Salris catches up with his brother, Seamus. Seamus now captains his own ship, cursed to resurrect anyone who dies on board. The Party skedaddle, boarding passage to the Cumberlite Isles, and defeat a Sea Dragon along the way.
The Party reaches Grey Harbor. We buy desert clothing and other supplies, like a chart of the Viridian Sea and a map of the jungle north of the desert, with the city called Setton. And we try to arrange passage on the Sea Wolf, a fast cargo ship sailing to Setton, with the tide.
And Salris met his brother in a bar.
Brotherhood
Salris and Seamus sit across from each other at a table at the back of The Shattered Mast. Salris has just dropped his Leon Ziki disguise, revealing his true face to his brother.
Seamus bolts upright, draws his rapier, and puts it at Salris' throat. Seamus thinks that Leon Ziki is pranking him, and asks if it's a bad joke. Salris invites him to sit down and take a drink.
The bar crowd is standing, waiting for a fight.
"Why don't you put this away," gesturing at the rapier, "sit down and have a drink? I bought your favorite…."
"What is this. How do you know?"
"How do I know what?"
"Who sent you?"
"I came back of my own accord. Salris Dereshar, in the flesh." A pause. "Take a seat! No need to be so uppity!"
Seamus pauses.
Salris asks to pull something from his bag, and, when Seamus doesn't say no, slowly pulls out the ornate dagger hilt that he's had since the campaign started.
There's a passing moment of recognition, that this hilt is Salris' father's blade. But behind that, Seamus still believes that Salris is dead. But as Salris keeps blathering on, Seamus nods, and comes to a conclusion. He looks around at the bar, ready for a fight, and sheathes his rapier. He calls out, "Take this maggot to the Nightmare! This requires privacy!"
The crew approach Salris and grab him; he Misty Steps behind his brother. He pats his brother on the shoulder, saying, "Let me have my drink first, yes? That's no way to treat family, right? I'm waiting here for some friends, before we head north into the desert."
Seamus has his hand on the blade, and is half-turned, trying very hard not to stab his brother. This scenario has gone out of his control.
Salris reaches over and carefully removes Seamus' hand from his rapier. Something tries to bespell Salris, but he fights it off.
The bar is silent. Salris throws a platinum piece to the bartender, saying, "However much this pays for, drinks are on me!"
He sits down and sips on his fine wine.
Seamus remains standing, and asks, "So, brother, how did you survive." Half-mockingly courteous.
"I'm sure you know how I survived."
"No, please. How did you get away when everyone else, except for me, didn't."
"I'll finish my drink before we get into that. Let's catch up, yes?"
"Catching up, now?"
"You're the captain of your own ship, with your own crew. You never were the best of leaders; how do you manage that? Did you inherit Dad's ship?" Salris is doing his very best polite act.
"I would have, if it had not burned down in the harbor." Salris did not know that. "But you might know that, if you had spent any time trying to find our parents' murderers."
"What do you think I was doing, these past few months?"
"How did you survive."
"Heard a commotion, cracked open the door, slipped out the window."
Seamus knows that that's a deliberate lie. "You heard a commotion. Slipped out."
"You haven't touched your wine yet. Sit down, show some respect!" Two Half-Orcs rush Salris, trying to grab him. He slips out of their grasp, but fails to clonk their heads together.
There are 16 people in the bar, plus the bartender.
Salris, in Lego, is backed into a corner of the bar. His brother is to his left; everyone else save the bartender is hostile. The bartender is a Halfling. The crew is a mix of many species, including an Aarakocra, a Dragonborn, Half-Orcs, Humans, Half-Elves, and unspecified species.
Round 1: Nothing happens, save learning that Seamus can cast Message.
Salris hears in his mind: "Should'a just come quietly. Give up. We can talk this out." His brother.
Salris says, "Drop your weapons; I'll go with you." He holds a Misty Step to the front door, if anyone attacks him.
"We can all have a better conversation, on a place where this … just you and me," in response to Salris' question.
Salris finishes his glass and begins to drink his brother's glass. "Just me and you."
Seamus walks out of the bar, and Salris follows. The Crew follow afterwards, in a little parade that the Party sees. Jerry pops Pass Without Trace on the Party, and we follow the crew as they walk towards the docks.
Salris asks Seamus why they can't have a private meeting, with no one else on the boat. "Things have changed," says Seamus, and looks back at the crew. Seamus leads Salris down to the pier, down the twisting boardwalk that is the Grey Harbor, to a looming black-sailed, black-masted ship.
