Difference between revisions of "Redbeard's Lair"

Revision as of 18:32, 15 December 2017

This adventure began in the city of Gascar, after Gairevander and his team returned from their meeting with the druid of the Red Forest in the ruins they were investigating for the Carrolwood Project.

Trouble brewing

The group's supervisor, Baxter, told them they should avoid the ruins until he had the chance speak with his superior, Eisner, about the current state of their mission the following morning. In the meantime, he asked them once again to see what they could find out about the pirates to the north, as a vessel bound here from Rogariel captained by a Lastini named Atencio that should have arrived two days ago had gone missing. He took his leave and the group decided they'd head to Morgan's Publick House for the evening.

Once at Morgan's, Emi wandered around the common room to gather some information. When she came up empty, she and Dalva decided it might be more productive to pay a visit to Fracas, so they left bound for that establishment. Meanwhile, Gaire went to talk to Morgan himself, and met Dehalia, an Elven warrior who was a member of the White Army. He learned that Dehalia had chased some pirates along the coast as far as the town of Queral. Siege joined the pair, and she further told them that the ship she encountered was much faster than a ship its size had any right to be, and told them about the colorful flag that the ship flew. However, when Siege mentioned Carrolwood, she spat on the floor and ended the conversation abruptly. After reporting this to the rest of the party, they took note of the arrival of Khay Gativa and her friends, Dere Tsun and Dere Yan. Alvin visited their table with Gaire and learned that the pirates they encountered flew the same flag.

Meanwhile, at Fracas, Emi and Dalva ordered drinks from Scamp, who immediately picked Dalva out as a neophyte. As they talked, they were approached by Reynaldo Piaccelli, an associate of Dudex, their co-worker with Carrolwood. After greasing his palm, they learned that the pirates had multiple ships, and were led by someone who was known locally as Redbeard, and rumor had it he was seeking something from the Lastini of the country to the north, Mentoncha. Rey intimated that, if the pirate had begun infringing on the Gascar area, the local thieves' guild would be quite pleased if he were removed from the picture. He suggested they speak with Gavin, one of the few locals who carried out trade with the Lastini. While he didn't know if Gavin was in town, he mentioned that if he wasn't, he was likely to be just across the border in Mentemar.

The next morning, after a brief discussion, the party went on various errands while waiting for their lunch meeting. Gaire checked in at The Armorer, where he was waiting for a suit of chain mail to be completed. Siege visited the army base to reserve a room to test out a torch holder he'd put together under battle conditions. Rin went to the temple of Losyera to make an offering and see if they had any information. Shale and Rakeor visited Bolio's Weaponry, where they sold a pair of short swords they'd found in the ruins.

Meanwhile, Alvin, Dalva and Emi went to the Harbormaster's Building to get information about Gavin. They first spoke to Orrsunak, the harbormaster, who told them that he expected Gavin's ship, the Faltremar, to return to port the following day. He also gave them some additional information about Gavin and other captains who carried passengers to and from Mentoncha. When Dalva asked whether they could make their way by land, he directed the group to Marona, the proprietress of a ship repair business in the same building. She told them of the Calle de Tierrimar, a cart path that runs between the cities, but that it would be much slower than travel by ship. Alvin purchased a map of the region from Aras Bugloss, a mapmaker who also had a shop in the building, before the three returned to the guest house for their meeting.

A new mission

At lunch, Baxter informed them that the Carrolwood Project was being temporarily suspended while negotiations were carried out with the druid. Since the demolition of the bird building was taking longer than expected anyway, Eisner had decided that the party's services were needed elsewhere, specifically in continuing to gather information about the pirates in hopes that they could be neutralized before the next supply ship left Rogariel in two and a half weeks. Gairevander, however, would still be needed in Gascar to aid in the negotiations, and also to help quell the rising resistance to the project among the citizens of Gascar and to smooth over relations with some of the local leaders. Gaire suggested that Dalva should replace him as the party's leader, to which everyone agreed. Baxter also said that anyone who wanted to leave at this time would be allowed to do so, and he would expect their answers at dinner.

That afternoon, the party began preparations for their journey. Several party members went signed up for swimming instruction at the temple of Bassik, While Alvin went to the mages' guild to see if they might be able to hire a mage with skill in water elementalism. After speaking with Delino Simms, the highest-ranking guild member available, Alvin posted a notice on the board in the common room. Shale and Rakeor visited the temple of Morelen, where they spoke to Grun, a Dwarven priest, about ways to avoid or at least ameliorate the problem of traveling by water.

Shaking things up

When the group returned, Dudex told them that he had identified one of the items they'd found in the ruins as a ring of resistance attuned to the school of alteration. At dinner, the group discussed their findings with Baxter, and Alvin mentioned the poster. Baxter showed concern at this and asked whether he'd mentioned Carrolwood. Alvin admitted that he had, and Baxter immediately excused himself. Recognizing his error, Alvin rushed back to the guild to remove the poster. While he was gone, Baxter returned and told the group that Eisner had recommended that Alvin be removed from the project. The group briefly hoped that perhaps nobody had seen the poster, but just then a young woman appeared at the door asking for Alvin. She introduced herself as Crystania, a Lastini novice water elementalist, and she seemed quite perceptive regarding the party's issues. After a brief conversation, Dalva asked her to return the following morning.

Alvin returned soon thereafter, and the party told him the situation. Feeling depressed, Alvin hunkered down in his room with the sleeping Dudex. The party decided to check with the mages' guild to see if their contact, Cleo Cragganmore, had returned from visiting her family, sending Emi and Rin to give her an update. Dalva went to Bolio's to purchase a spare sword, while Siege accompanied the two Dwarves to Morgan's, where they joined Gaire at a table with Khay, Yan and Tsun. After an extended conversation, they set out to return to the guest house, where they learned that Emi had decided to spend the night at Twin Pines Inn, a local inn, while Rin went back to her temple.

The next morning, Alvin tried to come up with ways to make money while the rest of the group was away. At first, he mentioned to Dudex that he might help with his divination duties, and offered to study the identify spell. This seemed to disturb Dudex, who immediately left to start his day's work. Emi and Rin returned shortly thereafter and told Dalva that Cleo had given them very little new information about Crystania. They also told Alvin that he would be allowed to offer his services at the guild. He didn't put too much stock in this, instead asking Genevieve, the head of the household staff, if he might find work in the kitchen. Upon hearing that he was the son of Winthrop Haler, private chef for Mayor Rockefeller of Rabk, she promised to give him due consideration.

At breakfast, Cleo told the party that she knew of someone who might be interested in their current mission, an Aquatic Elven transmuter who had arrived on the Elven ship Kiffah the previous day. Baxter arrived after the meal and learned that the group had decided to leave Alvin behind. He asked them about their information gathering progress, and Emi mentioned that negative rumors about Carrolwood were continuing to spread as well. Baxter also mentioned that he had been notified of a member of the White Army who had previously encountered the pirates, and he would arrange a meeting with him that afternoon. As the meeting continued, Crystania appeared, and Alvin and Dalva were able to convince her to leave, giving her some monetary compensation for her trouble. Afterwards, the party let slip that they had discovered magical items in the ruins, and Gaire suggested that the items will likely now be forfeit. However, after meeting with Baxter, Gaire told the party that only the potions that had actually been found in the market building were to be turned over to Carrolwood, and that he himself had been permanently removed from all duties involving exploration of the ruins.

As the party packed their belongings, Dalva was called aside by Baxter and told that, under the circumstances, they would need to bring the missing ship back in order to return to Carrolwood's good graces. Everyone then adjourned to Twin Pines, where they arranged for six "sleeping spaces" with the proprietor, a half-Elf named Terestex. The group then split up, with most of the group heading to their swimming class while the two Dwarves went to the military compound to spar. There, they ran into Gaius Lentulus, a soldier whom they had previously met, and discovered that he was the one they were supposed to meet that afternoon. He told them that he was part of the group that went to Queral, but that the mission came to an abrupt halt when one of his compatriots, a Halfling named Niccolo de'Medici, went missing, and the people who had hired them told them they were no longer needed.

After swimming class ended, Emi and Rin headed off to tell Cleo that they wanted to meet with the mage the next day, while Dalva and Siege set off for the military base. On the way, they noted that they were being watched by a young girl with golden eyes among the food stalls in the market area. After another meeting with Gaius, where he emphasized that they should begin their search for the pirates in Cardyl, they returned to Twin Pines to meet the others. The group decided to have their evening meal at Neptune House. On both occasions, Dalva spotted the same girl, so she asked Emi to watch her while she went to confirm with the Harbormaster that the Faltremar had come into port. Unfortunately, Emi was spotted before the girl wandered off to the south. After dinner, the party briefly met with Gaire at Morgan's before retiring to Twin Pines.

