Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

Cook insight: 9

     “Why you want the corpse?” Cook asks, intrigued but also thinking if hope keeps them from attacking then offer them hope.  “It’s not that weird sex stuff, is it?  Whatchamacallit?  Necromancia?”

Almost palpably, Seri hears a calm, priestly voice in her mind as she recalls years of patient teaching back at the temple.  Clerics, certainly including those of Procan, are meant to have a power to repel undead with the power of their faith.  Or even to destroy them.  Or so she has been told so many times as an acolyte.  Yet it is with a sinking lack of surprise that she finds nothing when she reaches out for such divine grace.  As ever, the rip currents of her oceanic faith run crosswise from priesthood.  Grimacing ruefully, she continues to channel the Wave Father's wrath in the only ways she knows how.

Her coral-hafted trident still glows with an aquamarine radiance as she jabs at the unrelenting calcified combatants.

Movement:  5' S (difficult terrain, into Cook's space) - attack prone skeleton (1?) - then 5' N (may incur AoO at disadvantage from being prone?)

Action:  Lunging past Cook (without stepping in grease), Seri casts True Strike with her coral trident, ideally on a prone skeleton (1?):
True Strike with coral trident to hit:  20 (dirty) if at advantage on prone enemy or 9 if not.
True Strike with coral trident damage:  5 (radiant)

Seri has the Shield spell available as a reaction and may use it. Also, if attacked, she uses a Luck point to impose disadvantage on the attack.

“Necrophilia NOO!!  I want ‘viscera’!  It’s MINE!”

current prior to Seri’s turn.

As the fight continues, Darixa focuses mainly on the skeletons that seem to be attacking. She targets the skeleton standing next to Makaster with her magic. (Skeleton 2) 
(Starry Wisp Spell Attack: 26, Damage: 5 radiant) 

Hearing Cook and then Makaster's response, she calls out, "I'm starting to think he isn't even concerned about Sanbalat, just any dead corpse. Though maybe his dead corpse is more valuable to him." 

Darixa’s brilliantly radiant mote strikes skeleton 2 releasing its animating force, it drops to the ground.

Makaster, “NOO the wizard is MINE, he made a pact!”

the undead alchemist is ready to attack…

The last skeleton crawls out of the greasy area standing beside Makaster readying its bow…

Cooks turn

     “Viscera, is it?” Cook answers.  “Making haggis, are we?”

     “Anything wrong with letting our friend here have some innards?” Cook calls over his shoulder quickly before returning his eyes to the deadites.  “Assuming he calls off the skeletons and all…”

(Off-turn speech if allowed):

Seri murmurs (from just next to Cook):  "My vote as one of the crew is no.  The priests in Seaton may not have taught me much, but this I learned.  The undead cannot be trusted with the flesh of the recently living.  Perhaps especially the wicked recently living such as Sanbalet."

     “Flesh? Who’s talking about flesh?” Cook scoffs. “All he’s after is viscera for his haggis. Nasty, wicked stuff, that. Never knew it to kill anyone…”

     “Not quickly, anyway.”

     The words are nothing but a distraction. Cook has no intention of giving the robed skeleton anything it wants. Least of all on purpose. Seeing a more or less clear path, save for the slick sheen of Brynn’s grease,he decides on something else entirely to deliver. He charges. Straight for the talking skeleton.

     Two steps (**below) in and his feet vanish out from under him. “Ah, feck it all!” Cook barks as he goes down hard, more embarassed than hurt. But he doesn’t stop. Doesn’t even pause. Just rolls over onto his hands and knees and keeps going. He crawls the rest of the way forward, pushing through the grease with stubborn, furious momentum.

     From the ground, he lunges, grabbing a fistful of cloak, hauling himself in close and then he starts swinging. Heavy, relentless blows hammer after bone, Cook attempting to pummel the robed skeleton with raw, unrefined fury. Determined to smash it to dust one punch at a time.

