Starday - 22 Ready'reat - Early Afternoon
Just a few hours ago, the
Try-hard misfits docked the
Sea Ghost in front of
Primewater Mansion and paid visits to both
Fireborn and
Primewater to summarize their excursion to
Redshore for the recovery of the stolen King
Skotti painting. Concerned about Mina's vision of a corrupt council but stuck with no discernable leads, the party separated to covertly observe other council members. Nar remained vigilent with Primewater. Kyra visited
Solmor. Wee Jane and Karia headed toward the Lizardfolk contigent within
Saltmarsh. This left Adlia keeping watch on
Oweland inside her
house along the main docks until a tall elf with a cloak billowing in his haste burst into her home.
As the elf enters the Oweland home, Adlia quickly sneaks across the street crouching against a bay window to Eda's office and listens as the strange elf exclaims, "Eda! I mean Ms Oweland! My captain was snatched from the deck by a humongous crab that headed toward
Crabber's Cove! We've got to save him! Who can you send with me?"
Hearing the dire straits of this unfortunate crabber, Adlia marches inside Oweland's office and volunteers the group, "Councilor, I couldn't help but overhear the plight of this man. I'm sure that we could assist, assuming you wish to hire us."
Turning to face Adlia, the elf inquires, "My captain's life is at stake. Who are you? How could you help?"
"We are the
Try-hard misfits and we've helped the council too many times to count," she replies. "Councilor Oweland, shall I gather the group?"
Eda looks from the elf to Adlia and back toward the elf again before replying, "Yes. Lives are precious and we must do what we can. I fear that we've already lost too much time for Capt Andomnes." Under her breath she continues, "A crab snatching a grown man? I've never heard of such a thing."
The elf presses Adlia, "Fine. If Mrs Oweland trusts you, then I'm coming with you. My name is Faelar Moonshadow." As Eda stares at him incredulously and attempts to dissuade him, he continues, unabashed, "Tch! I've seen this monstrosity pull my captain from the very ship and--" "Didn't you say you saw him on the shore...?" Eda interrupts, "Of course, I was just so swept up in the moment I had forgotten, but as I was saying--I'm going to help my captain, the man who gave me an opportunity in my wandering. You cannot deny me repayment of such a debt!"
Resigned, Adlia nods and says, "Then let's gather the group quickly and be on our way." Together they gather the remaining misfits and regroup to formulate a plan.
After some discussion, they head east to Crabber's cove, past Eda's house and following the old dock lane. Arriving for the first time in this section of
Saltmarsh, the loud sound of clicking and clacking echoes amongst the cluster of dilapidated buildings as dozens of tiny crabs skitter and scuttle on the sand, making way for their visitors, their claws softly clicking as a stark contrast to the harsh clacking echoing from the shadows of seaside rocks. The only man-made structures are several heavily weathered buildings sprinkled through the area, all sagging with age under the weight of years of abandonment and neglect. Suddenly a pack of far larger crabs scuttles toward them, snapping their huge claws at the party before they realize the aggression of the new massive crustacean menace. Recovering from the initial shock, the misfits make quick work of them, punching through hard cartilage ending the fevered rampage in a flash.
After dispatching the manic arthropods, the party realizes they need to act with urgency if they want to have a chance of saving Faelar's captain, and they spread out to examine some of the aged buildings for any clues as to his whereabouts. Faelar quickly dashes to an isolated building toward the north as Nar and Adlia explore a different building along the edge of the
Azure Sea. At each location, mobs of smaller crabs quickly flee the coming of the larger creatures intrusion in all directions--climbing walls or across the thick layer of dust all along the ground. Inside the ramshackle houses and huts, broken and crumbling furniture lies strewn across the rooms, and as Adlia steps into the first room, her foot sinks as a loud snap echoes. breaking the silence of the waves and wind. Jumping back, Adlia and Nar return to the group. Meanwhile, Faelar enters one of the largest buildings, and the stress of the opening door causes the building to suddenly collapse as he deftly jumps back to avoid the falling debris.
