Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Lost in thought, Dwal will review what the priest prior to being cut down. What Dwal is trying to sort out is if there the priests words were Arcane in nature of some pledge of a dying priest.

Arcana: 21

Hearing Gerrard's question. "What do I think about what?" Dwal asks, paying half attention. "Ta not killin' tha rest of 'em, I would agree. As fer reparations, I'd ask what fer? We came here ta investigate and did. Judgement was passed on 'em and now 3 are left. If'n yer wantin' ta let one pass just 'cause he offered gold, we can go back ta Seaton an' get jobs with tha watch ta do tha same thing."

Gerrard:

Offended that Dwal would suggest he would offer leniency in exchange for gold, Gerrard is stung harder by the real possibility that his family in Seaton would almost certainly be amenable to such an arrangement.

”I ask to get your opinion on dealing with those committed to remaining cultists of an evil god and those willing to abandon that path.  Have you forgotten the dead of Saltmarsh at the hand of the Xolor mage and his gnoll cultists?” responds Gerrard to Dwal.  “I am looking to end any threats such as that against the innocent people of Saltmarsh, and I will do what is necessary to protect them.”

”Our boat is only so large, and we have three here who fought on the cultist’s side.  One remains faithful to the mad god, one has spoken of forsaking it, and one has yet to wake.  I am asking your opinion of what we should do with them, and I see the ones who remain committed to following an evil god the more dangerous to our town.  The most simple path is to take them all as prisoners to be dealt with back in Saltmarsh, but the three of them plus Peleg would be too great a number for our boat.  So I ask again, what do you think we should do with the three prisoners?” repeats Gerrard.

Kei 

From within the statue room Kei shouts out to the others. "Couldn't help but overhear, but are seriously considering letting the imbeciles back in Saltmarsh deal with evil cultist leftovers? They'll bugger it up like usual" He walks to stand in the doorway, watching the swordsman but reducing his need to shout. "That ones half dead" pointing over his shoulder towards the unconcious man, "she's been far from forthcoming and this one's offered to help out of the kindness of his heart" he glances quickly at Peri and winks. "I say we toss the two out there to the fishes and let Tharizdun do what he...she...it may with them. Then our friend here can guide us to the treasure."

Peri:

He'd hoped to pass this on to the Saltmarsh Guard to wash his hands of their fates, but Kei did raise a good point about their incompetence. "We can't just toss 'em in the ocean. Remember how the one we fought before walked into the surf like he was goin home? I think we have to deal with 'em ourselves."

He walks over to the woman. "Look, you don't seem such an evil person. If you renounce this Tharizdun business we might be able to get the local Procanites to vouch for your parole. So whaddya say, can you direct all that energy to somethin productive? Why'd you get into all this craziness in the first place?"

Ignoring Gerrard's ire Dwal simple says.
"If'n we can't transport 'em then we send fer a boat that can." 

Dwal is trying to sort out is if there the priests words were Arcane in nature of some pledge of a dying priest. Arcana: 9

Dwal doesn't really sense that it was a spell, but it could have been a preamble to some sort of dark ritual. Hard to tell.

"Look, you don't seem such an evil person. If you renounce this Tharizdun business we might be able to get the local Procanites to vouch for your parole. So whaddya say, can you direct all that energy to somethin productive? Why'd you get into all this craziness in the first place?"

Peri persuasion: 13

She remains quiet and unresponsive, her face turned down.

Gerrard:

    "Let's secure all three prisoners carefully and keep a watch on them while we search the rest of this place," suggests Gerrard.  "It is getting late and some foul weather is moving in, so I expect we will need to spend the night here.  We should leave someone watching the prisoners while the others search."

Looking at the prisoners, he adds, "As far as I am concerned, letting the town council at Saltmarsh decide your fate is the right approach and we should either send for a boat in the morning or fit you into our boat for judgement there.  If you earnestly renounce the mad god, I will argue for lenience on your behalf, so that might be best to consider now."

Persuasion:  14

Turning to Kei, he says, "My argument for lenience applies to your new friend as well, but he should face the same justice as the others.  Justice swayed by greed is no longer just."

To Boko and Peri, he adds, "But my opinion is just that...Much as I would like to have power to judge here, I fear I am not ready for that burden, for wisdom and impartiality seem a difficult goal, and no specific authority to judge cultists has been bestowed on me beyond cleansing this island of them.  Master Fenwader,  it sounds like you are in favor of justice tempered with mercy--a similar take as mine.  Mistress Boko, do you have any wise counsel for us?"

"I think we might be able to make a better decision after we finish searching the place, and learn more of what they were really up to here. What they're hiding. I can help search. We will need more than one to keep watch though. So they do not get any bad ideas."

She volunteers to start searching rooms, mindful of traps and surprises. Deferring to the others on where to start. Accepting help if offered. Perception: 17

Kei 

@ Gerrard

For all to hear "I think those that pack the greater punch should maybe stay with this bunch. They've lasted this long out here so there must be some spunk left in them." Then to Peri "What do you think half-pint? You up for watching this lot?"

