Stab at it again when I see an opening.
Still moving groggily on his feet, Timor approaches the monster scorpion, while trying not to get in the way of much more graceful Brehna and Vita. He swings at the large beast...
Rapier
potential rapier damage
Jin moves to D2 and careful not to hit his allies, lets loose more acid but misses again.
Brehna's attack bounces off the tough hide of the creature, but Timor, stumbling forward, manages to pierce the creature with his rapier. The animal dies with a screech and then all is silent.
As the final sea scorpion is destroyed, you all take a moment to look around the beach and take a breath. Your adrenaline rush that kept you fighting begins to wear off, as does the sickness.
There are five others on the other side of the pile of gear from your group. All of you recognize four of them - Ishirou, Sasha, Aerys and Gelik - from the Jenivere.
While you were hiding aboard the ship, you saw the fifth. And he saw you. You know that he was the prisoner kept in the depths of the ship. And he knows that you were a castaway.
You recognize the fifth as the Gerundi prisoner, Jask. You don't know what his crime was, but you do know that he was being kept in the depths of the ship for delivery to Sargava.
Ishirou has managed to wake Aerys, who, upon being awoken, vomited violently. As she finishes vomiting, she wipes her mouth with her sleeve and eyes the pile of items. "Do you suppose there's anything to drink in there?" she asks no one in particular.
The fifth person on the beach, a middle-aged, plain-looking Garundi man wearing ragged clothing, draws close with a smile on his face. He seems almost giddy with excitement. He says nothing, but as he gets closer, Ishirou steps forward. He has apparently recovered from the sickness as well. "Stop right there, prisoner. You just stay over there as we tend to the injured and discuss what's next," he says. He then realizes that the man may also be injured and asks, "You're not injured yourself, are you?" The smile disappears from the man's face. He stops walking and shakes his head "no." He drops to his knees and you notice, for the first time, the manacles binding him.
Gelik turns to the group and says, "Uh…hello? There's a beautiful damsel in distress. Someone else will have to come to her rescue, however, as I'm completely incapable. I'm sure she's fine, though. I think she's still breathing."
The pile of gear has been haphazardly thrown together. There appear to be an assortment of backpacks and weaponry.
Brehna's attack bounces off the tough hide of the creature, but Timor, stumbling forward, manages to pierce the creature with his rapier. The animal dies with a screech and then all is silent.
After the monstrous creature falls, Timor (who is aware that he barely scratched a monster), climbs atop on it, and with a vigorous movement, raises his sabre high up in the air.
"Once again, monsters of the world tremble and fall before the might of glorious adventurer, confused by his words, weakened by his magic and finally pierced by his sabre. Fear not, my dear compatriots, for Timor En'Anlaven, the infamous franco adventurer is here with you, ready to guide you and protect you, and reap the rewards of the day's fortune"
Hearing words beautiful damsel spoken by Gelik, Timor immediately jumps down and scuttles in her general direction, still unsure as to who the beautiful damsel really is, and in what kind of distress she is. Still, he was confident he could help...
at seeing the fifth person she thinks
Sh** there is someone who knows, I did a stowaway very early in the trip.
she walks over to the gathering of people
"Well, I take it that the ship ran into something, but what happened?
how did we end up shipwrecked here? And what are we going to do?"
"First of all, does anyone have wounds that need tending to?", asks Pyrra. "It's not a good idea to leave cuts open to the air in this climate. Secondly, I don't know... Food and shelter might be a good start."
Pyrra will dress any wounds that are brought to her attention
Jin looks at Timor with shame and then announces to all gathered, "Sorry, folk. If I knew he was going to be like this, I wouldn't have stirred him." He then rushes to the pile of gear, looking for his spellbook, leather satchel, rapier, and gear. He then looks for signs of the ship wreckage, like wooden planks, bodies, etc. in the sea. "Where is the Jenivere? There must be some sign of what happened here. And where in the 9 Hells are we?"
"I have a small scratch on my foot. It'll heal quickly enough." Brehna says as she finds and don's the rest of her weapons. "The Gerundi (she points with her knife) is a prisoner named Jask. I don't know what his crime was, he was being kept in the depths of the ship for delivery to Sargava. Since we'll probably be depending on each other I thought I'd make sure that was public knowledge. I have no idea where we are, but this is yet another reminder why I don't normally drink."
"I think the first order of business will be to find shelter and fresh water."
