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With Smacky's command, the crew springs to life! Yamtisy draws up the sale and calls back out over the deck. "There is lots of Adventure, Captain. Which ones where you thinking? I hear there is a lot of good booty to the South. Meanwhile, Riy-zi begins to scheme and plot, learning the trade of navigator- knowing that leading is much more than giving orders, but moreso making plans. Satisfied that the ship headed in the right direction- he stretches his wings and joins Xosrov in the Crow's nest as he looks over His ship. Reva and Kildrax make their way along the deck, flexing their newfound authority over the crew. It's obvious that they will need some work, and that Varossa was too focused on her treasure to keep the crew in check... but there will be plenty of time to whip them back into shape. The Magpie drifts slowly out to the open sea, leaving the island and the famed treasure hidden in a secret cove, on an uncharted island, in the middle of the shackles.
Also: There is an optional bonus chronicle you can take. Let me know if anyone Doesn't want it. When you earn this Chronicle sheet, you may choose to receive 3 XP, 6 Prestige Points, and 11,787 gp
Of course! I'll take a look at how to run them as a consecutive story. We B4 -> We be -> We be 2 -> Goblins Free -> 5super The Goblins written into We B4 are lower powered than the others, so we might need to account for that. Sounds like a lot of fun to me!
Well, you are in luck- the four of your have a standing game with me, whenever you want :)
I am glad you are all willing to take a summer off of computers. That sounds like an excellent summer to me! I would be happy to start up a new game in the fall- you can message me whenever! I enjoyed playing with each of you and I really enjoyed the characters that you each made!
Thats a wrap! I am happy to play out any specific ending/conversations that you might want to have. Please let me know your: PSF #
With one last longing look at the smokey cave and the now still black waters, the companions take the treasure that they were able to rescue and head back off through the cavern complex. It is eerily silent, knowing now that it is just them. No more Varossa. No more Jemma. No more silent tide... it is the end of some of the biggest legends in all of the shackles! Deep back in the corridors, they are quickly reunited with Creed and Hinsin- wounded in their earlier combats. Rounding them up, they head back above ground and out of the main entrance, under the waterfall. It doesn't take much time to reach the shore, and a quick flare and fire alerts the crew to come and rescue the survivors. A small skiff is sent out, and once onboard the Magpie Princess the crew pushes in around you to hear the tale of Jemma Redclaw and the sinking of the Fearsome Tide. The sun quickly sets, leaving you in the deck in the dark. The crew looks around absently. Doc Imogene's voice then speaks up at last. "Where to then, Captain", clearly waiting for one of you to answer....
The ship itself, once water comes onboard, sinks very quickly. Steam and smoke pour into the cavern as the flames extinguish themselves in the inky water. As the fearsome tide disappears, you can just make out the crow's nest's faint outline in the dark water Reva breaks the silence, as everyone watches this transfixed- and is quickly corrected by Smacky. She, at least, wont be venturing into the depths in search of more treasure.
