"Ah, so you have come to colonize the island. I see," Vriskirsa says. She doesn't sound particularly pleased.
She favors Simon with an impassive gaze when he compliments her. "Not all do. My scales are more dazzling than most." Indeed, her bright scales and glistening fins flash like gems with each movement.
She turns back to Kip. "Yes, the vile sahuagin drove me from my original home some time ago. I was forced to leave several pieces of my treasure behind. If you will agree to deal with those cretins, I will let you choose one piece from my collection here as a reward. I can also cast a spell to allow you to breathe water for a short time, that you might better fight them."
"That's horrible! We are here to colonize, but not to displace people that already live here. Your magic will be especially helpful for my friends, but don't worry about me and Gerald, the water doesn't bother us."
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"These vile beasts forced you out of your home? How dreadful! They must have had the backing of some powerful entity in order to dare threaten someone as powerful and beautiful as yourself."
Simon considers her offer carefully. "Since we have arrived on Ancorato, we have been threatened by many different types of creatures that all seem to want to prey upon us. Grindylows, chokers, skum, and now sahuagin.
Yes, dealing with these invaders would be in all of our interests. Your offer is most enticing. We would be most interested in accepting your spellcasting, and if you could describe the items you left behind, we can be sure to keep our eyes out for them."
Simon is really hoping to encourage the Naga to aid them in the coming battle against the Hag, but thinks that now is not the best time to bring it up directly.
Emalliandra traveled with her friends to the cave of the water naga and met with the locatha hunter who was to serve as their guide. When they entered the cavern and she saw first the statues and then the naga she was stunned by the breath taking sight. As the others spoke she looked at the naga in great interest for a few minutes and then said, "Simon's right, you are very beautiful Vriskirsa and it is a pleasure to meet you. Kip is also correct in that we won't try to displace anyone already living here. As for dealing with the sahuagin, I believe we would all be better off with them gone." She smiled then and giggled slightly, "I think the sahuagin are in for a very rude surprise."
Vriskirsa bobs her head in agreement, her tongue flicking in and out of her mouth. She still doesn't seem very impressed with your attempts at flattery.
"The treasures I left behind include a breastplate from the time of ancient Azlant, a statue of a woman holding a moon, and a sheet of copper etched with arcane symbols. I'll reward you for each one you are able to recover from the sahuagin. In the meantime, please choose the item you would like. You may inspect my treasures, but do not touch them."
Vriskirsa has collected an unusual assortment of curiosities in a makeshift gallery at the back of her cave. These include a statuette of what appears to be an Azlanti noble marked with the words "High Governor of Thespera" on its base, a silver holy symbol in the shape of gears resembling an eye, and several pieces of carved masonry and bas-reliefs depicting cavalry soldiers in a charge against serpentfolk.
She has also collected an assortment of minor magic items including a clear spindle ioun stone, a pearl dolphin figurine of wondrous power*, a ring of protection +1, and a seafoam shawl fashioned from a fine mithral chain mesh.
The pearl dolphin can maintain its nonfigurine status for only 24 hours per week. The duration need not be continuous, but it must be used in 1-hour increments.
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"This is a very fine collection, you must see many things. You know, I am looking to open a museum here on Ancorato. We would love to include your collection in our display, if that is something that would interest you. However, we can leave any discussion of such a partnership for the future.
What are the properties of this seafoam shawl?"
"Perhaps. Let us focus on defeating the sahuagin first," Vriskirsa says.
"The seafoam shawl is an interesting magic item. It transforms a creature's fins to feet for several hours, allowing them to walk on land easily. I'm not sure it would be much use for your group, though."
Kip inspected the various items in the collection with interest, stopping before the carvings of the serpentfolk. He looked at the carvings, then to Vriskirsa, back to the carvings, then back to Vriskirsa and opened his mouth... before thinking better of it and moving on.
Victrix bows. "Your offer is kind, ma'am."
