chavamana |
The Lighthouse
Faith prays.
Wynnstan waits uncomfortably through the long prayer to Faith's divine benefactor. As he finishes, Faith takes a step forward, solidly putting Pakshee, Jask, Sasha, Gelik, and everyone else you've known longer than a few days solidly behind him. He takes a good, long hard look at the cannibal leader doppelganger.
Nothing in the cone of Faith's vision pings as evil. However - the building behind Wynnstan, the butchery, does have a gray gloom with pricks of red and blindingly painful white. Wynnstan himself is next to impossible to see from the flux of heavy colors around him. Although there is a panopaly of color they are made primarily of yellow, green and orange with an almost hidden core of purple.
Faith Dagger |
He speaks, staring out into the darkness.
"I see Zaine as the type who has to keep moving. He wears out his welcome fast in so-called civilization. This was probably true even before he and Tulip got together. Tulip is probably as happy here as she is anywhere."
A shorter pause.
"I suspect that if we are marooned here for another few months, Zaine will start trying to figure out how to make gunpowder from raw island materials. He doesn't know how to keep still."
Faith glances down at Aerys, then back out.
"That's how to fix his problem. Give him something to do. Sasha's attention is probably helpful there. She has things to do. And he wants to keep her from getting too close to Tulip."
"But that's just my read. Do you think there is something between Gelik and Ishirou depeer than they just don't like each other?"
Faith returns the smile. "Faith's leg," he agrees.
He moves his hand to her foot and repeats its journey, but this time up the leg's inside, and more slowly. "Ankle," he says. "Knee," when he gets there. "Thigh." His hand pauses on her inner thigh.
And instead of continuing on, he reverses direction. "Pakshee's leg," he says, a mischievous smile on his lips as he strokes back down her leg to her ankle.
The Lighthouse
Faith rubs his eyes and looks again. "Not ... evil," he says eventually. "But there's something very odd about you, Wynnstan."
"Or I should say very odd around you."
Zaine Kildare |
The Lighthouse
One of Wynnstan's eyebrows goes up at the threat. "Can we clarify what actions get Tulip hungry? Although given the option, I would like to be shot before eaten."
"If you're about to do something, and you think to yourself, say, that nice man with the big gun and the bigger dinosaur wouldn't like this, don't do it."
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
"I can't disarm anything. Busting it down seems like the best of bad options. We'll have potions standing by."
Áine Aiman |
Scarred Maiden: Perception dc30: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
LightHouse: Sense Motive dc25: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
"I can't disarm anything. Busting it down seems like the best of bad options. We'll have potions standing by."
Áine pauses in the act of taking her lockpicks out of her greaves. Shoves them back in, head turns to Zaine with a cocked eyebrow. "Really?" she shrugs, takes a step back with an after you motion.
Zaine Kildare |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
Áine pauses in the act of taking her lockpicks out of her greaves. Shoves them back in, head turns to Zaine with a cocked eyebrow. "Really?" she shrugs, takes a step back with an after you motion.
Zaine rolls his eyes. "Forgot you could do that... if you could do it before the debate next time, that'd be helpful."
Áine Aiman |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
Zaine rolls his eyes. "Forgot you could do that... if you could do it before the debate next time, that'd be helpful."
Áine sniggers, "Must have been distracted." she says, waiving off the comment with a flip of her hair and waive of her hand. She again approaches the door.
Disable Device which curiously enough was not given a dc: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
chavamana |
She leans back, her tricorn hat falling off, "Do I think there is some deep dark secret between the two?" Shakes her head, takes another sip, "Nah."
"They just seem to be diametrically opposed to each other, one who thinks everyone should always be working, the other allergic to a hard day's labor."
"Wonder what drove Ishirou to the sea though, he has marks of script time in the Consortium, wouldn't wish that slog on some of the worse bastards in Port Peril much less any decent sailor."