Salris and Seamus board and enter the captain's cabin. The rest of the crew loiter on deck.
On the dock, Ryltar and Jerry have a whispered conversation about whether Ryltar should Dimension Door aboard the ship, into the captain's quarters. We decide that the best course of action is to wait for loud noises.
Aboard the Nightmare
Seamus escorts Salris into his lavish office. Salris sits down in the captain's chair, but doesn't put his boots up, yet.
Seamus rushes over, and —
he hugs Salris, who is not at all expecting that.
"I was not at all expecting this," says Salris, grunting a little. "I took a few crossbow bolts, and I'm in a little pain right now."
"You're here," says Seamus, who is hugging Salris like he doesn't want to leave. Like he's dropped a mask of competency. Seamus is really happy to see Salris.
"Look, if it'll make it easier for you, I'll do this," says Salris, and becomes Leon Ziki again. "Or you?" and takes the shape of his brother, who looks like a budget him. There's still a bead inside of Seamus that wants to say that something is wrong, that this is all fake. But he accepts that Salris is back.
"You're not going to like what I tell you," says Salris. "It's pretty easy to get away when you're the killer." He pulls out his coinpurse, and plops it on the desk with a heavy clink. "You knew I didn't like Father." Seamus nods. "Someone offered the right price, and here we are. There were all the things that we saw him do, which had no explanation," and he starts popping off his quieter cantrips as an example.
"Did you … Mom?"
"She … got in the way. It all happened so fast; I was scared. Something in the back of my head pushed me to ask. Not a day goes by where I don't think about … her."
Seamus shakes his head. "I…."
"So, I left Grey Harbor, slipped away on a raft, and eventually made my way to West Haven. Found a group of people, and now we're on a quest to save the world?" He tells a short version of the last few weeks.
Seamus is trying to figure out what he's saying. "Assassins? But I was told, by a cook on the Grey Mist, our cook woke me, …"
"It's possible he showed up, but there weren't assassins."
"He showed me Dad. We went on a boat, off in the harbor, found an alcove in a rock, set me up there."
"What happened to Dad's ship?"
"The cook told me that assassins burnt it in the harbor."
"That is the one thing that I did not have anything to do with."
"He set me up, brought food, went and came back and went and came back, and he said he had a lead, and left, and never came back. Ran out of food, so I left for Grey Harbor." And Salris can see all this stress. "A ship was leaving. I needed food and money; I climbed aboard. We were attacked; then the Nightmare appeared. I was the only survivor. I … did a whole bunch of different things, and I don't know why, but on a whim, really, I challenged the captain. I wouldn't challenge a captain for a crew, but … I won. I was never a fighter. You were."
Salris laughs, "No, you were not."
"I gained the ship. Sailing about, smuggling, taking goods from the assassins sent to kill us. Making our name as Nightmare through their land." He sighs. "But the transfer is not the strongest. Show a moment of weakness, and…." He drops it. "So you have friends?"
"Yes, and I imagine they're very confused as to where we are right now. They were supposed to find some clothes and secure a ship for passage."
"You trust them?"
"I do. They've saved my life multiple times. Jerry, Vurguron, Percival, Ryltar. Ryltar keeps saying not to trust him, but I kinda do."
On the dock, the crew of the Nightmare is loading up the ship, getting ready to leave. Ryltar is pacing anxiously; Jerry keeps telling him no.
Seamus takes out a pendant with an oval, with a lazily-drifting needle on top of it. "The crew is good if you have the right muscle. They'll do a lot if you ask them right."
Salris seems uninterested in the offer of a crew. "I've found a bunch of idiots, but they're my idiots, and I'm their ambiguous dumbass."
"Some things do change."
Outside the ship, Ryltar casts Message to Salris: "Should I come get you?" "Not yet." "Are you okay?" "Message me in five minutes."
Salris asks if Seamus wants out. Seamus says that the crew would think of Salris not dying as a sign of weakness. Salris proposes throwing a sack of potatoes out the window, then escaping in a few with Ryltar. But Seamus says that can't happen, since if someone dies on the ship, … they don't.
Ryltar messages Salris on the five-minute mark, and Salris asks for a way out. Ryltar Dimension Doors onto the ship, and introductions are made. It's almost like Ryltar has seen Seamus before.
