Mission 4 - Turn 5
*Next turn starts 3 AM UTC, 11 December

NOTE: The Gillyweed will expire at the end of this turn.

It could not find the temple. It had lost the fix on it right before the last plane shift was supposed to deliver them, befuddled and confused. It checked again ... nothing. That bedamned to eternity FAE!! In its rage nine servants died instantly and another now dangled from a tentacle as it probed through its mind for possible answers. Then it summoned more, and waited. There had been one more portal programmed in before it had left the temple to his minions to prepare. Another servant comes to report. Ah, they have arrived. The Aboleth reaches out through its waiting servants, searching for an appropriate mind. (roll dice)

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Clíodhna can feel Aylar being ported again, and this time the link grows stronger. She feels his anger, something has him deeply disturbed and angry, but she is in the midst of battle herself managing the Ship's energies and guns. Within the stronger link she feels him reach for his Charms with forceful intent and throws more power to him to assist. Then she turns back to the Ship and the enemies pushing hard to assault it. She sends an inquiry to the Dragon Turtle and is assured Kyp is still safe.

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Aeshma had been told the Denuvo had been sunk. So this was either another time shifted incident, or they had somehow raised and rebuilt it. Seeing the vampirates and Drowned Ones, she draws a rune of protection around the group (roll dice =10'/3m for 3 turns) and whispers very softly beneath her breath.

*... Do remember to be yer Charming self, Aylar.*

(via PM] Aylar is greatly angry and of a mind to see to it that nae vampirate be having a chance to explode anywhere, and that any draining from any party, be it poison or vampiric, will be swiftly and ruthlessly prevented. (roll dice) He concentrates on his Fae Charm, with perhaps more anger and force than be needed, and feels a surge of power coming through the link with Clíodhna. (roll dice) The results with the vampirates are immediate, as Aylar focuses the Charm's necromancy side to lethally turn back any life drain upon the Crew with an intensity that is surprising, striking the non-officers down almost immediately and driving two of the vampirate officers to their knees. As far as he is concerned, nae foe presently stationed in the cavern be anything more than a distraction and an obstacle for him and his Crew on the way to something actually worth killing properly - the fish. Aylar's focus now be to tear through whatever obstacles be between him and the eel, within reason and the safety of the Crew. Thus to his mind those enemies have to simply be destroyed.

"So we meet again," Bellandra swears upon seeing the Denuvo. They had lost their first crew member there, and she does not want to repeat that now. Bellandra uses the mirror to try to see if there are any illusions being used here, and to see if any of the paths looks more promising than others. But to do so requires she turn her back to the enemy and look over her shoulder, and by doing so there is no time to load and fire her crossbow or stun any before the enemy is upon them. (roll dice) She is struck by a Chuul tentacle reaching for the magic item and the mirror is knocked from her hand before she can retaliate. (roll dice) The paralyzing poison does not affect her, but the Chuul itself is suddenly staggered as Aylar's Charm ward through her rabbit's foot lashes out. (roll dice) Bellandra quickly recovers and uses her cutlass to cut two of the Chuul's legs out from under it, making a note that perhaps she is depending too much upon the mirror instead of paying attention to the immediate danger of battle, and it's best to leave the magick of detecting and dispelling illusions to the magick users when there is fighting to be done.

Count Karnstein is very displeased to see vampirates. "Not these clowns again!" He goes swiftly to face them, (roll dice) dodging the single bolt from the hand crossbow one sends his way before it is suddenly brought down by some magick. Encouraged by his previous success, Count tries to surprise one by disarming him with a quick whiplash aimed at the hand. (roll dice) Only to miss as the vampirate officer goes to its knees. (roll dice) Count quickly beheads it, leaping back from the ash, but it does not effect him. Turning to the Captain, Count sees a look of horror on the once confident Captain's face and he turns to run from the Count. (roll dice) The Count uses the whip to catch the Captain by the throat and pulls him back into Frostbite, causing the torso to freeze before he pulls the saber back to behead the vampirate. (roll dice) Again, the ash does not affect him and Count notices he has a slight starlight glow about himself when he is near the vampirates. (roll dice) He quickly beheads the fallen vampirates and returns to fight the other enemies with the Crew, wondering if it was something Aylar did or is it something else?

