"That should do it," said Narella, completing the spell. "How does it feel?"
Cal stood up at the edge of the bed, favoring his good leg. Slowly, he distributed his weight until he was standing normally. Somewhat surprised, he said, "Fine. It feels fine. Thank you, thank you both."
"Don't mention it. More than glad to help." Jonas held the notebook to his chest like an overprotective mother. It was clear he considered himself to have gotten quite a bargain in the deal. "Must you leave us so soon?"
"Alas, yes, I'd best be off. I was transporting metal goods to--my family--" a quick glance of understanding to Jonas ensured that nothing more need be said "--when my ship was attacked by pirates. In the battle, I was thrown overboard, along with the cutthroat I was fighting. By the time I took care of him I had lost my sword and the waters were becoming heavy with sharks. The ship had been taken over by that time; I thought it best to head for shore as quickly as possible. Now, I'm afraid I've got my work cut out for me if I'm to track them down, and get back what's mine.
"Jonas, thank you again, for everything," finished Cal.
But especially your discretion, he thought, rubbing his hand over his newly-shaven pate. "Narella, my thanks as well; I'll be sure to drop a few coins in your Lady's temple, the next time I pass through the city."
"If you're ever in the neighborhood..." began the old sage.
Cal beamed a big smile. "I will. I promise."
"May the Lady be with you," said Narella as the bald man turned from them and walked out the front door of the sage's comfortable dwelling and away, towards the ocean, and his destiny.
- - -
GIANT SEA UNICORN
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Ocean (non-arctic)
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Schools (see below)
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Nil, but see below
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO.APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: Sw 21
HIT DICE: 4
THAC0: 17
NO.OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Constriction
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immunity to poison
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (10'-14' long)
MORALE: Average (10)
XP VALUE: 175
Sea unicorns are a variant of the giant sea horse. They are almost identical to the giant sea horse in appearance with the exception of the narrow horn which juts from its forehead.
Combat: Sea unicorns attack with their horns, doing 2-8 points of damage. This is the equivalent of the giant sea horse's head butt, but the horn, doing piercing damage, often causes the sea unicorn's foe to bleed and this in turn often draws sharks to the scene. Thus, a favored sea unicorn tactic is to wound its enemy and then let the sharks do the rest of its fighting for it while it gets out of the way.
The sea unicorn enjoys a remarkable constitution, which makes it immune to all forms of poison, natural or otherwise. It is larger than the giant sea horse, with a thicker exoskeleton and better armor class, but in all other respects it is equal to a giant sea horse, equally skilled in tail-constriction attacks and general maneuverability.
Habitat/Society: Rather than being a separate species, the sea unicorn is a mutant giant sea horse. In any giant sea horse brood, there is a 5% chance one of the babies will be a sea unicorn. Multiple sea unicorn births are possible but there are no recorded instances of such an occurrence. When found, a sea unicorn will be part of the school of giant sea horses it was born into. Due to their larger size, greater intelligence, and enhanced combat abilities, sea unicorns tend to be the leaders of their schools.
Ecology: Sea unicorns are valued as war mounts by the intelligent marine species that ride giant sea horses, primarily the aquatic elves and locathah. Unfortunately, all sea unicorns are born sterile, a side-effect of the mutation that produces them from giant sea horse stock, so their numbers remain low. Males retain the pouch and even though it is not used in incubating eggs it can be used for storage, as it is never sealed. Many marine warriors with sea unicorn mounts use their aquatic steeds' pouches as a handy place to keep their treasure, particularly small items such as pearls.