A2 – Port Reaver

[Tony/Kruger, Duane/Dargo, Geoff/Rufus, Dave/Koro, Matt/Lemmy, Bill/Ranulf, Brian/?]

Endeavers in Skeggi: Those that had coins went shopping for gear or provisions needed for the coming overland trip. Except for Kruger who stashed his money. Short on coins, Rufus followed a “mark” to get him drunk enough to steal his bow. Dargo also added to his coin purse by working on a boat sailing the coast. Ranulf (The Latest News) quietly sat at the back of the tavern and listened to the latest gossip…”I hear the Stormfels reavers captured another empire ship. You know how unmerciful they are; why I heard there was a Priest of Manaan aboard! His will be a slow death!” While Lemmy banked his recent gold treasure, he enlisted Koro to search for ingredients for a potion he desired.

3^rd Month departure: It may have been the dry season when we set off towards Port Reaver, but the sky opened with a downpour to set a miserable tone to the 4-day trek to the pirate town. Then 2 days of sun to make everything humid and “hot as hell!” Maybe sweat dripping off his brow caused Rufus to not see the webbing that stretched across the animal trail. 3 giant spiders rushed forward to attack their latest web capture. Despite a wizard failing at his casting, and slingers losing iron bullets in the jungle, we finally killed the threat but not before Rufus took a critical head shot and suffered a broken nose (2 bleed). Kruger was able to bless Rufus to stop some of the bleeding; Ranulf broke a hairy leg off one of the spiders to use as a tampon shoved up the other nostril to stop all bleeding. Lemmy lamented, “Bandages! Damn it, I knew I forgot to buy something.” 

Did the others notice Ranulf put his torch to one of the dead spiders covered in Rufus’ blood as he chanted some sacrificial blessing to his own god (Khorne)? Camp was miserable sleeping in the mud while insects scurried about or croaked incessantly ALL night! The 4^th day was exhausting as we trudged thru the muck and marsh, avoiding the colorful frogs thought to be poisonous.

Port Reaver: On the 5^th day we crested a hill and peered thru the edge of the jungle to see the town suddenly emerge. We paused to study the layout: Kruger focused on the sharkfin shaped Stormfels Temple while others watched dock workers removing empire heraldry from a few captured ships.

Dargo stepped out of the jungle and made a beeline for the brothel. Madam Ole Mar barely gave notice to the stranger until he showed coins and was offered Forneka as his girl. In private quarters, it was obvious she’d been beaten lately. Dargo didn’t hesitate to confide in her about our plans to save the priest of Manaan. She countered, “Save our leader Marion held in the infirmary first. We were captured in the jungle and they cut out her tongue to prevent her from casting. I could show you the tunnel that connects the brothel to the Stormfels Temple.” 

Meanwhile, Rufus headed to the infirmary to get his broken nose looked at. Nuns (with a pendant shaped like a sharkfin over a trident) set to work on the stranger as they idly talked, “We help all townfolk as its all about freedom. Except for that captured priest. They’ve already cut out his tongue and plan to feed him to the sharks in 2 days.” Unable to read, Rufus asked about a poster… “That says if you came from the jungle then you need to be checked for moss.” 

Koro and Ranulf strolled into the town square hoping to overhear idle gossip. Ranulf read a flyer, “Stay away from the city Zarminda located on an island southeast of here. Bad luck!” 

Lemmy and Kruger stood on the docks watching workers saw off the figurehead of the most recent ship captured. They were offered a job to help, “Pays 1 silver.” Hell YA! Paid to get aboard and looks things over to establish if this was the ship the priest was aboard. “We captured her 5 days ago. Gave the crew the chance to become pirates; those of able body. Those who refused or unworthy walked the plank. Except for the priest; the Stormfels got him baking in the sun on the 3^rd floor of their temple without water. Just alive enough for his public execution in 2 days.” 

Nightlife: We gathered and whispered in the corner of the tavern, comparing news and plotting. Lemmy kept insisting, “I can open locks.” Crazy idea of escaping by boat was dismissed when the batteries of cannons were mentioned, “If they don’t sink us in the harbor, they’d easily outrun us and make us walk the plank. And add Lemmy and Kruger’s tongues to their stew.” Escape into the jungle was our best bet. But we needed more info; so, we set out to reconnoiter. The temple was locked up tight. 

 We set off for the infirmary knowing its general layout per Rufus’ description. Dargo staggered into the hospital, “This the brothel? Where’s all the good-looking girls?” The nuns didn’t try to physically stop him as he entered room after room. He quickly closed the door to the room where 3 men lay with their legs amputated. He was finally stopped by a locked door. 

Outside, Kruger peered through the windows looking for Marion. Ranulf paused at a boarded-up window. Using his magnifying glass, he peered thru the cracks and spotted a woman pacing back and forth in a room with only a cot and piss-pan. When she turned toward him, he didn’t see the bandaged mouth he expected (he didn’t know the women had been captured months ago and her severed tongue now healed). 

All overheard Dargo’s lament inside the infirmary and entered “to help extract him” as he leaned against the locked door. Lemmy rubbed his hands together and furrowed his brow before the door unlocked. We all entered to find Marion and whispered our plan to rescue her. Unable to speak, she wrote out her demands, “I won’t leave without my 6 sisters held in the brothel. Just help us get back into the jungle where we live. And if sometime later you can get me a Nectar of Vitality potion, I can get revenge!” At least she knew to be ready for her escape as we left. 

Morning: Kruger and Ranulf walked past the docks in hopes of studying the cannon batteries. But powder barrels were securely stored in the harbormaster’s building. So much for a diversionary explosion or fire. 

The others entered the temple and were confronted by the cleric Rocko. Rufus intimidated him, “We came to heckle and spit on the priest.” Enough noise to draw the high priest (a large man covered in tattoos), “Why have you disturbed my studies?!” Koro and Lemmy backed out of the temple as Rufus continued his bluster, to the point of impressing the high priest, “You can help cut up the fish we’ll use to chum the harbor to draw the sharks for his sacrifice.” Dargo and Rufus labored for hours in the basement, where they spotted the tunnel door access to the brothel. 

Hours later, they climbed the stairs to the 2^nd floor laundry to cleanup. Just across the same floor, the high priest sat in his study in prayerful study. Rufus interrupted him, “Might you have trinkets we can wear to prove to others we aided the temple in its preparations? Does it help you study knowing that filthy Priest of Manaan is held on the floor above?” As they left, Dargo overhear Rocko mention, “We’ll start our hour prayers tomorrow noon before we lead the priest to the town square for public display and torture, before we throw him into the harbor.” 

All gathered back at the tavern to plot tomorrow’s actions, “Rescue Marion at 11am before the prayers while all are occupied?” But Kruger suggested, “Dawn while the temple is without guards or movement and the town is quiet is our best chance.” 

NEXT SESSION: A3 – Demons? Kill them all!