==== Summary 247: Sharks In The Depths/Kennutwaki Mystery (2020-05-23) ==== [[Giraine]] [[summaries-2020|Summaries]] ---- Hello, You ensured the sea trolls and Blufont cultists were dead; the latter were misshapen, having given themselves over entirely to Gloomshark and received its blessing/curse of Chaos taint like the sea trolls, leaving them unfit to mingle freely in any normal human society (even Hard Bay) without disguise. Unlike Krarsht, Gloomshark gave them no powers to hide in society so they were left to their own cunning, but the power of the Blufont family here had propped them up (abetted by Vadeli influence; and allegiance with the Moisan family, who hadn’t gone as far down the Chaos path but were involved). You followed the slime-trail of Yaknath into the next hall and saw a grey sludgy river to the left; low brick wall to the right blocking a landing facing the sea; and corridor ahead where the trail continued. It was silent. You followed the trail past rooms showing that these Depths could house quite a few people, and these people had been consuming humans (with the sea trolls’ happy involvement) for some time, storing grisly cannibalistic reserves. A well-accoutred master bedroom had nice furs and pillows and other finery, plus a leering stone statue of a Blufont Talar that you turned over and smashed. Miguel recovered ~125 silvers of portable goods from the luxuries. There were shelves of chemicals and body parts and other odd things in a dining room by there, and then past the bedroom was Yaknath’s cave: featuring a pit where a huge outline of Yaknath was carved into the stone and splashed with phosphorescent green slime that hinted he’d been conjured in that “mould”. A tunnel led to a slab-door and out to the sea. You returned to the main hall, hoping to find the escaped cultist, when you overheard clatterings of brickwork and splashing. Investigating, you saw three huge pallid, grotesque giant shark-things with tentacle-ringed maws and extra fins and worm/slug-like bodies that slithered across the floor from the right, left and ahead, converging toward you. You formed a line and faced them; one came in and you dealt it repeated blows (Miguel leaving it bleeding), with Ahappi rolling safely away from its snapping jaws until it died. Another wedged itself in beside the first and went after Boamund, but soon too was despatched. A third, with an oversized head and jaws, took huge bites out of that second dead shark and ripped it apart as you prepared, Miguel shifting to his bow. It slithered in and Ahappi, inspired to heroism, leapt over the bodies and fought it, but was engulfed by its titanic bite and left with a crippled leg inside its pharynx, where he drew a scimitar hoping to carve his way out before it swallowed him entirely. But the others quickly took care of it before it could do that or clamp its jaws onto Boamund, so its bulk collapsed onto Ahappi, who held his breath until he was cut out, and then collapsed in exhaustion for a moment before he could regain his footing again and rejoice in your victory over these monstrosities, Spawn of Gloomshark. Exploring the remainder of the complex, you found that the ‘spawn had broken down the brick wall and a little dock was past that, where a dinghy could have been moored but that probably was the way the cultist had escaped. Boamund explored the back of the hall, adroitly traversing the twin rickety wooden planks that crossed to a far shore, where he found three beds in an area where cultists had been using as a guardroom. The sludgy river must connect with the Standing Stones’ sludge-whirlpool above, and the rickety bridge would be too weak for a sea troll to cross if they wanted. Finding nothing more of interest, you reunited and Ahappi urged you to get away from the complex, out into the hidden cove’s waters, where he cast Buoyancy spells onto Fraud and Miguel so they wouldn’t sink into the waters. Returning to the stone slab outside Yaknath’s pit, Ahappi wrested it open and called for Magasta’s fury to cleanse the Depths of their vile impurities, donating 12 mana to his god. Magasta answered with a thundering roar of crashing waves that built layers of foam on top of each other as they rolled in, smashing into the cliffs and spraying mighty water jets throughout the complex as a current carried you all away. Gloomshark was resoundingly defeated! (+1 party luck pt = 1 now) Ahappi’s mosasaur Platecarpus returned and you left together to the Shadow, where Miguel presented Fraud with a new shield to replace his damaged one; but although Ahappi was sapped of much vital energy, you worried for the safety of your few allies in town, given some escaping survivors and this being the night of Gloomshark’s highest holy day still. You thus hurried to the lighthouse, helping Ahappi across, and kicked the door in when Old Moreg didn’t directly answer, hearing him calling out that “you can’t take it away, it’s mine!”