The next morning, Emi and Shale went to the docks to try and locate Gavin while the rest waited to meet with the wizard being sent over by Cleo. The wizard, named Maeish, arrived and met with the party. Rin expressed some displeasure with her lack of the armor spell, leading her to intone that the party needed a bard. On the other hand, Rakeor seemed impressed by her tales of punching sharks with her fist of stone. In the end, they told her to return to the guild and wait for word from them. Meanwhile, down at the docks, Emi and Shale met with Heth, the Faltremar's first mate. He told them that Gavin was sleeping off the previous night's revelry at Rilee's, and they should return in the afternoon. The mention of Gaius' name seemed to catch Heth's attention, and he seemed to think this would indeed pique Gavin's interest.

As they were starting on their way back, Emi spotted the golden-eyed girl again, so she and Shale put together a plan to catch her. The two headed north, and the Dwarf ducked into a nearby brewery. The girl continued to follow Emi, and Shale exited and came up behind her. After being asked why she'd been watching them, the girl excitedly asked them to take her with them on their upcoming journey. The two were taken aback by her knowledge of their doings, and after some further questioning decided they should at least take the girl -- who had given her name as Ora and revealed that she was Lastini -- back to Morgan's to meet the others.

Emi went to Twin Pines while Shale "babysat" the girl, who was quickly noticed by Morgan, the proprietor. He pulled Shale aside and warned her that Ora's golden eyes likely marked her as Lastini nobility. After a brief exchange, during which Rin noted that since the girl knew about their coming voyage they would likely have to bring her along, everyone joined Shale and Ora at Morgan's. Ora continued to be quite evasive about her situation and what her abilities might be, but after a while she agreed to demonstrate the latter for Dalva.

After moving to the balcony, the two moved to the far corner, where Ora began speaking to Dalva telepathically. After Dalva assured her that the other party members could be trusted, Ora revealed that she was a psionicist. This prompted some discussion among the party, which ended in them tentatively agreeing to allow her to accompany them. Rin then offered to bring Ora to the temple of Liyyera. On the way, the two talked, and Ora told the priestess in confidence that she had left Mentoncha because if she had stayed, she would have had to become a priestess herself, since her older sister had run away from that responsibility. At the temple, Ora met Sayuri, the High Priestess, who also treated her with unusual deference.

The rest of the party split up to perform various errands. Emi and Shale returned to the docks, where they were finally able to meet Gavin. After telling him their plan, he said he did not wish to tangle with Redbeard again, and would only bring them as far as Queral -- or, if they agreed to double the price, to Cardyl. Emi and Shale brought the terms back to the group, and upon checking the map saw that the city closest to the Mentonchan border, Daro, was only a short distance from Queral, which Dalva found somewhat odd. Still, the party agreed to hire Gavin to take them as far as Queral, and arranged to meet with their prospective new members that night.

Later, Emi brought Dalva to the docks to meet Gavin, and he told them that they might have difficulty finding a ship for hire in Queral, so if they changed their mind about continuing to Cardyl, they needed to tell him before they put into port there. They rejoined the others at Morgan's, where they filled Maeish in on their plan for tomorrow's demonstration. Dalva told Gaire that she planned to have Ora contact him with information, which unsettled him a bit despite his agreement.

Rin once again brought up the idea of hiring a bard, and Dalva asked if she had one in mind. At that moment, the evening's entertainment arrived in the person of Gilbert Sullivan, to whom Rin had spoken earlier in the day. As he began to tell the story of Caliph Kapoc, Rin mentioned that he had recently spent time in Teticha, which piqued Ora's interest, while Emi focused more on his physical attractiveness and Dalva predicted trouble should he join the group. After finishing his set with The Ballad of Nevyn, Rin and Emi set off to accompany him back to the temple of Losyera, intending to visit Fracas afterwards.

Preparing for departure

The next morning, the party met with Baxter and updated him on the party's status, including the official addition of Gilbert. He told them of Gascar's association with Daro, mentioning that trade with the city had recently begun due to the efforts of Wyndel, son of the city's ruling Sheik. Afterwards, everyone visited the marketplace for crepes, where they briefly met with Dudex, then split up again, with Emi and Shale paying a visit to the harbormaster. Orrsunak suggested they might have a better time trying to charter a ship from Queral to Cardimer than to Daro as it was a larger port. When they subsequently asked Aras Bugloss about a map of the area, he had nothing usable by laymen, so he suggested trying to get one from the military base or Castle Telva. He also suggested visiting Magic Journeys, since Mason Segers' father had a collection of maps from his many travels. Ora paid another visit to the temple of Liyyera, then one to Marona, who was finishing up a meeting with Wyndel, whose boat she had recently repaired. Marona offered guidance on the vessel on which Ora would be traveling, and they agreed to talk again before the latter departed.

The group reunited to discuss going to Cardimer instead of Daro, and after lunch went to the military base for Maeish's demonstration of her abilities. After displaying several cantrips and her fist of stone, the party was sufficiently impressed to confirm her hiring. After some questioning of Gilbert about his skills, most of the party went into the marketplace to purchase supplies for the coming voyage. Afterwards, Emi, Dalva and Ora went to Magic Journeys, where Emi was able to take notes of a map depicting Shark's Fin Bay. Upon their return, Ora contacted Gaire as agreed, and the group had dinner at Neptune House.

After a brief visit to Morgan's, Shale turned one of her skins of Dwarven ale back into a healing potion. Emi, Rin and Dalva paid a visit to Fracas while the rest of the group finished their preparations for the next day's departure. There they met with several members of the Faltremar's crew led by his Second Mate Hirondu. They confirmed with her that they would be stopping in Queral for at least a day, but that no decision had been made regarding whether to proceed from there. Rin wandered off to work on a drawing of one of the patrons, and when the other two tried to get her to leave he became angry. However, another member of Gavin's crew, a minotaur named Borshikov, headed him off, and the three made haste out of the bar as a brawl broke out.

The Faltremar sets sail

The next morning, Ora returned to visit Marona, where she learned that the village's Condesa, Rosalín, was no longer the ruler of the town, although Marona knew nothing more about the situation. After Maeish went out to do some fishing, Ora returned and discussed her disguise with Rin, Gilbert and Dalva. They settled on coloring her hair auburn and her eyes a purplish-blue. Ora attempted to create a concomitant backstory, involving her father being killed by an al-mi'raj, but Dalva nixed the idea, and the group set off for the Faltremar.

Once on board, Gilbert cast armor spells on Ora and Maeish while Shale cast sea legs on herself and Rakeor. Maeish brought her fish to the galley, where she discovered that Borshikov was the cook, and that he wasn't fond of using magic in his cooking. After that, the group chose their cabins and the Faltremar cast off. Shortly thereafter, Heth told Dalva that Gavin wanted to meet with them, and the group gathered in the captain's cabin. The group finalized their current plans, telling Gavin everything about their mission except that their employer was Carrolwood. Gavin then reminded Dalva that she should confer with Heth about how they might aid in the ship's defense before dismissing the group.

Back in the cabin, Ora worried over Gavin's query about whether someone might be after them, thinking that he might know something about her mother and the circumstances of her departure from Mentoncha. She was especially upset about having to hide things from Gavin, whom she viewed as a mythic figure due to his involvement in Conchita's Journey of Enlightenment. Rin attempted to help the situation while also keeping Maeish, who wanted to ask Ora about something, at bay. Eventually, Emi returned, and the three decided to try and use Gilbert to suss out what Gavin might know.

Meanwhile, after being rebuffed in her efforts to talk to Ora, Maeish turned her focus to the ship's defenses as well. She and Dalva went to speak with Heth, with the mage wanting to exchange information about sahuagin and other dangerous sea creatures. Heth said that he would arrange to have them meet with the other pertinent crew members later that afternoon to expand the discussion. When Dalva returned, she was asked to join Ora, Rin and Emi in their cabin, where Ora revealed her family situation. She expressed her concerns about Gavin and about Crystania, who had recognized her back in Gascar, and Dalva agreed to help them with their attempts to gather information. Rin gave Dalva a copy of the drawing of Carrolwood's vessel, and agreed to produce three more to distribute to the crew.