Rushing around in the hold, it becomes clear that at least some of the treasure is going to go down with the ship. The flames begin to lick up the side of the hold and the wood groans under the weight of the floors above. The chamber is illuminated by flickering orange light, while random sparks drift through the thick and warm air. Acting in haste, Reva grabs the nearby chest, closing its lid and hefting it under her arm before grabbing a handful of jewels in the other hand, stuffing her pockets, and rushing out of the chamber. Kildrax, limited by hs outside anatomy, is only able to grab the staff- carefully maneuvering it up the stairs and out of the hold. Riy-Zi pushes through the smoke, but finding no alchemical supplies he turns his attention to the other odds and ends strewn about the hold, including a small chest of jewels. Most of the common consumable magic items appear to be absent, so he grabs some loose belts and shoes. In his hurry, he sees Kildrax's long glance at the three paintings, and chooses to grab the smallest of the three on his way out. Smacky transfers most of the contents from the Captain onto herself, while Craigie works on freeing the scimitar that is partially adhered to Jemma's hand with black corral. The pile of gold and jewels and treasure on the bank continues to grow, but the hero's pause on the shore. The flames have now engulfed the entire upper decks of the ship and the edge of the ship is hanging dangerously low. Reva has to hold Kildrax back from reentering the flames- and the 4 heroes and 2 companions stand on the cliff side, watching the legendary Fearsome tide slip under the inky black water. Reva, Kildrax:
Chest: 6,000 gp of gold and jewels
Staff of minor arcana Riy-Zi:
Monkey belt
Jaunt boots Chelish painting (likely valuable) Uncut gems: 600 gp Smacky:
Masterwork Pistol x2
Belt of Dex +2 Cloak of resistance +2 Three Reasons to live (Horn) Crown of swords Ring f protection +1 Craigie: +2 Cold Iron Scimitar
As the fires crackle around them, and the ship lists to one side- the sudden realization of "Oh know- we forgot about the treasure" settles in on our heroes. Braving the flames and ignoring her (and Kildrax's wounds) Reva darts down the stairs to the lower deck of the sinking ship. She is quickly followed by Riy-zi, who folds in his wings and descends on foot. The lower hold is full of crates and stacked boxes in various states of repair. While it is clear there is a lot of treasure here, between the darknesses and the encroaching flames it is difficult to tell what, or how much, of the famed treasure remains. Leaned up against the wall are three paintings, and open chests appear to contain gold and cut jewels. There are cloaks, staves, chests, boots, belts, fancy boxes, and unopened crates all strewn across the listing hold. Smacky rushes over to the lifeless body of Lanteri. It is obvious that she has added some new treasure to her outfit: A crown, a necklace, and the three intertwined horns attached to her belt. In addition to these particular finds, she still wears all of her original possessions: Cloak, belt, ring, and pistols. Craigie, similiarly, heads over to the body of Jemma. The black coral has long since overtaken most of her equipment. Taking a moment though, he thinks that he would be able to separate her scimitar from her hand. More interestingly, he notices that her fearsome clockwork arm is still intact!
Good luck! The sinking ship will be here when you get back!
Right in the middle of the fiercest combat, Kildrax begins to waiver- his form flexing and fading with each burst of the poison in his blood. Buoyed by a seeming lack of consequence he snaps and slaps at the creature, catching one of its swinging tentacles in his sharp jaws. Smacky continues her assault, attempting to ignore the poison coursing through her veins. Struggling with the weight of her limbs, she makes a final lunge with her tail- making clean contact with the side of the shell. A loud crack echoes through the chamber as the flailing arms slow, slow, slow. A trickle of inky black liquid trails out from the cracked shell and now lifeless creature. An odd silence surrounds the ship, interrupted by the crackling and sparking of the wooden ship around you- now noticeably leaning toward port. Kildrax, Reva, Lady, and Smacky all feel a sharp pain and then an immediate sense of relief- as the poison stingers detach and fall to the deck of the ship. The last of the immediate threats is over. Captain Lanteri lays motionless on the deck. Beside her, the calcified shell of Jema Redclaw, and her legendary clockwork arm. The Incutlis Lord, who controlled each of them now defeated!
Reva (-16 HP)
[ooc]
Lady snaps her jaws, though the creature just wiggles out from the snap. Quickly following with a tail, Lady soundly strikes the creature. Reva rushes forward, and despite not being able to reach Kildrax, uses some of her magics to patch up Lady Jade- a fiendishly red aura settling across Lady's body. Kildrax bites and flails against the creature- but the muscle zapping poison continues to impact the effectiveness of his attacks. Smacky continues to bravely fight the tentacled, evil, creature. The first of her tail strikes lands a devastating blow while the second skips off its hard shell. Having run out of bombs, Riy-Zi opts for another alchemists fire which finds its mark! GM Screen:
The ship continues to burn and list to the side- the smoke growing denser with each passing moment.
