After dealing with the lich and the leviathan, the characters find themselves alone on the ocean. They sail on in the direction the compass directs. Eventually they reach a point where the compass is going in circles like it did when the leviathan was near. Everyone looks over the edge, but only Hazel and Amelia have the prior knowledge to recognize that they are above some merfolk architecture. They sail in the direction of the merfolk architecture, but are dragged a mile back by water elementals.

As they debate what they should do, Thomas gets an idea. He asks Hazel if he can borrow Scarlet Kate’s coat (which will allow him to breathe underwater). He heads to the city. Hazel uses her wild shape ability to become a giant seahorse and follows Thomas.

A merfolk guard meets Thomas and the transformed Hazel and asks them to halt. Thomas convinces the guard that they are not Blackrift soldiers and the guard is surprised when Hazel, as a seahorse, speaks. They get a mermaid skirt for Amalia and an extra for when Hazel no longer wants to be a seahorse and they descend into the city (with the guard escort). (Mermaid skirt gives wearer a merfolk tail and ability to breathe and speak underwater)

The party is introduced to Regenta (the currently elected ruler) after she finishes arguing with one of her advisors, Mago. They say they’re looking for Scarlet Kate’s treasure and decide not to mention the star. Regenta isn’t sure about where the treasure would be as it would have sunk 5 generations ago. She invites the characters to enjoy the festival in the city which celebrates its founding.

Magnus talks to Hazel and the group decides to look for the treasure before they look for the star. On the way there, Thomas wins a shrimp eating contest. Following Magnus’ directions leads the party to the trench. Amelia’s training and knowledge let her inform the party that the pressure would be too great were they to try and just descend into the trench.

They enter a shrine to the city’s founder that is near the trench. They look at the offerings at the altar and Amelia recognizes the Slick in jars around the altar. The team debates whether to take some. As they are debating Mago lets them know that they would not be able to descend with that slick. They need True Slick. During the conversation they learn the history of the city and the monster that is trapped at the bottom of the trench. They reveal the existence of the star, which allows Mago to surmise that it may be working to free the monster. He sends the party on a fetch quest to get the items needed to make True Slick.

On day one of their search they first come across the Diva, a famous bard in town who will perform after the big seahorse race. They recognize that she’s a naiad and they need naiad tears. She said she only cries because of romance. A crowd notices her and she asks the group to help her escape to her lodgings. She sings a song that relates to Thomas and his family. Thomas says he misses his family and the naiad sheds tears and gives them to the group.

While searching, the group participates in the Swimming of the Bull Sharks. Thomas gets a few bites, but both he and Amelia win. (Hazel did not participate) The party also helps the young merfolk jockey Alna Catrera by joining as her crew. They beat up a gang of merrow that were trying to sabotage the race. Afterwards they give Alna a pep talk. She wins and the crew gets the second ingredient they needed, kraken scales.

The next day they watch a water show when the plesiosaurus bites his master. They calm it and learn it’s been acting strangely since it ate some fish from Cipactli’s Trench. (where Mago suspects there is corruption happening because of the bad guy being freed). Finally they enter Regenta’s garden and Amelia is able to persuade the gardener to give her the final ingredient - sundown seaweed. They deliver all the ingredients to Mago. He says there’s one more thing they need and they can get it if they win the seahorse race the next day.

On the day of the race they borrow seahorses from Regenta and all three heroes participate. Hazel and Amelia win the race with Thomas coming in second place. After the race a blood worm attacks and the group defeats it. Regenta gives them the final ingredient.

They all go, with Regenta, to Mago’s house. He’s been knocked unconscious by someone he was caring for. The person is speaking a demonic chant. The group decides to knock him unconscious instead of killing him. Once they do, they witness a new fight between Regenta and Mago. They choose Regenta’s side. Mago makes them the True Slick and they descend into the trench.

When they reach the bottom of the trench Magnus wants to go the opposite way as the star shard to get Scarlett’s Kate’s treasure. Hazel tells him to wait until afterwards. Magnus reluctantly agrees. The group goes through a maze-like cavern (the dungeon of this adventure). They find someone trapped in a green room. They free him, but the act of freeing him causes Thomas to take damage.

When they get to the final chamber they find the half-aboleth/half-demon trying to free his father, Cipactli by opening a portal to the Blood Ocean hell plane. The team is able to quickly free the merfolk minors who were under mind control and performing the ritual to free Cipactli. Then they fought the aboleth.

He tries to mind-control the various members of the party, but they’re all able to have the mental fortitude to hold him back. Afterwards they reverse the ritual and keep Cipactli trapped.

They go to Scarlet Kate’s treasure and find her pirate had and about 10,000 GP of treasure. Having fulfilled his ghostly purpose, Magnus finally departs from Hazel’s mind with a “Yo-ho-ho!”

The characters all race to touch the star at the same time. They do and utter their wishes. Nothing happens and the star dims. When they ask Mago about it, he says it’s trapped within a shell of adamantine and only a dragon’s fire can work with adamantine.

DM Commentary

Just a few comments on this session. As I’ve mentioned before, I like when the kids surprise me with their thought processes. They chose not to fight the water elementals. Instead they decided to use what they had acquired on Magnus’ quest combined with their wild shape abilities. Once again they had a bunch of lucky rolls in the encounter with the aboleth. It wasn’t a cakewalk of a fight, but they didn’t have to deal with any mind control issues.

• Dungeon-in-a-Box
• Voyage-of-the-Fallen-Star
• DnD
• Dungeons-and-Dragons