Winedark. Chapter Five

General Summary

Wherein our Vastblasters consider how best to gather acclaim during a Gathering, encounter some early opposition, and debate the merits of conflating the old with the ancient.

The Instrument's Line

Our heroes found themselves, having vanquished a particuaraly troubling collection of river hags, in the possession of something ancient/old and definitely magical: the Instrument's Linen. This remarkable coil of rope is seemingly endless with its length, but can also be drawn taut and recoiled at a moment's notice. Pitch found out both of these aspects of the item as they attuned to it and learned the operating words (dreadfire and dreadend, respectively). Clearly, this is part of a larger weapon--the one Loshi Saltbloom has been looking for.
So, it was time to return to Awa Harbor and meet with the Sibyl to figure out next steps vis a vis the plan to have the Blasters anointed by divine grace and mandated to enter Otuna's Favor. Before all that, though, a much needed rest. The next morning found our heroes wandering through the gates of Awa Harbor, the line safely hidden in Pitch's pack.
After a brief discussion of whether or not to just go right to Saltbloom, it was decided to maybe swing by the Horn and send her a message. Play it cool, right? So that's what they did, with Dappleheart unquestioningly sending the cryptic statement "Thanks for the consonants. We have your cheese," to the Sibyl without batting an eye.
With a few hours to kill before an expected response, Kharlo Chondricht set about "learning" new recipes for his hungry crewmates and Pitch and Water headed out to check in with the VastBlaster crew. The loading of the purchased rations seemed to be happening smoothly, but Maltina approached Pitch with a problem: Firkus, mutineer of her previous vessel, the Teacup is in town, captain now of the renamed Tvelkcup. Mutiny isn't something typically welcoming to most crews, so Firkus might be inclined to murder Maltina, as he previously ordered when our adventurers first encountered the halfling. Naturally, she is both afraid for the health of the vessel, and also for her own life. Pitch assured her that she could stick close to the Blasters in case trouble broke out, so that's what she did.

Meeting with Marrowdall

The gang all gathered back in their suite of rooms in the Horn just in time to be paid a visit, not by the Sibyl, but by her stern, intimidating agent, a half-orc named Marrowdall Twinstar. Our crew, justifiably suspicious, found his credentials to check out, so they showed him the Line. Satisfied, Marrowdall let them know why he's here--to guide them in planning the best way to secure Otuna's Entry in the Favor.
Now, since all vessels in Otuna's Favor have already been sponsored by various Waterspeakers in the Isles, the Sibyl wanted our heroes to gain entry into the contest by divine mandate--to do something so irrefutably favored by the gods, and present that during the Gathering, as to necessitate their involvement in the Favor. Turns out, a few of the Blasters have other plans. Kharlo was all about just blowing up the Sibyl's spot, declaring that the Dread Squid is here, and that they need everyone to get on board with the Blasters to beat it. Marrow, while assuring the crew that however they wanted to handle this was up to them, informed them that if they chose to go this route they would not have any support whatsoever. In fact, maybe the opposite of support. So, that plan didn't get a whole lot of traction after that.
There was also the idea of convincing one of the Waterspeakers to back them instead of their already sponsored vessel. This was, again, abandoned after discussing of rivalries and how important the support of the Sibyl might be in their future efforts.

Spreading the Good News

Eventually, it was agreed to go the "acclaim" route, and to make sure that happens by spreading some time disseminating rumors and gossip (perhaps even some heehaw) to various taverns and inns throughout Awa Harbor. To do this, the Blasters split up:

• Irk headed to Baena's Bounce, up in Green Cross. There, as a fellow follower of the gods, managed to speak very convincingly about divine mandates and the importance of following the will of the gods, especially when it comes to interpreting who might need to be a part of any upcoming contest.
• Kasula Neristina decided to get wet and sought out The Big Tub in Keeside. This tavern is mostly just a big hot tub, so Kasula disguised herself and waded right in. She spoke very effectively, with an entirely different voice, about how there is scuttlebutt out that that one of the teams has already uncovered an important artifact and that they are surely destined to win the contest.
• Water decided that maybe tavern life wasn't for them and spent some time drawing a badass chalk mural of the Eelsnap, something that looks like the Instrument's Line, and the VastBlaster. Sending clear messages there.
• Pitch headed over to The Rare Laugh in Graypoint, and recognizing some insignia from their time at the open mic in Bleak Gardens, decided that a humble and pious approach was needed. It was very effective!
• Kharlo was destined to seek out The Next Best Eel in Keeside and so he did, spreading merriment and rumors about the crew as he did. He also managed to keep the secret of the Dread Squid to himself, which he was very proud of doing.

With the "priming the pump" work done, it was time to retire for the evening. Turns out, though, that maybe the spread the good news a little too well, as some enterprising pirates, hired by who knows, decided to murder them in their sleep. But, of course, the pirates themselves ended up dead. Stripping their bodies completely naked, for some reason, did not reveal any clues as to who hired them, but did make everyone pretty uncomfortable. A quick message to Marrowdall should deal with all these bodies so the Blasters can concentrate their efforts on the Gathering tomorrow, and maybe think about who might want to kill them already.

And That's Where We Left It

We'll see how our Blasters handle Gathering during our next session.

Various & Sundry Details

• Irk wrote a letter to Kora Caskpike, outlining his new adventures, companions, and tasks. He also secured some "fish bones" from Milik for necromantic purposes, which the ancient/old man was a little creeped out about.
• Kharlo continued his accumulation of Bari cuisine, adding both the recipe for croissants, and eel soup to his collection. Don't worry, he can totally make both of them.
• Oh, and the galley in the VastBlaster is now called Otuna's Flavor.
• Water checked in on his previous brewing experiments and rendered a pretty good recipe for Hee-Haw. Nice!
• Kasula, having sipped an ale, was sorely tempted to return to unproductive ways with alcohol. She resisted that urge, but it is getting a little stronger.

Character(s) interacted with

• Xobias Dappleheart, concierge and owner of the Filthy Horn
• Maltina Bigmoon, crew chief of the VastBlaster and mutiny-opposer of The Teacup.
• Marrowdall Twinstar, agent of the Sibyl, "fixer." 

Report Date

31 May 2021

Primary Location

Awa Harbor