"Bring me back something nice and I'll see to it you smell better than you went in."
He sits well clear of the open hatch sipping contentedly from his wine filled waterskin and humming a tune while trying to come up with verses that work with 'heroic tiefling"
((OOC: sorry guys! Been super busy at work then busy at home too! One of those days!))
Ash doesn’t know elvish, but she agrees with sending Smithers back to pick up a crew and find someone who does.
When Korrik goes down into the bowels of the bottom of the boat, Ash is glad it’s him rather than her, but she lingers by the hatch trying to see how he’s doing, whilst trying not breathe in too much through her sensitive nose.
When it looks like there might be grubs down there, she panics for a second before she sees Korrik noticing them too and managing to get away. “Oh my! Just come back! Nothing is worth messing with those grubs!… come out!”.
Once everyone is back and safe, and just waiting for Smithers to return with a crew, Ash will look about trying to cobble together something to eat and drink. “Great job everyone… Ess, that was really great going!… you can have my back any day”.
Korrik isn't bothered by the low clearance, as he still has the better part of a foot of headroom. He is a bit more bothered by the grubs, and scoops the gold and ducks out before they can squiggle up against him.
He almost flips it to Ben, but thinks better of it and sets it down on a barrel rather than spatter any of the muck about. He stands with arms held out to his side so Ben can magic him clean.
"Could be other stuff in there, I'll give it a more thorough look if you're up for slandering the virtue of some grubs and rats. Otherwise, I'd like the Ben special, please!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
So it will be around 3am when the recovery crew comes. You have a few hours. I will make that post ASAP, but in the meantime, will you now do any further questioning of anyone, or just chill until the crew arrives? Ben, after awhile, the lizardfolk stop mumbling in their gags as they realize no one is coming to talk to them now.
I think Ess will take a short rest "if you's bros don't mind, I'll take a lil' sit down here. That forking club hurt, bros."he will use a hit dice I will add this to the next post. He'd just rest on the deck, or maybe in an empty room.
Not going to roll for any sea encounters while you wait. I've already rolled one for Burns and one for the ship, and both failed, so I think that's enough.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((Yes! Thank you, I overlooked that. You're right, it likely won't matter but I'm glad you reminded me of that.))
4
and then he'll still rest to gain it back. Also I was keeping track of his HP on my other DM sheet, I will try to remember to update his character sheet as well
Around 3:00am you see the rescue party. It's a boat similar to the ones you took to the ship initially, and you can see Smithers, Burns, and two other people who you haven't met. For simplicity's sake, one is a captain of a cargo vessel out of Marshswamp - she will be piloting the Sea Ghost back to port, and the other speaks elvish and can help with translating with the prisoner. They all have lanterns.
I will give you the info dump about the prisoner as they would be very welcoming to explain all of this with you all and the translator, so there's really no RP needed for that piece, although I will pause here to allow anyone to ask any other questions of this person before the ship gets taken back to port. You can RP the questions to the prisoner and I'll RP back, or I'll answer general questions if you prefer! Prisoner is on the NPC tab at the bottom.
The man's name is Oceanus. He is a Sea Elf. Oceanus speaks Aquan as well as Elvish. He is a member of the tribe of Manaan, which inhabits an undersea settlement about twenty miles southeast of Marshswamp. His tribe has noted, from a distance, the periodic travels of the Sea Ghost at night along a supposedly deserted coastal area. Suspicious of this behavior, the tribal chief ordered Oceanus to keep watch on this area, slip aboard when the ship arrived, and follow the ship back to its port of origin to discover what he could of these strange proceedings. This Oceanus did, and at the vessel’s home port (haunted mansion of course) he witnessed the stowing aboard of a small arsenal of weaponry. He was then discovered, knocked out, and taken prisoner. He awakened some time later, chained to the ship’s hull in this compartment.
He was stripped of his weapons and armor when imprisoned, but though bruised and a bit shaken up, he has suffered no great injury and his spirit is undaunted.
He is uncertain how long he has been a prisoner or what his ultimate fate would have been. He has no knowledge of the lizardfolk aboard, nor does he or any member of his tribe know for whom the arms are intended.
Once this piece is done, the captain will be piloting the ship back to port. Guards will be there upon arrival to take the lizardfolk and gang captain along with investigating the ship, bodies, etc...
