Erik and Jotun act quickly; they gather their party and begin preparing for the invasion of the pirates. While the cannons fire around them, Jotun helps to mobilize the guard force in Droyva, he also gathers the mercenaries known as the Spinning Blades to increase their chances of survival.
Erik gathers supplies, and he and Sali begin making their way towards the entrance into Droyva. There are two straightforward staircases to enter the fishing village as the town is approximately 100 feet elevated from the beach below. The party uses this to their advantage, Jotun stations the available guards on either side of the village. Sali and Erik prepare some improvised explosives using bottles, gunpowder, alcohol, and rags.
Kai sneaks down to the beach to gain some insight on their enemies; he is surprised when an arrow pierces into his shoulder. Kai races back to a position of advantage and relays the information that he gleaned from his reconnaissance mission.
The pirates exit their ship, and the assault on Droyva begins. The guards are able to bottleneck the incoming assailants while using shields to defend their positions. Sali slides down the ridge and onto the beach below, he heaves his explosives and watches in satisfaction as a dozen passing pirates are caught in the blast. Jotun and a team of guards circle the beach to try and flank the enemy.
After several grueling minutes, the pirates’ numbers begin to thin out, but so do the guards. Luckily for Jotun, after the guards around him fall to the might of The Gilded Skull, the Spinning Blades arrive and drive them back. After nearly an hour of battle, the remaining crewmembers of The Gilded Skull stand with their backs to the sea. They were cornered by the party and the remaining defenders of Droyva.
Socegole the Despair, who is the captain of this particular vessel, uses her charming abilities to incapacitate Sali; however, the attempt eventually fails. A barbaric member of The Gilded Skull eventually kills a member of the Spinning Blades, and the fight rages on as two dark priests step forward and a swarm of ravenous ravens attacks Jotun. Erik’s divine magic explodes upon the swarm, and they scatter into a mass of black feathers. Skeletons burst forth from the ground around the party, and a hard-fought battle ensues. Sali and Jotun are able to dispatch the berserking pirate with a powerful melee attack from Sali and then an arrow through the eye from Jotun. Eventually, Kai drives his powerful and razor-sharp claws through Socegole, and they stand upon the beach. The dark priest is the only one member of the crew remaining, and the party forces him to talk.
He informs them that The Gilded Skull is much bigger than him and that they will return to raise Droyva to the ground after such a defeat. He also mentions that he would rather die than face the leader of the Skulls, Haiwanyax The Shifting Scales.
Jotun decides to investigate the ship at this point, and after some assistance from Kai, they find a letter:
The dark priest mentions one final thing in regards to what drove them to this village in the first place: Haiwanyax is searching for an artifact, a simple looking whistle. The dark priest becomes even more nervous after Sali shows him the whistle. However, once the information was obtained, Sali shoves an explosive into the pirate’s pants, and the man meets a fiery end.
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