5/14/22

Q1: Can you tell when someone is flirting with you? A1: After enough of it, yes.
Q2: Do you believe money can buy happiness? A2: No, but it helps.
 
BEGIN SESSION
We are looking at a 14 day journey, and are rolling each day to determine how that day goes. Crew - Captain Velma Starmore, elf. Boatswain Ember, fire genasi. Quartermaster Margo Merwell, halfling. Cook Echo Southsea, sea elf and banjo player. Garleth Mossmoon, firbolg female.
 
Day 1: Victoria rolls a 3 - as evening approaches, a fog rolls in. I am being helpful, working with Garleth, or under their observation. I can't seem to discern what this person does around this place... Velma walks in and I hear the crew whispering that they need to get the guests below decks because they had work to do. She asks me to go to my quarters due to some oncoming sea hazards. PER check (9) - fail. Nothing happens for a while. Yells and thumps manifest as something hits hard wood. There are some fighty noises, and Druss comes up from the hold to tell us about it. As of now, we're just going to keep doing as we were told, but will ready ourselves for the crew's work to spill down to us. PER again (9) - still a fail. Helen tells us via Melfine that she saw another ship near us. The ship shudders and there are more loud thumps. Helen sees that our crew is raiding the other ship, and the source of the battle sounds. Apparently we're pirates now. This isn't sitting right with me. Helen tells us that the cook is using old arcana to put enemies to sleep. The ship looks to be a luxury liner. After some in-party discussion, the fighting sounds die down and we start moving again. About half an hour later, Garleth arrives to let us know we can leave our rooms now. It is pretty late, and I am heading to bed instead of returning to work. Marda goes exploring in the haversack, pulling out a black flower in a glass container (a la Beauty and the Beast) then a Blackstone Rune, a bottle of Shadowlight Oil, a vial of Night Extract, 10 assortments of flora all in glass containers, 5 scales, 10 teeth, 2 claws of a shadow dragon (a dragon who spent time in Shadowfell and was corrupted; it was originally silver. Dragon society frowns upon visiting Shadowfell), 4 bottles of high-end alcohol, a case of fine spices, a shard of magic stone which causes a tingling sensation when touched, common clothes, a very well-made axe and bow, a scale mail set of blue dragon armor, an herbalism kit, thieves tools, an archaeology kit, and a healer's kit.
 
Day 2: Lily rolls a 9 - the fog turns into a massive storm. Through SUR, INS, and WIS save, I manage to stay in the cabin and keep from getting sick. We lose 2 days of sailing.
 
Day 3: Chris rolls a 12 - We are asked to go below decks again. PER check (8) - fail. CON save (22) - pass. I feel a smaller person hop on my back and cover my mouth with a cloth. I struggle and resist, but they do take me down with Fantasy Chloroform™™™. The rest of our party takes us down to the cabins. They raid another ship. Garleth is a munitions expert. Echo is a sorcerer. Margo (who knocked me out) is a rogue of some kind. Ember is a Way of Elements monk. Velma is a swashbuckler (fighter/rogue). I wake up about an hour later, with a headache. Druss tells me it was the halfling that drugged me.
 
Day 4: Smitty rolls a 7 - a day of smooth sailing. Melfine feels a weight on her chest. In the darkness, she sees a humanoid shape with cat-like ears. Shadow tendrils wrap around her and the rakshasa tells her that it's coming back to our world soon to hunt her down. Other demons are telling it to leave her be, but it won't listen.
 
Day 5: Hally rolls a 20 - she gets to decide her dream encounter on the ocean. Spike hangs out on the figurehead, and we gain two days of progress.
 
Day 6: I roll a 2 - There is no wind and we lose a day of sailing.
 
Day 7: Chris rolls a 4 - a day of smooth sailing.
 
Day 8: Smitty rolls a 17 - Druss PER check (18) - In the distance he sees a familiar shape. It's a Roc, with a narwhal clutched in its talons. The ship is between the Roc and the coastline, so we're in its path. Rorin and Garleth are going to shoot the net ballista, Marda is going to use a ballista, Druss will use Eldritch Blast and I will use Lightning Bolt. The net hits, obviating the rest of our actions. The Roc drops, and the narwhal smacks off of the hull, sinking into the abyss. Druss and Marda fire at the Roc as it drowns, insulting it on top of the beginning of a genocide. Helen cuts the rope and returns to the ship disgruntled. The Roc is now free of the net, but may still die. The ocean be a cruel mistress.
 
