Turngut listens somewhat, but with all the big words and length sentences, he resolves to ask Poppo about what everyone was talking about later. Instead he munches happily on some of the most scrumptious food he's ever had.
Do you guys say anything else to Belis or do you want to wrap up the dinner?
Poppo sits quietly, trying to take in all the new information and also getting sleepy from the heavy meal.
You guys conclude your dinner with Lord Belis Ormaris after heavy conversation and heavy eating. You head back to the Nomad slightly slower after having gorged yourselves. You have a restful night and wake up bright and early luckily this time you are not awoken by an explosion. What would you guys like to do? Head on toward the ruin Rashengrad to complete the contract you were given?
You would know that today all the masterwork weapons you ordered are ready. Masterwork Silver Estoc, Masterwork Silver Heavy Mace, Masterwork Silver Cestus, Masterwork Cold Iron Cestus. You are able to pick those up on your way out of town. Is everyone good with heading to Rashengrad?
The reforming of the frostfang was going to take a week. Will we be able to return for it after Rashengrad? Otherwise, ready!
Poppo trails behind as the others head to pick up the newly minted weapons. His mind lost in the conversations of yesterday, I never choose to be an adventurer, but I guess that's what I am. The day I stowed away on that ship, I was just trying to live. But I guess it was the start of an adventuring life. Poppo thinks long and hard about what that really means. The world was a dangerous place and he had a mind to do what he could to make the world a better place. But how could that ever be, I'm just a little halfling, what business do I have being an adventurer. I could never be so brave as Loram Waterblade.
As they reach the shop, his mind shifts to other things. Hey while you all pick up the weapons, I'm just going to duck around the corner.
He hustles to a nearby fruitstand he had noticed the other day. Opening his bag wide, Filler-up! He says point to the oranges, Who knows how long it will be till I can get my hands on some more of these delectable little treats! He tells the merchant.
May I have yer name young master halfling? All the business you've been giving us has really helped us get by. Thank ye! the fruit merchant thanks Poppo.
Hey! Don't think you can leave with out taking me with you! you hear a familiar dwarven voice say as you begin to leave the tavern. Thraduik Brune stands there, holding his crossbow and wearing some new garments more fit for the Heartland than the cold mountains. Been a few days sitting around the tavern I think it high time I stretch my legs, if you'll have me along.
You guys set off on the two day journey to Rashengrad. The first day you travel back through the familiar town of Tallfield, a large majority of the tourney tents and stands have since been torn down. After passing Tallfield you start to head North toward the massive body of water which you know to be called the Heart. You know you have to cross the Heart to get to where you're going. But before you can think of how one would do this you see a decent sized barge docked on ready to take across the giant lake.
Living in a small shack next to the pier is a strange creature you've never seen before. He could be described as humanoid but far different from any of you more bestial and goatlike. The creature stands at about six and a half feet tall upon hooved feet. The creature notices you but pays you almost no mind making no hostile moves toward you.
You can give me a knowledge local or nature to see if you know what this creature is.
The creature known as the Vatyr can be described as a humanoid goat. Usually friendly unless provoked the Vatyr prefer to live in nature instead of big cities or even small villages. While it is legend that Vatyr were born from an evil queen from the Undercity this is false. Vatyr have been around for as long as humans and some say the Vatyr even pre date humans. They are however very rare and potentially close to extinction.
When provoked Vatyr are very dangerous goring people with their horns and going into a primal rage. Some Vatyr never come out of this rage and go feral, because of this many Vatyr try to live peaceful lives.
The name's Poppo Hedgehopper and it's my pleasure, I'm not sure why but I have a real taste for Oranges, it's kind of a constant craving. Poppo tells the merchant and then merrily goes on his way. Hopefully, I'll be back to town in a week or so.
I feel safer now that your along, Thraduik. Poppo earnestly tells the dwarf.
-----
Once near the pier, Poppo has know idea what the creature is, but assumes it drives the barge.
Well met there, do you pilot the barge?
