Session Report 65

General Summary

The Muskrats were stopped by two ships that Tev recognized. Ships that were once his: the Widow Maker and the Silverado. The ships were captained by two of his former crewmembers Ford and Afton. Afton was a well dressed man of a short stature and he carried a saber and book at his waist. His brow was constantly furrowed as if he was deep in thought. Ford was a taller man but he had the spirit of a man who had been broken and was now lost in life. Tev tried to hide that he knew the two men but eventually he gave in when the two refused to relent on the fact that he was Chevi. The three of them caught up on what had transpired since they last saw each other many years ago. Afton had little to share and was more concerned about returning to Wave's End. Tev explained that he wished to head to Wave's End. Afton and Ford offered to provide a tow to the island and repairs to be made to the ship there. 
A couple hours later the fleet of ships arrived at Wave's End and the Muskrats could only marvel at the collection of power that had built up on the islands. Thousands of men and hundreds of ships, all gathered under five captains and unified by the High Wayfarer occupied what was once a deserted island. Soon after their arrival a misunderstanding occurred. Afton planned to take the crew of the Muskrats' ship and sell them into slavery. The Muskrats were able to haggle for their freedom after some heated discussion by Tev. After the dispute was settled Ford offered to place the ship and crew under his protection. The Muskrats promptly agreed and Ford led them on a tour of Wave's End. The island had been deserted for a substantial period of time and much of the infrastructure the pirates were using were ruins that they were in the process of repairing or constructing around. 
Ford led the group up into the foothills above the sprawling town and docks below to Wave's Break Castle, where the leaders of the Bastard's Court resided. The castle was not overly substantial. It was a simple keep set on the hills and against a cliff overlooking the water. It had stout walls and the inner keep itself was three stories high, giving defenders a substantial advantage. Upon reaching the castle, Ford informed the Muskrats that he could arrange a meeting with Mayathangi, but that it would take some time. In the meantime, another of the Bastard's Court, Crel, had expressed interest in meeting with the new arrivals to Wave's End. The Muskrats were in search of information and had no reason to turn the offer down. They were led to Crel's chamber in the castle for the meeting. Crel was a brightly colored aarocokra with a flamboyant personality and a confusing sense of humor. The Muskrats dove into a conversation easily with the free speaking pirate captain and they learned a few tidbits of information from him. Mayathangi had led the construction of what the Bastard's Court had become: a pirate's alliance so powerful it could crush a nation's navy. Crel had known Mayanthagi since she was a child serving on a pirate ship in the Bayris Sea. Crel also informed the Muskrats that he always had a price and to keep that in mind. 
Next the Muskrats were taken to speak with Mayathangi. She was a tiefling of red skin and she wore exquisite clothing and the most magnificent jewelry. Her visible wealth would overshadow even royalty. The two sides quickly dove into conversation, but Mayanthagi grew impatient with the direction Tev steered the conversation towards: a boot that he randomly fished up. Finally, the conversation turned to what the Muskrats had been sent to Wave's End for. It did not take long for the Muskrats to discover that Mayanthangi cared for only one thing: wealth. Every other aspect of the negotiation was completely subservient to her goal of collecting wealth and becoming the most wealthy individual in the world. Tev shared his ideological differences with Mayathangi over what a pirate should be, but she cared little for his virtue signaling. Towards the end of the conversation the two sides had reach what appeared to be a point of consensus. Mayathangi would end her raids of Hammerhide if she was paid fifty-thousand gold per month. The two sides decided to conclude their conversation and resume discussions at dinner that evening. 
The Muskrats made two stops after their initial discussion with Mayathangi. First, they went to visit Guntor Hash Horn who had recently arrived back on the island. He and Tev caught up, but the minotaur was dismissive of Tev, and it was revealed that Guntor was the individual that deposed Tev as the captain of his ships. Guntor shared that he had regrets that he never finished the job. With little else to discuss the Muskrats left and headed back into town to meet with a special merchant who had arrived in town. Upon their arrival at a warehouse they found Pata-traeya, the folk of leng they had met in the Elemental Plane of Earth. He had come to Wave's End to acquire slaves and transfer them to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Muskrats marveled at his interplanar airship that he used to traverse the planes. They asked Pata'traeya how he had escaped, and he revealed that he had the means of leaving anytime but he enjoyed watching the hardships unfold before his eyes. On that note the Muskrats decided it was time to return to the castle for their meeting with Mayanthangi over dinner. 
The conversation over dinner became intense quickly. Tazmeth took point on the conversation and shared why the Muskrats were truly there: to gain an advantage over Tritemeus. Mayathangi had not heard of him, but was curious to hear how wealthy he was. When the Muskrats grew worried that she may side with him, she reminded the Muskrats that her services were available to the highest's bidder. The conversation then shifted to paying Mayathangi and the Bastard's Court to join forces with them to take down Tritemeus. Her ten thousand pirates and ships would be of great benefit to any alliance they put together. For this arrangement Mayanthangi wanted land and recognition, and if they were successful then Mayathangi wanted the hand of the heir to the 1st Kingdom in marriage. With many proposals to return to Halvoy with the Muskrats called it a night and went their separate ways. 
Tazmeth returned to his room. Itzal and Cambio independently became lost but found each other and discovered that Esmerelda was in the castle and was speaking to Afton, but they were unable to discover the contents of the conversation thus far. As Dami left dinner she grew suspicious of a door leading beneath the castle. She went to investigate and her axe began to shake. The door led her into a stone hall that she followed. Screams and faint chanting echoed down the hall. She reached a second door and opened it. There in a large chamber a group of individuals clad in robes chanted as slaves were led into a magical circle and shackled to the ground. Promptly their souls were sacrificed and the screams ended for a moment. Across from Dami on the other side of the chamber was Mayathangi, with her black snake coiled around her arm. But her flesh began to tremble and she grew to grow as did the snake. Their final forms revealed that they were devils and that this was a cult dedicated to the archdevil Mammon. Dami backed away and left to find the other Muskrats. Tev received a note to meet Guntor and Ford on the balcony of the third level of the castle. On his arrival he discovered that he had been led there so Guntor could finish the business that he had started all those years ago. He drew his flaming whip and war pick and charged Tev. Ford held his scimitar loosely but followed. With each Muskrat discovering a different secret (Tazmeth discovered that the sheets had a thread count of ten thousand) only one question remained. What happened to Shade?

Report Date

23 Oct 2022