GM_Pace's Serpent's Skull

Game Master jhpace1

"What Phillip said we need more people if we are going to survive, if you have a problem with him being about then you can try to prove him untrustworthy." Adriano walks closer to Jask "Do you need a hand with those." gesturing towards the keys. Then he looks up at Ashana talking softly in her direction "We are trusting you aren't we, and we found you in the hold and had never seen you before."

(I'm using the "old" version of manacles that were more like "fetters", Ashana, rather than the more modern kind that keep your wrists forced together. So there's enough flexibility for Jask to unlock himself.)

"Nethrys bless you." Jask said to Adriano. He used the keys on his manacles, letting them fall on the ground were Jask stood. The middle-aged man then went around the departing Aerys, where he opened his footlocker, and saw his equipment. "I was a cleric of Nethrys, before I was a scribe in Corentyn." Jask told them. "Believe me when I say I am innocent of what crime I am accused of - I saw corruption from my Free Captains of the Shackles employers, and then was accused of the same crime in response. But I came across a paper that said many ships of the Shackles are shipwrecked here, on Smuggler's Shiv. If you can find a Shackles ship, the Captain's papers might help prove my innocence. And I pledge to help all of us as I can as a cleric to survive on this island."

Seeing no one objecting, Jask took his spell component pouch and holy symbol from the footlocker, then began putting on the leather armor.

"So you were a cleric. The more the merrier, I always say." Sasha quips. She pointed at the First Mate's studded armor she had put in the pile. "Someone might want that." she said. "I'll stick with my chainshirt - it's more comfortable to me."

"I see you brought some hardtack." Gelik said, poking through the pile. He sniffed. "If you want fresh meat, you'll have to go hunting. Our large mercenary," he started, indicating Ishirou, "wanted to eat the sea scorpions, but our former prisoner used them as bait for getting some fish instead." Looking at the small campfire, you do see several slender gutted fish being cooked whole on sticks.

The gnome stood, looking at the darkening sky. "I think the sun is about to set, and we still need to finish our campsite." he declared. Gelik looked at the silent Shevan and Varash, the still-sleeping Noel and Tessara, then back to the active members. "We need to establish who does what - and I am not a hunter, nor a guard. I think we should stay here and use a fire to attract the attention of the next ship to pass."

Well, now that the rest of us are here, we can help setting up as well. We brought a bunch of supplies that would be excellent for just this activity.

"No." Ishirou said from where he was keeping post, watching the trail back to the beach. "If there are shipwrecks, there might be others on the island. We should be cautious, but explore."

"We should finish setting up camp first." Sasha said, agreeing with Phillip. "I don't know about you, but my night vision stinks, and we're about to lose everything but the light from the fire, here."

During the set-up of camp, Phillip will fix any tears in the canvas sheets should they appear, sending ectoplasmic threads sewing themselves into the fabric, ending in a seamless fix. Same goes for anything else that could break, be they tools or materials.

Before darkness becomes complete at your location, and the stars come out, you all manage to use the canvas and lumber to make the camp a little more comfortable.

Ishirou and Shevan take their guarding of the campsite seriously, one watching the beach, the other looking out at the jungle.

Gelik after dinner sang a little ditty at the cat (Spellcraft check DC 15 - Speak With Animals), and says the cat calls herself "Catches-All-That-Moves", but that Alton Devers called her "Felicity" around dinnertime. Gelik also sang the same spell at the same time at Ashana, as if expecting her to reply as well.

Jask busies himself in making sure the food is under wraps, opening a fresh water cask, etc.

Aeyrs emerged from her shared tent obviously drunk, and spent most of her time looking up at the stars and mumbling rhymes under her breath.

Sasha, finding out she shared a tent with Aeyrs and the other women, was clearly unhappy with the necessity. She kept trying to get the oiled canvas away from Jask to make her own tent.

(Noel, if you want to come in, you can at any time. Same for Shevan and Varash.)

(Let's talk night guard duty folks. Yes, everyone's tired. But I'll give everyone time to respond.)

