"I simply be wanting to make my Voyage, that's all. The Black Lady commands it of all her faithful, and what with us being here and all, there be no reason I shouldn't do it now."
The captain grimaces, heaving a heavy sigh. "Ah, already trying to jump ship?" Lanteri holds her frown for a few second before cracking a smile. "Damn, we really do need that jinxeater. It'd be bad luck to keep you here, but just as bad to send off my newest hire!"
She glances over towards Jinsin the steward, who just chuckles and shrugs. "No sense in upsetting the gods, Cap'n. Best let her go, and send 'em all so that she don't die halfway there'n back."
"Forget coming back," Lanteri replied, turning back towards Viktorra, "If you want to make this trip, I'll write up a little missive for you to bring to the temple for me. I ain't particularly faithful, but I ain't got a problem with garnering some favor with the Pirate Queen's best. No offense to present company."
"In any case, I'll give you the coordinates for where we'll be moored. Figure it should take you no more than a few days to make the trek there and around the Throne, so we'll be waiting there then. I've got a bit of business I can take care of while I wait for you lot."
Reijo hears the captain's orders. He glares skeptically at Vik, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"And there be plenty o'gold on this blessed 'Voyage' o'yers, eh Queenie?" The sarcasm is tangible.
"Oy Reijo-boy! Come ta deliver a challenge did ye? HEE he he!" Bellamy said, running his hands over Reijo's delivery.
"Let me see what I can do!" He said, before hauling it off to the galley.
At dinner, he brings back a succulent roast pig (Hawaiian luau style) on a presentation platter.
"Good eatin' ladies an gents! HEE he he!" He caterwauled as he laid the feast on the table. Not just the pig, but the garnishments, side dishes, wine and desserts as well.
"Thank ye, Cap'n. I do be thinkin it wise to be askin the favor of the Gods. Specially the God o' pirates. We'll try to be quick like, I assure ye."
Suny is 'sunny' and bounces about hugging Viktorra in good cheer at ever one being all great/accepting of helping each other out. (^_^)
Then it seem time to tuck into the feast Bellamy has prepared?
Captain Lanteri nods as Ol' Salty shares his informed opinion on the matters of religion. "Aye, I can't deny that much. A real captain's a helluva force, but the sea's mightier than I and the gods mightier than she." Again she sighs, shrugging as though she'd washed her hands of the whole thing. "Jinxeater or not, maybe this is a good omen for our little venture. The blessings of a Pirate Queen would surely not go disused in a true treasure hunt."
Even the captain seems impressed when Bellamy returns with his feast. Cobb, the cook, follows along behind Bellamy, looking a little ashamed. Not only was he outdone... he was outdone by the blind. If nothing else, Bellamy has earned the respect of a true rival in the culinary arts.
The galley quickly becomes overcrowded as every sailor on the Magpie Princess tries to cram in for a bit of Reijo's haul and Bellamy's masterpiece. The feast turns to revelry as day turns to night; a short stop becoming a night's harbor. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Captain Lanteri writes up the letter she promised to Viktorra. A bit of crimson wax seals the missive--though it bears no stamp--and it bears no further markings. You suppose it will be fairly easy to decide who to give it to when you arrive there.
*Happy, feasting fun dance time!* (^_^)
That evening, the gruff sailor chows down on Bellamy's masterpiece. "Ye outdone yerself with me prime catch this time, Blindey." Even he cannot make a disparaging comment to the masterful chef, though of course his complement is simultaneously self-aggrandizing as well.
Belching loudly as he finishes up his meal, the sailor enjoys watching the bouncy nekkid elf and her bouncy body parts jiggle as she dances the night away like a true professional. Not one to engage in festivities himself though, he simply eases back in his chair, hands folded behind his head and legs crossed. Relaxed and comfortable for a change, he takes in the night sky with a fine bit of weed in his pipe, a smooth blend which he found in the town's market earlier this day. He's in such an unusually calm mood in fact, he even offers to share a bit of his new stash with Ol' Salty and Bellamy if they join him for a smoke, as well as any of the ladies if they show an interest as well.
Ol' Salty ate and drank a bounty of Bellamy's roasted pork and wine. He too was relaxed and comfortable, and was pleasently surprised by Reijo's generosity. He smoked along with the others with his long pipe, both telling and listening to tales of voyages along the great waters. He laughed with the others as he challenged them to create smoke rings.
Lil' Fisher was snugged up in his lap, his tummy filled from a giant fish he caught during their sailing.
Ol' Salty does notice the pistol, but he didn't bring it up in conversation. The old man didn't mind what Reijo did on his own time.
