Episode 72: An Undying Fear

After spending some time recovering from their battle with the bird folk, the party decides to press forward and continue their search for the bandit cave and the mysterious blood mage who seems to be behind the waves of magically-controlled creatures and bandits. 

As they make their way back through the ravine, they find it eerily devoid of sound. The road beyond it and the surrounding wilderness and rocky terrain, also prove strangely quiet. As they journey on, they begin to notice areas near the road are damp and smell of blood. In the brush and along the way, Dazz, Rinn, and Shai find the shriveled carcasses of animals and birds, drained of blood. In the roadway, the damp patches appear larger and larger, then finally form a much larger shape.  As they look beyond, they can see a series of impressions in the earth, each damp with blood and in a line, as if some huge creature with strangely amorphous feet had plodded ahead of them. And then, not far from these prints, the blood trail changes– the “footprints” disappear and a new deep groove proceeds, a channel for a river or a coursing flow of blood.

Eventually, they find themselves back in the area where they’d fought the troll. They head forward from here. The party decides to try and lure some of the blood mage’s forces out of the caver. Dazz uses Thaumaturgy and bellows out that she’s brought a delivery of blood for them. After a couple of attempts, they hear a noise coming from the direction of the cave and watch as a strange man in a thin cloth robe lurches forward, one arm outstretched wielding a long dark slightly curved blade. Something about his appearance and movements strongly signals that he is undead, and yet some sort of intelligence still burns within.

Dazz races forward in a burst of speed, then slashes at him once when she arrives. She is followed soon after by Myev. Shai summons a new friend, Clara the earth elemental, and also sends her forward to support the front line.

The warrior stares deeply into Dazz eyes, drawing her into a severe state of panic and terror as she finds herself staring into the dark and bloody shadow mirror image of herself. Overwhelmed by fear, she runs away and catches her breath next to Shai and Rinn.

Myev is undaunted and strikes the warrior, then strikes again with brutal strength which stops him in his tracks and breaks his nightmare hold on Dazz. The warrior tries to retaliate, but his blows fail to connect. Despite his repeated misses, the undead warrior almost succeeds in terrifying Myev with his nightmarish gaze.

Having been liberated from the terror, Dazz races back and attacks the undead warrior again. Shai uses this opportunity to haste Myev, granting her additional speed, agility, and attacks. Their adversary, on the other hand, keeps missing. 

Finally, Myev smashes the warrior with a mighty blow that completely obliterates him in a violent explosion of bone shards and rotten flesh. His sword falls to the ground, the blade turning into a black mist. The headband it bore in undeath, also falls on the ground. As the party examines it, they note that it bears runic markings on it proclaiming it to be some sort of enslavement device. Unlike the magical collars and headbands from before, this one bears a large red gem in the center. When Rinn casts Identify, he discovers that the gem is used to scry through, granting the controller the ability to see what the slave sees.

Episode 71: Birds of a Feather

After their battle with the troll, the party decides to gather a little more information about what lies ahead. Shai directs the xorn to retrieve one of the severed heads that had been placed atop the rocky plateau where the teleportation circle had been installed. The xorn successfully loosens the head from its spot and carries it back. Upon closer inspection, they find the head to be intact, through significantly damaged. Still, it is intact enough for Myev to cast Speak with Dead. 

They ask the head five questions and learn that these bandits were slain by a blood mage who had been their boss, but having grown dissatisfied with their failures, had slain them, buried their bodies, and taken their blood – then hidden everything behind an illusion. The massacre was meant to be a show of force, warning blood mage’s servants and slaves that failure would not be tolerated. Only the servants of the blood mage can pierce through the illusion. The blood mage had hoped to lure villagers to the cave with rumors of unattended gold and treasure. 

They bring back a second head, but when Myev tries to speak to it, she realizes that it speaks a completely different language. With the aid of Tongues, Myev is able to ask additional questions and learn that the blood mage has ten guards who remain near him. They also learn that “blood is his weakness and his strength.”

Sensing that they would benefit from acquiring a deeper understanding of blood magic, Dazz used her connection with the Library in the Stars to gain a new book, one that provides more details on blood magic. Dazz

They head back to the village to find someplace safe to rest overnight. In the morning, Old Man Snog tells them that two young men from the village sneaked out at dawn and likely went to steal the treasure, ignoring all his warnings and the advice of the other villagers.

The party rushes on horseback to intercept the two boys. When at last they catch up, Dazz calls out to them, commanding them to stop them. They heed her call and sheepishly head toward the party. The two boys, Poxley (red-headed, freckled, stocky) and Eggers (quiet lanky tall), try to explain that they are adequately equipped to raid a bandit cave, but Dazz takes them down a notch and tells them to head home to the village. They submit and run back home.

The party presses on and finds that the pass is now monitored by strange bird people. One of the bird people demands that the party make the right offering by approaching a stone ring some distance ahead. It looks suspiciously like a trap, so Shai Mage Hands a goblet to drop off in the circle. The bird people are furious and begin yelling at the party that this was not the right sacrifice. Three of the bird folk archers start firing arrows from above. Another three archers to the right, equipped with better bows, target Shai as well. A couple of the arrows strike Shai and seriously injure him, almost killing him. Dazz races up the rocky path to the right and engages the archers there, slaying one, then another. The third archer on the right is snared by Web and struggles to escape.

Although challenged by their aerial assailants, the party eventually triumphs thanks in no small measure to Shai’s brilliant use of Sphere of Water which he uses to entrap one bird folk archer after another, leaving them too weak to escape and too waterlogged to fly. Despite their best efforts to contain the combat, one of the bird folk archers escapes north toward the clearing where they’d previously fought the troll, and likely onward to wherever the bandits’ cavern lies.

Worn out from a hard battle, the party pauses to recover a bit. What lies ahead? Who is the mastermind pulling the strings? And whose voice is speaking through these enslaved creatures?

