Session+86

** Session 86 ** **3/6/16** **Delving into the Underwater City of Dark Secrets and the Heroic Rescue of Azarius's mother**

The group stepped onto the deck of the orc pirate ship, returning from their rest in Azarius's magic mansion. The ship reeked of orc. The sea glowed with an eery green witchfire, and the scent of death and fish filled the air. "Do you want us to hold position here?" Throndir joined them on the deck. Erevin glanced at the water, "Unless you can transform the boat to take us underwater." "I'm afraid not," he shook his head, "Though I've heard of ships that can do that."

A pearlescent tentacled temple could be seen shining below. Erevin and Posy slipped on their underwater pearl helmets. Wren wove a breathe-water spell over Thorn, Kale, and Shri. Uther and Trieste agreed to stay behind with the pirates. Ursus, Mali, and Wren shapeshifted into water elementals as everyone leapt into the water.

Several hundred feet down, there were ruined buildings embraced by pink coral, seaweed, and kelp. Shambling forms moved in the watery streets, and clouds of jellyfish swam around in seemingly guard patrols. Azarius knew there was only one way into the temple...

 Thorn stealthed silently through the water to scout out the area, finding some scattered zombies shambling about... likely once dead sailors or merchants. The outskirts seemed deserted, but there was several nice items in the buildings... golden framed paintings, silverware, and solid gold treasures... but Azarius's warning of caution filled his head. The charismatic sorcerer had looked at him so seriously, "Thorn... everything down there is cursed... it all comes with a price... you might be able to pocket several valuable items... and you might even make it home with them... but there will come a day when you pay the price." Azarius had tapped his breastplate and let his tentacles uncurl from under his robes to be sure his point had been made... it was enough that it kept the young rogue's hands in his pockets. As he moved from one building to another, he seen one of the clouds of "jellyfish" travel overhead... but as he looked closer, the creatures weren't jellyfish, but were actually the tentacled masks that attached to faces to possess people! A shudder went through the halfling and he hugged close to the shadows.

Squid-headed naked men statues paired off around an archway to the temple, and the enormous kraken was there guarding the entry. Graceful mer-cats were swimming in patrols off to both sides. It was dim, lit only by some phosphorescent algae that gave off a purplish glow and green witch fire... with most of the light coming from the blue glow of the surface.

Thorn returned to the group, describing everything with great detail. Wren wove a slipstream spell over Posy, Kale, Thorn, and Erevin to help them move through the water easier, and everyone moved in carefully. Azarius began summoning a huge water elemental. He could feel a strange magic that effected dimensional magic. Posy charged in and smashed her axe into one of the zombies, taking it's head off. Erevin shot a brilliant energy arrow into the other zombie, dropping it. The group sent Wren and Mali to pulverize a smaller water elemental. "You want me to hit him with my watery fists?! That seems so... brutish... I feel ridiculous," the young witch shook her head. "You can totally do this," Kale nodded to her encouragingly, "I have faith in you." Wren frowned, still not feeling it... and she went up slapping her hands in front of it rather uselessly. Erevin shook his head, and covered Inali's eyes with his hand as the little mermaid stayed back behind him. Mali did much better, moving up beside the witch to slam both of her watery fists into the smaller water elemental and ripped it apart! Wren gawked at the druidess, "Oh! So that's how that's done..." Mali nodded and began summoning an additional 3 huge water elementals, feeling the same strange magic that Azarius did. Wren wove a protective ward over Thorn.

Azarius wove a haste spell around all of his companions. Erevin swam quickly up to the building, seeing a mer-cat around the corner. Wren slipped up closer, and sent a bolt of cold directly into the kraken as Kale and Posy teamed up, charging the mer-cat. Thorn swam among the crowd of his companions, moving up so he could see as Mali's huge water elementals sped past him to swarm around the kraken. The druidess began summoning again. Azarius sent his water elemental to join Maliumpkin's, all of them keeping the kraken busy with their slamming watery fists! He moved to join his companions and wove invisibility around himself.

Erevin sent a barrage of energy arrows to kill 2 zombies! Wren attempted to put a retribution hex over the kraken, but he shook it off as he battled against the wall of water elementals around him. Posy and Kale battled against one of the seacats, but one of the kraken's tentacles reached out to scrape against the barbarian gnome. The little gnome in a fury of rageful strikes shredded the seacat, turning the water red! Thorn used his daggers to kill one of the zombies.

A pod of orcas answered Mali's call, joining the elementals against the kraken, and the young druidess began summoning a darkened cloud of lightning. The water elementals continued to beat against the legendary squid as it fought back with it's long tentacles, crushing away one of them. A water elemental slammed into Kale while another mercheetah scratched and bit into Wren's water elemental form.

Azarius wove a mage armor around himself as his elemental continued to beat on the kraken. A zombie shambled its way toward Erevin who put him down, the elven ranger continuing to fire energy arrows into the 2 water elementals beating on Kale and Posy. Shri moved up to join Erevin, Inali staying behind them. Wren moved up to send a bolt of cold through the mercheetah and a water elemental as Cirdan pierced her watery form to pour blood back into her, healing her.

