The Calm Before the Storm - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 79

Aella, Alot, Corvid, and Craig disembarked from the Sea Ghost on the evening of their arrival in Seaton. Cai'luin had disappeared - he had left to go help his friend Oceanus rescue the sacred polyp from the koalinth. 

The rest hired a carriage - one suitable for a wealthy merchant or visiting noble - to take them to the citadel. The guards at the gate waited for a herald to announce their arrival but no herald emerged from the carriage. Aella looked towards Corvid. Corvid grimaced and shook his head. She looked to Craig. The dwarf scratched his beard and spat. Aella shook her head. Aella looked towards Alot. The cold lenses of the armored automaton's emotionless visual sensors stared back at her. She sighed and exited the carriage herself.

"Please tell Duke Feldren and his daughter Lemundo that Aella, presumptive queen of Manaan, has arrived and seeks an audience."

 

CHAPTER 79

"THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM- I had originally planned for this session to be the climax but two things got in my way - Cai'luin's player was absent and I didn't really know how to get the story towards the climax I wanted. The player characters were at point A. The climax was at point B. I was at a loss for how to connect those dots. So we spent this week role-playing, planning, researching, and otherwise preparing for the final battle to come. In so doing I was better able to move from that point A to point B in a more logical way that still allowed the players some agency in their own story. 

The Citadel of Seaton

Aella and her entourage were escorted into the duke's manor house but were met at the entrance by Lady Lemundo, daughter of Duke Obertus Feldren, Lord Marshall of the citadel of Seaton. 

Lady Lemundo was ecstatic to see her old friend Aella. Lemundo escorted Aella into the mail hall where the duke's advisors were sitting to share a meal. Lemundo introduced Aella and Alot to those present but relied upon Aella to introduce the rest for she had not yet met Patriarch Craig or Corvid.

In attendance were the military commanders of the king's navy and army stationed in Seaton as well as the priests and patriarchs of the local temples of Heironeous, Saint Cuthbert, and Procan. 

Aella told Lemundo that she and her crew had come to speak to the duke about a very important matter.

"What matter is this?" inquired the bold and commanding voice of the duke as he descended the stairs from the upper floors of the manor house.

Aella and Alot told the duke of the impending surprise attack by forces amassed by the Scarlet Brotherhood, about the planned assassination of the king, and of the resurrection of the dragon Aulicus in order to attack the citadel. All of these events were scheduled to transpire on the night of the Solstice  when the tides were highest and the townsfolk would be distracted with celebrations - eleven days hence.

Duke Feldren shook the hands of Aella and Alot and was introduced to Craig and Corvid. He acknowledged that he had received a messenger from Commander Fireborn in Saltmarsh informing him of this news. "These are bold claims. Do you have evidence to support this?"

Alot produced the coded correspondence between the Scarlet Brotherhood and the Serpent's Tooth. The duke nodded and said that this confirms his own suspicions. His own military intelligence told him that the Scarlet Brotherhood had been importing ship-loads of slaves from Hepmonaland into the city of Monmurg over the past several months.  It was now clear that these so-called slaves were, in fact, soldiers being covertly transported across the Azure Sea and that the Brotherhood was preparing for a major attack along the southwest coast of Keoland.

The dinner became transformed into a planning session as tables were cleared and large maps were produced. Alot suggested the redeployment of the king's navy to protect the towns of Saltmarsh, Angleburg,  and Redshore.

DM- There was a lot of great non-important role-playing that happened here as Corvid and Craig were introduced to the other priests and talked dogma and ritual. Lots of friendly conversation with the duke and his daughter. 

 

Searching for Scrolls

The next eleven days were spent preparing for the battle to come. Aella and Corvid returned to Saltmarsh to visit Angela and Rosalee's Herbs, Potions, Teas, etc. in the hope of acquiring some magical potions that would allow them to fly. They needed some way to meet the dragon in the air. Unfortunately, that was not a concoction that the shop offered. The pair considered seeking the aid of the wizard Keledek but dismissed the option.

DM- The players asked about any wizards in the area. I suggested Keledek - the only wizard in the region as magic is supposed to be rare and unpopular in Greyhawk. 

Alot's player asked, "Wait, isn't he evil?"

I replied, "I mean, you guys labeled him as evil but I'm not sure why. He has an agenda that was different than yours and, so far, anyone with a different agenda than you tends to be immediately labelled ad 'evil' for some reason."

Alot's player said, "Yeah, but didn't he have some arrangement with the Loyal Quartermasters of Iuz?"

And I said, "Insomuch as you all also had the same arrangement. He purchased magic items from her, same as you. Does that make him evil?"

Alot's player said, "Good point. Huh. I always just assumed he was a bad guy for some reason."

"Well, he's not exactly a GOOD guy. Like I said, he just has his own agenda."

I explained how he hired the smugglers to obtain the black dragon egg - his goal being to use the egg as a hostage or a bargaining chip in case Aulicus the dragon attacked Saltmarsh. And how, once they stole the egg and framed the smugglers, he got revenge on the leader of the smugglers for the betrayal. Oh, he also used his invisible imp to spy on people around the town. But that was the extent of his "villainy". 

Aella and Corvid then spent the next week scouring shops and sellers for magical scrolls. They were able to find a map shop in Seaton that happened to have three magical scrolls, each containing a spell of flying, rolled up within a map. 

The Scrying

Patriarch Craig became friends with Doran Serpentwing, priest of Heironeous in Seaton. Serpentwing was a barrel-chested man in his fifties, bald with a stout muscular frame of someone who was a powerful warrior in his prime and yet still formidable in middle age. Craig told Serpentwing how Aella had defeated Aulicus and returned later to face the cult of Tiamat that dwelled in the ancient tomb of Sakatha. He described Orgmond, one of the assistants to the high priest of Tiamat, and how he escaped death and stole the book known as the Liber Draconis.

