The party assembled outside of the reinforced doors leading to the crypts on board the St. Asmod’s Hope. The casters among them had buffed their fellows with the appropriate haste and protection from evil and good spells. Alec flexed and cracked his knuckles in anticipation as Varien and Bob uttered prayers to Sune. Theryn used his master key to unlock the port-side door and moved out of the way to allow Varien and Bob to approach. Siegfried nodded as he watched his companions ready themselves. This is a good plan , he thought to himself. This will work. The half-orc passed Theryn the mace known as Lightbringer . “This works particularly well against the undead,” he explained to the monk, who hefted it experimentally, feeling its weight, and then nodded in agreement. Smoothly, as though they had practiced this maneuver before, Varien pulled the door open as Bob moved into the passage, vials of evergold in hand, to channel his divinity and turn any undead with ears to hear. A poisoned crossbow bolt flew out towards the draconic sorcerer but caught nothing but Bob’s cloak, tugging on the fabric as it missed by a fraction of an inch. “Damn,” a voice said from the darkened corridor beyond the door. “No, damn you!” Bob replied, and, channeling all of Sune’s divinity that he could, unleashed a holy draconic roar that blasted out in a sanctified sonic wave. There were muffled wails and screeches from the crypt chambers. Bob quickly backpedaled to allow his martial companions free entry into the crypt. Varien spied his quarry as he swiftly bounded into the corridor – a red-eyed humanoid in a cloak furiously readying a crossbow. “Your fate is sealed!” Varien pronounced as he swung Fiendsbane furiously at the vampire, slashing him viciously with radiant energy as divine smites blasted into the creature. Varien contemptuously knocked the vampire prone and drove his sword deep into the undead monster, letting loose another smite that riddled the creature with radiant energy. Its red eyes widened in shock as it burst into a cloud of red mist that began to slink slowly back to its resting place. Triumphant, Varien looked around for something else to stab. “Stop hiding, you cowards!” he shouted. Siegfried put forth his best public speaking voice as he worked an oratorial countercharm. “Valued passengers!” he began. “There has been a change in management and as such your presence on board this ship is no longer assured. Requests for reimbursements will not be honoured, as it is our solemn duty to exterminate each and every one of you. So please panic. Please despair. But take heart! This will all be over shortly!” Alec strode into the corridor and heard the muffled sounds of scratching and screeching from behind a door. He kicked it open and saw a humanoid undead literally climbing the walls in a panicked attempt to flee from his brother’s holy roar. The barbarian worked himself into a rage and then called upon his beast form. His hands stretched into sharp, barbed talons, which he began to rake across the vampire spawn’s exposed backside. Suddenly, the creature’s screeching stopped and it dropped to the deck, turning to reveal a slasher’s smile as it revealed sharp claws of its own. “Thanks,” it said sarcastically. “You’ve helped me get ahold of myself, and now I shall get ahold of you!” “Not likely,” Theryn said as he poked his head, and his mace-holding arm, through the crypt door. He bashed the vampire spawn with radiant knocks upside the head, knocking it back against the stone wall of the crypt twice. The creature sneered and lunged forward, straight into Theryn’s third and final strike, which crushed its skull and snapped its neck in a single well-placed hit. The creature flopped back, bounced a final time on the wall, and slumped dead to the ground. Erwen turned to the next door and peeked inside. He could see a flailing vampire spawn trying vainly to escape by clawing through the stone walls away from Bob’s commanding holy presence. The Druid thought for a moment, then smiled and used conjure woodland beings to summon a sea hag. His eyes widened as he realized that he had just summoned Gretchen, one of the three sea hags he’d tangled with just hours before. Gretchen, her long seaweed-like hair covering her gaunt face, cackled. “A, little one! I told you that we’d be seeing you again soon, didn’t I?” She turned to regard the vampire spawn. “But what’s this? A tasty morsel worked into such a lather? Are you scared, my undead treat? My, but how you