The Heroes
Emet-Selch {Vedalken Artificer}
Eralyse Sarrallon {Aasimar Paladin}
Jon Mastiff {Human Wizard}
Mala {Aarakocra Monk}
Mellow Leaf {Tabaxi Ranger}
The next day a call went out and the group gathered on the top deck of the Marigold. Nearby the group could see another ship floundering in the sea, slowly sinking beneath the waves. The ship was an unusual construction, looking to be primarily crafted of darkwood trimmed in white pine, which had been carved to look like bones. It flew a flag with a midnight blue background featuring a white skull flanked by daggers the one on the right, pointing down, and the one on the left pointing up.
The captain,
Octavia Penelope Hogbin, stepped onto the deck and looked out at the ailing ship.
"That's a
Xuress Ship we shouldn't pass on this opportunity to gather some intelligence. Those ships have a magic crystal on board that serves as a log for the ship. Those ships are often well-armed and quite dangerous. If we can find out what sunk her we may be able to avoid a similar fate."
After some debate in the group regarding if it was worth the risk. The party used one of the Merigold's "rowboats" in order to investigate the ship. When they lept aboard, the ship seemed to shift under their weight and the planks creaked ominously. They could see half a dozen figures shambling about the deck pulling uselessly on broken ropes, seemingly obvious to the state of the ship. They could see a way down into the decks below but the path was blocked by debris from one of the ship's masts.
Moving invisibly to the fallen planks Emet-Selch used a grease spell in order to ease egress into the decks below. The others followed, dispatching some of the skeletons and discovering some parts of the ship had been greatly weakened, to the point of collapse, which hindered their progress.
Below the decks, the group saw that part of the ship is completely submerged. Luckily the section they needed to get into was still above the water, a locked door near the front of the ship. The ship creaked and the shadows seemed to shift, drawing the eye to a low-slung horror, with 3 arms and 3 stubs where arms used to be. It looked blindly in the group's direction as its face was badly damaged across the eyes.
The group moved toward the door in the front and realized that they really only needed to get in, get the crystal and leave. So, still invisible, Emet-Selch moved to the locked door and got it unlocked. He then slipped inside while the others kept the horrors at bay while sweeping for any additional dangers.
When Emmet got the door open he saw that the far end of the room contained a complicated-looking alter upon which a white glowing gem was inset. 6 skeletal figures like those above were lined along the sides of the room as if standing guard. They raised their weapons in response to the door being open but did not yet turn to look in Emmet's direction. He carefully stole into the room and recognizing the release mechanism for the crystal was able to retrieve it in short order.
Recognizing that the horrors were enemies of the skeleton crew Eralyse called upon the power of her faith and forced one of the monstrosities to the top deck where it found mutual annihilation with some of the crew above. Clearing the way and having achieved their objective the group then withdrew back to the rowboat and ultimately back to the Marigold.
That evening after dinner and some discussion about the nature of the ship and its mission. The party heard a low moaning. At first, it seemed like it was just the wind but then the party recalled that because of the ship's design it was difficult to hear the waves, much less the wind. Then, suddenly a blood-curdling scream rang out and a figure passed through a wall. The ship was being attacked by the ghosts of sailors. The group was able to quickly dispatch the ones on the upper decks but they could hear more below.
Rushing down Mala threw open a door to one of the rooms they'd been asked not to go into, revealing one of the ship's secrets. Not only did he discover a ghost but he also saw a permanent teleportation circle. This explained the freshness of the meals they'd been having and the source of the ship's supplies. While this ghost was also quickly dispatched there were still more to be found even lower.
Venturing to the deepest deck the group found themselves in a massive room filled with black barked bushes and trees. All with transparent leaves. One of the ghosts possessed Mellow Leaf and the group was forced to bring her to the brink of death in order to get the ghost to release its grasp upon her. They slew the ghost. However, not before further collateral damage as an errant firebolt spell hit one of the plants badly burning it. This caused a druid the party had never met before to appear and berate the group for their carelessness. The druid was able to save the plant which proved to be a very good thing.
Once the group was satisfied that all of the ghosts had been dealt with they talked with the captain the next day. It was revealed that the Marigold was a colony ship and that the Silverleaf kingdom's citizens live like dryads. They learned that over 100 colonists were being transported in addition to 10 "physicians" and a warden, Octavia. The group learned that this sort of structure is common amongst the Silverleaf. However, while everyone was a volunteer. The ones on this ship would mostly not be missed as it was filled with misfits and heretics.
Additionally, the crystal had been analyzed and it was found that a large tentacled creature had been slain because its captain had rammed it with their ship. This caused severe damage to the ship. This information prompted the captain to convenience some of the colonists to summon a couple of pods of dolphins to escort the ship with the giant turtles. This way they could be on the lookout for a tentacled monster like that which the Xuress ship had encountered. Additionally, they would be able to avoid any additional underwater graveyards.
Later that day, the group arrived at their destination and found a large shimmering dome. A series of columns rose out of the water creating a narrow channel. As the ship drew near, the pillars began to glow with energy, and the ship was soon drawn into the channel formed by the columns. However, it soon began evident that unless the proper rituals/actions were taken the ship would be smashed against the side of the dome, if an opening wasn't opened that would accommodate the ship.
Working diligently, the group determined what needed to be done and entered the dome without issue.
Inside the group encountered another one of the horrors like that which was on the ship. as well as two lobster-like creatures and half a dozen small lightning riders. There was also another one of the large tentacled creatures which the turtles and dolphins took on, while the Marigold, which lacked any kind of weapons, stayed back.
The horror leaped upon Jon and took him down before he could act. But acting quickly his party was able to beat back the creature and save Jon before he expired. Once the lightning riders were dealt with the group was able to methodically deal with the lobster things and the horror. The turtles also defeated their target as well.
After defeating the last enemy the Marigold sailed around the island to find a reasonable spot to land. The party was are asked to gather their things and disembark to the island using one of the small boats. The captain of the marigold informed the group of her landing spot and informed them that it will take a day to set up camp.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd keep you onboard but I'd rather not waste another day. I'm told that you are capable and can make your way toward the... well, whatever it is that's here and deal with it. I spotted a wrecked boat just down the shoreline. We suspected that someone else came here before us and disturbed something that caused what we're experiencing. They may still be on the island or they may have been killed by whatever it is they did. In any case, I would recommend starting there as it will probably be quicker to follow whoever was here first."
After the group had disembarked and were clear of the Merigold, It unfurled its sails and moved at full speed toward the chosen rock face. The entire ship plowed into the island burying its self completely in the rock and sand, soon vanishing into the ground. Then, a single tree sprouted from the ground above. A black barked pine tree with transparent colorless leaves.
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