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The Durnhill Conscripts
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7450636" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 19: A BRIEF INTERMISSION</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 4</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Galen Thorne, human paladin 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 7</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 20 June 2018</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>"Well," remarked Skevros upon the completion of Syngaard's tale, "that certainly puts some things into context. I believe your first supposition is the correct one, and you are the Father of Hirek's Key. We will likely need to do some research - perhaps some divinations, but without the osteovox ritual! - into Hope's bloodline; Maria's as well, for that matter. We shall also need to determine Serenity's current whereabouts, although I must say it comes as no small relief that she may in fact now be counted among the forces of good! But in any case, we have more pressing matters at hand: an assignment! If everyone's at the ready, I'll teleport us there immediately."</p><p></p><p>"Wait: us? You're coming with as well?"</p><p></p><p>"Indeed I am, Miss Nightsky - we will be going to Yondall's Bay, a small fishing village in the one tiny section of the kingdom that keeps us from being landlocked. Anuja will accompany us as well. Let us gather together outside, as I assume you will wish to bring your riding mounts along?"</p><p></p><p>"Indeed," replied Galen and went to untie Seneca from the hitching post outside the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>. Orion leaped up onto Carl's saddle and was ready to go.</p><p></p><p>"What kinda mission we gonna be goin' on in a fishin' village?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"I actually have no idea," Skevros admitted. "This was a request sent directly to His Majesty, King Leornic." Then, seeing everyone gathered together in a group outside the tavern, he asked "Are we ready?"</p><p></p><p>One <em>teleport</em> spell later and the group stood upon a sandy beach. The "fishing village" consisted of only two small buildings and a single pier - at least that was all that was in view. The larger of the two buildings looked to be a tavern; Syngaard headed that way at once. But as he approached, a voice called out from the pier, where there was now a bearded man standing there - a man the group hadn't noticed before. He stood naked but for a kilt wrapped around his waist. "One of you the Wizard of Durnhill?" he called.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers collectively turned to Skevros, who nodded his head in acknowledgement and replied, "Indeed I am."</p><p></p><p>"Follow me, then," commanded the man in the kilt, heading to the water.</p><p></p><p>"Ah," said the king's adviser. "Unfortunately, that I cannot do." He pointed to the invisible <em>mark of justice</em> on his forehead. "Since the bay is not part of the Kingdom of Durnhill, Anuja and I will remain here with the animals, while you five do what is asked of you." With that Skevros waved the party off to follow the kilted man, already wading out into the ocean. As he dove head-first into the bay, his kilt disappeared and his legs melded into a fish tail.</p><p></p><p>Four young women popped their heads above the surface of the water around him as he turned to watch the adventurers hesitantly follow into the ocean surf. "Don't see why we gotta get all wet," grumbled Syngaard. But the mission got somewhat more interesting as the merfolk approached and each bestowed their "blessing" upon the adventurers - delivered with a kiss - which allowed them to breathe underwater freely. The formerly kilted man gave Orion his blessing, while the four mermaids accompanying him each provided the same service to one of the male heroes - although Syngaard didn't fail to notice the look of distaste upon the one assigned to him when she first saw his scarred face.</p><p></p><p>"I am <strong>Aquilio</strong>," announced the bearded merman as he led the group deeper into the ocean. "I will take you to the oracles who lead our kingdom." He took them to what at first appeared to be ancient sunken ruins, but upon closer inspection was a clump of coral seemingly purposefully grown into that shape. Three mermaids awaited inside the structure, one of which wore an open white flowing robe trimmed in blue; Galen recognized them immediately as the colors of the Azure Glade diviners - they were identical to those worn by the students at the Diviners Library where the group had stolen the copy of "The Curse of the Mithral Mage."</p><p></p><p>Sensing the party's tension, the robed mermaid informed them that although all three of them had been born with the gift of divination, she had spent time above the waves learning to hone her skills. "But do not fear," she added, "for I left before the corruption in the Azure Glade could claim me."</p><p></p><p>"You mind tellin' us just what we're doin' here?" asked Syngaard. "You got somethin' needs killin'?"</p><p></p><p>"A week ago, a tremor opened a trench in the seabed not far from the village," the oracle replied. "It spewed forth a corrupting tide like a volcanic eruption. Although it settled back into the trench that had formed, and we were able to place a seal upon the mouth of the trench, the corrupted tide continues to rise. Our divinations revealed that whether we left the source of this evil alone or if we removed it, the kingdom of Coral's Reach would be destroyed, and that if the source was destroyed the world would fall with it. However, all of our divinations involved only merfolk - we believe the proper interpretation of our visions is that the evil source needs to be removed by surface folk. Hence our call to your kingdom for aid."</p><p></p><p>Syngaard opened his mouth to speak - it still seemed strange to be able to talk and breathe underwater, but you kind of got used to it - but the oracle cut him off as if knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "Our currency is worthless to those above the waves, so we will pay you with divinations, one for each of you, plus another concerning your missing friend."</p><p></p><p>"You know of Serenity?" asked Daleth.</p><p></p><p>"We know many things," smiled the oracle, then began chanting in unison with her two mermaid companions. <em>"Seek the yellow amidst the blue, it shall lead you to orange, from there green shall set you free,"</em> they intoned.</p><p></p><p>"What the Hell's that supposed to mean?