Chapter 10: Homecoming
The party decides to take the offer from Zort & Vort to open the orb containing Scylla Undinia, even though it could risk their relationship with Mabel Mar and the Council of Captains...
The party remove the collars from Zort and Vort that are suppressing their powers and the pair honor their side of the deal, and immediately teleport away once complete. Jacob is able to rouse the freed Speaker of Water, a Triton woman named Scylla, who is initially disoriented. Upon hearing Olati's name Scylla's attention peaks and she swiftly embraces him, surprising Olati and the rest of the group. Scylla reveals that she believes herself to be Olati's biological mother, and had been looking for him and his sister Ursula since they were taken from her 20 years ago. She was unaware that it was The Plank King, Sefton Smithe, who stole them away and after years of fruitless searching, accepted and mourned the loss of her children. The mention of a sister is equally shocking to Olati, but draws a connection to another half-sea elf he is familiar with (but never met) Ursula Trémaux - captain of Les Petits Boulots and The Plank King's right hand on the Council. Scylla deduces that she must be her other taken child, and agrees to help the party with whatever plan they have to reunite the family. Later in the conversation, Scylla outs Amani Moto as the Speaker of Fire - something both her and her aunt Zeva Moto are keeping secret to avoid drawing attention from the Empire - saying "Speakers can sense each other, almost like a subtle feeling of familiarity." Amani unconvincingly agrees, and the party vows to keep her true identity a secret. Over dinner, Scylla and the party discuss a plan to meet with the Plank King under the ruse that she is there to willingly help him. Jacob sends Fox to deliver this message to Captain Mabel. However, after Fox does not return as expected the party goes to investigate. Believing his familiar to have been taken out by the vampirate, the wizard re-summons him and finds that is indeed what happened. At first confused as to why Mabel would attack Fox without notice, they eventually recall the existence of her own familiar - the undead raven, Squabbles - who could have been spying on them and revealed their plan to her. They rush into the cave to find Mabel and the folding-boat they arrived on gone. It would appear that Mabel is on to the party's plan and is en route towards the Plank King to warn him with a significant head start...
The party is able to convince some of the Empire prisoners to assist them in piloting the lone Yonzu ship in the bay, posing as a little known pirate crew 'The Seahorses', and set sail for Freeport - the seat of power of the Plank King and his Council of Captains. Upon arriving, they are overwhelmed by the activity and commerce permitting the pirate town and are torn between exploring the exciting metropolis or focus on the task at hand. That they are not immediately apprehended implies that Mabel has not arrived to deliver her warning yet. Scylla's anxiety is on full display as she wrestles with feelings of doubt and uncertainty around the plan to confront the Plank King, yet she goes along quietly as to not jeopardize her relationship with Olati with undue pressure. The party learns of a tavern, the Rusty Anchor, where council members and high ranking pirates meet and decide to investigate. Rumors and gossip regarding the Plank King will soon formally name Ursula as his heir are being openly circulated around the tavern's many patrons, and the topic seems to be met with favorable opinion. Jacob encounters a group of important looking pirates in Revelry League colors and Juan learns about an underground gambling den, the House of Games. Jacob is able to establish a relationship with the pirates and seed doubt about Mabel's allegiance to the Plank King, convincing them the vampirate captain is scheming for the throne, resulting in them agreeing to schedule an audience with the pirate leader. Jacob then turns his focus to a captivating elven bard, who he learns is Ursula's first mate Malinda Bellerose, and charms her into a personal meeting. Meanwhile, Zocra skulks around outside and is drawn away from the tavern by a seedy figure offering him "many interesting things" and follows him into a dark alley, where he is ambushed by a group of literal murder hobos. The rest of the party notice his absence and rush to his aide, dispatching the frail murder hobos with ease. When they return to the tavern, they find Scylla waiting for them outside. She raises concern that Olati could so thoughtlessly leave her completely unattended in hostile territory, and her anxiety reaches a tipping point. She probes him on the plan, feeling it will not be easy to break the Plank King's hold over Ursula - considering her daughter seems fully ingrained in the identity of being his right hand and heir. Olati's vague and care free reply does not inspire confidence or sate her concern, and so Scylla's mind wanders to a worse case scenario - the reunion turning violent. Olati makes his intentions clear; should Ursula take up arms against him, he will defend himself with any means necessary. Scylla is consumed with sadness at the thought of her children - who she recently discovered are still alive and appallingly raised by a man she despises - being tragically torn from her life yet again under such circumstances. She pleads with him to consider an option, any option, that might put her at ease but Olati is firm in his stance that he will "do what he needs to do." Scylla's gaze turns stern and, for a moment, the Speaker of Water - the fierce matron of the ocean and raging sea made manifest - not his mother, stands before him. The moment quickly passes and Scylla's expression settles into disappointment. She turns to wander off into the torch lit streets of Freeport before concluding with what is to difficult to say while looking into Olati's eyes: "The Plank King raised you well..."
