Book One

The great Achievements and Exploits of Ka-Ess the Rakish and his merry Fishwives

Prologue: The Dread Admiral and the Lovely Maiden

In which our Hero, the valiant Ka-Ess, makes common cause with the stalwart Bragen Minotauros and the enigmatic Mute, Illiterate Half-Orc to flee the clutches of the dread Admiral Drax, heedless of the danger thus incurred. Exhausted after their escape, the Company washes ashore an uncharted island and are greeted there by a beautiful maiden with a terrible secret.

Chapter One: The Satisfied Fishwife

In need of crew and supplies, the Company flees to Port Skaug. They take lodgings at the Wayward Lobster, where they make the acquaintance of a doughty Dwarf and a mysterious Druid. Their crew assembled, they depart to seize the ship of a disgraced pirate captain.

Chapter Two: The Taking of Hag Island

Our brave company returns to Port Skaug the masters of their newly-acquired sloop, The Satisfied Fishwife. The Fishwives, for now they have truly adopted that name, seek the patronage of the Marquis de Rothshyr in their quest to visit vengeance upon the Hag. At the Marquis' Solar Festival, while under the influence of powerful hallucinogens, they defeat assassins sent after Ilabrar and earn the Marquis' respect. Under his imprimatur, they sail to Hag Island to slay the fell witch and claim it for their own.

Chapter Three: Perils Beneath the Earth

The Hag slain, the Fishwives delve into her subterranean lair, an ancient tomb complex which long predated her. There, they find and rescue the warlock Sathul Talshill, a being of great power and unknown motivation. As they explore the tomb, they make allies of dragons, couatls, cyclopes and other beasts - and awaken a long-buried Evil.

Chapter Four: An Unspeakable Evil Inhabits Our Basement

The Fishwives return to the Marquis in triumph, and are awarded noble titles and a Skaugan manse, which hides secrets of its own. As they battle the shadow-elf sealed in their cellar, a new companion bursts forth from the ether to save them. Among the demon's effects, a crystal orb containing the souls of House Amakiir.

Chapter Five: Luaus of the Goblin-King

The Fishwives return to the Halfling Encampment to find that a new and terrible foe now preys upon the succulent Halflings. They resolve to seek the Mute, Illiterate Half-Orc, who has disappeared into the jungle. Our Heroes have scarcely begun to search the jungles for their companion when they come upon a fierce battle between the goblins and the grung. Impressing the goblin survivor with their godlike powers, they are taken by him to their Big Boss, unifier of the goblin clans. He is, of course, Mute, Illiterate Half-Orc! - and the celebration which follows is one of great intoxication and merriment. But fell doings are afoot: a dread vampire has returned to his ruined temple, now miraculously restored!

Chapter Six: The Temple of Xipacna

Xipacna - for that was the name of the beast - soon falls to the great magic and moon-blessedness of the Company. Undeterred by this battle, the Fishwives brave further into the catacombs of the temple to face the mighty mind-flayer. Through the power of song, the Company elicits the goopy elixir of the snail god Tecuziztecatl and, thus fortified, plunges into a flooded crevasse to combat the hideous aboleth. From the depths of the temple, the Fishwives swashbuckle their way ever highward, putting to an end at the points of their bright blades many abominations and rescuing the wise and cunning Elven diplomat Aldon Endir, who in the tomb had slumbered for a thousand years. Finally emerging atop the pyramid, where they had battled the hag but weeks ago, they survey the new land for which they have already shed much blood.

Chapter Seven: The Marquis' Estate

Upon returning to Port Skaug, the Ka-Ess put on a lavishly (some would say ruinously) expensive ball for the rest of the High Captains. Ilabrar, with his new weretiger senses, seemed to smell a literal (and perhaps metaphorical) shark as they mingled with the various Captains. They were entertained by an orcish opera of the antique style, a boxing match in which the half-orc prevailed, and of course a number of well-oiled, nubile dancing lads.

The revels were interrupted by news of an attack on the Marquis' estate. The Fishwives raced to their patron's abode, finding a well-trained unit of hobgoblin musketeers, several dangerous mercenaries, and a horrifyingly-mutated fish-priest. They defeated their foes after a hard fight, but not before the Marquis was slain by assassins. Ardrick managed to revive him with the Holy Light of Kord, but the assailants escaped on manticores with their prize: the red gem. Several

Chapter Eight: The Voyage to Lome; An Idyll in the Feywild

En route to Lome, the Fishwives encountered a supernatural fog and a ghostly ship. Sathul was able to make brief psychic combat, and the ghosts begged for the release of death.

