Both attacks are solid hits.

Meanwhile, the dead thing does exactly what the one Sae dealt with did: it tries to throttle the life out of its target.

Attack: 21 Damage: 7 (bludgeoning)

Sayyida sneered at the dead thing as it tried to strangle her, "  Try harder.  My dear departed Fatima had a better grip than you...."

Attack: 24 Damage: 8

Attack: 22 Damage: 9

Sae groans as the slippery rocks send her companion to face the same cold grasp she had earlier felt.  "Hold on. we're coming!", she calls as she leaps towards the rock Sayyida fell from (Acrobatics 18).  Her quick elven mind is already considering alternatives even as her feet touch down.  "Now if I dive in to help ... or slip again myself ... "  She quickly scans the water nearby for any MORE nasty surprises lying in wait (B.A.: Eye for Detail Perception check 22)

If Sae sees a clear path to help Sayyida without being grappled herself by another gribbly, she will dive in and make two dagger attacks against the first (#1 dragontooth dagger attack 20, damage if hits 7  piercing + 4 acid; #2 (off-hand; no ability modifier to damage): dagger of venom attack 15, damage if hits 1 piercing ... presumably the zombie is immune to poison, but +10 of that if not)  If either hits, sneak attack adds an extra 15.

Otherwise, she will sheathe her daggers and draw out a coil of silk rope from her pack.  Throwing one end to Sayyida, she braces her feet to see if their combined strength can break the paladin free from her dead foe's grasp. 

He looked towards the direction Sae pointed, then scanned the surroundings in an attempt to find a path of less resistance. A vain effort, Emrys was fast to understand. Everywhere undead filled the waters. He knew Hailstorm had a reputation for killing and cruelty, but he never expected it to be to that extent.

It took him a moment to notice Sayyida was diving. Maybe this is the right answer, said the voice of his mind. To attack the smallest area between us and the vessel. It would take far less time than clearing the whole lake and should still allow them to arrive relatively safe. Fight whatever stood in that rotting piece of wood.

As Sae attacked he centered his mind and willed the Weave into energy then the energy into his focus. The dark eyes and arcane word prefaced two beams of crackling energy. Both seeking the same target.

“So we start the dispatch by this one.” The affirmation carried a question – should they focus on opening a way amongst the other zombies? His thoughts turned back to the explosions the pirates used when capturing their borrowed ship. Fire would be of little avail there but gods, how Emrys wished for a spell with an effect of large range.

Notes: Emrys moves as much as necessary to have the enemy attacking Sayyida in Eldritch Blast's range then casts the cantrip to attack (15 to hit and 9 force damage, 23 to hit and 11 force damage).

Between Sayyida, Sae, and Emrys, the undead is finally allowed to rest in pieces. Sayyida is able to clamber back onto the shore.

" That was less than graceful....though I at least learned there is little to fear from these corpses....at least one on one."

She continued on toward the stern, trying to pick better footing this time.

Acrobatics- 8

Areleo waits in the lurch, for his opportunity to strike.

So... I think what I'll do for the rest of this trek across the rocks is to do a group check: Everyone roll their Acrobatics check. If half or more of you succeed, then the whole party successfully reaches the intended destination.

If half or more fail, then those who didn't make it go in the drink again (my reasoning being that if the party as a whole does a decent job, those who are reasonably nimble can help those who are having trouble finding their footing if you need an in-universe explanation for how this works)

Sayyida Acrobatics again ( if needed)- 15

Areleo's Acrobatics: 21

Wade Acro 11

Emrys Acrobatics: 28 (Natural 20)

 Okay, Sae already made the Acrobatics check earlier and succeeded.

The party is able, albeit with some difficulty, to make it to their intended destination, leaving Maira on the shore as she really doesn't want to die a horrible death. You now only have to figure out how to cross the roughly 10-foot gap to discover what may be onboard...



Who's going to board first, and how do they do it? I do not need a skill check for this task, I simply want the narrative of what you're all doing.

Sae gives a dubious look to the lapping water between the party and the ship.  "Bet Hailstorm put the nastiest draugr right here, just to catch cleverpants like us who think they've found the easy way in..."   She looks up at the rotting vessel across the gap.  "How about this?  I've got two ropes.  No hook, but if I tie the ropes together around one of my hatchets ... like so ...  and then tie another hatchet to each loose end -- "  Lifting the finished makeshift, she concludes, "With a good enough throw, the weight of the hatchets will loop the thing all the way around a branch ... or a ship's beam.  If not, the blades of the axes are curved enough that with three of them they have a reasonable chance of catching and holding.  'll try it now.  Then distract anything aboard while the rest of you cross."  

Whirling the thing around her head, she throws it towards the nearest protruding beam of the ship.  She tugs on the end enough to be sure the rope will hold and then climbs hand over hand to the ship.  Once there, she clings on for a moment and then leaps to the fallen beams on the left of the stern.  Climbing around the outside of the ship towards the left, she deliberately makes as much noise and vibration as possible to draw attention away from the others and then clambers up herself as soon as she sees they have crossed.

Sayyida holds on to and anchors the rope for others to cross knowing that her armour will bob her to the surface if she falls in.

He was surprised to see most of his companions attempting to balance their way to the ship once again. Truth be told he spoke with intent to pick and destroying the undead, one at a time, but the idea left his mind as he saw his companions succeed. Theirs was the faster idea and Emrys didn’t want to spend a second more than necessary in that place. He didn’t judge Maira for her decision to stay at shore. She knew her limits better than anyone else and would be more helpful as a sniper than falling in those waters.

The halfling jumped from a rock to another, with an ease that surprised even himself. Maybe it’s the effect of all the moving underwater, he pondered. His body felt lighter, faster, more precise in the air.

“Agree.” He said nodding to Sae. “We should enter there in formation, ready for a fight.” His eyes then turned to Arleo. “Take the van again. Yevelda, you bring the rear in case anything come after us.” Then he looked at Wade. “You get the center, to help either point if necessary.”

He watched as triton crossed then followed behind, eyes peeled, certain to find a new enemy and hoping against hope to be mistaken.

Notes: Emrys crosses into the ship, suggesting a marching order Arleo - Emrys - Wade - Yevelda - Sayiida since Sae took a separate route.

Yevelda salutes her captain and takes up her position at the rear of the line, ready to destroy anything that might try to murder you.

The ship creaks ominously as your feet hit the rotten deck... you get your first look at the deck of the ship:



Skeletal corpses litter the deck, and it is difficult to even take a step without crushing a skull or thigh. The sheer level of carnage on display is staggering... it's hard to imagine how it was even possible for Hailstorm to drag this many people into the cavern to commit this massacre, and that's before considering the army of the dead in the surrounding lake!

Areleo will grip his flaming weapon and slow lead the others into the cabin.

Sayyida moved to backup the towering Triton...