Episode 49: One Rune to Change All
General Summary
After meeting up with Reylan the following morning, the entire party- including Captain Solanos and even Artemis- reconvened at the Bard's College before breakfast, reviewing most of what Reylan had found in regard to port cities and their destination.
After taking a couple more days to gather supplies and settle affairs in Batun, the group set sail on the Blue Falcon accompanied by three more crewmates hired by Solanos to help them on the journey, two women- Ecks and Devona (?)- and a young teenage drow boy by the name of Chase- quickly called Chums by Solanos a day or so into the journey.
While the first day of travel was a bit uneventful, the group instead decided to sea watch and observe each other, with everyone seemingly noticing Alexander sketching on the side. Having seen another sketcher, Nyx retrieved Reylan's extra writing kit and dropped it off with the leonin, giving a supportive chirp before continuing to sea watch.
While the next day of travel started simply, Reylan and a couple of others seemed to notice a reef jutting out over the surf in the distance as if this reef shelf had been raised from further below the surface. Scouting ahead as the Falcon slowed its pace, Nyx took in a rather grisly sight seeing humanoids battling what looked to be corrupted merfolk. As he rushed back, telepathing his vision, Reylan reviewed with the others deducing that the beings were merrow.
As the group decided to help and send a smaller party to assist and rescue while the rest guarded the ship, Solanos sailed as close as he could with Reylan enchanting herself, Tetran, and Alex with waterwalk as they took to the rowboat. Speeding up travel to get off the water as soon as possible, Alex took hold of the boat and ran at full speed, able to reach the reef in ten minutes before to launch an attack on the merrow.
In abyssal, one of the merrow- a caster- warned the trio away stating that the "offerings" were theirs, but Alex charged straight ahead cutting through the closest to the group. While spells and blows were exchanged, the trio were not quick enough to save one of the stranded sailors from being pulled into the depths and another from being killed by the caster.
Interrogating the lone survivor, a sailor by the name of "Jolly", the three learned that a female captain by the name of Price had abandoned them in the dilapidated ship remains- not long after hiring them at the port city of Prin in Barisea- leaving them with nothing but rusted blades and a crossbow with ten bolts.
As the trio searched the area, both Tetran and Reylan detected transmutation on Jolly's back and though they could not investigate it immediately, they decided to do so on the ship. After returning and once Jolly (whose real name he admitted was Jordan) related his tale to Solanos, both Tetran and Reylan went below deck to investigate the rune carved into the sailor's lower back. As the two studied it, Tetran realized that the markings went deeper beneath the epidermal surface. Performing a minor surgery with Reylan's help, the two discovered something rather unnerving: magically inscribed eldritch markings that seemed to form an incomplete rune with a transmutation purpose. Uncomfortable and determined to see this undone, Reylan dispelled the faint transmutation magic and used Lesser Restoration to undo some of the magical scars to ensure that the rune could not be simply reactivated and used. Meanwhile, out on the deck, Solanos had handed out rope to the crew and had them tie themselves to the railings stating that merrow were known to return for vengeance and with "more friends with fins". Between Valentine, Alex, Nyx, Solanos, and Chase on the lookout, it was the teen that called out to Solanos saying that he could see a faint shadow in the water. However, no sooner could the captain warn the boy to step back did a harpoon shoot through the deckhand's shoulder dragging him over the edge and toward the waters. The merrow had found them... Harpoons shot out from the water on either side, missing Willux but managing to strike both Valentine and Solanos before pulling them both overboard-- luckily though, both were still tied to the ship. While suspended, Solanos was able to misty step back aboard the Falcon to cast ice storm on the port side where a giant shark was ramming into the hull and where a caster remained trying to hold a spell on Valentine. Meanwhile, on the starboard side and equipped with water walk, Alexander leapt from the deck engaging the closest merrow and making quick work of it before he headed to the stern of the ship-- suddenly seeing two hunter sharks fighting each other with one merrow taking a stab at one. Below deck, the rest of the crew were taken by surprise, with only Tetran and Reylan relayed information of the skirmish by Nyx who took to the air in order to act as a watchtower. Tetran, Gideon, and Vasya were able to rush onto deck to join the fight while Reylan decided to take out the merrow sternside keeping it from flanking and rejoining the the others. However, before anyone else could attack, the caster decided to retreat and take Solanos, harpooning and pulling him off the side, the giant shark biting up to wrench him from the lifeline and take the captain with them.
