Session 7
General Summary
Turning into a vulture - or at least looking like one - is the new go-to for Newt to gather information. Taking avian form, Newt, with Rani on the ground, followed Erwin and staked out the home he seems to have made amidst a family of shifters. It became clear that having roommates seems to be the strongest protective factor against being kidnapped by a bounty hunter and a guard who dabbles in bounty hunting. They decided to leave him for after dinner.
The Deep End had a nice dinner with Lady Circe Valdove and her husband Tafadzwa. She provided ample alcohol to satiate the Widow and Tafadzwa seemed incredibly excited about the prospect of working with sand seals and - perhaps - making burrowing horses. Tulpar would love that.
Straight-up kidnapping still didn't seem like the ideal option after dinner, so Rani and Newt lured Erwin onto the Cruiser under the guise of gaining a better understanding of their new cruiser (and avoiding blowing it up). Skeptical of both of them - but particularly Newt - Erwin humored them temporarily until he eventually confronted Newt about his boss. The gnome offered to serve as the party's engineer in exchange for not turning them over to bounty hunters in Varoona. To sweeten the deal, he also offered to find the party more fuel cells and a more suitable, permanent engineer before he finally vanishes. Behind the closed doors of insect swarms, they debated the matter, discussed the dangerous nature of both their "work associates", and whether or not it was justified to bring The Widow into this... his name only came up twice... but still odd that it happened twice. They agreed to Erwin's offer... for now.
Leaving the Cliffside Orchard & Ranch, Moira piloted the cruiser for the first time. Rani and Newt both tried to get to know their new engineer. He seemed hesitant to speak with Newt nearby... not a fan of his mentor. He spoke excitedly about the engine, however, to Rani.
The Widow spoke with Therarask in a dream yet again. The god of devotion appeared to reminisce about a woman named Sylvia, who's singing they remember fondly. When The Widow reacted poorly, Therarask appeared perplexed, but offered a night of hedonism in the future.
Sidon had a bizarre dream. Floating in the ocean was familiar, but everything felt off about the scene. Moonlight streamed through the surface only obscured by a boat floating in the water above. A giant creature then rose from the depths, its scaled head moving lethargically until its maw snapped open to consume him.
Newt awoke to see the spectral figure of a decapitated woman. He recalled this particular bounty. Volo's strikes were always clean like that. When he moved to touch the figure, the room turned ic cold and Ah'Shal's gaze lingered for a moment before the entire vision faded.
Rani found the locusts painting with Zephus on the deck early in the morning. He seemed very disturbed that Rani was there, holding a blanket tighter to himself. He praised the locusts for their art abilities and seemed amused with their artistic efforts to depict Rani with her swords. It is now the first piece of art on the ship.
After leaving a small fishing village on the Selló River, the party noticed explosions in the distance. Newt investigated as a - surprise, surprise! - vulture, perfect given all the dead and dying fish around. The party then did a drive-by, conversing with a gnomish woman in a large hat and her human companion. They claimed to be following up on some rumors regarding gems int eh river. However... something seemed, well, fishy and certain claims didn't seem to add up.
After debating whether or not it would be rude, illegal, or just in poor taste to simply blow everyone up, The Deep End posed as interested tourists just wanting to blow something up. After noticing a twitch in the gnome's expression at the mention of "Olivantha", Rani drew her swords. The gnomish woman then pulled out a shotgun and attempted to fire on the part, but was ultimately defeated and taken captive.
Jonas, the first mate, was allowed to leave with what remained of the crew (R.I.P to the poor man who got incinerated). The Widow was extremely excited about acquiring dynamite. Rani revealed she's quite good at torture, but Lyra revealed very little information. However, she was looking for something in the river ("Something shiny") and she is under the employ of a pirate lord of the Goddess' Bane: Janos Liderc. It seems she's not the only captain in his fleet.
Rani had a wholesome conversation with Zephus, where he seemed way more sober than normal. He seemed a bit put-off by the monetary factor in their relationship. After mentioning her siblings and her sister's possible abilities, Zephus revealed the golden scales on his arm - asking if they could be removed. He didn't say why. Newt ran over excitedly and convinced Zephus - quite easily - to go see Erwin shoot the shotgun.
The party had their cruiser transferred to the private docks of Lady Calypso (Cali) Valdove and rented a skiff for easier city travel. They stopped by Chaos Reigns, meeting the two blood witch owners and their human clerk. The silver gate seemed to open to Eredet while they were there. Auntie Four was willing to buy the dynamite off the party. She also instructed The Widow to prove his worth as an alchemist and acquire some monster parts, an incredibly important ingredient in many potions.
Upon approaching the Temple of Varoona, Zephus ran immediately inside and up to a familiar priestess - Portia - before he ran off into the Temple. The High Priestess greeted the party and offered Portia as their guide to the city. As the Temple has an open door policy, she reminded the party that the Temple services are always available.
Portia guided the party to the Blue End Galleon for a night of fun and to find their unknowing host for the evening - Calypso "Cali" Valdove. The scantily dressed elven woman appeared ready to dismiss and ignore the party until her older sister's name was dropped. She then changed her tune slightly, demanding proof that the party could be fun before dragging them through a night of drinking and bits of chaos. She seemed incredibly intrigued when Newt brought back a shotgun to the party. The party ended up back at Cali's cabana, some in worse states than others...
Rewards Granted
- 200 gold for selling decent quality dynamite to Auntie Four at Chaos Reigns
- 750 gold (to Rani) for escorting Zephus successfully to the High Priestess of Varoona
- A primitive, mildly arcane charged shotgun from Pirate Captain Lyra Malark.
Missions/Quests Completed
Having arrived in Varoona, there seems to be some pirate activity. The Pirate Lord of the Goddess' Bane seems to know Olivantha. Where has the Lady of the Night gone? What does the Heel of Varoona have planned? The Namakan Games are in two months time... hopefully, you can find Olivantha before the festivities conceal her trail for good.
Report Date
14 May 2021
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Secondary Location
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