Gren's attack tears another great gouge out of the creature's flesh and, despite the misses of Kaine and Skitterlung, it turns and flees with a squeal of pain - racing away towards the treeline the far side from where you emerged leaving a trail of blood.

The two sailors fighting the goat-things fare similarly. One manages to deliver a mighty blow of his belaying pin into a creature's horned head, the crack audible throughout the clearing, driving it to the ground but not quite finishing it off. The other sailor is less successful and misses his attack to take a nasty cut to the ribs from a jagged flint knife.

A short distance away the two giants, Cavalier and the bull thing, trade attacks without success - swinging away at each other but unable to land a solid blow. The distraction does give the third sailor enough time to drive his sword into the creature's side drawing a bellow of pain and rage.

OOC: Never send a human, goblin or giant clockwork robot to do a moleman's job! Everyone has now acted so it's the start of another round. As per normal either take a fast action or let me know if you're holding for the slow turn.

Seeing his clockwork companion trading blows Gren ran up behind the bull like creature and attempted to attack it

Ooc

20:55, Today: Gren rolled 3 using 1d20+1.  Claw attack

Skitterlung turned his attention to the large creature.

OOC: "16:14, Today: Skitterlung rolled 11,4 using 1d20+2,1d6.  attack + prospective damage."

Kaine was elated as the goat-things fell, and move to attack the remaining goat-thing that had struck one of the sailors. Just as he was about to strike a bellow from the bull-thing distracted him and his blow flew quite off the mark!

---

22:30, Today: Kaine rolled 1 using 1d20.  Attack Roll vs goat thing (Finesse). Wow! :(

Having failed so far to do any damage to the creature, Cavalier instead opts to do something a bit more radical, and summons all the force it can to knock it down, in an attempt to let others take advantage of this and put it out of its misery.

---

21:27, Today: Cavalier rolled 14 using 1d20+1.  Strength attack roll to Knock Down vs Agility.

If target is larger than me, 1 bane/level, if smaller, 1 boon/level. If I succeed, it is knocked prone.

Cavalier's change of tack takes the bull-creature completely by surprise and with a roar it pitches over backwards, slamming hard into the ground while lashing out wildly with it's club.  Unable to defend itself it is easy prey for one of Skitterlung's stones and a stab from the sailor though Gren's claws can't quite manage to penetrate it's hide. It spends the next few moments clambering to it's feet - now clearly badly injured.

Seeing their large comrade fall both the remaining goat-men, without waiting to see if it lives or not, break away and flee for the woods. The two sailors fighting them give chase with wild abandon, hacking and swiping at their retreating backs.

As the bull think came to his feet Gren swept in low with another attack

Ooc

21:43, Today: Gren rolled 1 using 1d3.  Damage.

21:43, Today: Gren rolled 6 using 1d20+1.  Melee attack

"Stop! Come back, we need ye here!" Kaine yelled at the sailors chasing the goat-things. Swiveling his head at the bull-thing as it clambered to its feet, Kaine moved quickly to join the others flanking it and thrust with his staff at the bull-thing's head.

---

ooc: Move into range then attack
Attack: 13; Damage: 7

16:40, Today: Kaine rolled 7 using 1d6+1.  damage.
16:40, Today: Kaine rolled 13 using 1d20.  Attack Roll vs Beast (Finesse).

Skitterlung ignores the clambering away of the sailor-men. The less of talls, the better! Pursuant to this social stance, he took aim for the larger creature.

OOC: "22:08, Today: Skitterlung rolled 22,5 using 1d20+2,1d6.  attack + prospective damage."

With the creature off-balance, and the others attacking it, Cavalier swings once more in hopes that the thing would go down soon. This time, the hit was good and the force was great.

---

20 to hit, 6 damage.

23:17, Today: Cavalier rolled 20 using 1d20+1.  Attack Roll, +1.
23:18, Today: Cavalier rolled 6 using 1d6.  Club Damage.