Each of the long, stinger appendages swipes at the heroes. Finding their mark time after time after time. The poison continues to flow and the you realize the battle has come to its final moments- for better for for worse!
Reva (-7 HP) DC 19 fort for 1 Damage and 2 Dex
Smacky twirls and dances between the tentacles- she avoids the worst of the poison through her veins, it still manages to slow her blows just enough so that neither is able to overcome the thick shelled hide of the creature. A soft green glow surrounds her, and she can feel additional stength left in her muscles, the cuts and scrapes from the tentacles fading away! *Crash*, another vial of fire breaks across the shell- and while these seem to do less damage than their bomb counterparts, you can still see scorch marks on the hard shell of the creature. The lady clacks her jaw, and swings her tail at the monstrosity- but the wounds that she has sustained are simply too much to overcome, with ach blow missing its mark. Kildrax, though, is able to find a gap in the shell- both his tail and his bite finding soft, meaty flesh. The tail, particularly, comes close to doing a large amount of damage. GM screen:
The fires continue to rage on the main deck, and spread deeper and deeper into the hold of the ship. It seems only a matter of time- perhaps only a few minutes- before the fearsome tide disappears into the inky black pool. The smoke now is filling the upper reaches of the cavern, leaving a hazy look to what little light exists in the chamber. The tentacles continue to swipe about, stingers and barbs flashing about the dim light.
Ducking out of the way of the first strike, Kildrax is unable to avoid the second tentacle- which only a moment ago was focused on Smacky! He can feel the stinger under his skin continue to pump poison into his system.
Each of the next two limbs finds its mark, leaving a deep welt across Smacky's back and Lady's jaw. She staggers, but is able to stay on her feet!
Reva
GM Screen:
Lady bravely approaches the creature to fight- but the wounds continue to effect her aim. She snaps, and slaps but is unable to impact the shelled creature. The ship itself lists further as the deck continues to burn. The dark and oily water seems to rise higher on the ship than it did even a few minutes ago. The flames lick up the mast and the first bit of the dry rotted sail ignites! Surrounded by threats, the shelled creature lets out a screech, and flails its tentacles recklessly at the pirates.
Each of the tentacles finds its mark- leaving small bloody spots on the exposed skin and hide. The stingers, still present from the previous assaults continue to pulse and release the putrid poison into the heroes' systems. Reva
Instead of a bomb, Riy-Zi hurls an alchemist fire a the creature which strikes true and erupts across the creature. Smacky tumbles and twists through the sea of tentacles. She slaps at it with her tail, but each blow is deflected by its hard shell. The poison continues to pump into Kildrax from the imbedded stinger under his skin. Once more, he feels his muscles loosen and his coordination slow and lag. Like the Vanara before him- he is unable to break through the thick shell. A rain of glitter falls across the room- avoiding all of the hero pirates, and drifting into the way of the giant shelled creature. The glitter settles across its shell but it manages to avoid getting it in the eyes.
Reva
The blow from the creature injects a thick, sap-like poison into Kildrax- who is unable to fight it off. His blood burns for a moment and each of his limbs grows tired, slugglishly responding to his commands. A bolt of electricity shoots out from his skin- dragging across the fearsome shelled creature on the boat. This time though, it is evident that the creature itself appears resistant to the blast. The Vanara tumbles into the fray, approaching Jemma and blasting her with her tail! She staggers back before falling in a heap- her famous clockwork arm gleaming in the low light of the cavern. Craigie reacts quickly to the falling of his companion, reaching out and restoring her to some of her former strength before she even has an opportunity to suffer. Lumbering to her feet, she lunges at the calcified captain- clamps down on her waist and shakes her until she is motionless on the deck. A bomb flies in from the side, but this time it strikes the shelled creature, instead of Jemma. . It strikes true, and the shell (along with all of the appendages) erupt into a blast of light and fire- shadows dancing across the cavern walls. Left in the wake, is a small, calcified and burned, kitten statue. The ship itself begins to tilt, as the fires take hold of the lower decks. While not rapidly sinking- it is clear that the Fearsome Tide will eventually end up on the bottom of this cove! The shelled creature's beady eyes glance across the deck, weighing the situation it now finds itself in. In panic, it lashes out at each of the threats confronting her. All of its tenticals strike true- leaving stingers embedded deep into each hero's flesh.
