Session 132

As Merrick entered the home his adoptive family raised him in, he was greeted by his adoptive mother, Athira, who was overjoyed to see him. She asked what he had been up to all this time and what brought him home. Merrick answered honestly, reminding her of his mark and that he planned to travel to the Whispering Abyss where his parents were killed to break his bond with the entity known as the Deep One. His mother looked at him with a mixture of confusion and humor before suggesting that he was clearly making up stories to cope with the traumatic memory of what happened there, and suggested he go pray at the chapel of Lys in town. Athira invited the group to dinner, and made them a fantastic vegetarian dish with bread, cream, and roasted vegetables cooked in a spicy sauce made from Emberberries. Athira mentioned Merrick's adoptive siblings, catching him up on what they had been up to, and mentioning that his youngest sister was heartbroken as she had been studying to enroll in the Ars Aurum Academy in Mythwell for years now, but they had gotten word that the city had been destroyed, and that she now spent her days staring out over the nearby lake. After dinner, Merrannadol, Merrick's adoptive father, invited him on a walk around town. As they walked outside, Merrick's eyes fell on the Briar Patch, the town's defining feature -- a wall of brambles on the edge of the nearby forest which crept closer and closer to the town every year. Merrannadol noticed Merrick's gaze and mentioned that several had been dragged into the Briar Patch recently, lamenting foolish travelers who would not heed the townsfolk's warnings about the Wellspring anomaly. He mentioned that there were rumors that creatures had emerged from the Briar Patch to grab people and drag them in there, but he figured they were just stories. Merrannadol then brought up Merrick's journey, saying that he would not try to dissuade him, but bade him to finish this and come home safely, saying that his mother thought of him often and worried for him. Merrick assured his father that he would return, before they went back home and found Athira telling the group embarrassing stories about Merrick, annoying him. Athira seemed very interested in Dain especially, having never met a Dwarf, with Merrannadol commenting that he had heard there were some Dwarves spotted up north taking interest in some ruins in the Great Divide. Merrannadol offered the group to stay the night, and they accepted. In the morning, Athira made them all breakfast before the group packed up to leave, with Athira giving Merrick a tearful goodbye, telling him to come back soon.

Proceeding south along the main road, the group spent the next two and a half weeks traveling, eventually crossing the river separating the Sudwin Valley from the Yzerid Desert, being hit by a wave of heat, which in particular bothered Dain and Skinner, who were acclimated to cold climates. They struggled to find their way along the road which at this point was no more than sand, but eventually found their way to Tarmadon, where Merrannadol had suggested they go to secure passage to the Whispering Abyss. The city, perched on top of a plateau that jutted out over the sea, formed walls by butting its buildings together on the outermost edge. In the city, they wandered around, seeing the market including some strange smelling food, and spotting a material Dain recognized as Glaicierium that the locals used as insulation for their homes to keep cool. Making their way to a tavern, they stopped to get drinks to cool themselves after their long journey, and noticed the bar had Glaicierium built into it to keep patrons' drinks cool. After placing an order, they overheard a Human man and a Letheni woman at the nearby table talking, reading from the latest edition of the Chronicle, Arak's method of distributing news of current events. They overheard the man telling that a teenage girl had appeared in Geledon to the north and wiped out the city with terrifying magic, according to a merchant that had escaped. The woman thought this was nonsense, but thought it terrible regardless of the city's reputation. Continuing to read the rest of the paper, the man told that a sorcerer in Artus had procured a sample of Eskite, the mysterious metal that the Rathmore Empire had utilized for centuries to negate magic and hold military superiority over The Commonwealth, and was apparently using it to create some sort of super weapon, which the Chronicle had no details for. Dain got a sinking feeling, remembering how he had sold the Eskite shields taken off the Myrmidons they had fought in Myr to a smith and one to Medril at the Atratum School of Wizardry. Finishing their drinks, Skinner chatted up the bartender, asking if he was interested in purchasing some new alcohol, offering a tasting of the Frostfire Mead and Ajongir. The man was flummoxed and very interested. Summer offered to sell him the recipe for the mead, telling that he could procure the necessary juice from Thenaphor to the north, which he gratefully accepted, though he tried haggling the price. As an extra for his purchase, Skinner told him of the Ashenfolk in Kantor brewing Ajongir, to which he surmised he could talk to the Dwarves who brought in Glaicierium to see if they could contact these Ashenfolk to negotiate a trade. With that, the group asked him where they could find a ship to charter to get to the Whispering Abyss, which caused the man to laugh, wondering why they could possibly want to go there, but after they made it clear they were serious, he seemed to indicate that it was highly unlikely any in port would take them there, but suggested they seek out the dockmaster.

