Over the next week, Kar is able to develop some fine maps of the general area, including the colony, the route up to the north and to the secondary beach access, the surrounding hunting grounds (with Anya's help), the add archaeological site, and the stream and reagent areas. All told, it's a pretty comprehensive map of the immediate surroundings. He also marks the location of the grindylow cave along the coast, and the choker cavern under the well, marking their entrances with a "danger" sign.
Kalathiel, during this time, grows more withdrawn and often spends his days out gazing at the sea, every now and again jumping in for a swim. He comes to Jader on the third day after returning from the reagent search.
Jader, while I think you and the others are doing important work here...I feel its not for me. I've already spoken to Ramona about some more...well, less deadly...occupations for me here. I'm going to give fishing a try, and they need a good scallop diver. I'm sorry, I...I can't do this anymore.
Jader spends his time working with Carver and learning a good bit of his trade, while Posh and Tessamine make their way about the camp, helping where they can.
Around the end of the week, when the sun is getting low, you're all feeling the sense of security now - there's been no danger all week save for some nasty insects, sunburn, and some aggressive boars. Of course...all things must come to an end. As you're making your way back from the colony town "square" a soldier comes huffing and puffing into the area. He puts his hands on his knees, chest heaving.
The...beach...we're....under....attack!
Kar helps the man stand, knowing it is easier to catch your breath if your up straight. He asks, By what? Run or fight?
Jader prepares for a fight pulling his trusty weapons out in preparation. While Kar tries to discern more information from the messenger
The man looks into Kar's eyes with fright. Frog men! He shakes his head. F-fish men! He shrugs. Frog-fish-men!
Kar lets go and runs for the beach to try and scope out the situation for himself.
Tess rushes behind, weapons at the ready.
You rush to the beach as fast as you can, coming out of the colony proper and headed to the west. You pass a few more colonists rushing away from the beach, calling out about frogmen, and monsters from the sea.
When you get close, you do indeed see what they mean. The beach seems to be filling with creatures that are coming out of the sea! These humanoids are hunched over with green skin and a wide, frog-like head with a toothy fish-mouth. One is on the beach, poking at what looks like the remains of one of the fisherman's catch - a bucket of fish. It seems confused.
Another on the beach lets out a gurgling yell and points your direction. While two more emerge from the water in the background, they come charging your way! Their odd webbed feet seem quite slow on the sand...almost like they're pedaling a bicycle that's going nowhere.
The creatures move out of the water and begin their odd gait towards the party, tridents raised and ready. One of them takes a few steps at Kar and hurls his trident at Kar.
Jader steps up next to Kar armed with his scorpion whip and attacks the frog like creature nearest to him.
Noticing the beasts' initial confusion and slowness to act, Tess wonders if she can't turn the tide on this fight in a different way. She closes her eyes and briefly contemplates the sea, that great blue. She lives, she acts in favour of it. Directly, she's been lead to believe. So maybe she could speak with its authority as well. All creatures of the sea obey the sea, right?
She opens her eyes.
A wave of salty air emanates from her and encompasses the entire battlefield. Tess is a little startled by it at first, but doesn't show it. She can tell she brought it here. This must be another power granted to her.
Jader moves in quickly, his new training seeming to bolster his senses. He flashes out his whip, but it just barely misses one of the frogmen.
Tessamine's all bursts out in a wave of power, and the creatures seem to be trying to resist her will.
Kar just steps up, words coming unbidden to his lips. Do you know what happens to a frog when they're struck by lightning?
Apparently, nothing.
Posh, stumping along behind the group, calls out his magical incantation and launches a flaming dragon at one of the creatures from afar.
Kar steps in, but his attacks are ineffective, as the frog creature dodges this way and that. Another also proves oddly quick, as it dives to the side of the fireworks, only getting partially singed by Posh's dragon.
The frog creatures move forward and attack!
One moves in, trident leading, to stab at Kar.
Another one at his side launches a series of attacks with claws, and a bite.
A second group moves in to do the same to Tessamine.
Kar wants to move next to Tessamine, but doesn't want to leave Posh in the open like that, so stands his ground and summons up electricity from the ether in an attempt to end at least one of these creatures quickly.
and and
and
So 14 on the first hit, 8 on the second hit. If the first one goes down from the first hit, Kar would re-direct the second swing at the other adjacent frog man.
Tess stands her ground as well and attacks, disappointed that her newfound power didn't quite hit the mark.
Kar slams his fists into one of the frogmen and, as predicted, the electricity arcs over its wet skin, sizzling and popping. The bludgeoning damage slapping its rubbery skin takes a backseat to the arcs, and the thing falls with smoking, slimy skin.
Tess attacks to the south, driving her trident into the beast and skewering through. The creature still stands, though, as she withdraws her trident with a slurping sound.
