DM Carpe's Serpents Skull

Game Master Byden

I was just about to have Joll go down to the water to do that. Then my tenant called to let me know that the tree in front of the house (50-60 feet or so tall) just fell and took out the power lines. Thanks Sandy!

"Someone come with me. I want to test the glow for the presence of magic."

Joll will get close enough to the water to cast Detect Magic.

Joll Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

The ranger finished eating his meal and rubbed his hands clean of in the sand. He yelled at Joll, "Hey, wait up; we shouldn't be separated unless necessary."

Alexite then followed Joll to the shoreline a good 20' behind.

"There was a face in the water! It was a man's face! He tried to swim out but went under again!" His voice and manner are atypically excited.

Joll waits for Alexite to get close and points to the area where he saw the face.

"I can't see it now. Can you?" Almost absently Joll says "The glow is not magical, I sensed nothing of it."

The ranger squinted at the glowing algae.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
and...

From his further back position Alexite sees nothing but whirling water.

Quinta comes running up to the two men, her lights floating ahead. She casts the same spell again, casting more light upon the waves.

"Where was he?" she asks. "I'll make more light!" The girl looks intently at the roiling waters.

Quinta comes running up and casts another Dancing Lights If possible, she'll even send some of the lights into the water to find the mystery person. Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6.

Though with our luck, it'll be a gillman or merman... ^^;

Quinta sees nothing but the eerily glowing waters.

Moving closer Quinta sees the form to a pale young man, barely visible beneath the water mouth open in a silent scream as he thrashes in the waters... He wears clothing that might fit a sailor, but his white skin is far paler than any of the ruddy sunkissed crewmen Joll or Quinta have seen. It is the lifeless pallor of a corpse, and even as you watch he sinks out of sight back into the churning depths...

As he vanishes Jask steps quietly up, staring out over the waters and intones, "They say the shores of Smuggler's Shiv are haunted by the tormented souls of sailors who lost their lives upon its jagged shore. We owe Captain Anton Devers a great debt, I am glad we set his soul to rest, it would pain me to see his face in the waters. I would suggest we steer clear of the waters at night I doubt these sorry souls will hurt us, but their plight is heart rending."

Quinta's eyes widen and her face pales, but she does not say anything at first. She walks over to Gerik before she speaks: "I admit the irony of asking you to help me with this after telling you to cheer up, Master Gerik, but I would appreciate your backup."

The girl turns back to the waves, and starts to sing in a soft, carrying voice:

"Poor restless sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

The violin's singing on Fiddler's Green!
It's time to cross the seas in between
Leave pain and sorrow, uniform and bone
All hands on deck, and sail for home

Poor young sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

Fiddler's Green's the last port a sailor needs
So raise the grey sails and cross the seas
The Locker won't hold a good sailor, no
So leave pain and fear, and journey home

Poor old sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

Heave-ho the sails and aweigh the chain!
Let the suffering be done, over board, the pain
The violin is playing on Fiddler's Green
It's time to cross the seas in between

Poor restless sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

A song's in the wind, you're not alone
So rise up from your sorrow and journey home
All raise your hands high, it's time to roam
The wind's in the sail that blows to home

Poor old sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

Heave high the sails and aweigh the chain!
Leave uniform and cutlass, none need remain
You're all one crew, you share one goal
Board now the grey ship, and sail for home

Poor young sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

My song's in the wind, a dirge for you
You who were unsung, my compassion is true
The rite is sung for you weary bones
Abandon the grave and sail for home

Poor old sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

The violin is singing on Fiddler's Green!
My song's in the wind, hear the whistle keen!
The wind fills the grey sails, the timbers moan
The last ship is ready to carry you home

Poor young sailor, naught to do but groan
Raise high the sails, set out for home
Sails spun of shrouds, deck caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

Sails spun of shrouds, decks caulked with bone
Pharasma's the captain on your voyage home

Abandon your pain... and voyage home."

Quinta lets the echoes of her song die away, then makes a series of religious signs in turn while speaking a prayer: "Desna, guide those who are lost on their final voyage to peace, away from pain. Gozreh, release the souls mired in your sea; let them go and end the torment of undeath. Milani, bring back hope to those who have lost it. Pharasma, embrace the lost children and judge them kindly. Sarenrae, redeem those who can not redeem themselves. Ye gods of goodness and light, of balance, show thy mercy. Bring home those sailors who have lost sight of the final harbour, I pray."

