Gods, Monsters, and Poor Life Choices // D&D

Session 19, Loaded Dice, Loaded Guns

SESSION 192026-06-26

Date: 2026-06-26

Summary

The party gathered around a table and made their introductions before setting their sights on the evening's grand event: the maiden cruise of the Chionthar Princess. Talya, a satyr from the Feywild, was drawn by sheer curiosity and wonder at the idea of a steam-powered riverboat. Mawyse, a halfling mother and woman of quiet faith, had her own reasons for being aboard. Shane, a sharp-eyed rogue with a talent for reading rooms and people, was already thinking about the gambling tables. Velessa, a recently turned dhampir with silver hair and a shadow blade at her hip, had spent the three days prior crafting magical objects — a pair of sending stones and a ring of water walking — before making her way to the docks. Séantal, a reluctant hero bound by a patron who refused to let them live a quiet life, and Vagnfríður, a towering and formidable warrior with a complicated history, rounded out the group. When the staff of the Chionthar Princess spotted them in the crowd, they were ushered ahead of Baldur's Gate's wealthiest citizens without a second thought — a perk of being friends with the woman who helped build the ship.

Becka Bitesize, a Lantanese goblin artificer and the energetic heart of the trade envoy gifting the riverboat to Baldur's Gate, greeted them warmly as they boarded. The Chionthar Princess was a marvel: a two-tiered vessel with a grand main deck, a recessed casino floor below filled with gambling tables and the soft clink of coins, and a lounge called the Velvet Lounge tucked into the lower decks where food and drink flowed freely. Talya darted from person to person in barely contained awe, peppering Becka with questions about the steam engine and how the whole magnificent thing worked. Vagnfríður made a beeline for the kitchens, only to be eventually escorted out after hovering over the chefs and offering unsolicited critiques of their fish preparation. Shane, ever methodical, descended to the casino floor and inspected every table, every seat, and every deck of cards for signs of tampering, finding the setup surprisingly honest — much to his disappointment.

Mawyse had arrived dressed as a waitress, and she played the part with cheerful conviction. She navigated the casino floor with a tray of drinks, explaining to a deeply disappointed goblin guest that "whiskey on the rocks" did not, in fact, involve literal rocks. She spotted two figures at a card table — Reigra Clawcroft, the owner of a shady bar called Rat's Run, and Genamine Kopali, a lightfoot halfling — and drifted close enough to eavesdrop. The two were discussing ways to squeeze more profit out of Rat's Run through dishonest means, and when Mawyse fetched them a pair of enormous pineapple drinks, Reigra let slip a cryptic hint: whatever was in the ship's cargo hold was far more significant than just the engine. Genamine, speaking quietly in Halfling, acknowledged Mawyse's subtle Guild signal with a knowing nod, and the two shared a brief, loaded exchange before Mawyse slipped away.

Meanwhile, Velessa had stationed herself near the stage to wait for her drink, and Mawyse returned with what could only be described as a hollowed-out pineapple filled with something potent and mysterious. Velessa stared at the spiky, alien fruit with open suspicion, demanding to know what it was and why it looked nothing like either a pine cone or an apple. Mawyse explained, with patient diplomacy, that pineapples grew in warmer climates and that the drink inside was quite good, even if the exterior was alarming. Velessa accepted it with cautious skepticism and immediately began drinking. It was around this time that Shane, having returned from his inspection of the gambling floor, approached Velessa with a scroll he had received from a woman in red — a woman he declined to name, saying only that she was a rogue wizard willing to work for them if the need arose.

Velessa opened the scroll and recognized it immediately: it was the Thayan hair management ritual, the very spell used by Red Wizards to maintain their signature baldness. The realization that Maelra Szandru — the Red Wizard the party had captured and handed over to the Flaming Fist for a very public execution — was not only alive but apparently aboard the ship settled over Velessa with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Shane confirmed it with a shrug. Maelra had arranged a body double to take her place at the gallows, and with both the city and her former employer believing her dead, she had decided to rethink her entire path. She had thanked Shane personally for the mercy he had shown her during her interrogation, and mentioned she was also looking for work, suggesting they could contact her through Velessa's sending magic should they ever have need of a wizard.

