Player Characters:
NPC's:
Previous Episode: Voyage of the Cursed Dawn - S03 E02
With another piece of the legendary Atlas waiting somewhere on Sarpedon Island, the Shopkeepers set sail aboard the Sandsnake, accompanied by Captain Barbossa and their new Gungdikidiki allies. Their intended destination was the southern reaches of the Arvenian Isles, from where they could continue toward the island of Danu Medusa. Unfortunately, Cain Vaelen's navigation proved less than reliable. Instead of reaching the southern islands, the crew found themselves sailing into the northern Arvenian Isles, far from their intended course. They eventually arrived at Flamingo Wharf, a settlement in the north, where an unexpected encounter awaited them. The party was welcomed by Lord Minamoti, a powerful local nobleman. But for Cain, this was no ordinary introduction. He recognized Minamoti immediately. Lord Minamoti had once been Cain's master, back when Cain was a war slave. Despite their troubled history, Minamoti greeted Cain warmly, speaking kindly to him and expressing an interest in bringing him back into his service. He invited Cain to accompany him to his estate, where they could speak privately. There, Minamoti revealed that he knew more about Cain's past than Cain might have expected. Cain's father was James Vaelen, while his mother was Ann Arthanan III, a member of the royal family of Eras. This made Cain far more important than an ordinary former slave. Cain was the grandson of the King of Eras, and the kingdom's only heir. Minamoti's friendly welcome concealed a far more sinister intention. He had no interest in genuinely helping Cain. Instead, he planned to use Cain's royal bloodline to demand an enormous ransom from his grandfather.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Shopkeepers were experiencing the hospitality of Flamingo Wharf. The locals offered to dress the visitors in traditional clothing, presenting it as a friendly introduction to their culture. But something was terribly wrong. The inhabitants were not what they appeared to be. They were shapeshifters, changelings capable of stealing the appearances of others. One by one, the party members were deceived, captured, and imprisoned. Their captors assumed their identities, creating perfect copies of the adventurers. While the real Shopkeepers were locked away, their doubles were free to impersonate them. The party eventually found themselves imprisoned within Minamoti's estate. Realizing they had been betrayed, the adventurers began planning their escape. They managed to break free from their cells, but their captors had prepared additional security. Two enormous monsters guarded the prison, standing between the party and freedom. A fierce battle erupted as the Shopkeepers fought their way through the creatures. Red Flint got a finger eaten by one of the monsters. After defeating the monsters, the party discovered another chamber hidden deeper within the prison complex. Inside, they found Abby. She had been chained up and connected to a sinister magical apparatus designed to drain her of her arcane energy. As the living Sands of Time, Abby possessed extraordinary magical power, and someone had been exploiting that power for their own purposes. The machine had been slowly sucking the magic out of her. The party freed Abby from the apparatus, but the damage had already been done. She remained unconscious. Despite their efforts, Abby would not wake up. With Abby in their care, the Shopkeepers made their way back toward Minamoti's grand estate, determined to confront the nobleman responsible for their imprisonment.
But when they reached the mansion, they discovered that their troubles were far from over. Waiting outside stood a group of familiar figures. They looked exactly like the Shopkeepers. Same faces. Same appearances. Same identities. Their changeling doubles were waiting for them. The real adventurers stood face-to-face with the impostors who had stolen their identities, while Abby remained unconscious and the true extent of Minamoti's plans was still unknown. A confrontation was inevitable. Session ends.
Next Episode: Voyage of the Cursed Dawn - S03 E04