“Where in the nine hells be the Sea Ghost crew?” Kildo bemoaned just above a whisper.
“There be four towers in total. The northwestern ain’t be it. The only place they could be is in the barracks building or in either the southeast or southwest tower,” Kai said as the party crept out of the northeastern tower. They placed the bodies of three of the orcs back into bed. For the other two, they were slumped against the wall. At first glance, it would seem to be a bunch of stupid and lazy orcs from the ‘Proud Boyz Clan’ derelict in their duties. However, their blood, gore, and innards, quickly swept away under the beds, would convey a truer telling.
Right inside and peeking out watching for any alarms, Kai, Scomatch, and Kildo were waiting for Guo Gan to return from his scouting mission. After about fifteen minutes, Kai saw the shadows move and the elven monk slip back inside the structure.
“The southeast tower is occupied. I could hear multiple people talking, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. I don’t think the crew is there. In regards to the larger building, it’s a barracks all right. There were at least ten bunk beds with half of them full. There was also a bath house next to it. I jammed a couple pitons in the doorframe. It won’t stop them, but it’ll slow them down.”
“Alright, that leaves the southwest tower,” Kai said.
“Yes, but there is a bandit on the wall and while watching out to sea, he’s too close to the tower door. We’d be seen,” Guo Gan explained.
“We’ll need to eliminate that guard first. However, there’s too great a risk that we won’t be able to kill him before he sounds off an alarm,” Kai said.
There were several heartbeats of silence.
“I be knowing what to do,” Kildo sounded off.
“What?”
“Follow me.”
Kildo led the group back through the chapel and into the main entrance, up to the second story and back into the female Crushing Wave Reavers sleeping quarters. Besides the door leading into the room, there was another out to the wall. It was where the bandit and their target was stationed.
“Elf, I be needing yer leg,” Kildo said.
“What for?” Guo Gan asked with hesitancy.
“In this darkness, yer legs would be looking like a woman’s. I be cracking the door and ye be showing some skin to entice that bandit in for a ‘booty call’,” Kildo explained and then in more of an out loud comment continued, “Besides, it be hard telling male and female elves apart without seeing yer bits.”
Guo Gan scoffed and retorted. “What!? Dwarves are worse. They all have beards.”
“Are ye daft or something? Of course, we all be having beards. That fellow out there ain’t be a dwarf now, is he?” Kildo said and reached out for the elven monk’s robes.
Slapping the dwarf’s hand away, Guo Gan stated, “I’m not going to stick my leg out a door to entice some guard.”
The dwarf and elf began to argue harshly about the plan, when Scomatch piped up. “Why don’t we take a pair of their knickers and place it on the latch outside the door for him to see?”
The arguing pair stopped and glanced at the halfling. “Good idea! I always be saying it be smart to have a wizard in the group.”
The party searched the room and while not finding much in the way of clothing, they found an off-white smock. Seeing that this was the women’s quarters and while not feminine in design, it was understood it was worn by a female.
Pulling out crossbows and hiding behind the beds, Kai motioned giving Guo Gan the signal.
Sighing, the monk opened the outer door to the wall. There was an audible ‘creak’.
A voice from outside said, “Is there anything wrong?”
There was silence for several heartbeats.
Kildo strongly motioned towards the smock in Guo Gan’s hands.
Snarling at the dwarf, the elf rolled up his sleeve; his soft and smooth arm seductively reached around with the garment, and hooked it on the outside of the door’s latch.
Silence encompassed the area. It wasn’t working. The guard had left to warn the others of their intrusion.
A voice from outside spoke, “We’ll have to make this quick. If I get caught again…”
As the guard walked in, two bolts slammed into the bandit’s chest. He fell inwards and was haphazardly caught by Guo Gan, who struggled with the weight to cushion the bandit’s fall to the floor.
As the body was dragged in, Kildo snorted resting his crossbow on his hip, “Well, it be seeming crossbows be having a higher penetration rate tonight.”
The group turned to the dwarf.
“Woit? It worked.”
Stowing the bandit, the party hunched over as they moved across the southern wall towards the southwest tower under the cover of night. Reaching the arched door, Guo Gan listened. He shook his head and lifted the latch. Opening it, Kildo stood in the doorway.
Right inside was a rectangular room 15’ by 10’ which appeared to be a storage area. It had three barrels and two spoked, wooden wheels against the eastern and western wall. Further in some 20 feet was a circular room with three beds and four bandits playing dice on the floor. They all turned at their entrance.
