The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestation

The "Year of the Morningstar" Campaign

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DM Theophanies
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The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestation

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///I am going to use this thread to help streamline events that are undergone and make public upcoming events for this ongoing plot. Players are invited to post their stories and experiences in this thread as well.

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Since approximately a month ago, a ghost ship has been spotted off the coast of Ulgoth's Beard, drifting here and there with no discernible path. At times it travels on the tide, other-times not. The fear and discontent this has caused the local villagers has only been magnified by the undead which break loose from the grasp of the ship and stumble their way to shore.

Well known now among the villagers and those whom travel through the small fishing village, a small sect of the Temple of Umberlee in Baldur's Gate have made their way to Ulgoth's. They came to aid the village after the drow raided. They have worked together with the villagers to restore harmony, increase their spirits and overall get things back to normal for the villagers.

The most visible of these are the priest, whom often leads the villagers in a ceremony of sacrifice to appease the wrath of Umberlee. He attributes the Ghost Ship as a sign of Ill Omen to the villagers and encourages them to make prayers and petitions that the Queen might turn aside her wrath from them. Many of the village now do so.

Overall the mood in the village is tense, watchmen steer near the shores for any signs of the cursed ship: the dense fog or sudden rainstorms. Villagers generally stay away from the shoreline, fearing the undead which occasionally make their way to shore, or more recently the naga's whose nest was disturbed by the undead. Many of the villagers do not even leave their homes now, or go out to sea, except a few brave souls on fishing boats. Between the sightings of the cursed ship and the large kraken now also occupying the coast line, many fear to leave the dock, even with petitions to the Queen of the Depth.

The mood in the local tavern, the Bearded Mermaid, is solemn. Set away from the shore, many of the locals come here to drown their sorrows and enjoy what comforts they have to them. Rumors fly of krakens, cursed ships, foolish treasure hunters and brave adventurers.
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Last evening, a few souls whom frequent the small fishing village were able to witness one of the largest ceremonies to venerate Umberlee to occur in Ulgoths. Several of the villagers gathered: men, women and child, to offer a burnt sacrifice to Umberlee. The priest oversaw the ceremony, chanting rhymic prayer after prayer as he tossed each fish onto the hot coals. As the ceremony came to a completion, a dense fog engulfed the shoreline as lightning split the sky and a heavy rainstorm rushed in. As an uneasy tension developed amongst those gathered, the fog appeared to part and the cursed ghost ship became visible to all on the shore.

Panic erupted and quickly esculated as the first of the zombies broke the shore and staggered onto the beach. Villager fled quickly back to the safety of the buildings while magic erupted on the beach as the faithful to Umberlee aided by adventurers fought back against the wave of undead and the naga's which came to surface with them. The intrusion was fought off and the beach again settled into an uneasy silence as the cursed ship drifted on the horizon. Just then an odd thing could be spotted just before the fog collapsed to obscure vision and the ship once again drifted out to sea, taking the fog and the storm with it.

///Small upcoming event coming up for Ulgoth's: Tomorrow 2PM EST / 6PM GMT
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Strife and fear spread through the villagers of Ulgoth's Beard this day as they gathered around the Umberleean priest, seeking any sort of comfort. As he spoke of appeasing the Queen, a loud horn sounded from the lighthouse. The priest sent the villagers off to the Bearded Mermaid and heads down to the beach.

Once again, the fog rolled in followed by the rainstorm. Undead drudged upon the shore to be turned away by the Umberleeans and adventuers. Naga's followed the undead onto shore, threatening those gathered in defense and the village itself.

Shortly after the encounter, some debris washed ashore. Those gathered opened the boxes to reveal fine linins. It was speculated then that the rumors of another kraken attack were true, on a smaller merchant ship.
calvinus
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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A few days earlier, a gnome nick named Fop, a druid named Ivan, a priestess of the Red Knight named Lucy, and a paladin of Helm named Wai Li are seen walking west along the River Chionthar, not returning for a few days time.

((All of the below is strictly OOC except for those immediately involved IC.)): The four, including the renowned treasure hunting gnome nick named Fop, whose previous crews of treasure hunters met horrible deaths, stumbled upon a werewolf infested woods, which caused the brave gnome to wet his pants more than once. After fighting through many werewolves, the four confronted a strange stone tower guarded by large metallic looking golems, which a still pant-stained Fop reasoned their way past. They were then greeted by a creepy gargoyle looking winged creature nick named Home and invited to come and see the master of the tower, Renaldo, a man the group had been looking for since hearing about him from the merchant Meck couple in Baldur's Gate. Renaldo had made a box to protect against the theft of a rare sword the Mecks had shipped from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep about five years earlier on the ship Tymora's Touch, which was soon after never seen under the same sailing name ever again. Renaldo gave the group an audience in front of his many guard golems, clokroaches, and his creature Home and offered to help them produce a gem that would reverse the protections of the aforementioned box, for a price, explaining that the protection was in fact a powerful curse that drowned any thieves of an item contained in the protected box and then cursed the souls of the thieves into eternal undead abominations. Renaldo additionally mentioned something that Lucy only initially understood: that he was currently conducting experiments below ground -- as in on buried dead.

