Session 64 Cold, cold war
Crossing the threshold into Farwest, Guy turns briefly to observe Anchorheart’s ships. With a githzechi trap lying in wait, they’d dare not follow the catamaran. Instead, they tack north—presumably to regroup with their allies. Approaching Pedn Vounder, the rescue party find the grotto’s waters stained red with blood. With haste, they bring the catamaran ashore. Guy carries Agnes to Firien, hoping his friend might offer aid. Exhaling their sorrow, Firien gathers everyone before uttering a prayer of healing.
The Six of Steel are granted a moment of respite in the early hours of the morning. While Guy catches up with Rose, Gomruss tells the tale of their daring escape. Arti squeezes the breath from Subira’s lungs. The elderly tabaxi is shocked by the warforged’s change in appearance. Faust recounts the events of the attack. Suddenly mindful of Firien’s plight, Guy looks around for the dragonborn. He finds them meditating in a secluded area of the grotto.
“It’s never easy taking a life, Firien. Lord knows I’ve taken a few myself. But what you did was unequivocally the right thing. For every pirate we kill here today, we might save a thousand lives.”
“If those Church ships decide to attack and they find Mallian warriors in the water… I don’t know what will happen, but it will be our doing.”
Guy consoles Firien.
Blythe returns from her lookout. Anchorheart’s ships were lining up for a long-range bombardment! The sound of distant cannon fire stuns the grotto. Bantonio calls for everyone to board the Lady Firehair immediately. The first strike peppers the crew with rubble; the second dislodges a stalactite! Thinking fast, Gomruss reaches out to successfully catch the falling spike with graviturgy. Firien shatters another with a snap of their fingers as the ship casts off. Leaving Pedn Vounder, the Six of Steel turn to watch the grotto collapse in their wake.
“Come out come out wherever you are…”
Anchorheart taunts Guy.
The Lady Firehair moves safely out of range of the bombardment. Desperate to prevent war, Firien contacts Aura to forewarn her of the Mallian incursion. The Exarch refuses to cover up the incident and expects the Six of Steel to do everything they can to keep the peace. Firien snaps at Aura, lamenting such a mandate after a restless night, but quickly apologises. The Exarch expresses her gratitude. Firien liaises with Durzus and Elyse whose flotillas would arrive at dawn and dusk respectively. Durzus agrees to maintain a distance of three miles to hide their numbers while Guy taunts Anchorheart into making a mistake.
“Guy Brush you’re a thief and a coward who gets old women to do his dirty work!”
“Well, it takes one to know one…”
Guy taunts Anchorheart.
Wavemother’s Fortune
Having abandoned the Umberlee’s Wrath, Anchorheart paces on the deck of the Wavemother’s Fortune. When he threatens to pursue Guy, a conspiring yuan-ti confronts him. Before they come to blows, the lookout reports a Church fleet on the horizon! Bathed in the glow of a purple dawn, the Mallian warriors surround Anchorheart and demand that he return the Tempest Warhammer. Queen Vasilissa had no intentions of starting a war. Anchorheart resists, cracking several serpentine jaws before retreating with Umberlee’s weapon. With a farewell to Guy, Anchorheart crushes the sending stone in his palm and vanishes with a pop!
“Well played, Guy Brush. I’ll be seeing you again.”
Anchorheart disappears.
Umberlee’s Wrath
The Lady Firehair convenes with Durzus’ flotilla and together they board the Umberlee’s Wrath. Guy cracks a smile when Durzus claims the ship is salvageable, though she will have to be towed back to port. As the Umberlant skeleton crew are taken into custody, Elyse’s airship moors alongside the Wrath. Stepping off the gangplank, Elyse greets Guy with a remedial embrace. She expresses her gratitude that fate should deliver the Aubrey back to her rightful captain. She then takes Guy aside to ask an important question.
“What do you think you’ll do now that Anchorheart is gone? Will you stay with the Six of Steel?”
Elyse questions Guy.
Proud of his friends’ accomplishments, Gomruss removes the coin of Tymora from his pocket. It glows in his palm as if Lady Luck were smiling down on him. With a toothy grin, he flips the coin. A repressed memory suddenly flashes behind his eyelids. He drops the coin, which Firien promptly returns. Firien asks after Gomruss’ wellbeing, causing him to shiver. The Six of Steel were headed next to Arx where they would find the Crosscut Circle, Roshia and the clamorous dragonborn’s enigmatic history.
“How come you always shiver when we mention it? What happened in Arx, Gomruss?”
“Do you mean the rumours that I killed my wife?”
Firien questions Gomruss.