San grabs his bow from where he was securing it for the swim along with an arrow. Gaging across the water, he plants his feet, takes aim, and looses the arrow towards the remaining crab... lizard... crustacean thing. Unfortunately the rocking of the boat completely throws off his aim.
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”Thet looks infected” wondering how long he has until he passes out, Tao calls for magical help from his ancestors, who swarm into the crab, distracting it while he struggles to lift his glaive spear!
◆) Ancestral Touch
◆) Step
◆) Strike
Seemingly nobody is going to dash into the water and over to the beach on her request, so Sidonie gives the area between where she is and Tao is another scan. She's looking for anything else, like more crabs popping up in the water or out of the sand, that might change her mind...
Then, she reluctantly jumps into the water to make the swim.
Bastiano grabs his bow and nocks an arrow, then stares at the odd-looking creatures, then flinches as Vildrian’s spell turns one of them into paste.
We’re too low. I think I need a better angle.
He leans further over the rail and waits for a swell to raise the ship before loosing the arrow from his bow.
Vildran's barrage of force shards bludgeon the yellow crustacean to death, leaving the remaining one suddenly bereft of its partner. The blue crustacean endures the final shard's strike. San fires, hoping to finish the creature off, but his arrow deflects off its hard carapace.
Tao's touch shakes the crustacean's mind (even more than its already shaken by losing its kin), but his strike can't quite pierce its hard shell. At the end however, Bastiano pulls through with a prescient arrow, aimed precisely so that it skewers its soft underside as it thrashes in pain. A moment later and the second crustacean also lies still.
While the crustaceans are no more, the poison spreading through Tao's veins is still potent. His body shivers as he tries to fight it off, but to no avail .
Combat Over! You each gain 50 XP.
++++ STATUS ++++
Sidonie (1 dmg)
San
Tao (10 dmg, ? Poison Stage 2, enfeebled 2)
Vildran
Bastiano
Vildran gains a sense of relief after the arrow drops the other crab.
I apologize Tao. I think I angered them with my arcane barrage! he shouts across the water.
Um... can someone bring the little boat back over this way?
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Struggling against first his Martial and then his Magical ancestors (who misadvise him on treating his own ailment), Tao wonders if his affliction will cause him to lose consciousness!
Round Three
◆) Treat Poison
Round Four
◆) Treat Poison
Having no desire to leave a fellow volunteer on their own, San repacks his bow and follows Sidonie into the water.
And immediately regrets his decision as the waves punish his feeble attempt at swimming.
Slightly battered and now grumpy, Sidonie picks herself up and walks over to Tao. She can't do anything to help him except help with getting the boat into the water.
"Are you alright? Can you still help me turn this boat over so we can get out to the ship?"
Bastiano looks around unhappily, then sighs. "Well, I guess this is it what it takes to be an adventurer. I didn't realize it would be so wet!" He wraps up his gear as securely as he can and climbs gingerly over the side of the ship's rail.
He calls out, "Thank you, Mister Thorn!" before dropping into the water and trying to swim to shore.
Though Tao struggles to treat the poison while his ancestors tug his thoughts this way and that, his natural grit and fortitude eventually win out.
San dives in the water while Art is still saying "Careful boy, ye saw what happened to the girl!" and finds himself getting swept off his intended route by the waves. He crashes against the rocks on the shore before he's able to pull himself out . Bastiano on the other hand proves fairly adept, swimming comfortably to the beach without injury.
On shore, you check over the turned over dinghy and find it sports a small tear in the side. Seaworthy enough to shuttle Vildran from Art's sloop, but likely not much good for a longer voyage without some patching.
San assists Tao and team in getting the dingy into the water to retrieve Vildran from the fishing vessel. "Good call on not trying to swim. I took a bit of a beating getting to shore. Now that we're here though, where to next? It looks like a broken bridge off that way. Should we explore down the beach more though? And maybe assist Tao... he doesn't look so good. Thanks for taking point!"
With San taking the lead in getting the dinghy back into the water, Vildran is ferried to shore safely and without further incident. Art waves to you all from his sloop and drops anchor. He looks out at the island for a brief moment before turning his gaze to the sea and its storied dangers.
With a look up and down the beach, you see the remains of a rather emaciated-looking campfire snuggled up against the rocks of the cliff to shield it from the wind. Where your priestess went next is not immediately clear and will likely take some investigation of the surroundings.
Vildran chuckles sheepishly again as the party tends to him.
Yeah, like I said, probably better that I don't try and create even more problems for you.
When he reaches shore, he looks to Tao.
