Skull & Shackles #16: So Much Blood, So Much Horror, So Much Fire…

At the end of the last session, we left our heroes in a perilous situation. Things seemed grim and the end was near. Several of the group looked to be on the verge of fleeing when Vilimzair stepped forward and steadied their nervous with a rousing song of daring-do and heroics.

 

In the branches above, Grindin continued to scorch and burn the choker constricting him—and eventually forced it to relinquish its grip (before he burnt it to death in spectacular fashion).

Meanwhile on the ground, things were going badly. Ilasual was crushed into unconsciousness by one choker while the rest of the party rushed to deal with the ghost—ignoring Vilimzair’s pleas to kill the virtually helpless choker he had incapacitated with his powerful magics.

The ghast made quick work of many of the party, paralysing Fered, Felik and Kanbrar quickly one after another. In fact, by the time it had finished with them, and had been eventually slain, it had almost killed poor Felik.

However, through the heroics of Vilimzair and Alagos, and the rain of fiery death meted out by Grindin, the tide was turning. Vilimzair managed to save Grindin’s pet monkey, but sadly Ilasual was beyond help and even the group’s most powerful magic could not revive him.

Eventually the ghast and the chokers were slain, but there was little rejoicing. Several of the group were near death (or dead in Ilasual’s case) and there was little healing magic to go around.

After catching their breath and healing what wounds they could, they party searched the compound and decided to rest overnight. Although Sandara’s and Rosie’s fate was uncertain, it seemed madness to continue with resources so low. A spyglass set into one wall of the palisade pointed at a sinkhole. Looking through the spyglass Kanbrar spotted a flooded sinkhole on the side of cliff within which swam two grindylow. The mast of a shipwreck was also visible slightly off the coast.

Vilimizair and Pluck were still keen to explore as much of the island as possible. Remarkably, both had come through the recent fight unscathed. Vilimzair sent Pluck on a scouting mission and the plucky parrot flew over the sinkhole in which the two grindylow were bathing. A sunken passageway seemed to lead into the surrounding cliffs. One of the creatures was wearing Sandara’s hat and it became obvious where the party should next explore. Pluck also flew low over the sunken ship, but the water was deep and he could make out nothing of what lay beneath the ocean waves.

After an uneventful night’s sleep, the party set out toward the sinkhole. Stealthily approaching they laid their plans. The assault would be tricky—for the waters lay a good 40-foot below their vantage point and it seemed difficult to surprise the grindylow so they could not alert their brethren who no doubt lurked in the sunken caves beyond…

 

Published by

Creighton

Creighton is the publisher at Raging Swan Press and the designer of the award winning adventure Madness at Gardmore Abbey. He has designed many critically acclaimed modules such as Retribution and Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands and worked with Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Expeditious Retreat Press, Rite Publishing and Kobold Press.

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