We were in the port and fishing town of Caer Mach to meet with my characters older sister (gnome family, she is 120ish and my char is 36) who is more like an aunt. She is a Watcher, which is like a mix of park ranger, coast guard, and sheriff, in the remote mountain communities of our home, but also maintain the lighthouses.
Anyway, we are seeing her to get her support at the AllThing, where we are going to try to convince the people of the north to form a war council and hunt down a fiendish cult and the dragon-lead criminal organization that is working with them.
So, we pop in to the local tavern for a meal and to see if Meriel was in town or on patrol, and bring some injured folks we saved from a peryton attack. During our meal, we notice that the humans in the corner have rings identifying them as members of the criminal organization, called the Dargon Gul.
We scout out an empty warehouse, and my wife’s Goliath ranger/Druid Thumi turns into a raccoon, steals one guy’s keys, and lured them to us. We bonk the humans on the head, throw them into a big barrel, and Thumi carried them on her shoulder, to the lighthouse.
So, that’s how we meet up with my sister Meriel, who I’ve not seen since the funeral for our Uncle who was captain of my ship, 3 years ago, saying at one point, “this is not the weirdest thing I’ve ever come home with in a barrel.” We interrogate the prisoners, learn there are 20 or so more on their ship.
We investigate the ship, find signs that a rival criminal organization lead by a Medusa already killed the Dargun Gul crew on the ship, and a letter written on shark skin. Meriel reads enough Sahuagin to recognize that it’s an agreement to attack the town, and “retreat” after a mock battle, set up to make the dargun Gul look like heroes.
We alert the town, and stand on the docks as the first line of defense. It’s a tough fight, we all take some good hits, but we ultimately prevail.
And then...I get a wild idea, as the surviving Sahuagin are in retreat, taking their dying Baron with them. (We don’t auto kill monsters at 0hp, they use the same dying rules as PCs) My character is always looking to recruit new allies, even from the ranks of those we have fought, and he has traded with Sahuagin before, years ago. Mostly just for safe passage. So he runs after them, and yells at three that are pulling away one that was stuck in the crown paladin’s challenge effect, indicated that he had a trade for them.
Persuasion at disadvantage. 14. 1 female Sahuagin swims closer, curious. She speaks no common, but a little Gnomish. I yell at the healers to heal the dying enemies and let them go. She sees this, and I explain that the dargun Gul betrayed them. I call for a trade. Parlay.
Persuasion. 24.
She calls to her allies who bring the baron, and I yell at my friends to heal him. “Please just trust me!” They do it. He agrees to meet with me again at a time and place far enough off to recover, agreeing that I’ve provided already a suitable trade, and we will be negotiating his side of the trade. He leaves with about half the force he came with, and new information. Last dealings indicate that he will honor the agreement, and provide good value in trade when we meet again.
So, now I just gotta figure out what I want from a Sahuagin Baron and his people...