"Maybe there will be some curative magic inside, Quara, or elsewhere on this island. You know the natives have medicines to help against this fever somewhere around here."
Batango follows along behind the group, feeling the effects of the island and its odious inhabitants preying upon him. Still, he does his best to keep up, and looks on at the stockade skeptically as Atajay and Quara talk. "Assuming de natives aren't all undead as well," he interjects.
"Thank you, Batango," Quara says, her teeth flashing. "I really needed that bit of pessimism to make this day perfect."
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The Castaway's Stockade
You enter the stockade, Quara leading the way. You see the tall, vine shrouded tree looming over the palisade, and the small lodge huddled underneath. A small spring beside the tree provides fresh water. Attached to the top of the palisade is a an old, weather beaten spyglass, trained to look down the ridge at one of the coves below.
Your first reaction on entering is that the stockade is indeed deserted. And yet, as you pass underneath the tree, Quara, Penta, and Arven have the impression is coming to life as the vines begin to reach for Quara. The tiefling dodges just in time, and it becomes apparent it's not the tree reaching for you, but two small creatures with inordinately long arms. Covered in green tufts and stripes, they are perfectly camouflaged against the tree. They make an odd whirring sound as they reach for you.
Initiative
26 - Penta
16 - Atajay
16 - A'vandira
16 - vine chokers
13 - Arven
8 - Batango
5 - Quara
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init
stealth
Arven percept
Atajay percept
A'vandira percept
Batango percept
Penta percept
Quara percept
Arven init
Atajay init
A'vandira init
Batango init
Penta init
Quara init
Not knowing if his Sleep spell would work against the plant creature, the sorcerer decided to use his Ear Piercing Scream spell instead, targeting the closest vine creature with his magic.
Damage
DC 16 Fort save for half damage and to avoid Daze effect.
These look dangerous.
These look like me. She laughs. Her whips spring to life. She judges for the right moment and lashes out with both weapons.
Quara utters a vile curse as she draws her longsword, and takes a vicious swipe at whichever plant creature is closest.
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Round 1
Penta laughs as she whirls her whips at one of the chokers. The first whip wraps around the chocker's torso, while the other wraps around its neck. With a pull the chocker is jerked out of the tree, to land heavily at your feet. It doesn't move.
Atajay hurls one of his signature silent screams at the other choker. It holds its head in pain as its ears are bombarded with noise. It seems stunned.
While it is reeling from the pain inflicted by Atajay's spell, A'vandira brings up her crossbow and unloads a bolt into it. The bolt hits it square in the chest.
In pain, the choker tries to climb higher up the tree, to escape your reach. The small creature climbs up another 10 feet, blood spattering you below. [
Initiative
26 - Penta
16 - Atajay
16 - A'vandira
16 - vine chokers
13 - Arven
8 - Batango
5 - Quara
========
chocker Fortitude
A'vi attack
damage
chocker Climb
And where do you think you're going? Wrong move. The war priest drops her whips and pulls her bow. She snaps off a shot, and the arrow hits its mark.
Batango looks up into the trees at the retreating creature, sighing at yet another situation in which he feels inadequate. Aiming his crossbow up into the branches, he lets loose a bolt.
Light Crossbow:
Damage:
Arven, watches his fellow adventurers, pleased with their efforts against the creature up the tree. "Well, i won't have to climb up there with everyone doing so well at protecting themselves." he thinks and watches with a grin on his face, waiting for the thing to fall.
Atajay sends a small jolt of electricity up toward the monster in the tree, trying to strike it forcefully.
Ranged touch attack
Damage
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Round 1 continued
Arven watches in bemused silence as the rest of the group makes short work of the two chokers. He watches the last one climb the tree, wondering which of his comrades will land the killing blow.
It might be Batango. The witch lines up a shot with his crossbow and lets fly. He thinks he may have hit the creature, but with the tree foliage and the creature's camouflage markings, its difficult to tell. In any case, it doesn't look like it did any damage.
