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"Buurrip bip nice words. You folk so nice. C-c-captain was never... c- c- captain was so... No no. It is fine. He was buuuurip bip good captain of bip- bip- big ship." Kekkaw points to the rifle as Gath finishes cleaning "He had guns, and gave... buuuurip bip." He makes a brief weird whining noise. "C-c-clean enough... owe you one miss, shank you." He starts to scuttle off to hack the berry bush back further from the spring.
Kekkaw spends his time digging through clamshells in the bottom of the turtle boat, and finds a couple flawed pearls. It is overcast and muggy through the evening. You prepare for bed in the dim light of a red sunset through the vines. It is still dark when Kekkaw stirs those sleeping. "Few minutes til first light..." Mugambi: Apart from the cutlass, you do not detect any magic auras
anyone with ranks in survival:
There are no recent tracks, it couldn't have been Captain Kovack or at least not this "visit". Iolana:
The cutlass emits a faint glow After finishing with helping clean up, Kekkaw asks "Alright to buurrip build fire? For cooking... better now than when it gets dark?"
Mugambi+ anyone standing there when he drops the pebble:
The pebble hits the bottom, and illuminates the 10 foot deep hole. There is some filth at the bottom, a bit of a dried excrement stench, but otherwise empty.
"Goblins with tentacles? Sounds like what I saw yes." After a few moments of silence following Tol's words, Kekkaw asks "Well what's in the crate?"
"Mmm Safe to make camp? You all lookin a buurrip bip bit tattered.." Kekkaw asks... standing just outside the cave he glances over from inspecting the turtle shell boat.
Kekkaw lays a few cuts on the shale, sprinkles them with gunpowder and lights them with a tindertwig. After several moments of the flame burning off the gunpowder, he tries a bite and shrugs... then wraps the rest in large leaves. "Maybe use to bait something tastier... Lets get moving."
While the others are engaged inspecting the loot and arguing about the fate of the baby lizards, Kekkaw gets to work prepping the dead adult lizards for skinning and stripping meat.
Tol's lance pierces the lizard's hide with enough force to knock the lizard skidding back several feet, flat on its belly... The injury does not appear to be fatal however.
Kekkaw moves up and draws his sawtooth sabre. "Ooh... I hope they're t-tasty, buurrip."
Kekkaw swallows hard and turns. He draws the sawtooth sabre and strokes it... then speaks to it. "Buurrip, what do you think? Time to spill cannibal blood for revenge?"
At the mention of finding allies in the fight, Kekkaw pipes up... "Well, buurrip... be sure to come back and t-tell me how it all goes! Don't mean to rush you off, but you should probably get movin... lots to do today. Busy day. For one, buurrip, gotta get to wiping all yer manflesh footprints off my beach."
"To the west. There are two small islands right here and here" ...returning to the map, he points to the islands in the northwest corner of the map. "Found a place around the rocks of this little green island with huge tasty clams. They came outta nowhere from the other side. They didn't chase me too long... must be the little legs. Buurrip heh... no offense.. "
Kekkaw takes a look at the map. "Buurrip.. Haven't seen it myself. Stu said it was as far as you could go southwest. So somewhere around here... Most likely one of these two spots... best place to put a lighthouse around there." "Don't know what they fear... as I've said, haven't explored the whole island. First time I tried, ran for my life from some buurrip... plant people. Little ones." he holds out his hand to show a height 6 inches or so shorter than Gatherine.
Tol: Kekkaw snatches a few more urchins.."Was a group that shipwrecked north of here. They went to scout the lighthouse... one made it back. Name was Stu, ke ke kinda ironic he's the one that got away from the cannibals pot, heh heh." He starts heading back to the crab-hut. "Anyway.. guess he went back to the beach where the others stayed behind. Never heard from him again, buurrip."