There's a gong, and then a teleport and a shift right after each other. As he spots the Denuvo - which he very distinctly remembers being sunk by them! - and the enemies all around them, Grog'tial groans, but once more makes ready for battle. He's basically bunkering down, ignoring the overwhelmingness of everything, and just focusing on the here and now. (roll dice) Grog'tial loads and fires a stake-bolt at the only vampirate officer still on his feet and running from the Count with his back turned. The bolt goes home in that sweet spot Grog'tial knows so well, and he begins to feel better. Seeing four Chuul and several Drowned Ones beginning to mass around them, he blows his shell to mesmerize them. (roll dice) Nothing happens. Grog'tial blows again, harder. (roll dice) Fail! His siren emerges from the shell, spins around and slaps him with her tail, sending him sprawling, then disappears into her shell again.

Pugwash is dead. Preserved ever after by the curative of salt and briny water. Like the dead sea, there can be no life where there is salt. All that effort to avoid salt, on a ship, in the ocean - all for nought. He struggles to accept everything, and sits motionless in a stupor. Roused from his stupor, Pugwash has just enough initiative to load the crossbow with a stun bolt bomb and fires it towards the Chuul. (roll dice) He manages to stun four Chuul and five Drowned Ones (1d4 = 2 turns). He moves to reload for next turn.

(roll dice) Argy was ready for the fight with her lantern still turned up on high, but the Drowned Ones are starting to ignite and drop as they come up against Aeshma's protection field. She uses the protection from the field and her lantern to quickly run and pick up the mirror before it can be lost or broken.

Aeshma's eyes widen as she sees the Drowned Ones ignite and takes a moment to examine her field with her inner eye, then spins about frantically searching. There! Near Aylar, of course, but it shouldn't be that strong here ... unless .... She casts a summons and whispers to the air. There is hope!

Durik thought that the plane shifting was over, but then they all appear into a giant cavern. He is confused to see all the past enemies again and said, "Can dis be real too? Me think is illusion for sure!." He is waiting for Bellandra to use her mirror when a Chuul attacks her, reaching for the mirror and knocks it from her hand. Meanwhile the Count has already beheaded one vampirate and is now using the whip on the vampirate captain. (roll dice) Durik decides this is indeed real, and uses his cudgel to knock back a Chuul trying to reach Aeshma while evading its tentacles, cracking its armor.

(roll dice) Aylar sees Grog'tial knocked to the ground by his furious siren, and slices off the tentacles of a Chuul before it can reach either of them, feeling the Charm lash out before the poison can affect him. (roll dice) He reaches down and pulls the half-dwarf to his feet, pushing him towards the more protected center where Grog'tial can reload, before he finishes that Chuul and turns to cut down another.

(roll dice) Captain Baldbeard is listening when all of a sudden Aeshma's protection field snaps up around him and he feels the tendrils of something slimy and awful being forcibly expelled from his mind. (roll dice) Angered by the uninvited invasion, he sends the sharks in to assist against the Chuul and Drowned Ones, while he himself presses forward. (roll dice) In his disgust and anger, Captain Baldbeard cudgels in the face of a Chuul, killing it instantly, and hefts his cudgel again, ready to do the same to the next one that comes near to Aeshma, Gilius or Aylar. [Per previous post and PM intent]

Mighty got tired by all the swinging and bashing. He leans on his cudgel and observes as each of the other crew members look into the bowl and saw anger, sadness. He remembers all the adventures and lighthearted moments he's had so far with them and feels bad for mateys and Captain Aylar.

Cracker - keeping in mind reprimand from Aeshma and seeing half-orc lost in his thoughts decides to poke him with his beak. "Prepare for battle!" Cracker squawks as a gong sounds.

Mighty firmly grabs his cudgel ready to fight. (roll dice) Once the portal has delivered them, Mighty cracks the skull of the Chuul Bellandra had cut the legs from. (roll dice) He then uses his claw to pincer the head off an ignited zombie.

(Continued below ...)