Planar Odyssey [IC]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Atticus stumbled and nearly fell on his butt when the ship suddenly exploded. He quickly scrambled back to his feet before grabbing hold of the cannon once more. His eyes trained on the small wyrmling, tracking its movements and preparing to fire as soon as he had a bead on the miniscule target.

[CasualViking]

Aron Aron reaches out to Roderick with the long-distance whisper of a message spell: "That other person. Friend or foe?". Not waiting for a reply, he jumps out into the Astra again, trying to place the wreckage as "down", but ending up back on the deck of the skiff: (1d20)[11]

[Stelio Kontos]

Sefariel moved back by Atticus's side, his lips pursed in contemplation. "Is there anything I might to do assist you, sir?"

[ThatDamnPaladin]

"Foe, likely- although dunno what his deal is. Viri said he died and was reborn or something." Is Roderick's semi-terse response. He's looking himself over for injuries and really not finding anything he hadn't come to expect for- y'know, surviving being harpooned. He does pause a moment, continuing, if able "I may not be able to really tell you what I did but- uh... I should be dead right now. I'll tell ya bunch when I get back."

That being said he does shake his head trying to orient himself- before realizing he likely can still fly and simply lifting off... and starting back toward the ship.

He does mentally prod Viri however, clearly trying to get her to react, 'Hey, Viri, wake up would ya?'

[Darvin]

Spoiler: Roderick

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Viri's presence in the back of his mind stirs when he calls her. He has a vague empathetic sense that she's in pain.

"How... did you...withstand it?" she rasps in the back of his mind. Her composure returns slowly as she surveys the wreckage through Roderick's eyes, "I have no idea what happened there. I didn't have much presence of mind during that fight, I was overwhelmed by its presence, but that's... gone now. Completely gone; I'm not even feeling a lingering aura. Whatever you did, it was extraordinarily effective,"

"Oh, is the dragon still alive? Hah, it wasn't able to grow back to full size. It won't get the chance now. Serves the runt right! Tarbeck's alive too? I'm not sure how, he was reanimated by the infernal heart and bound to it, he should have died with it. I'm not sure if he's still a thrall, so approach him carefully,"

Spoiler: Aron only

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As you draw close enough for your aura sight to come into effect, you notice something curious - or rather, the lack of something. The aura of evil and law that cloyed to the hell ship has completely dissipated. Not even a lingering aura remains among the shattered debris. The only alignment auras you see are faint auras of law and evil surrounding the wyrmling, faint auras of chaos, good, and evil around Roderick, and a faint aura of law around the unconscious man in the debris.

Though it takes him more than a moment of focus, Aron eventually wills himself properly to the deck of the ship. Tanner pulls the ship as close as she can get, while Atticus and Sefariel load and aim the cannon. The wyrmling is deep in the debris field and a clean shot is impossible to come by, but with a bit of patience, Atticus is able to line up an opportunity and is ready to fire [the wyrmling has 20% concealment; you may attack at your discretion]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Atticus took a moment to center himself, before firing a solid, normal cannonball at the little wrymling.

Spoiler

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(1d20+13)[29] vs. Touch (or Regular, if greater than 100 ft away)
(6d6)[16] + (2d6)[9] Electric

[CasualViking]

Aron Aron floats over to the unconscious man. He checks to see if he needs immediate medical aid (Aron has a cure wand). But if not, he scoops him up and floats back to the skiff with him. Spoiler: Messaging with Roderick Show "So. What is going on with you? Am I even talking to Roderick, or are you someone else right now?"

[Darvin]

Aided by Sefariel to quickly reload the cannon, Atticus unleashes a blast into the heart of the debris. The cannonball strikes the hapless wyrmling, smashing it aside and carrying on to shatter more of the wreckage. Splinters of wood are scattered outwards, littering the debris field. The wyrmling frantically darts behind cover, desperate to avoid taking more cannon-fire while simultaneously appearing to move with purpose as if searching something.

