Annor poled the large log raft through the torpid salt marsh. It was late morning. The rains from the previous night had given way to a damp misty morning. With him on the raft was his brother Marlin, the priest known as Auric, the Warforged Alot Aname, and the lizard-folk prisoner whose manacles were bolted to the raft. They had slowly explored the salt marsh for at least three hours. They were nearing the narrow waterway that connected the marsh to the Janustream River estuary.
Auric glanced back at Annor. Annor had a glassy faraway look. Auric rolled his eyes and sighed.
Marlin asked what was wrong. Auric said, "Your brother has the brain jellies again."
Marlin groaned in frustration.
Alot was looking ahead for any sign of the lizard-folk camp. He signaled the others to come forward. "I think they have captured Aella."
"Why do you say that?" inquired Auric.
Alot pointed out the small scraps of cloth floating in the water creating a trail to follow. The scraps were distinctly feminine and Ketan.
It was near mid-day when Alot spotted another raft about 600 feet away. The raft was crowded with six lizard-folk and four prisoners. Four more lizard-folk were in the water towing the raft.
The A-Team crouched down but it was too late. They were seen. A drummer on the raft began beating a rhythm meant to communicate some kind of message but their prisoner refused to relay the meaning. The four lizard-folk in the water abandoned their tow lines and began swimming towards their raft.
CHAPTER 16
"THE PRISONER RAFT"
The A-Team:- Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Sorceress from Ket.
- Annor Whalerson - Lawful Good, Human Marine and Fighter from Saltmarsh.
- Marlin Whalerson - Chaotic Good, Human Seeker and Rogue.
- Auric Ravenson - Neutral Good, Aasimar Shipwright and Cleric of the Raven King.
Special Guest Star:
- Alot Aname - Warforged Fighter.
A Hasty Ambush
Their lizard-man prisoner began hissing and pulling against his chains. Auric pointed at the creature, "Shut him up! He's going to get us killed!" Marlin bound the lizard-man's mouth shut.
Annor poled the raft to the muddy shore and hid in the tall reeds. Auric said a quick prayer to the Raven Prince and an ethereal mace miraculously appeared int he air nearby. Marlin cast a minor illusion spell to conceal the lizard-folk prisoner within an illusory box and hoped his gag held. He then climbed to the top of a nearby tree on the bank and readied his hand crossbow. Alot Aname activated his mechanical gills and flipper feet and dove into the brackish water of the marsh.
The drumming on the far raft changed to a faster more aggressive beat.
A minute later four lizard-folk climbed out of the water and onto the raft. They each threw their javelins at Auric and Marlin but missed. They paid little notice to the nondescript box sitting on the raft.
DM Note-
Marlin has cast a minor illusion over their prisoner to conceal his location.
DM Note-
The red die represented Auric's spiritual weapon.
Auric pulled out a small brass ball from his pocket and pushed a button. It magically expanded to become a brass sphere large enough to fit over his head. The brass sphere provided several round glass portholes from which to look out. He twisted a knob on the side of the helmet and a steady stream of air magically appeared from a small metal tank on the back of the helmet and fed the interior of the helmet. He sent the celestial weapon to attack the lizard-folk then jumped into the water and began swimming away.
The celestial weapon dispatched one lizard-folk and the other two dove into the water after Auric who was quickly swimming away from the raft using the magic of the helmet. The lizard-folk soon caught up to Auric and attacked him in the water with their obsidian-tipped clubs. Auric twisted and spun in the water, deftly avoiding their blows as his celestial weapon rained crushing death upon his reptilian attackers.
Meanwhile on the Other Raft
Aella's hands and feet were bound, as were those of her fellow prisoners - husband and wife innkeepers and a minstrel - but she could look around and speak freely. She could understand the draconic speech of the lizard-folk but their speech was primitive and brutish and their accent was terrible. The lizard-man in charge was some kind of shaman. He had just ordered the four scouts towing the raft to swim over to the raft behind them and investigate, leaving only the shaman, the drummer, and four other scouts.
Aella sprang into action! The half-elf sorceress stood up and closed her eyes. The raft became surrounded by a spinning blast of magical air like a tornado. The miniature tornado blew several of the lizard-men off the raft and into the water.
