Hunt of the King Crab

Written by Chrundle_the_Great

General Summary

Overview

After ending the blight and securing more food, the guild turns its attention back to the grippoli village of the Zunker River. With the threat of the Poisoned Cup averted for now, Kapital is interested in a legend mentioned by the Pondmother.
Many generations ago, when the Pondmother's grandmother's grandmother was still a child, there were sightings in the marshlands of a titanic crab who carried armies on its back and commanded all other crabs with its presence. Although the grippoli see the King Crab as myth, the Pondmother believes it still lives and its body can be crafted into various magic items, including a rod of crab command. However, she also warns that, despite its title, the King Crab was not sentient, instead a territorial and supremely dangerous beast.
Will Kapital be able to fell the King Crab, or will they be crushed in the pincers of this legendary creature?

A Village in Peacetime

Hearing about a possible hunt, Bruswick and Ravix thought it was the perfect opportunity to initiate the newest member of the Order of the Stone Gauntlet, samurai Pad Tole. Accompanying them to ensure they didn't die was Azrael. Welcomed with open arms by the grippoli, the four of them were given a guest hut in the now peaceful village. As they were planning their next steps, the party heard footfalls in the mud and a casual knock at the door.
Awaiting them outside were three grippoli sent by the Pondmother: Julio the storyteller and the warrior brothers Steadfast Jak and Milo. As Milo chilled in the doorway and Jak meticulously swept the inside (and outside) of the hut, Julio exchanged stories with the party. According to the bard, the King Crab was "just a myth," but he had seen groups of crabs following a much larger one; believing this may be their quarry, the party asked Julio to guide them as best as he could. However, the bard loved all manner of stories and was so fixated on the Fang of Telcezalco carried by Azrael that he convinced them to take a short detour to a "zigzag-rut" bearing the same symbols as the illrigger's deadly blade.

What Lies Beneath the Bogs?

Spurred on by Julio's enthusiastic storytelling, the party trudged through the Brackwater Swamp. On their way to the ziggurat, they were stopped by the mysterious Agatha, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Wary of strange women living in the swamp, even more so of ones who could sneak up on him, Azrael told her plainly that he was not interested in dealing with her. Wounded by his words, Agatha warned the party that she meant to aid them because she "thought they were cute," but she would not ward them from the swamp's dangers any more; stepping into the trunk of a willow tree, the elven woman disappeared.
Almost instantly, Milo heard the gurgling shrieks of what sounded like drowning women. Rising from the swamps were two spectral women and a mud-covered hag. Only Ravix's glorious radiance managed to scare the creatures back into the bogs. Whether Agatha spoke truly or she was so greatly angered that she summoned the creatures was a mystery; nevertheless, the party continued their steady march, suddenly aware that their journey would be far more dangerous than they had expected.
Soon enough, the party found an ancient yuan-ti ziggurat; its weathered stone walls were covered in the same etchings found on Azrael's new weapon. Additionally, Ravix found an amulet bearing the image of Tallamh's large moon; as it called to him, he got the sense it reflected his inner light. After the paladin pocketed the strange jewelry, Bruswick spearheaded the navigation with Pad Tole offering advice about moving through swampy terrain. Strangely, they found bits of coral poking from the earth; following the trail, the party found a clearing surrounded by blackened, melted trees. Lying in the middle were triton corpses. Although their bodies had been preserved by the bogs, their decorative suits of armor, each bearing a coral crest on the breastplate, were rusted and ruined. Ever the student of religion, Ravix found a holy symbol of Persana, which Milo noticed contained a spell of water walk.
As the party returned to their path, Bruswick noticed huge five-clawed marks in the swamp behind them. Not wanting to frighten the grippoli, he shared this information with Azrael, Pad Tole, and Ravix. Dreading the possibility that some large, silent beast was stalking them, the party followed Julio closely, who led them to more solid ground and said the large crab he had seen was very close now.

