GM mechaPoet's Serpent's Skull (Inactive)

Game Master mechaPoet

"Okay, sounds like you've got things well under control then! I'm going to check the captain's cabin and then I'll be right behind you two."

Satisfied that Siri and Kenton can handle themselves for the next few minutes, Aleris turns back to the captain's cabin. She enters and carefully makes her way over to the desk and begins to check through the drawers.

Paulinus stays where he is, trusting that the others have things in hand. "Be careful, Aleris," he offers gently as the Sylph goes off into the captain's cabin.

In the captain's cabin, the drawers are upside-down, and so pulling them out without taking care to catch the contents ends up spilling everything on the floor. Nothing breaks from this though. One drawer contains a ring of keys--one of which may open Jask's manacles. Another drawer contains sea charts and maps, as well as the captain's log. There is a map of the west coast of Garund that plots Jenivere's course, and a map of Desperation Bay.

One of the drawers is locked:

A wooden footlocker against the desk contains a masterwork dagger, a suit of leather armor sized for a medium humanoid, two potion vials with clear liquid in them, a holy symbol of Nethys (a half-black and half-white mask), and a spell component pouch.

Below deck, Siri tries to open the scratched door. It's not locked, but it is stuck. A few good shoulder rams open into what looks like the supply room. But the most noticeable thing here is the rank stench of death and the pool of coagulating blood coming from the body of the first mate Alton Devers. He still wears his masterwork studded leather armor, and clutches a masterwork short sword in one hand.

The rest of the supply room contains a number of items that would be useful in setting up a secure campsite: a block and tackle, three large canvas sheets, two fishing nets, a grappling hook, two bullseye lanterns, 12 flasks of lantern oil, 150 feet of hemp rope, and five shovels.

As she reads the contents of the captain's log, Aleris lets out a low whistle. "Looks like Sasha was right...sort of. Maybe this is why she stayed in her room so much!" Aleris pockets the log and then considers the locked drawer for a moment before attempting to smash it with her sickle.

Smashing the drawer: 1d20 ⇒ 18

"Yeah...didn't think that would work. Wait a minute! I'm an idiot. Maybe one of these keys would do the trick." Aleris rifles through the keys on the keyring, trying to see if any of them would open the locked drawer.

The woman rams open the door, before clutching her hand to her face in the stench of a corpse. She recognizes who it was, though how he died was beyond her limited knowledge. Siri looks around the place and notices all of the supplies in here - good for possibly setting up a camp. She grabs all that she can carry for now, calling to the others. "There are plenty of supplies down here. I have also found the first mate. We should take everything we can with us back to the others."

As luck would have it, one of the keys fits into the lock. And, as luck usually has it, Aleris has to try every wrong key to find the proper one. The drawer contains a bottle of fine brandy, a darkwood model of the Jenivere in a glass bottle, a small coffer containing 350 gold pieces, and a long leather satchel with a dozen potions in it. Each potion is wrapped in (luckily dry) parchment, on which is scrawled the effects of each potion.

There is still one room left to explore to the north of the supply room. I'll try to set up a Google doc for the loot list soon, too.

After hauling out the supplies to make a camp and the first mate's body, Siri will start to dig a grave in the closest patch of soft soil she can find beyond the tide line using one of the shovels. She'll mark the grave with the man's sword and bury him in his armor, respectful of the dead's possessions.

Afterwards, once he's been buried well and the soil is patted down, the half-elf will start hauling all the camping supplies back down the beach to the others.

Appraise the Brandy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Appraise the model Jenivere: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Hmm, don't know what sort of quality the captain preferred for his drink or his toys, but maybe one of the others might know. That Aerys woman might like the brandy, at any rate.

Upon seeing the potions and the money, Aleris smiles. "The captain certainly wasn't a fool, despite losing his mind - which is lucky for us, it seems!"

Having searched the captain's cabin, Aleris will take whatever she can and start taking it outside and setting it in a neat pile similar to what Siri has been doing with the supplies found down below.

"Hey Paulinus! I've found some things that I think we'll find useful, including that Jask man's equipment. Care to help me haul it down from the boat?"

When Aleris sees Siri and Kenton haul the body of the first mate up the stairs, she sighs and shakes her head. "I was afraid of that. I found the captain's journal still in his cabin; it explains quite a bit about our current situation." Aleris offers the journal to anyone who wishes to read it.

"If it's not going to sink, sure..." Paulinus says, helping to retrieve the loot. He'll take a look into the room north of the supply room as well.

Ieana isn't on the beach, right?

Ieana is the only passenger who was not on the beach. Nor was any evidence of her body along the length of it.

