C'thie proposed to the Queen Ocbokenr that Krex come help fight Thousand Teeth. The lizard folk grew cold. "General" Kosj said this showed we were seeking to ally with the Sauhgain, that they cannot trust us. C'thie said she was older and elders should be respected. Kosj said age adles the mind. C'thie said Krex is not sahuigan and that if he proves not trust worthy she will kill Krex herself. C'thie then told a Netheril tale about picking the best apprentices to try to get her arguement across. Tales of Netheril were ancient when I was a lad. The Lizard folk wondered what penalty we would pay if we were wrong? They decided that the penalty would be no alliance with non-scaled people.

We have a choice of routes. Twelve miles through marsh probably taking 8 hours, or 13 hours along a river to the pool where Thousand Teeth lives. When asked I mentioned that marshes often had deep boggy places and also often had tall reeds, both difficult for a person of shorter stature. But we wanted the faster trip so the marsh it will be.

Dinner with the Queen and her guests including the Kua-toa was pretty quiet. I mostly concentrated on checking what my food might be before eating. Sauriv, the elder, asked why we got no information from Krex. C'thie said because Krex was an outcast who knew nothing. Sauriv said "Krex" means 'Ruthless Killer' in the sahugan tongue. C'thie asked what "Sauriv" means and was told 'I', or was that 'Eye', or 'Aye'?

Odu talked of fearing giant lizards that hunt his people. It became clear he was talking of creatures much larger than a crocodile.
I asked if we could have lizard folk guides through marsh. I though the lizard folk should have people they could trust to report back. This was agreed to.

In the morning we had eight hours of swamp to look forward to! Fortunately, early on C'thie spotted some plants the juice of which keeps insects off. After a little Krex wanted to rest in water as his skin was drying out. C'thie used Elementalism which Krex liked.

A little further on, C'thie and I heard voices that went quiet from a stand of trees ahead. C'thie handed a javelin to Krex. We could see some bones, ribs of a recently killed creature. Odu scouted towards the areaand a woman appeared from behind a tree and in Common asked what we were doing? Odu approached and asked what she was doing here? She cast Hold person on Odu and a man appeared and cast Spiritual Weapon at Odu. Krex asked "what we do" and C'thie said "kill the cultists". The cultists retreated behind cover which made shots difficult. They would pop out to cast their spells. C'thie went snake and went hunting the woman. I was closer to the man, so I went wide to the right to get a clear shot. I shot him twice as I closed until I was close and he came at me and stabbed me with his fancy cursed bone dagger and I could feel it draw life from me. Nasty, nasty stuff. As I was fighting him Odu came, revived C'thie with a healing potion, and cut down him down. When he died his bone dagger lost it's magic and cracked. About then Krex killed the second cultist. C'thie told the lizard folk they were welcome to the gold on the two bodies, it was 21 gold. But more valuable to me was the scrap of paper peice of paper with cult symbols, same as were on daggers. What god had i heard them call on? Was it Talona? I'm sure it started with a 'T' and was no good god.

We took a short rest .

Odu was scouting headed and heard the sounds of insect swarms. He was attacked by three swarms of wasps. He fought well but they bit viciously. The others dived into the water to attack from it's cover. I hurled the Druid flame. Odu destroyed one swarm and escaped into the water so the two remaining swarms came for me. Between me and the others we dwalt to those swarms too. Fortunately the others were shooting over my head. C'thie and Oceanus both missed me!

Our lizard folk guides suggested we go to the river as we were likely to run into fewer problems there. After the 3rd hour of travel through the swamp we reached the river edge. We travelled at least an hour along the river with no encounters when, during the second hour, on the other side of the river Odu and C'thie spotted some lizard folk dive into the river. The lizard folk with us indicated that these ones might be hostile. Four swam across under water then leapt out to the attack. Krex and I and C'thie and Oceanus were waiting in pairs on the bank. Odu was waiting up a tree. Three came for Krex and me and two died before they could hit us. The two remaining fled.

We travelled a third hour along the river and then took a short rest.