Serpentwing, in turn, told Craig how he was familiar with the Liber Draconis and the cult of Tiamat. Forty years ago, Serpentwing was a member of an expedition into the jungles of the south that discovered an ancient temple to Tiamat. They defeated the monsters that dwelled there and returned with many treasures - including the Liber Draconis which for many decades was kept well-protected. Then, just over a year ago, one of the priests of Heironeous tasks to guard the Liber Draconis - an acolyte named Ul-Lon. Ul-Lon betrayed the temple of Heironeous and joined the cult of Tiamat. He was relieved to hear that Ul-Lon met justice in the bowels of the Tomb of Sakatha - but he was saddened to hear that the Liber Draconis was in the hands of the cult ot Tiamat.

Patriarch Craig asked Serpentwing where they found the temple. Serpentwing described a mountain-top temple deep in the jungles of Amedio. He showed him on a map.

On the seventh day prior to the impending solstice, Craig used this information to perform the scrying ritual and remotely observe the location indicated by Serpentwing. He observed Orgmond the dragon priest of Tiamat making preparations for a dark ritual in an ancient mountain-top temple fortress overgrown with jungle. He repeated the scrying ritual at midnight and observed Orgmond removing a heart from an ornate metal box. The heart was the size of a man's entire torso. It was the dead heart of Aulicus. Orgmond placed the heart in the center of a large circular altar. Craig then saw Orgmond remove a black dragon egg from another box. Orgmond placed the egg on a sacrificial pedestal. Orgmond was wearing black robes and a golden symbol of Tiamat. He caught a glimpse of Orgmond's features. The dragon priest had taken a more draconic visage - he had begun to slowly transform into a dragon.

Orgmond raised a dagger with a curved blade high over his head. He began chanting ancient words of power. Orgmond plunged the dagger into the egg, slicing it open and withdrawing the dormant dragon hatchling within. He cut out the heart of the hatchling and threw it into a burning brazier. It flashed and sparked and the smoke began magically pouring onto the ground, snaking its way towards the massive heart of Aulicus. The magic smoke enveloped the heart. The smoke took on the form of a prone dragon. 

Tendrils broke free of the heart and snaked outward, forming a phantom circulatory system. Bones grew from the smoke. Muscles and tendons formed. Scales began to grow on the freshly materialized skin. Aulicus took a breath! Aulicus was reborn! 

A bound and frightened Amedi slave was presented as an offering to the dragon. The dragon grabbed the offering and bit off his head. He swallowed before finishing off the rest. The dragon then collapsed, exhausted. It was weak and needed to recuperate.

DM- MAN I loved describing that scene. It was great! Very visual and sensory. Alot's player said, "Wait, we're not fighting an undead dragon?" I said, "No, just a resurrected dragon." He was sad, "Aw, I was kind of hoping to fight a cool dracolich or something. Now I'm disappointed."

Craig shared this information with Alot. 

Alot cursed, "If only there was some way we could get there! I mean, we have a ship right? How long would it take?"

Craig explained that the dragon needed only four days to recuperate. It would take three days to reach the nearest port in Amedio. From there they'd have to go overland through the jungle for over a hundred miles. It took Orgmond's expedition at least a week. 

Alot said, "The solstice is in seven days. How are they going to get here in time?"

Craig pointed out - the dragon would not need to return the way they came.

Craig continued scrying every day for the next week. For the first four days he saw the dragon recuperating, eating living sacrifices and regaining his strength. On the fifth day, two days before the solstice, he saw Orgmond riding the dragon like a mount, using a special saddle, as the dragon flew across the sea. 

On the sixth day, the day before solstice, he saw the dragon sleeping in a city. Craig could not identify the city but there were many ships in the harbor. 

The Solstice Feast

At dawn the following morning - the morning of the solstice, Craig wore his finest clerical vestments. He gathered the crew of the Sea Ghost together with the Duke of Seaton, his daughter, his advisors, and the leaders of his military. He produced a fabulous golden bowl encrusted with gems. He said a prayer to Tristin, Saint Ogden, and Saint Splug. A wondrous feast miraculously appeared before all present. They ate from the feast and were emboldened. 

Towards sunset Craig performed the scrying ritual one more time. He saw the dragon flying north with a coast to the east. He was coming.  

They knew from the correspondence that the attack would come during the high tide near midnight. The duke had positioned his ships along the coast. Anyone unable to fight or support the fighters were sent inland to Burle. Every fishing boat had been transformed into signal ships, ready to light signal fires to warn the towns of the incoming raiders. Armored roofs had been constructed for the towers of the citadel to protect the ballistae and trebuchets and their crews from dragon attacks from above.

Captain Alot, Princess Aella (Presumptive Queen of Manaan), Patriarch Craig - High Priest of Tristin, and Corvid - Champion of Tristin, stood on the parapets of the citadel of Seaton. The sun had finally set. It was near midnight. The tide was near its zenith.

Signal fires began to light up in the darkness out at sea. The ships of the Scarlet Brotherhood were on their way. 

Somewhere out there in the darkness of the night sky was a black dragon. Aella had faced and defeated Aulicus once before. That Aulicus was old, injured, decrepit, incapable of flight, and even still managed to kill all who stood against it save herself. This was not that dragon. This was Aulicus Reborn. This was to be a dragon at full strength - with all its power. 

Aella sighed, "I wish Cai'luin was here."

Patriarch Craig peered into the impenetrable darkness of the midnight sky. "Aella?"

"Yes?" she answered.

"Prepare your scrolls of Daylight."

To Be Concluded...

