Shollana raises her hands to her eyes and surveys the island. "It looks like a pretty tough climb up those cliffs to the north and south. Perhaps we should take the long boat into the bay to the north."
"We should avoid the eggs. No need to get into a blood feud with turtles. Nasty critters..." Glubby concludes as he leaps onto the sand.
"Anyone know where to go?" he asks, unsure what he is looking for as he looks over the map.
Patches takes a few moments to look around, but finding little more then his companions, he shrugs and heads up the beach.
"There must be a path to the Monastery. Can't have expected everyone to climb."
This wide beach of smooth, pale pebbles offers a panoramic view of the jungle-topped cliffs that shelter the tranquil lagoon. To the northwest, a waterfall cascades over a succession of rock shelves. A path of gray stones leads west from the northern end of the beach, providing stepping stones across the falls and up to a series of rough-hewn steps carved into the cliffside. At the top of the cliff, the path winds its way into the shade of the jungle.
Captain Lanteri's crude map and path begins here . As you approach the area, you can hear what sounds like the frantic whinnying of a horse. This noise echoes across the still water and off the cliff walls, making it audible from some distance.
As soon as you enter the lagoon itself, they see that a pair of sea cats have driven a hippocampus up onto the beach and are slowly cornering it. The sea cats’ inclination to toy with their prey has led them to draw out the hunt, but now they’re closing in for the kill. A woman with blue skin and webbed hands, riding another hippocampus, surfaces in the lagoon and calls out in Common, asking for your aid in driving off the sea cats.
Harold quickly casts Bless as it looks like the party will be giving aid.
The blue woman seems concerned about the hippocampus but unwilling to go up on the beach or get out of the water.
Harold blesses the party while the sea cats tear into the hippocampus. "Hurry, they're killing it!" the woman calls.
Drawing his blade, Patches moves forward and cast a simple spell to get one of the cat's attention.
Patches hits one of the sea cats with a frosty beam! They turn to the party, their fangs dripping blood!
red: 4 dmg
Drawing his kukris, Ursion advances while studying the nearest sea cat.
Harold moves forward to attack one of the creatures!
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Shoallana charges the near seacat, stabbing with her rapier.
Harold and Shoallana start beating up on the sea cat!
red: 23 dmg
"Haha! Some action! About time!" Glubby yells as he rushes into the fray, drawing his weapons.
Being smart this time, the frogman leaps behind Shoallana to use the woman as cover.
The distractions seem to be working and the sea cats abandon their wounded prey to attack the party!
The other one moves around the beached hippocampus to attack Harold!
red: 23 dmg
Harold continues to press the attack against his current foe!
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Ursion advances to support the polymath, slashing at the sea cat on Harold!
Patches draws his pistol and fires scattershot into both seacats.
Steeling herself as her wounds begin to ache, Shoallana designates the northern cat as her bane, and then stabs again.
Harold misses but Ursion, Patches, and Shoallana put the hurt on the seacats!
red: 38 dmg
blue: 13 dmg
Glubby leaps into the surf and throws his net on to the seacat. "Haha! Take that, sea monster!" he yells.
Once the creature either gets entangled or avoids his net, Glubby lashes out with his rapier at the beast. "Take this! AND THAT! Pow!"
Glubby tosses a net over the seacat and then stabs it in the side, nearly taking it down! Still covered in the net, the seacat tries to take its anger out on the grippli!
The other seacat attacks Harold and Ursion!
red: 45 dmg, entangled
blue: 13 dmg
Shoal runs the entangled seacat through with her rapier , then takes a five foot step to the east and puts her bane on the remaining seacat!
Glubby whips his net towards the other seacat as he steps into Shoallana's spot and tries the same tactic on the last aggressor. "Time for pain, kitty!"
Harold will attack his current opponent, or if dead attack the other one!
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Grimacing in pain, Ursion studies the 'cat that attacked him, then takes another slash at it.
Patches taps his bandolier to reload his dragon pistol and fires another scattershot over the heads of his allies.
Shoallana drops the first seacat and under the onslaught of the rest of the party the second seacat quickly drops.
From the sea the blue-skinned woman calls out, "Your assistance is much appreciated!" The wounded hippocampus starts flopping back towards the water to swim away as she tosses out a kelp pouch with 50 button-sized disks of mother of pearl (worth 20 gp each). "My name is Jenesara. I watch over the hippocampus herd that grazes undersea here. Beware of a powerful water fey nearby; I have had to fight them off several times to keep them away from my herd." With that, she dives back underwater atop her hippocampus.
