Three Yeses, Two Ships, One Stone-Footed Captain

The party descended beneath the waves and infiltrated Rumblecusp's skull-shaped lair, ambushing the dockside guards and blasting their way upward—only to find Captain Phorus and Seamus Grond waiting for them in a fortified tavern. When Phaedra revealed the party's true mission, Grond reached for his warhammer, and the second battle erupted with walls of fire and a mysterious stone-footed assassin named Vodea Phorus.

Shallow Water Rising

The party cast Water Breathing aboard Jack Sapphire's ship and plunged into the ocean, descending gradually through darkness toward Rumblecusp [1]. Those with darkvision navigated through shades of gray while others moved blind. Marnok and Kithri led successful survival checks with Mervyn's Flash of Genius, guiding the group toward the island as the seafloor rose and dock posts emerged from the seabed ahead.

Crocodile Periscope

Litton surfaced like a crocodile to scout the shore and spotted a massive skull-shaped cave carved into the rock face, its eye sockets glowing like windows and its mouth opening over the docks below. Marnok used his superior vision to identify the two-masted ship moored on the left as the Stormsurger, Captain Phorus's vessel, and detected humanoid movement within the skull cave itself [2]. Phaedra confirmed Phorus worked for Ska'Dreshan. The party debated stealing the ship but decided against it, opting instead to split into aquatic and land teams for a coordinated assault. Kithri prepared to cast Water Walk to allow the land team to approach across the surface while positioning herself inside the cave mouth for support.

Surprise at the Docks

The party surfaced onto the water via Water Walk and gained surprise against the guards stationed at the docks—two on the left and one on the right manning a mounted heavy crossbow. Marnok fired an arrow that struck the guard atop the crossbow. Mervyn cast Reduce on the heavy crossbow itself, shrinking it and causing the guard to fall from his perch. Kithri used Thorn Whip to drag the prone guard into the water, where he began struggling to swim. Litton attempted to grapple and throw a second guard but the enemy hooked his leg around Litton's to resist. Phaedra drew a rifle and fired, her shot improved by Kithri's reaction. Viktorin cast Toll the Dead in the surprise round.

Scorching Rays and Erupting Earth

Four additional enemies arrived as combat proper began. The enemies engaged with rapiers and pistols, striking Litton, Marnok, and Phaedra multiple times. Viktorin cast a protective sphere that granted temporary hit points to allies, then cast Shield of Faith on Litton to bolster his armor class. Phaedra cast Scorching Ray, striking two enemies with fire damage. Mervyn cast Ray of Sickness, dealing poison damage, then used finger guns against another enemy. Kithri cast Erupting Earth, killing one enemy combatant and wounding several others with a fountain of churned stone [3]. Litton retrieved his Comet Ballista and fired, triggering Heilig Comets and killing two enemies with the blast. Marnok engaged with Hail of Thorns, killing his initial target and damaging an adjacent enemy through the spell's spreading effect.

Final Arrow, Empty Silence

Kithri cast Hold Person, paralyzing two enemies, and dragged one paralyzed foe into the water with Thorn Whip. Litton attacked with his runic battle axe, dealing damage across multiple strikes. Marnok fired arrows at paralyzed opponents, gaining advantage from their incapacitated state. Viktorin cast Guiding Bolt. Mervyn cast Ray of Sickness at paralyzed enemies with advantage. Marnok fired the final arrow, striking the last enemy in the eye socket and watching it dissolve into nothing as the enemy fell. An eerie silence settled over the docks. The party searched the area and collected approximately ten gold, nine pistols with black powder ammunition, and multiple rapiers from the bodies.

