Session 05 — Anchors Up: Farewell to Port Quaybay

Session Recap

Departure day. The party spent their last ~4 hours in Port Quaybay burning through the Varian government's free-gear generosity: Lash got a luxury shopping spree from the smitten Brebo Goldfang (reinforced apron, a silver ingot, a full smithing kit, and an enormous wizard hat); Silithane charmed a Mage's Society elder out of a component pouch, then conned the Firebrand Church with an illusory brand — and got caught faking the Flame Queen's voice inside Kain's head. Kain himself attacked the old mage and was banished to a bouncy-castle demiplane for two minutes ("I had fun burning the bouncy house"). Ashlyn's blood logistics got sorted the hard way: a bowl of stale animal blood from the dockside cook Argath, then a voluntary feeding that left Fenric at half health and too weak to jump a fence.

Aboard the expedition's massive royal ship (see The Expedition Ship), the hooks for the 21-day crossing were set: Kain helped the Firebrand veteran Pam clear the cargo hatch and learned a 20-foot burning statue of the Flame Queen is being lowered into the lowest deck to make "super soldiers"; the spy Figueroa offered Silithane 10 gold to find out what's happening down there; and the priests ruled that Kain the Blessed may enter the Holy Chambers "with up to 6 idiots." Brebo turned up on board — he bought "all the land he could" in Orathos to show Lash. Magra finally proved, side by side, that she is bigger than her twin Daewynn (Kain still doesn't believe it), the hippo-man engineer Ugo adopted Kain over whiskey, the tinkerer Tilda set up shop next to Lash's corner anvil, and Thalia made friends (and an admirer) among the Atollian passengers. The session closed with the whole group coexisting over Conquest cards as the ship sailed for Rivalon.