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"It refers to Serenity," replied Kaspar, slightly irritated that it wasn't as obvious to the bald fighter as it was to him. "The colors no doubt refer to the robes of the Azure Glade wizards and their respective guilds."</p><p></p><p>"Great, we'll be goin' back there," griped the fighter.</p><p></p><p>"Since your task is a dangerous one, we offer our payment in advance, just in case you don't all return," offered the lead oracle. "Also, if necessary, we will aid you in finding the right questions to ask, since it seems you have been burned before by careless divinations." Daleth felt his face burning at that comment as he recalled wasting his reward in the Halls of Redemption on the knowledge that he was the one being called "the Dimwit."</p><p></p><p>"We need to take full advantage of this opportunity," remarked Galen. "Five questions. What should we ask?"</p><p></p><p>"Let's get some stuff we think we know sorted out," suggested Syngaard at once. "Howzabout we ask if Hope and Maria are of Hirek's bloodline? That way we'll know for sure who we gotta protect." Protecting Hope was a given in any case, but in case there were two others out there as well that they needed to look after, it would help if they knew that for sure. The group agreed, and the bald fighter asked it as their first official question.</p><p></p><p><em>"Yes,"</em> chanted the three oracles in unison. <em>"They are the last of Hirek's bloodline, though only the last remaining survivor shall be the key to Hirek's Gate."</em></p><p></p><p>Armed with this new information, Galen decided the next question should be what the Seekers of Eternity desire to do with sacrificing Hirek's bloodline. <em>"They are unaware of them or their importance; it is the Hope Ender who seeks their death,"</em> was the chanted reply. That was a bit surprising, but it confirmed the reason for the pit fiend's name and it meant he was the only one actively seeking the death of Hirek's Key.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar asked the third question: "What does the Hope Ender seek to gain from the death of Hirek's bloodline?" His response was, <em>"Hirek's blood binds his Gate; so long as it lives the gate exists in its current form. If the last in the bloodline dies a natural death, they become the key that locks his Gate; if they are sacrificed they become the key that opens it for eternity."</em></p><p></p><p>"We believe this Gate is known to you as the Baator's Breath Mountains," added one of the other mermaids in her normal voice.</p><p></p><p>"So if the Hope Ender sacrifices Hope or Maria, whichever of them is the last one alive, he can permanently open the gates in the mountains north of Ashfall leading to Hell," reasoned Daleth. "That would very likely mean the end of this world as we know it - it would rapidly become overrun by devils."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," promised Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>Orion asked the fourth question: "Who leads the Seekers of Eternity?"</p><p></p><p><em>"<strong>Grand Diviner Arcturus</strong>, Guildmaster of the Diviners Guild in the Azure Glade,"</em> came back the chanted response.</p><p></p><p>"We've got one question left," pointed out Galen. "Maybe we should ask who's the greatest enemy of the Seekers of Eternity, so we can join forces?"</p><p></p><p>"That would likely be a wasted question," pointed out the lead mermaid oracle, "for your master is their greatest enemy."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, let's go join forces with Skevros," snickered Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, I got a good question," said Syngaard to the group. "Howzabout, 'Are halflings actually good for anything?'" His suggestion earned him a glare from Orion, but it was something of a good sign that the fighter was more or less back to his old self after having dredged up all of the painful memories of his dead wife.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar suggested the final question and the group agreed. "What is the best way to defeat the Seekers of Eternity?" asked the elven monk.</p><p></p><p><em>"Two options exist,"</em> chanted the mermaid trio. <em>"Either kill the three Heads who lead it or unbind the Mithral Mage's soul from his name. The Seekers seek to learn how he turned his name into a phylactery that they may become unkillable as well. So long as one soul knows his name he cannot die. That is why he was imprisoned."</em></p><p></p><p>"I don't see how we'd even go about accomplishing the second option," pointed out Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, let's just stick with the killin'," agreed Syngaard. "That's always easier."</p><p></p><p>"Your payment has been made," said the robed mermaid oracle. "But these may further aid you in your task." She passed over three pearls and explained each provided a <em>magic circle against evil</em> effect while immersed in seawater. "The evil tide corrupts the minds of those it touches, and given time their bodies as well. However, the effects are suppressed by the magic of the pearls. Alas, we have but the three."</p><p></p><p>"No matter," replied Galen. "Daleth and I can each cast a lesser version of the spell upon ourselves." That settled, Kaspar, Orion, and Syngaard each took a pearl.</p><p></p><p>"Then let us go to the mouth of the trench," suggested the lead mermaid oracle. Walking along the seabed in the mermaids' wake, the party arrived at the bottom of a 50-foot cliff face, with a vertical tear carving right down the middle. Looking down into the trench, the group could see it extended below the sea bed another good 50 feet or so. Bioluminescent coral grew along the edges of the trench opening. "The coral seems to grow in the shape of magic runes," observed Daleth, and the mermaids confirmed his suspicions.</p><p></p><p>The water within the lower trench seemed to be definitely darker, and not just because of its greater depth, being further away from the sun - it was charged with a palpable sense of evil. Galen, with his training to see evil auras, suggested it looked like an aura made visible. The evil water currently only rose 30 feet up the sides of the lower trench, giving the odd appearance of an undersea river.</p><p></p><p>"We will leave you to your investigations," said the head mermaid oracle. "Good luck!" And with strong flicks of their fishlike tails, they returned back the way they had come.</p><p></p><p>"I hate this!" grumbled Syngaard. "Why can't we just get sent to go kill some damn chuul or kraken or whatever, instead of this undefined stuff? We don't even know what it is we're looking for here!"