When explorers from Cheliax first reached the Shackles in 4111 AR, they found the island chain rife with ruins from the ancient cyclops empire of Ghol-Gan. The remaining walls of these colossal buildings were so densely illustrated with murals of blood-soaked rites and unholy sacrifices that no Chelaxian dared consider these haunted shores suitable for colonization. Yet that same fearsome reputation made it an immediate destination for northern pirates. They flocked to the supposedly cursed islands in droves, settling there in relative safety while launching lucrative raids against merchant ships in the Abendego Gulf.
Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry invites the Pathfinders to meet her at the helm of the Glorious Payoff, where she navigates the vessel down the Garundi coast.
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Jaune took in a deep breathe as he stepped out upon the deck of the Glorious Payoff, a fine ship no doubt but he wasn't a sailor nor had any experience whatsoever with that of nautical life, no matter how much he frequented dockside bars and the warming up of lonely beds. Dressed in somewhat colorful attire, bits of light bright reds and soft pleasant blues, with hints of purple. If not for the studded leather armor he wore and overall adventurer like rugged look one could say he was a regular dandy. Fixing his crocked hat a top his head with a white feather upon it and straightening out the wooden guitar strung to his back, he'd proceed to the helm.
As he walked the Chelish Bard would look out upon the sea infrequently before waiting for other's of his party assigned by the Society for the venture. He had lacked the tact of rather frequenting much with the other Pathfinders and instead took the time to do... much little at all, lazing about the ship and infrequently practicing and composing a few tunes here and there. Finding a comfy spot to even sleep was an issue, the cot given to him to sleep was not his style, sleeping in it giving him all sort of little nagging feelings in his back that screamed to high Hell that things were wrong in the state of Ustlav. While this was little less than a petty annoyance, it still grated on Jaunes nerves as he hummed a tune he heard from a scullery maid before leaving Absalom.
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Apollo Fireborn, a wild-haired halfling with a red scraggly beard, finds his way to the upper deck of the Glorious Payoff. He carries a halfling sling staff. Over his studded leather armor, his clothing appears to be constantly smoldering. As he approaches, it faintly smells as if something is burning.
Brandishing an empty mug, the halfling announces gruffly to no one in particular, "Damn ocean. If Sarenrae had intended us to live on the water, she'd have given us fins. Wait! This isn't the galley. Where can I get a refill?" Realizing he's run into other Pathfinders and the Venture Captain, he quickly recovers, "Ahhh, there you are. Been looking everywhere for our meeting. So this is the helm, is it?" He looks around, "But where are my manners?" He mutters under his breath, "Probably left them ashore, where we'd all be a lot safer." The halfling continues, "I'm Apollo. I don't sail much. When I accepted this assignment, they didn't tell me it would involve a boat. I'm here for the pirates. In retrospect, I could have puzzled out the part about the boat. Fair enough."
Seeing a guitar on Jaune's back, Apollo smiles, pulls out his lyre, and strums a chord, "Ahh, excellent. Another musician. We must play together some evening to help take our minds off the incessant water." He replaces his lyre and continues, "My specialty is fire magic. Well, if I'm being honest, I hope it will be a specialty. One day." He pauses before admitting, "On rare occasions, the fire gets a little out of control. It only happened twice on my last mission. But everyone was fine ... eventually." Apollo steps back and listens to the other introductions.
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The bard would look down to see what would be one of his fellow compatriots, a strange fellow that reeked of something burning. Not a pleasant smell of it either but there was always plenty worse out there to smell, the salty air mostly blocking it out. He'd smile, listening and nodding his head at the strange individual, "Yes yes, how nice to have another musician among us though I am afraid I typically do my best work alone though I could swap some technique with you," he says while laying back against the railing up the way to the helm.
"Where be my manners? My name is Jaune Bolten the Third, fellow Pathfinder of course as you know, venture archeologist, and musician of some renown I would say." pratting it off as if rehearsed several times before, "I believe I have skills and talents that will be of rather of use to us all in this little expedition, though I'd keep that fire magic of yours's held back. Wooden ships don't take too well to flame and while I can swim, I doubt I could make it to the coast."
