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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7556052" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Yep, they're classic villains, all the way back to the Saltmarsh series of modules. Always a threat when your campaign takes things out onto the seas.</p><p></p><p>* * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 251</p><p></p><p>With no choice, at least not if she wanted to protect the still-helpless Bredan, Xeeta stepped forward to confront the mutated fish-man leader.</p><p></p><p>She raised her rod as it charged, blasting it with a triad of <em>scorching rays</em>. All three of the blasts struck it, but the four-armed monstrosity shrugged off what had to be considerable pain and pressed its attack. It thrust at her with its trident. Xeeta had conjured her <em>mage armor</em> as soon as Bredan had sounded the alert, but it did little to stop the sharp tines that pierced her side and knocked her roughly back to the bloody deck. She tried to crawl away, but looked up to see the massive creature looming over her, its weapon raised again to finish her off. She raised a hand, trying to gather her magic over the intense pain of her wound, knowing she would be too late.</p><p></p><p>But even as the trident thrust down it struck a glowing barrier that materialized above her and turned the deadly strike. The <em>shield</em> dissolved as Bredan leapt through it, sweeping his sword at the fearsome creature. The baron was clad in more substantial armor than its lesser minions, but the blade carved through the layered material and tore a shallow gash in its side.</p><p></p><p>As the two warriors engaged in their solitary contest atop the aft deck, the tide was beginning to turn on the main deck below. The defenders were still outnumbered, especially as the priestess continued to channel healing magic into her warriors, but the adventurers unleashed a devastating wave of attacks into them. Quellan fired a <em>guiding bolt</em> into the spellcaster that struck her in the chest and surrounded her with a limning aura that shone like a beacon across the deck. Kosk sighted in on that, darting through a tangled knot of warriors while somehow avoiding their desperate attacks. The last of the priestess’s bodyguards tried to simply tackle him, but he leapt to the side, kicked off of the forward bulkhead, and spun into a devastating kick that knocked the creature sprawling. Her momentum caused her to slide over the slick deck to the gap in the railing, where she disappeared, followed a moment later by a loud splash.</p><p></p><p>The furious fish-man warriors rushed in to seek their vengeance on the monk, but before they could reach him Glori blasted them with a wave of <em>fear</em>. The spell did not affect all of them, but fully half their number turned and in a panic followed their leader over the edge of the ship. None of the companions assumed that they were gone for good, but it meant that the fish-man warriors found themselves on the defensive as Kosk and Kalasien’s soldiers charged into them. The Arreshian agent himself was briefly pinned by a creature that leapt down from the foredeck. It trapped his rapier under its arm as it tried to bite him in the face, but Kalasien made a blade with his fist and drove it into the creature’s throat. It staggered back, choking, giving him space to free his weapon and thrust it through the creature’s heart.</p><p></p><p>The crew of the <em>Gull</em> had formed a half-circle around the forward hatch, barely holding back another half-dozen of the creatures, but the tide there turned as well as Captain Sond entered the fray. She rushed into the largest knot of the things, evading a spear that poked at her as she passed. She looked almost comical surrounded by the much larger warriors, at least until she lifted a hand and summoned forth a spell. A pulsing blast of sonic energy exploded through the fish-men, staggering them, while tendrils of electricity shot out from her body, jolting the creatures nearest to her. The sahuagin immediately turned on her, eager to destroy the dangerous halfling, but even as they raised their spears a sudden gust of wind surged across the deck. It rippled past the warriors and seized the tiny woman, lifting her up into the rigging of the aft mast, a good ten feet above the fray. A few of the sahuagin tried to stab at her, but she quickly ascended out of their reach.</p><p></p><p>Sond’s sailors were quick to take advantage of the opening, surging into the distracted and wounded creatures with their cutlasses swinging.</p><p></p><p>Bredan and the fish-man baron fought their way back and forth across the aft deck, exchanging violent blows that soon left both combatants bleeding despite their armor. Bredan had learned that he had not only the creature’s trident to worry about; his elbow blazed with pain where it had briefly seized him in its powerful jaws. With its four arms it could grapple as well as attack, and he already knew it was at least as strong as he was.</p><p></p><p>He summoned another <em>shield</em> as the creature thrust at him again with its long weapon, but too late realized that the attack was a feint. He tried to shift to the side, but was caught again as it snapped its jaws around his forearm, pulling him off-balance. He dropped his sword as it grabbed him its extra arms and hurled him toward the side of the ship.</p><p></p><p>He hit the rail and for a moment tottered on its edge, his upper body dangling over the water below. He looked down and saw that the water had been churned into a white froth by large fish equipped with very large jaws. <em>Sharks</em>, he thought, understanding now why the fish-men had thrown their victims overboard. Not that it would matter in his case; with the weight of his armor he’d sink to the bottom like a stone.