Episode 70: The Ring of Fire

The party celebrates with the villagers, gathering a little extra information as they toast and feast. Rinn overhears some of the villagers talking about possibly going up to the bandits’ hideout and looting it, now that the bandits and the yeti are dead. He talks to Old Man Snog (Snogsley Mead), the town elder, and from him learns that the bandits have their hideout north of the village, in a hidden cave located in a small valley a bit to the east. He shares this information with the rest of the party.

In the morning, they gather their things together and make a few last-minute purchases. Myev buys a large maul and has the symbol of Myllel engraven on one of its hammer faces. Dazz buys a whip.

The party heads out and follows the road north. Eventually, they find the place Old Man Snog had described, a concealed path going eastward toward a rock outcropping. Dazz scouts ahead on the path, but the underbrush and trees are dry and brittle, making it hard for her to progress undetected. Soon she finds herself at a point in the path where the rocky cliffs rise up on the left, and the road splits into three. Ahead, there are a number of places where lookouts might be stationed, and despite snapping a few twigs, she hears and sees nothing that would indicate that someone has been alerted. It is, however, strangely silent – which is worrisome.

Dazz returns and reports on her findings. Shai sends Alloces to scout out the paths on the right side. From Alloces vantage point, Shai sees that there is clearly a spot where someone had recently camped, evidence of a large bipedal creature chasing out those bandits or travelers, and a large area which appears to have been freshly dug up and refilled.

Dazz sneaks in to confirm what Alloces has observed. When she approaches the large dug up area, she discovers that it is actually an illusion concealing a scene of extraordinary violence:  the dismembered limbs and torsos of several humanoids (orcs and humans) are strewn throughout the area and dangle in the trees. No heads can be found. The huge bipedal creature moved through this area, then its trail ends at a 25 foot tall stone pillar.

Shai sends up Alloces to investigate and finds some sort of teleportation circle, as well as a ring of heads around it, each head facing outward as if surveilling the area. He uses Misty Step to teleport to top, hoping to dislodge one of the heads so that Myev can use Speak with Dead to learn more about what had happened. Unfortunately, as Shai struggles with the head, the circle activates and a huge club-wielding troll appears in the center. 

The troll swings and bites at Shai, but only hits once. Shai teleports back down using Misty Step again, avoiding face to face combat. Instead, Shai summons a xorn to keep the troll occupied. The troll, taller than the average troll, is covered in bits of stone which deflect Dazz’s attempts to shoot him with her bow. The party now sees that this troll, like the yeti, wears a strange metal band around its head. Its eyes glow red. A strange deep voice booms as if from its mouth, but not really from the creature. Someone is controlling it.

Shai surrounds it with Wall of Fire, hoping to restrict its movements. Myev casts Spiritual Guardians and follows up with Spiritual Weapon, which she uses to attack the troll. Shai’s summoned xorn attacks the troll, and slowly wears away at its defenses. Dazz leaps in with her scimitar and slashes deeply, then hops away before it can retaliate. Rinn chooses a different tactic, animating stones and small boulders in the area and causing them to attack the troll with a barrage of pummeling blows.

The troll breaks out of the ring of fire, then slams his fists down triggering an earthquake. Two deep fissures appear in the earth, one causing Shai to fall into a crevice, the other trapping Myev and her new horse Chuck about 20 feet down a crack. Shai teleports out and aids in the rescue of Myev, who then resumes attacks with her Spiritual Weapon. Rinn’s animated stones continue to torment and thrash the troll. Dazz seizes the opportunity to strike a series of devastating slashes and thrusts, thoroughly eviscerating the creature.

As the troll bleeds out on the ground, the metal band around its brow shatters, its eyes change color and they hear it speak in a different voice, whispering what might be a “Thank you.”

Who is controlling these creatures? The party seems to have wandered into the domain of some strange and powerful puppet master. Should they leave, or should they press on and face the one who pulls the strings?

Episode 69: The Way North

After defeating the aboleth, the party decides that they would like to find some way to use the dolphin to journey to the bottom of the Vortex and retrieve the Black Pearl that rests there. Shai studies the divine relic and realizes that since it is currently tethered to and powered by its connection to the temple of Maera, they cannot remove it from the bay without it losing power. The party discusses their options, then concludes that they must return to Sanctuary and enlist the help of someone who is an expert in the restoration and altering of ancient magical artifacts. In order to make their case, they prepare a number of drawings of the dolphin, and Shai writes up a detailed overview of its properties and powers, as they understand them. The party uses the teleportation circle to return, then heads to the Arcane University to search for someone who can help them.

At the Arcane University, they make inquiries and are recommended to talk to the following individuals. They hear of a Professor Jamalla Zipslicer, a sharp-tongued, but honest scholar renowned for her deep study of magical item properties and her ability to dissect and diagnose the function of magical items and artifacts. They also learn of Professor Tilverton Foldi, a younger professor whose more unconventional approaches to adapting and modifying magical items through experimentation rather than theoretical conjecture have ruffled more than a few feathers. Obo Northtook, a graduate student in Theological Engineering and Arcane Chimerical Studies, is also recommended, but upon further inquiries seems more inclined to researching biological transformation and miraculous creations. The final candidate is Tinsy Rotorfuzz, a fourth year graduate student of Esoteric Arcana and Thaumaturgical Devices. They decide to talk first with Professor Foldi. Foldi is intrigued, but concerned about the timing and distance. When the party explains that they have a teleportation circle set up for Sunden, he expresses a little more enthusiasm and indicates that he can definitely organize a team to research and possibly adapt the dolphin, provided that there are no objections from the temple worshippers or priests. When he is informed that no worshippers or clerics remain in the area, he says that there might be a way to make the changes – although it is still risky to tamper with a divine artifact. He notes that the party should also bring on Tinsy since this is a project that would fit her studies perfectly.

