Explore the Northern Sea Cave
The party braved a mist-shrouded cliffside cave north of camp, battling a barnacled humanoid and a swarm of octopus creatures before escaping with rare treasures, fungi samples, and teleporting "mist stones." They returned safely to the outpost—fed, supplied, and one mystery deeper into the Wildermarch.
Recap
With spring tides rising and rumors of a sea-cave north of camp (from 11/3 First Expedition) whispering through the outpost, a new group gathered for dinner: Lorvial, Kouzlo, and Aldric. Between shared plates of “Old Bay” - a crab the size of a dog - and tentative talks of settlement expansion, Lorvial gently steered the conversation toward another opportunity for discovery. His party’s near brush with death on the previous expedition went unspoken, but his message was clear: the Wildermarch was still vast and still dangerous, and N.O.D.E. needed more information.
Plans formed quietly. Aldric pulled Kouzlo aside afterward to discuss his idea of “Kouzlo’s Coffee Cartel,” a brewing venture Aldric had already begun advocating for with alarming enthusiasm. But morning came quickly, and with it a new purpose. Aldric paid his respects to both his weapon and his god at dawn. Kouzlo arrived shortly after with a freshly perfected pot of arcane coffee. Lorvial stumbled in last - tired, apologetic, but determined. This time, he insisted, they would advance with caution. “All of us go, and all of us return.”
Lost in the Mists
Lorvial led the way toward the coast, retracing old steps. But the land offered no clear paths, only low valleys, tangled streambeds, and a wall of dense, unnatural ocean mist. Unlike the forest’s corruption, this fog felt colder, older - almost alive.
Lorvial shaped the air and water around them, parting the mist with a spell like pulling threads from a loom. Ice crystallized and fell at their feet, rolling away as though the world itself were a shaken snowglobe. Kouzlo, briefly entranced, caught a glimpse of the right direction and guided the others onward.
The forest floor slowly gave way to slick rock. Tidepools glimmered. And then - a sudden drop-off. Thousands of gallons of seawater thundered into a vast, hidden maw below. The entrance to the cave yawned open for only seconds at a time between waves.
The Cliffside Approach
With the tide cycle too risky to sprint through, the party scouted upward. Kouzlo projected his sight into the cave, revealing handholds and a small, worn tunnel carved into the cliffside. Aldric climbed first with a rope, aided by Lorvial’s drifting globe of clear air. Kouzlo followed - nearly slipping, saved only by Lorvial’s steady hands - before Aldric hauled him the final stretch. Lorvial climbed last, and the three slipped into a narrow stone throat leading deeper into the earth.
Inside, bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls like constellations. Aldric’s Divine Sense turned up nothing undead - much to everyone’s relief - and the group explored a branching pair of passages. Lorvial chose the left path upward, toward a steady pool of shallow water illuminated by clusters of the podded fungus that reacted to their presence. Kouzlo recognized it instantly: Noctiluceum, an oxygen-free light fungus once eaten by deep-sea divers. He harvested several vials, sensing alchemical potential - perhaps even for underwater breathing brews for future expeditions.
Something in the Water
As they investigated, shapes moved beneath the surface. Something brushed Lorvial’s leg. Something tugged on Aldric’s boot. Water shifted with almost deliberate intent. At the end of the path, a lone clam shell rested among thick colonies of fungus, holding a pearl the size of a golf ball.
When Kouzlo touched the shell to cast Identify, the water erupted.
A barnacle-encrusted humanoid form - scaled eyes, finned cheeks, webbed hands - lunged from the pool and attacked. The narrow cavern exploded into chaos. The creature raked Aldric with claws and fangs. Kouzlo conjured a blade of pure darkness, slicing through swells of mist. Lorvial blessed the party, bolstering Aldric with visions of perfect order.
The battle escalated when the ice barrier Lorvial had shaped shattered, releasing a swarm of small octopus-creatures. The cavern filled with chittering, slapping sounds and bursts of poison-tipped quills. The party held firm - Aldric hacking through barnacled armor, Kouzlo’s magic slowing and staggering the creature, Lorvial freezing water into barricades and calling down healing light.
At last, Aldric severed one of the creature’s arms, Kouzlo struck the killing blow, and the octopus swarm was reduced to little more than future calamari after a deadly Ice Knife casting from Kouzlo. In the stillness that followed, Kouzlo retrieved the pearl - now identified as a Stone of Good Luck, its blue surface shimmering faintly with arcane fortune.
The Lower Cavern
The group retraced their steps back to the right-hand passage, finding a huge circular chamber filled with deep black water and lit by countless glowing crystals. On one side was a towering flat wall - ancient, marked, and possibly once used - reached up toward a distant shaft of sunlight breaking through the cliffside above. Someone, at some time, had been here.
Lorvial collected a melon-sized light crystal from the cavern, though removing it caused the stone to exhale a thick protective mist. With the fog rapidly filling the room, the group retreated through their original entry tunnel, scrambling back through the cliffside gap before the cavern sealed itself in obscurity once more.
Each explorer tucked away a "mist rock" - a small crystalline stone functioning like a one-use Misty Step. A final gift from the cave, or a warning.
Return to Camp
They returned to camp by late afternoon with octopus in hand and stories on their tongues. Chef Simon struck her cauldron in delight at the sight of fresh seafood. “We were just running out of crab,” she declared. “This will do nicely.”
The camp slept well that night - fed, supplied, and one mystery deeper into the Wildermarch.
Key Takeaways
Loot
- Each party member received a stone from the cave that functions as a single-use Misty Step
- Kouzlo departed with the pearl - a “Stone of Good Luck”
- The party returned to camp with a heap of octopus meat following our combat. Chef Simon was thrilled.
Discoveries
- A rope was secured on the cliffside entrance to this cavern so that future expeditioners could access it more easily.
- Kouzlo named the glowing fungus Noctiluceum and collected 5 sample vials
- His previous knowledge told him this holds alchemical properties to enable underwater breathing. Further testing required.
- Lorvial acquired a melon-sized sample of the mist-producing crystal. After the Misty Step reward it is unclear if enough remains for any further testing.
New Point(s) of Interest
- Inside the large circular cavern on the right path
- The deep water and cave structures within need to be explored. What is the source of these crystals and the mist they create?
- The large wall will require an advanced climbing expedition. Evidence of previous explorers leads us to believe there could be further clues once we reach the hole at the top.