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Silt tries to assist.
We should kill you but… he trails off, forgetting how to be nice as he looks into the sahuagin's eyes.
Skorika laughs, but before he can say much else, an enormous shark comes out of the cave, accompanied by another sahuagin.
"I hope that you're not going to trust anything he says. Skorika is loyal to no one, save that hideous sea hag."
Skorika spins around. "Ikirkira! You traitor!"
Ikirkira continues. "I'll make you a deal. Elder Maw here and I will take care of Skorika for you, and then we'll clear out. We've always hated it here anyway; no one has ever accepted us. And in exchange, you don't give us any trouble."
Do you steal lives, too?
Silt, still badly hurt pulls out a potion of cure moderate wounds and drinks it. He does not sheathe his greatsword.
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"Not for the hag, if that's what you're asking. We've made some sacrifices to He of the Eternal Hunger that I can't imagine you'd approve of."
Skorika roars. "Witch! Traitor! I should have never let you into the clan! Helekhterie will destroy you for this!"
Ikirkira scoffs. "You disgrace the sahuagin by working for the likes of her. I've had to hold back Elder Maw for years from taking a bite of you, and I think it's time he got his wish." She pats the side of the enormous shark affectionately.
Toby edges away from the shark, trying to be clear that he is not between the giant predator and its desired meal.
Joli weighs the interaction between the two sahuagin as he wills himself not to run away from the shark in terror.
Silt grins at the shark and moves forward, but keeping Skorika in reach.
Joli’s eyes open wide and narrow.
The apes, they never retreat. They keep coming. Their demon lord demands meat. Territory. Suffering. There is no reasoning with them.
Purpose Creche notices Ikirkira's necklace. "Orgesh, the Faceless God. You serve such a being. But will not serve the hag. Why?"
He speaks a quiet aside to his companions.
"I think we should let the enormous shark have him" Toby says, eyes glued on Skorika, ready for a desperate lunge.
Ikirkira looks at Purpose somewhat condescendingly. "Orgesh is a god, a Great Old One. He has power beyond our imagining. The sea hag is a mortal, and one who once angered the gods, if I hear correctly. I will not prostrate myself before her, do her bidding, as this one does. I have pride. I am not afraid of the aboleth."
Purpose Creche cocks his head, pauses to consider Ikirkira's words. "A fair point, and an unfair comparison. You say she angered the gods. Which, and when." He his head shifts infinitesimally towards Joli. "And aboleth. Helekhterie fears them. Why."
Ikirkira shrugs "Only rumors, but they say that some cosmic horror tore her mind apart in her youth."
Skorika interrupts. "You utter FOOLS! Helekhterie is the only thing stopping Onthooth the aboleth from taking over everything around here! He controls a huge swath of the ocean, but he fears Helekhterie's power!"
Joli looks to Ikirkira, then to Skorika, then back to Ikirkira. "Onthooth? What do you know of this Ontooth? Where are they?"
Sensing things might take a turn towards bloodshed before his question is answered, Joli says in a hurried fashion,
"Skorikaifyouvalueyourlife,pledgetohelpusopposeOnthooth. It'spasttimetoputyourhopesinHelekhterie."
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Ikirkira starts to answer Joli, "How should I know? He has followers all over this group of islands."
Just then, as Toby and Joli expected, Skorika makes a sudden dive for his companion's underwater crossbow. He aims it at the shark.
The shark moves in.
plus bleed
The battle finishes quickly, and Ikirkira heaps praise on the victorious Elder Maw. Four sahuagin hiding under the other part of the ship suddenly swim away at the death of their leader.
She turns back to you. "You aim to fight Helekhterie, so I have no grievance with you. I am more than willing to leave this place peacefully."
Silt smiles, showing his pointy teeth.
Silt hastened Skorika's doom!
Assuming no one object, Ikirkira returns to her cave, collects her things, and leaves. She hands you a necklace as she goes.
"Helekhterie makes these, so sea creatures can breathe the air and move on land."
Skorika had 2 potions of CMW, studded leather armor, a +1 ranseur, a mwk underwater heavy crossbow with 19 bolts remaining, a necklace of air adaptation, and 4 pieces of polished red coral.
