Exploring the Deep.

Part 4

My curiosity got me this far, I could only wonder what the next step would be.

Back in Trinsic I told Hepler that I have the four parts of the suit.

Hepler gave me a map to a unknown shipwreck.

I looked at the map to see if I could figure out the location.

Gravewater Lake…..that is the big lake southwest in the desert from Umbra.

After a short stop at my house for some food and bandages, I took a few moongates to go to Umbra.

It was only a short trip to the lake.

I equipped the suit and started to cross the lake.

It was a amazing sight!

I stepped in the little whirlpool and I got pulled down.

I never seen anything like this…this was undiscovered place for me, I had to watch my steps.

The unknown can be dangerous……But i have to explore this place.

At least I found a way back to the surface.

First I found a few water elementals, they are not much of a problem.

I saw a strange plant, but when i came near it it pulled me to his sharp teeth!

I could not get away from this plant, it kept pulling me back…I had to fight and kill it.

I know now to keep my distance!

I kept hearing a strange sound , then all of a sudden a huge crab jumped from under the sand and attacked me.

He had some very sharp pincers , I had to do my very best to fight it.

This place was strange with strange creatures.

I finally reached the ship wreckage and after a little searching I found a way inside.

After looking a little around the ship I found several journals.

***

Captain’s Log

Johne

Day before departure…

I grow tired of life on the land. It has been weeks now that the Ararat has been moored in the Port of Trinsic. The Chief Engineer reports repairs to the ship are progressing on time and we shall Be set sail on schedule as i had hoped.

Departure…

Finally! The Ararat set sail at first light, clearing Barrier Island just as Trammel and Felucca sunk below the horizon. Our current itinerary calls for a fourteen day voyage, delivering all manners of spirits to brew pubs throughout Britannia. I am troubled by reports of Silver Johne and his band of marauders terrorizing the Seas. My officers report crew has been well prepared to defend the Ararat and her cargo in the event the Ararat comes under attack. Admittedly, I must think any man a fool who thinks himself a match for her firepower. None the less I must remain vigilant and depend on my trusted officers to do the same. Officers aboard include, Boyd Kirkpatrick, Executive Officer Roger Cobb, Master At Arms Garrity Samuels, Morale & Supply Officers report eighty three able bodied souls on board.

Four days later…

It has been four days past since our departure from Trinsic. Our days have been met with calm seas and good weather. I continue still to receive troubling reports of Silver Johne surrounding the island of Buccaneer’s Den. Given the threat along the normally traveled trade routes I have decided to sail Ararat further south than normal, planning a course to pass is South of the Serpent’s Pillar. While this maneuver may add to the overall length of our voyage I feel it necessary. Officer’s report moral is still high.

One day later…

The weather has become increasingly ominous over the past twelve hours. Given our current location in the Southern Latitudes one would expect relatively calm seas and pleasant weather, yet that is not the case. Navigation officer puts the Ararat south of the Isle of Occlo, yet the weather is what one would expect in the Northern latitudes. Morale officer further reports the crew is becoming uncharacteristically irritable for as soon into our voyage as we are.

Later that evening…

The Weather seems to be holding for now. As is customary I dined with my officers on a meal of salted pork and stewed corn. I was happy to see Garrity was able enough procure a small ration of donuts from Baked Delights before our departure, although since then have become a bit tough to the bite. Garrity is a good friend in that regard and a fine officer as well. If not for my years of friendship with him I would none the wiser to the torment he lives with inside. Even though he is my friend, I have a greater responsibility to the crew of this ship. Given the unfortunate events of the days just before our departure a lesser man would nay be fit for duty at sea, but not Garrity He is a professional through and through, still I shall keep mind of him closely.

The next morning…

Just as the sun peeked from beneath the Horizon the Ararat passed within short distance of the Serpent’s Pillar. It never ceases to amaze, it’s coiled facade cutting through the waves. The weather, while unexplainable thus far, continues to hold.

Midday…

The winds have picked up considerably, although I must admit I welcome the added speed it brings the Ararat. I am told there is an uneasiness amongst the crew with the regard to the Serpent’s Pillar. An old sailor’s myth no doubt, but ask any man worth his salt on the sea and they’ll embellish a tail of misfortune and mishap almost always blamed on some way to the pillar. I received a report of a minor fray amongst some of the men regarding one of these myths. Cobb has informed me he dealt with this issue swiftly and it should not be a problem again. Amongst my officers i have sailed with Rogers the least, yet the high remarks of other Captains allowed my decision to bring him aboard with little hesitation. He has proven himself as courageous as the stories say…to think any man would be brave enough to wrestle a Kraken!

Later that evening…

The weather is much of what I’d expect given our location, which at last report, had us somewhere in the vicinity of the Western Coast of Occlo. Winds continue to hold, seas are relatively calm. My head aches with a dull throb. I’m hitting the rack early. EXO Kirkpatrick has night watch.

