Session Report 10 - Trial By Lightning
General Summary
"Zarkina is a Goddess who speaks more through actions than through words. The storm itself is enough to speak for her. Channel it."
-Longsunder, High Priest of The Storm
New Quests, New Opportunities
Now with no quests immediately on the docket, the party heads back to the postings board to see what they can do. A larger crowd has formed around the board than usual and pushing through to the front, the party finds a message from Francisco. He intends to head to the King's Sea with an armada of ships and invites any and all who have a ship of their own to join him. While the party agrees it is a poor idea to join him, they are nonetheless intrigued about his plans.Moving on to quests, there are a few notable postings. One is a yuan-ti hunt for far to little money, another is a beholder hunt for a good sum, and one more is a poorly written plea for help which seems to have been flown over as a paper airplane, asking for rescue from Troll Island. Grov is particularly taken by the troll island request, but the party is unsure and looks at other requests.
They turn their heads towards the bounties section of the board. On it are a number of famous pirates of the modern age, including Francisco, Deryll Beaufort, Grinnin' Lazzo, and more. There are also a small collection of bounties set by pirates on military personnel. There are three particularly notable figures among them. Estella Fairford, the Harpsbilgian Major General in command of the navy on the Six Seas, has a bounty of 750,000 gold. Galihan the Gruesome, a Harpsbilgian navy commander who hangs pirates en masse, with a bounty of 100,00 gold, and Captain Steel / Mr. Steel, a mysterious spy and informant working against the Flint Guild with a bounty of 60,00 gold.
Locke moves to ask a member of the crowd where Troll island is, and she politely tells him before awkwardly turning towards Grov and asking him if he's interested in learning to "attune with his inner storm." Confused, Grov asks for details, and she explains that she's a member of Stormcaller's Church, a temple of Zarkina's Storm Domain. Since Grov is a blue dragonborn and a person with great potential to channel the storm, he is invited to the church to test his power. She also places a notice on the board, which asks for help dealing with a group of brigands who may or may not hold a relic of Zarkina, a magical "eye of the storm" which forms as a crystallization of a particularly intense storm.
An Array of Churches
Grov, Gunther, and the rest of the party go to Stormcaller's Temple, where they meet with the head priest, Longsunder. He too senses potential in Grov and describes the tenants of the faith, telling Grov that he needn't be faithful to channel the storm, and the temple wishes to empower those with a way with the storm. He invites Grov to participate in a trial to test if he is indeed capable of channelling the storm, and Grov accepts, though he will have to partake the next day. Gunther then guides him in prayer to Zarkina while the rest of the party heads elsewhere.Ramone heads to The Barge of Bounty, a temple to Cyrill constructed to look like a barge - the premise being that Cyrill is the barge's trustworthy captain. Ramone, both unaware of the customs of the temple and somewhat uncaring towards them, donates a single copper to the shrine and then prays poorly, drawing the ire of fellow churchgoers. When confronted, Ramone tries to donate his (dirty) boots to the shrine, which only further angers the parishioners. He is promptly kicked out of the church, but not before he takes back his copper and his boots. Later, he returns to the church to apologize but is firmly asked to stay away.
The next day, Gunther heads to The Haberdasher's House of Healing, a church of Vinet which sells clothes on the side. Gunther helps cure a couple of diseases from a man who got on the wrong side of a demigod but is unable to bring him fully back to health. The church is thankful and gives him a volunteer badge so he can come back when he is able.
To Embrace the Storm
Grov returns to the Stormcaller's Temple the next evening and is told the details of his test. He is to sit or stand on the temple's roof in meditation, channelling the storm in hopes that lightning will strike him. If he truly holds powers, he will be able to force the lightning to come down. Grov understands and is escorted to the roof, where he tries to focus and think of nothing - after all, that is what meditation is, he thinks. When over an hour of calm meditation passes and naught but a drizzle of rain has fallen, Grov begins to ponder what to do. He raises his arms high in the air to make him an easier target, but this does little. He tries once more to calm himself but this does nothing again. With time on the line and no better ideas, Grov lets forth his lightning breath, which crackles through the sky as the clouds darken and the rain begins to fall more heavily. However, there is no lightning. Grov lets out a roar, hoping to call the lightning with it, but it feels forced, as though there is nothing behind it. With growing stress and anxiety, tumult begins to build within Grov's chest. He balls up his hands, looks to the sky, and anger overcomes him. He lets out a bellow from his heart and the lightning descends from the sky, striking him.Grov descends back into the church, and Longsunder congratulates him, telling him that he will teach him how to channel the storm when there is more time - after all, Grov is to leave for the sea once more the next day. The two then part ways.
Miscellaneous Happenings
Meanwhile, various things are going on with the other members of the party. Locke heads to the local whorehouse, Sin's Lodge, and strikes up a casual conversation with the tiefling proprietor Sin, asking questions about living with being a tiefling. Eventually, Locke leaves without using the "services" offered.Grov and Laire perform again at The Cobweb, however, Grov's performance is mediocre due to him not being used to his new instrument. He is heavily outpaced by a great performance from Laire, and the duo makes less money in tips than usual.
Chuck heads to the Punchin' Pit where he once again faces off against Jaco Grimweller. This time he gets some good hits off on Jaco before being once again knocked out. Jaco begins to take a special interest in Chuck, since few manage to get that far in fights with him, and watches eagerly as Chuck continues to train himself in The Punchin' Pit.
Both Ramone and Laire make a stop at a bookstore named Qvill, located in a small corner of Bootlegger's Run. It is run by Skjalljink Finkdinkdenson, Finny's son, who has a propensity to tell grand tales of adventure. Laire buys a magic book which can teach the reader how to masterfully use spices, which he gives to a grateful Fazili. Ramone, meanwhile, buys an astronomy book.
Locke goes to study magic at Lothlaire Magical Institute's library. He spends some time and money learning a new spell or two.
Once More on the Seas
The day after Grov's trial, The Driftwood once again departs from the port, this time headed for The Isle of Mad Cannoneers and Booty Isle, which are close enough to each other to warrant taking a stop at each. If the ship is in good enough condition after the journey, the party agrees to then go to Troll Island and save the person who wrote the request. Grov wants to go there first and gets grumpy.On the second day of sailing, the party encounters a Harpsbilgian fluyt which acts suspiciously and asks several times about what treasure The Driftwood is carrying. Eventually, both sides realize they know each other. The fluyt is crewed by the Fobbledoof brothers who have been fired from their jobs as prison guards after the breakout in Port Viola. The party decides to try to take the Fluyt since it is apparently short on crew, and the Fobbledoofs start panicking.
Report Date
20 Aug 2022
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