Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Gerrard:

”A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Mistress Lilyn.  It seems your warning and Mistress Boko’s experience are related,” Gerrard replies courteously.

”So, how do we find this temple?  Can you recall anything about the temple’s location or the exit of the chute, Mistress Boko?  Or perhaps you have a good idea where the hugest concentration of, uh, freshest feet that would narrow the possible locations, Mistress Lilyn,” asks the young noble.

"It is... odd. All it wanted was for me to purchase something from the Temple of Procan, and to go to a door nearby with an unknown symbol on it, and share all the details I could. It spoke in my head, and said it would know if I told anyone. And if I did, I would die. Then the kuo-toa forced me down a hole, and I would have died without my tricks. So maybe it tried to kill me anyways," Boko says, gritting her teeth. "I do not know who or what it is, or if it really would know that I am telling you this. This is why I need help. You obviously have your own problems, and you have not blinked at my appearance, given your aid to Lilyn here. Not all would do so. I am grateful, given the welcome I sometimes get in town. Much as I hate to admit it, I do not think I can safely handle this alone. I usually operate alone, but this is more than what I have faced before."

It's fairly evident that she does not often speak so much. She blinks, and crooks her head, looking at Lilyn. "Where have you been finding these feet? Along the bottom? In the intertidal zone? Are they wearing shoes? It is good to meet you. Can we rest here a moment? I am fairly banged up from that ordeal and need to bind my wounds and recharge."

Kei 

A small chuckle escapes Kei's mouth. "Oh Gerry, you're naivety is endearing. I'm sure there's hundreds of gangrenous feet out there that need lopping off!" He teases the noble. "When I was with Peri looking for the Temple we were taken into what appeared to be deaths waiting room. There was a man there close to moving on." He recalls how his deception had proven so believable that they'd ended up in the clinic. "If the Temple were sacrificing people then that guy would've been a prime example. I fear this Temple that's being referred to is something else all together."

When Boko finishes her tale, Kei turns to Dwal with a smirk "And I thought Peri talked a lot."

Boko turns a level gaze at Kei, purses her lips, and clears her through, letting out a long breath through her nose. The look she gives is piercing, and also somehow amused. One eyebrow rises.

The afternoon light begins to fade. The sleet outside has turned to snow, as early winter nightfall begins. Accumulations appear in the windows. A hotel clerk arrives to tend to your hearth; another comes to offer dinner options in your rooms.

Gerrard:

     After they have spoken for half an hour or so and learned of each other, Gerrard says, "It seems we have some investigation to do, then--we cannot have such a threat operating in my hometown.  First, though, before the afternoon gets away from us, I have an errand to do--it shouldn't take me long.  I shall return before dinner."

"I go to the weaponsmith to try and find some silvered weapons for our upcoming endeavors.  Please feel free to rest here with our guests if you like, or join me if you would rather," offers Gerrard to his Dwal and Kei.

Dwal gets up and puts his coat on.
"Everythin' happens fer a reason." he mutters as he puts it on. "I'm guessin' I'll have ta go sort this out." he tells the group. 
Dwal strokes his beard a second and turns his attention to the newcomers. "Either of you ever heard of some sort of rizin' power named Xolor?" he asks them.

"This entity, the one who promised me boons and revenge should I go to this temple and tell of its secrets, or death if I told anyone, it used a series of names, most unpronounceable. Except for that one, that was pronounceable," Boko says, after a start.

She pauses, closes her eyes, and takes a breath. "I am going to die."

Dwal just nods his head.
"I suspected as much. It's been in tha back of my mind fer a long time now an' I was just waitin' till it came back around."

Dwal turns to Gerrard. "Well yer lordship, It would appear tha' we got us some more dealin's with whomever Xolor is. An' I suspect that this "Temple is tha place we need ta start."

With that Dwal puts his bag on, picks up his new shield and his axe. "Shall we?" he says to the party. 

Boko clarifies that the temple of Procan is where this entity told her to go, and then after she went there, to go to another place, a few doors away, with a door with a symbol on it.