The party eventually gathered near the bar, where they met Captain Brackwater, the stern and imperious captain of the Chionthar Princess, who practically looked down her nose at the shorter members of the group. Shane asked politely whether any trouble was expected, and the captain invoked Helm's protection with the weary confidence of someone who had sailed far worse waters. Velessa, in a moment of either bravery or poor judgment, mentioned Umberlee by name, earning herself a sharp and withering glare. Becka then introduced her band — Korga Veyra and Roxy 'Trickboom' Sprocket — both dressed in matching yellow outfits that Roxy 'Trickboom' Sprocket made absolutely clear she despised, noting with some heat that the color clashed terribly with her hair. Becka remained cheerfully unbothered, and Velessa diplomatically agreed that the yellow was a bold choice while complimenting the overall aesthetic. Becka, delighted, invited Velessa to join them on stage for a song or two, provided she got drunk enough — a condition Velessa seemed well on her way to meeting.

It was while standing at the bar, pineapple drink in hand, that Velessa's blood ran cold. Across the casino floor, two drow women were watching her — and one of them, the shorter one, was already smirking. Velessa recognized them instantly: Ilmryn and Talice, her younger sisters, whom she had not seen in over twenty years. Ilmryn, the one she had once called Illy, strolled over with the easy confidence of someone who had been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. She explained that their mother had been scrying on Velessa — apparently a favorite form of family entertainment — and had noticed that Velessa's eyes had turned red. She wanted to know if Velessa had abandoned her faith in Eilistraee. Velessa explained, with some difficulty, that the red eyes were an unrelated side effect of a botched infernal ritual that had accidentally turned her into a dhampir. Ilmryn then noted, with great amusement, that Velessa also had her original arm and leg back — and revealed that the family had preserved the limbs she lost during her dramatic escape from the Underdark, because, as Ilmryn put it with a grin, it was funny.

Mawyse, still playing the role of waitress, found herself awkwardly caught in the middle of the family reunion, serving drinks and attempting to gauge whether Velessa was in danger. She used common sign language to silently ask if everything was alright, and Velessa responded with two enthusiastic thumbs up — a gesture that Talice, the younger and edgier of the two sisters, caught immediately and met with a cold glare. Ilmryn explained that they had been sent by their mother after Velessa failed to answer three consecutive letters, and that they had decided to be more insistent. Velessa introduced her sisters to Shane, which led to a tense and darkly comedic exchange about the tragic brevity of human lifespans, with Talice dismissing them as pathetic. Ilmryn, for her part, seemed genuinely delighted by the chaos of the surface world, and when Talya introduced herself as a satyr from the Feywild who had ended up in Baldur's Gate simply because it was close to her portal, Ilmryn took an immediate liking to her and announced that if Talya was going to Waterdeep, the sisters might just come along.

The gathering near the bar grew increasingly chaotic when Ilmryn spotted Valeria, the hollyphant investigator who had been drinking nearby, and demanded to know what that thing was. Valeria, deeply offended, turned to look at Ilmryn with the slow, measured contempt of someone who had seen far worse, and what followed was a shouting match that drew the attention of half the casino floor. Velessa intervened before it could escalate further, physically dragging her sisters away from the law enforcement officer and toward the rest of the group. Vagnfríður, freshly ejected from the kitchens and still mildly dejected about the state of the ship's fish, rejoined the party and immediately began eyeing the two drow sisters with deep and open suspicion. The conversation that followed touched on spine removal, Velessa's past as a surgeon in an artisan house, and the general philosophy that surface foods were far too carbohydrate-heavy — all while Mawyse did her best to maintain some semblance of public decorum.

The festive atmosphere shattered without warning. Velessa noticed it first: guests at the gambling tables were wiping off makeup, pulling off wigs, and shedding robes to reveal skulls and cultist markings beneath. She had perhaps five seconds to warn the group before the doors at the center of the casino floor swung open and a woman walked through, laughing. She wore a skull-themed headdress and carried a wicked dagger, and she moved with the unhurried calm of someone who had already decided how the evening would end. She introduced herself to the room by demanding that the party retrieve cases from the cargo hold, and promised that if they were all very good, perhaps not everyone would die. To demonstrate that she was serious, she grabbed the nearest staff member, drew her dagger across their throat, and let them drop to the floor. Velessa's response was immediate and unambiguous: she told the woman exactly where she could go.

The woman's name, it turned out, was Mirelle, and she was a priestess of Bhaal, the God of Murder. Before anyone could fully process what was happening, Mawyse shed her waitress disguise mid-stride. The cheerful halfling in the apron vanished, replaced by a warrior in pitch-black studded leather armor, knife in one hand and shield in the other, who materialized directly behind Mirelle. A swarm of spectral, knife-wielding halflings erupted around Mawyse at ankle level, jabbing furiously at anyone who came near. Mirelle arched an eyebrow and said, with what sounded like genuine appreciation, that she liked it. Then she tried to kill Mawyse anyway.

