Post by Dead Greyhawk on Sept 24, 2004 12:40:45 GMT -5
The following day, after a late night of discussion, followed by rest at the Axe and Shield, Melar wanders through town. She asks questions of merchants in the town, trying to identify who might have been involved with the smugglers. She notes a very nervous cloth merchant, Marvin, and, after collecting Winthrop, iss able to browbeat a confession from him. Apparently, Marvin would receive shipments of silk and cloth monthly from a gentleman named San, who was normally clad in a skullcap. San was usually in the company of several ruffians. Occasionally, Marvin's cousin Myrick would handle the transaction. Marvin throws himself on Winthrop’s and Melar's mercy, saying he didn't think he was hurting anyone by avoiding the taxes.
At the same time Remo, Rook, and Serrin determine what items might be needed to waylay the smugglers' craft. Not knowing the size of the ship, they think they may need to burn it, its sails, or its rigging down, so quantities of oil and materials for flaming arrows are purchased. Serrin locates an ex-smuggler, one who was caught one too many times, and is given a brief overview of how smugglers work and the rough scale of a smuggling ship.
Late in the day, Serrin and Remo head out by foot to the manor house, while the rest row out to the house in the jolly boat with the supplies. Serrin and Remo stop at the farmhouse, where Pa wants to know, "Where's my cart?" After paying for the cart's use, Serrin asks if Tim or anyone else would be willing to aid the party out at the manor house. After Pa is reassured that there will be little danger, Tim agrees to help in exchange for archery lessons.
The party regroups at the manor house and settles in for the night. The following day, Remo investigates the house, identifying where lanterns might have signaled to the sea. He also provides to Tim the requisite archery lessons. As night falls, the party tests to see what can be seen and heard while out at sea, and judge that while light shown from the sea cave will not be seen, light shown from the house will.
After much discussion, including a mathematical discourse on trigonometry, sailing speed, and the rate of sunset by Winthrop, a plan is hatched. The party will leave Tim to watch for a signal while they ride in the ocean in the jolly boat, looking for the smugglers' ship to arrive. If Tim sees a signal, he is to respond with a similar signal back to the ship and then go home. The party will hopefully either see the ship, the ship's signal, or Tim's signal. The party will then attempt to approach the ship from the seaward side in the jolly boat. Ned and Serrin will scale the side of the ship and attach a rope ladder and a grapnel to the ship’s railing. A boarding order is established.
The first night in the boat goes uneventfully, and everyone then sleeps during the next day. Winthrop tries to determine the best way to salvage spells from the damaged spellbook found in the alchemist’s laboratory.
The second night in the boat, Rook sees Tim signaling from the house. Fifteen minutes of searching later, a large, single-masted ship is sighted. Approaching and scaling the ship goes flawlessly, with Ned and Serrin attaching the rope ladder and Ned affixing the grappling hook. Rook and Remo join Serrin and Ned on board before Will Stoutly's slight jingling alerts a perceptive smuggler.
Combat immediately erupts with Serrin casting a spear and receiving a magical bolt in return. A complicated melee follows, with much mind-altering magic being brought to bear. Some of the smugglers are ensorcelled to attack their compatriots. The mage who bolted Serrin is knocked unconscious. Remo is felled by arrows from above shortly before Tom Stoutly is able to target the offending archer, but is brought back to consciousness by Rook. The smugglers’ Captain drags his unconscious mage into a cabin while, almost simultaneously, three large lizardmen burst onto deck. The lizardmen rapidly retreat to the side of the ship and escape into the sea. First Serrin and Rook charge into the cabin where the Captain has retreated and both try to engage the Captain. Serrin and then Rook are knocked unconscious. A creature flies from the cabin of the lizardmen off into the night. Remo enters the Captain's cabin, only to be confronted by a mass of webbing obscuring the room. Winthrop dashes up to the poop deck, as Remo entangles an ensorcelled smuggler in the webbing. Winthrop peers over the back of the boat and spies the Captain and the mage clinging to the back of the boat. Winthrop successfully ensorcells the mage, causing the Captain to climb up on deck. Faced with very bad odds, the Captain retreats, stepping off the boat and sinking into the ocean in his metal chainmail armor. A quick search of the ship shows no more smugglers to be found.
After some time, the webbing in the Captain's room dissolves, allowing access to the unconscious Rook and Serrin. Will Stoutly attempts to aid Serrin and fails, but brings Rook conscious again. Rook calls on Cuthbert to awaken Serrin. After a long discussion about whether to seal up the ship, check on Tim, or search the ship, a group goes back to the manor in the jolly boat to both collect the goods the party left there and to check on Tim. Tim is not in the manor house.
While the group is at the house, Will Stoutly informs Melar that he has heard voices on the next deck below, and the voices are not speaking in the common tongue. Melar awaits the return of the rest of the party. Once they arrive, a secret door is located in the back of one of the cabins. In the small, cramped hidden compartment, locked to one of a series of staples in the floor, is an aquatic elf.
The elf explains that he was captured while sneaking aboard the boat. The boat had regularly visited an abandoned section of coastline in the Hool Marshes near the roaming area of his tribe. Curious, they sent the elf to explore, but he was not stealthy enough in boarding the ship. After being released from his shackles, he is asked by Serrin to search underwater for the body of the Captain. The elf does so, but fails to find the Captain’s body.
