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Session 52: The Grand Shanty Report

General Summary

"Saltmarsh Brotherhood nearly uprooted. Xolec killed. Five townsfolk are dhampirs, including Rists. Skerrin may be dead. Make for White Plume Mountain posthaste. Raan with you."

You then get another Sending message, this one cast by Delmirev:

"Tomas Primewater is dead. We are hunting for Ojos and Manos: Orejas was Leta. Other two fled, they are Anthon (Mercenary) and Suelꜵ (Broker)."

Mystan uses Sending to the rest of the party, telling them that saltmarsh is getting chaotic, and the party ought to leave first thing in the morning.

Virion sighs, Seklyn affirms, and Bubbles says OK.

Bubbles is joining some tortles for storytime. They talk to the tortles about the Underdark, and then some underwater tales: Bubbles has fought a baby sea serpent, a narrow encounter with an underwater dragon, some sea devils.

The tortles tell stories about dragons and other cultures, and also mention their ancestor, Zim Zim Zurtle. Bubbles decides to stay the night with the tortles. They are very impressed by Bubbles's driftwood from the surfing competition. And the story of the Wavecutter blade.

Convo between Virion and the Commander

Virion learns of game night.

Seklyn enters the Grand Shanty and talks to Ringers, learning that she has a gold earring for every lover she's had. She's not promiscious, she just loves people! She has the hots for Virion, and Seklyn warns her against that. Selina decides to perform with Ringers.

Selina talks with the shaman. Bubbles wins arm wrestling but loses to the commander. They then do the rigging, and while Seklyn can't life the sail, Mystan can't tie the sail and Seklyn ties his. Selina wins, with Bubbles and Mystan tying.

After the party dies down, Bubbles returns to the tortles, Virion and Seklyn get different rooms on the Grand Shanty, and Mystan stays on the Sea Ghost. The Sea Ghost's crew stays on the Grand Shanty as well.

Mystan casts Control Water and Water Walk to prevent the ship from going out to shore. Bubbles and Mystan go in through the ship and dispatch some hullworms.

Selina is going to duel Bloody Gracie, for the fate of the ship and the crew.

Bloody Gracie immediately attacks Seklyn, knocks her prone, breaks her ribs, curses him with lycanthropy, and gives him a horrid scar. The fire is put out but the ship is slowly sinking still. Virion then casts Fireball hitting Gracie and her men, burning them all, but Gracie survives. Also the ship is on fire again. Bubbles runs up to the main deck and Action Surges to climb the rigging of a far mast, read to swing to the Commander's rescue. Mystan further dashs to get to the main deck, and sees the fire and battle. He then upcasts Spiritual Weapon. Rather than a bronze dragon claw, this time it's a bronze dragon's head. And she dodges. Seklyn tries to heal herself, but is in so much pain he can't focus. He then uses his bonus action to disengage, step of the wind, wings unfurled, and crash lands on the Sea Ghost.

Bloody Gracie now only has one enemy in melee range: Mystan, who is unarmored. She hits, he doesn't fall prone, he defelcts with his wings, and she infects him with a bite. The ship burns further. Virion, shocked into awareness, climbs the hull and casts Banishment. Gracie denies it. Virion then actives both bladesong and sunblade. Bubbles expends and Inspiration to swing on a rope to steal Gracie's feather, knocking her hat off, and Bubbles lands on the backswing. Mystan then lunges at the now-hatless Gracie, upcasting Inflict Wounds, following that up with Spiritual Weapon and a Channel Divinity. She gets in another slash, but the lycanthropy curse makes Mystan immune! She growls in frustration. Seklyn rolls onto her back and drinks a health potion. She stands up, grabs her grappling hook, and jumps & pulls herself over in one swift motion. "I believe we still have a duel to settle." Selina turns to Mystan and says in draconic, "She's mine."

"Okay, feel free to tag me in whenever."

Bloody Gracie then says "Since your friends cheated" and she draws a sword dripping with liquid and shining silver. Droplets land on the hull and begin to eat away at the wood.

Seklyn then tries to hit with her line and hook, missing. Gracie laughs and draws a whip. She charges, misses with a whip, and hits with a silver scimatar. Seklyn's flesh burns with acid. The ship continues to burn, Commander Faulistus screaming, as the hold fills with water.