Reva
Just as the shelled creature stops flailing its tentacles, there is a small bit of movement from the deck of the ship. The tiny cat, struggles back to its feet- encased in the same black corral that has encased the ship and the other combatants! Reva
The half-elf, sensing the tides of combat turns, calls out to his allies- infused with an ancient druidic magic. Each of his allies feels a renewed strength wash over them, as he arms himself for what he thinks will be an inevitable hand to hand combat. In front of him, Lady continues her assault on the former Captain. Varossa moves and dodges- but her calcified form and sudden blindness makes it difficult to evade the snapping jaws of lady. She twists and turns, the Captain's blood in her mouth, but Lady is unable to drag her to the deck. Frustrated, she whips out her tail, and makes contact despite the less than ideal placement, Varossa can't see it coming in order to avoid it. The Strix, initially consumed in the destruction of the ship- suddenly pauses at the arrival of a new threat. It would take a lot to alter his course of action, and yet when the bomb releases it is aimed at Redclaw and not at her ship. The explosion strikes true and with it engulfs the other two central figures in the combat.
In the midst of the chaos aboard the ship, a small summoned kitten steps forward and bites into the foot of the Captain- drawing blood and causing her to pull away in pain. Sensing her moment, Smacky leaps onto the burning ship and approaches Jemma. Unphased by her clockwork arm and blackened body, she strikes out with her tail- finding its mark onto her core. Jemma staggers under the blow, taking a moment to regroup before redoubling her assault! The zap of lightening shoots out between Reva and Kildrax.
The shelled creature, with its LONG arms, somehow manages to avoid the worst of the jolt. In that moment, the villains respond. Jemma slashes out at Smacky, with her fearsome scimitar and crab-claw arm.
Only one of the blades finds its target, leaving Smacky with a growing red stain across her chest. Varossa, recovering her sight, takes a small step to utilize her undead ally and stabs her blade into a defenseless lady. The first finds its mark with unwavering precision, as does the second- narrowly missing a vital organ that surely would have killed the fearsome creature. Instead, she slumps over motionless on the deck
That leaves the giant, shelled creature- which reaches out a tentacle and easily dispatches the summoned cat.
Reaching out it's other claws- it flails at Kildrax despite his considerable distance away
One of the tentacles finds purchase, and on the side of his body Kildrax can feel the pulse of some vile poison. The creature must have left some stinger in his skin!
As the fires rage on the deck and side of the Fearsome Tide, those on board can feel the ship list to the port as the burned supports strain under under the weight of the coral. Reva
Lady and Craigie press on in their attack to Captain Varossa. A pale blue light emanates from the half-elf and strikes true on the creature.
Lady takes advantage, and lands a massive bite on the Captain, nearly wrestling her down the deck of the ship. Static electricity fills the air, before a directed bolt blast between Reva and Kildrax. But, the electricity fizzles around the creature. A small fuzzy ball appears in Smacky's hand, before being flung into the fray. In mid-air, it transforms into an incredibly confused looking cat which instinctively lunges at the former Captain, to little effect. Like before, the Strix lobs his weapons at the hull of the ship- and the damage continues to grow as the fire spreads across the deck of the ship. It is in this moment that the blackened corral around the mast cracks and shifts- rising up out of the cracks is none other than the infamous Jemma Redclaw herself... or, at least what is left of her. She is covered from head to toe in the same black corral that only partially covers Lanteri.