Posy used her axe to take one of the mercats down as Kale pierced into a water elemental, another mercheetah biting into the warrior. Thorn shredded another of the mercats, stealthing up behind it. The water elementals and orcas continued to bite and pound into the kraken as Mali called down a bolt of lightning that the enormous squid didn't seem to notice.

A whispered voice came into Posy's ears, "Kill the druidess!" but the young gnome shook off the spell, refusing to succumb to the kraken's commands. Water elementals beat on the barbarian and warrior as one of the sealions bit into the witch.

A powerful green beam shot through the water from Azarius disintegrating the mercheetah attacking Wren, violently removing it from existence! Erevin sent another barrage of energy arrows, taking down one of the water elementals while Posy took down the other. Wren took down a zombie with a lightning wreathed arrow from Cirdan while Kale finished off a mercat.

The water elementals and orcas continued to beat on the kraken who continued to tear at them with his beak and tentacles. Mali brought down a powerful flamestrike, the divine energy burning into the legendary squid who sent out a blackened ink that darkened the water all around him, filling the area with a sickly poison. Thorn pulled back out of the building, holding his stomach and looking green from the inky poison. Wren looked weak as her body churned in a sickly swirl of inky water, Kale guiding her back toward Mali swimming within her as he helped to direct her. Erevin and Posy shrugged off the poison, but Shri looked sickened as well.

Somewhere in the blackened water, the kraken finally fell to the swarming elementals and orcas. Azarius skirted around the cloud, moving closer toward the temple as Ursus finished off the zombies on the other side. Erevin took the hands of Shri and Inali, pulling back out of the blackened water to see them both looking pale and sick. Posy backed out of the inky water, joining Erevin and the girls.

"Mali..." Wren called back as she moved with Kale up to the watery form of the druidess. Mali neutralized the poison on the witch, welcoming her with watery arms. Thorn fought the nausea, coming out of the cloud near Wren and Mali, and looking weaker and paler. Erevin and Posy guided Shri and Inali back to the others to regroup. Mali cured the priestess from her poison, and Thorn used an antitoxin to fight it off. Shri cured Inali from the poison. Azarius commanded his water elemental to swirl as he dismissed it back to it's plane, ridding the area of the blackened ink.

Shri pulsed out cooling moonlight that healed everyone, and the group moved up to explore the darkened archway of the temple entrance. Light seemed to be swallowed by the darkness. Thorn slipped quietly through the shadowy entrance, stopping as he passed through... his face barely into the light enough to see a wall of shimmering motes... able to see through the wall, he could see the sorcerer who had escaped the pirate ship above tracing an ornate squid handled knife over the body of a woman he could only guess was Azarius's mother.

The halfling came back and described the scene to everyone else. Wren frowned, furrowing her brows, "It sounds like a magical suppressing wall... I've only heard of such a thing... very high level... it suppresses all spells and magic items that pass through it. It doesn't last long, mind you... but we would be without any magic in that temple. It will be difficult, as I'm sure a powerful person casted it... but let me at least try to dispell it first. I will do my best. Give me a second before you follow me in." The young witch stepped into the shadows, muttering phrases and weaving her magic to dispell the darkness and the shimmering wall.

As soon as the wall and darkness fell, a powerful green beam shot from the other side to impact the watery form of the witch... leaving just a mist of her elven corpse to hang in the water. With the wall down, Erevin tumbled into the doorway, directing Shri and Inali to care for the witch. Spotting Myrna Chaat, still named to his bow, he took the shot to pierce an energy arrow into her stony skin. Shri breathed life back into the elven witch, gathering her unconscious form into her arms. The sorcerer's body guard ran up to meet Erevin and ran his blade into the ranger. Mali whirled through with great speed, passing Erevin and the warrior to send out a storm of lightning bolts into everyone beyond the archway except for Erevin and Azarius's mother on the altar. Kale took Wren's body from Shri and pulled her back outside of the temple.

Posy charged through the archway, clashing into the bodyguard warrior on the other side with her axe, fire billowing off of it! Thorn slipped through the archway, using the shadows to move into position to team up with Posy. Azarius stepped through the archway, casting haste over his companions. The high level sorcerer wove his magic, dispelling all of the spells on the invading heroes disrupting his ceremony.

 Mali faded back into her halfling form... her, Thorn, and Shri no longer able to breathe water. Myrna stepped around the corner out of Erevin's bow sight and sent a bolt of lightning into Maliumpkin. The bodyguard warrior turned to slash his blade into the gnome barbarian rushing him with her axe, heavy gashes slipped through her armor to splash blood over the shiny metal. Erevin stepped to fire arrows into Myrna, carefully aiming past the rogue covering her. Shri quaffed a water breathing potion, staying behind her elven ranger.

