We begin this week’s session around noon on the 7th day at
Garamaldi’s with mid-day lunch in the company of our said employer and the
Indians siblings Omas and Pjazza who expressed curiosity as to our immediate plans
and how soon we anticipate our return to Malta. While keeping the specifics of
our next mission to ourselves our characters did express not being gone more
than two weeks.
Garamaldi offers, if we divulge our destination, that he may
compensate our troubles for the delivery of a message or two. Jabari brings up
Fungus rock (NW of Gozo) and asks Garamaldi what he knows of the island; while
his knowledge seemed on the generality side, he suggests seeking an alchemist
who may pay handsomely for the return of an exotic component or two (cinder
moss).
Talk wanes to Comminoto; his opinion is that the rock is a blight
that attracts weak-willed, godless, filthy races tolerated only because they
haven’t intruded on the civilized folk. He warns that seldomly those who return
from Comminoto come back with what they intended. Garamaldi doesn’t care for
the inhabitants of Fungus Rock and that they are mayhap spreaders of disease.
Comminoto (Kemmunett): The small island is known for three
things, the gems that can be found on its beaches, the flammable Cindermoss
coveted by alchemists, and finally the goblin/hobgoblin, bugbear, and ogre
forces that serve the islands ruler. For the last several years the
island has been under the control of the Ogre-Magi Karok. The civilized islands
haven't moved against Karok, due to his followers propensity for attacking
pirate ships and other small islands.
Carlo warns of the Black Druid to the trio over breakfast;
this does not come as a surprise to Garamaldi who does expresses concern, but
says the ‘Black Druid’ harkens back to a time before modern Malta. He refers us
to the Bard College which piques Evagara’s interest.
Jabari brings up the Iris Continental and what Garamaldi’s knows
of the establishment which he says there are a chain of; with at least two
others in Malta and others ranging from Carthage to Luxor in Egypt. Carlo asks
if there is an official Eye connection; perhaps some Garamaldi believes, but it
is not an Eye official location. Evagara’s insight was that there was a
convention of sorts of dangerous business and that we were ‘uninvited’ guests
but was inclusive during our brief stay.
Omas has some connections in Hagar Qim and offers to garner
information on the Iris Continental for us; Jabari offers the man silver but
the coin is refused and instead given an all-weather satchel of messages to
deliver in return for whatever Omas can find out for our characters.
At the end of the lunch Evagara excuses herself to prepare
for our leave the next morning.
After breakfast Jabari expresses the desire to volunteer
Nogamon’s garden, as does Carlo while the rest of us look for the alchemist
“Blue” a Fessaj catfolk who operates in the student’s quarter, that Garamaldi
refers us to; whose primary customers are bard understudys.
Lete, Lex, and Marco head to the alchemist and the student
quarter and Carlo and Jabari decide to visit Nogamon’s grove where they spend
their first four hours tending to sick children.
The rest of us head to the Bard’s College looking for Blue Fessaj
where we find a busy Paola where several large stone wheels are being moved
into the city causing a lot of uproar in the citizenry. Getting closer to the college
the three characters begin to hear music and singing; eventually we find a long
and wide merchant hall where, at the corner is found the scorched alchemist
shop.
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| Blue Fessage |
We enter, fighting off the sickness of the smell, and find the
partially hairless Blue Fessaj. Marco leads the conversation mentioning
Garamaldi and our impending travel to Fungus Rock offering him a spot on the
ship in return for alchemical aid. While Blue Fessaj cannot go he expressed
interest in our characters bringing back sensitive flora. He speaks of a
gnarled vine that moves and is carnivorous though he is unsure of its senses;
he says that the leaves and vines are useful to his creations against cold and
fire.
Lete purchases Vermin Repellant and Marco buys four acid
vials, eventually Blue Fessaj produces an old student’s botany manual with
drawings of exotic plants to take and when our characters return Blue Fessaj plans
to have some alchemist fires for purchase. We quickly turn to the Cinder Moss
pages and identify four types of the moss and become familiar with them; the
fourth moss being different with purple veins and not the typical orange/red
including identifying parts of the plant. Blue Fessaj explains what makes
harvesting cinder moss so hard is that their vegetation cycle is quarterly and
hard to determine when its save to do so. Blue Fessaj offers to invest in our
job (400gp) and we would insure to refund the gold with hopes to profit upon
our return and grants us a potion of water breathing.
When we leave we notice that several individuals notice that
we had visited the alchemist (by the lingering stench) and it is revealed the
vast majority of the merchants here are Eye merchants as we look for new
generic Kilts and Sandals. Our visit to a clothier is short and amicable; while
there the clothier gifts Marco ‘Duelist’ costume jacket to accent his fine
puffy shirt and is paid to outfit his lady Evagara.