It might not be Quara. The tiefling swings her longsword in frustration as the choker climbs out of reach. She was ready to slice and dice, but the chokers were too quick for her this time. The beastbrood growls as she waits for the thing to come within reach again.
Round 2
It might be Penta. Your new ally moves quick as a flash. As the choker climbs higher, out of reach of her two scorpion whips, she decides to drop them in favour of drawing her longbow. Nocking an arrow, she shoots at the choker and definitely hits. The choker gasps, loses its grip on the branch, and comes crashing down to the ground, landing in a broken heap at Quara's feet. Even on the ground, unmoving, its green and brown mottled hide makes it blend with its surroundings.
Looking around the small stockade, you note a nest of sorts high up in the tree, about seventy feet above the ground. It must have belonged to the two vine chokers. There are plenty of branches, climbing up should be no problem. Beside the tree is a nice, clear stream, which looks like it could provide all the clean water you could want.
Climbing seventy feet up the branches, you find the nest nestled between amongst the boughs. Amidst the detritus, you uncover a potion of water breathing, a trio of silver shoe buckles (might be worth 5 gold pieces each at the market), a ghoul's finger with a gold wedding ring on it (should fetch 50 gold), and a silver hatpin (probably worth another 5 gold pieces).
While Atajay and Quara are examining the tree, the rest of you note the weathered spyglass affixed to the top of the stockade, trained at the cove below to the north. Despite its weatherbeaten appearance, it still looks functional, and could fetch a good price - perhaps as much as 750 gold. As you appraise it, it occurs to A'vandira, Batango, and Penta that the spyglass has been fixed in that position deliberately.
There is also the shack. An inspection of the outside indicates that it is about 15 feet square and is mostly pieced together from planks and wood pilfered from a ship. The door too is stout and looks like it belonged in a ship's cabin. It is also ajar. Peering through the doorway, you see the inside is a single chamber crowded with a large amount of furniture, also looted from a ship. This includes a comfortable looking bed, a small writing desk, cooking gear, and several barrels of rotting food. The stench of rot is overpowering and flies swarm within the room. In the center of the room hangs a hooded corpse, swinging from a chain. A stool lies on the floor nearby where it was kicked. The stench of the corpse fills the whole room.
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Arven Perception
Atajay Perception
A'vandira Perception
Batango Perception
Penta Perception
Quara Perception
Atajay casts Detect. Magic as he looks around the area. "Anyone fancy climbing a tree? I'd break every bone in my body if I tried to climb all the way up there.". He walks around, looking all around the ground level, seeing what goodies he might discover left from the chokers. When he notices the corpse, he calls out to the others, "Look alert. There's a dead body in here!"
Penta saw that the first choker she dropped, still wasn't dead. Her foot slowly crushes it's throat. Penta giggles, as the choker twitches, gurgles, and dies. She pats Arven on the back. Don't worry, you can have the next one. The warpriest goes searching with the others.
Did he kill himself? You'd figure the chokers would have done that.
Penta is riveted to the spyglass. Hey mates. It looks like we have our next target.
"It seems as if someting...or someone...was quite interested in de cove over yonder. What dis means for us? Hm. Next target indeed...whatever gets us off dis island de quicker, I am tinking."
When Atajay calls out about the dead body, Batango lets out a pffft. "Are you sure it is actually dead? I've seen more moving corpses on dis island and less dead ones!"
Arven smiles and speaks up, "Time to do my bit then.." lookin at Penta he winks before climbing the tree. He waves down at A'vandira, "I've found something for you..." as he picks various shiny items and a flask, before climbing down.
"Here" he says as he returns to the base of the tree, holding out the trinkets he found, "silver buckles for your shoes or maybe this gold ring." He takes the ring off the dead finger on which it was found, before offering it to 'Raven'. He shows everyone the potion and silver hat pin too.
