"Go. A. Way." Zev growls as he swings at the seaweed monster.
Zev's next strike takes another vestigial frond off of the kelpie in front of him without doing any real harm.
"No Ada it's okay, she just wants me to join her in the water for a little bit, I'll be fine." Ryn replies to Ada, surprised at her friend's comment.
Stuck in the thick of things, Azura has little choice but to strike again while hoping that her magic-addled lover is able to snap out of it sooner rather than later.
Azura scores a hit, her rapier hitting something sensitive in the kelpie's centre mass. The mass of seaweed flinches and 'glares' at the beautiful bard.
Now more than a little confused, and subconsciously taking another step toward the edge of the boat, Ryn half turns, puzzled why Azura why Azura and her friend were at odd. "Wait Azura she's a friend! Why are you attacking?"
With the failure of her spell on the Kelpie and the fact some of her companions had been thrall by these creatures in some manner, Saersha decided it was time for the gloves to come off. She chanted, gestured, and sent a tiny bolt of lightning from her hand at one of the kelpies.
Ulfr knows reasoning with Ryn is useless at the moment, so he joins Zev in trying to get rid of these things asap.
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Ulfr's club strike lands squarely on Zev's kelpie--and is immediately followed up by Saersha's electric shock. The smell of burnt seaweed floods everyone's noses as the kelpie is practically incinerated by the spell, causing it to topple backwards into the water as a black, smoking morass of what used to be algae.
Embyr fumbles with her crossbow, reloading it and trying to aim...
...and unfortunately, her shot goes wide thanks to Ryn standing in the way.
The kelpie reaches for Ryn's hand...
...grabs it, and yanks her underneath the water with a loud *SPLASH!*
Mr. Simmons pins Mr. Cottonweed to the deck of the boat as the kelpie's charm reasserts itself. "I've got him! Save HER!" He points off the side of the boat.
Ada takes Mr. Simmons' order to heart and scrambles to the side of the boat. Saying a prayer, she summons what looks like a trident formed of spiritual energy that stabs downwards into the water--striking at the kelpie entwining itself with the charmed Ryn...
The trident strikes the mass of seaweed squarely in the back, causing it to billow outward and hiss in pain.
Ulfr learns an important lesson about his spell as it stops as soon as he swings. Thankfully, the shock doesn't cause his strike to miss.
He sees Ryn dragged under and immediately follows with an almost feral growl. Time to hear the tale of the Fisherman and the Mermaid, little monster! You've taken what is not yours!
He drops his club in the boat and, for the first time that you've seen, draws his ceremonial spear. It's decorated tip leads him into the water and toward his quarry.
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Azura shows no hesitation: She dives into the water after her lover, stabbing at the kelpie again.
Ulfr leaps into the water, but it takes a few seconds for his momentum in the water to right itself, stalling him.
Azura manages to swim through the calm waters and drive her rapier towards the kelpie--unfortunately, her thrust gets tangled up in several fronds and is ultimately fended off.
Seeing Ryn go under Zev let’s out a whine before dropping his sword and diving in after the others.
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Zev ditches his sword on the rowboat's deck before leaping in and dog-paddling his way to Ryn.
Saersha was not about to let this last kelpie continue to fight them so she conjured another jag of electricity which she threw at teh thing.
Saersha throws another bolt of electricity--this one streaking into the water.
It strikes the offending kelpie right in the back of its head, bursting it in a spray of green-black ichor.
Azura sheathes her rapier, swims up to Ryn, and grabs the gladiatrix and plants a powerful underwater kiss on her lips. Then the pair quickly move up to break the surface and catch their breath!
Paddling to the edge of the boat, Azura says, "A little help getting back in?"
"We should expect this to be a repeated theme," she says as she's helped back into the boat along with Ryn. "Enchantments and mind-addlers and seducers from here 'til the Sihedron shard."
Mr. Simmons helps who he can back into the boat.
"...never should've come here..." He mumbles to himself, still rattled.
Mr. Cottonweed takes up his lantern-pole and reassumes his post with a sheepish look.
Ulfr helps those he can back into the boat from below before climbing back in himself.
This is certainly going to be an adventure. Apologies in advance if I end up kissing anyone against my will.
”Probably going to be a wild ride,” says Azura as she and Ryn sit back down, then she starts using cantrip to slowly dry them off.
Mr. Simmons rows the boat in dead silence, with Mr. Cottonweed's lantern illuminating what it can through the fog. The water laps at the side of the boat, smelling of salt and something else that's difficult to identify.
