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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Seravin" data-source="post: 1391244" data-attributes="member: 6783">In the Courts of Water“We have to kill it?”“Sort of.  Kind of.  I don’t understand it.  Shurlblurulp doesn’t belong here, if we kill his body here, then he’ll be sent home.  The ring will let me follow him.”Jallarzi looked at Kestral quizzically.  That might have been true of summonings, but not bindings – at least not normally.  The sorceress kept silent though as this wasn’t her area of expertise.  Perhaps the magic of the ring would allow such a thing.*The group discussed the wheres and how for a few minutes, trying to work out the details.  “Will it attack us?”  “It’s okay with this?” “This will send it home?” and other questions were asked and answered.  Eventually Kellron, Ashimar, and Kestral were standing in the shallow water around the sentient wave looking at each other and their willing victim.  Their weapons were out and collectively they took a long breath.Ashimar was the first to strike, necessity taking precedence over any moral qualms.  His rapier (recently enchanted by the Library in Blasingdale) lashed out and the elemental churned, water briefly fountaining out from the magical wound.  Kellron struck next with a wide sweep from his blade and Kestral followed up.The slaughter, for such it was, didn’t take too long, though it took long enough.  Shurlblurulp did not retaliate against the strikes, though his form churned mightily as it diminished in size.  Finally, several strokes later, Kellron gave a mighty swing which cut through the entire breadth of the elemental’s body.  The two parts of the elemental body collapsed into the lake with a splash.  Where the main party of the body fell, a small whirlpool suddenly formed, perhaps two feet across and twice as deep.  Kestral had been waiting for the moment, and before the whirlpool settled she dove in.---Appearances had been deceiving.  The whirlpool wasn’t four feet deep.  Once inside Kestral realized that the whirlpool stretched on forever.  The walls of the whirlpool defined a water-filled tunnel that inexorably pulled her forward.  Kestral knew she wouldn’t be able to fight the current that drove her; not that she wanted to.Later when asked, Kestral wouldn’t be able to say how long she traveled.  It didn’t feel like a long time, but it could have been.  Kestral recalled spending some of the time trying maneuver while in the spinning tunnel; slowing herself slightly by stretching her arms out, and speeding forward by bringing her arms in front of her.  She had fun.Abrubtly the tunnel ended, and Kestral found herself speeding through calm, cool waters.  There was a radience to the water, though Kestral couldn’t figure out where the source was.  In the distance she saw something plant-like floating.  For a moment the young woman was disorientated, not sure which way was up, but she ignored it and arbritarily chose a direction for the time being.There was movement next to her and Kestral saw a cloud of foam next to her.  It was Shurlblurulp.I am home.      Thank you.  It was strange, but in this place, this calm sea, the elemental’s words were clearer; more potent.Kestral cursied as best she could underwater.  “You are welcome.”  She looked around.  “Can you show me the way to the Water King?”There was a pause and the frothy cloud expanded a bit for only a moment like an elemental shrug.  ”This way.”So Kestral swam in the Great Sea, where all waters eventually lead to on their way back home.  Well, she sort of swam.  After a few feet it soon became apparent that Kestral had no practice in swimming and she had no talent.**Shurlblurulp soon became exasperated with the meat-sack’s ineptitude.  With a practicality born of the need to repay a favor and escape any other servitude, the elemental quickly engulfed the woman and together they surged forward through the great depths.----The palace of the sea king sits upon a vast, floating reef of multi-hued coral.  Gold and silver towers stretched upwards, topped with pearlescent domes.  Swimming in the waters about this small city-castle were schools of fishes of all sizes.  It took Kestral a moment to realize that some of the fishes were almost the size of some of the towers and others appeared to be a cross of humans and fish.  Shurlblurulp quickly sped forward past them all, ignoring them.  His course brought the pair of them up to a great coral hall, flanked by pearly minarets.  The coral of the structure was of many different colors and sealife of all sorts crawled over its surface.  They speeded past the two great golden doors and through winding tunnels.  Eventually they reached a pair of giant green doors (Jade, thought Kestral).  Two guardians stood before the portal, giant men with the lower bodies of fish – tritons if Kestral rememebered her stories correctly, though she had never heard that tritons were twelve feet tall…. long… however they were measured.  In their hands they held golden tridents, bejeweled with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.  “Who approaches the Hall of Burupulburdup?”  Bubbled one of the tritons, swimming forward a pace or two.Kestral found herself pushed out Shurlblurulp rather unceremoniously.  She does.   She wears a ring.”The triton guard looked down at Kestral’s hand and gasped reflexively, his long, pointed features etched with surprise.  He looked to his companion.  “She wears the ring of a prince!”  The guard raised a perfect, seaweed green eyebrow.  “I’ll inform the Vizier.”A few minutes later Kestral was ushered into the chamber of the Water King.The hall was vast, perhaps a hundred feet long and half as high and the young woman quickly understood why.  The Water King was huge.  Like the tritons, his lower half was the body of a fish.  Unlike the other tritons he was almost twenty feet tall.  His long hair which streamed with the currents in the water was a vivid blue, the color of glacial ice.  Here and there were throngs of creatures; some fishy looking, others not.Well.  Come forward creature! Commanded the king.Kestral paddled across the hall, which was the best she could manage.  Why is it here again?” Asked the king to the frothy cloud next to him.The cloud bubbled.  Where Shurlblurulp was about Kellron’s size, maybe a little larger, this elemental was clearly the size of a cottage.  ”She bears one of the royal rings, my lord.””It’s not one of my spawn!”  Declared the king.  Then, worriedly.  ”Is it?””No my lord.  It, I think it’s a she actually, probably bears the ring of one of your sons.  Blidoolpul, I would guess.”The king looked hard at his elemental advisor.”Number 142.” The king looked surprised.  ”Him?  I thought he was out and about.””Yes my lord.  Perhaps she can tell us where.  It has been several great tides. The king looked to Kestral, his green and gold eyes piercing her.  ”Aren’t you here yet?  Stop lolly-gallying like some small-fry.Kestral shrugged and paddled for the floor.  “I’m sorry, great king, but I’m not a proficient swimmer like others of your magnificient court.”The king harrumphed.Kestral was soon able to reach the floor and she sort of hopped across the remaining distance.  Her dignity gone, Kestral decided to turn it into a humorous debacle.  “I’m afraid I’m not made for swimming.””Did you come here for fins then?  Those almost always help.“No, your highness.  I came about this ring I found.”And so Kestral told the story of how she and her friends found the ring with the goblins and how they bartered for it.  She answered every question the king and vizier put to her completely.”So you don’t know where 142 is, do you?”  The king paused.  ”Amuse me a bit while I think.  Try swimming again.  I can’t imagine how you earthers get about not knowing how to swim.”Obligingly, Kestral try to swim for the Water King.  She had nothing better to do and if it got her in his good graces, then there was no reason not to.  And it wasn’t like she had ever been taught to swim.Eventually the king spoke again.  ”You will find my son for me.  I can’t have him in some silly trouble or another.  It’s not right.  It’s obvious he’s in your waters now so you’re in the best position to do this.“How can I find him though?”  Asked Kestral.The king waved one bejeweled hand.  That’s your problem.“I’ll need some help though.”  She persisted.  “Could you make the ring work for me?”The king cocked his head in thought, a sardonic grin and a gleam in his eye told Kestral he knew what she was asking for.  He waved his hand lazily.  “Very well.  Float very still.”  He cautioned.  A light green radiance appeared about Kestral’s hand.  ”There.  You may breathe whilst in the water and you may summon parts of my realm in order to aid yourself on your quest.  The king delivered this with magnaminous grace as if awarding her a title.  ”If you find my son’s location and deliver the news to me, I will perhaps allow other abilities of the ring to be summoned forth.  Regardless, you have one great tide to do so - equal to one of your years I believe.”Kestral bowed.  “Thank you, your highness.  Now about me getting home…””My vizier will see to it.  Remember girl, one year.”---The conversation actually was a bit longer than above.  Kestral’s player did inquire about the elemental bound to the lake and saw to it that the king continued his pledge of providing elemental support there.  For the foreseeable future at least, an elemental will be assigned to guard the Eelhold lake, but they won’t be forgotten.Kestral was returned to the Eelhold herself without mishap, with almost a full day having elapsed.  The group spent the night on the shores of the lake, comfortable within their magical residence.In the morning, Shiraz took her leave and the group made their way into the mines.  From there, they went to the orc caves and met Carmararen’s emissaries.[/b]*In retrospect I wouldn’t have done things this way.  Killing the elemental should have given the party a dead elemental.  Still for my purposes this time it worked.**8 strength, no ranks in swim.edit: grammatical and logical changes.</blockquote>

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