"Tossing you out the window doesn't work; either I let you go, or you didn't die." Seamus pulls out the talisman, and his eyes roll back, and he walks over to the door. "Open them up, bring them out," he says, and sits back down. A knock at the door, and a head-to-toe cloaked figure walks into the room. Seamus pulls the cloak off, to reveal a waterlogged zombie.
Ryltar says, "So this is what happens if you die on the ship? You become a zombie?" "Yes." Ryltar makes some proposals, involving a crossbow and a sack of potatoes thrown out the window.
Seamus doesn't need a ranged weapon. He raises a hand, and it crackles.
Salris suggests that he buy the crew drinks, and kill them off the ship. Seamus replies: "What do you think I was trying to do?"
So they start pulling things out of Salris's patch vest, and out of Ryltar's bag, and assemble a burlap sack with mass and weight and some of Saris' blood. They fake a fight, and the bag of distraction crashes out the window. Salris and Ryltar port out with Dimension Door, and we make a fast exit towards our intended ride. Ryltar sends Seamus a message saying to get in contact if he's free again, or needs help, and that's that.
The Flying Banshee
It leaves with the tide, and we come to it about ten minutes before it departs. It's a large cargo ship, less of a warship than the Nightmare. The crew are on board, and the gang plank is just being pulled up when we hit the dock. We shout out, and are let on board. The gangplank is stowed and the ship is warped out of dock.
We apologize to the captain for our lateness. He's got a very pointy mustache, straight to the sides. Captain Wilton Grace, a Human.
There are a couple other passengers with us. Transit is 30 gold for the trip. The ship is towed out to the main channel, and through the main channel. The gap between the cliff faces widens as it goes up, and there are small catwalks along the cliff face and a bridge between the two.
Our ship moves out into the open sea. There are minor piers and hovels built into the side of the cliffs.
Our ship catches the tide, and the wind, and off we go.
We contribute to the ship's food stocks and seasoning stocks.
It's chilly, out on the open. The wind picks up, and the chop, and it begins to rain. The ship rocks, and Ryltar goes down to hang out in his hammock.
Ryltar and Salris notice that some things are missing from their inventory: Salris' sack, and Ryltar's length of chain. Things are jostled, barrels not adequately lashed down roll around. A noble passenger is seen vomiting over the rail, being pat on his back by his absolutely serene half-elf wife.
Overnight, the seas continue.
In the morning, Ryltar asks a halfling crew member about the missing chain. The storm settles after breakfast, and the wind carries us to the north-northeast with speed. The crew celebrate with singing and dancing and jigs, and Salris joins in.
Ryltar loiters around in the Polymorphed form of a cat. He spends three hours hunting rats, and finds one, which he leaves in Salris' hammock. Later, Salris and Percival come across the rat, and try to figure out where it came from. They pass the rat back and forth, eventually throwing it someplace else in the sleeping section. Someone complains.
Come midday, there comes a soft bump as the ship collides with something. Jerry has a bad feeling about this, and casts Water Walk on the 10 people in range: everyone abovedecks except the captain and first mate and crow's nest.
The captain and crow's nest holler about what it might be; there's a vague dark spot in the sea on the port side. The vagueness resolves into a shape, a terrifying shape.
Exploding out of the water is a blue-scaled Draconic entity, lots of webbed digits. It's a Sea Dragon, a "Priest of Seggothoth."
Round 1: The Sea Dragon has legendary resistances, and it uses them. It puts a lot of damage into the Party with its whip-tail and claws. Ryltar's summoned Hound of Ill Omen helps, a little. The Sea Dragon dives underwater.
The Sea Dragon rears up, and all within sight make a Wisdom save or become frightened. It bites and claws at Jerry, missing the bite but connecting on the hit, for 19 piercing and 5 cold. Then it claws at a crew member, damaging him greatly.
Vurguron calls out in Draconic, "Dragon! State your business!" It replies: "Hungry. Time to feed." Vurguron casts an ice spell that freezes a small cube of water, not impeding the dragon.
Ryltar comes up from Belowdecks, and casts Fairy Fire on the sea dragon, to give unfrightened people advantage on attacking it - but it burns a Legendary Resistance to throw off the spell.
The Sea Dragon uses a legendary action to tail whip the Dwarf.
Jerry uses Web to restrain the dragon against the ship, and moves away. It bites at her, but misses.
The Sea Dragon makes two buffeting wing attacks, knocking over everyone within 15 feet. Jerry drops Web, and it dives. Jerry is freed from fright.
The crew uncover some shoulder-mounted ballista.
