Kali'da raises an eyebrow at the kiss. Whatever, none of her business if the elf was trying to get affection and attention from almost everyone. She'd just silently judge the other woman. Maybe tell a story about a woman who caught her death from too many partners. Yes, that would be an excellent fireside tale.
"I'm not de strongest swimma' and I agree dat maybe figurin' out a way ta get us all ova' dere is best. All or none, anyways."
The party choose to move towards the wreck with all of its members. Jesari and Kali'da use some logs to improve their chance of succeeding in the difficult task to reach the wreck.
Swimming to the wreck proved a harder task than expected for Jesari. While Alexite and Kali'da quickly manage to reach the wreck, and Sizara at first isn't able to stay behind them, Hakeem and Jesari fight against the waves but sink in the water and hit some sharp rocks.
Few seconds after, Sizara manages to join Alexite and Kali'da near the wreck, and she's shortly thereafter reached by Hakeem. Jesari continues to struggle against the violent waves though, and sinks three other times before managing to reach her companions. She is deeply wounded due to the impact with the sharp rocks, and her blood now fills the waters.
The group quickly manage to climb up the wreck, with the best climbers climbing first, then helping their companions in the climbing with ropes.
The group is now on the wreck. There's an unnervinge silence aboard the wreck, broken only by the howling wind and the crushing waves. The ship creaks and totters. You're on the main deck now, and there's an opened trapdoor leading downstairs.
"Oh dear. Good thing we have healing potions with us. Jesari, drink this quickly."
The elf offers her a healing potion, worry written all over Sizara's face.
The ranger winced as he saw Jesari climb on board. "I'm sorry about this. I didn't realize the current could be so treacherous. We'll think of something else for our swim back."
He looked to the others, "Can anyone heal her?"
He then looked around to avoid any nasty surprises. If the floor looked doubtful, the ranger tried it with his spear before stepping on it. no sense getting hurt by some rotten wood
"If we are all ready, then let's do what we came here to do and explore the ship. Let's head down the trapdoor."
Kali'da surprises herself at her own swimming skill, and wonders if she'll be able to pull that same stunt on the way back. Unlikely, but she'll focus on the positives for now.
She considered offering Jesari a heal, but Sizara beats her to it with a potion. Not that she minds. More juju for her to use later. Like after they have to make the swim back.
"I'll follow behind ya, Alexite. Watch ya step. Last t'ing we need is to run into somet'ing lurking in here."
Hakeem struggles a little more with the swim than he had hoped to, as he pulled himself up onto the wreckage he feels the sting of a few scrapes from the jagged rocks. " I'll hafta work on this swimming thing if I'm gonna spend the rest of my life on an island." He jokes, but quickly turns his attention to Jesari. " Jesari are you alright?!" He helps her up and stays at her side as she takes the healing potion.
Once that's tended to he stands to his feet and follows behind the others headed for the trapdoor." Let's hope we find something useful here....Kali'da watch out yourself, dese steps will be slippery." He says, offering the Mwangi woman a hand as she descends in front of him.
Jesari finally reached the deck of the ship, grabbing her knees and coughing up water now that she was on stable ground. "I hate water. So much." Without hesitation or argument, Jesari takes the offered potion and drinks it between labored breaths.
Her breathing slows down to normal soon after and she's able to stand upright with a noticeable wince at the still lingering pain. Jesari breathed a sigh of relief now that the ordeal had passed, and a smile and amused chuckle soon followed. "Thanks, Sizara. Let's never do that again."
Fully composed now, Jesari takes a second to cast a quick cantrip, the magic from her hands washing over her and leaving her clothes and cloak dry in its wake. "Don't tell my dad I can do that. He still thinks it takes me a few hours to do the laundry." Jesari gives the group a playful wink before shrugging her shoulders and offering the same spell to the group. "Anyone else?
Sizara smiles at Jesari nods.
"You're welcome. And don't worry, next time you can ride on my back!"
After making sure Jesari was able to stand, and after watching her dry herself off, the elf laughed.
"I won't. You have my word as an Ekujae that I will never tell your father."
Sizara puts her arm around Jesari, in a sisterly manner, winking back at her and laughing.