The remains of the Jenivere shake with each choppy wave that hits. However, it seems to be holding fairly well, trapped between the rocks and cliff as it is. It will certainly be lost to the sea eventually, but it will hold at least for a few days.

Paulinus check the other room on the upper deck, and the smell of death hits him in the face. The cook's body lies here, swarmed with iridescent flies. The stench of rot would seem to indicate that this corpse is much older than the first mate's; the latter probably died within the last day, whereas the cook died at least a day before that.

Eventually the Jenivere is neatly scavenged, and its remaining supplies sit on the beach, surrounded by new castaways. The afternoon sky is fading into twilight, and thick gray clouds roll in from the north. Drops of rain start to fall, and for now there is just a drizzle, but the clouds ahead threaten more soon. The passengers who didn't investigate the wreck seem to have regained some strength, and all look willing to help except Gelik, who sulks under a tree where beach meets jungle in order to stay dry. Even Jask stands ready, with his small pot belly poking out of his prisoner's rags and his skinny arms manacled together. He walks over to Aleris, smiling. "Did you find the key? I understand if you're a bit wary of freeing a prisoner, but I haven't actually been tried yet, and I'm innocent," he says, with no hint of sarcasm.

Kenton helps carry the body of the first mate, grumbling the whole time about not signing up for corpse disposal. When they get back to the beach, he tries to create a makeshift encampment.

Survival Check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

While he's attempting to make the camp, he listens to the prisoner ask to be let free. Remembering his earlier assessment of the cleric, he responds.

"He seems trustworthy enough. Besides, leaving him shackled in this place might as well be an execution."

"Agreed." Siri tells her, getting to work. It was not unlike when she helped her mother back home, though that had been a temperate climate. The work actually makes her feel a little homesick, sighing deeply and doing what she can to create some decent shelters.

Not for the first time, she wondered if she was making the right choice in heading back to her mother's homeland.

"...I buried the first mate," She comments to Aerys as they work. "I think that he may have saved our lives. He was killed by one of those scorpions. I wish I could have done more for him." She pauses for a moment, before asking, "Was it right to bury him? That is the custom, yes?"

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

This fellow is more go-with-the-flow than I am, and that's saying something. Then again, Kenton seems to find him trustworthy. And he'd be stupid to try anything with this many people around, anyway.

"I sure did! You seem trustworthy enough and Kenton seems to agree. He's also right that leaving those manacles on isn't going to do anyone any favors right now - like I said earlier, I have a feeling that we're going to need all the help we can get," she says as she glances at Gelik.

Aleris tests each key until she finds the one that unlocks the manacles. "Shall we get to work? I'd rather not spend my first night as a castaway soaked to the bone!" she laughs.

Go ahead and roll for Survival if you're helping to put up camp. I'll take the highest roll as the base and add in anyone else's as assists.

"I never went on many camping trips as a kid, so I'm not sure how useful I'll be at setting up. No time like the present to learn though, right?"

Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

I stand corrected.

"What crime were you accused of, Jask?" Paulinus asks the man, before Aleris frees him. He might be telling the truth, and he might just be wanting a chance to slit our throats.

After receiving a response Paulinus starts to help with setting up the camp.

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Kenton, shamed by the witch's campsite work, keeps to himself by the side of the camp and appreciates the short sword he managed to swipe off of the first mate as he carried him out of the wreckage. The metal gleams in the fading light, and the scout swallows the guilt riding up in his stomach.

Rest well, Devers. No offense intended to the dead, but this thing could still save lives.

Aerys simply shakes her head at the news of the first mate's death. As the two of them raise a canvas tent against the hastening rain, Aerys takes a deep breath before answering Siri's question. "It's good that you buried him. Usually I'd say 'e should be buried at sea, but I don't think we're in any position t'get anything remotely seaworthy out right now. It's on account of 'im that we're still breathin', so I figure that's the least we could do for 'im."

Jask smiles at Aleris as she looks for the right key. As Paulinus comes growling toward him, though, he sighs, but the smile only diminishes instead of disappearing. "I know it's hard to trust a man in chains, but I have been wrongly arrested. I used to work in a government office in Sargava, cataloging and such. Myself, I favor the white side of Nethys' mask--and there's plenty of knowledge to be had and protected in a government office. I'm very glad they trusted me there. In any case, I picked up on a little too much knowledge," Jask says with a wink. "When I discovered some illegal deals that someone had made with the Free Captains of the Shackles, I dutifully informed my superior, who turned around to betray me, and accuse me of his crime! So I ran away to Corentyn. I was there for ten years, and I guess it was silly to think they had forgotten, because a Sargavan agent tracked me down and arrested me. I was on my way to be tried before the ship wrecked. I see that you found my holy symbol," he says, gesturing toward the pile of his things stacked with the other supplies. "I could channel Nethys' healing energy if any of you are hurt."