Vriskirsa bobs her head. "Very well. The pearl dolphin is yours. I will accompany you down the coast until we are near the reef."
The naga undulates through the coastal waters and Koloshkora swims alongside her as you head back south another mile or two. Once you are close to the reef, Vriskirsa casts a spell and touches you with her tail, granting you the ability to breathe water. "Good luck. Give those sahuagin hell for me!"
Koloshkora readies her longspear. "I am ready to take the fight to these sea devils when you are."
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Simon takes the spear from Victrix in order to have a piercing weapon.
He also finds a secure place on the beach to leave his pack, not expecting to need any of its contents while underwater and not wanting the encumbrance.
With a bow and a wave to Vriskrisa, and a nod of respect to Koloshkora, he starts to enter the water.
"Kip, do you think we could let the dolphin pull us through the water if we hold hands? We'd probably move a lot faster than trying to swim on our own."
Victrix hefts her seaborne glaive and gets ready to step into the water.
"Sure, we can try it. Zooming in with a dolphin should at least let us surprise them, though I'm not sure how fast the dolphin will be able to swim if we're all holding on. Regardless, let's give it a shot!" Kip retrieved the pearl dolphin figurine, dipped it in the water and activated it. "Let's get swimmin', Rupert!"
The pearl dolphin glows as it swells to full size, while still retaining its luster. It chitters in excitement as Kip teaches it a new trick. It dances on its tail and claps its fins, eager to ferry you into battle!
"Which one of you two can swim better?" Kip asked Simon and Victrix. "I can talk to the water and ask it to be nicer to the one that can't swim very well."
"I'm fine when it comes to swimming, don't worry."
Koloshkora leads the way as you swim out to the Ershrani Reef. The pearl dolphin ferries Ema and Kip while Simon and Victrix swim under their own power. The waters are calm, making for a leisurely journey. Your locathah companion proves an able guide, helping you get along in this underwater environment.
The Ershrani Reef is a sprawling series of twisting, serpentine ridges bristling with a vibrant rainbow of sea life. Tall stands of vermilion kelp drift in the ocean currents, schools of tiny fish glitter like a spray of silver knives as they swim past, and the multicolored symphony of coral polyps, spines, and pillars create an otherworldly landscape. In the distance, the dark hulk of a wrecked sailing vessel stands out against the sea of life and color.
You are able to make your final preparations before approaching further. As you draw near, a patrol of four creatures notices you and begins moving to intercept. These scaly humanoids have long, fish-like tails. Their arms and legs end in webbed claws, and their piscine heads features toothy maws. The sahuagin grip tridents and prepare to attack!
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So, these are Sahuagin? I don't suppose talk is going to do much good underwater To prove his point, he attempts to encourage the party, but only manages a strange gurgling noise as the sounds leave his mouth.
Deciding to put his new crossbow to the test he swims forward 20ft to get into 2 range increments.
Kip released his grip on the dolphin, then spun about blowing bubbles in the water. The bubbles began to glow, then popped and sent out faint sparkles of light throughout the water.
While the others worked on chosing the item they would take Ema spent it preparing the last of her spells. When it was time to go she was pleased with the choice of item, it seemed like the dolphin would be of the most assistance to them in what came next. When they reached the point they would be entering the waves from she accepted the spell from the naga with a polite nod of thanks and then grabbed hold of the dolphin once it was summoned.
As they prepared to do battle Ema released the dolphin and cast a pair of spells on herself. That finished she tore open a rift to the plane of water and called forth a small water elemental. With her preparations done she nodded and said, "I'm ready."
Victrix grips her glaive tighter and keeps on swimming.
As Ema summons her elemental, Kip casts a blessing and sends the pearl dolphin into attack alongside the aracnist's conjured creature. The water elemental slams into a sahuagin's chest with bone-crushing force, and the dolphin finishes it off with a thrust of its bottle-nose!
