Session One Hundred and Forty-Five Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 145, July 19 2023

Introduction

We continue at 3:00PM on the 2nd day of the Winter Holiday (00.000.08.34 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party having arrived at the west coast of Curmidden after avoiding DVLs and escaping the Winter King's realm. Upon reaching the ocean, the group meets a cheerful fisherman named Enzo who appears to live alone with only occassional contact with the nearby native islander villages. Unfortunately, he only has a small rowboat that would not be appropriate for crossing the seas between the islands of Curabel. He is willing to treat the party to a fish fry dinner and a safe place to rest, though, before they make their way south down the coast to where there may be larger ships. Is Enzo trustworthy? Will the group find a ship down the coast? Where is that friendly fish that Peronell's divination predicted? Maybe we'll find out, maybe we won't. Fisherman Enzo. Kauri's mask reveals Enzo as more real.

Larry's Summary

Enzo heads to his hut and gets together some food, assuming you want to stay, you could get a head start down the coast.

We can talk after dinner. I go out night fishing. I recommend you stay away from the surf line, there are dangerous things out there.

Some gather firewood from the edge of the jungle.

Enzo indicates where to drag it to to start up a good sized bonfire.

Thorfus uses spyglass to look at Enzo's hut.

Velkin moves close to try to listen. But the sound of the ocean drowns out anything that might be there.

It is a very small hut. It is raised a bit off the sand and a bunch of junk under it and around the sides.

Enzo brings rods with fish out to where the bonfire is.

Thorfus scans the coast to the North and out to sea and then back to the South.

Thorfus picks out a small island hazy in the distance on the water. Just a rocky islet.

Enzo plants poles leaning over the fire. Dusts off his hands. Yeah, this will be good, nothing to do but wait. Let me put a kettle on.

He brews his own personal tea.

You can keep gathering wood if you want. You're good for the evening?

Druul you don't need to burden us further with your excellent hospitality.

It's no problem. I plan to go fishing after we eat.

You can't reach Shem even if you travel through the night.

You probably don't want to march down the beach in the dark.

Druul it's so quiet near here.

There used to be a village a bit SE of here before you get to the metal thing that blew up.

Born there and grew up there and travelled the world.

Thorfus doesn't think he looks like the other villagers from there.

Didn't get much from Montoans out this way. I traded with Shem and Hizzou.

I've heard stories of troubles but there don't seem to come this way.

Druul plays his lute and concentrates on growing dill and basil. He wants to see the reaction of Enzo.

Enzo has 3 cups so we can share. He gets a pipe out and then notices the green shoots coming up.

He pauses packing his pipe. He watches with a long stare and sees the growth happening and says "Hmm."

Druul gathers it up and gives him the herbs.

That's a neat trick are you a wizard. I was blessed by the old entities of the world.

I thought maybe you were islanders coming to trade or maybe pilgrims heading out to Saints Island. Just a little rock on the water, and old shrine. It used to be more popular, for a while I used to give trips out there.

There are some statues, more of a landmark than anything.

When's the last time you saw any pilgrimage to the island. Years? At least a couple years.

Is it far off? Would you be willing to take a couple of us?

I wouldn't recommend doing it at night, it's pretty much a big rock.

I can take you in the morning. Not even a half hour round trip, unless it's all of you.

I may regret this depending on how fishing goes tonight and how it affects my mood.

Coin if you want, it's all the same. Don't get much trade, but I can probably do something with coin.

Don't overdo it. My experience is too much coin and that's when trouble finds you.

I don't travel much. Come to me or I don't worry about it. Maybe a luxury next time.

Druul asks who would be best to talk with in Shem. He doesn't know names. They are mostly straight shooters. They have a council of elders that run the place. When any outsiders come, they have to run things by the elders. I guess I'll warn you about that.

I've heard rumors of those coming from Shem that they deal with pirate types. They don't come up this far. Pirates or not, some ships come to Shem on occasion.

I think it's about ready and starts gathering up the fish. He piles it on a larger platter, but doesn't have many plates.

Feel free to use your hands. He is a voracious eater, but there is plenty.

He eats more than anyone, even Philomanthraxus.

He says, While I'm out tonight, I'll give some thought to the whole ship thing. Not many ships up here or visitors.

I did see something, what was that. I will think about it overnight, but we'll see what this old head of mine can dredge up out on the water where I can think.