I'll take first watch, if nobody else wants it. If they do, I'll take last watch.

we should do 2 people per watch we have enough, one player & one NPC or 2 players. Multiple people on watch less chance of death. I will take whatever watch needs taking.

I'll take last watch with anyone who is willing to take it with me.

Ashana helps set up the camp as best as she can. Not exactly looking forward to sharing the tent with people she doesn't know, Ashana will do her best to convince Jask that she also needs her own tent(see the diplomacy roll below). Once dinner is served she eats some of the fish that was cought and will give some to Felicity if she wants any.

Diplomacy check:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

(Waiting on Varash and Noel, Shevan is NPC'ed. I'll post what I know for the more active players, the inactive ones can chime in at any time.)

(He/she who tracks the rations: mark off half of 12 people, or 6 rations from those recovered. That's dinner with the fish.)

Sasha and Ashana pestered Jask for their own tent, and he acquiesced. But with a lack of materials the poor middle-aged cleric could only make lean-tos. The other men also insist on having the women as an inner circle of the campsite, with the men and awake guards providing an outer circle. There not being enough room in the men's tent, two of them opt for hammocks strung between trees nearby. Noel and Tessara have still not awoken from their "death sleep".

(Men's Tent: Adriano, Phillip, Gelik, Jask, Varash)
(Women's Tent: Noel, Tessara, Aeyrs)
(Lean-tos: Sasha, Ashana)
(Hammocks: Shevan, Ishirou)

(New map of the campsite made here.)

(Night guard schedules....1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes each)
Adriano & Ishirou
Shevan & Jask
Ashana & Shevan
Varash & Gelik
Phillip & Sasha

(Shevan taking a double shift, he's not a spellcaster, no way to get around it. Do you really want Aeyrs on a shift? I'll allow feedback and RP if you want before moving on to Day 2!)

(Waiting on Varash and Noel, Shevan is NPC'ed. I'll post what I know for the more active players, the inactive ones can chime in at any time.)

(He/she who tracks the rations: mark off half of 12 people, or 6 rations from those recovered. That's dinner with the fish.)

Sasha and Ashana pestered Jask for their own tent, and he acquiesced. But with a lack of materials the poor middle-aged cleric could only make lean-tos. The other men also insist on having the women as an inner circle of the campsite, with the men and awake guards providing an outer circle. There not being enough room in the men's tent, two of them opt for hammocks strung between trees nearby. Noel and Tessara have still not awoken from their "death sleep".

(Men's Tent: Adriano, Phillip, Gelik, Jask, Varash)
(Women's Tent: Noel, Tessara, Aeyrs)
(Lean-tos: Sasha, Ashana)
(Hammocks: Shevan, Ishirou)

(New map of the campsite made here.)

(Night guard schedules....1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes each)
Adriano & Ishirou
Shevan & Jask
Ashana & Shevan
Varash & Gelik
Phillip & Sasha

(Shevan taking a double shift, he's not a spellcaster, no way to get around it. Do you really want Aeyrs on a shift? I'll allow feedback and RP if you want before moving on to Day 2!)

Whoa, whoa, whoa there, buddy. In my gear, I've got a hammock. Other than that, I'm good, and I've updated Swag bag with the new food totals.

(No problem, Phillip - just change yourself on the map. There's a tree pair at K03 and M02 for your hammock. Or the one at B07 and D07.)

I can't, as you have the googledoc set to View only. I will be taking the pair of trees at B and D 7

(Google Docs link fixed, you should be able to edit it now. I've also put your hammock square at the desired location.)

Yep, now it works.

(I wish more people had posted. Sorry for the delay, the weekend was really bad at work. Feel free to IC/OOC post at any time, folks. Just so I know you're still in the game.)

You all settle in for the night, some less comfortable than others. The heat of the jungle barely subsides during the night, so while the sky is clear and the view of the stars is spectacular, the hoots and cries of the various frogs and animals that night-hunt are unrelenting.

As night turns to morning, it is Phillip and Shasha's turn at guarding the camp while others sleep.

(Phillip, give me a Perception check. Sasha's Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21.)

(Map of the base camp here.)

