Iolana checks the clouds and heads toward the other castaways. It appears they were already in the process of covering the pile of equipment with canvas. With Tol, Gorra, and Iolana's assistance they are able to haul everything closer as the downpour starts. The wind picks up a few minutes later, and the waves get more violent - crashing into the jetty and rocking what is left of the ship.
Gatherine cast her gaze over to the east where Iolana indicated to
where there was shelter.Retrieving the items she had left on the jetty before heading back onto the ship,stuffing the footlocker back into her pack, she grimaced.She unhooked Sneezy Dragon from her sash and steadliy made her way over to the natural rock wall.
She doubted she would be much help on the beach and decided to just go on ahead to stay out of trouble (unless it found her first) and to spare her from Tol's rants and the others' exasperation.If there happened to be any wild animals that could be a danger, she'd simply remove it so they had a secure place to rest out the storm.At least they'd give her credit for that.
Grimly, she plodded from the jetty and headed eastward.She felt her leather armor squish unpleasantly against her skin. At the very least,her gunsmith's kit and gunpowder were wrapped and secured inside her sash to be spared from the rain.
I'm going on ahead to the shelter--and to stay out of the way,she muttered.
Once safe,and looking at the heavy rain and fierce winds,Iolana rests her head between her closed knees,her hair and clothes dripping with rain and wet sand.
I lost the ship i lived in,was thrown on a beach by who-the-hell-knows who,had to fight some giant crab,saw the death of a lot of friend and now am a castaway...... she mutters,her voice broken with tears "Enough,i can't take any more,please, let me wake up in my cabin only to see i had nightmare"
Oh,it'll be okay,Ms.Iolana!We'll all get home and make whoever stranded us here pay through a lot of pain,you'll see! i'll personally shoot them in the face for you.
The dwarf girl patted the weeping sailor on the back in what she hoped was a soothing gesture.She reached into her pack and pulled out the ship's model and the book she found.
This is for you,Ms.Iolana.Something to hold onto. And i found this book in the captain's desk--I think it's important. Let's all read it and figure out what happened,eh?Answer some questions as why we're here,maybe.
She held up the bottle of brandy triumphantly.And we have brandy!!
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You flip through the captain's log. The first half records progress of several voyages; recording weather, distance traveled.. Then the same for this journey .. for a while anyway. The entries get less detailed .. then days without entries. The captain then starts writing personal things .. there were notes earlier regarding significant events but, there are several entries regarding the Varisian scholar Ieana. At first just commenting on her (which was strange itself) and then terrible poems ..
"Across the deck I look and there is Ieana,
Hair of gold and lips like red bananas.."
The poems then become laments .. Captain Kovack's ineffective advances, her coy teasing ways .. Then his writings become hostile rants toward the rest of the crew. Alton in particular. He seems to suspect the First Mate is jealous and trying to steal Ieana from him .. and how he wishes Alton would just "have an accident"
The final entry. The captain writes of how he has changed the ship's course.. and hopes that he and Ieana will be able to build a life together on this remote island. The last line reads "eyes eyes judging eyes .. they suspect something ... something must be done about the crew"
Gatherine sneered at the captain's ramblings as she stuffed the book back into her pack.So--the only reason we're marooned on this rock is because some manling with delusions of romance decided to sink the ship and kill everyone on board because he wanted a fresh start with his 'soulmate',who I suspect he might have kidnapped on top of everything,and is sitting pretty somewhere on this island.I say we find him,break his legs,take any supplies he took with him,and go from there!
She gestured with Sneezy Dragon with a fierce glimmer in her honey hued eyes.
Iolana listened while the captain's log was being read,and could't believe her ears.To think that she served under that unfaithful,traitorous spineless worm of a dandy.
She forces her tears back,captain Kovack doesn't deserve them,washes her face with some rain and again faces the other castaways.
"I don't care what happened to him or what you'll do when,,we find him....but surely i won't stop you from doing whatever you like."
Turning to the dwarven maid :"Thanks for your kind words Gatherine,now what was that you were babbling about brandy?"
The varisian girl gestures like she has a mug of ale in her right hand
"Let's drink,it is starting to get cold in here"
"On a second thought,if the captain wanted us dead,why we woke up on the beach with our gear nearby?Likely it wasn't his doing,but whose?"
Alton, me thinks
We found his stuff at da raft, he died trying to free Tol's horse and da maps on his hand show dat he was on to the captain's course change.
Yae, Mugambi would like to have a word with da captain too, friend Averin.
"Alton? Could be but seems unlikely.First,how could Alton drag all of us one by one to the beach by himself?I don't think all the crew helped him and then went back in the wreckage just to get killed,more like they never make it out of the ship.And anyway Alton should have done everything without the captain noticing......better i stop thinking about this puzzle"
She takes another long sip from her mug.
Gatherine took another swig of the brandy,lips puckering at the bold burn it left on its way to her belly.Her brows arched at Iolana's ponderings.
Alright,so those who are unaccountable from us and the rest of the crew are that bastard Kovack,Ieana who might have been kidnapped,that other cook Terillo,and who else?
