Up one level
 

Date: 03/20/11

XP Awarded: 8,519 (Azaad), 8,072 (Nather), 7,372 (Memnon, Taark, Tilan), 6,736 (Laurrens)

Start: The sargasso known as Journey's End, somewhere in the Great Sea, late Eleint 1369 DR.

 

After retreating to the sargasso-lined hold of the Sun Haven, the adventurers set about to secure the area against another assault. Memnon and Taark drag the few remaining barrels and crates to block the hatch leading to the upper deck while Nather and Tilan set about sealing the myriad cracks and holes lining the wrecked ship's hull. As Memnon shoves the last empty crate into place to seal the hatch, he catches a glimpse of a sargasso-cloaked figure in the light of the last dying embers of their campfire. He notices the glint of reflected light off a brightly polished suit of armor underneath the layers of sargasso, a suit of armor that seems surprisingly familiar. Memnon shouts out "Laurrens, is that you!?", and the hold erupts into cheers when they hear a muffled reply "Open that hatch you fools! Dark beings stir out here!"

The party quickly tears away the blockage from under the hatch and allow Laurrens entry before resealing it. As soon as he climbs down the battered stairs, the hold is filled by the stench of rotting fish. As Laurrens pulls strands of sargasso from his armor and equipment, he apologizes for the smell, explaining that it was a necessary part of his disguise. Memnon asks why he left the Sea Wyvern where he had been left in charge of defense, and the priest of Torm spills a bag full of weaponry across the floor of the hold in response. Laurrens relates the tale of how he came to the Sun Haven:

After the rest of the party left to seek out the heart of Journey's End, Laurrens put Lirith in charge of preparing the Sea Wyvern's defenses while he led a party to the next nearest wreck beyond the Rage. It was a pinnace named Coral Sword, and information recovered from the captain's cabin indicated it was operated by weapons smugglers. The hold was full of crates of rusted swords, but one of the crates held a number of cold iron weapons - and the very last entry in the captain's log noted the effectiveness of cold iron against the 'vine horrors' assaulting his ship. Returning all the cold iron weapons he could find to the Sea Wyvern, Laurrens packed as many as he could carry and set out to find the party in order to share this knowledge with them. Ulrimm gave him a potion that allowed him to walk across water to speed his journey, and he made good time crossing the sargasso to catch up with the others. When the effects of the potion wore off, he continued to wade across the sargasso, and as the sun began to set he covered himself in strands of sargasso and smeared himself with fish guts in a risky attempt to disguise himself from the unnatural beings stalking the landscape. Fortunately, the disguise worked, and as darkness fell he was able to spot the party's campfire from afar and cautiously work his way closer. The last few hundred meters proved the most difficult - it seemed like there were dozens of these sargasso horrors stalking the area around the Sun Haven. Laurrens was able to see part of the last battle, but when the campfire started to burn low, he feared the worst and took a risk running to the ship.

Laurrens distributes the cold iron weapons he brought while Azaad returns to his bedroll, and the others nervously keep watch. The sargasso continues to push into the hold through the countless cracks and holes in the ship's weathered hull, and it's all the adventurers can do to cut or burn it back as quickly as it appears. The long hours drag on through the night - although everyone's eyelids are heavy and their steps increasingly slow and stumbling, it's far too tense for anyone to think about sleeping. A series of popping sounds come from the ship's port side as the pieces of wood wedged into the holes come free, sargasso pouring into the hold. The warriors rush to re-block the holes as the piles of ropey vines reform themselves into humanoid shapes, and another series of popping sounds come from the starboard side as more holes open.

In the head of one of the sargasso creatures opens a gaping hole and a caustic spray of liquid emerges to coat Laurrens and Nather, filling the hold with an acrid smell. Though the two avoided the worst of the blast because of a wooden bulkhead, their skin burns and itches where it touched them. Another vine horror covered in long thorns attacks Tilan, while Memnon and Taark face off against a wall of the monsters backed by long grappling vines. Azaad throws an alchemist's fire at the group fighting Memnon and Taark, scorching many of the dripping wet humanoids. The cold iron weapons are remarkably effective against the creatures - the sargasso vines forming their bodies turn brown and wither when a wound is inflicted. Slowly the creatures are driven back and finally defeated, allowing the party re-plugs the holes that the vines had burst through.