A human woman of Cheliax descent emerges onto the deck, clad in red-stained leathers and a designer hat. Her ash-gray face wears a smile that made several sailors melt. "Finally, some fresh air." The smell of the open sea is familiar, but she's never been this far out to sea. She struts over to the other Pathfinders, glad they're all in one place.
"Call me the Carnelian Signet." she takes a bow and moves her hat to her chest, revealing her shoulder length brown hair. "Charmed to meet you all."
She listens to the other introductions. "I know a bit about the art of dance, but I would love to hear more about your musical talents." She grins at Jaune and Apollo.
"Does anyone know the details of this mission? I suppose the captain does, but she's usually busy keeping us dry."
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...having spent last night rummaging through a shipyard for ingredients, our goblin hero found himself unhinging the top of and climbing into a barrel marked "XXX" with a prominent Skull Insignia embossed, and thinking to himself "Yes this one!" and soon enough his nose was assaulted with an invisible cloud of strong smelling agents, the chemicals contained within soon knocking him unconscious...
..."Briney stuck" he explains to himself as he loads his crossbow and shoots the lid of the barrel off - fortunately not combusting the entire contents of which the small goblin is currently a payload! - freeing himself from his wooden prison, and looking around at the other cargo in this sub cabin at the botton of the Glorious Payoff...
...eventually finding himself upon the upper deck, he looks around at the other people here: a fancy man, a smoking halfling, and a pink lady. He approaches the latter, assuming that she must be the one who knows what she is doing!
"Hi Pink Lady I'm Briney" he sticks his hand out to be grabbed as he knows longshanks likes to shake "You Boss here?"
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Jaune would smile as his gaze met the so called Carnelian Signet. For this greeting he would take off his hat and bow, not having noticed the woman until she had appeared beside them to greet them, "A fellow Pathfinder no doubt as well if you be on this voyage ma'am and I would be happy to provide you accompaniment for your dance, he says putting on his hat back on with a smile, "No doubt the ruins that dot the coast. I've heard many a story that may of interest to the Society, real or myth. Who knows?"
He would then give a slight strange look as the the Goblin made his presence known, "I can only assume he is yet another member of our party?
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"You wouldn't be the first one ready to dance." The Signet grins and blows a puff of smoke in his direction. "Maybe we can speak later. Or maybe I can refer you to a friend of mine. Her idea of a party involves wine, dance halls and a loose corset."
She puts her hat back on only to turn and smell the delightful scent of burning oils and gunpowder. "Hello, little- Briney." The Signet reaches down to shake with her hands. They feel like they were inches above an open flame for hours. "Delighted you think I'm the boss, but the Captain is manning the ship." She pauses. "I haven't seen you... were you here a few days ago?"
Oh, I'm going to enjoy this.
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"Briney can find out!" undaunted by the woman's temperature, it seems he is understanding Signet's Question instead as a Request "Was looking for barrels with for stuffs for making Boom Boom then Nap now Here" he scratches his head, then seems to glow with a sudden idea "Did you see Briney?" it dawns on him that he can't remember what happened between passing out and waking up - certainly not realizing yet how many days have gone by, certainly not realizing yet that he is at sea, certainly not realizing yet that he is on a Quest!
It is all so very confusing.
Spinning 180 degrees "Briney do party, yes Fancy Man" he sticks his hand out again for longshanks preferred greeting, wondering if this one is also smoking, hot to the touch, or otherwise on fire. He accidentally answers his internal query out loud "Nope" then quickly "Okay - you must be Captain" Briney searches his pockets for his mask "Hmm, where Briney put it..." then produces it over his head so that it covers his half of his face and standing at attention, he salutes "Captain Fancy Man: reporting for duty!"
