The Ball and Chain from Hell

I settled down and cast a divination. to see how we could free the witch. Unfortunately, it failed. The witch was also less than helpful when we asked what she could cast and what hadn't worked for her in the past. She had attempted to dispel the chain, without success. Her magic was unrestricted except for shapeshifting.

Heavy rain started to fall. We built a shelter to rest for the night; I'd be able to try again the next day. The monkeys brought the witch food. The monkeys also didn't seem to want us to complete our shelter. Brennen & I built the shelter with surprising ease, despite the interference of the wild life. Coincidental or not, the rain stopped as soon as we completed the shelter.

We asked Barclay what he thought he could do. He figured it was worth trying to break it. I asked him to try his hand at identifying the chain. He refused to go alone, so we all went. He was able to tell us the chain was made of Hellsteel. That was a bit of a misnomer; the chain was made of negatively aligned spiritual material.

The next day, I attempted to divine again. I found that it couldn't be removed simply, as a curse. I cast again, asking how we could separate the chain from the witch without killing her. This answer seemed to come from a darker place.

"There are 2 ways to unmake this chain. The one who forged it can unforge it, or a blade or tool must be forged of the same metal to break it."

Barclay didn't know how to make the metal. We'd need to figure out how to create the metal, and then find a smith that could do it. The A'aloss worked with mystical substances, so we might be able to find a smith there that could make it. Alternatively we could try journeying to O'ritan to find the wizard that bound the witch.

Robert was eager to leave We struck a deal on the organs. He told us he would probably clear 1,000 gold on it, and offered us 400 gold up front. We accepted the deal, and split it between ourselves & Barclay.

Shatain also asked Barclay about contacting Ezekiel. He didn't think he could contact Ezekiel from the island, but if we sailed out a few days he should be able to do it. This seemed a good first step before taking a longer journey to O'ritan or A'aloss.

We looked back at the witch. She was poking a finger into the orb. She looked up, and suggested I divine whether the necromancer that made the chain was the same that was helping General Isador. It was a good question. The same dark voice responded with a simple yes.

The witch told us she thought her best course at this point was to drop the ludstone into the orb. She needed to inspect it from the inside to figure out how to fix it. She believed she could get back out when needed.

She was also comfortable continuing to examine the orb while we went to see if we could forge a weapon to break the chain. We returned to the woods, heading back to the town. In a sick twist, we weren't attacked by any monsters, but the insects and brush were far thicker than we remembered. It took a full day and night to return to down.

In the gloaming before dawn, we reached the clearing around the town. On the horizon, we could see 2 ships. One was burning. I cast my senses out onto the waves; I couldn't get all the way, but I could get close enough to tell the ship on fire was ours. There were several longboats in the water.

Behind us, we heard a familiar hail. Saigarn was back, with most of his youngsters. He told us the adventure had been a fine one. The missing A'aloss were in the town infirmary, recovering from their wounds. He didn't want me to heal them, but he did ask if I could make sure their wounds wouldn't kill them. They had to experience the pain of combat. I was happy to do so once we figured out what was going on with the ships.

Within a few minutes, the longboats were close enough for me to see them clearly with my extended senses. There were 6 longboats, 2 from our ship. The other 4 were Ku Rog vessels. Each longboat held about 10 people, and the groups were exchanging missile fire. The Ku Rog were likely attached to General Isador's army; he was known to have an excellent spy network. Regardless, we would need to kill the Ku Rog and take their ship if we wanted to leave the island.

We had about 5 minutes before the longboats reached the shore. I quickly went to the injured A'aloss. Saigarn revised his opinion; he wanted me to get them up & fighting in case they were needed.

There were only 2. I healed them first with a burst of holy energy, then directly cured one of them who had a broken leg. We all left the infirmary, and we formed ranks of archers on the beach. The fishermen on the beach hastily picked up their gear and went into town. The rest of the townsfolk closed their shutters and prepared to defend themselves if necessary.

I told Saigarn & Brennen to let me know when they were ready to start firing. I would bless them to help their arrows fly true. The A'aloss had about 30 arrows each, so we would have plenty of time for aimed fire. We could tell the Ku Rog did have their shields out; they'd been taking missile fire from the other longboats.

We heard creaking from behind us - the townsfolk were bringing out a catapult. It would still be a little while before they were ready to fire. It was very obviously pointed at the Ku Rog vessels. Once the closest Ku Rog boat was about 160' from shore (and the farthest away at 220') we prepared to loose.

