Session 13

A great success:

Party:

The Plumage of Spring (Sorcerer 1) - Grey Woman

The Meek Sun (Thief 2) - Grey Woman 

Slough (Halfling 1) - Mutant Man

The Last Walker (Fighting-man 1) - Ulfire Man

In the end the Judge never came roaring about atrocity, and the dead-thing of Plumage’s creation was never found. Or so they suspected, for the night passed and they were given a meal and the day passed. There were sounds of a crowd coming ashore, and the cracking of flints, and the murmur of talk outside the Tower.

Plumage, nervous, called out and asked for an audience with the bailiff. He entered and watched them without speaking, eyes cold behind his hood.

First Plumage remarked they never found out his name, and only called him “bailiff;” his real name was The Head Taker. Nervous looks were exchanged because Slough had never told anyone this.

Second they asked if the Gold mercenaries had arrived; they had. In addition, the Judge would offer five of her fighting-men and as many canoes as needed. The party need only lead the attack—if they were up for it.

They were; in repose they had reasoned out a plot that might work. Since the current around the wreck was strong, an attack from the river was limited. Worse an attack from the land might expose everyone to the horror-dust that had so stricken Last Walker.

So the plan was threefold: have the lucky or sharp-eyed of the party dose the monster with white lotus powder. If it was asleep again one would simply pad across the water with the water-walking ring and dose it; if awake, it would be up to a lucky arrow-shot.

Then there would be three canoes with two archers and a paddler each for backup fire, they would go in a line to get as many successive shots off as they could.

Then, finally, the party would hammer it with all their tricks: Plumage with her sorcerous summoning, Meek Sun with poison-fruit smeared arrows, Walker arrayed in the carapace plate of the fallen Eyes, and Slough slinging javelins while running on water.

The bailiff said they had run off many times before, and told them to bring their plans outside to the waiting mercenaries. A crowd had gathered, and the Gold mercenaries stood arrayed with bow and woven armor. The bailiff gestured for the party to speak and lay out their plans, but already the mercenaries called for payment before action. So the party turned to Meek Sun, who scowled and counted coins; there was call for double wages, and call for where their retainers had went, and danger pay, and the bailiff said even the Judge’s arms men would have to be paid. And coins were stacked and jammed into the hand of every mercenary—six archers, three oarsmen, seven sailors, and five light footmen—until the calls turned to contended silence and attention fell to Plumage.

The sorcerer, hoarse from speaking so loudly to so many people, laid out the plan of attack. She warned against the horror-dust and the beast’s strength, but said with skill and bravery they would slay the creature and recover the ship. So it was.

At midday four canoes went out. The remaining mercenaries were told to stand by for the ship’s recovery. The Judge and the bailiff stood at the river’s edge to see them off, and wished them success.

They headed out brave and bold, the mercenaries calling rowing songs. Low mangroves and hanging moss, banyans full of whispers, the subtly rush of water beneath their paddles; there was something great and terrible coming along.

Then the foliage opened up and the longship’s overgrown shape emerged, it’s mast atilt like a falling tree. The rowing songs fell to silence and there was the sound of bows being strung and blades being tested. All was quiet, and Plumage gestured forward.

The party’s canoe was the first to approach, hoping on the beast to be asleep once again—it was not. Out from the overgrowth shined eyes of impossible color and unfurled endless wings that tore the air. Last Walker cursed loudly and the battle was on!

The attackers were lucky at first: the beast shrug off the drug on Meek Sun’s arrow but it struck true. So too the Gold archers, their eyes practices and their arms steady. The canoes took advantage of the river’s current and kept close ranks.

Then it all went wrong. First Plumage of Spring’s summoning attempt called a multi-eyed crustacean of astonishing power, which broke off any attempt at terms and howled for food and fear.

The flying monstrosity took to the sky with a leap and a rush of unearthly wind; one fateful dive-bomb scattered the horror-dust on every single canoe and every single combatant. Most fell screaming, weeping for the fate of Man, and begging for it all to stop. The canoes lost their oars and were taken by the current. It looked like disaster had fallen—save for Slough and two archers, each alone in their canoes among horror-struck companions.

The survivors did not break, pressing on to slay the beast and protect their fellows. Brave Slough struck true with the silvery lake darts, then pulled Meek Sun’s poisoned arrows and stuck true with them too. He stepped atop the waters and called from the others to gather in one place, and to not be scattered.

The beast fell upon a canoe who had been completely overcome and began to feast, slaying a Gold mercenary outright after dodging pincers from Plumage’s summoned horror. Then it turned its attentions to another live archer, touching down upon his craft to strike with pincers and claws. The canoes bumped together and came apart, and the three survivors leapt from their separate craft to come together as one.

The summoned horror had been following, and sensing blood and flesh it took to attacking the canoes, trying to drag them down.

Desperation struck, doom seemed imminent, the cries of the horror-struck rang out as Slough took a whiskey ration and set aflame the canoe filled with dead—and the one the moth-horror had perched on. Thus began a fighting retreat from craft to craft, rising heat and smoke keeping the moth-horror from taking off again and setting alight more than half the ships. It was a scene out of nightmare, screams and smoke and licking flame, and the unearthly emanations of the moth-horror’s wings against air. Flames licked the bodies of the defenders and their companions, the first burning canoe was shattered and dragged below the water by the summoned crustacean.

