Session 7: Fisting the Crimson Sister

'''Session 7 of the Campaign. '''[Played on 01/17/17]
 * Taman - Kyle Heisler - Human Ranger
 * Renaia - Leah - Gnome Rogue
 * Slaplen - Kyle H-S - Tiefling Warlock
 * Oras - Brian - Human Monk

Scene 1
The party recovers from their misadventure aboard the Crimson Sister—thanks to Renaia's timely intervention, rescuing her bound companions from the heart of the slums, stealing them what clothing she can as they go (including but not limited to footwear taken from the corpse of a town watchman she finds in a Mudtown alley, a well-worn pair of boots affectionately christened “Taman’s High Tops” by their grateful new owner).

The adventurers return—minus Slaplen, who remained aboard the Sister, ostensibly accepting a position as the ship’s mage—to their new haunt, the Purple Poplar. There, they lick their wounds and ponder next steps, worry after the Tiefling’s fate.

A few hours before dawn, Night Guild prowlers arrive at the Poplar, collecting Renaia and taking her to a meeting with the Family. They lead her to the Goat and Eel, a Family-owned tavern on the other side of the Second City. There, she meets with Poleo Winesong and, to her pleasant surprise (and no small relief) Slaplen, whom the Family collected from the pirates earlier in the evening.

After an accounting for the party’s actions, Winesong explains that one of the Guild’s favored daughters—Jovi, Renaia realizes from context—spoke on their behalf, her support evidently enough to secure a pardon for the party’s carelessness in dealing with the representatives of the Buccaneers Alliance—more than enough, even. Indeed, the bard explains that instead of handing Renaia over to the pirates, who are in fact honored guests of the Night Guild, the Family means to intercede on her behalf. Intercede and then some, exacting bloody vengeance and divesting the Alliance of a pirate ship. Profit in all things, after all—so says the Night’s Creed.

In addition to an opportunity for vengeance, Poleo Winesong honors Slaplen with a formal invitation to join the Family. After carefully weighing the risks and benefits—and with a little gentle encouragement from Renaia—Slaplen agrees, so long as he retains the right to decline to participate in any jobs with which he takes issue. Further, the tiefling requests from Winesong a show of good faith for working with them on this job, as for him participation is tantamount to breaking faith with Dreadmoore, double-crossing the Pirate Baron with whom he just struck a deal for the lives of his companions. While it is certainly true that the bargain was struck under duress, it is evident that Slaplen takes his given word seriously. Yet his requests are small: the return of the party’s belongings once recovered from the pirates, a suit of studded leather, and a tinker’s kit. Poleo acquiesces without hesitation, even calling over one of his men (named Yarnel) who looks to be of a size with Slaplen to surrender the studded leather he’s wearing to the warlock, newly minted a second cousin.

Their immediate business concluded, Poleo invites Renaia and her companions to participate in taking the Crimson Sister the next evening. The gnome is to bring the rest of the party to the Goat and Eel at dusk, while Slaplen is to return to the ship and await the attack, inconspicuously lending aid to the Night Guild’s raiding party once it’s begun.

Scene 2
The next morning, Oras receives a messenger from the Merchants Consortium (an ally of the Prospectors Guild). The message is from a clerk named Gohar t'Kasil, with whom the monk had spoken when inquiring about the merchant Olom Busarek. Though not especially detailed, the missive states that Busarek’s caravan was ambushed on the road from the House of Life and Death, the merchant and his employees presumed dead, save for a single caravan guard called Otis er'Danlon. The clerk suggests that the young mercenary may have useful information regarding the route to the monastery from his time with Busarek and he is likely staying at the Boar's Yawn.

Garbed in only the modest rags that Renaia could procure on short notice, Oras ventures to the Boar’s Yawn. The inn’s common room is only sparsely populated this early in the day and is much cleaner than the monk is used to seeing. He asks the innkeeper regarding Otis er’Danlon and is directed to a room on the third floor, the door just to the right of the attic stairs.

Oras finds the room and knocks. At first there is no response, but the monk persists, politely addressing er’Danlon through the closed door. Eventually, the mercenary—a young human, blonde and bullishly built—opens the door partway. The man is plainly troubled; he watches Oras with bleary eyes, dark bags underscoring his fatigue.

When asked about the attack on the caravan, Otis is reticent—not standoffish, but rather slow and uneasy with the details, as if the recollection pains him. Spiders, he says, and shadows and wolves, appearing from the dark like phantasms. Unearthly apparitions or not, the encounter clearly haunts him. Oras is patient, prodding gently for more details about the location of the path itself, the way to the House of Life and Death. Abruptly, the beleaguered mercenary confesses that he ran, that he ran to save his own life while others fought and protected the caravan. His shame is palpable. Oras offers what consolation he can; it isn’t much, but the sentiment is well-received.

