The group puts the smoking ruin behind them, and continued on, walking along the beach. The noonday sun is definitely hot, and if not for the sea breeze would be affecting you adversely.
After an hour, maybe ninety minutes you come to the crest of the northern tip of Smugger's Shiv. A few islets jut out from the tip of the crest, and if you shade your eyes and squint you can barely make out a larger island to the south-west. The northern end of Smuggler's Shiv makes a near-circle, the inner cove protected from the treacherous currents and ocean-crossing storms.
You hear a high-pitched cry, and a shadow flits over the sands. Looking up, you do not see the expected seagull or tern but instead a much larger reptilian flying creature. The dimorphodon, colored in brown, red, and purple, flies out to the ocean, apparently ignoring your party.
Well then, let's get back, eh? We didn't get a whole heckuva lot, but it's better than nothing, right?
The redhead is captivated by the appearance of the flying reptile. Her eyes track the beast to the ocean, where the beast dived into the surf, emerging with a fish in its' oversized mouth. The reptile flapped its' leathery wings furiously to regain flight, passing overhead again as it flew to the cliff face. A long, thin tail trailed after the ugly red-purple wings.
"Oooohh! A flying lizard!" Sasha cooed, watching the dimorphodon as it landed on a tiny ledge on the cliff and began scrabbling towards a hidden spot. "I bet I could train one, if we captured it! Think about having a flying pet! It could help us scout, tell us when there's a big animal nearby!" The woman shaded her eyes as she squinted at the nearby cliff. "I wonder if it has a nest there?" she asked out loud.
Ashana looks at Sasha and shakes her head. "Oh no there is no way we're going to follow that thing. We don't know how protective its going to be of the nest and I for one refuse to kill anything if it has offspring. Come on lets get back to camp before the others get to worried." She will take Sasha's hand and start pulling her back towards camp if she has to.
Yeah, Sasha, at this point, it's a little too dangerous to go after that thing or it's young. We should be heading back, and soon, too.
Adriano looks up shading his eyes "It might be possible to tame one but I am not sure how to do it. Adraino looks again "if we could start with a baby that might work. Then he looks to his wounds "I think it might be best if we do that tomorrow and we head back to camp and leave what we found.
So the four explorers go back the way they came along the beach, leaving the smoking ruin of the Tattooed Lady behind.
The breeze off of the beach is the only respite from the oppressive heat. If you had gone though the jungle, with its' thick branches and canopy, the heat would be much, much worse.
Making faster time back, you pass by the rocks where the Jenivere beached on Smuggler's Shiv, and realize that nothing is left of the ship. Such is the fate of many vessels that attempt to land on the deserted island.
The heat of the day reaches its' peak just as you get back to the base camp. Jask Derindi and Varash Ironskull are cleaning and cooking fish, while Gelik Aberwhinge is singing a ribald tavern song as he mends the fishing net.
fishing 2 people times 4 hours = 8 meals
fishing no change (aid)
crab 1 person times 8 hours = 8 meals
add:
8 meals of smoked, cured fish
8 meals of very small crab cakes, smoked
subtract:
1 meal each for Aeyrs, Gelik, Ishirou, Jask, Noel & girl, and Varash = 7
Shevan Risa is on hunt and will provide for himself.
The stoic Tian man greeted you as you came upon the base camp. He motioned to Philip, and said in a low voice, "The half-elf is very bad off. She has been rummaging through everyone's supplies, looking for drink."
You don't see Aeyrs right off, she must be in her tent.
The blonde gnome noticed the explorers returning. "Well! he called out, sweat covering his brow and hands, "The mighty adventurers have returned? Did you find anything valuable, or more importantly, something to make our stay more pleasant?"
Gelik pointed to Jask and Varash, adding "Our fishermen managed to get quite a catch, as you can see. Dinner is broiled fish, with crab cakes." The little man made a face. "All the crab cakes you can eat - they're about the size of a thimble each."
Ashana will approach Jask. "Would you mind tending to Adriano? He was hit with several vials of alchemists fire. If it wasn't for Sasha we wouldn't have been able to get him back to camp."
Once she knows Adriano is taken care of she will strip off her armor and weapons and then head for the ocean to go cool off. Normally she doesn't like the water but right now the heat is more pressing then her fear of water.
@Ishirou, Well, that isn't any good. Maybe the sobriety will do her some good?
