Of Men and Machines Session 1
General Summary
Malark
It was supposed to be the kind of job that would set you up for success. A cakewalk. A score that you’d be able to brag about the boys back at the bar. So imagine your surprise when your mark turned out to be much more cunning and prepared then you expected. You managed to escape the Baron, and even cut down two of his men in the process. But he had more. People like him always have more. Eventually you got tired of hiding out in Arrowport. This was your home, afterall. But you knew you couldn’t shake him; so you did the next best thing. You ran. Years of making your way from town to town, slowly heading east. Always looking over your shoulder has made you naturally uneasy, and you’ve grown weary wondering if every stranger you meet is actually one of the Baron’s men. Perhaps this town… what’s it called - Beachdenn? - will finally afford you some rest. Or at least provide some easier targets…Damakos
Your journey of vengeance has brought you far from home. Somehow the trail has gone cold, but you’re convinced that the last member of this so-called Cult of Ba’al that you interrogated was telling the truth - at least as he knew it - about the blade. Something about it being near Beachdenn. The smell of the salt air doesn’t sit well with you. On top of that, the locals don’t seem to have taken a liking to you for some reason… maybe it’s the horns. Nevermind that now. The sooner you get back on the trail the sooner you can get out of this podunk town. Maybe someone in the tavern knows something…Fel'Shu
You’ve come to Beachdenn in the hopes of getting in good with the local harbormaster. You tried to join the navy over in Castleport in service of Count Silverbane. You’d heard about his exploits in the Battle of Haversoll Harbor. Unfortunately you were run off by the Southwind Trading Company goons that control Castleport’s docks. So you’ve come here, to this sleepy little beach town; maybe the local harbor patrol has some openings for you. As you approach the docks, you can see the fog bank in the distance start to lift. The morning sun appears to be burning it off. The normal hustle and bustle of the docks seems to be giving way to some other catalyst. You can hear the alarm bells tolling and people begin taking to small fishing boats. Something has happened…Keck & Tim
You thought you could overcome your fear of drowning by getting on a ship and sailing to your next destination: Castleport. You figured that because there was another half orc on board that you guys would strike up a friendship and he would assuage your fears. Maybe give you something to take your mind off the empty, unfathomable abyss under your feet. Well you were wrong. The other half-orc on the ship has been too busy doing work to notice your very obvious discomfort. Every now and then you sneak a sip from your flask. Subconsciously you do it more in front of the sailors in hopes of gaining some kind of approval from them. But so far none has come. It’s been three days now and the fog has remained constant. When will it ever end? Life hasn’t been easy for you: a half-orc sailor on a cargo vessel. You’ve been working with this crew for the past six months. The run from Arrowport to Castleport normally takes a little less than a week, and right now you seem to be making good time despite the blanket of fog. Maybe you’ll get to find the little halfling baker lady and maybe she’ll have those croissants you like so much. You finally get a chance to catch your breath and you take the opportunity to smell the sea air as you lean over the port side looking out behind you. You expected to hear the wake of the ship pushing out into the distance, but instead you hear something else. It sounds like the rough chop of something crashing against your wake. As the sound gets louder and the frequency picks up, you pick up the faint but distinct scent of musty, salted pork and stale rum.
We're Going to Need a Bigger Boat...
Keck and Tim barely survived the collision with the pirate ship that Tim instantly recognized as The Black Doom - the vessel of the notorious pirate Inkeas Hirash. They quickly lashed up the debris they were clutching to and began to look around for survivors. As the sun burned away at the fog, a few other survivors could be seen. Two were fellow deckhands with Tim, James and Carl. The other two were women, probably other passengers. Hours went by, and one by one they saw some of the others get attacked by sharks. One of the women, Carol, managed to lash her board up with Tim and Keck. As the sharks began to swarm, she began to panic. The sun slowly burned off the fog, and as it did so, they could hear the calls of a fisherman in search of survivors. They began to swim slowly to the rescue boat, a small fishing vessel. In the same moment, a massive great white shark burst forth from the water under the makeshift raft and leapt into the air. They picked up the pace and climbed into the boat. Keck attempted to pull Carol up as the massive predator charged her. He could feel his grip slipping, but just as quickly as he let go he switched hands and yanked the terrified woman into the boat. They would be back in Beachdenn within an hour. The other party members, having all entered the town on their own, had all been drawn to the chaos by the harbor. They could hear the suspicions of Kobril Dersk insisting that this was the work of the pirate Inkeas Hirash. Not familiar with the name, Malark learned that he was a notorious pirate that had been terrorizing the waters south of Castleport for months now. As it was getting late in the winter day, the group headed off to the local watering hole, The Smiling Crab Tavern. As they approached the entrance, they met a gaunt-looking half-elf farmer posting a "help wanted" sign. He introduced himself, looking somewhat relieved, as Saemuel Fletcher. He offered the group three gold pieces to return a blade to a nearby crypt underneath the Veleta Stone Circle a few miles to the east. The group grudgingly accepted and agreed to pursue the quest the following day. They entered the tavern and began to find a table. As soon as they entered, Damakos recognized the man he had had a nasty run in with earlier. The same one that had commented on his heritage. He had clearly been drinking heavily and was getting into an argument with others in the tavern. Damakos went to trip him, causing the drunken bigot to fall and spill his ale. He turned and began to try to fight, but was confused and turned his ire towards a tiefling sitting at a nearby table. Damaceus Serechor tried to ignore him, but was eventually goaded into punching the drunkard while Damakos cast a burning blood spell on him. This proved to be enough for the drunken belligerent, and he stormed out. He stomped past the party, muttering racial slurs about "half breeds." As he left, he brushed past Natalya Danamark who recognized Damakos. She joined the group and they caught her up on the goings-ons of the evening. Having gotten her story fix for the night, she decided to leave the tavern and head out into the night for a quick stroll, whistling her tell-tale whistle along the way. Damaceus Serechor left soon after as well. Having had enough for the night, the group decided to rest for the evening before heading out into the forest the next day...Rewards Granted
- Everyone: 100xp
- Keck: 25xp for rescuing Carol
- Tim the-Not-so-Tiny: 25xp for deciding to lash multiple boards and planks together
Character(s) interacted with
- Natalya Danamark
- Kobril Dersk
- Leah Pehosley
- Victyr Shaulfer
- Tristan Morningfall
Report Date
24 Feb 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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