Chapter 6: Sunspringa Sensations
After defeating Mundrin and his his Marauders atop Flormonta Mountain, the party returns to Danrest at the request of Collum McThom...
Session 16: Day 38-39
2/7/2022 - 2/8/2022 When they arrive at the Militia HQ to meet with the new Magistrate and former Constable they find the halls filled with Skiple refuges being provided aide. Proceeding past the crowd and into Collum's office, he thanks the party for the warning as it was instrumental in mobilizing the Danrest city guard quickly to assist people fleeing Skiple. He says that now the King - Liam Piavir - would like to meet these new unlikely heroes in person and offer his thanks and reward. The group eagerly accept upon hearing "reward." Making their way to Danholm Castle - the center of authority and home of the royal family House Piavir - to meet the king, the group encounter a sizeable crowd of people gathered around a Holy See priest evangelizing in the entry courtyard. The priest is drawing ire towards the King - as he never completed his pilgrimage to become a Paladin like his son the Prince recently returned from - and claiming the recent misfortunes befalling the Kingdom are for fault of "a faithless monarch sitting upon the throne." He beseeches his audience to pressure their King into abdicating his crown to the Prince, who is more aligned with the Light and would seemly uphold it more faithfully. Disregarding the zealot, the party continue on into the castle and await the King in his throne room. Jacob goes to bow before the King and Paladin-Prince as they enter, but he is told no such decorum is needed. King Liam is well aware that the adventures of the Fandelian Militia are routinely not his subjects and only in it for the employment, and offers his sincere gratitude for protecting his nation none the less. As thanks, he gifts the deed to Mundrin's now vacant house in the Old Town district of Danrest along with a badge that will provide anyone with a 25% discount in any of the shops in the city. Further he offers a King's favor to each of them in reason for him to grant. Jacob is given open access to the grand library in Danholm castle, Juan requests a private audience with the King at a latter time to discuss additional aide for the Minotaur, Zocra requests the Kingdom's resources to investigate the whereabouts or fate of his deadbeat father, Olati requests ... , and Quinby requests access to the castle's apothecary. The audience with the King concludes and Jacob insists the party check out the Library before they retires to their new home. The chamber is a grand sight, stacked with books all the way to the ceiling, with only a few spots on the wall to display important art work. One collection catches the wizard's eye: 11 paintings for each of the Speakers, however the center portrait of Ancius Constantinus - the Speaker of Light - is significantly larger and the portrait for the Speaker of Shadow - Sagir - is missing. Suddenly the voice of 16 year old Princess Yvet Piavir emanates from behind him, saying her father removed the portrait not long after he became King at the start of The War of Opinion; perhaps to garner favor with his subjects who are deeply faithful to the Light and accuse Sagir of being a major instigator of the War, but Yvet suspects he does not rehang the portrait because he is ashamed he is not a paladin. The two are fast friends, bonding over a shared love for knowledge and a deep curiosity of the world. Yvet has spent the majority of her life in the castle for "her protection," and so resorts to a network of servants to bring her rumors and stories of the outside world. Jacob asks if they have told her anything about the Vellen Crime Syndicate, to which she eagerly replies that the reports around the organization are very peculiar and that there does not seem to be any first hand accounts of truly organized Syndicate activity - only gossip and hearsay - and the majority of its ranks are simply hired thugs. In fact, Theo Magath is the very first person she has heard of being an actual "member" of the Syndicate. As the sun sets, the party conclude their business in the castle and make way to their humble new home. While the rest of the party immediately go to claim their rooms and pass out, Jacob snoops around before bed. He finds under the floorboards a journal detailing Mundrin's time after the war up to recent events and learns a great deal about the despair and lamentation that lead to the Druid's revenge plot erupting from his knotted mind. Morning breaks on a new day and the excited adventurers now make their way west to Danama City Beach where the yearly Sunspringa festival - a gathering of fun and debauchery for the Kingdom's college youth - is in full swing. The beaches are packed with sun-soaked co-eds leaving very few spots to setup camp. Juan decided to impose his frightening bulk over some children to scare them away and make room for the party. After setting up, the group splits up to engage in the festivities. Juan and Jacob approach a group surrounding a keg and meet some students from the adventuring college, Danrest University ; a young Dwarf man, Quan Stonefist, a Goliath barbarian woman, Smolette, and a half-elf sorceress, Alanis Gilra. Zocra and Olati take to the ocean, while Quinby builds a sandcastle. Suddenly, Quinby's impressively built sand castle is crushed under foot - a muscular gnome by the name of Fribb Megapex has a problem. It would seem the miniature meathead didn't like how Juan scared off the group to make room for the party but Quinby is suspicious that Fribb just wants an excuse to bully him. Fribb suggests an ultimatum: