Khaaven finds:

--1 Large pearl (about the size of a large grape). (1 Loot.)

--1 Bag of Slightly Good Holding: holds more than it should be able to. Not a LOT more... like 15% more. But hey, free useful bag! (1 Loot.)

--good buccaneer boots. Do you know how hard it is to find boots of this quality? Who cares that a zombie was the last one wearing them? (1 Loot.)

--excellent tri-corner hat: This is a seriously good-quality hat! Keeps the sun and rain off you. Who cares that a zombie was wearing it? (1 Loot.)

--A silver-inlaid straight-razor. Always sharp. I mean, it's not MAGICALLY sharp, it won't cut through stone or anything, but it has been enchanted not to never lose its edge. (2 Loot.)

--Minor Item: Spoon of Salt: This magic spoon is on its last charge, but it'd be handy if you were attacked by a plant. Or, like, a slug or snail or something. (+1 die roll to attack plants, slugs, and/or snails. (Yes, even over the normal maximum of 3).) (2 Loot.)



--Also, it's not exactly loot, but Khaaven gets a good look at that piece of parchment the smaller of the two cultists was holding (he dropped it during the fight).

It's a drawing that shows the arrangements of the ships stuck on the rocks/reefs. The diagram shows the Aurora, where you started, and the Golden Hind, where you are now, and the Salty Dog, right nearby. On the other side of that are the Unicorn and the Morning Star, and sort of behind them is the Viper.

There are a few other ships in the ship graveyard, but they aren't labeled. Guess the cultists have no interest in them, or maybe they just aren't in good enough shape to support exploring?

(Oh Evan definitely would like to put in that he wants the boots and hat ^_^)

"Khaaven if you don't mind, I would really like the boots and hat, the pearl too unless you have your heart set on it."

Khaaven goes about making camp.

rolled 1

not really concerned about loot, we will officially split it in town or like Salty dog. Then we can properly divide it but I am fine with you taking regular items as your pick. I can always trade or take other basic stuff.

(--On a 1, no Harm is removed, and 1 Trauma happens (unless a party member already has Trauma).

Khaaven gets: I'm feeling terrible because I'm sad we had to kill that monster even though it was a monster  (you pick which monster, doesn't have to be the zombie...)

12:35, Today: The GM rolled 1 using 1d2 with rolls of 1.  1 for agile 2 for insight..

Khaaven's Agile is deactivated!)

At this point, there is a knock at the doorway through which Evan and Khaaven entered this area.

They turn, and see... a woman. A woman who doesn't seem like an undead nor a cultist nor anything else that wants to kill them.

(Renee, introduce yourself.

The mayor of the town wanted an update, so he sailed out to the Alert, the ship that's waiting in case Evan and Khaaven need a ride back to town... and he brought a new adventurer with him.

Renee was pretty easily able to follow the trail of battles from the Aurora to this spot (maybe with a little magical help?)...)

"Well hello, you don't seem like your here to slay us, I'm Evan this is Khaaven. Nice to meet you miss ?"

"Mmm, no, I'm actually here as hired help.  The mayor was getting antsy, sailed out to check on your progress, and I agreed to head in and check."  The woman smiled, teeth slightly too sharp, and offered a half-curtsy.  "Renee Mallas, but this is not the place for formality.

A question for a question, though.  You weren't hard to follow, but anything immediately important I should know?"

"Plenty of undead, a cult seems to be in the place. There is also a survivor who might have been from a recently crashed ship or an adventurer that went crazy. Also we found a giant dragonfly wing. So keep alert for things above eye level in case we have something like that crawling or flying about still. Oh and the Salty Dog may have a safe place though we have not verified that yet."

Renee blinked twice at Evan's report.  "Can't say I've dealt with undead before, so that'll be a learning experience.  The giant dragonfly sounds interesting, though."  She absently licked her lips, considering the news.  "What's the Salty Dog?  Another ship?"

"Yes, it's one of the crashed ships here."

"Alright.  So, safety behind, danger for now, and potentially safety ahead - I take it the plan is to push onward to this Salty Dog?"  Renee nodded to herself, before she almost absently pointed to the downed cultists.  "You have a plan, or should I jinx them so thoroughly they can't stand up?  I presume you're not interested in killing them, since you haven't yet."

"Oh those are some cultists we were going to question them. They attacked us we really haven't had the chance to question them we got attacked by a zombie a short time ago. You want to have a crack at questioning them ?"

Yes, we were going to question them. Feel free to do so while I observe them see if they have any tells. I am also not quite myself feeling a little clumsy and still slightly injured.

Would love a console to fix agile trauma, I can deal with the 1 harm since 3 of us now.

After questioning we can continue to the Salty dog.

"Sure," Renee purred, turning to the prisoners with a smirk.  "So, naughty children playing games, only to find themselves helpless on a ghost ship.  Should we leave you here, alone, or are you willing to talk about your little games?"

Talk it Over result of 4, they demand something more in return.

22:23, Today: Renee rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,1,4.  Talk It Over, Evan assist.

"...Before we speak of such things..." says the smaller (and smarter-looking) of the two men, "we want a promise that you will see us returned to dry land, and then to release us. We promise that we will then leave this area, and not return until this graveyard of ships is... cleansed."

Evan looks at the others with a should we or should we toss them in the ocean look.

"I'm not invested - they fought you two, not me.  I was planning to leave them with loose ropes, but too heavily jinxed to free themselves quickly, so this would just be letting them escape sooner."

"Fine, We will escort you to the ship. We won't leave you at our backs. You tell us all we want to know though starting with what being you worship along with what the major threat is out here is."

"The first, I will tell you. The second... I do not know as much about as I think you would wish," he says. "But... do you really not know of Calum? Calum, queen of blood? Calum, goddess of fear? Calum, she of the oaths of the dark moon?"

Renee has heard of Calum... Some say that in ancient times she was an evil human queen (you know how rotten some humans can be) so wicked that her legends elevated (lowered?) her to folk-villain status...  Others say that she never really existed in real life, but began merely as a boogey-person to frighten children into eating their dinner and going to bed early. Either way, there are also shadowy cults that want to make people's belief in her even more powerful, so as to make her a demi- or full goddess... There are a few such cults, but Calum's is arguably the worst.

"A corpse, now, long since dead.  Cruel in life, a boogeyman in death.  If her spirit lingered, she'd have chosen a champion, empowered them in her name.  She hasn't - she's gone."

Evan didn't know much about such things he would have to ask his patron later so he listened to Renee.

"So tell us what you know of the other then and of the threats to be faced on this shipwrecked labyrinth."

The man looks both unimpressed and unmoved by Renee's words.




"I imagine you know much of the threats already. Insects, plants, a few elementals here and there... and the undead. In my opinion, the most problematic. The... leader of our particular... sect... is... acting... unlike himself, lately. He may be... I hate to admit this, but... well, I suspect that he may be in danger of being possessed by a spirit that has nothing to do with Calum. I..." He hesitates. "...You will probably be able to find him on board the wreck of the Viper."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:50, Wed 25 Aug 2021.

Evan nods, "There was a person running about in terror of being possessed was that him ?"

"Ah, no. We left our leader behind us. It sounds like you ran across Lars. Lars was of a frailer mental constitution than most of us... the undead and other monsters here drove him mad. He was on edge for quite a while, but snapped entirely just a few days ago."

"Khaaven, any questions for our attackers ?"