Session 20: Pinky Promises (5/2/23)

Desnova 3, 1423.

After showering the wild shaped gnome in gold, Rucia is joined at the docks by the rest of his companions. There has been no luck in locating Condor and his 'companions', but the PCs decide to go check out The Slack Mallard for any potential evidence. Nebol'shoy swims over and attempts to transform back to himself while leaping through the air, but just crashes into the hull, alerting the others who have arrived. Aldren and Rucia head belowdecks and discover that the holds are emptied, since the Trawler's Union is repairing the boat, and also a pair of severed human pinkie fingers on bloodstains on the Captain's sheets. They search further, and in Condor's emptied money-box, Aldren finds a secret compartment containing a compass which only points in a non-Northern direction.

Bjork conjures up a shelter for the night, but while on watch, Aldren hears a commotion from outside, and leaves to check on it. A trio of fishermen's bodies has been exsanguinated and discovered by Ekaterina Belov, who knew them all to some extent. There are no puncture wounds, and the corpses look surprised...

Desnova 4, 1423.

In the morning, the rest of the PCs examine them, after they've been moved to a cart by a local Soverat guard. Rucia purchases some salt from the Flapping Salmon, and then salts and burns the bodies after hacking them up. As they ready themselves to further investigate the disappearance of their friend, several of the PCs inquire with Lamplighter, the death priest, who they interrupt shaving after conjuring up a snake to distract his raised undead wolven guard-dogs. He reinforces that it doesn't sound like vampires, but rather some sort of curse or blood-magic. Meanwhile, Smoker tells the PCs that he saw a strange woman who was asking after some sort of 'lantern' bearer in the village.

The PCs (and Smoker the bouncer) check out the House of Drawn Veils just to be sure the Captain isn't around, and find a ghastly site, that the minstrels outside as well as most of the staff (including the Madame) have been drained of blood, the former then dunked into the fountain, from where Bjork fishes out their pockets. Aldren spies a strange red woman in one of the upstairs windows, but then followed up by screaming from within. Rucia and Bjork race up to confront whoever is doing this, and the rest of the PCs eventually catch up to face a tiefling woman composed of swirling blood, horns, and little by way of clothing. She seems to recognize Nebol'shoy, and also seems impervious to all physical attacks including those of magical weapons. She also nearly merges with Rucia but he resists her advances, and can fire off missiles of hardened blood against those in her vicinity. Energy does seem to affect her, and after a number of smites and spell attacks, she pronounces 'Now is not the time...' and disappears into a puddle of blood on the floor.

Our heroes search the rest of the brothel for survivors, finding only Lt. Strada tied up in a compromising upright position upstairs, and a pair of other concubines in the 'torture room' in the basement. Bjork loots the Madame's money-box, thinking the late whore-mistress will no longer require it, and then Rucia burns and salts the rest of the bodies outside the window that broke during the fight. Aldren and Nebol'shoy warn the Sallowmoon d'vryn about the slaughter, and ask if they could in turn warn the Ganelari family. At the docks, the others hear more rumors from one of the Trawlers that Condor was accompanied by not two, but THREE individuals, at least one of which was an attractive, tall female dwarf, and that they rowed off from the docks the prior afternoon.

The PCs leave Ekaterina behind and head south on the Skorbi River, crossing to the mouth of the Jaggerhead Lake. They spy some of the red-bannered bugbears, or at least scouts that are seeking out a riverside ambush but wisely avoid this group of heroes. They also find an overturned rowboat near one of the rocky Jaggerheads, and once it is mended and flipped, there is the lower half of a body stuck in some ropes, crawling with small crabs and parasites.

By nightfall, they have docked below the Herring House temple, and are welcomed by Brothers Elm and Beandip. After some donations and chat, and a sampling of Beandips famous corn-fish-paste-whatever, Bjork pulls the crank that causes the great fish mascot to spew fog out over the lake. A meeting is arranged with Sister Roil, who they tell all about the mysterious lantern Aldren has been toting around since the beginning. An agreement is struck that she will perform a divination with Condor's fingers to locate him better, if they swear they will free the unfortunate young spirit trapped within the lantern. As they wait for her results in the morning, they head to the Millward Inn, where they rent rooms and take a meal. A young kitchen scallion is sent out to perform for them, and his instrument is detuned...Bjork fixes the strings, and the boy plays an inspirational song that makes even the minotaur weep (and a little envious).

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

??? (tiefling female): A well-proportioned, attractive red-skinned woman with a short, barbed tail and a pair of black horns, she seems to be able to manifest and dissolve herself into a pool or cloud of swirling blood, which she refreshes by draining humans and humanoids dry.

Brother Beandip (human male): A large, bald man wearing indigo robes, with a head of mere grey stubble that half-masks several elaborate tattoos of crabs, squids, and a swordfish pointing down the back of his skull to his spine. He seems rather well fed, and in fact carries a wooden bowl about with him which he is constantly stirring, that smells of corn, fish paste and other ingredients that don’t exactly greet the senses well. A mace is partly concealed by the folds of his cloak, and he has a large wooden amulet featuring a trio of crabs, two smaller clutching a large which in turns holds a bottle.

Brother Helm (human male): A hunched old man past 70 winters, with a few flecks of white attached to his bald-shaven scalp. He works the docks beneath the Herring House in Omutny, taking alms for those who wish to moor their craft during their visits to the church or village.

Sister Roil (human female): A short, middle-aged woman wearing billowing, layered robes of blue and green, her head is nearly shaven bald aside from a single oiled blonde braid that hangs from the very back of her scalp. Tattoos of wave patterns dominated her cheeks and meet upon her nose, with a solid band of blue just below her lips that covers her chin. A pair of sapphires set into miniature silver ship earrings dangle from her ears, and she wilds a bone trident fastened with bands of iron and straps of leather. A buckler carved like a white-striped, wooden crab is affixed to the opposite arm.

Svart (human male): A young man still in his teenage years, with misshapen teeth and a lopsided bowl cut of black hair. He wears a brown apron over a white tunic, and wields a cheap mandolin which he is often called upon to perform for the scant off-season crowds at the Millward Inn.