Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)

10th of Lamashan 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)

"I divined the future for some of the sea folk. I saw this Chelixian ship then as well, an omen of war with Andoran if the wedding were to take palace," you try to parse out just the right portion of the tale so as not to catch the blame, if blame indeed there is to be had here and not just misfortune.

"Ah... of all the fool reasons to have one of the devil's ships on our trail..." Mel does not seem to be looking out to sea, her eyes a thousand miles away or mayhap upon some map, to plot another course, perhaps to escape the grasp of fate, perhaps to rush it.

Akorian Diplomacy (DC 12) = 17 (Success)

You take your leave, heading to look for Gorok or at least one of his kin on the aft deck sunning themselves. "Damned thing," the curse under your breath comes out in the Old Tongue, an air of the familiar to it, but there's no time to wonder why, not when there's other graver questions to ask. "What do you think of the soldiers?"

"They know their tools and bear their scars with pride," the scaled warrior answers. "A dangerous band that know that they are dangerous, not a callow warrior among them, bolt, pike and sword alike. The short one is tough of hide under the iron and hard of hand not just quick of temper, if there are any who I'd doubt in a fight its the ship-folk, but this is their nest, their place, they will not let her fall to the water's grip easily and she returns their duty-care."

"Kami are far from common in the Inner Sea nor the Arcadean Ocean," Sirim hisses. Seeing your confusion, for Gorok is not one to need his words confirmed by wizard's musings, the shade explains that the 'kami' are place spirits only instead of belonging to a stream, a whole cave, guardians of a tribe, or a deep delving. They can bond to things, even those shaped by mortal hands like a road, a house, a keep, or indeed even a ship, but that such spirits are not common in the inner sea due to its relative closeness to the plane of shadow that swallows up the memories of things before they can come alive.

Cob whistles. "Dow d'you know so much?"

"It was a potential avenue of study into the deep past I pursued in the hope of having the very stones asnwer my questions." There's an edge of frustration and something darker still to his words. Why's he speaking aloud, you wonder. "There are some hints that in the days before Earthfall many of the ancient Kellids and the proto-Chelixian peoples at least paid heed to the spirits of all things and not the Outer Powers. Likely it was true of the Nidalese as well though the Church of the Midnight Lord was particularly through in purging those those histories, ironically just as they purged the spirits themselves..."

Sirim Knowledge (the Planes) (DC 22) = 1d20+12 = 22 (Success)

"What do you...?" You cut yourself off. 'The nearness of the Shadow Plane', that implication so casually spoken of on the eve of battle is somehow even more striking than hearing of Aroden's death, seeing the scars his passing had left in Augustana. "What of Gavhaul, what powers does he command?"

"I didn't see any magic about him," Mina offers. "Strange really, even some of the sellswords have a bit of alchemy to help them out."

"He is either a fraud and a fool or very dangerous indeed," Sirim concludes, though he does not linger on the point, content perhaps to let the man prove himself one way or the other.

"Of all of us he's probably the most likely to be able to talk down the Chelish Navy," you point out. "The Cosortium is friendly with Chaliax you said...?" Friendly enough to hand you over to the Nidalesse should your idneity come to light, you leave unspoken

"Perhaps, depending on who captains this ship and what she's seeking." The answer is more ambivalent than you might like. After a moment's pause he adds: "I do not think they are seeking me, they would send a hunter swifter than any sails if they had my trail."


13th of Lamashan 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)

The ship tacks more south than east closer to the eye of the wind, slowing almost to a crawl. The wind does not splash along its side and the seabirds only seem to grow bolder in pursuit of such a slow quarry, much to the annoyance of the crew who had not been told why. Garvhaul on the other hand had been informed, enough so that he had brought a cup of wine and and a plate of smoked meats and cheeses onto the deck to watch the sunset... and the sunrise, occasionally chatting with Mina or Ungor about inconsequential things and on one memorable occasion correcting a sailor's knot by dryly informing her 'if the one of your fellows breaks their necks because of that I'll have to pay for the replacement.' Needless to say it does not make him popular. Most of the crew refuse to meet his gaze and pay as much attention to him as they can manage, which is why they miss him putting his plate away, right up until he points to the horizon.

"Ship, ahoy," he says with faint distaste at even having to speak the words.

Alas, he is not wrong. There on the horizon is the thrice-peaking shape of your vision. Three are her masts an thee her triangular sails, billowing with the wind, flags red and black fluttering above, sleeker and swifter in the water than the Fruitful Endeavor. Her front... aft that's the name, is decorated in the shape of jagged spikes that cut the water.


Mel Navigation (DC 30): 1d20+13+2+2 = 24 (Failure)

Despite the dismay of crew and company alike as she draws close you notice tears in the sails, patched in haste, and scorch-marks along her side born of weathering spellfire. Counting the engines on her deck you see only three and not the five that might have fit, though they are larger than the two captain Mel has for 'self-defense', fairer fight than the size of the combatants might indicate.

A fight it certainly looks to be as the arcane language of signal flags raised on her other masts indicate 'prepare to the boarded' and apparently 'May her Imperial Majesty have mercy on your souls.'

"She does not seem very seaworthy," Gavhaul notes, snapping close the eye-piece he had been using to observe the ship. "'Twould be a shame of the Hydra's Fang were say... to catch fire and sink with all hands."

The captain gives him a sharp look. "So should we look to make him welcome?"

"A warm welcome," your patron replies. "How warm remains to be determined by their deportment."

The present plan is to allow yourselves to be boarded, confirm how high ranking the captain is and what they want from you. If they are particularly well connected or reasonable in their demands give them what they want, if not the seas shall claim herself another prize. In the interests of the ruse Gavhaul and the mercenaries will put on sailor's clothes the better to ambush the boarding party.

What do Gorok's Company do?

[] Write in battle plan

OOC: Since you were not trying to raise Captain Mel's opinion of you, just trying to keep it from lowering, the curse did not trigger.