Annie sipped her wine and listened carefully to the conversation. She had only a little knowledge of the areas outside Sasserine and was trying to catch up without revealing how little she knew. At Zan's snicker she couldn't help a sideways smile herself. "At least with all their protests, they'll make themselves pretty targets so others can get out of the line of attack," she murmured sotto voce.
Zan snickers and whispers back.
"Yeah; even odds they cut and run at the first sign of trouble. But don't lump Lavinia in with the likes of them, did ye know she got kicked out of that fancy school for girls? Me stepsister went to school with 'er, I got the story from her."
"I'll be doin' what I can laddie; I got a series of planters rigged for raising vegetables. But... I'm afraid it's doomed. There just is no room to do a proper job of it, there's no way to really secure them from a passel of hungry sailors, and I'm thinking saltwater poisoning is a sure bet. I'd love to hear a better idea though." He shrugs helplessly.
Professor Forol immediately starts animatedly discussing the Tamoachan exploration with Dgrim and what they would need to carry with them to explore.
You sense that he is angling for your permission to use your family name to get support for an expedition into Tamoachan.
Perception
Sense Motive
"We might be able to raise some shrooms in the bottom of the boat. It's dark and damp. A little dirt and we wouldn't need to do practically nothin'. And Ah'd think Purify Food & Drink a few times a day should stop the saltwater poison. Them sailors, though, would need to be shown the error of they ways, if you get my meaning."
Perception:
"Professor, get to the point! Say what you mean."
Ghirrak's head turns towards the wine chiller, and his eyes narrow.
"Alright, you've talked it out of me! You've got Dgrim Urnidukr's support to explore Tamoachan. Let's go see if we can convince Lady Lavinia."
At this moment, amidst the noise and clatter of cutlery and glasses, Ghirrak frowns as he spots motion off to the side. He watches astonished as the cork to one of the bottles on the sideboard works itself loose without any outside help, then pops free!
Surprise Round_________
Out swirl three small watery humanoid figures, flying erratically free with thin shrieks of rage. When they move to the positions on the map, they take a deep breath.
Ghirrak alone is not surprised, and may take either a move or standard action.
Surprise_________
[npc]Ghirrak [Move action only] leaps from his chair and runs over to the small flying figure at Red-1, unsure of what it was about he was thinking vaguely of trying to grab it.
ROUND 1__________
The little figures breathe out a cone of noxious acid, covering the whole banquet (except Kaskus and Tolin).
Jon, Bryson, Liamae and Ghirrak take acid damage (only Ghirrak gets a Reflex save DC13 for half damage).
Dgrim, Professor Urol, Father Feres and Jon take acid damage (no save allowed in surprise).
Avner, Annie, Zan, Lavinia and the Nixie's Captain take acid damage (no save allowed in surprise).
Bryson moves to I10 and attacks.
Scimitar:
to hit damage
Dgrim takes a step southwest and attacks.
Attack:
Damage:
The entire cabin erupts into bedlam as everyone leaps from their seats, crashing their chairs back or down on the floor and getting tangled up trying to either attack or flee.
Only Ghirrak, Bryson and Dgrim are able to make an attack on the creatures, and they end up in a comedy of errors as Ghirrak and Bryson both miss wildly, then run into each other in the process. Dgrim misses spectacularly as he overswings and smashes his axe through Father Feres's chair as he lifted it over his head to throw at Red-3.
The entire cabin is now considered Difficult terrain.
ROUND 2_______________
Red-1 tumbles through the air behind Ghirrak and shouts an attempt to summon another one of them [giving no chance to take an AoO or interrupt the spell] (and perhaps start a cascade!), but the summoning fails with a miserable little spray of water.
Red-2 tumble through the air behind Lavinia [giving no chance to take an AoO], and shouts an attempt to fill the cabin with Stinking Cloud; but Lavinia manages to interrupt with a thrown wineglass and he stops with a squeek as he is hit.
