The inside is mostly earth beaten flat by feet - although it now looks a bit like some weeds are growing back. There is also a building inside, built of the same material as the stockade and the same height.
The door to the building is closed.
There is a spring burbling out of a cluster of rocks. It gathers in a small pool and flows out of a small gap in the stockade and flows off down the hill behind it.
The smell of rot is stronger here, but you don't see a source of the odor.
Atri quietly climbs back down and explains what he's seen.
No windows but the timber of the building is not super tight. You may be able to sneak a peak past some of the gaps.
"Atri and I go in together while the other two cover us with ranged weapons?"
"Sounds good to me."
Do you creep up or charge or ??
Open the gate (which is ajar) or over the wall?
We'll go in as quiet as we can through the gate, Atri to the right and Darvan to the left.
You sneak up to the room and peer through a gap between timbers. It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the gloom.
Inside you see a comfortable bed, a small writing desk, some small casks, a couple of spears lying in the corner and an odd looking device on the desk. Atri thinks it is a pistol, although he is not positive in the gloom.
The room is dominated, however, by a figure hanging by the neck in the center of the room. The rope is affixed to a central beam in the room. The face is one of ghastly torment, eyes bugging out, tongue protruding.
Flies swarm over the corpse, and along the walls and furniture.
The stink is very strong here, almost overpowering.
"Nasty way to go. Looks like the bugger offed himself."
he waves to Variel and Wilma to close up.
Walk the perimeter before entering the building. Looking for traps, signs of struggle, bombs, giant carrion crawlers, etc...
While Atri circles, Darvan studies the room.
Everyone needs to make a DC15 fortitude save to keep from becoming sickened from the rotten stench.
Atri barfs on his boots...
Variel saves
Variel vomits in his mouth ...
At this point in time, the hanging man begins to shake and thrash about violently. The rope holding him up begins the fray and break! His teeth gnash and eyes roll in his head, arms and clawed fingers grasping toward Variel!
Variel, Atri and Wilma are SICKENED
All may take one action (either move or otherwise), then the thing drops to the ground and attacks!
Attack!
Variel flings out an arm, shooting a blast of cold at the thing!
but misses!
Darvan steps forward to attack:
if that hits he does
The creature is missed by all attacks, and then drops to the ground and attacks Variel!
for claw
for claw
for bite
hitting for and !
The elf is rocked and barely remains on his feet!
The party may go. Assume the creature is flanked for purposes of attack.
"Aaaaaaaaa!"
Darvan attacks:
Variel stabs with his dagger:
The thing is damaged from Wilma's attack, but swings again at Variel!
claw (miss)
claw (hit)
bite (hit)
for and , a total of 15 points of damage, putting the elf down is a spray of blood and bone!
Players may go.
Variel is down (and dead, actually, at -14 hp with a con of 10)
Seeing his Elf companion gored apart Atri begins shouting off some random deep stuff...
""The path of the righteous Tengu is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil creatures. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you!!!"
Atri's attack bites deep into the thing's torso, almost to the spine! A solid hit but the thing is still moving.
Wilma misses.
Darvan?
Darvan stabs again:
The creature turns and attacks Atri!
claw possible critical
claw miss
bite miss
to confirm critical
hitting for damage!
And a DC15 fortitude save for Atri or he drops to the ground, paralyzed!
Players turn! The thing is still flanked
Wilma takes another stab with her rapier:
Darvan drives his trident into the creature's back!
for
Wilma and Darvan combine to put the nasty thing down. Atri gets shaky and almost paralyzed for a few moments, but it passes in a couple minutes.
Wilma discover's a journal on the desk under some rags,and she peruses it to find some of the basic facts.
It appears that 3 years ago, the Chelish frigate Infernus struck a reef around this isle and sank. The only survivors were 5 sailors, 1 officer, 3 ship's whores, and Arron Ivy, a cartographer on the ship. It seems the ship's task was to map portions of the Shackles.
The journal belongs to Mr. Ivy.
The survivors made is ashore and set up camp in the north swampy area - for fresh water and fishing. Ivy also planted crops in the south.
For a little while they seemed to have an idyllic life, stranded on a tropical isle. There were aware of a Grindylow tribe living in a caves near their shipwreck, and it kept them from being able to salvage much from their hold. But the two groups lived in relatively peaceful conditions.
But then it became obvious that a few of their other passengers escaped the Infernus. The Captain had kept a pack of ghouls he used as shock troops for boarding actions. The survivors thought they went down with the ship, but apparently they escaped. There were several battles, but eventually the ghouls were slain and their bodies burned. Four of the six men were also killed and their bodies burned.
Ivy is not sure of what happened next, but one by one the remaining survivors began to fall sick from ghoul fever . First the last sailor (who Ivy put down and burned). Last, the whores turned. Ivy was too slow to find this out, and fled into the brush of the island, hiding from the three ghouls, and eventually building this stockade to hide in.
Overwhelmed with grief, and knowing that he would eventually die, he decided to kill himself to keep him from changing into a ghoul. From what you can see, however, he failed to kill himself by hanging, and instead just dangled there starving, being bitten by flies and mosquitoes, and succumbing to ghoul fever.
Make a perception check if you wish to search the place further. As you slap at flies biting your exposed skin.
Darvan takes the potion of cure moderate wounds and masterwork dagger from Variel's corpse and adds them to party treasure.
He lowers himself to one knee and concentrates, channeling positive energy to heal his companions:
then he casts Detect Magic and helps search the shack for useful or valuable items.
|
Slapping at the annoying flies, Wilma reads over the journal. So the ladies we met... the ship's whores. Ivy is the one we just put down, and all the ghouls and the rest of the crew also perished. Which leaves... thinking aloud which leaves the shipwreck to us, right?
Then it strikes her:
Variel... Do you think...?
And your companions who were stolen from the Man's Promise by the Grindylows.
Plus, you are all 3rd level.
So adjust your PCs as needed.
I have not found a 4th player yet, so we will continue in this vein. I am reluctant to post on the open forums for a 4th but may need to do so.
"Variel's already dead, I don't think he can catch the fever now."
Darvan examines the spears, pistol, and checks to see what's in the casks.
"I could do with a spot of rum."
Weakly, Atri looks around. Still shaking a bit...
You find some rum in some casks, some well made (although a bit moth eaten and stinky) clothing, some leather armor and a couple of knives, hatchets, and other tools.
Oh, and a ring in a pocket of one of the outfits. A silverish band made to look like an eel holding its tail in its mouth.
But nothing else.
Does anything radiate magic?
Darvan hands the pistol to Atri, "Know anything about such weapons?"
Just to be on the safe side, Darvan pulls Variel's and Ivy's remains out of the shack and sets them afire with a flask of Alchemist's fire.
The ring is magical. It radiates a faint transmutation aura.
The pistol is nothing fancy, even a bit beat up.
You find 30 pieces of shot and enough powder to go along with it.
Not sure anyone is skilled with a pistol. They are quite rare.
Tucking magic ring into party treasure.
Trying to identify it using detect magic and spellcraft -
... try again tomorrow
So you have to find the grindylow lair and rescue your friends.
Or you can rest and regain spells - you probably have time to do so.
What is the plan?
We won't have new spells until we rest, right?