Sword of the Skulls Episode 1: A Beginning

**The Road to Adventure**

## Episode Summary

Malia and Vermillion awake on the road to Ealdhabor after a dream-like encounter, beside a horse-drawn cart bearing an unconscious Goliath. Vermillion explains that they were deposited here by Silixian, a moonstone dragon with which Vermillion has had a personal encounter. After a brief conversation with Hey the Horse, they travel towards Ealdhabor.

**The Ship to.... Also Adventure**

Meanwhile, Jad is reading a chapter of The Heart's Way about appropriate judgement calls in a moment between a life and death situation and under what circumstances is it okay to mercifully take a life.

Elsewhere on the ship Lilith has just awoken for her daily ritual of watching the sun set from the top deck and begins sketching shipwrecks in the distance. She has a brief conversation with Sanborn Audrey, the first mate of Jonty's Lover, before Sanborn makes the rounds to remind the ship's passengers that this will be their last night in quarantine before docking in Ealdhabor.

The dinner bell is rung by the ship's cook Ham, a large halfling with a penchant for serving (only) buttery mashed potatoes. Lilith seasons her bowl with a personal stash of salt, but refuses to share with Bryan, an 11 year old boy, the son of Barry, a human salt miner.

Tessa Harlin, a yuan-ti monk of the Order of the Clement Heart, asks to see Jad's copy of The Heart's Way, realising it to be the personal copy of Merrick, head of the monastic chapter of the Carillon. Jerry Bride, the other monk on board, reiterates the importance of the book and returns it to Jad.

Back at Ealdhabor, Malia and Vermillion approach the city gates. Vermillion recounts a brief history of the city; it was gifted to a ruler in ancient times in return for a great service done for the elves of old. Malia reveals she visits Ealhabor often to see her business associate, and tells Vermillion she will be making her way to The Horn and Hoof. Vermillion, convinced by a prior conversation with the dragon Silixian that his and Malia's destinies are intertwined, decides to follow.

Malia questions Vermillion's call to adventure, and he explains somewhat the elven shared generational psychology. Stopped by two guards at the south gate, Malia bribes them to let the adventurers through without issue.

Back on the Jonty's Lover, the Sephyrites Redwin Ulmaak and Willet Wedgewood join Jad and Lilith for a late dinner. A tense conversation ensues about Ehren ensues. Redwin strongly recommends to Jad to not talk openly about Ehren's identity.

Back in Ealdhabor, Malia and Vermillion have reached the Horn and Hoof. Palasam is filled in on Gauthak's failure to be of any actual assistance, and is presented a brief\* story of Vermillion's entire life up until this point in time. Noting that Nessie is missing, Palasam agrees to pour some drinks at Malia's request. Palasam tells Malia of a new job offer, for which she will be paid twice her usual fee. The job involves the Jonty's Lover, and requires the prevention of an assassination. Malia, or Palasam's "happy little knife in the dark" successfully barters for *triple* her usual fee.

Malia and Vermillion are tasked with acquiring a boat - they do so, and row their way to Jonty's Lover. Vermillion also keeps the secret.

Lilith scrapes salt from the top deck rail of the ship and is admonished by Bathilda Wren, the bosun of Jonty's Lover. Bathilda askes about the 'prone one', indicating that she knows about Ehren's state. Lilith claims he is dead, Jad attempts to contend this assessment but Bathilda favours Lilith's explanation.

Meanwhile, Malia and Vermillion have reached Jonty's Lover and make their way onto the ship. They see Lilith scraping the rails for salt, and dismiss her as a threat.

Jad sees a small, empty boat moored to the ship and rushes to Redwin's room, concerned for Ehren's safety. Redwin and Jad find Ehren to be missing from his chambers, prompting Redwin to seek out Atwell Covell, the water genasi captain of Jonty's Lover.

Malia and Vermillion, stealthily moving about the top deck with the assistance of a Vermillion's casting of *Pass Without Trace*, also find the empty boat, and Vermillion cuts it away from the ship.