Captures:

Giant Hyena: 1 F, 1 M

Giant Vulture: 3 M, 1 F

Owlbearer Rodeo Drive

I saw a notice in the Inn about escorting some owlbears to their home a day's walk from Luma. The notice said to meet at Nala at MATES. At MATES Nala was standing near the entrance with a chalk board with their name written on it and three of us gathered around. Nala is an 8ft-tall goliath with pale white skin with sky blue marks across it and a pure white mane of hair resembling a cloud puff, crowned by flowers, and sky blue eyes. Dressed in a cropped white blouse with red accents and detailing and a pair of baggy black and red pants and carrying a greataxe. Alice a young looking eldarin sorcerer and Aspitha an elf wizard wearing glasses.

Sakura Rannera-Paxton was at the reception desk and asked what our approach would be? It was at this point that we found that nobody was clear on how we were going to escort the owlbears; or why owlbears, which generally live in forests, should be in that arid area. Sakura asked about "Druid's" reasons for wanting the owlbears and there seemed to be some confusion when it was explained that she had two male owlbears and she shape-shifts into female owlbear form.
The owlbears in MATES' care are completely tame. The story was that some person who was captive and used to brood their eggs. The exploring party brought that person back to Luma and the owlbearers came too.
Nala pointed out that with the owlbears gone the number of hyenas had grown and the same game had almost disappeared. Sakura pointed out that returning the owlbears, which had dominated the area and grown in numbers so that other animals had lost numbers would just unbalance the area again. And it is a dry area getting dryer. Perhaps, people said, attention should be paid to why it is getting dryer? Or to ways of bringing water to the area. Nala had an idea and purchased a Decanter of Endless Water that she would give to the 'Druid' to avert the water crisis.
Sakura told us that MATES want hyenas to set up a breeding program, specifically a second female. Sakura talked about replacement of the velociraptor population in farming land with domesticated velociraptors as an ideal example of how the ecology of areas could more easily be managed by domestication. That might be true, I thought, but then the areas are no longer free.
The owlbears had been in the north of the Owlbear Rodeo region. In the south was some mechanism that sounded extensive and potentially active.
Nala gave us Speak With Animals spell-wrought tattoos and we went and talked with a group of owlbears. They liked the idea of having more room than they currently had at the overcrowded MATES are. I asked why they left their previous home and went to Owlbear Rodeo? They replied that it "was very confusing, as we were in our places, hunting, grey fog enveloped them and left them in Owlbear Rodeo where they met the Great Bear who taught them and lead them to Luma when the adventurers came. He could then escape his curse." Sakura told us about the fog, a dark time, the fog surrounded the farmlands and there were constant attacks by monsters that came out of the fog. Then adventurers started arriving. After the fog vanished the surrounding lands were revealed.

Six adults decided to come with us accompanied by three juveniles. The younger cubs, Sakura said, could be transported by teleport if we could bring something from that place back to Luma - something that belonged there like a chip of rock. Sakura provided saddles so we can ride some of the adults. Sakura rode Duskclaw and I rode Thunderhowl. The other adults were Featherbeak, Flowerbait, Dreamsnare and Graspwing. The three juveniles were Terrorscowl, Tailwind and Jumpleg.
In the Vermin Grasslands we saw Aurochs in the distance but avoided the herd. As we were about to climb over a rocky saddle we saw Giant Vultures above and they must have been hungry as they swooped to attack us. Two were killed in the fight. I succeeded in putting one to Sleep, and that one was captured. Sakura grapped with one and finally persuaded it to listen to her offer of free food and water at MATES. Phoenix jumped into the fight from a LEG airship and helped Sakura after Aspitha cast Fly on him.
Further on we encountered a pack of seven giant hyenas. Four were sleeping fitfully south of the path we needed to take, three were bitterly grumping about the lack of water and of food. We would need to pass between the two groups. Clever use of the Decanter of Endless Water by Nala and Phoenix drew the three awake Giant Hyenas away and we got them away over a bridge over a rocky chasm before the Hyenas could attack them. It was a tense time and I held myself ready to cast Web at the choke-points to cover our movement.

