Hassan moans pitifully upon regaining consciousness. "I am not sure if the gods love me or hate me, that I find myself once more awakening on this hell-spawned island."
"They assuredly love you Hassan..you would have been dead else"
"I agree with you Hassan, but at least we recovered the treasure and finally dealt with those scum. I do sorely wish to find Quinn, so let us to our beds for an early rise on the morrow. We will find Mistress Quinn and be off this isle in a wick!"
Foremast is intact, main mast is damaged.
Profession Sailor
Mel is sure someone told her how to make rough repairs to a broken mast but cannot dredge it up from her memory
Ajani scurries up to the main mast, to examine alongside Mel, hoping he can help her devise a way to repair the damage in at least a temporary way.
Quillin finally awakes early the next day. "Gods, that rum ration is a killer. I had the worst dream: the ship wrecked, Quinn carried off, undead whores and hanged men. Hey, what happened to the ship?" Quillin moans as he sees that it wasn't a dream at all and painfully creeps over to check the hull in the morning light.
assist Ajani
Between the three of you you think there is *something* that can be done (in the vein of Wellard's OOC notes) though another strong set of weather and even that repair won't keep you in good shape. But its better than nothing.
Rosie has taken her talents to doing the best she can on plank repairs and the hull and all in all the lot of the remaining crew should be able to drag the ship back into the shallows the next day, especially if Conchobar continues to inspire the lot of them with his bardic abilities.
Sleep comes quickly though rest is in some ways hard to find. In the morning everyone rises with the sun and the crew starts on finalizing the plans from the day before.
Hassan awakens the next morning barely better than the previous night.
Using his spear as a make-do cane he hobbles slowly around the campsite, but is still too badly injured to lend a hand to the repairs.
He does his best to lend a helpful word to the others, but seeing that words alone add little soon retreats to a nearby rock to sit and rest.
"Ironic isn't it" Mel comments.."In order to rescue Quinn we need her services to get us fit to rescue her.."
"Irony indeed. The sooner we recover our lost comrade, the better." he responds.
Fjori takes the time while the others get ready to give the treasure chest a through search...perhaps something useful was missed during the first hurried examination.
Mel will assist with a practiced eye looking to see if there are any hidden treasures withing..
Perception
Fjori and Mel remove the contents of the chest and look through the contents in addition to checking the chest itself.
Fjori notices little save to verify that the leather pouch has platinum and gold coins while the velour one seems to be carrying a variety of gemstones including a few diamonds and emeralds of amazing clarity.
Mel on the other hand, not to be distracted, notices an irregularity in the height of the chest and the depth of the compartment. A knife point and a few seconds of probing later and Mel has lifted a false bottom from the lid.
Within is a book wrapped in oil cloth that features a black cover and a silver locking clasp, a small velour pouch with a single tarnished copper ring, and a leather case about 13 inches long that closes with a simple thong. Within the case are two wands; one an almost impossibly delicate crystal featuring a handle carved of stacked geometric shapes. The other is black wood with streaks of vibrant red and gold.
Quillin stays well away from the dangerous chest while the others poke about in it. However, he rushes forward impetuously as soon as the hidden treasures are revealed.
"Let me see!" he shouts casting a cantrip to reveal magical auras.
You grasp desperately at the edges of both the wands auras to identify their properties but you simply cannot decipher their true purpose.
The ring and the book however reveal all their secrets.
The ring casts upon its user a modified version of Alter Self which grants a swim speed of 30 and gives the wearer the ability to breathe water (gills) while leaving the bearer otherwise unchanged. (No Dex or Str bonuses) The insidious part is the ring is cursed. Once worn it cannot be removed without dampening the ring's magic or a request from another person whose "Life is of the sea" (Pirates, Fisherman, Merchants Sailors of all Stripes. Someone who lives on or near a dock or works on one might trigger the magic, etc.) Additionally for ever hour that the bearer stays in a transformed state they must succeed on a DC 15 fortitude save or the transformation will become temporarily permanent for 1d4 hours at which point the ring comes off but the transformed person can only breath water.until they change back. Activation is a simply twist of the ring on the finger while some part of you is touching water. Another twist regardless of environment deactivates the effect.
