"Well... that's why we wait until the crew is all set with their work. We deliver the wood and supplies, the Captain could set us out with a boat and we could climb up, perhaps Magnus could levitate up and knot a rope or Jon could do the same if he becomes a seagull or something."
The nods to himself, still staring at the ship. "Hm. Dangerous, but there might very well be supplies we could use on board. It might very well be worth the risk. All right then, we will ask the Captain."
"I can get aboard and secure a rope for the rest of you," Magnus says with his usual confidence.
The sailors cut down the trees, trim the branches, and use ropes and canvas to fashion themselves makeshift sledges to drag their prizes home. Upon returning to the ship, the wood goes to the carpenters who begin making planks from them.
At the mention of the curious shipwreck, Captain Wilde's eyes light up.
"What a marvelous find! You can certainly use one of the longboats to explore it. I'd sail you around to it myself, but given the uncertain nature of these waters, I'd as soon leave the Flounder here with what shelter she has until the repairs are finished."
"Shall I spare you some rowers, or would you prefer to go it alone?"
"I am hesitant to put your crew in any more danger... but I do not think I can trust myself with a boat in these waters," Stilgar admits reluctantly, running a hand through his auburn hair.
"We're not sailors after all. We can work out a signal that we need to be picked up, maybe, so that your folks aren't sticking their necks out too much. Once we're on the ship, we can take care of ourselves."
Captain Wilde nods. "I'll send Mister Thorne to row you. She's tough as nails and can handle herself in a scrape."
He turns to his first mate. "Mister Thorne, pick a crewman to accompany you." The woman nods, motioning to a barrel-chested, bald fellow with drooping mustaches. The proceed to ready the longboat.
I can levitate up there as well so it shouldn't be too difficult to explore." Kalaya adds.
Jon nods. "I may shift my form as needed. Flight is not a worry."
All right. You rest yourselves from your expedition while the crew sets about crafting the lumber needed for the major repairs. The following morning a boat is lowered containing the group, Mister Thorne, and Lars the crewman, and you depart on your expedition.
You hug the shore of the small island, careful not to venture to far from what seems to be one of the few somewhat stable formations here in the Shards. The going is tense, as strange phenomena abound. At times large bubbles of air and other gasses erupt from the water. At certain points the water is noticeably hot, steaming, and sometimes nearly to the point of boiling.
Once, there's a large shadow in the water, and something passes beneath the boat, sliding its bulk beneath you. The boat actually rises a foot or more from the water before splashing back down in the thing's wake. However, whatever it is seems uninterested in you and your craft.
Finally, after what seems like a day, but probably no more than half an hour, you come around a point of land and see the half-moon inlet with the wrecked ship impaled upon its spire. The air is thick with smoke from the fumaroles in the cliffs above you.
Lars drops anchor near the port side of the wreck, which sits some twelve feet above you. With Kalaya and Magnus' assistance, the party makes it up to the main deck, or what's left of it. Shards of rotting wood lie everywhere, and the black basalt of the spire has replaced the main mast--now long gone--in the center of the ship, about ten feet around at this point, and rising into the smoky air for another thirty feet to its jagged tip. There is no sign of the ship's former crew. Doors lead into the fore and aft castles, and a partially broken wooden grate blocks the cargo opening into the hold.
Stilgar glances around the ruined vessel with a barely suppressed shudder. His short time on the Flounder had gotten him used to being at sea, but this was another thing entirely. The only way it could be any worse was if the ship were flying through the air. From the looks of it however, it would sooner fall apart beneath their feet. He takes a few experimental steps, making certain that the ground was stable. It could handle all of their weight, at the very least.
Jon watches the thing in the water with undisguised interest, tracking its movements.
Perception:
Auric wrinkles his nose, distracted by the mineral fumes. He peers into the cargo hold through the broken grate.
"Where to begin? Maybe start with the doors before we start plumbing the hold? Fore to aft?"
"Sounds as good an idea as any." Kalaya comments.
"Call your owl back. Call it back now. Or else it's going to be food." Jon points to the thing in the smoke.
Jon brings the party's attention to a large, serpent-like form that seems to swim through the air. Its form blurs at the edges, seeming to bleed into the smoky air around it, allowing it camouflage which might be more difficult to spot were it not zeroing in on the owl.
