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Chapter 2 - Session 13

Revelations, Departures, and a Priest's Crisis in Port Sardina

Events and Actions

The party (Werner De Rendal, Mani, Cosimo, and Noddy) attended a fête at the Governor's Mansion in Port Sardina, hosted by Governor Frederick Francisco. Knick Nab was not present. Amid a crowd of military officers, merchants, and their spouses, the four were recognised and celebrated as the heroes who had turned back the burning ship threatening the port — an unusual degree of attention for a group of teenagers who would not otherwise have been invited.

Earlier that evening, Knick Nab — still shaken over the recent discovery of his pointed ears and fearful of what it might mean for him — had slipped away to see Major Hubert alone. Hubert was sympathetic, assured Knick Nab he personally held no grudge against him for his nature, but agreed it was a dangerous thing to have discovered, and offered him an immediate way out: passage that very night aboard the Amada, a small, fast Northern Navy cutter that ran solo missions deep into Southern waters, commanded by the renowned Captain Otto "Cut Close" De Guzman. Hubert wrote out orders on the spot and sent Knick Nab off as the ship's new "captain's mate." Making his way alone across town toward the cutter's berth on the cliffside, Knick Nab was startled in the dark by Pew, the beggar the party had questioned earlier while searching for him, who got around on a crutch for want of a leg and an arm. Recognising the description he'd been given, Pew directed him back toward the Governor's party where the others had gone and, for a silver piece, agreed to deliver a note to them and deny ever having seen him. Knick Nab then made his way down to the berth, where an armed watchman challenged him, checked Hubert's letter, and sent for the captain. Aboard the Amada, the crew scrambled into a sudden flurry of activity to make ready for a night departure, and Knick Nab was brought before Captain De Guzman.

At the Governor's party, the group spoke with Governor Francisco, his wife Daliah, and their daughter Suzette. Noddy delighted the Governor by putting his seagull Pocket through tricks — including, when asked if the bird could perform, having it simply shrug, which the Governor found uproariously funny once he caught the joke. Cosimo mingled among the nobility, placing friendly small-stakes wagers without invoking any of his skills. He tried his charm on Daliah with no success, then spent much of the evening courting Suzette's circle of friends instead, setting his sights on winning her over properly.

Randolph the Chronicler, also unexpectedly in attendance, revealed that his business in the Capitol was concluded and that he intended to travel on to The Academy to deliver the information he had gathered, having judged Port Sardina the safest place to arrange appropriately escorted transport. Mani asked to accompany him and continue his training; Randolph agreed readily, explaining that The Academy is a neutral, information-driven institution — it does not simply admit visitors, but its scholars will pay for information of value, and personal requests for knowledge require compensation in kind. He admitted he rarely visits the place himself, since its real work of gathering, verifying, and cataloguing knowledge falls to the historians and researchers who live there, and noted that those formally admitted to study are usually recruited much younger than Mani, though nothing stopped him from continuing Mani's training personally. Mani hinted that he and his friends possessed information that might be worth a great deal to The Academy, and Randolph, intrigued, agreed that if Mani could help expedite his own passage there it would be well repaid — admitting that being the one to deliver such a find would also do his own standing with his superiors no harm, though he cautioned that arranging safe transport could easily take weeks or months regardless. He gave Mani a written address for a training session at 6 a.m. the next morning.

Mani then sought out Governor Francisco and, playing on the Governor's evident fondness for the party, secured his support in arranging safe passage for Randolph and the party to travel together — the Governor promising to put in a good word with Major Hubert, and even offering to have a song composed in Mani's honour. Learning the party had nowhere to stay, the Governor recommended (after briefly reconsidering the propriety of the suggestion) The Treasure Hunt, a gambling house and inn he'd heard was popular with sailors. Mani also spoke with Major Hubert directly; Hubert, noting that Werner's burns looked considerably worse than anyone else's, confirmed he was already looking into arranging Randolph's transport, agreed to defer the party's naval duties until their injuries had healed (since their own ship, the Advance, was not expected back soon), and said he would see about having them assigned to whatever vessel carried Randolph. He brought Mani and Randolph together to confirm the arrangement, mentioning in passing that Randolph would introduce them to a contact of his at The Academy named Engerrand — a name Mani carefully noted despite having no context for it. When Mani asked whether The Treasure Hunt would be a suitable place to lodge, Hubert confirmed it was, warning only that it would run pricier than most rooms in town, if more comfortable for it.