Brehna does a cursory examination of their current location looking for signs of things she'll need for survival
Survival
Jin speaks without turning back, as he continues to scour the seas. "I didn't drink that much last night, it was in moderation. And why did my body feel groggy and weak when I woke up? I could barely see straight. Something else is going on here. Anyone else feel like that? For food, perhaps, the lobster scorpions, if they're not poisonous to our health. I have no idea, dedicating my life to magic and more scholarly studies."
Jin speaks without turning back, as he continues to scour the seas. "I didn't drink that much last night, it was in moderation. And why did my body feel groggy and weak when I woke up? I could barely see straight. Something else is going on here. Anyone else feel like that? For food, perhaps, the lobster scorpions, if they're not poisonous to our health. I have no idea, dedicating my life to magic and more scholarly studies."
"I suspect we were drugged. Though something is definitely odd here." She says as she walks over to examine the scorpion creature to see if it's edible
Survival
"Interesting. If we were drugged, then who saved us? Who piled our gear so neatly on this beach? When I awoke, you were all unconscious, so I doubt it was one of you. So many questions."
"Interesting. If we were drugged, then who saved us? Who piled our gear so neatly on this beach? When I awoke, you were all unconscious, so I doubt it was one of you. So many questions."
"So we look for clues while we do what we can to survive."
Edit: As she pokes at the scorpion with her dagger.
"For us and our stuff, I'll assume we had a benefactor, but that benefactor, may have encountered trouble."
Timor finds the redhead - Sasha - lying still, as if asleep. As he kneels down to inspect, her eyes flutter open. "What the...where...why...?" she asks feebily.
"Logical." Then perhaps we are in danger too? Jin decided not to voice his concerns, for fear of agitating the other crew members, the ones who did not participate in the fight. The last thing they needed was a panic. "I will defer to you all on matters of food and natural survival on this island/peninsula."
Jindariel scans the beach and immediately spots the wreckage of a ship that is - without a doubt - the Jenivere less than a half mile up the beach.
As the group looks through and sorts the items in the pile, some of your belongings are missing.
Pyrra - Missing backpack and all its contents
Jindariel - Missing scroll case and scrolls
Brehna - Missing backpack and all its contents
You quickly realize that without a campsite everyone will be much more exposed to the elements, wildlife, bugs, and other dangerous elements. You're certain that the jungle directly to the south would offer numerous options for a campsite - but there are no suitable materials on the beach to set one up.
You examine the sea scorpion and, except for their stingers containing their venom, they are quite edible. It's best to cut open their underbellies to get through their chitin with minimal effort.
Gelik says, "Drugged, eh? I knew that chef would be the death of me. It was that pudding, no doubt. That man should know to stick to his soups and stale crackers." He looks around for a moment before saying, "Hmm...I suppose the pudding got the best of a lot of us, eh? Where do you suppose the others are? Or...do you suppose the others are...at all?"
The prisoner - Jask - speaks for the first time. His voice is almost pleading "The woman is correct. We must work together. Please…release me. I am no threat and I can be of assistance."
Ishirou immediately cuts Jask off. "You: be silent. We will deal with you in due time. For now, we must tend to those - not in manacles for a crime."
He kneels in the sand and looks out towards the wreckage. "Look - there. It's a set of footprints leading to and from the water. Ah, and there's several furrows leading up to where we woke. It appears that someone dragged us and all of this gear up from the water’s edge. Perhaps he - or she - is still alive."
Still examining the scorpion crab thing, Brehna takes her knife, cuts off the tail, and picks up the rest.
"We can eat these, but not the venom sac in the tail. We can make camp in the jungle to the south. We're far too exposed out here. Grab your gear and lets make camp so we have time to figure out the rest."
If the former prisoner is conscious Brehna will level a very sharp blade at him and say with ice in her voice "I don't know what you did and I don't care. I don't have the time or resources to spare to keep you prisoner. Either you act Very polite and helpful or I slit you open from stem to stern. Do we have an accord?"
Intimidate (it it helps she's not bluffing)
Edit: was typing while you were typing his part.
"There!" Jin shouts out. "The Jenivere or what's left of it? About a half mile up the beach, do you see it? I think we will find the answers to your questions about the crew there, Gelik. And perhaps, supplies or my missing scrolls."
Jin looks at the prisoner and then at the Tian warrior. "Jindariel, elven scholar at your service. Pleased to meet you. I do not speak for the rest, but perhaps you can tell us your tale, as to why this man is in manacles. What was his crime?"
she adds to Ishirou's words
"I take it than our benefactor went back to the ship, but encountered a problem, possibly some of these sea scorpions."
