The Twenty-Fifth Session

After leaving the shores of Delthuntle, the Sentinels and the Bloodsail Fleet stopped once again at Wavecrest Island, where they could resupply and give aid to the refugees from Delthuntle. They were once again greeted by Jim Jeffries, who offered to meet them at the bar. When asked if he would pay for the drinks, he made an awkward face and went in the bar without responding. Instead, they went back to the Old Man Grenkins manor, and began planning a mining operation. They would control the now abandoned territory, while the Bloodsail Fleet would act as security to the land and as transport for any weapons, armor, or ore that was to be moved. The Sentinels would market it and find people to sell mythril to, and they offered jobs to some of the displaced refugees, some of whom were miners. Aoth gave a passionate speech that boosted morale, and they offered a stake in the company's profits as well as a home in the manor to those that wished to stay. The day was spent clearing out the manor, discussing logistics, and settling the new workers in. Yief smithed the team some upgraded items, and they set off once things were running smoothly. Rainn and Dave from the Dragon's Wing would stay behind to manage the operation and help smith, and a crew of 15 lower ranking pirates stayed as security. The Free Sentinels Mythril Company was up and running. On their way out, they were approached by some younger Draconians who wanted to go to the Free Lands to fight in the resistance effort.

After a relatively uneventful week of sailing, they arrived back at the Dragon Isle. The Bloodsail clan members who had stayed behind welcomed their brethren back, and Vissella announced that over the course of their travels, the Bloodsail Fleet had defeated both the Golden Reavers and the Silver Hydras, and would be expanding their territory to the islands those fleets previously occupied, offering for remaining clan members to join the Bloodsail clan. "I'm the fucking pirate king, and we're gonna build an empire!" she said to her cheering clan. They then saw Dugg Juu'di near the docks, relaxing and whittling a wooden duck. Yief ran up and gave him a hug, prompting him to comment on Yief's improved appearance and vocabulary. He said that Melarra had reached out to him, as she expected the Sentinels would be returning from their quest, but didn't know when. He said she paid him to come to the Isle and wait, and he would return them to Yhaun when they were ready.

A small party was held to celebrate the fleet's homecoming, at which the Sentinels said goodbye to their friends. Halrek blinked next to Haldes with a beer, prompting her to go "FUCK. Oh fuck, you can do that now too? Of course you can do that now too. Fuck." and took his beer. Yief kissed Bashak goodbye, and cracked open 2 kegs, prompting cheers from the pirates. Vissella came to see the Sentinels off, giving everyone hugs. Yief commented that she would miss her admiral, eliciting shock from everyone that he used the correct word instead of "admirable." He then spoke fairly eloquently on how much he learned while reading on the ship, causing them to realize he was now smarter than Vissella or Halrek. Vissella smiled, saying "Yes, I will miss my admirable admiral." before addressing the group to thank them for bringing her on an adventure she didn't think she could have had without them. She then continued that she initially just wanted to get Darkwind and Applaudicus to safety, but she hasn't been able to get the images out of her head of Delthuntle burning, or the children in chains, or the Ebony soldier who sunk the refugee ship, and that she still hears the sound of the roars from beyond the smoke. While the quest they set out on was finished, she decided she wasn't done with the fight. "Go back to Melarra Moonfeather. Tell her the Bloodsail fleet is her ally at sea. We stand at the ready to take to the waters in the name of the Free Lands. We can’t let what happened in Draconia happen here too.” She then gave Aoth a kiss, and waved as they sailed off.

After a day of sailing, they arrived back in Yhaun, which was much emptier and less buzzing than when they had been there last. Dugg took them to the local mage's guild chapter as he was instructed before saying goodbye to them and returning to his ship, Gurtie. The mages brought them to a back room where there was a tall mirror. After chanting an elven spell, the mirror began to distort before turning black, and then opening up to show another room on the other side, with a transparent energy barrier where the glass was. Halrek pushed Shag through, and then they all pushed each other. After a feeling of their whole body vibrating as they passed through the energy barrier, they appeared in the mage's guild hall of Ashaenford, where they were taken to a private meeting room. Melarra was there, leaning over a war map with Cormir. They welcomed the Sentinels back, and asked where Nul was. They were relieved to hear he was alive, and had simply "gotten lost in some books." They then began to update the Sentinels on the situation of the invasion.

"Things have been tense for a while. The Ebonyborn have been launching coordinated attacks on the towns on either side of the Moonsea, and have taken some as territories. They still have no large ships, so their efforts have been bottlenecked, but still very difficult to hold back, and some battalions have broken the no-man’s land border along the River Tesh and the Moondragon River. The combined guild efforts with Paladin and Cleric groups have been a huge part of holding them back, as well as aid from Draconian, Everleaf, and Lyrian refugees taking up arms, but we suffered a huge loss. A strategic guild base, Myth Drannor, was attacked while there was a summit of guild Grandmasters, and they were all killed. Cormir and I are now the highest ranking members of our guilds, and are leading the effort. We lost both powerful soldiers and a very strategic base. We’re short on warriors, at this point we need anyone who can fight in a position to do so.

You arrived at my door 2 months ago as a ragtag group of idiots (no offense), but I saw the potential of your convictions; and you’ve grown into great warriors yet. I was right to put my faith in you. I have a feeling the Sentinels of the Free will be sung about when all this is over. Armada commanders are now generals, squad captains are now commanders, and anyone good enough is stepping up to be captains. Even Fared is a captain now. You are among those qualified. If you’ll take the rank, you can lead soldiers into battle. The mages’ and warriors’ guilds of the Free Lands are fully united in this effort, and you have the full support of both. We have gold to supply you with, and you’ll have access to guild funds at any branch location. Anyone else you can pull into this effort to help fight or strategize, will be most welcome. The road ahead will not be easy.

In the meantime, we must recover Myth Drannor. An Ebony general named Zekiev Ibixus is currently occupying it with a large armada of soldiers, prisoners, and demons. Recovering it will not only secure an invaluable vantage point, but potentially get rid of a powerful wing of their forces.”

The Sentinels then offered to help supply the frontline soldiers using their mine, and arranged a Warrior's Guild ship to begin making trips to Wavecrest Island. After deliberating on plans to take back Myth Drannor, they decided to pull together a team of mages to create a greater illusion of an invading force to lure out the soldiers occupying the base, while a larger force attacks from behind. But unbeknownst even to Melarra and Cormir, even the larger force is a distraction to allow Shag and Halrek to sneak in and assassinate Zekiev. They begin to select the soldiers that they'll bring with them for the siege.