</p><p></p><p>"It is very likely that when we see what is responsible, we will know it for what it is," reasoned Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>The group entered the trench, staying for the most part at a level footing, about halfway from the deepest part and the cliff-top above them. There were narrow ledges on either side of the trench making this a not-too-difficult process. As Syngaard led the way, eager to get this stupid mission done and over with, he saw dead fish floating below him in the undersea current of the lower trench. They didn't look to have any bite marks or any other damage on their bodies.</p><p></p><p>"Do you think the current is deadly?" asked Galen.</p><p></p><p>"Let's find out," replied Syngaard, bending down and extending his hand into the darker water. He pulled it out a moment later with no evidence of any harm, so Orion did him one better by leaping over the side of the ledge and sinking down until her entire body was in the dark water. She swam back up quickly, explaining that even with the ability to breathe water, she had trouble breathing while that far down. "It's like there's no air down there," she said.</p><p></p><p>"Well, duh," snorted Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"You know what I mean!" the halfling retorted angrily.</p><p></p><p>"It would seem those fish...drowned while submerged in water," reasoned Daleth. "Most strange."</p><p></p><p>While the group had been focusing their attention on the dead fish drifting below them, they failed to notice the live ones approaching them from further down the trench until almost too late. A glimpse of motion from the corner of his eye caused Syngaard to look up just in time to dodge the bite of an approaching shark. Upon closer look, the shark had a pair of hornlike projections sticking out forward from its head and its skin had a reddish coloration: a devil shark? The fighter had never heard of such a thing - but then, the ocean wasn't his normal environment.</p><p></p><p>Orion stabbed with her <em>flaming short sword</em> at a fiendish shark that had swum up to her, noting the "flames" were not present underwater but there was a distinct heat still emanating from the weapon's blade. Unfortunately, while the "steaming" effect was an unexpected surprise, it did little against the shark, whose thick hide seemed immune to the heat of the blade.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar threw a pair of shuriken at the shark attacking Orion, one hitting and one missing entirely. That one sank to the bottom of the trench, and while the other impaled itself into the shark's hide and sent a shock of electricity coursing along the beast's flank, the heat newly imbued in the weapon by the <em>flaming</em> property of the <em>tenryutsume</em> Kaspar wore on his right hand seemed as ineffectual as the halfling's sword. These sharks seemed to be resistant to heat, if not full-out immune. But when Syngaard swam over and smacked the thing in the head with his magically-enhanced morningstar, he demonstrated that the application of a massive amount of brute force worked just fine on these sharks, fiendish or not.</p><p></p><p>Daleth swam a few feet back from the shark snapping at him and cast an <em>empowered magic missile</em> spell at it through his <em>metamagic rod</em>. Galen was fighting a shark of his own with the <em>sword of Zehkar</em>, and while normal <em>flaming</em> weapons seemed ineffectual, the holy fire of his blade burned through the sharks' transformed fiendish blood without trouble. But then Daleth's shark darted forward and caught the elf wizard in its powerful jaws, clamping down painfully on his shoulder. A fourth shark entered the trench, but fortunately for the heroes it was distracted by the shark Syngaard had just slain and took a healthy bite from its corpse instead of attacking any of the adventurers. But that good luck was more than counterbalanced by the enormous shark that swam above the group, its shadow covering several heroes at once as it struck down at Syngaard's bald head.</p><p></p><p>Orion tried to help Daleth by flanking the shark biting him, but her sword-strike went wide as the creature thrashed around. Kaspar tried punching the same shark, with similar results. But Syngaard was forced to focus his attention on the massive beast trying to bite off his head - it was nearly three times the length of the other sharks attacking the rest of the heroes, but the hornlike projections hinted at its similarly Hellish nature. Of course, that just made it a bigger target for Syngaard's morningstar, and he put his favorite weapon to good use, raking lines of blood along the shark's muscular flank with the spikes on his weapon-head.</p><p></p><p>Daleth managed to extract himself from the shark's mouth, backed up, and fired off another <em>magic missile</em> spell at it. At the same time, Galen's shark succumbed to the <em>sword of Zehkar</em>, blood trailing its body as it sank to the bottom of the trench. But then Daleth's shark sped forward and bit down on the wizard's arm, nearly causing the spellcaster to pass out from the pain. And further down the trench ledge, Syngaard found himself fighting off not only the biggest of the sharks but also the one who had taken a bite out of one of its own kind earlier.</p><p></p><p>Orion cursed as another attempt to sneak attack Daleth's shark failed. But fortunately, Kaspar had better luck and sent his hand snaking forward with enough speed to crush the shark's skull; it, too, lost buoyancy and began sinking into the dark, airless water currents of the deepest part of the trench.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard sent a couple of powerful blows with his morningstar into the great shark's belly, nearly killing it. Daleth pulled a healing potion from his belt and tried to figure out how to drink it underwater before passing out; finally, he assumed its contents were heavier than water and uncorked it above his mouth, drinking it down as it spilled from the vial. The healing energy was enough to at least keep the elf from passing out; Galen channeled energy through his <em>illumium scabbard</em> to heal the wizard further.</p><p></p><p>The massive shark bit at Syngaard again, eliciting a grunt of pain from the scarred fighter. Orion tried tossing a throwing dagger from her new <em>bag of daggers</em> at the great beast, but the masterwork blade merely bounced off the shark's hide. Kaspar sent a couple of his shuriken biting deep into the shark's flank, and a final blow from Syngaard's morningstar finished it off. He then spun in place and sent his weapon crashing into the body of the remaining shark, and between the rest of the group they brought it down without too much trouble.