The group was then called to the galley for lunch, where they learned that Gavin was considering putting into port in Mentemar that evening. After lunch, Emi, Ora and Gilbert were feeling the effects of the rum that was served with lunch while the rest of the group discussed whether they should go ashore later. Maiesh pressed the issue of dangerous sea creatures, especially sea zombies, and the group discovered that none among them could turn undead. Gaius said he knew the shipboard priest, a Gascar local named Raz Tarragon, so he went with Maeish and the two Dwarves to discuss the matter with him. After a brief discussion, Raz told them he would be at the meeting of the ship's defense forces that afternoon.

As the conversation among Emi, Rin and Ora grew loud, Gilbert came to their door, and when Rin opened it he fell in. Rin retrieved some herbs to aid the infirm trio, and Ora started rambling about her family, especially Cera, her sister, when Emi pointed out that Gilbert was in the room. Ora tried to walk her statements back, but Gilbert had heard them. However, nobody believed him due to his drunken state, and he was dragged back to his room. Shortly thereafter, the sea legs wore off, and Rakeor became seasick. When Dalva returned to the cabin, Emi advised Ora to tell Gaire to lay a false trail in case her mother or someone sent by her appeared in Gascar. The four then agreed to confide in Gilbert, and Dalva and Emi left for the defense meeting.

At the meeting, Heth was joined by Mufrid, the ship's navigator; Raz; Grizelda, the ship's weaponsmaster; and Gensmoor, leader of the night watch. Dalva gave Heth the drawing of Carrolwood's ship as well as one of Redbeard's flag, which were passed around among those present. Mufrid mentioned that he recognized the flag, as his previous ship had been attacked by the pirates off the coast of Upanistan. After deciding that the party's best course would be to aid in protecting the ship's helm, the meeting broke up.

Meanwhile, Ora went to Gilbert's cabin to discuss the matter of helping her evade her mother's eye. After some tense moments, the two shared stories, with Gilbert telling Ora about his now-ended relationship with Corelda, a Lastini from Teticha. Gilbert agreed to find out what Gavin might know, both from the crew and from the people of Mentemar. Once everyone had returned to their cabins, Dalva was visited by Hirondu, to whom she confirmed that the group would prefer to put into port.

In Mentemar

About an hour before sunset, the Faltremar arrived in Mentemar. Since she would not be able to go ashore, Ora gave Rin a lock of her hair to bring to the temple of Liyyera as an offering. Most of the party disembarked, with Siege accompanying Rin to the temple and the others headed to Haciela, an inn on the north side of Garra Bay. Siege found himself fascinated by the construction of Celore's Lighthouse and left Rin at her temple to visit. There, he spoke to Carynia, an acolyte tending the shrine to Flujonda at its base, and eventually gained a meeting with Celore himself. Although the sage raved about this and that, he eventually settled down after bringing Siege to his observation room near the top of the lighthouse, and the two settled down to talk for a while before he rejoined Rin on the way to meet the others.

On the ship, Maeish and Ora conversed for a while before the former left to find some playing cards. On the way, she talked to Raz, who offered to pray for additional sea legs spells to avert further illness on the part of the Dwarves. The two then settled down to gaming, with Ora having to teach the Sea Elf the game of "Old Butler".

At Haciela, after some confusion over a poorly-written bill of fare, the group at the inn placed their order with the waiter, a middle-aged Lastini man named Joreze. After finishing their meal, Gilbert got up to mingle with the other patrons to see what information he could gather, while Emi and Shale offered to help make the menu more intelligible. In talking to Suritha, the owner of Haciela, Emi sensed there were some unresolved issues involving the area's ruler, Duquesa Tiburona. As the party prepared to depart, Rin left to check on Gilbert, then returned to inform the group that he intended to stay until closing.

The Dwarves, Gaius and Siege went downstairs to the tavern to keep an eye on the bard while the rest returned to the Faltremar. After several hours of watching Gilbert chat up the locals, they convinced him to depart. On the way back decided to try again to talk to Celore to see if he had any information on the pirates, only to be turned away by Carynia due to the sage's foul mood. Once on board the ship, Gilbert joined Ora, Emi, Rin and Dalva to report his findings. Specifically, he learned that Gavin avoided the capital for political reasons -- he refused to fly the flag of House os'Sarani when asked, and decided it would be best to hire his own crew and not return to stay out of any conflicts. However, Gilbert questioned the accuracy of the story, wondering whether the existing tensions between the royal family and the Duquesa might be contributing to the spread of such rumors. After a bit more discussion, everyone retired for the night.

Off to Queral

The next morning, Maeish paid a visit to Raz to find out if he had any water to spare to change into Dwarven ale. Raz said that, since the ship was in port, he would not be casting create water, so he chose to prepare sea legs instead. Maeish instead got some water from Borshikov and filled the Dwarves' skins. Emi got up and retrieved coffee from Grizelda for herself and her roommates, but was warned not to spread word that she had any. After breakfast, the group met in Dalva's quarters to discuss their plans. They decided to find out more about the area before deciding if they should visit any of the cities they would be near this evening.

While Ora studied Emi's oddly-familiar Latin book, the rogue went with Dalva to talk to the crew. Heth mentioned that Teticha was home to a fishing fleet that might have had encounters with the pirates, but that they might have more luck in Mariscora, a city further along the coast. Afterwards, the warrior types went down into the hold to do some sparring, but the somewhat rough seas caused them to have some difficulty, and Shale ended up breaking her nose. One of the crew members, an older man named Xook, tried to join, but he arrived only after they'd all but given up. Dalva came up to get Rin so she could tend to injuries, and Maeish dragged herself away from another conversation with Ora to see what had happened. The group were then told to clean up the blood before coming to lunch.

The group gathered on the mess deck, and once the crew had finished their meal began discussing their plans in detail. Following their difficulty in communicating with the Lastini in Mentemar, they realized that they would need to find someone to speak Cardillic before arriving in Cardyl. Dalva, Emi, Gilbert and Maeish proceeded to Emi's cabin while the Dwarves, Siege and Gaius returned to sparring and Rin went up on deck to talk to the crew. and Maeish used her change cantrip to make the food more palatable for Ora to thank her for teaching her to play cards. Since the group preferred to avoid both the capital and Teticha, they discussed stopping in nearby Santano, where Ora's friend Rocio was working as a servant of Yadosi Kintana, the queen's mother. After the group dispersed again, Rin decided to cast personal reading on Gensmoor, finding out that his reputation has some kind of negative mark on it. Maeish had a talk with Mufrid, who said that if the group went to Cardimer, they would need to be careful of the region's Caliph, whom he called a tyrant.

As the ship approached Pescara, the main city of southern Mentoncha, another ship, which was heavily armed, approached the Faltremar bearing the colors of Duquesa Tiburona. Ora immediately began to freak out, believing that they had been sent to seize her and bring her back home. As the group tried to calm the Lastini girl while flailing about trying to come up with a plan for the possibility that her fears were justified, a voice called out from the other ship ordering the Faltremar to prepare to be searched. Ora began to panic anew as the vessel, identified as the M.M. Turpeda, pulled up alongside Gavin's ship. After calming down, she suggested that she could act sick and possibly drunk, so Emi splashed rum on her and she hunkered down in her bunk.

A dozen members of the Turpeda crew, led by their captain, boarded the Faltremar and began their search, claiming they were looking for stolen goods. The group and the crew discussed whether there might be some ulterior motive other than Ora's presence, such as attempting to harass and/or embarrass Gavin due to his connection to the royal family, or seeing if there was anything on board that could be seized for the Duquesa's benefit. Things began to look touch-and-go when two Lastini entered Ora's cabin, but before they could complete their search a cry rose up from the hold, and the boarding party came back to the deck with Xook in their grasp, branding him a wanted criminal.

Once the smoke cleared, the party gathered in Dalva's cabin once more to regroup. Hirondu paid them a visit, letting them know that they wouldn't make it past the capital due to the delay. It was decided that the Faltremar would drop anchor halfway between Pescara and Mentoncha, even though this imperiled its arrival in Queral by the end of the following day. Dalva asked to speak with the captain, and she was told he would be free once they were halted. Meanwhile, Ora contacted Gaire to give him an update, and in return he warned her that someone had inquired about her with the elder Lady Cragganmore, head of the mages' guild, although he did not yet have the details. Gaire said he would speak to Lady Cragganmore about the matter, as well as Captain Rose regarding the boarding of the ship.

