"Wise man understands that parting is inevitable, still I will remember the people on this journey fondly. What will you be doing when we find port?" Addressing both Sasha and Douena.
"Makoa, we need to get back to work before the Cap'n notices us slacking."
Urza moves off to his duties.
Sasha gazes out over the water and ponders Mahjik's question for a moment. "I don't know yet," she says with a shrug. "Whatever I feel like, I suppose."
"Wise man understands that parting is inevitable, still I will remember the people on this journey fondly. What will you be doing when we find port?" Addressing both Sasha and Douena.
Douena laughs. "Whatever Desna finds for me to do. I haven't even thought that far yet. I spent all the money I had buying my passage." She shrugs. "I guess I'll just keep traveling -- by land this time, of course, so I can tell I'm going somewhere and not just sitting still in the middle of a fishbowl."
"Makoa, we need to get back to work before the Cap'n notices us slacking."
Urza moves off to his duties.
"Hm? Oh, right.."
Makoa says as he returns to his work, memories fading away until he wanted them again...
Lorenz is content to listen to Gelik's stories for as long as the gnome will tell them, expressing his appreciation in glowing terms whenever the gnome pauses for breath.
"When we reach Eleder, you must allow me to buy you a mug of strong ale or a glass of sweet wine. Your stories, friend gnome, have been the highlight of our journey."
Mahjik rearranges himself, leisurely hanging from the ropes supporting his shoulders. Now "standing" upright about face-height with Sasha. His eyes scan the horizon for any sign of changes. His voice is slightly thick with his Vudran accent, but carries the usual smiling harmonics. "We'll see more of each other then; wise man suggests to take time to allow insights to come to fruition."
Sasha nods. "I think we will, Mahjik. I look forward to it."
You all enjoy the wonderful weather the day has to offer, talking some more and for the most part, having a good time. Gelik’s mood has definitely improved after the reception from his performance. Sasha continues to be boisterous and happy. Even Ishirou joins says a few words here and there, and while he still doesn’t really smile or look happy, he looks in better spirits than any of you are used to seeing him.
Finally the time for the evening’s feast approaches. The passengers are invited to dine at the captain’s table. Captain Kovack is in dress uniform for the event. Gelik is dressed in his absolute finest. Sasha and Ishirou don’t quite dress as fancily, but they do their best to look good. Aerys is also there, and she partakes of the food and wine without reserve. The only passenger not to show is Ieana. Captain Kovack says that she sends her regrets, but she is not feeling well, and would like to rest before the end of the voyage. First mate Devers is on duty, so is unfortunately unable to join the dinner.
Rambar Terillo, the ship’s cook, serves his finest. More soup. It looks to be the same bland soup he has served every other day of the voyage so far. He serves each passenger personally before moving on to the rest of the ship to serve the crew. Although the soup looks the same, it actually does taste different. Not better, not worse, just different, so he obviously put something different in it.
All in all, things seem to be going quite well. Then everything becomes hazy and finally black.
He is definitely on a beach, at the end of an inlet of water. Around him, he can see several others lying unconscious in the sand. At his feet, is a monstrous sea creature, like a cross between a lobster and a scorpion. It’s claws snap visciously. It has obviously just nipped at him. Further up the beach on either side of the inlet, he can see several more of these creatures.
to the library section of the website.
Order: Sea Scorpions, Mahjik
One of the beasts claws scrapes his skin, but doesn't do more than a minor scratch.
The other sea scorpions crawl further up the beach to the points currently shown on the map.
Next Up:
Mahjik stands up, his legs still wobbly. He tries to shake his grogginess and moves closer to Sasha and Lorenz . He shouts, stirring both of the limb bodies next to him, hoping to awaken either.
Mahjik, however, is able to avoid the clumsy attack easily. He makes it over to Sasha and Lorenz and tries to wake them. Unfortunately, they don't respond immediately. Nearby, however, Douena is starting to move, whether from his shout or on his own he can't be sure.
Douena begins to stir. She thinks she can hear waves. Then someone shouts and she opens her eyes.
Order: Sea Scorpions, Douena, Mahjik
The scorpion that previously attacked Mahjik follows him over the sand and takes a single swipe at him.
It again fails to get him.
To the west, two more scorpions clamber across the sand, one towards Urza and another at Ishirou.
A claw snaps against Ishirou's leg and he awakes with a yell.
To the east, two more scorpions scurry over the sand, both moving towards Aerys. Only one manages to strike at her this time though.
Aerys, too, awakes with a gasp.
Next Up: Mahjik.
Next Up: .
Mahjik shouts loudly in Vudrani; hoping that the unusual sounds will help those still unconscious.
He does not risk the sea scorpion getting any closer to the still prone comrades, instead he attempts to fell it with a swift flurry of kicks that target the shoulder joints on which the powerful claws are hinged.
