Yga carefully secretes her coins and will make a 5gp donation at the Temple of Kord to go towards the orphanage of bar room brawls. She will also surreptitiously check at the city watch to see if those pirates are still being held in custody, or if they have managed to "escape". Other than that she will follow the party to the next adventure.
Many of the Town Guard are also worshippers of Kord, so it is easy for Yga to get the information required. The smugglers are still being held at the Watch House until the Town Council decides what to do with them.
The High Priest of Kord, Nestor Tabi, gratefully accepts Yga's donation and puts the coins into the box labelled "Orphanage". There is only one orphanage in town - there are not a lot of children there, but the ones that are have had fisherfolk parents or town guard parents, killed or missing in the line of their employment. The orphanage is managed by the Town Council (it was once managed and funded by the Lassiter noble family, but control was taken from them after their scandal a decade ago) and is funded through donations.
The party take the opportunity provided by a break in the rain to have a wander around Saltmarsh. Irob is covered by his cloak, but the party still attract attention wherever they go - people stare and whisper, children come close and run away again shrieking (in both terror and laughter) when the party try to interact with them.
The mood of the town seems good - Yakeerk explains that the mood of the town is strongly influenced by how well the fisherfolk did that day. The taverns and inns are slowly filling, the market place - even though it is not the weekly big market day - is full of people buying food and other essentials.
As they wander around a darker, more dreary part of town in the area near where the party first met, there is a moment that gives everyone a small shiver. Everyone except Zaerra writes this off as a chill in the air, but the astral elf knows better. She looks around for the source and picks what looks like an abandoned building. Gesturing her comrades over, she opens the door to the two room hovel, and sees a mud pit in the centre of a room. She knows this is the source of the feeling - it is a recently opened portal, a weakening of the walls between two worlds. Zaerra's experience tells her that this is an elemental portal.
As the others look at her questioningly, the mud bubbles and three small creatures emerge, looking like poorly fashioned winged humanoids made from mud. Zaerra knows these as mud mephits, evil but not necessarily aggressive, nor dangerous to experienced adventurers in small numbers.
The creatures drip mud and then start talking, from their tone and gestures it seems like they are complaining. They seem to be speaking a type of pidgen formed of both the Aquan and Terran language.
Rask starts at the sight of the creatures, her weapon hand twitching slightly when they start speaking. She catches herself before drawing her weapon and instead looks at the creatures, struggling to make sense of their chattering.
"I don't believe they are a threat to us at this point. I feel they are trying to tell us something, they appear to be waiting for a response from us. Did anyone understand anything they said?"
She squats down to their level and smiles at the creatures and gives a little wave "Hello?"
The creatures seem amused at your attempts to communicate. They make gestures and their tone, albeit with wet, sloppy voices, indicates they are saying something like:
"I can't understand her, what does she want from us? Where even are we?"
"Very well, let's close the portal," replies Rask. "Do we need to poke it? Is there some type of incantation? Do we need to shoo these creatures away? Or push them back in, as you suggested?" She holds up a hand and mimes a pushing action.
"I think we need help for this," Yakeerk says. "I will let my commanding officer know".
The owlin ranger leaves and hurries off.
While they wait, the party have to shepherd the creatures away from the door. They get annoyed, but they are also afraid of the big dragonborn fighter, curious about Irob, wary of Zaerra as if they can sense her magic, and indifferent to Yga and Susk.
It takes an hour but Yakeerk returns to the room with two people, and several Trellish Royal Marines outside.
The two people are Tom Oweland, Commander of the Trellish Royal Marines (and Yakeerk's commanding officer), and an exceedingly tall human with a red turban, grey wizard's robes, and a whitened perhaps blind eye. This is Keledek the Unspoken, infamous foreign wizard of Saltmarsh.
Tom Oweland and Keledek have already been informed of the situation. Tom introduces himself and Keledek to the party and then turns to the wizard, whose turban is scraping the roof.
"Can you help?"
