Ace gets angry, curses Slick's abandonment, and takes a breath before swimming down and slashing the little monsters, attacking twice and leaving glowing "A"s on their bodies
round 1
round 2
round 3
Jrahk continues swimming, oblivious to what's happening deeper in the cave.
Slickjaw continues past the grindylows sneakily, while keeping an eye out for traps and treasure.
Ace goes on the warpath and slashes one of the grindylows down.
The two remaining jab at him.
One hits, scoring a gash on Ace's side.
He retaliates angrily, cutting down another of the grindylows.
The final one, hoping to get lucky, jabs at Ace as well. His spear digs deeply into Ace's already heavily damaged form.
Slickjaw makes it across the cave area with little incident.
On the other end is a little "door" made of fetishes and string. Some of the fetishes particularly stand out among the drab feathers, string, and colored seaweed.
A hammerhead shark skull with a hunk of driftwood shoved through it's eye sockets/nose, a carved walrus tusk inlaid with gold, and a harp that appears to be made from the jaw of a killer whale.
Oblivious to the threat to Ace, Slickjaw - using some spare cloths and bags to avoid touching them - takes the stuff and swims back towards Ace.
arcane mark: spellstrike
Yes. Ace's Initiative was higher. His first attack hit (he doesn't get a second attack because he moved, you need to start remembering that Doop), and he killed it.
Ace is retroactively saved!
With all the Grindylows dead, Ace has some time to look around. One thing of note that stands out is the "leader" Grindylow that Jrahk decapitated, who is wearing a very distinctive hat, Sandra's tricorne.
Ace takes the hat, and puts it on. waiting for the others.
Ace feels a rush of nautical knowledge flow into his head, and is suddenly more comfortable in the water, being able to swim easier.
Jrahk finally makes it to the cave with Ace. He sighs in disappointment at the additional bodies in the water, realizing that he missed out on a fight.
Ace can try to identify it if he wishes.
Ace surprised with the hats power, takes it off and stares it intensely.
after that, he puts it back on, liking the powers it bestows.
Ace also asks the Orc if he has any healing potions.
It is a minor magic item known as Besmara's Tricorne.
It grants the user a bit of better capability in the art of sailing and swimming.
If you're a follower of Besmara, it also has another ability. Once per day you can shout the command word and throw it down, transforming it into a small ship's boat, such as the jolly boat you came in on.
The boat comes equipped with a single sail, two oars, and enough space for 12 passengers and crew. It lasts for 8 hours, at which point anyone still inside will be dumped out. It can be ended prematurely by speaking another command word.
Ace mutters "Hmm, Sandra's Besmara hat, if only Cyridic was still here to see this"
"It was nice knowing you, friend."
You drag the corpses back to the undead creature.
He chows down...quite messily and with great relish and when he finally finishes he gives you a grin, pieces of entrails still hanging off of his sharp teeth.
Having done so, he belches and then begins to talk.
"Thank you. I was quite hungry." he says with a grin.
"My name is Arron Ivy, formerly of the good ship Infernus, pleased to meet you."
He leans back and grabs a leftover grindylow tentacle to munch on slowly, and explains how he came to be here.
He was a sailor on a Chelish ship called the Infernus (so were the other creatures you killed earlier, they were the ship's whores). The ship ran aground on Bonewrack Isle, and things quickly went south.
The captain of the Infernus was transporting a small pack of ghouls, which he used as shock troops. The mosquitoes and botflies on the island quickly started becoming carriers of the disease Ghoul Fever once they started feeding on the undead things...and the results you've already seen. It transformed most of the crew into Ghouls after killing them, and the rest were killed and eaten by either their Ghoul-ified crewmates or the natural fauna.
Ivy himself survived for a while, as you saw with the corn field he planted and the warning heads he staked out (former crew members all), but eventually his luck ran out. He was infected with Ghoul Fever, and tried t take his own life. Unfortunately the Chelish Hangman's Collar he used wasn't set properly, and so didn't snap his neck OR properly choke him, and so he died of the disease and rose as a ghoul. Or, as some might recognize, a Ghast, a more powerful version of a Ghoul which can emit a sickening stench to debilitate their prey.
Jrahk coming so close afforded him his only opportunity to break free, and the rest you know.
"So...," he says, picking his teeth "You've got a ship, have you? And you've shown you're willing to scratch my back, so why don't I return the favor?" he grins and brandishes his sharp and bloody claws.
"I'll help you finish doing whatever it is you're doing on this island, in exchange for a trip off of it. I can stay or go as I please, depending on how much you interest me. Keep me fed with this infernal hunger of mine and I could be quite the asset to you..."
Ace takes a potion of cure mod. wounds, and drinks it.
"Do we head back to the ship now? Have we got everything they need?"
Turning to Ivy, Slickjaw says "A few questions. Are you still coordinated enough to man a boat? Can you swim? How fast can you run? Do you need to breath?"
Ace does what slick wishes, and hands him the flask.
"Do you know where is a food, asides from your conr, on this island?"
Ivy looks at Slickjaw and attempt to answer his rapid fire questions.
"I was coordinated enough to do a backflip off a man's shoulder and land perfectly balanced while hanging by my neck from a rope, so what do you think? Yes I can swim, I can run just as fast as anyone, and no I don't need to breathe."
At Ace's question, Ivy looks at him like he's retarded pensively.
"I dunno...right there?" he says, pointing towards the spring you broke into the compound to access in the first place.
"Not sure, really. I doubt you'd be fond of Grindylow and man flesh. The corn may be your best bet, though the Grindylows could have fish or something stockpiled for all I know.
"Hey Mr Ivy, you know anything going on with that cove/cave over there?" asks Ace, pointing to the cove they emerged from.
"I do believe that there are still quite a few gingerdoes in there that you can eat"
"You mean Grindylows?" he says, scathingly.
"I thought you were supposed to be an arcanist of some kind. I was under the impression that you had to be intelligent for that. Guess I was wrong."
After he finishes insulting Ace, he replies to his question.
"Yes, I'd imagine there's quite a few left in there. It's their home, after all. I'm not quite hungry again. Yet. But I did agree to help you, so I'll go wherever you wish me."
"What next? Go back in and deal with them? Wait here and heal up?"
Ace also shows the things he took to Ace and says "See if there's any magic on any of these."
"Right, Grindylows, I can never remember that word"
Ace casts detect magic on the items.
Only one of the items is magical, the piece of driftwood jammed through the shark's skull is a Wand of Mirror Image.
The rest of the items (skull, tusk, and orca harp) are merely valuable, though on closer inspection the walrus has a map of the Shackles carved into it.
"Ooh, nice, a Wand of mirror image, I think it can be handy at times" said Ace as he examines the driftwood.
"What next? Go back in and deal with them? Wait here and heal up?"
"We heal now."