Jon leaps onto the food pile and stabs down with his rapier into the remaining creature.
Round 5
Leylyn uses Misfortune on the remaining buggy and then follows up with a wicked cackle!
Misfortune (30ft) 1 rd, roll twice and take worse result for all ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. Will negates(DC 16).
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F2 attack
F2 attack
F2 damage
F2 grapple
F2 grapple
F2 will save
Round 5
Letlyn's eye turns to the remaining creature, which wilts back under its gaze, as she cackles at it's misfortune.
Jon leaps onto the food pile and stabs down with his rapier into the remaining creature. He feels the sharp point of his blade slip effortlessly into the bulbous body, spewing more green body fluid to mix with the rotten fruit and food. The maggot, turns its body, at the source of its hurt and lashes out at Jon. Jon tries to back off, but stumbles as he slips on the pile of rotten fruit under his feet. The revolting creature takes advantage of Jon's misfortune and bites at his leg drawing blood, as a familiar burning sensation sends the signature of pain through his nervous system.
Harry, stabs once more at the creature, but in reaching down, he overbalances slightly. The dagger misses its mark, instead cutting through the pulpy mass of a soft peach, spurting sweet juice up Harry's arm.
Seeing an opening, Charles steps up, and attempts to cleave the creature in twain!
to hit, for magical slashing damage.
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Charles squeezes past Thumper, and stands with his great sword ready. Though his stance looks rather awkward and the thrust is cramped in style, he is able to generate enough power from his muscular arms and powerful legs with a uncanny eye for accuracy to slice the maggot apart. The creature is severed in two, squirming in its death throws, spewing out its green ichor and innards over the pile of food and Harry's boots.
"Alright, where in the Nine Hells did those things come from? We've been out at sea for over a week, surely they would have been noticed before now."
Lysandra says, as she releases her whip from around the dead grub.
Jon wipes off as much of the ichor as he can. He brings out his holy symbol and says a short prayer to Cayden Cailean before speaking an incantation.
Jon pulls out his wand. Is anyone else hurt? he asks his comrades.
Leylyn's hair and hat is concealing her eye again. Hopefully no one saw it... she thinks to herself as she walks up, to the rotten food and vermin remains and nudges it with her foot, breathing a bit heavily. ...Ha...Ha...Ha...delicious!.... Anyone able to...purify this... stuff?
Harry looks down in disgust at the maggot-like, whilst unconsciously wiping off the dagger with a loose rag.
"Nice knife that, you have good taste in your tools"
Harry examines the blade again before returning it, clearly appreciating the quality.
Good question Ley, otherwise its fish and that horrid pickled cabbage for the next while... I'd almost prefer to eat the crew.
Harry smirks, but his eyes on the food show some concern...
Responding to Leylyn's question, "I believe that may be something that Jon would be able to do."
After taking the dagger back from Harry and resheathing the blade.
"A girl's gotta protect herself from time to time...helps to have reliable equipment to do so." she says with a smile.
Charles carefully cleans his blade of the maggot's slime, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he regards its remains.
"I concur. John might be able to do something about purifying the supplies. It is probable that these things have been on board the entire time, gestating in some of the food stores - perhaps that barrel over there...?"
Charles gestures towards the barrel riddled with holes, and then shudders.
"To tell the truth, I am more than a little sickened when I consider the fact that those things have been moving around in the food we have all been eating..."
Charles gestures towards the barrel riddled with holes, and then shudders.
Heh...Who says that's all of them? Anyone brave enough to check that barrel and the rest of the food? There could be... little ones or eggs or something too. We need to make make sure we exterminate them all. Hehe, I for one am not keen on the idea of eating maggot egg laced food for the remained of the honeymoon cruise...Haha. Nor am I on the idea of having to come back down here to do this again because we got lazy... Leylyn says. It's hard to tell if she finds this situation revolting or funny.
"We'll have to examine the food. We should bring it up on deck, in bright sunlight and examine for more bugs. While we have it up topside, Jon can purify the food. The only other option is to convince the Captain that we need to dock at the nearest port and re-provision."
"We'll have to examine the food. We should bring it up on deck, in bright sunlight and examine for more bugs. While we have it up topside, Jon can purify the food. The only other option is to convince the Captain that we need to dock at the nearest port and re-provision."
Wouldn't purifying it eradicate any possible vermin living within?
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Charles, you recall that these creatures are relatives of the Giant Rot Grub, though they do not live on carrion live those bugs. As always there are tall stories passed down from sailor to sailor that ships infected with these bugs end up with the crew starving to death or going mad and killing one another. The story of the 'Happy Whale Prince', a ship from long ago, that was found floating in the Obari Ocean, with no sign of a crew, no food supplies and just some trails of dried up green slime.
Now that you are up close to the barrel, you see there are 5 large holes made in the barrel.
Harry whistles a sharp note, Thumper bounds forward expectantly to his side. Harry draws the big dogs attention to the dead forms on the floor...
"where are they boy?"
Charles gingerly moves closer to the barrel...
"If I remember correctly, these things are related to rot grubs...
...There are tales of ships infested with these things, where the crew have just... *disappeared*...
...If there are more of them, we need to find them, fast!"
