Chapter 5 - Session 7

The Mad Prophet and the Cursed Ship

Part 1 video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxlcugkfAPA

Part 2 video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs9YwnJnl_k

Events and Actions

The party debated their long-term mission goals and how to report their findings about the Elven spies to the Drowned Council. They agreed to be largely truthful while omitting the "elf" detail, and settled that Riu would speak for the group before the council so they would not contradict one another. Along the way, they puzzled over talk in town of Handsome Gulliver Gold as "the brother" — with hints of a "sister" besides — and concluded their old shipmate Nicolas, last seen as a disgraced priest of the "Advance," was almost certainly behind it.

Their journey back to Drowned Man's Port took them down a narrow ravine where a weathered wooden carving of "Handsome Gulliver Gold" stood in a niche in the rock — old enough, by Cosimo's woodcraft, that it hadn't been made in the last few months — facing an empty twin niche on the opposite wall, as if awaiting a second occupant. Further along, the ravine opened onto the cave shrine of Nicolas, the former junior priest of the "Advance." They found him kneeling before a crude table and a second, even more finely carved statue of "Handsome Gulliver Gold," dishevelled, reeking of drink, and so overjoyed to see Cosimo that he collapsed at his feet, weeping. Questioned, Nicolas explained he had been sustained since his arrival by a small flock of townsfolk, including Sven and Mistress Clara, and that he had been carried to Drowned Man's Port aboard a ship brought by Corbin "Turncoat" Vance. Both statues, he said, had been carved to his descriptions by Old Man Rayhar — not himself a believer, but drawn by the challenge of the work — and he admitted he had written and prayed for another priest to join him, as his faith required a partner, but no one had ever answered. Emboldened, he attempted to bless Knick Nab; the blessing went wrong and seared Knick Nab's ears, and Knick Nab answered by punching the priest to the ground.

Despite the outburst, the party pressed on, weighing whether to quietly cultivate Nicolas as a foothold in the Church of the Two — even floating the idea of one day using his growing following as bait to lure a ship of the Church here so they could kidnap and interrogate real priests about the totems and the wind witches. They ultimately judged the risk too great: one Church ship drawn to Drowned Man's Port would become three, then thirty, and endanger the whole secret harbour. They set the bait plan aside for some other port, someday, resolving instead to nurture Nicolas quietly and keep him in reserve as the only ordained cleric they could stomach bringing aboard the "Father's Fury," should one ever prove necessary.

Cosimo then asked to pray with Nicolas alone. Through a ritual-cast illusion, he summoned Handsome Gulliver Gold descending in a beam of light from the statue, commanding Nicolas to abandon drink, clean himself and his temple, build a larger ministry among the port's faithful, groom a successor so that he might one day serve as "first" among them, and await the party's support when they returned — after they had gone out to find "the sister." Overjoyed, Nicolas flung his bottle and rags aside and wandered off naked toward Mistress Clara's care, vowing to do everything asked of him.

At the Council Tent, the party was told to return in an hour and used the time to visit the market, where each acquired a minor item. Ushered back into a chamber arranged around a long, gently curved table seating the council's five members, Riu introduced himself and recounted their encounter with the "homesteaders," carefully omitting that they were elves, and pinpointed the location for Isla when she pressed for it: a cairn-marked hilltop with a trail leading down into the valley clearing. Captain Kane raised his own impression that animals had been watching the town; Isla demanded proof, and Riu admitted he could not speak conclusively, only that the homesteaders did keep animals nearby. She also brought up Major Hubert, one of the missing captains, prompting Riu to resolve to follow up with her on it later. Corbin Vance suggested sending someone out to speak with the homesteaders directly. Satisfied — and swayed in part by Mistress Clara's word on the party's trustworthiness — Captain Kane granted the party leave to buy a new ship and depart port; pressed by Riu on how long the port's secrecy could realistically hold, he allowed that he hoped it was decades away, though he warned that if the port were ever found, he would find someone to blame — "maybe everyone." Mani, hand tucked into his new belt, pledged that the party would defend the port's secrecy with their lives if it ever came to that.

