Aerodus wraps his arms around the priestess and moves to roll her underneath him...
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"Hey now! If you want to bed him, do so, but no magic! Unless it's of your own two's making."
Taki looks up towards Shisa with a start, but by then Aerodus seems to be in the mood, and the interloping half-elf is soon forgotten... ;)
Although sleeping in the midst of the jungle is far from ideal, the travellers are getting used to less-than-ideal conditions, and wake generally refreshed, if a little cramped, in the morning... except for Tony, of course, who's suffering terribly from the ever-spreading red rash... Aerodus in particular seems to be getting comfortable with jungle life, as the group awaken to find the paladin and the teenage Taki entwined together, both with smiles on their slumbering faces...
While Taki seems somewhat reluctant to leave Aerodus's arms when she awakens, she indulges in some passionate kissing with the paladin, seemingly unconcerned that her nude undulating against him is in front of the others, before slipping away to prepare a breakfast for the group from what provisions they have, as well as a selection of additonal fruits, roots, and herbs she quickly gathers from the area. The blue and black snake returns to coil itself around her as she works and, between the presence of the snake and her near-constant stolen glances (complete with secret smiles and fluttering eyelashes) towards Aerodus the young woman seems to be deleriously happy.
Along with breakfast, Taki takes some time to prepare a foul-smelling concoction which appears to include some sort of over-ripe dung in it at the very least (judging by the aroma), and smears it over the rash on Tony's body (easily overpowering his diminished strength if needs be), tutting as she does so and calling over to Marik,
Once finished with Tony, Taki offers the palm-sized, spear-head shaped, leaf with the pungent mud-like 'salve' she mixed on it to Shisa and smiles,
After a little under an hour's more travel, the scounting party find themselves at the base of the hill which was their chosen destination. Peering up it can be seen that while the base is quite steep, the climb seems to ease afterwards as the grass-covered hill ascends out of the jungle, the hill itself appearing to be, as predicted, devoid of trees, unlike the rest of the island...
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Shisa awakes somewhat stiffly and lays still for a moment listening to the sounds around her. Sitting up slowly, she scratches her arms briefly, then rolls out of her blankets. She stands and stretches, casting a glance at the others only to roll her eyes at the sight of Taki squirming all over Aerodus. Shaking her head, she begins to roll up her blankets and pack her gear back into her pack and misses Taki applying the ungent to Tony.
She turns as Taki approaches with a leaf full of foul-smelling stuff in her outstretched hand and listens while the young girl mutters something unintelligible in her gutteral language. Taking the offered leaf, Shisa can only guess it's use and since it doesn't smell edible, she can only assume it's some form of salve which she begins to rub on her arms and face.
"Ugh, this stuff smells worse than a drunken dwarf's breath," she says as she wrinkles her nose in obvious disgust. She forces a smile in Taki's direction, "Thanks. I hope I got this right."
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As the party reaches the bottom of the hill, she glances up and studies the route, looking for the easiest place to climb. She walks over to Aerodus and asks for her pack, fishing the grappel and her lenght of silk rope from within. "I guess I'm the designated climber with Tony being ill and all, unless Taki wants to do it." She shoots the girl a grin as she hooks the grappel to her belt and prepares to climb.
perception for easier climb path
climb (trained class / weakened)
Successfully managing the first part of the climb, she looks around for a place to tie off her rope to keep from falling all the way down should she slip.
climb (trained class / weakened)
She pauses to catch her breath, not liking the view so far as she once again tries to find a place to tie off her rope before making the rest of the climb.
climb (trained class / weakened)
Reaching the top, she breaths a sigh of relief and wipes the sweat from her eyes. "Ok, here comes the rope," she yells after securing the grappel and tossing the rope down to the others. "Don't forget to grab my other rope on your way up."
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Waking up next to Taki, Aerodus remembers the last night with a smile on his face. As she engages him in some early pleasentries, his cheeks flush crimson as he spots the others states of awareness out of the corner of his eye. When she leaves the bedroll, (hopefully in a more 'encumbered' state of dress) he will begin packing his own gear, while softly humming a tune.
Before partaking in the morning meal, he takes the time to again renew his devotion to the Inheritor, giving thanks for safely seeing him through the night (with a few silent thoughts/thanks about certain other nightly encounters), and pray that she keep him and his companions safe for another day.
As the party makes preparations to head out, and seeing the state of the nobleman, Aerodus (while carrying both his and Shisa's packs) will trudge towards him and offer his shoulder to Tony, "Give me the pack or your arm Nobleman, I will help ease your burden. With the gifts the Goddess has given me of late, a mere load is but a trifle." Accompanied by a smug grin.
