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Ariala thought hard as her eyes followed the path of the cloaked person across the dock. That little hitch in the step, she had just recently seen someone walking like that aboard the ship, but couldn’t think who on the Sulfur Squid it would have been. The individual turned toward the Chelish ship and the guard at the bottom of the gangplank saluted the person, who walked right on by. One of the ship’s officers met the newcomer at the top of the gangplank, holding out a hand in welcome. The cloaked figure pushed back the cloak’s hood and hurried up the last few steps, gripping the officer’s hand warmly. The two shook hands and patted each other on the back, as if they were friends meeting again after a long time. Then Ariala saw the a big deckhand on the ship shout at his underlings and crack a long whip at one; the deck scrubbers and wood polishers had mostly stopped to stare at the newcomer and now hurried back to work.

The officer from the Dark Naga put his arm around the shoulder of the other person and turned to walk aft along the rail. Suddenly Ariala caught sight of the stranger’s face and realized why he seemed familiar: he was Zirual Taldal, whom she had watched pace back and forth over the deck of Freedom’s Wind for days—the one who had sunk her ship and murdered her husband and the ship’s entire crew! Red filled Ariala’s vision as rage swept through her. She racked her brains for a way to capture Zirual and bring him to justice—or maybe just punish him herself! Public murder on the street would probably get her imprisoned, even in Drenchport. Quiet murder in an alley, though – that might be possible.

Having conversed with two or three people aboard ship, the officer escorted Zirual back down the gangplank. They were apparently headed into Drenchport for some reason and would pass right by the “Drowning Dwarf.” Ariala ducked out of sight behind a stack of barrels and waited for the men to walk by. She decided perhaps she’d follow and see where they were going, rather than accost Zirual right away.

Ariala caught the sound of Zirual’s voice as they approached.

“…ship broke up entirely, but at least that way there would be no survivors,” he said.

“Well, that’s good; it saves us some trouble,” the officer replied.

Her blood froze as Ariala realized the significance of those words. Not only did those two not care if anyone survived, they wanted any witnesses dead! There was no way she could confront Zirual now; that would just put her in line for murder! Furthermore, although the crew of the Sulfur Squid was tight-lipped, it was still possible that one might let fall the word that they had pulled a shipwreck survivor out of the storm. Then Zirual and his Chelish friends would be searching for her. She had to hide – or better yet, get out of Drenchport entirely! She waited for the men to pass and be completely out of sight before she left her hiding place.

Still somewhat obscured by the barrels, Ariala surveyed the dock once more, this time looking carefully at even the fishing vessels berthed out of the way of the bigger ships. One had apparently just sold its catch, but instead of the crew preparing to disembark and get some beer, they looked to be heading back out to sea. Maybe they were based out of some small fishing village, and she could hide out there until Zirual and the Chelish ship had both left Tempest Cay. She hurried down to talk to the captain.

The fishing vessel was the Silver Shark. Its crew is about 1/3 human and 2/3 undine and the captain is an undine as well, with aqua skin and deep green hair flowing around his shoulders. He wore a tight-fitting gray sleeveless shirt, black leather pants and a dagger and cutlass at his belt. One notable ornament he had was a silver torc with an oval piece of mother-of-pearl inset in the center front. He gave his small crew orders to get everything ship-shape and ready to sail.

Ariala called to the captain to get his attention. In a few minutes’ conversation, she found that Captain Aessek Whorl and his crew were headed back to their home port of Drowning Rock. They were reluctant to take on a passenger, but her promise of paying an entire gold piece (more than three-days’ wage for an average person) got their interest. When she offered a second gold piece for their promise that they had never seen her, they perked up even more. It wasn’t a huge amount, but being paid for doing nothing but going back to their home port—which they were already doing—sounded good to them. Captain Whorl did ask why she was in such a hurry and Ariala managed to come up with an excuse fast.

“I just spotted my ex-husband in town and I can’t stand one more repetition of his speech on why I need to come back home and take care of his ailing mother! Can’t you please get me out of here?” That gave the crew a chuckle at her expense, but Captain Whorl finally gave in.

That was yesterday. After hours in the boat, the Silver Shark made it safely to Drowning Rock. It berthed in what was evidently the undine quarter of the little town, and Ariala had to walk a ways to make it to an inn that didn’t restrict itself to undines. She also had to break into the little store of coin she had in her haversack to pay her lodging and meal expenses, but the quality of both far exceeded what she had in Drenchport previously. She still tossed and turned, worrying about what had happened to her and what she was going to do next, but at least she had a room to herself (and Fidget, of course) and didn’t have to worry that someone might just walk off with her goods while she slept. After a surprisingly decent breakfast, Ariala set out to explore the town and see what might be had in the way of jobs.


In the morning, Ariala the Red got some bread and old cheese (for 3 coppers) at “The Gales Inn,” the least bad of the choices for breakfast. She declined any drink, though, fairly sure that the morning’s ‘beer’ would consist of the leavings of the night before. She’d go back to the “Drowning Dwarf,” or hold her own cup out in the rainstorm, before she’d drink anything served at “The Gales Inn.”

The rain that morning was lighter, although wind gusts made it impossible to keep anything really dry as they kept blowing the edges of her cloak around and whipping water into her hood. While on the Sulfur Squid, Ariala had thought perhaps she could get a job with a merchant house in Drenchport, but now she discarded that idea. Even if there were any merchant houses in the town (which she doubted, having seen it now), she had no interest in staying any longer than she had to. She had put up with heavy rainstorms every afternoon during her travels in the jungle of the Mwangi Expanse, but it didn’t rain all day and all night, too! Ariala thought perhaps she could get a berth on the Chelish merchant. She wasn’t too sure about joining the crew of a pirate ship; if she couldn’t get a job aboard the merchantman, she’d stay another day or two and hope for more traffic.

Ariala found a spot near the “Drowned Dwarf,” around one side and mostly out of the wind, and surveyed the situation on the dock. The Sulfur Squid was toward the further end. The hands aboard it were busy doing repairs, with several people seated on planks hanging over the side of the rail to fix parts of the ship that couldn’t be reached while at sea. One of the other pirate ships must have sailed on the morning tide, because it was gone from yesterday’s berth. The other pirate ship, Blade of the Deep, did not seem to be going anywhere today, based on the fact that its crew were just now staggering up to the deck. The crew of the Chelish ship, Dark Naga, had their vessel looking ship-shape, and several hands were scrubbing and swabbing to make it even better.

Just as Ariala was getting ready to walk over to the Chelish ship, someone strode past the tavern and down to the dock. She paused and frowned, thinking the person seemed familiar. It was something about the walk; the cloak obscured any sight of the person. At first she thought it might be Feli Dhurs from the Sulfur Squid, but she quickly realized that wasn’t correct. Puzzled as to who else it might be, she stayed where she was and watched the person’s progress.


Even compared to the rough-and-tumble town of Bloodcove, Drenchport looks like a ramshackle place. It appears to be built almost entirely of driftwood, or the flotsam of wrecked ships. It also seems that the rain never stops, or it’s impossible to tell when it does because the wind blows so much water on its own without any needing to fall from the sky. Pavi found it hard to believe that people would care to live in a place where they couldn’t step outdoors without getting soaking wet, absolutely all the time.

