Bhru cautiously head's down the flight of stairs to the lower deck, pawing away sweat and blood. As his targets come into view he charges at them from behind,
The armored spikes slam into the man from his momentum,
Renac follows after Bhru, curved sword still held in both hands. As he gets to the lower level he steps behind one of the guards flanking with Katigar. He goes to slash at the guard with decapitating slash.
Finding himself suddenly alone with the final dock rat as his mates rush down the stairs, Kellan decides that a gap between himself and his foe may be in his best interest. He hefts his crossbow and hopes his spell is enough to guide the bolt true.
He's now close to the still hovering torch, wishing he had time to deal with it but maintaining his concentration despite snaps of pitch near his face.
The thug swipes at Bhru as he runs past, but misses.
Below, the dwarf tackles a man from behind, tearing him to shreds with his armor. Renac follows quickly in his wake, and cuts down the last man below decks.
Topside, Kellan's bolt slams into its target, causing a vicious, but nonfatal wound.
In the hold, the smell of fresh blood, mingled with the smoke, drives the caged critters into a panicked frenzy. Heralded by the snapping of wooden bars, one of the cages breaks apart, releasing its captive. A man-sized, spider-like creature hisses at you all, fangs glistening.
Katigar lets out a deep sigh of exasperation at the sight of their new threat.
Noticing the group is looking a little worse for wear, Katigar moves to Bhru skirting around the bodies strewn the ground and keeping one eye on the spider. Trying to navigate through his armor spikes, she places a hand on his shoulder and attempts to heal him.
Ukufa barely has time to curse her own sloppy technique before a searing pain stings her side and the shadows enclose her vision.
She crumples to the deck and lies still...
Regardless who gets healed, the spider skitters forward to attack:
The creature strikes Katigar with one of its barbed pedipalps, dragging her into its embrace and tearing to her flesh with its vicious fangs.
A grappled creature is restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. Grappled creatures cannot move and take a –4 penalty to Dexterity. A grappled creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, except those made to grapple or escape a grapple. In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform.
Above deck, the last remaining of the scurvy dogs, clutches at the crossbow bolt protruding from his side. He glares at Kellan, trying to calculate his chances of landing a blow before another crossbow bolt flies his way. Deciding the odds are not in his favor, he chooses to make a swim for it and leaps overboard.
Kellan is stunned as the injured man flings himself over the rail but not as stunned as he imagines the half orc below is... He carefully takes aim attempting to do his part in bringing this monstrosity down.
As the beast engulfs Katigar, Bhru steps forward attempting to run it clear off her,
Don't smash 'er 'ead Bhru, 'it the beastie..
Bhru leaves his feet, diving straight into the melee, hoping to tackle the spiderbeast,
Renac see the spider attack and looks to Ukufa bleeding out. He lets out a quiet curse as he steps to engage the spider and help Katigar.
Katigar feels a cool fang pierce her side as the beast embraces her with its giant legs. She winces in pain as the edges of her vision start to blur and darken...
On the deck the Touv warrior begins to breath slowly, but continues to lie still...
Kellan's arrow slams in and Bhru's impact causes the creature some pain, but it stands its ground. Renac's swing goes wide in the melee.
The creature drops the limp form of Katigar and attacks Bhru,
It envelops Bhru in its clutches but the frantic dwarf manages to keep its fangs at bay.
28/35
Kellan realizes his first shot was something of a miracle, his remaining options are desperate. He calls on his academy tumbling training and...
Drops comfortably to the deck neatly flanking the creature.
Somehow his memories trigger another impulse and instead of attempting to draw his mace he drops his crossbow, and reaches out to touch the leggy mass in front of him transferring his brand to the creature.
Bhru flails as the spiderthing launches itself at him after it's fangs screech off of his armor he punches wildy at it,
'Gggggrrrrah!!'
Renac continues his assault hacking away at the creature trying to sever its legs.
Struggling in the creature's grasp, Bhru slams in a mailed fist, spraying ichor, while the stench of burning insect carapace mingles with the smoke already drifting from smouldering cages. In the chaos of the melee, Renac can't seem to find his footing.
The creepy crawly tightens its clutches and sinks its fangs into Bhru's torso, sending waves of agony though his body.
Ufuka and Katigar groan softly.
15/35
Bhru swings violently as its fangs find purchase, blood and ichor spewing as he connects,
Renac coughing and visibly angry with his inability to hit goes to slash at the creatures face. Stepping to make sure he flanks with Bhru.
