Perception:
Initiative:
Game must go on.
awakened
Initiative order.
Billy
Lua
Urga
Thomas
Dukkan
Octopus
Shendrik
The people below deck are all awakened by the commotion upstairs, it will take you a bit of time to get into the mix (probably 2 rounds ).
Everyone on deck is up before the Octopus which happens to have a sailor in its clutches, likely destined to be lunch.
Torag steady my aim
Thomas rushes to the crewman's aid, drawing his sword as he moves.
damage
AC-26
HP-32/32
CMD vs Grapple-29
Crane Stance, fighting defensively
Billy lands a solid shot on the critter.
Thomas tumbles in, dodging a lashing tentacle, and chops a chunk off the sea devil.
Lua makes a dash for the struggling crew member. She reaches for the tentacle wrapped around his body. Scratching and clawing, she attempts to get a solid grip on the tentacle...
Urga grabs his sword and rifle and heads upstairs.
Right on Urga's heels, Doc quickly heads updeck.
The octopus takes his lunch and pulls back.
This provokes AOOs from the two adjacent people (Lua, Thomas) and then it starts to sink under the wave. The sailor takes another opportunity to scream his head off.
Thomas strikes at the creature as it tries to leave with the crewman, hoping to get it to relese him.
damage
Lua makes one last ditch effort to save the sailor...
Thomas gets in another solid hit before the octopus moves into the depths with its prize. Lua misses.
You are welcome to give chase (even if it's crazy).
Billy looks on sadly as the octopus and its prey disappear neath the waves. He keeps a close eye on the area just in case the man is somehow able to break free from the hopefully badly wounded captor.
Shenderik grabs his rifle and ammunition and makes his way topside. "Make a hole!" he cries to any seamen in his way. "Move, move! Angry dwarf, coming through! Make way there, ya useless lump!"
By the time he arrives on deck and everyone is staring over the rail, he is all ready to go. Seeing that the action has ended, he sighs and unwraps a cigar. "Dammit," he says to no one in particular.
I'll just assume nobody decides to do something suicidal and dive in after the critter and sailor (stop me if I'm wrong).
In due course, without further incident you arrive in Magnimar. The city is rather awe inspiring in fact owning to the ancient Thassilonian monuments. You ship docks in the harbor and the captain gives you a fond farewell, with thanks for your aid in defending the ship and its crew.
You know to contact the leader of the local trade mission from Alkenstar, Henry Williamson. He's a merchant who travels a lot peddling firearms related goods, which is pretty profitable as it is almost a monopoly coming out of Alkenstar. He also sidelines in service to the Duchess' intelligence service.
He resides in a fairly ornate estate in the city which also serves as his place of business.
You are ushered into his study by servants and he greets you by name. "The Duchess sent word ahead of you about your mission and arrival. I understand you are to be looking into the appearance of the Sihedron in locations it was not expected, and creatures with powers which point to a Thassilonian origin. I have been doing some research locally in preparation. What I'm managed to dig up is that there was a party of adventurers who were helping out in a village fairly near here called Sandpoint. They were working with the sheriff there. I would recommend you go look him up, and he should be able to point you in their direction. Do you have an questions?"
Gunner looks around Magnimar, soaking in the sounds mad sights of a new city as he followed his squad mates. He understands why it is known as the city of monuments.
Once introductions to Ser Williamson are made Gunner fades quietly into the background, happy to let the others do the talking while he listens and takes occasional notes in his journal. He only speaks up at one point stressing the importance of arranging for fast transport to Sandpoint so that they can begin their investigation before the trail grows cold.
Urga eyes the merchant suspiciously."How reliable is this information? What were these adventurers doing in Sandpoint? What is the Sihedron that you speak of?"
