Aster shakes out her body into fur and a pink nose collapsing in on herself to the form of a small(ish) rat.
After that, she scurries along with ease.
"Let us not forget we have a magical rope - it may play an important role in this, don't you think?" - Ederion smiles.
Rummaging around in his pack, he produces the magical item, then looks up - "I wonder if this is enough..."
In spite of feeling queasy, in spite of having little in the way of physical strength, Rexandi manages to slowly make the climb up the rope to the crag. The magical rope makes all of the difference; she would not have been able to make the ascent otherwise.
Once at the top she tosses herself to the ground to catch her breath and then finally says, "Wow. I'm surprised I made it! Let's see if we can find a way to have a little shelter from the wind up here."
Making her way up the rope with haste, Tasha quickly finds herself on the top, arms almost giving way. "I could've used that... at any point in my life, really.", she makes a one-sided smile, before sitting down with the sound of a cutlery cabinet falling over, before nodding at Rexandi with a sigh. "Yeah. Rest is good."
[dice=Climb, not bothering removing armour, reducing ACP as a fighter.]1d20+14-4[/ooc]
Bazzle climbs easily enough and scouts around when he reaches the top.
"Whoa that's higher than I thought."
Ederion uses the Rope of Climbing, which allows him to make the rope crawl along the rockface to secure itself on the other side. With this vast improvement, Rexandi and Ederion cross without issue. Tasha carries Areene on her back, and Aster turns into a dire rat who scrambles along the rope. When Bazzle gets half way along the rope, he hears something coming his way. He looks up, and spots an eagle charging directly at him. The eagle tries to break its dive and grab onto Bazzle, but instead it just swooshes right past. Ondisso hastily follows after Bazzle, eyes wide and staring straight up in case that happens again.
Bazzle quickly scouts the next portion of the crags. He sees it's all downhill from here, but that's part of the problem. The next bit of the trek involves going down a slope of loose stones and dirt. This challenge is more about balance than climbing ability. Once this portion is traversed, it should be smooth sailing from there.
"Holy feathery doom. Its a vulture, hawk thing. It likes people . . for dinner?"
Ederion watches as the others skip and hop down the slope, then looks back to Areene and Tasha - "You will have to hold on real tight, as tight as you can" - he smiles at Areene - "It will be a bumpy ride, so get ready for some emotion!"
The first thing the elf does is quaffing his mutagenic concoction - his limbs elongate and become more sinewy, arms and legs more taut, and his visage more feral.
Then he assists Areene onto his back, whispering in her ear - "Everything will be alright" - the voice trailing and hissing a bit.
And storms off down the slope - "Wohooo!"
As they descend mostly each person for themselves, Tasha, Aster, Rexandi, and Ondisso have some difficulty. Tasha stumbles and slams into a tree. Aster slides over the wrong edge of a hill, turning into a cliff. She falls 20 feet before hitting the ground. Rexandi slips and slides through a patch of razor-sharp ferns, she's quickly accompanied by Ondisso, who bowls into her while yelling at the top of his lungs.
Areene screams both in joy and terror as Ederion slides down the slopes. Bazzle skips along like the exercise is absolutely nothing. When he reaches the bottom, he continues to scout. The end of the island is in sight. A few hours later, he reaches the beach. Now evening, he looks for a place to camp, but he stumbles across quite the sight. A beached sea creature, about the size of a dolphin, maybe a bit larger. He hears it blow through its blowhole. It's still alive.
Option 1: Save the creature (requires a lot of Str, though there are options for aiding. Automatic 1 delay.[/ooc]
Option 2: Ignore the creature (Removes 1 delay)
Option 3: Eat the creature (Gives 2 days worth of food)
"Well if its still alive its not rotten."
Putting her arms on her waist, Tasha sighs. "I mean, true. But what if it's intelligent? I'd rather not be eaten by someone just because they couldn't understand me.", she replies, before looking around towards Rexandi, hoping that her question is answered. And I could stand with something that's not berries. Or normal seafood. Failing that, she tosses her backpack onto the ground, and slowly begins approaching the creature.
