Session 25: That's No Moon

As you have already learned during the last year, the thaw of Spring means the folk of the North are stirring back into action after the inactivity--aside from what was necessary to survive--of the long grey winter. The heavy trade season, when ships will begin sailing up the Cheyth for furs, amber, and other products of the North's stark bounty, is just around the corner. The Cheyth itself is swollen and--as many of you well remember--more dangerous to cross now than at any other time. At this time of year, gulls, albatross, and other seabirds flock to the Isle of Pines, the cursed island in the midst of the river on which no human has set foot for two Eons of the world. Hunters, farmers, and amber-miners--all begin the return towards their respective occupations with the end of the three-day Amborian New Year celebration, at which hopes and fears for the new year were baked, brewed, eaten, toasted, and finally all washed away in a great ceremony at the Sacred Well in the midst of the village. This is about the time that your money has also begun to run out, and friends of Sir Ralus or no, you will need to find a way to support yourself in the coming months if you have not already done so...

It is late in the evening about a week after the celebration of the New Year, as you and your companions are enjoying a small but hearty meal at the Cracked Beaker, that you see a strange, almost stunted figure making its way toward your table...

The Company was approached by Setela, a deep man clad in sealskins and carrying a curious bone knife. He told them the following tale: He was a sailor, a captain's mate on a ship called the Feathered Serpent, which was carrying a great haul of ivory from the East across the Sea of Ambori to Sencankarr, where such a cargo would be worth many times its own weight in gold. The ship was blown off-course by a terrible storm, and shipwrecked in the small archipelago of islands northwest of the Red Isle. Under Amborian maritime law, as the sole survivor of the wreck he has first dibs on salvage rights. As icing on the cake (at least as far as Tengelbur and Vanera were concerned), the cargo shipment was a major financial venture by the Garini family; its loss is surely a sore blow for them, and they will be looking to recover it by any means necessary. Setela offered the Company an equal share in the treasure if they would help him recover it.

After a couple of Insight rolls to make sure they believed his story, the Company agreed to help him. While Setela went off to hire a ship, the Company made preparations to leave:

• Vanera, whose new marriage was off to a somewhat rocky start due to Talarja's difficulty adjusting to life in Chekor, went home to convince his wife to let him go. After a bit of cajoling she agreed, planning to stay with Vitherai the Amber Cutter while he was away; the latter would be more than willing to put her up for a few days in exchange for some Sencankarr gossip.
• Reiana went down to the docks to see what she could find out about Setela, checking out the details of his story that they knew. As far as she could learn, he had only arrived within the last day or two, although the local sailors did seem to believe the man was unlucky in some way, which is probably why he had not been able to recruit any shipmates from among them.
• Tenurendal went to speak with Raoseina the Gate-warden, trying to see if he knew anything about Setela. Unfortunately he did not, but that did not keep Tanurendal from telling the Company's whole plan to Raoseina.
• Tengelbur went to check on Vitherai the Amber-Cutter, to see if she had seen any more Red Amber or--now that they knew its possible effects on people--if her keeping it had effected her in any way. Unfortunately, this visit--which was conducted late at night, while her husband was absent for most of the interview--gave Vitherai the impression that Tengelbur was paying certain attentions to her. Ultimately, Tengelbur was forced to leave in a somewhat embarrassed hurry when Vitherai's husband Yuralesh (whose name Tengelbur forgot in his panic) walked in on them. 

The next morning, the Company got in the little fishing vessel Setela had hired and began making their way down the Cheyth River towards the Sea. [As they made their first Fatigue test, Tanurendal, the Company Lookout-man, triggered a hazard roll, initiating the following encounter...]

One night as they were nearing the open sea, Setela was taking soundings when he noticed a strange silver shimmering on the water, which did not correspond to the current shape or location of the moon. Unfortunately no one realized the danger until it was already too late; the ship was attacked by a huge, luminous, and many-eyed creature from the Deep, which Vanera later identified as a Nelkenganar, some kind of horrible combination of cicada, giant shrimp, anglerfish, and squid. The creature attacked the vessel viciously and, when Tanurendal breached its exoskeleton with a well-placed arrow, the wound cracked and opened, revealing a second and apparently autonomous maw which savagely attacked another member of the Company. Tengelbur fell, overwhelmed by the creature, but managed to stand again as Reiana let out a fierce battlecry and unfurled the standard of the Red Fang. As Setela attempted to tack into the wind and get the ship moving faster, Tanurendal sent a second arrow speeding towards the creature, but this time it ricocheted and hit Tengelbur, wounding him severely.

At the very last possible moment, Setela managed to get the ship away from the creature, leaving it behind him as the Cheyth carried the ship swiftly towards the Sea. Rushing over to her fallen comrade, Reiana managed to remove the arrow and stop the bleeding before Tengelbur died...