Baen takes this inspiration highly, stabbing heroically at the bullywug before him.
"Who's hungry for frog legs?" Baen calls out.
Jun steps up past Nikeisha, and thrusts his blade at the bullywug that Baen just pierced with his rapier, seeing that the frogman looks bloody and beaten, one good strike away from falling.
The bullywug offers wicked retort, his deceptively strong mouth clamps down on Jun's hand as he avoids the thrust of his blade, then he uses his reflexive momentum to jab his spearpoint past Baen's armor and into his flesh. Both men suffer grievous wounds, and the frogman ribbits a guttural sound of defiance.
Simultaneously the enemy that Bellaluna kicked in the chest returns the favor tenfold. His bite misses her leg, but his spear thrust finds deep purchase, sticking to the royal ribs, and then slashing flesh on the pullback stroke. Luna puts a hand on her side, watching bright red blood flow out and collapses to the deck.
"Bugger," Nikeisha growled as Bellaluna collapsed to the spear assault. "I bloody hate the country side, with bloody murder frogs and sodding spears. Get off the boat!" Tapping her fingers on her side again, she gestured with the other hand and hurled a bolt of crackling green energy at the Geen frog. It seemed colour appropriate.
"I do not believe us leaving the boat will rectify the situation Nikeisha." says Jun in a matter-of-fact sort of way.
"Them," the Warlock clarified. "I want them off the boat." Although she wouldn't mind going back to the city, with its lack of manual labour and killer toads...
"My apologies for the misunderstanding." says Jun as he bows his head in between parrying attacks.
Aiming her blast of crackling magical energy between her allies with deft accuracy, Nikeisha's words and actions have the same force. The frogman dressed in green leathers is fully scorched by the powerful eldritch blast. He staggers for a moment, on the brink of collapse , but corrects himself and then attacks the barbarian in front of him with teeth and spear.
Shenkt parries the spear with his axe, but in so doing opens his arm to the frog's disgusting bite. It clamps down on his arm, hard, piercing flesh, drawing blood, and tearing out a hunk of skin. The barbarian roars in rage, himself almost on the brink of collapse.
Hack again swings his axe at the spear-weilding (green) frogman.
The mighty Shenkt's backswing after parrying the spear follows his defiant roar with as much bloody recourse. He cleanly lops the head off of the bullywug in the green leathers. The corpse falls to the deck spilling dark red into a thick pool of congealing goo at his feet.
"Get away from her you bastard!" Ashrie shouts at the frog-man who now towers over Bella. He then proceeds to run forth, meeting the frog-man face to face, positioning himself above Bella.
"Now if you try anything funny, I'll blast you just like I did your friend over there; but if you let me help her, I just might be able to help your friend too... Please, let me do this for you."
Ashire will prepare an action to cast Ray of Sickness on the purple frog-man should he make any aggressive action towards Bella or himself.
Seeing that Ashrie is attending Luna, Jun will move and then attack the creature.
Tavir let out a very ungentlemanly curse as Bellaluna went down. He might think that she came off like an arrogant princess, but then again technically she was. Besides she had kept them all from being shanked in their sleep and hadn’t hesitated to get right up in the fight beside them. When growing up on the streets you never left your gang mates behind to take a beating alone. He wasn’t about to let his traveling companions get taken down by some slimy frogs.
Knowing that he was probably going to take a hit for moving away from his current opponent like he was Tavir moved towards Bellaluna and Ashrie. Thus far he hadn’t been very open about his abilities in general, but he reached into a vest pouch and then lightly taping her where the last wound to bring her down was struck. He chanted a quick word, “We’re not out of the fight yet my lady. Up and at them.”
Baen strikes the frogman directly in front of him, lunging forward and embedding his rapier into the creature's chest.
"You've got this Shenkt! Your wounds aren't that bad!" he shouts to the barbarian.
hit points healed.
Jun's sword and Ashrie's magical ray both miss their targets. Baen's does not, his sword cuts deep, dropping the bullywug with the cyan trimmed leather armor to the deck. He sends a burst of healing magic into his highlander friend Shenkt, as he follows along with his friends to defend Luna from the enemy that harmed her. Tavir's healing magic flows into Bellaluna and she wakes up to find herself laying down on the deck, with Ashrie, Jun and Baen standing near her, surrounding the frogman that stabbed her. Perceiving Baen to be the biggest threat, since he wields both sword and magic with ease, the walking frog with purple ribbons adorning his leathers thrusts with spear and snaps with teeth.
