This week, we kicked off where we left off with a game of Kakenshpiel. In this instance, the game worked as follows:

• Three players on each team grabbed onto a chain attached to a floating raft with a pig on it

• The two teams would try to tug the raft in their direction

• Two remaining players on each team would swim around with paddles on dolphins

• After a team brings the raft sufficiently far in their direction, they can win by getting the pig to jump off the raft

• There are no other rules.

The result was exceptionally one-sided. Ymitri managed to make half the team flee by producing terrifying visions of undersea monsters, even as the rest of the team continued to pull the raft swiftly back. Seconds later a melee nearly broke out as the Goblins gave up hope of overcoming their opposition through legitimate means, but after another terrifying vision from Ymitri and a swift kick from Pyotr, the goblins found themselves fully routed. The party cleaned up the mess by finally coaxing the pig off the platform, sealing their utter trouncing of their Goblin opponents.

After a lengthy discussion, Rhea, having grown attached to the pig, convinced the party to prevent the pig from seeing it’s demise for food. The party then talked with the Goblins, who agreed to assign them a guide the following day.

After resting up, they got ready to head into The Undersea Cave. They got a Goblin guide, Tilkdrig Mumbleface, as well as a request from the Captain’s second in command to find her daughter, Likkar Tuddle.

They entered into the cave and began exploring. Pyotr quickly spotted Likkar after diving through flooded passageways, and convinced her to come out with him (after assuring her that he’d help her find her doll, which she had lost somewhere in the caves). Meanwhile, the rest of the party began exploring a nearby lake.

The entire cave system was filled with treasure stolen by goblins and either dropped or hidden away in various nooks and crannies - and they quickly acquired a number of goodies and a hefty load of gold. They progressed onward, through flooded passageways and narrow gaps, before arriving at a curious chamber.

Past several boulders with only a slim gap between them and the ceiling, the party found three Goblin skeletons lying on the ground - one wearing a mysterious amulet covered Desmoden runes. Lysta had sent her Leshie to check out the room, and got extremely bad vibes from the whole situation.

Ymitri, however, let his curiosity get the better of him and hurried into the room. He removed the amulet, and found himself suddenly surrounded by 2 shadows and a third Greater Shadow. After a quick exchange where the shades attempted to convince Ymitri to return to his Mother and Father, battle commenced!

Things looked grim at first. With the bulk of the party on the other side of the boulders, Ymitri was on his own as the shadows wailed on him, quickly tearing his shadow from him and creating a minion from it.

Ymitri managed to survive, however, by creating a barrier of force around him and waiting out the fight. Meanwhile, Milo, with help from Rhea, blasted the rocks in their way so they could join the melee.

Pyotr came in and began attacking the Shadows directly, although they had trouble making much headway due to their incorporeal nature. Fortunately, Lysta came through in the end by casting a burst of light, instantly frying the biggest Shadow and releasing the rest.

It turned out, in the end, that the Shadows were twisted contortions of the souls of the Goblins whose skeletons lay in the chamber. The one with the amulet gave a quick warning about the dangers of using it (which allows the wearer to cast Suggestion 2x/day without the usual time limits, in exchange for taking damage through its use).

The party moved on from the encounter, and we left off as they finally found the object of their search: A chest bearing the symbol of Catfoot, tangled in weeds, and next to a Megalodon Shark guarding nearby eggs.

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