Dur manages to crawl up onto one of the barrels where he splays out soaked and breathing heavily from his swim. The last remnants of the broken ship drift by on the storm driven sea. Wind blows. Rain continues to fall. Lightning arcs across the sky in angry swathes that are instantly followed by chest thumping booms of thunder. Although forged with little time, the makeshift raft appears to be holding together well and is maintaining its buoyancy as it bobs atop the massive swells with its desperately clinging passengers.
Several minutes pass and no further sign of the kraken. Until the light touch of a tentacle brushes up against Rilkus' metal leg. The clockwork dwarf stifles a startled shout and fortunately his metal frame offers little interest to the curious creature. But the inquisitive tentacle continues its exploration of the wreckage, looking for anything that might fill the never ending hunger within the kraken's belly.
The thick, slick, sucker lined appendage slides over, under and around the raft. Brushing up against sea soaked and chilled arms, legs, and even across the occasional face. It takes complete concentration to avoid giving in to the heart pounding fear of the ancient beast's presence. It takes a firm grasp of ones mind and body to keep from following every screaming instinct to flee. Jump into the sea and swim as fast and hard as possible to escape what is certainly a horrible death.
Beordt chokes a whine when he notes the krakken. Tor seeks to test our hearts will our minds break in the face of foe that we have no hope of besting. I will not let despair take me.
Toki fingers his handaxe, just in case the kraken forces his hand...
Rilkus stoically held his ground. He knew that fleeing now would do little good, especially as the creature had not shown interest in eating something inorganic like himself.
WIS
A shiver of fear - now becoming a familiar feeling - crawls up Sorala's back, and then spreads to the rest of her body. Despite the warning, despite her own knowledge, something in the Iron Squire breaks. Don't want to die on this raft! And with that thought, she's into the drink, swimming for shore...
Toki, seeing everyone starting to freak out, stands on the raft and begins singing an edda, directing it to the kraken, singing its strength and power.
Dacknar, Beordt, Rilkus, and Toki manage to steady the others as the kraken's massive tentacle slithers and slides along the raft and its clinging passengers. Just as it looks like maybe LilRothic is going to break, Toki begins singing an edda that seems to somehow appease the great beast, but also calms the heart within the ready to flee minotaur. With lightning striking and thunder booming about him, the bard rides the stormy waves and sings of the sea and her mightiest of creatures.
In what seems to be acceptance of this offering, the kraken's tentacle slips back under the sea and isn't seen again.
For several hours the storm continues to blow and toss you about the open ocean. Finally both the night and the storm start to come to an end. As the sky starts to lighten, you continue to cling desperately to the raft. Everyone is battered, bruised, aching, and half drowned from the constant battle to keep the raft together and from sinking.
Hope appears to the west where land appears. A pinnacle of rock towers to the north over a sandy beach while a good distance to the south there appears to be another stretch of sandy beach and some kind of cove. In between runs a jungle lined stretch of rocky shoreline where the surf crashes ashore with great bursts of spraying water.
The current appears to be pulling you more to the northwest but you find yourselves far enough out still that with a little effort you could affect where you actually come ashore.
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Toki smacks his dry, chapped lips and nudges Beordt, pointing out to a nice landing along the coast, Let us move toward that spot!
Unslinging his lute, knowing full well that the salt water will wreak havoc on the instrument, he uses it as a paddle, trying to affect the trajectory of their little raft.
"I see two beaches. The one to the NW looks to be guarded by a couple of rocks, but the current would help us go that way. The one to the south, looks more promising, but we'd have to pull against the tide. Since we're all battered and beaten, I suggest we head towards the easier paddle to the NW".
STR Check
STR Check (Disadvantage)
CON Check
Beordt looks toward the shore, "Either is a gift. But the NW seems an easier go." He swims with one huge clawed hand pulling at the raft and kicks straining toward the shore.
"Right. At least let's all paddle in the same direction, so someone points towards our target. LilRothic is our compass. Point the way!"
"We are truly blessed to have survived that." Rilkus said, oblivious to the fact that anyone who was actually blessed would not have been in such a circumstance to begin with. "I cannot tell which is the correct course. So, like Dat (he found N'Dateh to be hard to pronounce), I shall go in whatever direction is indicated."
Sorala clings to the raft, silent, all attention focused inwards. How could I have been so cowardly? How I could put myself - and the others - in danger without so much as a thought.
When land appears, she nods and slides into the water, holding onto the raft with her hands, and kicking with the last of her energy towards the northwest.
