Cydra: the Early Years

[the Jester]

The party's first foray into the Coral Caves was awkward and, frankly, the first pivotal point of the campaign, as it led directly to Dexter's capture by the Inquisition.

Upon weighing anchor at about the location of the caves, allegedly inhabited by sea elves, the party consumed some of the potions of water breathing that Valkor had provided them with. "If this takes more than one or two trips down, we won't have enough potions," Vido remarked, and in the water they all went, accompanied by two of Drake's men, an elf named Oarin and Sh!Larn, a merellin*. Oarin was a thief and a scoundral, but the idea of having someone else to back up Malford's trapfinding skills appealed. Sh!Larn was a fighter/bard, but more important, he was a merellin. He could introduce them to the aquatic elves; he might even know some of them.

The ocean was warm; swimming above a large coral formation, the party saw a number of fish, including a shark in the distance, a shipwreck, and finally the entrance to the caves. They entered heedless of danger, and in the very first chamber they ran into a cadre of bloated, half-rotten corpses- drowned ones! The water was full of particles of greasy flesh, a slickness that sickened everyone just to look at it. Instantly the zombies swarmed to the attack, faster than their land-bound counterparts, and one of them sank a harpoon into Oarin's chest, tearing viciously and collapsing both his lungs. He never even had a chance to act.**

Having no experience underwater (other than the merellin, of course, who bashed into the sea zombies rather successfully with his blunt nose), it took our heroes a few pivotal moments to realize that their staves and longswords were useless; only piercing weapons could help them here! A lesson learned at cost, for the meathooks and rancid claws of the sea zombies were taking their toll on the party.

Barely able to fight through the chamber without losing a man, the party beat a retreat after destroying the drowned ones, most of which were dead aquatic elves. "I think we'd better tell Valkor about this," Chanticleer said. She tossed her head and her golden locks floated demurely around her face. "We may not be able to get this spell for him if all the elves are dead, and we need more potions." The rest of the party agreed, so they returned to Captain Drake's vessel and thence back to Port Lofrax.

Dexter, being too clever for his own good, went to a Church of Galador to try to seek healing. The irony certainly appealed to him, especially after the death of Lendore, which he perhaps felt the tiniest bit of remorse over. Unfortunately for him, the Church was by now onto him, and while he was there he was duped into coming into the back and seized. Hurled into a cold, damp cell, the poor lad found himself about to face the consequences of his actions....



*Merellin are essentially dolphinweres- cetaceans that can change into a humanoid form.

**This was actually the first session of dnd this player ever played, and he's been totally hooked ever since.

Next Time: Chanti starts composing sea chanties to Bleak while Dexter suffers at the hands of the Inquisition! Eek!

 

[the Jester]

Come to think of it, there was another cleric tricked psychically by Dex before the Galadorians caught on. I think, if I recall right, Dexter told him to go on a crusade into Bleak's Maw, which is a huge volcano that has some sort of hazy connection to Bleak.

Bleak's Maw comes up a lot later with Dexter, too.

This is a fun story hour to work on, I should email the link to Vic (Dexter's old player).

 

[the Jester]

Chanti's chanties

It's at somewhere around here in the story that Chanticleer started a tradition of writing a new sea chantie every game in devotion to Bleak. Without having an antipaladin class, she was a powerful evil fighter devoted to a dark god. Here's a sample of the chanties:

I've spent all my life on the cold briny sea
And many adventures have happened to me
Yet no matter what challenge or treasure I seek
Through all of my trials I'm protected by Bleak.
Bleak! Bleak!
Defeat all my foes!
Bleak! Bleak!
Assuage my woes!
Bleak! Bleak!
On earth and on sea
You are my favorite deity!

Naturally, I kept these sea chanties, though one or two may be missing. They're a hoot. Nevertheless, here's another.

In these recent trying times
When despair has reached its peak
Misfortunes have assailed me
And tried to make me weak
Yet even when it's to the point
That it seems I'm up creek
Despair will never get to me
Cause I've kept my faith in Bleak.
Keep the faith!
Keep the faith!
His name I'll always shriek
Keep teh faith!
Keep the faith!
Shout in the name of Bleak!

Here, I'll post the third one too- more will come later, no doubt...

In my days of adventuring
I travelled so far
My sword clashed with minions
Of that accursed Galador-
Now when I'm old and tired
And my limbs are all sore
At least I'll still have my memories
From those days of yore.
Thanks be to Bleak!
Thanks be to Bleak!
His awesome power makes all others seem weak!
More than once he's made Galador
Turn the other cheek!
That's why I've given my life up
To Bleak!