Royal Rumble: Crab vs. Centipede

As the party approached, they indeed saw several crabs circling a much larger crab, with vaguely humanoid features. Although it was nowhere near large enough to fit the legends of the King Crab, the party prepared themselves for a possible fight; suddenly, the earth rumbled and twisted apart as two humongous centipedes and a writhing swarm burst from the ground and began devouring crabs. Seeing the greater threat, the party leapt to the crabs' defense; grateful, the larger crab cast a dome of protection that shielded the party too. As the centipedes were weakened, two duergar psionics became visible and ambushed the larger crab. Enlarging itself, the larger crab tore the remaining centipedes apart, while Bruswick felled one of the duergar. Before the other escaped, she levelled an accusatory finger at the now giant crab and shouted, "The Lord of Centipedes will devour your king!"
After comforting the surviving crabs, the giant crab shrank and shrank until a pale triton woman in crustaceous armor stood in its place. Introducing herself as the Mouth of the King, she thanked the party for their assistance; the duergar attacked her frequently because only she could break the enchantments they placed on beasts. She informed them that an audience with the king would not be easy to earn, but they had won her favor and should seek the "Hand" among the ruined sand castles. She gifted them a conch that whispered with her voice because "only [her] voice could summon the king for an audience." Curiously, she seemed disturbed when Ravix asked her about the holy symbol of Persana and left quickly.

Sifu of the Sands

As the party followed the Mouth's directions, they trudged through deeper and deeper bogs, with the swampwater sometimes reaching as high as Ravix's chest. They found a charred wooden sign that read "Runner's Haven" and was dated to the current year. Curious, Pad Tole dove beneath the waters and saw preserved dwarven corpses and melted stone buildings.
Finally, the party entered a clearing; brackish water surrounded an island with a small sandstone building. Inside, a large tattooed man sat and fed broth to small crabs. As the party approached, he stood up and introduced himself as the Hand of the King. Saying "only [his] hands could open the king's palace," he produced a mantis shrimp's claw from his belt. Standing at the island's edge and smiling warmly, he said:

Merely take it from my hand.

— Hand of the King

As Azrael ducked into the shadows and Bruswick observed from atop a tree, the Hand fought defensively, easily batting away the strikes of Ravix, Pad Tole, and the brothers Jak and Milo. Stepping on the water's surface with the lightness of a feather, he effortlessly pushed attackers into the muddy water and glided out of their reach. Even with the water walk spell stored in the holy symbol, Ravix was only able to strike the Hand once. With his wooden practice sword, Pad Tole landed glancing blows, but the party made very little progress. Finally, after a full minute of studying the Hand's movements, Bruswick called instructions to the party; as the Hand took his usual path, Bruswick shouted, "Now!"
Jak, Milo, and Pad Tole all pounced towards the Hand; unable to deflect all of their attacks, he knocked the brothers into the mud and caught Pad Tole's strike with his forearm. Lightning-quick with his sunwing bow, Bruswick fired a radiant arrow; as the Hand moved to deflect it, Julio walked over to his bowl of broth, tasted it, and remarked, "Needs more crab." Shocked, the Hand turned his head; seizing the moment, Ravix used his sunfeather shroud to sunstep beneath the arrow and grab the mantis shrimp's claw from the Hand. The Hand bowed deeply to the party and invited them to return to him to train in the "Way of the Crab." He allowed them to rest for the night in his lodgings and said they should next seek the "Eye."

Impromptu Splash Mountain

Following the Hand's guidance, the party arrived at a huge body of water; standing at the center and whistling to himself was a water genasi man who casually introduced himself as the Eye of the King. According to him, "only his [eye] could find the path to the king's palace." A roguish glint appearing in his one eye, he flashed the party a mischievous grin and asked them to "try to keep up."
Quicker than any arrow, the Eye of the King darted across the water. As the party gave chase, Pad Tole used the power of his coral katana to cast phantom steed and summon a spectral crab. Thinking quickly, the party hitched a rope from their new steed to Ravix's huge kite shield and began skimming across the water's surface. Dodging rocky outcroppings and ornery swamp creatures, they steadily gained on the agile Eye. He nearly stopped them by zipping to the top of a dam and kicking it open, but Azrael shielded the party with his nephalem wings. Frustrated, as the party nearly caught him, the Eye melded with the water and turned it to ice. The party's "water sled" bumped and skidded across the surface, and all of them tumbled down a cliff into an unnervingly dark cave.
As the party cast light and produced torches, the cave opened up to them; scorched and still-bubbling stone surrounded the gnarled perch of a large black dragon. She snarled as the light grew and caught Jak in her acid-dripping teeth. As she devoured him, his torch's light caught in her throat and burned her, but the party fled to avoid the same grisly fate. Bruswick seized the moment and cast faerie fire on the surprised Eye, wreathing him in bright light. Once again, Ravix sunstepped in front of the fleeing Eye, knocking the wind out of him. Cleverly, Julio convinced the disoriented Eye that they had already passed the king's palace; coming back to his senses, the Eye apologized and agreed to lead the party back to the palace. Guiding them down a waterfall, they stepped into a hidden cove and stood before a palace of coral and sandstone.

