She easily rips open the grate as Coriana sees several fist-sized spiders crawling along the walls of the passage below. They immediately scuttle away from the noise of the grate being opened. Again, the doors to the aft and fore room, as well as the grate, are the only exits from the upper deck.
When he hears about the spiders, Xanrym is perplexed. He asks Coriana, "Are big spiders a common nuisance for ships at sea?" He wouldn't have thought so, but he has little experience with boats or ships before the current trip.
Xanrym wonders whether its related to the disappearance of the crew or whether they've just thrived since whatever violence happened on the ship a few days ago. Are "fist-sized spiders" a common pest in Urnst? (Nature: 16) If they are, Xanrym suggests that maybe the spiders were inadvertently taken aboard when the ship restocked its provisions before the return voyage from Urnst. Now that the crew is gone, perhaps they've just run rampant. If they are not, Xanrym suggests that maybe the spiders were part of what happened to the Emperor. Maybe one of the sailors was trying to smuggle giant spider eggs on the ship for some reason, and they hatched / got loose? If he's not sure, Xanrym says nothing more about the spiders.
In any case, Xanrym has never heard of a spider so big that it could shear the masts off of the ship! There must be more to the story of what happened to the Emperor of the Waves. It's a puzzle, but Xanrym smiles. He loves puzzles.
Unless Khessa and Avery see or hear something more urgent through the grate to the lower deck, Xanrym suggests that they first check the two doors up on the main deck before going below. He'd start with whichever cabin Coriana thinks would most likely be the captain's since he still hopes that they'll find some record there of what happened to the ship and crew. "In any case," Xanrym says, "if there's still something dangerous stalking the ship, it's better to meet it up here where we'll have a clear path to retreat to the rowboat, if needed. Like you always say, Avery, let's be sure not to leave enemies behind us before we go below deck."
Coriana was a little surprised when Khessa ripped off the grate after we had a disagreement over where to go. “Captain’s Cabin is usually aft, forward cabins don’t have as smooth a voyage and are better for storage.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Khessa is still curious to know if there are only spiders down there or if there is something else to see. So she looks (without going down) at what her Light has illuminated.
But the blonde arcane warrior (even though she is convinced that none of the original attackers are left on board) agrees with the strategy outlined and then follows the others towards the captain's cabin - and joins Xanrym in any investigations [[ OOC: Aiming to provide Help ]].
even though she is convinced that none of the original attackers are left on board) agrees with the strategy outlined
(OOC:
Xanrym may be paranoid after his experience in Orlane. That started off like a "put a stop to these troglodytes who are causing trouble for this friendly little farming village" and then quickly devolved into an Invasion of the Body Snatchers situation where naga-charmed, murderous villagers were hidden among the regular townspeople, and we kept running into nasty surprises.
)
If it turns out that the ship is empty, Xanrym will be happy to admit that he was overly-cautious. In any case, assuming that the ship is empty, and the attackers already took Aubrek's crate, he sees no reason to hurry. He isn't going to give up on the 10,000 gp reward easily. The Company might as well search the ship together room-by-room, from the deck down to the hold, as they look for clues about who attacked the ship and where they might have gone.
“If the ship is sinking it might be best to search below deck first. If we are lucky we might be able to slow down how fast the ship is sinking. If it is dark, I might be the one best suited to go down first. I am very used to being in dark places.”
As long as no one objects, Syllen will be the first person to go below deck. Also if there is a drop he will tie his rope to something and climb down.
Xanrym doesn't see any urgency to go below deck: "Listen -- those blood stains I found are about 3 days old." Xanrym hopes that his new companions don't find it too gruesome that he knows how quickly spilled blood dries. He tries to convince Syllen to wait for them to check the captain's cabin before climbing down to the lower deck: "The ship seems to have taken on some water, but if it took 3 days to get to this state, there's no reason to think that it'll sink in the next hour or two. Let's spend a few minutes to check the two cabins up here. If they're empty, then it will hardly delay the exploration of the dark, spider-filled hole. If the cabins are not empty, then you'll have to wait a little longer, but we may find something more useful to us in tracking down Aubrek's crate than an empty hold. I mean," looking to Khessa for support, "whoever attacked the ship probably already took everything from the hold, and we're just here to find clues that will help us track them down."
