They hope to use the debris raining down from their battle and use the cantrip mending to repair their ship. They spend the better portion of the day and stand back to admire their work. It is capable but they have only completed a fraction of the repairs necessary.
They debate about how to best repair the rest of the ship as well as remove the massive amount of water they have been taking on in their bilge since coming to a rest on the seas. But sleep is a more pressing necessity so they take their positions in the ship and try to find rest.
Captain Araxie first must kick out Sang Yu from her bed. Sang Yu complains that it smells horrible in the quarters below. She complains very loudly all the way out of the captain's quarters, along the deck and then to the bunks below.
Lithonnites In The Night
2,800 XPSleep has not come to some before their is a sound from outer hull and Araxie notices her ship list in the waters from a change in weight. Soon enough everyone is up as they see long thick tentacles reaching over the railings. They grab for Captain Araxie on one side of the ship and Maddox's wolf companion on the other. As they begin their battle, the creatures reveal themselves as large crustacean-like creatures. Looking more like boulders or oversized barnacles, the creatures are very resistance to the groups attacks.
It is not until Creed pushes one of the creatures over and sees it's soft underbelly that they find an easier way to kill these creatures. Soon enough they are either dead or thrown off the ship. It is not until they creatures are disposed of that the group sees the further damage these creatures did to their ship.
The next day the group begins their debate anew. What to do with the now extra damage. The eladrin high sorcerer, Taeilis suggests that he can teleport them to his temple which is very close to Baldur's gate, given enough time and gold. It will take him about 5 hours.
The others use this time to scour the ship to remove anything of worth before abandoning their ship. Araxie moves through the crew bunks to find only odds and ends as well as more than few copper pieces.
Rebirth
3,600 XP
Maddox moves through the minting and forging area and finally to the galley. The galley is in a horrible state. Tam, Maddox's ward, does not keep a clean kitchen. He has been cooking for everyone for the past few days but these duties, it seems, does not include cleaning up afterwards. The smell of rot is strong. Moving further forward he approaches a curtained off area. Moving the curtain aside, the smell of rot becomes overpowering. Piles of dead fish and other refuse is piled high.
Maddox stares in horror at the filth. It is then that he notices it move.
He retreats to the upper deck to get Creed. Together they return to the filth pile. It moves again and when Maddox puts he sword into the pile, a large naga rears out of the pile.It is not as large as the mind control naga that they had encountered in the village but it is definitely related. It lunges at Maddox and attaches it needle lined maw around Maddox's head. Together Maddox and Creed battle the naga but when the worm-like creature breathes out a stinking foul cloud, both Maddox and Creed can hear both the naga and Tam in their heads. They are told to surrender themselves to "the one." They are also commanded to kill anyone who is not of "the one".
Maddox moves back down the length of the hold and first encounters Sang Yu. She at first seems puzzled by his demeanor but her look changes quickly when he slashes down his sword on her killing her instantly. He then moves to his groomsmen. It takes and extra swing for the old man but he too falls under Maddox's sword.
When Creed finally breaks the mind control he sees the naga again for the enemy it is and attacks and kills the naga. The mind control thus broken, Maddox looks down at the carnage he has wrought and screams for a diamond. He holds his old friend, his groomsmen for years and calls for a diamond for a resurrection spell.
No one has one.
Graveyard of ships
Meanwhile, Kame who is swimming in the sea, calls out to Araxie to follow him down to the bottom of the water. She immediately jumps in and swims down following the turtle. Below them is a collection of broken and sunken ships littering the sea bed. Kame doesn't stop there or go in any of them but continues down a small hole in the floor of the sea. They swim into darkness and then the tunnel turns up. They both emerge into a air filled cavern. Araxie climbs out and moves cautiously down a path. From what she can see and hear this system of tunnels probably holds more than a few caves and tunnels. There is a smattering of gold pieces that trails off down one of the tunnels.
Fearing that whatever lies ahead will take more than her and a turtle she returns to the surface. Excited to tell the others she climbs aboard and begins telling them of what she and Kame have found but it falls on deaf ears as she sees the dead bodies.
Maddox tells Taeilis to get back to working on the teleportation circle. They need to get out of here.
A Temple Robbery?
Once the teleportation circle is completed they step through to a temple. It is full of activity of young eladrin students practicing magic. Taeilis tries to get them out of the temple quickly and quietly but Araxie will have none of it. She complains loudly that she is owed the money for a new airship.
She doesn't quite know how much but she shouts out an amount, 50,000 gp.
