A solo play D&D 5E Adventure set in Matt Mercer's EXANDRIA setting- specifically the Menagerie Coast, Wildemount
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Liswyn, son of the wealthy Springbeam family in Gwardan, is the only son among 8 sisters in his family. He is no stranger to wealth and privilege, having been born and raised in the Ornatora spire at the center of town. However, a family tragedy caused him deep pain and remorse, driving him to heaving drinking and charlatanism. Years later, Lis had a dream of the Moon-weaver goddess, who offered him solace and healing. And so did Lis join the Druidic Order of the Doralle Woods- worshippers of the Moon-weaver Goddess Sehanine. This order of druids was founded by those among the first of the pale elves to reawaken from the Pallid Grove a century ago. Leaving behind his charlatanism and cynicism, Lis devoted himself to the practices of the Pallid elf druids with two of his older sisters, the twins Arasatra and Quiroris. After some time, he travelled the world another one of his older sisters, Orriel, a priestess of the All-Hammer in the House of Invention, who secretly moonlights as Captain Goldna of the Revelry pirates (under the guise of a travelling mystic merchant sent forth by the House of Invention). His oldest sister Miawyn to this day refuses to communicate with him, blaming him (along with his youngest sisters Ravafina and Engwyn) for the death of the mother Chaena and younger adopted sister Rai. Some time later, while travelling to Shadycreek Run with his sister Orriel, Lis experienced a nightmare in which he encountered a red dragon, tried to swindle the dragon and thus provoking the dragon's everlasting wrath. That dream caused him to fall back into despair, and so he returned to his swindling and boozing.
A forgotten memory of his is when he was young and tried helping out his sisters in the altar-forges of the House of Invention, a temple dedicated to the All-hammer. He burned himself, giving him a crescent moon shaped burn scar on his forearm, at which point he lost consciousness and had a vision of several ancient weapons of the gods, sealed away in an ancient calamitous war.
Rhime, born to a strict isolationist sect of pale elves of the Pallid Grove north of the Doralle Woods, fled her home when she was accused by her brother Ermenor for scrying using the forbidden Cauldron of Rebirth. In reality he was retaliating for Rhime discovering his treachery of selling information to Myriad operatives, information that would lead them to find and steal several pallid elf treasures and relics. Having hid her secret desire to explore the world beyond the Pallid Grove, Rhime easily fled the grove despite her love for her other family members, whom she misses dearly. Full of desire for adventure and learning about the world beyond the grove, she set off into the Doralle woods where she encountered poachers being dispatched by forest spirits. Some wolves were chasing a riderless horse, which she was able to bring to a calm and took under her care. She named her horse Linta after the old elvish word for "swift". She spent years living alone in the woods, occasionally meeting with the druidic elves of Doralle, and even less occasionally traveling the plains south of the forest and trading with adventurers and travelers. She learned how to be a ranger during those years. After having a strange dream about riding the back of a flying beast: one moment the beast is consumed with flames and smoke as she envisions herself as a dark queen of evil striking fear into the hearts of all those who witness; and in another moment the beast is iridescent and shimmering like rainbows in a waterfall at springtime as she envisions herself as benevolent warrior bringing peace to those watching. The dream showed her the way to the Ki'Nau ruins of Senesca to the west of the plains, and so she traveled there, curious as to discovering the meaning of her strange and terrifying dream...
835 Post Divergence
Whelsen 14th of Brussendar, Artisan's Faire Eve
Liswyn Springbeam, a drunken con-man, is exiled from both his childhood home of Gwardan and his wealthy family comprised of heiresses to a metalurgy company as well as smith-priestesses who venerate the All-Hammer. As he reconciles his past, he slumps further into cynicism, until a dream from the Moonweaver goddess turns his world upside down. Now, following only hazy memories of dim nightmares and strange omens, Lis returns to his hometown to meet with the one person who will treat him with dignity- the Marquis of Gwardan, Vasan Atrith.
After visiting with the Marquis, Lis is urged to make amends with his sisters and that his older sister Miawyn, high priestess at the house of invention, is considering having a parley with him. He gets cold feet and bails out from meeting with Miawyn. He eventually winds up getting drunk and attempts to scam a travelling duo into buying a fake potion, which he fails to do.
Conthsen 15th of Brussendar 835 PD, Artisan's Faire While at a bar in Gwardan, Lis overhears about a reward for clearing out the undead from the ruins of sepesca.
Lis, in a drunken stupor, sets out for the ruins he's avoided his whole life, weary of the tales of terror he's heard.
Upon entering the ruins, Lis is immediately dispatched by a skeleton warrior but is saved by a mysterious person. She pulls him to safety after stabilizing him and flees on horseback. She sets up camp for them both in the fields nearby.
Folsen 16th of Brussendar 835 PD
After resting all night, Lis is restored to health. He meets his savior: Rhime, a pallid elf ranger from the northern mountains. They introduce themselves to each other and have a conversation about their pasta, revealing very little. Rhime detects footsteps- two bandits have snuck up to ambush them! After a brutal fight, Rhime falls unconscious defending Lis, who almost falls in battle himself. Orriel, Lis' older sister who moonlights as Captain Goldna of the Revelry, finds the brawl and breaks up the fight, laying out her subordinate bandits who attacked her brother and Rhime. After saving them, Lis and Orriel catch up, as it has been many years since they last saw each other.
Orriel invites Lis to join her on a smuggling expedition on her ship the Locust to nearby Palma Flora, stopping to pick up the cargo en route. Rhime asks to tag along, as the world beyond the Pallid Grove is new to her, and she's taken a liking to Lis. She leaves her horse, Linta, on the shores.
They make their way to the coast and board Goldna's ship. Night falls as they sail through the "lesser smuggler's gauntlet", as Lis, Rhime and Goldna all have drinks and share stories. Rhime states that she can never return to the Pallid Grove but doesn't explain why.
“I noticed the Moonweaver emblem on your clasp. So you are from the Pallid Grove, then?” Lis asks as the salty night air blows by. “Yes. We are children of the Pale Mother. Catha, in your language.” Rhime responds.
“In the order of druid that I lived with, we call her by the name of your language- Sehanine, in the old tongue...” Lis says as he looks off at the thin sliver of the pale moon Catha.