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After payment, he delivered the gem that would reverse the magic of the box to the group, but then was immediately confronted by the group for his necromancy and pollution of the forest by his golems. The paladin of Helm then offered Renaldo a way to avoid violence if he would pledge never to use necromancy again, which Renaldo firmly refused. The paladin then attempted to grapple Renaldo to the ground, but utterly failed, after which Renaldo cast Vampiric Feast, killing the paladin immediately and grievously harming Ivan.


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The battle against Renaldo and his minions was eventually won, however, during the course of which Wai Li was raised by Lucy, and the adventurers left Renaldo's compound after searching it, only to see Malarite werewolves ransack it to ruins and then threaten to hunt the forest region to the last prey as well, now that their numbers would be unculled by Renaldo and his minions. The four adventurers dispatched these werewolves and after failing to attract other such lycanthrops to their location to cull their ranks, made their way back to the Baldur's Gate area and thereafter parted ways, with Fop quite certain that the treasure of the rumored ghost vessel would be his now that a gem able to reverse the protective curse of the box shipped on Tymora's Touch had been obtained, assuming that Tymora's Touch and the ghost ship were in fact the same vessel.

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Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Over the past few days, those whom frequent the city of Baldur's Gate may have come into contact with a jolly treasure hunting gnome named Fluazifop Dippledop. On many of the light poles and sign boards he attaches the following:

Seeking wealth? Me too! Come help this Faerun-renounced treasure hunter plunder the spoils of the cursed ghost ship off the coast of Ulgoth's Beard! I won't pay you but I will promise you a portion of what we find on that ship! My own vessel, the Hardly Flotsam, will arrive at Ulgoth's Beard at the weeks end! Find me there if you dare!

-Fluazifop Dippledopp


///Event will occur on Saturday May 17th at 2PM EST / 6PM GMT starting in Ulgoth's Beard.[/size]
calvinus
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

Unread post by calvinus »

((All OOC for anyone but Wai Li:))

Wai Li sees one of the postings by the renowned gnome treasure hunter Fluazifop Dippledopp (AKA Fop or Mr. Fop) and tries not to frown. She knows that she will need to attend Fop's treasure hunting voyage with the magical gem obtained from Renaldo if anyone is to have a chance of ending the curse of the ghost ship, assuming they even manage to find the ship. She recalls that the ghost ship is most likely to be the lost merchant vessel Tymora's Touch, hijacked by pirates and then renamed and cursed by the magical box that Renaldo supplied to the Mecks to protect their rare sword being shipped to Waterdeep roughly five years earlier on the Tymora's Touch... She hopes for an outcome that rests the cursed souls of the crew of the ghost ship and returns the stolen sword cargo of the Mecks that caused them so much financial burden and grief years earlier. She also wonders exactly who was buying the sword from the Mecks in Waterdeep and why he requested so evil a box mechanism of magical protection of the sword being shipped from Renaldo.
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Rejoicing can be heard throughout Ulgoth's Beard as the villagers celebrate the sinking of the cursed ghost ship and the defense of the village against the undead that followed. Rumors spread of some whom braved the deep to visit the Naga nests and others whom recovered some sort of ancient sword. Even more terrifying are the rumors of the kraken and the roll it played.
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Rumors circulate along the Coast, accompanied by somewhat scandalous whispers. In addition to the stories if the ship, the kraken and the undead attack on the sleepy village of Ulgoth's Beard, it is said by some that a group of paladins and other similarly aligned folk, namely one Wai Li, the Druid Ivan and several others, were seen leaving the village in the midst of the undead onslaught, with the said cursed sword in tow. The town was left to be defended by a ragtag group of treasure hunters and ruffians.

In more seedy establishments, more details leak out. Namely, that the do-gooders seemed more interested in keeping the sword out of the reach of the followers of Umberlee, and seemed to show more concern over the sword than to the immediate future of Ulgoth's Beard. Perhaps worst of all, it is said that certain individuals were overheard suggesting the village be left to its fate, and a ship taken straight to Baldur's Gate, avoiding offering any aid whatsoever. Luckily, it did not come to pass as such, but such actions are portrayed as less than valiant amongst certain circles.
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

Unread post by Aelcar »

Returning members of the group that left the shore after defending from several Undead waves tell a sketchy story of what happened yeserday to the people of Ulgoth's. The adventurers led by "the Paladin Wai Li, the Druid Ivan as well as other similarly aligned folk" came up with a plan to dispose of the threat constituted by the Ghost Ship and its undead cargo.

The watchmen and the resident fishermen (before running away from the shore) witnessed the group splitting in two, some going directly underwater with a sort of incredible magic employed, and the others leaving on a rowboat, intent on some kind of courageous boarding of the phantom vessel.

After several hours, both groups came back, weapons in hand and armors battered. The ship was sunken, but the remaining Undead began attacking the shore. The returning adventurers and the newcomers defended the front from the Undead waves, until an even larger force was spotted at the village gates.