I assume you all would then proceed to council to deal with all of this? (even though it will be around 5 or 6 am!) Will you be a part of the questioning of the captain and the lizardfolk?
You all could go to the inn and sleep as well if you want when you get back and then meet with council after, although I'm pretty sure the council is going to deal with it immediately.
Let me know your thoughts about this and if you have any questions for Oceanus.
Ben, Oceanus says that other than the Sea Ghost, his tribe hasn't noticed any other smugglers or suspicious activity/boats that he is aware of.
Oceanus, while anxious to get back to his tribe, also doesn't want to go back with no information after all this time. He mentions a few times to you all as well as to the rescue crew that he would like to accompany everyone back to Marshswamp as he might be able to provide more assistance. He is anxious along with his tribe to discover why the smugglers have been moving these numbers of weapons and hopefully this all will provide some answers.
"Oh, did you find my stuff anywhere or did those pirates get rid of it?" He is referring to a small trident and a light crossbow.
Korrik holds still for Ben to give him another cleaning.
While they wait, he'll help tidy the boat a bit. Unless Ben's willing to climb the crow's nest to clean things up, that's likely manual scrubbing. He'll take some rope and lower the body down after checking the pockets.
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DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Korrik, you find 2 sp in the crows next guy's pockets.
Oceanus's crossbow was broken, but he gets back his trident and grabs a light crossbow from one of the smugglers that was lying around.
Ok, so it seems all of you will be present for the initial interrogations of the captain and the lizardfolk by the council. Oceanus will also be present. The council will for sure go over the reward with you as well, so no worries there.
I don't think we will RP the entire interrogation, but I will get a new post out ASAP explaining who on the council is there, what initial questions they ask the captain and lizardfolk, what initial answers they give back and let you know of anything else that might come up during all of that.
Then, with that initial information, I'll let you guys RP a bit, ask questions in character, perhaps roll various checks if you're interrogating the captain and lizardfolk for more information... stuff like that.
THEN, once that's done, depending on what the party wants to do next, at some point you'll have to get a long rest in to get that L4. Maybe we can figure that out after the meeting. The meeting will likely go for an hour or so. It'll be around 9:00am when it's done.
Ash is happy for Oceanus to have his gear back too. And she’d be happy for him to join the council’s debrief, so that he might gain info to aid the sea elves.
At some point, Ash would say to him that “When you make it back to your village, tell the story of how the weapons smuggling was thwarted and you were rescued by ‘The Heroes of Marshswamp’!…. And maybe, who knows, we may need the assistance of the mighty sea elves one day! We hope you’ll speak kindly of us!”. And she indicates the four of them. This is all done through the translator, while she puffs out her chest trying to look heroic and proud.
Ash would rest during the voyage back, and would be happy to go straight to the council when they arrive. And will sleep after it’s all done and dusted.
Very pleased with the crew she’s joined, and how the mission went, she’s smiling widely as her eyes drift closed for the journey back to town.
Ben shudders at the group name having become the Heroes of Marshswamp and shoots Kay a pained look but decides now isn't the time to workshop the name.
When cleaning the crow's nest and lowering the body on a rope, Korrik has a bit of time to ponder. The night went really well for them, other than Ess getting clubbed, it had been a near perfect operation. Sure, next to none of it could be planned for, but their crew adapted to changing conditions and did a great job. All would have gone south had he not managed to reclaim his handhold climbing up the mast at the start of it all.... a halfling thudding to the deck would certainly have raised a general alarm...
Korrik stays quietly observant as the early parts of the interrogation begin.
He does lean over to Ben and mutter, "If the lizardfolk AREN'T stockpiling weapons to invade Marshswamp, hanging three of them in the village square is likely to make the town their target."
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DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
The Sea Ghost pulls into Marshswamp. The town is very busy at this early hour of the day, and word of the ship's capture has already started up in the rumor mill so there's a bit of a crowd at the docks even this early. The ship is immediately boarded by numerous town guards and officials. It's kind of an organized chaos, and you all are recognized and lead off the boat along with the captain of the ship and the 3 lizardfolk who are restrained. You might hear some cheers from some of the townsfolk who knew about the mission as you walk. You'd also hear some curse words thrown at the captain and even some at the lizardfolk. A few rotten tomatoes come flying as well at the captain and lizardfolk, spattering along the walkway.