She continues to harass Taeilis until he finally relents. He ushers them down a series of corridors until he comes to a large circular metal door. The temples treasure room. He uses misty step and enters the room. He procures a large bag of holding and stuffs enough emeralds and gold pieces to make up the cost of a new airship.
How this will go over with the temple is not quite clear but they leave before questions can be asked.
Finally, they arrive back in Baldur's Gate.
Onthar Frume's Wonder Ale
As they enter into the city they pass through what is normally a heavily guarded gate. The lone guard is doing a poor job of scrutinizing people as he finally sees Maddox and Araxie, both high ranking officers of The Order Of The Obsidian Dagger.
Once they tell him that they have been away for some months, they learn that there has been some difficulties for both the Order and the city in general, after the assassination of the previous leader of the Order, Ondine. He explains that Onthar probably would be better to explain.
Once inside the city walls, they notice that there are much fewer Order soldiers as there normally would be. People seem to be in good spirits regardless, if a little bit more rowdy. Creed passes an odd advertisement poster on a wall that catches his eye.
On the poster is the likeness of Onthar Frume's smiling face as he holds a wooden flagon of frothy drink. On the flagon is a smiling cartoon dragon with it's thumbs up. In large red writing at the top of the poster is the words "Wonder Ale" and below Onthar's image are the words, "Onthar Says, "Have one right now!"
Odd, but they continue on.
They approach the lower city's keep and they can immediately tell that something dire has occurred. The large towers of the keep are damaged and burned. As they get closer they can see parts of the keep's walls are damaged and burned as well. Inside the keeps walls they enter a side entrance to a less damaged area and fine a sparsely furnished large room with Onthar at the far end dealing with administrative tasks.
Reporting The Death Of Stool
2,000 XP (for completing the mission)
After informing Onthar of their mission, the deaths of the fugitives as well as Stool, the Emperor and his fire monks, possible prisoners and their various encounters they listen to Onthar as he fills them in on what has happened in the city while they were away.
The Splitting Of The Order
After Ondine's assassination by the fugitives the group was in pursuit of, the Order was split into those who followed the philosophies and practices of Ondine and those who were loyal to Onthar.
Onthar represented the old school Order. The oaths and the discipline.
Those who followed Ondine valued power and the money it brought.
The war was quick but brutal. The followers of Ondine, calling themselves the Order Of Wend, retreating into the mountains but not before capturing several prisoners, some quite important. Orson Goosecry, was the chancellor for the Order and thus knew where the Order's money was kept and how to retrieve it. Anyone else who seemed to know is either on the other side or dead. The Order has no money. There is also a very important individual that needs to be rescued.
Onthar pauses in his oration to call for drinks. A young soldier brings a large platter containing wooden flagons emblazoned on the side with the image of a cartoon dragon giving the thumbs up. Wonder Ale.
Onthar tells them of the miracle story that is Wonder Ale. A small family has re-energized the economy of Baldur's Gate with their amazing drink. A whole industry has been built up to support the drink. Flagon makers, street market vendors, poster makers and distributors. They will begin to export this wonderful drink across Faerun soon. Besides, allowing his face and endorsement, earns the Order a percentage and that is dearly needed at this time. The endorsement is heartily and easily given anyway.
Each of the group takes a drink and finds it the most pleasant and pleasing drink they have ever tasted. It takes a bit of convincing but finally Maddox gives in, despite his paladin beliefs, and he too questions his life long abstinence from alcohol.
A Dangerous Road
10,00 XP
The group then splits going it's various ways as a new group is formed from within the Order for the rescue mission.
H, the newly contracted researcher into firearms and munitions, is selected as is Vall, a warlock.
The new group leaves Baldur's Gate immediately and sets off towards the mountains. It is not long before H pulls his two-horse drawn cart off the road and examines the road ahead. He had noted a whiff of smoke on the wind and senses someone is up ahead.
The others disembark from the wagon, and soon arrows are flying. The group takes cover and tries to determine where the attacks are coming from.
The battle is fierce with many coming close to death.
H uses his red dragon mask to ignite his bullets to great effect as the enemy realizes it is hard to take cover from his newly invented firearm. This does not help him though, when he is banished to a hellish plane. That is until Vall distracts the mage enough for the mage to loose the spell and H pops back to this plane.
DM Note: Best Line Of The Night goes to Araxie "I don't have time for dead people."
With the enemies finally defeated the group assess their damage and prepares to move on.
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