Hello,
Ahappi, the only one inside the standing stones' ring, inspected the black altar-slab and found that it had a central depression, many cut-marks and dried blood, and carvings of fishy/tentacled/fanged monstrosities; obviously a Gloomshark defilement topping the greenish stones of the old ?Malkioni site. Fraud and Miguel were now recovered, although Miguel muttered about “protecting the children”. Boamund tossed Ahappi the huge great-axe of Girisun and in two strokes Ahappi hewed the altar-slab apart. He was surprised to find that it broke into pieces that clattered down ancient greenish stone steps into a tunnel below. Picking up Girisun's enchanted trident (note: it does 1d12+1 damage, must be used 2-handed by STR 13+ human if able; force L, reach VL), he called the others to come in. They suffered nasty injuries from the ring's Warding enchantment; Miguel healed those and other wounds but was left barely standing, his soul weak; as was Boamund's.
Warily you descended, one by one. There was a stoneworked passage to the left at the bottom of the stairs, and a natural tunnel that curved out of sight to the right. Ahappi went left into a short, wide foyer where a fanged, tentacled mouth (of Gloomshark) was carved into the brickwork greenish stones, and wall frescoes had been marred beyond recognition. He stepped boldly into the hall beyond the foyer and a spectal mouth formed over the carving, snapping hungrily at his body and spirit- but he endured it all without harm. The hall was a defiled temple with a stone pyramidal Law rune in the middle, topped by descration of fecal matter shaped into horns. Defacement of twin pillars, at either end of the hall, and the walls, continued. The depiction of the fanged, tentacled maw from the preceding foyer continued into the room, wrapping around the dais as a long, bloated, sharklike form with six misshapen fins; the full form of Gloomshark. Disgusted, Ahappi conjured water over the Law rune and washed it clean; feeling some satisfaction that some impurity was removed. But slime from Girisun's quickly-decomposing form dripped from the ceiling, and a feeling of unease left Ahappi sure that some ritual beyond his knowledge would be needed to fully remove the taint here.
You went down the natural tunnel next, finding that its floor was coated in greyish slime that dribbled from the ceiling and formed a sluggish, shallow stream winding down a curving route. Ahappi descended first, into a semi-spherical cave where the slime-stream schlurped into a central whirlpool, descending into the depths with a disgusting noise; and a horrible vomitous stench hung in the air. Across the cave was a huge, pulsing Spirit rune carved into the wall— and its pulsing brightened as he looked. Without further warning, a gigantic form rose from the slime, becoming Tiamaz, demon-protector of the perversion of this site; like Girisun, summoned by the (red-clothed) Vadeli Mr. RedNotBrown, to ensure this Chaos taint remained in Hard Bay for the Gloomshark rituals on land, harnessing the sorcerous node of the standing stones and these caves/halls. Tiamaz was a great hulking, beaked humanoid who extruded a slimy hammer in its right claw, and the fight was on!
Tiamaz stomped forward to face Ahappi; it also emanated a deadly ice-force that seared wounds into those engaging it. Ahappi swung a brilliant trident-parry that disarmed it; the hammer flew out of its grip and Fraud, who'd come down the tunnel behind Ahappi, had to quickly raise his shield to block it as it then dropped at his feet. Then, as Miguel and Boamund began descending the tunnel too, the demon grabbed Ahappi's trident in its horny beak and held it form. Ahappi had to let go soon, to roll aside and avoid being eviscerated by its ripping claw. He stayed prone, held there by the nimble giant demon, until the others made their way into the cave. But the fight was frantic- Tiamaz's ice-field kept injuring you, leaving Fraud and Miguel barely alive with abdomen and leg wounds. Fraud and Boamund managed to hack away at its parrying left-claw until that arm fell to bits, then began the same with its right arm, and soon Ahappi rejoined the fight with his scimitar. Tiamaz's chaos taint also made it immune to all magic; soon you had to give up thowing even your best Arkati spells at it. It bit at Ahappi's trident, almost shattering it so it could use its nastier bite against you, but by then it had taken many injuries and you dealt it multiple vicious blows to the head, with Ahappi's scimitar slash being the final one that caused it to lose cohesion and split lengthwise into two slabs of slimy flesh that dropped, flopping one final time, to the cave floor. Relieved by that deadly fight's end, you saw no exit from the cave except the whirlpool, and that was not inviting so you left the lair of Gloomshark below the standing stones. Exiting the ring presented a problem- with your injuries dire and your mana low, the Warding might even kill some of you as you departed. Indeed, Fraud suffered a massive abdomen wound that he barely survived. You were left bloodied and exhausted (I forgot Fraud's and Miguel's fatigue! Oh well), and began your way down the hill.
