Session 16: Player Thoughts

The chapter continued on for us as we embarked on repairing the ship. And with the help of our ranger friend, this was easily done as we avoided an encounter with some dire boars. Though we denied ourselves some hefty experience, we also denied ourselves a possible character death, which is something none of us wants to experience again. I think we were all happy when we got back to the ship with the mast and everyone in tact.

When we were ready to set sail though, we were finally faced with a moral dilemma as we were accosted by three Scarlet Brotherhood ships. We were confronted by a real decision whose outcome might lead us on a very different path in the campaign. First off, three ships against two would have been a tough fight, but a fight that I think any good party on this adventure, probably would have gone for. I’d be interested in knowing what other players in the world did in this situation, assuming it was an actual encounter in the Savage Tide campaign, and not one Mark threw in. After we agreed to the Brotherhoods terms and they came aboard, I think Eric and I were very happy that Mark started with Bob’s ship as he was really put on the spot with what to do after the Brotherhood demanded woman to go with them. It was quite something watching Bob put on the spot, thinking hard and fast. Had he had the ability to see inside the minds of Eric and I, he would have seen that we were scrambling for answers for when Mark came to us with the same questions. In the end, it came down to the goody two-shoes response, and the conniving Captain and his Poledancer. Garland and I negotiated to send only Sindorei, while Gustav simply handed over his prized sword to save all the woman, including Sindorei whom he took onto his ship. The whole encounter was a bit stressful, and a lot of fun.

The next act in this chapter ended up being my personal favorite moment so far of this campaign. It allowed me to use Crimson’s Bluff skill to its true extent. After Meravanchi came back to the ship, wounded, and with no woman, Eric and I hatched a plan to get rid of him, as he had become a bit of a bother to Crimson and Garland. This was simply to good for us that we had to keep Bob in the room, even though his character would not be involved. I’m not sure if the write-up is posted or not, nor how much detail Bob went into in writing in, but basically I had Crimson agree to be Meravanchi’s woman, after he agreed to the “kinky” stuff my character does in bed with her whip dagger. And so when the time came, Crimson simply whipped the aristocrat to death, as per the plan of Garland and Crimson. We then went to Lavinia and Gustav with what happened, but claimed that it was a simple accident. And that it was in a sense their fault, as they refused to let Meravanchi on their ship with all the woman aboard. Lavinia was incensed at it all, making her hatred of Crimson even greater; which is what I was hoping for in order to create greater rollplaying situations in the future. As for my story to the crew of the Glaive, I simply said that Meravanchi died of the injuries he sustained during the fight with the mayor of Greenrock, after an infection seeped into his wounds overnight. This of coarse called for a night of celebration to honor our fallen and already buried at sea shipmate.

Last but not least was the arrival at Tomo-Atken. Here we faced off against a basilisk, who all to quickly turned Garland to stone, before we were able to kill the beast. We then went into the tomb, and did what we always have a habit of doing. That is, going directly to our goal. In the end it was almost better that way, given how little time remained in the session and knowing we wouldn’t be playing the following week. I admit I was a little disappointed at not having to face any monsters what so ever. The only two monsters we encountered, we were able to talk our way out of. The initial wall of fire trap was a bit of a surprise, and its subsequent incineration of our ranger Skald means no more tracking for dangers before we come across them. And although we do have the statue, I think we all agree that it is about time that we starting looking for trouble in order to start finding some loot. That’s why, despite our logical ways of our characters, we are going to explore the second juncture of the tomb in the hopes of finding something to bring back to the crew. Not only that, but we may even double back with the ship and try to kill the hydra we had passed a couple weeks journey behind. I truly had so very much fun this last session and can’t wait for the next one.

Summary 15: The Spy Among Us

"You truly are a beautiful person, and your beauty grows with each passing hour".

Garland lay on his side staring at his bed partner Crimson and caressed her hair whilst she slept. After the passing of several minutes Garland slowly rolled out of bed and donned the disguise of Baltar. Quietly leaving the room he made his way towards the deck, where at this hour he was certain everyone was sound asleep. The night sky was scattered with stars and a full moon, the wind was calm and the Glaive was motionless. Garland was at peace as he leaned over the starboard rail and pulled from his attire his journal and quill.