Between the Duquesa and the Deep Blue Sea

Ora filled Dalva, Emi and Rin in on the details as the ship dropped anchor, and decided that she would tell Gavin her story after all. Maeish requested that they tell him that she would be willing to scuttle any other ship that approaches the Faltremar, and they agreed, although Dalva suggested it might be better to tell the first mate. Thus, while she went to see Gavin with Ora and Emi, Rin separated from them to talk to Heth. Once Gavin heard their story, he questioned the idea of stopping anywhere in Mentoncha, but the three reassured him, and Ora agreed to read Gensmoor to make sure the information couldn't be gleaned from his mind by her people. Gavin warned them that if things got dicey, he wouldn't hesitate to put them off his ship at the nearest port. Dalva asked about Xook, and Gavin said that since he couldn't vouch for him, he allowed Captain Frauga to take him to avoid causing trouble.

The party regrouped, and Rin said that Heth had put the kibosh on scuttling any ships that aren't in direct combat with the Faltremar. It was agreed that a tight lid needed to be kept on any information about Ora, and soon enough it was time for the evening meal. In the galley, Heth asked Maeish about keeping watch in the water, and she said that after dinner she would swim out to one of the fishing vessels nearer the shore to try and gather information, then a more thorough patrol later. Rin made another copy of the picture of the missing ship, which Maeish then waterproofed before setting off.

As Maeish neared one of the boats, its occupants brought a lamp over, then one cast a fishing line at her, catching the webbing on her hand. After failing to communicate with them, she headed back to the boat, where Rin patched her up. As the others went below, Gilbert stayed on deck to watch a couple of sharks drawn by the blood in the water. He soon returned and told a humorous story to entertain the party. Once that was done, Maeish returned to the water to do her patrol along with some fishing. A signal was worked out involving a light spell, but since all she saw were the sharks continuing to roam the area, it went unused.

During the patrol, Ora, Emi, Rin and Gilbert worked out a scheme for Ora to surreptitiously check on Gensmoor. While Gilbert distracted the officer, Ora and Emi hid on the deck with the aid of Rin's sanctuary spell. After a couple of minor missteps, Ora was able to connect to Gensmoor, but found no direct evidence that he was concerned about her. Relieved by this information, she was so focused on getting away that she stumbled and fell down the hatchway and onto Rin. The immediate ruckus was calmed by Dalva, and Shale was roused to perform some healing. After some discussion, everyone returned to their cabins except Shale, who decided to help patrol the decks to ease her restlessness. Maeish later returned to the deck and told Shale she would take her place and ask Siege to take a turn after that.

During her patrol, Shale noted the growing number of sharks around the ship and asked one of the deckhands about it. He said it could be good or bad, as sharks are often found in the company of "sea devils". Emi, similarly restless, came up on deck to run, and Shale asked her if she knew about these creatures. The half-Elf said she'd heard tales about them from her friend Arnje, but couldn't remember anything specific. Once Maeish came up, she confirmed that it was another name for the sahuagin.

In the wee hours of the morning, Maeish spotted something climbing up the side of the ship, while Shale was awakened by the sound on the hull. The Sea Elf alerted the rest of the watch, and Borshikov also saw creatures climbing up his side. Mufrid cried out that these were indeed sahuagin, Maeish screeched an alarm while one of the crew rang the ship's bell, and battle was joined. The party scrambled to prepare and get themselves on deck. Maeish blinded one of the creatures with her light spell as Gavin emerged from his cabin to join the fray. After a brief, chaotic battle, the sea devils returned to the water. Borshikov killed two with his axe, while another crewman, Maldron, killed another with his crossbow while defending the poopdeck. Two crew members were lost and several others injured, including Gensmoor, and Shale suffered a nasty wound to her leg.

After taking stock of the situation, Gavin asked the party if they might fill in the gaps in the night watch. There was one unconscious sahuagin left on the deck, and the party wondered if they should question it. Gavin told Maldron to take care of securing it while the party discussed the matter. After that, healing spells were cast, and Maeish told the rest that she didn't speak the language of the sahuagin. The Dwarves decided they should just kill it, but Rin objected. Eventually, the creature was tossed over the side, although the Elven priestess still seemed disturbed. After a brief conversation with Ora, Rin went into reverie, and the remainder of the night passed quietly.

The next morning, the party straggled to the mess deck, with several of them having to settle for whatever they could scrounge from Borshikov. Afterwards, the group once again met in Dalva's cabin, where Maeish belatedly filled them in on some of her spells and the nature of the sahuagin. Discussion turned to the coming visit to Santano, and the group debated how much to ask of or to tell Rocio as well as where they should meet. Most of the group departed as Ora attempted to contact Rocio, but the attempt was an utter failure, causing Ora great distress as she feared something might have happened to her friend.

As Rin helped Ora back to their room, Dalva went up on deck to ponder the party's next move. While the Dwarves and Siege sparred, Dalva discussed with Hirondu the possibility of sailing past Santano and instead docking in Mariscora tonight. The second mate told her that would suit them fine, as it would be easier to find replacement crew members for the three lost men. Dalva proceeded down to the hold to join the sparring warriors, and after further discussion Dalva decided that they would indeed press on rather than stop in Santano.

The group came to the mess deck for lunch in ones and twos, and Maeish filled in those who hadn't been present on Ora's botched contact. Gilbert fretted that Ora might have discovered that Rocio was dead, which the others agreed would fit the circumstances. The fighters returned to sparring in the hold, where Gaius broke his collarbone in a fall. Dalva went back to fetch Rin, who advised her to talk to Ora about the change in plans. Dalva asked Gilbert for help, and he agreed to perform quietly during the discussion.

After the news was broken, Ora fretted about the possibility of Duquesa Delfina or the priests of Liyyera revealing her presence to her mother, or that her mother might even be in the city. Dalva suggested she contact Gairevander for a status update from Gascar, but after Dalva departed that also failed, as did several other attempts to activate her psionic abilities. Ora became concerned that Liyyera might be the cause of her failure to use her powers, but was hesitant to contact her patroness. Rin instead contacted Losyera, Liyyera's sister deity, and when it was complete she informed Ora that she needed to visit Liyyera's temple in Mariscora to learn the truth. The group met once more to finalize their plans, with Rin, Emi, Dalva and Gilbert accompanying Ora while the rest looked for accommodations.

In Mariscora

The Faltremar arrived in Mariscora shortly before sunset, and Gaius said that the crew preferred to stay at an inn called Imbornasa. However, when the group disembarked, they were accosted by two young Lastini women urging them to visit the Foreign Market, with the Dwarf Shop and Elf Shop being mentioned to Shale and Siege especially. After some confusion, an older woman named Nelsina arrived and explained the market's purpose to cater to outside visitors. She also suggested they should visit Cresilla rather than Imbornasa. Eventually, the group split up, and Nelsina led those not accompanying Ora to the market.

Ora, concealed under a hood, and the others made their way to the temple, the aesthetics of which impressed even Rin. Upon seeing the crowds around the temple, Ora realized that it was the first day of Gilvantir, a holy day for the sister moons, and began to fret anew. She steeled herself, and Rin removed her magical disguise, but she didn't remove her hood, which caused one of the attendants to question her. When she revealed herself, she learned that she was expected, and she was brought before the temple's high priestess, Lindana. After some tense moments, the priestess told her that she, or someone else, must take up her family's duty at the temple in the capital, and gave her the choice of returning herself, setting off to bring her sister Ceradad back from Kimelis, or having a geas placed upon her to find someone else. After discussing the matter with the others, Ora chose the third option, with the possibility that the person she might find was herself. Lindana announced the goddess' approval, with the stipulation that she visit her mother following the completion of her current quest.

The high priestess dismissed the others in order to perform a ritual with Ora to renew her dedication to Liyyera, and they went about exploring the temple. Rin purchased a robe designed with the colors of the temple, while others perused the shops and made a few purchases of their own. When Ora emerged again one of the temple attendants, Edavaro, recognized her and began asking her questions about her family. Ora became quite nervous, but Gilbert was able to orchestrate a hasty retreat, allowing the group to make their way to the market.

In the market, the rest of the party was led to a cul-de-sac surrounded by shops, pubs, and the inn Cresilla. Everyone was struck by how empty the plaza was, noting that all the businesses seemed aimed at individual races. The group first visited the Dwarf Shop, but Shale could immediately tell that the equipment was of inferior quality. The clerk went so far as to ask her and Rakeor if they knew any Dwarves who might be willing to help run the shop, and the two agreed to ask around. Gaius then talked Nelsina into leading him to a weapons shop in the city while the others continued on their own.

The remaining group split up, with Siege and Maeish heading for the Elf Shop while the Dwarves went to check out Cresilla. Unlike the Dwarf Shop, this establishment's wares appeared, for the most part, to be the genuine articles. The clerk -- a half-Elf, half-Lastini woman named Jasarine -- chatted with them while gathering the supplies they requested. She tried to pump them for information about the outside world, especially the Filitir Forest, her mother's homeland, but the two couldn't help, and they bade her farewell after also purchasing a bottle of Elven wine.

