There Be Pirates...
General Summary
The Plan
The group - consisting of Mo, Grazelle, Sih'Teel, Tidran, and Breaker - relaxed around the campfire that night. Dariyana, Cassandra, and Farren were to catch up along the canal route as they still wanted to explore Ephremon for a little while longer. The main party had stayed close to the foothills of the Black Riage while traveling and were a short distance from town of Ingwald. Grazelle had already informed them about its recent occupation by pirates. The air was cool and dry. Little gusts of wind flared the leaves of the trees around them. The glow of the campfire illuminated everyone's faces with a soft sheen. It was the perfect night for both stories and questions. Mo started first. She asked Grazelle about the politics of Ivannia, the last remaining city of the fallen and ancient empire of Caelum. Sih'Teel asked about developing a trade route with Mo's city. Grazelle graciously answered them both as well as an errant question about the legends of the empire split. Grazelle replied to that one with a vague answer. But then she turned the conversation to the present: how to successfully infiltrate Ingwald and get a river barge for transportation down the Welbyway River. Grazelle suggested that the group avoid any trouble and merely pay the pirates for the use of a crew and river barge. But the rest of the group had mixed feelings about dealing with unsavory pirates. Tidran valued their life of little value. The others agreed. After much deliberation, the plan became clear. Sih'Teel, in disguise with a transformed face, and accompanied by Tidran, dressed as his hired guard and wearing a faceplate, would enter town and talk to the leader of the pirates. After hiring a crew, Sih'Teel and Tidran would let the pirates be merry with ale and then let the river barge sail down the river part way to predetermined spot. Once there, Breaker, Mo, and Grazelle would rejoin them and kill the pirates. After that, they were free to take the boat for themselves. Grazelle warned them about the pirate chief, Gravesh-Movel. The notorious leader was a lattimoor, a single beast with two beings living in symbiosis together. Lattimoors personalities could change from conversation to angry very quickly as a different personality emerged. The creatures were complex, brutish-appearing dangers to anyone who appeared as a threat. Regardless of Grazelle's warnings, the group decided to deal with the pirates by cunning and trickery. With their plans set, they each took a watch for the night.The Pirate Den
Ingwald used to be a pleasant town, as Grazelle had informed them. Once it was a well-known hunting town led by Tarae, a talented archer herself. But around a year prior, Gravesh-Movel took over the town with his thugs and drove her and her crew out. The clean, simple wooden structures and docks became unkempt, dirty, and foul-smelling. As Sih'Teel and Tidran entered Ingwald, they could feel glares from the pirates as the unsavory characters lounged in doorways and on the docks. As Sih'Teel and Tidran crossed a small bridge, they saw a strange sight. Two pirates were locked in combat. Each combatant appeared exhausted. Sweat poured down their faces and their weapons seemed very heavy in their hands. Nevertheless, each man fought on. A cheerful looking rogue riled the crowd and collected bet money on which fighter would win. Sih'Teel greeted the pirate and asked to put 10 shins on the fighter with the blue vest. The pirate cheerfully pocketed the money and the fight reset. In the end, the one with the blue vest one! Sih'Teel took his winnings from the bet master. "Does the same one usually win?" Sih'Teel asked. "Aye, but the crowd never realizes it. They're thick, this lot. Those fighters have been fighting for two days and it still never gets old. They can't stop! They just reset their position every ten minutes." the pirate said. "Well, I'm looking for the man in charge," Sih'Teel said, "can you point me his direction?" "That depends on your luck," the pirate replied. "Care for a game of knucklebones?" Sih'Teel was all too happy to try his chance at gambling. He and the pirate sat down across from each other on stools while the pirate emptied his small bag of knucklebones on the top of the barrel in between them. The game began and after three rounds, Sih'Teel achieved the highest numbers. The pirate shrugged his shoulders and put his knucklebones back in the small bag. He pointed towards a large building around 300 feet away. "That's the tavern. That's where you'll find Gravesh-Movel," the pirate said. Sih'Teel thanked the man. Tidran followed Sih'Teel to the tavern.The Deal
