Session 06: Ship Exploration Report

General Summary

 

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    10/16/2020 We sailed the ship home and helped free the prisoners. We escorted our new prisoners to Eda since the council hall was closer than the barracks. We turned in the First Mate and 5 guards. The townsguard went ahead to alert the council. At the council, Eda was excited. Wroxi told them how we went to the ship and discovered the smuggling operation. This is bigger than first imagined. It has been close to a year since this started and the last few had a over a dozen or son captured. There is a connection to the lizardfolk and the town is aware of their presence. Manistrad Copperlocks owns the mining operation. Gellian Primewater is a rich dapper old gentleman.   Manistrad Copperlocks The leader of the newly established mining operation in Saltmarsh is an iron-willed dwarven woman named Manistrad. She runs the mining outfit from a small office near the edge of town.   Gellan Primewater Gellan, human male, is a well-spoken, dapper older gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard and a fancy wardrobe. With his cunning instincts, he has positioned his family to become the most prominent merchants in town, but he now faces an intractable problem. Because Gellan is the wealthiest man in town, he garners a great deal of popular support from the many feasts, entertainments, and other diversions he supports with expenditures and donations. He pretends to care little for the daily functions of the council, defaulting to throw his support behind Eda's position. Eda says they will figure things out. Our stay is now paid for. Tomorrow is market day and so we are asked to stay close. Manistrad requested his tools back, and a messenger bird would be arriving tomorrow to help pay for the goods. After Wroxi hit up Gellian about the pirates and he rushed to leave. Hearing his name, I realize I heard it before -- in the shady tavern and so I find a place to sit down at The Snapping Line so I can see through Bloke's eyes and follow Gellan. He went home (16) and I saw someone else leaving. I station Bloke to watch the house as I slip out and just as I came to the side of the house I see a person who darts past I followed them and crossed a bridge to the Empty Net. Using my stone I tell the team and then casually sauntered into the tavern. It does seem busier than normal and I see Kreb, the tavern owner. 16. Primewater Mansion Gellan Primewater maintains a large mansion right on the docks, allowing him to oversee his ships from his upstairs window. He sometimes leans out to shout orders or answer questions for his captains and crews, his booming voice echoing over the docks. The location of his house also makes it convenient for his smugglers; the crews slip goods through a secret entrance that leads to his mansion's cellar. The mansion's most notable feature is its grand entryway and feast hall. Gellan hosts at least one extravagant feast per week, headlined by food and drink bought in distant ports. His cook, a young gnome named Feliza, sometimes hires adventurers to find rare herbs, meats, and other ingredients for her dishes. Wroxi then enters and as she comes close to me a stranger asks her if she will sell her pseudodragon. The barmaid's name is "Jester". I sneak around and try to open a door. I then hear some talk about smuggling and how it was caught. The name Gellan is said again in whispers. We end up leaving. We now know the tavern is complicit. I watch the guy and he ends up going to the Hobie Home (by 6 on the right side). I go to check out the house, it is a one-room hovel. It has a small window in the rear and lights a fire. I snuck in and tied him up. He is a messenger working for Gellan and has "connections". Gellan is not a part of the slave situation, just the black market goods. He wants goods for the money and has his people sell those goods. The message given to Kreb was "wait and be ready." I take him over my shoulder and turn him in to the proper authorities. We took a long rest. In the morning there was a message from the council. They had interrogated the captured prisoners. Also, it seems Gellan is holding a celebration tomorrow, and in our honor. We told Eda about the captured messenger and then we went to the market. A message from council. They interrogated the captured. Gaillen is throwing a celebration tomorrow in our honor. We tell Enda about the capture. And we go to the market. Market is open [1] vege stall [2] flaggs and tabbards [3] lemonade stand [4] salted meats [5] third HANDS and knick-knacks [7] "Black sun?" - iron and stone blacksmith run by dwarves [8] "The Shinyies" Stall of ravens with barrels of semiprecious and shiny items "skull of warnking" [9] Handiman (sells hands) [10] books wap -- older dragonborn for books   [12] Poiters Picklemonger [13] Mercs Mercantile -- silver dragonborn sells gear [14] Milos Minagerie, a gnome sells animals. Gold exchange (goblin) Totally legit goods Jewelers eye Book swap Gems and things apothacary Threadwork Hands of fate Hall of sculputres Antiquities Second half: Beholders' eye "iywelere" ??? Gelves gold exchange run by a goblin Churro stand Totally legit Stuff Exchange Paltos Chem and gems for apothecary goods Throdlalves threadwork for upperclass cloth Hand of faith for games and dice Bolts Sculpture shop -- wood and stone Antiquities - broaches and rings Unecumbering, an old elf before an empty booth. We go to the Gems and Chems. Wroxi tries to sell soemething (apparatus for 20gp) To the Antiquities, sell bronze crown for 10gp? Broach - silver and gold. Go to Shiney's -- "come to sale?" the ravens ask. Money for gold stuff. Thieves cant message…? We sold off wares and bough a book set to learn draconic History of thieves guilds and wildemount Eda comes back. The representative looked at our goods and is willing to pay 200 gp for silk and brandy. we all get 380 gp each and 5 silver From Eda: Smugglers passing weapons for gold to lizardfolk. The lizard overheard talking about an attack. No idea on location.

