Imprisoned Moon Session Four - Escape from Uter-Phrang

They don't really escape, they just leave.

We begin with the team dashing from the lair of the Giant Boar, clutching the Silver Arm of King Polinari. As they leave its den they see opening up in front of them the steep silver Tagia of the moonwards side of Uter-Phrang. Above them is the black rock of the Volcano, to either side are steep valleys and crevasses.

The Kings Jay asks them where they want their door opened and they, perhaps foolishly, say they want it right here.

The Jay then flies back up the Volcano to inform the King of this. The team realize that it will take some time for the door to be opened and that they are currently still being chased by a giant fucking Boar.

They dash down the slope and leap down a cliffside into a still pool. Jepta lands poorly and is slightly hurt. The Boar comes to the ledge above the pool and they hear it nosing around, trying to find a way down.

Reasoning that the Boar is huge and will have a poor time leaping, Jepta fires one of her ice bullets at it to taunt it into jumping. The Boar fails its Will save and leaps. It then fails its Dex save and crashes into the ground, breaking two of its legs.

The screaming is monstrous and the tree-moths of the Tagia spiral into the air in shock.

At this point Ian's character Bastian Blank the Shipwrecked Kelptomanic boy appears & finds Jepta  pulling herself out of the pool and calmly emptying the ice bullets in her revolver into the Boar, blowing its brains out.

Soon, under Jepta's orders, the team are up to their forearms in Silver blood, butchering the Boar and pulling several remarkable weapons from its flesh.

• An obsidian axe
• A magical arrow
• A well-crafted harpoon

Then they rob its lair of all the metal they can, Bastian steals a huge iron sword to add to his oversized weapon collection, they get some extra swords and a suit of mis-matched plate.

Busla and the White Ape decide to go off on their own to investigate the Caldera of the Volcano. They find inside a huge black pseudo-city carved from volcanic rock whose doorways & buildings are only sketches in the stone, none of the doors open & none of the buildings can be accessed

Most of the crew go with King Poltari, who is super-pleased to get his silver arm back, he introduces them to their new crew, 16 crewmen & a Navigator of Nox (paid two weeks in advance) then returns them all to the Falling Star, as per his agreement.

Mission accomplished.

In the City of Athenoptica, Busla and the Ape run into King Galerian, who wears an Iron Mask and is served by a Crow. King Galerian takes quite a shine to Busla and attempts to seduce her into the 'Life Eternal' ie becoming a Lich. On discovering they are adventurers, he promises to aid her if she finds something for him.

He tells her that the isle of Tien Phrang is split between its Moonward Side and its Dark side. The moonward side is ruled by the Jade Path and the Darkwayrd side by the ruin-obsessed Black Path.

(see zaks Churches of Tiamat)

The Black Path is lead by Pan Chun Mei who's lair is unknown. King Galarian is familiar with this woman and wants her Jade monkey. If Busla brings it to him he will aid her in reaching 'The Life Eternal'. Galerian pulls a feather from his Crow, oozes a ring from his finger and appends the feather to the ring, where it becomes an etched sigil. He says to summon his crow, simply touch the sigil.

On the Falling Star, captain Crunt tries to defuse tension between Tranquility Zooth and the new navigator Bodagrottorna al Tenebres an Noble woman of Nox. Resolved in Tranquility's favor, Bodagrottorna returns to a rear cabin in a rage.

Juglangsing Leptoblast has succeeded in translating part of the Captains Log gives his translation to Jepta, while also reporting his 'admiration' of her. Translation follows:

(My best partial translation of mst relevant pages below, only small part of whole atteneded to, yrs, with respect and Admiration My Lady, JL)

(P.S. my comments in brackets())

What am I to do with these RUFFS?...

....

Broad water-lilies lay tremulously,
And starry river-buds glimmered by,
your hair, Rashel,
And around it the soft stream did glide and trell,
With a motion of your sweet sound Rashel.
And the snakey paths of lawn and of dogs,
Which led through the garden along some logs,
And opened at once to the sun and the thieves,
Then lost among bowers of blossoming trees...

(I have not translated any more of his poetry as ws not V good, JL)

(more about Rashel here..............)

Islands of the Phrang Sea

Uter-Phrang - consider Galeren or Otchoun for silk trade? Are they still whole? has been many centuries..

Roto-Phrang - a hole. That terrible musich they play was V popular in court last time, try to trade for some plam-insturments & possible musician. DO NOT LET HIM PLAY ON BOARD or eat him. or her.

Sula-Phrang - avoid the harvest & conversation with the dull dead, safe enough, can repair here as long as NOT HARVEST SEASON

Tiam-Phrang - Isle now split between Black Path and Jade path. Have heard Pan Chun Mei rules Black Path, probably still in Lan-Lieng. Large island w resources but best to avoid? Or raid?

To hell with damned Jade Path & their green ships. Glib idiots.

(..... goes on about Rashel here again ...more poetry...)

Alo-Phrang - Marinkio could be interesting. Otherwise safe & dull. 

Lembata-Phrang - No idea. True about the Demons?

Tennggara-Phrang - Must make certain not to enrage the Pale Eye. Their help could be V useful in getting to Yaag-Sien  accessing chain. Make sure not in state of war before making any public alliences, political situation always shifting.

oh Rashel....

(goes on in same vein for some time.)

................

Bastian Blank talks to the Fire Dervish Karvash Bloom who tells him some of his Doctrine of Fire and gives him half a pack of matches, telling him to have fun but be safe.

Jepta makes a deal with king Polinari's Silver Jay for one of their (damaged) bales of Silk, he pays three guilders for it.