The tavern possessed all the dirt, grime, and danger a pirate's establishment could ask for. A grubby barkeep poured drinks and scowled. A fireplace burned brightly in the corner of the room. There were chairs and tables set up. But the main attraction was Gravesh-Movel himself. The hulking, furry lattimoor sat on a huge chair and told marvelous stories of his deeds to the pirates around him. Sih'Teel, after checking with the barkeep that this was the chief, strode up to Gravesh-Movel. "That's a fine story you've been telling!" Sih'Teel said to the pirate chief. "I've got some of my own to tell you sometime." "Ah, a fellow storyteller," the lattimoor laughed. It was a throaty, menacing sound. "What can I do for you?" "Well, see, I know this man named Bob who found a really big treasure in the area. So I thought that if we took some of your crew and one of your river barges, we could find them and split the profits maybe... 70/30?" The lattimoor looked incredulous. All of his six eyes blinked rapidly for a short while. Then he seemed to regain his composure. "You come into my tavern and brazenly ask for my crew, my ship, and then offer 30/70? It has to be the other way around." Sih'Teel stalled. "60/40?" "70/30 and that's my final offer." "37.5/62.5?" Sih'Teel offered. The lattimoor squinted and then nodded. But slowly, his face appeared... distrusting. Sih'Teel quickly saw an opportunity to convince him. "I checked my sources. You can verify them," Sih'Teel said soothingly. Tidran hastily walked forward and presented Gravesh-Movel with a forged document containing a list of a fleet of ships to prove the claims were true. The pirate chief looked convinced. "I agree. You can take some of my crew and a barge. But your companion has to stay here in your absence. We want to make sure you fulfill your part of the bargain, aye?" The lattimoor thumped Sih'Teel painfully on his back. Sih'Teel nodded. "My crew will meet you out there. Captain Cory will get you everything you need," Gravesh-Movel said. Sih'Teel hastily put a note in Tidran's hand and walked out of the tavern. Tidran stood agog. He didn't have the opportunity to read the note from Sih'Teel without being suspected. "Well, you can sit here and listen to my stories," the pirate chief said. He patted a chair nearby his own. Tidran decided he couldn't trust Sih'Teel on this circumstance. "You know, if my employer doesn't have his bodyguard, he could run into trouble hunting down Bob's treasure," Tidran told the lattimoor. Gravesh-Movel appeared to think on this. "He'll have my pirates with him, lad. He'll be just fine." Tidran tried again. "But if something happens to my employer, then it looks bad on me. Bad reputation and all that. I'm sure you understand." Tidran used all his powers of persuasion on this last statement. To his surprise, the pirate chief agreed with him. "You're right. Go, lad." Tidran walked out of the tavern feeling extraordinarily fortunate.Down the Welbyway
While Sih'Teel and Tidran carried out their plan in Ingwald, the rest of the party traveled to the predetermined spot alongside the Welbyway. The walls of the river were made of hard rock and rose high on either side of the waterway. But at certain points, the rock hollowed out to make space for small beaches, towns, and other convenient stops. It was at the top of a rock, overlooking a small bit of shore in a hollow, that Breaker broached a difficult subject with Mo. "Mo, about Sih'Teel... We know he's not a good person," Breaker said. "Breaker, the best thing we can do is to keep an eye on him so we know if he's up to no good," Mo replied. Breaker grumbled. Grazelle raised her eyebrows. "Highness, how much to do we know about Sih'Teel?" she asked Mo. "Not much... but look at how he's helped us today!" Mo replied. "I agree with Breaker on this topic. Choose your allies, the people close to you, wisely." Grazelle said. Mo dipped her head but said nothing to change her position. The silence they lapsed into lasted for a long time after that moment. A Merry Band At Ingwald, Sih'Teel and Tidran met with Captain Cory near the river barge docks. But first, Tidran had some words to say to Sih'Teel. "Never do that again," Tidran said in a low, steely voice. "I was going to rescue you!" Sih'Teel held up his hands in a surrender. "That's what I told you in the piece of paper I put in your hand!" "How could I read it inconspicuously when I was surrounded by pirates?" Tidran replied. Sih'Teel shrugged. Then their attention was distracted by the approach of Captain Cory. The seasoned pirate winced as crashing and breaking sounds resonated from the tavern. He looked at Tidran. "It's a good thing you got out of there while you did. Gravesh-Movel's mood just changed to anger. We all lay low when this happens. Anyway, I'll be commanding the river vessel along with three of my men. We'll pick up more later for the trip back against the current. We'll be ready in four hours, near dusk, if that suits you." Sih'Teel agreed. He and Tidran spent the next four hours buying up large quantities of