Lydran stood hunched over a desk in a spartan room. His notice of acceptance to the Acadamae sat at one corner of the table, forgotten. He peered through weary and sunken eyes at old notes and letters, hoping to spot any clue he may have missed. A slender, unwashed hand brushed the surface of his spellbook. For all the power his studies had brought him, nothing in the tome had helped him track down Carmilla. He sunk into his own mind, and almost didn't hear the sharp rap at his door.
A portly man in ill-fitting chainmail let himself into the room. Lydran regarded him with a resigned gaze. "Heinric. What have you found?"
The watchman said nothing, simply handing the half-elf a piece of paper. The first thing Lydran saw at the top was a fee. He tossed the scrap of parchment into the air, muttered short incantation, and snapped his fingers. The corner of the paper smoldered, sparked, and popped, and the whole thing was ash before it touched the ground.
"I have little enough coin left to eat, Henric, and your information has been of dubious quality in the past. My budget no longer permits me to squander money on information that may or may not be useful. You want your gold, you tell me what you've found first."
Henric looked down at the pile of ash, seemingly unmoved, but after a moment shrugged. "That nanny you hired. Works for a man named Lamm. Mean old crook who runs a ring of pickpockets. Uses children. Seems that that nanny has been plucking up kiddies and pressing them into his service. A few of them have been spotted working the docks."
Lydran didn't bother to thank the guardsman. He grabbed his purse from the table and took a quick assessment of what he had left. Not much. He counted ten coins and shoved them into Henric's grubby fingers without a word - the gold spoke louder to the man than any thanks he could have given. The guard left, and Lydran sprang into a flurry of animation. He grabbed his pack, his spellbook, and left his notes scattered about the table. He hand hovered for a moment over his acceptance letter before falling back to his side. Leaving the letter on the table, along with other non-essential possessions, he slammed the door to the room behind him and headed towards the docks.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Back from travelin. Ran out of cash and had to cut my trip through china short by about a week, so I'll look through the IC thread and get back in today.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Man, I've got bad timing, because it looks like this scene would be a LOT of fun to play out. However, I wanted to give you a heads up that I'm about to depart, so I'll probably be out-of-touch for a month. I'll log on when I can so I can keep track of what's going on, but I imagine my access to internet will be sporadic to the point that it will be impractical to do more than keep myself informed. I'll back on November 28th, though, and with renewed vigor!
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Three down, two to go. Well done, Quinta. DM Carpe, if sarcasm won over Gerrick, could we make sense motive checks to ascertain what types of approach would be best suited to improving the attitudes of Aerys and Ishirou?
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"I imagine if we were to grab that line, we would not be long from the mess hall. Still, I suppose we could their ability to discern fish from non-piscene forms..."
Lydran waves his hand and mutters and incantation and a leaf pulls itself from a nearby plant. With another gestures, the leaf moves through the air and snags itself on the hook. With a final snap, Lydran focuses on the hook and gives it a little pull.
Casting Mage Hand to attach a leaf to the hook, then using the spell to pull on said hook.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran's expression darkens as Jack waves down the skeletons. He stares daggers at the man as he gets his crossbow ready. "Stranded on an unfamiliar island with limited supplies, surly castaways, and one of us is poisoned, and you think to flag down foes we know we're ill-equipped to fight as some jest?" He strides forward and gives Jack a rough shove, pushing him towards the boat. "Well, Mr. Sand, since you think that being an imbecile is amusing at a time like this, I see now reason you oughtn't continue your farce. Why don't you go and introduce yourself to your new friends? Shake their hands, invite them to a meal!"
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
I'm still figuring that part out. I'm hoping to spend no more than a $1000 for the whole thing by avoiding planes and hotels, using trains and busses instead, and staying in hostels (I've found several with good ratings that cost like 30 RMB per night, which is a little less than five dollars). The only major expenditure would be the cost of martial arts classes, and I'm trying to work out how much that would cost and what the options are. I know that a one-day lesson is about 50 USD, which is more than I'd like to pay, but I believe those are for one or two day "courses," and I know there are people who attend for longer stays, so I'm sure there are cheaper options for that (been having trouble finding info on that, but even if it's not the case, I'll have enough for a week and half or so).