The goat man looks down at Poppo curiously, moves his head back and then again moves in close to look at the halfling. The goat pauses for a moment looking at the rest of the party but keeping silent. Quickly and without pause the goat man trots over to the barge and prepares to depart.
As the goat man trots away, Poppo shoots a funny look to BobE, like what was that?
|
Nalia has no idea as well what or who the creature is.
Looks like this is the pilot....Hello, my name is Nalia and my friends and I are heading to Rashegrad. Is that someplace your boat can get us closer to? And what's the going rate for passage? Nalia speaks sort of slowly, not knowing if the creature understands common, but thinking if she speaks slower that it will help.
You can tell that the goat man listens but he does not respond to Nalia and continues to prepare his barge. He then motions for the group to get on the boat.
Turngut walks along with the group and is quite chatty on the way to Rashengrad. At the barge, he looks curiously at the goat-man and narrows his eyes when the man doesn't respond to Poppo or Nalia. However, since it doesn't appear to be threatening and actually moves to help the party across the water.
Turngut can help! He exclaims as he leaps on the boat and looks for an ore or pole to aid the goat-man.
The goat man makes a big toothy grin as Turngut begins to help him. Then some realization comes over his face. He motions to his mouth and shakes his head before pointing to his ears and nodding. Based on his motions you would assume that the goat man can hear and understand you but cannot talk.
You all board the barge and both Turngut and Vatyr begin to row across the gigantic lake. The goat man points to the other side of the lake at a large forest in the distance. He then points to Nalia and points again at the forest and draws an R in the air with his hand. Getting across the lake is slow going and at only about halfway across the lake it starts to get dark. I need perception checks from everyone.
You glance around at the darkness surrounding you, only hearing the gentle waves of water against the small barge. Then you see an eerie light in the distance coming from underneath the water. The glow of eyes glare back at you and move side to side ever so slightly. You can barely make out gigantic chains that connect the figures in the water to the bottom of the Heart. Then amidst the swaying of chained figures you see another pair of eyes open, not swaying. Whatever the figure is floats upward with unnatural grace then stands upon the water. The specter of a little girl stands upon the surface of the water as if it were dry land. Slowly she raises her right arm and points toward the small barge you are upon. You can just make out another figure rise from the depths and quickly starts to swim toward you.
If you made this perception check you get one round to prepare for the fight!
Rowing hard to get to the other side, Turngut stays alert. As darkness falls, he sees something to the side of the boat, stares curiously for a moment, and suddenly yelps with uncharacteristic fear.
No. NO! He shouts, with a slight waiver in his voice. Turngut no mean to kill. Turngut good orc now. Turngut try hard with new friends. Turngut good now!!
With that, he throws down his oar and grabs up his longspear. He is already wearing his 2 new cestuses. Tearing his eyes away from the small figure in the distance, he looks at the rapidly approaching wake and takes on a fighting stance. Calling to his friends and pointing with the tip of his spear: Bad thing coming. There. There!
What in the world! Poppo yells as the weird stuff starts happening.
Lookout everyone!
He immediately begins casting a spell.
Initiative Order Round 1
Turngut
Thraduik Brune
Brykolakas
Nalia
Poppo
Aldius the Boatman
BobE
Lacedon's
From the depths emerges a rotting humanoid with bluish-gray skin and blackish, unkempt hair. Its eyes are sunken and gray and its hands end in razor-sharp talons with blackened nails. Accompanying the creature are four other undead, they can only be described as bloated carcasses. Thick chains are wrapped around their legs but they have enough give to crawl aboard the slow moving barge.
Turngut you're the first to act!
Perhaps fueled by his fear-driven adrenalin, Turngut leaps into action and flies into a rage. He lashes out at the blue/grey creature as it tries to crawl aboard.
Turngut lashes out at the undead creature that begins to crawl up the side of the ship. His first attack strikes true but he quickly notices that not all his damage goes. Unfortunately his second knee strike narrowly misses the flat footed Brykolakas.