He asks us to clean up the feast so he can get on with his fishing.

Enzo overhears. It's not much of a shrine. It's just a bunch of badly weathered statues. I think there's four or five of them. They kind of look like people sometimes, but never move. Not an interest of mine.

He invites us to sleep in his hut.

Thorfus uses his spyglass to watch Enzo to keep an eye on him.

There's a good bit of light, so can probably see him.

He loads up with lobster cages, nets, and lines. Pushes into surf until hops in and starts paddling out.

It is slow going until gets to deeper water.

Philomanthraxus says Enzo is definitely not a dragon. He's not human, but he's not what he seems to be.

Even without the mask he seems to have a liveliness to him.

Kauri has difficulty expressing. Everything looks clear, but there is a crispness to certain things. Him and some other things like the shards. But he's a person, not a chunk of rock.

Kauri looks around the hut to see if there is anything. It is a one room hut and nothing special.

The inside has crates and shelves for containing the mess.

There's even more fish hanging from the rafters.

Velkin asks Peronelle if the reading could be fisherman? It should be a fish. I mean, we did have some good fish for supper.

Thorfus sees the nets get tossed, but it is all mostly shadow. Unless he lights something, it will be tough to see.

Velkin asks one of the crustaceans how long Enzo has been here. Oh, uh, before I was born.

Does he just go out in his boat and go fishing? Uh, sure.

Ever see anyone but him around? No.

Druul starts playing again and is thinking about the boat on the water to see if can get an indication from the Mothers. He plays a bit and some sprouts poke out, but nothing he can make sense of as a message.

Velkin goes to the tree line to look up and down the coast out to sea and back towards Old Greybeard. He uses his spyglass.

Other than our fire, it is really dark out here with no lights anywhere.

Thorfus would guess he is about 3/4 of the distance to the rocky islet.

The most wounded among us sleep in the hut, the rest outside the hut. We let the fire go out.

First watch nothing occurs.

Ozymandius joins us after Enzo leaves.

Thorfus watches the sea with his spyglass and sees the boat out there. Renthark watches the trees.

Velkin and Peronell also split up watching seas and the jungle.

Velkin asks what she thinks of Enzo. I don't trust him.

I don't think he's telling us everything. I don't think he's dangerous or means us ill. I've talked to Lambertus and others out here. It was constant fighting. I don't know how this one guy is out here.

Ozymandius pipes up. Enzo is a good guy. I heard him introduce himself. How long has he been here?

Velkin asks Ozymandius to fly over the boat. He comes back and says, yeah, he ain't out there. The boats there and there are fish on it. Maybe something ate him.

Lambertus & Philomanthraxus finish out the night and wake the party after sunrise and that Enzo is back, pulling his boat on shore.

He comes up with a bunch of fish. I've gotta get these hanging and then we can be out within the hour.

I've been thinking a little bit. It was weeks, months ago, they were saying there was a ship caught on a sand bar. It was abandoned. Not sure of its condition.

Heading to Shem will be your best bet on the West coast anyway.

4 or 5 of you that want to come with me to the island.

Velkin offers to help hang the fish.

There's an altar or a bowl for offerings. The statues just look like a group of people hanging out.

Velkin, Thorfus, Druul, Kauri, and Peronell. Thorfus is invisible.

Velkin helps Enzo push past the surf.

Velkin lets the medallion from the buried ancients fall out of his shirt. If Enzo notices, he doesn't comment.

Velkin - You said there were dangers in the waters. Sharks, the fish people. They got bored and wandered off. I heard they gave Shem some trouble, but they wandered off. I had a fish talk to me if you can believe it. A few years ago in my head. I didn't see it. Some questions and moved along. Like I said, peaceful around here, troublemakers don't stay very long.

We can see the figures. There are four of them. Can't make out much detail.

Enzo gets as close as comfortable. Not very deep here. I'll just anchor here and you can go poke around.

4 weathered, worn statues in the center of the rock. There is a small altar with a flat top and two legs, all stone. Nothing on it. The altar and statues are plain, no features. 4 humanoid figures looking at the altar. There is no bowl, very low to the ground.

Velkin scans the statues for seams or anything that stands out.

Thorfus stands in midst of the statues and looks down at the altar with a bit of a depression filled with water. The altar is a flat slab and two slabs underneath. Thorfus scoops out the water and puts a gold coin in the depression under the altar.

