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. They checked to make sure their burlap sacks made into makeshift masks concealed their faces before quietly opening the door an inch.
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!
CHAPTER 18
"THE CRAB NECROMANCER"
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.
Special Guest Star:
- Alot Aname - Warforged Fighter.
A Bit of Discretion
No one in the room noticed Marlin's covert surveillance. Marlin could see no dragon egg in the room. He quietly inched away and softly closed the door. He turned and held his finger up to his mouth to warn the others to remain quiet.
He brought Auric and Aella close for a hushed conference.
He told them what he saw and informed them that the dragon egg they sought was not present.
Auric rubbed his chin, "I'm curious about the Duke of Seaton but I don't think we want to confront all of them now without our fighters if there's no egg. Let's keep looking. If we don't find the egg, we'll come back."
They quietly opened the remaining door and exited into the long corridor.
The Magic Sundial
A door at the end of the corridor opened to a wide room with exits on the left and right walls. In the center of the room was a bronze sundial on a low pedestal.
DM Note- The players immediately groaned, "Augh! A puzzle room! Just kill me!" Upon mention of the sundial, Auric's player said, "A sundial? You probably have to shine a light at a certain time to activate whatever." I rolled my eyes and sighed.
Set Into the stone of the west wall was a bronze mask, about three feet in diameter. The eyes and mouth of the mask were shut. There was an ancient inscription carved into the bronze encircling the mask. A piece of parchment had been affixed to the wall nearby. On it was written the phrase, "I'll answer questions, one, no more. I never speak til it be four."
DM Note- Auric's player said, "Called it!"
With a smug grin, Aella held out her hand palm out as if to say "Stand back, I got this." She unrolled a scroll and began reading aloud a spell to create sunlight.
Auric and Marlin immediately interrupted her, "Whoah whoah whoah! Let's start with a simple light spell. Let's save Sunlight for destroying vampires!"
Aella blushed, "Oh, right. Got it." and rolled up her scroll. She added sheepishly, "I can't cast a light spell."
Auric dismissed her, "Stand back." He said a small prayer to Tristin and created a small sphere of light above the sundial. The light cast a shadow onto the dial. Auric moved the light so that the shadow pointed to fourth hour.
The bronze mask opened its eyes and came to life saying, "Speak, I'll answer."
Marlin jumped in, "Where is the dragon egg we are looking for?"
The bronze mask replied, "In the wizard's laboratory."
Marlin, slightly annoyed, asked, "Where's that?"
The bronze mask barked, "I've answered one, now go away! I will not speak again today!"
Shining a light onto the sundial had no effect.
Auric glared at Marlin and quipped, "Well, that was useful."
Marlin, still fidgeting with the bronze mask, said, "Let's camp here until tomorrow and try again!"
Auric replied, "How about we keep going."
The party checked the door on the right wall. It opened onto the far wall of the room bisected by a channel of water they explored earlier. The door on the left wall was stuck slightly and opened to a cave-like passage. The sound of ocean surf echoed from the darkness.
Aella checked her map, "This probably reconnects to that other passage in the grotto where we came in."
Auric said, "Let's check back with the boat and go from there."
The Crab Necromancer
The A-Team explored the rough passage until it opened into a grotto. The grotto floor was covered in deep sand and a fast-moving river bisected the cave. The water of the river was about waist deep. There were no footprints in the sand. Another passage exited the cave on the other side of the river.
Before they could decide what to do next, they saw movement in the far passage. It was Alot Aname, the warforged sentinel! Alot had been left on the boat while he suffered the "brain jellies".
"Beep-Boop! Over here!" called Marlin.
Alot sighed his annoyance at the use of the nick-name and replied, "I'll be right there."
Alot crossed the sandy floor and waded into the small river. Suddenly a giant crab the size of a man rose from its hiding place beneath the sand and grabbed Alot's arm! Simultaneously, a man-sized lobster sprung from the sand and attacked Marlin on the far bank.