"I fear that I might have gotten myself way over my head. Perhaps I should have heeded the warnings of the apparent witch who boarded the Sea Wyvern and murdered my brother. I should have stayed in Sasserine and remain ignorant to many dangers that were unfolding around me. Instead I chose to ignore the warning and the apparent threat upon my family and though cleverly disguised, trouble has still managed to find myself whilst out at sea on what could be the grandest of adventures in ones life. What started as a simple plan of sailing to an island to claim the riches has turned out instead to be a nerve racking and nearly fatal experience.

If my brother was still around, we would have solved the many problems that had sprung up in but a few hours. Instead days have passed and one problem grew into two, followed by three and so on. I believe were we lucky to have found out about the lying Father, and Crimsons methods though cruel do serve other more promising purposes. So our journey continued towards the Keep of Heironious to deliver a package that we believed to be very dangerous. Rather than leaving the sea to claim the package, we kept it locked up in the hold and agreed to open it when at port to see what possible dangers would have been unleashed had we presented it to the Church of Heironious. After docking and passing a short cargo inspection Gustave and I located a quite and scarcely populated area and pried the box open. Nothing happened. Peeking inside Gustave discovered three parchments all in a writing that neither of us understood. Returning to the Glaive we handed them to Crimson who has embraced both the ways of a clergy and as a Paladin. She was able to determine that the parchments were maps of Portals in the surrounding areas to another plane and scrolls to teleport there. Confused as to why this would pose any danger to the Clerics of the Temple, we decided to pawn the parchments and add the coinage to our pouches. With a few days remaining till we departed the crew took the opportunity to spread their legs, shops & dine while my persona Baltar took change of over seeing the re-stocking of our supplies.

Things went well for the next few days, but I must admit watching Captain Cindel pilot my ship disturbs me slightly. I long and ache to take my Captaincy role back, but we're still to close to Sasserine and to the spies who are clearly keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any Gansworth news.

I believe it was upon the third day out from the Heironious Keep that I felt ill whilst heading towards Crimson's chamber which was just the start of further problems to come. Though I eagerly waited our 'private' meeting... apart of me didn't want to show any signs of weakness to her. I took the opportunity to speak with the Druid onboard and he assured me that all was fine and that I required rest. Taking his suggestion I saw Crimson and planned on resting afterwards, but my illness progressed to cause pain and Crimson used her own divine might and found out that I had been poisoned. As she spoke those words I immediately feared the worse and someone on board had discovered my true identity and was attempting to finally do away with me. Crimson used her soothing tone to calm my nerves and she further detected that the poison used was venom found in snakes. Thus began a long investigation which led us to the druid Urol himself, the very gnome who moments ago told me that my health was fine. Within the cargo hold held a crate full of venomous snakes and spiders, and thus we began thinking of the methods of delivery and a motive, but both Crimson and I came to only one conclusion... t'was Malerna the cook. The only way this toxin could infiltrate the body was through digestion. We spent several minutes questioning her and her whereabouts for that eve, along with that pompous Meravanchi and the cabin boy Tavey who delivered the food to the crew. Unfortunately the more questions we asked the more did we begin to suspect that a doppelganger had boarded the ship and was impersonating Malerna whom happened to be in two places at once?

Signally the Blue Nixie to dock along side the Glaive a meeting took place between the leaders and of course everyone but myself to discuss the problem at hand. We determined that the doppelganger must have been the one to damage the pulley system several days earlier, or that it was possible that each ship housed one of these creatures set on dismantling this expedition. Thus began the long investigation into the personal possessions and questioning of the crew, only to reveal nothing out of the ordinary except for a few things. We found out that Lefty was once a member of the Krakens Society which obviously did not bode to well with Crimson, Jasper informed us that another expedition from the Krakens Society was also making their way towards the Isle, and Captain Amella was in fact seeking out her ex-fiancé Vanthus to do away with him. Though somewhat disturbed by most of this information we did not find anything that related to the current situation. We took the investigation one step further and questioned the three animals on board the ships and as luck would have it, Mayor Meravanchi's horse revealed that whilst a large commotion occurred on ship several days earlier... a mysterious figure hid by the crates within the hold that was the horses temporary home. Though this gave us further information it was not useful at that time leaving us at their mercy. We could do nothing more than await another attack or sabotage from the creatures and attempt to put an end to their lives.