“Who are you?” asked a thuggish looking brute. He wore thick, overlapping leather armor. His head was covered in a steel cap and a wide metal neck guard where his mouth was barely seen over the top. A yellow cloak covered his back and he had a mace resting on his shoulder.
There were four other bandits in the semblance of leather armor and simple weapons. Each were rough and from their stares had done and seen horrible things in their lives.
Kildo cleared his throat. “I be here to barter for the release of the Sea Ghost crew.”
“Who?” the thug leader asked.
“The Sea Ghost crew. I be offering 10 gold pieces for the crew and 20 gold pieces for the officer.”
Thinking and turning his eyes up in thought, the thug replied, “200 for the officer and 80 for each crew.”
Kildo scowled for a moment. “Deal. Now, I need to be seeing the crew so, I be knowing they are alive.”
“I want to see the gold first.”
Scoffing at the annoyance, Kildo pulled out his hat of holding retrieved from the alchemist from the House on Haunted hill. At a thought, his hands gripped a handful of gold coins. He brought them out and dropped them slowly back into the hat. “Now, I want to be seeing me crew.”
“Aright, right down the stairs behind me,” the thug said. “Come on.”
Kai asked, “How do we know you aren’t leading us into a trap?”
Turning his head over his shoulder he said, “You don’t. You came into my house. Follow me.”
Kildo glanced at Kai, Gou Gan, but Scomatch wasn’t there. He didn’t even see the halfling outside the door. It was like he had gone invisible. Turning back, he followed the thug down a set of spiraling stairs. It led into another circular room. It had three beds with another four bandits that rose when they landed. The thug then opened a door to the east and went outside. Kildo followed. Outside, they were next to the outer southern wall. Above, another bandit turned and looked down at the pair from the rampart.
The thug motioned to the bandit, who then drew his weapon and traveled along the southern wall and into the southwest tower with his fellows.
Scoffing, Kildo asked, “So, I be thinking ye not be taking the deal?”
The thug leader smiled sinisterly and shook his head.
“So, this be a trap?”
He then nodded to the affirmative and he brought his mace to bear.
“This was never a condition of our arrangement,” Kildo complained.
“I have altered the deal. Pray that I don’t-”
A wave of thunderous force echoed from the southwest tower, like a massive thunderstorm. There were four yelps from the bandits right inside. One was thrown against the far wall. His head slammed at the impact, as blood splattered across the stone surface. He slid down the wall, dead.
There was a shimmer of light as the image of Scomatch re-appeared in the doorway.
“How!?” lamented the thug leader at the halfling.
“I’m a wizard. I put science books on the fiction shelf. That makes them science fiction,” Scomatch remarked.
The sounds of battle were also heard in the upper part of the tower. Kai and Guo Gan were engaging the bandits upstairs.
Growling at the halfling, the thug leader swiped with his mace at Kildo, the dwarf ducked. However, he then backhanded with it, clipping the dwarf’s shoulder.
Recovering from the thunderwave, the remaining three bandits slashed at Scomatch. The halfling weaved and dodged their attacks, but was nicked by two of their blades.
Remarkably nimble in plate mail, Kai came running down the spiraling stairs. Reaching the bottom, he had more room to swing his glaive. Slashing across with untamed, berserker fury, the heavy weapon sliced clean through the midsection of one of the bandits. He died before he could utter a sound.
Weaving his hands, three glowing darts of magical force flew from Scomatch’s palms and blasted through the remaining two bandits. They only had a moment to see the gaping hole through their chest before falling over dead. The third bolt, weaved around Kildo towards the thug. He cowered and went into a ball, but the magic missile found its mark and blasted into his thick leather armor.
Taking advantage, Kildo took a swipe with his warhammer clipping the back of the thug. He then tried to ram his shield into him. He was stopped cold by the leader’s weight.
Rising above the dwarf, the thug swiped twice with his mace, but the diminutive cleric blocked both blows.
There was a ‘whoosh’ of air as Guo Gan seemed to float down the spiral staircase. His legs ran as if on the open ground, as his robes billowed out from the air underneath slowing his descent.
Surprise sprang on Kai’s face seeing all the bandits down, except the thug leader. Shrugging, he rushed out and swung with his glaive. The thug dodged, but failed to anticipate as the paladin used the butt end of his weapon to slam into his opponent’s gut. The leader doubled over as the air was blasted from his lungs.
“Never fear, Scomatch is here!” A mote of fire sailed over the dwarf as it seared the bandit’s face. His skin melted off its head until there was nothing left but a hollow skull, as its jaw bone unhinged itself.
