Making your way to the jungle you eventually find the river bank, which will make it easy for you to find your way back. A large grove of thorny vines grow on these river banks, presenting a seven-foot-tall wall of green leaves and intimidating six-inch red thorns.
"So... What now? Seems like we are going to find ourselves into a thorny situation if we want togo on..." Says the dwarf in mirthless irony.
Surkoff sees the berries and gets a little bit excited. "These must be the berries that Aerys was talking about. Quickly help me pick as many as we can." Surkoff empties the contents of his belt pouch into his backpack and then starts filling it with berries being as careful as possible to not crush them.
There is just one problem: the berries are to be found at the very center of the patch.
Moving through the patch counts as difficult terrain, and each round a creature moves through the nettles, it must make a DC 12 Reflex save to avoid taking a point of damage from the nettles. The woodland stride ability negates this hazard entirely.
A large quantity of bright red berries lies at the center of the patch of nettles, but reaching them requires passing through 60 feet of nettles. Harvesting the berries takes 10 minutes (during which the harvester must make four DC 12 Reflex saves to avoid nettle damage—the thorns are much smaller at the center of the patch but still present).
Fully harvested, the berries provide a dozen handfuls.
Are there any volunteers?
Ralf is way too shaky and feeble to try something that nimble!
"I am sure that my armor will deflect most of those spikes, who will join me? These are needed for Aerys so I must do this, alone if necessary."
Surkoff takes off into the nettles.
On top of the 5 points of damage, Surkoff comes down with a rash that has him sickened for the day, but when you finally return to the camp, loaded with crab and berries you are hailed as heroes.
Aerys is extatic about the berries and plants an unselfconscious kiss on Surkoff, but she claims that she won't need all those berries. Jask is happy to hear that, because he claims that they are good with diseases. Eating a handful of them will give you a +4 on saves vs. disease for a day.
Which could be useful as Surkoff's scratches might be infected (Fort 15). Aerys keeps four handfuls and Jask stashes the rest unless you object.
Surkoff:
On the positive note you have gathered so much food that Ilum alone will keep you covered unless some unexpected disaster strikes. No monsters bother you during the night either.
Where do you want to go the next day?
Surkoff waves off the berries. "Let us save them for someone who might actually need them."
Surkoff blushes a little bit at the unexpected attention from Aerys but does not shy away from it. "I did nothing that any other would have done if asked."
About to volunteer to go in for the berries, Torch is left with his hand in the air and his mouth hanging open as Surkoff dives into the thorn bush. Once he returns, berries in tow, the archaeologist can't help being fairly impressed with both his efforts and his martyr's instinct. Guess maybe he is a paladin at that after all...
The next morning, Torch points out across the bay toward the islands on the far side. "Think we can get there today?" he asks rhetorically.
Rising the next morning Surkoff scratches at where the nettles left their mark but is surprised to see how well they are mending. He tracks down Jask to have a chat.
"Jask, I can not thank you enough with your assistance with my wounds and those of the rest here. I have seen what you have been doing around camp and I know that life is one great big second chance no matter what our pasts hold. When we return to civilization know that I will stand for you in the courts and tell of the goodness that is in you."
Talking to Torch: "That is quite a distance to there Torch but a good goal to set. Are you suggesting that we all pack up and go or is this more of an exploration to determine the potential. The spot we have here is very suitable for our needs right now."
Talking to Torch: "That is quite a distance to there Torch but a good goal to set. Are you suggesting that we all pack up and go or is this more of an exploration to determine the potential. The spot we have here is very suitable for our needs right now."
"Just taking a look around. Like I said before, we might want to move if we like what we find - a separate island might be more defensible - but regardless, it's a direction to head and territory to explore. That's enough for me for now."
Ralf uses a boosted Soothing Touch to remove the sickened condition from Surkhoff, and he helps him with first aid as well.
Heal check:
Jask warms up a bit. "Well, lad, we're all in the same boat, so we'd do well to trust each other and help out. Besides, I think there might be a way to prove my innocence. One of the incriminating papers I found so long ago indicated that one of my superior’s contacts in the Shackles was a man named Avret Kinkarian. Now get this: Kinkarian’s ship, the Brine Demon, reputedly wrecked right here on Smuggler’s Shiv. I knows it’s a long shot, but I would love to track the ship down and explore the wreck on the off chance there could be more
evidence somewhere aboard to prove my innocence. So keep a watch for the Brine Demon, will you?"
Looking just a touch vindicated, Torch smiles and nods. "You can count on it, my friend," he tells the priest without hesitation. "If there's proof to be had, we'll find it."
"Jask, I will do my best to find these papers if the ship did in fact wreck here."
Surkoff gets his armor on and gets the rest of his gear ready. "Torch, lead on. Let's find out if there is anything worth the trip over there."
I gather that you will be going westwards, but would you prefer to follow the beach or the river (to start with)?
"I hate to have to repeat myself but yesterday we failed at finding a good place to start a beacon fire. I insist we do it today, we should have enough rations for a while now, so..."
"Well people, as we have enough rations for a while I say we still need to set up a beacon fire to try to get someone to save us. I insist we find a good spot along the beach and we do it!"