[((Along the way))]
Aerodus will try and find a moment to speak with Marik alone.
"I know you are taxed already Scholar, but I have a request to make of you. You are the only one able to understand her and I would like to be another, can you help me? If you can teach me her language, or teach her common I would be most thankful." As he inclines his head in Taki's direction.
** THE CLIFF **
Obliging the Songstress for her possessions: "I will give a swift prayer for your success Songstress, or catch you if you fall." He will try and position himself underneath as she makes her ascent. Once she drops the line, Aerodus will re-secure the gear he carries while motioning to Marik to go next. "The priestess and I will follow you up."
Tony wakes up feeling not sick for the first time in what seems like forever, but he struggles to sit up and realizes he's weaker than ever.
He is distracted from his concern by the startling sight of Aerodus entwined with the native girl, and wondering how her people might react. As he gets ready for the task of actually standing, she approaches with her unguent and despite his efforts to get away, smears it all over his body. Now he was weak as well as smelly.
Concentrating on the difficult task of walking, he is quietly grateful for Aerodus' offer, and relinquishes his pack and leather armor coat. He refuses to part with his weapons though, but he is able to walk at a reasonable pace.
When encountering the cliff, he will climb up after the others, carefully taking ten.
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During the trek Taki keeps stealing flirtatious little glances at Aerodus, but doesn't go so far as to hang off his arm or any such nonsense... she seems to move quite naturally through the jungle, more a part of it than an intruder forced to hack and grunt and labour through it as, by comparison, the scouting party seem to be. Every now and then she pops off, only to return with a handful of berries, or a freshly dug sweet-tasting edible root, or a nice tasty bug to chew on... all of which she happily shares out, appearing somewhere between amused and bemused by the groups efforts to trek through the undergrowth.
At the cliff, the local girl appears quite impressed by Shisa's scaling of the obstacle, commenting (to no-one in particular),
Watching the others climb the rope, Taki follows suit, scrambling up to the less severly sloping part of the hill then turning to gaze out over the jungle canopy of the island, laid out beneath you all, gasping and holding tight onto Aerodus as she beholds the spectacular vista the vantage point presents.
Once everyone's up, it's a simple trek to the top of the grass-covered hill, the lack of thick jungle cover making it the easiest walk any of you have had in a while. Taking a few moments to rest, and to once more examine the map, it seems that with the aid of a knotted rope getting up and down the hill will be relatively simple, and a similar method could be employed to help the others up the ridge between the hill and the river - where the scouting party decided to take the longer (and easiler) way round. The hill does seem a highly defensible position, covered in tall grass rather than jungle overgrowth, and the view is impressive, overlooking the eastern shoreline. To the south, far across a large bay-like body of water, a foliage-free jagged rise of rust-red stone juts from the earth like an immense scar forming the 'red mountain' which Marik reported Yipper thought was the home to the most dangerous thing on the whole island... Taki, pressing herself up close to Aerodus's manly form, stares nervously towards the mountain, and mutters,
As he climbs up, Aerodus will look for any spot they may be able to attach the block&tackle for lifting objects up the cliff.
Percep/survival:
Reaching the summit of the hill, he marvels at the land below. "Truly, a magnificent sight." When Taki presses up against him, he will wrap a protective arm around her and give a squeeze of encouragement. To the others: "We can descend and head back along the land route to try and meet up with the others... who are somewhere out there. Or we can start making camp here as they know to meet us." As he waves his free arm out in the direction of the jungle.
Survival check for campsite:
Take 20 = 20.
Laying back in the grass while the others begin their climb, she looks up at the sky and calms her labored breathing. "Ugh, I'll be so glad when I'm back to normal," she says outloud, thankful that the others are out of earshot. She waits for but a moment before standing to lend assistance as needed.
Once everyone has reached the summit, she looks around, eyes widened at the view. "This is nice. Much better than the jungle below, but we'll need to find a way to build shelters and wait for the others," she says thoughtfully as she retrieves her ropes and pack. She gives Aerodus a wink and a roll of her eyes. "Looks like your hands are already full. I think I can manage for now."
With a grin, she stuffs the rope back where it belongs, and shoulders her pack while looking for a good place to lay her things.
Reaching the top, Tony will find a nice place to sit and look around.
"This IS nice. But what kind of shelters can we build? I sadly am no carpenter..."
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Destination reached, the scouting group start to make preparations for the planned camp...