The party then approached the shipwright, Master Borin, about buying the "Father's Fury" outright. He opened at 3,000 gold; the party pushed back that with no other buyers interested in a decaying, cursed hull nobody had even come to view, he might as well pay them 30 gold to take it off his hands, and after a long haggle backed by a strong trading roll, pushed him down toward roughly 1,000 gold all in — enough to buy the hull and see it fully fitted out — while noting they would also trade in their old ship, the "Bull." They specified what they wanted from the refit: a full complement of seven cannons plus a single massive bow-chaser on the prow, as much sail as the hull could bear for speed, and the keel and hull careened, scraped, and made sound. Borin estimated the refit alone could run into the thousands depending on how far they went, and warned that fully arming and crewing the ship for all of it would take a crew of about a hundred — though a smaller crew could still sail her, just with fewer guns manned at once. The party agreed to see the ship itself again before committing to numbers, and floated trading the "Bull" to Borin outright in exchange for the full refit rather than paying for both separately, though they left the specifics for later.

They also debated how to crew her. Hiring pirates would mean paying in shares of plunder rather than wages — split far more evenly than a navy's prize money, where officers took the lion's share and ordinary sailors got next to nothing beyond room, board, and clothing — but it also meant compensation if a hand lost a limb or their life, and pirates expecting a steady score every month or two to keep from growing restless: a feast-or-famine arrangement likely to see much of the crew replaced after every big payout, once a flush crew went ashore to spend it. Hiring on sailors instead meant modest, steady wages and a more stable crew, though still with the promise of shares should they take a prize. The party leaned toward paying sailors generously and keeping the promise of adventure and opportunity alive, rather than committing to piracy as a way of life, but left the final decision for later.

Before setting out, Werner drew his cousin De Torres aside to ask if he would serve as sailing master on the new vessel; unwilling to return to the Navy himself, De Torres said the idea interested him in principle but he'd need to know the terms and his share before committing, and the party agreed to bring him a formal offer.

Finally, the party rowed out to the "Father's Fury" in two boats, boarding in order — Knick Nab first, then Mani, Riu, Noddy, and Cosimo last — while Salter held one boat off in reserve and De Torres came along in the second boat for his own look at the ship. The ship was still missing its figurehead and remained covered bow to stern in carved skulls, which Cosimo learned had been commissioned generations ago by a pirate captain remembered only as "the Skull," carved by the master carver Old Man Rayhar. Cosimo re-attuned to the vessel, confirming it was still sentient and still soaked through with old magic, though the presence of the Father was gone entirely. An attempt to make the ship levitate through its own power failed, but a second ritual to give the ship a voice succeeded. Before the party had even agreed on a system, the ship's own alarm bell began ringing unprompted at the mainmast — recognized by ear as a standard danger signal and taken as proof it could answer them — and from there they settled on one bell for yes and two for no, then extended the code so specific outward-facing skulls could ring out compass bearings. Through careful questioning they learned the ship could detect other vessels or threats out to ten nautical miles and could sense that someone was aboard, though not tell individual presences apart, but confirmed it could not help sail itself, breathe fire, spit water, fire its own cannons, bite intruders, cast spells, or learn new ones, and that removing a skull or replacing other rotting timber elsewhere would not harm it. Asked plainly, it confirmed through its bell that it wanted a new figurehead. Satisfied, each party member made a personal pledge to the ship — Mani cut his own thumb at the mainmast and swore to protect it — and it welcomed them all as crew. Riu also gave De Torres the ship's history — built as one of a pair with her sister ship, the "Mother's Sorrow," the power that had soaked into her timbers when her holy cargo was destroyed, and the carved skulls that gave that power its voice — and, pressed on whether the crew could truly master such a strange vessel, reminded him of the party's own record: crossing the Maelstrom, surviving three years, saving the port of Zylos, taking this very ship from her vanished crew, fighting off a Kraken, and now speaking with her directly. De Torres set aside his doubts and agreed in principle to sign on as Master of Sail once the party worked out formal terms — the party privately leaning toward a full two shares for the role, among the best-paid positions short of captain.