Azaad again returns to his bedroll, worried that the constant interruptions are preventing him from getting enough sleep to be able to use his magic the next morning. Tense hours pass as the adventurers become more exhausted and delerious. Just when it seems certain that the sun must be coming up, the ship lurches and the hull buckles in several locations. Tears open in the walls of the hull, and there is a groan followed by the sound of splintering wood as the deck surrounding the upper hatch is torn open. The dim lantern light shines through the new hole, illuminating a massive figure formed of sargasso with empty eye sockets filled with a dull red glow, four tentacular arms slithering into the hold to rip pieces of the blockage out of the way.

Vine horrors covered in poisonous thorns spill through the tears in the hull to attack Tilan, while more of the caustic liquid spewing ones enter to attack Taark and Laurrens. A smaller humanoid figure with glowing red eyes covered in jagged purple thorns squeezes through a crack to launch an assault on Memnon, who feels a cold chill run through his body when he's hit. Fighting off the creeping numbness, Memnon seeks to position himself next to his companions, but there are too many attackers in the hold to allow room for maneuvering. Everyone is surrounded by the sargasso horrors and engaged in a desperate battle to fall back to rejoin the others at the rear of the ship. Above the heads of the attackers reach the long tentacles of the enormous horror that is squeezing down into the hold - Azaad shouts that it's not the leader of creatures, but definitely a very powerful one.

Out of spells, Azaad is reduced to throwing flask after flask of alchemist's fire. The flames from these plus the effects of the cold iron weapons help the adventurers to form a defensive front and gradually destroy the horrors separating them from their comrades. The huge creature has now flattened its bulk to fit fully inside the hold and it moves forward to attack the group huddling at the rear. The party's warriors step forward to block its advance and hold a determined defensive line. Behind them, Nather and Azaad can see through the hole in the deck that the sky is becoming lighter, and they can see a large group of additional horrors moving around on the Sun Haven's main deck.

Though the party's warriors are badly wounded in the process, they manage to defeat the huge sargasso creature. It collapses into a pile of stinking kelp, and the group can see the smaller vine horrors behind it scurrying for cover as the first rays of dawn strike the top of the ship's tattered rigging. Relieved, the adventurers climb up to the deck to see countless humanoid figures disappearing into the heavy mist cloaking the surface of the sargasso. Azaad returns to his bedroll to get a few more hours of sleep, and the party's priests and paladin begin their morning prayers, giving thanks for their safety.

Hours later, once Azaad has awoken refreshed and finished preparing his spells, Tilan uses his magic to remove the weariness from himself. Taark's magic removes the exhaustion from Memnon, and Laurrens drinks a potion to remove his own exhaustion, but there isn't quite enough magic to cure Nather's condition. The adventurers climb down the battered sides of the Sun Haven to the surface of the swampy weed and resume their trek toward the heart of Journey's End. After an hour of walking, the group reaches a field of young green shoots rising from the surface of the sargasso. As the group presses on the shoots become taller and taller, and before long the party is moving cautiously through a thick, shady jungle of enormous kelp fronds, a twisted mockery of a real forest. Unnatural currents swirl around the adventurers' ankles, and they catch glimpses of furtive movement in the forest's depths. At first it seems that a breeze is rustling the tops of the fronds, but the lack of stirring above betrays the lack of wind.

An hour later the group come to a small clearing of sorts where the sad remains of an almost-swallowed ship protrude from the surface of the weeds. A quick investigation shows that even the uppermost decks are covered by a shallow layer of water, and soon the party is on the way again. The whispering sussurations continue to grow, and soon it's clear that the party is being stalked. The shady, humid depths of the sargasso jungle come to an abrupt end as a wide, featureless plain of weed stretches out before the adventurers. In the center of the field is the enormous bulk of an ancient galley, covered in grappling vines of sargasso.

The whispering sound following the party is now replaced by an almost audible thrumming that the heroes feel in their heads more than they hear. After setting out toward the huge ship, Nather glances behind to see if the shadowy shapes that were following the party in the forest are visible. What he sees chills his blood - scores of shambling, vine-covered humanoid figures are lurching from the gloom of the sargasso forest to follow the party's path. To the left and the right, hundreds more figures are emerging in every direction, all converging on the multi-leveled galley that the party is approaching. The party reaches the weed-covered ship and notes the badly weathered nameplate that reads Thunderer. One of the ship's mighty masts has fallen over into the sargasso, and the group walk up the slimy timber to the uppermost deck. While this ship is covered in soggy vines and green mucous like the others the party has encountered, several skeletons lie on the upper deck mixed in with broken weapons, shattered chests, and fallen rigging. At the deck's rear, a cavernous opening contains a set of stairs that descend into inky darkness below. A compulsion to enter the almost mouth-like orifice comes over the adventurers, but a quick glance back at the hundreds of vine horrors implacably stalking toward the wreck of the Thunderer is enough to convince them that there is no real choice. The group take a minute for the spellcasters to weave several protective spells over the group, as well as enhancements that increase Taark's strength and Tilan's size to ogrish proportions. Stepping over the soggy bones and rusted blades, the adventurers cautiously enter the dark hole lined with waving fronds and feelers of sargasso.

