3. To Steal A Boat

Saga has revealed to you the truth about what happened back in town. It turns out, the people you initially thought were Saga and Gilderoy are in fact imposters. When you first ran into the real duo, they were a bit flabbergasted and tired, so they weren’t able to tell you the full story – which is understandable, if you think about it.

You went back to the main hall of the Dwarven Outpost to gather your thoughts and take a rest. It has been an tasking two days, so you could use some relaxing. If you can get past the already stiffening remains of the mercenaries you murdered (not counting the ashes of Ladash, of course), the main hall is a decent place. Gilderoy made for the fireplace at the seating place where Alexa and Siri once sat, while Saga decided to move the bodies to a different room. She figured putting them behind the door that led to the collapsed corridor would be as good a place as any.

When the main hall was made… habitable, you all huddled around the fireplace and Saga explained once again what really had transpired.

“All this is terribly humiliating. I should’ve known… Really, I should have known. I have grown weak in my exile. Probably a few days before you supposedly showed up, we were visited by a an elderly woman. At least, that’s what she looked like. Mr. Blaxton over here is a kind soul… One that betrays his ancestry – no offense!”

“None taken,” Gilderoy responds somewhat nonplussed.

“We… And I still can’t believe it. But we let her in. She looked lost, and it was raining that day too. The poor thing was drenched. But I could sense something was off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but this woman didn’t seem quite right. I thought it was my paranoia getting the best of me. Maybe I should’ve trusted myself more.” 

“That night, I awoke to some curious noise coming from downstairs. I picked up my sword, which I keep by my bed, and made for the vault – it seemed like the sound was coming from there. I reached the door and saw that it wasn’t tampered with. But still, I decided to open the door and check the vault. Just to be safe, you know? It was then that something pushed me from the back and I fell tumbling down the stairs.”

“Looking up, I saw a… well, a nightmare. It was a human body, but where its head should’ve been was a ball of flames, burning with an unnatural violet hue. All too late, I could sense the shadow emanating from this entity. It started to descend down the stairs, but I knew what I had to do. Quickly, I grabbed the Blade.”

“The Blade is a nexus of intense dark energies. If someone who is not attuned to it touches it, it reacts to even the slightest hint of light and other magicks that might be present in them. The Dawnwardens have a technique that allows us to channel this darkness, that allows us to hold wield the weapon for a limited duration. Any longer than that… Well, it consumes you.”

“And the reaction I just mentioned is violent. As I grabbed the Blade, it repulsed me back at the wall. However, through luck, I managed to hold on. But I could feel the shadow whispering to me, calling to me. All the while, the nightmare was still climbing down the stairs. I focused all the energy I had left in me into a beam of holy light, in an attempt to smite down this abomination. I don’t know if I managed to purge it – evidently not. But it gave me enough time to grab Mr. Blaxton and run away from the estate. Through that window, as you might recall.”

Saga looks dejected. She sits down on one of the chairs with her head in her hands. Gilderoy looks at her as if he wants to say something, but the words don’t come.

“We have to go West,” Saga suddenly says.

“We have to steal a boat.” 

The journey back to Port Gardan is uneventful. But once you’re back at the town, you feel as though things have changed. You remember the town as feeling welcoming – the hustle and bustle of commerce coming from the town square, seagulls laughing at the doings of humanoids from the heavens, the clink-clank of bottles and mugs from the taverns. If nothing else, Port Gardan is a jovial, happy town.

But what you feel as you enter the outskirts of the town is none of that. Things have changed in your absence. The air feels stale, the wind has stopped blowing, a dark mist has enveloped the streets. The silence is deafening, no one seems to be walking through the streets. You look around and see some faces peeking through the windows of houses around you, but as soon as you make eye contact, they disappear. There’s nothing jovial or happy left in this town. Only fear and despair.

They go to Cham’s Shop of Curios

As you walk towards Cham’s Shop of Curios, you can’t help but get goosebumps because of just how creepy everything is. It feels like your every step is being watched, observed, investigated, judged, and found unworthy.

But, somehow, you manage to reach Cham’s Shop of Curios unharmed. Inside, you find Cham, who is also unharmed.

“Oh!” Cham says, clearly surprised to have customers. He looks happy for a second, but then realizes that it’s you guys. “Blaxton?” he says incredulously.

“By the wolf am I glad to see you. You… I thought you were at the Estate when…”

“When what?” Saga interjects.

“Well… There was a huge fire. Everything is gone Blaxton! And after that, things just kept on going downhill. These peculiar people popped up, calling themselves the Covenant. Overnight, they took over the town hall, the barracks… The guards… They did something to the guards. This whole town is lost!”

They go to the estate

As you walk through the town into the Western Quarter, you notice that things have gone terribly awry. The once beautifully paved streets are destroyed in places. Houses around you are ruined. You also notice the smoldering remains of M’am’s Bookshop, but something tell you that M’am must have survived whatever terrible calamity destroyed her bookshop. She’ll also be wanting revenge, probably.

