The Forgotten God (Table 2) (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

The next morning Sevia was geared up and ready to go. Having been used to being on the move she was rather quickly ready, and most of her possessions were stowed in her extra dimensional space...including a ghostly spirit. The only difference appeared to be that...she'd be traveling a lot slower this time around. She joined her followers outside where they were getting ready for the long haul, and waved back to Fhanys.

"Well done, let us not dally any longer then." Sevia nodded to Fhanys, before turning to the group. "Everyone please stay close together while we are traveling! Higher ranking disciples at the front and rear keep track of the group and stay watchful of anything threatening!" Sevia shouted out for her followers before heading onward to the front of the small train with her cleric in tow to begin their journey. She expected to make Faldamont within two or three days hopefully at their pace. Epyon meanwhile soared overhead to keep track of the group from above and scan ahead for other travelers as they left the forest on the way to Faldamont.

About halfway through the day Sevia called for a stop to eat lunch and rest before they continued on. Their walking schedule was planned out for four hours of travel in the morning, a one or two hour lunch rest, and four hours of travel in the evening, with a few more hours of rest, dinner, and setting up camp, sleep, and repeat the next day after breakfast. Each night she had a few followers keep watch on their perimeter, and tasked her Shadow with circling the camp as well. During her rest period, she spent some time crafting a few alchemical components she'd purchased in Maheto.

The trip itself was uneventful, but when you finally reached the town - with its all-important dock - more than a few people turned to look at the disciplined force that had pretty much come out of nowhere, and at least half the citizens practically turned invisible in their haste to get out of the way. One or two might have actually disappeared from sight.

"...Huh. Maybe we should have let them know we were coming? Everyone, put your weapons away!" Fhanys hissed backwards, and there was an abrupt shuffling sound as those with weapons concealed them by various means. "Mister Auguinare, see about getting a boat for us, would you? Lady Sevia doesn't need to deal with this kind of thing herself."

"Er... yes, r-right." the man said, moving forward and heading to the docks. The priestess dispatched several members of the group on other errands a moment later, sending them out to buy rations for the trip and reassure the citizens that they'd not be troubled in the short time your church was here. Auguinare returned about the same time as the others, scowling slightly. "Nobody's heading downstream at the moment, but they have a larger ship planning to leave tomorrow morning, so it looks like we're stuck here for the night."

Sevia smiled to Fhanys as her followers moved to complete her orders. Though it did happen to not leave her much to do aside from stand there and look important, it almost felt a little odd to be able to rely on the faithful to carry out her orders again. Of course if someone from the city watch was a little concerned about their group she wanted to be around to speak with them of course. She contented herself to wait on the return of Auguinare, hopefully with news that a vessel was present that could accommodate them, and looked rather content in the face of his scowl when he returned a short while later.

"Better than to need wait uncertainly for the arrival of such transport altogether. Another night is an acceptable delay. You spoke with the ship's captain to arrange transport and payment correct?" Sevia inquired, making sure that was settled at least or if she'd need to go down there herself. "If possible, it would be helpful to board this afternoon; I doubt there is enough inn space for the whole group and the town guard will surely object to us camping upon the fair city's streets." Not that they could really stop them though, but there was no reason to antagonize the law here.

"Aye, but it'll be a bit cramped." Auguinare said, sighing slightly. "They're still loading crates, and we'll have to stay out of the way until they're done this evening. All right, you lot, let's get our things stowed away instead of standing around like a bunch of farm hicks who've never seen a town before!" He began ushering them off, shooing them towards their designated resting area.

It would be quite some time until you needed to board - you could do so right away, of course, or you could engage in a bit of commerce, gather information on Ustalav, or otherwise pass the time somehow.

Sevia nodded to Auguinare and let him get busy organizing the rest, they looked like they could use the rest. There wasn't much she could do in Faldamont considering she'd already made her purchases. Instead opting to cast Disguise Self and detach from the group after letting Fhanys know she'd be back later. If she could, she'd like to hear about any rumors on Ustalav, though this far away she figured what she'd get would be vague. She also tried to see if there was any news out of Cassomir, which was a lot closer. And tried to get a feel about the town on how they were taking the sudden appearance of her following, before returning back to them herself.

Gather Information: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22 Hours: 1d4 ⇒ 3

The town had seemed a little nervous about your presence, and the guards had hurriedly been putting on heavier armor and scrambling for better weapons, but the way the initiates had gone shopping - being quite polite and not haggling too much - seemed to have put most of the fears to rest. They simply weren't acting like threats.

Sadly - but unexpectedly - there wasn't much on Ustalav. Most people you talked to simply agreed that it seemed to be a rather creepy nation, given the unfortunate proximity to the prison of the Whispering Tyrant, although one particularly drunk individual went on at some length to try and explain a highly improbable romantic relationship between one of Ustalav's rulers and their neighbor's dining room table. Cassomir had a few more rumors, but the city mostly seemed to be in order by this point. Indeed, most of the city hadn't even noticed that something had happened - and all of that was some ways in the past now.

