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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 3511231" data-attributes="member: 11">Session #6 – “Smuggler’s Gambit” (part 2 of 3)Timotheus led the way.  The wooden walkway was a ramp in some places, and narrow uneven and steep steps in others.  It appeared that the salt air devoured this wood frequently, as many of the boards seemed like they had been haphazardly changed with whatever was available.  In some places the walkway was no wider than three and a half feet, but in many others it was barely two feet wide.  They made their way down as quickly as they dared, using the close walls and ceiling of the stone tunnel to maintain their balance.  Laarus, in his scale armor and steel shield strapped to his arm, was having a hard time of it, stopping often, and having to throw his shoulder into the bluff side a few times to keep from falling.Markos and Telémahkos arguing over who should take up the rear delayed them for a moment. “Will you two crate it already!” Victoria admonished them. Telie got his way, and they continued. “This is a really bad idea,” he murmured as they made their way down.“Then let’s just turn around and go back right now,” Markos replied. “I hate to admit it, but I agree with you…”“It’s too late,” Telie sighed. “We’re outvoted. Now that everything is f*cked up, now they all want to go in there… It makes no sense…”Ahead they could see a gap in the tunnel on the right side, with sunlight streaming through the roiling plumes of smoke making its way in.  As Timotheus approached, he could see they were close to sixty feet above the water below, the burning slicks making even the perfect dive into a deadly proposition. Passing the gap was even more difficult as the wall on the left was curved away and jagged and the walkway was narrow here. It was more difficult to support oneself. Timotheus hurried across, hoping speed would make do where balance might fail him.  Bleys deftly made it across, looking down and ahead at the walkway, not out the chaos of the cove below them to the right.  Laarus of Ra, however, was not so sure of foot.  He stepped carefully and then stopped as his armored form swayed back and forth.  Suddenly, he threw his body to the walkway, feeling that he was about to tip over.  He slid to the right, and he had to grasp on for dear life, his legs hanging over the side.“Laarus!” Timotheus cried as the priest of Ra dangled there, desperately trying to pull himself up.  He had just managed to get his legs up and was on his hands and knees and Telémahkos made his way to the front of the rear group, clutching Victoria’s long spear.  Laarus tried to get back on his feet, but again he slid down.  Telie leaned out and called to Tim to grab the other end of the spear, and they used it to support Laarus as he made his way safely to the other side.  Using the spear, the rest of the group was able to make it across, and Telémahkos went last, having no problem keeping his balance.About twenty feet further down as another gap on the right, though shorter, and here smoke swirled with more strength.“Nephthys!” Timotheus cried as he crossed. A sudden breeze cleared the smoke enough for most of them to notice that the third burning ship had broken free of the other two and was floating towards the bluff wall, and thus their walkway.  It seemed its burning mast had a good chance of slamming into the exposed walkway another forty feet or so down, where it hung thirty feet over the water.  “We need to hurry!”But hurrying brought its dangers as well.  Laarus lost his footing again and tumbled painfully down the walkway slamming into Bleys, all bruised.  The watch-mage helped his companion to his feet; glad he was not knocked down as well.   Timotheus made it across the longer gap and turned to aid Bleys as he made it across.  Laarus stepped aside to let Victoria and Tymon past.  The burning ship was very close now. A smoldering rope snapped causing a burning portion of sail to come floating into the gap, catching both the militant of Anhur and the hireling.  They reached the relative safety of the other side, but were both singed for their trouble.  They continued down at Timotheus’ direction, followed by Bleys, as when the ship slammed into the walkway, no place on it would likely be safe.Telémahkos still had Victoria’s spear and he used it to aid Laarus once again.  He turned and reached the spear out to Markos, and when the small wizard grabbed onto it, the young Briareus yanked it hard towards him.  Markos stumbled, but kept his feet as there was a crunching and yawning of wood as the burning ship’s mast slammed into the walkway.  