Day 9: We arrive at Belladonna Grove. It is a tiny swamp town, with stilted houses and all. There is a general store/pub/gas station called Swamp Mass. I do not leave the ship. Melfine and Marda head into the shop. Sora makes a friend. Melfine gives up some of her blood for a testing. The blood has taken on a golden light, then is mixed with chicken bones and cast for a reading. They discover her divine heritage, and the contract on her soul from Asmodeus. The clerk pulls out an oil-slicked package and unfurls it, spraying blood. It is an arcane object from the before-times, a Butcher's Bib (perpetually dripping in blood, crit 19-20, once per turn you can reroll weapon damage and must take second result.) It costs 1500 gp, which she can't afford. She plans to come back with kraken teeth to pay the expense. They head back to the ship. They can see that this is the port where the stolen goods are fenced. Melfine uses Sending to reach out to the Marquis and see about the martial law they heard about from the shopkeeper. They are aware of it and are saving those they can, but others have been captured. They say that it is safe for us to come back. Hide any holy symbols, this is the work of Temple Zitz and several council members. There is an opposition movement in the city, including the Ashforge estate. Melfine summons us all to her cabin. She and Marda fill us in on the martial law and the hunt for the Undertow. Melfine reaches back out with Sending again to see which council members are to be trusted, and who has to hide their holy symbols. The Marquis says I'm fine and the followers of Daja are too, so Druss is good. Problem council members: Lavender, Gariton, Leslie and... (out of words). Ael Stoneskin (Goliath woman) is the leader of the Temple Zitz (Fort Ropucha). I know when the city was originally erected, there was an issue with it being built around Lady Constance, so they agreed there will be a different prime deity for each city. The Zitz people were unhappy that the crown jewel city was centered around the bureaucracy-centric Lady Constance. The city doesn't have forced conscription, and treats their people well. Each church has their own type of force that they train in. TL,DR: Zitz is enacting a coup here to take control of the city from the bureaucrats. Then, Melfine tells us about wanting to buy the Bib. Everyone lets her use the group fund to pay for the Bib, and I extract an agreement for Melfine to be nicer to me.
 
Day 10: Lily rolls a 5 - a normal day of sailing goes by. At night, PER check (12) - fail. Melfine gets a visit from her sister, who criticizes her choices. She's not asleep now, and feels the weight of the woman's arm around her shoulders. The sister is mad about being abandoned when Melfine fled the contract at her first chance. The sister has been waiting for Melfine to come back to Hell. Their mother (Solvene?) did some divine intervention to get Melfine out of the contract. Melfine offers to try to fix this, asking for her help. The sister wants her old job as an avenging angel back, and really doesn't like humans. The sister reveals that their mother set her to be Melfine's guardian. Then they discuss coming to some accord outside of the arrangement from their mother. The sister also mentions the trouble in the city, contracts being made, their other siblings watching eagerly. Then she departs. Druss and I notice the movement of the sister departing, seeing her disappear into the night sky.
 
Day 11: I roll a 14 - a nice day of sailing, and we come upon an ancient shipwreck around midday. We opt to explore the shipwreck. Melfine SUR (22) - pass. We dock a rowboat and Druss INV (24), seeing within the ship under the waterline, that there is probably a porthole we could get through. We ask the wraith to scout the inside for us, PER (9). It looks murky but unoccupied. It is very old, and was once well-made. ARC (15) - there is a rune at the far end of the ship. It is a type of magic she is familiar with, abjuration. Spelen radios back to Melfine about the rune; Marda heads down to the site. As Helen approaches the rune, nothing happens. INT (16) - protection runes are usually around valuable things. She is a spirit and passes through the walls into a room, with no light. Marda swims towards the wall, and the rune lights up, 4 points of shocking damage. She then heads back up top. Back to Helen - the room is full of stack of ruined papers, vials and containers, piles of platinum, and a beautiful armor set of full plate and helmet. Helen heads back to Spike, and they go back up too. With their info, we know it to be a Glyph of Warding, so I Dispel Magic on the glyph. Then the ship jolts. We still have to get through the wall. Marda and Rorin are INV to find another way into the room. They don't see an opening that we can use. They head back to the wall and try to smash their way into the room. Druss uses some crazy flaming balls (Flame Sphere) to burn through the top of the deck and makes it into the room. Marda heads towards the chest and tries to drag it up, with help from Rorin. Then she goes for the armor. She hears a voice in her head about being a strong warrior. She is compelled to take up the armor and it urges her to wear it. Rorin grabs a bunch of platinum pieces. He brings up a scoop and goes back down. Next he sees a handle, and pulls it out to find a massive morningstar. He passes it up to us in the boat. After hearing about the books, Melfine goes down and Rorin comes back up. Melfine finds a sealed spell scroll and a book that repels water. Marda is acting weird and I use ARC to see if I know enough to use remove curse (18). Meanwhile, she and Rorin struggle over a gauntlet and he gets shocked. I Remove Curse on the armor, breaking the link, and she comes back to herself. Marda, Melfine, and Rorin all work to get her out of it as fast as possible. The armor left her with acid-like burns. I ritual cast Detect Magic and learn: the armor is Elemental magic (evocation), platinum (illusion), the chest (abjuration) and inside is (necromancy), the scroll (elemental), and the book (abjuration - indestructible wizard's book). The morningstar is faintly magical without a school (+1 weapon). I Dispel Magic on the illusion, and the platinum is actually copper. Then I Dispel Magic on the chest's abjuration protection, opening it to reveal another book, blue with a gold filigree and a Vitruvian Man crest on the front. We head back to the ship and end the day.
 
END SESSION
Current Stats: INSP, hp 75/75