Heading to the shipyard, the party met with the dockmaster, who reacted similarly to the bartender, telling them to go talk to some of the ship's captains. After spending a couple of hours mingling and asking various captains for passage, they made their way to a small sailing ship where the Lynoxi captain was out on the docks, directing her crew. After trying to negotiate with the captain, who was curious why they wanted to go there, Merrick filled her in, telling her honestly why he wanted to go there. The captain seemed to think they were playing a joke and made an outrageous offer, saying she would take them to the edge and let them use her dinghie for 2,500 gp. She was flabbergasted when Dain immediately produced the money, asking if they were serious. After confirming that they were, she immediately ordered her crew to ditch the cargo they were loading and prepare to set sail. The group head towards the ship, noticing the name, the "Rast il Baros", which in Myrian meant simply "ocean whore". She showed the group around the ship and said they would set out in a few hours. Dain used this time to search the markets for some materials, saying he needed to work on something, and then went to his cabin on the ship and began tinkering. Setting sail, the party traversed the 4,000 miles or so, passing by the Dreaming Wastes and feeling anxiety wondering if they would be seen by Andozar. As they neared the region of the ocean where the Deep One's influence manifested as the Whispering Abyss, a storm began to blow in, concerning Rava, who strapped herself to the mast behind the helm and braced herself for turbulent waters. The party, however, who were unused to the rough ocean, began trying to keep themselves from being flung off the ship. Skinner and Merrick were able to ride the rocking of the ship without much trouble, but Summer and Dain were not so fortunate, tumbling towards the rails at the side of the ship, where they were fortunate enough to be able to grab hold of the railings to stop themselves from being cast overboard. However, the ship then climbed a massive wave and a large piece of cargo on the bow broke free from its ropes, tumbling off the upper deck toward the party. Skinner, acting quickly, enlarged himself before grabbing the cargo and tossing it aside to a safe place. After passing the worst of the waves, they noticed that the thunder above was immediately following the lightning, indicating that they were in the eye of the storm now. Without warning, lightning struck the mast of the ship, setting the sails and mast itself ablaze, with the crew member in the crow's nest calling out for help. Scrambling and trying to throw water at the sails, using simple spells, they quickly realized they didn't have the tools at their disposal to put out the fire. However, Captain Rava called out, telling them to check the upper deck of the bow, where they found a coiled deflated tube. Picking it up, they found a spout with a lever, and Rava explained to get up high and aim it at the sails before pulling back the lever. Not sure they could reach high enough, they handed the hose to a Lynoxi crew member who leapt up on top of the crane holding the dinghie and began hosing down the sails, extinguishing the flames.

As the ship approached the Whispering Abyss, Rava said that this is as far as she could take them, pointing them at the dinghie hanging from the crane. However, she noticed a fog rolling in, saying that it looked ominous. As it overtook the ship, Rava told them to take her dinghie and go. However, the Abyss had other plans, and mid-conversation, Rava was cut off as something in the fog swooped in and grabbed her. Merrick could see a dark form taking to the sky carrying Rava, and shortly after they heard a screaming and then a thud, after which they found Rava crumpled on the deck, twitching for a moment before dying. With a warbling sound, two dark flying creatures swooped in and began to assault the group. One of them puffed up their chest and expelled a concussive blast of pressure at Dain, nearly sending him careening over the side of the deck, but he recovered. Summer took some quick shots and ducked behind some cargo, while Skinner sent the spirits he had pre-emptively beckoned after the figures. Skinner then sent his chains after the creature, which was flying off the side of the boat, restraining it. It fell into the waters, disappearing below the waves. The second one appeared and let out an ear-piercing screech, deafening Summer and making everyone's ears bleed. They all traded blows until Merrick was grabbed and the creature began to ascend into the sky; with Merrick blasting it in the face with a Guiding Bolt, allowing everyone to target it more effectively, but Dain had other ideas and cast Vortex Warp to teleport Merrick to the deck. The second one re-emerged from beneath the water and screeched, deafening everyone but Dain, and the other one stung Dain, causing him to vomit bile, as he was poisoned. As the creatures circled the ship, Dain used Steel Wind Strike to stab one in the face, after which Merrick narrowly missed it with his Flaming Sphere. The creature screeched one final time, managing to deafen Dain before flying towards the bow of the ship, where Merrick chased it, hitting it with Negative Energy Flood, causing its skin to slough off as it fell beneath the waves, dead. Just then, its partner emerged from the water and took Merrick unaware, hitting him in the back with a concussive blast which critical injured Merrick and sent him flying off the side of the ship. Skinner ran to the bow and cast his chains into the water to grab Merrick, and reeled him in. Merrick then ran down to the deck to finish off the remaining creature with Word of Radiance. With the creatures dead, the fog began to disperse, and they found Rava lying dead next to the creature. Dain hurried over and cast Revivify to bring Captain Rava back to life. With a gasp, she panicked and looked around, freaking out at the sight of the dead creature, before saying she needed to get out of here. The group calmed her, but said they would be quick about it. With that, Orick appeared at Merrick's side and greeted him, asking if he was prepared for what was to come. After confirming he was ready, Orick told him he would need to go alone, saying that he was the only one among them immune to the Whispering Abyss' effects. As Merrick got himself on the dinghie, Dain handed him a small device attached to a Flow Cell. He explained that it was the best he could do and should help him complete the ritual. The group lowered him using the crane and watched as he rowed out into the abyss. In the abyss, he began to hear the whispers characteristic of the place, and rowed out a few hundred feet until they were loud. He took out the Deep One's filament and began the ritual, the filament turning red and snaking along the floor of the boat before going over the side and into the ocean, where it pulled along the side of the boat until it eventually went taut, then slack. There was a loud spout of water in the distance which rained down on Merrick as a large object began to emerge from the waters. The Deep One emerged from the water, tentacles writhing around as his sickening form let out an angry roar.