The shaman and a handful of lizard-men maintained their balance and remained on the raft. The shaman shook his staff of totems and charms and summoned forth four crocodiles out of the swamp. The crocodiles climbed aboard the raft and began biting Aella, disrupting her concentration and causing the tornado to disappear.
The shaman assured his scouts that he could deal with this interloper and ordered them to swim over to the far raft and assist their brothers.
Suddenly out of the mire sprang Alot! He leaped out of the water and landed upon the raft next to the shaman! In response, two of the lizard-men who were swimming towards the far raft turned around and returned to aid their leader. The other two continued towards the other raft as ordered.
Alot struck down the shaman and the four crocodiles swam back into the water. Aella tried to break her bonds but the manacles were too strong. Unable to cast any spells without her hands, she dodged and weaved in order to avoid the attacks of the remaining lizard-man scouts while Alot dispatched each of the lizard-men in turn.
One lizard-man saw that the battle was lost so he dived into the water and swam away.
A Victory Hard-Fought
Marlin was hanging from a tree-branch and fighting the lizard-man that had climbed up after him. It was everything he could do to not fall out of the tree. He gave up and leaped down onto the raft. His reptilian opponent followed suit. The lizard man clubbed Marlin over the head with an obsidian-tipped cudgel and Marlin fell onto the deck, unconscious and bleeding.
Auric said a quick prayer of safety to prevent Marlin from dying and continued fighting off his own lizard-men. Auric dodged and weaved in the water as his celestial mace attacked his opponents. He eventually dispatched his enemies and returned to the raft.
He helped Marlin back onto his feet. There were three more lizard-men swimming towards them from the other raft. Marlin retrieved his hand crossbow and loosed several bolts at the oncoming swimmers with little effect.
The three approaching lizard-men climbed onto the raft and engaged Auric and Marlin in hand-to-hand battle. Marlin, still exhausted from his previous injury, took a blow and fell. Auric quickly responded with a prayer and Marlin returned to battle.
This time Marlin was in his element. Hiding in the tree had been a bad choice. Here, on the raft, with Auric helping him, he could score deadly strikes against his opponents and maneuver out of harms way. The three lizard-men were soon dispatched and thrown into the water.
Auric once more interrogated the lizard-man prisoner, showing him the bodies of his slain brethren. Auric demanded to know where the prisoners were being taken.
The prisoner finally admitted that the prisoners were being taken to a temporary camp on an island in the Janustream river. He revealed that three rival tribes had been united under the leadership of Sakatha the immortal Lizard King of the Drowned Swamp. The three tribes were the Dusk-Dusk, of which he was a member, the Muckmarsh tribe, and the Rootwater tribe. The expedition consisted of twenty to thirty scouts and warriors from each tribe. The lizard-folk on the other raft were from the Muckmarsh tribe. The A-Team had already managed to kill half the Dusk-Dusk tribe and half the Muckmarsh tribe. When the raiding parties fail to return, their absence will cause problems at the camp. Unless the surviving members of the Muckmarsh and Dusk-Dusk tribes unite, the Rootwaters will now be the most powerful tribe in the coalition and the Rootwater chief will assert his dominance. Also, since the team had destroyed the raiding parties, the value of the prisoners as hostages is demonstrably zero. They will likely be taken immediately back to Sakatha to serve as sacrifices to Aulicus, the living god.
DM Note-
Imagine Marlin's player frantically scribbling notes and trying to keep up.
Annor poled the raft to the muddy shore and hid in the tall reeds. Auric said a quick prayer to the Raven Prince and an ethereal mace miraculously appeared int he air nearby. Marlin cast a minor illusion spell to conceal the lizard-folk prisoner within an illusory box and hoped his gag held. He then climbed to the top of a nearby tree on the bank and readied his hand crossbow. Alot Aname activated his mechanical gills and flipper feet and dove into the brackish water of the marsh.
The drumming on the far raft changed to a faster more aggressive beat.
A minute later four lizard-folk climbed out of the water and onto the raft. They each threw their javelins at Auric and Marlin but missed. They paid little notice to the nondescript box sitting on the raft.
DM Note-
Marlin has cast a minor illusion over their prisoner to conceal his location.
DM Note-
The red die represented Auric's spiritual weapon.