Regarding the caravan’s route, Otis explains that there is a passage—not a trail but a literal passage or tunnel, or so it sounds—its entrance not far from Yan’s Landing but difficult to find. The mercenary estimates it to be three leagues over land as the crow flies or about seven by way of the trails that the caravan would take. Oras inquires about any marker or detail that would help him identify the passage. Er’Danlon says that there are two tall, twisty trees “like hands coming together” overlooking the opening. Hopeful, the caravan guard asks if Oras would bring him a bottle from the bar but bereft of coin as he is, the monk politely refuses. Perhaps another time—Otis says he will be there, drowning the memories at the Boar’s Yawn, until his silver runs out.

Scene 3
A bit later, Renaia finds Taman and Oras, apprising them of the particulars of her late-night rendezvous with Poleo Winesong and Slaplen. She extends the Family’s offer to participate in the raid and explains that they have negotiated the return of their gear either way. The ranger and monk agree, and the three adventurers attempt to enlist the aid of Krusk, as well, but the paladin cannot be found, likely on some errand for his church.

Making their way across Yan’s Landing, the party makes a conscious decision to avoid Mudtown, in no mood to deal with its restless denizens, should they once again decide to bare teeth. The Crow Bridge they avoid with a will, unlucky as that particular crossing has been for them. Instead, they take the longer route through the well-policed Guildhall district. Instinctively, Renaia scans the populace for potential marks to pickpocket, dismissing those that are too risky and those not worth the effort. Eventually, she settles on a sharply-attired young woman with a confident air and purposeful stride—a clerk, perhaps, conspicuously unguarded. Subtly, the gnome makes a pass, expertly positioning herself to cut the woman’s person, deftly separating it from her belt with a flick of her dagger, catching it without breaking stride.

Investigating its contents, Renaia is pleased to discover a series of bank notes, six in total, marked as belonging to the Prospectors Guild. Each note represents eight-hundred silver pieces and lists a statement of purpose, “workers’ wages” followed by a date. The gnome can scarcely believe her good fortune. Confident that the Prospectors Guild could afford to write off the loss and simply reproduce the workers’ wages, Renaia makes to pocket the bank notes but is stopped by a quiet objection from Taman, who had been watching the gnome. Having spied the contents of one of the bank notes, the ranger insists she return them to the Prospectors Guild. Whether or not the Guild could afford to take the hit or would reimburse the workers, Taman clearly equates Renaia’s choice to pocket the notes as stealing wages fairly earned by hardworking men and women. Further, he reminds her that the Prospectors Guild helped the party in the Cloudwood, offering them solace after the ordeal with the Broken Shield Band. Renaia attempts to explain her justification to the ranger, but he remains firm, confident that he has correctly interpreted the morality of the situation. Taking note of the exchange, Oras offers to return the bank notes to the Prospectors Guild. Renaia capitulates, handing the purse over to the monk. She drops the bank notes, however, determined to retain at least something for her trouble. Unfortunately, the drop isn’t quite as controlled as she intended, and Renaia only manages to snaffle (yeah, it’s a word) a single note. Still, eight hundred silver pieces—minus the Family’s cut for handling the exchange—is not an inconsiderable sum for a single snatch.

Scene 4
Aboard the Crimson Sister, Slaplen has time to kill. Despite the rather malapropos circumstances by which he joined the crew, the tiefling is presented quarters befitting his station as ship’s mage. Though far from extravagant, they are capacious enough for any mariner and would afford the warlock sufficient space to perform arcane rituals—if he actually intended to serve as the ship’s mage, that is. Alone with his thoughts, Slaplen cannot help but muse about the uncanny twists of fortune by which he finds himself suddenly spoiled for nefarious confederates.

After making a show of settling into his quarters—engaging in some distinctly audible thaumaturgy for dramatic effect—Slaplen decides to tour the ship. He is pleased to find that the captain has not assigned any minders to watch him, not even covertly, so far as he can tell. He draws glares ranging from cold to baleful from most of the crew he encounters—understandable, given that Slaplen snuffed out the lives of several of their fellows the day before. They would not like him; they would probably attempt to kill him, given enough time. But he did have their respect, paid for in blood.

