"What?" he says defensively. "It's true. He said so hisself. It's only right that the she stand in judgement of him ain't it? Only she can forgive him or give him a fit punishment for his crimes against her family."
"While that is true, don't you think she's been through enough right now? If he was completely unaware of what his actions were, he's not truly their killer. I'd say fake his death then cut him loose, he has a decent chance of making something worthwhile of his life, but not more of a chance than he deserves."
Annie nodded at Ghirrak's words. "I think I've a fair hand at reading people, and he seemed truthful. Honorable, really, to have been so upset over them using him to load the barrels that killed the Vanderborens that he risked his own safety to report them, then tried to take revenge." Annie's usually cheerful expression was grave. "I can't say he always made the right decisions, but who does? He's done everything he could to undo the harm he unwittingly caused." Annie smiled sadly and patted Bryson's hand, sorry she was on the other side of the issue from him. "Not everyone has the wisdom to avoid troublesome people and situations as well as you have, Bryson." Annie looked back at Ghirrak.
"If we're going to do this, we should either leave him at port entirely, or put him on Lady Lavinia's ship. It'd be too hard to convince the others the 'new' man isn't Skald for the rest of the voyage with the same sailors. If we put him on Lady Lavinia's ship, I think we should tell her what's happening and get her agreement first."
Spinnaker Jon says;
"Dgrim? What say you?"
"Well...Skald, if everything you say is true, then I don't have a problem with you staying on board. We seem to share the same problem and foe. We definitely need to let Lady Lavinia know what's going on."
Spinnaker Jon says;
"And I say keep him. He risked a lot to try to do the right thing; he'd a been a lot safer to keep his head down and not say anything. Wasn't that long ago I worked the docks; That could'ha been me."
He taps the desk thoughtfully.
"Anyway, Lavinia needs to know about the Consortium, and their own expedition. We'll see what she says."
"Skald, you're restricted to ship until further notice."
He steps across to the hatchway and opens it abruptly. About a dozen crew who were listening at the door fall in.
"I see me crew have recovered from the Blessings of Cayden Caileen. Good! There's a lot of work to do and no time like the present to get started. Amella! Get 'em started!"
Amidst a lot of groaning, he shoos the crew out and shuts the door. The sound of shouting, hammering and sawing is heard dimly through the bulkhead.
Jon goes back to the desk and unrolls a new copy of the next section of the voyage.
"Now that we've made the turn south, things start gettin' interestin'..."
Bryson storms of. He'll keep away from everyone for the next couple of days. If he's not in the crow's nest, he's in the cargo hold, or is Bryson-cat and just won't talk.
Dgrim keeps an eye on Skald during the next leg of the voyage.
>CLICK< to see the Map unrolled on the desk.
“Now that we’re heading South, it’ll get interestin’. We’re off the major trade routes now, so we’re kinda on our own; no Navy protection y’see. Piracy is still pretty thin up north here, but we need t’ start getting used to standing watches.”
He points at the tip of the peninsula to the north.
“Here is Fort Blackwell, which we just left in a hurry.” He traces a route east and south along the coast.
“Along the coast here are a series of forts left over from when Port Sasserine was a little empire of its own. When the Scarlet Brotherhood took over, they were abandoned. Some of them have been taken over by Brotherhood squatters, so we’re to avoid ‘em when possible. They claim this whole coast, and any ship traffic they can catch.”
He traces a path down to a large river mouth.
“We’ll stop to water and victual up here at the Havekihu River. It's about 600 miles, so 2-3 weeks to get there.”
He traces a path down around the curve of the Olman peninsula to another point.
“Here is the ruins of Old Tamoachan. Lavinia promised Professor Forol that we would stop and do a little exploring there, and as it happens it’s a good place to stop before we try running the blocade at the tip, here.” He points to the cluster of islands east at the end of the peninsula.
Annie splits her time between handling food and water preparation (keeping an eye on it's safety for the crew) and trying to draw Bryson out of his funk.
Dgrim uses his knowledge of sailing and geography to help navigate.
Eventually, Bryson does come out of his funk. He keeps a wary eye on Skald, but otherwise maintains his normal schedule of trying to find out who the poisoner is (prove that it's Skald).
The next few days pass without incident as the expedition turns south around the peninsula. There are fewer ships passing now that you are out of the major shipping lanes and the naval protection on them. Work to fix the storm damage is a little slower without a dockyard handy, but after the crew recovers from the shore leave; it is done with expeditious speed. Fortunately, the weather is fair. There is little in the way of precipitation or waves for a week and winds are typically light.
Dgrim especially impresses the experienced sailors. As hard as he works on his other sailor skills, it is his almost instinctive grasp of the ships very complex rigging, sails and the forces arrayed to propel the ship through the water.
Ghirrak continues to hold combat classes with any who will join.
Annie continues to watch over the Galley, and no poisoning attempts are made.
Bryson continues his skeptical observation of Skald, who tries his best to keep out of his sight, but detects no villainous behavior. His experiments with growing food meet with very mixed results.