"I don't really understand why we are constantly talking as if we were starving" - Ederion shakes his head - "We have been travelling for only two days, come on..."
A long series of harsh squeaks come pouring out of Aster's mouth as the rat slip off the rocky path. When the rest of you get down, Aster as a human again is brushing herself off and sweary hotly in Tien. "I like cities because there is none of THIS"" the woman waves at the crags.[/b]"
Looking at the beast, Aster thinks...
Bazzle looks up at Ed, "True but walking all day with a bit of meat in the belly sounds better than none. And lets not bring up whatever it was that made you have to get all apothecary on us."
Rexandi glances to her other teammates and then says, "Why are you looking at me? Last time I suggested that we eat something, it was a disaster and I nearly died!"
"I don't have any spells of translation or comprehension so... I can't really talk to it."
Ederion chuckles and moves ahead with Tasha - "We can't just leave it here to die, now can we?" - he comments - "Can we just push it back to the sea?"
Aster sees Tasha and Ed wanting to help "I feel for it as well, but it looks awfully big compared to us. Could we manage? Possibly. But it will eat up even more time, and I have a little girl worried about me at home."
"Sorry, I've never seen a whale before and have no idea what it is."
Aster sees Tasha and Ed wanting to help "I feel for it as well, but it looks awfully big compared to us. Could we manage? Possibly. But it will eat up even more time, and I have a little girl worried about me at home."
...about the size of a dolphin, maybe a bit larger...
"Not that big" - Ederion winks at Aster - "Promise I will buy a nice gift for your young one"
Rexandi isn't sure exactly what it is. It could be a large dolphin, a very small whale, but at least it isn't an elephant seal. Though these creatures can breathe air, they can't support their weight on land. Their body can get crushed under its own weight, suffocating it. If that doesn't happen, then they're doomed to starvation or predation. They also bake under the sun if their skin isn't kept wet.
This creature weighs several hundred pounds, maybe even a thousand. It's stuck in wet sand, making things even more complicated. Fortunately, the tide is coming in, which may help. Strength will be vital to saving it, but clever thinking and use of tools can make things much easier.
Keen Recollection: At 3rd level, an investigator can attempt all Knowledge skill checks untrained.
;)
Ederion identifies the stranded creature as a Dwarf Sperm Whale. While having nothing to do with Dwarves, nor male reproductive fluids, this creature is a very small version of the much larger and more whale-known Sperm Whale. It is one of the smallest whales in the world. They are excellent hunters just like their larger kin, hunting squid and rays.
It's very, very rare for a whale to intentionally attack a humanoid, but occasionally a humanoid gets careless and gets smacked by the whale's tail or fins. Although this Dwarf Sperm Whale is unlikely to produce the same feat, there are stories of Killer Whales punting seals two-score feet into the sky.
Using tools such as rope, a block and tackle, a pulley system, or a shovel to dig sand can be a big help. The only thing about rope, though, is that it will need to be removed from the whale after it's in deep enough water, which might prove to be a challenge.
"I mean your stronger than me Ed but um that looks like several fat tons." He looks at the poor creature.
"Digging behind it might be easier. Anyone have a spell that can bring the tide way in?"
"No, but if anyone has a shovel, I have a spell that can make it dig automatically."
Aster frowns, letting more irritation show than normal, but doesn't say anything else. Instead, she decides to rest her throbbing leg in a place with shade while the others figure out what needs to be done.
"Come now Aster, I know you are worried" - Ederion smiles again at his companion - "But this creature is suffering. You know we cannot just pass it by. I just wish Rillia was here to help keeping the whale calm... By the way, did I tell you this is a Sperm Whale - how cute a name is that?" - he laughs.
"It is very rare for a whale to intentionally attack people, just take care not to get smacked by the whale's tail or fins" - he adds to the others.
"Come now Aster, I know you are worried" - Ederion smiles again at his companion - "But this creature is suffering. You know we cannot just pass it by. I just wish Rillia was here to help keeping the whale calm... By the way, did I tell you this is a Sperm Whale - how cute a name is that?" - he laughs.
