Aikane nods approvingly, and gets back to scouting the trail.
Aikane takes the lead here following the trail deeper into the jungle.
Ke' pats his sample containers.
"The things I can make with that pollen..." He said, smiling wistfully.
"Anyway, sorry to slow you all down. Lets get a move on!"
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"OH! And call out if you see any big snakes." He continued.
"I need you all to hold 'em down while I milk 'em." He said grinning as he stumped along.
That boy's a fool!
"Next time, Lani, I can forget to give you a warning, to make things. Abut more fun and complicated for you," Oren laughs as he shakes his head at his friend. "I assume you don't have a death wish, so I'll keep calling out what I see," he adds as she smacks the strange potion maker on the back.
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Aikane mimics a hawk's screech! Waits. Holds up hand to tell party to stop. Slinks ahead and around danger to see what else is waiting.
Aikane points out a magical snare trap formed from a supple vine almost completely hidden from view. After circling around the immediate area the menehune determines there are no other dangers nearby so you all press on.
After struggling through the persistent undergrowth, the growth breaks up and you see a muddy clearing atop a hill. In the center of the hill you see an astonishing site: A part of the forward hull of a ship lies partially buried here among the mud and debris, now little more than a dilapidated husk.
Initiative
.
As you approach closer you see several of the now all too familiar hawanis step from one side of the hull joined by a fourth one who you can tell was an elderly man still is clothed in a waterlogged captain’s waistcoat that hangs from his bony shoulders, and his tattered trousers tenuously wrap around his gaunt hips.
"Ye be not gettin' me treasure! I be sendin' all of ye ta th' Kraken's Maw!" He yells as they lumbers forward to attack! Fortunately for you all the muddy terrain slows them down enough so they do not reach you immediately.
Round 1___________
Ke' popped a catalyst into a bomb and waited until a nicely dense group of enemies got within ten feet of our lead person. Then he throws it on him. (exempting any allied squares.)
for fire damage on the center square, and 6 points fire on any surrounding squares.
Oren targets the closest islander with a Ray of Frost.
Ranged touch attack
Damage
He then moves as far away from the monsters as possible.
Nef raises an eyebrow. An articulate hiwani in full maritime garb, speaking of treasure? Could this be the Captain of the former Lashed Harpoon? What was his name again... Delano something... Amboss? Ambrose, maybe?
The clearing was up ahead, so there wasn't enough room for her to take to the air and mount Wedjat. Holding her head high, she calls to her friends.
"Courage! Don't let them bite you and we can take them! Wedjat, attack!"
Nefertiti inspires courage but takes a step back herself. She cannot afford for them to bite her again.
Aikane stealth moves around to behind the group of Hiwanis. Delaying until they make the approach.
Reknar takes a step forward, the wand coming from the sheath in his wrist.
With a quick motion, he summons an invisible force shield to protect him - "The ground is rough - they won't get to us easy" - he speaks to his companions, looking around - "Hit them hard before they can reach us, and we've got this one" - he nods confidently, his weapon ready to strike.
"Unless... This isn't another of your friends, is he Captain?"
"Screeeee!"
Didn't we kill all of you? Oh well. Let's fix that.
Wedjat sails over the most damaged one with a flyby attack, continuing the flight on the other side.
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As Nefertiti draws on her battle flag to inspire her companions, Oren nails one of the hawanis with a frost ray while 'Lani lobs an alchemical explosive directly in the Hawani captain's feet, catching another on in its blast radius.
Aikane slips back into the underbrush looking for a perfect opportunity to strike, while the hawanis move to swarm the warrior. Reknar lashes out with one sweep of his glaive wounding one of the advancing hawanis before decapitating another one. The last one tries to slip in under his guard but underestimates the quickness of the warrior and pays for it dearly.
Wedjat flies over and finishes off one of the wounded hawanis before the second one closes on the warrior...
; no.
; no.
; no.
He then is joined by the hawani 'Captain'...
; yes.
; yes.
; no.
.
; no.
The ex-Captain claws dig deeply into Reknar's flesh causing the blood to flow freely down the mercenary's arms and chest.
At seeing the claw marks on Reknar, Wedjat flies straight at the ex-Captain who injured his friend.
"SCREEE!"
You guys take the other one. I'll take the bozo who wounded one of my humans!
Round 2___________
Ke' popped a catalyst into a bomb and tossed it at the feet of the last two hawani's. (exempting any allied squares.)
for fire damage on the center square, and 6 points fire on any surrounding squares.
Oren again targets the remaining islander with a Ray of Frost.
Ranged touch attack
Damage
Wedjat slays one of the remaining hawanis with ease, and the combined efforts of Jacinth, Oren and 'Lani are more than enough to put down the 'Captain' hawani.
"Everyone, good work!"
Nef runs to Reknar. "That was very brave, throwing yourself in front like that." Vastly relieved to see no bite marks, she holds Reknar's hand, and looks to Lani, worried. "He's wounded. Can you take care of him? I don't have any cure spells today."
She knows that there is part of a ship to search, and possible treasure ahead, but Nef wants to see to Reknar first.
