Orestia spoke of
the days of antiquity when great Atlantis formed from thirteen
kingdoms and stretched all the way from Susran in the Mediterranean
Sea to the black cityport of Tartessos in the New World. Betwixt
these lay Poseidonis, now Corsinia, where now the last fallen
remnants of the empire could be found, confined to a few strange
souls and a smattering of spider-haunted ruins. Thanking the naiad
for her hospitality and taking the word of power secured within a
bubble within a clamshell within Cruum's sabertache, the party, these
being the dwarf Cruum Tinyhammer of White Hill, Cruum Gore-Beard,
Friend-Reaver, Bearslayer, Thrall of the Mushroom King, Cruum of the
Weeping Shield, Alarbusbane, Master of Emmerin Tor, Friend to Xvarts,
Leader of Dead Men and Beloved of Freya (She of the Golden Tears),
also good Baraldur, forsaker of the Holy Catholic Church, who struck
down Gabor who struck down Fray and the aforementioned Cruum,
embracer of the Old Ways and the Gods of His Fathers, soon-to-be Lord
of the Pearl Trident, Unworthy in the eyes of Saint Procopius, and Of
the House of the Fish, and lastly the aforementioned Fray, champion
of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, wielder of the Divine Gift, keeper
of the Shield of Paradise, for whom Milo Thriceborn died twice,
Heresiarch of an unspecified doctrine, and Speaker to Animals, did
return to the surface to heal themselves and recover spells.
Upon the shores
where camped Cruum's strongarms they found the seawrack and wreckage
of a fine strong ship which upon the godly sea had been set upon by a
diabolic great sea worm, capsized and dashed to smithers, its human
occupants drowned or consumed and its treasures lost to the deep.
One soul from among the crew and passengers had been spared and this
fellow, a fat easterner, lay draped in his sopping cloak by the
cookfire, deep in dreamless sleep. Cruum advocated robbing the man
and made to do so, but his hand was stayed by Fray and Baraldur, who
thought it better of it. The man came to presently and owed that his
name was Andronikos Xiphilinos,
lately of Constantinople, who fled his homeland and the depredations
of the Turks seeking to learn the ways of the barbarian Westerners.
The others told Andronikos of his plight, being upon the island of
Corsinia which admits not casual egress. This news much distressed
the Byzantine, but thanking his Eastern Orthodox God that he yet
lived, he agreed to accompany his rescuers in their travels until
escape from the island could be effected.
Plunging
back into the sea, the adventurers entered the caves once more, only
to encounter a pair of sea trolls. These vicious aquatic predators
sheared through the defenses of the benthic explorers, forcing them
to retreat to the surface one more. Knowing the cavern entrance
would be impassible for some time, the party contrived to ask their
dolphin friend how they might help him re-unite with his pod. The
dolphin was unsure, but told them that he felt a benevolent presence
to the west, out in the sea. This cryptic premonition was enough to
induce the others to set forth to seek the council of whatever the
dolphin's psychic probings had discovered. The aura emanated from a
grove of seaweed some miles from the shore. Within the waving
tendrils of green the party discovered a giant sea horse, a wise and
powerful steed of Mananaan Mac Lir. The marvelous creature giving
his name as Melusidar greeted them, and with promting divulged a
description of his homewaters, the holy silversea which rings the
pink-white shores of the Island of Worldheart far to the west. Upon
those shores where only the greatest mortal heroes may tread there
lies a great hall wherein dwells a beautiful and virtuous maiden, a
warden of the Gods gifted with youth and beauty everlasting, awaiting
the coming of worthy warriors. Cruum expressed disinterest in any
maiden "of virtue." Andronikos picked up a golden scale of
the sea horse and concealed it within his sleeve. When asked about
the dolphin pod, the sea horse related that a short time ago there
had been a great shipwreck off the coast of the island, caused by a
great sea worm exacting its grim duty on a ship which strayed into
the enchanted waters of the island. This pod of dolphins had rushed
to the aid of the castaways only to be slain and scattered by the
worm. Melusidar directed the heroes where they might begin their
search for the remains of the pod.
Heading
north in accordance with Melusidar's direction, the party came upon a
band of ten dolphins engaged in mortal conflict with a group of
marauding locathah, the leader of which sat astride a giant eel.
Coming the aid of the dolphins, the part won the day and slew the
wiley fishmen. The leader of the dolphins, their elder, thanked them
for their timely assistance and the return of the younger specimen,
and pledged the pod's loyalty to whatever undertaking the adventurers
might require. Accordingly, the party returned to the sea-cave with
their new companions and turned the tide of battle against the
waiting trolls, slaying the creatures and thwarting their
regeneration by means of a crushed up paste composed of a small
crustacean of which Melusidar had disclosed the utility. The trolls
destroyed, the adventurers sought the temple of Amphitrite, now a
stronghold of the foul homarids or lobster-men.
Finding
and entering the temple, the warriors and their dolphin companions
confronted a band of homarids which they thwarted with spell and
spear. Before all were the slain, the creatures called in their
burbling bubbletongue for relief, which arrived in the form of a
corkscrewshelled shaman wielding a coral staff and two hulking
warriors. These presented a great challenge to the heroes, and sadly
in the course of the awful conflict the elder dolphin was killed. In
the end, however, the homarids were slain and temples riches, a great
store of jewelry and gems, along with a fabulous iridescent trident
were laid open to the conquerors. Also discovered was the former
altar of Amphitrite, now consecrated to Blidoolpoolp, the Great
Mother of the homarid race. Fray made plain his intentions to
convert it.
Grieving
for the loss of a brother-in-arms, Cruum and Baraldur devised a
ritual seeking the intercession of Njord, the sea-god, asking him to
restore the elder dolphin to life. Despite the offering of a fine
emerald, Njord was unmoved by the plight of His supplicants, and for
their impertinence in asking such a boon of one so great He inflicted
upon Cruum a divine injunction to convert the altar of Blidoolpoolp
to honor His own greatness. Sensing an inevitable conflict of
interest, the adventurers silently contemplated their situation,
enclosed in their bubble of light deep beneath the waves...