DM- We ended early. Cai'luin's player was absent that week and I really want him to be present for the finale. The Scrolls of Daylight reference, which Craig's player actually said right at that moment, was a reference/joke to the scrolls of Daylight she's had since the beginning of the campaign. For many months she kept offering to use it but the others said, "NO! Save them for fighting vampires!" Then, later, when they were actually fighting tough vampires, she forgot she had them. 

(sneak preview)

The Journey Home - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 78

 

The Sea Ghost sailed around the east coast of the island of Jetsom. The strait between Jetsom and Fairwind islands were notorious for their shallow sandbars. Patriarch Craig stood watch in the crow's nest and managed to avoid the sand bars for the first two hours of the journey. On the third hour they ran aground but a quick miracle from Craig raised the water around the ship, lifting it off the bar. The winds were unfavorable and the ship made poor time. It set anchor off the north coast of jungle island of Jetsom. 

They resumed sail the next morning. The wind had picked up considerably, gusting and creating whitecaps on the waves. Although the winds were against them Aella used her sorcerous abilities to redirect the winds into the sails. 

At mid-morning Patriarch Craig was standing on the fore deck of the ship. He saw above him what appeared to be sea eagles - an adult and five juveniles. The adult sea eagle dove at the ship. To Craig's surprise, it wasn't a sea-eagle at all - it was a raptor of prodigious size! The titanic bird was large enough to lift an elephant in its claws! Its golden wings gleamed in the sun. It was a roc! And it was diving right for him!

 

CHAPTER 78

"THE JOURNEY HOME"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM- We have completed all the written material in Ghosts of Saltmarsh. We are now in uncharted waters - as it were. This week I begin the process of wrapping up loose ends as we head into a big upcoming climax. 

Roc Attack

The mother roc and its five juveniles continued their dive towards the ship. Alot secured the tiller and picked up the magical Javelin of Lightning that Patriarch Craig had gifted him the previous day. He held his javelin ready. 

Patriarch Craig prayed and a divine aura appeared around the mother roc. Alot hurled his javelin at the massive raptor, striking it. A bolt of lightning struck the javelin as it magically returned to Alot's hand. Corvid pointed his sword at the roc and a bolt of flame streaked through the sky. The bolt of flame burned the roc badly but the raptor was undeterred. 

DM- Corvid rolled a natural 20 on the up-levelled Fire Bolt and did 41 points of damage with a cantrip! 

The mother roc continued it dive, landing upon Patriarch Craig, grabbing him within her massive talons. Its beak pulled at Craig's flesh. The stoic dwarf grimaced to conceal his pain. The roc took flight with Craig still held in its talons. 

Patriarch Craig closed his eyes and said a prayer to Saint Ogden the Judge. He became engulfed in a maelstrom of flying hammers that pummeled the roc.

Meanwhile Cai'luin, Aella, and Corvid huddled near the mast at the center of the ship while the crew followed orders and quickly sought shelter below deck. 

Cai'luin played a song on his lute and the trio was engulfed in a swirling cyclone of tiny magical musical notes. 

Alot threw his magical returning javelin at the juvenile rocks, killing two. Aella threw a sorcerous bolt of chaos at another, freezing it. The frozen roc fell off over the side of the ship and into the water. Corvid killed a fourth. 

The fifth roc flew towards Cai'luin but banked quickly away as it entered the sphere of razor-ship music notes. 

The mother roc screeched in pain from Patriarch Craig's vortex of hammers. She let go of Craig and the dwarf plummeted towards the water. As Craig hit the surface, he lost his concentration and the vortex vanished.

The mother roc flew away, gaining altitude. Alot said, "Well, I guess this one got away."

Aella narrowed her eyes and prepared a sorcerous spell, "No. I got this." She threw out her hands and a sorcerous ice storm appeared around the roc. The roc shuddered and fell out of the sky, frozen. It crashed into the water and disappeared.

Water Elementals

Later that afternoon as they sailed past Skyhorn lighthouse on they way towards Angler Island, they spotted what appeared to be two mounts of water swelling on the surface several hundred feet away. They steered the ship away but the swells moved to intercept them. As the swells drew nearer they burst through the surface revealing themselves to be two small spinning water-spouts - water elementals! 

Alot, Aella, Craig, Corvid, and Cai'luin prepared for battle while the rest of the crew went below deck. 

The defenders on deck watched as the two elementals landed on the bow of their ship. They stopped spinning, revealing two humanoid torsos made of water but wearing armor constructed from a strange green metal. They each carried long spears. 

One announced itself, "Greetings, Mortals! I am Lashkar Khan and this is my brother in arms, Shuja’at Khan. We are both armigers who until recently were bonded to the service of Shah Javad Khorasani, Eye of the Tempest and Lord of the Thousand and One Bright Pearls, Ruler of the City of Jade in the Everlasting Sea. My companion and I have recently mustered out of the service of our glorious and radiant Shah and now seek our fortunes in your world! Your ship will serve as our means of trans- "

He was interrupted as Aella created a sorcerous tidal wave that washed over the deck, knocking both water elementals over. Cai'luin played a dissonant song on his lute and the the elemental was forced backwards. Corvid struck it with his magical sword as it retreated, cutting it in half and causing the water to fall lifelessly onto the deck.

There was a moment of awkward silence as everyone waited to see what the elementa's companion would do.

The remaining elemental looked at the wet spot on the deck that was once its colleague. It then stood up straight and declared, "Well done! You have passed my first test! You have proven yourselves worthy and capable warriors! I, Shuja’at Khan, look forward to serving as your new captain as we ply your oceans in search of loot and plunder!"

The crew looked at each other. Corvid said, "Is he for real?" 

Alot shrugged and said, "I kind of like his style. How about this? You can't be our captain, but you may join our crew."

