The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #148 Button Up!

[carborundum]

"I've been holding back on the spiders" haha, poor Newt!

 

[HalfOrc HalfBiscuit]

It all sounds great fun for all involved.

 

[Goonalan]

I remember one of them laughing so hard... oh hang on- that was me.

We're on it again tonight. I'll make the most of it, it can't last, although Newt's out of everything already and so it's down to the Thug-Collective (Moonboar, Daktari & Ram, with a little help from Thug-Lite aka Fellowyn) to dig them out of it.

They'll be fine, although they probably need to get a better handle on the situation pretty quickly because... well, spiders is just for starters.

Cheers goonalan

 

[Alamaias]

Eeeeh, we'll be fine, I've got loads left in the tank.

Not even the spider goddess herself could stop us at this point.

Betcha can't even kill Newt.

 

[Goonalan]

Eeeeh, we'll be fine, I've got loads left in the tank.

Not even the spider goddess herself could stop us at this point.

Betcha can't even kill Newt.

I don't remember hearing this kind of bravado in session last night.

Did you notice- Newt didn't bad mouth anyone at all last night, he was incredibly quiet- save to say, well, keep reading...

Also, mighty tough talk from a fellow who finished the session with just over ten hit points and by his own admission with just two spell slots left.

And what I do remember from last night- the mantra for the session, was Newt/Bear having lots of inverse sex, shouting-

"Oh NO! Oh NO! Oh NO!"

Followed by a much quieter chant-

"I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead."

Newt finished the session with five hit points to his name, and only then because on my last hit on the warlock I rolled 4d8+4 and ended up delivering just ten damage.

And that happened three times I seem to recall, pretty much every time the Phase Spider tipped up again, although Ram also took some pain from this fellow too.

No deaths to report but... it ain't over yet- we're still in the same fight, yep- 7.5 hours so far in this encounter, and just to remind you- the Empress of the Sea, thanks to the rebel master of swooord & swooorcery (Daktari), is also now on fire.

Proper on fire by the way.

As you'll see at the start of next session.

Love you lots.

Cheers goonalan.

Great session by the way- absolutely loved it.

 

[Vincenzo Delvino]

A tactical inferno, designed to draw out all the nasties im sure

 

[Neurotic]

I don't remember hearing this kind of bravado in session last night.

That is a dare. Someone wants you to get them rid of the fury (note the lack of second r ).

 

[Goonalan]

Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh​

Session #145: Horsey vs Spidery.

Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
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

DEAD PCs
Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 RIP

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 EXPLODED
Ubdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2 (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
Archimedes (very scruffy & old, Owl) Fellowyn’s familiar.

The Dark Squad’s to-do 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).
2. Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?
3. Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?
4. 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.
5. 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 145, and the Dark Squad are aboard the Empress of the Sea, which as it turns out is in a swamp, or else a particularly marshy jungle… in Chult.

That’s nice.

What isn’t nice is Krell.

Although he tries.

Scratch that, by the end of this one Krell has stopped trying to be nice.

This session was a corker.

The holding back is over.

Settle in, this one is very mostly just pictures- there were nearly a 100 of them taken in the session.

Busy.

Here we all are again, or at least most of the Dark Squad- Ram and Vinnie are down below atm, but heading back to the upper deck, because… not shown on the image above is Krell, the half-orc druid (the PCs have worked this out) devotee of Lolth is stood on the foredeck (on the next map over from this one).

The Dark Squad are therefore scrambling to get at the teleporting half-orc bastard.

And again- here we all are. Daktari manages to swipe a little at Krell, but… then the half-orc disappears only to reappear…

Over on the aft deck.

And just to say- a massive thanks to George, I’d be screwed without you. George takes an awful lot of great pictures.

Note that’s Sydalg (Gladys backwards) Fellowyn’s aberrant friend (summoned) a sort of very low-powered beholderkin.

At present a couple of ettercaps are after Sydlag, this after she was sent reconnoitering the fore cabin.