Kali'da gladly opens the trap door, using Hakeem as a stable prop on the off chance she should tumble down into the door after opening it. She's peeks her head down inside to take a look around, casting light on the bracelet around her wrist in hopes of throwing some light onto whatever it is they are walking into.
Sizara readied her sword as she aided Kali'da in checking for danger or hidden treasures and supplies.
"Good idea on using your magic to give us some light Kali'da. Better to create light than to stumble around in the blinding dark. It's an old Ekujae saying," Siazara said praising Kali'da.
After magical healing is handed out, the group begins the exploration of the wreck. After an hour or so spent searching every corner of what remains of the ship, the group is unable to discover something truly useful. The wreck doesn't contain anything useful for the scouting party, so after another check, the group decides to return to land. The only information the party managed to get is the ship's name: "Tatooed Lady". Another swim awaits the scouting party members.
Disappointed that the "Tattooed Lady" was as empty as it looked, Alexite excused himself with the others. "I'm sorry. I feel you all came here because of my urging and now we have nothing to show except Jesari's scars."
The ranger tied two loops to a short rope, passed one loop over one of his shoulders and instructed Jesari to do the same.
"I will swim right next to you and hopefully prevent you from being dragged under the current. You will also use the floating logs to keep yourself afloat."
He looked at Sizara, "Please don't swim too far away from the others as they may need your help. Ready?"
He then carefully jumped in the water and waited for the sorceress to follow him.
"I've always wondered why people name their ships. Must be to honor the spirits of the ship."
She nods in agreement with Alexite and dives in as well aiding anyone who needs it.
Kali'da shrugged, mildly disappointed at the lack of, well, anything on the ship. At least she'd expect some danger and excitement. Oh well, plenty of that elsewhere on the island, she thought as she grabbed back onto her log and waded back into the water.
She'd offer help herself, but at this point she was avoiding the undercurrents on sheer luck alone. She stayed focused, kicking and paddling rather ungracefully (but effectively!) back to shore.
Jesari's shoulders slumped as she peered over the edge of the ship's deck and gazed back into the water. With an uneasy breath, she did her best to calm her nerves, even offering a few mental prayers for protection up to her goddess. "Once this is all over, I'm never getting on a ship again."
Despite Alexite's efforts, Jesari definitely isn't a good swimmer and the strong currents drag her to the sea-depths. The ranger tries to support her and swim for her, but he can't avoid the girl to impact against a particularly sharp rock, procuring herself other wounds.
Fortunately, this time Hakeem manages to easily reach the coastline, along with the surprisingly skilled swimmer Kali'da. Sizara have more difficulty this time, and even if she's not dragged underwater by the currents, she hasn't been able to reach the shoreline yet.
A few seconds after, Jesari resurfaces, spitting water and losing other blood. Alexite does his best to help her, and at least this time, even not being able to move forward, Jesari is not dragged underwater. In the meanwhile, Sizara has had the time to reach the shore.
In the end, by the force of desperation, Jesari shakes off her fear and drawing on all her strenghts manages to reach the shore with Alexite's help.
***
The scouting party has reached the shore after a troubled swim. After having enjoyed a bit of rest and heal their wounds, the group departs again.
***
The rest of the day is quiet, and even if a violent tropical storm suddenly falls upon the island, the group manages to proceed taking shelter under the dense jungle canopy. When the sun goes down, the party has finally reached the northwestern tip of the island. Unfortunately, until now exploration didn't bring many benefits, except fot the cheerful monkey hopping around while Alexite prepares the camp for the night.
Kali'da watches from the shore as the others make their way behind her. She cringes at every flailing splash from Jesari.
When the lot of them finally make it, she cups Jesari's chin in her hand and gives her a quick once over.
"Ya gonna get ya self killed on de rocks. Best to avoid de open wata' fo' a bit, eh?" she says with a maternal concern. Kali'da utters a few nonsensical words and a white light enveops the hand holding Jesari's chin, easing her wounds she obtained from the rocky coastal waters.
Once on shore, the ranger removes his loop and helps Jesari on shore. "Still not perfect but much better than last time."
He nods as Kali'da suggests to stay out of the water.
Now that their exploration for the day was done, the ranger decided to strike out and see if he could find live game for dinner.