Though barely able to describe the ship to which they wish to go, despite almost every adventure thus-far being almost entirely on that ship and the DM info-dumping them to an incredible extent, Busla and the Ape get lucky and King Galerian returns them to the Falling Star. They inform the crew of Tien-Phrang and their desire to go to the 'Darkward side'.

While fiddling with the arrow recovered from the hide of the Silver Boar

After four days of repairs to the ship and discussion, the Falling Star is finally fully repaired and in working order. The navigator Bodagrottorna al Tenebres informs the crew of roughly where they are:

The crew decides that they will attempt to steal from, raid or otherwise assault Pan Chun Mei since, as leader of a 'Terroristic' organisation 'she will probably have money'. They set sail for Tien-Phrang

....

.... and brilliantly go wrong, they arrive after five days at the shore of Sula-Phrang. The Giant Mantis-Shrimp-Riding tribal elite are dashing into the surf to catch coral snakes, it is indeed Harvest season and we sense that the PC's are about to become forcibly involved in the islands rituals whether they wish to or not.





Current Status, Crew & Passengers of 'The Falling Star'

STATS: 10HP , Armour 1, Ballista X 2 (d4), Catapult (d6)

Captain Jepta Crunt (Chris H)
First Mate Barlang Rift (Dan Voyce)
Ships Boy Bastian Blank (Ian Reilley)
Dammned Liberal Busla Rant (Richie Cyngler)
Associate Ape (David McGrogan)

The Navigator of Nox: Bodagrottorna al Tenebres of House Reed-Red. A woman with the distinctive crawling blue vein-ation of the ancien-regime.

A Skeleton: So far no-one has inquired deeply of the Skeleton.

Active Seamen (& women) (in order of Seniority):

      1.       Suharto Ary Setiawan - M

2.       Kusuma Krisna Kusnadi - M

3.       Siska Vera Salim - F

4.       Angkadiredja Yuanjun - M

5.       Alim Baozhai - F

6.       Talim Chyou - F

7.       Laya Delun - M

8.       Walt Litaay - M

9.       Lauren Samallo - F

10.   Othniel Dalimunthe - M

11.   Moses Hutagaol - M

12.   Prisca Wuruwu - F

13.   Samuel Sigiro - M

14.   Keturah Turutan - F

15.   Rose Depari - F

16.   Suripto - M

Former Vampire Food & current Unskilled Aenemics (in order of Activity):

1. Ghar Atair "STAMPY" - M
2. Konepruske ken Goranan "MIDDLE" -M
3. Malt Weeto "CATCHUP" - M
4. Namgamdok-gul Oke Ke - F
5. Harasib Schact - M
6. Echo Jahn - F
7. Optivia Oats - F
8. Prot Jama - M
9. Chichicasapan de Ahuihuizrapa - F
10. Reptar Pr-Grain - F
11. Rapsora Hassan - F
12. Great Hrad - M

Passengers:

Karvash Bloom – A dark-skinned man who claims to be a ‘Fire Dervish’ from the Hypogea, a distant school of magic. He seeks knowledge of the ‘Palaces of Fire’ and is journeying to distant Selenium to inquire there. Has shown some limited ability to control flame. Silent, taciturn, possibly up to something.

Juglangsing Leptoblast – Likable and eccentric aging naturalist who claims to be an expert in stick-fighting. He seeks to get ‘underneath the world’, he is looking for the Ungulix, a creature that no-one but him has ever seen and which he claims comes ‘from beneath things’. Because of this he will permit no gaps beneath things when he is alone.

Tranquility Zooth – a Selenian or Sub-Luniary woman. She is always closely veiled. Her veil is made from strings of blue amber and inside each gem is a silver moth frozen with its wings unfurled. A white-gold light sometimes emanates from within.

She sounds educated and confident, claims she has been seeking her husband and, being unsuccessful, is returning home to Selenium, the city of the Sub-Luniary men, perched on a link of the black chain which holds the moon.

She possesses a golem of Bone China.

Cargo:

(One hundred Pennies make a Shilling, one hundred shillings make a Guilder. A Shilling pays for a lamp-carrying boy for a day or buys a tool, mirror or writing set. 10S buys a brace of pistols. A guilder buys a piece of jewellery, clockwork or a heavy gun 10G buys a Repeating Pistol.)

20 Small Cargoes

Bodkins, Resin, Pincers, Oars, Kettles, Candle snuffers, Taffeta caps, Ruffs, Hawk bells, Gate locks, Pewter buttons, Armour (breeches), Gorgets, Brown paper, Iron Pots, Thimbles, Beaver skins, Coopers tools, Arrow shafts.

You have enough of any of these for normal use and enough of each of each for one trade (except the ruffs which are half gone. The standard exchange for one trade will be one Guilder but this can go up or down a LOT depending on what trade partners do or do-not want.

Main Cargoes

7 Remaining barrels of Whale Oil. You would guess 3-5 G each.

9 crates of Macemaker silk. 

The Captains Cabin

Tranquility Zooth has decided she lives here now. It contains High status clothes, Ancient portrait. Caged Raven (STR4 claws d4 non-lethal), a case of wines from all known lands, and some unknown.

Food & Pay

Since your massively-increased crew started eating the ship bare, you now have FOUR DAYS worth of food for the whole ship. Thanks partly to the meat of the Silver Boar.

Your able seamen were paid two weeks in advance, ten days of that have passed, leaving four days. 

A seaman costs two shillings a day and would expect a share of any prizes, piracy or non-commercial adventure. The Navigator Bodagrottorna al Tenebres would usually cost 10s per day.

That makes the average running costs for the ship 42 shillings a day. Quite a sum.