Bjorkus considers the guards' curious behavior. "You question every group that comes through here like this?"
The tiefling ignores Bjorkus as he continues to look at Dalton expectantly.
Dalton originally hadn't been paying attention to the inquiries, but as the voice is directed at him, he pays it mind.
"Hire? Don't be ridiculous." The wizard laughs. "I've done some favors for the captain, and this is one for me. You'll never make any coin if the coin itself is all you shuffle around."
The tiefling nods. "Yup, you're a merchant alright. Welcome to Pine Lake." He and the lizardfolk part their spears and step aside.
Inside the moderately sized desert town is bustling. The races are varied, but most of them are darker skinned. Barefoot children run around and sweating laborers pass by. A market street to the right beckons, full of shouts of smells and people.
Dalton noted the similarly-different race of one of the guards. "Thank you for your welcome," he said to both of them before his gaze focused on the scaled one. "I've only met one of your kind before, one sailor on this vessel. He is of the Redscale Tribe, and I imagine he's a long way from home. Do you know where it would happen to be for him? He was not there since he was young."
Once they're inside the city gates, Bjorkus nods to the crew present. "You've got your orders. Take care of yourselves."
Noticing that their presence was drawing a bit of attention, the bull nods toward his friends. "Unless you've got some other business to see to I think it'd be a good idea to find a place with some shade and cool drinks to pass the time. There's too many eyes driftin' our way and this isn't the kinda place you want that kind of attention."
”I completely agree Captain Bjorkus,” Rilka says. ”Best to lie low, have a good drink, and, in my case, enjoy being on land.” Smiling, she tracks some of the kids as they run around. ”Though the market would be worth a walk through. See what’s available.”
The next day, the party is walking out of Pine Lake, rented horses heavily laden down with supplies. Luthor rubs at his sore jaw and scowls back at the town as a different pair of guards close the door behind him.
The Raging Storm makes its way back on the open ocean. Three days pass in relative ease, nothing happening beyond a scare one night at what turned out to be a school of fish. But on the morning of the fourth day while the pirates are rigging the sails, Kal climbs up over the side of the boat with a grim look on his face. "Bad news captain. Desolate Bay is churning, pretty bad. We can try to skim past it but it'll be risky. Going all the way around will cost us at least two days."
In an effort to help Luthor shake the pain in his jaw, Bjorkus shares some rum with his life-long friend while he catches him up on where he'd been, what he'd killed, and who he'd taken to bed since they parted those long months ago. "I'm glad to home but it's a big world out there", the bull explains. "Who says a bunch of sods like us have gotten limit ourselves to the sea?"
***
Bjorkus nods in understanding of Kal's report. "Our timing's s%*+ but the Bay's always a danger 'round this time of the year. We're not in a rush and we've got plenty of food. I'm not up for riskin' the Bay if we don't have to. Set a course to go around the damned thing but keep an eye out for ships lookin' to take advantage of the situation. You know we've used this place as a huntin' grounds plenty of times."
He reports the news to Dalton next time he sees the mage.
"Let Ninnec know next time he's in touch that we're gunna be a couple days late. Desolate Bay's actin' up and I'd rather not risk the Storm in her if I don't have to."
With the decision made to take the longer but safer route, the ship changes course to head further east to avoid Desolate Bay. The day passes without incident; indeed not another ship is even seen. As the sun starts to pass below the horizon, Luthor approaches Bjorkus. "Don't see any dry land out here captain, think we should try to just anchor in open water overnight? Might want to set a watch."
"That'll do", Bjorkus says in agreement to Luthor's suggestion. "But double the watch tonight. Like I told Kal, routes like this are ripe for ships lookin' for an easy mark."
Rilka has found that watching the sunset eases her sea-sickness momentarily. As the colors of the sky change she focuses on that beauty. By climbing halfway up the rigging, she gets a good vantage point that’s out of the crew’s way. She understands how some people could get enamored with this life. The vast sky and ocean dazzling with deep oranges, red, and violets and later when the sun was gone allowing a pale luminous glow to diffuse. The reflections from the churning waters of Desolate Bay are especially mesmerizing.