Olati quietly returns to the tavern where Jacob is waiting on Malinda. The wizard briefly chimes in on the situation, expressing how he wished he knew about his own family, but is interrupted when Malinda approaches. Jacob earns her intrigue while the two compare magical abilities, and she invite him to a private "after part" to talk more privately about the dire subject Jacob wishes to alert her to. Juan and Quinby decide to check out the House of Games and are taken aback by the extraordinarily high buy in to play. However, a mysterious dark-skinned Orc with yellow eyes, going by the name Gabriel, offers to pay for Juan, and the minotaur accepts. After having quite a bit of luck at the table, the myserious stranger reveals he has met Juan before - this is the man Juan lost a Minotaur artifact to in fateful wager. Gabriel suggests they make things interesting and he puts the artifact in the pot, asking Juan to put in something of matching value - a no-questions-asked favor. Unable to resist, Juan accepts, and finds again that luck is on his side. Gabriel accepts defeat and passes along the artifact and tells Juan to keep the money he has won this evening. As he goes to leave he whispers "say hello to your friends for me." Meanwhile, Zocra is wandering the cobblestone streets of Freeport when he enounters a begger, but when he leans in to drop some coin the begger grabs him. "I sense great darkness has attached itself to you," he says and harrowingly reveals himself to be one of the last, if not the very last, of the Druidic Circle of the Whispering Wind - the ones who first made a pact with In-C'le in exchange for his powerful cursed weapons. Knowing the fate that awates Zocra, the druid feels responsible to help him and takes him on a drug trip to explore the darkest parts of his heart to decern how Zocra may break this curse. Zocra encounters visions of his lingering guilt, deepest regrets, and greatest fears as he is guided through scenes from his past and possible future. He is shaken by what he sees: becoming a true criminal and the one that is now hunted for bounty, having to accept the fate of his mother and how powerless he was to prevent it, and the paranoia of his trust for his friends and allies turning sour just like before when he trusted his father. But before his thougths can settle he is presented with one final, horrific premonition: surrounded by the arrow-riddled body of his slain comrades, ultimately achieving the power he seeks and as a result the demise of those closest to him by his vary hand. As he mulls over the visions' meaning he gains some insight into what he must do - avoid giving into his lust for power out of fear and learn to trust again, leaning on those he claims to have bonded with. When Zocra regains conciousness, the druid is mysteriously no where to be found. Jacob then summons the party to join him at the location Malinda has invited them to and they all meet up together again. Upon entering the party, Malinda introduces the other officers of Les Petits Boulots and suggests they go mingle while her and Jacob discuss this "dire matter." Quinby and Olati go to watch Master Gunner and explosive expert Mordonna Stormspear mesmerizing fire dancing while Juan goes to measure strength against the imposing and diciplined Quatermaster Akshara Desai and Zocra shoots his shot with Navigator Njoki N’oyogo with surprising success. Malinda listens intently to Jacob's story about Mabel's potential sedition against the Plank King, which is met with a sense of apathy. Malinda is well acquainted with the underhanded ambition of pirates and expects nothing less, even from the vampirate captain. Jacob then sweetens the intrigue by alluding to Ursula's parentage, which does seem to spark Malinda's genuine curiosity and so she agrees to allow them to stay after the party and await Ursula to her him out for herself. However, Jacob catches her in small moments of conspicuous skepticism - tactless giggles and rolling eyes - when he refers to either his status as a pirate of the Seahorse crew or his false name, but does not give any indication whether her playing along with the ruse is anything more than for amusement...
