Sixth Session (9 page pdf) – “Dark Wings Over Riddleport” – The celebration grows toward “Project X” levels but is interrupted by a sinister old guy with a “message” from an old enemy. And raven swarms, don’t forget the raven swarms.
The pirates are partying, and voodoo loa Mama Watanna shows up and possesses a bar maid for some Sindawe ravishing. But part way through, everyone’s cypher glyphs burn…
In a very anime-style turn, a cloaked old guy at the head of the dock turns out to be a crazed shadow raven supernatural killer (special CR11 advanced vrock named “The Messenger” from Green Ronin’s “Dark Wings Over Freeport”). The party erupts into chaos as partially incapacitated members of many potentially hostile power groups leap to arms amidst darkness and confusion and raven swarms (“unkindnesses,” technically). Ah, I love being a GM.
He keeps generating swarms of ravens, which threaten all the partygoers. Pirates with swivel-guns and Sindawe with a potion of fiery breath are some of the few things that hurt them (swarms, the ultimate threat in all 3e-derived games). After a big fight they kill him, though Serpent gets his staff all shadow-infected (a little “thank you” from K’Stallo, aka “The Serpent Man Formerly Known As Elias Tammerhawk”). In fact, Clegg Zincher and Akron Erix are the ones that really did most of the killing of the Messenger himself, which really enhances their local rep! And their status with the PCs – they’ve been ambivalent about whether Zincher is “a stand up guy” or “that guy we really want to kill.”
So – return to party!
Finally, having blown out Riddleport as much as one can blow it out, they return to the sea to seek Piracy, Wogan’s sister, the head of Elias Tammerhawk, the rape-murder of the Stormdaughter, and whatever’s messing with Sindawe’s people. What’s the chance all those plot threads are related? This is D&D, so 100%!
Geek Related 