DM NOTES: Truly the lull before the storm...the players couldn't have leveled up at a much better time in preparation for next week's session. Without letting the cat out of the proverbial bag, let me just say that the party loot cure light wounds potions will probably be downed in similar great quantities like Tequila shots at a bachelor party full of 21 year olds. Maybe with some quick thinking, coordinated efforts and lucky die rolls, the party might make it to the session the week thereafter. My only advice...drink plenty of coffee, stay on your toes and make sure you have all your ducks in a row, and, should the gods smile on you all next session, you will all of course live to tell the tale of your incredible exploits! QUICK READ RECAP: Despite the ongoing boat rocking and barrage of dex checks, the party manages to stay on their feet (while aground on a sand bar only a few hundreds yards from shore), descending to the lower cargo area to find massive quantities of arms (one bearing a mark of a lizard man), casks and bolts of fine silk. Hidden in a secret area, they free a chained aquatic elf named Oceanus, who, only speaking and understanding Elvish, relates the story of his capture upon investigating the mysterious boat in the same manner as the adventurers, sent here at the behest of his tribal leader, whose people only live some 15 miles away in a hidden coastal community. Oceanus points out on a map, found by the party, the location of these cargo shipments. The group, with the help of the two boat men, manage to free the vessel from it's dangerous predicament, maneuver it to a nearby port and return to the inn to recant their exploits, surrender the ship, it's cargo and prisoners to the council authorities to receive payment, have magic items identified, treasure appraised and subsequently level up and pay for training, in preparation for next week's trip to the mysterious place shown on the map. Oceanus makes clear his desire to stay with the group and fight along side them to successfully complete his appointed mission, for the future of he and his people hangs in the balance as well as all those in Saltmarsh! DM SESSION LOG 150104 Bjorn and Karmadel fail a dex check and fall down as the boat rocks from the waves. Svava approaches port stern stairs and sees and hears nothing. Svava asks smuggler mage "How many people are below?", and receives reply "No one", Karmadel detects no lie on mage response (100 XP)* Bjorn gets up from fall. Tralann ties up sleeping smuggler. Leaxie ties up Smuggler Bosun. Svava asks remaining smugglers above to daisy chain themselves together with a rope to form a conga line...they comply (100 XP roleplay)* Karmadel goes down stairs to bosun cabin and lights overhead lantern. Parrot squawks "Pieces of eight!" Bjorn tells smuggler on deck to "get up, we're not done yet!", smuggler stands "you want some of this!". (100 XP roleplay)* Bjorn attempts a hammer move but misses. Tralann ties up other sleeping smuggler and searches the bodies. Leaxie approaches the smuggler Bjorn and tells him to drop his weapon, a fight breaks out. (100 XP roleplay)* Svava checks on conga line progress, and leads them around the deck. Smuggler attacks Bjorn but misses. Tralann disarms the sleeping smugglers (100 XP)*. Leaxie attacks the smuggler Bjorn but misses. Bjorn swings at smuggler and hits, knocking him unconscious. (fight XP) Karmadel opens door along center bulk head and sees another cabin. Smuggler Bjorn makes a critical attack on Leaxie for 7 hp of damage. Svava ties the conga line rope. Karmadel opens overhead hatch to reveal bear skin rug above. Bjorn disarms the unconscious smuggler and descends down fore stairs into sleeping room. Tralann shoots at smuggler fighting Leaxie and hits for 2 hp of damage knocking him out! (Fight XP)* Leaxie imbibs a cure light wounds potion for 7 hp ... bringing him to 10 hp of life. Svava descends to lower deck through the cargo hatch mid ship investigates the lower grate seeing water below and trash accumulated into a mass. This information is communicated to the party. Karmadel grabs the bear rug and pulls it down. Bjorn moves into central storage area with Svava. Leaxie ties up the unconscious smuggler and searches body. Svava examines the bilge hold area closely and sees two yellow glints of