. But investigating, you found that the crazy Zzaburi was up on the middle floor having an argument with himself and then alarmed at your entrance, starting to evoke some fire-spirit to destroy you but Fraud assuaged his paranoid concerns and he stopped, changing his tone to a more welcoming one. You explained that you’d defeated all the evils here and now the town was free. He expressed discontent that you survived, as this meant he now might need to live up to his promise to teach Boamund something, and he clumsily tried to convince you to go find more trouble to get you killed, such as rooting out the Gerou family whom he still saw as corrupt. But Ahappi would have none of that- it was up to the town now to sort out its problems, and he attempted to convince Old Moreg to join in this endeavour as a leader but Moreg was stubborn, that he preferred his tower’s isolation, and so he was content to “rot” there. You left, with a tense moment where Ahappi started sliding down the escarpment toward certain death on the coastal rocks below, but Fraud was quick to react and dove in to save him. Back into town, you paid Aldal Stronghammer a visit at his shop/home and he was very welcoming. Ahappi’s explanation of the situation reminded him of his adventuring days and Aldal stated that he might be up for helping to “reforge” Hard Bay into a stronger form. You bought some more shields, with Aldal finally gifting one of them to Fraud, and you parted with very warm feelings for this good-hearted Pithdaran family. Indeed, as you rested back at the Shadow, one of the younger sons paid a visit and gave Ahappi a great old coral goblet inscribed with ancient markings (?some derivative of Seaspeech? Maybe a merman tongue?). Aldal had kept it for many years but always found it brought him troubling nightmares when it was near him, so he’d hidden it away and forgotten, but then realised it should go to Ahappi, maybe even being meant for him. Ahappi felt waves of power as he held it, and they beckoned him into the sea, which he did after thanking the boy, whom Miguel gave some bronze ingots to in gratitude. Ahappi descended on his mosasaur into the calm depths of the bay for the night, feeling at peace for once with the strange energy of the goblet, which drew the beasts of the sea to him as he felt that harmony. Finally, you could all rest, and it seemed that Hard Bay did, too, for nothing untoward happened that night—the town took a deep breath of relief after all the violent events of the past 2 days. Great change, though, lay in its future, once again. You departed the next day. Ahappi went on his own, promising to meet you at Kennutwaki, a route which Amur knew well enough. Sailing was speedy thanks to the strong northerly winds of Valind, but it was bitterly cold and you saw more hints of icebergs out along the coast- Dark Season deepened, and made it most uncomfortable to be out on deck. Fraud spent time reading the healing-time and Miguel struggled to find pictures in any books or papers that made sense to him; Gremheks the witch’s sketches only puzzled him. Ahappi reached out to Ouwashilombiss and told her of his successes, which she’d seen and felt, and asked if she could tell him the powers of his new necklace and goblet but she could not see these from her Harbour, and only could help him once he returned. They exchanged pledges of their yearning to be back together, and Ahappi spoke proudly of his confidence that he would resolve the final quest at Kennutwaki before they parted their connection. And in 2 days you reached the little island of Kennutwaki, nestled amongst many other coastal isles of Orninior. It was a sandy, low-lying place with a very calm harbour surrounded by a “C” shape of beaches. There was a basic lighthouse on one arm of the “C”, a little town with some finer noble-type manors on the other arm, and a dense grove of twisted old trees on the far, north side of the isle. You docked, seeing only one vessel at the pier that was of much interest- it was a merchant ship called “Pale Bette”, whose figurehead was of a white feminine being with arms outstretched to the sea. Few people were aboard; the ship seemed to have been docked for some time. Amur easily handled the docking arrangements and you felt unusually welcome- already Kennutwaki felt too… normal. At the large local inn/store “The Shrouded Mistress”, the proprietor Kayda Balton welcomed you, impressing