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The group quickly picks the available berries, most of which are called osoberry. They don't have much flesh to them, but there's plenty available. They taste like a mix of blueberry and olive.
Fortunately they don't pick the cherries, and thus are not crushed by any falling elephants.
A few hours later, the group stops to make camp. They're located on top of a forested hill, which overlooks the sandy shores and sea beyond. The party gets to watch the sun set over the sea's horizon. They talk with one another about their voyage, the craziness of mermaid society, and what they wonder will happen to Kintargo before their return. Eventually it's time to call it a night. Rexandi is on watch duty, as she has the best night vision, and has been conserving her energy in place of searching for food or scouting. The night is quite windy, with trees shaking and bending. At its worst, a branch breaks off one of the nearby trees, and is blown towards the party. It lands right on Aster's ankle, waking her up with a jolt of pain.
Day 2
By morning, the winds have died down. It's a relatively cloudy day, but no sign of any rain. Yesterday, the Ravens managed to scavenge more food then they ate, a great feat. Hopefully they will be able to keep the trend up, and also avoid anymore elephant seals.
The night before, while setting up camp, Rexandi makes sure to use her healing hex on anyone who's still buffeted from the encounter with the elephant seals.
Ederion is patient with Ondisso, and goes over the orientation references with him, pointing out the relevant ones.
Aster cries out in pain, but it is only a bruise. She smiles nervously as she rubs it. "Thank you Rexi" she tells the other woman as the bruise fades away in a second.
The next day she limps around as normal. Distracted the aching pain throughout her leg, (she hates walking), (so much so so so much), she finds not much in the way of food.
The paths take their toll on Tasha, whose system is still far from recovered from the sea. Still, despite the woman's bulky armour, she continues to carry it with little complaint.
Sighing heavily, she stares at the cloudly skies. "I suppose now'd be the time to ask if we're there yet.", she jibes, before glancing at the trail. Worst part is, I'm out of paper., she furrows her brow, before starting to hum away one of the mermaids' more joyful songs as she puts one foot in front of the other. "Should be halfway there, shouldn't we? Never was the biggest fan of the wilderness, to be honest. Too many bugs.", she blurts out absent-mindedly, before she bites down on her gauntlet's pinky. We've been gone for, like a week. What if something happened? I've not been away from Kintargo, ever since the whole thing started.
Everyone is all healed up, not including the various sicknesses and poisons that still linger from their fight with the Aboleth. Despite Ondisso's stubborness, Ederion remains patient with him. This does help, but the sheer volume of knowledge and proof that Ederion has makes Ondisso even less likely to believe him. Areene keeps traveling without complaint, spending time with Aster, Rexandi, and Tasha for the most part. Aster is having a hard time finding anything more to eat, though she is finding a bit here and there.
The group continue walking upon this large island for the majority of the day, crossing hills, sand, and scattered forest. The sun is neither too bright nor hot, thanks to the cloudy sky. Aster is regularly able to refill everyone's waterskins with her magic, giving everyone fresh, pure water.
In the late afternoon, the group wade through the water and swim to get to the next island. Fortunately there are no elephant seals on the beach when they arrive. The island is much rockier than the previous, with sharp rises and falls of stone. Bazzle suggests camping in a small natural limestone cave. They set up a fire and begin cooking dinner.
Areene asks the group "What was it like in Kintargo before Barzillai? What did you like about the city that isn't there anymore?"
"Nice find, this cave," she comments to Bazzle as the group settles in.
"I do wish I had my clavichord. It would be nice to play a little music with supper. But it would've been ruined if submerged, so I guess it's for the best that I left it at home."
"Do you sing?" Ondisso asks Rexandi
"No, nothing like that..." says Rexandi. "I just play the clavichord. Kind of a hobby. But I enjoy it, so..." she trails off.
After a moment she continues to explain, saying, "Since the instrument is made of wood, it's very sensitive to dampness and humidity, and those can warp it... so I didn't bring it along when we were going underwater. I'll play a bit for you when we get back."
Cooking isn't that bad, since most of it means sitting. She is not great at it though since she enjoys eating much more than cooking. But she can manage a stew that doesn't make people sick.
To Areene's question, she answers "The smells." she thinks wistfully of baking breed, her favorite, for obvious reasons. "and the sounds." she sighs "When the city was free, so much was being created, so much being talked about. Now... it's like its being strangled." she stirs her mixed up mess, thinking about her childhood.
