Session 3: ...And a bottle of rum! Report

General Summary

Korloss

After an intense fight against thieves, strongarms and demonic imposters, the Wayward Suns were invited to a banquet in their honor. Food and drink were plentiful and the festivities were a nice distraction from the perilous journey ahead. Aldrina, who was feeling a bit left out, was invited to the dance floor by an older gentleman. They quickly took center stage as he taught her a traditional Korlossian dance which she picked up quickly. Dirg and Rak'mar leveraged the heroism of the party and Rak'mar's influence with the military of Korloss to procure adequate semiskilled labor for the voyage ahead. The assistance of a blacksmith was also secured, a dwarven woman by the name Marnee. The next day at the docks, tears were shed and farewells were wished, and before long The Evergiven was on its way east.

A New Voyage

The party began their journey towards the Shattered Lands, and sailing was going smoothly. Out of nowhere, a storm formed on the horizon, threatening to capsize The Evergiven. As Durg and his crew attempted to fight against the storm, Seraphina Mornhaven materialized on the ship. She took the helm of the Evergiven, cryptically stating, "Sometimes you have to ride the storm," before sailing the ship directly into the heart of the storm. As the party were tossed about the ship, Talon flew overboard, sinking into the murky waters. The Wayward Suns awoke washed up on an unfamiliar shore...

Castaways' Cove

...but this was no desert island. As the party took the lay of the land, they found scores, if not hundreds, of fellow castaways seemingly working to right the Evergive for drydocking and repairs. The leader of the Island, one Calder Blacktide, informed them that there would be a feast for them as an introduction to the island. He also informed the party that the citizens of the Cove have been unable to get a vessel off of the island because of the strange tides that force the ships against the rocks destroying them. Calder's quarters were a bit more opulent and were accented by his five beautiful wives who dote on him. Later in the day, Leo noticed that the party had a shadow as they explored the island and approached the young ratling. She stated that she would be serving at the feast that night and to watch out for her. At the gathering, the young ratfolk girl passed a note to Dirg which read, "Don't eat or drink anything!" The party did their best to look convincing as they pretended to enjoy the fare. It was too late to get word to the rest of the crew who were happily enjoying a vast amount of the local hooch.

Keep it Secret

After the meal, the party met with the young ratling, who was awaiting them in their chambers, along with other ratlings. The party was informed that one of the Ratfolk elders had discovered that the food and drink had mind altering effects, which caused those that ingested to become docile and easily manipulated. They were brought to meet with the elder to form a plan of action. He introduced himself as Mattias and stated that he had been on the island for most of his life. He had initially been the cook on a ship that was immobilized here in his youth. He stated that Calder does have a working ship and that he takes infrequent voyages east towards the Shattered Lands, returning with only ore and loads of flowers. Mattias let the party know that Calder keeps a collection of maps and journals in his chambers.

Secure the Package

The Wayward Suns determined that the ship was docked in a cove on the south-eastern coast of the island, as well as discovering the location of the ship, Karisha disguised herself as one of Calder's concubines and procured a map of the Shattered Lands. The map had a a depiction of a Corrupted Gildenleaf Flower that Mattias recognized as the flower that Calder brings back from his voyages east. Karisha also found minted coins depicting Castaway's cove which the party decided was to be official currency. She also took Caldur's journal, which contained the story of how Caldur's crew was on the brink of mutiny until ingesting the corrupted gildenleaf flower, which caused them to become much more docile and easily controlled. Durg's first mate, Jake, was able to draft a copy of the map that the party could use to safely navigate the waters of the Shattered Lands. These materials were returned in the same manner to Calder's quarters.

After a brief planning meeting, the party decided that their best option was to take the working vessel and the ratfolk east into the Shattered Lands...