Like as much he'd roll over and pin it on someone else. Spineless dog that he is.
You row to the northern shore and Culder drags the longboat up on the muddy shore. It quickly becomes apparent that no one has dwelt in this village of eight collapsed mud-and-thatch huts for years. There's nothing of value remaining, and the storm's long hard rains have washed away any tracks that might've once been on the ground. On the positive side, though, the rains have softened the earth underfoot enough that anything moving across the island now will leave definitive tracks.
A narrow, faint, slightly overgrown path leaves the village and meanders southwest into the heart of the small island.
Just for gits and shiggles Aghon casts detect magic and sweeps the area of the huts. Hold on friends, let me just see if anything magical is lying about.
Aghon's sweep reveals nothing magical in the ruins. Not much mundane stuff lying around, either.
"Is the lumber usable?" Jordan asks Aghon.
After sweeping for magic and finding nothing, Aghon grabs a hunk of wood from the huts, and gives it a good look over, and a solid squeeze. Much of the wood is already littered with mold, and what isn't has the beginnings of mold starting. Nope. This wood's been soaking in water too long and unattended. If we brought this back, we'd be doing more harm than good, as the mold would spread into the good lumber around it.
Jordan considers this, then comments "Well, then we might as well see about finding some food while we're here. Whoever left these guys didn't see fit to leave much else. We've a good chance of spotting some game if we head inland."
It doesn't take Jordan long to notice several coconut and mango trees growing not far from the village ruins. Also, several large crabs emerge from the surf at beach's edge to do some scavenging on land. Interestingly, there's little sign of any wildlife on the isle: No screaming gulls, no chattering monkeys in the interior. A slightly ominous quiet seems to cover the otherwise picturesque isle.
Jordan finds no game tracks at all during his search of the ground in and around the village. At first he doesn't find that all that surprising, since the rains of the recently-departed storm would have washed away anything recent. Still, the fact that he finds none whatsoever sets a few faint alarms ringing with his instincts.
"Hey lads," Jordan says, walking back to the group. "You know how that last island we came to had ghosts and such, kinda eerie all around? I'm not sure, but something in my gut tells me we may be in for something of that like again."
Great!
"hm, ghosts are more like pests than threats really, you jut need to make sure to not piss them off, but that being said, should we try for another beach that might yield less phantoms? personally I'm more of a fan for our more athletic member trying to scale that hill just to scan the area and see if there is any sources of food or water at the very least though only problem is unless we had some rope and pitons not many of us would be able to tag along"
"Well, we aren't finding anything standing around here," Jordan says. "We might as well keep walking."
Aghon follows wherever his friends go, trident in hand, and shield at the ready.
Culder gives the small hill to the east a last look and a grunt and then follows after Jordan and Aghon, oar at the ready. The faint path wends its way for maybe half a mile through light jungle and swamplands fed by narrow and shallow unpotable salty rivers before slipping suddenly into a sprawling green bog that all save Jarvis instantly fear may have the consistency of slimy quicksand. Remnants of an old wooden bridge cross the bog, but only a few short timber planks on either side remain, leaving just the pilings jutting from the mud.
The mire stretches west-to-east as far as you can see; it's likely the only ways around it would be by climbing the large hill to the west or returning to your longboat and rowing beyond it, making landfall again on its far side. Another somewhat risky option catches your eyes: the jungle canopy hangs over the stretch of the soupy green slime. Perhaps you could use that to climb or even swing over the treacherous roadblock.
Ummmmm... Perhaps I can cast Ant Haul on our good Cap'n Culder, and he can port me on his back like a baby monkey, up through the trees...? I fear that's my best option, I doubt I'm agile enough to make the multiple hops across the pilings, and would end up in the muck. My only other option is just to accept the inevitable and wade into the muck and see about "swimming" across... Ideas? Aghon says, more than a little frustrated that this seems to be the most "expedient" way to get where they think they want to go.
vincent stairs at the obstacle course before him and breifly calculates the different ways he could die attempting this cross this. "I am in the same skiff as Aghon unfortunately, however my suggestion is to create a rope bridge, or if we don't have enough rope, either find a way around, or maybe have culder ferry the two of us across by tying me and aghon on culder and having him cross with us on him. Aghon I can understand your frustration but let try to not go fishing today"
While Aghon and Vincent are talking about different methods to get across, Jordan walks back a bit, gauges the distance, then takes off running towards the swamp. Jumping from surface to surface, the nimble cook's mate looks as though he's going to make it...until his foot slips, and he tumbles head over heels into the murky sand.
His head popping up, he hollers to his companions "You know, it occurs to me that we didn't bring any rope!"
Hanspur's hoary beard! Aghon calls as he watches Jordan make it almost all the way across the pilings jumping and landing successfully like some kind of jungle cat, right up until the last post, which he misses and lands in the mucky water. You okay Jordan?!
One misstep at the last piling sends Jordan into the soupy morass. Almost immediately, there's motion within the lake of slime, as two large swirls disturb the quicksand's surface. Mostly-submerged...somethings...begin to swim slowly in Jordan's direction. Moments later, two pairs of googly eyes surface briefly and those on dry land can confirm the monsters' identities--giant frogs!
Effects of Quicksand: Characters in quicksand must make a DC 10 Swim check every round to simply tread water in place, or a DC 15 Swim check to move 5 feet in whatever direction is desired. If a trapped character fails this check by 5 or more, he sinks below the surface and begins to drown whenever he can no longer hold his breath (see the Swim skill description in Chapter 4).