The battle over and all opponents down, Kildo walked over to the corpse of the dead leader. Standing over him, he said, “Ye should have taken the deal.” The cleric then looked up and across the way to the east was a sign, ‘Squid Game Stables’.
Dragging the leader’s body back in, the party stowed the bodies of the bandits in an alcove in the lower level of the tower. Searching the room, they found a number of coins and a potion marked ‘Healing’.
As they put the coins in Kildo’s hat of holding, he commented, “There be a stable across the way.”
“Is that where they keep their sea horses?” Kai asked.
“Something like that.”
Still under the cover of night, the party moved across the path to a double, stable door, which was divided horizontally in such a fashion where the bottom half could remain shut, while the top half opens.
Listening, Guo Gan motioned he didn’t hear anything inside. Opening both the top and bottom, they could see six stalls inside, but there were no animals. Entering, a person was slumped at the back of the first stall.
Pulling out the blue gem from his hat of holding, Kildo raised it up. It was a dwarf and a crew member of the Sea Ghost; Squat Hank. His hands were in chains and secured to the back walls.
“I’ll get these off you,” Guo Gan said and he pulled out his thief tools.
“Ah, the toughness of dwarves. It be good seeing ye Squat Hank,” Kildo said.
“Where are the rest of the crew?” Kai asked.
Squat Hank weakly motioned to the other stalls.
Scomatch darted to the second one. Two human bodies were laying in dirty straw. The halfling turned his nose as he took a step in and then back out. “Oink-eye Larry and Moony Sue are dead.”
Nodding to the dwarf, Squat Hank, that he was safe and in good hands, Kildo moved over to the third stall. There were two more members of the crew. The elf Pog and orc Grangnor. The orc was worse for wear and seemed to have been tortured and barely alive. He opened his one, unswollen eye and smiled at the cleric.
“The relentless endurance of orcs. It be working in our favor this time,” Kildo said and helped Grangnor sit up. “The monk will be freeing ye in just a moment.”
Moving to the fourth stall, Kai looked in and there was a child’s form in the middle of the hay. Bending down and sighing, he saw the halfling, Spitting Fred, dead. The diminutive form was beaten to a pulp.
Releasing the dwarf, Squat Hank from his chains, Guo Gan entered the fifth stall. Another dwarf sat at the back. It was Crusty Hank.
“It be about time ye be showing up. What took ye so long? Taking a tour of the island?” Crusty Hank asked weakly then started to cough and spat blood.
Scomatch ran past into the last stall in the stables. He saw the halfling Selanimi. He too was beaten, but his youthful and chubby cheeks rose at seeing his kindred.
Freeing everyone from their chains and Kildo doing the best he could to wrap up the most serious of wounds. They gathered and huddled together.
Kai began by asking, “What happened to Ghald Fourarms?”
The dwarf Squat Hank said, “We don’t be knowing. He be separated from us. They be really interested in him.”
“What happened? How did they catch you guys?” Guo Gan asked.
“We blocked them from chasing ye when ye left Scarlet Peeks harbor. They be getting tired of trying to get around us and went after us instead. Then what can I be saying? There ship be bigger, faster, and more crew. They caught us, boarded us, and took us prisoner.”
“Can ye fight?” Kildo asked as he handed a scimitar to Squat Hank.
The dwarf took the weapon and looked to the other crew members of the Sea Ghost. They all nodded. “We’ll bloody well fight our way out of here.”
Somberly carrying the fallen from the Sea Ghost with them, Scomatch and Kildo led the five members of the Sea Horse crew back to the main entrance where they first met Oric. Entering the room, they were surprised to not only find Oric, but an additional six more people, three woman and three men. Wearing simple clothing, they cringed in terror and cowered as the door was opened.
“Were from the Emerald Eel. We’re here to rescue you,” Scomatch said.
“Aren’t you a little short for a warrior,” asked one of the women, who had her dark hair tied up into two buns on the side of her head.
“Perhaps, but I’m the perfect size for a wizard,” Scomatch replied. “Follow me.”
Arming the both groups with captured weapons from the bandits and Crushing Wave Reavers, Scomatch and Kildo led the group from the main building across through the chapel through their eastern double doors. Exiting, they saw Guo Gan finish off the bandit on the eastern wall. The monk hastily motioned for them to come.
“Hurry people and follow that elf onto the Sea Ghost,” Scomatch called out in a hushed tone.
In short order everyone made their way onto the ship.
