Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for September 1, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter), and Vulkanthos (Nephilim Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight played by John Osborne). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The whole building shuddered. Not from the fighting—or not just from the fighting.  Something below was deliberate about it, rhythmic, as though the building itself were being used as a weapon.  The floor buckled and popped.  A section of catwalk tore free overhead and crashed somewhere behind them.  Through gaps opening in the floorboards, they could see the dark water beneath the pier, closer than they would have liked.

The Brine Knives still on their feet were not running.  They were laughing.  Jumping, actually.  Some of them were jumping, adding their weight to whatever was happening below, riding the chaos as though they had been born in it.  Maybe they had.

Then he emerged from the shadows at the far end of the loft, and the room seemed to reorganize itself around him the way rooms did around certain kinds of men.  Big.  Not just tall—wide and heavy, with the kind of build that came from decades of physical labor and absolutely no interest in restraint.  He carried a greatclub over one shoulder that was roughly the size of a small tree, wrapped in twisted metal wire that caught the lamplight in unsettling ways.  Something was stuck in the barbs.  They chose not to look too closely.

He was whistling.  He stopped when he saw them, tilted his head as though they were mildly interesting, and grinned with every tooth he had.  “Which of you pricks is the leader?”

He swung the club from his shoulder and rested it against the floor.  The building groaned beneath the impact.  “Come on.  Don’t be shy.  Lucille and I just want to have a conversation.”

 Around him, the Brine Knives howled with anticipation and closed the gap.

Ursay fired arrows at the man, the Bilgewater King, and swatted several out of the air before others landed true.  The King then charged Callum and hit him with Lucille!  Before he could gloat much, however, Helg cast hold person.  Surprisingly, the Bilgewater King froze in place!  The team rallied and brought a deadly fight to the Brine Knives.  They tried to put up a resistance, but Polaris had his footing under him and engaged.  Several attempted grapples, but Khan cast liberating command and shut down those fantasies.  The group focused their main attacks on the paralyzed Bilgewater King hoping to kill him before he could shake off the effects of the spell.  Hekera stepped up and did just that.  Within seconds of the battle beginning, it was over.  The remaining Brine Knives’ morale broke, and they fled.  Some charged out the door while others jumped down into the water.  Ursay shot down the runners while Callum, polymorphed into a water elemental, and Hekera dove after the swimmers and dragged one survivor back. 

The group searched the loft and found a good amount of silver trade bars as well as the crates stolen from Neris.  They dragged all the bodies out onto the street as a warning to others and took the crates to Neris.  She was delighted to have her property returned and gave the team a small fortune in magical items in reward. 

The group then went to check in with Thessal Murvak who was very pleased with the work they had done.  She considered their debt paid and offered to employ them again if they ever came through again in the future.  The group then went to meet with Rathan Brangus. 

Rathun Brangus was pleased with the party’s efforts to uncover the source and reason for the disappearances.  Their information confirmed the Upright Men had been behind it all and gave Rathun the proof he needed to put pressure back on them. 

He had been busy as well, gathering information for them.  He leaned in and began to speak.  “The tablet fragment you seek was indeed here in Kristophan until recently.  It was in the possession of Hiram, a merchant and owner of Hiram’s Bookshop.  It had been in his family for several years, but no one could make sense of it.  According to Hiram, he sold it to a wizard of the Order of Black Robes about three weeks ago.  The wizard, and the tablet locked inside a black stone chest, set sail for the continent of Ansalon aboard The Destiny.  The ship was sunk several days out of port, destroyed by sahuagin.  There were only two survivors, who were picked up by another merchant vessel heading toward Kristophan.  The tablet either went down with the ship to the bottom of the sea or was taken as spoils by the sea devils.”

