August 22, 1998

Hook

Tobias Dobbs, First Boss of Prall, needs your help in securing a traderoute. Payment depends on how goods you are.

Plot Synopsis

The party gathered at the "Weary Knickers" pub in Prall. The Weary Knickers serves mostly sandiches and ale. Only on special occasions do they server mixed drinks or "hard" alcohol. You can get fish, rabbit or rat sandwiches prepared in a variety of ways. Shortly after 7PM Tobias Dobbs entered the pub and sat at the adventurer's table.

He quickly outlined the politcal situation and stressed that a lot depended on opening Prall up to trade with other cities. The parties instructions were to row out past the reef and stop an incoming ship because preperations to break the reef had fallen behind. They were to delay the ship a few hours until a section of the reef could be blasted free.... and above all they were to make sure that nothing happened to the trade ship as Prall's future depended on it arriving.

The party went to the newly constructed docks where a small rowboat was the only vessal to be seen. Dom noted that the docks had been designed by a military construction crew and had no single point failure spots... obviously the leaders of Prall were expecting trouble at some point. The party got into the boat and rowed out past the reef.

At the reef they saw two other boats that were brightly lit and bustling with activity. Divers were taking barrels off the ships and securing them somewhere below water. Presumedly these were the explosives that Dobbs and his pary had "found" in an abandoned shrine. The party mostly ignored this work and kept watch on the horizon for the incoming merchant ship. At one point Claude thought he saw a shadow pass over the moon but could find no further evidence of anything. So after a few minutes he sacked out to take a nap while the others kept watch.

About a half hour later the party was startled when a large ball of fire hurtled across the sky into the demonlitions ships. The ships exploded, not leaving much in the way of survivors or salvage. Claude was startled awake and cast a 'Detect Divinity' spell. His spell revealed four priests in midair above the party and out about sixty feet. He then got out of the boat and swam a little ways off until he found a decent sized piece of driftwood. From there he secured himself and let loose an arror toward the priests. The arrow hit the priests' shadow mount, destroying it and causing the priests to fall into the water.

Dom and Mutt began rowing toward the sounds of the splashes and Claude begin swimming in that direction. Before reaching their destination, Dom picked up a piece of driftwood and cast "lamp" on it while keeping it well hidden so as not to give away their position. Mutt pulled in the oars and drew his sword. Claud had meantime sum up next to one of the priests underwater and was preparing his own attack.

As the boat drifted into the group of people who had fallen from the shadow (the four priests that Claude has seen plus three others) Dom let loose a flurry of attacks slaying one guy and injuring one of the priests. Claude bit into the leg and delivered a poison attack to the priest he was next to. Retribution was slift and efficient. Two of the priests cast "paralyze" on Dom and a third priest cast the same spell on Mutt. Both failed their checks and became paralyzed. Claude bit again and noticed that his target was unmoving. So having seen Dom fall into the boat he swam back toward it. The priests, meanwhile, had climbed into the boat and tossed Dom and Mutt overboard.

As fortune would have it, Dom weighs next to nothing and is a natural floater. Since he woar a slightly weight pack he floated face up in the water. Mutt sank down fifteen feet to the reef and came to rest between two barrels of explosive... fortunately Mutt was also a lizard so breathing water came naturally.

Claude attacked the last remaining person in the water and managed to damage him a lot before he climbed into the boat. The priests started rowing away. Claude hoisted himself up with one hand delivered several attacks to one of the priests and fell back into the water. The priest died. One of the remaining priests cast detect divinity and watched over the side for Claude to try it again. Next time claude appeared at the back of the boat and attacked one of the non-priests who was in the back. He got his sword stuck and was forced to drag the badly damaged man over the side when he ducked back under. A small electric shock later and that man died as well. Claude ducked back under the boat after pulling his sword free.

When claude came out from under the boat the priest (who had cast detect divinity) attempted to paralyze him. Claude made his check and ducked back under the boat. He emerged one more time and cut down another person, leaving only two priests aboard the tiny boat. The boat had, meanwhile, bumped into Dom who thought activated a "stickum" and was being pulled along by the boat.

From Dom's vantage point he saw a beam of line flash out from the boat as one of the priest beamported away. Claude sprang up and attacked the remaining priest. The priest, of T'or, attempted a "shatter weapon" skill which would have worked if Claude's sword had not been made of adamant. Claude ducked back under. The priest dove off the boat after him. In the water Claude made short work of the priest and put the body back into the boat.