The party talk amongst themselves as they await Captain Ursula’s arrival and decide Olati should make a call to Scylla to see if she has any usual information to provide on her long-lost daughter. After a short wait, Malinda announces Ursula’s entrance with a flamboyant introduction to her crews’ delight and her captain’s chagrin. The bewitching bard then presents Ursula with the party in a sardonic tone, making clear she is no longer playing dumb to the party’s deceptions. Having no more reason to be deceitful, they drop the act and lay out what they know of the current situation. During the exchange, it becomes clear that Ursula is fully aware of the nature of Mabel’s mission and is not surprised by her purported betrayal. What does spark her curiosity in the party’s story is the fact that Mabel recruited them in the first place. As Ursula understands her council peer, the vampirate captain does not need a crew at all to sail her ship and can do so magically, so it is bizarre she would invite mortals on to her ship as something other than food. Jacob claims he believes this might be a part of her plan to usurp the Plank King which would include leveraging the captured Scylla against him, or most likely Ursula. The wizard then lays everything out about Scylla and Olati to which Ursula receives calmly and cautiously. Feeling as though she does not believe him, Jacob conjures an illusion of Ursula as a child in a seaweed dress, playing with dead crabs – the intimate detail Scylla provided to Olati. She remains steadfast in her skepticism – less so on the validity of the claim and more so the agenda behind them – and demands to meet Scylla in person. Scylla is then brought to meet with her and it is clear she is a nervous wreck being reunited with her family after 20 years. Ursula maintains her composure, unwilling to throw away the life she’s built on the words of strangers. She proposes they all meet with the Plank King tomorrow evening and take the credit meant for Mabel in delivering Scylla to him, claiming that the best path towards a "real family reunion” is Scylla’s willingness to do as she says. Everyone agrees to the terms and the party retires for the evening, with Ursula attaching Njoki to their group to keep an eye on them. The next morning, Mordonna arrives to join them on a day trip to The Floating Market since she has business near there. The day is filled with the party, Njoki, and Mordonna carousing the shops and even meeting an absolutely adorable little raccoon merchant peddling trash. Jacob, who hates cute things and loves being a party pooper, spoils the mood by criticizing the resourceful rodent. Knowing his value, and unphased by the sour-puss sorcerer, the raccoon resigns himself to prove his worth to them by setting up a stall in Othard. The outting concludes with a quick stop into an odd looking shop filled with gizmos and do-dads named “Sparkpocket’s Magi-Mechanical Menagerie and Gadgetorium,” where Mordonna is picking up a package she had ordered. The shop’s proprietor, a gnome artificer named Fizzwicket, takes interest in the mechanical arm Quinby is using for his magical focus. He tries to gauge the Kender’s interest in becoming an artificer himself and attempts to entice him further by gifting him with an Arc Spanner – a magical tool used by artificers – and promises to guide him on the journey to becoming an artificer. The sun begins to set on a relatively delightful day in Freeport, now the party must rendezvous with Scylla and Les Petite Boulots to meet with the Plank King at his seat of power - The Citadel of the Sea - still unaware of exactly what his intentions with her are…
The party are escorted through the Citadel of the Sea by Ursula to The Plank King, Sefton Smithe's throne room. He is surprised Olati has dared to return after his exile but even more so that his forsaken son has brought him his quarry, Scylla. He ushers them into the council chambers to discuss the matter, and during the conversation is unexpectedly open about the history of Olati, Ursula, and their mother - which catches Ursula off guard. The Plank King recants the day he took in the children 20 years ago, claiming his intentions where to form an alliance with Scylla to establish complete dominion over the oceans of Encopia. However, Scylla was not present and when her husband's mistrust of the Plank King took hold he was slain in self defense. According to the Plank King, he took pity on the young Olati and Ursula and since he did not know when Scylla would return - and did not want to stick around to face Scylla's wrath after killing her husband - feared the children would perish alone if left alone, so he took them with him. The party is suspicious still as to why he did not return the children after all these years - especially when he chose to exile Olati - or at least attempt to use them as leverage against Scylla, to which he simply replies he became "sentimental." Scylla is unable to contain her contempt any further and uses all the water in the room to create daggers and point them at the Plank King. Jacob attempts to calm her down, but amidst the chaos is unable to notice one of the pirate guards shackle Scylla with a magic-dampening collar - similar to the ones used on Vort and Zort - nullifying her abilities. The Plank King then turns his men on the party to afford him time to escape back into the throne room with Scylla. Ursula follows, assuring the party she did not expect this from her adoptive father and will get answers. However, as the Plank King goes to leave, he instructs the shadowy man that accompanied the them into the room to "take care of his guest." The figure reveals himself as Reid 'Goldjaw' Gibbs and engages the party in combat with powerful dark magic and skeleton minions. The party is able to defeat him, but find that the door leading back the throne room is magically sealed and now must find another way to come to Scylla's rescue...