Brangus paused to let all this wonderful news sink in.  He slid a nautical map across the table and continued.  “If this tablet is important to you, I have found some resources that may help.  Here is a map showing where the ship went down.  The wreck would be at quite a depth, so temporary magic like potions and spells would be frightfully inadequate—not just for breathing, but for the pressure.  Here, on this island in the Spine of Taladas, dwells an eccentric foreign gnomish wizard named Kwalish.  He is an inventor, a powerful spellcaster, and an expert in ocean exploration.  He sells magical devices that they say can walk along the bottom of the sea.  Perhaps you could bargain with Kwalish to gain the use of his incredible devices and reach the wreck.  You could use temporary magic to leave them and explore, while still having a secure base from which to survive the unforgiving depths.”

The party thanked Brangus and went back to Neris to see what she could tell them about sahuagin and Kwalish.  She told them what her people knew of the sharkmen and their fearsome reputation.  Looking at the map, she warned them the location was dangerously close to sahuagin territory and also near Dargonesti realms.  Neris was able to reveal the primary dangers of the ocean would not only be drowning but the combination of frigid cold and overwhelming pressure.  She sold them some more of her magical items, including numerous magical black pearls.  These function like potions, but in the ocean you cannot drink liquid from containers.  The pearls are swallowed and dissolve, releasing their magic.  The black pearls she provided allow water breathing and pressure resistance.  She reminded them several times they will need cold resistance too.  She was amazed they were going to see Kwalish, whom she held in high regard.  Neris encouraged them to get all the ocean survival magic from him they could for their journey.  When asked about weaknesses of the sahuagin, she mentioned as deep abyss dwellers, they don’t like bright lights. 

Game summary for August 25, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter), and Vulkanthos (Nephilim Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight played by John Osborne). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The last of them barely hit the floor before the party heard boots on the catwalks above.

More of them—a lot more.  Word traveled fast in a building this size.

Heavy shapes swung down from the rafters on mooring lines, landing hard on the workshop floor.  Gaff hooks caught the lamplight.  These were not the quick, knife-work fighters they had just handled—these were the ones built for damage, the longshoremen and wharf muscle the Brine Knives kept for when subtlety had already failed.  Behind them, the dock lurkers the party recognized from before were already circling wide to cut off their angles.  One of them looked twice at Ursay and muttered, “Isn’t that the guy from the card game the other night?”

Then something cracked overhead.  Not a weapon—rigging.  A frayed support line snapped with a sound like a gunshot, and a massive bundle of sailcloth dropped and swung in a wild arc, scattering everyone beneath it.  The whole loft shifted.  Half the cargo suspended overhead began to move.  Nobody had stopped to check the rigging before the fighting started.  Was that an oversight or design?

Ursay shot down one of the tar knuckles immediately.  Vulkanthos (Khan) cast long arms and moved to protect the casters.  A Brine Knife attacked him, but his combination of mirror image and displacement easily protected him.  The Brine Knives swarmed in punching and stabbing.  Hekera fought back, cutting down several.  Helg caught one with hold person, and Callum blasted him out of existence.  Polaris got hit by a falling barrel and dropped his axe.  The team cut down the Brine Knives pretty easily. 

The loft went quiet for exactly one breath.  Then the chains moved.  Not the rigging—the cargo chains, the heavy industrial ones strung through the pulley systems overhead.  Someone yanked a release cord somewhere in the darkness above them, and a length of iron chain whipped across the loft with a sound like a thunderclap, scattering anyone in its path.

Then another.  Hands moved in the shadows, working the pulleys deliberately.  Someone had set this up.

He stepped out of the darkness at the far end of the loft as though he had been waiting specifically for them.  Tall and unhurried, he had fifty feet of heavy chain coiled across his shoulders and forearms the size of dock pilings.  He did not reach for a weapon.  He was already holding it.  The chain uncoiled slowly as he rolled his neck once, twice, and fixed the party with the particular look of a man who had ended a great many arguments with his hands and found the next one about as interesting as the last.

Around him, more gang members poured in.  The Brine Knives were not broken yet.  They were just angry now.