Questioning of the lizardfolk and the captain (separately, of course) will happen at the town jail. Once that is complete, the party will reconvene at the council town hall to go over the results of the questioning and potential next steps as well as payment and rewards for the job that you've all done so well. The council is impressed. Big time. Whispers of 'Heroes of Marshswamp' could be heard as you all walk from the docks to the jail and to the council hall afterwards. Ash, Oceanus would grin at you as he hears this from the crowds and walks with the party to the jail "Ha! Seems you are all heroes indeed!"
This is essentially the start of the next chapter! I think I'm going to just give you all of the information that was given by the captain and by the lizardfolk all at once instead of RP'ing it during interrogation, and then should any of you want to make any further checks to potentially get any other information or even just to ask any other questions, then we can RP that stuff.
Same thing with the council meeting afterwards. I will give you all of the information that they tell you and ask of you, as well as listing rewards etc. and then if you have any other questions for them you can ask and/or roll accordingly.
Ok, here we go, and congrats on taking down the smugglers and the Sea Ghost!
The Sea Ghost Captain Interrogation
All of the questioning is done by Eliander and Eda. They are both happy to have the party join, and at first they are uncomfortable with Oceanus being there but after being briefed on everything with him being a prisoner and how he was initially staking them out and how eager he is to help they are fine with him joining as well. They might even be familiar with this Sea Elf's tribe, or maybe at minimum heard of them.
So, as discovered, the smugglers main source of income is the sale of stolen goods, especially those marked with a royal seal or similar identifier that would make dealing with legitimate merchants impossible. They also take in goods from ships they have waylaid, usually spices, weapons, poisons, and other contraband that is either illegal or heavily taxed in this region. This time, the ship’s hold was crowded with mining equipment and kegs of brandy stolen from a royal shipment meant for a crown-sponsored mining operation in this region, along with silks that were originally destined for a royal trade mission.
In addition to that contraband, the smugglers are providing weapons to a colony of lizardfolk. The lizardfolk colony is located within ten miles of Marshswamp. The smugglers have been providing weapons to the lizardfolk for a good number of months now.
The captain says he does not know the reason why they need the weapons. They just pay well and he "doesn't give a FORK" why they need the weapons and "never bloody did."
He will most likely get the death penalty after his trial if convicted. He will be transported to Seaton in a few days, which is the provincial capital located south of Marshswamp, where major crimes like this are handled. And he's then brought to his cell where he will remain until he's transported.
The 3 Lizardfolk Interrogation
This is difficult because it's in broken common and draconic, but the lizardfolk are demanding to be released and also demanding that their weapons also be brought back to their lair. They will not tell you anything about the weapons purpose, and that if you have any questions that you should speak to their Queen when you take them back to their lair, along with the weapons. They said they will be more than happy to lead the way to their queen, named Othokent, and are telling you that if you return the weapons to the rightful owners (the lizardfolk) along with bringing them back and/or letting them go, that this will go a long way in 'positive relations' with the lizardfolk queen and their people.
If asked directly if the weapons are for a war against Marshswamp, they will say no.
However... the lizardfolk tell you that should anything happen to them or if the weapons are not eventually delivered to the lair, there will be consequences. These 3 lizardfolk were sent on the Sea Ghost with specific instructions directly from the queen herself to guard the weapons and ensure their arrival, and so she will soon be aware that the ship is not arriving.
Also, word will get out soon of this capture, which the lizardfolk are bound to hear about regardless.
These 3 lizardfolk seem to be very set in their ways and it seems they'd rather die or be imprisoned than tell you more information about the weapons at this point.
Council meeting at town hall
All of the council members are here for this meeting. (NPC tab). The lizardfolk that live around Marshswamp are relatively common knowledge amongst the citizens. However, this new discovery that the lizardfolk are now purchasing mass amounts of weaponry that would be considered sophisticated by lizardfolk standards has alarmed the Council.
Oceanus is also present. He's now quite concerned at the lizardfolk being so shady about their weapons and has concerns about his tribe now that he knows about the lizardfolk.
First thing's first though - the reward.
They will pay you the 400gp straight up as promised for eliminating the smuggling gang.
They said they would pay you more (an undisclosed amount) depending on what you brought back. (None of this was in writing). So, along with that 400gp, they pay you 500gp more for recovering the merchandise and weapons from the ship. Total = 900gp. They would offer to pay you 60pp and 300gp (to avoid giving you a ton of coins!).
