Ferris tested his injured shoulder. Though scarred, it functioned well enough under his new suit of leather armor, the former suit being ruined by the fireball that nearly took his life. It was now the month of Snake, which turned his thoughts to St. Martyn, detachment, and the practice of tossing valuables down wells. He itched to delve into the well back in Slateholm Ghevont told him of a few weeks ago.
He’d spent his time trying to understand how to brew potions that allowed breathing water to no success. He accompanied the herbalist back to her shop, bid her farewell, then went to hire a caretaker for the estate. Idle talk of the well caught interest from Bottoms followed by Azrak. He found Aderian at the Iron Knight Inn and persuaded him to return. Together with Tienarth, they agreed to fetch Ghevont at Lah’s Retreat for another trip down the well.
Ghevont agreed to interrupt his prayers for a short trip to Slateholm. He was partway through inscribing scrolls. As the group gathered around a table athe Romantic Blossom, Ghevont demonstrated a renewed devotion to the Anointed One. “Who amongst you accepts the Anointed One as the one, true god?” To his surprise, they each assented, even the dwarf Azrak who’d previously spoken of dwarven dieties. He dripped holy oil on their foreheads, comforted by the idea of their faith matching his.
The next morning, they descended into the well. Those who wore metal armor left it behind, wearing newly-purchased leather as a hedge against the danger of deep water. They retraced steps to where the water was deepest, leaving Ferris and Azrak behind to hide in a nook. The idea was the ambush the naga when she attacked. It did not take long.
Making ready to swim into 7′ deep water, hideous laughter echoed through the caverns. Bottoms, Tienarth and Aderian convulsed in sympathetic hysterics. Limbs thrashed as they sank into the water, face down. Ghevont pulled Bottoms up as the naga rose over the water line. He struck her fury, and as before she fled.
Not waiting for the ambush, Azrak waded into the passage to confront her, landing another terrible blow with his hammer. Ferris, disappointed, waited. From behind, Aderian and Tienarth, now recovered, rushed up to the monster. Aderian tossed his net over her head, a direct hit. Presently, the naga transformed into an insubstantial mist through which the net passed through. It sank into the water.
Ghevont peered around the corner and dispelled her magic with a word. Once again, she was substantial. Tienarth let loose a spray of magic missiles that fell her. Her lifeless body splashed back into the stream.
Concluding all danger had passed, they felt free the explore the caverns more casually. Before long, they found a chamber filled with moldering bones. By divine inspiration, Ghevont spotted three bones and a stone glowing with magic. He snatched them up. The bones were indeed those of St. Jaludi. The stone was carved with the face of a girl. He handed it to Tienarth. The bones were of the back, the leg and the hand.
Back to the room where they first fought the naga, Aderian dove down to an underwater nest and retrieved four eggs.
The remaining area left to explore was across the dangerous whirlpool. Swimming across this room seemed dangerous even when not wearing plate armor. Their plan involved levitation, a spell known well by the elf wizard. Ghevont held a rope as Tienarth levitated him up and he pushed himself forward by gripping the ceiling. As he landed on the other side, he noted the thick moss and dry floor covered in a gray sludge. Before hammering a spike in the wall two which he intended to attach the rope, he gazed into the chamber beyond.
Suddenly, a massive figure came forward. Numerous vines exploded from the figure and wrapped themselves around Ghevont, squeezing the life from him. He twisted free and kicked hard against the wall. Still levitating, he glided across the room and out of reach of the plant beast.
This was a challenge far too great, and they all agreed to escape with the treasure. A quick debate erupted over the naga corpse. In the end, they decided to leave it in the well and not speak of it, lest the people of Slateholm become overly concerned.
Once out of the well, they went directly to Benebil. He took the naga eggs and promised to find a buyer after warning that they were generally regarded as dangerous and illegal. He also identified the carved stone as a magical periapt in the likeness of a lost princess.
Endnotes
- Treasure
- 4 Naga eggs
- Adthene’s Periapt
- 3 Bones of St. Jaludi
- Kills: Water Naga – 3,500 xp
- Characters
- Ferris/Henry – surprise attack – 647 xp
- Tienarth/Tre – collected magic item, avoided combat – 600 xp
- Aderian/Jason – fighting – 647 xp
- Ghevont/Jeff – key tenet, preaching – 653 xp
- Azrak/Nick – 583 xp
- Bottoms/Michael – 583 xp