With the terrible news, the party boarded the boat to Brolin, hoping to find safety in the Moonglade, meet up with Drafous’s Faction, and discuss the blight with the Druids of the Tarin Enclave. Unfortunately, their ship was entangled into a Whirlpool that appeared out of nowhere, sinking it.
The party awoke from near drowning in a large undersea cave, where they had washed into after the whirlpool drug them down. The cave was lit through magic, and the party was met with a group of men, bearing fire, warm blankets, and food. While still wearing their equipment, their packs had gone missing in the wreck, with what provisions they had on them. They gratefully accepted the gifts, and after warming and eating, were led into a much larger cavern, where a great city spread out before them. Splendid buildings sprawled before them, and people moved within the city.
The group was granted one of the empty buildings within the city, with food and drink, and beds. As the group ate the roasted fish, Decker Paletrapper, leader of the men who met them, used to be a sailor until his ship was sunk, and he too washed up in the cave. Only he and a handful of his crew managed to survive. His story was similar to the denizens of this underwater paradise. The cave system that ran along the city would cause fluctuations in the ocean currents with the movements of the 3 moons, and the currents would then cause whirlpools that would sink ships that were unfortunate to pass overhead. He bade the party rest, eat, and get warm, and he would introduce them to more of the city tomorrow.
The next day or two were a blur as the party shook off the shock of nearly drowning. Decker showed them the city, meeting several inhabitants. Life seem idyllic, with the only real complaint being that the only real food source was fish. There was plenty of food though, and minus fishing duties spread between all of the inhabitants, the rest of the time and days were able to be spent carefree. In the middle of the city was a large pearl, inlaid in a golden shell, which provided the air and kept the cavern lit and warm. The palace to the north end of town was unoccupied, as the spell of the pearl didn’t pass inside, so it was cold, and dark.
Resting back at their house, the party imagined what life could be like under the waves, with their new friends. Safe from the impending war. Noc couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the paradise they found. Something was nagging at him. Something was wrong. It was then that Noc woke up.
The house around him turned from a warm lush dwelling to hovel stone, with no roof, door, or furniture. The hard stone he sat on was cold. The roasted fish before him was a fluorescent moss, that he watched his compatriots happily eat. His own stomach growled, as the sweet and salty flavor of the moss still assaulted his taste buds. He shook off the illusion though, and set to rousing his companions from their waking slumber. Once regrouped, the party peeked and ventured out from their stone hut.
The layout of the city didn’t change much, but rather than resplendent buildings and warmth, they saw what it truly was. The same moss they had all been eating grew across walls, and up along the domed ceiling of the cavern. The people were real, but all looked to be gaunt and pale. There was a hum from the statue and triangle, which seems to help uphold the illusion. Making their way through the city, the inhabitants seemed to see them, but the warm smiles were gone, and a slowly growing sense of hostility seemed to overtake the inhabitants. Upon reaching the Triangle, Cedris, with speed of a woman possessed, climbed the statue, leapt and grabbed the triangle, and took off at full speed towards the palace. The whole party in tow, they reached the stairs leading in, and were met with several ice hounds. Dispatching the Elemental Creatures as quickly as possible, they managed to find cover behind palace pillars, as the angry mob of the city was approaching to retrieve and return the triangle back to its resting place. Once the coast was clear, before the mob returned, they opened the doors to the palace, ran inside, slamming the doors behind them, casting them into darkness.