DM Bloodgargler's Heroes of the Shiv

Game Master BinkyBo

Mugambi limps back to his bedroll with a thank you nod to Kekkaw.
Inside he uses his mystic powers to heal before resting.
Cure L. Wounds: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Is anaone still hurt?

Iolana stretches, but her wounds, having been just healed, still hurt.
She emits some moans,than removes her armor and lay down.
"I'm fine, just still hurting but not wounded anymore, thanks Mugambi."

"I swear my stomach's going to be a mass of bruises in the morning," Syndlara says by way of reply to Mugambi's question. "For being dead, they sure packed a mean punch. Especially the crawly-ones."

Tol gives Kekkaw an odd look before turning to Mugambi. "Aye, doctor, I've got some bruises left, and I'll doubtless ache in the morning. Nothing to be overly concerned about, but I'd be obliged if you looked at it. Once you're done with the others, mind."

Mugambi patches up the dwarf warrior wounds applaying some of his magic.
Cure L. Wounds: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Gatherine trudged back into the hut,slumping down in a corner.She took out her gunsmith kit and started sullenly working on something.

Never thought I'd almost get pummeled to death by a legless piece of jerky.Looks like those Undead were the members of the Tears of Grog.One of em had the same tattoo that was on that shield I got off the ship.

The dwarf maid started crafting bullets and gunpowder from the materials she'd collected.She rummaged through her pack for pieces of parchment she proceeded to tear and fold from the journal she'd gotten from the shipwreck.

Hai guys. Going to otakon for next three days. Gonna craft gunpowder and bullets. How much XP we get for surviving that?

DM Bloodgargler,I am going to craft ammo.Gatherine is out of ammo.She is rattled and starting to become paranoid. She will be at this for quite some time.As per your rules 1 hour per 100gp of ammo,she will be taking a total of 5 hours and 35 minutes crafting time. I will be at Otakon. Everyone else feel free to interact with Gatherine as you wish.

okie doke, have fun.

up to you if it makes sense that you know of Red Mantis, but it would most likely take a knowledge(local) to know much about them.

By mid-morning you are all fully rested. Gatherine has been working for a while on packing ammunition.
Kekkaw is out on the rocky part of the beach collecting urchins and clams. It is a rare cool morning, but an occasional humid wind comes in gusts to let you know it won't last long.

Tol checks on Gatherine, finding her happily engaged in packing ammunition, and then takes Gorra outside for some air. He leads the horse out on the beach to where Kekkaw is foraging, away from the rest of the party.

Gatherine swelled with pride as she finally finished creating and packing ammunition for her pistols.Her gunkit was cleaned and stowed away safely in her corset alongside her war razor.She wiped her soot-smudged face.

She had three powderhorns worth of blackpowder,which was thirty shots worth from Sneezy Dragon or fifteen with Twinbellows.Sixty bullets of lead and bits of steal she scavenged from the junk pile in the corner. A pair of flare cartridges that could blind and dazzle foes or be used as a signal flare.Three dragon's breath cartridges made by combining blackpowder and potent alcohol Keekaw kept in a gourd.Five paper cartridges,tubes of paper sealed with wax torn from the journal she'd taken from the. Tears of Grog, and three pitted bullets.

She would apply poison from the blowgun she had taken off one of the cannibals to the pitted bullets.It would make the poison less potent but still effective.

She proceeded to clean and reload Sneezy Dragon and Twinbellows while she was at it. She rummagd through her backpack and adventurer's sash to take stock of her inventory.

Gatherine,honestly surprised at how many items she had accumulated since they had all shipwrecked upon Smugglers Shiv,sorted everything.She had her spare traveling clothes,the freshly washed but slightly crooked tricorne hat that had belonged to Captain Kovack she wore atop her head and secured in place by using several long braids as chinstraps, the signet ring with a crest that was a ring of resistance that the others insisted she take she wore on one thumb,the colorful polished bones,stone,and wood tribal jewelry she decided to affix to Sneezy Dragon as charms to its heart-shaped butt.