Perform (sing): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20.
Phew! Long post, but Quinta really would do this stuff for the sailors trapped like this. ^^;

Gerik simply nods and moves forward, he listens to Quinta for a moment and then joins in singing a round in a soft respectful tone. There is no obvious effect from the song, but the green glowing waves remain undisturbed and Gerik says,

"I am more versed in comedy, but that strikes me as a fitting tribute to the crew of the Jenivere, who were good sorts for the most part. I am sorry they met their end as they did, may they rest in peace," before walking back up the beach to camp and settling down to sleep.

Perform Singing Aide Another: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Dragolan wipes away a quiet tear and shuffles off to bed. "Wake me early, and I'll take the morning watch."

I'm going to assume everyone able to take a watch does so and just roll randomly to determine who is on watch when something happens. The order will be alphabetical so Alexite 1, Dragolan 2, Gerik 3, Jack 4, Jask 5, Joll 6, Lydran 7, Quinta 8, Sasha 9.

1d100 ⇒ 70
1d100 ⇒ 89 1d100 ⇒ 95 1d100 ⇒ 90
1d100 ⇒ 38 1d100 ⇒ 60 3d4 ⇒ (4, 1, 3) = 8
1d100 ⇒ 49
Watch 1: 1d9 ⇒ 1
Watch 2: 1d9 ⇒ 5

Alexite Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

Looking out at the brilliant starry sky, with the eery green glow of the waves providing an other worldly ambiance Alexite turns to the jungle as a sudden flurry of motion in the canopy draws his attention.

He sees a troop of monkeys scurrying around and peering into the camp with gleaming eyes. Its hard to be sure, but there look to be about eight of the tiny primates.

After a few second they begin scampering down obviously keen to inspect the camp...

Waking others is either a standard action, or you can shout or call in a normal voice to give sleepers a perception check to wake. Shouting negates the +10 difficulty for sleeping, but might bring problems of its own, calling means normal voice so someone right next to you would need to make a dc 10 check.

Before settling down to sleep, Quinta mutters: "The Jenivere's former captain has much to answer for..."

She shakes her head and addresses the group: "Give me one of the later watches; I need some undisturbed sleep to recharge my magic for tomorrow."

First day and he'd met plenty of the local fauna; the ranger was hoping for a quiet night yet scarce minutes it seemed and already there was potential trouble.

The ranger knew that some people needed more sleep than others so he scampered over to Dragolan, next on the watch list, and shook the man awake.

"Dragolan, you are going to want to see this. Wake up and keep your wits about you; it seems like a troop of small monkeys are curious enough to brave the campfire."

To that end, the ranger neared the campfire and looked for a burning branch to scare off the monkeys if necessary.

"Hm? Monkeys? Well, well." The stout Chelaxian murmurs a quick orison as he stands up, and his dagger blade begins to glow. "Now, I may have some notion of their behavior...let me think."

Knowledge (Nature) check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Giving Alexite and Dragolan a wide berth the monkeys scamper into the campsite. One pulling Sasha's kukri from its sheath and sniffing it, while another climbs into Gerik's hat. A trio open Quinta's backpack and emerge gleefully with her mirror, and a pack of trail rations. While the remainder move over to Lydran and Joll.

"Grubbing little pilferers! They'll take anything that isn't nailed down! Worse than halflings...."

Dragolan finds a bit of food and hands it to Alexite. "Here, see if you can get them to come over to you. If we chase them off now we'll never get those things back."

Dragolan finds a bit of food and hands it to Alexite. "Here, see if you can get them to come over to you. If we chase them off now we'll never get those things back."

The ranger took the request in stride; he'd been dealing with wild animals for quite some time now. Taking the food in hand, he slowly approached the thieving monkey, making reassuring noises and non-threatening moves.

It seemed the small primate was at least intrigued and allowed the ranger to move closer...

Wild empathy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Alexite quickly has a small crowd of monkeys staring up at him, the one with Sasha's kukri looks particularly intrigued and begins a cautious advance with a small crowd of monkey onlookers watching its progress excitedly.

