Ursion rouses from his foul mood as a thought crosses his mind. "That blue woman owes us a favor, I'm thinking. Let's see if she can get us to Brightglass."
Patches goes to find Squidweird.
"You know the blue woman that lives in the sea around here? Don't suppose you could help us find her?"
The magical squid priest says, "Oh! Jenesara? She is a wonderful asset to this island. You will find her in the lagoon if you call, I am sure. Yes, I think she might be able to help you."
You rest in the monastery and set off circling back around the island down to the lagoon the next day. Sure enough, you can easily find Jenesara tending her hippocampus herd. "Marooned? Oh, that's tragic. Yes, I can help you out and my hippocampi can get you to Brightglass in no time but I must ask one more favor before you leave me. Do you recall the capricious water fey I mentioned before? Thalessia is her name. She insists that the herd is hers and if I leave the island to show you the way I am afraid she will claim this place as her own and steal some of my beasts. With your help I might be able to lure Thalessia out of hiding though and then we could take her out once and for all. What do you say?"
Ursion nods. "I'm in. How strong is she?"
"Do you know what sort of fey this Thalessia might be? Neried? Selkie? Rushulka?....." Shoal asks as he draws her blade from its scabbard.
You rest in the monastery and set off circling back around the island down to the lagoon the next day.
"Do you know what sort of fey this Thalessia might be? Neried? Selkie? Rushulka?....." Shoal asks as he draws her blade from its scabbard.
"She is an oceanid. She looks like a beautiful woman with just sea foam and her white hair covering her." Jenesara gives a sideways look to the males in the party. "Just don't get distracted. She's more dangerous than she looks. She is fey so cold iron is needed to harm her effectively and acid will do nothing. Cold also does very little to her but if you have fire magic she will be particularly susceptible to that. Of course, she is very skilled at fighting on the water but we have the hippocampi at least."
Glubby nods as he learns about oceanids. "Let's do this! I need to take back the ship in the name of Besmara!" he exclaims as he rushes to leap onto a hippocampi.
Shoallana listens closely, then nods her readiness. "Let's do this, sister!"
Yep, sure, why not?
Having only one minor fire effect, and no fire spells, Patches asks, "How effective is electricity?"
"Is this going to be another underwater fight?"
"We can draw her to the surface and I will you give you each a hippocampus to ride. Electricity should hurt her."
Mounted upon the aquatic herd, you take up positions in the lagoon. Jenesara says, "I'll go draw her out. Prepare yourselves." Jenesara dives beneath the water on her hippocampus and disappears for some minutes. She then comes shooting out of the water calling out, "She's right behind me!" Sure enough, the oceanid Thalessia emerges from the water about 30 feet away.
Ursion urges the hippocampus forward, studying the fey as he closes the distance before slashing at her with a cold iron kukri.
Glubby commands the creature forward as he stands on its back, proud and mighty, net and rapier in hand.
Glubby leads it up to the oceanid and the frogman stabs her with his rapier, right in the throat!
If the hippocampi is combat-trained, then Glubby will direct it to attack as well!
Not wanting to risk controlling a mount in combat, Harold instead will use Fluid Travel to walk upon the water during the fight.
Harold will approach the enemy after he casts for
Patches urges his mount forward, but the hippocampi just floats there, munching on seaweed.
Hissing, he instead casts a spell of cat's grace.
Shoallana begins a rousing song about sea horse racing as she marks the oceanid with her bane.
Ursion stabs into the oceanid's side before she can realize that she has been ambushed. Glubby also then rides up on the other side and digs his rapier in deep, although his hippocampus misses. Having prepared himself to walk on water, Harold runs up to the oceanid and shocks her! Meanwhile, Patches struggles to keep the hippocampus' attention.
Thalessia screams in rage and whips her hands about, taking control of her surroundings and throwing a flying spout of water at Glubby!
Shoallana then calls a bane down upon the water fey.
In the confusion, Ursion has to keep a hand on the reins of his aquatic mount and can only attack once again, missing unless Glubby or Harold can flank with him.