Assassins in the Throne Room

As the party admired the king's palace, Bruswick cleared his throat and reminded everyone of their mission; slaying the King Crab and harvesting its body could greatly benefit both Kapital and the grippoli. Following a moment of grim acceptance, Milo spoke, much more seriously than he usually did, asking the party if they would help him avenge his brother and kill the black dragon. All assented and mourned Jak's undeserved death, before stepping up to the huge doors to the palace. Holding the mantis shrimp's claw in his hand, Ravix mimicked the Hand's fighting posture and knocked with the back of his gauntlet. With a deafening crack, the claw crumbled to dust, and both doors flew open.
On either side of the sprawling throne room were rows of once-gleaming marble pillars, each decorated with immaculate carvings of crabs. Tattered murals hung from each of the walls: one of the King Crab and an army of triton battling the tentacled goddess of sea monsters, Umberlee; the next of the crab's titanic corpse resting on the ocean floor; a third of surviving triton constructing a mangificent palace beyond the swamps; a fourth of the King Crab shielding triton from the sinister forces of Iuz; another of the crab's lifeless body, dead angels and demons caught in its bloody pincers; and the last a solemn procession of teary-eyed triton returning to the palace. Finally, a rectangular pool of dark water stretched through the center of the room. Cautiously, the party stepped on sandstone tiles to the other end of the room.
Hearing their footsteps, a meek triton woman rounded the corner and introduced herself as the king's servant. Saying that she saw to the king's comforts and tended to the palace, she offered food and drink to the party and showed them where they could rest. After doing so, the king's servant brought them back to the throne room and asked why they came to the palace. Bruswick revealed that the party sought an audience and showed her the conch. Shoulders slumped, the king's servant explained that the king's coral crown was broken. Repairing it would require exotic materials, a mage powerful enough to complete the ritual, and a blacksmith talented enough to use the ancient triton coldforge at the back of the throne room; however, a new crown could only be made for a new king. Shoulders slumped, the king's servant simply remarked:

The king is dead. Long live the king.

— Servant of the King

Realizing the court would be kingless while the old king still lived, Azrael apologized to the king's servant before knocking her unconscious, so she would not have to see the death of her master. Wordlessly, the party positioned themselves around the pool, and Bruswick held the conch to the water. Its whispers rose and rose until their ears bled and the shell cracked into pieces. A monstrous roar echoed through the chamber, and two colossal claws erupted from the pool.
The King Crab granted its audience.
A tidal wave crashed into the party, and the pincers grappled Azrael and Pad Tole. As Bruswick fired arrows and Julio sang encouragements from behind cover, Ravix's and Milo's strikes glinted off the beast's hardened red carapace. Using his infernal seals, Azrael escaped the crab's clutches, while Pad Tole, supremely focused, landed a decisive strike and cleaved through the smaller of the claws. As the the beast raged, Bruswick studied its movements and, using the sparse sunlight filtering into the palace, pierced a weak point on the other claw with radiant arrows.
Enraged, the Guardian of Nature rose from the pools.
As it stepped into the throne room, a vicious maelstrom whipped up around its body. Tiny crabs answered their king's call and crawled through the cracks in the tile; swarming, they overwhelmed Bruswick and disarmed him of his mighty sunwing bow. Meanwhile, Pad Tole hacked at the beast's many legs, while Azrael and Ravix clung to its eyestalks for dear life. The King Crab swept great arcs with its claws, knocking an unconscious Azrael into the raging, swirling waters and crushing Pad Tole against the sandstone walls. Milo dove into the whirlpool and swam against it; emerging out of the water, he set the illrigger's body down, and Julio spoke of great grippoli warriors, casting heroism on Azrael and giving him another chance to fight.
As Ravix watched, Pad Tole fell to one knee and the fierce waters knocked Bruswick to the ground. In a moment of hopelessness, the paladin beseeched the gods for their aid. Struggling to stand on the King Crab's carapace, Ravix pressed the amulet of the large moon to his helmet and spoke:

Lady of the Moon, you are fair and wise. Although you are not as bright as the Sun, you still light the path during the darkness of night.
And, you have been known to control the tides.