Baen easily avoids the spear thrust but in so doing opens his defenses and takes a bite from the fish-ridden teeth of the amphibious humanoid. The wound proves too much for him to bear, and he falls to the deck right besides Bellaluna, unconscious from the pain and blood loss.
" Enough of this! Now you die!" Yells Luna as she quickly stands up.
Luna will do a swirling hand-chop through the air striking at the frog-man with the purple ribbons.
" Enough of this! Now you die!" Yells Luna as she quickly stands up.
Luna will do a swirling hand-chop through the air striking at the frog-man with the purple ribbons.
[dice=Attack]1d20 + 6
[dice=Damage]1d4 + 4
Glancing around at the sleeping or downed Bullywugs, Nikeisha glared at the attacker remaining. "Bit dim, ain'tcha? I'd have run. 'Course, if you'd run I'd have to walk to do this so...cheers for not bothering." She focused her powers again, and threw another Eldritch Blast.
Hack moves in with yell and attacks the final Bullywug.
Jun moves and heals Baen.
Bella's vengeful swirling strike cracks the last standing frogman's collarbone, just as her highlander friend Shenkt drives his raging axe up through the ill-fated creature's spine. Shenkt kicks the bullywug off of his axe and onto the deck thoroughly dead. Nikeisha's magical blast flies harmlessly off into the sky as the creature she was aiming at is now a bloody pile of gore on the deck. Jun reaches a hand down and heals his friend Baen, who awakes laying down on the job, right next to a disgusting heap of a bloody hacked up mess of a bullywug. There are still two enemies alive and unconscious because of Nikeisha's slumber magic. The one wearing yellow-trimmed leather armor, and the other leather armor trimmed with pink ribbons.
Baen will rise to his feet, shaking his head. "Thanks, Jun." he says. "Overestimated my durability, it seems."
He will check over the suspiciously un-mangled bodies and seeing they're not dead, merely sleeping, he sighs and looks to the group. "Finish them?" he asks. "Dunno what they could tell us, probably just raiders."
Hack stands over the slumbering bullywugs.
Should I finish 'em?
Seeing the last frog drop, Ashrie immediately runs to the one he had previously blasted. Clutching it's limp body to his chest, Ashrie begins sobbing and attempts to mend its wounds.
Hearing Baen's and Shenkts suggestions, Ashrie turns and begins shouting at the rest of the group. His words are slurred and difficult to understand, his movements wild and erratic as he strikes a balance between attempting to patch the frog man up and yell at Shenkt and Baen.
"Finish them? FINISH THEM? Have you no respect? These are living creatures! Beings that communicate with one another, and live with their own kind! FINISH THEM?!? Going to investigate murders, only to commit them along the way, what sort of reason is that? We're not the monsters are we? Because that's what you tempt, when you trifle with life and death... I would know.
Breathing heavily Ashire will continue working on the Frogman, while keeping a watchful eye on the now questionable duo of Shenkt and Baen.
Fine, but when you heal them up and they slit yer throat, don't come cryin' to me Elf.
Watching how Ashrie is effected, Jun would say "Let us not be cross with one another. Ashrie clearly values life, which is good, but it should be tempered with the understanding that these beings would have gladly murdered us in our sleep, had her Majesty not protected us; and people say Noblis Oblige is dead."
"Come, gentlemen" says Jun as he pats both Hack and Baen on the shoulders "Let us go and see to the fate of those creatures over there while Ashrie tends to that one."
Jun will quietly say "You will want to be careful of what you say near him, not that I believe he would betray us, but he clearly his high morals and not much in the way of real world experience. We should allow him his innocence for now, as it would be cruel to diminish it. Should you feel the need to 'assist our assailants to the netherworld' a simple dagger wokrs just as good as a greatsword, and is easier to explain away."
"Am I not a gentleman? No, guess not..." Shrugging, Nikeisha moved towards the napping Bullywugs, grabbing some rope to tie them with. Her spells didn't last forever. "Can't we just sling 'em over the side? Most of 'em are dead. And they breath water. We don't have to take the bonds off. Let their clan come claim them. Besides, the water should loosen the bondes and let them escape." Water did that right? Eh.
