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• Arhian Vos – Human Monk
  • Pet: Pabu (Young Red Panda)
• Hartmut Helmsworth – Elf Monk
  • Pet: Kalistia (Young Blink Dog)
• Sindri Waggletop – (Forest) Gnome Wizard 
• Rettniss Kulvith – Water Genasi Druid
  • Pet (?): Vindri (Sindri Voodoo Doll)
• Avacyn “Jolyne” Uloth the Merciless – Half-Orc Paladin
• Twilight Skybane – Tiefling Bard
  • Pet: Gem (Sailor Parrot With A Mouth)
  • Pet: C.C. (Copy Cat, Mimic Bag Of Holding)

The Hollowing continues (DM Note: Because this segment took place in November, I put it to the players if they wanted the Hollowing to be over, and explain it that the fight took place near the end of the Hollowing event – they, however, wanted it to keep it going because it made the most sense! Some players love random punishment!)

• Those aboard The Morning Glory ship continue to fight against the Kraken Priests as the waters churn and become increasingly violent – the human in the crow’s nest of the ship also spots approaching creatures in the water – and as they get closer, identifies them as a sperm whale, merfolk, dolphins and what appears to be an actual “sea-horse” – known as a Hippocampus! All the while the effects of the Hollowing wreak chaos on Magic! (All of this happened last session – see Session 34!)
• Rettniss attempts to cast Water Walking on Sindri, who is still in the form of a small Fire Elemental – when unbeknownst to Rettniss – inside the ship – down below deck, where Twilight is tending to the wounded – her hands suddenly burst into flame (but do her no harm!) – 61 For 1d4 rounds, a random person in your party has fists of fire (randomly select) dealing an extra 2d4 fire damage! And Twilight was the one who got it.
• Hartmut gazes out into the ocean and notices that now that one of the Kraken Priests has been slain – the other three seem visibly weaker – and he spots a barrier shared between the original four now also seems weaker. Their defenses are broken by taken them down one at a time, to weaken the chain.
• Hartmut announces this to the others on the ship
• Hartmut then, moving to the front of the ship, takes aim at one of the Kraken Priests near the front of the ship and lands a hit; he fires a second shot, but misses
• Below deck, Twilight shouts for someone to open the door for her since her hands are on fire; and quickly makes her way to the top of the deck – and sees a Kraken tentacle wrapping around the core of the ship; she draws her rapier and sees it ignite similar to her hands, the magical fire, channeling through her weapon – she brings it down on the Kraken’s tentacle and lands a hit, doing slashing damage plus fire damage!
• One of the Kraken Priests seeing a small fire elemental running around on the water unleashes a Thunderbolt attack and hits Sindri – but in the form of the fire elemental, Sindri has an effect similar to Polymorph and has the stats of a Fire Elemental – including its health pool
• One of the Kraken Priests attempts to Thunderbolt Rettniss – but it slams against her shield
• Sindri, still in Fire Elemental form – tries to attack the Kraken Priest – but the Kraken Priest, seeing the small fire elemental approaching, retreats away from him against both attacks

• The party hands Avacyn a crossbow, and she fires – but not being familiar with using distance weapons, her shots miss
• Rettniss casts Thunderclap at the Priests – and realizes, the Hollowing has now made him smell like rotten sewage (all social checks are at disadvantage) – all three priests fail their save, taking massive damage from the spell
• The first shot Hartmut fires, Hartmut misses, overcome by an odor from the ocean (being Rettniss), but the next two he covers his mouth and nose, and the shots fired hit the Kraken Priest
• Twilight, in the meantime, continues to use her fiery hands against the Kraken’s tentacles which have wrapped itself around the ship
• Sindri manages to land a critical hit against one of the Kraken Priests, sensing his Fire Elemental form is about to wear off…

• The Kraken Priests hits Sindri in Fire Elemental form, landing a solid hit, just before the Fire Elemental’s form comes to an end
• Arhian, focusing on the priest who got hit by Sindri, fires a shot – and also lands a critical hit…

• The Kraken Priest in turn – fires back at Arhian – and hits her for solid damage
• Avacyn, cursing about the usage of a crossbow, focuses on the very bloody Kraken Priest – and focuses – and fires a a crossbow bolt, landing the bolt directly in its eye
• The party notices that the other two Kraken Priests seemingly shimmer after their companion dies
• Rettniss casts Ice Knife – which glows with radiant energy, due to the Hollowing adding additional radiant damage – as it strikes and hits hard, with more radiant damage on top of it
• The ice knife kills the Kraken Priest by hitting him central mass, the ice freezing the priest, following by the radiant energy exploding his body into icy fragments
• Hartmut fires his bow and manages to keep landing hits

