Make a fortitude save as well, to see if you still are cluthching the scroll in your hand when you hit the water with considerably lacking grace.
DC 12
Thinking the Sea-Devil is going to take his revenge and leave, Beren turns his head for a moment. At that moment, sharp steel stabs into his abdomen. He feels nothing at first. Then he turns back to his attacker in shock as the trident is lodged below his chest. For a mere second, Beren feels an adrenaline rush and slams his longsword down onto the fish man.
Beren never gets to savor his victory, though.
His eyes glaze over. He doesn't see the trident slip out of the Sauagin's grasp. He doesn't feel his body hit the deck with the trident leaning over his body still plunged into his gut. He doesn't feel the fire growing and burning. He doesn't take notice when the mooring line rips from the dock, tumbling the ship, and pitching him into the ocean. He doesn't feel the cold water slap at his skin and enter his lungs. He doesn't feel the mast smash his body while in the water.
He does not feel anything!
Deep inside his engulfed unconscious as he sinks to the bottom, the trident his final anchor, there are two trailing thoughts. The first is that he will never get his revenge. And the last.
Goodbye Valessa!
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hold that tragic thought for a bit...
Beren consumes a destiny point, which allows himto survive, although from this point forward he will only gain 4+1/2 charcter level in action points per level...
Everyone can now guess how many destiny points they have, although the circumstance under which I will allow them to be used is still in question...
maniacal DM laughter
Beren is floating face up in the water, slowly drifitng away in the surge created by the overturning ship.
He is stable at -11
Valessa runs full pelt towards the side of the ship. She sees the gap ahead – “I can make it,” she thinks, increasing her speed, preparing for the leap, trying to ignore the smoke in her lungs and the heat from the nearby flames. She sees the funny looking goblin from the next table scampering dextrously over the last mooring line. She sees another strand *snap* - and unwind from the mooring line. Her mouth opens. Everything is slow motion. The goblin turns towards her. She glances back. Through the smoke. A trident pierces Beren’s chest. The line snaps. The deck lurches, and is gone. Valessa leaps -
- the world spins. And Valessa lands with surprising grace on the hull of the now over-turned ship, landing on her feet in a ready crouch, with the dock almost within arms reach, and a huge, meaty arm reaching over towards her – to help! But…
“Beren!!,” she screams, turning back to desperately search the dark water for her friend. [ooc]Spot: 17+4 = 21, assuming I can do so out of sequence…
You could, and the DC would be 50, what with a big boat in the way and all... The port side of the ship is now about 10 feet above the water.
Raustikin makes his way toward the dock through fire and smoke, the hair on his skin smoking and sizzled. Then fire erupts around the forecastle and moments later the crack of the mooring line sounds as it rips apart. The ship, relieved of its tension, rolls sideways, flinging the shifter into the icy deep, "Aaahhhhhh", he growls deeply with an open-mouthed visage as he smacks into the water.
Brick, done healing Ruuz, looks up from the changling as the forecastle explodes, "Oooh, What pretty colors." Then the mooring line snaps. As he is thinking, 'That's a neat sound', he is flung off the ship. "Am I flying? I don't think I can fly." His ceramic body plunks into the ocean with a 'bloop'. He quickly sinks to the bottom. "I'm wet again" he says, "but, I just got dry." Brick starts walking toward shore once again.
I do believe that it is only 2 damage because he made one save.
Raustikin's head breaks the surface of the water, and he takes a deep breath. His hair dreds float like crimson serpents in the salty sea. Blowing hard to remove a stray dred away from his eyes, he treds water looking for shore. Surrounded by floating wooded debris, he spots land through the haze of smoke and fire. He makes for shore searching the depths for people needing aid. His thoughts go to Heavenly. He hopes she made it to shore and is safe.
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Hoping to catch sight of Heavenly to insure she is safe, Raustikin instead catches sight of Beren, mortally wounded, his life blood pumping out onto the surface of the water.
With no small effort, Raustikin manages to pull the wounded shifter to shore. (though soing so consumes a few minutes, and puts both of them out of the action)
The water slams into Ruuz as he is flung from the boat, his armor and gear weighing heavy as he struggles to reach the surface.
Ruuz pulls against the water as he gathers the last of his strength, his lungs burning he finally reaches the surface. His head stops spinning as he breaths in the salty air and he flings his head to get his hair out of his face.
