Masks of the Living God: Price of Immortality

Game Master polyfrequencies

Charles quickly pulls back the loading arm of his crossbow and drops a bolt into it as he raises it to his shoulder. With a muffled *thwum* the bolt flies out across the distance toward the scaled serpent.

Light Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Concealment: 1d100 ⇒ 76
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Concealment on Winter's attack: 1d100 ⇒ 93

Charles watches the snake's next move in anticipation for who he needs to help. "Get ready, Roger. You're next!"

Roger crouches ready to receive instruction and jump to action.

Apologies for the delay. I have been struggling mightily with writer's block (among other things). I never just want to roll dice and have that be that, and so I just needed a bit to recharge. If my posts are a bit more lacking in substance for the next couple of weeks, I apologize in advance. Thank you for your patience, especially since Charles just joined us.

So first: no, Garen, there was no gaff hook or spear visible on deck on your way up. A boarding gaff is an exotic weapon anyway, so you'd be almost certainly better off using your usual weapons. Now let's resolve the rest of this!

As Ewem falls, Silvio tries to change tactics by being a bit more defensive, but he is too distracted by the cascading tides of battle to successfully call on Erastil's favor. His dog, however, having no need of spells, latches his jaw in a gap in the goldpebble's rock-hard scales with a savage bite. Then a whorl of whirling colors jets from Sledge's outstretched hand, trying to deter the goldpebble from its hungry assault. The creature looks directly at the magus as this spell goes off, and looks almost hyponotized, as though stunned. Even so, Garen's sling stone pings off of the goldpebble's thick scales to no effect. Charles' crossbow bolt, however, lodges in the giant snake's side, though it seems not to react. A pool of blood continues to form around Ewem as he lies on the ground. Somehow the swaying snake manages to avoid a crackle from the thundercloud surrounding it before the cloud dissipates. In frustration at having his first mate fall, Walren brings his axe up and cuts into the goldpebble for 6 damage. It looks like that blow would have hit even if the snake wasn't stunned.

Round Four --> Five
Ewem: -10/?, dying
Walren
Goldpebble: -52, stunned
Silvio: 29/36
Winter: 36/36
Sledge: 37/37
---
Garen: 47/47, bull's strength
Charles: 35/35 (& Roger)
Map

Garen, you can step into the space where Ewem is currently lying. The party is up, and the goldpebble will remain stunned through Silvio's round.

Garen drops his sling and draws steel as he steps up to slash the invading reptile.

Longsword, PA: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 6 - 1 = 231d8 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 2 = 9

With a moment's space emerging as the fearsome serpent is stunned by Sledge's magics, Silvio prays once more and touches Ewem with divine energy.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Meanwhile, Winter continues to dig into the goldpebble's tough scales.
Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24; Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Charles quickly begins humming as he pulls out some desiccated flesh from his pouch as his hands quickly make the necessary motions. "Simia armis!" The glowing from his hands quickly fades as a small, subtle glow begins emanating from Roger.

With Garen and Captain Walren being the closest to the large snake, he points towards the knight. "Go for the one with the sword," he directs his weasel as he begins reloading his crossbow again. "Incoming spell, master Garen!"

Roger dutifully and deliberately leaps from his master's pouch and quickly darts forward, carefully darting around the armored knight's feet, placing his tiny paw upon the man's leg as the glow dissipates from him.

Casting Animal Aspect (Gorilla) on Garen, granting a +4 bonus on Grapple combat maneuvers in case the snake grabs him next.

Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 100

miss chance, high is good: 1d100 ⇒ 99

Wow... Just glad those weren't rolls for random encounters!! I'll throw up some light to remove that next turn if it's still an issue then.

Sorry about the radio silence, finals hit me pretty hard this semester. On the plus side, assuming I passed all of them, I should have a bachelor's degree now which is pretty cool!

Sledge casts light on Silvo's armor. "Best I can do from over here. If you move, I can punch it, or heal him."

Congrats.

*Deep breath* aaaaand we're back!

