Jord stands and delivers an unarmed strike to the creature
"To arms we are under attack" he shouts
Clinging to the rigging with one hand, Morgan snatches his boarding axe from his belt and lays into the foul denizen of the sea.
"Right little beastie, time to turn you into something I've heard is called sushi"
The creature trips you with its tentacles and thrusts a spear at you. The point thuds into the spot where your head was a moment ago and the creature bares sharp teeth at you trying to bite.
Reinald curses, Reinald scrambles back a few paces before kipping to his feet drawing his buckler and cutlass as he takes his feet.
He winces knowing his attempts to move with grace are useless on the slick decking. He gets to his feet and steps into the fray.
Hearing a commotion above, Sejanus claps the good doctor on the shoulder. "Come! It sounds like trouble!
Genade staggers up after the sorcerer, cursing the storm for preventing him from getting proper rest and time to brew a new dose of mutagen.
Two creatures, bottom half tentacles, top half goblin, venture down below decks and brandish a spear and sharp teeth. You both won initiative and go first.
"Surround them!" Genade shouts, drawing a dagger and approaching the attackers. He slashes at one to get their attention.
"Right away, good doctor!" Sejanus circles around the other side of the creatures, mumbles a few arcane phrases, and a fan of flames leaps from his hand.
fire damage in 15' arc. Reflex DC 16 for half damage.
The creature thrusts its spear at you as you stand up and again tries to bite you. Neither of you manage to hurt the other and no one comes to your aid.
Your axe cuts off one of the creatures tentacles and it cries in pain. The severed tentacle flails as it falls back into the sea. The creature tries to trip you and though that fails it still cuts you with its spear .
As you stand, the goblin/squid thing cuts you with its spear but your return strike slices down its body even severing several tentacles and it falls to the deck dead. You think you saw several of the creatures go below deck.
The smell of calamari fills the air as one of the creatures falls to your combined assault. The other dodges the full force of Sejanus' fire and lives to strike back at him, the spear tearing through Sejanus' defenses .
Your rapier stabs the creature and it oozes a black, thick blood . It attacks back with spear and teeth but you evade it.
Reinald rushes to Jord's aid.
"Keep at it show these squid buggers. Look about some went below deck."
"Chop them up maties, starting with this one."
Swinging his axe in wide heavy circles, Morgan chops at the creature with heavy blows.
Jord draws his morning star and attacks the beastie with it
The doctor curses and moves to flank the remaining monster.
+
"Ahh! That hurts!" Sejanus takes a few steps back (5-foot-step) and releases another blast of flame.
fire damage. Reflex DC 16 for half damage.
HP 15/22
Reinald arrives by Jord's side just as Jord deprives it of several tentacles. It clutches it wound and dives back into the waves.
Your second strike on the creature cracks its skull and it dies from the head trauma, tentacles twitching post death.
The Doctor stabs a vital area and black blood oozes out as it dies, saving Sejanus the use of his fire spell .
You stab it with your rapier again and it flops to the deck, dead.
As you check on each other you find the ship clear of any strange creatures. It seems 6 of the things snuck on board undetected while the storm raged. The ship is still being driven off course and you keep a watchful eye out for any more boardings.
----------
As the storm slowly abates you see an island ahead and a reef you are being driven towards. Thanks to everyone's teamwork the razor sharp rocks are mostly avoided and damage to the ship is small, with no risk of taking on much water, able to be quickly repaired before the next tide. Unfortunately Sejanus finds the barrels of drinkable water have split and less than a days' worth remains. Another even greater problem is discovered when checking the crew. Sandara Quinn and Slippery Syl are missing. Their securing ropes having been slashed. Jerieth finds a piece of torn cloth she recognises as coming from the sleeve of Sandara's clothing.
The crew is relieved to have not been shipwrecked but wonder what is to be done with little water and still several days to Rickety Squibs, your original destination.