Hunt and Forage
- Avoid natural hazards
- Hunt and Forage
"Tito, your name shall be Tito." The ranger was having a good time with his new monkey friend who seemed content to travel on his broad shoulders.
"I think I'll follow your advice as well Kali'da. Let's hope we have better luck tomorrow exploring the island. Still it's possible that we will find others who survived. Maybe they built a village of survivors over the years. Whether they will be freely or not is up to fate I'm afraid."
During her watch, Sizara looks at the sea and jungle, as well as the sky keeping a lookout for any and all types of danger.
The next day
Exploration Action- Take Care
Rest Action-Help Another: Hunt and Forage
Jesari slowly nodded in agreement with Kali'da. "Yeah, no more crashing waves and jagged rocks for me. Ever." Her eyes closed in relief as the healing magic washed over her. It was a familiar sensation oddly enough, as the cuts and bruises suffered during her time serving at the temple of Shelyn were treated in much the same way. Jesari gave the Mwangi woman an appreciative smile after the magic had run its course. "Thank you, Kali'da."
***
As the group sat around the night time fire, Jesari looked inquisitively toward Hakeem. "Where to now? Back to the camp and then south? Wouldn't hurt to check up on everyone just to see how they're getting along. I worry about them."
- Day 3
- Help Another (Guide the group)
- Maintain the shelter
- 27 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Help Another (maintain the shelter)
Kali'da follows along with the group's exploration of the island, doing her usual job of lecturing about morals, ethics, and in general being the group mother.
When they finally stop to make camp, she helps, more like hinders, Jesari in setting up the camp. She finds herself too distracted with examining the local flora to really bother with doing much at all.
After everyone had regathered for the night, she looks to Hakeem who had so far lead the direction of their exploration. "Did ya have a plan on where to go tomorrow? Might work to travel up de coast line. Neva' know what might have washed up on de shore. Can be some value found in de flotsam."
~ ~ ~
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Help Another (avoid natural hazards)
- Help Another (maintain the shelter)
During the night, those who were keeping watch (namely Alexite, Hakeem and Sizara) have noticed something strange: the waves crashing on the shores of Smuggler’s Shiv seem to be infused with an eerie greenish radiance, almost as if the surf were glowing.
That radiance doesn’t seem natural at all. Now and then, you have spotted a brighter glow churning in the water and often moving just under the surface in directions other than the motion of the surf.
⇒ 18 + 4 = 22
***
When the sun rises, the group is rested and ready to depart again. Hakeem leads the group up the coastline, hoping to reach the base camp where the other shipwrecks are at the end of the day.
Sizara feels strange today: she has a strong headache and her joints feel painful, as she had a fever. .
The best cure for this disease, as far as you know, is dosing the patient with the poison arsenico: if the patient survives, there's a good chance that his disease is immediately cured. You also know that there's little you can do about it, and maybe back at the camp someone will know how to cure Sizara.
Despite Sizara's sickness, the scouting party decides to depart. The journey is long, and traveling up the coastline proves dangerous due to the exposion to heat. Today the sun hammers down on your heads.
Despite being sick, Sizara proves resilient enough to help you out, showing how to protect you head and skin, reminding you to soak your head every now and then, and taking other similar precautions.
After eight hours (three of which were very hot) of travel everyone in the group, except Hakeem, feels fatigued and tired.
Even though the exploration party has traveled only for half of the time at its disposal, the group decides to take a break at some point halfway to the base camp. The group takes shelter in a small grotto dug in the rocky cliffside, enjoying the shade.
You spot a strange blot above your head, up on the cliff. You don't know what it's precisely, but it seems like a nest perched atop the cliff. No one seems to be guarding the nest and the cliff is 60 feet high. It would be a DC 20 Climb check to climb up there without the proper tools though.[/ooc]
-
-
The ranger panted trying to keep up with Hakeem, "Yo there, slow it down some. I'm tired and the rest of us are doing worse. We need to take a break, here and now."
It wasn't normal for the ranger to feel the jungle heat so much but his body was telling him differently.
He turned to Sizara and examined her again, "You got bit, some sort of insect I bet; I know it. All we can do is have you rest and fight it off. You're a strong woman so you should be OK... with rest. I think we need to go back to camp but not tonight. We rest here and then go back to the main camp in the morning."