The plan / next steps
The council hopes to hire you again, this time to investigate the lizardfolk lair and learn why the creatures are arming themselves. The council’s main priority is to keep the town safe from a possible lizardfolk attack. Judging from that crude map found aboard the smugglers’ vessel and the number of weapons, it seems likely that the lizardfolk are preparing for war. The council members hope that the townspeople are not the intended target, but they greatly fear this possibility, even though the captured 3 are saying no.
The site of the lizardfolk colony has been tentatively identified as a coastal promontory adjacent to a small river, the Dunwater, some ten miles southwest of Marshswamp. The council considers it essential that a scouting party be sent to reconnoiter the area and ascertain the strength and size of this colony, as well as the intentions of the lizardfolk.
Council impresses upon you that you are not required to act with hostile intent — in fact, quite the opposite. That could start an all out war with the lizardfolk without knowing their intent. This assignment is one of information gathering, with the additional hope that you can return with knowledge of what the lizardfolk are up to.
A reward of 700 gp is offered for the successful completion of the mission.
The council's opinion is mixed on what to do right now with the lizardfolk and the weapons. Half of them think we should bring the lot of them and the weapons (eventually) back to them, and the other half thinks we should either JUST bring the lizardfolk themselves and keep the weapons as 'bargaining power', or just bring no lizardfolk at all and sneak in. They are looking to the party for your opinions.
The Council said they will give you a day or two to rest and recover from the Sea Ghost sting operation as well as think about potential plans, but that we will need to make a decision quickly due to the nature of this situation at hand.
If accepted:
The recon team can choose between two methods of traveling to the lair - by sea or by land.
By Sea - the distance from Marshswamp to the lair is about ten miles as the crow flies, and a sea journey would take about three hours in normal conditions. The council places at your disposal a modified keelboat with two pairs of oars and a step-down mast, large enough to accommodate the party and any amount of equipment you want to take. It will accommodate the lizardfolk as well, if you are bringing them. It will NOT fit all of the weapons. Navigation and propulsion of the craft is handled by two members of the town guard (Burns and Smithers!!), who are assigned by the council to sail or row the boat. They will be ordered to stay with the boat while the recon party checks things out at the lair.
By Land - the overland journey is longer because of the difficult terrain. Dozens of trails follow a route roughly parallel to the coast and 100 to 400 yards away from it. Because of the terrain, it will take the party about 12 hours to travel from Marshswamp to the ford over the Dunwater River. This time does not account for resting but does allow for slow movement at times when the mist inhibits visibility.
Lastly, Oceanus wants to accompany the recon party to the lizardfolk lair. He wants to be a part of this. The council is ok with that but leaves it up to the recon party to decide. (I would control Oceanus). If not, he will leave Marshswamp and return to his tribe.
**he will expect to have an equal share in any rewards/treasure for this particular mission if you want him to join**
OK - Over to you guys!
Remember if you have any questions for anyone in the above, ask and roll if need be and I will respond with RP if necessary.
It will likely be around 12:00PM when the party is done at the Council Hall. You all are likely very hungry and also very tired.
Next long rest = Level 4.
** while they are mostly concerned about the weapons etc. - Council would've asked you about a payment from the lizardfolk to the smugglers for the weapons as this would've came up during questioning of captain/lizardfolk. If it was found, etc. The ignots, etc.
*** Let me know if there's something about the story that seems like it's missing - it's probably because I forgot to add it to this huge post. Thanks!
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Ben does a little flourish with his hand.
"Bring me back something nice and I'll see to it you smell better than you went in."
He sits well clear of the open hatch sipping contentedly from his wine filled waterskin and humming a tune while trying to come up with verses that work with 'heroic tiefling"
((OOC: sorry guys! Been super busy at work then busy at home too! One of those days!))
Ash doesn’t know elvish, but she agrees with sending Smithers back to pick up a crew and find someone who does.
When Korrik goes down into the bowels of the bottom of the boat, Ash is glad it’s him rather than her, but she lingers by the hatch trying to see how he’s doing, whilst trying not breathe in too much through her sensitive nose.
When it looks like there might be grubs down there, she panics for a second before she sees Korrik noticing them too and managing to get away. “Oh my! Just come back! Nothing is worth messing with those grubs!… come out!”.