She continues  binding her wounds and clearing her mind.

"There's been a fair few, I haven't exactly kept count. Some have shoes. All are the left foot, strangely," Lilyn responds to Boko's line of questioning.

She simply shrugs and shakes her head at Dwal's inquiry about Xolor.

As Dwal and Gerrard prepare to leave, Lilyn curls up in a chair with a handful of dried fish pieces to nibble on. Unless Boko has anything to stay, she stays quiet for the first few minutes, but quickly becomes fidgety. Rummaging in her bag, she pulls out a small lyre and begins to pluck a simple tune, just for something to do with her hands.

Gerrard:

”If you think it wise to go right away, Brother Fiercehammer, we can certainly deal with the weaponsmith later,” says Gerrard, though it is clear he was hoping to run his errand first while the others were resting.  

Checking his gear, the young noble says with a wry smile, “Shall we go and continue our low profile ways, then?  If it helps to understand my tactics before we join battle with anyone, know that I tend to run up to creatures that need killing and poke holes in them repeatedly.”

"Ya. I think its best we check inta this." Dwal says. "I can't have a woman with 1 foot missin' on my conscious along with tha rest of tha dead that have settled there. But if'n ya have other business I can check things out on my own."
Dwal moves to the door.
"If'n yer thinkin' ya can sit in this room and just pluck that thing ya need ta rethink it." he says to the Triton. "Whatever yer plan was ta be able ta walk on tha surface amongst these folks, ya best put it in ta motion. If'n yer are a part of this little mystery then ya best follow." 

With that Dwal will head out, going to the only temple he knows about, the Temple of Procan.

Gerrard:

Insight:  6

Catching up to Dwal, Gerrard says, “Brother Fiercehammer, our guests have been through a lot today and seem to be in need of more rest before heading out to face this ‘Xolor’ head-on.  Perhaps some planning and further discussion during resting would be appropriate.”

"Alright" the dwarf says as he walks on. "Ill see what's going on an' you folk come when yer able."

With that deal picks up his pace, though a dwarf can only move so fast.

HD: 17 one more 8

"I am ready to go, now that I have had a chance to breathe," Boko says, standing. "I can be the one to enter the temple, and you can hang back, or if you want to go take a look, feel free. ne thing that was odd, is this entity gave me coin to purchase the potion." She pulls out a small bag. She frowns at it, brow furrowing. She looks up at the group. A suspicious look appears on her face. She looks inside.

Boko looks into the ancient, stained skin bag. It contains five oversized platinum pieces, of a vintage older than the city itself, most likely. They smell of fish and death.

Kei 

Lilyn's tune, although simple, is quite lovely. He grabs his cittern and quickly joins in. He was never that good at music, but having someone else to play with was enjoyable. Their rendition interrupted by Dwal's gruff comment. "Sour face" he shoots back.

"Looks like we're all going then" he says as Gerrard, Dwal and Boko walk out the door. He's seen Dwal's look before. One of single-minded determination. "Come on Lil, you don't mind if I call you Lil?" He stands and stows his instrument. "We can pick this up another time."

The party departs into a gloomy near-blizzard. Snow swirls through the gusty streets as the last grey light from the twilit dome of clouds fades away. The streets are still full of traffic but most pedestrians are too preoccupied with getting to where they're bound to pay any attention to the party. A couple of inches of fresh snow cover the streets.

The Temple of Procan is in the tailors' market, in a nondescript building just a few blocks away. There are no signs or symbols designating it, and it's not obvious where the main entrance is, if there even is one. Tailor shops and underwear stalls spill out in all directions.

As before, a pair of burly men in merchant's clothing intercept the party before they can enter the building. They immediately recognize Gerrard. "Good evening, Mr. Feldren. How can we help you?"

Gerrard:

”Gentlemen, good to see you again,” says Gerrard, “If it is not too late, we would like to visit the…ah…area and have some discussions of a rather…uh…delicate nature.”

Looking back over at Boko, Gerrard asks, “Are you sure this is the right entrance for your…issue?”