The battle that followed was fierce and chaotic. Shane slipped away from the main fight and made his way to the cargo hold, jamming the lock to prevent the cultists from accessing whatever they had come for. Talya wove fey magic to freeze two cultists in place, then hurled a bolt of chaotic energy that leaped from one enemy to arc toward a second. Séantal conjured a spectral force from a safe distance and blasted Mirelle repeatedly, landing critical strikes that left the priestess visibly bloodied. Vagnfríður tapped into something primal and unsettling — her limbs growing longer, an eerie aura emanating from her — before leaping off a gambling table and burying her axe into Mirelle with a wrathful, ghost-wreathed strike. She finished one cultist by biting into their throat as they fell, which earned her an immediate reprimand from floor manager Marceline Thornglass about the condition of the furniture. Velessa, wreathed in a ghostly serpent and surrounded by swirling spirits, cut down cultist after cultist with her shadow blade, the psychic weight of each strike leaving little doubt about her nature as a dhampir.

Mirelle, battered and surrounded, looked around at the carnage with an expression of genuine disappointment. She sighed, said the party was no fun, and descended through a black vortex that opened beneath her feet, vanishing before anyone could stop her. The remaining cultists were dealt with swiftly — Mawyse identified them through their markings as Bhaalists, followers of the God of Murder — and Vagnfríður pinned the last survivor to the floor with a grapple that left no room for argument. The party bound the cultist with chains and rope, and Shane demanded answers: where was Mirelle, how could she be found, and how could she be stopped? The cultist, defiant to the last, confirmed only that they were there to enact Bhaal's will — which amounted, simply, to murder. The interrogation quickly devolved when Velessa's attempt at questioning spiraled into a tangent about her past life as a surgeon, and the cultist mocked her lack of focus. The party decided, wisely, to regroup and come back to the prisoner with better questions — and perhaps a clearer head.

Short

The party — Talya, Mawyse, Shane, Velessa, Séantal, and Vagnfríður — boarded the maiden voyage of the Chionthar Princess, a lavish steam-powered riverboat gifted to Baldur's Gate by a Lantanese trade envoy led by the goblin artificer Becka Bitesize. Each member explored the vessel in their own way: Talya peppered Becka with questions about the steam engine, Vagnfríður was escorted out of the kitchens after critiquing the chefs, Shane methodically inspected the gambling tables for cheating, and Mawyse worked undercover as a waitress, eavesdropping on shady figures and picking up a cryptic hint that the ship's cargo hold contained something far more significant than the engine. Shane also delivered a scroll to Velessa — the Thayan hair management ritual — revealing that Maelra Szandru, the Red Wizard the party had handed over for execution, had faked her death with a body double and was now looking for work, offering to stay in touch. The evening took a deeply personal turn for Velessa when her two drow sisters, Ilmryn and Talice, appeared on the casino floor, sent by their mother after Velessa failed to answer three letters. The reunion was equal parts warm and chaotic, touching on Velessa's dhampir transformation, her restored limbs, and a near-brawl between Ilmryn and Valeria the hollyphant investigator that Velessa had to physically defuse.

The festive atmosphere collapsed when disguised cultists shed their cover and a woman named Mirelle — a priestess of Bhaal, the God of Murder — strode onto the casino floor demanding the party retrieve cases from the cargo hold, and killed a staff member on the spot to prove her intent. Velessa's defiant response launched the group into battle: Mawyse shed her waitress disguise to reveal pitch-black armor and summoned a swarm of spectral knife-wielding halflings, Shane slipped away to jam the cargo hold lock, Talya froze cultists with fey magic, Séantal blasted Mirelle with critical strikes from a distance, and Vagnfríður leaped off a gambling table to bury her axe into the priestess before biting out a cultist's throat — earning an immediate reprimand about the furniture. Velessa cut down cultist after cultist with her shadow blade, her dhampir nature on full display. Mirelle, battered but undefeated, sighed that the party was no fun and vanished through a black vortex before she could be stopped. The party subdued and bound the last surviving cultist, but an interrogation that devolved into tangents and mockery yielded little beyond confirmation that the Bhaalists were there to enact their god's will. The group resolved to regroup and return to the prisoner with sharper questions.

