Story HourPost your ongoing tales from your campaigns, and read those from others for inspiration. Lots of other RPG boards post "Story Hours", but this is where it started!
Kham padded down the hallway, peering around each corner before he did so. He waved the others on behind him.
He came to a door. Throwing caution to the wind, Kham opened it.
The small room was heaped with pillows of all shapes and sizes. Thick rugs covered most of the floor. A thin copper lever protruded from the northern wall. It smelled like reptile flesh.
There were sounds of combat in the hallway. Kham ignored them. He pulled the lever.
There was a grinding sound. A stone wall slid open near the lever.
Something shrieked in agony in response to whatever it was Sebastian and Vlad were doing.
The vault’s interior was totally dark and heaped with crates, five in all, each bearing a decrepit iron lock. They were quite large, almost too big to fit through the narrow doorway.
Vlad shouted an inquiry as to Kham’s whereabouts, littered with expletives.
Kham drew his special lock-picking dagger out and then popped the handle. He chose from a variety of picks. Then he concentrated, his eyes glowing briefly.
Kham twisted the picks in the lock. He was rewarded with a satisfying click. A needle hung in the air between him in the lock, then dropped to the ground. Kham’s mental shield paid off.
There was an explosion and a scream.
With a shrug, Kham put the dagger back into its sheath at his belt. He drew his two pistols. “Okay, we do this the old fashioned way.”
A thin trail of greenish gas snaked its way between Kham’s feet and climbed its way up through the lock. Kham blew the lock off.
When he opened the large chest, the medusa was curled up within, her eyes closed, arms over her chest. She looked almost peaceful.
Vlad skidded into the room, panting. “Where the hell were you?”
Kham smirked. “Doing what we came to do. Now give me a hand and help me drag this chest out into the sunlight.”
An explosion wracked the Lady Quay…then another and another in a chain of designed destruction. She had seen better days: she was a wrecked bulk of planks and torn sails, of rotten shrouds and sagging yardarms. Her keel was irreparably split, her rudder nothing but a splintered stub. Fetid seaweed clung to her warped bulkheads like rotting flesh.
“What the hell happened?” asked Vlad in horror.
The hull of the Lady Quay ruptured, cracked open like an arid desert; the aft section burst and trembled. Slowly, it began to sink in flames, plunging to her death.
Sebastian watched dispassionately.
The Lady Quay sank beneath the waves as the sun set. A few crewmen dove off the side, swimming their way to shore.
The survivors of the Lady Quay, temporarily safe, watched in awe and grief as their only way home died in the ominous Pale Sea beyond. Captain Miro watched with hollowed eyes.
“My god, Rekello,” she whispered. “What have I done?”
“What you had to do,” said Rekello. “What you always do. Turned death into a fighting chance to live.” He looked concerned over at his captain. “You hear me, Winnifer?”
Captain Miro took a deep breath and nodded her understanding to Rekello.
“Mind explaining it to the rest of us?” asked Kham.
Rekello shot Miro a glance. She nodded at him. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Miro turned to address Sebastian, Vlad, and Kham. “Several months ago, my consort Thispin Venorth and I were hired to deliver a fell cargo of Essence Ingots to Freeport. We loaded the Essence Ingots into the hold of our beautiful ketch, the Night Heron, unaware that the dangerous black bricks contained the trapped souls of once-living creatures. The ubiquitous ship rats gnawed on the crates and eventually were infected after consuming portions of the tainted ingots. When the infected rats bit the crew, fatalities quickly mounted and the frightened sailors declared an all out mutiny.” She choked, unable to go on.
Rekello picked up where she left off. “The ensuing fight was savage and bloody. The Night Heron caught fire during the fray. In order to save our lives, we slew a dozen of our own men. But Thispin was mortally wounded. He died even as the ship was sinking.”
“I fully expected to drown with him,” said Miro. “But I found the ship rising up from the clutches of the cold sea. Only days later, when my crewmates rose up as undead horrors, did I realize what happened. The Night Heron had become a ghost ship. Rekello and I were the only living people aboard the haunted vessel.”
“So we hatched a plan,” said Rekello. “We cloaked the ship with magic and vowed to set the undead crew to rest by delivering another shipment of the cursed cargo to Freeport, thereby passing on the taint. But…”
“Worked pretty well,” said Vlad. “Ghoul Juice nearly destroyed Freeport, thanks to you.”
“There’s no more cursed cargo,” said Sebastian. “We razed the place to the ground. All the Essence Ingots were destroyed along with the sorcerer who created them.”
“Then the curse is truly broken,” said Miro. “I had expected to go down with my ship. And with Thispin.”
“We still have the dinghies,” said Sebastian. “Perhaps we can lash a makeshift boat together. Three days time should allow me to scout ahead until we can be rescued.”
“You do that.” Kham grabbed the Captain by her waist. “What if I told you I could bring you to Freeport in the blink of an eye, sweetcheeks?”
The Captain eyed Kham but didn’t pull away. “I’d say you’ll be the only man who called me that and lived.” But she managed a grin.
“That’s all I need to hear.” Kham winked at Vlad. “See you in Freeport!”
He touched one hand to the kelpie amulet. With a flash, Kham and Captain Miro disappeared.
The other sailors who had survived the sinking of the Lady Quay, all men who hired on from Freeport, stared at them expectantly. Sebastian glared back at them.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t possess such magic. Not yet.” He flapped into the air. “I’ll cut down some trees for our raft.”
The sailors stared up in shock.