At the bottom of the stairs is a wide rowing deck full of benches. The oar-holes are choked with sargasso vines, and the only sources of light are the glowing orb of light from Laurrens' magical watch lamp and the heatless flames dancing on the front of Memnon's shield. Atop the rows upon rows of benches are the soggy bones belonging to countless skeletons, held in place by rusted chains around their ankles. The wide stairs narrow as they continue to descend, and Tilan has to squeeze his oversized bulk down the stairway behind the others. The air is noticeably warmer and more humid, and the walls are cloaked with vines and tiny green fronds that twitch and reach out toward the adventuerers as they pass.

The stairs end in a much smaller irregularly shaped wooden-walled chamber, with several open doors revealing the ruined remains of supply closets. The group spreads out to investigate the myriad doors - Memnon opens one grand double set to reveal what must have been the captain's cabin. The once-fine decorations and furniture lie in ruin, cloaked in a thick layer of green mucous. A short hall leads to a dining hall, while two long but narrow halls run alongside almost the entire length of the ship's outer hull. At the far end of the ship is a galley with a brick-lined floor, and when Azaad throws open another set of doors, a wave of weeds and sargasso monsters spill out from what must have once been storage for the galley. Hearing Azaad's surprised yells, the others congregate on the galley to fight back the vine horrors. Behind them, Nather gets a glimpse of more horrors spilling down the staircase before he runs to catch up with the others. The whispering presence is much heavier in everyone's minds now, a constant sussurating chorus of "Outsiderssss....Outsiderssss..."

While the party's warriors battle the horrors emerging from the galley, Azaad slinks down a narrow set of stairs at the end of the long passage - he immediately notices the stifling heat and humidity. He finds a cavernous hold lined with sargasso weeds stretching into darkness, though a dim red light glows in the distance. On the opposite side of the ship, a slim staircase leads up to the other long passage on the deck above. Noticing movement against the dim red backlighting, Azaad shines the lantern ahead to reveal a group of vine horrors shuffling toward him. He hastily creates a thicket of magical webbing to hold them back and shouts a warning up the stairs to the others. At the sound of his yelling, the party's warriors leave Tilan behind to finish mopping up the last sargasso monsters and head down the narrow stairs to help Azaad. Before Tilan can drop the last of the monsters, reinforcements begin to spill into the galley from either side to surround the magically enlarged paladin. Realizing that he won't be able to defeat the unrelenting opponents faster than they are arriving, Tilan raises his shield and plows into the sargasso creatures entering the galley. Shoving them back, he twists in the hallway and stumbles down the stairs almost head-first, pushing a fourth enemy in front of him. The wet body of sargasso lands atop Nather, pushing him back against a bulkhead.

Taark summons the fires of Moradin to wreath his warhammer and charges forward to strike the nearest vine horror caught in the sticky webbing. The flammable strands flare into an acrid, smokeless fire that swiftly runs throughout the hold. The flames scorch the monsters caught in the webbing, but as it burns away they resume their onslaught. Taark and Memnon engage a group of them while Taark and Laurrens hold back the others now spilling down both sets of stairs. With Azaad and Nather caught in the center, they provide what covering fire they can. Taark is fighting at the rear of the group of horrors farthest from the rest of the party, and with his darkvision he is able to see the source of the red light - a gaping hole seems to have opened up in the floor of the hold, the edges lined with waving fronds of sargasso and lit by a fiendish glow within. As soon as he sees Memnon has the fight under control, he slays the vine horror attacking him and moves to investigate.