Working together, the castaways set up a suitable camp just inside the jungle (away from the high tide line) in just an hour's time, before the sky opens and the rain comes down in torrents. It relieves the heat of the day, but the downpour is fierce and roaring, louder even than the ocean. Gathered around a small campfire, the usually taciturn Ishirou speaks up when the ship explorers reveal what they've learned about the fate of the Jenivere.

"I knew it! I had a feeling this was Smuggler's Shiv," he says, punctuating his statement by clapping his hands together.

"Hmph," Gelik mutters. "I could have told you that."

"Well then, why didn't you?" Aerys asks.

"If you can't figure it out yourself, maybe you just don't deserve to know," Gelik retorts, crossing his arms grumpily. Aerys snarls, but doesn't say anything, and Sasha rolls her eyes at the gnome.

"Anyway, as I was saying..." Ishirou continues. "Smuggler's Shiv is a notorious island north of Eleder. It's not shown on most maps, but is rightfully feared by those who ply the waters of Desperation Bay. The island is named partially for the knife-like shape of its coastline, but also for its uncanny habit of wrecking ships that draw too near--mostly smugglers eager to avoid detection by Sargava's navy.
"I hear tell that Smuggler's Shiv is haunted by the ghosts and ghouls of the sailors who have died on the ragged rocks and reefs surrounding the island. It's probably why all attempts to establish long-lasting colonies on the remote island have failed.
"But you know, when Sargava was first settled, Chelish engineers erected a lighthouse on the Shiv's southwest shore. The light was intended to warn approaching ships of the dangerous waters, and eventually a small colony sprung up around it. The light and all plans for colonization were abandoned just before completion, though, amid rumors of curses, haunts, and cannibalism.
"Rumor holds that a group of shipwrecked Chelish soldiers, survivors of an attempted Thrune invasion of Sargava some 70 years ago, were stranded on the island. The rumors claim that they degenerated into a cannibalistic society, and that their descendants scour the island's shores for shipwreck victims to add to their meals."

A short silence follows these grim declarations. Ishirou slaps his hands on his knees as he stands, saying, "It's all just rumors, though. I say we work on just surviving this first night before we worry about anything else."

This is the part where I introduce the Survival Camp mechanics from the AP, if you all want. I'll post rules in the Discussion, and you can decide whether you want to be involved in it, or hand-wave it, etc.

Siri listens to what Ishirou has to say about the island - the lighthouse's existence seems to interest her. If they could get to it and get it working, could they possibly get a ship to come close enough to rescue them all from here?

She nibbles on some jerked venison while glancing at Aerys, sliding over to her side and speaking quietly to her. "You said that there was something that we needed to talk about?" She whispers. "Now seems to be a good time for that."

Before the camp was set up...

"We're going to need every hand we can get out here. Why don't you go ahead and free Jask, Aleris," Paulinus suggests to the sylph.

After camp is established...

After everyone has settled in and everyone is sitting around talking, Paulinus approaches Jask. "So you're a priest of Nethys? I am a worker of divine magic myself, though I call Abadar patron. If you can prove yourself trustworthy and useful before we get off this rock, I'll do everything in my power to prevent you from being punished for a crime you didn't commit."

Take 10 on diplomacy for a 17.

I'm just going to go ahead and assign the NPCs Survival Camp Roles, let me know if you want them doing the other one they're capable of.

Each castaway pitches in to maintain the camp--except Gelik, who sulkily spends his time in a soggy lean-to scribbling in his journal.

Aerys has memorized quite a lot of epic poetry, and will recite some for the camp in order to keep spirits high.
Role: Entertainer
Attitude: Friendly (esp. Siri)

Gelik is in a foul mood and refuses to help.
Role: None
Attitude: Unfriendly

Ishirou decides to set traps against any potential midnight ambushes.
Role: Defender
Attitude: Indifferent

Jask Derindi seems eager to help, and without his manacles on, he uses his magic and knowledge of healing to keep everyone as healthy as possible. He gathers everyone together once he has his holy symbol back and his hands free, then channels positive energy to heal their wounds.
Channel Positive Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Channel Positive Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Role: Medic
Attitude: Friendly (from Paulinus' post above)

Sasha stalks off into the underbrush, to hunt down game to supplement the rations from the Jenivere.
Role: Hunter
Attitude: Indifferent

Feel free to pick a Survival Camp Role for the night--you can post it here or in the Discussion thread.