Spoiler: Aron and Roderick

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A moment after Aron's message comes through, Viri taps into the line and responds back, "hello! I'm Viri Kaddirim, pleased to meet you. And no, I'm not in control of your friend. He graciously helped me out of my predicament, and I'm returning the favor by lending him what power I have left. You see, I hid my soul in this amulet to prevent the infernal presence from assimilating me like it did to the others. If you can help me find a cleric who can resurrect me, I'll provide you whatever assistance I can. I still have some of the magical powers I had in life and I'm sure I can be of assistance!"

[ThatDamnPaladin]

Spoiler: Spoiler: Message with Aron

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"Please, if I were gonna get taken over that easily I'd never have lived to the ripe age of twenty six." the SHEER amount of Incredulity in his voice is for the ages there. Clearly not really affronted though...

He is surprised that viri can take over the message, "Well, I'll be, that's...incredibly useful thanks- the last time I had to do that I nearly died... again!" He means explaining his lack of posession.

That said, Roderick still has minutes of growth and that spell for flying hasn't worn off- he's going to go hunting a Wyrmling. He's off, making sure to get into range of the little creature and then- in a thunderous voice that is entirely unaccented Draconic, his enormous frame bellows it's speech, "<I slew your infernal heart and destroyed it utterly you should face death with some measure of bravery. Unless you wish to bargain for your life.>"

The shock on whether or not a vaunted idiot could speak draconic, much less fluently, like Roderick could was something that very few would find out- however... Viri is getting a rundown as he issues what could only be a challenge...

Spoiler: Spoiler: Viri and Roderick

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"Had to gather my thoughts there; but- uh, dunno- prolly to do with a curse I may or may not have picked up when we raided one of the Whispering Tyrant's many Caches of magical items." This isn't something that is glib- it's attached to some heavy baggage and annoyance. Clearly something happened that- oh, there it goes the entire debacle happening because nothing of the gold that was there could be brought with them.

"The City of Golden Death on the Island of Terror, terrible places but y'know..." Oh wow, Roderick was usually super upbeat about everything. This must have been bad.

[Triskavanski]

Mais stood by at the moment, observing as he tried to piece the pieces together of what was going on.

[Stelio Kontos]

Sefariel rolled a cannonball into position for Atticus to reload if desired, before calling out to Mais. "Care to join me?"


After a false start or two, he launched himself off the ship's deck, "falling" in the direction of the wreckage, seeking to spy anything unusual through both magical and mundane means -- unusual, that is, within the context of wreckage of a destroyed living vessel of death incarnate floating in an obscure quarter of the Astral Plane...

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled a 1 for a whopping 11 on Perception; assuming there's a zillion rounds to perceive here though, I'd assume I can either use one of those actions to take 10, if not sufficiently many to take 20, so take that into consideration.

At a suitably close distance, I'll also cast Detect Magic, because why not, and renew it as needed.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Annoying little bugger, quit ya skitterin'! Atticus swiveled the cannon around, tracking the darting dragon before firing once more.

Spoiler

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Energy Hammer this time, to be sure
(1d20+11)[13] vs. Touch
(6d6+9)[29] + (8d6)[25] Cold and a DC 19 Fort vs. (1d4)[3] rounds of Nauseate

[Triskavanski]

"No." replied Mais, "I am needed elsewhere" and with that he took wing to investigate the random unconcious person?

Spoiler: dice

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(1d20+20)[31] Heal check

[Darvin]

Sefariel searches through the wreckage of the ship. At first he sees nothing but splintered wood and metal, but as he continues to look he can see humanoid body parts floating through the wreckage. It's unclear whether the dismemberment was the fault of the sudden explosion or the hell ship itself, but Sefariel is reasonably certain from the state of decay that these people were dead for days or weeks. However, as he continues to search he finds something that catches his eye - a large hunk of heavily deformed metal with faint etchings on it. The explosion has warped it beyond recognition of whatever original form it took, but the inscriptions are still legible enough to be decoded. Though their purpose isn't obvious, they do appear to have been part of a magical enchantment placed upon the metal. A cursory examination with Detect Magic reveals that this enchantment has dissipated, but perhaps a more thorough investigation could reveal more about the nature of the metal.

