Was it this twisted before? Report

General Summary

1489 DR - Autumn - 6, Marpenoth (10) - Sea of Swords  

• The journey back across the trackless sea takes weeks, far longer in the now possessed Nautiloid now that it seems to have lost control of some of the powers it had before with the death of the Githyanki captain.
• The Chosen take this time to reflect and prepare for their ongoing efforts.
• Lucyan and Oudman make potions in a makeshift workspace in the captains quarters.
• Huden and Xifor read further into Keezor's book, becoming mildly obsessed with some of the vile power contained within.
• Yasen and Llewellyn attempt to glean more information from Abigor, but he seems distracted and difficult to converse with since entering the Mindflayer shell. They only get inconsistent mockery and riddles from him with bouts of silence and unresponsiveness.
• As the crew approaches the populated Sea of Swords, they decide that they should make every effort to prevent the ship from being spotted, knowing through Huden's knowledge and the journal of the Gith captain, that the ship is universally abhorred and feared and will spark much unwanted attention, potentially across planes.
• They fly around the Moonshae isles and land during the daytime in the trees to avoid being seen, traveling only at night. They notice a very large Black Hand army traveling south toward Waterdeep as they fly over the northern trade way.
• Upon returning to their new base of operations Sabyn and Zul greet them, with a small following of surprisingly cowed Duergar. The base is well cleaned and there is a lot of new stonework being done. The previous Duergar leadership is missing and the rest seem to now follow Sabyn's orders without complaint, doing much work to maintain and improve the base.
• Oudman attempts to craft his homonculous with the large purple gem they found in the Shrine, but it curses him to dance uncontrollably, potentially to his dead if Lucyan had not intervened to smack the gem from his hand.
• Sabyn helps cure Hudens' debilitating Vargouille curse and ensure the Chosen find their excellent accommodations in the base.
• The group hides the Nautiloid in the lake underneath the dungeon to avoid prying eyes, and the Duergar are instructed to stay away.
• After some additional research and talking with Sabyn about what she knows of the artifacts needed to free Keezor, the crews realizes that they will require the fast traveling capabilities of the ship, which can cover 120 miles in a day traveling through the night.
• Abigor reveals that he knows where to find the Fleshwright, the last known owner of Blackrazor, and he can take them there. The others they will need to find more information and have to find a town for reconnaissance.
• The crew schemes a plan to disguise the ship so they can travel, and plan to hire a shipwright to build the frame onto the outside. They travel to nearby Yartar to plan the design and hire the craftsmen. They get a quote for the ship that could take a year or more and decide that is far too long.
• The Chosen craft a new plan involving creating the exterior with the spell Fabricate and some visual designs. Xifor can learn and cast the spell while Oudman guides the crafting so it can hold up to flight.
• Yasen searches out and finds a book with pictures and diagrams of Halruuan skyships to provide the template for the disguise.
• Huden visits some bars, and is directed to a weapon shop in town for more information on Whelm, the hammer. The Weapon smith is aware of it and knows it was last in Sembia, probably near Selgaunt, in the possession of the dwarves there. However he also explains that the Zhentarim annexation of Sembia resulted in utter defeat and destruction of the dwarven holds in that area, and so likely the artifact is now held by someone more amenable to the Black Hand near Selgaunt.
• Xifor, Lucyan, and Oudman go scroll shopping, and purchase some magical items in the process, while Huden sells/trades some of their lot away as well. Oudman discovers that he does not like being a diamond when a shopkeeper plays a prank on him with a cursed item.
• Yasen also discovers at the library that Wave was wielded by "The Bitch Queen" also known as Umberlee, who was defeated near Waterdeep during the time of troubles, and Khelben Blackstaff, the high mage of Waterdeep at the time, held the artifact in his possession.
• The spell shop owner gives Xifor a note and directions to a lesser known shop in the slums. The crew then follows Xifor to the slums as a group, wary of getting too separated in town.
• The shop in the slums is run by a highly suspicious and clearly clever ratling, who grills the crew for information and trade in addition to cost for both the Fabricate spell and for some additional spells and items. Huden does some negotiation and trades some copies of restricted books, and time with Keezor's spellbook in the deal.
• The crew stays overnight and Xifor learns the spell successfully, and the following day The Chosen travel back to the base to begin disguising the ship. The work will likely take 25 days plus a few to add details and other decorations.