Classic

Last we left off, our adventurers found themselves drawn together by the promise of an extraordinary evening — the maiden voyage of the Chionthar Princess, a gleaming steam-powered riverboat gifted to Baldur's Gate by the ingenuity of a Lantanese goblin artificer named Becka Bitesize. Talya, Mawyse, Shane, Velessa, Séantal, and Vagnfríður were ushered aboard ahead of the city's wealthiest citizens, welcomed into a world of glittering gambling tables, flowing drinks, and the warm hum of a marvel of engineering. The evening began with all the promise of celebration — new acquaintances were made, old secrets surfaced, and Velessa found herself face to face with two drow women she had not seen in over twenty years: her sisters, Ilmryn and Talice, sent by their mother after three unanswered letters. Reunions, it seems, have a way of finding you whether you are ready for them or not.

But the festive atmosphere was not destined to last. Without warning, guests at the gambling tables shed their disguises — wigs, robes, and makeup falling away to reveal the skulls and markings of Bhaal's faithful. A woman named Mirelle, priestess of the God of Murder, strode through the casino doors with a dagger in hand and laughter on her lips, demanding the party retrieve cases from the cargo hold and punctuating her request by cutting down a staff member where they stood. Velessa answered her with defiance. Mawyse shed her waitress disguise to reveal a warrior in black armor, spectral halflings swarming at her heels. And the rest of the party answered in kind — Shane locking down the cargo hold, Talya weaving fey chaos across the battlefield, Séantal landing devastating strikes from a distance, and Vagnfríður leaping from a gambling table to bury her axe into the priestess with terrifying, primal fury.

Mirelle, bloodied and surrounded, regarded the carnage with something that looked almost like disappointment before vanishing into a black vortex beneath her feet. The remaining cultists were subdued, one survivor bound in chains for questioning. But the interrogation yielded little beyond confirmation of what the party already feared: these were Bhaalists, servants of the God of Murder, and their purpose aboard the Chionthar Princess was exactly what it sounded like. Whatever is hidden in that cargo hold, and wherever Mirelle has fled, the party now finds themselves at the center of something far darker than a maiden cruise. And so we pick up, with a prisoner in chains, a ship still afloat, and the night far from over...

Memorable Moments

"What the actual fuck is that thing?"
— Ilmryn Xilraen

Ilmryn's baffled reaction upon spotting Valeria, the hollyphant investigator, for the first time at the bar

"We had it preserved. Because it was fucking funny."
— Ilmryn Xilraen

Casually revealing to Velessa that the Xilraen family kept the arm she lost during her dramatic escape from the Underdark as a keepsake

"No, they're not literally rocks. It's like ice. But we call it rocks because the ice looks like rocks, but they're not rocks. I'm really sorry for the confusion."
— Mawyse

Desperately trying to explain the concept of 'whiskey on the rocks' to a deeply disappointed goblin bartender who was expecting actual rocks

"Don't everyone panic at once. I'm going to need you all to go retrieve the cases for me from the cargo hold. And if you're all good little boys and girls, then maybe not everyone will die."
— Mirelle

Mirelle waltzes through the casino doors laughing maniacally, revealing herself as a priestess of Bhaal and issuing her ultimatum to the party

"Fuck you, you don't tell me what to do."
— Velessa

Velessa's immediate defiant response to Mirelle's ultimatum, moments before the priestess murdered a staff member to demonstrate her seriousness

Mawyse sheds her waitress disguise mid-stride, teleporting behind Mirelle in full battle armor to deliver a critical knife strike into the priestess's ribs on the very first round of combat.

The reveal of Mawyse's true warrior form shocked both the cultists and the other players, who had only seen her as a cheerful halfling waitress

"Well, you're no fun."
— Mirelle

Mirelle's parting words before descending through a black vortex to escape, expressing genuine disappointment in the party after being beaten bloody by the group

Vagnfríður finishes a cultist by biting into their throat as they fall, immediately drawing a reprimand from floor manager Marceline Thornglass about not doing that on the furniture.

Even in the middle of a life-or-death cultist ambush, the floor manager's primary concern remained the condition of the casino's expensive furnishings

"As far as this town's concerned, I think I've got like, what, four more days? Found something to take my place."
— Maelra Szandru

Maelra casually reveals to Shane that she has arranged a body double for her own public execution and is now a free agent, rethinking her entire path

Scenes

Introductions and Setting the Stage

The players introduce their characters and the GM recaps the previous session before the party prepares to board the Chionthar Princess.

The players introduce their characters around the table: Talya, a satyr from the Feywild; Mawyse, a halfling mom and cleric; Shane, a rogue who once offered a prisoner a merciful way out; Velessa, a recently turned dhampir; Séantal, a reluctant hero bound by their patron; and Vagnfríður, who once got the party trapped in a hellish situation.
The GM recaps the previous session: the party attended a ball at the Silver Shield Estate, captured the Red Wizard Maelra Szandru, and turned her over to the Flaming Fist for a public execution in about ten days.
The party was invited to the maiden cruise of the Chionthar Princess by Becka Bitesize, a Lantanese goblin who helped engineer the riverboat as part of a trade envoy to Baldur's Gate.
Velessa spends three days of downtime crafting magical objects, including a pair of sending stones and a ring of water walking.
The party arrives at the docks and is ushered ahead of the wealthy crowd due to their connection with Becka Bitesize.