The celestial weapon dispatched one lizard-folk and the other two dove into the water after Auric who was quickly swimming away from the raft using the magic of the helmet. The lizard-folk soon caught up to Auric and attacked him in the water with their obsidian-tipped clubs. Auric twisted and spun in the water, deftly avoiding their blows as his celestial weapon rained crushing death upon his reptilian attackers.
Meanwhile on the Other Raft
Aella's hands and feet were bound, as were those of her fellow prisoners - husband and wife innkeepers and a minstrel - but she could look around and speak freely. She could understand the draconic speech of the lizard-folk but their speech was primitive and brutish and their accent was terrible. The lizard-man in charge was some kind of shaman. He had just ordered the four scouts towing the raft to swim over to the raft behind them and investigate, leaving only the shaman, the drummer, and four other scouts.
Aella sprang into action! The half-elf sorceress stood up and closed her eyes. The raft became surrounded by a spinning blast of magical air like a tornado. The miniature tornado blew several of the lizard-men off the raft and into the water.
The shaman and a handful of lizard-men maintained their balance and remained on the raft. The shaman shook his staff of totems and charms and summoned forth four crocodiles out of the swamp. The crocodiles climbed aboard the raft and began biting Aella, disrupting her concentration and causing the tornado to disappear.
The shaman assured his scouts that he could deal with this interloper and ordered them to swim over to the far raft and assist their brothers.
Suddenly out of the mire sprang Alot! He leaped out of the water and landed upon the raft next to the shaman! In response, two of the lizard-men who were swimming towards the far raft turned around and returned to aid their leader. The other two continued towards the other raft as ordered.
Alot struck down the shaman and the four crocodiles swam back into the water. Aella tried to break her bonds but the manacles were too strong. Unable to cast any spells without her hands, she dodged and weaved in order to avoid the attacks of the remaining lizard-man scouts while Alot dispatched each of the lizard-men in turn.
One lizard-man saw that the battle was lost so he dived into the water and swam away.
A Victory Hard-Fought
Marlin was hanging from a tree-branch and fighting the lizard-man that had climbed up after him. It was everything he could do to not fall out of the tree. He gave up and leaped down onto the raft. His reptilian opponent followed suit. The lizard man clubbed Marlin over the head with an obsidian-tipped cudgel and Marlin fell onto the deck, unconscious and bleeding.
Auric said a quick prayer of safety to prevent Marlin from dying and continued fighting off his own lizard-men. Auric dodged and weaved in the water as his celestial mace attacked his opponents. He eventually dispatched his enemies and returned to the raft.
He helped Marlin back onto his feet. There were three more lizard-men swimming towards them from the other raft. Marlin retrieved his hand crossbow and loosed several bolts at the oncoming swimmers with little effect.
The three approaching lizard-men climbed onto the raft and engaged Auric and Marlin in hand-to-hand battle. Marlin, still exhausted from his previous injury, took a blow and fell. Auric quickly responded with a prayer and Marlin returned to battle.
This time Marlin was in his element. Hiding in the tree had been a bad choice. Here, on the raft, with Auric helping him, he could score deadly strikes against his opponents and maneuver out of harms way. The three lizard-men were soon dispatched and thrown into the water.
Auric once more interrogated the lizard-man prisoner, showing him the bodies of his slain brethren. Auric demanded to know where the prisoners were being taken.
The prisoner finally admitted that the prisoners were being taken to a temporary camp on an island in the Janustream river. He revealed that three rival tribes had been united under the leadership of Sakatha the immortal Lizard King of the Drowned Swamp. The three tribes were the Dusk-Dusk, of which he was a member, the Muckmarsh tribe, and the Rootwater tribe. The expedition consisted of twenty to thirty scouts and warriors from each tribe. The lizard-folk on the other raft were from the Muckmarsh tribe. The A-Team had already managed to kill half the Dusk-Dusk tribe and half the Muckmarsh tribe. When the raiding parties fail to return, their absence will cause problems at the camp. Unless the surviving members of the Muckmarsh and Dusk-Dusk tribes unite, the Rootwaters will now be the most powerful tribe in the coalition and the Rootwater chief will assert his dominance. Also, since the team had destroyed the raiding parties, the value of the prisoners as hostages is demonstrably zero. They will likely be taken immediately back to Sakatha to serve as sacrifices to Aulicus, the living god.
