Dot.
The last week on the Jenivere has been peaceful after the storm. Captain Kovack informed you during last night's supper that there should be another week before arriving in Eleder - lest a storm brews up again. That seems unlikely; there isn't a cloud in the horizon, the sun bathing the ship's deck in warmth.
After departing from Senghor, the Jenivere accommodates twenty in a mixture of crew and passengers. Having spent over a hundred days since its initial departure from Magnimar, you have all gotten to know each other and are likely on first-name basis - though not every passenger seems too well intent on conversing, and some of the crew members focus almost solely on their job.
After a miserable, stormy route swinging wide of the Eye of Abendago, most of the crew and passangers have taken to the deck to enjoy the respite from terrible weather. The sea is calm and the Jenivere's sails have caught a heady breeze, pushing the ship south with little effort from the crew required. The deck is pleasantly cool, and it is here most of the crew and its passengers spend the afternoon.
Captain Kovack guides the ship from the poop deck, adjusting the wheel slightly every few minutes to align the ship with the strongest breeze. The Jenivere's first mate, Alton Devers, strides around the main deck, supervising the work of the gathered sailors.
Gelik Aberwhinge sits on a barrel, distracted, as he writes in a journal. Ishirou and Aerys Mavato lean on opposite railings, watching the trackless sea move by. Even the introverted Varisian scholar, Ieana, has come to the main deck to enjoy the sun.
Tamas hums contentedly to himself as he coils rope around Rava's helpfully extended tail, the stegosaur gurgling along in very loose time with her Varisian carer's tune. Not being one to mind hard work Tamas has found the simple tasks of a sailor quite fulfilling, though clearly he would be wasted in such a role, and his crew mates do seem peculiarly reluctant to adopt any of the improved techniques he has suggested to them, jealousy is a terrible thing.
Soon he absent mindedly begins to sing out loud voice quavering and breaking to an old Varisian road song,
"Oh, the road is long a weary,
where the wind does blow me to,
but the heart it never 'a' wanders,
I'll always be thinking of you!"
"Oh, the sky is grey and brooding,
the weather a cause to despair,
but a home is warm fire waiting,
and my girl with her long flowing hair!"
"Burrrggh!" Rava protests, casually thumping the druid with her rope swathed tail,
"Ah, well a man must maintain a few flaws to emphasize his talents girl, but point well made I shall spare the world my singing."
"I do not suppose you could spare a more palatable song for us Master Gelik?" He calls to the gnome, as he returns to his work.
"That assumes a man has talents," Torfrun muttered from the rail she was at as she hauled a bucket of water up to wash the pots and dishes used for breakfast in. Every morning she'd had to listen to Tamas' horrific singing, though today was a little better than most.
The day was too pleasant to remained cooped up in the galley, though, so she decided that she'd clean the pots and plates up on the deck, even if that meant sharing it with Tamas'. The work was relaxing, and soon the young woman was humming, then singing herself. Singing an old song she'd learned when she was just a little girl as she scrubbed.
There once was a man who thought to race the fast flowing river
He howled at the stream and sought to make it with fear a-shiver
Hey dolly-ne, a-hey dolly-no
He sought to make it shiver
The river it gave no reply to the the man's a-bluster
So the man went mad and threatened to churn it to butter
Hey dolly-ne, a-hey dolly-no
He threatened to make it butter
Down the banks the man did race, his heart all a flutter
O'er rocks, down hills he went, and continued to splutter
Hey Dolly-ne, a-hey dolly-no
How he did splutter
To the sea he did run, his ire fully roused
Into the sea he then ran, through its misty shroud
Hey dolly-ne, a-hey dolly-no
He ran through the misty shroud
No more of the man was ever seen, not even his cowl
Though on a night, clean and clear, you can still hear his howls
Hey dolly-ne, a-hey dolly-no
Oh how he still does howl
Hearing Torfrun's mutter, but not its content, Tamas's guesses are... unflattering at best, and he sighs whispering to Rava,
"At least you like me girl, if only the rest of the world were so wise. What is that? You only like me because I give you carrots, tch!" The stegosaur burbles affectionately as he scratches the softer flesh under her chin.
