Grippoli Independence Day

Written by Chrundle_the_Great

General Summary

Overview

With the Caves of Chaos secured and alliances forged with the hobgoblins and gnolls, the burgeoning guild Kapital finally has a defensible base of operations. However, before they can get too comfortable, the founders must overcome their greatest challenge yet: administration.

An army marches on its stomach.

— Maximus

As reminded by Maximus, the seasoned general of Kapital's forces, soldiers need food to function, and Kapital is currently without any reliable supply chains. After inquiring about the old keep's food sources, they learn about the plentiful crabs in the Zunker River and the grippoli people who might be willing to trade. However, a mysterious item seems to warn of the grippoli's doom at the hands of the villainous Poisoned Cup. Without time to spare, a team of founders, retainers, and new members venture into the marshlands southeast of the Keep on the Borderlands.
Can Kapital liberate the grippoli and earn their friendship before it's too late?

New Beginnings

The once-dreaded Caves of Chaos have now become a safe haven for Kapital, and its founders must settle into their new home. Deciding to prioritize defending themselves while they gather resources and forge trade agreements and alliances with nearby domains, the fledgeling trade guild constructed a keep with the armorsmith Mizzryn overseeing its defenses and the equipment of its soldiers, comprised of gnoll hunters, hobgoblin campaigners, and guards from the Keep on the Borderlands.
The stronghold attracted new members from all walks of life: Ari Denair, the acolyte of flesh, Gobimi, an adorable goblin wielding a staff of wild magic, and Floon, a divination wizard captured by Azrael. In addition, the guild's old exploits attracted allies: Elri Izacal, a Shadowmaster willing to spy on behalf of her fellow illriggers, Chuma and Azrael, and Aelin, an ambassador from the Order of the White Stag who wanted to avoid future "misunderstandings" between his people and those of Kapital.
Seeking to hunt and harvest in the Fellgrim Forest, the founders asked Aelin how they might win his order's trust. He told them of the stolen Bramble Crown, an artifact originally recovered from their eladrin oppressors. However, the item was stolen by the Bramble King and his cult, the Children of the Briar. With the crown, the Bramble King is able to turn the forest against its inhabitants. Although he was chased into nearby swamplands, he still influences the forest. Aelin said, if Kapital can reclaim the crown and defeat the Bramble King without further aid from the Order of the White Stag, he would vouch for the guild to enter the Fellgrim Forest.
While discussing potential next steps, Maximus reminded the founders his soldiers still needed to be fed and paid; without either, he estimated two weeks before he couldn't justify keeping his soldiers allied with the guild. After speaking with Kirbicious Nobbs, the founders learned about the trade between the keep and the grippoli for the plentiful crabs of the Zunker River. With a potential lead, they consulted their foremost expert on the various peoples and cultures of the borderlands: Grak of the Grik.
They found the philosopher inspecting the cylinders of portent. He rolled etched cylinders through sand and read the symbols. Strangely, they warned of the Poisoned Cup enslaving the grippoli, although Grak was uncertain how such an item was made, as the grippoli are not a very advanced people. Still, realizing the risk posed by the Poisoned Cup, the founders delegated their most important tasks and formed a team to travel to the marshy home of the grippoli.

Trouble in the Borderlands

Founders Chuma and Azrael lead the retainers Yisbel, Ari, and Gobimi on their quest for food. However, they were spotted by bugbear patrolmen riding on horses. Although the party attempted to negotiate, the patrolmen recognized Chuma and Azrael from wanted posters and insisted they followed them back to the keep. A brawl ensued, but the bugbear mage was prepared and cast entangle to restrain all of the party, except for the warlock Yisbel who was empowered by her mysterious patron, Vinny. She cast darkness to buy her allies time to escape as she attacked the blinded patrolmen.
Before the bugbear mage could dispel the darkness, Yisbel saw a pair of vibrant green eyes glowing in the treeline. With acidic breath and focused axe swings, Calporesmus the dragonborn barbarian cut down two of the patrolmen, sending the rest of them fleeing back to the keep. He introduced himself to the party and joined them because he was also in search of food.
As the party investigated the marshlands, Calporesmus found and collected gripweed. Meanwhile, Chuma found a tree stump peppered with bent copper coins. The Lawful Neutral illrigger tried the same with one of his own coins; coincidentally, a beautiful maiden named Agatha stepped out of the nearby trees and offered her boat in exchange for a favor. Apprehensive, Chuma eventually accepted; Agatha seemed to disappear when no one was looking. Creeped out all around, the party climbed into Agatha's boat and began rowing their way to the grippoli settlement pointed out to them by Grak.