Yet Hard Bay was not done with you. A robed man with 5 guards approached up the hill toward you, but was waving a rice-stalk as sign of peace: He was Reynard Gerou, a well-groomed, clean-shaven pale-skinned Talar in silky robes, wearing abundant coral and pearl jewelry head to toes, and as Ahappi growled greeting he approached and addressed him in a quiet voice: “Ahappi the sea-hero, I have no fight to bring you. I am no threat to your band. I am Reynard Gerou, Talar. You have swept into Hard Bay like a tsunami and staggered the Cult of the Deep and its allies. I bow to your fury. I learn that the Moisan and Blufont families are shattered, so my Gerou family remains the sole intact representative of the triad of Talars. I call for mercy for the folk of Hard Bay. Finish what you must with the Cult of the Deep; I have kept my distance from it for all these years so I have no stake in that. Then depart and leave us to rebuild our lives and business.”
Ahappi agreed, and the discussion seemed to be ending peaceably, then Reynard brought up an uncomfortable negotiating point: “Ahem, there remains the matter of guards who lost their lives to defend the town. While I do not question your holy fervor we had men who merely were told to defend Hard Bay against strangers who killed others without sanction by any of the triad. In the wake, families are left without breadwinners. My own man Tahir, captain of the guard, died at your band's hand and his family grieves. It will cost me plenty to replace such a man. I submit that wereguild of 3500 silver guilders is due to Hard Bay for those that have died; leaving the matter of the Moisan and Blufont families closed.” Ahappi roared a retort, that Reynard and all those of Hard Bay turning a blind eye to the Gloomshark cult and the Vadeli for these past years, and the deaths of untold innocents at their hands, left them guilty. Intimidated (and backpedalling with his guards, fearful of a fight) but undeterred, Reynard countered that many had no choice in the matter, being truly innocent, and surely there must be a way to make recompense to them. Ahappi growled that the town could salvage what they could of the Vadeli “Mythspeaker” galley, and Reynard, surprised at the offer, considered it and then agreed. As he turned away, he calmly said, with a tone of reconciliation, that you might inspect the Blufont Manor, as he thought they had some way of reaching “The Depths” where the Cult of the Deep was laired. Ahappi was very pleased by this news and said a boon might come Reynard's way in return. The Talar ushered his guards out of your way and you returned to the Shadow after taking your choice loot from the Vadeli ship, including the chest that Miguel couldn't even bear to look at.
Amur greeted you on the ship and dealt quickly with your wounds, casting three Heal Wound miracles of the strange theistic Dormal cult of Fonrit that he revered. You finally got to rest. The next afternoon, shortly before dusk, you rose and executed what you hoped would be your final plan: to find The Depths and confront the demon Yaknath and its sea troll allies.