"HEE he he! Don't mind if'n I do Reijo boy!" Cackled Bellamy as he sat down with his own pipe.
He contests with ol'Salty and Reijo in the blowing of smoke rings.
"Hey Reijo boy! What happened ta yer little crossbow? I don't smell it no more!"
*Continues to dance, twirl, bounce and have fun* (^_^)
With a night of revels behind you and a day of hangovers dawning, it comes time to make the overland trek across Besmara's Throne. As the bells sound a shift change (of one half-drunken crewmember to the next), Captain Lanteri manages to roll out of her cabin to meet with you at the docks of Baydac Falls. Great trees rise across the tops of the jagged cliffside, the cacophony of the jungle a faint hum drowned out by the falls.
"By my measure, you've got six and some change miles to hike to the temple. Wouldn't take you that long if, well, it wasn't for all of that." She gestures past you, to the great cliffs that rise around the base of the island. The roaring falls that give the small port its name stand off at the far end of the inlet.
"As for us, I'll swing past another detour I was planning to make a bit early. In a day or two we'll be anchored just off the southwestern side of the island. Far enough to avoid the beasties that live in the cliffs off that side, but close enough to spit at from the cliffs. Getting down is on you. By my measure, another dozen miles from the temple. Full of awful, probably. There's a reason I mostly keep to the sea."
She laughs, but it's hard to tell if she's joking or not. You have this strange, sinking feeling that she is not.
"I wish you the best of luck. After all the work hiring you people on, it'd be a damned shame to have to scrounge up some more help."
Captain Lanteri nods to you, then heads back to the Magpie Princess to finish preparations for setting sail.
You had a great journey ahead of you, undoubtedly fraught with unknown perils in the dense jungles of Besmara's Throne. But... where to begin?
Reijo looks as dourly as usual at the sight of the great falls and the daunting cliffs as he considers the captain's words.
"Remind me again Queenie, why're we here 'stead o'earnin' our keep on the seas?"
He lights up his pipe and shakes his head, then begins the trek towards the cliffs (unless someone has another idea).
Suny again gives the captain a bouncy salute then skips over to Viktorra,
"SO! We's goin' on'a trip! Whut is we a'spectin'? Whut should we be bringin'?" She asks.
"Might I remind you that I didn't invite you, but instead you decided to simply come along?"
"All of Her faithful are expected to make the Voyage, and I for one certainly don't intend to let this opportunity pass by. We're docked on the very island itself! I have to do it now."
Suny nods seeming in agreement with Viktorra's words before she spins about and scampers off...
...To return a short while later wearing her armor and with her equipment secured all about her self.
"I yam ready ta' go as'plorin'!" Suny declares brightly. (^_^)
Reijo shrugs at Vik, "Cap'n's orders, not me own."
He then looks at the armored Suny up and down with a grimace. "An' jus'when I thought it couldn'get any werse."
(^_^)
Ol' Salty joins the rest of the group after doing some shopping. He is dressed in true Gozreh cleric vestments (green-blue elbow length shirt with baggy brown breeches, a rope belt, and an oiled leather cloak). He has sold his armor and weapon, saying that it was of little use for all the work it took to maintain.
He's left his altar on board the Magpie Princess, both as a promise to return and because it is simply too heavy to carry on the journey.
"I'se a ready when ye are."
Though early, you can already feel the heat of the tropical day beating down from the low-lying sun. It casts long shadows across the town of Baydac Falls, a spiderweb of shadowy rigging from the Magpie Princess and the pair of schooners keeping her company.
The cliffs that shelter the harbor have a few different options for scaling them. You could try going up the lowest portion, which lies at the southeastern edge of town. Though it's only a good 60 feet up (less than the pillar Suny scampered up!), it also hangs out over the ocean and is relatively sheer. Between the battering of wind and wave, it might not be as easy a climb as it could be.
The cliffs by the titular Baydac Falls are more broken in nature, offering several natural ledges for climbers to rest on. Unfortunately, the total height is nearly three times as great at 150 feet. Plus the falls might make those platforms more slippery than they look, and the roaring noise of the waterfall would make it very difficult to hear anything.
Somewhere in the middle lie the rest of the cliffs around Baydac Falls. Partially covered with creepers and other vertical vegetation, they offer plenty of handholds and places to get a grip... but lack anywhere to stop mid-climb. They average around 100 feet high, though they rise steadily as you approach the 'center' of the island--the same direction the falls emerge from.
Suny points to the 'shortest' climb. "That way be bestest." She declares.
"Is plenty low enough fer a rope ta' be hung from. Is a easy drop in't water if'n ye slip." She points out.