Rhime bows her head, he lips faintly whispering words of veneration.
“I honestly didn’t think someone like you would have devotion to the Moonweaver,” Rhime plainly states.
“Someone like me? You mean a charlatan, and a drunk…” Lis says very matter-of-fact.
“I didn’t mean any offense by it,” Rhime says. Lis stands up and pours himself another glass of the cloudy wine. “None taken, Rhime. It’s true. I frequently stray from the straight-and-narrow. But my devotion never wanes. I still abide by the dance of nature. Even though it’s fucking difficult sometimes…”
Both of them turn in for the evening.
Yulisen 17th of Brussendar 835 PD
Lis awakens to the sights of the Hearth- Mountains piercing the horizon as they sail back toward the coast. They pull into a cove in the nearby Bisaft Isles, on a small jungle island to retrieve some contraband that Captain Goldna's fence stored in an abandoned temple.
After making landfall on the Shrine Island (a place where abandoned ancient shrines of the Ki'Nau scatter the area), Goldna leads her two Bandits, Lis and Rhime to the ruins where the loot is stashed away. On their way they encounter a strange fungus, which shrieks as they approach. The shrieks attract a small pack of hyenas which attack the group. Between Rhime and Goldna they are dispatched quickly as the shrieking mushroom flees into the jungle.
They travel for a few more hours, making camp at nightfall. Goldna and her two associates Pil and Zeth take turns keeping watch.
Da'leysen 18th of Brussendar 835 PD
Despite being sleepy from a rough night of rest due to the humidity, the sounds of danger lurking in the woods, and the constant barrage of biting insects, the group manages to enjoy the benefits of a full rest before they enter the ruins to retrieve the loot to be smuggled into Palma Flora.
They scare off some critters in the area outside of the temple before entering. Before them, jutting out from the jungle and towering over a giant lake in the center of the island, is the ancient Ki'Nau Pagoda.
Once inside, they come to a small vestibule with walls completely reclaimed by vines. Ahead is a simple stone slab that once was an ornate door but has since been worn down by weather and time. The door easily opens when Goldna shoves it aside.
As they move deeper into the ground level complex (above which towers the other three levels of the ancient Ki'Nau pagoda) Goldna, in the front of the line, is attacked by flying snakes. She dodges the attack as more snakes fly at her, during which time Rhime leaps past Pil, Zeth and Lis, jabbing one of her arrows into one of the snake with her hands and at the same time setting her hunter's sights on another one of the snakes. Goldna then moves to strike back at the snakes with her scimitar, but fumbles in the process. Another one of the snakes goes to strike at Goldna but is stopped by a parry from Goldna's scimitar. Zeth, pushing past his comrades, squares up to one of the flying snakes and swings his short sword at it, missing it by a hair. Another one of the snakes flies over Zeth, striking him with its fanged mouth and causing him much pain as the mild venom additionally damages him. Pil pushes past Goldna and makes his attack on the snakes but misses. Lis slashes at the snake attacking Rhime, cleaving it half. He then sends his dancing shortsword into the air, tossing it at the flying snake between Pil and Goldna. Rhime skips around everyone through the narrow ruinous hallway into the round chamber from which the flying snakes emerged, nocking an arrow in her longbow and loosing it directly into one of the flying snakes, killing it instantly. She sets her hunter's mark on another one of the snakes. Goldna strafes around one of the snakes, hovering next to Zeth having just bit him. Swinging her scimitar twice, she misses with the first swing but then with her second swing slices the flying snake in half. Zeth turns around to slice at the snake behind him with his sword, steel meeting reptile flesh as the flying snake hisses in aggression. He thrusts his sword at the snake, piercing his center section. Zeth then slices up, hitting the snake's vital point and killing it.
After brushing themselves off and making sure no one is gravely injured, Rhime investigates a solid metal door in the northmost corner of the round chamber. Goldna walks over and explains that the key is hidden in a northwestern part of the first floor of this dungeon. Zeth and Pil jeer at Lis, making him uncomfortable. They straighten up and Goldna walks past them.
The group continues north back through the main corridor and past another slab door that opens quite easily. The door opens to another short and narrow hall that ends at yet again another door. Goldna kneels down to fiddle with a contraption that then makes a quick and loud BOOM sound. The door opens and as Goldna steps through she catches the parts of a booby trap the she'd set before, but notes that the trap has already been triggered and reset up to appear as though it was untouched- tho it has been- but by what, she cannot say.
Cracks and holes in the temple walls let in a good deal of mid-morning sunlight. However, it's still dim light inside.
They all now stand in a small chamber that is decked with the remains of an ancient Ki'Nau statue of reverence, flanked by two basins. Rhime studies the statues but can't tell what deity it is referencing. Pil heads through a doorway to the west and down another narrow hall as Goldna and Zeth step aside into the hallway to the east of the chamber. They whisper to each other away from Lis and Rhime, who are enthralled by the ancient statue and basins. Pil mentions that the door to the dais room, where the key is hidden, is locked.
At that moment, Goldna is ambushed by a goblin minion through a door she is standing next to that she hadn't noticed before. A battle breaks out; the goblin is dispatched by Goldna as Zeth dashes into the room from which the goblin attacked. He notices a bunch of crates and boxes against the wall and starts to rummage through them, finding some coins and a small pouch with some regular seeming polished stones in it.
Pil re-enters the central statue chamber and calls out to Goldna. Rhime ignites a torch and tries to read the inscriptions on the statue. She barely recalls from childhood hearing about the ancient warrior angel of the northwest - and these ancient elvish inscriptions seem to mention her by the name "Wild Mother".
Back in the goblin room, Zeth inspects the pouch of smooth stones he's found, when suddenly - URK - a dagger flies from the eastern side of the room and strikes him in the back. He keels over and loses consciousness as Goldna witnesses this from the corner of her eye. She runs over to him to aid him, removing her only healing potion from her bag and puts it to his lips. She then notices a Goblin hiding behind a treasure chest in the round chamber adjacent to the one she and Zeth are currently in.
Pil dashes toward Goldna and Zeth down the hall from the statue chamber.
