Trimyrai: (to the party) "If no one has any problems with it, i'll hold onto the blessing water filled bladder...." Trimyrai trails off as he notices Jack drinking out of the strength one.

Trimyrai: (to Jack) "The benefits to the enchanted water only last a minute, we better hurry if we want to make use of the extra strength."

edit: (gotcha, nevermind the scratched out parts.)

(My edit didn5 save. I edited to say I took the bladder, not drink it. Should be fixed now.)

Jack has the dark bladder, and Tryimyra the blue one.

Reverie does not have a chance to accept or refuse Jack's suggestion before Jack is encouraging the party to enter quickly and quietly. ("Those prisoners need rescuing!") The corridor remains narrow (6' wide) and snakes around. There is dim light reflected from the entrance and from deeper inside the cave. It gradually widens to 10' and straightens.  Twenty feet ahead there is a brighter patch of corridor, where it turns to the right. But before you get there a sea elf steps out his hiding space in the shadows. He gestures for the group to huddle together, so he can speak softly and still be heard.

"We are almost to the central cavern on this island. Try not to be noticed. The sahuagin have gathered in great numbers, along with their foul allies. Too many to be defeated. Fortunately, they are distracted by a feast for their recent guests (although I do not want to know what or who they are eating). At that corner ahead, pick a moment when none are looking this way, because you will have to run out in the open for 20'. Stay along the left-hand wall, and you will find a 5' wide gap that will lead upwards to a ledge where you can look over this area from some safety. There are a number of side caves connected to this central cavern, and I have not been able to find the one used for the prisoners... We don't know when the guards for this entrance will be replaced. If they arrive before you have found the prisoners, and we are unable to contain them, I will signal for the raid on the main entrance. That should give your party a chance to leave before you are found."

If you group has any quick questions for the scout, or actions to be taken, say it now.

When you are ready to go deeper in, all players give me 4 rolls (for use later): a Stealth(DEX) with advantage (normal roll for Reverie); an Initiative(DEX); a Perception(WIS); and a WIS saving throw.

(suggestion? I was asking if she felt like she would die soon! :) )

"What is the signal?"

Stealth: 19

Initiative: 10

Perception: 9

Wisdom Saving Throw: 11 

edit: (just a reminder to myself, we got to pick up our new clothes from the tailor at some point, we still need to get the reward from the dwarf black smith and decide what that reward is. and since we decided to rescue Isk and help these mer-folk out we won't be able to get back to town before nightfall)

Quote from EmperorKarino >>

edit: (just a reminder to myself, we got to pick up our new clothes from the tailor at some point, we still need to get the reward from the dwarf black smith and decide what that reward is. and since we decided to rescue Isk and help these mer-folk out we won't be able to get back to town before nightfall)

 Trimyrai notices the nervousness in the party as they get closer to the horde of sahuagin. He blurts out (in a quiet voice) how concerned he is that they will have to wait another day to pick up their new traveling clothes.

Froskan looks at Trim, then down at himself and the water around them.  "Pretty sure they'd just be getting ruined right now anyway.  Might as well do this int he old clothes, then get the new ones tomorrow."

Reverie looks at Jack and then laughs a little. "No, I don't feel like I am dying after drinking that." Then she looks at Trimyrai. "... Don't worry. They will understand us."

Stealth - 8
Initiative - 10
Perception - 5
WIS saving - 6

(the reminder was so im keep track of what was going on in the game, im not worried or anything. i'm good with us adventuring.)

Trimyrai: (to the party [in a whisper]) "You guys are right, i'll stay focused on the mission."

Once the scout answers, I’m ready.

I 10

S 24

P 15

WS 10 (if being charmed:5)

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

Once the scout answers, I’m ready.

 (Sorry, I missed that. The scout stays in hiding, near where this corridor enters the main cavern, and watching for your group to give a thumbs-up or head nod that you've discovered the prisoners. He will then run outside and wave his arm or something to the merfolk. Your group will know it has started, when the sahuagin run to the main entrance to the southwest with their weapons.)

Need the 4 rolls from Froskan and Iskander: a Stealth(DEX) with advantage (normal roll for Reverie); an Initiative(DEX); a Perception(WIS); and a WIS saving throw.

Isk gives Froskan an approving nod at his mention of the water ruining these new clothes they are missing. He crouches down, with this glaive held low, ready to advance into the cave.

• Stealth: 20
• Initiative: 19
• Perception: 21
• WIS Save: 14

(The party rolled really well for the Stealth, so the group check is good, even without Froskan's roll. At some point, I'd like 3 rolls from Froskan: an Initiative(DEX); a Perception(WIS); and a WIS saving throw.

This post and the next two have a lot of text for what is going on. Sorry about the info dump, but I figured it would be easier if I put it all together, and you can read through it at your own pace... I'm putting monster names here. Your character wouldn't be able to identify them right now, but they could be looked up the next time the party does research.)