Aerys, rubbing her temples, says, simply: "Smuggler's Shiv. We're on…Smuggler's Shiv." These are the first words she spoken since discovering that her flask wasn't in the pile. She is clearly quite depressed by this fact.
She doesn't yet remember that she gave you her flask last night. And you don't have it on you any longer.
Sailor
"I am afraid, I don't know about this place.
Could you tell me what you know."
Smuggler’s Shiv is a notorious island north of Eleder. It’s not shown on most maps, but is rightfully feared by those who ply the waters of Desperation Bay. The island is named not only for the knife-like shape of its coastline, but for its uncanny habit of wrecking ships that draw too near—mostly smugglers eager to avoid detection by Sargava’s navy.
It’s commonly believed that the shores of Smuggler’s Shiv are haunted by the ghosts and ghouls of the sailors who have died on the jagged rocks and reefs surrounding the island. These rumors are supported by reports of several failed attempts to establish long-lasting colonies on the remote island.
When Sargava was first settled, Chelish engineers erected a lighthouse on the Shiv’s southwest shore. The light was intended to warn approaching ships of the dangerous waters and, eventually, was to have been the first building in a small colony. The light and all plans for colonization were abandoned just before completion amid rumors of curses, haunts, and cannibalism.
Rumors hold that a group of shipwrecked Chelish soldiers, survivors of an attempted Thrune invasion of Sargava some 70 years ago, were stranded on the island. The rumors claim that they degenerated into a cannibalistic society, and that their descendants scour the isle’s shores for shipwreck victims to add to their meals.
Ishirou bows his head before saying to Jindariel, "I don't know. The captain merely said that he was to be kept from the rest of the crew and under constant supervision. I don't know that the rules still apply here, but it seems unwise to unleash a convicted criminal on us."
When Brehna threatens Jask, his eyes and head fall. His spirit is broken and he says no more.
When Brehna threatens Jask, his eyes and head fall. His spirit is broken and he says no more.
Not liking to see any creatures spirit broken, but not really having the luxury to risk much at the moment.
"He seems well behaved enough. When we have time we'll see about finding more about his situation. Speaking of which, has anyone seen the Captain?"
Jin's ears perk up, as he hears the name of the island. "Smuggler's Shiv, you said?" He opens his leather satchel and peruses his journal, flipping through the pages excitedly. "Yes, yes. I did some historical research on Sargava and the surrounding regions before embarking on my trip and I remember that name came up. The libraries of Kyonin are a marvel, I recommend visiting them one day. Anyway, we're on an island north of Eleder named not only for the knife-like shape of its coastline, but for its uncanny habit of wrecking ships that draw too near—mostly smugglers eager to avoid detection by Sargava’s navy. It's got a reputation for being haunted by the ghosts and ghouls of the sailors who have died on the jagged rocks and reefs surrounding the island. Maybe they're ghost stories to keep the authorities away from the smugglers' activities, but there have been reports of several failed attempts to establish long-lasting colonies on the remote island, as well as rumors of curses, haunts, and cannibalism.. So believe what you will. There's a lighthouse on the Shiv’s southwest shore that might be in working order. So all in all, not a fun place to be stranded." Jindariel closes his journal.
Jin's ears perk up, as he hears the name of the island. "Smuggler's Shiv, you said?" He opens his leather satchel and peruses his journal, flipping through the pages excitedly. "Yes, yes. I did some historical research on Sargava and the surrounding regions before embarking on my trip and I remember that name came up. The libraries of Kyonin are a marvel, I recommend visiting them one day. Anyway, we're on an island north of Eleder named not only for the knife-like shape of its coastline, but for its uncanny habit of wrecking ships that draw too near—mostly smugglers eager to avoid detection by Sargava’s navy. It's got a reputation for being haunted by the ghosts and ghouls of the sailors who have died on the jagged rocks and reefs surrounding the island. Maybe they're ghost stories to keep the authorities away from the smugglers' activities, but there have been reports of several failed attempts to establish long-lasting colonies on the remote island, as well as rumors of curses, haunts, and cannibalism.. So believe what you will. There's a lighthouse on the Shiv’s southwest shore that might be in working order. So all in all, not a fun place to be stranded." Jindariel closes his journal.
"Charming. "
in a sarcastic voice
"I'm liking this place more and more."