A full day past, midafternoon…

Something has gone terribly wrong. I was thrown from my rack in the wee hours of yesterday morning by a violent jolting of the ship. When I arrived on deck the helmsman was nowhere to be found, and only Kirkpatrick was fighting against a ripping current like none I’ve seen in all my years at sea. Kirkpatrick is a fine officer but not worth a damn as a sailor. I am told Kirkpatrick was making rounds when he returned to the ship,  wildly off course.If I had seen with my own eyes I would not believe it…some kind of vortex …a swirling current with the Ararat loss to its embrace. It wasn’t shortly thereafter I was thrown to the deck…what little I can remember, as seems to be the case with most of the crew is sketchy at best. The Ararat, while structurally intact is not fit for sailing. Her hull has been breached and her sails torn.Debris litters all decks. if i didn’t know any better I would say we were on the bottom of the Sea itself. One step off the Ararat’s deck and you find yourself up to the boot cuff in sand…yes i can move and act as if I were standing on Britannia’s shores…event the sea creatures appear to move effortlessly around us. Our crew has sustained casualties, albeit a minimal loss. All officers are present and accounted for and with 72 able bodied souls on board. I am leading a search party after I and the crew have rested and fed. I can see no sun nor the moons from where we are…

After the search party returns…

Further inspection of the Ararat shows a massive hull breach and the majority of the keel buried into the sand. Even if there was some hope of rescue, the Ararat is sadly lost. This is a hostile environment no doubt. A dozen crew have since since gone missing since I and the search party have returned. Men report bizarre sounds coming  from beneath the sand…and the crack of flesh against the Ararat’s hull. As far I can tell there is no means leaving our unknown tomb. There appears to be some type of water feature just to the South of the Wreck site. I made a attempt to scale the seamount and get atop this feature, but my efforts proved fruitless. Interestingly enough, however, as I recovered from a short fall from the seamount my hand found a peculiar gem. I quickly pocketed the crystal, knowing full well how the men can get when there may be treasure at stake. When i returned to my quarters I examined this mysterious jewel. It appears to be a multifaceted crystal of unknown origin. It is completely transparent save for a small opacity within the center. Until I can learn more of its nature I shall keep this find to myself.

The next day…

I find myself growing increasingly dissatisfied with the conduct of my officers. You would think these men have never served under duress! As if they thought life as a sailor, let alone an officer, would be all rum and riches! Ha! No,No…they don’t understand . It takes gumption, determination, wits…yes leadership, something they don’t have. I knew it all along. Bringing them was a mistake. The crew is getting tireless as well…bunch of yellow bellied fools. Seems there are a number of crustacean like creatures in the area that can be easily bested. Their meat is quite good.

Some time after that…

Now I’ve seen it all . Garrity up and started weeping at my feet. Going on and on about that wench he left back in Trinsic. Fool should’ve known when he had a good thing going, but no, had to go and run off with that lass from the Adventurer’s Supply and what happened…he’s found himself alone! All alone and weeping like a child! Ha! Foolish man! To think I trusted him with my crew. My crew! They’re mine, these men look up to me!

A short period later…

Garrity I would expect it from, but Rogers? Oh no Rogers…Rogers the man who battled the kraken with his bare hands…Rogers with the scars to prove it! Oh no, just a fool another fool! can’t follow a simple order. I spotted the men having a ration of the crustacean’s meat without my permission. Could anyone believe such a thing?? Eating MY crustacean meat without permission. An abomination. No, no, Rogers was ordered, yes he was…ordered and disobeyed. Bloody worthless!

A short period after that…

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! My trusted and longtime friend Kirkpatrick went yellow bellied like the rest! I once survived an entire fortnight with nothing but palm fronds and a sack of rotten potatoes until I was rescued from a deserted island! We’ve been here a couple of days at most! Couple of days! And Kirkpatrick can’t be bothered to keep these men in line. Fat lot of good he has done this crew!!

All better now,. Nothing but me and my own. Twinkling and shining all are quiet now. Just us. Forever. Just us. They won’t get you, that I can assure you.

The last entry in the series…

Time…time has come time has gone. It will come and go again. Nothing to worry now, they’re all gone. Ha ha! Just us, forever. Forever more.

*The rest of the journal is filled with indiscernible gibberish…*

***

***

Officer’s Journal

Boyd Kirkpatrick

It’s been a few days as we prepare to leave Trinsic, readying for our voyage. The crew seems hale and hearty, and all seems to be going well. I have high hopes for this outing.

I’ve caught sight of the Serpent”s Pillar through my spyglass, and were making excelent time. I think we’ll be there very shortly.

I came on deck to shouting voices, just to see a fistfight starting between two of the men…and almost all the other joining in. Arguing about the damn pillar started it…but i ended it, along with Rogers. Managed to seperate the worst of them…but it wasn’t fast enough, as two of the ones who started it had already drawn blades and managed to kill each other? Rogers and I tossed the bodies overboard, but i don’t the Captain to turn around. We might not keep Garrity if he does, and Garrity knows these waters better than anyone.