The port itself was in slightly better condition, probably because the Pirate Lord who controlled the island wanted to encourage ships to dock. There were a couple of ships Feli Dhurs identified as pirates, one merchant ship that was also just docking, and several smaller fishing vessels. Pavi recognized the design of the merchantman – definitely Chelish. As for the pirates, one ship looked like it had started its days in Rahadoum but she couldn’t place the origins of the other.

When the Sulfur Squid reached the port, Pavi hung back until several sailors had gone ashore, then followed at a distance to see where they were going. (Fidget rode in a pocket of her haversack, just peeking out to see what was going on but trying to remain unnoticed.) The first place most of them headed was a low building whose faded sign depicted a wet, dripping dwarf with white eyes and kelp in his beard. She could barely make out the letters on the board above the door: “Drowned Dwarf. “ The inside was dim, but not much dimmer than outside and at least no water was coming down!

Pavi managed to get a spot at a table fairly near the fireplace and she thought she might eventually dry off. When a woman came to the table with refills for the prior customers, Pavi asked her about the cheapest drink. The woman told her it was beer – black kelp beer, the specialty of the house. It sounded awful, but it seemed nearly everyone was drinking it, so Pavi ordered one for herself. The black kelp beer turned out to be delicious! She drank the first cup, nursed a second for a long time, had a bowl of mediocre fish stew to warm her belly, and felt like she was actually getting a bit dry. (The two drinks and stew with bread cost her a total of 18 coppers.) The tavern was getting quite full, though, toward the end of the workers’ day, so she decided she’d better give up her spot and find a place to sleep before dark.

The ‘inn’ she found was barely worthy of the name. “The Gales Inn” was further from the docks than the “Drowned Dwarf,” with a tavern on the main floor, and had less than half the customers of the dockside establishment. However, it did have a large room on the second floor where customers could sleep off a drunk for only 2 silvers. Under most circumstances, Pavi would have been horrified. She had slept in worse conditions, though, because at least this was dry and she had Fidget to help watch over her things so that no one tampered with them (or her) during the night. She lay a long time in the dark thinking over her situation, and how she might go ahead, but made some decisions and was finally able to get a few hours’ sleep before morning.


The ship that rescued Pavi from the ocean was the Sulfur Squid, commanded by Captain Kevir Rojar. The tall, dark-haired man seemed to resent Pavi having seen him in his time of weakness because he never spoke to her after she cured him. Instead most of her discussion was with the first mate, Feli Dhurs. Dhurs was a half-orc, but still a fairly good-looking woman. Pavi thought one of her parents must have been absolutely gorgeous to have passed on such looks to a half-breed. The half-orc made sure the healer had a place to bunk, and that the crew didn’t harass her, but she was busy with her duties and was not particularly friendly. Pavi looked after the injuries of several sailors—indeed, it seemed that most of the crew had some type of injury—but otherwise spent her three days on the ship mostly by herself, trying to clean and mend her drenched possessions as much as possible.

The crew of the Sulfur Squid was tight-lipped about where they’d been, or what they’d been doing when the captain got injured. Pavi suspected they were running from someone—either from retaliation for a failed attack, or from someone who attacked them—because she couldn’t think of any other good reason to be skirting that close to the perpetual hurricane. She gave absolutely no indication of that thought, however, as she valued her life. After she cured Captain Rojar’s infection, the crew loosened up around Pavi just a little and later Feli Dhurs told her that so near the hurricane, there is a strong current in the opposite direction. The ship was riding that current when they found her. Dhurs mentioned the current is called Gozreh’s Flow, and when she heard that Pavi realized she needs to make a thank-offering to her god at some point in the near future!

Although Captain Rojar and the crew of the Sulfur Squid grudgingly acknowledged her healing capabilities, no one suggested that she join the crew. As they reached the island of Tempest Cay, Dhurs came by to let her know that after the ship was docked, and the captain and first mate had gone ashore, she was free to leave as soon as she wanted. She also gave Pavi a scrap of cloth tied with string, holding several coins. The cloth contained 25 copper coins, 3 pieces of silver, and 2 gold pieces and Dhurs said the crew had taken up a collection as thanks for her using her healing talents while she was aboard. Since most of the crew had ignored Pavi except for help with injuries (mostly suffered before she came aboard), this was quite a surprise. She was also pleased, because this meant she’d be able to stay in Drenchport at least a couple days without having to dip into the small hoard of coin she had stashed in her haversack.


A review of the officers of the Salty Flagon:

Captain Pierce Jerrell - Experienced sailor; known to be a sorcerer but skilled with a rapier as well

Rory "Gray Fergie" Ferguson - First Mate and a man of many skills

Eldon Zamborini - Navigator and ship's wizard

Lilabeth Danwin - Commander of Marines

Durgan Ostwell - Surgeon/healer and ship's carpenter

Rosh Thalar - Master Gunner

Rodale Migoran - Quartermaster


The evening's celebration goes as well as any celebration could reasonably expected to go. No one on watch gets drunk enough that Fergie needs to reprimand them, and the man in charge of the night watch is sober enough that Fergie feels he can actually go to bed. A few crew members do fall in the water, but they are duly fished out and mocked until they slink away somewhere to sleep off their inebriation. No serious fights take place; everyone is too happy about the mass of coins to get that offended tonight. The nearby hurricane means Pierce and Lilabeth don't really see very many stars, but neither of them seems dissatisfied with the time they spend in the crow's nest.

Morning dawns all too soon for many people, but at least the sky is severely overcast so those feeling a little... delicate don't have to deal with actual sunshine. The Captain seems invigorated after his evening of relaxation, because he is up fairly early rousing the crew and trying to put the ship to rights.


Pierce notices Gray Fergie head over to the ship and nods approvingly. After a couple more dances, he whispers to Lilabeth, "Let's go back to the ship. I saw Fergie go over a bit ago so I'd bet he's gone to take part of the night watch. We can go up to the crow's nest and be the lookout for a while. The view of the stars from there is even better than from the deck." He winks, and then pulls her out of the crowd toward the ship.


The scavenging parties have a good day and are able to bring plenty of fruit and ripe nuts. (There are only a few minor injuries and Durgan Ostwell easily takes care of those.) One group spotted a huge flock of large waterfowl and were able to get another team into the area without spooking the birds. Using slings and arrows, between the lot of them they were able to bring down enough birds to feed the whole crew tonight with plenty leftover for another day. The cook has plenty of willing hands to pluck and prepare the birds and by late afternoon the fowl are all roasting on spits while the plucking teams clean off with a bit of a swim.

Before that time, Quartermaster Rodale Migoran and Quicksilver Kurlander, the quartermaster's mate (whose real name is Josseby though no one calls her that) appear before the captain. They seem to have made an attempt to wash up, even combing their hair before arriving to make a formal report on the coin counting. Fergie, Eldon, and Lilabeth also squeeze in to hear the report.