Hearing the comment about the watch, she glances from the sunset for a moment to ask, ”I guess there’s no way to hide on the open sea? Even a small patch of fog could be suspicious.”
It's a moonlight night, the waters easy to see. In the dead of night during the second watch, Kal is hanging off the boat by his ankles when he suddenly sits up and frowns to the northwest. "Hey, you guys see that?" Chubwart squints then shakes his head. "Bah, you seeing things." Kal shakes his head and points. "Something big under the water there, definitely heading for us..."
Toramin looks where Kal is pointing, but is unable to see anything. Still, he knows that Kal has proven a reliable man in the past and trusts his judgement. He leans over and wakes Rilka. "Rilka, Kal says he sees something underneath the water in the northwest."
"I wouldn't be so worried about hiding. It would seem the sea's natural creatures have it in for us moreso than the artificial vessels sailing upon it!"
Dalton was half-jesting, but it was clear to him they needed more protections for those supposedly-niche situations. During his short jot in town, he'd poked around for just such the occasion.
The wizard nodded to Bjorkus. "He knows we are traveling a long distance; I imagine his courier would be there for a few days, but I'll let him know."
Rilka rubs the sleep from her eyes. She ties her belt to her hips as she hurries from the hammock. ”Glad you got me, Toramin” she whispers as her barefeet navigate the steps and the deck. Seeing Kal, she goes over to him, wondering if Dalton knows of any spells that allow one to see better through water. That would be useful for sailors, she thinks. Peering into the water she looks for traces of a wake, bubbles, or fins.
Rilka sees it alright. A massive shadow underneath the water, slowly circling the boat. It looks like it's leaving some kind of murky trail behind it as it moves. It's definitely some kind of living creature.
Toramin pulls out his chain. If there was going to be something that attacked them he wanted to be ready.
He scans the deck for Ianna.
It takes Toramin a moment, but he sees the large shadow. Something almost the size of the boat, it's slowly circling while leaving a murky trail behind it. Every few seconds it speeds up for a second before slowing down, as if it's pulsing forwards. There's no doubt it's a living creature, but what it is and its intentions one can only guess at.
Toramin remembers that Ianna is down in the hold sleeping with everybody else, although in her own corner with a sheet up for a bit of privacy.
I doubt that is blood. This is dangerous.
The dwarf moves over and rings the watch bell.
Dalton stirred at the sound of the bell.
He yawned and stumbled to his feet. "If it's not one thing, it's another," he mumbled.
It took him a moment, but he stumbled to the deck. No sound of combat. Maybe it's land? Maybe a shipwreck?
Everybody is awoken by Toramin, and come up to see the same thing. At this point the shadow is on the east side of the boat, and the murky trail is around more than half of the boat.
Bjorkus wakes with a start when the deck alarm bell starts ringing. He nudges the girl curled up against his side, who groans in protest, before grabbing for his loincloth and blade. After securing the simple garment around his waist the bull heads for the deck, leaving Zandra to finish dressing.
"What the hell is it?" he asks as the dark shape moves under the ship. "Maybe some kinda giant squid?"
”The dark trail might be a signal, attracting others to the ship. Or maybe a means to slow us down, trap us.” Rilka muses as she tries to remember what she knows about ocean animals that may prove useful. After a moment she drops from her tip toes and runs to find a bucket.
”Toramin, can you use a spell to scoop up some of the trail? I’d like to see it closer. It might be flammable.”
Peering down into the water, Dalton did not like the look of a great shadow. It could be docile though.
"Give me a moment. I will try to see what he, she, or it is thinking."
Looking over the ship, Dalton allowed his mind to step out of his own thoughts. It attempted to wrap itself around whatever lurked beneath...
"I cannot cast any such spell," Toramin replies in a bemused tone.
Ianna's curls tumbled from her crown wildly. She runs her hands through them distractedly as she moves closer to her brother.
”What? Didn’t I say Dalton?” Rilka asks shaking her head looking between Toramin and Dalton. ”Lack of sleep compounded with sea-sickness, I guess. Er, sorry Toramin. Dalton, I like the idea of absorbing the creature’s thoughts, but do you think you could get a bit of that dark substance as well?”