A huge section of the hull has rotted away here, leaving a stinking pit with walls of writhing green and brown vegetation. These walls writhe with horrible half-formed life, semi-human shapes twisting and spasming from thick tumescent stalks like anthropomorphic fruits ready for harvest. The pit drops away into a noisome, unseen depth, certainly far deeper than sea level, into an unknown hell below. As Taark takes this sight in, the whispering in his mind explodes into a cacophony of shrieks and he becomes aware of a singular, hate-filled presence observing him. In the mist-cloaked depths of the reeking pit he can barely make out a cluster of red eyes glaring at him balefully. Summoning the holy power of Moradin, he casts a warhammer made of spiritual energy into the depths of the pit where it begins to attack the creature at the bottom - the red eyes wink out of view.

There is a rumble and a shockwave ripples across the sargasso-covered floor of the hold. In an explosion of slimy weeds, an enormous dislocated sack of foul smelling vegetation rises from the floor. A vast distended belly bathed in foul green mucous hangs from the vaguely humanoid form. Infantile cries and shrieks echo from the screaming humanoid forms that struggle to free themselves from the loathsome flesh. Twenty feet tall, this grotesque hybrid of woman and plant is a nightmare of clustered eyes and barbed, thorny teeth. Looming over Taark, the enormous mucoid arms reach past him almost to where Memnon is still battling the last of the first group of horrors. The cacophony of wails and screeches echo throughout the hold and even inside of each of the adventurers heads, making it almost impossible to concentrate. Memnon finishes off the last of the group of horrors in the center of the hold, clearing the way for him to join Taark in facing the sargasso mother and also creating room for Tilan and the others, who are slowly being pressed back by the swarm of horrors pouring down the stairs.

The desperate battle continues to turn against the party as vine horrors continue to arrive faster than Tilan and Laurrens can chop them down. The spellcasters' magic is rendered almost useless by their inability to concentrate amid the shrieks and howls in their heads. As the enormous mother rains crushing blows down upon Memnon and Taark, the battered warriors' defenses are steadily eroded because of the lack of healing magic. Although they've managed to inflict a number of wounds on the behemoth, it shows no sign of slowing, and actually seems to be drawing more sargasso into it's body as it fights. Another blow lands on Taark, and though he manages to deflect the brunt of the force with his sturdy shield, he realizes one more will probably be the end of him. On the other side of a flailing arm of sargasso, Memnon is in similarly wounded condition.

Just as it's looking like a lost cause, Laurrens summons his inner strength to overcome the cacophony in his head and conjures a greatsword of spiritual energy. Streaking across the battlefield, the glowing sword plunges into the mother's head, cleaving it in two. The shrieking cacophony coalesces into a single, deafening scream as every vine horror stops its actions and begins wildly flailing, strands of sargasso flying loose. The mother itself rapidly begins to collapse upon itself into a rotting pile of vegetation, tumescent figures howling and writhing madly as they decay. A shudder runs through the ship, and leaks begin to appear in the walls of the hold, jets of water brushing the clinging sargasso fronds loose. As water begins to pool on the floor of the hold, Azaad shouts "Quickly - to the upper deck!" and takes off running to the stairs. Tilan follows, pushing the non-threatening masses of sargasso out of the way to clear a path for the others. Azaad runs up to the next deck to see a number of dying vine horrors choking the hall. Jets of water spray from the outside wall across the narrow passage, and a trickle of water rolls down the wooden staircase. Azaad steps aside as the enlarged Tilan moves past and begins to shove the rotting vegetation out of the way. By the time Memnon brings up the rear of the column of adventurers, water is cascading down the stairs and is approaching ankle deep. Another shudder passes along the length of the ship, and a loud groan comes from somewhere to the starboard.

Tilan shoves his way down the passage against increasing resistance from the jets of water and the weed-strewn current tugging at his feet. The adventurers form a human chain to help some of the more heavily armored characters to keep up and improve everyone's balance, and by the time Tilan reaches the bottom of the next set of stairs, it seems the party has passed through the worst of the danger. The sound of snapping wood can be heard from below, and it's clear that the party is anything but safe. Struggling up the wooden steps, the adventurers reach the rowing deck to see great gouts of water rushing through the oar-holes. A large wave of murky water rushes down the deck toward them and the group practically jump up the wide stairs toward the daylight they can now see above. When Tilan is about three quarters of the way up the steps, a swell of seaweed-choked seawater crashes over the top of the staircase and almost knocks him down on top of Azaad behind him. The wooden railing gives a creaking groan from the weight of the armor-clad adventurers clinging to it, but it holds. Shoving his way up through the increasingly heavy torrent of water, Tilan pulls the others behind him to emerge onto the deck just as it sinks under the swampy surface of the sargasso.