On the second day of counting, a total of 150,948 copper pieces were counted. Most of them were packed into boxes constructed by Durgan Ostwell and his helpers, resulting in another 26 boxes being filled. Counting the chests which were pulled out of the water intact, and the last bit of loose coinage, there are 168 chests (or boxes) in all and 4335 coppers left in a bag.

That means there is a grand total of 970,335 copper pieces. It no doubt weighs a bit over 10 tons, including all the chests, and is worth 9,703 gold pieces. Given the ship's crew of 41 (counting the cook), plus the 7 officers (who get larger shares), each person's share will be not quite 16,000 cp which equals 160 gp. It's not enough for anyone to retire on, but will make the sailors very happy.

That night around the cooking fires, when the crew hushes to hear the captain's announcement, all that can be heard are the soft sounds of insects and the cry of a hunting owl. Then, when the total is announced, a shout goes up that frightens away the birds and briefly startles the insects into silence. That evening's celebration is almost as raucous as the one aboard ship two nights before, and between the two the ship's stores of liquor are much depleted.


The captain seems amenable to Gray Fergie's suggestion regarding the ship's next priority and raises his eyebrows but doesn't even crack a smile when Fergie mentions the seamstress.

"Uniforms?" the captain says, quirking one eyebrow a little.

"Lilabeth bought some clothes too," Fergie replies, thinking it's about time he left the conversation.

As he's turning away, he hears the captain say softly, "Rory Ferguson, if it isn't my luck that when one single woman finally catches your fancy, she lives on that soggy excuse for an island." Shaking his head, Pierce turns away also and may or may not have heard Fergie's final muttered remark.


The weapons that morning were adequate; the crew knows better than to neglect their weapons and let the climate get to them. They didn't gleam, though, and they could have been a little sharper. The fighters seem resigned to their fate and practice with a will.

Pierce is glad to see Lilabeth at lunch. He's been going through all his charts searching for any information he has about the currents around Mediogalti and the north side of the Eye of Abendego, and he wishes he had more information. He's thinking of trying to see if he can get better charts in Drenchport before you eventually head that direction; it's the most common 'jumping off place' from the Shackles to Mediogalti and points north, so he figures someone there may have something you all can use.


Both plans going forward have their pros and cons, and nothing really can be decided about the coins until the count is finished, so eventually the captain dismisses his officers to their other duties. He does comment that he'd be happy to get out of the rain for a while so heading for Mediogalti has some appeal, but doesn't commit himself to that course of action.

Not wanting to spend days sailing in a circle in the waters south of Tempest Cay, Jerrell orders the ship to sail to the north coast of Widowmaker Isle, which is easily reached in a day's sail. Late in the afternoon the Salty Flagon drops anchor in a small cove, protected from the eternal hurricane going on only about 25 miles away. Sailors who have been unable to help with counting or building boxes can now go ashore in teams to gather fruit, find fresh water, and look for wood that could be cut and seasoned to replace the lumber being used for the boxes. Fergie should figure out how many teams are going and of what size, but it probably won't be necessary for the officers to go themselves; this is a common task that most sailors should be able to do.

The counting has gone on all day, with several people taking one- or two-hour turns in the hold. Captain Jerrell himself takes another turn late, and then declares the counting over for the day as the ship nears Widowmaker Isle. The inventory has been going on 11 hours straight at that point, with Quicksilver having worked three shifts of three hours each, broken up by a little time on deck when her boss Migoran forced her to give up her seat to himself.

More than half the coins have been counted and packed into chests or boxes by the time a halt is called, so the captain declares that on the following day, counting is not going to start until an hour AFTER sunrise. The count for the day is 235,750 coins counted and packed into 41 boxes, which everyone agrees is an amazing start. (One pessimist who can do math in his head points out that is the equivalent of only 2,357 gold pieces, but he is booed down.) The crew is not as raucous as the previous evening but the mood is still celebratory.


"Mediogalti Island is basically three-sided," Eldon explains, "though one of those sides - to the northeast - is a curved bay. The side which is more or less on the southeast is the longest by far; it's probably over 200 miles long. Ilizmagorti is the only real town on the island, though people have tried to start other settlements from time to time. The interior is heavy jungle with some mountains and is mostly full of dinosaurs, lizardfolk, and kobolds. And the assassins, of course; their headquarters is somewhere on the island, but they... discourage people from trying to find it.

"The Red Mantis Assassins have a particular weapon they use - they call it a saw-tooth saber. However, anyone is allowed to carry one. That means any of about half the people in Ilizmagorti could possibly be assassins out of uniform. It makes for a slightly nervous population, that's for sure.

"There are several small islands around Mediogalti, most of which are uninhabited as far as anyone knows. The exceptions are the two fair-sized islands northeast of Mediogalti itself. One is Mosquito Island; the Red Mantis claim it for a training ground and kill anyone else who tries to go there. The other, further away, is Slitherfish Island. The only people I've ever heard of who live there are a strange, small cult of Besmara. It's about 30 miles across, hilly and forested, so I suppose you could hide a treasure there fairly well if you set your mind to it."

"Apparently that's what Captain Oias did," muses the captain. "Thanks, Eldon, for that information."

.

Knowledge (local) DC 18:
In the Shackles, Motaku Island (which has Quent, the second-largest town in the archipelago) is about 90 miles at its widest point. Tempest Cay (where you have just been, at Drowning Rock) is about 18 miles across the south, or only 15 miles across further north.


Eldon is the first to reply to Lilabeth's questions.

"We'd have to find a master armorer to make the armor, though I don't know that it would have to be quite this elaborate." He gestures to the drawing. "Even if we could, though, I don't have the knowledge to put my water breathing spell on the armor. That takes special training and there may be some wizard in the Shackles who could do it, but I don't know who it would be."

Before Pierce speaks, he returns Lilabeth's smile. He expressed his appreciation for her outfit earlier, over breakfast after his daybreak shift counting coppers and before Lilabeth went to take her turn.

"I do have at least the beginnings of a plan. We know this Ebbs fellow supposedly went to meet his mermaid from Drenchport. Well, it just so happens that we have already met a mermaid who lives around this island, though perhaps not too close to Drenchport. We just need to send someone back to those giant oysters you found - the ones marked by the Master of Gales - and then wait for the mermaid to come to us! I must confess, after that the plan becomes a little vague. We ought to think of something we could give her in exchange for some information." He smiles again at Lilabeth and then turns to Fergie.

"As for something a little further away-- If we could figure out where the island on this map is, we could go there! No one would expect that, because no one else knows where it is either. I have a feeling it might prove more valuable than almost any of these other items, though some I've read about are intriguing."

Eldon gets an odd look on his face and clears his throat awkwardly. "I, ah, may be able to offer some assistance in finding this island."

The captain looks at him sharply. "What? You've looked at this map a dozen times and not mentioned anything! Why wait to bring this up now?"

"I never looked at it upside down," Eldon replies. "Look - north is clearly marked on here, so I was looking at it as the marking indicated. Just now is the first time I've had to view it from the other direction. It looked vaguely familiar that way, but it took me a bit to recall it. I believe this is a drawing of Slitherfish Island, which is the northeast island of the chain that makes up the country of Mediogalti.”

.

