06.25.22
Stereotypical Beach Episode
June 25, 2022
When we last joined our adventurers, they had begun taking tasks from the contract's board after joining the Phandalin Adventurer's Guild. While engaged in multiple tasks, three members of the team find themselves summoned with a bright red magical flashing from their name plates. The adventurers had been briefed that this might happen in rare circumstances when they accepted their badges by Frederick. Billie, Demna, and Keras rush off to the nearby Adventurer's Guild with a promise to rejoin the others as soon as their task is done.
As the adventurers rush into the main room of the adventurers Frederick is addressing the crowd of adventurers. Frederick explains that people have been going missing at the nearby beach and an emergency bounty of 210 points has been placed on this task. Three people have so far been reported as missing. Two other teams are also given this quest and only one will collect the point bounty. Frederick promised a home cooked meal to all of the adventurers when they return at the end of the day.
The red magical flashes on their badges allow the adventurers to leave the city limits without being questioned by the guards. To expedite their trip Billie, Demna, and Keras hop onto Toughy (their magically fused underworld cerberus formed from their former wolf companion) and rush of towards the beach. A trip that would have normally taken two hours on foot instead takes just under an hour. As the reach the beach, they find it just approaching dusk. The beaches are clean, with a single lit campfire visible in the distance. The party approaches the fire where it appears beach patrons had been just recently. Small tracks lead away from the campfire. Billie instantly recognizes the tracks as belonging a larger than normal likely sentient aquatic creature. Billie suggests building decoys to monitor for ambush. Keras suggests a simpler idea. He will volunteer as decoy. Toughy spits fire at the campfire allowing it to burn bright. Demna and Billie move to the tree line to watch their brave and or foolish ally play bait along with Toughy.
Keras lets them know to run to him if he stops singing, and then proceeds to start singing his C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song. For 30 minutes, he continues to repeat the song in ever increasing volume and speed. Keras notices after a while twelve figures emerge from the water. Keras recognizes them as Sahuagin. The slowly approach the lone Keras at first, then start running. As they enter range a larger four armed "baron" type sahuagin emerges. Keras readies then unleashes a Shatter on the approaching sahuagin. This leaves them partially stunned for a brief moment as Billie and Demna enter the fray on Toughy. Demna attempts to cast Sleep on the baron approaching Keras. Keras lashes out with Thunderwave killing all 12 of the less sahuagin.
The baron approaches Keras unphased and speaks to him in his underwater language. Keras uses Universal Language to converse in his tougue. The baron explains he is a prisoner now and will be given as a tribute. Keras argues with him, and the baron threatens him with his trident. Keras brings out his ceremonial bident as well. The baron sees this as a challenge and attacks Keras, stabbing him in his back side.
Billie rushes in with Toughy ordering him to protect Keras. Billie strikes out with his staff, striking him powerfully twice. It shouts out that Billie and his "dog" will make great tributes too, as he grins through his damage with a bloody smile. Demna, still approaching the fight, notices the sand tremoring slightly below their feet. Demna casts an acidic chromatic orb at the baron, which it shakes off. She follows it with another Chromatic Orb this time with thunder damage which does more damage.
Keras is up next, using Unsettling Words followed by a Dissonant Whispers spell which unsettles the baron. Keras then artfully leaps and swings on to Toughy's back, narrowly avoiding a webbed hand that shoots out of the sand attempting to pull Keras and the rest of his team into the sand. Billie is the only person who fails to avoid the grasping hands and is pulled down deep. Keras rides slightly away on Toughy while Demna uses twin thunder Chromatic Orbs to attack and kill the baron, and damage a merrow from within the sand. The injured merrow
Billie, after being dragged through the sand, finds himself in a large underwater chamber with an inky black pool at the bottom. His grasping opponent floats in the water before him. Billie recognizes the beast, it is the twisted Triton cousin, a "sea devil" or merrow. Terrified and disoriented, he runs away at full speed and uses Misty Step to get even further away.
Keras guides Toughy to the remaining area with stirring sand, where he mentally directs the underworld cerberus to use his Breath Weapon on the sand. The magical flames trap a merrow in forming molten glass. The cries of pain emanate from the sand. The merrow's face trapped partially in the molten silica and it rips its own burning fleshy whiskers off to escape. Only to be damaged immediately afterwards by a Shatter spell cast by Keras which breaks the glass and pummels the twisted Triton cousin with glass shards. The merrow flees and Keras jumps in after it, following him to his lair.
As Keras approached the underwater chamber, diving in gracefully. Keras sees the injured merrow fleeing him, and two others, one following Demna and another rushing towards Keras. Inside the water, Keras sees humanoid bones below.
Demna, still fleeing her own Merrow, reaches the shore and prepares to use Shocking Grasp on the pursuer.
Keras, not willing to let his prey escape uses Guiding Bolt as he rushes after it, blasting a radiant blue whole through its chest and killing it. Billie shoots his crossbow from the distance at another merrow that attacks Keras from behind, bit neither the arrow nor the merrow's bite attacks connect.
Demna two chromatic orbs one connects one misses. Her opponent is enraged, thrusting its harpoon straight through her shoulder, and pulling her into the water. Billie, seeing this shoots two arrows at the merrow attaching Demna and gives it a whole through its shoulder too.
Keras uses Hew, his magical axe, paired with the blue holy flames of Thassa in a Seering Smite slashing deeply into the creatures chest, then deftly swimming behind it. The merrow lashes back out, dodging under his shield and slashing him deeply under his arm.
On the other side of the underwater lake, Demna struggles with her own merrow challenger, ripping the harpoon out of her shoulder and escaping to the shore. In her fleeing, she takes an additional stab to the back of her calf.
Keras enraged by the attack on his arm, casts Dissonant Whispers to damage the creature's mind. As it tries to flee, he swings his axe through its neck, beheading the creature and swimming towards the remaining merrow that is attacking Demna. Keras's approach scared the last merrow into running away. Keras pursues, using Unsettling Words to prime the merrow and then attacks it with Sacred Flame which seers its eyes, leaving it barely hanging on to life and disoriented. Billie delivers the cue de gras with an expertly thrown javelin, severing its spine at the base and leaving it floating lifelessly in the shallow blood-filled water.
Keras loots:
3 Merrow Harpoons
3 Merrow Head Fins
4 Humanoid Skeletal Remains
24 Sahuagin Ears
Demna loots:
1 Sahuagin "Baron" Tail
With the enemies defeated, Keras retrieves the skeletal remains of four victims of the merrow from the bottom of the inky pool of water. Each skeleton in vary states of decay. The adventurers divvy up the remains and head towards the obvious exit of a waterfall pouring into the underwater lake at a distance. Breaching in the middle of the ocean near the shore, they swim towards the shore. Leading the group, Keras calls for Toughy in the distance. He retrieves the party from the water and returns to the campfire.
After drying off and collecting our trophies, the party rides Toughy back into Phandalin past the guards and to the Adventurer's Guild. Dropping off Toughy at the stables the party enters. Inside their competition sat drunk at the bar, defeated. Frederick greets them and Keras gives them a recap. The party turns in the remains of the four lost people and their trophies from the Merrow and Sahuagins.
The party gets a good meal and a good night's sleep.