Ka'ohu Kina Intestine Exploration - Tethys - 07/11/2019
Nov 9, 2019 16:13:17 GMT
Tazmuck, Wil Frozendagger, and 1 more like this
Post by taffer on Nov 9, 2019 16:13:17 GMT
From the pen of Tethys Velarrn.
I have heard it said that all good stories begin in a tavern, and this one is no different. Regrettably, this good story does not begin in a good tavern. For all its flaws, and they are many, the Cavernous Seashank is at least reasonably priced and is a dependable place to find employment. There, I found a group looking to set out in search of coin, and joined them as they met with a local sorceress by the name of Liz Sherman. Her request was simple: that we explore the caverns beneath the surface of a nearby island. The catch? That the island is in a perpetual state of motion, and is in fact the skeleton of a leviathan.
Not deterred, we went directly to the docks. Passage aboard a vessel named the Drunken Mermaid had been secured on our behalf, and in no time we were on our way. The quarters aboard were scant, but the captain was... gracious enough to provide me with more comfortable lodgings, ensuring the journey passed in no time at all.
Finding the entrance to the island’s cave systems might have proved a challenge, were it not for the assistance of the island-dwelling birdfolk. Wil Frozendagger - a warlock if I’m not mistaken - appeared to have some affinity with the chieftain of the birdfolk community and in short order, had one of the Aarakocra lead us to the cave entrance.
Before us there stood four pillars, each crowned with a stone: a sapphire curved into a wave; a ruby formed into flickering flames; a tornado-shaped diamond; a heavy lump of topaz. At that moment, I heard a voice, like a whisper on the wind, beckoning me forward, begging for release. Suspicious, I thought. Of course, I stood my ground alongside Levion - while the others marched headlong in what could only be a trap.
Within moments, the stones were shattered and the beings within - calling themselves the guardians - were released. To my surprise, the four made no attempt to attack, but instead offered us a single favour. As they could not leave the island, we instead asked that they take us to the most valuable thing Ka’ohu Kina had to offer.
What followed seems inevitable, in hindsight. The guardians revealed their charge: a gigantic egg, twice the size of any of us. Through its shell, I could see the faint outline of claws, large and sharp enough to tear out my throat with a single swipe. I’d scarcely laid eyes on the thing when battle erupted around me, as if mere proximity to the egg was enough to drive us all mad. I drew my rapier, and set about putting down the closest thing to me, the fire elemental.
For reasons that elude me, two of these creatures favoured two my travelling party with protection, of sorts. The water elemental, taking the form of a vortex of water, surrounded Wil and began hurling spears formed of solid ice at her fiery counterpart. The earth elemental melded with and rose from within the earth beneath Gegrun, becoming a kind of living armour for a time, until our battle with the elementals was at an end.
Returning to Port Ffirst with a fistful of gem shards, and more birdfolk fudge than I would ever care to eat, I cannot help but wonder what will become of the creature that the elemental guardians fought to protect. Although we warned the birdfolk who inhabit the island of it’s presence, a part of me questions whether there is any warning sufficient to prepare for what may soon hatch beneath the surface of Ka’ohu Kina...
I have heard it said that all good stories begin in a tavern, and this one is no different. Regrettably, this good story does not begin in a good tavern. For all its flaws, and they are many, the Cavernous Seashank is at least reasonably priced and is a dependable place to find employment. There, I found a group looking to set out in search of coin, and joined them as they met with a local sorceress by the name of Liz Sherman. Her request was simple: that we explore the caverns beneath the surface of a nearby island. The catch? That the island is in a perpetual state of motion, and is in fact the skeleton of a leviathan.
Not deterred, we went directly to the docks. Passage aboard a vessel named the Drunken Mermaid had been secured on our behalf, and in no time we were on our way. The quarters aboard were scant, but the captain was... gracious enough to provide me with more comfortable lodgings, ensuring the journey passed in no time at all.
Finding the entrance to the island’s cave systems might have proved a challenge, were it not for the assistance of the island-dwelling birdfolk. Wil Frozendagger - a warlock if I’m not mistaken - appeared to have some affinity with the chieftain of the birdfolk community and in short order, had one of the Aarakocra lead us to the cave entrance.
Before us there stood four pillars, each crowned with a stone: a sapphire curved into a wave; a ruby formed into flickering flames; a tornado-shaped diamond; a heavy lump of topaz. At that moment, I heard a voice, like a whisper on the wind, beckoning me forward, begging for release. Suspicious, I thought. Of course, I stood my ground alongside Levion - while the others marched headlong in what could only be a trap.
Within moments, the stones were shattered and the beings within - calling themselves the guardians - were released. To my surprise, the four made no attempt to attack, but instead offered us a single favour. As they could not leave the island, we instead asked that they take us to the most valuable thing Ka’ohu Kina had to offer.
What followed seems inevitable, in hindsight. The guardians revealed their charge: a gigantic egg, twice the size of any of us. Through its shell, I could see the faint outline of claws, large and sharp enough to tear out my throat with a single swipe. I’d scarcely laid eyes on the thing when battle erupted around me, as if mere proximity to the egg was enough to drive us all mad. I drew my rapier, and set about putting down the closest thing to me, the fire elemental.
For reasons that elude me, two of these creatures favoured two my travelling party with protection, of sorts. The water elemental, taking the form of a vortex of water, surrounded Wil and began hurling spears formed of solid ice at her fiery counterpart. The earth elemental melded with and rose from within the earth beneath Gegrun, becoming a kind of living armour for a time, until our battle with the elementals was at an end.
Returning to Port Ffirst with a fistful of gem shards, and more birdfolk fudge than I would ever care to eat, I cannot help but wonder what will become of the creature that the elemental guardians fought to protect. Although we warned the birdfolk who inhabit the island of it’s presence, a part of me questions whether there is any warning sufficient to prepare for what may soon hatch beneath the surface of Ka’ohu Kina...