Sasha motioned to Phillip. "Hey. Did you hear that?" she asked him.

Perception1d20 ⇒ 5

"I heard you. That's about it."

"Something in the trees." Sasha said. "No, that's not right - something among the trees. The critters just stopped chirping out there." Suspicious, she unsheathed her rapier as she peered out at the darkness.

(Sasha is at L07 on the map. She pointed towards G01 to I01 on the map.)

Phillip unsheathes his rapier as well, saying, Now that you mention it, it has gotten awful silent.

Would it be alright to assume that Phillip was approximately on the other side of camp, say around C9?

(You can put yourself anywhere you want, Phillip. Just use the map. I kept Sasha's old sleeping place with her name in parentheses, putting her name in color on the map at L07.)

Phillip has been placed.

Out of the dark jungle forest shuffled a figure. His body pasty, his head laying at an unnatural angle, you are startled to see....Alton Devers, the Jenivere's First Mate! Just like you left him on the ship, after taking his studded leather and short sword! The undead dragged one leg forward of the other until he was within the camp's firelight (at F05 on the map). He peered at Ashana's lean-to, looking intently at the catlike person asleep on the ground.

(Surprise round.)
Phillip's initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Sasha's initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Alton's initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 8

(Players can roll Perception to see if they are sleeping "lightly" enough to roll for initiative. They can roll initiative or I can do it for them. NPCs have their own rolls once the sound of battle (or anybody making noise) starts.)

"Take. Care. Of. The. Cat." the undead sailor said slowly, bending down and reaching for Ashana.

Phillip starts forward. Hey hey hey, buddy, get back. ASHANA, WAKE UP.

5-foot step to E7, and then an attempted strike.

Rapier Attack1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Rapier Damage1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Phillip's rapier narrowly missed Alton's outstretched hands, but the action was enough to make the zombie stop his attack.

NPCs & away PCs:
Aerys Perception check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Gelik Perception check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
Ishirou Perception check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Jask Perception check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Shevan Perception check:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

The half-elf woman stuck her head out of the womens' tent behind Phillip. "Keep it down out there, pretty boy." Aeyrs complained. It's not even light yet. If you want to squeeze Sasha, you-." The fighter looked at the slightly bloated undead form of the First Mate a few feet from her. "What's his problem?" Aeyrs asked, not yet awake and still hung over.

He's dead, but he doesn't want to be? I don't freakin' know!

Phillip, faced with a man he saw dead only the previous day, is obviously out of his element.

"By the Arch of Absalom, what now?" Gelik said, sticking his head out his own mens' tent. Alton's undead form greeted the gnome, albeit from the rear. Gelik blinked. "AAAAHHH! It's the First Mate, from the ship!" the gnome yelled in shock, ducking back inside.

Alton looked up at Phillip, snarling at being accosted by the younger man. He drew back a fist, slugging the armed human.

Slam attack 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 (Swing and a miss.)

Sasha ran around the campfire (L07 to G05, 30-ft move), her rapier slashing forth at Alton's undead form.

Rapier attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25 (Crit threat.) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 (Crit confirmed!) Damage: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 1) + 2 = 8

Her thin sword raked across Alton's side, opening up a large but shallow gash across his left arm and shoulder. The flesh underneath was still bloated with seawater. Alton didn't even flinch from the attack.

"C'mon, everybody up! Hey you clerics, we gots somethin' for your types!" Sasha shouted loudly at the mens' tent.

Top of the round. Round 01.

Phillip's initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Alton's initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 8
Sasha's initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Everybody that wants to can wake up now.
Aerys initiative: 18
Gelik initiative: 16

The only sound from Aeyrs comes from the womens' tent, where a certain half-elf is looking for her weapon.

Similarly, everyone can hear the gnome trying to wake up the other men in the mens' tent with some excited phrases.

Phillip, you're up.

Phillip moves to flank, and a thin film of goo starts to coat him. Thanks Sash can be heard as the goo envelopes him.

5-foot step to E5, swift action materialize Astral Skin

Rapier attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Rapier Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

These attacks really don't like me. :/

(Giving the other players a little time to come into the action. Just state that you are waking up, folks. Otherwise, I'll re-start the clock tomorrow morning, 11 Jan 12, Wednesday. Use the map here.)