True to its appearance, current in this little bay is calm compared to the other places Zaine has been practicing.
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
As Aine starts to work on the lock, she immediately notices something is wrong, as her hand, her tools, everything becomes stuck to the surface of the door... which moves, slamming forward in an attempt to engulf its current meal. (1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 171d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8) The door creature slams into Aine, sticking to more of her body. (Aine takes 8 points of damage is grappled with adhesive.)
no rogue levels on this one
The Lighthouse
"But there's something very odd about you, Wynnstan."
"Or I should say very odd around you."
"So..." Wynnstan draws out the word, still side-eyeing the gunslinger and dinosaur combo. "What you're saying is that I have some great uncompleted destiny which isn't Tulip's second lunch?"
"If you're about to do something, and you think to yourself, say, that nice man with the big gun and the bigger dinosaur wouldn't like this, don't do it."
Wynnstan shakes his head, "You know that works for the general common sense things, like no violence physical or mental." He shrugs, "But I just don't know you well enough to make a judgement call on what you will or won't like. I do a mean shadow puppet show."
Meanwhile Pakshee has her head cocked, watching Faith, "شما مرد را می بینید و تصمیم می گیرید وقتی خوابید او با آن امن است؟" Paskshee looks from Faith to the new man, her eyes growing flinty. "هر چیزی که به من دست زده می شود قطع شده است."
The not-cannibal looks her up and down, "آیا فکر می کنید که من هر چیزی را می خواهم؟"
Pakshee 2: "Anything of yours that comes within touching distance of me is getting cut off."
Wynnstan: "Do you think I want anything?"
Áine Aiman |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
As Áine starts to work on the lock, she immediately notices something is wrong, as her hand, her tools, everything becomes stuck to the surface of the door... which moves, slamming forward in an attempt to engulf its current meal. The door creature slams into Áine, sticking to more of her body.
Grapple?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
"Mimic!" Áine shouts, trying to tear herself free...and failing miserably, only getting herself stuck more firmly.
Zaine Kildare |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
Initiative 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
"Uh... hey, door. I'm going to kill you."
That's a challenge
Zaine shoots the door.
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
1d12 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Tulip momentarily looks distressed, then attacks.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Confirm crit for Zaine
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
3d12 + 18 ⇒ (11, 6, 9) + 18 = 44
Unspoilered at GM request
The Lighthouse
Wynnstan shakes his head, "You know that works for the general common sense things, like no violence physical or mental." He shrugs, "But I just don't know you well enough to make a judgement call on what you will or won't like. I do a mean shadow puppet show."
Zaine gives Wynnstan a spectacularly unconvincing smile. "I'd recommend treading lightly then."
chavamana |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
With Zaine's perfectly placed shot at .... something... in the mimic, it proceeds to melt into a goo pile on the floor. And all over Aine - although she is no longer stuck to it.
the lower levels of the bait prove to be fake but they group still gets a haul of ... things that are utterly useless on the island like gold, silver, gems and shiny jewelry.
Áine Aiman |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
With Zaine's perfectly placed shot at .... something... in the mimic, it proceeds to melt into a goo pile on the floor. And all over Áine - although she is no longer stuck to it.
"Yuck!" Áine exclaims as the goo begins to roll off her, she appears somewhat distressed, but then catches herself. "Um, thanks for bailing me out on that one, Zaine." she says sheepishly. "That was a terrific shot."
Zaine Kildare |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
"Yuck!" Áine exclaims as the goo begins to roll off her, she appears somewhat distressed, but then catches herself. "Um, thanks for bailing me out on that one, Zaine." she says sheepishly. "That was a terrific shot."
"I just aimed for the... uh... the knob."
chavamana |
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
When you finally get your large, heavy, basically worthless where you currently are, loot to shore you hear the sound of rolling thunder. Despite the hot, humid, beautifully blue day the thunder shakes the island. From over the crest of the Red Mountain you see lightning sparking up into the sky from where the monoliths stand.