“Squat Hank, secure our new passengers and have the crew get the Sea Ghost ready to sail. The four of us are going to the southeast tower to see about getting that chain across the harbor down,” Kai instructed.
Kai, Guo Gan, Scomatch, and Kildo made their way across the courtyard to the southeast tower. The elf could hear the same voices inside, but there were no other options. The controls to the harbor chain must be inside.
The monk motioned and on a count of three burst through the door. Inside was another roughly round room 35’ by 35’. A large wooden wheel was in the northern part of the room. A thick chain was tied around it and led out through a hole to the harbor below. There were four beds inside and a set of curtains cordoned off two small section of the room to the east. In the middle were three sahuagin, the devils of the sea. Green-skinned, darker on the back and lighter on the belly and were 6’ with webbed feet and hands, gills, and a finned tail. There was additional webbing down the back and at the elbows. Cruel looking spears with multiple points were gripped in their hands. However, even without them, they had wide and powerful jaws filled with long, sharp fangs, which were a weapon of their own in battle.
The three fish-like creatures turned as the party entered. One spoke, which sounded like someone gargling water, “Howling Hatred you are not. Die you will!”
Gripping his quarterstaff in his hands, Guo Gan said, “We’re here to avenge Ghald Fourarms!” The monk bashed, striking the first and nearest sahuagin. The staff dented into its rubbery skin.
Kai followed slashing at the same target, but the first sahuagin parried the blade with his spear. The paladin then swung the blunt end of his glaive. It smashed into its groin.
The sahuagin howled in pain, as a fire bolt arched into the room and went into the creatures open mouth. Its head burst in black, fishy ichor.
Enraged, the third sahuagin charged Guo Gan. The monk threw up his quarter staff catching the multi-pronged spear. However, one of the longer points penetrated and stuck into the elf’s shoulder. Drawing in closer, the devil of the sea bit the monk’s arm. Its shark-like teeth drew blood.
The second sahuagin charged Kai. The paladin planted his glaive, but the creature weaved around and thrusted its spear into his abdomen. It also used its razor-sharp teeth to bite into the triton’s shoulder. The plate mail helped absorb most of the blow, but blood was drawn.
In the eastern part of the room, a large, blue-skinned, male humanoid threw open a set of curtains to the south. He had been hiding behind them. Bald on top with black mutton chops, he had snake-like tattoos on his left arm.
“It be Fat Homer!” Kildo called out motioning with his warhammer.
“It’s Fathomer!” Scomatch and Fathomer replied in unison, both annoyed at the pronunciation.
The halfling and the blue humanoid looked at each other.
“Anyway…You will all die!” The tattoos then began to swirl like water through his body and turned into a standing vortex.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Let’s fight!” Kildo chanted as, Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch glowed from his bless spell. The second sahuagin bumped into him trying to get at Kai, hard. Growling, the dwarf barreled forward, his kite shield leading. He bashed into the creature’s knees causing him to rollover the cleric to the ground.
With one of their opponents down, Guo Gan took quick advantage. He left his opponent and charged.
“You do not turn your back on the masters of the sea!” the third sahuagin roared, slashing the elf.
Taking the hit, the monk swung overhead, bringing his quarterstaff down onto the prone creature. Its skin went out at the impact in a wave.
The downed sahuagin attempted to rise, but the blade of Kai’s glaive came down execution style and hewed its head from its fish-like body. It collapsed as the head rolled, but stopped as its fin-like ears snagged on a bed post. He then jabbed the end of the glaive into the leg of the last sahuagin, as he advanced, fixated on Guo Gan.
“Guys!? Fathomer is getting a little creepy! I think you should do something about it!” Scomatch warned as the blue humanoid’s body continued to swirl.
“You do something about it!” Guo Gan bellowed back, fully engaged with the last sahuagin. The creature slashed the monk with his spear and bit into his arm.
“Right!” The mage threw a fire bolt. It struck the watery figure. It sizzled as it struck and was quickly extinguished. Fathomer, who appeared more like a watery serpent, slithered to the north and to the other curtain. It pulled back. Behind it was the captain of the Sea Ghost, Ghald Fourarms. All his wrists were chained behind his back. While it was hard to tell with his deep green skin, it seemed from darken splotches, he had suffered from his hosts.
The watery Fathomer, then merged with Ghald. Water encompassed and swirled around him, like he was being used as a shield. If Ghald wasn’t able to breathe underwater, he’d be drowning.
“Surrender or I’ll kill your master.”
