Attendees:
Enemies: Patrin big and small, Sharks, Traitors, Ships (Mark)
Brief dinner-time Appearance by Games in Absentia (Jeff)
We heal and rest on the isle of ___. Sorry, Can never remember the name of this particular land. The people there are the ones who tried to kill us last game but this time around they are enchanting our ships to protect them.
We send out a few people to correct the misinformation on the plinth so that it points them to this land. Seems the patrin whose territory this is, is Hadozie, the Baboon. But while he's claimed it, it's open to all patrin. We learn this by noting that he has worked certain nuances into the language that indicate his influence. Very clever. Truthspinner makes a tapestry as a gift to the town, hidden in the weave are notations and instructions important to any patrin who follow us here.
One night, while having dinner and noting our accomplishments of the day, a cat wanders in and changes into a person. This triggers every person present to change to war-form, but the person remains calm. She introduces herself as white lotus. Seems she is a local patrin and one of the last of her circle. Seems she ran into some recent trouble where her circle were overwhelmed by innumerable forces. The only survivors were her (and any other PCs who decide to game with us again--nudge nudge wink wink). Her native form is that of the great white owl.
She has come to invite us to a gathering of Patrin. Seems we are to be introduced to the locals (Local to this world, that is). All of Rome will be there. Except maybe Leviathan, who never RSVPs.
We agree, and show up there in a month after deciding on appropriate gifts. Day one is introductions and minor stories, and presentation of gifts. Day two is bigger stories and contests. Can't recall what day three was. But we were given a challenge. It's a gift really...or so we're told. It's a gift like fruitcake, or you're older sister's used dresses... when you're a boy.
Our challenge is to save an island nation. Seems the wyld is coming, and one of the patrin has become vaguely psychic; he sees them being overrun. So we are to head there and shut them down. Thing is, we're asked to consider bringing into our circle (which is technically incomplete with only 4 aspects of the moon) White Lotus, and she's to consider joining us rather than being some kind of outcast. For the sake of the GM we take her in, lest some other body part of his blow out.
We go to this strange land. There we need to gather information. Seems the best way to disseminate info is to go to the senate. Stings In Shadows (Or is that Stings 'n' Shadows, like Guns 'n' Roses), impersonates a senator and uses his influence to bring in talky the turtle, who lays out his case before the senate. He gives an impassioned plea with no banana-bananas, but then Stings-in-shadows embellishes a bit to get a couple extra banana-banana dice. The roll is so astounding as to throw the senate into a panicky uproar. A state of emergency is called.
Meanwhile, White Lotus is watching the crowd for signs of traitorousness. She sees someone leaving early and in a hurry and follows him to discover that he is writing a letter in his home, which he gives to a courier. She then, in cat form, steals the letter from his hand and runs off. His name is on it, so he's brought into the senate and questioned. He breaks under questioning and spills his guts about how he was promised glory and power to betray his people. Sting sneakifies, doing various bits of intrigue, such as discovering conspiratorial documents, spotting the final in-town destination of such messages (a guy with carrier pigeons).
Our defense plans involve sending htem false messages to lure them into a harbor where they would have difficulty manuevering. Turns out anything we did close to the islands would be useless. Why?
Well, we did reconnaissance.
We fly out into the wyld. Well, actually we swim out, but after taking damage from the tainted sea, we switch to the air. We eventually come across what appears to be a lone ship of 235 individual Lanthi (sp?) "orcs" rowing our way, with a huge shark circling it defensively; Trailing behind it is a massive gray cloud that obscures anything beyond. We of course know there's an armada, but of what?
Truthspinner kicks in his impos-o-vision (tm) and sees the impossible. Ahem....
Lead ship, 235 Men, Circling Shark Gray Cloud 30 Ships, each with 235 Men, each circled by a shark A Kraken pulling the Flagship, loaded with full Orcs (not these half-orcs and slaves that are rowing the other boats). ...A gap... Then in the far distance there is another massive ship, probably bigger than these, but the distance was too great to get an apporpriate impression. Some of us posit that this is likley a slave ship or something for carrying resources away (Seems orcs of this world don't settle; The rape, pillage, enslave, cannibalize, and move on).
We decide to take out the lead ship. we can't let this stuff get close, and hopefully taking out the lead ship will slow them a bit or get rid of that obscuring fog.
Needless to say, 'tis Demon Fog. That is, the fog is alive. So anyone who comes near it will be attacked.
Stings in shadows tries to sneak up on the ship and is nearly swallowed whole by the patrolling shark. He obviously has some outrageous senses to beat Stings' psuedo-invisibility. But Stings makes it to the ship.
Our turtle commando is dropped from on high and hits the ship with such force as to render a huge hole in the hull (easier to type than to say). Stings has landed on the ship, bearing Truthspinner as cargo in spider form. Stings goes after the captain, eviscerating him in one shot. Truthspinner is at the bow where a man is crucified and scarred with ritual runes. Undoubtedly it has something to do with the fog... we hope... So he tries to wrench the man off. Fog tentacles attack Stings, but he gets away. With the crucified man freed, Stings and Truthspinner change to bird forms and haul the injured but still alive man away with them. All this while, White Lotus has to track down our plumeting turtle and then pluck him from the sea and carry him to safety. Fortunately he's well, and the shark does not get them.
And the fog does indeed dissipate with the man freed.