Session 6, Ghost Ship

Coins End 

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Session 6 – 2023-10-14

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==== Summary ====

They woke at Geolain's the following day and had a nice breakfast. They discussed protecting their books better as the individuals they dealt with the night before vowed to come after them again. They also vowed to come after the group that stole them back. They discussed Halaan. Geolain had determined that he was an alchemist like Arowain. He had last told someone that he was headed to the Jungles of Chult, specifically the Obakesep region. He was looking for ice caves there. There was discussion about ice caves in a jungle but Geolain said there were some high peaks in the area. Perhaps he was headed that way. He didn't know why but only that he last reported that he was headed there. 

He was seeking rumored ice caves in the deep caves there. Ogelsby asked, "Ice caves in the jungle?". Geolain answered, "Yes! Ergo the word, 'Rumored'. That seems like a really odd place but there are some significant peaks there. I don't know what he was going on, I don't know Halaan, or what motivated him, but that's where he said he was going. The ice caves were said to contain healing minerals and other powerful arcane energies in the mountains southeast of the town called Ishau. He was shuttled to Ishau in Refuge Bay across the Shinning Sea. From there, he was going to travel over land to those peaks, I don't know where exactly. Those peaks are quite extensive.". 

Oglesby asked, "The Peaks of Flame?". Geolain answered, "I don't know if it was supposed to be there. I was thinking those peaks a little nearer to Ishau, the nameless mountain range southeast of Ishau. But it could the Sanrach Mountains or perhaps even the Peaks of Flame. I don't know! Chult is a very geologically active area but having ice caves seems very weird. It would have to be somewhere where magic or arcane energy or something unusual is going on. That's his whole reason for wanting to find them. If he can find them, then he can hopefully harness new materials, whether it be physical reagents or knowledge about arcane things, and use those to learn and make a book that the Sentinels of the True Way would want to burn.".

They discussed chartering a ship. They headed to the docks to do just that. They'd hoped that maybe Captain Pocaat could possibly get them there but when asked, she was booked on another run in the opposite direction. She did point them to the White Pearl and a captain named Jack Scarecrow. They sought him out and he agreed to take them but knew that some of the sailors might baulk at women being on board. They discussed it with the crew. A few had reservations about it. One got particularly angry at the idea. Brandy attempted to prove that they would be an asset on the trip by challenging the loud one to a game. They suggested a throwing game where they threw this heavy bell out into the harbor. The one that threw it the furthest won. 

They tied it off and he heaved out into the bay. Brandy whipped out her bow and fire at the bell and hit it in mid flight. The crew was impressed. Brandy's turn, She heaved it out about 20 feet further. While in mid flight, the challenger threw a flask at it. He missed. The crew laughed at him. Captain Jack let them know the challenge was successful and that the ladies would be traveling with them. The challenger stormed off the ship unwilling to travel with them. Brandy took a shot at the floating flask in the harbor and shattered it. The crew cheered her success. As the other ladies boarded, they got a lot of looks from the men of the White Pearl.

Before they set off, Pyreece went weapon shopping and bought a short bow, some replacement bow strings, and sheaf arrows. She returned and they left. They traveled uneventfully for a few days. Then they came across a ship that appeared to be almost crewless. There was a man laying over the wheel of the ship and a body in the crows nest. Captain Jack feared it might be the plague. The group decided that they should check it out. He mentioned to them that there are salvage rules on the open sea. If the ship was left without anyone claiming it, it could be claimed by them. The group lowered a dingy and headed toward it. As they got close, the body behind the wheel lifted it's head and looked at them He tried to warn them off. 

They continued approaching and calling out. They received no answer from anyone. They tied off to the ship and Audra climbed up. Brandy followed close behind. From the railing, they could see bodies round the central mast. They were bloodied with large scratches covering their bodies. The rest climbed up. As they were boarding, zombies attacked, pouring out of the hold. A fight ensued. While fighting the zombies, lacedons, (ghouls of the sea) climbed on board. As they attacked and hit members of the group, each became paralyzed. Pyreece managed to turn them and the lacedon's fled the ship. 

A mysterious etherial hand floated up out of the hold and attempted to touch Pyreece but failed. It moved to Elenor next who was trying to finish off the last Zombie. It missed her as well and then it just stopped and hung there in the air. Elenor finished off the last zombie while Pyreece maintained the turning. The rest slowly became unfrozen. Brandy tried to hit the hand with a sword but it passed threw it. The hand moved back toward the hold and then vanished. While Pyreece stayed on the main deck of the ship maintaining the turning, everyone but Elenor started down to into the hold. There were bloody runes and glyphs on the boards surrounding the opening to the hold. Audra smashed wood with the markings, tied off a rope to the main mast, and then repelled down. As she did, she smashed the blood mzrked rungs on the ladder. Once down, the rest followed.

They searched this deck finding chests with bodies in them, still moving, pulling knives out and chopping away at their own bodies. Kipp also found a body laying on the floor of a room, missing parts of its body. It pulled out a knife and began chopping at it's left arm until it cut a big chunk off. Then it used the knife to push the piece of arm toward the stove. Kipp ended the creature's existence. He ended the others in the chests as well. While they were busy down below, Elenor and Pyreece were on the deck keeping the lacedon's at bay and watching for anyone else that might try to board. Pyreece felt compelled to release the turning as a voice in her head told her the lacedon's were gone and no longer a threat.  As Audra was thinking of dropping into the next section, she saw the runes and decided that Elenor and Pyreece should check those out, figurre out what they were there for. Maybe she shouldn't be smashing them. Pyreece determined that they were symbols to Kelemvor, the god of the dead. 

While focused on that, the lacedons boarded the ship again. Elenor and Pyreece dropped down through the hatch to the next level alerting everyone of the incoming ghouls. They fought and killed them as they dropped in the hold, a couple at a time. Once they were defeated, they continued to the cargo area at the bottom of the ship. It had supplies, including a lot of wood. They opened the door to the front of the ship. It was a room that had been converted into a shrine to Kelemvor. Pyreece began tearing down the bloodied canavas tarps hanging on the walls, smashing a skull hanging on the wall above a bloody chest. While she started sanctifying the room, the rest moved to the rear of the ship. They found more supplies but no other creatures.

They moved back to the main deck and moved to the rear to check out the captain's quarters. They were greeted by four skeletons. As they shouted out, "To arms!", Pyreece and Audra headed to the main deck to help. The skeletons attacked and got a lucky hit on Kipp dropping him. The rest dropped the skeletons as Pyreece arrived in time to heal Kipp. 

The session ended there.

Start the recorder!

Xp's, 254 + 25 = 279 plus 75 to getting Audra to level 2 or actually 322 + 32 = 354