Brazen Wolfe Tabletop

Crests and Troughs

This week we are using the following content produced over the week.

• Plot(s): 13MoTE – The Emissary + 13MoKF – King Felris
• NPC(s): 13TuAV – Astrid Volcanius
• Twist: 13WeRT2 – ‘Rip Tide 2’: Mutual Benefit
• Map: 13ThMa1 – DMG ship map 1.
• Encounter: 13FrDSK – Deep Coral Knight + 13FrSw – Sea Wolf

So with that in mind let’s look at the writeup.

---

The door rattled abruptly as someone knocked on the door. Dusk shook his head not having been long asleep. Grabbing his axe the old dwarf stumbled to the front door, nudging his party members awake as he walked past their bedrolls in the room that they had been given to stay in.

Opening the door the dwarf was greeted by the familiar face of Rafnir from underneath a hood.

“Sorry to wake you, can we come in?” Rafnir said, looking around the streets as if checking for something or someone.

“Aye,” Dusk said standing aside before his thoughts caught up with his sleep deprived brain “We?” Dusk added looking around the doorframe before Astrid strode past him, both of them drenched from the rain.

“Sorry to intrude master Dwarf, we needed somewhere to talk and thought we would catch two fish in our net” Astrid began as she shook her hair free of the hood.

“We need your help, and can pay for your assistance if coin is needed.” Rafnir began after greeting Mike, Ray and Zander.

“Well, I won’t say no to coin” Zander began before being cut off by Mike and Ray.

“What do you need friend” The paladins chorused.

“We need you to help us stop Blake before he revives a war ship fuelled by an arcane artefact that has ripped the souls from the sea elves” Astrid said, digging through the room before settling on a bottle of rum that she found. Dusk stared as his rum was consumed but shook his head as a familiar tingle returned to the base of his skull – the Raven Queen was listening and needed him to.

“what do you need us to steal, we are not that stealthy and don’t know how we can do to stop Blake from getting his magic whatsit” Dusk said as he ferreted for his pipe instead of lamenting over his rum.

“We need you to steal the magic whatsit” Rafnir said bluntly.

“The one that rips souls?” Zander asked rubbing his chin with his left hand in absent minded thought.

“yup” replied Rafnir stairing at the party.

“Blake, as in Sir Blake the ruler of this city?” Mike asked

“The one and the same” Astrid said placing the empty bottle of rum on the bench.

“And he plans to use this magic thing in a warship?” Ray asked, his oath of conquest itching to foil the plans of war whilst on his watch”

“Yup, a big one. Big enough that he won’t need more than the one” Astrid replied as she strutted over to Dusk, passing him a hip flask from under her cloak.

Dusk grinned as he recognised the smell of dwarven mead, “When do we leave?” the old dwarf said as he pocketed the flask and started to strap on his armour.

“As soon as you are ready. We are taking the Gallant Swallow” Rafnir said as he moved to look out the window. “Make sure you bring a hoods, no one can know what we are doing.” The party nodded as they ferreted out their hooded cloaks. “Oh, there is one more thing,” Rafnir said as he looked at the Party getting their equipment ready. “The Prince will be joining us.”

As dawn rose on the second day the party stood on the deck of the Gallant Swallow, it’s tall dual masts catching the breeze as the party made good time out to sea.

“I did not expect to be heading home so soon without peace brokered, but here we are” Prince Sellis spoke as he walked up next to Mike, who, was looking a bit sea sick standing at the bow of the ship.

“Well perhaps it is not the peace you sought,” Mike paused as he repressed the urge to hurl what ever meagre food he had left in his stomach over the side of the ship, “but it will prevent war and if this artefact is the cause of this sickness of the soul then I am glad that we can help you out.” Mike finished, sipping a bit of water from his waterskin to quell the urge to hurl.

“we are not long for my city now,” Prince Sellis said, looking over the edge of the swift ship at the Rays, shark and other sea creatures that his person guard rode on the bellies of. “Then hopefully with the wizards magic and this ship we will be able to rid my city of the curse on their soul and prevent the sickness growing in yours” the prince said as he clapped the paladin on his shoulder and strode to the back of the boat.

As Ray, Dusk and Zander walked up to Mike to make sure he was coping the urge overcame the man and this time his resolve was weaker than his constitution, which was not much considering the vomit that streamed from his mouth over the side of the bow”

“Ah lad, you are not built for the sea yet but you get used to it, trust me, I was on a boat for weeks travelling from and avoiding the Black Steel vessels as I fled my homeland.” Dusk spoke solemnly looking over the waves at something that wasn’t there.

“Guys, I don’t think that should be there” Mike said gesturing over the side of the boat at the stains of blood that were flooding the water “Prince Sellis! Your people. There may be trouble!” Mike said, as he and the others quickly tightened the strap of a magical belt that the ship captain, Astrid, had given to them.

