Last updated June 4th, 2008

To Do:

• Write review

Game Summary

Previously...

mp080223

Previously, on Mediterranean Plotluck... In light of Xero's death at the hands of the boneskin knight, Ackrak, Ghamor, and Seikius determined that a definite leader would be necessary in order to establish a chain of command. They discussed the matter with Omelete, the only other surviving man that Itrix chose to include in the original business venture. Violence broke out, however, and Omelete was slain by Ghamor and Ackrak.

Tempers flared, and the group went in different directions, while Seikius desired to honor the slaves' wishes to honor their fallen masters, Ghamor cold-heartedly ordered them all to work. Ackrak, uninterested in becoming involved, departed with some slaves to recover the elephant statue. Ghamor and Seikius came to blows, but Seikius sensed danger and ran back to defend the ship.

With Ackrak barely returned, Seikius raised the alarm and the party repelled a surprise attack from a group of bugbear pirates that tried to seize their ship. During the battle, Seikius was rendered unconscious and beheld a prophetic vision, wherein he was instructed by the god Apollo to recover a magical staff from beneath the island, and he spoke with a prisoner onboard the pirate's ship, who urged him to rescue her.

Overview

Episode 4

Date: March 1st, 2008

The party decides that it's best to investigate the pirate ship and deal with any additional threats quickly. Seikius stealthily swims to the pirate ship and boards without being seen. Curiously, he sees no one aboard, and upon further investigation, finds that there is no cargo or supplies below deck, either. He makes his way down to where the woman is locked up, and finds her in a cage with no means to open the locked door.

Strangely, the woman doesn't recognize Seikius, despite his memory of their conversation in his dream. She reveals that she is Liola, Itrix's daughter, whom Seikius barely recognizes. She tells him that it has been months since her father disappeared, though in Seikius's mind, only a week or more has passed. He finds this somewhat troubling, and though he can't find a way to set her free, promises to return with help quickly.

Seikius swims back to Ackrak and Ghamor and relates the situation. Ackrak decides to travel with him this time, to provide any additional aid required. Seikius also brings his new students, the four goblins. Ghamor supplies them with a few vials of acid to use on the cage door. While the group swims, Ghamor creates an illusion of fire on the deck of the pirate ship, attempting to scare off anyone that might somehow be onboard. Seikius tells his students to watch his back while he rescues Liola, and Ackrak sets to work chopping down the mast on the pirate ship with his axe.

As Ackrak finishes chopping down the mast, an enormous sea monster appears behind him. Seikius arrives back up on deck with Liola and his students in time to see Ackrak drop the mast onto the monster's head, though the mast seemingly bounces off the monster without doing any damage.

Ackrak and Seikius quickly bind themselves together with Liola and the students, and attempt to use the ramp to quickly escape into the sea. Ghamor notices the monster and attempts to distract it by setting it on fire with his illusion, but the spell proves unsuccessful. Ackrak and Seikius quickly lose their balance while trying to shimmy down the fallen mast, and the entire group falls into the sea.

Once in the water, Ackrak and Seikius find themselves surrounded by frog-creatures they recognize from the caverns, and they fall under vicious attack. Ackrak, Seikius, and two of the goblins successfully escape the attack, but Liola and the other two goblins are captured by the creatures and dragged to the underwater lair. Upon reaching the shore, the group despairs over what to do next. Though the creature didn't pursue them (Ghamor reveals the sea monster itself was an illusion), they're worse off than when they first set out to investigate the pirate ship.

Ghamor states that he wants to rescue his familiar, and the group agrees that should be the highest priority. Seikius states his discomfort with the idea about using the underwater entrance, as the group is at a distinct disadvantage while underwater, and the entrance is likely more heavily guarded after their last venture. The group argues about about what action to take next, finally agreeing to scout two other known entrances before settling on the original plan of entering through the original entrance they used.

They find the underwater entrance to be better-guarded, and the party engage the frog-creatures on the stairway. Many of the frog-creatures die as victims of Ghamor's sleep spell, their bodies tumbling to the bottom of the long, perilous stairway, though not all of them go as peacefully. Seikius attempts to fight some of the creatures in melee, but is struck by rolling bodies and tumbles down the stairs himself, sustaining minor injuries.

The party successfully recovers Ghamor's familiar, and confronts a hunting party of the frog-creatures led by a monstrous crab-thing. Ghamor crafts an illusion of a familiar red dragon, which slows the attack somewhat, while the creatures determine how to approach the party. All too quickly, the crab-thing tears through the insubstantial spell and attacks Ackrak, who stands between it and Ghamor.

Ghamor uses magic missiles to quickly dismantle the band of frog-creatures, which didn't engage in battle, rather, stayed behind the crab-thing to cheer on the fight. With all other attention focused on Ackrak, Seikius stealthily scales a slippery stalagmite and leaps onto the back of the crab-thing, burying his blade in its thick shell and holding on, distracting it from attacking Ackrak.

While Ackrak continues to chop at the crab-thing with his axe, the crab-thing tries to tear Seikius from its back, though it has a great deal of difficulty doing so. Though Ackrak has badly wounded the crab-thing, it manages to grasp Seikius with both claws and crush his limbs. It paralyzes him with its bite and drops him, bleeding and helpless, to deal with later. As it turns its attention back to Ackrak, Ackrak finally manages to land a killing blow on the creature, and it drops dead at him feet. Ackrak then decapitates the creature, and takes its head as a prize.

Game Quotes

ANONYMOUS

Foo Foo Gods? Are you a Foo Foo God?

If someone asks you if you're a Foo Foo God, you say YES!

Kraken'laken.

I Shenlong time?

In the name of the monk, I will punish you!

Aren't you a little short for a sahaugin?

ACKRAK

We don't have anyone to give a ship to. I don't give a ship!

DON

Do these pirates follow the code? What if I said parlay?

NICK

They'd yell back that French hasn't been invented yet!

NICK

Akrak gets the half-gazebo template.

...Brian is eaten by a lump of coal.

NICK, to Brian

The dead crab comes back to life and bites your face off. Your Charisma is permanently reduced by 1. Consider yourself "blue-bolted."

Game Review

...

EXP by Player

ACKRAK gets experience...

• For "bowling for barf."
• For crippling the pirate ship with a mighty swing of his axe.
• For the daring mast-slipping escapade

"This will be remembered as the day you nearly caught Cap'n Akrak!”

• For watching the boat with his rat familiar.

GHAMOR gets experience...

• For the most kills EVER using sleep and a staircase.
• For inspiring the painting "frog descending a staircase."

Ghamor named his red dragon illusion "Gharkrif."

SEIKIUS gets experience...

• For XTREME stealth rolls (again).
• For XTREME scouting.
• For running on a rolling ball of frogs -- And surviving 7d6 of rolling frog damage.
• For RIDING THE CRAB.
• For his 1337 crab-riding skills.

NICK gets experience...

• For taking a bite out of Monk.
• For breaking the special effects budget with a sea monster illusion.

EXP by GM

...

Next Session

Date: March 8th, 2008

Link: mp080308