[dice=Engineering?]d20+7+d6
"It is very rare for a whale to intentionally attack people, just take care not to get smacked by the whale's tail or fins" - he adds to the others.
"I am sympathetic to the animal's plight, but there is an entire city suffering back home, Ederion." she says simply. Not arguing, just explaining.
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Tasha's eyebrows jump up at Aster's words. "You... have a point. If I was asked at any other time, should I leave a... dwarf whale or risk Kintargo, I'd have to choose Kintargo.", she nods. "If we don't have another idea, I'd say we at least take it out of its misery and leave it."
"I don't think you can equate things like that" - Ederion frowns - "And maybe there is a quicker solution" - he retrieves the specimen bottle, and moves to apply its effects to the whale, moving calmly and purposefully.
The whale is exhausted, and poses very little threat. It watches Ederion as he leans in to listen to the whales heart.
Ederion hears a 'Thump Thump' that is so strong that he can feel the reverberations. When he listens carefully, he can make out a very quiet vocalization of different pitches. It's a very soft whale song.
Areene also gets this privilege, and she smiles from ear to ear when she hears it. "What a beautiful creature." She says, as she pets the whale. A large exhale escapes the whale's blowhole.
While animals of all kinds seem capable of resisting Rexandi's spells, the whale is quickly shrunken to the size of a pea and is sucked into the magical bottle. Ederion wades into deeper water, until he is completely submerged. He then opens the bottle and wills the whale free. The aether in the bottle blocks water from getting in, and the Dwarf Sperm Whale is ejected and rapidly grows to its normal size, pushing water and Ederion out of the way.
For a moment, it doesn't really move apart from maintaining buoyancy. It stares right at Ederion, its eye just a foot away. It sings a very short whale song, eerie yet beautiful, then gently swims away into the deeper waters.
Suddenly, a literal wave of translucent blue magic crashes upon Ederion, and sweeps across the shore to wet the feet of everyone else. Each member feels the tingling energy of primal magic flow through them.
Rexandi learns how to calm animals by merely looking at them.
Aster's limp improves dramatically, allowing her to walk normally.
Scouting is dangerous business. Bazzle learns how to turn into the wind for a very brief amount of time.
Ederion's understanding of natural geography increases significantly.
Walking around in armour under this heat is exhausting. Tasha is blessed with a spell to help mitigate that for herself, as well as her allies.
Ondisso gets exactly what he's been hoping for since he woke up in the green goo. He gains the ability to cast Tears to Wine once, so he can have a good drink of mead.
Areene may not be able to see, but she now feels nature in her very bones.
Yet each character realizes that there is a condition to this magic.
"Thou shalt not set foot unto a city, or thou shalt lose thy blessings. I knowest thou shalt defy mine will, but that it shalt be."
"The pain... is gone." Aster says with a stunning amount of wonder. She walks up to the edge of the water, ('WALKS' not 'limps') to Ed and Rexi. Bowing low in apology and respect, the middle aged Tien woman says "I was wrong. Good work, both of you."
"Whoa, I can feel the magic." He looks around hoping whatever divine power has intervened can hear. "Thank you."
Bazzle walks about on his hands for a bit. "So if I do this forever. Will I technically not be setting foot in a city."
Aster laughs. She is a bit tempted herself. Not to walk on her hands, but to never set foot in the city.
Dhe cannot remember a time her leg has not had that throbbing dull ache. Ever since her siblings... she shakes her head, pushing thoughts of the past away. Dwelling never made a shred of difference. Anyway, not a single one of them ever had a baker in their lives, so who got the better end of that deal?
As he comes out of the water, Ederion wears a HUGE smile on his face - without a word he just approaches his companions and begins hugging them all - "How cool was that?! I don't have to ask - I can see you all felt it!"
Then he just strips completely naked on an impulse, and runs back into the sea to enjoy the waves for a while - "Wohooooo!!!"
"At least he hugged us before stripping naked." Aster comments, but her smile is bright as bright can be.