The elf will run over to the horses and other items and pulling out some components will begin to chant
Ast ferar taref toerw ore
These items are now protected by elvish magic. They cannot be taken, anyone who attempts to, shall be taken by judgement to the realm of Deep Shashelas
Shortnose, the Silent warrior had been watching everything quietly. He had hopped, they would ignore him and then make things easier to deal with.
He would have helped the young warrior setting the shield wall, had they had more than a couple of hapless sailors, but for now, he was focused on the pirate and his crew.
He looks over the elven witch, I mean, mage and she once more is winning man with simple words. He could not understand how that is, but guess some magic was afoot.
Anyway, the warrior is ready to attack at moment notice.
The pirates laugh aloud and one even states "Great another curse upon us...the others havent killed us yet"
Two pirates step aboard the smugglers boat and start rummaging through the goods.
She will try the Charisma check
Oh dread one, you can come what you have come for but these other items now cursed will only bring grief and strife to you and your crew. Deep Shaselas is not known for his kindness towards those who upon the oceans and waters steal from his people
The pirate lord listens to Tanariel and says outloud for the benefit of all- [b]"Not that an elven curse scares me but I have other more pressing matters to attend to. Keep your goods and horses. Give me my chest and be gone. Milus we will settle this at a future time."[b]
He appears to act tough in front of his men and at the same time is unsure himself if the elf is in fact able to curse them. The two pirates already on board grumble but go over and retrieve the chained chest. They then go back over to the pirate boat.
Tzardusk lofts a single brow at the surprise turn of events... but says nothing for fear of getting the pirate to change his mind... He simply stands still and watches the two men take the chest.
Once the boats are separated and enough distance lies between them, he turns to Tanariel and says softly, "Well done, elf. It worked!"
The elf lets lose a sigh of relief. Thank the Seladrine, it worked.
Thrand tries calming his horse. "Easy, Valor, easy. I will ask Tanariel to lift the curse once the pirates are away."
(add +1 vs Bluff)
"Well done my lady. Lets get you all to port." Milus says to the group after the pirate vessel leaves their immediate area. With the groups assistance the boat limps towards the Port of Elredd.
If someone would be paying attention to Shortnose, one would have heard him whispering and praying to any and every god he knows. One would also hear him mumbling about curses, witches, cursed, bad luck and might have the general idea he is unsure of his fate due to the recent turn of events, having him already been bewitched once by the not so much wizard witchy she-elf.
"We should be prepared for this meeting should we decide to return this way in the future." Anchard says to no one in particular as he returns to his spot to read his prayer book and pass the time.
The elf will acknowledge the Captain's thanks [b] I am glad that I was able to facilitate a non-violent response and no blood was shed journey. Thank you for getting us here relatively safely. I am sorry about the men that you lost. [/b[ she says.
Thrand tethers his warhorse and checks on all of the other horses before returning to his sailing duties. "Well done, my lady." he says to the elf. "I did not know how powerful your magic was. The power to curse an entire ship's cargo is not to be taken for granted."
"Nor relied upon in the future I would suppose." Anchard says, not looking up from his book. "Well the near future that is."
The elf will simply smiles at ThRands comment.
The smuggler makes good on his promise to get you to Port Elredd and after some difficult sailing with a mixed crew of novice sailors Milus points out the dock of Port Elredd in the distance. You see the port is bustling with some activity as there are a few ships docked. One in particular catches your eye as it is a ship from Onwall with a mostly dwarven crew. Just odd to see so many dwarves on a boat. It appears they are trading in raw stone and metals. Typical dwarves.
After dockin and haggling over the docking price, Milus bids you farewell and allows you to remove your goods without incident. He then goes in search of more crew in the local taverns.
After unloading the group finds out through local discussions the best way towards Berwyn is north-west towards Braxem and then south avoiding the Suss forest. Of course some suggest you could take the forest route. None have heard news from Berwyn in some time though.
Thrand's interest is peaked by the crew of the ship from Onwall. Dwarves are reputed to be stalwart fighters and would be welcome allies in the defense of Berwyn, if such a place still exists. He approaches their ship and looks for someone who seems like he might be in charge.
Thrand approaches the dwarves and quickly learns that normal dwarven social skills are more prevalent among dwarven sailors. Thrand is told the dwarves are simple merchants and will return back to Onwall as soon as possible. No profit to be made in dying is what they said.
Thrand bids the dwarves adieu and returns to his companions to ask, Which way does everyone want to go? Shall we ride straight through the forest, or ride around through Braxem? I am for Braxem. I think that the northerly route would be best for the horses. Also, if it turns out that Berwyn is taken, it may be better for us to flee northward from the road.
"I agree, but for different reasons... I think skirting the forest might be safer, though the roads have their own dangers as well, I guess. As Thrand has said, there is a distinct advantage to taking the road."
I am fine which ever way we decide to go. states the elf.
"Whichever brings us there sooner. Time is of the essence."
The party decides to stick to the roads and bypass the forest. They depart Port Elredd and make their way past the gates of the actual town of Elredd and see it is closed and heavily guarded. Long lines of people are standing outside the main gate being checked before allowed to enter.
