It Came from the Sea
| It Came from the Sea | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8/5/26 |
| Storyteller | Evan |
| Tier | Trainee |
| Player Characters | Ken, Arkes, Moz Fratelli, Lacie |
| Rewards | Animal Staff, Animal Call x2, Animal Nip (lesser), 105 gp, 250 xp |
| Result | Success |
| Author | Laciena Anastasie Clarisa de la Fuente (frosty) |
| Downtime | 7 |
Associates investigate the congregation of crabs at Sellick Village.
Log
Our tale begins in Sellick Village, having traveled from Onadbyr to this small fishing town. Introductions were short—not long after we had arrived, a stout man approached us and asked if we were the Associates he had sought. After confirming our intent to help this crab-stricken village, he imparted more information on the current crustacean situation.
It was as follows:
About a fortnight ago, crabs had begun congregating upon the coast, amassing themselves in the hundreds upon hundreds. To the people of Sellick, it was delightful at first—easy prey to fuel their crab-catching endeavors. However, such fruitfulness was ill to last. As more and more crabs crawled upon the beaches, they began attacking anyone who came near, even beginning to fight amongst themselves.
However, our commissioner—Joseph Silverfish, his name was—and his lackeys had discovered a cave nearby that seemed to be drawing the crabs in. There was a noise emanating from it—it was described to us as music, which was, for some unknown reason, leading the crabs to partake in dance. Furthermore, some gargantuan crabs had convened around the cave, preventing anyone from coming near. So that is where we come in. It was our duty to find the cave, repel the crabs, and find a way to make them return from whence they came.
After being handed directions to the cave, we said our goodbyes and hurried along to the coast. Not one of our group could recall anything like the music as described, as we, admittedly, knew little about crabs. I, for one, know simply that seafood is not to my taste. This excursion has further proven my dislike for such things.
After some time walking along the beach, we crested a rise and came upon the wreckage of an old ship. Believing there to be something worth salvaging, we investigated the debris, but came up empty-handed. Everything, even the finest of silks, had long ago rotted away.
However, light steps are not a trait shared among all of our party. More preoccupied with the notion of ghosts haunting the wreckage than taking care to tread lightly, Moz and his ghastly brother riled up swarms of crabs. And what terrible nuisances they were! My rapier bounced off of their little shells as if it were nothing. The little beasts were agitated from being disturbed, and put up a lengthy skirmish. We, of course, emerged victorious in the end, however.
After spending some time resting up, we continued on our way along the shore. Soon enough, our cave lay in the distance, surrounded, as one might expect, by hundreds, if not thousands, of crabs.
Making out a sound emanating from the cave, it was indeed music of a sort. Certainly not… dignified… music however, for the crabs, as they danced, engaged in more of a rave than anything else.
There was a giant hermit crab with a fishing boat for a shell guarding the entrance to the cave, as well as some of its other smaller friends, so we began our encounter by staying at range and firing off spells and arrows alike to draw them away from the entrance. Despite the far larger size of the crabs than the ones we had encountered before, these proved little difficulty in comparison. My sword struck far cleaner through their shells, at the very least.
After dealing with the aggravated crabs, we made our way to the cave and inspected it. Our findings were rather bizarre—a strange apparatus had been planted within, of which we did not have much idea of what it could possibly be. Alfredo knew it to have some sort of magical component, at least, but the most effective way to get the music to stop would be to simply destroy the device.
And that is what we did indeed. Using the butt of my rapier’s hilt and some well-placed kicks, I made quick work of the machine, causing the music to sputter out and fall silent. In lieu of their dance disrupted, the remaining crabs looked around as if coming out of a daze, before scuttling back to the sea. Ensuring the musical device had been fully destroyed, we were able to recover some pieces that had been placed within, undoubtedly to power or amplify its crab-enticing effects.
Satisfied with the result—and with the newfound lack of crabs, on my part—we returned back to the village to report our findings and collect our payment.