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Previously on Call from the Deep
Starring:
Gotwald Ironhorn, level 3 minotaur Rune Knight Fighter
Mac, level 3 tortle Drakewarden Ranger
Savra Akkedis, level 3 lizardfolk School of Necromancy Wizard
Torrel, level 3 kenku Pact of the Amulet Fathomless Warlock
Leaving the Sword Coast behind, the Zoo Crew take their newly re-named ship, the (sigh), Noah’s Ark Too: Zoo Crewz; There Can Be Only One, [lightning bolt sound strike], out to sea, heading west toward the island of Gunderlun. They hope to catch up with the villain who requested the weapons from Captain Sigurd.
The journey should only take a few days. But travel on the Sea of Swords is anything but safe.
After only a day of travel, they spot a red-hulled ship bearing down on them. The Devil’s Fin flies a pirate flag, and features a one-armed ogre at the helm. The captain is a goat-legged, tricorn wearing tiefling, who brings a horn to his lips and calls for the party to surrender their ship.
The Devil’s Fin is heading right for the NAT:ZC;TCBOO[strike], aiming to strike them with its iron ram.
In the crow’s nest, Mac shouts a warning about the ship, while Gotwald knocks the helmsman aside, grabs the wheel, and beings to turn the ship. Torrel tries firing off eldritch blasts as flares, while an annoyed Savra comes up from her quiet room to yell at everyone.
The skill challenge is a partial success: they avoid being rammed by the enemy ship, but Captain Callous and a few of his crew are able to board with ballista-harpoons and grappling hooks.
Roll for initiative!
Ironically Savra is the first to react. Instead of reaching for violence, she picks up on Callous’ oddly charming demeanor, and looks to cut a deal.
He demands payment, and she uses mage hand to drop 10 gold into his hands. You have his attention!
Savra lacks charm person, but makes some decent persuasion checks. She learns that Callous isn’t part of the Black Armada. In fact, he chafes at the idea of organized piracy.
When Callous learns that this crew took over a former Black Armada ship, he’s pleased to relieve some of Tentrix’s goods (whom he refers to as the Sea King).
Gotwald is upset at working with actual pirates, and Mac isn’t keen on handing over additional weapons. But Savra convinces everyone that the enemy of their enemy is a potential ally.
After some haggling, Savra drops another 20 gold into Callous’ pockets, and unloads one of the crates of weapons. She tells them where they’re going, and that his assistance against Tentrix would be appreciated.
Callous agrees, while still maintaining his independence. He disappears back onto his ship in a puff of smoke, and waves his hat goodbye. Amazing what some gold and a silver tongue can accomplish!
A heavy fog and light rain settle in on the second day of travel. After a few hours of gloomy travel, a hulking, derelict ship comes into view. Its sails are tattered, and hull battered.
The name on the ship is Emperor of the Waves. There appears to be no one on board.
Gotwald knows the rules of the sea — help any ship in distress (or if you’re a pirate, plunder it!).
The group takes a rowboat out to the ship. Gotwald hurls a grappling hook on deck, and they climb aboard.
The deck is rain-slick and empty (Area 1). The quarterdeck has partially collapsed, blocking the door to the stern, but the other door to the bow appears fine.
They head inside. The navigator’s room is filled with smashed crates and furniture (Area 3). It looks more ransacked then random destruction.
On the table is a map showing details of the tide levels, weather patterns, and shipping lanes between Neverwinter and Gunderlun. A note pinned to the table mentions a creature being carefully secured, and transported to Neverwinter.
Blood-stained stairs lead down to the lower deck.
Beneath the deck they spot a dead body pinned to the wall with a spear. Savra notes the body has only been dead a few hours (Area 4). The spear is magical.
A central hallway features half a dozen doors, and a grate in the floor (Area 5). Using his superior Darkvision, Gotwald can see the hold is at least partially full of water, though his poor Perception check fails to spot anything other than some flittering shadows moving around.
Feeling confident, the party opts to open several doors at once!
Gotwald finds a tiny closet (Area 7).
Torrel opens a door to see a ransacked cabin (Area 8).
Mac opens the door to the bow, finding a pair of sahuagin eating food out of stored barrels! (Area 6), while Savra hears screams from the door to the stern (Area 10). Opening the door reveals a large, web-filled room, and an ettercap ripping apart a sahuagin.
Roll for initiative!
The party is split between the two enemy forces. Mac and Torrel engage the two shaugin in the bow, while Gotwald charges into the web-room to protect Savra.
Gotwald runs into the sticky webs, but quickly frees himself. The ettercap screams and charges at him with fangs and claws. Savra unleashes a witch bolt.
At the bow, a sahuagin raider spits a viscous poison at Mac, knocking him unconscious! It charges into the hallway and begins attacking his drake.
The well-trained drake licks his master back to life, while Torrel summons his spectral tentacle.
Another sahuagin raider in the ettercap-room tries to use its spit poison on Gotwald. Gotwald uses his cloud rune to redirect the attack at the ettercap, though it makes the save. The sahuagin sees an opening and escapes toward the stern, leaving Gotwald with the monstrous spider-man. Man-spider?
Despite taking some heavy hits, Gotwald stays toe-to-toe with the creature, grappling and dragging it through the room, while Savra gleefully zaps it with more witch bolt strikes.
Gotwald is able to shove the creature away into a wall, finishing it off.
The other half of the party isn’t faring as well. Torrel is missing with nearly every attack, while a poisoned Mac sustains heavy damage from a critical hit.
Thankfully his drake (the DM suggests the name, “Cheese”) is a potent ally, able to block the door and tank against the second sahuagin, while Mac and Torrel finish off the raider. The drake then finishes off the second sahuagin. A fine effort for his first fight!
There’s no sign of the second raider, but Gotwald spots stairs going up, as well as an open trapdoor with stairs heading down in the galley to the stern of the ship.
Instead of quickly pursuing, the party uses the moment of respite to quickly short rest. The other doors (Areas 9) are full of smashed crates, but they finally get some loot in some chests near the now-empty ettercap cage. Perhaps the sahuagin were trying to get this last bit of loot when the ettercap escaped?
The haul includes several potions, a cloak of protection, and a driftglobe. The party also identifies the spear as a unique spear, Fisher’s Hook, which provides a +1 bonus against creatures with a swim speed, and provides the create or destroy water spell once per day.
The party gives the spear and the cloak to the embattled Torrel, while Savra takes the driftglobe.
MVPC – Savra
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