Malta Session 58: Journey to the Grotto, Meeting Melik, and the Mythic Frogantuan

We pick up this week's session with the characters dividing up some treasure and completing a trade at the Ripae. In the end our characters had 20k in gold each and end up spending most of the day at the exchange.

Next our characters interview twenty prospective sailors; we get an impression that half are looking to improve their situation as news of our renown has spread, while the other half seem to be unemployed and downtrodden. These individuals we delegate to the Dread Cyclops and are ordered to ready the ship for seaworthiness. They are hired on for a silver a day while the ship is in drydock.

(the 6 ship names: Blood Prince, Bonded Mind, Tender (on contract), The Algiers, Dread Cyclops, and Tunisian Gallant.)

Now ready to set sail our characters leave The Algiers and the Dread Cyclops behind to be serviced in Bugibba harbor; we leave the Tunisian Gallant behind as well, our characters set sail to the Grotto in hopes of new experienced crew. 

Finding ourselves on The Blood Prince as the Tender finds ways through debris strewn waters and about an hour into our trip, we each hear a voice in our heads, but don’t at all understand the language then it suddenly stops. Another few minutes go by and again we hear something then it stops. Lex however seems to believe its a racial language but the second ‘communication’ was a different language. It happens a third time this time in rapid words.

Carlo reaches out mentally that he speaks common, then the voice comes again first to Carlo then to the rest of our characters. He says he is Melik and asks permission to approach and land our our deck. We are intrigued, accept the request and eventually a large muscular giant with crimson skin, smoldering eyes and black horns appears.

Melik

Carlo welcomes him, as do we all. The creature named Melik says he has come to know of our characters through his own investigations and would like to negotiate a relationship ie. ‘pacting.’ 

He calls forth a magical mansion and bids our characters enter to palaver over fine drink, smoke and food. 

Inside we learn that Melik comes from a long line of the noble efreeti and begins an hour long tale that indicates Melik as wish grantor.

He reiterates that we have gained his notice and that he is a 'Noble genie' and someone to have on their side. He tells us that if we can come to an agreement then he will not be compelled to grant a wish that would surely make enemies of us. 

Jabari mentions the Imol Egyptian family but eventually it comes back to Acererak the lich. Jabari asks what is the nature of the pact and to whom? A: To whom ever it would be they would have to complete a task before the pact is sealed. He would rather not fulfill the wish of a Lich, but eventually Melik laments, eventually the Acererak would have to deal with.

During this negotiation Jabari completes an aura read and ascertains Melik to be Lawful and Evil. We converse and agree that Melik would be an asset to have. So what needs to be done to secure a pact? Jabari Asks. Our enemy's, Melik states, most local base of power is Selmunett Island because of the heavy influence of necromancers there. Since coming to the Malta region Acererak been searching for key items toward his goals, one of them is an ancient crown of Melik’s ancestors. Melik believes his crown to be at Selmunett Island and is being held secure for the lich's return.

**Selmunett Island:  Northeast of Malta lies Selmunett Island, this island caters to the darker desires and demands of the Maltese.  It is a local custom that those that stay on Selmunett after dark can report no crime and have no crime reported against them.  The priests of Malta turn a blind eye to the gambling halls and houses of ill repute that populate this island. Of late however word has begun to circulate of Egyptian loyalists using Selmunett as a trade pipeline between Egypt and Greek reformists in Korinthos Greece.  Selmunett is also known for its black tar, a bubbling fountain, located on the southern coast.  The tar bubbles up between a boulder called the bleeding stone. Selmunett Tar is coveted for its waterproofing and ability to patch ships damaged at sea.

Jabari: We accept the responsibility of retrieving Melik’s family crown (an item that could compel Melik.) Melik thanks Jabari and ceremoniously pulls out an ancient scroll and signs it with his blood then slides the document over to Jabari who signs it and leaves his arcane mark. The contract binds their two lineages; and once the contract is signed the scroll solidifies into a heavy brass tablet and what follows is an exchange of energy and power between Jabari and Melik.

Once we get the crown Jabari is to reach out to Melik (via an expenditure of a mythic point) once our characters reach Hurricane Harbor. Melik eventually ends the mansion spell effect but before he goes Jabari would like for the crew to see the efreeti off to assuage any fears of the genie.

Our characters raise anchor and spend another few hours on the ocean before we see an array of six Egyptian ships spread out about a few hundred yards from each other. Flares go off from what is the vanguard of the Egyptian blockade. Jabari commands the crew to divert around.

It is when we are about a thousand yards away we hear voices from the ships hailing us. We raise the Bugibba colors as response. It is very well, we are not threatened but are informed our ships will simply be turned away if we stay our course.

Leyline 

Jabari follows the signs of the seas to the Grotto and come to an area where we can hear voices. Our ships turn west to enter the grotto, it is here where we see an Egyptian ship leaving after dropping off sailors. Closer now we see that the people are being attacked by a sea-frog with long tentacles for arms.

We are attacked by a mythic version of the sea-tenticale frog. Our characters beat on it until it fled back into the ocean waters but it was Lex to delivered the fatal blow when the creature attempted to retreat after the rogering from Lete.

After this our characters experience a mythic surge and see visions from our past and future lives and realize the Grotto is a leyline power nexis.

We gain our 11^th character level and our third mighty mythic tier. :)