quiver! Come now, let Aunty Gretchen get a better look at you, so that you can get a better look at Aunty Gretchen!” The bent hag lurched towards the vampire spawn as she revealed her horrific true appearance. Erwen gulped and pulled the crypt door closed. A cool, feminine voice echoed throughout the halls of the crypt, addressing Siegfried. “So, it’s to be betrayal, then? Is there no room for the renegotiation of our passage?” “Well,” Siegfried called out. “We killed Markosian and as of yet Captain Mange has not lifted a proverbial finger to vouch for you and your companions,” he said. “I’m afraid it’s out of my hands, really.” He regarded the barnacle-encrusted sword hilt. “Anything to say, Mange?” Their gold still spends whether or not they reach their destination , Mange’s spirit replied. “You can be sensible when the need arises, Mange, I’ll give you that,” Siegfried said with a smile. He turned back to the unseen vampire. “If you are able to convince my undead-hating paladin friend of the necessity of your continued existence, then I shall allow you passage, but he really, really does not suffer the undead to live.” “Ah,” the voice said after a moment’s hesitation. “Then you shall bleed.” The crypt door nearest Varien blasted open and a hulking humanoid wearing an archaic suit of armor and hefting both shield and longsword lunged out into the hallway. Red eyes glowed through the aperture of its bucket helm as it began to swing its sword at the paladin, who deftly parried and blocked each blow with expert flourishes. “Is that all you’ve got, then?” Varien called out. Bob peeked back into the hallway and unleashed a guiding bolt , which the armored vampire was able to block with his raised shield. Bob frowned and ducked back out of sight. “Don’t try to distract me, I heard the voice of your master calling.” He cut the legs out from under the armoured vampire and pushed it to the deck, stepping over its shield as he searched for his quarry. “Where are you, distressed damsel? Let me put your worries to rest!” he called out. From the shadows lunged a female vampire dressed in regal finery, her hair moving as though underwater. She clawed at Varien in an attempt to get him into an optimal biting position, but Varien cast shield and thwarted the creature. “There you are!” Varien called as he cast destructive wave , sending out a blast of force that knocked the female vampire back and rattled the armor of the prone vampire behind him. “You’ll not get your fangs into any of my friends this day!” he shouted. Hearing the sound of Varien’s blast wave, Siegfried moved to the starboard door and called through it. “Now we are not completely without mercy. If there is someone in Waterdeep who could vouch for your continued survival, by all means name them. I do move in exclusive circles, you know.” Alec moved towards his next target – the prone vampire knight. He clawed at it with his radiant beast claws and then grappled the creature, putting it into an arm crucifix hold that forced its to drop its shield with a clatter. Not to be outdone, Theryn raised Lightbringer and brought it down repeatedly on the grappled vampire’s helm, crushing it. The vampire burst into a cloud of red mist, leaving its shield behind. Inside the crypt chamber, the vampire spawn was not rattled by the sea hag’s horrid appearance. “Uh oh,” Gretchen muttered. “That usually works.” The hag clawed at the undead, who stopped trying to flee and turned round on the sea hag with a too-wide smile. “Oh my, how many teeth you have!” Gretchen cackled. The female vampire backed away from Varien, who hefted Fiendsbane. “My lady, there shall be no escape for you,” he said. He slashed at her remorselessly, landing blow after blow and radiant smite after smite until the cringing vampire was cut nearly in half. With a final shriek, she dissolved into a red mist that tried to flee back to her resting place. Curious, Varien followed the slow-moving cloud. Bob unleashed another draconic roar with his breath of life ability, striking fear into both the remaining vampire spawn and Gretchen the sea hag. “Sounds like we missed a bit,” Siegfried said as he strode through the red mist of the fleeing vampires. “Right then,” he said as he stopped outside the crypt where the last vampire spawn was hiding. He unleashed Siegfried’s scornful shout , blasting the room’s occupants with a psychic blast of force. “Hey!” Gretchen screeched as she was buffeted by the attack. “Occupado!” Alec doubled back, hauled