GM: Nat
Players: Katin, Ezra, Justin, Betty, Joy, Sean
System: Pirate Borg
The continuation of our Pirate Borg adventures. Aboard Lady Oblivion’s long boat, tethered to a ghost marlin, and pursued by the mist guard, here were our efforts:
- Robert threw a rope to Miles to bring him in, but the rope missed and was tangled in the mess.
- Sarah hooked her cat-o-nine-tails to a cleat on the boat, and created a wick for the gunpowder keg she obtained before.
- Dead Eyes fired his musket and destroyed one of the guards from a distance.
- Drift, hanging onto the ghost marlin for dear life, yarded on it to turn it so that it was closer to pointing at the mist guard boat.
- Miles clambered on to the marlin as well, but his axe could gain no purchase. Ghosts don’t play by our rules.
- Paz piloted the boat through force of will, turning it starboard to face our assailants.
The Mist Guard advanced upon us and fired a ballista, squarely striking Dead Eyes, but only putting a dent in his plate armor. The captain ushered the boat forward to ram us!
- Paz tried to command the boat to turn away, but it would not respond.
- Sarah lit the wick of her impromptu bomb and tossed it onto the other ship. We were so close however that it blew up the front of of both boats, killing three mist guard, Sarah, and Drift. Dead Eyes was knocked back and Miles dove under the water to evade the blast. Pas and Robert were safe at the aft of the boat. For now at least.
- Robert rush to the for and wedged his large sea chest into the cavity the explosion had left. He sealed it with tallow and tar and miraculously the boat stopped taking on water! He threw a marlkinspike at the captain, which he would later regret. He missed his target, but still earned his ire.
- Miles swamp up on to the Mist Guard ship and cast the ritual Heart of the Sea to cover it in mist.
Despite the explosion the boats still collided, damaging each hull further. Thankfully ours held! The bones of the fallen Mist Guard began to stitch themselves back together. One of the grabbed a cutlas and sung at Miles but missed due to the obscuring fog. The crew tried to turn the boat away, but it would not dislodge from ours, and began taking on water. The captain fired his enchanted pistol and Robert and shot him dead, his stolen wig blasted off.
- Paz urged the boat forward, forcing the Mist Guard’s ship beneath ours. They touched the tattoos on their arms and suddenly it became a claw arm. They leapt onto the mist guard ship and swung it at the crew, but the mists made it hard to spot them.
- Drift and Robert were restored, their bodies knitting back together and healing all wounds except the ones that brought us to the locker. Our Devil’s Luck restored!
- Miles snuck through the fog and plucked a coin, with turned out to be an obol, from the captain’s mouth, then dove into the water.
- Dead Eyes tried to toss the bones of the Mist Guard into the water, but collect enough of them to make a difference.
The bodies of the remaining Mist Guard reformed despite Dead Eye’s efforts and attacked, cracking the cutlases against Paz’s crab claw arm and falling into the water after losing their direction in the mist!
- Paz tried to take control of their ship through force of will, but the connection backfired and the restless dead that piloted it assailed him with psychic damage.
- Robert came to his senses and called out to his crew “We set sail for the devil’s rock!” which was code for telling them that he was turning the boat starboard, hoping to lose the other ship in the mist!
Navigating the Locker
After some time we all got back back onto Lady Oblivion’s boat (now with a blunted bow) and discussed out options. Though Robert wanted to dance at the palace, since we had an obol and a vessel, all we needed now was a portal.
Making use of Dead Eyes compass and Drifts spyglass, we started trying to chart the seas of the Locker. However navigation in such a place did not follow the rules of orienteering we were accustomed to.
We came to a blue and green transulcent tower with ships gathering around it which we gathered was the Pellucid Palace, then set off again and came to an island of bone with giant onyx teeth piercing up form the surface. Above we saw skeletal fish, whales, sharks and turtles flying in the sky, not obeying the same gravity that afflicted us.
Finally we made it to an island surrounded by jagged rocks with an obelisk in the center. Paz willed the ship to fly over the rocks and for a moment it worked, but they they were distracted by thoughts of their long lost Edward and the ship crashed to the rocks, destroyed by the impact.
Past the out reef we came to an inner pool of black water which had the obelisk in the center. In the reflection of the water we could see only the obelisk, not ourselves. The region was a lit by a pale light that had no discernable source.
Miles climbed up onto the Obelisk and cast Heart of the Sea again, this time to destroy some of the water, but as he pushed against the water, it pushed back. Tendrils rose up around and inside him. A moment later, Miles “The Bride” that we knew was gone, his body possessed by an angry water spirit…who summoned more water spirits to overtake us.
