Chapter 1 begins.
Kaedyn, Vexir and Ryth-Shan awoke on the beach. They were dazed and confused as they picked themselves up and brushed themselves off. They had awakened at the same time. How odd! Examining themselves briefly, they discovered that they were full health and that they were completely rested. There was not a scratch on them.
Then they looked around and noticed that it was mid-morning. Vaguely, they remembered that it had been night when they'd escaped the Hells. Therefore, they must have slept all night on the beach. Nearby, and all around them, the nautiloid lay in ruins. It crashed very close to them, and its parts and pieces were everywhere. nearby, they saw lots of bodies strewn along the beach. A wide river was sprawled out to the south and west. The ruined nautiloid blocked their path to the north. There was only one way to go. They could only head east along the beachfront past the dead bodies.
Kaedyn came up to Vexir first. "You okay?" he asked.
Once again, she was stunned by his concern. His relationship score increased by 1 to 51. "I'm fine," she replied. "You?"
Her relationship score with him went to 52. She actually was concerned about him, and he was relieved by this. "Fine. Not a scratch, actually." They both turned to Ryth-Shan. "You?" asked Kaedyn.
Ryth-Shan shook his head. "I survived the Hells and a Ghaik vessel," he replied. "I'd call that a good day." He grinned. His relationship with both of them increased by 1. They were all, actually treating each other well.
At this point, 300 XP was rewarded to each for defeating the 3 imps and successfully avoiding death from the other 3 imps near the transponder. Although they did not fight the imps, they received experience for avoiding the fight by getting to the transponder. Each, therefore, leveled up, for they now had a total of 562 XP.
Kaedyn leveled up and rolled a 1d8 to determine how many extra HP he would get. He rolled the highest he could and got an 8. With his Constitution bonus of +1, that meant he got 9 extra HP for a total of 18. He also got Channel Divinity: Turn Undead. As an Action, each undead that could see or hear him within 30 feet of him must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature failed, it would turn for 1 minute or until it took damage. The turned undead would have to flee as far from him as it could. It could willingly move into a space within 30 feet of him, and it also couldn't take reactions. Its action could only be to Dash or try to escape from an effect that prevented it from moving. If there was nowhere to move, the creature would just use the Dodge action.
He also got Channel Divinity: Preserve Life. With this, as an Action, he could present his holy symbol and evoke healing energy that could restore a number of hit points equal to five times his cleric level. Any creatures within 30 feet of him could be healed using this power. He would divide those hit points among them. This feature could restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. He also could not use this feature on an undead or construct.
Besides this, he also got 3 spell slots for Level 1 and he could prepare an additional spell. He chose to prepare the spell Purify Food and Drink. He figured that since they had no idea where they were and had no real food or sources of food, it might be good to have the ability to purify all nonmagical food and drink within a 5 foot radius sphere centered on a point of his choice within range. The food would immediately be rendered free from poison and disease.
As for Vexir's level up, she got a 1d10 for hit points. She rolled a 6+2 (for Constitution modifier) and thus got 8 more HP for a total of 20 HP. She also got Action Surge, allowing her to take an additional Action on top of her regular action and a possible Bonus Action. Once she used this feature, she must finish a short or long rest before she could use it again.
Ryth-Shan rolled terribly for his level up HP. He rolled a 1 and only got 1+1=2 more HP. Because the DM was nice, however, he allowed him to roll again. Some DM's will allow players to roll at least a third of their total potential max HP. Since he could roll 1d10, the DM would allow a roll of 4 or more. He rolled again and got a 7. Therefore, he increased his HP by 8 to a total of 19. He also got to choose what fighting style of Ranger he wanted to be. Being a long range fighter, for the most part, he chose Archery. As a result, he got to learn two 1st level spells with 2 spell slots. He also got a +2 bonus on his attack rolls when using a ranged weapon. For his Ranger spells, he chose Speak with Animals and Animal Friendship. He could now talk to animals and even charm an animal for up to 24 hours. He figured this could come in handy since they had no idea where they were. Maybe one of the animals in the area could give them some clues.
"I guess there's no other way to really go," Vexir commented as she surveyed the area around them. Several of the massive tentacles from the nautiloid arched over their only pathway. She shuttered from the memories. She was just so glad to be on the ground. She really didn't want to think any further about that entire, wretched series of events.
"I wonder if Lae'zel is okay," said Ryth-Shan. "I lost track of her shortly after the dragon blasted her. It looked like she survived the blast."
"Not sure how that happened," said Kaedyn. "If she's alive, she'll turn up. She's probably around here somewhere since the ship crashed here."
"I just hope we don't encounter anymore of those Mind Flayers, imps, demons or intellect devourers," said Vexir.
"Agreed," said Ryth-Shan vehemently. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll lead the way. I'm a Ranger, so tracking and wilderness travel is kinda my thing."
Vexir shrugged. Kaedyn did as well. "Be my guest," said the Half-Drow.
