"Bessie's bloomers, wha' is tha' thing?!" Aramis bellows, reloading in a flash and taking aim again. The blast of her musket echoes off the dripping walls, and her bullet flies at the purple skin of the creature.
The second shot finds it's mark, as well, cutting into the octopod's rubbery flesh.
Recognizing the creature the undine gives a harsh laugh. "Why, it's our Striker's very own namesake - a devilfish," she says, with a glance to Diabolito. "Be canny and careful... his bite be just as mean as yours. Poisonous, too."
Maera will start up a bard song.
Doc does his best to try and blind the creature, but can't seem to get past its multitude of tentacles.
Malak's weapon leaps out to hit the devilfish.
The creatures attempts to finish the dwarf before him...
Lucky for Diabolito, the teeth don't quite penetrate his armor.
Go Go GO!
"Well, these waters're only big enough fer one de'ilfish!" Aramis laughs. Another fast reload, another blast of gunfire and blackpowder, another bullet screaming through the musty, salty air.
Grimacing as he is bruised and bones audibly crack as the beast has shown it's distaste, the dwarf swings his axe in a spirited arc. The crack of bone is all the more of a catalyst for the angry dwarf.
Doc tries to work his way around the creature to get at it's vital spots.
Wanting to take out the devilfish effectively before it can further harm them, Maera weaves a spell into her bard song. She's not sure what a laughing devilfish looks like, but she wants to find out.
As the creature begins to lurch with what can only be seen as laughter? It is very odd that it begins right after another bullet tears through it and then it gets mud in the eyes. Finally, Diabolito's ax tears into the creature, thanks to it being prone and blind, his ax finds it's way in a bit more deeply.
Between the vicious ax swing, the dagger finding it's way home, and the pelting of Aramis, the laughing Devilfish's laughter ceases and only bloody water and sickening corpse remains.
Aramis stands, smoke curling from her musket barrel, watching in amazement as the devilfish collapses in what appears to be strange, lurching laughter. As the wet sounds of Diabolito's axe end of the creature's life, she turns to raise an eyebrow at her co-captain. "Not a bad trick, lass," she nods, clearly impressed. "Though ah'll be glad ta ne'er see one a' those again."
She makes her way through the tepid water, around the rubbery corpse. "Ah'm guessin' them things don' make fer good eatin', so ah'd suggest we keep movin'."
Maera shared a smile with her fellow Captain, and says, "Who knew these blighters had such a sense of humor?" as she waits for the waters to clear slightly before searching.
Before following Aramis, Maera will stop Malak before they move on, and insist he take some healing from the wand.
Doc chuckles at Maera's joke. "Good one, but if I never hear that punchline again it'll be too soon!" he responds with a wink.
The dwarf poses heroically for a moment before ripping his axe free of the giant fish. "Now we see which is the mightier of the bunch. And I was just getting started."
(The ol' dwarf is hurting bad!)
Maera finds, among the jawbones of fallen foes and other such snacks, the devilfish had one very finely crafted bracer. If she were to detect magic, it is, in fact, magical... The leather bracer has an archer etched into it, drawing a bowstring back.
The dwarf coughs and grunts, his lips red with blood and obviously NOT from the devilfish. He motions for several taps from the wand
After coming back a bit to his senses and his body looking less like a mangled bag of bones, he picks up the bracer and looks at it.
Unable to make any sense of the bracer at the moment, she stows it away for when things are less pressing. Instead, she gives a look at the wand, trying to determine how, if any, charges are left in it, her mouth thin with worry. "Here's hopin' we find Sandara, alive and soon..." she mutters when they move onward, Otherwise, the rest of us may not make it out of here either...
"E'ryone present an' accounted fer?" Aramis asks, teeth clamped down on a bullet as she cleans out her barrel. "Best we keep movin' 'less anyone's bleedin' out. Doc, how're we lookin?"
"Well, looks like Diabolito's got himself covered. Thanks to Besmara or whomever for the wand we found. I'm afraid I've not much left in the way of potions left." he says as he takes quick stock of his supplies. "The sooner we get through here and head back, the better off we'll be."
"Onward, then." Ignoring her own wounds, Aramis leads the way, her battered musket loaded and held ready.
Ultimately, the group has two options at this point, one leads south on a very short tunnel that they can see opens up again into a small chamber, and one is a bit longer of a tunnel that leads to the west. There seems to be the sound of churning water to the west.
Maera cranes her neck to try and follow the path to the west, then towards the south. Does the latter connect back towards the front like a circle?
