When you approach the man and zombie, the man is holding a makeshift club of some kind made out of a tree branch. The zombie is clutching a rock in its undead claw. The bedraggled man is shouting at it.
"Now, throw! Throw the rock at me, and I'll hit it! Throw, you stupid zombie!"
Silvio looks around searchingly when Amy mentions Boram’s name. ”Now that you mention it, Silvio has not seen small friend Boram either. Silvio is confident that he returned from the wreckage but has not seen him since. Perhaps he ventured further into the jungle to scout ahead?”, the chelaxian nobleman suggests.
Silvio stops in his tracks when the party encounter John and his companion. ”By the heaven, what is that hideous thing?”, he exclaims. ”And who is his undead companion?” Promoting caution Silvio draws his rapier before stepping out into the clearing keeping a healthy distance from the two strangers. ”Hello, this is the great Silvio Callgari Pazzi with his good friend and fellow companions. Silvio would like to know who you are, how you came to be here and how you can be of service to Silvio and his good friends!” he announces.
John turns around in sudden surprise, and the zombie dwarf snarls and puts itself between him and Silvio. "By heaven!" the dirty young man exclaims. "Was...that a Chelaxian name, by chance? Are you from civilization? Am I SAVED AT LAST? Thank God, a rescue!" He falls to his knees and throws his arms to the heaven in ecstatic relief.
No longer feeling particularly threatened, Gleus lowers his axe and steps up next to Silvio. "Does he think we are here to rescue him?" Thinking not being the large man's strong suite, Gleus's face speaks volumes of his great realization. "I dont think we made it to our destination."
Gleus addresses John, "You there! What do you mean rescue? Is there nobody here on this island?" Of course the hearbreaking scene of a man trying to play baseball with a zombified dwarf lends Gleus his answer.
Fleet's expression of rapturous joy fades, to be replaced with downcast disappointment. "Ah, I should've known it was too good to be true. From the looks of things, we're in the same boat...to use an unfortunate expression."
Sighing, the young man rises from his knees with a slight grunt and dusts himself off; a futile gesture, as much of the dirt is caked in on him by now. Nonetheless, he affects a genteel bow, then glares at his zombie companion until it follows suit, clumsily.
"I am John Fleet, of Sargava. I was on my way to Avistan by ship when we...Harriman and I" he gestures at his zombie, which is drooling at you, "were marooned here as part of a storm. Unfortunately, Harriman succumbed to his injuries, and with his permission, he guards me in undeath...which is how I've survived this far..." he sighs again. "But I HAD been hoping this whole nightmare would be over soon...I haven't bathed in weeks..." a whine creeps into his voice.
Gleus turns to his companions, "What do you all think? Should we trust him? He does look to be in a bad way..." Gleus glances back and eyes Harriman, a little disturbed but not terribly threatened.
John tries his best to look non-threatening. He does carry a knife, which he holds out in a peaceful way.
Somewhat surprised that the newcomer can speak Silvio stands still, at the moment lost for words. Eventually the chelaxian realises that there is actually a man underneath all that grime and loosens up abit. ”Well, it is not for Silvio to judge”, he answers Gleus. ”Rather it is for Silvio to aid those in need. Should their heart not be cold and full with evil intentions. Then it is for Silvio to judge, and intervene!” he explains with fervor. ”It seems to Silvio that we are all in the same boat so to speak. Should we work together we would surely overcome any obstacle we have facing us.”
”And yes, Silvio is a chelaxian name. You have no doubt heard about the great Pazzi family”, he finishes.
A smile creeps across Fleet's face. "Pazzi, eh?" the dirty necromancer sidles up alongside Silvio. "So, you must be pretty important then! How long have you been missing? Someone from your family must surely be looking for you if you've been gone long, right? Maybe we can wait for them to find us!"
The necromancer fiddles with his knife and keeps smiling in a friendly way at Silvio.
"Silvio is indeed important. He represents hope and good for so many people. However, Silvio has only been shipwrecked on this island for a few hours. While he is surely missed in his native country Silvio reckons that he is not considered lost. He did announce his departure and has travelled far since then. This recent journey is just one of Silvio's many adventures."
"Speaking of Silvio, his keen eyes and delicate nose could not help noticing that you companion seems to be not long for this world. As a matter of fact, he seems to have passed on, but yet he walks. Silvio is curious how this can be."
