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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1232377" data-attributes="member: 1210">Pursuing the Ghost ShipA bizarre bolt of silvery light arced down with a thunderous crash, blasting the water between the Sea Hag and the nameless ghost ship, seemingly directed by the glowing sword in the hand of the undead commander.  It seemed they weren’t yet in range.The crew of the Sea Hag manned their battle stations, and as Chanticleer led the group in a sea chantey to Bleak, the knarr headed to cut off the undead vessel; but sadly, it had already managed to pull itself somehow from the beach and was making quick progress towards the center of the lake.  “After them!” Galiger cried, and the crew heaved to, rowing and turning the sail til it puffed full of wind- the breeze was with them- and pursuit commenced.But the enemy vessel, perhaps enhanced through some sort of eldritch trickery, seemed just a little faster than the Hag.  Rajah climbed into the crow’s nest to make sure that they didn’t lose sight of their quarry, but to his chagrin, the vessel abruptly vanished.  “They’re gone!” he called down from the nest, disheartened.  “What do you mean, gone?” Captain Malford the Magnificent shouted up at him.  Rajah shrugged, keeping an eye out, and yelled down a quick explanation.“They just vanished... maybe turned invisible or teleported or something...?”Swearing like only pirates can, Malford and Galiger ordered the ship to pursue, and they started sweeping through the area where the vessel disappeared.  They found no sign.  “Maybe they went invisible and put ashore again,” Galiger suggested, and added darkly, “Nobody messes with out crew like that!”  The captain nodded, and they ordered the crew to take them in close to the shore again.  Their plan was to search for signs of the ghost ship and a hideout simultaneously.“If we’re lucky, we’ll find their hideout and take it over,” commented one of the crew wryly.  His name was Farenth; if only our heroes had a clue as to the amount of heartbreak and death he was going to eventually cause them, they would have killed him, hacked him to pieces and cast him overboard right then and there.  But alas, there’s no sign of his treachery yet.For now, the ship advanced along the perimeter of the lake.  Carefully, our heroes watched for any sign of enemies, plunder or hideouts.  Several hours passed at a crawl before a sharp-eyed crewman manning the fore ballista (his name was Toby) pointed at the cliff face they were passing.  “Look, a cave!”  Indeed, a jagged opening, around 30’ wide, faced them.  “I wonder if it narrows,” commented Malford, and ordered the sail furled.  Moving by oar alone, the knarr slowly swung about and headed in.  The group passed a passage off to one side and gradually crossed a hundred yards of slowly-widening cave.  At its end the long tunnel opened up into a vast chamber almost 200’ across and about 120’ wide, with a small beach at the far end.  “Keep your eyes open,” Malford warned, just before a sea serpent reared from the water and attacked, letting out an ear-splitting roar.  Its neck was as thick as a man’s chest, and it snapped down, trying to snatch a tasty morsel from the deck of the Sea Hag.Unfortunately for the beast, its target wasn’t about to let herself get eaten.  Chanti poked its nose with her sword as it came at her, and it squealed and drew back, then sneezed.  Sizzling gobs of blood spattered out.  Screaming, the monster spat a long streamer of acid!Rajah leapt, smashing Chanti aside, and the acid didn’t kill her.  She screamed as the stringy, phlegmy acid brushed across her arm and leg, burning her horribly.  But then Rajah’s weight was off her as he sprang, catlike, onto the monster, clinging to its neck and savaging it with his bare hands*!  He looked almost tigerlike in his fury as he tore at the monster.  Plarenth and Urlah, two of the hired crew, swung the aft ballista towards the thing and let fly!  The shaft struck the monster square in the body, and it shrieked again.  Lyr’s harpoon flew towards it, as did a spattering of spells from Urick and Malford.  It weakened, and with a scream, Rajah plunged his hand into its eye!  A final spasm signalled the monster’s death, and it fell with a loud splash back into the water.  Rajah swam back to the ship....*Rajah practiced the Way of the Tiger, a 1e-style martial art that we worked up from the original Oriental Adventures.  He was, after all, raised by tigers.Next Time: Building a lair!</blockquote>

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