Here is my take on what took place this week. If you think that a lot happened last week ... you ain't read nothing yet!
In the aftermath of the fight in the dining room, Callistra (the Hunter) searched one of the bodies, and besides a few gold coins, she found what looked like an amulet embedded into the body’s chest. The centre of the amulet was a shining jewel that looked like an eye ... which went blank when the man died.
She attempted to pull it out ... but it seemed to be attached to the body by vein-like tendrils. Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat) and Ragnar (the Berserker) attempted to help Callistra, and eventually Johnny-Baptiste's knife cut through the tendrils and pulled it free.
Whilst this was happening, Mankare (the Shadowmancer) took the surviving member of the Silamane twins to the infirmary and then returned to talk to one of the remaining Hooded Men in Abyssal. Before he died, the latter claimed that they had won. Mankare then went back to the infirmary, where the surviving twin was being treated by a number of clerics. She was in a state of shock and incapable to talking properly without her sister. He asked her why the Hooded Men were after the amulet, but she only wanted to know about her sister and to see her dead body.
Mankare and the twin returned to the dining room, and she collapsed next to her dead sister and became hysterical. As this was happening, Nordian arrived in the dining room with some guards and begun trying to sort out the chaos. Ragnar approached him and in no uncertain terms told him how useless the ship's security was. Nordian agreed and also agreed to allow all the members of the group to use magic – with immediate effect – and to collect their weapons from the barracks.
In the hope that it would help the surviving twin to cope with her loss, Johnny-Baptiste gave her the amulet that had been taken from her dead sister. Mankare then retrieved it and attempted to examine it. He found that it was a magical, chaotic good amulet, and that its magic related to divination, alteration, and probability.
On the group's arrival at the entrance to the barracks, they are ambushed by a number of Hooded Men. Ragnar was pushed inside and the door was shut behind him, leaving Callistra, Johnny-Baptiste, and Mankare in the corridor. Vale (the Shepherd) – who had by now been released from his gaol cell – healed Ragnar, who then retrieved his axe from the chest it was in. As he did this, Vale conjured up his spirit wolf.
Outside, a confused fight took place. Mankare made a spell that blasted one of the Hooded Men with a ball of darkness, whilst Callistra attacked one of the others with the spear she was carrying. The spirit wolf then appeared through the wall and was ineffectually attacked by one of the Hooded Men ... who Johnny-Baptiste promptly stabbed with his concealed dagger! The wolf then attacked two of the Hooded Men and Callistra pinned another to the wall with her spear.
The fighting in the corridor outside the ship's barracks.
At this point, Ragnar opened the door of the barracks, and with two deft blows of his axe, cleaved one of the Hooded Men in two from his head to his chest. Mankare then reached into his shadow and brought forth two spirit entities who attacked and killed the last of the Hooded Men in that part of the corridor.
Sensing that something was amiss, Bumble (the Stormshifter), who had been sitting with Elandra the historian and researcher, turned himself into a lion and set off to find the rest of the group. He found them in the corridor outside the barracks, and the party went inside and retrieved their weapons. During this, the group overheard a conversation that made it clear that some of the guards knew about the Hooded Men.
Now reunited with Bumble, the group set off for the ship's vault to find a secure place for the amulet. On getting there, the floor outside was covered in dead bodies of guards and guests ... and the vault door was open! Mankare sent one of his spirit entities into the vault, and before it 'died', it told him that there was someone or something inside. Bumble – who was still in his lion form – then entered the vault and saw two Hooded Men in there. He immediately attacked one and knocked him to the ground. The other Hooded Man fired at Bumble ... and missed ... but this allowed the other Hooded Man to try scrambling away. He did not get far as by then Mankare and Ragnar had rushed in and attacked him, pinning the Hooded Man to the floor.
Callistra rushed toward the other Hooded Man, but before she could reach him, he self-immolated by slashing his chest open and crying out in Abyssal 'The Lord is here!'. A great dark light surrounded him, he rose to the ceiling ... and then he was gone, leaving a large black void in his place.
Mankare – assisted by Johnny-Baptiste and Ragnar – attempted to interrogate the remaining Hooded Man, who stated in Abyssal 'All glory to the Titan! He will be reborn here!'. Vale then attempted to psychically link with the Hooded Man ... and he immediately began to have visions of hell and a sunken temple. Whilst this was happening, Mankare and Ragnar attempted to remove the Hooded Man's embedded amulet ... but Vale pleaded for them not to, just as he felt himself being dragged into hell. In the meantime, Callistra began investigating the other end of the vault ... but then the room began to shake as if affected by an earthquake and the ceiling began to crack and clouds of dust and plaster began to descend.
The fighting in the ship's vault.
Suddenly, Vale rushed for the vault door, which he slammed shut behind him. The rest of the group immediately followed him, and after forcing the door open, set off in pursuit. Using the portal to find where Vale as gone, the group suddenly found themselves on the open deck, where they found numerous bodies (including that of the ship's captain and several guards) and ring of acolytes ... including Vale! The goddess in the centre of the ring gradually levitates, and as she rises, she cries out 'The Lord is here!' ... and as she does so, a huge, horned entity rises out of the sea behind the ship. The Titan then smashes the centre of the ship with a huge hammer ... and the ship immediately breaks up, and the group is thrown into the sea, where they drown!
The horned Titan destroying Thinkertop's ship with his huge hammer.
Sometime later, Vale awakes on a beach, where he finds the remains of Thinkertop.
Vale on the beach after the destruction of Thinkertop's ship.
Next to the body, Vale finds Thinkertop's assistant, who is clutching the gold disc that Thinkertop had used to fly about his ship. On Thinkertop's body, Vale finds an hourglass-like amulet, which he takes. Pondering on it, he wishes that he could turn time back by twenty-four hours ... and suddenly Vale finds himself back on the dockside with his erstwhile companions, wating to board Thinkertop's ship!
The group prepare to board Thinkertop's ship ... for the second time!