At the same time, a giant shelled and tentacled creature pulls itself out of the inky and mirky water. Throwing its long arms up onto the ship and pulls itself up and over the railing. The creature itself looks familiar, a much larger version of the shelled creatures that you faced not long ago. Varossa swings wildly in her blinded state, attempting to stab Lady. But fails to make contact.
Jemma steps forward and swings her scimitar at Craigie- and despite the many years of inactivity she still finds her mark in the half-elfs side.
Reva
The gleaming vial of green acid floats through the air, before striking true onto the blackened corral body of Smacky's previous Captain. Craigie rushes forward, and the light in the cavern dims eerily- as it is almost sucked into a beam of pale light shooting out from the glare of the half-elf. As the beam crosses Lanteri, you see the thick dark armor crack under its assault- but the 'creature' seems to avoid its disorienting effects. While the beam sweeps across the cavern, Lady sneak closer and closer to the woman.
Riy-Zi, opting for a scorched wood strategy, lobs bomb aimed for maximum damage to the vessel itself. The bomb explodes, and the magical flames lick across the hardened wood of the ship.
Kildrax repositions while another bolt of lightening jolts between the two. As he moves, he notices some bubbling in the water just off the port side of the ship.
Facing her approaching threats, Varosa brandishes her rapier at Lady.
Her blade strikes the companion, just narrowly missing a soft spot in her underbelly. As the battle rages on you notice at the base of the mast, amost a thick layer of black corral, the shell begin to move and quake. Reva
Sorry for the continued long delay. Here at the Gus household we are all pretty under the weather. Getting better, but its been a long couple days.
No worries Reva. I need a little more time to get my mind back into this combat- but I should have a post to advance the combat sometime tomorrow morning!
A bolt of electricity jolts across the space between Reva and Kildrax. The rest of the party feels their hair stand on end, but it is the Captain who is directly in the path of the current. In the moment while the static builds, she is able to deftly step out of the blast- avoiding the zap entirely . Turning on her heel, she stabs out at the shark-like demon with her rapier- a crooked smile on her face.
The fire continues to burn on the deck of the ship, the flames licking up the side of the ship and the railings.
Reva
GM Screen:
Waisting very little time, Riy-Zi makes good on his threat and lobs a bomb at his former Captain. Instead of trying to dodge it, she instead whips her gun around at the flying Strix, and squeezes the trigger. The boom from the bomb and the bang from the gun overlap each other, and then echo about the silent chamber. The captain stands, singed from the flames, while a small wound is opened in Riy-Zi's side.
Initiative:
The Captain looks over at your direction as you approach and simply smiles. She flourishes her pistol but continues to point it Smacky as the Vanara approaches. The cavern is eerily silent, and Varossa makes no attempt to break the quiet.
Momentarily defeated by the flight of her future friend, The Vanara instead shows off her extrodinary climbing ability, completely bypassing both of the rope bridges. Likewise, Riy-Zi and Kildrax gently float over the small cove coming to rest on the other side without incident. That doesn't mean quietly, however, as Kildrax continues to laugh and mock Reva's slow progress over this much more stable bridge. After what feels like hours to her, the Tiefling's boots reach the far side, and she releases a loud sigh that had previously been trapped in her lungs. Craigie, much more careful this time, comes back across the rickity bridge and then across the more stable one towards the docked ship. Thick plates of black coral coat the hull of this derelict ship. The sails bear dozens of unsettling stains and irreparable tears, and more coral is built up around its main mast. It is quite clear that this ship has been here for some time, and is no longer seaworthy. The pirates pick their way along the outcropping, approaching the ship cautiously. There is a slight movement on deck, and peering over the railings, you can plainly see Captain Varossa Lanteri. She has a pistol drawn, and her trusty rapier at the ready. She is dressed much the way you have seen her in the past- with the exception of dozens of glittering gold chains hung about her neck. She is also wearing a very out of place a very thin, silver tiara. Her left arm seems to be encased in the same black coral that has begun to consume the ship, and the chambers in the back of the temple. At her side is a tri-form horn, what you now recognize as the completed goal for so much of your adventures in the past several months.