Quote from rkmobius >>

She volunteers to start searching rooms, mindful of traps and surprises. Deferring to the others on where to start. Accepting help if offered. Perception: 23

 
Three of the four rooms to the north (the storeroom, the boots room, and the statue room) have been pretty thoroughly tossed. The opened black velvet room to the southwest has been examined from afar but not entered nor searched. Four doors remained unopened, including one on the northeast which Peri noted magic behind. (There's also the bit of illusory magic he saw somewhere behind the south wall on the west end, near the velvet room.)

Did Boko have an area she wanted to begin?

Perceiving no traps or other concerns with the rightmost door to the north, Boko carefully opens it.

It's another small, cold room, similar to the others. Several large bookcases lean against the walls, and a high chair and a scribe’s desk sit to the right of the door. The bookcases are loaded with books and scrolls. Four bedrolls are stacked neatly in the corner.

Peri:

Peri goes into the room with the statues and returns with an armload of the blankets that were piled in there. He carefully spreads them out on the floor beside the still unconscious lunatic. Then he rolls the man over onto the first blanket. He wraps the blanket tight against the man's body, sure to keep his arms straight down in front of him. He rolls the man over and over in the blankets, wrapping him tighter than a newborn babe. When he's finished, he surveys his handiwork. "There we are -- he'll not be goin anywhere now, and no arcane hand-wavin' either! That's one less we need to worry about guardin, at least not so close anyway."

He returns to the swordsman, stripped down and hands bound. "Well, you heard him. That's the best deal you're gonna get. You can come clean now, tell us whatever you know of this place, includin anything dangerous that might be hidin in the corners or waitin to blow us up, and we'll tell the Saltmarsh Guard you were cooperative. Lie to us, or hold anything back, and we'll see you fitted for a hemp necktie by sundown tomorrow."

"That guy?" says Bayleaf to Peri. "That guy is no threat. He couldn't cast if his life depended on it. Not bad with a scimitar, though."

He takes a deep breath. "I don't know whether to trust you lot, or not. I just want to keep my neck. Alright. I don't know much, but I'll tell you something that these guys don't even know. There is a secret door, and a whole lot of treasure. I ain't never seen it, and neither have these two. Not even Ozymandius. Ostantos told me before the pirates killed him. The real treasure is hidden. I'm telling you so maybe you'll let me loose after this. I'm just a sellsword caught on the wrong side of a stupid war."

He sighs again. "It's behind those velvet curtains in that room, there. Left-hand side. 'Treasure-filled tunnels beneath the abbey,' he said. Ain't never opened it. But he said it was well-guarded. I don't know by who or what. Don't think there's anything proper living back there; not like me and you. They never opened it the whole time I was here."

"That's it. That's all I know."

Dwal listens for a bit then moves closer to the talking captive.

"I got a couple of questions fer ya." the dwarf says to the man. Dwal waits for a moment then continues.

"How did ya get here? Do these folks have their own ship that comes in ta resupply or did they depend on tha pirates?" 

Dwal pauses a moment.

Bayleaf looks at Dwal and nods. "Pirates. These idiots depended completely on the pirates for most of their supplies and to transport people to and from the mainland, in exchange for healing and magical favors. Then them Sea Princes double-crossed them. They've been desperate for a way to send for help every since. They've been sending messenger seagulls off without response."

Dwal nods.

"What did ya mean by tha tunnels being guarded by somethin' that ain't "proper livin'?"

Gerrard:

Gerrard listens and sighs.  “Undead,” he thinks, wishing he could have bought that Sunblade—if he could have even found one.

Dwal watches the mans responses and mannerisms. Dwal wants to judge if the man is telling the truth or lying to the party.

Insight: 25

Boko does her best to carefully inspect the room she opened, as well as any rooms that have been opened but not searched well.

Perception: 17
Investigation: 4

(She accepts help from anyone who's interested.)

If she finds nothing interesting, she goes to the next unopened door and repeats her listening session and then search. She'd really like to get off this island, and that means searching this place, binding her wounds, and getting back on that boat. She's still paying attention to the conversations, but not completely.

Bayleaf shakes his head vigorously in nervous denial at Gerrard and Dwal's line of questioning. "I have no idea. I haven't been in there. He just said 'well -guarded'. You might be right - they love those skeletons. But nothing has entered or left that door from what I saw since I've been here. Could be traps, undead, I don't know. But there ain't no people back there, I don't think. You got 'em all."

Dwal watches him closely, but doesn't see any evidence of obvious deceit, just self-preservation.

Meanwhile, Boko searches the other room. The bedrolls are made of scratchy blankets and hold nothing of interest or value. On the bookshelves, she finds that the majority of the books and scrolls are merely bookkeeping documents. One set of five books, bound in sky-blue leather and trimmed in copper, is of a more sinister nature. These five tomes have old, fragile pages; looking within, she finds that the ancient books describe procedures and details in Common for several evil rites and ceremonies. The books look like they make grim and harrowing reading. The desk is locked.