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"I have no idea if all halfling are like Jym or not. Can you imagine a whole race like that? All of the chatter.. when would anything get done? Who would make all of the pastries that they would need to eat?"
"Everyone back home in Greenfields is like me in that they love what they do! That's the trick, see? Then it's not work, and it takes no time at all! And I don't think that we're so unusual in that regard: You seem to enjoy your animal kidnapping job and hitting things, Elebrin I'm sure enjoys her job as graceful-yet-enigmatic death wizard, and the challenge is to get Gwlybwr to enjoy his new role as a hideous slimefish mons--Oh! Here he is!
Hi, Gwlybwr! What did you find?"
"The sea has gone mad. It's all Dagon and Ryleh down in the depths. Ship's burning on the shore, all burning, and the Nixie bug-beast was devoured by the monkeys. Whatever happened here, Vanthus has traded in his criminal chums for some real sinister scum. Best we find him soon."
"Was that a pun?! Heh heh, 'chum!' Nice one! A bit dark, but very appropos!
"Anyway, is there any indication who these monkeys are that they caused all this destruction!"
Elebrin rubs his forefinger against her thumb idly as she considers the conversation but seems somehow removed, There would be something so reassuring about many Jyms so functionally happy to "be"...as for me I derive a certain pleasure in my art, much so now that my mother is not directly involved though that comes at the risk of death...
Elebrin's revelry breaks and her frown deepens at the report, Sinister? maybe...more?. Whats next?
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"Shouldn't swim - not nonfish, nohow. Better boat by beach. Mind murderous monkeys. Find fled; verify Vanthus. Question."
Gwl seems to get more and more agitated as he speaks. His phrases get shorter and become almost curses spat. Frustrated beyond words, he simply points a slimy claw at the cove
Uro looks to the Kua Toa with concern. "Gwl, Getting to Vanthus is important, but i am worried about what is happening with you. Are you okay? Should we seek out a healer?" Uro tries to keep his words measured, seeing that the fish man is already agitated.
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If Elebrin had a staff she would have leaned upon in that way that inquisitive wizards were known to do. Bereft of a tall pole to lean on, however, the wizard settles for crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow at Gwl to read his reaction to Uro's questions.
Ju furrows his brow in concentration as he listens not to what Gwlybwr says, but the way he says it.
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Gwl puffs out his chest as if taking a deep breath, but begins choking. Trying again, he breathes with his lungs and begins to speak. His words tumble out, all a jumble.
"Qkxz? Hlyphk! Vol horl loks aechorom. Kelm mek mar dugkrzix. Vanthus mordo je, qokxovim nohandron!"
Abyssal:
"What? Unnecessary! The tracks are fresh. We're here for blood. Vanthus is close, I know it!"
Jym shakes his head in confusion.
"Gwlybwr, listen to me. Just shake or nod your head. Can you understand me right now?"
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Elebrin starts rubbing her chin and muttering to herself, Not Aklo. I know that one. Not Celesital or Draconic. That leaves elemental languages of course, the Runics...Dwarven, Giant maybe? Not enough yips...not Gnoll. Abyssal would fit...too bad I don't know any. Of course there is a case for just straight up gibberish. A spell that inverted vowel assimilation or transposed brain to tongue execution? Really it could be anything...
Gwl looks at the group with perplexity, and not a small amount of agitation. He doesn't seem to have any difficulty understanding your words, and he scowls at the distraction.
Biting his teeth together for emphasis, he points insistently at the pall of smoke.
"Vanthus."
Uro shrugs, but still looks at the others with a bit of concern. "Alright. Vanthus it is." The orc walks over to the rowboat and steps in. Jym, it's your turn to row."
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"Oh no! This language infliction has infected Uro, also!"
Jym climbs aboard the rowboat and sits at the back, well away from the oars.
"Heh." Uro chuckles, happy for the bit of levity. "Next stop Kraken's Cove." Once everyone is aboard, the orc starts rowing the way that Gwl gestured.
Inside the cove, you can see that the smoke is coming from a number of anchored seagoing vessels, now on fire. They are varied in type and appearance, but the one or two flags that haven't burned seem identical. On the beach are some ship-to-shore boats, now charred and wrecked, and a large number of wooden cages, all broken open. There is some amount of havoc on the beach -- for example, a large bug like the one on the Blue Nixie is dead and dismembered. There are a large number of other animal and human corpses in the cove, all of them weirdly mutated and savagely mauled.
Jym maybe knows something about those flags.
Jym maybe knows something about those flags.
These are not the flags of any noble house or civilized nation you've ever heard of.
They are, however, flags he recognizes. With a shudder, he notices the white and black crossbones still visible on one of the red flags -- the ensign of the Crimson Fleet, the most feared pirate armada of Jerlea Bay and the Amedio coast as a whole.
Gwl stares silently at the lapping waves as Uro pulls the tiny boat across the cove. He looks decidedly unhappy as he gazes at the water, looking less amphibious and more seasick with every passing stroke. As the boat nears landfall, he busts into action, bolting to the front and leaping the last few feet to shore. His frantic movements set the craft rocking as he tumbles on the wet sand and vomits up a great grey mass of bile.
He scoots backward away from the gently cresting waves and pulls himself upright on the wreckage of one of the splintered boats. Wiping a strand of clinging slime from his lips, he speaks with obvious effort.
