Dantia/Storylines/Srinoja & Kauga

Srinoja, the Gnome Pirate captain of the Hangman's Pursuit, made her first appearance during the Assault on Basalt Isle story arc. 437-04-38 (02/25/2021), Srinoja and her pirates attacked and looted Crossing, and over the next few months also looted Riverhaven, Aesry and Rossman's Landing (where she was seen escaping with gryphon eggs). During these attacks, she is often vocal, but polite, on gweth about her looting activities. At one time, she also brought an exploding device and set it off at the Crossing Empath Guild.

It is generally understood that Srinoja's fleet of pirates have been in contention with House Moglin, who owns a major Rathan shipping fleet, especially Commodore Khoheke Moglin. As House Moglin turned their attentions to the Lich Jeihrem (through the Assault on Basalt Isle story arc), Srinoja saw this as an opportunity to make a deal with Jeihrem to join the fight against House Moglin's ships. Srinoja has publicly stated that she is not okay with Necromancy, but IS okay with someone else using it as long as it helps her out against Moglin. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

At one point, adventurers met with Srinoja to attempt to negotiate peace, so that they were not fighting both Srinoja and her pirates at the same time they were building to fight the Lich, but her demands were considered too great for Khoheke Moglin to accept, and negotiations failed.

On 438-06-11 (06/18/2021) Kauga, Srinoja's First Mate and the only person alive known to have successfully killed a kraken, was spotted at Guildfest 438 trying to do some supplies shopping. Dantia, Betlind, Ariya and Lasaia spent a good deal of time talking with him, trying to subtly implant the idea that Srinoja was not a very good leader, and that Kauga should be wary of her. The goal was to hopefully make him hesitate in fighting them at a future event. See the log of this interaction below!

On 438-06-23 (06/21/2021) adventurers were called to join in a naval engagement when Commodore Khoheke's flagship, the Oshu'k'et was ambushed by Srinoja and her forces. This battle involved adventurers fighting each other in support of either Khoheke or Srinoja, manning mangonels and rangefinders and commanding elementalists, and fighting off banyakaes. Khoheke's forces were badly outnumbered until the arrival of House Moglin reinforcements, and ships provided by both Zoluren and Therengia, which dramatically turned the tides. In the midst of the battle, the adventurers fighting in support of Khoheke also faced an undead kraken that rose from the depths, and Sivroch, who was plucking adventurers from their boats and tossing them into the sea. Near the end of the battle, Srinoja fired herself out of a mongonel and onto the Oshu'k'et, where she was quickly dispatched. Her body was last seen being carried off by Sivroch toward Basalt Isle.

What was left of Srinoja appeared to make contact with the Empath's guild some time later, and an incredibly disfigured and malformed version of her Gnomish body was paraded before the Basalt Isle defenders at a preparation meeting. It's clear that she is paying dearly, despite her "alliance" with the Lich.

On 438-07-06 (06/27/2021), Kauga was heard on gweth saying he had been taken into captivity by Baron Var'Quel of Hara'Jaal, who was apparently never a fan of Srinoja's. While on gweth he managed to escape captivity. Adventurers rushed to Hara'Jaal to attempt to take him into custody and bring him to Therengia for justice, but they were intercepted by Rathan forces who stormed the Dragon's Slave and apprehended him for themselves. A ship chase ensued, but the Rathans were able to successfully return Kauga to Khoheke Moglin. Pirates are usually immediately put to death, but after consideration for the upcoming Assault, Dantia spoke with Khoheke and proposed that Kauga be given a chance to spare his life by bringing him to the Assault in case we faced another kraken (since he is known as the only person to have ever single handedly kill one). Khoheke agreed, saying that if Kauga fought for our side that he would be given a trial at which that would play heavily in his favor.

At the Assault on Basalt Isle, adventurers did indeed face a kraken while sailing to Basalt Isle. Kauga was brought from his holding cell and successfully fought and killed it. After the Assault, Kauga was returned to Ratha where he was again held under Khoheke. Dantia wrote to Khoheke to remind him of the trial, and encourage that Kauga be sentenced to hard labor as a crewman on one of Khoheke's ships. This would punish Kauga for his activities as a pirate, would keep Kauga under Khoheke's eye in case Srinoja turns up again, and would let Kauga teach Khoheke's crew how to fight a kraken, further securing House Moglin's trading long into the future.

On 440-04-08 (12/14/2021), Kauga again took to the gweth to let people know that Khoheke had been treating him well, and that he had been visited by a Gnome wearing a fake mustache. After a little more digging, it was clear that he had been approached by Srinoja in disguise, but that he had not spoken to her. In private gweths, Dantia advised Kauga that if this Gnome came again, he should alert the Guards, or tell people over gweth so that they could come to him.

Kauga's trial is still pending.

On 440-06-28 (01/08/2022) Srinoja started talking over gweth, publicly and privately to a few people, about things like reality and illusions, and being able to tell the difference between the two. A series of shadows in her form showed up at the Empath guild, where a collection of people tried to interact with it. It disappeared abruptly.

On 442-08-28 (08/16/2022), Srinoja confessed via a series of single-sentance messages to individual people, that she had stolen bridge building supplies from the Theren bridge project (replacing the rope bridge between Rossman's Landing and Therengia with a real bridge). The lack of supplies had delayed the project for about a week and a half OOC time. After people compiled some of the individual messages and determined Srinoja had taken the supplies, she "graciously" returned them to the project site. The bridge was finished soon after.

Related Logs

• 438-06-11 (06/18/2021): Helped Srinoja's First-Mate, Kauga, with a shopping list at Guildfest 438.
• 438-07-06 (06/27/2021): Tried to escort prisoner Kauga from Hara'Jaal.
• 439-08-32 (10/21/2021): A Letter to Commodore Khoheke Moglin on Kauga's upcoming trial.
• 440-04-08 (12/14/2021): Kauga gweths about a Gnome in a fake mustache.