Here’s a better picture of the situation, and Ram is back on deck too.

We take a brief break in proceedings at this point, or else we forget about the fighting for ten to fifteen minutes, time enough for Krell and the Dark Squad, mostly Daktari, to have a conversation.

I say conversation, it’s mostly schoolyard insults that are on offer here.

“Horsey better than spidery! Horsey will tramble on spidery to paste! Hoof-paste!”

“Spidery much much better than horsey- Lolth knows best. Spidery eat horsey eyes!”

Keep in mind that Krell has exactly the same voice (I’m trying) as Daktari, so that’s nice.

This descends to…

“Horsey! Horsey! Horsey!”

Versus.

“Spidery! Spidery! Spidery!”

Which goes on for quite a while.

A lot longer than you would think.

Inflection is everything for a while in this conversation.

Also, Daktari is not blinking, and neither am I- and one of us must have the last word.

And that last word will either be ‘Horsey!’, or else, ‘Spidery!’

There’s a bit more to this conversation, as I say- it was ten minutes at least, but… a lot less than you’d think- it was 90% dumb insults, and the rest piss and vinegar.

But then… the Moonboar sneaks (sorta- he rushes) up on Krell and hits the evil druid with a Confusion spell, save- duly failed.

The Dark Squad take to cheering- too soon.

But then the phase spider (it actually has a name- it’s a tough S.O.B. believe me) turns up and guts Newt, for the first time.

And then Daktari hits Krell with a Fireball (he has a necklace of these, although I don’t think there are many left).

Not a lot of damage though.

Krell is also very tough.

The loose rule in the game is- if you forget to use a power, you have until the start of your next turn to inform the DM and attempt to rectify whatever mistake you have made. Obviously, the DM has the last say.

Anyway, the image above is a future reminder to Newt, he’s got his Fire Shield (Belphegor’s Fiery Hide) going- things keep hitting him, and hurting him, and he keeps forgetting to inferno them in reply.

Newt is out of sorts this session, not because Bear is having a bad day you understand, it’s because Newt has no spells, no powers, no hit points, no action/inspiration points, no… well, you get the idea, and the above list is pretty much true at the start of the session.

By the end…

Anyway, back to the action- it’s Krell’s turn- roll on the Confusion table and… he acts normally. BLINK and Krell is gone again.

But before he goes- Krell gets the last word.

The last word is ‘Spidery!’

He does his Spider-Dance.

It’s not as elaborate as you’d think- start with punk and pogoing, add the random and fervent waving of limbs- shout “SPIDER!” a lot and your there. Keep it up for a good 10 or 20 seconds though.

Then… BLINK, and he’s gone.

Note, Fellowyn at this point screams the following at Krell, or something very similar-

“He’s a bloody idiot! You’re a bloody idiot, d’ya hear me boy? I bet he keeps teleporting back to his bloody bedroom!”

Two-and-a-bit hours later the Dark Squad discover that Fellowyn is 100% correct.

Here we all are again.

But what’s this- a pair of giant wolf spiders climb up over the side of the ship and attempt to poison the Moonboar.

And then some more spiders, including a much bigger variant, join the party.

And more spider swarms, boiling up through the boards of the deck.

So, score one for the Spider-Dance.

The Dark Squad, some of them, become churlish at this point.

There’s a fair amount of swearing, and every now and then- in the background (he’s never been there before, in the background) you can hear Bear playing Newt saying, repeatedly and often-

“Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! NAUGHTYWORD!”

Newt is doing his very best to stay alive.

Meanwhile…

The Moonboar has had enough- Vinnie is of the opinion that whatever needs to be done to end Krell and his spider pals is not likely to be found up on deck.

The Moonboar spends this turn disrupting the summoning circle in the chamber.

Which has an instant effect.

Screams echo through the ship, it sounds like some folks are losing their lives.

