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The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #135 Sorry For The (Attempted) Genocide.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9312175" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-size: 26px">Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Session #132: The Threat to Saltmarsh.</span></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).</span></strong></p><p>Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 9</p><p>Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 9</p><p>New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 9</p><p>Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/2</p><p>Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 9</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">DEAD PCs</span></strong></p><p><s>Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 </s>RIP</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">NPCs</span></strong></p><p><s>Inverna Nightbreeze (played by George) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 8 (Sidekick) </s>RETIRED</p><p><s>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 </s>RIP*</p><p><s>Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard </s>RETIRED</p><p><s>Ubmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1</s> EXPLODED</p><p>Ubdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2 (When we remember)</p><p>*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Servants/Familiars</span></strong></p><p>Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks</p><p>Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Dark Squad’s to-do list-</span></strong></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Find the other four Symbols of Ub, one was left in Deepbridge (Duergar fortress in the Underdark). The others need to be found, they belonged to- Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill), Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist) & Giggles (crazy wood elf). All of these folk lived in the Saltmarsh region, the Dark Squad have found the De La Crane Manse (in the Dreadwood) and the De La Crane Crypt (in Saltmarsh Cemetery).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame prepare the Witch's Tor for the coming of the starfall, the Witch's Tor is in the Drowned Forest, in the Mere of the Dead Men.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame track down the last member of the Pact, a wild elf adventurer called Giggles- and finally put her spirit to rest, and also recover her maze button. Location unknown. SEE 2. ABOVE.</li> </ol><p>This is session 132, and this one is pretty much all chatter. My intention was to get done with the admin quickly and then move in- and of course that never happened, we were still chattering away at 10.30.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]356686[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Here we all are again- and the chatter starts right here, Newt (if you remember) has just managed to kill the Rot Grubs eating their way through his body towards his heart/brain. The hard way. With fire and flame.</strong></p><p></p><p>Again.</p><p></p><p>Then- much more chatter, about how the PCs are going to get the ship- The Sea Ghost, back to Saltmarsh- Ram is the only one of the gang who knows how to crew a ship, but even he is no ship’s captain, he’s not an expert at this kind of thing. He used to be a bit of a smuggler and served with Captain Stonebeard (famous-ish Dwarven Smugger/Pirate) for a good while, but again- he’s going to have to re-learn the ropes, or else refresh his skills.</p><p></p><p>So, chatter.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]356687[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>And here’s the same image in a sort of 3D.</strong></p><p></p><p>Yikes.</p><p></p><p>But then the Dark Squad remember that they discovered (last session) a locked away elven prisoner, in one of the secret hatches found in the bulkhead of the ship.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie is sent to do the talking this time- everyone else, the druid insists, should stay the heck away because, well… they’re all pretty unhinged and/or terrifying.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]356688[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>The elf, it turns out, is a sea elf, and a ranger of his tribe/community, sent to investigate The Sea Ghost, who- the sea elves believe, are arming a Lizardfolk colony (located in the Mere of Dead Men) for war.</strong></p><p></p><p>Oceanus, the sea elf, goes on to explain that he was captured when he tried to sneak on board the Sea Ghost to ascertain what was going on. He had spotted the Lizardfolk aboard the ship earlier on his patrols.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie is magnificent, very friendly- informed (the Dark Squad remember have found weapons, maps, payment and a contract aboard the Sea Ghost). The druid and Oceanus get along just fine, soon after the fellow is released (and healed) and brought out to meet the rest of the Squad.</p><p></p><p>Who have promised to be on their best behaviour.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]356689[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Here we all are some more.</strong></p><p></p><p>And it is at this point, during the introductions that Oceanus (and Ram) discover that they know each other.