Tol: "Kek Can't be many more than a couple dozen. Primitive structures other than the lighthouse last I heard from my last visitor... that was years ago, buurrip"
Kekkaw endures the eye contact for a few moments then waves his hand dismissively "Mwarrr kek kek What little I remember about our duty means not a thing to me now."
Tol: Kekkaw has an "aw shucks, ya got me look" then a look of pride when you speak of the Red Mantis. "Yes I you there something to this island, buurrip. Why we were here is... is ... a ... My captain trusted " Although he is becoming more animated, and loud... Kekkaw looks like he is having a minor mental breakdown rather than acting hostile... his eyes are darting everywhere at nothing... "Didn't tell you about the shredded man and his zombies because they just go by. Kek kek except " He starts staring blankly at the ruins at the beach. "They kek kek just wanted to go by... They didn't want to fight us. They just wanted to go by..."
Kekkaw squats. His reverie seems to turn into serious ruminating. He pushes up his hat to look at you... suddenly seeming sane again. "You wanna get off this island... you gotta kill all the cannibals. Their camp is closest to shipping lane, they have a lighthouse... and if you don't kill em all... no matter where you are on this island.. they will find you."
Having already had nearly a full night's rest, Kekkaw offers to take care of the bodies and finish the watch... although he does not turn down a little company.
Gatherine:
As you are picking at the crawlers, you notice a large tattoo of a tipped and spilling mug, the rim of the mug in perspective looks like an eye, which makes the spilling liquid look like tears. As you turn to the crab hut, you see no torchlight or other signs of activity inland. "Kek can't quite say who he is. Been here since we crashed, one of my fellow red ma- err... regiment named him Shredded Man. Cuz he is all.. shredded. He went right past us same way first night we were here... buuurrip"
The last crawler at still-swinging Mugambi's feet stops moving as Iolana pulls her scimitar from it. Kekkaw drops to his knees then plops down on his rump from exhaustion and relief.
Kekkaw hacks at the same zombie again, and finally ends its unnatural life.
The crawler attacking Kekkaw stops moving after Iolana's strike.
Kekkaw continues to hack at the same zombie.
Kekkaw grits his beak and slashes. "Yes woodface man... kek kek can't keep this up, buurrip."
Kekkaw rushes in and steps in front of the fallen Iolana, slashing at her attacker with his sabre. "Scraawny girl down, buurrip! Scraawny girl down!"
"Gah! NO! Stop her! She'll die!" Kekkaw lifts the crab-arm again, and locks it in place. He then moves to where his sabre hangs, and pulls it from the wall. "We have no chance! Bip bip buurrip.. no chance.. "
"Jusht push it open"
Gatherine: You could fit the double barrel through if turned sideways, but you would have a little difficulty aiming.
"Ack! To arms!" Kekkaw rushes to Gatherine's side, nudges her out of the way, and yanks a lever which clicks as he pulls. He peers out the peephole, waits a few seconds, and then lets go of the lever. You hear the arm of the crab slam into the ground. "Bah bekaw! Missed!"
Judging from where the light is seeping through the crack and seams of the shell, the ghost seems to be moving on inland. Less than a minute later it fades completely. Kekkaw hops up to the telescope and angles to see the path inland. "Buurrip, yep. I see the glow... he's moved on."
"Maybe every night. T-try to sleep through it,... and usually do." He shakes his head "No, buurrip. I don't know of whom he speaks. "
"The shredded man! ... and hours til daylight!" Kekkaw dances around growing hysterical. "Buurrip pip pip,... aaaawww buurrip pip pip." he finally slides in behind Gorra, presumably to hide. He whispers from his new spot. "just be quiet and he might go away. " The ominous dry voice speaks again - repeating itself and then continuing with increasing fervor. Polyglot:
"The living shall join the dead ... the dead will march... Reclaim the bones of the father! Calamity has found you captain! Calamity will gut you Berzac! " Some force smacks into the crabshell, enough to knock several knick-knacks from the walls.
