Game On! Against The Fish Cult

 

This was supposed to bt 10th of jan and it came out as a page instead of a post doh!

So tonight's session party were given exiting village jobs like shooting palm rats while drinking beer and gathering firewood for old people. They had some money from their first trek to the great ruins and there was not much to buy in their goat tending and road stop inn village.

Looked over local maps with players and determined what tribal clan hats they all wore. 

They decided after advice from an elder to get used to the local area and explore and enjoy your money so they went west to the river country. Saw some dolphins and a mangy old desperate man eating lion attacked then fled after party counter attacked. The party hunted it and finished it off and got a lion pelt. Went to the smaller village as getting a fisherman a copper shekel to cross was cheaper than the larger southern town for a ferry.

Friendly locals fed party mutton stew and a snake charmer from the north did a show. The local preist of Enki mentioned his brother a preist of Dagon needed help. Party a bit unsure so priest offered them some auguries. Someone asked if any innocents were in danger and thus two of the party were obligated by oaths to help. In morning a fishing boat took to the troubled village and the shrine of Dagon. Apparently, a fishy cult has been kidnapping people and the locals could pay 300 silver. Hired a boatman for 6 silver which was a bit steep but accepted. Found a wet hole cult used to enter as saw someone use it as approached. Four marsh nomads fled on the parties arrival and the changeling charmed one. The rest escaped. They dived one by one in the tunnel led by the charmed cultist.

The fighter took the lead with axe and sometimes sheild
The amazon wizard and her thrallman spearman
The changeling and his bodyguard

Inside was the subterranean muddy temple with roots in the ceiling and pools on the floor. Battles a fish priest and found some magic stuff with a detect magic spell. They fled all the way home with prisoners and were rewarded. They bravely returned hoping on perhaps seeing one or two rooms more.

This time two militia came with them to verify the story. Back into the tunnels past a crude but familiar Dagon shrine and they found the hydra room and battled a small four-head-hydra and big as a bear which fled in the interconnected pools. One trinket found a gold armband was +1 charisma but turns the wearer to a fish person after shedding on the next full moon. The shapeshifter didn't care about that and just made a note to not wear under a full moon.

On return battled more fish folk, hybrid cultists and an old fish witch. Returned home and came back again with more troops after one was eaten by the hydra. A small salt drake was a bit scary but unlucky and also fled. A squid faced lesser earth born sea demon was the worst beast and it killed one soldier and turned it into a zombie before heroes slew it. Freed a few captives and quite a few magic fish folk treasures. Returning captives helped make more allies among good marsh folk. Turns out most marsh people were not evil cultists.

Spent almost 3 weeks with marsh folk, dagon fishing village then back to the Enki village by boat. Keen to visit the bigger town and spent time studying their loot. Realised a map in the fish folk lair indicated a desert location. 

Good players have different spells to previous games and doing weird things. More druidry with the changeling and wizard doing odd new things with my various options. Most of the party good and one allied to elemental air.  

So wizard has some new spells and a draconic dagger +1+2 vs scaly beings.
Changeling got an entangle spell and a mask with a turn of water breathing a day that also let fish folk turn into a human for an hour a day but that's the kind of stuff you get with fish treasure. There were some bronze fishing tridents +1+2 vs fish and removed penalties for fighting in water. There was some cursed gold the Dagon temple could cleanse and trade for healing credit in the big town. The fighter was keen for a chance to buy better weapons and armour for a warrior in the city. There is talk of buying a tavern when they get home.