Of Jaws and Gems
Submerged
- Splix, Theobald, Thoradin, Noah, Adeena and the four scholars teleport into an air bubble submerged in water.
- Splix casts dancing lights, but the spell immediately dissipates as if it was countered magically. Theobald casts bless on the party.
- Noah uses her Driftglobe to cast light. Adeena spots three glowing lights moving to their direction. The party see that they are on top of glass-like surface with bluish-green streaks. They also see pairs of pillars rise to the surface.
- The lights turn out to be a shark with an inlaid gem on its forehead. The bubble pops and the party swim upwards.
- Thoradin attempts to retrieve the Immovable Rod from Theobald’s backpack, but pulls a lantern holding eternal flame. The flame does not die out from being submerged in water. Thoradin hooks the lantern to him, giving him light.
- The gemshark swallows Noah’s Driftglobe, then attacks Theobald. The party take turns helping Dello, who cannot swim.
- Theobald, after escaping the gemshark, casts a spell to reform the stone pillar nearest to him.
- Adeena discerns that the gemshark is actually a construct. Noah, Splix, and the three scholars surface. They spot a cavern with a large Ymerald Gem deposit in the middle of the rocky island held up by the pillars. Noah spots a glowing Ymerald Gem on a pedestal near the cave wall.
- Noah swims towards the Ymerald and sees an inscription which she cannot read. Splix remarks that the gem of his Ymerald Staff is cut from the mineral deposit.
- Splix reads the inscription that Noah found:
Lair Riddle
To unseal the entrance to my lair,
Three keys you must prepare,
One from driftwood, One from sunken stone
And last a trinket the Ymerald keeper owns
- Noah spots a wall containing three keyholes and an open cavity. She deduces that it has something to do with the riddle on the inscription.
- Theobald escapes the gemshark’s bite and surfaces. Dello is saved by the combined efforts of Theobald, Adeena, Thoradin and Fiamil.
- Thoradin and Adeena fight the gemshark. Thoradin experiences a magical shockwave emanating from the gemshark. Adeena surfaces, leaving Thoradin to a grappling contest with the gemshark.
- The party conclude that the gemshark can absorb magical spells. Theobald and Adeena concoct a plan to trap the gemshark using the Immovable Rod.
- Thoradin becomes incapacitated and is saved by Fiamil. Adeena traps the gemshark.
Befuddled
- The party takes a short rest as the scholars prepare the teleport circle spell.
- Adeena obtains the gem from the gemshark’s forehead. The party decide to open Zagi’s Lair.
Splix Contacts Zagi
“Two inside the hollow, one you must provide”
- Splix asks if the keys are already made.
“Yes”
- Splix asks if there is something inside the lair.
“Treasure and knowledge”
- Splix asks about the last key.
“A trinket that represents you”
- Splix ask where the two keys are located.
“A piece of driftwood floats, a stone sinks”
A Larger Ymerald Deposit
- Adeena scours the hollow and finds a key carved from driftwood.
- Adeena and Thoradin dive and search for a stone key. The two realize that trapped underneath the glass surface is a much larger mineral deposit.
- Thoradin finds a stone key.
Zagi’s Lair
- Splix opens Zagi’s Lair using the two keys and a driftwood piece from his Ymerald Staff.
- The party see a statue of Zerrus Zagi holding the Ymerald Staff and the Magus Labyrinthus.
- Beside the temple is a portal room, allowing them to teleport to any place as long as they know the location’s sigil sequence.
- The inner chamber contains scroll racks, shelves and a desk with a chained spellbook. A folded letter tucked between the book and the desk.
To the keeper of my staff,
I now hold you responsible for this large deposit of Ymerald. I have also collected and recorded all that I know in this room. S, I entrust all of these to you.
I foresee an enemy from the heavens… Maybe this extraterrestrial boon is not a gift, but a weapon to protect us against the things to come.
But I digress. S, you and your companions must first defeat the evil that plans to release Miledu. The twelve chains that bind the harbinger of doom are weakening. But the god is vulnerable from its stasis; strike now before it awakens.
Creator and First Keeper of the Ymerald Staff
- Adeena retrieves a book Aulephi and Yekora. She hopes that she can use the book to strike peace between the followers of the two deities.
- Thoradin sees a collection of Zerrus Zagi’s records about Opidys. He enlists the scholars help in copying them and sharing them with Opidian people.
- Noah finds a book detailing Zerrus Zagi’s explorations in Suirsya.
Goodbyes
- The scholars tell Splix and the party that they have decided to part ways with them. They plan to teleport to Effil University to report their actions.
- Theobald entrusts his gold to the scholars. He asks them to give it to the Effil Orphanage and to inform his order about his situation.
- Adeena and Thoradin shares their knowledge about the larger deposit of Ymerald deep within Zagi’s Lair. They persuade the scholars to not share about the Ymerald, knowing that there will be an arms race to take it.
- Splix bids his goodbye to the scholars and Fiamil. The scholars teleport to Effil University.
- Splix teleports Thoradin, Theobald, Adeena and Noah to the lair deep within the earth to confront their destiny.