Lis steps up and darts past his sister and Zeth, launching a fire bolt at the goblin and severely burning him. Meanwhile, Zeth staggers back toward Pil and Rhime in the hall. Rhime runs past Zeth and enters the room where Lis and Goldna are engaged with the goblin. As she enters, the goblin dashes up to Lis and punches him in the face, hurting more his pride than his face as he falls prone. The goblin then disengages as he darts past Lis and Goldna, knocking them out of the way.
Lis stands up as Zeth turns around and heads back to the end of the hall, takes out his light crossbow and hits the goblin right in the middle of his head. The goblin falls back, dead.
Lis opens the chest that the goblin was hiding behind, finding some copper and silver pieces. Goldna approaches as if to demand he give her the loot, but she winks at him instead. Zeth notices this happening and confronts them both, demanding Lis give them the money. Goldna makes him back down, threatening him a little.
Pil then states his regret for coming to the island, but Goldna reminds him of the job at hand and dares him to mutiny. Respecting Goldna, he straightens up and calms down.
Pil inspects the door across from the goblin room door and opens, cursing as he immediately sees a giant crab sitting on top of another treasure chest. They all scramble to kill the crab, and Rhime lands the final blow with her greatsword. Goldna opens the chest and finds 24 copper, a foldable pike, and a key, all of which she keeps.
They backtrack to the statue room and continue westward down the opposite hallway, coming to the locked door Pil shouted about earlier. Goldna tries the key that she'd found in the door and it unlocks, revealing another small chamber with a dais in very bad shape. Adjacent to this chamber, mirroring the other side of the temple, is another round room, this one with a dried pool in it.
Rhime and Lis hang back and chat about considering leaving the bandits once they make it back to the mainland. Goldna investigates the pool, finding the key they need to open the metal doors.
They head back toward the entrance of the temple and unlock the metal doors, revealing behind it some ancient steps, some of which are missing. Thick roots and vines entwine the winding passage upward.
As Goldna steps out onto the second floor, a goblin dagger nearly hits her, bouncing off the wall behind her. The group then engage with the goblins on this floor - it's a smaller room at the base of the pagoda, circular and with balconies jutting off from the room in each direction. There are four goblins here- Rhime unleashes some of her arrows, Pil follows suit with his light crossbow. Zeth dashes at one of them with his sword, missing a blow as the goblin moves around him to attack Lis. The goblin misses, but another throws his knife at Lis, rendering him unconscious. This causes something within Rhime to trigger, a longing related to a dream she had, riding on the back of a flying beast, and the feeling of completion. She decides that she will defend Lis, and fulfil whatever destiny awaits them both, for she can feel their fates intertwine. Zeth kills the goblin that just fell Lis, and stabilizes Lis with his potion of healing. Goldna and Pil finish off the two goblins they've been fighting. Lis, now conscious, regains his composure, thrusting his dancing shortsword into the last goblin standing, felling him right then and there.
They discuss that clearly the goblins have possibly found their horde which they are being paid by a shadowy personage to smuggle to Palma Flora. They decide they must rid the ruins of the goblins and hope to regain their cargo.
They continue up the stairs to the next level of the pagoda. Goldna, taking the lead, sneaks up and listens for any movement, and sure enough she can hear something running up the other side of the stairs to the top level above them. They rummage through this floor, finding a weapons rack with simple and unnoteworthy martial weapons, a few scrolls and books with scribbles in goblin-language, and some food and supply crates. They hurry up the stairs to the top level where their quarry is supposed to be.
On the top floor, they are confronted by three goblins- one minion, one warrior, and their leader who calls himself Dundalk Murkface. Behind him is the corpse of someone that Goldna recognizes- it's her fence that was charged with stashing the quarry here in the pagoda. Dundalk offers to spare them should they leave the tower immediately.
Lis notices that the crates are holding dragonpowder- a flammable substance that can be ignited by fire. Without hesitation he launches a fire bolt at the crates, causing a huge explosion which knocks back Dundalk, his warrior, Rhime and Lis, at the same time setting a massive fire to the roots and vines that entangle the ancient structure. Also in the process he injures Dundalk, the warrior, Rhime and himself, Rhime down piled on top of him and both prone. The fight then breaks out, with those who fell prone during the blast shaking the dust off of them as they stand up and attack each other. After a furious battle, Pil falls unconscious as Dundalk unloads his shortbow quickly at him and Rhime. Goldna, enraged, makes to attack Dundalk with her newfound pike, but just barely misses. Rhime sets her hunter's mark on Dundalk, strafes about the room, launching an arrow from her longbow at him. The arrow hits him dead in the chest, knocking him down and presumed dead as he bleeds out onto the floor. The fire around the room starts to dissipate, but some of the flames have reached the smuggler's quarry chest. Goldna leaps past the fallen Pil to grab the contents of the chest, burning herself in the process. Zeth angrily confronts her for not tending to their comrade and instead grabbing the loot. He punches her but she blocks it. She goes to strike back but Lis steps in and holds her back. She takes a deep breathe and reminds him that a fate much worse than death awaits them should they fail their quest to deliver the quarry. Rhime kneels down at the corpse of the fence and says a prayer to the Moonweaver for his soul to find rest in the light of the moon. In doing so, she notices a blood-stained scroll at his waist, and so she removes it, tucking it away in her bag.
The roots that had entwined themselves around the structure are now burned away and gone, which destabilizes the building. The floor shakes as the pagoda quivers. Zeth quickly searches Pil and finds his potion of healing, and putting it to Pil's lips he is revived and brought to his feet. They all quickly run down the stairs to the previous level of the Ki'Nau pagoda.
As they return to the floor below, they notice the goblin minion that had fled the fight with Dundalk rummaging through the books and scrolls scattered near the weapons rack. Lis chants the spell of charming, the goblin failing to prevent himself from falling under the spell. Lis commands the goblin to bring everything he's scrounged up and flee the temple with them.
They run out of the pagoda just as it collapses into itself, and where the 4 level tower used to stand, now a pile of rubble and plumes of dust and ash sailing up into the sky.
