Our party are:
- Hector: a former slave with a painted face who wields magic through his poppet
- Tallow: a creature of the sea with skills in the martial arts
- William: a man of means with a taste for the sweet life
(Corwin’s player is unable to join us and thus our Inquisitor fades into the background temporarily)
Heading deeper into the cove with Hector’s dancing lights casting ahead of the party Billy spots a mettalic reflection in a small side cave. Tallow dives underwater to investigate and grey skinned humanoid arms grasp out at him. Hector is able to identify the creatures as Lacedons, water ghouls, and uses the powers of his poppet to enthrall one. Seeking again to recruit or befriend, rather than dominate, Hector asks the lacedon under his thrall to help him negotiate with the other and forms a truce — the party will free them from their imprisonment so long as the creatures do not attack once free. Hector asks that they consider allying with them and helping them find their missing crew mates.
After three failed attempts to dislodge the bars with brute force (despite various applications of ropes and levers) and being unable to loosen the stone with their weapons, Billy uses his black powder to cause an explosion. Unfortunately nobody warned the Lacedons and the one not under Hector’s sway had grown angry during the many failed attempts to free them, the injury of the explosion causing it to lash out and rush at Billy. Tallow intercepted the creature and was able to resist the poison of its claws, vanquishing the creature with a flurry of blows. With a new ally recruited and a small cache of loot found beneath the bars the party press on.
Deeper in the cavern the tunnels widen out into a cavern, its walls writhing with worms and four tunnels, including the one the away team entered through, leave the cavern. As the pirates enter a large sphere of inky darkness forms in the water which Hector recognises as the hunting mechanism of a large fiendish octopoid creature known as a Devilfish.
A cavern with so many entrances seems unlikely to be the creatures natural lair… The pirates hope to face it as a foursome next time!