He looked at his tired companions, "If you are feeling better, perhaps we can return to camp by a different way than the one we came, even if it's a little bit longer."
he waited to see if anyone suggested anything differently.
Hakeem slows his pace as he notices the group slow quite a bit. Sizara seemed sick, and that worried him. As he was lost in these thoughts, he heard Alexite call out for him to slow down, and Hakeem did as asked.
He turned with a worried look at his companions. " I'm sorry friends...Let us make camp and rest. Alexite has the right idea, we'll head back to the main camp in the morning."
He does his best to help out to the best of his ability when setting up camp, even doing more than his share to assist the other travelers.
Once things are settled in, Hakeem stands from the group " Rest friends, I'm going down to the shore to try to speak with Gozreh. Stay vigilant." With that he is gone
At the shore(GM)
Hakeem weighs the options in his head and decides to not try to scale the cliff on his own. The party was tired and Hakeem was the only one unhindered, it'd be best not to risk injury unnecessarily. Still, he searched for any ways to ease the climb.
[ooc]I've got some rope, anything in sight that that could try to be hooked on?
Sizara didn't feel that good upon waking up. She felt tired.
Must have the restless spirits I saw last night haunting me. I only hope the good spirits help me by driving them off.
"Seems this island is haunted. Remember what we saw last night: the strange blot of light that seemed to be moving against the surf? Well I saw something else. I caught a glimpse of a ghostly humanoid shape trashing in the water. It disappeared beneath the waves before I could reach it. Something about this island isn't right. I tell you some of the spirits are restless, and some of them are not happy. No they are definitely not happy at all."
She continues to rub her head from the headache, but she continues her duties to make sure everyone is taken care of in the heat. She was thankful that both Alexite and Hakeem were concerned about her.
"Yes both of you are correct...it might be best if we rest for a bit before continuing. But what I saw last night still troubles me. I don't know what could have caused the spirits of the island to be so restless. Even the surf crashing against the shore wasn't right! It glowed an eerie greenish radiance! Wasn't natural no it was certainly not! And that other glowing light just under the surface of the water was moving strangely in the direction opposite the surf. And then the humanoid shape I saw in the water! I bet it was the spirit of one of those who perished on this island...oh no!"
Terrified realization suddenly covers her face as the elf turns pale from dread.
"The whole island is cursed! Evil spirits dwell here! Think about it: we have seen many strange omens already: the captain of our ship being driven mad, the fact that the cook was killed by a snake much larger than any I've ever seen and the fact that no one recalls ever seeing one that huge, not that it wouldn't be hard to miss unless you're blind, and then the eerie shape I saw in the water. I tell you something vile is in the air. I suggest we be on our guard. Maybe have two people be on watch."
Kali'da, feeling more than a little exhausted herself, agrees with Alexite and Hakeem about stopping for the night.
"No good to kill oua'selves off due to heat exhaustion. No point at all."
"De most we could or should do now is set up camp, maybe find some food if dere is anyt'ing near by."
Kali'da starts creating water like it's going out of style. Less so to drink, and more so to provide herself and any accepting companions a refreshing splash to help keep cool. Of course, she'll fill any waterskins as well without complaint.
Jesari stopped and doubled over as the group made the call to find shelter, her hands grabbing at her knees as sweat dripped from the ends of each strand hair that fell around her face. Her breathing was labored and she was feeling noticeably light-headed, which only allowed her to let out an exhausted "Uh-huh" in agreement with the group's decision. She was beginning to question how people actually lived in this sort of environment. This was truly awful.
At the campsite, Jesari gracelessly flopped onto the ground the second she got into the shade, with her backpack being the only thing actually supporting her from falling over completely. Her head titled back and her eyes closed as she let out a deep breath. "Oh, thank the gods. This is heaven." She let out a laugh intertwined with her labored breathing. "Maybe we should go swimming to cool off?"
-
-
The group decides to spend the reamaining part of the day resting into a shelter, in order to allow its members to get their strenghts back. Kali'da ensures to her companions that in her opinion the cave is a safe place to rest for the rest of the day, and the group trusts her immeditately. The day slowly passes by without any threath menacing the group.