Red-3 tumbles through the air to right over the table, but was unable to perform the maneuver well enough to prevent any Attacks of Opportunity [anyone in the vicinity may take one on him]. He also shouts an attempt to summon another one of them, but fails to concentrate well enough to prevent an Attack of Opportunity for that as well (you see Liamae and Jon clock him good for that one, no summoning for him!).
acid save
Spinning in place Ghirrak fires off a rapid succession of blows t the creature, his static position building an almost inbreakable defensive posture.
AoO:
Attack:
Damage:
If that's enough to put down the creature, Dgrim takes a double move to stand next to Lavinia and uses his shield to give her a +1 dodge bonus.
Otherwise he "gingerly" plods towards #3 and attacks.
Attack:
Damage:
Crit confirm:
Attack:
Damage:
Bryson, spins around after bumping into Ghirrak and lunges for Red 1 (move to H9)
Scimitar +1:
to hit damage
ROUND 2 CONTINUES...
Ghirrak spins off of the collision and somehow manages to make two lightning fast blows that somehow connect with the rapidly moving Red-1. Much of the power of the blows is absorbed by the watery nature of the creatures, but he definately causes damage as liquid sprasy away from the hits.
Dgrim struggles through the press to Red-3, and his mighty blow shears right through the creature and the table beneath it! There is nothing left of it but a fine, noxious smelling spray all over Dgrim, Father Feres, Spinnaker Jon and Liamae.
Bryson shoves by Ghirrak and Liamae, sending Liamae's Scorching Ray high and through the deck above, which catches fire as she lands on Spinnaker Jon. Bryson's blade slices into the little body as well, sending more liquid spraying.
The Blue Nixie's Captain screams "FIRE!", grabs a handy bottle and throws it on the burning deck. The brandy immediately flares up and catches Kaskus' robes on fire. Kaskus starts beating at the flames and swearing like a dwarf.
Tolin and Avner, seeing Lavinia swat at the creature as it buzzes around her, charge forward to the rescue. Reaching her at the same time, they tangle up and trip on the footlocker. Lavinia screams "NO!" as they slam against her and crash through the great cabins window and plunge into the water fifteen feet below.
[npc]Annie rushes over to see how she can help, missing the creature on the way.
Professor Urol Forol exclaims; "Marvellous! Water Mephits! And so energetic, I didn't think they could fly as well as they do..."
Zan runs over to Red-2 and manages a light hit.
ROUND 3___________________
Red-1 fires off an Acid Arrow at Ghirrak, who sways aside out of it's way. It hits the bulkhead behind him and sizzles its way through.
Red-2 backs away from Annie and Zan to drop a Stinking Cloud on the whole room. Fort save DC15 or you gain the Nauseated condition.
Zan, Professor Forol, Jon, Liamae, and the Blue Nixie's Captain are overcome.
Red1: 2
Red2: 16
Fort
"Ah'm gonna kill you." Bryson fights through the sickness rising in his throat to attack the mephit (red 1)
Bryson Scimitar +1: sickened
to hit damage
Red-1 dissolves in a nasty smelling splash under Bryson's blade.
Fort save
Everything seems to slow for Ghirrak as he hears Lavinia's scream. Around him ish subconscious registers the rest of the battle, the fire, Bryson about to kill the Mephit Ghirrak had attacked, the stinking cloud forming...... then he was in motion, a blur of movement creating a path of air behind him that made the cloud spell less than an afterthought as he ran across the deck, jumping to the rail and launching into a dive that took him right towards his paramour and the idiots who had endangered her.
Swim
Fort:
Dgrim moves 4 spaces north.
ROUND 3 Continued...
Bryson struggles his way forward and slashes through Red-1, which dissolves in a nasty smelling splash.
Ghirrak, hearing Lavinia scream, takes off across the crowded room, sailing over the broken table and reaching the railing. He sees the swimmers splashing around about ten feet behind the ship, which is slowly moving forward; but you don't see Lavinia!
Dgrim endures the acrid gas and moves towards Red-2.
[npc] Annie resists the choking cloud and slashes at the little bastard, drawing a little watery spray.
Kaskus shouts a magical phrase and the cabin fills with a sleet storm, which puts out the fires. (It's getting hard to see.)