How are you feeling now? Sorry, I think my force barrage angered them instead of scaring them off.
He grimaces with a hint of guilt. To the rest of the group
Who is good with a first-aid kit?
After any treating of Tao's wounds...
Vildran approaches the campfire to see if there are obvious clues as to any departure from it. Tracks perhaps. Sandy footprints pointed in any direction.
Looking around and seeing no one else volunteering, "Ummm, Vildran, I think the only person that really knows how to use a first aid kit is you. I never strayed far enough from town that I couldn't get back for help if I needed it... Sorry."
Investigating the campfire, San first tries to detect any magic in the area just in case something was left behind. He also looks around for any hint as to which way the priestess and her entourage have gone.
Sidonie joins San at the campfire, wishing it were lit since she's soaked.
"So, what do you think?" she asks him, figuring elves are good at puzzling out tracks and nature and such.
Bastiano searches around the campfire for any sign of where the priestess - or anyone else from the shipwreck - might have gone, and whether they went under their own power.
With the issue of Tao's injuries set aside for the moment, you take your time to look over the campfire and immediate surroundings. Nothing registers to San's attempts to detect magic, but he does spot a strip of bloody bandage rolled up and stuffed in a crack in the rock. There's no evidence of any cooking, suggesting that the people here didn't stay for long (or weren't capable enough to hunt).
Vildran surveys the wider area, looking for footprints, but finds no obvious trail. There's signs that the tide comes in all the way up the beach and to the ancient path, which means any tracks in the softer sand are long gone. To the east, Vildran and Bastiano spot two crossbow bolts - one stuck in the packed earth and a second lying among the rocks. From their orientation, it seems they must've been fired from the west.
As you're all inspecting the site and pondering what may have happened here, you hear Art's voice above the sounds of the surf. "Oiiii! Oiiii! Look!" You look in the direction of his voice and see him pointing out at sea. Approaching toward the island is another small ship, even smaller than Art's sloop, and coming from the same direction you all came from. You can't help but notice that its sail is listing to one side, even at this distance, and it seems to sit low in the water.
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Autumn You find yourself in even more trouble than you had bargained for. The voyage had come as a sudden and insistent request, a demand really, from a courier working for the one man it seemed sensible not to cross. Just a quick jaunt into the gulf, the message had said. Follow after Zantus' expedition and make sure credit goes the way it should.
Now you find yourself on a tiny sailboat slowly taking on water, with Titus' goon who had been sailing the thing doing his best to plug the hole for long enough to get to shore. The reef you'd hit had been half an hour ago and all but invisible to casual observation. The time since had been rising panic until you'd spotted the "Zantus expedition" and their boat up ahead.
"Ummm, Vildran, I think the only person that really knows how to use a first aid kit is you..."
A sudden, embarrassed look.
Oh! Tao, I do have a kit here. One moment...
He motions for Tao to approach him so that hey may inspect.
After a bit of trying, and a guilty look, he admits Well, it's just a start. Give this rest and we'll check on it in a while. It's cleaned at least.
--------------------
Vildran watches the limping ship until he can see who might be on it, and whether they be hostile or friendly.
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Asmodeus damn Titus. Autumn didn’t like the mission to begin with, and sinking on a leaking boat does not improve her opinion. She bails water as best she can, but her slender arms are already tiring from the never-ending effort. So it is that Art’s crude shout sounds like Shelyn’s music to her ears, and his dingy sloop is a vision from Nirvana.
“HELP!!” she stands and cries at the top of her voice, gesticulating frantically for Thorn to come to her aid. It seems to take an eternity, but the fisherman eventually pulls alongside her now half-submerged sailboat. She and the goon clamber aboard gratefully, abandoning their smaller vessel as a lost cause.
An animated discussion ensues aboard Art’s ship. After several minutes of back and forth, the fisherman steers his boat back to its previous anchorage. From there the fashionably dressed human calls to the party ashore, not with a yell, but with a whisper.
“Bastiano.” A familiar voice tickles the fetchling’s ear, a rich but dry alto that he would recognize from Alma’s bakery and the Sandpoint Boutique, as a fellow customer for the former and as a part-time clerk for the latter. “Care to offer me a ride ashore?” Just in case, Autumn repeats her request to both San and Sidonie as well, taking advantage of her familiarity from the Thevin jewelry shop and Vernah's Fine Clothing respectively.