The elemental considered this, "Yes! That will be an acceptable compromise! I will serve as a paragon among lesser beings! As a consequence you will award me with two shares of your plunder, as is only appropriate for one of my prestigious provenance!"

"Uh, no. One share, like the others."

"That is unacceptable! I demand that you-"

Alot became impatient, "Nope. You're done now. Bye bye!"

Alot, Corvid, and Craig attacked the elemental. He was forced off the deck and disappeared beneath the waves, crying, "You will regret this!"

Back in Saltmarsh

The ship docked in Saltmarsh later that evening. The crew were given shore leave but told to be on standby in case the ship needed to set sail.

The next day, Corvid met with Aella. He wished to use the abandoned land of Crabber's Cove to open a monastery to recruit new holy warriors in the service of Tristin. Aella scheduled a meeting of the available city councilors to authorize the use of the land. In addition to Aella the council in attendance included Commander Fireborn, and Eda Oweland - Baron Solmor was still in the capital at the court of King Skotti and Manistrad Copperlocks was absent. The motion carried with Oweland voting againt.

After the vote, Commander Fireborn moved to discuss the plans for the upcoming celebration of the summer solstice. The solstice was in fifteen days. 

Talk of the solstice reminded Aella and Cai'luin of the secret plans they had learned about - a scheme put in motion by the Scarlet Brotherhood to assassinate the king while a fleet of ships attacked ports along the coast of the Azure Sea and the resurrected black dragon Aulicus attacked the fortress in Seaton. 

Aella apologized and said that she would be unavailable to help plan for the solstice festival - she and the crew of the Sea Ghost would be fighting to avert an attack against the Azure Coast.

Eda Oweland became livid. She complained that Aella was never present for town council meetings and that Aella had little respect for the people or the town of Saltmarsh. She demanded that Aella fulfill her duties and be present for the festival.

Aella asked if she could appoint a stand-in while she was gone. 

Eda angrily reminded her that the town countcil of Saltmarsh allowed no stand-ins or substitutes. She accused Aella of being unfit for the position. The fact that Aella was the daughter of King Pelagius of Manaan - an enemy of the people of Saltmarsh - represented a gross conflict of interest and a slap in the face to the people of Saltmarsh. Eda Oweland demanded that,  in light of Aella's constant absence, she resign her position.

Cai'luin came to Aella's defense, reminding Eda that Aella and the crew were trying to save the town of Saltmarsh from existential threats.

Eda turned her ire towards Cai'luin, telling him that the presence of a blue-skinned sea-elf, another member of the royal court of Manaan, was an additional insult! She lobbed several impolite epithets at the elven ambassador. 

Commander Fireborn adjourned the contentious council meeting but did advise Aella that her position on the council was tenuous and that she might consider resigning for the good of the people of Saltmarsh. 

DM- Some great role-playing there.

The Big Picture

While the drama unfolded at the town council, Patriarch Craig was busy elevating the nuns of Tristin to the position of priestesses. They had demonstrated their faith and it time for them to travel to other towns and build new temples.

Alot, meanwhile, hoped to begin preparations for the solstice attack. He used the magical scrying mirror of Saint Cuthbert on the Sea Ghost to spy upon the dragon priest Orgmond - the priest of Tiamat identified in the coded letters of the Scarlet Brotherhood as the one who would resurrect Aulicus. He found Orgmond marching up a steep hill in an unidentified jungle with a long train of porters and warriors. He had no idea where the dragon priest was.

Later, Alot asked Patriarch Craig to assist in the scrying. Patriarch Craig scried upon the dragon Aulicus, but saw nothing.

The next day, Alot scried upon Skerrin, the agent of the Scarlet Brotherhood serving as Baron Solmor's butler. He saw Skerrin working as a butler in the capital.

Alot confided in Craig and Corvid that his plan to use scrying to gather information was not working as well as he had hoped. He was beginning to feel helpless to do anything to prevent the impending attack. The three discussed their options. They could send word to the outlying towns and could even send their magical silver bird to take a message to Seaton, but the capital was out of range of anything they could do. It was too far away to reach and prevent the planned assassination of the royal court and ALSO be able to stop the attack on Seaton.

Craig spent the evening communing with the holy trinity of Tristin, Saint Ogden, and Saint Splug. He asked if there was anything they could do to prevent the assassination of the king. Saint Ogden, the judge, keeper of the book of the dead, told Craig that King Skotti was in the book - his fate was sealed. The king would die in 14 days from poisoning. There was nothing Craig could do. 

He told Alot what he had learned. Alot understood and agreed to focus his efforts on defending the coast.

Preparations Begin

The following morning, Alot and the crew met with Commander Fireborn. He recapitulated what was known about the impending attack, sharing the coded letters with Commander Fireborn. Commander Fireborn saw the seriousness of the threat and promised to gather together all the members of the town watch and muster the town's defense. 

Aella whispered a message to the magical silver sparrow and directed it to deliver the message to Lord Westland in Seaton, an aristocrat and owner of shipping business:

Attn: In best finacial interests to leave Seaton harbor now. Remove all ships to protect investment. Will explain upon arrival.  From Aella

DM Note- why she didn't send a message to Duke Feldren is beyond me.

Alot gathered the crew together and the Sea Ghost set sail west to the lizard-folk Stronghold. He requested an audience with Princess Orthokent to ask for the assistance of the lizard-folk in the defense of Saltmarsh. Last year, when Orthokent needed help retaking the stronghold, it was Alot and Aella who convinced the people of Saltmarsh to help the lizard-folk - now the time had come to repay that debt. 

Princess Orthokent agreed. 

