Gwenifer is going to lurk around the entrance in case the crow shows back up.
While Gwenifer stands guard by the main entrance, Alessandra heads toward the office to look for clues.
The office seems pretty unremarkable, and there's no sign of combat here. There's a desk, a couple of chairs, a place to hang a lantern, a couple of windows, and a few shelves of books and papers. As suspected, there are documents containing information about what was received, what left, and so forth. There is also a diagram of the warehouse indicating which areas of the space are used for which types of cargo. The empty northern corner from which Teo noticed something heavy had been dragged is labeled "Fine Foods & Wine".
Spending a bit of time sifting through ledgers, you eventually notice that there was a recent string of incoming shipments that never arrived. You further notice that each of the missing shipments was to be received by boat at the lakeshore docks; and even more specifically, the missing ones all would have had to pass near a small island in the lake, about half a mile from here, while shipments that didn't have to pass near that island arrived just fine.
Alex shuffles through the ledgers, looking for anything particularly remarkable or exotic. Despite her best efforts not to learn anything about her families shipping business, some of it had still rubbed off on her. It's what Hightowers do, after all.
Finlogan examines the tracks and then stealthily circles the warehouse while someone investigates the logs and ledgers, of which he has zero interest.
Gwenifer shouts in from the entrance, "Anything worthwhile in there, or should we move on?"
After half an hour Alex concludes her research and rejoins the others. "It appears these people have a mystery island where shipments and, presumably, people have been disappearing. That sounds like a good next step in our investigation."
"A mystery island? Well that sounds quite terrible," Teo laughed, not sure what else to do. Maybe the mystery island was safe from the zombies. Or maybe that's where all the zombies are being kept!
"Well what are we waiting around here for! Let's find a boat!"
"Let's check the boathouse. If it doesn't have zombies, maybe it has a boat. Does anyone know how to handle a boat?" The wood elven prince offers.
"I'm no sailor, but I can row."
"Mm. The idea of rowing out there in a canoe does not excite me. We should try to find a barge or small ship. Something that will not so easily capsize."
Heading over to the boathouse, you take a look around. Refreshingly, nothing immediately jumps out at you (literally or figuratively). There is indeed a boat moored here: a modest fishing vessel. It's a bit bigger than the four-seater rowboats at the outside docks, but far from luxurious. Single deck, oar-driven, with a few barrels latched in place (presumably for storing fish).
Finlogan looks at the fishing vessel and then at his companions, then back again. "It appears the necromancer is on the island. I don't particularly like boats."
Gwenifer is already swinging from the rigging. "Wahoo! Let's go. There's avenging to do! Um...so how does this thing work?"
Alex had been on many large ships before and none of the men on them seemed to have any trouble controlling the vessels. How hard could a small one be? "You just padded in the direction you want to go. It is not as if a lake has tides or waves to worry about. Is there anything else anyone needs before we go?"
Finlogan nonchalantly sits in the boat where one would steer. While he's not deciding to steer, he is avoiding to row.
Teo will try to help the group row as she doesn't have any idea how to steer a boat
"I'll row."
"I will also row." Alex says, smiling at her fellow strongwoman.
You cast off from the boathouse as best you can figure how, and begin rowing in the direction of the island.
You've barely made it 100ft out of the boathouse before you see a crow land on the building's roof and begin cawing loudly. Before you know it, undead hands burst up from the water and reach for your boat from all directions!
Finlogan is the first to react!
Looking down at the water, you don't see a swarm of submerged humanoid zombies as you might expect. Instead, the groups of grasping hands seem to merge together beneath the water, as though dozens of arms (or more) had been stitched together to form some larger appendage which now reaches up from the depths.
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"I've been waiting for you, you stupid crow! Here's a message for your master! He's next!"
"Damn crow!" Finlogan peers down through the water.
Looking down at the water, the wood elf prince doesn't see a swarm of submerged humanoid zombies as he might expect. Instead, the groups of grasping hands seem to merge together beneath the water, as though dozens of arms (or more) had been stitched together to form some larger appendage which now reaches up from the depths. "Disgusting! All the hands are stitched together into a giant hand! Row!"
He sets the tiller to head between the gap in the hands.
"Be calm, everyone. Panic is what kills people at sea." They aren't at sea, but the logic seems sound enough to Alex. She watches Gwen chase her bird, then looks to the much smaller halfling. "Our center of thrust might be a bit off."
Finlogan peers into the water, then shouts a warning!
The hands on the right grab hold of the boat!
Gwenifer misses the crow with one arrow, then puts a second right through its chest, dropping the dead bird into the water.
