Flashpoint: Wasp Trouble

So now for the last part of last session.  Well, the characters are out and about on yet another insufferably hot and dry day when they see a flock of birds in the distance rising above the trees.  After a few moments, they realize they’re not birds but horse-sized wasps coming right at them.  There were 32 such wasps but the characters, being a little higher level than expected for this encounter, struck out at them.  Lunjun cast fireball in the air, immolating four, while Proteus summoned a fire elemental who chased off wasps by setting them on fire.  Archer went behind cover and shot down a couple of them that were menacing a worker. 

Lhye used a religious-based trait he never thought would come up.  He can make Diplomacy checks on wasps.  He made a natural 20 and managed to calm a wasp down enough to allow him to mount it.  He then managed to control it a little bit.  He used ear-piercing screech against one wasp as it’s a spell that wouldn’t upset his mount.

In the end, all of the wasps were either killed or chased off except for Lhye’s mount (though a few of the PC’s were tempted to ‘accidentally’ strike his wasp).

The crew then notice another ship in the bay that must have come in due to a lack of ‘Stay Out’ signals from the signal tower.  The captain and six sailors were rowing out in a rowboat and had just made it to the jetty, perhaps to offer assistance against the wasps.  Seeing that the dockyard was full and foreign sailors were here, the six sailors formed a defensive semi-circle around their captain.

The crew considered whether or not to attack but ended up choosing not to because the captain wore a tattered Andoren Steel Falcon uniform.  Archer knew the tale of the captain, though he were a midshipman at the time, and Proteus knew the tale as he can take 20 on such a knowledge check.  I won’t repeat it here for fear of spoilers (and it’s rather long) but in the end Archer decided that he liked the man. 

Archer insinuated that he was also from Andoren which made the Free Captain frown thoughtfully before apologizing for coming upon their vessels mid-squib.  He offered to return when it was all done to bless the boats as a way of apology.  Then the Free Captain left.

Proteus realized that something must have happened at the signal tower and said as much.  Lhye then flew his wasp over to the watchtower, was bothered by a parrot that kept repeating, “Shoo, fly, don’t bother me!” and saw the signal tower person lying dead with a giant-sized swelling in his neck.  He returned to Rickety to let him know about this.

And that’s where we left it.

We will return with the blessing of the boat and then some more fun tales of the high seas.  The crew are all set to drop off the Chelish vessel with Boano’s Bonuwat tribes and then they’ll be selling the Aspis on at Bloodcove, all the while looking for information on their mysterious logbook, the potentially possessed tiefling, and Kitzy’s Chelish ex-boyfriend.