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"Well, at least one of them was injured. There's a bloody bandage stuffed in this rock. Not sure why it would be stuffed in there though. Speaking of injury, Tao, you don't look much better than before... no offence Vildran. I was saving this for dire need but this might be it." San retrieves the small bottle from his belt pouch and moves to hand it to Tao. "This should help some. I got it from Hannah before we left. She's never treated me wrong before so I'm confidant this will heal you up a bit more."
San watches the boat limp its way to their only passage off the island with concern. Seeing a couple figures clamber their way onto Art's boat is even more worrisome. Already moving to the little dingy, San stops in his tracks as a whisper reaches his ear. Great... another one that can use magic with ease... Pushing the unkind thoughts aside, he continues getting the small boat into the water, gratefully accepting any assistance anyone wants to give.
At the fishing vessel he makes sure to get the story of these two before any decisions are made. Another volunteer and her escort... Not much of an escort if he's adamant to staying aboard the fishing sloop. Afterward, he pulls Art aside to make sure he's ok with this... person staying on the ship with him. The girl apparently wants to come ashore despite the dangers involved.
To whomever came back to the sloop with him, "She... sorry, Autumn, apparently wants to come help with the search. I don't have any objections."
As they pile back into the dingy, slowly filling with water mind you, San makes a note of an interesting tattoo the girl is sporting.
Sidonie recognizes the arriving woman, her name is Autumn. They had run across each other at Ryn's shop. It's weird to see her though, even aside from the oddness of showing up out of nowhere on a sinking little boat. She doesn't remember seeing her at the cathedral when then man wa taken there. Or, if she was there and Sidonie just hadn't seen her, she didn't speak up about wanting to come.
Cocking her head to the side a little, she wonders why Autumn would suddenly and belatedly feel the need to come so strongly that she would set out with a single other person in an unseaworthy boat. Yep, it's weird. Or she's weird.
Sidonie doesn't volunteer herself for taking the boat out to the ship right away. She only starting to dry off, and doesn't want to set the process back if she can help it. She looks around at all the strapping (relatively speaking considering the present population) young men and wonders if they're all going to be losers about this.
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Autumn wears a ruffled yellow blouse with a pleated black skirt: something simple, yet stylishly elegant, especially when coupled with the Varisian jewelry surrounding her slender neck, and more suited for an audience with nobility than adventuring to find survivors. Her full black hair is cropped well short of her rounded shoulders, and kept out of her pale oval face by a dark teal headband. On the inside of her left forearm one might glimpse a detailed tattoo of an oak tree with brilliant fall colors that are slowly fading. But her most striking features are her expressive eyes, eyes that seem to vary depending on her mood, from limpid jade to mossy green to vivid emeralds.
She hikes up her skirt, trying to stay as dry as possible as she steps carefully into the dinghy. During the voyage to shore, she meets San’s curious gaze with a mysterious smile, as if inviting him into a secret club, then twists her arm so that he has a better view of her tattoo.
When they land, she introduces herself to Tao and Vildran with a confident curtsy that is somehow both cheeky and respectful. “Autumn Forfallan, at your service. Thought you could use some help.” Her words are friendly and self-assured, though she's not nearly as well equipped as the others. At least she carries a slim backpack, indicating some preparation, and on the fashionable belt around her slender waist is a sheathed dagger on one side, and a small pouch on the other.
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Once Autumn is safely aboard, Art wastes no time in dressing down the thuggish lad that had been piloting the tiny sailboat, calling him a parade of creatively foul terms and casting doubt as to his possession of brain matter. The lad takes the verbal assault, at first by puffing out his chest and making excuses, and then by cringing in on himself as Art simply doesn't give up. By the time San arrives with the dinghy, Art's verbal assault is starting to ebb. Art turns to San and Autumn and says "I'll be 'pologizing on behalf 'a this lout. He up and near almost killed ye with his recklessness. Like he learned nothing from back when we was fishin' with his betters. PAH."
"You clear as day 'ave some reason to be joinin' us here, and I 'ope its a good one. There be more dangers than rocks in these waters. Stick together, eh?" He looks to San and nods "I'll keep 'old of this lout while yer searchin'. After that show, he'd be more a danger than an 'elp to you, I'm reckonin'." He waves you off to return to shore, turning back to the lad.
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The return trip to the island from the sloop is quick, though the dinghy shows its own lack of seaworthiness rather clearly as you both get pretty damp. Nevertheless, it holds up and soon you're all on the shore, one "rescuer" richer.
Vildran watches curiously as Autumn exits the water, clearly un-tensing when it is made clear she knows some of his companions. He briefly glances at San.
Oh, hello. I'm Vildran. How do you know San?