Velkin uses a mirror and a continual light coin to see the underside of the altar.

It is a dedication, he thinks. In ancient common. "Feldma's shrine, protector of wisdom's dying light."

Velkin feels around in the little depression and moves the gold coin to see if there is anything beyond a smooth surface. As feeling around he knocks loose something.

Looking at it, as holding it in fingers it melts and gets gummy. It is a fleck of wax.

Enzo calls asking if everything is alright? Druul - Yes, just taking a look at the scenery.

Thorfus takes out a torch and uses a sliver and lets it burn out and nothing happens. Also on top of the altar is uneventful.

Kauri says there was that altar near Old Greybeard when we met Felix at the pond.

Velkin puts some blood on the altar.

Peronell is checking out the perimeter of the island.

Kauri doesn't see anything with the mask.

Kauri takes the crystal from Lungmold and lays it on the altar. Then takes part of torch and walks behind statues and lights it. Then tries to stand just behind, light it and see if anything happens and asks for Velkin's spyglass. Stand in front of me and aim it towards the crystal. Velkin says, I've got a magnifying glass blessed by Britta. Velkin tries with magnifying glass to focus the sunlight, but the torchlight isn't strong enough light.

Kauri has Velkin try to magnify a continual light coin and it works better.

Thorfus tells the others to ask Enzo what time of day do others come here.

Velkin asks about a certain time of day. A lot of them want to overnight it.

We ask Enzo to bring us back before sunset.

Velkin asks about the DVLs and he seems to have no idea. Velkin mentions he's not from another plane and Enzo said, are you?

Enzo sets to repairing nets and does not take any rest. Caspar goes over an helps him.

We wander over as a group he is glad to have us pitch in. More hands, more work. Caspar her is a deft hand.

Velkin asks him if he knows what's going on outside this area. No, I haven't had visitors.

Velkin gives him the overall with the magic gone, DVLs are out. I saw the fire streaking across the sky. I was wondering about that.

That's fixed now, right, I saw your magician friend doing magic (meaning Druul).

So you're trying to find a ship to get away? No to go and try and find allies.

Velkin mentions the doomsday clock. We're seeking allies to prevent the destruction of all life on Medeia. No fish, that wouldn't be good for me. The rest of this, pointing towards the jungle doesn't matter to me. But those devils, they don't sound friendly.

Velkin we're hoping to see if the Mothers can show us something.

The DVLs don't seem to look here. They're looking for people to enslave to build the tower. I don't think I'd like that.

We're pretty sure Montoa's gone. I didn't have much business with Montoans. Maybe some of the pilgrims were mainly.

My old village is gone. They had gotten really weird. They used to come here occasionally, then they didn't then I heard they weren't there anymore.

Were their any survivors from that metal thing. A tree grew up and it had crazy monkeys. These monkeys could mess with your mind too. I can't prove it since the whole thing blew up.

What did the mind reading fish want? He wanted to live around here so I directed him towards Shem.

I love it here, but most people get bored and looks up around beach and ocean. I don't need anything else. Apparently fish have names, I'll have to ask next time.

When I was younger, I went all over the place. I went to Midmark once, didn't like it. Didn't like Vargen either or other villages. Some odd fellas too. A crazy priest lived on a houseboat, did not get along with him. I heard he was a fisherman too, a really good one. Maybe we would have stuff in common, maybe have some tricks he could teach me. That was around the time I decided to come stay here.

He was just going on about Dagon this, Dagon that. I just told him, I'm not religious, he didn't take kindly to that. He insisted it wasn't religion it was a maddening abomination on the sea. Not on the ocean floor over here at the least.

Velkin says, let me show you something. Kauri, why don't you pull out the apocalypse clock to see if it sees him. Enzo nods, that's the doohicky that lets you know if the world is ending.

He squints at it. Not everyone can say they know how long they have.

Did you see a countdown when Xenotel fell?

I didn't have a clock, were there more than one of them?

Velkin sits back and looks around at the group.

Tho I will say, there is that village with the big metal statues all stuck together with a pole and they were stuck to it. Maybe some sort of art thing.

Some village in the jungle. Everything is overgrown. There is an obelisk and stuck to it are these giant man shaped metal things. Not in poses but stuck to it like someone threw them at the obelisk and they stuck to it.

Nobody around to ask what it was about.