The shockwave sent Markos flying onto his face, and he shrieked as he realized his backside was on fire. He leapt back to his feet and smothered his back against the wall. They all ran the best they could, as the walkway was wider down here, feeling it shake beneath their feet. A blast of smoke and debris followed them out onto the strip of beach, as they hurried down the last exposed bit of it only a few feet over the water.The beach was a strip of black sand over eighty feet long and fifty feet deep, leading to an uneven rock wall with a cavern entrance just south of center.  There was a metal rail bridge over an inlet dividing the north end of the beach from another cavern entrance.  Large pieces of burning debris from the ships were washed up at the end of the beach, but there was a sloop run aground not far from where the walkway let out. It had a metal plate etched with the name ‘Sea Wyvern’.  It appeared abandoned.  A pile of goods was near the center of this side of the beach, mostly smashed crates and barrels.  The smell of the great burning slicks filled the air, and it was clear to Markos that no escape would be possible on the sloop until those fires died down.“Whale oil,” he said to the others.The entire beach was littered with bones and pieces of corpses that appeared to have been ripped apart with great strength.  Other pieces appeared to have been chewed.  There were several spots where the sand was made into a steaming puddle of muck.  One of them seemed to be some kind of dark frogman beast.  Bleys approached it, kneeling to look closer at the bubbling pustules and flicking tendrils on the thing’s back.  He had just noticed that it was wearing the ragged remains of what appeared to be typical sailor garb when it suddenly exploded!Bleys grunted and fell back as he was splattered with the caustic remains of the thing, brushing at it with his hands. His crimson shirt steamed as he stood, and he winced at the pain of the burns beneath the tiny perforations in it.“Stay away from the dead frog-things,” Bleys said. “But… It looked like… I only go to see it close for a minute, but it looked like it might have once been a man…  Its frog-like foot had burst out of the leather of his boot…”“Were-frogs?” Victoria asked.“Whatever killed these men tore the very flesh from their bones,” Markos said. He turned to Telémahkos, who was examining a rough map of the cove Tymon had drawn based on Crumb’s description the day before.“Where is the secret way out?”Telie pointed to the wooden walkway they had come down.  “That was it…”“Let’s get on this sloop and see if we can get out of here…” Markos said.  “We are here, we might as well see what happened,” Tim replied.“We can stay if you want, but I think we should get the hell out of here,” Markos reiterated.“I agree that we should be ready to leave if we need to,” Telémahkos said.  “Secure the beach while Markos and I load our extra gear and whatever we can salvage from the goods here onto the boat, and make sure it is seaworthy…”“We may not be able to get out of the cove, but we can at least sail away from the shore and whatever did this to those men,” Markos said.“Unless whatever it is can fly,” Timotheus said.  “In that case, we may be stuck on the boat with nowhere to go…”“Or if it can swim…” Bleys said.  He and Laarus were looking at the pile of goods for possible clues, but Telie came over and noticed a crate of expensive dishware that while opened seemed untouched.  He and Tymon carried it over to the sloop, on which Markos was already aboard, inspecting it, and removing the chunks of corpses on the deck; a deck awash with blood.Timotheus went over and stood about ten feet from the cavern entrance, keeping a lookout, while Laarus moved to help lift things onto the sloop, and Victoria moved towards the north end of the beach, long spear in hand, trying to listen for any approach over the roar of flames and the lapping of the surf. Laarus was walking beneath the prow of the ship as Markos was at the top of it to reach down and help his cousin up onto the boat when movement further up the beach caught their eyes.  From behind a pile of smashed crates popped up a misshapen froglike head sticking out of the tattered remains of sailor’s clothing. It hopped up straighter with a strange gait, noticing the party for the first time.  It croaked angrily as it leapt over the corner of the crates and continued its awkward bow-legged approach, on amphibian feet splayed out from the remains of boots.  The frog-head had an oversized slavering mouth with shining jagged teeth, and its back was an undulating mess of bursting boils and sweating green and yellow tendrils of raw flesh.“Timotheus!” Markos called out to gain everyone’s attention, and then with a couple of arcane words, a bolt of force, translucent blue and dripping as if made of water flew from his fingers and slammed into the creature. (1)“What are those things?!” Tymon cried out as everyone else looked up in time to see the man turned frog-thing leap over twice it height, springing way up into the air to come down with a worrying bite on Laarus’ neck and shoulder.  