Felix just shrugs and then nods."IF you think is best?"
I nod, " it might not be a good idea to leave all these people alone here... It shouldn't be to hard as long as we're in and out before the tide comes back in. "
As Celine tries to sooth Aerys Mavato, who is beside herself, the kind words, soft voice are misunderstood by the angry half-elven woman.
"Are you patronizing me? I am not someone you can talk down to from your high and mighty throne. Priestess, bah? Nothing but a liar and a trickster. You all put me here, and now you expect me to follow you until you can kill me too! Never! I am leaving this place now. I'll have better luck on my own anyway."
She stomps off to the gear pile, grabbing the rest of her things, including a composite longbow and a large heavy waterproof satchel, and sets out into the jungle on her own, not once looking behind her.
"Wow!" says Gelik the gnome. "That is how crazy goes off and gets eaten by savage beasts or something....Good riddance."
During the discussion about Celine staying behidn with the surly lot of NPC's Gelik chimes in: "By all means, leave the tall pretty one here and you boys go off and play ship's captain or whatever with the wreckage. I promise to take such good care of this one while you are gone...."
He cracks himself up and laughs a high pitch laugh that sounds terribly like the braying of a donkey.
"Guessing it won't be long until they have their way with the black man in chains either," mutters Jask Derindi, still quite angry about being dragged around by his irons.
As the salvage party starts out, wading into the low tide, it isn't long before they can see with even a cursory glance that the Jenivere is never sailing again. Only the fortuitous presence of a sharp ridge of rock near the the side of the sheer cliff wall has prevented the wreck from sinking entirely into the sea, for only the ship's stern seems to have survived the wreck. This portion is wedged at an angle between the cliff and the rocks, and each wave shakes and tosses the wreck alarmingly. It won't be long before the constant pounding of the waves dislodges the wreck and allows the hungry sea to claim the last of this once-fine ship.
As you approach, the rocks are slippery, making footing risky (consider difficult terrain) but manageable to climb up on without gear or ropes. You can walk all the way up to a ledge on the rocks that is nearly even with the canted deck of the ship.
A plume of fallen sail makes the stern end of the main deck, but a soft squelching sound comes from around behind that barrier.
Moving carefully ahead, boarding pike at the ready Felix prepares himself for any danger.
"Ain´t it a shame.. she was a beauty. Alas, this boat ain´t sail anywhere anymore."
I step (leap?) onto the deck my axe held loosely in my right hand, glancing around before heading towards the sail to look behind it.
" That sounds... "
"Let's see what we can find here. Everyone watch your step as this deck may be slippery, it being angled like it is."
Careful stepping on the deck, and looking around the sail obstacle, the group spies a larger version of the same sea scorpions found on the beach. This one is darker in color and larger than the others, but has the same finned tail bristling with a thin stinger, and snapping pincers.
The creature seems to be throwing itself against a door on the deck, which appears to lead into a storeroom. Rivulets of blood spill from under the door, urging the hungry creature forward. It's tremor-sense picking up your approach, the eurypterid turns to face you with an evil hiss.
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 1
14 Harbek
11 Scorpion
10 Felix
6 Marik
5 St John
"Lunch! B´war of his needle it can sting long gudd."
I move in towards the scorpion, wary of it's sting but mainly trusting in my armour and my Dwarven fortitude. I heft my axe, adjusting the grip of my hands.
Battle for the Jenivere- Round 1 - continued
The doughty dwarf ambles up to the threatening beast, hewing his axe as he goes. As he gets near, the scorpion is able to bring its pincers and stinger to bear on the well-armored fighter. Despite the hard outer shell, the scorpion is able to hit Harbek with a claw and the poison stinger for 5 hp dmg.
FAIL
"I can't get to you yet to help you but, I'll maneuver to where I can soon." St. John moves nimbly across the deck looking like he's done this sort of thing many times.
I'll move right up here and line up a good charge at him.
