(G578 21/12/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI35
[Fenrir, Reinward and Irritator have been given the task of destroying
the port of Dulok on Fashib by Princess Senel. After a couple of days
they have made a bit of hap-hazard progress.]
DAY 662 (24th Nightal)(December) cont ...
Later, as they were finishing off their long lunch and discussing
plans, the Lady Langit Biru arrived again. She asked if she could
borrow Fang for a while, to help her with some heavy lifting, as part
of her effort to stop Cerdict coming back from the dead.
Reinward, still willing to contract her on this said, 'Nah, let's bring
him back from the dead, say it was all a miss-understanding and get
him to destroy the town for us. What do you think Fenrir?'
'I'm not massively onboard with that idea.'
Lady Biru thought it was a bad idea but said, 'if you want to do that,
it is up to you. Just let me know and I'll stop what I'm doing.'
I suspect Reinward was just trying to be annoying though as once
it was accepted he backed down from the idea.
He then asked what her plans were after her task was finished. She
said she had other matters to attend do, but would be able to help
them later with anything she could be of service with.
She wandered out of the cave, taking Fang with her. Fenrir and
Reinward decided to let Port Dulok settle down for a while before
trying again.
DAY 663 (25th Nightal)(December)
Fenrir, still not sure of the best course of action, went to take
a look at the port again from a high bluff on the east side of the
town.
You may be puzzled at this point, dear reader, why he hesitated. Why,
when he had so easily slaughtered a crowd of ruffians in Baldur's
Gate would he be so concerned about dispatching a batch more in
a place many many miles from any law or authority?
I will venture and answer if I may. We "adventurers" are a suspicious
lot and when I feel my plans have gone array or I have fallen foul
of some dire happenstance or event beyond my control I oft times think
of a deity called Fate. It only exists in my imagination, and I picture
it as a tall hairy being, much like a bug bear, who sits and laughs at
my plans, looking down on my over his big hair belly.
For Fenrir I imagine this is also some entity, whom I would call
"Consequence". For when he acts without thinking or puts into action
a that have been ill-considered, or acts on impulse, he will later
be visited by beings and people that have been place in his path
by the capricious hand of Consequence.
So now he stood and contemplated, though I may be able to destroy
this place, what would the fickle hand of Consequence have in store
for me? Little did he think of the consequences of what he and
Reinward had done in Baldur's Gate. I would have thought the ramifications
of that should have played heavier on his mind, but here he was in
this place, in the morning, wondering what he should do.
Eventually he came back to the cave and reported back what he had
seen in Dulok. Although a small portion of the town had been burnt
down, it was generally going about its business. The bridges had been
destroyed but there was a place were the river could be forded at low
tide if you didn't mind getting wet up to the waste.
They disguised themselves as 'mid rank sailors' and sauntered into
town. They found the streets in a mild level of chaos, so it was easy
to get in. They went from tavern to tavern, buying drinks and talking
to the locals. They learned more about the wizards that Fenrir had
fought and more powerful locals - a coven of three tabaxi witches that
lived in a house on the southern outskirts of town.
They learned a bit about Plimpo and he lived in a ruined castle to
the north. The dark elf was not local and it appeared he had now left
the port.
Reinward thought it best to deal with Plimbo first and so with that
in mind they took a walk north and then west along the coast to have
a look at his castle. It was definitely ruined, with its collapsed
turrets and ruined gateway, but it was still secure. They walked
along up the drive and Reinward so gargoyles hiding in the ruins.
They then walked further along to a watchtower, acting as if they were
out for an evening strole.
When they returned to the taverns they found out what they could about
the pirate factions and how the pirates related to the Tren.
Apparently about a month ago there had been some tensions between them
all and a couple of dozen killings had resulted, but it had simmered
down now.
At about eight o'clock they walked back Plimbo's house with the
intention of pretending to be "traders".
Fenrir shone a light into the gateway. Mobkin a Svirfneblin Rogue stepped
out of the shadows.
'What do you want?'
'To see your master.'
'He's busy.'
'Is he doing a poo?' asked Reinward.
'Cheeky twat.'
'Right right, can we wait?' interjected Fenrir.
'It's a free island.'
