GM Striker's The Ruins of Azlant Table 2 Gameplay thread.
Trieste searches the bleak landscape from the rail of the ship, hoping to see some sign of settlement. "Not exactly what we pictured, eh?", she says to the caiman on her shoulder. "First things first, I guess," she sighs as she continues preparing the ship for mooring.
Kaldan has gone over his equipment with his usual attention to detail. Now ready he stands at the railing watching the island as the ship draws closer.
LAND HO!
After six long weeks, this morning the crew of the Peregrine sighted land to the west. A few hours later, the Peregrine sails into a natural bay with a sandy beach within rowing distance for the ship’s boats. As the crew begins to untie one of the smaller boats to lower it into the water, the sailors pass a spyglass among themselves and finally hand it back to the captain. Captain Jacob Markosi peers at the island for a moment before grunting and handing the spyglass to expedition leader Ramona Avandth. “You should see this,” he says quietly. Ramona accepts the spyglass and peers toward the shore. When she lowers the scope, she is clearly distressed but trying to hide her worry. She approaches and motions toward the far side of the deck, away from where most of the other colonists have congregated.
“Can I have a word with you?” she asks. “We have a problem,” Ramona says bluntly, once she and your small group have some relative privacy. She offers the spyglass to the party and explains, “Something is wrong. Nobody’s in sight. There’s no smoke from cook fires or the smithy. Some of the buildings look burned out.” Taking a look through the spyglass, you can confirm these observations for yourselves. Ramona continues, her voice low. “Sailors can’t keep their mouths shut. Soon all the other colonists are going to hear about this—if they can’t see for themselves already—and things could become… tense.” Ramona looks at each of you in turn slowly.
“I want you to go ashore and check out the settlement. While you do this I’ll have Captain Markosi to sail north along the island’s coast to a secondary landing site.” She explains that the site was later designated as an emergency extraction point should any danger befall the first wave of colonists. After you’ve hand a chance to check out Talmandor’s Bounty, the ship will rendezvous with you at this secondary location, whereupon Ramona will make a final determination on where the rest of the colonists should disembark.
Keeping a wary eye on the shore means Kaldan isn't as adept at handling the ships boats as he usually is. But he manages not to overturn it and send the party to the bottom of the bay.
Gathering her gear together, Trieste joins the shore team in the smaller craft. Her caiman rides atop her shoulder, his head drooping lazily.
Hearing the news from Ramona Kragg can't help but look out at the island himself. The news was indeed distressing. It was going to be hard work to grow Talmonder's Bounty into a teeming settlement but with the first wave of colonists missing or worse...well there was nothing to do but see first hand what was going on. Turning back to Ramona, Will do. It seems though that most of my gear will need to stay aboard for a while longer. We will meet you north of here once we can find out all we can.
Kragg makes his final preparations leaving all of his trade goods and gear behind and taking only what he needs with him. Climbing down to the small boat Kragg lets Kalyan and Trieste worry about navigating. Over the last few weeks he had gotten to know them and felt confident in their abilities.
The Taldan archaeologist looks up from the journal she was writing in at Ramona's approach. Her brow furrowing in concern at the expedition leader's warning, silently packs away her journal and inkpen, then joins the others. "Burned-out buildings are a bad sign," she says, glancing away and peering at the settlement in the distance. She gestures for the spyglass and takes a closer look before remarking, "Strange that there are no bodies. At least that leaves some hope they weren't attacked."
Lara passes the spyglass back to Ramona and goes to retrieve her backpack. Having traveled light, she hefts it onto her shoulders and goes to help the others make preparations for landfall.
Ramona looks relieved that you're willing to investigate without complaint and explains, "The second site is northwest of the colony and within a day's journey.
That is a good point Lara. Hopefully there was just a mishap at the smith and some of the wood caught fire and spread. If not well we will find out what happened. Turning back to Ramona, How long do you want us to search for answers before we meet up with you? It might take most of the day to clear out the settlement before we get any solid answers.