A hoot, I say. And the player would lead the other players in singing them.

 

[the Jester]

In the Hands of the Inquisition

Dexter was terrified. He was just a kid, after all, a lad of sixteen at the time; he'd never even kissed a girl. He'd fallen in with a profoundly bad influence and done some truly horrible things, and now- in the Inquisition's tiny cell- he was afraid he was going to pay the price. Worst of all, he'd given himself to Bleak. Would they know?

It seemed so. They dragged him from his cell, kicked him to... to the chamber... and branded his forehead, with a great sweltering B rune, for Bleak. Then they burned the palms of both of his hands with hot pokers. Then, roughly, they returned him to his cell, where there was water and a little bread.

Could he make a break for it? Even as he thought about it, the odds seemed dismal. Even if he could break free from the cell somehow- not at all a sure prospect- the Inquisitors would surely catch him, and then he'd be put to the question for sure. The thought of the devices they'd shown him, explained the uses of to him on his way to his cell, made him quail. No, an escape attempt would only make it worse. Oh, Bleak!

His thoughts were interrupted after a long while when a confessor came in, offering to take his confession. She was beautiful, and to the uncertain Dexter she was a weapon aimed at the biggest chink in his already uncertain armor.

"What's going to happen to me?" he pleaded. The brand on his head felt like it was burning up.

"That depends," said the Confessor, Sheila. "If you confess to your sins, perhaps Galador will forgive you."

Not hopeful sounding at all. What about his friends? Might they mount a rescue attempt? Not likely, yet...

Even as Dexter prayed for his friends to aid him, the rest of the party was singing sea chanties on the way back to the Coral Caves on Captain Drake's ship. No help was coming to him; Dexter was in the clutches of the worst people he, in his situation, could have come to. He was hopeless and despondant as he sank towards sleep. In the morning they would come for him, and take him back to the... the chamber, where all the devices awaited... shivering, cold in his shift, he lay on the stone floor and finally slept.

And dreamed...

Forgive them, my Son, for they know not what they do, came the voice from the brilliant light; and was it Galador? Galador? Dexter asked, but there was no answer, just the searing, pure light...

Was it a fever dream? Was it real? Dexter didn't know, but it terrified him.

In the morning, Dexter confessed to everything. He told of the priest of Bleak who had influenced him, claiming not to know his name; cried that he'd fallen in with bad company. Sheila nodded and took notes and promised to seek intercession for him, but warned him that she could promise nothing.

So it was that Dexter was given a coarse robe and was taken upon a stage, where he was made to publicly confess his crimes and recant against Bleak. He swore to follow the Light henceforth, and they sat him in a chair and heated a metal brand and placed an X over the B rune on his forehead. Dexter howled but the Inquisitor showed no mercy, driving the brand heavily into Dexter's forehead. When finally he pulled it away, he growled, "You're lucky Hendrick the Witch-Hunter isn't here."

Dexter changed alignment on the spot from NE to N. He didn't know for sure, but he assumed that they'd know if he broke his word... so he didn't. And, based on Sheila's recommendation, they let him go with a stern warning- namely, burnt head and hands, with a branding that would definitely scar.


Meanwhile, things were getting interesting with the others. They were approaching the Coral Caves, and after some discussion Malford and Galiger had decided to become pirates. They needed money for a ship- a knarr seemed to be about right for their needs, at least initially. That would take a decent investment.

So they returned to the Coral Caves...

Next Time: Back in the Coral Caves! The beginnings of the gnome on a rope phenomenon (though with a dwarf).

 

[the Jester]

I started a Rogues' Gallery thread for this story hour here.

 

[the Jester]

Edited the post where the party first enters the caves to introduce a couple of new players...

 

[the Jester]

The Beginning of A Proud Tradition: Gnome on a Rope!

When our ‘heroes’ (villains, more like, but the needs of narrative must win out) descended to the Coral Caves a second time, minus Dexter, were joined by two of Drake’s men again (although Sh!Larn declined to join them this time). One, a dwarf who fancied himself a dread pirate, was named Roberts. His massive forearms were tattooed with anchors; he was immensely strong.* The other was another elf, this one a mage of some small skill named Urick. The entire group quaffed water breathing potions and descended over the side of the ship, swimming back to the caves below.

