The Taldan grins wolfishly. "Well, well, well."
Jim's following shots shatter on the iron links of the chains.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Shaken but stirred Kaul attempts another duo of hacks;
While his first attempt is wayward, his beady eyes focus and the backhand lands home;
Trying to stabilize himself as he dangles midair from Dingus' levitatating spell means Kaul is fighting for his balance as well as against his foe and that doesn't seem to be working so Kaul surrenders to the chaos and feels the pulse of the Maelstrom flow through him. Kaul spins erratically once more and Lopper gives a hungry moan as the deadly edge cuts air and iron chains and unnatural flesh.
If that was the Groom, Kaul thinks that his mate must have lost Besmara's favor to end up wrapped in the chains of an anchor set on this earthly plane. Either way the thing is no more as its head flies off in a black blooded arc to thump against a marble wall and the body drops to the floor in a clatter of loose chains!
"Lopper lopped it good, mate! Corliss, can you see if you can save our friend, there?" Jim stows his bow and looks around the room for anything interesting.
Corliss gives Jim a nod and tries to stabilize the fool who led the crew into the evil ambush. He heals his crewmates first, however, switching out the few spells he has left for cures.
The victory came just in time as the hastening spell ends abruptly and time speeds up to its normal tempo. Corliss heals his friends and then checks the recently rescued pathfinder. Unfortunately, the barbed chains around his throat slashed an artery and Riemme has already bled out. He is beyond healing.
Jim looks around and finds a pair of spectacles near the main pillar, likely pulled off one of the chained corpses. Despite the violence around them, the glasses are in excellent condition. At the back of the chamber is a round altar inscribed with the seven-pointed star again. At the foot are scattered coins and atop it is a case with shining platinum surgical instruments and an assortment of obsidian tipped scalpels. It looks quite expensive.
Jim finds the severed head of the chain wielder and thankfully the face no longer resembles the Groom. It is a cruel, pale visage scarred in precise cuts forming runes similar to those applied to its victims.
"No idea what that thing was. Best we get out of here and rest a bit--I'd rather not run into another one like it until Dingus and Corliss have their mojo back, hey?"
Needing rest and sensing that the crew have cleared this nest of fiends and avenged the slaughtered pathfinder camp, Jim posits that it's time to return to the ship.
"I know it's not easy, but I figure if we stay on the right side of these Pathfinders they'll keep paying us for things we'd do anyway."
Corliss nods at Jim's words and helps to carry the dead outside for proper burial. Though he's more accustomed to burying the dead at sea, he tweaks the words of his eulogy prayer to honor the landlubber Pathfinders and send them on their way to the afterlife.
Back at the ruined campsite, the dead are buried under cairns constructed from the abundant rubble in the area. Corliss gives a blessing over the cairns as night falls. Considering how to return to the ship, it will be the next day before the sending scroll is ready for another message to call in a pickup, but the crew did spot an abandoned launch at the beach.
Dingus takes the time to add a sweatband around his brow and complains the entire time that this will ruin his nails.
Perception
"I don't trust yon boat, and without a way to let the Cap'n know we changed plans we might put the crew at risk if we run afoul of anything."
Jim looks around a bit and finds a long, low windowless structure nearby with an intact roof and lots of tables insider that could be piled up against the entrance.
"That looks comfy. And I'll bet there are some nice juicy rats for Richard to look after".
Dingus replies as he chews one of his long, beautiful nails that was chipped from the interment.
"Let's do that, then. And set watches--I'll take first, Kaul gets the Guts, and Dingus & Corliss take the Morning. Sound good?"
The crew settles in and Jim takes first watch. It is a cold night and the wind picks up toward the end of Jim's watch. The old wooden roof creaks eerily and there is a rattle almost as if something were creeping overhead.
Jim continues to listen as the others snore around the fire.
Feh...it's held up this long, what's one more storm? Just in case it does come down, though, he tries to find old furniture that can be used to shelter the sleepers from the worst of a collapse.
Most of the tables have been used to barricade the entrance to the structure but sets up a few to shelter under. At this point the noise is enough to wake up everyone. The roof creaks loudly and the freezing wind changes direction blasting into the low open entrance. The small fire flares and cinders fly about while everyone shudders in the cold.
Jim draws his rapier and lights it up. "Dingus! Anything of witchery in this wind?"
Dingus cuddles with Richard and tries to ball himself into the smallest cute little ball of a Tian to try and stay warm. Richard is angry and sluggish.
He adds his anchoring stick to the blocking of stuff at the entrance and tosses and turns with the cold. When Jim speaks up he rouses angry because he just finally dozed off, and scans the room with his magic radar.
"What is wrong. It's just a bad storm... Right"?
Corliss likewise awakens, casts light upon his rapier, and then casts detect magic to help Dingus scan for emanations or anomalies. He stays awake for several minutes afterwards to make sure nothing attacks the encampment.
There is no magic afoot and Corliss' attempt to fall back asleep is interrupted as the small fire blows out with a cascade of embers. Fortunately, nothing catches alight in the cold, damp room, but a moment later a beam collapses to the rear of the room. The crew huddle under the tables and spend the rest of the night shivering in the heatless light of Corliss' spell as the roof rattles and creaks ominously overhead. The next morning is freezing and cloudy as the crew emerge bleary eyed and tired.