"Bwah! Close it! Bekaw! Don't let him see you!" Kekaw flaps around frantically, and hops/falls out of his hammock.
Sense Motive DC15:
Kekkaw seems pretty crazy, but enough sanity remains to realize that what he said about the "Shiv" might not really be true. "Wuh wuh well yes, or what does it matter? My home now. My home. I won't leave the captain. I'm his ... I'm his.. Maybe I need rest too. Long day, buurrip, talk in morning." Without another word, he climbs up the wall and unties a rope. A hammock unfurls just above your heads, and he curls up in it.
Gatherine:
Although it needs more work, you figure out how the pistol operates, and feel confident you can get it to function. The left frizzen pan (which fires the lower barrel) slides back to release the barrels which enables them to swing right for loading. With a flick of the wrist the barrels swing back into place, and the frizzen pan slide just snaps back on its own. It is touchy, but you think you can get the hang of it.
Kekkaw piles the fish on a flat stone, throws kindling down around it, douses it with some liquid from a dried gourd ... smells like very strong alcohol. Grabs the blunderbuss and holds it so the flintlock is near the fish and pulls the trigger a few times until the sparks ignite the alcohol. After a quick flash, he then covers it with a large carved wooden bowl.
He hands Mugambi a schematic drawing of a ship steering wheel with the pegs cut to fit in the metal eyelets of a tarp that has been cut and sewn into a strip like a belt which wraps around a shaft like a wagon axle which is fitted with paddles. The steering wheel has two poles attached to the rim facing opposite sides for two people to turn. The schematic also includes how to affix the mechanism to a raft, and a list of necessary materials. "Never built it... thought about training monkeys to turn it for me, but the monkeys don't like me. "
"In the waters... hunting for urchins... my urchins, buurrip I let em take them. Don't think they care to follow me ashore, and certainly don't stick around when I shee em coming. Not the strangest thing I've seen out here.. ghosts in the water at night.. blue ghosts, green ghosts,... blue-green ghosts, the shredded man and his swarm of rotting crawlin zombies, pygmy chupacabra, and the red-winged devil... " While speaking, Kekkaw takes the sawtooth sabre and wedges it into the floor under a crate he had just kicked aside. He pops open a trap door filled with water up to a foot below the top. The water in the hole is super-saturated with fish, and several brightly colored sea urchins lining one side. He then crouches down over the pit, and starts spearing fish with the sabre. "Cooked bekaw.. or not cooked?"
"Haven't traveled the whole island, but I've seen the plant people. I've seen goblins with tentacles for legs Mhmm, buurrip. Don't know if they count ash folk.... No other buildings though... The cannibals jusht use the lighthouse in their primitive rituals... it is not lit."
"The lighthouse is at their main camp... southwest tip of the "Shiv". Aye, the Shiv itself summons hungry storms that pulls wayward ships onto it's jagged shores...
The cracks of light that reach you dim, as the sun goes down. It is quite steamy in the shell, and smells less than fresh. Shortly before it gets unbearable, you start feeling cool sea breeze whistling in under the main carapace - creating a noticeable difference in temperature. Kekkaw climbs the ladder again - grabbing the spyglass on his way up, and squeezes between the tarp and the wall. You hear a "slide and click" sound as he slides the little portal in the shell to look outside. He bends down at the waist, holding the tarp up with his free arm... "When I say south, I mean where I saw the twenty able-bodied folk get ambushed and shlaughtered. The dry riverbed that runs between the bluffs. Wouldn't rishk it myself. Buh buh buurrip, happy to help all you folk hollow out some giant crabs for yourselves... Don't think you'll make it to the lighthouse if that's whats on your minds. Mmmm." He shimmies back between the tarp and wall with the spyglass... "Mmm. Torches... none near.... but they are on the hunt."