The priest of Ra knocked it back with heavy blow that bounced off its rubbery hide. The savage frog-thing just shrieked and bit him again with greater anger, and Laarus crumpled to the ground.“Down foul beast!” Victoria of Anhur cried, charging to the aid of her fellow priest.  She gritted her teeth as she shoved the point of her longspear into the thing’s neck.  She looked in time to see that a second of the things was leaping down at her and she pulled her spear back and pointed it up, catching the monster as it came down. It jerked on the spear point, sending a cascade of steaming green and yellow ichor into the black sand.  It landed on the beach still out of the area she threatened so proficiently with her spear.“Surround them! Take them down!” Timotheus cried, charging down the beach to meet the approach of another coming out from behind the crates before it could leap to the attack.  The sand beneath his boots sent the swing of his heavy flail off balance, and the felt the jagged teeth rip at his arm.“Bast protect me!” Telémahkos prayed as he picked up his heavy crossbow with shaking hands. As he leaned over to pick up a box of bolts, both came falling out hands and bolts spilled over the deck.  Markos got down on his hands and knees and picked them up too anxious to make a comment.  He began to load the crossbow.Timotheus swore as a bolt from Tymon’s crossbow came too close for comfort, and he ducked to avoid the bite of the savage frog-thing attacking him.“Everyone get on the boat!” Victoria cried.  “Anhur! Fill me with your strength and vigor so that I might protect my companions and lay low these foul creatures!” She was filled with the righteous fury of her god, and taking a half-step back she drove the end of her spear into one of the two creatures biting at her.  The head of the spear burst through the thing’s side, but it did not fall.  It howled out a resounding croak and redoubled its efforts to get at her, but her armor protected her from both.“Our companions are falling,” Markos said to Telémahkos who cringed momentarily in the prow of the boat.  The wizard aimed the crossbow and fired at one of the things attacking Victoria, but all it bit was sand.  Telie drew his rapier and peeked out at the scene of the melee.“I’ve just been playing with you,” Timotheus said to the mindless savage thing he fought, and his heavy flail landed on its head.  He heard the sickening crunch of the thing’s skull and one of its eyes melted down its misshapen rubbery face, but it did not fall.  Instead, it screeched and shook and flicked stinging ichor that oozed from its pores.  It bit down on Tim’s shoulder, hard.As Victoria of Anhur struggled with her two foes, Bleys the Aubergine crept behind her and drew one of her short spears from her back and moved away again to get an angle to throw it.  He let it go and it fell short.  Suddenly Telémahkos came tumbling off the ship, rapier in hand.  He landed in the sand and crouched low, making sure none of the creatures were noticing him.  Telie hopped onto the other side of the first of the frogmen, and getting in a flanking position, caught the thing unaware.  The rapier slipped through the thing’s flesh easily.  Telémahkos’ stomach quivered as he felt organs burst within the thing’s body at the sword’s fine touch.  It croaked out dolefully and then suddenly reached backward, nearly twisting itself in half and bit at him.  Telémahkos leapt back, pulling the rapier out, and the thing collapsed, apparently finally dead.“Tim! Don’t go too far away!” Telémahkos called to his cousin.  “Get back here!”“He’s right!” Markos called, re-loading the heavy crossbow. “We need to concentrate our efforts!”But Timotheus was too deeply involved in his fight with the raging frog-thing before him; at least thirty-five feet away from the rest of the group.  Bleys grabbed another of Victoria’s spears and stepped back just as the frog-man that Telémahkos had slain exploded!  The many boils and shaking tendrils on its body burst violently and the whole corpse disintegrated sending caustic ichor in a shower that burned Telie and Laarus’ unmoving form. (2)Bleys let loose with the spear, but at that same moment Victoria sidestepped and her own spear slammed against her back.  Thankfully, her armor absorbed the blow. (3)  Cursing, Telémahkos moved cautiously over and stabbed the other of the frog-things, but it would not fall.“Get ‘em, boss!” Tymon encouraged, firing and missing again.Timotheus managed to knock his foe from his feet, as Bleys, having run out of spears to grab from Victoria’s back, pulled his saber and joined the melee.  Now he and Telémahkos and Victoria were surrounding the same one; Victoria fought in grim silence, seemingly never blinking.  