Wallacian Campaign Session #44

• The session started with the party in Westport
• They sought out Captain William Sullis, the previous commander of southern Westland who is known for breaking up a smuggling ring there. They found that Captain Sullis was currently at sea running revenue patrols, but they made an appointment to meet with him at the Whistling Eel that evening.
• Mary made a point of reserving a private room and arranging for the tavern to prepare the Captain's favorite dish (beef stew).
• The party discussed smuggling with Captain Sullis. The Captain explained that he dealt with two types of smugglers in his duties. The first type transported legal goods, but smuggled in an effort to various fees and taxes. The second type smuggled illegal goods, including illicit drugs, weapons destined for wild goblin and orc tribes, and slaves.
• Captain Sullis said that his company had broken up a band of the second type of smugglers during his tour int he south, then both he and his company had been transferred back to the north. He added that these smugglers only picked up the illicit goods from others who somehow got it into the Smuggler's Fen from overseas. He still has no clue as to the identity of the southern smugglers.
• Sullis said that he had heard a number of rumors as to why he was pulled out, including one that said his replacement, Captain Tolk, was looking to boost his reputation by picking up where Sullis and his company left off.
• The party told Captain Sullis that they learned from the Haskills where and when the next rendezvous with the southern smugglers was to take place. Sullis said that it was too far inland for his current area of responsibility in Brigand's Bay. However, he said that if the party made the rendezvous, he could have some of his ships patrol the coast the next day and potentially meet with the party. The party agreed to this plan.
• Mary then went to Bede's Baubles and purchased the folding boat for 500 gold pieces out of the group loot reserve.
• Crow has continued having his sleep interrupted by an unsettling dream featuring the pendant he had taken from a Storm Crow spell-caster. Crow went to meet with Prior Baelgun along with the rest of the party and showed the prior the pendant.
• The prior was taken aback when he recognized the pendant, and insisted on placing the pendant in a closed lead box before discussing the matter any further. Once the pendant was sealed away, the prior explained that the "official" story of the demise of the Lich Queen during the Shattering was not the whole truth. Yes, the Lich Queen's body was destroyed, but her spirit survived, though possibly scattered into myriad small pieces.
• This pendant apparently contains one of those small fragments. A cult of followers of the Lich Queen somehow created this pendant, and other like it. The cult is working to somehow restore the Lich Queen to her former power, but so far we have been unable to discover their exact plan to do so.
• The fact that the Lich Queen was not completely destroyed in the Shattering has been concealed from the general populace, both to avoid fear and to keep potential recruits to her cause ignorant of her secret cult.
• The prior wanted to keep the pendant and turn it over to higher religious authority to keep it safe. However, Crow said that he wanted to keep the pendant and try to figure out what the cult's plan is. The prior was reluctant, but Crow was able to convince him. Before returning the pendant, Prior Baelgun warned Crow to be wary of what is said in the presence of the pendant, as it is believed that the Lich Queen can hear through it. However, he said that written communication should be safe.
• The next day, the party left Westport and headed south down the coastal road. When they reached Pierside they deployed the folding boat. Mary was able to skillfully navigate along the coast, and easily found the inlet indicated by the Haskill map (indicated by the red arrow on the map above).
• As they entered the inlet, Leanna sent her familiar flying ahead. It spotted a longship pulled up on small islet in the narrow river. Four individuals were on clustered around a small fire on the islet. Looking through her familiar's eyes, she could tell that they were human, two male and two female. They were dressed in working class clothing, possibly that of fishermen. When they spotted the party's boat approaching, they raised hoods over their heads and covered their faces with cloth.
• Mary convinced the young woman who appeared to the leader of the smugglers that they were taking over for the Haskills. As the other three began unloading crates from their ship onto the islet, Mary made small talk with the leader. When the subject of slaves transferred on previous rendezvouses was raised, the smuggler woman said that all the men had been passed on overseas, but that the Deep Priest kept some of the woman. When Mary asked why, she was told "A Red Tide shall rise, when the Silver-Moon bleeds."
• As the last crates were being unloaded onto the islet, the woman leader started putting out their small fire. Leanna, worried that they would soon escape, fired off a spell, initiating combat.
• The smuggler leader responded by puling an amulet from her shirt and firing a globe of water at Leanna. However, Leanna was able to mostly dodge the water globe, only getting slightly splashed.
• The rest of the party joined the battle against the smugglers, and a few of them got poisoned by crossbow bolts fired by the smugglers. However, the battle was quickly turning against the smugglers. The smuggler leader tried again to use her magic amulet, but again her target was able to resist the curse she hurled.
• The smuggler leader then began to push their boat into the stream so her surviving comrades could escape. However, Mary was able to grab the bow of the smuggler vessel and somehow prevent the ship from pulling away from the shore.
• The party soon subdued the remaining smugglers, capturing all of them alive. The party searched their captives and the crates. They found that the crates contained partially finished weapons, all nearly identical.
• The party also found some recently emptied ceramic beer bottles. The remaining fluid in some of the bottles was opaque and almost black. One of the party recognized it as a type of beer popular in the village of Innsmouth, just south of Smuggler's Fen.
• Searching the smuggler's ship, the party found a nautical chart showing reefs and shallows at the south end of Brigand's Bay, as well as numerous inlets in Smuggler's Fen.
• The next session will open on the islet just after combat ended and the party has searched their captives.

Quests Started

• Learn the secrets of the Lich-Queen Cult

Quests in Progress

• Search for Mary's parents