The A-Team sailed their small single-masted boat upriver towards the larger of the Ringcurrent islands. The larger island was Y-shaped with a makeshift palisade of sharpened stakes forming a circular camp in the center of the island. Smaller makeshift camps composed of thatch lean-tos were located on each of the three bars of the island. Human prisoners were tied to stakes on each of the three bars, exposed to the elements. It was late morning and the sky was clear so the team's approach was noticed by the dozen or so lizard-folk visible on the island.
A line of wary lizard-folk warriors armed with wooden clubs and primitive javelins stood on the shore in an intimidating display. Their green scales were painted with dried mud in garish patterns. A leader with red scaled strode to the front of the group and pointed his javelin at the approaching party.
CHAPTER 17
"THE TOWER OF ZENOPUS"
The A-Team:- Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Sorceress from Ket.
- Marlin Whalerson - Chaotic Good, Human Seeker and Rogue.
- Auric Ravenson - Neutral Good, Aasimar Shipwright and Cleric of the Raven King.
DM Note-
I had planned to make navigating the swirling current of the Janustream river a thing but the only player with seamanship skills was not present. Instead of wrecking their boat or ending the story, I decided to skip it.
Auric stood up in the boat and held his hands out to show that they came in peace. He called to them in the draconic language of the lizard-folk and requested parley. Auric told the leader that they came to talk about the return of the "heir of Aulicus". The leader allowed them to approach.
They landed on the shore and met the lizard-folk in peaceful parley. The leader introduced himself as "Marsh Spider", which was the Lizard-folk word for an octopus. Auric negotiated for the release of the human captives. Marsh Spider was defiant and demanded the immediate return of the heir of Aulicus - their name for the black dragon egg stolen from their tribe.
Marlin had received the egg as an unmarked crate from some bandits and smuggled it into Saltmarsh a few weeks ago, unaware of the crate's contents or origin. The last time he saw it, it had been delivered to the wizard Keledek via the secret smuggling cave beneath the ruins of the Tower of Zenopus.
Auric said that they did not have the egg but knew where it was located. Auric asked, if they retrieved it, would they release the captives?
Marsh Spider consulted with his tribe's shaman and ultimately agreed to the offer.
Auric further requested help from the lizard-folk in the form of capable warriors. These warriors could also verify Auric's story and ensure that no deception was taking place.
Marsh Spider accepted these terms and demanded to accompany them himself. In addition, he would take two warriors. He consulted with a lizard-man haruspex who rolled some knuckle bones and consulted the spirits. The haruspex nominated two lizard-men warriors.
The three lizard-men joined the party on their boat and set said downriver towards the mouth of the Janustream where sat the Tower of Zenopus.
The Secret Grotto
The party waited upriver for darkness and a low tide before sailing into the treacherous labyrinth of boulders that shielded the entrance of the smuggler's cave. The sound of the crashing surf outside echoed loudly in the dark winding tunnel, drowning out all other sounds. The party disassembled their mast and rowed their way in, following Marlin's instructions. The lizard-men were instructed to exit the boat and hold onto the sides. This way they would remain unseen in case they were spotted.
The party rowed their boat into the tunnel for several hundred feet. Suddenly, Marlin noticed that one of the lizard-men had disappeared. There was a brief struggle and the lizard-man warrior was pulled under. Almost simultaneously, the other lizard-man was attacked. The warrior managed to hold onto the boat and fight back, revealing the coiling writhing arms of an octopus the size of a horse!
Marsh Spider climbed into the boat and helped the party fight off the octopus attacking the remaining lizard-man. Marlin donned the magic helm of the mariner and dove into the water to help the other. The water was opaque with ink and Marlin could see nothing. He reached blindly searching for either the lizard-man or octopus. He grabbed an octopus tentacle with his free hand and stabbed with his other hand.
There was a vicious struggle but eventually one octopus was killed while the other released its quarry and withdrew to safety. Aella and Auric provided healing potions to the injured lizard-man warriors.
The Guards
The tunnel widened into a large cavern. The cavern was lit by a single lantern. Marlin cast an illusion spell in front of the boat to mask its approach.
Four unsavory men were playing a card game at a table on the sandy beach at the far side of the cavern. Marlin recognized two of the men from town. The other two were strangers. Two rowboats were drawn up onto the beach. Near one rowboat was a cage containing a prisoner - a human woman bound and gagged! There were two visible exits from the cave.
