The party’s journey through the Dragonheart Isles, with the end goal of reaching the southwestern reaches and its capital, the Grand Bazaar, wasn’t without severe danger. They ran afoul of pirates, monsters and, eventually, the most powerful naval force in Atlium. All en route to a trial that would bring to light the sins of the party’s past. And make them pay for them.
- Hannah as Myana, female Alswain, chosen warrior of the Lord of Glory
- Kim as Fyra Prima, female Escosian, wielder of flames
- Logan as Kietas de Drasqus, male Ivandrian, true son of Brightfall
- Alex as Lhion Sylvaranth, male Elsydian, bladesinging war veteran
- Ryan as Dobryy, male Jandalian, privateer-turned-spellsword
- and Mitchell as Gilan, male Ivandrian, entertainer and swordsman of strings
The Context
Myana, Fyra, Kietas, and Lhion set sail from Brightfall shortly after Feydrun, only a few weeks after the Battle of Brightfall, when they ousted the Enclave’s soldiers and took back the capital of Ivandria. Unfortunately, Alraste saw the rage for revenge that had driven him sated, and said his goodbyes and left the party, heading his own way, to find his own place. For the others, their destination was twofold: The Grand Bazaar, the largest trading post in the Dragonheart Isles; and Nin, Myana’s hometown. So, with goodbyes behind them, they boarded a ship captained by Eve, an old friend of Myana’s, which took them as far as Slumber Cove, a trading post city of dwarven control, built within the walls of a sea-accessible cove.
It was here that they found Dobryy, a trusted privateer who worked on a ship that had sailed the Dragonheart Isles many times before. Though the captain was suspect and… a little crazy, they saw it as a chance to get quite a bit closer to their intended destination. During a night here, they also met Gilan, a bard who was more than willing to go anywhere that wasn’t here, though with his own way of being… convincing to those who needed it. They became fast friends, and with a party now of six, took to the seas once more.
It wasn’t to be, though, as the newly-hired navigator double-crossed the ship, guiding it just off-course enough to end up near Ozahr Bay, a pirate capital of the Dragonheart Isles, defensible enough that it was safe from any major naval attacks. Here – through magic, subterfuge, and careful planning – they ingratiated themselves in the piratical society, doing their best to blend in and survive for the time being. Of course, it became obvious they were no mere lackeys and caught the eye of Captain Wallace, who enlisted them as members of his crew.
The Story
As a show of appreciation for the work that the party had put in at Ozahr Bay, Captain Wallace made sure they were initiated into his fleet. The intent was for them to the vanguard of the Drowned Hen, the first ship that would be leading the charge. The target? The Anne Royal, a massive Astorian ship that was transporting extremely valuable cargo. The exact manifest was never made clear to them, but Wallace (or his underlings) had come into that information along with the route it would be taking to reach Barcelagos. So the ambush was planned.
In the seas of the very southern reaches of the Dragonheart Isles, the battle began. The Drowned Hen charged the Anne Royal, with the party being the first to board. The ship was taken in quick time, with little resistance. Until the Astorians unleashed a fire djinn to push back the pirates. The battle was hard-fought, tested Lhion’s fears, but the party was victorious over the elemental. They then led the charge below deck, finding dead crew members, seemingly preferring death over the rest of their lives under the thumb of Captain Wallace and his drowned, undying crew.
While the Accordance Code boarded the Anne Royal, the party was already below deck, searching for the manifest and hunting for what turned out to be a reinforced door, riches beyond their wildest dreams behind it. The manifest listed gems, other valuables, and well over a hundred thousand gold worth of Astorian coinage. But among the money, they found a pink and white, glowing chunk of stone. A fey stone. Magic in its purest form, a chunk of magical energy from the fey plane itself. Upon smashing it, the one who does so would be granted extreme powers – good or bad. After much deliberation and arguing, Dobryy took the fey stone and smashed it, as the one thing they all agreed on was that it couldn’t fall to Wallace. He was granted the power of knowledge, an absolute, elaborate answer to any one question. A gift he would hold dear and keep to himself for a long time.
Meanwhile, above deck there was an attack, with the Four Swords of Astoris, their four naval flagships, bearing down on the battlefield. Wallace, through his own mind-reading capabilities, knew of the party’s scheme and lack of dedication, instead abandoning them to their fate. He took the Accordance Code and ran, while the Drowned Hen was still tied up to the Anne Royal. Though eventually able to free themselves and begin their own escape, the Drowned Hen was in no shape to escape such powerful ships, and would be hunted down in short time. The Blue Dawn stayed with the damaged Anne Royal, where they captured the party and some other pirates that boarded with them.
