Fey-Nominal Informant

Expedition

The Iron Wolves return to Agate Cay, face a watery foe at a ship wreck, negotiate with a fey, and break through a netted back door.

Following up the Merrow attack in the proximity of Agates Cay, the Iron Wolves prepared for their return to the island. After a short rest on the vessel, the party agreed upon some signals before taking the rowboat to shore. Atohi began the search for a protected cove and located a river through the cay. Notably, he found a brief section of rapids amid an otherwise sailable river. The rapid's edge kept within it an old wrecked ship. The Iron Wolves rowed ashore near this river, hid their boat, and began to follow this lead up stream.
  As the hawk turn back to fly further, the Iron Wolves began their walk upriver. Getting to this rocky section of river, the party ascertained that the pirates likely used some form of magic to traverse this buttress. Attempting to continue on, part of the shore became flooded with water. It grew and grew until an isolated wave had come to shore. The Iron Wolves fought the elemental directly and fiercely. It did not relent nor retreat to the shelter of water. The elemental served as a guardian with no sense of slef preservation.
  As the elemental was finally popped and dispersed, a clapping and congratulating came from the woods behind the party. A brief discourse revealed a satyr seeking entertainment. Collecting a handful of berries from Lyle, the fey creature promised all the information the party could ever want about the pirates up river if they could provide him with an Good Time®.
  The Iron Wolves followed the Satyr Xol back to a clearing rich in food, flowers, gourds of palm wine, and space for frolicking excitement. The day was spent in joy, doing everything the party could to entertain the Satyr. Lyle took up the roll of drinking companion, ensuring that whenever there was a lull in the party, there was drink in both his and the satyr's hand to pass the time. Gregor's stories mixed with Kain's riddles to provide plenty of mental stimulus. Daniel utilized one of the scrolls to produce an illusory atmosphere of mischief, creating a mad hatter's tea party of delights. Rounding out the drink, communications, and ambiance, Zeran provided physicality. Rather than anything rambunctious, the warforged removed his faceplate to show exposed gears. Xol took up the opportunity like a child being presented with a puppy for the first time.
  In exchange for such a good time, Xol not only gave out information but also a goodiebag. Well a goodie-jug that is. (Party acquired an alchemy jug). Despite the gift, the information remained important. Xol spoke of two entrances into the pirates' hideout. Continuing upriver directly would bring the party to a cove. Though simple enough, a direct assault would be problematic. In addition to the merrow and harpies the party had already dealt with, the cove was protected by what Xol referred to as his ladies. Unspecific on details, Xol described them as beauties capable of drowning most people. He would enjoy their company at the rocky rapids where it was less likely to get himself drowned.
  The alternate route into the pirate hideout would be from a back door. A freshwater source pours into the hideout from the center of the island. The party could find the source under a dead tree and use the watercut tunnel to enter from a position of surprise without harming Xol's girls nor giving away your position from fighting right out front. The only issue with this route would be that some arachnids and “web-heads” had claimed the area about the spring access point.
  The Party took up the backdoor option knowing it would allow them more opportunities to rest. They continued to party with Xol through the day before an early evening in. This allowed them to rest until midnight and begin their mission in the dark. Xol got the party to a muddy, dry creek that acted as a path up into the arachnid territory. Not long after beginning the hike, the party saw a hummanoid spider creature up ahead, gathering bugs from the damp earth. Recognizing it as an ettercap, a caretaker of spiders, the party attempted to sneak up around it. Unfortunately, their blessed stealth was not enough to avoid a guardian ettercap above that trapped Kain with a web garrote. The harvesting ettercap was joined by a second as the battle ensued. Web was flung and burned away, bites and claws where beat back by hammer, poleaxe, and fist. The ettercaps began to run. One of them managed to trick Kain into running into webbing. Daniel did massive damage to the final survivor that Gregor attempted to finish. Unfortunately, the distance was too far for a simple incantation and his larger blast missed. Zeran managed to finish off the runner with a deft pursuit and bow shot.
  The situation was fortunate as they not only managed to prevent a runner from informing the central hive but the party managed to sneak close enough completely unseen with no interference of webbing snagging or sending vibrations back to the leaders. The party found three more ettercap harvesters, a guardian, as well as their beloved giant spider that they served. The party floated the ideas of distracting to find the underground entrance beneath the tree as well as having Lyle talk to the spider. In the end, the Iron Wolves' successful stealth up provided too much temptation for a sneak attack. The party split left and right to take out multiple ettercaps at the same time. The tactics where good, unfortunately they had not properly calculated just how devastating a bite would be. The party's skirmish had the Iron Wolves outnumbering the enemies with Daniel and Lyle dealing with the webbing as it entered the battlefield. Here, though, the numbers were even and the spread out party now had to deal with the webbing on their own. Rather than surrounding an ettercap and beating it down, the ettercaps could surround webbed foes and the Iron Wolves felt the full sting of the venom. The party was victorious in the end but it took them far more resources than they had anticipated.
  Digging out the webbed and soiled entrance to the underground stream, the Iron Wolves decided to den-up in the cramped and moist dark beneathe this tree to get a short rest in before continuing on towards their hidden destination.