Telémahkos winced as once of his blows extracted a piece of the thing’s liver, but it did not fall.  However, as it turned with it savage rage, Victoria was able to shove her spear through its torso.  It croaked and turned back to face her, pulling itself up the shaft of the spear with excruciating effort, trying to bite her before collapsing, but it could not reach.  Victoria pulled her spear free and without hesitation ran to aid Timotheus.The frog-thing on the ground exploded, and once again Bleys felt the burning ichor splatter on his face and body.  Tymon let another bolt loose and this one lodged itself through the remaining creature’s eye.  Timotheus turned and pushed the charging Victoria back, as that one exploded as well; keeping them out of the radius of the blast.Victoria of Anhur let out a long low breath as the fury of her god slipped from her mind and body, leaving a deep fatigue in its place. (4)  She walked over to Laarus of Ra’s unconscious form and checked on him.  He was not bleeding out.  With a touch and a word to Anhur, the priest’s wounds began to close and his bruises faded and he stirred. (5)  It broke the spell of momentary awe from the rest of the group as they considered the fighting prowess the militant had just displayed.“Let’s get out of here,” Telémahkos said, as Laarus stood and then walked over to Bleys to close some of the watch-mage’s wounds with Ra’s help.“Cousin, what are you doing?” Markos asked, leaping off the sloop.  “Bleys will not be fighting in the front rank… If you choose to endanger us all by healing him instead of Tim, who is seriously wounded… Well, just be aware that that is what you’re doing…” Sensing that another argument was about to begin, Bleys the Aubergine began to wander around the beach looking for a recoverable bow or light crossbow from among the dead. Laarus ignored his cousin, healing himself further, and Victoria saw to Timotheus’ wounds. Telémahkos went down into the Sea Wyvern’s hold to see if there were any dangers down there, including any casks branded with the letter ‘Q’; there were none.  Anything that had been on the ship had already been unloaded.  Telie came back up and repeated his suggestion, “Let’s get out of here…”“We need to figure out what happened here,” Victoria said.“It seems these creatures were once men,” Bleys said, walking back over, not having found what he was looking for. “If there is some disease or infection that caused this we may already be exposed… We should not leave until we know more…”“We can get on the ship and sail out a bit and try to figure out what happened from there,” Markos suggested.Everyone else but Telémahkos disagreed.  “We can’t get very far out because of the fires,” Tim said.  “You said so your self…”“So, we are we not leaving?” Telémahkos asked.“It does not look that way,” Markos replied with a sigh of resignation.“We need to look around more and figure out what is going on,” Timotheus echoed Bleys and Victoria’s sentiments.  “Everybody keep your weapons ready, and load your crossbows…”   “This has all been a mistake,” Telémahkos sighed. “I was set up… It turns out the real reason my source wanted us to come here was to assassinate someone…” He pulled the square of paper Cokie had given him from his belt.. . .to be continued…---------------------------------------------------------------------Notes: (1)    This is just a magic missile, but I allow for players to come up with their own visual effects for spells as long as it remains consistent. These effects are just for flavor and have no in-game benefit or drawback.(2)    While according to the unaltered savage template in the adventure, the creature explodes right away, I changed it to the next action to slightly weaken the creatures for a lower level group, but also because it then created a potential for tactical situations in how to battle them and escape from the range after they are defeated.(3)    If you fire a missile weapon into melee and someone is giving the target cover and you miss by an amount equal to or less than the amount of the cover, then the missile strikes the cover (i.e. the other person fighting) as long as the hit is good enough to hit their armor class anyway.  In this case, the spear struck Victoria, but the attack roll was not enough to get through her armor.(4)    When a militant’s <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Militant+of+Anhur+Characters#righteousfury" target="_blank">righteous fury</a> is done, they are fatigued until they rest for a number of minutes equal to the number of rounds of fury. Barbarian rage works similarly in Aquerra.(5)    Laarus had taken non-lethal damage in the harrowing escape from the walkway, and so he was unconscious, but not mortally wounded (i.e. not at negative hit points).</blockquote>

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