We found two owlbears and the shape-shifting Satyr "Fluxia" in a cavern that looked to have been, or is, a shrine or temple. Around a basin were three stone foxes (?) and there were arcane glyphs on some of the stones. I wondered about it's origins and whether LEG had sketches of it.
Sakura monitored the dragged giant vulture. It stirred and needed 4 more doses after seven hours and then again after a further nine hours. In the morning Sakura gave me some tranquilizers and instructions to monitor the Vulture with as I as the only one not in a hurry to return to Luma. I remained in the cave for pickup. In all sixteen owlbears were returned to the region and two giant hyena, one male and one female, and four giant vultures, three males and one female were brought back to MATES.

I answered the call of the Crystal in company with Cuda Starling but I'm going to leave her out of my account as her story is hers to tell, if she chooses.
I'd slept in and it was late morning on a fine day and I'd just had a meal that was both breakfast and lunch. I was restless and felt the urge to wander outside. Cuda and I wandered together through Luma, seeming to want to choose the same turnings. Shaundakul was guiding us. I flew Shaun to ride the winds and give me an overview of the city as we wandered.
From the Crossroads District we headed north east. Of all the sights we saw there, the one that caught in my mind was the train of carts carrying pumpkins. There were six carts each carrying only one immense pumpkin - pumpkin's big enough for a gnome's house!
We left the red and black crystals of Crossroads behind us and entered Crystals Edge where the dim light of the orange crystals is aided by gnomish electric lights. Our wandering urge drew us across a large court with a big fountain at it's centre towards cave entrance. There was a big cave entrance and empty carts were being driven in and loaded carts were coming out. The cave was lit by electric lights down the middle and crystals on the sides. To the left was a smaller cave, and guards were standing by that entrance also.
The guards told us that these were the Luma crystal caves and we were welcome to go in, but to do no harm. We went in to a cave of giant crystals. Near the entrance we saw a large crystal with a shape inside, an image of a person resting. There were hundreds, or maybe thousands of these crystals in the cave as far as I could see along it.
Cuda poked crystal and pulled back. I touched the same crystal and saw an image of a green-skinned wood elf fighting skeletons. This was wonderful! I went along touching other crytals at random. A human woman working on a farm below the mesa that Luma surmounts. In a yellow crystal someone with short wavy brown hair was driving cart in the streets of Luma, they made hand signs to those around that someone was looking through their eyes and many folk waved. A merchant wrote a welcome note when I touched his crystal! But when I touched the crystal of someone in a circus costume, like an acrobat there was no contact. One of the guards explained that when your crystal is touched you can block the contact.
Quite a ways on I found my crystal a smooth cool blue-white colour, like the colour of my spellfire, multifaceted and grown out in multiple directions. I touched it eagerly and remembered the triumph that I felt when, while exploring Castle Never, shortly after manifesting my spellscar and spellfire magic I found an old chapel to Shaundakul, which I knew by the image of a beared man with hair blowing in the wind. Touching that image, I felt like there was a helping hand on me and I fell through a portal that flared with my spellfire and lead me to Luma. If there is such a thing as Destiny, I felt it then.
When I finally left I felt a sense that I would always know where my crystal is and could guide myself home by that. Cuda was ready to leave. As we walked out we saw a female goliath with sooth golden skin but the scars of a fighter touching her crystal. There was a shimmer and a goliath looking just like her walked out of the crystal. Flint-finder, the goliath, explained that she was summoning a duplicate of herself as she had two things she must do. Something to do with fights in arenas.
As we left the cave we noticed the scent from a tea shop just by the cave mouth. The gnome at the counter waved to us and invited us in. I would have liked to but could not just then. I must visit another time.