"The ... water ... is tainted. Cursed. Don't step in it. The animals have all gone mad. And the fish."
He gives a weak smile.
"And the fish-man."
"If there's a way to fix what's going on with you, Gwl, we'll do it. But first let's find Vanthus or his I.O.U. slip and get back to Sasserine. Do you think pirates would consider a promissory note as booty? It seems unlikely, but beggars can't be choosers and piracy is just an extremely violent form of begging, but don't tell any pirates I said that. Oh, that's the flag of the Crimson Fleet. They're kind of a big deal."
Jym tries to recall what he's heard about the Crimson Fleet. Leaders, number of ships, recent activity, anything that sets them apart from other pirates, etc.
Uro, will use an oar as a pole to push the rowboat aground. He'll then hop onto shore, careful not to touch the water, and pull the boat further onto land for Jym and Elebrin.
Jym tries to recall what he's heard about the Crimson Fleet. Leaders, number of ships, recent activity, anything that sets them apart from other pirates, etc.
The fleet that operates nearest to Sasserine is captained by Harliss Javell (a woman whose past is interesting but bears on tangentially on the matters at hand). This local fleet is reputed to be heavily into the trading of exotic animals -- which may account for the giant bugs, for example.
Closer inspection of that flag indicates that the ship flying it might be salvageable -- although most of the ships seem destined to burn to the waterline, the fire on that one seems to have gutted out. It appears to be a three-masted caravel; the intact sails are decorated with a stylized wyvern, and the figurehead also seems to be carved into the likeness of a wyvern.
The cove consists of a ring of cliffs, with a narrow beach on the inside (where you are). Although there's swamp and jungle to the south, on the other side of the cliffs, on the inside the only terrain of note is a large cave mouth nearby.
As Uro beaches the rowboat, a pair of humanoid figures breaks from the wreckage of one of the other boats, racing in your direction with bloodthirsty shrieks. They are dressed as pirates, but their heads are weirdly deformed, with gaping maws full of sharp teeth; their limbs flop weirdly, and their skin is gray.
"The ... water ... is tainted. Cursed.
... and before we get too distracted with mutant pirates, slipping in one more detail:
Elebrin pulls her sword and points at the gibbering pirate-like creatures approaching, I'm thinking we kill those?
"Your instincts are good, but they're still too far away to hit with your sword!" Jym says, as if he knows what he's talking about. He slings a near-ineffectual stone at one of the mutant pirates.
The mutant pirate's head rocks back from the impact, so you know the stone hit -- but he appears unmarked, and keeps coming.
Gwl steps protectively in front of Jym and El. He cracks the spear off his back - breaking it free from the dried mucus-glue that adhered it there - and waits patiently for the mutants to reach them.
He murmurs the koan you've heard him utter before as he waits. The inflection is the same, but the words are broken.
"Zuoken agthym mouk saktra kvim."
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Mutant pirates:
Uro frowns at the creatures as they approach. It deepens as Jym's stone bounces off of the thing. "Perhaps something with a bit more heft."
Jym steps back behind Gwl and Uro and then waits until the mutant pirates get within melee range before casting unwitting ally.
Uro thinks his axe would normally have missed, but trudging through sand is interfering with the pirates' reflexes and they're easy game. With a "thunk!" the axe bounces off, leaving a shallow indentation where it hit.
As they finally close, Jym calmly speaks the last word of his spell, causing it to go off; both mutants ignore it. Seeing them close-up, Jym realizes they've been reduced to a state of mindless savagery, so that [mind-affecting] stuff doesn't have much to affect any more.
[ooc]Elabrin, you're more than welcome to acid splash one of them before they close, if you want to.
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Seeing them close-up, Jym realizes they've been reduced to a state of mindless savagery, so that [mind-affecting] stuff doesn't have much to affect any more.
After the two spells in rapid succession both fail to have any noticeable no effect, you begin to get the impression that their exposure to the Abyss has left them without too many human weaknesses. The mark left by Uro's axe indicates they can still be put down by steel, however.
The two mutants, mouths opening to an unnatural wideness, charge at the largest target (Uro) first, swinging their cutlasses and trying to bite him:
Uro easily avoids the first cutlass stroke, but takes a shallow bite . The unexpected success of the bite takes him off-guard and the second cutlass connects , although he avoids the second bite.
Although Gwl is also standing in front, like obvious bait, the mutant pirates for some reason shy from attacking him.
Gwl steps up behind one of the mutants and delivers a vicious stab, puncturing twisted flesh.
Gwl's spear pierces the pirate's fancy blue sea coat and its unnaturally-tough gray hide, leaving it visibly wounded. It pays no attention, however, continuing to bite madly at Uro, and its movements do not seem to be slowed.
Jym whips out his fiddle and plays a jaunty tune.
"Waaaagghhh" Rage!!!
Uro also has Protection from evil while raging from Protective Spirits rage power.
Gwl uses his apparent invisibility to trip up the pirate as Uro attacks, aiding him.
Uro would have missed but for Gwlybwr's timely intervention. With that help, the axe bites true, hesitating only momentarily before biting into the weird gray skin.
After that blow, even the mutant's unnatural vitality doesn't allow it to do more than twitch feebly on the ground. Uro inhales deeply, realizing that the spirits protecting him have staved off a virulent disease carried in the creature's bite.
Elebrin stays a few steps behind, mustering her arcane energy to attack the most wounded of the pair...
It's not! Done.