On to Altaruk! Enter the "Mak".

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

Coden gestures for a pair of the elves to grab the requested small barrel of water - it'll give them something to do immediately and keep their hands busy so they aren't training weapons on HurK.

[Deleted]

Mak mounts his Pterran without a second thought.

"I will accompany the Giant to view the tentacle dusk sucker."

[There is room for an additional medium sized rider on the Pterran if anyone else wishes to go.]

[Attilius]

Oct 30, 2020 11:19:04 GMT -12 @rpgagmjay said:

Mak mounts his Pterran without a second thought.
"I will accompany the Giant to view the tentacle dusk sucker."

Slightly surprised, HurK nods his head to the little new comer "OK, OK..."

[DM Bob]

Coden's command is reinforced by the brother and sister as well as Druuso. This makes the other two nod and go below... there is hushed elvish speak as they do so, gathering the least full water tun and staggering it up the stairs past Laahk. The closest shore is the south. Khuv hops up and down and wants to come along. Who knows what this thing tastes of?

Coughing, Hurk manages to make it to the shore in one piece. The shore here is scattered dry grass clumps about sandy dirt. The greener areas that Balic's livestock graze are within the end of your view. You can make out the rise of Balic as well further to the south... and the Gambit behind you a speck in the dust. A few black-brown kank run west at your arrival. You don't spy any riders though... but some dust is kicked up in their flight.

Setting the horror down and drinking deep of the water, you begin to examine the odd creature before you.

The immediate thing you notice is the teeth. They look almost human-like.

[Attilius]

Upon reaching the sandy Dirt, HurK shrinks down to 36' tall. He gets down on his hands and knees and splayes out the creature evenly to see every tentacle and full body mass. He carefully open the chest cavity to study the inner organs and most importantly the gills/lungs.

"So amazing, yet so deadly. This thing would've loved to eat every single one of us!"

[DM Bob]

The entire animal is rubbery. Blue veins transverse the insides... it seems more stomach than anything else. Something akin to a gizzard, containing larger silt pieces hangs off one side dripping pale red blood. Almost pinkish. Gills to either side have a thin lining of membrane behind them. The tentacles come from the bottom of the beast, the maw at the other end - kind of like a shell-less nautilus. There's a bulge to the bottom by the tentacles, a bladder of sorts. All in all, it's about 20' across from the head to where the tentacles begin. Roughly a ton in weight all in.

[Attilius]

"Hmmm..." the half giant intently studies the bladder and the connection to the gills "Maybe it used this bulbous organ to rise and fall within the silt using some kind of internal gas?" he says curiously to Mak

[Deleted]

Mak helps Khuv up onto the Pterrax. "Hold on, you are no wind dancer" and with a gentle nudge from his heels the Pterrax lifts off from the deck of the ship and follows the giant one.

Upon arriving at the shore Mak will assist Khuv with the dismount before dropping to the ground himself. He gives the Pterrax a pat on the head and chirps a few times [circle and watch for dangers].

Mak will take a great interest in examining the tentacle monster. [Any insight from Animal Lore and/or Lifeshaping?]

"Hmmm..." the half giant intently studies the bladder and the connection to the gills "Maybe it used this bulbous organ to rise and fall within the silt using some kind of internal gas?" he says curiously to Mak

Mak looks curiously at Hurk's observation, "That would be odd...", and places his hands on many of the organs attempting to feel if any had any remnant of hot air remaining. Once his examination is complete he pauses for a moment to place a hand near any optical organ and wave his other hand in the air in a circular motion, acknowledging the life that was lost.

Looking to Khuv he asks, "How much of this can be eaten? Is there any other uses for it's corpse now that it is dead?" His bright curiosity from earlier has dampened to a dull pragmatism.

[DM Bob]

"The giants would know if you could eat it!" Khuv states without any frame of reference. The tentacles are of dense protein mass... the body, mouth and stomachs? Not so much. Judging by the teeth, you'd think these monsters *need* to suffocate their prey first.

You think the bladder might be for propulsion beneath the silt or for waste expulsion (or both).

What a lovely creature.

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

"Let's get moving soon!" shouts Coden out to the curious silt-horror-seekers. "You expended enough psionic energy to light up this area like a beacon, any powerful psionicist for miles is wondering what just happened here!"

[Attilius]

[Bob, if HurK has had enough time to memorize the creature, he will tell the 2 halfling's it's time to go. He'll metamorph into a 12' eagle the color of the sky and fly back to the Gambit.]

[DM Bob]

"W-w-w-WAIT!" Khuv argues. "When are we ever gonna eat something like this again?" He pulls out the jasper knife you recently recovered from Nibenay and points as if he wants, at the very least, the chance to bring back a tentacle.

In fact, the little man makes a few cuts. The blade is very sharp. darksunsouthtablelands.obsidianportal.com/items/dark-jasper-dirk

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

Coden chuckles and says, "Sure, grab what you can. I just don't want to have to fight off a pack of silt marauders in their own ships, or a group of giants, or a psionic master wondering what the heck is going on out here. Fortunately we are probably clear from the latter, or they'd have 'ported in already. More likely they just scried on the area clairvoyantly to satisfy any lingering curiosity. But we certainly can't stay too much longer!"

[Attilius]

Oct 30, 2020 16:08:14 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

"W-w-w-WAIT!" Khuv argues. "When are we ever gonna eat something like this again?" He pulls out the jasper knife you recently recovered from Nibenay and points as if he wants, at the very least, the chance to bring back a tentacle.

In fact, the little man makes a few cuts. The blade is very sharp. darksunsouthtablelands.obsidianportal.com/items/dark-jasper-dirk

Hurk-eagle waddles and hops over to the various cut tentacles. He grabs them into his talons then flies off to the Gambit. He drops them on the deck as he flies over and releases his power. His sky colored feathers pull back inside him as he turns back into his naked half giant form and lands on the deck.

Hurk takes a few moments to catch his breath while looking around and taking in the scenery...

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

"Do you need a towel?" says Coden wryly as he brings HurK's clothes back to the giant.