In the morning we reached the place where the lizard folk wanted to leave and they jumped over the side and left without their precious chest. Fartholomay had a bad cold and could not talk with them. We had trouble trying to raise the anchor and sail to head to Saltmarsh and in the delay we were assailed by numerous lizard folk with fish-folk and sea hob-goblin allies. They seem to demand that we lie on the deck. That would make it easy to kill us. Oceanus was soon overwhelmed and surrendered.. Ily was caught in a net and also surrendered and was taken over the side and away. Odu climbed up to the crows nest and disappeared from sight. One of the leaders was a hob-goblin so we shouted to each other but he would not explain what they were saying we stole. I was completely surrounded and getting beaten down, so I slipped from the fight and up to the pop deck but as the last one standing I got beaten down.
We were all taken to the lizard-folk settlement. After an hour in a jail cell we were interviewed by an elder who could speak Common. The weapons shipment was theirs. So they were buying weapons from the Sea Princes. C'thie said we were mercenaries. I bristled a little, I may be a wandering fighter but I fight for the reason, not gold!
The elder took us to see the Lizard-folk Queen who was watching weapon practice. She told us that they had been driven out of their home by Sahugan and had come to this old lizard-folk place as a refuge. They know the Sahugan are planning to attack so the lizard-folk have been seeking weapons and allies. Oceanus was surprised but thought the sea-elves might accept an alliance with lizard-folk against the Sahugan. The Lizard-folk want us to prove our willingness by killing a giant crocodile called Thousand Teeth for them. They worship crocodiles but this one does not respond normally and has killed many of their folk.
We were given a gift of tongues by the lizard-folk priest and a tour of the settlement. We were not shown every room, as some were personal quarters or store rooms but I saw no sign of slaves. In the kitchen we did see the body of a hob-goblin and Sahugan were being cooked. C'thie relished trying a sample of the roasted Sahugan. They asked if there was anything we wanted for dinner. I said nothing that had talked.
The lizard-folk had a Sahagun prisoner and we talked to him. He claimed to be an outcast because he was part Triton. C'thie believed him and offered to try and persuade the Lizard-folk to release him if he would help fight Thousand Teeth. Krex agreed and though i watched him closely I could not see if he lied or spoke true.
As we left the cells, C'thie got a Sending from the Enclave of Elder Elementalists saying that a colleague, Duskly, that C'thie had left behind in Saltmarsh had got the naval book from the ship and completed the mission. Duskly had got a Sending message yesterday, and extra adventurers got the book back to Luma. C'thie was annoyed but said that meant that we were free agents now. C'thie seems set on claiming the ship, the Sea Ghost.
We have been invited to dinner with the queen. That will be interesting.

Dimitrie called for an expedition to explore a swamp north-east of Luma. I met Dimitrie and Phoenix at the notice board in the Inn of Infinite Doors and we met Pyxa at the Luma Explorer's Guild. The use of teleports to get around the city still seems strange to me, and I do not know why we were waved through without paying. After signing up at the Guild, we picked up some extra supplies. The older folk insisted insect repellent was important and I guess I'm glad I listened to them. They did not mention Theki Root until later. If you don't know about it, it tastes bitter but is supposed to help with poisons, so maybe it would help with hang-overs?
The Guild lent us some things that I think they called 'merricrashes'. I did not understand what these were until I found that we were jumping off an airship that had taken us to the border of the region we were about to explore, with the region of savannah with the animal statues. We were planning to head North-east. The old folk have often told me every wizard who leaves their rooms should learn 'Featherfall' but I'm no wizard and I landed hard, and so did Dimitrie.
Travel was slowbut we found routes where the ground was firm enough to support a horse and rider.
We encountered some dangerous animals. The first was a swarm of poisonous snakes, on land, under trees. We were not sure why they had come together, probably because of the cold. They attacked because we had come too close. We later heard other swarms and avoided them.;
Glass Gators were the most dangerous animals we encountered. We were crossing a bit of water, one by one, and Phoenix was the one in the water when the 'gators attacked. They moved fast and made a big leap to attack. Four of them attacked Phoenix in the water, and seemed to work together. Pyxa charged in to protect Phoenix's back, and maybe to not miss out on the fight! Glass Gator are as large as a crocodile with a see-through segmented carapace. At least 12 legs, the first two pairs of which look like they could be used for grabbing you. A blunt-nosed crocodile mouth big enough to take me in one chomp, and it looked like a stinger in the tail. I was glad it was not me in there. But Phoenix cut them up and Pyxa knocked them down. Dimitrie and I threw what magic we could conjure in as well. With both of us using Chromatic Orb it was a bit of a thunderous light show.
The third fight was also dangerous. A Serpopard jumped down out of a tree spraying Phoenix in front of it something that stunk like a skunk's musk but which was also highly poisonous. Maybe it was the Theki Root, or maybe Phoenix really is just that tough. Maybe it was both. But we took out that threat. The Serpopard is four-legged with a long serpentine neck, tawny scales with a reddish mane around it's neck and over it's fore-shoulders and a tuft of reddish fur at tip of tail. As it leapt it sprayed forward a 15' cone of musk that stunk like a skunk's but was also highly poisonous. After, it attacked with a bite and both claws. This one seemed larger than a wolf, apparently other individuals can be larger. I'm just glad it did not have a mate working with it. And that Dimitrie knew Prestidigitation and could get rid of the stink from Phoenix as otherwise he would have had to be always down wind and I don't know if anyone could live with that stink for long.
After a day's travel going North-east we reached an area of higher firmer ground that was a good campsite, despite the giant toad in the area.The toad was hugewith atonguethat couldeasily reach15', probably more. This was lured away from us byDimitrie witha clever use of Dancing Lights.
There were noises in the night but we were within a Tiny Hut cast by Dimitrie so we paid them no head. On the second day we reached a river inhabited by some dinosaurs. Huge quadrupedswithbony plates sticking abovetheirspinescovered in green mossandclub tails.Phoenix said these are territorial but not aggressive. They were in the river eatingplants. We flew over the river to avoid intruding on their territories (sections of the river).
We carried on through the region of the Manti-Core Lake to reach Reasonwood base.Insect Repellent is strongly recommended.It was great to travel with Pyxa again.