Ryth-Shan took the lead and started on his way along the beach. They moved past the first bodies; all fishermen. "They must have been caught in the crash or killed by some sort of creatures just recently," Ryth-Shan told them. "Blast! This one has claw marks on him. Probably intellect devourers. They must have survived the crash." He then searched the bodies and found a bit of odds and ends and a few coins. It was nothing substantial.
After passing under the nautiloids tentacles, the blazing mid-morning sun suddenly stabbed them all in the face. There were hardly any clouds in the sky. Immediately, Vexir sneered as she shielded her eyes with her hands. Her sun sensitivity was blinding her and making her sick.
Kaedyn and Ryth-Shan paused. "You okay?" asked the cleric.
Vexir shook her head. "Cursed surface! It's the sun. How do you people put up with it? It's so harsh and bright."
Kaedyn was sympathetic. He put his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't even think about it; how it might affect you." He then turned to Ryth-Shan. "We'll have to keep this in mind. As long as she is in direct sunlight, she'll be at a disadvantage." Kaedyn's concern once more touched her. Their Relationship Score increased to 53.
Nevertheless, she responded by shrugging him off. "I'll be fine. I will NOT be a hindrance. Let's keep moving."
The two men did not argue. Instead, they continued on towards a small, wooden pier at the bend in the river just ahead. There were more bodies and crates and barrels and debris everywhere. As they went, they searched them all. "Never know what might be useful," Ryth-Shan commented. "Who knows when we'll see a shop or an inn? Anything could be useful for our survival." No one argued.
At last, they wound their way around the river bend, picking up a few random things here and there including a book to Umberlee and a pale of already starting to spoil fish. When asked about why he grabbed it, Kaedyn replied, "I have prepared the Purify Food and Drink spell now. When we make camp later, I might be able to purify the fish and provide us with a decent meal." Although none of them enjoyed the smell, they did like the idea of fish for breakfast.
As Kaedyn put the fish into his magic pocket, he suddenly discover that there was another magic pocket. He hadn't noticed before. It was in their collective inventory. "Hey! Look!" he said. "Lae'zel's magic pocket is in the inventory."
"I never gave her a magic pocket," said Vexir. "I didn't like her, so I kept it myself. I'm glad I did. Now, she's gone."
Then came a sudden pounding sound from further north of where they stood. Instinctively, they fell into a crouch and began to sneak towards it to investigate. As they moved around some shattered barrels and boats and dead bodies, they saw the front of a ruins. There was an entrance there, but it appeared to be locked because there was a woman pounding on it as if trying to bust it open.
The trio crept towards her, gathering other useless junk from fallen bodies and barrels and crates laying strewn about the beach as they went. Several fishing boats were also on the beach, but they were utterly destroyed. After taking their time to sneak about and gather everything from the bodies and debris, they reached the woman.
It was then that they recognized her. She was the strange woman from the pod Kaedyn had tried to save on the nautiloid. She was a Half-Elf with brown hair and a ponytail wearing some sort of custom plated armor. As they approached, quietly, she pounded a few more times on the door as she said, "Blasted door! I..."
Just then, she noticed them out of the corner of her eye. She spun around and cried, "Stop! Not another step or I'll..."
She broke off. A strange sensation caused everyone present to grab their temples and widen their stance so that they didn't grow too dizzy and fall. Their minds connected for a moment. They saw themselves trying to free the Half-Elf woman from her pod, and they caught a hint of gratitude from her.
The moment passed. The woman looked back at them as if in relief. "Ah! Did you feel that? Our minds connected. It must be the tadpoles they put in our heads. They're connecting us. Wait! I know you. You tried to save me on the ship." She said this as she made eye contact with Kaedyn. "Well, at least you put forth the effort. My name's Shadowheart. After the crash, I have been trying to gather as many supplies as I can in hopes of surviving. I was hoping this ruins might have some valuable things I could use. But it's no use. The door won't budge."
Ryth-Shan shrugged. "I'm proficient with thieves tools. I just don't have any on me. I could try to pick the lock if anyone found any lock picks or anything."
They looked around at one another, and it was clear that no one had thieves tools. Shadowheart then said, "Well, I certainly can't seem to get it open. Does this mean you'd like to travel together? It might increase our chances of survival. It would at least give us some company, if nothing else, for our final moments. You know, I think these tadpoles are going to turn us into Mind Flayers. We need to find ourselves a healer and fast."
"My name's Kaedyn," replied the Half-Drow. "This is Vexir and Ryth-Shan. I'm a cleric of Tyr, she's a fighter and Ryth-Shan is a Ranger."
"Pleasure!" said Shadowheart with a smile. "Well, if you can't get this door open either, let's try to see if there's another way in at the top of the cliff. That was my next move. Hopefully, we won't run into any more of these creatures along the way."
