GM Zero/GL's Giantslayer! (Inactive)

Game Master GM_Grandlounge

"That's fine. If I have chosen good investigators then I won't he a suspect for long."

Alright, where would you all like to start your investigation for the day?

"That's fine. If I have chosen good investigators then I won't he a suspect for long."

Alright, where would you all like to start your investigation for the day?

Does this mean we're jumping ahead to the next day, or are we starting an investigation on the same day as our drake expedition? Kioshi wanted to huddle about our plans once we were all in the same place, so I was waiting for other business to conclude and for all of us to meet up at dinner or something.

Same day as the drake fight as that happened in the morning. That was Bloodtusk dismissing the group so they could reconvene and get to work.

All right, for the sake of moving forward, I'm gonna cast Collect Party in One Room

Lidia was sitting cross-legged in her bunk, enjoying a goodberry brought to her by Ben, when Kioshi and Thyste walked in.

Kioshi informs everyone about his conversation with the captain. ”So what do you think we should do!?“ he asks the group.

Lidia shrugs, sucks the last of the berry juice off a dirty thumb and starts to speak.

"Well, we've searched this ship pretty well already. We went through everyone's belongings, found the tools, found out about a big white ape in the armory. But that gets us no closer to finding out who sawed through the railing."

"It's possible there's nothing to find. It might just have been a random act of vandalism by a bored half-orc. Or the saboteur might have done it before this boat set sail, and stayed back in Trunau. But it's more likely that the guilty person is on this boat, is targeting us, and will keep trying in a way that won't reveal them."

"So, I think we need to keep searching the boat. The better we all know it, the better we'll be able to spot something out of place."

"Most likely the person we're looking for will try to do things on the sly, possibly at night. We could consider taking turns on watch up in the crow's nest, just watching the deck. Or even just taking turns watching here in the crew quarters while we sleep. But I'm guessing they won't come for us here. Too many animal guardians on watch over us here."

"Basically we have to wait for the person to make another move, and try to catch them in the act, or find some clue afterward that incriminates them. It's too late to do anything about the railing incident, in my opinion."

As she talks, she scratches her cat's chin, looking down at the animal instead of at the others.

"Actually, Lidia, I was thinking the same thing. We have three options: question the crew members, search the ship from bow to stern, or hide and observe. Let's compare notes about where we have searched and map out a plan. Kioshi, you are in charge of that. Identify every location we need to search and systematically mark them off after the place has been searched. I can do some of the searching as I think I'm pretty good at that. Thyste, you want to start questioning sailors? See if they have noticed anything odd? Lidia, you seem good at disappearing. Care to take on the task of being the spy?"

Ben looks at Ulretha a while, struggling over which task to give him that would cause the least problems. Hiding is right out with his mob of beast tagging along after him. Diplomacy is not his suit, strong or otherwise, unless he beats it out of them. Not a good idea. So searching....

"And Ultretha, you can probably sniff out anything hidden."

I'm not sure how thorough we were searching the ship. Where HAVE we searched other than the captain's room, the sailor's quarters, and the galley? I think we searched the hold but I'm not sure, nor do I know ships well enough to systematically list where we should search.

Here are the rooms. A1. Main Deck ✓ (quick scan): A2. Stable:.A3. Forecastle: A4. Galley ✓: A5. Crew Cabin ✓: A6. Chart Room (entered not well searched): A7. Bloodtusk’s Cabin ✓ (not footlocker): A8. Pilot Deck: A9. Cargo Hold ✓ (searched for tools): A10. Coxswain’s Gangway: A11. Rowing Banks: A12. Armory (Smell of white gorilla):

This should be pretty up to date.

Officers:

Bloodtusk
Coxswain halrex first mate

Crew members:
Barka, Gashnakh (cook),Ghorza, Krothu, Oorug (Fisherman), Sharg, Taug, and Urul.

Thanks a lot GM!

Kioshi interviews the team and then gets some otherworldly help to put the list together.

“So this is the current situation! I would suggest we really all get going together and then investigate each room! We should all look properly!“

I would suggest we take 20 on perception or if not possible all roll perception for the all the areas as we go in together.

