Manny explains that a motley group of pirates led by Captain
Argus Pox (of the Brotherhood of the Sea) uses the island as a secret base. Pox
and the crew of his ship Manticore have had a string of good luck;
they’ve captured an eastern junk Celestial
Lotus as well as a sleek yacht named Solarr.
Pox’s pirates have brought the three ships to their hidden cove, where they
plan to rest and divide the loot.
But dissent breeds among the ranks, and there is talk of
mutiny. Pox has taken the prisoners from Celestial Lotus and put them to work
in his hillside mine, chasing his dreams of sacred Obari treasure. Cliques led
by his First Mate Anders and his Deck Wizard Griselda have banded against Pox.
Smelling mutiny in the air, Pox assigns his most loyal pirates red sashes. Now
only pirates with red sashes may board Manticore,
only pirates with green sashes may board Lotus,
and only pirates with yellow sashes may board Solarr.
After easily dispatching a hunting party of pirates, the PCs
hatch a plan. Under cover of night they steal through the jungle and arrive at
Pox’s pirate mine, intending to free the hostages.
The PCs enter the mine with the help of a sleep spell, but
soon find themselves beset by waves of pirates. They manage to locate and
rescue the captives, who are toiling under pirate lashes in the mine. The
prisoners mostly consist of the passenger and crew of the Celestial Lotus, led
by the eastern noble Junko Harui, who promises the PCs a reward if they get them
safely to civilization.
Also among the prisoners is a portly Korynthian man of
letters, Don Rodrigo. As a member of the influential Merchants’ Guild, Rodrigo
promises the PCs a reward if they deliver him safely to the nearest Guildhouse,
such as the one in Scag Harbor.
 |
| Capt. Pox, the undead version |
Titus and Pox face
off in a sword fight during which the undead pirate drains some of the
half-orc’s life force. Cake intervenes and uses his divine powers to repel Pox,
who flees and jumps into a nearby crevasse.
When Pox and the orb strike the bottom, they trigger a
localized earthquake which begins to bring the entire mine crumbling down. The
PCs barely escape as the mine collapses, burying Capt. Pox forever.
In the lagoon, the green and yellow pirate factions have
seized upon the destruction of the mine to launch an assault on the red
pirates. Now is the perfect chance to escape! With the rescued prisoners, the
PCs sneak their way on to the Solarr, a fast lateen-sailed caravel.
The pirates guarding Solarr prove a formidable challenge for
the exhausted party, and it doesn’t help when they unleash a dire baboon,
either. With the help of Fuckin’ Manny and the sailors they rescued, the party
takes control of Solarr and escapes the lagoon, leaving chaos and a burning
fort in their wake.
Onboard their prize ship, the PCs set sail for Scag Harbor, where
they may claim their rewards for the safe return of Junko Harui and Don Rodrigo
at the Merchants’ Guildhouse.