Session 21: Picking up the Pieces

General Summary

After leaving the temple of the Aboleth behind, the crew of the Swift Mermaid scrambled to collect themselves from the battle. No one in the crew seemed uninjured, and five of them had already stopped breathing. The party tried to save as many as they could. Jeanne with her healer's supplies and knowledge on how to use them. Nakor and Kazagal both went around channelling divine energy into their crewmates. Still, there was no saving two remaining human brothers, Diony the satyr, and the two dragonborns, who all died in the battle.    When they finally had managed to gather themselves, Dormaruk set course for the closest town, where they could repair the ship, which wouldn't have been able to stay afloat had it not been for the magical sails made of humanoid skins. The crew began working on the most vital repairs as they went. Jeanne talked with her friend Genevieve down by the cots where they had gathered those who had been rescued from the illithids. She had sustained a critical injury during the fight and wished to leave the ship as soon as they returned to Frankonia. Kazagal was confronted by Sir Horzin who seemed impressed with his newfound divine power and armour. He thus promised that the real training could now begin. Whilst preparing they also took the time to hold a funeral for the fallen crewmembers.    As they sailed towards Nova Aera to get repaired, Dormaruk was confronted by a familiar face. A bronze bearded dwarf. Vurvayssun who had managed to get aboard during the fight. He was warmly welcomed and asked if they had found the golden rod that had been used in his capture. The captain told him to look for Kazagal. When he found the goliath he was in the midst of showing Nakor how to use a hammer. The dragon asked about the rod, which made the goliath weary as he really needed it to save his son. The dragon assured him that he would give it back in the same shape that he would get it. Kazagal agreed to give it to him if he could best him in battle.    Nakor began to take bets as they prepared for a rematch. The crew gathered to witness the spectacle. Even Jeanne joined them and realised that this dwarf must be the dragon that she had been told about. As Nakor tried to collect Dormaruk gave him a smack for his lack of tact in this moment of grief. This didn't stop the crew from placing bets, however. The fight on the hand was very short and one-sided. Despite being without his magical abilities, the dragon had still retained a lot of his physical attributes. He did compliment the goliath on his progression. Kazagal then handed him the rod and was promised that he'd get it back.    The dragon then turned to Nakor, as he was the most accomplished magician on the ship. He asked him if he could help him dispel the magic set on him, with aid of the rodm in exchange for a pair of expensive diamonds, fine enough to be used in revival magic. The prince agreed and spent the next eight hours learning from the dragon. During this time Jeanne had been writing in her journal, while Dormaruk had bound his father in separate room on the ship.   When the dragon and Nakor had finished, The ship was already in port in Nova Aera. They stepped out on deck and the prince cast the spell. The dwarf immediately took his true form of a huge bronze dragon. The dragon thanked them, gave them the diamonds and prepared to head off. Before he did Kazagal started to ask questions about his soul. The dragon gave him the advice too seek out a temple to learn more about his new god. He then used his magic to change the creepy magical sail into a more pleasant form, a white sail with a bronze mermaid on it. He then left to keep the aboleth and mindflayers at bay, now that they couldn't bind him anymore. He would do so until one of his kin would arrive to help him defeat them once and for all, but that could take a century.   After this, Dormaruk found some dockhands and paid 400 gold for a complete repair of the ship. In the meantime the crew would spend their night, not in the Salty Bucket, but at a finer establishment. The Crusty Crab, an inn run by family afflicted by a curse that turned them all to crablike mutants. The party got settled and had a few drinks. The goliath managed to identify the properties of the golden rod. It was magical artifact forged in hell, made to amplify the abilities of its weilder, allowing them to cast spells pf a higher level than they ordinarily could handle. Kazagal then decided to try and find a temple of Torag. The rest of the party followed.    At the temple they were greeted by a dwarf who welcomed them with open arms. When Dormaruk asked for advice on healing experts, he was redirected to the temple of Sarenrae in hightown. Kazagal asked about Torag and the possibility of talking to him. The priest brought him inside and showed him how to pray and taught a bit about Torag. In the end he gave him tome with some of Torag's holy texts. Meanwhile, Nakor had climbed into his bag of oranges to do some maintenance in his storage.   In the meantime, Jeanne presented Dormaruk with a proposal. In exchange for information about a fortress on a deserted island south of the Yelanids, she asked him for complete trust with the ship. This in order to fulfill a mission, whose details she couldn't reveal. Dormaruk seemed sceptical, but when Jeanne likened it to a vacation, he agreed.  Some time later Kazagal seemed to be ready to leave the temple.    Not willing to wait with his fathers condition, Dormaruk decided to make the trip to the Temple of Sarenrae immediately, even if it was in the middle of the night. The rest returned to the crusty crap, where Kazagal used his magical glasses to read about Torag all night. Meanwhile, Dormaruk made it through the Scraptown, where he got jumped by two bugbears and five goblins. They tried to rob him but when he fought back the bugbears each got a really good strike in on him, one of which almost took his eye out. The miotaur then quickly dispatched of them, as the goblins fled.   When he made it to the temple that morning, he was still covered in blood, even though he tried to clean himself up. The pastor Zuck asked what was wrong, and when Dormaruk told him about his fathers issue, the pastor seemed dejected. He knew of a way, to kill his father and then ressurect him, but he could cast the spell as it was too powerful for him. Dormaruk thought back on the rod and asked the pastor to come with him. The pastor showed him a secret path through the catacombs and they headed off to the Crusty Crab.