A Storm of Ale
General Summary
The truest evils unite all factions.
So it was when a warmonger, an assassin, an arsonist, a nobleman, a prizefighter, and a fish walked into a bar and discovered the rum was gone.
Marrajo Shrub had summoned them there and while waiting had inadvertantely made himself a hero of the people turning synthetic water in into syntheshitty wine. But it was enough for the patrons to sing his praises. The party agreed to travel to find their way to Rogueharbor and hunt down the dwarven crew of the Meadbreaker at the pirate den.
On their way to West Haven they met with a wandering destitute catfolk and pointed her in the direction of the Flame of the Forest Inn. They offered her some water, but she hissed at their attempts to put some in her paws and ran off. No one could spare a 1gp waterskin.
An attempted shakedown by a Brotherhood bandit at the West Haven was thwarted by an intimidating words from Baru'agar, and the group entered the city as night fell and the dark things crept out.
Ava and the skald arrived at the Death Dells Tavern where Ava was greeted by Duurk, the bloodthirsty owner who pushed her and her friend into a fight. They did not object, and after a few rounds back and forth, Ava emerged bloodied from Bar's adamantine club, but unbeaten. She healed her friend and collected her winnings: Nothing. The joy of battle is enough for the violent gnolls, barbarous thugs, and other miscreants of Death Dells. Malen lost a bet, and Anathema turned down a vampire's proposition for her blood. The only alcohol was overpriced Abkheset swill, but overall, it was a good day.
After an unsuccessful overture to Mavron Mews for a ship (he was profiting way too much from the increased prices of smuggled Abkheset vintages), the party at last found a ship willing to risk taking a cargo haul to Rogueharbor in exchange for protection. The party killed the sahuagin ambassador that arrived, and then his friends, too, and arrived with no loss of life to their destination.
Salmon confirmed with the seagulls that the Meadbreaker was not in the harbor with a clever question asking the bird to smell out any alcohol, an example of which was manifested by Marrajo. In one of the many unnamed taverns in the 'harbor they found a former crewman of the Meadbreaker calling himself Redbeard. The dwarf had alreayd self-defenced to death one other patron, and while non uncommon in the settlement, the drow barman was irritated and hired Anathema to kill him and drag his body outside. Meanwhile, Marrajo Shrub and Baru'agar failed to convince the dwarf to pay them any heed, while Ana offered to listen to his story: the crew were all former Fjordhaven miners who had heard the voice of a dragon in their heads in the deeps, but more he would not say. After telling his story, Redbeard seemed resigned to the fate of his friends, and gave her a surprisingly-accurate map on a napkin to where the Meadbreaker made berth. His usefulness at an end, Ana returned moments later and made three new openings in the old pirate, left his body in the street, and collected some drow poison for her trouble.
After scouting out the map's location, the party snuck aboard the ship with invisibility, stealth, and flight. The dwarven songs were raucous all night long, but the last song told a sad story of dwarves dying in dragon fire as the sun rose. They struck at dawn, when the dwarves were at their most tired an unable to benefit from their darkvision. The ship went up in flames immediately as lightning flashed out of a clear sky, and the dwarves cried out that the dragon was attacking and began their best to save the ale as Mal rained death from above. Captain Adab appeared then, with a hostage: a tiefling Sovereign apprentice. After Mal paralyzed the dwarf amidst the flames, Bar saved the hostage, and Mar retreived the figurehead (a dragon with coins dripping from its mouth) as proof of their impending deed. Upset by Mar's theft, the captain shook off his bindings and disappeared into magical darkness, sending his waraxe into Marrajo's back for his affront. The ship ignited then, and the booty exploded, sending the remnants of the crew into fathomless depths amidst flames and darkness. The Meadbreaker ended as it began.