Nar states, "Nothing but dust and small crabs in there. I wouldn't recommend exploring them."
Adlia adds, "Why are these crabs hanging out in buildings? Is that normal for them?"
The party continues toward the cliff face some hundred feet below the looming and august presence of the
Temple of Procan far above them. Suddenly Karia shouts, "Look! There's some kind of crevice over there at the edge. Look at how the waves seem to flow under the cliff face."
Racing toward the opening, the party sees a cavern entrance that might lead deeper into the rocks. Jumping in, they find themselves emerging in a small cavern as more of the seemingly endless supply of small crabs skitter away to hide among the large and small rocks scattered throughout.
As the party takes stock of their surroundings, a massive boulder in the corner of the room trembles, and then begins to move. Silently, it spreads wide claws the size of a large halfling and straightens itself upon ten spindly legs jutting from the base of its hard, carapace shell. Lurching forward, the claws rapidly strike forward with ear-shattering clacks echoing within the chamber. Faelar shouts, "that's him! That's the bastard that took my captain! I swear upon all the gods, if you have harmed him, you will have no mercy from the wrath of my fists!" Rallying from the initial shock, the party moves to neutralize the new threat.
Faelar rushes with godlike speed across the rocky shore and rains down a series of heavy blows against the hulking crab's hardened chitin armor. Karia scurries beneath its roving claws, striking twice with her sharpened swords and whispers, "Never have I seen its like before." Adlia then converges next to the elf slamming her staff against the humongous crab.
Responding to the commotion, more large crabs and a giant octopus emerge from behind the massive stalactites and flank the party, only to be quickly peppered with arrows from Nar's short bow. "Well done, Bow Puncher--your arrow punches are mighty indeed!" Faelar shouts in encouragement. Jane sallies forward, allowing Nar to scurry away from melee before the creatures can retaliate. Kyra pulls out her tiny bell, ringing it, as she points toward the behemoth causing small cracks to appear on its legs. The next minute features a flurry of chaotic dance as the party battles, and eventually destroys, the gigantic crab while Jane and Nar whittle down its cousins. Within a minute the floor is littered with shards of broken carapace from the battle. As the party rests for a second, Faelar speaks encouragement, "truly Councilor Oweland was wise to send such adept allies as you to aid in the rescue of my captain, though your means of punching your foes may differ from mine, you have the spirit of true warriors!" Suddenly they hear a squelching sound fleeing down a rough cut passage.
Following it, they wend their way into a damp, moldy storeroom. Overwhelming earthy smells sting their noses with boxes, crates, bags, and other decomposing items sit idly in small, salty puddles. Behind a crate, the large octopus, which had been hiding after fleeing the battle, rushes forward hoping to surprise the party before being quickly dispatched. The party spends a few minutes exploring the room's contents without finding anything salvageable before heading back toward the cave entrance.
As the party heads south, they reach a small nook and a loud wail starts echoing outward. The party quickly identifies the source as two fungi shrieking and dispatch them with haste, but not before their baleful wails manage to echo deeper into the cave. As the sound fades, Karia states, "Well, those were clearly an alarm system, so someone knows we're here." "You're right, Sword Puncher, we must hurry," Faelar adds, "who knows whether the captain is already lost to us!"
United in purpose, the party cautiously navigates the dim, twisting passage. Rounding a corner, they see an opening ahead of them, leading into what appears to be a larger room as two dark shapes fall from the craggy ceiling enveloping Jane and Adlia. The narrow corridor restricts the battle, but Karia slices with her short swords freeing Adlia from the trapper's deathly embrace as Wee Jane's sword splits through the outer hide of the other.