“I’ll be drinking your milkshake,” Kildo snorted as he hammered the water, which he was unsure if it did anything but get his weapon wet. Changing tactics, he charged in an attempt to knock Ghald out of the watery prison, but the strength of the water wall was firm.
The last sahuagin hissed at Guo Gan and puffed up in a display of might. Snorting, the monk leapt into the air. There was a bone crushing sound as his foot smashed into the side of its neck. Gasping and clenching at its throat, the sahuagin buckled to its knees. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head, and appeared like a hard-boiled egg, as it fell dead to the side.
“Let Ghald go and maybe you’ll get to leave.”
Letting his glaive ‘clank’ to the ground, Kai drew his longsword, which glowed with light. The water serpent seemed to jolt as it was drawn. It could hurt it.
The paladin slashed with his longsword striking the creature, but blood began to mix in the clear liquid. Ghald has been harmed too in the strike.
“Let see if water and electricity mix!” Scomatch said as he extended his hands and focused his witch bolt, on the water serpent.
It seemed the creature was partially affected, but Ghald was seen convulsing within. It was then when the baron’s cheeks sunk in, like the moisture had been drained from them. However, the water serpent swirled faster, as if in excitement.
Kildo then began casting; Toll the Dead. The sound of a dolorous bell filled the air around the water serpent. It didn’t seem to have any effect. Taking a step back, he charged with his shield attempting to knock Ghald away, but the creature held firm.
Watching what the dwarf was doing, Guo Gan attempted to grapple Ghald to pull him from the swirling water, but his hands slipped on the liquid.
Within the swirling form, Ghald was struggling against the creature’s grip, but was held fast. He then saw Kai swing and jerked backwards, causing the triton to miss. He didn’t want to get cut by that blade again. A moment later, his muscles seized up, as Scomatch continued to send witch bolt electricity through the water weird…and him. If he lived, he’d have to have a discussion with that little peck.
The party and the water serpent continued to dance around the circular room in a stalemate. Any damage done, which seemed minimal, was negated as the creature, like a vampire, sucked life force from Ghald. Eventually, the captain of the Sea Horse would die. Dropping his quarterstaff, Guo Gan charged in. Like knifes, he thrusted his fingertips through the swirling water. He felt the form of Ghald. His arms went around his waist and locked his fingers. Bracing his feet, he heaved with all of his might and pulled Ghald from the watery form.
The captive free, the party attacked. Kai longsword glowed from Kildo’s bless, as he thrusted the blade through the creature. Scomatch continued to zap it with his witch bolt. A dolorous bell from the cleric rippled through Fathomer. Water was pooling on the floor. It was diminishing.
“Enough!” the gurgling and distorted voice of Fathomer bellowed with irritation. “You escaped this time only because of your servants! Next time, your brother will pay!” The water serpent moved to the east, where there was a window out to the bay below. The party rushed the creature, but it turned into a column of water and slurped out the window.
Kai reached the gap and peered out. There was no clear sign of Fathomer. “The aqua snake got away.”
Guo Gan began to work on the chains holding Ghald. “What was that about your brother and ‘your’ servants?”
Ghald Fourarms rubbed his wrists as he was freed. “Most sahuagin are born with two arms, but 1 in around 216 hatchlings born has four arms. These are treated as royalty, but nothing important. They were holding me to get gold out of my brother. He is scheming something, but I’m not interested in whatever he’s doing.”
“Did you learn anything while they held you captive?” Kai asked.
“Captain Shatterkeel of the Howland Hatred is definitely in leagues with the sahuagin,” Ghald stated.
There was a loud rumbling as the chains around the wheel spun loose. A resounding splash was heard in the harbor. Guo Gan had released the mechanism, so the boats would be free to exit the harbor. He then used his quarterstaff for leverage and disabled the contraption.
A happy, coin jingling sound was heard as Kildo rummaged through the room. Over a hundred coins were being picked up and dropped into the hat of holding. “At least we be getting some treasure out from that bucket of water. Now, we best be off with the Sea Ghost and meet up with the Emerald Eel. But before we be going, I be thinking we be taking that smaller sloop docked out there, as I rather not be swimming back to shore.”
10/23/2021 – Treasure
Thug leader – Southwest Tower
· 60 gp
· 150 sp
· Potion of Healing
Fathomer – Southeast Tower
· 12 pp
· 130 gp
Welcome to 5th level!
Party Split
12 pp / 4 = 3 pp
190 gp / 4 = 47 gp
150 sp / 4 = 37 sp
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