Bangkha fetches Cat and hops aboard the boat, studying the island as they row towards it, looking for a likely place to find water.
I'll go with you. I spent a season or so working as a cooper."
Once they are safely away, Dantes will speak openly about the creatures.
"Those were grindylow. Though they resemble goblins, they are truly aquatic monstrosities. They love mayhem and eat what they kill. If our friends still live, they may be keeping them at their lair for fresh meat. If their lair is nearby, it should be on or around the island."
"Then we will get to their lair, and see if our friends are indeed being held. If not, I fear Plugg has seen fit to attack some of those who are against him. We were outside of his reach, as we were in battle with the... grild..grindlylow?" Satinder eyes Dantes for a second to see if she pronounced it correctly.
"Anything we should know about these things, apart from the fact that they like to trip people with pointy ears?"
She winks at Alwen, who seems to be flirting with the musical woman.
"W..were have small time to find Sandara and Barefoot. Plugg will send others to the island for water, then leave..us..if..w..wee..are too slow in finding the females."
Chumtooth bends into the oars, pulling them steadily towards the shore.
"You are right, let's go!" Satinder says to Chum, as she grabs the other oars and aids Chumtooth!
"Well well, such a clever vixen," Alwen muses innocently. He waits until they're out of earshot of the ship to speak up in a more serious capacity. "You know, I don't think we'll have much of a welcome when we return to the ship. It'll be more like they'll shoot us full of quarrels once we return with their boat. Mr. Plugg and those with him." He thinks for a minute before adding, "No, wait, he's not stupid. He'll have us haul up the water barrels first, then murder us. We ought to prepare something for our return."
"I agree Alwen, we need to be ready. I have a feeling that the disappearance of two of the people on our side was the first step Plugg made. I don't think he will wait much longer."
She turns around and looks at everyone in the boat.
"You are all ready to do what needs to be done, right? No second thoughts?"
"Plugg and Scourge will feel long, slow pain, then die," Chumtooth replies with ceritutde in his rumbling voice.
Bangkha pats the water barrel.
"We find our friends. Then Scourge and Plugg die. Long or quick. Then we fill the barrel."
Dantes nods in agreement, but stays silent. As they approach the shoreline, he is scanning ahead trying to figure out where to begin looking for their friends. Finally, he shrugs.
"I can't figure out in any more specifics where they might be lairing on the island. If any of you are proficient trackers, we should let you off the longboat first so you can scan for clues."
"I believe handsome here has a good eye, no?"
Satinder agrees with all the murder plans on the boat, and you can see her form an idea of her own.
"Now how could I say no to a pair of lovely ladies such as yourselves?" Alwen tells them with a smile. He vaults himself out of the boat and into the surf, wading up to the shore ahead of the group. Better to be the scout here with his keen vision, though he wouldn't mind a little back up. "Bangkha! Is your cat tame enough not to scratch me should you send them up here with me? It's always good to have a second set of eyes."
Satinder will turn to Bankgha, and offer to bring it ashore, should he choose to.
Bangkha offers Satinder one end of the barrel and then they haul it ashore.
"Aye, Cat has a sharp eye and a sharp nose," he says to Alwen. Then he turns to Cat and points at the elf. "Cat, heel ... seek."
"I don't know anything specific about this little island. The Inner Sea has thousands of them all over. And any news about one can be obsolete with a passing storm, a shipwreck or a wandering aquatic that takes a fancy to it."
After the boat is secure, Dantes will be follow behind the rest of the group.
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The Man's Promise has been holed on the edges of a coral reef surrounding a small tropical island. The waters around the isle are crystal clear (visibility 320 feet), but the isle is surrounded by coral reefs, which lie between 5 and 25 feet beneath the surface.
With the exception of the swamp to the east, the majority of the isle is covered in thick jungle—considered dense forest with heavy undergrowth. Unless you are using one of the few narrow paths traversing the jungle, becoming lost is a real possibility.
The rocky cliff that towers over the island to the northwest is some 500 feet high and covered by trees in many places, particularly the more shaded northwest slopes. A single path ascends the cliff as well, leading to the a small stockade atop the summit. Simple steps have been carved into the cliff and the vegetation has been cleared along the path from the east beach.