She says as much to her fellows. "Feels that way, anyway. I'd feel better about checking out that roarin' to the west... Don't like leavin' an unexplored sound at my back."
"Aye, lass. Best to find out the sound. Usually noise where there's water means either trouble or falls. Not a blasted clue about this, but that's the usual."
The dwarf seems antsy as he grips his axe and looks around.
"We ain't got time to be a'wastin', tho...We've got folks to be a'savin'."
"Aye. Best we be lookin' inta tha'." Aramis nods in agreement. "We'll make it quick."
(YAY! Huge post coming tonight, be ready!!! Going to work now!)
Doc nods in agreement with the plan and follows the others as they head west.
Special Map, just for this encounter!
Hundreds of remains float in this large bowl of water, which
churns with bones, scraps of flesh, and the carcasses of
strange, almost alien fish. Just visible through the roiling stew
are humanoid bodies floating in the water, wan corpses drifting
near the bottom of this cauldron like sleeping guardians.
Within the cavern, swimming near the surface are two clearly strong grindylow. One is a female who has a vicious looking harpoon, the other is huge for his kind and seems to have an overlarge mouth. The female is standing next two two ropes. Following the ropes upward, you can see Sandara and the Vudrani hanging above the water. With an evil look, the female mutters something and then slices the rope with her harpoon, sending the two suspended prisoners into the water, still bound and unable to swim, the two begin to sink.
Heroes win Initiative!!! Save your friends!!
Seeing their friends plunge into the water, Aramis yells a curse that would have turned Rosie's ears red. "Maera, see if ye can cut 'em loose. Doc, Whiskers, ye're with me. Lets get 'em!"
Her orders barked, the captain raises her musket and blasts at the huge grindylow.
Maera gave Aramis a quick nod, in agreement that she is best suited for this. "Try and distract big and ugly for me," she says quickly to Malak, and dives into the water towards their captured crewmates.
Malak moves forward and going into an anger filled rage, he slams his weapon into the giant grindylow.
Malak's ranseur tears into the monster as he roars with rage, swimming out towards the mark and grinning as blood fills the water.
Nissa casts a quick spell of protection. Cast shield
(Giving Diabolito til tomorrow about noon and then I'll continue forward)
Doc moves in to help Malak distract the giant Grindylow while Maera goes to rescue Sandra and the Vudrani. As he moves in, he digs out a vial of ink from his alchemy kit and uncorks it, tossing it in at the giant grindylow's eyes in an attempt to blind him.
Diabolito decides he's going to attack as well.
The large grindylow reels about with pain from the severe gash caused by Malak's weapon that seemed to come in right after the bullet from Aramis.
The creature looked at the lot before it and immediately went for a bite of Malak's flesh.
The teeth find their home and the creature throws it's head back, gobbling up Malak in one swallow.
As this happens, the female grindylow begins casting a spell...
The two women who were dropped into the water try and fight the current and weights dragging them down.
But both continue to sink into the water.
Dashing forward, Nissa attempt to help Malak.
"I may want to use him as bait, but not to actually be eaten..."
Before she moves up, she casts a quick spell, planning to deliver after hitting the water.
She is barely able to fight the current off, though had the monstrous beast not have attacked and thrown things off, it would likely have been deft enough, but instead, she can't move forward or attack due to maintaining the swim.
*Heroes up!*
Maera curses quietly to herself, in reprimand - she would have cut the weights first if she had seen them, but at least she knows better for the next person. She follows them down to cut their legs free, and gestures to head to the surface.
"Cut tha' sack o'chum outta there!" Aramis hollers at her crew, reloading and raising her musket as Malak disappears down the creature's gullet. She'd been growing fond of the lug, too.
She takes aim (for the head, so as not to accidentally hit her friend), but from the corner of her keen eye, sees the female beginning to cast. She has no idea what the strange movements and chanting mean, but she doesn't want to find out. "Oh no ye don't," she mutters, shifting her aim to the caster and letting her have it.
The telltale thok of the mechanism and the jamming of the trigger send a chill through her gut as she recognizes the misfire. "Oh gods, not now, not now!" she mutters, something akin to fear creeping into her voice.
The Vudrani woman nod to Maera as the weights fall into the darkness of the water. She begins to swim upward.
Nissa moves with a vengeance, casting a spell while treading within the creatures range. Thankfully for her, the creature was blinded still by Doc.
Sliding up to the creature, she swings, her blade whipping out, crackling with electricity.
Failing to land with the spell's attack, she follows it up.