Atticus steadies the cannon, waiting for another chance to blast the wyrmling even as Roderick taunts it. He catches a brief flash of movement and fires, smashing into the wyrmling and jostling the debris. Those inside the debris field can see the wyrmling desperately trying to flap its wings to escape the line of fire and move behind cover - giving it a brief reprieve from Atticus' line of fire. Suddenly the wyrmling veers and changes directions and latches onto something - some sort of container or chest. It latches onto the object, pops it open, and then clamors inside.

Aron and Mais move towards the man in the debris. He looks weak and emaciated, and his body appears wracked by terrible scars. His right arm seems to be terribly injured and hangs limp, while his left feebly grasps for anything solid. As the two adventurers arrive, the man feebly reaches out with his one good arm to grab on. The man sputters out some quick words of gratitude, "you delivered us from that damnation. By the gods, you have my eternal gratitude," he grasps Aron's hand and embraces him, "Tarbeck of Vesperport, at your service," he turns to Mais but nearly stumbles off into the void, "and your's"

Spoiler: Roderick

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"The Whispering Tyrant... yes, that's a name I know. Not the sort of fellow you fool around with. I have no idea what sort of secret weapons that fiend would have stowed away, but the sooner you figure out what it is the better. Probably would need a big library to even have a chance of figuring it out," Viri remarks. She chuckles at the challenge to the wyrmling, "I almost feel sorry for the beastie. It would have charged you down without hesitation when it was full-grown, but now in that little frame it's little more than a roach scurrying from shadow to shadow,"

[CasualViking]

Aron "Aron, of Sunseeker Peak. This is my companion Mais, origin unknown" - Aron ***** an eyebrow - "and a skilled healer. Just relax".

[Stelio Kontos]

Sefariel stared into the metal, trying to divine what he could make of it. He ran his fingers over the etchings, prepared for any feeling that might overtake him. Satisfied that there was no danger, for the moment at least, he did his best to grab the ingot and move back toward the ship. That, unsurprisingly, wasn't happening. Such labours were often best left to the more adept hands of others. A brief incantation later, he stared even more deeply at the inscription, just in case it happened to be a peculiarly-crafted equivalent to a magical scroll or the like, unlikely as that might be.

"Gentlemen, and lady, when you have a free moment, your assistance is requested. This particular wreckage may prove to be of some importance. I would very much like to take it back to the vessel."

Casting an eye about to ensure that there truly was no danger, he reached into his pack and retrieved a book, bound in metal and trimmed with a rare leather. Almost casually, he flipped the book open to a well-remembered page, and began to refresh himself on the finer points of demi-elementary pseudo-lexicogramancy. The sooner this inscription was well understood, the better.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll try Read Magic first just in case that's somehow relevant. After that? I've got a spellbook, and a minute or so probably, and the Fast Study feat, and a free first level spell slot just calling out to have Comprehend Languages in it. Once that's done, I'll cast it.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Atticus, frustration mounting, continued tracking the wee-dragon, unloading another blast at the bugger.

Spoiler

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(1d20+11)[25]
(6d6+11)[40] + (2d6)[5]

[Darvin]

Atticus once again unleashes the cannon into the debris cloud, and there's a pleasing crack as it strikes the chest the wyrmling is hiding inside. A cloud of dust is kicked up from the blast, obscuring his vision of the target. It certainly felt like a direct hit, but there's no visibility from where he currently stands. Aron, Mais, and Roderick would have a better view and could see what just happened.

"Unholy hell," Tarbeck wheezes as he clenches his hand against his ears from the concussive blast, "whose shooting at us?"

Spoiler: Roderick, Aron and Mais

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Standing near Atticus' blast zone, the dust cloud washes over you and your ears ring from the explosion. A split second later you spot the strongbox that Atticus had targeted. It has once again become firmly latched (presumably with the wyrmling still inside) and is sent hurtling through the debris like a billiard. It ricochets several times off of other pieces of the ship before slowing down a leisurely drift. Strangely, it appears unharmed from a direct hit by a cannonball.

Spoiler: Sefariel

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Analyzing what remains of the magical inscriptions, it is clear to you this was not so much a single spell or enhancement but rather part of a larger network of enhancements, likely part of a complex arcane ritual. The more evidence you can obtain from the wreckage field, the easier it will be to decipher the purpose of this ritual - or perhaps even reverse-engineer it.