That night I was heading once again to Crimson's chambers when I heard a scream for help from the deck. As I hastily made my way their, I heard the splashing coming from the waters below. Running to port side leaning over I saw Malerna naked in the water, arms wailing about as she was being attacked and eaten by a large white shark. With little else I could do I noticed her clothing on deck not too far from the rope ladder. That is about when the rest of the crew from both ships their way on their decks and found out about the tragedy. Motioning Gustave over I began o speak to both him and Crimson about Malerna and her clothing on deck. We came to the conclusion that it was possible that she took an unauthorized dip late at night, or perhaps she was accompanied by someone else... possibly her murderer. Having Crimson remain on deck with the crew members Gustave and I ventured below to once more check out the crew quarters for possible evidence or better yet a doppelganger. As luck would have it we noticed within the chambers of Gavin a pile of wet clothing and several potion vials were missing. With no further evidence we spoke with Crimson who then tried as she might was not able to convince Gavin to confess to any of the incidences that were occurring on the ships.

We were all about give in and allow the crew to return to their chambers when Crimson thought of something. Perhaps the intruder once again was hiding in the cargo hold because of the 'commotion' that we were currently engaged in. Believing her idea to be sound we went below and after a through check revealed nothing we returned topside. Luckily Gustave came up with one final solution, that though we have checked the ships from top to bottom we never actually checked the underside of the ships. Diving into the water I noticed an odd coral like structure attached to the ship. Surfacing I signaled Gustave to join me in determining what the coral was, only to find out that it housed a gruesome creature. It was nearly identical to the creature we fought within the underground trap alongside Max. We attempted to attack the being to no prevail as it kept its distance and fired magic at us. Oddly enough nothing happened, but we retreated to gather Crimson and her aid before attempting another confrontation. As the three of us approached the creature it looked at me once more and asked that I kill Gustave. From that moment on my body was no longer under my control, but my mind was strong and fought the influence allowing me to misaligned my strikes and thus missing Gustave throughout the battle. I could not live with myself had I killed him once more, even if it would have been two accidental deaths. The remaining battle was fairly easy as Crimson and Gustave destroyed the evil creature controlling my body. We thought all our problems were over and we could finally sail in peace... boy were we wrong.

We sailed several more days without incident as expected. Our worries were over with until the Blue Nixie stopped suddenly in her tracks. A thick fog blanketed the ships, more so around the Nixie and Captain Cindel began turning the Glaive around to begin circling the Nixie. What we all saw as we approached was something unimaginable. What I can only describe as climbing up the side of the Nixie's hull was a massive blob. Its size was incredible and it seemed to leave behind it a trail of scorched wood. Realizing the danger that the Nixie was in, Captain Cindel hastened her approach and began docking procedures. Crimson and I were ready to board to aid the crew of the Nixie. As we boarded I noticed that Gustave had already suffered great injuries from a possible attack by the blob that was focusing on devouring the mast. Taking charge I ran in throwing my buckler at the creature and backing away to see what harm the metal of the shield would take. To my surprise none, but I clearly aggravated the thing and with a speed I thought impossible the creature charged at me lashing out with a long tentacle. Everything went dark for a short time but I remembered my eyes fluttered open to the sight of Crimson's bosom's as she leaned over me to treat my wounds. I apparently was brought to near death while the blob had turned around and continued its feasting. Gustave took the time to instruct the crew to fire their arrows at it in hopes to distract it. This gave me enough time to quaff an enlarge potion that I had been keeping for just this occasion. Running in and out I swung with all my might piercing the blob causing it severe pain. It attempted to retaliate and charge at me once more, however I managed to keep it at bay with my weapon. I then saw Crimson in all her glory, as she approached the blob touching it and infusing it with dark energy. I had never seen such bravery and selfishness which I must admit both made me appreciate her more, and nearly gave me a heart attack. With Gustave and his men firing arrows at the creature, and Cimson by my side the combined efforts prevailed and we destroyed the blob before it could cause further damage to the ship or injuries to the crew.

