Into the Sea Devil Whirlpool

We got the crew that were still alive on their feet and Pinroy gave last rites to those that weren’t.  I stripped the dragonborn of half plate (3); decent long swords (3); decent short swords (3) and rolled them overboard and headed for the barge.  The warship, still ablaze sank beneath of surface, just lingering black smoke where it once had been.

There was panic on the barge with the dragonborn slavers tried to escape in a row boat leaving their slaves behind, beating them off the dingy with whips and oars.  Wave dove into the river without a word and we assumed he was heading for the row boat. Sister took aim at one of the slavers, even though we were barely in range and shot a bolt straight through his neck. He toppled over into the water, dead. My shot and Oberon’s shot flew wide but the crew brought down two more and the last jumped in the water rather than be target practice for us.  But Wave was in the water…and Wave knew how to gut a dragonborn like a fish…and that is exactly what Wave did.  We saw a flash of blue as Wave jumped into the barge. We tried to calm down the slaves telling them to join the pirate crew.  Better food and fewer whippings, that seemed to work.

As Snake Eyes and his crew jumped aboard and rushed to the captain’s quarters, Wave let us know he had found a coffer full of coins and treasured items like gold swords, goblets, crowns.  Snake Eyes and his crew hauled it up to The Ghost.  While Snake Eyes and his crew were busy, Oberon suggested that Wave go down to search the remains of the Warship.  Wave hauled the row boat behind him in case he found items he would have to haul back…he didn’t have to bother, all he found was an iron letter opener, but that seemed to please him.  He said there were a lot of slaves that had died in the blast but not much else to speak of.

Pinroy, tired from administering to us and the crew retired to his cabin and Oberon did the same.  Sister, Wave and I stayed up as it was our watch and The Ghost would be traveling through the night to put distance from us and the barge.  After all we just stole treasure that was for the Red Dragon Queen the dragonborn worshipped, and she might not take kindly to someone stealing from her horde.

After our watch, I coaxed Sister back down to the bunkroom to sleep.  She was still reluctant to having anything over her head, but she was exhausted and began her mediation immediately. 

I awoke to singing and for one moment in my waking dream I thought I am back at the circus with my family around me.  We sang and danced all the time and my heart ached when I opened my eyes and realized it was the sailors singing a sea shanty.  But it was jaunty and Sister and I rushed up and found the crew in a celebratory mood.  Oberon was looking puzzled at the singing and was trying to join in but was always a beat or two behind.  Pinroy was sweeping the deck to the time of the music and Wave was up in the crow’s nest always watchful.  “This reminds me of the circus,” I said to Oberon and Pinroy as I clapped along.  Sister, ever stoic, watched the merriment with veiled eyes.

“What’s a circus?” they asked.

Sister and I did our best to describe it and then we showed them and the sailors our acrobatic show.  Sister and I had not been able to practice much in prison and we were a bit rusty, but we put on a pretty good ballyhoo and made 12 silver pieces.  The sailors especially liked throwing coin at us and having sister and I snatching out of the air.  It was fine day, and I was happy.

We talked about what we were going to do next.  Bloody Barnacles (the first mate) told us it would be about two days journey to the path that led down to the Boom Town.  Snake Eyes joined us and said he didn’t know the Town’s name but said it was a stopping point for adventurers going to try their luck in the Sea of Dust.

We asked him if he ever heard of the town Ran Mould the city that was in the Will we still had.  Snake Eyes said it was a city somewhere in the Sea of Dust that was famous for some wizard that died fighting the war with the dragonborn.

We decide for now we are all going to the Sea of Dust and after that we don’t know.  Sister and I want enough money to start are own circus and I would love to see if Sister’s dream is true and this curse can be taken from me. Wave is after treasure and then will hunt the Sea Devils that killed his parents.  Oberon is going with Pinroy as he promised Pinroy he would be the best cleric ever.  So, for now, I guess we are all sticking together.

Wave asks the ship wizard Punketah if he could tell us what these items that glowed with magic might due and the wizard told Wave to bring them by his cabin later that night. We never got the chance.

Wave spotted what he called a sea devil riding a top a fish that seemed it had a sword for a nose.  “You are trespassing in Azzur territory.” It said in a weird fishy voice. Oberon, Sister and I raced toward the back of the boat and we took shots at it but didn’t have time to really aim before it dived down beneath the waves.

The rest of the day we watched the water and it wasn’t until evening fell that we started hearing weird calls all around the ship.  The sailors grabbed their weapons, and we all kept watch.  Suddenly, coming up out of the water was a snake like water serpent, his red maw towering above us.  Pinroy ran and hid behind a barrel, and I really wanted to join him but instead Sister, Oberon, and one of the sailors stood our ground, our crossbows aiming for its greenish blue underbelly. It sprayed us with freezing cold water and we all cried out in shock and pain.  The sailor beside me dropped and did not move again, his skin blue from the cold. 

Wave who was up in the crow’s nest cried out “It is the Son of the Serpent of the Storm. We have to kill it before it destroys the ship.” If he was the son I wouldn’t want to meet the daddy.

