Unicorn RampantClaw / Claw / Bite magazine & Tabletop Role-Playing Games

Sep 6th Who Left the Portal to Hell Open?

              A Savage Tide Interlude, Told From the Perspective of KorShoth
                                                  by F.J. Kim


 When Captain Harlis Tovel was gone, KorShoth turned to the others and spoke in pidgin Common, "We see that one again. Wild fever take her soon. Maybe not, but cursed is she."
 "What do you mean?" Flit asked as she hovered six feet above the sandy cave floor. Her wings beat so fast that they formed a nimbus of blurred movement around her back. Earlier, in the morning sunlight outside the caves, he had seen that the wings distorted the air around them to such an extent they formed shimmering rainbows. A faint humming emanated from them.
 KorShoth admired how she could weave her chirping melodies into the light bass of the humming wings to symphonic effect. The full sounds were unexpected from such a small creature. Perhaps that was why her songs filled him with equally  unexpected prowess in battle.
 Truly a magical creature, thought KorShoth. Aloud, he answered her query in sardonic Draconic, "After the black pearl shattered on the deck of her ship, she said it felt as if a dark presence occupied her mind. For a time she did not know herself. Hmph. A demonic being rode that one! And we are fools to let her walk out of here alive."
 KorShoth sighed. For his race, that meant a sibilant expelling of breath through his large nostrils."My master Morkoth, who is no more, could have read the signs perhaps." The tall lizardman whipped his fearsome head from side to side in agitation. This peculiar reptilian gesture was his race's form of a nervous gesture. KorShoth did not like the idea of a demon loose on the earth one iota.
 While the lizardman was distracted feeling sorry for himself, Mpata Mbata turned to Fundiani, "What'd he say?"
 The elven druid translated.
 "We don't know that it was a demon," Mpata Mbata rumbled in his deep voice that reminded KorShoth of the enchanted tumbling rocks in the Broken Country. "She might have been delusional. Did you hear how she went off at the mention of Vanthus' name? Hell, with all that rantin' and ravin' and swearin'...I'd say she suffered a con-cuss-ion. When it comes to Vanthus she's no fan—thus she'll never be on his side."
 Something about the way Mpata Mbata spoke made KorShoth think the dark softskin intended other meanings. But what? If only he had more acumen with the Common tongue...
 "Well standing around here yakking about it isn't going to solve anything," pointed out Tina to the whole party, "Let's get to the ship already. We need to warn Lavinia about Tovel's first mate."
 Without waiting for assent from the rest, the young wizardess began walking towards the exit. Linus followed her out. As they left the cavern, he could be heard asking Tina, "So show me your spellbook, T. I bet you've acquired some sweeet spells since you left the Academy."
They quickly devolved into thaumaturgical jargon as they exited the caves.
 "I'll be happy to just get away from this awful place," muttered
Fundiana. Kes gave an approving squawk and flapped her wings for emphasis.
 KorShoth sang in Draconian as he strode to the waiting ship. It was
his favorite canticle from the BhalShaloth epic. Since the time he'd been an unsure youngling, struggling against everyone and everything with a primal anger and defiance that burned in his belly, the canticle had given him hope and a savage equilibrium. Without its balancing influence on KorShoth's nature, he would have destroyed himself long ago.
 
 ###Wide awake, sides scrape
 over sand and sun-warmed rock
 ~through swarms of water moc~
 to lose along the way, the spark that set the flame
 to flicker and to fade, of this the longest day.
 ~The wind go through to my heart,
 the wind blow through my soul.
 ~Give yourself to this, the longest day.
 Give yourself, give it all away.###

Sep 4th Savage Tide Chronicle: Kraken Cove

Collected below are several character’s impressions of Kraken Cove, a small pirate port that they have come to in search of Vanthus Vanderboren.

Fundiani’s and Kes’s account

Once Dervish had been taken to the only surviving ship to recuperate we set out to discern our next course of action. No sooner had we begun then did one of the lizard-folk rise from the water, he too seeming to be marked by the curse. Even before i could say ‘what’s your name’ in the lizard-man’s native tongue of draconic did Mpada Mbada stab him though the neck. His aim was true but the lizard-folk are hardy and though the blur of those first few moments he heard my call in his native tongue. Flitteran too could sense the beast-man’s motives and called for a pause in action. He was emboldened with the need to avenge his kin who had been altered by the curse that has taken this place. I could feel his anger and grief when he emerged from the water. Tina could also speak draconic but she was growing impatient of our delay and eager to leave this place which I too hate with all my power and Linus held back judging the outcome.

We made a rocky truce with the strange new-comer and almost immediately after the mutated dinosaur that had been inside the cave feasting on the flesh of his own kind came out to attack. Llinus stopped it in its tracks with some sorcery of his while we gathered our senses. Tina managed to enfeeble the beast somewhat but still Mpada Mbada and the lizard-man were hurt. Luckily the bravery of Flitteran brought Mpada Mbada, her dear friend, back to our aid and thus gave him the power to inflict one of the finishing blows that would bring down that disturbing monster. Thus he lashed in his death throws and burst into the acid remains of his spent body.

Enraged over his brutalized kin the lizard-man with out fear walked into the the very cave the felled beast had just come from. Upon entering he began cutting down the silks that had hung from the ceiling of the voluminous cave covering the floor with the delicate cloth. Then a shadow moved behind him and when he turned what he looked upon was once maybe a halfling but now his fingers where boneless his body black-rashed and bleeding from the those tell-tale bone spurs and his mouth could speak only of the flesh he so yearned to eat. The rest of the company where still entering the cave when the fight began, however it didn’t take long for crossbow bolts and arrows to sing and for Kes to find his true self and attack with all his fury this fouled thing. Mpada Mbada and the lizard-man fought together and Tina stayed back consulting her books as Flitteran judged from above what her best place was. Swiftly did we dispatch this shell of a halfling and soon after we where scouring the cave and checking the remains.