All along the perimeter of the island, are small, twisted statues, though it is impossible to discern further details from this distance. These statues lurk in the shallows of the sea and on the edges of lagoons, and hang from palm trees on the fringes of the jungle. No two are alike; each is the product of a twisted imagination.
As you approach the island in the Man’s Promise’s cutter, you discover there are no safe landings along the island’s west and northwest coasts. You must sail around to the island’s eastern side to find a safe landing. The two most likely sites to make a safe landing are a small gathering of collapsed mud huts along the island's northern beach (C3) or a white sand beach that stretches across roughly a mile, lined with tall palm trees on the eastern edge of the island (C6). Beyond the beach can be seen an overgrown field that was obviously cultivated at one time.
Chumtooth looks at the mud huts, and points them out to his comrades.
"Where there is a village, there is water to drink," he says. "If we make the pee-pull afraid, we can make them gather water and food for us..wh..why-le..we find the females."
"Aye, you are right.. Let's find a way to secure the boat, and we'll see how 'willing' they are to help us."
Satinder will allow Alwen to go up front with Cat, and will stay close to the others.
"Keep your eyes open men!" she whispers, as she eyes the strange statues.
"Anyone know anything about these things? Magic?"
Dantes will walk right up to one of the statues and examine it. Does it detect as magic? Is it showing weathering indicating it is older? Does it look "realistic" enough that it may have been someone turned to stone? Is it detailed enough that we can tell the race of the individual being depicted?
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As you bring your boat ashore, you notice that no one rushes to meet you. The reason is immediately apparent; the village is completely deserted. It looks as though the migration was orderly, but hurried. The only things left behind are minor trinkets and handmade items. Nothing of any real value remains behind. Most of the huts are in a state of disrepair and the place looks to have been deserted for some time (several decades). A path leads from the village into the jungle.
The "statues" are actually sinew-twined, scrimshaw-covered skeletons, reassembled in various forms. It does show considerable weathering; the bones are bleached white by the sun. It does not resemble any living creature so much as a small humanoid of no particular race or gender. You are unable to determine much more.
Bangkha and Cat carefully survey the village, searching for a well, cistern, stream, or something of the sort.
Chumtooth wades over to, and examines, the skeletal marker in the surf.
"Thes bones have be gnawed. The flesh of these..m-men..was eaten before the bones were placed here. ..I..do not think w-we..have sailed far enough to the West to be in the islands of my people...the Kuru, but something on this island enjoys to flavor of man-flesh."
"That's... unsettling, to say the least." Satinder says as she is consciously scanning her surroundings, making sure there are no cannibalistic barbarians hiding in the undergrowth.
She has a dragon and her longspear out and ready.
Would this be consistent with grindylow behavior as Dantes might understand it? Or does it seem they may not be the only ones on or near the island with gruesome quirks?
"We must be close. This has been recorded as something grindlow do to mark their territory. It is a good sign that, if the captives live, they are close."
"Let's not wait too long then, Chum has a promiss to keep.."
Satinder takes a few steps, looks at the strange items and pulls one down. She attaches it to her belt before continueing.
"We ought to consider other dangers aside from squid-goblins," Alwen comments as he scouts ahead, his longbow drawn. "There's always some kind of variety to be found where monsters lurk. A whole ecosystem. Least that's what I think its called, wasn't paying that much attention to the pillow talk..."
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Taking the path into the jungle, the group soon finds themselves immersed in the thick vegetation. The "path" is well-defined, but some clearing is necessary, making movement painfully slow. After an hour or so, the pathway slips suddenly into a green bog. Remnants of an old wooden bridge cross the bog, but only short timber platforms on either side remain, leaving just the pilings jutting from the mud.
Short of wading through the mud, it looks as though your only way across is to jump from piling to piling. The distance is too far to clear in a single jump (60 ft.), and the pilings are placed at 5 ft. intervals.
Bangkha scowls as he looks up at the canopy overhead, and the muddy bog.