@Gelik, We didn't find anything amazing, just a few rusty old shortswords, which need to be sharpened.. And we've got this rowboat, which can be fixed up.
Fish? Excellent. It's been a bit of a long day.
Once everyone is finished eating, Phillip will get to work on the boat. As Phillip examines, prods, and manipulates the boat, tiny silver strands come out of his hands, slowly replacing the wood which has been destroyed.
"Well, the ship we found had a boobytrap, so Adriano's lucky he got what he did." Sasha said after Ashana finished talking. "But then we saw a flying lizard! It was really pretty, I've always wanted to train one like that from the egg and make it a pet!" The redhead became enthusiastic with her recounting of the exploration.
"Oh! Of course. Let me look at you, Adriano." the middle-aged man said, getting up from the campfire. He began to inspect Adriano's hands and face, making tsk-ing noises at seeing the healed burns.
"A boobytrap, you say?" the gnome asked, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "That bodes ill for us, if someone has beat us to all the derelicts we come across. Still, it's better than the rumors, of undead patrolling the island."
"I will go back to watching the beach." Ishirou said gruffly to everyone.
The Tian man doesn't appear to be as stoic as he first presented yesterday. In fact, you saw his hand shaking a bit before he gripped his sword hilt, almost for reassurance. As he turned away, his shoulders were stiff and tensed.
Adriano heads over to Jask looking ashamed holding out his burnt hands wondering if the adventurers life was really what he was made for. "It was Alchemists fire."
"Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm." Jask commented as he turned Adriano's hands over. "No lasting damage." he declared. "You used a healing potion, correct? I can tell from the new skin." Without waiting, the middle-aged man closed his eyes and clasped the holy symbol around his neck.
"There. A fitting welcome for your efforts today." Jask declared. "If your hands," the man peered at Adriano's face, "or face, still feels tight by nightfall, I found some leaves I can wet with drinking water and make for a light poultice to wrap in overnight." The cleric looked pleased with himself.
The bright sunlight dims as clouds swiftly appear, and a single aerial thunderclap warns of an imminent daily shower.
At hearing the thunderclap Ashana's ears drop and she rushes back to the camp, water dripping from her skin. She heads to her make shift lean-to and will remain their in an effort to stay dry from the rain until the storm lifts or she's needed for anything.
"Thank you Jask, if I need the poltice I will let you know." Adriano watches the sky nodding a temporary goodbye to the Dawnflower's Rays disappearing with the clouds.
As the downpour began Gelik jumped up, shouting "Save the fire! Get the food under wraps!" The gnome raised a canvas-topped set of poles, providing a barrier between the rain and the coals.
Phillip gets up from his work on the boat, grabbing a nearby canvas, and dragging it over the food stores.
broken from his moment of reverence with reality he begins to help pack away the food.
The storm lasted for nearly a half-hour, drenching everything not covered. Varash Ironskull used a sheet of canvas to pour rainwater into the water casks he had set up, collecting the clean water.
After the storm broke Shevan Risa came crashing through the jungle brush to the north. The warrior looked like he had been walking alone for hours, and was soaked to the skin to boot.
Aerys Mavato came out of the women's tent she shared with the comatose Noel and Tessara, carrying a large book, ink, and a feathered pen. She set up on the edge of camp away from everyone else. In the cooling afternoon the half-elf appeared to be writing in the book as she looked at the nearby beach.
Gelik, after ensuring the food and fire were still viable, set about checking the tent lines and equipment, humming a ribald tavern tune from Magimar.
"I did not find any game, although I tried climbing the hill to the north-west." Shevan told everyone. "The heat was too much, and slowed me down greatly. Then that rain came and I could hardly see more than a few feet in front of me." the man grumbled, restringing his bow. Shevan looked at Varash. "Maybe I should stay at camp tomorrow and let you look for rabbits and birds." he said to the half-orc.
"I could look for edible plants, since Jask here knows net-fishing as well as I now." Varash agreed. "I'm surprised we haven't seen any cocoanut trees yet, just these leafy growths and vines."
"Ooh! I know! If we had one of those lizard-bird-things, we could train it to hunt, just like the one we saw!" Sasha butts into the conversation between the two.
Ashana comes out to join the party. She hears Sasha bring up the bird again and just shakes her head. "And what makes you think you can train it? And what makes you think we can deal with an angry parent when we steal one of its young?"