Round 2 Dalton detects 1 thinking mind in the middle of the shadow. It has the intelligence level of a typical humanoid.
Round 3 Dalton is unable to read the thoughts of the creature
In the time it takes Rilka and Dalton to scope out the creature, it has finished a full circle and the murky trail completely surrounds the boat...and it continues circling. At this point the crew starts whispering to each other.
"The hell is that?"
"Oh s#+!, oh s!%$, we're gonna die."
"Shut up! It's nothing we can't handle...right captain?"
"That ain't right, it has to notice us by now. Why's it still circling?"
"What's with that murky trail? Funny smell too."
"It's the devil of Desolate Bay, coming to punish us for going around!"
"I should have gone off with Lu, not come out here doing Besmara knows what."
"Is it playing with us?"
"What the bloody hell is it waiting for?.."
Dalton glanced over at Rilka, her statement interrupting his telescience.
"I could get a very small bit. However, it may interest you to know what lurks beneath the waves is of average intelligence: It is no beast in mind, but is as sharp of wit as many of the crew."
The mage peered back into the water. "I'll do my best to get a bit of the stuff. Hold open your flask if you could."
Nearly comical, Dalton gestures in the air, trying to keep a tiny bit of the fluid afloat with his telekinesis. The mage grew frustrated quickly. "What boat doesn't have a damned bucket?! Or a cup! If I had an ale mug, we could get this done before sunup!"
Bjorkus waves one of the crew over with the requested bucket and offers it to Dalton/Rilka.
"We're gunna be sodding fine", the bull explains when the crew begins to mutter. "We've been through worse. One sea monster in the night is nothin' to get your panties in a twist over."
At Dalton's explanation of the creature's intelligence, he gets an idea. "I'm gunna try something."
He closes one huge hand into a fist, whispers into it, and then blows through it. Suddenly a gust of wind picks up directed toward the water.
Common: You have our attention. Signal if you need help.
Draconic: You have our attention. Signal if you need help.
Giant: You have our attention. Signal if you need help.
The instant Bjorkus's whispering wind reaches the creature and he says "You have our attention" in common, the shadow bursts out of the water in a huge spray that soaks everybody on board. As they try to clear the water from their eyes, they realize there's more than just water on them. Thick, hot blood is dripping all over the boat and from everybody on it. Then everybody gazes up to see what has risen from the depths.
The creature is nightmare inducing. It's well over fifty feet tall and looks to weigh at least a hundred tons. It looks like something out of a Kuthanite's holy text, a natural creature that has been mangled and torn apart and put back together so many times that any semblance of sanity or life has long been stripped from it. The same blood covering the party and crew drips from the creature, running over hair and teeth and open flesh and exposed bones and rotting organs in a truly gruesome display. The creature's red eyes stare with a unquenchable desire for blood at the morsels before it.
Truly, it has never been so humorless to see a platypus.
The ravaged creature gives a roar that would wake the dead, and the murky trail suddenly flings out of the water along with all of the loose blood on the ship. With a sweep of it's massive hands the blood starts whipping around violently, creating what can only be described as a tornado of blood. It stings and burns, but more than that it's blinding and panic inducing. Screams of pain and panic fill the air as terror and confusion sow chaos through the crew.
Rilka
Dalton
Crew
Enemy
Toramin
Bjorkus
Ianna
Ianna - Blind, 2 damage
Bjorkus - Shaken, Blind, 2 damage
Rilka - 2 damage
Dalton - Shaken, 2 damage
Blinded The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone.
Shaken A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Frightened A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Bandu - Frightened, , 2 damage
Kal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Chubwart - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Zirul - Frightened, 2 damage
Aisha - Frightened, 2 damage
Zandra - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Gabby - Frightened, 2 damage
Axen - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Seg - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Opal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P1 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P2 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P3 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P4 - Frightened, 2 damage
P5 - Frightened, 2 damage
P6 - Blind, 2 damage
P7 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P8 - Blind, 2 damage
P9 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Covered in blood, Rilka is able to shield her eyes with her left arm so that the tornado of blood isn’t blinding her. She can see a good number of the crew is blind and terrified. Discounting the stinging pain, she asks, ”Dalton, do you have magic to stop the tornado?”