• Sindri fires a Firebolt at the Kraken Priest – however, the Hollowing takes control of the fire bolt – and changes its target – turning it into a fireball centered on Sindri – forcing him, and those around him to make a dexterity savings throw…
  • Twilight saves
  • Rettniss natural 20 saves – avoids all damage
  • Arhian saves
  • Sindri, however, fails
  • Hartmut fails
  • Avacyn natural 20 saves – avoids all damage
  • Kraken Priest fails
  • Kraken fails
  • Those that failed take 16 damage, those who saved take 8 damage, and Hartmut is able to half the 8 down to 0 damage, due to Evasion
• The fireball bloodies Twilight
• However, they hear the scream of the Kraken Priest as he bursts into fire from the fireball, doing enough to kill him
• Without the kraken priests to command him, and the damage it’d taken from Twilight and crew members attacking its tentacles, also retreats
• Sindri and Rettniss climb aboard the ship again
• They discuss how all the Kraken Priests had the skull symbol on their chest…

• The symbol, they realize, belongs to an ancient god named Terrorskew. (More can be found on the Deities page). From what they could recall – Terrorskew was god who created dinosaurs – when, at the time, the world had no human, elf, dwarf, or other such races. The world consisted of various mammals, birds, and reptiles – but was ruled exclusively by dinosaurs as the apex predators. According to the legends, the god was then found by the other gods – who warred with Terrorskew and banished him. Shortly after, Terrorskew, created numerous beasts to hunt down and destroy the mortals these new gods placed on the world – such as the krakens, basilisk, behir, and other deadly creatures – before creating what he called “the god killer” – a terrifying beast that slumbers, known as Terrasque (named loosely after himself) which will awaken one day and bring an end to the new gods.
• The mer-folk who had approached offer to drag the severely damaged ship via sperm whales and dolphins – the party debates which way to go…

• The party eventually decides that they will return to Lake Front. The towing of the ship is very, very slow because of the cracks and damage to the ship, so the sperm whales tow and also get beneath the ship to try and keep it afloat. This allows the party to get a long rest on the way back.
• The party shares the news about the previous “survivors” – and how they’d not actually survived. Easing the burden they explain that they had originally perished in the shipwreck and other creatures took their form to lure people out to the kraken priest’s trap.
• After resting in Lake Front for a few days, the party and the caravan proceed along the designated route, heading for Redstone next.
• Along the way, however, they discover their path is blocked by a fallen tree – but this is clearly a trap set up by bandits – who appear and demand 100 gold for passing through Green Hills, which is their land – and explains there’s no need for violence. But before they even finish, Sindri throws them a bag of a 100 gold – and the startled brigands are tempted to fight – but realize that if they’re so willing to give 100 gold, best not to press their luck, because they could lose some of their own. They move the log and allow the party to pass.
• The party reaches the town of Redstone after making several camps along the way. They head for the Nightshade Inn where they’re greeted by soft music – but it’s a sound that Twilight is distinctly familiar with – it’s a hurdry gurdy and only a handful, as far as she knew, had one, let alone played one!
• Her eyes look – and she sees none other than Severin Goldenharp – the human whom she’d traveled with – and who had taught her the instrument and given her his own. They embrace tightly – and he explains that he’s happy to see she’s doing fine. He explains that back on the continent of Tawaim, some cultists came looking for her – the Cult of Belaros – and had roughed him up pretty bad – but he had lied and said that Twilight and himself had parted ways long ago – and he wasn’t sure where she’d gone. Fearing for her life, Severin explained that he booked passage and began looking for Twilight – she’d been easy to track – because of the hurdy gurdy – and when he reached Lake Front – some said, she’d gone on a ship while other said – she’d be heading for Redstone from what they heard (at Wharf’s End). So he had headed for Redstone – he realized, however, when he reached Redstone that he’d been tailed and that the Cult knew he’d come looking for her. He spotted the cult heading into the Redstone Mountain caves.
• The party decides they need to investigate and put an end to their pursuit. At least this band, if they were this close to Twilight. Still roughed up, Severin explains that he will remain in the Nightshade Inn.

To Be Continued.

Fun Note – The Nightshade Inn is named after the character Jim Nightshade, from the book/movie Something Wicked This Way Comes. The owner of the Inn is named Bradbury, named after the author of the same book, Ray Bradbury.