Coxswain Halrex shouts out, "You need to subdue the beast before it kills more of us! You only have a few seconds until it breaks my spell!"
She then begins pounding out an inspiring martial rhythm on the great drum near the mast.
The rest of the rowers maintain their defensive line.
Slei will make a 5' step around the corner and fire a sling bullet.
Slei continues her streak of uncanny accuracy, striking the beast with a stone. It continues to roll around, laughing.
Giles takes a double move toward the creature.
The gorilla is still helpless with laughter.
Eldan lets loose with one of his force missiles, striking the beast.
"It's a girallon!"
Grodar moves to J14 and delivers a punch to the girallon’s stomach.
Zigil will move to J20 and cast Bull Strength on Giles.
Dog will move to I11 and attack with a flank bonus.
Mannfred casts Agressive Thundercloud at J12.
The girallon rolls at an opportune time, and the lightning bolt misses it.
The crew seem relieved that the heroes are dealing with the savage girallon.
Halrex continues with her inspirational drumming, and adds, "I can attempt to keep it down, and I have some minor healing if needed."
Slei will move up to I23 and study the girallon.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Giles charges the Girallon, power attacking from a flanking position.
“Get up you damned dirty ape! I dare you.”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The girallon thinks Giles is hilarious.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
On his turn, Grodar will attack the girallon again.
Eldan casts Force Missile = 3 + 2 = 5
Zigil double moves to G14 to see if there's anything that she can do for Blobby the ex-rower. On the way, she glances at the floor where Giles' errant blow hit, to see if the bull strength made a difference in the size of the dent he made.
Eldan's missile strikes the ape, then Grodar unleashes a pair of powerful blows against the supine simian. It wheezes a bit as the half-orc hammers at its ribs, but resumes laughing afterwards.
Zigil can see that the crew member is well beyond saving.
Dog will attempt to bite the laughing ape.
Mannfred moves to I17.
Dog's fangs sink deep into the beast, and it stops moving. The thundercloud then blasts it for further damage.
Halrex calls out, "Try to save it! That's valuable cargo!"
"Dammit, Halrex, I'm a cleric, not a veterinarian!"
Zigil will try to move adjacent to the creature, and stabilize it.
"After I stabilize this beast, we need to get it back into restraints and fix its cell. We don't want it breaking out again."
Mannfred moves the thundercloud away from the ape.
“Here dog! Good dog!”, Dog comes over for a head rub.
“Well now I know what Lucky was talking about. There was something else on board after all.”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"So you're saying we were kind of forewarned about Four-Armed?"
"Giles, why don't you use those big new muscles of yours to move the ape back into its cage?"
Giles will ask the men to help him get the creature back in its restraints. He will take 20 on Disable Device to improve the restraints (total 31).
“Seems to me this Captain has some explaining to do...”
Giles leads the effort to drag the girallon back through the doors to the hold astern of the rowing deck. The doors leading to the hold are made of iron. The hold is obviously used as an armoury, and contains some spears, battle-axes, and chain shirts, but also holds a large iron cage. The door to the cage is swinging open.
There are no restraints within the cage.
Halrex speaks up.
"Probably best to leave it unconscious for now, at least until we can get the captain down here to lock the cage again."
Yes.
Zigil will point out the discoloured floorboards near the armoury to Halrex. "Was something taken from here, or does it look like someone has done something to the floorboards here?"
Giles will quietly inform the others that it was sabotage. Someone picked the lock.
By the others I only mean the party.
If there is time, Giles will take 20 on Perception to search for any clues.
"Whoever picked the lock must’ve done it in the night. I think we can rule out the rowers, since that’s where it got out."
Halrex gives Zigil a dirty look.
"Best speak to the captain about that."
She then examines the girallon, giving the party a moment to confer quietly.
Shortly after, Captain Bloodtusk arrives. He and Halrex speak quietly for a moment, then he locks the cage with a key.
He approaches the party.
"Thanks for stopping the beast. A shame it was too late for poor Taug. The ape should've been unable to stand, let alone attack, with the drugs it was fed."
“Drugs? Someone was responsible for tending this beast?”
While the party is conferring, Mannfred says "Clearly one of the crew members is out to either sabotage or is trying to kill someone in particular. We should try to speak to the captain in private. But if it is the captain himself, that could be a problem. I will attempt to speak to Lucky and the Girallon when I get a chance. They may be able to describe the saboteur."
Bloodtusk answers Eldan, "Of course, it was fed. And it should've just slept through our journey. But it's not like somebody was stationed to guard it, we don't have the manpower."
Zigil asks the captain, "Who gave it the drugs?"