Knowledge (geography) DC 10 or (local) DC 15:
Mediogalti is primarily a single large island, with a few other small (mostly uninhabited) islands scattered around it. It has a large pirate city at Ilizmagorti on the northeast side of the main island, but is also home to the dreaded organization of the Red Mantis Assassins. It is about 300 miles north of the Shackles, on the northwest side of the Eye of Abendego, the perpetual hurricane.


Fergie gets off his counting shift at 8:00, and by 9:00 he has recruited the other hands, arranged for them to fill in one or two at a time, and set up four counting stations in the hold, far enough apart that coins coming and going aren't going to get confused. Several other sailors offer to assist, but setting up more stations could make things a bit crowded. Having one or two people at a time to just haul bags or buckets of coins back and forth to the counting tables could be useful, though, so the first mate is able to make use of everyone who wants a part in this grand escapade, in an hourly rotation.

Gray Fergie also motivates Rodale Migoran, the quartermaster, well enough that the man goes down to the hold at 9:00 and insists that Quicksilver take a break up on deck. She resists the idea, but she has been counting for three hours by then without doing more than standing up a few times and getting a dipper or two of water, so Migoran stands firm. (The fact that he glances over his shoulder at the first mate a few times suggests to Fergie that his presence has something to do with Migoran's strong stance.)

Next Fergie talks to Durgan Ostwell, the ship's carpenter (as well as its surgeon/healer) and sets him to work building boxes. Ostwell and his mate take charge of the project, but there are a number of willing hands to pass tools or do a bit of hammering. Ostwell does point out to Mr. Ferguson that the ship's stores of free lumber are getting low after building the frames in the hold for storing all the loose gold, and now these boxes. He declines to call them 'chests' as they will have no lock and only leather straps for hinges and fastenings. In fact, some may just have to have the lids nailed on after being filled. He also suggests having a few sailors set to sewing more bags out of scraps of sail canvas, to have something to hold the counted coins while the boxes are being constructed.

At 10:00, Rosh Thalar enters the hold to be the next officer to assist with the counting. Quicksilver returns from her break, and Meg (who actually started at 9:00) and Sardie will be the other counters. Eldon and Lilabeth stretch their cramped muscles and climb back up to the deck, assuring Fergie they will join him in the captain's quarters very shortly.


Captain Jerrell is correct that Quicksilver is impatient to get on with counting all the coins; she is waiting next to the locked hold when he arrives with the key. Gray Fergie joins them as the captain opens the hatch and leads the others belowdecks. The quartermaster's mate starts by lighting lanterns; even when the sun gets well up, the persistent rain in the area means the hold will get very little light. A covered bucket of sand stands near each lantern hook in case of an emergency, although this cargo is certainly less flammable than most!

At first the sight of all that coinage gives a thrill of excitement, but then reality sets in - it will takes days if not weeks to count it all.

"So, Josseby," asks Jerrell, addressing the woman by her seldom-used given name, "how long do you think it will take to count everything?"

The woman shrugs carelessly, but the look in her eyes suggests she may be feeling overwhelmed by the task ahead of her. "Might I could go through all the loose ones in a week or perhaps a bit more. I'm fast with the coins, but I never had to do it for days at a time before. Having a reliable hand to bring things or put things'd also be a help. No doubt Quartermaster Migoran will come along betimes and the two of us could make more progress, but 'twill be a long task, no doubt."

"All the officers will be helping," the captain says firmly. "There will be at least one here at all times, not to keep an eye on you but to help with the progress. At least I know all of them can reliably count and group things by tens! Frankly, there are a few of the hands I'm not so sure about."

Quicksilver smiles slightly. "Aye, that's true; they'd have to match them up to their fingers or toes to be sure the count was right. And since that incident with the caiman, Nikkel wouldn't even manage that! But sir, there's no reason the officers have to be put to any trouble..."

"Yes there is! The faster we know how much we have here, the sooner we can divide it fairly and everyone can have their share. Trust me, the officers are just as interested in that as the hands! Mr. Ferguson and I are the first volunteers. What do you want us to do?

Quicksilver recovers her composure quickly. "Well, sir, first off me and Migoran counted a few of the chests yesterday, and they seem to be packed with exactly 5,750 coins. We were planning to just figure with that number for all the chests that are still closed, but if you disagree I'd be obliged to hear about it now, before we get started."

"No, no, that's fine," Jerrell says, "anything to speed up the process. Let's get Fergie and I set up so we can get to counting."

With no further discussion, the woman puts you both right to work. Any excitement at the feel of the cool coins running through your hands dissipates after the first quarter hour or so. After about an hour, the captain rises from the folding stool for more than just another quick stretch.

"I do have other things I need to do, and so will you soon, Mr. Ferguson. I'll send Eldon and Lilabeth down for a turn shortly, since there's plenty of room for two helpers, and then Ostwell and Thalar can take a turn after that. There must be a few of the crew whose counting is reliable; Quicksilver, if you know of any, let Mr. Ferguson know and he'll see able getting them into a roster. We'll get this finished double quick so we can get on to planning how to spend the money!"

With that the captain climbs out of the hold, leaving Fergie to keep up the counting for now. Quicksilver doesn’t exactly strike up a friendly conversation, but after some pondering, she does suggest some people who could help.

”Sardie Parenzo’d be a good one for reliable counting, sir, as well as Meg Malley. Also Jerse Gabelan; he’s so muscled that folks figure he ain’t got much going on under his thatch, but he’s clever, and quick with numbers.”

It’s almost another hour before Lilabeth and Eldon arrive. Eldon looks a little disgruntled, but he sets himself down to count. With his long, nimble fingers, he is almost as fast as Quicksilver, and a slight dent in the huge pile begins to be noticeable.


Acquaintances in Drowning Rock

  • Serrass - female undine seamstress; Fergie, Lilabeth, and Eldon ordered ship outfits from her and Lilabeth also ordered a lavender shirt
  • Ahrriss - female undine apprentice seamstress

  • Karsh - male undine master of the fishing vessel Sea Snake; unwelcome suitor of Serrass
  • Drassk - male undine sailor on the Sea Snake
  • Tobrun - male human sailor on the Sea Snake

  • Aessek Whorl - male undine captain of the fishing vessel Silver Shark
  • Parrot John - male undine sailor on the Silver Shark

  • Tigerlily - female human hostess and singer at the "Singing Siren" tavern; seems to have an extensive knowledge of (and memory for) sailors
  • Marrsa - female undine barmaid at the "Singing Siren"

  • (unnamed) - male undine wizard; discussed undine spells with Eldon


  • Geography Summary: Tempest Cay

    Tempest Cay is an island in the northern part of the Shackles, about four-days' sail from Port Peril. It is the major island closest to the Eye of Abendego, the perpetual hurricane that blows just to the northeast of the Shackles. The Master of the Gales is the Pirate Lord of Tempest Cay in a general way, but particularly its capital Drenchport. The Master of the Gales, whose real name is unknown, is said to be a very powerful druid. The town of Drenchport is on the east side of the island and so takes the brunt of the bad weather from the Eye of Abendego. It is described as being made of driftwood and the remains of wrecked ships.

