Rannik's Carrion Crown

Game Master Patrick Levasseur

Not liking how the obelisk makes her feel, Anna slips several paces away and begins walking around the area of the stone. She pokes around at other rocks, nooks, and shrubs in the immediate vicinity, looking for anything out of place or possibly dropped by a passer-by.

Perception (Canny Observer): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35

Kimberly and Danica also inspect the obelisk, but the puzzle that is in front of them still remain a mystery. Possibly, the stone was part of something bigger and without having the entire picture, one could spend months studying it and still not get anywhere. Anna walks around, keeping some distance from the stone. After flipping a few stones over, she does find what look like small donation that was left. Nothing that looks too big, a few coppers here, a small basic wooden sculpture there. These were probably left by superstitious townsfolk.

"Stupid superstitions. Gifts for a rock," Anna mutters to herself, but she leaves the offerings alone.

When she finishes scouring the area, she calls up to the ones checking out the monolith. "Not much around here to speak of. What did you guys find?"

Casting Detect Magic Tolvan gives the monolith a more scholarly going over and also tries to read the inscriptions.

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33

Linguistics: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (1) + 18 = 19

Any knowledge other rolls needed?

Later, so I do not forget.

Linguistics on small scroll with writing in a weird language on it fro the white ceramic egg.: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (9) + 18 = 27

Tolvan studies the stone and almost seemed to be lost in a trance.

Trying to post and watch the Olympics at the same time... not working well...

Anna sees that look on Tolvan's face. She walks up to him, heedless of the way the stone monolith makes her feel. "Okay, spill. What is it?"

"It's a strange monument, and it's clearly been here a long time. These people may have been leaving these offerings since before I lived the first time."

"It seems to be unlikely to relate to the Tyrant, no? Is it just a coincidence that the Whispering Way visited this place?"

This some great artifact. Tolvan informs. I sense that it is almost sentient and searches for power or energy. To use it I think you would have to have a key. Perhaps the Way has or searches for such a key. Nothing I can think to do here other than to know of its existence and something about its nature. I could try to pour energy into it but am unsure what would happen.

Knowledge Arcana about trying to add spell energy into the stone: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24

I don't think that would be a good idea. lets just make note of this thing and move on. I don't think it would be wise to mess with ancient powers.

Tolvan tries a few low level spells on the obelisk, but it doesn't seem to absorb the energy. Since the artifact is reaching out to everyone in the party for energy, Tolvan start thinking that it isn't magic the thing is after, but maybe something more primal.

Agreeing with Kimberly after some careful tests Tolvan advises Lets move on. We know of this at least now.

Anna watches quietly. When nothing happens, she lets out a breath she was holding. "Okay. Let's go. Our next clue is Soddentimbers. If that doesn't pan out, our last clue is Caliphas, though that's less certain. But at least I have a name for us to meet in Soddentimbers."

After investigating the obelisk, the group decides to move on. As it is near the end of the day, you face the decision of leaving now and travel at night time, or spend another night at the inn and leaving fresh in the morning.

Soddentimbers? Is this something we can do tonight?

Anna shrugs. "You're more up on maps than I am. But I don't care to give the Whisperers any more time than they already have."

"I can ride through the night; many nights I've spent by the light of the moon. But rest we must... eventually. If we ride by night, there should be a need."

Soddentimbers? Is this something we can do tonight?

Sorry. Its late. I am tired. Never heard of Soddentimbers. What are you referring to?

The south-western part of the Forest of Veils, around the town of Illmarsh in south-eastern Versex, Ustalav, becomes marshy and difficult for travel: this swampy woodland region is known as Soddentimbers.

Still a little confused. That is not on my map and when Anna mentioned it initially a few posts back that was the first time I had heard of it, I think. I try to keep up with such. Maybe its the slow pace. Where had that been mentioned before? I search did not reveal it. sorry to be confused.

She got the clue from her shopping. From the description of the town in the book:

The town is surrounded on three sides by the swampy Soddentimbers, and a dank mildewy odor perpetually hangs over it, invading the homes and even the clothing of its residents. The smell usually recedes within a week after leaving the town or after a good washing of all clothing and equipment. On several occasions over the past couple centuries, sickness and plague have sprung from the unwholesome pools and thickets of the Soddentimbers, giving the young settlement once known as Baytown its ultimate moniker—Illmarsh.

