Savage Tide Session 9

The party, yet again, found themselves in a fake throne room in the depths of Bargle’s dungeon beneath the ruins of Mistamere. The two elves spotted a secret door in the southern wall, whilst Anthony checked a door in the west wall. Koravel flung open the secret door – to reveal the real throne room and multiple images of Bargle waiting for them. As Zhedd and Koravel ran forward, a wall of flame erupted around them, and two water elementals emerged from a pool to defend their master. Kathryn used the elemental gem to summon an earth elemental to dispatch the water elementals, as Koravel, Zhedd, Stefanie and Jardek closed in on Bargle. A lucky strike from Koravel caused Bargle to flee using a secret door behind the throne. The earth elemental was put to use smashing a hole in the wall to allow the pursuit to continue.

A dark winding passage behind the throne led down deeper to an underground lake. Jardek hurried ahead after Bargle, but was stopped by a voice calling from the water, claiming to have been asked by Bargle to waylay the party – but open to alternative offers from the party if a suitable tribute could be found. The stalemate was broken by the party letting slip they had a valuable gem, and Stefanie using a light spell to reveal a treasure hoard in the lake guarded by the dragon that was watching them. After a wet and treacherous battle, the dragon was dispatched by a combination of magic missiles, arrows and porpoises, allowing Jardek to get busy swimming to retrieve the hoard.

Bargles tracks only led a few paces outside the cave system, before they disappeared, a spent scroll all that was left of his passing. The party decided to go back and finish exploring the dungeon to retrieve the last bits of treasure – including solving the puzzle of the statue with the missing orb to reveal a magical sword.

Zhedd lost his companion Krieg in the battle with Bargle, and strove to find a replacement before returning to Sasserine. After an abortive encounter with three skeletons, he returned with help from the rest of the party and found that a horse had answered his call. A mysterious female voice from an invisible creature warned Zhedd not to defile the place any further, and the party were on their way. Back in the city, Jardek reported back to the Temple of Tarastia on their encounter with Bargle, as well as Katrhryn providing an amulet possibly attuned to the errant mage for which they were rewarded for their efforts in driving Bargle from the area.

Lavinina summoned the party to explain her plans for the voyage she had mentioned previously. Captain Amella Venkalie and a gnome by the name of Urol Furol were also present. Lavinina explained how she had had her mother’s journal translated, and it described her parents’ efforts to establish a colony on an island in the Thanegioth Archipelago named Farshore, from which the resources and riches of the Isle of Dread could be exploited. She asked that the party bring their ship, The Sea Wyvern, with hers The Blue Nixie, to re-establish contact with the colony and bring supplies. Lavinia would finance the voyage, but as her parent’s money was still largely tied up in unpaid debts to the family, she had had to take on paying passengers who were willing to invest in the colony. One of those was Urol, who had already visited the Isle of Dread and had asked that Lavinia use the voyage to journey to an ancient city of Tamoachan, to which he had uncovered a new map detailing an as-yet unexplored part of the ruined city. Lavinia was also happy to take this circuitous route to avoid adverse sea currents in the Sea of Dread, and the possibility that her brother Vanthus might be following her movements… The party had three weeks to make their arrangements.