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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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<blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8398107" data-attributes="member: 7031385"><p><strong>Part 1:</strong> Knot of Thorns</p><p><strong>Act 3: </strong>Fire-Axe!</p><p><strong>Session 6:</strong> Old Habits, New Allies</p><p></p><p>The waves continued to roll and toss around the Frosthamar. Donovan had grown somewhat accustomed to the gentle rhythmic sensation that was caused by the travel through the seas. While sleeping was difficult, he had learned to master reading under these conditions. He also used the time to continue finding other ways to pass the time. He continued to work and polish the equipment that had been found recently, taking care to remove any identifying markings on the gear, and polishing it to make sure that it would be able to be sold for maximum value. Still, he felt useless to his family. Time and time again, he was unable to provide any real combat support beyond tactical assistance. He envied how easily the others could muster themselves to be useful in a real fight, while he did little more than simply throw sharp rocks in random directions. Donovan resolved to begin focusing his talents on improving his combat prowess.</p><p></p><p>As Donovan continued to polish and prime the equipment he was working on, he overheard Captain Odenkirk speaking with his crew in Norspik. Of course, Donovan understood what they were saying, but he continued to play the part of the ignorant tourist as he carefully listened in on their words. The crew and the captain were discussing heading to a location they referred to as “Seal Island”. Apparently, this location would add at least a half day onto the total travel time, not to mention the time they spent in the area. The captain was unconcerned about such things, his greed always at the forefront of his actions.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll make some up some story for these idiots.”, Odenkirk said to his crew.</p><p>Donovan smirked to himself and thought about the conversation he had with Thorn before departing on this journey. Adrastus had spoken on the greed of Kargeld Odenkirk, and it was something that Donovan could appreciate. Unfortunately, Odenkirk broke a cardinal rule of the mercantile: Never change a deal after the terms are set. Odenkirk had demanded additional payment after he had received the goods and was getting ready to depart. Alcott Westermeyer would have marked Odenkirk and effectively put him out of business. Adrastus Thorn was a kinder individual, as he simply ordered the death of Odenkirk and his crew. Compared to a slow misery at the hands of Alcott and the other merchants, Donovan considered a swift death a mercy for this man. Donovan saw this situation as a pity, as in a different situation Donovan would have found a way to put a man like this under his thumb. Still, war is usually on a tight schedule, and perhaps killing Odenkirk was the most efficient option for dealing with problematic employees such as him.</p><p></p><p>“We’re a little light on water.”, Odenkirk began his prepared speech to Donovan. “We’re passing Seal Isle, and there’s a stream that feeds into the bay there. While we’re there, the area is home to some of the richest seal hunting areas in all of the coast. I’m thinking of organizing a hunting expedition, if you would be interested in traveling with us.” Donovan studied Odenkirk as he told this obvious lie. Of course, the lie was only obvious to Donovan because he was familiar with Norspik. Without that knowledge, Donovan realized that he would be hard pressed to detect the falsehoods in the captain’s speech.</p><p>Donovan responded, “Thank you for the generous offer, Captain. However, my assignment is to this ship and the cargo aboard it. I wish you luck in your hunting.”</p><p>Donovan smiled broadly at the captain, as a plan began to form in his mind.</p><p>“Hunting?”, Bebop chimed up, excited at the opportunity to escape the confines of the Frosthamar.</p><p>Donovan looked over to Bebop, and shook his head with somber determination. Bebop knew better than to argue with Donovan when he had his mind set that way, so he sighed and went back to how he was formerly occupying himself.</p><p></p><p>Soon enough, the captain and three of his crew manned two of the smaller boats, then begin headed towards the small isle under the pretense of fetching water. The ships didn’t even arrive at the island before they began the grisly work of clubbing and killing seals for their pelts. Bebop wasted no time in taking advantage of the lack of crew to attempt to seduce Tamsen yet again. While Tamsen was initially insistent that Donovan would need to be involved, Donovan suggested that the two of them could include Timeon if they really needed to have release with one another right then, as Donovan and Lucius kept their eyes focused on the horizon where the small boats were located. Bebop, Tamsen, and Timeon wasted little time as the three began enjoying themselves on the deck, while Donovan began planning with Lucius.</p><p>“Lucius, if you see an opportunity to take out Captain Odenkirk’s raft, you take it. This would be very opportune for us to remove a problem from this boat without even having him on the boat.”, Donovan spoke softly to Lucius in Infernal.</p><p>Lucius nodded with understanding, his eyes focused on the vessels, looking for an opportunity to act.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, on board the rafts, the crew had become somewhat competitive with one another. The vessel not holding Odenkirk had apparently had some good luck with finding some larger seals and were beginning to clean and gut the animals out on the raft in order to cut down on the weight inside their vessel. Blood and guts were spilled openly into the water, drawing the attention of nearby predators. Those predators soon manifested themselves to the surface, as they begin to strike the sides of the raft, attempting to knock it off balance. The captain called out to the mast of the Frosthamar, but the sailor manning the post was distracted paying attention to what Bebop and Tamsen were doing.