Boarding the Chionthar Princess

The party boards the lavish riverboat casino and begins exploring its decks, each pursuing their own interests.

Vagnfríður immediately heads toward the lower decks to scout out the food situation, eventually making her way to the Velvet Lounge.
Mawyse disguises herself as a waitress and begins interacting with passengers, successfully deceiving the staff and securing drinks.
Shane heads directly to the gambling deck to inspect the tables for any signs of tampering or cheating, finding them surprisingly fair.
Talya wanders the ship in awe, chattering endlessly with Becka Bitesize about the Lantanese steam engine technology.
Velessa waits by the stage for a drink, eventually receiving a massive, cored-out pineapple filled with a mysterious beverage from Mawyse.
Mawyse explains the concept of a pineapple to a baffled Velessa, who is unsure whether to be horrified or intrigued by the spiky tropical fruit.
Shane notices the exchange and jokingly suggests Mawyse as a candidate for head of house, before returning to scope out the gambling tables.

A Clandestine Meeting and a Mysterious Scroll

Shane is approached by a familiar face who thanks him for a past act of mercy, and a mysterious scroll changes hands.

Shane is approached near the casino deck entrance by a woman in red with long wavy red hair who looks strangely familiar.
The woman thanks Shane personally for providing her with a means to end her own life on her own terms during a previous interrogation.
She reveals she has escaped her scheduled execution by arranging for a body double to take her place, and that both the city and her employer believe her dead.
She expresses that the interrogation caused her to rethink her path, and she intends to make her own decisions now that she is presumed dead.
Shane offers her potential employment with the party, and she hands him a scroll to pass along to Velessa, noting that Velessa knows the sending spell.
Shane waits three minutes before delivering the scroll to Velessa, who opens it to discover it contains the Thayan hair management spell — the ritual used by Red Wizards to maintain their signature baldness.
Velessa is delighted by the scroll, joking about the ability to threaten people with baldness, though the spell only targets oneself.
Shane informs Velessa that the woman, Reigra, can be contacted via the sending spell if the party ever needs to employ a rogue Red Wizard.

Meeting the Captain and the Band

The party gathers on deck and meets the captain of the Chionthar Princess and Becka's musical band.

The party meets Captain Brackwater, a stern woman who practically looks down her nose at the shorter party members.
Shane asks the captain if she is expecting any trouble, to which she responds she hopes not, invoking Helm for good fortune.
Velessa cheekily mentions Umberlee, earning a sharp glare from the captain.
Becka Bitesize introduces the party to her band members, Korga Veyra and Roxy 'Trickboom' Sprocket, who are dressed in matching yellow outfits.
Roxy 'Trickboom' Sprocket expresses a strong distaste for the color yellow, noting it clashes with her hair, while Becka remains cheerfully unbothered.
Velessa compliments the band's overall aesthetic while diplomatically noting the color clash, and Becka invites Velessa to join them for a song or two if she gets drunk enough.
Becka explains the voyage plan: a quick trip out to the Sea of Swords and back for this first run, with a larger tour of the Sword Coast planned for the future.

Mingling on the Casino Floor

The party explores the gambling deck, and Mawyse goes undercover to gather intelligence on the ship's shadier guests.

Mawyse, still posing as a waitress, navigates the gambling floor and attempts to explain the concept of 'whiskey on the rocks' to a confused goblin guest who is disappointed to learn it does not involve literal rocks.
Mawyse spots Reigra Clawcroft and Genamine Kopali at a card table and eavesdrops on their conversation, learning they are discussing ways to make Rat's Run more profitable through dishonest means such as watering down drinks.
Mawyse approaches the two halflings, using a Guild hand signal to establish a connection with Genamine, who acknowledges it with a knowing nod.
Mawyse fetches large pineapple drinks for Reigra and Genamine, and during the exchange, Reigra hints that the ship's cargo hold contains something significant beyond just the engine.
Genamine, speaking in Halfling, overhears Mawyse's aside about the drow sisters looking 'unsavory' and responds, confirming she shares the suspicion.
Velessa, standing at the bar, spots two drow women across the casino floor who bear a striking family resemblance to her — her sisters, Ilmryn and Talice, whom she has not seen in over twenty years.
Velessa immediately asks Mawyse for something stronger to drink.

