Journal of Reiah Aisari –

Log Date: September 28, 2024

We awoke in the dead cleric’s room, the others were chivalrous to give me the bed – though truth be told, Truf should have taken it as he is so old. The silence from the day before was still present and I could not detect that there was magic causing it.  We rose early as Truf, Pew and Culsruth were anxious to find their shipmates.  We headed back to the curtain made of animal pelts and could see light flicker from the opens and chanting, like we had heard on the beach the first night on the island.  Truf pulled the curtain aside and informed us that there were 8 lizard fish around a brazier, they seemed to be cooking soup of some kind, throwing ingredients while chanting.  At the far end of the chamber there were two small figures chained to the wall. Close to the curtain was one of their lizard pets.

The users of magic went to work calling out spiritual weapons – Brother Genasi’s in the shape of a trident and Roku’s in the shape of what looked like a silver cylinder.  It did not seem very practical as a weapon.  Pew helped the illusion by placing a wizard in the room gesturing as if he controlled these strange weapons.  At the sight of the wizard one of the small prisoners began to scream in a high pitch voice like how I heard a dog once scream when his tail got pinched in the door.

The magic weapons rang down upon two of the lizardfish heads and still the prisoner screamed.   The remaining lizardfish sniffed the air and turned toward the curtain.  One stuck the tip of his harpoon in the fire.  They knew we were there.  I stepped out from behind the curtain attack the lizard in front of me, right before the curtain burst into flame from a thrown harpoon.  I heard Brother Genasi cry out in pain as one of the lizardfish’s harpoons hit true. 

There was so much magic in the air…bells tolling, spectral hand floating, lightning striking, insults flinging…I had a hard time concentrating on my quarry.  At one point I looked up to see Truf tossed a screaming Pew like a catapult across the room. He managed one wing out but the other somehow was caught up and with feathers flying he crash landed on the ground – his spectral hand, with a key, rushing past him toward the prisoners. I was drawn back to the fight as a lizardfish came at me with a harpoon and just barely managed to dodge the attack.

A gray skinned dwarf, his ratted beard down to his knees came running over his fists balled up as if he was ready to pummel one of the last two lizardfish to death.  As the last one fell, we heard Pew squawk “Unhand me. Truf, help, help!”

A gray skinned gnome, that came up to my kneecaps, went over to the dwarf and held out Pew on bended knee.   “You have not eaten in two days, eat my prince.” Pew squawked “eat the pig, eat the pig,” gesturing at a pig turning on a spit. Truf took a step toward the pig, his snout go up, then turned back to the gnome and placed a large meaty hand on the gnome’s shoulder almost knocking him over.  “That’s my bird and I am fond of him.”

The gnome cast a glance at the dwarf and dropped Pew and went to the pig, only to discover it was one of Pew’s illusions.  Pew was pruning his feathers, safely atop Truf’s shoulders and did not see the glance the gnome cast his way, but I did.

The two prisoners were Prince Skippy (18th in line to some Under Dark royal family) and the gnome was his man servant, Rigo, also from the Under Dark.  Truf reminisced about a gnome he once knew named Boom-Boom, and overcome by nostalgia, picked up Rigo and sat him on his knee.  Rigo did not move as Truf regaled one of his long-winded tales that never mentioned this Boom-Boom.  He tried to do the same with the prince, but the dwarf would have none of it.

Skippy told us that they were captured by what they called the lizard elves.  I made a show that I found this offensive by showing my pointed ears.  The dwarf shrugged and continue to call these creature lizard elves.  From what I gathered, as I was only half listening because the gnome had disappeared and I was looking for him, there was a larger contingent from Under Dark in search of a tapestry that was of a map. I turned back at the word map and saw Truf, Pew and Culsruth lean forward. Apparently, the rest of the party was killed and the prince and Rigo were to be part of the stew pot.  As they began to talk of their similar quest lines and if any of the Stalwart Mermaid crew were spotted, I turned back and continued my tracking of the gnome.  

I found the gnome strapping on his weapons and about to grab a battle axe. “Do you feel it?” he asked.  “Feel what?” “Them, the stones, they are close.” What is close?”  “Lizard elves,” he whispered. 

I motioned for him to the join the others and bade himto tell the rest what he just said.  He looked blankly at me. I sighed.  I think this gnome is not totally sane.  I informed the others what the gnome said, though now I’m not sure if he felt anything.  With their knowledge of the lower level, we decided to take them with us.  The prince donned his chainmail and shield and strapped on his weapons.  They led us through the door where I could smell stagnant sea water ahead.  The gnome disappeared again, and looking around, saw him gathering some of the glowing lichen off the wall. 