Jane rushes forward as the party enters the room while two vaguely humanoid creatures draw closer. The creature in the lead features a piscine head and his companion is a merman, each having some strange tentacles draping from their open maws, seeming strangely out of place with the rest of their physiology. A few well placed blows leaves both creatures dead. While inspecting the corpses, a tadpole with four tentacles oozes out from the merman's ear. Inspecting it, Karia speculates, "What was that doing in his head? Could it have been controlling him?"
Squashing the grotesque tadpole, the group heads into a finished passageway on their left. Stepping onto hard tile, the party follows the hallway toward another long rectangular room filled with boxes and crates. Standing in the middle of the room, a tall man lifts his falchion and charges toward the party. As he opens his mouth in a silent scream, more of the strange tendrils emerge from his mouth. The battle lasts only a moment before the mutated Sea Princes raider falls lifeless to the floor.
Heading through the other unfinished passage to the north. They turn left and then right as it opens into a larger cavern with a greenish pool toward the right-side. A strange humanoid nearly seven feet tall looms over the ominously glowing liquid, its yellow eyes gleaming with intelligence and robust proboscis tentacles extend where its nose should be, far more fitting its face than the mindless creatures the misfits had dispatched thusfar. He looms above another prone human who lies face first in the strange pool.
Faelar immediately reacts, "Captain!? Is that you! I will save you!" rushing forward toward the prone figure and rallying his strength to hurl him back towards his allies as he circles this strange malevolent creature, "God Puncher! I fear for the captain's life, we must tend to him after dispatching this foul creature with all of our punches combined!" Wee Jane, sensing the danger from the new foe, rushes in to flank the creature.
Kyra nearly jumps out of her skin as she whispers, "What? Who are you? Where are you?" before reciting an arcane liturgy while holding up a small bag of components. A massive ball of fire ignites from the ceiling catching Faelar and Jane in its expansive radius and instantly sublimating the foul, green pool and vaporizing the school of sluglike tadpoles swimming in its waters. "Mace Puncher, are you all right?" Faelar inquires, Jane responds "A little worse for wear, but it looks like we got that pool right fast, that thing was creeping me out! Death Puncher!" Faelar cries with glee, "well done! Surely the beast has invested greatly in that odious pool!" And the Mind Flayer lets out a psychic roar of rage, "My children! Do you know what you have done you feeble fools!"
Nar looks towards the Illithid as her face falls blank as she lifts her bow at Adlia, but, before she can draw, Faelar's incredible speed carries him to the creature. He rushes in raining down a seemingly endless flurry of blows into the psychic foe, killing it. As the body slumps to the floor, Kyra checks on Jane and the party works its way back toward Crabber's Cove in Saltmarsh.
As they exit the cave, Faelar carefully carries his captain as Karia asks, "Where did you go before? Did you see anything in that other building?"
"I was looking for my captain, but I only saw crab. However, something felt different there. Why?" responds Faelar.
"I think we should look again," answers Karia, "These crabs were under some other control and maybe it was that carcass we left back in the cave, but maybe there's something more."
Faelar nods before stating, "My captain needs urgent care, so I will journey onward toward Oweland's house. It seems this is where our paths diverge--I shall spread the word of you in the great city of Greyhawk, where next I am bound--the world will know of the glory of the Punch Hard Misfits!" "Uhh, I think you mean
Try-Hard Mis--" Nar begins, but Faelar has already set off with the body of his captain over his shoulder, whistling as he goes."
The party steps off the path and heads toward the collapsed hovel first explored by Faelar before it collapsed. As they step onto the boards, Adlia says, "Ehlonna warns me of a dark entity."
A faint voice reaches the party's ears, "Hello? Wilt thou release me? I've been trapped here for a long time."
"Who are you? Where are you?" Karia asks loudly.
"I'm trapped in the basement. Please let me out," responds the voice.
Adlia adds, "The night protects this creature. We should not free it."
"If you free me, then I have information for you," answers the creature. "People have held meetings here for years discussing ways to infiltrate Saltmarsh."