As you are analyzing a particular line of Conjuration that intersects a line of Abjuration, your concentration is broken by another blast of the cannon as Atticus is determined to crush that wyrmling.

[CasualViking]

AronAron messages back to the skiff: "Atticus, that blast didn't even dent the chest. Do you want a closer look at it?" He waves dismissively at Tarbeck. "Oh, he's not firing at us. His accuracy is---impressive". "Sefariel, do you need me to brute-force that thing?"

[Stelio Kontos]

"Just a bit of manual transportation, a bit beyond my muscular capacity I am afraid!" Sefariel shouted through the debris field. "It can wait until you are done with your current activities, however. There ought to be additional pieces of this floating about, which it would be helpful to procure. It appears rather similar to smaller pieces of a treasure map, but much more intricate."

He did his best to put a shoulder into the hunk of metal, trying to get it to stop drifting (relative, in sense to the ship or himself, of course) before reorienting and 'falling' in the general direction of the rest of the party.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Atticus was already ready to fire again when the mental words floated through his head. His fingers twitched but ultimately relinquished cannon. Ya. That little lizard is hidin' innit. Seems like what's insyde is importan'. He's small, but don't let ya guard down. I'll cover ya in case he gets frisky. Atticus dismounted the turret, heading towards the side of the ship as he brought out his musket. Tanner, bring us closer to that there box ya!? He shouldered his musket, eyes trained on the stubborn box for any sign of trickery from the dragon.

[Darvin]

Sefariel, Aron, Mais, and Roderick convene around the chest in the center of the debris field, with Atticus pointing the Cerulean Gray's cannon squarely on the object. Tanner holds the ship in a tight circuit at a safe distance. The injured man, Tarbeck, volunteers some information as you approach it, "that was to be delivered to Fairwind. Only thing on our ship that was going to him personally,"

At first glance the chest appears plain and unremarkable, but every time your eyes turn away from it something about it seems to light up in your peripheral vision. These shimmering shapes and patterns disappear the moment your eyes focus back upon the chest. It feels very lightweight, as if it were completely empty. It exudes no obvious magical or aligned aura, though it is apparent that this chest is more than what meets the eye. There is an inscription carved into the underside, but it's written in a language none of you recognize or understand. The chest has a lock, but it is unlatched. Anyone who wishes to do so could open it.

Spoiler: Aron, Mais, and Sefariel

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You cautiously examine the chest without opening it. Its metal and wooden components appear unremarkable at first glance, but a mere touch indicates there is something off. The wood appears to be natural, but its consistency is unlike any sort of tree you've ever encountered. The metal appears strange, but after a while you deduce that it is mithral that has somehow become tarnished, something that should be impossible.

Spoiler: Roderick

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Viri seems strangely silent as the party examines the chest. You get the sense that she has something she wants to say but is apprehensive about saying it. Finally, without being prompted, she chimes in, "like Tarbeck said, that was for Fairwind. He wasn't an officer on the ship, so he didn't get the warning about how it would kill us all if it was opened. The Kyton who delivered it to us even had me convinced, but you saw as well as I did that the wyrmling opened it just fine. Still, if you don't mind, get one of these other schmucks to open it, and keep a bit of distance when they do,"

[CasualViking]

Aron "I suppose the worst thing that can happen is that some trap turns the opener against the rest of us. Not to be rude, but you don't want that to happen to me. I think someone less immediately dangerous than myself should open it. Just in case.". Also, I don't want to put down my blade or shield, and I doubt my opening spell will work on that thing he thinks to himself.

[Stelio Kontos]

"If I might have but a couple of moments preparation, it should be quite trivial to decipher the inscription here on the bottom, which could provide insight into opening this safely. I dare say that whatever foul curse was placed upon it may already have been absorbed by one or other of the crew.

"But if you insist upon opening it immediately, and are concerned about danger of the sort you suggest, I dare say that I would be about as likely to cause any of you actual harm as a random housefly."