Still recovering from it's fall the bull-creature proves easy prey to your concentrated assault and Cavalier's mighty blow brings it back down to it's knees where a mixture of hacking, clawing and beating manages to end it's life before it can take another swing. As the goat-men disappear into the trees the sailors regroup, sensible enough not to follow them into the undergrowth, and return to stand by you and the pile of gore that was the mighty bull-man.

Now that they are closer and the situation less fraught you recognise that the man who joined Cavalier's attack on the bull-thing is Monterey, formerly first mate of the Sunset Mist. He's a large, no-nonsense man with an angry scar running down his face and debilitating one eye. He gruffly thanks you for your assistance and introduces his two companions as Curtis, a short but broad-shouldered sailor and Marson, a man so covered in piercings it's a miracle he got washed up and didn't sink with the ship!

As Monterey starts to explain how they got there a groan from the pit makes the three men look up in surprise, "Damn, nearly forgot about Jeb! He fell into that pit trap there and looks like he's done busted his leg." A quick look down the hole, which is about ten feet deep, shows another sailor - this one covered in a myriad of bright blue tattoos - groaning in pain and clutching a leg which is clearly broken even to the casual observer. "We can't just leave him down there but he'll be a pain to try and get out."

Cavalier wipes the blood from the club onto the bull-creature, and hangs it back in the makeshift belt it carries. It observes the first mate, and though it can not show it, there is a spark of recognition. Cavalier had not socialised a lot with the crew, but it recognized some faces.

"I could try to lift him out." it suggests, looking down into the hole. That is, if it was even big enough for him to fit.

Gren stepped forward "leave this to me" he said as he stood at the pit edge then paced out a number of steps.

"please stand back" removing his robe to be left in just a cloth round his privates the molekin bent and started to dig.

His claw strokes were practiced and precise and before too long he had started to form a three sided ramp in the earth heading towards to pit. It looked a gentle slop wide enough for two men to walk down thus once complete wide enough for two men to carry a wounded man up it

Skitterlung merely watched on in amazement as he watched Gren dig to the trench. Truly, the shorts always have skills that are beyond talls, like Skitterlung with his bug raising.

Kaine leaned on his staff at the edge of the pit, watching Gren dig his way down to the injured man with amazement. He was ready to help bring the injured man upside in any way he could, and as soon as Gren finished with digging a path Kaine gestured at Cavalier to move down with him to help Jeb back up to his mates.

Gren's particular talents make digging out the injured sailor a fairly simple challenge. Once down Cavalier's prodigious strength is sufficient to lift him out to safety. Once out this man, introduced as Jeb, is effusive in his thanks. Even a fairly cursory examination shows that the leg is broken and he won't be walking on it anytime soon.

Once their companion is safe Monterey, clearly the spokesman of the group, gives you an overview of their time on the island so far. It is a story not dissimilar from yours. They found themselves washed up what you work out must have been further west than you were. They sheltered for the rest of the day at the feet of some strange statutes they found on the coast and then, in the morning, made for the same smoke you saw. They managed to make it to what turned out to be a small village but it was filled with "those monsters" and when they were seen they were attacked. They managed to flee but then Jeb hit their deadfall trap and they had to make a stand - that was when you came upon them.

Monterey looks at you and rubs a hand through greasy hair and over tired eyes, "We'll need to move as I 'spect more of those creatures will be on their way soon enough and I don't fancy to take on any more of 'em. Inland looks like the only option left to us but I would welcome your views. You seen anything in your travels which looks like we might find some people hereabouts? Well, people who won't want to eat us!"

"We's seen a short who has got scared away by the other talls. No threats or daggers from the short." Skitterlung explained at a safe disjuncture from the sailors, who he suspected harbored him ill will after he became a castaway on their ship.

"We saw another plume of smoke some place over there," Kaine said, pointing in the direction they had seen the other plume of smoke. "Perhaps we should go take a look there, unless that was from your campfire?" He added glumly.