Once everyone is back and safe, and just waiting for Smithers to return with a crew, Ash will look about trying to cobble together something to eat and drink. “Great job everyone… Ess, that was really great going!… you can have my back any day”.
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Korrik isn't bothered by the low clearance, as he still has the better part of a foot of headroom. He is a bit more bothered by the grubs, and scoops the gold and ducks out before they can squiggle up against him.
He almost flips it to Ben, but thinks better of it and sets it down on a barrel rather than spatter any of the muck about. He stands with arms held out to his side so Ben can magic him clean.
"Could be other stuff in there, I'll give it a more thorough look if you're up for slandering the virtue of some grubs and rats. Otherwise, I'd like the Ben special, please!"
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
So it will be around 3am when the recovery crew comes. You have a few hours. I will make that post ASAP, but in the meantime, will you now do any further questioning of anyone, or just chill until the crew arrives? Ben, after awhile, the lizardfolk stop mumbling in their gags as they realize no one is coming to talk to them now.
I think Ess will take a short rest "if you's bros don't mind, I'll take a lil' sit down here. That forking club hurt, bros." he will use a hit dice I will add this to the next post. He'd just rest on the deck, or maybe in an empty room.
Not going to roll for any sea encounters while you wait. I've already rolled one for Burns and one for the ship, and both failed, so I think that's enough.
Next post to come soon -
Ben watches as Kay puts the coin down and starts the deep clean, making sure to hit the coin before sliding it into his pack.
"If there might be more down there, sure. Maggots and rats have notoriously low virtues, it is mostly just dry observational commentary."
Ben will then spend the next few minutes calling out unkind things to the maggots and rats as he spots them.
((Doesn't Ess have second wind he can take instead of burning a hit dice? Probably doesn't matter though, but maybe?))
((Yes! Thank you, I overlooked that. You're right, it likely won't matter but I'm glad you reminded me of that.))
4
and then he'll still rest to gain it back. Also I was keeping track of his HP on my other DM sheet, I will try to remember to update his character sheet as well
Grub WIS save 6
Grub WIS save 13
hahaha
I'll say that you eventually kill them both, and then Korrik would find nothing else down there other than garbage.
Around 3:00am you see the rescue party. It's a boat similar to the ones you took to the ship initially, and you can see Smithers, Burns, and two other people who you haven't met. For simplicity's sake, one is a captain of a cargo vessel out of Marshswamp - she will be piloting the Sea Ghost back to port, and the other speaks elvish and can help with translating with the prisoner. They all have lanterns.
I will give you the info dump about the prisoner as they would be very welcoming to explain all of this with you all and the translator, so there's really no RP needed for that piece, although I will pause here to allow anyone to ask any other questions of this person before the ship gets taken back to port. You can RP the questions to the prisoner and I'll RP back, or I'll answer general questions if you prefer! Prisoner is on the NPC tab at the bottom.
The man's name is Oceanus. He is a Sea Elf. Oceanus speaks Aquan as well as Elvish. He is a member of the tribe of Manaan, which inhabits an undersea settlement about twenty miles southeast of Marshswamp. His tribe has noted, from a distance, the periodic travels of the Sea Ghost at night along a supposedly deserted coastal area. Suspicious of this behavior, the tribal chief ordered Oceanus to keep watch on this area, slip aboard when the ship arrived, and follow the ship back to its port of origin to discover what he could of these strange proceedings. This Oceanus did, and at the vessel’s home port (haunted mansion of course) he witnessed the stowing aboard of a small arsenal of weaponry. He was then discovered, knocked out, and taken prisoner. He awakened some time later, chained to the ship’s hull in this compartment.
He was stripped of his weapons and armor when imprisoned, but though bruised and a bit shaken up, he has suffered no great injury and his spirit is undaunted.
He is uncertain how long he has been a prisoner or what his ultimate fate would have been. He has no knowledge of the lizardfolk aboard, nor does he or any member of his tribe know for whom the arms are intended.
Once this piece is done, the captain will be piloting the ship back to port. Guards will be there upon arrival to take the lizardfolk and gang captain along with investigating the ship, bodies, etc...
I assume you all would then proceed to council to deal with all of this? (even though it will be around 5 or 6 am!) Will you be a part of the questioning of the captain and the lizardfolk?
