"Not sure about Whisper, but I lose contact with Screech at about a hundred feet," Sai replies. "We'll have to catch them at dusk.  Back to town, then?"

Azu asked, ”Why are we returning to town?”

turning to Azu Alban says, "To see if there is anyone in the settlement that can speak the infernal language and translate the alter writings for us. Let's be off then."

Alban tightens the scraps of his backpack and starts walking towards the settlement.

Azu smiled and nodded, then followed the other. She sang her walking song again.

Hoot nods to Alban in response to making copies before following the group back towards town. He drags his feet a bit, reluctant to leave behind the cool new vantage point. At least he can always come back later to feel the sea breeze rustle through his feathers.

Are you going to go the same way you came, or try to avoid the spot with the giant crabs?

Lets go back the way we came. We’re not on patrol, after all.

Let's go back the way we came, while trying to avoid the giant crabs as best we can.

Someone give me a Wisdom (Survival) check, with advantage for assistance to determine the best way to avoid the crabs.

22:18, Today: Alban rolled 16 using 2d20+2, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 3,14.  Survival check with advantage .

You manage to spot the telltale signs of giant snow crabs, and give them a wide berth. If you wish, you may swing by the east wall on your way back, to take a look at the hole that was mentioned.

Hoot detours east to curiously pokes around the hole under the wall. He tries to figure out how frequently the sahuagin have been visiting it.

07:26, Today: Hoot rolled 20 using 1d20+5.  survival check.

Azu looked at the hole. ”It is a large hole. Someone should repair it before someone else falls in and gets hurt.”

Yes I know you can’t fall into a hole in a wall. Azu is crazy, remember?

Alban inspects the wall and hole in the east section of the settlement for any clues.


08:18, Today: Alban rolled 16 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 12.  Perception check . 08:18, Today: Alban rolled 25 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 20.  Investigation check

Alban will use a mending cantrip to repair the wall once he’s done investigating


This message was last edited by the player at 13:57, Wed 01 July 2020.

The hole isn't in the wall, but in the earth. The Sahuagin are trying to tunnel under the wall. The unevenly sloping hole is about 5 feet wide, and 6 feet deep at the deepest point, though the wall itself is entrenched even deeper. There's no telling how long the fishmen were at it, though since the wall only came up a few weeks ago, it was clearly less time than that. The fishmen left two shovels behind in the bottom of the hole, crude things, little more than huge clamshells lashed to lengths of driftwood.

Sai glances at the hole for a moment before a large smile covers his face.  "This seems like a decent spot for an ambush," he says, considering for a moment.  "If we were to dig the hole straight down, we'd have ourselves a nice pit.  And a bit of an illusion might encourage them to hop in, if it looks like we hadn't touched it.  Does anyone happen to have magic that could move a bunch of dirt?  Or any other ideas?"

Looking closer at the pit being dug up Alban mentions off hand with a slight grin, "I wonder what's under the seashells?" Turning the rest of the group he says, "For all we know Sai.  That could be a trap set for us to find; complete with a concealed bottom concealing poisonous spikes.  Anyone have a 10' pole to poke around down there to be sure?"

Listening to Sai's question about magic Alban replies, "I suppose I could create a magical force to help dig out the hole in the ground more if we want to go that route."

Can Alban tell when the pit was dug up and where did the dirt from the pit go? Is there anything special out the dirt?  Is it frozen or rich with nutrients and minerals? Is there a mound nearby or was the dirt hauled off to conceal the activity?

Alban can cast an unseen servant spell as a ritual if we want to trap the pit.  Someone could even go Jessop's shop and get supplies like a large animal trap....
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Fri 03 July 2020.

There are mounds of earth piled next to the hole. Some look to have been placed within the last day, it is impossible to tell how old the others are at a glance, though with some careful work, you could count the layers of ice to see how many times it has snowed since the first pile was started. The shells at the bottom are about the size of dinner plates, and attached to driftwood shafts to make shovels. They don't appear to have been placed with care. The dirt looks pretty ordinary. You can assume if you dug a hole on the other side of the wall, you'd get dirt just like it. Not as nutrient rich as one might find in the woods, but hardy enough plants could certainly grow here.

After inspecting the ice layers for the dirt mounds Alban worries about his findings.  "It appears that whoever has been digging this hole has been here several times over the last week or so.  I am surprised that the settlement walls are not patrolled better that no one has noticed this yet. It's not exactly small and those improved shovels would be very difficult to dig with in this frozen environment."

Grabbing a handful of dirt and rolling the clobs of earth into finer particles through his fingers as they fall back onto the ground Alban considers. "So far we have been following bread crumbs put under our noses and assuming this is the work of the Sahuguan.  Are there any other parties in the area that would benefit from the settlement failing, I wonder?? So far the Tritons are willing to help us as allies and patrol the boundaries.  However the Triton ambassador specifically warned us to stay out of the ocean and away from the beach areas. What do you think of all this?"

Alban pauses for moment to listen to the others; nodding as he considers every word.  "It will be sunset soon.  We should return to the town hall and talk with Erret about our findings and try to get the alter writings translated. If we plan to trap this hole then we need to be about it then quickly.  What do you want to do?"

I don't know," Sai replies, considering. "If the Tritons wished to sabotage Smith's settlement, I imagine they'd have better plans than something like this. They likely warned us away from the south coast to avoid having to rescue some foolhardy adventurers." Sai grins at the group. "Let's head back to town and report to Erret, then we can come back and set up a trap or ambush. Maybe Erret will have ideas of his own, or he'll want to send reinforcements to make short work of them. In any case, I'm willing to defer to his judgment with regards to his city. And maybe this discovery will be worth some coin to him."

“I agree with you Sai. Let’s go to the town hall and talk with Erret about all this. I also have some personal business with the the Triton ambassador or Peryn if she is still there in town. Come.” Alban gestures in the direction of the town hall.

You run into no further trouble on your return to Smith's Gambit.

Each of you receive 100 xp for the information you've uncovered!

Azu sang as they made their way back to their homestead.

"I wouldn't mind a quick chat with Erret regarding some property as well," Sai adds as the group heads toward town.  He hums along as Azu sings.

Alban starts walking towards the town hall.

——-> To Erret’s Gambit thread