Jader moves along side Tess to finish of the creature she attacked
Jader lashes across with his whip and hits the creature's froglike head. It explodes under the impact, sending wiggly bits flying.
Posh fires out another dragon! But, the froglike creature once again proves quite quick enough to avoid the majority of the effect.
The creature near Tess expertly whirls around its trident to stab out again, and then leans in after to attack with its natural weapons.
The other lashes out at Kar with what looks like desperation, trying to rip and rend man flesh.
Tess dodges effortlessly and counters with her own trident attack.
Tessamine skewers the creature with her own trident - a finer copy of the creature's own weapon.
Kar slips into Snake Stance and tries to jab the frog to death with sharp, pointy fingers.
Needing information about why these creatures attacked. Jader attacks against the frogman. Knowing that he can heal the creature after the party gets it detained if it goes unconscious from his attack. Ultimately he doesn’t want it to get away
Jader seeing his whip entangle his foe he attempts to take advantage of the situation and detain the frogman without killing him
Jader slams his whip into the creature and wraps him up tight. The fellow is woozy - even more so after Kar batters him as well. He slips to the ground, and Jader follows his weight down, putting a knee to the creature's chest to pin it down.
There's enough to deal with here, potential hurt villagers and all,Kar would knock this guy out.
Presuming he's "helpless", Kar would just non-lethal him one time to make sure he can't get away.
I'll search the bodies of the others to see if I can find any clues. I wonder how many more violent tribes of peoples inhabit this strip of land.
You do a quick search of the bodies and find, as expected - several tridents. Also, you find a map...it looks to reveal the northwestern contours of the very island you're on, if the markings for the colony and the coastline are any indication.
There are a few terrain landmarks and a symbol that looks like a tower. It is accompanied by a glyph.
Tess doesn't even know where to start with the glyph, but looks at the map with interest. "We'll probably want to investigate those landmarks, huh?"
"Certainly a good idea" mumbles Posh as he takes a closer look at the glyph.
Ancient Osiriani, Aquan, Azlanti, Common, Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, Gnome, Orc, Sphynx, Sylvan
Unbelievably, this language is not in Posh's repertoire
Could I convince you to allow Craft (Cartography) in place of Linguistics?
If so.....
.....never mind.
Seeing the others stare at the map without much luck, Tess offers a suggestion.
"Let's get back into town for now and report a job well done. Maybe someone in there will have more luck deciphering the glyphs, and if not, we can just check them out and find out for ourselves."
You watch for any more of these frog men and then, finding none, turn from the beach to head back towards Talmandor's Bounty. On the way, you find Ramona, armed, with two of the colony guards. She looks relieved, but still casts her eyes about scanning for danger.
Oh, thank the gods you were here...again. I heard...frogmen? Are they...taken care of?
With a slight shrug, Posh advises "If none in camp can identify it, I'll use something from my tome to figure it out tomorrow."
Nodding to Ramona, "It's unfortunate we couldn't get them to realize their mistake. But yes, we did in fact take care of them."
Kar motions to the unconscious one. Jader had the forethought to capture one for potential questioning.
Ramona looks back at the odd creature, and narrows her eyes. Hmmm, so not Grindylows. That looks like a.... Her eyes flash with anger. Skum! That's what it's called...these horrible creatures have been known to raid human villages for breeding stock! As I understand it, there are no females in their species.
She leans in to spit in an unladylike manner ate the creature. We should kill it. And stake it's body up for crabs and seagulls to pick at on the beach. Maybe that will be a warning to any more of these things.
Kar looks at the creature in disgust, no longer interested in delving into its motives. Worse than slavers. He stalks off without protest.
So Ramona? We are not going to question it? Perhaps we could intimidate it to give us information about where the rest of its kind is? Or is it not worth the effort?
Jader looks indifferent at the whole situation as he unwraps his scorpion whip from the skum creature
"Does it even speak our language? Hm, I guess we could make it point to the map. I could try that one thing again, see if I can order it to convey to us what it knows."
Ramona spits again. Right...well, do as you will...I want nothing to do with this creature. Just make sure that it's dead after you question it. Her eyes flash with anger again, and then she adds before turning away. I've heard that they speak an old language, one from the deep and dark areas of our world. She shivers. Disgusting.
"We can't kill it now. It's been captured."
"We should do what's right...not murder those we deem lesser. And why is it such a bad creature? Because of a language it speaks?! Really?? I speak some old, dead languages too. Should I be killed?"
His face drawn taught over his features, he turns the group, "We aren't honestly considering killing a sentient creature for no reason, are we?"
Tess frowns. "I mean, Ramona did mention their tendency to kidnap humans for breeding stock. I think the language isn't the issue here."