Xanrym gives a big smile as he realizes how unappealing what he's about to offer sounds: "I promise, Syllen, that we'll allow you go through the hole first to search the spider-infested deck below. Just as soon as we finish checking the two cabins on this level. Deal?"
Xanrym wonders whether he's being overly cautious because they got Toska -- the last person who "joined" one of the Company's missions -- killed. He tries to remind himself that Coriana, Khessa, and Syllen are more experienced than Toska was, but he cannot help imagining Syllen dropping down into the web of some monstrous, aquatic spider just as a bunch of Sahuagin burst through the closed doors on the main deck.
“I am fine with looking up here first. I will just say that it might be possible for me to get some information out of the spiders below the deck. You might be right that we should clear out this area before going below deck.”
When someone opens one of the cabin doors Syllen will cast detect magic, quickly look in the hole and then follow the group.
"Something doesn't feel right about all this," Theldrin says with a scowl as he looks around the deck of the ship. He loads his crossbow and stands back from the cabin door, ready to fire a bolt if anything attacks from within once it's open.
Khessa sees spider webs as she throws the glowing wood down the grate. Large spiders are not a particularly common beast in Urnst. You open the unlocked aft door to what should be the captain's cabin.
A rough stone altar dominates the room. Strange markings cover its surface, dried mud cakes the floor around it, and humanoid skulls ring the wall above, each mounted on a wooden spike. The corners of this room are piled with garbage and debris-crudely cut wooden logs, smashed furniture, torn sacks, shattered crates, and small piles of dried palm fronds. A staircase descends from the southeast corner, and an acrid odour fills the air.
Khessa murmurs, a little disappointed: "All we can see are cobwebs... Some cleaning will be necessary before we can explore further down there".
When Theldrin voices his feeling, the blonde arcane warrior, perplexed, asks him: "What do you mean? It looks like a common scene of a ship that was attacked and damaged... Which is not 'right', granted, but... do you mean something else, I suppose? Are you sensing something strange with your magic?"
At the sight of the stone altar and skulls, the tall adventuress turns to the wizard and acknowledges: "Well, however you knew it, you were right. This is definitely 'not right'... I was expecting the captain's cabin, not some sort of barbaric shrine. The sahuagin who attacked us before had envoys of their gods with them... perhaps this is what they would have done with us if they had won. A bloody sacrifice to cruel gods on a makeshift altar".
The blue eyed woman tries to move the garbage in the corners, watching for any clues [[ OOC: Aiming to Help Xanrym or anyone else investigating with her ]].
Khessa murmurs, a little disappointed: "All we can see are cobwebs... Some cleaning will be necessary before we can explore further down there".
Khessa took the torches that Aubrek gave us, right? Hearing that there will be cobwebs, Xanrym asks Khessa for one of the torches and uses Prestidigitation light it. He says, "A torch will provide brighter light in the cabins, and a flame is better than a lantern or spell for burning back cobwebs."
When Theldrin voices his feeling, the blonde arcane warrior, perplexed, asks him: "What do you mean? It looks like a common scene of a ship that was attacked and damaged...
Xanrym agrees with Theldrin. If the ship was occupied just 3 days ago, how could such big spiders spread and make webs in that time? And if the crew was aboard when the ship was attacked, then where are they now? If someone attacked the ship and killed the crew, why break off the masts but not scuttle the ship? Are they trying to use the ship as a trap? Or was the attack that killed the crew separate from whatever event broke the masts? Xanrym thinks that the story doesn't "fit" together, and he hopes to find more answers in the captain's cabin.
At the sight of the stone altar...
Xanrym thrusts the torch into the room for a better view and just lets out a dumbfounded, "Huh." He wouldn't have been surprised if a Sahuagin or some other sea monster had leaped out at them. Or to find a scene of the crew's last stand. But he definitely wasn't expecting to find a crude shrine like this.
