They prove to be crab traps. (1d100) The first one broken open by the waves, empty and useless.
Áine will come back to haul them up and check each one before heading back to camp, first she continues to search for any further signs of Ieana.
... somehow despite the stony sand
But you do find a single footprint from a small booted foot, right near the rope bridges down, heading towards the water.
she continues to search for any further signs of Ieana.
"I think she went that way." Áine points toward the water and begins to make her way down.
Faith follows Áine down. "Do we think she's still alive? I want to know for sure -- either way."
Faith follows Áine down. "Do we think she's still alive? I want to know for sure -- either way."
"I don't think there's any doubt she's still alive. Or undead. You know, whichever."
Faith follows Áine down. "Do we think she's still alive? I want to know for sure -- either way."
"Well, her prints are a few days old." she says, pointing out the single boot print among the barefoot ones. Áine opens her bag, then begins to strip down to her bikini bottom, belt and knife, placing everything else within it. "Remember the lightning show?"
She pulls out two potions, then eyes Faith critically. "Can I borrow the ring? I have a feeling I'm going to need it." Her gaze slides out to the rough waves and strong riptides. "For that matter, do we have any more rope? I used mine to reinforce the bridge?"
"Well, her prints are a few days old." she says, pointing out the single boot print among the barefoot ones. Áine opens her bag, then begins to strip down to her bikini bottom, belt and knife, placing everything else within it. "Remember the lightning show?"
"Once we get a more recent scent, Tulip should be able to track her."
Faith offers the ring. "I have twine and tackle, but no additional rope."
Huge stone ass doors, mostly covered with seaweed, although looking remarkable solid and unaffected by untold eons underwater.
The doors are on the FAR left side of the bay. About 170-ft from the stony beach. Over 100-ft from where you spotted them because there is a nasty current and you don't feel safe getting any closer - even with the aid of Faith's ring.
You'd guess there is magic involved.
Faith offers the ring. "I have twine and tackle, but no additional rope."
Zaine pulls a coil out of Tulip's saddlebags. "Sorry, I was woolgathering."
Áine returns, water cascading from her smooth, pale skin as she steps up onto the beach, silver hair and tattoos glistening in the sunlight. She smiles, picks up a handful of the tiny black rocks and begins to place them in a pattern on the ground depicting an outline of the bay, then a couple of rectangles.
"Huge ass stone doors, mostly covered with seaweed, although looking remarkably solid and unaffected by untold eons underwater." I got to about here, she places a small off white pebble, "Probably about a 100 feet away." she says looking over at the group. "I don't think we'll get any closer without magic. A lot more magic." she removes the ring of swimming and hands it back to Faith. "I think it's...unnaturally protected."
She sits down on a larger stone, wrings out her hair, then opens up the bag and begins retrieving her things. "So... Any thoughts?"
Zaine pulls a coil out of Tulip's saddlebags. "Sorry, I was woolgathering."
Áine offers a small almost apologetic half-smile, "That's all right, I had to go farther out then that anyway. Wouldn't have found the doors if I had stayed that close in."
Zaine shrugs, puts the rope back. "Well, even if I could swim that far, which is a pretty big if, I couldn't do it with a load of powder and shot, so I wouldn't be much use when I got there. I think we should explore the rest of the island, and if nothing offers itself from that, we'll revisit this."
Áine nods and sets about hauling up crab traps.
Faith thinks for a solid minute.
"...probably the best magic option I have is a spell which would let us breathe water instead of air. Total duration of an hour if I cast it on four of us. Nothing to help us swim better or fast, and my Air Bubble spell will only keep Zaine's powder dry for a handful of minutes."
Faith helps with the traps. "I do want to poke at this, but I am willing to wait until we've checked out everything above the waves. Especially the tree. I'd like to see that up close."
The crab traps are not the best made, but about half of them do have skittering crabs inside.