-----

Aerys nods as Siri comes over, then gestures for her to follow. Aerys hands Siri a large palm leaf for an umbrella, then picks one up for herself as they walk a little past the edge of camp. Satisfied that the pouring rain will keep the conversation just between the two women, Aerys starts to speak, with obvious difficulty. "So...I appreciate ya checkin' up on me earlier today. I see a lot o' myself in you: angry; strong; don't take nothin' from no one. But listen...this ain't easy for me t' say...I know you saw me drinkin' an awful lot on the ship. You know what it's like, tryin' to be a sailor woman among men. Think they're better than us, so we knock 'em flat, but it's not enough. It just drives me crazy! And it drives me to the drink. I--I didn't realize how bad I was gettin' til we washed up here," she admits, looking down. Her hands are visibly shaking. When she looks back up, it's obvious that she's trying to suppress tears.

She swallows hard before she continues, her voice impressively unwavering. "I know I've got to kick it. But I need help. I'm sure magic could help, but I seriously doubt there's anyone powerful enough around here for that. But, a couple shipmates o' mine that managed to kick the bottle habit say that viper nettle berries will do the trick. They taste awful, and the plant has thorns the size of a person's forearm in places, but they'll do the trick. I know it's a lot to ask, but if you could find some for me, I'd owe you. I give my word as a sailor. In the meantime, my shakes are getting bad--that brandy that you lot found is callin' my name like a succubus. Do you think I could ration myself out some? Just enough to keep my hands steady..."

-----

Jask smiles at Paulinus as he approaches. Since getting his bonds off, he has re-donned his leather armor, and a well-crafted dagger is in a sheath at his hip. The two-toned mask that is his holy symbol dangles from a leather necklace. "A noble offer!" he responds, "although a somewhat conditional one. Not that I would expect anything less from one who follows the Vault Keeper. Trust me, I'll make myself useful. Are you feeling better since I channeled energy for us? It's good to feel a holy symbol in my hand again," he says, squeezing the mask briefly as he does so. "If you're willing to help me prove my innocence, I think I figured out a way you can help. The man who betrayed me was brokering illicit deals with a pirate named Avret Kinkarian. His ship, the Brine Demon reportedly crashed on Smuggler's Shiv. I knew I had heard that name before, and it looks like fortune is smiling on me in an odd way. I know it's a long shot, but if you happen to find that ship, and if their records survive, I'm sure it would prove my innocence. If it can't, well, I guess I'll be going back in chains if we get off this island."

Siri listens to Aerys' passionate cry for help with her affliction, trying to be compassionate. She nods, knowing well the uses of the natural remedies of the land. "I will find you the berries, if they grow on this island," She promises her. "And until then, I will let you ration the brandy for as long as it lasts, so long as you let me keep it so you do not succumb completely."

She looks around to make sure that they're not being watched, before pulling Aerys in with a hug - it always made her feel better growing up when her mother did this. "...You are the first person I've met that I could call a friend," She admits. "So to see you suffer makes me suffer as well." She lets her go, holding up the leaf again against the rain. "And I will ensure that you can trust me to help you."

Back at camp...

Siri takes a seat for the moment, finding a whetstone and working on honing the edge of her blade. "I will go hunting with Sasha when the rains end," She tells the others. The woman also claims the brandy bottle, finding a tin cup and pouring a small amount into it, before diluting it with some water, handing it over to Aerys. "Drink it slow," She tells her, slipping the bottle into her pack.

Afterwards, the barbarian woman gets up and heads off to work with Sasha in hunting. "We should forage for berries as well as game," She comments to her. She thinks for a moment, before speaking again. "Shall we make sport of it? To see who can gather the most?"

Role: Hunter

Survival (Stowaway trait): 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 5 + 1 = 17
Sense Motive (Sasha): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Diplomacy (Sasha): 1d20 ⇒ 17 Plus whatever circumstantial bonuses.

As the group bustles about, Aleris looks around and takes stock of each of her companions.

That Aerys sure knows how to make poetry epic! If we ever make it off the island, I might have to see if she'll teach me a few of those poems. Seems like she's taken a shine to Siri, too. As she watches Aerys and Siri step away from the group to speak privately, Aleris feels a twinge of sadness well up within her. They have their elven blood in common. I've still not run into anyone like me...

She shakes her head and continues looking around, eager to find a distraction. Her eyes fall on Ishirou, working quietly to set up his traps.

Sense Motive (Ishirou): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Quiet. The Tien are an enigma to me, but at least he's making himself useful.

Her eyes turn to Sasha, preparing to embark on a short hunting excursion with Siri.

Sense Motive (Sasha): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Cheerful, but she's got some fire, too. I get the feeling she won't stand for anyone trying to throw their weight around too much, at least where she's concerned.

