You awake suddenly, lying in a soft white bed. Around the room are five other people in five other beds of exactly the same make, The seventh bed is empty. The room rocks gently back and forth, and a single window looks out at the ocean. It is a plain room with nothing adorning the walls and a heavy wooden door in the corner. A walled off privy takes up one corner of the room.
Everyone make a DC 15 perception check.
Marrant wakes with a start. "Where am I?" He lies completely still and attempts to extend his senses outward.
Arkavus wakes from his slumber, lying perfectly still for a moment as he looks up at the ceiling. and eyes the person(s) lying right next to him with one eye.
Then he sits straight up and looks around at the other beds to see what kind of people are on there with him as well as taking in any sights and smells that are abound in the room.
"Drake? Drake are you here?" A small lizard appears scurrying from under his bed, apparently he managed to hide while his master slept. The lizard moves a bit, looks around, climbs up the bed post and looks around and finally climbs up his master's arm.
"Welcome back my little friend. Now where might we be?"
Now this is a colourful assortment of characters as I've ever seen one. Though that one time I saw that half-orc and gnome mariachi band still tops that.
Per usual, Narciso awakens unsure of exactly where he is with a splitting headache.
Statistically speaking one of these day's I'm going to have to wake up knowing exactly where I am.
"Oww, my head!" groans the half elf. "I don't suppose anyone has a spare vial of alchemists kindness on them? Or maybe a raw egg?"
Narciso takes a look around the room, trying to get his bearings.
"Tally marks are not good." mutters Narciso. "They are generally used by people keeping track of how long they've been held somewhere against their will..."
Narciso looks around to see if he still has his gear, in particular his weapons.
He continues talking in a louder voice, once again addressing the entire room.
"Terribly sorry to keep bothering everyone, but would anyone happen to have an idea of where we are? And is the room rocking for everyone, or is it just me? Because if it isn't I believe we may be on a ship."
There is a chest at the bottom of everyones bed with there equipment and clothing.
Marrant sits up on the bed and asks, "Tally marks? Oh I see. Good eye."
"Good eye indeed. Though I do wonder why and how we ended up here. We must have something in common for us to suddenly awake on a ship."
The Half-elf looks to the others that have not woken yet. "They might be tight sleepers, but you two are not apparently. Do you mind giving me your names?"
He stands and the lizard on his shoulder slides of a bit and climbs hastily back onto his shoulder.
"I am Arkavus and this is my pet Drake."
Caladral wakes and sits up instantly. He looks around to get his bearings. "Oh, not again..." In answer to Arkavus, "I am Caladral, a sailor."
Caladral wakes and sits up instantly. He looks around to get his bearings. "Oh, not again..." In answer to Arkavus, "I am Caladral, a sailor."
"Well met. My name is Marrant, a monk in service to Korada."
"Oh right, names. I'm Narciso Kyras, mortal servant of Cayden Caladin."
The half elf rises from his bed. Upon seeing the chest at the foot of his bed he opens it and is delighted to find his gear inside.
"Good news everyone, it appears all of my belongings are in this chest at the foot of my bed, including weapons. Hopefully that means your gear is as well. We probably haven't been kidnapped if we still have our weapons."
"Now its time to figure out what happened. Lets see if we can jog my memory a little."
Narciso pulls out a wineskin from the chest and is about to takes a large swallow before he stops himself, looking abashed.
"Whoops, almost forgot my manners. Would anyone else like some? It's a Taldoran Merlot with subtle notes of molasses and walnut. I find hair of the dog can help jog the memory sometimes."
He reaches back into his chest and digs out four tin tankards for himself and his awake companions.
Marrant will open the chest at the foot of his bed and retrieve his meager belongings.
He'll raise an eyebrow at Narcios and asks half in jest, "You travel rather well equipped. Are you an innkeeper as well?"
He'll accept a tankard with thanks.
Arkavus walks over to the chest and opens it.
"Ah my gear, I think I would be pretty lost without it, all the time of getting a new one."