When the Ulfen woman begins to sing he turns his back and returns to his coiling, albeit a little slower than before.
Karathiel's hair streams out in the wind as she leans against the ship's rail. Taking a lock of it between her fingers, she gazes at it thoughtfully: the colour is fading, and she will need to dye it again soon if she is to keep it dark. White hair and red eyes is a bad combination on an elf, in any nation. As it is, it's currently a messy red, with blonder streaks at the fringe where the saltwater spray has bleached it.
She looks out across the ocean, oddly grateful: the vista is spectacular enough that interactions at the ship's rail can be conducted without requiring eye contact. Still looking directly ahead, she addresses the half-elf Aerys, who is next to her, and who got into a fight almost the moment she boarded at Port Peril.
"Nice right cross you delivered; he's probably still feeling it. You used to fighting?" The tone is neutral: Karathiel doesn't really know what the fight was about, which makes it hard to approve or disapprove.
Karathiel is not entirely making idle conversation: the captain said last night that they have a week of their voyage remaining, which means that she needs to be alert. If anyone is going to try and spring the prisoner, they will want to wait until the ship is in sight of land. Which means she needs to think about who she should be watching. Having spent weeks now with most of them, she is as confident as she can be that none of their ulterior motives relate to her own task. And yet. It pays to be cautious.
As she waits for the half-elf woman to respond, she turns her red eyes to sweep across the deck, looking for anything out of place. Torfrun and Tamas are squabbling again; Gelik is writing; Ishirou and Ieana are standing alone. All appears to be normal. Torfrun's singing reaches her ears; she can't make out the words, but the girl can carry a tune, that is for sure. Briefly catching the Ulfen's eye, she nods, before dropping her gaze abruptly in her usual manner.
Evalina rolled her eyes as Tamas started to sing. Again? I can't understand him at all... it looks like he enjoys to annoy us with his terrible songs... at least the other Varisian thieves in Ilsurian at least knew how to sing.
She was carrying her composite longbow but not any arrows. She then started to full her bow's string, hold it for a while and then slowly releasing it... just to keep her strength and her arm muscles properly working. Even if she was enjoying all these days in the sea for it reminded her of her loved father, she also missed the opportunity to exercise her military skills.
Evalina laughs at Torfrun's comment about Tamas. "And you assume he is a man!" She chuckles again. She returned to her training while hearing Torfrun's song. She indeed has a lovely voice...
Tamas gives Evalina a hard look, "I am not sure what I have done to offend you so, but you are being very rude. Perhaps that is your intent, or perhaps you simply do not know better?"
Evalina looks a bit embarrassed with Tamas' comment. Crap, it was not supposed for him to listen... did I talked too loudly? But she rapidly recovered.
"Yeah, perhaps I'm not really prepared to talk to thieves and don't know how to not offend them... I really do not know you Tamas, but I know your kin pretty well, specially when running with our hard-earned goods!" Evalina spits into the see and turns her back to the man, muttering to herself. "Perhaps I should bring some arrows to the deck after all..."
"Really? Which of my kin do you know? My father, my mother? Do all Varisians have stegosaurs to, after all they are stealthy beasts ideal for sneak thieves, no?" Tamas replies acerbically,
"Please regale me with your extensive knowledge of my people so that we might all learn from your boundless wisdom. I assume you have put a great deal of thought and research into the matter before condemning an entire people, because if you had not you would be behaving like the worst kind of ignorant child, no? How fortunate you are to be... whatever ethnicity you are, a master race that has never produced a sinner in any form, let a lone a thief."
Just slightly turning her head, Evalina smirks. "As we say in Ilsurian, when you have to protect your chickens, you need not to know every fox, their fathers or their mothers... you need to keep them away. And I'm indeed fortunate for I'm an Ilsurian and you are right, we have only a few thieves... there is too much competition already with the foxes."