The party considers his offer and decides to sign a contract which authorizes Professor Foldi and his team to study and then modify the dolphin in hopes of producing an underwater vehicle which can be used by the party to retrieve the pearl which they need to access the Well of Time. They assign the other adventurers in Sunden to be their onsite representatives while they are busy with their trip to Xiwan.

After making these arrangements, the party returns to Sunden by telelportation. They talk to Captain Hammond, the local militia captain, about purchasing horses for their journey north to Xiwan. He says that he can definitely get the horses, but it will take a day to bring them in from the surrounding farms. The following day he presents four horses to the party:  Pearl, a beautiful light grey horse; Shadow, a charcoal colored mare; Grizzly, a chestnut brown shaggy-looking horse; and Chuck, a stocky mottled palomino. Dazz chooses to ride Pearl. Shai rides Shadow. Rinn takes Grizzly. Myev rides Chuck. Loaded up, they follow the road north, surrounded everywhere by the green and flowering evidence of late bring, the calls of birds, and occasional light rain.

The first day passes almost without event. All day they travel within sight of the coast. To their right, the forest grows thick except for a few clearings and pastures where people have planted fields. To their left, the distant ocean and a mixture of pastures and farmland. It is dusk when they come in sight of the first tiny village north of Sunden. As they draw closer, they realize that it is on fire. They can hear the frightened screams of the villagers.

When they reach the edge of the village, they see that it is indeed partly on fire. Through the smoke and flames, they make out a group of orcs who seem to be controlling a giant white-haired bipedal beast, a yeti of some sort. The main orc leader holds a rod in front of him and uses it to direct the humongous creature which lumbers and smashes things as it goes along.

Rinn’s Fireball wipes out three orc minions, seriously injures the orc caster, harms the yeti, and barely damages the orc bandit chieftain.

The yeti breaks free of the chieftain’s control. Escaping from the burning wreckage of the town market square, it flees toward a large inn on the corner, where it pauses, then looks back. The party focuses their attacks on the remaining orc chieftain. But the yeti is not done, still angry, it returns. Rushing forward, it climbs atop a crumbling building and breathes a cone of cold down on its former master and the unfortunate party members surrounding him. The blast kills the master and seriously injures most of the party.

After being shot by Dazz, the yeti uses its gaze to paralyze her, then leaps down and knocks Dazz unconscious with two tremendous claw attacks. Once more it breathes cold on Myev and Rinn. The battle wages on, the party injuring, but not defeating the yeti. They try to loosen the metal band around its head which seems to control, but discover that it has been bolted to its skull. The great beast gazes again, this time paralyzing Rinn.

Myev comes to rescue, giving Dazz a mighty Healing. Shaken, but not deterred, Dazz rises up, slips back into the shadows, and then fires an arrow that critically injures the yeti. She then finishes it with a follow up arrow that pierces its eye.

The yeti falls with a thunderous boom shaking the town. As they loot the bandits, the party finds:

• Hide Armor +1 (grants Thaumaturgy 1/day)
• Belt of Hill Giant Strength
• Bag of Holding (full of loot taken from the villagers)

When the villagers return, they express gratitude for the party’s defeat of these troubling bandits and the terrible yeti. They throw a big celebration and as the party feasts with them, they use this opportunity to return the villagers’ goods to them. The celebration goes long into the night.

Episode 68: Fish in a Barrel

After loading their equipment, as well as arming the dolphin, the party climbs inside the ancient vessel and each take their place. Myev sits in the seat which powers the dolphin through her faith or life energy. As she does so, she finds her hand drawn to a large orb on the console before her. When she places her hand on it, there is an immediate mental connection forged with the dolphin vessel and she is overwhelmed with information sensed about the world around her — not truly sight, but a sonic rendering of the space through echolocation with every sound she makes. Dazz sits next to her and finds that this position is intended for the pilot. Searching the console for some sort of control, she finds another orb which also forms a mental connection with her when she places her hand on it. Rather than a rod or steering wheel, the dolphin can be willed in different directions, but is fundamentally restricted by its facing and the tactical understanding of the pilot. Rinn and Shai sit in the rear two seats where they can easily reload the firing tubes. They load the great trident from the statue and the javelin of lightning they’d found earlier.

Myev senses that they are atop a large shaft which descends about 100 feet before opening into a large underwater chamber. The party decides that they will descend and venture forth, hoping to defeat the aboleth from the safety of the dolphin. Once inside the chamber, Myev detects a passage out to the bay and Dazz pilots the dolphin out. They begin probing the murky waters in search of the aboleth. At first they head north, back toward the shore and the river mouth, but the aboleth doesn’t appear. As Myev turns her attention back to the seaward side, the party glimpses a ghostly shadow of the aboleth. Using echolocation, Myev realizes that the image is a fake – a distraction from the real aboleth who reveals itself immediately south of them!

The party makes the first move. Rinn attempts to cast Fireball through the speaking tube in the dolphin, but even though it is successfully cast, the spell is weakened by the surrounding water and the aboleth swerves out of harm’s way. Dazz steers the dolphin closer to the aboleth, then loads one of the jars of tears and fires it at the aboleth. A pulse of glowing clear water shoots forth from the dolphin mouth toward the aboleth, injuring it. She then fires the trident wounding it again.

The aboleth closes the distance, lashing out with its tentacles and tail. Myev casts Control Water, forcefully removing 100 cubic feet of water around the aboleth, and sending it falling to the bay floor. Rinn tries to follow up with Shatter, but the spell doesn’t seem to cause much damage. The aboleth responds to the party’s attacks by summoning a massive tidal wave and knocking the dolphin onshore where it is stranded.

Shai casts Bigby’s Grasping Hand and grapples the aboleth, trying to restrict its movements and attacks. Dazz fires the javelin of lightning from the beached dolphin, inflicting some damage, but not enough to slay the aboleth. Myev loses control of her spell and the waters rush back into the void around aboleth, restoring it to full mobility. The aboleth blasts the hand, the dolphin, and the party inside with a lightning bolt. But in the end, the party triumphs, the aboleth is at last defeated, and the underground bay returns to silence.