Lua listens intently and respectfully to the merchant. "Straight and to the point, sir. How long is the journey from here to Sandpoint, and have you procured travel for us? What will our mode of travel be?"
to Urga "I believe the information to be good, but I can't very well make promises. It cost me a fair amount of gold and I hope I got a value for it. I'm not quite sure what brought those adventurers there. They might well have been from the region. I don't know. I suppose if you find them, you can ask them. The Sihedron is a distinct seven pointed star which was the sign of the Runelords, the rulers of ancient Thassilon. " He shows you an image of a Sihedron .
to Lua "I have procured some horses and a pack mule for you. It should be a few days travel depending on the pace you keep. It's not really that far. "
"Sounds fine," says Shenderik, much more immediately interested in Magnimar than in some flyspeck you have to ride a mule to get to. He's eager to go stand on the edge of the Irespan and look out to sea.
"Ser Williamson, do you have any contacts in Sandpoint that you trust?"
"No, I'm not terribly familiar with the town. It's rather small. Mostly runs on lumber and farming. They don't do a lot of business in firearms, so I have little reason to go there. '
"Such a shame we can't stay here longer. This city is amazing, I especially like all of the monuments scattered throughout it. Supposedly they have all got unique properties."
"There are many a sage who've devoted their lives to the study of the monuments of Magnimar. I'm pretty sure there are still secrets yet to be revealed. But yes, you do have a mission to accomplish, and it would be best to get on with it. It's afternoon here already, so you might as well wait for the morning to set out. I have rooms assigned to you all. You can spend the night taking in the city, or as much as you can in that limited time."
Urga grunts his thanks. "Come with us Merchant. Learn to use the weapons that you sell. We will find glory or die trying."
"Heh, that's a good one. I'll have to pass. I served in the militia in my youth. That was plenty enough of that part of the gun business. I prefer this part nowadays. "
Dukkan stays politely quiet during the exchange. The others have already asked the questions he wanted to voice. His ears perk up at the mention of staying at an inn tonight.
"Ah. It will be nice to sleep in an actual bed tonight. No offense to the our former ship's captain, but sleeping on a rolling boat is not a very restful experience."
"Yes, I will have my valet show you to your rooms when you are ready, as you will be staying here. You can then take in any sights of the city you like or simply take it easy at your preference. "
"One last question Ser, will carrying rifles in the city cause a problem?"
"That's an interesting question. I think muskets are seen around town from time to time and I suspect your rifle will just be assumed to be one of those. Alkenstar would be a bit upset, however, if you did manage to lose it since it is the highest example of the weaponsmith's art we can manage right now. I'd hate to have others figure out how to duplicate them. Without magic only our technology can keep us in the game."
"Someone would have to kill me to get their hands on this rifle."
Billy looks at his squad mates, "Who wants to spend some time seeing the wonders of Magnimar?"
Lua thanks the merchant and quietly retires to her room for prayer and rest.
"Oh, I'm definitely up for some carousing, Urga. I can catch up on sleep while we ride." Thomas says with a smile.
"Yes, let's see the wonders of the nearest tavern. The first round is on me."
The carousing in town goes pretty peacefully. The odd guns warrant a few looks, but as expected nobody really knows the technology well enough to understand they are anything special. You are somewhat (other than Ugra who is not from Alkenstar) amazed by the casual use of magic for all manner of common things. It's almost unnerving.
Unless someone has business of consequence to carry out in Magnimar, we'll move along to Sandpoint forthwith. You'll have a very boring trip there with pretty much no events.
Shenderik makes sure to walk up to the Irespan and stand on its edge, looking out to see. What dwarf could fail to love such cyclopean construction?
He leaves when the sun sets, finding his companions in whatever seedy dive they've agreed on, and joins in the revelry until far too late.
"Lets ride Gentle Sers and Holy Lady. A land of adventure awaits!"
You ride north out of Manimar over a well tended road named the Lost Coast Road. It features Inns about every 24 miles or so. It is travelled and patrolled enough that you have no difficulties on your journey.
