Embedded Files
Campaign Journal 68 -
Having made a deal with Manshoon of the Zhentarim to go after The Xanathar Guild AKA The Eye in the subterranean city of Skullport, the Owlbear League heads to the dock ward to meet the transport arranged by Manshoon. They are to meet Captain Rory Barbarossa on The Riptide, get to Skullport, contact Narl Xibrindas who Manshoon says has the means to defeat The Eye, but is under tight observation. They also must first rescue the Three Urchins from the clutches of The Xanathar. What nobody knows is that The Owlbear League possesses The Stone of Golorr, the key to a million gold dragons hidden somewhere in Waterdeep.
PREVIOUSLY - CAMPAIGN DIARIES 67 - CULTIST INTERRUPTUS
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The League arrives at the docks on a frigid morning, with the first ice of winter floating in the harbor. They ask around, and quickly are pointed to a fine-looking ship, The Riptide and head down the docks, determined to rescue their wards and be free of the turf war they have become embroiled in.
They walk up to the ship whose crew is readying for departure. On the ship, sitting under a tarp on a bed of crates is the largest man any have ever seen. Obviously a goliath, but with green-tinged skin - he must stand 10' tall.
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"Are you the Owlbear people?" the man asks in a deep timber.
Nowhere says "yes we are. Are you captain Barbarossa?"
"No, I'm second mate, Big." the goliath responds.
Immeral ask "Is that your real name?"
Big replies "No, my name is Threen, but everyone calls me Big and I don't mind. It's true. Come aboard" he says, pointing to a gangplank.
"Captain is running late this morning" he says.
"Yes, but will he be actually running?" asks a female voice coming up from below decks.
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Immeral takes a half-step back, startled at the visage of a medusa. "Lorilla Saghipe - 1st mate." she shakes a few hands and ignores any odd looks. Immeral stirs up the courage for a handshake remembering his last encounter with a medusa did not end well for him.
"I understand you need passage to Skullport." Lorilla states.
Atlas responds "Yes, but we don't want to draw much attention."
Lorilla says "That sounds like just about everyone in Skullport. Are you aware of where it is?"
Dain says "Somewhere under Mount Waterdeep?"
Lorilla nods, "Yes, as far as the sea caves which will get us there, but it's actually under the Dock Ward of Waterdeep, if you can believe anyone about the place. I know you can get there through the Yawning Portal, but you would have to travel a few floors of The Dungeon of the Mad Mage, so it's not a quick journey."
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Lorilla introduces some other crew members.
"Our boatswain Valanna" she introduced a female drow with golden eyes squinting in the bright morning sun.
She distractedly says "welcome to the Riptide", but Valanna quickly moves on to give various orders to the crew. Bringing the last crates onboard and stowing them quickly.
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Many of the deck hands appear to be from a race of blue-skinned simion-like creatures with white fur.
"Watch out for the Giblons" Lorilla says. Excellent with crew, but they don't slow down for anyone.
The creatures crawl all over the ship like monkeys in a jungle, wrapping ropes, stowing cargo, securing sails and cleaning seagull droppings from the deck.
The giblons chuckle and whoop as they work.
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Another unusual deckhand makes his way from belowdeck. A cleric of some sort who gets introduced as "Finn" short for Fineaus.
Finn reveals he is a devotee to the god Valkur, a deity of sea storms and sky that only a few of the party have heard of.
Finn is a spiritual advisor to the crew, and tends to turn his head away from talking directly at a person, getting them in better eyeshot from his wide "hammer-head".
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/0/00/Locathah-5e.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210305203002
One more member of the crew waddles by, and he is introduced as Flip, a young Locathah who serves as a Cabin Boy on the ship.
"I would bring you to a cabin, but I heard you will be leaving tonight." Flip says.
"Just a rule for safety. If anything happens, grab one of these shells" and Flip reaches into a barrel. "They are Lentas shells, harvested from a secret island near Chult. They can make air for 15 minutes if you find yourself underwater. Which shouldn't happen, but you never know. But don't take any - they are very expensive, and if you use them you just have to dry them out for an hour. Bye!" and off goes Finn belowdeck.
