As camp is made, Quacraybool sorts the gear into different piles based on texture. Wool items in one pile, linen in another, leather, wood, metal, and ceramic. As the wineskin gets passed between Aerys and Noro, the gnome chuckles. ”Agave you say? I’ve seen an interesting yarn made from the agave plant. It was three years ago, at least. I tried to get enough to make a scarf, but the seller and I had some difficulty reaching an agreeable price. It retained the dye very well. Very well.”
A few minutes later, he asks Gelik, ”Have you been shipwrecked before? I’d recommend it to any gnome starting to feel the Bleaching. Of course I didn’t actually feel it — so maybe I should hold off concerning the recommendation, but so far this is definitely an interesting situation. Marooned.” He laughs then adds in gnome,
Ishirou draws his blade and takes up the rear of the group as the others pull themselves onto the slightly tilting ship.
Kaylee makes her way towards the captain's cabin while Fish checks out the hold doors. The cleric is surprised when she slips through a doorway and sees another sea scorpion scratching at the captain's door. This creature is a little large than the others and stands on the deck slicked with blood.
As Krokod picks out a good area and some of the others help the tribesman talks to a few of the castaways. Gelik nods and holds up his pack. "Yes indeed. Found it at the bottom but everything is undamaged. So some good news."
"No nothing I have everything." Sahsa starts to say right as a strange bird takes flight from a tree, it's startled cry echoing through the jungle. "Wow! I would love to have one of those though." she adds moving fast to see if she can get another look at it.
Aerys on the other hand doesn't help set camp, and grumbles as she sits on a rock barely watching the others work.
"Bird?" Krokod twists his neck to see, "Amazing... but Be careful, I don't know what the wildlife here is like, but staying near the camp might be wise. Your choice, of course."
he makes a note of Aeyrs and others who aren't helping.
|
Noro whispers to Kro while working
I'll she whats up with her not to worry she'll come around
Noro (after a while) goes to sit beside Aerys as she takes a break. she takes a gulp from her waterskin and hands it to Aerys.
Hot one ishn't it? Noro asks referencing the weather.
Lishen I need shome help shettin' up a shelter for the shupplies.
Noro leans a bit closer like sharing a secret {b]Lookin' to hide shome stash if you catch my drift.[/b] Noro gives a smile What do ya shay? Give a girl a hand?
Krokod nods to Noro
Staggering slightly along the deck, Arduino coughs politely as the group faces the scorpion. May I handle this? Thank you.
Throwing out a hand, a thin web of silver threads blows out and entangles the scorpion before vanishing.
Quacraybool smiles as the strange bird flies away. ”That was beautiful — and you’re right Krokod we should stay near the camp.” From his backpack, he takes flint and steel and starts to lighting the tender. After a few minutes of careful blowing and feeding of twigs, he has a small sustainable flame that he piles with small branches, leaving enough ventilation. ”By the time they get back, the fire should be nice and warm to help them dry off their clothes.” He watches Aerys and Noro out of the corner of his eye.
Standing at the tide line, he shades his eyes and looks across the water at the broken ship. ”I wonder how they are.”
Krokod smirks at something, but when the question comes up, he answers seriously, "There is no telling. I don't know any of them that well. They seemed competent on both the ship and in the fight against those sea scorpions but we are all still unknowns to each other in many ways. We shall need to watch each other's backs. I prefer to think of myself as self-reliant, but that maybe a dangerous vanity to have in this situation."
The gnome in the fashionable clothes shakes his head, "No not tonight. You need to feel out people a bit." he says quietly to Quacraybool. "But an idea about that bird is forming." he adds with a grin and a wink.
Aerys takes another long pull of the wineskin and shrugs. Her unfriendliness seems to be dulled but not gone.
Arduino - sleep takes a round to cast will not go off till after the creature gets an attack in.
Ishirou moves in quickly and takes a swing at the creature. "If your going to stand about don't stand in the way!" he yells at Kaylee breaking her out of her revere.
This sea scorpion is twice the size of the others and takes and blocks the Tian man's swing with a hard shelled arm that ends in a large clapping claw.
At Gelik’s wink, Quacraybool smirks and suppresses a giggle. Glancing at the others to make sure none are watching the two gnomes, he relaxes his face and attempts to put on an overly serious, stoic human appearance.
”One of the many things I’ve witnessed growing up with wandering parents is that when humans band together they are quite a force, Krokod. I’m not saying surviving will be easy or that everybody will make it. We had luck to survive the shipwreck. Let’s hope it lasts at least another night. We need to start getting food.” He studies the trees, looking for fruit but also any obvious trails into the jungle.