The blade narrowly lands on the big creature with a crack and a bang, electricity coursing through the creature as Nissa's spell lands.
That was more than the creature could take and as it begins to sink into the water, Malak is freed, eyes wide with fury, blood and acid all over him, he looks as if he is inches from death.
(I'm going to move forward for Diabolito and Doc tomorrow if I don't see anything from them)
Diabolito moves quickly through the water, shifting his form to being more trained for the water so he can help Maera or get to the other grindylow quickly. Quickly, he delves into the water, following the moving bodies.
Malak speaks the word and his weapon surges toward the female grindylow who is casting a spell.
Just before the creature's spell goes off, she is hit by the enchanted ranseur.
Doc quickly moved over to Malak and pulled out one of his many vials, holding it out to Malak.
Looking at Malak, then to her fallen guardian...child...and she dives under the water.
Then without another moment to react, she bursts from the water, swimming backwards before reaching the back wall, landing right behind Aramis.
Malak watches the creature fly away and pours the potion down Malak's throat.
Beneath the water, things happen that none can see, save those deep beneath.
There is a look of panic that Maera can see on Sandara face as she looks downward, and as the watery bard reaches closer, she sees the two 'men' chained to the bottom of the pool.
The other woman freed of her bonds begins to swim.
She manages to swim upwards outside of the reach of the 'men'.
Sandara attempts to kick up.
But has little hope of escaping their reach.
With the assault, Sandara is unconscious, though she doesn't look dead...she is no longer holding her breath, and water looks like it is moving into her mouth and nose. (Hard to verbally/visualize someone STOPPING holding their breath, but imagine that)
Maera watches wide-eyed in horror at the creatures that assault Sandara, moving too quickly for her to defend the cleric. Not wasting time on wondering what manner of monster they are or how to deal with them, she prioritizes getting Sandara to the surface as quickly as possible... even if her only means are a bit unorthodox.
She swims down to begin the workings of a spell that should rocket Sandara upwards. She can only hope that someone up there will have the presence of mind to grab the cleric before she begins to descend again and further drown.
Without being able to see what happened beneath the water, the rest of the group sees a jet of water pushes an unconscious Sandara to the surface, cuts and bites mark her body.
Diabolito swims towards these creatures, putting himself between them and the priestess rocketing towards the surface, his teeth ground sharp and eyes "glowing" red with fury.
Aramis splashes away from the creature that lands behind her, mind working furiously. Her musket had misfired, and was likely to do so again if she didn't clear it. But if she cleared it, she was likely to be chomped.
Gritting her teeth, she takes the risk. She reloads her faithful firearm, and lets the creature have it.
The creatures in the water cower back slightly, leaving themselves opened to attack as a bang is heard from above...ending the threat of the Brinebrood Queen with the well-placed bullet.
When Maera notices that the creatures (lacedons, it looks like) below are chained and immobile, not a threat otherwise, she instead swims to the surface to intercept Sandara, and possibly give further assistance in the fight. Seeing that the Grindylow Queen is dead, and the battle is done, she turns her focus towards bring Sandara back to consciousness.
"Bring another one of those potions over 'ere, if you please Doc. There's some chained up beasties on the floor that did a number on 'er, but she's still alive at the moment."
Once Sandara is settled, Maera will spend however long it takes to safely chip way at the lacedons until they are destroyed, then search the cave floor.
It takes time, but Maera is eventually able to whittle away, with Malak's help, the two Lacedons beneath the surface. The creatures were chained at the bottom, so it was simply a matter of shooting fish in a barrel. Time and effort and the job was done. At this point the caves sounded empty. Upon searching, Maera and company find several things of note...
a jawbone of a shark carved with scrimshaw images of a vast
octopus eating whales and containing a dozen silver and
gold rings hammered into it (worth 250 gp), a huge hooked
tooth from some colossal sea creature with a seaweedplugged
cavity containing six pearls worth 75 gp each,
and a whale skull weighing 25 pounds whose scrimshaw
carvings function as arcane scrolls of alter self, black tentacles,
blur, color spray, daylight, enlarge person, hypnotism, slow, touch
of idiocy, and vampiric touch
a total of eight 4-pound silver ingots are
each worth 20 gp, scattered on the floor among the lacedons’ masterwork
manacles, along with four +1 heavy crossbow bolts, a silver
spearhead, an iron bracelet (the twin of the one found in area D5), 211 sp, and 136 gp in assorted coins.
Upon searching the female grindylow, there is a potion that looks like a stronger version of the usual healing potions, a wand that radiates magic