There is eerie silence broken only by waves lapping at the cavern walls.
or
or or
Perception Checks. Hit a 15 and I'll reveal Red. Hit a 19 and I'll show you the sargent.
You all see movement from one of the Koalinth as it moves gracefully through the water. It turns around and starts heading back towards the party.
Alisanne/Bimz and Baghotir.
Baghotir looks over his shoulder at the water as he tries to free the wizard. If he can do both that is.
vs DC 12
vs DC 15 & 19
He tosses what's left of the net behind the party so they can't re-use it.
Alisanne focuses on helping Belwick, pulling out her dagger and cutting at the netting.
for
Oceanus shoulders his trident and draws his crossbow. He takes aim, seemingly at nothing and...
the bolt flys out, towards a point in the water. The bolt strikes and the Koalinth Sargent bursts from the water, screaming in pain.
In Elven, Oceanus says (quickly translated by Belwick) In formation. The ripple we saw, the Sargent there and his fellow beside him.
Top of ROUND 5
1. Roberts
2. Venn
3. Caelius
4. Belwick
5. Koalinth
6. Koalinth Sargent
7. Alisanne
8. Baghotir
9. Oceanus
With danger once more hurrying towards them, Belwick hastily stands. With the insight from Oceanus, he quickly weaves a spell that creates three glowing darts of magical force. With an imperious gesture the wizard lets the three bolts fly towards the sargent.
"Ha! Take that!"
Magic Missile doesn't miss.
The Missiles of force penetrate the Sargent's armor, punch through flesh and bone and explode out of the creature's back.
The Koalinth Sargent keeps coming!
Venn, Caelius and Roberts.
A look of uncertainty crosses Belwick's face when the sargent doesn't die. Ohshitohshitohshit
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"Let's see you be as sneaky now", Roberts casts Faerie Fire on the enemy group.
Casting Time:1 action
Range/Area: 60ft./20ft.
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Attack/Save: DEX 13Each object in a 20-foot cube within range is outlined in blue, green, or violet light (your choice). Any creature in the area when the spell is cast is also outlined in light if it fails a Dexterity saving throw. For the duration, objects and affected creatures shed dim light in a 10-foot radius.
Any attack roll against an affected creature or object has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the affected creature or object can't benefit from being invisible.
All three of your foes are illuminated by Faerie Fire. The water glows. Attacks against the Koalinth are at Advantage.
Roberts is no longer hidden.
Venn and Caelius!
"Well alright then..." Somehow annoyed at the turn of events, Venn moves back to his bow and picks it up.
He turns and takes a shot at the closest foe:
for
Venn scores a hit on the red!
Caelius then Koalinths.
Caelis stows his shield, keeping his longsword free he dives into the water. "I can't just sit here and watch!" He surfaces slowly swimming towards their assailant.
HP 28/28
AC 17 (+2 (19) w/ Shield)
Short Rest Die 3/3
Action Surge 0/1
Superiority Die (D8; Disarming Attack, Sweeping Attack, Menacing Attack): 2/4
With landfolk in the water, they streak towards Caelius like hungry sharks. Unable to bring his shield to bear while swimming...
HIT... plus 12 Total
MISS
Caelius--perhaps protected by his courage--holds the line. 1 hit total from all three Koalinth.
Alisanne/Bimz and Baghotir.
Baghotir makes no comment about fighting the enemy in their element. Instead he slips into the water and moves to attack the Sargent (blue). Thanks to the helm, he swims like a fish as he brings the hammer down.
(advantage faerie fire) plus
He'll then use the power of the LORD once again to attack again as a bonus action.
(advantage faerie fire)
Condition: Blessed (+1d4 to attack or save)
- - -
With a crack, The Sergeant's skull collapses and it dies, oily foul blood polluting the water. The body starts to float away.
Baghotir's second attack is a hit that wounds one of the other Koalinth soldiers.
Alisanne and Bimz.
Seeing blood in the water, Alisanne loads her crossbow and fires a shot at the wounded Koalinth.
Caelius, let's end these fools!
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die.
Ability Check. The Bardic Inspiration die can be rolled again - choose which roll to use.
Attack Roll. The target and each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 ft. of it must succeed on a CON saving throw (DC: 14) or take thunder damage equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die.
Saving Throw. The creature using the Bardic Inspiration die gains temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die +4.
Alisanne's crossbow bolt takes the Koalinth fighting Baghotir at the base of its skull. It dies instantly.
The remaining Koalinth bellows a challenge and throws itself into the battle. Oceanus dives in and charges the goblin.
, HIT
TOP OF ROUND 6
1. Roberts
2. Venn
3. Caelius
4. Belwick
5. Koalinth
6. Koalinth Sargent
7. Alisanne
8. Baghotir
9. Oceanus
Belwick quickly weaves and hurls a bolt of fire at the remaining foe...