In the aftermath, Shai uses the hand to search the bottom of the bay. The party, with the aid of Shai’s spell, is able to recover the corpse of the aboleth, the bones of some of the former worshippers of Maera, and a large statue of Maera which had been tumbled into the bay.

Shai attempts to extract the organ or gland from the aboleth which produced its dangerous poison.

The party rests, considering their options, and preparing for the next leg of the journey. Shai reflects on the lore he’s heard about the legendary aboleths — how they never truly die, but send their consciousness back to their original plane to meld with the collective mind — and how individual memories persist, grudges endure beyond death. This one is dead, but there may be problems ahead if they cross paths with another.

Episode 67: The Final Dolphin

Battle weary from their fight with the second fishfolk patrol, the party retreats back upstairs and returns to the Manticore’s Tale to regroup. When they step through the tavern door, there is an audible hush as all eyes turn toward them. Someone loudly whispers, “They made it back!” and someone else mumbles “guess I lost that bet.” Apparently the townsfolk have started a pool and have been betting on whether they’d succeed and who would die. It’s somewhat heartening to hear that Havilar, the big dragonborn ranger/chef who runs the tavern bet on them returning safely.

They rest well and sleep undisturbed, but when they rise they find the entire town engulfed in a thick heavy fog. Dark clouds have rolled in and fill the sky above Sunden — and the air is cold, damp, and clammy. The party is undeterred and heads back to the lower level of the temple. Lightning flashes across the sky and thunder rumbles ominously.

When the party arrives on the lower level, they find the stairs and stone surfaces covered in a slimy goo making everything slippery. They slowly make their way down. From the stairs, they can see a large shallow pool of water has formed in the middle of the plaza. Dazz tosses a stone at the puddle bounces and cascades ripples. Having turned invisible, she passes by the puddle and glimpses the faint image of aboleth eerily glaring out of the pool toward her, as if it can see her there. She rushes by, arrives at the edge of the collapsed stone bridge which connected the main area with the fortress on the small island.

The rest of the party follows close behind and finds themselves standing with Dazz on the edge looking out toward the fortress. More thick fog covers the water making it hard to see further out. The water itself appears clouded and foul, a strong stench fills the air. Myev casts Waterwalk on herself and offers to carry each of the other party members over the stretch of water to the island. She takes Dazz over first, deposits her, then returns to bring Rinn and Shai. As Myev is carrying Shai over, Shai looks out into the dark mists and sees a shadow moving, something large and fish-like. It’s hard to tell if this is the aboleth or just another of its illusions. However, Shai recognizes that the slimy surfaces, the water pools and mists, and the stormy weather above ground are all indicators that the abolet is very close to them and is influencing the environment.

Dazz, having arrived first, quickly studies the doors which the fishfolk had previously failed to open and which they’d indicated the Master (presumably the aboleth) had forbidden them to enter. She observes that the double bronze doors are very tall and tinged green, but still very strong. Engraved on the doors surface is an extraordinary scene depicting Maera at the heart of the sea, surrounded by tritons, mermaids, giant sea horses, sharks, dolphins, and thousands of fishes. Maera stands inside a giant oyster shell, her arms outstretched – her palms facing outward. To the left and right of the door are two coral pillars which appear to have indentations on top where something might be placed. As Myev, Rinn, and Shai join her, Dazz examines the two pillars and tries to determine how to activate the mechanism which opens the door. One coral pillar’s indentation appears to be the size of a pearl, the other looks to be more rectangular. Rinn suggests that they use one of the pearls in their possession and then has an epiphany and remembers that the silver statuettes of Maera they’d encountered earlier seem to have bases that exactly match the other indentation. Sure enough, once the pearl and the statuette are placed the doors open and the party is granted access to the fortress.

Once inside, the party finds a small room with almost 20 foot tall ceilings. A lobby or front entry which appears to have been untouched for an extremely long time. A thick layer of dust covers every surface. Statues on a raised platform line the far wall opposite the entrance: a mermaid and a triton flank Maera, both of whom wield spears or tridents while Maera extends her hands with open palms. There are doors to the left and right.  

Rinn tries the door to the left. A stone door with two dolphins carved on it. When he presses both dolphins, nothing happens. He borrows another silver statuette of Maera and tries again, this time the door opens revealing what remains of an armory. Five arrow slits are found here and a pile of discarded weapons and ammunition. Looking out through the slits, the bridge, the bay, and even the entrance leading to the sea can be seen. The water appears darker, deeper, and more cloudy on the sea side of the fortress. Next, Dazz tries the right door and finds four dolphins engraven on it. She presses these with the assistance of Myev and the door opens. 

In this room a single arrow slit facing south toward the sea can be seen. On every wall are shelves filled with tiny sealed jars. When Dazz picks up a jar, she can hear something liquid moving inside. Curious, she opens one and finds it filled with water, more precisely sea water. As she opens more of the jars, she finds that each features a different scent and a slightly different hue. The smell is strong and evokes in the mind strange feelings and a vision of someone else’s memories. Rinn makes an unexpected connection – notes that tears are also made of salt water and the party concludes that these jars contain the regrets and sorrows of past worshippers of Maera. For what purpose have they been gathered? What is the meaning of the ritual which created these jars?

On the far wall, another door is visible, but this one bears a single large dolphin surrounded by a circle of five smaller dolphins. Dazz pushes the large dolphin and the door opens. Inside, the party finds a very large ceremonial chamber and a large pool of water at its center. Strangely the water in the pool is not polluted, but crystal clear.  Down about 20 feet in the pool, which now appears more to be a shaft which descends and then connects with some underground tunnel, rests something large and vaguely fishlike. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a large mechanical dolphin artifact. Fashioned from bronze, covered in runes, and big enough to house four individuals.