The party decides to sail nearer to Saltmarsh before waiting out the night. With the help of Winthrop and the Stoutlys, they successfully sail the ship, trailing the jolly boat, to about a mile outside of Saltmarsh harbor. There they await more excise men to help bring the ship in to dock.
At the same time Remo, Rook, and Serrin determine what items might be needed to waylay the smugglers' craft. Not knowing the size of the ship, they think they may need to burn it, its sails, or its rigging down, so quantities of oil and materials for flaming arrows are purchased. Serrin locates an ex-smuggler, one who was caught one too many times, and is given a brief overview of how smugglers work and the rough scale of a smuggling ship.
Late in the day, Serrin and Remo head out by foot to the manor house, while the rest row out to the house in the jolly boat with the supplies. Serrin and Remo stop at the farmhouse, where Pa wants to know, "Where's my cart?" After paying for the cart's use, Serrin asks if Tim or anyone else would be willing to aid the party out at the manor house. After Pa is reassured that there will be little danger, Tim agrees to help in exchange for archery lessons.
The party regroups at the manor house and settles in for the night. The following day, Remo investigates the house, identifying where lanterns might have signaled to the sea. He also provides to Tim the requisite archery lessons. As night falls, the party tests to see what can be seen and heard while out at sea, and judge that while light shown from the sea cave will not be seen, light shown from the house will.
After much discussion, including a mathematical discourse on trigonometry, sailing speed, and the rate of sunset by Winthrop, a plan is hatched. The party will leave Tim to watch for a signal while they ride in the ocean in the jolly boat, looking for the smugglers' ship to arrive. If Tim sees a signal, he is to respond with a similar signal back to the ship and then go home. The party will hopefully either see the ship, the ship's signal, or Tim's signal. The party will then attempt to approach the ship from the seaward side in the jolly boat. Ned and Serrin will scale the side of the ship and attach a rope ladder and a grapnel to the ship’s railing. A boarding order is established.
The first night in the boat goes uneventfully, and everyone then sleeps during the next day. Winthrop tries to determine the best way to salvage spells from the damaged spellbook found in the alchemist’s laboratory.
The second night in the boat, Rook sees Tim signaling from the house. Fifteen minutes of searching later, a large, single-masted ship is sighted. Approaching and scaling the ship goes flawlessly, with Ned and Serrin attaching the rope ladder and Ned affixing the grappling hook. Rook and Remo join Serrin and Ned on board before Will Stoutly's slight jingling alerts a perceptive smuggler.
Combat immediately erupts with Serrin casting a spear and receiving a magical bolt in return. A complicated melee follows, with much mind-altering magic being brought to bear. Some of the smugglers are ensorcelled to attack their compatriots. The mage who bolted Serrin is knocked unconscious. Remo is felled by arrows from above shortly before Tom Stoutly is able to target the offending archer, but is brought back to consciousness by Rook. The smugglers’ Captain drags his unconscious mage into a cabin while, almost simultaneously, three large lizardmen burst onto deck. The lizardmen rapidly retreat to the side of the ship and escape into the sea. First Serrin and Rook charge into the cabin where the Captain has retreated and both try to engage the Captain. Serrin and then Rook are knocked unconscious. A creature flies from the cabin of the lizardmen off into the night. Remo enters the Captain's cabin, only to be confronted by a mass of webbing obscuring the room. Winthrop dashes up to the poop deck, as Remo entangles an ensorcelled smuggler in the webbing. Winthrop peers over the back of the boat and spies the Captain and the mage clinging to the back of the boat. Winthrop successfully ensorcells the mage, causing the Captain to climb up on deck. Faced with very bad odds, the Captain retreats, stepping off the boat and sinking into the ocean in his metal chainmail armor. A quick search of the ship shows no more smugglers to be found.
After some time, the webbing in the Captain's room dissolves, allowing access to the unconscious Rook and Serrin. Will Stoutly attempts to aid Serrin and fails, but brings Rook conscious again. Rook calls on Cuthbert to awaken Serrin. After a long discussion about whether to seal up the ship, check on Tim, or search the ship, a group goes back to the manor in the jolly boat to both collect the goods the party left there and to check on Tim. Tim is not in the manor house.
While the group is at the house, Will Stoutly informs Melar that he has heard voices on the next deck below, and the voices are not speaking in the common tongue. Melar awaits the return of the rest of the party. Once they arrive, a secret door is located in the back of one of the cabins. In the small, cramped hidden compartment, locked to one of a series of staples in the floor, is an aquatic elf.
The elf explains that he was captured while sneaking aboard the boat. The boat had regularly visited an abandoned section of coastline in the Hool Marshes near the roaming area of his tribe. Curious, they sent the elf to explore, but he was not stealthy enough in boarding the ship. After being released from his shackles, he is asked by Serrin to search underwater for the body of the Captain. The elf does so, but fails to find the Captain’s body.
The party decides to sail nearer to Saltmarsh before waiting out the night. With the help of Winthrop and the Stoutlys, they successfully sail the ship, trailing the jolly boat, to about a mile outside of Saltmarsh harbor. There they await more excise men to help bring the ship in to dock.