As he joins those looking at the shack, he gets his weapons ready as he hears Batango's words about the corpse.
"What did you find, Penta? Who is our next target?"
Well, the potion of Water breathing gives me an idea...First lets clear the shack Penta tells Atajay. She readies her whips and nods to Arven to open the door.
Arven, weapons ready, opens the door to the shack, looking into the gloom. "Let's do it!" he says eagerly.
Looking as Penta slowly crushes the life out of the choker, a shiver runs down my spine. Her giggles make the hair in my neck rise and I wonder whether she's merely a bit crazy or has an evil streak in her. Her interest in Arven doesn't make things better either in my opinion.
Arven moving to the door and opening it, has me pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind for a moment, focusing on the here and now. Readying my crossbow, I look into the darkness beyond the door.
Quara leans against the tree and watches the others move in on the shack. After the first shock of the choker falling dead at her feet, she just kicks the corpse away and tries to find some shade; sweat is running down her face.
"I just want to find those blasted octopus-Goblins, get our people and go back to the ship," she groans. "This island is dead and doomed. Filthy undead going around and around and around..."
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The Shack
Arven shoves open the door of the shack, ready for trouble. Most of the rest of you crowd behind, though some of you like Quara prefer to wait outside. Eyes adjusting to the gloom, all you get is a better view of the body hanging from the center rafter, swaying gently in the breeze. You are also hit by a wall of stench from the desiccated corpse, a smell so powerful and eye-wateringly horrible it makes you want to gag and retch.
Flies also seem to be a problem inside, a great big cloud of them. The stench seems to have attracted a veritable horde of botflies, feasting on the rotting meat. As you push open the door they rise up in a great dark cloud, hovering in the shack and making a terrible din.
------
"Blegh!" Quara says, fanning her averted face as she takes a couple of steps back. "Ick! I can smell the stench from here! Congratulations, lads; you've discovered a treasure trove of flies."
As Arven creases over and his guts wrench, he sees the dead man seemingly move in the still air, his suspicion causes him to cry out, "Hey, its alive!!!" before bile forces its way out of his mouth. "Watch out, he's about to fall...."
Batango creeps up behind the rest of the party and peers into the shack, covering his face with a hand to try and deflect the stench, and doesn't get too close to the door. "Alive, or filled with flies, I am wondering...Dis room is a bastion of illness and doom. Leave it be."
I would say, burn it, but it would draw too much attention. Penta moves away from the shack and points to the spyglass. Your Octopus Goblins are here Quara. With the potion of water breathing, we can probably take them by surpise.
"Batango is right. Let's leave this place alone. Unless they come after us, I've got a preference to leave whatever those things are to their room."
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Arven doubles over and wretches, overcome by the stench. It is at that point that the corpse's true nature is revealed, as it suddenly reaches out, trying to grab the undine. As it swings, you realize it's trapped by the collar contraption around its neck.
The undead shouts gibberish as it tries to break free from the chain.
Updated Map of Bonewrack Isle.
Initiative -
"Lets go take out those goblins. Our red haired cleric has to be here somewhere!"
"Back off! Quickly!" Quara yells.
The tiefling is abruptly in a battle-ready stance, knees bent, longsword out, while keeping the moving corpse in sight at all times.
"It's a ghast! One step up from a ghoul!" she tells the others while backing away. "If that chain fails, it'll try to carve us all up for lunch! And - those are botflies... Biting botflies! If they've been feeding on that ghast, they'll be flush with ghoul fever! Back off and slam the door! "
Arven, despite his obvious pain, moves away from the foul smelling creature, shutting the door behind him. "Great .. cough ... idea ... retch ... Quara." He stumbles away, sure that the door will hold fast against the swinging undead.