Up at the rope bridge, once Aine convinces the mama goat and her two babies to be tied up, she proceeds to open her bag and scoop the mama goat into the intieor. With the goat in the magic bag, Aine is able to take the mama across, followed by a trip with each kid.
And the tiny goat family is transplanted to the once-cannibal settlement. The Shiv dragon seems very interested in the goats. You notice sizeable drool.
"sorry" she says after a moment. "I'm used to the blessed of Besmara, think before acting is not in their balliwack."
"You think there is worse evil on this island that cannibals and their 'mother'?"
A shrug, "The egg is almost as heavy as Gelik, so I wasn't looking forward to trying to drag it across the island."
When it actually comes time to wrap the egg, you notice that there is an intermitant knocking from the interior.
He shrugs, "Either try to blanket the light in burst to create a signal or make it brighter, something that will make it obvious that we want someone to come here."
"Even with that we might end up having to wait out a few ships, this island does not have the best repuation."
A shudder, "I mean imagine if this thing had been operational, the descendants of the Thune Fang could have used it as a dinner bell."
"I was thinking of setting up some bonfires that are ready to go. Things like that. I mean, maybe, but aren't lighthouses normally set up to warn boats away from dangerous situations?"
"Shipwrecks and big tree first, then we'll come back here and figure something out."
Depending on the egg's size, Zaine will either pack it in the saddlebags with his bedroll as padding, or he'll lash it to Tulip's back.
Áine offers a half smile, "Okies. Maybe Aycenia will have some ideas. Can Dryads pull other people through plants? What about kelp?"
He shakes his head, smiling. "I couldn't out-earnest them, so I had to out-think them."
"It's more a certainty that if there is worse evil here, it will find us. And if there isn't, I will climb the mountain and look at the tree, fish off every single beach, and swim a little more than is healthy."
"Not all the gods are capricious. Some are incredibly busy."
"That's a lot of words to describe -- ah."
Emotions pass briefly across Faith's face like the shadow of clouds. Desire. Chagrin. He smiles, flushes, shakes his head, and sits down on the bed. He pats the bed next to where he sits.
"Sit down, Pakshee. I would have a talk with you but we have no common language yet."
Faith's tone is even, but his body language is giving mixed signals.
Faith claps Áine on the back heartily. "Never fear," he says, grinning fiercely. "I have no doubt there is evil down there, and I will be at your side when the tide is right."
Faith watches the Shiv dragon watch the goats.
"That will turn out badly if we're not careful," Faith says out loud. Mostly to himself.
He points to the deep blue water in the bay that plunges into the depths of the island behind the settlement, "I think this was the second. Especially since common knowledge is that there is no safe way to approach the Shiv."
She vaguely waves back at the settlement, "On the high end of the list we have a mercenary and a tracker." She motions to her herself, "Then you have a drunk, a pirate, a criminal, a liar and a murderer."
She snorts, "Seems like most of us wouldn't have been able to live with most people who follow her goddess." She winces, "I can only imagine Sasha stalking off when one of them gave her an order too many, probably would have broken her neck trying to play with the flying dinosaurs."
She tugs at the sleeve of his armor, "شما می دانید، شما بیش از حد برای جایی که می روید می پوشیدید"
Faith watches the Shiv dragon watch the goats.
"That will turn out badly if we're not careful," Faith says out loud. Mostly to himself.
For the mama goat's part she seems very willing to give the dragon wide berth. She forlornly chews on the scraps of grass available in the settlement.
Aerys looks at the goat, stepping back from one of the excited kids, "Looks like time to go find some fruit that isn't likely to kill us." She tosses a hunk of dried fish to distract the dragon when she later leaves the settlement.
With the bare remains of the Wavereaper you aren't even sure how the flat-bottom boat even made it as far as the shores of the Shiv. No undead. And not much more than a few planks from the deck and the remains of the stern.
From a distance, the ship looks like a interesting search - skeletons in the rigging. But unlike the last few ships with such morbid decorations, nothing moves to attack when you approach. Nor when you get on the dryrot deck. Climbing down to the hold, you get wet feet from the large holes holding the ship to the rocks, but nothing useful. So very rotten canvas.