After some hesitation at passing through the front door, which appeared to be magical, Shale and Rakeor went inside and were aghast at the place's odd appearance and the greasy smell emanating from the eating area. They were considering walking back out when the other two returned. The group was soon joined by an employee named Ahzwald who described the brief history of the establishment, saying that, along with the rest of the Foreign Market, it was designed with the aid of a traveler named Tanda, who also arranged a number of the contracts for the products being sold, such as Kookie Cola. He agreed to order two ales for the Dwarves, and the four brought their drinks out to the outside tables to further discuss their reservations about the place.

Gaius soon returned, and he and Maeish purchased some fried shrimp before settling at the outside tables to wait for the others. As the market's shops closed, a gnome wandered out of the Gnome Shop and, after a visit to Cresilla, came out to one of the other tables and began eating. A curious Rakeor came over to talk to him, and he identified himself as Sygrin, hailing from the Crystal Mountains. He told them a bit more about the market before departing for another building at the far end of the market. The rest of the group soon arrived, and Rin and Ora immediately went to check out Cresilla. The others followed while Ora talked to Ahzwald. He proudly told her the market's history, and the involvement of the Duquesa and especially her husband, Rajardo.

Eventually, the group decided to get dinner at Cresilla before checking out the other inn, although some refused to eat the food there. Afterwards, Emi said she needed to run to burn off her energy, and Rin, Dalva, Ora and Siege accompanied her while the rest of the party set out to check out Imbornasa. As the runners made a circuit of the plaza, Siege spotted Sygrin exiting a building. They flagged him down and, after Ora mentioned they were looking for pirates, the Gnome indicated a desire to talk privately, and they followed him to a storeroom in his shop. There, he told them that he'd come to this town after the ship he was on, which was bound for Agropthos, was attacked and sunk off the coast of the Varrag Peninsula. After further discussion confirmed that it was sunk by Redbeard's fleet, Sygrin mentioned that he knew someone with more information, and that the party should seek him out at an illegal crab-fighting event at an abandoned warehouse later that night. The group parted from Sygrin, and Emi, Dalva and Siege set out to pick up the others at Imbornasa while Ora and Rin returned to the temple.

At Imbornasa, the group discovered that the proprietor, Eduina, could speak Kellanic, and she told them the details of the inn. The Dwarves decided to ask her about local news, hoping to perhaps learn something about the pirates, and while she'd heard stories they learned no new information. Eduina suggested that they might talk to Lagara, the local sea druid, if they wanted to know anything. The group proceeded next door to the tavern, Sopolla de Maraco, where they noticed Gavin and Heth at a table with several others. The went to the bar and gave their dinner order to a man named Shuno. Their food had just arrived when Dalva, Emi and Siege arrived, and the Dwarves took theirs with them as they, along with Gilbert, accompanied the others to the warehouse.

The journey to the warehouse made some of the group nervous, as once they left the harbor the streets were unlit. However, they arrived without incident, and Emi spotted their contact on the other side of the makeshift arena. They were surprised to encounter Gensmoor among the spectators, and he explained how the betting worked. Emi made her way across the room between the first two fights and began talking with the man as the third got underway. Just as a foreign giant crab began to get the upper claw on local favorite Big Earl, the group heard a popping sound, and one of the lanterns suspended above the arena fell, breaking on the floor and starting a conflagration. Everyone scrambled to get out of the warehouse, with Dalva and Gilbert trying to keep things organized.

Before long, the fire was magically extinguished, and the party members spread out to find Emi, who had departed through the other door. Shale heard shouting voices from inside the warehouse, but upon investigation Gilbert only heard a few fleeting words. The group learned that Emi had left in the company of the man they presumed to be the contact Sygrin mentioned and returned to Imbornasa. On the way, Dalva received a contact from Ora telling her that she and Rin had decided to stay at the temple, and that she would be contacting Emi in an hour. After picking up their keys, the Dwarves and Siege went to the Sopolla to find Gaius in a state of inebriation. They dragged him back to the inn and settled in for the night.

As Emi tried to find her way back to the inn, she found herself lost in the city, and after another contact from Ora decided to join them at the temple. Since Ora had used all her psionic energy, Rin had a messenger sent to Imbornasa, and the three spent the night in relative luxury. The next morning, they received a visitor in the form of Rajardo, who had heard of Ora's presence and extended his hospitality, inviting the three to breakfast. Upon learning that the rest of Ora's companions had stayed at Imbornasa, he expressed a desire to meet with them, and led the girls out to a carriage to take them there. On the way, he slipped Emi a pouch as compensation for the previous night's problems, leading Emi to wonder how he knew about the issue.

After cleaning up and general recovery, the group at Imbornasa assembled in the lobby to discuss their next meal. After reviewing a map of the town, they settled on a place called The Proud Pelican just as Rajardo's carriages pulled up in front of the inn. After introductions, he told the group that he would treat them to their intended breakfast, and the group set off up the road. At the Pelican, the group was brought to a private room in the back, and chatted over their meal. Afterwards, Rajardo asked for the group's help in improving the Foreign Market, offering to pay them well in exchange for either their own services or anyone they refer to him. They agreed to consider the offer before returning to the Faltremar.

Queral at last

Once the ship set sail, the group once again gathered and Emi filled them in on what she learned the previous night: that Queral was raided about three months ago, that prisoners were taken, and that she should be able to find better witnesses in town. Also, Gilbert noted that he believed that one of the voices he heard at the warehouse the previous night was Rajardo's, raising the group's suspicions. Rin's personal reading of him drew many conflicting conclusions, suggesting that he has his hands in many enterprises. Combined with his surprising knowledge about the group, this led Siege to suggest that the group should be cautious, especially around the newcomers who joined the crew this morning.

A few hours later, the Faltremar anchored a short distance off Queral. Looking ashore, the party noted a dilapidated building on the northern edge of town with a handwritten sign reading "Freedom", and Emi indicated that this was where her contact had told her to go. Gensmoor said the building used to be an inn a few years back and wondered if there might be somewhere else to lodge. The dubious party climbed into the longboats, which were rowed toward a spot south of the city. As they neared the shore, an odd-looking man in tattered wizard robes greeted them. He introduced himself as Gar and offered to take them to Freedom. Although they questioned whether they should trust him, they agreed.

The night at Freedom

As they approached, they spotted another odd-looking person tending the front porch of the building who turned out to be Eka, the building's githzerai overseer. She invited the party in to dinner and to hear the story of how the inn came to be in its current condition. As they waited for the meal to be prepared, Dalva was set on edge by the fact that the front desk was being manned by a kobold. Gar assured her that the creature, named Zikzik, was part of the staff, which did little to allay her feelings. After surveying the interior and talking to one of the guests, a Halfling named Voglio, the group was called into the dining room.

After a rocky start, the party heard Eka's somewhat rambling story of how she came here seeking her brother, but discovered this place, whose owner had been killed in the recent pirate raid. Since no one else would claim it, she did, and she is now working on rebuilding it as an inn. Emi recognized the chef, Bashimel, from the description she'd gotten back in Mariscora, and arranged to speak to him later. As the party learned that they would be paying for their room and board with chores around the inn, Ora was contacted mentally by Siqui, a Lastini girl working as a maid. From her, she learned that Condesa Rosalín had gone missing, and that Siqui wasn't fond of Perida, the woman slated to replace her if she doesn't return. She also learned of Eka's penchant for "reading" people.

As everyone split off to their tasks, Ora passed her concerns about Eka on to Dalva. After some discussion, she decided to tell Eka up front about her abilities, and also reaffirms her desire to seek out information on the Condesa. After helping Rin with paint mixing, she told Eka about her ability, and also told her many things about her society and other cultural information about the various races of Ardrana. In exchange, Eka agreed to help her learn the psionic science of telekinesis.

Emi was assigned to help Bashimel, and he told her he believed the pirates' lair to be between Cardimer and Daro, and suspected that the Caliph himself might be involved. Maeish came back from fishing with a large number of fish, and the three discussed the details of the raid on Queral. Meanwhile, the Dwarves moved some of the remaining rubble around to the back of the inn where Dalva and Gaius were clearing out the garden, and they decided to set them up as a small sitting area.