Hours later, the goods were finally stowed away on the vessel, and your people were able to spread out a little more. The ladies were given berths within the ship, while the men were offered room on the deck where they wouldn't get in the way of the crew. The Captain himself soon showed up to show you to your own room, which bore unmistakable signs of hurried redecorating in order to make it more comfortable. Another day was ending, and dawn would see the light shining on a new journey, but first you'd actually have to get some sleep.

...That might have been a bit easier if you hadn't been woken up in the middle of the night by the distinctive sound of mass combat coming from the deck above.

Sevia settled into her cabin well enough and had been sure to tell at least one of the men sleeping on deck to keep an eye out for their followers. Unfortunately when she awoke in the middle of the night to hear the muffled sounds of fighting she felt a familiar sense of dread and rolled out of bed - casting Mage Armor on herself, her armor sitting with most of her other equipment.

"Epyon, Mage Armor Shadow and get me a Rod, tell Fhanys we are in trouble as well. Shadow..." She turned to her undead companion as it slipped from her backpack at the sound of battle while her familiar began casting. She would rather not show it to the captain of the ship, but her concern for the safety of her followers outweighed that. "Phase above decks and defend my followers against whoever attacks them. But avoid killing." A bit of a contradictory order, but the shadow could at least weaken enemies instead of kill them.

As the shadow disappeared through the roof of her cabin, she turned drew her swords from their scabbards where they lay, receiving the Rod from Epyon and directing him to open the door as she cast Shocking Grasp and gave the spell to him.

At which point she and him darted up the stairs of the ship to the deck, where she cast an extended Haste spell on herself, her familiar, her shadow, and any other four followers she could see. Her familiar meanwhile used his innate ability to turn invisible.

That should be three rounds: My AC is 28, Shadow's is 20

Initiative: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28

As you reached the deck and your gaze pierced the darkness, you could feel the entire boat tilt about five degrees towards the river, and the reason for the shift was obvious - skeletons were massed against the side of the vessel, climbing upwards, and their combined weight was actually lowering that side of the ship. Your followers had formed into groups of three or four people across the deck, fending off the skeletons that had made it to the top of the vessel, and as you arrived you could see a burst of channeled energy blow apart a thick cluster of the undead.

Your followers seemed to be holding their own for now, but there were a lot of skeletons still climbing upwards...

This was...unexpected. Rushing over to the side of the boat, Sevia tried to find the largest concentration of Skeletons on the side of the ship and cast Fireball - making to aim so that her followers wouldn't be caught as an explosion rocked the side of the ship. No doubt there would be some damage, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a Make Whole spell.

Fire Damage: 7d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 5, 5, 6, 2, 6) = 35 DC 20 Reflex for half - I believe the hull takes 12 of that?

Epyon meanwhile descended further down the ship and selected an undamaged skeleton - delivering his held Shocking Grasp

Attack: 1d20 + 11 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 11 + 3 + 2 = 31 vs TC Electric Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 1, 1, 6) = 13

The shadow, clearly needing no caution against his fellow undead, set to work draining each skeleton it could get its hands on.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21 vs TC Strength Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20 vs TC Strength Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Haste Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 vs TC Strength Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

"OY! BE CAREFUL!" the Captain's voice roared as the Fireball detonated and a mass of skeletons were simply blown away by the concussive force of the spell. Their bones fell like heavy rain into the water below, but the ship was far too large for the spell to have gotten all of them, and perhaps a dozen had managed to climb onto the deck while you were casting.

Over to the side, Fhanys was swinging around what looked like a whip of electricity, snapping it through two of the undead as the melee continued. Other followers were doing the best they could, and so many bones piled the deck by now that quite a lot of it was difficult terrain even for experienced shiphands. More undead continued to climb out of the water (though at least the destroyed ones didn't seem to be reforming), and it seemed like they were slowly starting to gain the upper hand through sheer force of numbers. Wide-area attacks were certainly helping, though, and enough of those would probably be enough to turn the tide back in your favor.

"Form a line!" Sevia shouted out as an order to her followers, trying to get them into a better defensive posture and more importantly, set up a straight line across the ship as her followers either stepped back or forward to even themselves out. Once they'd done so, she maneuvered down to place herself perpendicular to them and aimed at the surge of skeletons that rushed into the space her more forward members had just occupied - drawing on her mythic power and casting Lightning Bolt down the whole length of the ship where the skeletons were thickest as they attacked.

Electrical Damage: 9d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 3, 5, 2, 1, 5, 6, 5) = 34 DC 20 Reflex for half

Seeing that her shadow wasn't really helping that much thin their ranks, she called out to him "Shadow! Find out where they're coming from!" She ordered, her incorporeal companion phasing through the decks again toward the water below.