In the ship's boat Kragg will take a turn at rowing as they progress across the bay. Any ideas where we should look first when we land?
The bay’s waters are calm, but murky, with only a gentle rocking of the ship’s boat. The shore is approximately three hundred feet to the east, where a lonely dock is built off a sandy beach.
As you begin to make your way to the shore, you pass a sandbar about 50ft from the dock. Two creatures with large heads and numerous teeth that resemble some strange mix between goblins and a greasy octopus dart up from the water. Sharp spears dart up from the now frothing water stabbing at Kaldan. Standing up Trieste returns a swing a the horrible tentacled beasts. From the west, you hear shouts of concern and even cries for the captain to sail closer in order to help you. A few colonists draw their own bows and shoot a few arrows toward the creatures, but stop once it becomes clear they might hit you instead. Tentacles pull one of the creatures up onto the boat as it lashes out with its sharp teeth snapping at Kragg. The other grabs the hull giving it a rough pull downwards causing the boat the rock dangerously. Despite this Trieste manages to keep her footing.
While vicious and quick, the creatures are quickly slain by a few blows, leaving you more surprised than injured by the attack. Once the Grindylows are defeated, a rousing cheer comes from the deck of the Peregrin.
"Check for tracks on the beach first, then move into the settlement." Is Kaldan's thoughts on the matter. "If those creatures are the problem they must have left signs coming out of the water?"
Lara quickly unshoulders her bow and launches several arrows into the aquatic goblins when they show themselves. After the threat is passed, she keeps her bow at the low ready and turns toward the Peregrine. The archaeologist gives a wide, reassuring wave to the colonists and then watches the waters near the rowboat for further threats. "Probably best," she answers Kaldan, nodding.
"Ugh, I can't stand those creatures," Trieste murmurs while wiping blood from her blade.
Scanning the water for more threats as they progress, she nods at Kaldan's suggestion. "Depending on how the tide effects the beach here, there may not be much in the way of tracks, but we should definitely check."
A well-worn path in the grass rises up a slope toward a cluster of buildings to the east. The buildings are arranged in a rough triangle, with each point ending in a wooden circular enclosure
with rectangular notches cut intermittently, like battlements. These round enclosures are clearly meant to be three points of a wooden palisade fence, which would enclose this first group of buildings once completed. The palisade fence, however, is complete only along the southeastern side of the triangle and is obviously unfinished elsewhere. The grass around the settlement looks like it was cropped at one point, and many paths exist between locations in the settlement, but in less well-trafficked spots, the grass has started to regrow. All the buildings are constructed of either rough timber or mud bricks set in a wooden frame, and have pitched thatch roofs. Many have open window frames, but only a few have actual shutters or even a canvas curtain for privacy. Doors are basic, wooden affairs, too simple for locks, and some buildings lack them entirely. The construction is new, quite rough and unfinished.
The entire settlement is dead quiet and still.
A solitary dock extends from the beach into the bay. The construction is solid and looks recent, suitable for tying off a small boat, although no watercraft are visible. The beach inclines to the east before giving way to grass and trees. Further on in that direction, buildings and a palisade wall stand on the rise.
A thorough check of the surrounding area reveals there are no tracks in the sand leading from the dock to the colony. You can spot a canoe on the seafloor at a depth of 10 feet. Similarly, a wicker basket and a fishing pole can be spotted from the dock’s other side.
Kragg fully expected there to be strange and dangerous denizens upon the island however he was not prepared for the sudden assault while still in the boat. Thankfully the younger members of the party had quicker reflexes and dispatched the threat with little concern for their safety. Their mere presence though was a concern for the colony as Kaldan mentioned. I agree. Perhaps when we reach the shore I will let you with your keen eyesight go first looking for clues. I would hate to disturb any tracks with my own.
However the effort to remain back from disturbing any tracks was for naught. There were no tracks visible as they looked around the colony. Even the grass was beginning to regrow to obscure some paths. Looking at Trieste Kragg asks her, How long do you think it would take for these grasses to come back? That might give us an idea of when the colony was deserted.
