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Chapter 2 - Session 7

Abominations, Accusations, and a Ship Ahead

Events and Actions

The session began with a recap of the party's discoveries on Totem Isle: a Southern spy post, and a mysterious, large, black, circular, and incredibly hard surface (referred to by the party as a "strange black rock") near the top of Blackstone Peak, which both Mani and Cosimo sensed strongly. Mani recalled having felt drawn toward the hill from the very start of the chase, independent of tracking the escaped prisoner, and that when he had lain against the rock, his Medallion gave a small click and briefly clung to its surface as though pulled by a lodestone. For Noddy's benefit, since he had missed the previous session, the party replayed their investigation of the surface: Knick Nab was the only one able to successfully attune to it, and neither Cosimo's detect magic nor Riu's own divination could find any trace of active magic in it at any range. Despite this, both Cosimo and Riu felt strongly that power could be drawn from it, though neither could actually manage to do so. Noddy then attempted his own attunement and succeeded, gaining the same sense the others had: that the surface was a massive source of power he might one day learn to use, though he had no idea how. Cosimo's "Item Lore" spell confirmed it as a "giant chunk of power" with no discernible purpose and no active magic of its own. Werner De Rendal's attempt to chip a sample from it with a stonemason's hammer and chisel failed outright — the surface would not even scratch.

As the party descended the far side of the hill on Totem Isle, Mani kept a careful watch for any sign of Hans — the Southern prisoner who had escaped custody with the aid of an Old Islander Woman — or of the woman herself, but found no trace of either, concluding they were likely watching unseen from higher ground. The path led to a recently constructed, now abandoned Southern camp by a lake. The camp contained bodies of Southern soldiers — mauled further by scavenging wildlife, but bearing wounds from knife, spear, and sling-stone rather than gunfire, which the party took as confirmation the pygmies were responsible — alongside Southern uniforms, muskets, and papers written in cipher. Several of the camp's boats stood functional but abandoned on the lakeshore, and one showed signs of having recently been taken, consistent with how Hans and the Old Islander Woman might have made their escape. A cannon shot was heard from the direction of the first island where they had left some of their crew, and Noddy's seagull familiar, Pocket, spotted the "Advance" arriving in the channel and smoke rising from the first island.

Loading up with muskets to carry down, the party climbed back to the hilltop to check on the "Advance" through the spy glass, spotting it gliding into the channel and, through the lens, the two Southern prisoners and gun crew still being ferried in from the first island. As they turned to head down, Mani looked once more at the black rock and confided in Knick Nab a growing unease: if all magic truly came from the Two, as he had always believed, what was this thing that neither god had blessed? Knick Nab's best guess was that there might simply be other gods out there too. The party then decided to return to the "Advance," taking some Southern uniforms and muskets. Knick Nab salvaged a gold tooth and an earring from the dead Southerners. They rowed back to the "Advance," capturing an extra small boat as a prize — with Mani formally rechristening Cosimo's illusionary champion, until then known only as "Handsome," as "Handsome Gulliver Gold." Onboard, they reported their findings to Lieutenant Gunter, including the Southern camp, the pygmies (dubbed "Abominations" by the crew), the strange black rock (mentioned only briefly, without detail on its true significance), the ciphered papers, and a journal from the spy post indicating the post was last active 6-8 months ago. Captured muskets and uniforms were turned over to the Master of Arms, Bors; Knick Nab, trailing the gear out of curiosity, discovered that the ship kept no dedicated store of spare uniforms — the gear ended up with the sailmaker's mate instead, stored alongside spare sailcloth. Mani and Knick Nab kept pistols for themselves — Knick Nab, being ambidextrous, took two, cased differently from Northern equipment, along with gunpowder, shot, and bullet molds.

Later, Werner De Rendal, Cosimo, Knick Nab, Riu, Noddy, and Mani were summoned by Captain Barrows. They recounted their findings, particularly about the "Abominations." Pressed on the size of the Southern force, the party estimated 12 to 20 based on the camp's size and number of beds, though predation on some of the remains made an exact count impossible. Mani, framing the pygmies as Abominations born outside the sight of the Two, suggested that — time permitting — purging the island's population might be worth pursuing as a secondary objective alongside recapturing Hans; Captain Barrows agreed such creatures should be dealt with, though the voyage west remained the priority. He then sent for Prelate Jacque. Cosimo, fetching the prelate, found him and the younger priest, Nicolas, startled while looking through books. The party repeated their story. Prelate Jacque, after viewing a chart of the area, requested a private discussion with the Captain.

Knick Nab — who, as the Captain's de facto cabin boy, slept in a small alcove just outside the Captain's cabin and enjoyed freer run of the ship than the others — and Noddy (via Pocket, perched at the stern windows) eavesdropped on the Captain and Prelate. They overheard an argument: Jacque wanted to return to The Capitol due to the "Abominations" and Cosimo's powers, his suspicion fueled in part by Stanley's awed account of "Handsome Gulliver Gold" rising into the air during the earlier fight with the Southerners. Captain Barrows refused to deviate from his orders to sail west but agreed to stop at the next port, Port Zylos, for Jacque to send word. Jacque insisted Cosimo be investigated in The Capitol and kept confined until then, to which the Captain reluctantly agreed.