“You heard the man!” shouted Vlad. “Hop to! If we’re going to get off this island, we’ll have to work together!”
The men scurried to do Vlad’s bidding. When they were out of earshot, the Milandisian turned to address the ocean.
This scenario is from the Tales of Freeport adventure “Fair Salvage” from Green Ronin, by Graeme Davis and adapted to the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!
Our cast of characters includes:
• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://www.ninjarobotstudios.com)
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
• Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer
Bijoux’s player had abruptly exited the campaign before I was ready to write Bijoux off completely. So it took awhile, but this is the adventure where we explain what happened to Bijoux’s people and why anyone should care. After all, they’re the Great Success or Failure (depending on how you look at it) for the Unspeakable One. Are they any better off?
More importantly, as the campaign winds to a close, it’s time to clean out the closet, so to speak. Anyone and everyone is fair game, and more than a few NPCs have served their purpose. When it comes to a murder mystery, somebody or in this case several somebodies, have to die.
This scenario is barely an adventure, actually, but more an encounter. It’s one of those adventures that seems much more interested in telling the PCs about what already happened, as opposed to actually thrusting them into the middle of a conflict. I tweaked the adventure so the PCs were at all the exciting parts and heard about the boring parts instead.
Even that resulted in very little combat, because fortunately the PCs are smart enough to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.
The Long Day’s Night eventually rescued Sebastian, Vlad, and the remaining crew of the Lady Quay. The breezed had stopped completely, so that the air hung hot and humid and utterly still. Ships had been becalmed, sometimes for weeks, with no sight of land or salvation, slowly depleting their supplies.
“Sorry boys,” said Captain Amos. “According to the charts you recovered from Marissa Lapideaux’s home, the time to open a portal to R’lyeh came and went.”
Sebastian turned the small sextant over in his hands. “Then all is lost.”
Amos clapped Sebastian on the back. “Oh, I’m sure something’ll turn up. If my boys heard right, you stopped the Unspeakable One and lived to tell about it. Opening a portal should be a piece of cake for the likes of you.”
Vlad rubbed his forehead. “If only it were that easy.”
Sebastian looked up. Something had caught his attention. “There.” He pointed. “What’s that?”
There was a glint on the water, not far off. Vlad peered over the deck at it.
“Well, I’ll be…” said Amos. He handed Vlad the spyglass. “See for yourself.”
Vlad looked through the scope.
It was a whale-shaped construct, composed entirely of thick, clear glass. It was hundreds of feet long. The body was fashioned with the appropriate dorsal hump, medium-sized flippers, and a powerful fluke. Its huge, bulky head took up nearly a third of its total body length. A single angled blowhole was located on the far left top of its forehead, projecting streams of visible white air. The slim and narrow lower jaw of the glass whale was lined with peg-like teeth that fit into grooves along its robust upper jaw. Tiny figures moved within it.
“What is that?”
“I don’t know,” said Amos. “But it has no sails and she’s running against the wind. How is that possible?”
“Anything’s possible, with the right magic,” said Sebastian. “But to outfit a ship of this size with such an enchantment would be fantastically expensive.”
“Maybe it’s a ghost ship,” offered Vlad. “We’ve seen a few of those lately.”
Amos shook his head. “The weather’s calm. Visibility’s good. The ship looks solid enough to me.”
With a splash of its tail, the gigantic glass whale disappeared into the deaths.
“That’s worrisome,” said Vlad. “If whoever pilots that ship joins Coryan’s civil war, they could blow Freeport right out of the water.”
“Worse,” said Amos, “they could outbid Freeport’s buccaneers!”
Fair Salvage: Part 1 – The Unfortunate Antiquarian
Falthar’s Curios was only fifteen feet wide, but it was a good fifty feet long. It almost seemed that the building was an afterthought, crammed between two existing structures with little regard for functionality. Falthar made it work though. The front room was normally stuffed with curiosities from floor to rafters.
Kham found the door unlocked, the shop’s contents scattered. The furniture was reduced to kindling.
“Falthar!” shouted Kham.
Falthar val’Abebi lay on the floor in several pieces, badly charred but still identifiable. It had not been disturbed. Given the recent corruption scandal sweeping Freeport, none of the Sea Lord’s Guard had yet arrived despite several citizens raising the hue and cry.
Kham leaned down to inspect the corpse. The damage suffered by the corpse was consistent with magic. And yet, there was none of the widespread fire damage that one would expect from something so powerful.
“Skiz, look around,” said Kham.
The talking rat hopped out of Kham’s haversack and climbed down his pant leg. He paused to sniff the corpse.
“That’s not dinner,” Kham said sternly.
Skiz shot Kham a hurt look. Then he resumed sniffing the rest of the room.
“Strange smell here boss. Something weird.”
“That’s an understatement,” said Kham. “There’s a lot of valuable items in here. Either the murderer wasn’t interested in profit, or he didn’t realize their value.”
“Falthar was connected, right boss? Who would mess with him?”
Kham shook his head. “I don’t know. But whoever it is, they’re gonna pay.”
My sister-in-law didn't really have the time to play, and my brother's interest flagged soon after. There were a lot of reasons for this, one of them being that because they weren't playing often enough they started to lag tremendously in power levels.
The other reason was that when they did show up, adding two additional players tended to make the game very chaotic, since it usually swelled our total number of players to seven. Because they were both new to D&D, this made it a bit boring.
The problem was that with the ever changing schedules of my players, I wasn't really willing to restrict the number of players. I applied a lot of what I learned to my d20 modern game.