For the most part, it's expensive to get to China, but once you're there the cost of living and the cost of transportation is very low.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Hey guys, I'm starting my sabatical in about a week, and I've finally got my plans hammered out. Instead of traveling around China, I'm just going to visit the terra cotta army, then spend the next three weeks or so on Wudang mountain, studying martial arts with the monks there. It should be cool, but I somehow doubt that Taoist monasteries are going to have wireless internet capabilities. It's highly unlikely I'll be staying in the temple proper, but I'm not going to count on whatever hostel or guesthouse I find having internet capabilities, so I might be off the grid for as long as three weeks. I'll let you know more once I get some details hammered out, along with what Lydran is doing and how he'd typically behave in combat. You can NPC him if you want, but I thought that since we've already got one NPC tagging along, he might just stick back and help mantain camp while I'm gone.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran siddels to left as the melee begins to part. The scales of the snake seem uncommonly tough, so Lydran lowers his crossbow and draws back his hand, beads of acid swirling around it as they gather in his palm. Uttering a single, sharp syllabel, his arm shoot forward, sending a dart of acid screaming towards the serpent.
5-Foot Step to F9 Ranged Touch Attack on Snake 2, firing into melee1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 2 - 4 = -1
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran had taken a 5-foot step into G11 on the last turn, DM Carpe.
Shruging at the crowded melee, Lydran takes another step forward as he loads a bolt into his crossbow, then waits for one of the snakes to make a target of itself. As snake on the left darts towards Sasha and the girl withdraws from the blow, Lydran pulls the trigger and lets the bolt fly with a resounding "twang."
Attack on Snake Two, firing into melee, target has cover1d20 + 2 - 4 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 2 - 4 - 4 = 7
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Just want to say I know I've been scarce, and I apologize for that. I've been in a hurry, because I'm going on a two month sabatical soon, and have been trying to get all my stuff moved into a new appartment before I go. Beyond that, I think my school has been trying to get as much value out of me as they can before I take my two months, because they've been ramping up my classes. As such, most of my downtime has consisted of moving and lesson planning. I've finally gotten MOST of my stuff moved, so I will be a bit more vocal for the next week and a half or so. After that, I'll be traveling around China for about a month, and since I haven't had too much time to plan it, I'll be winging most of that trip. I'll surely have access to the internet at times, but on other occassions there might be periods of a few days during which I won't be able to get online. After that, I'm visiting the States, and though I'll be visiting people, I'll be able to find a couple of hours each day at the very least. Anyways, just wanted to give a head up on that.
I'll just assume Lydran has been going with the flow over the last few hours of in-game time and keeping mostly to himself.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
DM Carpe: Would it be within the power of Prestidigitation to create a cloud of scented gas around my person that would be off-putting to mosquitoes and other mundane insects? Essentially an arcane version of "Off."
"I worked in my manor's kitchens for a couple of months when I was a boy. I haven't really touched a pot - at least for cooking - since I left there, but I shoudl be able to put something simple together provided with the ingredients. Just don't expect a gourmet meal."
Lydran has no ranks in the skill, but I think his Int score means he'd have the highest untrained check, assuming it's Craft (Cooking). If it's Profession, there are better candidates.
"In any case, I'm of a mind with Dragolan. We ought to be moving towards departure, but neglecting our immediate needs for survival would be an explicitly bad decision. I fear I've grown too used to the ammenities of a Chelish manse, and though I don't think myself above crashing in a campsite, I know little of setting one up, so I'll volunteer myself for the exploratory team. I do have a few things that might be helpful in the short term, though..."
Lydran digs through his pack and lays out a small rod of steel and a few chunks of flint, three torches, a bedroll, a waterskin, the coil of rope from earlier, a small mirror, and enough dry rations to feed a single person for three days.
"Give me a day and I can select spells that will me more practical for surviving on and island. Right now, I'm practically down to cantrips."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran crosses his arms and taps a finger on his chin as he draws up to the others. "You know, back on the ship, when speaking to the captain, I had noticed a glaze over his eyes. That can be characteristic of magical control, but any number of other things can cause similar symptoms, so I paid it no mind... With the earlier suspicions of the crew, though, and now with this journal as evidence - you see that the hand has changed in the later entries - I'm forced to reevaluate my opinion. Ieana seems the most probably perpetrator, given those last few entries, and something tells me that an island paradise, which this is most certainly NOT, would hold little interest for a bookish scholar interested in ancient civilizations. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some unusual ruins on this island."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
