Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrow" data-source="post: 2359299" data-attributes="member: 301">Session 4Sully moved like lightning, snatching her falchion from her belt and leaping onto the stage.  The assassin dodged a sweeping blow and turned to run, jumping from the stage and running down the pier toward the water.  Sully followed, catching a glimpse from the corner of her eye of Bronson and Nate moving forward to heal the gravely wounded Captain Lydon.Only moments before the trio had been standing near the front of the crowd listening to Captain Lydon of the Gambit give a rambling speech announcing the beginning of Swagfest.  While Lydon explained the proud history of the annual Freeport festival Nate passed on what he knew about Lydon.  Apparently the captain was sponsoring a number of Swagfest events in the hope of drumming up public support for his bid for a seat on the Captain’s Council.  Lydon was rumored to be deep in debt and the Council offered some of the best opportunities for graft in Freeport.As the trio watched the large unkempt captain with a mouthful of rotten teeth make his speech they failed to notice the cloaked woman who had made her way to the edge of the crowd until she leapt onto the stage and drove a dagger deep into Lydon’s back.Sully cast aside her blade to grapple the assassin, and held her for a moment before she squirmed free and dove off the pier and into the water.  Sully watched carefully, but the assassin never resurfaced.Nate and Bronson’s quick action had saved the Captain, and they helped him to his feet.  Lydon calmed the crowd, aided by the timely arrival of a wagonload of ale, free for the taking.  Lydon quickly announced the beginning of the festivities.  As the crowd scattered in search of booze and entertainment the captain thanked the trio.  He admitted that some dangerous people had apparently decided that he wouldn’t be able to pay his debts.  In the face of persistent questioning he refused to reveal who would order him killed.  He did say that he was in the trio’s debt and encouraged them to think of him should they come across a money making opportunity that requires a ship. The trio then wandered off to enjoy Swagfest.Several hours later the trio found themselves back on the same dock as Captain Lydon was kicking off another competition.  The captain produced a large box containing a vicious dire rat.  Lydon explained that the person to bring the rat back to him would win the treasure.  Then he threw the rat into the crowd.  People were running and screaming everywhere, some trying to catch the rat, others trying to get out of its path.  Nate and Sully charged off after the rat, leaving Bronson behind.Nate and Sully were able to keep the rat in sight, weaving through the crowd. Bronson soon decided to follow them at more relaxed pace.  They soon passed into Scurvytown and Nate saw the rat dive threw the basement window of an abandoned house. He quickly squeezed through the window after his rodent prey.Nate’s low-light vision revealed that the basement was full of huge spider webs and several human sized bundles hung suspended in the webs.  Nate caught site of the rat tangled in a web across the room, its jaws working frantically as it tried to escape.  Behind the struggling rat loomed a massive spider.  It’s front legs ended in perfectly formed hands with long fingers which waved rapidly as it whispered, “Leave now and I will let you live.”“Sully!  A little help!” Nate cried and, drawing his rapier, moved to attack.  Sully could hear Nate yelling, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.  Unable to slip through the cellar window she went around to the front of the house and entered through the front door.  She stumbled around in the dark looking for the stairs.  “What are you yelling about?  It’s dark in here!”Nate had already exchanged several blows with the spider before Sully arrived to assist him.  Nate fought valiantly, even when the spider bit him and he grew weak from poison.  The spider cast bolts of magical energy at Nate and Sully but was unable to stop them from landing several telling blows.  They seemed evenly matched until Bronson, who had heard Nate yelling and ran to help, arrived and the tide turned against the creature.  The spider skittered up the web, across the ceiling, and down the down another web behind the trio.  It began singing a droning melody, but it’s enchantment was not sufficient to stop the group from cutting it to pieces.The group began searching the creatures lair.  Sully found some treasure and a set of clothes for a dwarf female.  Several of the large bundles contained corpses, but three of the spider’s victims still lived.  The first was an old elf woman named Janis Hawthorne.  The old woman explained that she bought fruit on the docks and sold it throughout the city.  The last thing she remembered was being approached by a dwarf woman.  Janis was very concerned about the fate of her donkey, Jake.The second victim also remembered the dwarf woman.  He was a dull witted half-orc stevedore named Throg.  Sully tried to recruit Throg as a lackey, but he wasn’t interested and soon left.The third victim was a beautiful young woman named Lexi.  By the time they freed her the group had lost interest in the spider’s lair and did not question Lexi.  She did not offer any information and soon she and Janis slipped away.The trio gathered up the bound rat and returned to the docks.  Captain Lydon congratulated them and gave them a small box full of exotic spices. They decided that Swagfest had proved more exciting then they really wanted, and left the festivities behind.Bronson suggested investigating a haunted pier he had heard about when gathering rumors about undead in Freeport.  The trio had no trouble finding the haunted pier.  The unused dock represented the only empty space in an otherwise crowded marina, full of fishing boats and other small vessels.  Bronson’s magic could not detect any undead.  However, as soon as Nate moved to the end of the dock he began hearing a voice babbling in his head.“My head!  It’s going to split open!”“My wrist!  Why can’t I move my wrist!”“I need another drink!”The voices confused the bard, but as soon as he moved away from the end of the dock, the voices subsided.  Not seeing anything on the surface, Nate decided to explore the water around the dock.  As soon as he dived into the water he once more fell victim to the voices filling his brain.  Confused and disoriented Nate swam toward the apparent source of the effect.  His low-light vision soon allowed him to make out a large mound of coral growing alone just past the end of the dock.  The odd coral looked like a giant brain.  Nate immediately recognized the Dead Man’s Brain, a dangerous form of psionic coral.  Unfortunately, Nate had already fallen victim to the coral’s psychic lure and felt himself compelled to touch it.  He felt pain shoot through his arm.Bronson was worried for his friend and quickly found a discarded coil of rope.  He tied one end to his waist and gave the other to Sully.  He then dove into the water.  Bronson heard the coral’s psychic lure pushing at his brain, but his will remained strong as he quickly found Nate and grabbed him.  Sully then began to haul them both out of the water.  She acted just in time, pulling her companions from the water just as Bronson began to suffer from the coral’s confusion effect.Nate felt shooting pains throughout his body.  He knew that if left untreated the coral would begin growing on his bones, first paralyzing and then killing him over a period of several days. Bronson and Sully helped Nate along as they made their way to the Temple of Harrimast.  They found father Peg-Leg in the temple.  Father Peg-Leg agreed to help Nate, explaining that they would have to return in the morning when he had prepared the proper spell.  Before the trio returned to the Scholar’s Quill, Father Peg-Leg mentioned that he had a friend, a young cleric from the Scriptorium of Tinel, god of knowledge, who was in need of people with their particular talents.  The trio, in need of funds, quickly agreed to meet with the young cleric the following day.  Nate, Bronson, and Sully then began making their way back toward their rooms at the Scholar's Quill.  Nate could look forward to a restless and painful night, but he would live.  The party could feel some sense of accomplishment.  They had destroyed a dangerous creature preying on the citizens of Freeport, they had recovered the creature's treasure, and tomorrow they would likely have a new job.  Not a bad day's work.  Not bad at all.</blockquote>

Verification