Treading water Ruuz looks around for shore and sees the quiet shifter pulling a body to shore. Ruuz turns and starts swimming towards the shifter.
On 1:
In the water between Ruuz and the shifter surf and turf platter, a man bobs up out of the water.
"Ahhh, help me, help me someone..."
He dips below the surface again, coming up spluttering, "My legs"
The man struggles in the water and paddling weakly trying to keep his head above water. Ruuz swims over and grabs the mans arm, "Quit struggling you idiot or I will leave you to drown."
Ruuz pulls on the struggling man and starts very slowly swimming to shore.
Valessa feels herself wrenched bodily up through the air and deposited ungracefully onto the wooden pier by the giant bouncer.
She makes to stand, but all at once the adrenaline drains form her body, and she collapses to the deck, and retches.
After a moment, she climbs weakly to her feet, pushing the lank, sweat dampened hair from her eyes, and looks around for any familiar faces. Apart from the goblin who crossed the mooring rope just ahead of her, she spies no one. “Beren…” she whispers softly, fearfully.
Looking out into the dark ocean, trying to make sense of things through the smoke, the confusion of debris over the water, she spies something emerging from the water onto the adjacent beach. The warforged, Brick! But no sign of his friend Ruuz – no, wait, there he is, swimming weakly, dragging someone – Beren!? No … someone else.
Valessa runs down to the beach to help the changeling, but keeps looking desperately at the ocean for some sign of her friend.
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Fire consumes the last of the ship, a few bodies, and ever more debris washes up on the beach, where the nearly one hundred fifty survivors mill about confused. Eventually Brick emerges from the water, as well as Ruuz and Raustikin, dragging the unknown man and Beren with them. It takes little time for you all to be reunited; though Beren is deeply unconscious and it is plain the scar from the trident wound will never heal fully.
In the smoky, dream like haze, it could be minutes, or it could be hours before the town responds to the disaster, you are simply to confused to say for certain. But eventually, a fire brigade arrives with buckets, in time to save no more than the pier, but more welcome is the sight of a dozen halflings in Jorasco livery, arriving with carts to take the most grievously wounded home.
As you stand and watch, the smoke curves ever skyward, rising and twisting in the heat of the flames.
After some more time, Jorasco healers take Beren away on a litter cart, promising to aid him as best they can, though the glint in their eye suggests they will expect payment when he awakens.
This leaves the five of you standing on the beach in a loose circle. As the immediate emergency begins to die down, survivors from the ship begin milling about you, offering praise and thank you to each of you.
In particular, Heavenly sneaks up, and plants a kiss on Raustikin’s cheek, before she trots off to join a group of serving ‘girls’ on their way somewhere off the beach. Apparently more than a few of the girls were really changeling males, or at least they were changelings, male and female being lost in the shuffle.
You begin to move away up the beach, when another changeling approaches, his neutral gray features slowly reforming until Valessa recognizes Ein. “I know you did what you did for yourself, and not for me, the ship or its crew, but thank you.” He hands Valessa a note, a hastely drafted letter of credit, to draw on a Kundarak account. The value three hundred platinum pieces, “That is for all of you to share, again thank you. My employer has a house near by, small, probably less space than you need, but we make good money renting it to aspiring explorers. You can stay there for a week for free, after that; you will need to cover the rent if you wish to keep it.”
He gives you the directions, and you find your way there with ease. The “small” house, is built into some of the ancient giant stone work, with modern timber spanning the spaces in between. The view is atrocious, but the first floor boasts a kitchen and parlor, and the upper floor has four bedrooms, each with two sets of bunk beds. It is really quite nice for the price.
Five days later, Beren is returned to you, guided by one of the Jorasco’s human employee’s. His bill is two hundred gold pieces for the healing he has received, but apparently the man who Ruuz pulled from the water paid it, as a gratuity. He would like to arrange a meeting, if and when you find it convenient.
Valessa accepts the credit note from Ein with a mumbled “thank you,” somewhat embarrassed by her earlier outburst towards the man. She wonders briefly who is boss is.
Over the next five days, Valessa will visit Beren often at the House Jorasco enclave. At some point, she take some of the others along with her to the House Kundarak Bank and cash in the credit note, giving each of the group members, including the goblin, Rokko, who seems to have attached himself to the band, their share of 50 platinum pieces each. She saves Beren’s share to give back to him when he returns.