Glubby gets blasted in the face with water, much to his dislike. "You don't know Glubby if you think that will stand! EAT NET LADY!" he bellows as he tosses his net at her after guiding the hippocampi into a flanking position with Ursion.
Harold moves to flank and tries to stab the enemy a couple of times!
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Patches kicks at his mount, but the damned thing doesn't budge!
Seeing his companions beating the cr@p out of the Thalessia, he decides not to waste more magic yet and keeps kicking at the flanks of his hippocampi.
This time, it swims forward.
Thalessia dodges away from Ursion only to be caught up in Glubby's web and then stabbed by the grippli and pummeled by his sidekick Harold. Thalessia starts to fall unconscious and Jenesara quickly darts forward to tie the fey up. "I do not think we need to kill her but I will take her far away from here where she can not bother my herd any longer."
Jenesara then dives into the water and swiftly returns carrying a pale pink conch shell. She hands the magical conch to you and tells you that these mounts will carry you for one journey, but if you end up stranded again, the horn can summon a school of hippocampi for you to ride. Jenesara then prepares to help you race across the ocean in pursuit of the Magpie Princess.
With the trust of your treasure-obsessed captain broken, you mount on your hippocampus herd and make your way off of the island you were marooned on. You can see the Magpie Princess ahead, although the island before you shows no sign of recent civilization. A thin beach of yellow sand circles most of the island, except where steep gray crags jut from the sea. Bird songs echo constantly from the thick canopy that covers much of the island. The strangest feature is the black stone structure that rises from the water on the northeastern side, forming a jagged cliff whose surface and edges resemble a giant black coral reef.
The Magpie Princess is anchored near the largest beach on the island. A small rowboat is visible on the beach, dragged up to the edge of the jungle where a small trail leads into the vegetation.
The crew still on board don't seem to be hostile to you, despite the captain's demand to maroon you, and they wave you closer to board the ship without fight.
Shollana points to the crew of the Magpie. "Looks like they want to talk. Maybe there thinkin' of mutiny after what that b%#$% did to us. We could take the ship....."
So where is she now? Maybe we should go have a chat with her, eh?
"Glubby's gonna stab the lot of em. Drop em in the sea and take the Magpie!" fumes the frogman as he looks closely at the crew waving at them, trying to see if it is a trick.
Despite the Captain's orders to leave you behind, it seems the rest of the crew still has fond memories of how you helped them on several occasions and they help you board the Magpie Princess. Clearly none of them has mutiny in mind but they are glad to see you nonetheless.
Horemheb admits to you, "It's wasn't the most popular decision but Lanteri was convinced that you might betray her when she found the treasure. We were coming back for you to give you your share, just after we'd already found it is all. Lanteri has taken Vancid Creed and her steward Hinsin ashore on one of the ship’s launches. Lanteri made Hinsin play three musical notes repeatedly on a strange horn made of of three segments he carried before they left for the beach." As if on cue, Lanteri's bird Loudwing mimics the three notes.
"Shoallana, can you match those?"
Shoallana listens to the crew's story, smiling and patting backs. When the bird mimics the notes, she laughs out loud and strokes the bird's head. "Ain't you the smartest bird ever, ain't ya?" Putting out her hand, she says. "Wanna go for a little excursion, birdy?"
"Hmm."
Patches looks at the captain's bird like tasty food. Tearing his eyes away, he turns to the crew of the ship.
"Why would Lanteri think we would betray her?"
Horemheb shrugs. "You're pirates, ain't you? We all are, except us here have been with her longer."
The bird is trained and hops onto Shoallana's arm without much coaxing. It is quite vocal though and immediately shouts back, "Birdy! Birdy!"
"I'm gonna stab her eyes out! Stranding me! Not today! Not today!" fumes the frog as he leaps for the nearest rowboat and tries to make for shore.
Ursion nods at Horemheb's words. "That's the Queen's way. That doesn't mean we have to like it, though."
"Understood. You better catch up with your friend then." Horemheb says, nodding at Glubby making for shore.