    The other towns on Tempest Cay have only a few hundred people each. Drowning Rock is on a bay on the southwest part of the island, where it is somewhat protected. It has a community of undines as part of its population.

    Maidenpool, in the southeast, was originally built as the headquarters of a captain who wanted to set himself up as a rival pirate lord to the Master of Gales. That did not end well, but the town survives and still has more people than the other villages.

    Downpour is the smallest village, and is on the less-stormy west side. Located at the mouth of a river that runs out from the middle of the island, Downpour has the easiest access to the interior.

    Information gathered by the officers of the Salty Flagon during their stay in Drowning Rock indicated that a community of merfolk lives not far from Drenchport, deep enough that they feel few of the effects of the perpetual hurricane. Another community of merfolk is said to live off the west side of the island, near the village of Downpour.


    Pierce Jerrell is at his most charismatic this evening. He is acting the perfect host, as much as if you all were at an elegant banquet instead of eating cheese and bread on the deck of your ship. He is also as relaxed as you have seen him for a long time. He tells amusing anecdotes about some of his own experiences, and draws stories out of others as well. You already knew that Durgan Ostwell could be loquacious when given the chance, but Lilabeth has never heard Rosh Thalar say as much at one time as he does this evening.

    In a quiet moment, as the talk flows elsewhere, Rory brings up his idea of investment.


    The view from the quarterdeck is striking. The horizon is gold and orange, fading to dark blue further up, and the sea reflects all those colors. A fresh breeze snaps the sails just a little and ruffles everyone’s hair. Folding stools are available for all the officers, and Captain Pierce sits on one as he lounges with his back against the rail and his feet up on a woven wicker box. Plain blue trousers are tucked into his boots and he wears a clean white shirt, but the laces are open.

    On the rail next to him, a wine bottle hangs in a wicker holder, and a basket on the deck beside him holds cups. Past the hanging bottle is an empty stool. At his other side is a chair from his cabin, with a battered cushion on it. When Lilabeth climbs up to the quarterdeck, Jerrell stands.

    “Lilabeth, my dear,” he says, greeting her with a kiss on the check, “You look lovely as always. How many weapons have you underneath your skirt?” He offers his arm and escorts her to the one actual chair on the deck.

    Gray Fergie gets also gets a formal welcome. “Mister Ferguson, welcome to my little soiree,” the captain says, waving his arm toward the empty stool with a flourish. Eldon Zamborini, ship’s wizard (and also navigator) sits neatly on a stool near Lilabeth’s chair, sipping wine from a goblet. Past him, Durgan Ostwell (who is the ship’s healer as well as being a fine carpenter) leans back against the rail and drinks from a pewter mug. Further along sits Rosh Thalar, the ship’s master gunner. The quiet, dark-haired man also drinks a wine from a goblet.

    “I invited Migoran to join us,” Pierce says, referring to the ship’s quartermaster, “as he should properly be considered one of the ship’s officers. However, he says he started as a plain sailor and so he is still whatever his responsibilities, not suited to fraternizing with the likes of us grand folk.” The captain gives a lopsided smile, for it was not that long ago that most of the ‘grand people’ on the quarterdeck were plain sailors themselves and you all know it.

    “I thought we might have a bite together, and hear a full tale of everyone’s adventures underwater these past few days, and talk about where we want to head next. We won’t want to decide for sure what to do with the copper until we know just how much we have, but we can all tell it’s an unreasonably large amount and just using it to pay out wages for the crew isn’t going to be the best way to use it up!”

    Jerrell offers Rory wine, or beer from a small keg beside Ostwell, and pours Lilabeth her beverage of choice. Then he opens the wicker box at his feet to show wrapped loaves of crusty bread made by a baker in Drenchport (as opposed to the rough, thick loaves produced by the ship’s cook) and a wooden tray holding a waxed wheel of cheese. Captain Pierce passes around the bread and then proceeds to serve out the cheese with his belt knife.


    Captain Pierce spends most of his day in the hold, supervising his sailors and just marveling himself at the quantity of coin. (He'll wait until it's dry and cleaner before running his hands through it, thank you.) He himself makes sure the incredible load is balanced; he's sure the ship can handle it, but it must be stacked correctly to allow her to keep up her speed if necessary.

    Finally the last coin is stowed and the captain shoos everyone out of the hold. Quicksilver objects that she needs to get to counting, but she has already counted thousands of coppers from yesterday and he overrules her. Jerrell padlocks the hold himself, with his own large lock, and posts an armed guard.


    The Salty Flagon makes for deep water even before all the coin is below decks. The quartermaster and Quicksilver (his assistant who handles the pay and most issues having to do with money rather than supplies) are in the hold directing traffic, trying to keep the coppers already counted separate from the ones coming up today. The loose coin is going into large bins that Durgan Ostwell, the ship's carpenter, has been working on all day. Many of the coin chests are still piled on the deck, though; it's a good thing seas are light today.

    It takes hours to get everything stowed neatly, but once the ship is completely away from the island and its fishing grounds, everyone relaxes a little bit. Extra hands are still on lookout, but the concern that some other vessel might just sail up and try to take away your haul is lessened.

    The pirates who actually went diving for the treasure are the heroes of the day, and even those who rowed the boats receive recognition for having hauled all that weight of coin. As the pile of copper and chests on the deck decreases, the amount of alcohol being passed around increases, and the crew overall becomes quite merry. It's a good thing you're well out to see, because the singing gets rather boisterous.

    Eventually everyone gets to take a turn in the hold, to marvel at the piles of copper and plunge hands and arms into the damp coins. Quicksilver scolds anyone taking too close an interest in a handful of copper, though. "Run your hands through it if you must; it's sure you won't see such a pile of loot again in your life! Don't be takin' a coin of it away, though; there'll be plenty for ever'body, but first I has to count it all to be sure it'll be fair."


    Gray Fergie, Lilabeth, Crabface, Meg, and Shelly are not fatigued. Sharing out Eldon's water breathing potion among them should give them (Eldon estimates) at least one more hour each. That is more than enough time to get the remaining sacks and chests up to the boats and onto the ship.

    So many coins were hauled aboard today that Quicksilver (the quartermaster's mate) is going to be counting for hours yet. The captain is unwilling to go back to port until all the coin has been safely stowed in the hold, yet he is also getting jittery about staying in one place so long. The watch in the crow's nest spotted several fishing boats off to the west this morning, and Captain Jerrell figures those boats can also spy the ship.

    His idea is to head south out of sight of the island (which will take most of the afternoon) and then wait there until all the coin is counted and you all have a plan for what to do with it. At that point the Salty Flagon might head back to Drowning Rock, or it might head off somewhere else. Pierce will discuss this with Gray Fergie and Lilabeth when they are back aboard to see if they have any other suggestions, but he'd like to get the ship moving within half an hour after everyone is back and the boats are stowed.


    Gray Fergie's team has now been in the water an hour; this would have been their rotation to rest. Meg and Fergie are fine but Warty is fatigued. (He takes 4 hp non-lethal damage.)

