Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Sea Ghost - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 4


Marlin climbed down the steps of the companionway. He was in a darkened cabin. A parrot squawked, "Pieces of Eight!" which caused Marlin to momentarily freeze. There was a door in the bulkhead to his right. He went through it and found himself in the cargo hold. He was beneath a set of stairs that led to the large latticed hatch in the deck above. The only light came from the lanterns on deck.

A door opened on the forward side of the cargo hold. He quickly hid under the stairs. Three burly sailors ran through the hold and climbed the stairs. He heard other sailors climbing another set of stairs in the room forward. The first sailor threw open the hatch and the sailor behind him moved past.

Marlin reached out with his short sword and slashed the back of the ankle of the third sailor. He fell to the deck of the cargo hold screaming before Marlin put an end to him.

Meanwhile, the deck above became a maelstrom of violent action.




CHAPTER 4
"THE SEA GHOST"

  • Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf  Outlander and Sorceress from Ket.
  • Annor Whalerson - Neutral Good, Human Marine and Fighter from Saltmarsh.
  • Marlin Whalerson - Neutral Good,  Human Seeker and Rogue.
  • Auric Ravenson - Neutral Good, Human (?) Shipwright and Cleric.
Special Guest Stars
This week we were joined by a special guest star!
  • "Amnesia" - Human (-ish) Amnesiac Rogue.
  • Aname - Warforged Soldier and Fighter

The Sinister Reinforcements of Saltmarsh
Annor tried to follow his brother down the companionway but he hit his head hard on the top of the door jamb. He fell on the deck with a loud thump. Auric glanced at the unconscious brute and cursed, "Ugh, here we go!"

DM Note
Annor's player was out this week.

The deck hatch was thrown open and a sailor scrambled out onto the port side of the deck. Amnesia was waiting for him and stabbed him with her rapier. Auric moved to support her while Aella stayed back towards the starboard deck rail.

Another door was thrown open towards the bow. It was a companionway that led to quarters beneath the forecastle. Two sailors emerged armed with light crossbows. Behind them stood Punketah the deck wizard, "Boarders! Get them!" He cast a magical witch bolt at Aella. A flash of lightning exploded part of the rail next to her.

A lone sailor ran up a companionway to stern and attacked Auric. Another sailor with a hook for a hand followed him shouting orders to the sailors and hurling curses at the intruders.

Amnesia, having dealt with the sailors coming out of the cargo hatch, moved swiftly to help Auric. She and Auric moved as one as she spun around and slashed at the sailor with her rapier.

The smuggler with the hook, whose name was Foul Frithoff the bosun, gouged his hook into Amnesia. She fell to the deck. Meanwhile, Marlin had made his stealthy way up the same companionway and caught the bosun by surprise. Frithof fell to the deck dead.

Meanwhile, Aella and Punketah, both low on magical energy, exchanged magical rays of frost. Aella was able to dispatch one of the sailors protecting Punketah but the Deck Wizard ultimately bested the sorceress. Aella fell to the deck, her shoulder bruised with frostbit and covered in white hoar frost.



Auric responded quickly with healing miracles, stabilizing Aella and revitalizing Amnesia.

The only foes remaining were Punketah and a single sailor. Realizing the futility of their situation, Punketah surrendered and demanded mercy. In exchange, he would cooperate and answer honestly any questions put to him. The two were captured and tied to the mast.

DM Note
Last week, I had sailors popping out of the door underneath the poop deck. I was in a hurry and didn't realize that those stairs led to 12, the bosun's cabin. In retrospect, I should have had them emerge from the cargo hatch or from the door that leads to 10, the crew cabin. Anyway, because I screwed that up, Marlin went into the door from which they came, which led to the bosun's cabin. Luckily, the player didn't notice but it could have led to odd conclusions and uncomfortable follow-up questions.



The Sinister Search of the Sea Ghost
The party interrogated the deck wizard Punketah. Punketah was haughty and vain and his sense of entitlement rubbed the party the wrong way.  Punketah explained that they had cargo in the hold bound for Port Torvin. He said they always stop here, just east of Saltmarsh, to pick up additional cargo from Sanbalet on shore. They use a signal system to let Sanbalet know they're here. If Sanbalet doesn't answer, as was the case three nights ago, they figure Sanbalet has nothing to pick up and simply sail on.