Her adventures sash was buckled back across her chest,holding her ammunition cartridges within easy reach.She dropped the three pitted bullets into the gourd holding the poison soaked sponge and 12 darts she had lifted from one of the cannibals along with his weighted blowgun.

Her spare traveler's garb and the torn but still serviceable wool blanket along with Kovack's captain log,Berzac's canvas journal and the Tears of Grog's ledger were bundled together and stowed at the bottom of her backpack.Next she fitted her coiled hemp rope,shovel,fishing net,and Alton's knife alongside the five days worth of trail rations. The weathered but intact shield with the Tears of Grog's crest,a morning star crossed with a battleaxe with a spilling tankard,she attached to the backpack---it walk black her back from any weapon that could tear thru the pack and into her.

The leather satchel that had contained the twelve potions she'd retrieved from the Jenevire's wreckage that now only held her potion of water breathing,the silver-lined quiver of crossbow bolts of masterwork quality, Jask's manacles,and the ring of keys that opened them hung off her hip.
Her war razor and money purse were kept deep in her corset,tucked between her ample bosom.

Gatherine,fully rested and wide-awake, stood and stretched from the corner she'd occupied for the last six hours since the zombie assault last night. Several joints crackled and popped as she rotated her limbs.

She marched outside of the crab-hut and puffed out her cleavage,squinting into the mid-morning sunlight.We,the Survivors of Smugglers Shiv, have triumphantly overcome our foes! First we weathered a shipwreck,fought off a giant lobster scorpion,put down zombies, slayed degenerative cannibals, and now we've fought off a horde of Undead!

She hopped onto one of the lowered crab claws and struck a pose,pointing both pistols at the jungle beyond.I,Gatherine Deepheavy the Leadfox Pistoleero,declare that the Survivors of Smugglers Shiv are mighty and we are not to be f*@@ed with!!

Gatherine being silly.LOL.

Then the dwarf maid took a misstep and tumbled off the crab claw,landing harmlessly face-first into the sand.

Iolana chuckles at Gatherine's display of overconfidence.
"Almighty lady, do you have a solution for getting us out of this f!&!ing isle?"

Gatherine gave a muffled reply before she lifted her head,Well, I dunno anything about islands but if so many ships pass through and usually crash,and the fact its used primarily by pirates and smugglers,wouldn't there be something built on the island to attract those ships? Like a lighthouse or a secret tower? Who knows how many pirates buried treasure here thinking they'd be able to come back and collect?

She sat up and spat out gritty sand.You and Mugambi are sailor--and you're a pirate's daughter.You tell me.

Iolana puts her hands high above her head,pretending to be ashamed.
"Ok milady,you won.And if i'm not wrong someone here already mentioned a lighthouse somewhere to the South?"

Ya, ther a just da problem of da current residents. Dey sure would like ta have us far dinner.

The mwangi says while stretching himself after exiting the hut.

"Then we'll have to deal with them first--I really don't intend to spend the rest of your lives, let alone mine, on this island," Syndlara replies, absently rubbing her bruised shoulder.

After we secure the lighthouse and get rescued ...let's just set the entire island on fire if we can. For the good of everyone else.Excluding pirates. Gatherine suggested hopefully.

After Tol join them at the beach the tribesman asks.
So, what we goin ta do? We follow captain again?

Out by the rock pools, Tol stands, says a few more words to Kekkaw, and turns back to the rest of the group. Gorra follows obediently behind him. When he reaches the rest of the group, his face is as grim as ever, but there is a spark of resolve in his eye, replacing his previous long-suffering air.

At Mugambi's question, he replies, "That's an interesting question. Our Captain Kovack is up to something, or he's a bloody fool, or both. By what we saw from his tracks, and Mr. Cuckoo's observations, he's spent his whole time on this island hauling a crate straight toward the cannibals' camp. I don't reckon we really need to worry about following his tracks at this point. If we head to the camp, he'll be there. As a guest or a main dish, I can't say." He grunts in punctuation.

