June 19, 2004

Hook

Adventurers do be wanted for retrieval of delicate supplies. Ask for Thick Angus at the Stopover Inn by ten on the morning of the seventh.

Plot Synopsis

The adventurers meet a portly dwarf covered by tattoos who introduces himself as Thick Angus. He tells them that he is a merchant and an artist, who specializes in tattooing. While he was setting up shop for his new parlor in a portal hub recently made public, the ship that his supplies was on was attacked by pirates and some very special and expensive inks were taken. The pirates that took them were known on his world, and their base of operations was localized to an isolated island in the cold, northern waters two days from the nearest connection to the hub. Thick Angus wants the adventurers to recover the six crates of this ink that were taken, and in exchange will grant them tattoos that will act as minor magical boons.

Immediately taken by this concept, the adventurers soon agree and set off. They stop off briefly at the Coalition Portal Hub, where Thick Angus points out his shop, the place they will be able to find him when they are done. They then go through the portal to his home dimension, where those of them with magical abilities feel somewhat weakened. Upon casting elemental spells, they feel that they cannot hold on to their units of elemental energy as well as they should. Slightly perturbed, they continue and meet their contact at the docks and set out for the pirate's lair.

Upon arriving at the island, the ship stops before entering the harbor and lets the adventurers land to approach on foot. Kuno does not answer when they knock on his cabin, so they leave him behind. They travel through the wintry forest and stop for the night without having found anything living but the trees yet. In the middle of the night, they are attacked by humanoid figures with pale white skin, wielding crystalline swords and approaching without making a sound. They manage to stave off the attack, apparently killing the three encroachers. Sotara and Siilex recognize the creatures from a previous mission, though it was to an entirely different world, and become a little concerned.

When the morning comes, the adventurers find that their camp is not far from the bayside base of operations for the pirates. They approach carefully, but there is no sign of life in the pirate camp. They split into groups, circling around to different areas of the base. Upon further investigation, they see some bodies lying about the camp.

Raag creeps down the beach to a rowboat and goes out to the pirate ship anchored in the bay. There he finds more corpses, and decides to try to light the boat on fire before leaving. Siilex and Dom search the two smaller buildings, a warehouse and a small home. They find a few bodies, and lots of hijacked cargo, but little of value and none of the inks. Valarie and Sotara sneak into the side door of the two-story stone keep, finding many bodies. Most of the pirates seem to have been slaughtered while sitting to eat in the main hall, and few appear to have had time to react to their attackers. They travel to the second story and find a series of larger bedrooms, the first of which is empty. When the second is opened, they see one of the crates of ink beneath the bed, and Sotara enters the room. When she does, another of the pale humanoids comes from the corner and attacks her. Sotara is killed during the fight, at which point Valarie retreats and Halt Times much of the building. From one of the other bedrooms, another of the creatures runs out, but is caught by a second Halt Time. Going back, Valarie manages to magic Sotara's soul into a rock before it leaves.

The party reunites at this point and gathers the crates of ink. All of them are accounted for, so they return to their ship after a little looting. On the way back, the ship is attacked by some Vatrole-like creatures, which kill a large portion of the crew before they are stopped. The ship limps back into port, and the adventurers head to the Tattoo Parlor at the Hub. Siilex asks about the creature, but Thick Angus says that he has never heard of them. The party members are given their tattoos, including Sotara once she is put back into a body.

Notable Post-Game Events:
Flyers are posted around the Portal Farm about Thick Angus' Tattoo Shop, just opening in the Coalition Portal Hub. Ask about our Special Mystical Tattoos! Also hiring apprentices.

Noteworthy Postgame Events