Key Events

• Leftover night business: Kain performed a 2 AM wedding for two (possibly gay — nobody corrected Ryan) dwarves at the church, a 25-gold ceremony ("only if you believe truly"); a yawning attendant hoovered the confetti back into bags. Magra (2/18 HP) took Ash Warden healing so potent she contracted one level of "minor healing sickness."
• Lash & Brebo's Highside shopping spree (Noble District): an elven master-armorer reinforced her armored smithing apron (+1 AC, fire resistance) while she and Brebo lounged in the shop sauna; a Santa-bearded old smith (and his 7-foot half-cyclops apprentice) sold her a silver ingot (enough to silver one weapon, ~100 gp) plus ore, limestone, flux, charcoal, whetstones and crafting recipes — Brebo paid the eye-watering bill in bank scripts; a scaly lizard-man hatter tailored her an extra-large wizard hat (she's 5'7" in it). Brebo left "for no related reason... to the land shop." Lash's goodbye: "Okay, goodbye, people mouse" — the first time she's used anyone's name.
• Lash's permanent sharpening-stone service established: a successful ritual gives a weapon +1 damage (+2 two-handed), forever; she'll fix the party's gear after rough battles.
• Silithane & the Mages Society: found a bald old mage (proud father of Liam, an apprentice mage sent on the reclamation) who conjured him a free Guild component pouch (bigger on the inside, return address for commoners) and a printed memo declaring mages should never be hit ("the fault of everyone else in the group — they should be fined").
• Kain vs. the Mage's Society: Kain launched firebolts at Silithane for visiting the mage; every one was counterspelled. He drew his flail on the old man and was blasted into a demiplane containing only a bouncy castle, a pitcher of water, and a sign reading "I've been naughty" (2 minutes). He burned everything in it and nodded to himself, challenge defeated. Lesson observed by all: mouth off at the factions and they make you cease to exist.
• At the church: Magra talked her way (honest Religion check) into a free Alchemist's Fire — worth arming 10–15 soldiers — plus candles, torches and firewood. The party watched the Flamespeaker (addressed as Nina) rebirth a back-alley thug through branding; the new convert looked to Kain for orders and was sent to register through official channels.
• Silithane's church con: wove Minor Illusion into rolling up his sleeve to fake a Firebrand brand, scoring a brazier, incense, charcoal and a prayer shirt — then cast Message into Kain's head as a knockoff Flame Queen voice. Kain saw through it ("You're a phony"); a ranger thumbed the fake mark straight off. Silithane moonwalked away from six potential opportunity attacks; the High Sun told Kain to "teach them the value of honesty" (Kain took scribbled notes).
• Ashlyn's blood problem: her family's 24-pack of human blood was confiscated at the port (with a caution) and the elderly servant they sent died of a heart attack on the boat over. Rules established: blood ideally daily, 3 days tolerable, a week without risks going feral — and ferals don't come back. Argath served her a bowl of stale animal blood ("90% of a meal"); later Fenric volunteered his wrist — 10 damage, half his health gone, and the fork felt heavy.
• The quest conspiracy deepens: Ashlyn's insight noticed the port's entire adventuring economy — thugs, monsters, quest-givers — has simply switched off now the ship is leaving. "I told you there's a conspiracy to give us quests." (Fenric called it weeks ago.)
• Fenric's supply run with supply officer Hackett: 2 javelins, crowbar, hammer, pitons, two ropes (one for Thalia), tinderbox, and a rare bedroll. No fishing line, bells, winter blankets or rations ("they feed you over there").
• Signing on: Silithane confirmed he'd already registered for the war effort, and the whole party put their names to the Code of Honourable Conduct before boarding — the binding charter (protect the Orathi, obey the chain of command, restore Ysolde) that now governs their conduct in Orathos.
• Kain boarded early and helped the deck officer Pam clear the cargo hatch — both got bested by an animated table with hands (two pulled groins; a firebolt convinced it to gallop off). Pam revealed the cargo: a 20×15×20 ft burning statue, half angel half dragon, bound for the lowest deck to make super soldiers ("somebody holds hands with the statue and bursts into flames, we summon like a super Firebrand"). Also demonstrated: the ship is both fireproof and waterproof.
• Pam's tour of the top-deck war planners: Veilwood "creepy forest" folk, two Atollians, the Mage's Society, extra Varians — and the Queen of Varia, who is a decoy; no one knows where the real queen is ("If she survived the old empire, she'll survive anything"). No Firebrands and no "snow people" at the table. One planner — heard as Uwe, almost certainly Uva Blackheart (the real queen's bodyguard) — reportedly went toe-to-toe with a god.
• The crab pearl: the Crab Wizard (dockside, enormous hat) confirmed via Sharkbait that he already gave the party his summoning pearl — to "the littlest one... she had murder in her eyes." Lash produced the Crab Pearl: a palm-sized blue glowing orb, her reward for slaying "the great evil."
• The Lurch doppelganger: a long, lanky someone hugged Kain and walked off with 5 gold — then the real Lurch (outside the church all morning) asked for his 3 gold back. Conclusion: both have doppelgangers stealing money. Lurch decided "if there's one of me here, then I may as well be the only one of me over there" and signed up for the expedition.
• Final call: the mayor's giant horn answered by the ship's foghorn. Kain performed five minutes of pommel-horse on the fence to applause; blood-drained Fenric flopped over it and crawled under; Lash borrowed a little three-step stool ("I will be back one day." "You will never be back.").
• Aboard ship: middle deck is refreshments and hammock bunks (free-for-all); the chef auditioned Kain on Eggs Benedict (17 — "a touch too much lemon... perhaps to fend off the scurvy") and begged him to cook all 21 days (paid a silver); an old man who was once an airship pilot ("I used to be somebody. I saved the world.") hunts for a cabin boy whose name and face he never learned.
• Figueroa's job: the coin-flicking spy (Spycraft Guild and House Bloodworth insignia deliberately half-visible) offered Silithane 10 gold to learn what the Firebrands are doing with the creepy statue behind their guarded hatch — he watched a crane lower it in and chip its wing, half-angel half-dragon, before the Firebrands swarmed the hold; he'd already been rebuffed directly ("we don't talk to spies"), so now he hires people who don't look like spies. Silithane accepted.
• Kain went below: an Ashwalker (ash-grey skin, orange fire runes) let him down with two rules — don't tell the spy upstairs anything, and have fun. The twin priests of the Holy Chambers of the Flame Queen statue ruled: "the Blessed may enter... they may also bring up to 6 idiots." (Asked if any idiots are bone-themed: "One of them's missing a finger." "Good, they can play in the bone pit.") Kain deferred — he doesn't like his idiots much right now.
• Ugo the hippo-man engineer clapped Kain on the shoulder as kin (Kain's adoptive father is a hippo person) and declared himself "your dad away from your dad that was away from your dad," then poured Kain his first whiskey.
• The twin reveal: Magra and Daewynn stood side by side for the first time — Magra is unmistakably 3–4 inches taller and twice the weight. Kain accused Magra of shrinking and charming her sister; Daewynn confirmed by Message; a four-way apology/handshake standoff followed (Kain attempted Hellish Rebuke on a handshake; not an attack, disallowed).
• Lash's Blacksmithing Emporium opened in a defensible corner of the lower deck (baby anvil, tool board, deluxe bedroll); the gadget-suited mouse-folk tinkerer Tilda wheeled her rickshaw cart over to set up next door, planning a Gatling harpoon gun against sahuagin after Lash's fish-people consultation ("stabbing... you probably want a bigger spear").
• Brebo is on the boat. He bought every plot of Orathos land he could at the land registry and boarded early to show Lash the deeds; he spent the day winning at Conquest and calling Lash "my girlfriend." Card circle regulars: Bailey (archer), Eleanor (water nymph everyone thinks is a fish lady), Liam (the mage's son), and Gurge (still can't win a hand).
• Card games: Fenric's nat-20 beginner's luck won him a pot he hadn't even bet into; Ashlyn tied Eleanor before being edged out; Silithane found the game incomprehensible; Brebo deliberately sandbagged "so he doesn't get stabbed."
• Thalia and the Atollians: befriended Laku, an islander Atollian (fish lower half) from the fortified town of Amos, returning home to fight off the shame of having fled. Laku's news from Atollia: with the Hydra gone, pirates and marauders raid the Isles freely, and missionaries burn books, statues and prayer sites. A jacked mainlander Atollian, Oros (winged), flirted relentlessly, wing-to-wing. Thalia's backstory surfaced: two mothers — a siren singer from the reef islands and a tree ("The trees in the Veilwood are a little different").
• Fenric is still watching for Laila, who promised to stow away — no sign of her yet.