The tall wizard looks at Zaerra and nods. "With her help," he points at the astral elf wizard, Zaerra. Then he turns and looks at Irob, concealed under his cloak. "And.. this one's help also. Will you both lend me your powers? I will channel them with my own?"
(Zaerra and Irob will be required to expend all their remaining spell slots to assist Keledek close the portal. If you have no spell slots left, then an Arcana check DC10 needs to be rolled to succeed.)
Keledek looks at everyone in the room. He speaks in his accented common:
"When I indicate the time is right, you must push those mephits back into the portal. Or slay them now, I care not. But I think pushing them back in will be easier and less messy."
Tom Oweland nods and asks the party to be ready. The mephits look around in obvious confusion and some fear. It doesn't look like it would take much convincing for them to return anyway.
Keledek touches Zaerra and Irob - his eyebrows rise a little when he touches Irob's rigid frame under the cloak - and says "We shall begin!"
The magic ritual starts and Irob and Zaerra willingly give up the stored magic within them, which Keledek combines with his own. You feel the arcane power he contributes to the ritual is perhaps more than three times either of you are able to contribute.
When he indicates, the other party members can now make a shove attack (athletics check) to push the mud mephits back into the portal.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
While avoiding Yakeerk, the mephit puts itself in the right position for Susk to shove it into the pit. It tumbles in and disappears, then reappears. A shimmering appears over the mud pit as Keledek's magic seeks to undo the portal.
"Make haste, get the last creature in - the portal is about to close!" the tall wizard says in his thickly accented common.
Tom Oweland steps forward and shoves the mephit - 17
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Many of the Town Guard are also worshippers of Kord, so it is easy for Yga to get the information required. The smugglers are still being held at the Watch House until the Town Council decides what to do with them.
The High Priest of Kord, Nestor Tabi, gratefully accepts Yga's donation and puts the coins into the box labelled "Orphanage". There is only one orphanage in town - there are not a lot of children there, but the ones that are have had fisherfolk parents or town guard parents, killed or missing in the line of their employment. The orphanage is managed by the Town Council (it was once managed and funded by the Lassiter noble family, but control was taken from them after their scandal a decade ago) and is funded through donations.
The party take the opportunity provided by a break in the rain to have a wander around Saltmarsh. Irob is covered by his cloak, but the party still attract attention wherever they go - people stare and whisper, children come close and run away again shrieking (in both terror and laughter) when the party try to interact with them.
The mood of the town seems good - Yakeerk explains that the mood of the town is strongly influenced by how well the fisherfolk did that day. The taverns and inns are slowly filling, the market place - even though it is not the weekly big market day - is full of people buying food and other essentials.
As they wander around a darker, more dreary part of town in the area near where the party first met, there is a moment that gives everyone a small shiver. Everyone except Zaerra writes this off as a chill in the air, but the astral elf knows better. She looks around for the source and picks what looks like an abandoned building. Gesturing her comrades over, she opens the door to the two room hovel, and sees a mud pit in the centre of a room. She knows this is the source of the feeling - it is a recently opened portal, a weakening of the walls between two worlds. Zaerra's experience tells her that this is an elemental portal.
As the others look at her questioningly, the mud bubbles and three small creatures emerge, looking like poorly fashioned winged humanoids made from mud. Zaerra knows these as mud mephits, evil but not necessarily aggressive, nor dangerous to experienced adventurers in small numbers.
The creatures drip mud and then start talking, from their tone and gestures it seems like they are complaining. They seem to be speaking a type of pidgen formed of both the Aquan and Terran language.
Rask starts at the sight of the creatures, her weapon hand twitching slightly when they start speaking. She catches herself before drawing her weapon and instead looks at the creatures, struggling to make sense of their chattering.
The creatures seem a little wary of the party, but seem to stand around, looking at the party as if waiting for them to do something.
"Do we... push them back into the mud portal?" Yakeerk asks Zaerra.
"I don't believe they are a threat to us at this point. I feel they are trying to tell us something, they appear to be waiting for a response from us. Did anyone understand anything they said?"
She squats down to their level and smiles at the creatures and gives a little wave "Hello?"
