ACT 1: Apistefuan Sirenix

A Vision of Storm and Chaos (END)

CHARACTERS IN THIS EPISODE:
Avangard-Miraille, Disembodied Fighter (Soldier)
Frida Auquene, Halfling Cleric of Eldath (Acolyte)
Zakariah Faunill, High Half-Elf Bard (Performer)
Nereus Colton, Human Warlock (Haunted One)
Mahiro Oyama, Demigod Druid (Sage)
Rudmia Phlox, Demigod Wizard (Urchin)
Tiān Fēng, Human Ranger (Outlander)
Parvum Nebulonis, Half-Elf Rogue (Outlander)
Akrin Cuy, Dragonborn Barbarian (Outlander)
Roan, Changeling Rogue (Sailor)
Roey, Human Paladin (Acolyte)
Nia Iris, Astral Elf Wizard (Guild Artisan)

NPCS:
Seraphine.
Chief Zaya Elestree, Human Rogue (Noble)
Penillea Ditterea, Drow Cleric of Selûne (Acolyte)
Umberlee, Goddess of the Sea

CHAPTER: MÁGIQUE NE MOURIN
(5849 words)

Last we left off, Frida, Roey, and Akrin- emerge victorious from the Tempest Grip Trial, their bodies battered but spirits unbroken. The icy chamber they stood in begins to shudder as cold water recedes, and warmth briefly floods the space.

Penillea, Zaya, Parvum, Roan, and Fēng, are still shackled in the dungeons.

While that thought continues to haunt Frida, Roey, and Akrin' minds, relief still washes over them, believing for a moment that they have conquered Umberlee's trials. The faint, distant echo of cheering from the main group reaches their ears. Suddenly, the light dims, and the chamber fills with the heavy, menacing whisper of Umberlee herself.

"Ah, you think it's done, your fate is sealed?
But now I call on debts concealed.
To prove your worth, to face the blade,
Blood must spill, or waters cascade."

FRIDA: "That seems like an awful way to settle things.. how about we do it over a nice cup of tea?" Said Frida with a caring smile, despite almost being killed in the last trial.

The Tidal Shard in her pocket glowed a mixture of teal and emerald green, and Frida looked at it in fascination. She had always longed to study the arts of relics like these, for they resemble parts of the past that are unknown to most.

AKRIN: "Gang, my back hurts like shit." Akrin mumbled as he rubbed his back in discomfort, the memory of last trial being oddly foggy.

He remembered slipping off the ice and hitting his head somewhere, then he remembered the tiny granny's whispers as she pulled him up to his feet, and he remembered apologizing to her before feeling a light slap on his cheek. Anything after that was a blur to the aching dragonborn, but perhaps that was for the best.

FRIDA: "Would you like a treat to make it better, my dear?" Asked the granny, knowing that the brownie would heal Akrin's back, or at least ease the bruising.

AKRIN: "The duality of man.." He muttered before snatching the brownie of everlasting life.

Or at least that's what he called it, as his back instantly felt better after one bite. Soon enough, he began asking for seconds and gobbled those down too.

Avangard-Miraille reappears from the Ethereal Realm, looking around. She faced Zakariah who looked sickly worried, she realized that Nereus's stoic stance had dropped, she took note on how Roey, and Akrin were eating baked goods as if it were their last time to do so, and she noticed the glow that emitted from the halfling's pocket.

She looked up to see a slab engraved with the words, 'The Tempest's Grip ' as she saw the snow that trailed the paladin, dragonborn, and old lady. She eventually connects the dots together and concluded that they've successfully earned another Tidal Shard by passing another trial.

MIRAILLE: "Lord. I cannot escape these disgusting whispers." Miraille mumbled under her breath.

FRIDA: "She does that quite a lot, hm?" Frida hummed, referring to Miraille's odd disappearance from time to time.

Even the soldier wonders why that is. Ever since she joined these travelers and had this god-forsaken pearl necklace stuck to her neck, she seems to be slipping more often than usual.

More often than she'd like.

AKRIN: "I for one think it's really fun." Added the barbarian. "Never know when she's gonna pop up."

Meanwhile, Nereus could still hear the haunting echo of Umberlee's voice reverberating in his mind, like the relentless crash of storm waves against a ship's hull. "Blood must spill, or waters cascade." She had whispered, a taunt woven with the inevitability of the sea itself. The meaning was clear enough to chill him to the bone.

It was a decree, not an offer.

He'd left his crew, turned his back on their dark deeds and the goddess they revered, but he knew deep down that no one could truly escape Umberlee's reach.

The silence in the chamber seemed suffocating, as if the water-tinged air itself waited for an answer. Nereus's chest tightened with the weight of countless memories: the chants of his old crew worshipping the Bitch Queen, the shimmer of moonlight on endless waves, the heavy toll of choices that bound him to the sea's rage.

But there was no time for doubt now.

With eyes shadowed by determination and a hint of dread, he stepped forward. His fingers curled tightly around the hilt of his dagger, and with a swift, unflinching motion, he drew the blade across his palm. A sharp hiss of pain escaped his lips as the crimson line bloomed, catching the ghostly luminescence of the watery chamber.

The group all snapped their heads at him and gasped, the action felt too sudden to be real. They watched as his blood fell, each droplet resonating like a drumbeat, as if the sea itself were holding its breath to watch.