The rest of the party enters and begins examining the mechanical dolphin hoping to make sense of it. They figure out the following:

1. They can load the spear and trident from the two statues in the entry into the dolphin and they’ll operate like a harpoon.
2. There is a place where a speaker can cast spells which are then converted into sonic energy attacks.
3. There are four seats, but one of them is constructed differently and seems to function as the power source. Closer inspection suggests that its user must exercise true belief in Maera (Religion 15), or else be consumed by health, magic spells. Control enables the dolphin to be moved, turned, and to ensure the exterior resistance shield works. 
4. The vessel has a small slot or chamber which is perfectly sized to take a jar of tears/sea water. It’s not clear what this weapon does, but it is clear that this is a weapon system.

The party also determines that the person in the control seat cannot cast and keep the dolphin powered. Without power, the dolphin cannot be moved and attacks from it are disadvantaged, furthermore the shielding doesn’t work as well (ordinarily it grants advantage vs psychic attacks).

Outside the fortress walls the aboleth lurks in the bay, circling unseen, its ominous presence heavy on the party’s mind. The party begins loading the dolphin, making a plan of attack, and deciding how best to use this ancient gift from Maera.

Episode 66: The Turning Tide

After narrowly defeating the fishfolk patrol, the party decide to head back to the surface to rest at The Manticore’s Tale and recover their energy. They arrive at the inn and spend a few hours drinking and listening to the locals. The party decides that they hold an arm wrestling competition to determine who is the strongest among them. The odds favorite Myev easily bests Dazz. Shai shows an unexpected burst of physical strength and manages to win a match before losing the remainder of his match ups with Rinn. The final match is between Myev and Rinn, which Myev wins easily. After the competition ends, they ask some of the old fishermen and sailors who’d gathered round to watch for suggestions on how capture or defeat a large whale-like creature. An old seawashed greybeard introduces himself as Skord McDugal, veteran fisherman. The party asks what he recommends for hunting large sea creatures, and he simply suggests a harpoon fired from a ballista. Not certain where they’d find a suitable ballista or how they’d transport it, they ask what he knows about the tides. He tells them that low tide tends to be in the early afternoon before the 2nd bell and again in the early morning, during the second hour of first watch. They thank him for his insights and return to planning their battle with the aboleth.

They turn in for the evening and for the most part enjoy a peaceful rest. Rinn and Myev, however, are disturbed by strange dreams that seem intent to lure them into non-adventuring lives. In Rinn’s dream, he is a professional juggler enjoying the rapt attention of a large crowd in a fancy theater. Myev dreams of herself as a beloved shopkeeper, adored and cherished by adventurers and locals. In both dreams, a strong sense of contentment and safety seem to be offered. The underlying message: “Stay home and enjoy what you have, why risk death?” Neither is persuaded by the dreams though. The party heads downstairs and eats a hearty breakfast, before returning to the temple. They wind their way through the emptied first level of the temple of Maera and find themselves once more on the lower level. In the stairwell, they pause and review their plans.

Rinn scouts ahead in the pitch dark hearing the sounds of the river flowing into the sea. As he approaches the west bridge over the river, he hears something strange moving in the water. Dazz joins him out there and catches sight of three more fishfolk – two guards accompanying a huge four armed one who is wielding a trident, each of them riding a large shark. It seems very likely that this must be the second patrol.

Deciding the best defense is a good offense, the party seizes the opportunity to preemptively strike. Myev casts Control Water to create a huge 100 foot cube of dry land exactly where the three fishfolk and their sharks are located. Aided by the spell, she shifts all the water up river and away from the cove. As soon as this void is created, the three sharks and their fishfolk riders plummet 50 feet down and take tremendous damage.  The guards are almost killed outright, while the sharks flop around on the exposed bay floor. The party takes potshots at the two dying fishfolk guards, killing one immediately.

The four-armed fishfolk warrior lands nimbly and begins heading north toward the party. The surviving guard walks over to a now exposed sunken dinghy, draws a rust-covered harpoon from the debris. He throws it toward Rinn, but misses. Meanwhile, the sharks continue flop around, trying to angle their path toward the nearest wall of water. The party quickly dispatches the second fishfolk guard, but fails to slay the fishfolk warrior.

At this point, the four-armed fishfolk warrior reaches the northern edge of the water wall and plunges through it, disappearing as he swims quickly away. Assuming that he is heading due north, Myev moves the spell north, creating the void in the place where she anticipates he has arrived. To her surprise, he is not revealed.

Puzzled, the party sends Shai to investigate the now expose river bed floor and as he makes his way closer to the northern water wall, strong arms emerge out of the wall and pull the unsuspecting wizard into the grasp of the hidden fishfolk warrior who then attempts to drown him behind the wall of water.

The rest of the party leaps into action. Rinn and Myev attack from range with their spells and Dazz throws her daggers. Just as Rinn is about to rush in to save Shai, in a surprising feat of strength, Shai wrests himself free from the powerful grasp of the fishfolk warrior! No longer fearful for their friend’s safety, the rest of the party unleases their attacks against their sole remaining adversary. Although shielded by the wall of water, it is not enough to block their onslaught. The fishfolk warrior is at last slain and Myev brings down the thunderous waves upon his lifeless corpse. The party regroups, pauses briefly to sigh at their close brush with death, and gazes back at the dark expanse of water where presumably the aboleth still lurks. They turn their eyes once more on the abandoned island fortress and decide to pursue access to it, hoping whatever secrets hidden within might aid them in their pending battle with the ancient demonfish.

Episode 65: Three-Pronged Attack

After a good night’s rest at The Manticore’s Tale, the party decides to scout out the lower level of the temple and learn more about the island fortress there. In the early hours of the morning, they head to the hilltop ruins of the Temple of Maera and there descend to the subterranean levels. They journey without event through the main floor, then proceed down the long winding stair that takes them down into the ancient lower temple. 

