Arven swims forward to the large whale-like grindylow and attacks.
"To glory or oblivion, but onward we swim," Quinta sings as she joins Arven in the attack. "To know the blaze of glory or ignominy's sting / To bleed or to slay, but in any case I'll sing!"
As soon as Arven swims forward, Batango keeps close behind him and advances as well. He flashes another vile gaze at the monstrous grindlow, attempting to soften its strikes.
Atajay keeps swimming forward as fast as he could, trying to save the red haired Priestess.
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Round 3 continued
Penta shoots an arrow at the grindylow hulk, spotting an opening as the creature briefly lunges from the water. It's not enough time to line a good shot though, and the arrow goes awry.
A'vandira has more luck, as she uses the same opportunity to hurl an orb of acid at the ungainly grindylow. It hits the creature in the head, just as it is sinking below the water again. The acid burns.
With the way clear, Arven powers forward and attacks the Whale. He swims quickly towards it with cutlass raised to the attack, but the hulking creature thrusts itself forward and grapples the barbarian in its mighty jaws! Shark-like teeth grind into the undine and hold him fast. Arven retaliates by slamming his blade into it, carving deep wounds in its maw. The grindylow seems confused and a bit dismayed - it can't be used to having its dinner fight back.
Batango turns his withering gaze on the Whale once more, trying to quell its attacks with fear. But Batango find it difficult to catch the grindylow's eye, and the effect falters.
You watch as the Whale's jaw distends and it gulps, widening its maw big enough to swallow Arven! The grindylow belches, a cascade of bubbles escaping its mouth. But all is not lost, as the Whale lurches about as if buffeted from the inside - it also looks like its suddenly suffering a bout of indigestion. You only hope it's Arven, fighting back.
The remaining normal-size grindylow swims about the struggling captives, poking them every so often with his spear.
Quara sings away, her song warbling underwater. All the while she stabs away with her sword, hoping with each wound that she's not actually stabbing Arven by mistake. The Whale has suddenly discovered a sensation new to it - fear.
Atajay swims forward, trying to dodge the battle and the grindylow's grasping tentacles. Luckily the huge monstrosity is distracted by Quara's attacks and its ill-planned lunch. He darts past, making his way towards Sandara and Kenya, lying at the bottom of the grotto as they struggle in vain to escape their bonds.
Roung 4
The grindylow queen leaps into the roiling water. Looking about, she spies Atajay swimming towards the captives. With a scream, she orders the octopus to the attack. It moves forward and wraps its tentacles around the sorcerer, drawing him into a dark embrace and a sharp bite. More than the bite, you can feel a debilitating numbness stealing through his body.
Initiative
18 - The Brinebrood Queen
18 - Penta
17 - A'vandira
13 - Arven
13 - Batango & Tabook
13 - The Whale and grindylow warrior
12 - Quara
3 - Atajay
=====
A'vandira ranged touch
damage
Whale aoo
damage
Whale grab
Whale Will
Whale grapple
damage
octopus tentacles
damage
Penta worried look at the sight of Arven being swallowed, turns to grim determination as she drops her bow and moves in. She pulls her whips free and with a quick prayer, launches into an attack.
Free Action: Drop Bow
Move action: Move to within 15' of Whale, Pull Whips
Masterwork Silver Scorpion whip (Attack +6 / Damage 1d6+1 / Crit x2/ S)
Inspire +1
One Hand Attack +2
Fort
Atajay pulls his dagger and tries to cut the octopus.
Attack
Damage
As Arven is swallowed by the whale, you hear him cry out, "I'm done for!"
HPs: and Arven is stabilized.
Guarded Life (Ex): While raging, if the barbarian is reduced below 0 hit points, 1 hit point of lethal damage per barbarian level is converted to nonlethal damage. If the barbarian is at negative hit points due to lethal damage, she immediately stabilizes.
Batango watches wide-eyed as Arven is taken into the Whale's maw, and searches his mind for some tactic to assist the barbarian. Once more, he curses with a sour look, realizing he is out of magical options. With sharp sigh he snatches up his dagger and swims forward, stabbing at the creature with the weapon.