I'm also beginning to realize that campaigns work best if I have a conclusion to the campaign in mind, as player interest tends to flag over the years.
The brutal murder of Falthar cast a pall over the surrounding area. Some people were afraid to go out at night, while others formed themselves into vigilante groups and patrolled the streets in search of evildoers. There were several cases of mistaken identity that resulted in innocent people being stopped, beaten, and even lynched.
An almost palpable sense of dread hung over the neighborhood, but the rest of the city carried on its business as usual—a murder, however gruesome, was not a serious thing in Freeport, so long as it happened at a comfortable distance.
Sebastian joined Vlad and Kham in front of a two-story house on a leafy side street off Wave Avenue.
“Why have you summoned us here?” the dark-kin asked as he landed.
“Maybe you should stop flying around the city,” Kham said in irritation. “You could get lynched.”
Sebastian let a sly smile cross his lips. “They’ve already tried.”
It was understandable, said the Sea Lord’s Guard. Sebastian fit the description of the strange creatures seen roaming the city at night. They were never clearly seen and were described as nothing more than distorted shadows slipping in and out of the darkness. The stories told of glowing red eyes and tall, misshapen figures as thin as an elf but as tall as an ogre.
Vlad looked up at the house. “Where are we, anyway?”
“Aljandros Haddon’s house,” Kham said flatly.
“Aljandros too?” Vlad looked sideways at Kham. “Is there something you want to share with us?”
Kham shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I can’t help it if I know a lot of people.”
“A lot of dead people,” said Vlad.
Sebastian flapped up to the second story. “The bars on this window have been pulled apart with great force.” He peered closer at the window. “It looks as if they were melted and then bent.”
The dark-kin flew through the window while the others took the steps. Once again, the Sea Lord’s Guard was nowhere to be found.
Aljandros’ bedroom was a mess, with contents scattered about as if a tornado hit it.
Sebastian nudged something with his foot. “This was Aljandros.”
Kham turned over a few books, sorting through the remains of what were once shelves.
“Looking for something?” asked Vlad.
Kham nodded. “Aljandros was never happier than when he was showing off his latest find. Less than a week ago, he invited several other collectors to his house to admire his latest acquisition, an ornate bowl.”
“So?” asked Vlad. “You think he was killed over a bowl?”
“It wasn’t just any bowl. It was made of an unknown metal and about the size of half a coconut.” Kham frowned. “It was taken from the same wreck that Freeport’s Siege Cannons came from.”
“I thought the Freeport cannons were from Altheria,” said Vlad.
Kham whirled on him. “Altheria would never supply such things to Freeport.”
Vlad was taken aback. “Sorry. Didn’t realize it was a sore subject.”
Kham smoothed his overcoat down. “I went to prison over the rights to blackpowder pistols, remember? It’s all because of the damn gnomes.”
“But these cannons and this bowl didn’t come from gnomes.” Sebastian’s eyes glowed as he scanned the room. “The bowl is not here.”
“Now what?” asked Vlad.
Kham kicked some debris aside as he left the room. “Now we go visit the Siege Cannons.”
The most impressive part of the Old City’s defenses was the five arcane fire cannons atop each one of the walls’ towers.
“The massive brass and iron armaments were salvaged from a mysterious hulk, found beached on the windward side of A’Val after a savage storm.” Kham climbed the winding outer steps up one of the towers. “It was impossibly large by Freeport standards. Sea Lord Francisco paid an exorbitant amount of money to acquire what were at first regarded as expensive curiosities.”
“Have they ever been fired?” asked Vlad.
Kham nodded. “The next marauding fleet that cruised into Freeport Harbor bent on stemming the tide of piracy received a surprising reception. Once the fleet’s flagship was reduced to a floating bonfire by one shot from the top of the Freeport battlements, the rest of the invaders quickly moved on.”
Two guards stopped his ascent with large clubs. “Halt!” said one of the guards.
There was a shout beyond the guards.
Kham swigged a potion and disappeared. The guards blinked and looked around.
Sebastian snapped out his wings. The guards readied their polearms, only to have the dark-kin spiral up past them.
That left Vlad. He smiled. “Do you know who I am?” He flashed the Symbol of Drac. “I’m a good friend of the Commissioner.“
The guards looked at each other. Finally, with a unified shrug, they let him pass.
Four tall and thin humanoids were stalking up the stairs. They somehow obscured their appearance, their features cloaked in shadow. Another pair of guards were ahead of them, shield and halberds at the ready. A smoking hole in the wall near the guards was mute testament to the beginnings of a conflict.
Sebastian landed behind them. “Stop! What do you want with the Siege Cannons?”
Vlad stood behind Sebastian, sword at the ready.
One of the creatures turned to face the dark-kin, its eyes glowing a bright red. Its skin was matte black in color. A series of images flashed through his mind.
He saw the k’n-yan overtaking the fihali homeworld. As it was absorbed into Carcosa, several fihali escaped on whale-shaped glass ships. They warped and shimmered, only to appear in Arcanis.
Except that they did not all appear at the same time and place. One of them appeared two hundred years in the past. Another appeared only recently. Of the other ships, there was no sign. When they arrived, the fihali were changed, caught between two worlds.
Sebastian was overcome by a great feeling of sadness. Then, he saw a view of the inside of the great ship, which slowly filled up with strangely-wrought objects of various types, including the metal bowl taken from Aljandros’ collection, accompanied by a feeling of puzzlement. Next, there was a picture of one of the siege cannons, accompanied by a feeling of anger.
