Session 70: In Grave Trouble

General Summary

18th Thunsheer 836PD   With the prospect of having to go into the dangerous waters again, the group rest up and some, particularly Orlando, have to pull themselves together. The rapid ascension from the seabed had caused Tarathiel to suffer from the bends, she remained on deck whilst the party would go down again.   Zeni summons her familiar in an octopus form, and use her arcane eye to check on the wreck below. She sees a merrow, monstrous merfolk that Zeni has known to attack ships, and that it’s talking to a Huge Giant Crab! Zeni’s innate connection to the primordial helps her to understand that they are watching the ship. Zeni’s arcane eye follows the crab back to a lair.   The ship sets sail to location where the lair could be, Zeni and Simeon proving their deft proficiency with travelling the sea manage to get right above it. Sabali throws the bloodied rags from the groups rest to provide a distraction to the sharks and merrow. Simeon gets a ping from his locate object that the lair has the crystal.   The Party dive down and despite Orlando fumbling his way into water, they aren't seen by the merrow and sharks, as Sabali's pass without trace helps them blend into the dark of the sea depths. They soon find the entrance to the undersea cavern; the surrounding seaweed hauntingly sways and pulls at them. As they continue through the tunnels, they see the Huge Giant Crab block the tunnel and they manage to get it to move with a surprise of eldritch blasts. At the end of the tunnel is a surface to area of cavern above the water. As they reach that area, a voice enters Raphael’s mind. Sensing his burden, and that it can help him.   This telepathic voice is soon revealed to belong to an Aboleth, an aberration that slimes along the ground of the cavern. The HGC strikes from the dark and deals mighty blows to Raph and Sabali, crushing them with its huge giant claws!   Just as Orlando readies to help them, the aboleth uses its mind powers to enslave him, and he is forced to turn his crossbow against Zenirith. Dashilla the sea fury drops out of her invisibility, casting fear into the party and constantly brings terror through fearsome apparitions of dead sea hags. The frightened Sabali manages to make his fists connect with the fury, but she moves like literal water through the group.   The Aboleth adds Zeni to his enslaved forces, and instructs Orlando to target Sabali, but Sabali’s heightened monk reflexes allow him to catch the bolt and throw it back at Orlando. Hitting literal sense back into him, and freeing him from the Aboleth’s control. Enraged the aboleth strikes down Raphael, knocking him unconscious.   Simeon keeps underwater, trying to avoid the mind magic of the aboleth and the fearsome ghosts of Dashilla. A controlled Zeni unleashes lightening bolts at the party, and the aboleth tries to enslave Sabali but his will remains strong against those that suggest harm to his friends.   With almost half the party down or compromised, the Unbroken are on the cusp of a watery grave…