Mali quickly reshaped into a water elemental, breathing in, and backed up toward the entrance. Ursus, still in his water breathing form outside of the temple, wove a spell of healing over the witch in Kale's arms, bringing her back to conscious enough to thank him. Azarius, still standing in the archway, noticed tentacles within the coral entrance starting to close up the opening, "Everyone who is going in... needs to get inside the temple, the door is closing."

Thorn quaffed a water breathing potion, and engaged his boots of speed, to move quickly through the room toward the ritual altar to see an eyeball open up along the side to blink at him... More eyes were carved along the altar among tentacles. Myrna attempted to draw in Erevin, "Such a beautiful elf... Don't you want to be on our side?" He shook it off, the luck of the druidess nearby helping to keep him focused. The rogue covering Myrna charged forth to pierce into Erevin with precise strikes! The powerful sorcerer wove another magic spell to cancel the spells on the companions once again...

 Mali again faded to her halfling form, but several others were thankfully out of range of his spell. The young druidess scowled in his direction, flipping him off with a watery hand as she re-transformed into a huge water elemental. Erevin turned his bow to the rogue, taking a slight step back, and pierced him with a double strike of nearly fatal arrows. Shri dashed forward, barely holding her breath, and flashed into the form of Erevin's moonblade returning to his sheath and washing over him with a powerful full heal. Kale, still holding Wren, ran with Ursus through the archway to enter the temple before the door closed. Looking around quickly, the young witch wove a hex of retribution over the large warrior engaged with her gnome barbarian friend.

Posy in a full fury rage, gashed deeply into the warrior bodyguard with a double strike of her axe. Thorn pulled out his duplicate and double teamed against the powerful sorcerer at the back of the room, dealing powerful strikes through the protective magic that lashed back at him. A massive celestial shark answered Azarius's call, and the sorcerer wove another haste over all of his companions.

The rogue in angry return, drove both of his daggers into the elven ranger, pulling back as blood ran down Erevin's chest. The elven prince was paling, but still held tight to his bow. The powerful sorcerer and Myrna stepped back, the sorcerer sent a powerful green beam into Thorn... the rogue seized the opportunity, to strike his dagger into the sorcerer, again taking fire damage from the shield just before the green beam struck... his life flashed before his eyes, knowing that this was his death... but his duplicate shoved him out of the way, taking the beam for him and faded away.

An electrical beam came from Myrna's hands, striking into the huge watery form of Maliumpkin! The immense warrior slashed into Posy, taking massive wounds from the retribution, and fell over to his own death as the gnome still stood in a rage, covered in blood! Erevin glanced briefly at the moonblade back in his sheath, and sent another barrage of energy arrows into the rogue, leaving his body to hang lifeless in the water. Mali sent out a magical heal to wash over herself and her companions.

Wren pointed to the end of the hall, and nodded to Kale, "Go and help Thorn." She and the elven warrior moved quickly to put the sorcerer and Myrna in their sights. Inali stayed behind near Erevin. Posy breathed hard, dripping blood, and moved up behind some rock cover on her way to her next target. Thorn pulled away from the sorcerer, moving back around the altar. The massive shark gnawed its massive teeth into the powerful sorcerer, scooping him up and swallowing him whole! It's face contorting slightly from the fiery protection of magic around its victim. Myrna began weaving her magic, but Wren, poised and ready, recognized the Horrid Wilting spell and countered with her own to dispell it.

Erevin moved around the corner and sent another arrow into Myrna's stony skin. Mali whirled up near Thorn, weaving her magic over him to heal him. Kale moved up to help the rogue slash through the eyes on the altar where Azarius's mother still laid unconscious while Wren remained watchful over Myrna. Thorn began unlocking the manacles around the unconscious woman. The shark gnashed his gigantic teeth at Myrna, but the sorceress moved back, her stony flesh deflecting his biting. Azarius sent magic missiles at Myrna, but a protective shield deflected them. Myrna wove another spell, but Wren was again watching and ready to dispell her before she could again wipe the magic from her companions.

Erevin sent a barrage of energy arrows into Myrna, still named to his bow and the only remaining opposition in the room. Shredded, the sorceress fell lifeless, exploding outward in a blast of lightning that the ranger managed to avoid, but struck into Posy!

Mali wove another mass healing spell over everyone, bringing Azarius's mother to conscious to see Thorn still unlocking her manacles, "What's going on?" Wren looked over the room to see the arched entry of the temple close fully... there were a few different passageways still open to move further in to wherever this place was trying to lead them. The sorcerer finally broke free of the shark, weaving a spell around him to stop time... seemingly vanishing from their sight.

Erevin tracked the area to find a passageway with a stairway down near to where the sorcerer was, nimbly dodging aside as blades struck out from the stairway! He called back, "Thorn, looks like you're leading us down." Thorn and Kale were surviving on water breathing potions, 3 hours still remaining. There was a deep eldritch evil lurking down the stairs... and Azarius's mother was free from the altar.