Ahead from the small sandy shore a twenty-foot tall stone monument rises above the brush in a small clearing. THe monolith bears rows of weathered inscriptions. About thirty feet to the southeast, at the far end of the clearing, a large waterfall pours down from the cliffs above into a clear pool of water.
Ahead a cracked landing of laid stone spreads before a pair of great stone doors. Vines and other plants grow over much of the waterfall-soaked granite that forms the walls and ceiling of this hidden entrance.
The doors, set about ten feet into the cliff face, are covered with runes and depictions of powerful one-eyed warriors and robed spellcasters fighting serpentfolk. Each side of the landing bears an alcove with a ten-foot-tall chiseled humanoid statue with a single great eye, standing vigil. Piles of weeds and vines lie at the base of the doors and both statues, apparently recently cut or pulled from the rock. The floor of the stone landing is covered in mud and rocks. There are no visible windows or other entrances other than the main doors.
Ursion examines the ground. "Three people came this way, and not very long ago. "
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Shoallan smies as the bird hops onto her hand. "That's right, aren't you a pretty birdy!"
Climbing down the side of the ship, Shoal hops back onto the hippocampus and makes for shore. Once there, she begins looking around. "Anyone able to read big stone there?" She asks.
Looking down, she nods in agreement with Ursion. "Right you are, matey."
Once everyone is ready, Shoal moves up to the doors, and begins whistling a close approximation of the notes, trying to get the bird to do the same.
Glubby leaps after his mates as they stride forward past him and his murder vendetta.
The frog tries to hide in the shadows as the group locates the enclosure that contains his prey.
Patches checks his dragon pistol and follows Glub Glub. "Let's go see the Captain."
***
At the doors, he casts a spell to detect magic in the area.
Patches can detect a magical trap on the statues but luckily the magic fades as Shoallana and the bird sing the appropriate notes.
The doors slowly grate open and the entry hall now stands open. Its carved stone ceiling is twenty feet high. A cyclopean marble statue stands on the left side of the hall, and a pile of rubble lies opposite it. Just past the statue, shadows envelop the hallway in absolute darkness. The walls depict religious ritual performed by giants with a single eye in the center of their foreheads and battles between the giantfolk and serpentlike humanoids.
At the end of the hall, a stone monolith lies shattered in a diamond-shaped alcove, reduced to large chunks of rubble. The larger fragments resemble the pylon standing outside the waterfall, though they bear different inscriptions. The withered body of a giant lies face down amid the wreckage.
Looks like they are clearing a path for us. Perhaps we should take our time. Let them wear themselves out against the defenses of this place before we confront them.
"Let's move slowly, with caution." He whispers to his companions.
Maintaining his spell to detect for magic, Patches moves slowly ahead, sniffing at the air.
Patches leads the way around the corner past the defeated undead. Within the expansive room beyond, cyclopean statues stand at attention, pointed toward the center of the room from alcoves set in the facing walls. At the northeastern end of the room, stairs lead ten feet up to a stone table.
Slumped beside the stone table sits Hinsin, barely conscious and supposedly abandoned by Creed and Lanteri. He sighs in relief when you walk around the corner. "Yield! Please. . . just help me back to the Princess. If it's treasure you want, I've just remembered an old treasure map in Lanteri's quarters. And might be we'd live to find it. We'd best go back and investigate; leave this to them! I always liked you chaps. Thought we had a connection right off. Shame you're trying to get us all killed with this mess. Just leave the Captain, eh?"
Ursion glares at the bard. "Wait, *we're* trying to get *you* killed? How is that supposed to work? Who marooned whom?"
Shoallan frowns at the man. "Where's the cap'n now?"
"Not today, pal! I'm here for Lanteri's eyes!" the frogman yells as he brandishes his rapier with anger.
He keeps his distance from the man, not trusting these pirates farther than he can throw them. He also keeps an eye out for any people laying in wait.
Harold tries to determine the seriousness of the man's condition.
He then tries to judge the truthfulness of his words.
The slayer also ponders Hinsin's words, but is distracted by the grandeur and peril of the setting.