The Rescue

As I mentioned previously, I had been sucked into a maelstrom and pulled into another world, along with a kraken!

I now stood upon a makeshift raft in the middle of a wide lake. The beast had surfaced near me and was approaching. At first, I crouched down and used my scout skills to hide from the monster. It was no use; it spotted me and lashed out its tentacles, trying to grab me and pull me into its maw. I readied my shield and the Flame of Justice, prepared to fight to the end. Tentacles lashed at me but I blocked and parried them away. There were too many! Soon I would be overcome.

Then over the roar of the creature I heard the steady voice of command. "Row, row, row!" I chanced a look behind me and saw two ships, laden with well-armed warriors, approaching me. Hope! If only I could hold out a little longer. Then a tentacles lashed out. Smash! My shield dissolved into splinters. I held the Flame before me.

"Hurry! Jump to our ship!" I turned and leaped, just as another tentacles came smashing into my raft, pulverizing it. With one hand I gripped the gunwales. I felt myself sliding down into the lake. A strong hand grasped me and yanked me into the ship. I tumbled to the deck then scrambled to my feet, expressing my thanks as I did so. My rescuers had no opportunity to reply for a slew of tentacles lashed at the ship. I took my place in the battle line and struck at the beast. We would wound it but more tentacles would appear.

The second ship pulled alongside us. Together, we began battling the kraken. Some valiant heroes perished, yanked overboard and pulled into the snapping beak. Yet we began to take out some of the tentacles. Perhaps we could prevail!

Then from behind me a tentacle lashed out, smacking me in the back of the head. I tumbled over the side and landed into the lake, unconscious.

The next thing I remember was waking up on shore, dripping wet.

"Where am I?" was the first thing I said.

The warrior responded, "The answer to your question is a hell of a story."

POSTSCRIPT
I would learn later that I was rescued by a band of heroes from many companies. As the chronicle of Caligo records:

Those within the Sentinels of Gothix aided the paladin [this is how they refer to me, Rufus], while warriors from the Guardians of the Bay, Keepers of the Obsidian Stag, Uncharted Waters, and Triune Shores distracted the monstrous creature. After much effort, the battle had been won. The Kraken drifted beneath the waves with wounds that could rid any creature into silence, and uproar of glee escaped all survivors.

OOC Notes

• Designed as a way to explain how I got to Caligo, we played this out as a scenario at last Sunday's practice. We actually ran it multiple times. I was rescued the first time but then "killed" when we decided to return to the lake to kill the kraken. I actually had to leave before I was officially rescued so I don't know exactly how the scenario proceeded. I explain this by writing that I got knocked unconscious.