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A lithe, young elven woman with a fur-lined cloak, heavier than one expects in these parts, approaches. She has a pack over one shoulder and a longbow over the other and they both drop down in a fluid motion as she discards the thick coat, as if squarely completing the transition from a much colder place. Underneath is nondescript hide and breeches of earthy tones. Her complexion is overly pale, even for an elf. Most interestingly, an intricate pattern of tattoos can now be seen reaching from her forearms to just where her hands meet her wrists. Sleeves hide where they begin. Her blond hair is always tied back and out of her way. She moves very deliberately and swiftly, while her at-rest stance is of someone about to break into a sprint. She's always "on her toes."
She quickly introduces herself to the group. Hi! I'm Endra. Am I the last one to come up above deck?
As introductions proceed she finds herself a little intimidated with everybody's talents. Wow, everyone here seems so creative. I feel so utilitarian. She laughs sheepishly, thumbing the string of her longbow.
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Apollo nods to the new Pathfinders as they continue popping up like daisies onto the bridge. When Endra asks, "Am I the last one to come up above deck?", Apollo pulls out a crystal ball. It's not actually crystal. It's made of bits of colorful shards of glass. In fact, the only resemblance to a real crystal ball is that it's round. Upon closer inspection, it's not even all that round.
He gazes into his orb...
...and helpfully responds to Eandra, "It's hard to know if you're the last, my dear ... but you're the most recent." He stows his crystal ball and again looks around in the hopes that someone is coming around to refill his mug.
The halfling chuckles at Briney with a mask covering half his face. "Briney, is it? I'm Apollo. Your mask. It reminds me of an old joke." He lifts his empty mug to his mouth (force of habit) and continues, "A pirate walks into a bar. It was at that moment that the pirate realized that he was wearing his eyepatch on the wrong eye." He laughs heartily at his own story, still hoping the boat ride is nearing an end.
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"A friend of a new friend, wine to christen the meeting, no doubt a woman of great taste. Hopefully that corset isn't too loose though ma'am, smiling sincerely before looking down to the Goblin,
"I'm rather sorry but I am by no means the captain of the vessel."
Jaune would take the time to repeat the same exact gesture of greeting to Endra, "Jaune Bolten the Third, Pathfinder just as you are, venture... he pratted on in greeting once again before finishing, "I wouldn't be so worried about it. We all have our own unique style at that. A perfectly reasonable thing to have. Utilitarianism is perfect for that of a trade that benefits a rougher life in which frivolous things would not last."
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After falling onto the deck floor laughing at Apollo's joke, he watches as he stows the "crystal ball" and declares "Oh do Briney next: Which longshank Captain?"
Briney counts on his fingers: One > Fancy Man, Two > Smoky Halfling, Three > Pink Lady, Four > Elf Lady. Then he notices that he has one more finger. He holds it in reserve, waiting to identify the Captain of this ship, whom, being an incidental stowaway - the reason The Carnelian Signet cannot recall meeting him! - he has yet to meet.
He walks over to Endra "You look Fast. Fast Elf Lady. I'm Briney. I don't know what that means, but Briney wants to be that too" he is talking about the word "utilitarian" here "Do you want Briney make you eye patch too?" it seems the question was rhetorical - the small goblin (who is small, even for a goblin!) is already ripping another strip of cloth off his oversized shirt, poking a hole in it with his "cut-less" (dogslicer), and handing it up to her "Here Fast Elf Lady - now Fast Elf Lady Pirate!"
He does a little circle dance to express joy at meeting new friends!
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Endra smiles at Jaune's response to her remark; feeling a little less out-of-place she nods.
Good to meet you Jaune, and you Briney. Eye patch...
This suggestion catches her off guard and one eyebrow raises in confusion.
I don't think that will be necessary, but maybe you know something I don't about this voyage. Oh, OH! You've already made me one... very well then. She accepts the scrap hesitantly.
The Carnelian Signet gives the elf a once over. "We all have our unique style to solving problems. I'm certain you have some kind of trademark activity- maybe you haven't noticed it yet."
The Signet grabs a loose bit of wood and holds it in the palm of her hand. She looks at it, focuses, and strikes a finger across it like a match across some grit. A small spark springs free, and a puff of smoke emerges. She then turns the wood to Endra, revealing a Sigil in the shape of flame-molded kiss.
"You'll discover your own style, I'm certain." She smiles. "I'm still discovering mine."
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Endra's expression lights up with a smile as the sigil is revealed to her.
Wow! Does that design hold special meaning for you?
She then jokingly adds I don't suppose you expected me to walk off twenty paces and hit it with an arrow. I suppose there will be ample time to show off that skill later on.
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"It's my calling card. Anyone with this mark knows they were in the presence of the Carnelian Signet." She smiles. "It was my grand- er, mentor's mark from long ago."
Issil takes a deep breath to calm herself. It's so easy to caught in the excitement, the adventure of it all. Grandmother loved blowing kisses at her foes right before lighting their world aflame. Her stories were so magnificent...
"Archery is your style? I have to get tips from you at some point." She motions to the shortbow near her hip. "I learned enough to take shots, but none of the advanced training."
The Carnelian Signet looks down at Briney. "Something on your mind, Briney? You look like a kettle, about to blow off some steam."
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On a barrel nearby, few sailors play cards. They are accompanied by halfling dressed in a leather armor, comfortable clothing, fingerless gloves and having only a dagger at this side.
The little person has some mysteriously looking symbols on his clothing and belongings. At his back he carries a satchel with some scrolls
He speaks to the sailors
"Let the Powerful Rawiri tell you a joke. At one port a young and ambitious captain of a pirate ship wished to buy a parrot. He found a Vendor and asked him for a price of a nicely looking red parrot. Vendor responded that it would be 30 go. 'Why so expensive' asked the pirate. ' well it can speak and sing' replied the merchant.
'And the blue one?' kept looking the pirate.
'That one costs 45 gp as it knows two languages and can dance!'
'oh, oh and the one in the back? That gray one with a bit of a belly and looking a bit ill?'
'Oh, that one cost 100 go. It can't really do much but the other parrots call them Boss'"
With the joke finished Rawiri thrown his cards on the barrel, before they touched the wooden surface he caught them with magic and let it slowly fall down.
He moved towards you, his short light hair messed by the wind
"Rawiri, wizard, at your service"
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After falling onto the deck floor laughing at Apollo's joke, he watches as he stows the "crystal ball" and declares "Oh do Briney next: Which longshank Captain?"
Briney counts on his fingers: One > Fancy Man, Two > Smoky Halfling, Three > Pink Lady, Four > Elf Lady. Then he notices that he has one more finger. He holds it in reserve, waiting to identify the Captain of this ship.
At the helm with the others, Apollo is about to stow his crystal ball, when Briney wants the future foretold. "Of course, my new friend. But you must understand that fortune-telling is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules." With the goblin's acknowledgement, Apollo sets his orb on a nearby overturned bucket.
Apollo begins by raising his arms slowly and casts Prestidigitation to lift the orb. It rises off the bucket and then immediately floats down again. Apollo says, "The spirits are sympathetic to your request." He scries into the crystal ball.
The oracle wiggles his fingers and casts Prestidigitation once more. This time he creates a disembodied goblin hand (not unlike Briney's own) appearing inside his hollowed out orb. All fingers are bent into a fist except ...
...the 5th one.
Apollo explains to Briney (and anyone else who's watching), "As you can plainly see, your own hand indicates the Captain is the ... 5th ... person here on deck." Apollo looks around and sees Calisro Benarry at the helm. He points and says, "She must be the Captain. And she must be the best pirate I've ever seen." He then packs up his crystal ball and waits to meet any other Pathfinders.
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In a matter of moments, Briney exhibits a full range of humanoid emotion: from it's pits to it's heights!
"GrrrrrRRRR!"