"Fight? I... I... I cannot fight. I am starved and wasted away. I do not think that I can fight." the voice comes out of the prison cell, this time mimicking the voice of Riy-Zi
Putting off the oddness of hearing his voice from another source, Riy-Zi directs his attention to the heavy lock on the door. After a few moments of fumbling around with the tumblers, he is able to find the right combination of lift and twist that pops the lock open. The cell door creaks open, and the dog/hand/bear creature blinks a moment at his new found freedom. Lumbering forward, it approaches the group. "I believe it is a trap. The lord always needs more subjects", but before any of you can respond it leaps into the dark, disgusting water, and disappears out of sight
"I have never met her, only heard her voice. I do not know the name of the one who owns it. She was being taken to the ship" There is a moments pause and the voice comes back, this time lower than before. A perfect reflection of Craigies voice. "This is just something that I can do"
Riy-zi moves over to take a good look at the creature and recognizes it as an Ahuizotl. It is an intelligent magical beast that has the ability to mimic any humanoid voice once it has been heard. He closely inspects the door itself, and while it does not seem trapped, it does have a relatively high quality lock on the door.
"Some giant, shelled creature. It's takes over the bodies of creatures it can overwhelm. It has been feeding me, though not enough. I do not know its purpose with me. I have lost track of the time... perhaps a month? Longer?"
The small stone flashes to life, emanating a soft golden glow. The small cell chamber is made out of rough hewn stone and the floor is covered in piles of clean-picked bones. In the center of the chamber, instead of finding the Captain, you see a horrific creature: the size of a bear, it has a narrow, doglike face, and a tail that ends in a nasty, clawed hand. It's mouth opens, and out of it comes a perfect representation of Varossa's voice. "I take it that you didn't believe me? Now if you would be so kind- I would like to be let out. I may be able to tell you a little more about the one who owns this voice"
The door is solid metal with a center, barred gate, making it difficult to see into the room. DM Screen:
Craigie:
She sounds genuine and honest There is a brief pause from inside of the cell. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am sure everything is simply a misunderstanding. Just let me out, and we can figure it out"
"I was captured! I have been hurt, and they chained me up! Please help!
The Vanara scampers across the bridge, hardly even noticing the sway and give of the worn scaffolding. Craigie, on the other hand, gets several steps over the bridge when the swaying and unstable nature disorients him. He wobbles on the edge of disaster, before shifting his weight back towards the cliff wall- using the stone to steady his balance. Now keenly aware of the dangerous route, he instead grips the wall and edges one step at a time across the remaining span. Reva, having seen all of this from the far side, opts for an even more conservative approach... staying put! As Craigie catches his breath on the far side, a familiar voice echos out of the darkness behind what is now clearly a prison door. "Who is it? Have you come to rescue me? You must help!" It is the voice of none other than...
For likely the first time in his life, Craigie sees water that he does not want to swim in. After a quick consultation between the party, they pick their way back through the caverns and out across the raised cliff the runs alongside this secret cove. As they approach the rope bridge, which leads to the Fearsome Tide, they notice a narrow rope bridge, with no railings or supports, breaking off to the right It opens into a dark, unlit corridor the goes deeper into the mountain- while the larger rope bridge crosses the inky water over to the Jemma Redclaws famous ship.
The black corral appears, on closer inspection, to have grown over and around everything in the cavern. Even the tentacled creatures show some evidence that this black corral had began to grow over them as well. Digging around in the piles, there are several bedrolls, a few swords and a nondescript leather satchel whose contents have long since rotted away. Kildrax and Riy-Zi fly into the giant chamber, hovering well above the water. The walls are thick with the same black corral as before- except it has also grown over the floating corpses of several creatures and species that bob along the surface of the water. The water itself is thick and dark, unlike anything that you have ever seen before. Taking more time, you can make out the lettering on the side of the ship. "The Fearsome Tide". The words hit you hard... its the legendary ship of Jemma Redclaw herself. It is aged and damaged, well beyond simple disrepair, yet it is still afloat. You can also see that chamber stretches further back, around the exposed corner by the rope bridge.