On the shores of the island lake, they confront the goblin. The goblin explains that their leader, Dundalk, had become obsessed with the treasure they found at the top of the temple. They initially were just treasure hunting, but when they killed the fence who was hiding the object, their leader went into a trance for days and had them seal off the temple. He killed several of his own brethren for no apparent reason, scribbling notes as he went mad.
Lis looks up at the plume of dust, noticing that the plumes have taken a vaguely dragon-like appearance.
Just as Goldna is about to kill off this goblin, Lis steps in again and stops her. They use Pil's last healing potion on the goblin and send him away.
They find a small raft nearby and use it to sail the river out to the tributary where the pirate ship is moored.
The sun sets behind them as they sail away from the Bisaft Isles and back toward the southmost tip of the Vezdali Peninsula. As they rest for the evening, Rhime explains to Lis about her vision and her commitment to whatever fate has in store for their shared destiny. Lis, feeling guilty for not feeling the same, but instead scared of death and of commitment, rests uneasily at the thought of the unknown in the times to come.
Meanwhile, in her captain's quarters, Goldna / Orriel unpacks the loot they desperately gathered in the pagoda's final moments. She unveils a lantern with a mysterious aura, and sets it aside. She also then unveils a dark orb, which, as she holds it, becomes entranced and totally fixated, her eyes darkening as they widen, her breath being slowly sapped out of her...
Da'leysen 19th of Brussendar 835 PD
The following morning Lis finds his sister Goldna passed out on the lower deck inside the ship.
At that same moment, Rhime witnesses two red and golden eyes glaring at her from beneath the water as she looks out to see from the deck of the locust.
Goldna tells them that she's not feeling well and that she will stay behind on the ship as pil and zeth will accompany Lis and Rhime ashore.
Seeking to avoid detection by the Zhelezo, the Locust drops anchor a couple miles out from the coast.
Taking a raft from the hidden locust to the south shore of the island town of Palma flora, the four of them rowing inland which takes them a couple hours to do so.
After they row ashore and anchor the raft, Pil and Zeth carry the cargo to a ship that's moored at the docks as Lis and Rhime walk off and enjoy a drink (queens water with mezcal and a Palma flora) at the riptide tavern. The two elves discuss how they are feeling about having been part of so much violence and that they are happy to have survived. Lis almost thanks Rhime for saving his life again, but then pivots as he expresses concern for his sister and the odd state that she was in the previous night.
Lis and Rhime then begin to wander the village, coming to the public square looked over by a statue of Kord the storm Lord. They witness a mother and two children throwing silver coins into the feet of the deity statue. They continue to stroll about town enjoying each other's company, sometimes chatting, sometimes in silence. They eventually come to the north West edge of the Island Town where a sheer 10-ft cliff overlooks a small channel that divides the island from the mainland. A few row boats and fishermen come to and fro, pastorally carrying out their tasks and enjoying the warm salty breeze.
They begin to walk back towards the center of town and pass a white robed, dark skinned teenager who looks at them with innocent curiosity as they pass. They visit the various vendors' stalls and look at the items that are being sold such as tropical fruits and shell and bead jewelry, etc. they suddenly hear commotion and fanfare coming from the South shores and so go to take a look. A crowd has gathered- there is a shark hunting competition going on as there are tents and seats set up all along the shore. The sun tanned citizens of Palma Flora sip delicious drinks, eating fruits and snacks and cheering for the shark hunters who are almost entirely nude and armed with spears. Rhime expresses how uncomfortable it makes her for people to celebrate the killing of animals. Lis, starting to feel drunk, just shrugs as he stares at the almost-naked hunters. He snaps out of it as he notices Zeth approaching.
Zeth fills them in on the current situation- the person who is supposed to receive the shipment that they have smuggled from the Bisaft isles is running late having left his crew at the docks while he enjoys some “company” at a nearby brothel just inland from the island town. They'll have to wait til morning in order to get receipt of their transport, otherwise the captain will have their heads. Lis excitedly takes us as an opportunity to party, Rhime begrudgingly in tow as he interacts with the town folk.
Night begins to fall and they return to the riptide inn seeking accommodations for the night. Lis tries to get his own room, which costs 5 silver, but Rhime only has gold coins, so they end up sharing a bunk bed room. They lay down to sleep, Lis passing out drunk as Rhime lays awake and lost in thought, wondering about her destiny and the dreams she’s had and how it all ties together.
Right as Rhime begins to drift to sleep in the early morning, they all are shaken awake by an intense earthquake!
Grissen 20th of Brussendar 825 PD, Elvendawn
Outside the inn the sounds of chaos erupt as the booming sound of the earthquake topples nearby huts. Jumping out of bed, both Rhime and Lis flee the inn as it collapses into itself.
Outside, the morning sky is blood-red as the sun barely has begun to peak over the horizon, sending red light into the clouds above. Giant waves have begun to wash over the shores and ocean waters have begun to overrun the town. The villagers scream as creatures inside the waves attack them. Lis looks into the waves and can see the fish-like scaly humanoid Sahuagin beings attacking villagers he recognizes as the shark hunters from the night before. Two of the hunters being attacked on the south shore are a half-elf and a tiefling, still in their shark-hunting skivvies.
Lis and Rhime run straight for the hunters being attacked by the sahuagin. Lis suddenly gets a flash in his mind- a brief headache with a screeching cry. He can tell that the balance of nature has been disturbed, and perhaps these creatures are attacking to defend their domain.
The sahuagins attack Elanza and Joao, injuring them both. Joao strikes back, barely making a nick on one of the sahuagins. Lis calls out to the shark hunters - “Stand down! These creatures are defending their habitat. The shark hunt must’ve invoked their wrath!”
Elanza yells back, “They’re going to kill us! We have no other cause than to defend ourselves!”
Lis attempts to cast a charm spell on Elanza, but she resists. Rhime sends a blessing of slashing resistance to Elanza. Lis then hears another scream. He looks to the northeast and sees Pil and Zeth fighting Sahuagin at the docks in the distance, taking damage from the sahuagins’ strikes. He then notices sharks beginning to swim in the flooded areas. The water in the flooded zones is about a foot deep, making Lis and Rhime slow on their feet while the attacking sea creatures maintain their swiftness.