Eventually the 'main body' of the castaways arrive, tired and dirty, but reporting no encounters beyond the general hellish environment of the jungle-covered island. There are a few muttered comments (most notably from Master Gelik) about 'Waiting for the boat to return... but it never did!', but seeing the state of Shisa and, in particular, Tony, such complaints are half-hearted at best. Generally it seems that with Jask to heal them and provide clean water and purified food, Gelik to keep their spirits up, and Mundin to lead them safely, the non-scout castaways seem, if anything, much improved from when you left them. Aerys in particular seems to have gotten a grip on her anger and frustrations, and almost seems normal... if not exactly pleasant... Sasha also appears less high-strung than she was, and is particularly amused and delighted that Aerodus has managed to 'find himself a friend' even on the most gods-forsaken rock on Golarion... Ishirou is a taciturn as ever, although he does seem fascinated by the hilltop campsite, pacing out distances and checking landmarks on the horizon almost as soon as he reaches the summit.
Once the party has gathered, Shisa will focus on guarding the camp as her keen eyesight and hearing help detect potential threats easier than that of her human companions. When not on watch, she'll help Jask with tending wounds, and asking him more about magic as well as the occasional hunt with Sasha.
She wastes no time filling Sasha in on all the sorrid details of their trip to include Aero's and Tony's swimming lessons.
Once the rash has cleared and everyone's a bit more relaxed in their duties around the camp, she pulls out the long box from her pack and walks over to Jask.
"We found this on a wrecked ship a few days ago. I'd have mentioned it sooner, but things have been kind of busy getting camp set up. Aerodus and Marik think these documents may belong to you." She opens the box and pulls out the documents that were stored inside and hands them to Jask.
Tony takes the opportunity to rest completely (5 days at 2 ST/day) gradually stretching and excercising more and more until he is well and back to his old cocky self again.
Practicing, he seems to become proficient with the exotic deulling sword he carries.
Aerodus welcomes his fellow survivors with much joy and as they trade stories will introduce Taki to everyone.
Spending his time between helping build the camp site (maybe try and get some logs pulley/levered up?), and trying to learn/teach Taki common.
In addition to the documents Aerodus will mention. "We also met some sort of ghost captain around that ship, you didn't run into him did you?"
Once recovered, Tony will help out in the Guard role (staying the hell away from Aerys. And Ishirou.)
He will also sit down with Gelik and go through the ships Logs/Captains Journals of the ships we ventured through.
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Over the course of the next five days, as Tony recovers, the camp starts to take shape, with shelters and defenses being set up, food being hunted and gathered from the surrounding area, and everyone getting as settled as they can on the harsh island.
Jask is absolutly overjoyed when presented with the documents you recovered from the Brine Demon, his smile growing with each page he turns and reads, as he confirms your suspicions that the evidence held within is enough to clear his name!
No-one else reports encountering the ghostly Captain Kinkarian... but then again, none of the others have been down to the shore where he appears to wander...
Taki takes to Aerodus's efforts to teach her the common tongue with an impressive aptitude - despite her weird tribal upbringing, the girl seems to be extremely bright, and eager to learn (as well as eager for other services Aerodus can provide...).
Sober and in control, possibly for the first time in years, Aerys proves to be very grateful to those who brought her the 'magic berries' which helped aliviate her suffering... to the point where she's willing to allow them to read her most prized possession - an unfinished epic poem she's been writing for years titled the Abendego Cantos...
Whilst reviewing documents with Tony, Gelik mentions his wish to locate a Pathfinder Society ship called the Nightvoice which, popular theory suggests, ran aground on the Shiv or sank near the island. He admits that he's 'on probation' with the Society at the moment, and that - since they're all here anyway - finding out what happened to the ship would do wonders for his standing within the Society.
As well as his healing duties, Jask - with a renewed sense of purpose, now that he can clear his name - offers to teach any interested a number of mantras and focusing chants he's learnt over the years.
Sasha appears fascinated with Yipper and, after spotting some similar (but much larger) flying reptiles soaring over the jungle canopy below, mentions that she'd dearly love to get hold of one of the baby ones... to raise as a 'pet'... Taki does point out that 'the big ones are poisonous'... but that just seems to fuel Sasha's desire to obtain one for herself!
Ishirou, meanwhile...
Reading Aerys' poem, Tony is forced to admit it to be very impressive.
Sense Motive:
Tony is enthused at the idea of looking for the wreck of the Nightvoice; life here in camp grows boring and he is restless with renewed energy. He proposes an expedition to look for it.
Remarking at Aerys's poetry, Aerodus commends her "A fine work indeed! You should consider sending it to Mendev, where your words could be told, inspiring souls who are doing just that. The themes ring true with an Iomedean heart."
He will also take up Jask on his offer of training.
With Taki he tries to extole upon her the Iomedean virtues of serving people.. and not 'serving people'. He also asks about her people, how and where they live, and who is in charge.
At the idea of descending back into the depths of the island Aerodus agrees. "Perchance we can also find something we can use to help get us off this island as well."
