Bessie looks at Crow, unsure of what to make of this place. She had grown up at sea and in ports across the Shackles.
This, this was unnerving. While she was waiting she surveyed the iconography to see what she could make out about the naga and lizardfolk's religion.
Whatever this woman is, she is not a naga.
Continues staring at the walls
Vlad's seen slavery before, but this is... disconcerting, to say the least. Looks more like a larder than a slave pen.
He nods to Orslaw as he follows the priestess or whatever she is. He whispers to Bessie, "I'm pretty sure she isn't a naga. I'm not sure what's going on here, but keep a weather eye."
Orslaw is taken out and escorted through what appears to be the main worship hall of the cathedral. Going through a door at the back they enter a small hallway and through yet another door. Inside are numerous steel tables, glowing glass screens, mechanical arms with sharp protrusions, and a couple of metal stands with bags of fluid.
"Lie here," the priestess says and gestures to one of the tables.
(assuming Orslaw does so)
An hour later, Orslaw is brought back into the room, still really groggy (count as exhausted) and wearing a torque of unknown origin. The priestess is not there but the serpent man is. "You will follow me." he says and leads everyone out flanked by another six lizardmen. At the outer tower he says, "You have one full cycle of the moon. If you do not bring us the fish man, your friend loses his head."
(any actions?)
To determine if the lizardman is bluffing.
Is Orslaw healed? Any idea how and if it is permanent.
What is the torque?
The serpent man does not seem to be lying. Orslaw appears to be healed. His symptoms are gone. He has a small wound on his arm as if stuck by a quill, one at the base of his neck, and two at the base of his spine. He shows no symptoms so one can only assume that he is cured.
The torque seems reminiscent of something from Numeria, a land crawling with strange magics and metal men.
Orslaw puts his hand up to the torque around his neck. "Really not necessary," he says, "but you'll have your fish man. I'm assuming you prefer him alive? We'll bring him back to the same point I presented myself earlier."
Orslaw follows them back out of the weird fort and back to where the rest of the crew is in hiding. Then provides a basic summary for those who didn't follow.
Unless you go for a recon of the walled city, you easily make it back to the boat at the base of the falls. Then from there it is a short float back to Rickey's Squibbs.
"This seems a bit... excessive," Crow says staring at the torque. "I suppose they aren't used to dealing with honest people." He looks around at the group. "Maybe it isn't excessive after all," he says with a chuckle. Well, it's not my head on the line.
"Let's see what we can do to find this 'fishman,' shall we?"
"Was the naga maybe a little more specific about what she wanted than just 'fishman'? What if we bring back the wrong type? It's a broad category" Nasifi asks worriedly.
"Well, I know one 'fishman' they won't be getting." he pauses. "No offense, Orslaw. We'll find a different one."
Bessie links an arm with Guillaume, Don't worry Cap'n; after a lot of debate, we decided to find someone else ...you are just our fallback plan. Bessie grins and give him a playful hipcheck. No worries, we protect the Peril Crew; and the Perilous Crew. Do you know any "fishmen" that we would not have to feel guilty about turning over to whatever that was! Bessie also adds Crow's concerns that the creature in question was not a naga.
Your trip conveniently only took the better part of a day. You arrive back at Rickety's just after sunset, surprising several on the dock. The Peril Crew steps not so lively onto the pier and walks into the main house to get a drink and reserve a room. The tap room is bustling with workers, locals, and the remainder of the Peril Crew. (This would be the evening Vlad works to get the additional bodies for the crew. I highly recommend convincing them to join you and not press ganging. Your host may take that poorly.)
Note: Rickety had said it would take him about 8 days to complete the squib.
"Well, there were those goblin-squid things on the island. Might could go back there and try to catch one of those."
"Since we're here for a few days, let's just go back and ask so we don't get the wrong one. What say ya?"
You have a firm suspicion it was a sahuagin she wanted.
We have a full lunar cycle to get one and get back to the temple. So, what do we know about sahuagin, where to find one, what will be needed to capture and keep one and how we get one into the jungle? Definitely need to get some good manacles. Bessie looks to the rest of the Peril Crew for their thoughts.