Following the battle, Zocra is incapacitated by a mysterious force. Pressed for time the party hide their unconscious party member and begin to fight their way through the Citadel of the Sea, cutting a path through pirate guards in their path to the throne room. Nearing fatigue, they happen upon the fortress's kitchen, where a sincere and talented dwarf chef, Kukee, who is either unaware or uncaring of their the party's allegiance offers them a revitalizing meal. Jacob invites him to setup his kitchen in Othard, which entices the dwarf but he could never leave his position as the Plank King's personal chef "so long as the salty bastard draws breath." They proceed towards the throne room's entry chamber where they are surprised to see Ursula, accompanied by her officers, waiting for them. It would seem in the small time they left her with the Plank King, her attitude has changed and she stands firmly loyal to him yet again. Tension rises as it becomes clear that she is unwilling to back down and briefly before the inevitable fight ensues, Ursula shows behavior that something is not quite right. The heated battle challenges the endurance of both sides, finding that their strengths to be closely matched. However, Ursula continues to exhibit bizarre twitches as the combat grows more heated. The party suddenly realizes where they has seen such strange movements before: in the Minotaur tomb that had been home to dwarves infested with some sort of mind-parasite. The party is able to subdue Ursula and Jacob threatens the pirate crew's captain as a ploy for them to lay down their arms. The good faith they have built with them thus far affords an uneasy truce as they attend to their fallen captain. The party inquires if they have noticed Ursula's strange behavior, Malinda does bring up that her captain had been acting "uncharacteristically distant and single-focused" when she ordered them to help protect the Citadel, so far as to recall that when they arrived Ursula "avoided looking the crew in the eyes, which is unbecoming of her." Malinda tends to Ursula's wounds as Jacob investigates her body for any sign as to what could be ailing her. Suddenly, Ursula snaps to consciousness. Her eyes, usually sharp and full of tenacious fire, glaze over with an eerie vacant look, her normally confident smirk absent and replaced with a blank expression. She rises abruptly and inhumanly, her shoulders slumped forward and arms dangling at her sides like a marionette whose strings have been dropped. Her voice, which once commanded respect and exuded the confidence of a seasoned captain, comes out strained and distant, as if she is submerged underwater. As her words stumble, disjointed and unfamiliar, it becomes painfully apparent that something is horribly wrong. Mordonna reaches towards her captain to check on her but is knocked away and flung through the air when Ursula effortlessly shoves her off. Ursula then grabs her first mate's head in her hands and begins to squeeze, Malinda screams out in pain, terror, and confusion. Juan and Akshara leap into action and with their shared colossal strength are able to wrestle Malinda free from Ursula's grasp and knock her unconscious yet again. The crew of Les Petit Belout are no longer in doubts that there isn't something more at play, and whatever it is threatens the life of their beloved captain. Malinda is able to compose herself enough to make a plea to the party to find out what is going on and save Ursula. Before taking Ursula to safety away from the Citadel, Melinda plays a magical bardic song to revitalize the heroes for their fight with the Plank King.
The Band of Bastards charge bravely into the throne room of the Plank King, engaging in a fierce battle. Olati managed a grievous blow against his adoptive father, forcing him to retreat into his private quarters. Upon following, they found nothing but an empty chamber, but a quick investigation revealed the Plank King's personal journal. Within these frantic scribblings, the party discovered his descent into madness, catalyzed by an ancient entity found deep beneath the waves. His words became more deranged, culminating in a chilling mentioning of a monstrous, tentacled horror from the deep. It's eldritch whispers demanded a Speaker be brought to it, and the Plank King knew just the quarry. In a surprising turn, they found a trap door leading to a subterranean chamber below the Citadel. There they beheld an alarming sight: the wounded Plank King, a captive Scylla, and the nightmarish entity from the journal. During the Plank King's unhinged monologue espousing the grandeur of the cosmos shown to him in visions by the being, it impales him with a tentacle, transmuting his form into something monstrous. A fierce battle ensued. Although the party triumphed over the mutated king, they found themselves unable to harm the horror due to an impenetrable psychic barrier. They teetered on the brink of death, psychic energy ravaging their minds, yet they persevered, rescuing Scylla and collapsing the chamber, burying the horror in rubble as they narrowly escaped. Returning to the throne room, they found Mabel Mar nonchalantly seated upon the throne with her feet perched upon the newly risen vampire spawn of Reid 'Goldjaw' Gibbs. She thanks the party for the entertainment, admitting she had hoped the Plank King would overstep when he requested she kidnap and deliver him a powerful Speaker, sealing his own doom. Apparently, Mabel has no true allegiance other than to herself; boredom frequently plagues her over her many centuries of undeath and finds meddling in the affairs of ambitious mortals an amusing diversion. With a smug grin and allusions to her next distraction - the Yonzu Empire - she disappeared into the darkness with her new first mate. Rejoining with the Les Petits Boulots crew, the party found Captain Ursula recovered from her ailment - a parasitic affliction linked to the eldritch horror, similar to the one they had discovered in the tomb of Tyrus Clovehoof. Scylla awakens and recants the nightmares she was shown while in captivity: that this entity is legion and their grand plan to assimilate Speakers in hopes of contacting a Sage for purposes unknown. With the Plank King vanquished and the Flotsam Throne empty, Ursula steps up to be appointed the new leader of Freeport and the Council of Captains, vowing to come to the party's aide against the Empire when called upon. Scylla returns to her duties as Speaker and to investigate further into what these ancient entities have in store for the Sages. After a few days rest, the party bid farewell and setoff to return to Othard. However, as they arrived at the docks, they found Jarl Rumdur being hassled by mercenaries from the Black Bear Company, claiming to be on the hunt for a Kender...
