bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Feb 22, 2009 17:38:34 GMT -4
they suspected me? I thought they were asking me for help to see who wrote it. moot point now though since when I confronted Calico he told me what he did. - Mark - Does Liamae Teslikaria have a character sheet, or are you going to hold on to that? I imagined it like this: Lavinia finds the note and asks Croan who he thinks could have either forged it or filched it. Of his close comrades, the only one he can think of who might be sneaky and/or rash enough to pull something like that off would be Thamiol. But he wasn't so much accusing you as confirming that you didn't do it.... He didn't initially think of Calico simply because he hasn't known him for that long. I do have Liamae's stats. I'll send them to you in an email Josh. I'll probably print off stats for the other Jade Ravens and Lavinia as well...and maybe Rowyn too (although she's still imprisoned), in case you need some assistance during the battle on Wednesday.
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Feb 24, 2009 21:51:09 GMT -4
Big finale of the Tides of Dread module tomorrow. Hope everyone's ready for the carnage!
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 1, 2009 0:17:14 GMT -4
Here's a recap of a portion of our session last week. If I'm forgetting anything or mixing up what people did let me know and I'll fix it. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow.
Savage Tide – Session 35 Recap - part 1
Freeday, 28 Patchwall, 596 CY (continued…)
The four flesh golems lumber along the seafloor with a single-minded purpose – the destruction of Farshore. Valorian makes a desperate bid to overtake the golems before they reach the town. Although the appearance of a slight but heavily-armoured wood elf charging trough the crystalline blue waters of Farshore harbour while mounted atop a hulking rhinoceros is an unlikely one, there is no doubt as to the effectiveness of the attack. Valorian’s lance tears through the torso of one of the flesh golems, followed in kind by the rhino’s death-dealing horn. The first flesh golem falls apart at the seams, the fell magic keeping it together broken and unraveled. Valorian continues his charge onto Farshore beach, where he finally skids to a halt and prepares to come about for another attack.
Meanwhile, Calico, now ashore at the Farshore docks, quickly clambers up to the roof of a nearby warehouse and begins loosing arrows at the pirates aboard the Stygian Shark some three hundred feet distant in Farshore harbour. Ash likewise readies his bow and begins raining arrows upon the enemy. Thamiol sings orders to his close followers, entreating them to ready javelins with barbs and ropes in the hope of felling the approaching golems. Thamiol and Liamae then attack four Crimson Fleet pirates coming close to the docks in a flat-bottomed rowboat – Thamiol with his bow and Liamae with magic missile spells.
Shag darts past the flesh golems using the cloak of the manta ray and shoots out of the water onto shore, dismissing the magic of the cloak and shifting back into his natural dwarfish countenance. Planting his feet in the sand, Shag waits for the golems to emerge from the water. Croan and Lavinia wait just beyond the Farshore docks, ready for the mindless constructs.
The golems shuffle forth onto the beach and swing their mighty limbs at all who get in the way. A few brave citizens, unable to damage the magic-infused constructs, are thrown aside. Shag and Lavinia rain blows down upon the golems while Valorian and his rhino mount continue to run strafing attacks past their foes. Croan calls praise to Istus and manifests the goddess’ power in a fiery conflagration from the heavens. The fire does little damage to the golems, but does serve to weaken and damage their frames, slowing them to a crawl.
Shump flies invisibly overhead in Farshore harbour amidst the chaos of listing Crimson Fleet ships and pirates casting out landing parties, and shrouds many of the ships’ decks in magical darkness. On the deck of the Stygian Shark he spies the sorcerer who earlier unleashed a number of fireballs on the shore – a figure almost human in appearance, yet unmistakably of serpentfolk heritage. The pureblood yuan-ti sorcerer is difficult to focus on, and appears to be surrounded by a number of identical figures, clearly the effect of defensive spells. It is also guarded by four yuan-ti halfbloods, creatures more snake-like in appearance than human. The yuan-ti appear to have no difficulty seeing through Shump’s darkness incantation, and some seem to be able to see him despite the invisibility. The yuan-ti sorcerer takes flight, and Shump decides it an opportune time to scuttle the Stygian Shark once and for-all. He drops all five of his dust of dryness beads just aft of the ship’s stern, instantly evaporating thousands of gallons of water under the ship’s hull. The sucking void under the stern causes part of the hull to implode, filling the hold with water. Crimson Fleet pirates tumble from the deck while the yuan-ti halfbloods struggle to maintain a hold on the dangerously listing quarterdeck. Their efforts are in vain, and the Stygian Shark sinks under the waves, taking its flailing, screaming cargo with it.
