Ialda bashes away with her greatclub, not taking any mercy on the half Orc. "I never really liked you anyway, but I wouldn't wish the yellow musk on anyone."
Attack
Damage
Actually, the creature formerly known as Faruq is slow as molasses and as easy to hit as a tree so Ialda's blow connects, crushing the creature's melted skull and ending its existence.
"Captain, we need you to go with us to see what has happened back there. I dread to see what Faruq has done. Get some of the others to toss him overboard immediately. We don't want the yellow musk to spread."
Ialda detects magic on him first, wanting to take whatever was useful, and give it to either the Captain or someone who was close to the brute.
"Not just dat Ialda. We should find dat plant!" Keeping his bow in hand, Baolo heads for the top deck to see if he can spot the plant.
Actually, Gruug came from below deck, so I assume you head there.
Gruug's leather armor and a potion on his belt glow magical on his corpse.
Who is in lead?
Captain Esteban is in shock over the events and he gets on his knees and cradles his dead friend's head in his lap. He looks at the party, "Please whatever you need to do, kill whatever did this to Faruq."
Belsiard casts Mage armor and comes behind the two me lee fighters
2 days later, Bel, so you have your full repertoire.
Actually, Gruug came from below deck, so I assume you head there.
Gruug's leather armor and a potion on his belt glow magical on his corpse.
Gruug will recite a quick prayer to heal himself and will head down the stairs... probably taking the lead.
Ialda hops behind Gruug in line. She carries her magical club. "Captain, you'd better get him overboard as soon as possible. I figure he'd want you to have his magical armor and his potion. The Yellow Musk will take this whole vessel, if it isn't dealt with now. I'm sorry."
Baolo waits for Gruug and Ialda to take the lead. Then stalks below deck with another arrow waiting in case the plant is lurking below.
Bel will stealth as well he chews on a piece of leather to keep from talking
The party heads below two decks, following the drops of blood, that lead to Faruq's room. In the open doorway, lies the lifeless husk of Aero, her spine apparently severed, presumably by Faruq's falchion. As you head into the room, you are not surprised when the green vines and flowers that cover the walls of the room come to life and gather to form a large bulbous brown sac with hint of yellow gas around it (Medium creature).
Yellow Musk
"Aero, no!". Ialda screams at the top of her lungs and moves straight through to engage the plant.
Attack with power attack rage
Damage
Ialda rushes in and lands a devastating blow on the plant, nearly destroying the sac in one blow!
Belsiard angles a spray of fire at it Ref 18 for half
Plants hate fire! Bel says as if he actually knows something
"Oh no mon, not Aero too!" Baolo snatches a pair of normal arrows and sends them flying at the plant.
The yellow musk is caught by the gnome's acidic spray and its vines and flowers collapse, inert on the floor.
See! Plants hate fire
Bel walks over and sniffs at and is obviously considering tasting it
"I can't believe that bastard caught Aero...she must have been sleeping! She'd have never let her guard down that way." Ialda was beside herself with grief for her friend. "This whole trip has been cursed..."
"Ya can say dat again Ialda." Baolo kneels over Aero's corpse and says a blessing of Shimye-Magalla over her dead body, a wish for her soul to be hurried on to the Boneyard. Standing he spots Belsiard thinking of having a taste of the plant and puts a hand on the gnome's shoulder. "Speak to da cap'n. Dat plant is not safe ta eat. We shud burn it."
"Bah, it all my fault. Me should have killed him earlier... me knew him was gunna' be trouble!"
Gruug lowers himself to one knee and removes his holy symbol of Sarenrae, and says a prayer for his fallen comrade.
"Aero spend so much time look'n at them stars, me wish there was a way to send her up into the sky. Hrmm... maybe we burn her corpse and let her ashes drift upwards towards the sky?" Gruug shrugs.
"Me really not sure how elves like to be sent off."
You fought with him before? he says as he sadly steps back from the salad
"That would probably be a nice thing, Gruug. I bet Aero would have appreciated that gesture. She did love the stars, didn't she?"
"No fights, but Gruug had a bad feelin' 'bout Faruq from da start. I tink Aero would like dis idea. Let's say goodbye."
You sure I shouldn't eat the salad? And how did salad get on the ship?
"No salad. Dat is a good question 'bout it tho Belsiard. Da kecha nacha can move, but not quick. Mebbe it was already here." Baolo looks around for any evidence of where the plant came from.
Bel frowns then pulls out his strip of leather and starts to chew on it.
Baolo's search turns up the root of the plant in the bowels of the deck of the ship and he realizes that if left untouched, the plant would have regenerated itself in a few days. Thankfully, cutting out the root kills the yellow musk for good.
The party has a cremation ceremony for Aero and Gruug, just to make sure the latter will not rise as an undead. Captain Esteban says a few nice words of how loyal Gruug was as his second in command and wraps it up, spreading his ashes in the sea, as the half-orc would have liked.