She looked over at Ashrie. "Gives 'em more of a chance than they would have given us if Bellaluna hadn't shouted a warning. I don't fancy waking up dead."
When Ashrie has his outburst, Luna says, "It is good to have a value and respect for life. These do not have it and would have murdered all of us and the rest of the crew in our sleep. They gave up the right to have that value shown to them." Then, if no one stops her and she is able to, she will walk over to one of the sleeping frog-men and kneel down next to it and reach out and snap its neck.
"Now let us check on the rest of the crew and cargo to make sure things are safe, and we shall also let the captain be aware of the value of having us aboard has provided for his crew."
Baen looks at the elf crying over the frog men and sighs. "I think you're Naive." he says to Ashrie. "Living creatures kill and eat each other all the time. Survival of the fittest. Anyone who has BEEN outside would have learned that." he says. "They tried to take what's ours, and our lives, and death is the natural price to pay for failure, just the same as if they had attacked a bear's den."
He will stab the other unconscious frogman through the heart to punctuate his statement. "A swift death is a kinder mercy than you are inflicting on that injured one."
Tavir watched the exchange between his companions passively. When Bean stabbed the frogman in the chest he nodded slightly to himself. He had been planning on doing the same, but more subtly as Jun had suggested. Just another quick cut in battle that bled out faster than expected. No reason to get their young elf companions hackles up for no reason. It wasn’t that Tavir didn’t respect life. He valued it a great deal. His own life in particular. Which was why he was happy to put down anything that threatened it. It seemed that most of their companions were of a like mind. Still Tavir almost felt bad for the elf. It was such a blindly innocent mindset. He spoke up to Ashrie, “It’s a good thought friend, but you have to have priorities. Help all the innocents you like. But if a frog guts you as you sleep on deck you’re not going to be helping anyone with anything. I’ve seen murders boy. What we just did doesn’t qualify, it’s just self-defense. You’ll come around to see this way in time I think, try not to take it too hard.”
He casually wiped his rapier’s blade off on the yellow armor of one of the now dead frogs. Then he nodded to Bellaluna, “I’ll go with you. Let’s not wander off alone till we’re positive that this was all of them. You were quick to warn us of them, but it would be foolish to grow overconfident that some others hadn’t snuck on elsewhere. Anyone coming with us to check on the crew?”
"Yes. I'll go." Baen offers.
I'll stay up here on deck and catch my breath.
Hack preferred the open air to tje confines of below deck. He cleans his axeblade while resting and leaning against a mast.
"I'll stay up here and keep an eye on things as well."
After dumping froggy humanoid bodies over the side, and ascertaining that the force on deck was, in fact, the only force. Akassa's volunteers were able to relax a bit as they awaited Captain Bromir's return from his business in Daybreak, which happened just after sunrise. Once Bromir was made aware of just how important his "extra" passengers were to preventing loss of life and cargo, he thanked them all personally, using his own healing magic to heal any wounds still untended. Then he said that, everyone who was capable should stay awake and on deck because they were in for one of the greatest treats in all the Republic.
The treat the captain spoke of was passing underneath the ancient and massive stone Daybreak bridge, at daybreak. A structure so ancient that its builders are unknown, though both the dwarves and elves lay claim to it. Stretching the impossible length of miles from shore to shore, the bridge has only two securing pilons that touch down beneath the water with an arch that is well over two-hundred feet at its peak. Atop that peak are four tilted pillars that all come together forming the outline of a pyramid. Atop the stone pyramid is a massive crystal, bigger than many buildings. Almost as soon as The Faithul Falcon comes within view of the bridge, Amren's sun crests the eastern horizon, and its rays of light explode in every direction out of the gargantuan crystal sending rainbows of light everywhere. The display is so brilliant, that many are forced to partially cover their eyes. Everywhere your eyes settle rainbows of pure light touch the water, land, bridge, ship, everywhere. For those that have never seen it, watching day break on Daybreak bridge is a powerfully emotional and spiritual experience. Whatever craftsmen built the bridge, their stonecunning is clearly unmatched, and their knowledge of geography perfect. It is entirely possible no sunrise will ever rival the display the captain has made sure his ship was in full view of. Even those with a ready wit and normally loose tongues find themselves speechless in the face of such unlooked for beauty.
