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Previously on Call from the Deep
Starring:
Gotwald Ironhorn, level 4 minotaur Rune Knight Fighter
Mac, level 4 tortle Drakewarden Ranger
Savra Akkedis, level 4 lizardfolk School of Necromancy Wizard
Torrel, level 4 kenku Fathomless Warlock Pact of the Amulet/Fighter
Fiskrbak is a dead town, but not a dead end. The Zoo Crew opts to follow the humanoid tracks leading north, along the beach (another set of tracks led northeast, toward a mountain).
They’re not prepared for what they see: a crashed alien spaceship, buried in the sandy beach.
Severed tentacles drift in the lapping tide. The chitinous outer shell lies in broken pieces with scattered metal and glass. Exposed tubes spray poisonous fumes. Old corpses casually lie half-buried in the sand.
The ship looks more like an exotic creature than a vehicle.
Savra touches the weirdly organic walls, feeling the latent psychic power rolling inside. She identifies the ship as a nautiloid, an extremely rare spaceship that flies the Astral Sea, carrying dangerous mind flayers.
The party finds numerous tracks around the ship, some heading east toward a nearby mountain, but others heading directly into the ocean. In the distance, they spot the top of a ship’s mast, about 100 feet from the coast.
Mac and Torrel swim out to investigate, while Gotwald and Savra inspect the ship.
The rear of the ship is a half-exposed laboratory, spewing poisonous gas into the air. Savra tries using mage hand to operate the crunched door, but it’s going to take a closer inspection to decipher the alien language on the door.
As a lizardfolk she can hold her breath for 15 minutes, and steps into the cloud. Thankfully it’s not caustic! She runs her fingers along the odd markings, but isn’t able to unlock the door (Fails INT check). But she notices the door is damaged, and calls Gotwald for an assist.
The minotaur had moved to the starboard side of the ship facing the water, having spotted an exposed crack in the outer shell. He can see broken glass and a dark corridor inside.
The opening is too small for his massive frame. Chipping away at the broken pieces may work, but it would probably take all day.
Meanwhile, Mac and Torrel reach the ship mast in the sea. Mac does an awkward breaststroke while Torrel’s fathomless powers let him practically surf on his spectral tentacle, or dart through the water like a majestic puffin.
Dropping beneath the water 10, 20 feet, they spot the rest of the shipwreck beneath. A large wooden galleon, half-rotted, and swarming with sahuagin. The top of the ship’s deck lies about 70 feet below the water.
Mac realizes the sahuagin are patrolling and acting like they own the place. Perhaps this is their lair? The sea devils have been especially organized and deadly to the island of Gunderlun in recent weeks.
There are at least half a dozen of the fishy creatures down there, including some actual sharks. Mac and Torrel wisely resurface and swim back to join the others. A nearby sahaugin lair is worth investigating, but they’ll need to prepare for an underwater excursion.
With Torrel and Mac (and Cheese, his drake) returned, Gotwald tells Torrel to squeeze his small body into the cracked opening, while the minotaur finally answers Savras call to check the door.
Torrel requests Savra’s driftglobe to light the interior. The long corridor is lined with glass tubes filled with small, dead tentacled creatures floating in the water. Another interior door lies deeper into the ship.
A figure suddenly stumbles out from the shadows, a monstrous-looking elf with a torn armor, a broken leg, and a bloody scalp. Despite his injuries, the mad creature swings a silver greatsword at the kenku – and misses!
Torrel calls out for aid, prompting Gotwald to lower his horns, charge through the fumes, and smash down the door outside. He’s successful, though he’s also poisoned (failed CON save).
Mac stays on the north side of the ship, firing arrows through the small crack, while he sends in Cheese to aid Torrel.
The tanky warlock/fighter casts mirror image as Gotwald and Savra arrive through the broken door. Savra fires off multiple spells, eventually frightening the Githyanki Knight, though he still manages to slice through Gotwald’s armor, dealing an eye-popping amount of damage.
Thankfully that’s the only attack the alien elf gets off. Fully surrounded, the players manage to destroy the incoherent Githyanki. As Gotwlad wrestles the body to the ground, his brain squeezes out, grows, legs, and claws at Cheese!
The Intellect Devourer runs outside. Savra blasts it with chromatic orb and Mac finishes it off with a gooey claw strike.
After a short rest, Savra tries to open the only other door, but once again fails the DC 18 INT check. Despite his poison, Gotwald once again lowers his horns and charges into the door, busting it open.
Beyond is a large chamber dominated by a briny pool, levitating slightly off the ground. The psychic residue causes Savra to be temporarily frightened of the otherworldly alien architecture (failed WIS save).
The party makes jokes about finding a hot tub, aberrant malignancy notwithstanding. But it’s also full of rats — a Swarm of Cranium Rats!
The psychic-powered rats casts dominate monster on Gotwald, forcing the minotaur fighter to turn around and being punching Savra and Torrel (and Torrel’s mirror image clones).
Savra tries to snap Gotwald out of it by throwing damaging spells at her ally (a bit too gleefully), while Mac rushes around and into the ship to fire arrows all the way down the hallway, aiming at the swarm with his magic +1 bow.
The wounded swarm loses concentration, and follows up the domination with the confusion spell, incapacitating Torrel and Gotwald. Mac and Savra step up to throw arrows and spells at the swarm. Gotwald finally snaps out of it and steps into the pool to punch these damn rats.
When he touches the water, his mind is flooded with images of the ship under attack by the Githyanki. He’s stabbed again and again, and the ship crashes into the ground, throwing everything into chaos. His large form begins rolling out of the ship as the vision fades.
Seems there were some survivors of the attack!
Savra finishes off the psychic swarm with a witch bolt.
The rest of the ship is empty. The wounded, drained party is in dire need of a long rest. They look for a safe campsite some distance from the ship, as they contemplate a plan for the underwater sahuagin lair.
MVPC – Torrel
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