</p><p></p><p>Galen applied healing as needed, and then the group continued along the trench ledge, winding past a dog-leg until it led to a small cave opening at the apparent end of the trench. This opening was not quite five feet wide and was below the level of the "dead water," forcing the heroes to hold their breath when entering. Kaspar went in first and was amazed at Syngaard's unintentional prognostication, for there in the cavern ahead of his was what must be a chuul, if the stories the monk had heard about such creatures were true. This looked very much like an overly-large lobster, with a mouth full of drooping tentacles. The creature must have been prepared for intruders, too, for it dashed forward upon the monk's approach and caught him up in the powerful grip of a hardened pincer. The top half of the cave, above the entrance, was filled with stale air, and floating in the back of the cavern was a reddish-gold, glowing orb that was likely the cause of the evil emanating from the trench.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard rushed into the cavern after Kaspar, striking at the chuul with his spiked weapon. Daleth was right behind him, but moved laterally away from the creature's free pincher lest he share his fellow elf's fate. He tossed a <em>magic missile</em> spell at it, causing twin bolts of energy to shoot from his fingertips and strike unerringly against the chuul's hardened carapace.</p><p></p><p>Orion entered the cave but wasn't particularly eager to go toe-to-spindly-crustacean-leg with their foe, so she opted to throw another of her endless daggers. The throw was perfect, but it didn't seem to do any damage to the creature, bouncing harmlessly off its slime-covered shell.</p><p></p><p>Galen was the last to enter the cave, and, seeing the expected aura of evil surrounding the slime chuul, he smote the beast to good effect, channeling a burst of positive energy through his enchanted blade. The creature seemed to wince at the blow but made no sound.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar, in the meantime, had been devoting his efforts to escape from the tightly-gripping pincer. Several times it seemed he was about to free himself, almost sliding free with the aid of the creature's slime, only to have the bladed appendage snap back tighter than ever. The slime-chuul struck out at Galen with its free pincer, but it seemed hampered by the <em>protection from evil</em> spell the paladin had cast upon himself before entering the trench. Then a solid blow from Syngaard's morningstar shattered a section of its carapace and all thoughts of attacking the paladin were driven from its primitive brain.</p><p></p><p>Daleth cast another <em>magic missile</em> spell from his wand, noting that while it hit - as expected from this particular spell - it seemed to hit a momentary barrier, as if the lobster-thing was partially resistance to spell energy. Orion, bummed about the ineffectiveness of her magical bag of throwing daggers, pulled her <em>flaming short sword</em> from the scabbard at her belt and stabbed out at the beast with it. Once again, the heat from the weapon didn't seem to do much, but the blade itself entered the chuul's body just fine, stopping only when the sword's crosspiece hit the chuul's carapace.</p><p></p><p>Another smiting blow from Galen and the beast was dead, collapsing onto the floor of its cave, allowing Kaspar to extricate himself from its claw. The group headed to the back of the cave to examine the glowing orb.</p><p></p><p>"Odd," remarked Galen.</p><p></p><p>"What?" asked Orion, swimming up closer to see.</p><p></p><p>"I don't get an aura of evil from the orb itself, but there is a definite aura of evil seeping into the water where it touches the orb. And yet, the air around it has no corresponding evil aura. Very strange."</p><p></p><p>"What does it mean?" asked the halfling.</p><p></p><p>"It means," reasoned Daleth, "that simply removing it from the water should prevent the corrupting tide from expanding any further."</p><p></p><p>"So go pick it up," prompted Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Me? I think not." The elf wizard peered closely at the reddish-gold orb. "It looks like there is black lettering of some type carved into the sphere, if that is indeed the best term - the thing almost looks organic. Alas, I cannot read it, but it looks to be written in the Infernal language - the language of devils. In any case, I do not intend to touch it with my bare hands - nor would I recommend any of you do so, either."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, for the luvva--" snorted Syngaard, approaching the floating orb and pulling his <em>bag of holding</em> from his belt. He pulled it open and dropped it over the orb, catching it up in its extradimensional space. "Buncha sissies," he chided. "C'mon - let's get outta here. We'll let Skevros decide what to do with it."</p><p></p><p>The group exited the trench the way they'd come and headed back to shore. After studying the orb, the king's adviser remarked he believed it to be an <em>oath-stone</em>. "It's the physical manifestation of a fiendish pact," he explained, "although such things are notoriously difficult to get a hold of. How it managed to get to the material plane, let alone a cave at the bottom of the ocean, is beyond me." He squinted at the tiny words carved in the Infernal language along the orb's exterior. "I shall want to reference some of my books back home to be sure - some of these markings are rather tricky - but I believe this particular <em>oath-stone</em> may be the manifestation of Hirek's pact to bind the Hope Ender to service."</p><p></p><p>"Wait, which one was Hirek again?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"The Scarlet Sage," replied Galen - and then the same thought struck the heroes all at once. "Red hair!" they exclaimed. That might easily explain why Hope and Maria - and Messalina before them - all had red hair: they were descendants of the Scarlet Sage, who likely got his nickname not just from the color of his garments. Galen then explained the oracles' divinations to Skevros.</p><p></p><p>"I agree," he said upon hearing the one the group thought applied to Serenity. "The colors likely reference the robes of the various wizard guilds in the Azure Glade. And the 'missing friend' is undoubtedly Serenity. Good work, everyone! Now, let's gather up Anuja and the animals and return to our headquarters, that we may plot out our next move!"