Session 35: Day 58-59
2/26/2022-2/27/2022The party remove the collars from Zort and Vort that are suppressing their powers and the pair honor their side of the deal, and immediately teleport away once complete. Jacob is able to rouse the freed Speaker of Water, a Triton woman named Scylla, who is initially disoriented. Upon hearing Olati's name Scylla's attention peaks and she swiftly embraces him, surprising Olati and the rest of the group. Scylla reveals that she believes herself to be Olati's biological mother, and had been looking for him and his sister Ursula since they were taken from her 20 years ago. She was unaware that it was The Plank King, Sefton Smithe, who stole them away and after years of fruitless searching, accepted and mourned the loss of her children. The mention of a sister is equally shocking to Olati, but draws a connection to another half-sea elf he is familiar with (but never met) Ursula Trémaux - captain of Les Petits Boulots and The Plank King's right hand on the Council. Scylla deduces that she must be her other taken child, and agrees to help the party with whatever plan they have to reunite the family. Later in the conversation, Scylla outs Amani Moto as the Speaker of Fire - something both her and her aunt Zeva Moto are keeping secret to avoid drawing attention from the Empire - saying "Speakers can sense each other, almost like a subtle feeling of familiarity." Amani unconvincingly agrees, and the party vows to keep her true identity a secret. Over dinner, Scylla and the party discuss a plan to meet with the Plank King under the ruse that she is there to willingly help him. Jacob sends Fox to deliver this message to Captain Mabel. However, after Fox does not return as expected the party goes to investigate. Believing his familiar to have been taken out by the vampirate, the wizard re-summons him and finds that is indeed what happened. At first confused as to why Mabel would attack Fox without notice, they eventually recall the existence of her own familiar - the undead raven, Squabbles - who could have been spying on them and revealed their plan to her. They rush into the cave to find Mabel and the folding-boat they arrived on gone. It would appear that Mabel is on to the party's plan and is en route towards the Plank King to warn him with a significant head start...
Session 36: Day 59-62
2/27/2022-3/2/2022The party is able to convince some of the Empire prisoners to assist them in piloting the lone Yonzu ship in the bay, posing as a little known pirate crew 'The Seahorses', and set sail for Freeport - the seat of power of the Plank King and his Council of Captains. Upon arriving, they are overwhelmed by the activity and commerce permitting the pirate town and are torn between exploring the exciting metropolis or focus on the task at hand. That they are not immediately apprehended implies that Mabel has not arrived to deliver her warning yet. Scylla's anxiety is on full display as she wrestles with feelings of doubt and uncertainty around the plan to confront the Plank King, yet she goes along quietly as to not jeopardize her relationship with Olati with undue pressure. The party learns of a tavern, the Rusty Anchor, where council members and high ranking pirates meet and decide to investigate. Rumors and gossip regarding the Plank King will soon formally name Ursula as his heir are being openly circulated around the tavern's many patrons, and the topic seems to be met with favorable opinion. Jacob encounters a group of important looking pirates in Revelry League colors and Juan learns about an underground gambling den, the House of Games. Jacob is able to establish a relationship with the pirates and seed doubt about Mabel's allegiance to the Plank King, convincing them the vampirate captain is scheming for the throne, resulting in them agreeing to schedule an audience with the pirate leader. Jacob then turns his focus to a captivating elven bard, who he learns is Ursula's first mate Malinda Bellerose, and charms her into a personal meeting. Meanwhile, Zocra skulks around outside and is drawn away from the tavern by a seedy figure offering him "many interesting things" and follows him into a dark alley, where he is ambushed by a group of literal murder hobos. The rest of the party notice his absence and rush to his aide, dispatching the frail murder hobos with ease. When they return to the tavern, they find Scylla waiting for them outside. She raises concern that Olati could so thoughtlessly leave her completely unattended in hostile territory, and her anxiety reaches a tipping point. She probes him on the plan, feeling it will not be easy to break the Plank King's hold over Ursula - considering her daughter seems fully ingrained in the identity of being his right hand and heir. Olati's vague and care free reply does not inspire confidence or sate her concern, and so Scylla's mind wanders to a worse case scenario - the reunion turning violent. Olati makes his intentions clear; should Ursula take up arms against him, he will defend himself with any means necessary. Scylla is consumed with sadness at the thought of her children - who she recently discovered are still alive and appallingly raised by a man she despises - being tragically torn from her life yet again under such circumstances. She pleads with him to consider an option, any option, that might put her at ease but Olati is firm in his stance that he will "do what he needs to do." Scylla's gaze turns stern and, for a moment, the Speaker of Water - the fierce matron of the ocean and raging sea made manifest - not his mother, stands before him. The moment quickly passes and Scylla's expression settles into disappointment. She turns to wander off into the torch lit streets of Freeport before concluding with what is to difficult to say while looking into Olati's eyes: "The Plank King raised you well..."
