Session 39 - Escape the Sahuagin Fortress

Waterday - 5 Sunsebb - Afternoon   The Try-Hard Misfits have been exploring the second level of the sahuagin fortress where they just encountered a huge bifurcated shark imbued with divinity of the god Sekolah. Sahuagin priestesses were involved in a complex ritual pleasing the avatar so that Sekolah would sink the island deeper underwater.   While panting and recovering from the intense battle, the party searches the temple and follows a doorway to east which leads to a small vestry that includes a coffer with a bit of knick-knacks. They then head south and explore three rooms east of the temple hallway, all of which are sparsely decorated, feature gray tile floor and walls and are currently unoccupied.   Backtracking to the temple, the party then heads through the western door to a similar hallway on the east. Heading north, they enter the high priestesses room that has similar tiles to the other rooms but also features a large white stone table where Nar discovers a hidden compartment where she bypasses a trap before discover a leather harness and platinum coins.   Following the hallway south, they explore two more rooms to the west. The final one contains a surprised priestess and four shell sharks that immediately attack, but pose no threat to the party.   Leaving the temple behind, the party continues to explore the western half of this level where they wind east and west as the hallway traverses north. As the party heads back east along a hallway they suspect leads to the dining hall, they open a door leading south to a room that's empty or rather nearly empty. As they search the room for trinkets, images of them taking a lobster with them appear in their head and they feel warm and safe. Looking around, Karia finds a lobster standing on a pile of rocks. Lifting him, she senses his name is Shern and he will lead them to a treasure in the bays outside if they free him from this fortress. Kyra asks if he knows the fortress and images of rooms the party has already visited flash within her head. There are also images of rooms Kyra had not seen allowing her to complete the map she's been drawing.   Leaving the room behind, the party continues east until reaching the banquet hall and then head back and south to the large double-wide stairs leading upward. Karia and Nar silently ascend the stairs into air of the first level. Crouching behind a half-wall, the pair peek above and see several sahuagin overseeing and whipping a motley crew of various humanoids including lizardfolk expanding the wall to the west. They dip back below the stairs into the water to brief the party who then rush the overseers and quickly dispatch them.   Exploring the first level, the party comes across a large storeroom containing neat piles of hammers, chisels, mining picks, sledgehammers, crowbars, spades, wicker baskets, sacks, and coils of rope. As they start sorting through the equipment, Karia's eyes spot an outline of a door on the eastern wall. Nar moves to open it when she's stopped by Kyra who sees a glyph faintly glowing at the bottom of the wall. The party spend a few moments debating how to bypass the glyph of warding, when Jane urges them backward as she throws a hammer against it triggering a massive cold blast from the glyph.   Now safe, Nar quickly opens the secret door revealing a small closet beyond containing a leather cloak hanging on a peg, two suits of armor, and a coffer against the far wall. Examing the plate armor reveals that it's been made out of the extremely valuable mithral metal. Recognizing it's benefits, the party takes a short rest allowing Jane to exchange her armor for the mithral armor.   Continuing their exploration, they head north along a hallway until entering a guard room with a small group of sahuagin resting inside it. The sahuagin barely have time to organize before being defeated by the group. After dispatching the sahuagin, the group raises a portcullis to the north and find a long narrow hall that appears to be the slaves quarters. There they find a single weak and dying human in the corner. Approaching him, the party offers him water and healing and they are able to have a brief conversation learning that he led a party from the Hold of the Sea Princes, but they were quickly overwhelmed and the rest of his party was killed. Recognizing Wee Jane's armor, he shares his happiness that their gear will be used to avenge his teammates and with his dying breath warns that he witnessed a ritual summoning a divine avatar in the waters below.   The party spends the next hour exploring the rest of the floor before heading north toward the entrance. Most of this level is unused, but they do discover a small armory containing spears, tridents, and glaives that the party stuffs into their limitless bag to prevent the sahuagin from using them.   Finally, the party approaches the entrance killing two sahuagin quickly as the guards from the entrance react to the battle and meet their doom as well. The group opens the outer door to a red and yellow sky as the sun sets to the west illuminating the causeway leading to the swamp.