AC: 12
one level exhaustion
The rat is tired, but grateful to have survived such a terrible fate. Being physically lesser than the great bear, he figures it'd be best to paddle in the same direction.
He flails in the water uselessly, but seeing land has given him so much hope that; inspired by Toki, he begins to sing the classic ratfolk song, We may be small, but we bite to celebrate overcoming the tremendous obstacle.
Maybe it's the fact that we all just made it across the great and tumultuous sea, but Dur's voice sounds almost decent.
A choice is made. The easiest path is taken. You gather the remains of your strength and steer with raft with the prevailing current toward the high tower of rock looming over the beach below. As the sun rises, it's light glitters upon the dark stone of a lonely fortification perched atop the pinnacle of rock. A narrow column of smoke rises from the fortress, signifying someone occupies this distant outpost.
The beach shines white in the bright morning sun. Evidence of the storms fury on shore is also easily apparent. Palm trees lie toppled and tattered while the white sands are strewn with all manner of debris, from massive logs tossed far inland to a smattering of cargo crates, barrels,cotton bales, and other debris most likely from the Delightful Rose itself.
Rilkus was grateful for merely surviving the storm and the kraken attack. He regarded his fellow survivors and felt a brief pang of guilt for there not being more. He knew that he had done what he could, and that it was a small miracle that he had survived himself, but that did not erase the feeling that more might have been done. Especially as it seemed that the survivors of the ship had turned out to be the most able of passengers. If he could have sighed, he would have. Doing so would have required lungs, which he no longer had. Instead the gearforged silently kept rowing along, oblivious to what was around them.
Hopping from the boat, Sorala rubs her weary eyes, and lets out a sigh. She offers herself a silent promise - No more boats unless absolutely necessary - and looks around the beach.
Rubbing her eyes again, Sorala frowns as she takes in the fortification. "They'll be here soon as a lightning jackel's tummy rumbles, if I had to wager. We should either hide and rest, or figure out if they're friends."
AC: 12
one level exhaustion
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Perking up a bit at Toki's keen observation, Sorala begins combing the beach, looking for signs of what happened to the launch's crew.** spoiler omitted **
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Beordt is pleased to make the beach. He clearly is tired like so many of the others but he takes to pulling the raft ashore. "We'll need water. The bitter waters has a way of drying out the fur . . .and err skin." He looks about and raises to his full height lifting his nose to test the air. When he catches the eyes of others watching his foreign manner he twists his muzzle in what is likely a smirk and says. "You all smell horrid too."
"Some of this debris might have food if its not all flotsam."
Toki chuckles at his friend's comment, A bath would be welcome!
N'Dateh picks herself up and gathers her kit, sloshing to the dry sands to lay there, dry, and rest for a moment. As she hears the others around her, she says while still lying back: "I can probaly help with food and water. Given the right sacrifice, the gods might hear my plea and grant us food for the day, and water can become fresh once collected. If you don't trust me, then trust the gods. How many of us made it?"
Stepping on the beach, Dacknar known for being able to see a fly on a horses butt at 100 paces. Just stares off at the ocean searching for any other survivors from the doomed Delightful Rose.
Not seeing a soul around. Dacknar turns to try and picture where they might have landed.
"Yes, taking stock in what we have and then finding food and water is number one on the list to do. But this is the Spice coast and there is a good chance we might run into slavers. So no one goes alone and make sure you are armed."
"Yes, pairs, at least. There will be predators nearby, but also prey. This is the natural order of things. We should take every measure to stay on the right side of the balance. Use our wisdom to better effect."
"As for food, I can take care of that, at least for about ten people. How many of us made it?" she repeats and lifts her head from the sands to look around her.
What about that tower? Looks like someone lives there...
WIS
WIS (Disadvantage
History
History (Disadvantage)
Lily's eyes are blurry from the constant exposure to salt water and driving rain, and she can't collect her thoughts right, as she stumbles onto the beach, and sits against some debris, gathering her wits.
"I would think shelter and rest would be high on the list. We're no good to anybody in our current situation. And I'd kill for some fresh water".
Lilly looks around for any rainwater that might have gathered somewhere, and a good place to build a shelter.
Survival
Survival (Disadvantage).
She then offers to heal the most injured among them.
Speak with inanimate Object
Friend boat. Did any two legs walk away from your remains?
DM
Does this locationi look like anything from one of Lily's earlier visions?