As they emerge from the stairwell, they find the lower level much as they left it — the stone tiles scorched and scarred from their previous battle with the cultists which occurred nearly a month ago. It is pitch black, yet Myev, Dazz, and Rinn have no difficulty seeing in the dark. For Shai, however, things are more challenging. He pulls a stone from his pocket, casts Light upon it, and places it back in the same pocket ready to draw it out should he need to see. For now though, Shai leans upon the senses of Alloces who circles about his head and Myev’s in bat form.

Dazz leaves the rest of the party in the stairwell, then sneaks out across the open plaza toward the entrance to the passage heading toward the fortress. As she approaches, she notices that very little remains of whatever door or gate once guarded access to the bridge connecting the shore with the island. From beyond the broken doorway, she can hear at least two muffled voices speaking, one of which seems more authoritative than the other. Just at the edge of her view are two humanoids with very fishy features. Neither seems to have noticed her. Taking advantage of her stealth, she returns to the party and reports that there seems to be some sort of patrol on the island. 

Myev casts Tongues on Dazz, enabling her to listen and communicate should the need arise. Dazz magically alters her own appearance to look like the fish creatures she had observed, then she heads back to the same spot on the edge of the bridge where she tries to see and hear what the fish people are up to.

Dazz successfully approaches and overhears the fish people having an argument. It’s clear that there are three of them: two male, one female. The dominant male appears to be named Glorg, the other male is Glomp, and the female is Vlogessa. Glorg seems determined to break into the island fortress, despite warnings from Vlogessa that accessing the fortress and its contents are prohibited by the Master (presumably the aboleth). One of them notices Dazz on the bridge and goes to interrogate her. Although at first Dazz valiantly bluffs and stalls, hoping to gain some valuable intel.

Unfortunately her luck runs out and Glorg deduces that she is an imposter when she fails to supply the correct passphrase. Vlogessa casts Hold Person which Dazz fails to resist. Glorg picks up the now immobilized Dazz and drags her from the bridge back toward the shore, far enough to keep her out of range of any of the party.

Myev, still invisible, casts Dispel Magic and removes the paralysis on Dazz. Dazz feigns her continued paralysis, biding her time for an opportunity to escape.

Meanwhile, Rinn, who is also invisible, casts Eldritch Blast and lightly scratches Glomp, the one in the front.

Glomp tries charging, but runs smack into the invisible Myev. He tries again and fails again, bouncing harmlessly off of what he thinks is an unseen barrier or magic forcefield.

Dazz attempts to escape, but fails her first try. The priestess, Vlogessa, tries to cast Hold Person a second time, but Dazz resists it.

Soon everyone is pulled into a big fight. Myev, Shai, and Rinn attack at range, while Dazz fights alone on the shore. The battle is hard-fought and Glorg and Vlogessa are seriously injured by Dazz in her escape. Glomp raises his trident and summons a huge whirlpool which sweeps over the entire bridge, destroying it and inadvertently killing Vlogessa, but still managing to trap Myev and himself in the raging water. Glorg, the swordsman remains outside the whirlpool, fighting Dazz on the shore.

Dazz slays Glorg, but Glomp slips away in the swirling waters evading capture. Myev and Dazz then swim back toward the shore they started from, but have to climb up the rock face near the other bridge by the river’s mouth. As they head toward land, they see the aboleth just off the shore near them. Myev attacks with a powerful spell, hoping to buy some time, but much to everyone’s surprise, the aboleth is unaffected…. a mere illusion. Shai remembers that aboleths can create and control illusions of themselves up to a mile away.

In their heads, they hear the aboleth laughing. They decide to retreat back to safer regions, take stock of what they have and what they’ll need to face this dangerous foe. Should they return to town? Should they find a quiet room on the upper level and just rest there? Or should they simply flee and abandon the town to whatever scheme the aboleth has is store next?

Episode 64: Questionable Loyalties

Before leaving Sanctuary, the party decides to tie up some loose ends. They go back through their things and find the four letters that were entrusted to them to deliver by the other adventuring party. The letters are addressed to Sir Karon Rakmar, Snively Shadowmind, Lady Vivian Wyld, and Beryl Flamebeard. They have a lengthy debate about whether or not to open the letter to Sir Rakmar or to deliver it unopened.

In the end, they decide to open the letter to Rakmar. They discover that it is correspondence from an Elizar Oxborn, the Overseer of Commercial Transport in the Kingdom of Landoss, expressing gratitude for “the gift” and confirming that he has made arrangements to change the destination of the “book” to Sanctuary. This seems to corroborate the story told by Taiji and Kai, the two spies from Xiwan that the party had captured earlier.

The party drops off the other letters at a courier near the docks in the Waterfront, then head back to Tosser’s Square to do some shopping at Wigglewagons where they find a sale on low level scrolls. They also take the opportunity to pick up some snack foods: salted plums, tiny salted flying fish, rogi (pan fried dumpling filled with potato and cheese), and proki (curried beef and onion buns). Thinking about what they will need in Sunden and the likelihood that they’ll be spending some in the water, they purchase a Potion of Waterbreathing, a 2nd level scroll of Alter Self (for Shai to scribe), and a 1st level scroll of Comprehend Language (also for Shai to scribe). From previous conversations with Ichi, Taiji, and Kai, Shai suspects that he can understand about 60% of the language they speak, but clearly there has been a long separation between their linguistic groups which has led to separate paths of evolution.

Having restocked their supplies and handed off the other letters, the party heads up to the Castle District to visit with Captain Darevan and turn in the letter addressed to Sir Karon Rakmar. They feel it important that the letter be delivered to Captain Darevan because it seems to implicate Sir Karon Rakhmar in this conspiracy. Given that the Temple of Boccob became the new destination, the party now is uncertain if the Temple of Boccob had a deliberate role in the underhanded way in which the book was acquired, or was unwitting in their participation. Feeling uneasy about the Temple’s potential involvement in the plot, the party concludes they must get answers before they leave, otherwise they fear that the artifact book will be misused or fall into the wrong hands.

