Stackman's Adventures (Chapter thirty-one)

[bsftcs]

The Lost Sea

Being the thirty-first chapter of Stackman’s adventures

In which the hammer and stack stand the test as a heraldic symbol and in which the unpleasant effects of drinkdriving and –sailing are seen littered about the seas of Brimloch Roon.

Having explained the general grand scale economic benefits of killing leprechauns on a regular basis Stackman was chaired to the inn together with his party by the cheering population of Brimloch Roon. That very night the city’s coat of arms depicting the leprechaun was removed from every government building and replaced by another escutcheon with the heraldic symbol of a stack of crates with the Ironworks hammer above it.

Celebrations lasted for days and the adventurers were driven around Brimloch Roon in fancy carts, dining extremely well knowing that about a month of field rations and badly cooked sea-food lay ahead of them. The adventurers received many honourary titles, and they and Stackman were invited to countless receptions and ceremonies. Eventually the great feast came to an end. One rainy morning the inhabitants of Brimloch roon followed the party to the pier. Stackman stood in the crowd and waved goodbye to the party as a cloud of white and blue sparks from the teleport spell engulfed them.

The party stepped out of the portal by the back entrance of Anephas’s Shrine. They walked out of the small grove in which it was situated and right into the arms of Bloodbeard and his crew. The great scourge of the seven seas stood before them. He and his men had been trying to get into the shrine for many days, and now somebody had to pay for the frustrations of their fruitless efforts.

Knowing that the party had to keep up their abilities the warlock petrified Bloodbeard, his first mate Pierre, and the rest of the crew, and then the party used the stone figures for practicing their gaze attacks with the evil eye. Thus chisseled apart the band of pirates ended theirs days as pebbles on a beach.

In the lagoon by the grove lay Bloodbeard’s ship. The party had reached the Lost Sea. The party would spend a little less than two months traversing the Lost Sea exploring countless bays and small groves. At all times they surveyed the area with the spirit eye spell since they knew that various treasure chests were lying on the bottom of the sea (also apart from Talrik’s treasure for which they were on the lookout). (As explained in a tip on Page eight of the Best Tips).

In the northern part of the Lost Sea the party came across a small island with a spiral-shaped path leading to its centre. There they were attacked by a high daimyo. Having sent the samurai to the Great Beyond the zenmaster discovered a no-dachi imbedded in a giant boulder. They took it with them.

Further down the western shore of the sea a path showing up as brown on the warlock’s mini map wound upwards. They did not venture further up there since they knew that this was the mountain pass leading to the great desert. They would go there eventually.

Farthest to the south on the shores of the Lost Sea they found a second Altar of Serran in a quiet grove. On seeing such an altar again the valkyrie started reminiscing and regaled the party with stories from the time she was training to become a paladin.

Between the grove in which the Altar of Serran stood and the mountain pass leading to the great desert called the Isle of Sands there was a small strip of beach. Among chests and crates the party found Talrik’s cart – spoken of in his treasure map – the cart was in a deplorable state. But then again: that was to be expected when grog-drinking pirates would go ashore and start drinkdriving. The problem was especially concerning in Brimloch Roon where the carts could accelerate to a considerable velocity on the steep paved roads of the city. But it was not just when they were ashore that the pirates would get drunk by the helm. It had happened once or twice that a ship would crash into Anephas’s Shrine.

Having found Talrik’s cart the party knew that finding the sunken city of Collasium was now just a matter of going due east. The party jumped into the water and began to swim. Eventually they found themselves above a spot where – so the spirit eye spell indicated – there were several interesting items on the bottom of the sea. The warlock cast the create portal spell and immediately thereafter they teleported back to Brimloch Roon.

With the water dripping from their soaked clothes leaving a trail behind them the party went into the Bushi Dojo. Here they were awarded for having killed Bloodbeard. They then undertook the “retrieve the No-Dachi of the Stone” quest. Immediately the zenmaster produced the no-dachi from his kimono pocket and gave it to Sinsei Asami who rewarded them. Thus ended the second and third of three quests given by the Bushi Dojo of Brimloch Roon.

A small crowd of still cheering townspeople gathered around the party as they came out of the dojo and strolled towards the inn where Stackman was waiting for them. The party went to the inn and spent the night there. The next morning they equipped their underwater breathing apparatus and teleported back. They came out of the portal just above water level and plunged through the surface. They continued to dive.

[bsftcs]

I would have been hyperlinking to this topic, but unfortunately the pictures are not accesible anymore.

[Wyvern]

Another terrific chapter, bsftcs!!!

I think I would like to see cart races in the towns!! They're pretty static as CRPG towns go. I do like the small size (having played games that had HUGE cities) but they always look like props!

Wyv