Sense Motive:
While the others pass around Aerys' poem, Shisa prefers to keep her distance from the half-elf. After all, she tells herself, she tried to be nice but Aerys just wanted to be a royal pain. Let the others dote.
Sense Motive (Untrained Class)
Spending time talking with Jask about magic and Nethys has given her things to think on. Slipping away from the others, she spends time alone trying to stay limber and working with her weapons.
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Seeing Jask overwhelmed with joy, Marik can't help but smile. "I'm glad to see that you can finally clear your name. I, for one, would love to learn these techniques of yours and perhaps you could lead a Mass of Nethys for me, It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to worship properly."
Looking over at Aerys, after Aerodus has finished talking with her, Marik will look at her writings and with an arched eyebrow will ask "May I?" He begins to read the first few pages "Say, this is very good. Reminds me of the epics I used to read at the University. Time permitting I would like to read further, if thats all right with you?"
Sense motive check:
Watching Ishirou wandering around the hilltop Marik muses to himself "I wonder what he's up to?"
As Shisa and Shasha quietly converse Marik looks at Yipper and points at his larger cousins as they fly around. Holding his fingers slightly apart he tries to convey a baby one and a nest across his link with the little dinosaur.
Looking across at Ishirou, Tony frowns. Curiousity gnaws at him relentlessly, but no way was he going to approach that thug.
He eases up next to Shisa, clearly wanting something.
"Shisa, you go. See what that map Ishirou is focusing on is all about. He probably won't kill you." He starts pushing Shisa towards Ishirou.
"Shisa, you go. See what that map Ishirou is focusing on is all about. He probably won't kill you." He starts pushing Shisa towards Ishirou.
Shisa takes a few steps at Tony's nudge then stops and turns to look at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tony, he's been looking at those papers since we arrived here. I saw him stuff them in his shirt back on the beach," she says just loud enough for Tony to hear.
She turns her body just enough so she can glance over at Ishirou without being obvious and watches him for a few moments.
perception
"So, he looks little restless or worried, about getting off this island most likely, and he's pacing back and forth. What's the big deal?" she asks. "But if it'll soothe your mind, I'll see what I can find out. Fair enough?"
Leaving Tony and Sasha, she walks over to Marik and stands beside him in such a way as to keep Ishirou in her peripheral vision. "Hey Marik," she starts lightheartely. "Did you ever wonder what it'd be like to be able to manipulate shadows? How neat whould that be?" She gives him a grin and casts a glance out of the corner of her eye toward where Ishirou is pacing.
"Anyway, I think it'd be fun to wrap myself in a shadow. They say my mother used to be really good at moving around at night. Like you, she was some form of mage, although I don't recall her having a book she would write in like yours. It'd sure help with some of my.. well, let's just say it'd be an occupational boon." She smiles and pats him on the shoulder before walking over to Ishirou.
Walking up to Ishirou, Shisa pauses out of sword reach and waits until the older man glances her way.
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'Yes, yes,' Gelik enthusiastically agrees when Tony suggests looking for the lost Pathfinder ship, the Nightvoice, 'now that the tedious chore of our immediate survival is out of the way we need to do somthing a bit more constructive! Besides, you know what an eclectic lot we Pathfinders are - who knows what sort of helpful trinkets or information my esteemed colleagues may have left behind! Why, there's probably scrolls of teleport spells just scattered about, waiting to return us to more civilised lands... or, at least, Sargava...' Standing tall (well, as tall as a gnome can...) he looks ready to set off immediately... then takes a long look at the jungle canopy stretching beneath the hill, and deflates a little, adding, '... Although facing that hell of foliage and faeces-flinging primates again is a little less than tempting...'
Talking to Taki (pillow talk?) Aerodus manages to learn a lot about her people...
'Thrunefang live by big tower,' she explains in her recently learned Common language, pointing towards the south-western tip of the island, 'ruled by Klorak the Red - he biggest warrior, although Malikadna is old witch, and Klorak listen to her lots...' the local girl wrinkles her nose and pouts, '... Malikadna get Taki banished, 'cos Taki nearly witch too...' she pets her newly aquired snake then grins her pointy-toothed grin, '... now Taki is witch, and old Malikadna only good for being eaten!'
'Men hunt, and make traps for visitors,' she continues, 'when big boats crash, men catch visitors and Thrunefang eat well for long time! Children help too, but when girls become women they live in tower so Klorak can put babies in them...' she giggles a little, and adds, '... only Klorak not put babies in any women for long time, and Thrungfang start to talk about maybe need new chieften, to make lots of new babies...' at this point Taki hugs close to Aerodus, smiling up at him and batting her eyelids...