One of Mahjik's kicks successfully connects with the claw, but only manages to shake the scorpion up a bit.
Across the battlefield, some of the others are stirring. Aerys and Ishirou are awake now, and Urza awakens to the sound of snapping claws.
Next Up: Sea Scorpions, Douena, Mahjik, Ishirou, Aerys.
Urza awakens with a jolt. He reflexively extends his claws and lashes out before standing up.
Claw: to hit
Claw: damage
Urza's claws scrape across the creature's shell, but do not penetrate it. When he stands up, the creature tries to snap at him.
The claw connects with his leg, but does not get a good enough grip to do any major damage.
The scorpions lash at those near each of them.
The two scorpions attacking Aerys shift their positions slightly .
Next Up: Mahjik, Ishirou, Aerys.
The dash across the sand leaves Douena feeling woozy in her weakened condition. She flings herself down next to Makoa, draping her upper body across his chest, her small face inches from his toothy maw. "Wake up, wake up, please," she cries, shaking him with as much strength as she can muster. "There's things trying to eat us!"
Douena manages to get a response from Makoa. The blackness in his head clears away to the sound of Douena's cries and of her shaking him. [ooc]Makoa can join in the battle next round.[ooc]
Next Up: Ishirou, Aerys.
Mahjik continues his Vudran litany, accentuating it with shouts as he thrusts two lightning quick punches at where he believes the eyes of the creature to be.
The sea scorpion Mahjik hits shakes a bit, but quickly regains control of itself.
Nearby, Ishirou jumps frantically to his feet. The sea scorpion by him snaps at his legs as he does so.
Ishirou ignores the minor wound and quickly surveys the surrounding. Spotting the pile of equipment, he moves over to it.
Aerys stares up at the each of the scorpions threatening her. With a yell, she jumps to her feet. Both scorpions lash at her.
She dodges both blows and then punches at one of them .
And nearly trips on her own two feet doing so. :)
Aakif finds his senses returning, only to hear yells and shouting.
Up Next: Sea Scorpions, Makoa, Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Ishirou, Aerys.
Urza slashes furiously at the clawed, stingered thing that's trying to eat him.
Claw: to hit
Claw: damage
Claw: to hit
Claw: damage
Then he takes a step back (to P11)
Crit: to hit
Claw: damage
Urza's first claw attack misses, but the second slashes across the creature's face . The creature wobbles unsteadily on its feet. That same one then takes a few uncertain steps back, apparently no longer sure it wants to take on this opponent.
The other sea scorpion near Urza (the one previously assaulting Ishirou) moves forward 5 feet and attacks him.
All three attacks fail to hit him.
The other three scorpions unleash their attacks.
And all of those fail to hit as well, although one claw on Mahjik comes close, and one tail attack on Aerys is close as well.
Up Next: Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Ishirou, Aerys.
The dash across the sand leaves Douena feeling woozy in her weakened condition. She flings herself down next to Makoa, draping her upper body across his chest, her small face inches from his toothy maw. "Wake up, wake up, please," she cries, shaking him with as much strength as she can muster. "There's things trying to eat us!"
"Ung? What are you.." Makoa trails off as he sees the big bugs, gets to his feet(sliding Douena off first) and darts at the one he thinks is closest, fangs bared and ready to crunch.
There's a sickening crunch as Makoa bites into the bug's carapace. He rips away a significant chunk of the shell, and releasing much of its innards. The sea scorpion wobbles unsteadily on its feet. It doesn't quite fall over yet, but it looks on the verge of doing so.
Aakif gets groggily to his feet, sees the pile of weapons, and steps over to it. Within moments, he's found and retrieved his falchion.
Up Next: Mahjik, Ishirou, Aerys.
Douena smiles proudly at the sea scorpion's messy demise, considering it as much her accomplishment as Makoa's, as she was clever enough to wake him. Then, she firmly gets back on her feet, despite her spinning head, and heads toward Lorenz and Sasha, giving the scorpion attacking Mahjik a wide berth. "Are you all right?" she calls to Mahjik.
Douena makes it to that location without any difficulty.
Up Next: Ishirou, Aerys.
Mahjik fights in a manner to keep the creature away from the nearby allies. Douena's success in waking Makoa reassures him that the others are likely fine too.
At Douena: "I am fine! But wise man never made sage advice for this. Wake the others - I can hold this one off."
Mahjik misses on each of his attacks.
Ishirou recovers his katana from the pile of weapons and then moves around the sea scorpion attacking Mahjik, carefully keeping out of its reach until he's flanking it with Mahjik.
Aerys repositions herself so that she's flanking a sea scorpion with Makoa (the same one Makoa brought near to death). She then punches that one.
She does not succeed in damaging it.
Lorenz finally starts to regain consciousness, hearing the sounds of fighting around him.
Next Up: Sea Scorpions, Makoa, Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys.
