Coast Trip Autumn ’25: Souls for Smuggler’s Shiv, Pt. 2

Last session, The Freebooters broke camp at dawn with the memory of midnight cannibals and a watching presence still clinging to the trees. They pushed south along a gully trail ribboned with old game paths, where a snare they had already spotted sprang anyway and yanked Pacifica into the air. Whatever tripped it fled through the canopy, and a hush fell back over the jungle. Pressing on, they found a streamside skull hut, its walls shelved with polished crania and a waterlogged journal wedged beneath a stump-chair. The fragment told of Thrun’s Fang, a crew gone feral under a zealot named Nathani, a grisly cauldron at a ruined lighthouse, and a “gray, silent island” best left alone.

That night at the skull hut, something with heavy wings skimmed the camp and dropped a desiccated monitor lizard twenty feet away before beating off toward the southeast. Morning brought jerky for breakfast and a plan to arc back toward the boat. On the shore they met a half‑orc figure staring toward the gray island; it turned with eyeless pits and parchment skin. The thing fought like a spore-ridden dead, dropping Pacifica before Yuna’s chant and Jask’s blade finally put it down, the sea tugging at their ankles as they dragged friends clear.

Hunting rations led them to a riverbank wall of viper nettle. Pacifica harvested berries with a pole, and back at camp Aerys’ hands steadied after a dose; she pressed a sheaf of her Abendego Cantos into Pacifica’s arms and found a fast friend. Gelik’s nightly drum circle thumped on while plans formed to sweep the shipwrecks.

A first attempt ended in a scramble off the Scallywag as red‑eyed skeletons rattled from the timbers, costing a grappling hook. Circling the coast by dinghy paid off: they sighted the Brine Demon beached in a northern cleft. Aboard, a captain’s skeleton still clutched a hidden coffer. Inside lay a gold locket, a bone‑handled dagger that gleamed untouched by salt, and ledgers naming corrupt Sargavan officials—exactly what Jask needed to prove he had been right all along.

In a small cove they found a single rude shelter, a Sargavan tricorn, and scarf colors that screamed of Ieana; someone traced We see you in the sand. Farther south, four black monoliths ringed a low stone block with a blood bowl. Pacifica’s cut called down the winged drinker that had haunted their nights; her net grounded it, Puffy put a smoking shot to its skull, and a final cast spear finished the thing. The shrine still thrummed, hinting the island wanted more than a taste.

OUTLINE:

Gully South and the Skull Hut

• Followed a well‑trod trail into a narrow gully; a spotted snare still sprang, yanking Pacifica skyward before the unseen trigger fled through the canopy
• Discovered an abandoned streamside hut lined with polished skulls
• Recovered a damaged journal describing Thrun’s Fang, Nathani’s control, a cauldron at a ruined lighthouse, and a gray, silent island of horror

Night Visitor and Shoreline Undead

• During the night watch, a heavy‑winged creature dropped a desiccated monitor lizard near camp and flew off toward the southeast
• Made jerky of the carcass and moved along the coast
• Confronted a half‑orc figure staring toward the gray island; it proved a spore‑ridden undead that downed Pacifica before the party cut it apart in the surf

Rations, Camp Morale, and Clues

• Pacifica harvested viper nettle berries from a riverbank stand
• Aerys’ shakes eased after a dose; she shared her Abendego Cantos with Pacifica and bonded
• Gelik kept spirits up with nightly drums and panpipes while the party tracked rations and routes

Wrecks of the Shiv: Retreat and Reward

• Attempted to board the Scallywag; red‑eyed skeletons forced a retreat, costing a rope and grappling hook
• Surveyed the coast by dinghy and located the Brine Demon in a northern cleft
• Aboard the Brine Demon, found a captain’s skeleton clutching a hidden coffer with a gold locket, a pristine bone‑handled dagger, and ledgers exposing corrupt Sargavan officials—key to Jask’s exoneration
• In a nearby cove, found a hastily built shelter, a Sargavan tricorn, and Ieana’s favored scarves; wrote We see you in the sand

The Four Monoliths and the Winged Drinker

• Discovered four black monoliths set to the cardinal points around a stone bowl with channels
• Pacifica offered blood; the air thrummed and a winged, vampiric lizard stooped to attack
• Pacifica netted it, Puffy fired point‑blank, Yuna hammered it, and a final cast spear finished the creature
• Poured blood into the bowl; the site continued to pulse, suggesting an unfinished ritual or deeper function

NPCs:

• Aerys: A hard‑edged campmate battling the bottle whose hands finally steadied after a dose of viper nettle. She shared pages of her unfinished epic, the Abendego Cantos, and found an eager reader in Pacifica.
• Captain Avret of the Brine Demon: The long‑dead master of the Brine Demon, found as a skeleton still clutching a hidden coffer. In death, he guarded ledgers that could topple careers and clear a name.
• Gelik: A foppish gnome entertainer who keeps the castaways’ spirits up with nightly bongos and breathy panpipes. His showmanship masks a keen sense for morale and timing.
• Ieana: A missing Varisian scholar from the wreck whose bright scarves and trail of clues suggest a separate camp. Her precise aims are unclear, but she remains nearby and alert to pursuit.
• Nathani, called Mother Thrunfang: A zealot named in the skull‑hut journal who seized her shipwrecked crew and led them into cannibal rites around a cauldron at a ruined lighthouse. Her followers promise a twisted immortality.