He collecst his blue and black travelling outfit, his unique staff and his spellbook first, then collects his other stuff in the backpack.
"Don't mind if I do accept a tankard of that fine drink Narciso. By the way my last name is Lyehell, but in Magnimar and Nybor I go by a different name."
He takes his drink and opens up the spellbook to study the few spells it contains.
Caladral is relieved to find his gear in the chest at the foot of his bed. Being raised on the streets to a slave family, he has worked hard for his meager belongings. "Thank you friend," he accepts the tankard. "Never to early for this!" He takes a sip of his wine and smiles happily as he dons his gear.
After pouring everyone drinks, Narciso takes a sip of his own before beginning to put on his gear, throwing on an armored coat and buckler and adjusting a belt with a club and six more tankards hanging off of it.
"No, I'm no inn keeper. Did used to brew for one though for a bit on the side back when I worked in Tamran though, before the Molthuni burned down his inn anyways. But no, I'm just a humble follower of the Drunken Hero who can't stand seeing people sober if they don't need to be."
He takes a break from speaking to take another sip from his tankard, then proceeds to reach into his chest and pull out a large full keg with some shoulder straps on it.
"Would one of you mind giving me a hand with this? I can get it myself, but it's a lot easier if I have someone to help adjust it."
Marrant bends down to lend Narciso a hand, "Umff, this thing is heavy. Do you carry it everywhere?"
Narciso nods. "You never know when you'll run into somebody who truly needs it."
Caladral wakes and sits up instantly. He looks around to get his bearings. "Oh, not again..."
"Why did you say that?" Marrant asks curiously, "One would think this happens to you all the time."
You hear a knock on the door and a young woman walks into the room. She has long blonde hair and thick muscled arms. A huge sword is strapped to her back and she has thin scar diagonally across here face.
I see you are awake. She glances at the two still sleeping. Er, well most of you anyway. Please follow me. I realize you must have questions but this is urgent.
"I'll play along... for now. May I ask your name?" Marrant will move towards the door warily.
My name is Irel, and your Marrant right?
Arkavus moves closer to the door.
"Urgent you say? Well I can't think of anything more urgent than explaining our sudden appearance on this 'ship'? And then please explain why our situation is so urgent."
He moves his hand around in his robes and extracts a few dried insects from it, holding them before Drake, who quickly and eagerly eats them.
"You even forgot to feed my pet it seems, how long were we asleep?"
Yes, urgent. I'm just the messenger, I don't have answers for you. Darrio will tell you everything.
"Why did you say that?" Marrant asks curiously, "One would think this happens to you all the time."
"Well... If we are indeed aboard a ship... I have been press-ganged once or twice..."
[ooc] to Irel [/ooc"Who is Darrio? Where are we?"
"Seems to me like we might as well just go talk to this Darrio fellow." Narciso tilts his head back and drains his tankard. "I'll be needing those tankards back when you fellows are done."
The inquisitor takes another quick look out the window to see if he can determine which ocean he might be in, or even which plane.
After double checking the chest to make sure he grabbed everything, Narciso is ready to go.
[ooc] after Caladral gives his tankard back, he is ready to go[/dice]
Irel leads you out of the room and down a long hallway. You enter a large room with a huge round table taking up the center. three women and four men sit around it and there is one empty seat. Irel walks over to her seat and sits down.
The man sitting at the far end of the room stand up. He wears a long black cloak and a heavy grey scarf. his hair is long and black and tied in a pony tail.
Welcome, I know you all have questions but I would like to explain what is going on first. You have been brought here from all over the world so that it can continue it's existence. I will go into further detail with each of you later. If you have questions now is the time to ask them, then we will begin.
"Well I guess the first question would be, where are we? The next question would involve the way how we got here of course. Then I'd like to know more about this 'end of life as we know it' part."
Drake sitting on Arkavus's shoulder seems to nod in agreement.
"I assume that the world you speak of is Golorian, and that we are are still on it? Also, if you bothered bringing me here then you already know that my beliefs require that I charge you for my services correct? No more then you can easily afford, and if the fate of the world is truly at stake I can offer a VERY generous discount on top of that."
