The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford

Sable does kick off his boots and strips down like the others, but he only goes into the shallower area to try and use his cobbled together net with the tarp.

Gann stays by the side in the shallow area. He’s ready to jump in if Wren gets into trouble, but stays in reserve. He figures someone standing by to help is better than risking both of them getting caught out.

Nessa initially sees no fairies--nixies or otherwise--as she glances around, but then...

---

Under the Water

---

Wren, an experienced swimmer, plucks the bangles and the scabbard from the bottom without issue. The plant life at the pool's bottom is vibrant in the dimmed rays of the sun, making for a beautiful scene, but as the woman turns and swims for the surface... she feels something. A tug, a pinch, a press, a pull -- at her hair, her backside, her toes, her ears. Then she glimpses them -- the nixies, nearly transparent and invisible in the water, giggling soundlessly as they harass her, trying to prevent her from surfacing!

---

In the Pool's Shallows

---

Unaware of what's happening at the bottom of the pool, Sable drags his makeshift net back towards him, hoping he's caught up something of value in his dredge. There's a snag, though, that suddenly holds his tarp in place... before something beneath the water pulls the tarp back towards the bottom -- and possibly him with it!

---

Just a short distance away, near Gann, the rippling waters froth briefly -- and a watery figure forms, rising out of the pool. The nixies they encountered earlier were small things, no more than three or four feet tall, but this feminine figure rises up to almost Gann's height, standing somehow on top of the water. She is gloriously nude, smiling, and has hair that runs and tumbles like a waterfall. She is mesmerizing, and Gann initially cannot draw back from her as she leans in closer to him, parting her lips and cocking her head, as though expectant of a kiss.

Wren struggles as the Nixies try to drown her! Angrily, she swats at them and tries to get away.

A moment of fear flashes through Gann as the water forms into something surprising. Then he sees her, and it all washes away.

Nessa fumbles for the wand Vivian had just given her. If it really does help in dealing with the fey folk, this is as good a time as any to see what it does. She is careful not to get too close to the waters edge though.

A shadow of a smile appears to form on Sable’s lips before he feels the net abruptly stop, then pull straight down with inhuman speed! His eyes widen as he attempts to keep a hold of the tarp.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sable sees Gann pulled in by a mysterious figure and Nessa rummages at the shore.

"Gann, don’t-"

Then he is violently pulled by what is beneath the water!

---

Round Two

---

Wren struggles and thrashes beneath the surface as Sable, unwilling to give up his net, is suddenly pulled in. Bubbles begin to slip from the young woman's mouth as she fights and claws for the surface, still holding onto her treasures -- to no avail!

The clear water allows Sable to see almost immediately what's reeling him in... a giant crab! The crustacean must weigh two or three hundred pounds, and claw over claw, it's pulling Sable closer and closer to its eye stalks and mandibles.

Back on dry land, Nessa hurries to retrieve the wand Vivian gave her, but it's in her pack, not close at hand! By the time she retrieves it and stands, ready to try and use it... Gann has succumbed to the wet embrace of the water nymph, and as she pulls him towards her they both sink beneath the surface.

In a span of terrifying heartbeats, Nessa is alone!

Wren struggles one more to reach the surface.

Realizing that she isn't making headway, Wren instead turns to the Nixies grabbing her and makes a threatening gesture. She grabs one into her hands and squeezes, not to kill but to make it clear that she will if they do not release her!

With the wand finally in hand, Nessa cautiously approaches the edge of the water. She brandishes the wand, not entirely sure what to do with it, while trying to see what is going on underwater. All without getting too close and risk getting dragged in herself.

"Let them go you vile lot!" She shouts, hoping to get some sort of reaction from the fairies.

Sable hates to lose his items, but he does not want to be pulled into a fight he can't win either. He lets go of the makeshift net and rapidly swims back and up. While he moves back, he looks to see if he can locate Wren or what caused the rapid movement of water nearby.

The big crab scuttles off with the tarp as Sable lets go, then turns to see Wren thrashing and struggling, bubbles slipping free from her mouth and nose. Shimmering in the water around her, the man catches glimpses of the nixes accosting the woman. Beyond her, Gann has plunged into the water as well…