Session 37: Day 62
3/2/2022Olati quietly returns to the tavern where Jacob is waiting on Malinda. The wizard briefly chimes in on the situation, expressing how he wished he knew about his own family, but is interrupted when Malinda approaches. Jacob earns her intrigue while the two compare magical abilities, and she invite him to a private "after part" to talk more privately about the dire subject Jacob wishes to alert her to. Juan and Quinby decide to check out the House of Games and are taken aback by the extraordinarily high buy in to play. However, a mysterious dark-skinned Orc with yellow eyes, going by the name Gabriel, offers to pay for Juan, and the minotaur accepts. After having quite a bit of luck at the table, the myserious stranger reveals he has met Juan before - this is the man Juan lost a Minotaur artifact to in fateful wager. Gabriel suggests they make things interesting and he puts the artifact in the pot, asking Juan to put in something of matching value - a no-questions-asked favor. Unable to resist, Juan accepts, and finds again that luck is on his side. Gabriel accepts defeat and passes along the artifact and tells Juan to keep the money he has won this evening. As he goes to leave he whispers "say hello to your friends for me." Meanwhile, Zocra is wandering the cobblestone streets of Freeport when he enounters a begger, but when he leans in to drop some coin the begger grabs him. "I sense great darkness has attached itself to you," he says and harrowingly reveals himself to be one of the last, if not the very last, of the Druidic Circle of the Whispering Wind - the ones who first made a pact with In-C'le in exchange for his powerful cursed weapons. Knowing the fate that awates Zocra, the druid feels responsible to help him and takes him on a drug trip to explore the darkest parts of his heart to decern how Zocra may break this curse. Zocra encounters visions of his lingering guilt, deepest regrets, and greatest fears as he is guided through scenes from his past and possible future. He is shaken by what he sees: becoming a true criminal and the one that is now hunted for bounty, having to accept the fate of his mother and how powerless he was to prevent it, and the paranoia of his trust for his friends and allies turning sour just like before when he trusted his father. But before his thougths can settle he is presented with one final, horrific premonition: surrounded by the arrow-riddled body of his slain comrades, ultimately achieving the power he seeks and as a result the demise of those closest to him by his vary hand. As he mulls over the visions' meaning he gains some insight into what he must do - avoid giving into his lust for power out of fear and learn to trust again, leaning on those he claims to have bonded with. When Zocra regains conciousness, the druid is mysteriously no where to be found. Jacob then summons the party to join him at the location Malinda has invited them to and they all meet up together again. Upon entering the party, Malinda introduces the other officers of Les Petits Boulots and suggests they go mingle while her and Jacob discuss this "dire matter." Quinby and Olati go to watch Master Gunner and explosive expert Mordonna Stormspear mesmerizing fire dancing while Juan goes to measure strength against the imposing and diciplined Quatermaster Akshara Desai and Zocra shoots his shot with Navigator Njoki N’oyogo with surprising success. Malinda listens intently to Jacob's story about Mabel's potential sedition against the Plank King, which is met with a sense of apathy. Malinda is well acquainted with the underhanded ambition of pirates and expects nothing less, even from the vampirate captain. Jacob then sweetens the intrigue by alluding to Ursula's parentage, which does seem to spark Malinda's genuine curiosity and so she agrees to allow them to stay after the party and await Ursula to her him out for herself. However, Jacob catches her in small moments of conspicuous skepticism - tactless giggles and rolling eyes - when he refers to either his status as a pirate of the Seahorse crew or his false name, but does not give any indication whether her playing along with the ruse is anything more than for amusement...