The noise is coming from the prow/north end of the ship, and the unexplored cabins there…

Which leads us nicely to a question I posed in the last write up.

The question being- why did the Moonboar, on his previous circuit of the Empress of the Sea, follow the exact same route as previous, why did he not explore the cabins to the north.

Jim playing Vinnie/the Moonboar has an answer for us this week, it’s this-

“I went the wrong way. I went south instead of north, and then there were spiders, and then… it all started to go south.”

So, the noises are coming from the northern/prow end of the ship.

But let’s just take a moment, things are not going so well up on deck.

Let’s see- Fellowyn has just been critted by an ettercap (for maximum damage) and so has Misty Step fled; he’s not got many hit points left- less than ten. Ram has just got badly hurt by the phase spider, and then also fled the terror. Daktari is taking hits like crazy. Newt has also fled; he’s hiding in the cabin to the south.

Newt has got nothing left but Belphegor blasts.

Everyone is still attacking, don’t read the above the wrong way, but a lot of the Squad need to get away a bit to avoid more hits/enemies/etc.

Then…

Horsey Rampage!

Daktari is raging- ettercap begone, and a Crit for 46 damage.

The big spider goes next- and another Crit, 55 damage this time.

Daktari takes out a clutch more spiders in his Horsey Rampage.

But, oh look.

Fire (from the Fireball, keep in mind the ship is swathed in vegetation), but it’s just smoldering at this point.

But none of the Dark Squad have the time or the inclination (staying alive seems to have precedence) to do something about the conflagration.

Then Ubdug starts screeching, the Supreme Being (under Ram’s tutelage) is developing a mean streak.

“I am the ZERO-bringer!” Ubdug casts a Thunderwave on his own square (or very close by)- Ubdug destroys himself but also achieves optimal damage upon his enemies.

Spiders die.

But not many.

But Ubdug is changing.

Back down below.

Ram descends to see what’s going on down here- he too is in search of Krell, or else his bedroom. Note the spider swarm in the image above is on Ram, he’s working on getting rid of these.

Ram is just in time to hear the screams end, they’re replaced by visceral tearing sounds- followed by a series of dull thuds, then scrabbling noises growing into growls, and snarls…

Back on the deck above, well- all of the spiders (save various swarms) are dead, and so- everyone up there is now heading down below.

George also supplies the sound effects for the session- perhaps next week we could try a little of the Benny Hill theme tune. The Dark Squad are just running helter-skelter.

Daktari uses his greatsword to cut a hole in the deck.

And then drops in on his colleagues below. Also- do you see the little pixie in the picture, this summoning is a product of Daktari’s new (second) Rage- his Wild Magic is in play.

The pixie pops into existence.

“Oh! Where am I? What’s this place? Who are these lovely people? Will they be my friends? I am Princess…”

FLRRRRRRPOW!

The just summoned pixie explodes in a burst of flesh and flame. Splattering, but not harming, the Moonboar.

“Wild Magic.” Daktari offers with a sheepish grin.

And then the Maw Demons smash through the door of a chamber to the north and come rushing down the walkway, directly towards those gathered in the summoning chamber, ignoring Ram hidden in the shadows.

Maw Demons, there are four of them, and they’re chunky.

Here they come! Newt starts blasting.

And then Daktari flings a Fireball down the corridor.

The aftermath of the Fireball.

More fire.

Nice one.

I like fire.

Oh look, there’s Fellowyn.

Daktari gets into the maw demons. Note the two spider swarms in the image are still swarming over the barbarian.

But then… stepping out of a chamber ahead (his bedroom), up the northern corridor, comes Krell.

Krell is pissed.

“You kill my spider slaves! You set fire to my housey-home! Burny-hot! You muck up my spider-friend circle! You! You! YOU!”

See the blue circle, that’s Krell’s Spike Growth spell.

Then, Krell disappears- again.

Note Krell has obviously thrown off the Moonboar’s Confusion spell.