Dagger:
Damage:
Dagger Confirm:
Damage:
"Release him, you lubber /
Lest I'll gorge on your blubber! /
Spit him out, you filthy beast /
Or you'll make a tasty feast!"
Quara's song is a chant of pure anger as she stabs at the whale again and again, trying to get it to disgorge Arven.
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Round 4 continued
Alarmed at the sight of Arven disappearing into the behemoth's gullet, Penta swims forward with desperate strokes. She draws one of her scorpion whips. Ungainly to use underwater to say the least, she waits for the monster to breach. It does so, thrashing about, sorely wounded and not very happy about its recent meal. Judging her moment perfectly, Penta snaps forward the whip. Its razor sharp blades wrap around the giant grindylow's neck, slicing and constricting at the same time. It struggles against the attack, but the creature being already weakened, very soon goes limp and unconscious. A'vandira follows close behind Penta, moving up to use her dagger to claw at the Whale's belly. "Help me get him out of there!" she yells. With a great ripping stroke, she is able to cut open the Whale's distended belly from top to bottom.
The body of the Whale sinks rapidly to the bottom of the grotto. Batango takes advantage of the pandemonium to swim further into the cauldron of swirling water. Out of magical options he lashes out instead with his own dagger, close enough to reach the dark red octopus trying to pull apart Atajay's head as if it was a clam. The octopus doesn't notice his approach until Batango attacks, a deep strike that just misses vital organs.
The remaining grindylow warrior, intent on prodding and stabbing its drowning prisoners, only now becomes aware that its enormous brood brother is in trouble. It turns from its sport and moves to attack Atajay and Batango. With a fury the little grindylow drives its coral spearpoint deep into Batango's side! Tabook swims around the witch concernedly. [/ooc] The pesky little grindylow warrior that's left manages to score a critical hit with a shortspear, equalling 17 points of damage. Batango am I right that puts you near -10hp? Hopefully you can make a stabilization roll on the first go and your allies can keep you from drowning. There are plenty of ledges in the grotto above the tide line where bodies can be laid out away from the water. [/ooc]
Seconds later Quara spits the grindylow warrior on her blade, ending its depredations. All the while she continues to growl out her martial song.
Horrified at the terrible attack just beside him, Atajay stabs at the octopus clinging to his head. It's an awkward position though, and difficult to land a telling blow.
Round 5
All is lost for the Brinebrood Queen, the grindylow tribe's mother. All her pride pinned on her enormous mutant son, she chooses the better part of the valor. With a flick of her tentacles she shoots a jet of water that sends her shooting across the grotto and down the long tunnel. The movement is so swift that you barely have time to register what's happening without time to retaliate. With her speed and agility underwater, you would be hard pressed to catch her before she reaches the open sea. The octopus clinging to Atajay's head detaches and with a similar motion follows behind, covering her escape.
The threat overcome, your attention turns to your wounded and also to the two captive sailors, Sandara Quinn and Kenya Bloodblade. Both are struggling with their last breaths to break their bonds, the seaweed and silver ingots binding them. Kenya especially looks in a bad way. [/ooc] The seaweed is braided like rope, and requires a successful DC 23 Strength check to break the bonds. Or, you could just cut them. [/ooc]
======
Penta Swim
dagger
A'vandira Swim
Batango Swim
grindylow 13
damage
critical confirm
critical damage
Atajay, with dagger in hand, cuts away the bindings of the cleric and Kenya. He moves them to a nearby ledge as quickly as he can manage.
Quara dives down to join Atajay, hacking and sawing away at the seaweed.
'Hang on!' she thinks while attacking the grindylows' "rope". 'We didn't come this far to let you die now! Hang on!'
A'vandira holds the unconscious undine on the surface, calling for help to get him to safety, keeping his head above water.
Penta swims up to Arven, She gives him healing by cupping his face in her hands. Unfortunately, she was unable to rouse him with the divine healing. She helps bring the big Undine to the ledge.
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A'vandira clutches at Arven, trying to haul him to the surface. Suddenly another pair of hands encircles the undine as Penta helps to bear Arven out of the water. The reach one of the ledges, hauling the big barbarian up. Along the way, Penta cups Arven's face in her hands, a faint glimmer of healing energy stabilizing him and allowing him to cling on to life. He rests, unconscious.