Moving forward and using his luck Felix ramms the pike into the crab.
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 1 - continued
Felix launches himself across the swaying, tilted deck plunging his pike into the oversized arachnid from a distance. The squelching sound of oozing blood and gore comes from the massive wound.
Moving more cautiously, and more skillfully, the sword master Smythe can't quite get into position this round.
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 1 - concluded
Marik loads his crossbow and moves up to support the others, not seeing a good shot around the melee combatants at present.
End of Round 1
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 2
14 Harbek
11 Scorpion (11hp dmg)
10 Felix
6 Marik
5 St John
I swing my axe in a wide arc!
Celine is trying to convince the survivors to work together for the common good! First things first: food and shelter. Let's have a look around and see what we can find, yes?
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 2 - continued
Harbek leaps into the fray, swinging his axe in an arc meant to cleave the shell of the arthropod from the sea. He doesn't account for the thing's quickness, however, and the scorpion skitters just out of reach.
The scorpion then leaps back at the dwarven warrior, claws and stinger slashing the air. Harbek cross-blocks the stinger with his axe and is able to sidestep away from both claws, ending the round unscathed.
At the camp
Celine tries to rally the other castaways to help her look for food or shelter, but Jask is restrained and only barks a short laugh. Gelik offers to help, but doesn't actually do anything useful and Sasha and Ishirou both seem to be in a world of their own, not even responding to Celine's questions.
The moon priestess sees there are big, green palm fronds on several of the lower-lying plants that could be cut to help form a shelter. She also sees a strange, lumpy orange fruit growing on some of the bushes at the edge of the canopy.
There is also crabs, mollusks and other shellfish, as well as a whole ocean full of game fish, that might be caught or trapped for food.
"Hmmm, food... barely edible, really, but perhaps my Lady's blessing might remedy that..."
St. John starts a mad dash to the creature and tries to avoid any attacks it makes on his way to it.
Battle for the Jenivere - Round 2 - concluded
Felix strikes the sea scorpion once again, skewering the shelled creature on his pike. This time the wounded beast gives up the fight, collapsing on the deck, just before Smythe charges across the deck himself.
End of Combat
After the end of the fight on the deck of the ruined ship, there are really three options for exploration. The first is the door the scorpion was hurling itself against. Blood seems to be leaking from under the door, which is what attracted the creature in the first place. Trying to remember the layout of the ship, you surmise that room was a supply area of some kind. The door into the supply room appears to be buckled or warped in the shipwreck, and will not open without brute force. It appears to be already damaged by the scorpion's attention earlier.
The second door on the aft section of the deck leads, you suspect, to the captain's quarters. It appears to be undamaged.
Thirdly, there are stairs that descend to the mid-deck. In the aft portion, the mid-deck held the galley, the pantry, and the brig. Looking down the stairs, it appears the aft mid-deck is mostly intact still.
Seeing the blood seep to the door, Felix moves forward, carefully trying to open it. Seeing it needs force, Felix asks the dwarf to hack it open.
"I agree Felix, that's a good place to start. Then I think the captains quarters before we move down."
The door to the supply room will take some force to get open. It does appear as if it has already taken some damage, perhaps from the scorpion that was trying to ram its way in earlier.
Celine
" With pleasure. " I reply to Felix...then taking careful aim at the handle area i swing.
Harbek's first blow splinters the weakened door, opening the way to the supply room beyond. Looking in, it is quite obvious where the blood was coming from. First Mate Alton Devers lies slumped against the wall, clearly dead. The mate wears MW studded leather and still clutches his MW shortsword.
Searching the rest of the supply room turns up several items of use: tools and lumber, a block and tackle, three large canvas sheets used to repair sails, two fishing nets, a grappling hook, two bullseye lanterns, 12 flasks of lantern oil, 3 50' lenghts of hemp rope, and 5 shovels.