Conversation continues while Vlad works the crowd looking for sailors. After the evening's entertainments, the crew slowly turns in. The rooms are relatively poor but they are dry and moderately clean.
The next morning is hot and sticky even though it has not rained in three weeks. What does the crew do to entertain itself while the ship is being squibbed?
After a bit of carousing the night before, Vlad sleeps in a bit. Still he's surprised to be up before the crack of noon. "Not sure what anyone else has planned, but I thought I might try my hand at asking around about any sahaugin sightings near this here port." He scratches his chin as he thinks. "Did she specify it needed to be alive?"
No, she did not specify it needed to be a live.
"Certainly, Vladimir. Check and see what you can dig up. If anyone wants to go with me, I'm going to check on the ship's progress."
Once the group disperses, Guillaume suits action to words, going to watch the crew work.
Bessie will explore Rickety's and try to recruit some sailors for the Perilous Pearl crew.
She will join the Captain for a time, and check on the progress and craftsmanship of the refit, she will also see what is here in the settlement. Looking for any shrines to Besmara, among ant other points of interest.
So a good look around reveals little beyond what was seen the day before when you were in a hurry. The commons (A4), where you stayed, was once a grand building with broad wings extending from its ground floor, with an octagonal dome topped by a cupola at the center. It was obviously a fine villa in its day but time and the harsh sun and rains of the Slithering Coast have faded its paint and cracked its boards, leaving it a gray ghost of its former self. Not only is there a tap room which you acquainted yourself with this evening past, but also a small market and community chow hall. Bessie finds a small shrine to Besmara inside the Commons. Smaller, less grandiose hovels and sheds clapped together of flotsam and jetsam surround the larger building and merge into the jungle behind it.
There are a pair of docks (A2) that reach out into the muddy waters of the estuary. Three small dinghies are moored here beneath canopies made of wooden poles and dried palm fronds. There is a boathouse (A3) with two piers extending out into the river from a long building of rough- cut wooden planks with large openings to allow passage within. Ropes, pulleys, and other equipment common to a boathouse hang inside. Then there is where all the work is being done, the dry dock. A massive, wedge-shaped wooden ramp rises directly from the river. It is large enough to hold a ship of the line and has huge mooring points to allow such a ship to be stabilized in place. Wooden scaffolding is erected all along its sides to allow workers easy access to all points of a ship and its hull. The Man's Promise sits here now and already the workers are busy working on her. Hake is there overseeing the work.
"Hello there Cap'n." Hake greets Guillaume as he walks up.
Vlad's questions send him into the hovels behind the Commons. He eventually finds a one armed former sailor who goes by the name of Chops. The reference of the name becomes evident upon seeing the sailor as it appears the hair on his head has migrated to his cheeks to form a pair of impressive mutton chops. He is busily self medicating for the loss of his arm when Vlad finds him. His stump of an arm is visible though the skin around the area is still an angry red.
Nasifi goes with Guillaume to check on the ship's progress. The time it takes for the ship to be finished will count against the time they have to somehow find a sahuagin, if that's in fact what the naga meant, which she hopes it is.
Afterward Nasifi deals with her new set of anxieties as she typically does, by getting to work on making more alchemists fire. As she works, she wracks her brain for any memory of where anyone might have mentioned sahuagin living.
Orslaw spends his evening exploring the commons' market and such. He makes sure if he sees any familiar faces from his search earlier to let them know he is fully healed from his disease. He also let's people know to beware the strange lizard-folk from up the river and gives harrowing tales of strange magics, the likes of which he has never seen in Cheliax or beyond. For any doubters, he shows them the torque around his neck and brags about the lizard-folk's threat to take off his head. He conveniently leaves out the part about what they requested, however.
"Don't mind me, just checking up on how things are progressing." Guillaume says to Hake.
Orslaw could use that evenings story to try and increase the crew's infamy.
The crew spends the morning hobnobbing and shopping for trinkets. In Nasifi's case she makes some stuff. About half an hour before lunch time, Bessie, who is among the smaller dwellings, and Guillaume, who is down by the boatyard, see a large flock of birds come up out of the jungle to the east. It swoops about in a gyrating group before moving in the direction of Rickety's squibs. The others miss out on the interesting sight as Orslaw and Vlad have slept in and are just now rising and Nasifi is busily making alchemist fire.