Know nature aid
Does anyone want to dive down for the canoe to inspect that or leave it be for the time being?
As she hops up onto the dock, Trieste looks back to the sea and murmurs a brief prayer before tossing a couple of coins into the sea. The beach is eerily quiet with only the sounds of the waves and their own footsteps.
"I don't mind going in and pulling the canoe up, or the basket and pole, but I'm not sure what information we'll get. It is strange that there are no boats here either."
Lara tilts her head and tries to recall anything she knows about how long it takes for grass to overgrow old tracks. The Taldan purses her lips. Deciding to take a closer look at the interior of the settlement, she advances toward the unfinished wooden palisade.
You do recall that the colonists had been left a rowboat by the previous ship. Very similar to the one you are using now.
I was wondering if it was a accident that the canoe sank or if there were signs of a fight that punctured the hull. It could be that it just got filled with water, and sank from the weight of anything in it..
Take 10 on swim and str to help Trieste haul up the canoe.
Seeing Lara move on Kragg calls after her, I'll be right behind you to back you up,once this canoe is brought up.
Lara raises a hand in a wave of acknowledgement as she walks away. The archaeologist stops a short distance outside the wooden palisade, well within eyesight of the party by the docks. Moving a bit more cautiously now, she inspects the palisade and the 'towers' up close. Bow in hand and an arrow held loosely to the string, she nonetheless does not enter the enclosed area.
"Alright, let's have a look see," she says to Kragg.
Trieste sets down her pack and shield by the edge of the dock. "Jobert, watch my back please."
The little caiman bobs its head up and down and glides silently into the water. Trieste hops off the dock and into the water, descending quickly.
"Signal us if you want it raised." Kaldan suggests, handing her a grappling hook attached to a silk rope.
He has his crossbow out and is eyeing the area warily.
A waterlogged gremlin with lobster claws for hands and an almost canine face with webbed ears, attacks as you disturb the canoe. Trieste struggles with a strange urge to let her eyes drift closed but quickly shakes it off. Kragg and Trieste struggle with landing any blows on the tiny critter but eventually drive it into the light where it shudders and flees deeper into the weeds and out to sea.
Working together you manage to haul the canoe back up onto the shore.
Now out of the water and in the light, you can see a hole in the bottom of it.
Kragg struggled mightily as thy were attacked by a second creature of the deep. This time though it stayed underwater and made it even harder to attack. Luckily Kragg had some javelins that while not the best weapon managed to travel the 10 ft underwater to help drive it away from them.
Looking at the canoe...
Perception
Profession sailor check
Kragg brought the attention to the others. See how this portion of the canoe is broken outwards. That meant the hole was created from inside the canoe not the canoe running aground and puncturing the hull. It is not beyond repair but it is beyond my abilities. Maybe 1 of you could fix it if we need it at a later time.
Lara lingers near the edge of the unfinished palisade for the moment, keeping an eye on her surroundings until the others catch up to her.
Trieste walks up the shore, helping to drag the canoe behind her. Jobert follows at her feet glaring back at the water's edge, on the watch for more attacks. "Well that was unpleasant, but not unexpected at this point." She sighs as she gathers her gear together.
She nods to Kragg. "Yeah, I noticed that, too." She ponders for a moment.
"I'm sure one of the carpenters can fix it. In the meantime, we can leave it in a safe spot." She pulls her wet hair back into a pony-tail. "Let's catch up to Lara and see what else is around."
Everyone moves on towards the village.
Lara waits until the party catches up, then moves to investigate the pavilion tents.
Trieste follows behind Lara to the tents. "Since we are a fairly small group, we should probably stay together in case we run into anything... unpleasant. It may take a bit longer to search, but I believe we have the time." She bends over to pick up Jobert, and let's him ride on her pack.
"Agreed," Lara says as she searches the tents. "A bit of scouting can't hurt, but I'm not interested in fighting anything like those tentacle-goblins alone."