May I attempt a retroactive Sense Motive or Spellcraft (to identify a spell already in effect) here to see if I can recall any suspicious behavior in the captain when we interacted with him? Sense Motive1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 Spellcraft1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"I'm no survivalist, but I would reason it prudent to afford venturing too far into the island until we know where we are. Escape is our goal, but that isn't going to happen in a day. We don't know exactly how long we'll be here. It could be a few days, it could be a few weeks. If we make a beeline for the lighthouse, we risk overlooking the necessities of survival, exhausting what resources we do have, and finding ourselves with nothing to fall back on."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"It might be prudent to hang onto the brandy as a sterilizing agent, just in case." Lydran turns to the corpse of the newly promoted captain. "Though we might spare a dash to pour over the body at the funeral. I've seen the fallen honored in that way before. As to the care we show the body, I'm not exactly sure what you're concerned about. If we bury him, he'll be eaten by graveworms. If we sink him, he'll be eaten by fish. If we float him out to sea, he'll be eaten by seagulls. No matter what we do, his remains are going to feed something - as is the case with all corpses, and if they don't they end up rotting. This isn't Ancient Osirion. I think the manner of the send-off we give him will do more to honor his memory than taking pains to ensure his body is never despoiled, and on that count I think Dragolan's right. A sailor needs a final voyage - we ought to send him out to sea."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"Didn't Jask say he'd lost his holy symbol? I believe I heard him mention Nethys's name earlier, and I'm sure he could put the those spell components to use."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"We'll see to his final voyage, but first let's make sure that he's the last person who needs such attention on this island. We can wrap him up in one of the canvas sheets, and use the others to carry the supplies. In any case, I like not the groans this ship is making. We should collect what we need and move back to the shore."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran's hound throws back its head and bays loudly as it erupts into flames. Tendrils of fire lick at its entire body as the spell expires, and the dog burns down to nothing but ash as it returns to its home plane. No longer having a clear shot of any sort at the remaining lobstrosity, Lydran begins to move around the crates for a better vantage point, squeezing by Jack Sand and drawing his crossbow.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran's hound continues its assault on the lobstrosity, snapping wildly at the creature as orange spittle flies from its mouth, making a caustic hiss where it hits the floor.
For his own part, Lydran tries to focus on the beast engagin Alexite, trying to get a clear shot past the man, spotting a momentary opening, he launches a dart of acid at Alexite's opponent
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Vital Stats for Fiendish Dog:
Small Outsider (Augmented Animal)
HP 6
AC 13, Touch 12, Flat-Footed 12
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1
Attacks: Bite +2 (1d4+1)
Str 13, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Special Attacks: Smite Good (Something tells me it's useless here)
Special Defenses: Fire and Cold Resistance 5
That ought to be everything that would come into play during this encounter, right? And you said in this round the dog only gets a standard action? Sounds more than fair to me.
With a loud hiss Lydran finishes his spell and a burning pentagram appears behind the nearest lobstrosity. The planks of the ships swell, bulge, and warp as the planar fabric around them is distorted. There is a flash of red light, accompanied by a popping sound and the smell of sulfur, and black-haired dog with smoldering red eyes leaps from the ground, snapping at the creature.
Summoning a Fiendish Hound in N4 and it's making an attack. Flanking with Dragolan, I believe? Attack1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 Damage1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Lydran spins to the side, moving out of range of the beast. He utters a single, sharp word in an eldritch tongue and waves his arm, sending a bolt of acidic energy screaming towards the thing.
Acid dart on the same monster Touch Attack, firing into melee1d20 - 2 ⇒ (6) - 2 = 4 Damage1d6 ⇒ 1
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"Tsk. Alright. See if you can bait them into closing with us - I'll summon a hound on the other side, and we can flank them." Lydran moves down the stairs and begins a longer chant as dim flames begin to encircle his feet in an intricate pattern.
Moving to P3 and begining to cast Summon Monster 1
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Perception1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
"Does anyone hear that door?" Lydran asks as he follows the others down the rope. "Would the wind moving through the Jenivere be strong enough to open and close a door repeatedly?"
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"A moment, Alexite! You may wish to take this with you - if nothing else it will make getting back up easier." Lydran rummages through his pack for a moment and produces a coil of silk rope.
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran rolls his eyes at Gerrick's comment, but nevertheless nods in appreciation for the gnome's cooperation. "We'll see what can be done to keep your hands clean. And Jask makes a fair point with his rattling. Let's see if this helps. Get ready, Jask, those things are about to get slippery." Lydran concentrates on the manacles as he mutters a brief incantation. Swirling his hand through the air, a large dollop of grease begins to form over his palm. Finishing his spell, he flips his wrists and the stuff flies towards the manacles, seeking them out and wrapping itself around every jangling inch of them.
Casting Grease on the manacles. Normally, wearing Greased armor or clothing provides a +10 bonus to all escape artists checks. Would you allow coating the manacles to provide the same bonus to slip free?
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
"Your words are a bitter dish, Gerrick," Lydran huffs. "Sarcasm will do little to keep us alive, so perhaps you ought be a bit more proactive?" He looks around at the other survivors; at the petulant gnome, at the man in shackles, and at the others giving him suspicious glares. Shaking his head, he stands and turns to the crowd.