As the night wore on, Voglio came out through the garden on his way home, and he warned the group that the building was haunted. Rakeor suggested setting up watches, and Gaius went inside to tell the others. Gilbert, who had been attempting to teach Zikzik the Lastini language, decided to start making loud noises to chase away the spirits, stopping only when Eka came out to tell him that one of the other guests, known only as The Captain, had complained. Meanwhile, Rin came out to the garden and took note of an armadillo which seemed out of place. Taking this as another sign of something being wrong, she fruitlessly tried to convince Dalva that the group should leave.

After a while, things finally began to settle down, but then Maeish, who was keeping watch inside, heard a whistling noise that she identified as incoming cannon fire. She let out a warning screech to alert the rest of the party, but she was almost immediately attacked by Zikzik. While she played dead, Gilbert readied an arrow and got into a standoff with the kobold. At the same time, two men ran in through the front door and grabbed hold of a woman who had appeared in the lobby. They fought over a scroll case the woman was holding as Dalva, Emi and Rin rushed in from the gardens. After a quick rundown of the situation, Dalva told Gilbert to shoot Zikzik, but his shot went wild. Dalva shot at him as well, nicking him as he jumped down off the front desk and escaped down the hallway. Just then, one of the men seized the scroll case and ordered the other to run the woman through. As he did, all three people disappeared, and the sounds of cannon fire also vanished.

As Rin healed Maeish, Gar told the group that this scene is replayed every night. Eka told everyone that it was the work of a phantom, and that the woman was Peleara, the former owner of this establishment. Rin then piped up and said that she recognized one of the men attacking her as Everitt, the glass merchant from Gascar. Dalva mentioned that she didn't think the party should stay here, especially given the attack on Maeish, and Eka agreed. As Dalva unsuccessfully attempted to track Zikzik, most of the group joined Ora in a journey to a nearby boardinghouse that Gar suggested as a place to stay. The housefather, an elderly man named Boreo, was all too happy to let a minor noblewoman stay for free if she would put in a good word for the village when she returned to the capital.

After the group moved into their rooms, Emi once again brought up the armadillo, who she said had been watching them. Some speculation ensued regarding its nature, with the possibility of it being Gar's familiar being raised. Dalva and Emi returned to the building to bring back those who had stayed behind, and they decided to attempt to capture the creature. Maeish was able to get her net on it, and she and Dalva brought it outside so that Rin could speak with it. Afterwards, the priestess told the party that it claimed to be a harbinger of the "Dust Witch", and that it was obviously much more intelligent than a typical animal. This convinced Emi that it was a familiar, and she asked Rin what she learned about Gar from her personal reading, Rin cryptically said "he's from here, but not from here", leading to even wilder speculations, including a connection to the giff and Duke Mirdael. The group made an attempt to secure the creature more firmly, but it was able to escape underground, and the party returned to the boardinghouse, hoping to get at least a couple hours rest.

A Halfling spanner in the works

The next morning, a still-cautious Emi suggested that the party should make another effort to explore Freedom in an attempt to gain information. Dalva and Gilbert went to the building, and Dalva encountered a woman examining the ground. When she couldn't communicate with her, Dalva called Gilbert out. Through some sleep-deprivation-fueled discussion, the bard concluded that she was the Dust Witch and ran screaming back to the boardinghouse. He relayed this to Emi, and she followed Dalva with Gaius in tow and the Dwarves following at a more leisurely pace. Once they arrived, they realized the woman could speak Dwarven. She said she was searching for snacks, but she refused to tell anyone her name. Eventually, Gaius and the Dwarves left, meeting with the others on their way back, while Dalva and Emi stayed behind. Emi sat down at the chessboard in an attempt to engage The Captain, but learned nothing of import.

While Ora contacted Gaire to fill him in on the situation and Maeish returned to Freedom to try and recover the fish she caught the previous night, a female Halfling approached the party standing on the beach. She introduced herself as Venturia de'Medici, noblewoman of the Medici Islands, and seemed to know Gaius. The latter was obviously uncomfortable at her presence, but confirmed that the two knew each other. Venturia told the party that she was searching for Niccolo, who was her brother, but Gaius told her that he hadn't seen him since they parted ways several months ago. She then offered her services to the party as a cook.

Back at Freedom, Bashimel told Maeish that Eka had told him not to give the party any food, but he would be willing to give them the stew from her fish. Emi moved on to talk to Gar and the woman they'd met earlier. The daytime desk clerk, Stivdhieg, said that she had been hanging around for a couple of days, but that nobody had been able to communicate with her. Maeish then came over, and the woman showed interest in the Sea Elf's hair. Emi then translated a conversation between the two, and in exchange for a lock of the hair and a sponge she revealed that she was called Illiger.

On the beach, Venturia expressed in no uncertain terms that she wanted breakfast, and she wanted the party to join her. Despite casting some cantrips to tempt them, they refused, and Ora began leading several party members toward the Condesa's villa. Venturia then said something to Gaius and ran up the beach toward Freedom. Gaius ran after her, but when he caught up with her she began crying out that she was being molested. As the rest of the party watched, three women emerged from among the houses. One of them drew a long bow and fired at Gaius, who immediately fell to the ground. Venturia dropped to her knees beside him and yelled out that he was dead.

The party reacted with a mixture of shock and anger, and Dalva emerged to try and calm things down. The leader of the women introduced herself as Mila, leader of the village's defenses. She explained that molestation of a young girl was a capital offense, and that she had used an arrow of slaying on Gaius to prevent him from continuing his assault. After Ora explained the situation, protesting that she was nobility and that Gaius was one of her servants, Mila called on one of her subordinates, Lara, to request the acting Condesa's presence. Upon her arrival, Perida commanded that Venturia be imprisoned for making the false accusation and invited the group to her villa for breakfast.

After conferring, the party followed the acting Condesa, with Shale helping Lara carry Gaius' body. Having witnessed the incident, Illiger tagged along behind the group, but Dalva asked the Dwarves not to let her come into the villa with them, so they stayed outside along with Maeish. Inside, Gilbert noted that the villa showed signs of the heraldry of Duquesa Tiburona, which put the party on alert. Perida suggested that Ora take custody of Venturia, but Ora demurred, wanting an opportunity for herself and Rin to consult their goddesses. After some discussion about the missing Condesa, the issue of the recent pirate attack was raised, and Perida suggested that the group should consult The Captain, who was apparently Peleara's father. A moment later, she mentally contacted Ora, telling her that the guards had found a device related to the White Army on Gaius. She warned Ora not to trust the White Alliance, as they had been failing to defend their northern borders, leading to incursions by humanoids, some of which had been attacking travelers along the Calle de Tierrimar. She also suggested that the incident between Gaius and Venturia might not be as it appears either. Breakfast ended, and Perida invited everyone back for lunch.

The party regrouped outside the villa, and Ora told them that at least part of what Perida said about Rosalín was untrue, leading the party to further doubt about the acting Condesa's motives. After Ora tried unsuccessfully to contact Gaire, Maeish went back to the Faltremar to tell Gavin their plans. Emi, Gilbert and Rin went to Freedom to talk to The Captain, but he was unwilling to discuss things, saying only that the item taken was some kind of scroll. Ora then took Siqui aside and asked her what she knew. She mentioned that Peleara's mother was also killed in the raid, and knew only that the scroll was something very valuable. The party resolved to speak with the Condesa's brother after lunch, but not before meeting with Venturia.

The group returned to the villa, where they had lunch with Perida. After some discussion of compensation for Gaius' death, they accompanied one of the guards to the facility where Venturia was being held while Rin searched for a portrait of Rosalín. The Halfling made her case for being released, but most party members were skeptical. Upon Rin's return she said that since the party has access to a ship, it was up to them to take Venturia or allow her to be executed. The party left to discuss matters, and Ora suggested having a geas placed on Venturia, but Rin noted that this was arcane magic, and that the similar divine quest spell required a goal. The high cost of both this and raising Gaius was also brought up, although Gilbert mentioned the time when his own companions paid by performing a task instead. The party tabled discussion until Ora could contact Gaire, then turned to the issue of the road ahead. Since the party would need someone who spoke the language, and Gilbert believed Illiger had done so, he went with Emi and Rakeor to talk to her while Maeish went back to report to Gavin and the rest went to find Rosalín's brother.

At Freedom, Emi confirmed that Illiger could speak Cardillic, and the woman agreed to join them as long as they kept her "entertained". Meanwhile, at the smithy of Derillo, the Condesa's brother, Ora filled him in on much of the party's experiences. Rather than dispute that Rosalín had left on her own, Derillo confirmed it, saying that she had gone with several others to recover the scroll stolen from Peleara. Although he did not know the precise nature of the scroll, he knew that it was an artifact important to the village, and was quite pleased to hear that the party would be pursuing the pirates who stole it.