The Voice Upstairs

Marnok disabled the large crossbow by cutting its bowstring while the party explored the cleared structure. Kithri sampled beer from storage barrels and found basic ale. Marnok investigated a curtained doorway and discovered a room with two empty cages, a grate leading to an undercarriage section, tables holding assorted bones and weaponry, a broken humanoid statue, and the full bone remains of an aquatic creature. The party encountered a locked door, which Mervyn blew open with a makeshift gunpowder charge. Beyond lay quarters with a bed, table, bookshelf, dresser, storage chest, and a ladder leading upward through a locked latch. Mervyn discovered eight platinum hidden beneath the mattress and a map depicting the Menagerie Coast. As they prepared to ascend, a voice called down from above, claiming to represent survivors and inviting them up for conversation.

Seven Guns Loaded

The party ascended the stairs to find a dwarven bartender with a serving tray of drinks—and approximately six to seven pistols locking onto them with audible clicks. They had entered a tavern with a large pipe organ. Four armed individuals sat at tables near the stairs with pistols trained on the party. Two barmen stood behind a bar. A large, muscular human with ginger hair and pale skin stood in a far corner near the window, holding a warhammer and a drink, wearing a pelt across his shoulders [4]. Litton challenged the occupants to a drinking game. The large man set down his drink and turned to look at Litton directly, introducing himself as Seamus Grond, captain of the Storm Surges. He demanded to know why the party had killed his men and infiltrated the location. Phaedra revealed the truth: they had come to kill those working for Scarbosa. Seamus laughed and revealed there were seven armed combatants in the bar plus a boss man, in addition to the nine already defeated downstairs. Seamus reached for his warhammer, and combat erupted.

Walled by Flame

Litton moved into melee and struck Seamus multiple times with his axe, then grew to a larger size. Marnok ascended the stairs wielding the Blade of Tho'Maeus and engaged enemies, landing multiple strikes and gaining temporary hit points from the weapon. Mervyn moved cautiously up the stairs to scout, fired at an opponent, then retreated to cover. Kithri cast Wall of Fire at fourth level, trapping several enemies within the flames and dealing significant damage [5]. Viktorin cast a Channel Divinity that granted temporary hit points to nearby allies, then cast Spirit Guardians at fourth level, creating a glowing circle of protective energy centered on his position. Captain Phorus emerged from behind the bar onto an elevated deck above, introducing himself to the party and announcing his intention to join the fray. Seamus wielded a warhammer that crackled with electricity and engaged Litton, landing strikes that dealt both bludgeoning and lightning damage.

Stone Cold Entry

Marnok struck down an enemy in melee and positioned himself upon its corpse. Mervyn used Lightning Arrow to drag an enemy into the firewall trap, followed by a bonus action attack. Litton engaged Grond while attempting fire shackles against Seamus, but Seamus made a successful saving throw to resist the restraint. Kithri attempted to parkour toward Captain Phorus but became restrained mid-movement by stone covering her ankles, unable to complete the ascent. Phaedra engaged in combat against the pirate boss, dealing damage across multiple strikes. Captain Vodea Phorus appeared suddenly in Viktorin's pathway through teleportation or rapid movement, then struck Viktorin with a blade attack, dealing severe slashing damage that ended Viktorin's Spirit Guardians spell [6].

Poisoned and Restrained

Kithri, restrained by stone covering her ankles, noticed Vodea Phorus's feet appeared to be made of stone. She cast Contagion at fifth level, hitting with a melee spell attack, and the target was poisoned, gaining disadvantage on actions. Pirates attacked Marnok and others, with one pirate landing a critical hit. Phaedra shot at a pirate, hitting with her second attack. Mervyn cast Lightning Lure on Captain Phorus, who failed the save, then attacked with finger cannons. Litton attempted a shove action but missed with a natural one. Seamus attacked Marnok and Litton but both strikes missed. Viktorin cast Spirit Guardians at fourth level again, requiring wisdom saves from multiple enemies—two failed and took full damage, while Vodea Phorus succeeded and took half. Marnok cast Ensnaring Strike at second level, hitting for damage, but the target resisted the restraint. Vodea Phorus made two blade attacks, missing Kithri but hitting Viktorin. Kithri cast Catha at fourth level against Vodea Phorus, who failed a Constitution saving throw and took double damage. Combat continued into round five with the party still engaged.