A banging can be heard from below deck and Big opens a hatch to what is clearly the kitchen. There, an octopus can be seen cooking. It looks just a normal octopus, wearing a chef's hat. He waves tentacles frantically.
The goliath says "Yes, Yut, the foodstuffs will be down there shortly." and he closes the hatch. He yells "Kaibo! Foodstuffs to the kitchen!" and the Giblons swing over and start grabbing crates of foodstuffs and start passing them down to the kitchen.
Big turns to The League and says "Yut is the cook. Crawled on the ship one day and started cooking. Doesn't speak a word but cooks fantastic meals. Nothing fancy, just normal food, but it's the tastiest food you've ever eaten. When the old cook died, Yut took over. It's weird but nobody complains once they eat. We should have a good lunch."
"Cast off! Cast off! Cast off!" yells someone running down the docks. The man is being chased by a group of men with swords, and a red-faced older man who by attire is of a noble family of Waterdeep.
Big says "Ah, there's the captain now."
"I'll get you Barbarossa, and cut off the hands you laid on my daughter!" the red-faced man yells with what little air he has while waving his sword.
Lorilla calls to the crew "All ropes cast off, 'cept a line for the captain."
The giblons cast off and pull in the gangplank while a single line remains tied from a sail to the dock. The Riptide eases away from the dock except for that line which Barbarossa grabs with one hand while slashing the line with his cutlass.
The wind grabs the sail and Barbarossa swings on the line, gracefully landing on the deck of the ship as his pursuers reach just a few feet away, separated by icy cold water they dare not try to leap.
The giblons tie down the loose sail and The Riptide starts sliding out of the harbor. "You will regret this Barbarossa! You will pay!" the huffing and puffing red-faced man rattles his sword. "I certainly regret being caught m'lord, but I never pay! Good day to you!" he turns to the party and bows "Captain Rory Barbarossa at your service" he says, kissing the hands of the ladies. "Welcome aboard the Riptide, I trust you have been introduced to the crew?"
Big, sitting now on a crate but still taller than everyone else standing nods to the captain.
"Very good!" he says. "The journey won't be too long, we'll just wait for nightfall. Skullport can be reached from the sea caves below Mount Waterdeep. We just don't want any undue attention from the city. Discretion, right?" and he winks at Nowhere.
Small talk continues and the day passes uneventfully as the ship takes position and anchors.
Night falls, and The Owlbear League waits on the deck of The Riptide for the deep of night to obscure their passage into the secret city, although the moon Selune is bright and nearly full. The ship is are anchored about a mile from Mount Waterdeep in the cold, shark-filled waters of the Sea of Swords. With Mount Waterdeep only visible as a dark blot in the starry sky above the city, a signal fire appears slightly above the shoreline. The captain whistles, and his mates haul anchor and trim the sails to bring the ship in.
From time to time the signal fire is obscured, and the captain adjusts his rudder and sail to bring it back to true, pointing the way into the caves. The moonlight reveals massive rocks on each side of the cave entrance as The Riptide glides expertly past them and ship drops sail and travels inside a massive cave. Crewmen drop oars from belowdeck and paddling commences, with the captain relaying orders through a brass pipe he speaks into.
The passage from the outside sea is short, the piloting masterful, and The League is quickly within a massive sea cave whose smooth ceiling stands a hundred foot above, barely lit by the reflected light of the silvery moon outside.
The captain orders "lanterns on" and the crew lights several large lanterns along the gunwale that are hooded to cast their light outwards.
On a rocky hillside rising from the water, dimly lit by bonfires, torches, and the occasional lantern, stands a shantytown of tents and shacks thrown together with all sorts of flotsam and debris. Figures can be seen moving, boats can be made out alongside ramshackle docks.
Rickety ladders can barely be seen in the cliffside, scrambling up to a ledge where the signal fire is burning.
