DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Villius Paticus (Cleric 1)
Azimer (Calmonari 1)
Chaff (Vivimancer 1) with henchman Conch (Calmonari 1)
After a night of rest and a day of refit, the party was rowed back to the sea caves to search for treasure at their leisure now that their arch-nemesis was destroyed. Passing through the ruined remains of their timber and sailcloth tunnel, the party made first for the prism-shaped column covered in etched vertical and horizontal dashes. Everyone stared at it, trying to discern a pattern. Conch suddenly noted it looked like musical notation, and tried to hum the tune as best as his semi-aquatic lungs would allow. While everyone agree the calmonari was able to do a good impression of a whale song, nothing else seemed to come of the impromptu concert.
Moving on, they quickly scanned the rough stone column at the next intersection for runes or writing, and finding none then turned west to explore areas as yet unknown. They found themselves in a confusing maze of old lava tubes and dead ends, coming eventually to a "Y-intersection" with another statue. It again showed a robed human, in this case with one arm outstretched and pointing with two fingers. Oddly, it was turned such that it was almost facing a blank rock wall, with the arm pointing roughly to the north-east. After it was checked for traps, Conch tried to turn the statue clockwise. It was difficult, but the statue and base did turn about a quarter way around. The calmonari then pushed it back, with similar difficulty.
Continuing on through the intersection, the party found themselves in a long tunnel that rose gradually before coming to the sunlight. Emerging intro the open air, they found themselves standing on a ledge overlooking the sea. The "Serpents Revenge" was not in sight, and the rest of the ring of islets could be seen stretching to the horizon. Obviously having emerged on the south side of their rocky island, and with no obvious way up or down, they turned around and headed back into the caverns. Retracing steps again, they eventually looped around to the south-east, coming to a large, and as yet unexamined, cavern. This one seemed studded floor and ceiling with large blobs of colored rock (jade, aquamarine, vermilion, mauve), similar to that seen throughout the caverns in much smaller veins and nodules. Azimer was just about to step in the room when she noticed one of the blobs started to move! Watching closely, the party could see the vermilion and aquamarine goops were slowly undulating towards them. The jade and mauve didn't move, but it was obvious now that they were not rocks but also some form of slime or glop. Mild curses echoed through the cavern as the party muttered to themselves about more blobs. Rather than push forward, the four retreated to explore further. They found more dead end tunnels, and disturbed a pair of gliding lamprey (which were both dispatched by a combination of being clubbed in mid-air by Villis' musket, followed by impalement on Chaff's dagger).
Getting tired of dead ends, the party headed back through the room with the crystal skull and quartz pillars. Azimer did a quick recon of the pillars, but then the whole party headed for the exit, coming soon to another large chamber. This one had a floor covered in closely spaced 2" spikes of rock, which would make traversing it difficult. Scattered across the floor was a selection of old bones. Looking up was by now a modus operandi. Which was good, as that revealed a cluster of 10 gliding lamprey clinging to the ceiling and ready to descend on anyone foolish enough to enter the room. Rather than fall into that trap, the four hatched a nefarious plan. Azimer tossed one of the previously slaughtered lamprey just inside the rooms entrance (the calmonari having scooped them up for a later snack). This attracted six of the lamprey on the ceiling, and these glided down for a cannibalistic feast. When they did, Azimer tossed a net over the group to catch them. Unfortunately, his/her timing was off, and the six had sucked the body dry of blood and squirmed away before they could be entangled in the net. Undeterred, the calmonari tossed another dead lamprey, and this time all 10 descended for the feast. Markedly more successful with the net this time, Azimer trapped about half of them, and Chaff dropped a spore cloud on the whole group to incapacitate as many as possible. Conch took his lamp and broke it over the net (Chaff then lighting the oil for his henchman) and the smell of burning seafood filled the air. Azimer and Villius took aim at the remaining lamprey with musket, javelin and dagger. That didn't make much of a dent in the squirmy foes, so the cleric used his scroll to summon a spiritual hammer to smite them. Which did work better, but three of the slimy things still managed to escape and crawl back up to the ceiling of the chamber. Azimer boldly entered the room to draw them down. Which worked quite well, as one latched on to his/her leg and started draining blood. A second attached itself to the other calmonari to do the same. Azimer managed to use his/her trident to pry off the one on his/her leg, but alas Conch was drained to death by the one on his neck. Villius and Azimer pummeled the third one to death, but meanwhile the one on Conch detached and started to crawl up to the ceiling again. Villius took careful aim with his musket, and was successful in turning that last lamprey into a bloody smear on the rock above.
Chaff hauled himself out of this carrier on Conch's back, and the three remaining adventurers now carefully entered the room. With Azimer in the lead, they hugged the perimeter, avoiding both spikes and any hidden lamprey. They also rustled through the piles of bone as they went, but found nothing of interest. Exiting a tunnel on the opposite wall, they headed north again along a long passage, and soon found themselves back in sunlight on the beach. With mutterings of wild goose chases and flying seafood, they steeled themselves to face the blob chamber, it being the last completely uncharted area. They approached it from another direction this time, but once more found a mass of technicolor goop, glop and slime awaiting them. There was, however, some treasure at this end of the room. A scattering of coins and a few gems lay along the floor, seeming to lead from another tunnel at the east end of the chamber. They tired to get at the treasure, but the colored masses slowly advanced and pined them in the entrance. But theses things did not leave the room to pursue the party. Knowing there was a second entrance, Azimer and Chaff stayed where they were to distract the things. Villius, meanwhile, looped around to enter the room from the rear, and try to scoop up some treasure before their oozy foes knew he was there. Which worked, and he was able to recover a few fistfuls of silver coins before running off as the things approached. Oddly enough, Azimer and Chaff could see the cleric pointedly ignored the obviously more valuable gems scattered at his feet. Chaff gave Villius a dirty look when he rejoined the group, and the little vivmancer told Villius and Azimer to make themselves useful and guard his back while he did the treasure recovery. Casting a series on cantrips, Chaff painstaking nudged the gems across the room and within arms reach. This took quite some time, but luckily they were not disturbed by any further dangers.
But that was enough for the frustrated trio, so they headed back to the beach and thence to the ship. Where Thorgrim met them crossly, demanding to see the vast piles of treasure he had been promised! The captain was starting to get that look like he was going to make this voyage profitable one way or another ....
TOTAL XP
492
GAINS
3 rose quartz (75gp each), 1 smoky quartz (50gp). 1 lapis lazuli (25gp)
88 sp
KILLS
11 gliding lamprey
LOSSES
Conch the Calmonari
A little bit of sanity
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