ROUND 4_____________
Red-2 fires an Acid Arrow at Annie, who takes 8 damage, who responds with an Attack of Opportunity, taking more out of the Mephit.
Bryson dashes to the hole that the others went through. While in motion, he changes to a majestic eagle. Once outside he scans the waves for his friends and Avner.
Realizing she may have been wearing some degree of armor Ghirrak dives, his natural darkvision assisting him in seeing beneath the waves.
Swim
Perception
Fort:
Dgrim attacks the mephit.
Attack:
Damage:
Annie casts Create Water on her cloak to soak it with water, then runs over to try to smother the fire with it.
"Stop the ship! Throw out a rope for them!" she cried as she smothered the flames with her waterlogged cloak.
Between Kaskus' Sleet Storm and Annie Creating Water over the blaze, the fire is throughly out.
Hacking and coughing, and nearly blind, Dgrim makes his way over to the last mephit, and completely disperses it with a mighty swing of his axe. The Stinking Cloud goes away, leaving you in the middle of a wrecked fire and water damaged cabin, with people strewn around still doubled over with nausea.
In the water, Tolin and Avner are trying to help Lavinia (and prevent the other from doing so as well).
Ghirrak dives into the water easily and immediately spots Lavinia about five feet underwater.
She is having trouble swimming in the formal dress, and is trying to remove the skirt.
Ghirrak kicks powerfully, diving deeper and wrapping an arm around Lavinia as he makes for the surface.
Swim
When Lavinia is able to get her head above water, Bryson-bird will swoop down and cast water breathing on her and Ghirrak. He will also include the other two, if he can reach them as well. After that he'll summon more eagles and carry each of them back to the ship. He would like to start with Lavinia, then Ghirrak, then Avner, and finally Tolin.
In fair weather (or in combat) the small boats are towed behind the ship, and anyone falling overboard can usually find a rescue that way.
Tolin and Avner try to pull Lavinia over to the boat, and she tries to fend them and Bryson off.
Lavinia whispers to you; "Ghirrak! I can't be seen like this, I'm naked from the waist down! I need some way to cover myself before I get out of the water."
Realizing the importance of preserving not just Lavinia's modesty, but her status on this voyage, Ghirrak whispers back, "Dive."
Taking advantage of the water breathing spell, he takes them beneath the surface again, slipping out of the shirt of his monk's garb and wrapping it around her waist, removing his belt to secure the impromptu sarong.
With a quick kiss, he focuses and having Lavinia grasp him around the neck breaks the surface swimming to the boat in powerful strokes to grap the edge and hoist them both halfway out of the water, allowing Lavinia to board the boat herself.
Swim
At first Bryson-bird wonders if Lady Lavinia doesn't recognize him, but when she and Ghirrak dive beneath the water, he figures that they just want some alone time. Even though he wonders at their sense of timing he respects their wishes and continues to help the other two get to the boats.
Now more or less modestly covered by Ghirrak's shirt, Lavinia nods her gratitude as she climbs aboard the boat. Now that there is no emergency, it is a simple excercise for Tolin and Avner to board as well, and the sailors to pull the boat up to the ladder for the swimmers to climb back aboard.
Lavinia reenters the still smoking wreckage of the cabin, then rushes to the broken table. She falls to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes as she gently picks up the remains of her parents map. There are only fragments of the southern ocean region left after the acid, fire and water damage was all told.
Gritting her teeth, she snarls; "Where did those creatures come from? I heard no spell cast."
Annie moved over toward where the creatures came out of their bottles and examined them while trying to ascertain what she could about the origin of the strange creatures.
You note that one of the bottles on the sideboard had a false label, and when you pick it up, you feel a subtle enchantment on it.
When you peel the label off, you read: "Callistrian Celebration! (Great for parties!)"
You can smell alcohol and something stomach churning as well.
The bottle itself can contain up to 4hd of incorporeal creatures.
The church of Callistria is known to sell such bottles, loading them with gremlins, mephits or some such, reckoning such creatures to be soulless things. They then add a noxious liquid that drive the creatures mad. When released, they go wild and attack anything and everything around. They are often used at parties to "liven it up" or "wreck it" as desired. Druids especially oppose this callous practice, sometimes violently.