She's got a point, Sasha. Wild animals can be dangerous.
The redhead pouted. "I'm a good trainer." she insisted.
"The woman with a sword wants to raise a flying lizard? Now I've heard everything!" Gelik said from the fire pit. He looked at the dimming light. "Eh. Nightfall will be soon. We'd best get our night watchmen ready. Right, my silent half-elf?" the little man called loudly at Aeyrs, still writing in her book.
"I say we let her give her a chance if we come across an egg." Andreas looks at Gelik "I will take first watch."
@Sasha, I don't doubt it, but it's the parent we've got to worry about, not the youngling.
@Gelik, Same watches as before, I'm guessing?
Ashana will excuse her self from the group near the fire and will go stand behind Aeyrs.
"What are you writing there?" she asks politely.
"Hmmm...yes. After what happened last night with our former First Mate, I think so!" the gnome shuddered. "Hopefully the traps our taciturn guards have set up will alert us sooner than before to any intruders. I, for one, like my sleep, as long as it is not my last!" the small blonde man chuckled at his own joke.
Yes, hopefully the guards did a good job with the traps.
Phillip chuckles at Gelik's joke as well.
Aerys slammed the book shut. "It's personal." she declared, then visibly winced, putting one hand up to her head. "If I can't get a drink, I thought writing might help with this cursed headache." The half-elven woman looked out at the darkening jungle. "It's not like we're going to live long enough to get back to civilization." Her voice trembled on the last sentence.
Hearing Aerys's negative coment, Phillip responds, Come on, now. Of course we're going to make it off the island. If we all work together, there's no way we can't get past this. Once your withdrawal period is over, which is going to be tough, you'll see that, if we aren't already off the island, it's definitely possible for us to do so.
Ashana jumps as Aerys slams the book shut and pins her ears back. She put a hand on Aerys shoulder.
"Don't worry we'll get off this island in no time..." her voice trails off.
The half-elf shrugged off Ashana's hand (paw?). Almost visibly shaking with fear, the woman hugged her tome to her chest, the ink bottles and feather pen at her feet. "I..I..I..I don't want to talk about this!" she shouted. Grabbing the ink bottle and feather, she made for her tent.
Aerys is visibly frighted of anything and everything. Most is due to the withdrawal. A few days of good news and peace might be the best medicine.
Shevan looked up from where he was restringing his bow. He shook his head. "I can't imagine what she thought she was going to do in Eleder - find the nearest tavern?" he asked the crowd. The man began checking the fetching on his arrows.
"If she is truly suffering, we have a potion of Remove Disease..." the older cleric said, letting his voice trail down with the offering. Jask looked at the equipment pile where the potions where being kept. "Not that I've used such a potion for withdrawal before," he added, "but in theory it might work."
"No! Sasha nearly shouted from near her tent. She walked over to Jask near the fire pit. "What happens if one of us gets foot rot or a fever that turns our insides to glue? I'm not wasting our only help on a drunk's shivers and shakes!" the redhead declared. Sasha went to the pile of equipment, and bending down, took another potion of Cure Light Wounds, putting the empty vial from before in its' place.
Standing, Sasha stated, "It's getting dark. We should get ready for our bedrolls." She looked at Gelik. "Unless you have a way of reading the stars, so we know how to find our way back if we stay out too long tomorrow?"
The gnome held up both hands, palms out. "I'm no astronomer or astrologer, that's for certain! Not enough songs have been made about the stars here. You'll have to find a sailor or a court mage." Gelik hastily replied.
So, what are the plans for tomorrow, then?
"I will look for tubers and edible stalks." Varash offered from where he was wrapping fish meat with wet leaves. "Shevan can help Ishirou with guarding and watching."
Ashana looks off into the tent and wonders if she should go after Aeyers but desides its best to giver her her space tonight and if needed possibly appologize in the morning. She will return to the fire and sit down on a near by log, her tail curling up next to her leg.
"I think it would be best if we possibly explored the other direction tomorrow. Or we could try exploring the other side of the point tomorrow? I just hope it won't be so dreadfully hot tomorrow though I have a feeling we won't be so lucky."
Ishirou appears silently at the edge of the camp. "It is time to start the watches, Cleric Ferrio." he said succinctly. The older man appeared calmer than he was in the morning before.