You are currently safely anchored a mile off shore, surrounded by the reef at low tide with no way to sail closer or further away until high tide. At the easternmost point of the island you see a granite fist rising several hundred feet out of the jungle. The western side of the island is occupied by a mountain ridge running down its length. Between them is a marshy jungle.
"Should we send a boat out to look for them..? It looks like they were taken by the beasties."
" I wouldn't like to leave one favoured of Besmara to those beasties, but where do we start? I can track when there be tracks to follow, but in the sea, well unless you have magic that can help, I would not know which way to row. I reckon we search the boat from crows nest to bilges and as a group. Slippery Sylvia were a nasty piece of work an' could have used the attack as cover to escape an' hide. Then we head for the isle, fresh water and maybe some fresh vitalls would be good an' Sandra may 'ave been washed ashore."
Before landing, Morgan will check the ship's charts and study the island through a telescope, looking for where they might be,dangers and clues to water and food sources.
"If they are still alive, we would find them on that island. Either alive or their corpses. I don't like the thought of one of our only healers going missing. We need to refresh provisions, and this is our only chance to get fresh water." Sejanus puts a hand to his brow to block the sun. "Unless someone has a way to drink seawater, of course."
"I have my magic finger which if I waggle like this, create water..so I think we are safe. But yes leaving them not a great idea."
Jord casts create water as he is talking
Reinald stares at the island. "Morgan's council holds search the ship."
Reinald moves among the officers and Jiran and Kroop, "Does anyone know this island." Reinald goes to the Captain's cabin to look at any maps or the sort that might help.
"I hope you are right Sejanus." Reinald looks bemused at Jord. "Well bless my boots the Sacred Squirt Gun of Kurgess!" He laughs.
None of the crew seem to know of this island. "We've been driven off the usual lanes," Jiran Conway announces, "I doubt we'll find anything here but a shipwreck or two and an empty island. We should offer prayers of thanks that we aren't the newest one. There's likely fresh water runoff from that mountain range. If we can climb that outcropping there it might give a better view of the rest of the island."
Fishguts seems a little averse to relying on Jord's magical water. "It be easy enough to fix the water barrels while you're explorin' the island. Then when you find water we can row them in and fill up quick enough." He also seems happy to sit out the 'exploring'.
"Sandara was good luck to this ship. As soon as she went overboard last night is when things got worse. If she's alive, she'll be somewhere on that island. Syl too... I guess." Rosie says. She seems to care a lot less about Syl being missing than Sandara. Understandable seeing as he had been one of your enemies since the start.
Searching the ship turns up nothing.
"Ah well, at least we ain't got to worry about someone hidin' an' waiting to send us down to Davy Jones. Let me get my bow an' I will be ready."
Morgan soon appears back on deck with full kit (barring hammock obviously!) and in boots for once.
"Right then Cap'n, who goes ashore an' who guards the ship?"
"Mr. Conway. Let's ready the ship. I want to know we can leave when we need to. Focus on repairs. If you spot someone with a feel for carpentry they have a job as ship's carpenter as long as they can keep it. I know folks are tired. Let the riggers rest for for a few hours. Then the swabs. Mr. Kroop we are near shore perhaps that means fish. Take a couple and see what can be had. We don't know the dangers of this island could be crawling with the squid things. The other officers will take a look at things and see if we can find our people. We are already sailing with too few."
"I'm ready to head out when everyone else is ready."
The doctor has been spending the time since the attack studying the remains of one of the monsters.
"I am ready here. As I will ever be without a good night's sleep, that is."
"Aye Captain. We'll have everything fixed and the ship ready to leave on your return."
"I'm sure something will get caught in the net Cap'n," Fishguts says before mumbling, "Provided I don't get the net caught on the reef..."
----------
You take the Man's Promise's Cutter and scout out the northern shore. The waters are crystal clear allowing great visibility and you can clearly see the coral reef that must likely surround the entire island. Fish dart between the reef but other signs of life remain undetected.
When you get closer you can see what looks like a fishing village on the shore in a direction directly south west from the Man's Promise. You could begin your search there or sail around to look for another landing site.
