(written by Joel, relating Durham's experiences on the Hunt for the Akho, earning Durham 100 xp per level)
I sat in front of the Kantor as dawn broke. While I enjoyed the coreguyi game, that night I could only think of the experience I had gained from this new land and if it had steeled myself enough for the creature I signed up to face. The deadly Ahko.
I felt prepared as I had grown to a new level of skill in such a brief time. But there was much I did not know of this creature, only that it devoured a ship the size of the treasure galley Peregrine Kyni.
Pako had come to offer me some breakfast, and I thanked him for his thoughtful behavior. I ate and pondered if I should tell Pako what to do if I should not return. I shook the thought off quickly, while it might have been practical to do so it was not the mind set I wanted. I will return. I did however make a list of errands and chores to keep him busy while I was away and that if they were completed when I returned he would be rewarded.
As dawn gave way to the morning and others had arrived to answer the call to hunt the Ahko. Avin and Ravna I had met before in my previous adventures. Sesel, I never met before, he had the look of a season fighter with his plate armor.
The two ships that were commissioned for this task were the "wonder sail" and "winds pleasure" ; they were released from the dry dock and sliced into the water.
We divided the four of us into groups of two. Avin and I boarded the "winds pleasure" while Ravna and Sesel went to the "wonder sail". And our journey to the straits of Denya and Ahko was under weigh.
Our first and second day at sea were uneventful. On the third we did see pirates attacking a merchant ship, a council was quickly called to determine our course of action. I told the council that it is regrettable that we should pass and not provide aid, but it is better. We should engage the Ahko at full strength and if we engage these pirates we will surely lose some men and supplies even if we are the victor.
Others of the council spoke and the majority of us were in agreement to stick to our purpose and leave the pirates to be dealt with later.
Our fourth day was also uneventful but on the dawn of the fifth day a sailor was attacked by a slime creature called a mowag. Avin was the first to notice and rang the alarm. Shouts of "MOWAG!" were heard and repeated as men rushed to grab shield and spear. I could see the creature's victim near the center of its mass, his features already melted away. The crew made a shield wall to protect themselves and stabbed at the creature with their spears. I took aim with my crossbow, my bolt hit but seemed to have little effect, I quickly changed my strategy. While the crew kept the mowag at bay I called for a spear and the aid of a fellow sailor, I pulled a touch out of my pack and tied it on with some rope. I heard cries of terror behind me, the mowag must have got another of the crew. I finished securing the torch and lit it at a nearby lantern. I called the crew to make way and open the shield wall. As they did I saw the mowag and plunged the torch into the creature. The mowag writhed in pain and quickly retreated over the side of the ship into the sea.
The encounter with the mowag left me worried, with only the day left until the straits of Denya, what plan did we have to fight the Akho? Based on rumor alone it must be a hundred times more fierce than the mowag. I decided to put my mind to the problem for the rest of the day. By nightfall we had arrived at our destination and made camp
A council was once again called by Telman. He opened the floor to any proposals for hunting the Ahko. So I stepped forth to present my plan.
I suggested that we make a decoy for the Ahko to attack and while it is occupied with the decoy we attack from either side. I still had a few questions like what exactly the Akho looked like? Did the creature have a pattern to its attack?
A grizzled old sailor described the Akho. The creature had a multitude of tentacles, thin in profile like an oar of a ship and steel grey. It's body covered in grey scales encircling a giant red eye, its maw said to be mostly a blob of slime, melting anything unfortunate to come in contact with it.
Telman said that most attacks seemed to happen around noon at the eastern part of the straight.
The council agreed with my idea and decided to build a raft, big enough to match the hull of a merchant ship and we also decided to add spikes to the raft in hopes of entangling the tentacles of the Akho.
We traded with the local tribe, our wine for access to their lumber. It took a day to build our raft.
The next day we set sail, the Wonder sail led the way towing the raft behind it and the winds pleasure followed the raft. We used leftover branches to blur the silotte of our ships from below making the raft the clear target.
We cruised along the eastern straights, then suddenly a dark figure was spotted below the water between the wonder sail and the raft, it paused for a moment then moved towards the raft.
Grey tentacles raised out of the water wrapping around the raft. Soon after its steel grey body also rose out of the sea and a top it was a great red. I ran to the catapult, gauged the distance, adjusted for wind and fired. The rock flew through the sky and hit the beast with a thundering crack. Ballista and arrows followed. I shouted to the crew.
"Look and see! The beast bleeds! If it bleeds, then it can be killed! So steady your hands, draw your bows and aim true! For today we slay this sea DEVIL!
The wonder sail had now begun its attack on the Ahko. The beast cried out and began to struggle away from the raft. Not wanting the creature to getaway I helped load a harpoon into a ballista but a lass it was too late. For the Ahko broke away from the raft, shattering our decoy to pieces and dived down below. Only the blood stained water remained.
I sighed with mixed feelings, I was relieved that our encounter with the Ahko had gone well but the monster had escaped. I feared that the next meeting would not be in our favor.
We sailed back the way we came and saw a merchant ship, we hailed it. Their craft came alongside our vessel, we warned the captain of the Ahko and offered to be their escort. The merchant ship captain happily accepted our help. We sailed at their flank. As we were about to exit the eastern part of the straight the Ahko attacked once more going after the merchant ship. We engaged the beast in combat once more. Firing our arrows and ballista at it. The battle did not last a long as the first as a shot from the wonder sail struck the creature and landed a deadly blow. The life drain out of the Ahko, its tentacles went limp the terror of the Denya straights was slayed.
Cheers rang out from all the ships. We hooked our lines into our dead prey and brought the dead Ahko on to the beach. We shall inspect its corpse and begin the salvage of the ships that the Ahko attacked. Tonight shall be full of mead and merry.
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