His jealousy at not also getting a special "signet" blossoms into furious anger as he storms away from Nice Pink Fire Lady to "blow off steam" - and incidentally right into Apollo. His anger sublimates into pure unadulterated wonder as Briney watches the "crystal ball" float and contemplates the "spirits"; then to frustration as the halfling fortune-teller takes his sweet time to first announce and then interpret the meaning of "5th"...
...frustration is soon followed by skepticism as Briney narrows his eyes and, walking right past Rawiri ("You 4th!"), proceeds toward the helm of the ship.
"Dirty Red Fire Man say you Captain! I'm Briney. Is true?" he asks Calisro Benarry.
Our goblin hero now waits with baited breath - is his new friend truly possessed of the gift of foresight!?!?
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As a splash of salt crashes over the bow ofthe Glorious Payoff, Calisro Benarry deftly steers her ship through a hidden channel, carefully navigating through the barely visible rock and coral that protrude slightly from the water’s surface. Behind the Payoff, a slightly smaller ship — the Sea Sparkle — follows, making every effort to follow Benarry’s course as closely as possible. Off the port hull, the deep green of the Garundi coast is illuminated by the late afternoon sun.
“See those gulls?” Benarry shouts over the flapping of the sails, “that’s the sandbar we’ll be dropping you off at. Barely sticks up over the waves, but the seabirds flock over it to feast on crab. Don't mess with the grey one, it's the leader.”
“As I explained earlier, Vidrian — you might have known it as Sargava not that long ago — needs explorers to chart the trade routes to the south that they couldn’t use back when it was ruled by Cheliax. Simple enough bit of adventuring, but the new nation’s been having trouble with the Free Captains of late. Turns out when Vidrian broke free of Cheliax, the locals stopped paying the pirates protection money, and now they’re the number-one plunder target in the Shackles. What’s more, the pirates have set up a blockade preventing our ships from making it down to Vidrian to assist.”
“Thankfully, we’ve got someone on the inside. Stella Fane, a Free Captain with ties to the Firebrands and the Pirate Council, has been in contact with the Society. She and members of the Society’s leadership have put together a fairly clever plan to help the Society’s ships pass through the pirate blockades unharmed. The Wind and the Waves willing, the Payoff and the Sparkle can sail to Vidrian, no problem. While we’re doing that, I’ve arranged transport for you to Port Peril to meet with Fane and get her to sign this contract making the whole thing official — she's a pirate, so you know she holds to her word."
"Wait on the sandbar for my contact to pick you up - she's got a smaller boat that can slip into Port Peril without drawing too much attention. Speaking of which, you’ll need to avoid drawing too much attention until after the deal is done. Once she’s signed the contract her friends in the Pirate Council will ratify it and there won’t be much the lesser captains can do. Be careful. Anyone looking to put a stop to this need only ensure that contract never gets signed."
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Jaune would smirk at the small Goblin's circle dance, like a child, a dangerous child it seemed, but one on his side in these concerning matters. He'd only give a nod to the Halfling that strode over and introduced themselves to them, his grand spectacle of greeting more associated with that of a different sex. He'd still smile at the Wizards attempt at a joke, feeling that already pirate and maritime related humor would be terribly used again and again.
While of Cheliaxian descent, the Bard didn't seem to recall that the colony of Savagra had been lost to the Empire of the Devil, he hadn't realized that a new nation had been created out of it. Not that he willingly cared for the politics, though he knew his father and old grandfather swore loyalty to the crown.
"Any prevailing groups that would like to thwart such an endeavor madame Captain, I can only assume that someone is eventually is going to catch wind of our little venture and try to put a stop to it? he spoke nonchalantly.
The Carnelian Signet watches Briney storm off with a look of curiosity. Goblins are so... explosive. The captain catches everyone's attention and she listens to the briefing.
Chileax rule isn't great, but are pirate blockades better? A loose alliance of pirates will help the area, though. "Does Stella Fane have a callsign? Some way we will recognize her?" The Signet looks over the side of the ship, towards the Sea Sparkle. "An impostor could easily pretend to be her and try to intercept us."