The yuan-ti sorcerer flies above the wreckage, staring in Shump's direction. A reptilian voice echoes inside of Shump’s skull, “V’sesslin of the Seventh Coil admires your ingenuity warmblood. Rest assured, you will soon join my brethren on the ocean floor.” V’sesslin points at Shump and fires a ray of black energy. The blast strikes Shump in the chest and sucks the life from him, leaving him weakened and bereft of his most powerful incantations.
The battle continues ashore. Croan, Ash, Shag, Thamiol, Valorian, Calico, Lavinia and Liamae manage to bring down the golems one-by-one, until the last is prone on the beach, flailing wildly as it suffers blow after blow. Calico makes a wild leap into the pirate-filled rowboat when it finally reaches the dock. He lands amidst the four pirates in a crouch, swings his arms wide and instantly decapitates one of the pirates while disemboweling another. One of the pirates leaps from the boat in fear and struggles to swim away, while the other cowers before Calico. Calico demands to know who is captaining the attack. The pirate spits out a response, “Tis Captain Vanderboren, aboard the Brine Harlot, who leads us!”
“Vanderboren, you say? Curious…begone with you then!” Calico gives the pirate the boot and jumps back onto the dock, intent on confronting Lavinia with the news. “Lavinia! Is it you who organized this attack? Speak now you treacherous cow!”
“Are you mad? How dare you accuse me of such a thing? I will run you through you spineless cur!” Lavinia advances on Calico, but stops suddenly when Calico describes his altercation with the pirate.
“Captain Vanderboren?” breathes Lavinia. “Gods no…Vanthus, my brother.” Lavinia lets her rapier drop for a moment, lost in some private thought, and then grips it all the more tightly. “We must stop him. He must be brought to bear once and for all. We have to get aboard the Brine Harlot.”
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 1, 2009 22:36:11 GMT -4
Here's the rest of last Wednesday's recap... I think I got everything.
Savage Tide – Session 35 Recap - part 2
Thamiol convenes with Lavinia and Calico and uses his magical lute to open a dimension door. Thamiol and Calico step through the portal and out onto the crow’s nest of the Brine Harlot, looking down to see Vanthus Vanderboren on the ship’s deck. Thamiol was witness to Vanthus only once before, almost a half-year past back in Sasserine, soon after the party (then comprised of Thamiol, Croan, Meryl, Shump and Kith) had been hired by Lavinia. The party’s only sight of Vanthus sneering face was from the bottom of an abandoned smuggling cave on Parrot Island, just before he pushed a heavy boulder over the cave’s only entrance, trapping them inside. The Vanthus captaining the Brine Harlot bears little resemblance to his previous incarnation. He now sports a pair of leathery wings and wickedly barbed tail, piercing red eyes, and thick skin covered in tufts of fur and scaly plates.
Calico wastes no time in his attack. Grasping the buntline of the mainsail, Calico leaps from the crow’s nest and dives headlong towards Vanthus. At the last instant Vanthus makes an effortless dodge, smirking at Calico as he hits the deck and tumbles to a crouch, momentarily shaken by his miss. Thamiol makes a similar bold maneuver, and likewise falls short of his mark.
Meanwhile, on shore, a trio of demonic vrocks appears in the air thirty feet above Shag, Croan, Lavinia, Valorian and Ash, and begins to circle in some perverse dance, shrieking and cackling dark things in the name of Demogorgon. Shump and V’sesslin continue to do battle, Shump gradually eliminating the yuan-ti’s mirror images, until finally a solid blow connects and sends V’sesslin tumbling to the water below, stunned and unable to act.