As the goldpebble sways uncertainly in the water, the party takes advantage of its dazed state and hammers away. Garen slices through some of its oddly-gold plating while Winter comes away with a mouth full of shiny scales. Silvio's touch brings Ewem back from the brink of death, stopping his bleeding and allowing him to breathe shallowly on the deck beneath Garen's feet, still unconscious but alive. Charles and Roger tag-team to give the paladin an even greater chance of success while Sledge banishes sightlessness from the deck with a light spell. Captain Walren takes his battleaxe in both hands and strikes at the serpent...

Walren Battleaxe, Saltbeard, Power Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 1 - 1 = 24 Dmg: 1d8 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 3 = 13

...nearly severing its enormous head. Before the snake can come out of its stunned state, it slumps onto the deck of the Black Mist.

And combat is over! It went from dangerous to dead real fast, even if it took us a while to get there in real time!

The Captain immediately places his axe back on his back and kneels down to Ewem. With a flash of light (and 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 healed), the fallen skald comes back to consciousness. He winces on the hard deck, but accepts a hand up from his captain, rising at least two feet above the dwarf.

"Aye, ye fight well as Mr. Potterson said ye would. Glad to have ye aboard, mates." The dwarf points to the goldpebble and looks at the rest of you. "And good fortune mix with ill, we'll waste not on my boat. Come, help me drag the rest of this carcass aboard."

Assuming that Walren has at least a few more hands to aid him, he points to a few particularly glittering scales along the hide. "If'n ye have a dagger or some small blade to wedge, see if you can pry up some of the gold. And it is gold, mind. A dwarf knows."

Sure enough, with a little bit of effort, the party is able to cut off enough raw gold nuggets worth 10d10 ⇒ (7, 7, 5, 1, 10, 8, 3, 3, 7, 10) = 61 gold pieces. It is likely that a bank in Tamran would give you their full worth. Or perhaps it might even prove to be a useful appetizer for getting in with the local Razmirans...

As the party finishes helping with the gold, Walren yawns. "I'd say we've all earned some rest. I'll anchor us instead of sailing on through the night. The gold we found on the snake is yours, and I dare say we'll be able to butcher and cook it come morning. Sleep well."

Feel free to RP any battle aftermath, but I'll move us along!

---

* * * Fireday, 13th of Neth, 4709 AR * * *

In the morning, Ewem looks worse for wear, and Captain Walren brings him a bucket in case he needs to make himself sick. They exchange words in a language that none of the rest of the party understands, and Walren brings the rest of the party together during breakfast. "Ewem'll be on bed rest today, give him the best chance of recovery. So I need the rest of ye landers to step up today. I'll need someone on lookout above deck, and probably two of ye skinnin' the snake so we don't waste the meat or let it start stinkin'."

Charles has already declared that he's reading the book this morning. On Day 2 (Friday the 13th, oooooh) someone else can choose to read the book The Dark and the Light in the afternoon and/or the evening. Garen has 1 point of inspiration and Charles has 4 (out of a max of 5 per PC). If you're reading the book, please give me a Knowledge (religion) or Linguistics check. If you're helping keep watch, give me a Perception check. If you're skinning the goldpebble, give me a Survival check. If you're doing some other activity or think another check might be better for one of the above activities, feel free to advocate.

Garen helps pull the beast aboard and then draws his knife to recover gold as instructed. "That was insane." he says as he works. "How often does something like this happen on the river? I'd think they would have a bounty out for these things."

--The following morning--

"I'm not trained in either cooking or skinning but I'll help as I can. Where do we start?" Garen asks, skinning his dagger again to get to work on potatoes or a snake hide as required.

Sledge returns to sleep. A wizard's life is a hard life indeed, he thinks to himself as he drifts off.

During the next day, he will continue to work diligently on his masterwork wooden mask. His Razmiran disguise had to be perfect.

"Thank you for your bravery, Ewem." Silvio pours the rest of his magics to ensuring that Ewem is well.
CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Fervor: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Fervor: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Or at least better. The mighty Kellid had endured great savagery from the beast, and his magics were but a start. At Captain Walren's direction, Silvio eagerly joins in fishing out gold with his magical dagger. Then he returns his attention to Ewem's recovery. Long-term care to help him recover.