Ahappi right away with her strong bearing and charisma, and a sincerity that opened him up quickly. You (save Boamund) had drinks, scanning the few locals, who took little interest in you and likewise did not seem out of the ordinary. Kayda happily explained that Kennutwaki was a decent place with no big problems she could think of. She explained the layout of town (map) and people whom you might speak to (Hargan Saltbeard at his beach shrine; Debbin Hoggle at her lighthouse; the Vankmeer Talars at their manor; another Talar named Patroc Talbot at the Council Hall. Kayda said the people here were faithful to their ancestors and Malkion, being good people, although every town had its “quirks”. Under some gentle pressure from Ahappi, she relented that Kennutwaki did have an unusual nightly fog that brought odd feelings and people tended to avoid being outside in it (Many claim to hear voices or see spirits in the deep fogs shrouding the island at night); and that the native Kennutois (maybe human; she wasn’t too sure) didn’t mix much with the town and she was nervous talking about them. Kayda (off-game but here FYI) also was very comfortable (even insisting) to give you the full story on the town: Two generations ago (1587, shortly after the Opening), a consortium of merchants and titled nobles purchased the small island of Kennutwaki. Graced with a natural harbour and bountiful fishing, the sandy island promised further wealth for its investors. After brutally subjugating the native inhabits, the Kennutwaki, the colonizers worked diligently to build a prosperous settlement. Kennutcat’s ideal location quickly proved to be a boon as the villagers resupplied and repaired passing ships as well as developing their own fishing fleet. However, despite its apparent idyllic appearance, a deep fog rolls in at night, staining the paved stone streets and shingled houses with a clinging dew. In Dark Season it was the worst… The majority of Kennutwaki’s villagers engage in fishing. As a waypoint along major routes of trade, many ships dock in the island’s harbour to resupply and get repairs from the excellent craftsmen living on the island. Kennutwaki sends its own ships out to engage in trade, bringing further riches to the island. Kennutwaki’s natural beaches and quaint charm attract rich nobles and merchants, some of which hire bodyguards to protect them from the “savage” Kennutois. The Kennutois, in turn, mostly fish and hunt seal, and trade any they don’t need, particularly seal pelts, with merchant ships willing to deal with them. (You asked about Vadeli and yes, Brown Vadeli had been through here repeatedly in recent weeks/seasons; Kayda hadn’t found that unusual). Kennutwaki’s council governs the island’s affair, though of late, Patrok Ralston runs most of the daily affairs as the other noble families sink into decay. The council makes rulings on disputes between the villagers, usually over land or fishing rights. The island maintains a small townsguard, mostly to keep unruly sailors in check. Most petty criminals spend a night in a cramped, mouldering jail cell or a day in the stocks. The colonisers send potential serious criminals off-island to the mainland to be judged by local magistrates. The colonisers have pale skin and dark hair and eyes; they are of mixed Orninior stock (Seshnela/Quinpolic/other). Men wear their beards long while women prefer their hair wrapped in buns with ornate jewelled pins. They worship a variety of Ship of Life Church, Rokari or other faiths. None is really dominant here and religion isn’t a big issue. Ahappi mentioned monster-killing and Kayda said she’d heard something of a “monster” but didn’t know details. You thanked her and left. It was still morning. You visited Hargan Saltbeard’s beach shrine—a rough shack, from which a scraggly Zzaburi with wild hair and beard, salt-stained and wind-torn of robes and corroded of Zzaburi vestments and trinkets, emerged. He easily struck up a rapport with Ahappi, finding an immediate interest in him. He maintains the hut as a shrine to the sea’s nature spirits. A former weapon smith in Oradaros, he washed ashore when the galley he was travelling sank during a storm; Hargan claimed that sea spirits visited him, saving him from drowning. And now he communes with them, of which there are many and varied. He had forgotten of the Kennutois, he said, but then when reminded he said that they lived in the forest grove. Hargan insisted you couldn’t enter his shrine-shack as that was just for him and his spirits. Finding him half-mad but helpful enough, you said you might join him to camp on the beach that night and see what spirits the fog brought in. At the