Vanthus turns to Calico and then Thamiol. His eyes flash red, and he speaks the words of some dark enchantment, “I have come back for my dear sister, and offer my gratitude for keeping her safe while I have been…away. The Prince of Demons has seen fit to grant me many gifts. You will help me in my efforts. Come my friends, let us go and rescue my sister from those who would keep her from me.” With that Vanthus takes flight and heads toward the shore, leaving Thamiol and Calico (now under the influence of Vanthus’ spell) to find their own way to the beach.
The vrocks continue to circle their dance of ruin, the vile potency of it increasing as the seconds go by. Those on the ground brace for some terrible result. Croan calls to the vrocks in the name of Istus and blasts one of them with a damning condemnation, “You who have been called here against the fates, I compel you back to the Abyss!” The vrock is violently sucked from the face of Oerth and cast to some distant plane; the vrocks’ dance is broken.
As Vanthus draws closer to shore, Lavinia looks south to witness her brother. She is overtaken by a sense of despair at what he has become and drops her rapier; her legs nearly buckle underneath her.
Vanthus spies his sister and calls out, his deep, demon-touched voice echoing over the sounds of battle, “Sister! I come for you! The road has been long since our parents broke us apart and sent me away. You have no idea what life was like on our uncle’s plantation! But I showed him, and our parents. It was not so difficult, setting fire to their ship. I do hope they died slowly!”
“Lavinia, witness the gifts my master has bestowed upon me. Are they not glorious? The Prince of Demons is generous indeed, as you will come to know. I, too, have much I would like to share with you, my precious….”
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 8, 2009 1:55:03 GMT -4
Savage Tide – Session 36 Recap
Freeday, 28 Patchwall, 596 CY (continued…)
The battle for Farshore continues…. V’sesslin, the still-unconcious yuan-ti captain of the Stygian Shark, sinks beneath the waves to join his drowned brethren at the bottom of Farshore harbour. Shump tries to distract Vanthus’ flight towards his sister on shore, but misses with an errant eldritch blast. The two vrocks in the air above the party swoop down and attack. One of the vrocks emits an ear-splitting screech and a number of the party-member to cover their ears against the olfactory onslaught, unable to concentrate on anything else. A tremor ripples over the musculature of the second vrock, releasing a cloud of spores that burrow into the flesh of party-members and Farshore citizens nearby.
Calico charges one of the pirates aboard the Brine Harlot, figuring the quickest way back to Lavinia is by wresting control of the ship from its former masters, while Thamiol manages to coax another use of his lyre’s dimension door power. He takes Calico through the portal before the other pirates can mount a concerted attack against either of them. Appearing back ashore beside Lavinia and Croan, Thamiol attempts to convince the Farshore mayor that only be allowing herself to be taken by Vanthus will she be able to learn of his ultimate plans and the process by which he came to take his current demonic form. Lavinia stares back at Thamiol, confused by his honeyed words and strangely compelling argument, and is only shaken from her reverie when Croan punches Thamiol in the back of the head.
Vanthus finally reaches the shore and the battle rages. Valorian and Thunder deal death by sword and horn, Ash rains a hail of arrows upon the vrocks, Shump blasts away with eldritch fire, and Shag swings his mighty Dwarven axe in broad strokes. Thamiol slips Gwaeron’s belt on the Lady Lavinia, who uses its wind walk ability to become an ethereal mist out of Vanthus’ reach. Thamiol is then laid to ruin by one of the vrocks and only by the grace of Istus, through her Oerthly voice, Croan, is he dragged back from death’s verge. Vanthus, enraged by the loss of his sister, attacks the party in a fury, whirling his longsword and sickle in a deadly tempest before Calico finally strikes him down. Vanthus falls to his knees and looks up at Calico, Valorian, Shag, Ash, Shump, Croan and Thamiol, staring through Lavinia’s misty form. Bloodied and broken, he begins to laugh – a wet, gravelly sound accompanied by spurts of blood and bile. Slipping his hand into a belt pouch, he pulls out a shimmering black pearl.
