They secure their prisoners including the half-elf Capt.
Gorian, ransack the ship for valuables, and set sail with both vessels for Scag
Harbor. They intend to sell the ship (now renamed Grog On by Chaser) and
everything in it at auction and turn over both the chest and the Guild captain
to Master Zuno for their reward. All in all, a successful raid.
“Mon amis, we are true pirates now, oui?” Chaser says.
As they approach Scag Harbor, they spot two bodies floating
face down in the sea: the young knight Sir Garvin and a colleague have been
slain and dumped unceremoniously overboard. They never will get a chance to
earn glory on Skeleton Key.
Back in Scag Harbor, the PCs dock their two ships and make
preparations to sell their plunder and to transfer the spell turret from Gorgon
to Solarr. They pay a visit to Master Zuno’s manor where they find the
human Guildmaster chilling in a lush tiled courtyard full of plants.
 |
| Master Zuno |
Zuno happily pays the party for the red and gold chest, but
seems surprised that they have brought Gorgon back to Scag Harbor. It’s
clear that Zuno, a member of good-standing in the Merchants’ Guild, has ordered
the party to steal the chest from the Merchants’ Guild – and Gorgon and
Capt. Gorian are evidence of his treachery. It would be great if that
evidence could go away.
The party returns to their ships with murder in mind. Cake
is excited about the prospect of a ritual offering to his gods, and begins
making preparations for the sacrificial murder of Capt. Gorian immediately. Teach
and Titus are less enthusiastic but are pragmatic about the bloody work that
lies ahead.
Chaser isn’t into it, so he wanders into town looking for
spice and information. He learns that the ill-fated Sir Garvin and the knights
left a few days ago aboard Wanderer, Capt. Vinnia Storm’s ship. It seems
clear that Vinnia betrayed the young knights and stole their shit, which is
mean.
Night falls and the moon rises over Scag Harbor. Chaser
hooks up with Fuckin’ Manny and some sailors in the Harpy’s Roost and begins
drinking and snorting spice. Gorian’s severed head is placed gingerly inside the
Bag of Holding… and black figures attack! Five stealthy figures dressed in
black slip aboard and attack Capt. Teach, Titus, and Cake. In the tavern, a
masked assassin stabs Chaser in the back with a poisoned blade. Both sets of
attackers are quickly dispatched by the PCs. The attackers look like local
thugs or pirates, and each has an identical pouch with 25gp.
“Zuno.”
The Guildmaster has betrayed them to cover his tracks. He’s
got to die.
 |
| The chest |
Shortly thereafter, the PCs find themselves climbing up through a trap door into Zuno’s manor, blades drawn.
A violent clash ensues in Zuno’s garden courtyard. Two trained
displacer beasts and a bare-fisted monk named Martek the Mighty attack the
party on the grand staircase. Martek and Titus trade blows, but the half-orc
prevails and crushes him while the rest of the party slays the displacer
beasts.
Zuno has fled, but he’s left behind the red and gold chest,
which the party re-acquires. A search of his estate reveals a letter to the
Guildmaster which reveals his motives and the contents of the mysterious chest:
Zuno, ye craven dog. Ye owe me a debt, and I shall see it repaid. As a just and gracious being, I offer ye a means to make amends. A creature of honeyed words and flexible ethics, ye are uniquely positioned as a worm of high standing among the Merchants’ Guild. I solicit you to exploit your position within the Guild’s dominance hierarchy to acquire that which I seek: The Bowl of Storms. I know the Guild has it; there be no denying the truth. Yield this treasure unto me, and ye shall be free of any obligation and debt. Fail me, and your soul be forfeit, and ye shall drown in The Black Wave.
-Gore
Spitefully, the PCs decide to place a 750gp price on Zuno’s
head. The Guildmaster is stuck on Scag Island and will eventually be caught.
Such is the fate of those who cross pirates.