Faith Dagger |
The Lighthouse
Faith looks at Wynnstan, Pakshee, Zaine. Sighs.
" من معتقدم او در خواب ما را نمی کشد." Faith says to Pakshee.
" من اعتماد دارم که رفتار خواهی کرد" to Wynnstan.
"...اشخاص...." he mutters to himself.
To Pakshee: "I believe he will not kill us in our sleep."
To Wynnstan: "I trust you will behave."
"Let me give you the tour, Wynnstan," Faith says. "Introduce you to the rest of us."
The Final Shipwreck - The Scarred Maiden
"Oh," Faith says, watching the lightning. "My vote is for checking that out right away."
chavamana |
Back to the Monoliths
Even rushing it takes a little bit over an hour to get back to the monolith overlooking the bay. When you get there the bay is empty.
Empty of water, at any rate. You can see a few old shipwrecks littering the bottom mostly buried in slit. On the far side you see the doors which Aine glimpsed through the water, open. Even as you watch the door closes and, with the sound of thunder, the water rushes back into the bay.
Áine Aiman |
Back to the Monoliths
Áine looks down towards where the gates have again disappeared underneath the waters for a while. She sighs, then looks for tracks around and marks on the monolith. She also looks for tracks from or to the bay.
Survival/Tracking: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 2 = 24
+2 more from Faith?
chavamana |
Back to the Monoliths
In the few days since you have been here last, there have only been minor changes to the monoliths - the seagrass which had attempted to start growing in the ritual area has been brutally hacked down, and the blood that marks the stones is fresh, only barely tacky.
Aine does find similar footprints as those she followed before, again leading down the rope bridges to the shore of crab bay and disappearing into the water in the direction of the damn big doors. This time the tracks are easy to follow, freshly made.
Compared to the rough water Zaine is used to the lazy swells are almost scarily easy to swim in.
Zaine Kildare |
Back to the Monoliths
In the few days since you have been here last, there have only been minor changes to the monoliths - the seagrass which had attempted to start growing in the ritual area has been brutally hacked down, and the blood that marks the stones is fresh, only barely tacky.
Aine does find similar footprints as those she followed before, again leading down the rope bridges to the shore of crab bay and disappearing into the water in the direction of the damn big doors. This time the tracks are easy to follow, freshly made.
"Guess she's still here," Zaine remarks.
Faith Dagger |
Faith shakes his head. "You may be right, but I am not sure I agree with you. I think there's more to Gelik and Ishirou than that."
"Jask, on the other hand.... It feels impolite to ask why he was in chains before, and at this point it's irrelevant."
Faith shrugs. "Hopefully it remains that way whenever we get back to the mainland. Who else's problems should we work out tonight?"
"You dropped your hat."
Faith gives her a quizzical look and repeats what she says. "Faith buffet?"
To be on the safe side, Faith retraces his steps with his fingers. "Pakshee's ankle. Pakshee's knee. Pakshee's thigh." He pauses there again, his hand heavy and warm and present. He looks into Pakshee's eyes and swallows, throat dry.
Then he moves his hand to her shoulder and traces down her arm, back toward where her hand sits under his shirt, fingernails lightly resting. "Faith baf hey," he says again.
Back to the Monoliths
”Guess we know where to find her.”
Faith frowns. Then he smiles.
Áine Aiman |
Back to the Monoliths
Was there a stone or monolith wet with something other then blood?
Áine draws her blade of strange metal, glares at it and the waters of the bay, inwardly seething. She blinks, takes a deep breath and sheathes the blade before looking up and smiling at the others. "Can't really say I remember her much, but I really hate that woman."
Áine Aiman |
Back to the Monoliths
"You know, we've got everything we need to go after her if we want too." Áine remarks with a sideways glance at Wynnstan, "probably, anyway."
are any of the wrecks in the bay close enough to free dive for? or are they too deep/within the pull of the magical tides?
chavamana |
Back to the Monoliths
"You know, we've got everything we need to go after her if we want too." Áine remarks with a sideways glance at Wynnstan, "probably, anyway."