There seems to be two ways the ship can go. One part of this caverned bay leads to the north and a narrower one leads deeper to the east. The captain positions his ship pointing at the eastern passage which seems nearly too small for the ship. There is a fragile looking rope bridge rising from the town up to a ledge near the top of the passage deeper into the mountain.
The captain calls out to "bow anchor", and shortly after calls for "aft anchor", and a splash can be heard. After a few moments, when the ship is no longer moving, he calls to "spin the yards", and the crew moves into action to pivot the rigging so that the cross beams on the mast are pointed bow to aft instead of port to starboard. Now the ship is wide only at its base, and the sails are stowed around the yardarms.
As the crew sets the rigging, a lone rowboat with a lantern can be seen in the dim light coming out to meet your ship. The captain moves to the side where it arrives, with several crewmembers joining him with cutlass' drawn.
"State your purpose." the captain says, seemingly as a formality.
"Fee for the flame." says a horse-voiced man, which the captain seems to have expected. A crewman brings him a wooden cage with some chickens in it, with a rope tied to its top, and they lower it to the waiting boat. The captain also draws out a small purse from his person and lowers it on a string to the men. "10 silver and the chickens are a gift from my crew" to the flamekeepers in the skiff.
"Paid and thanks." says the man, and they quickly paddle off.
The captain turns to you, pointing to the shantytown. "Runner's Bay is not somewhere we want to stay long, the men and women there are mostly on the run. Hiding out from crimes and mistakes makes them desperate. We will post guards until the tides turn and we can get to Skullport."
A couple hours go by uneventfully, the tide changes and first mate Lorilla calls to the crew "Raise anchor."
As the ship slips into the deeper darkness of the subterranean rivers beneath Mount Waterdeep, more lights can be seen in the distance, on ledges carved into the cave walls high above which follow the underground river. The captain readies his men, "spears out" he says, and the men and women take positions along the deck, spears at the ready, looking upwards.
"Would you mind stepping under the canopy?" Barbarossa asks The League nicely. They do so and he calls out. "Repel all boarders!" the captain calls.
Several figures can be seen peeking out from ledges above, and suddenly several come swinging down on ropes at different angles, hanging on with one hand and lashing out with swords with the other. For once, the League leaves the fighting to others and they expertly handle the onslaught, although one crewmember goes down with a vicious sword slash, but several of the attackers are stabbed and fall into the drink.
A final assault lands one of the bandits on the deck right in front of The League. Nowhere attempts to push him over the side, but he hangs on, slashing her in the process and three oarsmen quickly stab the rag-clad ruffian and Big lifts him over the side and drops him into the drink.
"All clear" calls Lorilla as Big takes position at the front of the ship, lifting a large iron pole to help push off the rock passage as the captain continues to steer expertly and the oarsmen return to their positions.
The ship comes to a crossroads in the river, left, right and forward. The captain seems to know his way though, bearing slightly to the left as the currents push the ship to the right of the crossing which would have ended them on the rocks. Straight it is, as the captain barks more orders. "Take cover!" cries as the ship heads through a large loop in the river.
In short order, tentacles reach down from the dark ceiling, reaching for the deck and feeling around for a victim. One grabs a crewmember just under the canopy, lifting him by his leg, but other members of the crew grab the man and slash the ropey tentacles of the monsters inhabiting the ceiling above.
In no time, they have finished the loop and first mate Lorilla orders the crew back to positions, and the Riptide continues onward into the darkness, with Big pushing off the rocky walls from the bow.
The boat continues on into the darkness lit mostly by the lanterns on the deck, but every so often the Riptide passes intriguing structures and side caves. Old temples carved into rocks, great doors with glyphs carved into them, and more. There is a cave with a giant pearl spewing ribbons crackling white energy randomly and seemingly scouring the rock walls.
They pass another cave with glowing rainbow-hued bubbles erupting from the water.
Captain Barbarossa says "Those are the Fountains of Jeddar" none have swam in those waters and lived to tell of it."
Dain says "Let's go look!"
The League is intrigued.
Further on, a crevasse in the mountain opens up to a cave revealing the illuminated skull of some giant, perhaps a fallen walking statue of Waterdeep.
