Nahuatl ti strongly considers diving into the water to give chase to the fleeing would-be pirates, but pauses, realizing how outnumbered she would be, despite being in her element. As she considers, the terrifying bellow from belowdecks draws her attention.
"What was that???" she asks Norveg, having noted his come scurrying up from down there in a hurry moments earlier.
"The bloody 'uge man-eatin' fing I been screamin' about fer the last six seconds, luv," the ratman shrieks. "I ain't hangin' round fer it ta eat me."
Norveg bails off the hatch and up the nearest mast or rigging like the sailor he was.
”Remember to keep an eye out for the ring!” Tragon calls out. He quickly checks the captain to see if he was holding or wearing any rings that could be the one we are looking for.
Norveg bails off the hatch and up the nearest mast or rigging like the sailor he was.
Noveg swarms up the Nixie’s mast like his tail was on fire. Moments after he exits the top of the hatch it flies open and a huge spider-like creature emerges, hissing angrily. It casts around the deck, its eyes taking in the party
Tragon quickly rifles the pouches of the pirate captain. He has no ring on him, and just a handful of random coinage in his money pouch. No rings on his fingers. He might have it secreted elsewhere, but there is little time to search more thoroughly, as Tragon is the closest person to the newly-emerged beast
Brawl rd 4
22: Tragon searching
21: Norveg up the mast
17: Taishe pending
15 Spider creature On deck
7 (+4): Narl Pending
7 (+3): Nahuatl ti pending
4: 13 Spider Holding action
"Oh, My. That is a mosst fearssome looking creature indeed."
Taishe observes calmly.
"The esscape of the otherss iss mosst, unfortunate. Ah well. Nuhuatl, can you usse your water rush on the creature?" The kobold asks, plucking a vial from his belt and drinking it in one swift motion.
"Oi shoved it around below wif a good gust o'water," Norveg yells helpfully from his perch. The thrashing of his tail clanks his tailblade against the wood of the mast. "Or frow a body at it; it eats folks, loik."
”Giving it something to eat besides me would be good,” Tragon agrees.
Narl will again move towards the closest opponent and touch them with the cold necromantic energy.
The pirate he touches will needs to make a fort save DC:16 or lose 1 strength point
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Staring down the monstrous creature, Nahuatl ti's hair begins to float as if she were fully submerged underwater, drops of after rising from all over the deck, flowing toward her as she makes a violent gesture, sending a powerful stream of water slamming into the insectile horror
So could Narl reach the spider creature? if so he will do that with his chill touch spell.
Brawl rd 4
22: Tragon searching
21: Norveg up the mast
17: Taishe move to near creature
15 Spider creature On deck
7 (+4): Narl Chill touch
7 (+3): Nahuatl ti wave on!
4: 13 Spider Holding action
Nahuatl ti’s blast forces the creature back towards the rail. Narl prepares to touch the creature
Narl runs over and slaps the creature
The creature roars at the touch of chill magic
Having moved closer to the spider-like creature as both Nu and Narl assault it with magic, Taishe takes advantage of the creatures distracted roaring to hop in, and add his own insult to injury,...
Taishe’s sword finds its mark, but the poison seems to not affect the creature
Norveg scrambles out a yardarm over the creature and brandishes the holy symbol carved into his hook hand at the monstrosity.
"Die, ya horrid thing!"
[dice=fort]1d20+5
Taishe’s sword finds its mark, but the poison seems to not affect the creature
Taishe gives a small draconian smile as his tiny sword finds it's mark, which fades as the spider-creature remains upright.
"Well,... Poop."
Heedless of his life-threatening wounds, Tragon wades into the fray and cuts at the spider with his cutlass.
Tragon hits, and the creature shrieks and dies, it's legs twitching
Norveg swings down out of the rigging and hustles to the foredeck to see if any of the sailors are climbing up from the dinghy.
The pirates are currently rowing madly away from the Nixie. A few never made it on, and are swimming for shore. They seem like the fight has gone out of them
"Roit, they've scarpered. Let's foind the shiny."
Taishe wipes a fleck of blood from his rapier before sheathing it silently.
"Musst Ssuggesst, tying up unconscious one before we forget. He will not ssleep overly long."
"Does anyone recognize this s creature? it iss fasscinating."
Taishe goes to tie up the sailor he conked with his sling stone. The joins the others in searching for the ring.
"Let uss begin in captains' quarters. Mosst likely place for owner to hide something secretive and valuable." The kobold advises.
Taishe ties the sleeping female pirate up with little effort. He scampers over the corpse of the captain and enters the captain's quarters
Taishe Finds a chest full of unwashed clothes. Underneath them is a leather bag containing 100 platinum pieces. He searches about and while investigating the rumpled bed in the room, he discovers a small hidden cubby in the headboard. inside is a golden ring. within the ring is a small note rolled up. When unrolled it has an odd set of words within:
Chimera looks to sunrise
Cyclops looks to sunset
Medusa looks to sunrise
Umber Hulk looks to sunset
Basilisk looks to sunrise
Norveg notes the ring does have an enchantment on it
"Vere's milady's safe combination and ring. Oi'd say as we're done 'ere. Lady kin reclaim 'er ship whenevah." Norveg chortles happily to himself. "Quick work, lads. Back to 'er nibs and we're rollin' in gold!"
