They discover The Tidewrapped are genuinely incompetent. Their leader, High Priest Murgaloth the Slightly Damp, has been reading the ritual backwards and has summoned not a terrifying Old God but a deeply confused and mildly irritated sea creature named Glrrbth who mostly wants to go back to sleep. Now Thornveil and Aelindra must disrupt the ritual before the cult accidentally reads it correctly and summons something actually dangerous.
Thornveil: [hold out hands]
Aelindra: [steps in front] What do you think you are doing?
Thornveil: [stands, hands still raised] Summoning the Felhunter to put an end to this madness.
Aelindra: [aghast] Absolutely not! We are on a BOAT!
Thornveil: [shrugs] Demons can swim.
Aelindra: [growls] That is absolutely NOT the point!
Thornveil: [lowers hands, crossing arms over chest] Then, pray tell, what is your great plan, oh brilliant one?
Aelindra’s plan involves talking to Glrrbth directly using her nature magic to communicate with creatures. It works. Glrrbth is delighted someone finally asked how it was doing. It has been having a very stressful week.
Glrrbth: Wwwrrshhhblpp.
Aelindra: [smiling] He says the druid is very kind and he hopes she has a safe journey home.
Thornveil: [raises eyebrow] And me?
Aelindra: [pause] He says you look like something he’d find washed up on a beach.
Thornveil: [stares at the ocean]
Glrrbth: Blrp.
Aelindra: [trying not to laugh] He says he means that affectionately.
Thornveil: [grumbles] Sure he does.
Thornveil spends this time systematically terrifying the cult members one by one from the shadows, which he describes as “crowd control” and Aelindra describes as “completely unnecessary and yet admittedly effective”.
The ritual is broken when Thornveil, fed up with waiting, simply sets the ritual circle on fire with a well-placed Incinerate, which he is not technically spec’ed for but refuses to admit.
Aelindra: [unimpressed] I thought Affliction Warlocks didn’t use fire.
Thornveil: [starts walking away] I don't know what you’re talking about.
Aelindra: [points] The fire, Thornveil. Right there.
Thornveil: [continues walking away] That’s shadow magic. It’s very dark orange.
Glrrbth sinks happily back into the ocean. The cult surrenders immediately and asks if anyone wants to buy enchanted fishing lures. The Soggy Prophet is returned to Sizzwick, who (mostly) pays them in real gold.
Thornveil pockets his gold.
Aelindra: [smiles] You ole softy.
Thornveil: [starts sailing home]
Aelindra: [continues shanty song] The cult was incompetent, the goblin smelled of fish.
Thornveil: [long silence]
Aelindra: [waits]
