Fouillis utilizes his expertise as a professional chest-maker as he carefully examines the box.  Does he notice anything suspicious and perhaps indicative of a trap?

Ontenir looks for something he can use to probe the soil and manure.  Meanwhile, Claude tries to help get the hatch open.

Being a superior being, Aine has different priorities.  He grabs a handful of coffee beans and begins chewing them one at a time.

14:15, Today: Quadrakill rolled 18 using 1d20.  Claude strength check.

Fouillis examines the chest for any traps yet to be sprung and bumps noses with Neftas while doing so

Ontenir scavenges the gore-slick deck for a digging implement (DC 10 luck roll).

Zul, even though preoccupied with his abdominal cavity search, scents the stupefying odor and peers towards the opened box (DC Int check (healing) to identify it).

Three of the islanders all strain to lift the cargo hatch, wedging their fingers in wherever apertures allow. Twice fingers go for the same opening, causing embarrassment for their owners. After all of the digits have settled in, the hatch starts to rise--when Dash's left foot, braced against one of the poles, starts to slide past on a pool of viscera.*

Meanwhile, Aine insouciantly tosses one coffee bean after another into his mouth.

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*For this attempt to succeed, Dash would need to burn 3 points of luck. Alternatively, another attempt could be made after they have recovered from this one (5 minutes per attempt).
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:07, Tue 28 Jan 2020.

Until very recently, Neftas was a pig farmer.  The contents of this box do not threaten him in the slightest.  He grabs a mushroom and sniffs to see if it's edible, then digs down for the more interesting contents he is sure are hidden beneath the dirt.  He is perfectly content to dig with his hands if Ontenir doesn't find something better for him.

02:40, Today: Quadrakill rolled 12 using 1d20+1.  Obtenir luck roll.

Even as he announced the missing organs of the dead sailors, Zulkandar was arms deep in their bloody inner cavities, trying to check if there were any other body parts missing. "Very strange," he muttered out loud.

It was true Zul had often 'experimented' on his patients, a fascination with blood, bone and pain having been the reason he had been apprenticed into the healer's profession in the first place, a practice, along with other 'interests' he had taken morbidly too far until he had been driven out of his village.

"It seems we may have a sorcerer on board, or someone collecting body parts to sell to a sorcerer," he remarked to the others, not divulging how he knew about such things. "It is possible we were abducted for this very purpose as well, for the harvesting of our internal organs," the skinny man added in a tone intermingled with disgust, anger and even a faint bit of praise for some strange reason.

His attention was diverted then upon smelling the faint whiff of a stupefying odor, and his brow wrinkled as he tried to recognize it. As a precaution he moved back away from the opened box quickly, gesturing at Kovac, Alrik & Gnori to do likewise, as well as anyone else paying attention. No telling what foul gases could be let lose from their sealed captivity in the box in this foul place.

---

Int Check: 08

Obtenir discovers a Klabautermann-branded back scratcher near the dead sailors. The grinning kobold of the seas promises to reach every crevice, provided you have a partner. It has a small warning chiseled in an inconvenient place: vigorous scratching may result in catastrophic splintering.

That's the thing about pig farmers: they don't practice fungiculture. As Neftas' dwarf digits delve deep into the nightsoil in search of coins below, his head starts to feel heavy...

Those foul gasses do rise forth from the coffin-shaped box and filter throughout the room, with stupefying, dizzying, and possibly even worse effects.

Luck is with three of the islanders and they raise the cargo hatch with the gasses billowing about them.*

Everybody in the human livestock hold must make a DC 20 Fort save**. All except for Aine who feels pretty caffeinated.

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*DC 10 reflex check to drop down to the deck below and avoid stupefaction or worse.
**+4 for The Four Strangers

Aine rushes to his friends, urging them to try these magnificent coffee beans!  They might not be worthy of them, but he greatly prefers to keep them alive...

13:22, Today: Quadrakill rolled 11 using 1d20-2.  Calude fort save.
13:22, Today: Quadrakill rolled 6 using 1d20.  Obtenir fort save.
13:21, Today: Quadrakill rolled 4 using 1d20.  Fouillis fort save.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:24, Wed 29 Jan 2020.

Though forewarned by Zulkandar it appeared it was too late, the gasses were already swirling around them, invisible tendrils of doom & decay. They would have to be very lucky to survive this...

---

Fort Saves: 

Zulkandar:16
Kovac: 05
Alrik: 06 (+1 from Guardian Angel for a total of 07)
Gnori: 17

Note: Zulkandar & Gnori will burn their luck to make their saves, unless it is obvious failing the saves will not result in death. So -4 luck for Zulk, & -3 for Gnori. Upon making the saves they will drag Kovac and Alrik who were affected by the gas to the cargo hatch and jump down with them, assuming being affected doesn't mean the latter two are dead.


This message was last edited by the player at 20:03, Thu 30 Jan 2020.

Neftas breathes deep, and quickly succumbs.  Further away in the hold, his companions Twanep and Kat Pentak are not far behind.