Combat & Encounters

• Kain vs. the Mages Society elder — every firebolt counterspelled; one Charisma save later, Kain spent 2 minutes in the bouncy-castle punishment demiplane (and razed it).
• The table with hands — animated furniture on the cargo hatch; resisted moving (two failed Athletics checks, two pulled groins), took a firebolt and a flaming sword hit, then galloped away rather than fight. "If you kill it, we have to move it still."
• Ashlyn feeds on Fenric — consensual bite, 10 damage, Fenric at half HP and visibly wobbly for the rest of the day.

NPCs & Factions

• Brebo Goldfang — bankrolled Lash's gear, bought up Orathos land plots, boarded the ship; "my girlfriend gets it."
• Pam — new: Firebrand deck officer; fallen paladin of the Varian Independence Wars, embraced by the Flame Queen; resents the top-deck elites who snub her.
• Ugo — new: hippo-man engine-and-maintenance man ("like Hugo but Varian"); Kain's adoptive kin aboard.
• Tilda — new: mouse-folk tinkerer in a gadget bodysuit; rocket boots and gun repair on offer; corrected Ashlyn for calling Lash a lizard.
• Figueroa — new: openly-badged spy (Spycraft Guild / House Bloodworth); hired Silithane to investigate the statue hold.
• Laku — islander Atollian from Amos; bookish, honorable, returning to fight; standing dinner invitation with Thalia.
• Oros — mainlander Atollian beach-bod show-off with angel wings; did push-ups on Veilwood fences; pursuing Thalia. (Transcript mis-rendered the name as "Orathos"; the name is Oros.)
• Daewynn — Magra's twin (transcript: "Daewyn"/"Daewon"), confirmed smaller; in the parallel group aboard the same ship.
• The old mage — Mages Society; Liam's father; counterspell machine; came to wave his son off. Liam — apprentice mage aboard, mediocre at cards.
• Lurch — gave up being doppelganged in Port Quaybay and joined the expedition; his impostor scammed Kain of 5 gold.
• Argath — government-paid dockside cook; inventor of the "breadsfust"; sourced Ashlyn's animal blood.
• Hackett — expedition supply officer, last free-gear stop.
• The Flamespeaker — ran the thug-branding rebirth; named Nina (confirmed again in Session 7).
• The Ashwalker, the twin statue priests, the chef, the airship pilot, the kissing sailors, the ship's cat — the ship's recurring cast taking shape.
• Firebrand Church — wedding services, alchemist fire, a statue program to mass-produce "super Firebrands" at sea.
• Mage's Society — free components for members, bouncy-castle banishment for blasphemers.

