Episode 44

General Summary

• Questioned by The Patrolmen at Nakaba bridge. Asked for their names, reason for coming to Nakaba, where they are staying, etc.
• Allowed to pass and given a note to hand over at the city gates. Note seems to have some sort of code written in dwarvish at the bottom, guards seemed somewhat suspicious but not enough to bar the party entry.
• Group headed north to Kanish, where Atlas grew up. Arriving at his adoptive parents home, Atlas' mother Amafrey Brightwood doesn't believe Atlas to be who he says he is. Atlas realises it's been roughly 30 years since he last came home, and understandably his mother thinks her son to be dead.
• The rest of the party stable their horses, and head to the only tavern in town.
• A curious large black kite is seen flying over the village, which none of the residents recall seeing the day before. Leah flies up to the kite in the form of a seagull. The string is incredibly long, and the druid realises that the kite is actually quite big - and it was only the distance that made it look like a spec. Before the seagull is able to get close enough to the kite to inspect it, the string of the kite snaps, sending it very quickly away over the river.
• Back at the Amafrey home, Atlas eventually persuades his mother to let him inside. After some apologies and a well-deserved motherly slap, a long overdue catch up is had. Atlas discovers that his father, Ander Brightwood, passed away peacefully some years back.
• Atlas explains his reasons for coming home, that he was hoping to find some clues about his past before heading into Nakaba. Amafrey confesses that Anders had somewhat obsessed over Atlas' strange origins since he left - and on his many fishing trips, he had gathered a few oddities that he kept in a chest. Amafrey fears that her son will only get himself into trouble if he follows this road, as his past seems to be full of mystery. She reluctantly agrees to hand over the chest, but only if her returned son makes himself useful.
• Amafrey asks that Atlas and his new friends investigate the cause of a recent decline in the crab population on the nearby aptly named Crab Island. The island is usually unnaturally plentiful with crab, but recently the creatures have been sparse. Some of the fisherman claim to have seen a strange creature near/on the island and others are spreading rumours of a legendary sea creature cursing them.
• The party convene in the tavern, before heading off in a cramped row boat to the island.
• On the island, the party find a handful of large spider crab, on an island that is usually crawling with the things.
• Leah speaks to one of the crab, who similarly seems confused as to where his friends are. This crab and the few others on the beach have apparently "just spawned" from below. The crab does recall seeing something large swimming under the surface however.
• The group create a couple of illusory giant crabs on the beach, which successfully lures out a beast from below.
• This strange creature seems to be an amalgamation of shark, crab and squid, and it rushes forward to attack the group.
• After a not too difficult fight, the creature is killed. On its body, the party find an arcane rune - similar to those they have found before on the changeling assassins and black oozes. This rune seems to be damaged however. The creature itself seems to show evidence of being surgically put together...
• As the party return to the boat, they find a large red sack has been left inside, with a note. It seems the Christmas elf had to deliver this year's presents contactlessly, to avoid contaminating Kureta with some sort of deadly virus.
• On the boat once more, the party begin heading back to Kanish. On the way... something large knocks the bottom of the small boat, before some sort of weapon is thrust through the bottom, flipping the boat upside down.

Rewards Granted

Christmas Presents

Report Date

18 Dec 2020

Primary Location

Kanish