The tents are salvageable, though one had some small animal nesting in it for a time and reeks of musk. Oddly enough, many of the tents still have common mundane personal items in their folds, such as clothing, mementos, cooking pots, and waterskins. Some of these items are ruined, but much of the mundane gear can be cleaned or repaired.
Treasure: You find four potions of cure light wounds and a magical shirt scattered among the tents in different bundles of personal possessions.
The Taldan woman notes the contents of the tents with detached interest. "Strange that so much of the sundries of the colony are still here--and not scattered all over the area, as you would expect if the colony were ransacked and pillaged."
Kaldan carefully circles the area, trying to get the story from any tracks left.
Looking around Kragg agrees with the assessment. It is odd. Besides some small damage nothing looks like it was destroyed in an attack. Yet with the sundries remaining it does not seem likely that the colonists packed up to move to a different location either,
As they pick their way along the area Kragg periodically casts mending on anything that is small enough to be repaired.
It is almost like the colonists were spirited away in the middle of the night, or compelled to leave in haste abandoning most of their items here. But what would cause them to flee so quickly?
"Hmm, I wonder if the critter living here was a pet, pest or came in after the colonists left?"
"Let's see if I can figure out what that shirt is?"
You see no tracks around the tents apart from your own.
"No signs of any tracks." Kaldan reports. He moves to the crop fields, hoping to find a clue as to the time of everyone's vanishing.
Trying to determine how long they've been untended?
Without any tracks or any other clues to go off of currently Kragg knows that the entire are will have to be explored. As such the exact destination or order they explore locations doesn't matter to him. On the way to the fields he drops his pack down against the southern corner of the palisade. I'll be right with you you young whipper snappers. Slow and steady as my great great granddaddy used to say. Even when I was a young buck like you I don't know if I ever moved so quickly. Ah to be young again...
Kragg trails off about the good old days as he moves along after Kaldan. Once he reach the fields he will try and help the ranger make a determination on the conditions there.
Guidance cast on Kaldan and himself...
Know nature aid
"Interesting. If someone thinks they could use this , by all means. Shall we make our way into the main camp?"
She notices Kaldan heading toward the crops and shrugs.
"That works, too."
Lara shrugs. "I'm increasingly thinking that there is nothing here," she says. "But it's not like we're in a rush, either." She, too, follows after Kaldan.
Larger sections of farmland have already been surveyed and marked off just east of the settlement with plans for expansion.
This plot is infested with small burrowing, bug-like monsters. They scuttle about on six legs, drooling noxious green ichor from their clacking mandibles. They seem content to remain in the fields for now.
know arcana aid
That is an interesting item there Trieste. I would think that any of us could put it to good use.
Overhearing Lara Kragg gently disagrees with her. It is true that we have not found any real evidence of what has happened. Yet we know that it was likely a month ago that some calamity befell the colony. That is explained by the grass growing back along the paths. we can also rule out a full on assault by the lack of damage to the tents back there.
Kragg pauses for a moment as he looks at the colony. What puzzles me though is if the disappearance happened a month ago, why did we see smoke from the Peregrine? Someone or something has been here recently and I don't think the grindylows are it.
As he makes the realization Kragg grips his shield and Morningstar tighter waiting for something to jump out at them.
Looking back at the fields Kragg sees the little critters in abundance. Anyone got an idea what they are exactly? I seem to recall in my travels coming across something similar but the exact details escape me at the moment.
Spotting the bug-like creatures, Lara's eyes grow wide. "Never mind what I just said. Those are ankheg nymphs. We definitely do not want those hanging around. When they're older, they'll be monsters the size of horses that spit acid and burrow up to people and livestock to bite them in half with their mandibles."
Trieste gasps. "Besmara's boots! Perhaps we could just avoid them for now. Although we may have to clear them out later before they become full grown. Unless someone wants to try to train one..."
She silently ponders how hard that would be.
Lara frowns. "Let's leave them be for now, but we'll probably have to deal with them eventually. Why don't we check out those other fields while we're here?" She gestures across the path to the field just opposite.