RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

Hi,

While Ahappi dealt with the temple and Gulos, Miguel talked it up with the harbour folks. He found out some useful information (I forget which). He then rested.

Ahappi drank into the night with Captain Gulos, enjoying shots of “Black Devil”; fermented squid's ink from the Fosnoir; which was the latest rage in town. Gulos described how fisherman would try to outdo each other, hunting the large squid by jumping with harpoons from atop a ship's mast and diving atop the squid. Ahappi appreciated the bravado involved, and thought he might try someday. While the others rested, they discussed various other matters one-on-one, and Gulos warmed up to Ahappi.

For example, he learned that (1) Waertagi here in New Arv have been up to something, too. Gulos is investigating. There has been an unusual number sighted around. (2) The sewers? Gulos is keeping an eye on them, closely. Yes, there are criminals down there and he wants to know their nature. They are elusive though; not keeping to the more accessible “dry” parts. He thinks the “masked men” rumours connect to those operating below. (3) The subject of local ships worth sinking comes up (did Gulos even bring it up slyly?) and Gulos notes: “There is a privateer working for the Seshnelans who is troubling New Arv out past the reefs - you seem to be resourceful at finding such things and making them go away. Would you be interested?” The ship is called The Manta; its sail features a great fiery manta ray and it is a bulky repurposed transport vessel that sails quickly but clumsily. Its captain is a Rokari Horali named Lagriffe the Gourmand.

Finally, Ahappi learned that the figure who hung outside the stockade walls to watch the Mission Ruins was a local Waertagi who had long been down on his luck- the name was familiar: “Grounded” he was called, for a curse that plagued him with terrible nightmares (“tentacles from the dark deep”) whenever he travelled the seas. He was young and desperate so he'd do odd jobs for anyone that wanted. He even did drugs to help him suppress his nightmares when he travelled from port to port seeking work; and this had brought him (he told Gulos's men) to “Carl” who traded in such things, including the Golden Poppy of Beauteous Dreams… Gulos had Grounded taken prisoner shortly after he ran back inside the gates- his network of eyes in town made it clear to him that Grounded was caught up in something, and he found out, so he turned him over to the Captain in chains. With the one qualifier that he must be returned alive for further questioning.

So, the next day you sent a very eager Gothrim of Peelo out to find Zefeddi while you rested some more at Excelsii Inn. Miguel went out to watch the Inn from the stockade-gate tower, and struck up conversation with Lt. Heloise, who related VERY useful information that she had seen five figures leave hastily the prior night (about 18hrs ago), and some had swords + crossbows and they all moved in a cohesive way; not acting like traders or refugees at all (especially given they headed out into the swamps at night!) and in quite a rush. That stuck in her mind, but she wanted to tell Miguel specifically because she had found it odd that she couldn't notice any specific features about their faces- they all were so nondescript… and she'd been seeing a lot of faces like those lately. So much so that she now realized that these must be magical masks or disguises, and that this nondescriptness was thus a sign of suspiciousness. Given the timing, right around when you had trouble at the ruins, she figured this may be linked- it may have been Carl/his men leaving town, for destination unknown (but their trail would be very cold by now in these rains). She had reported this to Gulos and Miguel told the group, coming down to return to them at the Inn just as he saw Zefeddi & Friends arriving in jubilant song.

Zefeddi didn't have too much to say- he indeed had met “Half-Faced Carl” as he called himself: a big Pithdaran with massive scar across his right face; missing half of nose, all of cheek and ear, who has a skilled gang of 6 thugs that had earned a reputation around here (“not to be messed with”), but they'd gone scarce of late (“late”= since around when the message to Miguel had been sent and Micaela vanished. But Zefeddi had no idea where Carl's gang was, and didn't seem keen to know, but suggested that he'd skipped town. Just then Ahappi showed up with “Grounded” in tow, and you exchanged information. The timings all seemed to line up-Grounded had been hired (around the same time as the message being sent) to watch the ruins for Miguel (or the rest of you) and report to Carl's thugs at a shack inside the gates. He took you there and the shack was abandoned; numerous generations of occupants had lived there but the latest one for not more than a week or two. They'd left nothing of value/note/unscavenged. Grounded explained that when he told Carl about your arrival, the thugs had left town except for one that went down to the harbour.

So you returned Grounded to Gulos via his guards, and you sought information at the harbour. Indeed, a local fisherman had been hired last night to take a “nondescript” armed man out onto the reefs, at a good price, and had not returned (almost a day ago now!)-which was all suspicious, the locals were realizing. Miguel was concerned: might this thug be headed to Micaela in the sea cave somehow? You found the first fisherman, friend of Granddaddy's, and he took you there again. Luckily everything was fine at Granddaddy's sea cave. Miguel had some discussions with Granddaddy, who was firmly on your side now that he realized he'd been duped, and Micaela showed signs of having bonded with him as a (grand)father figure. Granddaddy opted to take a “holiday” along the reefs up north while you returned to New Arv; the fisherman “tour guide” felt safe enough so he stuck around town but didn't want to get involved with you any further for now. There was no sign of where that other fisherman and the thug had gone, but Grandaddy knew the former and (ironically) figured he was a fool for taking this job on; he likely was “claimed by the sea” now.

There had been much discussion of what to do with Micaela and it was still undecided but in Miguel's hands. For now, she'd stay with you as he didn't feel he could cope with parting again. Carl's men seemed to have skipped town but Miguel was hell-bent on finding them if you could, although they had >1 day on you. Ahappi was eager to set sail again-the Shadow would return by the following night. He wanted to seek this privateer vessel “The Manta” and then the Ouori, and you could visit the Huru -which might, you thought, be a place to leave Micaela? It was very isolated, and “Wilbi”/Wulbu, once the young “frog girl” protected by Gertrude, had been safe there and might even take care of Micaela? Well, it was an ideal. Miguel had wanted to go see the Sottogh and maybe leave Micaela with Jett's camp but that was far too dangerous, poised by the war-frontier and not impossible to infliltrate.

Lt. Heloise said that Captain Gulos had enough of people using magics to hide their faces in town, and other sorts of masks-an edict was posted that no disguises, physical or magical, would be allowed in New Arv under penalty of imprisonment; and that guards and the sorcerer Ytor would be “randomly” checking people at the gates, harbour and within the walls for compliance. No longer could New Arv be a town of many masks- to grow, it must begin to shed its skins of secrecy and duplicity, examining its true natures and scouring away the uncouth.

You rested more, restocked supplies, talked and planned for the following night and day, until Ahappi said that The Shadow was drawing into port. You greeted Amur, Tazo, Jim, Curly, Brobard and the others while Ahappi looked over the ship and breathed a deep, satisfied sigh that finally he'd be back at sea!

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