Session 0041 - Sahuagin!

Roster

List of characters who's player was in attendance

Player characters who's player is attending the game start with 1 Hero Point, and can get more during the session.

Absent

List of characters who's player was absent

Player characters for missing players do not start the session with a hero point, and can not get any more during the session.

Session Log

An enormous dark shape moves through the water toward the ship. It comes closer, and the party sees a streamlined body with a triangular fin atop its back, a toothy maw set well under its long snout, and a tail shaped like a crescent moon.
The shape moves out of view, and a moment later the Sea Dart rocks violently as though something large and powerful has crashed into it, or perhaps the vessel has hit one of the stone columns that rise like rocky trees through the dark water all around you. From somewhere, you hear the sound of dripping water as the gnome crew members begin to curse and shout.
This sudden jolt in the ship sends the party members flying around the small observation chamber. Eriana is quick to respond, rolling onto her feet and avoiding any injury, but everyone else suffers some degree of bumps and bruises from the sudden impact.
“Captain!” one gnome crew member calls. “The binding ring has been damaged!”
“Blast that overgrown sardine’s misshapen fin!” Byam shouts, anger and tension fighting for dominance in his tone. “Get us to the surface before the elemental gets free and we’re stuck in these cursed waters! Rise, rise!”
The captain approaches the characters and explains, “Once we reach the surface the crew and I can examine the damage and make repairs. Shouldn’t delay us more than a couple of hours, Wise Aureon willing.”
All the party can do at this point is wait for the ship to rise to the surface. However, before it breaches the water the ship suddenly stops. The party can see what appears to be lines from a net across the observation bubble. It appears like the Sea Dart has been caught up in a large net.
“All right, crew,” Byam shouts above the increasingly louder sound of dripping water, “we’re going to have to take a swim and cut the Sea Dart free.” He turns to the adventurers. “Any help you can provide will be much appreciated.” He goes on to explain that the ship needs to be cut free from the stern and near the bow of the ship, detailing the likely snag points he can see from the helm.
Four gnomes rush into the storage room and begin to assemble gear to go outside. Captain Byam tells the party that he has a supply of Potion of Water Breathing that will allow them to function outside. There are also enough tethers for anyone going outside - a sturdy 100 foot length of rope affixed to the ship. Each of the gnomes grab a sharp dagger and a metal crossbow with some metal bolts, and all of them use a tether. Captain Byam says these are underwater crossbows and bolts. There are two more regular crossbows and two heavy ones available if the party wish to equip themselves.
He also explains that the airlock takes about roughly 20 seconds to cycle two people at a time to get outside (i.e. 3 rounds). The four gnomes all go first. While they are exiting through the airlock the party doff their armor and gear, taking only what they need. Alicia opts to keep her light armor on, but does grab one of the underwater heavy crossbows.
The first two party members to go through the air lock and outside are Ferdinand and Alicia. They each opt to use a tether, and have taken a Potion of Water Breathing.
By the time they exit the ship they can see two gnomes at the stern of the ship cutting away at the net entangling the ship there.
They can see a gnome floating without moving, his body torn and bleeding badly while still attached to a tether.
A large shark can be seen moving closer, swiming by a gnome at the stern of the ship and trying to bite him. Fortunately it misses the gnome as is swims past. There are a few crossbow bolts sticking out of the shark as it swims in and out of view.
Ferdinand swims out towards the shark, but his progress is slow and he does not reach it. Alicia tries to swim, but she is not terribly athletic and the armor is hampering her efforts, so she makes no progress. However, she takes a shot at the shark and manages to hit it critically near a fin. This seems to cause it some problems with its manoeuverability.
The shark turns and swims at Ferdinand, biting him badly as it swims past the swashbuckler. Alicia manages to get another crossbow shot off and hits the shark critically again! This time the bolt hits near its head. The shark slows its movement considerably, and it turns slightly on its side and begins drifting slightly.
Ferdinand is also able to shot at it twice, scoring another hit with his own crossbow, that works but is less effective underwater than the metal crossbows.