"That is unfortunate." Alex thinks as the hands grapple the boat. "There is nothing else for it, then. We fight." Alex abandons her oar for a sword and hacks at the nearest arm.
Alex swings her sword, chopping two of the hands off of the boat!
Teo casts Chromatic Orb, summoning lightning, hoping to electrocute one of the hands, and hoping the water might be a good conductor, zapping more of them, if possible.
Ranged spell attack
Electricity damage
Teo blasts the hands, and a couple more lose their grip on the boat!
The hands on the left rise up out of the water, revealing a series of stitched-together pieces of undead flesh and bone, forming a three long appendages, each tipped with a small cluster of forearms and hands.
Behind the row of franken-arms, the water swells as a large mass of undead flesh rises from the deep: a cobbled-together assortment of torsos forms a mass not unlike a 15ft-wide head, splitting horizontally like an opening mouth, its "teeth" comprised of rows of legs, ribs, and unidentifiable shards of bone. The maw widens as the arms reach for you, as though it intends to start dropping people into its mouth like snacks!
One of the appendages gets hold of Teo with a cluster of grabby hands, and begins to pull her away!
Finlogan eyes widen at the abomination. He looses his swords and attempts to cut the arms holding Teo.
Finlogan goes to work, shredding the hands that grabbed Teo, and breaking their grip on her!
Meanwhile, the creature utters an unholy moan as the hands on the right begin to lift the side of the boat as though trying to dump you all from the deck!
Most of you keep your footing on the tilting boat, but Alessandra didn't see it coming and tumbles across the deck, landing on her back against the opposite railing!
Gwenifer attacks the hand tipping the boat. "Let go!"
The impact with the railing jars Alex and knocks the wind out of her. As she rolls over and climbs to her feet she attempts to issue a challenge to the 'face' but only matters to utter a meaningless squeak. Wishing she had a boarding axe, she chops at more of the hands.
Gwen leans over the high end of the boat and chops at the injured arm, destroying it! The boat rocks abruptly from the sudden shift in the amount of support!
Alex swings unsteadily, missing her target!
Teo pulls her dagger and stabs at the closest hand.
Attack
Damage
Teo jabs feebly with a knife!
The two appendages on the left (aka bottom) reach past you all and grab the far side, assisting in tilting the boat while the mouth draws closer and opens wide to swallow you!
Gwen holds on to the railing by the top and Teo straddles the space between the deck and railing at the bottom. However, Alex and Fin take a tumble, landing in the open mouth of the abomination!
"Hang in there, Alex and Fin! I'm coming for you!"
Finlogan tips arse over teakettle into the abomination. The wood elf lashes out at the great maw with his steel knives.
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Fin lays into the creature, stabbing it twice from inside its own mouth!
The arms at the top edge of the boat shake it a bit, trying to tumble everyone down into the open mouth!
Teo holds steady, but Gwen topples into the mouth along with Fin and Alex!
"How dare you? I am not to be eaten!" Alex exclaims as she tries to stand, indignant that her armor is being smeared with lake water and dead flesh. She tries to drive her sword in to the roof of the mouth.
Teo keeps
Hacking away with her Dagger as best as she could at the closest hand.
Attack
Damage
Not wanting to get eaten, Gwenifer leaps out of the mouth and into the water. She swims down a little to get a better idea of just how big this creature is.
Alex plunges her sword into the top of the creature from within, sending a wave of holy light coursing through the dead flesh!
Teo damages one of the arms!
Gwen takes a dive and investigates the situation:
The sudden heavy damage from Alex's holy smite causes the creature to recoil, and the arms reaching across the boat lose their grip!
Despite its grip faltering, the creature continues to hold the boat at an angle with its other two arms! It then reaches back up to reassert its grip.
Finlogan continues to flail away at the great maw with his steely knives while holding his breath.
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Finlogan puts some more holes in the mouth!
The creature seems to turn its attention away from getting the last morsel off the boat, dropping it and letting it crash back down into the water!
Teo staggers back, but keeps from tumbling painfully across the deck.
Then the giant maw closes.
Fin and Alex quickly brace themselves against the crushing mass of undead flesh!
Gwenifer returns to the surface and attacks the "neck". "Hang in there! It can't take much more of this."
Gwenifer's hair is matted against her face and her wet clothes and armor drag her down but she hits with surprising accuracy.
Teo plunges her Dagger into the closest hand she could reach.
Attack
Damage
Alex grits her teeth against the weight of the creature. She leverages her sword into an awkward vertical slice while bracing against the mouth with Fin.
Squished by the abomination, Finlogan holds his breath and sticks the undead flesh with his swords trying to break the necromantic magic.
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