Episode 36 - Tethered to the Celestial Brine

After waking up in the drippy sickle after a night of relative frivolity compared to others Davwyn and Klork decide to gain their bearings by deciding to go outside where they find Moxt who is casting plant growth on the side of the old run-down watering hole. The friends realize that the Druid is not merely making repairs to the building or grounds but designing a proper burial site for the recently departed Big Booty Judy. After saying some words to assist her spirit into the afterlife the party took shots of Wheezing Hog Whiskey in her memory. While Moxt finished his preparations outside Davwyn and Klork went inside and began conspiring on how to draw business to the bar while Klork drew up plans for renovations (despite his lack of skill for architecture) Davwyn went to work on the recently purchased brewing equipment to put together a new formula in hopes of competing with Beets by Dre. Given his genius for brew craft he unsurprisingly concocted a delicious sour ale made from red wheat, which he named the Bitchy Engine (but you know what it really is). Not long after a young woman entered and introduced herself as Yselda Brown, a local food and culture critic who was looking for the next big thing after an unprecedented display of charisma Davwyn poured her a sample which impressed her more than any fare that she could remember and she left the bar singing its praises
After finalizing their plan for future advertising given this development the company decided to head down to the Salty Pirate in search of Aaron Frost’s contact, Salty Rick. Upon entering the moderately dingy bar full of scruffy looking members of the city’s maritime proletariat the party immediately felt out of place. After asking around and receiving nothing but abuse Klork decided to talk to an unassuming gentleman at the bar and Davwyn devised a brilliant plan to order the most expensive drink on Rick’s tab and wait to see who reacted. It was a brilliant plan that certainly would have worked if the man that Klork had discovered had not been an associate of Rick’s named Kyle. After noting how thoroughly unimpressed he was with the legendary Arnon’s Bane, and how infuriating Klork’s line of questioning concerning names was, he walked them to a back room where they were introduced to a skinny unshaven captain who smelled of fish guts and day-old tobacco who could be none other than Capitan Rick. He was equally unimpressed with the party and was a bit surprised to see Davwyn who he reminded of a separate job given to him by Frost. Realizing his lapse, Davwyn left the party. After Davwyns departure, Rick introduced the group to the patron of their upcoming voyage, a blind man named Adonthir and his seeing eye silverback named Kong. Both were ravenously consuming large quantities of food in the back corner of the room. Adonthir explained that he was a Paladin from the Astral Realm who worshiped a God of the Astral called the Caprine. He further explained that the Caprine’s temple had been take over by an unknown band of villains, and that his good friend was likely
trapped inside. So he sought to launch a rescue mission in exchange for aiding Arnons Bane in their coming battle. After quickly gathering supplies, the company set sail on Rick’s ship, the Queens Pyre. The ship sailed west from the port into uncommonly turbulent waters. Though the boat was rocked vigorously, even knocking Moxt overboard they endured the rough seas until inexplicably went still. With the sea like glass around them they waited until nightfall when it was so dark that the only thing visible was the crystal a the bow of the ship. The lantern pulsed with psionic energy revealing a new landscape of colorful starlight and a sea of eather. As the ship set sail in the astral it was boarded by a disgusting hairy lizard-like creature that had crawled up the side of the ship. Rick quickly calmed the crew down by explaining that this was the Astral version of a flumph. The creature smiled with an amicable demeanor and after telling them of the protections surrounding the Caprine temple gave each member of the party an unknown blessing. After sailing for a few more hours the crew came across a portal to unreality known as a void storm which they used as a gravity well to sling the ship into high speeds in the direction of the temple. When the ship coasted to a stop in a cluster of small islands Klork noticed two other ships from the crow’s nest. One of the ships fired a blue flair into the sky indicating a wish to parlay. While the crew was discussing whether they would respond, a psionic projection of a githzerai appeared on the deck. He explained that his name was Zarik Tarl and that he required aid in combating the other ship. After negotiating their aid in exchange for information the crew declared hostile intentions on the other vessel by firing a red flare into the sky the two ships closed in exchanging fire until Adonthir and Kong fired a crippling shot to the enemy rudder. Realizing the hopelessness of their situation. The ship attempted to flee ending up crashed on a rock. The crew of the enemy ship began rigging their vessel to explode and evacuating the gear and crew that they could onto the rock. Upon seeing their plan the gith ship fled the battle field and Arnon’s bane ignited the explosives on the enemy frigate. Spying one remaining sailor alive after the explosion who could have been brought aboard for needed interrogation the crew decided to fire a canon shot at him turning his body to red soup. Upon recognizing the flag of the defeated ship Rick’s face became distraught. He told the company that they had just mad an enemy of Gunter’s fleet. Who is this new enemy that our heroes have made? What will they find waiting for them at the temple of the Caprine? Will Arnon’s Bane abandon their murder hobo tendencies? And what has made Rick so very very salty.