Session 6

August 12, 2019

Saltmarsh 6: Fallout

The party is attacked by sahuagin and sharkfolk, and Xandri uses magic to help them escape. Malcolm has two visions, and a familiar figure leaves Vel a note in the Saltmarsh market. The party meets The Great Fraternus at the Snapping Line Bar, and are tricked by Gellan.

Synopsis
On the way back to Saltmarsh, Emmett laments that he knew the mermaid would attack them, while Vel insists that not all mermaids are threats. The sun sets as Xandri alerts the party that they have visitors off the starboard side: triangular fins rise out of the water.

The creatures rock the ship from underneath, and four 7-foot tall sahuagin crawl onto the ship. One strikes at Emmett, who rolls out of the way. Dora runs off the raised back of the ship, jumps over Malcolm below her, and slices her sword through the neck of one of the sahuagin. A shark man jumps onto the boat, red eyes glowing, and takes a bite at Dora's arm. She shakes him off, but is attacked by another's harpoon, doing heavy damage to her upper leg. Emmett takes down the sahuagin who attacked him, as another shark man climbs aboard. Xandri gets bit on the shoulder. Malcolm blesses the party. Dora takes a second wind, and cuts off the arm of one of the sahuagin. The ship rocks again, tossing Malcolm to the ground. Emmett slashes one of the shark men, and Vel stabs him, and he bites Emmett. One sahuagin takes a stab at Dora. Malcolm stays lying down and casts Healing Word on Dora. The ship rocks, though no one falls. The shark man bites Dora again, hitting her lower arm. She hits him back. Emmett gets bit by the other shark man, and one shark man knocks Vel's blade out of her hand, but she surprises him with a dagger in the throat. One sahuagin takes a fruitless stab at Dora. A 7-foot sharkman with spiked armour and a 8-foot sahuagin with 4 arms climb onto the ship. Xandri calls out in anger, and casts a bolt of blue energy at the new intruders. Malcolm summons the Dawn Speaker, which does a critical hit to the sahuagin in front of Dora. One sahuagin throws a trident at Xandri, misses, but summons another one into his hand. One of the sahuagin attempts to rip the mast off the ship, but cannot muster the strength. Emmett kills one sahuagin, attempts to net the four armed man, but he rips it in half. Vel takes down another enemy. The Dawn Speaker attacks, and Malcolm crushes the head of the sharkman in front of Dora, prompting her to salute the Dawn Speaker. Vel is knocked unconscious by the big shark man's trident. Xandri sees Vel fall, and calls lightning down on the ship, knocking everyone unconscious.

While unconscious Malcolm has a dream. He is on the precipice of a sea of light, Lathander, a knight in white and gold armour and wielding a sunbeam shaped blade, stands before him. The knight is fighting a blood covered, two headed creature, one head of a shark, the other of a human woman. The shark-woman knocks the knight to his knees, and is about to deal the final blow as a wave of water separates them. A man dressed in grey robes rises from the sea of light, and he raises Lathander from the ground. They stand together.

Malcolm wakes on the deck of the False Foil hours later. Xandri has healed him with water healing, that Malcolm does not recognize. The rest of the party is still unconscious, and propped up against the side of the boat. Xandri helps Malcolm to his feet, and he goes heal the rest of the party, but Xandri urges him to let them sleep. Xandri tells Malcolm of a demon shark goddess that sahuagin are known to worship. Xandri is worried that there's danger on the horizon between the higher powers, and he tells Malcolm about the tempest god Procan, the Sailor of Sea and Sky. Xandri and Malcolm wake the party. Emmett takes to consciousness with a drink, Dora sits back down to reorient herself, Vel asks if fish men are known to attack this close to shore, which Xandri confirms: no.

The False Foil nears the harbour, and several other fishing boats pass by on their way out to work. Xandri insists on giving the party some money, which Malcolm takes after watching Vel's eyes light up. On Xandri's recommendation, the whole party spends the night at the Snapping Line. Malcolm asks the party if anyone else had visions while unconscious, but he was the only one.

Hannah, the bartender of the Snapping Line, offers the party a local special: a bright red drink, smelling of crab, called Claw Wine, and the party book rooms to stay in for the night. One of the upstairs doors is ajar, and flashes of colour light up the frame. Vel is intrigued, and listens in on the occupant. Emmett and Malcolm head to their room, while Dora hangs back to keep an eye on Vel. She pushes the door open farther, pokes her head in, and is immediately blinded. The occupant and Vel exchange heated words, and he introduces himself as The Great Fraternus, along with his pet sea dragon, Joffrey, who lives in a floating bubble. Vel pets Joffrey blindly. The commotion rouses Malcolm and Emmett, both dressed for bed. Malcolm casts Lesser Restoration on Vel to bring her sight back. Vel tells Fraternus that Dora knows magic, which peaks his interest. Dora tries to explain that she knows very little magic, and that her mother was actually the one who studied, but she has heard of Fraternus' spell Colour Spray. Everyone leaves Fraternus' room. Dora asks Malcolm to switch rooms with her, but loses their game of Rochambeau Throw.

