Session 12: Shallow Docks and Deep Waters Arc 2

After a hostile night’s sleep, the exhaustion begins to take its toll on the adventurers, who now realize the true intention behind their ethereal predator´s constant incursions. Deep within themselves, their souls have been weighed down by the demon´s influence, a curse that creates unnatural fatigue, for it is not physical in nature, at least for now, but such discovery, added with Minerva’s hound´s, feels our heroes with dread, for they no longer feel safe even in their own sleep.

They live in their room, and all of them are filled with a strange aversion to their surroundings, almost as if the reality around them has become infected with their same affliction. Lights shift, images blur, but as soon as one notices and takes a second glance, everything returns to the way it´s supposed to be. Even the pictures in the halls seem to be trying to show them something different, only to be stopped by the crushing weight of their own wood frames.

The adventurous reached the ground floor, and beside some regular patrons, they found Zarasha, and the shady cabbage dealer, Naithis, having a heated argument. After they had joined in, the merchant revealed to have come with the pretext to make a deal that would be beneficial for all involved. The group was in debt to him after yesterday’s events, but despite such, he recognized competence within the band of misfits, and competence was in short supply.

Throughout the conversation, the most astute of the adventures perceived a small but incredibly significant detail, the fact that Naithis, Zarasha, and deductively, all others in Nocturna, perceived this group of foreign heroes as Tieflings and Asimar, as citizens, fitting the scenario painted by the landscapes of this dark kingdom.

The shady Tiefling alluded to recognize their odd and out of place behavior, as familiar. The group weren’t the only citizens that displayed altered and odd views of life, seeming to be a sort of epidemic that began to spread as time went on. The origin of this alien confusion remained a mystery to the roguish merchant, but what was known to him was the existence of an underground group in Duskmire, that worked in proximity with these dislodged victims, the infamous anti monastic gang known as the Crimson Salamanders.

Naithis plan was simple, the group was to steal some sensitive documents from one of the docks under the Raven King´s regime, specifically, a warehouse under the supervisement of one called Drodak Brightflint. The merchant pretends to offer this documents to the leader of the salamanders, in exchange for access to their underground network, thus increasing his own list of connections for his own benefit, whereas the group can, not only help themselves to anything they find in the warehouse, but also use the documents as a pretext to get in contact with the gang, which can possibly offer them some answers about the situation they currently find themselves in.

Upon arriving at the potential crime scene, the crew was faced with a bigger challenge than they had anticipated. Not only was the warehouse huge, but said building was heavily guarded by Rook´s, black leathered and mantled guards with metal helmets that resembled a bird´s beak when closed. They scouted the perimeter as best as they could without raising suspicion, and at every turn of every cobblestone wall, they were greeted by the grim visage of black bird´s wielding war spears. Until they found a dark empty alleyway, only it wasn’t empty, for Valsali and Rhyia had sworn they had seen a siroutte moments ago, vanishing into one of the walls. The group inspected said wall, as solid as any other, the only difference being that this one had what looked to be a verse of poetry written on it.

"In the darkness, where the secret hides, … Under deep waters and endless shadows, Keep the way to what lies in the garden."

The poem was incomplete, but all the adventurous were capable to read it, for every single one of them perceived the text in a different language, the one that each of them were more comfortable with. With magic clear afoot, they suspected the key to entering the warehouse laid within the verse, they only had to complete it.

In a bold action, Valsali talked to one of the guards, suspecting that the elusion that covered him would make him be perceived as a child due to his small stature. A successful gamble, reviling the softer sides of the city guards, dwelling binit the metal beaks. One guard offered to look for the child’s parents, who seemed to be lost, deducing they may have been going to a festival nearby. Upon arriving, Valsali finds himself engulfed by the excitement of an enormous crowd, colorful tents, merchants, delicious food stands, and lots of popular games. Among the crowd, he noticed a veteran warrior, as big as a mountain, wearing pounds upon pounds of metal armor, cladded in a mantel of Raven feather´s, cheerfully playing at arm wrestling match. The guard accompanying Valsali explained that the warrior was one of the Ravens Guard, the elite military of Nocturna, and one of the personal guards of the King, an imposing figure to be sure, even with such a relaxed disposition.

One of the tents caught the Artificers interest, what seemed to be a small makeshift library, surrounded with kids, all seated on the ground or on top of pillows, listening to an elderly man telling stories. Valsali convinced the guard that he wanted to hear some stories, and so the guard instructed the elderly storyteller to keep an eye on the child, as he went to search for the lost kids’ parents, despite these being on the other side of the continent, possibly enjoying their own personal library, one substantially bigger than the tent they found themselves in. Valsali wasted no time in reciting the poem to the old man, which he responded with surprise as to such a small folk could be so well read at such a young age, a true rarity in the poorer districts. With his heart filled with joy, the man found the old book poem and completed the verse:

"In the darkness, where the secret hides, The current never sleeps, it always responds. Under deep waters and endless shadows, Keep the way to what lies in the garden."

The man explained this particular poem to be referring to an ancient sea beast, the scourge of the fisherman, a giant octopus, commonly known as “the kraken” despite being part of a completely, less dangerous species in comparison, a of great might noun the less. It is believed that this beast is attracted by the sound of the boats, but enjoys stealing shiny objects, and so legend goes that somewhere in the massive river, one could find the lair of the beast filled with hordes of treasure.

Sometime later, Valsali was capable to return to his group, having lost the guard that accompanied him, with all the verse in hand, they unlocked the secret passage to the warehouse and walked through the once solid wall.

They found themselves in a dark corridor, supposedly under the groudfloors of the building, not long after finding a supply room full of crates. Averice stroke Minerva first, trying to open the one closest to them, without considering if the crate wanted to be open in the first place. Had she thought about it, maybe in a split moment of madness, she would have considered that the crate wanted to be open, otherwise she wouldn’t have put herself in such an appealing position, away from the other crates, unorganized. “Maybe the guards misplaced this one” she might have thought, trying to rationalize her paranoia, despite this being a place where rationality had place being in. But ignorant bliss gnawed her mind, and consequently the gnawing would spread rapidly, for the crate was open, and now demanded the perpetrator to suffer that same fate.

The teeth appeared and the thief’s hand were glued in place, foolishly deceived by the predator’s mimicry.