"And though I hadn't planned on it, it seems like Fate is forcing me explore and to discover how true, if at all, the rumors are. On an intellectual level, I must admit, it is fascinating. Assuming I live long enough to publish my findings." Jin smiles awkwardly, staring at the prisoner. A man broken in spirit..this does not sound to me like the workings of a violent man. Must discuss later.
"well, I think we should make some shelter, start a fire, cook or smoke the sea scorpions for food, and use the sea scorpion hide for something useful."
"well, I think we should make some shelter, start a fire, cook or smoke the sea scorpions for food, and use the sea scorpion hide for something useful."
Brehna has already started to head to the jungle to the south.
If daytime still, Jin suggests, "We should go look at the wreckage, see if there any survivors, and rustle up any supplies that we may find. Right now, going to be hard to create any type of shelter without tents or blankets."
If daytime still, Jin suggests, "We should go look at the wreckage, see if there any survivors, and rustle up any supplies that we may find. Right now, going to be hard to create any type of shelter without tents or blankets."
"Do that."
Ignoring Brehna, Jin looks at the rest of the people on the beach, "Who's coming with me? Ishiro? Gelik? Pyrra? We might be needing your healing skills, Pyrra, if we find survivors. Unless you plan to traipse through a dangerous unknown jungle. Besides, there may be food and drink that we could salvage."
"You have a point. Lets check the wreckage first. Someone may still be alive and we can salvage whatever we find."
"Yeah - I'm for the ship.", replies Pyrra. "As you say, there might be others who survived the ship, there's bound to be some food remaining on board and we could make tents out of the sails and spars, at a pinch"
Turning to Ishirou:
"Come on - we need the extra pair of hands. Why not unlock the prisoner's chains? It's not like he's going to run off, if he's got any sense" She smiles winningly, fluttering her eyelids.
Ishirou hesitates for a moment, looking to Brehna before speaking. "We do not know what he's done, but, as I'm sure Brehna would concur, the Captain didn't mention that he was violent." He stops and then closes his eyes as he speaks. "I'm not sure it matters - these manacles are significantly sturdy and, if not impossible, at least extremely difficult to unlock." Looking to the Jenivere, he says, [b]"If we are set on this course - which, of course is still up for debate - we must hope the keys are still on board the ship. Or, failing that, that there is some implement to break the chains."
Making sure that Sasha is alright (and at the same time making sure he does not get too close, so she finds a reason the need to cut off certain body parts), Timor helps her on her feet, and then joins the others in retrieving his equipment.
A bit unlike him, he does not join the conversation others are having but takes a long time to check the surroundings, the tracks, their equipment and anything else which could be "out of place".
Finalizing his inspection of the surrounding area, Timor quips in the conversation finally. First, he turns to Jindariel:"Mon amie, your knowledge on the subject of where we are is obviously very detailed, and I congratulate you on this, while I envy you at the same time. Seems that all those years you lived have given you a lot of common sense, which some of us might be missing" - he glances towards Brehna, and continues - "Although I may understand the adventurous spirit connected with the idea of wandering alone through this jungle, I concur with my full blooded cousin here, when he suggests that we should, all together, head for the ship. And I applaud your wisdom, my blue skinned beaty, in changing your original course. You demonstrate astuteness that's befitting your grace"
Making sure that all of his stuff is there, he addresses both Pyrra and Ishirou: "Dear priestess, I am fully alongside your idea that we should have all the helping hands we could get, and I am sure that this monsieur here understands this" - and then he adds with an elusive smile - "...although I do not remember anyone making said monsieur in charge of the prisoner, or in charge or anything else, but who knows, I might have been asleep..."
"If we find something to use as lockpicks on the ship I may be able to get the prisoner out of his manacles. Frankly, we'll need all the help we can get. Prisoner or no, I'm sure he wants to survive as much as the rest of us. Having to look after a manacled man to care for is too much of a hinderance. He'll cooperate or we leave his corpse on the sand for the sea scorpions. Now lets stop wasting time with this tea party and search the ship."
Brehna heads to the ship
"The fact is that since it's morning we should get anything we need from the ship and be back before night fall,
and pray that the tides don't dislodge the ship and sink it overnight.
Those that stay on the beach should get a fire started, and getting materials for an improvised shelter.
I'll help in getting stuff from the ship."
she walks to the ship
Jin follows, happy to learn the manacled man may soon be free and eager to find his scrolls.
Timor follows lead of others, taking his place on the back of the column.
Maybe we should have someone more suited for this environment in the leading position... - he muses, but before he manages to say anything, his thoughts get distracted by the sight of curvaceous bodies of his lovely female compatriots.