(OOC: @drumdigby - How big is this cabin? I'm going to assume that it's at least 20' x 20' so that the whole party can fit in the room together.)
Xanrym steps in after Khessa to provide some torchlight, but he remains just inside the room beside the doorway, scanning the room, while he waits for Avery (and Coriana, if she wants) to move into the room first. He wonders whether the one who built this altar is still here and looks for any sign of movement from anyone other than the party members. He's especially worried about the staircase that leads to the lower deck. Perception: 19
Once the fighters are in the room, Xanrym will go first to the altar. Since he is currently concentrating on Comprehend Languages he hopes that the "strange markings" on the altar's surface might be some runes or other writing that will tell him more about the god of this shrine or the ones who built it.
“I think those smarter than me should look into gaining information from this mess, I am kinda getting the paranoia vibe here. I think we should check the other door off of the main deck before checking out the mystery staircase in here, and leave one highly mobile person who can defend themselves here to guard it. I’m volunteering myself, well myself and Asclepius, was it?”
Coriana is curious about the staircase and sorta blocks it off from others. She does look and listen down it. (perception 19 on sheet)
Also, is this room all the space in the aft of the ship on the level of the main deck?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Syllen will cast detect magic, quickly look in the hole to see if there is any magic down there. Then he will follow the group to the door of the Captain’s Cabin. He will look around for any signs of magic.
“It might be best to give what's left of the crew a proper burial when we finish. … Coriana, do you know what a proper burial is at sea?”
Khessa murmurs, a little disappointed: "All we can see are cobwebs... Some cleaning will be necessary before we can explore further down there".
When Theldrin voices his feeling, the blonde arcane warrior, perplexed, asks him: "What do you mean? It looks like a common scene of a ship that was attacked and damaged... Which is not 'right', granted, but... do you mean something else, I suppose? Are you sensing something strange with your magic?"
At the sight of the stone altar and skulls, the tall adventuress turns to the wizard and acknowledges: "Well, however you knew it, you were right. This is definitely 'not right'... I was expecting the captain's cabin, not some sort of barbaric shrine. The sahuagin who attacked us before had envoys of their gods with them... perhaps this is what they would have done with us if they had won. A bloody sacrifice to cruel gods on a makeshift altar".
The blue eyed woman tries to move the garbage in the corners, watching for any clues [[ OOC: Aiming to Help Xanrym or anyone else investigating with her ]].
Theldrin shrugs in answer to Khessa's question as he mutters, "I don't know..." followed by something unintelligible as he double checks the readiness of his new crossbow.
Once the door is opened and he gets a good view of the altar, his scowl deepens, and he nods slowly with a sigh, then helps search the cabin. He tries to recall if he ever came across anything like this in his studies, regarding Sahuagin culture or accounts of merchant vessels that went missing etc.
Khessa sympathizes with Syllen's good feelings... Yes, of course, the crew deserves a proper burial... Apparently, only their skulls remain - and that's why she hadn't even come up with the idea! The remains are so miserable that it didn't even seem worthwhile to her to take care of them... but in retrospect, they are still the remains of innocent common folk... A proper burial would represent a last act of respect towards them - while waiting to be able to avenge them.
Once the fighters are in the room, Xanrym will go first to the altar. Since he is currently concentrating on Comprehend Languages he hopes that the "strange markings" on the altar's surface might be some runes or other writing that will tell him more about the god of this shrine or the ones who built it.
(OOC: Assuming that nothing happens before Xanrym gets a chance to check out the altar, I'm throwing in an INT check here in case the "strange markings" aren't actually writing, and Xanrym just has to puzzle out details of this little shrine from other clues.)