Epyon meanwhile moved over to the side of the railing and began casting Burning Hands at those who were trying to shimmy over up the side.

Fire Damage: 3d4 ⇒ (3, 1, 3) = 7 DC 13 Reflex for half

The lightning bolt blew through quite a few zombies, and more than one of your followers looked a bit nervous at having so much power flowing right in front of them. Even Epyon was managing to burn through quite a few of them as he flew around. It would take a little while for your Shadow to investigate and return, though it probably wasn't in too much danger for now.

Two bolts of red fire - what looked like scorching ray spells - shot down from above a moment later, piercing a pair of undead and turning them to ash. It wasn't nearly as effective as your spell had been, but hey, every little bit helped. The caster was sitting cross-legged on a black cloud, an odd-looking puppet at his side as he looked down at the horde of skeletons. "Hello, down there!" he said, waving cheerfully. "Is it true you're embarking on a campaign to get rid of all undead in the world?"

Sevia looked up in surprise to the source of the bolts of fire which had descended down to the undead. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion at his behavior, which was...rather easy going given the current situation. She was also a little worried about how he knew that. "Yes, it is my divine mission!" Sevia shouted back to the man casually watching the battle. "Who are you that seeks me out?" Sevia asked as she advanced on the softened up horde with her swords, cutting into the flank of the undead and felling five.

3 twf, 1 haste, 1 ki

"Push forward! Force them to the railing!" She ordered, trying to bolster the flank of her followers, while Epyon helped the other with another casting of Burning Hands.

Fire Damage: 3d4 ⇒ (4, 4, 3) = 11

"Oh, I'm just the one who called that horde!" the visitor called down, watching the melee continue. "That one was Erik Eriksson." he added as you cut down one of the undead, cupping his hands around his mouth to funnel the sound and make sure you could hear him. "He's following me to take revenge on his family's murderer so his wife and kids can rest in peace. I think you're going to make a lot of people very unhappy if you go for absolutes like getting rid of a whole group that's a part of the natural order by now! Saying that everything absolutely must be a certain way usually creates more problems than it solves, since those who disagree are often inclined to conflict instead of peaceful resolution!"

Sevia grimaced, though she could do little but continue to cut down each skeleton in front of her; only able to spare a glance to the bones of Erik before stepping over them to get to the next undead. Of course the more that man spoke, the more she was inclined to direct a fireball at him.

"There is absolutely nothing natural about undeath! This perversion of life prevents souls from reaching their proper judgement in the afterlife - a curse on the unwilling and an escape for those cowards who elude death!" Sevia shouted back as more skeletons continued to fall to her. "It is my sacred duty to ensure the likes of Eriksson rest in peace!"

"Well, it's not like most of them have souls or anything!" the man responded as the skeletons continued to mob the ship. "A lot of them are just bundles of bones powered by magic and given a sort of pseudo-intelligent guiding force. Not so different from a construct, when you think about it! What's so bad about using things like that, especially if the original owners don't need their body anymore... or even donated it to the cause?" It seemed clear that he didn't believe undead were fundamentally wrong or evil... which, admittedly, probably put him in the minority of those who'd thought about the subject. "That one was Bethany Butters - she loved helping people and didn't want to stop even after she died, so I raised her to help out when things need doing! Very good at sewing - I'll have to form her a new body later! Anyway, demanding that people rest when they don't want to is a bit presumptuous, don't you think? What's next, refusing to let people give to charity and then damning them for not giving out money to help others? In my experience, what people call the 'natural order' is just an excuse to impose their own tyrannical views on everyone else! I'm all for people passing on when they want to, but I can't say I approve of forcing the issue!"

"Lady Sevia, do you want me to zap him!?" Fhanys asked from where she was holding off a trio of shambling skeletons.

That is NOT an alignment-affecting question! =D Yay, Beyond Morality. On the other hand, you may want to consider the balance between A) Helping those who need it (especially when said people are dead), and B) The whole 'put them to rest' bit. Which one has priority if there's a conflict? Are there times when they may swap around in priority? Your followers, at least, might want to know things like that before too many are sent on missions and expected to show good judgment...

Now it was obvious what was going on. This man was a necromancer...and if anything was obvious it was that he had desecrated a lot of graves to make this army, and killed some amount of innocents if Erik Eriksson was a real person. "Hmph! You are a simpleton, I have guided the souls of countless to their afterlives, do you really think they all went the first time they died?! Of the core tenants of my faith, there is death and rebirth! How many heroes did I raise and send back to complete their destinies? How many despairing souls did I reincarnate for a chance at a new life? More than you can imagine. And they never would have come to terms with their lives as shambling corpses!" At this point, Sevia backed off from the crowd of skeletons, allowing her followers to merge forward and hold them off.

"Epyon, focus on the caster. He is controlling them, get close and do not allow him to continue casting." She mentally told her invisible familiar, the bird flying up to the man and readying Burning Hands again if he tried anything.

