-ABOMINATION-
The members of the Black Dragon Company are gathered around a table in the Shattered Sword Inn. For most of the evening, they have been swapping stories of their activities over the past sixty days. Keen Bill spent his time digging through the libraries of the noble houses in Hilvada, but he ran into a quandary when he found he couldn't read the majority of the texts, being that they were written in old languages. When he went off in search of someone to help him, he came across a gentleman who was very willing to provide his assistance. Bill remarks that the scholar will be stopping by the tavern later that night. That's when they realize that Loci and Zandor still have not returned from their trip to return the mirror glass to the Oracle. Bill and Elisha are not bothered, the latter surmising that they likely got distracted talking to some flowers on the side of the road.
Suddenly, they hear a very loud crash from the basement. Most of the heroes are hesitant to visit the lower level of the tavern that often proves to be more trouble than it's worth. Ronin and Aro-mon are the only ones who volunteer to investigate the noise. When they turn the corner at the base of the stairs, they see a big, furry bottom and a gnome head that pops up from behind it, manic giggling sounds emanating from both forms. There is apparently something about the basement that allows for easy teleportation, which likely explains the weird occurrences that have plagued the inn ever since its acquisition.
When everyone is gathered once again upstairs, Zandor raises a glass and wants to toast to Nameless. During he and Loci's trip, the druid realized that the heroes actually know very little about one another, despite their many adventures together. He accidentally reveals to the others that Loci was a pirate for several years, to the minotaur's great embarrassment. Now Zandor would like to get to know his fellow companions and friends better. For example, he says, he has two grown children, Enith and Belos, who live back home in their forest outside of Sheldon. The druid grew tired of his domestic life and left home seeking adventure then stumbled across Bosnun, who was injured and unconscious. After he healed the goliath's wounds, the pair traveled together until they came across Loci and accidentally arrested him.
After listening to Zandor's tale, Bill explains how he became a hero in West Bend after saving the mayor's son from a boar attack. He found that he preferred the hero's life to his apprenticeship, so he left and met Eli and Vaaris, his first friends. Aro-mon did not have much more to share than what the others already knew of him from their adventure in the Copper Forest. Otsea can say many things…but she won't, the tight-lipped elf choosing an air of mystery over opening up to her teammates. Eli shares some details of his first career as an agent for the royal regent, ferreting out crime, necromancers, and other general evil for over a century. After he retired, he wasn't allowed to tell stories from his job since they were still classified, and his wife got tired of him puttering around the house, so he set out to seek more fame and glory. Mrs. Tannin-Rodgers is currently tending to the house and keeping track of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When it becomes Ronin's turn to speak, he describes how, as a young lad of fifty, one of his favorite activities was to visit the stables. The stablemaster and huntmaster would take him out, and they'd run around in the field. The high elf shared an interesting story where they were out hunting one day, and they came across a mad boar that they were unable to slaughter before it ran off in the direction of a village called West Bend… He concludes his story by explaining that he became an adventurer because he wanted to share his love of fireballs with things he didn't love.
Now that everyone, or most everyone, has shared a little bit of interesting history, they continue to hang around the bar, waiting for Bill's new friend to show. It isn't long before a knock at the door heralds his arrival, and Bill introduces everyone to Hershul, a feeble-looking, elder gentleman who has much more energy than one would expect by just looking at him. It seems Bill has agreed to pay for the scholar's services with equipment rather than coin. As a bard, Hershul has no use for weapons, so they agree to go through Nameless' belongings come morning. They finish out the night drinking and getting to know Hershul until everyone retires to bed.
The next day, the Company wakes to a smaller crowd as befits a tavern during the morning hours. As they all recuperate from last night with some hair of the dog, a Hilvadan Irregular enters the bar escorting a mage. "Lemly, who's that with you?" asks Ronin. The foreign sorcerer announces with great aplomb that he is here to speak with Bill or Eli, no other. Otsea retreats to her bedroom, overwhelmed by the new pair of loud personalities filling the room, while Aro-mon sits back and enjoys the show. The sorcerer, called Insert Name, insists that he will speak to no one, save Bill or Eli. Bill, extremely wary from the last few strangers who asked for him specifically, approaches the newcomer and wants to get straight to the point. Insert (the 't' is silent) is discouraged from flowery discourse and finally explains that he is from Oarpool, knows Nilrem, and has a piece from a sword that has been shattered. Everyone reaches back deep into their memories to recall their first encounter with the necromancer Glarald, later to be known as Veisig. When Insert reveals that he knows of someone who can restore Eli's broken Madalena, there is a haunted silence that pervades the room. Eli, who had thought that he had finally made his peace with the loss of his precious blade, suddenly finds himself holding onto a spark of hope that he might be reunited with the beloved sword.