The whipping chains caught and entangled Helg.  The Brine Knife chainmaster ripped Polaris’ feet out from under him and battered him with a flurry of blows.  The dwarf drew his warhammer and fought valiantly from the ground.  Callum cast numerous spells including lightning bolt, cold ice strike, and empowered scorching ray.  Helg hit a Brine Knife with his sword several times before moving up and casting heal on Polaris. 

Ursay’s arrows found fleshly homes all through the building, and Hekera’s sword (stilled baned against humans by Helg’s magic) cut a swathe through the resistance.  Khan squared up against, and cut down, foe after foe. 

After the last enemy fell, the team took a moment to recoup before more enemies swarmed in!

Game summary for August 11, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter), and Vulkanthos (Nephilim Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight played by John Osborne). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team made haste through Kristophan’s sewer system and emerged in an alley.  They delivered their prisoner and documents to Rathun Brangus.  He told them he would see what he could learn from them and get back with them the next day at the Tenderloin Lodge.  The team went to visit Snagy’s contact, Rhedda Boltmark.  They were in search of a high-level priest to restore Callum’s negative levels as well as seeking some disguises.  They did not want to wait around for her to get some minor illusion magicks, so they grabbed some robes and cloaks and went to the High Temple of Sargas.  They told the guards they wanted to make a donation and find a healer.  They were escorted to a chamber where they were introduced to Ilsara Bloodhorn, a high priestess of Sargas.  They paid her 7,000 gold pieces for a greater restoration to immediately aid Callum.  She encouraged Callum to take his vengeance upon those who killed him, in the name of Sargas. 

The group went back to the Tenderloin and met with Jorvek Ashwill, their contact with the Chainbreakers.  They talked with him a bit about what happened beneath the Forest Gate.  Meanwhile, Pella Quickwake approached and told them a representative of House Murvak was looking for them.  They went and met with him, and he told them he was to escort them to meet with Thessal Murvak.  They took a route through back alleys, cellars, and dark shadows, arriving mostly secretly at House Murvak.

Thessal revealed Rathun Brangus had reached out to her and revealed the ciphered book the party recovered contained evidence of the Upright Men meddling not only with Brangus affairs, but Murvak as well.  There was a reference to a group of thugs called the Brine Knives who Thessal had just learned were harassing one of the merchants under her protection.  To pay their debt to her, Thessal sent them to meet the Neris Thalassene down by the docks.  The Dimernesti elf is an apothecary who supplies House Murvak divers with magical trinkets allowing them to acquire deeper and rarer pearls.  The Brine Knives had stolen many of Neris’ goods.  She told them about the Brine Knives and their location and seemed to drawn to a spiritual connection with Callum (a water bloodline sorcerer) and Hekera, the sebek-ka.  She said their mutual aquatic nature made them all siblings.  Because of this connection, she said she would share some of the stolen goods if they could recover them from the Brine Knives for her.

Ursay scouted the rickety old sailmaker’s loft the Brine Knives use as a home base while the rest of the team took a rest at Neris’ to regain spells.  Ursay returned with a wealth of information, and the team devised a two-prong approach to the waterside building.  Most of the team approached through the ocean and climbed up the dock and stairs into the building while two of them snuck right up and through the front.  Inside, the Brine Knives sprung into action. 

Callum got the attention of everyone by unleashing his elemental blast of freezing cold followed with a cold ice strike.  Four of the Brine Knives suffered varying degrees of frostbite from the magic.  Ursay cut down some and injured others with a quick volley.  Brine Knives armed with daggers and fish cleavers rushed in.  Several landed good blows, but the party certainly got the better of the opening moments.  Polaris chopped down one, and Hekera cut down two.  Khan, who had protected himself with both mirror image and displacement stepped into the fray, his mighty blade cutting down yet another.  Much to the extreme detriment of the Brine Knives, Helg cast bane weapon upon Hekera’s sword. 

Most of this wave of Brine Knives was defeated, but then Khan tripped a wire.  A whaling harpoon blasted out of a harpoon gun and impaled him.  It was a brutal injury, but he stayed upright.  Helg taunted the last of the Brine Knives, but rather than surrender, the man confidently indicated help was coming quickly. 