Redwin approaches the captain's quarters to find Bathilda attempting to revive Atwell's corpse. Bathilda sounds an alarm bell, bringing most of the crew and a handful of the passengers of Jonty's Lover to the top deck. Bathilda commands the crew to begin searching the ship. Lilith joins the search, but moves directly to the hold where she's been sleeping, casting *See Invisibility* as she moved down the stairs, and *Disguise Self* to genericise her appearance. As she moves into the hold, she sees two robed figures crouched over a figured bundled in cloth. Lilith uses *Thaumaturgy* to brighten all the lanterns in the room and yell "Hello! I don't suppose you're on the manifest?"

Jad hears this from the deck above and heads below.

Malia and Vermillion, undetected by any of the crew searching for evidence of the Captain's killer, secretly join that search. Malia notices a figure concealing something in an area already searched by a crew member and confronts them. They identify themselves as Marcus. Under the guise of being a "rope inspector", Vermillion finds a wickedly curved dagger covered in blood they assume to be the weapon that has murdered the captain of the ship. Malia demands an answer about the death of the captain on pain of... pain.

Back in the hold, Lilith confronts the two robed figures, successfully casting *Sleep* (and making Cass proud). The two figures fall unconscious. She tries to get Redwin's attention from below using *Thaumaturgy* as Jad rushes down the stairs into the hold. Lilith and Jad tie up the robed figures.

On the top deck, Malia confronts Marcus, and not believing his story, cuts off one of his fingers. Marcus *Curses* Malia in the process, and a combat ensues. Malia gets the jump on Marcus and takes a second finger. Vermillion *Wild Shapes* into a constrictor snake, constricting their foe. He fails to struggle free, but Malia and Vermillion start to hear screaming from the other end of the ship. Malia ties Marcus with rope, ties one end to a post and hangs him off the side of the ship hoping to continue his interrogation. As she does so, Marcus casts a spell opening a portal below him, at which point he disappears from view.

Meanwhile, Jad, Lilith and Redwin have a tense moment in the hold. Lilith and Jad separately insinuate that Redwin has failed to protect Ehren. Redwin recommends putting Ehren in one of the wooden cages in the hold to keep him safe. Lilith casts *Toll the Dead* to rouse one of the unconscious robed figures for questioning. The first to wake bites off their own tongue, bleeding to death rather than answering. Lilith casts *Sleep* again to immobilise the second figure, now rousing, inadvertently sending Redwin into unconsciousness. She gags the second robed figure, and Jad moves them to one of the wooden cages.

On the top deck, Malia and Vermillion investigate the screams to find a barnacled monstrosity amid the bloody remains of unidentifiable crew members. Malia launches into an attack as it makes its way down the stairs to the deck below. Vermillion casts *Thunderwave*, sending the creature tumbling down the stairs. Malia and Vermillion follow up on this with successful attacks until it spins, removing its dreadful mask and revealing its grotesque face. Malia is not phased by this, but Vermillion is struck with fear by the unnatural visage.

Having dealt with the mysterious robed figures, Jad and Lilith move up-deck, only to run into a second undead assassin at the top of the stairs from the hold to the lower deck. They engage in combat, with Jad taking a grievous injury, but he fights on, noticing smoke wafting from the guest quarters.

Malia and Vermillion press their opponent further down the stairwell onto the lower deck, as Jad and Lilith press theirs back. The undead assassins fight back-to-back, assailed on either side. Lilith *Hexes* one assassin, and Malia eviscerates the other; successfully ending the unlife of the grotesque creature with a dagger to its temple.

Vermillion catches the remaining undead creature with the edge of a *Thunderwave*, rattling its bones as it turns its attention to Lilith after the *Hex* was cast. Jad, becoming more anxious about the thickening smoke from the other end of the ship, is distracted enough to miss his next attack. Lilith casts *Inflict Wounds* on the creature, dispelling the last dark magic holding it together, and bringing the four adventurers face to face for the first time...