The horse whinnies as it trots alongside the Black Mist, though the sound is again rushing water.
"
ມັນເປັນດັ່ງນັ້ນການສົນທະນາກັບນັກທ່ອງທ່ຽວ! ມັນໄດ້ອາຍຸຕັ້ງແຕ່ໃດສາມາດທີ່ຈະເຮັດແນວນັ້ນແລະບໍ່ຕ້ອງການທີ່ຈະ 'ຂ້າຂ້າພະເຈົ້າສໍາລັບ treasure ຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ'.
ມີເຮືອທີ່ໄດ້ຜ່ານການໂດຍບໍ່ຍາວເກີນໄປກ່ອນຫນ້ານີ້, ບາງທີສອງຮອບວຽນແສງຕາເວັນ, ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າມັນແມ່ນການເຄື່ອນຍ້າຍຫຼາຍຊ້າກ່ວາເຮືອນີ້ແມ່ນ. ຖ້າຫາກວ່າທ່ານສາມາດບອກຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ວ່າຈະເປັນນ້ໍາຈາກທິດທາງທີ່ທ່ານມາແມ່ນບໍ່ເສຍ ຄ່າຂອງການເປັນສັດຕູ, ທີ່ຈະເປັນການພຽງພໍ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າມີຄວາມສຸກການເດີນທາງ, ແຕ່ວ່າຕ້ອງການທີ່ຈະເຮັດແນວນັ້ນທົ່ວໄປຂອງນ້ໍາໃນຮູບແບບນີ້."
As one last gesture the elemental runs along and pushes itself against Allister's outstretched hand. "ຈິດວິນຍານຂອງນີ້ແມ່ນເພື່ອອົບອຸ່ນແລະມີຄວາມສຸກ" Allister feels the water pulse with life under and around his hands before the horse drops from sight once more.
"She likes you Al"
Bel once again calls out in the strange tongue, across the water.
"ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ສາມາດຮັບຮອງຄວາມປອດໄພຂອງນ້ໍານັ້ນແຕ່ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະເວົ້າວ່າພວກເຂົາ ເຈົ້າແມ່ນຢູ່ໄກຄວາມປອດໄພກ່ວາພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້. ເພື່ອນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າແລະຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈັດການບຸກຄົນທີ່ມີຄະດີອາຍາບາງຢ່າງກ່ຽວກັບນ້ໍາ ແລະສາດສະຫນາຈັກຂອງພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້ຮັບຜິດຊອບຈະຖືກຂັບໄລ່ອອກຈາກທີ່ດິນ. ທ່ານມີຊື່ບໍ? ວ່າຖ້າຫາກວ່າພວກເຮົາຊອກຫາທ່ານກ່ຽວກັບການເດີນທາງຂອງພວກເຮົາອີກເທື່ອຫນຶ່ງພວກເຮົາ ຈະຮູ້ວ່າທ່ານ?"
"They came this way, maybe two days ago, traveling slow."
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While the more intelligent and linguistically gifted of his friends speak with the water elemental, Allister stares in silence, his jaw hanging open.
The fact that there is a conversation taking place is nearly lost on Allister, who mistakes the speech for the natural churning and cadence of the ship passing over water. He is transfixed. Allister just love, love, loves animals and has never seen an elemental or something so majestic.
"Hi there, friend." The paladin speaks with a childlike voice and wondrous smile on his face.
When the water elemental brushes against his hand, Allister instinctively retracts it, but then realizes it was not a mistake or causing the water elemental harm, so he slowly reaches out again. The water is cold as a mountain stream but alive with warmth, turbid, and wonderful.
After the horse has disappeared back into the water Allister slowly lifts his hand and stares at it in amazement, then turns back towards his friends to make sure they had seen. His eyes are wide and glowing with joy, his mouth open and grinning so big it hurts.
He finally remembers to breathe.
Brezik follows the first part of the conversation... barely... but when the speech speeds up he loses track of everything. He pulls out some roasted nuts and just watches the exchange.
Stramgeth...(GULP) Strangest thting Iv'e ever seen.
Smiling, Gad pounds Brezik on the shoulder with camaraderie.
"My guess is we'll be saying something like that several times for the next few days, so get used to it my friend!"
Before disappearing entirely the elemental responds to Belathorian's final question, "ໄອລະເຫີຍ!"
Smiling, Gad laughs deeply from his belly, something the rest of the group has probably never heard before. Childlike, Gad will quickly climb one of the ropes attached to the railing of the boat and hang over the water toward the retreating elemental.
"His name! He gave us his name! VAPORE'! Greetings and best wishes friend! I only wish I could offer something more substantial in return for your aid! Fair travels good Sir!"
Returning to the deck of the ship, Gad will pick up Qina and dance a bit, spinning the light girl into the air and catching her easily with a practiced air, but also with much laughter to Gad's friends' delite.
"Oh...what a time to need a bard! However, the elemental is a good sign...aye Captain? The gods favor our journey, and warn us of dangers ahead! What say you captain? Do we drive through the Hags or tack for another approach?"
