Session #17: Through the Green Doors

 A collection of adventurers gathered near the Kantor Kabljauhof to coordinate another delve into the Tel al Safina. Uncertain at first what goal they might agree on--further delving into the Weirding Caverns? Searching after the Zok-Fot-Pik with Persephone's new-learned information? Seeking secrets in the sea caves of Ocean's Throat?--they ultimately settled on the latter, mostly at the behest of Durham of the Kantor, who has been most curious about the "Green Doors" first encountered some time hence.

Supplies were gathered; hearing of "strange hypnotizing creatures" Althis purchased sekeker wax, presumably to stop up his ears against sirenic singing. Persephone meanwhile, still intent on the Zok-Fot-Pik, acquired a bottle of garum. Hirelings were hired--Warda the Rose by Persephone, the Grey Gadhar and his sword "Flicker" by Durham, and the "legendary" Gan ad-Din by Bartholomew Pettibone.

Secure in their preparations, the following party departed through the Gate of Fishermen north along the coast to seek the Sea Caves:

• Bartholomew Pettibone (magic-user 3)
  accompanied by Gan ad-Din (footman)
• Heijo (magic-user 2)
• Althis (magic-user 1)
• Durham (fighting-man 4)
  accompanied by Pako (renyu) and the Grey Gadhar (magic-user 1)
  
• Persephone (fighting-woman 3)
  accompanied by Finbar (renyu) and Warda the Rose (likely lass)

The company returned the way they left, undiminished and triumphant, with strange bloodied heads and brocaded and jeweled robes amongst their "winnings", but smelling of a strange mix of sweat, fish, and something ... alluring.

Gems they had in some abundance, but some of the more curious things they returned with would be more difficult to sell easily in return for liquid cash ... Diaphanous veils doused in some wondrous perfume are easy enough to sell, but the almost-beautiful heads of humanoid creatures nevertheless not-human, their mouths filled with jagged fangs--such heads require finding a special buyer.

Likewise the strange objects brought back; though some are simple wrenches, there are a variety of other incomprehensible "tools" that seem best fitted for a noble's wunderkammern rather than any real workshop. So again, anyone wishing to sell the strange "tools" must seek "the right buyer."

The gems were easy to explain in the midst of drink--the Grey Gadhar tells a tale of swashbuckling against a horde of reanimated drowned men, come up from the water-filled depths of the caves for vengeance, wearing the jewels they snatched from innocent victims in their former lives as pirates. Althis' good-thinking helped interpose a huge crustaceous monster between the horde and the party, thus making their dispatch by himself and fellow companions easy. As to the rest of the adventure, the Grey Gadhar falls silent--embarrassed? It's impossible to tell through the shadow of his cowl ...

The remainder of the adventure is less clear, all the less so as Warda and Gan feel themselves new-bound to be more circumspect about the particulars of any adventure, a concern voiced especially by Bartholomew. But certain details nevertheless cannot be hidden--after the encounter with the drowned-ones the party pierced the strange "Green Doors" of Ocean's Throat. A strange enchantment lay about the place, causing *ahem* certain feelings to rise to the fore, and prompting an ingenious use of garum. Much treasure and much death lay behind the doors, but also a terrible guardian--a flying obelisk-like thing with weaving tentacles!

The company fled therefrom, carrying all the treasures they now attempt to sell:

The Lucre

• 8 gems (2380 gp altogether, 1x10, 1x20, 1x50, 3x100, 2x1000)
• 1300 gp from diaphanous veils "soaked" with a wondrously "exciting" scent
• 600 gp from various brocaded uniforms, small jewelry and rings, finely crafted weapons, etc.
• 3 humanoid heads with fanged mouths
• an ox-hide ingot of unusual metal alloy
• an assortment of tools and other strange objects

(the latter three entries--the heads, the ingot, and the tools--all require a downtime use of "finding the right buyer" to translate into gold value. They can otherwise be retained by PCs who foresee other uses for them)

The Experience

• 4280 from treasure (this share can be increased by finding buyers for the other objects)
• 165 for the "crustacean" (150 + hp)
• 1306 for "drowned ones" x8 (150 + hp ea.)
• 666 for "vampires" x3 (200 + hp ea.)
• 200 xp to ea. PC for venturing behind the Green Doors

The Cut

• 799 gp per player-character
  185 gp to the Grey Gadhar, 75 ea. to Warda and Gan
• 1483 xp per player-character
  741 to the Grey Gadhar
• the three heads
• the strange ingot
• an assortment of "tools"

Per usual, any written account, map, artwork, etc. representing what happened during this session and given to me to be posted to the blog will garner the relevant player-character 100 xp per level.