The creatures seem amused at your attempts to communicate. They make gestures and their tone, albeit with wet, sloppy voices, indicates they are saying something like:
"I can't understand her, what does she want from us? Where even are we?"
"We can't allow these creatures to wander the town," says Yakeerk. "And if this is a portal, it needs to be closed."
"Very well, let's close the portal," replies Rask. "Do we need to poke it? Is there some type of incantation? Do we need to shoo these creatures away? Or push them back in, as you suggested?" She holds up a hand and mimes a pushing action.
"I think we need help for this," Yakeerk says. "I will let my commanding officer know".
The owlin ranger leaves and hurries off.
While they wait, the party have to shepherd the creatures away from the door. They get annoyed, but they are also afraid of the big dragonborn fighter, curious about Irob, wary of Zaerra as if they can sense her magic, and indifferent to Yga and Susk.
It takes an hour but Yakeerk returns to the room with two people, and several Trellish Royal Marines outside.
The two people are Tom Oweland, Commander of the Trellish Royal Marines (and Yakeerk's commanding officer), and an exceedingly tall human with a red turban, grey wizard's robes, and a whitened perhaps blind eye. This is Keledek the Unspoken, infamous foreign wizard of Saltmarsh.
Tom Oweland and Keledek have already been informed of the situation. Tom introduces himself and Keledek to the party and then turns to the wizard, whose turban is scraping the roof.
"Can you help?"
The tall wizard looks at Zaerra and nods. "With her help," he points at the astral elf wizard, Zaerra. Then he turns and looks at Irob, concealed under his cloak. "And.. this one's help also. Will you both lend me your powers? I will channel them with my own?"
(Zaerra and Irob will be required to expend all their remaining spell slots to assist Keledek close the portal. If you have no spell slots left, then an Arcana check DC10 needs to be rolled to succeed.)
Zaerra looks up at the very tall wizard, she can feel waves of power emminating from him, she thinks he'll get the job done.
"I'm humbled to assist as I can"', she says with a little almost curtsey movement.
(I have 3 spell slots to expend - I've not used any today)
"If my assistance is required to aid in the city's safety I will provide the necessary energy."
Irob has 2 remaining spell slots (assuming that we haven't rested since makaster house)
Yga will step away from the portal outside of the room and says a brief prayer to Kord in support of a good outcome for what is about to go down.
Keledek looks at everyone in the room. He speaks in his accented common:
"When I indicate the time is right, you must push those mephits back into the portal. Or slay them now, I care not. But I think pushing them back in will be easier and less messy."
Tom Oweland nods and asks the party to be ready. The mephits look around in obvious confusion and some fear. It doesn't look like it would take much convincing for them to return anyway.
Keledek touches Zaerra and Irob - his eyebrows rise a little when he touches Irob's rigid frame under the cloak - and says "We shall begin!"
The magic ritual starts and Irob and Zaerra willingly give up the stored magic within them, which Keledek combines with his own. You feel the arcane power he contributes to the ritual is perhaps more than three times either of you are able to contribute.
When he indicates, the other party members can now make a shove attack (athletics check) to push the mud mephits back into the portal.
On Keledek's signal Rask moves towards the mysterious little creatures and with both hands gives an almighty push.
Athletics check: dirty 20 (15+5 bonus)
One of the mud mephits staggers back from Rast's shove into the mud pit and disappears, then reappears on the surface of the mud, looking annoyed.
Yakeerk does the same 8
The mud mephit, seeing what happened to the other mephit, avoids Yakeerk's push.
Susk will attempt to convince the second one to go back into the mud pit with a forceful shove.
Athletics : 16
While avoiding Yakeerk, the mephit puts itself in the right position for Susk to shove it into the pit. It tumbles in and disappears, then reappears. A shimmering appears over the mud pit as Keledek's magic seeks to undo the portal.
"Make haste, get the last creature in - the portal is about to close!" the tall wizard says in his thickly accented common.
Tom Oweland steps forward and shoves the mephit - 17