Even though Jesari is tired and wounded, she manages to maintain the shelter to the best of her ability: the girl's efforts are admirable. . When the sun goes down, though, Jesari feels weak and her head spins around. The girl collapes, exhausted for the hard day's work mixed with the wounds endured during the swim to the Tattooed Lady's wreck and the faitgue deriving from the long travel under the hammering sun. The others try their best to help her, but nobody is truly able to heal her or do something more complex than constantly moisten her forehead.
***
======================
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Morning
======================
When the exploring parties wake up, they feel much better than yesterday. Sizara's condition seem to worsen though, and also Jesari today feels a little bit strange. She manifests the same symptomps showed yesterday by Sizara, and it's clear that she has contracted the same disease, either via some parasites or by contagion.
It's clear to the group that both Sizara and Jesari are not in their full strenght, but they're still able to walk. The party decides to depart again, before the disease spreads further or worsen in the case of Sizara and Jesari.
Today the weather is much more merciful than yesterday: a light breeze is blowing from the north, and the sun is hidden behind some bulky clouds. It's the ideal weather to travel without being exposed to the dangerous effects of the jungle heat.
-
-
Hakeem has had a lot of time to plan the route to follow to return to the base camp, and so the travel reveals quiet and fast, allowing the exploration group to reach the base camp without any problem in around eight hours of travel alternated to frequent pausing to eat and rest. Around 3 p.m. the group reaches the base camp, where their fellow castaways are waiting for them to return after 3 days spent exploring the wilds.
Results:
Results:
Results:
Results:
Results:
***
======================
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Afternoon
======================
-
-
When the group finally returns to the camp, with Sizara and Jesari literally dragging themselves, the scene awaiting them is odd.
Upon your arrival, you clearly notice that no one is guarding the base camp. You also hear a woman screaming loudly, as if involved in a harsh argument with someone.
Once you step in, you can see Jask crouched in front of a rusty cauldron placed on the burning campfire. The Garundi man seems to be committed to cook something and simultaneously listening Aeryes, who's nervously walking back and forth, screaming against the Jask: "".
"Please calm down Aerys, there's no need to panick. Rage and frustration won't help us getting out of here. Soon our exploring group will come back and hopefully they'll bring some good news with them", answers calmly as always Jask.
", screams Aerys before violently kicking the cauldron and causing its content to pour on the jungle floor. It was a tasty fish soup, or so it seemed. Now it was only a big stain on the carpet of leaves covering the small clearing in which the base camp was built.
Jask manages to avoid the boiling soup to splatter on him and probably burn him at the last second, but he doesn't lose his proverbial aplomb. He just looks at Aerys with a severe gaze, while the half-elf moves away. She seems to have noticed you. While walking away, Aerys gives a violent punch against a tree whose only misfortune was to be on her path. Then the half-elf continued to vent her frustration against the same tree, targeting him with punches and kicks before screaming out loud and keeling out against its bark.
Jask slowly turning around himself and focus his attention on you. His severe gaze quickly turns into a proud smile, as you were his sons and daughter returning from a day of hard work.
While you move closer to Jask, you can see Gelik cheerfully and fully committed to draw something on a blok note with a charcoal used as it was a pen. He's sitting at the feet of a large tree. The gnome seems to be intent on designing one of his inventions, but when his eyes fall on you, he smiles joyfully, before quickly putting back his block note in one of the several breast pocket embroided in his explorer's outfit and moving closer with a delighted smile.
Appartenly, there's no sign of Sasha nor Ishirou, but it's likely they are in one of the three tents built in the campsite.
======================
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Afternoon
======================
Hakeem leads the group as they come upon the odd scene and frowns adamantly at the lax security. Still he managed a smile at Jask after Aerys stormed off. " Good to see you Jask, I wish we had arrived a moment earlier to save the soup." He begins jokingly, before stepping out of the way of Sizara and Jesari and motioning to the ladies." If you could take a look, I think our friends here could use a healer's hand."
He moved to the tree that Aerys was taking her frustrations out on and laughed." What a fool you'd feel like if mother tree here picked up her roots and kicked back!" He went on laughing. " But really, this energy could be put to better use, no?" He asks.
" We aren't dead, not yet...let's not make it so easy for Pharasma. We're doing what we can, but patience is a virtue. It can't be expected to find a way off in the first couple days. We could use another scout, one experienced with treating wounds, and this base needs someone to make it really work. If we were man-eaters or wild beasts we would have slaughtered every one of you... Not a soul on watch." Hakeem scolds.