K'ronk is intrigued and casts fly, traveling to the skull and landing in its mouth. Barbarossa says "that is not wise."
It is warm here, and K'ronk sees the source of the light, a very powerful continual light spell cast on the stalagtites above. There is nothing in the jaws of the titan but rocky debris and moss. K'ronk looks around and casts eldrich blast to loosen the tooth of the skull and manages to get the tooth loose, and barely slips it into his bag of holding.
K'ronk flies back to the ship with his takings, not knowing how the tooth might benefit (or curse) him. Nowhere gives him a glare and says "this mission isn't just about you getting your hands on more magic. We're a team."
K'ronk flippantly tells her, "I didn't slow us up" and she scowls deeper.
They travel another curve of the underground river and suddenly Big calls from the bow "Captain, fast anchor!" and Barbarossa yells "so ordered!" and the crew drops anchor and the Riptide slows to a halt.
A great chain blocks the river, it is mounted to a large winch on a large stone ledge beside the river. Also on the ledge is the partial construction of a device which looks like a massive horn, being assembled of wood, larger than a covered wagon.
Towards the back of the platform is the entrance to an ancient stone temple. From the temple, a squad of cloaked men and women who are mostly human approach. The leader, who does not seem human by the tentacles on his face, is dressed in shells and clerical garb with a tentacle-adored cloak. He calls to the ship and says "I am Ermerass of the Kraken Society. There is a fee to pass. The toll is 100 gold. A tribute to the mighty Slarkethrel, lord of the seas, rider of the storm."
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"This is new." says Barbarossa with a scowl as his crew forms on the gunwale. Barbarossa says "One moment while we assemble our coin." he whispers to The League "You'll have to cough up the coin, we're only a taxi service."
The League doesn't like the idea.
The priest's companions wear teal robes and the robes sport a symbol of an octopus.
Dain recognizes it. "I was drinking with someone who told me of these guys. They are The Kraken Society, a cult that worships krakens and wants to take over the world."
There are now a dozen other cultists standing behind the cult leader, when suddenly a half-dozen sahuagin leaps up from the water and one of them grabs Barbarossa and pulls him overboard, splashing into the dark waters between the ship and the landing.
Big yells "Finn! Get the captain." and the sharkman-cleric leaps over the side.
"On it!" the Finn yells as the giblons pull out daggers and start hooting and hollering.
The cultists pull out maces and look ready for a fight, they don't seem surprised at the attack.
Lorilla grabs a Lentas shell, ready to go overboard, as K'ronk says to the cult leader "Are the fish-men with you?" and the gorgon woman waits to hear their response as Big holds out a hand for her to wait.
The cult leader says "just pay the fee and be on your way."
Nowhere shouts "You took the captain, we can't go now."
The cult leader says "He is needed to serve Slarkethrel, and is now part of the fee. We still need your hundred gold."
Immeral says "People are not gold to be bartered."
A lone cultist laughs "But they might be food!"
Immeral mutters "Ewwww"
The cult leader clarifies "His life will feed the child. Unless you all wish to feed the child, pay the fee and leave with your lives or you will forfit them and your ship."
Dain says to the others "can I kill him now?"
Nowhere nods and says "take him, I'm on the others, but I need to get over there."
Big whispers "Do you need a boost?"
Nowhere answers "Throw me"
"We'll guard the ship, you get the captain." Big replies.
Dain flips a copper at the leader and says "that's what you get." as he draws out Bloodstorm, the great axe of Gorm the Bloodletter.
"This will not do." says the kraken-man and the other worshippers gather behind him.
Big calls down into the hold. "All hands, defend the ship!" and footsteps can be heard coming from below. The League waits for the deck to fill with the ragtag crew as Finn pops his head out of the water and says "They have the captain in a sea cave behind big iron bars, I can't get him!"
Big says to Lorilla, Valanna and other crew members like Flip and the octopus chef Yut, "we may have to fight our way through the temple."
Finn adds "There's also a ship following us underwater!" which confuses everyone. Lorilla says to The League "You're being followed."