Characters below the surface of quicksand may swim back to the surface with a successful Swim check (DC 15, +1 per consecutive round of being under the surface).
GM's Note: I'm going to rule that since you've got to make a Swim check every round just to deal with the quicksand itself, stuck characters may make only one other action each round. Taking a full-round action would mean the trapped character allows himself to slip beneath the surface.
Rescue: Pulling out a character trapped in quicksand can be difficult. A rescuer needs a branch, spear haft, rope, or similar tool that enables him to reach the victim with one end of it. Then he must make a DC 15 Strength check to successfully pull the victim, and the victim must make a DC 10 Strength check to hold onto the branch, pole, or rope. If both checks succeed, the victim is pulled 5 feet closer to safety. If the victim fails to hold on, he must make a DC 15 Swim check immediately to stay above the surface.
Jordan struggles, but fights his way through the quicksand. As he approaches the shore, he struggles to get out before the frogs get to him.
Culder doesn't seem to like Jordan's odds alone against a pair of giant frogs. With a gruff growl, oar in both hands for more equal balance, he starts hopping the pilings at a loping trot. Alas, his foot slips on the very first piling and his legs and lower body plunge into the slime. Culder drops his oar and catches onto the tops of the piling and then pulls himself up and reclaims his floating oar.
Jarvis swings his crossbow off his back and starts up a song.
ok I can not do anything at this time without causing more trouble, sooooo vincent will just skip his turn for now.
Wanting the frogs to leave Jordan alone, Aghon fires off one of his magical icicles to try and get their attention.
Unfortunately his icicle fires nowhere near either of the frogs, landing with a plunk in the quicksand instead.
Jordan doesn't receive a lot of support initially, thanks to Culder's early slip, Aghon's errant icicle, and Vincent's uncertainty. There's some hope going forward, though, as Jarvis has unslung his crossbow and started an inspirational shanty.
Both frogs, having no other prey in range, swim closer and suddenly snap their long, sticky tongues at Jordan. The one still partly-submerged in the mire connects , but the one on solid ground misses somehow.
INITIATIVE ORDER: Combat Round 2 (Bolded may act/post)
"Y'know, it's embarassing, but I'm really not that good of getting out of these types of situations on my own," Jordan grunts to his companions as he tries to get out of the grip of the frog.
Jordan pulls free from the frog's sticky tongue . Meanwhile, Culder resumes his piling-hopping, making three successful jumps and nearly a fourth before he again spills into the quicksand. Once again, however, his reflexes allow him to drop the oar and grab onto the piling; he'll be climbing back up and hopping some more shortly!
Bilge rats! Aghon pull his loaded crossbow from his belt and fires at the nearest frog
Hanspur's pelvic thrusts! He curses as the crossbow bolt fires just as wide as his icicle did.
Aiming at the nearest frog, Jarvis lets loose a bolt!
As Aghon's bolt flies wide, Jarvis's lands right on the second frog's rear foot, causing it to hop a bit in pain.
vincent just looks over at aghon "is hanspur known for pelvic thrusting?"
Spluttering a bit, Jordan coughs "Didn't know Scourge had family in these parts."
Looking grim and muddy, Jordan draws his blade.
The frogs hop closer to Jordan, one trying to chomp the human with its wide mouth, the other again trying to nab him with his sticky tongue. Both attacks miss! Meanwhile, Culder pulls himself out of the muck again. Time being of the essence, he abandons his oar for the moment, fishing into his pocket while continuing his piling hops. There's a glint of metal as the Captain slides his brass knuckles on, but a moment later he missteps. This time there's no amazing recovery--Culder falls into the soupy mess with a PLOP! For a moment it appears the man might punch the piling that caused his spell but the big man keeps his rage under control...for now.
for
Jarvis unleashes another bolt, his voice still crooning on and on.
Trying to keep the second frog from sneaking up behind him, Jordan maneuvers himself further onto solid ground. Concentrating, he swings his sword at the awful amphibian.
Right has he moves to attack, Jordan's foot hits a patch of slippery mud and he stumbles, his swing going wild.
Aghon turns to Vincent and with one of his now infamous wink'n'grins says, Let me put it this way Vincent, the women among his faithful sometimes call him "the canon." While talking his cranks back his crossbow, loads a bolt and fires again at the frog he missed earlier.
Vincent actually cracks a small grin at Aghons remark. "hm, I'll need to remember. Sailors and pirates have the most interesting gods" vincent reaches over to Jarvis cross bow, "here, give them a jolt for me"
Jarvis and Aghon both find the mark with their next round of crossbow bolts, although neither hit causes a boatload of damage. Vincent may have a fix for that as he touched the halfling bard's crossbow and enchants it with electrical energy.
Not having anyone else to attack yet (or possibly not wanting to have anything to do with Culder!), both frogs continue to try to bite Jordan; the one to his north succeeds brutally, chomping down on Jordan's off-hand arm and gnawing at it .
Culder manages to keep his head above the surface and grabs onto the nearest piling, growling in frustration. He tries to pull himself up out of the quicksand but fails! The now-raging reaver snarls a few curses .
for
for
for
Jordan yells out in pain as the frog clamps down on his arm. Gasping for air, he swings his sword into the beast.