They soon encountered a mist-covered island with great stone pillars. Ilabrar, conversing with local ents, realized this was the Tomb of the First Archdruid. Inside lay a giant skeleton on a stone bier and a doorway to the Feywild. The party went through the sorcerous gate with startling alacrity, ending up in the magical forest of the summer lands. Ka-Ess was again taken in by a hag, but after a brief and confused fight the Fishwives made their way to the Court of the River King. Ilabrar was taken on a detour by a familiar tree, but got a very fine set of clothes out of it.

The party met several Fey lords and ladies, who seemed to recognize or mistake some of them. A strange Visitor from the End of Time arrived and exchanged several gifts. The Fishwives returned to the material plane slightly before they arrived, though had the good sense to avoid a paradox.

Chapter Nine: The Ancient City of Lome

After arriving in Lome, the Fishwives attempted to determine who ordered the attack on the Marquis - but not before indulging in many civilized delights, including many hours of ancient Orcish Opera at the Loman Orcish Opera Company, where Ka-Ess strove in vain to consummate a tryst with a burly Orcish contralto. Although they were eventually able to trace the attack to a hobgoblin mercenary company, the identity of the company's client remained unknown. However, using illusory magic, the adventurers successfully impersonated the leader of the mercenaries and were able to arrange a future meeting with the mysterious patron at The Wayward Lobster in Port Skaug. While still under the influence of the glamour, they also withdrew a large sum from the mercenaries' account at the Bank of Lome and stole a slaver merchantman, two great financial coups that undoubtedly won them powerful enemies.

Chapter Twelve: Gravenhollow

The Fishwives arrived at Gravenhollow, a magical library run by immortal giants in the Underdark.

Ka-Ess learned that the lizard-conqueror of his dreams was Yazkur-el, who millennia prior threw off the tyranny of the matriarchs and united the Lizard and Serpent people and conquered the known world. Yazkur-el vanished mysteriously, though not before treating with the newly-arrived Elves and building temples and pyramids to his glory.

Cheeky learned of the history of the Cat Lord and her people. The Cat Lord led the Tabaxi to this plane from another (perhaps the Feywild, though the records are unclear), to rescue them from some eldritch being of unfathomable power. To close the doorway and protect his people he traveled into the Shadowfell and challenged an otherworldly evil called the Twisted One to a ball game, wagering his life against the Twisted One’s eye. There is a lengthy account of the game, but suffice it to say that the Cat Lord won the eye, though barely escaped the wrath of the Twisted One. He used the eye to permanently close the doorway from which his people had come.

Ilabrar learned that he was the descendant and heir of King Elashor the Ceremonious, last monarch of the now-destroyed Kingdom of Nindrol. Elashor’s older brother Mourn the Oathbreaker went mad and the kingdom was further weakened by a decades-long civil war in which Elashor prevailed, though at a great cost. When the Sahuagin attacked, the kingdom fell. He further learned that he was a relation of the current empress, and that Elashor had twin daughters who survived the destruction of the palace.

Sathul had a vision of the dark orb being used to open a doorway between our plane and the Far Realms. He was suspiciously not disturbed by this.

Ardrick discovered the location of his lost brothers, several of whom were in the city of Karne.

Chapter Thirteen: The Wrath of Valraxaxath

After troubling dreams and portents, the Fishwives emerged from the Underdark into the mountains to find the young dragon Cal and the cyclops Kronk engaged in a deadly battle against an adult black dragon, Valraxaxath. Kronk drove the foe off but at the cost of his life.

The Fishwives took revenge, with Cheeky riding Cal into battle. After a terrible battle, the now-forever-insufferable Ka-Ess earned the sobriquet of Dragon-slayer after leaping on the back of the fleeing dragon and slaying it with his magical sword.

Ardrick used the blessings of Kord to raise the slain Kronk from the dead. The newly risen giant was changed, now evincing an interest in religion and a heretofore unknown propensity for blacksmithing, despite the loss of his eye. Ardrick agreed to procure 1000 ingots of bronze for him.

Cross-Index: Location

Events in Port Skaug

• The Solar Festival

• The wild night at the Lobster

Events at Sea

• The cutting out expedition

Events on Hag Island

• The defeat of the Hag

• The plundering of the Ancient Tomb
• The defeat of Xipacna