The giant crab's claws had little effect on Alot's armored exoskeleton. In return, Alot skewered the crab with his short sword, killing it with a single deft stroke.
The giant lobster was likewise soon dispatched by Marlin.
A moment later, there was a movement under the sand. The discarded bones of those who had been devoured by the crustaceans manifested, reformed, and took the shape of animated skeletons! As the skeletons lumbered towards the party, Auric brandished the ankh, the holy symbol of the Tristan, and banished them in the name of the the Raven King! All but one of the skeletons fled across the river. The remaining foe was soon destroyed.
DM Note- Auric's player asked "Why are there skeletons?" and Marlin's player suggested, "Maybe the crab was a necromancer!" Thus "the crab necromancer" became a thing. We even suggested a movie title: "The Crab Necromancer vs. the Dinosaur Wizard Tyrannosaurus Hex!" It writes itself!
Reunited with Aname, the party decided to rest for an hour in the sundial room before returning to the meeting room.
Captain Vile and the Duke of Seaton
Marlin hushed the others and admonished them to remain away from the door while he peeked within. His magical elven boots made no noise as he tiptoed up to the door. He reached out to quietly open the door but momentarily stayed his hand.
Marlin took a step back and laid down the floor face up, his head towards the door. He folded his body in half like a contortionist and pointed his legs in the air so that his knees were over his chest and his feet were above his face. He used his feet to gently and quietly open the door an inch or two. From his vantage on the floor he could look up into the room within.
DM Note- I asked Marlin's player, "How are you rolling with Advantage to quietly open the door?"
He answered, "My elven boots give me Advantage on Stealth checks."
I narrowed my eyes a bit, "Check the wording. I'm pretty sure they only give Advantage on moving silently."
A quick check later, Marlin replied, "Okay, you're right. I don't get Advantage to open the door. Okay, so what if I open the door with MY FEET?"
I giggled a bit, "I love it. You got it. But you have to make an Acrobatics check vs. 10 first! And you'll be prone if anything starts."
Marlin's player beamed, "You bet!"
The wizard Keledek and the merchant Gellan Primewater could not be seen. Instead, he saw the Duke of Seaton standing near the doorway and the ship's captain surreptitiously going through some of the loose papers on the wizard's table, as if trying to sneak a peak while he was waiting for someone to return.
Marlin kicked the door open and the lizard-men warriors accompanying them rushed in, attacking the Duke of Seaton and the ship's captain with their obsidian-tipped clubs and biting at their throats with their reptilian teeth.
The sea captain was a flamboyant larger-than-life figure who spun to face the charging lizard-men, declaring, "What is this? An ambush? Well, foul fiends, you'll have trouble defeating the likes of CAPTAIN HORATIO VILE!"
The duke, for his part, defended himself but said nothing. In fact, he was oddly silent as he fought.
Marlin flipped over onto his feet and moved to engage the Duke while Alot rushed in and did battle with the ship's captain. To his shock, the small demonic figure appeared from thin air and began clawing at his legs. Marlin left the captain to the lizard-men and thrust his magical short sword into the devilish imp, causing it to vanish with a sulfurous poof!
Suddenly, three suits of armor that decorated sconces on the wall to the right magically sprang to life and advanced on the party - two on Alot and one on Aella.
Auric called for the party to take the pair alive for questioning but the lizard-men paid little heed, tearing out the throats of the duke. Alot smashed the pommel of his short sword onto the head of Captain Vile, knocking him unconscious. He turned his attention to the suits of armor.
Auric redirected the lizard-men to attack the suits of armor while he quickly prayed for the survival of the Duke.
Aella, Alot, and the lizard-men soon dismantled the suits of armor, leaving loose pieces scattered around the floor of the room.
Auric checked on their prisoners. The Duke of Seaton was unconscious, covered in blood, and still seriously injured but was no longer dying. Captain Vile was unconscious. Captain Vile was bound and gagged.