Most of the pirates simply refuse to speak with him, demonstrating their resentment by the only means they could, given his privileged position as ship’s mage. A few are willing to talk, though. While they likely harbor as much loathing as any of the others, Slaplen speculates that these few are the practical ones, able to see the advantage of getting on the good side of the ship’s mage. Perhaps they have other enemies amongst the crew already; perhaps they are simply sociopaths. It doesn’t matter. They answer the Tiefling’s questions, and help him locate the cabin of one Taren Rothbane, smuggler of Port Prosper.

Though a member of the Buccaneers Alliance, it seems the smuggler does not count himself among the crew of the Crimson Sister. He is civil enough and answers the tiefling’s questions regarding the Teeth of St. Abeline and his other contributions to the recent auction. Though the auction was anonymous, Slaplen is able to draw out the smuggler’s conjecture as to who might have bid on his relics. He conjectures that the violet-hooded man—elf, he guesses, consistent with the party’s assessment—is the steward or majordomo of the man who arranged to purchase the teeth in Port Prosper, though that meeting was thoroughly disrupted, as Slaplen well knows. Rothbane doesn’t know the identity of that buyer, only how he is styled by the criminal underworld: The Black Knight. Appreciative for the information, the warlock thanks the smuggler, and they agree to watch each other’s backs.

In his exploration of the ship, Slaplen briefly investigates the room adjacent his quarters, a bare room containing only an engraved bronze basin. Arcane glyphs decorate the dish, which contains a quantity of perfectly still vaguely luminescent water. Unable to ascertain anything useful about the basin’s nature upon a first inspection, the Tiefling decides to leave it alone, perhaps to revisit later, if there’s time.

Scene 5
Sunset, at the Goat and Eel. Renaia, Taman, and Oras arrive and are shown to the back room where Renaia met with Poleo Winesong that morning. The bard is there once again, though to the adventurers’ surprise, he is accompanied by some familiar faces: Samke Sarosa and Falby Tenor. Seeing as the Pirate Baron Dreadmoore saw fit to break faith with her, Captain Sarosa sees fit to return the favor, allying herself with the Night Guild. If all goes according to plan, she gets the pirate lord’s ship, to sail in service to the Family. A few moments later, the party realizes Jovi is also in the room, hitherto undetectable. Renaia greets her warmly (even slipping her a coin in acknowledgement of her support). Over the next two hours, this motley assemblage of capable persons lays out their plan of attack, tweaking it here and there, and prepares to execute. The Family generously outfits Taman and Oras with some new gear for the operation, given that theirs is for the time being unavailable. Renaia asks Winesong if he has anything he can give her, and he gives her a small vial—a watersmile potion, he calls it, telling her it will allow her to breathe underwater for ten seconds. The gnome accepts the potion, politely checking the impulse to point out its relative uselessness.

The party divides themselves amongst the three groups of the Night Guild’s raiding party:
 * Renaia volunteers to join Jovi and two other throat-slitters in the vanguard, swimming to the ship and infiltrating the captain’s cabin to confront Dreadmoore and quietly deal with as many crew members as they can until the alarm is raised.
 * Taman joins the Night Guild snipers, who strategically position themselves on rooftops along the waterfront, overlooking the Crimson Sister, concealed until the assassins have done their part and the time comes to rain hell down upon the unsuspecting pirates.
 * Oras joins the boarding party, a strike team of Night Guild slashers and skullcrackers, effectively volunteering to lead a frontal assault, overwhelming the pirates as they scramble to mount a defense.

Scene 6
Though not the strongest swimmer, Renaia does her best to keep up with Jovi and the other Family assassins. She does fall behind, though, and while it isn’t by much, she suddenly finds herself being harried by something in the water. A shark tears a gash in the gnome’s leg—not a shark, a shark-headed humanoid like the one the party encountered at the meeting with Dreadmoore. It presses her, but Renaia is smart enough—and quick enough—to bloody the creature and get out of the water instead of trying to face it in its element—and far out of hers.

Taman sees the attack, albeit dimly and at a distance. He does his best to hit the creature and provide cover for his friend. Fortunately, it’s enough for the gnome to catch up to the other rogues, boarding the ship and sneaking into the captain’s cabin through the windows in the aft-castle. Moments later, however, three of the shark-men break the surface of the water, bellowing strange guttural cries—warning cries, attempting to alert the Crimson Sister to the rogues’ attack.

The party and their roguish allies have no choice but to accelerate the raid, and the snipers release a salvo of arrows—the first of many, targeting those buccaneers unfortunate enough to be exposed above-deck. The sudden alarm forces Renaia and the assassins to execute their contingency plan. The rogues move swiftly and violently through the lower decks, murdering as many pirates as they can find still in their beds before they can come to the ship’s defense. Adrenaline surging through her tiny body, Renaia stalks into her first bunk like the wet shadow of Anoch himself. Her first attack is perfect; in a matter of heartbeats, she opens the throat of one pirate officer and pounces onto a second, the attack not as precise but no less fatal.