When asked whether there was anyone else on the ship, Punketah said, "No. Wait, yes. Yes, there are three passengers in that room there," indicating the door under the forecastle, "They prefer their privacy. You may want to leave them alone."

Marlin opened the door. He was met with a strange reptilian stench. Three lizard-folk were variously sitting in chairs or lying on hammocks. One asked in Flan, "What noise all about? Be more quiet! Our sleep is interrupted! Also, bring more fish!" The lizard folk were either unperturbed by the recent battle and bloodshed right outside their door or couldn't tell one human from another.

Marlin apologized for the interruption and closed the door.

The party then conducted a systematic room-by-room search of the ship. Marlin gathered all the valuables and pooled them on the deck. Any item that seemed of value to Punketah was smashed and thrown overboard in front of the haughty wizard.

They found a secret cache of weapons in a hidden compartment behind the first mate's quarters. Auric, having been a shipwright, pointed out the unaccounted space behind the bosun's quarters.

Within they found two prisoners bound and gagged - a sea elf and a mechanical automaton. The Sea Elf was named Oceanus. He was a spy for the Elven tribe known as Manaan who had been assigned to learn to whom the smugglers were selling weapons. He was captured by the smugglers and subsequently learned that the weapons were bound for a tribe of lizard folk on the coast. The automaton was named Aname, a self-described "Warforged", created by a wizard long ago who served as an underwater guardian. The crew planned on selling him as a slave in the markets of the Sea Princes.

Marlin pressed the sea elf, "Wait, did you say your name was 'Oceanus'?"

"Yes?" the sea elf replied.

"Where have I heard that?" Marlin wondered aloud before recalling that his mentor, the wizard Keledek, told him days ago to "Seek Oceanus down below! Now go." Marlin urgently asked Oceanus, "Do you know the wizard Keledek?"

"No, I'm sure I don't."

"Then why did he tell me to find you?"

"I know not. Wizards are strange beings of auguries and visions. Perhaps he simply did not wish for me to starve hidden away in that hold, which I surely would have done had you not found me."

"Hmmm," Marlin was unconvinced.

DM Note
I could see Marlin's player trying to work out what it all meant. I had to reassure him, out of character, that the wizard's directive was only meant as a bit of magical foreshadowing. There was no deeper meaning or mystery - unless he wanted there to be. The player said, "got it" and left it at that.

When Oceanus saw Amnesia he displayed a reaction of mixed fear and revulsion but when he saw Aella, his countenance turned to recognition with a tinge of awe.

The deck was a bloody mess strewn with the bodies of the crew. Cleaning it would be a big job so Marlin asked the surviving sailor if he'd help clean up. The sailor, eager to be untied from the mast, agreed. The party, with the help of the sailor, threw the bodies overboard and did their best to wash the blood and viscera off the deck.

That night, the party rested on the ship. The cooperative sailor was bound but allowed to rest in a hammock. Punketah, however, was gagged and left tied to the mast.

Aname and Amnesia have sailing skills, with help from sailor, return to Saltmarsh

The Sinister Story of Oceanus
That evening, while the party rested, Oceanus recounted how he had become a prisoner on the Sea Ghost.

Oceanus was a scout of the Sea Elf tribe of Manaan, located about twenty miles southeast of Saltmarsh. His tribe took notice of the strange travels of the Sea Ghost and assigned Oceanus to investigate. Oceanus stowed aboard the ship during its last stop outside Saltmarsh three nights hence. In Seaton he observed the ship taking on a small arsenal of weaponry. He was discovered and knocked unconscious. He awoke a prisoner alongside the mechanical man in this small hold.

He knows only that he has received three unpleasant meals and six drinks of brackish water from a brutish fellow with a hood for a hand.

When asked about his reaction to Amnesia, he replied that she was an escaped slave of Elkahraal, the marid. He did his best to try to explain what a Marid was, saying they were evil water elementals who liked to capture mortals, transform them so they could live underwater, and keep them as slaves. Amnesia was one such slave. He meant no offense. He explained that his reaction was the result of concern that Elkahraal might come looking for his property or that she was an agent of the evil marid. He also explained that her lack of memory is a side effect of a curse placed upon all of Elkahraal's slaves to discourage their escape.

He then told Aella that she and he were distantly related - she was a sea elf!