It was a two-way form of communication. Sebastian’s mind relayed one image clearly: A man sat near a tree with a dog at his feet. He played a lute and sang a song for a woman standing on a nearby balcony. An immature spawn of Hastur was slowly crawling up to the balcony toward the woman. High overhead, a crescent moon shone. The entire image was upside down…
The black fihali’s eyes narrowed.
“Halt!” shouted a heroic voice. “I, Henry Gow, will not let you pass!” The young-looking wizard shouldered his way past the two guards. “Back, foul creatures! Fear my mighty magic! Hypnos regula!”
Henry’s outstretched hands flashed a dizzying pattern of bright lights. The color caused the black fihali to recoil.
“No, wait—“ said Sebastian. But it was too late.
One by one, they shimmered and warped out of the air.
“Ha!” shouted Henry. He pointed at Sebastian. “I do not fear you, monster! Back, I say, BACK!”
“Fool,” snarled Sebastian. “I was communicating with them!” There was a whip-cracking sound. A purple welt appeared on Henry’s neck, the aftereffects of Sebastian’s poisonous tail.
The wizard collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“I didn’t know your tail could do that…” Vlad looked down at the unconscious wizard. “Now what?”
Sebastian’s tail twitched. “Now we pay a visit to the wreckage where Freeport retrieved those Siege Cannons.”
Kham appeared next to Vlad. “You may want to postpone that trip.”
“Why?” asked Vlad.
Kham pointed. Dozens of torches bobbed in the darkness. “It looks like somebody’s about to get lynched.”
For a heart-stopping moment, the object of the lynch mob’s rage was visible on a torch-lit platform. A rope was tied around her neck.
It was Bijoux.
“Not again!” shouted Sebastian. His allies didn’t have a chance to ask him what he meant before the dark-kin launched himself off the edge of the tower.
The crowd roared as the designated executioner wrapped the noose tightly around Bijoux’s neck. She was easy prey, muttering feverishly to herself, eyes rolling. They bound her hands and feet so that she couldn’t glide to safety. Then, with a mighty heave, they shoved her off the stone steps of one of the other towers.
There was a flash of black and the rope snapped. Bijoux was snatched out of the air by something moving fast.
Sebastian flew all the way to the beach before he let Bijoux go. He slashed open her bindings.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “The card…the card forced me to do things…”
Bijoux didn’t seem to hear him. She wobbled steadily to her feet. “They’re calling me,” she whispered. “They’re trapped between worlds.”
“I killed so many.” Sebastian fell to his knees. “There were a dozen, I think, in Carcosa. They didn’t know what hit them.” He could still smell the stench of burning flesh. “The King in Yellow forced my hand…”
Vlad and Kham arrived a few minutes later, panting.
Vlad put his hands on his knees. “You have to leave. The mob is coming this way.”
Sure enough, the pool of angry fireflies that were the mob’s torches had transformed into a serpent of flame, winding its way through Freeport and towards the beach.
Kham stared out at the water. “Uh, guys…”
Vlad looked over at Kham. “What now?”
“The water out there…it doesn’t look right. It’s broken up somehow, like something…”
“Invisible,” said Sebastian. “The fihali have come to avenge their brothers.” He stood up and stretched out his wings, a good span of twelve feet. “So be it. I am not afraid to die.”
“Are you nuts?” said Vlad.
“Yep,” answered Kham.
A glowing white cannon appeared in mid-air about a hundred yards out. There was an odd whirring sound and the cannon’s barrel flared brighter.
“I don’t think they’re aiming for Sebastian,” said Kham. “I think they’re aiming for the mob.”
The crowd had hit the beach. Their angry shouts were audible.
“If they shoot now, it’ll be a massacre!” shouted Vlad. He drew his sword, but knew that even Grungronazharr couldn’t stop the blast.
“No!” shouted Bijoux. “Calactyte, NO!” She launched herself in the air. “We have to help him!”
“What the hell is she talking about?” asked Kham.
“Bijoux’s delirious,” said Sebastian. “She thinks she’s back in Semar.”
Vlad pounded towards the crowd. If he could get there in time, maybe there was a chance…
The fihali flew towards the cannon, intercepting the blast before it could expand further. There was a terrific explosion that knocked them to the ground. For a moment, a white light as bright as the sun at high noon illuminated the beach.
A great wail went up from the crowd. Terrified, it quickly dispersed.
Vlad fell to his knees, his entire body drifting smoke that whipped in the shore winds. Bijoux’s sacrifice was enough to slow the blast but not stop it. Grungronazharr absorbed what it could, but the explosion was too powerful.
Kham ran over to Vlad and felt his pulse. “He’s alive. Barely.” There was no sign of Bijoux.
“They will never know her sacrifice,” Sebastian said sadly.
When the light finally faded, a small, featureless boat parted the water. More cloaked figures stood stiffly in its center as it propelled itself towards the beach, parting the water without oar or sail.
Sebastian took a few steps towards the boat and waited.
The black fihali stepped out of the boat, one by one. They turned to face Sebastian.
“I…I am sorry.” Sebastian choked. “I was mad.”
“Who are you talking to?” asked Kham. He couldn’t hear the other part of the conversation.
“We cannot give you the Cannons,” said Sebastian. “Freeport needs them to survive.”
The black fihali inclined its head, staring at Sebastian curiously.
“Bijoux’s sacrifice should not be in vain. There can be peace between us, despite our past sins. I will help you.”
The fihali nodded. Sebastian nodded back.