You all could go to the inn and sleep as well if you want when you get back and then meet with council after, although I'm pretty sure the council is going to deal with it immediately.
Let me know your thoughts about this and if you have any questions for Oceanus.
Also start thinking about L4 :D
Ben would ask Oceanus about any other smugglers or suspicious boats they've noticed.
He would as take a nap as they head back and would absolutely be there for the questioning and to ensure they get paid as promised!
Ben, Oceanus says that other than the Sea Ghost, his tribe hasn't noticed any other smugglers or suspicious activity/boats that he is aware of.
Oceanus, while anxious to get back to his tribe, also doesn't want to go back with no information after all this time. He mentions a few times to you all as well as to the rescue crew that he would like to accompany everyone back to Marshswamp as he might be able to provide more assistance. He is anxious along with his tribe to discover why the smugglers have been moving these numbers of weapons and hopefully this all will provide some answers.
"Oh, did you find my stuff anywhere or did those pirates get rid of it?" He is referring to a small trident and a light crossbow.
Korrik holds still for Ben to give him another cleaning.
While they wait, he'll help tidy the boat a bit. Unless Ben's willing to climb the crow's nest to clean things up, that's likely manual scrubbing. He'll take some rope and lower the body down after checking the pockets.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Ben does clean Kay with a disappointed head shake at coming up empty.
He doesn't climb up to the crow's nest.
Oceanus can have his gear back as far as he is concerned.
He will have the translator let Oceanus know he can probably sit in on the interrogations but that the captain didn't know.
Korrik, you find 2 sp in the crows next guy's pockets.
Oceanus's crossbow was broken, but he gets back his trident and grabs a light crossbow from one of the smugglers that was lying around.
Ok, so it seems all of you will be present for the initial interrogations of the captain and the lizardfolk by the council. Oceanus will also be present. The council will for sure go over the reward with you as well, so no worries there.
I don't think we will RP the entire interrogation, but I will get a new post out ASAP explaining who on the council is there, what initial questions they ask the captain and lizardfolk, what initial answers they give back and let you know of anything else that might come up during all of that.
Then, with that initial information, I'll let you guys RP a bit, ask questions in character, perhaps roll various checks if you're interrogating the captain and lizardfolk for more information... stuff like that.
THEN, once that's done, depending on what the party wants to do next, at some point you'll have to get a long rest in to get that L4. Maybe we can figure that out after the meeting. The meeting will likely go for an hour or so. It'll be around 9:00am when it's done.
The next post will likely be tomorrow morning.
Thanks!
Ash is happy for Oceanus to have his gear back too. And she’d be happy for him to join the council’s debrief, so that he might gain info to aid the sea elves.
At some point, Ash would say to him that “When you make it back to your village, tell the story of how the weapons smuggling was thwarted and you were rescued by ‘The Heroes of Marshswamp’!…. And maybe, who knows, we may need the assistance of the mighty sea elves one day! We hope you’ll speak kindly of us!”. And she indicates the four of them. This is all done through the translator, while she puffs out her chest trying to look heroic and proud.
Ash would rest during the voyage back, and would be happy to go straight to the council when they arrive. And will sleep after it’s all done and dusted.
Very pleased with the crew she’s joined, and how the mission went, she’s smiling widely as her eyes drift closed for the journey back to town.
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Ben shudders at the group name having become the Heroes of Marshswamp and shoots Kay a pained look but decides now isn't the time to workshop the name.
((OOC: lol I thought you’d ‘love’ that, hehe. But maybe it’ll be a catalyst to think of something better! Ash seems pretty proud of it! X-) )).
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Korrik shrugs.
"Better than 'Basilisk Bros'...", he mutters to Ben.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Ben's face gets a tired look at Kay's suggestion.
"Small consolation."
When cleaning the crow's nest and lowering the body on a rope, Korrik has a bit of time to ponder. The night went really well for them, other than Ess getting clubbed, it had been a near perfect operation. Sure, next to none of it could be planned for, but their crew adapted to changing conditions and did a great job. All would have gone south had he not managed to reclaim his handhold climbing up the mast at the start of it all.... a halfling thudding to the deck would certainly have raised a general alarm...
Korrik stays quietly observant as the early parts of the interrogation begin.