The series of kicks and tails quickly batters the creature, which stumbles and falls to the ground. Looking about this space, it is clear that a human-sized creatures used to inhabit the space, but that much of their gear and equipment has been covered by the dark, black, coral growing over the floor and walls.
Riy-Zi lobs a flask at the greenish tinted creature, striking it precision and covering the creature in a rain of fire. Kildrax moves into the room, positioning himself in the most advantageous position for his combination attack. Smacky's first blow glances off the creatures thick hide- but her second and magical third catch the creature clean in its chest, knocking it back. As she attacks, the room magically darkens. A soft moonlight shoots out of Craigie's holy symbol- and strikes into the large creature. . The massive creature wobbles on its feet, just before Lady comes and clamps down. With the first bite, she feels the familiar crunch in her jaw- the tentacled creature going limp. Spitting out the vile aberration, she snaps at the remaining threat- drawing blood a second time. A deafing screech fills the room as the Green Creature lashes out at our heroes. Cornered and threatened, it snaps its tentacles wildly about the chamber.
However, in its fear, it fails to land a single blow against its targets.
No worries! I am glad that you have access again, this site is... unpredictable... at times
This large cavern is roughly twenty feet in diameter, with multiple tunnels leading out. Twisted black coral covers the lower walls, and large chunks of the stuff rise from the uneven floor. Remnants of bedrolls and other signs of decades-old habitation by human-sized creatures protrude from the black coral in places. Two large, tentacled creatures, reside in this space- each covered with a thick layer of black corral across their back and appendages. The room itself shifts to a strange, flowery, sent. Initiative:
GM Screen:
Kildrax's first tail strikes, and while it connects, the zombie seems to unaffected. The bites, on the other hand, bring the battered green zombie to the cave floor. Reva, too, connects with the blue zombie, though her weapon is less effective than she would have hoped. Lady clacks and bites at the remaining helmet, and before the strange mollusk can react Lady has cracked its shell in her massive jaws. Stepping up into the space left by the now crunched green monster- Smacky slaps her tail at the remaining zombie- pummeling it over and over again. The combination is too much for the undead, who succumbs to the flurry. Just as the creature falls- Riy-zi launches a bomb that strikes the shell, erupting into a small blaze that turns the creature to ash.
The enemies dispatched, Riy-Zi pokes his head around the corner and sees a fantastic sight! This small chamber connects to a massive cave of slimy black coral that is drowned in stagnant salt water. Dozens of corpses—sharks, fish, humans, and stranger things—float on the surface in various states of decomposition. Some are covered in black chitin while others are pale and broken. On the far side of the underground cove floats a massive old ship. The ship’s tattered rigging and waterlogged boards creak lightly in the silent cavern, and limp floating corpses surround its blackened hull, like mourners at a grotesque wake.
Craigie looks at the creatures and realizes that they are pretty standard zombie thralls. However, the shell that appears to be controlling each of the zombies is unlike anything that he has ever seen. As the shell begins to climb, Smacky wacks it with her tail very hard. Falling from the wall, the shell splits on the ground at her feet. She spins on the yellow zombie, which also succombs to her powerful blows. Kildrax moves forward as well, his extenable neck bitting into what remains of the yellow shell, ripping out a large chunk of the tentacles. Riy-zi lobs his holy water at the remaining zombie, who's skin begins to boil with the contact greenish skin. The Zombie squeezes past Kildrax and then swings his nasty claws at the flying creature, finding it tough to reach him. Blue continues to move down the hallway until stopped by the shark as well.