Another one of the sahuagin attacks Joao but he dodges the sahuagin’s claw. At that same moment, one of the other creatures swipes their claws at Elanza, just barely missing her. Rhime notices some reef sharks beginning to approach their location, and yells out to Lis: “Sharks! Incoming!”
“We must run now! We must escape the island!” Lis yells.
“I’ll obliterate these beasts! The glory is all mine!” Joao yells, his red tiefling skin getting even redder with rage.
The water, now rising and beginning to swell around their knees, makes it even harder to run.
A sahuagin, noticing Joao’s building rage, dashes over to him and slashes at him with his claw. Joao yells with pain and anger as the sea creature’s claws tear into him, immobilizing him. Joao slumps over and falls face-first into the rising sea water.
“No! Joao!” Elanza cries out.
Lis tries to defend himself from an attack by one of the sahuagin. He winces in pain, taking its claws against his raised forearm. He then mutters the arcane words that summons the fog, twirling his hands as he tries to step away from the attacking creature without losing his footing. A thick fog surrounds Lis and spreads out from in a large radius, obscuring each of the creatures from their victims and each other.
“Follow the sound of my voice!” He yells.
“But Joao! I can’t leave him!” Elanza screams again.
Rhime, having kept a bead on Elanza as the fog closed in, runs up and grabs her.
Elanza disengages from fighting the sahuagin and lets Rhime drag her away, crying hysterically. The three of them make it to dry land despite the creeping water levels.
The sun breaks the horizon, shedding its light on the watery carnage. Clouds of blood swirl in the rising waters, the ruins of the town’s buildings littered with bodies and sahuagin cutting down whoever is left alive. Freaked out by the carnage, Elanza goes into a frenzy of tears as she starts shouting- “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I never meant to hurt anyone! I was just… just…” She breaks into another fit crying.
“We have to go, now!” Rhime shouts, sensing a new danger but unable to place it. Lis notices that the island is in fact sinking.
“The ship- it’s still there! The Wavechaser!” Elanza says, pointing at the dock where previously Lis has witnessed Pil and Zeth fighting the sahuagin.
A silk handkerchief with the sigil of Palma Flora embroidered in it tumbles past Rhime in the turbulent air. She grabs it and offers it to Elanza. “Will you come with us?” She asks the terrified half-elf.
Elanza replies with a quick nod, blowing her nose into the handkerchief.
The three of them run toward the docks as the sharks swim towards them, unable to reach Lis and the others standing outside of the water. One of the sahuagins emerges from the fog cloud and snarls as it sees the fleeing party, dashing toward them. Another swell of ocean waves push inward, surrounding the statue of Kord in the center of the island. A shark swims up, following the trail of blood coming from Lis’ arm, and sinks its teeth into his calf. “Godsdamnit!” He shouts at the shark. Elanza overcomes her frenzied state of shock, and as she comes around she dashes toward the dock where the Wavechaser is moored. The shark tries to swim up on Elanza, but she evades it as she’s now standing in ankle-deep water, the shark unable to swim in that depth. The pursuing sahuagin catches up to Rhime, who is standing in a defensive position. It strikes out at her but completely misses as Rhime ducks under the strike, drawing her greatsword as she lowers herself into a squat. A sahuagin slashes at Lis, cutting him down. Lis lowers to his knees, still conscious but in immense pain.
Rhime strikes with her greatsword but fumbles as she swings, the sahuagin dodging the blade.
Suddenly, the attacking creatures change course and swim out to sea in a southeastern direction.
Elanza mutters arcane words of healing, directing her voice at Lis. His wounds in his leg close up as Rhime grabs him from behind, pulling out of the water. “Why are you so squishy? What would you do without me…” Rhime teases.
The swelling of the sea seems to have slowed. Rhime and Lis close in on Elanza, who starts to walk into the shallow waters near the dock. On the dock is the white-robed young man Lis and Rhime saw yesterday. He shouts out to them, “Oy! Come up! We mean to sail away from this carnage! Are you able to walk?” Behind the robed boy comes a stern and weathered tabaxi woman- “I'll throw ye rope enough to pull yerselves up!” The tabaxi throws the rope, and the three of them pull themselves up onto the dock. At the end of the dock is a mutilated corpse. Lis recognizes him. “Pil!” He screams as the weathered taxabi shoves them across the gangplank and onto the Wavechaser. “We have to heal him! He’s one of my sister’s crew…” Lis pleads. “Aye, there be Goldna’s henchman… not ought we can do for him, I’m afraid. Too chewed up.”
The white-robed boy acolyte steps forth. “I tried… I tried to stabilize him… He’s…”
At that moment, the whole island shakes again.
“It’s now or never! Off we go!” the weathered man shouts as they all board the ship.
“If any of ye be sailors or know how anyways, man the jib! Hoist the sails! Away! Away!”
As the ship begins to push out, another swell of ocean pushes in, completely sinking Palma Flora, the ruins of the town’s various building jutting out from the waters. Some of spires of the remains of the buildings push over and crumble into the sea. Lis looks over the edge of the ship and sees the statue of Kord topple over into the engulfing waves. Just beyond the fallen statue, a mostly-intact house on the northwestern end of the island town stands above the water. On top of it Lis makes out the form of Zeth- standing upright, he looks to be clutching a makeshift sack but appears frightened. Sharks and sahuagin swim in circles around the building, waiting for the house to collapse and bring their Zeth to them so as to devour him. “Rhime! It’s Zeth! He’s on the roof over there!” He points to Zeth and the roof encircled by the sea creatures as Rhime looks in that direction. “Oh no…” She says.
Suddenly from behind them a tan-skinned human emerges from the cabin below and begins to shout. “Captain! We’ve got company astern!”
“Blast, I thought this might be the case… she has come!” The tabaxi says as she turns around and looks behind the ship. A round bubble-like object just below the water’s surface is closing in on the Wavechaser. “Take us forward! Full magewind ahead!”