We noticed the 2nd Ku Rog longboat seemed to have a human captain at the fore. He appeared to be wearing armor. We recommended to Barclay that he focus on that boat. He was ready with fire & lightning, though waiting for the best time.

We changed our plan - Brennen, Shatain & I all focused on the human among the Ku Rog. Shatain & I missed. Brennen made a direct hit, hitting the human in the chest. He was still standing, and in fact snapped the arrow off and dropped it into the water. Brennen fired his second shot at an orc, but it skipped off of armor. The Ku Rog moved their shields to the front, protecting the rowers. The human was pointing towards us and gesturing or giving commands. The A'aloss made 2 hits. Barclay loosed a magical ball of fire at the 2nd boat, doing 16 to most of the orcs on that boat. The human didn't seem fazed as the flames washed over him.

I dropped a burst of holy energy on the 2nd boat. I penetrated something's spell resistance and did 13. Some of them made their saves, but most of them took full damage and were blinded. A fireball came from the 3rd boat and hit our lines. The 4 of us got out of the way, but many of the A'aloss didn't. Everyone who failed took 30. Brennen fired a moonforged arrow at the armored human, and hit for 16. It still didn't seem to affect him. His 2nd arrow killed another Ku Rog on the 2nd boat; they were down 6 now.

Shatain fired at an orc on the 1st boat. She hit for 16, taking one of the rowers out of service. Brennen spotted the mage on the 3rd boat with 2 arrows for a total of 23. I channeled a burst of healing energy into us, healing everyone for 23. The A'aloss, back to full strength, fired at boat 2, killing 2 more rowers. The ship stopped. The armored human turned to the remaining 2 Ku Rog, who were barely alive, and commanded them to keep rowing. Barclay fired a lightning bolt at the ship with the mage, and appeared to kill him.

Shatain fired at the rowers on the armored human's (the captain) longboat, but missed. Brennen fired and killed one of them with a hit for 24. The captain sighed, took the rower's place, and started rowing. Brennen's 2nd shot killed the other rower. The captain sighed, and pointed at the shore in a clear threat. He maneuvered his longboat to jump onto another. I channeled more healing energy into our ranks, healing everyone back to full. We saw the mage's body flop out into the water as the rowers rid themselves of dead weight. The A'aloss fired again, hitting a few Ku Rog on the first boat.

Brennen fired at the first boat, but missed with both shots. Shatain fired at the first boat as well, but missed. I shot and hit 1 of the rowers on the first boat for 7. The townsfolk fired their catapult, clipping the first boat with a ball of flaming pitch. It ripped off a chunk of the longboat, and set it on fire. The Ku Rog started abandoning it. The A'aloss fired again, picking off 3 rowers on the third longboat.

Shatain fired at the third boat, picking off a rower with a hit for 7. Brennen fired at the third boat as well hitting 1 rower with a critical hit for 23. It killed a Ku Rog that had just dropped his shield to take up an oar. Brennen hit with the 2nd arrow for 15, killing the 2nd replacement. I fired, but completely missed. The A'aloss loosed again, killing 2 more rowers. There were only 2 rowers left, and they seemed to be stripping off their chainmail; they were getting ready to swim back to the ship. The captain had boarded the 4th boat, and it continued towards shore. It seemed it was a bit against their will.

Shatain fired at the 4th boat, hitting a rower for 6. I fired but missed. Brennen fired, hitting a rower for 13. The 2nd arrow hit as well for 8. The A'aloss fired at the 4th boat as well; only 1 hit. Saigarn hit 1 as well.

Shatain fired at the 4th boat, and killed a rower with a hit for 7. I fired but missed. The captain appeared to have acquired a crossbow. He couldn't tell that Brennen was the most accurate archer He fired at Shatain, hitting for 6. Brennen fired at boat 4, hitting a rower for 11. His 2nd arrow hit the same rower critically for 21. The rower was alive, but wasn't rowing. The A'aloss & Saigarn fired, peppering the 4th boat as well; another rower died.

Shatain fired at the 4th boat, hitting a rower for 5. I conjured a spiritual hammer, which attacked the Captain and hit for 3. I caught the Captain by surprise; he caught himself from falling off the boat. I couldn't tell what happened, but it seemed a gust of water knocked him off into the water. Brennen fired at the 4th boat; the first arrow hit for 11, the 2nd arrow missed. The A'aloss & Saigarn attacked; Saigarn hit with 2 arrows. The rest missed.