NPCs & Creatures

Nicolas: The mad priest, now a zealous preacher of "Brother Gold." Sustained by a small flock of townsfolk including Sven and Mistress Clara, he was carried to Drowned Man's Port by Corbin "Turncoat" Vance. Chastened and redirected by an illusion of Gulliver Gold, he vowed to reform, build a larger ministry, and find a successor.
Mistress Clara: Has been quietly caring for Nicolas since his arrival and agreed to help him recover further; her account of the party's past help to her also helped convince Captain Kane of their trustworthiness.
Old Man Rayhar: The master carver of Drowned Man's Port. He carved the "Father's Fury"'s hundreds of skulls generations ago, commissioned by the pirate captain remembered only as "the Skull," and more recently carved Nicolas's shrine statues to the priest's own descriptions — not, by Nicolas's account, out of belief, but simply for the challenge of the work.
The Drowned Council:
- Captain Silas 'Blackheart' Kane: Satisfied by Riu's report, he granted the party leave to buy a ship and depart port, but warned that if the secret port were ever found, he would find someone to blame — "maybe everyone."
- Isla 'The Weaver' Vargo: Pressed for the homesteaders' exact location and demanded proof of Captain Kane's suspicion that animals had been watching the town; also mentioned Major Hubert, one of the missing captains, during the debrief.
- Garth 'The Gaff' Morgan
- 'Rattlebone' Jones: Offered to help arrange the sale of the party's old ship, the "Bull," and asked them to meet him aboard his own ship later that day.
- Corbin 'Turncoat' Vance: Suggested sending someone to speak with the homesteaders directly.
Master Borin: The shipwright at Drowned Man's Port, who negotiated the sale and refit of the "Father's Fury."
"Father's Fury": The sentient, cursed ship, now accepted the party as its crew and confirmed, bell by bell, that it wants a new figurehead.
De Torres: Werner De Rendal's cousin and a skilled sailing master, unwilling to return to the Navy himself. Approached about serving as Master of Sail on the new ship, he wanted to know the terms before committing; hearing the ship's history and the party's own record of feats, he set aside his doubts and agreed in principle, pending a formal offer of a full two shares — among the best-paid positions short of captain.

Locations

Drowned Man's Port:
- Nicolas's Cave Shrine: A cave in the hills reached down a narrow ravine, filled with carvings of Handsome Gulliver Gold. Partway down the ravine, an older carved statue of Handsome Gulliver Gold sits in a niche in the rock, facing an empty twin niche as if awaiting a counterpart; a second, finer statue stands within the shrine itself, before the crude table where Nicolas prays.
- The Council Tent: The meeting place of the Drowned Council, arranged around a long, gently curved table with seats for its five members.
- The Market
- The Shipwright's Yard: Master Borin's yard, where the party negotiated for the "Father's Fury."
- The Harbour

Conflicts

Knick Nab punched Nicolas after a botched blessing from the priest burned his ears.
The party debated whether to use Nicolas as bait to lure and interrogate real priests of the Church of the Two, ultimately judging it too dangerous to attempt from their own secret port.
The party debated at length whether to confront Isla Vargo privately over her prior knowledge of the homesteaders watching the port, or simply report their findings to the council and let the matter lie; wary of making an enemy of a council member, they chose not to name her before her colleagues, planning to raise it with her directly later instead.
The party engaged in several lengthy debates regarding their primary mission, how to deal with the council, and whether to hire a crew as pirates (paid in shares) or as sailors (paid in wages).

Learnings and Discussions

The party codified their primary mission objectives: investigate the disappearances of Captains Maynard, Barrows, De Guzman, and Major Hubert; investigate the Wind Witches/navigators and their source of power; understand the link to the Totems; and uncover why the Church of the Two fears these powers. They also set aside a running list of secondary mysteries not to be lost in the shuffle — Gildenhome, the Diads, and why the totems react to their medallions — agreeing to keep these four objectives as the main thread while staying alert for anything relevant along the way.
There is no formal treaty with the Wind Witches, only an uneasy ceasefire.
The "Father's Fury" is no longer imbued with the divine power of The Father, but its hull and many skull carvings remain sentient and steeped in the older magic.
The ship's skulls were carved by Old Man Rayhar, commissioned by a former pirate captain known only as "the Skull."
The ship can communicate via a system of bell rings — one for yes, two for no — and specific outward-facing skulls can be used to ring out compass bearings.
The ship will accept the party as its crew and can detect other vessels or threats up to ten nautical miles away and sense that someone is aboard, though it cannot tell individuals apart, and cannot help sail itself, fight, cast spells, or learn new ones.
The ship wants a new figurehead, though it offered no opinion on its design or on being given a new name.
Removing one of the ship's skulls, or replacing other rotting timber elsewhere on the hull, would not harm its sentience.
The party discussed the significant costs of refitting the "Father's Fury" — likely in the thousands of gold, with a full crew of around a hundred needed to work every cannon and sail at once — and weighed the moral and practical implications of recruiting a pirate crew, paid in shares and prone to restlessness between scores, against hiring on sailors for steady wages.

Items Gained

The party acquired several minor, magically enhanced items from the market: * A +10 spoon of no spillage. * A +10 durable glass bottle. * A +10 Marlin spike. * A +10 fiddle. * A book of engravings of sea serpents. * A +10 belt with a large buckle.

Items Lost

One gold piece, given to Nicolas.