This is something that fairly well known by the people of the region. With all the knowledge ranks that Tolvan has, it is something he would know also.

Sorry about the confusion, I didn't looked at the map to see if it was on it.

Danica also states "If we travel by night then I will rely on my darkvision. I can scout up ahead."

Anna scrunches up her face in a pseudo-smile, not particularly happy that she'll have to rely on someone else's eyes in the dark but trying to hide it. "Yeah. Great. We should totally do that."

I see quite well under the stars. Tolvan adds. Onward it is.

With the decision made, the group head back to the inn to get their horses. As you are getting ready, Dena, the innkeeper, walks outside toward you. "Can't let you leave with an empty stomach, that wouldn't be good for my reputation." She walks to Ananias and give him a heavy bag of provision for the road. "Sure you don't want to stay another night handsome? You wouldn't get much rest, but you would leave with a big smile." She winks at the old warrior and then look at the rest of the group. "Safe travel!"

The group travels east under a cloudy sky. The stars that Tolvan was hoping for seem to be hiding. Still, you make good time and near the end of the second day, you start to see the village of Illmarsh on the horizon. Not a moment too soon, as the clouds get darker by the minutes. You can feel that a storm is coming. A couple miles out of town, you see a lone ship on the water trying to reach a stone quay. The embarkation is manned by a lone figure that scurries about among several large tarp-covered objects lashed to the deck. He is apparently attempting to manage both the sail and the tiller to right the vessel and bring it safely to shore, but seems to be failing in the task. If nothing is done soon, the ship will run aground.

As Tolvan translates in the damp roadside camp the night before the spotting of the ship in trouble he shares what he learns Its seems we were indeed on the right track with those demon worshipers. Here is what the note translates to, to the best of my code breaking linguistics. Report received, dissapointed in the lack of allies in Thrusmoor. Agents on their way. Stay on site. Escort agent when return from Illmarsh after the exchange. Make sure that the Raven’s Head reach us.

This sounds like that duo was waiting for an agent, perhaps one of the riders, to return from Illmarsh with some raven headed item. It seems we are not too late them. Tolvan allows a predatory smile.

At the shore the wizard notes That man is in trouble. We must help him. Who can manage such a vessel and who would help secure the cargo? I can carry three with me. He notes as he motions for those who are willing to go to come to him and he begins the casting of a Teleport spell.

Tolvan has Breadth Of Experience, which gives him Profession sailor at +3 total, Better than nothing.

Anna smiles along with Tolvan, happy that they may finally be getting ahead of the Whisperers.

When they see the boat caught in the storm, she pulls out of her saddlebags a long length of mundane rope and the block and tackle.

Hopping off her horse, she moves over to Tolvan. "You planning on flying? Take an end of this rope! I know nothing about sailing, but don't we need to keep it off the rocks?"

The large, powerful warrior blushes at the innkeep's forward attitude. My skin is silver, what kind of fetish is this? I assumed I might never have another partner again! He almost looks wistful when they have to leave... but there's no small amount of relief as well.
_________________

Ananias dismounts beside Anna, and nods to Tolvan. "I don't know a thing about ships, but I have strong arms. I'll help."

Kimberly is almost helpless in this situation, I have neither boating skills nor strength, A stand with Ananias. if you need healing I will give it. but that is all I can offer.

EDIT: if I can get out over the rocks I can levitate over them and light up her whole body like a beacon.

So, who is teleporting over with Tolvan?

Back.

Tolvan dismounts and touches Anna, Ananias and Danica. Stay here Kimberly unless you can walk on air or water. I can only guess at what we might need if we are successful at saving the craft. With that he teleports to the deck of the boat. Note that Tolvan is flying with Overland flight and will not actually land himself. Also if Anna Ananias and Danica do not wish to come they can make a will save. :P

"I don't know anything about sailing but I do know that rock and boats don't go together. I can help with avoiding the rocks."
Danica is glad to be teleports and prepares for the task at hand.

