The Heroes
Emet-Selch {Vedalken Artificer}
Eralyse Sarrallon {Aasimar Paladin}
Jon Mastiff {Human Wizard}
Mala {Aarakocra Monk}
Mellow Leaf {Tabaxi Ranger}
Campaign:Heart of Annilation
Current Year:756
1
Time spent on the island is very strange. While you know that over 300 people live on this island you rarely see or even speak with less than a dozen. All of them are druids and half of them seem annoyed when addressed with questions or concerns. There is also a severe lack of buildings on the island. There is the teleportation hut, Octavia's house, and the buildings constructed for your benefit. The rest seem content to live inside of their trees or shrubs scattered across half the island.
Meals often consist of only yourselves and Octavia. Though you feel that this is a deliberate effort on her part. The meals themselves are always well prepared and verge on the extravagant. An ornate mead hall has been constructed on the island with enough tables and chairs for 20 individuals. It has an attached kitchen, but you've concluded that it's never been used to prepare meals. Instead, there is a tree with black bark and transparent leaves in the kitchen that during meals shrub servents pour out carrying serving plates laden with fresh food. The meals are always exquisitely prepared and do not appear to be conjured. After several days they even start honoring requests for specific meals from yourselves. Even so, Octavia's response to the food is the same as if it were bland gruel. Nourishing but disappointing.
The only other druid that regularly joins you for meals is a halfling by the name of Edgar Mockette. He's an artificer who is always fiddling with a new invention. Often asking for others' opinions when it comes to the form factors of his inventions, not so much the function themselves which can often be quite trivial. Edgar often seems neither excited nor disappointed by the food. Instead starting and stopping when everyone else starts and stops regardless of how late the meal he's arrived.
After a week Octavia Hogbin addresses the group after one such meal, during which she seemed particularly troubled.
I've gotten new orders from the council. They've located another one of the seals that's part of the same set the one on this island is a part of. I am to take a ship and secure the seal. I would like your assistance in this endeavor. The council simply assumes that you'll go, but I prefer to ask. If you choose not to I understand and I will see if they are willing to spare me any additional soldiers.— Octavia
The group readily agrees to help her and Octavia brightens.
Oh, thank you! I will make sure the council compensates you for your efforts. This is important work that we do. Speaking of which, I'm having trouble with a shipwright. Sydney Breeze, a tree ent, isn't willing to provide the warship I require. The island we need to travel to is in hostile waters, yet for some reason, he believes that a fishing boat will be more than sufficient. Would you please speak to him with me? He has agreed to meet in AutumnCrest. I believe he's worried that whatever ship he gives me will be lost and so he's hesitant to give me any ship that he's ok with losing. I'm hoping you can convince him that the vessel will survive the voyage.— Octavia
2
The group arrives in AutumnCrest the next day and is taken to a large chamber that looks to normally be used for dry dock ship repairs. Within is a massive tree ent. They have grey bark and dark green leaves. The tree ent introduces themselves as Sydney and the conversation largely feels like one you had in your youth when attempting to date a girl with an overprotective father.
There are a few sticking points but the group eventually convinces Sydney that it will be safer for everyone, including the ship, if they were able to get the warship Octavia was requesting.
3
After completing negotiations with Sydney you return to the island and have a day to prepare. The ship will be delivered overnight via the teleportation circle. Octavia explains that smaller vessels can be sent as seeds and have their growth into full vessels accelerated via magic.
As promised the next day there is a ship sitting just offshore. It has the appearance of a sloop, though its sails and rigging consist of vines and leaves, while its hull looks like it's been fashioned from a giant dark grey sunflower seed. A name on the side indicates that the ship is called "The Kinross".
Octavia lets you know that because you were able to procure one of Sydney's faster breeds it will only take 2 days to get where you are going.
The travel is mostly uneventful, except for the rough start and nearly deadly finish. Thankfully, due to the Kinross's speed, the group was able to escape the grips of the tentacled sea monster before it caused any major issues.
4
Octavia makes a brief stop at a sea elf village speaking with their mayor before returning to the ship.
I don't want to keep you in the dark about what is going to happen. This is one of several villages that are kept like cattle in this area by the local sahuagin. While I wish I could claim wholely noble reasons for freeing these people from their masters but sadly it's part of my plan to get to our destination mostly undetected. I have procured some special plants that when placed within the corpse of a sahuagin will cause the body to act as a limited decoy. I hope to use these decoys to distract a patrol. This will cause a temporary gap that we can use to slip past them. The sahuagin in this area attack and enslave all they encounter and only have the borders they have because they are unable to expand further. Once we establish a beach head, the Silverhshade should be able to establish a presence on the island that can protect the seal, while remaining hidden from the sea devils who otherwise have no interest in the island.— Octavia
Once the plan is laid out the group sets sail for an island that is little more than an outcropping of rock. However, there's little question this is the right place as figures start swarming toward the boat in all directions. The battle was fairly decisive with the group gaining valuable intel on the Sahaugin's abilities and tactics.
