Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Kei 

"So inspiring." He mocks Gerrard's battle cry as he packs his kit away. "Can we ever get a day that goes to plan?" He throws his hands in the air, leaving the disguise kit on the dresser table he storms out behind Franco/Gerrard.

En route he notices the halflings absence. "Where in the nine hells did Peri get to? Damn halfling always thinking of his next claim to fame. When he finally joins us I've a right mind to magic him into an anchor. Then he can cruise the seas as much as he likes."

Unless Dwal has other plans, the party follows Gerrard and the group of soldiers down the cobblestone hill to the harbor. 

The entire waterfront has transformed into a chaotic frenzy of military activity. Heavily armored vessels are launched into the bay; ballista and mangonels are being loaded. Crowds of onlookers crowd the streets and wharves. There are no signs of sahuagin, currently.

You overhear an emotional teenaged guard telling the story to his superior. "It threatened to tear my feet off! Then I stuck a spear through it and it jumped into the harbor." He points at a nearby empty wharf. A tall, potbellied longshoreman speaks up from the crowd. "They left body parts over there. Gruesome. Musta tore some poor loafer limb from limb." He points to an empty spot on the dock. 

Gerrard:

Moving swiftly to place himself between the populace and the empty spot on the dock, Gerrard draws his blades and strikes a heroic pose, saying with assurance, “Fear not, people of Seaton, we will protect you from the devils of the sea!”

Gerrard looks toward the edge of the water, trying to see if there are any body parts or emerging Sahuagin.  He is primed for battle…

Perception:  11

Dwal is a bit shocked at Gerrard's exclamation but he follows along, preparing for a possible battle. After seeing the crowd gather but no threat, Dwal will start asking in the crowd.
"So who saw what here?"

Confusion reigns on the docks as a trigger-happy navy prepares for what they've been training for: a military showdown with the sahuagin. 

The captain of the harbor guard recognizes Gerrard and defers to him. "Apologies, Master Feldren. Eyewitnesses claim a sahuagin surfaced on a wharf and then disappeared back into the bay. Hard to know what they saw. Also of part of a corpse on the dock." You can see the potbellied man pointing down into the water beside one of the docks, as he talks to a small crowd that has gathered. Armed marines are preparing to dive into the cold waters.

The crowd of locals is getting unruly. "Will someone tell me what in the nine hells is going on here?" shouts one old fisher with rotten teeth, "No respect for your elders! All your mess and your boats are ruining my business and I want to know why!"

Gerrard:

”So a full-scale invasion is not immanent?  How fortunate.  Thank you, Captain, if you could perhaps manage the crowd of witnesses to get a more detailed account, my friends and I will go investigate.  If it is indeed an invasion, we will undoubtedly call for help, but my suggestion is that you stand down from full military readiness so as not to further scare the people,” says the young noble, sheathing his weapons and beckoning his friends to approach.

Aloud to the crowd, he calls, “The good Captain here will take the statements of the eyewitnesses and answer your question.  I will begin the investigation.”

Persuasion:  19

As his companions (hopefully) approach, he adds quietly, “The city is on edge and this may be a false alarm—or might not be.  Let’s avoid a riot if we can and see what in Hades is going on over there.”  Gerrard begins to walk over to the indicated spot on the dock.

Dwal follows Gerrard. "So much fer doin' anythin' undercover like. Ya just announced ta tha city yer gonna take on this challenge. An' I got a suspicion yer kin won't be too far behind." the dwarf quietly says to Gerrard. 

Kei 

"Fiercebeard has a point Your Lordship. If you want to keep a Loew profile, declaring yourself the lead investigator pits a mighty big mantle on your head." Seeing the crowd starting to get out of hand he decides to try and calm them down a little. "You two keep looking for clues, I'ma going to try and soothe the masses." He pulls out his cittern as he finds a suitably raised place from which to attract attention. He traces the symbol for peace in the air, subtly casting Guidance on himself. Going to need all the help I can.

"Citizens of Seaton, fear not the monsters from the sea. Our trusty officials have it under control. What we need is a little joy and happiness. Lend me your ears and you'll not be disappointed." He begins to play the most lively tune he can think of in the hopes to calm the crowd and even get them involved in a sing-along. 

Performance 7

"Psssh, ridiculous," grumbles the rotten-toothed old fisherman. He turns to Dwal and adds, "I done saw it with my own two eyes. It wasn't no sahuag-man. It was just a little girl." He turns to the Gerrard and the guards and spouts, "So why are you militarizing the damned harbor over a child? I demand answers!" 

The captain looks troubled after speaking with Gerrard and begins to give quiet orders to the other guards. "Back!" he shouts at the crowd. "Nothing to see!"

Kei begins playing a wildly out-of-tune melody that is neither joyful nor happy. The guard captain gets up in his face and, with dwindling patience, gesticulates up the street. "Go!"

Dwal and Gerrard wander over to the dock and try to peer into the choppy water. The pot-bellied man is gesturing. "I kicked it in - part of a leg. Somewhere here!" Gerrard can make out something down there, in maybe four or five feet of icy water.