Phillip's rapier slices only air a second time. Dimly, you hear a few oaths as both Shevan and Ishirou begin to swing out of their hammocks across the campsite.

Jask initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 8 (After Alton but before Sasha, then.)
Ishirou initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Shevan initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

(If anybody could see across the campsite, they would notice Ishirou out of his hammock and reaching for his katana.)

Sorry for the delay

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

(Adriano, that'll be your initiative next round.)

A middle-aged head pokes out of the tent flap. "A zombie!" Jask exclaimed, seeing the former First Mate with its' broken neck. He turned back into the darkness of the tent. "Quick, Adriano! Your holy symbol! I will get mine!" He ducked back into the men's tent.

The undead man took another swing at Phillip, turning his back to Sasha. (Zombies have a one-track mind.)

Slam attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18 (That should hit.)
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Alton's fist slammed Phillip's jaw in a solid haymaker. You can smell the salt of the seawater filling his body.

"I'll teach you to turn your back on the likes o' me!" Sasha said, giggling as she used her rapier to good effect, lunging.

Rapier attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 (Flank +2 with crit threat.) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14 (Confirmed.) Damage: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 5) + 2 = 9

Sasha's rapier went right through Alton's back to poke out of the man's chest. Seawater squirted from the hole as Sasha drew back her rapier. The First Mate didn't look as good as when he first appeared at the campsite.

Round 02. Top of the round.
Shevan initiative: 25
Aerys initiative: 18
Gelik initiative: 16
Phillip's initiative: 16
Adriano initiative: 15
Ishirou initiative: 14
Alton's initiative: 8
Jask initiative: 8
Sasha's initiative: 5

Aerys mutters curses as she tries to find her armor and put it on in the womens' tent. You hear Gelik's high-pitched voice saying things like "There! He said zombie! Now do you believe me?" from the men's tent.

Longbow attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

An arrow whistles by Alton's tilted head, missing Phillip as well, going off harmlessly into the dark jungle. Shevan re-loads his longbow.

(Phillip's up!)

Sorry for being late to the party lol

Init:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Oh her turn Ashana will wake up at the sounds of battle, poke her head out of the tent curiously, and then leap into action. She will come out of the tent(not wearing armor or weapons) and move to F6(moved her on the map already). She will then attack Alton with her claws.

Attack and damage:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 11d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 121d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 51d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Holy crap.

Rapier Attack:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Rapier Damage:1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Damn, Sasha's really freaking good with the rapier

Phillip looks pretty bad, nearly ready to pass out.

The catperson boiling out of her tent got out a single good swipe, raking Alton's left side where he had been struck before. Phillip followed up with his rapier from the front, slicing across the former First Mate's front. The zombie, bleeding seawater as much as rotten blood and entrails, was swaying on his feet, hanging on to his unlife by a thread.

(Adriano: finish him!)

Yes, please do. I forgot to put a status up. I'm at 2 HP.

Adriano runs out of the tent with his holy symbol held high and calls forth the blessing of Sarenrae to smite the undead that has defiled the camp.

Channel positive energy:1d6 ⇒ 6

"By the Light of the Dawnflower I strike you down"

The zombie's body seems to criss-cross with reflected light, and the former First Mate falls the the ground. You hear a wheezed "Ieana doesn't like you." from Alton before the body lays still, oozing seawater and bile.

(Ok, you're out of melee, and it's still several minutes before sunrise.)

Ishirou came up, katana in hand, but seeing the cleric felling the undead, he calmed down.

Jask also comes out of the mens' tent, his holy symbol of a half-gold, half-black mask in hand. He stands next to Adriano, looking down at the former First Mate.

Sasha pokes the body with her rapier, trying to see if there was a response.

Aeyrs, her leather armor donned, comes out and looks around, her eyes heavily bloodshot.

Shevan mumbles something about looking around the camp for other intruders.

Gelik comes out of the mens' tent, sword in hand, but sees the problem is already resolved.