Fire Damage: 3d4 ⇒ (4, 4, 4) = 12 Readied spell incase he tries to cast

"Thank you Fhanys, but I will handle this necromancer blight myself! Someone, hand me a dagger!" She asked, moving to the first follower that produced the weapon she desired, as she cast True Strike upon herself. Too bad she was missing most of her gear, but magic would go a long way to delivering the strike she needed to make. She only needed to keep him occupied with talk just a little bit longer.

How high is he?

About 100 feet above you.

"Rebirth away from their families, their lives, and everything they've ever worked towards? Oh, yes, let's take everything away from people without even giving them a choice and say that's how it should be, like it's somehow fair and righteous! And yet nobody suggests hunting down everyone who has found a way of becoming immortal-" Fhanys suddenly looked incredibly guilty, "-when they can applaud them instead! Maybe you should ask yourselves what would've happened if my friends had actually been trying to hurt you instead of just moving onto the ship!" He waved a hand and several dozen spheres of light shot out from the crumbled bodies and gathered together above his hand, merging into a single sphere there. "I really just came to talk to you today and see what you were like! I don't know if our paths will ever cross again, and I sort of hope they don't! I'd honestly rather spend my time helping people instead of fighting, but if you're going to come after me for doing the right thing, I will defend myself! Figured I should give you fair warning!"

It didn't seem like he actually wanted to engage in combat you. Not everyone you met saw violence as the solution to their problems.

Sevia drew the dagger back, but she hesitated - just one throw and she could obliterate him with an Annihilating Strike. Yet it almost felt like she would be the villain here. The way he talked about the dead, maybe she had misunderstood about what he had said earlier. Her hand lowered, uncertain whether it would be right to attack...she felt like she wasn't seeing the whole picture here, and the last time she'd acted hastily with force that had blown up in her face. Quite literally.

"Know this, though I could utterly destroy you at this moment, I suspend judgement against you for now! You command these undead, but speak of them as friends instead of slaves - and I notice that!" For a moment she had an expression of sympathy as her stance shifted, though her face hardened again quickly. "But understand this, all life comes to an end, even the gods are not immune! For if life was fair then Aroden would still live and I would not have been forgotten!...But among my tenants is not merely death, or rebirth - but also fate!" Sevia cried out, hand above her heart, getting a little emotional as she let that last part sink in. "Every one among us, even the gods, has a fate! Sometimes, we die before we fulfill that fate, and we come back, but that is not always the case - it cannot be! Those that defy the fate of death inexorably damage the cycle of life and endanger the future of mortals yet to be! That is why I established the Shadow Dancers! To help those who did not move on accept their deaths and make way for new life!"

For a moment she was silent, before dropping the dagger she'd been holding. "Now, leave my sight before I withdraw my good graces!" She finished, turning away.

There was a thoughtful pause from up above. "...I'm not sure it counts as fate if it doesn't happen." He observed. Still, he took the hint, and shot away on his cloud instead of hanging around. Your followers watched him go, confusion the most common expression on their faces. What a strange fellow that had been.

Several people quickly got to work scattering the bones overboard - the ship didn't seem terribly damaged by whatever it was that had just happened, and the few remaining skeletons simply jumped over the side.

"...Is there a difference between undead created by magic and those that other undead make?" Your cleric eventually asked, sounding puzzled. She didn't seem terribly sympathetic towards that intruder, but at the same time, it didn't seem that she actually understood undeath and what, exactly, it was supposed to be.

1500 XP.

Walking over to the railing to inspect the damage, Sevia expended a use of her mythic power to cast Make Whole and repair whatever had been done to the ship for the captain. Well, not only the wood marred by her magic had knitted itself back together, but the whole ship looked noticeably newer and less worn. As Fhanys walked over, she clasped her hands and turned to the girl with a sigh.

"Yes dear...honestly to call bones animated with magic undead is something of a misnomer. With no soul, they hold no self awareness, merely moved by magic as if...a macabre puppet. True undead are formed when the souls of the dead are unwilling...or unable, to move on to the afterlife, either possessing the remains of their former body - or manifesting as a partially tangible spirit. Whoever that person was, he seemed to have no respect for the sanctity of life, yet appeared to have no malice either..." Sevia sighed again, clearly frustrated by the matter. Walking forward to Fhanys, she draped an arm around the girl, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder and leading her away from the rest of the group toward the back of the ship. Now was as good a time as any to address those questions she'd had. "I will have to consider what to do about him later. In the meantime though...I noticed that look on your face when was talking, and there was also those cryptic words from Father Otiward about yourself. Fhanys...is there anything about yourself you have not told me?" Sevia asked, her tone more sympathetic than inquisitorial.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

The cleric nervously poked her forefingers together. "I... um... I think I've stopped aging." she whispered. "I-I didn't mean to, it just kind of happened! The vampire I killed used this spell, or something like that, trying to swap our life forces so he'd be young and I'd be old and it didn't do anything! It wasn't like resisting a spell because you have a strong mind - I just realized that no matter how many times he tried it, nothing would ever happen, like my life could no longer be touched by time! ...And he was so surprised that I managed to stab him in the heart with the wooden stake I'd brought along, and..." she swallowed. "...A-am I going to have to kill myself when I'm eighty years old and it's supposed to be my time?"

