Argosy of Blood, Chapter 6

On the afternoon before they set sail, Prospero meets with Xim to talk of matters of sorcerous import. Prospero learns many details of what is to come and gets to know Xim a little better. He also learns that Amen has hastily assigned the war galley Osiris to escort the mini-fleet, not trusting the pirate ship of his enemy, Apollonia, to the task.

Prospero later assigns Hessan and Beowulff Bloodbeard to the task of incapacitating the Osiris wile he goes to the library to study and prepare. On the way, Prospero starts some well-placed rumors that the Osiris is laden with gold and treasure, the taxes of the people of Messantia, and is making way tomorrow with tribute to the Witch-Kings of Stygia. He is hoping the fellonious attention of thieves and rogues will provide a distraction for Hessan's efforts.

Hessan and Beowulff, upon seeing the defenses of the naval arsenal of Messantia, declare a lost cause. They move on, looking for rumors of any treasure they might wish to appropriate on the night before they leave town.

(GM Note- I couldn't pass this golden opportunity up!)

Hessan learns that the Osiris is laden with gold and treasure and is bound for the Witch-Kings of Stygia on the morrow. Somehow forgetting that the Osiris was the ship he was assigned to disable and that he had already declared it a lost cause, Hessan decided to steal aboard the Osiris and liberate its gold and treasure. Hessan enlisted the aid of Athicus for the raid. Athicus was soon made aware by Apollonia that the Osiris planned to sail with the fleet at dawn. Athicus was momentarily confused, but soon figured the situation out and set Hessan straight. The group then used the secret entrance into the Noble's Quarter to find Prospero in the library. They needed his help.

Athicus happened to know of a secret way around the closed portcullises of the Noble Quarter that led onto the quay. The group then stealthily swam from the quay to the arsenal docks and snuck on board the Osiris, which was busy loading supplies for the morning's oceanic journey, silently dispatching the guards at the bow and stern. Hessan, on the bow, and Athicus, Beowulff, and Prospero on the stern, then snuck into the holds below the catapults where the jars of Kothian Fire were kept.

Hessan lit the wick on a Kothian Fire bomb and was the first to cast it down on the deck of the waist of the War Galley from the stern. Meanwhile, Prospero cast a glamour to make himself appear like a vengeful demon. He then levitated all the lit Kothian Fire bombs behind him. Turning to the now startled crew on the deck, he declared "Those who serve Amen will suffer for his sins!" (or something like that) and hurled the flaming Kothian Fire bombs onto the deck.

Prospero, Athicus, and Beowulff then leapt into the river to flee the explosion, where they appropriated a rowboat and began their escape. Hessan leapt from the stern, miscalculated his location, and fell with a slap onto the stone quay. Although he was soon surrounded by soldiers, he managed to jump into the river and swim under the burning war galley. The soldiers then took another rowboat and gave chase. They soon lost Hessan, but followed the other three to a pier on the far side of the river. Athicus and Beowulff hid and ambushed the soldiers on the pier, which were soon dispatched.

Prospero re-entered the noble quarter through the secret tunnel, changed into dry clothes, and returned to finish his studies in the library. The rest of the group sought rest.

Before dawn the next morning, Beowulff awoke to find a note written on silk attached to his bedsheets by a long straight-pin with a blackened tip. The note was unsigned, but was obviously a warning from Amen that, should the party ever return to Messantia, Beowulff's friends would be imprisioned, but Beowulff himself would provide rare treat for the torture artists. The needle was dipped in what was later identified as the venom of the Black Scorpion of Stygia. The un-said message was clear: Beowulff could have been assassinated then, but was left alive.

At dawn, the most unlikely fleet in history, the Acheron, the Styx, and the pirate ship Helios, met in the harbor of Messantia. The great chain that protects the harbor and controls all trade into and out of the river was uncharacteristically raised. Amen stood atop the tower guarding the harbor to observe the departure. He grimly considered the fleet, then personally ordered the lowering of the great chain to let the fleet exit.

The three ships sailed off towards the western horizon on a unprecedented voyage into the unknown.

To Be Continued...