We begin this week’s session as our characters circumvent
Selmunett island while seeing several ships pulling anchor. Behind us the ships
we put to the torch began to attract much attention, nevertheless our ship is
not suspect because several ships pull anchor while others call out inquiring
about the smoke and flames and where our ship is going (including if we are
taking on passengers). Jabari’s reply to most is a warning of the undead hordes
under the ocean surface. A short time later, about a mile out from Selmunett a
sailor spots a lot of activity on the first docking island we came to;
including some smaller craft being lowered into the water.
Later, along our way to Ghallis Rock a sailor calls out and
has spotted a ship flying Greek colors seemingly a drift along our present course.
Carlo uses his cloak of the Manta ray to investigate. Getting closer Carlo sees
that around the ship are four smaller ships that are casting nets into the
water salvaging a ship wreck. The Vague Depravity
We decide to sail on keeping present course until we are
hailed with “News? Rum (for) Healing.” We decide to drop anchor while our
characters take a small boat to meet a small party of theirs halfway between
our two ships. We are greeted and invited on the ship by First Mate Alix
(misspelled intentionally) who is busy recovering a lost merchant ship. He is
eager to trade rum for healing. They identify themselves as the Gladfish
Merchant Company.
Alix takes Jabari and Carlo to the six wounded, which includes
the captain. Along the way Alix explains a sudden rise in heat in the water
temperatures is the nature of most of the injures. Furthermore a shifting in
the sea wreck caused a change in pressure, expelling recovery teams causing many
of the other injuries during the recovery.
Jabari begins with healing Captain Linos before moving on to
the other wounded.
Once the all clear is given by Jabari, Lex and Lete call for
the Black Rose to anchor closer to better facilitate trade.
In exchange for healing and services rendered the Gladfish
Merchant Company make good on their offer of rum as well as docking papers for
Gladfish ports in Greece as well as two bottles of rare
Ice Water liquor (100 gp each). We linger for approximately three
hours when the
Gladfish Captain Linos wakes and will eventually present Jabari
with a ship flag that may accompany our own when in Greece. In this exchange
Jabari warns Linos of the recent happenings at Selmunett island. He explains
that religious upheavals have increase trade between Greece and Selmunett.
Our characters return to the Black Rose and we learn that
yes, sails can be seen at our backs. We set sail and enter into the known map
gird when early evening arrives and before long it is full dark. We pull sails
and decide to drift with the currents through the majority of the night. Lete
receives a keep watch spell and guards the night along with regular sailor
shifts.
While this occurs Carlo learns that, for the children, this
is just another ship talking them to somewhere unknown. Lermang and Addelmy
have ingratiated themselves accordingly however
the
children have a natural distrust for one another. Carlo attempts to win the
children’s trust with telekinetic tricks. This has mixed reactions from the
children earning the greatest attention from Kallistrate. Marco tells several
homeland stories to tantalize the children while they are fed and provided
comforts.
Lete practices using the cloak of the bat when around
midnight when Lete sees a shape that resembles a winged minotaurs or winged
apes. Lete immediately alerts everyone and it is not long after Jabari orders
raised the sails as Lete and Lex changes the ship’s name from the Black Rose to
the Bonded Mind. Lex has the idea and helps Lete change the name of the Black Rose back tot the Bonded Mind. Almost immediately when our characters raise sails, the
mysterious flyers turn and fly in the direction they came.
About an hour later we encounter a large subtly moving shape
75’ under the water, we decide to go around the unknown object and sail on into
the night. Two hours later: “ships ahoy!”: four odd shaped ships are ahead in
the water. We light lanterns and a short time later they signal to us that the
lead ship, the Sea Whiskey will accept visitors.
A short time later we can see how exotic the ships are and
remind us of curvaceous seashells and are ‘manned’ by elves who declare these border
waters of Ghallis Rock. This pleases us greatly and we thus declare our
intentions of visiting and mention King Naxxar with great honor.
They express awareness of our ship and tell us how we can
approach and traverse their security. This is our first encounter with elven
society. We are introduced to
Captain
Vargin and Walker who is very interested in hearing about flying minotaurs
after hearing some of our story.