That was yesterday afternoon and I can't help but wonder what else we must endure. What began as a simple expedition has turned out to be a life altering experience. Death, warnings, enemies and danger surrounds us. I've come close to death myself on numerous occasions… I fear that sooner than later tragedy will strike again."

Session 15: Player Thoughts

For myself, this past session turned out to be great one for my character. With most of my efforts spent on fleshing out Glaive as a character at the beginnings of the campaign, I’m still having trouble exploring how I want to play Crimson. And with only a few lines to Mark, regarding a history for her, I can’t really build much on her past because there’s just not much to go on. Most characters I make, I can almost see their lives played out before me. This is why past characters like Glaive, Dunewalker, the illustrious Verodemocrium, Eliminster all had pages and pages of history that I wrote for them. But I just can’t seem to get that vision of Crimson that I’ve had for all my other characters. True she was a last minute add-on to the party, yet I’ve had enough time to think of something, yet I keep drawing a blank. Now I know the other players are probably reading this and might be thinking that I’m lying through my teeth on this. And maybe I am, mwahhaha ha. What I do realize though is that my situation seems to fit with the other characters. True, Garland has a more detailed history than Crimson’s, but I don’t see a complete picture for him. And as circumstance would have it, everyone from his history is gone. As for Gustav, its possible Bob does have a grandiose past for him that he’s not telling us much about. For the moment, all we know is that there was a past encounter between Gustav and Lavinia, the details of which are sketchy at best. We’re all hoping for another Feleene-type movie for Gustav in the near future.

I think the personality I’ve finally truly settled on is a character who tries her best to be as helpful as possible, while only putting herself at risk to prove to everyone that she is not up to some devious scheme. The way I’ve set up her persona so far has been one of slight mystery. Where every secret note I pass, the players think that I’m secretly working for the enemy or that I’m plotting to have the next Father Feres assassinated. So characterwise, there is little to realistically suspect. But playerwise, I try to give to all the players a reason or two to suspect something anyway. It’s a fun game to make Crimson seem grander than she might be. Or perhaps she is more grand than anyone suspects? Ah the game just never ends. One of the things I’m noticing is that Gustav seems to be starting to get into the game as well. Several recent secret notes to the DM have got me curious as to what he might be cooking up. It’s good to see. We are supposed to be an evil party more or less and I think all of our characters should at least be watching to the left and to the right to ensure our “allies” are truly allies. The session before last I thought Garland had actually faked his death, and I was right. Perhaps I should see about trying to find out a little bit more about Gustav. Perhaps someone should look into Crimson’s past with the Scarlet Brotherhood. Perhaps this Cindel and Garland have a secret agreement of some sorts. I think what will be interesting is when we all get to a point in the campaign where all the secrets are revealed on the table for all to see and yet we STILL believe there is an incredible amount of info that remains hidden by our friends.

In this last session, one unknown was finally discovered. For the better part of the game, we were trying to figure out who had murdered Feres, the poisoning of Garland, and then later the death of Marlena. Admittedly I found the first part of the session to be a little slow. It just seemed like every single idea we came up with, didn’t bring us any closer whatsoever. We found out that at one point there were two Marlena’s around, making us believe there was a doppelganger on board. Then there were the few clues we found that were obvious plants to make it look like someone else had done deed. We thought we were making headway when the horse below deck told us of a stranger he had seen hanging around. Finally I had Crimson shine as I thought perhaps the intruder was hiding below the ship. Sure enough, Garland and Gustav went down to check up on this idea, only to come back up to the surface with bloodied bodies as proof of confirmation of Crimson’s idea.

Near the end of the session we faced off against a monstrous ooze that began devouring the ship. Thanks to a team effort though, we were able to beat it off. I had Crimson show off some bravery as I sent her in to face off against the monster body to body lest it sunder the ship in two. I was able to use some smarts with my character as some timely cures on Garland, an enfeeblement and negative energy on the ooze, helped to save the ship. What was fun about this and the encounter with the hecuva that had been killing people on our ship was it gave me a chance to be an impact player in battles. And also that, given our supremely limited combat ability in our party, we still managed to pull out two incredible wins against challenges that seemed well beyond our capabilities of dealing with. Then again, they were only single entities which is usually an easier fight. All in all it was yet another fun session and, as always, I’m looking forward to the next one.