The Deep One angrily beckoned Merrick, raging at him for daring to intrude upon his domain, saying that he had let him ignore his duties for far too long and that he was useless. He said that he would crush him and feed his remains to his Deep Spawn. At that, Orick appeared, and after nodding to Merrick, flew out toward the Deep One, form smoking and trailing behind him as the Deep One lashed out with his tentacles. As Orick distracted him, Merrick performed the ritual, feeling the bond begin to form with the Deep One. The Deep One, sensing this connection, opened his mouth and from the darkness came a sickening light, and the party heard a horrifying sound as the boat rocked behind them as something heavy dropped onto the deck. Looking behind them, they saw a Deepwalker there, its jaw unhinged and its sickening tongue lolling about, gnashing at them. Then, a screech from the upper deck where the helm was alerted them to a second one, which leapt down below and charged at them. Dain rushed in and tried to wallop them with Stormsmasher, but they were surprisingly difficult to get a solid hit in on. Summer came out from behind the mast and shot at one, but missed. Merrick, continuing the ritual, remembered the device Dain had given him and stabbed himself with it, unloading the full contents of the Flow Cell into himself, causing his eyes to glow and his body to explode with raw power. Using the new power, Merrick solidified the bond to the Deep One while Orick circled around him, tossing spells at him to distract him. On the deck, Skinner sent his spirits after the Deepwalkers, but they were out of their element and weren't able to do much. The Deepwalkers went after Dain, with one trying to grab him with its tongue, but failing, before savagely clawing him across the side, causing him to begin to hallucinate, seeing horrifying images all around him. The other one charged toward Skinner, clawing at him, destroying the main mast, causing it to collapse to the side. However, Skinner resisted the hallucinatory effects of their poisoned claws. Dain, still in the throes of his hallucinations, ordered his Steel Defender to circle around behind the Deepwalker and managed to land a solid few strikes; however, the Deepwalker seemed largely unfazed. Summer got a solid shot in just as Merrick, pouring every ounce of power he had left into the ritual, completed the Kamar bond, binding the Deep One. The Deep One roared in anger, batting aside Orick, causing him to vanish in a mist, before collapsing in agony and rage. Merrick's mark began to fade before vanishing entirely as he began to draw power from the Deep One. However, the Deep One would not go without a fight and made one final attempt to crush Merrick with his tentacles. As the tentacle descended, Merrick braced himself, but was met with a rush of wind and a loud thud noise. Looking up, he saw Estrea standing out in the waves, hand up, having blocked the Deep One's strike.

Estrea bade the Deep One to go back to his dark hole, saying Merrick was no longer his, before a sandstorm appeared all around them, with Merrick feeling as if he was being thrown around wildly, holding on to the dinghie for dear life. After a few moments, the turbulence settled and Merrick squinted as the light of the sun came through the sandstorm. As it cleared, he found himself in calm waters, and could see the Rast il Baros in the distance, his companions aboard looking as though in the midst of a battle; though the Deepwalkers had vanished. Rowing back to the Rast il Baros, they managed with some difficulty to return the broken ship back to port, where a traumatized Captain Rava said nothing to them as they disembarked beyond a vague feeling that they were no longer welcome. Fatigued, the group proceeded to find rooms for the night at a local inn, where Merrick settled in reading his Book of Shadows, feeling a strange feeling of freedom and calm he had never known before. As he enjoyed the feeling, he began to feel a strange prickling sensation on the back of his neck, like he had when the Deep One had so often intruded upon his privacy in the past, and spun around to find Estrea sitting on a chair behind him. She let out a soft laugh before asking why he was so jumpy. She asked how it was to be free for the first time in his life, and said that what he had done this day; subjugating a god; was unprecedented. She said that though it would allow him to keep the Deep One in line should he come after Merrick again, he could not kill him with it, and this would not be the last he saw of him. She then offered him her bond, as Orick had said she would, asking only that he never again take the form of one of the Deep One's creatures, and that he hunt down the Deep One's Fathomless to stop them from destroying knowledge and ushering in a new dark age. Merrick eagerly accepted, promising to do so after dealing with Andozar. Estrea agreed, asking him to ensure the spirits of Thalassarion were freed, before getting up and vanishing in a cloud of sand, leaving Merrick alone with his thoughts.