[Triskavanski]

"Well if you wish for that, I would say I'd be a rather useful candidate for such an endevor. But perhaps we should make a circle of salt first?" Said the birdman after long last as he began to barely understand the slightest of what was going on.

[Darvin]

Sefariel opens his spellbook, and after a minute of intense focus snaps it shut to cast his spell. The inscription on the bottom of the chest wavers in his eyes until it takes on words he can understand. The words read thusly:

That which the Mithral Tyrant seeks is enshrined within. The seals upon this vault must be maintained until his time has passed. I pray that our successors have more wisdom than we did. Love and Joy guide you.

[Stelio Kontos]

The wizard read the words carefully, repeating them once more for all to hear. "I do not suppose any of you might have some recollection of a being known as the Mithral Tyrant? Regardless, it seems that whomever it may be, they sought whatever it was that was kept within this box, and now that it has been opened..."

He gestured at the ship, and the remnants of the heart that ensconced it, with a look of dismay.

"I would dare to say that there is little more that we can to do negatively impact the situation by opening this box further. I would strongly recommend we keep it, for further study if nothing else, and if we might take a few moments to gather the remnants of the other writings that seem to have been scattered as debris, those may provide yet a further clue.

"Let that be a lesson: when a powerful being is kept at bay only by a magical warding of any kind, or in most other situations for that matter, one would do well to read the instructions before opening."

[CasualViking]

Aron Aron heads back into the debris to scoop up any other writings he may come across.

[Darvin]

Finding the risk of opening the chest at this juncture too great, the party elects to move it back to the ship and spends the next several hours methodically salvaging through the broken wreckage of the hell ship. Very little of the adamantine cargo of the ship remains, and as soon as it is disturbed it crumbles to dust. A proper salvage team with days or weeks on their hand might be able to sift for the adamantine dust, or at very least collect up the twisted remnants enhanced steel from the frame of the ship, but in your current haste there is little time for that and only items of value are procured. Though much of the ship lays in ruin, a few pieces of particularly valuable metal and jewelry can be recovered.

Sefariel continues looking for any signs of metal bearing the inscriptions or signs he found on the large hunk earlier. He finds a few pieces to complement the large one, but none nearly as intact. They will have to do. While conducting this search, one of the ship's guns attracts Sefariel's attention, as there is a lingering magical aura of enhancement around it. The cannon itself is damaged beyond repair, and while it would likely be valuable for scrap alone its immense weight would make salvaging it very difficult. However, Sefariel notices that the cannon has an attached scope for aiming, and it detaches quite easily. It's small enough to fit onto a firearm, and on upon close inspection Sefariel confirms the scope reveals invisible targets to the wielder.

Aron's trip through the debris field is uneventful at first, but then it smacks him in the face - quite literally. As he jostles some unsteady debris a severed arm comes loose and strikes his face. Though undignified, it deals no damage and the gauntlet covering the hands clearly radiate a magical aura, having survived the blast. Magical gloves and gauntlets are almost always paired, and using the one he has already found as a dousing rod Aron is able to find its partner. This proves to be even more of a boon, as when he pulls the skeletal hand out of the second gauntlet finds a magical ring attached to the finger. Whoever owned these objects clearly was well-equipped, and also won't be needing them any longer. After returning to the ship to take the time to examine the finds, he identifies the gloves as Gauntlets of Skilled Maneuver (Dirty Trick) and the ring as Ring of Spell Knowledge II (currently keyed to Mirror Image)

Upon returning to the ship, Roderick reveals a number of items he procured before his escape; a spellbook belonging to the deceased but not fully-passed Wizard Viri, a scroll case containing a number of useful and some expensive scrolls, and a magical rod of some sort.

Spoiler: Loot

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The party recovers:
* 1,500 gp worth of currency and non-magical jewelry
* A See Invisibility Sight that is not absolute garbage and just gives see invisibility when looking through it (I really don't know why it has those limitations; it's priced appropriately for a slotless item that gives a continuous 2nd level spell effect)
* Gauntlets of Skilled Maneuvers (Dirty Trick)
* Ring of Spell Knowledge II (currently keyed to Mirror Image). This will function for Psychic spellcasters as well as Arcane spellcasters, if Aron wants to use it.
* A scroll case containing the following scrolls: comprehend languages, protection from evil x5, make whole, invisibility x3, protection from energy x2, shadow conjuration, lesser planar binding, and teleport
* A metamagic rod of lesser empower

Sefariel finds has recovered a large number of metallic pieces with hints that they were used as part of some sort of ritual. With time and study he could possibly understand the purpose of the ritual or even reverse-engineer it.

