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Ialda's spear fails to penetrate the 10' tall gorilla's thick fur.
Round 1: The elven leader grimaces, as Baolo's arrow penetrates his armor. He screams out, "Kill them, kill them all my brothers! Take out the archers first!" He pulls out 2 arrows in succession very quickly and lets them fly at Baolo!
Two more archers pop out on the rooftops. One aims for Baolo, the other for Aero.
An archer comes from behind the wall in front of the party and shoots Left-Ear.
Finally, the party hears a growl behind the westernmost archer, as large 4-armed gorilla runs up next to him and beats his chest in defiance at the party!
The bloodstains are all around each building you have passed, but no bodies. You head west across the bridge, passing some buildings. Baolo casts his spell.
Surprise Round:
The male elf (20' up) reaches his first and lets loose a thistle arrow at Baolo, catching him flatfooted, the arrowhead digging into the Mwangi's skin!
Wide cargo stairs lead up from the pier to the caravanserai, where a guest house built atop a warehouse and a paddock stand outside the boundaries of the fortified bridge, most likely provided for travelers who do not enjoy the protection of membership in the Aspis Consortium. Across the paddock are several small shanties for the laborers. All of
The gates to the bridge heading west stand unsecured and wide open.
Captain Esteban maneuvers the boat toward the eastern rock wall, giving you access to the stairs near the warehouse guest house, if you wish to explore.
The backpack appears to have been hastily packed with waterskins and rations. There is nothing else of interest on board the ship. Captain Esteban grumbles, "Damn elves!" He orders the crew to double watch shifts as he refuses to travel in the dark with this new threat and stops the boat for the night. Morning comes soon enough with no threats from the jungle. Your trip down the river continues. A couple of hours later, Whitebridge Station suddenly rises out of the haze that has stood on the river all day. As if in anticipation of your arrival, the wind rises and clears the air, giving you a perfect view of the famous station that sits upon the trade route cutting through the heart of the Mwangi Expanse. The river flows through a narrow gorge, where two massive columns formed from dozens of tree trunks, bound into clusters around stone pilings, and sunk into the riverbed support this giant span. The bridge rises forty feet over the Vanji, from the top of one tall bank to the other. A large pier and tower of some sort rise from the near bank, and a multi-level caravanserai can be seen up the bank beyond. It is the bridge itself that commands immediate attention, arching above the river and bearing buildings and fortifications all along its length. The shield and snake standard of the Aspis Consortium flaps gently from a stanchion atop the bridge’s central supports, but that is the only movement to be seen at what should be a bustling trade station. The only sound is the gurgling of the muddy river. Captain Esteban orders the boat to slow down, as he looks at the station suspiciously. "Odd. Where is Alec, the station manager? Or his men? There is a garrison of two dozen Aspis mercenaries stationed here, a few officers, and a handful of Aspis-affiliated merchants and vendors. In addition, caravans or riverboats come though Whitebridge Station every few days, so there is always a good chance of travelers staying at the guest house at any given time. There is never a time when the station should be this quiet and abandoned. Something is wrong here." The Captain gives you a pretty detailed description of the Station, from which you can visualize the map. The boat is coming from the north and is not currently on the map.
Ialda recognizes the arrowheads as those belonging to the Ekujae war-like tribe of wild elves living in the Mwangi Expanse. The arrowheads are crafted out of the thistles of a toxic plant whose sap most creatures find highly caustic. The barbs on the arrowhead cause additional damage upon being pulled out of the target.
After the swarm passes, you proceed down the Vanji and the Captain tells you that they should reach Whitebridge Station on the morrow. A couple of hours later, the shout of the forward lookout brings your attention to the front of the boat. Coming toward you out of the gloom, a large white form floats upon the water down the center of the river. Captain Esteban slows the sternwheeler to await the strange apparition. As it draws closer it is identifiable as a flat-bottomed boat, apparently unoccupied. Captain Esteban orders his crew to secure the vessel with grappling hooks. If you decide to have a look inside, you find a single fly-covered backpack soaked in blood a few hours old. Two thistle tipped arrows are embedded in its folds.
Captain Esteban says some words about the fallen crew member and then routinely dumps his body overboard, providing food for the crocodiles. Day 10:
The night of the next day, a heavy fog rolls in and the River Queen breaks down! The remaining crew and Captain are on guard while the dwarf Hurg tries to fix the engine. After 3 hours of tense moments, he finally gets the ship moving again.
Day 11:
At night, another mosquito swarm attacks the ship! As always, the party runs for cover, until it passes.
Ialda and Baolo's attacks combine to kill another kech. With half the force down, the keches flee back into the trees leaving you victorious! Captain Esteban and his crew fare just as well as you except for the death of 1 crew member.
Gruug cuts the simian in half and it dies with a horrifying screech!
The kech screams but still stands after Gruug's powerful blow!
The agile hairless simian dodges Ialda's blow.
The party searches for magical auras on the ship but find none other than from the engine room (where they are not allowed to enter). As the ship passes through the jungle tunnel, suddenly, from the trees, 3-feet tall apelike creatures with grayish-green fur and long clawed arms for climbing leap out onto the boat. As they land, you see they have coiled snaked around their torsos. You count 10 of them, with 5 of them engaging Captain Esteban and Faruq and his crew and five of them engaging the party, as they leap down and land next to you. Captain Esteban screams out, "Keches! Kill them!"
The half-orc leaps into the river and the host of insects feeding on his blood wash away. The rest of the party and crew seek cover inside. With Gruug's strong Constitution, he is able to wait out the swarm and hold his breath underwater long enough for the swarm to move on. Luckily for him, no crocodiles try to make a meal of him. He rests for the night, bandages the stings, and get his Constitution loss the next day. Day 5:
Day 6:
Chugging along the red-tinted river, Captain Esteban points to the overgrown south bank at a reminder of the constant dangers that you face on these waters. Resting half-submerged on that shore is another wheelboat, possibly the twin of your own. The center of the wrecked boat’s hull gapes with a huge hole and the entire superstructure is missing, where some massive explosion ripped through the vessel. Faintly visible on its moss-slick bow are the words Lady of Fortune. Captain Esteban remarks, "Yep, she was due back in Eleder a week ago. Guess we learned her fate." You pass by on the boat and see no signs of survivors or anything of note in the wreck and move on. Day 7:
On the seventh day of your trip, a thick soupy fog rolls in and remains for hours, reducing visibility to 5 feet with total concealment beyond that. Esteban brings the boat to a halt, refusing to continue forward in the fog. The crew is visibly afraid and nervous. Then, you hear a terrifying roar coming from the jungle. You are on alert status, weapons drawn, but thankfully, nothing attacks. The fog passes and you continue your trip into the heart of darkness. Day 8:
On the eighth night of your trip, more mosquito swarms approach but your tactics are true and you run for cover till they pass. Day 9:
Baolo, Left-Ear, and Ialda run away from the swarm, into the cabin quarters, holding the door open for their companions, as other sailors thrash and run as well, upon seeing what approaches. Swarm!
Baolo surmises the wail may have been simian, perhaps a very large simian. You ignore it and continue on your boat ride. Day 3: Night
Day 4:
On the fourth day of your trip, as the boat glides through the water, and you are all above deck enjoying the cooler night, you suddenly hear a high pitched drone precede the cloud of mosquitoes that approaches like a malevolent thunderhead. However, this particular species is significantly larger, as each specimen is roughly an inch long, with a long proboscis for draining blood from its prey.
The ship continues its way through the storm and although it takes a pounding, the boat holds up very well and sustains no significant damage from the wind and waves. When it finally passes, the Captain thanks you for your bravery in defending his ship. The Vanji River, the waterway you're traversing, is a wild and dangerous waterway. It averages about half a mile wide with steeply sloping, muddy banks that quickly descend to a depth of 20 feet or so. The river bed is far from uniform, being often broken by mudbanks and sandbars. The climate on the river is universally hot and muggy. Rain falls for at least a short time every day, though usually in showers that quickly clear up, leaving behind only greater humidity. Daytime temperatures average between 90 and 95 degrees with high humidity, and night brings an only slightly more comfortable average of 80 to 85 degrees. The Mwangi Expanse and Vanji River are teeming with life. You often catch sight of splashing schools of fish, screaming monkeys in the interlaced branches overhead, or the occasional hippopotamus or crocodile sunning itself on the bank. In addition, swarms of black, biting flies constantly hover around the boat, especially at night. The overall impression of your trip is that of an endless primeval forest with the ever-present odor of rotting vegetation. Captain tells you that going across the river's current at roughly 3mph, so you are traveling at 30 miles per day. At this rate, you will reach the station in 13 days.
Day 2: You catch sight of two giant crocodiles in the water at day and night, but since you're not going for a swim, you should be safe on the boat.
Day 3:
Gruug misses and the gargoyle dives into the churning sea.
Gruug's falchion pierces the creature's ribs and bursts out of its back, killing it instantly! The second aquatic gargoyle tries to flee by jumping overboard.
Ialda's blow crushes the gargoyle's arm, as it screams in pain. It is severely injured and you see a worried look on its face.
Round 4: Gargoyles
The second gargoyle full-attacks Gruug, hitting twice but doing little damage!
Aero's arrow flies wide of the mark, reflecting her nervousness at the situation.
The blow cracks the creature's ribs, as the gargoyle turns away from the bleeding Left-Ear to focus on Ialda and Gruug!
Both of Left-Ear's attacks fail to penetrate the gargoyle's tough skin! Round 3: Gargoyles
The second gargoyle watches Aero flee and ignores her, instead moving to attack Left-Ear, clawing him in the back!
Gruug appears and slashes the gargoyle who just attacked Left-Ear!
Both arrows bounce off the gargoyle's tough skin, as he bares its teeth at the inquisitor!
Round 2: Gargoyles attack!
The gargoyle on Baolo follows suit!
Round 1: Gargoyles act! The first gargoyle rushes down the stairs and attacks Aero, clawing her!
The second gargoyle, injured by Baolo, moves past Left-Ear, provoking AoO, climbs over the crates and lands next to Baolo, ripping skin with his claws!
Left-Ear has heard tales of aquatic gargoyles who dwell at the bottom of bodies of water. They fight as normal gargoyles: 2 claws, 1 bite, and 1 gore of its horns.
The River Queen is beset on by heaving swells, lashing rainfall,
Aero's keen eyesight and hearing, especially under the stars, allows her to spot two medium-sized stone creatures "ride" a wave using their "wings" that crests over the boat enabling them to land stealthily onto the top deck, or so they thought. Pic of creature She quickly alerts the other 2 party members on board of the danger, as the two creatures peer at them, malice in their dark soulless eyes!
As you situate yourself and get your "sea legs" and head off in your journey up the river. Due to delays in the arrival of provisioning orders and getting them loaded aboard, the River Queen is several hours behind schedule as she chugs away from the docks of Eleder. The sun is near setting as Captain Esteban guides her across the great estuary that marks the mouth of the Vanji, where the red-tinted water of the river mixes with the sea. The vast expanse of the Mwangi interior rolls into the distance in the final fire-tinged light of day, overcast by the dark clouds of a thunderstorm that approaches from the east. The massive mate, Faruq, makes his way about the boat lighting hurricane lamps, and the captain shouts down from the pilothouse to secure the loads and make ready for rough weather. The plan is to reach a sheltered bend in the river by nightfall and make anchor there for the night, but it looks like with the approaching storm, darkness is going to come much sooner than expected. You start to feel the drops of heavy rainfall and see the heaving swells start to form.
People on the docks move up to pat you on your back and celebrate your exploits, while the guards who appear start hacking the huge creature to pieces for fish food. Captain Esteban and Faruq stand on the River Queen and they applaud your efforts, as you approach. The boat has a draft of only 3 feet, a 77-foot keel, and a 20-foot beam. You see three workers loading supplies and crates onto the boat. The Captain smiles, "Looks I've picked the best adventurers around. Dispatched that huge beast in seconds. Mighty impressive. Let me introduce you to the crew of the River Queen, who will be accompanying us on this journey." He points to Faruq, whom you already know and then to a misshapen dwarf with gray stubble for a beard, who is hunched over, reviewing the contents of some crates. "That there is Hurg, our engineer and caretaker of the Protean engine that powers my ship." You see many scars on the dwarf's bald head and he grunts hello at you all. The Captain continues, "And finally, those three strong grunts there are Danner, Houghman, and Speraggo. They do most of the heavy lifting around here. So come aboard and we will take off, as soon as the supplies are loaded."
Gruug and Ialda's blows cut and bash the creature's head in, respectively, to the raucous cheers of the crowd! Combat over!
The screaming citizens running away turn to admire the group's proficiency from afar! Round 3:
Round 2: The creature growls and full-attacks Gruug, but the half-orc priest's aura of protection deflects the evil creature's blows and he is unharmed!
The beats shrieks in pain, as blood leaks out of its ears, further enraging it.
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