The room led to a pool – we would have to swim to get across.  The prince said there was an entrance on the other side.  Brother Genasi took one end of the rope to tie on to something on the other side so the others could get across and dove in.  I was a splash behind.  We were halfway across when a saltwater crocodile grabbed Brother Genasi’s leg.  We stabbed him with our harpoon and trident while the others pelted him with spells.  Poor creature, didn’t know what hit him and his lifeless body began to sink…and I began to sink with him.  I yanked my harpoon out of him and swam to the other side. 

That night, Truf regaled us with the story of Pew’s lost love. Apparently while Brother Genasi and I were battling the croc, Rigo had fashioned a lichen parrot and had placed the creature on Truf’s shoulder next to Pew.  Pew fell in love with the lichen parrot, and was sadden Truf brushed the lichen off his shoulder and tromped on it with his peg leg.  While we all laughed, poor Pew was still nursing a broken heart.

Once we were all across and squeezing out the excess water from our clothing and drying our weapons, Brother Genasi hushed us and bade us to listen.  Far off in the distance we could hear wailing.  We resumed our march and entered a cavern with a multi-headed snake statute – its beguiled eyes sparkling.  Pew cried out “Shiny-nees” and flew over to stand on the head of one of the heads and peck at the eye.  He cocked his head and then was perfectly still. 

Rigo lost no time in trying to climb the statute to get at Pew, but Truf was faster and reached up and plucked Pew off the top of the statute.  Rigo said he had seen this before and the only way to snap someone out of this was to shake them…hard.  Culsruth placed a hand on Truf’s arm and said he thought it might harm the bird and to tuck him away for now.  It wasn’t long before Pew was back to his squawking self.  Skippy said, while the gems were intoxicating, and started walking toward the statute only to shake his head and look away, they were dangerous, best not look at them.  We didn’t have a chance when we heard clicking sounds behind us and three enormous crabs came skittering up to us – two reds and a blue.

I am not sure if it was hunger or blind luck, but Prince Skippy threw his battle axe, and it struck the blue crab deep in the chest.  He barreled forward and slammed the axe deeper – cracking the crabs back shell and the creature fell without a sound. 

We dispatched the red ones with bells tolling and lightening flashing and harpoons impaling and feasted on crab meat once again.  When we were done, Rigo was once again gone, he came running out of the shadows to say he found a chest and his prince should open it. Come to find out it was trapped with a poison gas. We let Pew open it with his mage hand and then blow away the gas – inside we found healing potion; greater healing potion; 1 large ruby; pouch 50gp and a scroll of protection form evil (Culsruth took).

We entered a narrower corridor and peeked in.  There were two human males in what was fine clothing chained to the wall; two human males in a cage on the other side of the room that I recognized from the Stalwart Mermaid and one lizardfish at the end of the hallway. Rigo said he could make himself look like a small lizardfish and could go and see if he could get the key.  He changed and looked like one of the younglings we found our first night on the island.  As he walked in the room, we all wondered if he knew how to speak the lizardfish language…he did not.  The guard approached him and said something in lizardfish speak and Rigo pantomimed something that may have meant “I want to kill a prisoner,” and the guard shrugged and pantomime that he didn’t care. Rigo spit on the first set up prisoners who did not even flinch.  He walked up to the cage and spit at the crew members and one of them jumped up and grabbed for him.  The guard rushed forward and Rigo stole the guards keys in the confusion. He looked at the guard and stuck the key in the lock and screamed…our cue to rush in.

A second guard jumped out of the debris and the Prince and I brought him down while the others finish off the first guard.  The crew members, Larry and Hermie told us that the Captain and first mate, Julian Daysun, were taken below.

The two other men were merchants from a ship called the Long Pelican that was beached here like the Stalwart Mermaid.  We sent the crew and merchants to the cavern to set up camp and wait for us.  There was crab meat to eat and not to look at the statute, we’d be back for them after we found the other crew members.   The merchants were thankful and gave us two pouches – 50 gp and 25 gp.

We headed toward the room where Prince Skippy and Rigo said led to the level below and walked in on 4 goblins in a makeshift kitchen.  They were filling a large sack of chopped fish and other sea creatures.   Prince Skippy stepped forward and spoke with them in a different language.  Skippy translated that the goblins were enslaved by the lizardfish to fix them food.  Truf said we should deliver the food to the lizardfish and the goblins agreed. Truf hefted the sack of food over his shoulder and we headed down the stairs.