Session 38: Day 62-63
3/2/2022 - 3/3/2022The party talk amongst themselves as they await Captain Ursula’s arrival and decide Olati should make a call to Scylla to see if she has any usual information to provide on her long-lost daughter. After a short wait, Malinda announces Ursula’s entrance with a flamboyant introduction to her crews’ delight and her captain’s chagrin. The bewitching bard then presents Ursula with the party in a sardonic tone, making clear she is no longer playing dumb to the party’s deceptions. Having no more reason to be deceitful, they drop the act and lay out what they know of the current situation. During the exchange, it becomes clear that Ursula is fully aware of the nature of Mabel’s mission and is not surprised by her purported betrayal. What does spark her curiosity in the party’s story is the fact that Mabel recruited them in the first place. As Ursula understands her council peer, the vampirate captain does not need a crew at all to sail her ship and can do so magically, so it is bizarre she would invite mortals on to her ship as something other than food. Jacob claims he believes this might be a part of her plan to usurp the Plank King which would include leveraging the captured Scylla against him, or most likely Ursula. The wizard then lays everything out about Scylla and Olati to which Ursula receives calmly and cautiously. Feeling as though she does not believe him, Jacob conjures an illusion of Ursula as a child in a seaweed dress, playing with dead crabs – the intimate detail Scylla provided to Olati. She remains steadfast in her skepticism – less so on the validity of the claim and more so the agenda behind them – and demands to meet Scylla in person. Scylla is then brought to meet with her and it is clear she is a nervous wreck being reunited with her family after 20 years. Ursula maintains her composure, unwilling to throw away the life she’s built on the words of strangers. She proposes they all meet with the Plank King tomorrow evening and take the credit meant for Mabel in delivering Scylla to him, claiming that the best path towards a "real family reunion” is Scylla’s willingness to do as she says. Everyone agrees to the terms and the party retires for the evening, with Ursula attaching Njoki to their group to keep an eye on them. The next morning, Mordonna arrives to join them on a day trip to The Floating Market since she has business near there. The day is filled with the party, Njoki, and Mordonna carousing the shops and even meeting an absolutely adorable little raccoon merchant peddling trash. Jacob, who hates cute things and loves being a party pooper, spoils the mood by criticizing the resourceful rodent. Knowing his value, and unphased by the sour-puss sorcerer, the raccoon resigns himself to prove his worth to them by setting up a stall in Othard. The outting concludes with a quick stop into an odd looking shop filled with gizmos and do-dads named “Sparkpocket’s Magi-Mechanical Menagerie and Gadgetorium,” where Mordonna is picking up a package she had ordered. The shop’s proprietor, a gnome artificer named Fizzwicket, takes interest in the mechanical arm Quinby is using for his magical focus. He tries to gauge the Kender’s interest in becoming an artificer himself and attempts to entice him further by gifting him with an Arc Spanner – a magical tool used by artificers – and promises to guide him on the journey to becoming an artificer. The sun begins to set on a relatively delightful day in Freeport, now the party must rendezvous with Scylla and Les Petite Boulots to meet with the Plank King at his seat of power - The Citadel of the Sea - still unaware of exactly what his intentions with her are…
Session 39: Day 63
3/3/2022The party are escorted through the Citadel of the Sea by Ursula to The Plank King, Sefton Smithe's throne room. He is surprised Olati has dared to return after his exile but even more so that his forsaken son has brought him his quarry, Scylla. He ushers them into the council chambers to discuss the matter, and during the conversation is unexpectedly open about the history of Olati, Ursula, and their mother - which catches Ursula off guard. The Plank King recants the day he took in the children 20 years ago, claiming his intentions where to form an alliance with Scylla to establish complete dominion over the oceans of Encopia. However, Scylla was not present and when her husband's mistrust of the Plank King took hold he was slain in self defense. According to the Plank King, he took pity on the young Olati and Ursula and since he did not know when Scylla would return - and did not want to stick around to face Scylla's wrath after killing her husband - feared the children would perish alone if left alone, so he took them with him. The party is suspicious still as to why he did not return the children after all these years - especially when he chose to exile Olati - or at least attempt to use them as leverage against Scylla, to which he simply replies he became "sentimental." Scylla is unable to contain her contempt any further and uses all the water in the room to create daggers and point them at the Plank King. Jacob attempts to calm her down, but amidst the chaos is unable to notice one of the pirate guards shackle Scylla with a magic-dampening collar - similar to the ones used on Vort and Zort - nullifying her abilities. The Plank King then turns his men on the party to afford him time to escape back into the throne room with Scylla. Ursula follows, assuring the party she did not expect this from her adoptive father and will get answers. However, as the Plank King goes to leave, he instructs the shadowy man that accompanied the them into the room to "take care of his guest." The figure reveals himself as Reid 'Goldjaw' Gibbs and engages the party in combat with powerful dark magic and skeleton minions. The party is able to defeat him, but find that the door leading back the throne room is magically sealed and now must find another way to come to Scylla's rescue...
