The Baleful Brothers

Art by Medhi

In the latest session of my 5e Land of Azurth game, the PCs were asked by their patron, Mayor Yrrol Gladhand, to look into the disappearance of the vagrant-ambassador of Lardafa the Beggar City and his pet monkey. Gladhand believes the ambassador is being held captive in the red-light district known as the Floating World, by an a new pair of crime lords: the baleful Burly Brothers.

Gladhand directs them to the queen of the Floating World, the mysterious Calico Bonny in her cabaret ship, Queen Azura. No one meets with Calico Bonny, apparently, but the group converses with Fleur, her poised-almost-to-the-point-of-apathy assistant. She confirms the Brothers' power has been increasing, but she doesn't know where they can be found. She suggests they check with one Saltus Tapper, owner of the flatboat gambling den, The Hazard. He's apparently just entered their employ, but owes Calico Bonny a favor.

Making their way across the Floating Worlds' rickety walkways, the PCs visit Tapper's establishment. He admits to entering the Burly Brothers' employ (not wholly voluntarily) and agrees to tell them more, but he's paranoid he's being watched and asks them to come back at closing. The group agrees.

When they return, Tapper tells them the Brothers have taken over a half-submerged prison hulk. He's about to tell them more when three seemingly drunken thugs in the service of the Brothers show up to get their portion of Saltus's take. Waylon the Frox attempts to buddy up to them and convince them that he and his companions are looking for work. Their leader agrees to let the PCs come along.

Walking out along a narrow plank path along the sandbar into the darkness toward the hulk, Erekose is not surprised when one of the thugs tries to sap him from behind. I fight breaks out, with the PCs ultimately leaving the thugs face down in the muck. They steal the money the thugs were carrying to the Brothers. Having taken damage and used some spells, they decide to rest for the evening and return in the morning.

Waylon stays behind to watch. In the night, he sees to large shapes leave the hulk and step numbly for their size down the planks to the floating world, chortling and snickering as they go. They enter The Hazard and soom their is a scream. Waylon realizes they are the Baleful Burly Brothers and they have killed Saltus Trapper.