They followed her gesture and spotted a few intellect devourer corpses not far away on a path off to the west. That path led towards the ruins of the flaming nautiloid. Ryth-Shan grimaced. "Intellect devourers. Have you fought more of them?"
"One or two," she replied. "They were mostly dead already. The crash, I presume, did a number on them, and they were butchering a few locals when I ambushed them. It didn't take much. However, I will say, if we run into anymore of them, we should keep our distance. They are nasty up close."
Vexir grunted. "Tell me about it. We had our own run-in with one. Nasty little beast."
"At least they didn't take you over," Shadowheart said in reply. They can take control over people. I saw one doing so on the nautiloid before you arrived to try to free me."
Kaedyn shook his head. "After everything we had to go through on the ship, we still have to worry about these things. I was hoping we were free of it all."
Shadowheart shrugged. "Well, hopefully not. Who knows? Maybe I took out the last of them. Anyway, we should get going. Lead the way. I'll follow you and support you. I'm more of a ranged person who heals and protects myself."
"Oh? You're a cleric as well?" asked Kaedyn. "Who do you serve?"
Shadowheart seemed put out by the question, but the moment passed and she smiled warmly. "I serve a lesser goddess named Melira Taralen."
Each of the three made an Insight roll. Kaedyn rolled an 8+4=12. Vexir rolled a 16+2=18. Ryth-Shan rolled an 8+2=10. The DM rolled a 19 for Shadowheart's Deception roll, but it was done in secret so that the players would not know the roll was even made. That way, they wouldn't get a clue as to whether she was lying or not. Though the DM made them roll an Insight roll, it could have simply been to see if they got a generally good feeling about her.
And so, the DM informed them, "You get a generally good feeling about Shadowheart. She seems like a genuine person who is honest and straight forward.
Then another roll was made; a Religion roll. Kaedyn rolled a 14+2=16. Vexir rolled a 16+0=16. Ryth-Shan rolled a 12+0=12. Kaedyn and Vexir made the roll of 15 or higher. Thus, the DM informed them, "Melira Taralen was a minor elven goddess of bards and minstrels. She was a member of the Seldarine. Although she had no true foes of her own, she was opposed to the drow and goblinoid deities. She had a friendly rivalry with the god Milil due to some similarities with their portfolios. Melira Taralen was Chaotic Good, her symbol was the lute, and she dwelled on the plane of Arborea. She was a lover of poetry and song, and her domains were Knowledge, Life and Trickery."
Kaedyn grinned back at her. "Melira! I know her."
"Oh! Do you now?" said Shadowheart. "How wonderful! Well, perhaps we can chat about that some other time. Right now, don't you think we should get moving? Need I remind you that we have Mind Flayer tadpoles in our brains. We should really do our best to find a healer and fast. I don't know when they will start to mess with us, but it could be any moment. I'd really like to avoid that. Wouldn't you?"
The others agreed. Shadowheart's Relationship score with each of them increased to 51. "I've been taking the lead," said Ryth-Shan as he started on his way towards the west. "I'm a Ranger, so my skills at tracking and such may come in handy."
"Fine by me," said Shadowheart. "Like I said, I'm more of a support who likes to stay at the back."
Vexir paused a moment as Shadowheart stepped up to the group to join them. She debated something for only a moment. Then, deciding to go ahead, she slipped her hand into the magic pocket and handed the fourth pocket to Shadowheart. "Here," she told her. "It's a magic pocket like a bag of holding."
Shadowheart grabbed the pocket, and like the others, it immediately attached to her. All of her non-readied equipment vanished into the pocket. She responded very similarly to the others. "What? Where is all my..."
Vexir assured her. "In the pocket. We all have a collective inventory, now. We can grab any gear any of us is carrying."
Shadowheart seemed uncertain about this, but she opened the pocket and looked inside. "I see," she replied. "Well, I guess that's convenient. As long as we're traveling together, why not? Thank you." Shadowheart's Relationship Score with Vexir increased by 1 to 52.
Vexir shrugged. "Who knows how long we may have to travel together?" she said in return. Then she followed after Ryth-Shan.
As they headed off west, they immediately found more dead bodies. Two Intellect Devourers were near some of them, and they spotted the party. Without warning, the two darted into the devastated hull of the nautiloid.
"It appears to be the only way to go," Ryth-Shan explained to the others as he looted the bodies nearby. Again, he didn't find much. They only had a few gold coins at most. "We have no choice but to go through. I'll try to sneak into a good position. We'll do like we did on the ship. When I fire my first shot, then you join in. Agreed?"
Vexir and Kaedyn nodded. Shadowheart went along with it, even though she wasn't sure exactly what the plan was. Ryth-Shan made a Stealth roll. He only rolled a 3+4=7. He failed. Almost as soon as he started to creep into the nautiloid, the Intellect Devouers spodded him. There weren't just two. As soon as Ryth-Shan saw that they noticed him, he spotted movement from further inside the wreckage. There was a third one.
The battle began.
