Session 73: Preparing the Assault Report

General Summary

From the campire chat

At the Lizardfolk lair, Virion squats down low by a fire near Shan'tie, as he means to speak with her. After a moment, he drops from this position, precarious as it is, to rest on a knee. He speaks in his way of slow, contemplative thoughtfulness--like his words are spoken to himself as much as to her. "Shan'tie, I've a question for you. If you'd humor a troubled mind..."

shan’tie turns to look at him “what do you want to ask?”

"I, hm." He pauses a moment, in contemplation. "What's our goal? I see we're trying to destroy the Empire's influence here, but... what next? What would the world look like?"

“I want everyone to have a place to live and thrive. I want all the people groups here to respect each other and let us live in peace. I understand that’s not going to last forever, but I want us to determine our own futures, not some outside power. Mostly, I want to live in harmony with the spirits of the land, not disturb that balance like the empire has.”

I just don't know if I can see what that'd look like. I'm not sure I can visualize that. Or, anything that doesn't frighten me, about what comes after. Who's to say we don't just get mired in war after war? It'd hardly be the end..."

"I don't disagree, and I don't want to be dragged into endless wars. But we don't have much of an alternative. We can either fight and die or not fight and die. We need to come to an agreement with Keoland about this land being ours, one that we can enforce if necessary."

"I just... all I see of this world's possible futures..." He gazes at the flame, eyes squinting before he naturally has to avert his eyes. "There's either the one we have now, or... nothing? That may be because of a lack of imagination, but... I fear that may be true..."

“Yes, I suppose that’s how I see it too, I don’t want it to be true, however it’s hardly our fault that we’re in this situation. I understand if you’re having second thoughts about this situation, and if you don’t want to fight I understand and won’t make you.”

"I still want to stand by you all, and I've thrown in. I'm with you all, to the end. I just..." He thinks for a long moment. "I wonder if any of us really knows what world we mean to create. And I think we need to make that picture." He hastily adds, "If possible."

"I think we should too. I'm hardly the person to ask about what to make and how to make it. I think that we need more scholars to help us create the image. I think you could be part of that."

Session Proper

Shan'tie is considering infinite simulacrums. I negotiated simulacrum chains to not exist. But Shan'tie does consider a simulacrum of Captain Fireborn.

Mystan wants to focus on securing the reinforcements, ideally with Sending. And the favors with the Sea Princes. His immediate contacts are Bubbles, The Queen Captain, and the Dragon. The Queen Captain should be reachable via Menace and Half and Half. Bubbles is the first one to contact, and in order to get the full context they choose to use Dream. Shan'tie really wants to get Ana out of the tower before the attack using a simulacrum of Eliander.

Shan'tie is going to use Dream, then Performance of Creation, then Simulacrum.

Shan'tie casts Dream to make Mystan go into Bubbles' dream. Shan'tie begins singing a children's lullaby, and she kisses Mystan on the forehead.

Mystan sees Bubbles weaving and swimming and laughing around a tenacled monster, fighting in the dream. They notice Mystan and ask what he's doing here and if he wants to join in. Mystan says they have a lot to talk about it.

Mystan starts to fill them in, and Bubbles grows increasingly concerned and confused by the situation. When Mystan explains the whole genocide thing and then that they need to fight the empire. This ends up being fortitious, as Bubbles, their Locatha and the Sea Elves were already considering assaulting the Merfolk from the aquatic portion of Alliance Tower. Bubbles agrees to get the Locatha and Sea Elves to coordinate with the Lizardfolk at the Dunwater River. Then they ask about the other imperial strongholds, and Mystan says "we have contingencies for that."

Shan'tie uses her song of Creation to get her materials from the Goldfinch of Gwl Gyddwn. She then goes into the tower and approaches Fireborn. An arguement ensues, and Shan'tie gives an evil monologue about how she's gonna make a simulacrum. A few hours in, Eliander asks about how Ana was looking for him. Shan'tie expresses that she doesn't want to kill him, and that she wants him to get out alive.

The plan is to make a simulacrum (which will lack a leg) and have that simulacrum get dumped near a hamlet via Find Steed and then use the sending stone to contact Ana, have Ana bring him home, get the spare peg leg, steal all the money and valuable, and have it bring Ana out to the woods on a "lead" as a "small strike force" and have the party ambush that strike force. The fake lead will take them to a burned down village for an ambush.

Eliander gets one message to his daughter, "I'm sorry, and you were right."