Alerted mentally by a panicked Nyx, Reylan from beneath the deck cast a spell she had learned from Ghestin: Enhance Familiar. Outside, the party watched as a large black dragon, the same coloring of Nyx with glowing eyes and a constellation of lights on his chest, swooped down and into the fray. While Solanos was able to break free of the shark and finish off a merrow grunt that had stayed behind, Nyx swooped down and made a grab for him saving him from a dive into the waters. Not about to let the savage attackers get away easily, Vasya took aim at the retreating giant shark that had nearly destroyed the ship and taken her instructor shooting twice at its shadow beneath the surf, her bracers of archery glowing as she fired. It took just a moment after her arrows flew for a large form to float to the surface unmoving. Sternside, as Alex charged in ready to attack the merrow, he watched as one of the hunter sharks suddenly shapeshifted back into the form of the teenage drow that had gone over the edge. As the boy reached out for help, he disappeared, dragged beneath the waves as the merrow dove down in retreat. Switching targets quickly, Alex swiped at the remaining hunter shark able to avoid jagged teeth before sinking his sword into it. However, no sooner had he dispatched the shark did Alex see Solanos full on dive past him and into the water to retrieve Chase having misty stepped from Nyx's grip to the edge of the stern. As all of the others rushed to the sternside trying to assist, Tetran and Reylan both jumped off to save whoever had been pulled down. Valentine quickly shot a rope arrow into the water a ways away from the shadow of the pair allowing for a way to be pulled back to the ship while Reylan used her spiritual sword to break the harpoon line allowing both Solanos and the boy to be retrieved by the large Nyx and brought back to the deck. Reylan was able to take Valentine's line to keep moving behind the ship along with Tetran eventually being retrieved by Nyx while Alex was able to climb up the side. Over the course of the next six days, as injuries/scars were tended to and amongst other things, the party eventually found themselves at the end of the intercoastal and a couple miles off from a blockade surrounding the independent city-state of East Harbor. Learning from Donny Two Coins, via Sending, that the city hadn't paid their taxes and from Solanos that the mercenaries that surrounded the city (the Orphans of the Siren) were intending to cause the people to riot against the magistrate, the group decided to sail in the opposite direction to the Barisean side of the waters and gather supplies at the fortress city of Prin. Using Sending to inform Lady Barrow of their arrival the night before, Reylan was able to secure them safe passage and an audience with the city's captain of the guard Marcus Blackraven- who was revealed to be the brother of Mara (an acolyte that Gideon, Vasya, and Reylan had met the night of the reaver attack)- to whom Rey revealed their intent to fight the rifts and that they were currently assisting a besieged Unified Realm. Though Reylan offered their services, citing their assistance in a previous battle, the captain instead suggested that they look to the notice boards if they wanted to help around the city during their stay. As the crew of the Falcon set to resupplying, Alex, Tetran, and Reylan looked through the notice board as suggested and happened to observe that there were a great deal of 'Missing Persons' cases. Uneasy and a bit unnerved by this, Reylan bought three copies of the city's map and with the help of the other two marked off places where people had gone missing. As the three tried to work out if there was a pattern, Alex started connecting the dots with Tetran making an offhand comment.
Recalling the mark he had seen only days before, Tetran redrew the transmutation rune albeit incomplete on his map and was able to pinpoint roughly where points were needed in order to complete said rune. Realizing where they were, Reylan froze. The last time the group was in Barisea, they had encountered reavers that had dragged away still living but injured fighters and bodies from the front lines of battle. It didn't make sense until the monk Arel had later revealed that he had mystically tracked the ki of some Barisean soldiers on his trail and felt their energy suddenly change into that of something similar to the reavers themselves. Reylan gasped, "Oh gods..."
"They like the hunt."- Price's last words to the abandoned sailors
As the trio searched the area, both Tetran and Reylan detected transmutation on Jolly's back and though they could not investigate it immediately, they decided to do so on the ship. After returning and once Jolly (whose real name he admitted was Jordan) related his tale to Solanos, both Tetran and Reylan went below deck to investigate the rune carved into the sailor's lower back. As the two studied it, Tetran realized that the markings went deeper beneath the epidermal surface. Performing a minor surgery with Reylan's help, the two discovered something rather unnerving: magically inscribed eldritch markings that seemed to form an incomplete rune with a transmutation purpose. Uncomfortable and determined to see this undone, Reylan dispelled the faint transmutation magic and used Lesser Restoration to undo some of the magical scars to ensure that the rune could not be simply reactivated and used. Meanwhile, out on the deck, Solanos had handed out rope to the crew and had them tie themselves to the railings stating that merrow were known to return for vengeance and with "more friends with fins". Between Valentine, Alex, Nyx, Solanos, and Chase on the lookout, it was the teen that called out to Solanos saying that he could see a faint shadow in the water. However, no sooner could the captain warn the boy to step back did a harpoon shoot through the deckhand's shoulder dragging him over the edge and toward the waters. The merrow had found them... Harpoons shot out from the water on either side, missing Willux but managing to strike both Valentine and Solanos before pulling them both overboard-- luckily though, both were still tied to the ship. While suspended, Solanos was able to misty step back aboard the Falcon to cast ice storm on the port side where a giant shark was ramming into the hull and where a caster remained trying to hold a spell on Valentine. Meanwhile, on the starboard side and equipped with water walk, Alexander leapt from the deck engaging the closest merrow and making quick work of it before he headed to the stern of the ship-- suddenly seeing two hunter sharks fighting each other with one merrow taking a stab at one. Below deck, the rest of the crew were taken by surprise, with only Tetran and Reylan relayed information of the skirmish by Nyx who took to the air in order to act as a watchtower. Tetran, Gideon, and Vasya were able to rush onto deck to join the fight while Reylan decided to take out the merrow sternside keeping it from flanking and rejoining the the others. However, before anyone else could attack, the caster decided to retreat and take Solanos, harpooning and pulling him off the side, the giant shark biting up to wrench him from the lifeline and take the captain with them.