Nowhere starts takes a running leap at Big, who has laced his fingers together and he boosts her over his shoulder and sends her sailing across the gap. Dain follows, assisted by his ring of jumping, Atlas by her ring of jumping. K'ronk flies right over still powered by his fly spell. Seraphina and Immeral stay back on the ship as The League and the Kraken Society faces off.
CAPTURE 56:00, 59:00
Lorilla says to Big, "I'm going after the Captain too." and he nods, boosting her over the dark gap and landing with The League. They face off against the cultists who wait for their leader to direct them.
Immeral says to her companions, 'I'll take a second look below." grabbing one of the Lentas shells, afixing it to his face, and diving overboard and swimming downward, fighting off shivering from the cold water.
Now Immeral sees the manta-ray ship and recognizes it as the one he and The League encountered in Waterdeep bay when chasing the drow who had grabbed The Stone of Golorr. It's obvious they have been followed. The ship starts retreating and Immeral sees some movement in the windows of the contraption, but not clearly as they back away. He continues downward, Finn following and pointing the way.
They swim down about thirty feet and find a large opening that goes into a cavern that is dimly lit with teal light, and there is a large metal grate blocking the way, guarded by a squad of spear-wielding sahuagin warriors.
It is clear to Immeral that it would not be an ideal way in, and his knock spell would obviously not lift the grate, so even if he unlocked it, the lifter would be vulnerable to being stabbed.
The League takes the initiative, and it starts with Seraphina casting sacred flame, hitting one of the cultists, but the cultist shakes off the damage and moves to fight.
Nowhere goes after the lead cultist and swings Icerazor, but the attack is blocked by his magical leather armor.
K'ronk flies to a strategic position and uses the staff of frost to cast cone of cold to freeze the cultists. The wedge of brutal magical cold flows over most of the cult and freezes many in their place, turning them into frozen statues.
The lead cultist and his second in command survive.
Atlas runs up to a remaining cultist and brutally beats and kicks him with flurries of blows, knocking him out. Atlas taps into her Ki energy and pivots to a lead cultist and hits him with some unarmed strikes.
Dain raises his shield and jumps up in the air with his ring of jumping, over the frozen cultists, and lands on the cult leader with his spike shield devastating the Kraken worshipper.
Lorilla the gorgon petrifies one of the cultists with her magical gaze and she hardens into stone.
The first remaining cultist attacks Nowhere, but she parries the attack.
The second cultist battles with Atlas who drives them over the edge of the platform they are standing on and the cloaked man falls into the water, spear and all. The crew from the ship quickly throws loose objects down on the cultist, knocking him out and sending him to drown.
A third cultist goes after K'ronk with a spear and succeeds in stabbing him, but it is not a mortal wound.
Another cultist targets K'ronk, but K'ronk flies up out of reach. Leaving a fifth to throw his spear at the wizard, missing him.
The second-in-command cultist starts praying and teleports over to the entrance of the temple with a dimension door spell and he opens the doors of the temple.
Nowhere runs to the entrance of the temple and catches the Ermerass as he calls out "intruders, we need help!" She stabs him brutally, but he still lives.
K'ronk sees Nowhere run, about sixty feet away from him. Worries that there are reinforcements just inside, K'ronk casts fireball and sends the explosion into the open doorway and just beyond, using sculpt spell to prevent the spell from affecting Nowhere.
The explosion blows the stone doors off the entrance, but Ermerass dives to the floor and only takes part of the flame damage. The blast blows around Nowhere, but doesn't affect her at all with the exception of blowing her hair back as flames engulf her momentarily.
CAPTURE 1:34:18 - Pompei shadow
Three other cultists that were in the entrance room take a few remaining steps of life, blackened and burned and they fall over dead or at least unconscious.
Atlas moves towards the four remaining cultists on the platform and unleashes a ferocious attack that knocks the first one out. She moves on to a second with her incredible speed, and batters him, but the man still stands with spear in hand. She presses the attack using her ki and unleashes a flurry of blows which knocks out her second opponent. She spins toward the third and with her last punches and kicks, she batters a third, but he is still up.