Given the heavier waves on this eastern edge of the island, you don't have high hopes as you approach the ship with a blood-red angel figurehead. The deck doesn't look quite as riddled as the Volar.
Jask shakes his head, "Some are designed to warn ships from breaker water, other are to used to pull ships into a harbor with a deep enough passage to allow a ship to approach shore."
He points to the deep blue water in the bay that plunges into the depths of the island behind the settlement, "I think this was the second. Especially since common knowledge is that there is no safe way to approach the Shiv."
Áine nods in agreement, "Makes sense."
She pauses, takes out an already husked coconut, punches a hole in the top and inserts a straw made of a segment of reed. "want one?"
Aerys looks at the goat, stepping back from one of the excited kids, "Looks like time to go find some fruit that isn't likely to kill us."
"I'll go with you, if you don't mind the company." Áine says as she gets up.
"Wet footprints on the deck." Áine says, "Couldn't have been made that long ago."
"I see them," Faith says quietly. He makes a point to stand on Áine's bow side.
"Let's go wake 'em up."
"I see them," Faith says quietly. He makes a point to stand on Áine's bow side.
"Let's go wake 'em up."
Zaine cocks his musket.
"I'll go with you, if you don't mind the company." Áine says as she gets up.
Aerys shrugs but doesn't stop Aine from coming along. Those who listen hear Aerys very briefly speaking to Aine, "I'm just planning on getting the blackberries from that old hut and coconuts from the base of the bay."
You follow the wet prints on the ship's deck, which lead to a door and stairs downward. The wet prints continue down the stairs into a hallway and utter darkness.
... it sounds more than a little like the odd pidgin version of the cannibal's infernal.
You follow the wet prints on the ship's deck, which lead to a door and stairs downward. The wet prints continue down the stairs into a hallway and utter darkness.
Once you get past the more heavily used game trails on the south of the island, the going is slower, but having explored the best route, your trio makes good time to the small climb with the rope. Reconnisance of the nest reveals an empty nest.
While Sasha's attention is focused on the empty nest, Zaine hears a tiny noise. At the very bottom of the cliff, he spots a baby dimorphodon one of its wings at an unnatural and painful angle.
When he sees the injured dimorphodon, Zaine winces. "Uh oh. Wish we'd brought Faith. Incidentally, that nest's still in use."
Sasha's shoulders slump when Zaine points out the broken baby at the bottom of the cliff. She considers for a moment, "If the parents are still using the nest, I think we should still try to return the egg, then go and see if we can get the baby to trust us enough to take it to Faith?"
She nods, starting to tie the ropes around the egg, "I think we should be able to lower the egg into the nest, then use the ropes to get to the beach." Although her hands are steady, her voice has a sharp edge of worry.
As for the baby, Zaine nods. "Let me see if I can make friends."
Zaine approaches the baby. "Hey there, little guy. How are you doing?"
As to her plan, Zaine nods. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Down at the base of the cliff after, the baby dimorphdon, whose weak chirps and clicks had gotten distressed has the medium biped approached, calms under Zaine's careful approach. By the time Sasha comes down, the little guy - although in obvious pain - is calm.
Sasha offers the blankets with a smile, "The little gal isn't going to appreciate getting roped out of here, is she?"
"The world is too colorful to be reduced to the black and white of my brethren and sistren."
Faith looks at the bottle, takes a small swig, and offers it over to Aerys again. "I do agree with you about Sasha. I still expect to find her falling from a great height one day. Probably in a bear hug with the most glorious of the flyers."
"I hope having a captive Shiv Dragon will help temper her enthusiasm toward the rookeries."
Faith looks toward the lighthouse again. "I wonder how long this village has been here. The cannibals, I mean. Not the lighthouse."
He puts his hand on hers and gently removes it from his sleeve. Then he starts undoing the buckles and fastenings. "I have a speech," he says. "Expressing interest. Warning that my primary relationship is with Vildeis. Everything else is temporary."
