Write up follows:
The party spent a few hours at the Saucy Winter Wench, staking out a table near the front door and ordering a round of the house stew, bread, and simple beer for the night. It was after 8 when Deja, Veldryn, and Hjarlod left the tavern to situate themselves on the docks and get ready if the Ghost appeared.
We walked down to the 4th quay through the quiet warehouse district and made our way on the docks until the faint lapping of the tide was all we heard against the pilings. Sitting down, we wrapped ourselves in our cloaks and waited, Hjarlod drinking and muttering as he did so. It was after 9 when Hjarlod and Veldryn, assured that no one was going to come out and bug them, upended the bag of bones she was carrying and dumped out the remains of the alchemist.
According to the Speaker, it was always best to organize the bones properly first. So they spent a good 10 gruesome minutes building the skeleton flat on the dock boards until everything was where it should be. Then she lit a candle and placed the candle in the center of the body where the heart would be. Then with a handful of graveyard dirt and Hjarlod’s guidance, she called upon Hel to infuse these bones with her blessing.
One by one, bit by bit, the bones clacked in place with a series of snapping pops. The candle fast melted into a glob of hot wax and fused itself to the skeleton’s breastbone as a hot dark light. And then the skeletal servant stood up and turned to face Veldryn. She was blown away, Deja arched an eyebrow, and Hjarlod took a drink of his flask, whispering, “It’s pretty heady stuff, eh?”
She put the undead through its paces and then had it relax on the quay. We then all watched the water and waited. It was after 11 PM when we saw a series of long and short flashes which had Deja excited. The smugglers were asking if there was anything to smuggle tonight. She answered in kind, the pattern being the one telling the Sea Ghost to wait, smuggling is coming.
Hjarlod offered to go back to the Wench to get the rest of the party but fell off the docks into the water and came up sputtering. Crawling back on board he was cursing a bit and Deja offered to go back with him. They staggered back to the shore and then through the streets to the Wench. Once there, they went to the party’s table, dropped the drunken Speaker in place, bought him a few rounds of beer, and then left to rejoin Veldryn on the docks. It was on the way back that Deja was convinced the party was being shadowed by someone the next block over, but could not be sure and no one else in the party was able to see it or whoever.
They made good time and once there the party saw the undead skeleton with her. She assured Magnus that this was a temporary thing and would be used to help us to bring Siggurd Snake eyes and his smugglers to justice. Upon completion, she would allow the spell to end and return the bones to her bag should Hel’s blessing be needed another time. The paladin really thought about it and agreed that this was a fine middle ground that he could work with. They shook hands as long lasting friends again and turned to help load the jolly boat.
Will Stoutly was going to man the rudder, Ned Shakeshaft the oars. Darveig was going to be at the front and watch the gloomy waters ahead for the Ghost. This left Veldryn, Magnus, Talion, Deja, Valerie, and the undead skeleton to tuck cloaks and shirts around the edges of their armor to muffle the clinks and clanks it might make and be ready. The plan was to sail up to the forecastle (Bow deck) and board there. Then try to clear the main deck quietly before funneling the smugglers to a single area where the group could use concentrated missile fire and spell use to bolster the front line which should consist of Will, Darveig, Ned, Magnus, the skeleton, and Valerie as soon as the half-orc could get into the melee.
As they left the docks, Deja was watching to see if the shadow person made themselves known but no one came out that she could see. We rowed quietly, Darveig calling out the estimated distance from Saltmarsh.
The bow rope was tied to the anchor chain and we listened. No one seemed to have heard us so we felt emboldened. But from the whistling above, we suspected there was one guy up there on the Forecastle. The needed to take him out quick and quiet. So, Deja and Ned volunteered to be first up. They scrambled up the side of the Ghost, finger and toe holds the only thing getting them up there. Once up top, Ned took out the grapple and placed it over the top of the rail, letting the rope drop down to the boat below where Veldryn was quickly going to start climbing.
As for the lone guy? A single smuggle near the port rail was looking out at the water and whistling. Deja and Ned collaborated and then quietly charged the guy. Ned hit the man first, around the neck, hand over his mouth and then Deja struck low, poniard stabbing up through the kidneys and into the guts. Then Ned’s Kris-blade went down below the shoulder blades and into the lung, the assassin twisting it as he lowered the burbling smuggler to the deck.
From the main deck, the two of them, heard a seaman call out, “Jordi? All ok?” Ned looked around wildly and then grunted a few times in a fake voice and muttered, “All good.”
…nothing happened, crisis averted.
The rest of the group climbed up the rope one at a time while the stayed low against the capstan and looked about. Two men on the main deck, three on the poop deck. One is Siggurd with a lantern, two others are seaman, but one of them is hooded and wearing a robe. Ships’ mage? Sanbalat had told us there was one, and about as skilled as he was. Check and be careful.
