gold pieces. Arriving back at the Ten Torches Inn Ronan and Gauner recounted this information to Farrus, while also telling him that they were now being hunted on the island.

October 3rd
Ronan and Gauner caught Maiya and Kyanna up on the conversation with Jarl Elifrith, after a lengthy and chaotic discussion about what to do next, the majority decided that while continuing on to Growing Shower via Pirate's Pass, they should stop at the point on their map that Vasco Magelos had marked with an X. Kyanna dived off of the side of the Proud Pelt, turning into a dolphin and being closely followed by Algie. Diving down around 500m the two happened upon some underwater caves, and some markings carved into the wall. Kyanna swam back to the surface and climbed back aboard the ship. Using some of Maiyas paper she drew the marking she had see, which Gauner recognised as being written in the language of Thieves Cant and translated to 'Treasures of the Cuevo D'oro'. The group decided to all dive down to try and find a way in, with Kyanna casting Waterbreathing on the party. Upon diving deeply, Gauner began to panic at the pressure increase, flailing his limbs.

The group located the markings on the cave wall and also noticed an indentation around the size of a human fist just beneath the markings. They tried several things to try and activate some sort of effect from the indentation, pushing in gems, coins and their own fists, but to no avail. Eventually Ronan pulled out the Magelos Map. Immediately, submerged in water, two points on the map began to glow a vibrant gold, a point on the Burned Lands to the far south of the Thousand Islands, and on Brightwater Peak, the great mountain on which Brightwater Bay depends. Reckoning that they could do no more here, the Guardians swam back to the surface, Maiya struggling beneath the weight of her armor. Once back aboard the Proud Pelt they journeyed on towards Growing Shower.

Pirates Pass
As the Proud Pelt crept towards the great mountain range that carved its way from north to south, they saw a small opening, a canyon wide enough for a large ship to pass through but not much wider, and with wooden walkways darting in and out of the mountainside, and bridges crossing it. At ground level a long wooden platform had been erected with several small wooden buildings. As the Proud Pelt approached, two men stood on the platform beckoned to Ronan to dock alongside him. A guard name Ron told the group that they would need to pay a 500gp tax to pass through the canyon, and that any maps they were holding would need to be handed over for inspection. When the Guardians questioned this, Ron signalled up to the rope bridge, where four additional guards came out onto the bridge brandishing flaming torches. Ron suggested that ordinarily, people prefer to pay the tax rather than have their ships burned with the crew still on them. After some additional negotiating from Ronan, the captain climbed down from the prow of the Proud Pelt onto the landing platform and continued the discussion. She subtley looked at the crew, urging them to be ready for combat.

Not wanting to wait, Maiya unfurled her wings, signalling her intention. Before anyone else could react, Farrus had his bow drawn, firing an arrow into the throat of one of the guards and killing him instantly. As the guard staggered backwards Maiya was already flying towards two more guards, spreading her arms and knocking them backwards off of the bridge with a double clothesline.

Everyone reached for their weapons, Guards and Guardians alike, but the ensuing chaos was more execution than battle. Some of the guards knocked into the canyon swam away, and those that stayed were killed by arrow, by sword or by magic.

Whilst grappled by Ron and Harry, Ronan spoke infernal in a low voice, before teleporting to the prow of the Proud Pelt. In the space she had just been, a booming clap of thunder broke through the air, and Harry and Ron combusted into a thousand pieces, raining down upon the Guardians ship. Watching from above, Maiya caught a glimpse of Ronan's pure-black eyes, and immediately her mind recalled the same black eyes of the undead sea snake, and the Lizardbeast Hunters, without thinking she dived down onto Ronan, grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the prow of the ship, demanding to know what was going on. Ronan advised Maiya to put back down so they could have a conversation. Out of nowhere Kyanna leapt into the action and pulled Maiya away, urging her to calm down. Nonchelantly, Ronan went to collect the blood of the guards she had just exploded when Maiya pounced on her again, Ronan warned her one last time before casting a command spell on the Aasimar, speaking the word 'grovel'. Maiya immediately sat back, apologising profusely. However as soon as the apology had passed her lips, she resumed her interrogation of the pirate. Ronan pointed out that eyes turning black doesn't indicate evil, pointing to Gauners appearance as evidence. At this point Gauner spoke up, telling Maiya that all his life people had judged him for his appearance, which was why he'd had to hide away on ships. This checked Maiya, who calmed down and the group began to talk...