'I am, err,' said Reinward. 'The Quartermaster of the pirate ship Dementor.'
'Good for you.'
Fenrir stepped over all of that bluffing and turned on the intimidation.
'Show me respect or face my... wrath!'
It had an effect on Mobkin, who got much more friendly.
He called over another Svirfneblin called Gringkid and had a message sent
to the "master".
When a reply came Mobkin went white and wrote out a note that he then gave
to them. He told them he master was not here, but at the Wanger Tavern and
they were to take this note.
It was in cant, but magically translated roughly to:
Salutations Sally,
Two wonderful treats for this brace of fine dandies
Blessing on your tremdous bosoms,
Mobkin
They tried giving 50 gold to send another note, but that didn't
really go anywhere. Reinward thought that they were being lied
to and that Plimpo was at home.
They went back along the drive then snuck around the back of
the house. In the end it was not too hard for them to sneak
in, avoid the gargoyles (who seemed more interested in playing
saucy games in the spare bedrooms) and deep gnomes. They found
the wizard's main chamber. Reinward disabled a trap on the door
and they burst in. Caught by surprise Plimbo was killed in a
single volley of Elditch blasts and daggers.
They looted the chamber then snuck back out again. A job well
done, they took their note to Wanger Tavern and met Slaphappy
Sally. What happened next I will leave to the readers imagination
but as I understand it there was a magical and non-magical option.
DAY 664 (26th Nightal)(December)
The next threat they considered dealing with were the three tabaxi witches
that they had not seen yet, but that they had heard about.
Fenrir was always very good at finding the right person to talk to. After
spending a bit of time and a bit of gold in the morning he got himself
into the company of one of the witches' housemaids.
In hushed tones she told them that the witches were like cats, they are
distracted by shiny objects - in that they would be interested in any large
displays of magic in the port, or new interesting visitors.
"And no one can defeat them," she warned Fenrir and the others. "Fireballs
just wash over them. Magic arrows they pluck out the air and throw back."
Reiward was interested in this information and wanted to know how it was
they the witches were "indestructible" but the maid didn't know.
Her final advice was that they kept their eyes on the sky and find
somewhere to hide if they saw the witches overhead on their broomsticks.
After that they found out about a group of beings called the
"blinking lizards". This lizardfolk were talked about as if they were
ghosts. They were apparently a tribe of lizarfolk that had learned the
ability to blink - as Reinward did with his magic items - which made
them very hard to fight. They were not often seen in Dulok though.
Next on the agenda for today, they went to check out the buildings
were the slaves were kept. It was a group of four houses behind a tall
wall. There were guards and slaves, and about 100 or so poor souls
kept in cells and locked rooms. They were mainly sailors and travelers
taken from ships that had been pirated.
A plan vaguely forming in their heads they purchased a former ship's
captain and a boson and took them back to their hideout in the dragon's
cave.
Fenrir and Reinward had a vague plan for rescuing the rest of the
prisoners. They asked the Captain about the boats in the harbour.
The faster ones were pirate ships, but anything large was something
they had just brought back with them. Some of them would still be
seaworthy but most were used for spare parts.
'My ship is still down there, and still sails, the "Natural Knocker",
as fine a ship that ever sailed in all of Faerune!' declared the
Captain.
After lunch they got some clothes for the former slaves and went
down to the docks. The Knocker was still there although they did
see a pirate onboard as a guard. Looking around they saw that even
the wrecks were under guard, to stop the other crews from filching
supplies from them.
'Over there is another good ship, ready to sail, and over there too!
And I'll warrant they will still be supplied enough for weeks of
sailing. They leave the barrels of food and water on board, from
what I've heard, and only take it out when required.'
The Captain pointed out two ships, The Itchy Limpet and The Elegant
Whale.
Reinward and Fenrir were still not sure. They talked themselves around
in circles, trying to come up with a plan to rescue the prisoners
and destroy the town.
'What are ye waiting for?' asked the Captain. 'Fire the town and
open up the slave house. It'll be chaos, but what else would ye expect?'
Even, so, the spectre of the God of Consequences hung heavily over
their heads. Why rush it? After all, the pirates and the slaves were
not going anywhere.