Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8620214" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Secrets of SaltmarshSession #087: The Soggy's Are Coming!Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).Daktari (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 8New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 8Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/1Vincenzo (played by Jim) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 8NPCs<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>RETIREDUbmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1 *Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.Servants/FamiliarsGerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New TricksOwly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiarThe Dark Squad’s to-do list-<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Warn Ashby- the Soggy's (Sahuagin) are coming!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Vinnie needs to be back for the next Saltmarsh Council meeting on the 1st Kythorn (June).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Awaiting new answers to new questions from the priests at Fallowstone Holy, info will be sent to Saltmarsh for around the 10th of Kythorn (June).</li> <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 Cemetary).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood?</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 you need to find the hidden weapons left to fight Ashardalon, these are in a dragon-in-flight shaped barrow in Farrow Woods.</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>This is session 87, and we seem to be on a roll again, it was superb, although its mostly lots of chatter, and a revelation or two, and I've caught up at last.So, the Dark Squad are in a house just off the beaten track that has very recently been attacked by a bunch of goblin wolf riders, forest goblins as it happens, and the Falcon has told the PCs that these fellows mostly inhabit the Dreadwood. Although, it's goblin season at the moment, time for goblin warriors to venture out to prove their worth, claim a little glory for themselves and their tribe.The PCs have just calmed the two spirits inhabiting the upper floor of the bloody abode, and so the chatter continues for a while, or at least Vinnie and Nicholai take it in turns to ask questions of the spirits who are writing their answers manipulating a pencil to scrawl on paper supplied by the Squad.The Squad also take the time to return all of the items that the recently slaughtered goblins had on their person, all of which was no doubt stolen from this place. But the spirits are still unsettled, unable to pass on, and the cause-“Where are your mortal wemains, oh iwate spiwits, so that we may lay them to west?” Nicholai lisps and enquires.“Below” is the scrawled reply.[ATTACH=full]156343[/ATTACH]Note this is George's PC screens, and it looks lush- there's even some pictures of the fab four (the players) to the right. From top to bottom, introducing George who plays Nicholai, Bear who plays Newt, Jim playing Vinnie & Daktari, and Kev guiding Ram. That's me at the bottom- I don't have a camera on my PC which cost me nearly £300 from Tesco, ten or so years ago (it's made by Palitoy, I think).The basement is a nasty looking place, and... the packed earth floor here is uneven, in places, and it's soon discovered that there are bodies buried here, four of them. The first is dug up, and... the Squad have no idea who the fellow is. A young-ish male human, who looks to have been much abused but most likely died when his throat was cut, possibly three or so months ago.We'll get to the other three bodies in a while, because there's also a door down here, bolted shut from the outside (this side) and within, well... Ram can hear something or someone moving about.The rogue, when the rest of the Squad are positioned and ready, springs the door open and staggering into the doorway comes a zombie, a female figure in a cotton dress in her mid-40's, perhaps- recently deceased (and then reanimated). It seems she suffered before her execution. Oddly, for such a fresh corpse, the shambling undead is riddled with maggots.It gets nasty, more nasty than the Dark Squad accounted for initially, there's a second zombie in the newly revealed room, a young girl- similarly tortured, killed and reanimated, and likewise maggot infested.