You catch Amella Venkalie, the First Mate, staring with hatred at Professor Forol. Is that grief as well? Then it’s gone again; just her usual sour expression.
You spot Father Feres secretly drinking something from a potion flask, then carefully hiding it again.
You spot Avner Meravachi strolling about the deck in an unusually good mood. He didn’t even beat his servants once today!
You hear something rolling around under a locker in the crews berth. When retrieved, you see a potion tube; empty now.
You eventually catch on that there is a romantic thing going on between Avner, Lirith Veldirose, and Rynight Trendit (the wife of Aldald Trendit the Carpenter).
You have had a series of erotic dreams involving Lavinia. It’s just a good thing you have a cabin to yourself.
Sense Motive
Perception
Sense Motive
Perception
Sense Motive
Sense Motive
Perception
Sense Motive
Perception
Sense Motive
DM
Ghirrak awakens in the middle of the night covered in sweat, his pulse pounding. For another consecutive night he finds himself at the mercy of intense erotic dreams centered on Lavinia, the very thought of them triggering a stirring in him once again.
The usually centered monk wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and take her to heights of extacy. It seemed the extended voyage was having a stronger effect on him than he would have expected.
Glad to have a room to himself, his mind wanders to the other ship, wondering if she was in the midst of the same dream and sensations.
Dgrim will take evening watches.
The convoy sails south. Day after day the winds are light to moderate, usually with long gentle swells; a blessing for those vulnerable to seasickness (a fair number, even among the crew!).
The convoy sailed within sight of the verdant green jungle coast; anchoring in the shallows at night.
Tensely, they passed the occasional fort. This series of defensive constructions were built by Port Sasserine long ago to defend it's far flung trade routes. Up until the civil war a century ago, when the forces guarding them were recalled. Now they are claimed by other powers; prominent among them the Scarlet Brotherhood.
Strangely, as you pass them at a comfortable distance, you see few signs of habitation; perhaps a pinnace or two, with an escort of dugout canoes. And in half of them you see no one at all.
Two weeks after you leave Fort Blackwell, you come into the great Havekihu river delta. Here on one of the more isolated of the islands, clear enough to see threats from natives, Lavinia lets the crews ashore for a little leave from the cramped and smelly confines of the ships.
Lavinia also allows Professor Forol to explore as he wills as long as one or more of you act as escort. A number of wild boar are hunted down, slaughtered and cooked for the evening shore banquet.
People talk of the the next leg; the legendary ruins of Tamoachan!
Your weather spell tells you heavy fog in the future.
Next day, after loading the stores with dried meat and fresh water, the ships get under way again. Near the evening, less than a half hour after the expedition gets under way again, a thick fog springs up again.
These thick fogs often spring up along the coast in this river delta region.
The thickness of the fog is oppresive; the passengers go below, and the crews go silent as all ears strain to starboard, marking the distant sound of breakers on the shore as the only trustworthy method of ensuring the expedition doesn't draw too close to the shallows while still staying parallel to the coast. The fog grows thicker, and soon even the Blue Nixie, only a few hundred feet ahead, is lost to vision.
At this point, Lavinia flashes a signal to the Kraken (by Message) to anchor for the night until the fog burns off in the morning. Spinnaker Jon drops anchor, and secures for the evening.
Around the second dog-watch...
The ship gives a sudden lurch as if striking a hidden reef! The deck slants a few degrees to port.
You wake suddenly. Something is wrong with the ship.
Bryson will nervously invite Annie to come along with him as he gathers some supplies from the jungle.
Possibly for the first time she will get to see him in his element. Bryson is comfortable and confident. He gathers samples of a few plants to try to make grow or to help spice up the food on the ship some. He shows respect to her devotion to Cayden Cailean by collecting some tasty fruits that can be turned into good tasting alcohol. Bryson will use his Wild Empathy to get animals to allow them to pet them. Bryson will also make her a crown of flowers.
Perception:
Bryson goes to see what they hit.
As people rush over to the port side to look down into the water, you can hear Amella (at the wheel) ask anxiously “What in the nine Hells did we hit?”
You hear No-Eyes Bellamy up in the crow’s nest mutter “…damn fool, putting a woman in charge…”, the fog seems to carry his words clearly to all parts of the ship.
Infuriated, Amella yells; “I heard that Bellamy! You’ll pay for that dearly!”
Looking over the side, you can see what looks like a huge pile of flotsam piled up against the hull of the ship. Driftwood, fallen trees, animal carcasses, ship debris, rocks and other detritus all piled up.
Bryson would be in the room with Annie.
I do have one question, though, who's idea was it to put No-Eyes in the crow's nest?
Ghirrak walks the deck before the crash, hoping the cool night air will cool the passions of his dreams.