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Once they arrive back on the island Vildran starts to give Autumn something of a rundown.
So, over here is where Tao first arrived after swimming over from our boat. He was then attacked by those shrimpy... crabby... things.
He points to the lifeless bodies.
Yeah, they don't look like much, but they kept us busy for a moment. He's trying his best to seem rugged, but it's clearly not him.
Then he turns East towards the campfire sheltered in the rocks.
Then we noticed that recently used campfire and we were in the process of attempting to determine in what direction someone may have departed from it. And now you're all caught up!
He gives a self-satsified smile that one expects from a bookish nerd with some lack of social awareness.
“Pleased to meet you, Vildran. I met San at his parents’ jewelry store. They have some lovely pieces.” Autumn gives San a knowing look as she responds effortlessly.
By process of elimination, she gives the man who must be Tao a cordial nod of acknowledgement, then returns her attention to Vildran’s summary of their activities thus far. Her gaze is intent and focused, as if the strange-looking elf is the only person in the world who matters, though she takes care to avoid staring at his unusual appearance.
“So brave,” she coos with soft admiration at the wizard’s affected ruggedness while shying away from the dead crustaceans. “Glad you’re here to protect us.” Autumn flutters her lashes appreciatively, then strolls over to examine the dead campfire.
“Shall we go this way?” she asks after a moment’s reflection, gesturing east.
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Tao did not trust the Scarnettis. His auntie holds their influence responsible for the disappearance of his cousin some 17 years ago. But he also believed people deserve to be treated individually and judged by their own merit... Thus, it is with cautious reticence that he bows slightly and phrases "Ma'am" trying to hold his own prejudice - righteous or otherwise - in reserve behind the polite salutation of custom.
Walking over to the "lout" "Doncha worry brave one! Canna do better'n ta have y'cargo 'rive safe an' soun' cannit?" he winks at the boy. Distracting himself now, Tao gathers some of the crustacean meat, gripping his "glaive" near the blade, and crouching down, skillfully using it like a knife to carve the carcass into storable bits. He gestures the boy over, willing to show him if he can spare a moment.
"No good" he declares the lost cause, and now finished, Tao looks East, shrugs his shoulders, and moves to the front of the pack "Le's go?" he hollars back.
San agrees on east. There isn't much differentiating one direction from the other at the moment anyway. He does a bit of thinking out loud, "The direction of the bolts here imply they were shooting at something coming from this direction which could mean they had to flee back the other way. At the moment there's nothing obvious indicating what they were shooting at... maybe those creatures we took out that were under the boat? Couldn't hurt to take a look around that way at least."
Vildran laughs sheepishly at the attention from Autumn, but quickly turns to their new task to deflect from committing any kind of reaction. His face feels warm and flush, so he jogs to catch up to Tao and San for now.
Right... East.
“Autumn? Huh?” I absolutely did not expect her to join this mission, let alone chase after us to do it! “You’ve got some sand on your sk… never mind. Sure, east makes sense.”
Before they move too far from their arrival point, Bastiano takes a moment to examine the crustaceans, hoping to recognize them up close or at least learn something about them in case the party encounters them again.
Sidonie isn't really sure were east is at the moment, but she doesn't want to look like an idiot.
"I like east too. Shall we get going? Better if we find... something, before it gets dark"
Anyway, it's probably best to start walking somewhere right away. As near as she can tell Tao is treating the dead crab things like they might be food and San is fixating on a couple of crossbow bolts. Meanwhile Bastiano and Vildran are losing their composure over Autumn. Sidonie can tell.
Sure, she's pretty, but come on guys. Don't you have to wonder about anyone who'd show up here dressed like that? It just isn't sensible.
I'll bet it's an embarrassing beach scene for old Art to be witnessing.
Sidonie realizes that she probably has more faith and confidence in Art than anyone else around, which isn't great since he's not coming along.
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With your new member introduced, you turn your attention to the scant evidence you've found, heading eastward. It takes only a few steps before you reach the remains of the ancient bridge. Short stone posts stand on either side of a fifteen-foot-wide rift in the shore. Once, these posts must have been carved and ornamented, but today they're little more than stubs worn smooth and slick with seaspray. In the water ten feet below, the surf crashes over worn chunks of stone that must have once made up a stone arch crossing from one end to the other. A fall down there would likely hurt, and worse, may result in the surf picking you up and repeating the impact.
Looking into the gap, you notice a grim sight. Jammed into the narrow section of the rift at the far end, down at sea level, is a human body, still dressed in simple traveler's garments. Their limbs are bent at wrong angles and even at this distance you can see a crossbow bolt sticking out of their chest. Whoever this is, they don't match Marten's description of the Priestess.
