"We'll deal with them soon enough." Rhialla says with a grin, following after Percy.
D4. Auxiliary Barracks.
Normally unused, this chamber serves as an auxiliary barracks for the sahuagin. It's occupants were all slaughtered by you in D2.
D5. Old Armory
This chamber, once used as an armory for the auxiliary barracks, has been abandoned by the sahuagin.
What are you doing now?
"Yep. We should explore all of it" - Herzag nods.
Ashlei covers the rear still. Keeping an eye out for ambushes.
The tunnels is pitch black aside from your lights and you feel a looming pressure, surrounded on all sides by the weight of the earth, while immersed in the chill waters.
Ahead you can make out the tunnel widening, and movement with it.
What are you doing now?
Herzag lifts a hand to ask the others to wait, then goes to peer around the corner.
Herzag sees two Sahaugin accompanied by a shark lazily swimming in circles. They seem to be set as guards for the northern tunnel.
The half-orc doubles back to inform his group in hushed tones - "We should draw them here and ambush them" - he suggests.
Herzag nods in agreement, then looks at the others for their opinion.
Ashlei will wink at Herzag, then move to an advantageous position to flank with another of her shipmates.
Rhialla smiles, hanging back a bit behind Percy with a nod. If they came out, she had a nasty surprise waiting for them.
The lights draw immediate attention and there is a swirl of action as the Shark swims in, spitting himself on Percival's pike. With the single minded ferocity of it's kind it drives it's body close enough to try and savage him.
A push on the pike means it's jaws snap closed inches away.
The two Sahaugin swim hurriedly into the romm, pulling up in shock as they see the party.
One trident strike grazing Percival.
The party may now act. AOO's go first.
Quick to react, the half-orc stabs the sahuagin as soon as it comes close to his position.
After the initial strike, Herzag quickly changes the grip on his weapons, and goes for a one-two combination on the sahuagin - the first weapon leading the way with a puncturing attack aimed at the torso, while the second goes for a slashing swing at the throat.
Ashlei strikes quickly, water boiling around her starknife again!
AoO!
Rhialla moves clser and stabs Ashlei's wounded Sahaugin.
Finishing it off.
Percival stabs the wounded, thrashing shark.
Killing the shark. The waters slowly go still again as the corpses float to the ceiling.
What are you doing now?
Herzag looks over the dead sahuagin for any valuables (he'll leave weapons and armor, only looking for pots or gold :D), and when he finds nothing motions the others to wait for a moment, and goes out to scout the interception where their foes stood guard.
Rhialla follows, alert for signs of danger.
Same.
Herzag You find the room at D6 now empty, the eastern tunnel heads deeper down. North you find something strange?
D7. Breeding Hatchery.
Numerous strange, organic filaments fill this chamber, running from floor to ceiling like columns. Fist-sized pink ovoids float from the filaments, bobbing in the lazy current.
A DC 25 Knowledge (local) check identifies the spheres as locathah eggs.
Locathah
This lean humanoid bears crested fins on its head and back, and
has the wide-eyed and wide-lipped face of a fish.
Locathah
N Medium humanoid (aquatic)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3
Defense AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1
Offense
Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee longspear +2 (1d8/×3)
Ranged light crossbow +2 (1d8/19–20)
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Weapon Focus (longspear)
Skills Craft (any one) +6, Perception +3, Survival +6, Swim +8
Languages Aquan
SQ amphibious
Ecology
Environment temperate or warm aquatic
Organization solitary, band (2–10), or tribe (11–30 plus 2 fighter
sergeants of 1st–3rd level and 1 cleric leader of 3rd–6th level)
Treasure standard (longspear, light crossbow
and 10 bolts, other treasure)
What are you doing now?
Ashlei quickly swims forward...
"My mother told me about these things, although I've never seen any personally. They are locathah eggs! This must be a nursery for the Sahuagin...either keeping them as hostages or raising these young locathah eggs for slaves...and food possibly. How beastly!"
"They are basically fish-people, but not like the Sahuagin. They are mostly docile people, if left alone. Sahuagin are more like the sharks the favor: bloodthirsty predators. I've been told Locathah make good slaves if given incentive enough. I hate slavery myself however. Freedom at any cost I say!"
D8. Captive Queen.
Rusty shackles scavenged from a shipwreck hang from the wall of this small cave.
The sole occupant of this room is a locathah matriarch, a fishlike humanoid with crested fins and an orange coloration, shackled to the far wall.
The matriarch is queen of a migratory locathah band that the sahuagin
successfully raided.