Sevia's mouth opened with surprise, "No. Of course not dear!" She said, pulling the girl a little closer and giving her a hug. "Why would you-? Fhanys, you are still very much alive, and if you will be alive for a very long time that is of no consequence. Many live long lives, like the Elves, some live even longer, a scant few ageless such as yourself now. But...you may find that a long life is something of a curse as much as it is a blessing; it takes a strong heart to watch everything around one's self pass well before you will. It is a heavy responsibility and burden, but it is not evil or perverse." Sevia knew quite well what it meant to outlast mortal life, the only companions she could ever truly connect with had been her fellow gods, though with a mortal's perspective she found it easier to do the same with them now.

"Now, please allow yourself to be at ease. Tomorrow we will be on the river, and many acolytes will be looking to you for guidance. We could all use some rest after this little fiasco." Sevia chuckled with a smile, looking back towards the others and giving her follower a pat on the back.

Fhanys' legs wobbled slightly, but she managed to avoid collapsing in relief. "Well... I think I'll be okay as long as I have you." she managed to get out, smiling just a bit more weakly than usual. Still, it wasn't long before she'd turned in to bed, and the rest of your small church followed suit. Most people seemed like they were still on edge, but the troubles were over and nothing else needed taking care of... and morning eventually came.

Not long afterwards, the ship itself had set sail, heading down the river and towards the route that would take you up towards Illmarsh.

"Anywhere you're interested in stoppin' along the way?" the Captain asked casually, some time after lunch had been served.

Sevia actually blushed a little at that, nodding to the girl and helping her get down below deck to bed. She of course made sure her shadow had managed to get back aboard before calling it a night herself. In the morning she'd been quite relieved they managed to leave without incident, though now their primary enemy would be boredom she imagined.

"Hmm?" Sevia piqued up and looked to the Captain, thinking about his question. They'd soon be past the small Andoran town of Bellis, and after that it would be Galt, Razmir, and River Kingdom territory - nowhere she was interested in stopping. She briefly wondered what she might find on the Isle of Terror before remembering the Captain would take quite the issue in stopping there. "Nowhere you would be interested in going. The faster we make Illmarsh the better good Captain." Sevia replied somewhat cryptically.

With not much to do, Sevia mostly busied herself finishing her short crafting projects, and adding a few scrolls to her growing collection if she had the time. Otherwise she made it a point to remain on deck where she could be seen and approached by those with questions. And of course Sevia ensured the watch on deck was doubled if they stopped in any ports on the way to their destination as well.

It was a long trip up the rivers, and you had to change vessels to begin moving in the correct direction. It was towards the end of your journey that the sailors seemed most tense, though, and the reason for their feelings was fairly obvious... for on the horizon had appeared a pair of large barges, moving to intercept the trading vessel.

"Ack, blasted priests." the current captain groaned. "Miss Sevia, would you and your followers be so kind as to take up arms and make yourselves conspicuous on the deck? Razmir's masked followers have little respect for the laws of the water or the rights of honest businessmen, but they usually get the idea if you point enough steel at them."

Looking at the distasteful barges, Sevia nodded - but got a better idea. "I can do better than that..." Sevia chuckled to the captain, locating her nearest follower and telling him to go below decks and start rousing the following for a show of force. She also had someone go fetch her bow for her.

"I do quite distaste the methods of Razmir, so this will be as much a message as an act of self defense. If you would prefer that I not sink that first barge though - best tell me now." Sevia said, knocking her bow as her followers began rushing up the deck. The more people that saw this, the better in here opinion; people tended to talk about amazing things they saw and Sevia intended them talk about her.

If the captain says don't do it, obviously the next part doesn't happen

As the barges closed, Sevia took aim at the closest and concentrated her mythic power, before firing off into the distance.

Annihilating Strike: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (11) + 16 = 27 vs AC 10 3000 cubic feet destroyed

Her arrow struck the barge amidships, and just like that the entire vessel exploded into a cloud of ash, its cargo and passengers falling into the water below.

mythic power 4/9

Bwaaahahahahaha. XD

"Holy-" the Captain broke off. Oh, if only he knew. The barge had no hope at all of avoiding the damage from that particular attack, and it was just as obvious that the faithful of Razmir had never expected something like that to come out before they'd even come close to the vessel. The other ship immediately began turning, clearly trying to sail away rather than remaining close to whatever that had been... and abandoning their friends to do it. Cold-hearted, perhaps, but they probably didn't realize that it couldn't be fired repeatedly. Yet.