“Recognize this?” Vanthus coughs, “You, Farshore, my sister…all will be consumed in its savage embrace.” With that Vanthus drops the shadow pearl. The party watches as it falls. Time seems to slow, visions of the savage tide washing over Farshore fill the mind: its citizens transformed, slavering, consuming each other. Thamiol, still on the ground after being healed by Croan, snaps back to reality, rolls to his side and extends his hand, catching the pearl a mere finger’s breadth before it smashes on the rocky beach.
With the death of Vanthus and the vrocks, the Crimson Fleet pirates are in full rout. Four of the enemy ships are captured and claimed in the name of Farshore. The surviving attackers are rounded up and, with little option in a frontier settlement so far from civilization, are quickly executed. The party members are hailed as heroes of Farshore, and are each given a share of the captured pirate treasure.
Throughout the month of Ready’reat and early Sunsebb
Much of the town is in ruin, and rebuilding continues in the weeks following the attack. Repair also begins on the captured Crimson Fleet ships, the Blue Nixie, the Brandy Jezebel and the Ravaged Pride. Amella takes her leave of Farshore once the ships are seaworthy, heading to Sasserine with the Blue Nixie and several captured Crimson Fleet ships (renamed and flying the flag of Farshore) to establish long-awaited trade routes. Lavinia buries the body of her brother in the cemetery outside of Farshore in a private, solemn ceremony, hopeful that the last year of her life can finally be put behind her.
Moonday, 17 Sunsebb, 596 CY
Unfortunately, as the weeks go by and turn into months, rumours begin to spread through Farshore. The death of Lavinia’s brother, his involvement with the Crimson Fleet, and his demonic nature are all tales told and exaggerated again and again. In the wake of these stories, some come to question Lavinia’s right to lead, and whispers of a hidden fiendish taint in her soul and ties to the Crimson Fleet grow stronger. Realizing the impact the colonists’ unease might have on her control over Farshore, Lavinia has no intention of letting the people dwell on fanciful conspiracies and rumoured faults. To that end, she has a simple breakfast of toast, an exotic new beverage distilled from roasted beans called moncton city water, and boiled turtle eggs prepared for the party.
“It seems that Farshore wasn’t the only victim of the pirates’ attack – my personal reputation has also taken a bit of fire. The people of Farshore have seen too much panic and death under my leadership, and the appearance of the pirates and Van-,” Lavinia chokes on the name, and takes a moment to steady herself before continuing, “-the pirates and my brother startled them. Now some of the colonists claim that my family is cursed, while others whisper that I somehow orchestrated the attack.”
Lavinia takes a sip of her tea, then continues. “Although it aggravates me after all we’ve been through, I won’t allow a few rumours to discourage me from my work here. Part of me even understands the people’s concerns, and I’d like to do what I can to dissuade their fears. This is where you come in.”
“Along the north coast of the isle, a dragon turtle of gigantic proportions makes his home. The beast calls himself Emraag, but the locals know him as ‘The Glutton’. If we’re to believe the rumours, it’s a miracle that any of us are sitting here now, as the Glutton supposedly has a taste for ships and sailors. Yet apparently the thing’s vices aren’t limited to swallowing down whole crews. The Crimson Fleet made a deal with the creature, bribing it to leave their ships intact on their visits to Gallivant Cove. Lord Meravanchi, however, has refused to ‘negotiate with monsters’ – apparently preferring that our supply ships be eaten and our people go hungry.
“Therefore, my thought to ease the concerns of the colonists is to appease the beast. I’d like you to sail to the isle’s northern shores and seek out Emraag the Glutton. I’ll provide you with a cache of treasures to bribe the brute – a down payment on Farshore’s ‘tribute’ to him, offered for the assurance that he leaves vessels flying my family’s colours be. If an agreement can be met, excellent. If not…well, I trust in your ability to conquer that arena as well.
“More to the point, there’s the matter of the Crimson Fleet’s interest in Gallivant Cove. According to logs and papers we’ve recovered from my brother’s ship, they’ve made several visits to a beach on the southern shore of the cove to meet with a group they call the ‘Lords of Dread.’ According to these notes, they’ve been purchasing large quantities of so-called ‘shadow pearls.’ The thought of dozens of these shadow pearls in the possession of the Crimson Fleet is chilling.”