“That is a very generous offer. I will discuss with my companions.”
The dark-kin turned to Kham. “They need the cannons to attack a k’n-yan ship. It too crashed here when the fihali homeworld was destroyed. But in light of Bijoux’s sacrifice, they are willing to use my firepower instead. I offer it to them freely as recompense for the murders I committed.”
“Murders?” asked Kham.
“In exchange, they will give us access to something called the Moonsilver Orb. It can open a portal to R’lyeh. That’s our only chance to stop Leviathan.”
Kham peered at Sebastian. “You’re going to do this whether we go with you or not, huh?”
Sebastian nodded.
Kham flashed him a grin. “It’s good to have the old Sebastian back. I’m in.”
“And me,” said a gruff familiar voice. Beldin stumped across the sands, having just returned from Solanos Mor. “It’ll take a dwarf to show you how to navigate the high seas.”
Chapter 60: Where the Ocean Meets the Sky - Introduction
This scenario is from the Dead Man’s Chest adventure “Where the Ocean Meets the Sky” by Necromancer Games, adapted to the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!
Our cast of characters includes:
• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (Jeremy Robert Ortiz)
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
Alert readers will note that we already played half of this adventure in our heroes’ quest to return from Nyambe. Instead of making Coralis a long journey, we have the PCs traveling by glass whale powered by pseudonatural fihali—weird transportation, but fast nonetheless.
I tweaked the adventure so that exploring the sunken ship is a necessity to get the Moonsilver Orb. Then I threw out the not-so-interesting caverns/challenges and replaced it with all the neat challenges I never got to use on The Isle of Chaugnar Faugn. This turned out better than I expected, and the PCs were more than up to the challenge.
I also decided that if one of my PCs is going to have an amulet of the planes, then he’s gonna use it as a plot device to escape certain doom. Which he did. Of course.
This is also the last you’ll see of the k’n-yan and the fihali as they struggle to prevent the Cult of Leviathan gaining dominance. Or to put it another way, out with the old cult, in with the new!
Coralis rose from the Pale Sea, a sun unto itself, like a grand cathedral to Yarris, god of the depths. Tall spires captured the light of the sun, transforming the dawn into a multitude of gems floating in the sky. Four towers reached from their watery foundations up to the heavens, appearing to be made of precious stones: emerald, sapphire, ruby, and topaz. The reef of coral below the towers was clearly visible through the crystal waters, extending out of sight in either direction, effectively blocking further passage.
Numerous islands, sporting foliage, emerged along the reef. Fires burned on several of the islands, hinting that all was not well. The ruins of four other towers confirmed that a massive battle had occurred recently.
The black fihali turned as one to face Beldin, Kham, and Sebastian.
“This is where we get off,” said Sebastian after a moment of interpreting the thought-symbols the alien fihali relayed only to him. “They showed me an image of a buried ship, approximately one hundred feet below the surface.”
“And we’re supposed to do what, exactly?” asked Beldin, dubious.
“The fihali ship was trying to penetrate the defenses of the k’n-yan. In the end, they rammed the ship into the coral, but they died in the ensuing explosion. We must make our way through that opening and find the Moonsilver Orb.”
“K’n-yan, huh?” asked Kham. “I don’t suppose they’ll be surprised to see us?”
The glass whale rocked from an explosion. It was a testament to fihali engineering that the ship only shuddered.
“Never mind,” said Kham.
The fihali pointed. Slowly, the platform where Kham, Beldin, and Sebastian stood sank into the mouth of the glass whale. Water rushed in around their feet.
“How exactly are we going to breathe water down there?” asked Kham.
Beldin concentrated a moment. “There, you can breathe normally underwater now.”
The water was waist level. Although it was cooler than the air, the water of the Pale Sea was still temperate in comparison.
Kham looked at him sideways. “Just like that?”
Beldin crossed his arms. “Just like that.”
Kham took a deep breath. The water level reached his neck. He reflexively raised his chin.
“I don’t know if I trust Cho Sun’s ring,” Kham muttered.
“You don’t have a choice,” said Sebastian.
The water reached Kham’s mouth and then suddenly he was completely submerged.
“Relax now, Kham,” said Beldin, muffled beneath the water. “Sebastian and I have done this before. Just keep breathing as it fills...don't fight it. Take it in. Just let yourself take it in.”
Suddenly, there was nothing to breathe but water. Kham’s eyes went wide in instant panic. He started to thrash, chest heaving.
“This is normal,” said Beldin. “It'll pass in a second. Humans breathe liquid for nine months, Kham. Your body will remember.”
Kham looked at the dwarf in disbelief. He would have yelled at him if it didn’t mean giving up another breath.
His spasms subsided. Kham began to breathe normally. He was alive, alert and quite completely drowned inside the glass whale. He grinned and gave a thumbs up to Beldin.
“Now the real fun begins,” said Sebastian.
Then the glass whale’s mouth dropped them into the ocean.
A vessel resembling an oblong sphere of seamless, shining metal jutted from the coral reef. A long gash marred the otherwise perfect exterior, allowing water and fish easy passage into the interior. Lengthwise along the equator of the huge ship, weapons and tools of all uses protruded from the hull, each near by a small porthole. The metal appeared unaffected by the water.
There was a jagged opening in the ship, one that obviously should not have been there. The explosion that brought the ship low left a gaping hole in its side. The edges were ragged and blackened, with strange conduits protruding from the mangled remains of the wall. They flashed with energy occasionally, all that was left of the magic that once powered the vessel.
