Day 2 (Part 2): Dead Men Tell No Tales!

From a cluster of tall reeds at the edge of the pirate camp, the party can see there are 10 corsairs milling about, dealing with camp business. Realizing the captain might return with his hunting party at any time, they elect to set upon the men in the camp with haste, in an attempt to eliminate them before more support arrives. They heft their ranged weapons and spells, and let loose into the corsairs!

By the end of the battle, 7 of the pirates lay dead, and the remaining 3 surrender. These three reveal not only the the captain and his hunters will be back before nightfall, but also that a female tiefling is aboard the Cymbrian ship. Galathir is thrilled at what he takes as confirmation that Sinjun is alive and well.

Jeurn refuses to kill the survivors, so the party binds them and heads off into the wilderness, following Garn, who can readily follow the hunting party’s trail. Kilskan scouts ahead and discovers captain Volo, who is traveling with Khalim, apparently a spellcaster, and 10 of his corsairs are on their way up the path.  Based on Kilskan’s report, the party plans an ambush.

As Volo’s raiding party comes into view. Garn uses his Druidic magic to cause the foliage to Entangle several of the corsairs. Galathir follows up by tapping his demonic heritage and conjuring a sphere of Darkness around even more of them. Meanwhile, Jeurn and Kilskan let loose with their Crossbow and Shortbow, both shooting at Volo. The party capitalizes on the element of surprise and follows up quickly, starting with Galathir unleashing Pact Magic on Voloa’s spellcaster, Khalim. His whispers carry nightmare images and terrifying thoughts of The Great Old one into the dark-skinned human’s mind, and send him screaming with pain and fright into the trees. Jeurn steps up, drawing sword and shield, and enters battle with Volo directly, while Garn and Kilskan engage the corsairs that emerge from the Darkness.

The battle quickly escalates to a violent struggle for life as the seemingly well-laid ambush turns into a maelstrom of chaotic combat. At first it seems too many of the Corsairs are free, and as Khalim overcomes the dreadful nightmares of Galathir’s magic, he returns and uses his own spells to Hold Jeurn fast and at Volo’s mercy! The massive captain of the corsairs takes full advantage, unleashing brutal blows with his sword! Kilskan does his best to deliver death to the two corsairs than engage him, but luck is with them, and he soon finds himself ducking beneath their attacks and slipping into the Darkness behind them. Garn holds his own assailants at bay felling one with a mighty blow from his spell-driven cudgel, but things begin to look grim as the enemies who once faced the rogue turn to him instead.

On the other side of the trail, two more corsairs had slipped from the Darkness and moved toward Galathir, even as he closed with Jeurn , Volo and a corsair. The tiefling’s Eldritch Blast lanced into Khalim, crackling with agonizing energy and knocking him, lifeless, to the ground… and breaking his Hold on Jeurn . The Paladin lays back into Volo with renewed vigor, but it seems the huge man can take the punishment! The pirate captain savages Jeurn's defenses and lands another mighty blow even as the corsairs pursuing Galathir move within range. Garn faces off against no less than 4 corsairs now, and things look grim for the heros as Jeurn is knocked prone!

Kilskan strides from the Darkness at just the right moment and lays back into the foes surrounding Garn as Galathir moves up next to Jeurn's crumpled form and raises his hands before him, a sheet of flames erupting from his fingertips as his thumbs touch! Volo howls in pain and rage, but shrugs this attack off as well, but two of his corsairs fall in smoldering heaps! The tiefling’s luck holds as Volo and the remaining corsair both lunge at him and fail to connect, and the tide finally starts to turn as Garn smashes another pirate to the grass! Kilskan slips under the guard of another and a swift thrust ends his life, while Galathir manages to blast Volo with his Eldritch magic, dropping the large man as well!

The remaining 4 corsairs yield, asking quarter, which the part grants in order to tend to Jeurn and stabilize his wounds. Galathir orders the pirates to move the bodies of their fallen comrades to keep them occupied, and then Garn and Kilskan search the lot of the bodies and recover anything of interest. Soon enough Galathir has the 4 prisoners carrying Jeurn back to the pirate camp under his wary eyes.

As the group returns to the camp, it quickly becomes obvious that the other prisoners escaped and took the Dinghy, even if there is no sign of it at the Cymbrian vessel moored offshore. The party decides to settle in for the night, with Kilskan and Galathir taking the first watch, while Garn takes his rest and seeks to recover his spells.