Urza is only too happy to let the one sea scorpion retreat as he sidesteps then slashes at the one still in front of him
5' step to Q12
Claw: to hit
Claw: damage
Claw: to hit
Claw: damage
Urza's first claw attack breaks through a bit of the shell. The second, unfortunately misses.
The sea scorpion the snaps at him.
The scorpion's tail stings him, but doing only minor damage and he easily fights off its poison.
Up the beach, the retreating sea scorpions clambers into the water and starts to swim away.
The scorpion caught between Mahjik and Ishirou snaps at Ishirou this time.
None of the attacks hit him.
The scorpion between Makoa and Aerys, barely able to stand makes a single snap at Makoa.
Its feeble attack is ineffective and, unable to take the strain anymore, it collapses.
Finally, the remaining sea scorpion goes after the unconscious Gelik.
Gelik wakes up with a yell.
Next Up: Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys.
Lorenz, enjoying a pleasant dream of battle in a world that doesn't rock without cease rolled over and inhaled a mouthful of sand, forcing him to sit upright in a choking, coughing fit.
With blurry eyes and sand-filled nostrils, he staggered to his feet, at first oblivious to the madness around him, concerned only about getting to the railing before he lost his supper all over the deck.
That was when he realized that though he still felt sick he wasn't on the ship anymore, but on a...beach? And what was that clacking monstrosity in front of him that the strange fellow who liked ropes so much was glaring at?
"Um, what..." He sneezed, and then saw the pile of weapons and equipment lying next to Mahjik.
Makoa growls as he moves to bite another bug, fangs covered in sea scorpion bits, and chomps at it...
Makoa succeeds in taking a big chunk out of the bug .
Next Up: Douena, Mahjik, Lorenze, Ishirou, Aerys.
Aakif, used to being woken at odd hours, manages to shake off most of the grogginess quite quickly. Taking stock of the situation, he hefts his falchion, shouts a battle cry in his native tongue, and charges the creature menacing Urza. His falchion scythes down through the air and bisects the insectoid with a sickening crunch and a spray of ichor and carapace fragments.
Next Up: Mahjik, Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys.
Douena reaches out and touches Mahjik. "Desna's own luck be with you," she blesses him.
Noticing that Lorenz is stirring, Douena turns her attention to the red-haired woman still lying still. "Hey," she says hesitantly, leaning over Sasha's body and poking her a bit tentatively, "wake up. There's things trying to eat us." Now that most people are awake and the scorpions are on the defensive, the gnome's urgency is noticeably lessened.
Sasha groans a little in her sleep, but doesn't wake up.
Next Up: Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys.
Mahjik smiles: "Wise man embraces the favor of gods."
Desna's luck manages to overcome all those low rolls and provide a single hit for Mahjik. Unfortunately, the luck doesn't hold out on the damage.
Lorenz gets to his feet and makes his way around to the weapons pile.
On the opposite side of the scorpion Mahjik just attacked, Ishirou raises his katana and strikes.
The katana cracks the bug's shell. Its feet flail out and it falls flat on the ground, unmoving.
Aerys steps up to the one remaining sea scorpion and tries to punch it.
Up Next: Sea Scorpion, Makoa, Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys, Gelik.
The last remaining sea scorpion snaps at Makoa.
Next Up: Aakif, Douena, Mahjik, Lorenz, Ishirou, Aerys, Gelik.
Makoa snaps right back, glad his leggings are still tough despite their years of use.
Makoa bites into the final sea scorpion, tearing out several of its innards. With a sickening squelch, it falls over and soon perishes.
With the battle over, you finally get a chance to survey your surroundings properly. To the south, a wall of green rises in the form of a dense jungle filled with a cacophony of life. North of you, the waters of the sea surge and churn between the between the beach and a line of razor-sharp rocks on either side.
Sasha is beginning to wake up and Gelik is getting to his feet now. Jask, the prisoner on board ship, is still unconscious, with his hands bound in manacles. There is no sign of any of the crew apart from Makoa and Urza, and no sign of the one other passenger, Ieana.
All your equipment and belongings have been piled on the beach, although you have no idea how it got there, or indeed, how any of you got there. The last thing any of you remember is eating dinner on the Jenivere.
The sickness you are feeling upon awakening wears off over the next couple of minutes. Jask also starts to come to.
Edit: It's early morning at the moment, approximately 7 a.m. You can only presume it's the morning after the dinner, which would make it the 29th of Sarenith. However, there is no way to be absolutely sure. It's possible you were unconscious for over a day.
Satisfied that the red-haired woman will soon be awake, Douena digs through the pile of belongings, looking for her backpack. Giving a cry of joy upon finding it, she immediately sits down on the sand and begins sorting through the contents, as if taking inventory. She seems utterly unconcerned about the castaways' current precarious situation.