Coriana will respond that, where she comes from, dead sailors get a proper burial only on land if we are close enough to port so they don’t start to stink. Most times it’s food for the crabs, with a respectful speech or prayer.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Xanrym and Theldrin both look at the altar and quickly work out who it is service to: Lolth, the demon queen of spiders and Drow. At that same time, Coriana looks down the stairs and sees hundreds of little spiders running up toward her. Additionally, what no one else noticed was that two more beasts are in the room. A Giant Spider crawls out from the debris on the port side of the room, while a hulking humanoid-spider hubrid emerges from a dark corner on the other side, an Ettercap. A light hissing sound now fills the dank room. Initiative (Ettercap and Giant Spider have Advantage)
Group 1: Theldrin, Coriana
Group 2: Giant Spider, Ettercap
Group 3: Avery
Group 4: Swarms of Spiders
Group 5: Xanrym, Syllen, Khessa
Theldrin and Coriana are up. Two swarms of spiders are coming up the stairs near Coriana while an Ettercap and Giant Spider reveal themselves in this Shrine to Lolth.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Pointing these out, Xanrym says, "So they didn't just abandon the ship: there was a battle aboard the Emperor."
When he hears about the spiders, Xanrym is perplexed. He asks Coriana, "Are big spiders a common nuisance for ships at sea?" He wouldn't have thought so, but he has little experience with boats or ships before the current trip.
Xanrym wonders whether its related to the disappearance of the crew or whether they've just thrived since whatever violence happened on the ship a few days ago. Are "fist-sized spiders" a common pest in Urnst? (Nature: 16)
If they are, Xanrym suggests that maybe the spiders were inadvertently taken aboard when the ship restocked its provisions before the return voyage from Urnst. Now that the crew is gone, perhaps they've just run rampant.
If they are not, Xanrym suggests that maybe the spiders were part of what happened to the Emperor. Maybe one of the sailors was trying to smuggle giant spider eggs on the ship for some reason, and they hatched / got loose?
If he's not sure, Xanrym says nothing more about the spiders.
In any case, Xanrym has never heard of a spider so big that it could shear the masts off of the ship! There must be more to the story of what happened to the Emperor of the Waves. It's a puzzle, but Xanrym smiles. He loves puzzles.
Unless Khessa and Avery see or hear something more urgent through the grate to the lower deck, Xanrym suggests that they first check the two doors up on the main deck before going below. He'd start with whichever cabin Coriana thinks would most likely be the captain's since he still hopes that they'll find some record there of what happened to the ship and crew. "In any case," Xanrym says, "if there's still something dangerous stalking the ship, it's better to meet it up here where we'll have a clear path to retreat to the rowboat, if needed. Like you always say, Avery, let's be sure not to leave enemies behind us before we go below deck."
Coriana was a little surprised when Khessa ripped off the grate after we had a disagreement over where to go. “Captain’s Cabin is usually aft, forward cabins don’t have as smooth a voyage and are better for storage.”
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Theldrin agrees that the party should stick together and assume for now that the ship may still have dangers lurking.
Khessa is still curious to know if there are only spiders down there or if there is something else to see. So she looks (without going down) at what her Light has illuminated.
But the blonde arcane warrior (even though she is convinced that none of the original attackers are left on board) agrees with the strategy outlined and then follows the others towards the captain's cabin - and joins Xanrym in any investigations [[ OOC: Aiming to provide Help ]].
(OOC:
Xanrym may be paranoid after his experience in Orlane. That started off like a "put a stop to these troglodytes who are causing trouble for this friendly little farming village" and then quickly devolved into an Invasion of the Body Snatchers situation where naga-charmed, murderous villagers were hidden among the regular townspeople, and we kept running into nasty surprises.
)
If it turns out that the ship is empty, Xanrym will be happy to admit that he was overly-cautious. In any case, assuming that the ship is empty, and the attackers already took Aubrek's crate, he sees no reason to hurry. He isn't going to give up on the 10,000 gp reward easily. The Company might as well search the ship together room-by-room, from the deck down to the hold, as they look for clues about who attacked the ship and where they might have gone.
Syllen looks at the group.
“If the ship is sinking it might be best to search below deck first. If we are lucky we might be able to slow down how fast the ship is sinking. If it is dark, I might be the one best suited to go down first. I am very used to being in dark places.”
As long as no one objects, Syllen will be the first person to go below deck. Also if there is a drop he will tie his rope to something and climb down.
