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Previously on Call from the Deep
Starring:
Gotwald Ironhorn, level 7 minotaur Rune Knight Fighter
Mac, level 7 tortle Drakewarden Ranger
Savra Akkedis, level 7 lizardfolk School of Necromancy Wizard
Torrel, level 7 kenku Fathomless Warlock Pact of the Amulet/Fighter
The party had rescued Borgas the locathah from the Sahuagin Stronghold dungeon, but the triton Kysh, Harley’s partner, wasn’t here.
Across a hallway and crossroads to the south, they can hear the sounds of cheers and jeers. With his superior runic darkvision, Gotwald can see the arena floor, and its occupants: a triton fighting back against a giant octopus!
Odds are that was Kysh, and the party needs to act fast to figure out a plan to rescue him, while not alerting the dozens of sahuagin in the stands above.
“Act fast” in tabletop D&D can be tricky, and as a DM I love when the party is faced with a complicated scenario and has to deliberate on how to solve it using their various abilities, allies, and hubris.
The group would end up taking a solid half hour figuring out how to move forward with the arena battle, and it would be Mac who would take center stage.
Mac cast darkvision and re-cast pass without trace, allowing Gotwald to stealthily approach the two sahuagin champion guards posted near the arena floor entrance (thankfully for the party, all eyes were on the battle in the arena).
He grabs them and pulls swiftly pulls them backward.
Poor Savra and Torrel are stymied by the lack of light anywhere — and any magical light they use is sure to give away their position. Still, Savra uses her zombie-carrying-a-driftglobe back in the hallway to afford just enough light to cast polymorph on one of the guards, turning him into a tiny seahorse.
Mac pulls the hood down on his cloak of the manta ray and surges into the arena with his 60-ft swim speed.
He correctly surmises that the sahuagin often use captured marine creatures in the arena, and he looks like a manta ray!
Some of the senior staff are confused, by most onlookers are excited when a new creature enters the arena.
Mac attempts to pull the triton free from the octopus’ grasp (DC 16) but he fails! The triton also fails to wiggle out, while Mac whispers that they’re here to rescue him.
The tortle is forced to whip out his scimitar of speed to attack the octopus, though it takes two rounds before the octopus finally lets go and retreats.
To play up the crowd, he grabs Kysh and pretends to stab the triton dead, but really stabs his own arm (taking the damage!).
Such a badass move earns him inspiration and the favor of the crowd, allowing him to retreat back to the corridor with the triton’s body (who plays along).
But a decorated sahuagin seated in a chair rises and narrows his eyes at the manta ray-turned-tortle. He and several burly guards take off down the southern exit.
Meanwhile the entire rest of the party has their hands full with the single remaining guard. Gotwald maintains his grapple while he, Torrel, and Savra lay into the guard with fists, spells, and tentacle swipes. The guard lands some nasty blows on Gotwald, but he activates his hill giant rune to go full tank mode.
Thank goodness Savra had taken the other out with polymorph!
Mac finally returns with the triton, clucks his tongue at the party’s ineptitude, and rushes up to finish off the guard himself.
Now the party does move quickly. Savra cleverly drops the champion-turned-seahorse into a glass jar, then leaves the jar in one of the jail cells, ensuring that when the spell ends, he’ll be trapped.
Kysh confirms his identity and thanks for them for the rescue. He notes that this level is crawling with sahuagin, and all the important locations are on level two. Any any-breathing prisoners would have to be on level one, which is still above water and being renovated for the sahuagin.
Stairs up are found in to the west or east. Since that giant seahorse from last session swam east, then south, possibly providing a distraction, the party heads east, then north.
They hear voices coming from the south and hurry onward.
Unfortunately the northeast room is some sort of barracks, holding several sahuagin such as coral smashers, a wave shaper, and a champion.
Mac still has pass without trace, and uses it to recon the room.
The barracks is half-filled with floor-to-ceiling seaweed and kelp, and he and Mac sneak across.
They note two more sahuagin in a storage room to the south, both deep divers with the angler fish dongle thingys.
The party launches a sneak attack, and this time they don’t have to keep quiet or shed the light.
Gotwald grabs two of the coral smashers and drags them back into the seaweed, where Mac finishes one off. Savra casts Nathair’s mischief on the rest of the group, though only one fails the save, rendering them incapacitated.
The champion rushes up to stab her but his spear doesn’t get through her cube of force. His claws and mouth do, however, but she throws up a shield spell.
Torrel unleashes eldritch blasts to knock him backwards, but the wave shaper takes off up the stairs, forcing Mac to swim past the remaining sahuagin (incurring multiple attacks of opportunity!) to chase them down before they can sound the alarm.
We’ll resume this battle in our next session!
MVPC – Mac
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