Tragedy at Manaan

The ship set sail that afternoon towards the underwater palace of Manaan - home of Aella's father, King Pelagius. As they approached the defensive atoll that surrounded the palace they began to see floating bodies being eaten by sharks and sea birds. They were the bodies of sea elves and koalinth, dolphins and sharks. They had known there would be a battle between the sea elves and the koalinth but they had hoped they would be able to somehow avert it. They had failed. 

Aella drank a potion of water breathing so that she could join her crew-mates beneath the waves. They left the ship in the hands of the deck crew and dove overboard. The depths were littered with floating corpses. The dome of the palace below was shattered. The outer buildings were destroyed. 

They came across a lone sea elf floating dejectedly, his head hung low. The sea elf turned, startled, his trident ready. It was their friend, Oceanus. He was injured and bloody. He looked distraught.

Oceanus told them the story of the battle. King Pelagius was dead! He had died in battle! Prince Aegon and Princess Nix disappeared - they could not be found. He looked at Aella and sobbed. She was now the queen. 

Oceanus recounted how the royal guard, led by Anapos, had died defending the grove of the sacred coral polyp - the most revered site to all the people of Manaan - the underground site where the druids kept the magical polyp from which all the coral used to construct the city of Manaan had come. Without the polyp, the sea elves could never re-build Manaan. 

Oceanus' face twisted into a sneer of disgust. The koalinth took it! The vile fiends had killed its defenders, desecrated the grove, and had taken the sacred polyp as a trophy! They had to pay! The polyp had to be returned before it could be twisted towards their evil influence! 

Cai'luin, too, became incensed. This was an affront that could not stand! Cai'luin joined Oceanus in trying to persuade the crew to infiltrate the Forsaken City, the home of the koalinth, in order to retrieve the stolen polyp.

Alot was not convinced. He was worried that such a diversion would jeopardize the defense of the coast. He apologized to Oceanus and Cai'luin and declined.

Oceanus was livid in his anger. He accused Alot of cowardice and betrayal and said he would go rescue the polyp alone if he had to - even if that meant certain death. Cai'luin echoed the accusations and threatened to join Oceanus in his quest. Alot reminded Cai'luin of his duties and ordered him to remain with his crew.

Oceanus turned and fled, swimming away into the darkness of the deep. 

Corvid swam after him to try to catch him but it was too late. Oceanus was gone. 

DM - More great role-playing in this scene. I don't usually do a lot of hard-core emotion in my elf-games but this was raw emotional stuff! 

Back on the ship, Cai'luin was bitter in his anger and regret. Alot questioned his decision. Corvid reminded him, "Hey, I mean, aren't the sea elves kind of bastards anyway? Didn't they originally try to commit genocide against the koalinth? And didn't King Pelagius assassinate the king of koalinth last year, threatening Princess Orthokent's alliance? And didn't they eliminate all fishing in this part of the bay?"

Alot pointed out, "Well, that was in retaliation of us accidentally poisoning King Pelagius."

Corvid continued, "Which we FIXED! And the prince and princess tried to kill Aella - SEVERAL TIMES! Plus, they disappeared? Like, ran away you mean. Yeah, I think they kind of deserved it."

Arrival at Seaton

That evening, the Sea Ghost sailed into the Axe river estuary and into Seaton. The citadel of Seaton shone in the setting sun, high atop the defensive hill overlooking the town.

To be Continued...

A Party in Poniard - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 77

Having defeated the aboleth Sgothga and its aberrant minions, the crew unfolded their magic boat and set anchor just off the coast of the rocky island known as Landgrave's Folly. They spent the night sleeping on the boat while Alot and Cai'luin slept underwater. Cai'luin was still afflicted by the aboleth's touch and his skin began to flake whenever he spent more than ten minutes out of the water. Corvid prayed for a miracle to cure his disease but to no avail. 

The next morning, the party felt renewed and refreshed. Patriarch Craig prayed for healing and was able to cure Cai'luin of his affliction. Together they rowed their magic boat back to Poniard. 

 

CHAPTER 77

"A PARTY IN PONIARD"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM- This week the crew celebrates its victory against the aboleth Sgothga with a celebration in Poniard. They see that their actions had a real effect on the city and that they've made it a slightly better place. 

A New Day Dawns

The crew rowed the large boat into the docks of the Styes in Poniard. To their surprise they saw people picking up trash and debris, making improvements to their shops and homes, and helping each other. There was life, activity, and friendly comradery - a sharp contrast to the hostile slum they left the day before. 

They met Constable Jute out walking the boardwalks greeting the local citizens. The constable was accompanied by a handful of her associates from the garrison. Jute greeted Captain Alot and the others and told them that a remarkable change occurred overnight. It was as if a pall had been lifted from the city. People had energy. They were no longer afraid. They had pride and they showed respect for each other! Even her fellow constables had taken an interest in coming into the Styes along with her.  

The Celebration

Aella and Cai'luin spent the next several days continuing to prepare for their reception with the town council of Poniard. What was once a ruse to covertly meet and assess each of council members had become a celebration  - an actual party. 

Alot, Patriarch Craig, and Corvid spent the days helping the people of the Styes make improvements to their neighborhood - building sturdier bridges, walkways, and new homes. The people of the Styes, for their part, planned their own street celebration.

The reception was a massive success. Madame Sliris and Master Rashlen from the Poniard city council were in attendance. Mistress Thornwell declined. Also in attendance were Aella's wealthy business contacts Audwin and Rai. Aella made sure to invite Constable Jute, Master Refrum, and Eleanor - Jarme's younger sister. 

DM- We had some little roleplaying moments between NPCs, no stress, just friendly talking.

Mistress Slirin engaged Patriarch Craig and Corvid in theological discussion. She wanted to know more about the god Tristin and the process by which the souls of the dead are judged. She saw the worship of the holy triumvirate of Tristin, Ogden, and Splug as a possible profit center. Corvid nodded and said, "Let me tell you more about Saint Splug, the Keeper of the Books."