The 4th boat was now close; 40' away. Brennen hit a rower for 9, but missed with the 2nd arrow. I hit the Captain with my conjured warhammer critically for 12. I fired an arrow at the 4th boat, hitting a rower for 7 and finishing him off. Shatain fired and hit for 6. The Ku Rog on the 4th boat returned fire; 3 of them had crossbows. They all missed. The A'aloss all missed. Saigarn hit with both his shots.

The boat was at the beach, just 10' out. Shatain fired an arrow, killing another Ku Rog. The 3 Ku Rog fired their crossbows again. 1 fired at Shatain, but missed. Another fired at me, hitting for 7. The third hit an A'aloss for 1. Brennen fired 2 more arrows, hitting a Ku Rog for 13. The 2nd arrow hit for 14. I shot a Ku Rog for 24, killing it. My hammer missed the Captain. The A'aloss hit with 2 arrows, Saigarn hit with 1. Another Ku Rog fell. The longboats with our crew were just reaching the shore, with our Captain.

Brennen fired again, fumbling the first shot, but hitting with the 2nd for 13. One of the Ku Rog that hadn't been hit took that shot. My hammer missed the Captain. My bow hit a Ku Rog for 10. It was the same Ku Rog that Brennen had hit; he sat down in the longboat. The A'aloss dropped their bows and picked up their melee weapons. I dropped my bow and took up my warhammer and shield. The remaining 4 battle ready Ku Rog got out of the boat and rushed the beach. The A'aloss elbowed forward. Shatain bluffed one of the Ku Rog, but missed, scraping the Ku Rog's shield. 2 of the A'aloss were hit by the Ku Rog, taking solid hits.1 of the A'aloss hit the 4th Ku Rog.

Brennen attacked a Ku Rog with a 2-handed power attack, but fumbled. A Ku Rog took advantage, hitting him for 8. A Ku Rog attacked Shatain, hitting for 10. Shatain bluffed him in return, and hit with her longsword for 19. One of the A'aloss took a critical hit from a Ku Rog, and went down. I healed everyone for 11 with a burst of holy energy for 11. My spiritual warhammer struck the enemy Captain for 12.

The A'aloss attacked, getting in a few hits. The Ku Rog were looking pretty beaten. Shatain struck a Ku Rog for 18, killing it. The A'aloss almost looked offended at losing the killing blow. My conjured warhammer missed the enemy Captain. There was nothing for me to hit. Brennen attacked a Ku Rog with a 2-handed power attack, hitting for 14 and killing it. The last Ku Rog was completely surrounded by foes. He dropped his weapon and surrendered; the A'aloss groaned in frustration and were only kept in check by Saigarn. The Ku Rog was quickly stripped of armor and weapons.

My spiritual hammer missed once more and blinked out. Shatain asked the Ku Rog prisoner what their Captain was. The Ku Rog told us it would be the death of us. I placed a sensor underwater, near where the hammer had disappeared; the enemy captain had been moving towards the friendly longboats.

Our remaining crew was on the beach now, and very happy to see us. Our captain praised our quick action, and was effusive.

The water was murky, but I saw a glimmer of movement. The enemy Captain was 40' away from shore, moving in. He was walking across the reefs, which were very difficult to traverse. I imbued our cold iron weapons with good; Shatain chose to use her longsword.

The enemy Captain started coming out of the water - it was Galdeon, with a longsword at the ready. We all cursed, but got ready to face the undead.

Manticores and witches and chains, oh my!

As the days counted off, approaching our destination, the hold became almost unbearable to stay in. It was unnaturally cold, and we didn't feel very welcome. There wasn't much we could do about it, so we started rotating guards more often to minimize our exposure. After a few more days, we were more fully feeling the effects of the exposure. We all felt sick, and looked ill.

About 2 days from the island, the crow's nest called out that a ship had been spotted approaching us. The A'aloss identified it as one of their ships. On the upside, they did not engage in piracy; however, they could still attack us. The captain put up signal flags, and we received a friendly response. We passed close to each other, within about 100'. The A'aloss crew looked beaten up, and they were coming from the direction of the island. The ships were not willing to stop to exchange news.