    Leaving Eldon and Mei-Lin on watch, Fergie gathers everyone else to help open the last gigantic clam. Before they get started on that, Mei-Lin points out that the ship is slowly moving forward. The Captain must have decided it would be safe to come a little closer, which will make loading faster. It doesn't look like Captain Jerrell is going to bring the Salty Flagon close enough to load directly onto the ship, but it will cut down on the travel time for the two boats.

    Gray Fergie takes the center of the group on the last clam, with Lilabeth beside him. On one side of them are arrayed Meg, Warty, Lefty, and Jerse, while the other way stand Crabface, Ruddy Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly. Fergie gives a might heave, but even so he can feel his own strength is not sufficient to open the tight shell. Happily, the group is now large enough to add a significant amount of leverage around the rest of the edge and the shell finally opens.

    Inside it looks as if the crew of the Blue Buzzard threw bunches of coin chests into the giant clam as their ship sailed overhead. (That's more or less what the last few clams have looked like as well.) Toward the center is a pile of chests, which are substantially intact. Around and over those are tumbled chests which spill copper all over the interior of the clam. They must have been damaged in their original fall, or when they rolled down the sides of the pile. There must be more than fifty thousand loose coins inside that clam in addition to the still-closed boxes.

    The team sets to with a will, packing coins in sacks that have already been used multiple times and returned by the quartermaster. By the time the breathing spells are going to be wearing off, all the dead clams found have been emptied of their treasure, all the treasure has been packed (or removed in its own containers) and all that's left is a huge stack of bags and boxes waiting to be hauled up to the boats and taken over to the ship.

    At some point in there, Ruddy Robby and Dirty Dunny pass the one-hour mark since they last rested, and both become fatigued. (They each take 4 hp of non-lethal damage.) Shelly, who is also on their team, is unaffected.

    Seeing the work remaining, Eldon mentions to Lilabeth and Fergie that he has a potion of water breathing with him. If they want to use it now it could be shared among several people, each of which would then have as much as another hour to work. Or, some of the divers who are not fatigued could continue to work at tying lines and hauling containers by just holding their breath and returning to the surface every minute or so. They estimate that it will take another 20-30 minutes to get all the remaining containers of coins loaded into one boat or another and transported to the ship.


    With all the divers packing coins, they are able to get all the coppers discovered so far into containers (sacks or chests) and ready to lift to the surface. At this point, the speed and capacity of the boats is becoming an issue; it remains to be seen whether all the packed coins will be out of the water before the current breathing spells wear off. The ship's gig is packed again, but it is waiting for the rowboat to head back before taking its load to the ship, so that one boat is available to the divers in case of an emergency.

    This time period was when the team of Lefty, Mei-Lin, and Jerse had been scheduled to take a rest in one of the boats. They've been in the water an hour and are starting to feel the effects as all of them are becoming fatigued. They all argue that they can keep working just fine (though they might be a bit less efficient), especially because quitting time is so close.

    With all the packing done, all 12 of the divers are available to help open that last gigantic clam. Is anyone going to be left on watch, or is everyone going to help lift?

    .
    .
    All three tired crew (Lefty, Mei-Lin, Jerse) become Fatigued (Str -2, Dex -2) and take 5 hp non-lethal damage. In the next 15 minutes, it will be Gray Fergie, Meg, and Warty who are missing their rest period. Gray Fergie needs to make a Swim check to see if he becomes fatigued.


    The group (Fergie, Lilabeth, Crabface, Jerse, and Dirty Dunny) tries to open the remaining three clams. In the area the teams were already exploring, the first clam is about 12 feet across, while the other one is only about 7 feet. You all are able to open the first one easily and see it contains thousands of coins. After having packed so many bags you have some experience at estimating and agree this mass is probably more than 20,000 cp.

    The second clam, though smaller, is much more difficult to open and you barely accomplish it. Inside you see one of those small chests, broken and rotten, and barely 1000 coins.

    The gigantic clam further away, once you get there, turns out to be a full 60 feet across. The day above is moderately bright (though cloudy as usual), but under the water the light is dim and green and you all can barely see from one side of the clam to the other. Gray Fergie gives even more effort and the others pull strongly, but the attempt is still fruitless. You just seem to need more people; this gargantuan clam has plenty of room along the shell edge for all the teams together to find places to lift.

    While that was going on, the groups packing coins got through a bit less than half of the coppers previously discovered. In another 15 minutes they will be almost finished. Lilabeth and Fergie figure three people in their group could pack up the newly-discovered coppers in that same time, so they could send two more people to assist in the efforts on the shore side and so all be done about the same time. At that point there would still be about 30 minutes remaining on the water-breathing spells.

    On the surface, the two in the rowboat are pulling up bags as quickly as they can, though the smaller vessel fills faster than the gig. As soon as they see the other boat heading back empty, they head off for the ship.


    Putting six people to work filling sacks with coins and leaving Eldon on watch, Fergie takes his group of five and heads for the clams that are not yet open. The closest is the one which is two armspans across, followed by the one-armspan clam. The furthest is the gigantic one Lilabeth spotted earlier.

    Since Fergie just came back from resting about 15 minutes ago, he doesn't need to avoid becoming fatigued yet; that will come when there are only 15-30 minutes left in the work time.

    If Fergie is going to be the key person in the efforts to get the clams open, he needs to roll d20 + Str bonus and the GM will add the bonuses for being aided by the other people. There are three clams; you could do three separate rolls at the same time, or do the first two, learn the results, and then move on to the third one.


    Gray Fergie figures that the strongest team for opening clams would be Fergie himself, Lilabeth, Crabface Kennit, Jerse Gabelan, and Dirty Dunny Therzel. All the clams left are large enough for at least five people at once to try opening them. There are two clams left on the ocean side (one that is about an armspan across and another that is more than twice that) and that gigantic one a little farther ahead, which is actually big enough for everyone on all the teams to assist if necessary. The group would have time to attempt all three clams within 15 minutes.

    If Fergie wants as many people as possible packing up coins, he could leave Eldon on watch by himself and put the other six to filling sacks. With all of them working, they could pack up the vast majority of the loose coins in the two open gigantic clams in about 30 minutes. It would take a bit longer to get the last coins and move all the intact boxes. That would leave most of 30 minutes for the six to help pack up any more coins discovered by Fergie & Lilabeth's group.


    The check is a Swim check to avoid becoming fatigued. Adding Lilabeth's Swim score to her roll (even leaving out the +2, because I think the Swim score has +2 for her Strength already added in) means she is not fatigued and can keep going with no problem.

    Lilabeth is feeling good even after having been underwater so long. She checks with Crabface, who is on her team, and he seems to be doing well also. Looking back over at Eldon, who is on watch with Mei-Lin, Lilabeth sees Eldon is looking tired and definitely beginning to droop. He just gives her a wave, however, and seems determined to carry on as long as everyone else.


    Based on Gray Fergie's immense effort and with the help of the others, the team opens the stubborn clamshell to reveal another huge hoard of coins. This clam has probably half again as many loose coins as the one just opened, though it has fewer intact chests. It would take the team of four who assisted Fergie (Lilabeth, Crabface, Lefty, and Jerse) most of the next two rotations to get it all packed up.

    Meanwhile, Meg and Warty finish packing the coins they were working on and give a try to opening the other two clams over on the ocean side. However, they are unable to get the clams open by themselves at this time.