[ATTACH=full]156344[/ATTACH]The shambling undead emerge, that's Vinnie's Moonbeam just behind the pair, and that greyish circle before the druid, that's a freshly spewed swarm of maggots. Classy! Note Daktari has already taken a couple of hits, while Ram is about to take a pasting. My dice!The first thing to note is the zombies hit hard- tearing at Ram and Daktari, both PCs are bloodied in a matter of seconds (two claw attacks each for piercing plus necrotic damage = 3d6 + whatever per hit, and they keep on hitting).What's worse both zombies also spew torrents of maggots at random targets, it also helps that the undead pair have just short of 100 hit points each at the start of the encounter.A little later, after Vinnie has unleashed his Moonbeam and the zombie pair have been shoved back into their former cell- great work by Newt with his Eldritch/Fiery Blasts (can't remember which it was). Anyway, Nicholai wanders too close to the action- while shutting and securing the door to lock the undead back in- the cleric of Twilight is swathed in maggoty-spew.Note, all of the PCs used Inspiration Points to re-roll failed saves to avoid the maggoty-spew, they figured out very quickly that nothing good was going to come of suffering this attack. Alas, Nicholai's Dex save re-roll is another failure.A short while later and the dhampir can feel the maggots, they've crawled inside his armour and are eating away at his flesh. A very rushed application, by Ram, of a dose of Keoghtom's Ointment (Cure Disease) saves the day.Note, at this point Nicholai was taking 2d6 damage per turn as the maggots burrowed deeper into his flesh.Meantime the now very badly wounded maggot wreathed zombies smash their way back out of their former cell, and wander back into the fight, but the pair are mostly broken at this point- particularly as the Moonbeam has been searing their flesh all the while.The rest of the fight takes seconds, although both zombies- when they fall, spew out one last swarm of grotesque squirming maggots. Newt clears these away with more Fiery Blasts.[ATTACH=full]156345[/ATTACH]The grey-ish circle is another pile of maggoty spew.The fight is won.Although much healing is needed by Ram and Daktari.Then, after a brief rest, follow more investigations, and eventually exhumations.Then chatter is about trying to make sense of what has been discovered here.The two zombies were the inhabitants here, a mother and daughter- killed by goblins less than eight hours earlier, both had been tortured/abused before death. The Dark Squad also remember back to the goblin wolf riders they fought earlier on the road, Ram recalls that one of the buggers that got away was riding a Worg (so, probably a boss) and now the rogue thinks back- the creature looked like a shaman, or else a witch doctor.So, the goblins did this- killed the folks here and then raised them as maggoty zombies (note, the pair were actually Kyuss Zombies with added flavour-build).But, what about the four bodies that are interred in the cellar here? Well, they've been dead and in the ground here for between one and three months, they were all killed here- singularly at different times, their throats cut. Although, there are signs that the chamber that the zombies were corralled in had been put to similar use in the past. These poor fellows were obviously also tortured before they were offed.At this point the Dark Squad are thinking that the mother and daughter are responsible for the murdered bodies in the basement, but... well, that doesn't sit right.But then the rest of the house gets searched and... a half-finished letter is found, dated yesterday- it looks as if the author was disturbed mid-sentence, possibly by the goblin's attack. The letter is written to the author's sister, in Saltmarsh (presumed), and tells a sad tale. The recent death of the writer's husband, and in terrible circumstance, and the fact that they (the author and her daughter, Rachel) have had to move to their present location, because of their lack of money. The author seems in all respects sane and normal, an educated woman suffering the loss of her husband and her former life.The letter is signed by Anna Maria Blevins, wife of Alfred Blevins.Blevins, perhaps you remember, fell foul of the Dark Squad (and the Slagg brothers) very early on in the PCs adventures here. Blevins was an arsehole, and a racist, and... well, not a nice fellow, he managed the warehouse that the PCs had to collect a variety of stuff from to take back to Farhill Mine.[ATTACH=full]156346[/ATTACH]That's Blevins in the warehouse, all the way back in session 34.However, a little later on in their adventures the PCs discovered that Blevins had been captured, beaten and then burnt to death in a place called Hecse Field, just outside of the village of Ravendale. Which isn't that far from here.