Episode 5 - The Curse of Captain Balmore

General Summary

Following the attempted heist, Saul’s employee count dropped to only a handful of individuals, including floor manager Larur Feldin (LN male dwarf), two bouncers named Hans and Beyar (both CG male humans), and Saul’s bodyguard Bojask.
Saul came to an agreement with the heroes, on the condition that he was on the up and up. Should he start to backslide or betray the group, there would be… trouble. Until then, the party would take up various duties to help the Gold Goblin become profitable. Larur and Winifred took on the task of hiring a dozen more men and women to serve as cooks, croupiers, and servers. It only took a few days to hire back up, and the hall was once again staffed and opened for business.
During the opening night, Saul took the heroes aside and pointed out a man playing Golem at one of the tables. That man was none other than Clegg Zincher, one of Riddleport’s crime lords and Saul’s greatest competitor. Clegg wasn’t known as a gambler, so Saul mentioned that maybe the group could determine what he was doing there without inciting any trouble.
Clegg was casually approached. The big man claimed only to be there to “check out Saul’s newest project and meet his newest pals.” He was civil, wasn’t carrying any weapons, and didn’t appear to be there with anyone so he was allowed to stay. He played a few rounds of Golem before leaving. As he did so, he left a generous tip with the bouncer Hans at the door, instructing him to split the 20 gp between himself and the heroes “with Clegg’s best wishes.”
Once the evening came to a close, Saul and Larur were discussing the next big attraction for the Gold Goblin. Saul presented the group with an offer. He had in his possession a map to a pirate’s treasure. Specifically, Captain Balmore. The Captain once had in his possession the Statue of Fortune – a finely crafted statue of an elven woman, her hand outstretched and a mysterious smile on her face. The statue seemed to be magic, blessing the statue’s owner with good fortune. Obtaining the statue would benefit the Gold Goblin twofold – the statue is old and fairly well-known and would entice people to come in and “kiss the maiden’s hand for luck” before playing the various games of chance. It would also benefit the gaming hall with good fortune as Saul would be the owner of the statue, and therefore be the true beneficiary of the statue’s good fortune.
The heroes took the job, and the next day prepared to follow the map north of Riddleport. The bought some magical supplies at Maly’s Wonderous Vault, the resident magic shop. Geared and ready, the heroes (along with Fred) made the trek to find pirate treasure.
It took some time, but they discovered the secret entrance to the cave. The group traveled down an old staircase into what appeared to be a very decrepit mine. A short time later, they found themselves speaking to a ghostly apparition named Billy, who had previously been hired by Saul to retrieve the treasure and the statue. On the far side of the room was a large metal door with a giant tumbler lock on it. The door kept the Captain’s treasure secure, or at least that’s what Billy had been led to believe.
The only way to open the lock was to enter a specific four-digit combination. Billy had the final number, but could only give it to the heroes once they had the other three. Billy’s companions – three more ghosts cursed to remain down here – had one number each. The group would have to find these ghosts and get them to reveal their number. Only then could Billy give them the final number, removing the lock and opening the door.
The party navigated the treacherous mines, cautious of the many rotten support beams. At one point, they entered a large room with three wooden bridges crossing a chasm. Rool took the end of a piece of rope and tied to the far end of one of the bridges, with Godric holding the other end. Valarius began crossing the bridge, which snapped under his weight and fell away. Luckily, Valarius had been hanging onto the rope and did not fall into the black.
Unluckily, a swarm of bats flew out of the nearby wall and attacked him.
The bats were treacherous. They were too small to be hurt by normal weapons, and there were not enough spells to damage them. Tiny teeth tore into Valarius and Godric, as well as Sikali’s pet eagle. The party had no choice but to retreat. As they fled, Sikali summoned a pony to act as a literal “meat shield”. The bat swarm tore the pony to pieces while the group retreated back to Billy’s room.
Billy watched them with sad, ghostly eyes, and wondered if his curse would ever be lifted.

Character(s) interacted with

Winifred Annella Aldysh – Fred joined the group on the adventure. Wearing banded mail and brandishing a katana, the spellbook-reading lady remains a curious mystery. She’d mentioned that her father wanted her well-rounded in the ways of combat because he’d wanted a son and got her instead. What kind of father does that?
Saul Vancaskerin – Saul is making serious changes at the Gold Goblin. His “no weapons” policy is radical in Riddleport, and may not go over well with many of the locals… or the criminal element.
Clegg Zincher – The crime boss has made his presence felt. The owner of Zincher’s Arena has made gestures of respect toward the heroes. But can he be trusted?
Larur Feldin – Larur wants the Gold Goblin to succeed, but not at the cost of lives. If Saul benefits from the Goblin’s success, so be it.

Report Date

02 May 2018