The PCs began to plot how to discredit Prelate Jacque to prevent Cosimo's removal, privately worrying that their earlier discovery of Bitterroot might be connected to the origin of the "butternut people" and recalling that the Church had previously moved to erase all knowledge of the root; they resolved to keep what remained of their own stock hidden from Jacque. Cosimo was confined to his bunk by Lieutenant Gunter. Captain Barrows then privately tutored Knick Nab in navigation, showing him charts of the Channel Islands and their planned, somewhat indirect, route to Port Zylos (estimated 4-5 days) — a route chosen partly to avoid known shoals and partly, Knick Nab suspected, to keep their heading obscure from any hidden observers. Barrows also pointed out an island along the way known for fresh water (and snakes), and explained that the ship they had pursued earlier had escaped south into a channel prone to fog banks — not an uncommon occurrence there — rather than out toward open water, repeating something he'd shared before: that the Southerners seemed to have some ability to call upon the weather itself. Wary that the Captain's course might simply be humoring them, Mani had Werner De Rendal quietly confirm with the ship's pilot that they truly were bound for the port, which he was able to verify.

The party initiated their plan against Prelate Jacque. Having weighed harsher options — a staged accident, or besmirching Jacque's reputation outright — they settled on the safer course of making him appear to be losing his grip on reality, reckoning it least likely to invite further scrutiny from the Church. They also set up a simple watch, with Noddy tracking Jacque's movements from his usual post in the crow's nest and signalling down to the others, while Cosimo's trips to relieve himself doubled as his cue to act. Noddy, discovering for the first time that he could channel spells through Pocket's senses, attempted to put Jacque to sleep with a spirit mastery spell while the bird watched him through his cabin's porthole; the casting succeeded, but Jacque proved too strong-willed to be affected and simply continued reading. Over the next two days, Jacque missed both morning and evening services, with Nicolas covering for him each time. Knick Nab's first attempt to slip into Jacque's cabin while the prelate was at the head was abandoned as too risky with people watching, but a later attempt succeeded: he found Jacque researching "History of Heresy," the religious practices of the southern "sand people" (one such book left face-down and clearly well-thumbed), the "Fire Cult," and maps of southern lands including the "Glass Lands" and their coastal cities. Cosimo created a foul, eye-watering stench at the ship's head while Jacque was using it, driving him to retreat below in disgust and order Cosimo out of sight, and later conjured a sulfurous, brimstone-like smell around Jacque's cabin at dusk, drawing a midshipman and a knot of confused sailors to investigate before it dissipated. He also used a sound illusion to make strange noises — blasphemous swearing — appear to come from Jacque's cabin floorboards. Noddy repeatedly cast Distraction on Jacque whenever he came into view, leaving him prone to stumbles and lapses. Meanwhile Mani quietly spread doubt about the prelate among the crew, reminding anyone who would listen of Cosimo's heroics — including catching the assassin who had tried to blow up the powder room — and wondering aloud why the prelate had turned against him. Cosimo's own attempts to attend services met with increasing restriction: Jacque himself first ordered him below decks after the stench incident, but Cosimo defied this to attend evening service anyway; Nicolas turned him away, and Cosimo's loud protest about being denied his right to worship drew a crowd and set the crew talking, turning his confinement — until then not general knowledge — into shipboard gossip. The next morning, Nicolas had two Marines physically escort him below decks and post permanent guard over him, leaving the party to communicate with him only at mealtimes or when he was allowed to relieve himself. On the second day, as Cosimo created his sulfurous smell outside Jacque's cabin, Noddy spotted an unknown ship ahead — smaller than the "Advance" and thought at first glance to be a merchant vessel.

NPCs & Creatures

  • Captain Barrows: Captain of the "Advance".
  • Prelate Jacque: Older priest on the "Advance", who grew increasingly suspicious of Cosimo over the course of the session.
  • Nicolas: Younger priest on the "Advance", who covered both morning and evening services in Jacque's stead.
  • Lieutenant Gunter: 3rd Lieutenant of the "Advance".
  • Bors: Master of Arms of the "Advance", who received the party's surrendered Southern muskets and uniforms.
  • Stanley: Marine from the "Advance"; his awed account of "Handsome Gulliver Gold" rising into the air during the earlier fight with the Southerners helped fuel Prelate Jacque's suspicions of Cosimo.
  • Pygmies: Full-grown adults standing only two to three feet tall, blue-skinned, and dressed in white but for a red-clad leader; aggressive inhabitants of Totem Isle who live in a network of tunnels and fight with primitive weapons. Referred to by the party and crew as "Abominations," "butternut people," etc.
  • Hans: A Southern prisoner previously captured by the party and the subject of an earlier experiment by Mani; he escaped custody with the aid of the Old Islander Woman, and the party found no trace of him or her on Totem Isle.
  • Old Islander Woman: Previously encountered, helped Hans escape.
  • Southern Soldiers: Deceased at the camp on Totem Isle; two were previously taken prisoner.
  • Pocket: Noddy's seagull familiar.
  • Handsome Gulliver Gold: Cosimo's illusionary creation, formally christened with this name during the session.

