Session 126: "A chance meeting in the dark?" or "Is there a sailor on board?"

8th day of Firemoot 1492 

Mission:  To Cedarspoke.

Campaign: Find Karion's missing Father

Location(s): Dawn Trader.

Present: Anor, Aramil, Bandur, Karion, Paskan

8th:

Group are disturbed at evening meal by the ringing of a bell and the crew running up on deck. The group head up on deck as a strange ship comes into view out of the dark. Karion casts dark vision on Paskan.

As the two ships close the captain shouts out they will hit. Karion castes detect evil and shouts out there is a very strong aura of evil emanating from the ship.

Anor: "Captain ready 2 grapples we intend to investigate."

The Captain reluctantly obeyed and ordered his crew to grapple the ship. Only one grapple made it but the ships inevitably come closer together. 

Karion changes into owl form and fies to the rear mast and scans the deck....nothing.

Paskan jumps the rail and falls down an unseen ladder/steps onto the deck. Bandur calmly steps across the gangway onto the other ships deck. Whilst Aramil and Anor keep watch.

Aramil crosses over and stands looking down some stairs, Paskan, now on his feet, does the same. The air starts popping on their ship as Dwarves start appearing, heavily armed and armoured and attack the crew.

Bandur: "Duergar.....evil, b....rds, kill them all!" The crew are no match for the Duergar and Anor steps forward to engage.

Then it got worse as attentions were trained on their own ship more Duergar started appearing and attacking Bandur and Aramil. Karion flew down and changed back into Elf form, Paskan charged back onto the Dawn Trader and tried to save the outclassed crew.

The duergar had 2 attack doges, big vicious creatures one with a stinger tail. Bandur went down as his hand slipped on the rail as he tried to vault back  onto the Dawn Trader.

Captain Tobias threw his axe down and surrendered ordering his crew to do the same. The leader of the Duergar called out to the group to surrender or the crew would be killed, their answer was underlined when the lifeless body of Captain Tobias hit the deck.

Bandur fought prone, fending off attacks from the dog and a Duergar. Aramil was beset by a dog and a Duergar as Karion fought the 3rd Duergar. Anor was surrounded but was holding his own, barely.

Paskan, having dispatched 1 Duergar was now trying to assist the last crew member standing.

Bandur hurled himself to his feet and his blows forced the Duergar back eventually killing him with a few well placed blows.

KArion and Aramil fought as best they could but were taking wounds.

Paskan was not fighting 2 Duergar.

Bandur, seeing the danger both Paskan and Anor were in, ran as fast as his little legs could go and prepared to jump back over onto the Dawn Trader.

Aramil and Karion were struggling.

Paskan killed the 2 Duergar facing him and charged into the ones fighting Anor.

Karion heard the incantation and muttered to himself and prayed to Silvanus but the flames from Aramil's fireball seemed to pass over him without causing harm. 

Anor: "Bandur go help Karion and Aramil".

Bandur: "This way, that way, I'm going as fast as my legs will carry me!"

With a mighty roar Bandur charged back up the way he had come and with a mighty leap landed on the other ship as the Leader teleported off the Dawn Trader and appeared back on his own ship.

Bandur laid into the leader from behind, mighty swings of his axe biting deeply into the leader.

The leader fell dead to the floor.

Paskan and Anor killed the last Duergar on the Dawn Trader and ducked for the second time as the night sky was lit up by a 2nd fireball spell from Aramil.

The last fireball killed the Duergar dog and the last Duergar. Looking around they found that only one of the crew had survived and she was badly injured.

Aramil: "This ship is on fire. We have little time to look but I think we should. Bandur and Karion look below. I'll stand by the line and cut it if the fire is endangering the Dawn Trader. This ship is to far gone to save".

Karion and Bandur headed below, they returned a short while later with 2 chests and an arm full of paperwork.

Karion: "Found this in the rear cabin, no chance to look further."

They made their way back onto the Dawn Trader. Aramil remained on the other ship, he cut the grapple and used a spell to cross the 30ft gap safely. The other ship moved away burning fiercely.

Karion used a mass heal, Paskan used a healing spell to stabilise the remaining crew member.

Bandur: "Nicely done chaps, but I fear we are in need of a sailor......anyone know one?"

Anor: "I have some rudimentary knowledge, and I've been watching the crew. I'm sure I can get us to where we want to go. First though lets drop and anchor it will slow our drift down until we can see what's around us." 

Players Notes: 

(Assuming Aramil uses Identify ?)

Treasure gained:

6 suits of Duergar Plate Armour 

6 Duergar Shields

2 Duergar Scimitars +1/+1

2 Duregar War Picks +1/+1

2 Duergar Battle Axes +1/+1

3 Duergar necklaces (shows magical aura)

Chest 1:        9,842 copper pieces

                     4,574 silver pieces

                        272 gold pieces

                            1 Bag with 11 gemstones, rough value 350 gold pieces

Chest 2:         1 Black Velvet Mask (sold)

                       2 Carved, Bone Statues (sold)

                       3 Cloth, with gold design, vestments (sold)

                       2 Copper Chalices (sold)

                       2 Gold Lockets with painted pictures of a man and woman respectively (sold)

                       1 Pair of Bone Dice (show some magic aura)

                       1 Silver Ewer (sold)

                       2 Small Gold Bracelets (sold)

                       1 Druidic Scroll of Polymorph

                       1 Potion of Giant Strength

                       5 Potions of healing (2d4+2 each)

                       1 Swans Feather (shows a strong magical aura)

Amongst the paperwork a sealed letter. When opened it is written in Undercommon, which uses the Espruar Alphabet.....used extensively by traders and Moon Elves...

When translated it reads:

'My Lord and worthy ally. We have located the person you seek. He abides in the forest of Gulthmere. However he is not as he should be, he is transformed and lacks the ability to control his rages whence the conditions are right.

We have an agent in Cedarspoke who keeps watch, should the person you seek be captured and brought before the council, they will get word to us. Until this is confirmed our agent is powerless to intercede and regain the item you desire. The person has either hid the item or has it upon him.

I am sure our agreement still holds firm and payment will be forthcoming once the item is recovered and returned to House Jaelre.

Gorgan the Slaughterer.'

Experience Points up to and including session 126:

Money up to and including session 126: (Coin only from session 126 included)