"Him? Oh, ohohohoho," laughs Fleet. Just a little trick of natural sciences, chemistry, and alchemy mixed in just the right amounts to reanimate dead flesh. When you study how the brain and body work with magical aid, you discover fascinating things about mortality and what it means to be a conscious living human."
Fleet gestures absently at the zombified dwarf. "Through techniques that Master Harriman himself has taught me, I revived him post-mortem to serve as my undying defender. I would not be alive today were it not for his help! But he's a terrible conversationalist and a worse pitcher. I'm very glad to meet a genteel, civilized person at last!" So saying, Fleet reaches out to enthusiastically shake Silvio's hand.
"Sarenrae blessing and peace to you John Fleet. My name is Amy Eir. How long have you been on the island? Anything that might be of interest for us or help all of us get out of here? My god Sarenrae had pointed us in this direction earlier, any thing else down this direction?
Sarenrae, I pray for direction. Should we trust this man John Fleet? If so please create a sign for us to known. Amy cast her Guidance Rote.
Looking at the undead person near John Fleet, Amy thinks Sarenrae, I pray to your shining wisdom to give me wisdom and knowledge on Restoration/undead or give me a boon dealing with restoration.
Sarenrae's holy symbol appears over John's head and glows briefly before vanishing.
If he notices it, Fleet looks up at the symbol in mild bemusement. "Was I just buffed?" he asks, checking himself over. "I don't feel any stronger...as for your question, miss, the only thing I know back in that direction was that I was almost eaten by some kind of jungle cat. Harriman drove it off, but it was a close call. The cat...discouraged me from exploring any further by myself. With you all, though, I doubt it would be brazen enough to attack!"
"By Sarenrae's will, I trust you. I agree that we should go explore the island more. There might be something we can use. Which was the jungle cat? inquires Amy.
"Back that way somewhere. It's hard to keep a firm handle on your sense of direction in this thick jungle," the necromancer complains. "We broke a lot of foliage in our flight from the cat...we can probably track the trail back in that direction if we wanted to know where I was attacked. I'd just as soon avoid any panthers, though..."
"I understand avoiding panthers, but we do need a direction to head. Since you have been here the longest, what would be your suggestion? Any ruins that might be of interest?" ask Amy.
WHile John is thinking, Amy looks to Jask and any of the other crew members that have came out with the group if they recognized the island or the map that Amy has with her. Amy also shows that map to John to see if he knowns anything.
Nobody's come with your little group. Aside from Gleus and Silvio, it's just you and John.
"My suggestion is to head back to the beach and get the rest of the survivors and see if they have any other ideas. Also it would be great to have some extra back up and John can get some supplies that we have. " suggested Amy as she faces the beach.
"It doesn't look like a long walk from here, and I could use a bit of a wash," the necromancer comments, following Amy's gaze.
During the conversation Silvio has absently been studying the undead dwarf. The chelaxian hero had started to zone out when Amy’s vision quest was revealed to be John and not some kind of treasure, damsel in need of saving or evil to overcome. Instead of paying attention his mind started to concoct various daring tales starring his heroic self…
”What? Ah, yes. Silvio does agree that we need to explore more of the island”, Silvio says proving without a doubt that he hasn’t paid close attention. ”All though we should also introduce Silvio’s newest friend John and.. this thing to the rest of the crew. ”
"Harriman is...well...I'd like to say he's friendly, but that's not quite accurate. Still, he's useful in a fight, unlike me, heh heh," the necromancer chuckles a little nervously. He fidgets a little.
Still wracking his brains to remember what he's encountered on the island so far, John sets off in step with his new friends, with Harriman bringing up the rear.
There's a giant crab monster that roams the South beach.
There's a bloodsucking demon that flies at night.
There's a large tribe of cannibals that rule the Northwest quadrant of the island. Very dangerous. Lots of traps.
There's a creepy cloud-covered island to the North of this island's hook. It's within swimming distance of the shore.
Be wary of poisonous plants, tigers, komodo dragons, and sea scorpions.
Because the island is surrounded by dangerous reefs, shipwrecks are everywhere.
"Aerys, Gelik, Ishirou, Jask, and Sasha, can you tell us any info from this map? Also any thoughts on exploring the island. ask Amy as she and the group walk back to the beach.
"Jack, would any of these items help you? I recommend at least taking some Miscellaneous odds-and-ends." Amy list off the items in the bear bag.
Thinking about it, Amy turns to the rest of the crew and ask them the same question about the items in the bear bag.
Fleet rubs his stubbled chin thoughtfully as he looks at the map that Amy produces. Best as he can tell from his limited, grounds-eye view of the island, he points out some of the dangers everyone should be aware of.