I thanked C'thie saying "once again a druid saves me. I think I owe you 2 potions of healing?" And as I cast Prestidigitation to clean her up I told Fartholomay not to get themselves killed because that would kill their music and that would be a loss to beyond words.
We searched the ship, the Sea Ghost.
Thorstein? Somebody mentioned somebody called Thorstein.
In the captain's cabin we found a chest containing10 electrum ingots and several maps in the writing desk,. The last tray contains several letters of a personal and intimate nature from three different women in three different ports (each of whom is under the misapprehension that she is Mrs. Sigurd “Snake Eyes“), and a curious, semi-literate document requesting a further supply of ironware “as per previous consignments and at the agreed terms.” The signature here is in the form of a pictograph and shows a stylized draconic head with forked tongue extended. I worked out that the crude map shows a rendezvous point ten miles southwest of Saltmarsh.
C'thie offered the lizardfolk, Liam, Liverwurst, Lissa employment which they accepted until they saw us kill the rats in the hold. They were happy to help us kill the grub swarms, but not the rats.
In one cabin we found several valuable things. A wizard's spellbook: 1st level: charm person, color spray, magic missile, silent image 2nd level: magic mouth, scorching ray. In a chest Fartholomay found 500sp, two Potions of Healing and an antidote, and handed the Potions of Healing to C'thie as she had used so many. C'thie also took two books:
"Principles of Navigation" by Da Korma
"Legal Distinctions in Letters of Marque" by Tazaar
In the hold were 50 bolts of silk 40 casks of brandy 40 casks of fine wine 1 large crate of high-quality mining tools

In the crew quarters Ily and Odu each took one of the two sets of dice and C'thie took "Grog Hovels", a book about taverns good for pirates.
In a secret store room aft, accessed from the bilge we found some bundles of weapons. 10 morningstars, 10 longswords, 10 shields, 20 javelins and 1 shield emblazoned on the front with the design of a lizard with forked tongue extended.
In another such area, but accessed from above we found a prisoner - Oceanus a sea-elf from the tribe of Manaan.
In Sanbalet's cabin we found a purse with 50gp and a Spell Scroll of Lv2: Gust of Wind. Also a naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (this seemed to be the book that Sanbalet took that the Enclave wanted) and a pair of shiny black boots that Ily claimed.

The note of the board at the Inn of Infinite Doors gave us to know that Venefiq Evenwind, curator of the Crestellan Museum, was looking for help locating the last work of the gnome artist Ellebella Laminabloom. Laminabloom was an accomplished metalsmith who made beautiful metal flower sculptures. Her last work was stolen during transport through Scronubel [near the Sword Coast of Faerun], and the thieves stashed the sculpture (which is quite heavy) somewhere around the Trielta Hills until the heat dies down enough for it to be moved. Venefiq has obtained a letter written by one of the thieves to a relative which she suspects contains clues as to the artwork's exact location. Can you investigate and track down the missing sculpture? Markis Rasprax, Alec, Fartholomay, Pyxa Frostpaw , Cuda Starling, and I,Timian Lostafar answered the request.