The party regrouped, and Ora returned to the boardinghouse with Rin and Siege to rest while everyone else went back to Freedom. Emi and Dalva got information from Bashimel about Daro, while the others went to find Illiger. When they couldn't, they asked the inn staff, and Eka referred to her as "the armadillo woman". When confronted, Illiger admitted to being a shapeshifter, but asked everyone to keep it a secret. She then demonstrated her spellcasting ability, and eventually everyone returned to the boardinghouse. Once Ora had rested enough to attempt to contact Gaire again, she found herself unable to do so because Gaire was somehow incapacitated. As the group discussed alternatives, Lara burst into the boardinghouse, telling Ora that both Venturia and Gaius' body had disappeared, and that the acting Condesa was on her way to arrest the entire party. Upon learning this, the group scrambled onto a ship belonging to Lara's family and set out rowing for the Faltremar, where Lara gave them six magical arrows. Maeish swam ahead to warn the crew, and the boat launched just as Perida and the rest of the guards arrived at the beach. Expecting an attack, the party prepared missile weapons, but Perida held her forces back. Dalva speculated that it might be more to her advantage to let them go, solidifying the village's distrust of outsiders.

Last leg

Once the party was aboard, Gavin called out that they would be heading to Daro at full speed as a ruse, instead intending to sail for an hour before dropping anchor again. The party filled him in on what had happened, and he tensed at the mention of House de'Medici, whom he said had a reputation for underhanded dealings. The group confirmed their destination of Daro, and Gavin agreed to wait five days for them to return before returning to his normal route.

The next morning, Rin cast a personal reading on Rosalín, but was unable to determine whether she was still alive. Hirondu told the party that they might reach Daro as early as this evening, and that the captain was considering hiring Lara on as a crew member. Maeish made peace with Borshikov by metamorphosing a barrel of water into his favorite beverage. After Dalva noted that one of Lara's arrows appeared different from the others, Gilbert agreed to identify them the next morning. Ora was finally able to contact Gaire to fill him in on the previous day's events. He told her that when Baxter heard about Everitt, the two of them went with several guardsmen to confront him, but Everitt threw ground glass at them and fled. Meanwhile, Raz gave the Dwarves some information about Daro from when he had visited several years ago.

The group again met in Dalva's cabin and discussed their plan for Daro. The group agreed to stay at the Red Dragon Inn, and Lara said she would stay with them to see if she could be useful. Afterwards, Gilbert followed Illiger to the Dwarves' cabin in order to cast armor on her, and was surprised at her lack of clothing after her transformation. He then went up on deck with Maeish, who learned the location of the RDI from Mufrid. The navigator also mentioned a friend of his, Babasai, who had a supply business in Daro. Meanwhile, Borshikov saw Illiger, whom the party had decided to keep secret, causing some consternation. He also spoke with her in Cardillic, and told the party that several members of the crew also spoke the language. As the group went to lunch, Rin convinced Borshikov not to mention Illiger's presence to the captain.

After lunch, Mufrid returned the map to Maeish, having deemed it adequate for the party's current purpose and also marking some of the landmarks on it. Maeish brought the information to Gilbert, who thought one of the landmarks, the Island of the Skull, sounded familiar to him. Maeish then brought it to Rin and Emi, who made some other pertinent markings. Shortly thereafter, the Faltremar arrived in Daro.

The treacherous coast

The party met once more to go over their intentions once they reached the city. Gilbert filled them in on what he'd learned, including information about the city's bazaar and the RDI. The group disembarked, getting their first look at the city, and were joined by Borshikov on their way to the inn. They arrived to find the bar being tended by a Dwarf named Pandon, and after some discussion arranged for dinner and rooms for the week.

Siege decided to keep an eye out for fellow Elves, and as the party finished their meal he saw one come in to join two others -- a red-haired woman and a hooded figure -- who were at a fireside table. He, Ora and Rin went over to introduce themselves. The Elf introduced himself as Srel, the woman as Fiona, and the hooded figure as Tox. Fiona spoke to them in Kellanic, told them that they'd only been in town a short while, and that they were waiting for an associate of theirs, a priestess of Helandra. When Siege asked about a magic shop, she mentioned one in the marketplace run by Master Vadene, but that they would likely need a guide to find it.

After dinner, Emi, Rin, Illiger, Dalva and Lara went out to explore the city, where they encountered a group of four men wearing yellow turbans. The men stopped them and asked their business, then warned them about venturing out at night in the harbor area. At this point, Dalva and Lara realized that their language barrier was a hindrance and returned to the inn. The others continued, but as they made their way among the buildings Illiger spotted several figures hiding in an alleyway. Emi attempted to sneak past them, but stepped on a stray cat, causing her to panic and dash through the alley, with Rin and Illiger following as best they could. After catching their breath near a water vendor, they also returned to the inn.

When everyone returned, they asked about the turbaned men. The barmaid, Fibi, told them that they were likely members of the Justice League, a sect dedicated to Varice that sometimes patrolled the area. Eventually, everyone departed for their rooms, although not before Illiger tried to communicate with a pair of aarakocra. Lara's arrows were delivered to Gilbert for identification, and he began the process of identification.

The next morning at breakfast, Ora spotted a woman wearing Helandra's symbol and attempted to contact Fiona, but could not. She was able to contact Srel, who angrily confirmed that it was the person they'd anticipated. Ora then approached the woman, who at first threatened her, but then laughed it off. She introduced herself as Thalanna, and the two spoke briefly. Meanwhile, the group arranged to meet in one of the inn's private rooms to discuss their plans. After conferring and making inquiries with Pandon, they decided to split up into three teams, one each bound for the magic shop, the temple of Sedric, and Bludjer, a local Dwarven blacksmith. To that end, they hired a guide -- a boy named Jimar -- to aid them in finding Master Vadene's shop while the others made their own way.

The two Dwarves and Siege got a bit turned around on their way to the smithy. Siege purchased a shield of Dwarven make while the Dwarves left their armor for maintenance before returning to the inn.

Dalva, Emi, Illiger and Maeish arrived at the magic shop, where Maeish met Master Vadene, a Halfling. She asked about magical communication aid, and offered some of the party's items in trade. Vadene agreed to consider the offer, presuming his identification of the items showed them to be worth enough. Further discussion was cut off when Fiona arrived to pick up a scroll she'd commissioned. She told the group that she and her companions would be leaving in the morning and invited them to join her for dinner. After stopping at a sweet shop, Maeish and Dalva returned to the RDI while Emi and Illiger went to check on the third team.

Ora, Rin and Lara went to the north side of town, where they found a virtual city of tents. Ora found herself the target of unwanted looks, and they cut between the rows of tents until reaching the temple, which was a huge tent near the middle of the tent city. There, they met a Lastini priest named Manuar, who told them about the services available while Rin conversed with Al-Uqdah, the temple's Desert Elven cartographer. She purchased a map of the city marked in Kellanic while also commissioning a map of the coastline. They then went to the Desert Supply Company, the shop belonging to Babasai, and purchased some supplies for Lara. On the way back, they encountered three masked bandits. While Ora distracted their leader, Rin cast channel stench on them, allowing them to escape. They then met Emi and Illiger and returned to the inn as well.

Back at the RDI, the group began arriving, and Gilbert came down with the news that the one odd arrow was an arrow of seeking. Once everyone was present, the group traded information over lunch. The group again decided to split up, with Shale, Siege, Ora and Lara returning to Bludjer's forge and the rest headed to the waterfront.

Bludjer agreed to try and sell the group's magical sword, but was uninterested in the arrows, suggesting they take it to a second-hand weapons dealer in the bazaar. Lara bought new armor, but had to have it refitted. Ora asked if she could visit the shrine to Liyyera, and the group went back to the entrance to once more hire a guide.

On the way to the waterfront, the group made a circuit of the bazaar, and eventually ran across the water vendor they'd met previously, a man named Dyf Culligan. He gave them some information about the city's law enforcement. When Dalva asked if he'd heard stories about pirates, he mentioned that they should visit the Blue Heron, a tavern by the docks, and they might talk to a bard named Diosa who sometimes plays there. After getting distracted by a vendor of frozen treats, the group went to the docks to discover that the Faltremar was in the repair building. While the party talked to Heth, who was observing the repairs, Gilbert, Illiger and Rakeor visited the nearby Blue Heron. When Illiger ordered fermented goat's milk, one of the locals began to harass her. Rakeor got involved, the local lunged at them with a knife, and a brawl quickly erupted. Maeish knocked several brawlers out with a color spray spell and Rakeor killed one of the patrons before Emi and Rin noted the approach of several Justice Leaguers. Shale arrived just then and alerted the party, and after regrouping they returned to the RDI.

