Session 18 Recap

Previously on DnD, you awoke aboard your new ship "The Sea Under The Stars" to the crew making ready to depart from the Smugglers Cove. Fluff and Dapi had terrible nightmares about being burned by forges and put into a cage respectively. Dapi tried to read her letter from her family, but the handwriting was too illegible. While speaking to Vorsah (and constantly calling him Voorhees, much to his chagrin) Pelios noticed that two pirates appeared to be trying to sneak away with a painting of the ship. He shouted at them to stop, and they took off at a sprint. Pelios then cast levitate and the picture rose out of their hands and the two would-be thieves escaped into a pool of water. You brought the painting aboard and saw it depicted The Sea Under The Stars in a foreign port at night. It depicted the captain talking with the figurehead, but you know the ship currently has no figurehead. On investigating the painting further, you found a small catch that released the canvas from the frame. One the canvas was out of the frame the painting disappeared, and when it was reinserted the painting reappeared. You then put some normal parchment into the frame, and the frame locked tight on the blank frame. Duala decided it would be best if she carried the painting with her.

You then set sail from the Smugglers Cove to Rangan Docks. On the way, you instructed with Acting-Captain Vorsah to have his men carve small decorative items to sell between ports - at one point legitimately considering turning "The Sea Under The Stars" into nothing more than a dildo making sweat shop. Dapi said something she didn't mean - potentially as a result of her recently kicking R-Cane and became a bit depressed. Eventually, Vorsah convinced you a better use for the ship would be to trade cargo along the Ibloa Coast and share a cut of the profits with you. You gave him 500GP to start trading and asked him to go for a high risk, high reward strategy. You agreed to meet Vorsah in The Squatting Cat on CE964, 17th September to see how his trading has been going and receive your cut. As you neared Rangan, you came across a seemingly empty rowing boat. You couldn't quite see into the boat, but as you got closer it disappeared into the mist.

Once you reached Rangan you disembarked and paid the halfling harbour master the 50GP docking fee before heading to Skeelvich Raghoul's tower. Once there, Pelios attempted to catch a crow using his mage hand but it turned to black smoke as the hand closed around it. Qelgar was able to gain entry to the tower using Skeelvich Raghoul's name and you headed up the stairs. On entering the top of the tower Skeelvich was very interested in Duala as a self taught beginner necromancer -and quizzed her on her motivations. He then gave her some Necromantic Glasses of True Sight, that she could use to either look into the Ethereal Plane, or to give herself true sight. When looking into the Ethereal Plane she could see Binky sat beside her and on realising she could be seen, Binky jumped up and started licking her face. Duala also saw a small ghostly figure, perhaps a badger, a hare or..a rabbit? Her amulet was attracted to this figure. When seeing into the Ethereal Realm, Duala perceived Skeelvich Raghoul as a great skeletal figure - ten feet tall and rippling with power. Qelgar appeared to be ever so slightly golden, Pelios' blood vessels all shone red (proving he wasn't a crab), Fluff had leaves falling all around her, Stuff appeared about a foot closer to Fluff than they were, Dapi appeared about a foot shorter. Then, Fluff realised that Duala should look at the painting of "The Sea Under The Stars" through the glasses, and on doing so Duala saw the previously blank canvas now showed a map leading to a location in the Stoneshaw Hills, and a poem:

*"To disturb the rest of those who sleep, betrays a need to hold and keep, but if you are to draw today, beware the Death of Baldanay"*

Pelios then asked Skeelvich about the Decks of Many Things and Mogoloth's plans. Skeelvich reiterated that The Four had four of the Decks, (Orc, Human, Halfling and Undead).The Dwarven deck is rumoured to be beneath the City of Ironwin and that the Gnomish deck is a thirteenth of the size of the others. They don't know how many of The Deck of Many Things' Mogoloth has. Skeelvich also saw within Pelios a great, dangerous entity in the form of a purple dagger - and advised Pelios not to use any other weapon until he has that dagger.

The Defenders then bid Skeelvich Raghoul farewell, and headed into town where they went to The Dapper Cauldron Apothecary and bought some potions (Qelgar got an absolute bargain on some Mammoth fur, Fluff got rid of her beard, and Dapi bought some body grease). You then headed to the stables where you retrieved your Ford Fliesta Cart and set off for Eyjara. You had an uneventful journey and you arrived in Eyjara on CE964, 18th August to a hero's welcome. You checked in with Housemaster Edmund, who told you the work on the foundations and ground floor of your Defender of Eyjara House is going to cost 2000GP. You paid him and headed to the Badger's Pint Inn. You each had a drink and then reflected on what you'd learned during the last five days. Duala remembered a lovely evening she had with Nahala, Qelgar had a vision of his Elven companion Dunenro Clanora, but Pelios had a hideous vision of being in a cave, a voice whispering "Nothing", a hideous snapping beast spitting "Is", and finally having the word "Free" sliced into his left forearm while falling through infinity.