Game summary for August 4, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter), and Vulkanthos “Khan” (Nephilim Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight played by John Osborne). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team raised up the portcullis and jammed it with crates Helg had scorched earlier.  They continued down a hallway and found a training area and a closed door ahead.  The group could hear armored men not too far away from the way they had come.  The team went through the door and found several armed men, including one holding a fine pepperbox pistol.  Callum cast teleport to try and appear behind the men, but he was slightly off target.  He accidentally made them appear among a group of approaching Saiones!  Battle erupted immediately. 

Archers hit Callum and Hekera while swordsmen and a spearman threw themselves into melee.  Khan cast mirror image and warrior’s touch.  Callum cast lightning bolt and cold ice strike, ripping through the guards.  Helg cast heal on Callum while Khan, Polaris, Hekera, and Ursay dropped opponents right and left.  The team then decided to teleport back into the room, but Ursay was going to come around the long way from another angle. 

The team teleported in and found the defenders had brought in reinforcements from a trapdoor above!  Saiones and Upright Men were ready to defend.  The team immediately hit the defenders hard, but the blast of a pepperbox gun echoed through the room.  Callum was hit repeatedly!  Ursay found the door back had been locked and was unable to get to the team!  Callum was brutally killed by a Saione captain.  Hekera tried to advance and was tripped to ground, surrounded, and brutally stabbed.  Khan and Polaris cut down several enemies to try and save him.  The crocodile man proved deadly from the ground and killed several more.  Helg cast blade barrier which divided the enemies and broke the morale of most.  They fled up through the trap door as Ursay bashed down the door with an oaken melee trainer.  He came in firing arrows and dropping the resistance.  Hekera beat a guard unconscious and manacled him securely.  With all the foes dead or having run away, they searched the room.  They collected a coded ledger, numerous documents, and six bars of gold bullion.  Helg then cast raise dead on Callum.  Meanwhile, Khan found a trap door down into the sewers.  They decided to take the documents and prisoner and flee into the sewers.   

Game summary for July 28, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

With the Saiones guards closing in, the team decided to teleport back to the Tenderloin Lodge and come back later.  They made a very big show of being seen in the main tavern, buying drinks and interacting with the locals.  Some of them patrons that evening they suspected were off-duty guardsmen who might otherwise had been reporting to the Forest Gate but for the agreement the party made with House Murvak. 

The group rested peacefully in their beds, and Helg prepared restoration to remove the negative levels affecting Hekera.  Callum activated his wand of invisibility on each of the party members and cast teleport to get them back into the room beneath the Loaded Keel.  They could tell guards had been here, but it was now empty.  Ursay decided to scout ahead past the steel door they had previously battered down, but he disastrously failed to notice an egregious gelatinous cube lurking in the hallway!  He was instantly engulfed by the ooze, and being invisible, no one knew!  With Ursay often scouts alone for a while, so there was no immediate alarm or concern. 

The ooze slid along the hallway and engulfed Polaris and Hekera as well!  Callum was able to cast anticipate attack and step away in time to save himself.  He then sizzled the ooze with fire snake.  Helg stepped back and cast elemental assessor but somehow missed the 10-ft. cube.  Filled with delicious party members, the ooze began moving down the hallway to digest the team.  The team thrashed within trying to break free.  Callum succeeded with a scorching ray and killed the monster, freeing his allies. 

The team nursed wounds and continued down the hallway to a door.  Still invisible, Ursay opened the door.  Two slicer thugs hurled their daggers when the door opened by hit no target.  Helg peaked around the corner, and they spotted him.  Polaris, also still invisible, came clanking up the hallway.  Helg cast a flame strike, but both women evaded the attack entirely.  It did though set some crates on fire.  The team closed in but found themselves setting off traps!  Ursay was able to help guide Helg safely through various trap triggers, but others were not as lucky as floor spikes blasted through and foot-pits collapsed under heavy boots.