"I can be goin' up first, like." Suny explains her plan for scaling the cliffs. (^_^)
"This'd be a lot easier if'n I had more spells teh work with. I would've liked teh ask Ol' Gozreh for their wisdom. Woah now there, Suny." He puts his hand on her shoulder. "The battering of wind and wave be ill will for us to be travlin through like. If'n ye fall into the ocean, it be hard for anyone teh get back a'shore safely. Except for ye of course."
He looks up at the 3 passages, wondering which would be most beneficial. "I still have a climbin spell like that I could use. Me thinks the rest of ye could make the trek up the center cliffs with the handholds an' some rope, right?"
Suny frowns seeming to not understand Salty,
"That's whut I bin sayin'." She agrees again. "I can be climbin' first an' then hangin' a rope fer ever one else ta' be followin', like." She explains again
"Them other places? I be all squish-flat if'n I slip or fall down." She points to the lower ledge over the water.
"Is tha' shortest way ta' somat level. No one be gettin' tired or nuffin'." She points out again trying to make her case.
With grappling hook and rope in hand, the sailor in red is ready to make the climb a lot easier with pitons and a small hammer as well.
"Aye, Saucy, if'n ye be willin' an' able ta make the climb, ye can take me rope and toss it down ta us, 'stead o'me throwin' it up." Looking at even the shortest albeit most daunting climb, "Methinks the rope ain't long 'nough ta get thrown that high anyways."
He hands Suny his rope and hook. As she makes her climb, Reijo prepares to hammer a piton handhold into the steep cliffside of choice, making the trip significantly easier for all. He climbs several feet up after her, to hammer the first piton high enough so that he can loop the rope through its eye and tug it loose for retrieval on further climbs ahead.
Tai the parrot says in Polyglot, "Why not just fly up?" He takes wing from Nhati's shoulder and starts circling up towards the top of the cliff.
With a sigh, Nahti says, "I'm happy to climb wherever. I have a spell that will allow me to climb up without trouble, although not terribly fast. I'd be happy to carry a rope to the top and tie it about something, or hammer in a piton if somebody has one."
When the party decides which cliff to climb, she will stand at the bottom, cast Monkey Fish, and climb up with a 15' climb speed. That will be (assuming a double move) just two rounds of climbing for the shortest cliff. The spell will last 5 minutes.
While Nhati can't quite match Tai's maneuverability, she does manage the next best thing. Reijo clambers up the first 10 feet to hammer in a piton... and then Nhati grabs the end of his rope and scampers up the wall with the sort of speed only magic could allow.
Within the minute, Reijo is quite literally at the end of his rope, a good 40 feet up (the other ten feet of rope going into piton loops, knotted holds, and the bit at the end to pull it loose). With another twenty feet to go, Reijo can't help but notice how much stronger the wind feels when you're hanging from a rope on a salty cliffside 40 feet above the ocean. Even staked to the wall, the wind pushes at you, as though desperate to pry the intruder off the wall.
Meanwhile, Nhati stands safe and sound at the top of the cliff, rejoining Tai as they wait for the others. While she too noticed the wind, Nhati managed to scale the cliff so quickly that it hardly mattered at all.
Watching er friends go to work at securing the climbing gear up the side of the cliff with her hands shading her eyes Suny grins happily. At Reijo's rope finishing a good 20 feet from the top she asks for more pitons, the hammer and begins to climb the face herself, equipment tucked into the lacing of her armor.
Then, when at the 'gap' she competes the hammering and looping and joins Nhati and Tai at the top.
Suny takes time to wander over to the fathers point 'out' on the level and gaze out at the amazing view.
Bellamy calls out a cheery sea shanty as he climbed steadily up the cliff, following the rope.
Perhaps still a bit hung over from the night's revelry, Suny fumbles as she approaches the top part of the rope. Catching herself as the wind nearly rips the chipper elf off the wall for an impromptu dive, the blind Bellamy makes his way not only up the rope, but to the cliff's top while singing.
At least the view from the side of the cliff is pretty!
Ol' Salty casts Monkey Fish as well and climbs up after Nhati
Lil' Fisher stays nice and safe within Ol' Salty's pack!
Nhati offers Ol'Salty a high-five when he gets to the top.
Lil Fisher happily takes the high five before Ol Salty gets a chance. "Ahh the blessings of magic never cease to amaze me."
Reijo tugs at the rope below when all else have used their fancy-pants magic or otherwise to get atop the cliff. Tugging loose his grappling hook, he then tosses it up, over the cliff's edge above, to catch it securely. Ensuring it is secured, he then climbs the rest of the way up and has a look all around to see what he can see.