Initiative:
Auric loads his crossbow!
"Sky smoke snake!"
Stilgar draws his warhammer and while clutching his holy symbol, thrusts the weapon out toward the flying serpent. "Baal!"
Jon casts barkskin on himself.
Receiving a strong mental warning from Kalaya, Whisperwing immediately launches into a dive towards her, at the same time the witch focuses on the approaching creature waiting until it is close enough to attack, bending funtune itself against the creature.
Initiative Order:
Auric
Kalaya
Magnus
Jon
Smoke eels
Stilgar
Round 1:
Auric shouts his warning as he draws and loads his crossbow.
Whisperwing dives down, spreading wings at the last second to brake and land on Kalaya's shoulder as she prepares to unleash her hex upon the creature.
Magnus casts a spell and promptly disappears from sight.
Jon casts his spell, his skin becoming gnarled and hardened.
The creature moves in, following its initial prey. As it closes, you see a large gray-black eel, some 15 feet in length, sporting a mouth full of needle-like teeth. Its form is hazy and indistinct, much like the smoke in which it was concealed.
As it descends, Kalaya throws her hex, but it has no effect on the eel, which continues its charge towards her. The eel's teeth sink into her as Whisperwing gives a sympathetic shriek. To her horror, the beast keeps its jaws locked on her midsection.
Stilgar casts his spell, and the floating warhammer swings at the creature, which writhes its sinuous form swiftly out of the way.
Auric drops the crossbow, running at the eel and swinging his blade at it.
Mythic Power attack (-2/+6):
Confirmation:
And he taps on his mythic power to attack again (sudden attack).
Sudden Attack:
Damage:
"GET OFF HER!"
Jon spends a round of his wooden fist to cloak his hands in the same thorny material as his armor. He swings at the eel! for damage!
Whoops. In my haste to get the post done, I forgot to have you unleash the hex when it was in range. You did. Save was successful, but the rerolls did not affect the outcome of the round, unfortunately.
The spiritual warhammer pursues the serpent as it attacks Kalaya, taking another sloppy swing. Meanwhile, Stilgar closes the distance and swings the genuine article at it.
Whoops. In my haste to get the post done, I forgot to have you unleash the hex when it was in range. You did. Save was successful, but the rerolls did not affect the outcome of the round, unfortunately.
Urgh. I really need to reread my posts slowly before hitting the submit button. Save against the hex was not successful.
Round 2:
Auric, Jon, and Stilgar quickly close in on the eel, bringing down blows on the creature. Jon's wooden fist glances off its hide, but Auric's sword puts two slices into the thing, one rather deep.
When Stilgar's hammer thuds into its body, it releases Kalaya. From its bloody jaws issues a thick cloud of hot smoke and cinders that envelops the eel and those around it.
From somewhere outside the smoke, you can hear Magnus' voice. "There's another one! It's coming in from the other side of the ship! Oh, hang on, I think I can use this..." Then there's a loud sound similar to the sound of a crossbow firing, along with the sound of a rope snapping. "I hit it!" exclaims Magnus, "But now this is broken, and it's still coming. Also, it sees me."
Suffering from both bite and burning smoke, Kalaya increases the focus of her will, a shadowy aura beginning to appear around the creature.
"Don't be a hero, Magnus!", he calls, before chopping into the eel and hoping to finish it off.
Mythic power attack (-2/+6):
In spite of the hot smoke, Stilgar does not relent. He simply narrows his eyes and continues to swing his hammer, the floating spiritual hammer following his rhythm.
Fortitude:
HP 28/34
Jon pounds on the eel again! for damage!
Round 3:
The party endures the hot cloud of choking smoke and continues the combat, but your lungs burn from the effort.
Auric's strike cleaves into the eel as Kalaya's hex takes hold of it. Jon's fist again glances off its hide. The eel lunges at Auric, but its needle-like teeth snap closed on nothing but air. Then Stilgar's spiritual hammer slams down on its head and the eel falls flopping to the deck.
Stilgar stumbles out of the cloud in time to see Magnus disappear down into the hold, another smoke eel hot on his heels. A large finned shaft is embedded in the eel's side, and the broken remains of a ballista sits near the rail. Stilgar sends the spiritual hammer after the other eel with a gesture, it's presence distracting the eel from pursing the gnome down into the hold.