" I think you'd be good at one or the other, Is what I'm saying...But you've gota keep your head on straight Aerys" He leans in close and taps the side of her noggin for emphasis like an older brother.
Alexite shook his head in disgust as Aerys stormed off. He was about to give her a piece of his mind but paused as he saw Hakeem talk to her. Tito the monkey did not contain himself and went about to chitter angrily at the woman who had chosen to vent her anger on the tree. The monkey climbed the tree and yelled all sorts of things at the girl below.
The ranger greeted Jask and Gelik before succinctly telling them all that had occurred during their exploration.
He then asked, "So what happened here? And where's the Tian Man and Sasha?"
Date: 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
Time: Afternoon
Sizara groaned from both her headache and the half-elf's tantrum. She was going to give her a good lecture but decided against not because she didn't want to deal with it but because Hakeem was already doing that duty. She like Alexite and Hakeem was also a bit shocked at the lack of there being a guard on duty which she was indeed going to scold her fellow survivors despite her not feeling too well.
"Indeed the fact that we could have been monsters, wild beasts, or worse evil spirits and the lack of someone on watch is Not acceptable. I'm glad that you are all alive and well. Even if some of you don't act like you're grateful to be alive and wish to throw a tantrum about our situation instead of doing something productive and assisting your fellow survivors."
She said this loud enough to get their attention and to make sure that Aerys understood the seriousness of their situation and that her attitude was completely unacceptable.
"And now if you will excuse me, I'm going to pass out now.". Which Sizara did, collapsing to the ground.
Kali'da watched Sizara fall over and shook her head before stepping over her, ignoring her dramatics.
"Sorry about de soup," she says to Jask, giving him a pat on his shoulder. "If it helps, it smelled delicious."
Jask smiles at Kali'da and Hakeem: "It's the second time it happens already. Last time Gelik literally dived into the soup...Luckily it wasn't hot yet", sadly answers Jask. "Oh, it has been a very amusing experience my dear Jask...My lady", he says looking at Kali'da, "I had also asked them if they wanted to lick the soup from my body, but they refused. I think that a gnome-spiced fish soup would taste very good indeed", says the gnome before breaking into a hilarious laughter. Jask joins the gnome's laughter, even if with much more demeanor.
Jask and Gelik listen attentively to Alexite's report. The Garundi man then comments: "It's very unfortunate. I'd hoped you'd bring good news with you, but seems like this is not the case. Don't worry about it. We have a lot of time to explore the island, and I'm sure that you'll discover something."
***
In the meanwhile, Hakeem has reached Aerys and done his speech.
His wise words though prove not enough to calm down the furious half-elf. "", says Aerys before getting away. The only kind gaze she reserves is addressed to Jesari.
***
Simultaneously, the discussion near the campfire continues. Jask quickly resumes how things have been going at the base camp during the exploration party's absence: Ishirou and Aerys refused to help at all, while Gelik helped building the tents and Sasha managed to hunt for all the survivors. "She's out hunting now...She'll probably be back in a few hours, hoping nothing bad happens to her", explains Jask. "Ishirou is in that tent: he's currently recovering from a bad disease he contracted. He's going to be better tomorrow, his organism proved very resilient...But I see that both Sizara and Jesari here need some healing. Please Hakeem, be kind and help this old man carrying Sizara in that tent. Jesari, in the meanwhile you can go in that tent over there and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as possible and see if there's something I can do for you".
***
Jask swiftly follows Hakeem in the tent where Sizara has been brought. Only Gelik, Alexite and Kali'da are now near the campfire. The gnome puts his forefinger in the soup and tastes it. "It's still good...The leaves have added a unique flavor to the soup...Want to try?", says the gnome with a joyful smile, before offering his own forefinger for his companions to lick. "By the way...I've had some time to think about my precious knowledge and my immense kindness has suggested me to share it with you. If my mind does not betray me, I have some memories about this island having a partially built lighthouse. Cheliaxian explorers long ago tried to colonize this island, but gave up for some reason. In accordance to the reports I've read, they began building a lighthouse before leaving the island...So maybe if you can find that lighthouse we can finish to build it and use it to signal our presence here and hope a ship rescues us".