Then she decided to search through her pack for the other treasure she had found in the captain's cabin,hauling out the footlocker,the satchel containing the potions,the ring of keys,and she shook her pack to make the collection of gold coinage jingle.
A smug grin split her face.And lookit what I found while we were scouting the wreckage.Treasure for the Survivors of Savagana! 70 coins apiece! More than Gelik wanted to pay to protect his hide!
She held up the keys thoughtfully.Maybe one of these keys goes to Jask's manacles?It makes sense the captain who keep them on him if he had a prisoner on board.
"Not interested in Jask's fate.He is marked as criminal but hasn't done anything to me.If the others want to set him free i have no objections"
Terrible, terrible thing been a prisioner only cause ya opinions.
We can see if one of da keys fits Mister Jask's lock.
From the footlocker Mugambi pulls out the holy symbol of Nethis.
I didnt know we had a cleric among us. Ieana maybe?
Jask looks up when his deity is mentioned "That is mine, good doctor."
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I'm guessing that that knife and that armor might be yours as well.If you don't mind telling me exactly why you were a prisoner in the first place to put my mind at ease before I just hand them over.Savvy,Mr.Jask? Gatherine said,shaking the keys at him.You know,since I saved your life,found your stuff,and I even got the keys to your freedom.It's all I'm asking--a little clarity.
"I feeel a bitcsss drunk,very tiriiingsh day,yessshhh,think will shleeep"
"Of course .. I was employed by the Sargavan government. I found some evidence of corruption .. deals with the Free Captains of the Shackles. But when I presented this evidence to my superior .. it was turned on me. I was framed and charged with conspiracy to commit treason. I ran .. lived in Corentyn for many years as a scribe. A man came to me posing as a potential client .. asked one too many questions .. I knew he was an agent sent after me, but there was little I could do. I am no fighter, and this man had trained his whole life. He put me in irons and shipped me off to Sargava on the late Jenivere."
Sasha, who had been on the edge of the makeshift shelter watching the rain turns .. she hadn't appeared to be listening but blurts out a derisive laugh "You didn't even try to fight?! Ha .. sad sack! Gah stuck on an island with a reeal mopey bunch. If you all don't quit your bellyachin' by morning .. I'm out of here." She turns her back to the group again as the rain conitinues to pound.
It appears the weather will be more of the same .. hot and balmy with a couple good chances of brief but violent downpours.
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Tol takes a swig of brandy as Gatherine reads the captain's log book. He snorts. "All told, if we're to be betrayed and shipwrecked, I'd prefer to be a side-effect in a paranoid jilted lover's kidnapping plot than the ritual sacrifice of some necromancer or demon cultist. It seems Captain Kovack is a dangerous maniac, right enough, but like as not he reckons we're all dead, and he ain't thinking of us one way or the other." He gives a nod to Averin. "That gives us an advantage when it comes to thinking about revenge, and maybe rescuing the captive lass."
As the conversation turns to the identity of their rescuer, he weighs in, "Aye, I reckon it was the first mate that saved us. He might easily have avoided eating until after the rest of us were out. Seems he knew the captain was up to something, too. Pity those sea-bugs got to him, he seemed a decent lad."
Finally, after Jask's story, he glances around at the others to see if they seem to be buying it. "Aye, that's a pretty enough tale... If it's true." "At any rate, it won't do any of us any good to be dragging a manacled man around the island. Might as well set him loose so he can be of use."
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Gatherine tried the several different keys until she found the one that released the manacles,watching them drop to the sands as Jask rubbed gingerly at his raw wrists.She handed him the knife and the suit of leather armor.
There you go,Jask.Freedom and fitted.
She picked up the discarded manacles as an afterthought and stowed them in her pack.Never know when you might need a pair.Especially if you have the keys!
Scowling at the redhaired Sasha's snide comment,she shook a finger.No brandy for you!
Tol takes another swig of brandy as the bottle is passed around, then addresses Gatherine.
Jask takes his gear and bows "Thank you miss"
Sasha turns and flashes Gatherine a strange smile .. "Don't you worry. I wouldn't dream of separating a dwarf from her drink .. even if she is just a child."
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Gatherine flashed Tol a cheeky grin and returned in her scratchy,clipped dwarven,:
Her nose scrunched at the smell of heated foilage and the sea that came with the downpouring rain.And for your information,my sister always made sure to include every sensation in her stories so it felt as if I was really there!
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Tol snorts and shakes his head. Aye, that sister of hers would put ideas like that in her head. They're a right pair, they are. I hope the little Miss lives to tell the elder Miss about it...
Mugmabi drinks the brandy when the bottle is passed to him. He stays quiet and observes the other people's reactions.
Gatherine gave Sasha a rather put-off look at her odd comment.It wasn't the words she said but the way she said them.She didn't even bother to correct her with her usual retort regarding her age.
She settled next to Iolana,who had passed out from the strong brandy.Sneezy Dragon she kept in her hand,using the leather strap to affix it to her wrist.
If no one else is volunteering,I'll take first watch so we can get some rest.Trust me,if we're attacked,you'll all know.