The party visits the Temple of Boccob and talks to Galdrin Goodtree. They dance around the issue, then ask him how the temple obtained the Tome of Unbearable Truth. He tells them that they were approached by an elf by the name of Tarron Veverell who presented himself as a traveling broker who could arrange the purchase of rare and unusual treasures, especially documents and artifacts. Tarron had told Galdrin that he could procure an especially valuable and powerful artifact for a very large sum of gold. Ordinarily the temple would turn down such suspicious offers,especially from a newcomer in town, but since Tarron showed up on numerous occasions with highly respected members of the community (Captain Darevan) or in the company of intelligent and noble looking companions (Karon Rakmar and Tordoc Urakim), the temple elders were eventually persuaded. Furthermore, although newly arrived, Tarron seemed active in his sales and acquisitions with other members of the community, and there were others in Sanctuary who had vouched for his success in obtaining items and artifacts for them. 

The Temple invested and were pleasantly surprised when Tarron delivered word that they would be receiving a valuable ancient artifact tome filled with great knowledge. The book arrived as promised, and though there were a few attempts to intercept, for the most part it has lain in the temple without future consequence. Strangely Tarron has not returned since being paid, so it’s not clear where he has gone. 

The party realizes that something is very wrong with this story: either Captain Darevan has lied to them or the temple has been dealing with someone unscrupulous enough to use an impostor. They have Captain Darevan summoned to the temple and once he arrives, proceed to ask if he has had any dealings with a Tarron Veverell. He says that other than hearing Tarron’s name a few times among the nobles and meeting him once, he knows nothing about Tarron other than his professed role as a procurer and trader of rare things. Furthermore, he is shocked and annoyed to hear that someone has apparently impersonated him (again). The party concludes that one or two of the doppelgangers must have been involved in this deception. They assure Captain Darevan that they will get to the bottom of this conspiracy.

The party visits Ichi who is still at the Temple and after using magic to communicate with him, learn that he feels trapped there — not feeling safe enough to leave, and not enjoying being inside and under supervision at all times. They press him for more information about his own affiliations and whether or not he has ties or knows about the Temple of Shining Darkness. He tells them that he is from the Temple of the Endless Void, a different organization, one with far more sinister goals. Ichi confesses that he does not know all the objectives of the Endless Void, but was instructed to retrieve the book as it would bring honor, power, and influence to their small temple, and help them gain more political leverage. He tells them that the Endless Void believes that the powerful are saved, the hungry must do whatever is necessary, and that the weak become food for the others. Over time, he has become increasingly disillusioned with this path and desires something outside the vicious circle he has come to recognize this belief system enables.

Ichi tells them about some of the other temples and through his descriptions, the party discovers that Xiwan is a very fractured society filled with many rival temples, monasteries, sect, and political factions, all of who are invested in a deep power struggle. Although they have a medallion that grants them safe passage when dealing with followers and allies of the Temple of Shining Darkness, there is no guarantee that it will be honored by others. Shining Darkness, though one of the most powerful and influential of the temples, has many enemies.

Ichi tells them that there are three things they should know before going: 1) Xiwan is deeply political and loyalty means everything; 2) Diplomats and merchants have the greatest freedom of movement, but they are also perceived as easy targets by ruffians and bandits; 3) Reputation and honor are extremely prized among most classes of individuals, often one’s family name opens doors and opportunities that might not be otherwise possible due to the reputation and honor previous generations commanded. But strangers and immigrants have no face or reputation, and therefore struggle to be heard and recognized, often facing tremendous discrimination and injustice.

In gratitude to Ichi’s assistance, the party decides to help him start over. They combine their resources and skills to disguise Ichi as a farmer, someone who will not be noticed leaving or traveling away from Sanctuary. Ichi is very happy with the assistance and vows to journey north and out of Sanctuary, hoping to make a new life for himself somewhere quiet.

After assisting Ichi, the party returns to The Giant’s Rest and await Lobryna’s arrival, eager to complete their recruitment of a local a bard who can help raise their visibility and reputation in the city.

Episode 63: The Battle of the Bards

Dazz heads to the library to try and locate Shai and Myev, but when she arrives learns from Agnes the Mummy Librarian that her friends have already left. While there, she tells Agnes that she wishes to sponsor Shai for a library card and obtains an application form for him. She then heads up to the General Studies room of the Library and offers a book to the tentacle in the pool, asking for a book about The Temple of Shining Darkness. She receives a strange cord bound paper manuscript written in pictographs. On the cover is scrawled “The Long Shadow of Xiaoyin” in Common, which apparently is its title. She then returns to The Giant’s Rest, hoping to run into Myev and Shai.

Rinn spends the afternoon at The Handsome Hound getting ready for the Battle of the Bards which he had proposed. Duglas is excited by all the attention, but as the afternoon wears on and the crowd outside the pub grows larger and larger, he begins to worry that they won’t be able to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. Although it’s still early afternoon, people continue to arrive, excited about the evening performances and curious as to who will win. 

Myev sleeps in until almost noon, having spent most of the previous day studying in the Library with Shai. Dazz returns to the inn, finds Myev’s room, and knocks waking her up. As she opens her eyes, Myev discovers that Shai has already departed. Next to the bed there is a note from him saying that he has gone to the harbor. Shai has also left Alloces behind to keep Myev company. Myev hides the note, opens the door to Dazz, but instead of letting her in, tells her that she’ll be down soon. 

After re-equipping her armor and gear, and with the bat hidden in her hair, Myev heads down to the front parlor of The Giant’s Rest to join Dazz. There she finds that there is still stew and roast vegetables, and of course, bread. Grabbing a couple large pieces of bread and some cooked carrots, Myev slaps together a sandwich and rushes out the door with Dazz to go in search of Shai.