I'd say: take 20 on Perception wherever we're not being observed (given that it's effectively taking 20 times as long and always seemed pretty conspicuous to me) and roll it when we're in common areas that other people are in.

"I can ask a few questions, sure," grins Thyste.

Ulretha growls as Lidia mentions letting the incident with the railing go. She wasn't the one who almost drowned and got eaten by crocodiles. But, since he's laying on his back, looking up at the bunk above him the whole time the conversation's going on, it doesn't seem like he's irritated or offended enough to do anything about it, either her comment or the act of sabotage.

"I can ask some questions, too," he says, finally sitting up, his voice low and rumbling.

"And we should look around at night when everyone else is asleep. That will give us more time and no distractions. And if we don't tell anyone, we might catch the culprit trying it."

Thyste's schedule jumbles around in her head. She's going to have a hard time getting enough sleep...

"The Captain has made it clear that he doesn't want this investigation of ours to be common knowledge. If we troop around the ship in a group and search each room with a fine-toothed comb for half an hour, people are going to notice. And I'm not even sure there's going to be anything to find. If we'd searched just before the saboteur damaged the railing, all we would have found would have been a normal ship with some tools right where they belong."

"I recommend we all just move around the ship individually and observe things as best we can, and not make it look like we're doing anything out of the ordinary. We just have to hope we get lucky enough to spot something, I guess."

"I agree. Split up and search, though I also agree that more eyes is better, so just because one of us has searched a location it doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be searched by anyone else. I think I'll check out the White Ape in the Armory, though I think I'll do that tomorrow after preparing a couple of appropriate spells. Right now, I think I'll pay a visit to the rowing banks."

Ben, puts actions to words and heads out to search the rowing banks. Taking 20 for a 30. If anyone asks, he will tell them he lost a ring when he was rowing.

Lidia goes up to the main deck and looks around.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

Kioshi does the same as Ben in the stables and in the kitchen where he has worked in the last days.

He looks through everything and if asked pretends that he is helping Ben search his ring.

Take 20 perception for a 27.

Ben and Kioshi you find a few crew members rowing their last shift of the day Coxswain Halrex a hard looking full orc who seems to run a tight shift.

"You lost your what now? Ya fine look around but don't get hit with an ore, ore else."

You both spend some time looking around with the two of you you are confident that there is no dropped evidence and very little chance of a hidden compartment he that could conceal tools or the like.

If you don't say. I will be making my best guess as to the type of evidence you will be looking for in each place. If you want to look for anything else feel free to elaborate and I will add that to the investigation. I won't use this as a way to trick you into missing something.

Ulretha lounges until the others have left. And then a little more. Then, with a sigh, he hauls himself out of the bunk and heads toward the front of the ship.

He doesn't know the fancy boat name for the part that he searches but he's pretty sure it hasn't been searched yet, so he gives it a once over.

He's entirely too lazy to take too much time doing it, though.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Ulretha finds this whole searching thing boring and gets distracted. Maybe he can trick himself into treating in like tracking but surely he would need to rest to do those mental gymnastics.

While Kioshi is meticulously combing through the stables, Lidia wanders over, apparently bored with her own search of the deck. She doesn't speak to Kioshi, instead sidling up next to one of the large horses, murmuring to it soothingly as she makes her way past its flank to move to its head to pet its blaze and tenderly rub its muscular jaw.

"Have you ever ridden a horse?" she suddenly asks Kioshi.

A little surprised to see Lidia he answers hoping she meant him.

"Ehh ... I was sitting on a horse a couple of times. But I am not really good at it."

Lidia smiles a little, still patting the horse tenderly.

"I never have. At least I don't think so, not really. I have a vague memory of sitting in front of my dad on a saddle when I was really young, but my memories from then are pretty fuzzy. I'd like to I think, but I don't know if they really mind. The horses that is."

She pauses, still intent on the horse, then speaks again.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." she says quietly, and her cheeks flush deep red.

Kioshi smiles at first but then looks at the floor.

"Ehh ... I am used to people not really liking me so that is fine I think. I just hope we find out what is going on here. Nothing in the stables or in the kitchen unfortunately."

