Hey,
You went back around the harbour and spotted a commotion outside the Shrouded Mistress. On the way, Miguel saw that The Perk’s crew was attentively watching you from their deck and rigging. The commotion was a ring of six townsfolk/sailors surrounding a young Kennutois boy who cowered on the ground as they hurled insults and refuse like fish guts onto him. Boamund rushed forward and pushed into the circle, shouting for them to stop, and smelling the rum on their breath. The boy looked up to him frightened and pleading. Miguel, too, came running to help but was pushed away by one of the bullies, who was still surprised by your interruption. Ahappi, as well, forced his way in, while Fraud watched for any outside attention or interference (none came). Quickly enough, the crowd was intimidated and dispersed, with quick slurred claims that the boy had been bringing curse-spirits upon them. The boy picked himself up, shaken but still with a vestige of pride left, and only said that he was curious, having wandered into town to learn more about it. You escorted him, led by Miguel, safely back to the entrance to the grove.
You then left Miguel at the Shadow, where he soon noticed six Red Vadeli, a half-dozen other sailor crew, and Ciddar aboard; with attention now firmly on the Shadow, even him. They were very alert. The others went to the Kennutwaki Council Hall, left their weapons with Boamund outside at the guard’s urging, and entered, where page led them into the council hall’s impressive (for a tiny port) main room- with dais and fine chairs atop it, numerous tapestries and statuary and heraldry and other fineries from diverse lands around these coasts. You met a councilman/Talar named Patroc Ralbot; young head of his noble family and clearly a guy with much sway on the council’s activities. He immediately struck you as a well-groomed, savvy aristocrat and bureaucrat with strong motivation and priorities. He listened with interest to Ahappi’s explanation of your business, striking up a dialogue that explained the Council’s (and his, especially) problem with the Kennutois—they were blamed for bringing the curse of Lobata on the town, and many had suffered as a result. Carrying on, and noting your heroic stature, he mentioned that the situation was so bad he’d considered even a bounty on Kennutois heads—the deaths of the few remaining “evil doers” would surely end the curse. You didn’t like his sneering callous tone, but he was a man of reason who was open to debate, and was aware of your prowess. Maybe he could be brought around to a different attitude, and it seemed he was a keystone in the town’s power structure. He was clearly a Ship of Life adherent and “good” Malkioni, and tried to find common ground with Ahappi and the Magasta cult, and Fraud as well.
You brought up the Ouori pelts and he said he didn’t know of such business and if it happened, he agreed it must be illicit. He didn’t deny the activities of Vadeli here but explained that this was normal and they were watched—and this is true, as he said, that Hrestol’s clever pact forbidding the Vadeli from staying at Malkioni ports meant that, by their lawfully Unlawful nature, they congregrated at such ports and behaved better than they might otherwise so. Indeed, it was often said that it was an evil sign indeed to see a (Brown) Vadeli wandering inland away from a port, as it meant they either were of great power and terrible intent, or were forced to do so by some worse power… Most Malkioni ports had slums where the lesser Vadeli mixed with the lowly Dronari, misbegotten Waertagi and others; clever town Talars took a page from Hrestol’s book and ceremonially forebade their Vadeli from staying in those slums, so they mostly stayed there. But such lawful subterfuge would easily be turned into disaster if used against a strong Vadeli… Patroc agreed to look into the Ouori matter but it would take his men some time and he’d surely find you if he did find information. He hoped that Ahappi, too, would find information that would turn him to the town’s side and against the Kennutois; or at least to slay Lobata. The demon had claimed many lives by bringing the fog that drove people so mad they’d sail out of the harbour on vain quests to slay it. Ahappi wasn’t so sure he was going to do that, though.
Next you went to the Vankmeer Manor, a crumbling, sea-blasted edifice that looked older than it could be; surely from neglect. The guardhouse’s shadows at the gate sheltered surprising guards: three dark trolls, lounging about eating fish and seal bones. They gruffly ordered you away but got friendly once Fraud spoke Darktongue to them, and they conducted the standard troll ritual of greeting in extending darkness’s embrace to him, followed by pointing out their things you could not eat. You were OK to enter the manor unarmed and basically could not eat anything in there, either, unless invited. Some nervous servants soon came and brought Fraud and Ahappi inside while Boamund learned a gruesome “Hill of Gold” Uz song from the guards.
Lady (Talar) Gretchen Vankmeer was an elderly but still spry, active woman of grim mood who explained she’d lost three of her family’s elders to the geas of Lobata, and had hired the trolls to guard her house against the Kennutois (or anyone leaving, as you soon learned; and also these Uz were not afraid of or much bothered by the local spirits). She said the curse had slowly come with the fog of the Closing some years ago, worsening gradually, then worse than ever now. But she didn’t know of any particular causes, except that the shaman Apika must now be to blame, with all Kennutois. She refused to “tattletale” on her fellow Talars if they were up to any dealings with Vadeli and Ouori pelts, but exclaimed she’d rather herself be skinned then dealt in such atrocities.