grove, Miguel found few paths and much difficult undergrowth in the stunted forest, which clung stoically to the poor, sandy, salt-stained soil despite the ravaging winds. Finding one better path, marked with bare footprints back and forth, at the centre, you entered and came upon three “savages” of dark skin, ginger hair and simple sealskin loincloths and stone-tipped spears- the Kennutois, who hadn’t seen you coming. One turned and challenged you, and you spoke calming words that you were not here on your lord’s foul errands but merely sought to understand the situation on Kennutwaki. The native, named Kapule, was sceptical but listened, and grew to trust you enough that he agreed that he’d ask if you could speak to the elder, Apika Spiritseer the shaman. He sent you out of the grove to await word. While you waited, Miguel’s keen eyes spotted a small war galley entering the harbour, with a sail bearing a sigil that match the Tear of St Tutrys—Ciddar had a ship now!? Soon he saw it had a ram, a name (“The Perk”) and a crew of over a dozen sailors including some wearing colours (bloodstained capes and hoods) that marked them as Red Vadeli—UH OH!! It anchored some distance from the pier and did nothing further while you watched. Ahappi left his weapons with you and went to speak with Apika. She was an old Pithdaran shaman with long dreadlocked hair braided with fish and seal bones, and bright skin-paint of blue and green, and runes of Spirit and Beast and Earth prominent, among others. Apika met him at the mouth of a low-lying cave in a central clearing, surrounded with bony totems—the reminders of the Giranois were many, but here you had (maybe for the first time?) met true animists, not followers of Granno who’d mostly converted from animism to Malkionism. Apika heard Ahappi’s explanation of his quest, and explained that her situation was parallel to his—she did not fully understand the problem on Kennutwaki either. She prays to the Kennutois ancestors for guidance; too few to resist the colonisers, Apika sought a way for her people to survive in peace, but was caught between extremists among her small clan and the colonists alike, who wanted a violent solution. Once it was better, but more and more recently tensions had escalated. The Hero Wars, she reckoned, would bring an end to her people unless some solution was found to bring lasting balance. She wondered out loud of Ahappi was that solution? He did not know, as neither of them truly knew the source of the problem. The spirits of the island, she agreed with Hargan, were angry, though, disliking the colonists’ ways. This was not a Malkioni land. It had survived the Shattering, Magasta’s fury sparing it thanks to friendly sea spirits who showed the Kennutois how to survive, and they’d endured for centuries since—their origins being ancient ones, Apika said, from the Army of Justice that had come from Pamaltela, a small group of whom remained faithful to their animist roots and never switched to Malkionism like Pithdaros did once it became evident Gbaji and Arkat were long gone. Apika said that you’d see answer to your mystery in the blinding fog of night; that much she now knew. Ahappi said he’d do what he could, and left. You then went south to the lighthouse, told by a girl at the little side-house to speak to her mother Debbin at the lighthouse, which you did. She turned out to be a tiny person, less than a metre tall- extremely unsual! Debbin Hoggle of Coln Point Lighthouse was chatty and extroverted, quick to tell her story of fleeing the mainland after a burlar murdered her husband and oldest son in a botched robbery, which had sought her inventing products—she had a real talent with mechanisms. Here at the lighthouse, she’d invented a clever glass-and-lamp oil device to produce a smokeless, steady light that pierced the nightly fogs well. But she told Ahappi that she’d been troubled, much as Kennutwaki’s troubles seemed to be mounting lately. In her dreams, a nightmare haunted her, and she feared she was cursed by the Kennutois’s monster/spirit called Lobata. She did not like to sleep. Indeed, of late, when she was awake at night tending the light at tower’s top, sometimes she looked down into the rocky seas and saw a great dark, horrific shape, as if the light beckoned it to her. And then at times, most often when she was deep in her cups at the Shrouded Mistress, she’d feel waves of madness shake her with thoughts of hunting down the sea-beast to kill it; which of course was utter fantasy for a little person like her. You offered to stay the night with her to see if this vision of “Lobata” reappeared and she happily accepted the company. Next time! John ----