Spoiler: Viri's Spellbook

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Value 1825 gp
Pages Filled 83/100

Spells
4th Agonize, Bestow Curse, Dimension Door, Scrying, Shadow Conjuration
3rd Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly, Protection from Energy, Marionette Possession
2nd Invisibility, Life Pact, Magic Mouth, Magic Siege Engine, Make Whole, Scorching Ray, Share Language, Summon Monster II, Telekinetic Assembly
1st Alarm, Chill Touch, Comprehend Languages, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, Snapdragon Fireworks
0th Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Bleed, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance, Touch of Fatigue, Spark, Haunted Fey Aspect

Roderick will probably want to keep this in his possession, but it will cause no harm to it if Sefariel wants to copy some spells.

Spoiler: Arcane Research

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Sefariel and anyone else who wishes to help can perform research on the salvaged wreckage to try and reverse-engineer it. This will be a process that will occur over downtime throughout our journey. Researching the wreckage works similarly to researching in a library

The research DC is 22
Applicable skills are Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device; it takes 8 hours of research to make a check.
Knowledge Point total is 20, and you will learn something when it is reduced to 15, 10, and 5

Tanner pulls the ship away from the wreckage. Below deck, the sole survivor of the doomed freighter under Fairwind's employ slowly recovered. Some hours later, the entire party as well as Tanner gathers round as the man has recovered his strength and is ready to tell his full story.

"The name is Tarbeck of Vesperport. Sword for hire on the astral seas, and on a layover in Ankoro I was hired by a captain working for Lord Ryel Fairwind and his merchant enterprise. The pay was good, and offered opportunity for future work, so I signed on. I should have known something was up with the mountain of non-disclosure paperwork, but if they were willing to pay the gold for me to keep my mouth shut I wasn't going to object. Guess I'm betraying that now, but I... just don't care anymore,"

"Anyways, we arrived to pick up our shipment of adamantine from one of the outer layers of hell. It wasn't the devils that got to me, but the slaves. Droves of 'em carting the adamantine into the ship. Weren't many true devils there, either; mostly tiefling and kyton taskmasters. The really scary part was when this one kyton came up to the ship. The entire room felt on edge when she was there, and I kept noticing small cuts that would just appear on parts of my body when he was round. She was the one who dropped off that chest," Tarbeck points to the sealed chest that the drake jumped into, "but what scared me most of all was how the kyton seemed... afraid of the box. He had slaves of his own to move it, and whenever they got too close to him with it he'd back off,"

"So we departed with a full cargo hold, and for a few days everything was normal. The Wizards on the crew, Viri and Gesin, kept performing some ritual every day to keep up some protective wards. I was always on guard duty to make sure no one ever did anything. Then one day Viri didn't show up on schedule, and Gesin told me it would just be him. Should have known he looked cagey, but we were all kinda spooked by the cargo so I didn't ask questions. Few hours later Viri came to me royally pissed asking where Gesin was, and that was when it clicked. I told her about what happened, she went running off to find him, and I went running to the captain and then... that's when everything exploded," Tarbeck buries his head in his hands.

