RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

Howdy,

For the first time, Ahappi has a fairly good look at Pellinoresbane but is still puzzled: what is fish, reptile, worm or what? Maybe even draconic? He does not know, but it is surely not only a creature tied to the Water and Beast runes but also one of Movement; he can feel and see this now; it is ever-changing and swiftly moving.

Pellinoresbane submerges with Ahappi as they approach (somewhat) stealthily, then surfaces before its attack. Ahappi then spots flabby, sickly bone-white pale ancient undead sailors aboard, armed and armoured, and a crew of living Vadeli. But they had spotted Pellinoresbane coming so they were trying to be ready! The undine closes in while Pellinoresbane tries to flop atop the deck and smash the hull from above, but only glances off the hull with minor damage. Ahappi leaps off it as it does so, landing on the deck and seeing a Brown Vadeli sorcerer eyeing him up amidst three others scurrying about and all the undead marines. The latter begin to encircle him but the undine sweeps aboard and grabs a good number of them, opening a gap by the gunwhale; and soon Ahappi leaps back into the waters as he sees that one Vadeli preparing some nasty spell to throw upon him. The Vadeli curses and holds the spell… The rest of those aboard the ship did, or could do, little; being ill-prepared for this kind of foe. Ahappi joins the undine underwater, watching over Pellinoresbane in case trouble comes. Meanwhile Pellinoresbane rips at the bottom of the hull from underneath and opens a great hole through which water begins to leak in. It continues to tear at it, soon joined by the undine, and then the hull groans and cracks spread upwards to the waterline as the ship suddenly starts catastrophically falling apart! Pellinoresbane singles out one Vadeli for consumption, and the victorious trio swim away as the ship sinks into the black depths of the Hell Fount.

Surveying the situation afterwards, other ships have chased other Waertagi and you have a strong lead vs. the rest, so Jamar calls to Ahappi to return. But Ahappi, weighing his feelings and options, decides that the Helldragon's sentiment was right and is still heroic in terms of his status as a sea-champion, so he chooses to continue taking the fight to the Vadeli! He conjures the Truestone magic to transform himself into a Wyrm, makes that ability permanent thru his heroquesting gift, and summons another undine to join them. Now they are truly a small army to be reckoned with! Jamar pauses the Miswar momentarily, hoping that Ahappi will return, but then sees them heading off so he continues. And off goes Ahappi, on a great adventure!

The Miswar hurries up northwards as other Waertagi ships spread out, some remaining within sight. Soon you leave the bleak waters of the Hell Fount and enter more normal, gentle rolling blue ocean, and weave your way amongst small islands and reefs. A soft drizzle falls from a few clouds that wander in. Although pursuit is certain, for a moment there is some peace (Fraud does an amazing series of healing sessions on Boamund, almost bringing him back to normal faculties except that a bad head wound remains!), but then that peace ends as two shadowy galleys of the Legion of the Drowned, armed with ballistae, converge on the Miswar from different southerly directions, moving swiftly and trying to corner her.

Jamar has assigned some of you to stations on the Miswar: Fraud as healer, Boamund as lookout, and Shrett as archer; Bog hides from the cruel dawn sunlight and nurses his wounds, fearful of the sea for now. This is not his time. Jamar explains you need to try to outmanoeuvre these ships to the north through some small isles, and he expertly pilots the ship that way, deftly turning westwards first and getting behind one ship as it tries to cut you off in a “V” formation with the other ship from the east. The chase continues; Fraud does some healing and Shrett hits the Vadeli pilot on that western ship, downing him for a moment until he is healed by another. A Vadeli tries throwing a spell on Shrett; some powerful combined sorcery curse; but Shrett toughs it out and the energy disperses. You speed away from them, having gained the lead.

Jamar explains “It is 75 key miles to the southern end of the Norlorian passage, near the isle of Zilal. We have learned much about your new Third Age already from our sea allies, spies and magics. Zilal is an an old “slave-farm” of the Brown Vadeli now; fallen far from its supposed glory as a heartland of the Jrusteli empire. The small port there is thick with Brown Vadeli who enrich themselves off adventurers who come to loot the ruins of Shenilstos, infamous in our day as a hub of the Middle Sea Empire. Tunnels lead from that port to the submerged ruins, and the Vadeli tax entry to them. But our concern is attracting more pursuers; we will make haste westwards past it in hopes of making the Curustus Passage well before nightfall without too much trouble. Our Carcharodon sharks can pull us tirelessly throughout the night-we can outpace any normal ships. It is the abnormal ones that draw my concerns. And furthermore, as we approach the Curustus Passage, we also approach the greatest Orange Guild port, that of Crandess on Curustus Isle. There will be many ships about, and some may try to head us off.”

Shrett wonders if instead going around Zilal, away from Crandess, might be better but Jamar explains this would take the ship into more perilous waters, off trade routes, where bad things could happen like angry sea-spirits and nasty currents taking their toll; and anyway the Vadeli of the Orange Guild are everywhere (in theory) around here. He feels this is the best route. But there will be danger near Crandess; and then if you make it onto the Curustus Passage, who knows what the risks may be, but at least you'll be out of Orange Guild waters.

Until next time! I hope I can have something together for this coming week's game but it's touch-and-go w/writing time; at work I have a big deadline 31 March so that is taking lots of time. I'll keep you posted if I can manage it for Fri night. -John

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