"Have any of you ever seen a squadron of Hellknights in action? They keep the peace in Egorian, so I've had chance to witness them on occasion. I've seen a group of them put down more than a few unruly mobs. They were outnumbered, but their success was still little surprise given their superior arms and armor. I've also seen them subdue drunken watchmen in mail, men who new how to fight. I've seen them stifle small rebel uprisings - men and weapon trained to fight and empowered by righteous indignation. Every time, the Hellknights won out of greater numbers? Do you know why? Discipline and cooperation. Five of us working together can accomplish thrice as much as ten of us at odds. And ten of us working together? Well, maybe that's asking too much, but it's our surest way to get through this alive. Hate each other all you want, but stay away from one another's throats until this ordeal is past. We're about to step into a wrecked ship that could be swallowed by the ocean at a moment's notice, and we aren't like to come back out if we're all trying to decide who's throat we'd like to open, or who wants to open ours."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran prods the unconcious gnome with the toe of his boot. "Gerrick. Wake up. Ship wreck. We're going to explore the wreckage."
Perception1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
"Jask, may I see those manacles for a moment?" Assuming Jask's compliance, Lydran inspects the chained man's shackles, first around the wrists, trying to gauge how tight the fit is, and then the chain, wondering if any of his spells might facilitate the removal of this contraption.
If I were to coat the manacles in a Grease spell, does it look like Jask would be able to slip out? Alternatively, would it be possible to melt a link of the chain with acid darts?
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Perception1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Lydran retrieves most of his gear, but leaves a few items, such as his bedroll, his waterskin, and a few ration, on the beach - the won't be needed in the Jenivere. He loads a bolt into his crossbow and falls into line with the others. "I'm afraid my current suite of spells was prepared with life on board a ship in mind, but I'll do what I can."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran dips the edge of one sleeve into the surf and regards the last two survivors who have not yet awoken. Gerick's quips might not be what we need just now... He calls out to the prisoner as he makes his way across the beach towards the half-elf woman. "I think under the circumstances, trading you your freedom for your aid is a reasonable proposal, but you do understand that manacles don't exactly inspire trust. Might you enlighten us on how you came to be hear, like this? I couldn't care less who you've wronged, but it would certainly make it easier to work together if I'm not keeping on eye on my back or on my coin purse." He stoops down over Aerys and squeezes the edge of his sleeve, dripping seawater onto her forehead.
"It's Aerys, yes? We've been shipwrecked - poisoned at our last dinner, it would seem. We need to get everyone together and determine our next course of action. The beach isn't safe - we've already been attacked here once. Someone has already retrieved a number of supplies, but some of us are going to search the Jenivere for anything else we might use before it sinks completely. Are you alright? Can you stand?"
Lydran will watch Jask closely if he replies, trying to make a Sense Motive check.1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran jerks his thumb towards Jack. "He wasn't wearing that armor at dinner, meaning it was elsewhere on the ship. But someone was able to retrieve it, along with the rest of what you see here." He gestures to the pile of gear on the beach, and then his eyes move to the footprints Alexite pointed out.
"I'd wager that whoever placed all of this is in the Jenivere now. I don't know how many runs they've made already, but it would be reasonable to assume they would prioritize the items that are most important to our survival. There would likely be little for us to salvage, not enough to warrant the risk of venturing back in, judging from the state of the ship. Whoever is in there will be back soon, unless they've run into trouble. When they return, we can see what we can do to help them finish up. If they don't, there is little we can do to aid them, and following them without knowing what we're getting into would only be needlessly endangering ourselves. For now, I say we wait for their return, at least for an hour. In the meantime, we can take an inventory of what - and who - we have at our disposal. What supplies can we make use of? What do we still need? What can we each do? We should take a full assessment of our situation before making any rash moves."
Male Half-Elf HP 7/7, AC-12/T-12/FF-10, F+0/R+2/W+3, Init+2, Per+2
Lydran issues a few hacking coughs as he rises to his feet, squinting his eyes against the sunlight as he surveys the beach. "It seems I may have missed something," he groans as he observes the carcasses of the lobstrosities.
His eyes suddenly go wide as he realizes what has occurred, and he frantically begins inspecting his spellbook for water damage. He notes with a sigh of relief that the waterproofing on the case protected it from the worst of the exposure. Drying the edges of the pages with a prestidigation, he moves to the pile of equipment and begins retrieving his gear as his gaze moves to the Jenivere sinking beneath the surf. "I don't suppose we're getting out of here that way. We were only a few days from Sargava - is there any chance that we crashed nearby?" He draws up the hood on his robes to shield himself from the sun's oppressive rays. "I suppose we had better figure out where exactly we are, but first, I think it might behoove us to get ourselves out of the sun. Whether we're exploring, setting up a camp, or building a new boat, we'll have a much easier time of it without the heat of all Phlegethon bearing down on us."
