Our first night of gaming found our heroes on board “The Outward Bound,” a luxury/cruise/commuter ship on an ocean in a tropical clime. Each hero was on board this ship for their own personal reasons. The heroes, and their class and objectives are as follows:
Robert “Lonewolf” Johnson: a ninja in exile…he is a wanted man for treachery against his clan. His goal in life is to completely wipe out his former clan, and start a new one. Reason on ship: returning to Greyhawk after “laying low” and honing his skills abroad so that he can return to destroy his enemies while they least expect it. Player: Ryan.
Flintlock Jenkins: a ranger and specialized Mountain Man…he lives alone in the mountains, but is fully capable of taking care of himself. He is a hunter, furrier, trapper, bowyer, and has an incredible knack for working with animals. He is fascinated by the hunt, and weapons that use the mysterious black powder. Reason on ship: searching the world for “the big hunt.” Player: Josh
Gnorman Fizzlewig: a gnome who makes a living as a locksmith…but locks are only part of Gnorman’s passion. This gnome loves tinkering (of course!), and would love to open his own workshop one day. Even though Gnorman is highly skilled in a manner that represents a thief, he doesn’t practice much thievery. Instead, his skills make him an excellent adventurer, a fellow that can go where few others can and live to tell about it. Reason on ship: on contract, repairing a broken safe. Player: Jeff
Raena Mistwalker: a half-elven priestess who worships Hanali Celanil, and Sune, while in elven lands. This half elf can often be found in robes of blue. She is a cleric that believes that there is no stronger power than love. She has been on the Outward Bound before, and in one legendary battle, took down a necromancer that was summoning sea zombies to attack the ship. Reason on ship: due to her battle and victory over Zadzarad, the necromancer, she is given free passage for life aboard the vessel, and uses the ship to travel while doing missionary work. Player: Whitney
Nel Abdore: a fierce, half-elven warrior, considered a “savage” by mainland terms. Nel comes from a primitive tribe on a distant continant, but adapts well to other cultures. Her skill with a spear is unmatched, and when in combat she strikes quickly and deadly. Nel’s family are the rulers of the tribe, and someday she will take the throne as queen. Reason on ship: the tribe’s land is under constant attack by neighboring orcs, and to make matters worse, a draught has brought devestation to the crops and land. Nel is on a journey to find a new land for her people to settle. Player: Carissa
While on board the ship, the heroes are approached individually by a woman named Bella, and her brothers: Tethus, Stront, and Torok. Bella wears a blue cotton dress, her brothers matching green shirts and brown trousers. All four have a black carrying bag over their shoulders, that they do not part with. While drinking, fishing, and generally enjoying the luxuries of the ship, the five heroes are asked by the siblings to aid them in a journey. Eventually, for reasons of their own, they all agree. Gnorman, while fixing a safe, finds the order to find the missing Ren Fitsparaleen or Ren O’the Star, head of the trader’s guild of Greyhawk, which gives an explanation for why the Outward Bound is stopping into the resort-like Intook Island, when the ship rarely makes stops for provisions.
Bella’s mission is simple sounding in theory. She wishes help finding family heirlooms lost in a shipwreck. Apparently, the wrecked ship is partially onshore on an island about a half mile off of Intook. The ship, she says, also contains captured pirate treasure that the heroes may have as their reward. Upon arrival at Intook, they are told that only a fool would go near that island, as the men who have returned from there come back drooling idiots, and the women never return. Now we know why Bella and Co. couldn’t do this alone. Finally, the heroes, Bella, and her brothers rent a small boat to take to the island. Ned, a fisherman, doubts the heroes’ abilities, and says he will give them a boat of their own if they destroy whatever evil lives there. Ned’s son, Sam, is one of the “drooling idiots,” a tragedy because Sam was on the rise to be a great politician and military leader.
Upon arrival on the small island, it takes little time for the heroes to find the wrecked ship. As the heroes approach the ship, they hear a beautiful singing coming from the jungle, and can almost feel a desire to go to the source of the music. Lonewolf, getting impatient, performs an incredible acrobatic display with the intention of somersaulting into a large hole in the side of the wrecked ship. Immediately, he is thrown back and toward the jungle. The hole was magically enchanted with a force field that propels any who try to enter into the jungle. Lonewolf was then helpless to the effects of the musical enchantment, and began walking mindlessly to the source. Flintlock, Gnorman, and Nel decide to follow Lonewolf, while Raena stayed on the shore to watch their backs, which proved to be a wise decision.
Bella and her brothers follow the heroes in the jungle, and now their true intentions are known. They wished to use the adventurers to destroy the island threat, then kill the heroes and take whatever treasure they discovered. They are all thieves, and their packs contained weapons and thieving equipment. Raena and Nel kill the thieves with ease. Meanwhile, Lonewolf has entered the home of the island threat. She is a beautiful, evil sirine named Lila. Flintlock watches from the bushes, as Gnorman tries to cut the sirine’s tent with his knife from the rear. The tent’s material would not cut, and its magical properties are exposed. Luckily, Lonewolf’s curse in this case was a blessing. Suffering from a delusional flashback, he breaks free of the sirine’s charm. Finally, all of the heroes, excepting Raena who is watching the beach for further threat, enter Lila’s tent and do battle.
Not only was Lila a sirine, but a sorceress as well! Her use of magic and shocking burst short sword gave our heroes quite a fight, but they came out on top. After slaying the sirine, the heroes examine the tent and its contents. There was a large bed, a dresser, a large chest, and a very ornate carpet on the floor (yes, floor!). Much treasure was discovered here, such as: platinum bars, gold, sapphires, an enchanted evening gown, magical swords, the tent itself, and a magical carpet.
Flintlock discovered a secret compartment under the carpet containing a prisoner, Lila’s latest love slave. It is none other than Ren Fitsparaleen, leader of the Trader’s Guild of the Free City of Greyhawk! The half-elven Ren tells the heroes that if they all get to Greyhawk, they will be rewarded handsomely for his rescue, and perhaps he could hire this group to take on a mission or two in the future. He also tells them that the tent is enchanted, and is an instant, magical home on the road.
The heroes return to the island resort where Sam has been completely cured of his dimwittedness, and Ned keeps his word and gives the boat to the heroes. The Outward Bound continues its journey to Greyhawk Port, and the heroes follow in their new boat. They arrive in Greyhawk three weeks later, as the rest of the sea voyage was uneventful.