The sahuagin savagely removed the creature’s legs, crudely stitching them up with ragged scars, and carved crude tattoos into her scaly flesh before forcing her to lay eggs.
What are you doing now?
Herzag cannot contain a scowl at the image, and stands there for a few moments staring at the tortured creature...
With a shrug he looks back at the others and swims closer, motioning for the captive not to do any sound, with a finger in front of his lips.
Then if the creature does not react adversely, the half-orc goes to work on the shackles.
Nodding at Herzag's actions, Ashlei begins to worry about more Sahuagin.
Swimming further along she tries to watch all the entrances and exits to the area as much as she can. Her stance is one of barely contained rage as she whispers quietly to herself.
"Here sharky-sharky-sharky...Ashlei's got some more filleting to do tonight!"
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He too frowned at the sight. Older tales he had heard called Sahaugin sea devils... with actions like that he could see why.
"Such cruelty... No quarter will be given to the slimy bastards. I doubt we would get any. "
Holding on to his pike he let himself sink into the water as he pulled out a dagger taking the but of its hilt and steadily he clanked it against his armor.
He wasnt entirely sure how good their hearing was but at this point he hoped they could hear him. He wanted them to know their death was on its way.
The Matriarch is listless but alive, at first she doesn't even realize that she is being freed, looking at you with slowly dawning shock when the shackles are removed.
Once freed she immediately begins to gather her eggs from the chamber you passed through to reach her, indicating she wishes to take the eggs and leave as quickly as possible.
What are you doing now?
Herzag merely nods as the Matriarch moves away - "Yeah, I would leave also, to come back with a few friends though... Good luck" - he growls, diving again, and signaling the others he will scout ahead.
He pauses at the bend in the tunnel to listen for a second, then plods onward.
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He paused when he heard Neela well start burbling at the creature. Could she communicate with it? That put thoughts in his head.
"Tell her about our ship,perhaps we could get her to it safely and she could raise her brood at the rock. If that is to be our home base for a while might as well see about having an underwater warning system, amongst other things."
He began .
Ashlei sighs and keeps to the back again, trying gently to keep the matriarch moving even with her burden of eggs.
"Let's go little lady! We got shark men to kill, and then we can make interesting things with their toothy skulls! I wonder if I can make a helmet..."
As he moved out to scout, Herzag chuckled and shook his head at Ashlei's words - 'Crazy girl'
Hanging back with Ashlei, Rhialla studies the Matriarch's condition to see if there was anything she could do to help.
Now that she is free and escape is possible the Matriarch regains some life, asking that she be taken to the sea and let go. Her tribe would be watching from hiding, unable to attack the Sahaugin as long as she was a prisoner.
She can tell you little of the Sahaugin as she was bought here unconscious and hasn't left this cell since then. She can tell you there is an entrance out into the cove, but it has a Jellyfish swarm around it. The Sahaugin blew on a conch horn and summoned some creature which made the swarm leave the area long enough for the Sahaugin to enter the caves.
From her description you think it may be a Tojandia?
This creature resembles a cross between a turtle and a crab, with
flippers instead of legs, a snapping beak, and two pincers.
TOJANIDA
N Medium outsider (extraplanar, water)
Init +1; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14
DEFENSE AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Resist electricity 10, fire 10
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., swim 90 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d6+3), 2 claws +9 (1d6+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks ink cloud
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 21 (29 vs. trip)
Feats Blind-Fight, Dodge, Power Attack
Skills Bluff +5, Escape Artist +10, Knowledge (planes) +9,
Perception +14, Perform (act) +5, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +7,
Survival +7, Swim +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Languages Aquan
ECOLOGY
Environment any water (Plane of Water)
Organization solitary, pair, clutch (3–6), or cult (1 tojanida plus
2–12 humanoid followers)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ink Cloud (Ex) A tojanida can emit a 30-foot-radius sphere of ink once per minute as a free action. The ink provides total concealment in water, and persists for 1 minute. If used out of the water, the jet
of ink is a line 30 feet long, and creatures in the area must succeed at
a DC 16 Reflex save or be blinded for 1 round.The save DC is Constitution-based.
What are you doing now?
Herzag swims as silently down the dark tunnel as he can. Ahead he can see a disgusting sight.
D9. Feeding Hall
The water in this cavern is murky with the haze of fresh blood, and gobbets of flesh float in the water.
The sahuagin use this chamber for their feeding frenzies. The current menu is the remains of six locathahs and three giant moray eels, a rescue party sent to recover the matriarch held in area D8.
What are you doing now?