The Sea Ghost's crew is free. They detain the other pirate and start trying to put out the fires. Seklyn decides fuck it, and asks for help. Virion comes to the answer, casting Banishment; Gracie resists. Virion moves fifteen feet forward. Gracie stabs at Seklyn, hitting. Selina is barely standing. Bubbles got over to the commander, expertly breaking the lock and arming the the captain, who is supporting herself by her hands. They then draw a longbow and shoot an ice arrow. They miss, but helped put out the fire. While Mystan was going to let Seklyn fight it out, he decides to intervene. He uses Life Transferrence, taking damage to greatly heal Selina. While Gracie smarts off, Spiritual Weapon hits. Seklyn, reinvigorated, goes on the offensive. Gracie dodges a feint, getting hit in the face. She becomes bloodied and is stunned. He then spends ki to make focused aim cause another hit.

The ship burns, and Virion charges with his Sunblade, hitting with the first one but missing with the second because the ice on the floor threw him off. Bubbles rains more magical arrows down. They hit, and then miss. Gracie is very hurt. Mystan then casts Hold Monster, and Gracie fails. Spiritual Weapon, with Channel Divinity then critically hits. Captain Bloody Gracie is then decapitated by the spectral head of the dragon, dying instantly.

The party puts the fire out, returning the Commander to her rightful place. Mystan uses Control Water to beach the boat, while Virion holds Seklyn as the Kor cries. She casts Sending to her wife, who is horrified.

Bubbles retrieves the Commander's wheelchair, and gets the stinging scimitar. Seklyn considers returning home, but for now they need to deal with the current crisis. Virion and Bubbles speak with the Commander. They offer to try and help pay for repairs (95 pp), and Mystan can use Mending. In exchange for that, and saving their lives, she gifts them with the Pig's Whistle's old Arcane Artillerly Cannon.

They debate the merits of keeping the cannon or not. They keep it. Bubbles rests with the tortles, telling an epic tale of the night's endeavours.

When they wake, Selina and Virion have a chat over two bottles of wine. Selina drinks from the bottle, and she states she doesn't think she's coming with them. She doesn't want to die.

"Nobody does."

"I almost died on that ship. It's done something to me. I'm afraid that if I keep going, if I don't turn back, that I won't make it back. That I won't see my family again."

Virion considers it, and then says, "What do you propose?"

"Virion, I have to do this. Would... would you cast Modify Memory to make me forget how horrible that was."

Virion just has a look of shock and disbelief. He stutters. Seklyn says she can reverse it once they're back.

Virion then reveals that he can't reverse it; it's within 24 hours of it happening. He can't reverse it when they return home. Furthermore, it won't change this memory--Seklyn would still know his memory was modified. Additionally, Virion doesn't want to use Modify Memory like that.

"Then what am I to do? I can't stay--if I stay with you, I have slim chance of survival. If I go back, I'll have failed. There's no answer. I either lose my family, or I fail Aryz, and the group, and you."

"I--ultimately, it's going to be your choice. This is why it's just so much simpler to not think about it, but I guess it's inevitable."

"Virion, I'm not just going to accept that the world is horrible like you have. But I'm scared; I'm scared that I'm going to go to this island with you, and Mystan, and Bubbles, and I'm going to die."

"If you wish to take less risk, then take less risk. You chose to stand front and center and put your life on the line. You don't have to. I can take your place."

"No! No, I can't let you."

"I can," he reveals the Sunsword hilt, "and I will."

"You're not as strong as I am. That's not a risk I'm willing to take!"

They go back and forth, and Seklyn reveals that while she doesn't love Virion, he still cares about him, and he doesn't want him to die. Aryz says that death is a natrual part of life, but if Virion dies then he's...gone.

"Then your care is greatly misplaced."

"Why?"

"The way I see it, value is placed on things with so much more care and so much more power than they need too. It's all ultimately... not materially relevant."

"Virion, your life matters. It has value simply by being."

"Well, that's a matter of perspective."

"Virion, what the fuck is wrong with you. You were like this when we were together, and I thought you'd change but... people have value. For the Gods' sakes, care about yourself, for once in your life!"

"I've been thinking about it, for sure. So far things have worked out... O.K. Taking a little bit more risk is not so dramatic. It's just not!"

Selina slams the bottle on the table and says "You are going to make it out of this alive, even if I have to drag you out of the Abyss myself."

After the dawn, with the ghosts singing hopeful shanty, and the Sea Ghost makes for the east.
Campaign
Ghosts of Saltmarsh Dungeons & Dragons 5e Campaign
Protagonists
Bubbles
Virion Sylvenne
C/N Wood Elf (Noble)
Wizard 2
7 / 12 HP
STR
12
DEX
16
CON
13
INT
16
WIS
14
CHA
14
Co'oquilan Mystan
Bronze Dragonborn (Acolyte)
Cleric 3
10 / 24 HP
STR
14
DEX
11
CON
14
INT
13
WIS
16
CHA
13
Seklyn/Selina
Report Date
31 Aug 2023


Cover image: Brightfalls_14.06 by Krivio
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