Venefiq Evenwind introduced herself as "Curator of ze Crestellan Museum. Ze last work of ze artist Ellebella Laminabloom was stolen and I am seeking adventurers to investigate. We believe ze sculpture is in ze Trielta 'Ills," says Venefiq. "I zink zis letter must 'ave clues inside it."The envelopewas addressed to Fobbleknot Freebuckle in Hardbuckler. Insidewas a letter written in Gnomish on stained paper.The letter read:
Dearest Fobbleknot, I hope this letter finds you well. It will be some time until I see you again; work requires me to travel for a bit before I can return home. I hope you are doing well in your studies and not staying up past three candles. It's important to get an early start and be up by seven bells! If you need anything or don't hear from me for longer than expected, fret not. Your uncle Gnonncy Tinplace will look after you in my stead. Yours, Gemma

Venefiq said that when the sculpture was stolen gnomish magic was used to move it because of it's weight. Scornubel is in an area of Faerun inland from Baldur's Gate. Luma can teleport people to Scornubel.

At Scornubel we joined a caravan heading to Hardbuckler and beyond. We left the caravan at the place where the robbery was said to have occurred but found no clues there so we went on to Hardbuckler. There was a palisade around the town and the guards charged 1 gold each for entry. Fart paid mine before I had got my purse out. Hardbuckler is a gnomish town and we were told there was no inn but folk would be happy to host us for a small fee.

We easily foundFobbleknot Freebuckle. He works as a dyer. He was very puzzled by the letter. Gemma now lives in Forharn (across the Moonsea to he east) after some unpleasantness involving some form of dishonesty. Gnonncy is Gemma;'s partner. Fobbleknot admitted he used to study wizardry. by being a dyer gives a more regular income.

This being a gnomish settlement it was not so surprising that we found a map-seller. They were able to tell us the names of some of the hills "there's Fairbarrow, TimberGlen, Oakenhorn, Ironshire, Hillfort, Fairford, and Duskacre. But mostly we just call them the hills. Thirty-two of them in all. I mean, they don't even mostly have names; they're just 'this hill' and 'that hill' to the locals unless they're the site of some farm." So it would seem the "named", hills are names for the farmers by them rather than names of the hills themselves.

I suggested that the curious arrangement of spots of grease on the letter might line up in some way with the map of the area. One of the others finally spotted a way that those spots did. That lead us to an area near a farm where we found a covered-over mine entrance. We explored the mine and were sure we had found the hiding place, but we did not find the sculpture.

Pyxa's giant weasel, Biggie Cheese ran off into the farmer's pumpkin patch and caused some mischief. The farmers begged Pyxa to remove his weasel.

We ended up reporting back and Venefiq Evenwind said she would send another group to follow up our finding.

This was Set in Saltmarsh

Hunting Slavers in Saltmarsh

I had arrived in Luma but that day when I saw a notice that some guild called the 'EEE' wanted to take out some slavers. Slavers, I have a particular interest in slavers so I asked about it and was told that the Enclave of Elder Elementalists wanted to send a backup to a team of theirs who had found some smugglers or slavers in Saltmarsh. Something about a wizard escaping with a dangerous alchemist's tome, but the important thing for me was slavers.

Luma provides fee accommodation and meals at The Inn of Infinite Doors. This was welcome after my travels but, have I escaped from the Feywild for a second time only to come to another place that traps folk under a seeming of kindness? I must be wary, be watchful, be alert.

The Enclave arranged to teleport me and another volunteer, Fartholomay a hafling Bard, to Monmarth, the city closest to Saltmarsh, and from there by boat to Saltmarsh where we should find the team at the Snapping Line tavern. Fartholomay wore a festival outfit of bright colours and a purple ruff. Their hair was shaved except for along the centre where it had been brought up in a rainbow of wedges. Fartholomay carried an instrument I have not seen before. I hope I get to hear them play. I have rarely seen a stranger costume in the Feywild. Beside them I will disappear into the background. Being a Rock Gnome I am no taller and my plain brown coat and trousers and heavy boots do not catch the eye. The handaxes I carry look more tool than proper weapon and the shortbow and quiver are just another bundle on my back.