    .
    Time to move on to Rotation 6. Is Fergie going to have the teams rotate as usual, keep them where they are, avoid sending a team to the surface but otherwise rotate as usual (but where would the extra team be used), or some other plan?

    To recap: There are two gigantic clams full of coins on the shore side, two slightly smaller clams (contents unknown) on the ocean side, and one even larger gargantuan dead clam just a bit further on, still unexplored. The gig should be on its way back from the ship soon, but there will be more than enough coins packed up by then to fill it again. All parties have an hour left on their respective waterbreathing spells, Rotations 6-9.


    Robby, Shelly, and Dirty Dunny are happy to get back to work. They had enough of a break that they're feeling pretty good. It will take the three of them the rest of this rotation and all of the next one to pack up the coins from this gigantic clam.

    The group with Lilabeth, Eldon, and Crabface would be the first that would need to try to stave off fatigue, if they are going to skip their break. Seeing that the Captain announced this was the last day here for now, and there's only an hour left, all three want to continue rather than go sit in the rowboat for the next rotation.

    However, for right now, Lilabeth and Crabface (and the other two) are anxious to get Fergie's help with their obstinate clamshell.

    roll d20 + Str modifier to try to open the other dead clam and the GM will add the modifiers for the ones who are successful in aiding your attempt.


    The waterbreathing effects (spells and/or potions) give you all nine fifteen-minute rotations of work, plus a few minutes of leeway after the last rotation. You are currently on rotation 5, so you have about another hour.

    Who specifically does Fergie call on for more help? Meg and Warty (on Fergie's team) have about 14,000 coins to pack up in the ocean-side area, plus there are two likely clams over there still unopened. They can easily pack up that many coins though it would be too many for only one person to finish. Also, with just two of them they may not be able to get the other clams open. Eldon and Mei-Lin are on watch while the other four members of their teams work on opening the gigantic clams.

    Based on Fergie's experience, he figures that the team now resting in the boat (Ruddy Robby, Shelly, and Dirty Dunny) can work the remaining time without needing another rest. The other teams, though, will each need a break to make it through to the end without tiring. If Fergie or Lilabeth either think they could carry on without a rest, they could try that. (In other words, roll to stave off tiring when it would be their turn to take a rest.)


    Stubborn clam remains stubborn, but Fergie is on his way over so that should help. The clam whose shell Lilabeth and the others were almost able to budge earlier cracks open this time with the application of a little more force.

    Inside is a pile of tens of thousands of loose coppers plus a bunch of those boxes of coins. Three look damaged, though they could probably still be used to transport their contents. Several are partially buried in the huge pile of coins but after some poking around you all determine that there are a dozen of the small chests still intact. Based on the group's experience with the coins so far, there are more coppers here than a team of three will be able to pack up in a single rotation.


    Rory Ferguson wrote:
    (Should I roll to aid or should the others aid me)

    If you do the primary roll, you can add your strength bonus, which should be a little higher than Lilabeth's. Probably Fergie should be primary and the others should aid him. With four people assisting, that would be d20 + his Str bonus + 8 for aid.


    Time comes for the next rotation and Gray Fergie, Meg, and Warty head back into the water to the ocean side. The previous team left them over 8000 coins to pack up from one of the huge clams, and also 5000-plus coins in another, somewhat smaller, clam. There is also another gigantic clam -- the biggest yet -- that Lilabeth spotted while she was on watch. It is a bit farther on than the teams are currently working, but accessible equally well from either the ocean side or the shore side.

    Meanwhile, Ruddy Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly return to the surface for a short rest in the rowboat. Since the gig had just been to the ship and back, while the rowboat is remaining basically stationary, the two teams of rowers trade places. That leaves Dark Lucy and Ango with the rowboat, while Mymie and Green Irbie handle the ship's gig. Once again packed with coins, the gig heads back to the Salty Flagon.

    The team of Lefty, Mei-Lin, and Jerse moves from the ocean-side area to take up the watch. That frees up Eldon, Lilabeth, and Crabface Kennit to move on to the shore side, with the two gigantic clams which were so stubborn just a few minutes ago. Lilabeth might want to rearrange the team members a bit to get the strongest people (Jerse, Crabface, and Lefty) with her if she wants to make another try at opening those two clams.


    Lilabeth Danwin wrote:
    Lilabeth goes over to help Ruddy Robby and the others.

    The first clam proves absolutely unmovable, even with Lilabeth's help. The second is also difficult; Lilabeth is sure she feels the top shell beginning to shift, but nothing happens.

    The four of them are just not enough people to lift the clam's entire opening edge, which could accommodate three or four times their number. More teams are going to need to coordinate to get these two monsters open.


    On the ocean side, Lefty, Mei-Lin, and Jerse start in packing up coins from three clams that are already open. It looks like they may be able to pack a dozen bags during this rotation. Happily, the ship's gig returns from its run over to the Salty Flagon and brings empty bags, so there are plenty. It would be the turn of the rowboat to go to the ship next, but with the number of bags packed and ready for transport it seems the gig will be needed again.

    Lilabeth, on watch, spots one more dead clam out beyond where the teams have already searched. It is even a little bigger than the one that sucked in Sardie and Davey and could possibly hold quite a prize. She, Eldon, and Crabface each take a careful look so they know they can find it again, then she turns her attention to the other teams.

    On the shore side, Ruddy Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly have two gigantic clams that were previously discovered and still need to be opened. The three of them are not able to budge either shell, and wave to the watch team to get a little help.

    If Lilabeth moves to help, roll d20 + her Strength bonus + 2 for each assisting person. There would be plenty of room for more people to help, if she wants to take anyone else with her.


    Fergie can spot a few sails near the horizon to the northwest. Given their size and shape, they are probably fishing vessels. He thinks it likely that people in those ships could spot the Salty Flagon if they look the right direction but doesn't expect any of them would leave their work to investigate what the other ship is doing.


    Lilabeth, Eldon, and Crabface are able to pack a dozen sacks of about 50 pounds each during this shift. Fergie, Meg, and Warty pack eight bags among the three of them, but the last one is a bit short of being 50 pounds. All the bags are gathered near the watch team's location, for ease of lifting them to the ship's gig when it returns. Dark Lucy and Ango Whitantha, who are crewing the rowboat, position it nearby so they can easily guide the other boat into position.

    -------------------

    On the ocean side (where Lilabeth's team is), the first two rotations each saw a double team working the area. They found six dead clams, of which they were able to open four. One of the two that were located but not yet opened is huge, the other large.

    One open clam (a gargantuan one) was emptied by the previous teams while the others were dealing with the emergency of Sardie and Davey being trapped by a gargantuan clam of their own. The other open clams (two huge and one large) have enough coins that Lilabeth's team was not able to pack even half during this rotation. It will probably take another rotation and a half to get everything, plus whatever is in the two clams not yet opened.

    --------------------

    On the shore side (where Gray Fergie's team has just been working), four dead clams were found during the first rotation, and one during the second. Two large clams were opened and emptied before the emergency with Davey and Sardie. Fergie and his crew opened one gargantuan one, which they were able to empty during their rotation. Two more gargantuan clams remain on this side which have not yet been opened.

