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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Monkey Man" data-source="post: 479221" data-attributes="member: 8328">Adventure 3ADVENTURE 3:  Spirits, Dragons, and Giant HeartsBy Copoc Kitzam    In the aftermath of the battle we were all weakened.  Our bodies were battered and our various magical talents depleted.  I called upon the great spirit Nak Te Kan who proved most cooperative and generous in dispensing his healing powers.  We collected ten human slave women whose ages ranged from their mid-teens to early thirties.  Most of them had tattoos or multiple body rings denoting there status as slaves.  They seemed strangely drawn to Theon.  Perhaps it was because he wielded a shield depicting the ever-popular devices of Logos.  It is a mighty shield indeed, though to the best of my knowledge Theon has never bothered to awaken its spirit.  Maybe if I show him how this can be accomplished he will enlighten me on why so many are enthralled by a god they can never see.  Anyway, I digress.    The apparent leader of the slaves, named Katella, was unmarked by tattoos and such.  She claimed that her brother had sold her into slavery.  My companions and I debated what to do next.  The debate went on until I began to fear that Abashag would be upon us before we could move.  Solveig took the slaves to Wodlaw’s cave while we continued debating.  Finally we decided to hide inland.  Malcolm would stay close enough to watch the shore and see if Abashag approached the ghostly longship, while the rest of us waited back up at the giant’s cave preparing an ambush.    Soon a shaken Malcolm emerged from the underbrush, pale and emaciated.  He babbled that Abashag had arrived and that the sight of her had put the whammy on him.  She was angered by the burning orcs and was wielding a living chain weapon, and wearing a bandolier of potions.  Apparently, the great ghost ship appeared in the sky and had dropped down to crush Abashag as well as the front of Solveig’s boat.  Abashag had then surfaced, blasting an eye ray of sorts at some dead body on board.  The ship quickly retaliated, hammering Abashag with a Cone of Cold.  Finally, Abashag pummeled the longship until it sank.    Makar and Malcolm immediately moved to hide.  I waited patiently in the cave’s entrance with Theon and Brone.  Silently I blandished Yax Che Mal, the Fury of my great club.  Soon I noticed that Theon had a strange look on his face.  I strained to hear, but to no avail.  Suddenly Theon fired a bolt from his crossbow.  A cry of pain erupted from thin air and Theon urged us to attack the floating bolt.  I charged and swung my club.  Yax Che Mal made his presence felt and it was a resounding blow.  Brone threw his sword in the general direction of our unseen foe and then turned, apparently to run.  Theon attacked the beast and it retaliated, revealing itself.  The  hideous visage of the sea hag caused Brone to collapse, convulsing.  Makar and Malcolm attacked from a distance.  Abashag attacked Theon twice and then stabbed me with its living chain/spear thing.  Wracked with pain and knowing I would be unable to withstand another such wound, I called upon Xit Balbac to grease this dread weapon and cause Abashag to lose her grip.  The attempt failed miserably.  Abashag then moved to Theon and impaled him like a fish as Malcolm rushed in.  Theon bore the grievous wound in a manly, albeit bloody manner. Babbling something that we couldn’t make out due to the blood bubbling up in his throat, Theon grabbed the shaft of the spear, keeping Abashag from withdrawing it from his dying body for a second.  With that split second given, Yax Che Mal allowed me to connect with another furious blow, and the sea hag toppled…but too late for Theon.  Makar then blasted Abashag’s corpse, just for good measure.  Abashag had three potions on her bandolier, two of Cure Critical Wounds, and one of Alter Self, which we quickly grabbed.  Makar and Brone had both been weakened from looking at the sea hag, and were in bad shape.    We were all painfully aware that Solveig’s ship was sinking.  Makar cast a spell of Water breathing on Malcolm and I, and we dove in to retrieve food and Solveig’s lock box from the doomed vessel.  While diving we spotted the ghost ship.  Incredibly it appeared undamaged after its scuffle with Abashag.  Malcolm and I surfaced to confer with Makar, Solveig, and Brone.  The ship appeared to be a Rolgulkan knockoff of an Alfar longship, with a dragon headed prow.  Makar believed it to be the “White Dragon,” a legendary vessel captained by a seafaring rogue named Isolf.  Isolf, along with his band of fellows could reputedly slip in and out of any port unseen.  I determined to try and contact the ghost ship, but I needed more information.  I slipped into a trance and contacted Kamul Yat Balam.  Vaguely he answered me that indeed the ship was sentient.  I dove back to the sea floor and tried twice unsuccessfully to contact White Dragon.  I began to wonder if we were dealing with some sort of ghostly antics instead of a spirit proper.  