As one approaches the town of Sandpoint, the footprint of civilization upon the Lost Coast grows more clear. Farmlands in the outlying moors and river valleys grow more numerous, and the blue-green waters of the Varisian Gulf bear more and more fishing vessels upon the waves. Passage over creeks and rivers is more often accomplished by wooden bridge than ford, and the Lost Coast Road itself grows wider and better- kept. Sight of Sandpoint from either approach (south or east) is kept hidden by the large upthrust limestone pavements known as the Devil’s Platter and the arc of the rocky outcroppings and lightly forested hilltops that rise up just east of town, but as the final bend in the road is rounded, Sandpoint’s smoking chimneys and bustling streets greet the traveler with open arms and the promise of warm beds, a welcome sight indeed for those who have spent the last few days alone on the Lost Coast Road.
There town appears to enjoy a pretty carefree existence since the bridge into town from the south, is not guarded in spite of having a guard shack. Once you get into town, the first you Inn you come upon is the Rusty Dragon, notable for the impressive (and quite rusty) iron dragon that looms on the building’s roof, doubling as a lightning rod and decoration. On the way there you have passed a brewery, stable and a small shoppe.
Urga turns to the group, "I could use a drink after that march. Let's see what the Rusty Dragon has to offer. Maybe the locals can give us some intel on the sheriff and these mysterious adventurers."
"Good idea Urga..we should also see if we can find out anything about the original adventurer group."
"I agree, brother Billy. If the party had a priest, he or she assuredly prayed at a church. I will find a tout or crier and get directions to all of the local churches. Meet back at the Rusty Dragon at, say, sunset? Brother Dukkan, care to join me?"
Just waiting to see who is in the tavern and who is going to find out about temples. Not that there's really any danger in town. It's a pretty sleep place in general.
Billy will be talking to the tavern owner and the patrons.
Shenderik has ridden from Magnimar to Sandpoint on the back of his trusty mare Kurdun ("Steadfast"). The usually brash and noisy dwarf takes exacting care of his mount, allowing no other to handle her feed, brush her coat (for which he needs a stepladder or bucket to stand on) and get her settled in the inn's stable for the night.
Only then does he repair to the Rusty Dragon's taproom and begin swapping stories with these northerners, telling tall tales of Alkenstar and Nex and learning even taller ones about goblins, Thassilon and Earthfall.
"A walk around sounds like a splendid idea, Lady Lua," Dukkan replied. He was curious about how healing practices differed in the lands outside the Wastes and the churches were a good place to begin.
His smile widened. "And please. As I said before, if I must go by a title: 'Doctor' will suffice." He actually didn't mind Lua's insistence on calling him a Brother of Faith, it was true after a fashion. He just didn't want the outsiders confusing him for an actual clergyman. His healing skills were far more... worldly.
Those who enter the Rusty Dragon note that it's been there for a while, but has an interesting decor. It rather looks like it's been frequented by adventurers for some time, having a number of different trophies mounted on the walls. There's a goblin banner, the head of a lizard looking creature, and some other interesting items.
Behind the bar is a woman, possibly in her 30s. She is quite comely.
"Greetings, welcome to the Rusty Dragon. I'm Ameiko.. I've not seen you before, so I'll assume you are all new about Sandpoint. Never seen so many people carrying firearms at once. But nevermind me, I'm being nosy. What do you want to wet your whistle?"
Walking north through town you can ask around, or if you get far enough north without asking, you simply see your goal as there appears to be a large cathedral at the north end of town. It displays the holy symbols of a number of different gods.
If you go inside, there is a priest present who greets you. "Blessings of Desna be upon you my friends. I am Abstalar Zantus. I tend to the flock around our quaint town of Sandpoint. While I am a priest of Desna, I counsel also the followers of the other faiths present. Is there some service I can provide you, or do you simply wish to pray?"
Lua is well versed in the customs of Desna. She adheres to the customs of Desna's followers as a sign of respect and also to illicit a positive response from the priest. "Good evening brother Abstalar. I am Lua, a paladin and priestess of Sarenrae, and this is Doctor Dukkan Longpaw. We are in town looking for a group of adventurers that had come through here in the recent past. They handled a goblin problem for you recently?"