* * *

"Never skinned anything like this before," says Silvio in the morning, as he offers a quick prayer to Erastil and gets to work.
Survival, Guidance: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15
"Maybe you can help with some of these tougher parts, Garen. Might need someone strong for that."

Meanwhile, Winter is more vigilant this day after unexpectedly encountering battle the night before.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
"I'm going to start taking night watch shifts," reports Silvio. "Ewem shouldn't have been caught like that all on his own."

"If memory serves correctly, the Goldpebble's venom is pretty nasty. I've got an anti-toxin for just such a situation!" Charles rushes down to his alchemical supplies in his room and comes back with a small vial of clear-bluish fluid. "Hopefully this will help get Ewem through the worst of it. Unfortunately, this is the only one I have. I can work on getting some more antitoxin made as well if it would help."

He checks in on Ewem occasionally to see how he is fighting off the venom.
Heal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

After he gets the alchemical concoction to Ewem, Charles tries to borrow a knife to help skin the snake. It seems in his haste to catch up with the young party, he left his good knife back on his work bench. Definitely something to pick up once we make port in the new town, he thinks to himself having a hard time imagining an adventurer being able to survive without a small, edged tool ever at the ready.

Charles offers to either help keep watch on deck or get to crafting another antitoxin, which ever the captain prefers and Ewem has need for.

Throwing out dice rolls for both options. Just to be safe and keep from bogging things down.

Captain Walren considers Garen's question during the gold salvaging. "River travel can be dangerous, but that beastie was of a particularly nasty sort. But I reckon that we find something interesting about every other day or so, whether it's tryin' te kill us or no. Most of the wildlife tends to be fine, but there are some fey rangin' from mischievous to wicked what might try somethin'. I've seen drakes time to time. Trolls and ogres, of course. Saw a harpy once, pickin her teeth of her last meal and stinkin' of meat, hissin' at me to stay away. Most things, if ye leave 'em alone, they'll do the same back. Less they're hungry. Or greedy. Or paid. Or..."

The litany of reasons why someone or something might try to kill you goes in a for a bit until Walren runs out of steam. Finally, converation turns to sleep. "If'n we need to make a deadline, we'll alternate who sleeps and who's awake and keep sailin', but it's safer with two to anchor down. A mite of magic goes a long way towards settin' alarms in case anythin' tries somethin' at night. No need to run ourselves ragged."

The goldpebble rolled a natural 20 on its stealth check. Under normal circumstances, Walren would have had no problem seeing it, but he had about a 15% chance of detecting it when it was ready to strike.

Silvio's work to treat Ewem is greatly appreciated, and it's clear that the skald would be far worse off without both the magical and mundane aid. The scarred, sick man quaffs the offered antitoxin, but still seems to be suffering from the effects of the serpent's venom. Come morning, he seems insistent that he can help above deck, although he is still looking half-dead.

There are rules in Ultimate Wilderness for harvesting venom sacs from a dead creature and either crafting an antivenom or preserving the poison for future use. It'll be a DC 15 + CR Survival check to start with either way. To preserve the poison, it'll then be a Craft (alchemy check) with a DC equal to the Fort save of the poison. Crafting the antivenom will have a DC that is 5 higher than the DC to preserve the poison. But they're lower DCs than the general antitoxin of 25, so bonus! Even better, antivenom provides a +8 bonus instead of a +5 bonus.

Let's start fresh from there, though we can count Silvio's 15 Survival as an aid if someone else is taking point there. Anyone grabbing the book?

"Sure is a lotta folk who might wanna kill us!" concludes Silvio at Walren's accounting. "We still ought to set watches at night or something--the sort of thing we'd do anyway if we were traveling overland."