They returned the young tiefling woman to her home where she promised to name her first undead thesis after them (probably something 6-headed). The figurehead was turned in for the bounty at Fjordhaven to the Brewers and Tavernkeepers' Guild, and their patron, Lord Orem, revealed that he would appreciated their discretion on the lies of the pirates. "There is no dragon in Forgehaven," he said, laughing. "Where would it fit?"
The prophecy of dwarven doom likely fulfilled by Malen's spells, the party returned home as heroes. In Hunter's Glen, a bedraggled, soaked, half-burned dwarf returned to his place at the Lodge and ordered a drink.
So it was when a warmonger, an assassin, an arsonist, a nobleman, a prizefighter, and a fish walked into a bar and discovered the rum was gone.
Marrajo Shrub had summoned them there and while waiting had inadvertantely made himself a hero of the people turning synthetic water in into syntheshitty wine. But it was enough for the patrons to sing his praises. The party agreed to travel to find their way to Rogueharbor and hunt down the dwarven crew of the Meadbreaker at the pirate den.
On their way to West Haven they met with a wandering destitute catfolk and pointed her in the direction of the Flame of the Forest Inn. They offered her some water, but she hissed at their attempts to put some in her paws and ran off. No one could spare a 1gp waterskin.
An attempted shakedown by a Brotherhood bandit at the West Haven was thwarted by an intimidating words from Baru'agar, and the group entered the city as night fell and the dark things crept out.
Ava and the skald arrived at the Death Dells Tavern where Ava was greeted by Duurk, the bloodthirsty owner who pushed her and her friend into a fight. They did not object, and after a few rounds back and forth, Ava emerged bloodied from Bar's adamantine club, but unbeaten. She healed her friend and collected her winnings: Nothing. The joy of battle is enough for the violent gnolls, barbarous thugs, and other miscreants of Death Dells. Malen lost a bet, and Anathema turned down a vampire's proposition for her blood. The only alcohol was overpriced Abkheset swill, but overall, it was a good day.
After an unsuccessful overture to Mavron Mews for a ship (he was profiting way too much from the increased prices of smuggled Abkheset vintages), the party at last found a ship willing to risk taking a cargo haul to Rogueharbor in exchange for protection. The party killed the sahuagin ambassador that arrived, and then his friends, too, and arrived with no loss of life to their destination.
Salmon confirmed with the seagulls that the Meadbreaker was not in the harbor with a clever question asking the bird to smell out any alcohol, an example of which was manifested by Marrajo. In one of the many unnamed taverns in the 'harbor they found a former crewman of the Meadbreaker calling himself Redbeard. The dwarf had alreayd self-defenced to death one other patron, and while non uncommon in the settlement, the drow barman was irritated and hired Anathema to kill him and drag his body outside. Meanwhile, Marrajo Shrub and Baru'agar failed to convince the dwarf to pay them any heed, while Ana offered to listen to his story: the crew were all former Fjordhaven miners who had heard the voice of a dragon in their heads in the deeps, but more he would not say. After telling his story, Redbeard seemed resigned to the fate of his friends, and gave her a surprisingly-accurate map on a napkin to where the Meadbreaker made berth. His usefulness at an end, Ana returned moments later and made three new openings in the old pirate, left his body in the street, and collected some drow poison for her trouble.
After scouting out the map's location, the party snuck aboard the ship with invisibility, stealth, and flight. The dwarven songs were raucous all night long, but the last song told a sad story of dwarves dying in dragon fire as the sun rose. They struck at dawn, when the dwarves were at their most tired an unable to benefit from their darkvision. The ship went up in flames immediately as lightning flashed out of a clear sky, and the dwarves cried out that the dragon was attacking and began their best to save the ale as Mal rained death from above. Captain Adab appeared then, with a hostage: a tiefling Sovereign apprentice. After Mal paralyzed the dwarf amidst the flames, Bar saved the hostage, and Mar retreived the figurehead (a dragon with coins dripping from its mouth) as proof of their impending deed. Upset by Mar's theft, the captain shook off his bindings and disappeared into magical darkness, sending his waraxe into Marrajo's back for his affront. The ship ignited then, and the booty exploded, sending the remnants of the crew into fathomless depths amidst flames and darkness. The Meadbreaker ended as it began.