The somber party, having lost one of its own, continues its journey down the river. Captain Esteban also seems determined to reach his goal as soon as possible and he pushes the riverboat past dusk and into the night until....
Rounding a bend in the night-shrouded river, you suddenly see a welcoming sight: On the left bank is a break in the monotonous jungle wall, revealing a clearing and low hill. Built up at the edge of the river is a large structure—part dock, part fortress. Its many windows are ablaze with lights, and you can see crossbow armed guards walking along the covered pier. A shrill whistle sounds from the top of one of the watchtowers, and soon there is all sorts of activity as people gather at the dock. At last, you have arrived at Nightfall Station.
Guards come on to the ship, ignore you all, salute the captain and begin unloading the crates. The Captain leads you into the Station House, and the first thing you notice outside is that spaced at intervals around the clearing are sharpened stakes, upon which are mounted the heads of slain wild elves in various stages of decomposition — some little more than jawless skulls — presumably posted as warnings to the other elves.
Baolo has a look around the station, "Hope dere are no swarms here mon. Just elves from de look of it."
Belsiard collapses into the station.
Food! Need food! Can't go on!
"Dey must 'ave a cookpot around someplace. Let's look."
Bel grabs onto Baolo's leg and lets him drag him towards the cook pot
Thrynn walks up to the 'sailors' as they disembark and asks, "What is the name of your vessel and who is her Captain? My companion and I seek transport to Eleder"
"Greetings, I'm Ialda and our Captain is Captain Esteban over here. He's piloted the vessel down the river. How is the fort holding out? Those damned wild elves have harassed us the entire way."
A somewhat bedraggled figure was on the docks, holding a a stick with a fishing line in the water and sucking on a pipe with nothing to smoke.
When the riverboat approached the dock, he scrambled to his feet, dumped the stick and helped moor the boat and fix the gangplank.
"Ahoy there! Evenin' to ya all; Spinnaker Jon be my name. Nope, we're all still here, no thanks to Paracount Sardon's expedition. Stirred up the natives something fierce he did. Could be why ye ran inta trouble with the elves hereabouts." He said in a friendly manner.
"Ah, not ta be nosy or anythin', but are ye by any chance headin' back ta the sea? Or the harbor at Eleder?" He asked hopefully.
"I reckon we will be heading towards Eleder sooner rather than later. I'd bet the Captain would give you a lift, if you'd help us man the vessel for guard duty. There's those elves, there's swarms everywhere, and those awful four armed apes...one of those about tore me from limb to limb."
. Bel wails as he grabs his belly w one hand while holding tight to Baolo with the other
"I tink de swarms, swamps an' disease has affected ma friend Ialda. We hired on ta stop de elves here. Cap'n thought it would take 'bout a month. Then we head back ta Eledah. Mebbe if ya all help we can go back sooner. But befah we talk about dat, where is da cook pot. Our gnome here is starvin'"
"Pots over this way." Thrynn walks toward the eating area. "I would gladly give my aid if it would mean we could leave sooner. And if my aid would go towards battle, that's more the better." Gorum's holy symbol is prominently displayed on his chest piece as well as on a pendant around his neck
Happy to be off the cursed ship, Gruug smiles pleasantly as his feet hit solid ground. The half-orc eyes the strangers warily, but after hearing their conversation with Ialda, he judges them not be an immediate threat.
Somewhat abruptly, Gruug blurts out, "Me need ale... lots of ale!" He walks off rapidly looking for the nearest tavern.
Bel histrionically moans and groans and Baolo drags him to the pot, once he gets there he takes a huge bowl of spiced stew, adds more peppers to it and starts to devour bowl after bowl, he begins to sweat from the heat but eats more then he leaps up and starts running around like a chicken shouting
HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!!!!!. Before he stands still and sends a foot of flame straight up into the air
Better! Who are you? he says to Thrynn
Baolo laughes at the gnomes antics, "Hey mon, I know ya hungry but slow down next time."
The war-priest chuckles at Belsiard's antics. "You may call me Thrynn. he responds.
Thrynn Belsiard says and he literally chews on the word for a bit. Tasty! Are you coming with us? What do you do? Where did you come from? Do you have any good riddles? Can you cook? All the questions with the exception of the last one come out rapid fire.
Thrynn looks down at Belsiard in confusion as his mind sorts through the questions. "Yes. I am devoted to and blessed by Our Lord in Iron. I travelling the world seeking to test my metal. I am from the east. No." He pauses a moment trying to respond to Belsiard's last question with the same sort of gravity with which it was asked. "I fear that I have no talent for the culinary arts. I hope that you will not hold that against me."
Spinnaker Jon grinned.
"I'd be happy ta sign on with yer crew ta get out of this hellhole, no questions asked. I'm sure Thrynn would as well." He said, looking over the vessel with a critical eye.
"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you boys. We can always use more members. Trouble seems to have a nasty habit of finding us, no matter how often we hide from it. Speaking of which, does anyone know if there is any alchemist's fire for sale here? Those jungle swarms about did us in several times!"