Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh
Session #098: “I don't want to die!”
Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 8
New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 8
Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8
Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/1
Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 8
NPCs
Inverna Nightbreeze (played by George) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 8 (Sidekick) RETIRED
Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 RIP*
Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard RETIRED
Ubmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1 (When we remember)
*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.
Servants/Familiars
Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks
Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar
The Dark Squad’s to-do list-
- The De La Crane Manse is on The Leap, and Anders Solmor would like the Squad to check it out, it's also the ancestral home of the De La Crane family, and the Squad are looking for Antonio De La Crane- see below.
- Bonnie Bowspirit, grand-daughter of Rambles, will show the Squad to the missing halfling killer's tomb, on the 6th of Flamerule- see below.
- 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 Cemetary).
- Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there any more, 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.
This is session 98, and it was glorious.
I really don't know what happened to Newt (Bear) in this session but, he's changed. It could be the adoration of his eleven young disciples back in Saltmarsh, it could be... the butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
At long last.
It could be nits (fleas).
What's changed you ask, well... for 97 sessions so far Newt has spent the VAST majority of his time, particularly when we are moving minis on the VTT (and therefore danger is approaching), hiding behind three other people.
If a volunteer is needed to go ahead- naturally that's Ram, or else Daktari, or even the new tin can- Nicky, and if Vinnie's the Moonboar then he can have a go too. It's never Newt. Newt doesn't lead the way, sometimes he doesn't even get too involved- particularly in the action. Newt stands somewhere with cover, shouts threats (and useful advice to his colleagues, which often sound like threats too) and blasts things.
Sure, he has a habit of opening the wrong door/thing at the wrong time, but usually- straight after, he's on his toes and away, leaving whatever new threat he's unleashed to be dealt with by his colleagues.
He stays out (and away) from trouble.
That's his thing.
Always.
ALWAYS.
Until tonight.
Then there's the fact that early on in the piece, and in conversation with Nicky, he said something like- “I've got nine lives, nothing touches me...”
And then it did.
And so we're at the De La Crane Manse, on The Leap overlooking the Dunwater River, with the Mere of Dead Men just a few miles away, although the vast swamp is perpetually shrouded in a miasma and so not visible. Even on a bright and breezy summer's day like today.
The Dark Squad are checking out the surrounds of the manse, they've just found a well, and a pair of poisonous snakes that are laired here. Soon after the two giant poisonous snakes become four- Ram, Nicky & Vinnie all get bitten, and poisoned (but only a little). Nicky, as always, is in the wrong spot (I swear I'm not picking on you George) the Cleric of Twilight gets bitten repeatedly, like three or four times, and he's AC 21, which is the best in the group.
But they're just snakes, and the poison leaves no lasting effect- the serpents are quickly slaughtered.
Then after a brief chat, and time for Ram to sneak his way back around to the front of the manse- all clear, Nicky and Daktari decide to recon the well shaft here. The spider climbing pair head on down.
Note, Dak indicates to his colleagues (and the DM) that he is spider climbing by declaring “Spider standz!”, like a (cod-Russian) superhero, and then of course he bends over and places his hands on the ground and scuttles wherever he needs to go, like, well... a spider.
So, the pair scuttle (& stride) a little way down the well shaft, and here's the thing- it's a very deep well, about eighty feet below there's a larger cavern chamber, but that's not all, the well shaft descends through this chamber- it goes on- deeper.
This place deserves further exploration, however the Dark Squad have a job to do- to check out the De La Crane manse, and find the missing Shakeshaft brothers (Neddy & Teddy).
And so onwards, although the door here is locked- Ram soon springs it open.
Chaps (to the Players) when you take a picture mouse click on your PC first, you may need to do it twice- when you click on your PC token the first time it will show you what you can see. Click on it a second time and it'll show you what you and all of your colleagues can see, and thereby illuminates the map. Fanks.
Note, Newt is first in- he finds a kitchen but here's the thing- this entire place is dirty, mouldy, and generally falling apart. It creaks and groans at every step, and there are holes in the floorboards, and walls, and in places- it's a wreck.
That's not just the kitchen, that's everywhere here.
But then, very soon after there's screaming, and the Banshee wail (the Dark Squad think) is prolonged and terrifying, the scream causes both Daktari and Nicky's hands to shake.
Daktari covers his fear with a short bout of macho-
“I must rescue damsel in distress! I am Sky Pony!” Say it loud, and in a cod-Russian accent.
The scream, the sound of a woman in fear for her life (or else in hell), is coming from upstairs.
The brave Sky Pony barbarian races to the scene.
Daktari is rushing to save the wailing/dying woman, “I kom to save now. Den we DIY all over house, I nail gud!”
