Strange Aeons / Dreams of the Yellow King pt. 6 / Eire the 19th through the 24th, 3592 CE / 6-16-22

General Summary

The party is journeying on the river boat Starling in pursuit of the treacherous Baron Haver Lowell IV, hoping to stop him before his thirst for power causes more harm to innocents, but also hoping to glean the secret to restoring Esp and Hemlock's memories. The day after the party fought and defeated a pack of vicious voonith's which attacked the ship, First Mate "Rough Dog" Alvingham confronts Esp, saying that he won't tolerate any more attacks upon his crew. Esp rejoinders that they have already given Captain Winnifred "Fred" Pike additional gold to cover the risk. Trakir attempts to moderate the situation, but the frustrated First Mate maintains his warning. The next several days are calm, as Esp continues working on the Dreamlands ritual with the scholars Reuben and Gossamer, and Hemlock enjoys fishing with their companion Otis. After 2 days, the city of Thessalon comes into sight. The party notes the insignia of the Swords of Justice, the city's religious police, on several skiffs, including one which pulls along the Starling. Captain Fred dutifully pays the tariff and warns Esp against stopping to explore the city, saying that it is difficult for an outsider to navigate Thessalon's many and strict codex of laws. However, as they leave the city of Thessalon in their wake, the party notes with concern that a larger ship bearing the Swords of Justice sigil is bearing down on them. As the barge known as the Tribute Taker pulls alongside the Starling, its Captain, Purga Sinkas, announces that the Starling has failed to pay the required tribute, despite Captain Fred's arguments to the contrary. As Trakir attempts to invoke his kinship with the Swords of Justice through their shared religious convictions, Esp notes that something is wrong with Captain Sinkas. A dark aura seems to cling to her, swimming in and out of her eyes. Moments later, Captain Sinkas demands her crew board and attack the Starling. As the river battle ensues, Esp attempts to take out Captain Sinkas with psychic energy, but the seemingly possessed Thessalonian leaps to attack the psychic, wounding her badly, even as Otis attempts to stop her, gaining a fresh wound of his own. The canny Hemlock, who is holding back the Swords forces at one of their boarding planks, delivers a precise strike that lays the corrupted Captain Sinkas low. With their leader dead, Trakir is able to get through to the other Swords of Justice to convince them that the battle was a misunderstanding, as Rough Dog does the same for his crew. The crew of the Tribute Taker depart in peace with body of their captain. After this, the attitude of the Starling's crew changes, having seen the party defend their ship from the Thessalonians, and even Rough Dog warms to them. Three days later, as the vast Lake Encarthan comes into view, Esp is ready to conduct the Dreamlands ritual. That night, she gathers in their berth with Hemlock and Trakir, as Reuben and Gossamer assist by burning incense and chanting, and Otis and Rough Dog look on in wonder. Using the statue of the stone staircase hidden in one of Baron Lowell's books as the focus, she is able to draw out the dreaming selves of herself and her three companions, as they descend into darkness, emerging in a brightly lit, yet strangely surreal desert, standing before the remains of an abandoned caravnserai.

Character(s) interacted with

Hemlock Shores, Esp Platyrhynchos, Trakir Firebrand, Erskine 'Rough Dog' Alvingham, Otis Remsatter, Captain Winnifred Pike, Gossamer Kelvin, Reuben Olliver, Captain Purga Sinkas, Starling crew, Tribute Taker crew, Thessalonian tariff collectors

Report Date

23 Jun 2022