Sebastian spread his wings and snapped his tail behind him, gliding like a manta ray in the ocean depths as if he had lived there all his live. Beldin wasn’t kidding, they had clearly practiced such a maneuver before.
Before Kham could get any closer to the ship, there was a rush of water around them. K’n-yan, their arms close to their sides, were launched downwards into the water as if they had been propelled by great force.
“Guess they know we’re here.” Kham reached for his pistols, then stopped. Firing the pistols would be impossible underwater.
Sebastian was already gliding like some deranged manta ray towards the k’n-yan. He said something, Kham couldn’t make out what, and suddenly the water before them was filled with superheated bubbles.
Some of the k’n-yan returned fire. Their strange rifles went wide. Others reached for curved swords. That gave Kham an idea.
Beldin swam forward, swinging his axe clumsily at his opponents. While he was certainly a devastating foe on land, without his footing Beldin was as ineffective as a fish on land. Every swing of his axe knocked him off balance.
Kham was not so encumbered. His ring bestowed the ability to move effortlessly in the water. He drew Talon and Coomb’s dagger.
Rays of energy spiraled through the bubbles and struck Sebastian again and again. He floated backwards, weakened from the attack.
Then they were upon him. Kham dodged sideways as one of the k’n-yan attempted to skewer him. It was so close he could see his reflection in its bronze exoskeleton…if it even was an exoskeleton. Whatever the actual nature of the k’n-yan’s armor, they didn’t need to breathe.
Kham plunged his dagger into the side of the k’n-yan and a chunk of ice cracked its way along the thing’s torso. Then the ice yanked it upwards, out of Kham’s field of vision.
Sebastian recovered his senses and another superheated blast of steam tore through their foes. When he was finished, the remaining k’n-yan floated in the Pale Sea like bundles of discarded straw.
“You okay?” Beldin asked Sebastian.
The dark-kin shook it off. “I’ll be fine.”
Kham swam to the opening of the ship…and was rewarded with a jolt of electricity as he passed through it.
The center of the ship was arranged like the spokes of a wheel, with each spoke containing eight doors off of the central hub opening onto eight identical rooms. On the other side could be seen sparks from the rent hull of the ship, the side that had penetrated the coral. Although the crew had died, their mission was a success…they had opened a path to the Moonsilver Orb.
“I don’t like this,” said Sebastian. “Too many doors and too far to swim.”
Beldin straddled the bottom of the tubular hallway. “I like it just fine. I can put my feet on the ground.”
They slowly made their way down the hallway.
“You do realize something’s going to jump out of those doors when we get about midway through,” said Kham.
Beldin hefted his axe, his beard floating in the gentle current. “Counting on it!”
Just then there was the terrible shriek of rusted metal, unwillingly being forced open. One after another the doors all around them were pushed aside to reveal bloated, clawed hands.
“The fihali who died here,” said Sebastian. “They still guard their ship.”
With a roar, Beldin slammed his axe down on one of the arms poking through the doorway, severing it. The arm floated and twitched.
“Got any tricks, Sebastian?”
The dark-kin looked sideways at Kham. “Your tactics gave me an idea.”
Sebastian extended a palm as if he were going to blow a kiss. But a withering blast of ice coated the entire corridor, freezing the doors in place.
The dark-kin, looking smug, spread his wings and continued down the corridor.
The water of the Pale Sea dripped into the mouth of a darkened cave, but the magical seal between the shipwrecked fihali vessel and the coral reef held.
Kham dropped to his knees and doubled over as spasms wracked him. Water exploded from his lungs. He lay gasping and coughing on the floor, dragging in deep breaths of air.
Beldin and Sebastian spat up water, but with much less violence than Kham.
“Is it always like that?” asked Kham, catching his breath.
“Yes,” said Sebastian. “But it’s tougher on humans.”
“Since when didn’t you consider yourself human?” asked Kham.
Sebastian let his twitching tail speak for him.
The cavern dripped water all around them, but it was not submerged. A shallow depression ran through it, a river beneath the ocean, forged through magic. A wider path of black volcanic led into the cavern.
Kham took a few steps in, then stopped. He bent down to inspect something he had kicked.
It was a skeleton, half-buried in silt, with its arm outstretched towards the strange river. There was a rotting pouch in one skeletal hand, a rusted cutlass in the other.
“That’s strange,” said Kham. “Looks like this guy’s bones were broken around his neck and shoul…”
There was a rumbling overhead. Beldin shoved Kham aside, shield over his head.
“Down!”
A huge boulder slammed into Beldin’s shield, pounding him into the sand, before it bounced off and careened down the cavern.
More rumbling followed.
“Go!” shouted Beldin. “Go! Go!”
Kham and Sebastian ducked ahead as another massive boulder landed. Beldin rolled to his feet just in time.
The boulder, larger than the first, wedged itself in the cavern opening. Rock and debris fell down around it, sealing their only exit.
Ocean Meets Sky: Part 4 – Shot Trap Loading Chamber
Beldin smashed open the rusted iron door at the top of a natural staircase. Beyond the door was a large cave with a wooden and iron rack built around the outside of the wall. Several k’n-yan moved about the room, lifting the large boulders from a pile and loading them onto the rack. The rack led to a circular pit in the center of the floor.
Kham drew his pistols. “Now we know who was running that trap.”
Beldin’s pent-up frustration was unleashed. The dwarf bellowed and waded into the thick of the bronze creatures, hacking and bashing. Kham fired a few shots, but it was more to give Beldin some breathing room until Sebastian could…
A blast of flames tore through the k’n-yan ranks. More beams of light sizzled towards them, but the k’n-yan’s resistance was token at best.