Velkin asks Kauri to pull out a map and asks Enzo to point it out. It's here on Curmidden, I don't think it's on this side of the mountains. There was some tower with a crazy wizard, a little guy North of Vargen and East of the little guy's tower. The Skarnwode. It's been ages.

Druul mentions Enzo going out at night. Aren't there dangers out there. Well yeah, but I'm only worried about the storms.

Druul asks if he's seen anything beneath the waves. I do a bit of swimming, but not at night. For a change of pace I will go see what I can get up from the bottom.

It's peaceful here, but I guess it's too boring for other people. Sometimes there are bad storms.

Velkin says Peronell here is an elf. She is an ancient elf. She's not really that old. Velkin asks Peronell if he can tell her story.

Velkin relays how the party found her. So literally ancient. So you were held in a prison where you didn't get old? She explains she didn't sense the passage of time.

Velkin mentions Asmodeus' theory of his motivations with multiple planes.

So this Azmodeus, his angle is that this isn't real? In short yes, there are things that are real and people that are real. The top of Old Greybeard was real. Renthark's sword is real. He glances at it, un-huh, I agree that is real.

Velkin air quote, "more real" than other things. That sounds like you have a crazy devil. Yeah, a crazy devil trying to kill us. Not that he won't manage to kill us all. The bright side he kills everyone and nothing happens and he's stuck here with nobody.

Personally, if I was him and that happened, I could live with it. Not to do that, people have the right to not be destroyed.

I suppose if he shows up I'll tell him not to do it.

Velkin mentions Peronell doing fortune telling about friendly fish. I'd say there's true friendly ones. Sometimes I see the same fish, maybe it's the same fish coming to say hello. Sharks aren't so friendly, maybe just misunderstood.

Thorfus, did you ever meet Carcus? I suppose you mean as a name and not a dead thing. It's a sand shark. I mean maybe I've met him. Does he talk?

Well, if you can think to them.

Druul plays.

Velkin asks if he knows the Parliament of the Birds?

Velkin asks if he ever went very far South, like the cold lands?

I visited some other islands. I spent a week on Crescent Island.

I hated the boring people in my village.

Thought I'd be an adventurer, but that didn't last long.

I thought I could be in a big city as a fisherman, maybe I wouldn't hate them all, but I was wrong.

Velkin - what was your primary skill as an adventurer?

I figured out I wasn't very good at it before I got myself killed.

I almost signed up to help loot an island, but I didn't sign before I got killed.

Druul skims the depths of memory to see if he has heard about Enzo.

A fisherman who left village as a child, no details, did travel around. In the story, he was called Sharkman, because he angered a priest and couldn't stand to live around his people anymore. And something about an underwater cave full of treasure, but no one ever found it.

That's the only story Druul has from Armada about a lone fisherman on a beach called sharkman.

Druul starts singing a song about the sharkman. He actually snaps one of the pieces of wood from too much pressure. Does a little curse under his breath.

Druul subtly transitions into something else.

Velkin asked if he'd ever been to Hdrasta? What's that? Is that the one the dwarves lived and all the adventurer's traveled.

Enzo shrugs, I don't know. I recall there was a place everyone wanted to go to, but it's all picked over, but that was dwarves.

Velkin I've got a question, you've been around a lot. The bracer that came with the great sword. Pretty. See the sockets a couple of them are empty.

This is the kind of thing we're seeking to help defeat Asmodeus. So this is one of the magic things that doesn't work. No, it's a different kind of magic.

I have found some pearls over the years, but traded them all away.

Enzo says if there's stories you need, the music wizard knows a lot.

He thanks for our help with chores, he is well ahead on them with out help.

He has us make a fire and you can eat.

Renthark goes with Thorfus, Kauri, Velkin, and Druul.

Enzo has some candles and Velkin asks if we can have one. Sure, I just collect stuff. I thought they might be useful, but haven't had much use for them.

He gives us a couple of candles.

We pile in the boat past the surf and we soon anchor on the East of the islands.

About 30 minutes before sundown.

Put a portion of a candle in the depression and light it and put a drip of depression and the candle on it under the altar.

Velkin lays the roc claw necklace on the altar.

Druul puts the engraved ring with C.S. from inside his lute.

Velkin puts herbs on the altar.

Thorfus puts his spyglass on the altar.

Kauri puts empty pot for the healing water.

Renthark put stone bracer on altar.

One map of the surface and one map of the underdark.

The sun sets.