You are apparently the first to notice, those aren't birds, they are giant hornets. You may have a minute, tops, from the time you recognize what they are until they will be upon the town.
Vlad shares a drink with Chops (and will gladly throw him a CLW to keep the swelling down) as he listens to the man's tale. "Any information you have on those sea-devils would be most appreciated. As far as I'm concerned, it'll just be killin' two birds with one stone."
After saying prayers of thanks and offering a tribute for Besmara, Bessie ventures outside and is watching the birds, wondering if they were stirred up by the lizard-peoples or something else lurking in the jungle, she moves into the street to get a better look at them.
Orslaw's Infamy check to go with description above.
Due to the bad reactions from the crowd that night and the uncomfortableness of the torque, he sleeps in a bit in the morning. He finally leaves his room with armor and weapons strapped into place as he sees Bessie looking at the birds.
"Not seagulls, by my reckoning," he mumbles with a disinterested yawn.
Bessie acknowledges Orslaw with a muttered agreement as she continues to watch the flock approach.
Guillaume squints at the cloud. He looks around for any member of his crew or, failing that, a familiar face on the docks. Regardless, he looks around, then points to the cloud. ”Those aren’t birds. They’re hornets.” He heads toward the cloud.
At Guillaume's warning, the workers quickly pass the word and begin to hop and leap from the scaffolding. A man runs to an iron bell at pier side.
Annoyed rather than afraid, Bessie ducks into the nearest building that looks like it could be secured against the swarm, and is likely to contain something useful like a torch. Once inside she will look for a torch.
This. This is why I spend my time at sea. Letting out a sigh, and preparing to batten down the hatches on the structure, so to speak.
Vlad looks up from his drink wondering what the hell the bell is about.
When the bell starts ringing women run out to gather up the children who were playing, men who were in the jungle gathering food and timber start making their way back, and those on the scaffolding continue to dismount. All seems to be moving extremely slowly. With mere seconds remaining before the hornets are upon the village there are still about 30 people trying to get to shelter.
Guillaume let's fly. The blast hits the nearest hornet (H1) and the swarm is on the town. Outside the window where Bessie and Orslaw are holed up they see a young man get attacked by a pair of hornets seemingly trying to carry him away. Vlad and Chops, who were sitting beneath strung up sail cloth to act as a porch cover, see a hornet going for a young boy still laboring under a bundle of sticks.
Orslaw steps outside the building while pulling his crossbow up to the ready and calls out, "They're trying to take people! Everyone get to cover!" He levels his crossbow at one of the two massive hornets trying to carry off the young man and let's his crossbow bolt fly.
Bessie curses as she steps beside Orslaw and follows suit, targeting the other wasp, in the hopes of dissuading one or both.
Bessie gives a head tilt back to the open door...
We already made a deal with the lizards to get you healed...I do not want to wind up as either part of a rescue mission to some giant bee hive!
@Guillaume: I finally saw it in your earlier post. They have a fly speed of 60 so you managed to get one shot off before they were on the village. The good news is it was a hit.
Both Bessie and Orslaw hit the hornet they shot at. The thing reacts instinctively and flies at those who just stung it. It easily covers the thirty feet between you and shows off its amazing flexibility as its abdomen comes shooting from underneath it to try and sting Orslaw.
+poison DC 18 FOR
Orslaw let's out a sharp cry of pain as the giant hornet stings him in the chest followed a second later by a second gasp as the wound begins burning.
Vlad tosses his drink at the wasp, more of a distraction than anything else, and runs for the lad, sword in one hand. "Git down, boy!" he yells as he sprints.
Guillaume fires again, targeting the hornet attacking Orslaw.
Guillaume's blast blows a leg off the hornet attacking Orslaw drawing its attention. Then the hornet Guillaume hit earlier flies in and attempts to plunge a stinger into him. Likewise, the hornet Vlad hit with a cocktail flies at him and tries to sting but fails.
charge -2 AC
Actions got a little muddled. Heroes are up followed by more hornets.
Crow takes a swing at the hornet hoping he can put it down befoer it endangers anyone else. "Feel free to give me a hand here, Chops," he says as he swings his sword.