Lidia nods and starts to retreat but stops herself like someone grabbed her by the shoulder. Then she slouches in defeat.

"It's not you. I was mad at myself and took it out on you." she says. She shrugs and struggles to put the next bit into words. "I'm not always really good with other people. I spend a lot of time alone."

I'm going to let Lidia and Kioshi keep RPing this a little longer because it's a nice scene, but feel free to keep exploring .

Kioshi nods and wants to say something but he is too shy and it really is almost too much that she talked to him.

He awkwardly looks at her.

"Ehh ... well I ... eh .. leave you to yourself then." he finally says looking at the floor again.

As in move on to the second explore action? I'm kinda thinking of the explores/questionings/scouting missions as 'rounds' of actions. We all do one, see th eresults, then do another, rinse and repeat until bed time. Is this not the case? Just keep posting things we do until you tell us to stop.

"Good. Cause I still think you're a witch." says Lidia, who then huffs off the deck.

Oddly, the cat doesn't follow her. It stays and sits, looking at Kioshi, and lets out a single ragged mewl.

Having discovered nothing of interest in the forecastle, Ulretha ambles largely aimlessly round the ship. He sees a room he hasn't been in and heads for it.

It's full of lots of boring papers, but he searches through them...and everything else for something valu...incriminating.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

On leaving the main deck, Lidia goes below feeling a little confused and embarrassed with herself. She makes her way back toward the armory. So far everything on the ship seemed pretty normal... except for a collectible white ape in the armory. Once there, she goes over the walls and the floor carefully, looking for anything out of the ordinary or suspicious.

Perception in A12: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

Ben, different areas take different amounts of time, based on size and complexity, so if everyone post were they intend to look some people may be able to cover more rooms by either doing a quick look, being specific in their search or checking out smaller rooms.

Ulretha the process quite boring. His eyes become blurry as he tries to read over the paperwork. He concludes that either the whole operation is a sham or Bloodtusk is the most honest businessman he has ever seen.

Lidia looks around the most notable thing she observes is that the ape's noises are not those of sleepy breathing as was described. This creature is stirring but groggy. You hear drawn-out grunts and the creature falling against the bars of the cage.

Lidia listens in quiet fascination and with obvious curiosity. She checks the door to the gorilla room to be sure it's locked still.

If it is, she goes back into the rowing room where Ben is 'looking for his ring'.

"Hey." she says to him quietly. "I was just in the armory. I think that gorilla is waking up. They're basically peaceful creatures, right? I don't know much about them."

"Peaceful?! Well, depends. I don't think this one will be all that happy. We better let the captain know first thing. If we have to subdue it, things could get messy. You go tell the captain and I'll see if I can keep it calm."

Ben rushes off to the armory to see if he can calm it down long enough for the captain to arrive. Does he see any of his mates along the way?

Ben you see Ulretha and you can hear it thought the door.

Sorry Thyste I missed your post. Let's catch you up

Thyste, Krothu and Oorug are eating currently and are available to talk.

I'd been kind of snoozing on posts lately, in fairness :P

Thyste grabs some hard tack and plops down beside the two. "Goooood afternoon, folks," she offers, nibbling on the edge of her square. "How's boating?"

"Peaceful?! Well, depends. I don't think this one will be all that happy. We better let the captain know first thing. If we have to subdue it, things could get messy. You go tell the captain and I'll see if I can keep it calm."

Lidia nods and dashes off to find the captain.

"Excuse me Captain. You had mentioned some ... unusual cargo in the armory? I don't think it's as well secured as it should be, it seems to be moving around in there, if you get my meaning?"

Lidia the captain says, "Go to the kitchen and grab Gashnakh then meet me at the door in 5 min. Got it?"

Thyste, the two half-orcs look at you quizzically, "Boating is fine, less a dragon attack and some crocodiles. You enjoyin' the trip?"

Lidia doesn't have to be told twice. She dashes off to find the cook.

"Gashnakh! The captain sent me. The ape in the armory is waking up. He said for you to meet him at the door in 5 minutes!"

Lidia will accompany Gashnakh back.