"First of all, hi, everyone, I'm John, full disclosureI'manecromancer." he says in one quick breath. Revealing Harriman from under his tattered cloak, he gestures at the short zombie. "This is my ex-teacher, Harriman, now a zombie. Don't be alarmed, he won't eat anyone I tell him not to." So saying, John quickly slaps the zombie and points at each of the party members in turn, warning Harriman not to eat any of them.
"Now, on to this map. I'm glad to see this, it's really helping to put my experiences here on the island in perspective. I remember crashing in the north part of the island, here," he points near the small river inlet. "I remember seeing a creepy island just off the coast, covered in mist. Looked fascinating but I was too scared to investigate with Harriman being injured at the time. Want to check it out?"
"We do need to watch out for, uh...komodo dragons, poisonous plants, uh, tigers," he ticks off the mortal threats one by one, then, noticing the sun in the sky, his expression grows dark. "and at night, there's some kind of...creature that flies around. I've heard it...feeding. It was diabolical..." his voice trails off.
He stands there, recollecting with a faraway look in his face for a bit, before snapping out of it when Harriman sniffs him. "Oh, yeah. And there's this tribe of indigenous ASSSHOLES to the north of us. They've filled the jungle with deadly traps, the jerks. That's why I was so glad to hear a Chelaxian name earlier."
You return to the beach and track down the other survivors. There's silence after Amy's questions. After a minute, Aerys responds angrily, "Why the hell should we tell you anything? You leave us here to die, come back with a damn zombie, and start interrogating us like you're all high-and-mighty. You lot don't care about us, so why should we help you? Screw you guys!"
Also, Keith is nowhere to be found. Not even footprints. Oddly, you get the feeling he won't be seen again.
Fleet blinks. "Whoa, hostility," he says, glancing from Aerys to Amy. "Clearly there's some past history going on here...I come in peace! My zombie's cool guys!"
"Sarenrae peace my friends. I meant to harm or insult. We had a sign from Sarenrae that John was in the wood and would be helpful. We three went in to get him and return. I apologize if it felt like we were abandoning you. I ask these questions because I acknowledge the wisdom and knowledge of those who have lived on the sea. I beg you Aerys to reconsider your stance and let use work as together. John here has personal knowledge of the island and I believe together that we can all safely get off this island and get home safe. Are you with me my friend?" pleads Amy to Aerys and the rest.
"You lot ignore us on the ship, ignore us after the shipwreck, go exploring without us, and don't share any of the supplies you found with us. Plus, you free a dangerous criminal, leave us alone and at his mercy, and expect us to be friends with a random jungle necromancer you just meet because your 'god' says he's nice. I think all of you are crazy psychos."
"Well, you seem to have survived being at this 'dangerous criminal's mercy' for this long just fine," Fleet observes...
The heightened tension is causing the zombie to become slightly agitated. His undead fingers are clenching and unclenching and his jaw groans open and hangs slack as he stares Aerys down.
"The supplies are for anyone. I am sorry that the actions we have taken have caused you grief and stress. We were able to get supplies for us to survive. The supplies from the ship needed to be secured before they were lost to the sea. Are you hungry? We have some food from the ship." Amy talks as she retrieves food (Dungeon Rations) from the bag. "Do you have any light wounds that I might heal"
Looking at John, Amy creates a telepathic bond. "John, don't reply verbally. This is Amy. Can you take the other two can create a shelter for all of us and make it seem like your idea? "
"The supplies are for anyone. I am sorry that the actions we have taken have caused you grief and stress. We were able to get supplies for us to survive. The supplies from the ship needed to be secured before they were lost to the sea. Are you hungry? We have some food from the ship." Amy talks as she retrieves food (Dungeon Rations) from the bag. "Do you have any light wounds that I might heal"
Looking at John, Amy creates a telepathic bond. "John, don't reply verbally. This is Amy. Can you take the other two can create a shelter for all of us and make it seem like your idea? "
spell:telepathic bond: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 2) + 2 = 8
Fleet glances at Amy, then around at everyone else. "Night's going to be falling before too long. Regardless of how we feel about each other, we'll need someplace to bunker down for the night. Just...just trust me on this one." He glances around. "Who'll help me?"
Silvio has trouble on which subject to focus on. The seemingly endless possibility of heroics on the island or the hostile atmosphere around the camp. "We should not be turning on each other. Tempers run hot, Silvio knows this. No one has asked to be stranded on this island. But we all are and we must work together. You are all Silvio's friends and should you have input he encourages you to share it", he says trying to help Amy calm the crowd.