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Seeing a fellow halfling join the group, Apollo claps him on the back in greeting. But not too hard, as the lad seems fragile. In the halfling language he says brightly, "Well met. Nice parrot joke."
When Captain Benarry addresses them, Apollo glances to Briney and mouths the word, He grins. As the briefing begins, he finds a place to stand on deck that's downwind, to limit the distraction of his occasional smoking, smoldering clothing.
He nods to the questions asked by Jaune and the Carnelian Signet. After the captain's responses, Apollo adds, "And do we know where to find her? Any favorite hangouts?" He prepares to disembark, which can't come soon enough.
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Ignored by the captain, Briney's answer comes to him nonetheless.
He looks back at Apollo, then pointing to him, invites his party to share his amazement "Dirty Red Fire Man know FUTURE!" He has so many questions for the halfling. When will I die? Where will I die? Why will I die? How will I die? Who will I die? What will I die?... But holds his tongue for now.
He walks towards the side of the ship (Where "5th" is pointing), but is too short to see. So. He grabs the oversized crossbow on his back, and places it diagonally against the wooden railing, then hoists himself up to stand on it, gaining him additional height which he uses to ascend the rest of the way. He looks down at the sand bar below, a flock of gulls congregating merrily, the sight of which causes his brow and teeth to furrow into a maddening smile.
Forgetting in-the-moment his alchemical crossbow on the Glorious Payoff, he leaps over the side, scattering the birds in a cloud of feathers and panic!
I can only assume that someone is eventually is going to catch wind of our little venture and try to put a stop to it?
Some hints about those who might wish to intercept the contract would be helpful too!
"Well, the contract is about exchanging information - we give them the locations of slaver ships, and they'll give us information about archaeological sites they stumble across. Slavers aren't very happy about this agreement, nor is any pirate that's more interested in plundering archaeological sites than preserving them."
Does Stella Fane have a callsign? Some way we will recognize her?
“She’s a recent figure on the Shackles scene, as is her ship, the Risen Albatross. Word is, the Chelaxians bought her crew out from under her and tossed her overboard at sea. Some say she died and it’s her ghost sailing the waters and sinking slaver boats and Chelaxian ships left and right. I don’t believe it myself—never heard of a ghost that could put away as much rum as she’s been known to, that’s for sure. I'm pretty sure the penalty for impersonating her is worse than anything we could put together.”
Ignored by the captain, Briney's answer comes to him nonetheless ... he leaps over the side, scattering the birds in a cloud of feathers and panic!
"Oh, good, I was afraid you'd want to chatter forever. Off you go!"
Calisro practically shoves everyone else off the boat. The two ships sail off into the distance.
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Rawiri smiles to Apollo and looks with interest at his magic ball. He listened to Captain Calisro
"So Fane might not love Chelaxians?"
Asks looking Carnelian Signet
"oh, there is no way in Golarion that I will get on this patch of San... Ahhhh"
Yells while pushed overboard by charming captain
Rawiri lands on the sand with little grace and gets up looking at the ship with anger
"Isn't she a peach? Bloody pirates!"
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"A woman of action mo doubt. I assume we can trust her word after all. If she were to actually stand us on this miserable piece of land then she'd have left us a bottle of rum and a pistol at the least," spoke the bard as he looked around the small sand bar. The warm sun in the sky beating down, Juane wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as he took of his hat for a moment before donning it again.
"Don't suppose if you all let me play for a few moments to pass the time?" he'd speak before walking over towards what looked to be a crate.
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"Longshanks always leave actual work to goblin friends!" Briney agrees with Jaune (and Rawiri).
"What's this?" looking across the other side of the sand bar, he approaches closer, and kicks the corner of the wooden crate that barely protrudes from the sand.
He instinctively looks towards Apollo, as if expecting him to predict the contents therein!
Chileax. Land of wonder. Wonder how Asmodeus hasn't claimed us all by now.
The Signet has little time to think as the Venture-Captain quickly shoves her off the the edge of the ship. "That's one way to get started!"
