The Voyage

Once more into the Void Session 3 - The Voyage

I am going back and posting session reports of the early adventures of my D&D 5th edition group. I started writing session reports after the fifth session. But I have the notes to write up the older sessions.  In this session Otrivush Oto joins the team and the heroes go on a voyage.

A Meeting

“Another ale, barkeep,” Oto slammed down his nearly empty tankard and waved at the approaching barman. The barman held out his hand in askance.

“Fine, fine,” Oto said in exasperation. Reaching into his pockets he searched about and found two coins. His last two gold coins. He handed out one of the gold coins.

“That should pay for the several ales and a spot on your floor tonight!” The barman snatched up the coin, sniffing at it suspiciously then shrugged and placed another full ale in front of Oto.

Otrivush Oto, a scholar of Candlekeep, brought to this he mused. My last two gold coins. Well, better to go out smiling. He drained the last of the ale and picked up a new one, looking about blearily. Across from him was a new face. A great big half-orc sat at the common table of the bar.

“Cheers, big one,” said Oto said raising his ale to the half-orc. Digging out his last coin Oto looked at the half-orc. “Can I buy you a drink?”

The half-orc looked Oto over for a moment then made a grunting noise. Oto realized it was a laugh.

“Big One,” he chortled, “You are twice my weight human!”

Oto took another swig of ale. “Now hear me, do you know who you are talking to?”

“Clearly not”, laughed the half-orc.

“Otrivush Oto, lately of Candlekeep, wizard second class of the School of Evoca.. Evo.. Evocation,” Oto mumbled.

“A wizard?” The half-orc rubbed his chin. “We might have some work for you wizard, Maybe  I’ll take that drink”. Oto looked at the half-orc unsteadily. Did he say work? Why I never. And then things started to go a little dark.

“Yes - I think I have some friends who would like to meet you”.

A pirate ship appears.

Session 3

As the new adventure opens the heroes are in Neverwinter. Thyrell the drow ranger, Mukah the half-orc barbarian, Alcor the tiefling monk and Talrek the dwarven cleric are joined by Otrivush Oto the human wizard. The group takes a job loading cargo onto a galleon and protecting the cargo on a long voyage at sea.

As the heroes are loading the cargo they are interrupted by explosions in the harbour area. Zombies appear and start moving along the docks attacking dockworkers and travellers and turning them in turn into zombies. A wayward traveler emerges from the mob of zombies and runs toward the ship yelling for help. Oto fires a magic missile at a zombie chasing the wayward traveller but it shrugs it off with little damage. Thyrell retreats up the ship’s gangplank as the captain begins yelling orders to shove off and make sail. Alcor runs onto the ship.

Talrek moves forward and smashes a zombie with his war hammer destroying it. Oto runs for the gangplank but trips and falls in the harbour. Thyrell throws Oto a rope and the wizard grabs hold and is dragged up onto the deck of the ship. Mukah runs for the ship but it is already pulling into the harbour so he leaps and misses the ship landing in the harbour. The rope that was used to pull up Oto is thrown to Mukah.

A large, grotesque creature appears in the zombie horde holding a longbow. He shoots the wayward traveller who stumbles into the harbour. Mukah scoops up the wayward traveller and both are dragged onto the ship.

The arrow that struck the wayward traveller in the back turns to black powder. Turning the man over the heroes see that the man is convulsing and black veins are spreading over his body.

“Don’t give it up,” he gasps and then hands a package to Talrek. Inside the package is a shiny, black rock. The man dies. Moments later his eyes open and he attacks, his hands transforming into huge, malformed claws. It claws Mukah and the half-orc crushes him with his longsword. The body is tossed overboard.

The heroes look back as the ship clears the harbour. The zombies are pushing out onto the docks. The ship heads out to sea.

The ship sails on for several days. One night a thick fog bank rolls in around the ship. In the distance, the sound of water splashing over rocks can be heard. The captain calls everyone to the deck to look out for rocks.

A ship comes unerringly out of the fog and crashes right into the bow of the ship. Pirates come pouring over the gunwales and attack. Oto casts magic missile at three pirates and kills one. Alcor strikes and kills one with his forearm. Thyrell runs one through with his short sword. Oto casts Acid splash with little effect but Mukah strikes down the pirate marked with acid. The pirates start to be pushed back but then another wave of pirates jumps onto the bow and push forward. Oto casts Magic missile again and is out of spells. It becomes a desperate melee and Oto readies his prized quarterstaff.

A fireball flies off the pirate ship and crashes into the galleon blowing a hole in the deck clear through to the waterline. Water begins to rush in. The captain calls to his crew to abandon ship. While engaged in melee Talrek realizes that the pirate is one of the weird black-veined zombies. A commanding voice calls out from the pirate ship.

“Grab the dwarf, forget the rest!”

Talrek is grappled by several of the undead pirates. One of them grabs the package holding the black rock. There is a horn blast from the pirate ship driving the zombies into a rage. The zombie who now has the black rock breaks free and jumps back onto the attacking ship.

Oto moves up to help Talrek swinging his quarterstaff but he strikes Talrek’s shield instead of a zombie and the quarterstaff splinters into several pieces. The heroes redouble their efforts and clear the foredeck of zombies. But the black rock is gone and the attacking pirate ship pulls away and disappears into the fog.

Looking about the heroes see that the ship is awash and sinking. The masts are engulfed in flames. The crew has abandoned ship and is nowhere to be seen. They launch the remaining lifeboat and drift away into the fog. They see the glow of their ship burning and then sinking out of sight.

Otrivush Oto ends up swimming in the harbour