Notes

skull 10 gpapple 6 gp rose 6 gp ribss 5 gp crown 250 gp brooch 750gp   mathbook 5 gp   Sace: Draconic book, vol.1 Wroxi - dragon care 12 hrs 101 poisons 24 hrs   dofrigg, merfolk ziva met   whestle of gold wood replays the tune it played   evening, desk bags of coins.   Sace in a dock fight   Fen - lizardfok histories, etc. religion   ziva - anything to do wtih seas, storms, coastline, cetures   wroxi: alchemy books on healing potions and making them.     ----     10/17 Party pieced together Gellan Primewater's involvement Trying to determine the connection between the slavers and the smugglers - Gellan is in charge of the smuggling ring here - Gellan keeps the slavery ties a secret so as not to get caught, only the captain and first mate know about it -ESSENTIALLY :: The Scarlet Brotherhood work out of Saltmarsh and other prominent towns. Their goal is to infiltrate every major government and take quiet control. They alligned with the Children of Malice in pursuit of the same goals. The CoM want to take over Xhorhas and leave the SB to the rest. The SB contacts in Saltmarsh work with Primewater to capture the men out at sea and take them to Darktow to be sold to the CoM contacts there. Then they are magically brainwashed into becoming member of the CoM. -[[the children of malice are followers of Lolth (spider queen) and deep into evil deeds. they want to destroy the world starting with the drow in Xhorhas]] Skerrin Wavecrasher (human LE assassin) is the head of the Brotherhood in town. He works as Andrew Solomor's butler. Being in that position allows him to control Andrews large fleet of vessels. He is able to let his contacts know the when and where the ships will be out and the easiest targets to take slaves from. On the side of selling goods, his contacts in other ports purposely buy Solomor's goods at a higher price ensuring that Andrew stays popular and influential in town. -Gellan works with Skerrin to get the smuggled goods and slaves out of saltmarsh and to his contact at Darktow.   SMUGGLING TRADE 1. Gellan's smugglers bring the goods to the Haunted House cave system 2. Kreb gets a mesage to the captain letting him know when 3. Sea Ghost sails in, collects goods, and departs 4. Smuggled goods get sold through SB contacts in various ports   SLAVE TRADE 1. Skerrin helps Andrew set up his fishing/sailing schedule so he tells Gellan which ships will be most vulnerable 2. Gellan relays the message to Kreb 3. Kreb lets the ship's captain know 4. Sea's Embrace collects the slaves and takes them to Darktow to be sold to CoM     -LATELY:: for the past few months, Gellan picked up another side contract and has been supplying the lizardfolk with weapons for their upcoming war -that was the latest load on the Sea Ghost, the weapons and supplies for the lizardfolk   DUNWATER ARC (1600xp upon success/plus epilogue)

still need to investigate the issue with the lizardfolk,

-council asks party to check it out for them

still don't know why they were smuggling weapons into the lizard colony

they want to know the connection there

PT 1 -site of the lizardfolk colony located at the mouth of the river Dunwater

council asks to do a reconoissance trip and determine the strength, size and intentions of the colony

council impresses that this is not a hostile act, their assignment is to gather as much information as possible

reward of 700gp upon completion

BY SEA : a 3 hour trip, 10 miles (as the crow flies) -Get to a well traveled, dry path at point A that leads through the marshland, following the coastline - If they spot the new path DC12, they will see the trail leading to entrance C - If they do not, it will take them to hidden entrance D (area 1 ) BY LAND: a 12 hour trip due to the marshy terrain and low mist, slow travel gets them straight to entrance C       THREAT -allied races present: koalinth, locathah, and merfolk aquatic elves absent due to long term disputes with the koalinth **koalinth treat ziva rudely - bonds between races is very insecure, beginning to fray -party gets taken to the queen and has to convince them to allign with saltmarsh against the sahaugin. -based on a point system whether or not the queen decides in their favor

stronghold is packed with lizardfolk, not likely to get out alive

-taken on a tour of the stronghold to encounter various lizardfolk, each encounter wins or loses points

at the end of it, the queen asks them to take on the crocodile as a show of faith.

-the croc was here when the returned to the stronghold - crocs are sacred to the lizardfolk so they cannot kill it without angering their god - tell a story of the croc   depending on how the party approaches: if it gets hostile, have BIMZ let wroxi know that they are friendly. [[restless, flies back and forth, feelings of friendship and happy, etc]]   -taken to the queen via whatever route they have chosen -the lizardfolk are preparing war on the sahuagin not saltmarsh -forced from their home from a sahuagin invasion, they restored an abandoned lizardfolk stronghold previously abandoned -they hope to gather other aquatic allies and form an army to attack the sahuagin and expel them from the area -haven't approached saltmarsh because their queen views humans and land dwelling folk useless in battle likely fought underwater  

queen has them go on a tour of the stronghold and meet its denizens

after the tour, they take and determine whether or not they are on friendly terms and might allign with saltmarsh

queen asks them to take care of this ancient crocodile since they cannot

-its the only thing that stands in their way of regaining their home from the sahaugin