Monkeys have a surprisingly low charisma, 5, and I'm ruling that they start off indifferent rather than unfriendly - like most wild animals do. So if Alexite keeps it up he'll gain a helpful monkey friend :)

The three at Quinta's bag are too enthralled with the wonders of the mirror, and its shining in the firelight.

Sleeping people can make a DC 15 perception check to wake, this includes the sleep penalty.

While Alexite and the mirror have the monkeys' attention, Dragolan moves over to the people furthest from the monkeys and starts waking them up.

Alexite quickly has a small crowd of monkeys staring up at him, the one with Sasha's kukri looks particularly intrigued and begins a cautious advance with a small crowd of monkey onlookers watching its progress excitedly.

Alexite couldn't help but smile. He always had good rapport with dogs, especially the large lion-hunting hounds he grew up with but befriending a monkey seemed interesting, maybe even helpful in his current situation.

The ranger continued his non-threatening stance, moves, and sounds and offered the food Dragolan gave him in exchange for the kukri. Nothing more dangerous than monkey with a blade.

Wild empathy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

There is actually a saying in Spanish that roughly states "More dangerous than a monkey with razor" when you want to refer to a dangerous person, thing, and/or situation.

So, do I get a pet?

Dragolan wakes Lydran and Jack, who see three monkeys by Quinta's open pack playing with a mirror, four monkeys watching Alexite and coaxing another tiny primate towards him.

Jack awakens with a start. His hand immediately darts to the blade at his hip and draws it half-way out of the scabbard before realizing he's not being attacked. With a loud shink, it slides back into the sheath.

"What's the big idea? It can't be my shift yet!"

He rubs his eyes for a moment and then notices the little monkey thieves in the campsite.

"Am I still asleep?", he whispers.

A deep rumbling chuckle, and Dragolan whispers, "No."

Lydran wakes and surveys the scene before him, he rises, but is content to wait for the moment.

After a minute or so the monkey steps forward and takes the food from Alexite's hands, looking up at the ranger with big black eyes as he nibbles away.

After a minute or so the monkey steps forward and takes the food from Alexite's hands, looking up at the ranger with big black eyes as he nibbles away.

so help me out here, what is expected to 'cement' this relationship? Just give me some starting points and I can write the rest.

"Lydran, can you put the monkeys to sleep, or charm the one with the mirror so it returns it? I can have one of my small friends bring me the mirror if the monkey sets it down."

"I cannot charm animals I am afraid," Lydran replies, before casting light upon a nearby pebble and hurling it towards the monkeys playing with the mirror.

Then suddenly the monkeys begin to scream, dropping Quinta's mirror and bolting for the trees, Alexite's new friend darts under the ranger's legs gripping one and staring fearfully upwards.

Perception check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Jack jolts his hand skyward as he points to the soaring creature above them. His eyes widen with a combination of fear and awe.

"Errr.. I don't know what that huge flying monstrosity is, but if the monkeys are scared of it.. that probably means it eats them -- and possibly us. May I suggest we get ready to run?"

Jack stands up, grabs his pack, and hastily slings it over his shoulder.

Perception
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Joll hastily equips himself and rushes from his lean-to toward the pack of monkeys. He stops in his tracks and looks up with his mouth agape. "SOMETHING BIG IS FLYING OVER OUR HEADS!

Power just came back on, hurray

"WstfWHAT IN THE ABYSS?!" Quinta yells as she is ungently jolted from sleep. Wide-eyed, she swats at the monkeys leaping around her. "Rats! What? Flying? What?"

Her eyes fall on her mirror - and narrow in annoyance. "That's mine, you bushrats! Thieving little -- where are you going?"

Quinta snatches up her mirror as she staggers to her feet. "What's going on?" she demands.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5.

"It has big leathery wings! I only know of one thing with wings like that..."

Jack grabs his bow and checks that he's got the sword at his hip -- not that he'd ever even THINK about fighting that thing.

"If that's what I think it is, we're in a lot of trouble if it spots us. It probably already has!"

"Wh -- Dragon?" Quinta squeaks. "Or a devil? What? What?"

