Lost Journal of the Sea King

[Abrahms]

Having finished his rest, feeling some of his magical abilities ready for use again, Amadeus pulled himself to his feet. Looking between the other two and the thralls -- still giving him a headache to be near -- he gestured towards the cave. "Well, shall we? Not sure what our plan will ultimately be, but at least we have an idea of what we're wal-- er swimming into, it seems. Maybe we send the thralls forward as something to draw attention off us?"

Amadeus crossed his arms, looking towards Leothyc, "I know you're probably not fond of potentially losing them already, but I will admit they can be good as distractions at the very least." He adjusted his small cloak, "I know I'm not exactly the best in water, so if we can get a chance to orient ourselves, it'll be very useful."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres’ short rest left her rejuvenated and ready to kick some more fishy bottom. She followed Amadeus to the cave and gave it a quick look around before walking cautiously to the pool and looking in.

Something glimmered at the bottom catching her eyes and she bent over to check it out. “There’s a chest!”.

Serres kicked off her boots ignoring Amadeus with the rope and jumped in. Using her senses and her darkvision she dove deeper till she reached the chest and tried to pull it to the surface.

She struggled with the weight and after a few failed attempts abandoned the loot and swum to the surface feeling like her lungs were on fire.

With a loud gasp she broke through the surface and flopped on the hard ground breathing hard and too out of breath expect to point and wheeze in the direction of the chest.

After a few moments she mustered some strength to put on her boots again. “Too...well protected. Couldn’t...pull.”

 

[Abrahms]

Before Amadeus could speak Serres jumped down into the water, the splashing echoing into the small cave, his attempt at getting a rope ignored.

As he tried to peer down into the depths she reappeared, wheezing from the exertion. Amadeus sighed, Hestia wrapping herself around his shoulders again, "Maybe you shouldn't try it alone? Hopefully that isn't a test for the fishfolk to know if someone's coming ... something shiny to get attention, but can't actually be taken."

 

[Lughaidh]

Meanwhile, elsewhere on/in the island...

It had been too long since Ghor had last seen his captors. Alone in his cell he listened, but could only hear the movement of his fellow prisoners in the nearby cells. Peering from behind the metal bars he continued to watch the adjoining cavern. The stacks of wood, metal and boxes sit still where he and the others had laid them down. The fruit of their labor juxtaposed against the raw and natural surroundings. Cold damp rock floors glimmer in the light of the nearby torchlight. The pungent scent of saltwater and rotten fish in the air fill his nostrils.

 

[Varis Delta]

Creating a new set of specimens had left Leothyc in relatively high spirits, which is to say, mildly satisfied. That spirit however, was severely dampened upon returning to the group and remembering why he is no longer allowed in temples. So instead he had stood, silent as his thralls, and listened for any and all information that passed him.

Ignoring the priest's pointless attempts at appeasing the fools, the information intrigued him. He had assumed that their arrival here had been an unfortunate accident and pure coincidence at most. But the fact that the Sahuagin had systems in place to, for want of a better word, deal with the wrecks meant one of two things. Either this area was natural disaster location, or these beings had a hand (or claw) in causing the wrecks. Common sense tells him that it would be the former, but experience tells him that it's whichever option has it out for him, and thus the latter.

The directional information, while useful in reaching the cavern, proved vague on the cavern itself. His mind already painting the wood elf female as either a potential spy or useless from trauma, he attempts to collect the information on the cave together to form a clear picture.

'Cave entrance seen, proportions known. Large body of water inside, thirty feet deep, must assume radius same as cave entrance to transport rubble and goods along with people. Sub-tunnel at bottom, horizontal or vertical unknown, radius large enough to transport large items, assuming horizontal for now. If the principle of communicating vessels holds true, the passage will travel upward. If not, with enchantments or environmental factors in play, horizontal or downwards tunnel, potential total length of 40 feet with margin for error. Leads to 'cavern with air', so the tunnel ends as a pool once more. Large room, adequate space available for storage, prisoner cells separate with field of vision not within the storage area. Uneven shape then. Guards and others are expected, and a lack of reptiles inside. A servant tribe, most likely. Doors? 'Far end of the cavern', far end from the cells or the tunnel? Doors implies prupose, so the cave leads deeper, and more notably, leads somewhere.'

And thus most of Leothyc's time was spent, along with examinations of his spells and equipment, and regular checks to confirm the states of 1374P and 1374B.

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Rest period terminated, he joins the priest and guard at the cave entrance.

"Well, shall we? Not sure what our plan will ultimately be, but at least we have an idea of what we're wal-- er swimming into, it seems. Maybe we send the thralls forward as something to draw attention off us?"