And finally, with axe and dagger, the survivors fell upon the moth-horror and butchered it. If it could shriek it did.

Slough called for the mercenaries to grab their living companions and dive out of the burning craft. They did, and drifted toward the shore, and Slough braved the fires to pile the rest high in the last unburnt canoe. Severely burnt, and unable to find relief from the waters due to his ring, the mutant dragged his companions away from the fiery wrecks as the whole mess drifted downstream.

He yelled at the other survivors ashore to return to the river settlement, and tell them the day was won, and to return to get the longship and attend to the wounded. So they did and so the two groups split.

Slough guided the pile of weeping, moaning humanity to a far bank where the current slowed and cut to the north. Upon that muddy beach he sat down to wait, for he did not know how long it would take for sense to return, and he found bones. Human bones, all piled up as though the river had also taken them away from the ship. The still-burning wreckage drifted past and out of sight.

Some half an hour later, sense returned. Away from the mercenaries the party gathered, a look of new understanding in their eyes. Meek Sun held onto her treasures, Last Walker had a grin of the dead, Plumage of Spring plucked blooms to look into their pattern. All then knew the name of that place. The sun shone over lost Carcosa.

But they would not let the lurking fear of some far-off cold dark get to them, they were adventurers and tomb-looters and dungeon-delvers and monster-slayers, and would not sit horror-struck by death or the end of the world. But they did know fear.

They had Meek Sun do the first recon, using the water-walking ring and the last of her poison arrows. The others followed along ashore, ready in case of more action. They approached, and nothing more came from the longship. There was only the sound of flowing water and the whisper of wind in the branches.

The ship was thickly overgrown with opportunist creepers and—as Meek Sun saw—had a spire of stone lodged deeply into its hull. Still water in its bilge was full of mildew, little water-dwellers, and bones. And more things too: clay amphorae still sealed with wax through the ages, and inside pale-orange saffron, redolent melange spice, and sweet pods. A haul from the hills, cargo headed to some unknown destination. Coins in a rotted leather cask, silver and electrum credits pressed thin but still good metal.
But such treasure would not easily be hidden.

Slough tired of deception, and said all should have a share. Meek Sun and Plumage replied that the Judge may yet try to ransom another one of them, and all fell silent. They took what electrum they could carry, left the spice, and returned to their mercenaries to wait by the shore.

All in all they had lost four, most of the canoes, and had earned a great many burns and horrors. The unrecoverable dead were marked with cairn stones pulled from the mud, and the living set up a rower’s chant to pass the dead along a river of souls. The party did not participate.

In time, the Judge and her Head-Taker came down the river with an entourage of workers and armsmen. On the banks the two groups met; the Judge descended from her raft and, with a serene expression, proclaimed that the party were brave and cunning, and they had done a great work that day. She singled out Slough, calling upon his bravery—all eyes were upon him—and said he would be reveled that night.

The mutant bowed and made thanks and appreciations, seeming to dislike the attention.

The Judge asked the party to lend their strength to the raising of the ship, one last deed for the day, and they agreed. The work began: that mess of roots and creepers was hacked away from the longship by brave workers, and canoes were hastily paddled up for the Judge to come and examine the vessel.

The party heard her speak appreciatively about the spice and have it all brought over to her personal craft. Then, the order came for all the Gold mercenaries to pick up a short paddle—all brought down from the settlement—and take seat in the longship.
Meek Sun questioned if they were meant to row a sinking ship upstream against strong current; the answer was obviously yes.

So they shrugged and thought the bad idea was at least not theirs, and took seat among the rowers, forty in all. Other canoes had taken position alongside the vessel, strong laborers braced to hold up the vessel in the water while two others rowed. Head-Taker the bailiff stood at the front of the ship, hands raised, and struck his chest to start up a rower’s cadence.

A great shout went out as the rowers strained against stone and current and the weight of such a craft. There was a terrible sound of tearing wood and with a jolt the longship came free. Great flows of water came in from the rent in its hull, spurring on all who felt it rise around their ankles. The canoe supporters groaned and called that their arms would be torn from their bodies.
But the vessel went forward, upstream, cutting through the water’s surface. Haste and worry rose with the water: then ankle-high, then knee-high, then waist-high. Just as the riverside settlement had begun to come into the view the longship was half-sunk and the rowers were soaked to the chest and staring grimly forward at Head-Taker, who stood keeping cadence. The party strained and worked up a great sweat.

A great cry went up and the crew gave a great push to beach the ship in the soft ground of the paddies. Mutants watching from the shore scattered, and it came to be the ship settled with its prow stuck into the earth, recovered from the dangers of the world.

Kills 1 Doomsday Moth (1600xp)

Gains 1000ep (500gp/xp, the rest left to the Judge), 1x unit saffron (145gp) 9x units mustard 7gp (63 gp/xp), 6x units melange 150gp (900gp/xp)

Book of The Dead

Boss - Abandoned in a temple

The Lurking Minion - Sacrificed for power

The Quiet Breath - Struck down by a ghoul

Rattlebones  - Killed by a vengeful acolyte

The Burrowing Excellence  - Frozen in place by a Spawn

The Eyes of True Men - Putrefied from within by delayed poison

The Dreamer of Skies - Dragged to watery doom