See the picture on the left, that's Daktari scrabbling to get back up again- alas the balcony he was just running along has just collapsed depositing him back on the ground floor.
The picture on the right, that's Nicky (spider climbing) and Newt also running to save the struggling, screaming woman. That little 5' token is the hole that Daktari made.
And yes- Newt's rushing to the scene too.
One more thing to remind you- Newt doesn't like jumping, not at all- his athletics check bonus is just about zero, from memory, the tabaxi has fallen in stuff repeatedly. I can remember two DC 5 jump checks he has failed just off the top of my head. One of the two he inspiration point re-rolled, and failed again, and both times he ended up in hot water (actually one of them was hot mud).
Oh, and there are a lot of pictures in this session, the Dark Squad did lots of stuff, and very mostly at top speed. The Dark Squad were on the run.
Nicky is the first to arrive at the room from which the screams emanate, the armoire (just to the left of Newt) is shaking and rattling on its stand- the doors are being slammed from within- something wants out, the screams (the pair think) are coming from in here.
But Nicky isn't opening the wardrobe, the dhampir (remember) is still subject to the terrors, he's also very cautious.
And not stupid.
Newt however... flings the doors open and... is covered in a cloud of glittering dust, but... hang on- the rotten clothes within the wardrobe are slathered in the same sparkling yellow mould, and now so is the tabaxi.
Newt begins to strangle and choke, coughing up lots of blood.
Nicky, at this point, has moved back out of the chamber, terror and caution can keep you alive it seems.
But here's the thing, the screaming hasn't stopped.
Ram thinks the screaming is coming from the last chamber to the right, the rogue flings open the door and... the screaming stops.
However, over the far side of the very dilapidated chamber is the face down body of a male human, the fellow is stripped to his underwear- his legs tied, and arms similarly secured behind his back.
There's a little blood on the floorboards close to the face-end of the body.
That said, the panic's over- or else the screaming woman has been replaced by the screaming cat-thing, Newt is taking 2d10 poison damage every turn, the yellow mould is in his lungs. The Dark Squad scramble to get to the warlock and set things aright.
Which takes a round or two.
Then calm (& a little healing for Newt).
Vinnie makes a short speech-
“We shud ztick togezzer, no runin' off!”
Just to note Vinnie repeats the above sentence maybe a dozen (maybe more) times this evening, every time you feel like adding one to the text below then go ahead, throw it in- the druid, this evening, is doing his best impression of an answerphone message.
With good reason.
The Dark Squad gets back to adventuring, and you guessed it- Newt leads the way- the dead body's over in the corner.
Here's that picture again...
But hang on... where's Newt gone?
See that 10' marker on the map, that's where the hole in the floor is now- dust billows from this spot.
Here's Newt, in the room below- picking himself up from the dirt.
Newt, very obviously, is not at all upset by events so far in the De La Crane manse, and so when he starts Eldritch Blasting the ceiling above, well...
More of the ceiling comes crashing down (some of it onto Newt) although, helpfully, the dead body also crashes down to join the tabaxi.
Various members of the Dark Squad climb down to- a) laugh at Newt, and b) get on with the adventure.
Newt flips the dead feller over and discovers it's Neddy Shakeshaft, the Squad have a description of the two missing Saltmarshians, provided by Anders Solmor. Neddy has had his throat cut, although that was certainly several days ago, Vinnie also ascertains that prior to death Neddy suffered a severe beating.
There's someone here, the Dark Squad think, the De La Crane manse is inhabited.
Then Newt takes a moment to search, and wrestle a little with Neddy's stiff corpse, this while delivering one of his withering speeches, it went something like this, and remember the lines are delivered it in a husky whispered voice. Everything Newt says sounds like a threat.
“Let's see if this stupid hick has got anything worth taking, then we can search out the corpse of his equally stupid brother. These people... they're such amateurs, you need professionals- like us, for a job such as this.”
At which point shouting “I don't want to die!” the ghost of Neddy Shakeshaft lurches up and out of the corpse, and attempts to possess Newt.
The ghost of Neddy Shakeshaft fails to possess Newt.
Damn!
The Dark Squad are, of course, surprised- although Ram and Nicky get into action quickly, the rogue badly wounding the now fluttering spectral Neddy, but then...
Where's Neddy?
Neddy's possession attack recharges, and he tries it again.
SUCCESS!
Neddy possesses Newt, and Bear (who plays Newt) plays his part.
At this point the rest of the Dark Squad descend to the action, the action is however... rather odd.
Nicky and Ram have both seen Neddy's ghost disappear into Newt, but... the tabaxi is having none of it.
“I'm fine, do not concern yourself- I am adept at dealing with the souls of others. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!”