She glances at the companions close to her. Toramin’s face is covered in blood and it looks like he’s blinded. ”Toramin, it’s just me!” she yells over the sound of the battle. She pulls off her shirt, turning it inside out and wipes Toramin’s face, hoping to clear away enough blood.
"Tornado!? NO! Do I seem like N ... ACK ... Nethys to you?" The wizard spits the fleshy squall out of his mouth. What IS that?
"Weigh anchor!" Bjorkus shouts over the crew's panic. "We've gotta move the Storm outta this s$++. Aisha get men on the cannon!"
The Captain's words are laden with authority and a bit of magic.
This creature has been augmented in some way to be this immense size, but it's also what is known as a Bleeding Horror. They are created through a ritual with an artifact known as the "Axe of Blood", and it imbues upon them a supernatural intelligence and unquenchable desire for blood. They are resistant to positive energy and have spell resistance, and magic is required to overcome their damage reduction. On top of that they can cast a long-dead spell known as bloodstorm, and when they claw a living creature they absorb its life to heal themselves.
Though unable to see it clearly now, Dalton had a semblance of an idea of what they faced.
Bringing his hands together, he cast a spell on himself to get out of the whirling nightmare.
Rilka starts trying to clear the burning blood from Toramin's eyes. Dalton casts a spell on himself and moves up, getting out of the bloody tornado. The crew breaks and flees, screaming bloody murder and running off in a blind panic. Two of the pirates hold their steel but are still blinded by the blood and they run to the tail of the boat to escape the whirling blood. When the first one escapes he looks up, and the massive paw of the platypus swings past in a dull whumph noise. His body completely crumples under the blow in a sickening display and his mangled corpse is flung nearly fifty feet from the boat. The other pirate moves into the clear space without getting attacked. The rest of the crew abandons ship in a blind panic, bumping into each other and screaming and falling into the water. Besides the one pirates at the west end of the boat, only Luthor remains. He roars at the crew. "You bunch of yellow-bellied cowards, get back here!" He shakes his head and Bjorkus feels himself being pushed out of the blood. "Here, you need to get this back in order." He tries to wipe the blood from Bjorkus's eyes.
Whumph...crack! One massive bloody paw swings at Rilka, but instead of hitting her it cracks against the boat and wood breaks underneath the powerful blow. Whumph! His other paw clubs the blinded pirate in front of him, cracking bones and showering blood as another mangled corpse goes flying off the boat. The blood from the two pirates it killed seems to absorb into the creature and make it pulse red. Meanwhile the tornado of blood continues to burn at Toramin, Ianna, Rilka, and Luthor.
Toramin
Bjorkus
Ianna
Rilka
Dalton
Crew
Enemy
Ianna - Blind, 3 damage
Bjorkus - Shaken, Blind (1 round left), 2 damage
Rilka - 3 damage
Dalton - Shaken, 2 damage
Blinded The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone.
Shaken A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Frightened A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Luthor - 3 damage
Bandu - Frightened, 2 damage
Kal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Chubwart - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Zirul - Frightened, 2 damage
Aisha - Frightened, 2 damage
Zandra - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Gabby - Frightened, 2 damage
Axen - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
Seg - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Opal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P1 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P2 - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
P3 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P4 - Frightened, 2 damage
P5 - Frightened, 3 damage
P6 - Dead
P7 - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
P8 - Dead
P9 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
”I’ll be fine”, Bjorkus says interrupting Luthor’s efforts to wipe the blinding blood from his eyes. ”Haul the anchor up. We can’t fight this thing with that damned spell takin’ up the entire deck. We’ve gotta move the Storm”, he explains.
"We're bringing her around", he says after his vision starts to clear. "This sorta thing happens all the time. Be ready to punish that ugly bastard."
Toramin steps out of the tornado and cleans his eyes with his free hand.
He stands ready to deflect the attacks directed at his fellows.
Ianna calls upon her goddess for succor. "Goddess, please cast your grace around me."
She then moves to F7.
It barely resembles its original form now!