Josh rolled 3,7,2 using 1d20-1,1d20+1,1d20.  Fort - N, T, K.

Dice roller is apparently punishing me for springing the trap.  Fair enough.

Zoe and Dash both jump through the open cargo hatch. Curiosity at their fingertips. Zoe feels the not-so-fresh air rush into her depleted lungs. Distracted from the gas, she also loses her grip on the fall, and crashes without any balance. Dash, however, was more than happy to get away from the stench of death, and immediately looks around at his surroundings upon arrival.


17:14, Momentum rolled 2d20, unique dice with rolls of 3,13.  Zoe and Dash reflex.
17:12, Momentum rolled 20 using 1d20.  Dash fort roll.
17:12, Momentum rolled 2 using 1d20.  Zoe Fort roll.

No sooner had they awakened to the merrymaking of the Festival of Limbs, but a nonet of islanders had succumbed to the fungal gasses and found themselves in a "Deep Shroom Sleep Coma." Gnori saves himself by donning one of the bird-shaped masks and Zul saves himself by burying his head in … well … some cavity or other. Meanwhile, Aine, the coffee bean fairy, flits about the hold offering his beans to all takers. Zul and Gnori, at least, are in a position to provide consent should they choose to do so--and should Aine believe consent must be obtained. Is there a maritime law against non-consensual coffee bean insertion?

Claude, Dash, and Zoe all vault through the hatch to the deck below, with two of the three agilely sliding down the ladder before planting their feet on wood. Zoe hooks his foot in a rung and windmills the rest of the descent, with the head part of the windmill clipping a crate near the bottom of the ladder at the end. His body twitches a few times and blood pools around his head (Zoe takes 3 pts of falling damage and dies). The contact with the crate made barely any noise at all.

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Location: Human Livestock Hold
Time: Dawn + 10

The narrow ladder from the main deck descends further into the ship’s cargo hold. The area is dark and cramped, and smells of yeast, rot, and whale oil.

The filtered light of dawn fails to reach this far down below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Below the Human Livestock Hold
Present: Claude and Dash
Dead: Zoe
Time: Dawn + 10

Gnori took one of the proffered beans from Aine and popped it into his mouth. Zulkandar snatched one as well from the floor of the deck where he dove to avoid the gas and chomped on it hard. Both had seen Aine somehow able to avoid being knocked out by the gas after eating the bean, so it was a no brainer, personal preferences for caffeine & beans aside.

"Let's get these lumps down below and wake them up," Zulk said to Gnori, gesturing towards Alrik and Kovac, both of whom were lying on the deck, Alrik even snoring loudly.

Zulk sheathed both of their swords into their belts before taking Kovac's legs and dragging him towards the now open hatch. Gnori did the same with Alrik's prone form.

As they reached the hatch Zulk glanced down and said, "We have to get them down without hurting them our ourselves. I say we both pick each of these ingrates and carry them down the ladder carefully."

Gnori simply nodded mutely, letting go of Alrik's legs and picking up Kovac by his shoulders, while Zul held Kovac by his legs. Then carefully they began descending down the steps into the deck down below.

---

Zul & Gnori will pick up and take Kovac and then Alrik down the stairs carefully, taking their sweet time, lest any of them slip, fall and break their neck or something.

Aine must have been a loving mother bird in a past life, because he chews up a whole mouthful of coffee beans and then spits some of the brown frothy mess into each of the mouths of his slumbering companions, starting with the three oafs he knows best.  After treating his last patient, he swallows the rest and cries, “Le doctor supreme!”

Location: Human Livestock Hold
Time: Dawn + 15

The self-titled "Le Doctor Supreme" and self-annointed mother bird surrogate watches the gullets of his three chicks. They don't move. The frothy goop, fortunately administered in small quantities, bubbles through their lips and down their chin with each exhalation.

Neftas remains slumped over the coffin-shaped chest from which the fungal gasses continue to emerge. The two sailors, who had died just after closing its lid, now lie dead at its base.

Any number of other islanders, named and nameless, remain in their comas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Below the Human Livestock Hold
Present: Claude, Dash, Zulk and Gnori
Dead: Zoe
Time: Dawn + 15

Skill Check: DC 5 str for Zulk and Gnori to lower Kovak and Alrik from the HLH to this deck.

The narrow ladder from the main deck descends further into the ship’s cargo hold. The area is dark and cramped, and smells of yeast, rot, and whale oil.

As Claude and Dash's eyes adjust to the darkness, they can make out more of this cargo area:

The entire area is crowded with crates and barrels carefully stacked and tied together. Along the bulkheads of the ship, tied down with numerous ropes and elaborate knots, are several masts, sails and other items in order to repair the ship while at sea.

Gnori and Zul carried the bodies of their comrades down the steps as carefully as they could. They took Kovac down first, and found the going to be easy enough, albeit perilous due to the dark and the strenuous events they had been through.

Laying Kovac down on the floor of the deck below they climbed back up and began to bring Alrik down. The fatigue of the past few minutes as well as the gassy air appeared to be taking their toll on them though, as both Zulkandar and Gnori felt their arms burning from the strain.