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The air of pure and exhilarating adventure brings a smile to Vivian's face, she is so swept up in the positive mood of things that she momentarily forgets she's on a ship surrounded by water.
It doesn't even occur to her that Gad might be addressing Walran, immediately Vivian replies with her point of view. "I'd say take both the hags and Iramine, as we can't with good conscience believe we've left the great Lake for the better if ill will is still abound, can we? Yet, our mission here is more important than public safety, we must get to the Isle. After, perhaps, we can wage an effort to clean these waters." Vivian is now looking out over the water with her wisdom showing in her eyes. "But stopping Iramine and closing that gate are paramount. Whatever evil power she may find to abuse or release on that Isle is far worse than anything that currently swims beneath the depths."
Day 7, afternoon
Day 8, night
The rest of the day goes by rather swiftly, though deeper into the lake you can see dark storm clouds forming.
You fall back into your old habits on the Black Mist as well as your old watches. The addition of Mabon the Destroyer does make the following day go by quicker, even with the weather slowly getting worse, with his constant stories of his pirating days.
The third day rolls around and the clouds have gotten much darker, making it harder to see anything around the barge. Luckily the mists and fog of the early morning have dissipated giving better visibility. That luck dies out when a great clawed hand pulls an emaciated body aboard the barge. Hair like rotting seaweed drapes this ancient witch and loose, algae-colored skin sags off her starved frame. She glares at Vivian and cackles, "Fresh meat for my stew!"
Walren, manning the helm at the time calls out, "Sea Hag! To arms!"
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Strutting the deck a bit bored, Vivian is in her armor but only carrying her great sword on her back so to be lighter and have both hands free as the ships rocks. As the hag appears Vivian shutters, surprised but indeed steeled by her faith in Iron. "Oh gods, that smell..." Vivian deftly steps across the deck as she draws her great sword, but as she swings the ship rocks slightly and adds error to her aim.
The Sea Hag sidesteps Vivian's swing and cackles, swinging her nasty green claws at Vivian.
One grossly misshapen talon finds a catch in Vivian's armor leaving a nasty looking cut.
With a the sound of stomping feet on the deck announcing his approach, Gad'larr comes flying from the Hag's peripheral vision, booted foot targeting her jaw while in the air, fists clenched in subtle fury!
-Includes Dragon Style!+Stunning Fist Attempt! Fort DC:14
The hag's teeth clack together in a broken mess of bone and skin. She hisses in pain, but readies herself once more.
CMD 21, SR 15
hp 38
Now that's an ugly witch!!
Brezik comes running out pulling out his axe as he approaches the Hag...
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Allister is feeling nauseous below deck when he hears shouting from above. The sea sickness fades immediately and the paladin charges out the cabin door, his hand on the hilt of his greatsword.
Expecting an alligator, Allister lays eyes on the hag and gasps deeply. His mind swims and all the world blurs except the hag. Hideous. Staring.
He shudders. A heavy weight falls on Allister's shoulders and his body feels weak.
Bel recoils from the horrific sight of the hag before him, he can feel his strength sapping... But then, with a flash of recollection he remembers fighting foes more dread and more terrible than this, he shakes his head, calls upon Pharasma's blessing, and charges headlong into the hag...
"The elemental said sisters... look out for a second!"
The Hag screeches in pain as Belathorian's scythe sweeps through her flesh as though it were hardy grain.
Qina hopped up at the commotion and headed after the others but halted at the doorway, behind Allister. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Qina quickly drew the symbol of a small shield on her own palm, activating the magical armor that had protected her so many times before.
The hag only barely dodges by the skin of her saggy teat and promptly falls backwards into the water, letting the Black Mist power away from her.
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"Whew, I.. did I? I didn't hit it. It's still, " Vivian's heart doesn't stop pumping it's battle pace. Perhaps she's just looking for a reason to continue the battle. Perhaps she's paranoid.
"The Sea Horse said 'hags' right? Plural. Where are the sisters?!" she holds her greatsword in one hand as she peers into the dark ominous waters.
Gad climbs the nearest ropes to get a better view of the deck, and any other intruders...?
Gad'larr and Vivian don't see any more signs of trouble.
Bel heads to the railing opposite Viv, eyes scanning the waters below.
"What did you do Viv, why did it run?... Too easy."
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Allister is still shaken from the ordeal, which will doubtlessly cause him nightmares.
"That thing...It looked right through me..." He slumps up against the rail and lets the heavy greatsword fall to the deck. His face is pale and his hands shake as though he's had too much tea.
When he notices the others looking at him, Allister stiffens and tries to feign strength, then vomits over the rail.
Brezik walks up to Allister and slaps him on the back nearly tipping the paladin into the water.
There... There... Ma always said you need to get the sic outta ya whenever your body tells you to. Know telling what kinda sickness that witch put into ya.
Stepping away from Allister Brezik scratches his head and reaches into his pack for an old dried apple.
Did you see that though... I don't think she was expecting all of us to come out at her all at once. We showed her that we weren't just another supply boat to be toyed with eh.