Surkoff shakes his head at the stubborn dwarf. "You are still stuck on the fire? I am not comfortable giving our location away to everyone on this island until we know that they are friendly. How many friendly folk have you found so far Hrakar because my count is still at zero. We have determined that we can support ourselves on this island, at least for now, so our focus needs to be on finding a safer place to rest our heads and making sure that nothing is going to be hunting us. Once we have that you can make as many fires as you want, I might even help you."
Ralf nods agreeably at both of the speakers. "Yer darn tootin'!"
Torch sighs heavily. "If we are to build a fire, it should probably be at the top of the lighthouse Ralf mentioned right after we first got here. He said it was 'nearly completed' or something like that, so it's probably our best bet. If we have to do a little heavy lifting ourselves to finish it, so be it. I don't remember if he said where it is, but there's higher ground that way" he points toward the south "so I imagine that, if it's there, we would be able to see it."
The lighthouse is supposed to be built somewhere along the south-west shore, that is on the other side of the island.
It seems like we have an agreement going south. You can follow the riverbank downstream. At the place where the berries grow the river meets another river coming from the south. Do you want to continue that way. Then the next question is how far you are willing to go. You may explore so far that you will not be able to make it back before nightfall.
"You are right on something, human: there's NOTHING friendly on this island. That's exactly why we need to make a beacon fire... to ESCAPE from this cursed place. Instead you want to "explore". Well, I tell you "exploring" needs to have an aim, and that aim must be getting away from here! As for "signaling our position" the fire won't be near our camp, and if the inhabitants of the island will come and attack us... well at least it will be on our terms, not theirs as it has been till now!, concludes the priest of Torag with quite a bit of frustration in his voice.
"The islands can serve that purpose as well," Torch points out. "If secure, we could easily light fires on the ocean side if we wanted to. The real problem is that this island eats ships. Until we can at least explore the whole thing, we won't even know where it would be safe for a ship to approach - and we don't know how long it will take for a ship to both come close enough to see any signal we put up (since most captains aren't insane like ours was and actually try to avoid this place) and be willing to risk the reefs to come get us. We need to realize we could be here for awhile. That's why we need to explore everywhere. We need to know what's here, what the dangers are and what resources we have in case we need to get used to this place more than we already have."
"Oh, but I agree on exploring the island ON THE PURPOSE of finding a safe place for a ship to moor and to set a decent beacon fire on. So I'm all for checking the coast. I'm against exploring the jungle: the various inhabitants of this rock already want to eat us, I can't see why we should go searching for them... let them search for us and then die, I say!
Torch shakes his head. "There's a confrontation coming one way or the other," he says softly. "But if Torag, Nethys, Desna and whoever else might be watching over our group are merciful, perhaps we can avoid it long enough to find your alternative way out, dwarf." He turns and looks out across the bay. "I still think starting with the islands is our best bet," he goes on, louder. "If we can secure them, then maybe we'll have a decent place to hold and build your signal fire. Can you work with that, Hrakar?"
You make your way back to the beach and try to follow it southwards in the hope of reaching the islands to the west.
But for now, just roll for initiative as another giant crab emerges from the sand as you have travelled about a mile southwards.
"Done, half elf, let's reach those islands and secure th..." as Hrakar finishes answering Torch's offer the crab attacks!
Initiative roll:
As you make your way along the rocky beach another giant crab appears out of nowhere and sprints ahead, grabbing Torch by the leg and sending blood spurting everywhere. Torch takes 9 points of damage and is grappled.
You are up.
Torch shouts in pain, the sudden weakness in his leg almost making him fall. He struggles to free himself and ready his weapon.
"...e crab! THE TOARG DAMNED CRAB... AGAIN!!!"
Channel Energy:
Ralf totters forward and tries to bash the crab with his walking stick.
"Fear not my friend, I am coming to rescue you!"
Surkoff draws his blade as he steps around the side opposite to Ralf swinging with all his might.
Hrakar's holy energies wash over Torch, stemming the blood. Ralf dodders forth and manages to distract the crab enough for Surkoff to be able to land a telling blow, destroying the crab instantly.
Proceeding along the beach you reach what looks like the remains of an old campsite.
Perception 12:
In the midst of the camp a dead woman, already rotting but with green vines sprouting from her body, stands forlornly, staring vacantly out to sea.
Knowledge (nature) 12:
There is also a trail leading south towards the interior of the island.
Seeing the dead woman standing in the camp Surkoff focus momentarily on her as he draws his blade.
.
Torch readies his blade as well, looking concerned. "This place was not abandoned peacefully," he murmurs.
"Well, that's not something you see every day..." Ralf scratches his balding head in befuddlement at the odd tableau.
"Well... do you think we should "explore" that campsite and maybe give that poor soul a decent buryal?" says Hrakar to his fellow castaways
But before all that...
Channel Energy (Torch):
The woman does not register as evil despite looking and moving like a zombie. But when you approach, she lumbers forth to attack.
Roll for initiative.
"On second thought we don't have the luxury of the choice here..."
Initiative check: