As all citizens of Clearcrest know, our city is well-known as the world’s largest nexus of culture and learning. However, to provide for such an enormous metropolis, Clearcrest also operates as a central hub of commerce. In this issue, we sought to turn the spotlight on some of the unsung heroes of our city, and give voice to one of the many shipping captains operating out of Golden Cape’s Questor’s View.
Collique Montescue has been sailing, as she puts it, “since before I could walk,” and currently captains her ship, the Sea Strider on a regular trade route from Danric’s Haven to Clearcrest. As seafarers go, she cuts quite the imposing figure, standing over six feet in her customary tall leather boots and traditional captain’s hat. Dark skin, dreadlocks, and a lilting, transcontinental accent complete the picture of a woman both strong and competent, whose experiences on the Arundel Ocean could no doubt fill a book. However, as we only have a newspaper, we requested that she pare down the stories to the highlights…
“Well, there’s quite a lot I could get into,” she mused. “There’s no end to wild nonsense you can find out there on the water. One time we even got chased by a dragon turtle along the coast of the Elder Empire… Thank Kord we had a wily deck mage and a thunderstorm for that. Might not be talking about it otherwise. We’d be dragon turtle food. Heh.” During this pause, I attempted to steer the conversation towards Collique’s most memorable shipping experiences.
Captain Collique pondered for a moment, then appeared to make a decision. “I’m not sure if it’s the most memorable, but our recent excursion back from Danric’s Haven was a bit unusual… We made a stop at the Isle of Ishap as we sailed north, and helped settle something of a religious matter for the monks residing there.
For those unfamiliar with the geography and history of Ishap, the small island located just northwest of Danric’s Haven has long been home to a monastery dedicated to the goddess Ishap. The monks of the isle celebrate the knowledge-cataloguing aspects of their deity, though in recent centuries have let the more…martial aspects of their training fall by the wayside.
“We’d taken on a cargo of fine wines and artifacts bound for Clearcrest, along with a pair of travelers,” Collique continued. “We also picked up some basic supplies for the monks, but when we arrived at their dock, it was clear something was wrong. The leader of the Brotherhood of Ishap and personal friend, Elder Matthias, told me that some sort of demonic portal had opened in the isle’s catacombs, releasing dangerous creatures into the monastery and threatening the works and priceless texts within.”
The captain explained her offer to escort the monks from this Isle Ishap, and Brother Matthias’ refusal, claiming that fleeing would be a betrayal of their god’s basic precepts. At that, she offered the services of one of her crew, a capable dragonborn named Ferovax. Both of the passengers of the Sea Strider, a tabaxi monk named Ketaki and Grel Guf, an aarakocra druid, also volunteered to assist. Matthias explained that, if he could be escorted to the lowest level of the catacombs and defended while near the portal, he would be able to seal it and save the monastary. With that, the party set off through the Great Library of Ishap.
“To hear Ferovax tell it, the first thing they found was a body. Hardly a great start for a heroic push to seal a demon gate, but it’s to be expected when monsters are overrunning the place I suppose.” Explaining that Ferovax wasn’t much of a talker, Collique summarized the basics of the descent. The group managed to revive and rescue the dying man while destroying a pair of demons preparing to ambush them. They then headed below the ground-floor structure, and were set upon by a trio of hellhounds. Through some divine smiting and martial arts skills courtesy Ferovax and Ketaki, all three were dispatched. Grel managed to save the stacks of books and papers from one of the hounds, which had breathed hellflame into the shelves in an attempt to thwart the group.
“I wish I could provide you with more detail,” the captain apologized. “I’d offered to go myself, but Ferovax is something of a protective sort. When he’d heard of the fel presence lurking in the catacombs, he insisted he go rather than me. I hope the third-hand account isn’t boring you?” After assuring the woman that a trip through a demon-infested monastery on a distant island was hardly boring, I requested that she continue. “Right. Well, once they got into the deep reaches of the catacombs, that’s when the real battle began…”
It seems that the entrance to the demonic plane was guarded by a mysterious and deadly pair of shadow demons, which slip through shadow and withstand attacks as well as…well, shadow. The closer the party came to the portal, the more dangerous and spirited became the attacks against the man attempting to close it. Matthias managed to escape death through the dedicated defense of Grel and Ketaki, and Ferovax thwarted a spined devil’s push through the gate. In the end, Matthias successfully closed the portal and the group saved the Isle of Ishap from a demonic invasion.
“That’s, I suppose, the most memorable event in recent memory. Ketaki decided to stay on at the monastary for a while to investigate the ways of Ishap, and Matthais offered some gold and knowledge to Grel concerning some “great question” he had. I believe Ferovax may have convinced the monks to start training in the fighting arts once again, since a bit of martial prowess could have averted much of the danger. With that, we headed back to Clearcrest to make our deliveries and drop off the aarakocra.”
It seems that there’s no end to the exciting adventures around this world. Even a quick dive into the commercial shipping of Clearcrest can resolve itself into a deadly fight against demons in the depths of the earth. With such exploits available, it’s a wonder every citizen of Clearcrest isn’t an adventurer… In any case, we here at the Chronicle will be reporting on those adventures as they unfold.
The Clearcrest Chronicle 