As Ewem heads back up to work, Silvio shakes his head. "No," he says in Kellid, using one of the few words he'd picked up already, followed by what he thought meant "Cabin." He then switches back to common. "You need to rest--don't waste all of our good work!" The small halfling tries to escort the very large man back to get more rest.

As afternoon comes, Silvio studies the book from Father Prasst unless someone else wants it. He might look at the book during whatever night watch shift gets assigned to him.

Regarding the poison, I think Silvio has the highest Survival check modifier--between a paladin, a wizard, and a half-wizard, we're not much of a wilderness group, and I only managed a 15 Survival. If Walren is able, he might lead on the survival check.

Garen had his inspiration from the book which is enough. He agrees they need to setup a night watch. A typical rotating watch through the night should work. For any who are still injured he uses his lay on hands ability. Otherwise, he helps as he can.

Ewem seems to protest a bit as the halfling shoves him back towards the cabin, but ultimately stays there during the morning while Charles takes his watch duties.

Silvio: please give me a Knowledge (religion) or Linguistics check to study the book.

With the idea of using the goldpebble's venom sacs to craft an antivenom, Walren drops anchor and takes a break from the wheel. He draws out a knife and gets to work.

Walren survival, improvised tools, aid from Silvio: 1d20 + 11 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 11 - 2 + 2 = 25

After about 10 minutes of grisly work, during which the dwarven captain points out a few things to the younger halfling about the nature of venom injection. Covered in gore, the river captain produces two intact venom sacs for someone with a better sense of crafting to decide what to do with.

Walren raises the anchor, but the ship doesn't begin moving again until he returns to his wheel. Then and only then does the ship flow with the current.

---

As the afternoon sun crests and beats down on the heads of those above deck, Charles spots something ahead. Looking more closely, it looks like there is a gnome on the bank with a ruined husk of a riverboat, attempting to make repairs.

"Let us a stop and give the man a hand." Garen says to the captain.

"Thanks for getting those venom sacs, Captain!" After offering assistance, Silvio takes the sacs and hands them to Charles to try and do something with them.

* * *

K. Religion to study book: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

In the afternoon, Silvio looks up from his book as Charles makes a sighting. "You sure that's a man?" asks Silvio uncertainly in response to Garen's question. He peers into the distance. "Definitely a gnome and not a halfling, anyway," he concludes, as if he were some authority on the matter. "Okay for us to help, right Captain?" He looks to Walren.

Charles takes the venom sacs carefully from Silvio. "Make sure you wash your hands well after handling those and don't touch your face. We don't want you to end up in the same shape as Ewem." He then takes them and immediately starts work crafting an anti-toxin.
Crafting: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Provided that he is successful, he offers it to Ewem along with hopes of a speedy recovery. If this doesn't get it knocked out, he will try crafting another batch.

After spotting the small figure on the side of the shore, he asks, "Captain Walren, do we stop and assist? Looks like some pretty massive damage to the boat." Somewhat wary of an ambush and wanting to keep the group out of as much unnecessary trouble as possible, he examines the surroundings for any signs of an ambush or if the boat looks intentionally scuttled.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

The poison is odd as it's a 1/day effect with a 1d4 hour onset. I'll factor the +8 into his next save. But you officially have one dose of antivenom and another venom sac to either transform into antivenom or stabilize as usable pebblefang poison.

Before the group approaches the gnome, Silvio finds himself engrossed in the book that he had received from Father Prasst. The Dark and the Light is a spy novel. The protagonist is Kelinahat, a young spyglass archon (before she became the empyreal lord of spies and stealth), breaking into the Library of Oaths in the Fifth Layer of Hell, Stygia. She is a daring figure of cunning and guile, beginning her journey at a waypoint of the River Styx as it passes through the Lawful Neutral Plane of Axis and sailing the Planes into Hell. Along the way, she makes many friends and enemies, but never diverges from her mission: finding the record of an oath of damning consequence uttered by an ancient Azlanti King of tremendous power. Pharasma had prophesied that this mortal man would, upon his death, eventually rise to become a god. And yet she was quiet on which sort of god he would become: would he be claimed by Heaven, or would the forces of Hell drag his soul away in chains for failing to uphold an impossible oath uttered in his foolish youth?