"Ah, when your argument for being rude to a man who has offered you no insult at sea is that you fear he will steal your chickens how could anybody find fault with your flawless logic? Now are all Ilsurian's ill mannered and prejudiced, or just you?" Tamas retorts haughtily, turning back to his coil and stacking it neatly in a pile to the side of the deck.
Rava narrows her eyes at Evalina and turns away with her carer.
Torfrun just shakes her head at the argument between Evaline and Tamas. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but the man had a point. She hadn't really gotten to know any Varisians in her flight form Irrisen, but what she had seen of the wandering folk, she liked.
"Evaline, I'd be careful making such accusations. I've never had a problem with Varisians (for the most part,) and I'd say it's grossly unfair to judge them as a whole based on the actions of a few," the ulfen told the other young archer in a weary voice. "It's better to judge a man on his actions than to simple assume that he's like every other of his kind that you've met."
Now finished with her scrubbing, the young woman dumps the dirty, somewhat sudsy water overboard. She thought about saying something to Tamas, but he'd, honestly, not done anything wrong, save returning Evaline's jabs with his own. "Anyway, I need these back in the galley, so if you'll excuse me."
Cethel walks over to Gelik.
"Beautiful day. Why spend so much time in your book?
I wonder why they call it Desperation Bay? Seems perfectly fine. Perhaps it has to do with the Chelish fleets defeated here."
The squabble between Tamas and Evalina reaches Karathiel's keen ears; she sighs inwardly.
Humans.
The only remedy she knows for human stupidity is time: in just over a week, she will be free of this ship, and its passengers will disperse wherever they please; whatever problem Evalina has with her will no longer be an issue (although she does wonder what contact an Ilsurian could have had with drow that would make Evalina so wary of her).
She hears Torfrun step in to play peacemaker, and is pleased by that - she rather likes the girl, there's a certain charming quality to the ignorance of her questions (does it snow in Alkenstar?!...). Karathiel hopes that whatever it is that Torfrun is fleeing from doesn't catch up with her. The girl hasn't said anything, but an unworldly Ulfen fleeing Irrisen tells its own story - at least to a bounty-hunter like Karathiel. She idly wonders what sort of bounty is being offered, and on what grounds - Torfrun doesn't strike her as the criminal sort. But from what she's heard, in Irrisen simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be a criminal act.
So many places lack the civilising laws of Abadar. Maybe Karathiel should do something about that. She closes her eyes and shakes her head, dispelling the train of thought. She's no cleric, after all. She has no business thinking like one.
Sensing that now would be a good point to keep his mouth shut Tamas moves away. Heading over to refill the decks water barrels, with water spells, taking a few mouthfuls from the drinking ladle chained to the barrel, and then filling a bowl for Rava.
Away from Tamas, Evalina shrugs at Torfrun's comment. "Perhaps you are right, Torfrun, perhaps he isn't a bad person, even if utterly annoying, but I've learnt to not trust a Varisian name... they just tell what you want to hear..."
"...for us Ilsurians, we like the Varisians the same as you like these Jadwiga you told me the other day. Tell me if you'd not be wary in their presence?"
Shaking his head at the back-and-forth byplay, Chikura makes his way across the deck, scroll in hand, to Ieana (pausing only to clap Rava on one solid flank and nod to her master). "I have met no Va-ree-see-ans in Nantambu, and Evaline - though a fount of information about the land, is no scholar. If it is not too much trouble, I would enjoy hearing of your studies."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sensing that there's more to this than just blind prejudice, Torfrun decides that she'd best find a nice quiet part of the ship and talk to Evaline about what was going on. It wasn't that she didn't agree with her, Tamas annoyed her almost constantly, but that it was not fair to accuse the man of being a thief. Hubris, not greed, seemed to be his shortcoming.