Ederion does not know much about cooking, but he likes to hang around Aster as she does, trying to pick away small bites whenever possible - "Need any help Aster?" - he smiles, and offers to assist.
Also he likes being close to Areene, ever since the first time he brought her out of that place.
"Please." she says to the elf to his offer, hoping his helping will reduce his preemptive eating. And also hoping he is better at this than her.
"That'd be nice." Ondisso replies. "I could use some more music in my life. Out at sea, we'd all sing. Didn't matter to anyone if someone couldn't hold a tune, as long as they could get the rhythm right. Had one mate on a ship who just couldn't do it. Cap'n noticed it and set up a little exercise. He'd go 1, 2, 3, 4, and we're all supposed to clap on 2 and 4. Brought the mate up to the front so the Cap'n could direct him. If we all clap on 2 and 4, even one time, then we can stop and rest. The mate just couldn't do it. He'd hesitate at the last moment and clap late. We spent hours and hours clapping, till our hands were sore and raw, and the ship boards were slick with sweat. The Cap'n finally gave up when the sun went down. If there's a Hell out there, I reckon it's like that."
Areene nods with Aster's description, and chuckles at Ondisso's little story. She leans against Ederion as they sit in the cave, and it seems like she's having a hard time locating people as their voices echo. Still, she smiles, thanks everyone for the food, and chats pleasantly. Ondisso is still a bit uncomfortable looking at her. Her one bulging eye made of little eyes and part of her body covered in fish scales are disconcerting. The one arm probably isn't the biggest deal to a sailor, as dismemberment wasn't exactly uncommon.
Night falls, and Rexandi is left on watch. The wind is barely present, and the sound of water lapping against the shore is fairly strong. It isn't long, maybe an hour into watch, that Rexandi spies a pair of reflective eyes staring at her from outside the cave. With her darkvision, she detects that it's a fox-like creature, though very small. The fox is no larger than a housecat. It's approaching the cave hesitantly.
"Music is beautiful but not generally when I do so." He chuckles, "I had to learn another way to tap that muse." Bazzle stands and pulls out 3 daggers and juggles them and runs through a whole acrobatic routine with juggling and various tests of balance. Some have seen bits of his routine before be he continues as long as it raises any cheer.
Overall his deliver and presentation is quite rousing but his balance and his juggling was not as impressive. There were no horrible mistakes but some points were quite sloopy.
Once it is clear that people are turning in he picks a time in the watch order and settles down for sleep.
The one arm probably isn't the biggest deal to a sailor, as dismemberment wasn't exactly uncommon.
Ondisso quite enjoys the performance, even with the sloppiness. Areene not so much.
"That's kind of a terrifying story, Ondisso," says Rexandi. "From a musical perspective, anyway. I may not be a professional but I have practiced and I do know a few tunes. I'll be sure to play something for you once we return."
~~~~~~~~~~
Later on the night watch, Rexandi spots the little fox-like thing; suspicious, she goes to wake up Tasha (figuring if it's dangerous, it's best to have someone tough ready to help deal with it). "Tasha?" she whispers, shaking the warrior several times. "Something's coming close. It looks like just a fox, but wild foxes wouldn't come anywhere near people, right?"
"Oh that's nothing." Ondisso replies. "I was on a good ship. Worst they ever did was take away dinner or gave extra work. Nothing compared to most. Lashings, keel hauling, rotting in the brig. There's lots of ways to make a man suffer, and even more for a slave. And they're all used by the Navy."
He takes a drink of pure water, definitely lamenting that it isn't grog. "Music'd be great."
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Taking care of a dragon egg is not an easy task. For a creature who could become one of the most powerful and intelligent creatures in the material plane, it is very helpless in the early stages. One bolt or knife, and all that potential for greatness is for nought.
First and foremost, a water dragon egg must be kept in warm water. The water must be warm enough that a nobleman would want to bathe in it, but not hot enough that he would feel like he were boiling. The water should either stay sea water, or fresh water. When the dragon hatches, the water type it was in determines its preference. Using magically pure water could result in an affinity to the plane of water, which would be bad, as even fresh water would be too muddied for it.