When it was all over, Kham kicked one of the bodies into the hole. He watched with satisfaction as it rolled over on itself and slid out of sight.
“Is it just me, or do the k’n-yan seem weaker than before?”
Sebastian nodded. “Like you and I, they have been cut off from their lord—“
“Stop calling him that. He’s not my lord.”
Sebastian shrugged. “Whatever you call him, the King in Yellow’s influence has waned. These pathetic beings are all that were left of his legacy here on Arcanis.”
The room shuddered, a reminder that a war was raging overhead with far more powerful weapons.
“Not sure how we’re helping,” said Beldin. “We should be up there, fighting.”
“I was given the impression that retrieving the Moonsilver Orb will weaken the k’n-yan further. Perhaps it is central to their defense.”
“Or maybe it’s central to the defense of Leviathan,” said Kham, “and the k’n-yan are just trying to prevent us from getting to it first.”
Sebastian peered into the hole. “What makes you say that?”
Kham pointed. “Uh…that thing.”
On the opposite side of the cavern was a large green statue. It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.
The world spun, as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Beldin and Sebastian staggered as if drunk, their minds scrambled from the awesome force that emanated from the statue. Kham stood alone, his mind accustomed to dealing with such mind-rending attacks since his first encounter with the Unspeakable One.
The thing, which seemed indistinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence, and squatted evilly on a rectangular block or pedestal covered in undecipherable characters. The tips of the wings touched the back edge of the block, the seat occupied the center, whilst the long, curved claws of the doubled-up, crouching hind legs gripped the front edge and extended a quarter of the way down toward the bottom of the pedestal. The cephalopod head was bent forward, so that the ends of the feelers brushed the backs of the forepaws that clasped the croucher's elevated knees.
It slowly unfurled, stretching its wings as it rose to its full height. Kham was overcome with fear. The thing thundered one step forward at a time, advancing on Beldin and Sebastian.
Kham knew he had to do something. The thing's blasphemous tentacles reached for Beldin’s face. Kham suddenly came to the realization that it knew he was there, but was ignoring him. He was insignificant to its existence, as relevant as a fly assaulting a castle.
But he had to try.
“Skiz!” He yelled down to his talking pet rat. Skiz’s head popped up.
“We out of the water yet, boss? You’ve got to warn me about these things sometimes…”
“You’re breathing air, aren’t you? When I say so, you give me the Ladies and you keep giving them to me until I say otherwise, got me?”
“Sure, boss, but—“
“Now Skiz!”
The rat shoved two pistols to the top of the haversack.
Kham drew them both and fired. The bullets ricocheted off the back of the bizarre idol. It didn’t even react.
“Now!”
He drew two more pistols and fired. The two pistol blasts sparked off the idol’s head.
“Now!” Kham’s voice faltered, but Skiz gave him the pistols anyway.
He took careful aim and fired twice more. The sound was deafening and smoked filled what little air was in the cavern.
There was a new sound of stone grinding on stone. The idol turned to face him.
“Well, at least I’ve got your attention,” said Kham.
The thing took slow, shuddering steps towards him. He could feel its disgust, its utter superiority, as a palpable presence. That it was toying with them, he was certain.
Skiz was busy trying to reload the pistols. It was difficult for the rat to do it, but he had learned over time. They had never encountered a situation where so many pistols would be needed so quickly.
Kham drew Talon and Coomb’s dagger.
The idol came closer. Its tentacles waved obscenely in the air, feeling in all directions. And yet two long ones stretched toward him with the careful motions of a lover’s grasp.
There was a bellow of rage. Beldin struck the idol so hard that he elicited a chip from its foot. Knocked off balance, the idol whirled to face an opponent it thought defeated.
Sebastian hurled a pale blue orb. The blow struck true, and spreading cracks of rime snaked through the statue’s body. There was the distinct sense of a presence withdrawing…and then the statue crumbled, collapsing in on itself, until there was nothing but powder.
The idol’s movement revealed a hidden passageway beyond. Kham stepped gingerly through the hallway, rattled from the encounter with the incarnation with Leviathan.
He heard a click.
“Guys, there might be a trap—“ was all he got out.
The walls slammed together, smashing into Beldin just behind him. The dwarf was saved only by his shield and armor. The force was so quick and so powerful that it left Beldin stunned. Sebastian shoved him forward as the walls retracted and reset.
“Sorry,” said Kham. “I’m not really the trapfinding type.”
Sebastian shot him a glare. “We noticed.” He fed a healing potion to Beldin.
The dwarf wiped blood from his nose. “I should have caught that,” he growled.
The danger temporarily passed, they took in their new surroundings.
A large set of scales flanked an altar made of soapstone, covered in dried blood. Chains that ran through holes in the ceiling supported the scales. The altar was carved in the shape of Leviathan. Standing behind the altar was another statue, with four of its tentacles grasping four of the six handles of a huge, bronze ship’s wheel. There was bizarre writing on the floor of the chamber.
“On the altar give to me that what sets a pirate free,” read Kham.
“Pirate?” asked Beldin. “What do pirates have to do with a place like this?”
Kham pursed his lips. “I think this is Captain Wendron Krubach’s real treasure. The one you found was only part of it.”
“So that’s why k’n-yan possessed him,” said Sebastian. “They were manipulating a minion of Leviathan, a sweet revenge.”