Saigarn was willing to ask the ship about news as it passed. They didn't communicate well; all Saigarn could really tell was that they said they were haunted. He asked if they needed assistance. They didn't respond, other than to repeat they were haunted. They continued without stopping. The captain was happy to let them pass; he didn't feel we needed to take on any more troubles.

The next 2 days passed quietly, though we weren't sure how much more we could take. That night was cloudless, with a full moon. In the middle of the late watch, we heard the call of "land ho!" There was a lighthouse atop cliffs, the highest point of the island. The rest of it was relatively flat; maybe 3-4 mi across. There was a small, shallow harbor with a town. There were fishing boats but it was relatively undeveloped. There was no dock that would fit our ship.

As we came in and set anchor, we saw the lighthouse appeared to be built of shining white marble. The captain told us this island had originally been a prison island for O'ritan, but they had abandoned that projected centuries before.

The captain told us to get on with our mission once dawn came around. He told us he would stay as long as he could, depending on available supplies. We were given a dinghy, and rowed into the town. There were a few fishermen at the docks. Despite its poor appearance, the town seemed perfectly normal. The fishermen were friendly, waving and asking for news (though many continued about their work.)

There was a lot of mixed races; humans, A'aloss, a few half-elves, etc. Everyone seemed to get along pretty well, and most were friendly. Shatain spoke to some of the fishermen to see what could be discovered about the witch. The first fisherman he spoke to just shrugged and sighed; he told Shatain that many people sought the witch. She was hard to find. Many people said she was on the beach, or at the center of the island, just about everywhere. The fisherman pointed us in the direction of a shop in town where they might have good information.

We sat down with the fisherman. He told us that most of their commerce was subsistence fishing. Frequently though, ships came in and dropped off adventurers seeking treasure. The fishermen were happy to help us find the valuables on the island - for a cut of course. Shatain told him we weren't seeking treasure, just the witch. The fisherman told us he wasn't sure what to tell us. The witch wasn't known for helping people. Looking at our ill appearance, he asked if we were in need of healing.

We decided to head to the shop - called Adventure Town. The salesperson was very keenly interested in any new arrivals. He told us that the island was used for special prisoners. Contrary to popular belief, at this point the island was just a prison for the witch. The salesperson, Robert, could show us to her for the small fee of 100 gold.

Because of the enchantments to contain any prisoners, the island attracted a wide variety of magical beasts. Most adventurers came to hunt them, and then sell their kills for gold. Saigarn took the A'aloss crewmen out into the wild for an adventure.

We took Robert up on his offer, paid his 100g, and bought a week of rations for each of us (at 1 gold per day of rations.) Barring anything unforeseen, he expected us to be at the witch's residence by the end of the day. Robert was dressed in leather with a few weapons; dressed for skirmishes, not full combat.

However, it wasn't long before we ran into something. A few hours into our hike, we ran into a manticore. It was about 40' down the trail when we saw it. It was gnawing on the corpse of something when it looked up at us and roared.

The manticore flew spikes at us from its tail. 1 hit me for 7, 1 hit Shatain for 6, 1 missed Brennen, and 1 hit Barclay for 8. It then lifted off into the air. Robert fired at hit, hitting for 5. I called a hammer of spiritual force, which attacked and hit for 4. Shatain fired an arrow, hitting critically for 18. Brennen fired his bow, hitting with 2 of his 3 arrows for a total of 13. Barclay summoned a staff from thin air, and fired a bolt of lightning at the manticore. It didn't dodge, and took 21. The manticore fell out of the air, smoking.

Robert warned us the manticores rarely traveled alone. I knew the organs were our best catch - heart, liver, kidney. Robert had killed hundreds of animals, and offered to carve it up and preserve the pieces. We could negotiate prices later. We were fine with that, since we weren't terribly interested in treasure. Shatain & I watched for companions while Brennen watched Robert work. Unfortunately, Robert was cagey and Brennen really couldn't see much of the extraction.

Robert commented we were lucky it was a female; the males tended to be larger & more aggressive. Just as he spoke, we heard a roar and saw a larger manticore flying in. I fired my bow, hitting for 5. Shatain fired next, but missed. The manticore was flying directly into us, and loosed a volley of spikes. They hit me for 13, Barclay for 8, Brennen for 13 and Robert for 11. Brennen returned fire, hitting with 1 arrow for 6. Robert missed with his short bow.