The travel all went according to the plan. This Enclave has a lot of reach and resources. Once in Saltmarsh, a straggling fishing village, The Snapping Line was easy to find. It was built from salvage of old fishing boats and smelled strongly of fish. Such a smell could hide all manner of wrongness in the food and drink. Such as from the wine being drunk, wich we were told was brewed from lobsters. Two of the team we were looking for were at the bar. C'thie Pepperbeau, a human with long messy hair, an eye patch (which later I learnt was fake) wearing a leather vest with a sleek, strange item that looked like a hand-crossbow stock with a metal tube along where the bolt channel would be. C'thie was miming bad pirate jokes to Odu Bathax, a strange creature who looked like a giant praying mantis. The Thri-Kreen wore a wooden mask, and was pretending to laugh at C'thie's jokes.

As always, when asked my name, I did not answer with it but just said "I'm blink'in serene, I am, calm as a mill pond covered in morning mist". People then seem to call me Blink'in Serene. It works as well for a name as any other would.

The young human woman behind bar called out a hello and asked if we wanted to order anything. Anything so long as it was fish. C'thie told us they were waiting for another of their team to wake, and for C'thie's seagull familiar to return with a report. The food was being paid for by someone else and was not something I had had to gather and cook myself so I got a bowl of fishy stew and something to drink that had not been lobster. As soon as I could politely do so, I begged Fartholomay to play. Fartholomay was not reluctant and produced a performance that drew in a great crowd even though it was early in the afternoon. The music was so good that I cried my stew into a chowder. Fartholomay would have got the praise of the lords of the Fey, not their ire as I had to my great loss and cost.
The tavern was crowded with a raucous audience for Fartholomay's performance but still a seagull flew in and landed by C'thie. C'thie told us their familiar reported the slaver's boat was anchored a little way, 17 miles, along the coast and there seemed to be less than a dozen foes. We gathered our gear, Fartholomay, and Ily's casket (as they still slept) and headed while it was still light to a Master Anders. As we walked I thanked Fartholomay for the music. Master Anders had earlier offered to lend C'thie's team a boat to track down the Sea Princes and made good his promise.

The captain was friendly enough and Ily's casket was secured in such a way that she could still open it when she woke. I evoked Guidance for the captain and indeed he navigated so well that a few hours after dark came we espied a ship's riding light in the distance. C'thie's seagull flew and confirmed it was the same boat and that there was only one on night-watch. We borrowed the ship's rowing boat and quietly slipped over. The night watch on the ship was a half-drow, whittling away their time on the starboard side. We quietly rowed up to the port side. C'thie in panther shape swam to the stern and climb up to the taffrail using her claws. Odu climbed quietly up the side of the boat by the stairs up to the poop deck. They seemed to stay that way for a long time. Maybe Odu was waiting to be sure C'thie reached the taffrail. Then Odu tied a rope and dropped an end to the dingy where Fartholomay and I waited. Fartholomay cast Mage Armour. I tied the rope and went up to the waist as that was as far as I could get swiftly enough. The night-watch saw Odu tie the rope and ran for the ship's bell. C'thie and Odu did their best to stop him. The first to respond were the Second Mate and Bloody Bjon from the forward cabins. The Second Mate Charmed me, but Odu came down, attacked her in passing and tried to use an oar from the ship's boat to block the hatch grating. For his valour he was cut down by Bloody Bjorn but C'thie got Odu up again with a Healing Word. Fartholomay caused the Second Mate and Bloody Bjorn to flee into the sea over the far side of the ship and it was late in the fight before they were given a rope to climb back aboard.

