“There be no mercy for this wretched hive of scum and villainy,” Kildo snarled as he disembarked from the sloop, the “Treasure of the Bay”, into the underground secret smuggling sea cave landing under the House on Haunted Hill.
The party from the Emerald Eel’s goal was not adventuring, seeking treasure, or destroying some greater evil. This was purely a mission of revenge. Captain Quint Halfbeard lay murdered in his sleep for the blue gem, an object he didn’t want on his ship, something he told the party to get rid of, which the group no longer possessed. His death was senseless and their fault. It was a wrong they intended to right and if the gods willed it, vengeance would be theirs. There would be no mercy and no quarter asked or given. The dwarven cleric eyes focused, senses heightened, as he gripped his war hammer and shield tightly. The Howling Hatred was now in the Book of Grudges and it was going to be crossed off tonight.
The rough 25’ by 25’ cavern opened directly to the sea. The tide was out, but there was a water marker 3’ above the floor. The area was damp with the smell and taste of salt in the air.
Guo Gan, holding the jade quarterstaff obtained from the Bel worshiping cult’s abbey on Leostone Island, placed his hand on the dwarven cleric and nodded in agreement. The emerald green of the staff reflected in his widened eyes.
Kai pulled the sloop as far onto the shore as he could, as Scomatch tethered the craft to a boulder to keep it from floating away.
“I’ll scout ahead,” Guo Gan whispered as he moved to the west, the only exit from the cave, and melted into the shadows. “When you hear the first scream, come running.”
Kai, Scomatch, and Kildo were right behind him. They were all anxious to avenge the death of Captain Quaint Halfbeard caused by the crew of the Howling Hatred led by Captain Shatterkeel.
In his mind, Kildo could still see the bloodstains in the captain’s quarters that would forever mark the Emerald Eel. His heart pounded hard and felt it in his ears and temple, like a smithy’s hammer striking hot metal.
Sounds of conversation were just ahead. Knuckles went white around weapons. Glaive in hand, Kai charged ahead, around the corner, and out of sight. There was an audible sound of him grunting and hitting rock.
“Argh! Interlopers be damned!” issued an unfamiliar voice.
Holding his kite shield before him, Kildo plowed forward to join Guo Gan and Kai.
Scomatch followed behind.
Running north up an incline, torchlight was ahead, as the area branched east and west. The dwarven cleric spotted Kai shaking his head, losing a head butting contest with the rock wall, and recovering from being dazed.
In the western passage, Guo Gan was a little further ahead and engaged with two pirates, who Kildo recognized as members of the Howling Hatred’s crew.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Let there be death!” Kildo chanted as Kai, Guo Gan, and himself glowed momentarily, as the bless spell took effect.
Bashing downwards with his jade quarterstaff, Guo Gan crushed the skull of the first pirate, killing him instantly. He then jabbed the other end into the second pirate.
“Duck!” cried Scomatch, as a firebolt sailed over Kildo’s head to the west. There was a cry of pain as it struck a third pirate entering the fray, as his clothes began to burn.
“For Halfbeard!” A whirlwind of blades sliced through the air, as an enraged Kai, quickly slew the second pirate Guo Gan faced and the third pirate in the same motion, who was still on fire. The brigand fell, as the flames continued to burn his corpse.
Two pirates in the western corridor drew back bows and fired at Guo Gan. The elven monk’s jade quarterstaff spun with frightening speed deflecting the arrows. He advanced and smashed with his quarterstaff in a lightning thrust and fell the eighth pirate.
The ninth pirate attempted to slash Guo Gan with his short sword, but it was easily deflected. Two more arrows flew from the seventh pirate in the back. The monk was able to deflect the first arrow, but the second nicked his shoulder.
In the eastern corridor, Kai defended against another pirate donning leather armor and armed with a rapier. He lunged at the paladin but was able to parry the blow at the last second. The brigand had some fighting skills. Retaliating, Kai slashed twice with his glaive in quick succession, but each of his attacks was knocked to the side. In a surprise move, the paladin then used the butt of his glaive, which glowed momentarily from Kildo’s bless spell. Maneuvering around the attempted parry, the end rammed into the brigand’s thigh. Radiant damage blasted from the weapon’s end.
