GosR-Session 12: Jailhouse Jumble

The session began with the party collecting an unconscious Keledek the Dracomancer, a formidable yet cryptic wizard from Saltmarsh, whose defeat still haunted their minds. Molly, Grey, Oceanus, and Bowobow had barely escaped with their sanity intact after the visions of the terrifying Magus, leaving them reeling. With no time to process what they had witnessed, they dragged Keledek back to their ship. Their ever-optimistic cook and bosun, Jolly, welcomed them aboard with hearty chowder, offering a brief respite. Despite the momentary comfort, the group couldn’t shake an inexplicable pull toward the sea, urging them southward at the Magus' will. However, more pressing matters forced them to set sail back to Saltmarsh, where danger and intrigue awaited.
The night’s journey was somber, a quiet reflection of the murky waters beneath their ship as they arrived under the cover of darkness. The town, cloaked in midnight fog, held an air of unease as the party disembarked. From the ship’s deck, Molly spotted the silhouette of Gellan Primewater, the influential merchant-lord, on his balcony. She felt his gaze linger too long as the party tried to discreetly escort Keledek through the shadowy streets to the jail. Despite their best efforts, there was an unsettling sense that Gellan had seen their arrival.
Arriving at the barracks, the party met Sergeant Stonehorn, a high strung yet fair veteran guarding the post. Presenting a past writ of contract from Captain Fireborn, the party was granted access into the heavily warded jail beneath the barracks. As they descended into the dimly lit stone halls, they passed a drunken elven bard named Absolam, who greeted them with a sly grin. Quick with his hands and quicker with his tongue, Absolam seemed a charming yet harmless sort. Still, the rogue mostly kept to himself, casually twirling his flute as they made their way into the magically silenced cell where Keledek would be held.
Once inside the secured chamber, they presented Sergeant Stonehorn with the incriminating ledger that detailed Gellan Primewater’s various criminal activities. However, Stonehorn’s hands were tied; most of Saltmarsh’s soldiers, including Captain Fireborn, were off dealing with a pressing issue in the swamps. The party was left uncertain of their next move, surrounded by empty barracks and a puzzle that was quickly spiraling out of control.
Opting for a moment’s rest, Molly and Grey stayed in the barracks, while Bowobow and Oceanus wandered into the canteen where Absolam quietly played his flute. The night passed uneventfully, save for a brief moment when Oceanus  was awakened by a shift in Absolam’s playing—a playful, mysterious tune echoed through the room before returning to its soothing melody. It was a fleeting but strange moment, leaving Oceanus to wonder if there was more to the elf than his nonchalant demeanor let on.
At dawn, the party was abruptly awoken by the sound of Keledek pounding on his cell door. Oceanus went to check on the wizard, but as he reached the hall, he stumbled upon the body of a dead thug lying near the cell. The assassin wore rough black leathers, his neck punctured by a poisoned blade of Odeccan make, an exotic weapon from distant lands. Poison still clung to the wound, a foreign toxin of potent origin. The discovery sent a chill through the group—someone else had infiltrated the barracks during the night.
Molly quickly employed her Investigator’s Lens, a magical tool that allowed her to scry on the dead man’s final moments. Through the lens, she traced his movements back to Gellan Primewater’s manor, confirming their suspicions of the merchant-lord’s involvement. When questioned, Absolam admitted to seeing the man sneak past, but his instincts told him to stay out of it. However, he did note something unusual: the doors had moved on their own, suggesting that an invisible entity had been following the assassin, likely the true killer.
With growing suspicions, Oceanus and Grey turned their attention to Keledek, who they coaxed into talking with a truth serum. The wizard, however, was evasive, bartering his answers for small favors. He revealed that the evidence against Gellan was part of a larger plot, hinting that Saltmarsh was but a pawn in a far greater game. Keledek knew much about the Onyx Court, the dark fey that hunted Grey and Silver. He confessed that he had planned to use Grey and his mysterious owl companion as bargaining chips with the fey, implying there was more to Silver than Grey realized.
The conversation took a darker turn as Keledek revealed that Gellan Primewater was connected to powerful masters beyond the town, and while Gellan’s accomplices in Saltmarsh might be oblivious to these greater forces, they were not to be underestimated.
As the interrogation unfolded, Molly played a few rounds of dice with Absolam, casually winning a large emerald from the rogue. Still, her curiosity led her back to the wizard, where she inquired about the mysterious author of one of Gellan’s letters, known only by the initials "BV." Keledek, ever the opportunist, demanded a pseudo-dragon in exchange for that information. Frustrated, Molly pressed him further on Silver, and Keledek, growing weary of their questions, proposed a deal—take care of Gellan once and for all, and he would reveal more.
As the session drew to a close, the party reconvened in the barracks, their minds racing with the tangled web of politics, secrets, and assassins they now found themselves enmeshed in. With Gellan Primewater watching from the shadows, a dead man in the halls, and the looming threat of the Onyx Court, they realized the stakes were higher than they had ever imagined. Their next move would be crucial in unraveling the sinister plots brewing beneath Saltmarsh’s surface.