ITEMS:

• Bone‑Handled Dagger: A pristine, keen dagger found in the Brine Demon’s coffer, untouched by salt and time.
• Gold Locket: A sea‑worn but intact locket recovered from the captain’s coffer, its secrets yet unopened.
• Ledgers of Collusion: Fat books naming bribed officials and a corrupt captain, the proof Jask needs to clear his name.
• Mantis Dagger: A curious dagger recovered earlier on the island, its design marked by mantis motifs.
• Sargavan Tricorn Hat: A well‑kept officer’s hat found in a lone cove shelter, a clue pointing to recent occupants.
• Silver Letter‑Opener Dagger: A gleaming silver implement fished from the shallows near the Scallywag, serviceable in a pinch.
• Viper Nettle Berries: Glossy red berries harvested from a thorny riverbank wall. Edible rations that also ease tremors and cravings.

LOCATIONS:

• Cove Shelter with Tricorn and Scarves: A hastily rigged beach shelter near the northern inlet with a Sargavan officer’s hat and Ieana’s colorful scarves.
• Four Black Monoliths: Basalt pillars set to the cardinal points around a low block with a blood bowl and carved channels. The ground thrummed and a winged drinker answered the call.
• Freebooters’ Camp: The party’s home base on the isle, where foxholes, foraged rations, and a nightly drum circle hold the line against despair.
• Skull Hut by the Stream: An abandoned hut of driftwood and leaf‑roofing whose walls are ringed with polished skulls. A sodden journal here hinted at cults, wrecks, and a gray island.
• Southern Gully Trail: A narrow, ten‑foot‑wide ravine lined with steep slopes, hidden snares, and the sense of being watched.
• The Brine Demon Wreck: A ninety‑foot wreck wedged against jagged reefs in a northern cleft. Its captain’s coffer held a dagger, a locket, and damning ledgers.
• The Gray, Silent Island: A grim isle visible to the west that draws eyes and nightmares; the journal warned to avoid it.
• The Scallywag Wreck: A shattered hulk haunted by rattling skeletons that drove the party off and kept a grappling hook for their trouble.
• Viper Nettle Grove: A thorny wall of vines and glossy berries along a riverbank. The berries ease addictions and make for precious rations.

FACTIONS:

• Coastal Pirates: Smugglers and corsairs who grease palms and steer wreck‑bound ships toward the Shiv.
• Sargavan Authorities: Colonial officials whose ranks include the corrupt and the compromised. The right documents could topple reputations—or save a life.
• Thrunfang’s Feral Crew: Cannibal survivors of a wreck who follow Nathani, called Mother Thrunfang. They practice rites around a salvaged cauldron and promise a ghastly immortality.

QUESTS:

• Exonerate Jask fully: Carry the ledgers back to civilization and put them before the right eyes to clear Jask’s name.
• Find viper nettle to steady Aerys: Locate and harvest viper nettle berries to help Aerys fight her shakes and keep the camp functioning.
• Recover proof from the Brine Demon: Locate the Brine Demon and retrieve documents exposing corruption that will vindicate Jask.
• Survey the wrecks of the Shiv: Scout and, where possible, loot the many wrecks along the island’s rim while surviving what haunts them.
• Track Ieana’s movements: Follow signs of the missing scholar and determine her goals and allegiances on the island.
• Unravel the monolith shrine: Investigate the four black monoliths and their blood bowl, learn their purpose, and decide whether to complete their ritual.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Jask: A determined seeker of justice, wrongfully accused and hunting proof to clear his name. He waded into danger to pull allies back from the brink and steadied them with healing and resolve. The ledgers aboard the Brine Demon finally put his vindication within reach.
• Pacifica: A pragmatic pathfinder with a fisher’s net and a keen eye for trails and traps. She led from the front, harvested viper nettle with a pole, and kept the team fed and focused. Her quick thinking at the monoliths netted the winged predator and turned a rout into a kill.
• Puffy: A cautious, sharp‑tongued gnome marksman with a knack for survival and timing. He waits for clean shots and strikes when it counts, from foxhole to point‑blank, and never stops watching the horizon for trouble—or opportunity.
• Yuna: A fierce, steadfast companion who married faith to fury, rallying the group with a cutting battle‑chant and a battered club. Yuna stood toe‑to‑toe with the dead and the winged drinker alike, turning grim moments with grit and roaring blows.