"Truth be told, I am glad I have no magic to aid me. It helps make the trip meaningful and whatnot, you see?"
Atop the cliff, the group gazes upon the dense jungle that festoons outward before them. Thick creepers hang from great trees, and the unmistakable sounds of the jungle echo from deep within. Patches of undergrowth sprout everywhere it is not choked by the dense canopy. A low, hanging mist lays over the ground--not enough to truly obscure your view, but enough to give the island a strange, mystical feeling. You can almost feel someone watching you as you approach the verdant wall of green, though it is impossible to say whether it is merely a pair of monkeys or the eyes of Besmara herself.
As though true to the difficulty and danger of the journey Viktorra had undertaken (and the rest of you pal'd along for), you see not even so much as a game trail to follow. Undoubtedly the road ahead will not be an easy one.
Suny bounces up and entangles an arm with Viktorra for a moment,
"We's off ta' adventure!" She exclaims. As the group comes to the jungle proper Suny's large blue eyes grow wider.
(^_^)
"Ooo... is green..." She breaths even as she peers into the gloom.
"I can be climbin' a tree fer a look?" She offers.
Reijo expresses a different opinion on Vik's statement with his usual gruffness. "Wouldn't mind me some o'that magic meself. Bloody werld saw fit ta make me struggle fer me very life like the rest ov us, though." His eyes seem to pierce with intensity for a moment, "So I make me own 'magic' with me wits and me fists."
As they begin their trek, the salty sailor whips out a compass, a piece of parchment, a slate board with a grid etched into it, and some chalk of several different colors. He places the parchment over the board and colors in a quick grid. As they go, he periodically checks his compass, then notates it on the parchment accordingly, mapping out their journey so as not to get lost in this dense forest.
As they trek through the dense jungle, Reijo also seems more and more apprehensive and wary of their surroundings. His eyes squint and dart all around, as if expecting to find someone watching them. Perhaps he is on to something... or perhaps his paranoia is at work yet again...
"Nothin wrong with wits and fists there, Reijo. We all have our ways of dealin with the harshness of life. Ah, good on ye fer havin a compass an map kit. Very wise choice."
Vik will sheathe her rapier in favor of the cutlass for cutting through the jungle, although her pistol remains drawn and loaded.
"Let's get on with it, shall we?"
*skippy, skippy, bouncy, bouncy* (^_^)
Suny prefers to simply slip, slide, twirl, twist and tumble her lithe, tanned self through and around the jungle's vegetation. (^_^)
o_o
Perhaps a half hour into your trek, you come across a tree littered with a half-dozen bodies in various states of decomposition at its base. The freshest of the lot appears to be a humanoid, still wearing some damaged armor above its rotting form, where hundreds of maggots worm their way through what is left of the flesh. A pack lies beside the figure, though it looks to have seen better days.
Numerous plant-like buds sprout wherever the maggots are not, and many of the other creatures here--animals of various size--appear to have been fully reclaimed by the jungle as weeds and vines wrap through the skeletal remains.
The ever-present mist that seems to hang around the ground grasps at the dead like a shroud, hiding whatever else might be buried in the pile of decay. Leaves rustle above as a breeze blows past the group, and, as if somehow reverent to the grave display before you, the jungle seems to quiet its incessant roar of noise.
Ol' Salty raises his hands to the Gods, asking them to move away this fog.
The fog surrounding the base of the tree slowly rolls away in the wind, as though begrudgingly obligated to do so. The shift of wind manages to keep the area clear, even as the misty clouds try to roll in from other sides of the tree.
With the obstruction cleared, you can now definitely see the glint of steel beneath the deceased figure, and bits of gold that have spilled out from the pack. Vines are even more tightly wrapped around the base of the tree and the base of the remains. If you didn't know better, you'd say the vines were practically holding the bones from escaping. But that wouldn't happen, right?
"Take it easy, like. Hmm what might this be?"
Suny frowns and wrinkles her nose at the sight revealed...
Ol' Salty immediately recognizes one of the vines for what it really is... an assassin vine, lurking among its less dangerous kin. It waits, motionless, unaware that its ruse has been discovered.
Worse, Ol' Salty also recognizes a number of the strange growths on the body. They are the budding sprouts of leaf rays, an airborne plant that must implant its seeds in the bodies of warm-blooded creatures to properly germinate them. Alone they are not a serious threat, but this is quite a dense jungle...
The leaves rustle high in the trees above--and, given the thickness of the foliage, it is impossible to tell if any of them are leaf rays motioning to attack or if it is simply the wind breezing past.