Hekera moved into the room, as did Polaris.  The thugs tried to fight back but were cut down by Hekera.  Ursay moved beneath the open portcullis and waited there.  Callum accidentally tripped a wire causing the gate to crash down (narrowly avoided Ursay) and releasing a second gelatinous cube!  The team wasted no time killing this ooze, with Ursay’s arrows fired through the grate finally killing it. 

The team took a breath and prepared to search the room.

Game summary for July 21, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team fled down a corridor hauling the bodies with them.  They dumped them in the darkness and crept along until they came upon a door.  Hekera, still enlarged by his potion tried to break it down.  It did not budge, and he triggered an energy drain trap!  Blasted by negative energy, he tried again and failed miserably.  The occupants of the room opened another door and came down a side hallway.  The ruffians were armed with daggers and cudgels and had a snorting miniature guardian bull with them.  Polaris held them at a corner with his axe and shield while Callum blasted two of them with Dalamar’s lightning lance.  Helg moved up and cast a blade barrier into the approaching enemies, slicing them horribly.  Hekera used his bulk to block the corridor while Callum slipped in between him and Helg and cast another fire snake.  Down in the stone corridors, the flames did not cause a conflagration, but it wreaked havoc on the enemies.  The survivors abandoned the bull fighting Polaris, fled back down the hallway, and slammed a door.  Ursay tried to break down the other door without success. 

Callum grabbed Hekera and Helg and cast teleport to enter the guarded room.  Behind the enemies, the team quickly cut them down.  They opened the doors and let the rest of the group in.  Examining a portcullis, he pulled the rope and triggered a cone of cold trap blasting the party.  Helg, who had been channeling positive energy trying to heal wounds, had to channel much more to mend the damage.  Inside the room, they found a chest and could not detect magic upon it.  Ursay opened it and triggered a mechanical trap that caused spikes to shoot through the floor and harm Callum. 

Looking in the chest, Callum found very fine magical bracers but realized at the last moment they were cursed!  They closed the chest and backed away.  The team found a metal door leading in the direction of the Forest Gate tower and hammered their way through it.  With all the racket, they were unsurprised to hear shouting and running Saiones approaching and finding the bodies.  The group ducked through the door to see where it leads.

Game summary for July 7, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Snagyndar Blackthorn (Huldran War Master played by Casey Scruggs), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team rested at the Tenderloin Lodge and then set out early in the morning to scope out the Loaded Keel gambling house.  It was clearly in sight of the Forest Gate, and the morning foot traffic was extensive.  Ursay noticed that some of the Saiones guards recognized them from their arrest the day before but did not seem too concerned about them.  Looking around the area, they noticed food deliveries being made to the rear of the building in an alley and several toughs hanging around.

The group decided to wait until evening when the gambling hall really got open and ready for the public and when the guard numbers would be lower thanks to Thessal Murvak.  The group went in and ordered food and drink and tried to blend in as much as possible.  Ursay began speaking with a courtesan who took him to a back alcove.  His interest was solely in scouting the area, however, so he slipped her some coins and left which seemed to greatly offend the woman.  She stormed away, but Polaris spoke to her and seemed to calm her a bit.  Meanwhile, Ursay just sauntered, as if lost, through one of the back curtains.  He was stopped immediately by several burly ruffians.  He was able to tell the hallway went to the back wall and there were several sturdy doors into rooms along the way.

The team then decided to try and get into the back and down into the cellar.  Ursay used tremendous stealth, and Callum cloaked himself in temporary invisibility to go with him.  Meanwhile, Polaris and Hekera used the universal language, gold coin.  Helg found his angelic charm wasn’t all that endearing in a den of iniquity, however.  Eventually, they had paid off enough people and stirred up enough that a fight between several patrons erupted in the main hallway as cover.  The group sped downstairs where they found guards who were alerted by the ruckus; however, the amount of chaos happening upstairs drown the sound of the battle that followed in the cellar.