A Family Reunion on the Chionthar Princess

Velessa is confronted by her sisters, Ilmryn and Talice, who have come from the Underdark on behalf of their mother.

Ilmryn, the shorter sister, stares directly at Velessa from across the casino floor and smirks, before the two approach.
Ilmryn reveals that their mother has been scrying on Velessa and noticed her eyes have turned red, questioning whether she has abandoned her faith in Eilistraee.
Velessa explains her new appearance is the unrelated result of a botched infernal ritual that accidentally turned her into a dhampir.
Ilmryn notes that Velessa also has her original arm and leg back, and reveals the family preserved the limbs Velessa lost during her escape from the Underdark because they found it funny.
Mawyse, still posing as a waitress, awkwardly serves the drow sisters drinks while trying to gauge whether Velessa is in danger, using common sign language to check on her.
Velessa signals back with two thumbs up, though Talice catches Mawyse's gesture and glares at her.
Ilmryn explains they were sent by their mother after Velessa failed to answer the last three letters sent to her.
Velessa introduces her sisters to Shane, leading to a tense exchange about human lifespans, with Talice dismissing them as 'pathetic.'

Social Tensions and Expanding the Group

The party gathers together on the casino floor, navigating the awkward dynamic of Velessa's drow sisters and meeting Talya.

Shane attempts to engage Valeria, the hollyphant investigator, in conversation about the gambling competition, but she remains dismissive and cynical.
Ilmryn expresses shock and confusion at Valeria's celestial appearance, leading to a heated shouting match between the drow and the investigator.
Velessa intervenes to drag her sisters away before the conflict with the law enforcement officer escalates further.
Talya introduces herself to the group, explaining her origins in the Feywild and that she ended up in Baldur's Gate simply because it was close to where she came out of her portal.
Ilmryn takes an immediate liking to Talya and expresses interest in following the party to Waterdeep if Talya is tagging along.
Velessa and her sisters engage in a dark, nostalgic conversation about her past exploits with the family, including veiled references to spine removal and her history as a surgeon.
Mawyse attempts to maintain public decorum, noting that spine removal is generally not a smiled-upon topic in Baldur's Gate.
Vagnfríður is kicked out of the ship's kitchen after hovering over the chefs and critiquing their fish preparation.
Vagnfríður rejoins the group and immediately begins eyeing Velessa's sisters with deep suspicion.

The Bhaalists Reveal Themselves

The festive atmosphere of the Chionthar Princess is shattered when guests begin shedding their disguises to reveal cultist attire, and a priestess of Bhaal makes her demands.

Velessa notices guests at the gambling tables beginning to wipe off makeup, remove wigs, and shed robes, revealing skulls and cultist markings underneath.
Velessa warns the group with about five seconds to spare, summoning her shadow blade.
Mirelle, a cold and soft-spoken priestess of Bhaal wearing a skull-themed headdress, waltzes through the central doors of the casino deck and laughs maniacally.
Mirelle demands the party retrieve cases from the cargo hold for her, threatening that not everyone will die if they comply.
Velessa openly defies Mirelle, refusing to follow her orders.
Mirelle grabs the nearest staff member, drags a dagger across their throat, and lets them drop to the floor as a demonstration of her seriousness.
Mawyse, sensing the moment, uses her divine trickery to shed her waitress disguise and appear in pitch-black studded leather armor, teleporting behind Mirelle with a knife and shield at the ready.
Initiative is called as the casino erupts into chaos.

Battle on the Chionthar Princess

The party engages in a fierce battle against Mirelle and her Bhaalist cultists on the casino deck of the riverboat.