Atajay uses his dagger to cut away the bindings holding Sandara and Kenya. Quara lays in her own sword, slicing through the bonds. The two women kick feebly towards the surface. It's at this point that you notice Batango floating in the water, unconscious. He looks peaceful in the water, at rest. All the same, you drag him to the surface and, getting him onto one of the ledges, you pump the water out of his lungs. He starts breathing again, but lies unconscious.
You take long minutes to recover from the fight and to make sure no further threats linger. Taking stock of the situation, two of your party are unconscious and the two sailors you rescued look exhausted. It will take some effort, but the water breathing potion still works and between you all you should be able to get your wounded back to the surface.
Before that though, treasure! Scattered about the grotto you find dozens of scrimshaw objects littering the chamber in various nooks and
crannies carved into the walls. Many of these items are merely curious,
repulsive, or both, but among them you find the jawbone of a shark carved with scrimshaw images of a vast octopus eating whales and containing a dozen silver and gold rings hammered into it. You also find a huge hooked tooth from some colossal sea creature with a seaweed-plugged cavity containing six pearls and a whale skull weighing 25 pounds whose scrimshaw carvings look like arcane formulae.
In addition, there were a total of eight 4-pound silver ingots attached to Sandara Quinn and Kenya Bloodblade. The grindylow queen took her best treasures with her when she fled, but lying scattered on the floor of the grotto you find a harpoon made from the jagged, scrimshaw-carved tusk of a narwhal attached to a 50 foot length of woven sinew. In addition you find four heavy crossbow bolts, a silver spearhead, an iron bracelet that detects as magic, 422 sp, and 512 gp in assorted coins. Elsewhere, you recover another iron bracelet that matches the first one that you found, an exceptional pearl still clutched in a gnawed on hand, and a beautiful headband crafted from pearls and shells.
Elsewhere you recover a scrimshawed hammerhead shark skull with a piece of driftwood thrust through it. The piece of wood detects as magical. Nearby is also an ivory walrus tesk set with gold with a scrimshawed map of the Shackles and a curious harp made from the jaw of an orca set with pearls. On a drowned body you also find a sodden greatcoat with great silver buttons. Inside one of the buttons is a secret compartment with an image of a small token shaped like an anchor.
Getting yourselves above ground once again, you have tonight and most of the morning before the Man's Promise makes sail. Time enough to rest and heal a bit before moving on. You wonder what sort of reception you'll get on your return, as things were becoming tense aboard ship. Plugg and his cronies seem to have it in for you, and didn't even expect to see Sandara and Kenya again. And what will the crew make of Penta?
Ornate scrimshaw ornament = 250gp
6 pearls = 75gp each (450gp total)
8 silver ingots = 20gp each (160gp total)
Scrimshaw hammerhead shark skull (250gp)
Scrimshaw map of Shackles (400gp)
Orca-bone harp set with pearls (500gp)
Iron Bracelets = lesser bracers of archery
Driftwood = wand of mirror image (23 charges)
Some of the arcane symbols etched into the whale skull equate to arcane scrolls of color spray, enlarge person, and hypnotism.
In addition to previous results, you can also decipher the spells alter self, blur, and touch of idiocy
In addition to previous results, you can also decipher the spells daylight, slow, and vampiric touch.
Pearl & Shell Headband = Headband of Alluring Charisma +2
In addition to previous results, you can also decipher the spell black tentacles
Harpoon = vindictive harpoon
Pearl = pearl of power (1st level spells)
Token = anchor feather token
------
Batango Con
Spell craft
As tired as Atajay was, he couldn't make head or tails about the magic items. "Keep everything that's magical. We can figure it out later, when we've had some rest. But more importantly, we need to decide what we are going to do when we head back to the ship. I'm getting tired of being pushed around, and I'm afraid we are not long for this world if we don't make a stand sooner rather than later. If we can get everyone healed, we have our own little band....we can put up more opposition than they expect. We can take the ship!"
Quara starts off by giving some healing to Batango:
"Breathe - out - the sea
It's not - for you - 'tis not - for me
So breathe - out - the sea
You - are not - a fish - you see
So breathe - out - the sea
And soon now we shall see."