“Which means the k’n-yan forced Krubach to erect these traps so that the Moonsilver Orb could not be found,” said Sebastian. “If we resolve this riddle, we should have the Orb.”
“Sure, easy enough,” said Kham. “What sets a pirate free?” He smirked. “Death, of course.”
“But what represents death that we can put on the scale?” asked Beldin.
They tried water. They tried dirt. They tried one of Kham’s pistols.
Sebastian thought of Bijoux. “I know.” He took the noose that he had torn from Bijoux’s neck.
“What’s that?” asked Beldin.
“A noose.” Sebastian placed it on the scale.
“More importantly,” said Kham, “why did you hold onto it?”
The balances moved and the statue’s tentacles lifted from the ship’s wheel. Upon being released, the ship’s wheel rotated one turn to the left with a loud, grating clank.
After the wheel made one turn, the tentacles dropped back down upon the handles of the wheel, although only barely touching it.
Kham looked down. “The writing on the floor changed: If pirate be, then stand ye ground and face the awful, stirring sound of ocean’s riddle with six to grasp. Choose ye well or breathe ye last. The first, a damsel, loved and lost. Two, a pirate, who paid the cost. Three, a wheel, and captain’s gold. Four, sharp adventure for the bold. Five, eighteen graves tell every story. Six, a burning, molten glory.”
“Four,” said Sebastian. “We seek adventure.”
Kham shook his head. “Krubach killed his crew after discovering the most precious treasure of all. There must have been eighteen of them. Pick five.”
“Are you sure?” asked Beldin. The dwarf had paid for Kham’s mistakes before.
“No,” said Kham. “But if we were sure about anything we sure as hell wouldn’t be here now would we?”
Beldin crossed his arms and said nothing. He looked to Sebastian.
The dark-kin nodded and turned the handle to the fifth position.
The cavern floor was made of black volcanic sand and earth. Eighteen graves were marked with rusted cutlasses sticking from the ground, each with a dusty, wide-brimmed felt cap or rotted bandanna tied around its cup-shaped hilt. Beyond the eighteen graves was an underground portion of the river. A small island sat in the center of the water and rapids, with a series of six moldy stepping-stones that led to the island.
Upon the island was piled several treasure chests and broken sacks, spilling gems, jewelry and various coins, and a large glowing orb that sat atop the glittering booty. Jeweled cutlasses, rapiers in ivory scabbards, and finely crafted crossbows and bandoleers of daggers rounded out the tableau.
Kham and Sebastian exchanged glances. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Sebastian nodded.
Kham and Beldin collected up the cutlasses and hats. When they were done, Sebastian flapped his way over to the pile of treasure. Kham and Beldin hopped from stone to stone to reach him.
Above them, the sounds of ship-to-ship combat and massive magical cannonfire grew louder.
“Ready?” asked Kham.
“Ready,” said Sebastian.
Kham scooped up the orb. “Now!”
The graves exploded as the remains of Krubach’s treacherous crew clawed their way to the surface. Sebastian chanted an incantation.
Dozens of black, rubbery tentacles erupted from the ground over the graves, as if they had sprung from the graves themselves. They grabbed the outstretched arms and claws and sucked them back into the graves.
Beldin picked up two fistfuls of treasure just as a massive explosion rocked the cavern.
“Time to go!” shouted Kham.
“Go where?” asked Sebastian in disbelief. He stooped to pick up something for himself.
“Anywhere but here.” Kham put one hand on Beldin and Sebastian’s shoulders and concentrated.
They disappeared in a flash just as the entire cavern collapsed.
“That’s the last time you do that,” Sebastian said sternly. “I didn’t give you permission to hurl us across Arcanis. We could have ended up in the center of a mountain for all you know.”
Kham looked hurt. “I got us out of there, didn’t I?”
“And with some booty to boot,” said Beldin appreciatively. “I picked up a fine rapier and cutlass.”
Kham grinned. “And I got an eyepatch. And a box that folds out into a boat. I’m a regular pirate now.”
The old pirate priest, Peg-Leg Peligro, greeted them personally. “Did ye get it?”
Sebastian gave the pirate priest a wary look. “Get what?”
“Don’t be coy! Th’ Moonsilver Orb! Did ye get it?”
Sebastian nodded.
The old man sagged in relief. “Aye, then all is not lost.”
“You seem troubled, Father,” said Kham. “What’s up?”
“I was makin’ me devotions last evenin’, when thar was the strange feeling…”
“Feeling?” asked Beldin.
“Aye. Like I lost Cadic’s protection for a moment, as if ‘is gaze had been distracted. It returned, but I fear somethin’ terrible and unnatural occurred. Maybe ‘tis just an old sea dog lettin’ his superstitions get th’ best of ‘im, but thar’s more than a whiff of death in th’ air. Yar, and maybe more t’ follow.”
“You think this has to do with Hell’s Triangle?” asked Beldin.
Peligro nodded. “Ye missed the window to open the Hell’s Triangle portal, but with th’ Orb, ye just might be able to open it again. Ye just need the Key. And I fear th’ Key has gone missin’.”
“I hear that a lot,” said Kham. “Speaking as a former Key himself, who is it this time?”
“Cadic may have other sailors to tend to, but ye don’t. I warned yet not to let harm come to Carthy, and ye won’t be keepin’ your end of the bargain chewin’ the blubber with me!”
Kham slapped his forehead. “Carthy! I forgot all about him.”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t remember us,” said Sebastian. “As I recall, we didn’t leave on good terms last time.”
Linear Mode
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