Boamund spotted a bottle, in the meantime, lying some distance from the guardhouse, and opened it to find a little note from the two Vankmeer grandchildren complaining that their grandmother had cruelly locked them in their bedrooms and they would give their rescuer family riches if freed from her. He showed it to you on your return, and you rejoined Miguel at the Shadow, resting until night came. Ahappi saw a strange vision as the fog began rolling in: he sat on the docks and a puddle of blood formed, dripping into the water below, but then this all vanished. Later, once the blinding fog covered the island, and Amur brought the crew below decks for fish and grog while you watched the Shadow, Ahappi felt a presence and power building, and the fog swirled violently down the docks. There formed a sinister figure of a Pithdaran man in torn robes and turban, of empty eye sockets that wept blood. It screamed and gibbered madly in its ancestral tongue of Umathela and rushed him, arms outstretched to choke him, but its grasp failed to connect and he shouted it away. Boamund felt a wave of madness strike him as he heard its cry, as you all had, but no one saw it except Ahappi and soon enough it was driven back into the mists, weakened.
Ahappi then inhaled deeply of the fog, calling for its power to infuse him with insight of this purported curse of Lobata. He got what he asked for! A mad vision grabbed him: he floated out at sea, in the fog over a pool of blackness from which ebony, clawed, eye-bearing tentacles writhed towards him. An icy voice called to him in Darktongue, to abandon his bride or die, that Lobata was his true mistress and he must come to its embrace. He was filled with singleminded inspiration: he must either slay this monster or alter his quest to become its husband-protector (or slave?)—that was now his quest. He called his mosasaur forth and shouted his quest to you; Miguel thought this sounded like a good hunt but Boamund and Fraud paused at their comrade’s obvious insanity. Yet you agreed to go. You cast some sorceries and hopped down to cling onto the Platecarpus, which swam out of the harbour, found its way into the open seas, and then was enveloped by a fierce storm of black fog and raging waters. A voice called to Ahappi: he must abandon that “bitch” Ouwashilombiss (it knew now!); and it wanted its bride-price of a ship to feed on (with the implication of one or more souls?). Ahappi saw a nice solution there: to take The Perk from Ciddar and offer it to Lobata! And so you went back.
It wasn’t easy! You took the mosasaur to The Perk’s stern and began casting spells as you climbed up to Ciddar’s cabin. Ahappi reached it first, but Ciddar was ready. Clever Ciddar had his “Sense Danger at Sea” sorcery active so he called out, using his booming Voice spell to alert his crew, as he issued a challenge to Ahappi—he would have to stop you, that he’d learned new things and made new friends in his new life as Captain Ciddar, Horali and hero. They’d made a fine profit and that wouldn’t be stopped, nor would you take Lobata from them—the demonic spirit was too useful to the Vadeli, and this town was becoming dear to them. He refused Ahappi’s call to turn over the Tear of St Tutrys and surrender, and that was it—a fight was on!
Ahappi smashed through the shuttered window into the cabin to face Ciddar at ready; and six Red Vadeli, magics glowing so much they cast a bloody pall into the fog outside the ship. Ciddar threw his Keel-Haul spell trying to toss Ahappi outside and under the ship, but Ahappi braced himself and would not be so taken. But the Vadeli rushed in as Boamund also smashed his way in; and as the savage pirate-warriors came they threw Gore-Bringer blessed knives that bypassed armour and injured Ahappi gravely. Already Boamund and Ahappi were outnumbered 2-to-1 and three Vadeli stood in back, awaiting an opening. Fraud squeezed in and one threw another knife, which he blocked. They began casting protective magics on their shields while a bitter melee continued. With a deft swipe, Ahappi stuck the Tear from Ciddar’s hand and it clattered across the floor to lie by a Vadeli’s feet, who soon picked it up to try to return it. You took some bitter wounds from the Vadelis’ slashing scimitars, and some of them bore blood-armour spells that caused Fraud’s sword-blows to glance off. Boamund was left badly bleeding; the Vadeli loved to leave their victims oozing wounds, and this inflamed their passions for violence. It looked bad for you, with Miguel struggling to enter the crowd, but then Ahappi exploded one Vadeli’s head (they were inspired! Praise Vadeli for the rain of blood!) and then gave Ciddar a nasty knock on the head, knocking him out as he tried to manovre out of the combat to his sword. The Vadeli dropped the Tear and faced Ahappi. Fraud began dealing wicked blows to the Vadeli, too, as Boamund pushed forward and Miguel entered the fray, sword in hand. It was over soon enough, with one Vadeli’s head flying out the window from a massive blow by Fraud, and others tripped and disarmed and soon crippled by skilful blows. They were terrible opponents, though, each masters of their weapons and unified by martial blood-magic sorceries of their forbidden grimoire; and of superhuman natural strength and speed (several STR and DEX >20!). You’d now had a strong taste of what the expanding Red Vadeli menace had to offer- these were normal warriors of their kind. And they’d put you to an awful test. But you won!
You beheaded the last of the Vadeli, with The Perk’s crew having watched the short fight from a safe distance; intimidated and unable to do much from afar anyway. Ciddar was now your bound captive and Ahappi gifted the Tear to Miguel, as “the fourth” amongst you and so now one to bear its heroic benefits and its accursed burden. Taking its handle, he now felt the power that had made Ciddar covet it so much. He was now a hero against Chaos and a successor to the might of “Saint” Tutrys, ill-fated Seshnelan sailor-hero and foe of sea-chaos, especially…. The Gloomshark!
-John
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