</p><p>Finally, the shapes under the water made themselves visible to the surface where Donovan could see them. “Godsdamn it all! Bunyips!”</p><p>Lucius looked over at him, “Is this the opportunity we were looking for?”</p><p>Donovan replied, “Not if we don’t have someone to get us to the destination!”</p><p>Lucius nodded at Donovan, then gestured with his hands. A quartet of Dolphins came forth into being again, once more touched by the dark energies so familiar to Lucius. The dolphins swam out to attack the bunyips, striking them and moving away to force the bunyips to chase after them. The bunyips were clearly more powerful creatures, but the dolphins had both numbers and agility working on their behalf. Odenkirk roared out to his crew to return to the Frosthamar, using the opportunity provided to them by the dolphins to row free of the bunyips.</p><p>Looking over at Tamsen and Bebop, Donovan curtly spoke, “Wrap it up you three, they are headed back now.”</p><p></p><p>Once Odenkirk reboarded the ship with the rest of his crew, he appeared to have the slightest sense of contrition was over him. “Bunyips. Who would have expected that?”</p><p>Donovan, having reached his limit of patience with the greed of that man, was direct and to the point in his reply. “Captain, that could have turned out very poorly for you and your crew had we not been here as the situation developed. It should be apparent now that those bunyips have made this area their home for the season. Perhaps we should go to another location…”, Donovan paused to accentuate the obvious lie he had been told. “… for the water we so clearly need.”</p><p>Odenkirk thought about the situation he had allowed himself to get into, and then responded, “Perhaps you’re right, Donovan.”</p><p>Donovan smiled, holding back his frustration and annoyance. “Indeed, Captain. Indeed.”</p><p></p><p>Setting out the next morning, the Frosthamar came across a small group of boats that appeared to be kayaks and an open skinned canoe. The individuals manning those ships were attempting to make contact with the individuals on board the Odenkirk’s vessel.</p><p>“Yutak?”, Donovan queried. “I’ve heard of them, but never had a chance to actually meet them in person.”</p><p>Upon approaching the side of the Frosthamar, the speaker of the tribe spoke up in limited Common. “I am Joseph Calls-Fire-From-Water, this is Chief White Tusk. We trade?”</p><p>Donovan smiled almost ecstatically. Switching over to the Yutak’s native language, Donovan began speaking to the chief, “Greetings noble chief. My name is Donovan, and I am honored to meet you today. What are you offering for trade, and what are you interested in?”</p><p>While Bebop, Tamsen, and Lucius were all too familiar with Donovan’s prolific mastery of languages, the Yutak and Captain Odenkirk were both taken off guard at discovering how easily he slipped into a different language than Common. While this excited White Tusk, as he would now be able to speak directly on behalf of his tribe, Odenkirk felt a sudden sense of suspicion creep over him, as he had assumed up to this point that his guests were little more than muscle bound tourists with little to no experience with languages beyond the norm.</p><p>“Iron for our weapons, to make them sharp and strong. In exchange, we have this.” White Tusk had one of his tribe produce an exquisite narwhal horn from under the pelts and tarps that has been covering it.</p><p>Donovan’s eyes gazed quickly at it, and he realized just how valuable such a rare and precious item they were holding. “Are you sure it’s iron you seek, noble Chief? Perhaps I could interest you in a metal better suited to forging weapons.”</p><p>With that, Donovan walked over to the Haversack that Bebop was holding, reached in, and pulled out a small piece of one of the Mithral Cobras that they had been transporting.</p><p>Donovan returned to the side of the Frosthamar, and tossed the metal down to White Tusk. “I think this might meet your needs even more than simple iron.”</p><p>The Yutak looked over the metal that they were handling, unsure of what it was they were working with. The metal was light, yet when they pressed it against one of their spears in order to shear off a piece of mithral, they discovered that this metal was more than capable of shearing apart their current weapons.</p><p>The Yutak had not practiced holding in their eagerness for trades, so Donovan could easily read their excitement. “Yes, we find this metal acceptable. We wish for ten stones of this metal in exchange for the horn.”</p><p>Bebop whispered into Donovan’s mind via the connection Tamsen had made, “Take them for more, Donovan!” Donovan’s eyes met Bebop’s briefly.</p><p>“We just doubled our profit in a single trade. Don’t fight for coppers when dealing in gold.”</p><p>Donovan then turned back to the chief, “We’ll do that deal, White Tusk.”</p><p>Donovan had GrumbleJack bring out one of the Mithral Cobras from the Haversack, then reaching out across the edge of the Frosthamar to hand it to one of the members of the Yutak tribe. They spent some time weighing the object to make sure that the weight was the amount agreed upon. Once confirmed, they released the horn to Donovan and his family.</p><p></p><p>“Anything else I can interest you in today, noble Chief?”, Donovan’s voice perked at the end, making the statement sound less like a question, and more like a temptation.</p><p>The tribe produced miscellaneous pieces of ivory, and White Tusk spoke, “We seek more metal for our weapons.” Donovan smiled, “More metal you say?”</p><p>Donovan looked over at Bebop, “Open up one of the crates.”</p><p>As Bebop moved towards the crates, Odenkirk intercepted Donovan. “Not so fast. I was hired to make sure this shipment made it to the destination, and that doesn’t include you just opening it up and using it for your personal profit.”</p><p>Donovan’s eyes focused on Odenkirk. “I see, so what is it you are looking for here Captain?”