Emboldened by the infernal energies raging through his body, the Eidolon float forward and rips into the first of the zombie creatures. Tumbling forward, Smacky slaps the creature with her tail- and although it doesn't do quite as much damage as she would have hoped the zombie creature falls to the ground limp and once again lifeless. However, the strange shell like helmet worn by the zombie continues to move and pulse on the ground.
The tiny shell and its purple tentacles pulse for a moment before they retract from the body of the fallen zombie. Almost like an octopus, the now exposed shell creature tries to crawl away from Smacky and up the tunnel wall another 5 feet. The other zombies lumber forward, each with their own shell like helmet clearly visible. Green closes the gap between it and Smacky, before trying to slam its fist into the Vanara.
The yellow zombie also swings its fist at Smacky.
While she is easily able to side step the first attack, yellow catches her off-guard and is able to land a powerful blow.
Decisively, Riy-Zi moves to the left tunnel, followed quickly by the remainder of the crew. The worked stone walls of the previous chamber quickly turn into a natural and unworked tunnel. In his hurry, the Strix fails to notice any of the subtle signs of life in these tunnels- but before Cragie can call out, Riy-Zi is facing down with four roughly humanoid creatures. The bodies themselves seem slow and decrepit, though each appear to have some sort of shell placed upon their head. Perception:
+2 vs. traps Initiative:
The party moves forward through the ruined workspace and into a massive chamber. The domed roof sits sixty-foot-high, supported by several thick stone columns. The worked stone walls remain uncovered by coral, and is decorated with engravings of crude giant figures and roughly formed runes. The columns have markings chiseled into them as well, in what could be many different styles of handwriting. Smashed stone tables and oversized benches are piled to the left in the room. Beyond the rubble, a tunnel slopes down to the east, and another descends from the southwest corner.
Craigie stares up at the pictures on the celign, trying to make sense of them all. Battles, and weapons, and mystical runes fill the space. However, the enormity of the space and intricacy of the design leaves more questions than answers. Despite her sideways looks, the water in the pool remains motionless and still... inviting... Reva pushes the thought out of her mind and concentrates as both Smacky and Riy-Zi dive into the sacred water. Despite the splashing and playing- the surface remains calms and smooth- and the motion in the water stirs up no sediment, the pool remaining as clear as it ever did. Climbing out of the pool and drying off, Riy-Zi approaches the edge of the new step of steps, and looks down the tunnel into the chambers below him. Flapping just off the ground, he descends to the foot of the altar. In the center of this room, a second set of stairs ascend to a raised platform. In the center of this platform, an alabaster table rises about five feet high. Two cyclopean statues carved to resemble serene mystics stare at one another from opposite sides of the stair. The wall carvings depict numerous scenes of one-eyed giants pinning down and torturing smaller creatures- lizardfolk, humanoids, and even smaller giants.
As Riy-Zi approaches the steps up to the platform he notices two very unsettling things. The first is that the upper landing appears covered in horrific tools and evil-shaped weapons. The second, he notices a sourceless chanting, low and almost inaudible, echoing through the chamber.
The crew takes a few moments to catch their breath, and heal, after the defeat of the stained-glass creature. Craigie moves about the chamber, collecting small trophies of the conquest- before turning his attention back to the chamber. Walking into a domed room- he looks up across the ceiling and sees a magnificent collection of art and runes scrawled across the surface, arranged in such a way as to tell record some grand history. Riy-Zi and Smacky venture back up and into the sleeping chambers. Walking through what remains of the beds- the space seems to have gone unused for centuries, if not millennia. There appears to be very little of usefulness, but just as they are leaving- a small glint of metal catches Smacky's eyes. Lifting some of the rotting boards, the Vanara finds a long sword, made of cold iron. Digging deeper, she is able to unearth 51 pp, 628 gp, and 312 sp from under the ruins. Reva stares deep into the pool- and gets a sense of some arcane presence. It is almost as if the pool is drawing her thoughts and attention- crystalizing and strengthening them. Something about this water seems to amplify her awareness of herself and others.
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