Round 2
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Loxx delays, waiting to see what happens.
The orange orca continues to tear at the fiendish orca violently.
Status:
Fiendish augmented orca: 26/85 hp plus 15 nonlethal damage
orange orca: 7 lethal damage
red orca: 26 lethal + 45 nonlethal damage
Lilybeth, you're up! Loxx, you can jump in at any point.
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Lilybeth will cast mage armor and ready to deliver it to the summoned orca.
"Inkwell, come a bit closer so I can give the shell a bit more protection. Try to keep it alive a bit longer!"
Inkwell 5 foot steps towards Lilybeth and gets the Mage Armor.
He then continues his attacks non-lethal, on the defensive
for
Status:
Fiendish augmented orca: 41/85 hp plus 10 nonlethal damage
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You cause webs to grow between the target's fingers and its feet to transform into flippers, granting a swim speed of 30 feet along with the standard +8 bonus on Swim checks and the ability to take 10 even if distracted or endangered. You can also use the run action while swimming, provided you swim in a straight line. This transformation causes any boots or gloves the target is wearing to meld into its form (although magic items with a continuous effect continue to function). This spell does not grant the target any ability to breathe water.
Initiative Order:
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Loxx (on delay)
Orca (orange border)
Lilybeth
Mason
Orca (red border)
Sickly
LifeLover
Bertha
Round 2 (continued)
Lilybeth provides mage armor to the summoned orca, which continues to fight the orcas.
Mason waits to see what happens (on delay).
The red orca attacks the fiendish one ferociously.
Sickly holds tight in the canoe, hoping this ends soon.
LifeLover withdraws her spells from the water, avoiding further damage. As the lightning spheres break the surface, they sizzle to life, releasing a cloud of steam punctuated with blue bolts.
Bertha swims for the shore, leaping out of the water like a mermaid and ending up on the rocky beach in front of an astonished crowd of Erutaki.
Loxx, you are up! And Mason on delay can jump in at any point as well.
Status
summoned orca: 21/85 hp plus 10 nonlethal damage; mage armor
orange orca: 7 lethal damage
red orca: 26 lethal + 45 nonlethal damage
Round 3
Loxx continues to monitor the situation.
Orange orca continues to focus on the unnatural fiendish interloper that challenges its dominance.
Lilybeth, you are up!
"Ropes won't speed things up, they'd just interfere with Kalu'uq's paddling," Tikasak replies to Lilybeth. "Besides, your... friend? seems to be distracting the oolongaktuk."
Round 3 (continued)
Lilybeth delays, realizing haste won't affect the canoe's speed.
Mason sits tight as his canoe heads to the shore.
The red orca attacks the fiendish one again. Inkwell's shell is nearly done in.
Sickly, LifeLover, and Bertha all delay in combat terms. Bertha is quickly surrounded by many curious Erutaki, who admire her fins and speak excitedly to each other.
Round 4
Loxx delays as his canoe approaches the shore.
The orange orca attacks again, but the fiendish orca manages to evade its attack.
Lilybeth, Mason - any changes?
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Lilybeth will cast haste on the fiendish orca (and herself and the 7 people closest to her)
Inkwell will retreat from combat, swimming away from the shore. Just out of the charge range of the real orcas. Hopefully leading the killer whales away from the canoes while giving them the satisfaction of driving the intruder out of their territory.
While retreating he will jump out of the water repeatedly.
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Lilybeth will cast haste on the fiendish orca (and herself and the 7 people closest to her)
Inkwell will retreat from combat, swimming away from the shore. Just out of the charge range of the real orcas. Hopefully leading the killer whales away from the canoes while giving them the satisfaction of driving the intruder out of their territory.
While retreating he will jump out of the water repeatedly.
Round 4 (continued)
The red orca attacks again as the three blackfish swirl the sea surface to froth.
Lilybeth casts haste on herself, Inkwell's orca, Sickly, Tikasak, Mason, and the four warriors in her and Tikasak's canoe.
The rest of the group reaches shore, and villagers move forward to pull the canoes out of the water. Each of you is surrounded by several awe-struck Erutaki, speaking quickly in a melodic language that seems to incorporate elements of sign language, changing facial expression, and rhythmic elements.
Beneath the water, the orange orca finally gets a death blow on Inkwell's fiendish shell, and it evaporates back to the dark plane from whence it came.
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I fly down and join the group just as the boats are arriving on the shore so as not to miss any of the excitement.
Assuming we all still have comprehend language up (was 10 minutes long) we should have some clue what the people are trying to say. If it expired on me I would recast it on myself so I can at least follow the conversations.
Initial actions would be greeting the people and finding out what people are saying. Trying to discern who the leader is.
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While Lilybeth exits the canoe she tries to remember the local greetings
If she knows the local greetings she'll use those else she will politely say hello to anyone who approaches her.
Inkwell will appear on her shoulder. Master's side (1/4)
Those of you with comprehend languages can understand much of the Erutaki chatter, which seems to be evenly split on whetehr your visit is an auspicious omen or not. Many of the older villagers speak about you rather than to you. Attracting the orca to you seems to count in your favor, although the underwater combat and electrical discharges seemed to offend or frighten many of the villagers.
As LifeLover lands, she diverts the crowd's attention from Bertha the mermaid, especially for the younger children who surround her crying various forms of, "Do it again!" She is upstaged only when Kuokei the snowy owl wings over the harbor and comes in for a landing on one of the totem poles. The villagers appear to know Kuokei, and many call out to her as if old friends.
Tikasak helps to translate direct questions from the crowd, although you notice that her translations seem to carry more detailed information than that provided by magical translation.