Putting her cup down, Lavinia looks to each party member in turn. “I know it’s dangerous dealing with such a beast, but if you can convince Emraag to accept our offer, you might even be able to learn a few things from him. In any event, securing the dragon turtle’s goodwill should allow free access to the Lords of Dread. And it’d be a huge step in turning this colony from an isolated backwater into a destination for merchants from the world over. Therefore, I ask you this not just for myself, but on behalf of all the people of Farshore. Will you help?”
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Post by majortom on Mar 8, 2009 6:12:38 GMT -4
;D Ha Ha. I was not able to post in Internet Explorer Eight. I can log in using Firefox. Yah ! Dragon-Turtle hunting eh. Mark you would indeed make a good Conan. You can be a grim sadist at times. I'll be missing two more sessions. Unless the plane crashes on the way back home. In which case I'll be missing all of the remaining sessions. I'll be crawling the big dungeon in the sky in that case. I'm eager to know how this expedition will go down.
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 8, 2009 15:09:49 GMT -4
I'll be missing two more sessions. Unless the plane crashes on the way back home. In which case I'll be missing all of the remaining sessions. I'll be crawling the big dungeon in the sky in that case. I'm eager to know how this expedition will go down. I like your matter-of-fact take on getting back Tom... :-) Crawling the big dungeon in the sky would be preferable to the more likely scenario of utter oblivion. Also...it's funny how c-o-f-f-e-e morphs into moncton city water in my posts....
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guiltynate
The Comic What?
"Just Doing My Thing"
Posts: 3
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Post by guiltynate on Mar 8, 2009 15:43:30 GMT -4
Unless the plane crashes on the way back home. In which case I'll be missing all of the remaining sessions. I'll be crawling the big dungeon in the sky in that case. I'm eager to know how this expedition will go down. You could survive and send your actions to us by message in a bottle. And if you have a volleyball you could also adventure with him.
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Post by Garrett on Mar 8, 2009 20:25:30 GMT -4
Haha...I thought that was a quick jab you tried to sneak in there.
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Oxybe
Comic Hunter Lackey
Simply rocking out
Posts: 107
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Post by Oxybe on Mar 10, 2009 10:12:17 GMT -4
well, if you do go to the big dungeon in the sky, remember to use fact that you're floating in the air. most creatures can't survive a fall that causes as many d6's or d10's worth of damage.
unless it's a epic-level dungeon. then you're boned. because they will survive and they will eat you. probably because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
either way, it seems like adventures of some sort are in tom's future.
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 10, 2009 20:35:04 GMT -4
Alright, one of you mentioned that Croan would likely cast a speak with dead spell or two to learn Vanthus' story, the possible headquarters of the Crimson Fleet and so on. You're only allowed one speak with dead per week, and Croan is able to ask 5 questions per casting. Due to the heat, Lavinia's status as mayor, and pressure from the townsfolk, you only get one casting before Lavinia insists on burying her brother and being done with him forever. No one wants a rotting demonic corpse hanging around in the jungle heat.
So Tom, if you want to post your 5 questions for Vanthus here, I'll respond to them as best (re, cryptic) as I can :-)
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Post by majortom on Mar 11, 2009 6:48:16 GMT -4
Alright then, I'll ask him if he prefers crunchy or smooth peanut-butter. No, I guess I'll ask him aboutthe location of the crimson fleet. Some other player will have to ask for me.
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deke
Casual Magic Player
Posts: 10
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Post by deke on Mar 11, 2009 10:33:25 GMT -4
Croan should cast Gentle Repose (2nd lvl Cleric spell on p.235 of the Players Handbook) so Vanthus' corpse won't stink up the place. It won't relieve the pressure from the townsfolk, but it should make the time pass more pleasantly...
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Post by majortom on Mar 12, 2009 5:43:31 GMT -4
That's not a bad idea. Everyone vote on my Watchmen poll too.