Peeking around the corner, the central cavern is at least 300' in diameter, and bristling with sahuagin. Your party is in the SE corner. There is a commotion from the north. While all fish-things are looking that way, your group sneaks in, and slips into the concealed passage that the elf scout described to you.

The tunnel is barely wide enough to fit you, and slopes upwards. When your group reaches the top of the narrow passage, it becomes a ledge wide enough for the five of you. You crawl forward. This ledge is in the southeast corner of the cavern, 25' above the floor, and has a good vantage point. As long as your group does nothing to draw attention up here, you are hidden from those below. The commotion is loud enough in the cavern that you can talk softly with each other, and your noise will not be heard below. Being careful to stay hidden behind rocks, your group looks below to watch what is going on...

The central cavern has a number of side caves attached to it. There is a larger opening in the SW corner, likely the main entrance. The place is bustling with around fifty Sahuagin and several Merrow, who look uncomfortable being above water. They are assembled in rows, like a military parade. (Iskander takes a moment to criticize their lack of discipline, as they mill about instead of standing at attention.)

In the middle of the cavern, away from the fish-men, you see 4 soldiers in a line, standing motionless with their halberds. Even from this distance, you can tell they are not from this plane of existence. They are cloaked and wearing armor, but their skin has the unusual coloring and texture that you've seen on some tieflings. The faces are not visible, due to black iron masks being bolted into their faces. (These are Merregon devils.)

Your eyes are drawn to four figures that everyone else are staring at. They have left a large side cave on the north side of the cavern, walked past the assembled forces, then headed into a side cave on the east side of the cavern. The noise level dropped significantly as they passed.

The first of the four is the massive figure of a four-armed Sahuagin Baron. Next to him is the slim figure of a man in green-brown (one color) acolyte robes, with the symbol of Umberlee woven in the front (waves curling left and right). That man is unarmed, and interpreting for the Baron.

Opposite the Baron is a magnificently beautiful woman in black plate armor. She has a long sword at one hip, and a coiled glowing barbed rope on the other. Her harpy-like wings are hugging her back. (She is an Erinyes.) Her interpreter is a handsome (though less magnificent) man in black-grey robes. There is a symbol on the front of his robes, but it is almost the same color as the robes. (An upraised hand? Hard to tell.) He is carrying a spear, and is acting as her interpreter.

The crowd noise in the cavern returns to normal, after those four went into the east side cave.

(The conversations are in "spoilers", but that is just for organizing this post. Feel free to click on them. None of you speak Sahuagin, but Reverie uses her helmet to translate. Trimyrai understands the Infernal spoken by the Erinyes, and translates that to help out Reverie.)

After about 5 minutes, the four figures walk back out of that eastern side cave. The two leaders look displeased with each other. The two interpreters are yelling at each other. In their anger, they lose their human appearances. The Umberlee acolyte transforms into a fish-humanoid, with white eyes of a dead fish and a maw of a lamprey. (This is a Deep Scion.) The other man's body shimmers as a spell fades. His skin becomes scarlet with black tatoos of arcane design, and his bat wings unfurl in aggression. (This is a Cambion devil.)

The leaders order their interpreters to shut up, then the leaders start squabbling.

They glare at each other, then stomp back to the northern side cave, to continue the negotiations in private. The Merregon guards march behind them, and position themselves outside that cave. The leaders and interpreters go inside, and a thick door slams shut, sealing them off from the main cavern. The silence has become loud again, filled with sahaugin muttering and gossiping.

(Your party can talk and make plans for what to do next. Keep in mind, you don't know how long those leaders are going to negotiate behind that locked door.)

(Wow! That is a CR 12! what! No one even breathe. We have to find a way to blow up the place or something because we won’t win against those.)

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

(Wow! That is a CR 12! what! No one even breathe. We have to find a way to blow up the place or something because we won’t win against those.)

 (Even though your group doesn't know what those things are right now, all of you can still feel the otherworldly power radiating from below.

Vordat wasn't kidding when he said this is a rescue mission for the prisoners, not a stand-up fight against these enemies.)

(can trimyrai attempt to memorize the faces of all the ones who were talking?)

Trimyrai: (to the party [in a whisper]{in an angry tone}) "We need to hurry, i don't want the prisoners to be in these monster's captivity for another second longer."

”They worship the **** queen herself. Umberlee.” Jack almost says it as if it were a longtime hatred of his. “You’re right. Those questions, Isk, will have to wait. We need to hurry.”

Jack starts to look around frantically for the prisoners, to make sure they aren’t there.

Perception:4

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

Jack starts to look around frantically for the prisoners, to make sure they aren’t there.

 (They aren't in the central cavern. But re-read the argument between the interpreters.)