</p><p>Odenkirk’s greed was transparent to Donovan, but he allowed him to say the words he knew was going to come from the captain next. “First, I want it to be clear that this isn’t on me. If Thorn finds out about this trade, you made this choice, not me.”, Odenkirk’s fear of Thorn was still present, even if just so.</p><p>Donovan tilted his head at Odenkirk at the words he said, then dismissively responded. “I’m sure my father will be fine with this.”</p><p>Odenkirk, undeterred by Donovan’s response, pressed on. “And I want seventy percent. You wouldn’t even be able to trade with the Yutak if it wasn’t for me.”</p><p>Donovan suppressed the urge to laugh in Odenkirk’s face, then quickly looked over at White Tusk. “Excuse me a moment, Chief. The Captain and I are discussing something of importance.”</p><p>His eyes then refocused to Odenkirk, “I need to find out if they’ll even make this trade before I can offer you numbers.”</p><p>Odenkirk would not be denied his prize. “No, you have to settle with me first.”, grabbing Donovan’s arm and holding him in place.</p><p>Donovan’s annoyance was apparent now, as he tried to appease the captain. “Fine, I’ll do fifty percent on the value of the cargo trade, since you are providing the forum for this negotiation to take place.”</p><p>“Sixty.”, Odenkirk attempted to counter with Donovan.</p><p>An air of menace crept over Donovan, as he stared at Odenkirk with a barely contained rage. “You’ll take fifty percent, and be thankful for having any profit for a deal that you are now getting in the way of.”</p><p>Odenkirk recoiled at seeing the sudden change of demeanor from Donovan, who had up to this point, been nothing but diplomatic and pleasant with all of the crew. Having resolved the matter, Donovan presented a handful of weapons and shields to the Yutak, in order to have them review any of them for possible options. There was some back and forth between the members of the Yutak and Donovan, with him attempting to keep the deal within the “break even” point, and still not make them feel as though they were getting a poor deal from him. Finally, there was a breakthrough for a small amount of profit on the items to be sold. The deal was nothing particularly exciting, yet it was enough to keep the Yutak tribe interested.</p><p>“Do you happen to have any furs or other fine garments?”, White Tusk chimed up.</p><p>Just then, Bebop remembered the collection of robes that had been taken from the Warden of Branderscar. The chief’s eyes grew wide with excitement when Bebop produced the first garment. Unfamiliar with the typical manner in which Talingarde finery was worn, White Tusk simply tossed the robe on top of his existing clothes. One of Odenkirk’s sailors began to chuckle at the sight of White Tusk poorly attempting to wear the robe, but that was immediately silenced when Odenkirk grabbed the sailor and threw him back across the deck. Odenkirk was angrily whispering something to the sailor, but Donovan couldn’t focus on what the captain was saying while attempting to reassure and encourage the chief. The chief asked if he was wearing the outfit the right way, and Donovan provided him some suggestions on how to properly wear the attire.</p><p>After removing some of his own outerwear, the chief placed the robe on him in the correct fashion, and was immediately excited about the look and feel of the clothing. “We will trade you all we have left for this robe.”, White Tusk said to Donovan.</p><p>Donovan smiled and responded, “Not at all, noble Chief. This robe is a gift for you. We wish for you to have it to express the beginning of new relations between us.”</p><p>The chief thought on this act of goodwill, and responded positively, “We will not forget you, or what you have done for our tribe today. What is your name?”</p><p>Donovan responded, “Please call me Donovan Thorn. I’m looking forward to continued relations with you and others of your tribes.” Donovan paused for a moment, “White Tusk, if you are still looking for an opportunity to trade your remaining wares, I believe we have additional robes that may also please you.” Bebop pulled out several other robes in different colors.</p><p>Without hesitation, the tribe chief spoke up, “We’ll trade those for all we have left here.”</p><p>Donovan smiled at White Tusk, “We most certainly have a deal.”</p><p>Not much later, the Yutak pulled away from the Frosthamar, having traded away all of their wares to Donovan in exchange for a few stones of Mithral, a handful of shields, and three robes. Donovan walked over to Captain Odenkirk, pulling a large handful of coins out of his bag. Donovan placed the coins into the captain’s hand. “Seventy five gold. That’s what I estimate fifty percent of the profit to be on those shields we ended up trading with the Yutak.”</p><p>Odenkirk took the money while smirking at Donovan, “That’s a really nice horn you got from them.”</p><p>Donovan nodded and laughed, then looked over at Tamsen. In her head, Donovan spoke to the group. “Hilarious! The fool is planning to kill and rob us, while we’re planning to kill and rob him. The irony of this situation isn’t lost on me.”</p><p></p><p>Time passed, and the ship continued to push north. The water was beginning to freeze up now, as the Frosthamar pushed through blocks of ice across the top of the water. The scenery was breathtaking, but hard to enjoy as the temperature continued to plummet.</p><p>Tamsen, who was naturally resistant to temperature fluctuations, wrapped her arms around Donovan. “Are you doing alright out here, my love?”, she whispered sweetly in his ear.</p><p>“Thank you for thinking about me. I’m better now that you are around.”, Donovan responded to her.</p><p>She pushed closer against Donovan and giggled slightly, “I’ll share my body heat with you anytime.”</p><p>Donovan pulled out a few blackened pieces of clay from his alchemist kit. “Help me work these into a pile, would you?”</p><p>Donovan’s hands, at first rigid and inflexible, began to gain mobility as the heat from the pieces of clay gained malleability. Tamsen noticed the change in temperature as well.