Amadeus crossed his arms, looking towards Leothyc, "I know you're probably not fond of potentially losing them already, but I will admit they can be good as distractions at the very least." He adjusted his small cloak, "I know I'm not exactly the best in water, so if we can get a chance to orient ourselves, it'll be very useful."

"Possible plan." he replies. Having lost two already, he was slowly acclimating to losing specimens when the priest was involved, thus the loss did not interest him so much as the potential data from observing an reanimated amphibian attempt to swim. "However, they cannot relay information to me, unlike your familiar. Additionally, without knowing what lays ahead, sacrificing my specimens would ultimately be pointless."

Before he could continue, the female, Serres glimpsed treasure and unsurprisingly threw caution to the wind before diving in. As he grimaces and attempts to dry himself, she returns, with a distinct lack of riches.

As he tried to peer down into the depths she reappeared, wheezing from the exertion. Amadeus sighed, Hestia wrapping herself around his shoulders again, "Maybe you shouldn't try it alone? Hopefully that isn't a test for the fishfolk to know if someone's coming ... something shiny to get attention, but can't actually be taken."

"Alternatively, it may actually contain something. Assuming it's not locked of course. If lifting the containers is all that is required, my specimens may be of use." he replies, already sending the mental command for the thralls to dive in and attempt to lift the chest, and if unable, return. He hoped the command was not too complex, in case the chest was in fact connected by chain to a warning mechanism. "Now, if you would allow me some time, this may be of use." he says to no one in particular, using his staff to construct a crude arcane circle, one denoting language and knowledge on the ground before standing beside it, muttering words under his breath. [Casting Comprehend Languages as ritual]

 

[Lughaidh]

The two undead sahuagin plop into the pool without a semblance of grace, splashing water on anyone remotely close to the water. Though lacking real intelligence the bodies seem to have retained some muscle memory as they expertly, albeit slowly, glide through the water down to the chest. In just but a moment the dead fish folk return with the recovered chest. Covered in barnacles, seaweed, and muck; it appears to have been down there for some time. It has a latch but no lock.

 

[Abrahms]

While waiting for the two undead thralls to return to the surface, Hestia had once more wrapped herself around Amadeus' shoulders, chirping and trilling, mentally telling him everything she'd seen in the cave while they'd been split.

He idly rubbed her neck as she continued, the mental chatter somewhat becoming white noise as he looked over the chest, surprised it didn't have a lock. Quickly enough his surprise turned into pain as a bolt of lightning worked its way around the cavern, striking him and everyone else in the small area, including Hestia. A pained squeak escaped her small form as her scales smoldered from the heat of the bolt, her wings limp and head weakly turned to look at Amadeus -- the mental connection nearly doubling the pain Amadeus had felt.

Again his rough cough began as he felt the internal warmth nearly become unbearable -- he almost lost Hestia! -- in a place like this there was no way he'd be able to get the materials to resummon her. He turned away as he continued coughing, rubbing his eyes from the small amount of light that had begun to weep from them. Pulling Hestia off his shoulder gently he cradled her in his arms, placing one hand on her damaged scales, allowing his innate healing to flow into her.

Watching her scales slowly begin to heal and look less burnt he leaned against the rough wall for a moment, waiting for the sensation to pass while Hestia crawled back onto his shoulder, rubbing her head against his jaw and nibbling on his hair. Finally he turned back around, watching Serres eagerly example the items inside the chest, his leather armor bearing a scorch mark of its own, vestments slightly burned. "Perhaps next time we find something that seems too easy to open ... we consider why it might be too easy to open?"

 

[DevilishEgg]

When the zombies hauled up the box to the surface, Serres was somewhat worried but too excited about the potential contents to suggest caution. This momentary lapse caused the slight twitching in her left eye that Serres felt now. Looking around the room she made sure everyone looked alright before heading to the box and checking out its contents.

Seeing all the coins and gems, Serres’ eyes opened wide and a look of awe filled her face. “That’s what I call proper loot. Hey, Leo, there is a magicy scroll here that seems right up your alley.” Putting aside the gems to be distributed later, Serres tried to carry the box, her knees teetering under the effort before giving up. “If this thing’s heavy for me than it is definitely too heavy for you guys.”

Coming up with an idea, she hauled and dragged the box outside the cave, and started to dig a hole to bury it in till they finished with the fishfolk. It took some time since she had to scoop out the dirt with her hands but she was confident of the camouflage. That last leaf on the top was simply genius, she had simply outdone herself. Who would give a leaf another glance?