</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>Logan had warned us ahead of time that this was going to be a sort of standalone adventure and even told us the adventure name ahead of time, but what with all the prophecies and the <em>oath-stone</em> it ended up fitting seamlessly into the rest of the plotline - it certainly advanced our understanding of some of what our PCs have been investigating. And Vicki collects mermaid figurines, so she certainly enjoyed that aspect of the adventure. (She didn't enjoy so much the fact that the masterwork throwing daggers Orion got from her <em>bag of blades</em> couldn't penetrate the damage reduction of the fiendish sharks she'd been fighting, however. But she can upgrade the bag just like she could a magic weapon, so that it will give out <em>+1 throwing daggers</em> in future.)</p><p></p><p>Incidentally, that was a fiendish uchuulon we fought as the last encounter, a creature Logan got from <em>Stormwrack</em>; it's normally tied in with illithids, but Logan just used it as a chuul variant, to keep us on our toes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7450636, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 19: A BRIEF INTERMISSION[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 4[/INDENT] [INDENT] Galen Thorne, human paladin 7[/INDENT] [INDENT] Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 7[/INDENT] [INDENT] Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Syngaard, human fighter 7[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 20 June 2018 - - - "Well," remarked Skevros upon the completion of Syngaard's tale, "that certainly puts some things into context. I believe your first supposition is the correct one, and you are the Father of Hirek's Key. We will likely need to do some research - perhaps some divinations, but without the osteovox ritual! - into Hope's bloodline; Maria's as well, for that matter. We shall also need to determine Serenity's current whereabouts, although I must say it comes as no small relief that she may in fact now be counted among the forces of good! But in any case, we have more pressing matters at hand: an assignment! If everyone's at the ready, I'll teleport us there immediately." "Wait: us? You're coming with as well?" "Indeed I am, Miss Nightsky - we will be going to Yondall's Bay, a small fishing village in the one tiny section of the kingdom that keeps us from being landlocked. Anuja will accompany us as well. Let us gather together outside, as I assume you will wish to bring your riding mounts along?" "Indeed," replied Galen and went to untie Seneca from the hitching post outside the [I]Enchanted Flagon[/I]. Orion leaped up onto Carl's saddle and was ready to go. "What kinda mission we gonna be goin' on in a fishin' village?" asked Syngaard. "I actually have no idea," Skevros admitted. "This was a request sent directly to His Majesty, King Leornic." Then, seeing everyone gathered together in a group outside the tavern, he asked "Are we ready?" One [I]teleport[/I] spell later and the group stood upon a sandy beach. The "fishing village" consisted of only two small buildings and a single pier - at least that was all that was in view. The larger of the two buildings looked to be a tavern; Syngaard headed that way at once. But as he approached, a voice called out from the pier, where there was now a bearded man standing there - a man the group hadn't noticed before. He stood naked but for a kilt wrapped around his waist. "One of you the Wizard of Durnhill?" he called. The adventurers collectively turned to Skevros, who nodded his head in acknowledgement and replied, "Indeed I am." "Follow me, then," commanded the man in the kilt, heading to the water. "Ah," said the king's adviser. "Unfortunately, that I cannot do." He pointed to the invisible [I]mark of justice[/I] on his forehead. "Since the bay is not part of the Kingdom of Durnhill, Anuja and I will remain here with the animals, while you five do what is asked of you." With that Skevros waved the party off to follow the kilted man, already wading out into the ocean. As he dove head-first into the bay, his kilt disappeared and his legs melded into a fish tail. Four young women popped their heads above the surface of the water around him as he turned to watch the adventurers hesitantly follow into the ocean surf. "Don't see why we gotta get all wet," grumbled Syngaard. But the mission got somewhat more interesting as the merfolk approached and each bestowed their "blessing" upon the adventurers - delivered with a kiss - which allowed them to breathe underwater freely. The formerly kilted man gave Orion his blessing, while the four mermaids accompanying him each provided the same service to one of the male heroes - although Syngaard didn't fail to notice the look of distaste upon the one assigned to him when she first saw his scarred face. "I am [B]Aquilio[/B]," announced the bearded merman as he led the group deeper into the ocean. "I will take you to the oracles who lead our kingdom." He took them to what at first appeared to be ancient sunken ruins, but upon closer inspection was a clump of coral seemingly purposefully grown into that shape. Three mermaids awaited inside the structure, one of which wore an open white flowing robe trimmed in blue; Galen recognized them immediately as the colors of the Azure Glade diviners - they were identical to those worn by the students at the Diviners Library where the group had stolen the copy of "The Curse of the Mithral Mage." Sensing the party's tension, the robed mermaid informed them that although all three of them had been born with the gift of divination, she had spent time above the waves learning to hone her skills. "But do not fear," she added, "for I left before the corruption in the Azure Glade could claim me." "You mind tellin' us just what we're doin' here?" asked Syngaard. "You got somethin' needs killin'?" "A week ago, a tremor opened a trench in the seabed not far from the village," the oracle replied. "It spewed forth a corrupting tide like a volcanic eruption. Although it settled back into the trench that had formed, and we were able to place a seal upon the mouth of the trench, the corrupted tide continues to rise. Our divinations revealed that whether we left the source of this evil alone or if we removed it, the kingdom of Coral's Reach would be destroyed, and that if the source was destroyed the world would fall with it. However, all of our divinations involved only merfolk - we believe the proper interpretation of our visions is that the evil source needs to be removed by surface folk. Hence our call to your kingdom for aid." Syngaard opened his mouth to speak - it still seemed strange to be able to talk and breathe underwater, but you kind of got used to it - but the oracle cut him off as if knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "Our currency is worthless to those above the waves, so we will pay you with