    ---------------------

    For the next rotation (the fourth), Gray Fergie's team is set to take its turn in the rowboat while Lefty, Mei-Lin, and Jerse come down to take their place on the ocean side. Lilabeth, Eldon, and Crabface move back to the watch, and Ruddy Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly take over on the shore side. (They may need some help opening the gargantuan clams remaining in that area, though all are sea-wise so they have a good chance of finding more dead clams if there are more to be located.)


    Fergie, Meg, and Warty are able to open one of the gargantuan clams. It seems to Fergie to hold less than half as many loose coins as the previous one, but they do also see several of those chests. The three of them might be able to pack up the loose coins in the rest of their shift but the rowboat won't be able to hold them, especially with a team of three taking a rest up there now. The load of coins will just have to wait until the other boat comes back.


    The two injured divers, Davey and Sardie, were on the same team. Lilabeth and Eldon take their places, forming a team of three with Crabface.

    Fergie, Meg, and Warty had been working with Ruddy Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly to pack and haul up all the coins from the gigantic clam they found. They packed more than 20 sacks of about 50 pounds apiece, plus uncovered 11 of the small wooden chests, each stuffed with coins. They left two huge clams untouched, though, and one has almost as many loose coins as the gigantic one did. Eldon, Lilabeth, and Crabface will probably be able to pack only half of what is left during this rotation.

    For this next rotation, Robby, Dirty Dunny, and Shelly will be on watch while Gray Fergie, Meg, and Warty move to the shore side. Lefty, Mei-Lin, and Jerse take their turn to rest in the rowboat while the gig carries the two injured divers and a full load of coins back to the ship.

    On the shore side, the previous team (Crabface, Davey, and Sardie, with Lilabeth's assistance) had packed up a few thousand coppers from two large clams. There are two gargantuan dead clams they hadn't been able to open yet, plus another one they found but hadn't tried because they were interrupted by Sardie's mishap. Fergie and his team can try to open them, but those gigantic ones have proven difficult (though not impossible) for other teams of three.


    Lefty moves quickly to where Gray Fergie is with his team, and fills him in. He assures the first mate that someone was watching out pretty much the entire time, although the look-out location moved over to near where the sailors were trapped inside the clam. Lefty also reports on the injuries Davey and Sardie suffered, and Lilabeth's plan to get them up to the boat and have them return to the ship.

    Fergie knows that it's time to start including "resting in the boat" as one of the rotation locations. The injured divers may have to count as the resting team for the next rotation. Not only would that keep as many people working as possible, there's not going to be room for an injured team AND a resting team in the boats, without unloading a lot of the coins already packed up.

    Having only three teams, with one of them on watch and one resting in a boat, is going to slow down the progress a great deal. If the injured people are going to return to the ship, Fergie could pass a message asking the captain to send two replacement divers. However, that will only work if Eldon has some way to provide the two of them with the ability to breath water as long as the spells are going to last.


    There is not a lot of space for people to fit around the outside of that space in the coral either; at least, not without a high chance of accidentally pushing someone into the coral and causing each other damage. Crabface immediately starts in next to Lilabeth. Jerse, who is known to be very strong, pulls his cutlass and uses the blunt side of the blade to knock off larger hunks.

    Sardie was able to calm Davey, but with both in the space inside the coral, there is not room for either to be wielding a weapon. On top of that, every few seconds the clam spews out another powerful gush of water. The two of them hold onto each other and try to brace themselves to avoid being tossed around and getting more injuries, but it is not very effective.

    In another minute the trapped divers are free. It is getting close to the time for the shift change and Eldon sends Lefty to Gray Fergie to let him know what has happened. For now it seems that the best idea is probably to get the two injured people out of the water as quickly as possible.


    They are almost to your position. They might not be able to understand you clearly, but you could communicate urgency and indicate they should come to your position instead of attacking the clam.
    .

    The coral is rather fragile, but there is a lot of it to break through. Davey seems to be disoriented and Sardie is trying to calm him. They are very crowded in the space there inside the coral.

    Perception DC18:
    Sardie or Davey must be bleeding from their encounter with the coral, as Lilabeth can see blood trickling up through the water.


    Sardie evidently catches a glimpse of what Lilabeth is doing because she stops struggling frantically in the coral and pulls her knife, using its handle to break the coral surrounding her. She appears to be trying to meet up with Lilabeth.

    Then there is another commotion above and behind Sardie, and she is rammed into the coral in front of her.

    .

    Perception DC15:
    Lilabeth can make out another person now behind Sardie; logic suggests that would be Davey, also somehow expelled from the interior of the clam.

    Perception DC20:
    Sardie must have cut herself on the reef, either previously or just now, because Lilabeth is starting to notice threads of blood drifting up through the water.


    Suddenly there is some commotion in the coral below the immense clam. Something is caught in the coral and struggling to break free, and Lilabeth thinks she hears shouting.

    Perception=DC15:
    Lilabeth can make out a human figure struggling in the coral; it looks like Sardie.


    The valve is near the center of the clam, so 12-15 feet from where she is right now. If she circled the edge, she might be able to find a point slightly closer than her present position, but it would still be 8-10 feet and she would be moving into the pull of the siphon effect. It is not a constant effect, but it goes on for 3-4 seconds with a break of only 2-3 seconds in between.


    By looking at the clam as she has been, Lilabeth has pinpointed where the valve is that is opening to pull the water into the clam.

    She can also see that the entire watch team is on their way over to her position. They will be here in ten or fifteen seconds.
    .

    .
    Round 1: Crabface signals others; Round 2: Lilabeth gets to gigantic clam, Davey is sucked in; Round 3: Crabface heads to watch team, Lilabeth examines clam; Round 4: Crabface explains situation to watch, Lilabeth holds action; Round 5: (current) watch team heads toward gigantic clam


    The only ropes down here are the ones being used to hoist bags of coins up to the boats. There is probably an extra rope in one of the boats, though.
    .

    Roll Perception for Lilabeth, at +2.


    The open upper shell towers above Lilabeth, at least four times her height, and the inside glimmers slightly even in the dim light. The lower shell is full of pale flesh; it looks somewhat like smooth, slimy rocks except for the convulsions it makes as the clam again strongly pulls in more water. Even to the side where Lilabeth is, she can feel the water rushing past her - though she doesn't believe it is strong enough to suck her in from her current location. She cannot see either Sardie or Davey anywhere.

    Crabface swims toward the watch team and occasionally pauses to wave his arms and shout. Finally Lilabeth can see him gesticulating to Eldon and the others, motioning them to hurry.


    "That clam! It swallowed Sardie! Just sucked 'er right in! Davey swims better'n I do so he went to try to get 'er out, but he can't even find 'er! What'er we gonna do?"

    Davey is swimming down inside the clam, looking small compared to its bulk. He frantically pokes here and there in its giant body, but doesn't seem to be finding anything useful. Then he suddenly struggles, and you see debris being sucked into the clam as it pulls in water in its constant search for food. Despite Davey trying as hard as he can to swim away, he is sucked right into the clam and completely disappears.

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