The girl staggers over to Jack, fumbling to both put away her mirror and get her rapier out of the sheath.

"Blights and boils, why the blazes aren't we running for cover yet?!"

The sound recedes and the softer noises of the night reassert themselves the wings disappearing into the night. The monkey trembles against Alexite's leg.

After a while with no more threats the group return to an uneasy night's sleep, and their watches. The rest of the night passes uneventfully and Quinta sees the sunrise on her watch marking the beginning of their second day upon The Smuggler's Shiv. With the coming of the wan light the green glow of the waves fades to nothing.

Lydran awakes to what he assumes is the heat of the sun, but finds it still the relative cool of the morning and himself covered in sweat and tiny red blemishes,

"I fear I have contracted some tropical malady, I feel queasy and weak, though I am strong enough to continue. Do any of you have any skill at healing, I would at least like to know what I contend with," the elven wizard says, wiping his brow as he carefully sets out his spellbooks.

Jask examines him, but soon has to concede he does not recognize the illness.

Alexite awaken to find his new monkey friend curled up atop his chest.

133 XP each for the monkeys which should put you at 858 Xp. Please let me know which rolls you want the friendly NPCs, Sasha, Jask, and Gerik to undertake for the day. I'll be NPCing Lydran and Joll for the moment so they will be mostly going with the flow.

"What a fun evening," Quinta says, yawning. She casts a pouty look at the monkey still cuddling up with Alexite. "I suppose I shall have to sleep on my belongings tonight... So. What do we do today? Go back to that ship full of skeletons, or find a shelter more secure against a dragon, a devil, or possibly the big cousin of those flying lizards?"

Lydran awakes to what he assumes is the heat of the sun, but finds it still the relative cool of the morning and himself covered in sweat and tiny red blemishes,

"I fear I have contracted some tropical malady, I feel queasy and weak, though I am strong enough to continue. Do any of you have any skill at healing, I would at least like to know what I contend with," the elven wizard says, wiping his brow as he carefully sets out his spellbooks.

133 XP each for the monkeys which should put you at 858 Xp. Please let me know which rolls you want the friendly NPCs, Sasha, Jask, and Gerik to undertake for the day. I'll be NPCing Lydran and Joll for the moment so they will be mostly going with the flow.

** spoiler omitted **

I am back now; my power was restored last night.

Joll takes a look at Lydran's symptoms to try to determine what ails him. Mentally he scoffs at Jask's abbreviated attempt and rapid surrender. Even the power of a god is lessened when channeled through a primitive, it seems.

Heal
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25+2 for using kit

Alexite smiled at Quinta's remark about his new friend, "Aaw, just look at him; isn't he cute? i promise I'll return whatever he takes from you."

He stretched and went to see Lydran. "Let me take a look at that. It may be something I'm familiar with. Some of our workers got some real weird stuff while they were clearing the jungle for our our pineapple plantation.

Heal: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
DM?

He then turned to Quinta, "I don't think we should go back to the skeleton boat. There's plenty of island to explore and we need to stick to the original pan which was to continue exploring while moving towards the lighthouse, right? if in our exploration today, we find a safer spot to move our camp, we can evaluate that possibility."

later
Alexite was fascinated with the monkey. "I think your name will be Tito. But you will have to earn your keep around here so let's start by teaching you to come when called. later we can see about teaching you to fetch and maybe even scout ahead for me. He then gave Tito some food and scratched behind its ear.

even later
The ranger was happy with the stout walking stick he'd found; it would easily double as a staff in a pinch. With Tito happy on his shoulder, he then looked around, "I think the same split as yesterday is good unless there are objections. Lydran? How do you feel about moving around today?
Lydran?

"Those that remain in camp can hunt for food and be ready to defend it if need be. If we are all in agreement, we should get going early because we may have to hole up under some shade during the hottest part of the day. Are we ready?

"If you like the little bushrat, then I wish you much joy of him," Quinta says with a small shudder. "I am... not that fond of animals. I wonder - if you like it so much, would you take it with us if we manage to leave this place, or release it to remain with its friends and kin?

Anyway, I'm fine with doing some more scouting today. And I am serious about finding better shelter! Whatever that winged thing was, I have no desire to meet it up close."