Dain leaves the cultists to Atlas and runs to the temple doorway to go after the leader who is now clambering back to his feat, his seaweed-garb singed and smoking. He runs into the entryway, catches up with the cultist and swings his great axe, but Ermerass turns and dodges the blow.
Immeral clambers up onto the ship and decides to leap across to join his friends. He takes a running dash and just makes it across the ten foot gap, teetering on the edge a moment, but gains his footing and casts chill touch on the lead cultist Dain just missed and the spell blisters the creature with black necrotic energy and he screams, still trying to get to help in the temple.
Within the entrance some more cultists appear to rally to Ermerass's aid. The burnt leader turns and casts a spell at Nowhere and commands Nowhere to "flee" and Nowhere immediately turns and runs back to the ship and leaps over the gap.
One of the cultists swings at Dain, but the spear tip glances off his shield, as does the attack from a second cultist - the nimble dwarf blocking their attacks and driving closer for his.
The burnt cult leader retreats further into the temple.
Two cultists still out on the platform try to attack Atlas, but she fends off the blows.
Seraphina is still on the boat and asks Nowhere "what happened?"
Nowhere growls "He got me, I was compelled to run. Ahhhhh!" she screams furiously as she jumps back over the gap.
Seraphina casts sacred flame on one of the few remaining cultists, but she misses the man. She decides to join the fray, grabbing a hanging rope and swinging across the water to land on the platform.
There are two cultists still fighting on the platform, there are two higher-level cultists and a regular one defending from within the temple, and of course the one leader who ran off.
K'ronk can see the leader some seventy feet from him, escaping into the darkness of the temple, and he decides to again cast fireball, which flies into the temple and explodes near the cult leader, Ermerass. As he did with Nowhere, K'ronk shapes the spell to not harm Dain.
The explosion kills two of the three cultists, leaving one barely conscious but blistered and burned. Shockingly Ermerass still lives and staggers through the portal into the deeper temple and out of sight.
Atlas unleashes a flurry of blows at the first cultist she faces on the platform, she misses with some of her attack, but presses on and batters the woman unconscious. Dain still faces one cultist as Ermerass flees, but he decides to run after the leader. The cultist takes the opportunity to hit Dain with his spear, and stabs him in the shoulder as he runs off.
Dain swings Bloodstorm the Great Axe of Gorm the Bloodletter, tripping while trying to catch at him and swing, and he tumbles, battering his stabbed shoulder into the ground, hurting it more, but he rolls with the fumble and slashes again. This time Bloodstorm hits the cult leader and cuts the legs out from the man, nearly cutting them off, defeeting him.
Immeral casts ray of frost to hit the last one by Atlas and the frost-blasted cultist falls off the ledge and he falls into the water unconscious and drowns.
Atlas starts stabbing all unconscious ones just to make sure.
The spectators from the Riptide raise their eyebrows, startled at Atlas's viciousness.
CAPTURE P1 2:05:40
The League reassembles on the platform and they discuss options, the watery gate or the temple entrance. Finn says "They have a lot of guys with spears, and we would be sitting ducks for any spellcasters" and Nowhere adds "plus most of us would be at some disadvantage under water." Finn shrugs. So they decide on the temple entrance with Lorilla the gorgon accompanying them while Big and the rest stay to defend the ship.
Lorilla says "throw us some Lentas shells" and Kronk takes the extras and stuff them in his bag of holding, as each hands the strange air-producing shells around their necks - just in case. Then they rush back into the temple, not knowing Barbarossa's condition.
The group wanders in and quickly checks the body of the cult commander, K'ronk finds the creature's mace is magical, and casting identify finds it does strong (+2) magical damage and additional (3d8) bludgeoning damage from a water blast upon a hit.
K'ronk decides to keep the mace and asks Atlas if she wants his magical (+2) longsword (1d8 one-handed/1d10 two-handed). He also give her a potion of fire breath.