[ATTACH=full]156347[/ATTACH]Hecse Field, and the remains of Alfred Blevins, all the way back in session 49a.So, who killed what, killed who?To make clear.The bodies, all dockworkers and the like from Saltmarsh- Ram thinks one of the dead also worked at the Blevin's warehouse, have all been dead here for at least a month, the oldest three months.Blevins' was kidnapped, tortured and then incinerated about two tendays ago.Anna Maria & Rachel Blevins only moved into this place two or three days ago.They didn't stay long, the goblins killed them yesterday.There's little else to find, although much more head-scratching and second guessing for a little while. Daktari in the meantime digs graves for Anna Maria and Rachel Blevins. Newt attempts to pay tribute to this terrible tragedy by setting the house on fire, you'll note I used the word 'attempts' there, because... Newt doesn't get his way.Here's a thing, the dynamic has changed (or is changing, finding a new equilibrium) in the Dark Squad, viz- Newt is usually able to talk Vinnie around to his way of thinking (sorta), and Ram generally doesn't give a stuff, and so he gets away (quite a lot) with his petty arson, but now... Well, Vinnie doesn't think torching the building is a good idea, and nor does Nicholai, and then... Ram has an opinion, and the rogue's opinion is- “No.”Note, Ram always has an opinion, it just so happens that most often his opinion is- “Whatever.”We circle for a while, with Newt cajoling- the conflagration will be a marvellous denouement to the deceased's, no doubt, humdrum lives, that kind of thing, but... “No.”And so the Dark Squad mount up and head on, there's enough light in the day- down the road to the small town of Omust, Vinnie and Ram stop off to tell the authorities there about the situation at the Blevins House, eventually giving a statement (over a late lunch) to the local Sgt. in the Inn.[ATTACH=full]156348[/ATTACH]The Old Dwarf Inn.What now?The signboard for the establishment depicts an old dwarf, arms folded over his copious beard, and depicted on the back of both of the old dwarf's hands are tattooed- a pair of maze buttons.As it turns out the inn was built and very possibly formerly run by a dwarf, called Ub, although that was centuries past or so the present owner tells them when Omust was just half-a-dozen families and a permanent camp for wood cutters and charcoal burners.Bloody hell!You wait ages for one Ub to turn up, and then all of a sudden six come along.As stated last time, he's Ub-iquitous.But there's nothing else to find here, and so- the Squad are in a rush to get to Ashby, remember- the Soggy's are coming! And so they head off, attempting to urge their mounts on all the way to the village.Note, Ashby has retained a place in the Dark Squad's heart, it was the start of Newt- the happy-go-lucky, big-spending, Newt the Magnificent. Back when he was way less creepy.Anyway, the Squad are therefore unhappy to see in the last light of day, roiling back smoke issuing from the spot down the road that is Ashby.The Squad whip/urge/Fireball* their mounts in an attempt to race to save the good folk there, the last time they were in Ashby they swore to defend the place with their lives. It seems an opportunity has arisen.*The Squad have to make Handle Animal/Ride checks in order to urge their already tired mounts to go faster, Newt fails spectacularly (although, not a '1') and so reverts to plan B. The tabaxi warlock aims a Fireball behind his mount, Unlucky Colin, but close enough for the riding horse to feel the lick of the flame at its rear.Unlucky Colin finds third, fourth and then very soon after fifth gear, Newt makes more checks to hang on to the terrified beast (and remarkably does so).Vinnie and Daktari are well ahead of the race however, and are therefore the first to see that the burning and black smoke come from the stubble fields surrounding, the village itself looks to be in great shape, and soon after dozens of the locals have come out to see...The Return of the Dark Squad.There is cheering.