]
Tragon looks at the unconscious pirate. ”I don’t suppose there’s anything we need from this one. He’ll come around in time, right?”
”Perhaps we should check the hold before we go ashore. We should at least report on what we found there.” He heads quickly below and starts looking around.
Taishe holds up the ring for the others to see.
"And this note, it sseems to be a riddle. Mosst curiouss,..."
The kobold is obviously intrigued, but carefully stashes both the note and the ring in a belt pouch for the time being.
"Ah yess,... the hold. Where they were containing this dangerouss creature. And which they were willing to torch to prevent it'ss disscovery. I concur Tragon. I believe the shipss owner would be mosst curious asss to what they have been using her property for."
Taiche nimbly follows Tragon down the ladder, and has a look for himself,...
Norvig looks deeply offended, as much as his rodentine features can convey. He lays a paw - his one paw - on his chest.
"Taishe, mate, ain't I speakin' Common? Ain't no riddle, it'sa combinashun fer 'Er Nibses vault. Wut else woud it be?" He calls to the people headed down into the hold, "An' yer could ask them wut's bin in the hold abou' it. But naaw. Well, yer welcome to wut's down ver. Ain't purty."
With the largest one heading down the ladder, he scowls at the bound pirate. "Nahautl ti, luv, 'elp me toss 'er overboard, roit? Ain't no use ta us. Oi can't manage it meself."
Taishe seems mildly disappointed.
He clearly had been looking forward to a good riddle.
As he begins his decent down the ladder, he glances at Norveg.
"Thiss one pressumed that you brought the most interessting things back up with you?" The kobold glances at the spider-thing with a draconian smirk, and descends with a hissing chuckle.
At Norveg's words to Nu, the kobolds head pops back up out of the hold.
"Why would one wish to tosss an unconsciouss and bound, helplesss prisoner overboard? It is hardly honorable." Taishe asks curiously.
"Wut else we gon' do wiv 'er? the ratman responds in what seems to be honest bafflement.
The kobold seems equally puzzled.
"Perhapss, leave her there? We were not hired to commit murder. Although I have no problem with 'sself-defensse with Extreme predujisse'. None of them saw uss well enough to identify uss. Humanss can barely tell each other apart. Much Lesss a Kobold or a Ratfolk" Taishe confides to Norveg.
"She and the otherss will spread the tale of how ssoundly they were defeated. And their undoubtedly criminal enterprisse wass shut down. Asss ssoon as we get word to authoritiesss that do NOT work for Dock bosss." Taishe grins draconically.
Then the kobold vanishes down the ladder below once more,...
"Moider? Oi prefers ta think uv it as 'very late self-defense.'" As Taishe seems determined to view the gruesome scene in the hold. Norveg yells after him, "Ver's way less screamin' and hollerin' my way! Hurry, afore she wakes!"
The hold of the Nixie is stuffed With crudely-made bamboo cages. Within are a variety of animals: monkeys, parrots, archaeopteryx, Giant singing beetles, rainbow geckos, and even rare quetzal snakes. 13 Spider inhales sharply when he sees the latter
“Those quetzal are sacred! This is blasphemy!”
None of the animals are of a threatening size or obviously poisonous, but they are all agitated by the recent events. The huge cage in the back is the only one of its kind
"Ah." Taishe observes calmly as he notes the cages and their occupants.
"Ah-hah. Sso. Ssmugglers then. And ussing anotherss' ship for their illicit activitiess." Taishe looks at the various cage occupants with typical draconic detachment, but he seems, saddened.
Sso. Here is an interessting puzzle. Here iss proof that the dock masster iss using hiss possition for illegal activitiess and perssonal gain. But, informing authoritiess of thiss bringss issue of how to prove that our benefactor iss not involved in ssuch dealings. Ass this iss her ship, itss usse will be ssusspect at leasst."
Taishe indicates the cages.
"Captain wass willing to desstroy all thesse creaturess, and rissk ship itsself, upon disscovery rather than rissk being caught with and punished. I ssusspect that punishment for illegal trafficking iss, unpleasant."
Taishe tilts his head sideways, as if listening to another voice, and nods and strokes his mustache-tendrils as he contemplates.
"We have achieved our goal. We have ring. we can leave with contract fulfilled." Taishe notes aloud.
"However,... It offendss oness ssenssibilitiess to leave our benefactorss property in the handss of ssuch ass thesse. When the mere pressence of thesse creatures can be used to bring disshonor to her housse."
Taishe holds aloft a single claw.
"Propossition. Criminals can hardly claim to be wronged if they are 'robbed', yess? Very unlikely to run to authoritiess. If we take ship, beach it somewhere else, releasse animals, and then legal owner happens to find her property, who can gainssay, yess?"
Taishe gives another draconic grin.
"Owner can hardly be held wrong to recover own property, if dockss-masster cannot properly take care of what wass entrusted to him? Yess?"
”Perhaps we let our benefactor sort it out,” Tragon says simply. ”I don’t want to get involved in her legal battles.”