Gren brushed the dirt off himself then dressed "smoke might be another village of beast people it might be prudent to go cautiously if we do not wish to fight again" he said as he finished putting his gear back into place.

Cavalier felt a slight bang of regret. They had beatn these people and attacked them, but only after their fellow survivors had entered the village? So they were, in fact, the intruders, and not the courageous defenders? It did not voice this concern, though, letting it stew in its inner thoughts. It was perhaps at that moment that it felt very unlike its old life, where there had always been a purpose to the violence - never anything like this.

"Are you well enough to travel?" it asked, softly, but still with that deep, metallic ring.

The sailors gather up what little belongings and equipment they had and nod their agreement to the plan of heading for the other sign of civilization. They confirm that the other fire you saw wasn't theirs - they had a very small affair on the coastline. Jeb is the only man injured enough to have any difficulty travelling and, half-suspended between two of his companions, he manages to make fair speed. As you travel through the trees you again find yourself feeling that you're being watched but this time you have no sign of from where and have little choice to proceed.

The injured man slows you down surprisingly little as the additional help provided by the sailors makes hacking your way through the undergrowth much easier than it had been previously. You make fairly good progress and, as the sun is starting to set, you find the jungle thinning out and the land opening out into a series of lightly wooded hills. By your reckoning you must only be a mile or two from where you had seen the smoke and you are about to press on when you see movement on the hill top in front of you. Silhouetted in the setting sun you can see a shape on all fours prowling around and, even at this distance, you can tell that it is huge - surely at least the height of a man at the shoulder. As you watch it raises it's head into the air and lets out a tremendous barking roar though it doesn't seem at this point that the thing has seen you...

Kain swore as he saw the massive shape, his eyes widening in fear. "If that thing catches our scent, we are done for," he whispered to the others. "Lets hide until it moves away."

Looking about for the nearest tree, Kaine moved behind the trunk and tried to calm his breathing and the (to him) loud beating of his own heart.

Skitterlung rushed into a bush, where he could observe the goings-on from a safe place.

While he was under there, of course, he checked on his new bug friend quite briefly, making sure to check that it had been feeding on the smaller bugs, fruit, or plant matter--perhaps all three?

Was this the wrong time to check? Yes, probably. He was quick about it.

Gren grunted and found a bank and within moments had dug himself a small cave like structure in the earth big enough for 3 people to hide in and beckoned the sailors and in.

He then covered it with a thin layer of earth with holes in for air.

Turning to the others he shrugged and dug another one for them.

You spend the night in your respective hiding places; Gren and the sailors underground, Kaine up in a nearby tree and Skitterlung under a bush (with his bug which, it turns out, prefers plant matter to the other proferred food stuffs). Cavalier remains in the open but given he has no scent it seems less desperate that he hides.

As night falls the creature in the hills moves on, dissapearing into the gloom and, thankfully, not appearing to come your way. You can hear it's strange barking roar intermittently throughout the night which makes sleep hard to come by but the night passes otherwise uneventfully (albeit cold and uncomfortably) and you are not attacked. Of your strange animal 'friends' from the woods earlier in the day there is no sign.

As dawn breaks you gather and make a breakfast from your dwindling supplies and what can be rustled up from the treeline. As Gren digs the sailors out from their hole in the ground they grumble incessently and seem even more bedraggled than they had previously but are otherwise alright.

As you start to get ready to move out, or at least discuss how to proceed, there is a crashing from the trees to your left. As your hands fly to weapons and you get ready for action the undergrowth parts and a man, an honest to goodness human male, emerges into the sunlight. The man is big, well over six feet and wide as a bear, with a huge bushy beard; black as night but starting to streak with silver. He wears an enormous poncho though the blue and green pattern is splashed with red liquid and his gloved hands drip with the same thick red substance. Seeing you he pulls a floppy hat firmly down on his head with one hand and clutches a thick wooden staff with the other before heading over towards you with a purposeful stride...
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:50, Wed 19 Aug 2020.