(G578 21/12/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI35

(G578 21/12/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI35

[Fenrir, Reinward and Irritator have been given the task of destroying the port of Dulok on Fashib by Princess Senel. After a couple of days they have made a bit of hap-hazard progress.]

DAY 662 (24th Nightal)(December) cont ...

Later, as they were finishing off their long lunch and discussing plans, the Lady Langit Biru arrived again. She asked if she could borrow Fang for a while, to help her with some heavy lifting, as part of her effort to stop Cerdict coming back from the dead.

Reinward, still willing to contract her on this said, 'Nah, let's bring him back from the dead, say it was all a miss-understanding and get him to destroy the town for us. What do you think Fenrir?'
'I'm not massively onboard with that idea.'
Lady Biru thought it was a bad idea but said, 'if you want to do that, it is up to you. Just let me know and I'll stop what I'm doing.'
I suspect Reinward was just trying to be annoying though as once it was accepted he backed down from the idea.

He then asked what her plans were after her task was finished. She said she had other matters to attend do, but would be able to help them later with anything she could be of service with.

She wandered out of the cave, taking Fang with her. Fenrir and Reinward decided to let Port Dulok settle down for a while before trying again.


DAY 663 (25th Nightal)(December)

Fenrir, still not sure of the best course of action, went to take a look at the port again from a high bluff on the east side of the town.

You may be puzzled at this point, dear reader, why he hesitated. Why, when he had so easily slaughtered a crowd of ruffians in Baldur's Gate would he be so concerned about dispatching a batch more in a place many many miles from any law or authority?

I will venture and answer if I may. We "adventurers" are a suspicious lot and when I feel my plans have gone array or I have fallen foul of some dire happenstance or event beyond my control I oft times think of a deity called Fate. It only exists in my imagination, and I picture it as a tall hairy being, much like a bug bear, who sits and laughs at my plans, looking down on my over his big hair belly.

For Fenrir I imagine this is also some entity, whom I would call "Consequence". For when he acts without thinking or puts into action a that have been ill-considered, or acts on impulse, he will later  be visited by beings and people that have been place in his path by the capricious hand of Consequence.

So now he stood and contemplated, though I may be able to destroy this place, what would the fickle hand of Consequence have in store for me? Little did he think of the consequences of what he and Reinward had done in Baldur's Gate. I would have thought the ramifications of that should have played heavier on his mind, but here he was in this place, in the morning, wondering what he should do.

Eventually he came back to the cave and reported back what he had seen in Dulok. Although a small portion of the town had been burnt down, it was generally going about its business. The bridges had been destroyed but there was a place were the river could be forded at low tide if you didn't mind getting wet up to the waste.

They disguised themselves as 'mid rank sailors' and sauntered into town. They found the streets in a mild level of chaos, so it was easy to get in. They went from tavern to tavern, buying drinks and talking to the locals. They learned more about the wizards that Fenrir had fought and more powerful locals - a coven of three tabaxi witches that lived in a house on the southern outskirts of town.

They learned a bit about Plimpo and he lived in a ruined castle to the north. The dark elf was not local and it appeared he had now left the port.

Reinward thought it best to deal with Plimbo first and so with that in mind they took a walk north and then west along the coast to have a look at his castle. It was definitely ruined, with its collapsed turrets and ruined gateway, but it was still secure. They walked along up the drive and Reinward so gargoyles hiding in the ruins.

They then walked further along to a watchtower, acting as if they were out for an evening strole.

When they returned to the taverns they found out what they could about the pirate factions and how the pirates related to the Tren.

Apparently about a month ago there had been some tensions between them all and a couple of dozen killings had resulted, but it had simmered down now.

At about eight o'clock they walked back Plimbo's house with the  intention of pretending to be "traders".