The book is a spellbook and one packed with some powerful spells. The clasp is locked but much like the ring this book reveals all of its secrets. Without the key a Glyph of Warding has been inscribed in the book to release its magic. You are unable to tell which effect it has been set to but you are confident the key is the "trigger". From auras alone you can see that there are spells as powerful as level 5 present in the tome.
Hassan looks over at the commotion with interest, but does not rise from where he rests—the focus required to cast even a simple cantrip being more than he can muster at the moment.
"Don't... get too excited... master... gnome. Whatever was in that box... wasn't enough to save its previous owner. Besides... those wands look a might pointy... from over here. I would hate... to see you prick yourself."
"Let us hope that something in that box can restore our stamina and heal our wounds, else confronting the grindylows may prove a greater challenge than we can presently face."
Bart is uninterested in the magical trinkets.
Mel shoiws interest in the contents but can offer no help in their identification
"Hoo-hoo!" the gnome chortles rubbing his fingers together excitedly. He brings the items over to Hassan to gloat.
"Too bad you're so worn out, easterner. This is quite the interesting find! Another magical ring it appears, but this one has some rather peculiar abilities. It grants the wearer the ability to grow gills and fins to move about underwater easily. However, it has a few side effects that a mere apprentice or uneducated sorcerer say might have missed. It is difficult to remove once placed on the finger and the effects might linger longer than one wishes."
"And this wonderful book has a variety of high level spells available, but it is currently warded with a possibly dangerous glyph... humph."
"Oh and there are still the sticks. I thought I would leave those for you to identify, Hassan. Oh, wait. Too tired to cast the merest cantrip? That is unfortunate."
Unable to quite tease apart the specific spell dweomers attached to the wands, Quillin just looks to identify the school of magic.
know (arcana)
crystal wand
black wand
"Oh well, I am certain they are unimportant. Here Smudge, at least you can use this to hone your beak." Quillin offers his familiar the black wand to gnaw on.
"Let me examine them, Sir Gnome." Ajani chimes up, using his prehensile tail to remove the "sticks" from Quillin's grasp for a chance to examine them himself.
The black wand eludes Ajani but the one of crystal is a wand of healing. (CLW CL:4) an odd facet of the healing wand appears to be that while it has charges it has fewer but apparently can take in spells to recharge it.
(Currently 6 charges, max of 10. 1 spell goes in, one out. Any type.)
Ajani is sure there is "more" to the wand but like a mirage any further information seems beyond his grasp.
And with that, what's next. (Thnks for your patience folks)
Quillin continues to glare at Hassan, but looks a bit relieved when Ajani reveals that one of the wands has healing powers. He covertly pats his belt pouch to make sure his cached healing potion is secure...
"The Easterner is still looking a bit pale, Monkey. Best hit him with that wand. Be careful though, he's looking a few pints low and an little prick might end him. Once the sorcerer feels up to it, perhaps we can get back to the other end of the island and find Quinn."
Smudge swoops down over Hassan screaming, "Little Prick! Little Prick!"
Mel raises an eyebrow.."That bird is going to end up in a stew if it keeps that up you know"
She clambers down to the sands and waits for the others.. brining the map out and studying it in the light off day
"Seems you and I are of an accord, then." Ajani answers, turning the wand toward Hassan.
"Let's see if we can't get you back on your feet." he says, unleashing the wand's healing energies on the Easterner.
Fjori looks over Mel's shoulder at the map, trying to see where they need to go, and what the map might show them.
"Have you figured this out yet Mel? What are all those squiggly line there? What does that symbol mean?"
He continues with the questions, trying to bleed off a little of his nervous energy while they wait for the others to get ready.
