Session 155 May 17, 2017

Session 155 May 17, 2017

6:00 am 19th of Masrilden on board the Keeper Barge moored to the Floating Island, harbor of the City of Gulls.

AD clock reads 00:00:00:03:27

Chuq sends Harb the Hunter to the nearest alter on the Island to be delved for lycanthrope. It just so happens the nearest clerical help is a small Merendur chapel on the floating shipyard. He returns later that morning reporting he has a clean bill of health. The talk at the Merendur chapel is of a plaque outbreak in Vargen newly returned Vargen blockade ship men are reporting. Harb’s good luck last the whole day, he survives the party’s antics later on.

Ronan investigates the Midmark Navy engineers either connecting our tiny steam engine to propel the barge or upscaling the design for the same purpose. The engineers report the smaller engine isn’t capable of moving the barge and upscaling would take about 10 days of fabricating before trials could begin. We decide to abandon both possibilities.

Ronan hires the Salty Leprechaun for a three hour tour out to the bay. We’ll visit the Saw Tooth the fisherman’s house boat for a bit of fresh fish and lore. Before we set off, Vernold of the Midmark navy reports our barge will be repaired and ready to ship by nightfall today. While sailing to Saw Tooth’s, a human sailing ship not flying any ensigns is bearing on the Salty Leprechaun. Using the spy glass, we don’t witness any crew on her decks. She is watched for close to an hour until, she turns towards the city of Gulls.

Saw Tooth welcomes us aboard his humble house boat after the Salty Leprechaun is anchored about 50 yards away. Chuq, Edan, Harb, Lambertus, Ronan and Thorfus take a 8 man launch from the Leprechaun to Saw Tooth’s. Ronan and Saw Tooth negotiates two weeks of fresh catch for the Salty Leprechaun’s captain while the invisible Edan slips into Saw Tooth’s shack to search his effects. The elf finds an altar, hidden chest below the floor boards and several scrolls. After small talk and further fish purchases for the Keepers, Bellisonte and Sturloc’s overdue  wedding diner feast and more pedestrian choices for Thorfus’ men at arms, Chuq leans into Saw Tooth’s more seedy secrets.

As Saw Tooth is fussily collecting our groceries, he comments on Devil Fish, Mermen, the Sons of Dagon, Sahuagin and his dim dark past. Realizing our heavily armed band knows more than the average sea man, his mood gets very dark when he absented mindedly replies to Chuq uttering a few questions in shark speak. It’s hard to say what exactly called Saw Tooth to arms. Perhaps it was Chuq insistence we are looking for sunken treasure or the revelation that Saw Tooth is a religious refugee with ideological foes in the Church of Dagon (which we might be connected to since Chuq reveals a tribe of Sahuagin are recently settled at Angmar’s Folley) or Ronan’s insinuation that shark should be on the menu for dinner. Whatever it might have been exactly, the old fisherman decides to attack.

As most of the party maneuvers around Saw Tooth, Thorfus charges and engages the now obvious high level cleric hand to hand. After landing two solid blows with his axe, Saw Tooth disappears leaving the party swinging at empty air. Our foe must have teleported away, not turned invisible.

As we are looting the place, a giant plume of water where the Salty Leprechaun once floated draws all of our attention. The ships previous location is now a large whole in the ocean, absent of any water or the ship, her crew or Thorfus’ archers. Ronan’s yelps as he sees fish swimming out of the ocean and plunging into the open air pit. Knowing our own business well, we hasten the looting until Stissa is noticed floundering in the surf. Ronan rescues her. On board the house boat, she reports the ship falling from the surface of the ocean and breaking below. In the water she saw large sharks eating members of the crew.

Edan and Ronan devise a plan to move us away quickly. Lashing the Leprechaun’s launch with a small boat from Saw Tooth’s, Edan uses the Merendur wand to create a wall of ice under the keels. This allows Ronan to magically swim faster than a shark and tug the whole bunch along. Chuq keeps an eye behind by drafting under the water while Thorfus and Edan look on the waves from the boats. Our flight is shadowed by large shark shapes in the water. As we open the distance from the slower sharks, a large depression in the ocean opens before Ronan. Edan lifts the Merendur wand and creates another wall of ice to steer Ronan and his tug back to the surface.

About 30 minutes later, we close on the floating island. Ronan and Chuq climb aboard the boats and we report our return to the dock master. The news of the Devil Fish attack on Saw Tooth’s is met with reluctant acceptance. A distinct local flavor will definitely be missed….

Returning to the barge, we examine the haul: 6,450 coins of gold; 370 imperial platinum coins; 3,200 ancient dwarven coins; a silver bracelet with translucent green gems; a platinum broach decorated with a diamond; a bit of scrimshaw; a magical

bauble shaped like a bird feather; two scrolls; two potions; and Saw Tooth’s altar statue (a shark headed man made of electrum with translucent green stones as highlights.

Despite the late hour, we take a trip across the harbor to Roland’s in high town. He and Thorfus have very easy negotiations over drinks for our haul of jewelry and dwarven coins. Next we visit Jardin who exchanges the imperial coins for midmark gold coins. The talk returns to upscaling the steam engine since Chuq can now advance to a Warrior and what to do about our purloined submarine. Lambertus has a locate object spell prepared, we need to return to the floating island and determine if the sub is actually located where we suspsect.