Session 33 - A Council Priority Assignment Report

Starday - 22 Ready'reat - Early Evening

  After a long day of returning to Saltmarsh and surveiling the council, the Try-hard Misfits set out to rescue a ship captain along with a strange elf known as Faelar. This led them through an area of Saltmarsh known colloquially as Crabber's Cove. After discovering a surprising large cave network, the party vanquished a humongous crab and then uncovered that a Mind Flayer had been enslaving the crabs and a few humans. Faelar took his captain back to town while the party explored a collapsed building that held a strange entity in the cellar.   Suspicious of this person buried in the basement of an abandoned building, Kyra mutters a few eldritch words as her eyes and senses tune to a different spectrum while asking, "How long have you been there?" As the person responds, she senses darkness. Darkness blacker than the dark of the unlit cellar.   "It's so hard to know," it answers. "But you should know there are many machinations in Saltmarsh and by releasing me I'll share with you."   Pressing, Kyra asks again, "Have you been down there two days, two years? Surely you have a sense of time."   "Time blends," it evades, "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. My name's Xolec. What's yours?"   "How about you just answer why you've been imprisoned?" pushes Kyra.   Xolec quickly responds, "Why would I be imprisoned by anything just? Look. I have information. Free me and I'll provide rumors of the brotherhood who wants the streets of Saltmarsh to run scarlet with blood."   "Enough of this! We are getting nowhere. You can not be trusted, so we are leaving," announces Kyra.   As the party heads west toward downtown Saltmarsh, Adlia says, "We should ask Councillor Oweland about Capt Andemous. We'll be passing her place regardless."   Upon reaching the Oweland House, Kyra rapidly knocks on the darkened doorstep. Moments later, the butler answers, "How may I help this night?"   Kyra answers, "We're here to see the councillor after finishing a job. Is she available?"   The butler explains, "The lady of the house took the captain up to the Temple of Procan for extended healing. She'll return shortly if you'd like to await her arrival in the drawing room." He then leads the party to a well apportioned lounge bading them wait as he fetches tea.   Several minutes pass before he returns with Eda Oweland right behind him. She quickly greets the party, "Welcome friends. Thank you for saving Capt Andomnes. He's receiving critical from Brinehand. You've done me a great service, so may I suggest one back to you. I heard about Chad on your last mission and his now grieving family. Let me use your fee of three hundred gold coins as a memoriam from the generous Try-hard Misfits to fund Chad's family. Of course, if you've already made other arrangements or choose not to do this, then of course the reward will go to you. We fisherfolk take car of our own, which is my motivation here. Perhaps it'll give Chad's wife, Marissa, a chance to open a shop herself."   Karia looks toward Kyra and nods as does Adlia and Jane. Nar looks over and, while wiping tears from her eyes, says, "This would be a beautiful thing."   Finally, Kyra looks back to Oweland, "We think that's a great idea. Thank you for handling it."   "There's just one more thing," declares Oweland, "The council expects your presence first thing in the morning."  