As she looks around, Aleris catches bits and pieces of the conversation between Paulinus and Jask. Best to let the priests talk about priestly matters. I can speak to Jask later.

Finally, she looks at the sullen Gelik, sitting alone and scribbling in his journal. Her eyes light up. We're not in the best situation for sure, but Gelik is being a sourpuss and that's going to get old to some of the others really quick if he doesn't shape up and help out a little.

Aleris moves to sit down next to the gnome and adopts a sympathetic manner. "Why the long face, Gelik? It's not the best of accomodations to be sure, but we're alive and we've got food to eat. You heard what Ishirou said about the lighthouse, right? I bet it's still in enough working order that we can light it up and be rescued before you know it - and then you'll have another great story to add to your repetoire!"

Hmm, I hope I didn't overdo it. I never was that great at the whole "comfort" thing.

Diplomacy (Gelik): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Jask smiles at Paulinus as he approaches. Since getting his bonds off, he has re-donned his leather armor, and a well-crafted dagger is in a sheath at his hip. The two-toned mask that is his holy symbol dangles from a leather necklace. "A noble offer!" he responds, "although a somewhat conditional one. Not that I would expect anything less from one who follows the Vault Keeper. Trust me, I'll make myself useful. Are you feeling better since I channeled energy for us? It's good to feel a holy symbol in my hand again," he says, squeezing the mask briefly as he does so. "If you're willing to help me prove my innocence, I think I figured out a way you can help. The man who betrayed me was brokering illicit deals with a pirate named Avret Kinkarian. His ship, the Brine Demon reportedly crashed on Smuggler's Shiv. I knew I had heard that name before, and it looks like fortune is smiling on me in an odd way. I know it's a long shot, but if you happen to find that ship, and if their records survive, I'm sure it would prove my innocence. If it can't, well, I guess I'll be going back in chains if we get off this island."

"I will gladly try to help you. If we come across the Brine Demon in our explorations I will search for the records. And, yes, thank you for the healing. I wasn't wounded very badly, but it was still uncomfortable," Paulinus says with a smile, clapping Jask lightly on the shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go guard the camp. Don't want any cannibals or monsters sneaking up on us."

Paulinus goes to walk a perimeter around the camp. Hopefully someone else will join me in guarding, otherwise I won't get any sleep. Luckily I still have all my spells for the day, but a night of walking and paying attention is not what I was looking forward to after being drugged and shipwrecked.

Taking the guard role.

Regardless of how her conversation with Gelik goes, Aleris and Fidget will help take watch as well at some point.

Aerys looks relieved at Siri's promise. She's a bit taken aback by the hug, but returns it in kind. "You know, it's been a while since I could call someone friend, as well. Thank you." Back at camp, she gratefully accepts the tin cup, and offers inspiring verses to drive away boredom.

Although Siri and Sasha agree to leave when the rain stops, it doesn't appear that the downpour will stop anytime soon. It does slow, however, and Sasha grows impatient, jumping up with her blades at the ready. Sasha grins widely at Siri's challenge. "You're on! Meet you back at camp in a couple hours," she says, walking toward the undergrowth. "Hope you're ready to lose!" she cries, hacking branches and vines out of her way as she plunges into the dense jungle.
Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
When the two reconvene, Siri has far outstripped Sasha in her food collection. Altogether it's a good haul, with the barbarian gathering a large amount of fresh water from a nearby river, lots of berries and other tropical fruits, and a few fat small-winged ground-parrots, and the red-haired human bringing in almost as much water and a couple of large-horned goats. "Damn, you got me beat!" she complains, but her manic smile is present. "Guess we won't starve tonight, eh? Hey, listen," she says, lowering her voice slightly. She makes sure the others at the camp are busy with other things before she continues. "Look, I would have had you beat, but I didn't quite spend that whole time foraging. I saw these little flying reptile things, with giant beaks, and they actually attacked the goats I brought back. I wouldn't have caught these buggers, except for those little pterosaurs must be poisonous," she says gleefully. "They were so cute, I just had to get one for a pet! But I couldn't catch them. If you happen to find any nests, though, I'm sure it'd be pretty simple to find an egg, or a baby one...Oh, please, it would be so great! And I promise I'd keep it under control! What do you say?" Sasha holds her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes sparkling and pleading.

Gelik glances over at Aleris, looking skeptical and bored, obviously uninterested in what she has to say. Then he sighs and rolls his eyes. "Look, I can see you're trying to help. That's great. Really. I, however, am not trying to help, because this whole situation is ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as your tattoos. What are you, some sort of flimsy, would-be Shoanti? Since you like your ink so much, maybe you'll like this," he says. Before Aleris can ask him explain what "this" is, Gelik turns his quill toward her and flicks wet globs of ink on her shirt. "Ah, a masterpiece!" he says theatrically, with a flourish of his hand.
Perform (Comedy): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 Aleris can try to retaliate with her own joke if she likes. Make a Perform (Comedy) check if you do.