Shan'tie includes a piece of bark with an apology to Ana Fireborn for the simulacrum to eat, and it specifies that Eliander is alive and unharmed.

On the 36th, they send the Simulacrum. Freyja rolled a 90%. We'll get back to that.

Ciaran is picking up Kindbleeder and can relay a message via Menace using a Sending (stone) to give it to them. They give direct, upfront information about the Tercio and their ships, and say that the Sea Princes will have more support in this conflict, and could potentially get an ally in the region. Mystan offers up his favor, and Virion will if there's pushback.

An hour later, Menace says that there was a return message; a series of numbers and letters that form a teleportation sequence. After careful consideration, Virion uses the sequence and Teleportation Circle and he, Mystan, and Menace step through the portal.

The queen captain sits on a throne of ship wheels, the party is encased in a wall of force, and pirate guards are everywhere. She points out that the favor is from stopping a war. She's skeptical of war given buisness, and this is a big favor.

Menace vouches for the party's effectivness, even if they're a little stupid sometimes. They stopped the sea devils, they braved the Isle of the Abbey, they stopped a war. The Empire is going to expand no matter what; I personally have seen them renegotiating treaties. They'll turn on us eventually. We're pirates; our existence is rebellion. We need to maintain our freedom.

The Queen Captain agrees to do this with just one favor, but sends the Fleet of Monmurg, including Half and Half, to do the job (along with a secondary fleet). She expects the party to return the favor when the Empire comes breathing down their necks. With the Sea Prince help secured, the party is free to leave now via Word of Recall.

All that's left is the Bronze Dragon and the Silverstand. Mystan goes to talk to Jhar. Given she lives off the coast of Saltmarsh, he uses Sending, which she can use Sending to respond to.

"Hello again Jhar, it's Mystan. Hopefully I'm not imposing too much, but I have a dire favor I need to ask of you."

She asks if the favor is the brewing conflict, and he affirms. She's worried that if she actively fights, Ixsurrangkarkerin and his agents can move against her. Mystan actually reveals that the Scourge of Hool is going to be engaged in this conflict; on Mystan's side. Mystan explains that both will be on the assault on Alliance Tower, but can be in different rolls; one can attack the port, the other underwater, etc. Mystan proposes that she can attack from the water, and him from the air, that way they don't interact.

The elves are probably gonna be fighting the Keoish by the time the Equniox rolls around.

The party tries to get an update from the Simulacrum. He has Ana on board for the strike force, but Karg and Cortez Stonehorn are also coming and he's worried that the three of them are onto him.

The party then plots the ambush, with the idea to keep Ana and Karg alive. Stonehorn can bite it.

Ambush time, it's the 37th. Mysan gets off the first Hold Person, Stonehorn failed, Karg succeeded, Ana used Legendary Resistance. But Shan'tie uses another Hold Person and gets the other two. Shan'tie then explains the situation.

Then combat breaks out because of Ana Fireborn. Virion uses Mass Suggestion and all three fail lmao. But then 10 marines burst out! They down Menace and Mystan casts Summon Celestial at level 7. It starts wreaking havoc. So does the Shield Guardian, and Shan'tie drops a Wall of Fire.

They end up taking all the marines and officers hostage. They plan to give the 10 marines as POWs to the Silverstand (in the Northwest) and the Fireborns + Stonehorn and Karg to the Forest People.

Ana insists they'll pay for this. Shan'tie says they already have.

Getting the POWs to their proper people will take a few days. Shan'tie takes some of Ana's hair to get Simulacrum.

They plan to outfit the lizardfolk with the adamantine (and a +3 halberd they got off the old guard). The helms can go to the elves and the rest of the party.
Shan'tie contemplates a simulacrum of Ana Fireborn, but is unsure.

Next session should be the assult on Alliance Tower.

Campaign

Ghosts of Saltmarsh Dungeons & Dragons 5e Campaign

Protagonists

Melody Rose Hazel Turen

Neutral Good Forest Gnome (Hermit)
Bard 3

12 / 18 HP

STR
8

DEX
16

CON
11

INT
8

WIS
13

CHA
18

Virion Sylvenne

C/N Wood Elf (Noble)
Wizard 2

7 / 12 HP

STR
12

DEX
16

CON
13

INT
16

WIS
14

CHA
14

Co'oquilan Mystan

Bronze Dragonborn (Acolyte)
Cleric 3

10 / 24 HP

STR
14

DEX
11

CON
14

INT
13

WIS
16

CHA
13

Fishcod

Report Date

29 Nov 2024