We start our next session with two prisoners: Ned Shankshaft and a Smuggler by the name of FitzMaldred who are glaring at each other from across the library where the group has brought them to. It took some heaving on Leonidas’ part, but he managed to get his prisoner over the broken floor and down the stairs. Leonidas had also plucked and helped Staniwick across with his mighty thews. Clearly, Leonidas was testing his muscles by lifting a Gnome tailor. Ned was dragged in by Jaboli and the two allowed themselves to be tied.
In the interim, the party has leveled up and embraced their paths. Starting with Leonidas. He walks the creed as a Champion. He still longs to be a warlord like his father, he was just more ventured to win a title by his own hand, rather than be a great strategist.
Right now, Leonidas looked between the two men with a greatsword in hand. Intimidate: 19 - Medium+
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“I want the truth,” Leonidas began as he passed between an obviously injured Ned and FitzMaldred. “If I don’t get the truth, I will use this sword and behead you… or try too… I’m still learning how to swing this thing. It might take a few tries while you’re alive to get the job done. Please… consider this when you answer me.”
Ned spoke up slowly, his lips dry as the adrenaline was drained from him with the fall, “How do you know we are telling the truth? How do we know you’ll keep your word?”
“Do not answer for me, Throatcutter,” FitzMaldred growled, “You killed Sam!”
“I have a Catfolk with me. She can smell your fear and know your intentions,” Leonidas said, “I’ve a whole set of eyes on you, someone will know if you are lying to me. As to what arrangement I offer for the truth, I swear I will release you and you can go your own way. You know the road to Saltmarsh. Perhaps you can take up honest trade. Now, who wants to talk first?”
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Ned makes a Wisdom save to try and resist Intimidate: 8
FitzMaldred the Smuggler: 16
Neither one beats an impressive 19 and while Fitz keeps his mouth shut for a moment, Ned is the first to reveal that a Merchant named Gellan Primewater hired him to stow away in this manor and intercept the party from going into the basement.
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“He never told me why I should stop you, only that he has business down there and that there was to be no witnesses at that point. I was to either help scare you off, get you into accidents, or slit your throats. The bastard had coshed me too hard to make my injuries look believable. You must have rested while I was out, by the time I was up and wandering around, I saw these two sleeping on a mattress together. I figured… I’d make the scene look bloody.”
“If I had my hands free,” FitzMaldred growled. He stopped when he saw Leonidas glare at him.
“Well, I figure I’d have two bodies to show you, I sort of bungled the plan and this got away and ran straight into you.”
Leonidas turned to FitzMaldred and asked, “What do you have to say for yourself, man?”
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FitzMaldred also failed his resistance and spills that he is part of a smuggling operation known as the Devil’s Due organization. Devil’s Due are buying stolen goods in town at reduced prices and shipping them to buyers outside of Saltmarsh. The haunted house was a ruse, something the smugglers capitalized on in order to keep their base hidden.
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“I don’t know who our boss was buying from. It looks like you have enough brains to put two-and-two together about who that could be. All I know is all the lights, the noises you hear, those are illusions our boss draws to try and keep people away. There was an alchemist, but there is no ghost here.”
“I got scared by some minor illusions?” Staniwick snapped. His cheeks were red as he noted glumly, “I feel like I need to turn in my Gnome card from this revelation.”
“Where is the entrance to your base?” Leonidas cut Staniwick off with a direct question for FitzMaldred.
“Hidden door in the wine cellar. One of the stone tiles in the west living room is movable and also reveals a set of stairs.”
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Now the party has to decide on the prisoner dilemma…
To sum up the two points of view, let’s see what Jaboli and Staniwick have to say…
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Jaboli: “Leonidas, you have promised to spare these men and offer them a chance to either redeem themselves, or at least stay out of your way. If you were to renege on this deal, even in front of only us, it will stain your character. Others may not be perceptive, but you’ll know, and it will gnaw on you. You’ll see it in our eyes how you slew these men after offering them a chance.”
Staniwick: “If we let these men go, who knows what they may do? They could follow us. They could find another group of ruffians and sell out our location at their first opportunity. If we let them live, they will possibly cut our throats if they can get to us, and despite our precautions there is no guarantee that a single watchman would either stop them or alert us in time. We are going into the unknown both in this mansion and the surrounding area with people who have a vested interest in our destruction.”
Orlando: “Do I get a say in this matter?”
Staniwick: “Do you have a speech prepared?”
Orlando: “A speech? No… not a speech. I can play a song of decision making on panflute, but really, we did give our word to the two that we would let them live if they surrendered and answered our questions.”
Leonidas looks to the two men and cuts their bindings, “This is your one chance to walk away and keep walking. If you try to come upon us again, we will not spare you. I’ll even make it slow if possible, or at the very least behead you.”
