Summary of Events:
When we left our adventurers last, they had just emerged victorious from an ambush with fearless determination and rigor. Chonka looks to her friends and asks, “Gentlemen, now that I have slain the beast…shall we continue forward?” Ren rolls his eyes and casts Shape Water, gliding gently forward and deeper into the underwater temple. As he floats by, Chonka grabs onto his sleeve and uses him to tow herself along.
The next area splits into three paths; one leading to the north, another to the west, and the last to the south. As they enter this area, the giant fish creature reveals itself once more. Eyeing them with an insatiable hunger and devilish grin, the horrible creature taunts the adventurers further.
“Your actions are pointless. The tree of your efforts will be fruitless. I can give you what you seek. Come closer.”
Ren casts Shape Water and pulls streams of water toward him from each path. From this, he notices the path to the north has a rancid smell to it. The beast speaks again before disappearing into the darkness further down the western tunnel.
“I can give you what you seek. I can grant your deepest desire. There is no limit to this. Just follow me.”
The adventurers consider their options, ultimately decided to divide and conquer.
- Ren will investigate the northern path.
- Rota will guard the western path.
- Iolair and Chonka will investigate the southern path.
Ren
Ren turns toward Rota and casts Minor Illusion upon his wrist. A bracelet with one-half of a broken heart appears there. Rota understands that if this bracelet disappears, then Ren is in trouble and requires assistance. Ren then heads down the northern tunnel.
As he approaches, the rancid smell only worsens. Turning the corner, Ren discovers a corridor that is filled with dozens and dozens of lifeless bodies. Taking every precaution to avoid touching them, Ren floats carefully through the maze of bodies and watches for signs of movement.
Sometime later, he detects movement nearby and notices four of the bodies moving toward him. He immediately casts Shape Water to push them back. Voices begin to call out to him.
“Why couldn’t you save us?”
“You weren’t fast enough.”
“You aren’t strong enough.”
“Please help us. Why won’t you help us?”
Ren suddenly realizes that he can only hold back three of his four assailants and begins to reconsider his options. Shifting back and forth between targets, he does his best to hold them back but they slowly begin to close in on him.
Just moments before the water-logged assailants reached him, Ren casts Invisibility and slips away. He swims as fast as he can back to where he left Rota, bumping into a few of the drowned
Rota
As soon as the others are gone and the fish creature swims down the western path, Rota follows after it. He slowly travels down the tunnel, looking for signs of the beast as he does. There are grooved patterns in the sandbed below as if a large creature had swum through the passage. If this was an illusion, it was a very convincing one.
About fifty feet down the tunnel, Rota sees the creature again. It is waiting for him.
“Ah, the centurion. I can give you what you seek. I can fulfill your greatest desire. Come closer.” the beast beckons.
Rota says nothing, but instead sits on the cavern floor, in a meditative cross-legged pose and just stares at the creature. It taunts him further in response.
“You cannot save them.”
“Your efforts are pointless.”
“You are in MY domain now. Just give in.”
“I can give you power as you’ve never seen it, you just have to give in.”
Suddenly, a thunderous crash can be heard from behind Rota and he feels a current of water on his back. Looking back to where he came from, Rota discovers that the tunnel has entirely caved in.
The creature laughs and says, “I told you your efforts were pointless. Just give in. Give in to me.”
Silent still, Rota stands and floats toward the cave-in. As he gets close, he casts Ethereal Step, allowing him to pass through the blocked passage effortlessly.
As Rota re-enters his seated meditative pose and waits for his friends to return, the voice of the creature speaks to him one last time.
“Ah, this one is clever. This is going to be FUN.”
Chonka & Iolair
Chonka readies her ax and shield before leading the way southward. Iolair follows after her. Chonka investigates her surroundings as they travel, looking for signs of travel through the area. After some time, Chonka asks Iolair a question.
“Iolair, what do you know of the sea?”
“All I really know is what you have mentioned. I come from a place of cold barren waste. Not like open water,” Iolair responds.
“This is not the way it is supposed to be. This place is wrong. Stay on your toes. It feels too peaceful around here,” Chonka warns.
As they are traveling through the tunnel, the pair senses movement to their left. Before than can react, they are being charged by the giant fish creature that rules this place. Just moments before it is going to slam into them, the creature dissipates into a cloud of inky black smoke. An illusion.
As the two take a moment to gather themselves, they hear a thunderous crash of something large from the direction of where they left Rota. They contemplate heading back to investigate, but remember their task and proceed forward.
A few dozen feet forward, the tunnel opens into a large cavern that begins with a sheer cliff with a drop easily fifty feet in depth. The cavern narrows on the other side to a small tunnel about five feet in height and width. The pair descend into the cavern to investigate further.
As they enter the cavern, another illusory copy of their “host” rushes them again before dissipating into a black cloud of darkness. Satisfied with their investigation, Chonka and Iolair decide to return to the rendezvous location.
Back in the intersection of tunnels, Rota sits waiting patiently. Ren approaches, invisible still. Knowing that Rota can sense him with his SONAR, Ren waves to his friend upon entry.
“Out for a light stroll, are we?” Rota asks, cooly.
“Listen here, there are a LOT of dead bodies in there,” Ren responds. “I got out of there quickly. You bust that wall over there?” he asks, gesturing to the caved-in tunnel.
“Our host has a…weird sense of hospitality.” Rota answers. “I don’t understand. He invites us in but closes the door.”
Curious as to where their companions are, Ren and Rota start to head down the southern path. A few moments later, the four adventurers are reunited and discuss their findings.
“What’s up that way, anything good?” Ren asks Chonka. “There uh, nothing good where Rota and I came from.”
“We saw some fish. It was weird. We said, things are getting weird, let’s get outta here. So we got outta there.” Chonka answers.
Rota casts Protection from Good and Evil on Iolair. “Thank you, my friend,” Iolair says. “There is SO much bad mojo that is now gone.”
The four adventurers proceed forward down the southern tunnel and into the cavern with the fifty-foot cliff. They approach the narrowing tunnel and Ren decides to scout forward for the team. Ren Shapes Water and jets through the tunnel entrance, launching into the next room. As Ren enters the cavern, he fails to notice the current that has accelerated his travel. Within moments, Ren is sucked up into a whirlpool in the center of the room and it sends him rapidly upward. Without a word from Ren, the other three adventurers follow into the whirlpool cavern and are similarly overpowered by the upward current.
As they travel upward, the adventurers notice a small crack in the ceiling where the whirlpool seems to be originating from. They quickly realize that they are barreling toward the ceiling while the only other exit to this area is several dozen feed downward, against the current.
Session End.
Golden Chirp: “You see the beast before you and you hear its voice it in your head and it says…Oop and we lost Garret.
Golden Goof: These dice know no mercy.
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