Summary 52: Ahappisbane! (2011-07-04)
You checked that no more broo haunted the top of the plateau and burned the bodies. Soon you spotted some peasants who turned out to be no longer possessed, but very disoriented and scared. They were from Oyesteria Major and agreed to come with you back to The Shadow for rescue. But first you had to find any remaining ones on the isle, and dispatch any broo/chaos you could find. You found none of the latter, although saw plenty of signs of it, but did find a few more villagers, one of whom was outspokenly sceptical of your help and took some convincing. You took them back to The Shadow, still missing about 3 other peasants, and then spoke to Omen.
Omen was speaking funny and the Captain noticed a parasitic crustacean in his mouth slowly munching on his tongue; he was glad to have it removed. It must not have been such a mundane parasite if it could plague a venerable sea spirit like Omen, but it died easily enough and Omen seemed no longer troubled. You returned ashore with more blessings from Omen (who got the whole crew to give him homage in order to receive anti-nightmare blessings for the night), and found the remains of the last 3 villagers, which you explained must have run into some marauding leaderless broo, as there was not much left of them. No one questioned your story… (they were possessed villagers you'd killed/maimed and left for dead). But already the island showed signs of healing. Perhaps there would be hope for it after all. However, the villagers said corrupt iron could still be found on the shores, and even openly pondered how it could turn you all rich. You scolded them for the greed that may have gotten them into this trouble, and rounded up what warped-iron you could find. Then you set off for the bleak Fosnoir.
Unsurprisingly, when you rounded Cape Pterodactyl (the northern horn of Giraine), you encountered rough waters and a hailstorm. Lurking within that dark torrent was a fearsome foe- a multitude of coils, tentacles, fins, purplish scales, eyestalks, fanged mouths, suckers, and other marine weaponry. It was Ahappi's family curse- the monster Ahappisbane! And it seemed to have come to announce its next victim in his line- the Captain. It toyed with you for a while, jostling the boat trying to knock people in, lashing and slashing with spines and tendrils, but avoiding direct combat. It was frightening to behold, and great in size and cunning. Just when things seemed bleakest, as it bit off the rudder and spat it onto the deck, it submerged one last time and did not show itself again.
But The Shadow was almost crippled, and it was not safe to repair it here. Ciddar's attempts to pilot it out of the storm teetered so close to the brink of disaster that the crazed Captain took back the wheel with a Magastan fervor-inspired focus, and soon you seemed more safe. With some floating sorcery spells you raised the stern of the ship out of the waves enough for some brave sailor-craftsmen to be lowered down with the magically repaired rudder, and soon the ship was more seaworthy again. Yet because you needed drydocking for serious repairs, and still needed to dump the warped-iron in the Fosnoir, you set off to the northwest, aiming for the great port of Oradaros, capital of Pithdaros… where anything was possible.
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