Episode 30: Below Deck

The charred remains of the Ice Trolls lay smouldering on the deck. The acrid stench mixing with the cold air. Tor squatted near one of them, examining it's body. There must be some way to harvest this creature and use it's cold aura or regenerative power but she couldn't work it out. Besides, there were more pressing matters to contend with. Reaching for her bag she pulled out her healing kits and administered healing to her companions. 

"Sounds like there's more things below".

"Then let's not stand around freezing our butts off"

"It looks dark and crowded down there, maybe best we don't all go at once. Besides it would be useful if a few of us remain up top and keep a watch, no telling who or what else maybe watching this place." 

"And we don't know what happened to the Crew or Captain Bluemoon". 

"I'll send Lookout down to scout it out" 

"There's nothing down here. It's empty apart from a large block of ice. There's a door but it's frozen solid as are the walls and the floor."

So Ueko, Talden and Dishani remain on deck to keep watch while Grom and Halfdan set about tieing rope to the mast and dropping it down into the hole. Halfdan slung his shield across his back and descended the rope. Grom followed and so did Nemeia. Moving around the icy mass towards the door to make room room for Tor, Aldrick and Shayde. Halfdan strapped on his shield and cast light on it immediately illuminating the cramped dark space of the ships hull.

Before descending Aldrick approached Tor and requested if she could cast "Dispell Magic" on the recipe book he was holding out. Explaining that it was enchanted with an "Illusory Script" spell. Tor placed her hand onto the book in Aldrick's outstretched hand, whispered the incantation and smiled at Aldrick. "There, it is done". Aldrick flicked open the cover and sure enough the writing on the page began to evaporate as new text then emerged onto the page. This was in fact a journal belonging to the Red Wizard Dzaan. 

On closer inspection, the glint of coins and other treasures appeared to be suspended within the frozen icy mass jutting from the floor. Grom struck it with his axe. CHING as a lump was hacked away. "Well that's going to take a while to get through", he exclaimed. "Best we come back to that later!"

Halfdan leaned into the door. Pressing his ear up against the frozen surface. Nothing. No sound but the creaking timbers of the ship and the howling of the wind from without. The handle too was frozen, stuck fast. "Sacred Flame" and the icy quickly began to melt. Halfdan opened the door which lead through to a second small cramped room, one filled with hammocks and chests. The crews quarters it seemed. And there lying still and motionless within the bunks where the icy frozen remains of 2 human skeletons.

The corpses lay motionless. Halfdan drew his sword and plunged it into the chest of the closest one. "Urrrggghh" came the rasping voice as it's head turned, eyes sockets glowing blue. Nemeia took hold of her holy symbol and quickly spoke her prayer to Ilmater. "Ilmater, The one who endures! Bless us with your divine power so that these abominations be turned from your holy light". They both failed their saves and we're instantly destroyed by the Clerics holy magic. 

Our party moved deeper into the stern of the ship. The door opened easily this time. More hammocks playing host to the skeletal remains of the crew. But this time there was something else. A bony skeletal figure adorned with the tattered remnants of suave apparel. The undead remains of Captain Bluemoon himself. 

Halfdan, Grom and Tor lead the charge. Getting into tactically advantageous positions whereby they were able to make the most of the close quarters attacking with advantage from flanking but also keeping the enemy from advancing. Meanwhile Aldrick, Shayde and Nemeia supported their companions with ranged attacks. 

The two skeletal crewman fell quickly but Captain Bluemoon endured. The captain used his flintlock pistol to fire a barrage of icy shots in a 30ft cone. Luckily Everyone passed their save limiting the damage to half or none for those with cold resistance. 

Shayde nocked arrow after arrow. The crowded close quarter fighting meant the enemy was afforded the cover of her companions but after three shots managed to find her target. 

The crew were down but Captain Bluemoon in his rasping unnatural voice ordered them back to their feet,"Shifts not over yet boys! It'll be me that tells ya when ya can rest!"

The crewman were reanimated by their captain but they were not 100%. A foot where a hand should be, the tibia and fibia mixed up with their femur and ulnar. 

Then Grom swung his axe. Natural 20. And on top of that maximum damage was rolled on the dice. 32 damage. Tor finally managed to strike with her staff and Halfdan hit with his sword dealing the final blow. 

Eventually all of the undead crew had been dispatched and our party made a quick search of the hull. Other than a quantity of barrels which once contained rum there was nothing of interest so our heroes made their back to the frozen treasure hoard where they proceeded to spend the next couple of hours melting and hacking away the ice to reveal four levels of treasure.

Our party gathered together what they had recovered and made their way back up to the main deck. "Let's get inside out of this storm", said Aldrick, and they all made their way back to the captain's cabin now that the poisonous cloud had evaporated. 

Lookout perched stop the main mast to keep watch. Dishani, Talden and Ueko left their posts to join the rest of the party. The items recovered from below deck were strewn across the table. Amongst them gems, pearls, a fortune in coins, mithral chainmail armour, a quiver, a shield and some magical objects that would require further investigation. 

It was plain to see that this magnificent hoard was a delight to behold for many of the party. Halfdan was particularly taken with the armour. But in amongst the hoard were six perfectly circular platinum coins/discs imprinted with the motif of a flying city and an inscription in the dead language "Loross" the language of ancient Netheril that read "By order of the treasury of Ythryn" 

The party were staring, fixated by what they had recovered when suddenly Aldrick was sent a warning by Lookout. Within seconds there was an almighty crash and the ship rocked and lurched and creaked. A gargantuan creature had descended from the sky and smashed into the Sea of Moving Ice no more than 50ft from the stranded ship!

Arveiaturace has returned! What will our party do now? 

To be continued.............