Xanrym doesn't see any urgency to go below deck: "Listen -- those blood stains I found are about 3 days old." Xanrym hopes that his new companions don't find it too gruesome that he knows how quickly spilled blood dries. He tries to convince Syllen to wait for them to check the captain's cabin before climbing down to the lower deck: "The ship seems to have taken on some water, but if it took 3 days to get to this state, there's no reason to think that it'll sink in the next hour or two. Let's spend a few minutes to check the two cabins up here. If they're empty, then it will hardly delay the exploration of the dark, spider-filled hole. If the cabins are not empty, then you'll have to wait a little longer, but we may find something more useful to us in tracking down Aubrek's crate than an empty hold. I mean," looking to Khessa for support, "whoever attacked the ship probably already took everything from the hold, and we're just here to find clues that will help us track them down."
Xanrym gives a big smile as he realizes how unappealing what he's about to offer sounds: "I promise, Syllen, that we'll allow you go through the hole first to search the spider-infested deck below. Just as soon as we finish checking the two cabins on this level. Deal?"
Xanrym wonders whether he's being overly cautious because they got Toska -- the last person who "joined" one of the Company's missions -- killed. He tries to remind himself that Coriana, Khessa, and Syllen are more experienced than Toska was, but he cannot help imagining Syllen dropping down into the web of some monstrous, aquatic spider just as a bunch of Sahuagin burst through the closed doors on the main deck.
Syllen shrugs his shoulders.
“I am fine with looking up here first. I will just say that it might be possible for me to get some information out of the spiders below the deck. You might be right that we should clear out this area before going below deck.”
When someone opens one of the cabin doors Syllen will cast detect magic, quickly look in the hole and then follow the group.
"Something doesn't feel right about all this," Theldrin says with a scowl as he looks around the deck of the ship. He loads his crossbow and stands back from the cabin door, ready to fire a bolt if anything attacks from within once it's open.
Khessa sees spider webs as she throws the glowing wood down the grate. Large spiders are not a particularly common beast in Urnst. You open the unlocked aft door to what should be the captain's cabin.
A rough stone altar dominates the room. Strange markings cover its surface, dried mud cakes the floor around it, and humanoid skulls ring the wall above, each mounted on a wooden spike. The corners of this room are piled with garbage and debris-crudely cut wooden logs, smashed furniture, torn sacks, shattered crates, and small piles of dried palm fronds. A staircase descends from the southeast corner, and an acrid odour fills the air.
Khessa murmurs, a little disappointed: "All we can see are cobwebs... Some cleaning will be necessary before we can explore further down there".
When Theldrin voices his feeling, the blonde arcane warrior, perplexed, asks him: "What do you mean? It looks like a common scene of a ship that was attacked and damaged... Which is not 'right', granted, but... do you mean something else, I suppose? Are you sensing something strange with your magic?"
At the sight of the stone altar and skulls, the tall adventuress turns to the wizard and acknowledges: "Well, however you knew it, you were right. This is definitely 'not right'... I was expecting the captain's cabin, not some sort of barbaric shrine. The sahuagin who attacked us before had envoys of their gods with them... perhaps this is what they would have done with us if they had won. A bloody sacrifice to cruel gods on a makeshift altar".
The blue eyed woman tries to move the garbage in the corners, watching for any clues [[ OOC: Aiming to Help Xanrym or anyone else investigating with her ]].
Avery will help in investigating: Investigation 13; Perception 5
Khessa took the torches that Aubrek gave us, right? Hearing that there will be cobwebs, Xanrym asks Khessa for one of the torches and uses Prestidigitation light it. He says, "A torch will provide brighter light in the cabins, and a flame is better than a lantern or spell for burning back cobwebs."
Xanrym agrees with Theldrin. If the ship was occupied just 3 days ago, how could such big spiders spread and make webs in that time? And if the crew was aboard when the ship was attacked, then where are they now? If someone attacked the ship and killed the crew, why break off the masts but not scuttle the ship? Are they trying to use the ship as a trap? Or was the attack that killed the crew separate from whatever event broke the masts? Xanrym thinks that the story doesn't "fit" together, and he hopes to find more answers in the captain's cabin.