The PCs were delighted when Krell zooped off again.

Absolutely delighted.

A lot of swearing.

And so…

The Dark Squad are now in a rush to get back on deck, because… here’s Krell again.

That fire looks nice.

Back down below?

The ship is on fire- some more. Ram has briefly investigated a chamber to the north of here- it contains the remains of four semi-cocooned (by webs- anchored to the ceiling) tabaxi. It seems the maw demons burst from the chest cavities/bodies of the four cat-like humanoids. Who obviously died in agony during the process.

Then Ram finds Krell’s bedroom- shown in the image above, it’s full of plant life- incredibly humid and more than a little stinky.

The rogue is pissed.

Everyone is.

Except me, of course.

I’m having a right laugh.

And so, Ram tells Ubdug to clear off, and then hides himself in a shadowy corner of the chamber- with a few large fronds for cover (Stealth 30+) and there draws his blades and waits.

The corridor outside is filling with smoke, but the rogue is going nowhere. Krell is going to die.

Note, this bit for the players.

The four tabaxi found in the chamber here were alive, possibly they had been rendered catatonic by the constant injection of spider venom.

And so, to remind you, there are two more similar (smaller but bulkier) cocoons still intact in the chamber you first encountered Krell.

Just saying.

And then back up on the deck the phase spider turns up again and almost murders Newt (again). This is the third time tonight that the spider has got its jaws/pincers into Newt and every time- low damage, 1d10+2 = 4 piercing damage, plus 4d8 poison damage = 9. Thirteen damage in total, enough to leave the warlock on five hit points, or thereabouts.

And that’s where we leave things folks.

That was another four or so hours of screaming, shouting, laughing (and moping- Newt).

The Dark Squad are to the death with this, and they’ve already had an OOC break to discuss amongst themselves whether it’s time to cut and run. It’s close, and things have not gone exactly to plan since this meeting took place.

Fellowyn and Newt have approx. ten hit points between them; Daktari is still bloodied- and he’s been at the greater healing potions, and Vinnie has been healing him too. The Moonboar is a bit broken but even when he goes away, we get Vinnie back. Ram has also been at the greater healing potions in the last few turns- he’s one hit point away from being bloodied.

The phase spider is bloodied, but only just- Krell isn’t, at all.

There are no more/other enemies around atm.

Atm.

Here’s a few other things to consider, for the players-

Point one- the way down to the bilges, as discovered by Fellowyn, is locked and chained shut. The chest containing the maze button, according to Rambles/The Swarm is located in there.

Point two- when you arrived at/on the ‘Empress of the Sea’ I made sure I said this, and you asked anyway-

“Castle Argentriver parks itself next to the (aft/rear) upper deck of the ship (actually right next to the ship’s wheel). To get back on the Castle you need to do the same, as in occupy the same spot (or very close by)- and then employ your maze buttons to get back on-board the castle.”

So, the aft/rear deck atm is on fire.

I’ll let you make your minds up as to whether that’s a good or bad thing.

More fun next time.

Stay safe and well you lovely people.

Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.

 

[Alamaias]

Ah bugger. I can see us having to build a platform to get back

While I did intend the bravado above to be tempting fate, I was doing fairly well at the time.

Right up until that ettercap bit fellowyn for 50-odd damage (-_-')

We are learning that the problem with bladesingers is that while they don't get hit much, when they do it is almost always a crit. Back to support casting for me.

 

[Goonalan]

Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh​

Session #146: The Matinee is Over.

Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
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

DEAD PCs
Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 RIP

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 EXPLODED
Ubdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2 (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
Archimedes (very scruffy & old, Owl) Fellowyn’s familiar.

The Dark Squad’s to-do 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).
2. Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?
3. Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?
4. 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.
5. 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 146, and the Dark Squad are still aboard the Empress of the Sea, and still fighting for their lives.

Here we go again, or else- here’s some more of the same, and apologies in advance but there’s a fair amount of fighting still.