The party's boat slid silently up onto the beach, their approach unseen and unnoticed. Auric held his finger to his lips indicating a stealthy approach.Marlin quietly said, "Look, I know some of these guys. They're not evil, they're just smugglers. Lets try to knock them out and take them prisoner, okay?" All three nodded in agreement.
The planning was disrupted as the three lizard-men screamed and charged up the small sandy beach, surprising the men playing cards at the table. The lizard-men tore into the throats of the unsuspecting men with their sharpened teeth, ripping their necks open and spilling blood onto the sand.
Marlin rolled his eyes, "So much for THAT plan!"
Marlin, Aella, and Auric joined the fray and did their best to subdue their targets before the lizard-men could kill them. Ultimately, three of the men were killed and one was captured but unconscious.
Within the cage they found a young woman no more than twenty years of age. She was gagged, bound, and chained. The party opened the cage and removed her bindings. She immediately withdrew a dagger that was hidden within her girdle. Auric assured her they meant her no harm.
They soon learned that her name was Lemundo. She was the daughter of the Duke Marik Feldren of Seaton - her father would pay a handsome reward for her safe return! Auric instructed Lemundo to wait in the boat. They had other business and would return. At that time they would help her escape to safety. If she didn't feel like waiting, she was free to take one of the two rowboats on shore.
The Puzzle Room
There were two passages leading out of the grotto. The A-Team followed the path with the most, meaning any, footprints in the sand to the passage on the left.
The rough hewed passage became a reinforced stone corridor. The corridor took a left turn with a door located on the right wall. Marlin asked everyone to pause while he checked the door for locks and traps. Finding none, he opened the door. The door led to an empty room with another door on the opposite wall. The far door was likewise unlocked and not trapped.
The passage beyond turned left. There was a door at the end of the corridor and another door halfway down the corridor on the right. Marlin listened to the door and heard the sound of rushing water.
They room within was bisected diagonally by a channel filled with fast-moving water. The running water flowed at least ten feet beneath the edge of the channel. The channel itself was fast moving and at least twenty feet across. The team decided to leave this room and continue to the end of the corridor.
The door at the end of the corridor was made of metal. It opened outward. There was an iron statue of the wizard Keledek in the center of the room. The statue rotated to face the open door as it was opened. The door remained open as if held by some hidden mechanism. After about a minute, the door closed automatically. It was not locked. The door easily reopened and automatically closed again after about a minute.
After much paranoid inspection and experimentation with the door the party moved cautiously into the room. There were three other doors in the room, one in the center of each wall. The doors were locked and no amount of force could open them.
After some more cautious experimentation, the party finally deduced that they could turn the statue towards each of the four doors. When turned towards a particular door, that door opened with ease. They turned the statue towards the door on the opposite wall and exited the room.
The Skeleton Guardians
The door at the end of the long corridor was closed and locked. As Marlin tried to pick the door's lock, he noticed that the tumblers moved magically as he tried to release them. He rubbed the back of his head and explained that the door was magically sealed.
Marsh Spider stepped up with his club and bashed the door. Although it was loud and took over ten minutes, he was eventually able to smash the door down.
The room beyond was dark and filled with eight animated human skeletons - four armed with scimitars and four with bows! The skeletal archers loosed a volley of arrows at those who stood in the doorway. The other skeletons armed with scimitars charged the doorway and attacked.
Auric held aloft the ankh, holy symbol of Tristin the Ravenson, and called upon the power of his god to banish the animated skeletons. About half of the skeletons turned and fled down a dusty corridor to the left. The remaining skeletons continued to fight but were soon destroyed by the lizard-men warriors.
After the consumption of a few healing potions, the party readied themselves for the next fight. They prepared themselves for the return of the skeletons and quickly dispatched them.
A quick inspection of the room into which they fled showed it to be an ancient catacomb containing eight niches that until recently contained the remains of the skeletal guardians. Above each niche was inscribed a magical symbol that bound their service to an arcane overlord - Keledek!
The room they were guarding contained two additional doors. The lock of the door to the right was protected by a spell so they decided to explore the passage opposite the way they entered.
The Ghost in the Rubble
The ceiling of the room had collapsed several years ago and the floor was covered in rubble. There was an exit on the opposite wall and another on the wall to the right. The old remains of some long-dead human explorer could be seen beneath the rubble. As they crossed the rubble to the exit to the right an ethereal ghostly presence became visible. It was the ghost of a teenager - one of the many young adventurers from Saltmarsh who had ignored the warnings of their parents to stay away from this cursed place. After an unsuccessful attempt to possess Aella the apparition became angry and lashed out at the wizard.