Sasha looks back from the churning waters as waves slap on the shore of the refilled bay. "Don't we need a snake?"
GM Timeline Note: Wynnstan was not with the group when you explored the Scarred Maiden as he was living on the Crimson Angel. With a few exceptions of boats being right next to each other, I generally assume only 1 shipwreck exploration in a day.
Her forehead crinkles and she lays a forearm against her head, "Think he said something about that. After you came back from the ship where Aine found the gold locket with the red-haired half-elf."
"Something about being on the run after being framed. Sounded like he'd pretended to be other people for decades."
She looks behind her at the hat, the front of her neck lengthening, "We only have to worry if it tries to make a break for it."
A shiver as his rough hand moves down the tan skin of her arm, a smile, a nod. She puts her other hand on her own lower stomach, fingers pointed down, "Pakshee baf hey."
The nails on Faith's stomach move, taking his hand with hers, sliding along the egde of his pants for just a bit the moving up, across the chest to the where his heart beats. She drums her fingers in time to the beat. "Faith qalb."
Looking directly into Faith's eyes, she his hand and puts it on her own left breast, "Pakshee qalb."
The water holds just an edge of the deep water chill, warmed by the hot sun. The water, crystal clear, holds no secrets and Zaine can see a number of oyster beds dotting the floor of the ocean in the cove.
Áine Aiman |
Back to the Monoliths
Sasha looks back from the churning waters as waves slap on the shore of the refilled bay. "Don't we need a snake?"
"Yup. Thought we had one. My mistake." she sniggers, "I was willing to give it a try anyway. Shall we just keep our eyes out on the way back or shall we go snake hunting?"
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 +2 more if we get back into the jungle & +2 additional if she gets any sign of snake to track
Zaine Kildare |
As the island has a large snake population, you know of at least three nests between the monoliths and the cannibal camp.
"Snakes and skulls are the two things this island will never run out of."
chavamana |
She kicks a little closer to Zaine, "Tulip will be ok. She has you to keep her moral compass straight."
Arcadia Thorne |
Arcadia has spent most of her time on the island thus far watching, waiting, taking notes, and watching again.
She steps up to the monoliths, reaching out to touch them, looking down at a small notebook, then back up again.
"You're all going to love this." She says with an upward turning of her lips and baring of teeth that's not sure if it's a grimace or a grin. "We need to bleed on these sigils." She gestures to the snake sigils.
"Then a snack... no, that doesn't make sense. A snake needs to lick the blood. Then, take some of that water," she gestures towards the bay, "and pour it from a metal container into that pyramid," she gestures to the central pyramid.
She closes her notebook, tucks it away, then sighs. "It's never something pleasant, is it? No 'hug the statue to get the treasure', or 'recite a poem to open the door'." Then she hesitates, and turns to face the group with an apologetic smile. "Sometimes it takes me a little while to work this stuff out."
Let me know if any of this doesn't jive with current game location/knowledge/placement and I'll make adjustments
Faith Dagger |
"If the hat makes a break for it, we have bigger problems. It's been listening to our conversation. It knows everything."
Faith considers.
"But then, where would you get another? No, I think that hat should stay right where it is if it knows what's good for it."
Faith glares at the hat, smiles at Aerys, and turns to look back into the darkness.
He opens his mouth, then remembers that extraneous words are bad during an intense vocabulary session, and closes it again.
He holds her breast for a moment, and draws his hand back slowly. It doesn't go far. He places it between her breasts and taps gently on her chest as her heart beats. "Heart," he says.
He cups her breast again, palm gliding across the front before the hand dips underneath to hold it. "Breast," he says. His other hand reaches out to cup her other breast. "Breasts," says, slightly overemphasizing the trailing s so it sounds like a trailing hiss.