No one accosted you as you carried a sheaf of rice through town to the manor. Indeed, Hard Bay had fallen uncharacteristically silent. Unbeknownst to you, the Moisan family's survivors (dockmaster et al.) had taken all their belongings and hired a ship at much expense to flee town that morning as you slept; and likewise the elderly Blufont shopkeeper, having long since seen that trouble had come with you, had removed what valuables he could from his shop, summoned his family's servants from the manor to carry what they could, and fled town overland on horseback with his last Horali guards. So all that was left was the Gerou family, the regular Dronari of town, any visitors, and whatever lay in The Depths…
The manor's front door was wide open with plenty of tracks in and out visible to Miguel. Indeed, it had been thoroughly looted (by the Gerous) after the last Blufont left, and you were able to wander its two wings and tower without seeing anyone. There was little there. Miguel led you to a hallway of curiosities with bizarre cobwebbed collections of the Blufonts, of most disturbing themes varying on the nautical, monstrous, torturous and/or cannibalistic; he turned away before it entered his thoughts too much. In the upper story, in the master bedroom, along with bloody bedclothes and charred human remains in the fireplace, you found an open chest; lock picked; and Miguel espied some papers under the bed nearby, which Fraud read with widening eyes. It was a letter from Zridge the Tart, Brown Vadeli smuggler of Giraine, detailing the trade in Ouori pup hides (thanking the Blufonts for their support), scheming to blame troubles on the Ouori, and hinting at a general plan to subjugate or kill off the local Ouori-especially your friends, the Trenchward tribe. This was precious evidence that raised your fury! The perfidy of the Blufonts seemed to have no end, either.
The dining room had stairs leading down into the cellar, and the cellar's contents were astounding. It was a completely unhidden shrine to Gloomshark! A long pillared hall ending in a dais topped with a stone basin. The hall's walls bore hideous frescoes of the Gloomshark and the Blufont family's worship of it; nothing was left to the imagination. The myths of the Gloomshark were told , and how the Blufont family dates back to the Army of Justice Pamaltelans that invited it to follow them here from the south after awakening the Gloomshark; and how the Blufonts were instrumental in connecting the Gloomshark to the local sea trolls. Gloomshark was the Shark god corrupted by Wakboth, who then became enemy of Dolphin (ripped out his throat, forever removing his speech); then went to sleep at the Dawn; accidentally awakened by the Godlearners. It swims between the planar seas via Magasta's Pool and chases moons through all waters; seeming drawn to moon powers (hence its holy days on Wilddays). It casts things it eats into the void of Chaos; oblivion; and even eats many of its followers; being an indiscriminate beast (runes Chaos, Beast, Water; and Hunger). While The Beast has no plans of its own except to feed, its cult is an ally of Krarsht; sharing Hunger (the latter on land/underground).
Ahappi stepped forward to inspect the dais, and out of the basin a huge burbling gorp rose and slid down the steps after him, releasing hungry acidic pseudopods! It was slow so Ahappi easily led it on a chase around the halls. Meanwhile the rest of the team peppered it with disrupts, darkstrikes and firearrow; resisting its sinister waves of mental compulsion inviting you all to drop your weapons and walk calmly forward into its dissolving graces. At last, the final darkstrike hit it and it immediately exploded, showering the halls with stinging acid, which Ahappi and Fraud safely dove clear of. Victorious, Ahappi inspected the dais, and with his keen eyes he saw that the Gloomshark maw behind the basin was a concealed doorway; a giant sphincter mechanism. Miguel had a look and was sure it could not be deftly opened- only brute force would cause the sphincter to retract. So Boamund stepped in and did the deed; firmly resisting the powerful mechanism's urge to bite his arm off. The jaws stayed open for you all to enter the carved tunnel beyond, then Miguel tried to use his crowbar to jimmy the sphincter open but instead triggered it to close, snapping his crowbar.
You went down the tunnel, which extended for hundreds of metres, and Ahappi+Fraud ascertained it led southeast, toward the bay. The tunnel opened into another pillared hall, here with more frescoes of Gloomshark, but depicting what must be a hoped-for future, of Gloomshark itself feasting on the ports of Genertela, including Oradaros of Pithdaros. Beholding this blasphemy, your words of revulsion caught the keen ears of sea trolls in a chamber beyond, and they roared out in mad hunger as they squishily stomped their way around in the darkness ahead!
© Copyright - 2000-2024 - John Hutchinson, Tim Evans, Pete Nash, Colin Driver and Gordon Alford