Session 349 - A Deadly Cargo
General Summary
The New Story
Ash - An expert in the occult and a skilled monster hunter. Ash uses his talents and budding alchemical expertise to battle the things people fear most for a price.
Ryobi - A monk of the embattled Order of the Warriors of Mameka. Ryobi is given an important mission, recover holy blades containing the souls of his brother knights, lost in the recent Rethemi Civil War.
They are joined by Vinzent, a bard with a morbid demeanor and a haunted past.
Location - A small fishing village north of City of Golotha in the Kingdom of Rethem.
10th Nolus (Summer) 727TR
Part 1 – Rats on a Riverboat
The heroes have been hired by the captain of a river boat, the Greasy Eel, to deal with a problem. The riverboat trades up and down the River Thard, and two crew members have disappeared. Only the severed hand of one of the crewmen was found in the hold, which was being feasted on by rats. The crew refuses to sail until the cause of the disappearances is dealt with.
The riverboat is large, and the heroes inspect it from all sides using a fishing boat. Nothing looks out of place. After embarking, the eerily silence is broken by squeaking, and frantic rats emerge from the hold and mob the intruders. They are clearly frightened and have to be dispersed.
Part 2 – Slime in the Hold
Ash climbs into the hold, trying to find what disturbed the rodents. It soon becomes apparent that two barrels of fruit roll over, and emerging from them are a pair of large blobs of sickly green slime that flow forward. Dodging a tendril, Ash escapes onto the deck.
The revoting fungi attack the trio, with Ash and Ryobi hacking at the foe and Vinzent shouting words of encouragement, shooting small bursts of flame from his brass flute. The Slimes are mindless, and their actions can’t be predicted; one suddenly lurches forward and strikes Vinzent, who, as usual, supports the team from the rear and is covered with the olive-colored corrosive ooze. “I’m infected,” he cries.
Ryobi and Ash eradicated the slimes; although Ash is injured, having received a slimy swipe to his shoulder, like Vinzent, he feels a disturbing tingle, followed by numbness. His skin is inflamed, and fungi patches are starting to grow! Fortunately, this slow process will likely take several hours or a day.
On investigation, it looks like the two slime creatures were once the missing crewmen, and they were infected with the slime spores after stealing fruit from the cargo.
Part 3 – The Crimson Hand Surgery
Master Physician Kiron Osiris of the Crimson Hands Surgery is willing to help, and his vinegar pastes and boiling water treatment easily deal with the disease before it becomes a serious problem. The heroes will not turn into slime monsters today.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Kiron Osiris - Owner of the Crimson Hands Surgery. A skilled surgeon with a secret.
Related Articles
Player Characters
Ryobi - Human - L1 Monk
Background - Temple Guard.
Archetypes - TBA.
Ash - Human - L1 Thaumaturge
Background - Weaponcrafter.
Archetypes - TBA.
NPC Companion
Vinzent - Human - L1 Bard
Background - Cursed.
Archetypes - TBA.
Next Session
NPC Companion
Vinzent
He is a skilled minstrel who is infamous for his depressing performances.
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