_____

**(DC Save vs Brynn's Grease - 8.  Cook spends a Moxy Point to try to create a Swagger Streak which allows him to add a Pugilist Die (d8) to try to succeed instead.  He gets a 4 there for a total of 12.  He still fails.  But since he fails he gets the Moxy Point back at least…) 

_____

Movement - 5 feet east into the grease.  Falls prone.  Crawls five more feet east spending 15 feet of movement since it is considered difficult terrain.   He does not have enough movement (just 10 of needed 15ft) left to stand up. 
Action - Attack Makaster with Disadvantage due to Cook being prone:  Unarmed Strike for 11 or 15 +6 for 17 to hit and 10 bludgeoning damage.
Bonus Action: - Cook uses that Moxy Point he just got back to perform a One-Two Punch which, surprisingly, allows two Unarmed Strikes as a Bonus Action instead of just one.
     1st BA Unarmed Strike still at Disadvantage is 8 or 2 +6 for 8 to hit and 11 Bludgeoning damage.
     2nd BA Unarmed Strike at Disadvantage is 6 or 7 +6 for 12 to hit and 12 Bludgeoning damage.

Makaster’s legs shatter as Cook swings for the kneecaps, caught completely off guard Makaster is pulled level with Cook whose next attack manages to knock the globs of acid from his boney skeletal hands.

Cooks final swing hammers Makaster smashing through skull.  Makaster is destroyed his undead guard settle to the floor.  

Seeing Cook take out Makaster and all the skeletons falling to the ground, Darixa is relieved. "Should have just taken him out to start with!" she says. "I do agree with not giving that undead thing anything," she adds. Not that she would have said much different had she disagreed. Cook had already acted and there was no taking back what had happened.

Taking just a small step forward she asks, "You doing alright there Cook?" 

Esme draws a small sigh of relief when the cook swiftly ends the whole battle with a combination of bone shattering punches. For a moment her mind tries to make sense of what the talking undead had stated, but then she simply shakes her head to it all. She doubted that whatever had transpired between the two would be of any importance to their mission. "If you are as good a cook as you are with punching stuff I hope I will get the chance to enjoy your culinary creations when we are finished here." She says with an appreciative smile to the cook, then stepping closer to peek inside the danger room, curious to see what that narcissistic magician had been so eager to get his dirty hands on.

Perception: 16

Book. Before the alchemist died, he was reading the book that lies open on the table. Its title is Ye Secret of Ye Philosopher’s Stone, no author acknowledged.

Though it is written in Common, the book is too profound and recondite a work to be fully understood by anyone other than an appropriate specialist.

Intelligence DC 12

Golden Objects. The objects on the table are made of pure gold

The collection includes the following items:

• A human skull (20 gp)
• An apple (5 gp)
• A rose (5 gp)
• A set of five small discs (balance weights, 5 gp each)

Treasure. The table holds small stacks of gold coins totaling 47 gp.

and one lead coin…

     Cook is a bit like a dog with a bone, he keeps at the wizardly skeleton until it is totally demolished.  Until Darixa steps forward and asks if he is alright.

     “Huh?  Oh sure,” he replies.  “Right as rain.  Just making sure they stay down is all…” 

     And at this point Cook looks around and sees that the other skeletons have fallen as well and he gives a big smile.  “Aye, one and done seems to be the case.  Wish we knew sooner..  Though we did need to make a path to him, ya?”

     “Sure now, my cooking is worth at least half what I charge for it!” Cook replies with pride to Esme.  It’s unclear if he knows exactly what he said.

     Cook makes a bit of a search of the wizard skeleton’s remains, as much to make sure it is down and dead dead for good as it is to look for anything worth taking.  When he is done with that he moves on to the other skeletons.  He breaks off any ribs that appear to be gold and tosses them all into a pile for those more learned to decide what to do with but he makes a point of breaking and crushing at least a few of each skeleton’s bones to help make sure they are truly lifeless and stay that way.

     The books and equipment and apparatus and all Cook has little interest in.  Even the golden objects or regular old coins he barely pays a passing thought to - Brynn seems to be organizing it all and he trusts her to make a fair go of distributing it all later.  Assuming, of course, Councilor Solmor lets them keep it.  Them government types have a funny way of deciding they have a right to stick their hands in other people’s pockets…  The object here that does make Cook raise an eyebrow is the lead coin.  It just seems out of place amongst everything else.  A curiosity.  A memento…

     Cook grabs up the lead coin, if nobody yet has, flips it a time or two, then puts it in a pocket and forgets about it.  

_____

(If Darixa was asking Cook if he was alright as a way of gauging his state of mind, Cook seems absolutely fine.  More his typical self than during / immediately after the last fight.  If she is assessing him physically, Cook came out of it all more or less unscathed.)

((I’m assuming us searching the “danger” room and all takes up 10 minutes or so and so I’m erasing the remaining 7 Temp HP Cook gained via his Brace Up feature.))