Cautiously I reached out and touched the boat, showing immense respect, and asking in Draconic if we could be of service to the great vessel.  White Dragon began to rise!!!  I followed it to the surface and climbed onboard, summoning my fellow castaways to join me.    Bolstered by my unexplained success, I attempted a third trance, and this time was rewarded with a vision.  I saw White Dragon wavering in the heavens.  It seemed to shift shapes briefly, but I was unable to discern the exact nature of the transformation.  Soon it refocused and I could make out a middle-aged Alfar on deck conversing with his crew.  “We have to travel to Wodlaw’s isle,” he said, “And make an offering of Wodlaw’s heart to break the first part of the curse on White Dragon…” The vision faded.  Malcolm quickly offered to retrieve the giant’s heart, and ran off.  He returned a little later with the black and putrid organ, and handed it to me.  It must have weighed 30 pounds.  I knelt and proffered the foul meat to White Dragon.  The Dragonhead shaped prow promptly animated and gulped it down.  The ship spoke!  White Dragon gave thanks and explained that his friends had tried to break the curse before they were slaughtered by the hobgoblins.  Disappointingly, she refused to elaborate on this curse, claiming to have waited eight years before telling her last owners about it.  Quick introductions were made, and White Dragon learned that we polished off Abashag.  She agreed to take us wherever we wished to travel.    Soon we found ourselves pondering the fate of the slaves.  Brone ingeniously suggested that we use Theon’s share of the loot to set them up and asked Katella where they might wish to go.  Katella agreed that Theon’s money could possibly buy their freedom and asked to be delivered to Jormunsteinn.  Malcolm knew a contact in Jormunsteinn, a free lance Cimbri skilled in Tattoo magic, who could possibly help them out by removing their tattoos.  We then voted to give Solveig a portion of the loot as partial compensation for the loss of her boat.  Eventually we returned to the cave to pay our respects to Theon.  I was very intrigued by the strange rituals that followed.  I remember when my father died we fed him to the muck dwellers and there was much rejoicing among the swamp spirits.  I wondered which spirits would profit from Theon’s demise.  Katella asked that she be allowed to take his shield.  Makar swapped boots with Theon, while Malcolm retrieved his gauntlets.  Solveig took his massive plate mail.  Makar spoke a few words after they had finished looting his body, and we proceeded to bury him.  Although Logos never deigned to show himself, the earth spirit Teiragon seemed well sated, as did Annelik Mox Balas, animus of the worm.      After this bit of strangeness I called upon Nak Te Kan for some lesser restoration on Makar and Brone, and we returned to the White Dragon.  Upon the ship asking us where we would like to travel, we informed her of our intentions to take the slaves to Jormunsteinn.  We told her that we would like to stay on for future adventures.  Brone mentioned that he required passage to Kostelna for sensitive business.  White Dragon proceeded to inquire whom he worked for.  Brone claimed to “Serve the best interests of the non-depraved races… that he was being sent to investigate Porphyry House in Kostelna.”  At this point my curiosity and perhaps mistrust of Brone once again surfaced and I asked who he suspected me of serving when we first met.  Brone didn’t seem to want to answer.  He did reveal that he believed the slaves were to be sacrificed to the Yuan-ti, a reptilian race that could possibly be in league with the Three Mothers.  He also hinted at a diabolical and sinister race of Kulkans that live only to serve the Yuan-ti.  Could these be the black Kulkans my tribe has warred with for years, never able to ascertain the source of their dark and loathsome powers?  I must consult soon with Kanul Yat Balam.  Once again I digress.    When pressed, Brone somewhat explained his suspicions, alleging that the Yuan-ti have been over-paying for slaves with Demon’s Breath manufactured right there in Porphyry House.  I for one am willing to join this “Investigation” if for no other reason than to determine the origin of these diabolical Kulkans.  Makar says that he will help too, as long as the venture is profitable and Brone doesn’t prove to be full of horned mammal defecation.  Malcolm is agreeable as well.  I asked White Dragon if she believed Brone’s story.  “Maybe, but I can tell you that he is no hobgoblin.” Replied the Spirit/Dragon/Ghost/Vessel.  Reluctantly, Brone revealed himself to be human, although he looked different than other humans I have seen.  His complexion was much darker than the humans I am familiar with.  White Dragon asked for help from us to set her sails.  Makar and Malcolm jumped up to assist Solveig in the needed tasks.  I started making preparations to summon a new spirit ally.  What will tomorrow bring, I wondered, as once more we pushed forth into the deep blue yonder…</blockquote>

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