"I'll be fine" - Reknar smiles at Nefertiti - "It'll take more than that to put me down - that one just got a lucky shot in" - he nods toward the fallen 'hawani captain'.
"Now lets see what we've got for our troubles" - the man adds, searching through the dead bodies - "Hope something more than thongs this time" - he chuckles, looking back at the spot where he thinks Aikane should be.
Before Proceeding, Ke'ahilani gathers everyone together and throws down a Healing bomb on the most wounded, healing him and healing everyone around him 6 points.
Wedjat lands and hops over to Reknar. "Scree?
You okay, big guy?
"Neat trick, Lani. I've never seen a bomb that actually heals everyone before. It's a,axing how more effective we can be if we don't let them get the drop on us like they did yesterday!"
That smile!
Nef's heart thuds, and her stomach does a little flip, and she realizes that she's still holding on to Reknar's hand. She blushes and after a minute, finally withdraws her hand.
"Um, yes." she says, suddenly looking anywhere but at Reknar. "Glad you're alright."
Ooh, smooth Nef! What are you doing? I thought we weren't going to flirt with Reknar until you had a chance to talk to Zem.
She digs in her pouch. "If you're always going to be in the frontline, you should have my vial of Lani's potion. Since I, um, can operate the wand still. But hang on to it for later." She gently closes Reknar's fingers around the vial, and then realizes she's touching him again, and it feels like an electric shock going through her.
Despite herself, she glances back up to Reknar's face. What is happening to her? Why can't she interact with Reknar like a normal human being, the way she wants to? She breathes in, determined to act normally.
"So... Healing! Yes, that's what we're talking about. Do you have any more infusions left, Lani, or should I tap the wand for the rest of Reknar's healing?"
Jacinth moves to examine the hawani corpses but they do not contain anything of value, not even the 'Captain's' outfit is worth anything now. Still, the old ship wreckage beckons to be explored...
Nef stumbles upon the smuggler's hold, and then points it out to everyone. "Oh, this is so cool! This is straight out of the Qadiran tale of Sinbad the sailor!"
As she stares at the jar of Ambergris, she whispers, "So the rumors were true. Delano Amborose did have Ambergris in his hold... No wonder that whale attacked his ship."
Then her eyes widen further as she makes out the Tulitan symbols with trembling hands. "Opu, 'Lani, Aikane, look! By Horus and the Three, this is sacred ambergris from Tohorara himself! We cannot keep this! We are duty-bound to return it."
Oren looks closely at the relic. "Well, I'll be. I wonder how that got here of all places. None of your friends might have snuck this here on your boat as far as you know, right Captain?"
Nef peers sideways up at Oren. "I don't think this came from the Dulcimer, Opu. The Captain we defeated spoke of his treasure, and we know the Lashed Harpoon shipwrecked near this island. I think it likely that we are standing on the former deck of Delano Amborose's ship."
She gestures to the dead hiwanis, a thoughtful expression on her face. "The Captain was the most articulate hiwani we've seen so far, but then Delano was reputed to be a monster even back when he was a man... I wonder if it amused our host to leave him partially intact, with some memories of the passions that drove him as a man."
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Before Proceeding, Ke'ahilani gathers everyone together and throws down a Healing bomb on the most wounded, healing him 2d6+4 and healing everyone around him 6 points.
"Thank you brother" - Reknar nods, rubbing his bloodied arm.
"Um, yes." she says, suddenly looking anywhere but at Reknar. "Glad you're alright."
Ooh, smooth Nef! What are you doing? I thought we weren't going to flirt with Reknar until you had a chance to talk to Zem.
She digs in her pouch. "If you're always going to be in the frontline, you should have my vial of Lani's potion. Since I, um, can operate the wand still. But hang on to it for later." She gently closes Reknar's fingers around the vial, and then realizes she's touching him again, and it feels like an electric shock going through her.
"I don't usually have time to chug down a drink midst a scuffle" - Reknar ponders, looking back at the priestess - "Bashing heads usually takes precedence" - he laughs - "But I'll take it - thank you Nefertiti" - the man adds, now with a more serious look in his face as the girls fingers wrap around his own.
Despite herself, she glances back up to Reknar's face. What is happening to her? Why can't she interact with Reknar like a normal human being, the way she wants to? She breathes in, determined to act normally.
** spoiler omitted **
"So... Healing! Yes, that's what we're talking about. Do you have any more infusions left, Lani, or should I tap the wand for the rest of Reknar's healing?"
The warrior's eyes meet her own, and he holds them there for a second, still dead serious and not laughing anymore - "We definitely need to have a few words, you and I" - he states, matter of fact - "And I'm good - don't waste any more divine miracles on these old bones"
Putting the bardiche over his shoulder, he plods towards the ruined vessel - "Lets get to it"
"Opu, 'Lani, Aikane, look! By Horus and the Three, this is sacred ambergris from Tohorara himself! We cannot keep this! We are duty-bound to return it."
