1x10: Barge of Bonds

The Saints of Emon headed off to Stilben to search for Shoal and Lorne. Before they left, they spent some time in the city, commissioning magic weapons, talking to some gnomes about firearms, buying some dubious magical scrolls, and deforesting the Bramblewood for coin. They made their way towards the city on the Eastern coast, fighting a group of worgs along the way, trudging through swamps, and losing a wagon wheel. Eventually they made it to Stilben, the city known as the “Rotted Lot” where Lupin immediately went off to find his father. He discovered that the man was deep in debt to a loan shark, and after a brief interrogation where punches were thrown, Lupin sent him off towards Emon, and burned his house to the ground with the help of Frovroth and Tannin. Meanwhile, Holly and Iselda discovered that a wing of the Veil is operating in Stilben, and are looking for a certain pirate and the amulet he carries. They all found rooms at the Sunset Stride Tavern, where they learned of a young girl who was kidnapped and about to be sold into slavery at the Barge of Bonds. They learned of an individual who had gone missing on the trails north of Stilben, and learned that a guild called the Bronzesmiths are interested in retrieving the relic he was carrying. They also learned of an opulent pirate captain who was docked at the Bellamy Wharf. Upon investigating, on their way to rescue the young girl from the Barge, they noticed that it was Hazir and his ship the Lust of the Sun, which seemed heavily damaged. The group boarded the Barge of Bonds, a mass of linked ships far out to sea where slaves are sold to wealthy individuals. They posed as potential buyers, and as soon as the auction began, Lupin killed the auctioneer and leader of the slaving ring who had sold him to Shoal in the past, Gerard Godfrey. A fight broke out between the myriad guards, the slavers and their bodyguards, and the slaves and their new liberators. After the fighting died down and almost every enemy was slain, they began to loot the bodies and the ships when they noticed a large sailing vessel headed towards the barge, flying the Jeweled Roger of Braddick Shoal's pirate flagship. They freed as many slaves as they could, and grabbed as many valuables as possible, and boarded a rowboat for shore, but before they left, Iselda lit the barge on fire. Lupin sent back a message with Tannin’s familiar which read “Godfrey is dead. Most of your cargo gone. We have the last piece of the amulet. Meet us tomorrow in Stilben to parlay” and the boat made its way back towards the city.