A few intrigues.

But very mostly terror and fighting.

To the north is Krell, half-orc devotee of Lolth- he’s not yet bloodied, however his phase spider companion is well beyond bloodied. But here’s the thing both enemies have over 200 HP each, well- before the Dark Squad showed up. Fellowyn and Newt have less than ten hit points between them. Daktari is a little better off.

The shouting up on deck is mostly over- Krell has just attempted mostly unsuccessfully to Entangle a bunch of the Dark Squad.

Krell, the DM must confess, has almost nothing left at this point. It didn’t help his buffs went away twice- he keeps failing his concentration checks.

Ram, if you remember is waiting for Krell to appear back in his bedroom. The rogue has had enough of all of the nonsense going on here.

Vinnie, in Moonboar form, meantime is about to have a strange encounter down below.

Oh, but keep in mind the boat is also on fire.

And there’s the chest containing a maze button to find in the bilges.

Fellowyn heads below to help Moonboar- this after Hasting Daktari, the pair rip free the first cocooned victim here, and discover, well… a god?

We’ll get back to this.

In a bit.

Newt blasts the phase spider away from him. His next move?

To run away, the same as Fellowyn has just done.

Lots of fire, and now there’s only a hasted wild-magic-enhanced, and raging Daktari facing-off against Krell and the phase spider.

Odd, the Dark Squad have spent the last several hours chasing after this pair. Now they’re mostly ignoring them, or else hiding from them.

The barbarian ignores the phase spider entirely and rushes Krell, three (or was it four with Haste) massive hits later and the half-orc has gone from maybe 60 damage taken to nearly 160.

Krell screams- terrified, and…

Disappears.

There’s a fair amount of swearing.

Until everyone remembers.

Ram guts Krell, and… Krell survives, but only just… and he doesn’t have another teleport available until his next turn.

The half-orc cracks Ram back with his (shillelagh) club and then scarpers- attempting to call more spiders to him as he goes (but with only limited success- he’s used this power already, so… mostly, for flavour).

Although back up on deck the phase spider… disappears.

Just a word about Ubdug. Ubdug has been raging- screaming repeatedly that he is the “Zero-bringer!” and then rushing around trying to get into the fight. The problem being Ubdug always makes it to the scene just as the bad guys disappear.

He’s arrived late to the last three fights.

The Dark Squad are collectively, between turns, starting to worry about Ubdug.

So, a bit earlier I said that the Moonboar, with a little help from Fellowyn, encounter a… well, a god. Or else a primordial being, or else…

Ub?

So, way back at the start of the Dark Squad’s adventures the gang encountered (in the Glitterhame) a sarcophagus (empty) made for Durgeddin the Black. The dwarf depicted was short dumpy, and… well, with the same features as the fellow in the image above.

Later a ghost told the PCs that Durgeddin the Black was a ‘wee guy’, and an albino.

Later still the Dark Squad worked out that Durgeddin the Black was actually a primordial being called Ub.

Since then, the Dark Squad have found a myriad signs (including a pub sign in Ubton as it happens), and symbols and other descriptions of… Ub.

He’s a very short and dumpy, thick-set, straggly bearded- with topknot, primitive looking albino dwarf.

So, when the Moonboar and Fellowyn rip open the first cocoon here- that’s Ub.

Wearing a grass skirt- as depicted.

They’re a little bit lost for words.

Note, the albino dwarf is, after examination- and removal from the cocoon, in a coma- very possibly induced by the poison injected by the myriad spiders here.

Although now I mention it- there are very few spiders on the boat right now.

But back to the Moonboar and Fellowyn.

There’s another inhabited cocoon here- the pair wrench it open and discover.

Another Ub/albino dwarf.

The identical twin of the first.

The second dwarf is similarly poisoned and in a coma.

Note, some of the above happens after the events described below, i.e. at the end of the fracas.

We go on with the fight.