As he passes Ulretha and his pack, Ben calls out softly, "Come with me. I thinks someone shorted the ape his drugs and it is wakening. If it rouses completely, we may have a fight on our hands. But if we do, try to take it down without harming it seriously. If we can do that. I hope we can do that."

Ben leads the way to the armory, Little Buddy obliviously following at his heals, and pauses at the door to listen.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Thyste shrugs. "It's certainly been eventful, but then, so has the whole... previous week or two, I suppose."

Her eyes twinkle, and she turns, taking a quick swig of grog.

"Hey, you wanna hear a joke?"

Regardless, she immediately launches into it:

"So a family walks into the office of a talent agent in Cheliax..."

Perform (Comedy): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

[REDACTED]

"...and the talent agent asks, 'What do you call yourselves?' And the father puffs out his chest and proudly declares: 'The Aristocrats!'"

Unfortunately, she giggles through her entire joke. It would have been a lot better otherwise, for sure.

Was half-hoping to use Comedy in place of Diplomacy here to improve their attitudes toward me :D

Ulretha falls in line with Ben and Buddy, his own animals falling in line with him. Despite his grumbling over being crocodile bait, he perks up when he hears that the ape may be waking up. Facing whatever it is will undoubtedly be much more interesting than this searching.

"Right...don't hurt it," he says with a snort.

As they go along, he pulls his hammer out of its loop and spins it in his hand idly.

Kioshi again wants to try to access the chart deck as well as the Pilot Deck and asks the captain if he would put in a good word so that the crew in there allows him in and accepts him.

"So Captain, just a quick summary: Nothing found in the galley or rowing banks but I'd like to access chart deck as well as the Pilot Deck? Any chance?" he asks carefully.

Lidia Gashnakh grabs some herbs and vails from a small chest before saying, "Ok I'm ready to go."

Ben, you hear the same thing a large creature roused bu clumsy.

Thyste miss that the joke is an inside joke, among like-minded comedians and not typically for the public. The punchline lands like a bag of bricks.

Kioshi the captain is clearly distracted when you approach, "We have other things to do. Come with me."

Lidia leads to cook to the armory.

Thyste holds her face at a silly expression for a moment, then lets it fall.

Shoulda gone with the ol’ Shartsy the Gnome bit. Half-orcs ALWAYS love that one.

Clearing her throat a bit, she returns to a more normal conversation.

”So, you two know each other before you signed up with the Cap’n?” she asks.

Krothu looks at Oorug, "Ya, we're cousins basically raised together wanted to be sailors since we was kids."

Lidia, Gashnakh, Bloodtusk, Koishi, Ben and Ulretha all arrive outside the hold.

Thyste you see Lidia and the cook leave the kitchen running off.

"Seems like whatever sedative you're using isn't working anymore," Ulretha comments to Bloodtusk.

"I got something that always works," he continues, slapping the head of his hammer into his palm slowly and repeatedly.

"Maybe someone forgot to give today's dose to it? Or maybe it just needs more?" offers Lidia helpfully.

Thyste looks at Lidia and the cook taking off in a hurry.

She takes a swig.

”I’m sure it’s fine.”

”So, cousins! That’s nice. Always someone to have your back. I can’t knock it—there’s plenty to like. On the boat, I mean. Sailing has a certain... romance to it, doesn’t it?”

Once the captain get's there, Ben asks,

"Ready to open the door?"

If he gets an affirmative, he opens the thing and pulls out his over sized axe.

"Don't hurt it." Lidia says to Ben quietly. "It's still disoriented and probably scared. Let's try and keep it calm if we can."

I think the door to the ape room is locked?

Thyste, the half orcs start laughing. "We are not cousins. Do we all look the same to you?" You look closely them and they do look remarkably similar. They could be brothers but you can't tell which way they are messing with you.

Gashnakh says, I brought the sedative and food. I can give it more and that should put it out.

Bloodtusk opens the door. "Try to keep everyone from getting hurt."

This four-armed, gorilla-like creature, covered with matted white fur, roars in rage as it rears up to its full, towering height.

Knowledge arcana please.