“Rafnir! Astrid! We’re going over!” Ray called as he gripped his shield in one hand and the potion that Petrel gave them in the other. As he dropped over the edge of the boat they drank the potion as if they had rehearsed it, knowing that they each had the counter potion and Rafnir had a few as backup as well made the task easier. The moment they finished the bottle their skin itched, there was a pain on their neck and each of them, not just Mike, vomited into the water as their insides changed. Once the vomit had cleared each of them felt the cool sea water on their newly created gills as they sank into the water.

Touching the belt buckle they slowed their descent into the water by their will and were able to move in any direction by mental command. The wonder of the belts and the potions was short lived as the battle scene in front of them took them by surprise.

Sea elves dressed in some kind of black Coral armour were darting out of a wall of sand that had been stirred up in a great wall of bubbles, water and murkiness. The elves riding seal-like creatures that had the head of a wolf and bodies similar to the seals that they saw at port darted in and were lancing some of the elves and animals the prince had brought with him. The royal guard however were giving as good, if not better than they were getting. Trained for for this type of combat they and their mounts worked as an extension of their own bodies, attacking when the enemy exposed themselves and defending not only them selves but their mounts and fellow guards.

“Look out!” The mental link of the belt shouted in the minds of those wearing the linked pairs, no sooner then the cry of alarm had cone out had a black seawolf and a lightly armoured elf charged through their scattered formation before swimming out of reach faster than the party could retaliate. Luckily Ray had caught the spear on the shield and had deflected the blow easily enough.

“There will be more of them” A voice sang from above them as the prince floated down to join them. Clad in bright coral armour that shone as if it had never basked in the light before. A cheer went up from the guard as their prince emerged and the started pushing into the wave upon wave of their aggressors.

A war cry seemed to bubble through the water as four mounted coral clad nights darted from below the party, Ray knocked aside one attack, Dusk took the attack to his forearm but the head of his axe parted and blazingly hot wave of boiling water washed over the attacking elf and his wolf, causing them to falter. Zander drifted behind Mike as an invisible shield of force bubbled up around him and he used his control over wind to push him away from a counterattack of the attacking sea elf. Mike parried the head of the spear before his counter attack removed the head of rider and mount, the magical blade seeming to cut through water and armour as if there as nothing there.

The party moved to surround the prince who shouted to the attackers begging for their cease of aggression, and when he was attacked he would fling pulses of water outwards with a flick of his wrist to push the attacking elves away and batter them and their mounts. Another pass from the seawolves and Deep Coral Knights saw another knight drop, this time Dusk brought his divine magic to bear and speared one elf through the chest whilst the magical blade of Ray, Vexing Thorns, cut the wolf to chunks of flesh as three twisting vines of rusting metal wrapped around it and tugged tightly.

Short blades of shell spun in the water into the side of Ray and Zander as lightly armoured warriors swam from the sand cloud, the blades managing to find gaps in armour and catch the sorcerer off guard. As the warriors clashed into Ray his shield took many of the blows before Dusk summoned his spectral weapon to float in the water beneath the elves which silenced one of them before they were able to react to the spell. Zander shot out two chromatic orbs of magic that smashed into the head of one of the remaining seawolves which cause its rider to drift in the water momentarily before swimming towards the party drawing a blackened longsword.

The princes guard had pushed back and were approaching the cloud of sand and bubbles, as they neared it the bubble net and sand ceased and King Felris swam next to the largest shark the party had seen as well as a writhing eel that was the size of a horse. The shark and Eel darted towards the royal guard as King Felris swam towards his son, the prince.

“Son, why do you bring war to our doorstep. We came here to silence the surface dwellers, strike a blow against them so we can learn how to undo their magic and rid our people of this curse.” The king spoke with anger and determination, his hand moving in grand arcs gesturing to the party, the ship and the elves. “What good can you do bringing them here?”

“Father, your highness,” the prince corrected, “These people are here to remove the artefact that poisons our waters. They are here art my request to undo what their people had done previously and I trust that once they have removed it we will be able to work together to understand the artefact and identify the cure for our peoples curse.” The prince looked to his father, conviction in his eyes, “You once said to me that to not at least try and make peace is the sign of a warmonger, not a king. I am here seeking peace and an end to war and this curse”.

The king swam their for a moment before signalling his people. His people immediately disengaged and swam to his side, the king looked to the ship, to the guard who had now swam to join the Party, to the prince and the surface dwellers who were here.

“You have one tide, if they can not remove the cursed item then their life and the city is forfeit.” The king spoke, a semblance of his once calm and merciful heart shining through. “If they are unable to find a cure for this sickness we have no choice but to continue to take souls so that we can survive and our race endures. This is the barter, take it or we will have war.” The king spoke with cold savagery as he gripped onto the side of his Giant shark as it swam back into deeper waters.