Ananias doesn't resist. I guess I better get used to this... seems to be Tolvan's favorite method of transport!

Really its just his brand new trick. :)

Part of the group appears on the boat. The sole person there is an old man with a very thick mustache. He almost bumps into you as he runs from one end of the boat to another. "Where the... Who?? Doesn't matter. If you are here to help, get a move on." He starts pointing at individual members of the group, starting with Danica, then to Anna, Tolvan and finally Ananias. "You, head for the tiller. Try to aim the front of the boat to right side of the pier. You, run to the front. Secure those lines over there and bring down the sail. You, flying one, head up there and bring down the storm sail. And you, big guy, finish securing the cargo, then prepare the mooring lines." With that, he rushes off to another part of the boat.

Mechanic for saving the boat. You need to make some checks. The more you succeed the better the boat will do. The group needs to make 2 of each. Profession sailor DC 15, Knowledge Nature DC 20, Strength DC 20. You can also try to be creative with magic or other idea.

Lets see... Flying should be helpful as you have already hinted. Perhaps a bonus to some skills? Tolvan will Haste the group, including the old man. That might let us make more total checks. And arriving so quickly has to count for something, as opposed to more mundane methods of getting to the boat - again, more time so more checks? Tolvan can also boost his Profession skills by casting Owl's Wisdom on himself from his bonded item and will do so.

We are indeed here to help. We saw your boat beginning to flounder on from the shore. Tolvan responds before getting to work.

Unsure how many checks we get...
Profession Sailor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (2) + 17 = 19
Strength Check?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Profession Sailor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34
Strength Check?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Ananias decides to follow the man's orders, but struggles with the task almost immediately. Did the teleport leave him woozy? Is it simple motion sickness? No matter the cause... he is seriously struggling and not accomplishing much.

Strength DC 20: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Strength DC 20: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Anna shrieks at the sudden appearance of the ocean below her and only a fragile wooden ship between her and the churning sea. She drops and rolls up on the soaked deck.

"Are you crazy!?!" she shouts over the waves.

The sailor -- surprisingly nonplussed about their arrival -- barks orders at her, sending her to the front of the boat. Anna staggers forward. "Bring down the sail. Bring down the sail," she mutters, peeling her soaked hair from her face.

She looks at the intricate ropes that lets sailors from the deck raise and lower the sails, trying to make sense of them.

Intelligence: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

She then picks the most likely rope and saws through it.
Damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Lets see... Flying should be helpful as you have already hinted. Perhaps a bonus to some skills? Tolvan will Haste the group, including the old man. That might let us make more total checks. And arriving so quickly has to count for something, as opposed to more mundane methods of getting to the boat - again, more time so more checks? Tolvan can also boost his Profession skills by casting Owl's Wisdom on himself from his bonded item and will do so.

Magical aid and clever ideas will help any dice rolls. Also, Teleporting over did also give you more time to succeed. The faster you get all the check done, the less damage the ship will take. So far it is looking really good. Just waiting a bit more for Danica and we will move to the next round.

not sure if Kimberly can help much at the moment, which is ok with me since I may not be available for a day or two

I'll bot Danica for now.

Danica moves to the back of the ship. She takes a moment to examine the tiller to get an idea how the thing work. Using all of her might, she pushes on it to guide the ship at the spot the old man mentioned. She has a hard time moving the tiller and the ship isn't exactly on course but it is getting closer.

Anna studies the ropes and take a chance cutting one of the ropes. The sail comes down, but now it is still flapping in the wind. She will need to tie it down. Meanwhile, Ananias tries to stabilize the cargo. Not being trained as a sailor start to show as the big man spends more time holding on the cargo than securing it to the deck. From high up in the rigging, Tolvan is able to complete his job in good time. While he is there, he is able to notice how the ship is doing. The situation is getting better, but he notices the rest of the group struggling. There is still time to help the others at this point, the question is which one?

Strength: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Strength: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Just the Stregth checks left. Tolvan you can join someone else for the checks. Also, you can use you profession sailor to help with the checks.