 

[Podrus]

Ghor stared at the metal bars, the cage that held him in and he felt the rage brewing inside of his gut. He had been sent across the seas to conquer, to claim more territory for his people, he was here to become a legend, but instead here he was, some creature's caged pet. His weapons, everything he owned, stored somewhere away from him as he stood in his cell trying to look around for the umpteenth time as he looked for an escape route. But like the time before, the time before that, and last thousand times, he saw no escape.

But he needed to escape, he needed to find a way out of this hell, and so he did what the young Minotaur did best. He put his back to the opposite side of the cell and took off running, slamming his horns against the metal bars time after time, repeating the act as much as he could manage. Eventually his stamina ran dry though, the Minotaur forced to grip onto the metal bars he was pressing his head against just to remain standing. Using the last little bit the boy had, he lifted his head up and let out a billowing roar, his anger not enough to help him escape his sentence.

 

[Lughaidh]

Exhausted from his efforts Ghor rests against the iron bars that keep him trapped. Though the feeling of hopelessness washes over him, his efforts are not in vain; the metal creaks slightly under his weight. Finding a reserve of energy he had not known existed he pushes with all his strength and the barred door of his cell finally gives way with a screech and sudden clank of metal. The minotaur is free.

In the cave above the party formulates a plan. Serres takes the lead and dives into the pool first with the zombies in front and behind Leothyc and Amadeus. Again, the undead fishfolk prove to be adept at swimming despite the lack of cognition. Down the group goes and through the tunnel at the bottom, before long they reach an opening. As expected above them they see the surface of another pool. Nearing the limits of their breath they breach; their hands grasping the cold stone edge of the pool.

Before them is the cavern. Just as Nela and Trevard described, the room is spacious and filled with crates of varying sizes as well as myriad of salvaged wood planks, metals and other ship parts. The pool appears to be in the corner of the cavern with what looks like the cells, 30 feet away, in the other corner. On the far end are some more boxes with dozens of books stacked on top and a set of doors.

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres tried to shake the water off getting the others more wet in the process. Wringing her braid dry, she walked towards the cages checking for any occupants before she bumped into a squishy wall. Looking up in front of her she saw an angry Minotaur. “Hi!”

 

[Podrus]

Ghor looked up, his furred chest raising and falling as his eyes watched the metal fall apart from it's frame. The young bovine almost smiled, glad to finally have broken free after attempt after attempt, at least, that was until he heard footsteps in the hall. With an angry sigh the bull turned, his seven foot form staring down the hall to see just exactly what his enemy looked like, see who was going to put him back into captivity so soon after he broke free.

"And just who are you supposed to be? Trying to take away my freedom so soon after I've gotten it back?" The minotaur spoke, his blood boiling as small cracks of electricity broke out over his body, barely able to contain his anger. But Ghor had to be on his toes, he was without his weapons, in an area he didn't know, against a foe who quite probably outnumbered him ten to one, he had to use his wits as well as his anger in this coming fight.

 

[Lughaidh]

As Ghor readies himself the arcs of lightning around his body fizzle out. Leothyc watches as his two thralls collapse to the ground. Hestia disappears into thin air and Amadeus’ mind goes eerily quiet, left with only his own thoughts.

 

[Abrahms]

Amadeus had been hesitant to dive into the water, but was thankful at least no one besides a thrall would be behind him. After some complaints from Hestia he dismissed her -- he wasn't heen to try and have the small dragon try to swim through the water. Pulling himself out of the water, he was too distracted with making sure no one could see his back as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing -- some large bull-man that seemed ready to charge.

Snapping a finger by his side, Amadeus attempted to recall Hestia only for nothing to happen. A confused expression crossed his face as he tried a few more times -- what was going on? -- as he suddenly realized the silence. Not even silence from just from the surprise and tension in the small caved area, but an internal silence he was unused to. He let out a small laugh unintentionally from the shock, before covering his mouth -- was this what other people experienced?

Still keeping his back to the wall he tried once more to summon Hestia, but the connection seemed muted and denied to him ... with a frustrated sigh he tried to clear his hair out of his face as he looked at the questioning figure. "Honestly -- right now I'm kind of enjoying being down here ... but no, we came down to try and rescue other captives. Assuming there are other captives still, besides just you ... and you are?"

 

[DevilishEgg]

“Wow, another minotaur.” Serres was positively beaming from ear to ear. She remembered her previous encounters with them, you could never be bored in the presence of a minotaur. “Settle down, big boy, we come in peace, err, mayhem in the path of peace anyway. My name is Serres and this is my group. We were stranded a couple of days ago.” Serres pointed out her group members to the minotaur.

“Are there any prisoners left to free here? We can take them to a safe place while we finish the job here.” Serres eyed the horned creature, “Although something tells me you are more comfortable bashing heads in with a giant maul, or wait no, a war axe perhaps then waiting with the others in safety.”