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Riptide Cove
Gagging from the stench from inside of the shack, Arven heed's Quara's growled advice and backs out closing the ramshackle door. From within, you can hear the impotent screams of the ghast as it tries to break free. As you closed the door, you could see that the collar was holding it fast as the undead swung from the ceiling. In order to escape, the ghast would need to grab hold of something - one of your paralyzed bodies perhaps - and use it to lever itself up to where it could unhook the collar from the ceiling. You leave the undead to its fate.
Moving on along the ridge south of the shack, after some time you come to the cove where you could see the grindylows cavorting through the spyglass affixed to the stockade.
The cliffs around the cove vary in height from 40 to 80 feet. The cove is deep, nearly 50 feet in places, and the tidal waters churn considerably.
With your expertise, as you look down into the cove, you notice that the cove's dark waters indicate the absence of rocks below the surface. You could dive into this cove; it'd be dangerous, but only if you bellyflop.
Know. Geography
Atajay reveal to the others what he can figure out from up there.
Penta Ties off a rope at the edge of the cliff. It's too high. Maybe we can get closer. The potion should give us all 2 hours of use each. The ability to come up from behind. She says with a smile.
Batango walks forward to the edge of the cliff, looks down, and shrugs. "Dis is not a problem for me. De grim patron, he gives me powers of de air as well. I can descend dis safely without qualm. I won't need any potion, either. I can breathe under de sea, after a fashion."
Quara hisses as she looks down at the waters.
"I'm not jumping," she says, her voice flat. "I've got enough wounds to lick already."
The tiefling ties one end of her silk rope in an appropriate spot, and attaches the other end to her belt. "Those who can't climb so well, use the rope to follow down," she says. "Batango, unless we need to go back up this way again, you go last and untie the rope before using your magic to follow."
With that, the tiefling starts to scurry down the cliff, moving as easily and surely as a monkey.
Atajay takes his dose of the potion, in case he has to breathe underwater. He then tries to use the rope and follow Quara down the rope. "If a freakin' shark eats me down there, I'm coming back to haunt all of you!"
Climb not counting any bonuses from the rope use.
Arven looks down at the deep pool of churning water and steadies the rope for the others to climb down. Once all are safely down, he takes a bow and jumps off the cliff down into the churning waters below, making sure that he picks a spot where the waters are deep.
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Arven looks on, steadying the rope as the rest of you climb down. It's slow going, but the rock face provides plenty of footholds, and rope helps you keep secure. Batango, meanwhile, activates his flight hex and floats gently down, waving to the rest of you as he passes.
When you are only about twenty feet over the churning water, you see a rocky overhang to your left. Perched on a narrow ledge directly beneath the overhang are several nests. Strange buzzing, warbling sounds are coming from them and you see a flurry of wings at your appearance. Finally, several figures take flight, four in all, swarming around you. Each looks like a cross between a mammal and a large insect, with two pairs of bat wing, a tangle of thin legs, and a needle-sharp proboscis. Their nests disturbed, they are swarming to attack!
Initiative
23 - Penta
20 - Atajay
18 - Batango
18 - Quara
15 - Arven
14 - 4 stirges
13 - A'vandira
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Arven init
Atajay init
A'vandira init
Batango init
Penta init
Quara init
stirges init
A'vandira climb
Atajay casts Ear Piercing Scream on the stirge heading for him.
Damage . DC 16 fort save for half damage and avoid stun.
Penta secures one arm on the rope by coiling the rope around it in a quick twisting motion. She pulls a whip loose with her other hand and attacks the nearest stirge.
Masterwork Silver Scorpion whip (Attack +6 / Damage 1d6+1 / Crit x2/ S) (Main Hand) +2 for single weapon attack
Quara, like Atajay, directs magic at the stirge buzzing for her blood.
"If it isn't one thing with this bloody island, it's another!" she curses.
While floating, Batango scowls at the bird-bat-bug flying after him. Summoning up his strange arcane art, he mutters a brief incantation and beseeches his fathomless guide, his hand becoming wreathed in a greyish light. When the stirge draws within reach, he reaches out to sap the vitality of his assailant.