Tide of Retribution (Campaign Thread)

Darla pauses, seeming to read something in the way he says that. "I dinnae ever spend any time seafairin' I'm afraid, darlin', so I'll take yer word on it." She pats Usul's elbow with a smile. "Still, I know folk well enough, and I'd say it ne'er hurts tae put yer best foot forward." Seeing that they were nearing the Captains cabin, she fussed with her curls, sighing. "Shame I dinnae have time ta put m'self together a bit. I'm sure I'm in quite a state." She looked at Stanley and Nolas, arms akimbo. "What dae ye fine gentlemen say? Am I presentable?"

Nalos, taking a second to look Darla over, he says, "You look fine."

As the party walks through the captain's door, the tabaxi captain that you met earlier is hunched over a wide table, puzzling over a map pinned to its surface by a half dozen knives and daggers. Several golden rings glisten on her paws as she traces potential paths through the ocean. She glances up at you with her emerald eyes as you open the door, and her feline face spreads into a sharp-toothed smile that is equal parts cheerful and unsettling.

Darla cocks a brow at the Tabaxi, giving her a long look, "I'm sorry, I'm new ta sailin', and maybe all this rockin' about's addled me a bit, but yer talkin' about returnin'? As in tae Isle what sank out from under us?" She glances around at her friends, before looking the Captain in the eye. "Darlin, I cannae imagine ye've forgotten already, but a great lot o' them Sahuagin folk climbed out tae sea, killed a bunch o' people, some a' yours too, and tae whole island sank. I won't speak fer tae lot o' us, but what possible treasure is there that's worth goin' back into even a whit o' that madness?"

At the word 'treasure' Usul's ears perk up, but Darla seems to have a good sense that going back does seem a bit crazy. For now he's just listening to see what's being discussed.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten, 'darlin'," the tabaxi says. "The earthquake dragged Flora Isle into the Sharkfeather Abyss, a nearby trench that is home to a clan of shark-herding humanoids known as sahuagin. They've recently had a change in leadership. Selachai, their new leader, carries a magic scepter that has been recognized as a the rod of retribution which has become a conduit for unearthly levels of magical power."

Taking a momentary pause in her speech, she looks at each of you in turn. "Imagine how proud your family would be and the songs that you could sing, Bard," she says looking at Darla. "Me and my crew can offer the protection you need and we'll split the treasure three ways," she says looking at Usul and Snurk. Looking at Stanley, she says, "Imagine all that there is to learn down there - things that no other scholar to now has had the opportunity to study." Looking at Nalos, she just smiles, and says, "it'll be a collaborative effort." Then speaking more generally, "Don't worry, I'll get you all the supplies you'll need to go down there. We just have to decide which port to stop at. A number of nearby ports or islands are good sites for Wavechaser to dock, unload her refugees, and find gear that could help a group of brave adventurers take on the sahuagin in their underwater lair."

Stanley perks up a bit at this talk, but is rather nervous to return.  He keeps looking down at Darla. "Pardon me Ma'am... but if the treasure is one Rod, how will we split that?  Do you intend to sell it?  Something with that kind of power shouldn't just go to anyone." He gulps.

"Oh, there's more than just a rod down there. We're talking about the wealth of the violent sahuagin, here," she says. "The one-third that will go to your party, here, is 500 gold."

"Listen," she says in a low voice, beginning to purr again, and leaning in closer, "No one knows exactly how this young sahuagin managed to cause an earthquake powerful enough to drag Flora Isle under the waves, but that isn’t important. What is important is finding a way to delve beneath those waves and take the scepter from Selachai. Doing so would stop her from causing any more chaos, and the relic would doubtlessly sell for a pretty copper on the black market on top of the gold we could find there."

Darla cocks a hip, resting a hand on it and drumming her fingers as she eyes the Tabaxi. "Ah cannae lie, 'at is quite a prize. May e'en be worth jumpin' back in th' proverbial fire for. Still," she gestures around at everybody, "Ah wouldnae speak for th' lot o' us. Give us a wee bit tae discuss, in private, aye?"

Captain Three Earrings stands back up straight, and again looks at each of you in turn and days, "Fine. I understand. I'll give you a few minutes to discuss." She then walks out of the room. You can hear her barking orders at her crew - things about jibbs and tacking. 

Darla waits a moment until she's sure the Captain is away and engaged before speaking, "Ah dinnae know about th' rest o' ye, but it seems a mite suspicious tae me that she's suddenly so willin' to share all this wi' folk she only jus' met, no?"

Snurk is lounging on the deck, with he belly up, and his legs outstretched, looking rather relaxed, and odd for the social norms of speaking about work etc.

He picks his nose and flicks it.

”The Captain is looking to profit from lesser beings.” He says this pointing at each of them and himself.

"No doubt," Nalos agrees. "But, she does make a good point about possibly putting a stop to any future violence if we go and help her."

"We all nearly died just now!"  replies Stanley.  "How would we stand up against a whole horde of them in their natural environment?   Oh, treasure is just great, sure..." he continues, getting a bit worked up.  "The only thing that actually concerns me is figuring how they sunk an island, and if they're planning to do worse.  That, we have to stop.  ... But how?" he finishes, and once again turns to Darla.

Give me an Arcana check for Stanley.

Stanely - Arcana Check:  18 

Stanley knows that there are magical means of traveling/breathing underwater. You just have to get to someone who can sell either a potion or a spell scroll of breathing water.

"Ah cannae say, an' frankly, I'm nae convinced we shoulnae jus' walk away." Darla answers Stanley. "All this talk o' fightin', Ah dinnae care for it. Ah sing, play some bonnie tunes, and can spin a yarn. Been in some scraps, true enough, there's a lot o' brigands and such who dinnae have a qualm wi' accostin' a sweet thing like me, livin' on th' road as Ah do, but this?" She takes some time to think. "It's good coin, an' Ah hink we ought tae get paid a part up front, for th' sake o' outfittin ourselves, but if we're tae do this together, maybe we put it to a vote, aye?"

Usul, quietly listening to everyone speak occasionally can be seen quietly mumbling to himself, or perhaps to inside his tunic, and then nodding in response. Finally, he speaks up, saying "We'd like to find this treasure." Then looking around adds "Also, if we find the treasure, perhaps there will be more than just the gold." Leaning his ear to his tunic again he adds "Ah, though Snurk is right. If we're gonna be sent in to someplace dangerous, why do we only get one third?"

"That's right," Stanley agrees.  "There's five of us... why shouldn't we at least get half?  And... yes, if we're going to do this, we'll need money upfront.  I think I know some reliable ways to breathe underwater."  He turns to look at Nalos.  "Any thoughts?"