RealmsToowoomba Recap # 97 [RPG]

[10 Eleasis 1372]

Having waited outside while Londo, Daarion, Cain, Mellia and Ralkin performed a ritual to speak with their fallen friends, Yin starts to follow when a few of the group exit the Font of Knowledge. However, when he hears the word “midwife,” he realizes the highly personal nature of their errand and veers off to rejoin Usuku and Lilith. As they had been hoping to speak to the Nightflowers and Ralkin and have no idea when they are likely to return, the trio decides to go for a walk to explore Waterdeep.

As they stroll along, they encounter a young woman standing and crying in front of a well. Yin thoughtfully stops and asks her what the trouble is and she explains that the well is blocked and she is in need of water. Despite Lilith’s protestations that this must be a city matter, Yin quickly offers his assistance and clambers down the well. At the bottom he finds that the well is dry but spies a trickle of water blocked by a small pile of rubble. He quickly begins moving the debris and the water again begins to flow. However, Yin misjudges how quickly the water will rush in and waits too long to climb out without difficulty. He struggles to gain his footing and the rushing water climbs to a level that will soon put him in jeopardy. Spying this, Lilith and Usuku toss him a rope and Usuku climbs down to pull his new friend to safety. A small crowd has gathered and applauds both the restoration of the well and the rescue. Lilith is dismayed by the attention and pushes her way through. Yin pauses to bow to the onlookers before he and Usuku follow Lilith onward.

It doesn’t take long for them to encounter yet another figure in need of assistance.  A gnome lays at the feet of a band of mercenaries, as the group’s leader shouts “Skrag off ya’ filthy gnome—no gold, no help!” As the trio of adventurers arrive to pick up the fellow and dust him off, he reveals that he is in search of someone to help him rescue his kidnapped brothers.  The gnome, who introduces himself as Udolpho, explains that he and his brothers, although not much in the way of spellcasters themselves, are skilled craftsmen of wondrous things from Neverwinter.  Their greatest creation was a mystical staff of great power and versatility.  Because the three brothers kept arguing over who should hold on to the staff, they decided for the sake of family and friendship to separate the staff into three parts.  That way, only if all three brothers were together and agreed that the purpose was worthy could the threefold staff be used.  However, their discussion was overheard by agents of the dread wizard Skullshank.  Skullshank arranged for the brothers to be kidnapped!  Trundled onto a boat, the gnome brothers traveled down the Savage Coast for who knows how long until they came into sight of Skullshank’s lair: a tower, leaning at an angle, somewhere in the Mere of Dead Men!  Udolpho explains that he managed to slip free of his bonds, grab his third of the staff, and leap overboard.  He stayed afloat for hours before being picked up by a merchant vessel on its way to Waterdeep.  Udolpho says that he doesn’t have any money, but that anyone who helps him rescue his brothers will be rewarded with the complete Threefold Staff—an almost priceless artifact for use or sale.

Yin is quick to offer his aid, knowing it is the right thing to do. Lilith and Usuku hesitate but eventually agree to assist the gnome in his quest, with Lilith motivated by wealth and Usuku motivated by honour. Udolpho escorts the trio to the Dock Ward, explaining that an old friend (a halfling named Dunlop the Three-Legged Squirt) owes him a favour.  They arrive at a small fishing boat that will be their transport to the Mere of Dead Men. Already on board is a brunette woman in a strange, colour-shifting dress who is fishing. She is introduced as Immaril. At the sound of an approaching menagerie, the gnome glances up and points out the other adventurer he has secured for this venture, who he introduces as Daisy, an affable, child-like blonde woman with a great axe and a collection of pets and creatures. Daisy bids her pets farewell and joins the others on the boat.  Introductions are made all around.  Once Dunlop arrives and casts off the mooring line, the quest is underway.