Walren lets out a laugh from deep within his barrel chest, "Ha HA! That's the crew I rememeber. If I could hire you on full time I would, but I expect adventuring pays better than what I could provide."
Your vigilance pays off as the afternoon slips into night without seeing the hag again. The shift change arrives and Gad and Brezik are the new sentries.
Gad'larr is the one to notice a slight disturbance off the starboard bow, and upon inspection finds another water elemental, this one made in the image of a large serpent. It bubbles and hisses at him, "ແມ່ນທ່ານບໍ່ມີໄອລະເຫີຍໄດ້ເວົ້າເຖິງການ?"
Cautious, as he knows that elementals are often unpredictable, Gad will concentrate on the creature's attempt to talk.
"Vapore? Yes that's probably us. We met him recently. He was very helpful."
Turning to Brezik, who appeared to be snacking or occasionally dozing from one minute to the next, Gad whispers harshly.
"Brezik! We have another watery guest! Starboard! Wake Vivian!"
Brezik not noticing the development because of a small battle he was having with a tin of sweet meats looked up in surprise at Gad's words. He set the unopened container down on a box, containing emergency supplies, that was lashed to the deck and proceeded to creep away it wanting to scare their new visitor or any of the other people who might be sleeping on the ship. Making his way to Vivians bunk he leaned real close to her and nudged her arm while whispering in her ear. wake up... that water thing Is back.
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Vivian wakes to the unpleasant smell of Brezik's breath with a soar look on her face. She rolls onto her hands and knees for a confused moment before sitting back on her legs. "Good, very well. We need to wake Bel. The others might get pissed if they miss this, but I don't want to overwhelm the creature either.. let's get Bel talking to it first and wake up the others in a minute of two."
Vivian reaches over and nudges Belathorian's leg until he stirs.
Bel snaps awake with a jolt, sitting upright and inhailing with the desperation on a drowned man. After but a moment he comes to his senses.
"what is going on?"
Once the situation is made clear he heads up onto deck with the others.
"ທີ່ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ຫນຶ່ງ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າມີຄວາມຮູ້ພຽງເລັກນ້ອຍຂອງພາສາຂອງທ່ານ. ພວກເຮົາໄດ້ພົບຫນຶ່ງໃນປະເພດຂອງທ່ານກ່ອນຫນ້ານີ້, ໄອນ້ໍາ."
"ໄອນ້ໍາທີ່ໄດ້ກ່າວມາມີດັ່ງກ່າວເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍບໍ່ໃຊ້ຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ. ມັນເປັນເງື່ອນໄຂຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າກັບກາຍເປັນໄອທີ່ເອົາຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໃນທີ່ນີ້ໃນປັດຈຸບັນ . ເອື້ອຍນ້ອງທັງຫລາຍມີໃຈຫ້າຍແລະຈະມາພ້ອມກັບຄ່ໍາຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ຮູ້ວ່າທີ່. ຫນີ້ສິນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ຮັບຄ່າຈ້າງໃນປັດຈຸບັນ"
The serpent delivers its message and drifts under the water, disappearing quickly.
Confused and alarmed a bit by the creature's new words, Gad turned to Bel for a translation.
"Something about Husks? What sort of Husks? Is that a local creature of some sort?"
"'It is her favor to Vapore that brings her here now. The sisters are angry and will come with a dusk, she knows not which.' Those were her words exactly. It seems like we have friends in the deep."
Gad quickly salutes her poignant observation and smiles.
"Good call Vivian. Maybe we can also take better advantage of this now that we know the timing..."
Turning towards the Captain of the [/i]Mist[/i], Gad continues.
"Captain, any way we could possibly set a trap or two for our well-timed potential visitors? My guess is they will bring multiple forces to bear against us. Every advantage may count."
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Allister is fast asleep in his bunk despite the excitement on deck.
He dreams of riding a water-horse across a glassy lake that stretches forever in all directions, and he is laughing, screaming with joy into the empty stillness. But a darkness tugs at the cords of his heart, a shadowy being in the depths, rising to meet him. A water rotted hand reaches up from the surface and a bloated hag emerges behind it, cackling.
"We should let the others rest, no point in spoiling their sleep. When the have come our biggest problem may be the look of them, that last one nearly sucked the strength from my bones."
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Vivian goes to the sleeping Allister and removes her scroll of Lesser Restoration. She whispers a few words and touches his fullplate as her hand begins to glow. The scroll burns away as the glowing intensifies, then all effects fade once the scroll is spent. Vivian get's the sense that Allister is not fully healed though and casts another Restoration spell by hand to be safe. She leaves Allister to sleep and wake up feeling greatly refreshed in the morning.
Walran shakes his head, "Sorry lad, only got the essentials for a speedy journey, rations and a few repair materials. Nothing we can spare if the trip is rougher on the Black Mist than expected."
The rest of the night passes without incident and leads to a new day. Walran gathers everyone together, cheery face unnaturally still, "Well we've made it to the half-way point. Another day and we'll be at the border of Druma, where we'll turn for the Isle itself, then 2 days to get there with good weather, 3 without. Dismissed."