Episode 1: A Helping Hand

The captain and first mate blink in understanding, even before Golwen begins to ring the bell again. "It's a siren song!" shouts Yokgrumli over the din. "Fight it, lads!" The dwarf immediately goes to the wheel, not only to maintain course, but to defend against anyone seeking to turn the ship.

Twelve men clambered up to the main deck with the party. They looked about confusedly, and as the song came into focus, they all turned to the port side. As soon as the bell begins to ring, six of the crew seemed jarred out of their trance. However, the other six move to the port rail and seem ready to jump over.

The first mate dashes to the one of the men at the rail and grabs him by the shoulders, turning him slightly to give a hard slap across the man's face. The crewman recoils and shakes his head, the stinging pain apparently clearing his senses.

The men in the water begin to swim towards one of the dark rocky spires in the distance.

One sailor doubles over in pain and falls to the deck, groaning as he clutches something between his legs. Parallel turns and thrusts forward at a second sailor, but the man's leg moves in the way and the pommel glances off the thigh. There is a grunt from the second sailor, but his focus still appears to be at the distance.

Rhodrick successfully wraps his arms around one of the entranced crewmen, preventing the sailor from moving.

The sailor in front of Jandral crumples in an unconscious heap as both pommels connect.

It is fortunate that Tordek did not spend any time donning his heavy chainmail, and he rockets off the railing and into the water like a solid stone ball of compact dwarven muscle. Tordek slams into one of the sailors, sending both underwater for a second before returning to the surface. The sailor gasps for breath and starts treading water, looking around confusedly.

Haesh steps toward the port rail and slaps one of the charmed crewmen. The sailor reels, blinking as though he has awakened from a dream.

The first mate pushes past everyone to get to the last crewman, and like before sends a backhand across the man's cheek. As with the others, this sailor staggers and holds his head, senses slowly returning.

Captain Yokgrumli takes the wheel and, unable to risk turning the ship toward the rocks, yells, "Jolly! Jolly boat!" He stabs his finger several times at the aft side of the port rail, where a small 6-person boat hangs from davits.

The sailors in the water, with the exception of the one next to Tordek, continue swimming.

Rhodrick connects with his fist, but the sailor's eyes remain distant. Perhaps he could not get enough power behind the strike as Rhodrick continues to hold onto the sailor.