Session 22: Salvage Operation Report

General Summary

The party awakes the next day well refreshed, and head out to find the Half-Orc known as Vertheg who was looking for adventurers to help his lord. Diala sends out her owl seeing if she can spot him entering one of the taverns or restaurants with The Docks. She is quite lucky to spot him within ten minutes entering a business they know as The Bridgeside Coffee House. With a destination in front of them they party gathers and heads to find the Half-Orc and some breakfast.   Arriving at the coffee shop, they are almost immediately recognized by the Half-Orc who welcomes them to join him at his table. He asks the group if they are here looking to help. With the party agreeing after a brief explanation from Vertheg, that his lord wishes to recover his family's heirloom, along with the gold he needs to rebuild his business within Freeport. The party finishes a decent breakfast of coffee, and dainties and follow Vertheg to the Merchant District to a manor that has seen better days. Inside they are met by a Human named Aubreck who is looking dapper in his now a year out of fashion clothing. He further explains he wants to hire the party to travel to a derelict ship named Emperor of the Waves, retrieve a box that has been magically sealed that contains 100,000 gp of promissory notes and his family's heirloom. He has agree to pay the party 10% of the total costs of the notes. So in total 10,000 gp for the boxes safe return. He mentions that anything else they can find on the ship is theirs to keep. He wishes for the party to leave as fast as possible in case scavengers manage to make it onto the ship and steal the box. To help facilitate their mission. He is willing to pay 200 gp of front, and provides the group with a crate of gear for them to use as they wish. Aubreck is quite enthusiastic that the party has a ship of their own, he mentions that he will send a captain of a vessel he had hired who knows the location of the ship and is willing to help the party find it's way there. With all this in mind the party leaves to do final preparations for the journey they must take. A roughly 5 day sail in one direction.   The party hits the Seaside Marketplace and stocks their ship with everything they will need to operate their vessel at sea, including all the supplies they need to keep themselves, and the crew fed and watered. A couple hours of shopping and with some bartering by Elitessa they manage to snag almost 380 gp worth of supplies for a nice sum of 250 gp, all delivered to their ship for free. With the deal made they load their ship and are met by a Dwarf named Wolgar Windrune, a captain in his own right. He is the Dwarf captain Aubreck had mentioned will be joining them.   The party begins to set sail, passing by the lighthouse that is now heavily guarded by multiple Freeport Guardsmen Frigates and Man o' Wars. They arrive at the barrier reef. The great and ever changing natural defensive wall of the Serpent's Teeth Isles. As they approach they are hailed by a member of the Freeport Pilot's Guild. He offers to sail the party's ship through the reef for 5gp. The party discusses it for a moment and decide it would be best to trust someone who actually has maps of the reef and knows their way through it. With a few clutched butt cheeks amongst the crew, their guide brings them safely through without a scratch on their ship. The sailor bids them good day, accepts the tip from Elitessa and joins the rest of the sailors who sit in small ships waiting for more ships who wish to seek passage.   The crew then spends a few days at sea, they keep themselves busy as they perform duties aboard the ship. Its on the evening of their third day however the ship seems to hit something, and suddenly with very little warning multiple fish like humanoids board the ship. Twenty in all. With one of them being far larger then the rest, he also is clearly in charge as he barks what the party thinks is orders. Hard to tell. No one speaks fish...