Chosen drakin sorcerer Raziel, dwarven Weaponsmaster Tarek Ambervaile, Glowborn Salvager Eliah, and elven priest Nerian, having recovered the black gloves embroidered with hawks from the wreck of the Raven, returned to the Chance with the lucky charm, the Ravenwing Amulet, and four suits of potentially collectible chain mail.
Less than a day out from the lonely isle where the Raven had crashed, the Chance came upon three apparently abandoned ships, one dwarven, one elven, and one orcish, that had crashed together. Leaving Captain Luckfinder on the Chance with the new lucky charm that he signed over his share of the salvage for, the others took the dingy, and entered the hulk through a hole in the dwarven frigate’s hull.
Shortly after they arrived, the fended off a pack of wild goblins and several orcs, with a survivor dwarf joining the fray at the last minute to finish the opponents off. The newcomer dwarf then heard a noise and ran off after it. He was flanked and killed by two new orcs at the other end of the room. Nerian shot and stunned one with an arrow.
The orcs charged. Eliah shot one of them with her sling. Elf slapped one into a stupor. Tarek killed one, and then Raziel killed the other.
While this was happening, a dazed Eleven female wandered into view from the elven ship. Nerian approached her, and she fainted into his arms before she could say anything.
Two more orcs appeared from elven ship and threw their spears to no effect. Nerian and Eliah shot and missed, but Tarek shot one with his sling. Nerian and Eliah both shot and missed again before the orcs ran off deeper into the dwarven ship.
The lady elf, Tethys, was immediately attracted to Nerian. Tethys told him that the battle had gone on for about a week. The orcs had set fire to the elf ship and she believed tghat they had killed all the other elves.
The dwarves arrived a few days later and a battle raged on elf ship between the dwarves and the orcs. The dwarves had thought they had pushed the orcs back to their own ship, but she thought that the orcs must have doubled back.
Realizing that the three ships were very valuable salvage, and that their crews were likely all dead or dying, each member of the team envisioned themselves commanding one of the ships. While they were daydreaming, the ships groaned loudly. Being exhausted, they took the dingy back to the Chance to rest and update the captain.
When they arrived, Luckfinder was not present. He must have been below deck. Suddenly, the orc captain burst through the hatch, glowmad, and attacked Tarek and Nerian. He missed both, and then Tarek cleaved Luckfinder deftly and killed him.
But the glowmad captain did not die quietly. His body glowed and the light increased in intensity until it was blinding. A booming voice resounded all around the hapless team.
“I am the god Lightbringer, but before my insanity I was Oceanius, Lord of the Oceans. The disk you found was a holy symbol of my priests. I have not seen its like since before the dawn of this world.
“Seek these artifacts of the Souls in preparation for the final battle. The fuel that burns in the Queen’s barge; the armor of Orcbane; Festival’s harp, ignored by my followers; the hammer of the damned dwarf; and the raven staff. Recover them all, for soon the Shield will fail again.
“Begin your quest by seeking Joeseth Truthbearer in Gateway…”
Then the dead captain’s body exploded in a flash, destroying the Chance in a cloud of splintering debris.
Was it luck or the will of the gods that Chosen drakin sorcerer Raziel, dwarven Weaponsmaster Tarek Ambervaile, Glowborn Salvager Eliah, and elven priest Nerian managed to leap back into the dingy before it was catapulted back toward the drifting hulk…