Tilan pulls the others up the stairs one at a time, but by the time Memnon reaches him the paladin is shrinking back to his normal proportions. By now everyone is almost waist-deep in the turbid water, and pieces of debris from the sinking ship keep banging into them. Azaad casts a spell and he bobs to the surface to float effortlessly, but the others are forced to scramble for pieces of flotsam large enough to help them float. Taark is only managing to keep his head above water by clambering up the stairs to the aftcastle, but Laurrens finds wooden door large enough to fit the dwarf onto. Though it sinks below the surface of the water when he clambers onto it, the makeshift raft does help him keep his head above water. Beneath them there is a thundering boom that reverberates through the sargasso-filled water as the Thunderer suffers additional damage from the stresses of sinking. Although there are strong eddies of water, large streams of bubbles roiling the surface and currents tugging at their legs, the ship doesn't drag the adventurers down with it. Within fifteen minutes, the last of the ship's rigging sinks below the surface, and the party is floating in a sea of debris-choked sargasso.

Hours pass, and the sun beats down upon the shipwrecked heroes. Fortunately their water supplies are well stocked, but everyone has the fear at the back of their mind that it will be impossible for the Sea Wyvern to get underway without the ship's most experienced sailors, let alone find them amid the debris field that stretches miles in all directions. The sun glides across the sky, now starting to descend. The swells are noticeably larger now as the sargasso continues to unravel. In the distance, the adventurers can see a large piece of flotsam - it looks almost like a section of a ship's aftcastle - to which clings a hammerclaw not too dissimilar to the ones the party defeated aboard the Last Kiss. Fortunately it doesn't drift any closer and gradually disappears. The sun is nearing the horizon, casting long shadows across the ocean surface when Nather gives a cry and points into the glare of the setting sun. A minute later the rest of the party can make out the sails of a ship in the distance, and Azaad casts a spell that shoots rays of light a hundred feet into the air. Over the next half hour the ship grows in size until the party can make out the image of a striking wyvern on the sails, and once the Sea Wyvern is approaching their position, the adventurers can hear a cheer from the crowd gathered on the deck. The heroes are pulled up the side of the ship to the deck where they are mobbed by the joyous colonists, but Memnon notes that Lirith and Gaerxon look rather grim, and that several people seem to be missing from the celebrations.

Once everyone settles down, Memnon and the other party members return to the captain's cabin with Ulrimm and the others who had been left in charge of the ship. They present a full report on what happened after the afternoon when Laurrens left the Sea Wyvern to catch up with the rest of the party. The colonists were organized into teams to create additional torches from the supplies of timber, cloth, and oil in the hold while others were on watch above deck. The first attack was heralded by vines of sargasso creeping up the sides of the ship to attack - one colonist was carried off before a defense could be organized, but the assault was repelled without further losses. Throughout the night there were repeated waves of vine horrors climbing the ship's side to attack, but the cold iron weapons Laurrens equipped them with were a great help in fighting them off. At some point in the series of battles, Belegard was grabbed by two vine horrors that leapt overboard with him, his screams slowly diminishing into the night as he was carried off to some horrible fate. As the grey light of approaching dawn began to show through the mists, there was one final assault that looked as if it would spell the end of all aboard the Sea Wyvern. As he bravely fought to defend a group of huddled colonists, Skald was surrounded by vine horrors and knocked unconscious, carried off into the cloaking fog. The only thing that saved the day was the appearance of mysterious figure in the ship's rigging, firing volleys of cold iron arrows into the ranks of the attacking creatures, driving them back long enough for the others to form a defensive perimeter with their torches. Not long after, the first rays of the morning sun broke through the mists, driving the attackers away.

After carrying out an inspection of the Sea Wyvern, the party collapse into their bunks for some well-earned rest. The next morning the Sea Wyvern combs the area, searching the enormous field of flotsam for the crates of ivory encountered upon the Last Kiss. Though none of the ancient wrecks remain afloat, the surface of the ocean is choked with all manner of cargo and debris. A few of the larger pieces have dangerous creatures clinging to them, including a hammerclaw of the type encountered aboard the Last Kiss. After a day of searching, the party has recovered one of the crates of ivory they had prepared, but no sign of the others remains. Memnon sets a southerly course to resume the journey towards the Isle of Dread, and the Sea Wyvern is on its way once again.