Akrin didn't know the warlock was into that sort of stuff.

The shadows seems to rise and dance, wrapping around Nereus's form as if it calls to drink the essence of his sacrifice. A strange, icy numbness spreads from the cut on his hand, coursing through his veins like a slow and suffocating frost.

FRIDA: "OH GREAT HEAVENS, NEREUS!" Frida shouted and ran towards him. "Why have you done that.."

Even Miraille seemed caught off guard by his actions.

MIRAILLE: "..In a language I've heard long ago, they call this behavior, bodoh."

FRIDA: "Here, Nereus darling.. let me heal that wound of yours before it gets any worse."

NEREUS: "Stay back." He stated.

FRIDA: "Oh? Are you certain? That cut looks deep.."

MIRAILLE: "The wrinkly woman is a cleric. She can manage." Miraille added, but it doesn't seem to provoke much reaction out of Nereus, nor does it help convince him.

NEREUS: "I want to feel more pain!" He continued, making everyone glare at him with concern, some with amusement.

MIRAILLE: "Masochist." Miraille side eyes him.

AKRIN: "Are you free on weekends?" Akrin asked the warlock, leading everybody in the vicinity to stop what they're doing, widening their eyes in surprise and disgust.

NIA: "Shut up.." Nia groaned.

AKRIN: "Make me."

NIA: "I can take your voice away, don't try me."

AKRIN: "Whatever floats your boat~"

NIA: "You have ten seconds before I kill you, bitch."

AKRIN: "So angry for what?"

NIA: "For being a dumbass."

MIRAILLE: "Will you smooth-brained twats  shut your lips?" Miraille demanded, their bickering becoming more scattered as the group searched for anything useful in their current environment.

NIA: "Frida, please pull me back before I take someone's soul today.." The astral elf continued.

Surprisingly, Miraille's intimidation does not help this time.

FRIDA: "My dear, let us not resort to violence, alright.."

AKRIN: "Right, listen to the sweet, old granny." The dragonborn smugly responds, savoring the scowl that came from Nia.

NIA: "Fuck you."

Zakariah rolls his eyes, half-amused and half-exasperated by the barbarian and the wizard's banter.

ZAKARIAH: "Save the drama for the performance, you two." He chimes in sarcastically. "We're not getting an applause for this."

Suddenly, in a heartbeat, the entire temple shifts. The ground under their feet turns to liquid, and a powerful current sweeps them off their feet. The roaring of waves drowns their shouts as they vanish into thin air, transported through the dark, churning magic of the sea goddess.

FRIDA: "Can't there be other ways of transportation for Eldath's sake.." Frida sighed in distress as she falls.

MIRAILLE: "Dramatic Umberlee." The disembodied shook her head.

FRIDA: "Is this what being a goddess demands? Chaos over reason?" The granny's voice is laced with frustration, trembling as she fights the current. Her teal eyes seem to narrow with indignation.

MAHIRO: "I suppose when she's the queen of storms, subtlety is overrated." Mahiro lets out a dry chuckle, a forced calm masking the fear curling at the edges of her expression.

The entire party finds themselves suddenly reunited in a vast chamber that glistens with dark, wet stone and swirling reflections of past sacrifices. Eerie, bluish-green light pulses from the walls, casting long, ghostly shadows.

In the center of the room lies an altar, stained and cracked, the ground beneath it pooling with saltwater that has the dark tint of something far more sinister.

Miraille tries to roll an insight check, but only gets a 2. She sees nothing out of the ordinary, just altars and eerie scriptures.

The hostages- Roan, Penillea, Zaya, Parvum, and Fēng are finally freed from their chains. Disoriented and wide-eyed, they looked around the chamber, breaths ragged but expressions softening as they found relief in the sight of their rescuers.

MIRAILLE: "There you are, it was troublesome to get to you." Miraille stated.

ROAN: "Troublesome, huh?" Roan was the first to speak. "Try being chained up for days on end.. but seriously- I'm glad to see a familiar face."

FĒNG: "₶Ә⎝⎝𝛔, ʂშ⎝Әῃ 𝔣ŕΐӘῃḑʂ! (Hello, my friends!)" Fēng said, waving his hand towards the group as they returned the same gestures.

Wait.. oh? It appears that Fēng has started speaking.. elvish? Since when did he learn to mutter the elvish tongue? The airbender must've bonked his head hard earlier. One may expect multiple other languages to come out of his mouth soon..

MIRAILLE: "Ah. It sounds colonial. Sew your mouth shut, Fēng." The disembodied soldier responded before facing Frida. "Ma'am, inspect them for any wound, will you?"

Ma'am?  Perhaps the drow zombie's heart may have warmed up after all. Frida smiled at the her orders, respect increasing.

FRIDA: "Of course, my dear." She rolls an 18 on a medicine check, and notices deep scratches, but other visible wound has either healed, or never existed. "Well, you all seem good to go! Do have these treats though, you all look bony and pale as a corpse.."

The halfling cleric then attempts to perform an investigation check and gets a 5, but her 'observant' feat adds 5 more, while her intelligence modifier adds 3, resulting in the final score to be 13. She realizes that they're on the final test of Umberlee's trials, The Call of Sacrifice.