Lydran rises and stretches experimentally,

"I find myself only slightly weakened and I hardly make use of strength in anycase. I would prefer to explore, it will take my mind off the aches."

"I'm getting a bit peckish, but I'm not particularly interested in eating the monsters that have so far attacked us. I'm wondering if we can keep an eye out for any exotic fruits and vegetables as we make our way through the jungle. Just a suggestion."

Jack straps on his armor and checks that all of his gear is in place.

"I'm not sure which direction we should be heading, but I'll follow along. It's better than spending all day in the camp. Someone who knows what they're doing should probably plan a path through the jungle, and someone else should probably start drawing a basic map and keeping notes as we go along. We may need to take stock of where we've been and what we've seen so as to avoid redundancy. I learned that in my former trade, and it was of significant value."

Alexite you can't have NPCs defend and hunt its one or the other since they both essentially take all day.

Looking tired and harried Aerys paces the beach when she wakes,

"We are going to die here, whatever that winged thing is knows we are here, we should move... I don't want to die on this gods forsaken island."

Jask shakes his head, but is obviously listening to her words and looking deeply concerned. Ishirou has his sword drawn and watches the skies nervously, while Gerik and Sasha seem unconcerned and are sharing increasingly dirty jokes.

Can I assume you wish to head east - having largely explored the western tip near the camp?

"Then we shall move. Now, at least, we know to guard from above. With Alexite's counsel, we can make our campsite harder to see. Whatever that creature was, it took no interest in us for the moment. Let us simply not be here if it returns."

Untrained Diplomacy check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

I would not take it at all amiss if other PCs would help, here.

"Moving the camp to a more hidden area is a good idea."

"Lydran, you have red ache, mosquitoes can spread it. You will probably fight it off in a few days. This is another reason to move elsewhere. If we stay here the rest of us risk getting it."

Carpe, since Joll rolled successfully on his Heal check Lydran should get a second save at +4, I believe.

Joll moves close to the other PCs and quietly says "Gerik seems likely to bolster the spirits of the others here. Aerys could certainly use it. Ishirou will want to stay with her in any event. Jask seems better suited to foraging and watching the others than fighting. Sasha would likely find mischief if she is left here so she should go with us."

Dragolan nods along with most of Joll's suggestions, but adds, "I think Jask might be best trying to make the camp healthier, at least for the next few days. Aerys and Ishirou are not taking this well, and if any of the others get sick I am concerned that they might flee on their own."

Joll seems genuinely puzzled at the suggestion Aerys and Ishirou would flee. "Where would they go to?"

Carpe, I accidentally posted this under a different character. It might show up in the campaign info section. Sorry about that. Can you delete that profile?

Dilomacy check to aid Dragolan's efforts: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15.

"Dragolan is right," Quinta says as she straps on her armour. "None of us have died yet, and we are learning more about this place all the time. With each lesson learned, we become better equipped to survive until we find a way out of here. We have steel, we have magic, we have wit - we will make it."

Not sure if you want to move the campsite, explore, or explore looking for a good site for a new camp?

Joll seems reasonable to me, I was a little unsure whether it should be seperate roll for identifying and treating, but I'll err in favor of the PCs. So yes Lydran will receive a +4 on his save tomorrow.

Aerys and Ishirou seem little consoled by Dragolan's words and their fear is palpable. But Gerik starts up a song and makes it hard to concentrate on fears of dark wings, infact Ishirou and Sasha are soon soon in stitches as the song gets ever more inventive and bawdy! Even Aerys manages a weak smile.

"O' over the dockside, or so they say,
there's a barmaid whose curves,
take your troubles away!
She's as pretty as sunlight, after a storm,
and we bet in her bed, you'd be lovely and warm!

Sweet, sweet, Jilly my sweet,
when I come back from a sailing,
perhaps we could meet!
But your daddies a strongman,
eyes filled with ire,
but if I say I don't want you then I'd be a liar!

They say her mum was a mermaid,
her Pah caught at sea!
But if her downsides all scaly,
thats alright by me!
Most fishermen use hooks,
her Pah thinks that silly!
When he courts the mermaids he uses his...

Sweet, sweet, Jilly my sweet,
when I come back from sailing,
etc., etc."

Perform Comedy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27