Silvio gains 1 point of inspiration!

Silvio looks up from the book just after Kelinahat has had a harrowing encounter with a Burleev that agrees to join her in her journey through Hell.

The halfling is right in both cases: the gnome is a woman with a shiny blue hair wrapped in a tight ponytail and dressed in sailing breeches. She seems to be frantic until she hears the conversation of those on the Black Mist as the boat approaches. "Oh, hello there! Oh it's nice to see some kind faces. I lost control of my boat and it smashed against some rocks. I've been trying to repair it, but I'm afraid it's beyond my skill. I'm trying to get to Crowstump. I don't suppose I could ask you for help, could I?"

Charles doesn't see any indication of ambushers lying in wait, and--at least from this distance--the boat looks well and truly smashed rather than scuttled.

For the briefest moment, Silvio feels disappointed in having to tear away from his book. But as he realizes that a real situation was emerging before him, he snaps back to reality once more.

"That boat doesn't look too repairable," responds Silvio. "Is there anything you want to salvage right now?"

"This is an unprofessional opinion but it looks like you are going no where in that boat. Captain, pull up so we can take on the little lady." Garen says as he approaches the nearest side to the gnome. Although wishing to help he is wary of ambushes and keeps an eye out for ne'er-do-wells.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Sledge continues to obsessively toil over his latest project, giving little regard to his current surroundings and situation.

Posting to show I'm still here, just not involved in the scene!

"Oh, hmmm," the gnome says, foisting her hands on her hips while a hammer dangles loosely in her left fist. "One moment, please." She rifles through the detritus and pulls out a small, torn bag, along with a crossbow. She looks back to the others. "You never can be too careful, you know. Just a bit of protection. I wish it helped with rocks."

Captain Walren lets a ramp down to allow the gnome up, and she clambers aboard, looking flushed from the day's efforts. "Well thanks! I appreciate the help." She looks over and sees Winter, and her eyes light up. "Oh, what a handsome dog! What's his name?" She reaches out her hand for Winter from a fair distance away, waiting for Winter to become interested instead of approaching directly.

Uh, that'll be a 28 on her Wild Empathy check. Assuming a DC of 13 (Indifferent 15 - 2 Charisma), I think it's quite possible that Winter likes her. Up to you how he responds, Silvio.

Winter sniffs for a bit, but quickly places himself within reach of the gnome for some friendly rubs. It doesn't take long before his tail starts wagging with excitement, as Winter begins to lick the gnome's face!

"Winter really likes you!" says Silvio. Winter's obvious affection for the gnome causes Silvio to trust her as well. "I'm his caretaker--Silvio. I think we'll be able to help you get to Crowstump. Are you okay? If you're hurt, I might be able to help."

Silvio offers any healing if the gnome seems to need it. He eventually asks the gnome for her name if she doesn't bring it up herself.

"Welcome aboard. My names is Charles and this is Captain Walren." He leaves the others to introduce themselves at their leisure. "It looks like you've had a rough time. What brings you out towards Crowstump? Trading goods or picking up supplies? Seems light protection for carrying goods. Definitely a help though, we ran into a massive snake just a day ago and had to kill it. So we do have some meat if you're hungry."

Garen bows to the small woman, ”Garen Williams, at your service. And your name, my lady?”

The gnome giggles as Winter licks her face, while the four men not engaged in carving (or unable to speak Taldane) introduce themselves. "I'm Quinby. Quinby Stromhest." She curtsies, and whirls around. "I'm a little hurt, I think," she responds to Silvio. She then turns to Charles, eyes glittering. "A massive snake? That sounds exciting! And scary! I'm quite hungry." She moves towards the cabin to drop her pack off, opening the door to see Ewem lying in repose, snoring loudly. "Oh! I'll come back." She turns around once more. "I've never been before, and it seemed like an interesting place to go. It's been exciting so far at least."