Before Eli can decide if this is a journey worth risking their lives over, a terrified screaming can be heard from the direction of the docks. He quickly stuffs a couple pieces of bacon into his mouth before grabbing his equipment belt and running after the others as they race outside. When everyone reaches the docks, they see a person torn in two lying on the walkway jutting out over the water and an enormous, strange bear looming over the body. This is no ordinary bear, however, as evidenced by the duckbill in place of its mouth. "What in the world is that thing?" Eli shouts out before setting up behind Loci to shoot at the bear. His crossbow bolt pierces through the unusual creature's forearm, and it lets out an odd growling scream. Otsea and the sorcerer newcomer attack it as well, until it jumps into the water and disappears from sight.
Bill runs onto the dock to check on the body that is indeed a corpse. Peering into the water, he can see a trail of blood moving toward shore. Suddenly, two more creatures leap out of the water, landing on either side of Bill. These beasts are just as bizarre as the bear, if not more so. The top half of each resembles a lion, while the rest appears to be the bottom half of a seal. They bite and slash at Bill, prompting Aro-mon to shoot a trio of arrows at the monsters to aid his leader. Ronin attempts to help as well with a couple Eldritch blasts at the sea lions, but his shock at their freaky appearance causes him to miss completely. Hershul and Zandor work together to heal Bill. They did not have time to procure any of Nameless' belongings for Hershul that morning so Eli helpfully offers one of his many daggers to the bard, who declines, much to the halfling's bewilderment. The attacks against the sea lions continue until Loci is able to kill one of the creatures with his longbow. The injured bear creature then emerges from the water to attack Otsea as two more platypus bears also appear and charge toward Loci. The minotaur dodges the first bear easily, but it provides enough of a distraction for the second one to sink its teeth and claws into the fighter's fur. Ronin steps up and calls down a wall of fire around two of the bears. Eli swings his fancy sword at the bear nearest him, lighting it up with radiant damage. Bill is able to kill the second sea lion with his dragon dagger, while the others battle with the platypus bears. They are finally able to slaughter two of them, Aro-mon by thrusting his sword straight through a bear's duckbill and Eli by utilizing his roguish expertise against the other. The third bear, singed and blighted, retreats and slinks off into the ocean.
Zandor, the curious druid, wants to examine one of each creature and enlists Loci and Aro-mon's help in dragging and carving up the carcasses. During his skilled dissection of the sea lion, he can see where the fur blends into sealskin perfectly. He is also amazed to find redundant organs in both types of beasts and hastens to inform the others of the results of his autopsy. Back at the bar, Bill is brainstorming ways to fundraise his rebuilding project for Hilvada. Eli is also trying to decide whether or not he truly wants to return with Insert to Oarpool in the hopes that Madalena can be restored.
They consult the new scholar, Hershul, who knows that Oarpool is a coastal town five hundred miles west over the sea. To get there, they could sail their own magic ship or find passage on another vessel that is traveling that way. The opportunity to reunite Eli with Madalena is enough to motivate his friends to join him on his quest. They decide the best course of action would be to hire themselves out as guardsmen on one of the ships headed straight west, though it is rumored to be crawling with pirates. With Nameless gone, Eli is now the most persuasive of the group, so he sets out to convince a captain to take them on as crew. Negotiations are not easy, but eventually a compromise is settled with one Bailin Lorch after Eli is able to assure the skipper that he has five men with sailing experience. The captain of the Shoalblade allows the party to join his ship when it leaves in two days, provided they work for their room and board. The halfling takes the news back to the Black Dragon Company, who start to wonder what they might have gotten themselves into. At least they can count one member among them who was an actual pirate. Zandor declines to accompany them in favor of researching further the strange hybrid creatures that have suddenly started to flock to Hilvada. The gnome has had his fill of sailing after a month of being stuck on a ship. As for the supposed heroes with sailing experience…how much nautical knowledge can one acquire in just two days?
Hershul Whitestalk
Race: Human
Class: Bard
Hershul Whitestalk is a tall, incredibly lanky human with a bald pate and porkchop sideburns. People marvel that he's still alive given how oblivious he can be to danger. With the body of an 85-year-old but energy of a man half his age, he looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over, yet his vigor is irrefutable as soon as he takes center stage. He detests weapons and prefers using music and speech to defeat his enemies. Though he's a master performer, no one would hire him to play any birthday parties due to his dour selection of songs and dirges. The stories he can regale others with are endless, but none will center around his own past (mis)adventures.
He enjoys hidden tomes of knowledge and noble libraries. He met Keen Bill in the stacks of the Solce Estate and was eager to assist the young captain of the Black Dragon Company. Excited about the prospects of traveling with the BDC, he would love nothing more than to be the first one to tell their tales as their official chronographer.