The Pondmother's Plea

As soon as the party docked at a small grippoli trading post, they were surrounded by half a dozen grippoli warriors on the backs of impossibly large crabs. Unable to understand their language, Chuma attempted to sign to them that the party was sent by Grak. A dire misunderstanding was only averted by the Pondmother overhearing and inviting the party to speak with her. Under the warrior's orders, the party dropped their weapons onto the back of one of the giant crabs.
Speaking in broken Elvish, the Pondmother explained her people's plight to Yisbel. Yuan-ti had once aided them, but the Poisoned Cup followed, enslaving their people, capturing their home, and using grippoli eggs as their food source. She instructed the party to do the following:

Sail through the Crab Maze until the Breakwater. Kill the yuan-ti in the village and the temple. Avoid the fat pig with many teeth.

— The Pondmother

Slightly confused by the instructions but resolute, the party climbed back in their boat and set their course.

Crab Rave in the Crab Maze

The party soon reached a labrynthine pattern of docks. Upon docking, they were ambushed by all manner of crabs: samurai crabs, captain crabs, lightning crabs, tiny crabs, and gigantic crabs. As the party ran for their lives, Chuma read a scroll of summon demon to delay the never-ending hordes of crabs. Fortunately, a mighty creature came to their rescue. Unfortunately, it was the very same creature the Pondmother advised the party to avoid: the corrupted hippopotamus. Azrael saw the beast's collar, which radiated the same magic he sensed from the mace of terror and the Temple of Iuz. While most of the party escaped, Gobimi and an injured Calporesmus were carried away on the back of a huge crab Gobimi was failing to control.

I've left people behind and paid a heavy price for it. I have to go back for them. Azrael, I'm leaving the rest of this mission in your hands.

— Chuma

Unwilling to leave Gobimi and Calporesmus stranded, Chuma left to save them. An infernal seal appeared on both him and Azrael to signify their deal. Meanwhile, Azrael, Ari, and Yisbel slowly approached the grippoli village.