metal in the island of trash. Bjorn goes into crew area and takes hammock and returns to Svava. Karmadel places books, cloak, small box into the larger chest and moves it to the upper main deck life boat. Leaxie collects weapons and puts them into the life boat. Bjorn lowers Svava into the bilge area (100 XP)*. Svava reaches down and picks out the two gold coins from the bilge trash pile suspended from the hammock. (100 XP)* Bjorn raises the hammock, lifting Svava out of the bilge area. Svava climbs out. Karmadel returns to the lower level, put the caged parrot, pewter flagon and mug into the chest, finding a iron box hidden inside along with the garments and takes it up to the life boat. Karmadel finds a secret door in the port aft wall (100 XP)* Svava opens secret door to find a small aquatic elf chained to the deck and asks "Are you alright? Do you speak common?" to which there is no response and the figure cowers in the corner. Karmadel uses key previously found in upstairs writing desk and it works, releasing the captive, speaking in different languages. He perks up and smiles when Elvish is spoken. (100 XP)* He explains that he is Oceanus from the tribe of Manaan which inhabit a coastal area 15 miles south west of Saltmarsh. With the sea chest opened, Oceanus sees the iron box inside and asks for it. "Was it taken from you?" Karmadel asks, "Yes, it belongs to me". The iron box is given to the aquatic elf. He opens it and inside are his clothes and weapons. Tralann heads downstairs to join the rest of the party. Leaxie moves down to join party. Silas moves downstairs to party and searches and finds a secret door in starboard aft cabin stern bulkhead (100 XP)*, searches for traps and finds none and opens it to reveal bundles of wrapped items in a pile. Leaxie moves port aft lower cabin chest up to life boat. Svava performs an ancient history check of the aquatic elves and learns they are a peaceable tribe of people (200 XP)*. Karmadel suggests the elf go above ship as they finish clearing out the boat, but he instead offers to help open traps. Bjorn examines a locked chest from under the starboard hammock in the fore crew cabin. Tralann asks Svava for direction as to what areas haven't been checked, otherwise disembark the ship or search the bilge area. Svava and indicates the bilge area is basically garbage. Tralann searches smuggler beaten by Bjorn. Leaxie moves to bow crew cabin and checks for traps and finds none, using the key to open the box finding a book of ladies names and various comments of their 'merits'. Book placed into party loot. ;) Silas examines wrapped items to find 5 morning stars in a bundle. Svava goes upstairs checks on tied conga line and apologizes regarding the conflict of interest in their job choices. The wizard would be happy to show the bard his items. The bard searches the wizards pockets instead. Karmadel and Oceanus begin moving the bolts of silk from cargo hold area to upper deck. Bjorn opens a chest in the crew area to find dirty clothes. Tralann searches dead smuggler. Leaxie asks Oceanus if he needs anything, he replies that he is still hungry. Leaxie asks Bjorn if he has anything else for him to eat and consumes a ration pack from Leaxie and thanks him (100 XP)* Oceanus asks to stay with the party but needs to moisten himself in saltwater and goes for a quick swim to dampen his dried skin. Silas opens another wrapped bundle in the secret area to find 5 small shields. Svava searches the second man in the conga line. Karmadel opens a cask to find very fine brandy. Oceanus opens a cask to find fine wine. Bjorn continues opening chests under the crew hammocks to find a well used pack of greasy playing cards. Leaxie moves to Silas in secret area of bundles and opens one to find 10 javelins. Silas surmises that someone may be preparing for war (100 XP)*. Silas opens another bundle to find 5 more morning stars. Svava searches third conga line lizardman and finds nothing. Karmadel prepares a detect magic spell. Bjorn opens next chest to find two sets of dice. Silas surmises one is loaded (25 XP). Bjorn agrees. Long boat with oar men arrive and toss line up to Tralann. Bjorn opens a chest full of dirty, soiled underwear. Leaxie opens a bundle to find 4 small shields and a large shield with a lizard man symbol with a forked