</p><p></p><p>Oddly, and for flavour, back in Session 20-something one of the PCs was asking about Sea Elves, had any member of the Squad ever met one.</p><p></p><p>Ram had; he’d served with an aquatic elf back in his time with Captain Stonebeard. His name was…</p><p></p><p>Oceanus.</p><p></p><p>Alas, Were-Ram is a lot more sinister than Ramshambow, he’s more and at the same time less chatty than every day Ramshambow.</p><p></p><p>To explain-</p><p></p><p>Ramshambow is not the speaker of the group, when called upon to he chats, but otherwise- he doesn’t. Much. Unless he has something that really needs to get said. He’s very big on doing is Ram.</p><p></p><p>Were-Ram is much chattier, but… he only seems able to chat with himself. Example-</p><p></p><p>“Ram! RAM! It’s me- Oceanus…”</p><p></p><p>“It calls us Ram, tee-hee. We are not Ram, and yet we are Ram- we were Ram, now we are Were Ram! Tee hee!”</p><p></p><p>Which is nice. But it gets the conversation nowhere.</p><p></p><p>So, that kind of thing, multiplied by plenty.</p><p></p><p>With lots more chatter about Lizardfolk, and… well, any time they can the Dark Squad- and in particular Vinnie and Newt roll out their story again, or else some more.</p><p></p><p>So, nearly an hour later- real time, and after a much-needed night’s sleep for the Squad, Newt is sent back to Saltmarsh on his flying broom.</p><p></p><p>There, and remarkably quickly (money talks), he hires a fishing vessel (‘The Salty Squid’) to sail out to The Sea Ghost, and from their help to crew/pilot the boat into Saltmarsh harbour, and a safe berth.</p><p></p><p>This, of course, takes all day and some of the evening.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad however are in a rush.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]356690[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Vinnie, or else Councilor De La Crane, manages to wangle an emergency meeting with Eda Oweland, the head of the Saltmarsh Council.</strong></p><p></p><p>The cranky old biddy is, at the start of the chatter, more than a little scathing, the feeling is the Dark Squad have brought the present terror to Saltmarsh, before they turned up life was pretty good around here. Some folks had a few problems with the dwarves of Farhill Mine, and there was a bit of smuggling going on, but… other than that- Saltmarsh was a great place to live.</p><p></p><p>Since the Dark Squad got here, we’ve had stories of ancient prophecies, something called the “Time of Ash”, all sorts of dangerous humanoid activity in the region, then a Kraken turns up accompanied by a bunch of Storm Lord worshipping terrors, and now…</p><p></p><p>Vinnie patiently explains that a tribe of ferocious man-eating Lizardfolk are arming to invade Saltmarsh.</p><p></p><p>It’s all a bit too much for Eda.</p><p></p><p>Eda has a bit of a tirade, but…</p><p></p><p>Lots of chatter follows- every one of the PCs tries to convince Eda of the truth, and about the Dark Squad’s part in all of this.</p><p></p><p>Success after success follows, it’s only Fellowyn that fails this check- and while he was his usual random self, he was telling the truth throughout his heartfelt statement, shame he rolled a ‘1’.</p><p></p><p>Eda is assured, and suitably terrified at the prospect of an invasion.</p><p></p><p>She arranges for the Dark Squad to be paid for the various items of contraband secured when they captured the Sea Ghost, and then goes further- she pays them another 1,000gp (of her own money). To send the Dark Squad back to sea, to locate the Lizardfolk’s lair and to neutralise the tribe/army.</p><p></p><p>Eda wants the Lizardfolk menace destroyed.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad are officially rich-ish. The takings from the ship amount to nearly five thousand GP, that’s a thousand each. Some of these guys have not a thousand gold in their pockets for a very (very) long time.</p><p></p><p>That, although it’s hard to believe, took us to 10.30 PM, note the PCs in conversation with Eda Oweland did allow the PCs to go through their whole story (all the way from the beginning) again. It needs to be said- they like telling their story, now that it has started to make sense to them, now that they have refined it.</p><p></p><p>It goes a little like this-</p><p></p><p>We are stuck in some sort of recurring prophecy, seemingly working at the behest of an ancient primordial being- called Ub. Anyway, the prophecy overlaps many different races, species, peoples, places and/or tribes- it all started with the ancient elves’ war against the dragons, back then it was called the Pact of the Flame. Regardless, the prophecy plays out and eventually a great primordial serpent, or else a very big dragon, turns up and… probably eats the world. This is called the Time of Ash, or the Time of Shadow. We think.</p><p></p><p>The great serpent is called Dendrar, or else the great dragon is called Ashardalon. Regardless, it all started here- in the region of Saltmarsh, only way back when- in very ancient times when the elves lived here (the first people). This same prophecy has been played out every two hundred or so years for the last thirty millennia, give or take.</p><p></p><p>There are lots of bad guys in the mix- but mainly (so far) Talos worshipping beasts. They’re all coming here for some reason (see above).</p><p></p><p>So, here we are- the Dark Squad, trying to save Saltmarsh, trying to save the world.