Gerrard:

"Ah, but it is already known I have taken on the challenge of the sea devils, Brother Fiercehammer.  Hopefully our foray into the wererat sewers is still under wraps.  Besides," he adds with a wry smile, "with all that caterwauling from Master Kei, that is the only thing people will remember from this morning--I think he is intentionally playing off key to drive the people away, and I think it's working."

Approaching the water, Gerrard pulls out his rope with the slender grappling hook at the end and lowers it into the cold water, trying to hook the item he sees below.

Acrobatics perhaps?  11

Another Try:   23

"Whatcha mean it was just a girl?" Dwal asks the man. "You saying it ain't those water folk?"

Ignoring Dwal for the moment, the rotten-toothed old fisherman tries to quietly get Gerrard's attention. He clears his throat awkwardly. "Excuse me," he says politely. "I have some important information about this whole ordeal, but I don't feel comfortable sharing it in public, nor with any of those fools." He shoots a glare at the guards, distaste evident in his voice. "You wouldn't happen to be the leader of this investigation, would you? Could we go somewhere more private to talk?"

Finally, Gerrard manages to fish out a left foot, severed above the ankle, still in a fouled leather slipper.

The guard captain continues to try to eject Kei from the waterfront.

Gerrard:

Looking carefully at the severed foot to try and identify the likely race and occupation of its owner, Gerrard rests his hand on the hilt of his sword.  It is a seemingly casual gesture, but it presages the following words...

Nature to identify the foot:  18

History to know who would wear such shoes:  16

”Answer Brother Fiercehammer’s question, citizen.  Experienced sailors don’t mistake a small girl for a sea devil, and I don’t take kindly to liars or murderers, especially if they threaten the safety of the good people of Keoland,” says Gerrard intently.  He looks critically at the ‘fisherman’, trying to see who this might really be.

Perception:  1

Kei 

Indignant towards the crowd he grumbles "You all wouldn't know a good melody if it smacked you in the face." Truthfully though, he is aware that that was probably the worst rendition he had ever performed. He stows his instrument and shuffles away from the commotion, blending into the crowd as he moves.

Stealth 16

He waits patiently under the awning of a nearby shop sending Gerrard a telepathic message to let him know of his whereabouts.

Ignoring Gerrard, the old fisherman turns back to Dwal to answer his question.  "It was a water folk, alright, but not the murdering type that warrants all this nonsense. Triton, they're called. Real different from sahuagin, but an untrained eye like your guards here might not tell the difference," the old man explains. He flashes the teenaged guard on the street a nasty look. "I've spent a lot of years at sea, lad, I know all about the different fish people." He pats Dwal firmly on the shoulder.

Kei vanishes into the crowd.

Gerrard judges the foot to be human, and the shoe to be modest. Something a peasant might wear to the corner market, maybe. It has clearly been detached from its owner for at least several days, based on its decaying state. It smells awful. As to the old man, this guy looks like he was born on this wharf - like he was meant to be a Seaton fisherman.

Gerrard:

The young noble looks off into the distance and murmurs something inaudible.

Kei:

 “Exactly, an experienced fisherman should have no trouble discerning between a young girl and a Triton—or a Sahuagin for that matter,” snaps Gerrard, adding to Dwal more thoughtfully, “Though preventing an innocent from being mistaken for a sea devil in this tense environment may justify the deception, do you think, Brother Fiercehammer?”

”Thankfully I was able to talk the guard and the populace down from the nascent riot, so hopefully no permanent damage was done,” Gerrard muses, adding, ”In any case, this limb was severed days ago—more likely part of a body dump related to our earlier topic this morning than any recent action in the harbor.”

The old man sighs. "I get it. You don't want to talk to me. So I'll leave ya alone. But maybe you'll be interested in talking to her. She's holed up in the tavern - tell her Alfonso sent you." Without waiting for a response, he turns and vanishes into the crowd as cleanly as Kei did.

Dwal watches the exchange and is quietly sorting the things said out in his head. Once the old man leaves Dwal turns to Gerrard

"So, we makin' our way ta tha hotel before tha guards hear about this an' set out fer it?" Dwal asks. 

Gerrard:

”I am not sure to which tavern the old fisherman was referring, but I suspect it is whichever is closest to here,” responds Gerrard to Dwal, realizing he has lost “Alfonso” in the crowd.

”Perhaps we should make an appearance there, though you and Master Kei will be able to make a much lower profile entrance than I, Brother Fiercehammer — a Feldren entering the wharf tavern cannot go unnoticed,” he states.  “Let me report the results of our investigation to the Captain here and make my way that direction, and Master Kei can message me about our next move,” he adds.

Gerrard, with the gruesome souvenir in hand, moves to go talk with the captain of the guard.

Kei 

Having watched the movements of his companions from his vantage point under the building's awning Kei sees the two come together discussing something and then part ways. His cue to return to the waterfront. 

He slides through the crowd towards Dwal. Coming alongside his dwarven friend "where to Master Fiercehammer?" His approach near startling the deep-in-thought dwarf.