Faith leans over, sets his armor on the floor, turns back to Pakshee. The flush hasn't left his face, and the tattoo of the scarred breastplate stands out against the redness. "In this context, I need a new speech."
Faith puts his hands on Pakshee's shoulders, and makes to turn her so that she is sitting on the bed and facing away from him.
Faith sits and watches. Watches the Dragon. Watches the goats. Watches and thinks.
Faith sighs. "Undead typically don't sing," he says quietly. He lights his lantern and affixes it firmly atop his head.
"I'm just planning on getting the blackberries from that old hut and coconuts from the base of the bay."
"Ah. An extra pair of hands then."
Faith sighs. "Undead typically don't sing," he says quietly. He lights his lantern and affixes it firmly atop his head.
Áine nods, keeps an arrow nocked on her bow, advances cautiously.
Jask waves off the offer of coconut, "Of everyone on the island, you've cared the most about what we need, or at least Gelik and myself. What were you looking for in Eleder?"
Áine gives a small half smile and a gesture with her left hand as if pushing the question off and away. Her smile broadens as she looks at the older man, "Eleder? Nothing overly much I suppose. I'd heard the Aspis Consortium holds next to no power there, so that intrigued me. It's supposed to be overflowing with wealth, so a girl should be able to find some sort of work there, and for someone who's always interested in pretty little sparklies, doesn't it make sense to be near the source?" her eyes sparkle, then settle into a soft topaz glow as she stares into Jasks own eyes, the glow fades, but slowly. "What about yourself?" Áine asks, "If you have the chance to clear yourself, will you do it? Or will you just go...somewhere else? Or maybe even stay here? What are you thinking?" her hand unconsciously reaches out to touch him.
Faith's headlamp illuminates the hall, and a number of missing deck planks, creating a maze of floorboards underwhich you see the white wash of the waves. As you carefully navigate, checking for weak boards that would dash you on the rocks below, everyone notices the cheerful singing - at odds with the harsh tongue of the cannibals. At the far end of the hallway, Sasha carefully opens the door, trying for silence. Failing when a tiny bell afixed to the interior of the frame dings.
Inside the room is... the cannibal chieftain that the group defeated only a week previously. When he smiles at the group, it is noticable he had nice white (sharp) teeth when they aren't stained with fresh blood.
"I'll clear my name." His says this with confidence. "I've been a wanted man for over half my life, I want to live without it over my head. Once I'm free," he shrugs, "depends on what happens." He looks over the island, "At the moment there is a dark pallor that hangs over this island, I don't think anyone could live here long and not go insane."
A shrug, "Hopefully, your and Jask's work will pay off and we'll have a ship in the bay."
Seemingly happy for the change in thoughts, Aerys shakes her head, "I think you're out of luck. She mostly seems to fell sorry that the creature doesn't remember how to hunt for itself. She started trying to give it live meals so that it does something for itself."
A smile, a gesture across the bay, "Thrune's Fang is down in the journals as lost during Cheliax's attempt to retake Eleder, so at least three and a half score ago?" She looks behind her, "I wonder how quickly they turned from soliders to cannibals."
A smile, again quickly hiding her teeth, when Faith moves towards her. She moves willingly at his direction, although she glances back over her shoulder from her spot on the bed when he maneuvers her so that she is facing away. "آیا شما لباس هایی دارید که مقدس و مخفی هستند؟ مانند علامت هیولا از جادوگر قدیمی؟"
"Is it just me, or does something seem a little off here?" Áine remarks as much to herself as anyone there. She glances at Faith, "Care to ask him what he's doing here?" The arrow on her bow, though not drawn is nocked and ready. Her eyes sweep the cabin, looking for any possible clues.
The old man looks a little surprised, "It's true that the Consortium doesn't hold much sway in Eleder, but they are always looking for a way in, just like the Pathfinders, the Cheliaxian, and every other group that makes it to the ends of the world." His smile is sad, "The wealth of Eleder isn't clean, the history," he shakes his head.