We started to feel the effects of the poison - everyone made their save but Robert. We'd need a little more time to get it out of our systems. Robert drew his longsword and moved forward, but missed the beast. Shatain couldn't bluff it, but still hit for 9. I hit it with my warhammer for 9. The manticore struck back, hitting me with both claws for 11 and 15. It missed with its bite; I couldn't take advantage, but Brennen & Robert did, hitting for 7 and 6. Brennen attacked with his axe, 2-handed, hitting heroically for 11. He missed with his 2nd strike. Barclay struck with a bolt of lightning. The manticore managed to avoid the worst of it, but still took 10.

Everyone was able to avoid the effects of the poison, except for Barclay. He was looking pale. I healed myself for 30. Shatain bluffed the manticore, and hit for 26. Brennen attacked with his axe again but missed with both swings. Rob hit with his longsword for 4. Barclay sent a wave of arcane missiles at the manticore for 12. The manticore struck back, attacking Shatain. It hit with both its claws for 10 & 14; the bite missed.

Robert shook the poison off. Barclay started to. Shatain feinted the manticore again and struck with her longsword for 24. The manticore died.

Barclay overcame the poison. I healed everyone with holy energy. The first was for 6, then another for 16. That just left Shatain still injured; I healed her up with another spell.

Brennen watched Robert extract the venom sac from the manticore's tail, but couldn't tell how Robert did it. He was pretty sure about how (though he didn't know it was completely wrong.) Brennen was able to determine how the organs were extracted, however.

As we continued our march, Shatain asked Robert about the witch. He told us she was believed to speak common, but people didn't mostly come to her to ask questions. She was also known to have a... less than conciliatory attitude.

After a few hours of marching, we reached a small, round hill. It was very symmetrical; obviously man-made. At the top was a 6' high stone table. The witch lay atop it, completely naked. She was a A'aloss. As the only person who could see over the lip, I respectfully asked if she could help us.

She asked if we'd traveled far, and suffered many hardships. After we answered in the affirmative, she told us to ask our question. I held up the orb, and asked if she could repair it. At her request, I told her what we knew about the orb's history.

She asked what we could do for her in return. I said we didn't know much about her needs, but we were bold and creative. She turned, and showed us where a magical chain was embedded in her back. It was attached to a small stone that lay on the table. The table itself had a low rim around the edge; just enough to not move the stone over.

She told us the stone was a magical stone that could not be moved from the lowest point it was set on. The chain could not be broken. We could conceivably move the stone for her, but that wouldn't be good. She told us that Oritan had implanted the chain. She'd won an argument with an Oritan wizard, but in the process left him crippled. He went to his homeland, and later returned the favor.

At my request, she let me examine where the chain was implanted. The last link seemed to circle her spine. Removal would not be easy, but her freedom was her price for repairing the orb. We showed her the orb, and she told us it would take time to study.

I attempted to identify the chain, but failed. Brennen studied the metal; it was definitely not any metal he'd seen. The surface was both rough and smooth. It had not been mined or forged. I then used my knowledge skills to learn about her bond to the chain.She was a very powerful druid. The chain appeared to be a living creature. If for example I was looking at her soul, the essence of the chain would be the opposite of hers.

This was definitely necromancy. Oritan did not care for necromancers; this chain might have been forged with the assistance of Emilgar.

The devil's in the details... and by details I mean orb.

All the sailors eyeballed Valdrys when he boarded the ship to work his spell. The captain asked us several times if we were sure we could trust him, as the shaman gathered together a small zoo of insects and other animals. After calling the spirits for about 20 minutes, he told us it was done. If a demon came out, it would be very confused. There wasn't any daylight, but it would be enough for us to get the drop on it.

He told us enchanting our weapons would be very quick if we waited a few days for the full moon. We agreed, and after another somewhat unsettling ritual, our weapons were ready. The shaman bid us farewell.

We entered open water, and arrived at S'Oritan after 2 weeks with no more demonic attacks. The captain switched out the crew again. When we asked, the captain told us we were entering magical waters. Some of the sailors simply wouldn't go, so we took on new ones that were a willing to take a little more pay.

The new crew was a bit strange. Everything about the way they ran the ship was a little different; it was driving the captain crazy, even though everything was done well. We sailed for 10 days without any demons.

On the 11th day, the Captain announced we were crossing into the magical zone. We were warned to be especially careful; strange things tended to happen out here. On the 12th day, with Brennen watching the orb, something different did happen.

