Book 2 - Act 3: Tidewater Rock

The shipping lanes of Golarion's seas and oceans are filled with fat merchant vessels laden with trade goods both mundane and exotic, as well as the pirates and freebooters who prey on them. Under the banner of their Hurricane King, these buccaneers sally forth from that archipelago of lawless pirate ports and anchorages known as the Shackles, plundering the shipping of countless countries and trade consortiums, then vanishing back into the maze of islands and reefs they call home. The nations of the Inner Sea would like nothing more than to end the pirate menace once and for all, but the eternal hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego has thus far shielded the Free Captains of the Shackles from the threat of retaliation.


In the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the PCs take on the role of pirates, but they must make a name for themselves in piracy, plunder, and disrepute to truly become infamous Free Captains of the Shackles.

A Paizo Adventure Path

Run by the Pirate King Vardaen
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A Captain's Rest

Post by AdamDaBomb11 » Fri May 25, 2018 3:55 am

Gragol is nearly frozen in place. Only his head turns to eye up each officer carefully. His face turns a bit more serious. Or maybe it is too difficult to tell the difference. "We tend t' our wounded. We can let th' ship go. We'll need someone t' tell th' story 'f how a few dozen men couldn't take The Rock. 'f ther's anyone alive, interrogate 'em. I wanna know where ther' crew would sail to. 'nd someone get me a hat. Every Cap'n needs a hat."
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A Captain's Rest

Post by Grimbold » Fri May 25, 2018 8:25 am

"That's a great idea." Rod says. "You've proved your grit many times, and know how to run a ship. May Besmara give you good fortune, Captain Gragol!" Roderick is from a noble family, but he has always wanted to leave that life behind. And being lord of Tidewater Rock is quite enough of that for him right now. So he is actually glad no one named him.

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Post by Vardaen » Fri May 25, 2018 3:19 pm

Toruk is the first to produce a hat, "This was Aya's hat, I think she would want you to have it Captain." He holds out the fairly typical tricorn hat, it nothing fancy, but its a start.

Maggie comments, "Captain, there is something you should see. We should all see." She leads the group to the corpse of Iabella Inkskin, "Look...." You don't know what Maggie is going on about at first, but after a moment, you get it, the woman has a treasure map tattooed on her body!
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by AdamDaBomb11 » Sat May 26, 2018 9:29 pm

"I see wher' she got 'er name from. You'd think she'd 'ave kept it more 'f a secret though." Gragol studies it closer.
K. Geography. Does Gragol know the rough location? Or where the text might be referring to?
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Post by Grimbold » Mon May 28, 2018 7:06 am

Rod also gives his suggestions on where this might be.
Aid another with knowledge geography

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Post by Vardaen » Tue May 29, 2018 5:32 pm

The woman's body is given a more detailed inspection.

The map tattooed on the Isabella Locke’s back depicts the outlines of several small islands. A stylized half sun sits to the right of the islands, while simple images of a monstrous eye and the face of an aged, bearded king are to the left. Beneath the map are five lines of crude verse:

From blue bight’s embrace
Spy the Grave Lady’s prize tooth
With the Dawnflower’s first kiss
Climb the Captain’s wayward orb
To claim old king’s hoard

Gragol and Rod lean over, looking at the map itself first, they debate possible locations, islands, and places in the Shackles that might match the images of the tattooed lands. Both seem to come to some conclusion, cross referencing on a map Agasta has. It seems to be an unnamed archipelago in the Shackles north of the Ushinawa Isles and west of Besmara’s Throne. Its about 110 miles northwest of Tidewater Rock, as the albatross flies, but will likely have to sail a bit farther through the numerous atolls and archipelagos of the southern Shackles if you were to go there.

Toruk is busy looking at the rest of the items on the map, "This monstrous eye could represent the Beast of Mancatcher Cove, and the sun could be a sunrise or a sunset I suppose."

Maggie chimes in reading parts of the verse, "And the “Grave Lady” is the goddess of death, Pharasma, also known as the Lady of Graves. Not to mention “Dawnflower’s first kiss” could refers to the goddess of the sun, Sarenrae, called the Dawnflower,"


Kroop gives a long whistle, "Well, Ibe damn, this 'ere be a map ta Cyrus Wolfe's fabled hidd'n treasure!"
Grography

Rod Aid Another 14 Success
Gragol +2 AA, 25 Success

Toruk: K: Local 19 Success
Maggie K: Religion: 16 Success
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by Grimbold » Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:21 am

"That's interesting! I think we should try and find this treasure! What do you say?" Rod says excitedly.

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Post by Vardaen » Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:05 pm

Maggie and Tourk both nod.

Maggie considers, "I agree, Captain? If we do we better check out crew, and numbers, make sure we can handle it."

Toruk nods agreeing with all of it.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by AdamDaBomb11 » Tue Jun 05, 2018 2:03 am

Gragol scratches his beard. "Do y' think it be wise t' leave the Rock undefended?" He grunts and mulls it over. The Dwarf then grins. " 'Tis treasure afterall. Aye, we sail f'r the King's hoard!"
I doubt the pirate invaders come back, but I am a little bit worried about the Sahaugin. What are the defenses of Tiderock looking like after both of those invasions?
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Post by Grimbold » Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:13 pm

"We can leave some of our crew here to better guard it. Maybe two or three. Then there should be enough guards. When the door is repaired the defences will be good, without major magic no one will conquer the Rock, I think." Rod says. "And hopefully, we'll be back soon." he grins.

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