Newt is back. The tabaxi warlock leaps down the hatch and into the companion way- this after Ram starts shouting- “he’s getting away”, and then blasts Krell into oblivion.

Newt does a lot of shouting, and a lot of crowing.

Apparently Horsey and Spidery can go do one.

Katty is best.

Oh, but…

The phase spider’s back- and it gets a good bite in on the Moonboar.

But the Dark Squad are on it. Even Ubdug makes it to the fight.

Note, at present Ubdug is trying to punch things to death- while still doing a lot of shouting.

And very soon after that’s the end of the phase spider.

No enemies left.

Only the fire.

But that doesn’t last long either- down below the fire in the walkway (see the image above) is put out quickly, Newt- as it turns out, has some ability/cantrip (Control Flames) that hoovers up fire, and the rest of the Squad, save for Fellowyn- see below, help by beating out the flames here.

Fellowyn’s Tidal Wave puts out the fire on the aft deck in a matter of moments.

And then rest…

The Dark Squad have been fighting for a good long while now- they’re out of stuff, big time.

There’s a lot of chatter.

Two Ubs?

And then, after their rest- and a lot of healing…

Well, two stories- Fellowyn, Ram, Daktari and Newt basically tear the ship apart looking for treasure, they find a few bits and pieces here and there- mostly jewellery, and maybe a few more choice items but, it all just gets stuffed into various bags of holding.

To be accounted for later.

The Dark Squad have remembered that they are against the clock here, or else- after they are done with the Empress they are going to have to get back on board Castle Argentriver (which will take a few hours tracing their buttons). They’ve very specifically remembered that for every hour they spend outside of Castle Argentriver there’s a 1% chance that some part of their history (their life) disappears and leaves them… well, changed.

So, they’ve got a wriggle on.

At the end of this session, they will have been here for over two hours already (including the rest).

But I said there were two stories to tell in this segment.

Two Ub’s?

Vinnie uses a jar of keoghtom’s ointment and… a while later (while the rest of the gang are searching the ship) the two albino dwarves open their eyes.

“Ub! Ub! Ub! Ub-ub.”

They don’t speak the dwarven tongue- point of fact every word they say is- “Ub!”

Although their words are accompanied by a myriad gestures- mostly facial.

Note, Vinnie- the druid, remember; makes a variety of checks here- firstly, to let the albino dwarves know that he means them no harm etc. His checks are all good, it also helps that he feeds the pair, it also helps that he has a background in anthropology.

He quickly figures that the pygmy dwarves here (the pair are only three or so feet tall) are somehow related to Ub, they’re part of the story but, they’re not Ub.

Most odd.

But he has no idea what the pair are saying.

And when he briefly leaves the pair- to go and talk to one of his companions, they- the albino dwarves, run away, or else try and find their way off the ship.

Vinnie has to move quickly to head them off and then to quickly convince them with gestures only that he wishes the pair to stay for a little while longer.

The albino dwarves don’t hang around for long- Vinnie, soon after, sees the pair over the side of the boat, and then watches the pair scurry off into the jungle.

Before they depart however, they give the druid a gift.

It’s a maze button.

That would be good, wouldn’t it?

But it isn’t a maze button, or else…

It’s a stone.

The same shape and size as a maze button.

The same shape and size as a coin.

It has a maze etched into it.

Just like a maze button has.

But it isn’t a maze button.

It can’t be.

Can it?

It’s just a stone- shaped like a coin, and about the same size, and with a very simple maze etched into one side- the other side completely blank.

Just like a maze button.

It’s been a funny session.

It’s about to get funnier.

It’s time to head below- into the bilges.

Ram is first in, as usual.

Although Newt also helps out by popping out one of his eyes and then sending it flying below to flutter around and observe the area.

This is a power called The Flying Eye of Zypop, or something equally silly, a gift from his newest patron.