Jask waves Paulinus on, saying, "Glad to be of help! Let me know if you find anything." Paulinus walks a perimeter, keeping an eye out for threat from the shadows. It’s a paranoid duty, as the bushes constantly rustle with small rodents, the occasional monkey shriek sounds from the trees, and the constant rain provides a muffling drone for any would-be invaders.

Paulinus can take first shift, and Aleris second.

"What do y-hey!" she exclaims as Gelik splatters her shirt with ink. She simply pauses for a moment and looks at Gelik in a calculating manner. Then, she smiles knowingly.

Aleris stands up and backs away from Gelik, all the while making exaggerated pointing motions from her eyes to him.

Perform (Comedy): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Nerts, I was really wanting that to work. Now Gelik and anyone else that understands Gnome likely thinks Aleris is retarded :P

No one else seems to have understood Aleris. For now, Gelik seems very unimpressed. Maybe try again later? :P

The barbarian listens quietly to the energetic woman's request, before replying to her. "If I find a nest, I will see about bringing you back an egg or a baby. Just be sure to be responsible for it." She looks at the goats, mulling over Sasha's story. "If they were poisoned, then that means they might still have some in their meat. Take care in the preparation."

She brings her haul into the camp, adding the food to their stores and hanging up the parrots, before taking a seat to rest for now, laying her head down and taking a few moments to think. "...we should start exploring the island in earnest tomorrow," She states to the others. "We should look for the lighthouse. It may be our best way of getting help."

I agree, and would do so in character if I weren't off patrolling the camp.

Sorry for the lateness, it's been a long day.

Sense Motive (Ishirou): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Sense Motive (Sasha): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Kenton, after a long period of people watching around the campfire, decides to approach Sasha cautiously once she and Siri return from the foraging and the assassin is alone.

His heart pounded against his chest. The Red Mantis assassins were not to be trifled with, but Sasha seemed relatively social, and that went a long way with Kenton.

Once he is sure that they are not within earshot of anyone else, he smiles gruffly at Sasha and huffs warm breath into his hands. Even in the tropics, nights still got cold enough to bother him.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

"Sasha, before I say anything, I want you to know that I trust you. You've given me no reason to not do so," he said, his hands rubbing together just under his chin.

"I know what your tattoo means. I just don't care. Some of the others might not understand, and that's why I'm going to leave your business up to you. Just didn't want to leave you feeling like you had to hide from everyone."

The scout looks the assassin in the eyes.

"We're in this together," Kenton adds after a thought.

Later on, he offers to help Ishirou set traps around the campsite.

Taking Defender role.

Seeing that her antics had little effect, Aleris sighs and walks away. "Guess I need to work on my delivery," she mutters to herself. She walks to Paulinus, making his rounds around the camp area. "I'm going to try and get a little sleep. Wake me up later and I'll keep watch for awhile, too."

With that, Aleris returns to her bedroll and begins to bed down.

Barring anything happening during the night, Aleris will memorize the following spells when she communes with Fidget: (Cantrips - Daze, Guidance, Message) & (1st - Mage Armor, Ear-Piercing Scream).

No problem, Kenton, we all get busy.

Sasha squeals in delight at Siri's promise, although she quickly muffles it to not attract attention to their meeting. "Thank you so, so, so much! You won't regret it, I promise!"

Later that night, Sasha is humming a tune as she roasts goat meat over the campfire. Luckily, with Jask back in action, a few orisons have the meat cleansed of any poison or disease. As she goes to the supplies to try to find some seasoning, Kenton approaches her. "Well I'm glad to hear that I've earned the trust of a man who steals from the dead," she teases, eyeing his new sword. "Hey, it's not like he was using it, right?" she jokes, smiling mischievously. When he brings up the tattoo, though, her smile instantly drops and her eyes burn wildly with anger. She lets Kenton finish, though, before lowering her voice to a vicious whisper. "Look, I don't know what you think you understand about me, or that tattoo," she spits, her mouth contorted into a snarl, "but I'm glad you understand that it's none of your business." Sasha meets Kenton's eyes with her roiling green ones, then takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She closes her eyes, and seems to calm down, and quickly the smile returns to her face, but less bright than before. "Yeah, you're right, we're in this together. I'll see you 'round, Kenton," she says, walking back toward her roasting meat with a packet of salt.