5
Octava gathers the bodies and withdraws 5 vials that contain some kind of spores suspended in a liquid. She empties the contents of the vials into the wounds of the expired sahuagin. Each of the bodies develop a strange kind of cacoon about them. Octavia then pulls out 5 crowns crafted of a strange kind of vine and hands one to each of you.
I will pilot the ship, while you use the creatures to draw off the patrol. The sahuagin will sense there is something wrong with the bodies and hopefully will feel compelled to investigate. The crowns will allow you to puppet the bodies up to about a mile. However, the effect is only temporary, so don't get too attached.— Octavia
Eralyse isn't sure how she feels about this turn of events as this seems to border on necromancy. She checks in with her god and determines that while it's not a direct violation it's not exactly a wholesome practice, especially if its effects weren't so limited in duration.
The group is able to effectively use the decoys to distract a border patrol as planned.
6
Once you've lost the patrol you proceed toward the island as planned. The trip is almost disturbingly quiet. You see the occasional shark but they take no interest in your vessel. You come upon an island that has a crumbling stone reef about it. You get the sense that at one time this island may have had a wall much like the one you've been living on but it has long since been torn down by the concerted effort of the sea devils. What's left of the wall is dotted with pikes upon which are humanoid skulls, like some kind of warning.
Before having much time to ponder this, a rock streaks through the air overhead and strikes the beach. Octavia picks up the pace and soon you are landing upon the beach where the rock fell. The rock then splits apart and several deformed-looking Sahaguin crawl out. Upon seeing you they turn and awkwardly run down the beach. Moving like they aren't used to their own bodies.
Octavia calls out
Those are the Starspawn we were warned about. Dispatch them before they have a chance to fully manifest. I'll bring the boat ashore.— Octavia
The group chased down the fleeing Sahuagin and was able to kill two before they got to the treeline. That's when things got....interesting.
7
You've downed 2, only one left to go. Then the third one turns and babbles in a language you don't recognize. Its body then cracks down the middle, like a snake shedding its skin. A strange bald grey creature stands before you it shakes loose a bone staff. Disturbingly the staff appears to be the spine of the sahuagin it just shed the skin off. Two manglers rise from the debris surrounding the creature. Cracking sounds from the other downed sahuagin give you warning before grue and manglers burst forth from those corpses as well.
This was not an easy fight. While the party was able to keep some of the starspawn on the run the grey-skinned creature had an annoying habit of teleporting out of danger or even just walking through things intended to contain him. The group eventually killed off most of his companions, whom he was using as body shields, and came at him faster than he could react finally downing it.
8
As the last one falls Octavia calls out to you. You see that the ship has been converted into a slender tower with a barricade facing the water. Nearby are piles of material to allow the construction of additional fortifications.
I wasn't sure how much space we were going to have and so I only had Sydney pack supplies for structures. Unfortunately, it seems that when we crossed the reef it set off some kind of alarm, Octavia points at the pikes and you can see that they are all lit with magical flames. The nearest Sahaguin patrol is heading here now and I don't want to risk Kinross getting attacked before she can hide amongst the trees. In the meantime help me fortify this position.
The group moved like a well-oiled machine, quickly arming the shrubs that were the former crew of the Kinross as well as making use of Octavia's materials to construct some fortifications. They also made use of a strange medicine that provided a temporary respite. Jon and Eralyse found themselves literally exhausted about an hour later but the quick energy boost they received was well worth it.
9
You make your preparations and the response of the sahuagin is.... massive. While approximately 2 dozen sea devils swarm up onto the beach, 2 of them stand above the rest quite literally. Some of them are riding sharks that are composed entirely of seawater. Sharks that they ride right up onto the beach without effort. Though it's strange to see, the creatures glide across the sand as if it were ice.
The battle was protracted but the party eventually forced the remaining sahuagin to retreat, having lost about half their forces. While the party had only lost a single shrub warrior, and really, even that one was only lost because it couldn't be gotten to in time.
The remaining priestess sounded a retreat and the sahuagin forces left. Once they were gone Octavia spoke with the tower and the whole thing uprooted itself easily doubling in overall size before slowly lumbering into the forest. Once the Kinross was secure among the trees the group took their leave of Dead Key, returning to the island they left. Leaving behind a concealed silvershade fort, manned with the remaining armed shrubs.
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