Through the chamber where they’d slain the drowned ones our heroes descended. There were two passages out of it; after a small amount of discussion, Roberts said, “I’ll scout ahead using my infravision. Here, tie this rope to me; if there’s trouble I’ll tug on it.” So saying, he sealed his fate. Roberts went on ahead alone, never even noted the dangers inherent in the strangleweed in the next chamber and was promptly constricted to death by it while he was surprised; he never even had a chance to roll for initiative. Thus began the long tradition now known as Gnome On A Rope in my campaign.

A few impatient minutes later the rest of the party tugged on the rope, but to no avail. It was completely taut, and it wasn’t moving at all. Lyr and Urick scouted ahead after Roberts, but as soon as they saw his fate they turned back and rejoined the party. “Strangleweed,” Lyr reported. “We’d better go the other way.”

The others agreed, and on their way they went- the other way, that is. They encountered a weird psionic octopoid creature, but slew it before it could do more than activate its biofeedback power. Advancing past a branching passage through the coral, they found a chamber with a downward-leading path lined with jagged coral sides. It looked like it would be difficult, to say the least, getting past it; so they continued along their forward-leading path. This took them shortly into another chamber, where they killed a giant crab and crowed that dinner would be good tonight. More tunnels, leading ahead and below, and the group continued forward into a chamber full of horribly stale water, toxic to breathe, with many grimy-looking particles afloat in it.

The next chamber was a larder.

Floating within it they found a number of corpses, some of which had been gnawed at. There were an aquatic elf, a dolphin, two sahuagin and a merellin. Lyr poked about but since they were already dead she couldn’t very well sacrifice one to eat its heart or anything, so she left them be.

One more chamber completed their exploration of this corner of the Coral Caves. It held what appeared to be a display of coral shaping artistry, with magnificently beautiful growths carefully shaped almost like a bonsai tree. “Hmm,” Galiger said, “useless. Maybe we should go back to the entrance and rethink our approach.”

“There are other chambers we haven’t yet investigated,” Lyr pointed out, and he gave her a dirty look. The group swam back to the entry chamber where they’d lost Oarin to gather their wits, and immediately Chanti cried a warning, pointing at the entrance.

A fish-like creature was swimming in- no, dolphin-like. It turned out to be another merellin, and as the group had already seen how helpful those cetacean-folk could be, they quickly made alliance, swimming to the surface to talk. This one was Fliperandrax (Flipper for short), a priestess of the Sea Queen. Once again Galiger found himself grateful to be in non-Galadorian religious company.

“But what are you doing here?” Chanti inquired.

“I’m looking for my brother,” Flipper told them, and immediately the rest of the group thought of the larder. Shortly they showed the merellin corpse to Flipper, who was clearly shaken by the site. It was indeed her brother, and she vowed vengeance in his name.

“Then let’s go,” cried Malford. “Down below!”

“Wait!” Chanti called. “Before we go, let us sing a sea chanty!” And they did, singing one of the chanties that Chanticleer had written. Then it was back down with them...

*Dexter’s player’s new character, strength (rolled in front of me) 18 (00).


Next Time: The Conclusion of the Coral Caves!

 

[the Jester]

The Sea Hag!

From the larder where they’d shown Flipper her brother’s body, our heroes (ah, what irony) descended into a series of three chambers shaped into the coral. Two were merely empty, but one held small cages. Another passage led them into a large chamber with another series of drowned ones, five in number! Furious battle was joined in the greasy water. Lyr’s harpoon proved deadly and true, Vido fought with two blades in a deadly whirlwind, and Malford stabbed with shortsword and dagger. Chanti, too, proved efficacious, and Flipper butted her long nose furiously at the sea zombies. Soon they were destroyed, and a quick search turned up a blocked exit.

About an hour of hard labor later, the party had excavated enough rocks from the coral passage that they reached another branch of the tunnel. This led to a long ascent to an area with a bubble of air in the top part of the chamber, along with shackles set in the wall near it. “Interesting,” remarked Lyr. Galiger scoffed at her but studied the shackles with interest. Flipper refilled her lungs.

The party went on, there being two more exits from the chamber with the bubble. As they moved out, a weird creature that seemed made from the coral itself attacked, surprising them! Again there was battle; the creature swung jagged coral appendages at them, tearing their flesh. Chanti closed corps a corps with it, stabbing viciously, and Flipper smashed it from behind. Galiger stabbed at it with his spear, his axe having already proved useless underwater. The monster roared bubbles and struck Chanti, who stumbled and fell unconscious, floating helplessly. With a cry, Galiger struck a final blow and the monster fell dead, his spear in its midsection. “No one kills a follower of Bleak!” he cried angrily. A brief discussion ensued, and the party returned to Captain Drake’s vessel to heal and recuperate. Flipper was the only cleric with healing spells, so she did her best, but everyone was scraped and bruised or worse. So she worked mosty to bring Chanti around.