Realizing Kai was fighting a skilled opponent, Kildo moved in and smashed with his war hammer, striking the brigand. He then attempted to bash with his shield, but the elusive adversary dodged out of the way. The dwarven cleric then spotted out of the corner of his eye two additional pirates emerge to help the brigand from a large cavernous room to the east. However, it was quickly down to just one, as a firebolt flew into the fifth pirate, who was engulfed with flames. Blinded by fire, he ran screaming and rammed head-first into the stone wall. There was an audible ‘crack’ as his skull was crushed.
Bringing his rapier in a downward and then in a quick upward motion, like the letter ‘V’, the blade went inside Kai’s glaive’s defense. Thrusting hard, the blade tip penetrated under the paladin’s breastplate armor.
Kildo was about to send healing magic Kai’s way, but the sixth pirate behind the brigand started to run at them. Dressed in loose, bright orange and red clothing and barefoot, his muscular arms were heavily tattooed along with his face. He had pure white hair with a long, tight braid down the middle of his back. His eye’s pupils were liked iced-snow. He was an albino. However, this wasn’t any ordinary pirate, but a martial artist monk. To his surprise, he leaped over the brigand and Kai, sailing over Kildo’s head, and landed behind him going to one knee. Rising slowing, he towered over Scomatch.
“Eep!”
The pirate monk punched with both fists into Scomatch’s chest and stomach causing him to stumble back.
“Oi! Pick on someone yer own size!” the shorter, dwarven cleric bellowed. Kildo brought his war hammer crashing downwards. The monk turned quickly and caught it with both hands, but by the pain spreading on his face, he didn’t come away unscathed. The dwarven cleric then barreled forward, driving with his shield.
Planting his back foot, the monk threw up his knee and intercepted the rushing shield. An immovable object struck an unstoppable force. The two struggled back-and-forth as Kildo attempted to knock him over.
In the western corridor, the ninth pirate shot at Guo Gan, but the deft monk dodged the missile weapon. The elf seeing the dwarf struggling with the albino monk jabbed his jade quarterstaff into the seventh pirate’s stomach. Doubling over in pain, the elf brought the other end of the staff down and crushed his spine. He then charged down and in blinding speed, Guo Gan struck the albino’s chest, rapidly striking around his heart four times. He then struck in the center and twisted.
In disbelief, the pirate monk glanced at Guo Gan and asked, “You know the five-point palm exploding heart technique?” His body stiffened, he fell over to the ground stunned.
Scomatch then stepped and stood over the albino monk. A bubbling sound emanated from his hands as a spherical bubble of acid formed. The mage then slightly tilted his hands, as the bubbly acid was poured on the monk’s face searing it.
Still to the east, Kai held his ground against the brigand fighter. One of his blows was parried but his glaive glowed for an instant from Kildo’s bless and maneuvered past his opponent's defenses and slashed his chest.
“Stand back and stand by!” boomed a voice in the western tunnel, which sounds like someone gargling water. A humanoid figure emerged. Heavily muscled, his skin was blue and covered with sea-barnacles all over his body. The same growths acted as his hair. In his right hand, he held a three-pronged trident, but his left hand was missing. In its place was a massive crab-like claw with serrated pincers. His only clothing was a shell-like skirt that covered his waist and legs. The pirate archer next to him lowered his bow and even the brigand fighter matched against Kai, stood from his fighting stance, took a few steps back, and lowered his rapier.
Kai also lowered his glaive.