</p><p></p><p>He clung to the rail and was able to keep from going over, but he turned back to see the giant creature charging toward him. Xeeta blasted it with a pair of <em>fire bolts</em>, but even though the second struck it in the neck, inflicting a serious burn, the thing did not even flinch and kept on coming.</p><p></p><p>Trapped against the rail, Bredan felt a surge of power come unbidden. Time seemed to slow around him as the magic coursed through him. The creature was a canny adversary, but suddenly he could see its next move as if watching it unfold before him. It looked like it was going to push him right through the railing and off the ship, but at the last moment it would stop and impale him with its trident, even though the weapon seemed to hang forgotten at its side.</p><p></p><p>In Bredan’s attenuated state, it felt like he was waiting for hours for the foretold action to happen. But finally, the last webbed foot struck the deck, and the thing’s entire body began to shift in its motion.</p><p></p><p>Bredan was already moving. The trident tore past him, the closest tine passing so close that it scraped along the side of his breastplate. The baron reacted quickly, lashing out with one of its surplus arms, but Bredan ducked under that as well. He spun, his entire body adding momentum to the swing as his sword swept up and caught it under the lower arm on its left side. The magically-enhanced steel tore through armor, flesh, and bone, and then the arm was flying through the air, leaving a jet of dark blood in its wake.</p><p></p><p>Bredan hit the deck and came up into a roll. The terrible wound he’d inflicted had staggered the creature, but was not enough to kill it. But even as it spun around to face him, he planted his feet and thrust forward as he rose. The point of his sword pierced the creature’s chest. Bredan knew it was a killing thrust even before he saw the look on the monster’s face. It knew, too. It tried to grab hold of the sword, but its strength was already failing even before it toppled over backwards. The abused railing could not absorb its weight, and it shattered, sending the creature over into the water.</p><p></p><p>For a moment Bredan just stood there, catching his second wind. He turned to Xeeta, who was up again but was clutching her side where the baron’s trident had scored her. “Are you all right?”</p><p></p><p>“I’ll live,” she said.</p><p></p><p>They headed forward to the edge of the deck, sword and spell at the ready, but they were not needed. Even as the pair watched the last of the fish-men on the main deck leapt over the side, most of them trailing blood from nasty wounds. They left behind nearly a score of the creatures, slashed and blasted and shot with black-fletched arrows. Kosk was already moving among the things, making certain of the nearest ones, while Quellan and Glori had rushed to the aid of the wounded. The bard looked up and saw the two of them there, and offered a salute that Bredan slowly returned.</p><p></p><p>“Another victory,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” Bredan said, looking at the sailors lying on the deck, some still struggling as the healers fought to bring them back from the brink. “I’m not sure how many more of these we can survive.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7556052, member: 143"] Yep, they're classic villains, all the way back to the Saltmarsh series of modules. Always a threat when your campaign takes things out onto the seas. * * * Chapter 251 With no choice, at least not if she wanted to protect the still-helpless Bredan, Xeeta stepped forward to confront the mutated fish-man leader. She raised her rod as it charged, blasting it with a triad of [i]scorching rays[/i]. All three of the blasts struck it, but the four-armed monstrosity shrugged off what had to be considerable pain and pressed its attack. It thrust at her with its trident. Xeeta had conjured her [i]mage armor[/i] as soon as Bredan had sounded the alert, but it did little to stop the sharp tines that pierced her side and knocked her roughly back to the bloody deck. She tried to crawl away, but looked up to see the massive creature looming over her, its weapon raised again to finish her off. She raised a hand, trying to gather her magic over the intense pain of her wound, knowing she would be too late. But even as the trident thrust down it struck a glowing barrier that materialized above her and turned the deadly strike. The [i]shield[/i] dissolved as Bredan leapt through it, sweeping his sword at the fearsome creature. The baron was clad in more substantial armor than its lesser minions, but the blade carved through the layered material and tore a shallow gash in its side. As the two warriors engaged in their solitary contest atop the aft deck, the tide was beginning to turn on the main deck below. The defenders were still outnumbered, especially as the priestess continued to channel healing magic into her warriors, but the adventurers unleashed a devastating wave of attacks into them. Quellan fired a [i]guiding bolt[/i] into the spellcaster that struck her in the chest and surrounded her with a limning aura that shone like a beacon across the deck. Kosk sighted in on that, darting through a tangled knot of warriors while somehow avoiding their desperate attacks. The last of the priestess’s bodyguards tried to simply tackle him, but he leapt to the side, kicked off of the forward bulkhead, and spun into a devastating kick that knocked the creature sprawling. Her momentum caused her to slide over the slick deck to the gap in the railing, where she disappeared, followed a moment later by a loud splash. The furious fish-man warriors rushed in to seek their vengeance on the monk, but before they could reach him Glori blasted them with a wave of [i]fear[/i]. The spell did not affect all of them, but fully half their number turned and in a panic followed their leader over the edge of the ship. None of the companions assumed that they were gone for good, but it meant that the fish-man warriors