The team discovered the cellar was full of a maze-like stacking of crates, boxes, barrels, old furniture, and assorted items.  As the team rushed to fight the rogues, they found themselves bumping into piles of junk and causing it to collapse on them.  They were nimble enough to avoid being caught under the debris but got hit by falling items.  The men downstairs were a mix of dumb hired thugs with cudgels and throwing daggers and far more capable and trained slicers who fought with short swords.  There was also a miniature guardian bull which was unpleased to have its territory disturbed. 

Polaris moved to attack the bull and missed.  Ursay hit one of the men with a volley of arrows.  The rogues all began moving in, hurling daggers as they came.  Callum cast a cold-converted fireball and hit three of their foes at once.  Helg moved to Ursay and cast bane weapon on his bow.  The rogues moved in around Hekera and closing in to the rest of the group.  Hekera cut down one of the men and injured another. 

The battle began to draw out a bit with the enemies lasting longer than the team really expected.  Helg had to cast heal upon Hekera after the bull broke free from Polaris and gored Hekera.  Ursay’s arrows and Hekera’s blade cut down the most foes, but the enemies were certainly getting their shots in.  Callum decided to end the fight with a fire snake spell.  Unfortunately, the flames ignited the junk in the room!  A roaring conflagration filled the room with choking smoke and licking fire.  The last rogue fled down a hallway, and Ursay rushed after him.  Polaris’ nerve broke, and he fled up the stairs into the gambling hall.  He discovered the Saiones who did arrive for duty were trying to break up the riot but struggling due to being so understaffed. 

Several of the team tried to put the fire out by dropping into the flames and rolling around.  It was very ineffective and really just burned several of the team.  To make things worse, flaming junk fell upon Callum requiring him to cast dimension door to escape.  The choking smoke was beginning to become a problem.  Fortunately, Helg’s magical mask of sweet air, found nearly a year earlier in a stinky sewer, allowed him to function unphased.  He cast create water over and over, but the fire continued to spread.  The team began ripping open barrels hoping to find something to help.  Some barrels of ale and others of water got dumped on the flames!  Callum cast Bailey’s golden retriever to speed up Hekera’s options.  Hekera then quaffed a potion of enlarge person, picked up a barrel, and extinguished the rest of the fire.

Meanwhile, Ursay caught up to the fleeing rogue, and the two went toe-to-toe.  He was able to defeat the man and rush back to the group as they were scooping up bodies and rushing down another corridor hoping it would lead underneath the Forest Gate tower. 

Game summary for June 23, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team decided to visit Snagy’s contact, Rhedda Boltmark to see if she had any information on the missing people.  She did not but gave them a few potential ideas and said she would ask around.  They then went to the home of one of the missing women, Hessa Varn.  They met her brother, Heath, a longshoreman and fisherman.  He told them everything he could about her, such as how she makes quilts that she gives to homeless children and repairs the clothing of their neighbors.  While they talked with him, Hekera and Ursay decided to walk the few blocks to the Forest Gate just to get an idea of the area.  They could tell the gate was very heavily guarded, and it would be particularly difficult for a person to be snatched near the gate without being noticed.  Unless the guards are in on it.  They noticed a man hiding in the shadows apparently watching the guards and making notes about them.  He had his cloak hood pulled up, and they could see embroidered cloth manacles and chains adorning his sleeves.  Ursay decided to stay and watch him while Hekera went back to the rest of the team.

After the next shift change, about four hours later, the man left and Ursay followed.  To his surprised, the man went to the Tenderloin Lodge!  He was staying in a room near the groups’ rooms.  Ursay went back to meet the group at Heath’s house.  He found them sitting around listening to Heath’s fish stories.  They decided to go and try to talk to the man and left heading to the Tenderloin Lodge.