Through the still air we heard snippets of conversation from the Captain. “Wait and see…Not sure what Sanbalat’s up to, been almost 3 days and didn’t reply…give them and hour and then we sail back to the cove…make the run to Dunwater and…crew is a bit tired.”
The last ones in the boat was Will and the skeleton – which could not climb the rope. So Will wrapped the end of the ropes around the skeleton and tied it in place and then climbed up. Once there, he and Magnus began pulling the skeleton up…the undead bumping lightly against the hull of the Ghost.
Which attracted the attention of one of the smugglers who came forward and climbed up the ladder asking, “Jordi? What the hell is...”
That was as far as he got as Deja ran towards him, cloak held wide, and then JUMPED off the deck and engulfed the smuggler’s head in her cloak, wrapping it around him and then pulling it tight as she whipped back onto the deck. This then had Talion slam both hands into the smugglers back and PULL…flipping him up the last few steps of the ladder and onto the Forecastle. Valerie let her huge club slap freely down, took two steps up and called shot it to the smuggler’s head just as Deja let go and leapt free – smacking it with the sound of a wet melon. And finally Veldryn dropped to the knee and dragged her dagger against the smuggler’s throat, silencing him at long last.
We waited. Quiet. And then someone asked, “What the hell was that noise?” The Captain turned the bullseye lantern on the party and shouted! “Son of a…Boarders! We’ve got boarders! Awake ya scalawags and toss ‘em back to the sea!”
The battle was on.
The Captain sprung from the Poop deck to the Main deck with a roll and flourish, sending his cutlass end over end until it HIT Talion in the shoulder, bruised and cut through and then rang off. The ships’ wizard fired off a pair of magic missiles that flew across the decks and HIT Magnus, twice – leaving smoking burns in the paladin’s chest. Another smuggler got in line by the mast, others were stomping and calling, and then three more hit the deck – one with a crossbow! And shot Darveig in the thigh but didn’t knock him down.
Talion and Deja fired arrows into the mess on the main deck, taking down the crossbowman eventually and wounding another sailor. Then Will took his own heavy crossbow and aimed…at the Poop deck and the wizard there – plugging him in the chest and knocking him on his ass. And we hoped out of the fight.
Valerie cast a healing spell on Magnus who drew his scimitar and joined Ned and Darveig at the steps, hitting the Main Deck hard. Veldryn called to Hel and Caused Fear on one of the pirates barely in range – and he failed, throwing his weapons away and then jumping over board screaming in terror.
We lucked out on initiative and the party fired again, more arrows plugging into the mass of growing smugglers, wounding many. Will left his crossbow on the Forecastle and jumped down to the longboat on the main deck and then rolled to the main deck to run and bolster the other fighter’s there. Veldryn clambered down and then reached up to help the skeleton hit the deck as well, scythe coming out.
As the battle was going on, Ned charged forward, flung himself around Darveig from the outer rail and used the momentum to barrel into the wounded smuggler and send her windmilling backwards to fall down into the hold of the ship, clearing another person away! Swords clanged and Magnus was going to engage Siggurd when the party told him NO! Not by yourself! And with that Valerie called to Frey…and dropped an 18’ crocodile right in front of the Captain who had to dance back and avoid the snapping jaws. His cutlass hit the beast and rang off, again and again and again!
Another smuggler stood with the Captain as the two of them tried to drive the crocodile back, having very little effect. Deja and Talion noticed the ship’s wizard stand on shaky feet, a healing potion dropping from his grasp and he shook his head clear. And then the doors to the hold opened and the Ships’ first mate, and bear of a man called “Bloody” by the other smugglers and wielding a huge maul, swung it to crash against Ned who could not get out of the way and sent the assassin flying away, taking brutal damage and knocking him down. Another smuggler was at Bloody’s back with his own cutlass and from behind Veldryn, the door burst open and an almost 7’ tall 325 lb. lizardman with a bone spiked club came out and tried to kill them. The two of them struggled for a bit until the skeleton was struck and fell back hurt.
A smuggler had Darveig pressed on both sides and was going to skewer the young man when Magnus jumped forward at the last moment and took the blow against his own shield and chainmail, turning it aside at the last second.
The fight was racing forward and we were a bit scattered. Talion and Deja were on the Forecastle raining arrows into the battle, Valerie was up there as well but her strength and size was probably needed more in the melee at this point. On the poop deck was the ship’s mage, hurt but not dead. The main deck had Veldryn and the skeleton facing a lone lizard man near the Forecastle, the Captain and a smuggler were fighting the crocodile at midship, and at the main deck port side near the Poop deck, Bloody the First Mate and a smuggler were facing off against Darveig, Magnus, and Will while Ned had been knocked down near the center mast.
We could still hear sounds from below our feet, making us believe there are other smugglers still waiting to come out. A few of us have been hurt, but no one has dropped yet. And the battle continues to rage on!
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