Mawyse summons a swarm of spectral, knife-wielding halflings that swarm around her at ankle level, jabbing at enemies within range, and Mirelle arches an eyebrow and says she likes it.
Mirelle attacks Mawyse with her wicked dagger repeatedly, but Mawyse's magically enhanced armor deflects each blow.
Cultists disguised as guests begin casting spells, including an attempt to magically paralyze what they believe is Mawyse but is actually her illusory duplicate.
Shane departs the main deck and makes his way to the cargo hold, jamming the lock to prevent the cultists from accessing whatever is stored below.
Velessa activates her blade song and strikes down a cultist with her shadow blade.
Mawyse teleports behind Mirelle using her duplicate and delivers a critical strike with her knife, jamming it into the priestess's ribs.
Talya weaves fey magic to bind two cultists in place with a paralyzing enchantment, then uses a silver-tongued hex to ensure one cannot resist her spell.
Vagnfríður taps into a primal, unsettling power, her limbs growing longer as she leaps off a gambling table and strikes Mirelle with her axe.
Séantal conjures a spectral force to blast Mirelle from a distance, landing multiple critical hits throughout the fight.
A cultist attempts to magically command Velessa to grovel, but she resists the compulsion.
Velessa surrounds herself with a spirit shroud and strikes down multiple cultists with her shadowy, psychic blade.
Vagnfríður lets out a blood-curdling screech and delivers a wrathful smite, finishing a cultist by biting into their throat as they fall, drawing a reprimand from floor manager Marceline Thornglass about the furniture.
Mirelle, looking around at the carnage and expressing disappointment that the party is 'no fun,' descends through a black vortex that opens beneath her feet and escapes.
Velessa conjures a spectral viper for protection and continues cutting down the remaining cultists.
Mawyse identifies the attackers as Bhaalists, followers of the God of Murder, through a religion check.
Vagnfríður assumes a larger, more imposing form and successfully grapples the last surviving cultist, pinning them down.
The party binds the cultist with chains and rope to prepare for interrogation.

Interrogation of the Bhaalist

With the combat over, the party questions the captured Bhaalist cultist, though the interrogation quickly goes sideways.

Shane demands to know the location of Mirelle and how to find and stop her.
Séantal asks the cultist what they were doing on the ship.
The cultist mockingly asks why they were left alive, to which Shane replies that the party needs answers.
The cultist confirms they are there to enact Bhaal's will, which amounts to murder.
Velessa's attempt at interrogation devolves into a tangent about her past life in an artisan house, and the cultist mocks her lack of focus.
The party decides to pause the interrogation and regroup with more prepared questions for the next session.
The GM awards the party experience for the combat encounter and the session, and asks players to write a short paragraph about their character's experience for the AI recap system.

NPCs

Becka Bitesize

A Lantanese goblin artificer and member of the engineering team that built the Chionthar Princess. She invited the party to the maiden cruise and is acting as a trade liaison for Baldur's Gate. She also leads a musical band performing on the ship and invited Velessa to join them for a song.

Maelra Szandru

A Red Wizard of Thay recently captured by the party and turned over to the Flaming Fist for a public execution. She appears in disguise on the ship to thank Shane for his mercy, revealing she has arranged a body double to take her place at the execution and is now free to make her own decisions. She gives Shane a scroll containing the Thayan hair management spell to pass to Velessa, and mentions she is looking for work, offering to stay in touch as a potential contact.

Captain Brackwater

The stern and professional captain of the Chionthar Princess. She is proud of the vessel and maintains a watchful eye over her passengers, noting the ship's true maiden voyage was the journey from Lantan.

Korga Veyra

A member of Becka Bitesize's band, dressed in a matching yellow outfit for the performance.

Roxy 'Trickboom' Sprocket

A band member performing on the Chionthar Princess who expresses a strong distaste for the color yellow despite her mandatory costume.

Reigra Clawcroft

The owner of Rat's Run, seen wearing a tiger-print dress and gambling at a card table. She discusses shady profit-increasing tactics with Genamine Kopali and hints to Mawyse that the ship's cargo hold contains something significant beyond just the engine.

Genamine Kopali

A lightfoot halfling seen gambling with Reigra Clawcroft. She provides Reigra with ideas on how to make Rat's Run more profitable through dishonest means, and exchanges a knowing Guild signal with Mawyse.

Ilmryn Xilraen

Velessa's favorite sister and an expert artificer from the Underdark. She was sent by their mother after Velessa ignored three letters. She is mocking and observant, revealing the family has been scrying on Velessa for entertainment and that they preserved the limbs Velessa lost during her escape because they found it funny. She takes an immediate liking to Talya.

Talice Xilraen

Velessa's youngest sister and an expert poisoner from the Underdark. She is edgy and dismissive of surface dwellers, particularly mocking their short lifespans. She catches Mawyse's sign language gesture and glares at her.

Valeria

A hollyphant investigator drinking at the bar. She is cynical and dismissive of Shane's gambling bravado, and gets into a heated shouting match with Velessa's sisters over their mutual confusion and offense at each other's existence.

Marceline Thornglass

The tall elven floor manager of the Chionthar Princess. She is professional and firm, reprimanding the party for raising their voices on the casino floor, and later scolding Vagnfríður for biting a cultist on the furniture during combat.