And to be fair, he wasn't the one rousing her ire at the moment.
"That's not a fair comparison," she growls as she stomps off to the galley, now needing something to work out her anger on. Anyone watching her as she heads below can see that Evaline's last remark had stung.
Over the course of the next few hours, furious chopping, and some muttered curses in a lilting tongue, can be heard coming from the galley. Every now and then, there's a sniffle, but she doesn't come out until lunch is ready, a hearty stew, that's probably more spicy than intended, served with some strong rye bread. Anyone who takes more than a casual glance at her face, sees her eyes are red, but the glare coming from the normally talkative Ulfen lets everyone know that, no, she does not want to talk about it.
"
Tamas sighs, "I know but, she insulted me out of the blue Anton, I may be part of the crew for this voyage, but I am not going to stand being insulted without cause. We are not slaves and are entitled to a certain baseline of respect... But that aside while I have you here, might I suggest that we tack a few degrees to starboard to catch the wind more fully? I would think it could gain us a couple of knots."
Chikura smiles at the woman, nods, and retreats. I hope that the people of Absalom are friendlier than she is.
"Sharkfolk? Interesting. I've never seen one of them before, although I've heard they're quite ferocious."
The half-elf gives regards you for a moment, fierce blue eyes flashing beneath a black tricorn, clearly surprised that somebody is speaking to her. Blushing, she turns back to look out at the sea.
"Oh, you saw that, did you?" she asks, shrugging. "When you grow up looking like I do, you either run from men like him or hit them until they stop bothering you. It seems like a lesson you might have learned."
"Look, between you and me, I think you did the right thing. For my sake though, just avoid her until we reach Eleder and we can be rid of her, okay?"
------------
The first thing you is aware of is the heat. Your vision is black and you hear nothing but a distant, dull roar, but you know that it's hot. And you are thirsty. Your lips are parched and dry, and why does your mouth taste of salt?
These questions become less clear as more of your senses return. The darkness vanishes into blinding sunlight and that dull roar turns into the sound of waves rolling into the shore. Through a pounding headache, you recognize the feeling of sand against your back, cold water lapping at your feet, and a strange pressure on your foot. Then, suddenly, a sharp pain lances through that foot, jarring you completely awake.
You are on an unfamiliar beach surrounded by the rest of your fellow passengers. The sun is bright and hot, with seagulls pinioning above in a clear sky. Your gear is stacked in a haphazard pile next to you, but most worryingly of all, a chitinous creature the size of a dog sits on your legs, trying to chew its way through your boot.
Almost instantly, Torfrun rips her dagger free from its sheath and moves to plunge it into the creepy things trying to eat her companions, pumping her arm to try and stab it with each cry.
Glowing red spheres appear on the creatures, bobbing around in their faces.
She gives a quick, sidelong, glance at Aerys. Karathiel has been wandering alone and friendless for almost a decade now, since her last bust-up with him - maybe there's a prospect here. "I'll have your back, if you want it," she puts the offer out there.
As an elf, Karathiel doesn't sleep - the fact that she has clearly woken from unconsciousness is a warning in itself that something is badly wrong. The salty thirstiness and - ouch - the light don't help. And, of course, the damn crab thing chewing through her boot is the final clue.
Giving a cry in Elvish that doesn't translate into anything printable, she squints at her target, trying to blot out the sun's glare, and draws her pistol, hoping to Abadar that it hasn't got wet. She pulls the trigger, more in hope than expectation.
Squinting against the sun and the pain, Tamas attempts to identify the creature assaulting him, but finds he has no idea what it might be. Struggling to gather his wits he calls, "Rava strike!"
To his side the stegosaur surges to her feet and with a great bellow spins, her tail connecting with the creatures shell, with a crack! Trying to access his options Tamas waits to see what effect Rava's blow has before acting himself, hoping she has freed him to move.
Even in the heat of the sudden battle, Chikura has time for an irreverent thought. Oh, Herdsman. What's the good of being a diviner if you can't see things like this coming? If Chikura is next to any of the better combatants, he'll reach out and touch the closest one.
