With her timbers a-shivered and mains’l in shreds
The Chameleon limped slowly around the heads
A port drew in sight and repair was assured.
But take care and beware, for all those on board.

Any Port in a Storm

The Chameleon slowly made her way into port, her mainsail shredded beyond repair. Grateful though he was for the saving of his ship, the Captain none-the-less was worried about the cost of stopping at Port Farrador. The Lawmaster there was an officious little man with a love of coin, mostly drawn from the purses of any vessel that ties up at the wharf.

It looked like the place was busy – the fishing fleet was in port, a merchantman with Xadour colours was moored at the wharf and a large Dwindalian Man-o-war was tied up there also. Sure enough – Lawmaster Bunder was waddling down from his tower to the wharf to greet the new arrivals, flanked by two bored town guards.

The ship was secured and the gangplank lowered. Captain Morrow stood with his passengers on the quarterdeck watching the activity on the wharf. The Xadour merchantman was busy securing her cargo, preparing to leave on the morning tide, and several soldiers from the warship lounged about, probably told to keep a close watch on the Chameleon.

Morrow walked down the gangplank, determined to make sure Bunder and his henchmen do not set foot on his ship. A brief conversation was had and much arm waving. At one point their heads turned towards the companions on the quarterdeck and the two guards noticeably paled at the sight of the party. Bunder turned on his heel and strode angrily off, back up to his tower that overlooked the harbour. Captain Morrow’s shoulders sagged as he watched the Lawmaster march off. He checked the weight of his coin purse and then walked into the town.

Rossglum, intrigued by the conversation, decided to follow the captain to ‘see what he was up to.’ He had heard that expression once and felt it was something he should do. Telling everyone he was off to look for magic ingredients, he set off in pursuit of the ship’s captain.

The party split up, Kayla headed into the local tavern for a quiet drink and a meal, Rootsmasher and Wolf went in search of more firepower, with the Goliath trading his scimitar for a longsword and buying a crossbow as well. Garrie decided to have a relaxing swim in the harbour’s waters and discovered a barnacle-encrusted chest under the wharf. Dragging it to the shore, he managed to pry the rusted lock open and was rewarded with a few silver pieces.

A Conspiracy Unmasked

Rossglum’s suspicions were confirmed! The captain was having a secret liaison with a sail maker and a shipwright – gold was exchanged and a lot of pleased looks on the faces of these ‘merchants’. The kenku decided to hurry back to the ship to tell his new-found friends. On the way, he saw a weaponsmith and completely forgot his mission. Heading inside, he bought a neat little hand crossbow and a particularly gory looking scimitar – exactly like the one that Rootsmasher used to help slay the Griffin. This one even had bits of gore on it too! It would make the perfect gift for the Goliath – a worthy twin for his already formidable blade.

Wolf used her time to explore the port, coming across a Tiefling couple who were making their way back from the docks with a basket full of fresh fish. Shy at first, Wolf was emboldened by their friendly smiles and approached them. Filled with questions about their background (and her own), her heart-felt need to connect with others of her kind was met with warmth and understanding by the couple.
Ed. as a role-playing session, this was one of the most poignant sessions I’ve witnessed, thanks to some amazing ad-libbing by Rachel (Wolf) and Sam (DM).

The afternoon was put to good use by Wolf and Rootsmasher, hunting in the nearby forest. Wolf managed to bring down a fair sized roe deer while the Goliath had fun charming a fox he encountered. The end of the day drew close and the lamp-lighters were making their way down the hill to the harbour. The party returned to the ship for the night ladened with fresh venison and with a beguilded fox in tow. The Chameleon was alone on the wharf as the Xadour merchantman had departed on the morning tide and the warship must have left at short notice during the day. As they approached the gangplank a whiff of something caused Kayla to pause. There was something on the gangplank, something not human.

They were ambushed. A pair of huge pale dogs charged at the party at the same time as a bowman loosed an arrow at them. More shadowy figures were on the deck and wharf. Kayla took a swipe at the closest dog only for it to vanish in a flash of blue light and reappear behind them. The other dog did the same. These were no natural beasts.

The Goliath sprang into action, slaying one of the dogs. Garrie, who had stayed on the ship, was roused from his slumber and by the noise and launched Magic Missiles at three of the assailants.

In very quick time, the party had taken care of the dogs, the attackers on the docks and had seriously wounded the bowman at the rear of the ship. The enemy captain however had other plans. A thick cloud of fog sprang up on the deck and completely obscured him enabling him to slip away unseen. Wolf, Acacia and Kayla bounded up the gangplank, only to find Captain Morrow coughing and holding his side in pain. He gestured towards the hatchway and in a muffled voice, said “He went down into the hold.” The captain then staggered down the gangplank onto the deck as the party decided what to do. They quickly stabilised the wounded bandits and questioned them, getting nothing much but the name of their leader, “Jarek”. These were just raw recruits, paid a pittance and kept in the dark.

The heroes left them on the deck and climbed down into the ship’s hold, their weapons drawn.

Lying on his side in the darkness was the captain. The real captain. Dazed and confused, all he could remember was a large figure blocking then doorway and then a blinding pain. They had been tricked by some magical disguise. Kayla used her dog-like senses and picked up the scent of Orc. They would hunt this creature down and find out what he was up to. Back up on deck, the party made the grim discovery that he captives had been slain, their throats cut.

The chase was on. Across the dock and into the town, the trail led them to an old warehouse. A light glimmered through a high window. Carefully pushing open the door, the party crept inside hoping (unsuccessfully) to surprise whoever was inside. There was no one in sight, but a freshly lit candle was burning on a small table and some blood-stained bandages were on the floor.

Rossglum used his mimic ability to call out “Jarek” using the voice of one of the bandits they questioned. It worked! The Orc stepped out in confusion – he’d just cut the man’s throat! How could he be here now? When he saw he was outnumbered by the entire party, he dropped his sword and surrendered.

Questioning him revealed little – his sneers became repetitive and dull. He had an odd tattoo on his neck though and when Kayla questioned him about it, his tone changed. He bristled and boasted that Grimjaw would protect him and the party would pay for their interference. A note in Jarek’s breast pocket also mentioned this ‘Grimjaw’ and suggesting that his orders come from Asteria, where the party is headed.

The party decided to take him with them as a prisoner.

Thus ended our first full gaming session. We had foiled a raid on the ship and defeated a griffin. We had also probably gained an enemy in this Grimjaw character!

Previous episode
Episode 01 – Death from Above

Enemies Defeated to date
1 x Griffin
2 x Blink dogs
3 x Bandits
1 x Bandit captain

Read on, if you dare (and can stay awake long enough)… Episode 3 – Strange Things Are Afoot