Against the Cult of the Snake God

From afar, the party spotted grippoli villagers fishing and laboring for their Poisoned Cup oppressors. Before they could sneak fully into the village, a strong hand grabbed Azrael's cloak. Blades were drawn, but the party calmed down when Sowi'Ngwa, the chappa sorceror and carpenter, explained he was only trying to help. They went to his cabin where he clarified some of the Pondmother's instructions. The first group of yuan-ti were friendly missionaries of the Scalemother from distant Chult, but they and the grippoli were enslaved when the Poisoned Cup heard about their presence. Apparently, one of their mages arrived the previous night to perform a dark ritual in the temple.
After sneaking into the village, Azrael stepped through shadows and spied on the yuan-ti abomination interrogating two caged missionaries. One of them refused to break his promise to Spix; the abomination swiftly snapped his neck. Before he could advance on the other missionary, Azrael slowly rose from the abomination's shadow and impaled him on his longsword. Meanwhile, Ari and Yisbel worked together to fell the guards and giant serpent outside; while reinforcements sprinted to the hut, both of them hid in nearby buildings.
This time, the party was aided by not one, but two, strangers. With lightning-fast flashes of steel, Pad Tole and Crab the samurai crab scattered the reinforcements, while a Yisbel and an enlarged Ari struck with symbiotic lash and kusarigama, respectively. Finally, Azrael emerged victorious from the village's central hut and used mind screech to incapacitate the surviving yuan-ti. Pad Tole, disciple of the samurai crabs, joined the party in their quest to stop the dark ritual and liberate the grippoli and any surviving missionaries.
Venturing into the temple, the party heard screams from a central crypt, although Pad Tole did not recognize the voices. A huge mass of writhing serpents guarded the entrance; Ari, Pad Tole, and Crab leapt into battle, while Azrael and Yisbel sprinted to the sealed doorway. After breaking down the door, Azrael was quickly constricted by a massive yuan-ti warrior. While the yuan-ti mage chanted her spell, two missionaries were tied down to a stone table. Two yuan-ti malisons guarded the mage, one holding a lantern, the other a chime. Finally, a sarcophagus lay on the other side of the room, its lid slowly sliding open as the mage chanted.
Ari contorted her body and slipped past the bodyguard to attack the mage; the malisons defended her with spells of their own, but their suggestions failed to influence Ari. Meanwhile, Yisbel enlarged Azrael, who stepped through shadows and slahed the mage relentlessly. Unfortunately, the mage fought through the pain and finished her ritual; as cracks began to appear on the skin of the missionaries, the sarcophagus slid open fully. The mage retaliated and summoned nightmarish visions of Iuz to torment Azrael; mortally afraid, the illrigger fell unconscious.
Outside, Pad Tole and Crab worked in perfect coordination to chip away at the titanic swarm of snakes. However, their poisonous bites began to take their toll, and Crab shielded his disciple. Pad Tole felled the swarm and held his master as Crab perished; from his shell, hundreds of tiny hermit crabs emerged and gifted Pad Tole his master's magical coral blade. Supremely focused, Pad Tole took up his master's sword and charged the yuan-ti.
As Ari and Pad Tole battled the bodyguard, the caster began to summon the serpents of Dendar with hunger of hadar, but she finally bled out from the many wounds she ignored. Meanwhile, a malison rifled through the sarcophagus and retrieved a golden serpent torc, which promptly melted his mind when he tried to wear it. The torc clattered to the ground and began slithering to the dying mage, but one of the missionaries reached for it and tossed it to the side.
Although Vinny suggested running away, Yisbel used her patron's magic to cast heroism on Azrael and Ari, spurring them keep fighting against the bodyguard. Yisbel circled the crypt and healed the dying missionary, while Vinny "ate" the torc. Outnumbered and outmatched, the bodyguard evasively slithered to the sarcophagus and produced the Fang of Telcezalco, a magical blade with a broken point. Against all odds, Azrael dodged his poisonous strikes and sliced him in twain. With the Poisoned Cup invaders defeated, the party tended to their wounds, while speaking with the injured but grateful missionary, Mazz.
He explained that the missionaries were sent by Spix to investigate the area for the Fangs of Telcezalco; these blades were wielded by the two bodyguards, also called Fangs, of a line of ancient kings. It is believed that the blades could be used as keys to the temple of the final king, Telcezalco XVIII, the Blood River, who is rumored to be waiting for someone foolish enough to hunt for his treasury and free him. Curiously, Mazz found the entrance to a dungeon below the sarcophagus. Blaming himself for the death of his companions, Mazz offered to aid Kapital in dealing with the Poisoned Cup before returning to Chult.

Friendship and Freedom

With the eggs and enslaved grippoli freed, giant crabs carried entire buildings from the trade outpost back to their village. The Pondmother offered the party their Rite of Friendship; all of them accepted the Pondmother's magic, and they all awoke the next morning able to understand the Grippoli language. With the grippoli liberated, they agreed to trade their livestock crabs with the guild, as long as an experienced grippoli warrior accompanies them; Pad Tole accepted the task.
Their mission successful, Azrael, Ari, Pad Tole, and Yisbel returned to their keep, bearing food and stories from the Pondmother, including one about the legendary King Crab.

Rewards Granted

Coral Sword of the Crab Samurai
Grippoli Rite of Friendship

Looted from the Yuan-ti Sarcophagus

Fang of Telcezalco
Golden Serpent Torc
Serpent Scale Mail

Report Date

21 Jan 2023

Primary Location

Pondhome

Related Characters

• Ari Denair
• Azrael
• Calporesmus
• Chuma
• Go & Bimi
• Pad Tole
• Vinny
• Yisbel Beaumont