Kellen's look is one of disappointment at the information and rubs his chin in thought for a bit. "Body would've made for an easier solution, but...nothing to be done about it, I suppose."
He gathers his papers and looks up at the others and a mild smile. "Well the matter's as settled from your end as can be; and yer no worse off than a free meal for the trouble. I'm as ready to go as can be for a river boat trip then." He shrugs his shoulders and settles back in for the rest of the repast.
Good idea, but unfortunately...no.
Brother Pietre suggests to you that any wheeled conveyance you may need should not be a carriage, The roads you will travel on are a bit rough for that sort of thing. He arranges for a wagon, with a cover, and two draft horses - big ones.
"After all," he says to you, near the end of the last day, "what with the rains coming, you'll need sturdy animals to pull that through the muddy roads. I've arranged a river barge for you. The bargemaster, Tolan, is a valued member of the church. He will take you as far as Ilsurian, where the Skull River meets Lake Syrantula. That is the point where your wagon and horses will be best used.'
"if you have the stomach for it, I can pull to our aid the wild Palamero steeds from the plains of Varasia, as ridden by my ancestors and cousins." says Rhianni. "They will take us swiftly across the country. Praxim, Tomaru and Lymn have ridden them before, when we escaped from that dark castle of doom and undeath."
The walk down to the where you will meet Tolan and your ride East is without incident. The docks at the mouth of the river are bustling with activity, with vessels of all makes and sizes loading and unloading cargo. It is said that Magnimar is the queen of trade in this part of Golarion, and it is easy to believe as you approach the dock where Brother Pietre directed you.
"Tolan is a good man, and works hard." Brother Pietre said before you left, "He may be a bit gruff, but the Swamp Rat has a fine reputation, and you will be in good hands."
Soon you are facing a long rectangular vessel, low in the water. A hand-painted name adorns the front of the barge: Swamp Rat it says in bold green letters.
A man, seeing you eyeing his barge, comes to the edge of rail and addresses you. "Aye there! You lot! Are ye sent by Brother Pietre? Headed to Ilsurian?" Without waiting for an answer, he chides you, "Well then, get aboard, get aboard! I'm already behind waitin' fer ye!" He waves his hand towards a rickety gangplank, and turns away to give orders to his crew.
The barge is largish, 60' by 20' wide, with two small structures near the aft third of the craft. There are two large hatches in the deck, one behind the other, both are covered with wooden lattice grates.
Lym casually strolls onto the ship and glances at - and down through - the hatches.
"Excuse me," she says to the first sailor who does not appear to be immediately busy with anything critical, "but where can we stow our gear - not to mention ourselves, at least until the ship is out on the water and we won't be in the way anymore?"
Thordak looks a bit grim at the idea of being on a boat. "Water. I'm not a fan of it unless I'm drinkin' it." He sighs. "If I drown, I'm gonna be ticked!" he complains as he makes his way onto the boat.
"Really?" Praxim asks amusedly. "I would have thought a dwarf of your stature would be able to handle drink stronger than water."
He is concerned, however, that the women won't have suitable accommodations, so he only half-listens to Thordak's come-back as he tries to find out where the ladies will be sleeping.
Tomaru cheerily complies. He goes to the bow of the boat and does a prayer to Desna with honorable mention for Gozreh.
The cargo area below the hatches is filled barrels and crates of various sorts. There does not appear to be any sort of berthing spaces beyond the two shelters on deck.
"Ye can pitch yer tents on deck if ye gots any," Tolan says from the stern, where he is untying a large rope, "there're tie-offs to use, or ye can sleep under the stars, as it were. Won't be much to do while we're under way. 'Cept keep watch." He finishes with a nod.
Kellen, for his part, eyes the captain and his crew - looking for anyone who stands out as more suspicious than the rest. Otherwise - he settles in a corner of the barge to watch the surrounding area.
He spends a little time assessing his new comrades - trying to gauge them and how they behave.
He gives a nod at the cleric's benediction of the boat, and notes it to Thordak. "Never hurts to ask Lady Luck to keep us from sinking, eh?"
"Captain, I hope you'll forgive this Desnan priest's temerity at offering prayers on your ship's behalf. I, do, however offer my services during our journey with you."
"Think nothin' of it lad, ye can never have too many blessin's when yer sailin' near the Fens!"
The last lines are cast off and some of the crew work the barge free of the dock with long sturdy poles. The rest busy themselves erecting a large mast-pole in the center of the barge. Within minutes, it is up with a huge span of a sail unfurling to catch the sea-breeze. Slowly but surely, the barge makes its way out into the main channel, headed upriver.
Sir, one expects at least a galleon for style
The rest busy themselves erecting a large mast-pole in the center of the barge. Within minutes, it is up with a huge span of a sail unfurling to catch the sea-breeze.
As soon as the ship is properly underway and Lym feels she has a decent enough grasp of the crew's dynamic, she finds a spot on deck where she can set up her tent without it getting in the way of crew operations.
"Rhianni," she calls over, "come give me a hand and we'll share. Space is always at a premium on working ships; let's not take up more than we absolutely need to."
'I and do let's stick together while we're surrounded by strangers,' she adds in the privacy of her own skull.
