After feeling like they were being followed, the party made their way back to Matthias’s workshop, and found themselves in the company of an impostor. Matthias’s badly shaken dwarven assistant Deflo had addressed concern to Feylin and that Matthias was not himself lately and that he’d kept muttering on about Blackwater Bay and the capital city of Skell. After some stalling attempts by Arvil and Guldar he was tired of the conversation and fetched them their money. Matthias was noticeably not himself, literally, as the players counted their 1500 crowns the Cryxian doppleganger quietly fled from the cellar with the mask. A trail of caustic looking green ooze lead the crew to find the would-be Matthias Bartleby escaping on a cryxian ship, and their own inhabited by bloat thralls and a small band of Satyxis pirates, who had presumably dispatched as a diversion.

A fight ensued as Pete boldy rushed the Satyxis captain head on, spilling her innards all over the plank just before being knocked back by one of the other satyxis’ cruel chain whips. A bombastic Guldar used Arvil‘s shield as a spring board onto one of the pirates faces, albeit it was a clear miss he later made up for it in slicing a sizeable chunk from one of the bloat thrall’s chests and serving as a distraction as. Neptune calmly stayed back and casted her flame magic on their enemies, forcing their bodies to erupt violently in flames while the rest of the crew spent time dodging caustic sludge being shot from the thralls cannons. Dodging cannon balls and powder keg explosions for a few years will really put some spring in your step! Feylin Bloodsong even managed to push one of the thralls off deck (with some minor damage to the ship) so at least that was one less mess to clean up. (Hit the deck! was a lifesaver here)

Three of their ship hands were dead above deck, after the battle the remaining 3 cowards who were hid out below deck were forced to clean up the mess of blood and slime above deck. A small map was found on the pirate captain detailing what the party thinks is where the doppleganger is headed, however Arvil and Pete were badly wounded during the battle so the crew may need some time to recuperate before pursuing whoever or whatever it is that was impersonating Matthais Bartlesby. We’ll find out next time!