Sidonie looks down at the body.
"Well, I was thinking of maybe finding something more encouraging than this" she mutters. Considering the location of the body, she's not that curious about trying to find out more. If it isn't the priestess, she'd rather ask someone else they find for an explanation.
Instead she turns her attention inland, checking out the bluff off to her left and the potential for going around the inlet rather than across.
Vildran frowns when they find the body.
Indeed. More death, and no-one yet to tell us what transpired here. Strange... that crossbow bolt didn't do that to his limbs.
He steps in for a closer look.
"I'm guessing these other crossbow bolts were meant for this fellow or maybe others he was with. He took a bolt to the chest and fell into this gap. The water had it's way with the body until it got stuck there." As San postulates, he examines what's left of the stone bridge and the terrain surrounding it.
"Are we determined to go this way? Getting down to the body might be quite difficult. I have this grappling hook we might use to anchor a rope to the other side if we need it. I don't think climbing down and crossing the stones would be wise though..."
At Bastiano’s prompting, Autumn flashes a grateful smile, then bends over and carefully brushes the sand off her skirt. But though she has clearly taken pains to look presentable, she doesn’t seem particularly bothered by the dirt, or by her wet feet—it appears that she’s had at least some experience ‘roughing it’.
When they reach the collapsed bridge she purses her lips; the discovery of the body transforms them into a full-fledged frown. “Heinous.”
"Are we determined to go this way?
“I think we must. That body is our best chance at learning what happened.” She glances over at Vildran. “It can’t talk, but it might have clues—perhaps something to connect it to the princess we seek.” Looking back at San she continues. “Perhaps we can cross where the gap is narrower, then climb down to retrieve the body.” She walks inland several paces, trying to find a narrower gap where they might safely cross, while also scanning the opposite side for footprints or any other signs that someone crossed.
Sidonie looks up the bluff. While it's fairly steep and rises up to a total height of 30 feet, there are numerous small ledges and nooks in it that house nesting seabirds and the remains of their nests. It looks like it could be climbed to avoid having to brave the rift, but the climb wouldn't be particularly easy .
From a distance, Vildran can't tell much about the body beyond the fact that it's been stuck deeply with the crossbow bolt and also mangled by the rocks and waves. It's likely been here for a day or two. He realizes someone would need to pull it out of the rift, or he would need to go down to get a better look.
Tao doesn't spot anyone coming or any dangers beyond the obvious ones posed by the 'chasm' in the shoreline and the churning surf within.
To Autumn's eyes, while the rift's gap is narrower closer to the cliff, the other side of the rift doesn't leave much of a space to land before the cliff rises. At its narrowest, it looks like a 15 foot jump if you want to have room to land on the other side. She doesn't see footprints on the other side, but that's not a big surprise, considering the packed stone and sandy dirt of the ground there.
Nodding in assent, San winds up to throw the grappling hook tied to his rope.
"I appreciate the willingness. I'm throwing it so it's only fair that I risk crossing first. Can you try to hold this end taught? See if there's something we can wrap this end around to help."
"Does anyone else have some rope? I'd like a lifeline so I can be pulled back up if I fall... I'm not confidant I could climb back up on my own."
San takes some time to gather more rope from others that have it to make sure there's options once he (hopefully) makes it to the other side. At least one more to drape down the side of the rocks to the body.
"Does anyone else have some rope? I'd like a lifeline so I can be pulled back up if I fall... I'm not confidant I could climb back up on my own."
Showing a bit more preparedness, Autumn pulls a length of coiled rope out of her pack and offers it to San, to tie around his waist or otherwise use as he sees fit. Pre-attached to one end of the rope is a compact grappling hook.
Sidonie has some rope, which she hands over to San.
"Does anyone else have some rope? I'd like a lifeline so I can be pulled back up if I fall... I'm not confidant I could climb back up on my own."
Bastiano pulls two tightly coiled lengths of rope, a grappling hook, a hammer, pulleys, crampons, and some pitons out of his pack. “Take what you need, San. I haven’t had much practice with this gear so I’m sure you’re less likely to break your neck trying this than I would be.”
Vildran had fished his own rope out of his pack and handed it over too.
San slips, windmilling his arms for a moment. He tumbles to the side, fall slowed by Tao's firm grip on the safety rope, and manages to catch the main rope on the way down. He's left hanging in the middle of the inlet, his grappling hook having held successfully! From here, he can shimmy to either side .