"Why are dwarves so tight lipped?
?..because silence is Golden"
Jesal steps back and summons an thundercloud.
electrical on failed Reflex save + adds partial concealment
Isaac's blade cuts into the sea hag's shoulder as she leaps onto the stone; she hisses in pain, but dodges his next blow. She just snarls at Edward's joke, and falls almost flat onto the rock as Jesal's thundercloud flies at her. Leaping forward, she lunges at Isaac with her claws! He dodges one, but the other rakes across his side. "I will teach you manners for daring to invade this place!" she spits.
Initiative
Edward, Isaac, Jesal
Sea Hag
Alabaster, Arhiel<----
Sea Hag: HP: 12 | AC/T/FF: 16/13/13 | Fort +5 Ref +7 Will +5 | CMD: 21 | SR: 15
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Arhiel aims another magic missile at her. I can't see her clearly, but this won't miss.
Alabaster reloads with a curse as he sees the hag cut his captain, and Arhiel summons a pair of magic missiles that slam into the hideous beast. A bare moment later, Alabaster's pistol fires and birds take off, squawking in terror from a tree across the clearing; she's just a bit too far for him to hit easily at this range!
Initiative
Edward, Isaac, Jesal<----
Sea Hag
Alabaster, Arhiel
Sea Hag: HP: 7 | AC/T/FF: 16/13/13 | Fort +5 Ref +7 Will +5 | CMD: 21 | SR: 15
BOO!
Isaac grunts as he takes the claw from the hag. He swings his cutlass at her!
The sea hag jumps at Edward's forceful shout, and snarls in his direction. She shrieks in pain--and, suddenly, fear--as Isaac's cutlass cuts into her shoulder, and a hurled shortspear from Jesal knocks her off the stone with a shriek. The sea hag crumples to the ground, breathing shallowly, entirely unconscious and bleeding slowly out.
Isaac wipes the sweat off of his brow as he stares down at the hag. He turns the others. "It be down! She may be Wulthren or one o' 'er coven! Shall we be let tin' 'er die or try to be getting' informati'n from 'er? I say informati'n. Bu' we be takin' precauti'ns."
"More than a grindy, i'd vote for her to die.
But if you say for information, we'd better hogtie her as much as we can, maybe twofold."
"You may have to gag her too and even then she might have magics that could surprise you... I'd vote for death as well with such a foe."
Arhiel casts detect magic and strips her of anything magical or valuable.
Alabaster reloads and trains his pistol on her.
Cap'n, I support yer decision either way, but iffen it were me, I'd send 'er to tha locker faster 'n a chelaxian cap'n on Besmara's plank.
Isaac nods at the others. "Bin' 'er tightly. Arms an' legs. Gag 'er. Blin'fol' 'er. Keep weapons on 'er. I don't wan' any magic. Af'er we be gettin' th' info we need, then we be endin' 'er."
In a trice, the unconscious sea hag is bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Arhiel detects no magical objects on her, though a search does reveal some valuables in her belt pouch: a tiny gold idol, marked with strange carvings, of a hunch-backed woman with a fleck of ruby for an eye, a fist-sized hunk of remarkably clear rose quartz, and a greenish-yellow gemstone.
The hag, meanwhile, remains unconscious.
Gold idol, strange carvings (1,000 gp)
Rose Quartz 35 gp
Chrysoberyl 80 gp
Isaac looks over the items that Arhiel had found.
He looks at the hag and says, "Heal 'er."
There's an awkward few moments as no one wants to actually have to touch the hag in order to heal her. As you're all debating what to do, standing in the sinking sunlight amid the trees, a refreshing breeze whispers gently through the stones...so gently, in fact, that it takes a moment for you to realize the breeze is actually whispering!
"So, the lizardfolk have found themselves some champions," says a voice borne seemingly on the air itself, and still laden with malice. "You've slain the least of us, but you'll have a harder time with me. Come. I'm ready."
As quickly as it's there, the voice is gone...
Arhiel looks around for where the voice came from.
"Dis thing bein a blight. Let it die and be findin da others."
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Isaac grimly nods. "Aye. Let 'er die. We be havin' bigg'r thin's to figh'."
The voice sounded like it was coming from the very center of the clearing, though it seemed as though it was borne on a wind from the east...
The sea hag is quickly dispatched with a cutlass-thrust, and you retrieve the bindings on her. It's full night , and you're not sure where to head next.
Suddenly, away in the trees to the east, you see what looks like a humanoid figure! It's hard to see amid the jungle, but it looks about the size of a human. All you can see is light, as though the figure were glowing brightly or even composed of light...it seems to look your way, then turns and disappears into the east among the trees!
I think it's not real... meant to lure us... just my guess anyway... I suggest we not fall for such a ruse."
Isaac looks at Arhiel and nods. "Iffen ye be sur'. Is ther' a way ye can fin' th' sourc' o' it or 'er tru' location?"
Alabaster loads his pistol while he mutters.
I aint fer knowin, but I bet it'll scream when I shoot it iffen it be real...
The figure wavers in and out of sight, prancing around in the woods as though teasing you...
Isaac watches the figure, gritting his teeth. He searches his surroundings, looking out for anything.
He turns to the others. "Iffen she isn't goin' to attac' us, then we be needing' rest. Bu' I be thinkin' we shoul' be on our guard an' on heavy watch."