Aella counterattacked with magical spells while Marlin slashed through the ghost using a magic dagger and Auric said prayers for the ghost. The ghost was soon eliminated.
The team recovered the body crushed by the debris and found a silver dagger and a bag of coins.
A Stunning Surprise
The party followed a corridor to the right. The long corridor turned right and ended in an empty room with a door on the opposite wall and a door on the wall to the right. Marlin knelt down to fiddle with the lock and managed to open it with his picks.
The door opened to reveal a comfortably appointed study. The floor was covered in fine rugs. Ketan tapestries hung upon the wall. The room was illuminated by jars of liquid that emitted a warm yellow light. Within the room was a large desk or table covered in the books, notes, and apparatuses of a wizard. Strange curios were placed upon pedestals and shelves or hung suspended from the ceiling. A brazier burned exotic incense.
A strange little creature the size of a toddler sat impatiently on a large pedestal. It had red skin and large bat-like wings. On its triangular head were short devilish horns. It bore the legs of a grasshopper and clawed forelimbs. Its spiked scorpion tail lashed with anxiety.
Standing in the room were four men. One stood by the door as if on guard. The other three were in hushed deliberations near the desk.
The men were:
The party waited upriver for darkness and a low tide before sailing into the treacherous labyrinth of boulders that shielded the entrance of the smuggler's cave. The sound of the crashing surf outside echoed loudly in the dark winding tunnel, drowning out all other sounds. The party disassembled their mast and rowed their way in, following Marlin's instructions. The lizard-men were instructed to exit the boat and hold onto the sides. This way they would remain unseen in case they were spotted.
The party rowed their boat into the tunnel for several hundred feet. Suddenly, Marlin noticed that one of the lizard-men had disappeared. There was a brief struggle and the lizard-man warrior was pulled under. Almost simultaneously, the other lizard-man was attacked. The warrior managed to hold onto the boat and fight back, revealing the coiling writhing arms of an octopus the size of a horse!
Marsh Spider climbed into the boat and helped the party fight off the octopus attacking the remaining lizard-man. Marlin donned the magic helm of the mariner and dove into the water to help the other. The water was opaque with ink and Marlin could see nothing. He reached blindly searching for either the lizard-man or octopus. He grabbed an octopus tentacle with his free hand and stabbed with his other hand.
There was a vicious struggle but eventually one octopus was killed while the other released its quarry and withdrew to safety. Aella and Auric provided healing potions to the injured lizard-man warriors.
The Guards
The tunnel widened into a large cavern. The cavern was lit by a single lantern. Marlin cast an illusion spell in front of the boat to mask its approach.
Four unsavory men were playing a card game at a table on the sandy beach at the far side of the cavern. Marlin recognized two of the men from town. The other two were strangers. Two rowboats were drawn up onto the beach. Near one rowboat was a cage containing a prisoner - a human woman bound and gagged! There were two visible exits from the cave.
The party's boat slid silently up onto the beach, their approach unseen and unnoticed. Auric held his finger to his lips indicating a stealthy approach.Marlin quietly said, "Look, I know some of these guys. They're not evil, they're just smugglers. Lets try to knock them out and take them prisoner, okay?" All three nodded in agreement.
The planning was disrupted as the three lizard-men screamed and charged up the small sandy beach, surprising the men playing cards at the table. The lizard-men tore into the throats of the unsuspecting men with their sharpened teeth, ripping their necks open and spilling blood onto the sand.
Marlin rolled his eyes, "So much for THAT plan!"
Marlin, Aella, and Auric joined the fray and did their best to subdue their targets before the lizard-men could kill them. Ultimately, three of the men were killed and one was captured but unconscious.
Within the cage they found a young woman no more than twenty years of age. She was gagged, bound, and chained. The party opened the cage and removed her bindings. She immediately withdrew a dagger that was hidden within her girdle. Auric assured her they meant her no harm.
They soon learned that her name was Lemundo. She was the daughter of the Duke Marik Feldren of Seaton - her father would pay a handsome reward for her safe return! Auric instructed Lemundo to wait in the boat. They had other business and would return. At that time they would help her escape to safety. If she didn't feel like waiting, she was free to take one of the two rowboats on shore.
The Puzzle Room
There were two passages leading out of the grotto. The A-Team followed the path with the most, meaning any, footprints in the sand to the passage on the left.