Despite the sudden shock of your awakening, you manage to quickly slay the curious predators. Torfrun jams her dagger into the eye of the bug worrying at Evalina; Karathiel's attacker meets a similar fate at the end of her pistol. Finally, Rava is able to skewer the creature chewing on Tamas with her spiked tail.
With the battle over, your surroundings become more clear. Behind you, a wall of green rises in the form of a dense jungle filled with a cacophony of life. To either side, ragged arms of jagged rocks reach out to embrace a wave-tossed cove, while ahead, the waters of the sea surge and churn between the beach and a line of razor-sharp rocks. Caught among those rocks is the ragged hull of a ship, listing dangerously to port and partially submerged. The ship looks familiar: it's the Jenivere.
Gradually, your fellow castaways awake. The first to come to is a dark-skinned Mwangi man dressed in rags with filthy matted hair and beard speckled with grey. His hands are manacled and he raises them to block out the harsh sun. "Where am I?" he gasps. "What happened?"
The red-headed beauty you know as Sasha immediately leaps to her feet and spins around scanning for threats. In whatever chaos you left, the back of her blouse tore open, revealing a pair of stylized mantis pincher tattoos.
Gelik sits up, before immediately rolling over and vomiting into the beach. "Sweet Besmara's cleat, my head hurts." he complains.
Ishirou is silent and dour, but that is an expression you've become used to seeing from him aboard the Jenivere.
Finally, Aerys, the half-elf recluse, is still unconscious, although she thrashes against a nightmare attack, weakly protesting about snakes.
Of any of the crew or Ieana, there is no obvious sign.
Tamas gets to his feet, patting Rava gratefully on the head before, moving towards the hand cuffed Mwangi man, calling,
"Save the creatures bodies, they might be edible, and turn about is fair play so we might as well try to eat them. But before that I don't know how long the ship will remain on those rocks we should try to save any survivors and salvage as much as possible while it remains!"
Reaching the Mwangi prisoner he answers, "I am a little unclear as to the specifics of what has happened, but we are evidently shipwrecked. Jask is it? May I ask why you have been made a prisoner, and what you would do if freed? I would rather have an ally than dead weight, and I know that laws and justice do not always go hand in hand."
Evalina drew her dagger to attack the crab like creatures but Torfrun was faster. With the creature dead, she sheathed the weapon once more and looked around, locating their gear in the pile next to her. She reached for her gear quickly, clearly relieved to see her bow and arrows.
With the immediate danger passed, Evalina took some time to evaluate herself... wet, with a couple painful hematomas, and sand everywhere. And that was it. So... we are shipwreck, many survived which is good and we also have the remains of the ship... if could be worse. She spitted a ball of blood and salty water before addressing the survivors while looking around.
"Crap... looks like we aren't the luckiest ones but it could also be worst... We need to get to that ship as soon as possible before it sinks for it could have survivors and provisions. Also, I should thank which one of you brought us to the beach." At the questioning eyes she points to the pile of gear. "Well, it is pretty clear we had some help, unless you believe the gods saved us and also brought all our gear and piled it for our convenience..."
Chikura gets slowly to his feet and looks around at the others. "Which of you brought us here? You must be very strong indeed, to move Rava."
"I am not cooking these things," Torfrun tells Tamas, her accent coming through thick. After a moment she calms down and looks at the scratch on her hand. It was minor, and more irritating than painful, but she didn't know if these things had any poison or not. With sigh she cleans her dagger and sheathes it.
"I'm going to look for a safe way to get to the ship," she tells the others, "I know we are still missing people and I'd rather not leave anyone for dead if they aren't dead." With that, she begins to look for a safe path to the ship.
Evalina follows Torfrun, her bow in her hands.
With the kill made, Karathiel saves her precious cartridges and reloads using powder and shot. Then she quickly checks her foot for damage, but the scratches appear to be minimal. It's still too hot, too bright. She squints as she looks around.