DM- The gods Tristin and Ogden were player characters in our 4th edition campaign many years ago. Splug the Goblin was their loyal-ish servant. At 30th level they achieved godhead. Tristin became god of the dead, taking the title of Raven King after his mother, the Raven Queen, had been slain by Orcus. Ogden the Dwarf became the Judge of Souls. Splug was assigned as the Keeper of the Books who kept the tally of one's deeds in life. The worship of the Raven King has been fleshed out pretty thoroughly by the players in this campaign and there's now a lot of invented lore, dogma, and theology that by now is actually pretty well fleshed out. 

When the topic of the crew's adventures came up, Cai'luin was goaded to sing their tale. Cai'luin told the story that the crew wanted the city to hear - that it was Constable Jute who discovered the plot behind the Ghost Lantern Killings and exposed the cult of Tharizdun operating within the Styes. It was Constable Jute who led the crew of the Sea Ghost deep under the Styes to fight an indescribable horror that was psychically controlling the people of Poniard. No direct mention was made of aboleths or krakens - only that they faced an indescribable horror.  

The message was clear - Jute was the hero. 

Aella, meanwhile, made the case to the other councilors that the position made vacant by Mister Dory should be filled by Constable Jute. Mistress Sliris and Master Rashlen saw the appeal of the idea - Constable Jute was popular in the Styes and she was the hero of the hour - but she was just a low-ranking constable. No, instead they would at least put her in charge of her own unit of constabulary in the Styes, independent of the garrison. 

Things were improving in Poniard. They were no longer under the psychic influence of an evil creature from the lowest depths of the sea. Now they had to contend with regular old institutional corruption and crushing poverty like any other city.

Breaking and Entering

It was late. The reception was petering out. Master Refrum was in his cups and had to be escorted back to his home. The entire crew took Master Refrum and young Eleanor back to the shop for the artificer to sleep it off. 

At the dock outside his shop, Master Refrum drunkenly bragged about an improvement he had made to the Sea Ghost. He led them out onto the dock to review the ship suspended from massive cranes. 

Cai'luin heard a sound coming from Master Refrum's workshop. He saw that the large doors were open. Someone was in the shop. Cai'luin left the group to investigate. 

Inside the workshop he found Captain Xendros, the demonspawn proprietress of the Loyal Quartermasters of Iuz in Saltmarsh. She was accompanied by six cambions. They had just opened the rear hatch of the mechanical Apparatus of the Crab that Patriarch Craig had sold to Master Refrum. They were stealing it!

Cai'luin called her out. Captain Xendros closed and dogged the hatch behind the two drivers. She sneered at Cai'luin, saying she was only taking back what should be hers by right. She told him she had no desire to hurt him and asked the sea-elf to let her pass. 

Cai'luin refused and was soon joined by Alot and Aella. Xendros picked up a hammer from a nearby workbench and held up a small sack. She said, "Just stand back. In this sack I hold magical clay tokens - one token for each magical item I have ever sold to you. If you don't stand back and let us leave, I will shatter every single one of these tokens, breaking the enchantments on all of your items. I am not bluffing! Now stand aside."

Alot and Cai'luin looked at each other. They were in agreement. Alot said, "No."

Xendros smashed the sack with a hammer, shattering all the magical tokens inside. 

Alot's magical flying boots suddenly felt heavy and his magic shield sagged on his arm. Cai'luin's lute lost its glow. 

Two of Xendros' cambion goons tried to shove Cai'luin out of they way. They failed to move him. The other two cambion goons engaged Alot. 

Cai'luin played a song on his lute. Though it lost its magic, he could still cast a bardic spell using his music. The crab-like Apparatus began to heat and glow red. The two cambion pilots opened the rear hatch and climbed out, patting down their smoking clothing.  Xendros waved her hand and dispelled Cai'luin's magic. The Apparatus returned to its normal color and temperature. She pointed and ordered the drivers to get back in. They were covered in burns. They shook their heads in fear. 

One of the burly cambions smiled and told Alot to back away. Alot found himself under a spell, unable to attack. 

Aella used her sorcerous control over weather to create a blast of wind that shoved Xendros and several of the cambions against the rear wall of the workshop. The walls of the workshop creaked and boards flew off. Tools and papers went flying.

Corvid entered the workshop through a side door and began slapping the burly cambion with the flat of his blade and the pommel of his hilt. The burly cambions fell down unconscious. The two smaller cambions drew cudgels and attacked Corvid and Alot. 

Patriarch Craig slowly carried Master Refrum into his house. On his way he paused to miraculously call out, his voice amplified, "Stop where you are! This is the city watch!"

Inside the workshop, the would-be thieves heard Craig and panicked. 

 Cai'luin played a sharp note on his lute and sang out, "Okay everybody, stop and look at MEEE!"

Xendros and the cambions stopped in their tracks and stared at Cai'luin dumbly. They swayed, smiling, hypnotized by the bard's music. 

Cai'luin kept them hypnotized until they could be bound. Eventually the real constables were summoned and Xendros and her accomplices were carried away, bound and gagged and blindfolded, to the dungeons of Hope'ner Asylum. 

Craig, meanwhile, carried Refrum up to the artificer's room and put him to bed. 

To Be Continued...

Tharizdun's Progeny - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 76

 

The crew of the Sea Ghost followed the underwater tunnel for nearly a mile out to sea. They emerged forty feet underwater off the coast of a small rocky island. It was early afternoon and the sun shone down through the tropical waters. Nearby was an old cathedral, originally built above the water line but now submerged - the result of the island sinking over fifty feet. The aboleth Sgothga had told them that two of its kindred were located within the structure. Sgothga agreed to leave the city if the crew of the Sea Ghost killed the two aboleth within. 

