(05.02.2024)

Beasanport
After we defeated the crabs and people settled down, the major offered us 40 gold per person to find out what happened to those sailors and how to stop it. He even went so far as to offer us a house in the town which our group, very much the travelers, politely declined. We were open to books (Lyra), shiny things (Casmos) and the like, however.

Lyra tried to convince the captain to take us to the island in question by boat. However, as she gave him a beer to lift his spirits, it turned out to be the last one from the beer drinking contest, called “Death Ale” and laced with hallucinogenics. The sailors were out immediately, while Mir, who also had one, had the time of his life!

Nevertheless and inexplicably, the captain still agreed to take us there in the morning. Also because he needed to find out what happened to his own boat.

But first – a visit to the “Menagerie”, a sort of animal circus. The first animal, a “displacer beast”, turned out to be nothing but an unhappy panther with fake tentacles. Next, some Almirajs (fey bunnies with a unicorn horn). Gigi tried to steal one, Lyra tried to put them to sleep to embarrass the circus. But both got caught and kicked out together with Casmos. Immediately they decided that the animals needed to be freed! At the right moment, the three went to the cages, where Casmos damaged the lock with Shape Water and Gigi opened it completely with her knitting needles. We freed the bunnies that way, but the panther would be too dangerous to just let loose, so we would eventually just told the newspaper and hoped it would play out well.

Meanwhile, Eldara and Mir had a little talk where it emerged that he apparently got left behind by his people – possibly his family in the Feywild – before he shut down the conversation.

At the Inn, Gigi gave the Almiraj to Eldara, who named it Pointy.

The next day, we took off in a little boat called The Rolling Bean. The island was about an hour away, but soon we discovered the captain’s boat anchored along the coast right in front of a cave. As we approached, something stirred in the boat and we were promptly attacked by four fish creatures (Sahuagin) and a very ugly, slimy, scaly, bony, thin, blue sea… woman (?).

The fish creatures rocked our boat, trying to throw us out. Casmos froze one partially in a very big ice cube. Mir did his choppy thing while teleporting between the boats, in what seemed to be an uncontrollable side effect of his rage.

Eldara cast her spiritual weapon for the first time, which turned out to be a sickle with a blade in the shape of the moon - just like the actual moon’s shape at the moment: Crescent, half moon, full moon…

As Gigi finally killed the sea woman, the remaining two escaped immediately.

Quotes:
- OK I’ll deal with the seamen
- Say-who-again (Sahuagin)
- Pointy -> “Hello horny”
- Liefershando
- “My bunny is over the ocean..”

1 Marpenoth (Continued)

(19.3.2024)

As the noise oft he fight died down, we heard a voice faint voice from inside the cave. We called out and had quite some back and forth with it before we decided hesitantly to go check it out.

After a few feet, the narrow entrace opened up into a big cave. We visited the different nooks and crannies, carefully avoiding the direction the voice came from, which grew quite impatient with us.

In one side cave we discovered a shipwreck with engravings that reminded us of the bowl the water elemental came from two days ago. In the ancient remains of some quarters, Casmos found a diadem made out of corals and pearls and put it on.

Finally, we arrived at a 10 foot ledge and on it, discovered a sea creature (Marrow) tied to an anchor. We learned that it was called Zale and was send by Ostaroth to retrieve the diadem that Casmos was wearing now. It threatened Casmos, should he not give the diadem to it. We had a loooong discussion about what to do with it and while the creature became more and more annoyed, the water in the cave was, unnoticed by us, slowly rising.

Casmos fled, followed by Gigi, to our boats. Mir, Lyra and Eldara stayed behind at first, still in discussion what to do with the Marrow. No rogue, no shape-water spellcaster, it was quite difficult to free it. Mir started hacking at its wrist, almost damaging his glaive, Lyra tried to lockpick with a fishbone. Eventually we got the lock open, upon which Zale attacked Mir to get even for the attempted mutilation.
We were STILL discussing, this time how to restrain him. Eventually, Zale just left. We tried to shoot him on his way out and he left with a promise “I will come back for you!”

Back at the boats, Mir threatened Casmos never to leave him behind again.
Meanwhile, a storm was brewing, so we rowed back to the port to try again the next day. Casmos slowly started to display some strange behavior, watching and pondering the sea more and more.

We arrived at the port and an exhausted Eldara kept smelling her bunny for comfort. Eventually she convinced the others to join, much to the confusion of the captain.

Gigi went to the newspaper to recount our tale. The editor was thankful for the scoop and asked us to come up with a name for our group as soon as possible.

Next, some went to the house of one of the sailors who were turned into a crab, but he didn’t really know any more than the captain. At least him and his wife invited us to stay for dinner.

Casmos, meanwhile, went to the seaside, looking out on the ocean. Eldara followed and they had a little talk. Casmos was very hurt and upset that first, the group released the Marrow even though it threatened Camos. And to add insult to injury, that Mir threatened him afterwards when Casmos escaped from the scene.

He was now seriously considering if he wanted to stay with the group at all.

It started to rain, and Casmos moved a little closer to the ocean to spend the night. Eldara stayed with him, at a distance. After a while, Casmos fell asleep, dreamt dreams of water, of a voice that promised revenge, promised … anything! It took the distant shape of the moon maiden, or a similar figure.

In the real world, Eldara saw him feverishly dreaming and shook him awake. Casmos was awake, and confused. He realized something was trying to deceive him. Eventually, Eldara dragged him away from the water…

Quotes:
- Fish people – their story is fishy
- Zale is a guy who has a reputation for retrieving shiny stuff – a Golden Retriever
- Eldara smells bunny -> Mir: Can I taste it? -> No you cannot lick it! -> Lyra: I don’t think he asked about licking -> Gigi: Lick it, then it’s yours! -> Casmos licks the diadem