</p><p>“Ooh, these get warm as you play with them!”, Tamsen commented as her hands spread the Blackfire Clay around.</p><p>“They do indeed, my love. And, they make heat without fire, which is quite useful in situations like the one we are in right now.”</p><p>Bebop and Lucius soon discovered what the other two were doing, and assisted in activating the clay for creating a small “campfire” that they could use for heat. As the darkness set in, the only light available on the ship was coming from the torches at the front and rear of the ship. Suddenly, Donovan and the others noticed that the temperature was dropping unexpectedly fast. Even next to the heat source they had created, the temperature was falling in a very apparent way.</p><p>Donovan stood up and began looking around. “Something’s coming guys. Probably some sort of ice creature.”</p><p>The temperature then took a vicious drop, as ice crystals formed along the railing and deck of the ship. A moment later, Ice Elementals appeared on the ship.</p><p></p><p>A voice called up from around the crow’s nest of the Frosthamar, “How dare you bring fire into my realm? Now you all will suffer for your arrogance!”</p><p>The voice was laughing and mocking them, but it was too dark to make out what sort of creature was up in that area.</p><p>Donovan called out to Tamsen, “Tamsen, light up the crow’s nest!”</p><p>Tamsen gestured with her hands and words, and a group of Dancing Lights were soon circling around that area of the ship.</p><p>With a clearer image of what was up there, Donovan was able to identify the creature that was haranguing the ship. “Ice Mephit! Lucius, put a Hell Hound up there, those creatures are vulnerable to fire!”</p><p>Bebop began his transformation, embracing his monstrous form and moving towards two of the Ice Elementals.</p><p>The crew, barring Odenkirk, were simply too terrified to act. GrumbleJack attempted to swing at the small creatures, but struggled for any of his hits to land. Odenkirk grabbed for his axe, then immediately dropped it as it became covered with ice crystals. Odenkirk was taken aback, but instead pulled out a pair of daggers he had been previously concealing. The Mephit laughed at Odenkirk, seeing the weapon dropped from his hand, but was then surprised by the Hell Hound that also was summoned up in the crow’s nest, and breathed fire at it. The Mephit screamed and cursed at the Hell Hound, flying away as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, back on the deck, Bebop was continuing to annihilate the Ice Elementals on the deck, with a small amount of support from GrumbleJack and Odenkirk.</p><p>Donovan screamed up at the Ice Mephit that was flying around the ship, “Get down here, or you’ll share the fate of these Ice Elementals.” The Ice Mephit laughed and refused Donovan’s order. Soon, though, the Ice Mephit watched as all the Elementals were destroyed from the deck. The Ice Mephit, perhaps annoyed or afraid of what would happen if it attempted to flee, decided to land on the deck.</p><p>Looking at Donovan, the Mephit hesitated, then spoke a single word.</p><p>“Parley?” Donovan scoffed at the creature. “Now you want to talk? Fine! Why are you attacking this ship?”</p><p>The creature, arrogant in its activity, responded to Donovan. “You bring the fire to my realm, and now you see my anger!”</p><p>Donovan sighed at this small creature, so confident in its talents and abilities. “Alright, then, what do you want?”</p><p>The Mephit, thinking it had finally gotten what it wanted from this ship, cackled with glee at Donovan’s response. “You’ll put out all of your torches and fires, and then I will allow you to pass.”</p><p>Donovan, whose frustrations had already been pushed to the brink over wasting even more time still dealing with yet another arrogant creature, tilted his head at the Mephit, then responded curtly, “Let me make you a counter offer.”</p><p>Donovan’s eyes flicked over to Tamsen, who immediately knew what Donovan wanted her to do. Tamsen spoke quietly, making small gestures with her hands towards the Mephit. The Mephit suddenly found itself unable to stay awake, and fell into a Slumber on the deck of the ship.</p><p>“Toss him in a crate,”, Donovan said to Bebop, “we’ll see if his temperament changes after a few days of not being able to leave.”</p><p>Odenkirk was angry with the Mephit, wanting to destroy it utterly.</p><p>Bebop, having also learned the way that Odenkirk was motivated, held him at bay with a simple sentence. “Wait Captain, we can sell this creature for profit.”</p><p>Odenkirk was frustrated, but was clearly moved by Bebop’s words. Donovan spent the next few days speaking to the creature from inside the crate, explaining to it that it had very few choices given the situation it had put itself in. Slowly, using a combination of diplomacy and intimidation, Donovan began to break the will of this creature.</p><p>After a while, the Mephit revealed its name to Donovan, “I am Killiketz.”</p><p>Donovan tossed in a Liquid Frost vial into the crate with Killiketz. “You work with me, Killiketz, and more of these will keep coming your way.” Killiketz soon proved itself quite useful, taking over the crow’s nest of the Frosthamar and functioning as a scout for the ship. The Mephit would fly out and scout the waters ahead of the path the ship was headed. It would then come back and report what it had discovered to Donovan, who was able to inform Odenkirk of what had been discovered. And, while the crew was annoyed at no longer getting away from everyone up in the crow’s nest, all of them could appreciate how efficient and accurate Killiketz functioned as a scout on behalf of the ship. “</p><p>You know, I bet we could get four thousand gold for that creature.”, Odenkirk spoke up to Donovan after seeing what the Mephit was capable of.</p><p>Donovan smiled and looked back at Odenkirk, “I like the way you think, Captain.”