Annie gamely agreed to go with Bryson on his jungle excursion. Being a city girl, she can only distinguish one herb from another if they have very different appearances, but she cheerfully accepted his assurances that all these leaves really will serve different purposes. The fruit is at least more comprehensible to her, and she can't resist popping a few berries in her mouth, once Bryson has assured her they're safe to eat. The animals especially delight her, though. Plants are useful and all, but with animals she could make an emotional connection. One tiny furry monkey-like creature, in particular, delighted her with its soft fur and funny antics as it picked through her clothing looking for food. She held onto Bryson's arm as they made their way back to the ship, humming happily under her breath.
"...whuh...?" Annie opened her eyes. Something was wrong. As she pulled herself up to a sleeping position in the bed and rubbed her eyes, it suddenly struck her what was wrong. The ship wasn't moving! Bryson was already up and opening the cabin door. Annie got to her feet and threw on a few clothes before following him. "What's wrong? Why aren't we moving?"
Abruptly, part of the pile of driftwood rears up and strikes at Dgrim at the sailor next to him!
Attack vs flat footed Dgrim: for a possible slam damage.
Attack vs flat footed Sailor: for a possible slam damage.
You realize that the driftwood is being held together by some kind of sticky mucus substance that sticks to your bodies.
With a terrified yell, the sailor is drawn over the side.
The strength of the thing is horrible as it pulls at Dgrim.
Ref
What a klutz.
STR:
"AAIIEE...!"
Ghirrak dashes across the deck to grab hold of Dgrim.
Remember, the deck is difficult terrain.
Moving through the passageway, Annie suddenly steps on a warm body that squeeks. Startled, she stumbles but catches herself. Then she remembers. Throughout the voyage, whenever any of the officers have to go visit the head in the nighttime watches, they stumble over Avners servants sleeping in the dark passageway just outside of his cabin hatch. Some kind of stupid noble tradition, or so she’s heard. Anyway, in response to complaints, Spinnaker Jon simply restated that keeping Avner happy is keeping Lavinia happy, and to take a lamp next time.
What were their names again? “Banaby”; that was the tall and balding “Gentleman’s Gentleman”, who’s aloof superiority was almost a match for Avner’s. He nods to Annie and murmers “Madame”.
Who was the other one? You can never remember his name. So small, so quiet, so anti-charismatic that in any crowd he was very effectively invisible. Quenge! That was it, Quenge Asper. From the darkness you hear; “Sorry…” in a meek whisper.
Suddenly, as Annie recovers, Avner’s door slams open. Bryson, following close behind Annie and unable to stop in time, takes the door right in the face.
Avner, looking very dashing in his nightshirt, breeches and sword, grins at Annie and shouts; ”Roust yourselves! The ship is under attack!” and hurries on up the ladder to the deck as the ships bell rings in alarm.
As Amella rings the ships bell, Ghirrak, moving with an almost stupernatural grace, runs across the deck avoiding coils of line, spars and other gear. He hurdles a ships boat and manages to get to the railing in time to catch Dgrim’s outstretched hand and stop him from being pulled overboard entirely. The other sailor screams as he is engulfed by the flotsam, cut off suddenly as a gout of blood fountains where he was. Threads of red blood seem to flow throughout the pile now. As the pile roils around, a soggy half-decayed corpse of a pirate suddenly comes face to face with Dgrim, it’s mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
Avner and Annie are now on deck.
Crewmen are spilling out on deck snatching up racked pikes and cutlasses.
Remember the deck is Difficult Terrain.
Sense Motive
Bryson shakes his head as he regains his footing and follows his friend and his mentor up the stair to the deck.
Dgrim turns his face away from the sailor's corpse and continues to struggle to free himself from the sticky pile.
STR:
Ghirrak stands fast, like stone keeping Dgrim in place.
Annie runs up to deck, drawing her rapier and taking in the scene. Seeing Dgrim and Ghirrak's struggle, Annie runs over to cast a strengthening spell on Ghirrak. Dgrim's handsome belt will keep her spell from being as effective on him.
Ghirrak's muscles bulge with the effort, and his and Dgrim's combined efforts finally pull Dgrim free from the adhesive grip of the creature. There is a ripping sound as they stumble back a square and a small patch of Dgrim's beard is seen being absorbed into the monster.
Finally on deck in little more than breeches and a rapier, Spinnaker Jon roars; "Nobody close with it! Use pikes or bows!"
Professor Furol looks on in fascination.
"That's... that is a Flotsam Ooze! A gigantic one! They approach a ship at night, engulf it and digest the crew with acid while they sleep. I never would have believed I'd get a chance to see it in action!"
The creature heaves itself up over the railing, it's red tinged gelatinous flesh flowing smoothly. The deck tilts even more, up to about ten degrees of list now.
Spinnaker Jon yells out; "Never mind that! How do we kill it?"
Professor Furol looks kind of dissappointed.
"Oh. Well, it's not really immune to physical damage, though piercing and blunt damage aren't quite as effective... Oh! I DO know you can prevent the adhesive property with soap or lye! Does that help?"
Bryson makes it on deck and casts a Flaming Sphere (dc 15 v damage). "Well let's see how it likes bein on fire."
Dgrim draws his bow and fires at the ooze.
Attack:
Damage: