Kali'da pursed her lips. The idea if splitting the group seemed dangerous at best, deadly at worst.
"Low tide is only gonna be lastin' anod'a houa at best," she pointed out. "Den again de tide will go out in de afta'noon. Well have to be careful searchin' de ship, high tide might wash it out to sea wit' us still searchin' it.
She shakes her head. "I don't like puttin' us apart like dis, but if ya t'ink ya can manage makin' a shelter in de jungle fringe wit' out us, den we can get t'ings done a lot fasta'," she says to the confident gnome.
Aye, I'm surely sure about it, my little and wise girl. We would just search a good place for building a camp and return here waiting for you. Then, we can build the camp together. Collaboration is one of the three tenets of the Pathfinder Society, and as a prestigious member of the Society there's no one that could value it more than I, Gelik Aberwhinge, do.
So I need a group of five to equally split our enterprising group. I will take Sasha with me, 'cause she knows the jungle if she told me the truth about her past. I will also take Ishirou and Aerys with me, so they can help us if something strange springs from the jungle. And lastly I will take this man with me, 'cause he'll probably be more an hindrance than anything else to you. Good luck, my valued companions, and may Desna guide your path and footing...Oh, if my cabin is still there, I wouldn't mind if you can recover my other notebooks from the night table near to my bed. But please, don't look inside!
The other castaways seem to be not fully convinced by the leadership role taken on by Gelik, but they don't oppose to the decision, except for Sasha who states out: Let's be clear, little selfish gnome. I'll be guiding you all in the jungle. All you need to do is to shut your chatty mouth and follow me. The less you speak, fewer the possibilities to stumble into some dangerous creature grow. Gelik laughs amused and nods. All the castaways then wish you good luck and start venturing into the dense canopy.
Before you go.... You can hear a deep voice calling you before you start to make your way to the wreck. It's Jask, who is addressing you with his head down. I have reasons to suppose that the keys to my manacles are in the captain's cabin. If you could retrieve them, I would be glad to offer my healing and spellcasting for free. Also, there's a magical potion inside my bag that you can keep for yourselves. May the All-Seeing Eye watch on your steps. Be careful. Jask then follows the other: ha can barely walk hindranced as he is, but he never complains or loses his dignitiy even in this dire situation.
Well, alright. But Gelik, if you see anything strange or you hear everything that unnerves you, you and the others are to head back here right away!
The elf was quite serious about this from the look on her face.
It is best we get going now, Sizara said as she headed to the wreck. She hoped to find her sword soon or any weapon for that matter.
I feel naked without a weapon, she thought to herself.
Kali'da nods, glad that someone was clearly taking charge of the other group. Sasha, she had confidence, would not lead the other's astray or allow the gnome to get to big for his britches.
"Well den, let's not waste moa' time den we need ta. Quickest way to de ship is gonna be ova' dose rocks. Not a safe lookin' journey if ya ask me, but it needs to be done, safe oa not," Kali'da states as she heads over, taking the lead with Sizara.
She manages to navigate the slick rocks without too much trouble, even if it was a bit of a slow go. Better to step lightly and cautiously than end up in the surf; you never know what hides in the ocean shallow. When she reaches the cliff side, she looks up with a sigh. Climbing trees was one thing, rocky cliffs was another.
Much to her surprise, she manages the cliffs better than she had the slick rocks below. Her hands and feet has easily found natural footholds that had been worn out by an eternity of exposure to the coastal abuse. Once at the top, she takes a look around for any other hazards.
As she navigated the rocks easily not to mention climb up the cliff like she was a cat she asked the jungle oracle, So Kali'da, what do you think happened? I know that the crew was uneasy about something. Something about that the ship had altered course a bit. I guess we will find some evidence in the captain's...umm...I think they call it a logbook...or journal. Or something. Does anyone need help getting up here?
The talkative barbaric elf hoped to find something in the ship, probably her sword or another weapon.
The ranger checked his footing before hoping from rock to rock to avoid falling into the churning surf.
Once that was done, he watched as Kalida and Sizara made it up the cliff to the ship. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, the ranger took his time to find decent holds for his hands and feet.
A little longer than expected, he clambered over the railing and onto the ship.
He cocked his ears and shaded his eyes trying to discern what was going on and what the status of the ship was.
Kali'da watches as Alexite climb the cliff side, calling out words of encouragement as he ascends the rocks.