Washing up on the shore, the Signet is glad she didn't use the water-soluble ash powder. That would have been awkward.
"Everyone alright? Looks like we need to wait for our ride."
The Signet raises a curious eyebrow as Briney kicks a crate. "It's a crate. Anything intriguing about it?"
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The Signet raises a curious eyebrow as Briney kicks a crate. "It's a crate. Anything intriguing about it?"
"It is a crate, and can obscure its content under the look of wooden planks. It looks the same when it holds jewelry as well as trouts. In fact, crates are very intriguing." says halfling walking towards the newly found item.
"What is a pistol? I don't think I've ever heard of it?" asks turning to Jaune and Endara
Normally, I'd ask the help to open this. Time to get my hands dirty.
The Signet chuckles as she is updated. "Yes, yes. I learned something today. But we should think about what's inside, yes? If anyone has a crowbar I can try opening it."
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When the party finds the crate, Apollo notices Briney giving him a look. Reading the goblin's mind, Apollo says, "Ahhh, my friend. More predictions?" Apollo looks around for our contact. Not seeing anyone on the horizon, he grumbles, "It seems that one thing we have in abundance is time. Why not?" The oracle pulls out his crystal ball.
He recaps, "In order, the guesses we have are: Rum, Pistol, Jewelry, Trouts. Let's have a gaze..."
Apollo chants and waves his hands over the orb. Using Prestidigitation, an empty bottle labeled Fine Rum appears within the crystal ball. "I remind you again, my goblin friend, the art of fortune-telling is more guidelines than actual rules."
As he stows his crystal ball, Apollo sees his crowbar just as the Carnelian Signet is asking about one. He fishes it out and asks her, "Will this help? I've learned to prepare for anything ... you never know what the fates will require." He hands the crowbar to her.
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"...You never know what the fates will require..."
Briney repeats the phrase, as it seems "important", as indeed, his personal prophet had been right on the first occasion - if he were to repeat his success, the evidence would be indeniablly in favor of his mysterious omnipotence!
For the second time today, Briney holds his breath, eager to see what the crate holds in it's wooden box of a mystery, watching as Jaune inspects it magically and Carnelian Signet inspects it physically...
...he chews his fingernails until they bleed!
The Carnelian Signet takes the warm crowbar from Apollo. "Your generosity will not be forgotten." She blows a kiss of smoke in his direction and gets working on the crate.
Jaune does not detect any magic in the crate, and appears to be disappointed. However, he holds out hope because he knows that alchemical items do not detect as magical.
The crate is locked. The Carnelian Signet begins Forcing Open the crate, while the rest of the group bandages Briney's fingers before too much blood drips into the water.
DC 15 Alcohol Lore:
DC 16 Crafting:
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Briney's singular focus activates the curiosity of his wild imagination.
He Pursues a Lead on the "Sandy Crate" - and Clues In anyone who attempts to investigate it's contents!
"Careful not break be easy longshanks!"
"Well, I'll admit. This is more of a feat of strength than abilities of guile." She tests the lid on the crate. "Still, it's worth a shot."
She hesitates. "Oh, right, I could break the contents inside."
She tries to nudge the lid open. It's so close. But it's too risky. She hands off the crowbar. "Pure strength isn't my style, sadly. I'm going to smash this thing in half if I try again."
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Losing already stretched patience, Briney snaps!
Apollo (-1)
Carnelian Signet (+1)
Endra (+1)
Jaune (+0)
Rawiri (+1)
With a quick glance around the party - a motley crew of elves, dandies, and halflings! - he bravely takes the matter into his own hands.
"Give Briney do!" grabbing the crowbar snatchingly and...
LINK
You can recall pertinent facts on topics that aren't your specialty. Your proficiency bonus to untrained skill checks to Recall Knowledge is equal to your level instead of +0.
Looking inside the crate, Briney's eyes BUG OUT -
The opened crate tumbles out of his hands as they lose their strength, spilling it's contents gently onto the sand...