After all the treasures have been lugged to the surface, Quara gives them a look herself.
"Don't forget that we have friends on board," the Bard cautions Atajay. "Best we hook up with them before we mutiny, methinks."
That said, the tiefling gets to work on healing everyone, using her healing kit to treat injuries and maladies as best she can.
When Batango becomes conscious, he jumps with a start and looks wildly at his surroundings, his rope-like hair spraying water all around. Seeing himself in fresh air and safe, he breathes deep and relaxes a bit. "My gratitude, Quara...Last ting I am remembering is de vile sea gremlin poking at me...bah! De dark one below, he has punished me for weakness. But, I am alive, and thus must prove to him I am deserving of it...de powers of de deep come at steep prices." He goes on a bit more, rambling under his breath about the watery patron. "Though it is seeming we can return to de ship now that our wayward crewmates have been recovered...and back to business more befitting my own liking, I am tinking."
"Stuff and bother!" Quara snaps as she stands, hands on her hips and facing Batango down.
"I've had just about enough of this! You were not 'punished for weakness', you just met someone more skilled in melée! Every person and creature has their own strengths and weaknesses, man, that's just a fact of life. Even your briny patron has weaknesses, or else we'd all exist in a world of water and breathe through gills.
You want to prove you're worthy of life? That's a fine ambition. But don't go saying and thinking that you need to do it to avert punishment; that's no way to live, it's an existence of crawling on your knees! The sea does not want sailors on their knees. People on their knees get swept overboard and drown! The sea wants a sailor on his or her feet and their pegs, hauling on ropes, casting spells, singing songs, laughing in the face of danger and showing they have the strength and the gall to survive on the brine or within it.
That is your steep price, right there; you need to stand tall and show you are worthy by giving worth, not chasing it. The sea is more than just the abyssal depths; it's the storm that stirs waves to froth, the wind that fills sails, it's the water that reflects light and it's the salt that stings and refreshes. Don't keep your mind mired solely in the depths and ignore the light that shines down from the surface."
A good haul of booty. Penta smiles. She looks aorund at the others, with thier various injuries. I hear one of you. She points at the rescued sailors Is a priest. Once we camp and rest, between the two of us, The whole crew will be in tip top.
Penta starts with efforts to get the whole crew topside.
Getting yourselves above ground once again, you have tonight and most of the morning before the Man's Promise makes sail. Time enough to rest and heal a bit before moving on.
Once they break camp, Penta strings up a rope between two trees. She stips naked, and hangs her wet clothes on the line. Her breasts are sharpened to a point in the cool night breeze. She grabs some jerky and squats infront of the camp fire. Her tribal tatooed body barely reflects the light of the campfire. With a bite and tear of jerky, she chews with satisfaction. Her eyes look over at Arven, and a wicked smile breaks across her features.
Arven wakes the next day, his body bruised and battered, wounds still open, although no longer bleeding. A sorry state, for the strong and healthy sailor that was press ganged to service. "What happened?" he asks, "Last I remember was that whale, then......" he looks around, as though his head can't quite take it all in. He stutters, "I,I thought I'd b,be waking t,to Pharesma's j,judgement.. It's not some trick....it is you?" he blinks in bewilderment.
He rolls over and hears Atajay's rant, before listening to Quara's words. He shakes his head, muttering quietly "It's not punishment, it's survival we'll fight for. It's Plugg and his mates that'll be dead, us or them!"
He calls to Quara, "How are our friends from the ship, have we saved them? Is Besmara looking down kindly on us, to heal our wounds? "he asks.
"We're all alive," Quara reports, grinning at Arven like a tigress - a very friendly tigress at that. "Rest easy; the new day brings new magic to our command. We'll have you fixed up in a jiffy, won't we, ladies?"
Arven should be at 11 hp
You were at -3 hp. Penta hit you for 2, putting you at -1. Quara hit you for 6, putting you at 5. and sleeping gave you 6 for a total of 11.
Assuming others are hurt. 2 channels from the NPC should give everyone an average of 14, placing Arven (the most wounded?) at 25. 1 CMW from NPC cleric would put you on average +12 or 37 HP.