Locations

  • Unnamed island in the Channel Islands: The party's initial landing site.
  • Totem Isle: A larger island in the Channel Islands.
    • Hilltop with strange black rock (Blackstone Peak): Site of a former Southern spy post and the large, impervious circular rock.
    • Abandoned Southern Camp: Located by a lake on Totem Isle.
  • The "Advance": The King's Navy frigate.
    • Captain's Cabin
    • Knick Nab's Alcove: A small berth just outside the Captain's Cabin, where Knick Nab sleeps in his role as the Captain's de facto cabin boy.
    • Prelate Jacque's Cabin (located in the Forecastle)
    • Sick Bay (Forecastle): Where Riu, serving as the ship's nurse, is quartered.
    • The Head (ship's toilets at the bow)
    • Crow's Nest (lookout post)

Conflicts

  • The party discovered a Southern camp whose estimated 12-20 occupants had been killed by blade and sling-stone rather than gunfire, evidence they took as confirmation the pygmies were responsible.
  • Mani proposed purging Totem Isle's Abomination population as a secondary objective; Captain Barrows did not rule it out, agreeing such creatures "should be dealt with."
  • A cannon was fired from the first island, signaling the "Advance."
  • Growing tension between the party (especially Cosimo) and Prelate Jacque over Cosimo's powers and the nature of the "pygmies."
  • A heated argument between Captain Barrows and Prelate Jacque regarding the mission's course and Cosimo's fate.
  • Cosimo was confined to his bunk and later placed under guard by Marines.
  • The party initiated a campaign of psychological manipulation against Prelate Jacque.
  • An unknown ship was sighted.

Learnings and Discussions

  • Noddy, like Mani and Cosimo, sensed that the strange black rock on Totem Isle was a significant source of power. Only Knick Nab and Noddy have so far managed to attune to it directly, and even they don't know how to draw upon it; the rock itself was found to be impervious to damage, and when Mani had lain against it, his Medallion briefly clung to its surface with an audible click, as though pulled by a lodestone.
  • The Southern spy camp on Totem Isle had been inactive for approximately 6-8 months, according to a journal found there.
  • The party possesses ciphered papers from the Southern presence on Totem Isle.
  • The "pygmies" of Totem Isle are small (two to three feet tall), blue-skinned, dressed in white but for a red-clad leader, live in a network of tunnels, use primitive weapons, and are hostile.
  • The party speculated privately that Bitterroot may be connected to the origin of the "butternut people," though this remains unconfirmed, and chose to keep their own remaining stock of the root hidden from Prelate Jacque.
  • It was reconfirmed that only Mani seems capable of removing the party's Medallions from others.
  • Captain Barrows is under orders to proceed west and is resistant to returning to The Capitol.
  • Prelate Jacque is deeply suspicious of Cosimo's abilities and the "pygmies," demanding an official investigation in The Capitol; his suspicion was fueled in part by Stanley's account of "Handsome Gulliver Gold" rising into the air during the earlier fight with the Southerners.
  • The "Advance" plans to stop at Port Zylos. Captain Barrows is teaching Knick Nab navigation, and estimates the voyage there at four to five days; Werner De Rendal separately confirmed with the ship's pilot that they were indeed on course.
  • Mani, reflecting on the party's run of fortune — including three Southern ships captured to date — privately concluded they must be genuinely blessed, and worried that Prelate Jacque's suspicions threatened to undermine the Captain's trust in that blessing as much as Cosimo's own standing.
  • The other Southern ship escaped earlier into a channel to the south known for fog banks, not an uncommon occurrence in the area, rather than out toward open water.
  • Knick Nab discovered Prelate Jacque researching "History of Heresy," the religious practices of the southern "sand people," the Fire Cult, and southern geography (including the "Glass Lands" and cities there).
  • The party discussed strategies to discredit Prelate Jacque and prevent Cosimo from being taken to The Capitol, rejecting harsher options such as a staged accident in favor of making him appear to be losing his sanity.

Items Gained

  • Southern Uniforms (several, surrendered per Lieutenant Gunter's orders; ended up stored with the sailmaker's mate).
  • Southern Muskets (several, surrendered per Lieutenant Gunter's orders to the Master of Arms, Bors).
  • Knick Nab: 1 gold tooth and 1 earring (looted from dead Southern soldiers).
  • Mani: A pistol, gunpowder, shot, and a bullet mold from the Southern camp.
  • Knick Nab: Two pistols (being ambidextrous), plus gunpowder, shot, and a bullet mold, all cased differently from Northern equipment.
  • One small boat (taken from the Southern camp as a prize).
  • Ciphered papers (from the Southern camp, given to Lieutenant Gunter).
  • A journal (from the Southern spy post, not in cipher, given to Lieutenant Gunter).

Items Lost

  • Werner De Rendal dulled a chisel attempting to break the strange black rock.