Lis, who is bleeding but still on his feet thanks to Elanza’s magic, leans over the edge of the ship as it thrusts forward across the underwater town of Palma Flora. “Captain, we risk running aground!” the human shouts. “Kijori, I got this-” a new voice shouts from a half-orc druid in pirates’ clothes suddenly emerges, chanting prayers to the spirits of nature and of water. Sprinkling a pinch of dust from her side pouch and spitting, the words of her prayers boomingly echo forth and suddenly the ship pitches toward its bow, as the water levels rise almost twenty feet, lurching the ship forward. It is directly headed straight for the roof top where Zeth is standing, the water rising over the roof and almost to his feet and the sharks and sahuagin begin to close in. Lis, hanging over the edge of the ship, looks in terror as the ship narrowly misses the sunken house, as Rhime runs over from the center of the deck holding a rope and then tosses it out to Zeth. Suddenly, from behind Rhime, the white-robed acolyte dashes forward with his arms raised, clutching a metal spring and chanting a spell of levitation in an unfamiliar language. Zeth grabs the rope just as the Wavechaser sails past the roof as it is engulfed in the swelling sea water, the rope being pulled in by the acolyte’s magic and Zeth being kept dry. He makes it over the edge of the ship as the giant bubble-like swell chasing the ship reaches the underwater island, dealing a final blow to the remains of the island town.
As the Wavechaser sails west-then-south and away from the sunken island, Lis and Rhime look back at the waves and ripples begin to settle into a watery surface in the area where once the tropical holiday town of Palma Flora once stood….
Noon
As the ship sails away from the carnage of the destroyed Palma Flora, everyone who was lucky enough to be onboard the Wavechaser as the town was overrun all take a beat and rest while they can. All around Lis, Rhime and Zeth are the three surviving crew members of the Wavechaser, which they discover is a Revelry-operated ship and that her captain, the tabaxi woman known as “Three Earrings”, knows Lis’ sister Goldna (Orriel) and was in fact the contact which was meant to carry the smuggled quarry to the buyer after Goldna’s crew passed it along to her. They also discover that the quarry itself has been tampered with and what was supposed to be there was swapped out with a ringer. “This is not good,” Three Earrings says to them as she looks through the crates carrying the smuggled quarry. “I had no idea- honest! Those godsdamned goblin-folk, you see… they overran the hidin’ spot, and… fuck, it had to’ve been… it had to’ve… ah, for fucks sake!” Zeth yells. Despite his protests, which would have otherwise been seen as suspicious, Three Earrings is able to tell that Zeth is telling the truth. “Someone amongst Goldna’s crew did this, the ol’ switcheroo. Anyroads this ain’t the time to be castin’ aspersions and the like. We got injured folk that have a need ta lick their wounds I think! Kijori! Come here Kirjori!” Immediately the tan-skinned man approaches. “Sir!”
“Set a course southways for Brokenbank. Tis a place where we can lick wounds and contact our buyer. Deepest hells of ocean-kind, we’re in for some big trouble ahead, methinks…”
***
As the day drags on, Lis and Rhime sit with each other. “Really though, how did you get to be so squishy? It’s like you spent all the time in the Doralle Woods not fighting and growing strong.” Rhime taunts Lis.
“We don’t fight in Doralle; we learn the ways of nature and the magic inherent in its ways. We learn the magic to defend. You know, I was never cut out for all this physical combat.”
Zeth walks over and pokes a little fun at Lis. “All that time in the high and mighty tower of Ornatora, you must’ve gone soft!” Lis gets angry at this, as he doesn’t want people around to know that he comes from wealth. “Keep it down, will ya? I left that life a long time ago. Rather, it left me when my mother died.”
“Look kid, I’m an orphan, and whatever it is my mother left me- it’s all I got. And all I got, see, it’s my life. One I’ve been given back here and there, even when I didn’t deserve it. So be thankful.” Zeth replies as he takes a long swig of rum from a bottle. “I ain’t mean you no harm, elf. I’m forever indebted to your sister. See, she’s saved my life more than once. I’m hoping you got some of that same spark in ya.”
“Speaking of which, should we try and make contact with Goldna and the Locust? I’m worried she’s been attacked as well.” Rhime chimes in.
“Likely not, missus…” A feline voice from behind them comes.
Captain Three Earrings approaches as she walks down the steps from the helm deck. “Ya see, these sahuagin, they’re a tribe, jus like the rest of us. They got turf and plunder enough to defend like us all, aye. Those people, them tanned naked folks hunting sharks for sport- angered the sea people, they did.” The tabaxi pirate gets close to Lis and looks deep into his eyes, stares a moment, and moves on to Rhime as she continues.
“See here, somethin’s fishy alright. Not with you lot. But your circumstances. I put up the beacon, and any Revelry ship this side of ‘Zandria would come full mast, wizard wind a blowin’ full speed in their black sails. Goldna didn’t come. Somethin’ is up, aye, aye…”
“Do you think she’s been attacked by the sahuagin?” Lis asks.
Three Earrings then puts her paw-like hands on Zeth’s shoulder and gently grabs the rum bottle from him.
“Helped yerself to me stock, ey?” She laughs with the faint purring sound coming from her upper chest. “Not to worry, I’d’ve offered ye anyroads… here’s to the dead, and to us not yet dead…” She swigs a massive gulp, then unleashes a loud snarling yowl, making Rhime and Lis uneasy yet intrigued..
“I have a proposition for ye all, if you’d hear me.”
Lis and Rhime look at each other and shrug. “Sure.”
“Meet us in me quarters down below, fifteen minutes. Got some quick business to attend first, then we talk. An’ bring yer thirsts, I’ll be pourin’ drinks aplenty!” And with that Three Earrings heads below after shoving the almost-empty rum bottle back in Zeth’s hands.
“Well what do you think that was about?” Zeth asks.
After a short moment of silence, Zeth slugs the rum again as Lis and Rhime keep their gazes at the deck, curious and lost in the moment.
“Right then,” Zeth then goes down the stairs into the ship as Rhime wanders off, scanning the horizon, seeing nothing but an ironically calm ocean.
Lis wanders the deck, looking at the few survivors who were able to board the Wavechaser. He comes across the young white-robed acolyte.
“Elf! My goodness, what a nightmare. What wrath have we brought upon ourselves?” the young devotee says.
