Journal of Rollo Lavius 2

Entry #412 - The Captain's Secret

(G412 23/05/2020 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF) LR19

[At much the same time as Fenrir was getting ready to go to Chult I was having my own Adventures in Neverwinter.]

DAY 474 (19th Kythorn)(June)

So, we had taken the Anubus, tied up the captain and robbed the other pirates.

There were six prisoners in the hold, but they were all just random street people from Waterdeep and not very interesting, so we decided to give then 10 gold each and drop them at Neverwinter later. They had all been caught in the classic 'follow a wench into a dark alley' trap.

Well after midnight, we were still sorting things out and Corum went to check the pirates we had caught and put in a cabin. Three had snuck down a hatch and were swimming away, while one was still in the cabin.

I wasn't in the mood for silliness, so I summoned some sharks and that was the last of those guys. I then went back to talk to the Captain.

He was a halfling named Tinker "Blackdeath" Snuggleton. Apparently he had been bullied at school due to his name.

He wasn't desperately forthcoming though. He had a crystal ball that he received instructions from and he was always given orders and paid through middlemen.
It all sounded like lies, but despite various threats and a kick in the nuts from Sylvia he stuck to his story. We tried to land 'Charm' spells on him, but nothing could get a grip on his mind!

I also talked to Forest and his friend. They told us that when the Lost Refuge was raided and all my friends were killed there had been two other ships, the Reaper and the Black Mirror. They had been given explicit instructions to take 'the child' - as in Molly.

We organised watches and in the morning sailed the Anubus back to Neverwinter and anchored some way out. I kicked the last prisoner over the side and made him swim home. The prisoners, Forest and his friend we sent off to town on a boat.

After lunch we finally got a Charm spell on the Captain (I think!) but he was still pretty sly. He told us he met his 'contact' in a pub in Neverwinter (The Wibbly Wagon) and various other not-very-helpful things.
I asked why I (and Molly) had been targeted. He told me that the people he worked for had a 'personal vendetta' against me!

Well, we talked to him some more and I learned that he didn't seem to know about what was going on with the island - he just delivered people there. Delivering Molly to the cave would have earned him a lot of gold.
He had been told to deliberately spread the Blue Phage in the Vast Swamp - to keep the Clerics of Mystra busy.

The most interesting thing was this - that his 'boss' was not just using the island as a convenient source of nastiness - his 'boss' was responsible for it in some way or at the very least knew it was coming as they had been preparing for a long time prior to its arrival.

I went back on deck to think things over. The Captain was sort of trying to be helpful but everyone could tell there was something else he wasn't telling us and Steven was really snarly around him.

I had been thinking about what 'K' and the other lizard folk would want. It was very clear to me though as we had talked about it once.
Captain Snuggleton had slain the tribe - there was only one punishment for that, he had to be beaten to a pulp, flayed alive and then eaten (alive if possible). It was the Sharptooth way and they were proud of their traditions.

If he was watching me now, then that was what 'K' would expect me to do. Normally I would show fellows like Snuggleton mercy - but he had killed dozens - so was it not better to honour their memory? Was it not better that the Sharptooth tribe - wherever they were - knew that they had been revenged? That honour had been satisfied?

'Bugger it then,' I muttered and patted the rail. 'Irritator? Can you do me a favour..?'

As Irritator had been killed in that attack (and brought back to life by me) he was only too glad to carry out the punishment.
'Just kill him though, old chap, I'll do the flaying and ten we'll think about how best to eat him after that. I'm sure the Sharptooths will realise we are honouring the spirit of their tradition if not every article of it.'

Irritator went into the cabin with a sharp knife and a gleam in his eye, but came out again a moment later saying, 'you'd better come see this.'

On death Snuggleton had revealed his true form - he was not Snuggleton at all, but a Doppelganger! Where a tough little halfling had once lain there was now a long thin grey skinned corpse.
'Huh!' I thought. 'That's interesting.'
After that we skinned him. I'm not sure what to make from Doppelganger skin but I'll think of something. We then nibbled a bit of him (disgusting, not even Stephen would touch it) and threw the rest over the side.

While me and Irritator were doing all that the others were in Neverwinter getting a crew together. We only needed six (at a guess anyway) so we got four gnomish sailors, a half-orc and an elf.

We tried to figure out how the Anubus 'worked'. There are runes in the captain's cabin but they need command words to activate them and to know those words - we need the Identify spell. It was decided it was best to get Irritator to copy the spell into his spellbook. We can organise that later, I'm off to sleep now. Stomach a bit upset after eating Doppelganger flesh, but I feel good that I did the right thing by the Sharptooths.

DAY 475 (20th Kythorn)(June)

Today we spent some of our town on the boat, some of our time in the house and most of our time in the pub.

The gossip is all about the Blue Phage and how a 'lockdown' is expected, whatever that means exactly. Its spreading up and down the Sword Coast and people are worried about open ports and open borders.

I have been wondering who would be annoyed enough at me to send three boat load of gits to come and kill me and my friends and take away Molly. The only people I could think off were the followers of Shar and Cyric who you would expect to be pretty miffed at me after we foiled their plans in the Plane of Shadows.

I asked about, in disguise, talked to bards and the like, spent gold like water, but turned up nothing at all.

DAY 476 (21th Kythorn)(June)

Today Irritator learned the Identify spell.

Everyone else loafed around in the house or the pub over the road.

DAY 477 (22th Kythorn)(June)

Today we figured out how the Anubus worked. There are two runes in the cabin, each with their own command word. One is for 'Greater Invisibility' and the other is for 'Silence'.

DAY 478 (23th Kythorn)(June)

We've mainly been relaxing in the pub. I have tried to tell them to try and keep a low profile, but no one listens to me. It's like they are on bloody holiday!

Jiggles as been around town asking about, but so far nothing.

DAY 479 (24th Kythorn)(June)

Jiggles set up a meeting with the Thieves' Guild today.

It cost a lot of gold, but they did set us in the right direction. I learned that it has nothing to do with Shar or Cyric.
The man I talked to said;
'There have been disappearances. People have been acting oddly. It looks like incursions by shapeshifters.'

Ah! Now, if you remember my journal entries in regard to my brother Corum's adventures you will know of the group of shapeshifters that inhabit Waterdeep - known as the 'Unseen'.
That explained why they killed Gharlie as well - possibly.

But what do they have against me, as I've never done anything to them? Just because I'm kin to Corum?

The thief told me that Doppelganger usually worked alone, so someone would be directing them. I had a feeling I knew that from somewhere.

I asked if he knew anything about them being linked to, or preparing for Midway Island and the Blue Phage. He said he didn't, but thanked me for the information when I explained what I had learned.

Considering how much he was charging me for his information I should have asked for fifty gold for what I told him!