The barge slides out to far right of the river, moving out of the way of the vessels that are bound downriver. From the early going, it very obvious that the city is a bustling trade hub. You pass every type of watercraft from large three masted ocean-going vessels to small flat-bottomed riverboats. After an hour or so of moving through the heavy river traffic, the Swamp Rat passes out of the city proper. Here the riverbanks are dominated by farmland on the northern bank, and the beginnings of the Mushfens on the southern bank. The Yondabakari river is still nearly a mile wide at this point, so near its mouth.
Having settled in to their normal routine, Tolan approaches you. "I'll not deny I'm glad ta have ye aboard", he begins, "the city maintains some water craft for th' next few leagues, an' after that, road patrols are sparse for a few more. It kin be anywhere from a week or two that ye may see a patrol on th' roads after even that." He looks out over the starboard side and waves an arm toward the swamp. "Th' 'fens are unexplored, unclaimed, an' for th' most part, unknown. Boggard raids, river pirates, an' worse kin climb outta that mess. Yessir. Hope ye are as good as th' old priest says ye are."
"Really?" Praxim asks amusedly. "I would have thought a dwarf of your stature would be able to handle drink stronger than water."
"Oh I can, lad. But not of late." He looks off into the distance as he speaks. "I've got to stay sharp, clear minded, you see. No time to relax, not yet. I won't be sittin' on me laurels the next time I be seein' the big uns', no sir. I'll be ready." After a moment more, he wakes himself from his thoughts and notices the elf has already left, tending to the others. Shrugging, "I think I'll just sleep right here."
He gives a nod at the cleric's benediction of the boat, and notes it to Thordak. "Never hurts to ask Lady Luck to keep us from sinking, eh?"
"Anything that helps us not sink, I'm in favor of, laddie." He winks.
Having settled in to their normal routine, Tolan approaches you. "I'll not deny I'm glad ta have ye aboard", he begins, "the city maintains some water craft for th' next few leagues, an' after that, road patrols are sparse for a few more. It kin be anywhere from a week or two that ye may see a patrol on th' roads after even that." He looks out over the starboard side and waves an arm toward the swamp. "Th' 'fens are unexplored, unclaimed, an' for th' most part, unknown. Boggard raids, river pirates, an' worse kin climb outta that mess. Yessir. Hope ye are as good as th' old priest says ye are."
"Oh no, we're far grander than that," he responds, grinning wryly.
Rhianni nods to Lym at her request, "I think you're right, I've not traveled by barge much before." She stays close to Lym, before going up top to take in the sights and sounds of the river.
"If there are strange things coming out of the fens, is there anything we can do to speed you past he danger?" Rhianni asks the boatman. "I'll do what I can to help, but the others are more powerful, I can only help in little ways." she says from under her colorful red and yellow headscarf as her long auburn hair is caught in the breeze along the waterway. She smiles at the boatman, "I'm sure we'll do our best to protect each other."
"Any who decide to harass us will find only bad luck."
"They don't come looking for trouble and they won't get none." Kellen adds at the Captain's concerns.
He is slighted distracted by the flash of Rhianni's auburn hair and throws a comment her way: "Since we have some time at hand, Miss, I'm still interested to see what your Harrow deck has to say about me."
Tolan shrugs at your comments and moves towards the stern to converse with the riverman on the tiller.
Several days have gone by with the southern plains of Varisia sliding by on your left, while the Mushfens have dominated your right-hand view. Here the swamp has grown, overflowing the banks of the river. Large trees stand above the water, roots like greedy fingers reaching down into the murky depths. There is more noise as well. The swamp is filled with the calls of birds, beasts, and...other things. At night insects as large as your hand buzz the boat, and the sounds change, but do not lessen.
Tolan works to keep the boat as far to the left - away from the swamp - as he can. There is a steady northwestern breeze blowing across the plains that keep the Swamp Rat on its steady pace, and on it has ridden a light rain. Not so hard as to obscure vision, but steady and soaking. The rain continues for several hours, and it is nearing dusk, when...
Perception:
Rhianni blushes slightly at Kellen's words, but remembering the cards she smiles and says "Once we get to a pleasant place to rest, I'll tell you what the cards fortold."
...the barge suddenly gives a great heave to port, setting itself cross-wise to the current. The craft immediately begins to tilt to the starboard side, as the power of the river begins to drive the ungainly vessel downwards.
I assume the big green guy is the baddie? :) Does he count as a "giant"?
Praxim whips around as the monster pulls itself up onto the deck and sends an arrow its way.
+2 if it's a giant
+ if it's a giant
"What in the nine Hells," utters at the abrupt jolt and cry until he fully sees what is happening. He step to left to get from behind Praxim and fires off a crossbow shot at whatever just climbed aboard.
Thordak's eyes narrow as the large creature and its ilk that are threatening them. "You'll die, beastie! And all your kin that'll be coming up behind ya!" he threatens before warning the others. "Get ready lads and lasses, there's more on the way!" Taking a step or two over, he grabs his longaxe as he does and swings.
Rhianni sees the large monsters claw reach out f the water and cries out in alarm, "What the .... " as her mind rushes through the stories of the road and travels which filled her childhood.
She sets about putting the creature at a disadvantage using her powers majik.
"Huh? What! Tomaru was too deep in communion with Desna to react with his normal swiftness.
Limmerick suddenly screeches, alerting not only his mistress to the very immanent danger, but also everyone else who can hear him!
'Big bad danger!' the Familiar projects at his Wizard.
"What? Where?!" Lym exclaims, jolting with shock as first Rhianni starts casting a spell and next her familiar starts making a ruckus. "What's happening? I can't see!"