Ghirrak, you already made the perception check, back when the bottle first popped.
"Just before everything went mad, one of the bottles over on the table popped as if it had been opened."
He moves over to it, picking one of them up and turning it over in his hands.
"Calistrian celebration. Looks like somone planted these here to create chaos."
"Ok, but who opened'em?"
You can see where someone ran a fingernail partway through the seal, allowing the creatures within to work the cork free over a few minutes.
"We got us a snake in the grass.
Dgrim examines the bottle in Ghirrak's hand. "These bottles held the water creatures, and someone openeds the seal with their fingernail." He points out the tear. "Who had access to the cabin before we came here?"
At Dgrim's question, suspicious glances, muttered insults, pointed fingers and verbal attacks quickly snowball.
Seeing the sabotage on the bottle, Lavinia share an unreadable glance with you. Then she puts her face in her hand and sobs disconsolately. When someone (like Tolin and Avner) tries to go comfort her, she slaps them away and shouts “Get out!” to everyone (even Ghirrak!).
You are pretty sure she is faking (or most likely exaggerating) her emotional storm, pretending that the map her parents left her was destroyed. She seems to think she can do something to… repair it? Recreate it? Something like that.
More than that, she is sending a hidden message to you to keep a watch out for sabotage aboard your own ship.
Everyone is ushered out by Celeste, who took over as Lavinia’s new steward after Kora was murdered. In a subdued mood, everyone goes back to their own ship and/or cabin. The party is over.
Sense Motive
Bryson returns to the Kraken. He does a sweep of the cabin he 'shares' with Annie to make sure it's safe for her. When he can get a moment he has a suggestion. "Maybe we should start praying over the food to keep it safe. We could tell everyone its to hep keep it from spoiling."
1d20+12
Ghirrak quietly accepts the rebuff, leaving the room in silence, eyes searching the rest of the cast of characters that had attended the dinner.
Annie looks sharply at the evidence Dgrim and the others point out, and her eyes flicker toward Lavinia as she gives in to tears. She murmurs surreptitously to Lavinia "I have some small mending magics if you need them," as unobtrusively as she can, and helps usher the others out, watching for a sign from Lavinia if she wants Annie to stay and help. If she sees no such signal, she will leave as well.
Dgrim huffs and walks out.
You get the feeling Lavinia does not want you to stay, and that you should watch for trouble. You know she isn't really crying and has some plan in mind.
The mood is subdued back aboard the Savage Kraken. The passengers and crew aren’t quite sure what happened, seeing only the smoke, and so walk on eggshells around you for the rest of the day.
But, the next day and the days following are perfect days, and people relax into routine at sea. The temperature is moderate, the sky is mostly clear, and the winds are light.
With the sails set in the light breeze there is little to do, so the sailors set to teaching the passengers how to reef and sew, how to line fish, and all the endless tasks a sailor has to perform.
Once a day, Spinnaker Jon details a rowboat to scull out ahead of the ship and drop off a target raft made of scrap wood. As the ship slowly pulls abreast, the passengers who wish are taught basic crossbow marksmanship by firing on it.
Last to fire are the crew served Ballistae; the target usually comes apart when they hit it.
The main deck in front of the mainmast is cleared away and a boxing ring is assembled. Wrestling and unarmed combat is taught there by Barrett Bonden, who turns out to be a savage pugilist himself. A lot of the crafters have a decent strength that only needs training to bring out.
At least once a day, Bryson will take a form with Scent, probably a leopard (Bryson-cat) and walk around the ship. This way the crew becomes accustomed to him changing form and he can get everyone's scent in case more acts of sabotage occur.
Annie practices with her light crossbow, taking advantage of the fact she can practice shooting targets while her life isn't in danger. She also enjoys doing what she can to make the fish brought up palatable at dinner time, using her beer and wine blessings from Cayden Cailean when she conjures liquid to help flavor the cooking and improve morale on the ship.
Annie also usually stays up a little late testing the quality of the ale or wine, and rarely rises with the sun...
Dgrim spends much of the time learning, along with the passengers, the ins and outs of sailing.