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.
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'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...