Iolana:
The sabre emits a faint magic aura. "Looked human... man and woman, carrying a crate... buurrip, this morning... Late mornin, I believe yes. Went south .... Probably dead and eaten by now." Gatherine: At least a couple hours. You can repair, but designing and building a new gun is currently beyond your ability.
Kekkaw relaxes, and answers Iolana's first question ..."Mmm hmm. Yes, just recently two others, yes. Before that, years ago there was a group of twenty or so... near wiped out by cannibals in the valley between the bluffs" After Iolana continues, he responds coolly "To weigh it's worth vershus mine? Why should I mind?" It looks like he is about to have another fit, until he hears Gatherine. "Fix yesh?!" He does a little nervous speechless dance. He slides the ladder over a couple feet, climbs it, pulls back part of the ceiling tarp, which exposes a small shelf above. He takes a small sack from the shelf, drops down, and empties the contents on the floor. You see pieces that you can see might be part of a gun, but the random bits of intricate metal pieces looks more like the bottom of a gnome's toolbox than a weapon.
Gatherine: Among random bits of metal, there is... what was at one point a double barreled pistol. One barrel sits on top of the other, and it was made to swing open to the right for reloading. It looks like that someone completely torqued the hinge mechanism, and completely disassembled the pistol. It is difficult to tell if you will be able to get it to function by just looking at the pieces... but it does not look impossible
"Stopped counting after four years... shtopped caring. My home now. Others eaten by cannibals maybe eight years ago. Last two left helped me clean out this crab. Got idea after bad clams, meep buurrip then thought maybe it not so bad idea." Kekkaw looks a little uncomfortable... he answers Iolana "Close look fine. " then Gatherine - his twitches increasing .... "Heh buurrip, no shh saw sorry no. Can't trade. Was gift from the Captain! Heh No... no one uses! No one touch! Bukkaw!" He moves in between the two and his hanging weapons. "Wait..." his beady eyes narrow even more as he looks at Gatherine. "Can you fix? Can you make blunderbussh work again? Maybe I... buurrip.. trade you broken flintlock for fixing broken blunderbuss, aaaand hard tack ... have urchins for tack. Ke ke could see what else you have I want, before I tell you what else I have to trade, eh? Hmm?"
"Thank you, too kind. That? You know what that ish young lady?" His eyes dart to the Sneezy Dragon. "Mmm buurrip... s'pose you do. aye. I'm being the last shurvivor of the Crow's Tooth... a fine ship, fine ship. The blunderbuss belonged to the first mate. And thish, thish blade was a gift from poor Captain Zoventai." He shakes his drooping head and pats the sawtooth sabre.
The tengu turns back toward Iolana.. "Kekkaw.... name ish Kekkaw"
Through the beaded curtain, inside the body of the shell... you step down into a room a little more than 20 feet in diameter. A floor has been carved into the beach, and covered with an assortment of fairly flat rock - a primitive cobblestone. The ceiling about 12 feet high around the edge; it's highest is about 15 feet. Hanging in the center of the ceiling is a tarp of some sort, with several bamboo "pipes" dangling from it... several waterskins and a large hollowed gourd (which sits in the center of the room) are jury-rigged to attach to the bottoms of the tubes. A short weathered wooden ladder leans against the back wall. A small rut which appears to serve as a track for the ladder runs along most of the perimeter of the room. Small old crates are arranged as a chair and table. On the improvised table are a few bowls and a cup. Dozens of strange items are hung like knick-knacks on the walls... the function of less then half of them are easily determined. The spyglass, serrated red-hilted sword, and blunderbuss catch your eye immediately.
"I'll take it. Come around to the front." You hear a clank clank from inside, and then a head pops out the front. A bird head... a tengu. He steps out toward you in a jerky but small stride. The frightfully scrawny birdman is holding what looks like a rake or a two-handed fan made with fat leaves. "Come come buurrip come. I will cover your trash... trash... trrraaack-sshhh. Room for horse too, if can keep her shteady.. kek buurrip." |
