Volume 3, Chapter Y - Jed's Journal - Imperial Duty

General Summary

We left the Cerulean Palace with our new duty. Rhobur spoke to a group of Silver Dragon cultists while Shin and I went to the Sofikoi level libraries. Shin found a star chart to the location of Thorne's Island. I spoke to professor Tan Jo at the naturalist library about non-dragons, who suggested I speak to the hunter of the beast. Gamble went to negotiate with Odessa for the services of the Umberlee’s Howl. The real captain gave our captain a hard price. Shin also visited the naturalist museum to learn of the creatures we might face.
Gamble met us beside Rhobur Rhobur, who had joined the Silver Dragon Cult. We argued briefly about the terms of the offer, which included providing the Howl with the imperial penant (granting free movement on the seas). However, we agreed, and returned to Odessa. The negotiations proved challenging, but eventually she agreed to take us on the long journey in return for using the pennant just once.
We went on a quick shopping trip, loaded up for carnage and boarded the ship at sunset. We saw that the The Umberlee's Howl had a new ballista, which I was permitted to name 'Bitches Breath'.
That night Lavanel dreamed of her parents and Helda. Helda told her that Arawn had not forgotten.
Next day Karnak took first watch and saw little. I tried to persuade Shinsuke to read my book, but even after several days at sea he seemed unsure. After an identify spell had an odd effect, he refused to even look at it. We sparred with Jack, demonstrating that we all had superior skills. Karnak stabbed a tuna with her bone spear but it turned out to be Rhobur practicing being a fish.
On the second day a Black dragon attacked. Shinsuke, who spotted it first, called out before vanishing into invisibility. Rhobur summoned a storm and slammed the dragon with a bolt of lightning. Lavanel and Gamble fired arrows at it, while Karnak hit it with a harpoon. I was, sadly, unprepared and immediately struck by its acid breath. I vanished into the ring. Shin struck it with more lightning while Lavanel grabbed the ballista. Karnak tried to tie the harpoon to the mast but the rope whipped from her hands. Gambles arrow bounced off. Apollo took me in my ring to Hiroto, who dropped it to Rhobur. The dragon flapped its wings, knocking down Rhobur and Gamble before launching itself at Karnak with whom it traded blows. Rhobur sprung me from the ring while Shin kept up the volley of lightning bolts. I got undercover and took a healing potion while Karnak duelled it almost alone at the prow. It knocked Karnak down with a storm of air from its wings, then leapt on Rhobur before diving back into the water. I winged it with a bolt before it went under, but Shin appeared out of nowhere with a final devastating blast that finished the beast.
We asked Odessa to turn the ship towards the island from whence the dragon came. We arrived as night was falling. In the row boat heading for the shore Gamble spotted multiple sharks. One took a bite at the boat. Karnak whacked it with an oar but it snapped it in it’s snarling teeth. Lavanel’s arrow bounced off the water, as did a firebolt from Shin, but both my bolts slashed home in bursts of elemental and necrotic energy. The shark died and we headed for the island. After exploring briefly we rowed the boat into a semi-submerged cave. Despite tripping a magical alarm and finding evidence of a second dragon we quickly stole every coin we could find and headed back to the Howl. We woke the captain and the crew, warned them of the possible new dragon and made rapid headway away from the shore.
The next few days passed uneventfully. I helped Lavanel make some poison. We discussed her weird dreams, but sadly I could provide little comfort.
Gamble dreams of chains binding her to her obligations. Shin dreams of falling stars.
The next two days pass with nothing. I take a turn up in the crow’s nest, but see an approaching storm. We prepared the ship to the best possible extent. Rhobur and I wrapped ourselves in our hammocks with his fairy dragon to ride out the storm. Above the roaring winds knocked over our friends and ripped loose the storm sail. It lashed around the deck, striking Gamble and narrowly missing Shin. As the sea thundered against the hull Shin spotted grappling hooks springing out either side and called out as Sahuagin poured onto the deck. A four armed baron struck at Karnak as she stood at the wheel, stabbing her with a trident. Gamble duelled with one, covering Shin while Lavanel faced a priestess fish person on the bow. Another priestess at the stern summoned a spiritual weapon that struck at Karnak, seriously wounding her. I plunged up the stairs, almost crashing into a Sahuagin who stabbed me with his trident even as I shot him with my handbows. Rhobur came up the stairs, wolves exploding into the room around me as to face the foe as a fishfolk Baron burst in. The priestess attempted to paralyse Lavanel, but she broke through its spell. A lightning bolt shattered the rearmost mast and it fell across the port side of the ship, glancing off Karnak and slamming into one of the Sahuagin noble warriors. The forward boom smashed down on the prow, even as Lavanel cut down the fishfolk warrior facing her and Apollo lunged at the nearby priestess. The suaghin I’d wounded was torn apart by the wolves even as it struck two down. I summoned illusions around me and drank a potion as I escaped the cabin. Rhobur ran up the stairs as the noble we’d been facing cut down some wolves and tried to reach the deck through the other door. He struck at the fishy beast as the remaining wolves surrounded him.