“Nature is fickle and delicate. Its balance is quite sensitive. I’ve spent much time in the cities, getting drunk and ripping folks off. And every time, it comes back to me. Every time, I think I’ve evaded the results of my actions. And every time it bites me in the ass. I learned that simple truth while living in the woods. Earlier today, I had a feeling there on the shore, that something was deeply wrong, and I couldn’t see it the night before. The strong drink and sensory pleasures, they can’t be ignored… but oh how they lead you from seeing the obvious truth right in front of you.”
The acolyte boy just stands there blinking, totally zoned out by Lis’ rambling.
“Mayhap you are correct, sir. But honestly most of that went direct past my ears. Very sorry.”
“Yeah, no worries. I’m not sure what’s going on, other than nature clearly has been thrown out of balance. That tabaxi seems to think it was the shark hunting that did it.”
“Yes, clearly the sahuagin are inextricably linked to the sharks. It seemed like they were at their every beckoned call, like hunting dogs. The shark hunters thus became the hunted.”
“Yes. Well anyways, thanks for helping us. And for helping my buddy there, Zeth. He might be a pirate, and an asshole, but he’s certainly got it where it counts. It’s too bad about Pil, though. He came around. Though the first time we met, he was holding a blade to my throat, but that’s all in the past…”
“Indeed it is. Oh, how rude of me, my name is Aurelio. Priest of the Storm Lord on Palma Flora. Formerly, that is.”
“I’m Liswyn. Call me Lis. Thanks again kid.”
Lis affectionately puts his hand on Aurelio’s shoulder, and then heads below deck to meet with Three Earrings.
While Lis was chatting with Aurelio, Rhime came upon a dwarf man sitting on his own, weeping, his red beard wet with tears.
“My friend, you have experienced such sorrow today…” Rhime says, attempting to calm the weeping dwarf.
“And what of it! Your silver words wont bring back my wife and child, elf!” the dwarf retorts.
“True. But in the new era of your life, certainly you can find a shoulder to cry upon until the wells of your tears run dry…”
The Dwarf stands up on his feet. “Again, what of it! Go vomit platitudes at someone else, you pale bitch!” The dwarf then begins to weep again.
Rhime grabs the dwarf and embraces him as he cries louder, now almost sounding like a hungry child. After a few minutes, he is calmed.
“I… I… I’m sorry I said that. Don’t know what’s come over me…”
“No apologies required for the natural feelings of sadness. They come and go like waves, sometimes small ripples, other times big waves. Rest assured, dwarf, that you will have sunnier times ahead, filled with happy memories of what once was. The pain will never leave but in time it will lose its control over you. The Moonweaver smiles on those who despair at the illusion of loss and gain.”
The dwarf fumbles back, looking down, almost like a shamed child who’s been reprimanded for something he knows he’s done wrong.
After a small moment, while Rhime gently looks at the sad dwarf, she prays to Sehanine to ease the emotions of this sad creature. She suddenly is struck by a feeling of awareness of the interconnectedness of the sorrows of all creatures, and that the cycle of vengeance begets only more vengeance.
“Perhaps you are right, pale elf… for now, I mourn.”
“And mourning will bring you ease. Where I come from, we mourn for weeks, even in the most joyous of deaths.”
“Joyous of deaths? What in calamity kind of place do you come from?”
“No, what I mean is, even the easy passing of an elder, as in, not a sudden or unexpected death. We take seriously the passing of all creatures. We mourn the creatures we cull for our food. We mourn the bugs we kill when we harvest and forage. All is part of the great turning, the great cycle. All is a delicate dance of balance.”
The dwarf looks up at her. “Ah, fuck it, elf, you done came and said the right thing at the right time.” He wipes his eyes dry with his chubby hands. “I’m Erdmond, from Trostenwald; originally by way of Marquet. But I guess I got a new life ahead of me now. Where do you think we’re headin’, Bisaft? This here caravel won’t take us father than Bwualli, I’m guessin’...”
Rhime looks off into the horizon facing south again, beyond the bow of the Wavechaser.
“I’m not sure where we’re heading. And I guess that’s okay.”
Erdmond smiles, and then nods.
“Aye, most likely.”
***
The tabaxi captain Three Earrings awaits Lis, Rhime and Zeth in her cabin. Eventually the three meet up in the galley and walk into Three Earrings’ quarters.
“Here here, sit, sit…” she says as the three of them enter. One of the captain’s mates, the human male Kijori, enters the room to join the conversation. “This is Kijori, one of the last of me mates who lived through the happenin’s as of late. He’s a navigator, and as much as I miss my other crew, died valiantly or deep in a whore or whatever, thank the wyrm mother, for he’s to get us where we need be goin’, and in good timin’ too.” Rhime glares at Three Earrings when she mentions the “wyrm mother”, but decides not to assume anything by it.
“Anyroad, here’s what I’m proposin’. Ye say yer sister is Captain Goldna of the Locust. Well, I know ye ain’t a carved initiate of the mighty Revelry- no, I take it yer a hero of sorts. Ye fancy savin’ folk and the like, much like ye did this fellow here.” Three points at Zeth.
Lis nervously swallows as he quickly tries to prepare his answer. “A hero? No. Her, maybe,” he nods over to Rhime, who is intently watching Three. “But I’m no hero. I try to do well and I fall. Standing upright again, I fall again. I’m tethered to the cycles of my own bullshit. But I have given all what’s left of my faith to nature and her kaleidoscopic cycles, because that’s all that’s really real to me anymore.” Rhime looks over at Lis as he explains this.
“Aye, right there- you said it, elf: Nature indeed. Tis what brought the tide of retribution upon the Flora Isle. Them shark hunters- notice they took the brunt of the sahuagins’ wrath.” The tabaxi pirate slams down five small cups and a dark green glass bottle, corked and wax-sealed. Before their eyes her claw cuts through the wax swiftly as the cork flings away and she’s already pouring them all dark rum into all five cups.
“From me personal, personal stash…” Three says as she eyes Kijori. “Been waitin’ too long to taste this finest, have ya Kijori? Well no matter, we drink again and again!” She raises her cup as each one of them raises theirs as well. Three gulps her cup instantly, as Zeth grimaces as the rum burns his throat. Kirjori sips his cup. Rhime takes a sip and immediately starts coughing, Lis chuckling at her as he sips his.