'When Thrunefang die,' Taki continues on to the theological part of the discussion, 'go underground to Mother Thrunefang - she live forever - big hole in village lead to Mother Thrunefang, lead to death...'
'But now Aerodus here!' the girl adds ethusiastically, 'Kill Klorak, take magic sword, be new chieften... put baby in Taki... put babies in Shisa and Sasha too, if want...' she pouts a little at that thought, but seems resigned to it... '... even put baby in Aerys, if not too scary!' she steals a glance at the half-elf and giggles. 'Eat Klorak, eat Malikadna (and stupid monkey), then put Iomedae in ground to take place of Mother Thrunefang, and all be happy!'
'You saw that, huh? Guess I'll have to kill you now...'
She seems serious for a moment...
... then bursts out laughing,
'I know! Crazy, right?' she exclaims, 'But that's the sort of stuff mother tried to bring me up on! I mean, seriously, I think enough people get themselves killed without the Red Mantis offing everyone who looks at them funny! All due respect to the Mantis god, but if it's all the same I'd rather do something a little more postive with my life...' she sighs again, this one sounding genuine as the humour fades from her voice, '... but mother was convinced I'd be a good little soldier. She had me tattooed thinking it'd somehow make me change my mind. While, technically, the Red Mantis isn't the sort of organisation you ever get to leave, technically I never joined in the first place. It's a bit of a tricky area, I think, and if it wasn't for mother's rank... and my finding myself stuck on this island with you bunch of nutters... I doubt I'd be breathing right now.' She glances towards Marik, then back to Shisa, 'You're right about people not understanding... why do you think I insist on being on top, or at least having the light off?!' she smiles again, but adds with a serious tone, 'I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us - I hate having to explain it all, and chances are our paladin would want to debrief me so that he could go off and kill my mother... for Justice!'
While you get the impression that Yipper knows exactly where to find baby flying lizards, you also get the impression he doesn't feel like he could acquire one by himself... although he could certainly guide you to a nest, if you'd like.
When Shisa approches Ishirou he hastily stuffs his papers back into his shirt before turning to face her, grunting an 'I'm okay' sort of response to her question...
Shisa sighs quietly and sits down watching Ishirou. Already, today's events are beginning to weigh on her. It was easy enough to give Sasha her word as she knows what all that means. Now playing spy for Tony has her thinking briefly on all that Riza had tried to teach her over the past few years.
Looking up at Ishirou, Shisa smiles a bit and says begins talking in Elvish to the older man.
Diplomacy
She slowly stand, keeping her hands well away from her weapons. Looking at Ishirou, she smiles warmly. "Thank you for your time Master Ishirou. I apologize for intruding. I shall leave you to your thoughts."
She turns slowly to walk back to the others.
As Taki continues her dialogue, Aerodus's face changes from concern, to serious, to mirth, and finally ending with embarasment. After a few moments to banish impure thoughts from his mind, he elaborates his point: "While I have no concerns about your people worshiping her divine majesty, she does not condone the eating of our fallen foes. And as for the babies, (as Aerodus makes a few uncomfortable coughs) women have the right to choose their own 'mates' as they see fit. But let us hope that our meeting won't come to bloodshed."
Aerodus will inform the party of his discussion with Taki (leaving the baby making part out). "The locals seem to be led by one known as Klorak the Red their chieftan, as well as Malkinda, some sort of spiritual leader. The village is based around some sort of tower somewhere south west of us. And... perchance most disturbing, they have something called 'Mother Thrunefang' below the village where they put their dead, some sort of religious figure perhaps."
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Glancing around to make sure no-one else can hear, Ishirou finally nods, grunts, and shows Shisa the parchment he's been so interested in...
'I managed to collect a few promising treasure maps,' the Tian man explains, in elvish, 'during my time with the Aspis Consortium. I thought the coastline looked familiar here when we "landed"... in any case, I've managed to confirm it. This old pirate treasure should be right over...' he glances around to make sure no-one's watching again, then points, '... there. Trouble is, I've been checking the script on the map, and it seems that recoving the treasure is more than a one-man job - there's a sort of deep shaft, with water filling the bottom, before you get to the loot...' Casting a glance towards Aerodus he shrugs, then says, '... Personally I'd like to recover the stuff, since we're here already, but it's not something I'd want to mention to our holy leader - he'd most likely have us try to return the "ill-gotten gains" to whomever the pirates stole it from... Either that, or he'd want to give everyone in camp a "fair share", reducing my take to a pitance...' Shrugging again, he adds, 'You, on the other hand, I take to have a little more in the way of professional integrity, so if you're willing to help? Maybe tonight, when the others are sleeping..?'