By the time Claude had started collecting bodies and putting them into the boat, the paralyze spell had ran its course on Dom and Mutt. They assisted in body gathering. They found a couple of holy symbols, some coins and found membership tokens for the "guild of wizards" on all of the non-priests. The tokens identified them as "Tyla" (probably the 2nd or 3rd best firemage in Centralia), "Desmond Mitchum" and "Peter adul".

About this time the party started debating about either trying to setup of the explosives themselves or sending someone back to tell Boss Dobbs and let him handle it. They decided to try setting it off themselves.

A lamped coin was placed on one of the barrels of explosive. Dom arose up 120' and lightning bolted the coin. No explosion resulted. The examined the coin, discovered that it had been hit and the barrel had been ruptured enough to cause it to leak a think, amber colored substance. Claude next cast lamp on a magic item and Dom once more arose up and lightning bolted the item. No explosion. About this time they saw a distant light of the trade ship approaching. They stopped experimenting and rowed out to meet it.

Upon arriving at the trade ship they moored their boat to the ship and climbed aboard. The Cefo if the ship was suprised that the path had not already been cleared and said he was doing this as a favor for some of the Bosses and that his goods would sell just as well in Centralia if this situation didn't get cleared up _SOON_. The party debarked and rowed back to the reef.

When they got there they reexamined the same two options. This time they decided to go back and tell Boss Dobbs and get help. Mutt was left to mark the spot and to make sure the trade ship didn't leave as it had threatened to. Dom and Claude began rowing back to Prall. Mutt meanwhile spent some time exploring the reef and the explosive setup and pondered what could be used to set them off.

After a bit of time had passed Mutt swam out toward the trade ship to discuss how long they were going to wait. The captain seemed to be in a better mood this time and willing to wait as long as it took. He enquired about the explosives. When Mutt explained things to him the Cefo offered Mutt a deal. Mutt bring up all of the explosives, they leave, sell it to some waring county and Mutt could have 30% of the take. Mutt indicated this deal was acceptable. The Cefo asked for a demonstration of the explosive.

Mutt swam down and brought up a barrel. They cracked the barrel a little and put some into a bucket. They then put Mutt and the bucket on a lifeboat and sent him out to set it off using a wick. No explosion occurred. Mutt rowed back to the ship. One of the sailers minibolted the explosive as Mutt neared this ship. Still no explosion.

Mutt climbed up on deck and said he couldn't figure it out. Just then one of the sailors called out for the captain to look at something. He was pooring the amber, viscous explosive into a cup of brownish, steaming liquid. The captain stepped back a little as the sailor stirred the two liquids together and tried to hand him the cup. The sailor indicated that the captain should drink it. The captain smelled it and then sipped a little. Then he looked really, really pissed and told his mean to take Mutt below.

Not caring what just happened, Mutt dove over the side followed quickly by two sailors. They grappled him, dealt him an incapaciting blow and dragged him back on deck... the captain again told them to take Mutt below. Below the captain explained to Mutt that he was going to hurt... a lot, and for two reasons: one, he doesn't like wise asses selling him a barrel of honey and calling it explosive; and two... he doesn't work for Mutt's boss. Then Mutt's pain started. Mutt's pain started to recede as his personality was submerged. Within a minute the possession was complete. Mutt's body now housed the soul of a mutineer who had died over 150 years ago.

Meanwhile Claude and Dom had reached Prall. They landed the boat in the woods to the north of the city (since it was full of dead bodies) and made for Claude's shack to dump the dead bodies' belongings. Then they went to break the news to Boss Dobbs.

Boss Dobbs was less than impressed. He didn't know how to set the explosives off either. All his people were aboard the ship. He sent his assistant, Vinnie, off to get the "boys". A little while later 6 touch looking guys in business suits arrived. Dobbs brought them up to date on what was happening and that they might just be screwed. One of the guys asked, " What about Bobby? He wasn't on the boat because he was sick." Dobbs instantly got happier and gave Dom and Claude Bobby's address.

Dom and Claude went to Jimmy's. His wife said he wasn't home and told him to try this bar down by the docks. Dom and Claude went to another new dock bar called "Tranquility". This bar was apparently trying to attract the alternative sailors. Soft lighting, orchestral music and well built young, mail waitors was the standard. Dom and Claude found Bobby and said they needed to take him to see Boss Dobbs. Bobby made a run for the back door.