I’ve no bloody idea what happened last night, or where we are now.

Garrity seems on edge. I’m worried about him.

Captain Johne came to report to the men and I about Garrity…he apparently cracked, and Captain Johne said he came at him like a lunatic, swinging his cutlass, and he was forced to cut him down. Grief can make a man do crazy things, so I wouldn’t put it past him.

Still…we’re up to a dozen or so crew dead from the brawl, the vortex, and now Garrity being added to the list. I’ve got a foreboding feeling.

The Captain’s been keeping to himself lately, and acting a bit strange.

The Captain has locked himself into his own quarters. Apparently Rogers tried to talk to him and he drew steel on Rogers…and Rogers ran, with the Captain chasing him. So stunned were the crew that nobody followed. Rogers hasn’t returned…but for him to have run? He fought a kraken barehanded. Would he have run from anything?

The men are demanding I so something…I think we have to put the Captain under arrest and relieve him of duty. I’ll be taking a few of them with me to go confront him.

 ***

I was amazed after reading the Captain’s and Officer’s log what happened to the crew and this ship.

I wonder if the crystal the Captain talked about was the Gem of Immortality… Mmmm, I have to search the ship a little more.

In the middle of the ship I found four rooms that where exactly the same.

A storage locker in the middle of many barrels.

I noticed a note on the floor.

***

One day later…The weather has become increasingly

Johne

What have I done…what…I cannot…these vile creatures…I have managed to lock them away within the central cargo hold and I have destroyed the winch assembly needed to remove the cargo hold’s cover. I can only hope my efforts to lock away the repair parts will deter any foolish enough smashing the supply barrels in an attempt to recover the locker keys…they’re all gone now …it is only I now, forever damned to this watery grave…

***

I have to know what is locked in the cargo hold, maybe we can kill this creature if it is still inside.

I started to smash the barrels, some of them exploded and some of them caught me with a poisonous vapor when i destroyed them.

I also had to deal with a few ship rats and bats and sea snakes.

A few of these barrels near the locker where made of metal and could not be destroyed.

I kept bashing the barrels until I finally found a key.

There are four rooms with a locker and each room had a key for the locker.

Each locker had their own inscription with a different item to repair the winch.

* You Barely Make Out Some Words On A Rusted Nameplate*

Replacement Parts : Bearing Assembly

* You Barely Make Out Some Words On A Rusted Nameplate*

Replacement Parts : Flywheel

* You Barely Make Out Some Words On A Rusted Nameplate*

Replacement Parts : Wire Spool

* You Barely Make Out Some Words On A Rusted Nameplate*

Replacement Parts : Power Core

I got now the four parts to do the repairs.

Before I went up to the deck I wanted to explore the ship a little further.

I had to fight my way trough a several undead.

I found a few more notes.

***

Officer’s Journal

Garrity Samuels

There’s no point in continuing on with any of this anymore. Not after she was gone. Captain Johne was thinking I’d leave his service…but there’s nothing to leave anymore. Nothing in this town or this world truly matters to me anymore. I threw it all away without even meaning to, and nothing I can do can bring it back. Why did i ever go to the tavern that night? Why did I ever speak to that woman, interfere with her fight with that man? This is what comes of trying to be a righteous person. This is what happens when Compassion is followed. This is what happens when you try to help people. It does nothing but burn you. Burns everything away from you. There’s no such thing as Virtue in this world, and anyone who says otherwise is a fool. They’re just a convenient lie we tell ourselves to try and feel ‘proper’ people. There’s no such thing.

There’s no such thing as Virtue in this world where Abigail isn’t alive. No such thing as love. I’ll go with Captain Johne…but only because I’d doing him a bad turn if I didn’t And he deserves better then that.

If only I hadn’t wearing the ring already. If only I hadn’t finished the rum…if only…

If only…

***

***

Officer’s Journal

Rogers Cobb

He’s coming for me…he’s already gotten me once with his scimitar, and though I managed to get my spear, I can’t stop my hands from trembling. I can’t die with it on my mind …without saying it…I’m sorry…I never stood up to the kraken…I fled while the rest of the crew died…I made it all up, what else could i do? I can’t

*The rest is covered by a huge splash of blood*

What have I done…

***

I could not find anything anymore in the lower deck, it was time to go upstairs.

On top of the deck I was “welcomed” by a few hydra’s.

I noticed the broken assembly in the distance.

After killing the hydra’s , I started to repair the winch assembly.

The ship’s hold opened and i stepped carefully inside.

But what i saw inside ….It feared me….

I could not believe me eyes….

It was…Faulinei….The Shadowlord of Falsehood!

I had to get out of here, this is not something I can defeat alone.

I need to go back and tell everyone what I had found!

We need to gather a large group and come back to stop this Shadowlord.

But this was just one of them, and I know there are three!

Where are the others??