"I had a talk with Mr. Cuckoo this morning. Living here on the island, I think he's seen more than any sane man... bird... thing can see. He's got dark secrets he won't tell. But he knows the island. He says there's just a couple dozen cannibals. They've set up their camp around an old lighthouse. I say we stop being hunted, and start hunting. If we can eliminate those cannibals, the whole island will be a lot safer, for us and the other castaways with Mr. Jask. We may even be able to get the lighthouse working again, to draw attention from passing ships. It seems like our best strategy, and it probably gets us face to face with Captain Kovack and Miss Ieana too."

He looks around the group. An elvish dancer, a pirate's daughter, a witch doctor, and a runaway dwarf girl. Not the standard infantry regiment, to say the least. And himself, an aging small-time soldier. Be honest, he thinks to himself, The reason you talk about that warg fight so much is because in almost a century of service, it's the most action you've ever seen. Guard duty, delivery jobs, horse training... You're no seasoned warrior yourself. He clears his throat awkwardly and tugs absently at his braided beard. "All we have to do is figure out how to pull it off."

Against her best judgment, Iolana too is excited at the thought of some action, not to talk of clearing out the cannibals.
"Once the men-eaters are gone, it'll be a lot safer finding a way out of here.Let's walk to the South, we'll think of something along the way"

Gatherine was oddly pensive as she allowed Tol to voice his thoughts uninterrupted.Once she was sure he was finished, she voiced her own.

I agree wholeheartedly with Tol about snuffing out these cannibals. They need to be destroyed for the good of everyone here and anyone else unlucky enough to make landfall here. We have the opportunity to do so--its also in our best interest in order to get ourselves rescued without having to worry about getting eaten and worse. So we need a tactical approach to this.

Noticing how the other's eyes widened in clear surprise at her speech,she continued,drawing herself as high as her 3'11" bulk allowed. Clearing her throat, she held up long nailed stubby fingers. If Keekaw is right about there being a couple dozen here on the island,let us assume there are about 24 cannibals that make up the tribe. We do not count any children there might as they are noncombatants, and hopefully we can avoid dealing with them. We have killed quite a few already,so we subtract those from the remaining foe. We have the edge of being smarter,tougher,and...more advanced in our weaponry and armor. Tol is a seasoned soilder,one me da's most trusted men-at-arms,I can probably make enough gunpowder to blow a hole through a mountain and ammunition to blast everything I come across to the Abyss and beyond,Mugambi is a doctor AND a healer with magic and medicine,Ms.Iolana is a sailor and a spellslinger with an excellent sword arm and knowledge of maps and the sea...and we have the elf who,despite her garish colors,is the quickest and most vicious blade I've seen yet and a competent tracker. And we've got Keekaw,the only person we've come across wily enough to survive upon this wretched island for who knows how long. If there's anyone who deserves to be called a Survivor of Smugglers Shiv,its definitely him.

She thumbed her noise with a grin at her fellow survivors.

I think it's time we start using that map. Mark the places we've tread and where we've been attacked. And mark our goal--the lighthouse.

Iolana begins checking the map "Well said Gatherine,think this is my job."

Profession sailor to locate current position:taking 10 for DC15,is it enough?

Mugambi peaks at the map over Iolana's shoulder.

"Wise words from you both," Syndlara comments, leaving unspoken the addendum 'for dwarves'. "We were following the trail south before we made a detour toward this beach. If I had to guess, I would say that the lighthouse is south and west of here. Though we're outnumbered, once we are nearer to the lighthouse we can start to whittle their numbers down with hit-and-run raids. Might even be able to get a few distractions going. But I think we need to be closer to the lighthouse before we can really start to worry about that."

DM Bloodgargler, was there enough time overnight after the zombie attack to regain spells?

"Based on what Mr. Cuckoo said, Miss Sindarela has the right of it. If we follow the dry riverbed back the other direction," he gestures vaguely at the map, "we'll come to the village and the lighthouse. The problem is, that's their favorite place to ambush intruders, as we, ahem, saw for ourselves yesterday afternoon. We might do better to travel on top of the bluffs, like the cannibals themselves do. Perhaps surprise them for a change."

Iolana - yes
Synd - yes

map-current position

No offense,DM Bloodgargler, but I like Tol's map better. More stuff on it. Anybody know how many cannibals we killed total?

oops, you're right

map

We have covered good distance. Mugambi mumbles to himself while looking at the map.
So, what da ya people propose we da it? Hit and run tactics on da cannibals?