Session 40-42: Day 63
3/3/2022Following the battle, Zocra is incapacitated by a mysterious force. Pressed for time the party hide their unconscious party member and begin to fight their way through the Citadel of the Sea, cutting a path through pirate guards in their path to the throne room. Nearing fatigue, they happen upon the fortress's kitchen, where a sincere and talented dwarf chef, Kukee, who is either unaware or uncaring of their the party's allegiance offers them a revitalizing meal. Jacob invites him to setup his kitchen in Othard, which entices the dwarf but he could never leave his position as the Plank King's personal chef "so long as the salty bastard draws breath." They proceed towards the throne room's entry chamber where they are surprised to see Ursula, accompanied by her officers, waiting for them. It would seem in the small time they left her with the Plank King, her attitude has changed and she stands firmly loyal to him yet again. Tension rises as it becomes clear that she is unwilling to back down and briefly before the inevitable fight ensues, Ursula shows behavior that something is not quite right. The heated battle challenges the endurance of both sides, finding that their strengths to be closely matched. However, Ursula continues to exhibit bizarre twitches as the combat grows more heated. The party suddenly realizes where they has seen such strange movements before: in the Minotaur tomb that had been home to dwarves infested with some sort of mind-parasite. The party is able to subdue Ursula and Jacob threatens the pirate crew's captain as a ploy for them to lay down their arms. The good faith they have built with them thus far affords an uneasy truce as they attend to their fallen captain. The party inquires if they have noticed Ursula's strange behavior, Malinda does bring up that her captain had been acting "uncharacteristically distant and single-focused" when she ordered them to help protect the Citadel, so far as to recall that when they arrived Ursula "avoided looking the crew in the eyes, which is unbecoming of her." Malinda tends to Ursula's wounds as Jacob investigates her body for any sign as to what could be ailing her. Suddenly, Ursula snaps to consciousness. Her eyes, usually sharp and full of tenacious fire, glaze over with an eerie vacant look, her normally confident smirk absent and replaced with a blank expression. She rises abruptly and inhumanly, her shoulders slumped forward and arms dangling at her sides like a marionette whose strings have been dropped. Her voice, which once commanded respect and exuded the confidence of a seasoned captain, comes out strained and distant, as if she is submerged underwater. As her words stumble, disjointed and unfamiliar, it becomes painfully apparent that something is horribly wrong. Mordonna reaches towards her captain to check on her but is knocked away and flung through the air when Ursula effortlessly shoves her off. Ursula then grabs her first mate's head in her hands and begins to squeeze, Malinda screams out in pain, terror, and confusion. Juan and Akshara leap into action and with their shared colossal strength are able to wrestle Malinda free from Ursula's grasp and knock her unconscious yet again. The crew of Les Petit Belout are no longer in doubts that there isn't something more at play, and whatever it is threatens the life of their beloved captain. Malinda is able to compose herself enough to make a plea to the party to find out what is going on and save Ursula. Before taking Ursula to safety away from the Citadel, Melinda plays a magical bardic song to revitalize the heroes for their fight with the Plank King.
Session 43-45: Day 63-65
3/3/2022 - 3/5/2022The Band of Bastards charge bravely into the throne room of the Plank King, engaging in a fierce battle. Olati managed a grievous blow against his adoptive father, forcing him to retreat into his private quarters. Upon following, they found nothing but an empty chamber, but a quick investigation revealed the Plank King's personal journal. Within these frantic scribblings, the party discovered his descent into madness, catalyzed by an ancient entity found deep beneath the waves. His words became more deranged, culminating in a chilling mentioning of a monstrous, tentacled horror from the deep. It's eldritch whispers demanded a Speaker be brought to it, and the Plank King knew just the quarry. In a surprising turn, they found a trap door leading to a subterranean chamber below the Citadel. There they beheld an alarming sight: the wounded Plank King, a captive Scylla, and the nightmarish entity from the journal. During the Plank King's unhinged monologue espousing the grandeur of the cosmos shown to him in visions by the being, it impales him with a tentacle, transmuting his form into something monstrous. A fierce battle ensued. Although the party triumphed over the mutated king, they found themselves unable to harm the horror due to an impenetrable psychic barrier. They teetered on the brink of death, psychic energy ravaging their minds, yet they persevered, rescuing Scylla and collapsing the chamber, burying the horror in rubble as they narrowly escaped. Returning to the throne room, they found Mabel Mar nonchalantly seated upon the throne with her feet perched upon the newly risen vampire spawn of Reid 'Goldjaw' Gibbs. She thanks the party for the entertainment, admitting she had hoped the Plank King would overstep when he requested she kidnap and deliver him a powerful Speaker, sealing his own doom. Apparently, Mabel has no true allegiance other than to herself; boredom frequently plagues her over her many centuries of undeath and finds meddling in the affairs of ambitious mortals an amusing diversion. With a smug grin and allusions to her next distraction - the Yonzu Empire - she disappeared into the darkness with her new first mate. Rejoining with the Les Petits Boulots crew, the party found Captain Ursula recovered from her ailment - a parasitic affliction linked to the eldritch horror, similar to the one they had discovered in the tomb of Tyrus Clovehoof. Scylla awakens and recants the nightmares she was shown while in captivity: that this entity is legion and their grand plan to assimilate Speakers in hopes of contacting a Sage for purposes unknown. With the Plank King vanquished and the Flotsam Throne empty, Ursula steps up to be appointed the new leader of Freeport and the Council of Captains, vowing to come to the party's aide against the Empire when called upon. Scylla returns to her duties as Speaker and to investigate further into what these ancient entities have in store for the Sages. After a few days rest, the party bid farewell and setoff to return to Othard. However, as they arrived at the docks, they found Jarl Rumdur being hassled by mercenaries from the Black Bear Company, claiming to be on the hunt for a Kender...