Truly, nothing that happened the rest of the day were even comparable, though the ship sailed with that same strong southern wind at full sail. The massive galley split the rushing water of the River of the Republic with grace and ease. Morning passed to midday, midday to afternoon, and afternoon to evening with little to do but talk, rest, eat, and watch. Thankfully even after the sun set, the three visible moons: Laureoth heavy and full in the southern sky, the waxing crescent of the broken, orange moon of Thgol in the western sky, and the half moon Duragaim in the northeastern sky, all provide more than enough light to steer the ship by. Thus it was that just after twilight, the ship maneuvered toward the eastern shore, as Captain Bromir started barking orders. Sails were dropped, oars unstowed, and the massive galley steered into a deepwater dock. Two of the sailors jumped overboard and secured tie-ropes to the bollards. At which point Bromir walked to the collection of passengers he'd taken aboard and said, Well friends, I've gotten you here as quickly as Amren allowed. This is it, the docks of Blueblossom Haven. My Falcon has no reason to stay docked except to drop you all off, so, I don't want to rush you off board, but, with such nice wind and moonlight to steer by, I'd love to keep going north as quickly as possible. These supplies are direly needed in the northern provinces."
Hack nods at the Captain, and disembarks from the ship to await the others on the dock.
Having kept to himself for the remainder of the trip, coming to terms with the things those around him had said. Ashrie will give the man a surly nod, and depart from the ship.
Baen gives the man thanks and departs the ship quickly, so as to not hold them back.
Upon seeing the dawn at Daybreak bridge, Luna drops to her knees just staring at the beauty of the sun rays everywhere. Staring directly at the crystal on top hurts her eyes to some degree, but she can't help but to continue staring at it as tears start to stream down her cheeks.
The rest of the day she continuously keeps referring to the beauty of the bridge and the dawn light and she makes emphasis every time about how the "Elves build such beautiful things!"
Later, upon arriving at Blueblossom Haven, she thanks the captain profusely for having delivered them so quickly to their destination and she then disembarks and waits on the docks for the rest to gather.
Looking around at the group as they gather, "I doubt we are going to be able to make contact now, in the middle of the night. Shall we try to find an inn and await the morn to seek him out? To bad we shall not be able to see the dawn at Daybreak Bridge again in the morning ..."
Jun again offers the captain a drink from the flask, as he also indulges, saying "Captain, thank you for your help. Please do speak to my brother as soon as you can get the chance. I'm sure he'd help your cause further." with a smile that seemed broader than was meant.
With that, he shouldered his pack and made his way off the ship, only turning back to make sure they get underway without any issues. Once they have moved out, Jun turns back and catches up with the group just in time to hear Luna's suggestion. "would probably be a good idea; plus, spending coin in a small village is a sure way to get people to want to give you information."
"Good winds and the Gods own speed, cap'n. Take care for croaking storeaways." With her bundle of gear and her staff in her hand, Nikeisha followed the rest of the team off the ship. "If an inn's open we can probably find out about the town a bit and such too. Or at least get a decent bed that's not a bush."
Waving Captain Bromir and his Faithful Falcon a fond farewell, the group heads down the planks of the deepwater dock to the shore. From there they chase the light of street lamps to the wide main street of Blueblossom Haven, which runs southwest by northeast perpendicular to the shoreline. Walking up that main street, no more than a hundred paces, to the first sound of carousing, Akassa's volunteers find themselves at the door to a tall three story inn and tavern with a painted wooden sign of a massive-antlered stag painted in mid jump. The words above the sign read: The Prancing Stag. The smells of smoke and mead and the sounds of men and women engaged in revelry pour out of every seam in door and window. The stained-wood sided structure is sturdy and clean, with a raised porch that extends the full front of the building. The door is a heavy oak and iron affair with a latch handle. Steps lead off the street to the long porch, and the Stag's front door.
Hack turns to the group.
Who we s'posed to see again?
"The sad ones," Nikeisha replied, slightly baffled as to why the people seemed so cheerful. Either it was the kind of revelry you got when there was a lot to fear - the laughter, life and love that banished the dark back where it belonged - or the people who had been murdered weren't very popular with the locals.
Thinking back, she added, "Man named Camatil is the mayor, we got told. He's the one to speak to about the job." It was a place to start, at least. "But if he ain't here we can at least get in some grub, some sleep and some clean clothes." And a bath, if this place had them.