Masters Session Six
General Summary
The Illuminators were summoned to Valhingen Graveyard to meet with Soulwarden Yovir Glandon, a high priest of Pharasma. Yovir was deeply concerned about rumors of a ghost ship terrorizing coastal areas. Fearing for the safety of Salisgrad, particularly since the city's lighthouse was inoperable, he sought help to protect the city and combat the undead threat. He enlisted the adventurers, offering them limited resources but promising potential rewards for their exploits. The adventurers, Thistletop, Gardoon, and Bashrog, played pivotal roles in investigating the threats and engaging with local forces.
Initially, the adventurers gathered information from a man known only as Yip, whose mind had deteriorated after witnessing the destruction of his village by what he claimed was a dracolich. They also met Knight Aleyd Burral of the Knights of the Black Gauntlet, who had been compiling data on the attacks. She noted a pattern in the assaults and predicted they would soon reach Salisgrad.
While traveling along the Iron Route, the group encountered a merchant named Gilfron Milon, who had seen the aftermath of the ghost ship's attacks. They continued to an isolated island, ferried by a reluctant and superstitious boatman, Warsh. On the island, they met Elisande, a young girl eager to leave, who revealed insights into the island's dark practices and history.
Thistletop discovered an infernal altar suggesting a decades-old pact with dark forces in a hidden cave on the island. This discovery was significant as it connected current events to the island's sinister past. Bashrog interrogated a spy named Verik, uncovering lies about the ghost ship, a power play within the Church of the First, and unmasking a plot to discover an ancient artifact somewhere in the region. Meanwhile, Gardoon dispatched Verik with his greatsword after determining the extent of his deceit.
The narrative escalated when the ghost ship launched a direct attack on the island. Thistletop, his warcat Daisy, Gardoon, and Bashrog fought fiercely with the raiders. After dispatching the raiders, the heroes sought out the ghost ship. They paddled out into the fog, discovering that the ghost ship was only a real ship with illusions to make it seem spectral. What was real, however, was the ship named Audacity, which had returned from the Abyss due to the adventurers' actions breaking a pact between the islanders and their abyssal patron. It collided with the ghost ship, and both crews commenced slaughtering each other, leading to a climactic encounter between the Illuminators, abyssal pirates, and the ghost ship's eerie crew.
Rewards Granted
- Gold Bars: These are old gold trade bars, totaling 200 gp, found on the altar in the cave. They bear a trade stamp that is 60 years old, indicating their origin and age. Despite their age, they appear to have seen little use.
- Old Tome Written on Leather: Amidst a pile of mostly rotted books in the corner of the cave, this tome survives the damp conditions. It contains valuable information and is written in Draconic. Marik Voras, a middle-aged human cleric of Nethys and owner of the Arcane Anchor magic shop in Salisgrad, took this tome and Verik's hidden journal to be translated.
- Holy Symbol of the Church of the First: Ixas carried one of these symbols. The ornate goldwork and embedded gems could easily fetch a price of 50 gp to the right buyer (as long as that buyer wasn't a member of the Church of Asmodeus.)
Missions/Quests Completed
- The increasing threat of undead forces: Possibly connected to the legendary Whispering Tyrant.
- Details about the Order of the Silent Shroud: Their neutrality in politics.
- Insights into the local politics and military organizations: Such as the Knights of the Black Gauntlet.
- The mysterious and malevolent history of the island: Including its descent into dark worship and the pact with fiendish powers.
- Elisande: After receiving ten silver pieces from Thistletop, she thrived in Salisgrad. She found a place with the Order of the Silent Shroud until, one night, wanderlust took her and she disappeared.
- REWARD: 1 XP.
Character(s) interacted with
- Soulwarden Yovir Glandon: A high priest of Pharasma, he is motivated by both civic duty and a religious zeal to eradicate the undead. He initiates the quest to stop the ghost ship.
- Yip, the Madman: A villager turned mad after encountering what he claims is a dracolich; he provides cryptic clues about the ghost ship.
- Knight Aleyd Burral: Member of the Knights of the Black Gauntlet; tasked with investigating the attacks and providing critical information on the pattern of these incidents.
- Gilfron Milon: A merchant they meet on the road who has witnessed the aftermath of the ghost ship's attacks.
- Warsh the Boatman: A grumpy, superstitious ferryman who transports the party to the mysterious island.
- Elisande: A 12-year-old girl from the island, eager to leave and explore the world; she assists and provides information to the adventurers.
Notes
As the burning ships sank beneath the waves, the Illuminators escaped with the bodies of both the Captain of the Audacity and the young priest from the Church of the One known as Ixas. The captain's body shared much of the same changes as the other pirates had. The flesh had been tortured, most likely by the patron the Folk had made the pact with 60 years ago. But in that abuse, wherever it happened, the crew of the Audacity was forever changed. Their bodies became more resistant to both weapons and elements. Tonight, that resistance was not enough to keep them alive.
When he was slain on the ship, Young Ixas carried very little on him. He had a holy symbol of the Church of the One—gold, with four tiny gems embedded in it that reflected the four elements of creation (air, fire, water, and earth). He also had a note tucked away in a small satchel. The note contained instructions, written in Common, on how to use certain control words for the ship to provide various effects the ship was capable of. One command word would give the ship a spectral aura, while another would produce a mystical fog-like effect.