"Perhaps, but bands of humans once sold me into slavery, and numbers helped keep me in that state for sometime. I'm a bit leery of great numbers until I know them better, but as you say, we have other priorities."
"Geez, what is up with all these things? Did we run into their breeding ground or something?" Kaylee advances on the creature with her mace and takes a swing at it.
Kaylee seems to be the only one to get in a solid blow to the creature and it's thick skin. It squeals like a lobster in a pot as purple-ichor comes out of cracks in it's hard exo-skeleton like skin.
It turns to face Kaylee lashing out with claws and it's tail in fierce quick attacks.
After the assault (which misses miserably due to the creatures rage) Arduino casts his spell and is shocked to see that the vermin like mind of teh creature is not affected and ready to fall asleep.
Top of the next round. In melee combat right now is Fish, Kaylee, and Ishirou.
Kaylee you may take a 5' step to one side and Ishirou to the other so that you will be flanking. Since he has sneak attack dmg, he will delay and wait on you.
All set after almost eight hours so you are ahead of the others but they will catch up. Not much to do but take stock of how much food you do have to see when it may end.
Arduino frowns for a moment as the creature fails to drop to the ground. "That creature should be dropping to the ground."
Contemplating it as it strikes at his friends, he sighs, skips quickly to the side, and his palm emits a storm of colored lights.
Kaylee will once again swing at the creature with her mace.
Krokod takes stock of their food supply as best he can, "We will eventually have to hunt or fish. Maybe the others will find some more food supplies. Even if they are spoiled, I might be able to make use of them."
Fish hears the sound of fighting and heads towards it, picking up a length of wood on the way. "That's a big one," he says when he arrives.
"Perhaps, but bands of humans once sold me into slavery, and numbers helped keep me in that state for sometime. I'm a bit leery of great numbers until I know them better, but as you say, we have other priorities."
Quacraybool nods his head at Krokod’s words, ”I said a force, not necessarily for good. It’s terrible that humans do that to each other and other races too.”
Looking over his salvaged gear, Quacraybool grumbles. ”I thought I had packed some fish hooks. Perhaps I could fish using a bow. My Aunt Cienji was a bow-fisher. She gave me many tips on the subject. Too many actually. It was her favorite topic of conversation.”
Krokod certainly can't argue with the gnome's wisdom about how humans treat themselves and others at times.
He smiles at the mention of Aunt Cienji, "While he wasn't a gnome, I knew an old fisherman who sounds a lot like your aunt. He believed all things in the universe related to fishing and that all truths could be found waiting for motion in the water. Sweet man, but a bit... what is the term? One note."
Aboard the ship Arduino is shocked as his second spell doesn't effect the creature like it should. Both spells effect the mind so maybe simple minded creatures, acting off instinct as much as thought are impervious to such spells.
Kaylee doesn't wait for Ishirou or Fish as she slams her mace home once more. This time mot of the creatures back breaks under the blow and it shudders once before toppling over to it's side dead.
"I don't like fish overly much," Gelik says with a frown.
"Won't like them a lot if I have to actually try and catch them." he adds as an after thought.
"Heh..." says Arduino with an embarrassed wince, "...that could have gone better. Madame Kaylee, thank you for... err.... stepping up in my absence."
Walking forward, Arduino bends over the shattered remains of the creature, carefully preserving its form in his memory. He'll recognize these in the future.
"I don't like fish overly much," Gelik says with a frown.
"Won't like them a lot if I have to actually try and catch them." he adds as an after thought.
"Well, there's always a chance we're not as far from civilization as it looks...but I wouldn't count on that myself."
"Not a problem Arduino, it seems like these things are more vulnerable to brute force rather than your magic. Be careful looking it over, some things still twitch after they're dead. I suppose we best be careful, there could be more of those things infesting the ship."
Kaylee finishes looking over the room.
"Well," Fish says, arriving just as the creature dies. "Guess I wasn't needed. I'll just be, ah, back over there."
He walks back to where he came from, carrying the length of wood.
Quacraybool chuckles at Gellik’s admission. ”There’s turtle too. And maybe we could use the fish as bait for an alligator.”
He shades his eyes and looks across the sea to the remnants of the ship. Shaking his head, he says, ”I wish I knew how they were doing.” Returning to his gear, he pulls out a rolled piece of paper from a water-tight map case. Holding it at a higher angle and position than he would if he were looking at by himself, he explains,”It’s a map of the Mwangi Expanse. We may be close to civilization...or not. If we can’t find where we are currently, Krokod, could you point to where your people are located? You see the small ‘UM’ on the map? That’s Uncle Merstrite’s field office.”
"It's been so long," Krokod admits
Glancing at the map, he gestures along a border area, "They could have moved, but this is very close to where I was taken."