open the crypt door, and found the remaining vampire spawn, hitting it with a flying tackle and bashing it with his clawed hands. “Oh my, aren’t you a strapping one!” Gretchen cooed as Alec crushed the unlife out of the vampire spawn. “Such muscles! Where have you been hiding?” Erwen rolled his eyes. “Get the stakes, Alec,” Siegfried said as he surveyed the scene. The barbarian bashed the nearest wooden coffin to flinders and extracted five sharp lengths of wood that would do the job. Varien watched as the red mist streamed back into the coffin inside one of the crypt chambers. The faint outlines of a skeleton formed within the coffin’s interior, which was then covered by tendon and muscle before being enveloped in pristine white skin. A motionless female body, only its eyes tracking Varien’s approach, lay within the coffin. Alec passed a stake and hammer to Varien. “Care to do the honours?” “Gladly,” Varien said as he sheathed Fiendsbane, placed the wooden stake over the woman’s naked breast, and with one firm stroke drove the stake through her heart. The vampire shuddered soundlessly but remained frozen in place, the red light beginning to fade from her eyes. “Let’s neutralize the rest of these vampires and get their coffins topside,” Varien told Siegfried. Quickly, stakes were driven into vampire hearts as the party found the resting places of the undead creatures and took care of business. Siegfried called for a cargo lift to be lowered into the hold, and he and his companions dragged the staked vampires within their coffins as well as the dead spawn onto the lift. Their flesh was already smoking before the lift pulled the dreadful load into full view of the sun. The bodies inside the coffins burst into flames, and after a few minutes of immolation beneath the rays of the midday sun, there was nothing left but piles of ash. The party unceremoniously dumped the coffins and their ashen contents over the side of the ship, where they were swallowed by the waters. “Now then,” Siegfried turned to his companions, clapping his hands to get the last of the vampiric ash off them. “See what happens when you go into battle with a proper plan of action?” “That was fun!” Erwen agreed. As the party congratulated one another, Siegfried received a sending message from Mordai Vell: Is the deed done? Though hospitable, I grow weary of Waterdeep’s charms and am eager to conclude our business, as I am sure you are too. Siegfried thought a moment and replied. Deed easier done than said. You won’t be hearing from Markosian again. See you in Neverwinter where you’ll make good on your end of the deal. Siegfried thought for a moment and then sent a sending spell to Lady Harianna Hawkwinter. Quite a day here. Took down a seaborne cult of Asmodeus and killed a nest of vampires. How is your day going? Lady Harianna replied. Warden Jessia died in her sleep before questioning. Gilded Eye obfuscates while we track the Hands of Nessus. I fear I am watched by Unseen eyes. Siegfried massaged his temples, suddenly in turmoil at the thought of Harianna in trouble. He put aside his feelings for the moment and sent another sending message to the leader of the Harpers in the Sword Coast, Remallia Haventree. Succeeded in stopping Devil Behind Thrones at sea. Doing the requisite paperwork in Leilon, will report in when the Lord’s Court is done with me. Remallia’s reply was not long in coming. You’ve done a service to Waterdeep, Brightcandle Thann. The Lord’s Court will weigh your actions appropriately. I look forward to receiving your report in person. Siegfried smiled, sure that Remallia had read between the lines and would use what connections she had in Waterdeep’s government to ensure a favourable outcome for him and his friends. Looking about as the crew of the Tide-Runner and the prize crew of the St. Asmod’s Hope got the ships underway for the final leg of their voyage to Leilon, he tugged his chin thoughtfully and cast a final sending message to Mayor Elphina Daergel Aripine Celfyx Waywocket Silvershaper in Ieirithymbul. Your Worship, I hope the scions are thriving since our last visit. Might I contract your artisans for a special ship refitting job in Leilon? Mayor Silvershaper’s reply was typically bubbly. Siegfried! If your cash flows like the river to the sea, our skills will improve your ship’s motion in the ocean! Contact Nespos Bellowmantle in Leilon. Siegfried’s smile widened. “To Leilon, me hearties!” he called out to the crew. “To Leilon, for fortune and glory!”