***
Jesari is in the tent Jask has indicated her. The Garundi man slowly pulls aside the entrance curtains and politely asks: "I'm Jask. Can I come in?. After receiving Jesari's permission, Jask enters the tent. "Let me check what happened, okay? If you feel pain just tell me", says Jask before using some advanced healing techniques to get a diagnosis. In the process, Jask discovers Jesari wounds and tries to heal them with his healing magic.
"It seems like you have contracted a bad disease, my dear. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure you'll recover soon. I suggest you to rest for the rest of the day: I'll be here taking care of you, don't worry", kindly says Jask before helping Jesari to get into a bedroll. Then the man fills a thurible with coal and herbs, causing the small brazier to produce a light smoke. "This is a thurible. My grandfather taught me how to use it when I was in Nethys' cathedral back in Sothis. Osirians have developed the most advanced healing techniques, delving into their glorious past, did you know it?", says Jask with a paternal attitude to entertain the girl and help her falling asleep.
Jask swiftly follows Hakeem in the tent where Sizara has been brought. Only Gelik, Alexite and Kali'da are now near the campfire. The gnome puts his forefinger in the soup and tastes it. "It's still good...The leaves have added a unique flavor to the soup...Want to try?", says the gnome with a joyful smile, before offering his own forefinger for his companions to lick. "By the way...I've had some time to think about my precious knowledge and my immense kindness has suggested me to share it with you. If my mind does not betray me, I have some memories about this island having a partially built lighthouse. Cheliaxian explorers long ago tried to colonize this island, but gave up for some reason. In accordance to the reports I've read, they began building a lighthouse before leaving the island...So maybe if you can find that lighthouse we can finish to build it and use it to signal our presence here and hope a ship rescues us".
The ranger looks at the gnome with carefully concealed disdain. He smiles and shows his own finger, "I have my own, thank you."
He then sits, "A lighthouse you say, eh? That should be a tall structure and we should be able to see it from far away. How complete was it? Where was it on the island? On the shore obviously but any idea where?"
" That went well. This is why I'm a hermit, and not a teacher." He talks to the monkey after Aerys storms off, rubbing the back of his own neck.
After a moment he wanders back to the campfire just in time to help the sick to tents where Jask could treat them.
He goes by Jesari's tent to make sure she had made it alright, and to encourage her to speak to Aerys. " The woman is angry, and I can understand why, but we need to rein her in. Speak with her Jesari, for whatever reason she seems to only have eyes for you."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Later, he'll rejoin the others by the campfire, but is happy to gaze idly into the embers for now, letting Alexite conduct the line of questions regarding the lighthouse.
"Perhaps I should hunt and forage as well? I'm feeling fine, and Sasha isn't expecting to feed this many heads."
Gelik finishes to lick his own forefinger before answering Alexite's questions: "That I do not know, my friend. I only know that the lighthouse was built south of here, and so exactly on the opposite side of the island."
Then the gnome addresses to Hakeem: "She's pretty good at hunting, as we discovered, but I suppose that having more food cannot hurt anyone."
Jesari nodded to Jask and his suggestion; getting some rest sounded like the best idea she had heard since getting shipwrecked on this stupid island. Before she could do that, however, Jesari felt compelled to check on Aerys. She felt far too invested in the other woman and really wanted to see things work out for her, even if it was just some kind of way to set her mind at ease for not having tried harder with her old friend back in Cheliax.
Jesari walked up to Aerys with her eyebrows arched in concern and placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "How are you doing? I know it sucks being stuck here, just waiting and having to trust that everything will just magically work out. Would you feel better coming with us next time?"
Once she finished speaking to Aerys, Jesari made her way to the tent Jask indicated, leaving her stuff outside and crawling inside to lean back against her arms and wait for Jask. When he finally arrived, Jesari greeted him with a smile and probed him with questions about the camp. "How has Ishirou been doing? Has he warmed up any? I was kind of hoping he'd take my words to heart and help you guys out."
Jesari thanked the kind man for his time and did as she was asked, sliding into the bedroll and flipping over to her side so she could look at Jask while he spoke. His words had exactly the effect that he desired; Jesari was already half asleep, a pleasant smile slowly growing as her thoughts turned back to her happier memories of Cheliax and her grandfather.