Fenrir shone a light into the gateway. Mobkin a Svirfneblin Rogue stepped
out of the shadows.
'What do you want?'
'To see your master.'
'He's busy.'
'Is he doing a poo?' asked Reinward.
'Cheeky twat.'
'Right right, can we wait?' interjected Fenrir.
'It's a free island.'
'I am, err,' said Reinward. 'The Quartermaster of the pirate ship Dementor.'
'Good for you.'
Fenrir stepped over all of that bluffing and turned on the intimidation.
'Show me respect or face my... wrath!!'
It had an effect on Mobkin, who got much more friendly.
He called over another Svirfneblin called Gringkid and had a message sent
to the "master".
When a reply came Mobkin went white and wrote out a note that he then gave
to them. He told them he master was not here, but at the Wanger Tavern and
they were to take this note.

It was in cant, but magically translated roughly to:

"
Salutations Sally,
Two wonderful treats for this brace of fine dandies
Blessing on your tremdous bosoms,
Mobkin
"

They tried giving 50 gold to send another note, but that didn't really go anywhere. Reinward thought that they were being lied to and that Plimpo was at home.

They went back along the drive then snuck around the back of the house. In the end it was not too hard for them to sneak  in, avoid the gargoyles (who seemed more interested in playing saucy games in the spare bedrooms) and deep gnomes. They found the wizard's main chamber. Reinward disabled a trap on the door and they burst in. Caught by surprise Plimbo was killed in a single volley of Elditch blasts and daggers.

They looted the chamber then snuck back out again. A job well done, they took their note to Wanger Tavern and met Slaphappy Sally. What happened next I will leave to the readers imagination but as I understand it there was a magical and non-magical option.


DAY 664 (26th Nightal)(December)

The next threat they considered dealing with were the three tabaxi witches that they had not seen yet, but that they had heard about.

Fenrir was always very good at finding the right person to talk to. After spending a bit of time and a bit of gold in the morning he got himself into the company of one of the witches' housemaids.

In hushed tones she told them that the witches were like cats, they are  distracted by shiny objects - in that they would be interested in any large displays of magic in the port, or new interesting visitors.
"And no one can defeat them," she warned Fenrir and the others. "Fireballs just wash over them. Magic arrows they pluck out the air and throw back."

Reiward was interested in this information and wanted to know how it was they the witches were "indestructible" but the maid didn't know.

Her final advice was that they kept their eyes on the sky and find  somewhere to hide if they saw the witches overhead on their broomsticks.

After that they found out about a group of beings called the  "blinking lizards". This lizardfolk were talked about as if they were ghosts. They were apparently a tribe of lizarfolk that had learned the ability to blink - as Reinward did with his magic items - which made them very hard to fight. They were not often seen in Dulok though.

Next on the agenda for today, they went to check out the buildings were the slaves were kept. It was a group of four houses behind a tall wall. There were guards and slaves, and about 100 or so poor souls kept in cells and locked rooms. They were mainly sailors and travelers taken from ships that had been pirated.

A plan vaguely forming in their heads they purchased a former ship's captain and a boson and took them back to their hideout in the dragon's cave.

Fenrir and Reinward had a vague plan for rescuing the rest of the prisoners. They asked the Captain about the boats in the harbour. The faster ones were pirate ships, but anything large was something they had just brought back with them. Some of them would still be seaworthy but most were used for spare parts.

'My ship is still down there, and still sails, the "Natural Knocker", as fine a ship that ever sailed in all of Faerune!' declared the Captain.

After lunch they got some clothes for the former slaves and went  down to the docks. The Knocker was still there although they did see a pirate onboard as a guard. Looking around they saw that even the wrecks were under guard, to stop the other crews from filching supplies from them.

'Over there is another good ship, ready to sail, and over there too! And I'll warrant they will still be supplied enough for weeks of sailing. They leave the barrels of food and water on board, from what I've heard, and only take it out when required.'

The Captain pointed out two ships, The Itchy Limpet and The Elegant Whale.

Reinward and Fenrir were still not sure. They talked themselves around in circles, trying to come up with a plan to rescue the prisoners and destroy the town.

'What are ye waiting for?' asked the Captain. 'Fire the town and  open up the slave house. It'll be chaos, but what else would ye expect?'

Even, so, the spectre of the God of Consequences hung heavily over their heads. Why rush it? After all, the pirates and the slaves were not going anywhere.