Bloody undead! Thraduik cries out Seems wherever you lot go they always follow! Thraduik fires his trusty crossbow at the red Lacedon hitting the creatures head and taking off a large majority of the flesh on the creatures skull but it continues to crawl forward.
The tall long haired humanoid figure leaps onto the boat and starts to deliver claw after claw at Turngut. Turngut defends against the first claw ducking the right hand as it quickly slashes toward him. But the second claw cuts him off guard and the creature delivers a nasty gash across the orc's chest
Nalia rushes toward the front of the ship readying an attack on whatever undead creature comes close to her. She also gets a brief glance at the tall lumbering undead with stringy long hair and recalls a little something. This creature is called a Bryokolakas, a mysterious undead that even the most learned scholars don't know much about. Some theorize that they are born of necromancy and are closely linked with lacedons or sea ghouls. You get one question.
Poppo and BobE can go
Poppo finishes casting his spell, the barge lurches as the weight shifts to the starboard side, as Turngut suddenly grows in size.
He then steps to the right, drawing his boarding axe, arcane energy surges down his arm into the weapon, and then he follows up by flinging acid at one of the sea ghouls.
Poppo sprays some acid on one of the undead right after turning Turngut into a giant the boat sinking slightly downward as he grows. Nalia would know that Brykolakas have DR 10 silver, have undead immunities, and also SR 17.
BobE you're up!
BobE channels positive energy to harm undead, the yellow lacedon and the Brykolakas take full damage but the rest only take half damage. As Beatrip moves into the flank with Turngut the Brykolakas lashes out and claws the ghostly visage . However Beatrip even with the flank is unable to hit the creature.
The lacedon begin to crawl their way onto the barge the yellow bites into the Vatyr, Aldius and rips out a good chunk of the goat mans flesh . The red one moves on board but is quickly struck down by Nalia's readied strike. The pink lacedon clambers on board and tries to claw, claw, bite Turngut but only one claw is able to scratch the orcs ankle The blue lacedon moves up to Nalia provoking an aoo from Turngut if he isn't paralyzed. However even if the ghoul makes it Nalia he is unable to hit the well armored woman.
Aldius the strange goat man boatman stabs the yellow Lacedon square in the chest but the undead monstrosity impales itself deeper on the spear to get closer to the delectable goat.
Initiative Order Round 2
Turngut (26 damage)
Thraduik Brune
Brykolakas (9 damage)
Nalia
Poppo
Aldius the Boatman (7 damage)
BobE (Beatrip: 7 damage)
Lacedon's (Red: Dead, Yellow: 11 damage)
Turngut you're up!
Turngut winces as the swipe connects on his ankle, but his orc-y-ness prevents any hope that the lacydon might have of paralyzing him. He lashes out at Blue with his longspear and then turns back to the Brykolakas. Hearing Nalia call out about the creature's weakness to silver, he holds up his right hand, shod in the cold iron cestus. Nalia looks at him with a mixture of pity and frustration and shakes her head. Shifting his spear, Turngut holds up the gleaming silver cestus. After getting the nod from Nalia, he rapidly tries to double punch the Brykolakas in the face.
AoO on Blue:
Vs Brykolakas:
Turngut eviscerate's the blue lacedon, its guts spilling out across the deck of the barge. However when he goes to strike the Brykolakas he isnt quite used to his new weaponry and misses both of his attacks.
Thraduik your dwarven companion drops his crossbow and draws Dholl's old greataxe. I'll finish the blighter off! he yells as he moves toward the yellow lacedon. Unfortunately he misses as he slips and nearly falls on the guts of the blue lacedon Bugger! he yells out.
The Brykolakas lashes out again at the massive orc but this time narrowly misses both of its attacks. It lets out an auditory gurgle out of frustration, and water previously in the lake is spat onto the ship
Nalia, BobE, and Poppo you guys are up!
Arcane energy crackling down his arm as he moves into a flank with Aldius, Poppo pulls his boarding axe and takes a swing at the Lacedon .
