We're the Captain Now

The party experiences more of what Baldur's Gate has to offer while avoiding crossing paths with The Guild...

As night began to overtake the city, and fog spilled in from the harbor, the party walked under escort to the Low Lantern Tavern across the bay, about an hour's walk. Along the path, they encountered a pair of lizard folk talking about how a ship called the “Uncivil Serpent” made dock last night, apparently here hunting a bounty.

They also encountered three gnomes in religious garb begging for tribute along the water's edge. They sought tribute for Umberlee to guarantee safe passage across the water for the refugees from Elturel. Not a lot of sympathy for the Elturel refugees from the locals from the sounds of passersby. Remses transformed his face to mimic that of Re, a god of old from Mulhorand, attempting to spread some knowledge of the long past deity. He received a swift kick to the shin from a local child before they ran off, telling Remses to take their religious gods elsewhere.

Quite the eventful walk throughout the various districts along the harbor front as they walked by a group of well-armed individuals flanking a short black-haired female human. She eyed them curiously as they made their way through the district of Heapside. Almost at their destination, they encountered a peculiar Owlin who seemed to be looking up, down, and all around for something, divulging that he was indeed looking for a sea through woman that was seen around the South East side lately.

Investigating further, the party found that the Owlin was a member of the Gravemaker crew working for a monster hunter named Leone Wen working out of the old Szarr mansion in the Tumbledown district. This individual had been on the hunt for any who could assist, particularly as of late since murders had been occurring the last fortnight, and the undead crawling from the overloaded graveyard in the Southeast of the city had been to blame.

Finally reaching the Low Lantern Tavern, tired, beaten, and bruised, the party entered cautiously as they eyed several seedy figures and even more bouncers than they cared to count. Here they noticed Serena as well as Amrik Vanthampur, Mortlock’s brother that he had mentioned worked out of here. Remses spotted a bone devil stalking along a couch top where Amrik seemed to be doing some business dealings. Remses had words with Amrik and witnessed him being told something that related to a Scarred Hulk.

After Amrik’s speedy exit, the party, still cautious after the day's events, carefully and uneventfully made their way towards the Elfsong Tavern. Elfsong Tavern had an eerie undead spirit that apparently resided in the tavern and strangely enough changed up its song that it graced its patrons with. In Elvish, the party listened to a tune revolving around Elturel and its HellRiders, likely due to the influx of all of those who had made the journey and survived the atrocities that had occurred earlier in the week.

They also witnessed a Sahaugin playing cards with someone who resembled Tarina, their contact that Captain Zodge had mentioned that morning. Many rested but few slept as the party had words with each other, particularly concerning the crown that now sat upon Cassio’s head and what it had to do with the Cult of the Dragon. Before the day's events were fully over, word was sent to Mortlock to meet at the Sewer Keep and they gave a warning additionally to stay in hiding, as Amrik was likely hunting for his brother after their failed assassination attempt in the Cult of the Dead Three’s lair that day.

Remses went down to the bar early, although he couldn’t enjoy the beverages being served. He did take in the Elf Song’s atmosphere and even bore witness to a score of pirates that came barreling in offering up a reward for the head of one past shipmate, Tarina. Remses stayed tight-lipped as the pirates floated around the bottom floor of the tavern but never made their way to the rooms upstairs. After their bounty announcement and departure, Remses encountered Tarina and made a pact to remove her past crew from the map.

That next morning, as the party awoke, they felt that it was in their best interests to remove these pirates from their position of power and liberate themselves a ship in the meantime. They made their way to the docks where Maximus sweet-talked his way into the Captain’s quarters, where he quickly forced the pirate coward of a captain to flee his ship, ultimately sinking into the harbor and into Umberlee’s watery grasp.

The party then decided that with Serena and Tarina at the helm, the remaining crew could act under them and the party’s orders, to what end the party had yet to decide. A quick brunch trip to Jopalin’s teahouse also led Maximus to forget his code words, nearly sacrificing his chance to gain a forgery kit which would aid in his task of getting Scalm’s business license into the upper city and the Wide’s market there. The party came to his aid, witnessing quite the shady-looking operation behind the scenes as it was deemed there was more to the tea here than met the eye.

Encountering Jopalin, the party learned that even the teahouse here had ties with the Guild in town. After enjoying their tea thoroughly, the party decided that healing potions might be a good idea before attempting to meet up with Mortlock by nightfall. Ramazith’s tower was mentioned as their best option for magical goods if they were looking for the best alchemists in town. So, the party began to make their way for the first time into the upper city, cautioned that they wouldn’t be tolerated lightly after nightfall by the upper city watch. Even the Flaming Fist had their limits when it came to the upper city in Baldur’s Gate.

Along the way, a number of guards did clock the random assortment of party members and did follow at a distance. A short walk into the district led them across the path of two cloaked figures that stepped from a nearby alley. The group noted a pair of beaks poking out from under the cloaks as well as several daggers that came flying in their direction!

Dispatching of the pair easily, the city watch caught up and quickly realized what had happened. Knowing that the group seemed like law enforcement and acting with great tact and diplomacy, the group was able to leave the guards to clean up the scene and also confirmed that these two assassins seemed to be members of the local Guild. The assassins' reasons for attacking the party were lost upon them for the time being, and the city watch recommended that they finish their travels to Ramazith’s tower and exit the upper city as quickly as they came.

Approaching a quaint-looking tower a few blocks later, the party entered what seemed like a small tower before witnessing the arcane grandeur that was hidden within. Several aquatic-looking warforged entities of various sizes greeted the party along with a peculiar individual, a well-dressed human mage in ornate robes of dark blues that held hints of the ocean air and seaweed. Welcoming the visitors, the individual introduced himself as Lorroakan. He said that he could sell some various arcane artifacts and potions. However, if the party could stay the evening and help him rid the upper levels of the tower from some unwanted squatters from the previous tower's owner, he would be more than happy to gift the party with an arcane item each as well as several healing potions.

With a shelter around them in the upper city, the party collected themselves for whatever resided in the higher levels of this most peculiar tower. The reunion with Mortlock would have to wait, and hopefully, his brother Amrik Vanthampur was yet to follow up on the half-orc’s whereabouts…