"Da's it! Jus' a liddle furtha'! Ya got dis," she cheered, though she managed to make her cheers sound like a disappointed yet still enthusiastic mother. Once he was up, she gave him a pat on the back before turning back to examine where they were at. I wonda' if I'll be so lucky on de way back down de cliffs, she wondered to herself.
Kali'da watches as Alexite climb the cliff side, calling out words of encouragement as he ascends the rocks.
"Da's it! Jus' a liddle furtha'! Ya got dis," she cheered, though she managed to make her cheers sound like a disappointed yet still enthusiastic mother. Once he was up, she gave him a pat on the back before turning back to examine where they were at. I wonda' if I'll be so lucky on de way back down de cliffs, she wondered to herself.
Alexite grunts as the girl cheers him on. You could have thrown a rope instead of just cheering
A couple of more and he is up on deck, "Thanks. You did good. Where did you learn to climb like that?"
Sizara smiled as she went over to congratulate both Alexite and Kali'da on the job well done climbing the cliff.
You two did an excellent job climbing up here, she says with a huge smile, before continuing, I wish I had my rope with me, and things might have gone easier for us. But hopefully, we'll find it in the ship along with the rest of our gear and other supplies. You two must have been blessed by the animal spirits to be able to climb so excellently well.
She began to wonder, Maybe they were blessed by the monkey spirit...or even the leopard spirit perhaps.
Being appointed to the team that was exploring the wreckage of the Jenivere was both a blessing and a curse. Part of Jesari was anxious to get on board and find her belongings -- her grandfather's urn in particular. But as she looked out toward the slippery rocks and cliff face she would have to climb, much of her enthusiasm waned. Still, she said nothing and went along, determined to get back what she had lost. She had a promise to keep and it would at least boost her spirits to have the urn safely back in her hands.
Carefully, Jesari navigated the exposed rocks and made her way to the cliff before pausing before the cliff with an apprehensive look on her face. She wasn't much of a climber; she couldn't even remember the last time she had to climb something. With a final nervous exhale, she followed behind the others, trying to emulate their movements and the path they took as best she could. Surprisingly, it worked, and Jesari joined her fellow shipwreck survivors back on board the ship that brought them here. She couldn't wait to get below deck, already wandering off from the group to see if the passage below deck was still intact.
Sizara noticed that Jesari was wandering off from the group. Concerned the elven barbarian followed behind her. She liked the strange human, feeling a strange kinship with her. That was one reason why she was following her. The other was to make sure she was alright.
Jesari are you alright? Are you looking for anything and maybe I could help you out?
After all of you made it to the top of the cliff, you notice that the Jenivere is missing much of her bow.
You all spot Jenivere's only lifeboat washed up between the ship and the cliff, crushed by the action of the waves smashing the Jenivere against the cliff side. Part of the lifeboat bow still lolls about in the surf, attached to a protruding timber bu a thick rope, as if someone had moored the boat to the wreck.
Strange...Why is the lifeboat like that? It's as if someone...wait...
An idea popped into the elf's head as she easily jumped onto the upper deck of the ship.
I just realized something. Noticed how our clothes weren't that wet? What if someone ferried us to shore while we were all unconscious and went back to check for more survivors? It makes sense really. And...Wait...what's that sound?
The barbaric wild elf growled as she strained to listen and then said, Sounds like a battle going on down in the lower deck. Hm...Some of us are unarmed but I know some of you can use magic, but let me see if there are any weapons on the upper decks real quick.
Seems I came up empty handed. Well it seems like we will have to check our rooms to see if our weapons and equipment are still there.
Sizara sighed, as she felt not only naked without a weapon but also useless.
The ranger cocked his ear, "There's noise below deck, like some sort of fight."
His knife was in his hand before he knew as he moved towards the noise. He took a moment to peer back, "Well, you all coming or what?"
Sizara nodded.
Right behind you. So what do you think? Do you think something saved us from drowning? It was probably one of the crew I'm guessing. What do the rest of you think?
"Dere's somet'in' fishy here, dats fa' sure," Kali'da mused as she looked about. "I ain't rulin' out a maroonin' yet!"
Like the others, she makes the small jump to the ship and looks about. She starts moving towards where She hears the racket coming from below and readies her dagger before moving in closer. She does her best to pick the safest route through the wreckage, intending to move below to where their cabins were to search for any useful equipment.
Following the noise you hear coming from below, you descend into the captain's cabin, jumping down the hole in the upper deck. The other entrance to the mid-decks was indeed obstructed.
Once you're in the captain's cabin, you continue to hear the strange noise coming from behind the door that grant access to the mid-deck corridor.
The captain's cabin is a wreck: a jagged hole in the east side of the room has allowed most of the room contents to spill out into the surf and wash away. The cabin still features a wardrobe, a desk with some papers on it and a partially opened drawer, a round table sorrounded by chairs onto which there are some scattered nautical charts, a large bed and a fine carpet under the table. The wardrobe seems to be locked, needing the proper tools or the application of enough strenght to pry it open.
There's a door to the west that leads to the mid-deck corridor.
Jesari followed behind the armed members of her group, sliding from the edge of the hole in the deck down into the cabin's quarters. Typically, Jesari wasn't one to pry into the personal affairs of others but the circumstances and the questions posed by her traveling companions were enough to pique her curiosity just enough for her to bend that personal rule. "I don't know what happened but maybe we can find out." Casually, she strolled to the captain's desk, flipping through the papers strewn about and searching through the drawers for anything that might hold some answers to how she ended up in her current predicament.
Sizara looked at the wardrobe a bit, studying it. Then she flexed her muscle and rolled her shoulders back before approaching the locked wardrobe.
Alexite helped with the investigation but kept an eye out. He didn't want any surprises. How did we get to shore? And dry?
After they identified what they had found, he suggested that they proceed to see what was making all the noise.
With a bit of creative crawling and clinging, Kali'da eventually wriggles her way down into the captain's cabin through the hole in the deck. She gave the cabin a quick scan and moved slowly, checking her footing before each step to ensure she wasn't about to go crashing down through broken and waterlogged floor planks.
"I dunno what I was expectin', but dis place is a mess," she commented as she shuffled a few mundane things around with distaste. While others were concerned with the hows and whys, she had firmly set those sorts of questions to the side for now; she'd think on them when they had the means to survive in an unknown coastal jungle.
"Any sign a' de key?" she asks Jesari as she notices the other woman looking through the desk. "De key for Jask, I mean." While Jesari was busy with that, she herself turned her attentions to the table with the nautical charts and lifting up the rug beneath it. She searches both, in hopes of finding the key hidden somewhere clever. Or not so clever if she happened upon it so quickly. "I'd ratha' not have to go swimmin' afta' it."
"Anyone know how to read a sea map?" she asked to the group, holding up one of the nautical charts.
The Jenivere’s captain, Alizandru Kovack, seemed to be suffering from some sort of madness that grew over the course of the ship’s final voyage. Earlier entries from previous voyages are precise in recording progress and events along the way, as are entries from the first two-thirds of this last trip. Yet as one reads further, the more recent the entries get, the less common they become—in some cases, several days are missing entries. What entries do appear are strangely short, focusing more and more on one of the passengers—the Varisian scholar Ieana, with whom the captain seems to have become obsessed. Several entries are nothing more than poorly written love poems to Ieana, while others bemoan Captain Kovack’s inability to please her or catch her attention. Near the end, the entries begin to take on a more ominous tone with the captain starting to complain that other members of the crew are eyeing “his Ieana.” In particular, he suspects his first mate is in love with her, and writes several times about how he wishes Alton would just “have an accident.” The final entry is perhaps the most disturbing, for in it the captain writes of how he’s changed course for Smuggler’s Shiv at Ieana’s request. He hopes that the two of them can make a home on the remote island, but also notes that the crew are growing increasingly agitated at the ship’s new course. The captain muses that “something may need to be done about the crew” if their suspicions get any worse.
You fail to recognize the holy symbol, but you could swear to have seen it before. It consists of an all-white ivory mask with sapphire eyes.
The ranger slowly lowered himself to the deck, trying not to slip on the surface. He picked up the ship in the bottle and looked at it. A few seconds later he realized it was the Jenivere.
Smiling, he tucked away in his clothes. My first ship. And now it's ruined.
"Anyone else find anything worthwhile? We got to get moving here. Who knows how long until this whole ship is reclaimed by the sea."
I found some clothes, several potions, a holy symbol, a spell component pouch, and a bottle of wine or brandy I'm not sure. I always get those two mixed up. Oh! Here's a finely crafted dagger. Since I don't have a weapon, I'll take the dagger for now. Also I found some coins. Could be useful if we are able to leave the island. Here's also a suit of leather armor. Could also be useful too. The potions I'm not sure what they are. Hopefully they'll be useful. So I guess we should take everything in here. What has everyone else found?
Sizara studied the masterwork dagger carefully. It is very excellently crafted and she smiles that she will surely put it to good use.
"Maps," Kali'da says plainly, holding them up for others to see. One shows their route along the west coast of Garund, the other is a map of the Desperation Bay area that shows a general outline of Smuggler's Shiv. The outline is accompanied by a warning of danger.
She brings the maps with her despite not really being sure how to read them herself, and makes her way towards Sizara to have a look at the potions.
"We can try to identify dem lata'," she says, giving each potion a quick once over. "Fa' now, we need to be quick about oua business here on de ship."
Studying the map some, Sizara frowned.
I was afraid that I was right. This island is indeed filled with danger. What dangers I cannot tell from this map. Still it would be wise to take these maps with us as there is no doubt they will prove helpful. Good work Kali'da. And you are right: we can identify these potions.
Sizara smiled at the human oracle before adding, And yes let's hurry quickly. I'm still worried about those noises. So let's be careful.
Maps. Potions. Keys. All good stuff.
"Good work. Let's take everything and try to keep the maps dry. I agree that we can study them later back at the beach.
The ranger then cautiously moved towards the noise somewhere below decks. "C'mon, let's finish this investigation and get back to the others."
Kali'da gave a nod to Alexite and moved towards door on the west side of the room, moving as quietly as she can, though it was possible whatever was out there wasn't going to hear here over the sound they were making themselves anyways.
"You goin' first?" she asked with a look at Alexite. "Or we gonna send de strong lady in first?" No matter how much she'd like to think she was fit to lead in any situation, now was not the time to play hero. There were others far more suited to going through doors first about, and she knew well enough to use that sort of human resource.
"So I take I'm the strong lady eh," Sizara said as she grinned while putting an arm around Kali'da. "It sounds like you were flirting me there."
The elf laughed at the teasing she gave Kali'da. Nothing wrong with a bit of joking around I guess. Their situation was bad but still a little humor was known to lift even the most dismal of spirits, or that's what her tribe's shaman would always say. Of course she was a little bit...eccentric what with the whole walking around wearing only a loincloth and using a raptor's skull as a hat. Still, her wisdom from years of experience had always served the tribe well and it was the shaman who had declared that Sizara was blessed b the spirits of the storms and the cheetah the day she was born.
As she flipped through the pages of the captain's log, Jesari found herself feeling guilty at first. There wasn't anything hidden in the pages other than the musing of a man with a crush. But just as she was about to put the book back where she found it, the passages started growing darker and more possessive of Ieana. Jesari's hand moved to cover her mouth in shock and her head shook in disbelief as she continued reading. "The captain brought the ship here on purpose." Jesari paused to let that information sink in, both for herself and those around her. "I think that Ieana woman from the ship might be in trouble. The captain seems quite...obsessed."
With a final worried shake of her head, Jesari pocketed the captain's ledger and his keys, hoping that at least one of them belonged to Jask's chains. Now that her searching and reading was done, her attention turned to the door that the others had gathered near. Jesari made sure to stay out of their way as they prepared to venture further into the ship. She could only pray that her belongings were still where she had left them.
Upon hearing Jesari's explanation, the elf began to get just as worried.
"I see. Hmm...so the captain went mad huh? Well this isn't good then. I only pray that she's alright and managed to escape the umm...well...captain's advances for lack of a better word. If we encounter the captain I have a few choice words for him...not to mention I know the perfect place for him to receive a swift and hard kick in."
Sizara was indeed worried. If Ileana had indeed become lusted after by the deranged captain, it might be too late. She prayed that she was wrong.
After the quick examination of the captain's cabin, Alexite opens the door. In front of you a familiar-looking corridor is revealed-it's the corridor you found yourselves into everytime you left your private cabins. There's a trapdoor in the center of the corridor, and one of the three masts of the ship near to it, obstructing your visual. You're still able to see the big sea scorpion scrabbling and scratching at the warped door in front of it, in a frenzied attempt to get at whatever lies inside. Trickles of blood run under the door to what you recognize as the supply room. Once it senses your presence, the sea scorpion turns its attention to you, eerily snapping its pincers. It seems similar to the sea scorpions you've already encountered, but it's much more big.