Simon swims forward and fires a shot from his crossbow, but it is blunted by the sahugain's scaly skin. Victrix grips her glaive as she swims forward, propelled by Kip's slipstream.
The three remaining sahuagin swarm the water elemental, perceiving it as the largest threat. One of the manages a solid stab with its trident.
Koloshkora swims forward to just behind the elemental. She thrusts her longspear into a sahuagin's belly, leaving it critically wounded!
Victrix grins and paddles onward, her glaive slicing through the water to hack a sahuagin apart!
Kip swam forward to stay in range of his companions.
The water elemental burbled as it was attacked by the sahuagin and wasn't very happy about it. In fact it wasn't going to take that from the aquatic nobodies and it began to spin as it moved in to surround the remaining sahuagin. The swirl became a good sized funnel of spinning water that sucked and pulled at the sahuagin trying to trap them within it's suddenly increased volume.
Ema was pleased at the elementals choice and moved closer to the fighting while sucking down a bit of a available magic to replenish her reservoir.
The elemental finishes off the wounded sahuagin, while the pearl dolphin slams another one. As the lot of you swim closer, Victrix charges in and slices with her glaive. Her foe brings his trident up and deflects her pole arm.
The wounded sahuagin flies into a blood frenzy, viciously stabbing at the elemental. The other remaining creature attacks as well, but neither one hits!
Koloshkora stabs twice with her longspear. The first strike finishes off the wounded sahuagin, while the second thrust leaves the other one disabled! It's a simple matter for Victrix to put it down.
The locathah surveys the fallen sahuagin and turns to you. "We got lucky, but I don't think it will be that easy moving forward. Are we ready to continue on?"
"Yes, let's be quick. My magic will persist for a while longer, and we might as well take full advantage of it while we can."
You swim forward for another minute or so, drawing near the wrecked ship. The bow of the Joskadalr lies on its side, long ago having become part of the reef. Coral grows up the hull of the wrecked ship, and bone fetishes tied with sinew decorate the gaping opening in the hull.
Five sahuagin swim out to confront you. One seems larger than the others, and she grips a wickedly sharp harpoon!
Kip hurried forward through the water with his rapier flashing. From beside Simon, Kip twirled through the water as he conjured a spectral duplicate of his weapon that shot forward to the harpoon wielding sahuagin.
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Ema was ready when the next group of sahuagin and what could only be their chieftain appeared. She spoke in the burbling language of water and asked to elemental she had summoned to trap some of the sahuagin in a whirlpool and then began to cast her own spell. When she was finishing she pulled on her reserves to fake being a more experienced caster and pumped it into the casting. A series of missiles flew from her fingers to slam into the apparent leader of the sahuagin.
Victrix does what she does best--charging in with a grin on her face.
Ema's elemental twirls into a vortex and sweeps through the sahuagin. Most are able to dodge it, but one gets battered by the swirling waters. The arcanist then fires a trio of magic missiles that streak through the water and slam into the brutish sahuagin.
Simon moves in and readies his crossbow, while Kip keeps pace and summons a spiritual rapier. It jabs at the brute, but she dodges the thrust.
Too far away to charge, Victrix delays till the enemies draw closer. Koloshkora delays as well.
Two sahuagin flank the elemental while the other two swim up to attack. All of them fail to hit the whirling water creature!
Ignoring the elemental, the harpoon-wielding brute charges at Simon, flying into a rage. His crossbow bolt whizzes past her as she thrusts with her weapon, driving it deep into the half-orc's side.
Victrix and Koloshkora seize their moment. The locathah stabs the sahuagin in the gut, then the aasmiar charges in on her slipstream. She impales the brute in the throat, and blood clouds out from the fatal wound as the sahuagin goes limp in the water.
"Go get 'em Rupert!" Kip called back to the pearly dolphin, and then redirected his spectral rapier to one of the other sahuagin.
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