Kildo was about the smash the pointed end of his kite shield into the face of the still downed and stunned albino, but hesitated at seeing the pirate’s actions. He wanted nothing more than to crush the life out of the downed monk. Tightening his grip on his war hammer, he didn’t want to give the pirates a chance to re-group. The battle had turned in their favor. Now was the time to get revenge for Captain Halfbeard’s murder. Pulling back his hammer to issue the death blow, a whisper in the back of this mind said, “Mercy.” Growling that his conscience was fighting him, he took a step forward to strike. The same voice said to him in a soft tone, “Mercy Kildo.” He paused and looked around, but there was no one. Glancing down at the helpless, albino monk, Kildo backed away.
However, Guo Gan then stepped in where Kildo had stood a moment before. The jade staff held in his hands. The elven monk’s face and eyes reflected the green hew of the quarterstaff as he raised it into the air. With a sinister grin, he furiously jabbed the tip murderously into the skull of the albino monk. Everyone cringed as the power of the blow struck home. The pirate’s skull split apart as blood and brain matter splattered outwards.
“I am Captain Shatterkeel. Why are you here?” the pirate leader questioned and he approached from the west, seemingly unconcerned that Guo Gan had just murdered one of his henchmen.
Kai turned to face Shatterkeel, gripped his glaive, and said, “We’re here because your crew murdered our captain and fled here. Do you claim to be innocent of that?”
“Neither I nor any member of my crew killed your captain,” Shatterkeel stated. “Since you are here now, I invoke parlay.”
Kai studied the facial expressions of Shatterkeel and said, “If you didn’t kill our captain, then who did?”
“I don’t know nor do I really care. What I care about is where the blue gem is.”
“It’s not with us,” Kai replied. “Why do you care about the blue gem? What is your interest?”
“I need the gem to accomplish my goals. You’ve been around Scarlet Peeks long enough that their problems abound. Those problems can be solved, but it all comes down to the blue gem. Do you know where it is?” Shatterkeel asked.
“I have a pretty good idea where it is,” Kai responded.
“What will it take for you to take me to the blue gem, or retrieve it? Then I’ll trade you for it,” Shatterkeel said.
Kai’s eyes turned up in thought as he said, “We don’t know what all the turmoil is about this blue gem. Maybe you can enlighten us. All we know now is our captain was murdered. The murders fled here and here is where we found you. You see that elf with the green staff, he’s ready to bash in your barnacles,” Kai said.
“I’m not worried about the elf and I’m not concerned with the albino,” Shatterkeel snorted.
“This guy?” Guo Gan said incredulity jabbing his thumb at the pirate captain.
“You already have a bad reputation for attacking our boat and killing our captain. I don’t have the gem, but again if you fill us in on why you want it and maybe it turns out we might be more aligned than you think and we don’t have to kill each other. However, presently without additional information, we are pretty much inclined to kill each other, as we don’t know who killed our captain,” Kai explained.
Guo Gan then pointed with the jade staff accusingly, “Our people said it was your people that killed him and headed this way.”
Shatterkeel said, “As I stated before, we did not kill your captain. None of my crew has left here, so whoever said my people came out here was lying.”
The two sides continued to argue and talk over each other, when an echoing sound of fluttering wings came from the south behind the party and to the west behind Shatterkeel. A lot of wings.
Turning, a large number of large, ugly Blood Hawks with red feathers were weaving down the two corridors. Their face and beaks were yellow in color with mouths filled with fangs, while their scaly talons were sharp and the color of flame. Issuing a high-pitched screech, their blood-red eyes focused on their pray.
The two groups glared at each other as they turned to face their common enemy.
Bracing his glaive’s butt to the floor, Kai instantly killed the first hawk as it skewered itself on the blade. He was then instantly swarmed, as the remaining flock surrounded him. The paladin’s armor protected him from most of the blows, but blood trickled down the side of his face from a talon.
Guo Gan also swiped, striking one of the hawks, before he too was engulfed. Tares and cuts were appearing throughout his body.
Kildo then began casting; spirit guardians. A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the ground. A white light came from cracks in the stone. Fog rolled out approximately 15’ from the cleric. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form and race out skewing several blood hawks flying in from the south. They squealed in pain before dying. The southern corridor was now clear.