Fhanys lowered a scope as a few fragments of the vessel continued to rain into the water. "Should we... go pick up the survivors?" she inquired nervously.

Sevia smirked as she lowered her bow, watching the other ship veer off. Even a high level spell like Disintegrate wouldn't come close to that amount of power. Though it would have been nice to sink both the offending barges, getting harassed by the priests was probably the best they could've expected - convert at the sword the worst.

"Hmph, cowards. That they would leave their compatriots reflects poorly on them." Sevia chided, before looking over the edge of the ship to the flailing bodies of the priests in the water, likely seeking what bits of floating debris. "Can they not swim? The water seems calm enough." Sevia inquired dismissively as she turned to Fhanys. That said, she wasn't interested in killing anyone and directed her followers to throw ropes to any of the priests that looked in trouble of drowning.

The Captain barked a laugh. "Remind me never to try and fight a ship with you on it." he said, seeming more entertained than anything else. "As for the blasted priests, we'll let 'em fend for themselves. Perhaps abandoning all that metal and money they carry will teach them a thing or two about the real weight of greed. And if money drowns them, well, they brought it on themselves." He took the wheel again and the vessel continued at a quick pace up from Lake Encarthan.

As the day went on, however, the weather took a turn for the worse, and a moderately heavy rain began to come down from the sky. Most of your people hurried below the decks as the waves grew steadily worse and the ship began pitching up and down, but all seemed well enough until a cry from the watcher went over the deck.

"Captain! There's a trawler ten degrees to starboard, about fifty yards off the rocks! She's gonna wreck!"

"Well, we can't get any closer to shore in this weather!" the Captain answered. "Not unless one of you land-lovers has learned to fly when I wasn't looking! We'll have to find a safer place to drop anchor and send someone back!"

"I don't think we've got time for that!"

As the ship began to pull away from the waterlogged priests, Sevia took the time to cast a Message spell targeting a few of the ones closer to shore. "I am sure Razmir will hear of this soon enough foolish priests. Tell him The Raven Queen sends her regards!" She laughed with delight before cutting the spell off and heading back below decks while their ship passed on.

Sevia opted to come back up on deck as the weather worsened however, ready to lend aid if the weather worsened any - which it did. She was more concerned about the sudden crisis which soon erupted however.

"I will handle it!" Sevia shouted, rushing over to the railing and looking for the ship in question. A second later she had activated the Fly spell on her armor and took to the sky - trying to think of any spell she could cast that would help in this situation.

I take a 10 on fly for a 21. Int check whether Hydraulic Torrent or Gust of Wind would divert the ship?

Intelligence: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

"Ho there! How can I be of help?!" Sevia shouted into the rain as she landed on the deck of the other ship.

Those spells aren't quite strong enough - given the natural wind and the force of the waves - to safely divert the ship. However, you could land on the ship and try to steer it manually, using your knowledge of the natural world to anticipate things and get it back on track.

The only person on the ship was an old man, who was frantically trying to control both the sails and the tiller - and failing at both. "You can help me... unnf... move this... hrrgh... back onto course!"

Two Knowledge (Nature) checks and a Strength check, each DC 20, will allow you to regain control of the vessel and bring it safely to dock at a quay up ahead. You have nine rounds before the ship crashes, and could cast a few enhancement spells to give yourself a better chance of success.

Sevia looked from both the old man to the steering gears and nodded. "Of course! One moment!" Sevia shouted, taking a moment to cast Heroism on herself.

Concentration: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19 vs DC 18

The weather and rocking of the ship gave her some difficulty as she cast, but was able to overcome the difficulty and successfully complete the spell. She then moved to help the old man, taking up position at the tiller and gesturing for him to take the sails.

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Though she was not experienced with sailing, she at least knew the bare minimum to determine how she needed to steer the ship and in what direction would best help her stay on course in the swell.

Strength: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Unfortunately, she was not the strongest, though more than likely stronger than most she relied on dexterity not strength. The ships course struggled in the wind while she struggled with the tiller.

Strength: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

She redoubled her efforts though, and finally got them aligned with the quay ahead.

Almost half the time had passed by the time you finally managed to get the ship under control and carefully, if perhaps a bit amateurishly, bring it into the quay. The old man let out a heavy sigh of relief. He's wearing a leather apron smock bearing unidentifiable stains and burns and set of goggles with multiple colored lenses pulled up on his forehead. His white hair is spiky from the wind and water and sticks out in tangles in all directions, while his eyes are red-rimmed. In fact, despite his rather manic appearance, he looks fairly sleep-deprived. "Thank you, thank you! I was doing some experiments near the Tern Rocks with some equipment I invented, but this blasted storm..." he paused. "Hmm... blasting... maybe a cannon could blast the clouds away and let me work in peace... onto the list! Or I'll forget it again. Oughta blast the local boys who just dove overboard and left me, the lazy slobs! ...How'd you get onto my ship, anyway?"