Hearing the commotion, Slaplen acts quickly. He uses his magic to deliver a whispered warning to Taren Rothbane in his cabin. He urges the smuggler to flee, which is perhaps the best he can do to watch the man’s back given the circumstances. Slaplen exits his quarters and finds Night Guild assassins prowling the hallway. He gestures conspiratorially to them, keeping his distance so as to retain his cover as a member of the crew, should he need it.

Oras leads the attack, channeling his ki to leap onto the aft-castle of the ship, clearing more than thirty paces with preternatural grace, landing to engage pirate defenders in a flurry of spear thrusts and martial arts. Four hundred feet away, Taman covers the monk, laying down arrow fire. Despite the range and the darkness, he fells pirate after pirate, keeping the cutthroats from swarming Oras. Cutthroats bearing sabers and cutlasses and clubs engage the boarding party, and the ship’s deck becomes the stage for a massive free-for-all. Scaling the side of the ship, the shark-men join the fracas, more frightful and ferocious than their human counterparts, but no less mortal. Taman and Oras continue their onslaught, and while the monk suffers a few nasty wounds—at one point breaking his finger, unsuccessful in his attempts to reset it—the adventurers manage to get and keep the upper hand.

Renaia enters the room containing the bronze basin. Intrigued, she investigates. Though her knowledge of the arcane is only budding, the gnome is confident that the symbols etched into the bowl represent some kind of binding. A pregnant pause passes as Renaia considers. Then, inevitably, she kicks over the basin, spilling its aqueous contents across the floor. There is no discharge of power, no black or chain reaction that destroys the ship. Relieved—and perhaps a little disappointed—Renaia moves on to continue her predation of the Crimson Sister.

All is well until the rogue forces her way into a cabin and finds its occupants lying in ambush. No sooner does she finagle the door open than a crossbow quarrel buries itself in her gut. The archer reloads, while his bunkmate, the pirate wearing the cerulean bandana, closes with a wicked saber. Renaia attempts to defend herself, but falters, the aggregate agony from her accumulated injuries too much to bear. She loses consciousness, eventually slipping into the Surreal.

Reveling in Zazobal’s infernal power, Zazobal incinerates a pair of pirates and makes his way down the hallway. He sees Renaia in the doorway of a bunk—sees her sink to her knees, a quarrel’s fletching sticking out of her gut. The tiefling leaps to her defense, engaging a familiar buccaneer—the flamboyant, cerulean-bandana-wearing officer. Another gout of eldritch fire drops the archer, but not bandana-man.

Perfectly aware of his shortcomings in hand-to-hand combat, Slaplen wisely decides to spend the next critical moments staunching the worst of the gnome’s wounds, exposing himself to attack as he does.

Down the hall, droplets of spilled water coalesce, taking the a vaguely humanoid shape; some kind of water elemental, evidently released from the spilled basin. It surges through the ship’s lower deck, killing one of the Family assassins. Menacingly, it approaches the exchange between Slaplen and Ceruleo. Hoping he is not misinterpreting the creature’s gesture, the Tiefling disengages, making room for the elemental. Swiftly, violently, it snaps the neck of the buccaneer. The elemental returns its attention to Slaplen—to Renaia, actually. Waving the warlock aside, the living liquid spills itself down onto the gnome—into her. Its spirit appears to her in the Surreal, expressing gratitude for its liberation from the basin and asks her to give it leave to depart the Material Plane. Renaia grants the creature’s request in exchange for a burst of vitality, just enough to regain consciousness.

Gradually, the battle’s intensity ratchets down. Succumbing to attrition and fatigue, the pirates of the Crimson Sister fall, while the adventurers and their allies remain standing, victorious. As the fighting dies, Oras captures a fleeing Taren Rothbane. Renaia and Slaplen both speak for the smuggler, if not for mercy then for his potential usefulness to the party. The adventurers are given back their equipment and keep a few baubles picked from amongst the dead, while the larger spoils are appropriated by the Family. Exploring the ship’s lower decks, Taman finds Jovi, gravely wounded but alive. The halfling was unable to kill the Pirate Baron Dreadmoore, who evidently used some magic to escape the conflict.

Nonetheless, the party enjoys the taste of success, savoring the compound thrill of survival and plunder, seasoned with the spice of vengeance.