This is the second recap episode for ANNIHILATION ADJACENT, covering the events of a game that took place on April 13, 2024. It takes place directly after EPISODE I.
The Sea Dwarf cut through the waves under a bright sky, barreling toward low clouds in the distance. Around it, dolphins rose above and sank below the surface, chasing on ahead and whistling to one another happily.
On the ship itself, there was little joy to be had. The crew spoke little, mourning their fallen comrades lost the day before, in the merrow's attack, and Captain Hadrian Stone continued to suffer from the strange, debilitating sickness that had laid him low.
Things took a turn for the unexpected when a "thump" heralded the appearance of a goblin calling himself Lergz, who pulled himself over the railing without assistance and with little fanfare. Speaking to several skeptical crew, Lergz explained that he'd lost his own ship to the same storm the day prior, but as he was fortunate enough to have a pair of "water walking" slippers, he'd been able to survive the shipwreck, and had walked along the surface of the ocean until he was able to "catch a ride" on the Sea Dwarf as it passed by.
Initially met with skepticism, Stabracadabra and the crew of the Sea Dwarf gradually accepted the tale, if only for lack of any more likely explanations. Cora (the acting captain) agreed that Lergz could stay with Stabracadabra in their cabin aboard the ship, but Lergz's stay within the cabin would prove to be far from peaceful.
Lergz's first night aboard the Sea Dwarf was one of conflict and low cunning, begun as he woke to find Trixie rummaging through his things. She insisted she was "only looking" through his belongings, but their argument was cut short by the sound of violence on the deck outside. Roused from their sleep by the yells of Trixie and Lergz, Buddy and Nelvin unsteadily took up positions near the door.
Nelvin opened it with bleary eyes, to reveal a scene of horror in the mist beyond: One of the Sea Dwarf's crewmen lay dead just outside their cabin, his body a mess of stab wounds, and in the thick fog beyond that corpse, furtive figures could be seen creeping like shadows towards the remaining crew. The ship was under attack by pirates, and the crew were swiftly being overpowered.
Huddled at the farthest corner from the door, Lergz kept his own weapon trained on the door, his eyes tracking the party of adventurers as they turned their own focus outward toward the battle in the mist. Buddy and Nelvin led the charge into that fog, taking up positions to guard the door and engaging the shrouded figures closest to it. As their battle moved farther onto the misty deck of the ship, the depth of the situation became clearer. There were about a dozen attackers, some still pulling themselves over the rails to join the fight.
Trixie abandoned her efforts to convince Lergz of her innocence, and zipped through a porthole to take stock of the situation. Muttering an incantation, she lit up a handful of the attackers in a silvery purple light, and then started taking shots with her bow at the pirates below. After firing each arrow, Trixie ducked back through the porthole to nock the next, disorienting her targets.
Nelvin called out support and direction to his companions, at the same time trading blows with the pirates closest to him. In the pervasive mist it was impossible to see any detail much farther than the reach of their arms, so the turning fate of the battle was something of a mystery. As the battle wore on, he brought his magics into the fight, cursing at the pirates and causing pain and distraction with blasts of sonic energy.
Buddy transformed once again into a giant spider, looming over his diminutive companions and their combatants both, his fangs dripping with venom. Those fangs darted down time and again to seek out tender flesh. Eventually, his carapace sustained enough damage to drive him back to his grimlock form, at which point he directed a fiery pillar of concentrated moonlight to illuminate and immolate his foes.
Seeing the state of the battle outside the cabin, Lergz joined the fray as well, his blade biting into the pirates as he moved with cool efficiency through the shrouded battlefield to aid his new would-be companions. Pawla and Volo remained safe in the cabin, uselessly.
As the battle raged, it became clear that the pirates’ had lost their momentum. Four of the Sea Dwarf’s crew had perished in the fight, but Stabracadabra were driving the remaining pirates back. Eventually they fled, their numbers thinning with the fog that had aided their attack, plagued by Buddy’s scorching moonlight and by Nelvin’s sleeping spells.
The pirates’ leader called out a final threat as her rowboat disappeared into the fog - that “Elok Jaharwon” would hear of their defeat and would come seeking revenge - before their words were cut off by an arrow to the throat. The pirates had attacked in two rowboats, which Nelvin quickly surmised meant one thing: they had been waiting for the Sea Dwarf; somehow they knew it would be there. Nelvin had heard of Elok in the tavern back in Baldur’s Gate - a bloodthirsty pirate captain, talented swordsman, and a known wereboar, reported to gore his enemies in boarding actions.
Cora quickly took charge of her remaining crew after the battle, and the heroes gathered what loot they could find on the bodies of their attackers - most of it was scavenged and poorly cared for, but they did find two casks on the rowboats, one of wine and another of ale, as well as an ornate bottle that Buddy identified as mucus from a carrier crawler - a powerful contact poison and paralytic. The pirates’ pockets yielded a collection of coins and rough gems as well, which Stabracadabra loaded into a small brass box.
Morning came, and with it brought sight of Chult’s coastline. Thick jungles bordered the ocean, with towering mountains hinted in the vaporous distance beyond them. As the ship approached, the heroes helped around the ship; Nelvin performed for the sailors to keep their spirits up and put some of his new knot skills to use helping out with the rigging, Trixie spent time with her dog Pawla, and Lergz recovered from his recent shipwrecking. Fighting alongside one another, and their time together below deck, had helped the two of them mend their differences from the night before - though they perhaps fell short of forming a friendship, they at least no longer brandished weapons at one another.
Lergz was still considering what he might do when they reached port - would he seek out his own glory, or attach himself to this band of would-be adventurers? Volo had made it clear there was room for another skilled sword arm, but Volo was also clearly a buffoon.
Buddy spent time in the hold, chatting with the rats and enjoying the relative quiet. Their chatting was cut short by one young rat’s excited mention of “Aremag” - some sort of turtle she expected to see near Chult. Often, the rats explained, ships would give this Aremag creature a gift of some kind, before sailing past.
No sooner had he warned his companions to be on guard, than the waters around them started to roil. The Sea Dwarf was tossed about on the waves like a child’s duck, and an enormous dragon turtle burst from the ocean below to tower over them.
The dragon turtle roared something unintelligible, cracked a limb against the siding of their ship, and Stabracadabra raced to find a suitable offering to the enormous beast, tossing the box of coins overboard to appease him. Aremag's good eye tracked the box as it sank into the depths, trailing coins, and with another bellowing roar, he followed it; the ship was shaken, but undamaged. As quickly as he had appeared, the waters had cleared. Counting themselves lucky to have avoided a more prolonged encounter with the guardian of Nyanzaru, the Sea Dwarf’s crew sailed on. Finally, Stabracadabra had arrived at the only port in Chult. Their journey across the seas had ended, but their adventure had only begun.
As we look toward the next episode we close on Nelvin, high in the rigging of the Sea Dwarf tying off a line. In the far distance he can just make out Port Nyanzaru rising out of the foggy coastline, a vibrant bastion of civilization built on a collection of hills. He squints his eyes toward the sight, shaded below the brim of his fedora, and can just make out the docks where the ship will soon be moored. Some part of his mind wonders just how dangerous a land of dinosaurs might prove to be for himself and his other small companions - but another is excited about the stories he’ll be able to tell, the songs he’ll compose, and the treasures he’ll unearth in the unknown jungles of this new land.
UP NEXT...
We take a look back in time with Trixie via INTERLUDE II - WHAT COULD GO WRONG? or skip right to EPISODE III.