Also important: The dragon egg should be subjected to arcane magic regularly. Theoretically, any magic of any variety will do, however the types and subschools of magic do have an affect on the dragon. Ideally, it should be arcane magic, within the water subtype. Spells with the good or chaotic alignment would be preferable to their opposites. Spells cast on the dragon egg don't have their usual effect. They are absorbed by the egg. If the one looking after the egg is incapable of casting arcane magic, they could instead place magical items within the pool of water for the egg to absorb. Doing so would destroy the item.
Adding fish, plants, and other creatures native to the environment you are trying to create will speed up the egg's development. Such creatures will likely die in the warm water very quickly, but their nutrients will be absorbed by the egg.
Rexandi replies to Ondisso, "Well, it sounds like life on a ship is not the life for me. Though I guess it's at least consistent. This life is more... like... lots of walking and swimming and hiding from guards and then sudden AAH! AAH! MONSTER! KILL IT! and then back to trying to find something to eat."
She sighs and says, "Only a few more days of hiking, right? We should be home before we know it. Then we just... um... have to figure out how to get into the city."
"What, Fox? I mean... they generally don't. Scaredy beasts.", Tasha replies, before grabbing her shield and rubbing her eyes. "I mean, we can just go and stare at it, that'll usually chase it away if it's a normal fox. I guess."
Shield in hand, Tasha stands up, staring at where the fox is supposed to come from.
"Well, the same way you got out, right?" Ondisso suggests
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Tasha can't see much, other than two little eyes reflecting light as it scurries around.
Turning to Rexandi, Tasha lowers her shield. "Uhm. It's just a fox, right? Running around is what foxes do. I'd say we can give it something, but we only have berries. And they're scaredy things. Usually.", she whispers on. "Do you not see where it went? You can see in the dark, right?"
Aster snorts just a little in her sleep, dreaming of baked goods and... rabbits for some reason.
Since this city isn't a massive metropolis, getting your hands on a scroll of regenerate is going to be hard. Getting your hands on one would likely involve requesting it from a trusted merchant, or gaining access to the black market. Or you could steal it if you find one within the city. There may be spellcasters in the city capable of casting it for you. These are questions that would require research, and a bit of setup. A mini-quest, if you will.
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Aster starts having a nightmare where all the rabbits are stealing her baked goods. She mutters in her sleep "But bunnies don't like apple pie..."
Tasha's presence seems to intimidate the fox, who scurries backwards, yet it does not run away completely. It hovers around, staring at the two women.
It's hungry, and you have seafood, which you've been cooking.
Rexandi whispers to Tasha, "I dunno, my mom always said that animals were pests, but... we're kinda in its home, so shouldn't we be good guests? I didn't think foxes would come near people, especially with a fire, but... maybe we should give it a bit of fish?"
"Oh! Right. They'd still eat it cooked.", she nods, before disappearing back into the cave, returning with a baked fish. Slowly crawling through the bushes, fish forwards, she puts the fish slowly on the ground, then moves back to stand shoulder to shoulder with Rexandi again. "Is it coming?"
"It's just... staring at us," whispers Rexandi. "I'm not sure whether it's creepy or pathetic."
The fox very hesitantly approaches the fish. It keeps looking up at Rexandi and Tasha, then moving to take a bite. At the last second, it scurries backwards, only to try again. Finally, when the two are starting to get bored with the display and unintentionally drop their guard, the fox hastily grabs the entire fish and bolts off. Tiny little squeaks of glee are heard from the darkness.
Tasha soon gets back to bed. While Rexandi was specifically well-rested for her watch, Tasha was not. Mixed with a hard time getting back to sleep on the stony floor, even with a bedroll, she wakes up in the morning feeling stiff and weary.
Day 3.
In the morning, the party comes to a terrible realization. While Ederion and Tasha feel fine, Rexandi and Ondisso have really bad indigestion, and Aster, Bazzle and Areene are already beginning to vomit. Some of the food must have been undercooked, and now they have food poisoning.
The weather seems to be about the same as yesterday. Passing clouds that provide shade from the burning summer sun, yet the wind isn't strong enough to be any issue.
For the third day in a row, Ondisso absolutely fails at being a competent navigator.
Rubbing her eyes, Tasha greets the morning with a tangled mess of hair and a look of disappointment, before shuffling out of bed. "Just a few more days. Until we have coffee. How did Avistan work before we made contact with Vudra?", she comments tiredly as she clamps her armour's breastplate on and sheathes the shield on her back, stretching with a yawn.