(((If someone thinks they would have spotted and grabbed the lead coin first, so be it. Cook really just sees it as one might a pretty rock on a beach.  So if someone beats him to it or whatever that's totes fine.)))

The open book immediately catches the attention of the young Rhennee beauty, and she starts reading, quickly realizing that this might actually be the real thing, or a quite elaborate scam, which in itself would be worth some admiration in her opinion. "This here might be worth much more than all the gold we just found. It tells how to create gold, not sure if we can make use of it but perhaps we can find a buyer for it." She tells the others, motioning to the book before her. "Need any of this for your workshop hun?" She turns and asks Brynn motioning to the bench with all the alchemical equipment.

(Int: 19)

Seri, being a Philosopher's Stone skeptic from her readings in the library at Seaton's Temple of Procan, shows little interest in the undead alchemist's possessions, trusting Brynn or others to organize them.  The mere existence of gold objects (even golden ribs on the other skeletons) are not enough to convince her, since if the alchemist once owned this mansion, they were certainly wealthy enough to have such gilded fakes created independently.

She frowns slightly at Esme's suggestion of selling the (in Seri's view, likely fraudulent) alchemical tome describing how to create gold to some unsuspecting buyer for a bundle of coin, but says nothing for the moment.

What Seri does do is exclaim with enthusiastic surprise when she notices Brynn's earlier discovery of the Naval Almanac for roughly one hundred miles of coastline near Saltmarsh in the adjacent room (presumably Sanbalet's quarters?).  She shares her excitement with her fellow navigator Darixa, showing her the Almanac, then after a moment, also takes the bullseye lantern, wondering if the party can use it to signal and lure the slaver ship Sea Ghost from which Sanbalet had apparently been operating.  If the Azure Sea can be rid of one more slave ship, all the better, by the Wave Father's tides!

Munching on one of her rations from her pack and offering more of them to the surviving captives in a show of good faith, Seri sits down next to them, at least the ones that speak Common, hoping they have more information to share.  Murmuring for Procan's guidance.

"Sanbalet spoke of someone.  Punkateh (sp?).  Is this person the captain of the Sea Ghost?  Or some other colleague?  Do you know the ship's crew?"

Seri's Persuasion plus Guidance to convince the (human) captives to open up to her over a meal and redeem themselves:  16 + 1 = 17

Once finished with the book on alchemy, Esme turns her attention to the fully illustrated volume of erotic poetry, assuming Brynn shows it to her. "Now here's a real treasue. Mind if I borrow this for a while?" She says with a pleased smile, and not wanting to interfere with Seri's renewed interrogation she leans back into some pillows on one of the beds and relaxes some more, accompanied by the interesting poems. Perhaps she could have it at her place.

(Darixa INT Check: 6)

Darixa cautiously stepped into the room, looking about.  She checks out the book but doesn't really make much sense of it. 

She's much more interested in looking over the naval charts with Seri. "Wasn't there information about contacting the Ghost we came across?" She tries to think about whether she's heard of the Sea Ghost before.  (INT: 11 if needed or 12 for History.) 

     Cook is a man of recipes, not formulas. The book on the Philosopher’s Stone earns little more than a passing glance from him. He understands the idea well enough - turning things into gold - but that’s about where his interest ends. So when Esme suggests the book might be worth more than all the gold they’ve found, Cook gives her a long, skeptical look.

     “If it worked, they wouldn’t need to be smuggling,” he says dryly.

     “And if you’re selling it knowing it doesn’t…” He trails off, giving Esme a more thoughtful, measuring look.

     Cook’s relationship with ethics is… flexible. But to his mind, a smuggler is a far sight better than a snake oil salesman. Smugglers work for their coin. Take risks. Put themselves in harm’s way. And most folks dealing with them know well enough what they’re about - cheap goods don’t come cheap for no reason. There’s a kind of honesty in it.

     Crooked, yes, but honest.

     But selling false hope?

     Taking coin for dreams that’ll never come true?

     That’s something fouler altogether. That’s stealing more than money. That’s stealing hope. Need. And even the daftest fool doesn’t deserve to have their dreams stolen from them.

     Not that Cook has any sympathy for this lot. Slavers. They can all feck right off. They could die a  million horrid deaths and still not settle that score.

     “Well,” Cook says with a small shrug, “leave me out of it, and it’s been nice knowing ya.”

     When Seri begins questioning one of the captives, Cook’s attention shifts immediately. He watches. Carefully. He’s the protective sort, that’s just how he’s built. For those he cares about, anyway.