Even with the flank Turngut still misses the Brykolakas. Nalia slashes at the pink lacedon but does not bring the creature down. Poppo is easily able to finish off the already wounded yellow lacedon.
BobE channels positive energy to harm undead finishing off the pink lacedon but through sheer will power the Brykolakas is able to avoid most of the positive energy.
Initiative Order Round 3
Turngut (26 damage)
Thraduik Brune
Brykolakas (14 damage)
Nalia
Poppo
Aldius the Boatman (7 damage)
BobE (Beatrip: 7 damage)
Lacedon's (All Dead)
Turngut you're up!
Growling with frustration, Turngut drops his longspear and attempts to grab the Brykolakas to keep it from escaping.
Grab that thing Turngut! Poppo yells as the big man tries to get ahold of the undead horror.
Turngut reaches out and tries to grab the Brykolakas out of frustration but the creature is easily able to escape the orcs grasp. The Brykolakas lets out another gurgle before disengaging and disappearing underneath the water. The camera follows the slender green haired creature as it swims downward past more lacedon's chained and reaching upward toward the boat. It swims all the way to the bottom of the Heart where the light of the moon can barely illuminate the sandy bottom. The Brykolakas swims next to a child who stands on the bottom of the lake like it were dry land. The spectral girl wears a white night gown and her hair floats ever so gracefully in the water. Her eyes a pure piercing white. She remains still for a moment not looking at the Brykolakas who swims next to her like a child seeking attention. Then in a split second the girls head snaps looking at the Brykolakas in rage. You did not bring me more friends the girl utters through the water, she holds up her hand and clearly out of fear the Brykolakas flees in terror. The girl quickly turns her open palm into a fist and the Brykolakas topples over itself its torso folding backward onto its legs. With a snap from the Girl in the Water a chain from the depths attaches itself to the ankle of the Brykolakas as it too starts to float in the water.
The Vatyr quickly picks up his oar and paddles as fast as he can to the other side of the shore. By morning you've arrived and the Vatyr is clearly thankful to be on land once. He gets a big toothy grin on his face and shakes each on of your hands. The goat man then points upward to a small group of trees. Amidst those trees you can see a very clear ruin.
As the evil dead retreats from the boat, Poppo peers into the depths. He looks back at Nalia and BobE, This place is bad, can you consecrate the lake or something? He asks them.
-------
Once on shore again he is relieved to be there. Thank you, thank you He tells the boatman. Reaching in his pouch for 5 gold coins, he offers them to the goatman.
Always pay the ferryman, I think I heard in a song once. He tells the others.
And then he begins to make his way toward the ruin.
Feeling much better after Nalia's healing, Turngut helps row across, but looks dejected that he couldn't grab the slimy creature before it escaped into the depths. Upon reaching the other side, he gives the ferryman a rib-cracking hug. Goat-Man brave to go in lake. Good Goat-Man. Be strong, fight with honor!
With that he turns and heads for the ruin. Seeing BobE falling behind with his head in his book, he grabs him by the shoulder, not unkindly, and pulls him along to keep up with the rest of the party. Come on, Wrinklebutt. Time for reading later.
The Ferryman departs accepting your coin and gives you all a nod of respect. He hops on his barge and starts making his way back across the lake clearly more at ease now that its day time.
You guys start heading toward the near by ruin arriving there in just a few minutes. While you expected to hear the sounds of pickaxe against stone and maybe a bit of conversation the ruin is completely silent, eerily silent.
But when you start to get closer you see three figures standing in clearing. They are strange figures something you've never seen before, constructs. Each on of them stands on three legs that connect to a central body, four arms are also attached to body of the human sized but not human like robot. They stand there frozen in time.
To the North West is tower slightly slanted and sticking up from the ground as if it goes deeper into the earth. To the North East is a cave entrance where you can see definite signs of recent digging.
With his spear leveled at the nearest construct, Turngut sniffs the air. Wha-what those, Hoppo? Where people?
Turngut shifts from one foot to another, ready for action, while he scans the area with all of his senses.