Inside, they spoke with Pella about the man.  She said he was very quiet.  Inexplicably, she once again handed Hekera his massive warhammer and told him he should probably hang on to it or tie it to his tail.  She also handed them a key she said the man they are talking about left lying around.  Ursay went and knocked on the man’s door.  Through the door he heard the man open the window and take off running down the street.  By the time the team got outside, the man was long gone.  Ursay was unconcerned.  He sniffed the air, tasted the wind, and peered at the cobblestones.  He definitively pointed down a street and declared the man went that way.  The group heading along and came across the market.  They could see the man over by a stall looking in the general direction from which they came.  They tried to nonchalantly approach, and Ursay spoke to the man, spooking him.  He darted through the crowd tripping people and hurling them down behind him.  The ever nimble Ursay easily caught him in the crowd and put him in an arm bar.  The man screamed for help, and in the busy market, the Saiones guards closed around them in moments. 

The man and the party were all detained and questioned at the guard house one at a time.  They all gave fairly similar report of events.  After several hours, the team was fined 5 gp each for disturbing the peace and released.  The man, however, was apparently not released. 

The group returned to the Tenderloin Lodge, and Ursay agilely leapt through the man’s window and searched his room.  He found many papers and prayer book, but being illiterate had no idea what it said.  Callum and Helg read through it all and learned this man is associated with the Chain Breakers, a religious group fighting for freedom, liberation, and an end to oppression.  They found notes about the missing people and thoughts about the Upright Men being involved.  It did not take long for the realization to set in that this was one of the good guys.  Four of the five of them had told the Saiones about him making notes on all their shift changes and movements.  Could he have been charged with espionage? 

The team went back to see Rhedda and learned the man could be in serious trouble.  His day in court would be an arena battle with the prosecution, a minotaur.  They asked how to get him out of jail, and she took them to see Thessal Murvak of House Murvak.  Allegedly, she is one of the heads of the thinly veiled crime family.  They told Thessal the story of the man, their investigations for Rathun Brangus, and their need to rescue him from the arena.  She told them she would help but wanted to be present when they question him.  The team agreed, and she had them wait in the parlor.  A few hours later, she returned with the man, Jorvek Ashwill.  She revealed he was now in her custody, and the team offered to buy his release. 

Jorvek and the team talked and realized the ridiculous series of misunderstandings leading to their current situation.  He realized they were all working toward the same end, the rescue of missing people.  He told them he believes the guards are corrupt and under the sway of the Upright Men, a thieves’ guild.  Decades ago, liquor was smuggled through tunnels under the gate into The Loaded Keel, a nearby gambling den.  If liquor could be moved unseen, so could people.  Jorvek’s theory is the tunnels still exist and people are taken underground and on to who knows where. 

Thessal was delighted to hear all of this and suspected the Upright Men were involved.  Like Rathun, she would like to see proof of this (for no good reason, certainly).  The team agreed to share any evidence they find with her in exchange for her helping them get into the tunnels.  She revealed not all the Saiones are corrupted by the Upright Men.  Many are corrupted by House Murvak!  She told them the next night she would make sure those guards do not show up for work, which would make it easier to get into The Loaded Keel and down into the tunnels if a ruckus is raised.  They prepared to depart and wanted to take Jorvek with them.  Smiling, Thessal reminded them they offered to buy his freedom.  They settled on when they finish working with Rathun on this matter, she has a task for them.  They left with the rescued inquisitor of the Chain Breakers and returned to the Tenderloin Lodge. 

Game summary for June 16, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team decided to explore the Athenaeum of Sargas to find clues about the tablet fragment.  They approached the beautiful building and discovered they had to be citizens, scholars, or have a letter of recommendation from a noble house to enter.  The ended up visiting House Valdurrak, which has strong affiliations with the Orders of High Sorcery.  There they met with Arch-Factor Gellus Valdurrak and were able to secure letters and hire Tessavra Valdurrak as a scribe to accompany them.  Back at the Athenaeum, they were now able to enter and began researching the upper tier books and scrolls.  They found just a few references to the tablet, but it was enough to seek deeper knowledge.  They paid the entrance fee and agreed for scribes to accompany and record each book and scroll they referenced.  On this tier they found quite a bit more information, which made them want to go to tier 3.  Unfortunately, they are unavailable to foreigners.  They got a meeting with the Keeper of the Athenaeum, Tharrek of the Third Horn, to try and convince him to let them in.  He was already aware of several of the things they had learned thanks to the documentation of the scribes.  They told him they were seeking the tablet for their business interests, and he told them it seemed something far too dangerous for profit and sale.  He politely but firmly escorted them out and revoked further access to the archives. 