Meanwhile, back in Waterdeep, Cain and Mellia, with Ralkin in tow, speak with Londo and Daarion and arrange to travel with them for a few days: first to Silverymoon, then on to Cormyr in the hopes of rendezvousing with Gideon. After completing a few errands, they hold a memorial service for Markus and El Capitan, and arrange to have the two fallen adventurers cremated as per their wishes.  Afterwards, unable to find any sign of Lilith, Usuku or Yin, Mellia leaves a message for them at the Font of Knowledge saying that she and her friends will return in roughly five days and may have an opportunity of interest for them.

North of the city, on board the small boat hugging the coast, conversation is awkward and strained. Immaril spends time sunning herself and dealing with her pair of talking ravens who offer snide commentary to everyone. Daisy attempts to befriend Lilith, as she is fascinated with her hawk, Elia. Daisy also spends considerable time talking with Yin and learning about his pacifist philosophies. After Lilith suggests that the group discuss their skill-set, Udolpho worries that he has recruited the wrong adventurers: Yin abhors violence,  Daisy appears dim-witted, and Immaril will only admit to being skilled with talking and resisting magic.  Only Lilith and Usuku, who say they are skilled at hunting, seem to offer promise.

The boat continues gliding with the wind, keeping the shore to its right, as darkness falls and the adventurers begin to slumber.  During the night, Usuku awakens to find Dunlop rifling through his belongings; the stern adventurer delivers a persuasive warning.

[11 Eleasis 1372]

In the morning, per Ralkin’s request, Cain attempt to scry on Shiro’s location but the cleric’s effort meets with no results. Ralkin concludes that if Shiro has not responded to Mellia’s sending, cannot be found by scrying, and has not checked in on him in days, than she is either engaged or dead--though he predicts the latter. He asks Mellia to help him contact another sibling, a pirate captain named Lugh Bronzefeather to update him on this news, though with a provision that a final brother, named Muninn, not be informed of Shiro’s likely demise. Lugh is loud and bombastic and promises to arrive in Waterdeep post-haste. This alarms Ralkin, and at his exhortation, Mellia and the others teleport away for Silverymoon.

Elsewhere, in the early afternoon, Usuku spots a speck in the sky that is quickly growing larger and larger.  Soon, he realizes it’s a bird, but one almost as large as the fishing boat!  Lilith realizes it’s a roc, and knows that such avians tend to snatch living prey to bring back to their nests for their young.  The roc begins diving down towards the boat.  Usuku wounds the bird with arrows fired from his enchanted sword-bow, but the other adventurers lack ranged weapons.  In moments, the roc has swooped down, grabbed Immaril, and wheeled back into the sky towards its nest!  The adventurers frantically row towards shore in an attempt to catch up to the roc and its prey.  Immaril, meanwhile, finds herself being slowly crushed by the grip of the roc’s massive talons.  She cleverly uses her natural affinity with animals to try to calm the roc and cause it to lose interest in her.  The attempt works, but perhaps too well: while still 45 feet in the air, the roc flings Immaril away!  The elf lands and rolls on a sandy beach, badly hurt.  When the boat reaches shore, the others gingerly help Immaril get to her feet and walk back.  She displays some basic healing magic to repair some of the harm caused by the near-fatal attack.

[12 Eleasis 1372]

The day passes without incident.

[13 Eleasis 1372]

The day passes slowly but uneventfully.  Near sunset, the shoreline becomes obscured by dark and tangled trees. Usuku realizes there are figures in the mist, following the boat along the shoreline.  He sounds the alarm and fires a quick volley of arrows, killing two of the figures, which turn out to be troglodytes.  Except for Immaril, the adventurers make their way on shore to continue the fight.  Lilith suddenly collapses to the ground and begins to writhe and convulse in agony before transforming into a tiger! With a growl she leaps onto shore and tears out the throat of the nearest troglodyte.  The surviving members of the band try to flee, but their implacable foe shows no mercy and rips them to shreds. Although the battle is over, the tension is not.  Lilith, in tiger form, continues growling and pacing back and forth, unable to return to human form.  As Usuku tries to calm her down, he scents something: the smell of long-dead flesh, carried by the wind.