Sunday - 23 Ready'reat - After breakfast

  After a long peaceful rest in the Snapping Line, the Try-hard misfits break their fast and then head toward Council Hall. Upon entering, they are ushered in front of the full council along with Queen Othokent of the lizardfolk, as well as a representative from the locathah and Merfolk peoples.  
Capt. Fireborn addresses the party, "Thank you for coming here. We are finally close to striking against the sahuagin fortress. However, we need to know more about what awaits our forces. We need to understand their existing fortificiations, forces, and layout of the interior. We want, correction, need you to infiltrate the fortress and completely explore it. Noting forticifications, routes, and layout of forces and we need this done secretly or the sahuagin will be aware and change their defenses. Are you willing to do this?"   Councillor Primewater chimes in, "We of course can provide resources to assist in this imperative."   As the party remains quiet with shock, Fireborn continues, "We're hoping to launch our attack during Sunsebb as the added cold and winter storms might induce lethargy in the sahuagin, which leaves you a week to prepare."   Kyra reacts first, "This is a suicide mission! Why not send a detatchment from the army?"   Fireborn nods with a serious look, "You're right. It is a very dangerous mission. It could very well mean all of your lives. We do not take that risk lightly, but look at what you just accomplished in Redshore. Comparitively, if we tried to send a detatchment from our combined forces, they would surely fail and alert the sahaugin defenders. Loss of life, loss of resources, and loss of surprise. All of which would make our assualt more costly. Your group is uniquely qualified for this and you have more assets than a company of guards. Will you do it?"   Seeing their hesitation, he continues, "Furthermore, the sahuagin are already attacking ships leaving Saltmarsh which is assuredly a prelude to them eliminating us completely. Listen, Queen Othokent has joined us and not just as a representative of her people. Her people have drafted a map of the fortress as they left it. This should help you by providing insight into the fortress."   Queen Othokent passes a tattered page over to the group as she explains, "Our home contains three levels through a cave system inside rocky island. The cave system fit us well and we made few adjustments, like stairs. Changes have occurred though. Scouts report the island has sunk. I can not imagine how this was done, but the main entrance is now only a large cave facing the seacost. Although our entrances might still be present under waves. This means map could be wrong. We wish you best."   Councillor Oweland leans forward as she implores with the party, "Capt Fireborn's right. We have a good city guard, but it's not an army. This mission, if you succeed and I have faith you will, will provide us invaluable information that will save lives. Saltmarsh citizens, Lizardfolk, Locathat, and Merfolk. These sahuagin threaten all of us and you are our best bet. You've got one week to prepare. Will you do it?"   The party pauses as each member looks at the others and then they all assent as Kyra responds, "Fine. We'll do it, but we need the support of the town. We need magical items and other supplies to make sure we have our best chance of living."   Fireborn interrupts, "We will assist how we can, but there is a limit to the amount of assistance we can provide and keep in mind any assistance that you require reduces the supplies for the actual invasion."   The party spends the next week resting and gathering supplies even visiting the mysterious Keledek the Unspoken who supplies them with potions of Water Breathing and scroll of invisibility. At the Weekly Market they purchase a dozen potions of healing.   By next Starday, Capt O'Donahue has the Sea Ghost prepped and ready for departure with a new deckhand named Ducky.  

Starday - 1 Sunsebb - Midday

  With almost no fanfare, merely a few councillors, like Primewater and Fireborn, the Try-hard Misfits leave the Saltmarsh docks behind as their ship's sails billow with magic and wind heading south by southwest.   As the ship rounds the horn of Saltmarsh, a dozen varied sahuagin leap onto deck with the majority at midships. The party reacts instantly to the surprise attack with Jane squaring against the big bruisers while the deckhands, Jimmie Jr, and O'Donahue due their best to just fend off the beasts. Sahuagin surrond Capt O'Donahue as he barely deflects their blows, while several fall beneath the pressure of Nar's bow. Jane roars a challenge followed by a mighty strike gaining the attention of the Blademaster. Kyra launches herself aloft and summons her eldritch powers tolling the sahuagin below.   O'Donahue reels from the multiple attacks with Jimmie Jr coming to his aid. It looks like one more blow might take him down, when arcane darts fly from Kyra's fingertips slaying the sahuagin causing its spear to clatter to the deck midthrust narrowly missing O'Donahue. Meanwhile, the large Blademaster sahuagin slashes at Jane in a wild flurry of moves, but Jane dances between the thrusts until stumbling on a loose plank and taking a wallop as she cries out in pain.   On the far side, Nar sinks an arrow deep into a champions thigh as she screams, "I'll chew your leg as sushi!"   Slowly the tide turns as the sahuagin lie bloody and limp on the deck with Adlia raising her little bell and chiming it as she points toward the Blademaster. It grabs its chest as it falls backward dead. The reef sharks slowly drift aimlessly away as the party gathers itself with some quick healing.