OR
Belwick's fire slays the last remaining Koalinth.
A small crowd of Lizardfolk have gathered, catching the final moments of the short battle. Arcane might displayed by the party, and the courage of entering the waters to confront Koalinth on their own field have caused quite a stir.
Valignat approaches the Fish Man on the Eel. They converse in Common.
Do not fear, Ambassador. The Koalinth have denied My Queen and not joined the alliance. They started this battle with our other guests, and so... This is what came of their hostility.
I... See. Is there a message in this, Shaman?
I do not know what you mean, Ambassador. The Koalinth chose to stand alone against a perceived threat. They attacked without allies against enemies they knew very little about. They paid the price. If there is a message in this, I know of none.
Valignat blinks and clicks.
The Fish Man laughs and it is a... Strange and slightly horrifying but also a little... Cute? It's a gurgling thing.
Of course, Shaman. We shall see your Queen at the Celebration this eve.
The Fish man and Eel return to his pool.
Each party memeber earns 107 Experience Points.
Baghotir wants to meet the Merfolk and Locathah, for after all they might be able to forge alliances with them as well, further strengthening the town's influence in the area.
He'll start with the Locathah, creatures he knows little about. He smiles warmly as he approaches, his weapon sheathed. "Good day, how's things? Quite a mess huh? Sorry about that. We're not normally that war-like, but we were attacked you know?"
to have a nice conversation and get to know them a bit.
Baghotir and The Locathah instantly strike up a good rapport. His humility and contrition serve him well.
Despite this, the Locathah initially flee from the party when they emerge in their cavern to the south. But after a time, one bolder Locathah approaches, but keeps his distance.
"Greetings. I am Gilead. If you will treat with us, we ask that you place your weapons over there. It is impolite to speak with weapons in hand or on your person. Weapons are for fighting, and to Locathah, when you approach armed, you should be prepared to fight or to flee.
You notice this Locathah is not armed, and his companions all place their weapons down in a corner of their cavern.
Baghotir nods politely and divests himself of his warhammer. Then he takes off his battleaxe, crossbow, bolts (just in case), two light hammers, and his dagger.
"Of course, that is most fair." he agrees. Once he has left his gear behind, he'll walk a little closer so he's not shouting.
"I'm Baghotir. So what brings you here? We're representing Saltmarsh. We're, for the most part, interested in forging alliances here - especially with the lizardfolk, but we had no idea you'd be here too."
"Saltmarsh has an interest in peaceful relations in the region if at all possible. Do you have much contact with the town?"
He'll chat amiably with Gilead, but he pays close attention to his replies for falsehood.
"The Sauhagin bring us here. In ages past, they have enslaved our folk, The Locathah, and they threaten all peoples. Queen Othokent's people asked us here and invited us to join an alliance to stop them, drive them off, kill them if needed. We wish to live free, and in peace. The Sauhagin bring war to our kelp beds and threaten our way."
During the conversation, you do not get the sense of any falsehood. The Locathah have the look of simple barbarians but it is clear from your palaver with them that they have a complicated system of etiquette--your good initial rapport is paying off. It would be easy to slight a Locathah and offend them if you didn't have a patient guide.
Gilead is well spoken, and from what you can gather Locathah do not have any inborn alignment to law, chaos, good or evil. They are a people like any other.
"Yes, the Sauhagin are a real threat to the region. They are, in part, why we are here as well. I wish your people success in the kelp beds. I hope too you join this alliance and we can fight side by side against our common enemy!"
Baghotir looks to shake his hand, but isn't sure what the protocol is for their people, so he does what he can to say goodbye without offense. :)
He'll then move on to the Merfolk.
He starts off a little rougher, likely still riding the high from his prior conversation.
"Hey there, how's things?" he begins entirely too casually perhaps.
Belwick does join Baghotir with the Locathah, letting the dwarf have his moment as diplomat. He nods sagely, only adding at the end, "Thank you, Gilead. Would you be willing to speak later, perhaps so that we might talk about the customs and protocols of our respective people?"
When they head over to see the merfolk the baron winces at the horribly informal approach Baghotir takes. He attempts to add a degree of gravitas to the conversation, delivering a slight bow before speaking. "Hail and well met. I am Baron Belwick Donnamoor, lately of Saltmarsh. With me is my friend Baghotir. Behind us are Alisanne, Venn, Caelius and Roberts. We are representatives of the city of Saltmarsh, and seek an audience with your leader."
At Baghotir's approach, the party is met with giggles and gossip and the beautiful creatures keep their distance.
