“I think an even split of 250gp is more than fair Captain.”
Continue journey!
Captain Bloodtusk lets rip a hearty laugh-BWAHAHAHAHA! You have a glib tongue for a cripple Eng; I respect that. 100 gold and first choice of steaks tonight. May not sound like much, but wait till you taste how Gashnakh prepares them!
The crew sets about harvesting meat and hide from the massive beasts. Bloodtusk is not wrong and that night the party enjoys the best meal it has had in quite some time. Even Ghun's prodigious appetite is slaked for once.
"Pssst, Ghûn, Gashnakh is taking meat below, follow him careful like and find out why."
"Psst, Orett, come with me."
Follow the meat platters.
The unlikely pair of massive warriors are able to quietly move undetected behind Gashnakh as he carries a platter laden with drake meats down below. He makes his way through the mid-level rowing banks to the back of the ship and the armory, where he unlocks the door and goes inside.
Try to listen at door or look through key hole.
The sounds of the revelry above and the regular noise of the ship on the water prevent you from hearing anything noteworthy.
Ghûn opens the door.
Ghun opens the door as quietly as possible and sees Gashnakh giving a massive ape like beast the platter of meat. The ape-thing is in a cage, it has white fur with four arms and looks to be almost 10' in height and maybe upwards of 1,000 pounds although it sits lethargically while it is fed.
Go back up on deck an inform Eng and Daardra.
"Giant white ape with 4 arms in cage, Gashnakh was feeding."
“Hmmm that doesn’t seem nefarious but good to know.”
Does Eng know anything about this type of ape creature?
Eng just happened to have read about these creatures in a book written by a famous Pathfinder.
Girallons are among the jungle’s most dangerous predators. They are aggressive, carnivorous, highly territorial, and incredibly strong. Worse, their four muscular arms are capable of inflicting incredible damage on anything that falls into their clutches. Their exotic appearance makes them popular creatures in certain cities as attractions in gladiatorial combats, either starved and pitted against each other, or set against gladiators eager to increase their fame and notoriety. One who kills a girallon is all but assured of fame, yet most battles against these ferocious beasts end poorly for those foolish enough to attempt to single-handedly defeat one. An adult girallon is 8 feet tall, broad-chested, and covered in thick, pure white fur. It weighs roughly 800 pounds.
Girallons live in troops led by a dominant male. Solitary girallons are usually young males looking to start their own troop. Girallons are very territorial and tend to attack intruders without warning, including strangers of their own kind. Groups of girallons may attack in a line to drive prey toward a cliff or other hazard, or quietly form a ring around their target and suddenly close in.
Eng informs the party about the girallon.
If no other work to be done for the evening, get some rest.
Orett/Daardra?
Should we tell the captain about this, or do you think he knows already?
“Bet he know already, hard to sneak around with giant ape.”
Activities and rolls for the next day please.
Ghun apparently inspires Eng, who somehow does an acceptable job of rowing although much of the crew jokes that it was just really Ghun's massive thews pulling the ship along. Daardra makes another series of fine meals and Orett manages not to put his eye out with any fishing hooks.
That night as the meal is served (left over drake stakes and fish stew):
Something does not seem right about the stew. It smells strange, even for fish stew. A quick taste makes you think it could be best to stick to the left over steaks and starches provided.
Quietly to party:
“Don’t eat stew. Something not right.”
Daardra thinks back on who else worked on, or handled, the stew today.
Several of the boat hands helped Daardra that day, although Gashnakh was previously the cook and was the one to serve the meal.
Cast a couple of Mage Armor's, just in case.
Is the crew eating the stew? Anything happening to them?
The crew digs into the provided meal, stew included, without missing a beat. You can detect no change in attitude or demeanor from them or the Captain and it appears that no one else has noticed that something may be amiss with the stew.
To everyone:
“Fish stew smell wrong. Recommend you not eat.”
The crew looks at Ghun, and although they don't completely heed his warning they do eat significantly less stew than they usually would.
The next day most of the crew feels fairly sick, while Captain Bloodtusk is incapacitated with fever and stomach cramps. Coxswain Halrex-Guess we'll listen more carefully the next time Ghun speaks up. We'll need your help today. Plans are to make a delivery of arms to a Lastwall way station. Should be smooth enough, but every once and a while the Knights of Ozem stationed there give us a hard time due to our heritage.
Check on Captain Bloodtusk.
If he is alone and is appears lucid.
"How are you feeling Captain? I think you may have a traitor among your crew, when I fell from the ship the rail had been purposefully damaged. Now I'm pretty sure you're not involved because I think the stew might have been poisoned and you are sicker than anyone. If someone is a traitor who would it be?"
Eng's ministrations appear to help the Captain somewhat. Bloodtusk grunts at Eng-It's a result of all my years in the arena. When I get sick, I get really sick. Took too much of a beating back in the day it appears.
I can't imagine anyone on my crew being a traitor to me or the others. We have been through more bad scrapes than I can count and each of them owe me their lives at least a dozen times over! As you say, however, Densa does appear to be turning us a blind eye this trip. I'll keep my eyes open once I get back on my feet.
I'm sure Halrex asked you, but it would really help us if you dealt with the Knights at the waystation. They aren't a bad bunch, but most can't seem to get over their anti-orc prejudices and they rotate too frequently for us to really build any lasting trust with them.
“Yes, he mentioned it, we’ll help out as best we can.”
Move up on deck to be ready for the Knights.
Join Eng on deck.
Me too.
Right after lunch Halrex summons the party-That smoke up ahead isn't good; it's coming from the waystation. Me and a few of the boys will row you up to it and get you ashore while you go check out what's what. I don't care much for the Knights, but there gold is good.
Any actions before rowing ashore?
Cast a couple of Mage Armors.
Do we know anything about the Knights of Ozem or can Halrex tell us anything about them that might help us?
Maybe Daardra knows something?
The Knights of Ozem are a military order dedicated to the goddess Iomedae, based in Lastwall's capital of Vigil. They first rose to prominence when they helped to defeat the Whispering Tyrant during the Shining Crusade in the 39th century AR.
Since the end of the Shining Crusade, Lastwall has stayed true to its purpose, standing guard against the undead horrors of Ustalav and the savage orc hordes from the Hold of Belkzen. Both are tenacious foes and require constant vigilance in order to contain them. The orcs in particular have proven particularly troublesome for the last 700 years, having pushed back the borders of Lastwall three times since its founding. The current border has held well due to an influx of money and troops from Lastwall's southern border. It is not as heavily fortified as the Sunwall, the first border with the orcs, Harchist's Blockade, the second defensive line, or even the ramshackle previous border, the Hordeline.
Share knowledge with everyone and row ashore.
"I guess I should do the talking when we encounter the Knights. Wish me luck and keep your eyes open."
The skiff is quickly and expertly rowed towards the location of the Knight's outpost.
A broken pier rises from the gently flowing waters of the river, its pilings blackened by fire and splintered by axe. Only a few waterlogged planks remain, hanging drunkenly from twisted nails. A path leads up from the dock toward a small stone building atop a low hill nearby.
Halrex guides the skiff up to the shattered remains of the pier-We'll wait here for you until you give us the all clear.
Disembark.
follow Ghûn
Up and at em.