(written by Phil about a recent expedition into the sea caves of the Ocean's Throat, earning his character Bartholomew Pettibone 100 xp per level; there is minor editing, blocking out certain paragraphs)
From the Journals of Bartholomew Pettibone, of the House Pettibone
A Purveyor of Enchanting Sorcery
25 March 2021 – The Very Model Of A Modern Major General
The Players: Hey-Jo, of the ink-stained hands, Durham (accompanied by Pako the Renyu, Ly Mantok – a sakkra, Ix the Klackon, and Bridne Murcada), Sesel (accompanied by Barabajagal, and The Grey Gadhar), and Bartholomew Pettibone, of the House Pettibone (accompanied by loyal Gan ad-Din, Bearer of All Things).
Tonight – we hunt pirates! Ah-Hahahahahahaha!!!
On our outbound trip, via the Fisherman's Way, a large group of armed footmen approached us for parley as were passing by the migdol. They were wearing the sigil of a lightning bolt, and claimed they were emissaries of the Barcedai. Durham quietly informed us to not trust these people; he had been previously warned of their treacherous manner. They intended for us to join them to greet their leaders, and to pay passage tax – we refused and bluffed our importance and rank, showing them our knotted, silken, Klackon sigils for entering the 6th House. We haughtily exclaimed that the Princess of the N'Dorl House of the Klackons was expecting us, and we had no time to spare for idle chittering. They were quite familiar with the Klackon Houses and did not wish to anger the 5th House. Our bluff worked, and we continued on our way.
We entered the ocean caves and made our way, thanks to Pako's keen senses, to the main giant chamber where we originally located the pirates in months past. No shore party was observed today, and only a single ship was anchored near the far shore – stern to. The only way to approach the ship, from our initial observations, was to swim across the great chamber. We did not relish that idea. We noted that all of the galley's oars were shipped, and only the general noise of activity was noted. Indeed, after further recon, we found that this was the black ship, the Dark Wing!
A structure was noted farther down the beach to our left, a massive, natural stone pillar, constructed all around with a man-made structure/tower housing a platform with a ballista. And guards! All attention seemed to be focused toward the outside of the caverns, not back toward us. I twisted my fingers and reached through the arcane dimensions, and sent a sleep-inducing wave of energy out and around the tower. We saw the ballista guards slump, and other noises and activity from within the tower ceased. All of the pirates in the tower had dropped into a deep slumber, but one – a Kzin warrior! Before the Kzin could sound the alarm, Hey-Jo quickly grappled within the alternate dimensions of aracana and wrapped the Kzin in a tight cocoon of force, and that warrior suddenly went rigid and quiet. We were able to take the tower quietly, without a fuss! All of the pirates within were slain; however, the Kzin was securely bound and gagged – we expected we might hold him as hostage, and request ransom.
The massive stone pillar was found to be hollowed out, with a door opening into it. Inside it was hollowed out like a watch-tower, with arrow loops and a stair leading up, into darkness. Crates and barrels of rations and water were noted. Durham explored the stairway up. At the top it opened into a small chamber, having crenelations facing out, into the cavern. A passage exited the far side of that room, carved through the cavern roof, that appeared as if it might lead out across the water below, to the other side of the cavern and its hidden bay – to where the Dark Wing was berthed. Openings along that passage are where we noted lights along the ceiling, as seen from below when standing on the floor of the main cavern chamber.
Before we abandoned the bound and gagged Kzin, I questioned Sesel about his facial scars. At the moment, this seemed almost trivial to all gathered. However, after Sesel explained that it was a way that the Kzin marked certain of their slaves/prey, the party better understood my inquiry. After Sesel finished his tale, I drew my silvered dagger and moved to stand over the Kzin warrior. Without hesitation, I then drew my dagger smartly across its face and marked it in exactly the same fashion as the Kzin are wont to mark their slaves, noting that it was now a slave to its prey. We left the miscreant bound, gagged, and held by Hey-Jo's spell, while we climbed the stairs and set out across the ceiling passage in further exploration.
We came to a door along the passage, and noting faint sounds of what seemed to be amorous activity within, decided to pass by and not interfere. However, just as our last party member passed, someone from inside opened the door, noted us, then quickly shut it again! We immediately turned and burst in upon a disheveled couple hurriedly attempting to dress and gather weapons! We took them fairly unawares, and captured them. The woman introduced herself as the Captain of the Dark Wing – the ship below. Being an experienced ship's captain, she quickly sized-up our group, and seeing how seriously outnumbered she and her lover were, decided to attempt parley. We entered into conversations. Using subterfuge and slight-of-hand, I dribbled mushroom extract into alcoholic drinks that I had poured, and then distributed them to our captives. As we toasted to our gathered health, I asked that Gan distribute crackers, sliced cheese, dried fruits, and sliced salamis. There was no need to be barbaric!