DM Note-
Imagine Marlin's player frantically scribbling notes and trying to keep up.
Return to Saltmarsh
The A-Team was injured and tired. It was noon and they had already survived three battles. They were not confident they could take on a camp filled with forty to fifty more lizard-men. If they turned back now they could return to Saltmarsh by nightfall. So it was that they rescued the captives from the other raft and poled their way back to town.
It was nearing sunset when they arrived. They took their reptilian prisoner to the town gaol. There they found Eliander Fireborn, captain of the town guard and member of the town council. Eliander greeted everyone with appreciation and welcome - everyone but Marlin for whom he harbored nothing but suspicion and distaste.
Auric informed Eliander about the lizard-man raids and that the lizard-men had taken prisoners back to some kind of staging area in the Janustream river.
During their account, Marlin mentioned that the lizard-man prisoner said they served some king named Sakatha.
Eliander expressed disbelief at this news, "That's impossible. It must be some kind of descendant of Sakatha. Sakatha died over two hundred years ago. In fact, it was the defeat of Sakatha in a great battle that led to the founding of Saltmarsh..."
Marlin interrupted, "Yes. Yes. Got it. Anyway, Sakatha wants to recover his stolen dragon egg. Apparently some humans stole his dragon egg and smuggled it into Saltmarsh. His scouts have been looking for it and they've been kidnapping humans in an effort to find out where it is and to use as hostages until he gets it back. Oh and we think they've got a dragon named Aulicus who they worship as some kind of god."
Eliander shot Marlin a dirty look, "And how did this dragon egg find its way into Saltmarsh?"
Marlin shrugged and deflected, "I don't know. It was probably smuggled in. I hear this town has a problem with smugglers!"
"Do you know where this dragon egg is?" inquired Eliander .
Marlin rubbed the back of his head and struggled for the best answer. Aella just stared at him. Auric cleared his throat and said, "We think we might know. If we knew for sure we'd tell you. In the meantime, the town needs more protection. Can you request additional guards from Seaton?"
"No," Eliander said ruefully, "That requires approval by the town council and they have made it clear that my budget does not allow for additional town guard. However, recent developments may indicate a coming change."
Eliander told the team that their recent mission for Anders Solmor has given the young merchant an opportunity to petition the king. Anders sent a courier to the duke in Seaton and to the king in Niole Dra explaining his position and request. Anders is offering to forgive the loans the Solmor family made to the kingdom in exchange for a patent of nobility.
Eliander explained that Saltmarsh is technically a subject of the duke in Seaton and that currently all the taxes taken in the town go to the duke with a portion going to the crown. The duke then spends the majority on the garrison and shipyards in Seaton with very little going back to Saltmarsh. It was this arrangement that caused such antipathy in Saltmarsh towards taxes and, with Saltmarsh being so remote, led to the rise in smuggling.
The veteran said that if Anders became a baron, he could levy his own taxes on the people of Saltmarsh, with only a portion going to the duke. Anders could then create his own garrison. Soon, Saltmarsh could rival Seaton as a bastion of regimented law and order!
"The courier will take eleven days to reach Niole Dra and eleven days to return. We'll know the king's disposition to Solmor's offer in probably about a month. After that, Solmor will have to travel to Niole Dra for the ceremony. By this time next year we might have a proper garrison in Saltmarsh!"
Auric rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well," He ruminated, "In the meantime, what if some independent source of funding were to present itself?"
Eliander was shocked, "Are you offering me a bribe, sir?"
Auric, confused, replied, "No! No! I'm saying, what if we were to independently hire mercenaries from Seaton with our own money and put them under your command? We'll pay for them. The town council can't really complain about that."
Eliander approved, "Yes. Indeed. That might work. What this town needs is a strong presence of law and order! If I had my way, this town would be a lot more like Seaton!"
Auric said, "If I might offer a suggestion. There are elements in town who are opposed to this course of action. When the time comes to send Anders and the promissory notes to Niole Dra, you should send multiple ships, and maybe some overland caravans, and not tell anyone which carries the real Anders."
Eliander nodded, "Noted."