Alas, poor Eofric, of the strong back and arms. You lie tangled upon the nets of treachery and doom most foul.
Weep for the good captain and lighthearted Tomas, bound and carried away like pitiful cargo. Oh why! Oh why did we not choose a more pleasant place to come ashore.
The clearly broken and pitiful spirit of the little launch continues on in such a fashion recalling the fallen crew and of course the lost fellow spirit of its former home, the Delightful Rose.
You slowly drag yourselves ashore, welcoming the feel of dry land beneath your feet. But that feeling evaporates like water in the Red Desert when there's a sudden squeak as a net springs up out of the sand and wraps Dur in its tangled web. As the little ratfolk curses and tries to struggle free, D'Nateh spots the body of one of the sailors from the Rose also tangled and dead, the body's only movement caused by the surf occasionally washing it further up the shore.
Sorala starts to respond to the others, when she hears the trap spring nearby. Pulling at the rope, Sorala does what she can to free the ratfolk. Unable to untangle the netting, Sorala draws her blade. "Do you want me to cut you out?"
Toki points out the footprints leading away, Looks like some sailors may have made it, but look at these webbed footprints. Maybe frog men? Merfolk?
The Northman moves over to help with Dur, pulling his handaxe from his belt, waiting for the ratfolk's response to Sorala's question.
"$%@#! Yes please, I think I'm stuck," The ratfolk lets off a long string of curses in both common and infernal, some very creative indeed. "I think we should try and find a nice hole to rest in, and regain our strength. If there are slavers about, then we need to be at our sharpest if we want to avoid them."
Toki begins hacking at the rope holding the net up in the air, Alley-oop!
Going to work with her sword, Sorala helps Toki. It would be a shame to destroy such a useful tool, but of course the ratfolk's life was more important.
Grabbing hold of Toki and pulling him back a step.
"Watch yourself, you don't need to be stuck in a net as well."
Dacknar grabs a big rock or some debris and tosses it on the trap to spring it.
"That claims it, there are slavers about. We need to be ready for anything."
Squatting down he looks at the prints. "Your right about the prints. The webbed ones look almost familiar."
2 exhaustion.
Tired, exhausted, and beaten, Tibs thinks to himself.
Of course, a grand destiny is rarely easy.. But this seems... BAH! I'll not be broken!... even if I passed out on the raft. Perhaps others didn't notice.
Tibs stumbles onto the shore after falling off the raft bit he had managed to entangle his arm and leg in. He looks around and assess the situation.
Do you think they took the other sailors? Whoever left the footprints? It would seem so by the tracks yes?
Toki looks a bit sheepish, Thanks, Dacknar. We need some sleep, and a belly full of food and drink...
WIS
WIS (Disadvantage)
INT
INT (Disadvantage)
Lil spots the other trap about the time it is pointed out by others.
She draws her hand quickly from the small dingy, disheartened by the discord the craft shared with her.
"I know we're tired and weary, but we are in great danger here. I saw... I mean I think this seems familiar to me. We should try to put some distance away from here before we rest".
Lil looks around for a path leading away from the beach... hopefully south towards the more peaceful beach she glimpsed earlier.
Perception or Survival
Perception or Survival (Disadvantage)
"Sounds like we have water available. Lets find a secure place to rest. More secure than on an open beach with strange footprints."
Dacknar actually manages to point out a series of the net traps dotting a long stretch of the beach. After Toki and Sorala help cut Dur free, the elf with his keen eyes is able to lead everyone up the beach and into the tattered remnants of the jungle.
LilRothic scouts for a path to the south, away from the jutting granite rock and whatever settlement is perched at its summit. Her tired and waterlogged mind struggles and all of the fallen trees and other storm debris doesn't help, but eventually the minotaur discovers a rough path leading generally south.
Just as she returns to where the others rest, a trio of bandy-legged frog men emerge from a patch of jungle nearest the base of the rocky point. Dressed in simple hides and carrying short spears, the trio walk down toward the beach. Their webbed feet allowing them to move easily across the deep sands. So far the newcomers are unaware of your presence about eighty feet away and somewhat hidden within a patch of trees. But as they start to explore the remains of the raft and notice the cut up netting the three clearly start searching the beach for signs of your recent passage.
N'Dateh whispers: "The last thing we need is a tribe, a nation perhaps, of enemies. Toki, you can lullaby a kraken. Surely you can calm a bunch of frogmen? Otherwise... Otherwise we can't let them escape..."