4.10.2011

18. Escort Mission

A lot of stuff happened.

Irving discovered that the only way to remove Jarmangle's cursed mustache was to cut it off, but they could not locate Jarmangle.

Tralamin and Irving put in bids in the Hodam Mayoral election. Some goblins came looking for Ugblar's rings, and the group lied to them, claiming they didn't find the rings.

Melany talks to the group, sans Tralamin, about Tralamin's recent suspicious behavior, including soliciting assassins to kill Melany. Irving tries to pass it off as one of Tralamin's quirks, but assures Melany that they'll prevent anything bad from happening to her.

The group set out to escort Leesa and her sister, Hank, back to their father's homestead in the Bell of Harvest. They took a contingent of whores, a supply of booze along with them, and the dragon they had arrested along with them.

They came across the ruins of an Ettercap village, and two of the orcs that had slaughtered that village. They fought and slew the orcs and discovered battle plans that implied that Bergris's pirates were working with the orcs against the gnollish tribes.

They stopped at Kobold Pocket and dropped off the dragon as a replacement god for the kobolds.

Steering clear of both the orcish swamp and the gnollish woods (where, um, the dungeon master had all sorts of adventures, traps, puzzles, and skirmishes planned), they swung around the coast and headed east to the Bell of Harvest. They caught sight of some pirates, preparing to attack the gnolls. There was some talk of what, if anything, the group should do, and they finally decided to warn the gnolls.

Arriving at the Bell of Harvest, Irving, Tyne, and the whores went into the center of town to try and ply their wares. The others escorted the two girls back home, only to discover that their father is one of the richest cattle-barons on the Bell. When they later tell Tyne this, she's much more interested in Leesa, and runs off to propose marriage. Leesa accepts, and her father plans an elaborate wedding to take place in a month's time.

The group discovers that Robyn has been writing books under a pseudonym about their adventures, and that the achievements of the others are minimized to a large degree. Irving cautions Robyn not to reveal the truth about Tralamina's identity, and Robyn agrees.

That secret is endangered when Tralamin(a) attempts to seduce Leesa's sister, Hank. Hank shares her sister's desire for the opposite sex and is horrified to discover that Tralamina is male. Later that night, she runs to the inn where Irving and the prostitutes are staying and blabs about it. The whores, who have had their suspicions, blackmail Irving in order to keep it a secret. Irving agrees to raise their salaries when they get back to Hodam.

The next day, Irving, Tralamin, Robyn, and Feer go to check on the gnolls and discover that the pirates and orcs cannot find them. When they are about to head back home to Hodam, they are met by an hysterical Leesa. Calming her down, they discover that a group of pirates, likely working for Tyne's father, have kidnapped Tyne.

The quartet mug some pirates and disguise themselves, stealing onto a pirate ship where Tyne is supposed to be held. The ship heads for Bloodpurse Isle with the group on board. They try to break into the brig and are interrupted by some suspicious pirates. A battle ensues, but the pirates quickly surrender. Investigating the brig, they discover it to be empty.

Heading on deck, they find the pirates quickly abandoning the ship. A dense fog overtakes the ship, and suddenly, all of them fall unconscious.