Malcolm has another dream that night. In the same sea of light, overlooking a circle of 6 chairs; 2 empty, 4 held by glowing humanoids. They're focused on two figures in the middle of the circle. One man in grey robes, and a knight in white and gold armour--the same figures from the first dream. The man in grey speaks to the group, gesturing to the knight occasionally, and steps beside the knight again. A red figure rises, and addresses the group. One of the figures in the circle is a older man, with a peg-leg and a harpoon. He turns towards Malcolm, nods and winks, and they all dissipate. Malcolm wakes, and tells Emmett of his dream. In a sharp conversation turn, Malcolm asks Emmett who he was accused of killing.

Dora runs into Fraternus in the hallway, and he invites her to join him for breakfast. Fraternus talks to Hannah at the bar, and gets his favourite drink. Emmett sits next to him and orders the same. Its an elvish wine, honey-like. Fraternus introduces himself to Emmett and Malcolm, and invites them to his show. Vel plays fetch with Joffrey using Shape Water. Fraternus states that he is known across the Azure Sea, for his magical skills. Emmett attempts to scare Fraternus, with help of Malcolm's Thaumaturgy.

Fraternus offers to teach Dora some magic, and leaves to prepare for his show. Malcolm and Emmett express that this is a great opportunity for Dora, though she questions how serious he was. Malcolm gives Dora three spell scrolls: Melf's Acid Arrow, Entangle, and Scorching Ray.

A woman enters the bar, and quickly speaks to Hannah, and posts an ad on the job board. The party heads to Gellan's mansion, seeking payment.

The butler says the Gellan is not in, and won't be home for a few hours. To kill time, the party heads to the market, which is gone because its a weekly market. Vel recommends picking up a job, though the party is less than enthused about smuggling. They head to a blacksmith, where Malcolm buys two copper rings. Emmett buys a few harpoons from the blacksmith, also a dwarf, who remarks to him that its usual to see dwarves on ships, and that there would always be a place for him at the mines. Vel eyes a pearl encrusted trident in another shop. It's beautiful and she wants it, but it's priced at 450 gold.

The party relaxes by the dock as Emmett practices with his harpoon. Vel spots two figures enter a tanner's store, a muscular man and a thin man in a leather vest. The thin man recognizes Vel, and is visibly worried when she stares directly up at them. He scribbles down a note, and departs with the muscular man, leaving the note where he stood for Vel. Written in Aquan, "Good to see you, Sis. Meet me tonight at midnight, behind the Snapping Line. Ask for Fraternus the Great."

Malcolm prays to Lathander on the docks, and receives some attention in return. He gets the feeling the he is on the right path, and that Procan might be a good guy. Emmett fails to catch a fish with his harpoon, but Dora manages to resummon Bastille.

The party returns to Gellan's home, now with a Gellan inside. They report back that bones and a graveyard were found, but without the ability to breathe underwater, they weren't able to solve the problem. Gellan gives the information he promised: that a dwarven councilwoman named Mannistrad Copperlocks is looking for Emmett at a bar called the Wicker Goat. As for payment, Gellan directs them to candy bowl of gold by the door which refills every time gold its taken from. The party, save Malcolm, takes varying amounts of gold, and it disappears from their possession as they step onto the front porch.

The party heads to the Wicker Goat. On the way, Fraternus is performing on the street for some children. He asks Dora if she's given thought to learning magic from him, and she accepts.

Featured Characters
Emmett

Valaeria

Malcolm

Theadora

NPCs
Xandri

Gellan Primewater

Fraternus the Great

Hannah

Quotations
Don’t listen to Zach, he’s not the DM!

Trivia

 * Session Length: 2:52:10
 * This session covers 1 day in universe, the party has now known each other for 10 days
 * Continue Count: 14
 * This session is named after Fallout, the 6th film in the Mission Impossible franchise
 * The entire parry is knocked unconscious by Xandri's use of Chain Lightning. This is the first time the entire party has been unconscious at the same time, and the first any party member is intentionally knocked unconscious by an ally.
 * This is Velaeria's third time unconscious, and the second time for Emmett, Malcolm, and Theadora.
 * Both times Theadora has been knocked unconscious have been due to the actions of an ally, whether intentional or accidental.