Jord speaks
"The village is probably a good sign, we can ask about any goings on or dangers that are around."
"Aye, we could learn a thing or two, an' it would probably be the first place anyone washed up would go."
"To the village! Huzzah!" It appears Sejanus is rather excited at the prospect of being back on dry land.
Such excitement and good prospects are quick to be shut down as you get closer. It is clear that there are no people present and the huts are rather rundown and abandoned, several of them have collapsed long ago. Sporadically along the beach you find 'statues'. What look like humanoid figures from a distance but are grisly, twisted, scrimshaw covered skeletons. They give the appearance of life from a distance and likely lure the unsuspecting to the island, just as you have been.
"Stay sharp. This may be where the creatures live." the doctor says, keeping an eye on the water as it gets shallower.
"Fisher folk don't leave behind scare crows when they abandon a village." Reinald draws his cutlass and buckler. "Bait or warning?"
Casts clw on Reinald converting bless
"Thank you."
The beach and mud fishing village lay abandoned before you. Several of the grisly skeleton arrangements are nearby. 60ft. away the Jungle begins thick from its edge. A dirt path, overgrown, leads into the jungle.
Examining the creepy statues reveals signs of trauma and gnawing. You can't be sure if they were eaten alive however and nothing resembles your missing companions. These bones are many years weathered.
As the boat, comes into shore, Morgan ships his oar and jumps in to pull the boat into shore. The boat secure, he grabs his bow and scans the island, skipping quickly over the skeletons, to scan the treeline for threats.
"I could have a go at tha' cliff, it can't be much harder than rigging can it? Else I reckon we go straight up the path, but let me have a little scout ahead first."
"Sounds good."
Agreed. We need a lay of the land before we go traipsing through the jungle."
Strapping his bow to his back and stripping off his shoes, Morgan heads up the cliff. Taking it slowly and steadily he is able to make good progress. At the top he scans the area for immediate threats, before tying off his rope to aid any others on the higher section of the cliff.
Morgan heads up the cliff face with ease at first as at home as he is in the ship's rigging. As he gets about 2/3rds of the way up he is startled by a seabird flying from the ledge he was using as a handhold, and he loses his grip. Using his natural skills, Morgan is able to break some of his fall, but is still thrown hard into the sand. Rising with a groan, Morgan waves away help. 'I don't think I will be doing tha' again!"
"Tis a good idea to scout.. but there be beasties about.. if you go.. should be two go and keep an ear out in case we're being ewatched and the opportunistic buggers attacks us with ya away."
The doctor takes a closer look at the bones.
"I believe these poor people died violently. These bones have definitely been gnawed on, and they appear to have been here for quite a few years."
On top of the fist sits a 10ft. wide, old, unlit beacon fire consisting of trees, branches and old ship's timbers.
Six torches and a pair of tindertwigs can be found hidden in the undergrowth nearby.
At the top you gain a much better view of the eastern side of the island. Securing a rope for the others makes the climb much easier and all who desire can take it in for themselves. You can easily see the Man's Promise about a mile away and the abandoned village further down the beach. The path that passes through the jungle comes out the other side where the jungle ends onto fields and along a coconut palm lined beach. The southern part of the island seems to hold some kind of corn or wheat fields. The path also heads up the mountain onto the ridge and into the trees. There must be something up there as well.
Some sort of structure can be made out/guessed upon from this distance. It is wooden but definitely not just more trees though.
Island revealed from Granite Fist
Arriving at the top, Morgan shakes his arms to ease the ache of clinging to the cliff. Quickly scanning the immediate area he sees nothing more than the beacon, before his gaze is drawn to the wider view. Having got his bearings he heads back down to relay his finds.
"There be a mighty fine view up there, an' a beacon. Tha' there path goes through jungle a ways and then on through fields by the beach, it also branches off up the mountain. I can see some sort of wooden building too, maybe a stockade or some such. Looks to me like people are livin' about here and well organised too."
Wandering around in the village Jord doesn't appear to find much