Mirelle

A cold and soft-spoken priestess of Bhaal who treats murder as doctrine. She wears a skull-themed headdress and carries a wicked dagger. She led the Bhaalist attack on the casino deck, murdering a staff member to demonstrate her seriousness, demanded the party retrieve cases from the cargo hold, and escaped through a black vortex after expressing disappointment that the party was 'no fun.'

Locations

The Chionthar Princess

A lavish new Lantanese riverboat casino on its maiden cruise along the Chionthar River. It features a main deck, a recessed casino gambling floor with various tables, a stage for musical performances, and lower decks including the Velvet Lounge for food and drinks. The ship is powered by a steam engine and was gifted to Baldur's Gate by a Lantanese trade envoy.

The Velvet Lounge

A lounge located in the lower decks of the Chionthar Princess where food and drinks are served to guests.

Rat's Run

A shady bar in the Seatower district, mentioned by Reigra Clawcroft and Genamine Kopali as a target for profit-increasing schemes such as watering down drinks.

Items

Sending Stones

A pair of magical stones crafted by Velessa during her three days of downtime before the cruise, intended to facilitate long-distance communication.

Ring of Water Walking

A magical ring crafted by Velessa during her three days of downtime before the cruise.

Thayan Hair Management Scroll

A level one ritual spell scroll given to Velessa via Shane by the rogue Red Wizard Maelra Szandru. It contains the specific magic used by Thayan wizards to manage their signature baldness. Velessa was delighted to discover it only targets oneself, joking about threatening people with debilitation.

Pineapple Drink

A novelty tropical beverage served in a massive, cored-out pineapple shell, offered to Velessa by Mawyse. Velessa was deeply confused and alarmed by the spiky exterior of the fruit, having never encountered one in the Underdark. The drink proved popular enough that Reigra Clawcroft ordered two.

Shadow Blade

A blade of solidified gloom summoned by Velessa as the cultists revealed themselves, used throughout the combat to strike down multiple Bhaalist attackers.

Spells

Invoke Duplicity

Mawyse created a perfect illusory double of herself, using it to distract Mirelle and the cultists while teleporting to more advantageous positions on the battlefield. The duplicate appeared in pitch-black studded leather armor matching Mawyse's true form, and enemies wasted attacks and spells targeting the intangible illusion.

Spirit Guardians

Mawyse summoned a swarm of spectral, nasty-looking halflings armed with knives that swarmed around her at ankle level, jabbing at enemies within a fifteen-foot radius and halving Mirelle's movement speed. Mirelle arched an eyebrow and admitted she liked it.

Shield

A magical barrier invoked by Mawyse's enchanted armor to deflect Mirelle's dagger strikes, raising her armor class high enough to turn what would have been hits into misses.

Hold Person

Used by Talya to paralyze two cultists simultaneously, and also attempted by multiple cultists against party members throughout the fight. One cultist mistakenly targeted Mawyse's illusory duplicate with the spell.

Silvery Barbs

Employed by Talya to magically distract a cultist who had resisted her Hold Person, forcing them to reroll their saving throw and ultimately fail. The spell also granted Vagnfríður advantage on her next attack.

Command

A divine compulsion used by cultists in attempts to force party members to grovel or flee the battlefield. Both Velessa and Vagnfríður successfully resisted the commands.

Spirit Shroud

Velessa surrounded herself with a swirling fog of spirits that added psychic and necrotic weight to her sword strikes, visually combining with her shadow blade for a dramatic effect.

Chaos Bolt

Talya hurled a fluctuating orb of chaotic energy that dealt psychic damage and, after rolling matching numbers, leaped from one cultist to arc toward a second target.

Guiding Bolt

Mawyse attempted to strike Mirelle with a flash of divine light, but the bolt missed its mark.

Ensnaring Strike

Vagnfríður attempted to summon grasping vines to restrain Mirelle upon striking her with the axe, though the priestess resisted being fully restrained.

Wrathful Smite

Vagnfríður imbued her axe with terrifying psychic energy, manifesting ghostly visages that frightened her target. She used this to finish off a cultist, then bit into their throat as they fell.

Syluné's Viper

A protective spell cast by Velessa that conjured a spectral serpent coiling around her, providing her with temporary hit points when an enemy attempted to strike her.

Toll the Dead

Mawyse attempted to ring a mournful necrotic bell in the mind of a cultist, but the fanatic successfully resisted the effect.

Sorcerous Burst

Talya unleashed a raw explosion of arcane energy while channeling her sorcerous rage, blasting a cultist with significant force.

Sending

Mentioned by Maelra Szandru as the means by which the party could contact her in the future, directing Shane to have Velessa use the spell to reach out if they ever need to employ a rogue Red Wizard.