Sevia sighed with relief as well with the boat was finally out of the worst of the storm and the crisis had passed. Standing up, she regarded the man curiously, obviously an inventor of sorts - she'd recognize that manic sleep deprived look anywhere. "Magic. A simple Fly spell." Sevia answered simply, levitating herself off the ground to demonstrate, hands pointing down to her feet, until she lowered herself back down.

"You are fortunate my ship was passing nearby and spotted you, your hirelings probably less so - I imagine Gozreh will take them in that swell. It looks like we will not be going anywhere soon, so we will have to wait out the storm if I am to return to my vessel." Sevia stated matter-of-factually, looking back out into the roiling lack behind them before shrugging casually and crossing her arms. "A shame weather manipulation is out of my league as of yet. Perhaps you could tell me more about what you were trying to do...and maybe get out of this rain?"

"Experiments, woman, experiments! Nothing happens if you don't test it! I head out to the rocks because the local boys tend to vandalize my things if I just leave it lying around - they've got no idea of true scientific value! I've been building a subaqueous exploration and research
vessel, and I'd have been making much greater progress if this blasted storm hadn't come up!" He shook his fist at the sky, then paused. "Hmm. Maybe I'll have a meat pie for dinner."

He seemed to be having trouble staying on any one topic - and it didn't seem like he had much in the way of information for you.

You did, however, earn 500 XP for rescuing him.

"Subaqueous-...an underwater ship?" Sevia asked curiously, her interest piqued. "But would it not be simpler just to study magic? I know there are low level spells capable of doing so." She pointed out. At the very least, she might as well try and see what the man was trying to accomplish while they waited out the storm. Continuing her line of inquiry to his 'subaqueous vessel' and what he was going to use it for.

"Bah! Magic shmagic - not everyone can do it, and most people can't afford to buy the kind of power they'd need to explore the ocean! Besides, with the right vessel, you can take all sorts of supplies no wizard would ever bring, and stay down a heck of a lot longer." Pause. "Maybe some longer ropes would help."

Sevia nodded at the man's points he brought up, given there was a certain sense of truth about them. Actually now that she thought about it such a vessel would be perfect in traveling the ruins of Azlant, and put that aside for later thinking. With the storm still going on strong, she had no recourse but to stay where she was and wait it out, no doubt what the captain of her own vessel doing the same soon.

As soon as the storm cleared up enough, she sent out Epyon to search the immediate area and see if he could find the vessel she'd been traveling on.

Epyon soon returned, bearing news that the ship had docked a little ways south of Illmarsh, which wasn't too far away. According to the Captain, the city wouldn't permit large groups of strangers within - you and perhaps one or two others would be allowed, but it would be easier for all involved if most of your faithful stayed outside of its limits until you'd won the trust of its citizens. Besides, they didn't have rooms for so many extra bodies anyway - and the assassins were comfortable enough with sleeping out in the wild.

The city itself could be reached from the nearby road. The odd old man was muttering to himself as the storm began to let up, and didn't take long at all to hop back into his vessel and start rummaging around.

Sevia thanked her familiar for the information and bid the old man farewell and wishing him good fortunes with his inventions. She set out immediately out up the coast to link back up with her followers, traveling quickly by land and giving a hearty greeting once she'd found the boat, getting back aboard while letting them know she was unharmed. She of course was curious about the situation, speaking immediately with the Captain about what could be done, and asked for their Ustalav local, wanting to know if this was usual for the city.

With little other recourse, she selected him and Fhanys to accompany her up to the city and see if they could sort this out. If nothing else, they could bypass the city entirely - though they needed at least to resupply somehow.

It actually was rather normal for the area - for smaller towns, at least. Larger cities might accept groups of up to several dozen people without question, though your local did add that the group could almost certainly purchase supplies within the city. Illmarsh was a fishing town, after all, and they calmly accompanied you into it.

Map of the city up top.

As you enter, your local begins quickly pointing out the locations of interest - the Town Square (D1), Town Hall (D2), fishing wharves (D3), the local inn (D4), the fish market where you could buy supplies (D5), the local tavern (D6), a general store and apothecary (G7 and G8, respectively), and the local church (E). Fhanys makes it quite clear that she's trying to be friendly, smiling and waving at people as she passes by.

It's not helping much. All she gets in return are cold glares and suspicious glances (as do you), though she hasn't actually tried talking to them or searching for information just yet, either.

She had not been expecting Illmarsh to be quite so small a town, and it suddenly clicked why outsiders might be so unwelcome. It wasn't even big enough that she could Disguise herself as a local for a short period to gather information - given everyone probably knew each other by name.