"Yeah..." - Reknar grumbles - "It should be returned..." - he shrugs - "Bound to be worth some gold for sure though..."
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"Do you have any more infusions left, Lani, or should I tap the wand for the rest of Reknar's healing?"
Ke' nodded, blowing a smoke ring from his pipe.
"Yeah, I got a Cure Moderate left, and a bunch of Cure Light potions left as well."He offers a Cure Light potion, healing points of damage.
He ooohed and aaahed over the treasure.
"Ambergris! Whale oil! Kraken's Ink! The possibilities are... infinite!" He said, stars in his eyes.
this is sacred ambergris from Tohorara himself! We cannot keep this! We are duty-bound to return it.
His dreams of turning the Ambergris into a kind of napalm evaporating, Ke' gave a grudging acceptance.
"Right. Fine." He said shortly.
When Reknar holds her gaze, Nef swallows. He is so serious and intense, it's a little unnerving. "Okay. Maybe we do need to have that talk earlier rather than later."
Maybe he would make everything easier and tell her he doesn't want her. Then she can just move on, return to normal, be one of the guys again. It's what she wants, isn't it?
Is that what you want, Nef? Really?
She purposefully turns her mind from that question, and instead nervously asks him, "When... do you want to talk?"
As the others react to her announcement about the sacred artifact, she sees the disappointment in Reknar's and 'Lani's faces. "Thank you for understanding."
Jacinth and Oren though were completely supportive. She looks at Jacinth gratefully as the elf makes the absurd suggestion that the aboleth oil and kraken ink were in the same league of value as the sacred ambergris, and hugs her.
Then Nef turns to Oren. "My training with Elemakule was so cursory. I remember him saying something about Qualmaga and the Bonedown of the Ancients... Do you know where they may be found?"
She purposefully turns her mind from that question, and instead nervously asks him, "When... do you want to talk?"
"Tonight, when we bunk down to rest" - he nods, refitting his gear - "If we're still alive that is" - and again chuckles.
Then Nef turns to Oren. "My training with Elemakule was so cursory. I remember him saying something about Qualmaga and the Bonedown of the Ancients... Do you know where they may be found?"
"Really" - he pipes in - "Who or what are these 'Qualmaga' and 'Bonedown'?
"Do you have any more infusions left, Lani, or should I tap the wand for the rest of Reknar's healing?"Ke' nodded, blowing a smoke ring from his pipe.
"Yeah, I got a Cure Moderate left, and a bunch of Cure Light potions left as well."
He offers a Cure Light potion, healing 1d8+4 points of damage.
"Damn brother, I was feeling alright, but now I'm feeling GREAT!" - the warrior cracks a huge smile and flexes, his skin now unmarred by any wounds.
At Jacinth's words, he pipes in - "I'd say the statue - its about time we take the bull by the horns"
Nef nods at Reknar's statement. "If others want to go do the statue first, I will go with the majority decision."
"However, I think that our next step may be feeding us and our charges." Nef muses. "We left Rata with some food, but feeding them is a big job, since they don't have the will to feed themselves. After that, let's finish our exploration of the area with the odd vegetation. I want to tackle the area by the statue tomorrow when Lani and Oren have all the tools at their disposal." She glances at Reknar. "If Maximilian can grant them a respite from the telepathic interference of our host, we can face him at full strength."
Nef turns to Jacinth. "I've been thinking about your elvish lab." Mainly because it gets my mind off Reknar and Zem...
Nef gets up, pacing and frowning. "All those pit traps that we've seen. Who set them up? You said they were magically excavated. Is that Elvish work? If so, for what purpose? Trapping game for food? We've seen small game aplenty, but no large game. It's possible that the hawanis hunted any large game to extinction, but I'm wondering if the pit traps are there to stop or catch curious intruders. The big question I have is... Are they there to protect entrances to the lab? Or are they set up as a catch-all, all over this island, because the lab is in the center of the island? Perhaps in those tunnels we found where our host waits for us?"
She looks at Jacinth. "You know more of your ancestor, the fiend-binder, than I. Would an elf like him put a lab underground? Would Urthlan bind a demon in his own lab? Perhaps as a power source?"
Oren recalls stories of the Bonedown where long has Whale watched the shores of the Razor, fed men and protected them from the terrible secrets of the sea’s deep reaches. When the whales’ long lives of diligent service near their ends, these tireless sentinels come to Bonedown to find their rest eternal. The bones of thousands of whales litter the sea floor here. Their ribs reach up towards the light in silent homage to the oldest gods. Tulita elders claim whales slain before their time rest uneasy and their murders taint the seas. Tulita who find whale remains always painstakingly carry them to this distant reach of sea and lay them to rest with their ancestors.
With the arrival of foreign whaling fleets, this task is proving impossible. Whales, slaughtered by the hundreds, now lie festering on dozens of beaches or roll about the shallows of coves claimed by innumerable whalers and their ships.
Oren fills the others in on his knowledge of Bonedown, and the history of the Tulita relationship therewith.
"Ive never heard of this Qualmaga, though. Sounds interesting. Maybe it's another holy site for a different group."