Isaac can't see anything other than the light-thing dancing among the trees, although it does occasionally vanish and then reappear short distances away.
The rest of the night passes uneasily. The strange light-creature never goes away. It doesn't approach terribly closely either, and every once in a while it makes strange noises. It's a constant distraction for those on watch, and there are other strange sounds too: each of you, during your time on watch, hears things like distant singing, gruff voices (too faint to make out the words), strange roars or howls, and the buzzing of countless but nonetheless too-distant-to-see insects. All of these sounds seem to emanate from the general direction the light-creature is in--to the east--but they don't seem to be coming from it itself.
Still, the distractions aren't enough to prevent you from getting restful sleep, and by the time the sun is up, you're all feeling moderately refreshed and at least a little bit recovered from the ordeals of the last few days. As the sun comes up, the light creature disappears, and you can see deeper into the forest.
Isaac stretches and witnesses the creature disappearing. He turns to the others, while munching on some of his trail rations. "Mornin', mates. Now tha' we be rested, we need to be discussin' about wha' to do about th' possibility o' Wulthren darting aroun' us." He waits for the others to suggest some ideas.
Edward shrugs at the light creature.
"Oh, i can do that too....i'm thinking it's a simple spell."
Edward makes a quick gesture, and ahead appears another vague humanoid figure, shining too.
"Shiny thing, second edition."
Edward has it walk over to the other one, to see how it reacts, if at all."[/b]
The following morning, he's refreshed again.
"Good morning all."
Isaac nods at Edward as he demonstrates the magic. "I see. Tha' be very interestin'. Not som'thin' I'm all tha' familiar wit'."
Isaac nods at Edward the next morning in greeting.
Edward's construction of light can't seem to touch the other one--every time it approaches, the other one darts away. Never far, but it clearly doesn't want to be examined closely.
Viewed from a distance, though, it rapidly becomes clear that the two beings are in fact the same type--both composed of light.
The next morning, though, there's no sign of the creature. There are no tracks to be found, either--none but what you see leftover from your fight with the sea hag.
"Perhaps we should check out the sounds, but with great caution as it is as easy to create false sound as it is false light. Let's not get lured to watery graves by an apprentice's trick."
Isaac hears the sounds in the distance. He draws his cutlass. "Aye. Let's be scoutin' it ou' firs'."
Stealth is good. Did we ever backtrack the hags tracks?
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You all creep through the jungle cautiously, moving quickly and...well, as quietly as five people can...toward the sound. You descend the hill with the standing stones, and after not very long, find the source of the noise: a small stream from the west drops into a little waterfall here, and the noise you heard is coming from around the edge of the waterfall. At first you thought it was a cry for help, but you now realize it's a strange, wordless song: "Eyaaaaah, eyaaaaaah, elo-aaaaay." It sounds like someone just singing to themselves.
Once you draw near the edge of the vegetation and can see the entire pool, it's not hard to pick out the singer: though she's shielded by the waterfall, she's not making any attempt at hiding. A young Mwangi woman, tall and strikingly good-looking, is bathing under the waterfall, naked but for a small satchel or charm of some kind worn around her neck. She continues to bathe, singing to herself and rubbing the water through her hair. A simple robe and a gnarled club, set with spikes, lie on the bank nearest to her.
Isaac walks through the jungle towards the sound, keeping an eye out for any danger or any sign of Wulthren. When they arrive at the waterfall, Isaac sees the naked Mwangi woman, bathing and singing. She seems to be content to just singing and bathing. However, he wants to learn more before revealing himself. He whispers to the others, [smaller]"Hol' fer a momen'. Let's see iffen she be friendly or th' lik' before' we call ou' to 'er." He keeps an eye out for any of the hags, for danger, and on the Mwangi woman.
Alabaster makes sure his pistol is loaded, and draws Brineblood.
Cap'n, I ain't fer thinkin that be a real woman. I bet it be tha hag, usin' magic ta look all... not ugly.
With Alabaster's aid, Isaac notices something about the woman. "She be knowin' we be her'. She be watchin' us. Not ev'n bot'erin' to co'er herself up." He looks at the others. "We need to be figurin' ou' if fen this be a hag or a local. I'm not too well versed in magic. Bu', aren't ther' spells to figur' ou' this typ' o' thing? Lik' detection' magic or th' lik'?"
"Have to be within sixty feet to detect magic... and if she's a natural shapechanger detect magic might not be able to tell even then."
Isaac curses. "D**n! Anyon' els' hav' any ot'er suggestions? I be tempted to jus' confron' 'er."
As you debate, the woman steps out of the small pool, humming to herself still, and wraps herself in her robe. Glancing over her shoulder at you, she says in accented but entirely comprehensible Common, "An' here I thought your people considered it rude t'look on a woman wit' her clothes off. I know you're there, may's well come out!"
Isaac hears the woman call them out. He takes a deep breath and steps out, cutlass still in his hand. He puts on a smile. "Sorry abou' tha'. We be travelin' fer a whil'. So we be on edg'. We be on a mission fer a merchan', gettin' an idea o' th' area." He bows and says, "An' to whom do we hav' th' honor o' speakin' to? An' wher' did ye com' from?" As he speaks, he tries to keep an eye out for danger and a close eye on the woman. He also racks his brain on whether or both there are local human Mwangi tribes on this island or on where this woman could have come from.
Alabaster shrugs and follows Isaac, his pistol and cutlass still very much drawn and in hand.