S11E10 - The Hunchback of Tallinn

The heroes start the episode in the Wicks market, where they decide to sleep before the next day’s journey to the cursed island. They then go to the only inn in town, which doubles as a brothel. There, Brand gets a free room thanks to his rustic background while the rest of the party has to pay for their room.

Ike spends an hour with Margarita, a 25-year-old brothel worker amazed by his “hard wood,” and has his first human-puppet sexual encounter. Afterward, he cuddles with Sofia, a 43-year-old BDSM lover, who carves “Sofia ❤️ Ike” beneath his hula skirt, on the butt cheek that does not bear the Severance Protocol’s mark.

Ike rejoins the rest of the party, already trying to sleep through the brothel’s usual noises. During the night, he and Lyra feel three deep rumblings shake the ground like earthquakes but are unable to identify their source. Lyra also spots movement near the backpacks and is also unable to identify its cause.

Close to dawn, Soto hears footsteps in the hallway. He peeks out and sees five pirates, plus the merchant they humiliated during both the brawl and Ike’s wedding, gathered outside Ike’s room and working the lock. Soto sounds the alarm (Ein Verletzter! Alarm! Alarm!) and combat ensues. The pirates want revenge because the party has made them look like fools to the rest of the pirate town.

The fight is brief and loud: thunderwave, a sacred-flame-imbued warhammer, and Soto’s barrage of punches and kicks swiftly leave half the pirates unconscious.

When the pirates that are still standing try to escape, Lyra intimidates the two stragglers and forces them to leave through the window. The first trips during the fall and breaks his neck. The second one begs, pees his pants, jumps, and somehow survives. Iris, the brothel owner, is furious and confronts Lyra, who blames her for the poor security. As Iris and Lyra argue, Nemo and Soto loot the unconscious and the dead. Ike drags the merchant’s body into his room, follows the demonic voice’s instructions echoing in his head, and prepares what is essentially a blood foot bath. Nothing changes, except Ike’s new Bordeaux-colored feet. The demonic voice then whispers, “Gooooood. Can you feel the power?” and Ike smiles at this little step for a puppet, but a big step towards darkness.

A couple of hours later, the party leaves the brothel behind. Iris, the innkeepr, is very grateful to see them go.

At the docks, they meet Paco, Paquito, and Pietro, the crew of the small multipurpose ship that will take them to the island.

During the crossing, Brand, Klik, and Klak become seasick and retreat to the stern to throw up. Soto meditates on the beam jutting from the prow while Ike climbs the mast to monitor the horizon. Paquito reveals to Lyra that he wants to be a cartographer and would love to join them exploring the island. Lyra also notices Augury, Pietro’s one-eyed cat suddenly hissing at the air for a few seconds, but can’t find its cause.

A few hours later, in the middle of a storm and only a hundred meters from the island, something large and black suddenly falls from the clouds, smashes through the deck and vanishes into the water. The ship starts sinking and Soto falls overboard, but scrambles back aboard.

The party springs into action: they patch the hull, steer the ship onto the beach, and keep it from sinking.

The ship’s crew stays with the ship to start repairing it once the storm subsides, while the party ventures inland. The party has two days to return to shore before the ship returns to the Wicks.

Ike leads the party along the beach until they find a stream, then they head inland. The careful route brings them to a clearing: eight statues of praying monks, an altar, a large stone symbol of Pelor, and an amulet hanging from it. The statues are very detailed but have been eroded by years of salt and rain. Otherwise, the area looks long abandoned. Soto clears the moss from the inscription beneath the altar, revealing this message:

Here rests Brother Aldric, the Hunchback of Tallinn, Abbot of this sanctuary and faithful servant of the Bearer of Light. When darkness came from the heart of the island, he stood in its way. The shadow claimed his body, but it could not touch his faith. May the Eternal Sun illuminate what the night consumed.

Six vine blights burst from the forest and attack. Despite Klik and Klak getting knocked unconscious and Lyra and Brand dropping to 1 and 3 hit points, the party defeats the vines and steals the shrine’s amulet which the vines were guarding.

After resting, the party follows the river for another hour and reaches the abbey, surrounded by a lake. A bridge connects the trail to the ruin, but on it stands a large, angry minotaur.