They returned the young tiefling woman to her home where she promised to name her first undead thesis after them (probably something 6-headed). The figurehead was turned in for the bounty at Fjordhaven to the Brewers and Tavernkeepers' Guild, and their patron, Lord Orem, revealed that he would appreciated their discretion on the lies of the pirates. "There is no dragon in Forgehaven," he said, laughing. "Where would it fit?"
The prophecy of dwarven doom likely fulfilled by Malen's spells, the party returned home as heroes. In Hunter's Glen, a bedraggled, soaked, half-burned dwarf returned to his place at the Lodge and ordered a drink.
Rewards Granted
Loot:
2,000gp Bounty for the Figurehead
[10,000gp] Cloak of the Duskwalker (has a stag's head clasp matching the Hunting Lodge)
2x [1,000gp] flintlock pistol
Experience:
Ava (7), Malen (7): 2,095 XP = 44 (Blow the Bandit Down) + + 117 (BARu'agar FIGHT!) + 44 (Blow the Fishman Down) + 210 (Sea Devils) + 420 (What Do We Do with a Drunken Dwarf?) + 1,260 (Blow His Ship to the Moon)
Anathema (6), Marrajo (6): 2,350 XP = 50 + 150 + 50 + 540 + 1,560
Baru'agar (4): 3,220 XP = 50 + 200 + 50 + 240 + 640 + 2,040
Salmon (4): 540 XP = 50 + 200 + 50 + 240
Alignment:
No changes. (Seriously, everyone acted according to their alignments.)
Other
The figurehead of the Meadbreaker has been included in the Fjordhaven Museum with the following inscription beneath:
"Figurehead of the Meadbreaker, this dragon head spilling gold out of its mouth was supposedly carved by its captain, the Mad Adab. The pirate crew was responsible for looting all the ale from The Havens. Instantly recognizeable in its craftsmanship, some critics argue the piece is an accusation against the wanton greed and mining of certain interests. Others say it's foolish to read too much into the mind of madness.
Recovered from the wreckage of the ship by the same party that engineered its destruction and saved us all from sobriety: Marrajo, Malen, Baru'agar, Anathema, Ava, and Salmon."
2,000gp Bounty for the Figurehead
[10,000gp] Cloak of the Duskwalker (has a stag's head clasp matching the Hunting Lodge)
2x [1,000gp] flintlock pistol
Experience:
Ava (7), Malen (7): 2,095 XP = 44 (Blow the Bandit Down) + + 117 (BARu'agar FIGHT!) + 44 (Blow the Fishman Down) + 210 (Sea Devils) + 420 (What Do We Do with a Drunken Dwarf?) + 1,260 (Blow His Ship to the Moon)
Anathema (6), Marrajo (6): 2,350 XP = 50 + 150 + 50 + 540 + 1,560
Baru'agar (4): 3,220 XP = 50 + 200 + 50 + 240 + 640 + 2,040
Salmon (4): 540 XP = 50 + 200 + 50 + 240
Alignment:
No changes. (Seriously, everyone acted according to their alignments.)
Other
The figurehead of the Meadbreaker has been included in the Fjordhaven Museum with the following inscription beneath:
"Figurehead of the Meadbreaker, this dragon head spilling gold out of its mouth was supposedly carved by its captain, the Mad Adab. The pirate crew was responsible for looting all the ale from The Havens. Instantly recognizeable in its craftsmanship, some critics argue the piece is an accusation against the wanton greed and mining of certain interests. Others say it's foolish to read too much into the mind of madness.
Recovered from the wreckage of the ship by the same party that engineered its destruction and saved us all from sobriety: Marrajo, Malen, Baru'agar, Anathema, Ava, and Salmon."
Report Date
09 Mar 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