Reaching the Mwangi prisoner he answers, "I am a little unclear as to the specifics of what has happened, but we are evidently shipwrecked. Jask is it? May I ask why you have been made a prisoner, and what you would do if freed? I would rather have an ally than dead weight, and I know that laws and justice do not always go hand in hand."
Karathiel rolls her eyes, but doesn't look directly at Tamas as she answers. "Oh, I'm just SURE that he will tell you he was wrongly arrested - perhaps even that it's a case of mistaken identity, that his evil twin did it and ran away."
"No. We are in enough danger. You will not add to that by releasing another potential danger into our midst."
Her tone is final.
"Now, I'm going to find some shade - this sun is too bright. We need shelter, water, and security while we work out what happened."
Taking her compass from her pack, she sets out to get her bearings, limping slightly.
Cethel gets his gear from the pile, then goes off with Karathiel.
"The Mwangi Expanse is extremely dangerous. Never go anywhere by yourself.
To Torfrun Tamas replies, "I am happy to cook them, and indeed am a very passable cook, poisonous creatures are not tainted their poison is separate from their flesh. Think of them as over enthusiastic lobsters."
To Karathiel Tamas retorts, "You are not in charge - though to be entirely fair neither am I. The least we can do is access the situation, and see if we believe him. We will have enough trouble surviving on a potentially deserted island without having a mouth to feed that cannot work, and our current locale would seem as much a prison as any he were headed to. I am going to at least hear him out, but the decision should fall to the group as it effects us all."
Looking back to the Mwangi he adds, "If you have any useful skills that might help sell your release you might mention them."
"And while we discuss, the ship is sinking. We must hurry." Chikura heads for the Jenivere, calling back over his shoulder, "Tamas, perhaps Rava should stay on the land?"
"Are you guys coming or not? Time's not exactly in our favor at the moment," Torfrun calls back from where she thinks she's found a safe path to the wreck, completely unaware of Chikura basically saying the same thing just a moment before.
It's obvious to Torfrun and Evalina that they can't reach the remains of the Jenivere at the moment. The ship is pinned between a rock and the cliffside of the island, requiring either a swim through churning waters or climbing down from the cliff above. Waiting until later in the afternoon, after the tide recedes, you should be able to walk over to it.
"Oh, yes," Gelik protests dryly as he picks himself up off the beach. "I was the one that rescued us all. The lizard was the easiest part, since I am the strongest gnome in all the land."
The rest of the castaways agree on one thing. None of them brought the rest to the shore.
The bound man blinks up to Tamas. "Yes, I'm Jask." He glares at Karathiel with watery gray eyes. "And I am innocent. Somebody in the Sargavan government framed me for treason." He holds up his shackled wrists. "If you free me and find my holy symbol, I could heal the wounded, even make fresh water."
[ooc]To learn more about Smuggler's Shiv, please roll a second Knowledge (geography)/Profession (sailor) test.
[spoiler=Why do I feel sick? Heal DC 15]While exposure to the elements and the ordeal of surviving a shipwreck can account for some of the sickness you're suffering, the memory loss and oily slickness in your mouth imply that you were poisoned.
"Might I ask which god it is you follow? Depending upon the deity whether or not they continue to grant you spells could speak well for you - you should not require a focus to create water, can you manage it in those manacles? I have the spell prepared myself, but it would be some proof for your claims."
To the group as a whole Tamas calls, "He claims to be a healer, and that he is innocent - if he is telling the truth it seems freed he would be a valuable asset. And I believe we are on Smugglers Shiv, and that somebody aboard poisoned us - if you all can taste an oily residue as I can? I can speak with the local birds and try to get some information about what we can expect if anyone has any suggestions as to what information might be pertinent to our plight?"