Not trying to step on toes, I'm just excited to move to the ship
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The night's rest finds you feeling much better and brighter come morning. Sandara and Kenya at least seem to be doing much better. Sandara especially, the irrepressible cleric of Besmara, is quick to bounce back from her ordeal. She relates how during the storm a group of grindylows grabbed hold of her and hauled her over the side before she could even say a word. She has nothing but contempt for the little creatures, who were vicious and cruel. She's indebted to you for her rescue, praising Besmara for her upturn of luck. When you present her with her holy symbol, found on the ship's deck after she had been abducted, she promises to spend some time communing with the Pirate Queen and to return with healing magic. As she walks away from the group, she slaps her tricorne onto Atajay's head. "Thanks for coming to get me! I knew you wouldn't let me down." She gives the sorcerer a wry wink as she saunters away. "Oh, and you can keep the hat by the way."
Kenya indeed is glad to be back amongst allies once again. She is rather the worse for wear after the ordeal, beaten black and blue and gnawed in places by the grindylows. Despite the healing, it looks like she's going to have some interesting scars. Like Sandara, she is very pleased to receive her pistol back, and luckily she still has some blackpowder left in her pockets - the grindylows were none too bright about searching their prisoners.
Sandara returns after her meditations, and provides healing where needed.
Time to take stock. The Man's Promise lies about three-quarters of a mile off the eastern tip of Bonewrack Isle. Your camp is close to Riptide Cove, which is near the western edge of the island. It takes a good part of the day, but moving quickly and stealthily you are able to get back to the abandoned fishing village where you left the boat. You keep on the lookout for any more ghouls, but you manage to avoid them.
You arrive back at the village to find the Man's Promise still there. From your vantage point it looks like the damage to the hull has been repaired, and with the tide running full the ship will soon be floated off of the reefs and away under sail.
"You know Id follow you to the briny depths, my dear. I even swam for you...and you know I don't do that for just anyone. Tell me more about Besmara. It sounds so nice coming from you. If you ever want to wear your hat, just let me know!".
As the group spies the ship, the sorcerer turns to the others in the party. "What's the plan? Do we take the fight to Plugg, or do we wait to be picked off on the ship one at a time?"
Whose Plugg? And why do we want to fight him?
Spellcraft:
Batango raises a brow to Quara and turns his eye on her for a moment before looking away and producing a morsel for Tabook. "Perhaps all you say is true, but, ah, every truth is different for every being. Oh yes, every ting is having its own power and weakness, but only be confronting dese weaknesses and chastising them will one mitigate and overcome dem. You see, de patron of whom I speak, is not so much a being as it is a force, and dis force is in turn a reflection of myself. My punishments are my own. And in dis world, no greater power is there than that of de self - not magic, nor gods. De sea is all dat you say, to be sure, but to de sea I am inexorably linked...and in so, perhaps I am having of a different understanding of de deep. If I wanted to sings song at it, I would be a minstrel; if I wanted to swipe swords at it, I would be some swashbuckler. But I am a witch, and de sea resonates in me with fear and void, cold and withering, darkness and death. I went into seclusion, became a hermit twenty years past, when many of de rest of you were cubs, to reflect on dese grim tings. I have spent many years understanding my power, and my link to de sea, and it has led me to a path of power with rewards and punishment both...for what is life if not a series of rewards and punishments. Is courage not a punishment for fear...is joy not a punishment for despair? Every reflection is having two sides. You may gaze into the mirror of fancy and fervor, but my waters show a different way. Yet, I am not so ignorant to believe dat power and purpose cannot come from cooperation, from de abilities of others. All of us together have shown to be a palpable force, and so our reflections should not matter to any but ourselves." The old witch stands and wrings some water from his hair. "When we return to de ship, Plugg and his lot should be well aware of dis palpable force." Walking off, he goes over to investigate the items, working a bit of his witchcraft over them, and one by one he mutters an identification.
Moving his hand over the bracers, "Dese would grant improved accuracy with a bow."
Over the driftwood wand, "A magical receptacle, it holds many uses of a spell to create illusory copies of de self."