With Major Hubert's permission, the party spent one further night in their quarters at the Fort. The next day, Werner, Mani, Cosimo, and Noddy went looking for lodgings and found Pew begging in the main square again; tossing a few coppers into his hat, they asked for directions to The Treasure Hunt, which he gave, and, in the same breath, produced Knick Nab's sealed note. The note turned out to be a rambling, guilt-stricken poem in which Knick Nab likened himself to a "scrawny chicken" too faint-hearted to fight alongside them, explained his fear that the recent "Abomination" incident might draw unwanted attention to his pointed features, affirmed his loyalty to the group, and confirmed he had taken a Medallion with him. Amused and touched in equal measure, the party voted — half in jest — to adopt "Chicken Legs" as Knick Nab's new nickname.

Following Pew's directions, the party found The Treasure Hunt — a large, lively gambling house, tavern, and inn near the harbour, owned by a man named Rees. Looking for breakfast, they instead discovered Nicolas the priest slumped unconscious across the bar, dead drunk. They quietly got him to their table rather than cause a scene, and once he came around, dazedly asking whether Mani — "the one with the gifts" — was among them, Mani drew on their earlier bond from saving Nicolas from the water and coaxed him into talking. Dishevelled, unshaven, and barely out of his teens, Nicolas confessed he had spent the last two days praying and drinking in roughly equal measure, overwhelmed by what he had witnessed of the party's connection to the Mother and the Father; he explained that even Jacque, the priest who had trained him, had never shown him anything like it, and he wept, unable to explain how the party achieved what he could not. Mani reassured him and convinced him to resume conducting services — Nicolas agreed to hold them on the beach for the local sailors, with Mani assisting once a week for as long as his own duties allowed, so long as Nicolas himself was sober. The party also weighed having Nicolas quietly vouch for them as the heroes of the port to help their standing at the inn, but with his face still down on the table decided he was in no state for it and set the idea aside for another time.

Cosimo separately raised the idea of attempting a ritual casting of a healing spell, Concussion Mastery, to treat Werner's ongoing burns from the previous session's fire-ship battle, despite not having learned the spell himself yet; it was established that such a ritual was possible in principle, though risky, given the wide gap between the spell's level and Cosimo's own. Two of Werner's burns were mild enough that the spell could plausibly reach them, but his worst burn remained too severe regardless, and the party set the idea aside as not worth the risk for now, with an eye to revisiting it once Cosimo had advanced further. The party then arranged rooms at The Treasure Hunt for the month, with meals included, and closed out the session discussing their next steps: the trip to The Academy, a return visit to the island with the black stone, and a longer-term plan to call again on Burlyman at the Crow's Nest in the Capitol to see about acquiring another Medallion, reasoning that a crew of their own would eventually need more than one. They also weighed how much of what they knew they were willing to share along the way, and worked out a proposed system of rotating leadership: Noddy pressed for the group to lean into a scouting and reconnaissance role — stealth, surveillance, and information-gathering — for whatever ship or navy they ended up serving, while the others agreed that whoever held the lead at a given moment, whether for nautical matters, dealings with the Church, or some other specialty, should be backed by the rest, with some sign — a hat or small token was floated — to mark who currently held it.

NPCs & Creatures

  • Governor Frederick Francisco
  • Daliah (Governor's wife)
  • Suzette (Governor's daughter)
  • Major Hubert
  • Randolph the Chronicler
  • Captain Otto "Cut Close" De Guzman (commander of the Amada, Knick Nab's new ship)
  • Pew (beggar in Port Sardina, missing a leg and an arm, gets around on a crutch)
  • Nicolas (Priest)
  • Jacque (priest who trained Nicolas, mentioned but not present)
  • Rees (owner of The Treasure Hunt)
  • Salter (sailor from the "Advance," found drunk in the company of a young lady and given part of his gold-piece reward, the rest held back until he'd sobered up)
  • Pocket (Noddy's seagull familiar)
  • Engerrand (contact at The Academy, mentioned by Major Hubert)
  • Burlyman (innkeeper at the Crow's Nest in the Capitol, mentioned but not present)