Harry's face turns into a slight frown when Charles delivers the news
"Swell"
Thumper carefully sniffs at the stilled forms
Survival Roll:
Scent - I take it that they will probably be located by scent if within 30', as opposed to simply following a trail... but its kind of ambiguous in the reading.
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In the close confines of he ships hold, where there are piles of casks, sacks and chests built up all over the place and netting, I assume that the tracking will be done as an ordered search, rather than sniffing a trail, but the survival roll shows how successful Thumper is at locating them.
"We'll have to examine the food. We should bring it up on deck, in bright sunlight and examine for more bugs. While we have it up topside, Jon can purify the food. The only other option is to convince the Captain that we need to dock at the nearest port and re-provision."
"I can cleanse the food, but it will have to wait until the morning. I have to request Cayden's help with that."
Jon tends to Ursel as best he can. After that he follows along with Harry as Thumper examines the ship.
Jon speaks a prayer to Cayden and mutters an incantation and then examines Ursel as best he can.
The big dog sniffs the corpses then sniffs the air and starts wagging his tail and giving off a low deep growl.
"Thumper has their scent, we can track any more down and dispose of them before they become any more of a menace, shall we, gentlemen?"
Charles gives Harry a curt bow.
"Of course, we need to cleanse the ship of these things as soon as possible - the sooner it is done, the sooner I can eat the ship's food without feeling nauseous, and the sooner the crew will be safe!"
"Aww dont worry about accidentally eatin' the worms, they just add a little pep to the fare, just make sure you cook it through well"
Harry pauses for a moments thought.
"come to think of it, there's a few taverns back on those wharves we just left that I reckon must have been serving us baked grubs like those, I don't trust anything simply titled 'meat' anymore, the pies at that last place would have killed a brown dog!"
"oh, sorry Thumper matey, no offence."
Jon approaches the Captain. "Captain, I think Ursel will be fine, but it will take a few days of rest. I can also help fix him up over the next days too."
"And with your leave Captain...I'll join my comrades to rid this ship of the rest of the filth" he says nodding towards the other.
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Thumper's tail wags as he smells the grotesque corpses and gets the smell of bugs. He starts to climb over and through the piles of casks and barrels that are tightly bound and crammed into the hold, and out of sight. You hear yelps and a general scrabbling as the dog paws the wooden deck of the hold. But you cannot get to Thumper in the midst of all the wares, sacks and other contents of the hold. Harry calls the dog back, and starts to methodically work through the hold, waiting for Thumper to find the missing vermin.
As you reach a ladder and opening which takes you down to the middle deck of the hold. Thumper, his mouth open and panting, tongue lolloing out the side of his mouth looks to Harry, wanting to jump down into the black darkness of the hold below.
These grubs cause the food to be poisoned, once they have tainted the food, the green slime, is poisonous if ingested. Shoiuld have told you this with the description.
Harry raises an eyebrow at Thumper
"Sit!"
"Master Beecroft, I believe our guests are below, after you good sir; you might need a lantern"
Harry readies his sap, adjusting his grip and making sure it sits comfortably in his big fist
"Might see how they go with getting squashed"
Charles gives Harry a brief smile.
"Why thank-you good sir. I can certainly arrange some light."
So saying, he draws a small glass sphere from a belt pouch, and throws it in the air - it immediately begins to float around his head, glowing like a miniature sun.
"That should help to shed some light on things."
Gripping his weapon tightly, Charles descends to the next layer of the hold...
Harry gazes in admiration at Charles's trinket.
"You know, theres been the morning aftermath of a few tavern adventures that could have well been avoided had I seen the wench in the light, perhaps I'd best get myself one of those too"
"How's it going down there, gentlemen?"
Lysandra asks, genuinely curious about the welfare of the two men below decks...and the well being of the ships provisions.
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The light from the globe illuminates the densely packed hold, full of good and chattels. The yellow light of the globe is eaten up by the brown and black objects surrounding the two men to left and right. You make out a few feet up the passage way running up and down the length of the ship. You hear the dog somewhere off forward and to the right, you cannot see Thumper.
You can hear his paws once more scrapping on the floor and him barking at something in the darkness.
Rapier in hand, Jon follows where he say Harry, Charles, and his other comrades go below decks.
"Carefull now chaps, looks like they might be just up ahead..."
Leylyn follows after carrying her own everburning torch. Again she keeps to the back.
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You walk down the central passageway, to left and right are small tight corridors between the dark, broody, stacked packages that end in a blackness, impenetrable like the darkest black of space. Until you get to one such corridor, where you can just make out Thumper half way down the corridor, his paws scratching on some sacks. As his paws seek out the intruders, a powder is being flung into the air, where it is gradually creating a misty fog of dust. Thumper seems to ignore any effect from the dust, as he claws the powder from one of the sacks on your right.
Harry whistles a single shrill note,
"HEEL!"
"Alright, looks like the games afoot!"
Harry advances on the flour sacks, poised for 'unpleasant surprises'
"Indeed."
His sword at the ready, Charles advances alongside Harry, ready to skewer any of the grubs that he finds...
Not having heard any response from below deck Lysandra heads down into the hold, whip in hand.
Jon arrives below to find Harry and Charles creeping along. He sees Lysandra and Leylyn arrive too.
Those boys might need a bit of help from Cayden.
He speaks an incantation while holding his holy symbol. Everyone feels a rush of power go through them .