In the western corridor, blood hawks surrounded the two pirates of Shatterkeel’s crew. Swarmed, they screamed as their eyes and throats were torn out by the birds of prey.
The brigand fighter’s rapier thrust with snake-like speed and accuracy and pierced one of the flying creatures.
The area then became fire. Scomatch carved a fireball around himself and a shocked Shatterkeel. The blood hawks in the western corridor went up in flames as their feathers melted and bodies cooked. Their roasted carcasses fell thumping to the ground.
“Smells like chicken tonight, I feel like chicken tonight,” Scomatch sang and then smacked his lips.
Searching the area to ensure there were no blood hawks still alive, a sound between a howling wind and a rumbling bolder across metal tracks, echoed. Something wicked this way came. A resilient wind picked up and blew in from both south and west. Something nature couldn’t conjure. Emerging from the two corridors, four air elementals like a funneling cloud of whirling wind with a vague semblance of a ghost-like face completely filled the passageway from each direction.
Moving towards the two in the south, Kai dropped his glaive and drew his magical longsword, and armed himself with a shield. He slashed striking literal air, as radiant damage burst out from the blade. It disrupted the air elemental’s current for a moment before reforming.
Kildo’s spirit guardians moved with the dwarf as he positioned himself to maximize his spell’s damage before a blurred figure smashed into him. From the east, the form of Guo Gan was blasted by an air elemental causing both party members to tumble into the large room to the east. Battled and bruised heavily by the impact, the dwarf picked himself up and helped Guo Gan to his feet. Disrupted, his spiritual guardians faded as he lost concentration on the spell. Feeling a welt start to form on his head, Kildo snorted through the pain and casted, spiritual weapon. A blue, spectral warhammer materialized next to the first air elemental. The ghost-like weapon crashed downward with horrific power. It blasted through the creature disrupting its spinning form.
A wave of intense heat filled the cavern, as Scomatch unleashed a fireball into the air elemental’s midst. The halfling mage carved the flames around the party members, as well as Shatterkeel. The elemental became a tornado of fire for a moment before the summoned maelstrom extinguished the flames in a roaring vortex.
Kai continued to slash in quick succession with his magical long sword at the fourth air elemental in the western corridor. However, the paladin grew too close and the cyclone easily picked him up and like a rag doll smashed him against the rock wall. His breastplate was the only thing keeping his ribs from a crushing impact.
The spiritual warhammer of Kildo struck the first elemental in the southern passageway. Like Kai, the tornado’s whirlwind picked up the dwarf and threw him eastwards. The brigand fighter threw himself to the ground at the last instant, but it almost seemed as if he might have been pushed from an unseen force. The cleric sailed over his head and landed in the eastern room relatively unharmed, except for maybe a bruised elbow. Unlike Kai who was thrown into stone, someone seemed to be watching over him.
It was then the power of Captain Shatterkeel was known. The barnacled humanoid thrust his three-pronged trident through the fourth elemental in the western corridor. The creature howled like the wind and dissipated into the air. Then quickly moving, he used the weapon’s reach to lunge into the first being in the southern passageway. It too wailed as it evaporated.
The last two elementals converged at the intersection.
While his voice was drowned out, Scomatch began casting, Agannazzar’s Scorcher. A trail of roaring fire raced out and blasted through the summoned creatures. The spell's flames were sucked up into the cyclone and extinguished, but notably slower than previously. The storms were growing weaker.
Picking himself up, Kai lunged forward with his magical longsword with a flash of cold, cruel steel striking the second air elemental. A blast of wind blew out as if it was bleeding air.
Engaging the third elemental, Guo Gan’s jade staff swiped through twice also causing notable damage to the creature.
From the eastern room, Kildo's spiritual weapon was blown away by the third elemental and missed.
The brigand fighter also followed Kildo, but while his rapier struck it was uncertain if it caused any damage. However, neither dwarf nor human had any time to contemplate their actions. The ghost-like elemental swept up the brigand like a piece of paper and slammed him into the stone floor. It was a mortal blow. Turning on Kildo, a whirlwind threw the dwarf towards the rock wall, but at the last instant something tugged him and he landed and skidded across the floor unharmed.