The crew swam to the top of the bell tower which was the only part of the cathedral that still rose above the water. They climbed into the belfry via a window and descended the stairs of the bell tower into the flooded structure below. 

Patriarch Craig paused. He had contracted the brain jellies - no doubt a consequence of his encounter with a red slaad the previous day. He stayed behind on a landing on the stairs leading down.

At the bottom of the bell tower they found a wide doorway, its doors having rotted away long ago. The massive bronze bell lay amid some debris at the bottom of the bell tower. 

Alot moved towards the doorway to peer within. He peered into the nave of the cathedral. There he saw two aboleths - large sea creatures resembling a cross between catfish and octopi, with three eyes arranged vertically along the top of their heads. They appeared to be conversing, their three eyes flashing as if in silent communication. 

The aboleths paused and turned towards Alot. He had been spotted!

The two aboleths shuddered violently and retreated into corners of the nave, kicking up billowing clouds of mud and debris, reducing visibility to five feet. 

Aella reacted quickly, "I've got this!" She swam through the threshold into the nave. 

There was a sudden burst of electricity!

CHAPTER 76

"THARIZDUN'S PROGENY"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM Note-We picked up where we left off last week. The entire session this week was essentially two back-to-back combats! It was a really tough one and the party barely survived! 

The Arcane Trap

Lightning arced throughout the landing of the belfry, catching everyone. 

DM- I said it looked like one of those plasma balls from the 90s - or like a Terminator just traveled through time.

Aella continued into the center of the nave. She brandished a magical dagger. The dagger attuned her senses - she could sense the slightest motion in the water, the beating of a heart, the blinking of eyelids. She scanned the room in an attempt to locate the aboleths in the murk but she sensed nothing. She returned to the belfry landing to report on her attempt.

Alot brandished his sword and shield and forged into the nave ready for battle. There was a moment of silence before Alot could be heard saying, "Got it. You bet. We'll be leaving now."

Alot returned to the belfry landing and told the others, "This was all a big misunderstanding. They explained it to me. We're going to go now. So, out the way we came."

Corvid swam up to Alot, sheathed his sword, and punched the automaton right in his metal face. "Break out of it!"

Alot was shaken, "Dammit! Okay everyone. This time we travel as a group. Stick together. Don't get separated in the murk because you'll get lost. Aella, you're on point. You lead the way."

DM- I quickly devised a kind of "held movement" to better simulate the simultaneous movement of a group - like a held action but for movement. They would get an action on their initiative, but their movement was being delayed to the party member with the lowest initiative. They would all then move together at the same time and at the speed of the slowest party member. Most of them either used a held melee attack action triggered on "an opponent enters melee range" or simply a dodge action. Then they all moved together at the end of the round. It worked really well, actually.

As a precaution, Aella used her storm sorcery to create a storm in the left half of the large room. The spherical storm churned with air bubbles and cavitation. The sphere dissipated the murk in the entire left half of the nave.

DM- Aella's player put down a storm sphere in Roll20. What she didn't realize was that she just perfectly covered up the massive pit in that side of the room. They had no idea the pit was there. It was fantastic! 

Search and Destroy

Aella once again scanned the murky room. She sensed an aboleth hiding in a corner near the ceiling. The party, as a group, swam together towards the ceiling.

The aboleth lashed out with its tentacle!

Aella, Alot, Cai'luin, and Corvid engaged the cornered aboleth in hand-to-hand combat. The second aboleth emerged from the muddy cloud as a dark shape behind and beneath them. They had become flanked! 

Suddenly, as if by a miracle, the water within the submerged cathedral parted! The aboleths fell to the wet floor with a loud slap while Corvid used a prayer to allow the others to drift slowly to the floor unharmed. 

Through the entrance to the bell tower emerged a figure of dwarven stature, bathed in radiant holy light. Patriarch Craig had returned!

DM - Patriarch Craig's player, who has been fighting colon cancer since last year, was back in the hospital with another infection. He had surgery that afternoon and we did not expect him to show up. But at 9pm, he called in on his laptop from his hospital bed, ready to play!

The aboleths were now stranded on relatively dry flagstones of the cathedral floor. The exposed ruined walls of the cathedral showed the vertical walls of water beyond, held at bay by the strength of Patriarch Craig's miracle.

The aboleths fared poorly out of their aquatic element and were soon facing defeat. 

One of the aboleths telepathically chastised Corvid, "You are all fools! You serve a false master! He will betray you! Your actions here will mean your doom!"

Corvid slew the aboleth and the second died soon thereafter.

Cai'luin began to cough. He did not feel well. He looked at his arms which were beginning to peel. His skin had a translucent jelly-fish quality to it. He began to worry that he had contracted something when he was struck by one of the aboleths.

The crew took a short moment to assess the situation before they head a sound telepathically beamed directly to their brains - the sound of slow clapping.

Return of Sgothga

A telepathic voice, deep and gravelly, said, "Excellent. Well done. You have played your part well. And now you will reap your reward."

Five massive crustaceans - the deep sea horrors known as chuuls - appeared through the walls of water separating the ruined cathedral from the sea outside. A massive aboleth appeared in the sunny afternoon sky above. It hovered, descending slowly and deliberately. 

The chuul moved slowly into position. The crew of the Sea Ghost prepared for the next round of battle. 

The spherical storm raging in one half of the cathedral died, its magic dissipated. To everyone's surprise, the storm had concealed a thirty foot wide pit in the floor. The pit was filled with water. 

