A foul plot is hatched, with deep threads a-weaving,
The poor folk are missing, their loved ones a-grieving.
The fountains and statues all covered in slime
And rank-smelling barnacles crusty with rime.
The heroes alight at Asteria’s gate
But its sights and delights will just have to wait.
There are strange things afoot…
The Chameleon departed Port Farrador with Captain Morrow on the quarterdeck, nervously eyeing Jarek the half-orc tied to the foremast. What kind of storm had he steered his ship into with these adventurers? A half dog/elf, a dragonborn warlock, a beautiful elven thief, a demon-kind tiefling, a goliath that barely fits below decks, and a twittering Kenku that mimics anyone perfectly causing no end of confusion amongst the crew. Oh, and a pet fox.
They are certainly formidable warriors, but they have a bloodthirstiness that sent shivers down the captain’s spine. Only Bree the Halfling first mate, still seems to find them trustworthy. Strange girl.
Squatting next to the captive was the Tielfling who calls herself “Wolf.” Successfully casting a Charm spell, Wolf learned that the man called Grimjaw runs the dockyards of Asteria and will not be pleased when he learns that his operation in Farrador was interrupted. He is a hard person to locate since he moves his operation around, but Jarek might be able to help if he were untied. Pleased with the success of the Charm, Wolf reported the conversation to the rest of the party. By this time though the spell had worn off and a loud curse word was heard from the prisoner when he realised what had happened. He attempted use a Message spell to send warning ahead to his leader, but was overheard by the heroes.
Not willing to risk their own lives and those of the ship any longer, the party decided (with one or two dissensions) to throw the prisoner overboard. A brief pleading exchange and then a sudden flurry of energy, the half-orc made a break for the side of the ship. The party quickly whipped out their crossbows and loosed their bolts at the fleeing prisoner. Two arrows whizzed past the quarry, but two more hit Jerik and sent him toppling over the side. He was food for the hammerhead shark that may (or may not) have been following the boat.
The City of Lights is waiting for them.
Alerted to the threat of Grimjaw’s welcoming party, the Heroes debated the best course of action. Should they put off to shore in a rowboat and leave the captain to his own fate? Should they try and disguise the ship, changing the name plate to the “The Chamel” or “The leon“? Or should the ship anchor out of bowshot in the harbour and the adventurers row to the dock to meet their enemies without risking the crew?
It took a surprisingly long time to arrive at a decision – option 3.
Bree volunteered to row the party to shore, which was a little amusing to picture since she’s a halfling and had to use all manner of contrivances to pull on both oars simultaneously. The party asked if she would be interested in joining them in the fight, but she declined after a moment, saying she was still loyal to the captain and her crew mates.
The city spread before them rising up from the seafront, glittering in the sunlight. Fantastical towers rose above a clifftop, gaily adorned with fluttering banners and flags of all colours. The waterfront was teeming with life – crews unloading from dozens of merchant vessels berthed at the docks, city dwellers bustling amongst market stalls selling goods from across the empire and beyond, fisherfolk mending their nets or hauling their catches onto the docks ready for sale.
The military dock was filled with all manner of vessels, each bristling with spears and rams, catapults and other weapons of war. One enormous man-o-war flew the royal standard at its masthead.
Bree deftly maneuvered the skiff amongst the harbour traffic, eventually pulling alongside a pier for the party to disembark. With a nod and a wave, she turned about and headed back to her ship. The party was ashore and the city’s delights awaited. There was just the matter of a certain underworld crime lord to deal with.
The pier was one of many jutting at right-angles from the main wharf, each one littered with crates, livestock, ropes, trolleys and people of all races. At the end of their pier, the party spied two guards intently watching them as they approached. The guards seemed unfazed by the strangeness of the approaching adventurers – clearly Asteria was a city that embraced diversity.
Kayla dismissed the guards from her mind, instead scanning the crowd for any threats. The guards in the meantime stopped the party and demanded to know what became of one “Jarek” – a disreputable character if ever there was one. He was reported to be in the custody of a group of individuals known to be travelling on the Chameleon, recently departed from Port Farrador. Beaming confidence and pleasantness, Garrie the Dragonborn admitted that they do indeed know of this Jarek character, but he was last seen floating away from the ship, possibly with arrows in him. The guards were amused at the honesty of the reply, but did not seem especially unhappy with the news. “With respect sirs and madams, I would ask that you report this to the Captain of the City Watch, Captain Amos. You can find ‘im in the Lawbringer’s Hall. We was ‘oping that we might be able to ‘ave a word with Mr Jarek about ‘is nefarious activities… ‘is alleged nefarious activities.”
As the guard was speaking, Kayla exploded into action, darting forward at breakneck speed. She had seen a figure lurking at the rear of the gathering crowd and who had raced away at the news that Jarek was dead. The rest of the party was astonished to see just how lithe and graceful Kayla was as she sped off in pursuit, dodging and weaving through the shocked crowd. Wolf, Rootsmasher and Acacia also sprinted off in pursuit but were no match for Kayla. Hastily nodding assurances to the guards, Garrie and Rossglum followed but were distracted by the appearance of a large statue at the entrance to the city. On either side of the gate, ancient statues stood tall looming over travellers as they came ashore. The one to the right of the gate depicted a proud human male of regal bearing, possibly a god. The other statue was covered in what appeared to be seaweed and barnacles. The seaweed was even waving as if it were under water. The stench that it exuded was overpowering.
Three guards stood by presumably to keep crowds away, but no one was approaching it anyway. Garrie and Rossglum looked it up and down in puzzlement. Rossglum nodded sagely. “I think it’s supposed to be a whale.” Garrie ignored him and peered intently at the statue. One of the guards approached and said “Please keep away from the statue sirs, it’s probably dangerous.” Garrie replied “it’s cursed.” The guard quickly looked back at his companions for support. They hurried over. “Do you know anything about this statue and what’s happened to it?”
Garrie looked up at it and said “There is a curse on it, but that is all I know.”
“It’s supposed to be a whale,” Rossglum added.
“I think you need to report that to Captain Amos. Any help you can give us will be very … helpful. You can find the Captain at the …”
“Lawbringer’s Hall. I know.”
The guard was awed by this mysterious dragonborn and his Kenku jester as they walked into the city in search of their friends. He turned to his companions and said “I reckon it’s supposed to be a whale.”
Kayla seemed to be gaining on her quarry as he darted through the crowd, but then he ducked down an alleyway and Kayla, suspecting an ambush, stopped short of the entrance. The others caught up to her as she peered around the corner. There was no sign of the fleeing person and it appeared there was no doorways or alleys for him to duck into. Presumably, he was able to escape at the other end of the alley, into the crowds beyond.
The party slowly walked down the street, looking for hidden doorways or alcoves but nothing except a small sewer grate was found. The fumes rising from it were unspeakably foul, but Kayla’s keen sense of smell detected something else, a hint of blood. Dismissing it as too small for any of the part to fit into and having avoided a potential fight on the dock, the party decided to step out into the city itself and enjoy its sights…
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Episode 02 – Any Port in a Storm
And the story continues… Episode 4 – Things that go Bump