While the party settled in, Maeish attempted to read the runes on the magical arrows to no avail. The party planned their moves for the next day, and after a while Thalanna entered. Ora approached her, and she said the rest of her company would arrive soon. After a tense discussion regarding drow and duergar, Fiona and Srel arrived, and several party members joined them. Fiona introduced a new addition to their group, Derryk of Oak, and then began eating. The two groups had a circuitous discussion, with neither revealing much, before Fiona and her group retired for the evening.

Upon regrouping, the party solidified their plans for the next day. The group learned from Ora that Diosa was a Lastini bard who often played in the capital, but Gilbert discovered there was no way to find her. He decided instead to try and charm some information out of Thalanna. After he went to share what he found with Emi, Srel came down and sat with the group. Upon learning that the party was seeking a missing artifact, he suggested that they should talk further.

Both groups assembled in one of the RDI's meeting rooms to exchange information. Thalanna deduced that the party was seeking Redbeard, and Fiona said that the pirate is believed to be one of several parties procuring magical items for the person or persons they were seeking. Another, who was the catalyst for Fiona's involvement, was a man named Antos. Those assembled pondered whether Mentonchan politics might be involved, and agreed to keep in touch via Ora's ability before retiring to their rooms.

The next morning, Fiona and company departed before dawn, but after a brief conversation with Ora. The sensoria spoke with Lara and offered to let her family know of her situation. Everyone else came downstairs, and Gilbert returned from paying a visit to the crew, where he learned about the possible punishment awaiting Rakeor for killing the man in the bar. This perturbed the Dwarf enough that he agreed to change his appearance. Mufrid, whom Maeish had invited, joined the group for breakfast, then went with Maeish, Rin and Siege to the Desert Supply Company, where they purchased additional supplies and picked up the map at Sedric's temple.

While the others gave Rakeor his makeover, Ora, Lara and Emi left to visit Liyyera's shrine. On the way, Ora attempted to contact Siqui so she could tell Lara's family about her situation, but was unable to do so and instead contacted Siqui's mother. She told Ora that the village was up in arms over Lara's disappearance. She advised Ora that neither she nor Lara should return to Queral for now, and they agreed. After paying their respects to the goddess, the three returned to the RDI, where they met the rest of the group.

In the RDI's meeting room, the party discussed having Maeish do some reconnaissance along the coast. For reference, the newly-acquired map was checked against the one they had, and Emi noted that the Island of the Skull was not present. After the party's options were discussed, Ora was asked to contact Diosa. When she did, she was told that Diosa was in Matrieva, and suggested the party should contact a wizard named Malaba at the local mages' guild.

Afterwards, Ora, Shale and Siege went with Lara to pick up her armor, and Emi and Gilbert went to meet her guild contact while the rest of the group paid Master Vadene a visit. At the magic shop, the party learned that the brooch they submitted had the ability to control sea creatures. They decided to keep it, and trade in the ring of resistance for two badges that would allow Illiger and Lara to communicate with the rest of the party. Meanwhile, Emi and Gilbert learned that the Island of the Skull was once populated by people who controlled undead, but they were driven off by the pirates.

After everyone met at the RDI and compared notes, they set off for another round of errands -- except Ora, who needed to recuperate from overextending her powers. The Dwarves returned to the forge to complete the sale of the magic sword. Emi and Gilbert inquired with the Faltremar's crew about borrowing a boat, only to be rebuffed. Illiger prowled the docks in armadillo form to gather information, but after stumbling upon some suspicious activity she was used as a soccer ball by a roughneck before deciding to torment some of the locals. Dalva and Siege accompanied Maeish to the mages' guild, where they sent a message to Malaba.

Later that evening, the portly mage appeared in the RDI and sat with the group. Everyone but Ora and Lara gathered in the RDI meeting room and asked Malaba about the pirates, but he had little new information. He did, however, know that the undead masters were not on the Island of the Skull, but another nearby island. After making arrangements to meet the party's mages at the guild the next morning, Malaba departed.

The next morning, Dalva came downstairs to find Cleo Cragganmore in the common room. Since the party hadn't reported to Gairevander for several days, she was chosen to check on their progress. She also gave Dalva a miniature boat for use in the islands. After being brought up to speed, she joined the group for breakfast, telling them that, if there is no further word, she would return in two days. After Cleo's departure, the group again split up, with the Dwarves accompanying Emi and Rin to the bazaar and the Lastini going along with Dalva and Siege to find a boat while the mages and Gilbert went to meet with Malaba.

At the guild, the mages traded scrolls, but neither Maeish nor Illiger was able to learn their first choices. Eventually, Maeish was able to acquire comprehend languages, and Illiger had her blade enchanted. The boat group went to the boarding house to try and recruit one of the Faltremar's crew to aid in procuring a boat. They were referred to Aldria, who was from Daro herself. After expressing concern over the price needed to hire a boat bound for the rocky area to the north -- which she called the Bones of the Sea -- she negotiated a deal with a boat rental service run by Benneslam for one of the next two days. The group bound for the bazaar sold the arrows to the weapons dealer where they ran into Voglio, who was buying a dagger to defend himself while traveling. He returned to the RDI with them and gave them some more information about the way things work in Daro, as well as House de'Medici and their connection to The Turtle back in Gascar. After hearing the group's story, Voglio decided he would avoid Queral and instead make his next trade trip to Santano, with Ora asking him to try and contact Rocio.

When the mages' group was overdue, Ora contacted Gilbert and told him to go straight to the docks, where everyone gathered to allow Maeish to head into the bay. She tested the brooch on some sharks, then returned to shore with a net full of fish. In between describing her experience with the pin, Maeish was confronted by the party for having spent all of their gold on an unnecessary spell. She planned to try and locate the pirates' lair the following day, and Illiger volunteered to go with her in armadillo form. After determining that they would be unable to meet Gavin's deadline, the party arranged to meet with him the next day to see if he would extend it.

The Bones of the Sea

The next morning, Maeish, Illiger, the Dwarves, Ora and Lara went to the docks. After some trouble with a band of thugs trying to steal the armadillo, Maeish went out into the bay with Illiger. Maeish located a marlin, which she hoped would be able to pull them to the Bones, but she was unable to hold onto the rope. After swimming the rest of the way, she was able to locate the spot where the island should be, but it seemed to be invisible above the surface. While the Sea Elf was examining it, arrows began to fall around her. She tried to flee, but was rendered unconscious, and Illiger was forced to vacate the backpack, being carried by the current to a nearby rock.

Shortly thereafter, Ora made contact with Illiger and learned of the situation. The party at first decided to attempt to rescue them, with Rin, Emi and Siege going to the docks to procure the boat while the rest waited for their meeting with Gavin. Meanwhile, Illiger was picked up and dropped by a seabird, after which she was found by a man in a canoe. After she spun a tale about being kidnapped by the Sea Elf, she was blindfolded and pulled through the water by the canoe.

Upon reflection, Emi and Siege thought better of rushing out to the sea and returned to the RDI. There, Ora again contacted Illiger, who updated her on her situation. When Gavin returned, he told the group that he couldn't delay leaving more than a few additional hours, and advised them on other ships they might be able to use to leave the city. After sharing a drink, the group again divided to try and find some way of learning Illiger's exact location. Bassik's temple was of no help, but Malaba agreed to meet them later that evening. Emi also arranged to be at the Blue Heron to meet with any aid from the Thieves' Guild.

After returning to the RDI, the group once more asked Ora to contact Illiger with Rin listening in. This time, Illiger told them that she'd met with one of the pirates, who was in fact Venturia's brother Niccolo de'Medici. Rin immediately returned to inform the others, and they went back upstairs to talk in Dalva's room before meeting with Malaba. The scholar discussed the likelihood that the pirates' lair is hidden by hallucinatory terrain, and possible options to overcome it were discussed.

After Malaba departed, Emi and the Dwarves went to the Blue Heron...

Cast of characters

Below is a list of characters who were involved at one point or another in this adventure:

• Dalva - run by Lou McLeary
• Emi - run by Shelley Proulx
• Gaius Lentulus - NPC
• Gilbert Sullivan - NPC
• Illiger - run by Penelope Romero
• Lara - NPC
• Maeish - run by Phil Vlasak
• Ora - run by Penelope Romero
• Rakeor - run by Shelley Proulx
• Rin - NPC
• Shale - run by Lou McLeary
• Siege - run by Phil Vlasak
• Venturia de'Medici - run by Eric Smith

Adventure timeline