The aether yields scraps and the War Wizards do their bit. The spymaster gathers a few threads and the bibliophile monks of the Singing Swans give the greatest part of the puzzle, but when all is assembled, it looks like the name of a powerful storm giant clan is involved. The OG Stormbringer was reviled for his raids on the seaports of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Eventually, the loss of income was too much to ignore and the merchants pledged a large sum to whomever could restore peace. Peace came once the patriarch was beheaded and the clan scattered.
It looks like the offspring are back and looking to avenge dear old dad with some sort of naval assault . Or maybe they are working for Coburn to destabilize the region. Why not both? Both or neither, the party has the scent and nothing will dissuade them from investigating and strategizing. This consists of flying about in the airship, sipping cocktails and periodically throwing the druid overboard to scout. The legends indicate that the ship is nigh immune to fire and mundane assaults, and is even said to shrug off the effects of siege engines.
The rumors would have it that a swarm of undead trail behind the ship, turned out of their watery graves, presumably by some evil magic…or undead overlord…or maybe it is Orcus stirring the pot again, maybe for Coburn and maybe not. In the end it doesn’t really matter. The target is eventually spotted near a small island group in the sea. The deckchairs of dithering are deployed and a plan is hatched. The enemy craft is manned with uberogres and a pack of wolves or uncommonly large stature. Dwarven slaves labor on the ship, assembling some sort of huge pens at the rear of the vessel.
The following morning at sunrise, the group (sans Malchor) teleport to the rear of the ship, surprising the dwarven laborers, but Elyulyn is disguised as a dwarf and convinces them to remain silent. Within seconds, the wolves have the scent and the battle is on. Kiko and Elulyn take to the air to gain the spell casting advantage, while Cosmic, Ivan, Goldpiece and Justicar battle the onrushing horde. A few moments later, Malchor appears over the sea, with the sphere of annihilation in tow.
The next two minutes involve Elulyn and Kiko casting spells from midship while the battle rages at the stern. All the while, Malchor and the sphere of annihilation are opening long gashes at the waterline. True, the sphere does try to kill him at least two times, but the damage it wreaks is significant. There are reinforcements coming from below deck, but Kiko’s creeping doom ties up the entryway. Goldpiece maneuvers into position to cut off a secondary access point and is engaged by an enraged minotaur with a certain demonic cast to it. Once it is defeated, another player enters the game.
Partially shrouded in rolling coils of smoke, the horn-helmed figure shrouds the area with a sphere of darkness as it unleashes a swarm of shadows. This prompts a retreat from Goldpiece and some assistance from Elulyn. Meanwhile, the stern battle is coming to a close. The wolves have been slain and there are only a few ogres left to deal with when disaster strikes – not once, but twice. In rapid succession, an ogre lands bone crunching blows and Ivan is slain. The rapid actions of Justicar and Cosmic stave off defeat, and Justicar’s staff prods the fallen fighter back to erectness…turgidity…uprightness. Whatever.
Just then, a disconcerting turn of events. A six-pack of demons appear on deck – and the party starts to scatter. Malchor teleports to the garage to park the sphere and the rest of the group utilizes whatever means are at their disposal to put distance between the ship and themselves. Although Ivan manages to deploy his carpet of flying and lift off, he is pursued by a quartet of demons and the flames that wreathe their bodies spell the end of the carpet. Ivan plummets into the sea while the rest of the group flees the scene.
A bit later, there is a rescue effort while the ship’s occupants realize the loss of hull integrity has consequences for the ship remaining above the waterline. The party mages scour the seabed and eventually retrieve the fallen Ivan. Along the way, Elulyn spies a gigantic, nay, colossal figure striding across the sea floor. An army of undead trails behind it and there are enormous manta rays that trail along in its wake. The corpse fishers vamoose.
A surveillance operation ensues and the ship appears to have been beached for repairs. There is evidence of activity, and the deckchairs of dithering are redeployed. In the end, the party is swayed by Elulyn’s arguments and they mount a stealth mission. Teleporting invisibly to the deck (now inclined at a rather steep angle), the flying group rapidly zips down the stairs and into a large barracks room, filled with hanging hammocks and at least some of them are occupied by the uberogres. There is a momentary dither – to slaughter or not to slaughter – but stealth wins out.
Below decks they encounter a cargo hold, the contents of which are piled against the ‘downhill’ hull. They investigate further and end up breaking into a prison and freeing the prisoners. The rescued include a pair of dwarves, a couple of elves and a human. All are terribly maimed as a result of the torture they have endured. They are teleported to the Tormite Mound and are remanded into Kormier’s gentle care. The group sneaks onward, finds an unoccupied chamber and deploys a rope to try and hide out for a bit.
LED Dice W/ Charging Case
Light-Up LED DND / C&C dice set. Your rolls will be higher when highlighted by theses LED dice. 20!
Floating Moon Light
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