Zulkandar was able to power through the pain by sheer willpower, but Gnori found his arms beginning to give out as they moved down the steps carrying the snoring Alrik.

"Hurry!" he hissed to Zul, trying to move faster.

---

Str Checks I (Carrying Kovac): Zulkandar: 14; Gnori: 05;

Str Checks II (Carrying Alrik): Zulkandar: 18; Gnori: 0

Gnori will burn 5 points of luck to make his second Str check a success

Seeing that his patients are stubbornly refusing to respond to treatment, Le Doctor Supreme resorts to slapping them while signing his name on their foreheads with a spit-coated finger.  He will stop at nothing to restore his friends to health!

In a corner of the hold two more unfortunates awake, rather belatedly, from their unfortunate slumber.

Olfred

Waking up in chains is not an entirely new experience for Olfred, although lately they had been more metaphorical than physical. These chains are sadly quite physical, but with a quick twist of his sadly not very muscular arms, he is able to wriggle out of them.

Endo

Endo awakens at the moment Olfred shakes off his chains in a disappointingly non-dramatic fashion. He takes a moment to survey the room, which is mostly composed of bodies, either appearing to be dead or literally dead. This is a somewhat familiar sight for him, and he briefly considers the sadness of so many corpses as yet unburied. Briefly. Then he realizes he is himself in chains, and with a mighty yell and strain, he completely fails to break them.


23:11, Today: Coily rolled 5 using 1d20+1.  Endo break chain.

23:10, Today: Coily rolled 16 using 1d20+1. Olfred wriggle chain.

Location: Human Livestock Hold/Below the Livestock Hold
Time: Dawn + 20

Despite the ferocity of the good doctor's ministrations, the sleepers refuse to stir, that is until they do. As Aine signs his name to Le'Blanc's forhead, Obtenic's eyes blink open. The man leans forward and expels the last of caffeine-rich pap. So to does Le'Blanc - Bonk! -- and two foreheads crash together. Nef, Twan, and Kat awaken as well but with significantly less trauma.

Eventually, enough of the islanders put their heads together to liberate the newly awakened man and shut the chest, lest more poisonous gasses permeate the room.

A few more minutes pass and everybody has had a chance to clear their heads. There isn't much to hear beyond the creaking of the ship and occasional breaking of a wave against its bow.

During this time, you remember some ripe rumours from your Bon Voyage party.

When ready, you can descend the ladder to join the others in the cramped cargo berth below or ascend a ladder to the deck above.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:29, Thu 06 Feb 2020.

Twanep vaguely recalls someone having checked the hatch above, but he was preoccupied at the time.  So he climbs up now and listens for any activity up top, or any other audible indication of what might be up there.

The eyes of the islanders fully adjust to the dim lighting of the cargo and crew's berthing, the light of dawn having been all but exhausted when it reached this level.

The narrow ladder from the main deck descends into the ship’s cargo hold. The area is dark and cramped, and smells of yeast, rot, and whale oil. The entire area is crowded with crates and barrels carefully stacked and tied together. Along the bulkheads of the ship, tied down with numerous ropes and elaborate knots, are several masts, sails and other items in order to repair the ship while at sea.

Both fore and aft, you see many posts with rows of hammocks fastened between them. The crew’s lockers are neatly stacked against the port and starboard bulkheads. Five unlit lanterns sway over the bunks.

Several corpses of sailors lie rotting on the deck. Like the others you’ve seen, they are bloated and rancid, and appear to have been disemboweled. Rats feeding on the corpse’s extremities scurry away as you approach.

Exits include a ladder leading upwards, the cargo hatch overhead, and a smaller closed hatch in the deck.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:08, Fri 07 Feb 2020.

This message was deleted by the player at 22:03, Fri 07 Feb 2020.

Kovac and Alrik came too, and immediately took stock of their surroundings. Snatching their swords from Zul and Gnori, they started poking about the lockers trying to find anything of value.

Zul gazed at the dead sailors with their missing organs with morbid interest. "We need to figure out who has been gutting these poor lads, for whoever it is, is likely still aboard," he warned the others out loud.

---

ooc: Kovac and Alrik will search the lockers and hammocks for anything of interest.

Feeling that there is strength in numbers, the Quad Squad descends into the dismal cargo hold, joining the others.  Aine promptly finds a hammock to lounge in, and Claude tries to figure out a way to light one of the lanterns.  Fouillis and Obtenir help search the lockers, and otherwise try to make themselves useful.

Dash has another thought aloud, "How long have we been on this ship? Were the 'shrooms keeping us asleep? No one naturally sleeps that long." He thinks about how the Bird masked men were slumped over the open crate, and about how long it takes a body to bloat. "Why aren't we dead like the others? Could it be that we looked dead, and the killer ignored our slumped over bodies as we dreamt'?" So many questions. "And WHY ARE THESE DAMNED LIZARDS ON THIS SHIP!"

He heads over to the smaller hatch in the deck, already expecting it to be locked, and rips at it to open.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:40, Sat 08 Feb 2020.