The next day, the party descended again. They investigated the other exit from the bubble chamber and found a chest of corroded iron, within which were 10,000 silvers, a ruby, a sapphire (which Malford badly misappraised as worth only half its value) and an opal- a total value of about 3000 gp! “This is probably enough to buy our ship,” Malford remarks, and the whole group perks up at the thought. They’ll be pirates! Arr!

Still, they’d seen no sign of the spell they were after. Returning to the tunnel they’d excavated, Vido pointed out that, within the coral, it was still full of rocks below them. They began excavating and found that it did indeed descend further. Heartened, our heroes started pulling yet more rocks out, and in about another hour of hard work, they came to the bottom. On each side is another blocked passage. Groaning in frustration, the party started on first one- which led to the bloated corpse of a sea elf surrounded by instruments of torture (which Galiger and Lyr snatched up greedily). Then they got to work clearing the next passage, and as they did so, they discovered the killer of the sea elves.

Her name was Vellis, and she was a sea hag. The very sight of her was so ghastly that the party quailed and weakened, and she screeched out at them, clawing with her black nails, gouging the face of Vido badly. The ranger/mage cried out, falling back, the strength fleeing from his limbs, and Chanti, Flipper, Malford and Galiger all likewise flet their strength leave them. They battled Vellis weakly, but she slapped them about like fish. A minor wound from Malford’s dagger angered her; another, worse blow, from Lyr’s harpoon, and she was furious. But she was outnumbered. Even taking Malford and the still-wounded Chanti down, she couldn’t withstand the party- especially Lyr, unweakened, and her deadly harpoon. Piercing again and again, the cannibal-priestess screamed in grim triumph as she savagely thrust a final time and drove her barbed harpoon completely through Vellis, then drew forth a dagger and frenziedly pulled her heart from her body and consumed it, crowing in triumph.

A little investigation found a number of lootworthy items on the sea hag, including a sealed scroll tube- hopefully containing the scroll they needed!- a ring of worked whalebone set with a white pearl, another ring, this one of shark’s teeth set with a loop of gold, and a dagger of weird silvery iron. (This, Malford told them with his alchemist’s knowledge, was silveriron- a special magical alloy of cold iron and silver, worked together without heat.) Within a whalebone chest they found close to another thousand gold and 33 pp, as well as a key which they took (but never subsequently found the hidden chamber which it opened, alas).

Then back up to Captain Drake’s boat they went. They dried the scroll tube thoroughly, and opening it up found it did indeed have the scroll their employer sought. Drake happily took them back to port. Chanticleer noticed a wanted poster and raised an eyebrow; the party had a decent price on their heads already. They finished their business with Valkor, received their payment and then decided to vacate Forinthia; things were getting too hot for them.

“Where shall we go?” Galiger asked. Together, the group poured over a map. Forinthia, naturally, was in the center, as was fitting for the center of the world. To the west, there were a couple of reasonably-sized isles, Balramamous and Winwillow; to the east, another, Aerisa. Nothing was north for thousands of miles. South was Gorel, an isle full of elves subverted by the Forinthian Empire.

Malford suggests, “What about Gorel? Probably the elves there are no friends to Forinthia; I’ll bet we can hide out there fairly easily.” The group agreed, and a discrete meeting with Captain Drake allowed them to come to terms. Soon they were sailing south....



Next Time: The party officially becomes pirates!

 

[the Jester]

By now we're in the middle of game #7 (titled the Sea Hag). Here's a rundown of the pcs...

Malford (gnome thief/illusionist 3/2) -CN
Galiger (human cleric of Bleak 2) -CE
Vido (half-elf ranger/mage 1/1) -CG
Lyr (cleric of the Sea, Sky & Land 2) -NE
Chanticleer (elf fighter 1) -CN
Flipper (merellin cleric of the Sea Queen 1) -CN

I'll post some goodies on here before too long, like Galiger's old logs, more of Chanti's sea chanties (the next one involves an adventure that they haven't yet reached), old notes, etc. All as they come up in the story, of course.

Hope you're enjoying this!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I know I am, Jester.

It's interesting to note that even at this point you've got a mix of levels.