-----

Camp status:

Defenders: 2 (Ishirou, Kenton)
Entertainers: 1 (Aerys)
Guards: 2 (Paulinus, Aleris)
Hunters: 2 (Sasha, Siri)
Medics: 1 (Jask)

Food and Water: Between Sasha and Siri's haul, they gather enough food and water for 16 people. Food consumed: 8.5 (Gelik requires half as much food as a medium creature). Food surplus: 7.5

Camp Defense: Paulinus and Aleris do a sound job guarding, and nothing attacks the camp in the night.

Disease: With the smoke from the campfire and Jask's attentive care, the bug bites are less frequent and treated more often--but still annoying.

Morale: In the evening, Aerys gives a rousing recitation of selections from the epic poem The Long Journey.

-----

The next morning, the sun rises and the cold, wet night quickly turns to a muggy, hot day. A few minutes in the sun is enough to dry most anything soggy from last night. Luckily, the night passed without disturbances thank to the vigilant watch. The other castaways wake up. Some seem more ragged than yesterday, as they grow desperate with the realization that they may never get off this island: Aerys, Gelik, and Sasha seem more on edge. Ishirou and Jask seem to be back to their old selves. The castaways resume their duties at the camp, but remembering Siri's proposition that they explore the island and try to find the lighthouse, most decline. They decide to maintain the camp, to provide a safe haven and base of operations for those that feel like risking the jungle.

Damn my crappy diplomacy roll. Wasted all the good ones just figuring out who Sasha was!

After the interaction with Sasha, the scout shakes his head in defeat.

That did not go well. I guess that's what I get for spending the last two years spending most of my time by myself. That woman is dangerous, and I probably just made myself a target in the process.

Still, true to his word, Kenton does not mention Sasha's background to the others and returns to the group to talk and rest for the night.

When the group awakes in the morning, Kenton approaches Siri.

"I've heard horrible things about this place, but I know the jungles of Sargava better than most. I'm pretty sure I can find that lighthouse for us given some time."

Siri wakes up and looks around the camp, slightly disorientated for a moment before she remembers just where she was. She takes a moment to slip to the edge of camp with some of the water away from private eyes to wash herself properly, keeping an eye out for any potential peeping toms. It only takes her a few minutes to wipe her herself clean with a wash rag.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Assuming no one sneaks up on her...

The barbarian comes back into camp, taking a few berries for her breakfast and glances around. "We should start exploring. The morning is the best time for it, before it gets too hot. Who will come with me?"

She looks at Kenton, nodding to him. "We should start to the west, along the coastline. Aside from the lighthouse, we should look out for predators and medicinal plants."

Let me know what specific direction you want to go in. Map is at the top.

Assuming Aleris is already awake since she had second watch.

It was nice to see the sun rise this morning...shame I'm not somewhere where I could have enjoyed the view a bit more.

Siri's question snaps her out of her musing. "I'll go with you. I think I might be of more use with you than here at camp."

Aleris proceeds to ready her belongings for what looks to be a bit of a walk. She splashes some water on her face and checks the equipment pile again to see if there's anything that might be useful.

"I'll be coming as well," Paulinus says. After grabbing a quick breakfast and strapping on his armor, pack and shield, he hefts his bundle of shortspears and goes to join the others. "I'm not as skilled a guide as many of my native friends back in Eleder, but I'm no stranger to the jungle either. I agree with Siri that we should search the whole island systematically. It's not that big, and something that could be the key to us getting out of here could be hidden anywhere."

The explorers head out of the camp, first heading north toward the beach, but soon cutting west along the ridge above the wrecked Jenivere. There isn't much beach to speak of, and the jungle crowds the cliff face such that walking along it is either impossible or insane. Even with vigorous bushwhacking, it's soon obvious that the going will be slow, and it's impossible to travel a straight line though the jungle.

Around noon, the sun overhead becomes unbearably hot. There's plenty of shade to rest in, but trekking through the jungle now would be exhausting and dangerous.

After resting for a few hours, the search party can continue (Unless you all want to press on through the heat, which will involve some saving throws. Let me know). Following the northern side of the island (or as close as they can get, given the brush), they do come across another beach, although this one is more stone than sand. The wreckage of a ship rests fully aground, its belly ruptured. A narrow natural ledge that starts at the top of the cliff is just barely navigable, and leads down. The coastline starts to curve back southwest here, too, suggesting that the peninsula's tip is also only a couple more hours west.

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

"Keep your eyes peeled for large snakes, I see signs of their kills." Paulinus says soon after leaving the camp.

When the group sees the beached ship, Paulinus suggests, "Lets make our way down to the wreck and check it out."

So exactly how many hours did it take the group to reach this wreck? Assuming they left in the early morning (8am), and that they stopped to keep from overexerting themselves when it gets hot - I'm just pondering the time management here.

