Welp that was a real eventful session last night
Sekolah, the changeling warlock's patron, bust in through the cave wall to speak to the rest of the party, and thanked us for instilling humility in the Sahuagin who had turned away to worship Tharizdun instead. Then, we entered the gate/portal in the murder mansion basement, which transported us to a cellar. Therein was a coffin bound with six welded chains, in the basement of a windowless fishing cabin, in a shaded cove a few klicks from Saltmarsh.
We were unable to resist temptation and chose to open the coffin. A vampire named Zolec emerged, promising all sorts of secrets about Saltmarsh if the tiefling cleric/wizard would carry him across the threshold to freedom. After a team huddle, we agreed to the deal, but not before the tiefling wizard made a deal of her own.
Zolec told us of a "Scarlet Brotherhood" in the Town, members of which included a slaver (who'd been hanged since we last seen him), a councilman's bodyguard (it's always the butler!) and Ned, a vagrant which the rest of the party insisted was harmless but for whom my monk had detected bad vibes ever since we released him from his hogtie up in the very first haunted slaver mansion. Guy knew where his pants were, even after being kidnapped. You can't trust that kind of man!
Our original plan was to send The Manatee's Resolve back to Saltmarsh while the party kept an eye on the town, catching up within a day or two. But the Quartermaster balked, saying that there was no way a whole galleon could be crewed by five. We split the party (without a protest!). My human monk, the warforged artificer, and the dwarven swashbuckler took the boat. Within the hour, a rotting ghost ship emerged from the depths and gave chase.
Meanwhile, the changeling warlock, the vampire, and the tiefling wizard exited on the Saltmarsh side of the portal. Of relevance is how the warlock and wizard were dating (in-game, not IRL). The vampire charmed the warlock to shut the f up, to give the wizard the gift of vampirism.
The gift struck her weak, and the warlock had to carry her back to the town. It wasn't entirely clear if this particular gift came with sunlight sensitivity. Perhaps my monk's
hat-oriented romantic advice will come back into play, in the form of a giant sombrero for maximum UV protection...
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If I'd started a PhD in 2017, as suggested by the other grad students and my co-supervisors, I think the finish line would be in sight by now. But boy, a lot has changed since. My sense of drive and ambition peaked in 2015. I have at least one grey hair, and two cats. There are easier ways to find the kind of happiness I want.
But I do miss fucking around in the lab and hanging out at the pool.
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