Sailing of the Coral Breaker

## Synopsis

The Guilds of Sunward have hired the Whispering Cutlass to travel aboard the Coral Breaker, with the former pirate Lucia Bonebeard and her crew who have been hired by Sunward to explore the southern seas.

No one knows what dangers await but unfortunately the intrepid mercenaries never have a chance to find out. Instead they are beset by betrayal from within and must struggle to survive and return to their homes. But they have an opportunity to discover secrets along the way...

## Mercenaries

Erasmus Banks - Water Genasi Barbarian (Sponsor: Harbormaster Procyon)

Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" - Lizardfolk Wizard (Sponsor: Relenam)

Prek Gnawbone - Tortle Barbarian (Sponsor: Nyczomb)

Dorxidor - Eladrin Monk (Sponsor: Kiwi)

## Adventure

### Travel:

Upon boarding the ship in Sunward, the party is introduced to the Captain Lucia Bonebeard and her 5 officers:

* Owen "Hands" Jawsnap - A Dwarf Cleric with a prosthetic hand, the sailingmaster;
* Lauras Marbarie - Tabaxi Bard;
* Ezray Jewel - Lizardfolk Monk and quartermaster;
* Leanna Bell Silverworth - Aarakocra Wizard, first mate;
* Face - Warforged Fighter and weaponeer.

Each of the party goes to talk further with one of the officers, who they will then assist during the voyage. Asher goes up to Face, as like the rest he had never seen an automaton before, much less met one. Face's actual face was blank and featureless, so they carry a collection of masks on their belt, each displaying a different emotion. They reach down and take the "happy mask" from their belt, placing it on their face. They then proceed to demonstrate how the ballista is operated, preventing Asher from having his hip crushed in the process. Prek talks to Owen, who teaches him sailing. Dorxidor works with Ezray to learn the skills of a ship's quartermaster. Erasmus first goes to Lucia, delivering a gift from Harbormaster Procyon that turns out to be a very fine spyglass, engraved with a line he had shared with her. After she has a chance to admire it, Erasmus offers up his services as a cartographer, which places him under first mate Leanna Bell, who tests his comfort with magic through the use of her mage hand. However, while no great magic user, his innate ability to shape water makes such concepts less fantastic for him than for other non-Threadtouched folk.

Following a hard first day at sea learning their respective stations, the mercenaries retire to the crew quarters and exchange rumors about Lucia and her crew that they've heard. These included:

* The bones she wears that give her the name Bonebeard aren't real;
* That they all come from people and creatures that she personally has killed;
* That she uses them as a divination tool;
* That she never brings in prisoners because she and the crew eat anyone they capture.

The cook, Gunther, then breaks out the rum as the crew works to make the party feel like they are welcome. Each mercenary finds ways to make themselves individually fit in as well.

On the 10th day at sea the party is awoken in the night as the bell for danger is being rung. Arriving on deck the ship is being tossed by a raging storm. Prek runs to help tie down the sails while Dorxidor is pinned and trapped with water flowing over the ship. Rushing to help, Ashen is successful in freeing Dorxidor from their predicament but is knocked unconscious and sent sliding across the deck in a heap. At the same time, Erasmus being fearful that the water breaking over the ship will eventually sink it, uses his strength and shape water to batten down the hatches, getting most secured. As Lauras casts healing word on Asher, shouting "GET UP!" they all see a new danger. Rising out of the water to tower over the Coral Breaker is the Sea Terror. While Erasmus attempts to distract it with a golden dolphin made of water, the crew retrieves the "take" which are crates of valuables offered up to the Sea Terror to prevent it from sinking ships. Just before its ginormous fists would come crashing down the take is thrown overboard. Evidently accepting the offering, it returns to the sea and the storm recedes.

The next day the crew practices sparring on the deck in the now clear weather and the party has the opportunity to challenge a crew member. Erasmus challenges Face first and while he is able to strike a thunderous first blow, Face quickly then has Erasmus' measure and overwhelms him. Prek then takes on Hands and is also defeated. Ashen goes next, challenging Lucia herself and the conduct a mental duel once she explains the rules. At first it seems he'll overwhelm her but it turns out to be but a ruse to make him overconfident and she mentally smacks him into next week. Finally, Dorxidor wants to challenge Ezray but he refuses since he cannot hold back and doesn't want to kill them. Instead she faces a common daniel and defeats them soundly. With that they celebrate the day with drinks and get the best sleep so far.

### Betrayal:

Waking up the next morning they realize they've been poisoned but Erasmus and Prek shake off the effects. It's quiet as none of the crew are present and as the rise from their hammocks the party realizes Lucia and her five officers are waiting for them to reach their feet. Lucia lets them know that she is stealing the Coral Breaker and that the party is now a liability. Therefor they can either go get on a longboat and be sent to find their own way home, or they can try to stop them and still end up in a longboat adrift but feeling worse for it. Ashen questions why she would do this since Sunward is paying her so much to complete the mission but she just responds that why should she have some of it when she can have it all. Erasmus states that he cannot back down as he is honor bound to the Harbormaster and must at least try to stop this betrayal, even if he cannot hope to win against such odds.

