Once upon a time, an eclectic group suddenly awoke in a strange room: a warlock, a druid, a boss, an archer, a monk, a samurai, and the Bard. Where was this place? How did they get here? Their only memories were of a town under siege, a cloaked stranger offering them aid, and a secret that was hidden under the ground…
These mysteries would have to wait for another day, though, because this strange room opened up into a strange land none were familiar with. It was clearly a bustling shipping town with smiling people going about their mundane tasks, no danger in sight. The group pondered this new development but ultimately decided to do what anyone would do when the path forward was unclear: go to the bar and get drunk!
Their bartenders were two gnomes that were more than happy to accommodate them. During their drinks conversation arose and the party discovered this new town was called Innsmouth, and while it may have been a popular shipping destination in the past, these days dangerous occurrences on the high seas had kept many sailors away. Why, there weren’t even enough hands to deliver the supplies the gnomes needed for their endeavors. The party was intrigued at this business venture. After all, they had been awake for mere minutes and already had found a way to make connections (and make some gold for their troubles on top of that). The gnomes agreed, with a sly smile, that they could use the help of brave heroes and could have an expedition ready within the hour. They had their heading, but what to do for an hour?
The warlock went to pawn his weapons.
The druid went to talk to grass.
The monk went to get ripped off buying potions, though on his way back he heard a familiar voice.
It was an old acquaintance hiding under the remains of a worn out house. She poked her head out, but only long enough to say hello. And also to mention an untapped gem market but couldn’t explain further. After all, people being pursued by criminal organizations can’t chat for long, so the monk and the boss had better get moving.
Meanwhile, the samurai and Bard went searching for the man in charge of this town. The Bard always found it prudent to introduce himself when entering a new town, so that the local authority could handle any influx of fans or parades that might occur in his wake. His sister, the samurai, said little, but was more dour than normal. During their travel, without warning, she suddenly exploded at the Bard, finally confronting him about what had been bothering her for so long. She blamed HIM for her hardships, which included parts of her memory going missing and their parents disappearing! All that remained of her memory was a whisper that their parents were in the town of Clifton, and that only the Bard and his mystic lute could rescue them.
The Bard was not close with his parents. Their relationship had been filled with hardships, ranging from asking him to mow the grass to making him take his shoes off inside, but he had made peace with his past long ago. And while they may quarrel from time to time, he certainly would not let his sister fall into despair, and so he promised, after this job was done, he would convince the party to see to their rescue.
As the group reunited at the dock, they looked up to see their new escorts waiting. They were informed their journey would take several days, but they were finally ready to set sail. As the ship steered towards their destination, the Bard regaled the group with a fine song lasting several hours. Upon its completion he looked up to see them sopping wet. While he assumed they were merely sweating under the intensity of his music, the group instead told a story about them fighting for their lives against a swarm of murderous sirens who enticed them into entering the water. They continued that, if not for the quick water breathing / walking spells of the druid, they would have surely all drowned. The Bard, having seen no sirens, was not sure why they insisted on this lie, but humored them all the same. There were, after all, more important matters to attend to.
Slowly the party watched as a murky island formed on the horizon and they all felt a chill travel through them. No one could know what awaited them there, but an ominous feeling was in the air as they approached the shore…