Ned looked at Leonidas and asked, “Do we… Do we at least get a knife?”
Leonidas shook his head, “You know the direction of Saltmarsh… find yourself a nice stick if you’re so worried, but you get nothing from us.”
FitzMaldred rose first and said, “I’d rather get going now so as not to have him at my backside if it’s all the same to you.” He nodded to the party and said, “Perhaps I’ll see you in friendlier company.”
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After releasing Ned and FitzMaldred (Fitz), the party decided to confirm their hypothesis that the stairs in the kitchen led to the second level and an alternate route through the upper floors. The party moves from the library, down the hall, and into the kitchen before going up the stairs and reaching a point where a second of stairs would lead to the attic if the roof did not partially collapse and block the path. What was waiting at the top of the landing was a nest of stirge that were living in the broken ruins of the upper level.
Q: Are the stirge asleep?
A: Yes, the party gets a general Stealth check. Stealth: 13 vs. Perception: 9 - The stirges are not disturbed.
Leonidas takes the stealth to perform a coup de grace on one of the Stirges. Its death cry wakes up the other 5.
Leonidas Ini: 4
Jaboli: 16
Staniwick: 11
Orlando: 4
Antos: 13
GM: 10
Jaboli takes a Dash to move around Leonidas and get off the stairs and into the landing. She attacks Strige #1 w/ Shortbow. Attk: 21 - Hit. D: 12 - Stirge #1 HP: 0/2 - Slain
Antos holds action and waits for the stairwell to clear out first before moving up.
Staniwick fires an Eldritch Blast from the stairs at Stirge #2. Attk: 6 - Miss
Strige #2 flies down and attacks Leonidas. Attk: 7 - Miss
Stirge #3 flies down and attacks Jaboli. Attk: 10 - Miss
Stirge #4 flies down and attacks Leonidas. Attk: 13 - Miss
Stirge #5 flies down and attacks Jaboli. Attk: 7 - Miss
Leonidas attacks Stirge #2. Attk: 13 - Miss. Leonidas spends Action Surge (0/1). Attk: 24 - Hit. D: 8. Stirge #2 HP: 0/2 - Slain. He turns on Stirge #4.
Orlando uses a Bardic Inspiration (¾ Remaining) to give Leonidas a d6 Inspiration Dice.
Antos moves up to take Jaboli’s slot and casts Sacred Flame on Stirge #5. Stirge Save: 15 - Saves!
Jaboli: 16
Antos: 13
Staniwick: 11
GM: 10
Leonidas: 4
Orlando: 4
Jaboli drops shortbow and draws shortsword and attacks Stirge #3. Attk: 25 - Hit. D: 10. Stirge #3 HP: 0/2 - Slain
Antos moves up and stands next to Leonidas to attack Stirge #4. Attk: 19 - Hit. D: 8. Stirge #4 HP: 0/2 - Slain
Staniwick moves in range and attacks Stirge #5 w/ Eldritch Blast. Attk: 18 - Hit. D: 4. Stirge #5 HP: 0/2 - Slain
Leonidas cleans the blade to his sword before placing it. The party has cleared out another edge of the house from various beasties that were dwelling in the condoned building.
With them dead, Leonidas gives the nod that the party should continue and search the rest of the upper floors before heading into the wine cellar.
The party moves south from the attic stairs and finds another door leading into an eastern room. Jaboli takes a look: 25 - No traps, no locks. The party discovers an old box room (Room #17) with mildewed walls and floors and tattered floor. The party conducts a brief look but finds nothing of interest. Even the clothes inside the chest are rotted and falling apart. The party moves south and turns east again with Jaboli checking the door. Perception: 18 - No traps, no locks. The second room (Room #16) is a bedroom with a used bed. Jaboli’s 18 perception allows her to note that a fresh scent lingers in the room, suggesting this was where Ned was hiding when he was brought here.
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"He was here,” Jaboli said, “I can smell Shankshaft’s presence in this room. This is where he must have been placed when he and his contact came here. The scent is slightly muted, he must have been here while we were camped below in the dining room.”
“He waited here for a while, then slew the first person he came across. Perhaps I made a mistake letting him go,” Leonidas said.
“You did what you thought was right,” Antos said, “None of these men have clean hands.”
Leonidas lets the words of encouragement pass. Perhaps Antos was right, but Leonidas felt that he had let an evil man escape for the sake of personal honor.” Leonidas nodded to the Cleric and started back towards the outer hallway. A few steps south and the party reaches the junction they were at previously. There was still a hole that separated the two sides, so the party decided to take the slower way back through the kitchen and up the stairs.
Q: Do any more smugglers make their way upstairs to find FitzMaldred and the dead smuggler?
A: Yes, but they bump into the party on their way up...
To be continued...
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