"Oh, was it something we ate? I don't feel much worse. Or better, mind you.", she asks, before suggesting, "We could take it slow. If we need to slow down and gather more food, that'll be fine." And I wouldn't mind a break. Right about now... But we should push on. I hate not knowing what's happening in Kintargo.
"I think the fish was a bit undercooked," says Rexandi unhappily. "Tasha, you look like I feel. I am so sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night."
Ederion has absolutely no issue navigating, despite Ondisso's best efforts.
Aster wakes, sweaty and wide-eyed, mumbling about bunnies before limping off as quick as she can to throw up everything from the night before. "I... am sorry" the Tien woman bows in apology to everyone, which she regrets immediately, a wet belch of stomach acid and bad memories come up as she bends.
The rest of the day is all about her second-guessing her thoughts on what food is good for them and in the end, she can't bring herself to say Yes on anything.
Once Aster heaves up her breakfast, Rexandi has had enough. Though she feels a little queasy herself, she's more concerned about her friends.
"All right, line up if your stomach is doing cartwheels."
Looking around at his companions, Ederion ponders for a second then grabs his notebook from the backpack.
"Ok guys, I think I can find something to alleviate the symptoms of whatever it was we ate which is causing this... But I am going to need a few hours. Two maybe. Shall I get to work?"
The elf immediately retrieves his tools, and begins the search - he wanders around the encampment, but then needs to veer further off in the distance, poking around any small caves or rock agglomerates he finds. His attention is also caught by a number of different plants, most of which he discards with a shrug.
Eventually, after a long while, he returns to the team satisfied with his findings, having collected multiple different ingredients. The process itself is not as morose as the search, and in quick order he has produced a pink thick liquid which looks good - the taste might not match the looks however...
"I have managed enough for five doses, so... Have at it!" - with a victorious smile, he waits for the others to try the concoction.
Aster hobbles over to Rexi, holding her stomach and trying to wipe up. After the spell, she sighs in relief. "I'd hug you for that, but I'm a bit of a mess."
Imagining trying to walk all day with the desire to heave constantly boiling inside her is not a pleasant thought at all, so she readily agrees to Ed's suggestion.
She rests during the wait, waking up to another spewing that is both messy and unladylike. So no matter how the remedy tastes she will drink it down immediately.
The group sets out after drinking Ederion's alchemical remedy. Aster can't find anything to forage along their trek. The terrain is rocky and rugged, rising upwards in a steady climb. Bazzle comes upon two different routes, and he'll have to choose one to lead the group through.
The first option is a series of caves and narrow openings. It looks fairly easy for the nimble Gnome that Bazzle is, but could be trickier for his taller allies. If someone manages to get stuck, they could end up there for a very long time.
The second option is to climb the tops of the crags. Navigating this terrain is perilous to any who fall. The ground is hard and sharp, and in the worst scenario, one could fall potentially hundreds of feet.
"Do we have some rope? I can probably scale that. I'd rather not go underground... ever. Or at least today.", Tasha gives a glance at the craggy terrain, eyes stopping at the rocks. "I used to crawl in all the big buildings in Kintargo. And to sneak off to see something I didn't quite, uh, had tickets to.", she grins guiltily.
Rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, she glances down at Bazzle. "If I go first, I can try and find some nooks and crannies to attach a rope to. One of my few dubiously useful life skills."
"I don't, sorry," says Rexandi apologetically. She turns to survey the horizon, looking for clouds - climbing up on the crags and camping out in the open might not be desirable if rain is coming in.
"Rope no sorry. I mean falling hurts . . . and scraping rock walls in a cave gets tedious its up to you all, which way do you want to go."
Aster listens and pales at the suggestion of squeezing into tight places. Wide hips, misshapen lame leg, and slow old bones make for not a good time in tight places...
"I... could manage..." she says with a sigh, resigning herself to become furry again.
Though not an eager consensus by any means, the group seems to prefer the open spaces of the crags compared to the tight and claustrophobic caves.
They head up to the very top of the island, where the crag juts out like a spearhead. The group will need to climb around it, putting themselves in harm's way. Should they fall, they may end up tumbling and bashing down hundreds of feet, with a final plummet into a lake at the bottom. A small herd of mountain goats occupies the area. They navigate the spearhead with such incredible climbing ability, like they could just scale a sheer wall without issue.