He told her that many years ago, the chieftain of the Manaan tribe had been captured and sold into slavery. He was eventually given to the king of Ket as a gift. He was kept as a curiosity, a component of the king of Ket's royal menagerie. There he fell in love with a human servant woman. She helped him to escape and he eventually returned to the sea.

Aella must be the daughter of their union. The chieftain is unaware that he has any human children. Oceanus told her she would be welcome as a member of their tribe but to be careful of the chieftain's other elven children who might view her with jealousy or suspicion.

Once he learned that lizardfolk had purchased the weapons, Oceanus looked grim. He needed to investigate this further.



The Sinister Return to Saltmarsh
The party rose the next morning to the sight of the sea around them churning with feeding sharks. Saltmarsh was visible through the morning mist a scant three miles away. Auric and Aname were both accomplished sailors. With their supervision, and the help of the cooperative prisoner, they rigged the Sea Ghost and sailed her into Saltmarsh.

Councilman Eliander and the town guard were summoned at once. Eliander confiscated the ship and its cargo, for which certain members of the party grumbled for offered no resistance or complaint. The three lizardfolk were confused about what happened. They were let go without the weapons they purchased or the electrum ingots they paid for them with. Punketah and the sailor were arrested. As promised, the party requested leniency for the sailor as a reward for his cooperation.

That afternoon, the horn atop the council building blew, signifying a meeting of the town council.

The party was asked to report on their actions on the Sea Ghost and to recount what they learned about the Lizard folk's weapons purchase.

Eda was incensed. She demanded an immediate first strike against the lizard folk. She noted that only last year the lizard folk invaded and claimed a cave only ten miles west of town. She said they had been excavating the cave into a proper defensible lair. This was evidence of their expansion and she worried the lizard folk would attack Saltmarsh next. Eda's foul language betrayed an uncharacteristic vitriol and animus towards the lizard folk. This ugly side of Eda disappointed Aella, who had once held the fisher-woman in high esteem.

Gellan jumped on Eda's bandwagon, demanding immediate action, though his true motives were obvious - he viewed the lizard folk development as a welcome distraction from the recent attention paid to smuggling operations around Saltmarsh.

Anders noted that up until now the lizardfolk had always been content to mind their own business. He felt that lizardfolk expansion was uncharacteristically aggressive.

Eliander feared that the lizardfolk were arming for an attack against Saltmarsh. He sided with Eda and requested a first strike by the town guard.

Manistrad protested the expense of a first strike and noted the lack of actionable information.

Ultimately, the council reached a compromise - a small team would be sent to the lizardfolk lair to learn what was going on. The team would use the delivery of the weapons the lizardfolk had purchased as a pretense for their approach. The party was offered the job and promised a reward of 700 gold pieces upon completion of their mission.

Oceanus requested to accompany the party on their mission and they agreed. 

The Sinister Respite of Saltmarsh
The party accepted the job but requested a week to rest and prepare. Despite Eliander and Eda's desire for immediate action, the council agreed.

Marlin met with his mentor, the wizard Keledek. He gave him Punketah's spell book. Keledek rewarded Marlin with a spellbook of his own. He had accepted Marlin as an apprentice.

Marlin later met with Gellan and told him he'd like to accept his offer to work for his organization. Gellan was pleased and told Marlin to be prepared for two visitors in the middle of the night, and to keep this arrangement a secret. 

Amnesia, Auric, Aname, and Aella went to the office of the Faithful Quartermasters of Iuz. They had heard that the trade ambassador, Captain Xendrik, often had enchanted relics for sale. There they met Captain Xendrik, a tiefling with red skin and devilish horns. The office reeked of incense and sulfur. Despite her infernal appearance, Captain Xendrik was friendly and welcoming, inviting all to join her in praise of the arch-fiend Iuz. She explained that her office was no curio shop. She kept no stock. However, she knew how to procure items and explained how, for a small weekly retainer, one could become her client. She told them that she keeps her clients informed of what items she has available and can obtain items that catch their interest. She also detailed how she might obtain specific items for her clients upon special requests. 

On the night before their mission, there was a knock on the door of Marlin's room. He opened the door to see two strangers in hoods. He knew not how they entered the house. They told Marlin, "It is time," and instructed him to put on the offered hood and to come with them. Marlin quietly donned the hood. 

To be continued...

No comments:

Post a Comment