The man in the crow's nest with the orb suddenly screamed and clambered down the mast. Brennen had his bow ready, watching for anything. The area around the orb was getting darker. I came on deck to assess the situation. The darkness grew to a 10 foot inky radiance. Everyone was pretty creeped out. All the sailors were performing little rituals to hopefully protect themselves.

I arrived on deck. I conjured daylight on the tip of one of Brennen's arrows. He fired at the mast, pegging it in above the bag with the orb. We saw feathery black wings unfold as the darkness dissipated. A black humanoid in full plate stood in the crow's nest, with a big, black bow. It was an Erinyes, a powerful devil. Its bow & arrows burst into flame as it searched the deck for a target.

Acting quickly, I grabbed as many of Brennen's arrows, including the Sunforged ones, and made them good. Brennen fired 3 arrows, hitting with 2 (1 critically) for a total of 40. The image of the devil blurred, turning into 9 images covering the sky. Shatain fired at one with a normal arrow, and one of the images disappeared. He called to the crew to fire at the devils. The crew didn't have any projectile weapons, but the guards ran below decks to get their crossbows.

Shatain fired another regular arrow, but missed. Brennen fired 3 arrows, killing 2 images. The last arrow missed, flying far off into the sky. I smote the demon with a burst of holy energy, hitting it for 27 though none of the images were dispelled. It was also blinded, as it failed to resist my power. The devil returned the favor with an unholy burst, well enough to hit us despite its blindness. Brennen & I resisted the damage, only taking 11. Shatain took the full 22 and was sickened for a round.

I struck the devil again with more holy energy, hitting it for 23. It was still blinded. The devil attempted to summon allies, but failed. Brennen fired his bow again, destroying 2 of the images and hitting the devil for 8. Shatain fired an arrow and dispelled another image.

Only 3 devils were in the sky now. Shatain fired again, but missed. The devil vanished. 2 of the crew looked up - the demon had teleported high up into the sky.

I took the opportunity to heal us all. Brennen raised his agility, and I blessed us all.

The devil reappeared, and hit me with 2 arrows for a total of 24.

Brennen fired his bow, dispelling 1 of the images and hitting the devil for 9. The devil died, and sank into the sea. It was about 120 feet from the boat, and none of the sailors would go after it. We had hoped to salvage the bow, and possibly some of the Sunforged arrows.

We hauled down the orb and inspected it. The crack was more distinct. We decided to take the orb down to the hold. We rested, and thankfully nothing else came out that day.

The night was different. The room got frosty, and a shadowy demon appeared. It was confused. Shatain attacked with her short sword, but missed. I brought up a spiritual warhammer, but it failed against the demon's magical resistance and disappeared. Brennen hit the demon with his axe, hitting for 28. The new weapons were quite good.

Shatain attacked again, hitting with her short sword for 28. Brennen struck with his axe for 12. The demon died, staining the floor of the hold black.

The next 3 days and 2 nights passed quietly. The last night however, another demon decided to try its luck. The room went frosty, and a demon appeared.

We got the drop on this one. I struck it with my warhammer for 8. Shatain hit with her short sword for 27. The demon broke out of the confusion, and started avoiding the light. It dropped through the floor. As it started to run, we all struck with attacks of opportunity. I hit for 24, Brennen hit for 13, and Shatain hit for 19. The demon died before it could disappear into the sea.

The next morning, we arrived in a port, and had to swap our crew again. We landed in A'aloss - the warrior elves. This would be a hard recruitment. I offered to go out to find crew. I polished my breastplate, and made sure all my weapons were hung, battle ready. I was half A'aloss; I fit in pretty well though I wasn't trying to be one of them. Brennen & Shatain stayed back with the orb.

We noticed a large Ku'Rog boat in port next to us. Our crew ran to it, seeking passage out.

I asked the dockmaster where we could acceptably recruit for crew. He recommended the taverns, none in particular. The first tavern we went to was pretty rough. So was the next one. The third was a little better; I decided to start there.

I settled down at a large table, and bought a round of drinks for the patrons. I talked about our mission; we were going to small island off the north coast of Selvesia. No one at the table really wanted to go, but they all had nephews, sons-in-law, etc. that they thought should go. One of the elves said he would go along to shepherd the younger A'aloss. It would take a few hours to a couple days to gather everyone up however he would join us on the ship, the Fairwind, in an hour or so. His name was Saigarn.