Mel raises an eyebrow.."That bird is going to end up in a stew if it keeps that up you know"
The gnome looks sulky, "Don't you threaten Smudge now. You really don't want to provoke a Smudge Grudge. Anyway, he started it." He pokes a thumb at Hassan.
Smudge perches a safe distance away, but fastens a beady eye on Mel and parrots Quillin, "He started it! He started it!"
Some moments later when Mel opens her map, Smudge soars overhead and drops a rather large sticky present dead center on it.
Fjori looks over Mel's shoulder at the map, "Have you figured this out yet Mel? What are all those squiggly line there? What does that symbol mean?"
" symbol means, Beware the Bird!, Fjori." Quillin answers ominously...
Bathed in the healing power of the wand, there is an audible crunching noise as Hassan's bones reknit themselves, and his skin flushes pink as the myriad bruises and other injuries fade.
"Better," says Hassan. He stands, twisting this way and that to stretch out his sore limbs. "Under other circumstances, this one would want another day or two a-bed. But this will do until we can rescue the good lady Quinn."
"Many thanks to you, brother Ajani."
After a few moments of adjustment, Hassan casts Create Water again, to provide another day's supply to the rest of the crew, and then Detect Magic.
"This device is a mystery to me as well. I suppose it will be a mystery to be solved another day. I think I am ready to depart as soon as the rest of you."
Bart paces the sands, creating a little trail. His displeasure at not having something at hand to hit is palpable.
In the sun the map is quite clear, all the places the group has previously tread detailed in exacting ink. Like before the map seems to move within a finite area around Mel with other people showing up and disappearing as the move closer and farther from the swashbuckler.
It is also clear from the map that a few other rough paths exist around the cabin you discvoered as well as other trail heads off the beach where you all confronted Plugg & company.
Ajani examines the beginning of a few of the different paths, looking for signs of an animal presence or anything that might indicate if something would be in front of them on the trails.
Quillin watches Ajani study the interior paths and clears his throat. "Not that I'd question your woods lore, but shouldn't we be checking the coast for grindyloos?" So saying he sends Smudge up for a little aerial reconnaissance after apparently communicating with the bird with a series of loud squawks.
"Why not just go back to where Hassan and you first encountered them?"
Mel scrapes the offering from Smudge off the map with her dagger
"I agree..the best possible place to start is where we know the Grindylows have been. Inland can wait..if we even bother with it."
Smudge takes to the skies and gazes about, wheels in the air a few times then comes back to Quillin.
There are three things of interest as far as the parrot can tell.
1. Grindylows (3) near where Ajani and Hassan were before. Roughly Southwest off the beach.
2. Smudge sees a submerged ship in the crystal clear waters off the northwest edge of the island. Out maybe half a mile from the shore, caught on a reef.
3. Smudge sees a shallow off the NW edge of the island that seems to lead to a cove of sorts. Smudge sees movement there but can't be specific because its farther away.
Quillin confers a moment with his parrot familiar and turns back to the others. "Smudge says there are still those Grindies where Ajani and Hassan left them. He also saw a shipwreck on the reef to the northwest and a cove inshore from it."
Twisting his ring, the gnome says, "I guess we should start with the grindies. Everyone up for a swim?"
"As ready as one can be. Now remember, Quillin. We're looking for goblins with squid legs...not man-sized fish with more teeth than a crocodile." he comments, a mischievous grin crossing his face.
Mel holds her hand out to Quillin.."The ring if you please..I''m willing to take my chances with it.."
"I can swim with the fishes better than most, but unfortunately lack those strange organs called 'gills'. Hassan, you are carrying some Water-breathing potions, yes? If you would be willing to part with one, I would be better able to navigate the waves."
"Aye, one for you Ajani, and the lad. Here master gnome, you take the last potion, and I'll handle breathing and swimming for Bart and Fjori. We must be swift, however, as the spells will only last a few minutes."
"I am a swift and adapt swimmer. As long as I do not need to hold my breath too long!" the northerner smiles.