The barbarian nods, before trekking down towards it - the jungle has been particularly difficult to travel, slowing them down to a pace that feels terrible to her. She draws her blade jut in case any of those scorpion things still lurked around the beach looking for a lunch. She goes to search the wreck for anything useful.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

I was assuming a 6am leave time (basically at dawn, with Aleris having prepared her spells already during her watch). The dangerous heat lasts from 12-2, so right now it's 2pm.

Leading the way through the jungle, gladius chopping a path for the rest of the group, Kenton's slate-grey eyes search the underbrush for signs of the snakes Paulinus pointed out earlier.

When they come upon the beach and the wreck, he keeps himself oriented towards the jungle, half-believing that the racket they caused by tromping through to here woke up every predator within a mile.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

"Something unsettling about an island that seems to be mainly occupied by shipwrecked vessels."

“I agree wholeheartedly there are bound to be some undead around here somewhere. All the unpleasant deaths...”

Paulinus moves down with Siri taking a good look before going into the wreck proper.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

"You forgot about the cannibals Ishirou mentioned." Siri tosses out into the conversation, continuing to search around.

It took us 6 to 8 hours to reach this point? The island is way bigger than I thought. Is there any way to gauge exactly how far they've traveled from the camp? A mile scale or the like?

Regardless of how far we’ve gone won’t we need to either rest or make checks for forced march after 4pm? I’m pretty sure you can only travel 8 hours in a day before entering forced march terrritory. I’m not at my computer right now or I’d look it up to be sure.

I'll add some interest dots to the map to clear up where things are. The island isn't actually that large, but trackless jungle has you moving at .5 miles per hour. You are indeed correct about the forced march after 8 hours of walking. That said, the chapter about maintaining exploration verisimilitude is my least favorite chapter, so I basically don't care unless 1) you want to take those rules into account, or 2) you try to walk all night and never sleep, or some other such thing.

As the explorers approach the ship, they can make out a largely decayed wooden figurehead on the front that appears to have once been a carving of a woman with elaborate tattoos. Mold grows in the ridges now, and the carving's face, arms, and legs are covered in spirals of soft green. The nameplate on the ship's hull remains, weathered but readable, declaring this the wreck of the Tattooed Lady. At first glance into the gaping hole in the ship's belly, it seems like the interior is covered in small, dark rocks. A closer look, though, reveals a large colony of black-blue crabs. They don't seem to react to the intruders, other than to take tiny test pinches at their boots; luckily, they are far too small to do more than occasionally leave tiny scratches. The only other things in the Tattooed Lady, besides rotting wood and sand, are the occasional glimpses of white when the crabs scuttle: the bones of the old crew, presumably.

If you want to continue your trek, you are only one more mile (and therefore two hours) away from the tip of the peninsula. EDIT: Map points and mile scale added!

Wait, we were walking through the jungle? I assumed that they were walking along the coast, but if you say that's difficult jungle terrain too, fair enough. Though could we perhaps make Survival checks to help reduce travel time by finding decent paths? And is it going to take just as long to return, or will we have already macheted a trail back to make things easier?

Siri only takes a few minutes to glance through the wreck before determining that there's nothing useful here. She glances up at the sky, thinking on their long trail, before turning to the others.

"We should continue to the tip of the peninsula. Perhaps we will be able to get a look at the other features of the island from there," She tells them, heading off to the west along the coastal cliffs.

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Yes, sorry if that was unclear before. You're staying as close to the north shore as possible, but the reason that travel is so slow is that the brush is too thick for you to move in a straight line in any direction for very long. Survival doesn't really apply to moving through terrain quickly, but I'll let you keep that roll for the post below. It seems to fair to let you travel faster when backtracking; since it's better than no trail, but isn't a properly made one, we'll split the difference and call it 1 mile per hour while backtracking.

The explorers cut their way further west, toward the tip of the peninsula.

-----

Initiative!
Creature: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Paulinus: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Siri: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Kenton: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Aleris: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

1. Siri, Aleris, Paulinus, Kenton
2. Creature

Know Nature: 1d20 ⇒ 3

Siri isn't entirely sure, but it was a tiny flying reptile so it seemed that it was what Sasha wanted as a pet. It certainly didn't seem like it would cause more problems than a hawk or an owl.

Of course, this would have been so much easier if she had a bow, but the last one she had owned had been broken long ago. Instead, she took a look at the cliff wall, where its nest must be. Perhaps there was an egg or a baby for the redhead.

She steps towards the cliff, her curve blade at the ready should the creature fly down to bite her for invading its territory.

Readied action: Attack flying reptile if it gets into melee range. Move action: Head up to the cliff.