Jim stifles a yawn and stretches. "Had better nights, hey? Time we were on our way--where's that scroll?"
Jim locates the scroll and sees that the previous days missives have cleared. He quickly writes out the message for a pick up. Belinna acknowledges and a short while latter Lola and Onzu return with the small boat to shuttle the group back to the ship.
The Taldan waves to Lola and Onzu. "Good to see you two! Things were a bit raw here last night--how was the weather shipboard?"
Lola chuckles. "Rough, but nothing we couldn't handle. We probably slept better than you judging from your raggedy look this morning."
Jim grimaces. "Aye. Let's get back--got a few things for the Cap'n."
Lola shakes her head as she pulls her furs closer. "Hurry up! It's cold out here!" she yells at Dingus, who makes a production out of removing his sequined slippers and bundling his more delicate items of garb before wobbling over the rocky beach and shrieking as he gets splashed by the icy surf.
The sorcerer nearly falls overboard as she shoves off and the boat lurches into the waves. A short while later they are all back aboard the Bloody Fortune and trying to warm up around the stove in the galley.
Jim rubs his hands together to warm them, then goes to report to Belinna. "Well, Cap'n, I'd call this a success. We survived with mind and body reasonably intact, and got some decent loot. And some information that the Pathfinders will likely pay for. They had their own expedition, you see, but none of 'em made it. We have one of their compass things, though, and some of their notes." The Taldan turns over all the Freebooters found on the island.
Corliss looks older and more tired than the crew has ever seen him. He claps Kaul on the shoulder and says, "I be all outta spells an' healin' after that wild expedition. Iff'n ya needs more healin', I'll finish fixin' ye up come the mornin'."
Belinna listens closely to Jim's quick summary. "I'm sorry to hear that all those Pathfinders died. It must have been dangerous. Glad you all are safely back aboard. Is that a Wayfinder?" she gestures at the compass. "Does it do anything special? I do find it somewhat romantic that the Pathfinders risk their lives for knowledge and lore. I mean gold seems more practical of course, but I do think it is a bit romantic. Don't you?"
Corliss is too tired to pray and bleary eyed, he promises to pray for more healing once he gets a little shut-eye.
Dingus immediately goes to his bunk and covers himself with everything he owns...And he might borrow a few things lying around... and covers up trying to get warm.
Dingus curls up in his (and other's) finery.
Perception
Dingus continues to sleep with a giant grin on his fanged face... dreaming of a giant warehouse full of nothing but exotic cloth and leather... and perhaps a lot of shoes.
Jim holds up the wayfinder. "The one who was still alive when we got there said he had one that detected this one from a distance, which seems like a useful trick. Don't know how far away it'd work, though." The Taldan ponders his captain's words for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Two years in the Imperial Navy burned away any tendency to believe in something bigger than myself--too many fat-arsed officers who owed their positions to who their parents, or grandparents, or some ancestor even further in the past were, staying dirtside and preaching about 'the glory of Taldor' and getting the accolades while the rest of us bled and died on the ocean. The Pathfinders, though, they're not like that at all...." He grins. "Aye, there's something romantic about risking all just to find out more 'bout the world."
Belinna seems to hang on Jim's every word and after he finishes speaking, she keeps eye contact a bit too long. Jim thinks that he catches a bit of a blush as she quickly turns to the crew. "Well, then, all accounted for. Shall he get on to Halgrim? Bosun, get the crew ready to sail." She nods to Kaul and heads for her quarters.
Not too long after, the Bloody Fortune sails northward leaving the foul ruins on Rivenrake Island behind.
The ship follows the rocky coast northward for four days until it opens into the easternmost inlet of the Steaming Sea. The area seems an empty border between Varisia and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings.
At sunset, the lookout spots a glint of sunlight reflecting off something huge on the island to the north. Belinna says that legend has it that an enormous dome of unbreakable crystal covers a good part of Peridot Island. Supposedly an ancient city lies within the crystal, frozen like a fly in amber. That is a mystery for scholars though, and the ship bears west deeper into the Steaming Sea toward the Ironbound Archipelago.
Dingus finally awakens fully refreshed and joins the others on deck as they pass Peridot Island and its ruins. "Very Tasteful... crystal is lovely".
He returned everything he borrowed for his nap... except for a lovely purple velvet turban that someone obviously left for him to find.
Kaul glowers at the island, his axe bobbing nearby;
"Hur. Unbreakable... Reckons we could shatter it like 'alfling's skull eh Lopps?"
The axehead nods in agreement.
Four days later, the crew finds themselves mired in heavy fog off the coast of Chadoth's Tooth. It is early in the day but without a breeze and not much to guide off, it looks like not much progress will be made that day.
Young Rafe seems to have taken a shine to Fairweather and is spending a lot of time in the galley playing dice with the lackadaisical halfling. Moses has taken to pacing at the bow and muttering to himself of late.
When he knows he'll have some time, Jim makes for the bow himself. He doesn't say anything to start with, just nods to the other sailor.
Moses doesn't take any notice of the First Mate. He continues shivering and casting wary glances at the thick fog beyond the rail. Jim catches a couple mumbled words- something about snow and monsters.