</p><p></p><p>After their travels, they came upon an unspoiled area of land, well behind the Watch Wall. The area was still cold, but the waters were no longer covered with ice. The Frosthamar glided gently down the waters, until it finally came upon a crudely built pier. Looking around, the members of the Frosthamar could see a large collection of bugbears moving around the area. As they approached the pier, the group could see four Bugbears walking up the pier, with violence in their eyes.</p><p></p><p>Donovan sighed, “Oh, this is going to be interesting.”</p><p></p><p>Session 6 Ends.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rchodges, post: 8398107, member: 7031385"] [B]Part 1:[/B] Knot of Thorns [B]Act 3: [/B]Fire-Axe! [B]Session 6:[/B] Old Habits, New Allies The waves continued to roll and toss around the Frosthamar. Donovan had grown somewhat accustomed to the gentle rhythmic sensation that was caused by the travel through the seas. While sleeping was difficult, he had learned to master reading under these conditions. He also used the time to continue finding other ways to pass the time. He continued to work and polish the equipment that had been found recently, taking care to remove any identifying markings on the gear, and polishing it to make sure that it would be able to be sold for maximum value. Still, he felt useless to his family. Time and time again, he was unable to provide any real combat support beyond tactical assistance. He envied how easily the others could muster themselves to be useful in a real fight, while he did little more than simply throw sharp rocks in random directions. Donovan resolved to begin focusing his talents on improving his combat prowess. As Donovan continued to polish and prime the equipment he was working on, he overheard Captain Odenkirk speaking with his crew in Norspik. Of course, Donovan understood what they were saying, but he continued to play the part of the ignorant tourist as he carefully listened in on their words. The crew and the captain were discussing heading to a location they referred to as “Seal Island”. Apparently, this location would add at least a half day onto the total travel time, not to mention the time they spent in the area. The captain was unconcerned about such things, his greed always at the forefront of his actions. “Don’t worry, I’ll make some up some story for these idiots.”, Odenkirk said to his crew. Donovan smirked to himself and thought about the conversation he had with Thorn before departing on this journey. Adrastus had spoken on the greed of Kargeld Odenkirk, and it was something that Donovan could appreciate. Unfortunately, Odenkirk broke a cardinal rule of the mercantile: Never change a deal after the terms are set. Odenkirk had demanded additional payment after he had received the goods and was getting ready to depart. Alcott Westermeyer would have marked Odenkirk and effectively put him out of business. Adrastus Thorn was a kinder individual, as he simply ordered the death of Odenkirk and his crew. Compared to a slow misery at the hands of Alcott and the other merchants, Donovan considered a swift death a mercy for this man. Donovan saw this situation as a pity, as in a different situation Donovan would have found a way to put a man like this under his thumb. Still, war is usually on a tight schedule, and perhaps killing Odenkirk was the most efficient option for dealing with problematic employees such as him. “We’re a little light on water.”, Odenkirk began his prepared speech to Donovan. “We’re passing Seal Isle, and there’s a stream that feeds into the bay there. While we’re there, the area is home to some of the richest seal hunting areas in all of the coast. I’m thinking of organizing a hunting expedition, if you would be interested in traveling with us.” Donovan studied Odenkirk as he told this obvious lie. Of course, the lie was only obvious to Donovan because he was familiar with Norspik. Without that knowledge, Donovan realized that he would be hard pressed to detect the falsehoods in the captain’s speech. Donovan responded, “Thank you for the generous offer, Captain. However, my assignment is to this ship and the cargo aboard it. I wish you luck in your hunting.” Donovan smiled broadly at the captain, as a plan began to form in his mind. “Hunting?”, Bebop chimed up, excited at the opportunity to escape the confines of the Frosthamar. Donovan looked over to Bebop, and shook his head with somber determination. Bebop knew better than to argue with Donovan when he had his mind set that way, so he sighed and went back to how he was formerly occupying himself. Soon enough, the captain and three of his crew manned two of the smaller boats, then begin headed towards the small isle under the pretense of fetching water. The ships didn’t even arrive at the island before they began the grisly work of clubbing and killing seals for their pelts. Bebop wasted no time in taking advantage of the lack of crew to attempt to seduce Tamsen yet again. While Tamsen was initially insistent that Donovan would need to be involved, Donovan suggested that the two of them could include Timeon if they really needed to have release with one another right then, as Donovan and Lucius kept their eyes focused on the horizon where the small boats were located. Bebop, Tamsen, and Timeon wasted little time as the three began enjoying themselves on the deck, while Donovan began planning with Lucius. “Lucius, if you see an opportunity to take out Captain Odenkirk’s raft, you take it. This would be very opportune for us to remove a problem from this boat without even having him on the boat.”, Donovan spoke softly to Lucius in Infernal. Lucius nodded with understanding, his eyes focused on the vessels, looking for an opportunity to act. Meanwhile, on board the rafts, the crew had become somewhat competitive with one another. The vessel not holding Odenkirk had apparently had some good luck with finding some larger seals and were beginning to clean and gut the animals out on the raft in order to cut down on the weight inside their vessel. Blood and guts were spilled openly into the water, drawing the attention of nearby predators. Those predators soon manifested themselves to the surface, as they begin to strike the sides of the raft, attempting to knock it off balance. The captain called out to the mast of the Frosthamar, but the sailor manning the post was distracted paying attention to what Bebop and Tamsen were doing. Finally, the shapes under the water made themselves visible to the surface where Donovan could see them. “Godsdamn it all! Bunyips!” Lucius looked over at him, “Is this the opportunity we were looking for?” Donovan replied, “Not if we don’t have someone to get us to the destination!” Lucius nodded at Donovan, then gestured with his hands. A quartet of Dolphins came forth into being again, once more touched by the dark energies so familiar to Lucius. The dolphins swam out to attack the bunyips, striking them and moving away to force the bunyips to chase after them. The bunyips were clearly more powerful creatures, but the dolphins had both numbers and agility working on their behalf. Odenkirk roared out to his crew to return to the Frosthamar, using the opportunity provided to them by the dolphins to row free of the bunyips. Looking over at Tamsen and Bebop, Donovan curtly spoke, “Wrap it up you three, they are headed back now.” Once Odenkirk reboarded the ship with the rest of his crew, he appeared to have the slightest sense of contrition was over him. “Bunyips. Who would have expected that?” Donovan, having reached his limit of patience with the greed of that man, was direct and to the point in his reply. “Captain, that could have turned out very poorly for you and your crew had we not been here as the situation developed. It should be apparent now that those bunyips have made this area their home for the season. Perhaps we should go to another location…”, Donovan paused to accentuate the obvious lie he had been told. “… for the water we so clearly need.” Odenkirk thought about the situation he had allowed himself to get into, and then responded, “Perhaps you’re right, Donovan.” Donovan smiled, holding back his frustration and annoyance. “Indeed, Captain. Indeed.” Setting out the next morning, the Frosthamar came across a small group of boats that appeared to be kayaks and an open skinned canoe. The individuals manning those ships were attempting to make contact with the individuals on board the Odenkirk’s vessel. “Yutak?”, Donovan queried. “I’ve heard of them, but never had a chance to actually meet them in person.” Upon approaching the side of the Frosthamar, the speaker of the tribe spoke up in limited Common. “I am Joseph Calls-Fire-From-Water, this is Chief White Tusk. We trade?” Donovan smiled almost ecstatically. Switching over to the Yutak’s native language, Donovan began speaking to the chief, “Greetings noble chief. My name is Donovan, and I am honored to meet you today. What are you offering for trade, and what are you interested in?” While Bebop, Tamsen, and Lucius were all too familiar with Donovan’s prolific mastery of languages, the Yutak and Captain Odenkirk were both taken off guard at discovering how easily he slipped into a different language than Common. While this excited White Tusk, as he would now be able to speak directly on behalf of his tribe, Odenkirk felt a sudden sense of suspicion creep over him, as he had assumed up to this point that his guests were little more than muscle bound tourists with little to no experience with languages beyond the norm. “Iron for our weapons, to make them sharp and strong. In exchange, we have this.” White Tusk had one of his tribe produce an exquisite narwhal horn from under the pelts and tarps that has been covering it. Donovan’s eyes gazed quickly at it, and he realized just how valuable such a rare and precious item they were holding. “Are you sure it’s iron you seek, noble Chief? Perhaps I could interest you in a metal better suited to forging weapons.” With that, Donovan walked over to the Haversack that Bebop was holding, reached in, and pulled out a small piece of one of the Mithral Cobras that they had been transporting. Donovan returned to the side of the Frosthamar, and tossed the metal down to White Tusk. “I think this might meet your needs even more than simple iron.” The Yutak looked over the metal that they were handling, unsure of what it was they were working with. The metal was light, yet when they pressed it against one of their spears in order to shear off a piece of mithral, they discovered that this metal was more than capable of shearing apart their current weapons. The Yutak had not practiced holding in their eagerness for trades, so Donovan could easily read their excitement. “Yes, we find this metal acceptable. We wish for ten stones of this metal in exchange for the horn.” Bebop whispered into Donovan’s mind via the connection Tamsen had made, “Take them for more, Donovan!” Donovan’s eyes met Bebop’s briefly. “We just doubled our profit in a single trade. Don’t fight for coppers when dealing in gold.” Donovan then turned back to the chief, “We’ll do that deal, White Tusk.” Donovan had GrumbleJack bring out one of the Mithral Cobras from the Haversack, then reaching out across the edge of the Frosthamar to hand it to one of the members of the Yutak tribe. They spent some time weighing the object to make sure that the weight was the amount agreed upon. Once confirmed, they released the horn to Donovan and his family. “Anything else I can interest you in today, noble Chief?”, Donovan’s voice perked at the end, making the statement sound less like a question, and more like a temptation. The tribe produced miscellaneous pieces of ivory, and White Tusk spoke, “We seek more metal for our weapons.” Donovan smiled, “More metal you say?” Donovan looked over at Bebop, “Open up one of the crates.” As Bebop moved towards the crates, Odenkirk intercepted Donovan. “Not so fast. I was hired to make sure this shipment made it to the destination, and that doesn’t include you just opening it up and using it for your personal profit.” Donovan’s eyes focused on Odenkirk. “I see, so what is it you are looking for here Captain?” Odenkirk’s greed was transparent to Donovan, but he allowed him to say the words he knew was going to come from the captain next. “First, I want it to be clear that this isn’t