Turning to the birdman.
Can ya mark da lighthouse on our map chief Kekkaw?

"We must not forget we play in stangers' home; hit and run tactics may be dangerous when you don't know the land.We already saw they are better than us at hiding."

Gatherine considered something.Oi,Kekkaw,do you happen to know of any other....denizens of this island besides the cannibals and ghosts and zombies? And that...giant flying iguana? Anything they'd be scared of?

Kekkaw takes a look at the map. "Buurrip.. Haven't seen it myself. Stu said it was as far as you could go southwest. So somewhere around here... Most likely one of these two spots... best place to put a lighthouse around there."

map

"Don't know what they fear... as I've said, haven't explored the whole island. First time I tried, ran for my life from some buurrip... plant people. Little ones." he holds out his hand to show a height 6 inches or so shorter than Gatherine.

She made a confused face.Plant....people?The she-dwarf said skeptically.Where?

"To the west. There are two small islands right here and here" ...returning to the map, he points to the islands in the northwest corner of the map. "Found a place around the rocks of this little green island with huge tasty clams. They came outta nowhere from the other side. They didn't chase me too long... must be the little legs. Buurrip heh... no offense.. "

Looking at the map.
"It is quite the other way from where we decided to go.Any reason these little plant people should be visited?"

Nah, dont think so. What do we do about da captain and da cannibals dam?
We need a plan. scraching his head and thinking.
We could climb to da top of da bluffs and walk over there. Bets been attacked in da passages below.

Gatherine pouted thoughtfully. Guess we climb the bluffs to take em by surprise...dunno how that'd work we me pistols. I'd be making quite a racket that could draw their attention. Or scare em. And then we'd have to see if Gorra can climb the bluff as well...she is a part of the team. Zombies might spook her but cannibals sure don't.

Turning to Iolana and Syn,she tapped a pouch on her adventurers sash. I also have that poison those cannibals with the blowpipes used on Averin.I have a few bullets coated in the stuff to use on a target we may want to drop quickly. It seems to instantly knock anyone who succumbs to it unconscious.I also have a blowgun and 12 darts of the stuff. If any of you want the rest of the poison,you're free to use it on your arrows or your swords. Its soaked up in some soggy sponge so I suppose its still potent.

"Ranged combat isn't really for me, at least not with weapons.
Mr. Cherthand and Gorra will almost likey have to fight in melee,and we cannot leave them; me and him will act as bait while the others fire from the cliff.I can use a magical ward on myself,and your bodyguard,Gatherine, is clad in heavy armor; we should be fine with the right barrage of fire from behind us,unless others ahve better ideas?"

Gatherine was fiddling with the heavy steel shield she'd retrieved from the Tears of Grog.She made a few swings with it,realizing she could bash somebody that got too close.

And deflect flimsy wooden javelins and crude spears without a doubt.

Sooo...who has what? Tol and Gorra have heavy armor and weapons,I've got guns and poison,Iolana has spells and scimitar,Mugambi has healing and can channel energy and you both speak Polyglot, and.....?

"From what i saw of Syndlara, her fighting style isn't that much different from my own, but she relies more on some form of dance i'ld dare to think. We are similar in armor and she is a magic user too,of different skill maybe?"

Gatherine tossed a look over at the twitchy tenth.Oi,Keekaw,what about you? What can you do besides evade capture and survive on a haunted island for years on end? Ain't you coming along?

Sooo...who has what? Tol and Gorra have heavy armor and weapons,I've got guns and poison,Iolana has spells and scimitar,Mugambi has healing and can channel energy and you both speak Polyglot, and.....?

Tol jumps in, "It's true, Gorra is a cavalry charger, and there's little that can stand against a knight on horseback in an open field, save a wall of pikemen. But that," he gestures to the wall of jungle inland from the beach, "is not an open field, and I don't expect our enemies would care to meet us in one if we could find it. I've got my axe, and my sling, and I'm a decent shot with a bow."

Could we get a knowledge (nature) check on little plant people from Syndlara?