DM Note-
As an aside, I also pointed out to the players that Seaton was a militarized police state with little freedom and not a pleasant place to visit. It was clear that Eliander wanted Saltmarsh to become more like Seaton.
The players said, "That's too much. Why can't they just find a happy medium?"
To which I replied, "The traditionalists would prefer a lawless free-wheeling pirate haven like Tortuga, so Saltmarsh's status quo IS the happy medium."
Status Report
That evening, there was a knock at the Whalerson door. Marlin answered. It was a young girl, one of a handful of couriers who deliver messages throughout town.
"Mister Whalerson, sir. I have a message for you."
"Yes?"
The young girl looked up to the left in order to recall the memorized message, "Your sponsor wants to know if you have a schedule for the completion of your assignment."
Marlin thought about the proper answer for a good long time. The young girl started to become restless.
"Tell him- tell him within the next 30 days."
The young girl paused. Marlin took the hint and tipped her a silver piece.
"Thank you, sir!" she replied as she trundled off.
It was nearing sunset when they arrived. They took their reptilian prisoner to the town gaol. There they found Eliander Fireborn, captain of the town guard and member of the town council. Eliander greeted everyone with appreciation and welcome - everyone but Marlin for whom he harbored nothing but suspicion and distaste.
Auric informed Eliander about the lizard-man raids and that the lizard-men had taken prisoners back to some kind of staging area in the Janustream river.
During their account, Marlin mentioned that the lizard-man prisoner said they served some king named Sakatha.
Eliander expressed disbelief at this news, "That's impossible. It must be some kind of descendant of Sakatha. Sakatha died over two hundred years ago. In fact, it was the defeat of Sakatha in a great battle that led to the founding of Saltmarsh..."
Marlin interrupted, "Yes. Yes. Got it. Anyway, Sakatha wants to recover his stolen dragon egg. Apparently some humans stole his dragon egg and smuggled it into Saltmarsh. His scouts have been looking for it and they've been kidnapping humans in an effort to find out where it is and to use as hostages until he gets it back. Oh and we think they've got a dragon named Aulicus who they worship as some kind of god."
Eliander shot Marlin a dirty look, "And how did this dragon egg find its way into Saltmarsh?"
Marlin shrugged and deflected, "I don't know. It was probably smuggled in. I hear this town has a problem with smugglers!"
"Do you know where this dragon egg is?" inquired Eliander .
Marlin rubbed the back of his head and struggled for the best answer. Aella just stared at him. Auric cleared his throat and said, "We think we might know. If we knew for sure we'd tell you. In the meantime, the town needs more protection. Can you request additional guards from Seaton?"
"No," Eliander said ruefully, "That requires approval by the town council and they have made it clear that my budget does not allow for additional town guard. However, recent developments may indicate a coming change."
Eliander told the team that their recent mission for Anders Solmor has given the young merchant an opportunity to petition the king. Anders sent a courier to the duke in Seaton and to the king in Niole Dra explaining his position and request. Anders is offering to forgive the loans the Solmor family made to the kingdom in exchange for a patent of nobility.
Eliander explained that Saltmarsh is technically a subject of the duke in Seaton and that currently all the taxes taken in the town go to the duke with a portion going to the crown. The duke then spends the majority on the garrison and shipyards in Seaton with very little going back to Saltmarsh. It was this arrangement that caused such antipathy in Saltmarsh towards taxes and, with Saltmarsh being so remote, led to the rise in smuggling.
The veteran said that if Anders became a baron, he could levy his own taxes on the people of Saltmarsh, with only a portion going to the duke. Anders could then create his own garrison. Soon, Saltmarsh could rival Seaton as a bastion of regimented law and order!
"The courier will take eleven days to reach Niole Dra and eleven days to return. We'll know the king's disposition to Solmor's offer in probably about a month. After that, Solmor will have to travel to Niole Dra for the ceremony. By this time next year we might have a proper garrison in Saltmarsh!"
Auric rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well," He ruminated, "In the meantime, what if some independent source of funding were to present itself?"
Eliander was shocked, "Are you offering me a bribe, sir?"
Auric, confused, replied, "No! No! I'm saying, what if we were to independently hire mercenaries from Seaton with our own money and put them under your command? We'll pay for them. The town council can't really complain about that."