That said, she did not appreciate their attitude one bit - especially in the face of Fhanys' friendliness, and specifically stared down any who gave unfriendly glares to her cleric that she saw. "We should probably resupply as fast as possible, I do not believe lingering long will be wise..." Sevia said off hand, directing the trio at the first place Fhanys spoke she needed something from. She did note the church though, probably a better place to seek answers than the tavern considering the attitude of the common folk and resolved to head over there once they were done with their purchases. That didn't stop her from trying to pry whatever information about the area she could from those they bought goods from though.

Gather Information: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31 Hours: 1d4 ⇒ 3 Taking information only from the store clerks they stop at or the church

"Fishin’s been poor of late, and the Neighbors h’ain’t been seen fer a while. Mayhaps they got fed up with all the foreigners hereabouts lately and just up and left. Things is so bad folks have even seen the Watcher in the Bay near to town. That can’t mean no good." one of the shopkeepers muttered as you stopped by. That was before you entered the church - which bore iconography of Gozreh - but you could certainly stop by and talk to the local clergy if you wanted to.

Interesting information, though not exactly what she was fishing for. The local troubles weren't exactly her concern...well unless it involved undead. Still though, she was at least interested, and hopeful for more important news. "Hello?" Sevia called out as the door closed behind her, looking for any priests. "I was hoping for some information. It has been...a long time...since I was in Ustalav." She asked to the nearest one she could find. "And...who is this 'Watcher' people mention?" Sevia added.

Passing through the front area of this building, you soon arrive in a room staffed by four meditating men. Warped wooden pews stand within this central meeting hall, decorated with a decidedly nautical theme. A wooden statue of the same mermaid depicted elsewhere in the temple - such as the statue on the way in and a number of windows you passed to reach this room - stands at the front of the hall, though she holds a strange octopoid creature in one hand rather than a conch shell. There was one other thing worth noting, though - nowhere in the church seemed to suffice as a place to lay the dead to rest, nor was there any sign of a graveyard outside the church.

One of the men looks up as you approach. "I'm sorry, but this church is not open to outsiders." he said firmly. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." ...A rather less welcoming statement than would normally be expected from a church of Gozreh.

Unfortunately, I won't be posting Friday through Sunday - I'll be away from my PC. Gaming will resume on Monday!

Booooo

Sevia merely raised an eyebrow. Frankly, she was starting to get...somewhat suspicious about this place. Something did not seem right with the town. "I would not expect as such from a church of Gozreh..." Sevia stated flatly, giving the man an uncomfortable stare before finally turning on her heel and walking out. As she exited the building, she reunited with Fhanys.

"We are leaving." Sevia said curtly, immediately taking her followers from the town...and away from prying eyes or ears. "Something is wrong with that place. And I do not intend to let the matter rest at that. Did either of you two notice or hear anything suspicious?" Finally voicing her concern outside the village, though she did not share her suspicion of the church - or her worry about what they were doing with their undead.

"...I, uh, think I might have caught sight of the creature they were talking about." Fhanys said in a particularly odd tone. Even as you looked over to her, a serpentine shape could be seen hundreds of feet offshore, quickly disappearing beneath the waves. Something about it seemed wrong, though from this distance - and with such a brief glimpse - there was no way of telling what that might have been. "I... everyone in the city looked worried. I've seen some superstitious people before, but... you're right, something's definitely wrong here, and it's not just the usual paranoia."

Your local guide nodded firmly. "It didn't smell as fishy as it should have, either. I looked towards the wharves, and there weren't nearly as many fish there as there should have been. Fishing is the main industry here, and they haven't had a major problem in generations. Quite well-known for it, actually."

That she could see...whatever it was this far away, well it must be quite big. That unnerved her, especially with her followers not too far away in a ship in the water. As it disappeared she focused back to Fhanys. "Well, that does not bode well then. Still...it almost seems like one of those store clerks implied that the creature they were talking about...was a symptom of something else, not the cause. That makes me wonder what is going on in the town itself." What she needed was to find a local and make them spill their guts - figuratively speaking of course.

"I think after sunset I will return and see what I can find out. Everyone else should get some rest though while we still have beds, I intend to march for Carrion Hill tomorrow morn regardless of what may or may not be in Illmarsh." Sevia said thoughtfully, a finger tapping her chin. Upon returning to the ship she made sure to let the Captain know that they would only require his services for the next night for a place to sleep and would be leaving the next morning, with Sevia heading below decks to get whatever rest she could before nightfall.

Before leaving for Illmarsh though, she did make sure to post at least two followers with good night vision on deck - and instructed that no lights should be lit on the ship. No sense in attracting whatever was lurking in the water.

"We should probably talk to the Mayor. One way or another, I'm sure we can get him to tell us what's going on." Fhanys observed... though, given her nature, she probably thought that diplomacy would be the best option for getting him to talk. After all, you were here to help the nation, and getting on bad terms with town leaders wasn't exactly the wisest way to begin. Charming magic might work as a secondary option, though.

Once night fell, all that was really left was deciding where you actually wanted to go.