Platypi usually resided in muddy rivers and their banks, but this one was in open water, far out of sight of shore. Clearly an abomination, its natural life had been so stultified, so twisted, its motives were anything but normal. Destruction? Death? What more could it want?
Presently, the motive was irrelevent. It had to be put down. Flying away from it, the blimp of a wizard conjured his extra hand. He knew this would be no easy task though. It is resistant to magic. Hopefully, its size will be the end of it though. After all, with a body so large, there were many crevices for Dalton to insert his hand...
Rilka remembers a hike during boot camp when mosquitoes chewed up her arms and face. She knows that enough tiny wounds can deter beings of great size. How am I going to get to it? she thinks doing a quick survey of the rigging, as the tornado of blood swirls around her. I think I can use that rope as pendulum, combine it with the force of wind...
She rushes towards it while downing a spider climb extract.
Toramin steps out of the bloody tornado and clears his eyes, then sets himself up against the immense horror before him. Bjorkus clears his eyes and runs back into the storm, getting next to the anchor in preparation of getting the boat moving. Ianna cloaks herself in protective magic and moves next to her brother. Rilka looks up the main mast and sees a perfect rope to allow her to perform her daring act. With a quick drink to magically augment herself, she climbs up. Dalton casts a spell and feels it suck at his life force as a spectral hand appears before him. The majority of the crew continues to flee from the undead bleeding monstrosity; indeed it seems wise since the only two who haven't run are floating mangled corpses. Luthor runs next to Bjorkus and grasps the anchor chain with a determined look.
The platypus roars and raises a massive paw as it gazes down at Ianna...then shakes its head and turns to Toramin. Whumph...crack!...Whumph. One paw cracks into the boat, breaking timber underneath the shattering strength. The second comes down hard on top of Toramin with the same weight and power that mangled the bodies of the previous sailors...but the sturdy dwarf stands, one armored arm held up over his head, body trembling with the effort of holding off the strength of the creature. The wooden planks underneath Toramin crack from the pressure and he feels his armor twisting and digging into his flesh, but he weathers the blow without injury. The platypus brings back its paw and for a brief moment looks in shock, then its red eyes flare up in fury as it realizes it has been denied. Meanwhile the burning blood continues to swirl, burning the flesh of Rilka, Bjorkus, and Luthor.
Toramin
Bjorkus
Ianna
Rilka
Dalton
Crew
Enemy
Ianna - Sanctuary, Blind (3 rounds left), 3 damage
Bjorkus - Shaken, 5 damage
Rilka - Spider Climb, 6 damage
Dalton - Flying, Shaken, 2 damage, 4 hp in spectral hand
Blinded The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone.
Shaken A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Frightened A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Luthor - 6 damage
Bandu - Frightened, 2 damage
Kal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Chubwart - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Zirul - Frightened, 2 damage
Aisha - Frightened, 2 damage
Zandra - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Gabby - Frightened, 2 damage
Axen - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
Seg - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Opal - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P1 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P2 - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
P3 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
P4 - Frightened, 2 damage
P5 - Frightened, 3 damage
P6 - Dead
P7 - Frightened, Blind, 3 damage
P8 - Dead
P9 - Frightened, Blind, 2 damage
Bjorkus grips the chain tightly and takes a deep breath.
Rilka grits her teeth as the stinging blood rains around her. Nothing to do now but hope fortune is on her side. Gripping the rope she leaps, feeling the rope grow taut after a moment. As it reaches the farthest part of the arc she lets go and shouts, half battle cry, half enthusiastic burst of optimism.
Taking a part out of Acera's book, Dalton looked into the dark arts for aid. Focusing a curse upon his ghostly appendage, he sent the hand with a black shadow around it towards the predatory platypus.
Unlike something the necromancer might have hexed upon the unique monster, Dalton only sought to pervert the path of its thoughts to actions. You will have a difficult time making your corporeal form do much now. What did your master have in store for you?
"Goddess, I beg you; shield those I love and weaken those who would do them harm!"
Ianna casts Prayer.
Toramin swings his chain at the undead monstrosity, drawing on the earth's power to lend strength to his blows.