The scout had a potion of CMW, a masterwork trident, a masterwork underwater heavy crossbow with 20 regular bolts, 1 +1 locathah-bane bolt, 3 +1 merfolk-bane bolts, and 3 +1 strix-bane bolts, a feather token (anchor), a dagger, thieves' tools, and 53 gp.
The four guard sahuagin each had a trident and a heavy crossbow.
In the bow of the wrecked ship, you find a pile of humanoid bones erected as a grotesque altar.
There is a wind-caller compass with an inscription.
In the stern of the ship, you find Skorika's personal effects. There is a thin stone tablet near another altar to Dagon with a map showing a land route along a river fom the east coast of Ancorato into the mountains. A leather bag hanging on the wall contains three more necklaces of air adaptation. Other assorted items that you find in here: a corroded breastplate from ancient Azlant (broken, but a collector might want it), a statue of a female figure holding a moom set with mother of pearl, a rctangular sheet of pounded copper etched with arcane symbols, and a chest with the same crest as the ship containing 1,560 gp, 200 sp, and 3,450 cp.
Ikirkira's cave has a few rusted trinkets from the ship that she didn't bother to take, including a locked steel box.
Once the party's frenemies leave, Joli shakes his head. "If Helekhterie's keeping the aboleth away, we must act with care. Maybe Vriskirsa will have some insights once we return her possessions." He gestures to the items he assumes were hers.
"Hm, with a little luck I might be able to get that chest open. How much of a hurry are we in?"
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As long as it’s not trapped!
Toby spends a few patient moments, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he focuses on the mechanism of the lock. Finally, you hear a click, and the lid drifts open!
"Huh, just some weird cloak. Anyone know what this thing does?"
Blood-coral. Beautiful.
Joli looks at the cloak and shrugs. "Looks nice, I suppose. Leather, but it's holding up in water."
He gazes at Toby and admires the way his fur ripples in the water.
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Silt looks at Hakkuho, bemused as he plays with the pieces of polished coral. It is not these little corals' fault that they were owned by Skorika. They can still be themselves, and are now in better company.
Joli takes the cloak from Purpose' hands and holds it out for him. "I think we've solved your swimming problem. And you'd make a great flat fish!"
Before leaving, he peeks into the cave, looking for any signs of humanoid bodies and whatnot.
Silt stretches and yawns, feeling strangely well rested. He seems ready to go talk to the friendly local naga.
Joli begins swimming in tight circles, dizzy with excitement about what comes next!
You return to Vriskirsa's current lair. "Well? How did it go?"
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"A flat fish. Hm," Purpose Crèche exchanges one cloak for the other. His outline swirls, releasing a shower of small bubbles, and settles into the shape of a manta ray: dark band beneath fleshy "antlers" the color of his leather coat,
Thin, pale arms unfold from the figure's underside, "Let us return with our news."
Joli bows and approaches Vriskirsa in a careful but friendly fashion.
"There are good tidings to report and ill. We’ve removed the invaders from the reef, but more remain elsewhere with their hag queen. What’s more, it seems the hag is what’s keeping an aboleth called Onthooth from assaulting this island more directly. Have you heard of this Onthooth? What would you recommend we do to keep them at bay?"
Vriskirsa swims in circles in delight at the news that the reef is clear, but suddenly stops at the mention of Onthooth. Her head darts about. "Don't say that name out loud. You never know if it has some way to hear you. Yes, I know of this aboleth. I would advise staying away from it! But if you can't, then try to steel yourself against mental intrusion."
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Silt nods at Vriskirsa. as if stating the obvious. The in-visible worms are born in the a-boleth. I would like to kill it very much.
He pauses.
Will you return to your reef?
"If it's cleared of the sahuagin menace, then yes! As soon as possible! My beautiful reef!"
”We found this.” Purpose Creche produces the breastplate and holds it up.
Joli smiles. "Forgive me for using their name. But it does sound as though they may invade the island if we force the sea hag to leave. Would you wish to work together against them if that happened? We can keep each other safe!"
Vriskirsa treads water nervously.
"It is much more powerful than me. If I stay in my reef, it won't bother me. You have helped me, so I will do magic for you, but I do not want to fight."
”I understand. Maybe we can exchange spellcraft for information as we explore further. You and I both share a passion,” says Purpose Creche in his trademark flat whisper, ”for Azlanti history.”