divinations, one for each of you, plus another concerning your missing friend." "You know of Serenity?" asked Daleth. "We know many things," smiled the oracle, then began chanting in unison with her two mermaid companions. [I]"Seek the yellow amidst the blue, it shall lead you to orange, from there green shall set you free,"[/I] they intoned. "What the Hell's that supposed to mean?" asked Syngaard. "It refers to Serenity," replied Kaspar, slightly irritated that it wasn't as obvious to the bald fighter as it was to him. "The colors no doubt refer to the robes of the Azure Glade wizards and their respective guilds." "Great, we'll be goin' back there," griped the fighter. "Since your task is a dangerous one, we offer our payment in advance, just in case you don't all return," offered the lead oracle. "Also, if necessary, we will aid you in finding the right questions to ask, since it seems you have been burned before by careless divinations." Daleth felt his face burning at that comment as he recalled wasting his reward in the Halls of Redemption on the knowledge that he was the one being called "the Dimwit." "We need to take full advantage of this opportunity," remarked Galen. "Five questions. What should we ask?" "Let's get some stuff we think we know sorted out," suggested Syngaard at once. "Howzabout we ask if Hope and Maria are of Hirek's bloodline? That way we'll know for sure who we gotta protect." Protecting Hope was a given in any case, but in case there were two others out there as well that they needed to look after, it would help if they knew that for sure. The group agreed, and the bald fighter asked it as their first official question. [I]"Yes,"[/I] chanted the three oracles in unison. [I]"They are the last of Hirek's bloodline, though only the last remaining survivor shall be the key to Hirek's Gate."[/I] Armed with this new information, Galen decided the next question should be what the Seekers of Eternity desire to do with sacrificing Hirek's bloodline. [I]"They are unaware of them or their importance; it is the Hope Ender who seeks their death,"[/I] was the chanted reply. That was a bit surprising, but it confirmed the reason for the pit fiend's name and it meant he was the only one actively seeking the death of Hirek's Key. Kaspar asked the third question: "What does the Hope Ender seek to gain from the death of Hirek's bloodline?" His response was, [I]"Hirek's blood binds his Gate; so long as it lives the gate exists in its current form. If the last in the bloodline dies a natural death, they become the key that locks his Gate; if they are sacrificed they become the key that opens it for eternity."[/I] "We believe this Gate is known to you as the Baator's Breath Mountains," added one of the other mermaids in her normal voice. "So if the Hope Ender sacrifices Hope or Maria, whichever of them is the last one alive, he can permanently open the gates in the mountains north of Ashfall leading to Hell," reasoned Daleth. "That would very likely mean the end of this world as we know it - it would rapidly become overrun by devils." "Yeah, that's not gonna happen," promised Syngaard. Orion asked the fourth question: "Who leads the Seekers of Eternity?" [I]"[B]Grand Diviner Arcturus[/B], Guildmaster of the Diviners Guild in the Azure Glade,"[/I] came back the chanted response. "We've got one question left," pointed out Galen. "Maybe we should ask who's the greatest enemy of the Seekers of Eternity, so we can join forces?" "That would likely be a wasted question," pointed out the lead mermaid oracle, "for your master is their greatest enemy." "Yeah, let's go join forces with Skevros," snickered Orion. "Hey, I got a good question," said Syngaard to the group. "Howzabout, 'Are halflings actually good for anything?'" His suggestion earned him a glare from Orion, but it was something of a good sign that the fighter was more or less back to his old self after having dredged up all of the painful memories of his dead wife. Kaspar suggested the final question and the group agreed. "What is the best way to defeat the Seekers of Eternity?" asked the elven monk. [I]"Two options exist,"[/I] chanted the mermaid trio. [I]"Either kill the three Heads who lead it or unbind the Mithral Mage's soul from his name. The Seekers seek to learn how he turned his name into a phylactery that they may become unkillable as well. So long as one soul knows his name he cannot die. That is why he was imprisoned."[/I] "I don't see how we'd even go about accomplishing the second option," pointed out Kaspar. "Yeah, let's just stick with the killin'," agreed Syngaard. "That's always easier." "Your payment has been made," said the robed mermaid oracle. "But these may further aid you in your task." She passed over three pearls and explained each provided a [I]magic circle against evil[/I] effect while immersed in seawater. "The evil tide corrupts the minds of those it touches, and given time their bodies as well. However, the effects are suppressed by the magic of the pearls. Alas, we have but the three." "No matter," replied Galen. "Daleth and I can each cast a lesser version of the spell upon ourselves." That settled, Kaspar, Orion, and Syngaard each took a pearl. "Then let us go to the mouth of the trench," suggested the lead mermaid oracle. Walking along the seabed in the mermaids' wake, the party arrived at the bottom of a 50-foot cliff face, with a vertical tear carving right down the middle. Looking down into the trench, the group could see it extended below the sea bed another good 50 feet or so. Bioluminescent coral grew along the edges of the trench opening. "The coral seems to grow in the shape of magic runes," observed Daleth, and the mermaids confirmed his suspicions. The water within the lower trench seemed to be definitely darker, and not just because of its greater depth, being further away from the sun - it was charged with a palpable sense of evil. Galen, with his training to see evil auras, suggested it looked like an aura made visible. The evil water currently only rose 30 feet up the sides of the lower trench, giving the odd appearance of an undersea river. "We will leave you to your investigations," said the head mermaid oracle. "Good luck!" And with strong flicks of their fishlike tails, they returned back the way they had come. "I hate this!" grumbled Syngaard. "Why can't we just get sent to go kill some damn chuul or kraken or whatever, instead of this undefined stuff? We don't even know what it is we're looking for here!" "It is very likely that when we see what is responsible, we will know it for what it is," reasoned Kaspar. The group entered the trench, staying for the most part at a level footing, about halfway from the deepest