Of Treasures and Trials

Previously, the Twilight Knights felled the remainder of a meat dog and zombie warrior group in the desert before heading to a midpoint oasis for some rejuventation and respite. There they met, and fucked, a adventuring group called the Ardent Berserkers, traveling by slugraptors. Conversing with the group, they gleaned hints that the Ardent may have been traveling to the same destination, as the wizard Ashton warned them might be the case, but they were gone by the next morning. Traveling the rest of the way by carriage, you take the last stage next to the coast north of Gimmiacudl by foot. There they arrive at a cave where you see the slugraptors outside and sounds of battle eminating from within.

Cerfepto holds her finger to her lips before continuing to sneak down the passage.

Fuck you all think they are still alive up in there..." Lathander himself seems worried he looks to the others as he grabs his quiver of arrows and bows before looking to Cerfepto taking lead.

Itsa has plan for if caught" she whispers.

Pearla simply follows bringing up the rear.

Lathander being gifted in some stealth goes ahead of the party meanwhile the noice of the other three ends up alerting some of the giant crab creatures in his absence.

Pearla charmed one crab telling it to go back into the ocean, Itsa and Cerrie kill all but one which also flees into the ocean.

About 60ft from the entrance, Lathander sees the Ardent Berserkers battling with all manner of creatures. Vachel, the leader of the Berserkers sees Lathander enter and smiles, his face already splatter in blood.

"About time you all joined us. I see the Fodath did her job well in distract you that night at the oasis!" Vachel laughed before striking down a merfolk."How about we team up and put down all these mer-creatures together and then we can make a play at the item for our respective wizards? Deal?"

Lathander spits down onto the ground and rolls his eyes, his hand on his hip. "Shoulda know that you all were chasing this thing down too..plus whats to say you won't kill us after we clear these creatures anyhow?" he shouts having his bow drawn looking to the Vachel..feeling betrayed but also numb..this wasnt the first time someone betrayed him.

"We have no quals with you. how about this, no combat, just a race? Once we are done." Vachel says killing another merfolk with smile upon his face.

"I won't be racing alone..just as you."Lathander looks around to stall "My party is dealing with some trouble and should be done soon enough..." He curses seeing him turn back to the merfolk. He then pulls out his bow. It might be best to help clear out these things. "Oi...we push past these merfolks and were gonna be offered a race...we can't just leave em to die right?"

Suddenly the rest of his group joins him.

"Lath, what'd you... oh, it is them, damn." Cerfepto places herself between the monsters and Lathander. "We can figure it out once we deal with these things."

"Agreed love..lets deal with em as quick as possible then."Lathander responds.

"We need not end lives this day can we make peace" Itsa yells trying to reason with the merfolk

"Then leave! Or else you will face the wrath of the Su'shee!" one of them growls back.

"Wait, these things can talk?" Cerrie says surprised."Are you lot... protectin' this orb?"

"You know nothing about what you seek, if you did you would flee. Your ignorance will be your doom."the one merfolk says.

"Then tell us, asshole." Cerrie says taking a step forward.

"You will only know my blade." and with that the merfolk attacks, He uses his chitin blade for an attack on Cerrie.

"Prick." Cerrie raises her shield.

"Fuck..we dont have to..fight. Cerrie watch him."Lathander hollers.

"I'm not doin' anythin'."Cerrie says as she defends from the attacks. To then be saved by a charmed merfolk thanks to Pearla.

"Don't read into it elf I just don't want to haul your corpses out of here"Pearla says as she resumes concentration.

"Itsa sorry, we should leave"Itsa says after defensively attacking one of the merfolk.

"Awright, anyone else feel like talkin', are you all just gonna die wit'out spilling the beans?"Cerrie shouts.

"Sorry to say we tried for peace...we need that treasure of yours." Lathander says before putting an arrow though one's eye thus killing it. "Here comes another one!" he says shooting another arrow into another Merfolk.

After killing another any remaining enemies in the are flee except the charmed one who Cerrie starts to interrogate. Meanwhile Itsa noticing that the Ardent Beserkers have left tries to go in stealthy pursuit of them.

"Oi!" She shouts off at the fleeing one before grumbling. "Fine, you. What's dangerous about the orb?"

"The Orb of Ocean Sundering? its a sacred relic of our people from four worlds past. Gives the weilder control over waters and waves." The charmed merfolk says as it is **** to talk.

"Holy fuck..we sure we wanna give this to a human?"Lathander says.

"Is that what that one bastard meant about the doom, that we'd get betrayed or summat?"Cerrie yells.

Pearla just maintains focus on the charm spell.

"Lathander, you said we were racin' for it, right?" Cerrie asks.

"For now..but Im thinking this thing is pretty dangerous..you sure?"Lathander responds.

"We can grab it ourselves first and figure out the next step later. I'm just gonna dash ahead, monsters be damned."Cerrie comments.

Itsa trying to catch up runs into a group of Mersquishes ( a sub variant of merfolk) and tries to reason with them

" I want not to attack but help you defend you treasure sparing my friends" Itsa says as she braces for impact not backing down.

Unfortunately they did not hear her plea as they go to attack as Itsa takes a page out of cerries book and puts up a nights defense blocking all attacks except one.

Pearla catches up to Itsa first and goes to defend her by attacking one of the creatures.

"No Kill we have done enough already we need stop only besrkers"Itsa yells"Lathie can you get ahead and stop those berker guys."

As the group thanks to Itsa's plea adopts non-fatal attacks pinning enemies to walls or knocking them out.

"This is getting out of hand..we need to clear out of here now."Lathander says as he yet to find an opening.

Cerrie eventually sees an opening for herself and leaps over an runs to the next chamber coming face to face with the Ardents.

As Cerrie enters the cavern, she notices the haggard but still resilient and resolved members of the Ardent Berserkers beside her. "I see you caught up a bit," Vachel said puffing heavily.

The cavern before Cerrie is the largest yet, but more vertically expansive than the initial pools. There is however another large pool of water in the center of the room with a rocky path along the edges and a single path leading to a craggy outcropping in the center. There stands a pile of treasure and loot - jade, health potions, armor and even some small and large cases and chests.

In the center of the pile of loot, atop the craggy outcropping is a small platform on which a decorated chest sits. No bigger than half a foot in length, the chest sits pride of place as a beam of light from an opening in the cave above shines down brightly on the chest.

But the view of its obscured by the impressive visage of an humanoid creature before it. Standing 7 feet tall, with a muscular build, and blue skin, this was not any simple merfolk. This was something stronger, more fierce, more determined.

"I am Zarul, Champion of the Su-Shee, welcome to your deaths."