(G435 02/01/2021 via Roll20 - AP, JF(GM)) WA77

[Now to return to Fenrir and his fine friends who had just obliterated a pirate base
on Hammerhead Island and although they had not found their target - Hrarnok Sharkchum,
they were confident he could not be far away.]

DAY 491 (6th Flamerule)(July) cont ...

From the dead bodies that littered the pirate caves, Veddic raised 16 skeletons and
stuffed them all into his Bag of Holding. It was starting to get a little crowded in
there.

Meanwhile Fenrir went scouting, flying across the island, while invisible, to take
a look at the town. Built almost entirely out of wood, it was an impressive size for
a town that serviced (Fenrir assumed) only pirate ships.

He saw a group of people down at the docks and a man that looked like a Harbourmaster,
but it was not Sharkchum. He then flew around until he spotted a building that looked
like the finest dwelling in the town - like an island Governor's mansion. Built of wood
is sprawled across a large, palm tree shaded, compound.
It was heavily guarded too, with a dozen men at the gates and main door.

While Raz and Veddic walked along the forest path to the town, Fenrir entered the mansion
garden and looked through some windows.

In the living room he saw three men. One was large, hairy and richly dressed. Another looked
like a cleric of Umberlee and another was ever bigger than the first, and less hairy.
There was also a woman dressed as a tart, whom was addressed as 'Blamange'.

Fenrir called, 'Sharkchum's a poofter!' from outside the window.
The biggest man went to it and looked out.
'What do you see, Tunny?' asked the other.

Suddenly a pirate called Carver, who Fenrir recognised from the caves, burst through the
doors, yelling, 'we are attacked! The caves are being attacked by wizards and barbarians!'
'This isn't like last time when you were all drunk and thought a kraken was in the caves
and it turned out just to be a fat seal?'
'No my lord!' pleaded Carver, 'Many are dead already! They killed Jonas and Kid Wombat and
the Wedding Killer, oh and Little Jimmy Kidneys!'
The cleric left, going to his temple. The other two men went to nearby armour stands and
started strapping on their fullplate armour.

Fenrir, thinking it would be a good idea to fight them before they were ready, burst through
the window and attacked. Sharkchum and Tunny were not pushovers though, they turned into
their hybrid wereshark forms and as the battle continued, they cased Fenrir into the hall
and backed him into an alcove under the stairs.

Fenrir killed many of the wereshark guards as they entered the hall in waves, using blasts
of his Eldritch Cone to sweep the area, sending blood and guts everywhere. Somewhere in
the melee, Blamange was also killed.

Next to fall was Tunny. Although they were landing telling blows on Fenrir and he was badly
injured, he was still able to use his Eldritch magic. Sharkchum kept at him, but was taken
down by a Painful Slumber spell. Three minutes later Veddic and Raz turned up, stepping
carefully over the piles of bodies that littered the smoking ruin of the main hall of the
mansion.

They decided to leave, and Sharkchum was bundled onto the carpet with Veddic while Fenrir
and Raz used Wind Walk. They flew west for five miles, but looking east they could see that
they were being followed. Four manticores slowly gained on them, but when Fenrir turned back
and killed one, the others flew off.

An hour later they saw sails to the east, three ships. They flew up into the clouds and hid
for a while, and when they descended to take a look around they saw that the ships were now
directly below them.

Fenrir took the Bag of Holding with the barrels of oil in it and headed down, staying invisible.
He then firebombed the ships, setting the sails and decks on fire and sending the sailors
scurrying to the pumps. Some return shots were fired, but nothing hit.

Fenrir turned invisible and they headed back into the clouds. Hours later, after flying north,
they found a small island, not much more than a lump of sand half a mile across with a few
palms on it. Here they landed, surprising a group of puffins that nested in the rocks on
the shore.

It was noon though, so they didn't stop, but flew on and after another six miles they found
another island similar to the first.

At two o'clock they made camp in the centre of the island, using the sixteen skeletons as guards.
Fenrir tied Sharkchum and then woke him up.
'You seem to have me at a disadvantage gentleman,' said Sharkchum who was apparently well spoken.

Fenrir talked, and threatened, but did not break through Sharkchum's calm demeanour. When he
started stabbing the pirate though, Sharkchum took action, turning into a shark so that his
bonds fell loose. Fenrir started kicking the shark, and instructed the others to do the same.

I find it hard to imagine the scene to be honest. Three grown men kicking a shark to death.
Fenrir stopped. 'Oh, is he dead?' he wondered.

Veddic checked, and amazingly Sharkchum still lived. He healed him then cast 'Charm Person',
poor old Veddic once again suddenly remembering he had a spell that would have been useful
at the start - and would have at least have saved him the indignity of kicking in a defenseless
sea creature!

Sharkchum turned back into a man and greeted his new friend. He still did not like the look
of Fenrir and Raz though and started to back off out of the camp. Veddic may have used a Charm
spell, but he was not as diplomatic as Fenrir and his simple threats had little effect.
Sharkchum was charmed, but he was not stupid. He ran for the seaside.

Fenrir decided to hit him with everything and channeled all his magic into a blast that literally
blew the pirate to bits.
'Oh,' mused Fenrir, as they picked through the pirate lumps for clues. 'I thought he would
survive that.'

Luckily for them (very luckily!) they found a scorched and bloodstained letter that was addressed
to 'Blackthorn, druid of Silvanus'.

It was now five in the evening. Two ships were seen in the south, heading for the island. Somehow
they were being tracked. Fenrir went to take a look, they seemed to be burnt up, but still seaworthy.

Back at the island they put the skeletons back in the bag, then flew for a while (Veddic had
no more Wind Walk spells). Once it was dark, they unfolded the magic boat and spent the night on it.

They were untroubled by pirates, manticores or anything else so perhaps it had been only
Sharkchum that had been tracked.