But the true shocker comes when you reach the Blaxton Estate – or rather, where the Estate should have been. Instead, you are met with the burnt down skeletal remains of the beautiful building. It hasn’t been simply burnt down, it has been destroyed with terrible intent. Almost as if a sentient, raging inferno has rushed through the building, leaving behind nothing but ashes.

“Now do you see what we’re up against?” Saga asks you. 

They go to the docks

You walk past the inn where everything started. If you remember, the inn was very close to the docks. You can remember the sound of waves crashing against the piers, the sails flapping against the wind, and again those pesky goddamn seagulls laughing their little beaks off.  

None of those audio cues are present anymore. Everything is silent, except the sound of your footsteps reverberating through the streets. It’s almost as if the mist is amplifying all the noises you make. There’s no use in trying to walk any more carefully or to speak any more quietly.

Soon, you reach the gates that separate the docks from the rest of the town. The docks are normally off-limits to non-essential personnel and that’s why there are walls surrounding the entire establishment. As such, there’s only one orthodox entry point. This particular one, i.e. the gate, is being guarded by two guardsmen.

From the distance, it looks as though these two brutes do not have faces. Upon a more thorough looks however, you realize that they’re in fact wearing masks, which brings down the creepiness level to a more manageable level. It’s still pretty creepy though.

When you try to talk to them, they only say, “In Its gaze we are one.” 

They get past the guards

When you make your way past the guards and into the docks proper, you notice that someone or something has started to dismantle almost all of the ships. Some ships are missing a mast, others are missing whole sides, looking like some grotesque cross-section from a naval manual.

There’s, however, one ship that seems to have been left alone. It is a two-masted brig, hundred feet long – however, it is being heavily guarded. You can see that there are two guards standing by the ramp that leads up to the main deck of this ship. It looks like there are some people on the ship as well, but you can’t quite figure out if they’re friend or foe.

There are also patrols between you and the brig. Groups of three guards – much smaller than the berserker types.

Perception

You notice that the guards outside the brig are positioned strangely. They’re standing back to back – it seems like not only are they trying to keep people from boarding the brig, they’re trying to keep people from leaving it as well. Upon closer inspection, you also notice that there are six guards on board the brig as well. All of these guards are wearing those weird faceless masks. 

On the brig

Once you manage to board the brig and somehow manage to overcome all of the guards, you make your way inside the lower decks. There you are greeted by none other than M’am, the illusive book salesperson.

“I suppose there’s no more need for this charade,” M’am says as they reveal their true selves to you. As if a veil has been lifted off your eyes, you suddenly see M’am as they see themselves. A dashing half-elf with olive skin, purple eyes, and blindingly white long hair, tied up in a ponytail on the left side of their hair, with the right side shaved in a fade. They’re wearing a frilly white shirt, a black vest, a matching pair of black pants, with a red sash serving as a belt.

“You may continue calling me M’am,” they say.

“Welcome aboard the Bookwyrm. I’d normally have my crew give you a proper ceremony, but they’re… Well they’re dead now. Those Covenant types really don’t like people who fight back. My poor bookshop… Alas! No time to dilly-dally, we have much work to do.” 

“Why yes. We. I imagine you’re not planning on staying at Port Gardan any longer than you have to. Of course, if you do, that’s absolutely within your realm of possibilities, however if that’s the case I’d kindly request that you get off my ship.”

As you’re having this discussion with M’am, you hear a very loud voice coming from the outside. It’s a voice you’ve heard before in the forest, but it sounds distorted.

“SAGA! COME OUT AND PLAY SAGA!”

You head back topside, you see that the voice belongs to Sareena, whom Aurelia had decapitated. Sareena’s head seems to be re-attached to her body, but you can see the wound around her neck very clearly.

Behind Sareena you can see around 10 mercenaries – members of Sareena’s Knife Ears. This time around, however, they’re all wearing faceless masks.

You have to fend off the attackers, giving M’am and someone else enough time to prepare the brig for disembarkment. You need (1)to untie the mooring lines, (2)raise the anchor, (3)lower the sails, and (4)basically set sail. All of which is going to take some time and planning. You can’t focus on any of these actions if you’re also fighting off a mercenary.

During the fight

Sareena has become more reckless since you last saw her. She attacks with increased viciousness, but has grown sloppier in defending herself. It’s almost as if she doesn’t care.  

“YOU WILL DIE BY MY HAND!”

“STEEL BREAKS, FLESH IS MORTAL!”

“YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD!”

She spins and turns and tumbles – in a drunk elegance.

During this encounter, Saga helps the fighters, while Blaxton helps the “sailors.”

Sareena is, unfairly, unkillable at this fight. The encounter only ends when you manage to get the ship sailing. At that point, Sareena becomes killable.