I purchased a cask of A'aloss wine from the barkeep and made my way back to the ship. I let the captain know about our successes. Saigarn joined us a little later with his kit. We introduced ourselves. He seemed happiest to meet Brennen. His gaze over the guards was scornful; he growled to Brennen in Dwarven that they were green.

Shatain & I went down to the hold to guard the orb. Saigarn went with Brennen to find arrows. Saigarn guided him to the finest smithy he'd seen in a long time; it was set into a hillside with carefully built forges and perfect airflow. The A'aloss had learned their craft years before from the elves; they'd learned well.

The smith appeared younger, but all the A'aloss seemed young. The smith was impressed with Brennen's weapons, but disappointed that Brennen hadn't made them himself. After coming back to consult with us, Brennen bought a few Sunforged arrows, and several quivers of high quality arrows for us.

Over the course of the next 2 days, while waiting for the young A'aloss, we acquainted ourselves with Saigarn. He was happy to teach us the language, and I helped the younger A'aloss with Common. I showed Saigarn the orb, and told him about the crack. I also warned him that no one should be near the orb with gems. He took good care to ensure none of the A'aloss had anything like that.

The A'aloss worked well on the ship, and they learned Common very quickly. Learning A'aloss was different - everything was in the details. It was a very complex language. Their culture was strongly focused on war; the language was really a highly developed battle jargon. When they weren't learning language, Saigarn was keeping the kids working at a fever pitch. They were doing easily 3 times as much work as they needed to, but it kept them out of trouble.

This included a guard watch on the orb with us. On the first night, a demon appeared. The kids looked a little concerned.

This one wasn't confused, but breaking the spell took all of its effort. Shatain successfully bluffed the demon, and hit it with her short sword for 32. I hit with my warhammer for 8. Saigarn attacked with his sword, and hit. He didn't do much and stepped back. Brennen attacked, but failed critically.

The demon started to retreat, sinking through the floor. Shatain hit it with her short sword for 17. Brennen hit for 9, killing the demon.

Saigarn was a little surprised that we had no problem killing it. We told them about the properties of the demon. Shatain loaned him the moonforged, ghost touched longsword. Saigarn said he knew the sword.

Saigarn told us he'd traveled with General Isador, and was part of the company that named Galdeon Swiftblade. We told him about our conflict and fight with Galdeon. Saigarn waxed a bit philosophical, pointing out the circle of action that brought him to us.

Saigarn then told us General Isador sought the orb so that he could live eternally. Isador was feeling his age, and wanted to live to see his dreams fulfilled.

Over the next month, we slew many shadow demons. The cargo hold was mostly black, and had developed a permanent chill. The captain kind of liked it; it was a good place to store perishables. We had many conversations with Saigarn and continued learning the A'aloss language. We tried to get the younger A'aloss involved as much as possible. They rotated staying near me with a bucket of 50 arrows so I could align them quickly in the event of a more serious encounter.

One night, the hold went dark instead of cold. Another devil. Brennen swung and hit once, for 11 after its damage reduction. Shatain attempted to bluff, but failed. She also missed with the short sword. The devil hit us with a burst of unholy energy. Brennen & I made our save and took 11; Shatain failed, took 23 and was sickened. The A'aloss were mostly neutral, so they took some damage as well. I aligned the bucket of arrows.

Shatain bluffed the Erinyes, and hit with her short sword for 22. I struck with a burst of holy energy for 17. It was able to resist, so it wasn't blinded and only took 8. Brennen hit for 13. The A'aloss fired; 1 hit for 8. The Erinyes teleported to the back of the room, 20 feet away and out of melee range. The Erinyes fired at Brennen 3 times, once critically for a total of 39.

One of the A'aloss hit the Erinyes for 4. I healed Brennen for 40. It attacked Brennen again, hitting 3 times for 39 again. The devil then teleported, but we weren't sure where. Brennen told the A'aloss to go up top, warn the crew, and find the thing.

I healed Brennen twice, for a total of 60, bringing him up to full. Shatain and the A'aloss got on deck; it was dark and stormy. They couldn't see anything, but the A'aloss divided up the arrows and tethered themselves.

I heard a scream from the Captain's cabin. I conjured daylight on my holy symbol as we all charged over. Shatain was first to the cabin, bursting in to see flapping wings and the Captain poorly fending it off with a sword.

Shatain flew across the room, clearing a table and jamming his sword into the devil's neck, killing it with a blow for 31.

Everyone gathered on deck and I healed everyone with channeled energy.