The Pirates of the Murgat Sound

cy 4862 May 9th -13th

The party move quickly across the northern island of Sharok. Their destination is Kantarn, the large seaport sits on the northern tip and is on the major shipping route to the mainland. At night they set a guard of four. Pip, Shihan, Maharabel, and Malaras take the first watch.

Pip feels a heaviness descend upon him and notices his three fellow guards have already fallen asleep. He suspects sorcery and when he sees a robed figure approach he realises that they are being attacked. Try as he might, however, he cannot move a single muscle. Only his eyes flicker this way and that. The vulture familiar of Malaras sits on it’s master but is unable to wake the dwarven sorcerer from his slumber.

But astonishingly the figure seems afraid of the vulture and backs away. Pip regains control of his paralysed limbs and kicks the rest of the party awake. The figure is gone. Maharabel, the Marraq, projects his mind into the vultures and sees a sharp intelligence. The vulture is certain that the figure came for Malaras’ watch. Malaras identifies Shihan’s nodachi – the Curse of Edo.

Next morning Malaras casts invisibility on all the elves. They come upon a small Eren town called Stenk. Barricades and signs say strictly no elves and the townsfolk have posted a militia to stop elves entering. Pip, Maharabel, Xira, and Shihan decide to walk round the perimeter whilst Katana, Malaras, viscount Taymar, and Deverrask enter the town to find out more information.

Later that day the two parties meet up and see the seaport of Kantarn below them. There are two ways into Kantarn; first by the sea and second by the south gate. The gate is heavily patrolled and Malaras casts spider climb on all the elves to enable them to scale the walls whilst the humans and dwarves walk through unhindered.

Once inside Kantarn viscount Taymar leads them to the busy harbour and quickly finds the harbourmaster – a man called Danjik. The Erens and Bretonians in the harbour recognise Taymar’s noble status and are very deferential to his needs. This allows him to find a suitable ship – the Broken Anchor – and, more importantly, gets him an introduction to the captain Vansar. The captain allows Taymar and his companions to sleep on board before that night before they depart at first light. Maharabel gets the impression that this captain knows there are invisible elves on board, a fact that is confirmed when Taymar drops one hundred and fifty gold crowns into his hand for no questions asked.

That night Devarrask slips ashore to buy fresh food and bread. At one of the markets he feels a presence behind him and turns to see a robed elf tower above him. "I am Xenaril," the figure says, "and I will pay you handsomely for the timepiece." He shows the dwarf a bag of gold.

"It is not mine to sell," Devarrask says. The dwarf weighs up the situation and realises that it is pointless arguing with the stranger. Instead he unleashes his katana and attacks the stranger called Xenaril. In a spirit stance Devarrask feels that Xenaril – who wields a longsword – is a master swordsman but also gets the feeling that the elf only wants to hurt him.

They exchange quick blows, the dwarf gives a good account of himself as he turns aside every single attack that Xenaril has to offer as well as troubling the elf with a few of his own.

Soon the commotion draws the attention of the market militia and Xenaril can see them out of his peripheral vision. He flees the combat acrobatically. Devarrask is unable to follow the elf and is helped by the traders as well as the militia.

Next morning other passengers join the Broken Anchor, along with a fifteen man Eren crew. They consist of two Bretonian noblemen, a couple of Eren diplomats, three off duty Bretonian musketeers and a Jarik priest who for some reason wants to conceal his identity.

The captain Vansarn is a pleasant, genial host but Maharabel senses something is wrong. He deftly, expertly enters the mind of Vansarn that morning to eavesdrop on a telepathic communication between Vansarn and another mind.

"Do they have it?" the strange mind asks.

"Yes, master, the dwarf has it. But they are being followed."

"They are being followed by more than you know, Vansarn, but that is of no consequence. Proceed with the plan."

Maharabel relays the conversation and the party become more guarded. Shihan cancels the invisibility and slips effortlessly into the captain’s cabin; he hides himself well and watches Vansarn’s strange routine. The captain takes a large tome from a cabinet in and pours himself a brew whilst he studies the tome. Vansarn becomes frustrated and eventually puts shuts the book. When he exits the cabin Shihan steals a small vials-worth of the liquid and takes it back to Malaras…he also takes the tome.

Malaras identifies the tome as The Timemaster and the brew as Xaclan (a magical poison / drug) and the dwarf reckons the captain is addicted to it. To buy them some time Shihan replaces the tome as the party gather to discuss their next move. When Maharabel senses that the passengers are indeed working for Vansarn the decision to attack becomes a certainty.

The only problem being the running of the large merchant vessel. Pip and Maharabel climb to the crows nest as the rest of the party prepare themselves to attack the passengers. Shihan stalks the captain across the deck as they prepare their ambush. The elven assassin will start the attack by killing Vansarn quickly.

Vansarn is not even aware of the danger. Shihan drives the dagger up into his ribcage and exits below the armpit and Vansarn screams and spits blood through Shihan’s clenched fingers. That is the signal for the party’s blistering attack.

From the height advantage of the crows nest Maharabel and Pip fell a Bretonian and an Eren each as their companions ambush the passengers on deck. Devarrask decapitates one with a deft backhand stroke of the katana as the passengers struggle to fend off the attack. Another falls to Katana whilst Carshan and viscount Taymar inflict severe wounds on their enemies. Maharabel casts plant growth on a small thorn and watches it creep down the rigging. His idea is to follow it with an entangle spell but the battle is all but over.

Shihan’s expert staff skill damages two Bretonians whilst all resistance crumbles. It takes only sixty seconds and Vansar and all his henchmen are dead. As Carshan picks through the bodies Shihan and Malaras take the drug and the tome respectively. Once searched the bodies are hurled over the side.

Shihan gathers the fifteen Eren sailors around him and with the promise of viscount Taymar’s gold they decide to set sail for the mainland. One of the sailors tells Malaras that there was an ambush set in a cove just north of Erenhaven. The dwarf instructs the sailor to take them south and to drop them on land somewhere secluded. The Broken Anchor changes course and heads south.

Maharabel casts his mind through the ship like a net trawling for fish.

"There is a hidden mind on board," he informs them…