part and the cliff-top above them. There were narrow ledges on either side of the trench making this a not-too-difficult process. As Syngaard led the way, eager to get this stupid mission done and over with, he saw dead fish floating below him in the undersea current of the lower trench. They didn't look to have any bite marks or any other damage on their bodies. "Do you think the current is deadly?" asked Galen. "Let's find out," replied Syngaard, bending down and extending his hand into the darker water. He pulled it out a moment later with no evidence of any harm, so Orion did him one better by leaping over the side of the ledge and sinking down until her entire body was in the dark water. She swam back up quickly, explaining that even with the ability to breathe water, she had trouble breathing while that far down. "It's like there's no air down there," she said. "Well, duh," snorted Syngaard. "You know what I mean!" the halfling retorted angrily. "It would seem those fish...drowned while submerged in water," reasoned Daleth. "Most strange." While the group had been focusing their attention on the dead fish drifting below them, they failed to notice the live ones approaching them from further down the trench until almost too late. A glimpse of motion from the corner of his eye caused Syngaard to look up just in time to dodge the bite of an approaching shark. Upon closer look, the shark had a pair of hornlike projections sticking out forward from its head and its skin had a reddish coloration: a devil shark? The fighter had never heard of such a thing - but then, the ocean wasn't his normal environment. Orion stabbed with her [I]flaming short sword[/I] at a fiendish shark that had swum up to her, noting the "flames" were not present underwater but there was a distinct heat still emanating from the weapon's blade. Unfortunately, while the "steaming" effect was an unexpected surprise, it did little against the shark, whose thick hide seemed immune to the heat of the blade. Kaspar threw a pair of shuriken at the shark attacking Orion, one hitting and one missing entirely. That one sank to the bottom of the trench, and while the other impaled itself into the shark's hide and sent a shock of electricity coursing along the beast's flank, the heat newly imbued in the weapon by the [I]flaming[/I] property of the [I]tenryutsume[/I] Kaspar wore on his right hand seemed as ineffectual as the halfling's sword. These sharks seemed to be resistant to heat, if not full-out immune. But when Syngaard swam over and smacked the thing in the head with his magically-enhanced morningstar, he demonstrated that the application of a massive amount of brute force worked just fine on these sharks, fiendish or not. Daleth swam a few feet back from the shark snapping at him and cast an [I]empowered magic missile[/I] spell at it through his [I]metamagic rod[/I]. Galen was fighting a shark of his own with the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I], and while normal [I]flaming[/I] weapons seemed ineffectual, the holy fire of his blade burned through the sharks' transformed fiendish blood without trouble. But then Daleth's shark darted forward and caught the elf wizard in its powerful jaws, clamping down painfully on his shoulder. A fourth shark entered the trench, but fortunately for the heroes it was distracted by the shark Syngaard had just slain and took a healthy bite from its corpse instead of attacking any of the adventurers. But that good luck was more than counterbalanced by the enormous shark that swam above the group, its shadow covering several heroes at once as it struck down at Syngaard's bald head. Orion tried to help Daleth by flanking the shark biting him, but her sword-strike went wide as the creature thrashed around. Kaspar tried punching the same shark, with similar results. But Syngaard was forced to focus his attention on the massive beast trying to bite off his head - it was nearly three times the length of the other sharks attacking the rest of the heroes, but the hornlike projections hinted at its similarly Hellish nature. Of course, that just made it a bigger target for Syngaard's morningstar, and he put his favorite weapon to good use, raking lines of blood along the shark's muscular flank with the spikes on his weapon-head. Daleth managed to extract himself from the shark's mouth, backed up, and fired off another [I]magic missile[/I] spell at it. At the same time, Galen's shark succumbed to the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I], blood trailing its body as it sank to the bottom of the trench. But then Daleth's shark sped forward and bit down on the wizard's arm, nearly causing the spellcaster to pass out from the pain. And further down the trench ledge, Syngaard found himself fighting off not only the biggest of the sharks but also the one who had taken a bite out of one of its own kind earlier. Orion cursed as another attempt to sneak attack Daleth's shark failed. But fortunately, Kaspar had better luck and sent his hand snaking forward with enough speed to crush the shark's skull; it, too, lost buoyancy and began sinking into the dark, airless water currents of the deepest part of the trench. Syngaard sent a couple of powerful blows with his morningstar into the great shark's belly, nearly killing it. Daleth pulled a healing potion from his belt and tried to figure out how to drink it underwater before passing out; finally, he assumed its contents were heavier than water and uncorked it above his mouth, drinking it down as it spilled from the vial. The healing energy was enough to at least keep the elf from passing out; Galen channeled energy through his [I]illumium scabbard[/I] to heal the wizard further. The massive shark bit at Syngaard again, eliciting a grunt of pain from the scarred fighter. Orion tried tossing a throwing dagger from her new [I]bag of daggers[/I] at the great beast, but the masterwork blade merely bounced off the shark's hide. Kaspar sent a couple of his shuriken biting deep into the shark's flank, and a final blow from Syngaard's morningstar finished it off. He then spun in place and sent his weapon crashing into the body of the remaining shark, and between the rest of the group they brought it down without too much trouble. Galen applied healing as needed, and then the group continued along the trench ledge, winding past a dog-leg until it led to a small cave opening at the apparent end of the trench. This opening was not quite five feet wide and was below the level of the "dead water," forcing the heroes to hold their breath when entering. Kaspar went in first and was amazed at Syngaard's unintentional prognostication, for there in the cavern ahead of his was what