"We have our offering, we'll come back for the rest."- Merrow Caster (in Abyssal)
Alerted mentally by a panicked Nyx, Reylan from beneath the deck cast a spell she had learned from Ghestin: Enhance Familiar. Outside, the party watched as a large black dragon, the same coloring of Nyx with glowing eyes and a constellation of lights on his chest, swooped down and into the fray. While Solanos was able to break free of the shark and finish off a merrow grunt that had stayed behind, Nyx swooped down and made a grab for him saving him from a dive into the waters. Not about to let the savage attackers get away easily, Vasya took aim at the retreating giant shark that had nearly destroyed the ship and taken her instructor shooting twice at its shadow beneath the surf, her bracers of archery glowing as she fired. It took just a moment after her arrows flew for a large form to float to the surface unmoving. Sternside, as Alex charged in ready to attack the merrow, he watched as one of the hunter sharks suddenly shapeshifted back into the form of the teenage drow that had gone over the edge. As the boy reached out for help, he disappeared, dragged beneath the waves as the merrow dove down in retreat. Switching targets quickly, Alex swiped at the remaining hunter shark able to avoid jagged teeth before sinking his sword into it. However, no sooner had he dispatched the shark did Alex see Solanos full on dive past him and into the water to retrieve Chase having misty stepped from Nyx's grip to the edge of the stern. As all of the others rushed to the sternside trying to assist, Tetran and Reylan both jumped off to save whoever had been pulled down. Valentine quickly shot a rope arrow into the water a ways away from the shadow of the pair allowing for a way to be pulled back to the ship while Reylan used her spiritual sword to break the harpoon line allowing both Solanos and the boy to be retrieved by the large Nyx and brought back to the deck. Reylan was able to take Valentine's line to keep moving behind the ship along with Tetran eventually being retrieved by Nyx while Alex was able to climb up the side. Over the course of the next six days, as injuries/scars were tended to and amongst other things, the party eventually found themselves at the end of the intercoastal and a couple miles off from a blockade surrounding the independent city-state of East Harbor. Learning from Donny Two Coins, via Sending, that the city hadn't paid their taxes and from Solanos that the mercenaries that surrounded the city (the Orphans of the Siren) were intending to cause the people to riot against the magistrate, the group decided to sail in the opposite direction to the Barisean side of the waters and gather supplies at the fortress city of Prin. Using Sending to inform Lady Barrow of their arrival the night before, Reylan was able to secure them safe passage and an audience with the city's captain of the guard Marcus Blackraven- who was revealed to be the brother of Mara (an acolyte that Gideon, Vasya, and Reylan had met the night of the reaver attack)- to whom Rey revealed their intent to fight the rifts and that they were currently assisting a besieged Unified Realm. Though Reylan offered their services, citing their assistance in a previous battle, the captain instead suggested that they look to the notice boards if they wanted to help around the city during their stay. As the crew of the Falcon set to resupplying, Alex, Tetran, and Reylan looked through the notice board as suggested and happened to observe that there were a great deal of 'Missing Persons' cases. Uneasy and a bit unnerved by this, Reylan bought three copies of the city's map and with the help of the other two marked off places where people had gone missing. As the three tried to work out if there was a pattern, Alex started connecting the dots with Tetran making an offhand comment.
"No, that's not how you draw the- rune..."- Tetran
Recalling the mark he had seen only days before, Tetran redrew the transmutation rune albeit incomplete on his map and was able to pinpoint roughly where points were needed in order to complete said rune. Realizing where they were, Reylan froze. The last time the group was in Barisea, they had encountered reavers that had dragged away still living but injured fighters and bodies from the front lines of battle. It didn't make sense until the monk Arel had later revealed that he had mystically tracked the ki of some Barisean soldiers on his trail and felt their energy suddenly change into that of something similar to the reavers themselves. Reylan gasped, "Oh gods..."
Character(s) interacted with
⦿ Jordan aka "Jolly"
⦿ Chase
⦿ Captain Marcus Blackraven
⦿ Chase
⦿ Captain Marcus Blackraven
Created Content
Notes
⦿ Accompanying the group is Tetran's warhorse, Lightning (Blossom), and Alex's draft horse, Jeff.
⦿ Though Alex was witness to Chase's Wild Shape, the leonin is not entirely sure as to what magic it is. As Nyx was a watchtower, he saw two sharks and no boy but Reylan was witness to the merrow attacking one of the sharks and was able to piece two and two together.
⦿ Upon meeting Marcus, it is revealed that Mara's family name could be Blackraven.
Report Date
28 Nov 2020
Reylan's Research Notes
Alexander's Sketches
by Nespher
by Nespher
by Nespher
by Nespher
Session 49 Stats
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