Over the runed skull, "Rudimentary, but etchings of magic, to cast spells of disorienting color, hypnotic allure, increased size, changing of self, visual displacement, sapping of de mind, great light, draining touch, temporal lethargy, and tendrils of de deep."
Over the headband, "Dis would increase de wearer's force of presence."
Over the pearl, "To recall a memorized spell since cast..
Over the harpoon, "A magical weapon, which I am thinking would suffer no loss of might under de water."
Over the token, "Dis ting can transform into an anchor."
"Pearl and whale skull go to you, then," Quara says, flicking the shiny bauble at Batango.
"I think Atajay would most benefit from this." She tosses the headband to the sorcerer.
"Arven, you'd probably be most suited for the harpoon. " Provided the Undine Barbarian agrees, Quara tosses him the vindictive weapon.
"I'm no archer and I've no use for an anchor; you all decide who gets those items and I'll take my cut in coin if you all don't mind."
The tiefling walks a little ways apart from the others, hands clasped behind her back and tail bobbing, then turns to look at everyone.
"We need to make a decision; do we return to the ship and try to sway more people to our side, first, or do we attack the ship and blitz Plugg and Scourge before they have a chance to get ready? The more people join us willingly, the stronger our position will be. We also need to consider our need for a full ship's crew. Every hand who dies in a mutiny is one we'll miss when it's time to set sail."
Atajay takes the headband and tells Penta what he recalled about Plugg and Scourge. "They are the two slimiest scallywags that ever stood on a ship. They press ganged us into service and have beaten and threatened us to no end ever since. We've talked about mutiny when we were ready...and I think we might be ready now. We've a couple friends on board, I'd wager they are clever enough to take the hint to work with us, or to get out of our way!"
"Aye, but there were people fence-sitting, too, and some folks in the camp of Plugg and Scourge because the captain put them in charge," Quara says.
"Quara speaks true, they will get their comeuppance, have no fear of that Atajay, but patience will have its own rewards." the undine says as he accepts the harpoon from Botango. His face is grim as he turns to Penta, "But what Atajay says about them is true, then so is Quara's reading of the crew as far as I know."
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Looking across the water at the Man's Promise, you can't help but notice how many people are milling around on the main deck. It's a fair distance and tricky to pick out the details, but by your reckoning more people than usual are up top. Plugg is there, and Scourge and Owlbear Hartshorn among others. What's more, the ship looks ready to sail, repairs completed and supplies lashed down again. Few though are aloft in the rigging, the gnome Conchobar Shortstone being one of them.
Some of them look spoiling for a fight.
"Be sure to keep those arcane spells! They'll fetch a pretty coin should we decide to sell them."
If no one objects, Atajay takes the piece of driftwood that serves as a wand. "A spell creating duplicates of myself would be most helpful."
"Look Arven, over there!
Perception Aid Another
Arven makes clear his impatience at getting back to the ship, before it rises and is ready to move on. He asks Sandara if others in the crew are able to find magical things, as he doesn't want the rest of the crew to take the special stuff they found. Asking if they need to hide it from the others. He gets on with loading the supplies they have collected and makes ready to start off ....
"Atajay, no still not quite seen what you're seeing yet..."
Perception
Quara hums a few bars of oddly uplifting music, and then lightly touches Arven on the shoulder. "Keep watching," she suggests.
As the sun goes behind a solitary cloud in the blue sky, the bright glint off the sea dissipates and the large undine is able to see further across the briny. "They're getting ready to sail from the looks of it, there's loads of people milling about up there. Could be on for a fight, if you ask me. The trouble is, is it us or something else." Arven squints his eyes, "There's Plugg, and Scourge and Owlbear Hartshorn among others. The gnome Conchobar Shortstone is up in the rigging, but looks like its just him, maybe one or two others. It could be, the battle has already begun..... come on let's go, Atajay you might just get your chance..."
Arven makes for the boat to take them to the ship, "Come on, quick....quick!!!"
Quara leaps into the boat, longsword already in hand and a tigreish grin on her face.
"Been waiting for this!" she sings.
"Some mutiny won't go amiss /
Freedom to set my own path I did miss!"