if Quinby can beat him in a surfing challenge, then he will be "King of the Beach", but if he loses, then he and the party have to leave. Quinby accepts. Fribb and Quinby are neck-and-neck throughout the challenge until the very last wave - a huge wake surely to wipe out the less experience surfer. The wave breaks harshly causing Quinby to lose his balance, but luckily his Slippers of Spider Climbing keep him firmly stuck to the board even has it flips completely upside down. Fribb watches in shock as Quinby rides the wave in reverse and doesn't notice the dolphin breach through the wave, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Quinby jumps from his board and onto the dophin's back, surfing the rest of the wave to the shore atop the magnificent ocean creature. Beach onlookers begin cheering for Quinby's magnificent victory while Fribb curses it, exclaiming "This is not the last you've seen of Fribb Megapex!" The rest of the day is spent partying with new friends and romantic interests and ends with them all sitting around the bonfire exchanging stories and songs.Session 17: Day 40-41
2/8/2022 - 2/9/2022 Quinby regals the campfire crowd with the "Ballad of Goat and Goguul," a tale of love and loss. The party shares the night with their new friends and awake the next morning to a crier advertising a fishing tournament. All but Jacob sign up for the event, along with the DU students and unfortunately Fribb Megapex. Jacob plans to use his sneaky sorcery to help is new paramour Smolette, and is successful for a while before the judge catches him and pulls a magical red card to teleport him to an easily escapable sand prison on the beach. Zocra also tries to use magic but is also made and is disqualified. Fribb struggles with catching of value and perhaps ironically so does the sea elf Olati. Jacob taunts the buff gnome until he breaks his rod in frustration and vows further revenge. Smolette then hooks a surprising catch, a skull with a perfectly round crystal inside, and passes it to Jacob who pockets it. Juan's patient approach pays off and claims the victory prize: 200 gold and an Elemental Gem of Air. The group celebrate the Minotaur's achievement with a day of drinking until a frantic party goer exclaims that the band for tonight's concert has not shown up. The crowd moans in disappointment, but Olati brandishes his stunning Silvertongue Lyre and marches towards the stage to save the day. Olati and the Bangers take the spotlight, putting on a performance of a lifetime, when Zocra notices Fribb sneaking underneath the stage. The ranger follows the vindictive beach bully to find him attempting to sabotage the stage. The two struggle briefly until Zocra plunges a sharp piece of driftwood into Fribb's gut. The party on stage lead the crowd in a cheer and the last words Fribb hears as he lays dying is the rhythic chanting: "Fuck Fribb! Fuck Fribb!" Zocra returns to the stage triumphantly and delivers a majestic finale with the help of Jacob's magic. Suddenly screams from the beach interrupt the show and the crowd starts to panic. Three figures emerge from the darkness at the venue's south exit, "Well, well, what a delightful buffet we have here." Olati immediately recognizes the intruders' red sashes and raven motifs, the unmistakable regalia of the Blood Wings. "Ah shit..." he groans, "Vampirates..."Session 18: Day 41
2/9/2022 The vampirates approach the huddled crowd with blood thirsty eyes as the party realizes their armaments are still at their tents far from the venue. Quinby leaps into action, jumping from the stage and instructing his comrades to huddle up. Once his friends, Smolette, Alanis, and a random Dwarf audience member are close the Kender flings a vial of Disappearing Dust into the air to turn them all invisible. As the vampirates begin to assault the beach goers, Smolette unearths a hulking log from the broken ramparts and charges with Alanis not far behind to back up her friend, breaking their invisibility in favor of making a stand. The group use this distraction to make a break for their gear, with some of them taking the offensive alongside the two DU students. Upon reaching the tents, Quinby witnesses pirates menacingly approaching two potential victims. One is cut down immediately but the other woman - a short, unassuming faun named Murdeer Bluddoe - dodges attack after attack from the vampirates before retaliating with shocking savagery. Quinby takes this opportunity to gather the gear, passing Juan's warhammer to him since he is close by, and retreating to arm the rest of the party. Juan shoves the remaining vampirate into a near by campfire and the furious faun finishes him off by pushing his face to the searing coals. The vampirate screams as his undead flesh immolates and melts from his skull - like fresh sap dripping off a tree’s trunk - before his body combusts into a corrosive necrotic dust, burning her and Juan as it blows back on them. Murdeer and Juan shrug off the pain with their rage and rush forth together against the remaining threats. Zocra and Olati wrestle with picking off the enemies surrounding the crowded venue after Olati fails in deceiving them that he is, in fact, totally cool with all the pirate shit they are doing as a means to distract them from their rampage. Quinby passes Zocra's bow to him as he passes by and begins unloading arrows into foes as he returns to the venue for survivors. Upon entering, the skillful ranger is suddenly ambushed by a horde of feral creatures - the crowd the vampirates fed on have turned into mindless vampire spawn. Juan sees the mob set upon his ally and makes a strategic move to toss his