With that he rushes Lucia, pummeling her with his first blow and the rest of the room explodes into combat, except for Ezray how just watches the entire time. After his first blow Leanna Bell casts Hold Person on Erasmus but Asher and then Dorxidor focus on her until her spell breaks. Prek faces off with Face and takes some damage but not as much as he expected, even when Face seems to throw twice as many blows as should be possible. The tide begins to turn against the party though as Dorxidor is polymorphed into a sheep and Erasmus starts to take serious damage trading blows with Lucia who is able to sneak in more damage than a normal combatant should be able to. Dorxidor, in attempt to help and damage herself charges into the back of Lucia but it is utterly futile. Then Lucia gets another vicious strike in on Erasmus, knocking him unconscious.

As he falls he instinctively reaches for Lucia and as his hand scrapes across her is catches on the gifted spyglass, tearing it free and causing it to shatter on the deck. Recognizing the defeat, the surrender, placing their weapons, including polymorphed Dorxidor, on a blanket to be tied up and placed in the longboat for them. Additionally they are given 20 days of rations for the four of them, which includes two small healing elixirs, one they feed to Erasmus to revive him. Lucia states they're headed to the Westlands but Asher recognizes this as a lie and calls her out on it which leaves Lucia silent as they depart.

### The Island of Secrets:

After an hour, with everyone revived and working to move the longboat in what they think is the right direction, they notice three shadows swimming under the boat, which start bumping into the bottom. Erasmus freezes the water directly below the boat to give it some armor and identifies the shapes as razor sharks. Prek hits one which causes more shadows to appear before Sirens, beautiful half-man, half-fish appear, looking like perfectly sculpted and demand to know what was the reason for the assault. The party apologizes and explains their predicament and while they make fun of the group for losing the ship they do gift a necklace with a large clam hanging from it to Dorxidor (meta: the clam points to the nearest land when on the sea). They spend days as sea, growing short with each other and getting sunburned. Prek sees a giant serpent covered in sunken ships and anchors one day.

Following the clam, eventually the boat strikes something and begins to take damage. the party soon realizes they struck a barrier reef surrounding an island. Standing near the shore are strange guardians but they take no hostile action as the group wades ashore, the longboat having finally sunk. Asked if they are there to trade secrets for knowledge Prek replies in the affirmative and they are lead towards a structure that has strange inhabitants with robes and wicker coverings over their faces. Taken to a room with a strange figure seated on a dais with a similar wicker mask. It asks if they have secrets to exchange and Prek again says yes. Prek offers that Sunward was betrayed by Bonebeard, stealing the Coral Breaker. Replying that it did not know this secret. Erasmus reveals he became a mercenary after causing an accident that resulted in the death of another guildmember in Sunward and was kicked out of the Stewards. Ashen tries to share that he tried out for the Vanguard when he was too young and not ready but the figure does not accept this secret. Offers that Lucia lied about heading to the west and this is good enough. Dorxidor can't think of a secret, Erasmus tries to whisper one to them so they can get a 4th piece of knowledge but due the nature of the room the whisper is clearly heard by everyone in the room.

In return they received the following knowledge:

* Prek received the knowledge of how to return to land and back to this Island of Secrets but knows that once he does so the knowledge will be gone.
* Erasmus learns that Lucia has called the Lonely Coin her home since the death of her first born and most wants to free their soul(meta: Devon didn't really foot-stomp this but I think it's probably a big reveal deliberately dropped in an understated manner)
* Ashen learns that magic is dying by many hands and some paths are better than others so certain individuals are being removed by the (Can't read my notes lol)

At this point an attendant comes in and and stated that the Dushah had arrived and they needed to leave.

### The Return:

Leaving the building they encounter a beautiful elven woman which some of the party identify as Efit, the Dushah of the Eastern Province. However as she had not met any of the mercs she ignores them as she enters. Seeing a Kregian great sail docked that she mush have arrived on they head down to try to obtain passage. The crew on the docks say that it will be up to Efit and when she arrives it looks like she's been crying and is very upset and when asked agrees without thought. Using a strange spinning compass the captain is somehow able to navigate through the coral reef without issue.

During the voyage back to Kregia each party member has the opportunity to try to learn two pieces of information.

* Dorxidor - learns how the clam necklace actually works
* Prek - learns the compass is common to Kregian captains and points to the clear water
* Asher - Hears that evidently Efit paid 10 wealth to make this trip and trade a secret for a piece of knowledge
* Erasmus - Learns that the Sea Terror had likely been attacking Kregian ships because their take had been tampered with before being loaded
* Dorxidor - Reads in Efit's diary "How could a union between me and Adrian create so much turmoil and change the fates?"
* Prek - Hears from the Kregian sailors that the Sea Serpent he claims to have seen "isn't real"
* Asher - Tries to find out what Efit needs but fails miserably
* Erasmus - Discovers charts while snooping that show how to get to the Westlands

## Outcome

The party secured passage back to their respective home towns of Abishot and Sunward, receiving some pay for their unexpected hardships and attempt to stop Lucia's actions. It remains to be seen who they will share the knowledge gained on the Isle of Secrets or aboard the Kregian great sail during the voyage home.

## Adventure Rewards

5 GP each

Clam necklace that points towards the nearest land (Dorxidor)

Prek to level 2