The Party prepare for the return of the Sea Dragon, with held spells.
Round 2: The Sea Dragon resurfaces, takes some damage, and unleashes a torrential breath weapon that washes Salris, Vurguron and a crew member off of the boat. The Sea Dragon climbs aboard, and burns some more legendary resistances.
Salris' Synaptic Static hits the Sea Dragon.
Ryltar's Ice Bolt misses.
Percival's Fireball hits.
The Sea Dragon makes a Tidal Breath weapon attack. Salris and Vurguron and a crewmember fail, taking 36 bludgeoning, 28 cold damage, and pushed back. Vurguron and Salris are blown off the boat; the crew member dies. Then it clambers onto the boat, and the boat rocks.
The crew is now atop the stairs. The only man below who can attack doesn't.
Salris, standing on the water, backs off from the ship until he can see the Sea Dragon's head, and then casts Mental Prison on it, for 45 psychic damage.
The Sea Dragon makes a legendary tail attack at Jerry, and connects for 18 bludgeoning.
Percival makes a Hold Monster and fails. It looks at him and chuckles.
Vurguron walks across the water and climbs aboard the ship. Then he does nothing, having used all his move.
It makes a tail attack against him, hitting for 16 bludgeoning.
Ryltar summons the Hound of Ill Omen behind the dragon. He casts Slow on the dragon, which has disadvantage on the save to resist, because it is flanked by the Hound. The Dragon is slowed, until it burns its Legendary Resistance to shrug off the spell.
The dragon tail attacks the Hound, and manages not to kill it.
Jerry slashes twice, dealing 29 damage, and then backs off, warning everyone to back off before its next attack.
Round 3: That pesky breath weapon knocks the first mate off the ship, and downs Vurguron. The Crew have gathered their weapons and begin to attack. But Ryltar's Mental Prison is what finally kills the Sea Dragon.
The Sea Dragon uses its tidal wave breath weapon once again, hitting Vurguron, Percival, the first mate, and the captain. They take 27 bludgeoning, 31 cold. Vurguron drops unconscious, and hits the wall. The captain hits the wheel. The first mate falls off the top deck, and splashes into the water. He doesn't have water walk. Percival saves.
One of the arbalests makes a hit.
The lookout fails to hit the dragon.
Salris Misty Steps aboard the ship, and Eldritch Blasts the dragon thrice for a little damage.
The hound doesn't do much.
Percival throws his Storm Boomerang, for 6 bludgeoning and 6 thunder.
Vurguron fails a death save.
The dragon does 14 bludgeoning to Jerry with a tail.
Ryltar casts Mental Prison, dealing 5d10 = 21 psychic damage, and putting it in an illusory lava jail. If it deals damage or moves through the lava, it takes 10d10. It's restrained and can't see through the lava walls. Salris retreats through the forecastle door.
Jerry runs over to Vurguron and pours a Potion of Greater Healing down Vurguron's throat, for 13 healing.
The dragon moves, incurring 10d10 = 66 damage, and its brain melts as it can't deal with the lava nightmare.
Its wing thwaps the door that Ryltar hid behind. He comes out from the door, and remarks upon the dead Sea Dragon.
Jerry looks for the first mate overboard, but he has sunk.
We break down the Sea Dragon. Jerry takes its head (frozen via Ryltar's Shape Water), all 26 of its quills, and 25 pounds of its scales. Ryltar takes 10 scales for jewelry. And then we butcher it for food.
Ryltar Polymorphs into a cat, and delivers three rats to Salris' bed.
We carve the bones out and scrape them down. The crew takes them down into the hold. They calm the passengers down, because 18 seconds of combat against dragons is very loud.
Sea Dragon tastes like white meat: kinda chilly. We eat it with white wine from the box. A good dinner was had by all.
Salris discovers the dead rats, and throws them into the dark corners of the ship.
Next Session
We awake in the Cumberlite Isles.
Wait. Was Seamus poisoning the whole bar? Is that why he wasn't drinking?
Is Salris' brother also a bearer of the curse that afflicts Salris? Or is he just part of Rezzik Brazzik now?
What's up with Salris' Celestial dagger?
We know how to trap the Jester, with Magic Circle
What's going on with the stars? Are Ryltar's theories about colors and significant plot-relevant things' colors correct?
How can the Mummy Lord be defeated?
Determine how to resolve the Eta'el-Kerjes plot
Remember to un-petrify Ockoh in the Ice Lord Wint's Lair