He is perhaps breathing a little harder than he was a moment ago.
Monolith
Faith looks at Arcadia, trying to remember where he's seen her before.
"I remember you now -- good to see you didn't drown in the shipwreck," he says. "What was your name again?"
chavamana |
'recite a poem to open the door'." Then she hesitates, and turns to face the group with an apologetic smile. "Sometimes it takes me a little while to work this stuff out."
After she works the ritual, the air inside the monoliths charges with energy and you feel all the small hairs on you arms straighten. But the energy waits, waiting for something to release it.
You can figure out who donated the blood ooc, it's only standing stone (4 of those).A shrug, "If I'd been alone I'd probably taken out that creepy red-haired bastard after he changed his teeth."
Áine Aiman |
"Arcadia!" Áine exclaims, "So good to see you again!" Áine leans close and whispers, "You forgot the "Ydersius" part." and winks, "good job figurin' that out all on yer own." she lowers her voice even more
"And deciding to get this show rolling again!"
Áine would first use the blood she collected in the vial from when they were ambushed by the winged nest monster
chavamana |
She watches him in the water for a minute and she bites her lip before finally offering advice, "You need to relax into the water, use longer movements," she does a lazy circle kick, "quick movement drains your energy, makes it harder to fight the water when you need to."
Her hand twitches towards Zaine, like she wants to help him a few times, but stops herself, uncomfortable with invading his personal space.
Arcadia Thorne |
Arcadia gives a little 'a ha!' of a gasp, taps her nose and points it at Áine.
"Ydersius."
She leans towards the other woman.
"I remember you now -- good to see you didn't drown in the shipwreck," he says. "What was your name again?"
Arcadia doesn't look the least bit offended, and tips her hat. "Arcadia Thorne, a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. I don't think we had much occasion to speak on the ship. Maybe if we make it to the next comfortable night around a fire, you'll tell me a story." She smiles warmly.
Not wanting to seem like she just sat back, figured a ritual out, and didn't contribute... Arcadia would offer up a hand for some blood letting.
Arcadia Thorne |
"That makes two of us!" She tilts her head slightly. "Though if my sweat doesn't disintegrate the material by the time we make it off this island, I'll eat... my hat." She finishes the sentence as though she thought about what she was saying before she said it. "I'm really wearing it purely out of spite at this point."
Zaine Kildare |
"That makes two of us!" She tilts her head slightly. "Though if my sweat doesn't disintegrate the material by the time we make it off this island, I'll eat... my hat." She finishes the sentence as though she thought about what she was saying before she said it. "I'm really wearing it purely out of spite at this point."
"Spite's as good a reason as any to do something," Zaine opines.
Zaine shrugs. "I haven't yet, so that's a win."
chavamana |
Since the ritual is still not complete, I was going to roll a UMD but no one has that skill. So I'm leaving it to random chance of the ritual is complete enough for the very ancient artifact.
1d100 ⇒ 48
Activating Ancient Stones
Arcadia gives a little 'a ha!' of a gasp, taps her nose and points it at Áine.
"Ydersius."
Arcadia feels the electric charge of the ritual pad through her body and into the central pyramids, but most of the potential energy is still grounded by the multiple people in the small area marked out by the monoliths.
Life at the Cannibal Lighthouse
A day or two after Zaine and Sasha bring back the baby dinosaur everyone, everyone who's not on watch, is woken by a crash from the storage room that once held a great deal of human jerky and now holds mostly fish meat and barrels of water.
"I think, Faith, that we should..." Aerys voice stumbles into silence.
She stares up at the blindingly bright sky for a while. "I'm going to miss what I've found here when we leave. "
Zaine Kildare |
Activating Ancient Stones
Arcadia feels the electric charge of the ritual pad through her body and into the central pyramids, but most of the potential energy is still grounded by the multiple people in the small area marked out by the monoliths.
