GoS Session 13: Promises Report

General Summary

Last time we left our heroes, they had dismantled Sanbalet's smuggling ring. As the Sea Ghost burned, a ship came from Saltmarsh to investigate. As it drifted into the cove, several small rowboats disembarked from the Valiant and started the search for survivors.

Our heroes changed their course and headed for the closest of them. They introduced themselves to the crew of the ship, and William explained that they were working under the contract of the Town Guard. This explanation pacified the sailors, who returned to their vessel.

Turning their boat, the party once again returned to the tunnels under the decrepit mansion. Shiloh took a minute to rifle through the belongings of the prisoners and found a pouch with gold, a magical ring, and an enchanted amulet. He asked William to identify these items and found them to be a ring which aided a wearers ability to swim and an amulet which would allow the wearer to heal wounds through the consumption of alcohol. They instructed the Guthrie, and Toby to guard the prisoners while they slept. In the early hours of the morning, the arrival of a relief force of town guard roused Shiloh from their meditation. After a short breakfast, the heroes left the tunnels once more, their destination Saltmarsh. Arriving in Saltmarsh, the prisoners whisked away; and the heroes asked to return to speak to Eliander at midday. William tracked down the new owner of the mansion, Benjamin, in an attempt to earn money for dealing with the smugglers. Unfortunately, the ruse failed, with Benjamin seeing through it. During their meeting, Eliander revealed that the captain of the Sea Ghost was a wanted man, as such they would receive the reward for his capture. This brought the haul for the venture to one thousand gold pieces. Sensing the opportunity to make extra coin; William and Shiloh offered Eliander information about a member of the town council involved in another smuggling operation. Elainder suggested that withholding of such information could be considered interfering with an investigation causing Theseus to panic. Eventually, the duo was able to secure payment of one hundred gold for the information. They left, hoping that it would be enough for Eliander to keep an eye on Gellan Primewater. Theseus reminded the trio of their commitment to the priest Brice. They would return to Freetown to help him. They spent their last night in the Wicker Goat and set off early the next morning. The journey to Freetown would take approximately six days. The road would head north, and eventually would pass over an area of hills, before arriving at the small village of Marketbank and then over the River Vichi to the sprawling mass of Freetown itself. The first few days were easy going. Then on the third day, as they approached the foothills, the weather took a turn for the worse. Dark clouds lingered overhead, the distant crack of thunder run out in the night. It was close to the end of the third day that Shiloh noticed the sizeable winged creature took to the sky. Sensing that whatever form in the air was not friendly, Shiloh called for the rest of the group to make for the small hollow beyond. With the rain beating off the ground, the moan of the wind, and the peel of thunder, William heard little of Shiloh's warning. He did become aware of something amiss, then the burning sensation of electricity rippled through his body.

The young blue dragon swept down on its prey and send a bolt of electricity rippling through the group. The group ran faster, Hekate nocking an arrow and letting fly at the creature. Sensing that he was in danger, William cast a spell that rendered half of the party invisible, and they all ran towards a small cave entrance in the hollow. The subsequent confrontation with the dragon was brutally short. Both sides took heavy wounds before the heroes succeed in driving the creature off. Heading further into the tunnel, the group rested a short while. Before long, it became apparent that there was a small crack at the back of the tunnel. William and Theseus slipped through it, into a small, naturally formed earthen chamber. The chamber was home to a long-dead skeleton, an old shovel in its hands and a small pile of dirt in the group. A search of the remains found the skeleton's belongings destroyed by mould. William did find a couple of coins minted over a hundred years ago. Theseus dug into the ground and found a small airtight metallic box. He handed it to William who deftly opened the box, only to trigger the poisoned gas trap inside. Coughing and spluttering they left the small enclosed space and discovered two magical potions within.