on me. If Thorn finds out about this trade, you made this choice, not me.”, Odenkirk’s fear of Thorn was still present, even if just so. Donovan tilted his head at Odenkirk at the words he said, then dismissively responded. “I’m sure my father will be fine with this.” Odenkirk, undeterred by Donovan’s response, pressed on. “And I want seventy percent. You wouldn’t even be able to trade with the Yutak if it wasn’t for me.” Donovan suppressed the urge to laugh in Odenkirk’s face, then quickly looked over at White Tusk. “Excuse me a moment, Chief. The Captain and I are discussing something of importance.” His eyes then refocused to Odenkirk, “I need to find out if they’ll even make this trade before I can offer you numbers.” Odenkirk would not be denied his prize. “No, you have to settle with me first.”, grabbing Donovan’s arm and holding him in place. Donovan’s annoyance was apparent now, as he tried to appease the captain. “Fine, I’ll do fifty percent on the value of the cargo trade, since you are providing the forum for this negotiation to take place.” “Sixty.”, Odenkirk attempted to counter with Donovan. An air of menace crept over Donovan, as he stared at Odenkirk with a barely contained rage. “You’ll take fifty percent, and be thankful for having any profit for a deal that you are now getting in the way of.” Odenkirk recoiled at seeing the sudden change of demeanor from Donovan, who had up to this point, been nothing but diplomatic and pleasant with all of the crew. Having resolved the matter, Donovan presented a handful of weapons and shields to the Yutak, in order to have them review any of them for possible options. There was some back and forth between the members of the Yutak and Donovan, with him attempting to keep the deal within the “break even” point, and still not make them feel as though they were getting a poor deal from him. Finally, there was a breakthrough for a small amount of profit on the items to be sold. The deal was nothing particularly exciting, yet it was enough to keep the Yutak tribe interested. “Do you happen to have any furs or other fine garments?”, White Tusk chimed up. Just then, Bebop remembered the collection of robes that had been taken from the Warden of Branderscar. The chief’s eyes grew wide with excitement when Bebop produced the first garment. Unfamiliar with the typical manner in which Talingarde finery was worn, White Tusk simply tossed the robe on top of his existing clothes. One of Odenkirk’s sailors began to chuckle at the sight of White Tusk poorly attempting to wear the robe, but that was immediately silenced when Odenkirk grabbed the sailor and threw him back across the deck. Odenkirk was angrily whispering something to the sailor, but Donovan couldn’t focus on what the captain was saying while attempting to reassure and encourage the chief. The chief asked if he was wearing the outfit the right way, and Donovan provided him some suggestions on how to properly wear the attire. After removing some of his own outerwear, the chief placed the robe on him in the correct fashion, and was immediately excited about the look and feel of the clothing. “We will trade you all we have left for this robe.”, White Tusk said to Donovan. Donovan smiled and responded, “Not at all, noble Chief. This robe is a gift for you. We wish for you to have it to express the beginning of new relations between us.” The chief thought on this act of goodwill, and responded positively, “We will not forget you, or what you have done for our tribe today. What is your name?” Donovan responded, “Please call me Donovan Thorn. I’m looking forward to continued relations with you and others of your tribes.” Donovan paused for a moment, “White Tusk, if you are still looking for an opportunity to trade your remaining wares, I believe we have additional robes that may also please you.” Bebop pulled out several other robes in different colors. Without hesitation, the tribe chief spoke up, “We’ll trade those for all we have left here.” Donovan smiled at White Tusk, “We most certainly have a deal.” Not much later, the Yutak pulled away from the Frosthamar, having traded away all of their wares to Donovan in exchange for a few stones of Mithral, a handful of shields, and three robes. Donovan walked over to Captain Odenkirk, pulling a large handful of coins out of his bag. Donovan placed the coins into the captain’s hand. “Seventy five gold. That’s what I estimate fifty percent of the profit to be on those shields we ended up trading with the Yutak.” Odenkirk took the money while smirking at Donovan, “That’s a really nice horn you got from them.” Donovan nodded and laughed, then looked over at Tamsen. In her head, Donovan spoke to the group. “Hilarious! The fool is planning to kill and rob us, while we’re planning to kill and rob him. The irony of this situation isn’t lost on me.” Time passed, and the ship continued to push north. The water was beginning to freeze up now, as the Frosthamar pushed through blocks of ice across the top of the water. The scenery was breathtaking, but hard to enjoy as the temperature continued to plummet. Tamsen, who was naturally resistant to temperature fluctuations, wrapped her arms around Donovan. “Are you doing alright out here, my love?”, she whispered sweetly in his ear. “Thank you for thinking about me. I’m better now that you are around.”, Donovan responded to her. She pushed closer against Donovan and giggled slightly, “I’ll share my body heat with you anytime.” Donovan pulled out a few blackened pieces of clay from his alchemist kit. “Help me work these into a pile, would you?” Donovan’s hands, at first rigid and inflexible, began to gain mobility as the heat from the pieces of clay gained malleability. Tamsen noticed the change in temperature as well. “Ooh, these get warm as you play with them!”, Tamsen commented as her hands spread the Blackfire Clay around. “They do indeed, my love. And, they make heat without fire, which is quite useful in situations like the one we are in right now.” Bebop and Lucius soon discovered what the other two were doing, and assisted in activating the clay for