"Do we all say it?" Zaine asks. Then, experimentally: "Ydersius?"
Life at the Cannibal Lighthouse
A day or two after Zaine and Sasha bring back the baby dinosaur everyone, everyone who's not on watch, is woken by a crash from the storage room that once held a great deal of human jerky and now holds mostly fish meat and barrels of water.
Zaine sighs heavily, gets his whip in hand, but coiled, and goes to investigate.
chavamana |
Tidestones Functional
Zaine seems to be the tipping point for the power of the ritual, as with his word the air above each standing stone explodes with the deafening crack of lightning bolts arcing up into the clear sky. A few seconds you feel more than hear the rumbling thunder as the water in the bay rolls out. Far across the expanse, the huge doors open.
Life at the Cannibal Lighthouse
You find the tale of the show Dragon sticking out the vents closed door to the storage room. From inside you hear the chitterinh of a monkey.
A little quieter, "You and Tulip."
Zaine Kildare |
Tidestones Functional
Zaine seems to be the tipping point for the power of the ritual, as with his word the air above each standing stone explodes with the deafening crack of lightning bolts arcing up into the clear sky. A few seconds you feel more than hear the rumbling thunder as the water in the bay rolls out. Far across the expanse, the huge doors open.
"My first spell," Zaine says with the ghost of a smile. Then, frowning, shaking his head, "Nope, didn't like it."
Life at the Cannibal Lighthouse
You find the tale of the show Dragon sticking out the vents closed door to the storage room. From inside you hear the chitterinh of a monkey.
Zaine frowns and puts away the whip. "So do we just let them sort it out?"
Arcadia Thorne |
Tidestones Functional
"Seems like an overly complicated way to open a door," Arcadia says, holding a bit of raggedly cloth from her bag against the small wound on her hand. Her voice seems a little louder than it should be.
"My first spell," Zaine says with the ghost of a smile. Then, frowning, shaking his head, "Nope, didn't like it."
"Was it the blood you let or the lightning that deafened you after that you disliked?"
Áine Aiman |
Tidestones Functional
"Seems like an overly complicated way to open a door"
"Ya think?" Áine remarks a little sarcastically, but in complete agreement. Then, "Ooh!" becomes completely distracted and begins bounding across the seabed towards a fairly intact wreck half buried in the silt.
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Life at the Cannibal Lighthouse
Zaine frowns and puts away the whip. "So do we just let them sort it out?"
"Huh. Is it that witches familiar? Did it free the Shiv Dragon?" Áine investigates further, getting ready to dodge if the Dragon becomes aggressive towards her or attempting a Wild Empathy with some fish meat as added incentive if she gets the chance.
Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Arcadia Thorne |
Ancient History Flex
You were the only person I'd started any flex with, my apologies for the EXTREMELY lengthy delay :)
Áine sits back, openly pleased with the complements. "Not much to tell," Āine demures, "Spent the bulk of my time recently in the Shackles, so kinda the pirate life for me, but... she starts looking a little uncomfortable, "let's just say someone higher up the food chain decided I was his personal property... and i wasn't to keen on the subject. Got out while the gettin' was still good." she stares off in the distance, wearing a little half smile which only appears partially forced. "Now how I got from the Jenivere to Smuggler's Shiv, is something I'd like answered myself!" she says truthfully. "How about yourself, though. How did you get to be aboard this ill fated cruise?
"I don't blame you there. Amazing to me how a person can look at another and assume mastery." She shakes her head, disgust plain on her face. The look passes, and a smile returns at the returned question.
"Oh, and that's a story, isn't it? I spent some time in Kintargo, beautiful city, better food..." she looks wistful for a moment, remembering a time when she ate more than the paltry offerings on the Jenivere. "You know, very posh place. Met people. Learned things. And here I am, meeting and learning still more! Hoping it doesn't take long before we get out of this lush paradise."