Xanrym thrusts the torch into the room for a better view and just lets out a dumbfounded, "Huh." He wouldn't have been surprised if a Sahuagin or some other sea monster had leaped out at them. Or to find a scene of the crew's last stand. But he definitely wasn't expecting to find a crude shrine like this.
(OOC: @drumdigby - How big is this cabin? I'm going to assume that it's at least 20' x 20' so that the whole party can fit in the room together.)
Xanrym steps in after Khessa to provide some torchlight, but he remains just inside the room beside the doorway, scanning the room, while he waits for Avery (and Coriana, if she wants) to move into the room first. He wonders whether the one who built this altar is still here and looks for any sign of movement from anyone other than the party members. He's especially worried about the staircase that leads to the lower deck.
Perception: 19
Once the fighters are in the room, Xanrym will go first to the altar. Since he is currently concentrating on Comprehend Languages he hopes that the "strange markings" on the altar's surface might be some runes or other writing that will tell him more about the god of this shrine or the ones who built it.
“I think those smarter than me should look into gaining information from this mess, I am kinda getting the paranoia vibe here. I think we should check the other door off of the main deck before checking out the mystery staircase in here, and leave one highly mobile person who can defend themselves here to guard it. I’m volunteering myself, well myself and Asclepius, was it?”
Coriana is curious about the staircase and sorta blocks it off from others. She does look and listen down it. (perception 19 on sheet)
Also, is this room all the space in the aft of the ship on the level of the main deck?
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Syllen will cast detect magic, quickly look in the hole to see if there is any magic down there. Then he will follow the group to the door of the Captain’s Cabin. He will look around for any signs of magic.
“It might be best to give what's left of the crew a proper burial when we finish. … Coriana, do you know what a proper burial is at sea?”
Theldrin shrugs in answer to Khessa's question as he mutters, "I don't know..." followed by something unintelligible as he double checks the readiness of his new crossbow.
Once the door is opened and he gets a good view of the altar, his scowl deepens, and he nods slowly with a sigh, then helps search the cabin. He tries to recall if he ever came across anything like this in his studies, regarding Sahuagin culture or accounts of merchant vessels that went missing etc.
History: 26
Khessa sympathizes with Syllen's good feelings... Yes, of course, the crew deserves a proper burial... Apparently, only their skulls remain - and that's why she hadn't even come up with the idea! The remains are so miserable that it didn't even seem worthwhile to her to take care of them... but in retrospect, they are still the remains of innocent common folk... A proper burial would represent a last act of respect towards them - while waiting to be able to avenge them.
(OOC: Assuming that nothing happens before Xanrym gets a chance to check out the altar, I'm throwing in an INT check here in case the "strange markings" aren't actually writing, and Xanrym just has to puzzle out details of this little shrine from other clues.)
Xanrym - Religion: 18
Coriana will respond that, where she comes from, dead sailors get a proper burial only on land if we are close enough to port so they don’t start to stink. Most times it’s food for the crabs, with a respectful speech or prayer.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Xanrym and Theldrin both look at the altar and quickly work out who it is service to: Lolth, the demon queen of spiders and Drow. At that same time, Coriana looks down the stairs and sees hundreds of little spiders running up toward her. Additionally, what no one else noticed was that two more beasts are in the room. A Giant Spider crawls out from the debris on the port side of the room, while a hulking humanoid-spider hubrid emerges from a dark corner on the other side, an Ettercap. A light hissing sound now fills the dank room. Initiative (Ettercap and Giant Spider have Advantage)
Group 1: Theldrin, Coriana
Group 2: Giant Spider, Ettercap
Group 3: Avery
Group 4: Swarms of Spiders
Group 5: Xanrym, Syllen, Khessa
Theldrin and Coriana are up. Two swarms of spiders are coming up the stairs near Coriana while an Ettercap and Giant Spider reveal themselves in this Shrine to Lolth.