I'll work for a copper if he is serious about this thinks Narciso
Marrant stands silently, waiting cynically for Darrio's explanation.
Ren wakes up a little later than the others, but that does not mean she does it slowly. In fact, a mere second after noticing that the ceiling is not the same than the one she saw when she went to sleep, the half-orc has springed up from the bed into a combat stance. Upon seeing that the only other being in the room that might be able to pose a threat is fast asleep, she relaxes a bit and takes her time to survey the room. And tenses again when she notices the tally marks. "I hope that's not the time I've slept..."
She pulls out a deadly-looking blade that could be either a long dagger or a very short sword and grips it tightly as she exits the room and starts walking down the hallway, until she hears sounds of discussion from one room. Very carefully, she leans closer to it to eavesdrop a bit...
"...the world so that it can continue it's existence..."
"Hell," Ren thinks and tries to slip in to the room as silently as possible...
...Which turns out not to be very silent. Like a deer in the headlights, she freezes in place as the people in the room turn their gazes straight at her. "Er... Hi?"
"Er... Hi?"
"Shhh... Darrio was about to explain."
Caladral bursts out in laughter at the sight of the deer-ninja.
Oh put that butterknife back in your pocket and listen." Arkavus says bluntly and with a slight irritation in his voice, as he hears and sees the ninja attempt to sneak in with her dagger drawn.
Ah welcome Ren. It seems our last friend is still fast asleep so let's get started.
Long ago there was an organization known as The Children of Chaos. They terrorized Golarion for thousands of years. The only person who fought against them was a powerful Lord who called all the heroes of Golarion to come together and stop them. This worked for a while and the Children were beaten back and there leaders were killed, but it seems that the children were never completely defeated and now they are regaining power. That is where you all come in. The ancient heroes of Golarion left behind powerful artifact. Six of them. You are the blood and spirit of the only people ever to stand against the Children, we need you to take on this burden if we want the world to survive.
Children of Chaos. thinks Narciso That name sounds a little familiar.
He tries to think if he knows anything about these so called Children.
"Who are these 'Children', and are you saying we are each of us related to them?"
Arkavus thinks for a time on the term 'Children of Chaos', An abstract term, perhaps if they have been around for so long they might have been recorded a few times in history.
Bah, guess I didn't recognize the name thinks Narciso
"I need more details. What is the nature of these Children? Are they natives to the material plane or outsiders? Are they humanoids like all of us or are they something else entirely? What is the source of their power: physical might, arcane magic, or the power of the gods?"
"And what sort of threat are we talking about? Are they an existential threat to the world of Golorian itself, a threat to intelligent life, or simply to the political landscape of the Inner Sea?"
"What?" Ren exclaims and stares at Darrio mouth agape, but quickly regains her composure. "Yeah, sure. If the world really was in danger, you'd hired someone more competent than me. If the ancient heroes are as ancient as you say, I'm sure that there are enough descendants running around that you'd be able to find, say, a master wizard or something," the half-orc says and crosses her arms.
You misunderstand Ren, these artifacts hold the power of these ancient heroes. All of that power will be yours, but only if we get to them before the Children. Tomorrow we will make port and your journey will begin. Feel free to explore the ship and make any necessary preparations.
"Ren has a point. I am hardly a master of my craft."
"Well, at least they got me right!" Caladral exclaims gleefully. "I happen to be an excellent sailor! Is there anything I can help with aboard the ship, Captain?"
Ren's eyes narrow for a moment and she stares intensely at Darrell, but then her expression relents a bit and she lets out an expressed sigh. "Fine, then. Where do you store your equipment? I could do with some more supplies. I don't claim to know much about hunting ancient relics, but I know enough to say that doing so with only your clothes and a knife is a tad risky."
Ah of course. Irel, please show our guests the store rooms.
Arkavus looks at the group and back at Darrio.
"Hmm I am usually more of a person that evades trouble, not one that goes looking for it. Are you sure you've got the right person for the job?"