Meanwhile at the Nogamon’s grove Jabari and Carlo learns
that word of the Black Druid has reached the centaur’s pointy ears and asks for
their firsthand account of what Jabari and Carlo knowls. Nogamon states that if
the story is true then we are all in great danger. Nogamon asks probing
questions asking whether they serve ‘the you’ or ‘the us’ and reveals he is an
ancient one which gives the characters much to think on. Jabari and Carlo are
invited to come back after our adventures and Nogamon hopes to have further answers.
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| Loshe |
Reunited we walk to the Seven Churches and Jabari gets stuck
in the head by Loshe trying to get his attention. The rest of our characters
retreat to the barracks as she and Jabari take a night walk to the Greek Church
(where the shovin’ happens). There, she has him remove a tome from a satchel
and to read the cover, but he is only able to read part of the title. She says
Jabari requires the aid of a teacher and her organization, an organization thatis partially responsible for Malta; protectors of mortal life originating from
the ashes of a destroyed civilization to keep integrity of earthly magics and
artifacts. She recognizes Jabari’s bloodline, though she doesn’t know which.
She offers to teach him. Loshe states the organization’s current job is to
track and categorize magical items and their creators; she is especially
interested in Jabari’s item and who has worn it before. Jabari accepts her
arcane mark on his palm as her apprentice. Her intention is to travel to Zebbug
properties there where she can be found. As far as Jabari’s friends are
concerned Loshe prefers they know their relationship as intimate.
The next morning (day 8), Jabari discovers the tome reveals
each previous owner and dates on the inside cover when he prepares his magic;
he then adds his own name with a date. Evagara returns to Marco this morning
where we learn she had also performed some shopping. Together again we are
prepared to leave for the open seas.
 |
| Valcrum Nuvere |
At the well-organized Paola docks we are directed to some of
the smaller piers where the White Lightning is docked where three individuals
arguing with a man who does not look like a sailor insisting he is the captain
of the White Lightning: Valcrum Nuvere.
We reveal our destination is one of the Northern Rocks and Valcurm bids us on
board. To some of us it looks like this is the first time Valcrum has seen the
White Lightning but nevertheless he quickly invites two other ‘red shirts’
aboard. Our characters quickly ascertain they are running from something. We inquire;
they admit there was a disagreement with a third party and they hope to
eventually make amends. By a party vote three for and two against the three are
stowed below and we shove off.
On the open waters of the Mediterranean we see much sea traffic
and easy travel along the shore. North of Malta Marco and Lete notice humanoid
creatures in the waters along the rocks between Gozo and Malta, Lete sees four
that are moving with a smaller craft to be Locathah.
Four hours later we begin to see Fungus Rock where anchored
in several places are various boats around the Rock and it is also where our
characters begin to hear the sounds of the dire animals from the island. Jabari
is tested in his sailing skills, avoiding whirlpools, sea moss, and hidden
rocks. Along the way we also see Locathah swimming among the hazards as well. We
embark on a smaller ships to get to where we believe is the grounded Gleeful
Skipper we are looking for. We disembark on a smaller craft to get closer when Lete
sees that the Gleeful Skipper is newly painted over but before we get closer
still our small row boat is knocked by a large scaled crocodile shape and after
a few tense moments an octopus is summoned by Evagara and we are able to eventually
escape.
On the Gleeful Skipper we see signs of battle and that it
has been cleaned and without sails; Lete and Marco notice a curious streak of
light under water as Lex descends the ladder to the hold and finds blood and
gore on the ladder; the first thing he sees that the sails are unfolded in a
curde attempt to make repairs as well as a row of six locked chests secured
with thick chains that are locked as well; several barrels of gunpowder for the
dozen cannons that secured in the hold, also being transported on the Gleeful
Skipper. Jabari ascertains that a tug boat would be needed to free the stuck ‘Skipper;
it seems like the best solution is to head to shore and look for tools to help
free the ‘Skipper.
Meanwhile a small craft with 6 individuals are seen
approaching us on a similar small row boad. We hail and they reply back ‘Hay o-
I am Lemont’ as they get closer with the aid of something in the water we
notice their style indicates Egyptian. When they board each appear human; three
are branded with Egyptian marks sans Lamont and two of the others, they are
armed and ask our interest in the ship. We answer somewhat truthfully as agents
of the proprietor and who aim to free the ship and take it to Malta. They are
also here to do so and believe we are simply on the wrong ship and points out
the new paint job. See, they are here for the GemCutter- they ship they claim
we stand upon and again points out the new paint and the confusion. We ask who
Lemont works for and his answer was Prince Ffahra Ffahra.
We do not come to an
amicable agreement in our conversation and we will begin with combat next game
session.
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