Days pass as the ship makes good time on the open ocean. A few rainstorms comb the area on the fourth day, but overall the weather is sunny and hot. As the sun dawns on the 9th day, the sky is overcast and grim. From the crow's nest, Nather cries out "Land ahoy!" when he spies ragged, jungle-cloaked peaks in the distance to starboard. The colonists and crew below are cheered, and Ulrimm confirms from his sea charts that it is the Isle of Dread. By the time morning becomes noon, it's obvious fate has something else in store. The rain begins shortly after, and after another two hours a strong storm is in full force - one much more powerful than the first. Memnon has himself lashed to the ship's wheel and does an admirable job in steering the Sea Wyvern through the mountainous waves safely.

After several hours of this, the sky darkens and the adventurers know that the sun will soon be setting. Memnon's arms are tired and aching from the constant effort of handling the ship, but he remains at his post. Suddenly a tremendous lurch strikes the ship and the sound of splintering wood fills the air. The Sea Wyvern comes to a sudden stop, throwing many of the crew and colonists to the deck. The ship lists perilously to port, and waves crash against the hull and begin to wash over the port side edge of the deck. At the front of the ship, Azaad and Nather can see that the Sea Wyvern is solidly run aground on a reef. Memnon knows that it's safer for the ship to remain in the current location until he can inspect the damage to determine whether she is still seaworthy. Below the ship's wheel, the door to the captain's cabin is thrown open and Ulrimm appears, his shouted words lost in the sheets of rain and howling wind. He's pointing and seems to be trying to warn Memnon about something, when there is an explosion of water to starboard. A gigantic eel-like fish erupts from the ocean's surface, nearly 20 feet from the terrible circular maw of grinding teeth to where its sinuous body emerges from the pounding waves. Two beady eyes peer out from the crown of its head, and the large spines rising from its back shudder and rattle with menace.

From the rigging, Nather is within reach of the waving head, and strikes out with his jambiya to score a hit on the creature's head. It reflexively extends the spines covering its back, shaking its body and bristling with threat. Azaad manages to complete an incantation despite the howling wind, shuddering deck, and sprays of water - a cloud of glittering particles appears surrounding the creature's head, but it doesn't seem to be affected. The cloud is quickly blown away, but the distraction was enough to let Laurrens, Taark, and Tilan cross the storm-tossed deck to close within striking distance. The angry monster delivers a crushing bite to Laurrens, but when Nather tries to stab it with his other jambiya, he's hit by the creature's back spikes as it violently twists its body at the last second. He can feel a poison weakening his body though the bloody wound. Tilan and Laurrens deliver vicious slashes with their swords, and manage to avoid the poisonous spines. Taark also lands a heavy blow with his warhammer, and though he's hit by the spines, the poison doesn't affect the sturdy dwarf. Azaad launches a volley of magical missiles into the creature, and it spins to plunge back into the raging sea.

Ulrimm staggers up the stairs to the aft deck and shouts to Memnon that the ship is grounded on Masher Reef, and that soon it will be overwhelmed with more of those creatures unless he can get the ship off the reef. Laurrens rushes below deck to investigate the damage while Memnon begins to try to loose the ship from the reef's grip. A minute later he's got the ship almost freed when Laurrens returns to the deck, beckoning the others to help below. The ship is holed in three different locations and taking on water badly, and all the colonists and crew are put to work bailing. With a final wrench, the Sea Wyvern pulls free and is again tossed by the waves. Memnon spins the ship's wheel and the ship almost rolls before it ponderously turns to head away from the jagged coral reef.

As the night grows darker, the crippled ship limps along the waves. The storm abates somewhat, but the damage has been done and constant work is required to keep the ship afloat. From the way the ship is handling, it's obvious that the ship won't reach Farshore, and will be lucky to reach any shore at all. Memnon sets a course directly for the distant isle, and the ship ponderously swings about. Riding low in the water, the Sea Wyvern's list becomes more pronounced as it is driven toward a primeval vista that looms larger through the curtains of driving rain with each brilliant lightning strike.

Suddenly the ship lurches again, throwing everyone to the deck. Below deck there is a crash as parts of the cargo tear free of its restraints in the hold. The Sea Wyvern tilts crazily to the side, lurches one last time, and rolls. Memnon frantically tries to cut himself free from the ship's wheel as the dark sea rushes up to embrace him, and in a cacophonous roar of wave and ruin, all goes dark.