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bytor
Gurps vs. D&D Debate Champion
Posts: 78
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Post by bytor on Mar 16, 2009 21:53:34 GMT -4
Savage Tide - Chapter 6: The Lightless Depths
Here is part 1 of last week's session; I'll get part 2 up tomorrow most likely.
Savage Tide – Session 37 Recap, part 1
Starday, 22 Sunsebb, 596 CY
During the week following their breakfast at Lavinia’s, the party prepares for its journey to Gallivant Cove at the northern tip of the Isle of Dread. Lavinia supplies the group with the necessary bribe for Emraag the Glutton, including four large wooden chests of jewelry and coin, an impressive, 8-foot tall statue of Ventrue Vanderboren (a famed explorer and privateer) and something she calls the sea skirl. The sea skirl is an ancient Olman instrument; a set of long reed pipes that produce a strange kind of drowned music if played underwater. Olman natives insist that, if played correctly, Emraag will respond favourably to the music of the skirl.
The party departs Farshore aboard the Kraken, taken during the pirate attack, and sails towards Gallivant Cove.
The ship hugs the coast throughout the journey, traveling only during the day so as to best avoid the treacherous reefs that dot the shoreline. Ash assists Calico’s motley crew in piloting the vessel, and apart from a brief encounter with a curious roc that swoops around the Kraken before flying away, the journey is relatively uneventful. Rowyn has also been included on the journey, having been set free by Lavinia on the condition that she remain on Calico’s ship and desist from stepping foot within Farshore.
Earthday, 27 Sunsebb, 596 CY
The Kraken reaches Gallivant Cove in the afternoon of the fifth day out. The overcast sky is pierced by errant rays of sun that shed points of light on the blue waters of the cove. The occasional mast pokes out of the water – the remnants of Emraag’s spoils.
Rowyn is the only crewmember with any knowledge of playing reed instruments, so the task of luring Emraag is left to her. Rowyn, uncharacteristically quiescent of late, plays the sea skirl without argument. Her unfamiliarity with the instrument hampers her playing somewhat, but she manages a passable, if surreal and atonal, tune. Minutes later, the surface of Gallivant Cove surges and seethes. The Kraken lurches forward as if it were a toy boat plucked by a child. The crew and party members struggle to maintain their footing on the listing deck, and look behind them to see the massive Emraag breech the surface. Seaweed cloaks the dragon turtle’s head like some glistening hood; crabs, fish and lobster scuttle, flop and roll off of the beast’s armour into the roiling waters.
“Who disturbs the great Emraag with such racket?” rumbles the dragon turtle, the sound more like an earthquake than a voice. “Is it your wish to be added to my collection?”
“Great Emraag, mighty behemoth and keeper of the Isle of Dread, your terrible power and selfless benevolence are well known to us!” intones Calico, his voice struggling to be heard over the rushing water and heaving breath of the dragon turtle. “We bring to you a queen’s ransom, a tribute in the name of Farshore to the south.”
“Tribute you say? Keeper of the Isle of Dread you say? Indeed I am. Tell me more of this ‘tribute’.”
The play between Calico and Emraag continues, and after several minutes Emraag agrees to accept the tribute and pay no heed to ships flying the flag of Farshore for the span of one year, with the option to extend safe passage for another year with further tribute. The party deposits the tribute into the waters of the cove, confident that, despite the cost, having the protection of a being as massive and powerful as Emraag can only be considered a boon. Emraag also tells the party that the Crimson Fleet paid him their own tribute to allow safe passage into the cove, where they met with a tribe of degenerate troglodytes at a cave mouth at its southernmost shore. Emraag then retires to his lair to catalogue his latest tribute. The party gets its bearings and head further into the cove, searching for the cave mouth and the so-called ‘Lords of Dread’. At the southern end of the cove the party spies a crude pier of rotted wood and gigantic bones flanked by twin rows of skulls impaled upon spears. The skulls’ eye sockets flicker with otherworldly flames and sickly vapours. The unnatural light illuminates an eerie path into the darkness of a yawning cave entrance. Certainly, this must be where Vanthus met with the Lords of Dread.
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