While this is all going on, both Eriana and Hrovard are in the airlock eager to get outside the ship to help. Each of them have also opted to use a tether.
The gnomes, realizing they have help against the shark work furiously to get at the net and cut the ship free. Two of the gnomes quickly manage to cut the stern of the ship free. A third gnome was swimming towards the bow and has begun to cut the net free at that part of the ship.
By the time Eriana and Hrovard get out of the ship Ferdinand has managed to swim up to the struggling shark and is attempting to stab it with his dagger. Alicia is struggling to swim out to Ferdinand but has not reached him.
Two gnomes are swimming towards the bow of the ship to work on cutting the rest of the net to free the ship.
Eriana swims out towards Ferdinand and the shark, quickly moving past Alicia. Hrovard swims out towards the gnomes to help with cutting the net.
The shark swims away from the ship slowly, while oddly floating on its side. It takes some additional crossbow bolts and is clearly looking very badly injured. It seems to recover somewhat, turning more upright and picks up speed, swimming away into the darker waters well away from the light being given off from the ship.
Meanwhile, the gnomes manage to cut the rest of the ship free. One gnome has managed to recover the body of the gnome that appears to have suffered from the shark attack.
It takes a moment, but the ship begins to rise. The gnomes and the party pull themselves in towards the ship on their tethers.
The Sea Dart breaks the surface and gently comes to rest beside a more or less flat-topped stone outcropping. Other such outcroppings jut from the water, though most of the nearest ones are jagged or domed. Not long afterwards, the airlock hatch is opened and captain Byam pops his head out of the opening. “This is as good a place as any,” Byam declares. “Let’s disembark and make repairs.”
He announces that it will take about 2 hours to fix the problem, and he and the three gnomes that were swimming outside begin the work immediately. Captain Byam also asks that the party stay vigilant. He does not think the shark attack and the net was an accident. The Shargon's Teeth are known to be the hutting grounds of Sahuagin - aggressive fish-men.
After about an hour of work the party notice several shapes appear in the water a short distance from the ship. Heads poke up slightly in the water and a gurgling voice yells at them "Go away! You not welcome!"
Despite the objections of their presence by the sahuagin, they do not attack. The party reply that they can't leave yet, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. While the rest of the repairs are being done they are constantly berated to leave. Ferdinand insults them in turn, but hostilities do not break out.
Within the next hour the ship repairs are done and captain Byam tells everyone to get back in the ship so they can "get the hell out of here!"
The ship then descends and rapidly begins to sail away.
For the rest of their journey through the Shargon's Teeth the ship faces no other threats.
The Sea Dart completes the journey to the northern shores of Xen’drik and surfaces within sight of the trade city of Stormreach. Because the Sea Dart is a secret that House Cannith wishes to preserve, Byam sets the adventurers on land about a half a mile down the coast.
It is a sunny but slightly overcast day, noticeably warmer here than when they left Sharn.
Stormreach rises over the harbor, the only apparent evidence of civilization along this otherwise jungle coastline. Great stone buildings form the foundation of the trade city, though all manners of smaller wood structures fill in the gaps between the large structures. A stout stone wall surrounds the city, and a complex series of docks and wharfs connect the city to the sea.
Captain Byam tells the party he will wait for 30 days before declaring the adventurers lost and returning across the Thunder Sea towards Sharn. "Return before that time, and the Sea Dart will carry you home," Byam says.
"Slip into Stormreach by means of the docks," Byam advises. "These travel papers indicate that you arrived aboard the House Lyrander galleon Strong Wind and that you are part of an expedition from Morgrave University. Just don't reveal any of this where anyone from the expedition can hear youyou—they probably won’t go along with your story, since they don’t know you from the King of Q’barra. Good luck.”
Byam gives the adventurers the traveling papers and a letter of credit with the House Cannith seal. “In case you need to acquire transportation into the jungle,” Byam says. “You can use the credit at the House Deneith enclave, and only at the enclave, and only for transport.”