Taki seems a little confused by Aerodus's words (no eating people and no bloodshed!), but appears to be contemplating them very seriously as the paladin goes off to talk to the others.
When Aerodus mentions the tower, Gelik perks up,
'That must be the lighthouse erected by the Chelish colony attempt when Sargava was first settled!' he exclaims, 'That's sure to be the best place to try to signal a passing ship from - the engineers would have chosen the optimal spot to be seen from the shipping lanes. As for these Thrunefang people...' he casts a wary eye towards Taki and her snake, then continues in hushed tones, '... I believe the Thrune Fang was a Chelish war ship, part of the Thrune attempt to invade Sargava... oh, it must be seventy years ago now... it was lost at sea before it even arrived, and rumour has it the vessel was wrecked here on the Shiv, the survivors descending into madness and canibalism... Although I'm guessing that's not so much rumour any more now, right?'
Meanwhile, Yipper eagerly gulps down the morsel offered him by his master...
Stopping in mid-turn, Shisa looks over at Ishirou and thinks for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips. A short while later, she grins at the older gentleman and continues their conversation.
As Gelik mention's the light house, it is Aerodus's turn to perk up. With a swift motion he draws the sword cross of Iomedae and slowly rubs it with his left hand. "The Inheritor be praised! She has given us a goal, now it is up to us to find the means to achieve it. As for the Thrunefang, I doubt they will willingly let us use the lighthouse. Do you have any idea as to what this 'Mother Thrunefang' might be? Some sort of object they carried with them? The way the priestess speaks of it, it sounds like something or someone of reverence and fear. It may be what started all these strange happenings on this island. We ourselves have seen proof of their existence on the way here."
As for the party of rogues... Aerodus will cast... Detect Rogue Scheming!
"If its a shipwreck, then it should be somewhere along the shore.."As Aerodus slowly forms a plan "We head towards the coast and follow it along the island!
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'Alright, it's a deal... only you have to convince the paladin and the others of... whatever it was you just said...'
"The Inheritor be praised! She has given us a goal, now it is up to us to find the means to achieve it. As for the Thrunefang, I doubt they will willingly let us use the lighthouse. Do you have any idea as to what this 'Mother Thrunefang' might be? Some sort of object they carried with them? The way the priestess speaks of it, it sounds like something or someone of reverence and fear. It may be what started all these strange happenings on this island. We ourselves have seen proof of their existence on the way here."
'Well, Thrune was the ruling house of Cheliax, back in the day, and... you know... historical stuff, blah, blah, blah...' Gelik seems to dismiss the 'historical stuff' with a wave of his hand, 'I think the salient point here is that there's now a bunch of insane degenerate cannibals... no offense to your sweetheart, good Sir Aerodus... running about the one place on this gods-forsaken island we'd likely want to get to. This religious figure of their's could literally be anything - we'd have to go and have a look to find out for sure.'
"So what should we do now? I dont think we are prepared to take on an entire tribe of hostiles, but we can't just sit here and grow old together. Maybe we can explore the island for this ship Master gelik speaks of, maybe there is something there that can aid us in getting off this island?"
'Yes,' Gelik quickly agrees, nodding sagely as he does so, 'at the very least it seems like less of a risk than visiting Sir Aerodus's in-laws... we can reserve that course of action for when we're really desperate!'
"If its a shipwreck, then it should be somewhere along the shore.. We head towards the coast and follow it along the island!"
'There could be hundreds of vessels wrecked off the coast of the Shiv,' Aerys pushes up the brim of her tricorn hat and glances over, 'and from what I've heard, our paladin has an affinity for drowning... Is it really wise to tempt the fates by checking the things one at a time? Surely there must be a better way to locate this Nightvoice? Master Gelik, do you have any more information on the vessel's fate?'
'Alas, no,' Gelik admits, shaking his head, 'and to be honest I can't say for certain that it is even wrecked here - that is just one of the leading theories of its fate. The Nightvoice vanished mysteriously on an attempted voyage around the southern coast of Garund. It was a large exploration vessel, if I recall the tales, which could help with identifying it... assuming that all the wrecks around our island paradise don't have their names conveniently on show...'
Pondering for a few moments Gelik then looks up and smiles,
'May I suggest that Sir Aerodus question his fiancé about any wrecks known to her people?' he glances at Yipper, then at Marik, and adds, 'I could also ask our other local resident, if you'd not object, Master Marik? We gnomes being a magical lot and all that... assuming that a man of your own talents can't just divine the ship's whereabouts?'
Shisa grins at Ishirou and inwardly laughs at the perplexed look that crossed his face as she laid out her plan. "Don't worry Master Ishirou, I'll lay it to the others for you." With a wink, she turns and walks over to the others, listening momentarily to their talk of yet more wrecked ships.
