Savage Tide Session 1

copying here from other forum as backup - session report from my Pen and Paper Savage Tide Campaign

The party left Thyatis City on the Rose of Tel Akbir, sailing south over the Sea if Dread past the Thanegioth Archipeligo to Sasserine, on the northern coast of Davania

A week into the voyage, a passenger named Thanti Sparrow held a meal for the other passengers, to share the cuisine and culture of his home. The drink was drugged, and a recent addition to the crew attempted to subdue the party. He was fought off, but then the party was called to the top deck to find it ablaze. Attempts were made to put out the fire, only for strange fish-like humanoids to climb aboard and try to abduct crew into the sea. A large dark tentacled shadow was also seen passing under the ship. The boarders were repelled, but at the loss of four crew. When the ship had recovered, Thanti explained that this must have been staged by followers of Zargon, an evil cult that rules his home city of Cynidicia, somewhere in the deserts of Ylarum. Thanti was hunting several Zargonites that had recently left the city, hoping to find out what they are up to.

The ship sailed past the Thanegioth archipelago, large ominous beasts visible in the waters and skies in the distance. Further south, nearing the nation of Ochalea, other merchant vessels were also visible on the horizon. One ship came towards the Rose, sailing at suprising speed, and bearing a red skull and crossbones. These were the pirate Sea Reavers of the Crimson Fleet, who in the lady six months had started troubling the waters of the sea of Dread. The party spotted a secretive passenger, Santino Morella, a strange human with a red tingeto his skin, signalling to the pirates, who broke off their pursuit. But as the Rose has changed course into choppier waters to flee, the ship lurched and a crash was heard from below. Santino disappeared below decks, quickly followed by the party. Screams coming from his cabin, they found him killed by several magical effects in a cabin teeming with strange misshapen rats. The rats demonstrated a range of magical abilities, but seemed less interested in the party than they were in another crate across the room. The rats killed, this crate was found to be full of red orchids, two subtly different species, growing in a red-tinted soil. Two barrels were also found in the cabin to contain red clay, in which had been placed large biggest of a red metallic ore. An amulet belonging to Santino was made from a similar metal, and contained a vial of a strange red liquid.

Making port in the Azure district of Sasserine, the party bade farewell to the other passengers. They agreed to meet Lavinia Vanderboren, who said she had work for them if they were interested. She also agreed to look after the barrels of clay/ore and the crate of orchids. They party found room and board at the Bent Goblin inn, where the innkeeper Fazackerly mentioned a few detials of the city - and also the fact that Lavinia's parents had recently died in a big fire in their ship whilst in the harbour. They hurried to see Lavinia, who had already been informed of the news. She explained she needed the party's help in accessing her parent vaults, the doors of which are tied to a specific signet ring. The only remaining copy of the ring she knows is on board her family's ship, The Blue Nixie, hidden in her father's cabin. However, the ship has been impounded by the harbourmaster for unpaid fees, and some of the harbourmaster's men have taken the fee but are refusing to hand over the ship. Someone needs to go and recover the ship, find the ring, and help Lavinia access her family's fortune from the vaults....