The handsome baron however, prompts one of the merfolk to come forward. Like the legends say, they are humanoid from the, "waist", up and have the lower bodies of beautiful fish--shining scales in brilliant colors. One mermaid in particular comes forward to Belwick and sits on the stone steps next to him. Her humanoid body is dressed garments made from salvaged materials, probably taken from undersea wrecks and enhanced with pieces of coral and shell. She wears a strange sort of needle-like sword that looks made from living coral.
She giggles.
"Greetings Human. I am Iliza. I have no title but, 'Salvager'. Salvager Iliza--I like it. I think I'll keep it. I am, well... I guess I'm in charge here, Baron."
The Merfolk will now engage you in whatever conversation you like.
Caelius too lays his weapons down in the corner, to include his shield. "Sorry, I got a bit caught up in the moment there. Wasn't sure who was attacking us and who wasn't for a moment." He shifts his body as saltwater pours out of his armor. "So everyone here is gathered because of the Sea Devils?" He looks amazed at how far their reach of destruction has been.
Baghotir smiles at Belwick's smoothness. Well done! He knows he can be a little curt, and being polite to two groups of people in a row was too much.
He smiles and nods along until there's a little silence, "Have you fought Sauhagin before? I'd like to know more about our opposition. I'm not so foolish as to believe we are greater than they sight unseen, though of course I have my opinion." He grins widely.
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"They're like... Oh! Sharks. They're like sharks. They are shaped kind of like you--arms and legs--Heh. Legs. Anyway. They have fins and gills and they live deep in the darkest depths of the seas. But if you asked one, they'd tell you that all of the oceans are theirs. That's if you got a word out before they attacked. They hate everything. Especially Elves, because the Sea Elves are the only ones who can really stand against them. They expand out from the darkness below and claim territory. And they kill or eat anything in their territory until it's empty of, 'prey'. They can talk to sharks. They're ugly too. All fins and teeth."
Baghotir listens thoughtfully, and thanks the man when he's done, "Sharks, got it. Very dangerous then - I'll take them seriously. Thank you."
Caelius begins to tick his fingers off. "Alright, so they dwell in the darkness. Not good. And they are great swimmers. Also not good as we aren't." He slumps down onto a rock. "Any advice on how us land dwellers can help?"
Belwick moves towards Iliza, takes up her hand, and lays a kiss on the back of it as part of a courtly bow. "Your wisdom knows no bounds, Salvager Iliza. We thank you for these insights."
With a beaming smile, he adds, "As a Salvager, I have no doubt you find wonders at the bottom of the sea. As envoys of Saltmarsh, it might be that the baubles your people find would make for worthy trade with the merchants of the city. I am left wondering if some kind of trade alliance with the merfolk and the people of Saltmarsh could be arranged? Something to think about."
To Belwick:
She smiles.
"I can think of a few things we might exchange."
There is a small chorus of giggles and light masculine chuckles from Salvager Iliza's entourage.
To Caelius:
A merman and another mermaid swim over towards you.
"Not a great swimmer? You went after those Koalinth wearing steel skin with nary a thought. And your friend [indicates Baghotir] seemed to move like one of us. With the right weapons and magic? Courage may do the rest."
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This makes Caelius feel a bit better. "Hopefully courage is lal any of us will need." He looks around, "Perhaps it is time we all speak to the Queen."
"Indeed, let's." Venn, silent for some time speaks with an agreeable tone.
You recover from the battle against the Koalinth. Their bodies are quietly disposed of. If there are diplomatic consequences to what happened, it is happening out of your perview.
After an afternoon of meeting with the Merfolk and Locathah, and making good relations, you are summoned to meet again with Queen Othokent. Present at this meeting are Valignat, Minister Sauriv, and Chief Irhtos.
I need some Charisma (Persuasion) checks please. Pick from this list of who to focus on and post your results. A good post will net a bonus. Based on your interactions so far, your character might have an easier time with one of the targets than with another. Think about what your tactic is and who you will focus on.
1. Queen Othokent
2. Minister Sauriv
3. Merfolk (Salvager Iliza)
4. Locathah (Gilead The Hunter)
5. The Shamans
6. The Warriors
Insight Checks can earn you additional info such as who's opinion really matters and who's easier to sway.
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Alisanne tries to get a read on the room.
to consider what more he might know of the Locathah
Baghotir walks slowly toward the Locathah, weapons out of reach for the moment out of politeness as they seem to prefer that. He considers his approach.
Alisanne gets a really strong read on everyone. She determines that the three opinions that really matter are Queen Othokent's, Minister Sauriv's and The collective support of The Shamans. Anyone else definitely has a voice, but those are the three most important.
The Shamans will be the hardest to sway--they don't approve of the alliance to begin with--But Baghotir did impress them very much. (DC 20, Baghotir has Advantage on this)
Minister Sauriv will be a relative cake-walk. He took a shine to the party and is the drive behind this whole plan. (DC 10)
The Queen is THE most important voice in the room. She is completely neutral. DC 15.
