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Previously on Call from the Deep
Starring:
Gotwald Ironhorn, level 10 minotaur Rune Knight Fighter
Mac, level 10 tortle Drakewarden Ranger/Rogue
Savra Akkedis, level 10 lizardfolk School of Necromancy Wizard
Torrel, level 10 kenku Fathomless Warlock Pact of the Amulet/Fighter
The marid teleports the party, and their NPC allies, through the Elemental Plane of Water, depositing them hundreds of miles over the Sea of Swords, and into a tiny rowboat of the shore of a small island.
The island has permanent storm clouds overhead that cast ominous purple shadows on the ground. It’s Purple Rocks, central headquarters of the Kraken Society, and perhaps the lair of the Fathomless himself, Slarkrethrel.
While Mac heals Gotwald back to consciousness with cure wounds, the tritons recognize the waters around them. They offer to return to Gillian and report everything they’ve learned, and send reinforcements when they can.
Savra briefly argues with the marid, Klaptikos, about honoring the bargain made with Gotwald. She’s interested in keeping the magic conch for herself. But once Gotwald comes to, he wants to honor the bargain with the marid and break it to set the enslaved creature free.
Savra does so, but carefully enough to keep the shell mostly intact for future study.
The grateful marid disappears, earning the entire party inspiration.
The party rows into the rotting harbor of a small village. The local rocklanders are sullen and serious, with gray skin, swirling tattoos, and disturbing sea-themed deformities and mutations.
They’re curious but not hostile as the party disembarks and walks into the village.
A robed figure hurries over to them, introducing himself as Frannis, Priest of the Fathomless. Torrel is curiously silent as Frannis converse with the party, welcoming them to Utheraal. He assumes they’re pilgrims or perhaps Kraken Society-curious, and realizes they’re all exhausted and near death — in bad need of a long rest!
Frannis offers them free lodging at a longhouse. Gotwald has some concerns about their safety, but Torrel speaks up and ensures they should be fine, as the Fathomless and his followers would never harm them. Which is totally not what any of this campaign has proven…
Frannis teases that things are not all well in the Kraken Society, and says they’ll speak more in the morning.
That night, the party experiences an extremely vivid nightmare of drowning in water, then tentacles.
They awake to a real nightmare: their bodies encased in water by dangerous oozes called slithering trackers!
The player characters are restrained and taking necrotic damage each turn until they escape, or defeat their foes (which transfer half damage while grappling them).
Torrel quickly gets rid of his with a banishment spell, and yells at the sleeping Borgas and Sanbalet to wake up and help them!
Borgas rips the ooze away from Savra, while Mac and Gotwald are able to wriggle free on their own.
The party avoids getting grappled again and start wearing down the creatures.
A concerned voice at the door reveals Frannis has come to check on them, and he bursts through to help take out the final tracker.
Gotwald is not amused, grabbing the priest and demanding answers.
Frannis reveals that news of their arrival had spread, and he overheard one of his fellow priests talking about the danger you impose.
But Frannis knows something is terribly wrong. The Fathomless, once a source of comfort and stability, now brings fear and control. His fellow priests are acting more strange, especially High Priest Ingrimaar, in the last few weeks, demanding more human sacrifices. And many people are taken elsewhere and returned, permanently changed in disposition.
The party confirms that something is wrong with the Fathomless and the Kraken Society, and they’re here to investigate, though Frannis is incredulous that anything could truly threaten his god.
Frannis apologizes for the attack, and warns that they’re not safe here (no shit), but they should be able to finish their long rest. He reveals that another ritual is scheduled at the Temple of Tentacles tomorrow morning, and the party should go there to confirm his suspicions, though he’s hoping it won’t come to violence.
Frannis leaves and the party finally, finally gets that long rest, and levels up to 11 — our first level up near the end of a session rather than the start!
After the rest and a dubious seafood breakfast, the party makes their way up a winding path toward the temple on the coast.
The domed, circular Temple of Tentacles is shaped like a giant squid-like creature rising out of the sea.
Mac searches for other entrances, finding none, but the place isn’t guarded.
Several villagers press their hands on granite standing stones on the way in, and before Savra can warn the others away (sensing psychic emanations), Torrel and Gotwald press their hands on it, receiving nightmarish visions of tentacles.
Torrel (a failed CHA save despite a adv with a +9 modifier) begins babbling to himself (short-term madness), while Gotwald obsessively paws his hoofs on the ground as if to break into a charge at any moment (long-term madness).
Just blending in with the locals as they head inside.
MVPC – Torrel
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