"I'll clear my name." His says this with confidence. "I've been a wanted man for over half my life, I want to live without it over my head. Once I'm free," he shrugs, "depends on what happens." He looks over the island, "At the moment there is a dark pallor that hangs over this island, I don't think anyone could live here long and not go insane."
Áine nods, "Finish cleaning up this place, then clear your name. We can get that done, then we'll see what happens from there, I guess."
Aerys shakes her head, "Here I have all the time in the world and none of the ability to do what I need to do."
A shrug, "Hopefully, your and Jask's work will pay off and we'll have a ship in the bay."
"One day."
"I distinctly remember killing that guy," Zaine says.
Faith clears his throat. "سلام چطوری؟"
"You killed my evil twin brother? That's fantastic, I can go home again." The doppelganger twin says. "Mother will be so pleased to find out he didn't kill me."
You notice slight differences between this man and Klocak, elongated fingers for one.
There is something off about the way the gut tells his story. Like he sat alpine for a long time trying to come up worth multiple outcomes and his response in each one.
Faith blinks. "...Where's home?"
"I don't mean to be that guy, but this is the worst story I've ever heard," Zaine mutters to his allies.
Faith blinks. "...Where's home?"
"A quaint collection of buildings at the base of the Chelish lighthouse built in 4151 AR," the man says reasonably, "It's the only thing resembling a settlement on the whole island."
His head cocks to the side, "How long have you been on the Shiv?"
"I don't mean to be that guy, but this is the worst story I've ever heard," Zaine mutters to his allies.
Sasha nods, "But what's the gain?" Her voice utterly flabbergasted.
Sense Motive
Sasha nods, "But what's the gain?" Her voice utterly flabbergasted.
"I'm won't shoot him for one thing."
"And your mother? Woman about so high?" Faith holds his hand off the ground at about the height of the female ghoul. "Bitey?"
"And your mother? Woman about so high?" Faith holds his hand off the ground at about the height of the female ghoul. "Bitey?"
The man who looks a great deal like the cannibal who played with blood shakes his head confused, "Um no. About yea high," hand to his shoulder, "long red hair." A pause, "Ceremonial sharpened teeth of course, but she made a fantastic mushroom risotto."
Sasha nods, "But what's the gain?" Her voice utterly flabbergasted."I'm won't shoot him for one thing."
"True, you didn't shot Pezock when he proved insane but not violent."
"I will admit that I hadn't thought of foraging mushrooms for risotto," Faith says. "Maybe we were shipwrecked with the wrong kitchen equipment. How long have you been here? And I mean both here on this vessel and here on the Shiv."
"In my defense, I don't shoot most of the people I meet."
Sense Motive
"I was born here, of course." A pause, "On the Shiv, not this derelict of a boat."
"The boat," looking around at the tidy nest of a broken bed and scraps of sail cloth, "it a more recent development."
"A few years ago my brother went... mad. Although I tried to stand against him, I could not raise my hand to do violence against my kin so I fled." He presses a hand to his face in abject humiliation and regret.
This story is starting to get the melodramatic tone of a Shakespearean tragedy. Why he is sticking to the story is anyone's guess, but it seems to be made of full on spun cloth at this point.
"In my defense, I don't shoot most of the people I meet."
"Only the ones trying to kill you. Which seems perfectly sensible to me."
A really quiet mutter.
Sense Motive
"Least the story's getting better. Throw in a sea monster somewhere, would you?" Zaine requests.
"Only the ones trying to kill you. Which seems perfectly sensible to me."
Zaine raises his eyebrows, like a bunch of stuff just fell into place for him.
"To be continued," he whispers to Sasha.
"We took care of that for you," Faith says quietly.
"Well," Faith says slowly, "... we are the new inhabitants of the lighthouse after the old inhabitants attacked our campsite. My name is Faith. You speak Taldane well for someone born here."