Locations

• Port Quaybay — final hours: Highside/Noble District shops, Argath's shack by the boarding plaza, the mayor's horn sounding departure.
• The Expedition Ship — new: the Queen's giant ship; top deck (crew + war planners), middle deck (food, hammocks, cannon stations), lower cargo decks, and the guarded statue hold at the very bottom. 21 days to Rivalon, give or take the winds (10–40).
• Atollia — Laku's testimony: Amos newly fortified, pirates raiding freely without the Hydra, missionary cultural destruction; Scala/Skyla (spelling unclear) relatively safe behind the reefs.
• Orathos / Rivalon — destination; Magra and Daewynn were born in Rivalon and evacuated 40 years ago; their mother never made the crossing.

Loot, Items & Rewards

• Reinforced smithing apron (+1 AC, fire resistance) + silver ingot (silvers one weapon, ~100 gp) + smithing supplies (ore, limestone, flux, charcoal, whetstones, recipes) + extra-large wizard hat — Lash, all on Brebo's coin.
• Crab Pearl — confirmed as the party's one-use(?) Crab Wizard summons; held by Lash.
• Component pouch (Mages Guild issue) + brazier, incense, charcoal, prayer shirt + the "mages should never be hit" memo — Silithane.
• Alchemist's Fire ×1, 10 candles, 2 torches, firewood bundle, fresh pamphlet — Magra (plus one level of minor healing sickness).
• 2 javelins, crowbar, hammer, pitons, 2 ropes, tinderbox, bedroll — Fenric (one rope passed to Thalia).
• 25-gold wedding ceremony performed; a silver coin from the chef; −5 gold to a doppelganger — Kain.
• A pot of Conquest winnings (beginner's-luck nat 20) — Fenric.

Decisions & Open Threads

• Silithane's spy job: 10 gold from Figueroa to learn what's behind the Firebrand-guarded statue hatch — while Kain already has clearance to walk in with "up to 6 idiots." Nobody has connected these facts yet.
• The burning statue: super-soldier rituals on the lowest deck, starting at sea. The bone pit awaits anyone bone-themed.
• The decoy queen: Varia's queen aboard is a fake; the real Amelia Bloodworth's whereabouts are unknown. Who is Uwe, the god-fighter among the planners?
• Kain's rift with the party simmers ("You six idiots have caused me more grief than I've ever had") — and groups may be reshuffled on arrival; "they usually put all the Firebrands together."
• Laila has not yet been spotted aboard; Fenric keeps looking.
• Lurch is on the ship — and at least one doppelganger may be too (or was left behind, scamming Port Quaybay).
• Brebo's land deeds — plots across Orathos, waiting to be shown to Lash; her plan to build/settle may suddenly have real estate.
• Ashlyn's blood rotation: party volunteers (Fenric's turn taken — painfully), butchers where possible; feral risk after a week.
• Thalia still carries the two paid letters for Orathos delivery (from Session 4).
• The "quest conspiracy" — the port's adventuring economy switched off the moment the ship left. Fenric feels vindicated.
• Lash and Tilda plan collaborative crafting (Gatling harpoon gun; two-crafter projects).

Memorable Moments

• Kain "defeating" the punishment demiplane — boiling the water pitcher, popping the bouncy castle (fart-noise flight included) — and Thalia realizing the Flame Queen now owns a bouncy castle and an "I've been naughty" sign.
• "You're a phony" — Kain unmasking Silithane's Flame Queen impression, after first thanking the real Queen for not smiting him.
• The table-tennis of pulled groins: Kain and Pam both downed by the table with hands, and the "penis candle" that was actually a lantern handle.
• "Ships, if you didn't know it, are both fireproof and waterproof" — demonstrated by pressing a lit torch to the deck while a deckhand learned something today.
• The blood-gluten debate ("blood is gluten-free") collapsing into five minutes of real-world fruit-bat taxonomy.
• Lash naked in the armor shop mid-fitting ("she doesn't understand society — it's literally on her character sheet"), then 5'7" in her new hat, nodding at the mage like an equal — "My sage."
• Magra coaching Kain's Eggs Benedict from across the table, 15% worse for the relay.
• "Are any of them bone-themed?" "One of them's missing a finger." "Good, they can play in the bone pit."
• Daewynn's solemn Message into Kain's skull — "No, truthfully, my sister is much larger than I am" — and Kain concluding witchcraft anyway.
• Brebo "going to the land shop for no related reason," then surfacing mid-ocean atop a pile of card winnings.
• Kain's farewell to Port Quaybay: a five-minute pommel-horse routine on the boarding fence, stuck the landing, took the applause.
• The chef, after one breakfast: "Swing by every day, 21 days... I miss you."