Ood climbs a few ropes attached to the two broken sections of the ship, climbing them quite easily. Stonewall finds the possessions on the zombies too waterlogged to be of any value. The easiest way to climb to the second section would be the tree branch above the rope with three blue sailcloth pieces still attached.
Alset wonders at the trees that carry the wreckage of the Lurching Wyvern. He thinks they are rather misplaced and odd (meaning why are these trees growing in the water?).
Odie gets up and is angry at having been knocked over, TWICE, and not being able to enact his revenge.
Ood looks around for survivors on the middle section. "What are you doing waiting down there guys?"
At some point, the boat crashed into the partially submerged trees and has been stuck there ever since.
Ood sees no obvious survivors in the midsection.
"This was one crazy storm that wrecked this ship. I thought these trees might be controlled by some magic somehow and attacked the ship, but they're normal trees either uprooted by the storm or the coastline has move inland for a while. Either way the ship was tossed around and landed where we see it. Let's see what's in the bow section where the voice came from."
Stonewall starts climbing up the large sturdy looking branches toward the midship section. Once there, realizing that Ood has already searched it, he moves on to the bow.
Alset prepares an arrow to cover Stony and Odie when they climb up. He will follow last. Alset has the rest of the party use a rope to catch him if he falls during the climb. Odie or Stony's strength should be enough to catch him.
Ood also moves to the bow of the ship having found nothing once the party catches up.
Odie also explores the rest of the boat.
After much discussion about the intricacies of climbing a wrecked boat, the party finds themselves on the midsection. As Ood moves to the prow you hear a deep grunt from within the midsection. From the lower decks the white-furred head of a gorilla pops out of the edge of the ship and growls, a human arm hanging from its mouth, peeled like a banana.
Round 1
Mud squeals in fear. "That's a girallon! A four-armed ape capable of eating halflings in one bite!"
The deck of the ship wobbles and creaks under the strain of such heavy weight.
Round 1
HP: 60/60
Odie, still upset at his inability to attack during the last battle, instantly pops his RAGE on the creature.
"ALRIGHT KOKO, I DON'T KNOW ANY SIGN LANGUAGE, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE YOU'LL TAKE MY MEANING!"
How many arms does this thing need?
Round 1
The girallon takes the hit and bleeds from a gash on his skull. He roars as he pummels Odie with four arms and his vicious bite.
A section of the boat falls away with a loud tearing crack, splinters flying. The ship tilts at an angle, swaying on the branch. Leaves, ropes, and other debris slide down and off the ship into the open air below before splashing 50' down.
Round 2
Party is up.
Round 2 | HP 26/34
Stonewall attempts to maintain his feet on the shifting surface.
Stonewall falls on his side and slides down the smooth surface of the deck
Stonewall stands up and straps on his shield.
Round 2 | HP 40/40 | Arrows 23/40 | SE 1/2 | LoH 1/3
Alset attempts to maintain his feet on the shifting surface.
Alset fails, falls, and grabs the tree to stay in place.
Alset detects evil on the girallon.
Round 2
HP: 28/60
As the boat gives way, Odie attempts to stay on his feet.
I really need to work on my balance
Odie fails to stay on his feet and slides.
Odie, now closer to what is causing his rage, stands up and takes a swing at it.
The girallon takes an attack of opportunity on Stonewall.
Odie hits him again, and the girallon is bleeding badly but still alive.
round 2
hp 35/35
Ood moves back down toward the girallon and attacks
Ood knocks a few teeth out of the girallon, and the four-armed ape's eyes roll back in his head, falling backwards over the deck, brushing branches, and crashing into the waters below.
Post Combat Healing Round | Wand CMW 30/50 | LoH 1/3
Alset locates the newly found wand for healing moderate wounds and uses it on Odie.
Odie is healed.
Stonewall searches the midship section,
but refuses to climb up to the bow. "This thing is unstable as it is, I'm not going up there." As soon as he is done searching, he evacuates down to the stern.
Odie thanks Alset for the heals and checks out the rest of the craft from a more stable footing.
Ood heads back up and takes a better look around than he has been.
The midsection is covered in the bodies of the crew, eaten by the girallon. A few banana peels are scattered below. You find a +1 Composite Longbow (+3 Str) and 4 potions of cure light wounds, and 300 gold pieces in various coinage and valuable goods.
The final, highest section, however has a single survivor amidst a few other bodies from the ship. She is thin and sunburnt, obviously on the brink of death. She has passed out.
"Hey Alset, we've got a live one up here. Can you see what you can do for her?"
Stonewall uses one of the potions to heal back up to full health and puts another in his pack.
When Stonewall is safe down on the stern, he yells up at the others, ”Good job boys, bring her on down.”
[b]"Be at ease, we're here to help you. Let me help you down."
Ood tries to move the wounded back down gently.
Alset climbs to the survivor and renders aid so the survivor can help us get her down.
Alset examines her for injuries and will heal her as needed starting with water and a potion.
"Ood, check out the rest of this part of the ship while I tend to her. See if there's anything of value."
Healthy, she thanks you for saving her.
"We were hit by that storm many days ago," she says. "What may I call you? I think I'm the only one to have survived... There was a passenger, Umuzu, who was killed by that hungry girallon not a day ago. Everyone else died during the wreck, or was at least severely injured."