I put on my red cap. I could describe the fight in detail, if you want a blow-by-blow account, but in brief every few seconds a couple more of the crew swarmed out, mostly from the aft cabins. The lizard folk were trapped in the hold as there was always at least two on the hatch grates fighting, their weight preventing the lizard folk opening the hatch. For much of the fight C'thie and Odu were on the poop deck trying to pick off targets and Fartholomay and I held the deck before the stairs against about three times our number of big folk. When the crewman between him and the stairs went down Fartholomay was able to escape up the stairs and I was able to drop my handaxe and pick up a scimitar which suited me better. The crew and cavemen started dying. The captain joined the fight and then spell casters. C'thie attacked the man we were hunting by turning into a Giant Toad and attempting to swallow him but was overwhelmed by attacks from others. I think all of us went down at one stage or another, but always someone else aided with a spell or potion. I went down to Bloody Bjorn after Punketah had hit me with Melf's Acid Arrow and Witch Bolt. C'thie poured a healing potion down me to get me up again, but my red cap had come off.

The Captain had gone down and the others surrendered. By then there was only the Second Mate, Bloody Bjorn, Punketah the spell caster, a deckhand and the three lizard folk still standing. And the four of us.

23

Crystal Locations:

• 23. Sylvia
• 23. Celes
• 35. Duke
• 37. Mitsuko
• 95. Pyxa

Nebuchadnezzar's Items lost at Devil's Canyon:

• Battleaxe - Recovered
• Plate - Recovered with damage
• Tridents - Lost
• Warhammer - Recovered
• Backpack and contents - Recovered with damage

Marcella Gladiolus's items lost at Devil's Canyon:

• Bag of Holding and contents - Lost
• Boots of Elvenkind - Recovered with damage
• Rope of Climbing - Recovered with damage
• Shortsword +1 - Recovered with damage
• Keoghtom's Ointment - Lost
• 3 Revivify Diamonds - 1 recovered, 2 lost

I just sung the whole description of this

Don't bring carrots

Evindal collected all the rusted items and old coins from the Sarcophagi. https://discord.com/channels/1156010202106175560/1161881084376662076/1543312836774854707

Adventurer Name: Phoenix

Hex Name: The Opaline Hollow

Mapmaker: None, this isn't for credit, it's for information

Creatures Encountered: Flail Snail

Additional Exploration Notes:

Giving notes because previous adventurers haven't and I have been to the place multiple times but not for leg quests. This is all the info I can provide. Entering the cave you will probably notice the gooey substance that the snails leave behind, perhaps even outside the cave. There is no light in the cave and therefore people who need light to see should prepare accordingly. About 30ft into the cave there is 15ft drop where you will probably encounter the first hostile snails. The snails can climb but they can not climb upside down on the ceiling otherwise they would fall. They are not smart or fast, use that to your advantage.

More specifically about the snails themselves, poison and fire are completely ineffective and they can't be poisoned. They can sense creatures through tremors on the ground, they ignored a flying owl and if you are able to fly yourself or prevent any vibrations from reaching them you will probably be non existent to them. They attack by quickly flinging the tentacles on their head at you. Be careful, it's difficult to avoid all 5 of them. More over, when a magic spell is used on them if you miss or fail to deal proper damage to them or if they manage to resist the effects of a spell they will absorb it into their shell and unleash a wave of energy within roughly 30ft of them that can damage you. Their shell also grants them magic resistance making it more likely spells will be ineffective. This is annoying because they can also make their shells emit bright light in the same radius. It can catch you off guard and stun and blind you. They don't seem to be able to do this too often? I am not certain. Another thing they can do is retract in their shell, making it harder to hit them but they are unable to move which does help.
The way I'd deal with them is with simple ranged weapon and ammunition, however if you are fast enough and can disengage you can slowly take them down that way. That is very hard to pull off without haste so stick with ranged options or flight. If you are confident and have good timing you can close your eyes if you are anticipating their shell to glow brightly and the light won't blind or stun you. Just make sure you aren't within their reach when doing so, they can reach you from about 10ft away by extending their tentacles. You can also try to subdue them with ranged magic attacks but make sure you are more than 30ft away as to not be caught in the blast radius in case they absorb your attack. Oh also, they are snails. Spells that require the target to be nimble to avoid are probably safe to use on them. Spells that require the target to be sturdy? Not so much. Hard shell. On that note, I did mention previously that they aren't smart either. If you really must cast spells this may help you decide which one you want to cast.

You are welcome.

Crystal Locations:

• 66. Paul Stamets
• 90. Hugo

Dry Spell Sands Cartography Check by Agni: https://discord.com/channels/1156010202106175560/1161881127196315700/1530103294662545514