Initiative
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Re-rolls:
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- Jesari (22)
- Kali'da (22)
- Sizara (22)
- Alexite (19)
- Sea Scorpion (17)
The ranger gasped at the size of that thing and the blood coming from under the door. His knife already out, he maneuvered to get in a good position and stabbed at the over-sized lobster. Have to get between the shell carapace...
However, the hard carapace blunted the strike and no real damage was done.
When the door opened, that was when she saw the giant sea scorpion. Taking a hold of her newly acquired dagger, she decided to attack it, keeping it off of both Jesari and Kali'da.
"Great, we have to fight another one of these blasted things!"
She went into a rage, hurling herself at the monster, hoping to intimidate the beast into focusing on her and not the others while also leaping over one of its claws in order to get a good striking position at its joints.
Even with her goal within her reach, Jesari hesitated to move at the sight of the snapping scorpion in the ship's hall. Finally mustering up all the courage she could find within herself, Jesari darted toward the familiar door on the right, hoping to find both her pack and the weapons she had brought along for the journey. Her weapons were meant to be used only in dire situations but she couldn't really imagine an emergency greater than being stuck on a remote island and inside a sinking ship with an angry looking scorpion.
.
Kali'da, poorly armed and not particularly eager to get close to this creature, quickly lets her allies know about the dangers of the creature.
"Dis creature has a nasty sting. It will infect ya wit' a poison. De heartiest folks can shake it off wit' ease, but dose who are less hale will succumb to it. It'll wear away at ya healt'. Go carefully!" she warns. She moves in closer, though keeps her distance, reading her dagger should the eurypterid decide she would make a tasty snack.
Brief Recap: While Jesari darts towards her cabin, Kalida, holding her dagger, waits for her companions to attack the sea scorpion while she shares some useful information about the creature. Alexite and Sizara move towards the sea scorpion and try to pierce it with their daggers: Sizara's strike is precise and strong enough to penetrate the carapace shell of the creature, seriously harming it; Alexite's strike is however too weak to pierce the natural protection of the sea scorpion.
The sea scorpion readily reacts to the danger and tries to pince Sizara's legs at the same time with both its pincers.
Sizara is able to evade the first attack by nimbly jumping, but in the fury of the battle lowers her defenses, allowing the sea scorpion to hit her with its second pincer, causing her a light wound to the height of her shinbone.
Sensing the danger around him, the sea scorpion seems to withdraw, but then it suddenly projoects over his head its sting, trying to dissuade Sizara from further pursuing.
Sizara is however ready to react and dodges the dangerous stinger.
, critical
, no
Keep away from the tail...
The ranger feints a few times and waits for the monster to be looking elsewhere. "Die!"
Bolstered by the elven woman's success, the ranger regrips his hunting knife and plunges the blade between the shells. His hand comes back sticky with fluids but he smiles knowing that some damage was done.
The elven barbarian hisses in pain from the wound she just received but continues to fight.
She thrust the dagger at the scorpion crab again.
The dagger went straight through the creature's shell and caused blood and ichor to splatter onto itself, the dagger, the ship, and Sizara.
Kali'da cringes on behalf of those in the melee at each attack from the eurypterid. At this rate, someone was going to contract something unless they ended it quick.
Seeing where her allies could take the advantage, she point to the rear of the creature. "Alexite! Move behind de creature; behind its tail! It can't look everywhere at once and it'll give ya and Sizara de tactical advantage!" It was a tactic her tribe had used many times during a hunt to end things quickly. No point in drawing things out needlessly.
As she watches on, she continues to hold her dagger at the ready should anything come towards her.
While the battle raged on outside, Jesari rushed toward the chest in her room, throwing the lid open hastily. Finding her weapons and other possessions intact would certainly be a blessing but as selfish as it might have been given the circumstances, there was only one thing she hoped hadn't been lost when the ship crashed against the rocks.
While Jesari enters her cabin and Kali'da encourages her companions to act tactically, Alexite and Sizara finish the job, killing the sea scorpion with their daggers. The creature's shell has been cracked open by the powerful strikes of the two, and now the sea scorpion lies lifeless on the floor.
Jesari finds all her equipment in her chest, along with the precious ashes of her granfather. There's even a beautiful, colorful flower in her chest, one she didn't remember to have left there.
With the sea scorpion lying lifeless on the floor, the party can resume its exploration of the wreck.