"My name is Nakato. I am- was, the cook on board. You look familiar..."
Nothing else of value is found on board. Only the bow and potions.
"You look much better. My name is Alset. The dwarf is Ood." Alset points to Ood. "We should get down to our boats and return to Pridon's Hearth. You can decide what you want to do best from there. The local officials will help and will want to hear your story. Can you tell us about the storm? There are many strange things going on with the weather that we believe are the result of some evil actors. The more we know the better."
As they climb down to the small boats, Alset introduces Nakato to Odie and Stony.
Alset picks up the bow on the way down.
"It was an unnatural typhoon. Blew in from inland, not out in the ocean, before overtaking us. We tried to hide near the lee of the shore here but were tossed and bruised to much I don't know where we ended up."
"Without a ship, I don't know what I'll do. Are you from Pridon's Hearth as well? That was one of our main ports. Perhaps I'll settle there. Anyone need a good cook?"
"How did you survive the storm AND the girallon?"
Odie perks up at the mention that she's a cook.
"The food at the Hearth isn't great. I'm sure any place could do with a better cook. Try the Bloated Unicorn when we get back. We're regulars there or you could always open your own place."
"Hmmm. . . Perhaps Ood and I could use a cook at our compound, temple, school, home at Pridon's Hearth. Ood, what do you think? We could call it the Hearth at Hearth."
”So, were you a crew member? Then you can help us when we get to Pridon’s Hearth by informing Sheriff Adaela of any passengers and crew.”
As he is talking, Stonewall performs all the necessary tasks to put out on the boats. ”We should get to shore here while we have light. We can give Navato here a decent meal and a good nights rest and then head out in the morning. I’m not sure if the boats will carry all of us so we might have to leave them here and come back for them later.”
Upon being asked, Ood searches the top of the ship for things his the group may find of value, and also picks up the composite bow if no one grabbed it yet.
"A cook is always of value! I find it's hard for students to learn on an empty stomach"
"I'm a cook. I can make things unappealing to eat like myself and can flavor... other kinds... of meat... to satisfy a hungry ape monster," she says. "I'm not proud of what I did. But I did it to survive."
"I've visited the Bloated Unicorn on plenty of occasions. They have a fine cook. But I'd really love to have my own place, and if you're hiring, well, I can't say no to my rescuers."
She pulls out a scroll from her jacket. "I have the manifest, if that's any help. You can give this to the sheriff."
She hands you the manifest.
The travel back to Pridon's Hearth as the sun sets is uneventful, and you arrive in town around 11 pm, as the town is winding down for the night.
Aside to the MM Odie whispers "So, we're just going to gloss over the fact that she fed the ape the crew?"
”So their bodies get eaten, are they going to mind? You do what you have to.”
"You don't find that odd or disagreeable?"
After unloading the boat by removing the rather heavy collection of rewards from the quarry, Alset suggests, "We can have some of the locals take the boats back to the quarry in the morning. I think a gold piece or two will cover the costs. Now to find Adeala and then a bed."
After several minutes of slow deliberation on Nakato's revelation about her most recent food preparation experiences, Alset concludes, "Surely she only prepared those who were already deceased. And, she was imprisoned as a slave with no hope. I think we can forgive her. Can't we?" Alset's simple mind sees this as the only alternative. He's not sure how to react to the whole sordid mess.
"Disagreeable, yes. Absolutely distasteful, haha." At this, Stonewall offers a small mirthless chuckle, "But worth of any action on our part to correct? No. Can't say as I would do any different in the same position with the same skills."
"Whoa whoa guy, I didn't *cook* anybode or anything. Girallon like bananas, so I threw some bananas on my dead friends. Then I powdered some spices on myself so I wouldn't be appealing to the thing. The ape wasn't self-aware, just hungry for Manana."
"Well, still a tragic decision to have to make, but spicing yourself was a good plan."
”Ah, see guys, it’s nothing for us to concern ourselves with. Let’s get her to the inn and get her put up for the night with some food in her. We can talk to Adaela tomorrow.”. Stonewall gets her settled in at the Bloated Unicorn with his own coin then gets some rest himself after a long day.
The next day, if the others are available, he takes them with him to report to Adaela but makes it as brief as possible. After he finishes there, he goes up to Forthingr and tells him about the adventure at the quarry. He describes the crates and crates of exotic materials, the beautiful, though mostly mined, veins or ore. After he wraps up story, he pulls out his bars of silversheen, cold iron and adamantium and says, ”So, I’d like to put in an order if your willing. I’d like one cold iron and one silversheen Dwarven Maulaxe. I’d also like an Adamantium Dwarven Waraxe. Also, if I could make use of your forge, I have a project I’d like to do myself.”. At this, he pulls out the Mithral and shows him his plans for a new Tower Shield. ”Yours has been great but I’m sure you understand wanting to have your own work.”
After that talk, Stonewall is about to leave but then remembers something. He turns to Forthingr and says, ”Oh, by the way, I’m putting in a forge in my part of the old Elastil temple, but I don’t want to step on your toes. I’m really only proficient with crafting armor. Could you afford to just contract out some of that work to me every now and then? I don’t really want to deal with customers and all that, and of course you would get a cut.”