Hell’s Bay

Cy 4863 – Janos 1^st – 2^nd

The party follow the sea captain called Astiedon into the hold of his ship – the Devil’s Arm. Traumbrenner is close to the man with his companions close by. To their astonishment they see a swirling, sparking globe of light in the centre of the empty cargo hold. Astiedon heads straight for it and before anyone can challenge the man he vanishes into the mysterious portal.

The rest of the party return to the deck. Fuls Brett turns his attention to securing the drifting ship back to the jetty by flying back to the shore with rope with Todgem, a Merkand thief, helping him. Traumbrenner remains in the hold to watch the globe of shimmering light, he becomes concerned when the light pulsates and becomes an angry red glow. Taryn Bzar and Batista lower the small launch into the water.

Without warning a creature emerges from the portal and everyone on the ship knows it has arrived. A cloven-hoofed, horned devil with a sour disposition and a maniacal rage crouches low. It stands almost ten feet tall, in one taloned hand it clutches a dripping, still-beating heart as it searches for prey.

Traumbrenner is up and launches a shuriken at the devilish beast. With surprising agility the horned devil is upon Traumbrenner, it’s huge talons try to reach into the assassin’s ribcage and pull out his heart. Luckily Traumbrenner is saved by the stoneskin and after a brief assault decides flight is the best defence. He turns and heads up onto deck with the slavering beast in hot pursuit.

As Traumbrenner emerges so Taryn is there, shortsword in hand he faces the devil as it crashes out of the hold. Traumbrenner uses the launch to flee to the safety of the jetty whilst Batista hides himself in the shadows. Taryn Bzar catches the first blow and despite the creature’s incredible strength he manages to pull aside the arm and slash powerfully into the devil’s ribs. The beast lets out a baleful scream as flame gushes from the open wound. Batista leaps in and knocks the dying heart from the creature and ducks under a vicious swipe.

Taryn cuts left and right and opens more terrible wounds in the beast; with each strike a fresh gush of fire spills onto the deck only to turn to putrid blood as it makes contact with the wood. Traumbrenner – now on the jetty – puts a single arrow through the heart and the creature cries in anguish. The end is close, between Batista and Taryn they slay the devil which dissolves within minutes before their eyes.

Taryn dives into the deadly icy water, his inner primal fire keeps him alive. Fuls Brett flies back to the ship and helps Batista to the shore. Garsh, a sorcerer friend, puts a fireball into the ship and Fuls Brett shrinks a few planks below the waterline. Soon the ship – the Devil’s Arm – lists badly and is enveloped in smoke. Before long it sinks under the water to leave just a mast protruding the water like a tombstone marking a grave.

They head back to the tavern. Few people are up from the revelry of the previous night and they decide to sleep for the rest of the day, all with the exception of Todgem who begins to scour the unconscious drunks and rifles a few pockets. He finds a precious dagger (identified later as The Eastern Eye) and eventually returns to the party at the tavern. When they eventually emerge the tavern is quiet but getting busy towards the evening. Batista heads straight for the whorehouse to meet with the spy Velda whilst Taryn Bzar gets a surprise.

"I have renamed the tavern The Bzar in your honour, master," the innkeeper says. Taryn smiles and the rest of them decide that it would be wise to eradicate the competition and take over Hell’s Bay. The innkeeper tells them that the two other taverns; The Three Barrels and The Crooked Knife represent the two other houses of power in the small community.

Taryn leads them immediately towards the Three Barrels followed by his companions, Traumbrenner is in the shadows as they approach. Two guards with quarterstaffs bar their way but Taryn will not be stopped. Fuls Brett and Garsh charm the two guards to stand aside and Taryn enters the Three Barrels like a tidal wave. There is silence and the innkeeper points to a small door at the side of the bar.

In a dimly lit room is a Jandraki pirate called Garf. A scarred, pock-marked individual who is scared witless by Taryn’s appearance he is almost in tears. Taryn marches into the main taproom with Garf by his side and pronounces his claim to the tavern. To emphasise the point he rams the shortsword into Garf’s ribs and lets him fall in pain at his feet. Todgem is upon the man stabbing frenziedly at the pirate. Garf is dead in seconds.

There is a polite ripple of applause which turns into a roar of delight when Todgem buys a round for the entire tavern. The innkeeper smiles and says; "I will prepare your rooms."

Taryn is in no mood for drinking. "I have business with the Crooked Knife first."

"The lord of the manor over there is called Korgal, a violent Drenai ex marine," the innkeeper says.

Unaware of this is Batista. He and Velda re-acquaint themselves in her room at the whorehouse. A master of seduction the grey orc soon has her besotted, she spends the afternoon in his bed and they talk about Hell’s Bay and the unique structure of the settlement. Through her contacts Velda learns what Taryn is up to and she and Batista dress and head for the Crooked Knife.

Taryn is already there. He has a table and his companions drink and wait for the return of the master Korgal. Garsh tries to cast a spell at the innkeeper but is refrained from doing so by a Drenai ruffian. From the shadows comes Traumbrenner; the killer cuts deep into the ruffian’s arm and a nasty situation is quickly diffused.

Batista and Velda arrive at the Crooked Knife shortly before Korgal and they slip into the shadows unseen as the focus turns to Korgal’s meeting with Taryn. Korgal is a massive man, the ex-marine wears a lethal greatsword across his back and has ten guards – all ex marines – around him.

The tension rises as Korgal confronts Taryn with rhetoric and blustering arrogance. The ranger is calm and unfazed by the harsh tone as he prepares for the inevitable violence. He does learn – however – that the coward called Garf was the only man in Hell’s Bay who knew where the treasure was hidden.

Without warning Korgal tries to lightning draw the massive blade but he – and the rest of the taproom – cannot even see the blur that is the talented thief Tidgem. As quick as a striking cobra Todgem punctures the Drenai’s left eye with his newly found dagger. Korgal does not even know he is dead as the muscles respond instinctively and wrench the blade from its scabbard. Korgal’s blade spins across the taproom and cuts down the innkeeper Prindil who’s leg buckles under a deep cut.

The guards blink and the fight is over. Facing Taryn’s shortsword and having just witnessed Todgem’s speed they have no appetite for further death. Todgem is already rifling the Drenai’s body and claims a magical ring and a belt, which he duly takes.

"I take it there will be no more arguments?" Taryn says. No one dare oppose him and he bandages Prindil’s leg before returning to the original tavern – the Bzar.

Fuls Brett hires Batista to discover the man who mugged him a the night before in the toilets and hires Traumbrenner to deal with the body. It is Taryn, however, who discovers the identity of the man – a Jandraki thief who sits at the bar.

Traumbrenner sits next to the nervous thief and talks. Realising that he has been rumbled the nervous thief deposits the empty purse onto the bar, a purse of obvious quality lacking only the contents of the night before. "You’ll find the money in the whorehouse or gambled away last night," the thief quips.

Traumbrenner has one of his poisoned blow gun darts between his fingers. With a swift flick of his wrist he sticks it deep into the thief’s eyeball, the sharp point injects poison deep into the man’s brain. Before anyone can react the thief slumps dead across the bar. Not one man in the taproom raises an eyebrow or gives any hint of disapproval. The assassin hands Fuls Brett the empty purse and shrugs…