Exhausted after a long days of gathering supplies, exploring the jungle, and meeting a necromancer, Gleus hunkers down next to Gelik. "Are you all right my friend? I take it the halfling has not shown back up." Gleus somewhat ignores Aery's tantrum and looks to Sasha as well, "And you? Any sign of the warlock? No? Hmm..." Gleus goes on to watch Amy's attempts to cool the half-elfs temper.
"Companions, the day is coming to a close and the weather is nice. I suggest we keep watch tonight and worry about organizing ourselves in the morning." Gleus thumps his chest. "I can take first watch." Gleus was used to such duties in his short career as a caravan guard.
"I can send Harriman far away from the campsite, too, if his presence makes anyone uncomfortable," Fleet offers. "Still, we should construct a minimum of shelter for the night for us to sleep under, perhaps a large lean-to. I made one myself, deeper in the jungle, so I know how."
With that he begins ordering his zombie to collect supplies as best as he can, asking, "Have you anything we can use as rope?"
Aerys continues to glare at you. "I don't want your handouts. I want to feel safe! Your leadership qualities leave much to be desired."
Sasha and Gelik frown at you but respond evenly enough. "We're fine. Just a few bumps and bruises. We aren't taking any watches, though, so don't even think about asking. You people got us into this mess, so it's your responsibility to get us out of it."
The quiet Tien man silently moves to help you . "There's rope in the canvas hanging from that tree over there. Your new friends are keeping everything to themselves, but I saw where they hid it. Your zombie's well-trained, but if it gets too close to me, I'll end it." He pats his meticulously-polished katana warningly.
"What would it take for you to feel safe and for us to show better leadership qualities?" ask Amy.
Gleus lets out an exhausted sigh before pushing back onto his feet. He puts a hand on concerned, Amy's shoulder, "Give it a rest priestess. They are scared and not willing to listen to reason."
Gleus booms his voice so that everyone on the beach can hear, "Listen you lot. It was not me, nor Silvio, nor Saerenrae's faithful that shipwrecked you here. We are stranded just the same as you. We've no intention on hoarding the supplies we dragged back from the ship. Our new friend Mr. Fleet has informed us that there is no rescue here on the this part of the island. So we need to quick squabbling and get used to one another," Gleus motions to the group. "This will be the only company we have for the near future." Gleus uses his size to his advantage and gives most everyone a challenging stink-eye. The group gets the impression the large man is fully willing to throw-down. Gleus's stare ends on Harriman where it turns from macho to disgust.
After he is satisfied he steps up to Aerys, getting up close and scowling. Hushed so that only she can hear, "And you best be thinking on who's going to be tending to your wounds if your arm gets lobbed off by some jungle cat." With a snort Gleus goes and stomps off to the treeline to try and cool his temper.
Fleet doesn't match Gleus' eyes when the barbarian looks at him, looking away instead with a small gulp. Fleet had had recent experience with the barbarian tribes on the north end of the island, and Gleus seemed no less terrifying than them.
In response to the Tien man, Fleet offers a hesitant smile. "Thank you," he starts, "And yes, I will keep Harriman on a tight leash. He won't be causing any problems, I assure you. I'll go try and get the rope from that tree." So saying, the lanky necromancer approaches it, looking at the trunk to find handholds before he begins his climb.
"Well spoken, Gleus. We are truly fortunate to have you among us to to set things straight. Silvio also thinks he knows what the problem is. You say that you do not feel safe. Then you do not know Silvio. Silvio is a great chelaxian hero and an experienced sea captain. This is the safest place on the island because Silvio is here. So, there is no need to worry. We are stuck here for the moment, yes. But will we be stranded on this island forever? Silvio says no. Will we perish on this island? Silvio says no."
Aerys' scornful reply to Amy is cut off when the enormous Barbarian begins to lecture everyone. It's clear that his commanding presence is sufficient to cut through her anger as she falls silent. The Tien man quietly helps John begin to assemble a rough shelter. He, at least, seems used to surviving in rough conditions. The others - not so much. Silvio, meanwhile, is mostly ignored. Perhaps it's because Gleus is much more intimidating.
Amy sees that for now the group would calm down and Gleus is going to take watch for the night. Amy hands out food to those who are hungry. Amy then offers to Gleus that if he needs to sleep that she could do some of the watch.
After that Amy lays down and goes to sleep.