Season 4 Episode 4 - Pirate Hunting while the team treks on foot from FriendFell back to Blood Crescent, Chuck the Wizard scrapes himself off the underground riverbank and collapses into the Mansion of Joy. Once Chuck has recovered, he heads back upstairs to connect with the remnants of the Droaam Navy. He's recognized by the ranking officer (a shaman's journeyman temporarily elevated to Captain until reinforcements arrive the next day) Strapped for resources, Chuck agrees to join the Droaam Military and accepts a Ritual of Fealty similar to a Geas that will ensure his loyalty to the Droaam leadership while granting Favor for Chuck adn the team. Sendings verify the team is far out on foot, so chuck requests a retrieval... the only ship available for the job is the Black Merc Squad the team previously fought.. but now under the same flag of command, the Mercs are willing to comply and take Chuck to fetch the team. multiple intimidations later and the Mercs are square with the team (recognizing combat equals as allies is a mutual victory) Back at Blood Crescent, confirmationj taht 3 carriers and a new command ship are en route to reclaim Blood Crescent. The mercs are commissioned to disable the Daring Pirates. Chuck's previous scrys on the Temple Ship and Feng's familiarity with the Shadowcrags come together wtih the conclusion that the pirates are laying low in the massive branches of Keg'tol... cliff forests near Festering Hole. that's 40 hours by Droaam Airship... the Mercs take the team with to track down the pirates. Acting Captain in Blood Crescent will send a carrier along tomorrow when they arrived to provide backup to the team and mercs. for the next 20 hours the team is in the Dark Widow's lounge sharpening knives and reenacting scenes from Aliens. Feng manages to win affection from the Clutch of spiders that live on the cargo pod at the prow of the ship. Do Not go into the Spider's Hive. Only the Orc Shaman is allowed safe passage there. Do Not go to the flight deck. the team is cool, but not cool enough to potentially mess with the operations of the Dark Widow. Then the team gets to the Narrows between the Demon Waste and Eldeen Reach where the winds whip ike a hurricane through the 12 mile gap between the colossal continents. The team and Mercs decide to swing south across the treetops of Eldeen Reach where they learn about the forest of Eldeen is called "reach"... Massive tendril like vines thick as a parapet writhe up from the "forest" in efforts to snag the ship-- the thousands of miles of forest are more like a leafy tentacle nightmare than sylvan shrubbery. Very Dangerous. back in Open Ether in the broadening expanse between the continents, the Dark Widow flits to the mountains at the norther extreme of ShadowCrag Mountains into the labyrinth like carved canyons of The ShadowCrags themselves. Massive spruce and willows climb the northern mountain face and across a shallow river pouring out westward towards Ashtakalah-- the storm as visible in the distance as the TitanArtifacts-- like a funnel of smoke encircling the last Demon Gate unshattered. Now that the Titans can be awoken, some of the gatekeepers hope this last portal can be closed for good. The Gatekeepers are a high-druid organization challenged wtih the task of preventing the world from being destroyed when unworldy catostrophy threatens Eberron. That gate has been an unsettled Grudge for 4,000 years... this would be a significant victory. Bigger problems are that The Devourer is rising from the Depths of the Ether to .. er, Devour the world. Gatekeepers believe that awakened titans can stop The Devourer from surfacing through brute strength alone. Carl, the Bishop of Woe -- servant to The Devourer -- has been growing a storm across Rotting Blade, Kashakant and the Burning Keep in the last few weeks... but what he's up to exactly is unclear. Nearby, Festering Hole is a cursed land that no one returns from. The Tribal Orcs in the ShadowCrags know of this and so it's been for uncounted generations taht You Stay Away. Many tribes have lost incredible warriors to their own vain attempts to conquer the Riddle of Fate that draws weak-willed into it's Gravity. Yeah... staying clear of that. it took another 24 hours to get to the canyons' entrance. another 3 to catch sight of pirate ships poking out of the massive willow blinds down the rows of jagged cliff faces... and the team is dropped off by the Mercs who exit to guide the carrier into position to pin the pirates down for execution and ironic ship=looting. The team catches a long rest before slowly closing distance to spy on their prey from the Spirit World for a while before engaging... 58 hours spent in game Team is now level 16. Attained Favor with Droaam Military Attained Allegience with Droaam Military (yeah I know... I'm behind on posts. We'll be back on track by this weekend)