Session 4:The Unknown

General Summary

The party began their investigation by examining a mysterious wall where they had previously witnessed eyes appearing and disappearing. Wartortle used his battle axe to tap along the stone surface, searching for hidden passages or hollow sections. Despite their thorough investigation, they discovered only solid stone - the magical eyes had somehow receded back into the wall itself, leaving no trace of secret doors or openings.

Moving deeper into the chamber, the adventurers searched for treasure and valuable items. Their efforts were rewarded when they uncovered 110 silver pieces and a rusty longsword hidden among the debris. Plalbur discovered some edible berries growing in bushes throughout the underground space and immediately consumed them. The party briefly considered taking a long rest but decided to continue their exploration instead.

Wartortle's attention turned to the shields and weapons mounted on the chamber walls. After some initial difficulty, he managed to remove one of the shields with tremendous effort, hearing a series of clicking sounds as it came free from its mounting. This action triggered an unexpected mechanism - the lava pit in the center of the room began to drain as water seeped in, creating a violent reaction between the hot molten rock and cold water. Steam and explosions erupted from the pit as Skon barely managed to leap back to safety.

As the chaos subsided, a hidden tunnel was revealed where the lava had been. The party dropped a crystal torch down the newly discovered passage to gauge its depth and direction. The torch fell approximately one hundred feet before the tunnel curved, indicating it was safe to explore. All four party members descended into the water-filled passage, with Wartortle retrieving the crystal torch to provide illumination for their journey.

The tunnel proved to be an impressive feat of engineering, extending 400 to 500 feet westward with no side passages or openings. Investigation revealed that the perfectly round, ten-foot-high passage had been carved from stone using tools rather than formed naturally. The party found no traps, arcane symbols, or other dangers as they swam through the manufactured corridor toward its terminus.

At the end of the tunnel, they discovered a stone wall equipped with a lever mechanism. When activated, the lever caused the wall to descend with a grinding sound, allowing light to stream into the passage. To their amazement, they found themselves emerging from a statue in the center of the gem district - the very marketplace they had visited before. Skon ingeniously rigged a rope system to operate the door from the outside, chipping away stone to thread the rope through and camouflaging it with dirt.

Their secret was short-lived, however, as Plalbur approached a local umizu citizen to inquire about the door. The citizen became immediately suspicious about outsiders having access to secret tunnels within their city. When the situation escalated, Wartortle and Plalbur attempted to silence the witness by grabbing him and covering his mouth. Unfortunately, other umizu in the area witnessed this assault and began calling for the city guards, the Shark's Teeth.

Wartortle desperately attempted to deceive the growing crowd by shouting about heresy concerning the Kraken, but his performance failed to convince anyone. With guards being summoned and the situation spiraling out of control, the party made the difficult decision to drag the unconscious citizen into their secret tunnel. Riggor quickly sealed the entrance behind them, trapping them inside with their unwilling captive.

Realizing they had created a serious problem, the party decided to eliminate the witness and stage his death to look like a dragon attack. Plalbur, displaying disturbing expertise in body manipulation, decapitated the umizu and placed his head inside the wormling's mouth. He then mutilated the corpse to create convincing bite marks and scattered blood throughout the area to simulate a grisly dragon attack. The party planned to claim the citizen had been killed by the beast they had slain.

To prevent anyone from following them through the tunnel, Skon and Wartortle worked together to replace the shield on the chamber wall. The mechanism reactivated, causing the tunnel to refill with molten lava. A dangerous geyser of superheated water erupted from the pit, burning both Plalbur and Wartortle before the passage was successfully sealed with hardened magma.

Exhausted from their ordeal, the party settled down for a long rest in the comfortable beds they had discovered in the dragon's lair. Their sleep was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Speaker of the Kraken, their mysterious employer who possessed the ability to teleport at will. He demanded a report on their progress in locating Umbar, expressing disappointment that they had focused on killing the dragon rather than pursuing their primary mission. However, he did reveal that he had resolved the political incident they had caused in the gem district, smoothing things over with the city authorities.

After the Speaker departed, the party searched the dead umizu's belongings more thoroughly. They discovered a set of keys and a small rock carved with a family portrait showing the umizu with his wife and daughter. The party rationalized their actions by speculating about the victim's character and family situation, convincing themselves that they had done the family a favor by removing what they imagined was an abusive husband and father.

Returning to their mission, the party reopened the tunnel by once again removing the wall shield and allowing the lava to drain. Skon recreated his rope mechanism for operating the secret door from outside. They swam back through the passage to the gem district, where they used the dead umizu's keys to enter what appeared to be an abandoned shop.

Inside the shop, they discovered it had been seized by the Speaker of the Kraken, with empty display cases and scattered business documents. The party found and distributed 25 gold pieces among themselves before Skon modified the shop's sign from "Doric's Shop of the Above" to "Skon's Shop of the Above," effectively claiming ownership. Their search through the paperwork yielded crucial information - a delivery list showing a shipment of "chest of human tools to Umbar Zan'arrith," finally providing them with their target's full name and confirming they were on the right track.

Armed with this information and a wooden crate bearing Doric's name, Riggor and Plalbur posed as delivery workers seeking directions. They visited Grimdark's Fine Swords and Armor, where they met Grim Dark, a venerable turtle blacksmith working at a crystal-heated anvil. Riggor successfully deceived the blacksmith about being a new delivery worker for Doric, and Grim Dark helpfully provided directions to the Zan Iril Estate on the edge of the city.

Following the blacksmith's directions, the party made their way to the outskirts of the underwater city. They discovered the Zan Iril Estate perched on a cliff edge, with its western section dramatically overhanging the precipice. The once-grand manor had fallen into severe disrepair, with broken stones scattered about, holes in the walls, and a partially collapsed ceiling. Misshapen trees resembling rotting driftwood grew around the property, adding to its desolate appearance.

The front door of the estate hung open, its handle and lock clearly broken as if someone had forced entry. Riggor used his supernatural ability to sense blood, detecting a living creature approximately fifteen feet away in the next chamber. The party prepared to investigate stealthily, knowing that someone else was already inside the abandoned estate.

Their caution proved warranted when they encountered a hostile gray creature with earthworm-like flesh and two writhing tendrils forming a beard. The being admitted to breaking into the house while searching for Umbar, claiming territorial rights over the property since he had arrived first. When the party refused to reveal Umbar's location, the creature threatened their lives, forcing them into combat.

The battle was fierce and chaotic. Riggor struck first, placing a magical seal on the creature and shooting it with his crossbow. Skon followed with a series of poisoned sword attacks that left the creature bloodied and weakened. However, their opponent proved more dangerous than expected when it cast a powerful lightning spell that electrified the surrounding water. The creature seemed to heal and gain energy from the electrical discharge, its wounds closing as lightning played across its skin.

Plalbur responded by casting a beam of moonlight that burned the creature with radiant energy, while Wartortle entered a berserker rage and struck with his massive axe. The party coordinated their attacks, eventually managing to knock the creature unconscious through non-lethal force. Just as they secured their victory, a tremendous crash echoed from the northeast, causing the entire building to shake and tilt precariously as if something massive was approaching or had struck the structure.