But the day had been long and the night half gone and so, after much convincing of the lizard-man, did the company retire with Dervish on the ship. Mpada Mbada used his natural cunning to heal the wounds of the party and all were held in the gentle arms of sleep, all except one. While the company rested as they are bound to do I searched. And as morning broke I waited for my companions on the beach with the stench of those mutated and mutilated bodies all around and the nights rest behind.

Kes and I have started to adapt to the horrid feeling of wrongness in the air, at least enough to fight our way back out as we know we must. The night before when I had searched those changed waters and found something that seemed to be at the heart of the savage chaos; a black pearl the size of a man fist lie broken on the ocean bottom. This and some useless finery i recovered for my company from the ravaged ocean floor. The learned ones tried to find its old power but could not and Dervish excited over the finery as we set out to search the caves for some clue or treasure that could lead us to Vanthus.

We first came upon a room that had trapped within it four caged creatures, oh how Kes and I did cry out at the sight of such torture. Mutated they where by the curse and desperate and trapped but the lizard-man and I waisted no time or words and quickly dispatched these half dead beasts out of decency.

The next room required breaking down the door and when the inside was revealed we saw that it was filled with fungi and lichen and some potions of sorts everywhere. We entered thinking ourselves safe and then we turned to see a human sized tentacled mushroom coming for the lizard-man; but he is strong and the mushroom only vegetable matter. After the shock was over the mushroom beast had no chance and was cloven in two in a minute. Inside we found poisons and a dead gnome.

The last room we searched was a trophy room. In it many treasures were found. Old maps from Sasserine’s beginning, crossbow bolts, dragon turtle teeth, gold and other metal coins, weaponry, and when put all together some kind of history of the pirates that had once occupied Kracken’s Cove.

But there are still rooms to search and treasures to uncover……

mPata mBata’s Memory

As we stood on the shore contemplating the dusk, an alligator crawled up on shore, then stood upright. It suffered from the same savage fever affliction as the other beasts, monkeys and pirates of the land, so I attacked it before it could bite us. He then shouted something at my comrades in some slithering tongue. Fundiani treated (too kindly) with it, and it shouted something back in its alien language. It sounded rather mad, the blood shooting from its neck spewing onto the sandy beach.

Then from the mouth of the coastal cave, a dinosaur let out a roar. We jumped and a few of us ran to the cliff to gain higher ground. It charged and we charged, flanked it, swung madly, I was clawed and bitten to pieces, falling over in a lump of manflesh. Flitteran popped over and healed me in a flash while the others (even our new lizard friend in his chain shirt) kept the beast contained. I jumped up with my sword and stuck it in the neck (a common attack this day) and through our collective diligence the beast fell. I removed a few of its teeth while we healed up.

Then we decided to head deeper into the cave. There, in a silk web-encrusted chamber, we came upon a ghost of a man, who leapt upon the lizard man, gnawing at his flesh. I charged it and the others jumped in as well. We finally subdued him and then retreated to the ship moored just off shore to stay overnight. I healed all the companions’ surface wounds, even our new reptilian companion.

From the oral remembrances of KorShoth (told in the song and bladedance tradition of the lizardfolk hunters of SpekShaPunkt):

anger (fearfulaspect of Semuanya destroys). softskins kill kill them all rend flesh from bone chew intestines

hated detested stinking softskins profaning sacred hunting grounds###YurbothShin group ATTACKED
Black magic raced across land and all of Semuanya’s creation perverted.

beasts were wild. BLOOD DEATH MADNESS! the YOUNGLINGS ~
altered…
killed…
young suns extinguished in early night….lament ~

MorKoth advised return to village. short mourning ended by beginning of long return trek.
Tree cats. Fiercesome fury. AMBUSH! MorKoth fell but claimed two for his own. Ren Moc roared and other cats bled for Semuanya.
###lament for passing of MorKoth’s wisdom ^ MorKorth’s kindness###

lost angry wandering jungle time Ocean
fire ships in night
stench of blood/death

SOFTSKINS! dead alive
~ swim for vengeance and tall dark one stabbed through Ta’ Skitch.
RED FURY! Blade fire BLOOD
….but the thin one spoke the words of Semuanya — poorly
Not them! Not them! One called Vanthus is responsible. They hunt him too. Semuanya’s vengeance seeks Vanthus.
Maybe
The one called Tina spoke in the base tongue of softskins ~ perhaps not Vanthus perhaps… (how stupid they are always
underestimating Semuanya’s children)
Kill the rare earth lizard kill the deformed half softskin kill the entrapped mad softskins kill the wild plant that hungers for flesh
More blood to sate Semuanya’s anger
But where is the softskin Vanthus? Is he the one?
Semuanya’s holy justice be done ~ by claw by fang by Ren Moc by will

Linus’s Journal Entry: Not much to say really, it seems to me this Vanthus fellow has bitten off more than he can chew. He must be dispatched soon, else more will choke on his mouthful of trouble. I wonder what secrets lie in the fact that this strange magick only blights kingdom animalia… My limited education on the matter allows me naught but little room for conjecture, but one can only hope that there may be an antidote outside of the ministrations of priests. The excitement and danger of the current adventure is a nice distraction, but I long for an evening over a cup of wine (outside my feduciary means) to ponder over the matter with my newfound compatriots. No matter. I am sure once we overtake Vanthus, justice will be served; and I can go back to orchestrating my vendetta, still years away…

Linus contemplating Sasarine’s Skyline