Eventually, what looks like a small, sandy beach can be seen to the south of the boat. Mr. Simmons rows the boat ashore with all haste.
"Right. This here's as far as we're going to go." The burly sailor says as the lifeboat lands on the shore.
"Thank you, Mr. Simmons," says Azura. She stands and starts helping people to shore, on the sandy beach.
"So... where to now, Saersha? Ada, can you feel the tug toward the Lady's Light?" she asks.
Ulfr focus on getting the whole party out of the boat successfully and as a result is one of the last out of the boat. He gives the sailors a reassuring handshake and bids them good luck on their return.
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As the fog wears off, Run suddenly finds herself disoriented.... And very much underwater. Unable to take a deep breath in preparation, from the suddenness with which she's pulled under, the gladiatrix feels a rise in panic as her lungs ache.
Then Azura is there, wrapping her arms around her and planting a deep kiss, that at once calms her emotions, and gives her a much needed breath of air. Swimming to the surface, she lifts her lover out of the water enough for the others to help her in, before climbing into the boat herself.
As Azura uses her magic to dry them off, she clears her head. "That was... Grrr. I don't like the feeling of losing free will." she says in a frustrated tone. "But it's also a very good feeling, knowing the people I care about would come after me in a heartbeat. " she says smiling at each of her companions in turn before giving Azura a little squeeze.
Disembarking, she stretches for a moment, taking in the surrounding area.
"Yeah. I feel the same," replies Azura to Ryn. "But I think everyone here will watch each other's backs - er, metaphorically speaking."
Ada looks at the shard in her hand. "...it's pulling to the south-west..."
She glances around before doing a double-take at something to the east. "...but wait a minute--it looks like there's a building beyond the fog that way."
She points to the east.
"So which way do we go, folks? Do we head straight for the shard, or check in with the local edifice?"
"Could check and see who's there, they might know something about the area. If no one is we'll have a place to rest and fall back to if need be maybe?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me. Anyone else?" says Azura with a nod.
Sounds good to me!
"Definitely a good idea, makes sure there is't anything behind us, and sets up somewhere to fall back if we need to." Ryn agrees.
"Yeah. All right, let's check out the building," confirms Azura.
She turns to head in the direction of the unknown structure, peering out into the fog to see what it might turn out to be as she advances cautiously, waiting for Ulfr and Zev to take up forward positions in case of an ambush.
The party sets out to the east, leaving Mr. Simmons and Mr. Cottonweed to shove off and row back to the Lion's Pride. Seawater laps at the party's ankles as they cross a submerged sandbar.
The fog parts a bit to reveal a hilly island with what looks like a small hut at its top, with a trail zig-zagging up the side to reach it. The trail leading up to the hut is lined with reptilian skulls mounted on wooden spikes, with several of them bearing carved, faintly-glowing green runes and many more bearing strange words carved in them.
"STAY OUT"
"NO TRESPASSERS"
"GET OFF MY LAND"
"NO SOLICITING"
At the top of the island, a rickety rope bridge stretches to the south, back into the fog.
"... huh. This looks like a warning to lizardfolk."
Azura stays a bit back from the runes, knowing enough not to risk tripping unknown magic.
"Saersha? Can you read this?"
"... yeah those are glowing." Zev lets out as soon as he spots the runecarved skulls.
"Give me a second." Ada whispers as she studies the runes. "Probably exploding, but you never know."
She casts Read Magic on them.
They appear to be runes designed to ward against magics that ensnare, weaken and pervert the mind.
Seeing the skulls lining the path, Ryn surreptitiously lips her shield off of her back and onto her arm.
"So what's the verdict, Ada? Is it safe to go through?"
Saersha looked at the sign in curiosity and read the script carefully. "It is a no trespassing sign. It says Stay out. No Trespassers. Get off my land. No soliciting." She smiled slightly and said, "I think someone wants to be left alone."
"So what do the magic runes do?" asks Azura. "Do they make us explode if we cross the line of death?"
Saersha cast a quick spell to let her see magic and tried to identify the rune spells.
After a moment of observation Saersha said, "The runes are for protection from mental influence but I've never seen the particular style before." She considered the skill, or lack there of, of their design and how they could have been made more potent and added, "I think whoever they are taught themselves magic. Maybe some kind of witch or sorcerer."
"So it's keeping out the enchantments associated with the Lady's Light?" says Azura. "That could be promising. Someone here might know more about this place than we do. Should we try to stop in for a visit?"
"They won't explode. I say we go and try to say hello."
It never hurts to make friends in hostile territory.