The last increase in volume because Daktari has now got Newt in his grip (the barbarian is grappling the tabaxi), the rest of the Squad are not enjoying this moment.
The collective wisdom is-
“Oh, Shi... This ain't good.”
But Newt continues to insist that he's fine, and that Neddy has gone, and...
Then he fires a repelling Eldritch Blast into Daktari causing the barbarian to a) let him go, and b) go slamming back into the nearest wall.
Newt, meantime, leaps out of the nearest window.
Newt is on the run.
It's at this point that the spirit of Neddy reveals to Newt his destination- off the cliffs.
Neddy would like Newt to leap from the incredibly high cliffs here to his death in the raging seas below.
Just to make clear the cliff-fall is 20d6 bludgeoning damage, and it's seven squares (35 feet) away from where Newt stands on the above map.
Bear, playing Newt, 'ulps' a few times, and then prevaricates.
A lot of things happen at once.
Nicky scrambles out of the window and Turns Undead, and suddenly Newt is free of Neddy's spirit.
“I don't want to die!” are Newt's first words, now that he's back, which oddly were Neddy's first words to him.
Funny that.
Then Ram makes it to the spot with Deadend, his undead slaying rapier. Neddy's ghost, soon after, is really not well.
But seconds later the spirit disappears, Vinnie (with a monster knowledge check) confirms that the ghost has, “pazzed over tew zer udder plane.”
But Nicky's not giving up, and he knows that the See Invisible spell can also detect those on the ethereal plane (he's a clever feller), and so he casts the spell and then spider climbs his way back into the manse, and there's Neddy.
A radiant damage Guiding Bolt later and Neddy is, at last, laid to rest.
The Dark Squad however have seen, and done, enough for now.
The twin Leomund's Tiny Huts are up, it's time for a (short) rest and a chat.
The chat is 90% Vinnie, and 90% the following-
“We shud ztick togezzer, no runnin off!”
Then, after more healing for some, they're back to exploring.
The ground floor of the manse again, Newt- he's gone ahead again, has found some books in a forlorn study, they indicate- he thinks, that the owner/occupant of the manse was very probably an alchemist. Note Ram and Nicky are off exploring elsewhere, and Vinnie- he's trying to link the two groups, to keep 'ze partee togezzer!'
Didn't last long.
Newt finds a fragment of paper in one of the books here, it says- “...beyond the skeletons...”, the rest of the text is lost to time.
The escritoire (writing desk) in the northern room contains lots of ancient papers- mostly receipts for various chemicals and similar substances, more evidence of alchemy.
And keep in mind- Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist), this is his old home, before Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill) murdered him.
The larger chamber to the west is a puzzler, Ram (clever lad) realises that all of the broken furniture was piled in the corner here after (not before) it was broken- someone most have done this.
But then...
Footsteps.
In the chamber above this one, Ram hushes his comrades silent, someone paces.
The general consensus is this-
“Get 'em.”
The Dark Squad are off and running again.
We're back upstairs, and note Newt is leading the charge again- although the tabaxi chooses (this time) not to open the door.
Note Nicky just spider climbed up the side of the house, but he's not yet got up the courage to take a look into the chamber above.
Ta-da!
Ram bursts in, but the room is empty.
Save for some junk, a filthy fireplace and a curtained four-poster bed- the shrouded contents of which are hidden from view.
But there's no-one pacing here.
Vinnie is taking no chances, he fills the room with Faerie Fire, but...
There's nothing, and no-one to be seen.
Ram investigates the canopied bed, which sags and collapses at his touch- but there's nothing there either.
“Zut alor! But ver iz...” Vinnie begins, but is shushed into silence once again by Ram. The rogue points up- to the ceiling.
Footsteps.
Pacing.
It seems the De La Crane manse has an attic.
Newt, as he always does, leads the search for the stairs up- note several more chambers are briefly investigated en route to here.
But here's the thing, only the first few steps of the stairs up into the attic are in situ, the rest have collapsed. Note there are another set of stairs here heading down into the kitchen (on the north wall).
The Dark Squad, helped by the spider climbing trio, make their way as cautiously as they can into the attic above.
Note, Daktari over-extends while carrying Newt and is left hobbling (and effectively exhausted).
The attic is full of junk, and the ceiling towards the outside of the chamber is low, there are holes in the roof here and there, light spills in spotlighting random filth and tat.
Ram shushes the gang again.
Footsteps.
Pacing.
The sound is coming from the south west.
And so Newt, of course, leads the Dark Squad to the spot.
Note, Ram is loving this by the way, he's regularly chuckling and making way for the tabaxi to recon ahead.
But then the stirges turn up.
But that's all we had time for this session.
More adventuring in the spooky De La Crane Manse next time.
Stay safe and well you lovely people.
Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.