Date: 11/16/97

Players: David, Kris, JC, Jeff, Bryan

Characters: Merlor, Bo, Rio & Glow, Saunders, Erin

Before setting out Erin tells us the story of the Moonshae Isles.

We begin by meeting at the docks on the 24th of Tarsakh to meet the ship (the Mermaid Sword) we are accompanying. We are shown an board and given our assigned cabins near the captains. The crew is mostly human and the command structure is fairly obvious. Since the trip is to be eight days long Rio and Glow spend some time after getting settled exploring the ship with the others. We have lunch with the captain on the first day and she tells us that at dinner, at seven bells, we are to be at her table with the other guests. There are several girls travelling to the Moonshaes to visit relatives, a beak nosed merchant who is fairly quiet, and a large man who deals in cloth and other mercantile items..

Rio engages the beak nosed man in conversation trying to discern something about the man. He claims to be a seed merchant and the druid probes his knowledge of seeds, soils and growing things in general. He doesn't seem to know as much as he might be he does say he's fairly new at the job. Rio offers to examine his supply of seed and soils. The man hesitates a bit, as if sizing up the druid, but agrees saying that he should come to his cabin tomorrow.

After dinner the group breaks up. Bo goes in search of Beneton (who left during dinner exceedingly green) but the mage is nowhere to be found. Bo notifies the rest of us and Rio transforms into shepard form to investigate with his nose. He finds a spot where the mages scent is strong but it is intermingled with a strange mineral smell that Rio does not recognise. The crew reports nothing out of the ordinary and didn't hear anything that would indicate a man overboard.

After thoroughly investigating the upper deck the druid notices the others going down toward the passenger cabins and accompanys them. They stop at the beak nosed mans cabin and when the door opens the druid charges in and begins sniffing everything in site. There is one case that smells of carrion and some other unknown nastiness. Rio sneezes with an exaggerated flourish while standing in front of this case and then leaves the mans cabin to continue his olfactory examination of the rest of the ship.

Shortly after leaving the mans cabin he hears startled cries coming from there and hurries back to see what is transpiring. Unable to enter because the narrowness of the hallway and cabin Rio can see some kind disembodied hand attached to the throat of the captain and another scuttling around on the floor trying to attack. Both of the hands are quickly dispatched and the captain, although somewhat shaken is fine. Unfortunatly the man has somehow vanished. Rio squeezes his way back in and tries to sniff him out but sadly the man is no longer present.

He continues his investigation in a careful and methodical manner. When he finishes the passenger deck the druid continues down deck by deck checking lastly the cargo hold. Neither Beneton or the man (Hesselo) is anywhere to be found. The only other scent of any notice, coming from the ladies cabins, is that of strong perfume.

We all get back together to exchange information and decide to set up a watch schedule since the status and safe delivery of the swords is our responsibility. Neither Rio nor Glow wants to sleep in the cargo deck but are willing to take a watch down there if necessary and are assigned first watch. Merlor and Caland have second and Saunders and Erin have third.

Before dawn the fog moves in and it begins to rain. By mid-morning the fog has broken but the rain continues on and off throughout the day. Shortly after breakfast Rio takes flight and, keeping the ship in sight, lazily circles the air currents looking for other vessels or anything out of the ordinary. Glow remains on deck while the rest of the group, following Saunders Detect Enemy spell which still detects something, heads down into the bilge to investigate. Glow decides that the next time Saunders goes down to check that she will go with him and try Detect Life.

Late in the afternoon Rio makes another aerial pass around and spots another ship some 20 to 30 miles away that looks like its heading back to Waterdeep. He investigates from a distance and notices that the crew is mostly human and the ship is flying a flag with a red bear. Returning to our ship he asks the first mate about the other vessel. The man replies that it's a ship of the Northmen from the Norheim Isles and probably not worth worrying about.

That evening Rio and Glow cuddle together on the bow under a thick blanket while the others enjoy an after dinner bottle of wine. Later they learn that Merlor has been caught in the three sisters room and has been repremanded by the captain and had his thief picks confiscated for the duration of the journey. During this time Saunders is trying a Divination to determine Benetons wareabouts. He is successful, to a degree, and is puzzling over the answer.

Again Rio and Glow have first watch which passes uneventfully as does the rest of the evening. Rio and Glow join the crew for breakfast. Erin is there as well and requests that Rio and Glow spell Bo on watch in the hold. Rio declines saying that his watch is above in aerial reconaisance. After lunch Saunders, Bo and Glow go down to the bilge to check for the the enemy presence. Saunders does detect the same presence and points it out to Glow who casts Detect Life. She gets the sense of a man sized, amphibian life form and casts Create Sound causing a LOUD mournful banshee wail below the deck line.

Just about this time Bo hears the call of "SAILS" from the upper decks and those below head up. Just as they reach the upper deck the first mate curses in a loud voice and slams the rudder hard to the side causing everybody to grab onto a handhold or slip and fall to the deck. Our ship barely avoids being rammed clean from the side and scrapes hull to hull against the attacking vessel, the Ghost Ship. The crew moves to defensive positions, and positions behind the big deck mounted crossbows, as multiple grappling hooks are launched from the enemy vessel. All of a sudden crossbow bolts, from newly revealed archers on our ship, attack the captain, Saunders and one of the sailors.

MELEE

Glow successfully users her Chameleon Power and makes her way quickly to the passenger cabin doors to retrieve her bow and arrows. She barely stays out of Merlors way who is charging upstairs to attack. When she returns to the top deck she opens fire. After 4 minutes or so we've definatly gotten the upper hand and a voice from the other ship can be heard bellowing orders. Soon thereafter the grapling lines are cut from their side and the enemy ship vanishes in the thick mist.

When Rio returns he lands near the bow of our boat and crys out. Bo calls out asking where the enemy boat is and Rio again launches into the air to try and find out. Just then Caland manages to dispel the mist and the enemy ship can be seen roughly 70 yards away. Rio circles them and can see roughly 12 men on deck and what appears to be an invisible person controlling the rudder. He is shot at for minimal damage and circles them warily trying to determine if he could land on deck without being seen. He decides not and returns to the Mermaid Sword. Glow fills him in on what has transpired after she finishes tending to the captain and first mate. Merlor continues to fire the ships balista and finally gets in a crushing shot that breaks part of the pirate ships hull away.

As the distance between the ships close a nasty set of black tenticles appears on the deck of our ship and begins to attack those on the bow deck. Rio attempts Dispel Magic on the tenticles but just barely fails. Glow continues to fire arrows until there are no logical choices left and then she keeps a sharp eye out for the captain.

Bo has effectivly taken control of our ship and is ordering the sailors to take to tasks they should have already been doing. The black tenticles are causing SERIOUS damage to those on the bow and have sadly killed the captain and first mate. Merlore is also in very bad shape and is killed before the sailors can free him.

By this time the enemy ships deck is below water, has stopped moving, and is officially sinking. Two of their lifeboats have managed to break free and have six people in them each. Bo has taken control of the ships rudder and quickly steers us toward the lifeboats. They quickly surrender. We bring them aboard and stuff them all in the brig. There is no sign of the pirate captain, The Sea Witch, and we're fairly sure that she must be somewhere onboard OUR ship.

END OF SESSION