Eliander approved, "Yes. Indeed. That might work. What this town needs is a strong presence of law and order! If I had my way, this town would be a lot more like Seaton!"
Auric said, "If I might offer a suggestion. There are elements in town who are opposed to this course of action. When the time comes to send Anders and the promissory notes to Niole Dra, you should send multiple ships, and maybe some overland caravans, and not tell anyone which carries the real Anders."
Eliander nodded, "Noted."
DM Note-
As an aside, I also pointed out to the players that Seaton was a militarized police state with little freedom and not a pleasant place to visit. It was clear that Eliander wanted Saltmarsh to become more like Seaton.
The players said, "That's too much. Why can't they just find a happy medium?"
To which I replied, "The traditionalists would prefer a lawless free-wheeling pirate haven like Tortuga, so Saltmarsh's status quo IS the happy medium."
Status Report
That evening, there was a knock at the Whalerson door. Marlin answered. It was a young girl, one of a handful of couriers who deliver messages throughout town.
"Mister Whalerson, sir. I have a message for you."
"Yes?"
The young girl looked up to the left in order to recall the memorized message, "Your sponsor wants to know if you have a schedule for the completion of your assignment."
Marlin thought about the proper answer for a good long time. The young girl started to become restless.
"Tell him- tell him within the next 30 days."
The young girl paused. Marlin took the hint and tipped her a silver piece.
"Thank you, sir!" she replied as she trundled off.
The Ringcurrent Islands
The next morning the A-Team assembled down by the Kingfisher river. Alot had prepared their small single-masted sailing boat while Auric had retrieved the lizard-man prisoner from the gaol. They boarded the boat and retraced their path through the marsh north of town.
The sailboat was faster than the raft and they reached the confluence of the marsh with the Janustream river well before noon.
Marlin had a good idea about which islands the prisoner was referring and they sailed towards those. The Ringcurrent islands, as they were known, were located where the river was wide, forming a kind of bay on the west bank. There the flow of the river created an eddy. At the center of the eddy were small islands created by the accumulated sand and debris that was caught in the center of the whirlpool. The islands were covered in sand, driftwood, trees and reeds.
The first island they came upon was barely a hundred feet across and was little more than a sand bar in the river. On the island was what looked like the remains of camp. The camp looked like it had been attacked and destroyed the previous night and appeared to be uninhabited. The prisoner revealed that this had been the camp of the Muckmarsh tribe. Auric speculated that one or both of the other tribes must have united against the Muckmarsh and attacked them in the night.
Marlin spied a figure moving through the camp ripping down ritual effigies in the shape of a dragon and stomping them into the ground. The figure appeared to be a lizard-man but was larger than a human. The figure spotted the approaching sailboat and fled into the water.
A second larger island was located a few hundred feet beyond. Among the trees could be seen multiple camps and reed huts. The river's current flowed around the island in a circle. The banks of the island were covered in flotsam and driftwood. Approaching the island would be dangerous.
DM Note-
Marlin had a good idea about which islands the prisoner was referring and they sailed towards those. The Ringcurrent islands, as they were known, were located where the river was wide, forming a kind of bay on the west bank. There the flow of the river created an eddy. At the center of the eddy were small islands created by the accumulated sand and debris that was caught in the center of the whirlpool. The islands were covered in sand, driftwood, trees and reeds.
The first island they came upon was barely a hundred feet across and was little more than a sand bar in the river. On the island was what looked like the remains of camp. The camp looked like it had been attacked and destroyed the previous night and appeared to be uninhabited. The prisoner revealed that this had been the camp of the Muckmarsh tribe. Auric speculated that one or both of the other tribes must have united against the Muckmarsh and attacked them in the night.
Marlin spied a figure moving through the camp ripping down ritual effigies in the shape of a dragon and stomping them into the ground. The figure appeared to be a lizard-man but was larger than a human. The figure spotted the approaching sailboat and fled into the water.
A second larger island was located a few hundred feet beyond. Among the trees could be seen multiple camps and reed huts. The river's current flowed around the island in a circle. The banks of the island were covered in flotsam and driftwood. Approaching the island would be dangerous.
To Be Continued...
When placed on a male human, they were "manacles".
When placed on a female human, they were "womanacles".
When placed on the lizardman, they were "repticles".
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