Evalina look with dismay as at the high tide. Rushing now could be dangerous but waiting too long could mean that the remains of the ship would not resist. "Looks like the high tide is keeping us from safely approaching the ship... even if we risk to lose it, I belive we should wait and approach it by the end of the afternoon..."
"Evalina's right," Torfrun says grudgingly before adding, "We need to find shelter and a source of fresh water. Then we need to worry about food."
The young ranger grabs her gear then moves to where Aerys lies. She picks her up and moves her from the surf to the shade of the trees before trying to wake her. Whether the attempt succeeds or fails she turns to the others.
"Unless anyone has any better ideas I think Evalina, Sasha, and I should look for a place to set up a permanent camp, somewhere with easy access to a high vantage point that we can use to keep an eye out for ships that pass close enough that we can signal them, easy access to freshwater, and easy access to the beaches. Tamas, you, Ishirou, Gelik, and Cethel see if you can find anymore survivors on the beach. Use Rava to carry any who can't walk and make sure you're back here before low tide. Karathiel, can you and Chikura keep an eye on things here? The three of us will try to be back by low tide, but if we aren't, search the ship without us. Grab food and water first. Ropes, nets, tools, and anything else we can use to make shelters with after that, then anything else that could be useful. Use Rava to haul as much as she can carry without slowing too much. We'll try to find a trail she can use to get to whatever campsite we find," Torfrun looks to the others, studying their expressions, before asking, "Any questions?"
"Would it not make more sense to make camp here, or very close by, for tonight? We have food and I can provide as much water as needed magically. If we remove the stings these should provide enough meat to feed us all. Splitting up at this point seems rash, and we are not even sure if the beach is passable, it quickly turns into a steep cliff that way and I am not sure I can make out the other...
This spot seems fairly well suited to a camp to my eye, we could signal help from the cliff top which seems likely to be in the right position for shipping routes, this is high tide or close and the beach is not submerged. Fresh water is not a problem, and lumber and supplies from the ship are close at hand without the need to drag them through the jungle. We can dig a fire pit, roast these creatures and make use of some of their carapace's as simple pots. I can call upon the local birds and see if there are any dangers or landmarks close at hand. And if there are survivors on the ship best to have as many hands as possible just in case - especially since we seem to have an enemy who poisoned us!
As for the idea of Rava being a beast of burden please disabuse yourself of it. She is not suited to it, she is more nimble than strong, and the spikes upon her back make it impractical besides. I am more than willing to haul, but kindly leave my baby girl out of it, she is no mule."
The stegosaur warbles affectionately and butts her master's leg.
Cethel points out the tracks. "Whoever rescued us went back into the sea."
"I can also heal if anyone's injured.
"Tamas, we really don't have time to be arguing about this," Torfrun says as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "We may have food for one meal, maybe two, and you may be able to make water out of nothing, but I am not betting the survival of everyone on one person staying alive and well," she says as she looks up, her eyes blazing, "this is not your comfy little garden in your nice safe city, this is the wilds, and survival does not come easy. Knowledge from experience, not from books, is what's going to keep you alive out here. If you can't understand that now, then you best learn before you wind up dead."
The ulfen woman takes a deep breath, calming down some.
"This may work as a camp for a few days, but what happens if a storm blows in? what if whoever lives on this island does not like us being here? We need to find someplace we can take shelter from the storms and that we can defend. We need to work quickly to salvage as much as we can from the ship and Rava can probably carry things that are too big for us to handle easily. I don't like splitting up either, but we need to get as much done as we can as quickly as we can. My mentor hammered in his mantra of survival, 'prepare early, prepare quickly.' Time and again I've seen that born out. We cannot wait to begin looking for survivors. We cannot wait to find a source of freshwater or a more defensible campsite. We cannot all go and do these things. Jask is bound and Aerys is still not ready to walk on her own. You can grumble about what I am doing all you want, but one does not survive in Irrisen by being stupid. You may want to consider the wisdom of eating anything that has a sting on it, as well. If we can get a net or two from the ship we can get fish that won't be likely to poison us."