Celine
Celine pays just the right kind of attention to the gnome Gelik, who has so far, been indifferent at best. As she suggests he help her, and sweet talks the little fellow, he rises from the sand, drawing out his blade.
"I'm not really the burly strong type, milady. But I suppose, if the fronds are low enough, I can cut some down for you -- so long as the trees don't fight back, that is."
He moves over and starts working to clear some of the fronds, that could be useful for a shelter at some point.
"Really, priestess, I am much more useful as an entertainer or a medic than a hunter or gatherer. I do think shelter is a wise idea, tropical bugs carry diseases, and we don't need anyone getting sick. Perhaps a fire would be smart also."
After seeing the Gelik really will work on the fronds and shelter, Celine moves off to scavenge for food in the jungle perimeter. Staying away from the illness-causing orange fruits, she is able to gather berries, roots, and a few other fruits -- enough to feed her and another for a full day.
When Celine returns from the jungle, but before the others are back from the shipwreck, Gelik, now hot and sweaty, sidles up to her and speaks softly, and perhaps seriously for the first time.
"Did I tell you I was a member of the Pathfinder Society, priestess? That may be a bit of an overstatement. You see, I am currently 'on probation'...whatever that means. Perhaps, you can help me clear my name with that organization? You see, a Pathfinder ship, the Nightvoice is said to have shipwrecked here on Smuggler's Shiv. IF we can find that wreck, and see what there is to salvage, it might help my standing with the Decimvirate? What say you, help a little fellow out?"
While he awaits your reply he wiggles his fingers, and the soiled and sweaty clothes he wears, magically cleanse themselves, and look almost new again.
"Ah, much better! Care for a shot?" he asks eyeing your stained and torn clothes with dismay.
" Poor fellow. " Harbek states gruffly stepping over the man carefully and inspecting the contents of the storage room.
" These canvas sheets might be good for makeshift shelters, we should take those tools as well... " He starts tying things to his pack and shoving things inside.
After looting the storeroom Harbek looks gingerly at the firstmate again.
" Dever's armour and sword are a very good quality. I hate to strip a fallen ally but we are in for some tough times... Could we make use of these? "
"Someone might have need of them. We should probably take all of these items to shore. Never know what you might need. I think we should explore the rest of the ship first, before we weigh ourselves down. Burying him would be proper as well."
St. John then heads to the door to the captains quarters and waits for the others to catch up.
"Aye... I do use leather, but if someone else has more need.... go ahead."
Carefully putting it all, combat gear and tools, into a canvas and tying it together the half-orc sets it aside for later easy transportation to the shore.
The captain's cabin is not locked, and the door opens without much force. The place is a literal wreck. A jagged hole in the side of the ship has allowed most of the rooms contents to spill out into the surf below the ship. An overturned desk, which was too large to fit through the hole in the ship, stands against the far wall. A large footlocker leans against the desk, tilted to one side.
Looking out the hole in the ship, you can see various flotsam but nothing of immediate value. Also down there, still moored to the side of the ship, is the remains of the Jenivere's life-boat, which has been shattered into pieces by the grinding action of the main ship against the rocks.
The upper drawer of the desk contains a large ring of keys. A second drawer has several sea charts and maps along with the captain's log.
The lower desk drawer is locked.
The footlocker contains a MW dagger, a suit of leather armor, 2 potions labeled as curatives, a holy symbol of a black and white eye, and a spell component pouch. There is a receipt attached saying these items belong to the prisoner Jask Derindi.
Getting the sea charts and the logs and handing them to St.John and taking the key chain, trying to open the lower one with one of the keys.
Fumbling through the keys, Felix is eventually able to find one that unlocks the bottom drawer. Inside he finds several things of value: a bottle of fine brandy, a darkwood model of the Jenivere in a glass bottle, a coffer containing 350gp, and a long leather satchel with a dozen potions inside.
"Thank you Felix. I'll take a look through the log and see if the maps can be of any help. Let's check down below then we can gather up everything from the storeroom and head back to the beach."