The bilges extend the full length of the ship, to make clear in the picture above the Empress is listing to port, all the cargo here has therefore shifted, making a teetering mountain of broken, sodden- it’s wet down here, wood and junk.

The Dark Squad however have come equipped.

Ram has his ring of water walking and so he’s sticking to the starboard side down here- the wet bit, Daktari and the Moonboar are spider climbing along the port hull.

Newt meantime is scrambling and flailing with every teetering step over the junk pile.

Using their maze buttons (the two of them) the Dark Squad triangulate in on the chest.

Note they are actually triangulating in on the maze button that is in the chest they are looking for.

Therefore, the stone that the albino dwarf gave Vinnie was/is just a stone.

With a maze etched into it.

But definitely not a maze button.

It just looks exactly like one.

Here we all are again, and Daktari has just dug down into the trash pile and located a big iron chest- as depicted.

The chest is examined, once it’s dragged out of the hole- the chest has no discernible lock, it does however have three round indentations hidden away on the rear. The shape and size of three maze buttons- the Dark Squad quickly ascertain.

They only have two maze buttons.

There is swearing.

Note, while all this is going on below Fellowyn is in the cabin above, with Ubdug- keeping an eye on things up there.

But then…

Ghast!

So, this is how it goes down.

Daktari wrenches the chest out of the hole it’s buried in and discovers that it is heavy.

Scratch that- very heavy.

The DM drops the chest into Daktari’s inventory, on his character sheet.

The chest weighs 400lbs. Daktari is encumbered, but he can drag it.

It’s at this point the first ghast appears- smashing its way up and out of the debris in which it was buried/hidden.

It tears into Newt.

One of the PCs identifies the undead creature and now everyone is terrified of getting paralysed, and the stench exuded by the undead creatures is sickening.

Ghasts!

Lots of ‘em.

Lots and lots of ‘em.

Fellowyn unleashes Sydalg, and the Dark Squad are quickly about their business.

Newt however is swiftly in trouble again.

He panics.

And drops a Synaptic Static on as many enemies as he can, which alas requires that he also take the hit.

Which he duly does- and, of course, fails his save.

Newt is now minus 1d6 on all his attacks, saves and checks. Until he makes his save (DC 17) at minus 1d6, of course.

He’s also, at the end of the fight down here, back down to approx. 20 hit points.

The ghasts go away, or else they flail and tear, and… the Dark Squad stab, slash and pierce their flesh until… they’re all dead again.

But by the time that the fight is over, well… some other stuff is going on.

The Dark Squad’s focus is elsewhere.

To make clear.

Suddenly the entire ship lurches port to starboard, as if something large was leaning against the port side of the vessel, tipping it up- but briefly.

Down in the bilges Ram rides a mini-tidal wave, Ubdug just topples off the trash pile and into the water- everyone else hangs on.

In the cabin above Fellowyn is clinging onto the inside of the port hull- it sems to have gone dark outside.

“It appears to have gone dark outside!”

Fellowyn helpfully declares, while trying to peer through the warped and vine-entangled wood of the hull to the swamp and jungle beyond.

It’s dark out there… or else.

“Very dark! Very quickly!”

Fellowyn adds.

The second hit on the port side of the ship is enough to tip the boat almost (but not quite) to ninety degrees, and then- the return journey back to an even keel, which comes all too quickly after the initial tip. What goes up must come down.

Fellowyn grabs at the mast and hangs on as he is sent hurtling across/through the cabin.

Down below and now Newt and Ubdug are in a washing machine, Ram is riding the waves- and the shifting debris; Vinnie and Daktari, spider-climbing still, are clinging on to the inside of the hull.

The barbarian is also still clutching onto the 400lb chest.

The last badly wounded ghast is also only just hanging on.

And that… that’s the end of the session.

Just to say the main event has arrived.

All that other stuff- Krell and his myriad spider friends, a handful of ghasts, they were just the warm-up acts, the matinee.

More fun next time.

Stay safe and well you lovely people.

Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.