The group then went to meet with Vesk at The Tenderloin Lodge.  While they waited for him, Pella was once again their server.  She shocked them all by pulling Hekera’s hammer from her pocket and telling him she had no idea how it ended up there.  They deduced the tiny kender must have some kind of bag of holding.  Soon after, Vesk arrived and told them Rathun Brangus agreed to meet with them in the morning.  They then had a meal, and Ursay tried to dance with the minotaur.  Unfortunately, he was a terrible dancer.  Or at least he was on that particular evening.  Vesk didn’t seem to mind. 

The next morning the team went to the Brangus Far-Reach Mercantile.  They first met Korrak Ironhorn, head of security.  Helg volunteered to hand over all their weapons, and they were escorted to meet with Rathun.  The minotaur struck a deal with the party.  Four of his employees have gone missing around the Forest Gate.  Only his people have gone missing, so it seems targeted by an unknown enemy.  He wants to know who.  He wants proof, a living perpetrator, and rescue anyone they can.  In return, he will uncover all he can about the tablet; if he finds nothing, he will pay them for their service.  He gave them his seal, and the team decided to go investigate.

Game summary for June 9, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Snagyndar Blackthorn (Huldran War Master played by Casey Scruggs), Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter), and Vulkanthos (Nephilim Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight played by John Osborne). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team debated possible destinations and settled on Kristophan first.  They sailed into port and sent Vinnie on a mission to sell their cargo and the two towed vessels.  The group met with a contact of Snagy’s, Rhedda Boltmark, an arms dealer and fence.  They sold some items and asked her to find some gear for them.  She was also able to steer them to the Tenderloin Lodge to meet with a minotaur named Vesk who works for Brangus Far-Reach Mercantile. 

Once at the lodge, Ursay and Polaris went out carousing while the rest of the team chatted with a curious young woman named Pella.  She was their first interaction with a kender!  Soon, Vesk Orrun arrived, and the team ate and drank with him.  Snagy even shared a spirited dance while the bard played the flute!  He agreed to try and arrange a meeting with Rathun Brangus and told them to meet him back at the Lodge the next night.  He also told them about the Athenaeum of Sargas, a repository of knowledge and learning about numerous topics the minotaurs can exploit and weaponize.  Perhaps there is something about their tablet there.

In the middle of the night, Ursay returned from his carouse little worse for wear and with his coin purse intact.  Polaris returned much later.  He had experienced a much more interesting evening. 

After a night of boasting that “a proper dwarf can tell true stone from ornamental rubbish by smell alone,” Polaris discovered a squat stone marker outside a dockside drinking hall. A few locals had been complaining about “the beast at the Breakwater” that had been “eating cargo,” which Polaris interpreted as some sort of burrowing monster undermining the street.

In truth, “the beast” was dockworker slang for a badly placed freight route marker that regularly caused wagons to bottleneck, tip, or scrape cargo against a tight corner.

Polaris, righteous, drunk, and absolutely certain this was a public menace, tested the “beast” with dwarven seriousness. By morning, the loadstone marker lay in three heavy chunks, the road edge was cracked, and every cargo crew using the Third Harbor spur was arguing about which way to go.

By dawn, rumors spread that the “Third Harbor Beast” was finally slain by a mysterious stone-smasher.  Dockhands are leave little cups of cheap ale beside the rubble as offerings to the unknown hero. Unfortunately, three wrong turns later, a spice wagon blocked the Breakwater and the harbor master offered a modest reward for information about whoever “heroically vandalized a public navigation marker.”  The rumor is out the smasher is a dwarf, but so far, Polaris’ identity is safe.