Shoallana puts out a hand, excited to see one of her kin. "Wai..." Unfortunately, the undine drops below the surface before she can finish her sentence. Looking around, she asks. "Well, now what?" Then removes a wand and begins healing herself.
Glad to be of service! Harold waves as the pair leave the scene. Guess we're back on the mission!
Glubby sheathes his rapier and folds up his net before walking over to Shoallana with big froggy eyes. "Can I have some healing to, Shoal?"
After everyone is set right, Glubby will press onward with his weapons drawn down the path that the Captain set for them.
From the beach a series of gray stones marks a rough path through the jungle. Though sections are partially overgrown and moss covers many of the marker stones, the path is free of larger obstructions. On the north side of the island you spot many tracks which seemingly belong to the keeches. After you pass along a rope bridge over a wide gorge carved by the stream , you note that these tracks disappear and once you spot a lizardfolk scout in the distance watching you but before you can approach or call out he is lost in the undergrowth.
After many hours tramping all around the circle of the island, you cross a wooden bridge and eventually reach a small natural spring . According to the map the monastery should be close by.
Ursion considers the claw marks on his torso. "Could one of you fix these?"
Shoallana winks at Glubby and Ursion. "You now this thing isn't infinite. Gotta stop get yourselves hurt!" She says in jest, then use the wand on her crew.
"Thanks, Shoal!" Glubby says with a smile to the undine as they trek through the woods.
---
At the sight of the lizardfolk, Glubby will draw weapons and move into the undergrowth to follow the party, trying to stay out of sight for a sneak attack on any aggressors.
Once they reach the spring, he refreshes his skin with the waters before hiding once more in case of enemies.
You make your way towards the monastery, which was originally created as a temple to Abadar, but was abandoned and now much has subsided and collapsed, severely damaging the northern end of the building.
A trickle of water flows from the damaged stone fountain at the center of the open courtyard, flowing across a path bordering the courtyard and flooding a small side chamber. Two recessed areas at the courtyard's northern end hold tall statues and steps up to a small landing. On the west side, a statue depicting a bearded old man with wild hair stands before a landing with a shattered circular window. On the east side, a female statue lies smashed on the floor, and the landing and exterior wall have crumbled away.
It seems the waters of the fountain have combined with earthy soil in the courtyard to create a large creature of living mud which rises from the ground as you near. "Huzzplup demands obedience to Gozreh!" it bellows. "Civilized heathens be gone!"
It flings a ball of mud at Patches!
Shoallana begins a little to inspire the party, while making the mudlord the bane if the party. "Blood blood blood...Where do the boys lie.....Mud mud mud......How does the grass grow....Blood blood blood..."
Hissing, Patches wipes at the mud in his eyes. He then grabs a scroll and casts a shield spell to protect himself.
Patches and Shoallana, who have never seen this type of creature before, prepare for the fight....
Harold moves to attack the mud creature!
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"I'm the sealord, Mr. Mudlord! Feel my wrath!" Glubby yells as he leaps into the fray with his net, trying to capture the creature.
"Move into flank next, Four H!" the frog yells to Harold.
Ursion takes a short step forward and studies the creature.
Regardless of their origin, mudlords are xenophobic and highly territorial. They avoid contact with humanoid creatures, and go to great lengths to ensure their mudf illed lairs are far from any humanoid settlements. If a group of humanoids settles too close to a mudlord enclave, the mudlords aggressively attempt to eradicate the humanoid infestation from their lands.
Harold swings and misses but Glubby tangles it up in his net! The mudlord decides to ignore the net and attack the tasty frog who threw it!
Ursion steps up and slashes at the elemental.
Harold shifts over and swings twice at the mudthing!
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Shoallana stalks into the ruin and maneuvers to flank the Lord of Mud.
Drawing his sword, Patches moves in with a shocking spellstrike.
"Ahhhh! Help ol' Glubby! Mudman has him! Ahhh!" the frog squirms to break free from the mud beast's grasp.
Ursion stabs into the mud beast but his nonmagical kukri doesn't seem to be very effective. Harold and Shoallana miss and Glubby is unable to break out of the mudman's grasp. Patches' sword wounds the mud lord but the electricity doesn't seem to do anything to it .
The mudlord morphs and pulls Glubby inside, engulfing the grippli whole!