Seeing that Magnus is in trouble, Stilgar raises his hammer and charges toward the second eel. The hammer conjured by his spell takes one last swing, before suddenly fading away.
Stumbling through the smoke, Kalaya sets her sights on the other eel, bringing the same malevolent will to bear on the creature she bends it's fortune.
Auric, Kalaya, Magnus, Jon, eel, Stilgar
Auric stumbles out of the cloud, managing to keep his feet despite tripping over unseen debris in the cloud. He closes with the eel and swings his sword. The strike carves a slice into the smoke eel's dark flesh.
Kalaya unleashes her hex, subjecting the creature to misfortune.
Magnus is nowhere to be seen, having headed below deck.
Jon swings his oaken fist at the eel, but it writhes out of the way of the strike, before turning and snapping its needle-like teeth at Auric, who manages to avoid the bite.
Stilgar's spiritual hammer thuds into the beast, snapping its head down to nearly bounce off the deck. He charges in, but his swing goes wide, cracking the railing around the steps into the hold instead.
Auric swings with all of his might at the smoke eel!
Longsword w/mythic power attack (-2/+6):
Stilgar's spiritual hammer promptly vanishes, but he continues his assault without hesitation.
Auric slashes at the eel, forcing it back away from the hatch. Jon bashes it across the snout with his wooden fist. It snaps at him, but Kalaya's hex continues to foil it. The eel decides to seek easier prey, whipping around and flying off. Stilgar gives it encouragement by thumping it once more with his hammer as it flees.
For a few moments the party collects itself, coughing from the remnants of the smoke, wiping grime from their faces, and catching their breath. Then Magnus' voice comes from below deck.
"I found something! You may want to see this... Mind your step, the stairs are a bit warped."
Auric slings his shield across his back before lighting a torch and walking down into the hold.
"What is it? More eels?"
Perception:
"That's just like him," Stilgar remarks, watching as the eel flies off. Once he's satisfied that it's gone, he returns his hammer to his belt and follows after Auric.
Jon shrugs at Stilgar, shakes his thorny fist to clear the wood from it and heads after the others.
The group makes its way down the stairs carefully, as the tilt of the ship and the buckled planks make for an ungainly descent.
Auric's torch reveals the cargo hold, its port side a pile of crates and barrels. Most of the floor is clear except for debris and the massive shard of rock punching up through the floor below and continuing through the deck above.
Dancing lights hover over the far end, where Magnus crouches among a strange collection of objects, the strangest being an elaborate circle of runes and lines of silvery metal laid into the deck, reflecting the gnome's magical light. Strewn across the deck both in and out of the circle are coins, equipment, and what appear to be ceramic chits, square in shape, with markings etched into their surfaces. Some appear glazed, others not. Most prominent among the mess is a skull and many bones, some still attached to one another, that appear to come from a single human body.
"I think," Magnus begins, chewing his lower lip as he scrutinizes the circle. "I think this is some type of powerful magic, possibly used in transportation. With a little work, I might even be able to get it working."
"Transportation?" Stilgar replies dubiously, his bushy brows elevated. "As in disappearing and appearing elsewhere? I thought such magic was lost."
"Those bones aren't exactly encouraging... you think this sod may have transposed the ship onto this big rock?"
Auric starts looking through the crates and such for anything that will be useful.
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"Not lost, but suppressed," Magnus responds, giving Stilgar an arch glance at the last word. "Magics to conjure things from beyond are expressly forbidden. This is similar, but as you say, it is meant to take people and things from place to place in an instant."
"Only things in the circle can be transported, likely to a linked circle at the destination point. I'm thinking that rock came up out of the sea through the bottom of the ship. Whoever this is likely died before the circle could be activated. Powerful magic. Whoever owned this ship had power and influence."
The crates appear to contain trade goods--linens, furs, clay, nails--and the barrels have mostly sprung and leaked their contents, though there are three intact barrels of beer and a cask of brandy. One box holds candles, and another an array of small, clay jars that hold spices, some unknown to even Jon.
Jon pokes around the spices, sniffing each with interest. "Very rare spices here."