ONG: Investigating the Northern Islands

Diplomatic action

The Iron Wolves learn more of their pursuit at Brackland Hold before making relations with the other side of this quarrel at the Dire Chain.

On the final Approach to Brackland Hold, the Iron Wolves solidified their plans for the island-dominating fort. Maintaining deep cover, the Sea Wolf would remain unaligned from any Phaloxil purposes. The companions would be independent adventurers seeking information for their quests though their true experiences on the Cosyen Debris and such would buttress the charade with truth. On final approach to the small fortress, ships among it's waters were easily seen and the signal flags were deployed to begin the process of negotiations.
  The process was with no outside admittance allowed inside the walls of Brackland Hold. Even requests for supplies was denied except on the most extreme of circumstances which required proof that the ship was unable to make it to any public port for purchase. Seeking information, Zeran would end up bartered time to for sages study the ancient Cosyen weapons he possessed for answers of their own. A Lieutenant Grimes was sent over to collect a list of what was required. When it became known that the party required Bunolsid information, the situation showed a greater levels of censorship. Eventually Lyle found himself upon the parleying vessel to dive into the specifics with Captain Primo Murgo. Lyle was chosen to take the lead in the venture as he would be the best to maintain the independent adventuring party vibe amid these wild lands.
  The core information that Lyle received was vastly denials and implications that he was wasting his time. Brackland Hold had almost no experience with the terrorist syndicate. While all previous information had pointed the Iron Wolves north, everything that Captain Murgo knew of their activities occurred south of him. On the whole, they left Brackland Hold and the entirety of the Serpent Clutch alone. It would come to be pieced together than the reason Captain Murgo had no dealings with them is because his primary field of influence was within another entity's territory.
  Back when the Iron Wolves had spoken with the witchdoctor Acor, they had learned that three great sea creatures were revered as gods in these northern waters by their respective peoples. If the Shid was the Wounded One, the Serpent Clutch was not only not its territory but the islands had another entity to keep the Shid out. The Shid would have owned the Dire Chain. With that, the Iron Wolves redirected their line of questioning and began to gather new leads and new troubles from Lieutenant Grimes.
  The Iron Wolves received another interpretation of the Wounded God's story. They learned of its worshippers turning on it and abandoning it. More importantly, Lt. Grimes' version of the story didn't just reference the Wounded God descending down into the depths of the ocean but descending into the depths of the Worldbreach. Asking about the peoples of the Dire Chain, almost the entirety of the peoples had gone extinct from tragedies, natural and otherwise, that had swept the island without their god's protection. Lt. Grimes knew of only one people that remained among the Dire Chain and they didn't even live upon it. Somewhere within the waters around it resided a settlement called Dhavalor. A settlement not upon the waters but beneath it. A settlement of tritons. It seemed as if the Iron Wolves' sins were present upon their path before them.
  The Iron Wolves sailed out from Brackland Hold for a worrisome quarry. Upon getting to the outskirts of the Dire Chain, they began their search for a village that likely did not desire outsiders at all let along them. Not knowing how many days it would take, they began their search. Zeran hit the crows nest for a more defensive position for the vessel. In addition to the magical announcement system Daniel already had on the boat, they added additional illusions of tangled kelp rafts to obscure the ship for propriety's sake. Best to leave that surprise until peacetalks could begin. Opposite of Daniel's work below, they began to conjure large arrows in the sky to cast a wide net through the islands to help usher curious villagers towards the rest of the companions efforts to make contact.
  Amid the waters, Kain kept an eye out for flotsam to identify signs of underwater communities from above the waves. Within it, though, Lyle conjured beasts to search, wildshaped himself, and would create minor whirlpools to attract attention amid the waters. Half way through the second day, Lyle would come to find a wayfaring triton “shepherd” with a heard of fish interested in one of his whirlpools.
  Having to cross the language barrier and such, the druid turned into a dolphin to approach with the benefit of looking natural. The shepherd urged the dolphin away claiming the fish were not his. Lyle's return to human form scarred the triton. He attempted to assure similarity between him and her by conjuring a swarm of fish for himself. While he sparked a flash of curiousity, his presence and appearance was too much for her and she still ended up fleeing back through the waters with her flock.
  Lyle returned to the Sea Wolf with the mixed news. Everyone gathered on the ship for preparation besides Lyle who stayed in the waters beneath the ship in earnestness and candor. Waiting for hours in the dark within his human form, the only enchantment he had on him for protection was that of Water breathing. As the day drew on, a sudden rush of panick surged through the man as representatives of the village torpedoed through the waters towards him: 5 tribal warriors mounted on giant sharks.
  The cavalry spiraled and swarmed in to fill most of an encompassing circle. The leader demanded answers for their presence in a broken Common tongue. Lyle requested that one of his companions be able to join him for this conversation. While this was granted, Lyle made no motions to even imply he wished to leave the waters. He maintained himself at their mercy.
  With Daniel's linguistic dweomer placed upon the goliath, Gregor jumped into the waters to join Lyle. Lyle shrunk into the form of an octopus to attach to Gregor in fear. The giant spoke words of peace with the tritons that the Iron Wolves sought to aid their god of it's wound. Daniel's actions after the ambush were paying off in at least having the tritons willing to listen before setting their sharks to attack. As the diplomacy continued, the two adventurers in the water felt a shockwave move across them South to North. Where Lyle's octopus form rippled, the enchantment on Gregor picked up a static signal as if his enchantment was trying to interpret a message not meant for him. The tritons pivoted and paused to this emission, seeming to understand it.
  The tritons would not fight the Iron Wolves for now but they also would not aid them. The waters of the Dire Chain were their home. While they served the Shid, they were not it's protector. The Iron Wolves would have to beseech those greater to be admitted to see the Shid. Their path was south, down into the World Breech. In guidance to their fate, the triton leader spoke, “May your might be worthy of the Guardians, May your home be worthy of the Maw of Q'Nor”
  With little else to go on, the companions turned their path toward the continental cliff.