He does lean over to Ben and mutter, "If the lizardfolk AREN'T stockpiling weapons to invade Marshswamp, hanging three of them in the village square is likely to make the town their target."
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
6:15 AM
The Sea Ghost pulls into Marshswamp. The town is very busy at this early hour of the day, and word of the ship's capture has already started up in the rumor mill so there's a bit of a crowd at the docks even this early. The ship is immediately boarded by numerous town guards and officials. It's kind of an organized chaos, and you all are recognized and lead off the boat along with the captain of the ship and the 3 lizardfolk who are restrained. You might hear some cheers from some of the townsfolk who knew about the mission as you walk. You'd also hear some curse words thrown at the captain and even some at the lizardfolk. A few rotten tomatoes come flying as well at the captain and lizardfolk, spattering along the walkway.
Questioning of the lizardfolk and the captain (separately, of course) will happen at the town jail. Once that is complete, the party will reconvene at the council town hall to go over the results of the questioning and potential next steps as well as payment and rewards for the job that you've all done so well. The council is impressed. Big time. Whispers of 'Heroes of Marshswamp' could be heard as you all walk from the docks to the jail and to the council hall afterwards. Ash, Oceanus would grin at you as he hears this from the crowds and walks with the party to the jail "Ha! Seems you are all heroes indeed!"
This is essentially the start of the next chapter! I think I'm going to just give you all of the information that was given by the captain and by the lizardfolk all at once instead of RP'ing it during interrogation, and then should any of you want to make any further checks to potentially get any other information or even just to ask any other questions, then we can RP that stuff.
Same thing with the council meeting afterwards. I will give you all of the information that they tell you and ask of you, as well as listing rewards etc. and then if you have any other questions for them you can ask and/or roll accordingly.
Ok, here we go, and congrats on taking down the smugglers and the Sea Ghost!
The Sea Ghost Captain Interrogation
All of the questioning is done by Eliander and Eda. They are both happy to have the party join, and at first they are uncomfortable with Oceanus being there but after being briefed on everything with him being a prisoner and how he was initially staking them out and how eager he is to help they are fine with him joining as well. They might even be familiar with this Sea Elf's tribe, or maybe at minimum heard of them.
So, as discovered, the smugglers main source of income is the sale of stolen goods, especially those marked with a royal seal or similar identifier that would make dealing with legitimate merchants impossible. They also take in goods from ships they have waylaid, usually spices, weapons, poisons, and other contraband that is either illegal or heavily taxed in this region. This time, the ship’s hold was crowded with mining equipment and kegs of brandy stolen from a royal shipment meant for a crown-sponsored mining operation in this region, along with silks that were originally destined for a royal trade mission.
In addition to that contraband, the smugglers are providing weapons to a colony of lizardfolk. The lizardfolk colony is located within ten miles of Marshswamp. The smugglers have been providing weapons to the lizardfolk for a good number of months now.
The captain says he does not know the reason why they need the weapons. They just pay well and he "doesn't give a FORK" why they need the weapons and "never bloody did."
He will most likely get the death penalty after his trial if convicted. He will be transported to Seaton in a few days, which is the provincial capital located south of Marshswamp, where major crimes like this are handled. And he's then brought to his cell where he will remain until he's transported.
The 3 Lizardfolk Interrogation
This is difficult because it's in broken common and draconic, but the lizardfolk are demanding to be released and also demanding that their weapons also be brought back to their lair. They will not tell you anything about the weapons purpose, and that if you have any questions that you should speak to their Queen when you take them back to their lair, along with the weapons. They said they will be more than happy to lead the way to their queen, named Othokent, and are telling you that if you return the weapons to the rightful owners (the lizardfolk) along with bringing them back and/or letting them go, that this will go a long way in 'positive relations' with the lizardfolk queen and their people.
If asked directly if the weapons are for a war against Marshswamp, they will say no.
However... the lizardfolk tell you that should anything happen to them or if the weapons are not eventually delivered to the lair, there will be consequences. These 3 lizardfolk were sent on the Sea Ghost with specific instructions directly from the queen herself to guard the weapons and ensure their arrival, and so she will soon be aware that the ship is not arriving.
Also, word will get out soon of this capture, which the lizardfolk are bound to hear about regardless.
These 3 lizardfolk seem to be very set in their ways and it seems they'd rather die or be imprisoned than tell you more information about the weapons at this point.