creating a small “campfire” that they could use for heat. As the darkness set in, the only light available on the ship was coming from the torches at the front and rear of the ship. Suddenly, Donovan and the others noticed that the temperature was dropping unexpectedly fast. Even next to the heat source they had created, the temperature was falling in a very apparent way. Donovan stood up and began looking around. “Something’s coming guys. Probably some sort of ice creature.” The temperature then took a vicious drop, as ice crystals formed along the railing and deck of the ship. A moment later, Ice Elementals appeared on the ship. A voice called up from around the crow’s nest of the Frosthamar, “How dare you bring fire into my realm? Now you all will suffer for your arrogance!” The voice was laughing and mocking them, but it was too dark to make out what sort of creature was up in that area. Donovan called out to Tamsen, “Tamsen, light up the crow’s nest!” Tamsen gestured with her hands and words, and a group of Dancing Lights were soon circling around that area of the ship. With a clearer image of what was up there, Donovan was able to identify the creature that was haranguing the ship. “Ice Mephit! Lucius, put a Hell Hound up there, those creatures are vulnerable to fire!” Bebop began his transformation, embracing his monstrous form and moving towards two of the Ice Elementals. The crew, barring Odenkirk, were simply too terrified to act. GrumbleJack attempted to swing at the small creatures, but struggled for any of his hits to land. Odenkirk grabbed for his axe, then immediately dropped it as it became covered with ice crystals. Odenkirk was taken aback, but instead pulled out a pair of daggers he had been previously concealing. The Mephit laughed at Odenkirk, seeing the weapon dropped from his hand, but was then surprised by the Hell Hound that also was summoned up in the crow’s nest, and breathed fire at it. The Mephit screamed and cursed at the Hell Hound, flying away as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, back on the deck, Bebop was continuing to annihilate the Ice Elementals on the deck, with a small amount of support from GrumbleJack and Odenkirk. Donovan screamed up at the Ice Mephit that was flying around the ship, “Get down here, or you’ll share the fate of these Ice Elementals.” The Ice Mephit laughed and refused Donovan’s order. Soon, though, the Ice Mephit watched as all the Elementals were destroyed from the deck. The Ice Mephit, perhaps annoyed or afraid of what would happen if it attempted to flee, decided to land on the deck. Looking at Donovan, the Mephit hesitated, then spoke a single word. “Parley?” Donovan scoffed at the creature. “Now you want to talk? Fine! Why are you attacking this ship?” The creature, arrogant in its activity, responded to Donovan. “You bring the fire to my realm, and now you see my anger!” Donovan sighed at this small creature, so confident in its talents and abilities. “Alright, then, what do you want?” The Mephit, thinking it had finally gotten what it wanted from this ship, cackled with glee at Donovan’s response. “You’ll put out all of your torches and fires, and then I will allow you to pass.” Donovan, whose frustrations had already been pushed to the brink over wasting even more time still dealing with yet another arrogant creature, tilted his head at the Mephit, then responded curtly, “Let me make you a counter offer.” Donovan’s eyes flicked over to Tamsen, who immediately knew what Donovan wanted her to do. Tamsen spoke quietly, making small gestures with her hands towards the Mephit. The Mephit suddenly found itself unable to stay awake, and fell into a Slumber on the deck of the ship. “Toss him in a crate,”, Donovan said to Bebop, “we’ll see if his temperament changes after a few days of not being able to leave.” Odenkirk was angry with the Mephit, wanting to destroy it utterly. Bebop, having also learned the way that Odenkirk was motivated, held him at bay with a simple sentence. “Wait Captain, we can sell this creature for profit.” Odenkirk was frustrated, but was clearly moved by Bebop’s words. Donovan spent the next few days speaking to the creature from inside the crate, explaining to it that it had very few choices given the situation it had put itself in. Slowly, using a combination of diplomacy and intimidation, Donovan began to break the will of this creature. After a while, the Mephit revealed its name to Donovan, “I am Killiketz.” Donovan tossed in a Liquid Frost vial into the crate with Killiketz. “You work with me, Killiketz, and more of these will keep coming your way.” Killiketz soon proved itself quite useful, taking over the crow’s nest of the Frosthamar and functioning as a scout for the ship. The Mephit would fly out and scout the waters ahead of the path the ship was headed. It would then come back and report what it had discovered to Donovan, who was able to inform Odenkirk of what had been discovered. And, while the crew was annoyed at no longer getting away from everyone up in the crow’s nest, all of them could appreciate how efficient and accurate Killiketz functioned as a scout on behalf of the ship. “ You know, I bet we could get four thousand gold for that creature.”, Odenkirk spoke up to Donovan after seeing what the Mephit was capable of. Donovan smiled and looked back at Odenkirk, “I like the way you think, Captain.” After their travels, they came upon an unspoiled area of land, well behind the Watch Wall. The area was still cold, but the waters were no longer covered with ice. The Frosthamar glided gently down the waters, until it finally came upon a crudely built pier. Looking around, the members of the Frosthamar could see a large collection of bugbears moving around the area. As they approached the pier, the group could see four Bugbears walking up the pier, with violence in their eyes. Donovan sighed, “Oh, this is going to be interesting.” Session 6 Ends. [/QUOTE]
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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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