Sesel focused his psy-ops upon the Captain and was able to insert calming images into her psyche, making her more amenable to our presence. After convincing the Captain (which was not difficult in her drugged and controlled state) to provide us with a personal tour of her splendid operations, she graciously took Sesel and most of our party back out into the main passage. Meanwhile Barabajagal further plied the young gentleman (Zaroum) with more aggressive fungal extracts, bound him securely, and gagged him. The poor fellow was NOT going to have the most pleasant 'excursion' into the void.
Onward with the tour of the pirate facilities! The Captain mentioned, as we walked and chatted, that she had about a handful more than three score able crewmen at her disposal. However not many were currently upon the ship, as they were at their mess and in quarters nearby. We learned that this main passage did lead across the roof of the massive cavern chamber, over the ship anchored below, and then down to additional ground facilities. As the psilocybin extract took full effect, and we were looking down at her ship from these upper battlements, the Captain swooned into vertigo and power-puked out into the darkness and water below. A couple of her retinue who were set to guard the far side of the passage heard this distress and came to inspect the commotion. I intercepted the good fellows and was able to bluff them into thinking that she was fine, and that we would further escort the Captain to her ship.
Indeed, upon hearing my discourse with her minions, the Captain was adamant that she should take us to the Dark Wing, and give us a tour of her ship. Of course, we happily agreed! However, unknown to us, to do this would require that we pass through the crew's mess hall – which was currently occupied and in full operation! What in all the hells were we thinking?! We were certainly digging ourselves into a deep, deep grave.
Before striding into the cacophony that was the crew's mess hall, I focused my mind and reached into the arcane dimension, forming thin sheathes of molecules that wrapped around and turned Durham and Bridne invisible. We then confidently moved into the chamber where the crew of the Dark Wing were raucously eating, drinking, and carousing. Durham and Bridne moved about, unseen, dribbling mushroom extract into drinks, while myself and Barabajagal continued to calmly chit-chat with the Captain.
While moving through this scene of chaos, Sesel noted a pirate off to his side who displayed obvious enmity toward one of his nearby chums. Sesel focused his psy-ops on that fellow, lodging intense, violent images into his mind – mentally nudging him into attacking the comrade who angered him the most. A fight instantly exploded upon the scene, with ferocity, which provided a helpful distraction, aiding our party to move through the crowd unquestioned.
Out of this mess we strolled, onto the beach, and toward a work party being watched over by the first mate – Jahaka. Upon eyeing the mate and her party, and seeing her demeanor and face as she sternly watched us approach, we estimated that our proverbial gooses were now to be cooked and devoured. Her hand rested lightly upon her weapon, and she called the work party to halt. Surely our luck at bluffing our way through this madcap nightmare was at an end!
Now, off on another tangent – Durham had noted that several chambers we passed housed bedraggled prisoners. He surmised that these poor folks were likely being kept here prior to being sold as slaves by the pirates. This did not sit well with his liking, and he came to an immediate, shall we say, spontaneous decision! Being invisible, he and Bridne darted away from our group to investigate who might be held prisoner within those dungeon cells – noble personages, perhaps?
Back on the beach, it seemed certain that the first mate would not be accepting that our group was anything other than hostile. As loopy as the Captain was acting, mentally warped from the mushroom extract, it was easy to understand why. However, she was quite aware that we held her Captain's life in our collective hands. Sesel focused his mind upon the first mate, and gently nudged her enmity, rounding it out into mere curiosity; her demeanor relaxed. However, even as she became friendly toward us, she remained concerned that her Captain seemed 'drugged'. We agreed with her that, indeed, it appeared very much like she was drugged – due to her being overly tired, still slightly aroused from a certain 'escapade' she recently had (wink, wink), and imbibing of the tasty punch we had all been sharing.