"The adamantine took on a life of its own, it began creeping across the ship, and as it did fiendish monsters began to seep out of the walls. I tried to rally the crew to defend ourselves. It was all so fast; I saw Gesin, warped into some sort of fiendish monster and casting spells on the crew, so I charged him and struck him down. Then there was fire all around me and I was on the ground, bleeding out. My vision got blurry, then I felt the adamantine wash over me. Tried to crawl away, but it seeped into my wounds and," the man starts to sob, "I could feel them, the souls of the dead crew. Burning in hellfire but unable to truly die. Not just physical pain, I could feel every regret and crushed dream from a life cut short, fully conscious that their very souls were being slowly reduced into fuel to feed this growing monster. And I was put on a leash,"

"I don't know how long I was held in that servitude, but the final moments are prescient. I was on the deck, commanding the ship and preparing the cannons to fire at you when we got in range. Suddenly I felt the heart call for me in a panic, to rush below deck and assist it. I obeyed, but with each passing second I could feel its power diminishing. It was bleeding out, rapidly. And then the ship exploded, and the next thing I remember is coming to in the debris field,"

"I've got no intention of ever returning to Ankoro or Fairwind. I don't know who he was selling to or why, but I want no part of it," Tarbeck lets out a sob, "I got a second chance, the others didn't, but at least they get to move on now,"

Spoiler: Roderick

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Viri remains silent through Tarbeck's tale, and speaks to you only when he's done, "mostly accurate, though he's really underselling how stupid he was to let Gesin into that room alone. I'm not sure if Gesin was just an idiot, or thought he could control the adamantine for himself, or was already under its control, but he set this all in motion and..." Viri pauses, "it's partially my fault. When I confronted him it became a duel almost instantly, and we damaged some of the warding. That's when things went haywire. I lost track of Gesin in the commotion and tried to rally the crew, but it was every man for himself in that panic,"

"Now, where Tarbeck is wrong is that he thinks he killed Gesin. He didn't, Gesin survived that hit, then blindsided Tarbeck with a fireball to the face. I was the one who did Gesin in, but defeating him expended most of my spells. I staggered out of that room with a bunch of injuries, and some of the crew were looking for someone to blame, and 'wizard who screwed up her binding ritual' was the easiest one. So they surrounded me, shanked me, and left me for dead. Would have ended up just like Tarbeck in all likelihood if I hadn't had this necklace to hide my soul away,"

"Anyhow, I'll keep helping you out if you promise to try to find some way to resurrect me. Maybe we can try studying my spellbook, see if I can channel some magic through you,"

Every morning when Roderick prepares spells, he can spend time with Viri's spellbook to have her prepare spells as well. Her spellcasting power is limited as she currently is, and she can prepare only one spell slot at each spell level from 1st-4th. Roderick can call on Viri to cast these spells, so long as he continues wearing her amulet. The spell is cast with Viri's caster level (7th) and intelligence modifier (+4)

[ThatDamnPaladin]

Roderick frowns a little bit; he'd been listening and then just shook his head with a moue of distaste on his face; it's clear that this actually resonated with him a little bit. That said he did keep the spellbook; not out of any need to be rude- but because he had a passenger who could use such a thing. That being the case however he did stand up and move on over to Tarbeck and with little prompting place a hand on the man's shoulder and give a smile of someone who, while not having experienced it, understands. It isn't a pitying smile either; nor does his tone of voice hold anything of the sort, "Now that my friend- is a tale that will win you a fair few drinks. From a fellow warrior to another fellow warrior- I don't pity you a whit, you need rest, relaxation, and probably a fair few bed companions afore I'd say that you're really recovered."

Then on a far, far less serious note, "I do think 'Tarbeck the Tortured' would be a bad moniker however- let us go with 'Tarbeck the Unyielding' and see just where it goes yeah? After all, you didn't yield until you were no-longer you no?"

That said he did pause a moment before looking about at the rest of the party, before looking back to Tarbeck, "I wanna ask, do you... need someone who is more fit t'help ya with the mental stress of it all? Yer a fair bit traumatized and well- speakin' frankly you didn't do me any wrong I'd wanna help ya even if ya had though- specially with that story."

Spoiler: To Viri

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'Huh, that can't be good if he doesn't realize it. He seems fine-ish physically now. Worried about his headspace some though.' Given that Roderick is a social man he can glean some things without sensing motive. That being said he does mentally shrug, 'Also, realizing this but I am gonna have to change up how I fight from now on due to- well; you bein' my neckpiece at the moment. So, I think retraining is in order here... less you think I should keep being a horrifying claw-monster that is.'

'And of course I'll try getting you ressurected- you did me a solid, I'll do you one.' That said he mentally blanches at having to read- but... if it helps...