     After a moment, he drifts a few steps closer, taking up a spot just behind her shoulder. He says nothing, but hopes his presence alone is enough - broad, looming, eyes narrowed - as he fixes the captive with a hard, threatening stare.

     Bad cop to Seri’s good… ((And maybe giving her Help in her interrogation?))

Still…

     There’s only so long Cook can stand still. Only so long he can let others poke about while there’s more ground left unchecked. He gives a pointed cough. Looks around. Waits a moment more. Then finally…

     “Should we be getting on with it?” he asks. 

     “There’s still whatever lies beyond that secret door Sanbalet came through… and a whole house above us we haven’t even touched yet.”

Cook makes a bit of a search of the wizard skeleton’s remains,

the hat and robe seem intact and fancy, a sturdy pouch, an agate on a braided necklace hidden around the neck bones…

"Need any of this for your workshop hun?" She turns and asks Brynn motioning to the bench with all the alchemical equipment.

There’s enough here to create a lab of your own.

"Sanbalet spoke of someone.  Punkateh (sp?).  Is this person the captain of the Sea Ghost?  Or some other colleague?  Do you know the ship's crew?"

“Punketah is was Sanbalet’s ah close um wizard mate.  Not sure what their relationship was don’t care, but no the Captain is none other then ‘Snake Eyes’ hisself Sigurd, and he’s worse then Sanbalet by far, but maybe you can, maybe.  If he captures you, you should kill yerself cause it’ll be better that way.  The first mate is ah,  callen hisself Bloody Bjorn name fits.  Oh and Foul Firth that’s the bosun he’s very unconventional at keepin the ship in shape. There’s other crew but they tend to turn over and it’s hard to keep track of em.”

the messenger, the others nodding along.

"Now here's a real treasue. Mind if I borrow this for a while?"

some obvious minor magics involved in the making of this book.

"Wasn't there information about contacting the Ghost we came across?" She tries to think about whether she's heard of the Sea Ghostbefore.

You gather all the signaling information and could signal the ship when it is due to rendezvous again in a few weeks.  You’ve never heard of the Sea Ghost, but Captain Sigurd ‘Snake Eyes’ is a name you’ve heard, his disregard for landlubbers is infamous…

But selling false hope?

     Taking coin for dreams that’ll never come true?

     That’s something fouler altogether. That’s stealing more than money. That’s stealing hope.Need. And even the daftest fool doesn’t deserve to have their dreams stolen from them.

     “Well,” Cook says with a small shrug, “leave me out of it, and it’s been nice knowing ya.”

Cook’s thoughts on the Philosopher’s Stone

but Esme with your very high Arcana Roll you know this could be if not a complete formula, it is actual legit research- to the best of your assessment.

And yes finally there are unexplored areas still, and it is much later then when you left Saltmarsh… 

Brynn took a few moments to shift their arm back into safety, but also to keep an eye on the other's six... and Ainura through the doorway, as they conducted the initial search. Deft fingers plucked away at re-calibrations, and flicking charred bits out of crevices.

Once the dust finally settled, the shipwright would would have taken their turn passing through the space with fresh eyes. They'd check out everything from the simplest items, to the shiny obvious ones. Brynn was a scrapper, so those copper pots, the single lead coin, the alchemical ingredients, the equipment, even the wood that the table and bench were made of... would be of interest. Of course, they'd fall into practice of inventorying and cataloging the items as they go. All the while they'd be keeping an ear open to the unfolding discussions prompted by the others, and prepared to provide any items requested by the others.
(Items inventoried in Party Inventory)

"I'll trade ya." Brynn would gesture for the Philosopher's Stone book in exchange for the poetry when Esme would ask to borrow the literature. Naturally, were interested in checking out the Alchemist's book for themselves too. They'd thumb through it quickly, then thoroughly for a deep dive as they documented the golden objects for inventory alongside it.
(Intelligence: 25 Nat 20 in campaign log)

Maybe they just fell into a rhythm, maybe they were just keeping busy, but either way, Brynn had a thought at some point, and set to that task as time allowed. Taking apart the most quality furniture for wood and fabrics from the office, measuring twice and cutting once, hammering and sewing, were examples of such a 'to dos'. Keeping their hands busy didn't mean they couldn't listen in on the questioning. 
(Crafting a casket w/ firefly detailing for Ainura's eventual transport)