Session 28: Wailing Caverns and the Boatman

General Summary

Session 05 SEP 2019: As a reminder, we are in a stone cavern tunnel filled with a constant, wailing wind. We don’t have a good sense of which way the wailing is coming from. So, we progress through the tunnel a bit further, uneventfully, until Feng hears the sloshing of a large, underground river.   Further along, we come into a 20’ x 50’ sandy-floored natural cavern. There is little evidence of recent traffic inside the cavern. Along the SE edge, we find the bank of the heretofore only-heard underground river. The current is stately, but consistent. We debate whether this is the River Sargauth, which we are supposed to put the Drow Priestess’s necklace into to “receive a reward.” We debate strategies for getting across the river, putting the necklace into the water in a retrievable manner, etc. We discover writing on the walls, that we loosely decipher talks about “Women, jewelry, and such” that looks like something pirates would write.   Close inspection reveals that the writing is structured, and carved quite deeply into the stone. “If Skullport is where ye wish to be. . .” follow the current. For treasure, go against the current and fight something at “The Captain’s Grave.”   We cast the Priestess’s necklace into the river and wait. After a loooong wait, a black gondola, piloted by a horned, skeletal figure: the Mad MAge! He gives us a back-handed compliment, tehn rolls some magical dice to conjure another boat! He then states, “Self-respect is the greatest power of all!” and disappears.   So, we hash out a way to “ride” the boat, as none of us are proficient in boats, and get underway! We drift with the current. At the first finger of land to the south, we stop to investigate. The fog is thicker here, and the beach is made of volcanic pumice rock. We find writing, but it is crude and does not appear related to the writing that directe us hither. So, we push on.   As we float, we are beset upon by four giant undead minotaur skeletons! Guns up and swords out!   We kill the minotaurs, and we find that we are quite good at volley fire against distant targets. Figuring that we aren’t safe to moor and tae a short rest, we elect to float along. As we find another finger of land leading away from the river, we are beset upon by a gaggle of shadowy figures. General Quarters! Enemy starboard abeam, danger close! Fire as your guns bear!   We kill the shadow men, and Lorin definitely shined in this fight with the Hunger of Hadar right off the bat! Investigation of this little chamber reveals some lashed-log river rafts and poles, along with other light dock-area accoutrements. To the west and SW are more cave-like passages. I investigate: the SW passage is a simple cave that leads back to a separate river beach; the west tunnel leads to a T- north is spiders and south is a more well-traveled western passage. Feeling confident, we take a long rest. ((ED: Det performs a Divination ritual; ask him about the results.))