</p><p></p><p>Last bit, Vinnie casts a Divination spell, he's after info from the gods about the planned Lizardfolk invasion of Saltmarsh, this is the reply he receives-</p><p></p><p><em><strong>“The Lizardfolk WILL come soon to Saltmarsh, with a familiar black shadow at their heels.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>But only when all of your wrongs have been righted, the hands found, the beacon lit and the signal sent.</strong></em></p><p><strong><em>Respect your Elders and you could perhaps turn the tide.”</em></strong></p><p></p><p>And that’s all we did, save to make a few more PCs for our other game in the last 20-30 minutes of the session.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people.</p><p></p><p>Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 9312175, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B][SIZE=7]Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] [B][SIZE=6] Session #132: The Threat to Saltmarsh.[/SIZE] [SIZE=5]Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).[/SIZE][/B] Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 9 Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 9 New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 9 Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/2 Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 9 [B][SIZE=5]DEAD PCs[/SIZE][/B] [S]Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 [/S]RIP [B][SIZE=5]NPCs[/SIZE][/B] [S]Inverna Nightbreeze (played by George) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 8 (Sidekick) [/S]RETIRED [S]Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 [/S]RIP* [S]Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard [/S]RETIRED [S]Ubmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1[/S] EXPLODED Ubdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2 (When we remember) *Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors. [B][SIZE=5]Servants/Familiars[/SIZE][/B] Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar [B][SIZE=5]The Dark Squad’s to-do list-[/SIZE][/B] [LIST=1] [*]Find the other four Symbols of Ub, one was left in Deepbridge (Duergar fortress in the Underdark). The others need to be found, they belonged to- Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill), Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist) & Giggles (crazy wood elf). All of these folk lived in the Saltmarsh region, the Dark Squad have found the De La Crane Manse (in the Dreadwood) and the De La Crane Crypt (in Saltmarsh Cemetery). [*]Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is? [*]Blackedge and the Goblin Stair? [*]To join the Pact of the Wild Flame prepare the Witch's Tor for the coming of the starfall, the Witch's Tor is in the Drowned Forest, in the Mere of the Dead Men. [*]To join the Pact of the Wild Flame track down the last member of the Pact, a wild elf adventurer called Giggles- and finally put her spirit to rest, and also recover her maze button. Location unknown. SEE 2. ABOVE. [/LIST] This is session 132, and this one is pretty much all chatter. My intention was to get done with the admin quickly and then move in- and of course that never happened, we were still chattering away at 10.30. [ATTACH type="full"]356686[/ATTACH] [B]Here we all are again- and the chatter starts right here, Newt (if you remember) has just managed to kill the Rot Grubs eating their way through his body towards his heart/brain. The hard way. With fire and flame.[/B] Again. Then- much more chatter, about how the PCs are going to get the ship- The Sea Ghost, back to Saltmarsh- Ram is the only one of the gang who knows how to crew a ship, but even he is no ship’s captain, he’s not an expert at this kind of thing. He used to be a bit of a smuggler and served with Captain Stonebeard (famous-ish Dwarven Smugger/Pirate) for a good while, but again- he’s going to have to re-learn the ropes, or else refresh his skills. So, chatter. [ATTACH type="full"]356687[/ATTACH] [B]And here’s the same image in a sort of 3D.[/B] Yikes. But then the Dark Squad remember that they discovered (last session) a locked away elven prisoner, in one of the secret hatches found in the bulkhead of the ship. Vinnie is sent to do the talking this time- everyone else, the druid insists, should stay the heck away because, well… they’re all pretty unhinged and/or terrifying. [ATTACH type="full"]356688[/ATTACH] [B]The elf, it turns out, is a sea elf, and a ranger of his tribe/community, sent to investigate The Sea Ghost, who- the sea elves believe, are arming a Lizardfolk colony (located in the Mere of Dead Men) for war.[/B] Oceanus, the sea elf, goes on to explain that he was captured when he tried to sneak on board the Sea Ghost to ascertain what was going on. He had spotted the Lizardfolk aboard the ship earlier on his patrols. Vinnie is magnificent, very friendly- informed (the Dark Squad remember have found weapons, maps, payment and a contract aboard the Sea Ghost). The druid and Oceanus get along just fine, soon after the fellow is released (and healed) and brought out to meet the rest of the Squad. Who have promised to be on their best behaviour. [ATTACH type="full"]356689[/ATTACH] [B]Here we all are some more.