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From a demiplane below Kaer Maga, thrust by dismissal into the cold waters of Conqueror's Bay, the clockwork man Ixeo must walk, talk, and fight his way back to his friends some 204 miles away as the familiar flies.
A one-on-one mini-adventure for no less than one and no more than one of Benjamin Bruck's PCs in Shattered Star. Spoilers possible, but unlikely.
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Maligast of Eox snarls at you as you swing your earthbreaker. "So be it," he says, as he defensively crouches, preventing you from finding an opening to disrupt his spell. His words of power and gestures finish, and you find yourself shunted from reality. Your gyroscope informs you that, briefly, there is no down. Then there is.
Splash.
From the dimness of the Black Keep to the sudden daylight, it takes some time to adjust your sensors. But you do know you are in a large body of water. There's nothing to be seen in most directions aside from lapping waves and the occasional fish, but to your right, you can make out the ridges of a mountain range in the far distance.
You are sinking rapidly, and you have 13 hours, 17 minutes, and 3 seconds until you wind down. Osyth has your key, and in addition, you last left your allies fighting something called a "lich", which you assume is rather dangerous.
What do you do?
THIS REMINDS ME OF THE FABLE ABOUT THE CLOCKWORK MAN WHO FAILED TO KEEP CUSTODY OF HIS OWN KEY AND SANK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. ONE OF THE FEW STORIES I KNOW THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE A HAMMER.
Ixeo thinks, stowing said hammer. Uncertain as to how deep the water is, he activates his marine protocols, sealing what cavities on his body are not already flooded in order to increase buoyancy. Using his klar as a sort of fin, he begins propelling himself toward the shore.
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The water is calm, and you assume you can keep yourself propelled at this pace indefinitely, barring any major waves or disturbance.
11 Hours, 31 Minutes, 30 Seconds Until Wind-Down
Shortly up ahead, and to your left, you see a serpentine figure caught in a series of masts and rigging sunk into the shallows in this particular section of the sea. A pleading but pleasant voice calls out in lilting but accented Taldan:
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"Halloo, monsieur metal-man! I wunder if you may be able tu understahnd me? I ahm stook in sis rihggeeng ahnd cannot extract myself frum eets greep. Ah, buht whut ahm I theenking? Yu are but a cohnstruck. Shurelee, yu are on a meeshun frum your chreatohr."
The figure, clearly feminine, sighs, and hangs her humanoid head.
What do you do?
I AM IN SOMETHING OF A HURRY AT THE MOMENT, SERPENTINE CREATURE. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE MY CREATOR WOULD WISH THAT YOU BE FREED, AS SHE PLACES A HIGH VALUE ON THE LIVES AND FREEDOMS OF SENTIENT BEINGS. TO THAT END, I SHALL CUT YOU FREE, PLEASE HOLD STILL.
Ixeo speaks, swimming over to the trapped creature. As he uses the blade of his klar to cut through the rigging, he attempts to make small talk.
ARE YOU A MALE OR FEMALE MEMBER OF YOUR SPECIES?
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"Femahle, mon petit." She holds still for you to slice the ropes. The rigging is weathered, but sound, and it's clear her serpentine form has left her in a sad state. "Ah whas eexploring theh rhueens behlow thees... ah, how you say... cohral reef? Ah weeshed tu cut my jouhney shaort, buht thees sheep, I deed not expecht her rihggeeng to eentrap me so. I... I theenk zhere ees a rehward I can geeve yhou. Zhere ees boxes of somesink een zees sheep, and I can guide you unce I am fhree."
YOU SEEM TO BE SPEAKING A VARIATION OF TALDANE. MAY I ASSUME THEN THAT I AM IN THE INNER SEA REGION OF GOLARION? I HAVE LOST MY BEARINGS SOMEWHAT
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"Oh, yhu 'ave freed me! Yees, I ahm frhum zees region. Yhu are in zee Conqueror's Bahy, as zee humahns call eet. Just a few dozehn miles frum Kohrvosa, ahnd closer tu Ceetadel Vhraid, eef you cahn manage ze climb." The naga's eyes widen, and her tail points down into the water. "Ooh! Yhu must be rhewardeed. I have been staring aht zees chrate for dhays now, ahnd zee ghloweeng bahlls of fihre have been my ohnly cohmpaneeun. Zhere also appheers tu be a chrossbow of mehtahl weethout zee chrossbahr. Zat ees all I chould see zhat whasn't deestroyed by zee see. Anywhu, eef I see yhu aghain, I weel weesh you zhanks ahnd geeve mah compleements tu yure chreator!" With that, she swims off, deep into the ocean. Following the pointing of her tail, you can indeed see some half-dozen or more faintly glowing orbs about twenty feet down, displaying a broken crate of some kind.
Ixeo dives downward to collect his reward, figuring that it might give him something to bargain with should his supply of gold be insufficient to purchase passage to Kaer Maga.
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Twenty feet down, where the hold of the ship has burst open from the impact with the reef, the surface is littered with destroyed cargo of all kinds. The smashed crate is among them, filled with what appear to be muskets. All have weathered poorly save one, a fine specimen whose pristine nature suggests magical enhancement. It appears sized for a creature smaller than yourself- perhaps a halfling or gnome. Littered about the floor are eight burning musket balls, flames emanating despite being totally submerged.
The powder horns splayed along the reef appear to have broken seals now, their contents completely ruined.