Characters:
- Fae’ael
- Raoul
- Ilai
- Florian
After discussing where they wanted to adventure this week, Fae’ael, Raoul and Ilai decided to explore the glowing glyphs discovered on their last sailing adventure. Recruiting Florian to be their tank, they set out from Wyvernfang Keep on the Valiant. With Raoul piloting and Ilai navigating the party makes good time, sweeping around the eastern edge of Werewolf Island they head north.
Sailing on through the night, taking turns to navigate the party arrive above the dimly glowing glyphs early in the morning of the second day. Fae’ael asks for assistance in braiding her long red hair back, and gets assistance from Florian and Ilai; exposing her scars and mechanical eye to Florian and Raoul for the first time, although neither mention it. Once everyone is ready to descend, Ilai casts water breathing on the group, attempting to create a greater modification to give the group a swim speed and acclimatize to ocean pressure. Unfortunately the modification is unsuccessful at this time, and as the group reaches the ocean floor – just over six hundred and fifty feet deep – they begin to take some damage, and get the sense they should not linger here.
At the bottom of the ocean are a group of ruins of what they assume are an old civilization. Swimming over to the glowing runes, Ilai in their lavender shark form sees 7 monolithic stones standing upright, with a platform built in the center. Ilai swims over with Raoul and Fae’ael as Florian keeps watch, and with assistance from Fae’ael is able to ascertain there is divination magic in these stones. However the party is interrupted by drowned bodies rising from the water that rush and attack them.
The battle is swift, as although hindered by the water, the group is able to quickly take out the undead with only a couple of wounds. As they turn back to examine the runes, a Warp shark teleports in, smelling the blood from five hundred feet away. The shark immediately grapples Florian and looks about to escape with lunch, but the group manages to kill it before it warps away with Florian.
Taking a breather, Fae’ael heals up the party so they won’t immediately die to the pressure under the sea. They move to re-examine the stones, and Ilai determines that they seem to accept magic. Based on this Fae’ael casts some divination magic into the stones which seem to accept it and glow a bit brighter. Ilai and Florian join Fae’ael and after 5 levels of spells are cast, the stones enact a ritual. Fae’ael, Raoul and Ilai move into the circle, with Fae’ael inadvertently moving into the centre – allowing her to cast a version of legend lore – as the stones fill her with power.
She feels she can ask any question about a person, place or object and is wracked with a moment of indecision. She wants to ask about her brother and whether he has been transported to this world as well, but feels that is a very selfish question for her to ask that could give no answers. She decides to be safe and asks “Where is the staff of the endless plains, an item that Ilai has been looking for?” Immediately she hears a voice answer her that sounds like her cousin Shayora. “Find it in the long valley reached beyond the twin bridges to the west.”
After receiving her answer Fae’ael comes out of her trance and communicates her knowledge to the rest of the party. They are unable to determine when the stones will recharge, but know that the signal will be when they can see glowing lights like they did before. Ilai, Florian and Raoul take a couple of minutes to search the ruins finding a small chest, and an old yew tree stump. They begin wondering if this area was once above ground? Or if it emerged here underwater? As they know of other structures that have emerged such as the Anderson’s Farm. Fae’ael interrupts the metaphysical debate as the pressure deals them more damage and they return to the surface.
Once on board the boat, Raoul and Florian open the box finding 2,158 gold, a diamond worth 150 gold, and a small silver tube that holds a spell scroll of true seeing. They discuss their plans, and feeling they have a bit more adventure in them, decide to head for the North Western shore, hoping to find the valley mentioned in Fae’ael vision. The next few hours are uneventful, however as they begin to approach land they hear ominous music, as a gigantic shark erupts from the depths, bigger than they have ever seen – The Megalodon!
The shark is bigger than the ship, and Fae’ael asks if they can escape, but the ship is not fast enough. Readying for combat she marks the Megalodon and fires a couple of arrows at them, but the beast seems unafraid as they launch themselves into the air, grabbing Florian on the way, before they smash into the ship, almost breaking it in two, but it holds together for the time being. Raoul says the ship can’t take another hit like that, and Ilai calls for Florian to escape as they begin to conjure a pair of eagles to escort us to safety. Florian manages to wrestle himself free from the Megalodon and swims back onboard the ship.
Captain Raoul then calmly leaves the helm, and walks past the other party members preparing to flee. He looks over the side of the ship with his third eye and stares the Megalodon down. His cursed eye blinks once, and the shark falls asleep, drifting back beneath the waves. Raoul silently takes the helm and barks out orders to the rest of the party to help him sail as fast as they can make, as the sleep will only hold for a minute. After a series of dangerous maneuvers and a risky landing on shore, the party is safe and takes an exhausted night’s rest on the beach.
The next morning they notice a trail with booted footprints that suggest there are people here somewhere. Flying up on Ilai’s eagles the party notices the valley they were looking for, as well as a big statue on the mountain, probably a statue of a humanoid? Marking the Points of Interest on Fae’ael’s map they leave a note for the locals in every language they speak, saying they are friendly and that Sophia’s Rest is fighting the undead that are across the water to the northeast and if they want to contact the party they can at the Gloomy Tower. They then begin the sail home – keeping close to the eastern shore.
They come across a sunken ship and a bunch of flotsam, which were mostly likely other sailing ships that did not have a Captain like Raoul. The party recovers the treasure – 2,938 gold in silver bars and flotsam, as well as a +1 rapier – they also find an alter fifty feet below the waves and Raoul swims down to dedicate it to the Raven Queen, praying for safe passage home. His request was heard, and the party manages to return safely, with new quests and a new nemesis for Captain Raoul.