Out on the open road going north and then north west, the party discovers moving with the additional animals and supplies is a lot easier and cleaner when they were on the boat. Here at breaks the animals tend to wander and seem difficult to corral back towards the intended direction. The group passes by a few armed patrols from the various Robber Baron city states that dominate the Wild Coast but none seem to challenge the group once they find out the group is unaffiliated with any particular Baron. Stopping for the night in a clearing the group prepares their meal and then bunks down for the evening.
Ok
"My brother taught me that when traveling it is best to set some kind of watch schedule and keep to it... should we do that here too?" Tzardusk asks the group during camp setup.
Once the party decides to make camp, Thrand ties a rope between two solid, heavy objects (preferably trees or sturdy bushes), and tethers the horses to the rope. He relieves the beasts of their burdens, piling the supplies close enough to the campfire that they can be seen but not so close that they will catch fire. He rubs down the horses, sets his tent up, and replies to the half-orc.
"That is a good idea, Tzardüsk. There are five of us. We can each hold watch for a fifth of the night."
"I will take the last watch as I will be up anyway for my morning prayers. Otherwise we will need to extend our rest another few hours to ensure the connection with my deity is solidly maintained."
I can take the first watch. My elven sight allows me to see in low light conditions which the fire should help. I need 8 hours rest in order to regain my spells.
The first watch passes well between Tanariel and Shortnose. The elf goes to rest and the warrior stokes the campfire.
A bit after you take over the watch you begin to feel a tad drowsy but manage to fight it off. You walk around a bit and wake up. 10 minutes later you fight off heavy eyelids by walking around the camp. About 10 minutes after that you hear a slight rustle in the trees and wake up, feeling a bit upset with yourself as you realize you feel asleep for a short period. The rustling gets a bit louder and closer and you determine it is a large creature coming towards the camp from the west.
Shortnose wakes Thrand up who yawns and then takes up his watch...
A bit after you take over the watch you begin to feel a tad drowsy but manage to fight it off. You walk around a bit and wake up. 10 minutes later you fight off heavy eyelids by walking around the camp. About 10 minutes after that you hear a slight rustle in the trees and wake up, feeling a bit upset with yourself as you realize you feel asleep for a short period. The rustling gets a bit louder and closer and you determine it is a large creature coming towards the camp from the west.
Thrand wakes Tzardüsk and Anchard and alerts them to the danger posed by a large creature coming from the west. He dons his shield, draws his blade, and prepares for an attack.
Tzardusk wakes with a slight grumble of distaste and grabs his crossbow.
Anchard moves to stand at Thrand's disruption, "What of it?" Anchard grumbles as Thrand motions at the impending threat.
Anchard follows Thrand and without malic or snarkness asks, "What do you want me to do about it?" with a shrug.
"I want you to stay alert," says the knight. He stirs the coals and throws another log on the fire to provide better illumination for their campsite. Once that is accomplished, if the creature has yet to arrive, he will check on the horses and supplies.
Tzardusk stays alert as mentioned... stands near his bedroll, looking around.
Anchard continues to follow Thrand closely, almost nearly on top of the knight's heels. "Right... Alert."
Thrand goes to check the horses then realizes only his steed is present... the other horses are gone...
As Thrand finishes speaking to the others a loud noise is heard and an Ogre steps out of the woodline with a wicked looking club, peering menacingly at Thrand...from some 50 feet away...
Combat 1st Round
Thrand, Tzardusk, Anchard (since they have been awakened)
Ogre
For an instant, Thrand considers cutting his horse free and leaping onto its bare back, but he quickly decides against the idea. He does not want to risk losing his mount. Instead, he grits his teeth, raises his shield, and charges straight at the ogre. "For Furyondy!"
"Look at that" Anchard points at the ogre before following after Thrand. Despite Thrands obvious actions to confront the ogre, Anchard continues to only point and yell, "Look at the size of that thing!"
"What am I to do?" Anchard asks turning to Thrand as something strange begins to seep up from the crags in Anchard's scorched arms. It looks like a thick liquid, glowing white hot that generates its own steam, not unlike magma.
The elf awakens and stands, grabbing her spell components. Her eyes widen at the sight of the ogre/ What would you have me do against such a beast she inquires, grabbing at components.
"Want me to shoot it?" The half-orc asks... "Gods, that's a huge beast!"
Thrand grabs his shield and sword and charges at the visible ogre amazed at how quickly he closed the distance and bounded our some rocks to strike the foe. His sword struck true and deals a nick on the large humanoid but he notices not all of his swing got through the tough hide...
The Ogre swings halfheartedly and misses and chooses to ignore the cavalier advancing towards the group of the elf, the human and the half orc as if drawn to them for some reason...
Shortnose is still sleeping and snoring loudly...
Combat 2nd Round
Thrand
Anchard, Tanariel, Tzardusk
Ogre
Thrand shouts, "Kill it! Kill it!" to his companions. He swings at the ogre as it passes. Then he follows after it and strikes again with his longsword.