— Ravix

The paladin recieved his answer (and a mind-breaking vision his mortal mind could only interpret as a divine mandate). He was strengthened by moonlight, and the maelstrom disappeared. Its wrathful aura dispelled, the King Crab scuttled towards Azrael, Julio, and Milo; each footfall shook clouds of dust from the palace ceiling. With a bestial roar, it raised its claw and cleaved through the three of them.
Milo, who would have leapt over the pincer's arc with ease, saw that Azrael would not survive the blow; the mild-mannered grippoli warrior made a decision and caught the King Crab's claw with his body. Eyes wild, legs breaking, he screamed for Azrael to promise him he would kill the black dragon who murdered his brother. As the illrigger made his oath, Milo smiled for the last time; unable to move him, the King Crab used all of its weight to press the warrior into the ground.
Azrael's eyes lit aflame, the powers of celestials and demons, light and darkness, swirling inside of him. He invoked hellish magic to mind screech; as the King Crab stumbled back, the illrigger's wings unfurled, and he felled the legendary beast with three brutal swings of his longsword. Ravix worked quickly to cure the wounds of his fallen companions. One by one, they stood up and marvelled at the King Crab's corpse. They had done it. They had slain a legend.
Groaning, the king's servant awoke. She blinked her pale eyes, slowly recognizing the party, until she settled her gaze on her master's lifeless form. She gasped quietly. Shaking, she approached the edge of the pool, unable to believe what she saw.

His blood has been spilled. His blood is mine, and my blood is his.

— Blood of the King

Not merely the king's servant, the Blood of the King was flooded with divine magic, one eye red, the other blue. Insightful Pad Tole read her face; she was serenely calm and intended to brutally fight everyone responsible for the regicide. Azrael and Pad Tole hacked at her with blades, Bruswick fired arrows, Ravix launched guiding bolts. The king's Blood, his martyr, allowed every strike to hit her; hands glowing golden, she struck them down one by one, using her own blood to empower her strikes. Azrael. Bruswick. Julio. Pad Tole. All of them were beaten and laid gently to the floor. Ravix quaked in his boots as the Blood approached. Before lifting her glowing fists, she spoke, "It should be you. You are a good man. If you do it, perhaps the next one will remember to be kind."
The paladin hesitated, pleaded if there another way. The Blood merely shook her head and lifted her hands above Ravix's head. Eyes bright with tears in his helmet, he struck her in the side with his maul and caught her crumpled body. For a moment, she exhaled deeply, a long burden finally lifted from her shoulders. Before dying, she whispered her thanks and wiped the tears from Ravix's face.

The King is Reborn

The Blood's body slowly shimmered and turned to blood; flowing, it pooled where the audience had been called. Shifting, swirling, until a large crab with a blue underbelly and pale white eyes stood in its place. Spooked, the creature scuttled towards Ravix who held his palms up. Curious, the crab slowly reached out a claw and touched the side of his helmet.
"She remembers you," spoke the Mouth of the King. She, the Hand, and the Eye walked into the room. One by one, the court's survivors introduced themselves to the new king. Finally, Julio surprised all when he said, "And I am your Blood. Your blood is mine, and my blood is yours." As the court departed, the Mouth whispered Julio's new responsibilities into his ear. Shaken by the weight of his new task, the bard returned to the party and thanked them for trusting him to come with them. Reassured that they would try to repair the king's crown and "see if she's still in there," he took Milo's body away for a proper burial.
The party stood in silence for a long time. Triumphant. Solemn because of what they had done. Hopeful because of how they could help. With Pad Tole's guidance and Bruswick's steady hands, they harvested rare materials from the King Crab's body. They returned to the grippoli to speak with the Pondmother, then to the keep to add their haul to the treasury.

Rewards Granted

Promise Band
Holy Symbol of Persana
Amulet of the Large Moon
Pendant of the Anglerfish

Harvested from the King Crab

1 x King Crab Chitin
2 x King Crab Pincer
1 x King Crab Ganglia

Report Date

30 Jan 2023

Primary Location

Palace of the King Crab

Related Characters

• Azrael
• Bruswick
• Julio
• Milo
• Pad Tole
• Ravix
• Steadfast Jak

The King's Court

I am your Mouth.
I speak with your voice, so your subjects may understand.
I am your words and your will.

I am your Hand.
I hunt for you and feed you from my own hands.
I am your reach and your influence.

I am your Eye.
I watch your domain for bounty and danger.
I am your guidance and your wisdom.

I am your Blood.
I see to your comforts and tend to your palace.
My blood is yours, and your blood is mine.