Hi all,
It was a massive, gray-green, slimy eel that manifested from the Spirit Plane. Its titanic body was some 2 kilometers long and 50 meters across, with a great dorsal fin and jaws that could gape wide enough to swallow a large ship, or two. As you watched it take form, and ran to the shore to inspect it, the jabbering local newtlings prostrated themselves in worship to the great eel spirit, which they called the Midwife, or Mother of Monsters or something. But Ahappi knew legends of this gargantuan creature of Magasta- it travelled the spirit world, mostly frequenting areas bordering on the oceans' underworlds, and was known by many names around the coasts and isles of Genertela, Pamaltela and elsewhere. It was the most incalculably large being you'd ever seen outside of religious dreamquests and ceremonies, and all the more impressive because it was very, very real now.
That reality proved a serious problem for Mooring Isle, heart of Handra. Every twitch of the beast sent cascades of oozy water, thick with strange, alien fish and other marine fauna, slamming into the isle and flooding all but its upper reaches– and if it truly was to convulse, it would surely flood the whole isle and its surroundings. You tried to get newtlings to take you to it, but the currents created by its mere breathing and resting oscillations proved too hazardous for them.
Then an odd ship appeared on the far side of the eel, and it was seen to be the local Ship of Fools; home of the Misfits Guild, which anyone could join but would have to be mad to do so. It charged for the body of the eel and passed *through* it, but left its crew behind, wriggling and sliding around on the eel's body or just dropping off into the black oceans. Some never surfaced, but others were rescued by the brave city newtlings and a few fisherfolk with intact coracles. The Ship went adrift and Captain Ahappi browbeat a newtling into taking him there, at great risk and with some heroic struggling. Then Ahappi was at the ship's wheel, and had a struggle of his own: to avoid the madness that it pressed upon his mind. He held firm, but the challenge of handling the clumsy vessel in these treacherous waters proved too much- it veered and careened broadside into the eel, then passed through it again to the far side, vanishing into the gloom again.
But the Captain was left hanging by his harpoon to the side of the monstrous eel, and onlookers watched him in amazement as, sword in his other hand, he climbed up the body to the broad top of the fish-demon and strode along it, using his knife to gouge handholds into its great dorsal fin as he slowly worked his way toward its island-sized head…
The Baronet had enough of watching these exploits and sought distractions, which he found in the form of Master Danfer, the plump, motley-garbed guildleader and former pilot of the Ship of Fools. He had come gasping ashore, barely conscious but with a crazed thirst for wine in his eyes. The two of them walked into a nearby marketplace, chatting, and enjoyed a bit of the local drink that an opportunistic vendor had set up to hawk to the crowd watching the eel, fools, and captain. What happened to the Baronet after this, you are not sure of… rumour had it that he was seen with a tall, pale foreigner; The Accountant.
The rest of you followed the Captain along the shoreline to the eel's head, and the Captain tried to speak to it but received no response. Just then, he was the first to see the Wooden Shields; part of Handra's famed navy, rowing gracefully toward the eel from the outside and preparing all manner of offensive weaponry to show the city's might, as they split into teams to confront different parts of the body all at once. The several vessels that came toward the head fared worst. After some fiery magics burst onto the eel's head, it moved, and not slowly this time. It whipped its great dripping jaws out of the sludgy seas and grabbed a few in its numberless mast-sized teeth, gave them an almost playful shake, and tossed the tiny wreckage into the blackness. A quick wriggle from its body and the splashing of the head back into the waters were enough to scatter the remaining vessels, which either sunk or slunk away.
Yet the Captain fared little better. He tried his best to cling onto the eel as its head jerked about, but the movements were vastly too powerful and he was flung into the black waters! He managed to keep his wits in the cold waters long enough to grab some wreckage and float, then the pounding in his head caused him to go totally insensate. Luckily, a plucky newtling was nearby again, and with great valour it rowed out and hauled the Captain back to shore. But the Captain was again stone cold in a dark stasis, and now Boamund and Ciddar were alone, leaderless. Ciddar cared for him and Boamund went searching vainly for the Baronet.
Boamund did make an important discovery, however. The great monster-killed Bar'ran had announced to the city magistrates that he would deal with this monster, and just needed… four… heroic foreigners to lend him a hand in this quest- with a generous payment in pearls and jewels left with the magistrates! You met with some officials who said you were known to the city and the leaders had hoped you could help. Accepting, you were told to meet Bar'ran at the inner jetty at dawn the next day! But where was the Baronet and when would the Captain regain his senses? And what is the mad one-eyed Magastan sailor's plan for the giant eel? We shall find out next time.
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