Marlin searched the books and papers on the desk. They were of a mundane nature, no scrolls or spellbooks. However, he did find a book of observances made about the town of Saltmarsh. These observances were of a personal and private nature, filled with things said and done in private - things Keledek could not possibly have personally witnessed. Many of the observances were written in the form of "Zivmal informs me that..." or "Zivmal reports...". From this, Marlin and Auric deduced that Zivmal was the devilish creature that disappeared when stabbed, and that it was the wizard's familiar which was used to invisibly spy on the townsfolk.
Additionally there was correspondence between Keledek and Gellan making arrangements for the use of the cave as a smuggling rendezvous in exchange for the delivery of the egg stolen from dragon Aulicus who lairs within the Drowned Forest.
Also found were notes on the secret comings and goings of the Duke of Seaton, along with his daughter Lemundo, on a ship belonging to Captain Horatio Vile. They were secret trips to Leper Island along with correspondence with Captain Vile to pay for the abduction of the Duke and his daughter.
Alot noticed that after a few minutes the various pieces of the armor began to slowly reassemble. At that news Marlin ceased his perusal of the notes and went to open the door behind the wizard's desk, given that the only other door in the room was dusty and unused.
The door was locked and the locks of the door magically shifted and rearranged under Marlin's picks.
Marlin stood back and allowed the lizard-folk to begin smashing the door to kindling with their clubs.
The Savage Gorillon
After ten minutes of smashing, the door crumbled and Alot pushed his way through. He was suddenly attacked by a massive white-furred simian beast blocking the doorway! The monster was an albino gorilla with four arms - a deadly gorillon imported from the southern jungles! The door to its cage lay open across the room to the right - the wizard having let the beast free in preparation for this intrusion.
Keledek the wizard stood at the base of a set of spiral stairs on the opposite side of the room. He brandished a magical wand and cast several spells at Alot but none struck their mark.
The gorillon smashed at Alot's armor but could not damage the resilient mechanical man. Alot counterattacked, stabbing the beast with his short sword until it died.
The wizard, sensing danger, fled up the stairs.
The team moved into the room - a magical laboratory of some sort where Keledek devised his spells.
Sitting on a nearby dais was the dragon's egg - the Heir of Aulicus.
No one in the room noticed Marlin's covert surveillance. Marlin could see no dragon egg in the room. He quietly inched away and softly closed the door. He turned and held his finger up to his mouth to warn the others to remain quiet.
He brought Auric and Aella close for a hushed conference.
He told them what he saw and informed them that the dragon egg they sought was not present.
Auric rubbed his chin, "I'm curious about the Duke of Seaton but I don't think we want to confront all of them now without our fighters if there's no egg. Let's keep looking. If we don't find the egg, we'll come back."
They quietly opened the remaining door and exited into the long corridor.
The Magic Sundial
A door at the end of the corridor opened to a wide room with exits on the left and right walls. In the center of the room was a bronze sundial on a low pedestal.
DM Note- The players immediately groaned, "Augh! A puzzle room! Just kill me!" Upon mention of the sundial, Auric's player said, "A sundial? You probably have to shine a light at a certain time to activate whatever." I rolled my eyes and sighed.
Set Into the stone of the west wall was a bronze mask, about three feet in diameter. The eyes and mouth of the mask were shut. There was an ancient inscription carved into the bronze encircling the mask. A piece of parchment had been affixed to the wall nearby. On it was written the phrase, "I'll answer questions, one, no more. I never speak til it be four."
DM Note- Auric's player said, "Called it!"
With a smug grin, Aella held out her hand palm out as if to say "Stand back, I got this." She unrolled a scroll and began reading aloud a spell to create sunlight.
Auric and Marlin immediately interrupted her, "Whoah whoah whoah! Let's start with a simple light spell. Let's save Sunlight for destroying vampires!"
Aella blushed, "Oh, right. Got it." and rolled up her scroll. She added sheepishly, "I can't cast a light spell."
Auric dismissed her, "Stand back." He said a small prayer to Tristin and created a small sphere of light above the sundial. The light cast a shadow onto the dial. Auric moved the light so that the shadow pointed to fourth hour.