From the corner of my eye, I could see two Sea Devils climbing aboard.  Wave jumped and fell 80 feet, barely showing any sign of damage…except some swollen ankles. His sword and fists whirled as he attacked the Sea Devil in front of him, while the crew surrounded the other Sea Devil attack him from all sides.

Sister, Oberon and I let loose our bolts into the serpent and they all found their mark. We spread out making it harder for his water breath to catch us all.  The creature dove back under the water. In its place a whirlpool began to form in front of the ship.  I turned and saw a Sea Devil wizard waving his hand and speaking in his fishy language.  Sister, Oberon and I shot bolts into him, and he dove under leaving the whirlpool.  The boat began to be caught up.  Wave criesd out in pain and I turn and saw the Sea Devil pull the trident from his side.  I took a steadying breath and shot hitting the devil right in his fishy eye.  He dropped at Wave’s feet. 

The second sea devil, bloodied from multiple wounds. dove overboard.  We almost caught our breath when hear the ship groaning as if in pain and the sea snake popped up his ugly mug again.  He had wrapped himself around the ship and was starting to squeeze.  On the other side of the deck giant crayfish creatures scuttled aboard their powerful claws decapitating the crew members, like a child pulls the head off a flower. Oberion rushed forward to help the crew.  Wave saw the first Sea Devil riding his swordfish and leapt off the boat and grasp him around the waist and held on tight.

Pinroy still hold up behind his barrel called for Belindapoop to give us more endurance and bless us with her presence.  I swear each time I feel his power course through me, my admiration for his beloved Belindapoop grows. 

Sister and I once again turned to deal with the Sea Serpent.  We were on opposite sides trying to keep one of us alive.  The creature covered  me, Oberon, and some of the crew with its freezing breath, but Sister is unscathed, thank Belindapoop!

We hit the creature with two more bolts and it disappears once again under water. Oberon is crying for Pinroy as he is trying to fight off one of the crayfish, the deck slick with the blood of the decapitated crew men.  I’m coming Obi-wan,” brave Pinroy cried as he shuffles out from behind his barrel and heals Oberon who is being squeezed by one of the claws.  Sister and I shoot, and I can tell my bolt does massive damage as the creature cries out and almost dropped Oberon. Instead it calls to its mate and the two try to scuttle off the ship with the bodies of crewmen and a struggling Oberon.  “You leave Obi-wan alone!” Pinroy bites the crayfish pulling off one of its back legs and begins to hungrily eat it.  The crayfish drops Oberon and lays still on deck.  I look for Wave and see him floating in the water not moving.  “Wave is down,” I point. 

Pinroy calls on Belindapoop one more time for healing. We could see three figures below him.  One tried to grab him but he dodged away and hit the creature then scampered aboard, leaning heavily against the ship wall behind Pinroy’s barrel. Pinroy ambled after him, “Wave, Wave are you okay?” Oberon runs over and grabbed the trident from the dead sea devil and then joined Pinroy and Wave.

Sister and I shot at the shadowy figures but they disappeared deeper into the water.  Everyone on The Ghost was dead.  Cap’n Snake Eyes, the Wizard Punketah, the Navigator, Foul Fiftoff, and even Bloody Barnacles. Just this morning these men were laughing and singing and throwing silver coins and now they littered the deck like fallen leaves.  The ship was groaning, and I am not sailor but that sounded like death to me. There was nothing more to do.

“Grab what you can of the treasure,” I called to the boys (two sackful of various treasure items and one golden sword with jewel encrusted hilt – O/W).  Sister and I ran for the dinghy.  Between the two of us we managed to haul it to the back of the boat and threw it as far as we could, hoping we could avoid the pull of the Whirlpool. We didn’t wait to see where it landed, we jumped in after it and began swimming toward it as fast as we could.  Ronyn got there first, but I was caught in the whirlpool current.  Suddenly, Wave was beside me pulling me toward the boat.  “Where’s Pinroy,” I gasped. 

“He’ll meet us on shore,” Wave said and gave me over to Oberon and Sister who hauled me aboard and they rowed like a sea serpent were after them…and it was.  It reared up one more time demanding teasure.  I shot it one more time, and apparently it decided the ship was treasure enough and left us.

We made it to shore just as Pinroy was hauling himself out, a sack full of treasure in his arms. We all laid there catching our breath and watching the final voyage of The Ghost as it disappeared down the whirlpool that closed up around it.  The river went back to its steady rush as if The Ghost and its crew never existed. 

We found ourselves in the foothills with a sparse forest ahead of us.  “The Cap’n says the path to the Boom Town is near the river.  I saw we follow the river over land  and see if we can find it,” I suggested.

“Maybe it’s on the other side,” Pinroy said. “Maybe we should take the boat.”

“We can’t fight in water except Wave,” Sister said matter-of-factly. 

“I say, by land,” Wave agreed.

“What will we eat?” Pinroy looked into the woods a worried look on his face.

“I can hunt,” Sister said.  “Game probably come to the river to drink.”

It was settled, we were heading downriver, by land.