Given the situation was under control on the shore, a large portion of the group left for the gate, before the watchmen were overwhelmed by the large number of undead combined with the lack of walls or chokepoints to defend. The returning adventurers describe a large number of Walking Dead, coming wave after wave and attacking all along the river Chiontar.

After disposing of the threat to Ulgoth's and the Farmlands as well, some of the defenders came back to find Ulgoth's safe, the attacks faded with the first morning light.
Aelcar Lightbringer, Knight of the Merciful Sword: Disappeared after the victorious defense of the Gate against The Blight.

Olath M'elzar Valshar The Black, The Phantom Wizard: Retired Steward of the School of Necromancy and former Eye of the 7th Circle.
calvinus
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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Upon escaping the ghost ship with a number of adventurers with the curse of Tymora's Touch/Foul Plunder/Ghost Ship lifted and the ancient sword artifact contained in the chest made by Renaldo aboard the ghost vessel recovered, Wai Li was very doubtful about returning to Ulgoth's Beard noting the circumstances (elaborated on below)... She was also quite disappointed that one of her companions, a gnome named Rico, had foolishly opened the cursed chest on the vessel and released a deadly drown spell killing Rico and incapacitating some of the other adventurers present.

The sword had pleaded with Wai, speaking directly to her mind, not to be seen by the church of Umberlee. As a result of this communication by the weapon and her recognition of its dangerous power, Wai Li's initial inclination was to go to the Temple of the Shield of Helm in Baldur's Gate and to bypass all risk of Umberlee devout seeing the weapon in Ulgoth's Beard, seeing also as the town was being defended already by a capable contingent of adventurers that she could see from the Gnome Captain Fop's vessel parked near the Ulgoth's Beard Shore, and then to send Helmites to aid Ulgoth's Beard additionally upon reaching the Gate. It appeared that the watch of the town was adequate and so her landing ashore in Ulgoth's Beard at that time with the sword in hand would only serve to endanger her duties as a Helmite and paladin to guard extremely powerful items such as the artifact weapon from falling into the wrong hands. Why assist a town garrison that seemed to be adequate only to risk losing a weapon to Umberleans or other nefarious sorts that might be powerful enough to destroy nations or entire civilizations, she reasoned. The Gnome Captain Fop, however, refused, and instead threw overboard row boats and shouted that he would return to Ulgoth's Beard to mop up the mess he felt he caused. Seeing as voyaging first to Baldur's Gate was impossible, Wai Li also returned to Ulgoth's Beard via row boat, and upon disembarking fought back undead assaulting the town from the watery depths where the ghost ship sank with other adventurers present while trying to keep the powerful sword artifact inconspicuous and just between her, Ivan, Aelcar, Crow, and a few others who already knew of it.

Seeing the situation still covered for by the capable contingent of adventurers she previously saw from just off shore, she pleaded with a few of the adventurers to help her to whisk the powerful sword artifact away to Baldur's Gate. Before leaving, she gave one adventurer remaining behind 5000 gold pieces to appropriately help aid in the defense of the town. On the way to the Gate, the party slew many a drowned undead along the way, until they reached the city gates. After some lengthy deliberation, the party decided to secure the sword in the Temple of the Shield of Helm in the Gate, temporarily, until a safer and more permanent solution for the weapon could be decided.

Upon seeing the sword artifact in safe hands for the moment with Watcher Valdore at the Temple of the Shield in Baldur's Gate, Wai Li penned a letter by courier to all Helmites that she knows of associated with the Temple of the Shield, Duchal Lands, or on loan to the north from Amn to come to the aid of Ulgoth's Beard, hopefully not at the cost of aid to Farhill, which also recently sought aid from Helmites in the north. Wai Li is still quite disturbed that an inanimate sword actually spoke to her and told her that under no circumstances should the weapon ever fall into the church of Umberlee's hands. Also, the sheer feeling of power of the blade is beyond belief, easily the most powerful artifact she has ever come into contact with, which is why she wanted to so fervently guard the weapon from falling into the wrong hands upon recognizing its extreme abilities and even sentient intelligence. The origin and the reasoning behind why the weapon fears Umberlee are still unknown. Also, whether the weapon will ever be returned to the Mecks -- its owner before the pirates stole it on the Tymora's Touch at sea -- is also unknown given how dangerous the sword would be if it fell into the wrong hands. Wai Li awaits Temple of the Shield Watcher Valdore's opinion as to the alignment of the weapon, before deciding with those involved in the fate of the superweapon whether to ultimately destroy it or to whisk it away to an impossible-to-find hiding place or on some other path.
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
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DM Theophanies
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Re: The Plight of Ulgoth's Beard - The Ghost Ship Manifestat

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It has been a week since the sinking of the cursed ship and rumors fly through Ulgoth's Beard and Baldur's Gate of the village holding a festival and a feast for the brave souls whom came to their rescue.

//Monday May 26 starting at 1PM EST / 5PM GMT, in and or around the Bearded Mermaid.
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