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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8920532" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Secrets of SaltmarshSession #110: The Bells.Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 8Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 8New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 8Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/1Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 8DEAD PCs<s>Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 </s>RIPNPCs<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 (When we remember) *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">An extraordinary meeting of the Saltmarsh Town Council, the Dark Squad are going to get hired to end the smuggling menace (see below), scheduled for 10th Flamerule.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The smuggler's ship will be turning up sometime between the 14th and 17th of Flamerule, the Dark Squad (and particularly Ram) are keen to meet the vessel, particularly Ram- why, because as the rogue said- “I'm getting a boat.”</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- except she's not there any more, 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>This is session 110, and there's a lot of running around, and... I think it's fair to say- a lot of anger and resentment building. Strap in.The Dark Squad are on the run in the tomb of Rambles Shambles Bowspirit, halfling bastard and ex-member of the Eyes in the Night- a bunch of adventurers from two hundred years past that bear more than a passing resemblance to the afore-titled Dark Squad.The Squad are after Rambles' button, and his treasure.And so when a flickering illusionary version of Rambles sets the Dark Squad running last session, well.. they've since been beset by ceiling-crawling zombies, spooky spirits and lots of skeletons, while in pursuit of the exit to this strange (dwarven) dungeon.Oh, and a ships bell rings the hour every six or so seconds (let's call it every turn), last session we got up to the bell tolling four times. The Dark Squad know (because the flickering Rambles said) that something happens when the bell tolls seven times.And so on it goes with some very frustrated PCs running hither and yon, searching high and low, and... they eventually find a secret chamber.This is it.[ATTACH=full]274080[/ATTACH]And a thorough(-ish) search reveals some magic flavoured treasure, a pair of (unidentified) boots and a sack of mostly coin. But nothing else, and no other way out- or down (remember the stairs down here, when descended, just teleport the PC back to the start of the map).**It is worth noting that four out of the five PCs have tried to exit down the stairs only to be catapulted back to the beginning- the Dark Squad are at present camped on the lower reaches of this particular learning curve.Then on sixth bell a bunch more skeletons appear most of them scrambling up the stairs (the only exit the Dark Squad have discovered) and straight at the PCs. Seconds later the seventh bell tolls, the stairs fill with water, do you remember Rambles' line-“RULE TWO: The Seventh Bell opens the way drown, I mean down.”Get it?[ATTACH=full]274082[/ATTACH]Therefore the Squad smash their way through the last few skeletal defenders and all of them dive into the water that now fills the stairs.And for each a light suddenly engulfs them and blammo... they're somewhere else (and as dry as a bone).[ATTACH=full]274081[/ATTACH]The somewhere else continues on the dwarven theme, the place looks to be an old abandoned guardroom, and flickering in the corner is a badly spelled Rambles, who has little to say- he does however sound a little truculent when he's saying it.Then a ships bell rings.Just once.There is swearing from the PCs, or was it the Players, actually it could have been both.The Dark Squad are on the run again, trying to find the next exit before the bell toll seven.[ATTACH=full]274083[/ATTACH]There are locked doors here, and that slows the PCs down a little- as do the randomly appearing skeletons, oh... and look there's a ghoul.It briefly gets exciting.But it's also at this point that the Dark Squad start to work out (a little perhaps) what's going on here.They're getting shafted, they think, by a dead halfling.The following sequence of images- all sent during the ghoul fight, perhaps illustrate the Dark Squads mood.[ATTACH=full]274084[/ATTACH]Skeletons and a ghoul.[ATTACH=full]274085[/ATTACH]Skeletons and a ghoul.[ATTACH=full]274086[/ATTACH]Skeletons and a ghoul.[ATTACH=full]274087[/ATTACH]Skeletons and a ghoul.[ATTACH=full]274088[/ATTACH]Victory! The ghoul is dead.Only it doesn't feel like the Dark Squad are winning.It feels a lot like the little tinker in the corner of the above images is winning.[ATTACH=full]274089[/ATTACH]Every bad thing is dead, but the Dark Squad are still not happy.There's just no pleasing some people.[ATTACH=full]274090[/ATTACH]More searching = more skeletons.[ATTACH=full]274091[/ATTACH]Oh look, more skeletons.[ATTACH=full]274092[/ATTACH]Ah-ha a well, the Dark Squad like wells. The way down?Daktari climbs down the well, and... a flash of blinding light and he appears back in the entrance to this level.[ATTACH=full]274093[/ATTACH]The search goes on.The bell continues to toll its way to seven.And then swarms of bats start exiting the well, and suddenly everyone is back in a real big rush, particularly because the bells are still ringing, and they're going much quicker this time through their repertoire (one toll to seven tolls).Note back up on level it took (from memory) sixteen turns to get from one bell toll to seven.[ATTACH=full]274094[/ATTACH]Newt finds the way drown, I mean- of course- down.It only took thirteen turns this time to get from the one bell toll to seven bells here.Some of the Dark Squad are puffing hard.Then, when the ship's bell tolls seven times the stairs fill up with water and...The Dark Squad dive in.A flash of light!And...[ATTACH=full]274095[/ATTACH]That's the flickering Rambles in the corner- the five foot circle marker on the map.Rambles is very popular.He doesn't have much to say, again.But as soon as he's done- a ship's bell rings.Just once.The Dark Squad are in an ancient sewer system, and the stench is terrible, and... well, save for the DM then no-one is particularly happy.Ram made a speech.Which is a sure fire indicator that things are not going well.If I take all the swear words out then it'd be about a quarter of its original length. It's possibly Ram's longest speech to date, with the swear words in.In precis-I'm not playing this game, I'm going to find the exit fast- count the bells and then, well- I ain't going down. I'm not doing what that little rat bastard crook told us to do!Then, well we finished early because some folk were tired (and frustrated/emotional) but then of course nobody wanted to leave Discord- everyone had something to say (not me) and the four players rattled on trying to figure out what to do for the best for the next twenty minutes. Me, listening in, giggling (with the mic off) every now and then.So, something might be going drown, I mean down, next session.Stay safe and well you lovely people.Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</blockquote>

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