Cutting her eyes at Tol,she added quietly in dwarven,
Iolana hoped to have some rest after what has been maybe the worst day in her life so far.
She closed her eyes and leaned against a corner formed by a crate and a wall of their shelter,but of course the ongoing discussion between the other castaways, the noises from the storm and her own headache didn't allow her to actually sleep.
She stirs and rubs her eyes,yawning.
"Owwww!! My poor head."
Iolana looks around,almost in the hope that none of the last events really happened,than lowers her eyes it is all real
"Looks like we all need to rest now.Maybe it is a bit too early,we could wait for the actual night to fall,not that we have many options at hand now."
Mugambi opens his bedroll and gets ready to rest also.
Kid, wake Mugambi up when ya need somebody to replace ya.
And with that he lies down.
Opening her bedroll as well,after having removed her armor.
"Wake me when you are tired Averin,i'll take fourth watch.And tell me if assistance is needed to light a fire.Have a good night"
A couple hours later the storm passes .. a few minutes of drizzling as evening becomes night. The rain stops, and the tide continues to come in - waves crashing into mist as they hit the rocky shore.
The rain have stopped pouring. Its the end of his watch and Mugambi feels the tiredness weighting on his limbs like lead. Hes bad leg dont stop throbing. It have been an incredibly long day. He walks to the sleeping half elf and shake him gently.
Averin, friend Averin. Its ya turn. Da rain stopped but its mighty dark out there and da wood is wet. If ya really want it me could help ya gather some planks but me would leave that for tomorrow.
Gatherine was using her pack as a pillow,snoring softly.She had Sneezy Dragon resting n her chest with one hand over her heart. She lay stretched out on her back.
…Lanterns...Chupacabra…show that pepper-beard...zzzzz...
Iolana sits up slowly, almost with difficulty after the recent events.
She brings her left hand to her head and feels the hair soaked with salt and sand.
Her head aches as if it had been recently struck by an oar,wielded violently.
Trying not to think at how does she must look to Averin,Iolana pulls herself out of the bedroll.
"Don't worry Averin,it is just a mild hangover.Besides i'm a girl who keeps her word"
Iolana gathers her armor a begins working on straps and buckles.
"But you could give me a hand with these if you don't mind"
You have a nightmare .. You are back aboard the Jenivere, bent over the railing retching. You slump back and see the rest of the passengers and crew on the deck as well - all of them sick except for the captain and the quiet Varisian scholar Ieana. She whispers in the captain's ear, and then gives him a kiss on the cheek. At that point the captain holds up a wooden soup spoon and starts to recite bad poetry. You then notice you are holding a spoon as well, as does everyone else. The ship is sinking and you know the only way to save yourselves is to bail out the hold with your soup spoon. You work feverishly, but the waters keep rushing in. Just before you wake, you see the monstrous sea scorpion creatures in the water ripping apart planks trying to claw their way into the ship.
Mugambi thrashes about in his sleep, during Iolana's watch.
With a sudden jump, Mugambi finds himself sitted down on his bed roll.
Naaaaa....
The tribesman look around scarred and see the shelter with his companions sleeping around him. That sight gives him a measure of peace but he can still feel his heart thundering inside his chest.
He uses his shirt to dry the sweet out of his face and then notices Yolana looking at him.
Sorry, sorry. Dreams, just dreams.
He lies down again and turns on his side quietly mumbling to himself.
Let it be spirits, let it be...
The nightmare's memories keep him from falling asleep immediately. He empty his head and let it wander. He see the plais of Mzali, his father and him running, hunting an agouti paca, they run until the slumber of darkness falls again on his mind.
During your watch you notice Mugambi and Gelik both have "fits" in their sleep .. After Gelik ends up eventually curled up next to Sasha - who is out cold.
Sasha appears to just be sleeping heavily.
Gelik's ring(faint) and the cloak(faint) Sasha is resting her head on are only magic you detect. No active spells or spell-like
Iolana decides she can do nothing else.She will eventually ask Mugambi for the shakings Gelik had while sleeping.
Tol finishes his watch as the sun starts to rise on the other side of the foliage behind you. No strange happenings, although the morning brings a strange chorus of sounds from the inland jungle-like terrain.
Ishirou unwraps the bandages on his foot enough to check on its healing progress..
..Gelik wakes up groaning and muttering.. "Ohhh still here .. and oh my head.. feels like a .. ugh.. I smell " He sits up, dusts off his hat with the now wilted feather, and pulls the brim over his eyes - burying his face in his knees.
Tol rips open a bag of grain and props it up where Gorra can get to it. He claps his hands. "Alright, everybody, rise and shine. We're shipwrecked right enough, if you thought it might have been a dream. The sooner we get on the move, the sooner we get off this gods-forsaken island." He holds a hand out to help Gelik up, "And the sooner we can get this gnome a bath."
Iolana had just finished reading her spellbook,the one left to her by her mother.
"Tell me mr. Cherthand,Gelik isn't the only one in need of a bath.Look at my poor hair"
The shipwrecked sailor begins gathering her belongings.