found themselves on the defensive as Kosk and Kalasien’s soldiers charged into them. The Arreshian agent himself was briefly pinned by a creature that leapt down from the foredeck. It trapped his rapier under its arm as it tried to bite him in the face, but Kalasien made a blade with his fist and drove it into the creature’s throat. It staggered back, choking, giving him space to free his weapon and thrust it through the creature’s heart. The crew of the [i]Gull[/i] had formed a half-circle around the forward hatch, barely holding back another half-dozen of the creatures, but the tide there turned as well as Captain Sond entered the fray. She rushed into the largest knot of the things, evading a spear that poked at her as she passed. She looked almost comical surrounded by the much larger warriors, at least until she lifted a hand and summoned forth a spell. A pulsing blast of sonic energy exploded through the fish-men, staggering them, while tendrils of electricity shot out from her body, jolting the creatures nearest to her. The sahuagin immediately turned on her, eager to destroy the dangerous halfling, but even as they raised their spears a sudden gust of wind surged across the deck. It rippled past the warriors and seized the tiny woman, lifting her up into the rigging of the aft mast, a good ten feet above the fray. A few of the sahuagin tried to stab at her, but she quickly ascended out of their reach. Sond’s sailors were quick to take advantage of the opening, surging into the distracted and wounded creatures with their cutlasses swinging. Bredan and the fish-man baron fought their way back and forth across the aft deck, exchanging violent blows that soon left both combatants bleeding despite their armor. Bredan had learned that he had not only the creature’s trident to worry about; his elbow blazed with pain where it had briefly seized him in its powerful jaws. With its four arms it could grapple as well as attack, and he already knew it was at least as strong as he was. He summoned another [i]shield[/i] as the creature thrust at him again with its long weapon, but too late realized that the attack was a feint. He tried to shift to the side, but was caught again as it snapped its jaws around his forearm, pulling him off-balance. He dropped his sword as it grabbed him its extra arms and hurled him toward the side of the ship. He hit the rail and for a moment tottered on its edge, his upper body dangling over the water below. He looked down and saw that the water had been churned into a white froth by large fish equipped with very large jaws. [i]Sharks[/i], he thought, understanding now why the fish-men had thrown their victims overboard. Not that it would matter in his case; with the weight of his armor he’d sink to the bottom like a stone. He clung to the rail and was able to keep from going over, but he turned back to see the giant creature charging toward him. Xeeta blasted it with a pair of [i]fire bolts[/i], but even though the second struck it in the neck, inflicting a serious burn, the thing did not even flinch and kept on coming. Trapped against the rail, Bredan felt a surge of power come unbidden. Time seemed to slow around him as the magic coursed through him. The creature was a canny adversary, but suddenly he could see its next move as if watching it unfold before him. It looked like it was going to push him right through the railing and off the ship, but at the last moment it would stop and impale him with its trident, even though the weapon seemed to hang forgotten at its side. In Bredan’s attenuated state, it felt like he was waiting for hours for the foretold action to happen. But finally, the last webbed foot struck the deck, and the thing’s entire body began to shift in its motion. Bredan was already moving. The trident tore past him, the closest tine passing so close that it scraped along the side of his breastplate. The baron reacted quickly, lashing out with one of its surplus arms, but Bredan ducked under that as well. He spun, his entire body adding momentum to the swing as his sword swept up and caught it under the lower arm on its left side. The magically-enhanced steel tore through armor, flesh, and bone, and then the arm was flying through the air, leaving a jet of dark blood in its wake. Bredan hit the deck and came up into a roll. The terrible wound he’d inflicted had staggered the creature, but was not enough to kill it. But even as it spun around to face him, he planted his feet and thrust forward as he rose. The point of his sword pierced the creature’s chest. Bredan knew it was a killing thrust even before he saw the look on the monster’s face. It knew, too. It tried to grab hold of the sword, but its strength was already failing even before it toppled over backwards. The abused railing could not absorb its weight, and it shattered, sending the creature over into the water. For a moment Bredan just stood there, catching his second wind. He turned to Xeeta, who was up again but was clutching her side where the baron’s trident had scored her. “Are you all right?” “I’ll live,” she said. They headed forward to the edge of the deck, sword and spell at the ready, but they were not needed. Even as the pair watched the last of the fish-men on the main deck leapt over the side, most of them trailing blood from nasty wounds. They left behind nearly a score of the creatures, slashed and blasted and shot with black-fletched arrows. Kosk was already moving among the things, making certain of the nearest ones, while Quellan and Glori had rushed to the aid of the wounded. The bard looked up and saw the two of them there, and offered a salute that Bredan slowly returned. “Another victory,” Xeeta said. “Yes,” Bredan said, looking at the sailors lying on the deck, some still struggling as the healers fought to bring them back from the brink. “I’m not sure how many more of these we can survive.” [/QUOTE]
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