Council meeting at town hall
All of the council members are here for this meeting. (NPC tab). The lizardfolk that live around Marshswamp are relatively common knowledge amongst the citizens. However, this new discovery that the lizardfolk are now purchasing mass amounts of weaponry that would be considered sophisticated by lizardfolk standards has alarmed the Council.
Oceanus is also present. He's now quite concerned at the lizardfolk being so shady about their weapons and has concerns about his tribe now that he knows about the lizardfolk.
First thing's first though - the reward.
They will pay you the 400gp straight up as promised for eliminating the smuggling gang.
They said they would pay you more (an undisclosed amount) depending on what you brought back. (None of this was in writing). So, along with that 400gp, they pay you 500gp more for recovering the merchandise and weapons from the ship. Total = 900gp. They would offer to pay you 60pp and 300gp (to avoid giving you a ton of coins!).
The plan / next steps
The council hopes to hire you again, this time to investigate the lizardfolk lair and learn why the creatures are arming themselves. The council’s main priority is to keep the town safe from a possible lizardfolk attack. Judging from that crude map found aboard the smugglers’ vessel and the number of weapons, it seems likely that the lizardfolk are preparing for war. The council members hope that the townspeople are not the intended target, but they greatly fear this possibility, even though the captured 3 are saying no.
The site of the lizardfolk colony has been tentatively identified as a coastal promontory adjacent to a small river, the Dunwater, some ten miles southwest of Marshswamp. The council considers it essential that a scouting party be sent to reconnoiter the area and ascertain the strength and size of this colony, as well as the intentions of the lizardfolk.
Council impresses upon you that you are not required to act with hostile intent — in fact, quite the opposite. That could start an all out war with the lizardfolk without knowing their intent. This assignment is one of information gathering, with the additional hope that you can return with knowledge of what the lizardfolk are up to.
A reward of 700 gp is offered for the successful completion of the mission.
The council's opinion is mixed on what to do right now with the lizardfolk and the weapons. Half of them think we should bring the lot of them and the weapons (eventually) back to them, and the other half thinks we should either JUST bring the lizardfolk themselves and keep the weapons as 'bargaining power', or just bring no lizardfolk at all and sneak in. They are looking to the party for your opinions.
The Council said they will give you a day or two to rest and recover from the Sea Ghost sting operation as well as think about potential plans, but that we will need to make a decision quickly due to the nature of this situation at hand.
If accepted:
The recon team can choose between two methods of traveling to the lair - by sea or by land.
By Sea - the distance from Marshswamp to the lair is about ten miles as the crow flies, and a sea journey would take about three hours in normal conditions. The council places at your disposal a modified keelboat with two pairs of oars and a step-down mast, large enough to accommodate the party and any amount of equipment you want to take. It will accommodate the lizardfolk as well, if you are bringing them. It will NOT fit all of the weapons. Navigation and propulsion of the craft is handled by two members of the town guard (Burns and Smithers!!), who are assigned by the council to sail or row the boat. They will be ordered to stay with the boat while the recon party checks things out at the lair.
By Land - the overland journey is longer because of the difficult terrain. Dozens of trails follow a route roughly parallel to the coast and 100 to 400 yards away from it. Because of the terrain, it will take the party about 12 hours to travel from Marshswamp to the ford over the Dunwater River. This time does not account for resting but does allow for slow movement at times when the mist inhibits visibility.
Lastly, Oceanus wants to accompany the recon party to the lizardfolk lair. He wants to be a part of this. The council is ok with that but leaves it up to the recon party to decide. (I would control Oceanus). If not, he will leave Marshswamp and return to his tribe.
**he will expect to have an equal share in any rewards/treasure for this particular mission if you want him to join**
OK - Over to you guys!
Remember if you have any questions for anyone in the above, ask and roll if need be and I will respond with RP if necessary.
It will likely be around 12:00PM when the party is done at the Council Hall. You all are likely very hungry and also very tired.
Next long rest = Level 4.
** while they are mostly concerned about the weapons etc. - Council would've asked you about a payment from the lizardfolk to the smugglers for the weapons as this would've came up during questioning of captain/lizardfolk. If it was found, etc. The ignots, etc.
*** Let me know if there's something about the story that seems like it's missing - it's probably because I forgot to add it to this huge post. Thanks!