Arrival in Crimsonhold

General Summary

After setting sail from Ardevin's island, around noon the crew of the Mangy Dog spotted a merchant vessel on the horizon. Lured by the possibility of plunder, Anton ordered the crew to intercept. As they got closer, they realized the ship was a Dragonetti vessel from Meicor. Elria wildshaped into a seagull to scout ahead, and reported back that the ship was heavily armed. Choosing instead to parlay, Anton lowered a skiff and the party met the Meicorene captain. The captain informed them of the political situation in Meicor: after a brief Hildonian blockade the two nations signed a treaty, recognizing Aristo la Polla as the legitimate Savore in exchange for a permanent Eloqui attaché and reparations. The party additionally learned that they had been identified as supposed rogue agents who attempted to assassinate Crownmage Umarov, and as such were wanted in both Meicor and Hildonia. After purchasing several casks of rum from the traders, the party resumed course.
That night Grom was struck with a vision in his sleep, finding himself in a room with two doors in front of him. One glowed with a green sigil of three eyes and whispered the word "Vengeance." The other bore the symbol of a red and gold dragon devouring each other, and whispered the word "Tamaril." After attempting to enter the green door, he suddenly awoke.
In the morning, Carmilla came over to the Mangy Dog to talk before splitting off to head north to Hildonia. She said that she was going to research the Heart and see if she could find any information on it. After lamenting the fact that there were no primary Ajokai sources, Anton remembered that Mute Bob originally came from the Empire and offered his knowledge. Using Grom as a translator, Mute Bob told the party that his name was actually Qurahar (although he preferred Bob). He said he didn't know much details about the Obsidian Empress as she was regarded as a god-queen by the citizens of the empire, but he does know that she was said to have come from another world. He also knew that the Ajokai Empire had fully conquered another landmass far north across the Lucent Expanse before invading Pagalia, although he had never been there. The Ajokai conquest across the Expanse and in Pagalia has all been with the single-minded purpose of finding what the tieflings call the "Star of the Mother." Carmilla deduced that he must be referring to the Heart, and said that she would expedite her research. She told the party to meet her in Alcaster after they finished in the Rumiyyad Autarchy. Armed with this new information, the Tranquil Angel headed north to Hildonia while the Mangy Dog continued towards Kassoth.
As the ship approached Crimsonhold, they were struck with an odd sight. The docks of the city, normally not very busy, were overflowing with ships. Grom and Anton recognized the flags of a variety of pirate captains from across the world. Mooring at one of the docks, they were told by a harbormaster that dozens of captains had arrived for the conclave to elect a new overcaptain. The harbormaster informed Anton that as a pirate captain he was eligible to participate in the election, and the party headed into the town.

Chapter Eighteen

"Arrival in Crimsonhold"

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Previous Chapter: Has He Lost His Mind?

Next Chapter: Get Out the Vote 

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Ingame Date: 18-20^th of Rainseed, 1855
Real-Life Date: October 3, 2020
Protagonists:

• Grom
• Ra'zon the Broken
• Anton von Rheintach
• Elria Svistra

Featured NPCs:

• Carmilla Valenti
• Mute Bob

Locations:

• Achinad Sea
• Crimsonhold