must be a chuul, if the stories the monk had heard about such creatures were true. This looked very much like an overly-large lobster, with a mouth full of drooping tentacles. The creature must have been prepared for intruders, too, for it dashed forward upon the monk's approach and caught him up in the powerful grip of a hardened pincer. The top half of the cave, above the entrance, was filled with stale air, and floating in the back of the cavern was a reddish-gold, glowing orb that was likely the cause of the evil emanating from the trench. Syngaard rushed into the cavern after Kaspar, striking at the chuul with his spiked weapon. Daleth was right behind him, but moved laterally away from the creature's free pincher lest he share his fellow elf's fate. He tossed a [I]magic missile[/I] spell at it, causing twin bolts of energy to shoot from his fingertips and strike unerringly against the chuul's hardened carapace. Orion entered the cave but wasn't particularly eager to go toe-to-spindly-crustacean-leg with their foe, so she opted to throw another of her endless daggers. The throw was perfect, but it didn't seem to do any damage to the creature, bouncing harmlessly off its slime-covered shell. Galen was the last to enter the cave, and, seeing the expected aura of evil surrounding the slime chuul, he smote the beast to good effect, channeling a burst of positive energy through his enchanted blade. The creature seemed to wince at the blow but made no sound. Kaspar, in the meantime, had been devoting his efforts to escape from the tightly-gripping pincer. Several times it seemed he was about to free himself, almost sliding free with the aid of the creature's slime, only to have the bladed appendage snap back tighter than ever. The slime-chuul struck out at Galen with its free pincer, but it seemed hampered by the [I]protection from evil[/I] spell the paladin had cast upon himself before entering the trench. Then a solid blow from Syngaard's morningstar shattered a section of its carapace and all thoughts of attacking the paladin were driven from its primitive brain. Daleth cast another [I]magic missile[/I] spell from his wand, noting that while it hit - as expected from this particular spell - it seemed to hit a momentary barrier, as if the lobster-thing was partially resistance to spell energy. Orion, bummed about the ineffectiveness of her magical bag of throwing daggers, pulled her [I]flaming short sword[/I] from the scabbard at her belt and stabbed out at the beast with it. Once again, the heat from the weapon didn't seem to do much, but the blade itself entered the chuul's body just fine, stopping only when the sword's crosspiece hit the chuul's carapace. Another smiting blow from Galen and the beast was dead, collapsing onto the floor of its cave, allowing Kaspar to extricate himself from its claw. The group headed to the back of the cave to examine the glowing orb. "Odd," remarked Galen. "What?" asked Orion, swimming up closer to see. "I don't get an aura of evil from the orb itself, but there is a definite aura of evil seeping into the water where it touches the orb. And yet, the air around it has no corresponding evil aura. Very strange." "What does it mean?" asked the halfling. "It means," reasoned Daleth, "that simply removing it from the water should prevent the corrupting tide from expanding any further." "So go pick it up," prompted Syngaard. "Me? I think not." The elf wizard peered closely at the reddish-gold orb. "It looks like there is black lettering of some type carved into the sphere, if that is indeed the best term - the thing almost looks organic. Alas, I cannot read it, but it looks to be written in the Infernal language - the language of devils. In any case, I do not intend to touch it with my bare hands - nor would I recommend any of you do so, either." "Oh, for the luvva--" snorted Syngaard, approaching the floating orb and pulling his [I]bag of holding[/I] from his belt. He pulled it open and dropped it over the orb, catching it up in its extradimensional space. "Buncha sissies," he chided. "C'mon - let's get outta here. We'll let Skevros decide what to do with it." The group exited the trench the way they'd come and headed back to shore. After studying the orb, the king's adviser remarked he believed it to be an [I]oath-stone[/I]. "It's the physical manifestation of a fiendish pact," he explained, "although such things are notoriously difficult to get a hold of. How it managed to get to the material plane, let alone a cave at the bottom of the ocean, is beyond me." He squinted at the tiny words carved in the Infernal language along the orb's exterior. "I shall want to reference some of my books back home to be sure - some of these markings are rather tricky - but I believe this particular [I]oath-stone[/I] may be the manifestation of Hirek's pact to bind the Hope Ender to service." "Wait, which one was Hirek again?" asked Syngaard. "The Scarlet Sage," replied Galen - and then the same thought struck the heroes all at once. "Red hair!" they exclaimed. That might easily explain why Hope and Maria - and Messalina before them - all had red hair: they were descendants of the Scarlet Sage, who likely got his nickname not just from the color of his garments. Galen then explained the oracles' divinations to Skevros. "I agree," he said upon hearing the one the group thought applied to Serenity. "The colors likely reference the robes of the various wizard guilds in the Azure Glade. And the 'missing friend' is undoubtedly Serenity. Good work, everyone! Now, let's gather up Anuja and the animals and return to our headquarters, that we may plot out our next move!" - - - Logan had warned us ahead of time that this was going to be a sort of standalone adventure and even told us the adventure name ahead of time, but what with all the prophecies and the [I]oath-stone[/I] it ended up fitting seamlessly into the rest of the plotline - it certainly advanced our understanding of some of what our PCs have been investigating. And Vicki collects mermaid figurines, so she certainly enjoyed that aspect of the adventure. (She didn't enjoy so much the fact that the masterwork throwing daggers Orion got from her [I]bag of blades[/I] couldn't penetrate the damage reduction of the fiendish sharks she'd been fighting, however. But she can upgrade the bag just like she could a magic weapon, so that it will give out [I]+1 throwing daggers[/I] in future.) Incidentally, that was a fiendish uchuulon we fought as the last encounter, a creature Logan got from [I]Stormwrack[/I]; it's normally tied in with illithids, but Logan just used it as a chuul variant, to keep us on our toes. [/QUOTE]
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