Shin was struggling on the deck with the priestess, with Gamble using the power of her new imperial blade to teleport around, striking to little effect. The priestess near the wheel cast out a spell that rejuvenated the warriors around her. Shin tried to get behind her but was knocked out by her guardian baron. Rhobur’s faerie dragon gave the baron he was facing a blast of euphoria gas. He stumbled, giddy and reeling, while the last two wolves headed towards the stairs and the noblefish that had carved up their comrades. He cut them down too, but as he did Apollo cut down a fleeing priestess. Seeing this another Baron fled, escaping Karnak’s axe. Gamble stepped over Shin’s body and killed the priestess at the stern, her blade flaming green in the storm. I ran towards the Sahuagin that had just killed the wolves, even as Karnak crashed down on him from above. Despite her grappling him he burst over the side. I executed the last one as he burbled in a happy haze.
Odessa was good enough to let us get some rest before we attempted to fix the vessel. When we awoke it was morning and the storm had blown out. Our first attempt to fix the mast saw it crashing into the sea. Our attempt to haul it out of the water faced us with a horrible struggle, but at least we got it back on deck.
That night Karnak dreamed. She dreamed of her youth, was chased by toads that arose from her bullies, slid down slopes and cleaved the lives from her own inner demons.
The next day Lavanel was in the crow’s nest when she spotted the approach of another pirate ship. With the help of her concealing spell and Gamble’s knowledge of stealth they were able to steer the ship away. Karnak was able to spear a fish that provided an amazing meal. A party developed below decks. We all danced. I attempted to court Captain Odessa; She seemed unexpectedly affable. With the help of my companions, I mixed a sea cucumber and rum mojito. She drank - she dragged me to her cabin. I heard Gamble hooked up with Jack, and Karnak with Dorat, a half orc crewman. Rhobur and Stryx also had a tryst, though he emerged traumatised and refusing to talk about what he did.
I emerged the next morning awake, battered but unbowed and somewhat cheerful. Karnak and Gamble were in a fine mood. Rhobur and I were bathing away our trauma with Karnak. Gamble and Lavanel spoke in the crow’s nest about their dreams. They found themselves sharing common symbols. After realising their dreams were still similar, they asked the rest of the group about their dreams. I shared one that had occurred in the few hours of sleep I got; of the being who granted me my magic. He showed me the skull of the non-dragon beast I saw in the Crimson Keep; it’s mystery led me through a jungle, a land of bones - a lost or Forgotten Land untouched by time. These dreams are guiding us.
The next morning we had arrived at Mercannan’s Swell. Shin watched the stars that night, ensuring we were at the correct location. The next morning Gamble blew the shell horn and summoned a mysterious bank of fog. After some abortive attempts to row to the island we thought we were getting close. Suddenly three tentacled beasts erupted from the waves, one huge one attacking shin and two more coming after Lavanel and Gamble at either end of the boat. Despite the largest one vomiting its stomach contents over it we managed to kill the smaller pink octopus. The larger beast cast an ice storm over the boat, but Karnak smashed away a tentacle as it submerged. I shot an arrow into the eyeball of a green octopus, killing it with a storm of lightning from my bolt. The baby kraken re-emerged on the other side of the boat, knocking us all off our feet. Only Shin stayed up, blasting it in the face with a firebolt. It lashed at us all with it’s tentacles. Necrotic energy played over us, withering our skin and sucking away our vitality. It bit at me, wounding me heavily. Shin, however, was unbowed and his lightning burned into the monstrous beast. A tentacle blew away.
Rhobur and I missed our strikes but Gamble’s blade bit home, causing huge damage. Then Karnak, who was grabbed by a tentacle and hanging above it, cut through the tentacle holding her and plunged her axe into its head. It died in a spurt of ink.
When we got to the island we hauled the boat up to the low scrub and concealed it. Suddenly, bone crabs decided to try and eat us. Shin unleashed a chromatic orb and blasted one with acid. Gamble burned and sliced with her green flame blade while Lavanel knocked the leg off one near Karnak. Karnak and Apollo crushed the skull housed creature. I snapped off three quick shots, killing one and wounding another. Apollo bounded forward, attacking yet another with it’s claws. Rhobur turned into a bear and killed another. Then they all pounced, slamming into Apollo, Shin and myself and Karnak. Gamble destroyed another. Two more were crushed. At the end Rhobur plunged through them all, ripping and crushing.
The island was not done with us. Three hags accosted us on the path to the treasure room; But they claimed only the path. I remembered how specific fey creatures are in their powers and we found another route. With Lavanel’s help we stealthily avoided some leafy creatures and entered the treasure room.
We found nothing but the stink of death. A mound of bodies, hideously fused into a disgusting mass, plunged towards us. It grabbed Lavanel and spawned a zombie. Its hideous stink made her sick and speckled Gamble and I with our own vomit. Karnak slammed into it with all her rage, bloodily carving at it. I blasted it with my booming blade, but the wave of bodies slammed into me and I disappeared into the ring. Despite its poisonous aura the party continued to attack it. Karnak completely battered it until Shin’s firebolt burned the last writhing bodies into ash.
The treasure room was still thoroughly empty. We found a plinth with a chest, but careful investigation found a disappointing stone. Suddenly a voice spoke to Shin and me, urging us down a tunnel behind a flag behind the plinth. It led us onwards down the tunnels towards a chasm spanning bridge. All of us but Lavanel and Gamble were feeling the tug onwards across the strange expanse. From the gaping abyss two boneswarms rolled over us, knocking me back into the ring. Lavanel summoned a burst of divine power that drove away one but the other swarmed over us on the bridge, slashing at us with shards of razor bone. Many of our weapons passed through it with no effect, but Lavanel and Gamble cut it down with their magical blades.
Arnaldo Guilliero...

Report Date

24 Feb 2018