"Yes! Now you will witness the emergence of the instrument of destruction, the Progeny of the God of Chaos, Rise! Rise, my kraken! Rise and destroy these infidels! Crush these enemies of Tharizdun!"

A tentacle rose out of the water, then another, then others. The water welled up as if pushed out by something large rising from the pit. 

The kraken resembled a cross between a squid and an octopus, though it was larger than an elephant! Its tentacles easy reached twenty feet long. Its thick skin was covered in the scars that told a story of some terrible fight with a giant shark. Burned into its mantle, above two eyes the size of dinner plates, was a glowing symbol - the swirling spirals-within-spirals known as the Mark of Tharizdun!

The kraken's mantle fell back, revealing a giant serrated beak at the center of its tentacles, each the size of a tree trunk! The beak clacked and the kraken roared!

The Chuuls Attack!

The chuuls swarmed in from all sides. 

Patriarch Craig quickly summoned a divine warrior of Tristin. The twenty-foot-tall warrior of death attacked all creatures that came near him. 

Aella reacted quickly with a sorcerous lightning bolt, striking two of the chuuls. They entered the nave and were attacked by the divine warrior of Tristin. 

Two of the chuuls attacked Cai'luin, each grabbing a limb and fighting over him. Thin tentacles darted out from the chuul's mouth, striking Cai'luin and delivering a powerful toxin. Cai'luin became paralyzed! 

Another chuul attacked Corvid, paralyzing him! 

The small pools of water at their feet came alive! Water reached in from the walls like tendrils, moving on its own accord and wrapping around the feet of the crew of the Sea Ghost. The water pulled them closer towards the kraken, drawing them in. 

A tentacle reached out from the kraken and grabbed Aella and Alot. They were held fast! Aella sent another lightning bolt into the kraken, it had no effect!

Alot took to the air. He flew towards the hovering aboleth, piercing it with his magical sword. The aboleth disappeared! 

Alot looked confused. 

Patriarch Craig held up his holy symbol, the silver raven of Tristin, and demanded the kraken be banished! The kraken roared but went nowhere. The banishment had failed!

DM- Banishment is a Charisma saving throw. Charisma is the kraken's worst AND ONLY BAD saving throw. But I rolled well and it saved. Cai'luin wanted to grant his bardic inspiration to Craig to help but lamented that he was paralyzed. I kind of wanted it to work so I told Cai'luin's player to roll a d20. If he rolled 11-20, I'd let him.  He said "Watch me roll a 3." He rolled a 4. Well, I tried. 

A chuul attacked Father Craig, paralyzing him.  The spirit warrior, having finished its mission, knelt in prayer before disappearing.

DM- Constitution is Father Craig's best save. Dwarves even get Advantage on saving throws vs. poison. He rolls poorly - twice. 

The miraculous parting of the water collapsed and the water poured back into the cathedral. 

DM- At this point, things were looking really grim for the group. No enemies had died, three PCs were paralyzed - Cai'luin was making Death Saves and couldn't benefit from any healing, and the only two that could help were immobilized by the kraken - who had not yet taken any damage! But here's where things began to change and the tide of battle turned!

The Tide Turns!

Aella cast a sorcerous spell, surrounding herself with bubbles of air that allowed her to escape the kraken's grasp. She swam next to Alot. She grabbed him. The automaton had just enough time to say, "Wait, what?" when a bolt of lightning and a peal of thunder struck them. They teleported to the far side of the room, safely away from the kraken's grasp. 

Father Craig overcame his paralysis but the kraken wrapped one of his tentacles around him. Father Craig was just able to reach out and stabilize his comrade Cai'luin, who lay on the floor dying. 

Corvid emerged from his own paralysis, stood up, and used his magical manta ray cloak to dart through the water. He exited the cathedral through an open gap in its ruined wall. 

Alot said in astonishment, "Is- did Corvid just leave us?"

Corvid encountered the aboleth Sgothgah outside the cathedral, just as he expected. He plunged his holy sword Faithkeeper into the aboleth. He stabbed the foul creature over and over. Aella left the cathedral to provide assistance. She sent a sorcerous bolt of chaos into the aboleth, killing it. 

Revenge of the Giant Shark

Patriarch Craig had multiple kraken tentacles wrapped around him, dragging him closer to the kraken's maw. He reached out and managed to touch the unconscious body of his comrade in arms, Cai'luin. He said a prayer of restoration.

Corvid rushed back inside the cathedral, darting through the water like a barracuda. He immediately attacked the chuul  menacing Cai'luin, killing it. He pointed a finger at the bard and said a prayer of healing. 

DM- Craig thinks his Lesser Restoration healed Cai'luin but in fact it had been over a minute since he was infected. Only a Heal or spell of 6th level or greater will work. No, once the water returned to the room, Cai'luin could once again benefit from healing spells. He's still infected.

Cai'luin opened his eyes! He stood up and began singing a bardic song of transformation. Using bardic magic, the sea-elf transformed himself into the form of a giant shark! The shark and the kraken - both equals in size - clashed like undersea titans!

Corvid defeated the final chuuls while everyone else targeted their attacks against the kraken. Once the chuuls had been destroyed, Corvid turned Faithkeeper onto the tentacled monstrosity!

Corvid plunged his sword deep into the glowing symbol of Tharizdun, impaling the kraken! He withdrew his sword and slashed at the beast.

DM- Natural 20! Critical Hit! 21 damage plus 45 smite damage! Follow-up strike did 18 damage plus 12 smite damage!

Aella withdrew her magic wand and pointed it at the kraken. She unleashed a mighty barrage of glowing magical arrows that sped across the submerged room and struck the beast. The creature fell backwards, sliding back into the pit but the magic missiles continued firing, arcing over the lip of the pit and following their target as it fell into the void. 

The kraken was dead.

TO BE CONTINUED...