Standing across the group from Aerodus, she reaches up to move the hair from her eyes, and clears her throat. "Uh uhm.. hey, why go through all that trouble right now to go see yet another wreck? It seems that we can be of use here, helping Master Ishirou retrieve some family treasures," she says with a glint to her eyes. She pauses long enough to ensure she has everyone's attention before continuing.
"That's right. It seems that Master Ishirou has, in his posession, a map that's been in his family for a while now. He's willing to share the find with those who help. Eighty percent to Master Ishirou, after all, it IS his family's map, hence rightfully belongs to his family. The other twenty percent will be evenly distributed to those who lend a hand. Any non-monetary items belong to Master Ishirou, as again, they belong to his family by right."
Turning, she shoots Ishirou a sly grin, then turns back to the others. "So, what do you say? Shall we help Master Ishirou reclaim his family treasure, or go off on a wild goosechase so Aerodus can hone his swimming?" She smiles at Aerodus as she talks. "Well? Who's going to help Ishirou and myself? Shouldn't be too hard.. a little digging and treasure!" Where could the harm be in that?
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Aerodus nods head at Gelik's advice, "I'll see what I can do... perchance you should accompany me, and you can give as many details as possible to help describe it." And moves to turn back in the direction of Taki, while motioning for Gelik to follow, before he is stopped by Shisa's proposal.
"A treasure hunt?!?" His voice rising.. "We are trying to find a way off the island, and you are wanting to search for loot?!?" Walking off from the discussion, he can be seen gazing at the sky, his left hand grasping at something around his neck while his right is opening and closing a fist at his side. His mouth wording silent prayers.
After a few hand gestures from his right hand in the air, he returns, his face looking a bit flustered. "Pardon my earlier comments, but unless this 'treasure' is nearby or has something we can use to leave, I believe our efforts are better spent trying to locate the Nightvoice, rather than follow a map for a treasure hunt through the jungle. No offense to you swordsman. Family heirlooms are important, but they are merely possessions. " With a nod of the head towards Ishirou.
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Raising an eyebrow at the young knight, Shisa stands quietly as Aerodus' voice raises. She watches him walk off a bit then return, as he finishes his speech.
"Wait a minute Aerodus. Wasn't it you who felt the need to return a family heirloom to someone? Isn't that why you still carry it, to return it to a family? Her voice raises slightly, her voice turns flat. "Now you have a chance to do so for someone else, and you say they're 'merely possessions'. What of Ishirou's honor in recovering them? Doesn't that account for anything? Or is it simply because his possessions don't have the same meaning to you?"
Her eyes narrow slightly as she looks around at the others. "I promised Master Ishirou I will help, and help I will, regardless of what the rest decides."
Sighing deeply, she glances at the old warrior and gives an almost imperceptible wink.
"Besides, oh wise and noble knight.. you're just about standing on top of it!"
She gives Aerodus a deep scowl.. then her face breaks out into a huge smile. "So, what'cha say? You in?"
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"I set out on this journey to honor a fallen warrior, with or without this." As he dangles the necklace in his hand, his voice begins to take on a solemn tone. "He was a good man and his family deserves to know how and why he died. If his necklace was lost to this island, I would not risk any of us to retrieve it. A trinket is a poor substitute for a righteous heart. I carry it to remind me of how his sacrifice saved so many of us."
"Besides, oh wise and noble knight... you're just about standing on top of it!"
At Shisa's statement, Aerodus will pause for a moment while the information sinks in..."You mean to say its buried on this hill?" After rubbing his chin in thought, "I can't see the harm in helping the swordsman claim what is his, while we try to narrow our search for the Nightvoice. Perchance your map can help us in that task as well."
Tony stands still thinking for a while. Then he throws his arms wide, grinning.
"How could I turn down a chance to help the honorable warrior Ishirou? Count me in!"
."You mean to say its buried on this hill?"
Grinning broadly with a definite twinkle in her eyes, Shisa walks over to the young knight, stopping beside him. "Um, isn't that what I just said? She looks at him and licks her index finger then draws an imaginary line in the air."Gotcha!" Bumping her hip against him, she walks toward her pack. "I'll get my map, not sure how much use it'll be. It was the easiest one to borrow from the harbor master before we departed. Ishirou and I will try to find where exactly on this hill we need to dig while you look for this ship."
Tony stands still thinking for a while. Then he throws his arms wide, grinning. "How could I turn down a chance to help the honorable warrior Ishirou? Count me in!"
"Glad you'll help Tony. We need a strong back for digging," she says with a wink as she walks off, pausing only long enough to ruffle Gelik's hair on her way.