The rough hewed passage became a reinforced stone corridor. The corridor took a left turn with a door located on the right wall. Marlin asked everyone to pause while he checked the door for locks and traps. Finding none, he opened the door. The door led to an empty room with another door on the opposite wall. The far door was likewise unlocked and not trapped.
The passage beyond turned left. There was a door at the end of the corridor and another door halfway down the corridor on the right. Marlin listened to the door and heard the sound of rushing water.
They room within was bisected diagonally by a channel filled with fast-moving water. The running water flowed at least ten feet beneath the edge of the channel. The channel itself was fast moving and at least twenty feet across. The team decided to leave this room and continue to the end of the corridor.
The door at the end of the corridor was made of metal. It opened outward. There was an iron statue of the wizard Keledek in the center of the room. The statue rotated to face the open door as it was opened. The door remained open as if held by some hidden mechanism. After about a minute, the door closed automatically. It was not locked. The door easily reopened and automatically closed again after about a minute.
After much paranoid inspection and experimentation with the door the party moved cautiously into the room. There were three other doors in the room, one in the center of each wall. The doors were locked and no amount of force could open them.
After some more cautious experimentation, the party finally deduced that they could turn the statue towards each of the four doors. When turned towards a particular door, that door opened with ease. They turned the statue towards the door on the opposite wall and exited the room.
The Skeleton Guardians
The door at the end of the long corridor was closed and locked. As Marlin tried to pick the door's lock, he noticed that the tumblers moved magically as he tried to release them. He rubbed the back of his head and explained that the door was magically sealed.
Marsh Spider stepped up with his club and bashed the door. Although it was loud and took over ten minutes, he was eventually able to smash the door down.
The room beyond was dark and filled with eight animated human skeletons - four armed with scimitars and four with bows! The skeletal archers loosed a volley of arrows at those who stood in the doorway. The other skeletons armed with scimitars charged the doorway and attacked.
Auric held aloft the ankh, holy symbol of Tristin the Ravenson, and called upon the power of his god to banish the animated skeletons. About half of the skeletons turned and fled down a dusty corridor to the left. The remaining skeletons continued to fight but were soon destroyed by the lizard-men warriors.
After the consumption of a few healing potions, the party readied themselves for the next fight. They prepared themselves for the return of the skeletons and quickly dispatched them.
A quick inspection of the room into which they fled showed it to be an ancient catacomb containing eight niches that until recently contained the remains of the skeletal guardians. Above each niche was inscribed a magical symbol that bound their service to an arcane overlord - Keledek!
The room they were guarding contained two additional doors. The lock of the door to the right was protected by a spell so they decided to explore the passage opposite the way they entered.
The Ghost in the Rubble
The ceiling of the room had collapsed several years ago and the floor was covered in rubble. There was an exit on the opposite wall and another on the wall to the right. The old remains of some long-dead human explorer could be seen beneath the rubble. As they crossed the rubble to the exit to the right an ethereal ghostly presence became visible. It was the ghost of a teenager - one of the many young adventurers from Saltmarsh who had ignored the warnings of their parents to stay away from this cursed place. After an unsuccessful attempt to possess Aella the apparition became angry and lashed out at the wizard.
Aella counterattacked with magical spells while Marlin slashed through the ghost using a magic dagger and Auric said prayers for the ghost. The ghost was soon eliminated.
The team recovered the body crushed by the debris and found a silver dagger and a bag of coins.
A Stunning Surprise
The party followed a corridor to the right. The long corridor turned right and ended in an empty room with a door on the opposite wall and a door on the wall to the right. Marlin knelt down to fiddle with the lock and managed to open it with his picks.
The door opened to reveal a comfortably appointed study. The floor was covered in fine rugs. Ketan tapestries hung upon the wall. The room was illuminated by jars of liquid that emitted a warm yellow light. Within the room was a large desk or table covered in the books, notes, and apparatuses of a wizard. Strange curios were placed upon pedestals and shelves or hung suspended from the ceiling. A brazier burned exotic incense.
A strange little creature the size of a toddler sat impatiently on a large pedestal. It had red skin and large bat-like wings. On its triangular head were short devilish horns. It bore the legs of a grasshopper and clawed forelimbs. Its spiked scorpion tail lashed with anxiety.
Standing in the room were four men. One stood by the door as if on guard. The other three were in hushed deliberations near the desk.
The men were:
- An unknown ship's captain, grizzled and salty,
- Keledek the Wizard,
- Gellan Primewater,
- and the man standing guard by the door was Duke Marik Feldren of Seaton!
To be continued...!
