Gathering Gloom/The Lofty Corsairs
| Current Campaign: The Thuzuulan Heresy | |
| Episode 02: "Gathering Gloom/The Lofty Corsairs" | |
| Location: Larkos | |
| PCs: | |
NPCs:
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| Previous Episode: "The Heretics of Thuzuul" | |
| Next Episode: "Thuzuul at Orasi" | |
| Next Campaign: The Knights of Eaton | |
The group returns to Larkos to find the city covered in a frightful fog; The Molly is attacked by brigands.
Story
Act One: An Ill Dusk
Three months have passed and the group arrives at the outskirts of Larkos in the afternoon. They are passed on both sides by peasants and merchants who walk and drive their wagons at a brisk pace. Upon entering the city they notice that the barbican at the North Gate and its walls are lightly guarded. The city guards curse them for their slowness and urge them inside the walls. As the sun sets and the sky darkens, a heavy fog enshrouds the city. The night watch tells them to find a room quick, so they make their way to the Regal Gryphon and book rooms.
They gather in the common room near the fireplace and take supper together. The room is strangely empty save a couple of sailors and an ogre. They invite the others to their table and they dine together. Joshua queries the innkeeper about the fog and he warns them that there have been foul and strange things occurring at night for a few weeks: disappearances, spirits seen over graveyards and people found murdered in the streets.
The group discusses their options at the hearth; some wish to leave the city that night and camp in the forests to the north, but the others insist on waiting until daybreak to make any moves. In the end Joshua and Ganja decide to leave the city and Shaka goes with them. They arm themselves and make a break for the north gate, but they soon become disoriented in the dense haze. The city bells toll harshly and off-key, and they have a sinister quality to their tune. Ganja panics and stumbles blindly down the street and Shaka chases him. He trips, falls and cries out. Shaka hurries to Ganja's aid but something in the fog lashes out at him, crippling his eye. Joshua, draws his sword and feels his way across the street until he reaches the other two. From the darkness a formless creature lunges at Joshua, who swings his blade and cuts it deeply. It counter-attacks before it flees and so severs Joshua's left hand. His screams echo back to the tavern and Flanagan and Jacob leap into action -- they grab torches and swords and track down their wounded comrades.
As he accompanies his friends back to the Regal Gryphon Flanagan notices that his pendant glows dimly against his chest, and the fog seems to swirl around him as if it were parting way for him. The group unites with the others at the Regal Gryphon and they tend to the injured and discuss what happened. In the distance a faint horn sounds and Jacob tells the group, "That's our captain -- he's pulling up anchor in the next hour and leaving this place." They collect their goods, encircle Flanagan and make their way through the fog to the harbor; on their way they hear screams in the distance and see shapeless things in the shadow.
At the harbor they board The Molly and pay their fare to Captain Cromwell and set sail for Kandorr.
Act Two: The Corsairs Strike
It's a cloudy day and the Molly has been two days out to sea when she spies a ship raising a distress flag. Cromwell orders his crew to arm themselves and he steers the galleon towards the ship. When they get within a few hundred yards of the vessel they see that its Captain Laswell's spice ship the Gallant and its decks are empty. The Molly drops anchor and Cromwell orders two small ships sent out to inspect it.
As the two rowboats approached the Gallant, a trio of caravels in formation appear directly above the Molly and the center sloop drops ropes on her deck. A few volleys of stones, bolts and arrows come crashing down on the crew of the Molly while brigands slide down the ropes and engage the PC's in combat.
Flanagan, Chaka and Joshua push back the brigands long enough for Ganja, Conan and others to climb up the ropes onto the deck of the floating sloop and take the fight there. Cromwell orders his crew to raise anchor and move from beneath the ships. Meanwhile, the fight moves below decks on the main enemy sloop-of-war and Ganja Bacardi becomes separated from his fellow combatants. He journeys deeper into the ship and discovers a room guarded by soldiers. He dispatches them and takes their keys to unlock the door; the room is a small chamber with an immense agate as its centerpiece. Ganja lifts the agate from an etched silver plate and immediately the sloop-of-war begins descending. Ganja stuffs the agate under his jacket and runs to the top deck; the further he moves from the center of the ship, the faster it falls. Meanwhile, the two flying escort vessels drop like stones, and its occupants fall scattered into the sea. One vessel breaks in half and sinks immediately and the other lands on its aft side and lists.
The main caravel careens into the ocean, bow first, and everyone jumps ship and swims towards the Molly. Ganja turns over the agate to Cromwell who pays him and hires him on the spot. They capture the surviving brigands and put them in chains and continue to Kandorr.