Elemental Gem into the middle of the feeding frenzy. Unleashing the torrential Air Elemental stored within which blows them, and unfortunately the unconscious body of Zocra, in every direction. Olati rushes to the Dark Elf's aide, healing him in the nick of time. Meanwhile, Jacob takes after Smolette and Alanis who are fighting their way towards the beach where they believe their very drunk friend Quan was last seen and could be in trouble. They arrive to find the dwarf surrounded by the remains of slain vampirates and in dire grapples with the last remaining. Jacob burns Quan's attacker away with a Fire Bolt but it would seem they are too late. Smolette runs to catch Quan as he collapses, blood pouring from his neck. He smiles, "Do not cry. I'm too drunk to feel any of it... My only regret is... I won't have any more beer." Smolette howls in hurt and anger holding her friend as he expires. The other adventures convene on the beach, save for the frighteningly violent Murdeer who is too busy joyfully ripping apart the remaining vampirates - severed limbs tumble in the air and explode into dust as her cackle echoes over the somber silence of the moment. In the ocean distance, they can see the vampirate ship...Session 19: Day 41
2/9/2022 The heroes take a moment to prepare boarding the vampirate ship and search for a means to get there. They follow some tracks on the beach to a row boat that can hold everyone except for the DU students, who decide to stay on the shore to assist survivors and route any remaining vampirates - Murdeer bounces with glee at the thought of more opportunities for violence. Zocra shrouds the rowboat in magical Darkness to obscure their approach and the party climb aboard the ship's stern to find a door that leads to a surprisingly well stocked kitchen which seems out of place for a crew that sustains itself on blood. Juan instructs his Air Elemental to rip into the awnings covering the top deck and cause a distraction so they can infiltrate. The Air Elemental wreaks havoc, tearing the away the awnings and tossing around the vampirates trying to stop it. The group takes this opportunity to ambush them, when suddenly the sound of someone with a suspiciously loud pegleg can be heard walking the deck above them. So loud in fact, Jacob is able to perfectly pinpoint where to conjure a Sleep spell resulting in a thud signaling its effectiveness on at least one vampirate. Amidst the battle, Zocra spots a suspicious raven circling above and looses an arrow, impaling it with such force to send it hurdling back to shore. Once the enemies seem to be defeated, the party goes to investigate who was caught by Jacob's Sleep spell. It turns out to be the First Mate, a thin and timid vampire by the name of Sandhurst Fark, who begins pathetically pleading for his life. He claims that the crew has not fed in months, letting insatiable hunger and blood lust impair their judgement which resulted in a mutiny against the Blood Wing Captain, Mabel Mar, further revealing that they had shackled her with silver chains below deck. When the party threaten bringing him below deck with them to meet her, he beings to panic and franticly bargain to escape her wrath. Zocra is first to meet the fabled vampirate Captain, who is locked in a cage and chained to a large metal sphere engraved with curious markings. The two engage in a rather polite and calm conversation as he recounts the slaughter of her traitorous crew. It's expectedly more difficult for young vampires to control their appetites when compared to one centuries old such as herself, but she is still noticeably disappointed in their weakness. When the rest show up with Fark in tow, Mabel's eyes glow with insidious propriety and she requests they lay her felonious first mate at her feet. Fark begins to sob and plead for forgiveness as Mabel gently takes his face into her hands. "Oh dear Fark..." she says, softly wiping the blood tears from his cheek, "I promise you will never go hungry again," and snaps his neck, ripping his head from his body which explodes into dust. Mabel assures the group she is no threat to them, in fact she offers the silver Dueling Rapier used to subdue her if that would make them feel more safe - all while insisting that it really shouldn't. She only cares about delivering the mysterious sphere to The Plank King at the Council of Captains' home base, Freeport, in Terre Heureux and is now in need of a crew to do so. There is a brief inquiry into if any of them may have seen her raven familiar, Squabbles, and the party decide to pin the bird's unfortunate skewering on Fark. Mabel's eyes narrow in scrutiny, finding it difficult to believe a dolt like Fark could take down her raven, but ultimately dismisses the matter stating she will simply recover her pet's corpse and raise him anew. The party chooses to trust her and agree to assist in the delivery, but first Mabel must provide safe passage for their friends and survivors on the beach, to which the vampirate Captain agrees. She makes a request of her own, some blood to sustain her as she too has not fed in weeks, and Juan obliges by pouring some of his into a cup and drawing it to her lips. She drinks and with renewed strength wrenches the chains and breaks their tether to the metal sphere which causes it to topple, but in one lightning fast motion she catches, lifts, and sets the massive object down gently with one hand. Mabel holds up her wrists, still smoking from the silver shackles touching her skin, "Now, how bout you take these off and I make you all dinner?"Continuing from Chapter 5: Seeds of Change
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