Aerys reacted brusquely to the touch felt on her shoulder, but suddenly stopps her violent reaction seeing that the hand on her should is Jesari's.
She listens to the girl without interrupting her, and then answers in a much less harsh tone than before: "You know that I also have another problem...And it makes me nervous. I can't see any way to get out of this fuc...well, of this island. We're lost and off the rails, and nobody will save us. I just cannot see any solution. What your "exploration party" believe to found? Why should I join your useless efforts? I prefer to stay here and starve to death instead of being eaten alive by some ravenous jungle beast or slowly die to a disease. I just wanted to reach Eleder, I never asked for this, I..., she says before bursting into tears.
When the emotional blast is passed, Aerys says: "Stay here, Jesari. I'll show you something", before getting away. She's back in few seconds, carrying with her a small book. "This is my yet unfinished epic: the Abendego Cantos. Just...Just read the book and tell me what you think about it, should you have enough time to waste. If I die here and you somehow survive, please promise me you'll publish it. Use your name if you will, but please publish it".
The half-elf seems to be calmer now.
***
Jask happily answers to Jesari's questions: "Well, I'm afraid your words didn't had the desired effect. Ishirou refused to help us, saying we're all doomed anyway. Then he contracted the disease, and since then he's been resting in one the tents. He'll soon recover, and I hope that all the time spent alone and in silence has allowed him to think more about his will to collaborate, kindly explains Jask.
***
Once things had settled in at the camp, Kali'da approached Hakeem and Alexite to plan their next course of action.
"What do ya t'ink we should do? Wait fa' de oda's to recova', oa head out again wit' someone else. I'm okay wit' waitin' on Jesari and Sizara to get dere wits back about 'em, but I didn't know how ya all felt about it," she asked, glancing about at the others around the camp as they went about their business.
"I t'ink Jask said it should only be a couple days befoa' dey up on dere feet. But a couple days can make a big difference in a situation like dis."
Her mind briefly wandered to the ship that held the remainder of her tribe in its cargo holds, drifting ever further away the longer they were here.
Sizara was feverish, as she began to relive the terror of her birth when her tribe was attacked by charau-ka. She fled through the jungle as the minions of the Gorilla King chased after her. Then the cheetah spirit appeared as a massive storm appeared and lightning bolts struck down the charau-ka. She then saw the cheetah spirit beckoned the elf to follow and each step it took caused a massive tree to sprout from the ground and when it was struck by lightning leaves sprouted on the tree and then Sizara looked at the trees and saw the faces of Alexite, Jesari, Hakeem, and Kali'da rising from the bark. Was this just a strange dream or a vision that her destiny was entwined with her companions' destinies?
Jesari brought Aerys in close, offering the elven woman a shoulder to cry on and the comfort that only a sincere hug can bring. Aerys' sudden need to share catches Jesari off guard but the young woman happily does as instructed, humming to herself while waiting patiently for Aerys to return. It turned out that what Aerys had to share was equally as surprising as her desire to share it.
Jesari's eyes lit up when Aerys presented the book and her mouth slowly shifted from an expression of shock to one of childlike glee. Even with sickness hanging over her head, Jesari had trouble keeping her excitement on a leash, bouncing happily and shouting loud enough to be heard by everyone in the camp. "Aerys! This is amazing! I had no idea!" Catching herself, Jesari slapped a hand over her mouth - though it did little to cover her growing smile or laughter - and peeked over at the camp as if to say 'Oops.'
But just as quickly as her burst of excitement had come, it faded into a look of contemplation, her eyes looking down at the book in her hands with uncertainty. "I'm honored, Aerys, I really am. And I'd love to read it...but I think it would be better if you hung onto it when I'm done." Jesari sighed and looked up from the book to meet Aerys' eyes. "It might not seem like it, but I'm scared to death too. I mean...I grew up in a temple writing poetry and playing the flute for crying out loud. I'm not exactly cut out for this stuff. But I realized something while I was out there. Every time things got tough and I wanted to just quit, I would think about my grandfather and the promise I have to keep. I feel like it would be best if this book was that same kind of promise for you. Survive, get this book off this island, finish it, and share it with the world."