Captain Walren looks down at Quinby from his place at the wheel, assessing her. "Well if'n yer to travel with us for a stretch, ye'll need tae make yerself useful, mmm? What can ye do?"

Quinby curtsies. "Oh well, I like singing. I'm a good swimmer. Oh, and I have some magic if you wish for anything like that."

Walren considers for a moment. "I'll let ye know if'n there's anythin' to do needin' that. Fer now, jes be ready."

Anything else with Quinby for now, or are we moving on to the evening? If so, is someone reading the book? Any other activities? After the previous night's adventures, it sounds like you want to set a watch order.

Alphabetical watch order? That would be Charles, Garen, Silvio (+ Winter), Sledge.

Silvio offers Quinby some divine healing.
CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11. Will cast more if needed.
"You know magic too? What kind? Garen and I have divine magics, while Charles and Sledge are both skilled in the arcane. Do you mind sharing a cabin with us? I'm not sure if there's a private space for you to sleep on this little boat."

"Captain, how do you want to do the watch? With Ewem down and no other boatman between us I'm assuming we will anchor when you bed down? We can split that time between the four of us and then grab a nap or two once you get us going again in the morning. Does that sound about right?" Garen asks summarizing what he sees as the basic plan.

"I do!" Quinby says excitedly. "It's natural magic!"

Silvio--along with the others who take a moment to reflect--knows that most gnomes have innate spell-like abilities, including the ability to produce illusory lights and sounds, to make slight changes to small objects, and to speak with animals. Some gnomes have different skill sets, and others have no natural magic at all.

As a watch is discussed, Walren chimes in. "With our numbers, I'd rather two be on watch at all times, even if it's a man and a dog. If Ewem is up for it, he can take his usual watch with me."

Quinby raises her hand eagerly. "Ooh, ooh! I can help! I've got good eyes." Gnomes typically have vision like elves, able to perceive better than humans in dim light. She glances at the others. "Who wants my company?"

Assume that Walren and Ewem will take a watch. Taking a watch won't negatively affect Ewem's long-term 24-hour bed rest for the purposes of recovering Constitution damage and hit points. If Silvio and Winter take another watch, then Quinby can join with either Charles, Garen, or Sledge. Then the remaining two can work together.

"Singing, swimming, and a magic user, eh?" Charles says with a smile. "I've met a handful of other adepts who can sing and cast music at the same time. Though I confess I've never seen one that can sing while swimming underwater!" He delivers the last line like a punchline to a joke, slapping his thigh and chuckling.

"As Master Silvio has said, I too have some magical capabilities and am always happy to meet fellow casters. I'm working on deck right now, but I'm sure we can find something for you to eat."

Charles sees if anyone would be willing to take his place on deck for a few minutes so he can get some food for Mrs. Stromhest or if someone else would be willing to help get her situated.

Given her troubles with running onto rocks, he makes sure to keep a close eye out for any shallow areas up ahead. Charles volunteers to take the first watch with Quinby.

"I've got you covered Charles." Garen says as the wizard takes Quinby to get settled in. Later, "No offense, Charles, but do you think it wise to have two dedicated spellcasters on watch at the same time? It seems like have someone with a good sword arm to complement your alls spells would be more advisable."

"I'm happy to help anyone!" the gnome says. "And all it takes is the right spell to be able to sing underwater! But it's a little harder to hear." She smiles at Charles.

So 1) Garen and Quinby, 2) Ewem and Walren, 3) Charles and Sledge, & 4) Silvio and Winter? Or is there some other desired arrangement?

The watch order sounds great to me!

Sledge merely grunts his name, "Sledge," to the newcomer as he continues to work. Trying to get the mask to be smooth was bothering him quite a bit. Perhaps if he was paying more attention he would have noticed that this lady gnome appears to be a druid of some sort. It was only once he was actually on watch that he realized that there was actually someone new on board.

"Charles, did we pick up a gnome today?" he will ask his fellow watchman.

Watch order sounds good to me! For the record, I was thinking having someone with a high Will save partnering with the unknown caster. But maybe since it appears to be nature magic and not a Bard it wouldn't be too bad if things go south.