Unable to see beyond the mass of legs, abdomen, and smoking hair, Kellan rolls with his mysterious impulse, hoping whatever God or Gods that branded him will guide his hands in his task (and any companions left standing in theirs).
Fire and steel prove more than a match for the creature's spiky carapace. Thrashing in its death throes, the arachnid sprays its foul juices all over Bhru, still trapped in its clutches, before finally lying still. Even in death, its pedipalps still cling to Bhru, their spines and hooks anchored fast in his flesh.
The remaining cages hold smaller critters, none of which appear to be in danger of escaping, despite their agitation at the blood and viscera that now paints the hold.
Renac is his only companion initially visible over the mass of limbs and ichor. Bhru only comes into focus as he attempts to extricate himself from the dead beast. Tossing a wink at Renac, Kellan stows his buckler and moves to assist the Dwarf escape.
"Hold up friend let's get ya free.
Bhru grabs firm on the beastie and rips it off himself,
'Gah, git off me!'
As Bhru pulls, his flesh begins to rip...
Bhru staggers as the deed is done, spitting out some of its gooey entrails,
'Not e'en close!
He stumbles over to Katigar pawing at her pockets he mumbles to himself,
'where is it lass...'
pulling out the small vial he begins to dribble it in her mouth,
The bloodied dwarf tries to calm the animals in the cages,
'Eeaasy now birdos, nothin' to be 'fraid of 'ere...'
He looks back to his beaten companions,
'We better git what we came fer then?'
Katigar rouses from unconsciousness, slowly opening one eye at a time and looking around the room which spins slightly around her.
"Seems like I missed all the fun then..." she manages to croak out.
She turns her attention to Ukufa who still lies motionless beside her. With great effort Katigar lifts herself onto an elbow, pain searing in all her joints, and places her hand on Ukufa.
Kellan's eyes follow the dwarf as he explores. The birds squawking at the suddenly tender dwarf is enough to keep his nerves firing at peak levels. Kellan calls the torch hovering above the deck down to his hand to aide in their search.
Praise the shadows that marked me, the ladies are stirring. This hold gives me the creeps. "Let's get what we came for before another nasty jumps us. I hope those blasted ferrymen haven't gone rogue."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A quick survey of the hold turns up little other than the contents of the cages: An exotic collection of birds and small furry animals of the kind often kept as pets by the well-to-do. The rest of the ship turn up little other of note with the exception of a small battered chest that doesn't fit the decor of the rest of the ship. Inside is a sack of coins bearing the Vanderboran seal, most-likely the missing mooring fee. Of the missing signet ring, you find no sign.
Riffling through the fallen you turn up 30gp worth of miscellaneous coins on top of their combat equipment, most useful of this being a half dozen light crossbows.
I guess discretion is out. I sorely hope that our ride is still here. This mess will be awfully difficult to explain away as it is...
"Well friends with discretion out the port window... I think we best do some damage control. I'd say dumping the bodies is our first move, except this beasty, that'll provide some explanation for the row. I'm guessing Vark was one of the cowards to jump overboard and he may be back with reinforcements or possibly the Watch... I'll head topside and see if we still have a ferry or if they've turned into some potential witnesses on the loose."
Kellan heads up the stairs and looks about the gloom for their hired boat or wounded dock rats.
'No explainin' or dumpin' necessary lad, this is Lady Lavinia's problem. We got rid of 'er problem. This is her boat afterall'
Bhru kicks the chest softly,
'Best bring this back to 'er.. maybe somethin' to be recovered after all.'
Bhru grabs the small chest and heads to the deck with Kellan.
Renac helps look around saying a small prayer over each body. He picks them up and tosses them over board. As he finishes he comes to the group and looks to the group as they are assembled. “Keeping the bodies helps no one. Might as well give them a place upon the bottom to sleep. Looks like once we get this back to the shore we have to find our missing man, Vark still needs to be found.”
Ukufa calms rises, nodding her thanks to Katigar while she rubs the side where the thug's blade almost sent her onto an audience her Mistress.
She listens, then speaks in her usual flat tone;
"Discretion. Gold will seal the lips of our ferrymen."
The Jasdian huntress gestures toward the strewn bodies;
"Discretion. Dispose of corpses."
Then moves to where one of the dead lie;
"First, rites must be observed."