Aided by Alloces, they eventually find their way down to the edge of the Waterfront and locate a section of the sea wall just inside The Bilge, one of the roughest and poorest neighborhoods in Sanctuary. No sooner than they arrive, Myev and Dazz are surrounded by a group of small orphan children who beg them for money or food. Myev gives away her carrot and bread sandwich to a small girl who in turn shares it with some of the littlest orphans. They thank Myev and soon rush off in search of more food for the others.

From where they stand, they can only see the squalid stinking homes of those who live and squat in The Bilge. Dazz happens to look up and sees a familiar foot sticking out from high above them on the wall. She calls out to Shai who answers them, and after some walking and waiting, the three friends are reunited.

Together, Dazz, Shai, and Myev head over to The Handsome Hound to join Rinn. On their way, they hear a lot of discussion about the competition, as well as mentions of some of the contestants. They overhear one group discussing the strength of Cerene, a fishing wife turned local celebrity in Norwind, as well as the rising star of the Waterfront, Ale, a newcomer whose resonant voice has earned him considerable praise and a fair bit of coin at Anchor Inn. They also learn that someone, or perhaps a few people, having been scalping tickets to the event outside of the tavern. Given that the event was intended to be free, this is a big issue and bothers the party enough that they decide to intervene.

Myev steps outside to track down the scalper and put an end to the selling of fake tickets. She finds a shifty-looking man hiding in a side alley offering to sell front row tickets for “only” 50 gp each. He claims to only have a few tickets left and seems to be trying to start a bidding war over the remaining tickets. When Myev takes a look at the ticket, it’s nothing more than a rectangular piece of parchment with the number 7 scrawled on it in ink and below it “Battle of the Bards!” She confronts him and tells him that the tickets are fake. He asks her to prove it. She activates her glowing eyes and tells him that she’s one of the sponsoring party and should know! When she goes to kick him, she holds back at the last moment, but with the help of Shai, the kick connects and makes the point. Standing over the prone scalper, she demands he leave the gold that he’s taken so far and the tickets, and get out of her sight. He drops 7 small pouches of coins, plus the tickets, and leaves.

Not certain how to refund those who already paid for tickets, Myev takes the bags with her back into the tavern. As she heads in, she notices that there are at least two other scalpers loitering nearby, but as soon as they make eye contact with her, they slip away in the crowd. Once inside, she explains the situation to Duglas and the rest of the party. They decide to use the money from the scalper to cover the drinks for everyone in the audience for the entire night. This solution is well-received.

Dazz and Rinn continue to work on readying the stage for the evening event. The others help out around the tavern. The Handsome Hound fills up quickly as soon as the sun dips and the light fades. As the crowd settles into their seats and finds spaces in the back, Rinn and Dazz take the stage to kick off the show.

There are 10 performers entered in the Battle of the Bards. The first up is Cerene, a human woman in her mid-thirties who apparently is a local celebrity in Norwind. She gives a deeply moving performance of “Jolene” and sets the bar high for the rest of the competition. Next is Meree, a much older frail-looking woman who delivers a really terrible and somewhat confusing performance of “Milkshake.” Third is a large burly bard who goes by Ale. A local rising star in the Waterfront district, Ale sings “Say My Name” enthusiastically and energetically. He’s definitely a crowd pleaser — but perhaps a bit too good, Rinn argues, concerned that Ale will simply steal thunder from the rest of the party. Fourth is Phazift, a gnome who has definitely been living a hard life on the streets of Sanctuary. Malnourished, shivering, and poorly clothed, it’s not until the gnome opens his mouth and begins to sing “I Want to Know What Love Is” that jaws drop and the audience and the party are overwhelmed by his voice. Contestant five is a large male minotaur by the name of Tuhorn who offers up a death metal take of “I Will Always Love You” — terrifying, but good.

Contest number six is Bolin, a thin-bearded dwarf wearing suspenders and a bowtie. His take on “I’m a Believer” proves uninspiring and screechy. After Bolin comes another dwarf, Groz, whose blend of deep bass voice with gender-bending style and dramatic posing makes for a very entertaining and unexpected take on “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” The eighth performer is Filoka, a tall thin seafaring warrior woman with blonde hair in twin braids. A little stilted at first, she soon launches into her performance of “Thriller” which quickly morphs into a very strange battle epic of slaying zombies and has her swinging her battleaxe around the stage in a less than graceful manner. Kiki, a half-elf songstress performed an amazing rendition of “All the Single Ladies” which thrills the crowd, but causes a strange reaction from Dazz who seems unsettled with the song choice. The last official contestant is Lobryna, a female blue dragonborn who steals the show with in incredible performance of “Thousand Miles” which she punctuates with lightning breath and excellent stagework.

Just when the contest is about to close, an unexpected entrant steps on stage — the party recognizes the gnome bard, despite his mask and obvious disguise. He delivers a brash yet captivating performance of “Dancing Queen,” but somehow it feels a little lackluster compared to Lobryna, Phazift, Groz, and Kiki’s performances.

The party announces Cerene and Lobryna as the finalists and asks them back to the stage for one more song each. Cerene sings a really strong version of “Material Girl” which feel raw and a little dark. It’s good but when Lobryna begins her performance of “Always Be My Baby,” there is such a powerful energy in the room that the crowd is swayed toward her. It’s very hard to determine the winner in such a close contest. In the end, the party decides to award Lobryna, as she excels both as a performer, and also seems capable of handling herself should anyone target her for her affiliation with the party. Lobryna is thrilled and overwhelmed. Cerene is a good sport, although her fans are disappointed. The contestants stick around and continue to drink and celebrate the remainder of the night. The party tells Lobryna to meet them the next morning at The Giant’s Rest.