Session Report 40 - A Taste of The Dread Sea
General Summary
"Every time I sail The Dread Sea I'm reminded how much of a thorn in my side Thrazmohk can be. I've yet to trade blows with him directly, but even still he's one of the most persistent opponents I've faced - and I've faced a lot. If there's one thing I can compliment him on, it's that he does a bang-on job of maintaining the eerie oppressive atmosphere that we adventurers want from an undead horde's waters."
-Journals of Captain Rose
Planning, Piracy, and Pixchaxla
The senior crew discusses the prospects of first stopping by Oblau's Shallows since a job was posted there with a magical artifact listed as a reward. The crew agrees that this might be a good idea, and Pixchaxla is strongly in favour, mentioning that a dip into the Dread Sea might do well to throw off any pursuers that the ship may have gained. Jean Piost is more than a little annoyed that the ship will not be heading straight to Libertalia, but, after breaking something, calms down and tells Locke to ensure that this is the only stop.Locke mentions to the senior crew that he heard from the governor that Captain Rose's Journals are located somewhere on The Wild Sea. This raises several eyebrows, most of all Gunther's, who considers that The Drifters might not need to meet up with Francisco in order to get to Rose's Treasure. Pixchaxla interjects, taking firm issue with the idea that the treasure will be going to anybody but Francisco. Gunther argues that this might help both parties with getting to the treasure faster, but Pix doesn't budge. Somebody brings up the idea that securing these journals might be good for the simple reason of preventing others from getting a foot in the door on the path to the treasure, and this time Pix relents, agreeing that there are several others who would go to great lengths for the treasure.
After a few questions, Pix discusses what he knows about Beaufort and where he might be, as well as what he thinks Fairford would do were she to have the pirate in her clutches. His guess is public execution, considering that the killing of such a figure would be another point of prestige for her. Locke uses one of the scrolls of message in order to contact him, asking if he's ok. The spell goes through, but there is no response. The group considers that he could be in hiding, but nobody is sure.
Onto The Dread Sea
The Flying Flagon sails towards The Dread Sea. The clouds grow dense, the waters grow dark, and a subtle chill passes through the air as the ship enters the sea. In the distance, the faintest green glow is cast upon the clouds, reminding all of the ever-present Dread Isle. The crew stays on guard as they sail for a few hours toward their destination.About 4 hours into the Dread Sea, Grov spots a shape from the crow's nest. Soon, an undead whale with skeletons riding it surfaces and begins to attack the ship. The crew swiftly deals with the skeletons. Gunther takes the initiative, manning the ballista alongside Ramone and a couple of the crew members, managing to fire it as the whale resurfaces again to attack the ship, tethering it in place and leaving it vulnerable to be killed. With the threats dealt with the crew spends the remaining journey somewhat more alert than usual. Oblau's Shallows appear in the distance.
The Shallows
The settlement is relatively small - so much so that even calling it a "town" instead of a large village might be an overstatement. Around 700 people live on the isle, many of whom are Bodari and the rest of whom are of Androchian descent. The Flying Flagon is greeted by the harbormaster who asks a few questions before allowing the ship and its crew in, though he warns that the group is responsible for maintaining their own safety here. After all The Dread Sea demands enough of the community as is, there isn't time for the guard and the people to look after travellers.The village is roughly divided between The Shallows - the mainly bodari part of the village, much closer to sea level, and The Front - the more Androchian side of the village facing towards the east, where the majority of the military might is. A large keep, which the party later finds out is a prison for the Dread Lord Oblau, rests alone, away from the rest of the village.
Overbearing Mothers, Unfriendly Gnomes, and Incompetent Guardsmen
The person who put up the posting is Ikh'nil, a bodari mother to nine children who treat them more like property than like independent people. One of her sons, Eight, has disappeared recently in a string of disappearances and murders which have taken place over the last 24 days. Ikh'nil gives what little detail she knows about the crimes, mentioning the identities of a few of the victims and the undead states of the bodies. No obvious connection lies between them - the victims are both bodari and Androchian, of all ages, and of varied professions. However, with no details on their personal lives, a thread may yet be found. Ikh'nil points the group in the direction of the village barracks if they'd like to talk to the guard or seek out the team responsible for looking into the case.At the barracks, the group flags down a gnomish member of the guard, who paces towards them with a furrow on his brow, recognizing them as outsiders, then uses his clerical powers to try to turn them. Seeing as nobody is truly undead - Laire only being a tad undead - nobody flinches. However, this does not satisfy the old gnome, who acts very suspiciously toward the newcomers. He tells the group that the village can solve its own problems and that some worthless treasure hunters are better off leaving than adding to the already large number of undead on the sea, which he suspects they will if they stick around. While altogether unfriendly, the gnome does answer some questions about the case before the group leaves. As they go, he makes it clear that they are not welcome here.
After about half an hour of searching the group eventually finds 5 guardsmen matching the descriptions given in no place other than The Last Breath tavern, the three dwarves downing beers and the two bodari with them either fidgeting or staring apathetically towards a wall. Gunther pulls up a table and tries to get the dwarves to work, but is only invited to drink. This peeves Gunther, who begins to see quite clearly that these folks are not competent at their jobs, and he berates them. Even after being told that the murders and disappearances only happen at night, Gunther is understandably pissed that the dwarves are drinking on the job. With no other option, Gunther heads to the bartender to get him to cut them off, eventually bribing him to do so.
Undead In The Shed
Following up with Ikh'nil about Eight, she mentions that he's one of the people who disappeared instead of found un-dead. Laire asks after any identifying items he might be carrying, and the mother mentions a nametag she made him wear. Laire, using magic, tracks this tag down to a fishmonger's shed, and the group notes some movement from inside. Locke picks the lock, while Grov stands ready with his sword. As the door opens, the undead form of Eight shambles through the door, but is quickly dispatched by the group.The situation is puzzling - why was Eight locked in a shed? How did he get in there? The evidence indicates that he had been there for the entire 20 days that he was missing, but that could be cracked up to the incompetence of the guards. Looking at the wounds, and trying to ignore the ones dealt by the party, Laire determines that Eight was pierced three times in the midsection with a long and sharp object/objects like an incredibly thick rapier or a javelin. Necrotic energy also seems to have burned the body in some way. Laire determines that the bodari bled out in the shed shortly after sustaining the injuries to the midsection.
Locke investigates the shed itself, finding it to be a mostly normal, if a bit dusty, fishmonger's shed. It has a small window for air circulation and a decent amount of supplies. With his keen eye, Locke spots the vague outline of a long and bony footprint unlike those of Eight. Gathering notes the group agrees that something is amiss but the perpetrator is likely some kind of intelligent undead. They bring the body of Eight to the guard and tell Ikh'nil of his death, which only lightly saddens her.
The group moves on to investigate further as evening turns to night. A dark figure looms in the shadows, silently watching from a distance.
Report Date
01 Apr 2023
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