Dom followed and Claude raced out the front door and around the building. Bobby didn't put up much of a chase. Almost as soon as he was caught he was in full confession mode. It was a lot of money after all and there was no way it could be tracked to him. Besides no one gets hurt and we just blow it up next week instead. A bit of psersuasion had him talking more coherently and admitting that he had switched all of the barrels on the ships except maybe eighteen because he ran out of time. The people paying him took the real explosives away on a shadow draco.

Dom and Claude took him to see Boss Dobbs. The Boss listed quietly to the story while removing the bounds and gag from Bobby. He then handed bobby a dagger and told bobby that he was going to need two fingers. Bobby wined a little but then prepared to do the deed. Claude told him not to be stupid... cut off the less used fingers instead. Claude then cast a spell to give Bobby courage and Bobby whacked off the fingers. He left the room whining.

Claude pointed out that they were going to need him and the boss sent Vinnie to catch up with him, bring him back... and bring some ice for his hand. The Boss said the only reason he puts up with him at all is because Bobby is his brother. Goes to show blood don't always run true. Vinnie came back with Bobby and a bowl of ice. Dom and Claude layed out the situation. Bobby thought for a minute and then started drawing a new configuration to lay the remaining explosives out theat might set off a big enough explosion to break the reef. It was going to require another mage as simultaneous detonation on two sides was required. Vinnie went to fetch a mage... one of the mages that was on border patrol.

When the mage arrived he nodded to Dom and Claude and then said "I've never seen them before". The boss told him to relax and explained the situation. He said he was in and when did they start. The Boss said immediately. Claude told the Boss about the dead bodies in their rowboat. The Boss told Vinnie to deal with it. By the time Claude, Dom, Bobby and the mage got to the rowboat their were no dead bodies in it.

The group rowed out to the trade ship. They explained the situation and then set about rearranging the explosives to the new configuration. The process took about 40 minutes of hard work. Then Dom and the mage got in position and fired their lightning bolts. The explosion was impressive.

When the dust cleared Mutt and Claude checked over the results. Things had gone well and there was a gap large enough to sail a single ship through. Mutt suggested anchoring two life boats at the spot (one on each side of the gap) to mark it. This was done and the trade ship sailed through. As the ship sailed toward Prall the party noticed that none of the sailors was very good at their job. In fact they all looked like they were faking it.

Claude asked about this and the party discussed it with the Cefo for a while. Definately some of the crew looked and moved like killers instead of sailors. The Cefo insisted they were sailors, just not good ones. He had picked them up at the last port. Nothing really got settled and the ship sailed into port. The party got off and the boat started to be unloaded. The party informed Boss Dobbs and then went to get some shuteye.

The next day, shortly after noon, Dom and Claude started wandering about the city. A large number of shops were closed. Nearby shop owners said the people were "sick". Point of fact, a sandwich Dom had eaten did make him feel a bit queasy. As time passed more shops shut down since business was so slow.

Dom and Claude went into one shop that remained opened. They sat at a table and BSed with the proprieter. Four guys came into the shop and sat at their table. The four guys explained that they had drawn the short straws and so had to talk to Dom and Claude. The deal was simple. Submit to possession or get out of town. As Claude and Dom got flippant with them they started casting. Claude leaned back and kicked the table at them, disrupting much of the casting. The four men quickly regrouped and lightning bolted Dom and Claude. Claude and Dom each killed one of the men. One of the remaining men cast a lightning bolt while the other attacked Claude with sword. Claude killed his opponent. The remaining man said "we'll meet again" and lightning bolted himself.

Claude and Dom went to find the Boss. The boss was out but Vinnie was there and was thinking pretty much the same thing as Dom and Claude. Vinnie said that his people were getting out of Dodge and were going to assemble at the Pit... bringing along a couple of the possessed for testing to learn how to fight them. Claude suggested contacting Lord Wills. Vinnie was stunned to hear that Wills was still alive and involved in a counter revolutionary movement. He agreed that contacting Wills was probably a good idea and asked that Dom and Claude handle that end of things. Vinnie turned his shop sign to "closed" and headed out of town.

Noteworthy Postgame Events