[/B] And it is at this point, during the introductions that Oceanus (and Ram) discover that they know each other. Oddly, and for flavour, back in Session 20-something one of the PCs was asking about Sea Elves, had any member of the Squad ever met one. Ram had; he’d served with an aquatic elf back in his time with Captain Stonebeard. His name was… Oceanus. Alas, Were-Ram is a lot more sinister than Ramshambow, he’s more and at the same time less chatty than every day Ramshambow. To explain- Ramshambow is not the speaker of the group, when called upon to he chats, but otherwise- he doesn’t. Much. Unless he has something that really needs to get said. He’s very big on doing is Ram. Were-Ram is much chattier, but… he only seems able to chat with himself. Example- “Ram! RAM! It’s me- Oceanus…” “It calls us Ram, tee-hee. We are not Ram, and yet we are Ram- we were Ram, now we are Were Ram! Tee hee!” Which is nice. But it gets the conversation nowhere. So, that kind of thing, multiplied by plenty. With lots more chatter about Lizardfolk, and… well, any time they can the Dark Squad- and in particular Vinnie and Newt roll out their story again, or else some more. So, nearly an hour later- real time, and after a much-needed night’s sleep for the Squad, Newt is sent back to Saltmarsh on his flying broom. There, and remarkably quickly (money talks), he hires a fishing vessel (‘The Salty Squid’) to sail out to The Sea Ghost, and from their help to crew/pilot the boat into Saltmarsh harbour, and a safe berth. This, of course, takes all day and some of the evening. The Dark Squad however are in a rush. [ATTACH type="full"]356690[/ATTACH] [B]Vinnie, or else Councilor De La Crane, manages to wangle an emergency meeting with Eda Oweland, the head of the Saltmarsh Council.[/B] The cranky old biddy is, at the start of the chatter, more than a little scathing, the feeling is the Dark Squad have brought the present terror to Saltmarsh, before they turned up life was pretty good around here. Some folks had a few problems with the dwarves of Farhill Mine, and there was a bit of smuggling going on, but… other than that- Saltmarsh was a great place to live. Since the Dark Squad got here, we’ve had stories of ancient prophecies, something called the “Time of Ash”, all sorts of dangerous humanoid activity in the region, then a Kraken turns up accompanied by a bunch of Storm Lord worshipping terrors, and now… Vinnie patiently explains that a tribe of ferocious man-eating Lizardfolk are arming to invade Saltmarsh. It’s all a bit too much for Eda. Eda has a bit of a tirade, but… Lots of chatter follows- every one of the PCs tries to convince Eda of the truth, and about the Dark Squad’s part in all of this. Success after success follows, it’s only Fellowyn that fails this check- and while he was his usual random self, he was telling the truth throughout his heartfelt statement, shame he rolled a ‘1’. Eda is assured, and suitably terrified at the prospect of an invasion. She arranges for the Dark Squad to be paid for the various items of contraband secured when they captured the Sea Ghost, and then goes further- she pays them another 1,000gp (of her own money). To send the Dark Squad back to sea, to locate the Lizardfolk’s lair and to neutralise the tribe/army. Eda wants the Lizardfolk menace destroyed. The Dark Squad are officially rich-ish. The takings from the ship amount to nearly five thousand GP, that’s a thousand each. Some of these guys have not a thousand gold in their pockets for a very (very) long time. That, although it’s hard to believe, took us to 10.30 PM, note the PCs in conversation with Eda Oweland did allow the PCs to go through their whole story (all the way from the beginning) again. It needs to be said- they like telling their story, now that it has started to make sense to them, now that they have refined it. It goes a little like this- We are stuck in some sort of recurring prophecy, seemingly working at the behest of an ancient primordial being- called Ub. Anyway, the prophecy overlaps many different races, species, peoples, places and/or tribes- it all started with the ancient elves’ war against the dragons, back then it was called the Pact of the Flame. Regardless, the prophecy plays out and eventually a great primordial serpent, or else a very big dragon, turns up and… probably eats the world. This is called the Time of Ash, or the Time of Shadow. We think. The great serpent is called Dendrar, or else the great dragon is called Ashardalon. Regardless, it all started here- in the region of Saltmarsh, only way back when- in very ancient times when the elves lived here (the first people). This same prophecy has been played out every two hundred or so years for the last thirty millennia, give or take. There are lots of bad guys in the mix- but mainly (so far) Talos worshipping beasts. They’re all coming here for some reason (see above). So, here we are- the Dark Squad, trying to save Saltmarsh, trying to save the world. Last bit, Vinnie casts a Divination spell, he's after info from the gods about the planned Lizardfolk invasion of Saltmarsh, this is the reply he receives- [I][B]“The Lizardfolk WILL come soon to Saltmarsh, with a familiar black shadow at their heels. But only when all of your wrongs have been righted, the hands found, the beacon lit and the signal sent.[/B][/I] [B][I]Respect your Elders and you could perhaps turn the tide.”[/I][/B] And that’s all we did, save to make a few more PCs for our other game in the last 20-30 minutes of the session. Stay safe and well you lovely people. Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan. [/QUOTE]
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The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #135 Sorry For The (Attempted) Genocide.
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