[ATTACH=full]156349[/ATTACH]Ashby!Newt arrives, at speed, and on a still panicked Unlucky Colin, and then with a Handle Animal '20' he manages the ultimate dismount, while scattering copper coins, landing after a somersault- with his lute in his hands and a song on his lips.Newt the Magnificent is back in town.The crowd go wild. chanting his name.Ten minutes later and wherever the Dark Squad (Newt) go, so does the crowd- the twenty or thirty hanger's-on are eventually persuaded to head off to the Red Dragon Inn, ostensibly to tell the halfling proprietor- Stiggy Hatpeg, that Newt is back, and that he'll be performing there this evening.Meantime the adults go and see the authority figures here- Lukas Gnarlyfisk (village speaker/headman) and Ludwig Clamzucker (priest of the Sea), Daktari tells the pair about his and Newt's terrible vision.The text from session 73-An invisible wave of mental anguish washes through the chamber as the great stone door lurches upwards, and open, into a concealed cavity. The terror wave (alas) affects only Newt and the Sky Pony barbarian (the others passed their wisdom saves).The pair, while squealing and hooting in fear, suffer a vision, it's this-A bunch of nasty looking sea creatures (identified by Daktari as 'Soggys' = Sahuagin) arise from the waves and clamber up and onto the docks of a pleasant-looking sleepy sea-side village. Seconds later, as the gibbering Dark Squad pair watch on, and the people of this unknown place begin to suffer- to pay with their lives. The soggys set about about their terrible slaughter under the watchful eye of some larger leader type, although neither Newt nor Daktari can make out who or what this creature/person is (they both failed their checks).Note, a little later the pair work out that the village seen in the vision was Ashby.Back to the here and now-But, well- Lukas doesn't think so, everything is well with the world of Ashby- the crops are good and the weather, and fishing, is better still. Ludwig smiles along with the village headman as he dismisses the Dark Squad's concerns, but Vinnie spots that the priest of the Sea has just skipped a beat.A while later Ludwig gets the Dark Squad to himself, he too has a story to tell, and now he's worried, very worried- he also had a dream about a tenday ago. In his dream he saw a sea devil (a sahuagin/soggy) in the opening to a sea cave just a few miles up the coast from Ashby. Ludwig knows this place, it's called Salt Cave, and in times of trouble it is one of the places that the inhabitants of the village can flee to. The place is out the way, and only accessible from the sea. Some of the village folk also use the cave to... well, store things, smuggled things, nothing untoward- mostly just rum, grog and the like.Anyway, long story short, Ludwig had the same dream again two nights ago, and so yesterday he sent two local fishermen Bobby & Trevor Hopscotch to take a look, but they've not returned...Note, the DM at this point delights in telling the players, after Daktari and Newt's vision above (Session 73) I put a date on when the sahuagin invasion of Ashby would happen, the Dark Squad have arrived at the village five days before that date, and so this is their chance to change fate/the future.Further note, and this is for the players- there's a timeline, there are events that are going to happen- with or without you, and more of this stuff coming, your choices (what you do, when you do it) are becoming increasingly important.So, and keep in mind the PCs didn't get to Ashby until nine bells this evening, there's nothing much more to be done for today. Well, except for the show of course, Newt the Magnificent goes full throttle, with fireworks, songs and stories, and... remarkably he rolls just above average (even with his stats/skills/bonuses). But, that wont suffice and so he spends an Inspiration Point, and when that doesn't cut it he uses Dark One's Own Luck, and still manages only one properly good check out of three.So, Ashby is entertained, the warlock spends in the region of 40gp in the Red Dragon Inn- drinks for the village, and yet...Overheard from one of the booths-Peasant One: Nor az gud az e wuz lazt time, mindz yew. 'e made ol' Ma Coddles' 'ead to com orff, it grew back, loik.Peasant Two: I rememberz it like it wuz yestermorn, an' he made fire belch from 'iz bakk trumpet!The rest of the evening, before sleep, is spent chatting with Ludwig Clamzucker- sahuagin and fighting underwater are the topics up for discussion, prep for the next session, because that's the end of this one.[ATTACH=full]156350[/ATTACH]The Dark Squad Are Coming For The Soggy's! Next time.We spent the last twenty minutes reviewing the rules for underwater combat/casting/etc. and with good reason- got that fellers?The Dark Squad are going for a swim.Stay safe and well you lovely people.Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</blockquote>

Verification