Meet the Gray Tide

Action Items

  • Halvor to pick up custom shield when party returns to Trombei (takes at least a week)
  • Gore to check on his dragon hide curing progress upon return
  • Party to reconnect with Frankie at the Lamb and Ledger

Next Session

The party will return to Trombei where they expect to:

  • Find Frankie recovered from illness
  • Pick up Halvor’s completed custom shield
  • Get an update on Gore’s dragon hide curing process
  • Potentially investigate the Gray Tide connection to the bandit ambush

Session Overview

The party departed Trombei for a journey through the swamp with two objectives: accompanying the scholar Ellian to the temple ruins, and helping Vyth deliver the blue egg from the swamp temple to their village . The journey would take most of a week, allowing time to return before Halvor’s custom shield was ready .

Travel Preparations

  • Party spent first day selling loot and handling business in Trombei
  • Halvor trained Ellian in quarterstaff combat before departure
  • Ellian equipped himself with daggers, quarterstaff, waterproof satchels containing food and journals
  • Frankie stayed behind at the Lamb and Ledger, recovering from illness, on the Contessa’s coin
  • Party gathered supplies including salt for the swamp (to deal with leeches), mixed spices as gifts for Vyth’s tribe, rope, and other adventuring gear

Journey to the Swamp

The party traveled northeast along the road toward Missouri Harbor. They passed the Eel and Lantern Inn, which displayed a sign reading “our apologies, reduced accommodations, renovations underway” following the previous incident there. Ellian guided them onto a side road leading deeper into the swamp .

Combat: Bandit Ambush at Ruined Farmhouse

As the party approached a ruined farmhouse where Ellian had previously stayed, Halvor and Splinter spotted someone hiding inside . The building turned out to be an ambush site.

The Battle:

  • Multiple bandits attacked from concealed positions around the farmhouse and in nearby woods
  • Halvor cast Entangle to control the battlefield, trapping several enemies
  • Vyth took arrow fire but eliminated multiple attackers with their greataxe
  • Gore charged through the building, killing enemies with devastating attacks
  • Rock used monk abilities including Flurry of Blows to take down a fleeing bandit
  • Splinter and Halvor provided support with ranged attacks and healing
  • Some bandits escaped: one south, three north, and one or two west

Enemy Analysis:

After the battle, the party searched the bodies and discovered important information :

  • The bandits were “street ruffians” with serviceable but uniform weapons, suggesting they were issued rather than personally acquired
  • Many had similar nautical tattoos featuring a wave pattern
  • Splinter recognized the tattoos as belonging to the Gray Tide, a smuggling and banditry organization operating out of Trombei’s docks
  • The bandits appeared to have only been at the farmhouse for 24 hours maximum
  • The group was connected to organized crime rather than random highway robbery

Continuing the Journey

After securing the farmhouse for the night and healing, the party continued into the swamp the next day . Ellian departed to return to the temple ruins, thanking the party and hoping to see them again in Messori Harbor.

Vyth’s Homecoming

Vyth successfully returned to their tribe with the egg . While it was not the tribe’s original egg, the shaman was visibly surprised and recognized it as a legendary artifact he thought was myth .

The Shaman’s Revelation:

The shaman shared crucial information about the temple :

  • In the tribe’s oral history, six heroes or prophets built the great temple in ancient times
  • Each prophet possessed a key item that could help locate the temple
  • Without one of these items, finding the temple in the swamp is impossible due to some kind of magical misdirection
  • The known key items include:
    • A flute (which Ellian possesses)
    • An obsidian lens
    • A spool made of moon silver
    • A ring gear
    • Two other items the shaman could not recall
  • This explains how the party found the temple previously - they came through a portal that deposited them directly in the temple area

Egg Quest Status:

The party discussed their ongoing search for Vyth’s tribe’s original egg:

  • They believe it was taken by a kraken or underwater group
  • There appears to be an organized effort to steal these eggs, based at the bottom of the sea
  • The party gave Vyth’s tribe the mixed spices as a gift, which were very well received

Loot & Rewards

  • Light crossbows and approximately 60 bolts from defeated bandits
  • Simple weapons and armour from bandits and about 10 copper
  • Intelligence about the Gray Tide organization
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