Session 127: Scallywags: Kobolds and Trolls for a Forbidden Queen

The wizards disperse after their Warden tries to grab his fallen comrade. They leave behind a pairing of four-armed trolls, and a handful of undead ghasts. Chatulkik sets to work to slay them, but Ollie jumps down yelling for one to be saved so that she might know more about what has befallen these wizard's choices: why do they seek her silence and death? 

The group then kills most, with fiery strikes from Wulfgar and Brimstone, and Ilknar throwing one troll over board. Mila thunder bops a ghast, and then only one undead and the troll climbing back aboard from falling into the sea remain. It is quick to realize the ghast will not aid, having been created for this necromancer's sly purpose of death alone to his enemies. However, the troll, Gogk, they soon learn afterward, seems to have been transmuted recently. Created from nothing. He is so ignorant and lost. He speaks and reacts like a mere child. Ilknar takes a protected arm over him from here forth, even bargaining with Teyos, Chatulkik, and Brimstone to keep the beast alive. He knowst he stories: trolls are born of dark choices, born of Death Giants making deals with those imprisoned beneath the Wall of King's might. The trolls will bend a knew were that dark aberration ever to rise again. Yet, now, also, they have born their mixed children of the material plane, of Barur, the Zile. Truth, Ilknar, can see, to a choice they have been given, at a time since now, and for all eternity back to the first prophecies of the Primordial All-Parents, when free will was not theirs. Not ever. Ilknar will change this future. 

That first night, Ilknar spends his first watch getting to know Gogk more, and to extend his own understanding of Gogk has been manipulated to hate, to torture, to main, and to kill. That queen has helped with this mindset. Ilknar tries to teach Gogk the truth. Time will only tell. 

Wulfgar takes the second watch, and the night continues to be quiet, but when he changes to the third watch, he goes to Brimstone a few minutes early. He discusses the exchange that is needed for his Forbiddance ritual to indeed protect them from the conjurations of the Queen, these onslaughts of giants and undead. The treasure hold will need to be searche for precious rubies. 

  Before Wulfgar leaves, however, Brimstone does ask for words of advice: Should we really need a king at all? What is the point of all it? Just leadership, yes, it is valid. But unjust? Selfish and cruel? The power corrupts itself. Wulfgar and Brimstone can only hope for a better future. 

Brimstone's watch is quiet, with only the waves and the songs and chatterings of the sea elves Teyos and Firi on the main deck. 

They rest.       



    Far, away, nearly 3000 feet from the docks and shadows of the towers, lighthouses, walls, and immense structures of Mainwalk, The Capital of the Faces of the Kings, we see a ship, only, yes, but not incapable. Adorned with dozens of weapons, but five key, alchemic, magic, and modified cannons aimed at the City itself. The Kobold Kollective has arrived. And, the forward Captain, the Lady of the Seas and Salt itself, Kurtulmak's Daughter, Veruca Salt has her crew's cannons ready to bombard the city proper. They have grown to large, taken to much, kill too many, and enslave and abuse far too many kobolds. Vengeance will be had. Chaos will ensue in Lady Salt's wake. 
Karl Mock, the inventor and librarian of Ways of the Kollective guides them to the truth target: The Rich and Affulent: The Queen and the Lords and Ladies within Mainwalk. However, Snarf gets hold of their Dragon Lance cannon first, and he unleashes its power as the first shot of the very first volley of the Kollective's Resistance: the Inquisitor's Sanctum is hit, and most squarely, for moments after the other five cannons volley within the Mainwalk's stratified levels, stairs, buildings and arches, the Sanctum explodes. The Kobold cackles will be remembered this day for years to come. 

Ram launches his spicked, submarine-like barrels, and more shots and vollies ensue. Yet, the Faces Fleet is beginning to form, and more vessels will be around Lady Salt's Juggernaut within minutes. They make the Kollective decision, aided by the loyality and bravery shown by their loyal Swolbolds and Flingers, trained in the Mangonel-Arts of the Crimson Fleet, who are then launched from trebuchet's and mangonels, to the Faces' ships, docks, and streets. Yet, they do not strike the low and down-trodden. They spare those who are of the less fortune choice of gods, kings, and lands. They even find weapons, lead street-wide rebellions, Kobold pack tactics, and chaos continues long into the night.

Lady Salt needs to regroup, and more of the Kobold fleet is set to meet them east. However, they try to head north, only to have to hide in the hidden beaches and bays of the lands east of the capital, for a strange vessel bearing the Queen's markings heads south towards them, and then, thankfully with Juggernaut not being seen, they follow the Queen's vessel east, hoping to flank it, then take it, when they find their Kobold reinforcements. 


    The next day on the Call, the crew sleeps in, relaxes, and then moves to prepare and face the Siege of the Capital after the next three days sailing north. During this time, with luck and maybe some kobolds they do not know about on their side, they get time to travel, and for Wulfgar to finish the forbiddance ritual, disabling teleportation and planar conjuration alike on the Call's decks and holds. However, Sasha still sees eyes scrying perodically throughtout, at least when she is not sleeping, it seems. 


Sasha spends a lot of time alone, and she convinces Ganoi to use his psychic abilities to keep her unconscious long enough, so he can remove her natural heart and replace it with one that has not only been manipulated, ripped, and torn with necromance and transmutation, but now has also be smashed and smudged with hammer and hand of the Lady Sasha, forging into a plasmic energy of acid and sparked lightning. She resists the exhaustion, and her soul returns, but she is changed: blindsight, acid immunity, a tail now that can attack and grapple as a bonus action or attack action, advantage on dex saves and checks. Swim speed, and a hour long holding-breath. 



  There is then two to three days of downtime: 

Ilknar befriends Gogk and masters the Orcish tongue, teaching troll and orc alike what giant really means by friend. 
Wulfgar tries to help Ihapaeg as friend and confidant, inseparable it seems, to remember the past--what happened Borq's coronation? The trials? Why can't Wulfgar remember? 
Brimstone takes time to plan and strategize with the other captains of the fleet, even arranging with Vareth for some undead, aquatic rib-cage-keg-bombs. 
Orran has Mila identify the sword they found in Ioomore's possesion. It is an ancient elven family heirloom to an ancient Elven kingdom long forgotten: The legendary moonblade. He then spends time with Saerah and Cody, ensuring loyalty will be their in the future hours of chaos that are about to ensue when the Crimson Fleet arrives at the Captital of the Faces of Kings.