Dead Eyes, Robert, and Drift were able to resist the possession, but Paz and Sarah succumbed the the watery invaders. Though the spirit that possessed Sarah seemed inquisitive and benign, it was clear the spirit on Paz was equally angry. Before it could summon yet more water spirits Handsome Robert cast the ritual of Necro Sleep, a perfectly harmless spell that makes someone appear to fall over dead, but in reality they are just sleeping. Or at least that is how the spell works in the land of the living. Here, Paz appearing to drop dead seemed much more…well, actually dead.
Drift, to stop the angry spirit impaled Miles who fell dead and the spirit left her body.
The spirit in Sarah was friendly enough though. Drift talked to the entity and it told us that the waters can help people travel to other realms. It also told us that people often come here to make offerings. The last thing offered was a giant head of a dog.
Drift turned to the obelisk to study the runes inscribed but they filled his heart with terror.
Robert pulled Paz out of the water “wake up buddy.” He looked to the reset of the group “I promise everyone it’s just a sleep spell. He’ll wake up in a moment. Seeing Drift running in terror, Robert reflexively cast the ritual of Necro Sleep on him, and Drift fell dead as well. Oh no!
At that moment we saw small amphibious creatures coming over the rocks. The dragonnites we heard of!
Robert held up his hands, trying to show that he meant them no harm. He threw his last worldly possession, a leather pouch with a flint and steel, into the water as an offering. They seem appeased, and even delighted that some of us were possessed, some of us were dead, and others (Dead Eyes this time) were overwhelmed by the thoughts that invaded their minds after reading the runes.
Robert panicked when Dead Eyes was also afflicted and cast the ritual of Necro Sleep again. This time they both fell dead! Goodness no, Robert had killed more than half the party including himself!
In time though, we woke, our bodies restored and from the water we found various treasures. Paz sputtered awake with a key in their mouth. No idea where it went. Dead yes and Robert both woke holding monocles. Miles and Drift woke, each with a piece of something that was taken from us…a scrap of the hull and keep from the Burning Desire!
Drift once again tried to understand the obelisk but was transfixed by it’s beauty.
Miles hammered a nail through the hull fragment and into a crack in the obelisk. He began a ritual to summon the rest of the Burning Desire to us, aided by Drift’s portion of keel.
Robert, remembering that he was a sorcerer, leaned in the arcane arts, studied the obelisk through the reflection of the water!
Our Return
As Robert muttered the incantations the obelisk began to sink into the earth below. The black water fell away and all who were not attached went adrift.
Miles, Robert, and Sarah were able to hold onto the obelisk, but Drift, Dead Eyes, and Paz were lost to the void. Or they would have been. Robert found the dog head which came to life and “fetched” Paz. Sarah threw a rope to Dead Eyes. Miles tried to help Drift but he was out of reach.
As the Obelisk sank deeper and deeper into a void the spell to summon the Burning Desire completed and we found ourselves sailing through the void itself. Paz took the help and held our course.
As the fore, the Ferryman Charon appeared and bellowed “what is this trespass?” Miles flipped the obol in the air towards him and as the ferryman caught it in his boney hands, all 13 sculls had different expressions, some of surprise, some of anger, some of delight. The primary skull however just grimaced and then the ferryman disappeared.
Robert had collected one of the water spirits in a bottle and he channeled it into Dead Eyes compass to guide our path.
The void drift opened and with a crash we returned to the land of the living, with a night sky full of stars above us. Though the rest of our crew were gone, we were blissfully alive. Including Drift (who drifted through the void on his own!).
As the maelstrom passed, Robert inspected the horrible gash on his head that killed him and felt it has transformed into a dignified scar. The he ducked just as the hurricane lantern swung over his head. Not again!
Before and after our naval battle collision!
Thoughts on the game
Initially I really wanted to go to the Pellucid Palace and attend the ball, I was even going to make sure we brought the shade of Euridice De Leon with us (as I had promised) but looking at the time, it seemed like we needed a more direct approach. I’m sure there was plenty of fun to be had dancing and deceiving at the ball, but it was equally delightful getting lost beneath a starless sky and finding the obelisk. I got to feel clever realizing we needed to study the sigils through the reflection in the water!
I’ve read some of the adventure from Trouble in the Tropics (one of the earlier adventures) and found that despite the cool d66 tables for coins and naval combat rules, the depiction of the Caribbean, the slave trade, and the trampling over indigenous culture were terrible. I thought another adventure using the game mechanics, but not featuring the Dark Caribbean, might be playable without having to put my ethics on hold.
This game fit that bill. The Locker features the kind of “you meet at a bar” action adventure content you’d expect from a Borg without the cultural exploitation and consumption. Since then I read the Rascal article as well as posts on Bluesky, that point out how the rest of Down Among the Dead (where this adventure comes from) includes Mesoamerican history and culture used as a set pieces and props for pirate adventure. While I’m glad we dodged all of that in this adventure, the next session will likely be my last encounter with this Borg.