tongue extended (50 XP)*. Silas opens bundle to find 5 broad swords. Svava checks and finds nothing on the next lizardman in the conga line. Karmadel casts spell (100 XP)* and moves throughout ship to locate possible magic items and sees a chest lid glowing upstairs and a broadsword in the life boat. Bjorn opens another chest to find dirty clothes. Tralann lowers rope ladder to long boad below and the oar men board the larger vessel and begin to attach the anchor to the boom, to attempt to free the grounded vessel. Svava informs the oar men of the bilge area full of water. Tralann surmises the oarmen are taking the anchor out to sea in the long boat to drop it and winch the larger vessel off the sand bar (100 XP)*. The oarmen explains to Svava that the water in the bilge acts as a balast to keep the sailing vessel upright and shouldn't worry the party any. Leaxie opens a bundle to find 5 more broad swords. Silas opens up the last bundle to find 10 more javelins. Svava attempts to search the third and last lizardman but his pseudodragon hisses at her. She comments that it is nice to see a well trained pet (100 XP roleplay)*. Svava searches last smuggler in roped conga line. Karmadel picks out glowing broad sword from the life boat to keep it separate from the other ones found. Svava surmises they may be raising a private army to fight the elves. Bjorn checks last chest to find personal belongings of no value and moves to the back of the boat with Silas and Leaxie. Tralann uses his navigation skills from the crows nest to aid the oar man at the tiller to successfully steer to port (100 XP)*, freeing the boat from the sand bar. The oar man in the long boat returns with the anchor to be hoisted up. Leaxie moves upstairs to the port aft cabin with Karmadel to fails to find remove traps on the chest. Silas moves to same room and fails to find remove traps. Svava comes down into the room and is unable to determine the chest contents. Leaxie explains that attempting to pick the chest lock may set off any potential trap. Silas attempts to pick lock and succeeds (200 XP)* and then moves out of room. Karmadel opens the unlocked chest releasing a poison gas cloud and both he and Svava fail their saving throws! Both adventurers imbib a neutralize posion potion vial. Karmadel opens glowing lid in the chest to find a spell book with read magic, magic missile, sleep, mending, spider climb and web spell along with the word ABRACAPHAGIC on the last page, as well as a metal tube with a scroll of gust of wind and a leather purse with 50 gp which are added to party loot. Boat arrives in port and party returns to inn. Adventurers learn new spells from booty collected. Councilman Gunter asks party who the blue guy is....Party responds that it is Oceanus a captive aquatic elf, freed from the boat. Silas attempts to learn colour spray, hypnotism, detect illusion, wall of fog ... 2nd invisibility and magic mouth Leaxie asks Oceanus where he boarded the mysterious vessel, to which he points to the "X" shown on the found map (see handout 4). Councilman Gunter wants to know if there has been any progress on the smuggler situation. The party explains that the mysterious boat is now in port along with the cargo and prisoners. The authorities give the party (including the two fisherman since they have survived) a reward for the boat of 5000 gp , 15,480 gp for the contraband minus the 25% tax resulting in 11,610 gp to the party), totaling 16,610 GP payment earned. +1 Broad Sword, +1 ring of protection, and +1 long sword are identified Tralann surmises the word in the back of the spell book may be the command word for the wand of magic detection, later correctly spoken by Leaxie. All gold items appraised. Svava the bard performs and increases her reputation! Karmadel surmises best course of party action is to go to the "X" on map pointed out by Oceanus. XP AWARDED Svava, Bard: 100, 100, 200, 100 = 500 Karmadel, Priest: 100, 100, 100, 100 = 400 Bjorn, Fighter: 100, fight XP 100 + 80, 100 = 380 Tralann, Mage: 100, Fight XP 100, 100, 100 = 400 Leaxie, Thief: 100, fight XP 100, 100, 50 = 350 Silas M/T: 100, 100, 25, 200 = 425 All other characters: 0 XP TOTAL SESSION XP AWARDED : 16,610 (2076 GP & XP per each eight participants) + 2455 Individual Awards = 19,065 TOTAL SESSION TIME : 7-1/2 Hours