Locations

  • Port Sardina
    • The Governor's Mansion
    • The Harbour
    • The Treasure Hunt (tavern, gambling house, and lodgings, owned by Rees)
  • The Amada (Captain De Guzman's Northern Navy cutter, on which Knick Nab departed; a small, single-masted vessel, distinct from a sloop, with its mast set further back to run headsails more efficiently)
  • The Academy (mentioned as a future destination; a small island off the coast, straddling Northern and Southern territory)
  • Unnamed island with a large black stone (mentioned as a place of interest)

Conflicts

  • Knick Nab experienced significant internal conflict regarding his identity and safety, leading to his departure from the main party. Reading his note back at the party left the others torn between amusement and genuine hurt at being left behind.
  • Nicolas was found in a state of spiritual crisis and severe intoxication.
  • Werner continues to recover from severe burns sustained in the previous session's fire-ship battle; Cosimo's attempt to arrange a ritual healing fell short, since Werner's worst burn remains beyond any treatment currently available to the party.
  • No physical combat occurred.

Learnings and Discussions

  • Knick Nab has left Port Sardina on the Amada, a special military cutter bound for Southern territory, commanded by Captain Otto "Cut Close" De Guzman. He took a Medallion with him and left a note explaining his fears, referencing the "Abomination" incident and the "cause of the three." Reading the note, the party puzzled over what "the three" refers to, not having pursued the topic when the Major had raised it in an earlier session.
  • Randolph the Chronicler is also in Port Sardina and intends to travel to The Academy. He is willing for the party to accompany him and continue Mani's training.
  • The Academy is a neutral institution that takes no sides; its scholars live on gifts given in exchange for keeping people informed of world affairs, and it does not simply admit visitors — new information can itself be a form of compensation for a personal request.
  • Governor Francisco and Major Hubert are supportive of the party accompanying Randolph to The Academy. Major Hubert also agreed to defer the party's naval duties until their injuries heal, since their own ship is not expected back soon. An individual named Engerrand at The Academy was mentioned as a contact Randolph would introduce them to.
  • Nicolas is deeply troubled by the party's spiritual manifestations, having never seen anything like it even from Jacque, the priest who trained him.
  • The party discussed future objectives, including travel to The Academy, a return visit to the island with the black stone, and — further out — a trip back to the Capitol to see Burlyman about acquiring another Medallion, on the reasoning that a crew of their own would eventually need more than one.
  • The party weighed how much to reveal to The Academy: the existence of the indestructible black stone seemed safe and interesting enough to share, without disclosing its connection to their Medallions or its apparent power; the pygmies' survival was already public knowledge and no risk to mention; but the Bitter Root's unusual properties and the map fragment referencing "Gildenhome" — so far shown only to the elf A'Wood — were to stay undisclosed as leverage for later.
  • The party proposed a rotating command structure based on expertise — Mani taking the lead in nautical and tactical matters, Cosimo taking the lead in dealings with the Church or the Divinity — with an understanding that whoever held the lead in the moment would be backed by the others without argument, half-joking that they'd treat insubordination the way a ship's captain would once they had a crew of their own. Noddy separately pushed for the group to embrace a scouting and reconnaissance role — stealth, surveillance, and information-gathering — for whatever ship or navy they end up serving with.
  • "The Treasure Hunt" is a local establishment for lodging, food, and entertainment, owned by a man named Rees.
  • Picking up on a phrase from Knick Nab's note ("reform the chain, the Medallion"), the party half-jokingly settled on "The Medallion" as the name for the ship they intend to one day own, complete with a battle gong in place of a ship's bell.

Items Gained

  • A note from Knick Nab.
  • An address from Randolph the Chronicler for Mani's training.
  • Lodging at "The Treasure Hunt" (costing 2 copper pieces per night per person, or 1 silver per month including some food).
  • Further confirmation of the 1 gold piece reward per party member (except Knick Nab, whose share is held by Werner De Rendal). Each member also kicked in one silver toward a collective fund, which now stands at 50 silver. Nicolas's own gold-piece share has likewise not yet been handed over, the party judging him too drunk to be trusted with it for now.

Items Lost

  • Knick Nab (temporarily separated from the party).
  • A Medallion (taken by Knick Nab).
  • Money for lodging at "The Treasure Hunt."
  • Two silver pieces paid to Salter (from his share of prize money, with the rest held back until he sobered up, so he wouldn't drink it away).
  • One silver piece paid to Pew, for delivering Knick Nab's note and for his silence.