Kellan is preoccupied looking for something to weigh the bodies down when he hears Renac tossing the first body over board. He looks at the rope he'd found, drops it unceremoniously and moves to awkwardly help the Paladin with the last body. Renac clearly didn't need the help but Kellan makes a graceless show of it in order to avoid acknowledging the prayers to Wee Jas by the hunter.
"I'd half a mind to weigh them down but I'm sure these won't be the first shadow blasted and bloated corpses fished outta this harbour. Thanks." A wink to Renac, and then to everyone he says, "The ferrymen are gone unfortunately... Anyone find anything else down there or are we ready to head out?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The party sets up an efficient assembly line to despose the corpses. Katigar and Bhru lug the dead to the railing, Ukufa performing simple Suel funeral rites over the dead and Renac pitching them into the briny deep.
Her duty to the dead compelted, Ukufa takes a crack at looking for the signet ring. Checking the captain's cabin reveals a hidden panel in the head board of the captain's bunk. Inside the small cubby, is a heavy gold signet ring with a small rolled sheet of parchment threaded through it.
Chimera looks to sunrise
cyclops looks to sunset
Medusa looks to sunrise
Umber hulk looks to sunset
Basilisk looks to sunrise
Prize in hand, the party lowers one of the ships longboats and heads back to shore.
The party passes the remaining hours of the night Before returning with their prize to the Vanderboran manor.
Lavinia is overjoyed with your success in retrieving her money and finding her father's signet ring. "I knew you were the right people for the job. I hope it didn't prove too difficult."
Renac is friendly with Lavinia and offers a complete story of what happened, with a shade more implication that they were aggressive towards us before things became deadly.
The parchment would be copied or committed to memory before being presented to Lavinia alongside the signet ring.
Ukufa stoically nods at critical points to corroborate Renac's telling of the story, before addressing their host directly:
"The parchment. Does its words have meaning to you?"
Kellan knuckles his forehead in acknowledgement of the lady's gratitude, content to observe her reaction to Renac's version of events and wait for the answer to Ukufa's question.
Listening to Renac recount the events Bhru is content.
'The lad speaks true, all we need is a place t' rest and the gold ye promised Miss 'Vinia, unless there is more ya be needin' us for?'
Lavinia listens intently as you recount your escapades on the Blue Nixie. While shocked by the violence that you describe, her face hardens into look of grim determination.
"Definitely the right crew for the job. I'll have to get some cleaners on board, it sounds like you made quite the mess."
She turns her father's ring over in her hands and looks at the note. "I don't have a clue as to its meaning, but if you found it with the ring, there must be some connection."
"Speaking of the ring, it will allow me to access my family's vault and pay you the agreed upon fee. But before I head over there, I have another proposition for you. I'm quite impressed by your work and would like to offer you my patronage. I can offer you each a stipend of a 100 gold pieces per month and in return you would act as my agents and bodyguards. It might not be much, but being in the service of one of Sassarine's noble families can provide an individual a certain level of protection and open doors for them that might otherwise be shut."
"What say you?"
Having lost his status as the son of wealthy merchants Kellan could see the potential in having a noble backer to aide in his quest for retribution. A few months should be more than enough gold with the payment already owed to set him up for some time to pursue his "balancing of the scales." Although... Lavinia's patronage would be a boon even for a month or three but her motivations remain unclear. That skirmish she set us up for was not exactly lawful, she too may require some balancing.
"I have been searching for some balance in life, entering your service would provide some structure and much needed coin. I can certainly see where your patronage might be of benefit as well. However, so far your task for us has been exceptionally dangerous and judging by the compensatory offer on the table, we shall be facing more of the same. I believe I can accept should you be willing to cover some, if not all, of the cost of healing for wounds acquired in your service? We have several wounded already..."
Bhru jabs Katigar as the monthly wage is offered,
'Don' got t' ask me twice Miss.'
The beaten dwarf salutes half heartedly,
'Bhru at 'ur service.'
Katigar finally wakes from her near trance after feeling a heavy jab to her thigh- wondering how it was that she got back to the manor in one piece. With her energy spent in nursing the physical and mental wounds from her battle with the spider, the last few days had been a blur of pain and confusion. She looks down at Bhru.
"If the dwarf's in, I'm in....but there better not be any more spiders involved. And I agree with the human...I have sustained substantial wounds from your last little task..."