“Forgive me, but what exactly are you proposing, Captain,” Lis says between two contented sips.
“We return to the isle, find the missing quarry ye were supposed to deliver, and find the underwater bitch who massacred the town…”
Rhime slams her cup down before yelling, “Whoever brought down that wrath… vengeance, or whatever… it’s not like the causes weren’t already there! It’s sad, it really is, sadder than it seems on the surface… the townsfolk of Palma Flora may not have known the extent of their actions, but they carried them out regardless! That’s the way of nature! That’s always been the way of nature! I’m not sure why you’d want to go back, but if it’s to save your own hide, then just admit that!”
Lis looks over at Rhime and tries to give her a face that lets her know to stand down. An awkward silence befalls the captain’s quarters as sunlight streams through the distorted glass windows. Zeth tries to hold back a cough.
The tabaxi then lets out a laugh that almost sounds like a caterwaul. “The spirit on ye, pale-as-the-moon elf! I like it! Fair is fair- save the town, capture the loot: either way, that’s where this ship is headin’, not before a resupply and decent rest at a port ‘o call. We can try an’ locate the mislaid sister of the fancy elf boy here, and then off ye go if that’s what ye be desirin’. Anyroad, yer stuck with me for the time bein’. Only thing me an’ me two mates here need to know is, will it be willingly?”
Just then the female half-orc druid from above deck walks into the room. Rhime and Lis look nervously at each other, as Zeth shoots the remains of his rum down his gullet.
“Well count me, a pirate’s a pirate, and if there’s to be treasure, yeah I’m with you Captain.” Zeth says, stepping forward.
“What the hell Zeth?” Lis says.
“What? We just met. Just cuz you’re Goldna’s kid brother doesn’t mean you and I are kin. You do what you want, elf.” Zeth retorts.
Three Earrings laughs again. “Very well. And what of ye, moon-face?” She says, directed at Rhime.
Rhime looks down at her mostly-full cup, the dark rum rippling as the ship slightly keels over the waves of the Lucidian Ocean underneath the hull. She then looks again at Lis and smiles slightly as she steps forward. “Perhaps there are survivors. And if not, well… maybe we can find something to memorialize them.”
Lis rolls his eyes. “Everytime we set off, I almost die.”
“Then stay in the back row, squishy elf boy!” Zeth chuckles as he teases Lis.
“Right! Kijori, Dajarkal, it is settled. We will return to the isle after a resupply and brief shore-leave. On the double!” the tabaxi pirate growls are her two mates.
Lis and Rhime, reflecting on their experiences, attain level 3.
And with that, the Wavechaser sails south at top speed, Dajarkal casting druidic wind magic into the sail as Kijori mans the helm. Three Earrings stays in her cabin, drinking more and more, as Lis and Rhime meet up with Elanza again, who is sitting with Aurelio. They talk amongst the four of them. “Why would we return? I won’t go back… I can’t!” tears begin to well up in Elanza’s eyes. “Dear Elanza, please understand… there may be survivors yet!” Aurelio offers with the intention of soothing the upset half-elf. “I watched Joao get ripped apart in front of me! Why in Storm’s mighty name would I ever go the fuck back?” Elanza replies, to which Aurelio attempts again: “He was cut down in battle, which is itself a great honor. You know this! As a hunter you know this. The Storm Lord smiles on such things. Sad as it may leave us, we can smile in the light of his glory as a fighter.” Elanza then breaks back into many tears.
“Well this doesn’t seem to be going well. Hey, Aurelio, maybe just, ya know, save it for another time…” Lis interjects. “Weren’t you just weeping platitudes about nature and cycles to me? How come when I do it you mock me?” Aurelio says to Lis.
“Anyways,” Lis says, ignoring Aurelio’s comment. “I think I need to send a message to my sister. Maybe I can convince her to meet up with us in the sunken village. We could use the help.” He says. He pulls out a tiny parchment and starts to write something.
Rolling the note, Lis steps away from the small group and stands in the middle of the deck, the eyes of the refugees watching him as he recites the old woodelf prayers that summon a helpful spirit in the form of a wild companion. Suddenly a raven comes to him as if from out of nowhere and lands on his arm.
“A familiar! How auspicious!” Aurelio exclaims as Elanza looks up in wonder. “Well well, that’s a neat trick…” she says, beginning to forget her tears.
Lis whispers in the raven’s ears, “Find my sister Orriel on the ship the Locust and bring her this message!” He slips a scroll into its talon, then it flies off to the north.
“If I didn’t know you I’d say you were showing off, but I do know you enough now, and you are showing off…” Rhime says to him.
The Wavechaser remains steady on course southwards, as the day slowly moves toward night. As the sun begins to set,
That night, both Lis and Rhime have a dream from Corellon. They witness the entire forests, fields and mountains surrounding Gwardan on fire. A vengeful red winged spirit flies over the Menagerie coast, laying ruin and flames to all they know and hold dear. “She is mine! She will bring you to me!” the spirit says.
Whelsen 21st of Brussendar 835 PD
Lis and Rhime wake up the next morning just as the Wavechaser pulls into port at Brokenbank. A labyrinth of docks and wooden walkways sits on the surface of the water with all manor of seafaring vessel moored to them. The planks are littered with many different people from all over the world. The Concordian Zhelezo in their flamboyant regalia search the various cargos of the various ships and their colorful crews.
Just beyond the docks is the town of Brokenbank. Grey-brown adobe and stucco buildings are warm in the morning sun as their banners and canopies wave in the sea’s breeze. Rhime’s eyes light up as she sees various races of Exandrian inhabitants previously unencountered by her. She sees a family of half-shelled turtles, a crew that is comprised of firbolgs and the bird-like Aarakocra, and a band of militant-seeming Dragonborn of various metallic gradients. Orcs, elves, dwarves, and humans also move to and fro, donning various attires that create a rainbow-like display. The smells of ocean salt air and distant meats being cooked along with all types of spices like curry and sage excites Rhime. She exuberantly expresses her joy to Lis, who’s too hungry and jaded to reciprocate the enthusiasm.
Captain Three Earrings tells them to be back on the ship by sundown, as they will make way for the sunken island at full speed tonight.