Strength: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Strength: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Ananais continues to struggle with the cargo load, but eventually, he seems to understand the motion of the ship better; he starts to be able to leverage his own weight as the boat shifts in the river to help him contain the movement of the cargo. He begins strapping at least some of it down.

Anna's lip curls when she sees the sail flapping wildly. She would need to tie it down somehow, and she didn't like the thought of testing her strength against the sail. Instead, she climbs up into the rigging and grabs several lines of rope. She balances out onto the boom, waits for a wave to pitch the ship in one direction and she jumps in the opposite. Using her acrobatic skills, she flips down and around, the rope trailing after her. As the ship crashes down over the wave, she uses her momentum to flip over the boom again and again until the sail has been tied down.

Acrobatics (balance): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28
Acrobatics (jump): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35
Acrobatics (swinging): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35

Tolvan assesses the ship and chooses a task he things most critical to the situation.

Profession Sailor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Tolvan joins Danica at the tiller, together they manage to correct the course of the ship. Ananias gets most of the heavy crates secure. Some are still moving a bit on the deck, but not enough to influence the ship. Finally, Anna swings around like an expert acrobat and gets the sail under control. After a few minutes, the ship gets within range of the pier. The old man starts throwing ropes at the pier. "Can you fly over with one of your colleagues to secure the lines?" He keeps running around the ship, making sure everything is tied down.

Danica Strength: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Danica Strength: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

The ship has docked, you can rejoin the group Kimberly.

Breathing hard Tolvan asks So, who are you old man, and what circumstances led you to be out on rough seas alone with more cargo that your skiff could easily carry?

Kimberly hurries to the dock to meet the group, is everyone ok? anyone hurt? she tries to assess everyone.

I may sound kind of weird, but I think I am a little at a loss as to how we got to this ship situation.

You were horseback riding on the road to Illmarsh when you noticed the boat trying to make it to the pier. With the bad weather closing in, you had a feeling that the lone man on the boat wouldn't make it to the shore in time. Being the good guys, you went out to help.

"Ah yes, where are my manners. My name is Horace Croon, inventor. And I wasn't alone on the boat, at least not at first. The crew decided to disembark at Illmarsh... with the dinghy... without warning... I guess they didn't want to wait to get home." He shrugs at the last part. "Luckily for me, you showed up. As for the cargo, well that my friend is my newest invention. Just need to put the finishing touch and the first ever subaqueous exploration and research vessel will be fully operational!" Pausing for a moment, he looks at the rest of the group. "And you are?"

Sorry guys. Lost power after this past snowstorm. Power is back and ready here. Thanks for botting boss.

"We are travelers and noticed that you were in need of assistance. We saw that you were alone so we decided to go in and give you a hand. You are lucky that we came along." Danica pause as she does not want to give out too much information about themselves. She continues be deflecting the conversation from them to Horace. "By the way sir Croon, what is this device you speak of? What are you trying to research."

And I am Tolvan Master Croon. We were pleased to offer you some assistance on this dreary afternoon. Now how about some hot food and a little rest while we chat a little more. Tolvan goes about setting up a quick camp and setting a fire. As he works his eye sparkle with interest and he adds A ubaqueous exploration and research vessel? Remarkable. I would love to see it. Will you operate in it this lake? What do you expect to find?

"Ah! Wouldn't like to know, but I have to keep it a secret for now... Or some competitor might steal my idea. It happened before you know." There is a spark of pride in his eyes has he continues. " The subaqueous exploration and research vessel will be the crown jewel of my career. You see I've managed to combine the versatility of of clockwork construct with elementals and turn the thing into a vehicle. Now this is just a prototype and there are still some adjustments to make, but I believe that in a few days, it should be fully functional. "

He looks at Tolvan. "Yes! I will be exploring these water. As for what I expect to find, who knows!!! Rare and never seen before creatures, undiscovered ancient ruins, or maybe some long lost treasures!" In his excitement, the old man forgot to breathe and start coughing.

After he recovers, he once again start talking. "So, what bring you to this little village? It's been years since people came here, and now we just keep getting visitors. First that merchant from Caliphas, then that grim fellow, and now you guys. Is there a new attraction in town I am not aware of?"