The bronze mask opened its eyes and came to life saying, "Speak, I'll answer."
Marlin jumped in, "Where is the dragon egg we are looking for?"
The bronze mask replied, "In the wizard's laboratory."
Marlin, slightly annoyed, asked, "Where's that?"
The bronze mask barked, "I've answered one, now go away! I will not speak again today!"
Shining a light onto the sundial had no effect.
Auric glared at Marlin and quipped, "Well, that was useful."
Marlin, still fidgeting with the bronze mask, said, "Let's camp here until tomorrow and try again!"
Auric replied, "How about we keep going."
The party checked the door on the right wall. It opened onto the far wall of the room bisected by a channel of water they explored earlier. The door on the left wall was stuck slightly and opened to a cave-like passage. The sound of ocean surf echoed from the darkness.
Aella checked her map, "This probably reconnects to that other passage in the grotto where we came in."
Auric said, "Let's check back with the boat and go from there."
The Crab Necromancer
The A-Team explored the rough passage until it opened into a grotto. The grotto floor was covered in deep sand and a fast-moving river bisected the cave. The water of the river was about waist deep. There were no footprints in the sand. Another passage exited the cave on the other side of the river.
Before they could decide what to do next, they saw movement in the far passage. It was Alot Aname, the warforged sentinel! Alot had been left on the boat while he suffered the "brain jellies".
"Beep-Boop! Over here!" called Marlin.
Alot sighed his annoyance at the use of the nick-name and replied, "I'll be right there."
Alot crossed the sandy floor and waded into the small river. Suddenly a giant crab the size of a man rose from its hiding place beneath the sand and grabbed Alot's arm! Simultaneously, a man-sized lobster sprung from the sand and attacked Marlin on the far bank.
The giant crab's claws had little effect on Alot's armored exoskeleton. In return, Alot skewered the crab with his short sword, killing it with a single deft stroke.
The giant lobster was likewise soon dispatched by Marlin.
A moment later, there was a movement under the sand. The discarded bones of those who had been devoured by the crustaceans manifested, reformed, and took the shape of animated skeletons! As the skeletons lumbered towards the party, Auric brandished the ankh, the holy symbol of the Tristan, and banished them in the name of the the Raven King! All but one of the skeletons fled across the river. The remaining foe was soon destroyed.
DM Note- Auric's player asked "Why are there skeletons?" and Marlin's player suggested, "Maybe the crab was a necromancer!" Thus "the crab necromancer" became a thing. We even suggested a movie title: "The Crab Necromancer vs. the Dinosaur Wizard Tyrannosaurus Hex!" It writes itself!
Reunited with Aname, the party decided to rest for an hour in the sundial room before returning to the meeting room.
Captain Vile and the Duke of Seaton
Marlin hushed the others and admonished them to remain away from the door while he peeked within. His magical elven boots made no noise as he tiptoed up to the door. He reached out to quietly open the door but momentarily stayed his hand.
Marlin took a step back and laid down the floor face up, his head towards the door. He folded his body in half like a contortionist and pointed his legs in the air so that his knees were over his chest and his feet were above his face. He used his feet to gently and quietly open the door an inch or two. From his vantage on the floor he could look up into the room within.
DM Note- I asked Marlin's player, "How are you rolling with Advantage to quietly open the door?"
He answered, "My elven boots give me Advantage on Stealth checks."
I narrowed my eyes a bit, "Check the wording. I'm pretty sure they only give Advantage on moving silently."
A quick check later, Marlin replied, "Okay, you're right. I don't get Advantage to open the door. Okay, so what if I open the door with MY FEET?"
I giggled a bit, "I love it. You got it. But you have to make an Acrobatics check vs. 10 first! And you'll be prone if anything starts."
Marlin's player beamed, "You bet!"
The wizard Keledek and the merchant Gellan Primewater could not be seen. Instead, he saw the Duke of Seaton standing near the doorway and the ship's captain surreptitiously going through some of the loose papers on the wizard's table, as if trying to sneak a peak while he was waiting for someone to return.