There is a gong in the room across from a capstan which seems to control a barred gate that descends from the ceiling. They have three hallways they can follow - east, west or south.
They go east.
CAPTURE P2 18:30
The League continues south, moving swiftly but carefully. Smoky torches line the hallway. They come to an open doorway in the eastern wall of the passage and look in. Seeing nothing malicious, they quickly move into the room.
Dark green tiles cover the walls and floor of this room. Several coffers rest against the walls, though there are none near the northern. One of the coffers glows, its blue light filling the room.
A sledgehammer is propped against the northern wall.
Nowhere takes the sledgehammer.
K'ronk casts detect magic. There is magic on the glowing coffer, but no magic from the sledgehammer. Nowhere moves to the glowin coffer and sees a glowing gem. K'ronk is concerned about traps, but Nowhere just takes it. It does nothing but glow, a gem of continual light. "We can use it in the tavern." she says and tucks it away.
They spend the time to check for secret passages, though Lorilla says, "we should keep moving."
The group searches quickly, but finding nothing, returns to the hallway.
CAPTURE P2 27:27
They move to the next archway, and it appears to be an unfinished barracks, with basic beds being constructed.
Many lidless coffers are arranged around the walls of the room, though there are none near the north wall west of the archway.
Propped against the center of the north wall are dozens of stone-working tools.
The League looks around briefly, but continues down the southeastern hall, but halts as they hear distant hammering and hears voices. The League looks at each other and none know the language, so Immeral casts comprehend languages and it is sahuagin.
It sounds like there is a female explaining to others that they will have to suffer through the noise while the construction is going on in the temple. In the meantime they will have to continue to guard this outpost and the prisoners without compliant.
Sahuagin - https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pathfinder/images/b/b6/Lord_Achimair.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091221081942
Up ahead an archway opens into the room, and as the party decides how to act, a sahuagin steps into the corridor, and startled for a moment cries out "intruders!"
A gate comes down, blocking their way, and The League charges the gate and Immeral shouts "Dain, get the gate!" as Immeral casts knock.
Immeral starts yelling through the bars "Can you understand me?" asks Immeral as the Sahuagin raise spears and take position at the grate. One runs out of the room to somewhere unseen to the west.
Seraphina move to the grate and casts burning hands and flames erupt from her hands and shoot through the grate. The fish-creatures dive out of the way but several are burned.
She sees there are seven sahuagin and two tougher looking ones including two sahuagin female priestesses.
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/14/5b/b2/145bb205054736f02cf496f3494eaf94.jpg
One stabs through the bars at Seraphina, but she backs off from the gates.
Nowhere casts spike growth into the room, twisting the floor into camoflaged spikes and thorns. All the sahuagin are stabbed and scratched by the twisted floor, their legs and feet bleeding from the slashes.
K'ronk moves up and casts a fire bolt, but it glances off the iron bars.
Atlas squeezes up to the grate and goes to lift them, empowered by her gauntlets of ogre power. She gets some movement, but the gate is too heavy.
Dain squeezes in to assist and they both try again, raising the gates but having to hold them up despite the risk of being speared.
Immeral reaches forward and casts lightning bolt across the room, sending the sahuagins diving out of the way.
There are three that die instantly, but there is a four-armed sahuagin who Immeral hears is referred to as a coral smasher, and it dives out of the way for lighter damage.
Sahuagin Coral Smasher - https://static.miraheze.org/criticalrolewiki/b/b2/Sahuagin_Warlock_of_Uk%27otoa.jpg
The movement of the sahuagin continues to rip apart their legs and feet, drawing deep scars, but one still rushes the doorway, stabbing at Dain who is holding the bars and he takes a deep wound to the side with a spear, and additionaly bites Dain on the shoulder.
Lorilla pokes her head into the fight and the gorgon petrifies the one attacking Dain.
Another runs up to Atlas and stabs and bites, but the dexterous monk dodges its attack while helping Dain hold up the bars.
One of the priestesses tries to cast a spell (hold person) on Lorilla Sagheep, but Immeral casts counterspell and the magic withers and dies.
