GoS Session 27: Missing Parts Report

General Summary

Moonday 12th Redfall 619 PR Last we left our heroes they had travelled back to Saltmarsh, returning to the town council with news of the Lizardfolk's plans. In the early evening William separated from the party only to be attacked by Godry who proved to be some sort of shapeshifter. The following is told from William's point of view.

Your eyes roll in your head, and you feel the floor rising to meet you. As you collide with the ground, it feels as though you plummet through it, into deep water. Your unconsciousness is plagued by primal terror. Half-formed shapes lunging at you in the dark, their twisted claws cutting deep into your flesh.
As your consciousness fades, you hear a cruel, harsh voice, etched with hatred.
“You’re lucky. She wants you alive.”
——
Slowly your eyes open, and the world around you comes into focus. Your first impression is of the pounding headache; it feels as though someone is beating against your skull with a hammer. You groan, pulling yourself into a sitting position, the chill of night surrounding you.
As you sit on the cold ground, you take in your surroundings. The dark copse of trees barely illuminated by the moon. In the pale light, you examine the pain in your body. You touch the crown on your head and notice it slick. Panicking you pull, your hand back to look at the liquid on your fingers, to find a mixture of blood and hair. Returning your fingers to your head you feel around, noticing a significant amount of hair missing, pulled by the root.
The fear building you examine where else the pain radiates from. You cast your eyes over the fingers on your right hand and are horrified to notice the nails missing. Exploring the pain radiating from your jaw reveals three molars missing. Furthermore, you see the poorly bandaged incision on your left forearm, the blood still slowly dribbling out. As small smashed clay bowl lies next to you, a small quantity of your blood still clinging to the bottom.
You can’t put your finger on why, but terror grips you.

Picking up the fragments of the clay bowl, William ran for his life; the bright lights of Saltmarsh his destination. As he ran, he threw a couple of small bolts of flame into the sky, providing a signal to the rest of his party. While Godry captured William, Shiloh and Theseus where dining. As time passed, they became suspicious that their friend had not returned. Eventually, the duo headed out in search of William. Their first point of call was Keledek's Tower. They found the note that William had left from Keledek and reasoned that the young wizard must have called on the Magister and found him not at home. As they returned down the buff upon which the Tower lay, Shiloh noticed the small bolts of illumination burning into the sky. Fearing that their companion was in trouble the pair ran towards the source of the light. Shiloh arrived at the battered form of William first. Casting a quick eye over him, they suggested moving to the The Wicker Goat. Theseus arrived shortly after Shiloh, and noticing Williams various wounds, magically healed them. Despite the healing, William remained physically exhausted. After arriving at the Wicker Goat, the group headed to their room, and William explained what happened to him. Theseus immediately sent a magical message to Eliander informing the councillor that the shapeshifter was still in the area and had been impersonating him. After hearing the group's predicament, Eliander sent two guards to ensure the safety of the party. Towersday 13th Redfall 619 PR As the party woke the next morning, they hashed out a plan to search for Godry. Theseus cast a spell that would allow him to locate an object if it was within one thousand feet of him. He chose the object to be William's missing locks of hair. William cast a spell that followed Theseus to fly. For the next ten minutes, Theseus flew around Saltmarsh, attempting to locate the hair. However, it seemed to be out of the range of the spell. As Theseus returned to the Wicker Goat, he was met by Eliander and a couple of other guards. Eliander had come to check on William, and relieve the guard detail. Taking precautions, Theseus summoned a Zone of Truth and had Eliander and the guards confirm their identity. Eliander explained that the council had been in conference most of the previous night. The council had agreed to send representatives to the Lizardfolk's summit. Eliander had thought to hire the party to escort the delegates, however under current circumstance he understood if the party were to reject his offer. Not wishing to rule out the opportunity, the party agreed to meet the council later in the afternoon to ascertain that none of the Council had been compromised. Before the meeting, the trio headed to the scene of Williams ordeal, hoping to find more information. Shiloh was able to find tracks leading to the north and out of the village. Following them, they crossed a small drystone dyke. On the other side of this wall, there were obvious signs that a horse had been temporarily tied here. Its rider had ridden it North to meet the main road. Realising that Godry had fled the area, the party returned to the town. Theseus magically reached out to Adara, informing her that William's shadow had been taken by a hag. Adara responded that she was currently involved in something that she needed to complete. However, William should try to get his Shadow back. Theseus also informed her that a vampire called Hani'ata had taken an interest in Theseus. Adara suggested the priestly magic may be able to help protect William. Adara thought she remembered the name, but couldn't recall why. Meeting with the town council, Theseus was able to confirm that a shapeshifter had replaced none of them. The council offered the heroes a princely sum of 250 gold pieces each. William suggested that they could take a lower fee if the Town Council were to furnish them with a home. The council agreed, saying that they would look for a suitable building. It was arranged that the heroes would leave after the diplomats, Gellan Primewater, Manistrad Copperlocks and Anders Solmor. They would catch up with the group before them arriving in the Dunwater Mill. As night fell the heroes contacted Old Toby, and reemployed him to row them out to the ruins of the Sea Ghost. In the quiet of the dark, they approached the remains and swam down to them. As they searched, it was apparent that someone had already searched the ship. The primary search revealed two hidden caches. In one, were the weapons bundled up in waxed canvas sheets. In the second alcove was a dead sea elf. Killed in the blast. As Theseus examined the corpse, the bodies eyes snapped open, and the head swivelled to look at the triton.

Rewards Granted

Inspiration

William; Elianders interaction "All want bits of my Soul".
Theseus; contacting Adara and good ideas while attempting to locate Godry.

Missions/Quests Completed

The Unseen Enemy, the party has furthered the relationship between the Town of Saltmarsh and the Lizardfolk. The Forgotten Queen, Godry now has samples of Williams teeth, hair and blood. What does this mean? What evil could be accomplished with them, and what if he was to obtain William's shadow?

Campaign

Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Protagonists