"Make sure you've penned that all correctly Master Gelik. I'd so hate to be misquoted." Her jovial laughter follows her all the way to her gear.
Diplomacy if needed for Gelik.
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Marik looks over at Ishirou and thinks to himself "A treasure map! These are the things that the old saga's always told about"
Excitedly Marik walks over to Shisa and Ishirou and asks "Master Ishirou, may I see your maps? I have some experience with them and may help you find the 'X', rather than digging up the entire hilltop."
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Gelik scowls at Shisa as she ruffles his hair, immediately casting a quick cantrip to magically return his coiffure to its correct, civilised, neat status.
'Oh... I'll certainly pen her...' the gnome wordsmith mutters, as much to himself as to Aerodus as he accompanies the paladin over to Taki, adding, '... it is mightier than the sword, doncha' know...'
"Master Ishirou, may I see your maps? I have some experience with them and may help you find the 'X', rather than digging up the entire hilltop."
Narrowing his eyes as he glares at Marik in response, Ishirou steadily replaces his sheaf of papers and parchments back into his shirt, obviously not in a mood to share,
'I've already located the entrance,' he explains, walking over to the spot as he does so, 'I just need some help to dig and climb.'
As the treasure-seekers start in with the digging, Aerodus and Gelik quiz Taki about wrecked ships. The local girl nods,
'Lots of big boats,' she agrees, 'all round island - Mother Thrunefang bring them to feed children!'
After listening to what details Gelik can provide Taki seems lost in thought for a while, then shrugs,
'Not sure... maybe it big boat stuck on rocks by silent island?' she points to the island marked on the map by Marik as the one Yipper felt was somehow 'wrong'. Frowning, Taki adds, 'Not go there - little plant men there - very bad.'
After a couple of hours of hard digging at the point Ishirou led them to, the treasure seekers have excavated a ten foot wide and deep pit, revealing what appears to be a sturdy wooden platform... as well as the skeletal remains of a dwarf...
... Ishirou explains that under the platform should be a deep pit, with water at the bottom, and a continuation of the shaft leading back up a little way, to an air pocket where the treasure should be located. Now you just have to break through (or dig round) the platform...
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After a couple of hours of hard digging at the point Ishirou led them to, the treasure seekers have excavated a ten foot wide and deep pit, revealing what appears to be a sturdy wooden platform... as well as the skeletal remains of a dwarf...
Shisa stands with her left hand on her hip and reaches up with the other to wipe the sweat from her dirt streaked face. Her shirt lays plastered in sweat and grime against her skin. Her armor and weapons have long since been removed and laid off to the side in the heat. Pushing the hair back from her eyes, she looks over the dwarven skeleton laying on the planks they'd just uncovered.
Heal check:
"Great. A dead dwarf. Wonder what could have killed him and left him down here?" With a shrug, she looks at the planking then over at the others in the hole with her. "Well, do we bust through and perhaps take a bad fall, not knowing what's beneath, or do we remove half of the planks and keep the rest as a platform for the way back up?"
She leans back against the dirt wall and taps the wood tentatively with the tip of the shovel to gauge its strength. "Either way, I think we'll need to find a means of tying off a rope for both the descent and the return. Any suggestions?"
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With a grin Aerodus remarks: "Well now we have a place to start. As always priestess you are a great help. You have my thanks once again. I have to help the others in their field work." And will give her a quick kiss on her forehead before returning to engage in something he knows well from his soldiering days: Manual Labor.
As the dwarf body emerges from the ground, he tosses aside his shovel and motions for the others to give him some room while he does his examination. Heal:
"It appears this poor dwarf was stabbed in the back, and buried while he bled out. Another soul lost to this island..." And whispers a quick prayer for the dead.
At the mention of a deep pit of water..."I may be no engineer, but a deep pit seems like a bad thing, I vote we take our time and dig around it."
He will then try to move the body gingerly to another location for a more proper burial/funeral rights while the others make their decision.
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On hearing Aerodus mention that the skeletal remains are the result of wounds inflicted in the dwarf's back, she looks over at the young knight. "You think whoever hid this treasure killed their partner and buried him? Wonder what was worth killing the poor sot over?"
Thoughts of the dwarf's demise are pushed quickly from her mind as the thrill of finding what's beyond the plank causes her eyes to light up.
Pushing off against the dirt wall behind her, she looks at the wood beneath their feet. "How about if we take one or two of these planks and sink them up top, like a fence post. We could then use them to tie off a rope for climbing and hauling."
She starts to climb out of the hole, leaving the others behind. "I'll let Jask and Mundin know about the dwarf," she says over her shoulder as she climbs. "They can help give him a proper burial. Need a drink of water and I'll grab my grappel then we can start removing these planks."