The Warriors have fought and bled with Venn and Caelius. Either of them has advantage on this DC15.
Salvager Iliza is smitten with Baron Belwick. Their opinion means less, but he will have advantage on this DC15.
The Locathah also have a less weighted opinion, but are comfortable around Caelius and Baghotir. DC15
[dice=Insight]1d20+6 to consider what more he might know of the Locathah
Baghotir walks slowly toward the Locathah, weapons out of reach for the moment out of politeness as they seem to prefer that. He considers his approach.
+2 Circumstance Bonus for remembering proper manners around the Locathah. Whomever speaks to the Locathah can use this bonus--it need not be Baghotir.
Baghotir, following Alisanne's insights, will approach the Shamans and try to win them over.
vs DC 20 (ouch!)
He chats a bit with the Shamens. He has something of a slow start, and though he finishes well, even by his own estimation, he still finishes short.
He none the less thanks them for their time, "I understand your viewpoint - there are risks to a relationship with the humans. But don't forget our common enemy, and their strength. We are stronger together."
He thinks a moment, and it takes a moment for thought does not come quickly to him, but eventually he says, "What is one thing you're worried about? Is there not one point in the arrangement that I can help you with?"
Caelius motions to the warriors. "While we are still learning the ways. Myself and Venn have fought and bled with you. We fought off a nearby troll. My people could provide additional warriors to this cause. Warriors we all need. Trained guards such as myself to protect the people."
Baghotir, following Alisanne's insights, will approach the Shamans and try to win them over.
[dice=Persuasion]1d20+4 [dice=Advantage]1d20+4 vs DC 20 (ouch!)
He chats a bit with the Shamens. He has something of a slow start, and though he finishes well, even by his own estimation, he still finishes short.
He none the less thanks them for their time, "I understand your viewpoint - there are risks to a relationship with the humans. But don't forget our common enemy, and their strength. We are stronger together."
He thinks a moment, and it takes a moment for thought does not come quickly to him, but eventually he says, "What is one thing you're worried about? Is there not one point in the arrangement that I can help you with?"
The Shamans look to each other before Irhtos responds to you.
"You show great respect for our faith and our way of life, but you do not understand us. Semuanya respects those who survive, and not those who cannot without being, 'protected', by others. Priest Baghotir, we cannot endorse this alliance, and bringing Saltmarsh into this will only make both peoples weaker."
Caelius motions to the warriors. "While we are still learning the ways. Myself and Venn have fought and bled with you. We fought off a nearby troll. My people could provide additional warriors to this cause. Warriors we all need. Trained guards such as myself to protect the people."
[dice=Cha (Persuasion)]1d20-1
[dice=Advantage]1d20-1
Thurkear is there. She clicks and hisses and then makes a gesture with her arms.
"Saltmarsh! Your folk are bold. We will stand together and destroy The Sea Devils!"
The Warriors support the party.
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Venn, knowing he has little in the way of a silvered tongue, speaks to what he knows. He approaches the queen deferentially,
"Majesty. I am neither diplomat nor advisor. I am a simple man with simple priorities; a harmonious life of liberty for the maximum number of people. We have learned much here under your auspices. We have spilled the blood of enemies, and we have spilled our own. There is an advantage here to see these things realized to the betterment of all."
Venn tries to appeal to the Queen's sense of what is, "right".
"This idea of... Community... Is new. I shall think on it. Thank you, Ranger Venn."
The Shamans look AGHAST! But none will oppose their queen. Minister Sauriv smiles.
The Party has earned the respect of Queen Othokent.
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Belwick smiles as he approaches Iliza. He throws a glance back towards Venn and the Queen, and speaks to the merfolk. "I have a feeling that we're in for a sea change. The prevailing wisdom is to let the current take you, I'd say. It's been how I've always liked to take things. What say you?"
"Oh, and I'm curious about the other 'exchanges' you have in mind. Is that something we'll need to discuss... in private?"
or
Alisanne approaches Minister Sauriv.
Minister, you've been able to collect an impressive array of people to this conference. The Sea Devils are a mighty threat to bring such disparate factions together. We are honored that you'd consider us and the people of Salt Marsh in this alliance.
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Belwick smiles as he approaches Iliza. He throws a glance back towards Venn and the Queen, and speaks to the merfolk. "I have a feeling that we're in for a sea change. The prevailing wisdom is to let the current take you, I'd say. It's been how I've always liked to take things. What say you?"
"Oh, and I'm curious about the other 'exchanges' you have in mind. Is that something we'll need to discuss... in private?"
[dice=Persuasion, DC 15]1d20+4 or
[dice=Persuasion, DC 15]1d20+4
"Well... I do have an impressive collection. And I'd love to add to it."
Belwick secures the support of the Merfolk and should he choose... An interesting evening after the banquet.