ale to store on the river barge. Sih'Teel also charmed the pirates in Ingwald with heroic stories and excessive compliments. Within the waiting time, anyone who didn't know Sih'Teel by name had to either by asleep or dead. Captain Cory approached Sih'Teel and Tidran at the docks where they ended up after a few hours. "We're ready to go," he informed them. The two adventurers nodded and boarded the vessel. After the captain yelled the orders, they cast off and began their way down the Welbyway. After about an hour, Sih'Teel and Tidran began their plan. They left small glasses of ale through the river barge, near the three crewmen. The men slowly began to sip ale more and more. Sih'Teel organized a singing and storytelling party at the bow. Tidran continued to hand out ale. The men were a merry bunch! Suddenly, everything seemed to go wrong. Captain Cory walked out from the cabin and strode toward Sih'Teel angrily. "What are you doing by getting my crew drunk?" He asked. Sih'Teel smoothly calmed him down. "It's just a bit of fun," Sih'Teel replied. "Would you care for some?" Sih'Teel's powers of deception were marvelously keen. Captain Cory calmed down immediately and accepted a small glass of ale. On the way back to his cabin, he took a small flagon of the drink with him as well. Sih'Teel smiled craftily and continued to entertain the crew. Soon it was dark and time to make camp along a hollow in the shore. Mo, Breaker, and Grazelle waited in the shadows. The crew, captain, Tidran, and Sih'Teel worked together to build a fire at the camp. Tidran prepared a delicious meal of beef and potatoes over the fire for the crew. Between the effects of a good meal and too much ale, the crew and captain quickly fell asleep on their bedrooms. The light from the dancing flames cast darts of shadows and sparks into the night. It was then that the adventurers struck. Sih'Teel gave a signal. He quickly slit the throat of two pirates with his poisoned dagger. Breaker, who had come out from the shadows, and Tidran also dispatched the remaining pirates. Mo softly floating and bounced across the sand to stand on the deck of the empty ship. Grazelle walked across the sand and joined her, merely observing. Sih'Teel, Tidran, and Breaker added cuts to the pirates' corpses to make it look like they had been killed by swordsmen or potentially, a rival gang of pirates. Breaker rolled one of the dead pirates halfway into the water. Then, after extinguishing the fire, the three boarded the vessel, cast off, and camped the barge downriver a short distance away from the carnage. Mo shivered at the violence and said nothing. The night felt oppressive and her sleep was fitful that night.A Course Correction and Creatures in the Water
The rain the next day did nothing to drive away the dark actions of the previous night. Regardless, Mo seemed the only one still affected. The group quickly got underway and went further down the river. It was then that they encountered a fork in the river. Right or left? The impromptu crew tried to check the charts in the captain's office but they had been rendered unrecognizable by splashes of ale. Sih'Teel followed his gut and took a left. After a few days, they ended up in the wrong spot. The town of Guran came into their view! Sih'Teel asked the town crier and the local merchants for directions. Once attained, Tidran hired a small group of strongmen to pole the barge upstream and against the current. After nearly two weeks, the barge reached the small village of Redstone. The hired strongmen departed the boat with their pay and the party continued on alone. Sih'Teel, in spite of all the complaining done against him, proved useful at captaining the vessel and showing the others how to operate the barge. However, his incessant talking still wore on everyone's nerves. About two days from Nebalich, the biggest city in the Sashar region, Breaker spotted three long, red creatures swimming in the water near the ship. The twelve foot water-dwellers, called lorubs, curiously bumped their long, narrow noses against the side of the barge. As Mo, Tidran, Grazelle, and Sih'Teel stood motionless, Breaker examined the creatures. "They're won't be violent if we're quiet. They're just curious," he said softly. "But we can't make any noise." The next two days were the quietest anyone in the group had ever had in Sih'Teel's presence. As the barge came within view of the gleaming citadel walls surrounding Nebalich, the water beasts departed. The adventurers had successfully navigated the Welbyway! Another leg in their long journey was finished.Rewards Granted
Mo, Breaker, Sih'Teel, and Tidran trained in "boating" and added it to their skills.
Missions/Quests Completed
The group navigated the Welbyway and arrived at their next destination
Character(s) interacted with
Grazelle
Gravesh-Movel
Captain Cory & the Pirate Crew