Gavril finished off the Tree Tiger that had Ursina grappled.
"Thanks friend, I knew that flanking was worth something," Ursina yelled at Gavril.
Meanwhile Nestor fired Scorching Ray at the larger Tree Tiger, which was still exhausted.
Paullus moved up to try the Vorpal Scimitar once again, it just did damage, no beheadings yet.
Ciprian identified the other Tiger as a Dire version of the Tree Tigers and asked Armania to drop him.
Armania complied and Ciprian managed to land on his feet without additional damage. Erevel rushed over to contribute to the attack on the Dire Tiger just as another Tree Tiger appeared from the north.
The Dire Tiger grappled Paullus and the battle continued with Gavril and Ursina moving to block the new tiger from Ciprian. It then attacked and grappled Ciprian.
As the party found themselves in another fine mess, they rose to the occasion and finished off the Tigers with more magic missile help from Nestor.
After the battle, Nestor offered healing to "good" aligned party members and as Ursina and Armania raised their hands he fired of Rays of Heavenly fire at them providing healing. The group then set about trussing the tigers for transport back to the Zoogs.
"I am disappointed. The presence of this tigers means Kelvetta Brix has not been in this area. I will have to continue my search for her elsewhere." Nestor said with a dour expression.
"How will you transport her back to Golarian? If you kill her she will wake up in the "non dreaming" world before you can get there." Ciprian queried. "How do you get back yourself?"
"I merely have to try and wake up, none too hard for me so far," Nestor responded.
So Nestor left the party headed deeper into the trees, while the group headed back to the Zoogs.
The Zoogs were so thrilled with the return of 6 tigers that they not only gifted the party with a Pard tail but also a magical Drinking horn of the Panacea, that produced a heady wine. After using the wand of restoration to restore sanity points the group proceeded to exit the dreamlands and waken themselves on the Sellen Starling.
The next twelve days were spent leisurely lounging around by most of the group. Ciprian and Ursina set about researching the next gift, a Skull of Ghoul Royalty. They determined that the following books were needed to research this item, The Codex of Three Prescriptions, Manual of Silence, and The Unified Manual of Understanding. Unfortunately some of the information was written in Necril, which neither knew. Ciprian would again have to expend Comprehend Languages to complete the research. Finally Ciprian learned all the material that he could on the subject.
According to a folio regarding extraplanar undead, the ghouls of the Dreamlands are far more social—
though no less wicked—than their bestial kin in the waking world. They have rich histories and large communities led by royalty. A discourse on the dread Plateau of Leng explains that a more powerful form of ghoul inhabits regions where the Dreamlands connects to Leng. These Leng ghouls are shrewder than their lesser kin. The PCs learn the proper phrase that allows them to use the Dreamlands excursion occult ritual, "Scarcrim Vost."
At the end of the research Skywin approached the party and asked how their trips to the Dreamlands were going. She was heartened to hear that they had succeeded thus far in their journeys.
"Tomorrow we stop at Xer to resupply. The empire of Razmiran is a nation filled with dangerous fanatics and thugs masquerading as agents of the local faith. I am loath to stop there but we need the supplies."
"Can we help in any way," queried Armania.
"I suggest that you stay on the Sellen Starling, if you need anything please give me a list and the cash to buy it. I will purchase the items when I am in the city."
After discussion with the party, no one seemed interested in buying anything in the city, so Skywin headed off ship with two of the crew.
Skywin avoided conflict with the priests of Razmir at the harbor by paying the docking fees and the heavy “tithe” assessed on the Sellen Starling and her passengers. Ciprian tried to determine the motives of the harbormaster and priests, but it was clear that they were just collecting the fees owed even if slightly exaggerated. Ursina's detect lies found nothing other than the tithe was based on an false value for the wares. Skywin’s business in Xer was swiftly completed and the keelboat was underway again in an hour.
A few miles down the West Sellen River, however, a large, rowed barge approaches the Sellen Starling. This was the Tribute Taker, one of the Razmiran “faith barges.” Crewed by pirates and bullies sanctioned by the church of Razmir, these ships demand tribute from passing vessels. Skywin cursed her luck at drawing the attention of a faith barge, and it’s clear that the Tribute Taker could outpace the Sellen Starling. Skywin planned to negotiate with the ship’s priest, insisting that her payment in Xer already covered her tribute to the church. The wide ship had a large, furled sail and heavy oars bristling
from below decks. The low forecastle was adorned with glowering masks. On deck were eight buccaneers and a captain. As the barge approached the Captain greeted the Sellen Starling.
"I just paid in the city of Xer, both my docking fee and the tithe," Skywin hollered back. "That should cover our duties."
Laughing loudly the Captain spat into the river and said, "Not on your life. Don't try and pull some wool over my eyes. You are hauling expensive goods I imagine."
After a little more "negotiation" the Captain yelled out. "Board this lug and keep the brawniest crew alive as new rowers for our hold.”
The Captain drank a potion and then evinced a blurred outline. The buccaneers either fired bolts at the party and crew. Three of the buccaneers leaped across the waters to land on the deck of the Sellen.
Armania threw a Flaming Sphere on the Captain while the rest of the party moved in to attack the boarding pirates. Two of the pirates dropped from the parties attacks. Then three of the buccaneers threw Alchemist's fire at the party, doing some damage plus splash damage. The Captain leaped across to the Sellen landing next to Skywin, sneering as he landed. The other pirates dove into the river and swam across to board the Sellen Starling at various points.
As the battle continued Skywin attacked the Captain but received a critical hit on the return. She then stepped away as quick as she could. Armania moved the Flaming Sphere to a buccaneer still on the barge and cast Scorching Ray into the fray. Paullus fired arrows at the buccaneers, Ursina attacked with her Holy Book and Gavril attacked the Captain. Erevel finished off a buccaneer and then leapt over to the barge. Ciprian started a Bardic Performance against the human intruders. One of the sailors came under attack, he attacked in return as was joined by a fellow deck hand.
Gavril now fell to a critical hit from the Captain and lay unconscious on the deck of the Sellen Starling.
"We might need your help back here Erevel," Ciprian shouted in concern.
Ursina rushed to Gavril side to rebuke death and bring him back conscious. Skywin drank a couple of potions and moved to help her crew fight off the buccaneers. The battle continued but eventually the buccaneers and Captain fell to the party, Skywin and the sailors.
The party set about searching the bodies and detecting magic. The Captain had some magical items, including his sword, a ring, an amulet, a cloak and a potion of cure moderate. He also was in possession of two keys. The buccaneers each had two potions of cure light and another unknown potion.
On the deck of the Tribute Taker, the party found no other interesting items. They then opened the doors to the enclosed cabin. This large cabin contained a few hammocks, boxes with personal effects, and two large chests. Two large trap doors in the floor were open, and the smell of unwashed flesh wafted upward.
The keys from the Captain opened the chest to gold pieces, silver pieces, a bejeweled oil lamp, a set of ivory dice, a robe and magic vambraces.
Below decks the group found 14 slave rowers, unshackled, and clearly cowed from fear. They initially were distrusting of the group but as they were let out of the hold became thankful.
Ciprian wanted to let the rowers have the barge so they could escape to safety. Skywin suggested that this was a bad plan as they could come under attack of another barge. Both banks of the Sellen were dangerous here: Razmiran claims the north and isolationist Kyonin holds the south. Skywin decided to take the liberated slaves aboard the Sellen Starling long enough to find a safe haven and commanded her crew to sink the empty Tribute Taker.
DM's Notes: The party earned 3200 XP for the night and now have 47121 needing 3879 additional XP to reach 8th level.
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