Marlin kicked the door open and the lizard-men warriors accompanying them rushed in, attacking the Duke of Seaton and the ship's captain with their obsidian-tipped clubs and biting at their throats with their reptilian teeth.
The sea captain was a flamboyant larger-than-life figure who spun to face the charging lizard-men, declaring, "What is this? An ambush? Well, foul fiends, you'll have trouble defeating the likes of CAPTAIN HORATIO VILE!"
The duke, for his part, defended himself but said nothing. In fact, he was oddly silent as he fought.
Marlin flipped over onto his feet and moved to engage the Duke while Alot rushed in and did battle with the ship's captain. To his shock, the small demonic figure appeared from thin air and began clawing at his legs. Marlin left the captain to the lizard-men and thrust his magical short sword into the devilish imp, causing it to vanish with a sulfurous poof!
Suddenly, three suits of armor that decorated sconces on the wall to the right magically sprang to life and advanced on the party - two on Alot and one on Aella.
Auric called for the party to take the pair alive for questioning but the lizard-men paid little heed, tearing out the throats of the duke. Alot smashed the pommel of his short sword onto the head of Captain Vile, knocking him unconscious. He turned his attention to the suits of armor.
Auric redirected the lizard-men to attack the suits of armor while he quickly prayed for the survival of the Duke.
Aella, Alot, and the lizard-men soon dismantled the suits of armor, leaving loose pieces scattered around the floor of the room.
Auric checked on their prisoners. The Duke of Seaton was unconscious, covered in blood, and still seriously injured but was no longer dying. Captain Vile was unconscious. Captain Vile was bound and gagged.
Marlin searched the books and papers on the desk. They were of a mundane nature, no scrolls or spellbooks. However, he did find a book of observances made about the town of Saltmarsh. These observances were of a personal and private nature, filled with things said and done in private - things Keledek could not possibly have personally witnessed. Many of the observances were written in the form of "Zivmal informs me that..." or "Zivmal reports...". From this, Marlin and Auric deduced that Zivmal was the devilish creature that disappeared when stabbed, and that it was the wizard's familiar which was used to invisibly spy on the townsfolk.
Additionally there was correspondence between Keledek and Gellan making arrangements for the use of the cave as a smuggling rendezvous in exchange for the delivery of the egg stolen from dragon Aulicus who lairs within the Drowned Forest.
Also found were notes on the secret comings and goings of the Duke of Seaton, along with his daughter Lemundo, on a ship belonging to Captain Horatio Vile. They were secret trips to Leper Island along with correspondence with Captain Vile to pay for the abduction of the Duke and his daughter.
Alot noticed that after a few minutes the various pieces of the armor began to slowly reassemble. At that news Marlin ceased his perusal of the notes and went to open the door behind the wizard's desk, given that the only other door in the room was dusty and unused.
The door was locked and the locks of the door magically shifted and rearranged under Marlin's picks.
Marlin stood back and allowed the lizard-folk to begin smashing the door to kindling with their clubs.
The Savage Gorillon
After ten minutes of smashing, the door crumbled and Alot pushed his way through. He was suddenly attacked by a massive white-furred simian beast blocking the doorway! The monster was an albino gorilla with four arms - a deadly gorillon imported from the southern jungles! The door to its cage lay open across the room to the right - the wizard having let the beast free in preparation for this intrusion.
Keledek the wizard stood at the base of a set of spiral stairs on the opposite side of the room. He brandished a magical wand and cast several spells at Alot but none struck their mark.
The gorillon smashed at Alot's armor but could not damage the resilient mechanical man. Alot counterattacked, stabbing the beast with his short sword until it died.
The wizard, sensing danger, fled up the stairs.
The team moved into the room - a magical laboratory of some sort where Keledek devised his spells.
Sitting on a nearby dais was the dragon's egg - the Heir of Aulicus.
To Be Continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment