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"Well it's really giant and large in here... and probably not to stable... not to mention chest deep in water. You'd probably like it".
"I'm not seeing any signs of our wayward crew, nor of any clawfooted beast. Let's to the spire, though--we can at least get a hint of the lay of the land from higher up."
Mulling Dibbets shrugs "Aye aye - off ye go Kauly" exhorting his steed to movement.
Kaul shoots a baleful gaze toward his helmsman and moves to'ward where he can get a purchase to climb upward;
"Iffen yer staying onboard fer the climb, best hold tight matey..."
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Cackling Dibbs squeezes musty thighs together round Kaul's neck.
With Dibbets stuck to the back of his neck like a nasty scab, Kaul clambers up the cracked and weathered spire.
Perception:
Dibbs squeezes hard down on Kaul's neck before leaning as close as a fervent lover to his ear. He whispers "Hold steady eh... feckin bat there. I'll try an blow tha feck outta it." before bracing and taking aim with the musket...
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Unable to see high enough to spot the bat, Kaul trusts his helmsman's words - nodding with a grin, afore bracing himself for the impending blastlash;
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Keelhaul Kaul-
Madman Jim-
Dingus-
foe-
From this vantage point Dibbets can tell that there is something off about the thing. It emanates the stink of carrion and the wings are so tattered that he wonders how it can fly. Its skin is leathery and gray and drawn tight across its back, eight pincer-like legs and long needle-like snout. Its eyes glow pale blue.
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Down below, Jim and Dingus can see Kaul clinging to the side of the angular tower near a hole in the top. They hear Dibbets fire off his musket again and then he seems to be playing with a cape or something. Their attention is drawn back to the stagnant green water however, as a somewhat oddly out of place dark triangular fin breaks the surface near the temple entrance. It races toward the coracle hovering just above the surface!
Realising that he needs to get off his steed a mite so the big bastard can get to wrecking, Dibbs dives off to one side...
Acrobatics:
Climb:
...lithely flipping off the half-orc's back and getting a solid hand hold. Growling he exhorts "Hook tha fecker matey" as he gets into a position where he might ably assist as well...
When firing an early firearm, the attack resolves against the target's touch AC when the target is within the first range increment of the weapon, but this type of attack is not considered a touch attack for the purposes of feats and abilities such as Deadly Aim.
Round 1
Unburdened by his helmsman, Kaul takes his wee shipmates advice and brings his hook to bear, whilst attempting to cling like a big, scarred limpet to the tower;
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Dingus raises the Coracle to about 10' above the water, and uses the anchor to hold it in place... (Placing it in the bottom of the boat?).
He then raises the crusty old hand from where it hangs around his neck, and holds it into the air. "Let there be light". hoping to get a better view of things.
Jim keeps his bow out, ready to shoot at anything hostile in the water.
Dibbets expertly leaps from his mount and grabs onto the old masonry as easily as navigating a ratline. Freed of his burden, Kaul twists and gigs the big bugbat. The creature writhes on the hook and rams its poker through the ape-like thug's meaty bicep.
Just within the busted door below, Dingus quickly raises the rotten coracle and lights up the chamber. Now the extents of the slimy hall are revealed and Dingus notes a portal at the far end some fifty feet away.
Of more immediate concern are the waters and the weeds below which suddenly whorl and rush and a thing bursts from the waters; a gray shark-like creature, but with too many elbows and joints. Powerful arms carry a trident and it has a cap of dreaded black hair upon its head above the gaping mouth of serrated teeth that yawns greedily. It has enough momentum to carry it nearly out of the water and it jabs the old hide boat jiggling it.
Jim puts an arrow into the raging attacker, then expertly keeps his footing as the coracle rocks. He glares at the odd creature and prepares to draw on it.
Jim notes that his arrow is expelled from the manshark leaving no wound behind. Quite similar to his earlier experiences with the manrats beneath Freeport...
Reflex save Dingus almost loses his balance, then regains it at the last second.
Dingus starts to breath out his new Electric forked tongue spell, then remembers his mates are in the water as well, and might get a charge out of it. Instead he twists on his ring, and send forth his most terrible Vapor Viper.
VV
Round 2
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The rotten bugbat's perforations only anger the thug further and he swings his hook to tear at the creature;
"Feckin' freak! Hook off!"
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A sizable chunk of mangy hide sticks to Kaul's hook and a cascade of rotting guts drop from the breach as the angry thug tears the bloated deadish bugbat apart. Dibbets hops back aboard and orders his gondola to descend to what sounds like more trouble below. Dingus' round of magical missiles definitely leave a bigger mark than the arrow, but the manshark isn't done yet.
The Taldan tries to use a silvered arrow on the creature instead.
The swashbuckler is inspired to try a silver arrow and sure enough, the manshark gives a gurgling cry of pain before diving under the soupy water. There is a ripple in the water marking a quick retreat deeper into the sunken temple
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"Oh, that won't likely come back to bite us, hey?" Jim gives a rueful grin. "Dingus, mate, let's see about getting us inside and onto something solid. I'm not liking--" Better not put it that way! "--being so obvious out here."
Grinning maniacally and quite enjoying the sport and theater Dibbets croaks "Feck me lads... bit o' action out ere eh? Dinnae know iffin it's got feck all tae do wi tha crew n that... but bit o' worthy biff. We could gae up as well? Big bug bit like tha one tha first sucked ye up back Freeport Jimmer... but we snotted tha bastard."
With Dingus' spell soon to expire, Jim's suggestion is well considered. Kaul paddles below with his hairy little kilt-clad passenger mounted bareback and bare buttocked below the coracle.
Past the far portal, a narrower hall runs perpendicular. The light of the glory hand reveals a dead end to the left. To the right, the floor abruptly buckles up out of the water nearly reaching the roof thirty feet above, making for a narrow squeeze under the ceiling, if such a decaying and broken structure is worthy of the name. Between you and that lofty spot is a slick tilted floor with many cracks. At least it is out of the water.
Gingerly Kaul eases through the narrow rent - mindful of not knocking his helmsman too much as he goes;
Once through, the thug scans the area of further threats;
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Jim manages to pole the decrepit craft to the sloped and slimy upthrust floor before the flying coracle descends into the water and quickly disappears beneath the algal carpet. Kaul leaves the three scrabbling on the slick surface to scoot up to the peak. He pushes through the pinch and peers into the darkness beyond.
Kaul grins like a jigsaw and tells all what his eyes have seen;
"Lads - reckon there's a couple o' sharky mooks in the water about 30 odd feet fae us... They're under now... so ain't certain what they is... but they is there..."
The brute taps Lopper's handle and breathes in smelling the musty air;
"Hur... Reckons I'll need tae get wet... blood an' water like! Hur-hur-hur! Dibb's ye might want tae climb down matey..."
Dingus decides to join Kaul uptop.
Climb (Hopefully assisted by Anchor rod)
Escape Artist (Same as above).
sigh!!!
Jim shakes his head. "If they're anything like the one I just saw, it'll take silver to bite on them."
Dibbets reloads his musket trying to brace himself on a slippery corner. "Go ahead Kaul, flush out those gull eaters. I'll plug 'em from here."
Jim scoots up beside the halfling and there's a grunt from behind them as the skinny Tian somehow manages to get stuck in the crack. Upon hearing Jim's warning, Dibbets considers a change of plan. "You reckon lightning will do if I'm short of silver, Jim?"
Kaul grins back at Jimmer with his trademark mako smile as he waves his ax;
"Hur. Or Lopps 'ere... Chop em intae chum... chum! hur-hur-hur!"
The thug rumbles a laugh at the mayhem to come and starts to skirt down the slippery slope toward the water's edge;
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Hook and ax held high on approach, Kaul skates down on his heels to expertly stop just shy of the tide line. The sharkmen rise, but not to the bait as hoped. Instead, they keep their distance and draw short bows though the wet strings will likely foul their shots.
Keelhaul Kaul-
Madman Jim-
Dingus-
foe
Dingus slithers free of his predicament as the arrows fly harmlessly falling short of the crew, but perhaps jarring them from their perches.
:
Kaul eyes the arrows with disdain but scowls at something under the murky depths thats gives him pause;
"Ho-ho! Lads them little biters have hooks an' barbs waiting under fer anyone who slips... leave the filleting tae me!"
ROUND 1
The thug springs o'er the trap and joins the sharkmen in combat;
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ARRGHHHHH! FILLET O' FISHMAN!"
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The Taldan easily finds a place to stand on the slick floor. Just before the rampaging half-orc can leap into the fray, Jim aims another argent arrow at the adversary.
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Like an avenging anchovy, there's a little flash of silver as Jim's silver arrow flies into the lycanthrope. The victim hardly has a moment to yell out at the burn of the gleaming metal as Kaul hurls himself over the hidden hooks and lands ax first. Had the fusillade shaped fishman had a neck, the heavy blade would have severed it. Instead, the conical upper end is abruptly truncated and the murky green water takes a turn toward brown.
Lopper quivers in the half-orc's bloody hand as if recalling bygone days aboard the gore slicked decks of its former master's ship and the heavy blade's edge gleams even more dangerously.
Round 2
Climb (Hopefully the anchor can be used as a brace to make this easier, for the frail sorcerer.
Weaving, and lurching the Tian is able to keep his feet, and sends one of his own personal Vapor Vipers towards the remaining enemy.
The Vapor Vipers once again do their job injuring the manshark. He fumbles around with switching from bow to cutlass as the blood splattered half-orc turns on him. Dibbets takes his time drying and loading his musket. Likely, he won't even need to waste a bullet.
Jim coolly puts one of his last few silver arrows into the sharkman, but the soft metal fails to penetrate the creature's tough hide.
Round 2
Bloody and belligerent Kaul rounds on the wounded man-shark and belays bringing his red handed ax to bear;
"Time fer you tae spill yer secrets, or I spill yer guts fish-face! Who are ye? Where's the crew o' our ship?? Talk or I chop ye flukes tae tail fin!"
The thug raises a thirsty Lopper as he threatens the were-fish;
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The wereshark turns tail and runs for it!