We entreated the mate to join us in a bit of the grog. She grudgingly acquiesced, and ordered her group of miscreant pirates back to their work. After some witty banter, we begged our leave by convincing the first mate that it would be wise if we were to escort the Captain back to her chambers, and that afterward we would return for a closer inspection of the Dark Wing under her guidance. Jahaka could be seen to be struggling with the effects of the drugged wine, but the drug only made her more pliant to Sesel's mental nudging. She finally agreed, only because the drugged Captain 'ordered' the drugged mate to follow 'orders'!
Meanwhile:
After distracting the prison guards with his talent for ventriloquism, Durham and Bridne located the master keys for the cell doors, and began freeing the prisoners. Durham, remaining invisible, instructed the prisoners that they should depart, and follow the large group of adventurers moving their way – our party. As they stood in baffled silence, Durham completed his warnings and advisories to the captives by claiming that they were being freed by the kind, guardian spirit of the caverns, and that they must move quickly and silently, lest all hope be dashed! The prisoners were perplexed, but eagerly followed us, hoping beyond hope that this group of lunatics truly meant to free them.
The prisoners joined us, the guards ignored us, and we reached the upper passage back to the Captain's quarters. It was here, out of earshot and vision of others, where we paused a moment and questioned the Captain about treasure. In her mind-loosened state, she eagerly pointed out the secret door to her special treasure chamber. This was getting too easy!
Durham and Bridne had remained downstairs to investigate what had been pointed out earlier, during the Captain's drug-induced tour, as the 'research' chamber. As they stood outside the door to that room, a person opened the door, peered out of that chamber – staring right through Durham (who was still invisible) – then returned quickly into the room, closing the door behind them, but nt latching it.
Upstairs, the Captain assisted us in bypassing all traps upon the treasure room, and once inside, dreamily helped point out choice treasure items. These were quickly stashed within our waiting bags. The bedraggled and naked prisoners were stuffing their mouths, and dare I say, other orifices, with various and sundry loose baubles. Poor wretches. I felt bad for the pirates; they had likely killed and tortured, and risked their own dear lives for all of these trifles, and here we were filling our greedy pockets with their ill-begotten wares. Hahaha! Are we now pirates of pirates?! Are we a force for good? Through our negative actions of robbing and drugging them, do we negate their initial negative actions of killing and destroying to gain this wealth? Ah, some of the mushroom extract may have rubbed onto my fingers when I spiked the Captain's wine, earlier.
OK, back to the story.
Below, in the research room, Durham found another hostage – a noble hostage – being held and forced to do some kind of language translation. Durham recognized the hostage, Hadisha, and would have attempted to communicate with her, but she was not alone. Another person, unknown to Durham, seemed to be threatening Hadisha to work faster and more diligently! Durham got the feeling that this person was a powerful wizard. Wisely concluding that her rescue might be beyond his capabilities, he left Hadisha, thinking that she would continue to be too valuable to harm, and that we could return to attempt a rescue at another time. However, in the brief moments while he was in their presence, he did note that the research being conducted by the pirates mirrored the same that he has been involved in recently with the Kantor.
Durham and Bridne returned to the main party, and we gathered our captives – the Captain, her lover Zaroum, and the Kzin warrior – and made ready to depart. The prisoners Durham had freed dressed themselves in dead pirate clothing, and armed themselves with some of the pirate's weapons. The return to town was a more round-about affair, as we did not want to have the minions of the Barcedai note our return. We must have been a sight: our original nine (including a renyu, a sakkra and a klackon!), a dirty, rag-tag group of bedraggled prisoner/pirates, and a group of three rather outstanding personages – the Pirate Captain of the Dark Wing, her lover Zaroum, and a massive, scarred Kzin pirate/warrior. Luckily, our return was without encounter. We deposited our treasure at Cothon Under-star, then marched our prisoners to the Hanse at the Kantor. The prisoners that we freed from the pirate lair were fed and returned to their homes or set to their own desires.
We retired to Cothon Under-star and the beverages poured freely! Savory meat pies and roasted vegetables were consumed – along with slabs of warm, fresh bread, slathered with butter and soft cheeses. The haul that was brought forth from the pirate's lair was surely going to stuff our larders past brimming! However, while we may have bluffed our way to riches this time, I expect that we have made seriously powerful enemies. Any future endeavors may not meet with such blind, bumbling success. However, one thing that is on our side – our identities were never revealed to any of the pirates, or to the Captain. I mused if it were possible to keep it that way? As in all things, we shall see. Before we parted ways with our hirelings, I asked my closer, adventuring compatriots (in private), if we should not sweeten the pot for all involved, so as to help assure sealed lips, concerning this latest excursion?
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