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Original character art by Jimmy McClure.
Music by Kevin MacLeod.
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Previously on Call from the Deep
Starring:
Gotwald Ironhorn, level 8 minotaur Rune Knight Fighter
Mac, level 8 tortle Drakewarden Ranger/Rogue
Savra Akkedis, level 8 lizardfolk School of Necromancy WizardTorrel, level 8 kenku Fathomless Warlock Pact of the Amulet/Fighter
The party has a plan — or at least part of a plan, to infiltrate Mr. Dory’s warehouse.
Having grabbed a transport wagon, Gotwald uses a potion of disguise self, Mac uses his hat of disguise, and Savra, Torrel, and Cheese are shoved inside the few remaining crates (Reese couldn’t make it this week, so Torrel stays in his crate).
Now they just had to fake their way inside the guarded warehouse.
Thankfully, lying to NPCs is what Mac does best!
With Gotwald self-conscious about his accent showing through, Mac does all the talking. He dives right into gaslighting the guards, claiming they messed up and left some crates when the wagon was just there. Deception check, successful!
The flustered guards call for some help to unload the crates, but Mac offers to help, and he and Gotwald grab the Savra crate and head inside.
Although the warehouse is guarded, there’s nothing unusual inside. There’s an office, a ton of crates, a lift to a second floor, and a pair of staircases that head up.
All the crates are labeled as FRAGILE, and a few open crates contain various alchemical supplies, vials, beakers, and potions, which makes sense given the harbor’s conversion into an alchemical factory.
The party aren’t sure what they should be looking for.
Mac ducks behind a stack of crates (leaving Gotwald awkwardly carrying the heavy crate) and uses his hat to shift into one of the workers who had left to help carry another crate.
He chats up another worker, trying to figure out where Mr. Dory’s office is.
The worker points upstairs and references “the ship,” but also warn that it’s almost quitting time, and nobody should be caught up stairs when “the beasts begin to wake.”
Savra has heard enough. From inside her crate, she casts polymorph on herself, turning into a tiny mouse. Gotwald nearly topples over with the now empty crate as Savra runs out and up the nearby stairs.
On the second floor she spots a pair of manticores! The monstrosities have large nests among the rows and stacks of crates in long-term storage.
They’re yawning and stretching, and looking like they just woke up and ready to take over guard duties.
The stairs continue up, leading to a wraparound balcony level, with only a single locked door in the back. As a mouse, Savra finds a hole to slip through.
Meanwhile, the guards inside the first floor have announced it’s quittin’ time, and begun to usher everyone out. Mac is forced to duck out of the way when his doppelganger shows up.
The nearest guard gets irritated that Gotwald still hasn’t left yet, and moves to grab his arm. As he passes through the illusion, Gotwald plants his arm around the man’s mouth, while Mac comes up and shoves him inside the now empty Savra-box. They quickly gag him with some nearby rope and close the box!
Of course, Mac then uses his magic hat to shift into the guard.
Savra emerges outside the third floor, onto a rickety walkway surrounding an old, rusting crane. A narrow plank leads from the walkway to a ship held by the crane with several chains, swaying in the air at least 50 feet above ground.
The area is patrolled by armed guards, and a large metal trough sends steaming water into the ship from a nearby water tower.
None of that is very ordinary!
The last guard calls out for the other one, and Mac once again has to build a lie to avoid detection. It works, and everyone else leaves the building.
Savra ducks back into the warehouse. Mac yells for Cheese, who bursts out of a crate.
But the noise of Gotwald and Mac talking alerts the manticores. One flies down to hover around the first area, while the other stands near the open lift access. Both peppering the pair with their tail spikes.
As Gotwald and Mac had learned from the guards, the manticores do not discriminate — anyone caught inside after hours is fair game!
But they have tricks of their own. Gotwald grows big, jumps and grabs the flying manticore, wrestling the winged beast to the ground.
Savra, still on the third floor, has the perfect vantage point to attack the second monster, hitting it with mind spike, then witch bolt.
Mac sends Cheese (who can fly now!) up to help tank the second one.
Gotwald takes a few nasty scratches, forcing him to invoke his hill rune, but the manticores are soon brought down.
Thankfully the party didn’t make much noise (Savra showed quite a bit of restraint!), and the guards she spotted outside don’t seem aware.
The party reunites and searches through some of the crates, finding some alchemist’s fire, and assorted potions.
Savra tells them of the locked door upstairs, the guards, and the ship.
After a quick short rest, the party heads up to the third floor.
Mac is still disguised as the guard (now in a box), and knocks on the door. He says that Mr. Dory needs to be informed that there’s a problem with the manticores.
The annoyed guard opens the door and walks into the warehouse, where he immediately spots Savra and Gotwald, ready to take him out!
MVPC – Mac (Four times in a row!!)
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