A11-Return to Port Reaver
[Tony/Kruger & Geoff/Rufus absent]
Your Mission, Should you Accept: Another
month on Skeggi when an Empire fleet of 3 galleons and 5 corsairs tied up at
the docks. A handful of wizards disembarked: did they not read Ottokar’s flier
blaming wizards for all the priests’ deaths?! Dargo sought work as a
huffer/stevedore unloading the ships… which gave him opportunity to steal a
flag to add to our own boat inventory. Lemmy joined the crew at the bar, buying
a round of drinks to loosen their tongues. Turned out they were looking for him
anyway, “Balthazar
Gelt wants to hire you.”
Lemmy boarded the flag ship to stay away from eavesdroppers
as Balthazar's representative confided in secrecy, “The Empire is tired of the pirates and
wants to destroy Port Reaver. But Balthazar needs you to slip into the pirate
base first to retrieve an artifact. Years ago, they captured a ship out of
Nippon that was carrying a gold-plated skull. We need you and your
team to find it before we bombard the port into hell. I’m authorized to offer
you spells. As for your men: they can keep whatever gold you find without
confiscation or taxation. You have a fortnight (14 days) to accomplish your
mission. Per the news of fungal infection, we plan to fire-bomb the
place.”
Investigate: Lemmy contacted his local
informant who told of the pirates scoring it big on that ship raid, “Word
is, they used the cup to pay their docking fees in Reaver when they returned.” Tulkir & Dargo gossiped at a port bar to
hear rumor the cup was last seen used in a Cult of Stromfels religious service.
Ranulf researched to learn that the skull only had one eye-socket. Smaller than
a cyclops skull. The gold plating was a wizard addition to specify which wind
of magic (Metal) was bestowed on the magical item.
After 3 days of research and preparations, we sailed for anchorage north of the pirate town. Per a months’ old request, we delivered the Potion of Vitality to the witch Marion Childress with the idea her desires for vengeance upon the pirates could be distraction for our actions. It would be days before the potion restored her tongue cut off by the pirates to keep her from casting hexes and spells. As we spent the night with her coven, we learned the marsh encroaching on Skeggi was by order of Sotec because we had not done what Anomoq asked: to find the lost city of Quetta.
As
for the one-eyed skull, they referred to a swamp creature known as a Fimir.
Reconnoiter: We hacked our way to the
edge of the town now swallowed in a thick layer of moss and mold (i.e. kudzu).
The thick tangle even crept up the chains and onto the ships in the harbor,
that now listed under its weight. As for remaining humans, we saw what was left
of an arm rising from a mossy mound within what would have been the port
square. Then movement near the Infirmary…from a window we watched: while an
Ogre-sized rat picked its nose, 10 man-size rats leeched fluids from the bodies
of moss-covered humans (whether dead, we knew not). Drago knew these as Skaven.
Had the nurgle demons that burst from the infirmary patients exponentially
multiplied to wipe out the entire town?! Were the skaven harvesting the fluids
of a deadly pandemic?!
To the Temple: We turned for the
Stromfel temple where we suspected the cup might be. As Dargo looked in the
back door, he saw 2 Pestigor beastmen ambling inside as if bored.
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[Pestigor are grotesque children of Nurgle, the Chaos God of
disease and decay, who are riddled with festering sores, lesions, and
abscesses, often shaped like Nurgle’s sacred symbol. Their fur is typically
brown but caked in filth and dung.]
Stealth failed as the fight began. Tulkir’s charge and
strike stirred up flies from his target, creating a cloud of distraction for
further attacks. The other beastman loudly brayed as it charged Dargo who
blocked its horns and axe. Keeping his pistol hanging from his belt to avoid
noise that might attract more outsiders, Ranulf slung at his foe but missed.
Silence didn’t matter as 2 more beastmen charged down the stairs to join the
fight. Equal numbers until the Chaos Champion joined the fight!
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One attack peeled off part of Tulkir’s leg armor as he was
knocked prone and bleeding (1). After
missing his pistol shot, Ranulf was hit on the head but remained standing. The
Champion yelled to incite his minions who attacked with greater force and
accuracy. But we fought back: Tulkir hit his foe, Ranulf stepped back and fired
his blunderbuss that hit a beastman and the champion, Dargo killed a Pestigor but
found himself unarmed as his blade stuck in his foe. Drawing another weapon, he
stepped between Ranulf and the champion. And Lemmy continued to channel.
Once again Tulkir was hit on his leg before he swung at the
nearest beastman. With his blackpowder weapons empty, Ranulf resorted to his
dagger (critical): he must have hit an artery under the beasts’ armpit as it
bled profusely before falling unconscious. Dargo took on the champion as Lemmy
finally stepped forward to cast…but failed. The Champion attacked: first with
its blade, then from its
gut-creature that clawed at Dargo but missed.
Tulkir killed another beastman and cleaved the Champion in
his follow-thru. Ranulf wanted to step back and use his more accurate sling but
the others told him to stay engaged as we now had overwhelming numbers against
the champion. The Champion made him pay for sticking around as it cleaved thru
his rightside armor, causing Ranulf to drop his dagger as his arm went numb
while he was stunned.
And that’s when Lemmy finally proved his worth: his enhanced
spell caused electrical sparks to dance across the champion’s armor, finally
causing severe wounds. Dargo added to the damage with his own critical hit that
caused a major chest wound as it began to bleed (4). Yet hit after hit, it
would not die, until Lemmy cast once more: it exploded sending gore splattering
across everyone.
Thankfully Lemmy had Healing Poultices to treat our
festering wounds. Yet it was Lemmy, least exposed or wounded, who suffered
Corruption.
We climbed the stairs to search the Stromfels priest’s room
we’d seen months ago. We found the cup along with about 400 gold worth of gems.
Along with the priest’s trident that Dargo kept for himself.
As we left the temple, we saw the skaven also exit the Infirmary with their belt pouches stuffed with vials of the fluid they collected. Leaving well-enough alone, we returned to the witch coven to describe the state of Port Reaver as there was nothing left for Marion to seek vengeance against.
Beside her, we found the lizard priest Anomoq we had met months ago. Once he
corrected and added to Ranulf’s translation book, he asked us to drink with him
and go on a vision quest:
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We floated
above the continent of Lustria, seeing its grandeur. From high above, we
zoomed down toward a mighty river that cleaved the continent in a
southwesterly direction. We watched as a cow entered the river and was
immediately attacked by piranha. We angled southeast until we came to a large
ziggurat that Anomoq acknowledged was the “city of the Moon” which we knew as
Tlaxtlan. “There
you will find Lord Tecciztec who has a map to the more-lost city of
our forefathers. Being in contact with one of the old ones (Slann), he says
you are now an integral part of the master plan.” As we zoomed up to a
familiar pool where we met the Coatl, Anomoq added, “Remember the broken
sword that Luther Harkon has. You will need it to find the lost city of Quetta.” |
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SLANN  |
NEXT SESSION:
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