A second priestess tries the same, and this time it is successful, and Lorilla is ironically frozen in place.
The coral smasher moves into the fray, blocking the doorway but it can't attack since one still fights Atlas, and another is petrified.
Dain drops back, releasing the arch, dropping the gate onto the petrified sahuagin who sags a bit, but its shoulder stands firm, holding the gate up.
Nowhere surges up to the archway and enters the room, dropping the spike growth and killing the sahuagin coral smasher with Icerazor.
Seraphina casts sacred flame from the hallway towards one of the priestesses, but they run out of the room to the southeast, bleeding from their leg rooms.
K'ronk wants to move into the room, but Nowhere is blocking the only way, so he casts eldrich blast at one of the remaining sahuagin, killing the creature.
There is one sahuagin left in the room, the petrified one, and the two priestesses who fled.
CAPTURE 1:00:30
Lorilla shakes off the hold person spell and smashes the petrified sahuagin in anger, so Atlas grabs the falling gate again, allowing the rest of her companions to enter the room.
Dain moves to the remaining sahuagin coral smasher, swinging his great axe Bloodstorm. Slashing the fish-man and driving him backwards. A second slash strikes true and the sahuagin falls unconscious.
Atlas drops the grate after they all get in the room.
Immeral tries to hit one of the priestess who is just turning south into a winding hallway with a fire bolt and the mote of fire strikes the female sahuagin in the back, burning her and knocking her out, but the leading one gets away.
Nowhere races into the corridor after the priestess, and she makes up some of the ground and sees her ahead in the hallway now running west.
Seraphina moves into the room, a bit too short-legged for chasing fast enemies.
K'ronk moves to follow Nowhere down the winding halls south of their position.
Atlas uses her incredible speed to race after Nowhere and the priestess. Seeing this, Immeral casts Haste on his companion and Atlas doubles in speed and zooms out of the room faster than human ability. The monk quickly moves past K'ronk and Nowhere and catches the sahuagin, unleashing multiple flurry of blows that hammers the priestess unconscious with lightning punches and they kill the priestess and drag her back to the guard room.
They ask Lorilla if she can petrify one of the unconscious combatants and she says she will try. She slaps one across the face a few times, waking them up just to use her petrifying gaze on the sahuagin, and the weakend creature is quickly turned to stone. They take him and lean him in the doorway, using him to prop up the metal grate.
Now The League's attention returns to the exits and beyond the capstan that controls the grate, there is a prison. They use the capstan to open the grate. A long, narrow room stretches beyond, with four pillars equally spaced north to south. A long the east wall runs a shallow trough cut into the stone floor. This channel is stained and traces of a brown liquid shine wetly.
To their left, along the west wall, dozens of manacles hang from the wall at waist height. There are six humans manacled to the wall, one of which is dead, the last one in very bad shape, laying dying in the northwest corner of this room. He is barely conscious.
The League pulls the bodies of the defeated Sahuagin warriors and priestesses far into the room, hiding them in the back corner. The brown liquid seems to be some sort of gruel, poured into the trough like slop for a pig.
Immeral notices keys to the manacles hanging by the doorway, and he quickly releases the emaciated humans which were clearly used as work slaves. They are all male, and are cautious, but introduce themselves. Zaghap, Curda, Rookesh, Dainen, and Helmo apparently survivors of dozens that have been taken from various ships, used up, then eaten by the sahuagin!
Helmo can barely stand and Nowhere offers them all goodberries for a boost of health as they direct the former slaves how to get back to the ship while they rescue the captain. They are thankful, but hurry to leave and have little more to say.
They see the prisoners off and follow the winding passage to the south that the sahuagin priestesses were heading.
Will The League be able to find Captain Barbarossa? Will he still be alive, or is he resigned to some horrific fate? Can they get to Skullport, save the children and defeat the Xanathar? And what about the million gold dragons secreted up in Waterdeep.
NEXT - CAMPAIGN JOURNAL 69 - Temple of the Sahuagin
This adventure used material from the D&D Module "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist".
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