Charles replies to Sledge, [b]"Yes, indeed! Quinby, a rather remarkable gnome who seems to have run her ships onto some rocks. She'll be taking watch tonight with Garen. Your mask is coming along quite well, I must add. At the Academy, I picked up a spell that helps you maintain concentration better while crafting and you can often put out a better product. If you are willing, let me demonstrate."

Charles has Crafter's Fortune prepared if it would benefit Sledge. He's willing to prepare it each day of the journey as well.

Thanks to my Cha I have a decent Will save.

Someone can still declare that they want to read the book in the evening. If so, I need a Knowledge (religion) or Linguistics check.

After the excitement of the previous night, the Fireday passes smoothly with no immediately apparent dangers. With the offer to go swimming, Captain Walren asks for Quinby to go and find him a smooth river stone, remarking something about how Ewem would usually do that. The gnome returns, dripping but still comfortable, and hands the stone to the dwarf. Walren utters something utterly unintelligible to all of you before hurling the stone onto the river. It skips several times before the skipping seems to become improbable, bending around and out of sight into. After a few minutes, Walren nods and looks over at whoever else is on the deck. "It'll be a bit misty going forward, but otherwise clear, I think. No guarantees, but you should be able to have some leisure. Tomorrow we'll make a stop in Crowstump and drop miss Quinby off. Could even spend the night there before we reach Lake Encarthan if'n ye want. Their market's right decent. Not as good as Tamran's, but beggars cannae be choosers."

---

Captain Walren keeps the Black Mist sailing for a bit after the sun sets and the moon rises before announcing with a yawn that he's turning in and asking for Garen and Quinby to take their watch. He checks on Ewem, who seems keen on participating. "Wake us in a couple hours. Stay warm."

Quinby busies herself on the upper deck, pacing back and forth and humming to herself, as though playing at soldier, complete with mock salutes and marching. "Oh, Mr. Williamson," she calls out about halfway through their respective watch. "Would you like to hear me sing? I think I can do it so that I don't wake the others."

"Please do my lady." Garen says gesturing for her to continue. He otherwise keeps a roving eye on the river and both shores.

Quinby turns towards Garen and begins singing a mournful, lilting, wordless tune. She has a lovely singing voice--one might even say that it's...captivating.

I need Garen to make a DC 17 Will save.

Saw that coming.

Garen finds the song entrancing and moves toward Quinby.

Will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

And yet no one did any Sense Motive or detect evil or anything! A tricky GM's dream!

As Quinby sings, the paladin advances towards her. As he walks towards her, the gnomish disguise that she had put on peels away and the woman's true form appears. She has hair like seaweed, pale skin, pointy ears, and nearly translucent webbed appendages. She continues singing: "Come, swim with me, swim and enjoy the placid moonlit waters."

Quinby dives into the river and beckons Garen to join her.

Garen receives a second DC 17 Will save to break the effect before moving into a potentially perilous situation.

The rest of the party can make a DC 15 Perception check to hear the song and wake up. If you wake up, you must also make a DC 17 Will save or begin moving towards Quinby using the most direct means available. You can take no actions other than to defend themselves, including speaking (i.e., you are not helpless). This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect.

Within the cabin, both Walren and Ewem snore, unphased by the events happening above deck.

The map is updated. We're in demi-initiative, but not yet combat: please only post one round's worth of actions at a time. Everyone is up.

I, for one, was totally oblivious!

Perception (Silvio): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17;
Perception (Winter): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Will DC17 Silvio: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8.

Silvio wakes up and is enchanted by the song he hears. He stands and walks to the door, wanting to get closer.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Perception(Roger): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Charles hears the haunting voice and he stirs from his sleep while Roger sleeps soundly, curled up under his arm.

Will save (Charles): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

"My what a lovely song," Charles whispers as he climbs from his bedroll. "I must go and hear it better."

Charles fails his save and begins moving towards the source of the music.

Maybe I got all of the low rolls out of the way for everyone. lol