Tikasak also points past teh crowds to a small group of older adults who are silently watching the proceedings. After a moment, the group turns away and enters the large longhouse at the center of the village.
"Those are the village elders," Tikasak relays. "They have heard of your coming. When you are ready we will speak before them."
Before you can react tot his information, Mason feels a slap on his back, as a large Ulfen man with an immense beard greets him in Skald and then in Common. "Welcome, welcome! Quite the show you've put on, best entrance in months! Nice glaive!" He thumbs himself in the chest and smiles broadly. "Bjorn, at your service. Head of Ulfen House, finest source of goods from here to Tian Xia!"
"When you are ready, I will take you to the Lodge of Smoke and you may speak with them," Tikasak assures Lilybeth. "We can go now if you wish."
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Sickly doesn't like the sound of a lodge of smoke at all. Who knew what sorts of things they'd be burning in there...
He is dismayed to see Lilybeth heading off that way, and almost habitually trails along after her, one hand digging in the familiar bag of unguents, tinctures, powders, and ointments he keeps on hand for emergency medical treatments.
He pulls his medical mask back over his face as he quietly follows the rest, an unhappy look on his face.
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Mason stares blankly at the large man before nodding along after he switches to common.
Mason responds in a blunt, but not unfriendly manner"Bjorn. Mason. Ulfen House? Is that an outfitter?"
Seeing Lilybeth making her way, Mason excuses himself from Bjorn. "My charges are leaving and I will attend to them. Where do we find you later?"
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@Mason: The big Ulfen smiles broadly despite Mason's deadpan answer; he seems familiar with dwarven personalities. "Outfitter? Yes, and more... Ulfen House is more like a trade center between the Ulfen and the Erutaki. Our people have traded for centuries, and with this being the only Erutaki settlement of any size, many maintain a presence here."
He gestures to the decoratively-carved wooden houses around you. "An amazingly artistic people, the Erutaki," he explains. "You'd expect folk here to concentrate on survival, but the Erutaki are rich - they ahve enough time to spend on crafts that take years or even generations to master. Their scrimshaw is exquisite, and fetches good profits across Avistan." He continues to extol the virtues of Erutaki art until Mason motions to leave.
"Ulfen House is at the south end of town - you can't miss it. it's the only place with a sign!" He shakes Masons's hand and strides away, nodding and waving to everyone he passes.
@Lilybeth:
Tikasak considers your question. "Your question is... complicated. What is taboo for one clan may not be for another. But, anything that involves killing is always done only for food, and even then only for thanking the spirits of the animal world for their gifts. " She gestures to the various places where either furs or fish are drying on racks outside of various lodges. "Each family has its own mix of animals it uses, so that there is enough for all, and no creature is hunted to extinction. Fish are plentiful for those of us who live near the sea, but the inland groups instead hunt the auroch and the caribou."
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@Lilybeth:
Tikasak considers your question. "Your question is... complicated. What is taboo for one clan may not be for another. But, anything that involves killing is always done only for food, and even then only for thanking the spirits of the animal world for their gifts. " She gestures to the various places where either furs or fish are drying on racks outside of various lodges. "Each family has its own mix of animals it uses, so that there is enough for all, and no creature is hunted to extinction. Fish are plentiful for those of us who live near the sea, but the inland groups instead hunt the auroch and the caribou."
Lilybeth uses the message spell to whisper to Bertha and LiveLove
"I hope these nice furs we bought won't offend them in any way..."
Tikasak leads the group towards the largest lodge, a huge structure supported on many stilts above the gravelly ground of a large island near the center of Aaminiut. Dozens of villagers follow, curious to hear the visitors' stories, and knowing that the elders may tell stories as well.
Within the lodge, the lighting is subdued but peaceful. Smoke from the various hearths hangs near the ceiling despite the four large vents, giving a smell of pine and sweetgrass which masks the wet fur smell you now realize permeated the outer areas. Several dozen villagers sit cross-legged around the perimeter of the lodge, carving long pieces of walrus ivory with a variety of tools. Hanging from the center of the lodge's main beam is a huge skeleton of a whale, strung together with colorfully beaded leathers and carved in intricate patterns.
Tikasak leads your group towards the far end of the lodge, and you notice that most of the villagers do not follow but instead take seats near the perimeter with the others. Three elderly Erutaki sit on piles of furs, murmuring softly as they prepare what appears to be an herbal tea.
Those of you unable to understand the Erutaki language hear Tikasak speaks softly to the elders, and she pauses and points first at Lilybeth, then at LifeLover, and finally at Bertha. After what seems like a long monologue, she turns back to you.
"I have told them you are strangers in our land, and that you come with uncertain purpose, yet I believe you are good people."
The oldest of the three, an ancient woman with a beautifully-beaded coat, slowly stands using a carved staff as support. She faces you and looks each of you in the eye, as if taking your measure.
"This is Seshu, the wisest," Tikasak whispers. "She will want to know why you are here."
@Lilybeth: Tikasak glances at you as you cast your spell, and frowns almost imperceptibly. Once you are finished speaking, she whispers to you. "Avoid magic in the Lodge of Smoke until you are welcomed as friends by the elders. The furs will be of no account to them unless you force the issue."
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Speaking to our group, "Would one of you like to be the spokesperson here and have Tongues so that you can communicate easier with the elders." Looking at Tikasak, "Assuming we would be allowed to cast a spell that allows us to improve communications between our people."
I am prepared to get out the scroll of tongues and cast it using my mnemonic vestment on whomever volunteers to be the spokesperson if we get permission.