They were taken as prisoners to Barcelagos, a fort-town in the furthest reaches of the Dragonheart Isles, where they would be put on trial. Now, Astoris as a country exists as a power for two reasons: Naval structure and knowledge. So they knew already that Myana did some less-than-great things during the Battle of Brightfall. But it was a fair trial to determine severity of punishment for all those that sailed under Wallace’s flag.
So, one by one, they sat before an independently-hired interrogator, and were asked to give detail to a number of questions. As they did, they told their stories of what had happened. A panel of Astorians took notes and, after the depositions were completed, compared them. Finally, as they all sat in a holding cell, sentencing was read out: Fyra was deemed justifiably innocent, as multiple witnesses spoke of her intent and willingness to heal and help the injured in the wake of the Anne Royal attack. For Lhion, much of the same. Gilan was not even around for much of it, and as such was seen as ‘caught in the crossfire’, so to speak. For Dobryy, he was given an immediate sentencing of innocent, but with requirement. He had stolen the use of the fey stone from Astoris, and as such would be called on to use it for their means when the time came. Kietas, for his role in the attack, would be required to apologize and make reparations to next of kin in Barcelagos for any of the civilians on the Anne Royal that fell during the attack. And Myana, she was seen as something else. The knowledge of her hand in the Battle of Brightfall, the decisions from there, her position as the face of the group, and the belief that much of what occurred could’ve been orchestrated back to her, she was found as guilty of war crimes, piracy of the highest degree, and many other misdemeanors. After a quick goodbye, she was to be sent on the Blue Dawn back to Dormund, the capital, for proper sentencing.
Except that wasn’t what happened at all. Her memory was modified so that she would believe that’s what happened, if only for as long as she was with the rest of the party– but for Astoris, she was now a double agent. She knew more of Wallace than almost anyone, worked with many people he seemed to trust, and agreed to help Astoris take him down once more. She agreed, but knew that she would need allies to complete this venture.
Her designated handler, Jeremiah, who once masqueraded as the first mate of the Drowned Hen, escorted her back to Brightfall, where she would meet up with many of the party’s allies. With her hellos and goodbyes quick, she brought with her Ambrosia, a drug dealer and powerful mage that had become an ally of the party; Silas Amory, a member of the Colours of Freedom who was saved from Somerwind Manor; Abhaya, a powerful monk who was also saved from Somerwind Manor; and Francis, one of the guards that the party kept on after taking over the island.
Returning to Ozahr Bay, the plan was for her allies to blend in, ingratiate themselves once more within the society, but with the intent to stay for the long haul this time. The only weakness they ever observed was the consistency that each time Wallace landed, he would go inland for some reason. A reason they later discovered was to speak with a young girl he called Zed, apparently having her power siphoned by his patron, who seemed to exist in this small lake just as it did in the minds of all those who feared it.
Finally, they set up the plan and put it into action– Francis would cause disruption on the docks, Abhaya poisoned the Makajin of Callis Surge Fort, and the others would go in for the attack. And an attack it was. Not prepared, the ambush went well until it didn’t. Wallace called forth his eldritch patron, who instead turned on him, dragging him into the depths of the small lake he was worshiping at. Though the ambush succeeded, it cost Jeremiah his life, which struck a cord with Myana.
With haste, they took what they needed and headed quickly to make their escape, while the riots were ongoing. They spent much time trying to survive, hopping from island to island, until eventually meeting up with Astoris once more. Finally reaching Dormund, Myana told them everything that happened. The fall of Captain Wallace, the loss of Jeremiah, the unrest of Ozahr bay. Though it cost her a dear close friend, she was at something resembling peace for the first time in a long, long time.
The Aftermath
Myana was able to return to Brightfall as a free woman with a (fairly) clean conscience. She took up a relationship with Ambrosia, while also raising the young girl Zed, who they were both too afraid to let go, for fear of what would happen. And together, they operated an enchantments shop, happy to live out the rest of their days. Until Myana was needed once more.
For the rest of the party, Kietas did his best to pay his reparations, apologizing to those who he indirectly caused harm to. Dobryy would have his debt forgiven, as he eventually used the gift to help save someone else, far in the future. They ended up meeting a woman, Chantel, who seemed to be an implement of religious fervor, and she assisted them during their travels throughout the Dragonheart Isles, though as much a fish out of water as they were.
And eventually, the dreaded truth of Wallace’s demise came to light: He didn’t die at all, only slowed by some strange attack. And unfortunately, he would end up standing directly in the way of one of their ultimate goals.