"The jungle's thick up there."
He pats his thigh and catches Cat's eye, then gestures across the bog.
"Seek," he commands.
This extraordinary ability lets a creature detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
A creature with the scent ability can detect opponents by sense of smell, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If it is downwind, the range is 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges.
The creature detects another creature's presence but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move action. If the creature moves within 5 feet (1 square) of the scent's source, the creature can pinpoint the area that the source occupies, even if it cannot be seen.
A creature with the Survival skill and the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Survival check to find or follow a track. A creature with the scent ability can attempt to follow tracks using Survival untrained. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill in regards to tracking. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.
Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.
Water, particularly running water, ruins a trail for air-breathing creatures. Water-breathing creatures that have the scent ability, however, can use it in the water easily.
False, powerful odors can easily mask other scents. The presence of such an odor completely spoils the ability to properly detect or identify creatures, and the base Survival DC to track becomes 20 rather than 10.
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Looking behind at everyone else
So Follow my lead here, I want to jump over these things.
after falling into the muddiness, I just fling off whatever shirt was left that I was wearing and just continue on.
Nothing like a good mud bath to clear your skin up Eh Alwen? Satinder what do you think a good mud bath?
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Ayaki leaps to the first piling, balancing precariously, then braces for the second jump and falls short, landing in the thick mud. She tries to pull herself out of the muck, but finds that the more she struggles, the harder it is to free herself.
In the same moment, as if summoned by her splash, two large creatures rise from the mire, each easily the size of a large dog. They have mottled black skin and wide, staring yellow eyes, and they eye Ayaki hungrily. One is on each side of the pilings.
Initiative
Alwen
Satinder
Ayaki
Bangkha
Dantes
Chumtooth
Frog 1
Frog 2
"Meat!" Chumtooth growls, as he hurls his harpoon at one of the giant frogs.
"Cat ... kill!" Bangkha barks the order out as he rushes and jumps.
Bangkha covers 15' of the distance between himself and the creatures before falling into the bog. If that puts him in range, he will attack. Cat, being more finicky, springs onto the first piling.
Dantes steps up to Chumtooth as he throws. Once the harpoon is away, he slaps the warriors arm, bestowing some of his arcane power upon the brute.
Augment to add +2 enhancement to strength for one round, so it will affect whatever he does with his next action.
Dantes will also ready his axe.
"Damn i..." Satinder shouts as she sees the woman fall down.
Don't tell me she'll go naked again. Has she no pride?
Then the creatures appear, and she's instantly focusses on them.
Chumtooth throws his spear, and cat and Banghka charge at them. She looks around for a second, trying to find an advantageous position.
Satinder sees the frogs assaulting the center, and she goes for the flanks. Wielding her boarding pike and Kroop's butcher's knife, she wades through the mud and mirky water, and slashes at one of the creatures.
>
"And this is why you let the elf go first," Alwen sighs as Ayaki is attacked, letting loose with an arrow into the first one. "No? You're perfectly fine with trying to get yourself killed? Well tough, I'm not letting a perfectly fine rump get eaten on me!"
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Alwen reacts quickly, raising his longbow and sinking an arrow into one of the frogs. Meanwhile, Satinder leaps into the mire in a flanking position and stabs at the frog with her boarding pike, finding good purchase. The frog bellows in pain, then twists onto it's back and begins to sink into the mud.
It is very difficult to move, and with every step, Ayaki feels herself sinking further into the gripping mud. Unable to find a purchase, she begins to sink under the mud. Bangkha, however, leaps into the mud and slams his weapon home, sending the frog to a murky grave. As the mud begins to pull him under as well, he realizes that hastiness may have been an error.
Missing his target, Chumtooth uses the rope to pull-in the harpoon. He then notices that his companions are sinking into the mud, and that Ayaki has gone under.
Reacting quickly, he throws the harpoon into the muck right where Ayaki sank.
Ayaki will catch harpoon, or harpoon will catch Ayaki.
Satinder sees where Bangkha threw the harpoon, and goes to that location.
Hope he hasn't impaled her. Alwen might lose his plaything.