Grunting as he picked himself up, Kildo began chanting and sent a wave of healing energy to Guo Gan, himself, and just the slightest towards the brigand fighter. The most grievous bleeding wound magically stitched itself together.
In a combination attack, Kai attacked with Guo Gan. The long sword slashed and jade quarter staff bashed. The blows disrupted the second elemental and then spun itself into nothing.
The monk then dropped his quarterstaff and began to swirl his hands counterclockwise against the tornado’s clockwise rotation. The two merged as the elf was picked up in the maelstrom. The monk was almost in a trance as his hands twirled faster and faster. The air elemental howled in lamentation as the power of Guo Gan provided too great. The elven monk rotated the air-like ghost out of existence.
The blood hawk and the air elemental threat gone, the two parties gathered themselves and turned back on each other.
“How in the nine hells do you explain those hawks and elementals!” Kai blasted at Shatterkeel.
Retorting, Shatterkeel demanded, “How do you explain the hawks and elementals?”
“Bah!” Kildo snorted.
“They be coming for Shatterkeel, not us.”
Eying the triton paladin and dwarven cleric,” Shatterkeel said, “Yes, I would have to agree with they were sent for us.”
“If that’s true, then you might as well come clean or I’m going to unleash green destiny on you. I really don’t want to do that, but you’re making it hard for me to find a reason why you need to keep breathing because it seems like your crew might have killed our captain and came here to hide. You claim you haven’t and keep a closed mouth. We laid our cards on the table. We had the blue gem and now we don’t, so you might as well lay your cards on the table and come clean and then we can all figure it out,” Kai explained.
“As I said before, I don’t care about your captain. In regards to this attack, it seems this is the Spires idiom, so we have a common enemy,” Shatterkeel said. “Now, I need the blue gem, just like a few others do. However, you are all seamen, you should want me to have the blue gem to open a portal.”
“How would that benefit us?” Kai asked.
“You are sailors, we all want to sea to win. Why don’t we work together, as you’d make good lieutenants, as a few positions just opened up,” Shatterkeel said glancing down to some of his dead crewmates. “Now, you have to decide who you are going to support to fill the vacancy.”
“Whoa, tell us about this vacancy,” Guo Gan asked.
Shaking his head in disbelieve, Shatterkeel said, “You guys have really been out to sea for a long time. There’s a dead god and his job needs to be filled. Someone has to summon their respective being through the portal, or else everything is out of balance. Now, I would recommend helping me out and make this a more aquatic world.”
“I won’t discount that, but I’m unsure we need to flood the entire planet,” Kai said.
“No, that wouldn’t happen. However, I understand you aren’t going to trust me, so go find someone you do trust to verify what I said,” Shatterkeel explained and then he clapped his hands and he exploded into water.
Staring in disbelieve at Shatterkeel’s exit, the party then turned to the remaining pirate, the brigand fighter, who looked worse for wear.
As all eyes focused on him, the brigand said, “You don’t have to kill me. I can always take a message back to Shatterkeel.”
“What be ye doing here in this cave?” Kildo asked.
“This is where we were hiding out.”
“Ye be loyal to Shatterkeel. Don’t ye be knowing that ye too will die if Shatterkeel wins?” Kildo questioned.
“Oh no. He wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Great, another stupid human,” Kildo snorted. “What be yer name, human?”
“Duarte.”
Kai then stepped up and said, “Listen, there is a fork in the road. One path is swearing fealty to the Emerald Eel. The other is we cut you loose and be known evermore an enemy.”
“And be known and Duarte run-away,” Kildo added.
“Well, when you say it like that, becoming part of the crew of the Emerald Eel does sound pretty good,” Duarte said.
Kai beamed and smiled saying, “Great, welcome to our crew. We’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”
02/12/2022 – Treasure
· Pirates - 64 gp
Party Split:
· 64gp / 4 = 16 gp
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