The next morning we find that the ogre had risen some alarm
until the kids who were present quenched any misunderstandings. Also in the
daylight the elven ships seem to lose their exotic quality. We disembark from
the Bonded Mind with a large group that includes the children, the tiefling,
Evagara, Addelmy and Lermang. With knowledge of the children Vargin expresses
concern and maintaining the integrity of their soft quarantine of Ghallis rock.
Therefore the children along with Lermang and Addelmy will stay behind.
The rest of us are taken via the Sea Whiskey to the rock
passing along a complex route that takes over an hour and after a time we
pierce an illusionary veil obscuring a tropical island rock upon which rests a
crystal palace. All around the rock in the waters are a variety of craft
however only one side hosts foreign craft- of these there are one large
merchant vessel (flying an Egyptian flag), three ships are the same size as the
bonded mind. In the air, elves fly about the foreign craft surveying the ships.
Along the way we see one of the ships have taken damage.
We eventually come to a docking pool where we notice
movement in the trees and have the feeling of being watched. In several seal
creatures aid in docking when Walker indicates to elves who come from nearby
trees to facilitate the remaining docking procedures.
Eventually Captain Vargin introduces us to other elves to
begin searching us for disease in which they find that Marco is so stricken and
immediately cures him but makes no mention of it. We are eventually cleared and
officially welcomed.
Looking about we see an ecosystem of elves of all kinds
living harmoniously, it was a community heavily laced in magic. We see trees of
various species possessing unique personality, small farms, as well as a prison
for the captured and an exotic marketplace filled with magical songs. This will
be the first place we encounter non-elves.
All this leads us to the path to the crystal palace and the
sudden appearance of a forty foot programmed illusion of Naxxar what says a few
brief words. Along the way Loshe comes out of know where, quite proud and happy
to see Jabari. She indicates to Captain Vargin that she will take us the rest
of our characters, including the tiefling, the rest of the way to the crystal
palace.
Inside the palace we see the converted structure the elves
here used to create the crystal palace. We are taken to a large table complete
with food and drink and are told to make ourselves comfortable. Loshe will pose
Jabari with questions; Jabari presents his first magical item- a horn of fog. Jabari
foretells our story up to and including the slave children. This will trigger
the presence of Naxxar who expresses pleasure in our news of disrupting the
Egyptian slave trade. We have proved ourselves and Jabari as Loshe’s
apprentice. Naxxar is curious about Lermang when the tiefling speaks to the
valor of the ogre and returns a gemstone ‘vessel’ on the ogre’s behalf paying
for the removal of the ogre’s cures. An intriguing exchange between the two. It
is then Jabari offers a bottle of Ice Water to the tiefling and one to the
meal.
We relay our story again and indicate the Hunter is dead. He
says The Hunter was an agent of Balor, an individual of note that sails the
river Styx. The Servants of Decay are an ancient organization that originates
from the deep continent. At one time the original organizer was once an elf who
sought lichdom. Today aside from power, the
SOD seeks relics from their lost
origins. Selmunett is strategic to their goals.
Our enemies seem to align between Naxxar and our characters
and we offer our help. His offer to Jabari is magical training, for the
remaining of us he offers access to the marketplace.
Naxxar speaks of our church dilemma in Paola and of the
corruption of the divine sources of the Seven Churches. His concern is with the
carrion-like tengu, the Church of Otherwhere and further, the followers of
Tiamat have developed a way to undermine other faiths. He believes the seven
churches are being infiltrated by the followers of Tiamat and hopes we will
help him since we are already in trouble with the seven churches.
Malta concerns him, dragons cannot make it on Malta and the
presence of the cult of Tiamat concerns him and it’s also a place where Egypt
doesn’t have a solid presence. That in a place dragons cannot go these
organizations are diminishing whatever magical talent who could stand against
them in the future, that is why people of talent are being collected or being
rid of.
Naxxar says Tiamat is real and believes the Architect is alive
and if Naxxar reveals himself outside of Ghallis (a place that is protected
from dragons) it will draw unwanted attention. The architect is an assimilator
and allows Egypt into his plans.
Our meal draws to a close he indicates the children will be
taken care of as will our ship. He invites us to enjoy the marketplace and
ponder our next direction of action.
Eventually Carlo finds Stewart and after calming down
expresses gladness Carlo is still alive and after a mind flash Carlo finds
kinship in the man; Carlo realizes the man is dying but could learn a thing or
two from him.
We begin next week on Ghallis Rock.