She claims a bedroom in the little apartment as her own, and spends a fair bit of time in there, and in nearby areas of the city, practising her skills and increasing her learning as she can. For all that the events on the Tethered Wench were catastrophic and traumatic, the fallout – this place, and the money – means that she has at least another few weeks before she needs to really decide anything.
She socialises and talks with the others if they initiate things, but does not organise anything herself. She presents herself as an aspiring explorer and historian, mentions her association with Morgrave University, but brushes off specific questions about her relationship to the place.
As soon as she is able, she copies down the signal she noticed in the smoke , and mulls over it for some time, trying to think if she knows anything of it, and asking anyone else in the house who seems knowledgable in such things.
She tries to find out what she can about Ein and his employer, asking about town if required.
She also asks the others if they know the identity of the man Raustikin and Beren rescued from the Sahuagin, and delves into her own scattered knowledge to see if she’s heard anything.
"I wonder if that sahuagin attack had anything to do with those rumours I heard about some shipping line putting a price on their heads....? We could look into that, but I have heard a few other possible rumours if we fancy something more immediate. House Deneith are looking for people and there's some big hole in the ground that seems to be exercising the locals somewhat. Or maybe we should see dear old Beren's benefactor?
"Glad I didn't fall in the drink, what! Would have ruined my cigars!" After lighting up and a few drags.... "Ah, that's better....
"Er, Valessa, old dear, um, fancy dividing up that money you have? Ah, thank you!"
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As soon as she is able, she copies down the signal she noticed in the smoke , and mulls over it for some time, trying to think if she knows anything of it, and asking anyone else in the house who seems knowledgable in such things.
You create a rough duplicate, you recognize it as imperfect, but as close as your hand could make it.
She tries to find out what she can about Ein and his employer, asking about town if required.
She also asks the others if they know the identity of the man Raustikin and Beren rescued from the Sahuagin, and delves into her own scattered knowledge to see if she’s heard anything....
Asking discretely around town nets you a host of rumors about the owner of the Tethered Wench, everything from dragonmarked houses, gnome expatriats, droamish monsters, among others. Asking specifically about Ein nets you only blank stares, no one is familiar with anyone associated with the bar, with that name.
While at the Jorasco run infirmary, a few discrete inquiries let yoou know that the man is named Tessik, often referred to as Tessik the Claw, a infamous bounty hunter who is based out of Stormreach. Apparently his days of hunting are over, as his legs were crushed beyond repair.
"Er, Valessa, old dear, um, fancy dividing up that money you have? Ah, thank you!"
"Old? OLD?!?"
After the near death expireince at the Tethered Wench Ruuz is happy just relaxing in their free lodging. Upon arriving at the house Ruuz tried to join Valessa in her room but was quickly chased out of the room with a vile glare and was promptly stuck in the head with his backpack before the door was slammed shut. 'She will come around some time' Ruuz thinks to him self as he picks up his bag and decides to room with the strange goblin that he only met briefly before the Traveler decided his day was too boring.
........
Sitting next the Rokko in the parlor downstairs talking about the events on the Tethered Wench Ruuz finds he like this surprisingly articulate goblinoid.
"Glad I didn't fall in the drink, what! Would have ruined my cigars!" After lighting up and a few drags.... "Ah, that's better....
Ruuz kicks his feet up on the table in the center of the room and asks "Would you care to share one of your cigars, I have never had one and I am always one for trying new things?"
"Er, Valessa, old dear, um, fancy dividing up that money you have? Ah, thank you!"
"Old? OLD?!?"
Ruuz smiles at her small out burst and leans over to the goblin and whispers "Don't worry she does that with me to and we are as close as any two people can get, she just doesn't want to admit it."
Brick, done healing Ruuz, looks up from the changling as the forecastle explodes, "Oooh, What pretty colors." Then the mooring line snaps. As he is thinking, 'That's a neat sound', he is flung off the ship. "Am I flying? I don't think I can fly." His ceramic body plunks into the ocean with a 'bloop'. He quickly sinks to the bottom. "I'm wet again" he says, "but, I just got dry." Brick starts walking toward shore once again.
Brick spends most of his time sitting on the ground, watching the stars, the sun, and the moon. He is fascinated by the cycles of nature, and the comings and goings of people and animals. Brick comes to the dim realization that this is the first time he has actually stopped moving from place to place. He does not notice the golden sparks that dance over the cracks in his plating.
Ruuz kicks his feet up on the table in the center of the room and asks "Would you care to share one of your cigars, I have never had one and I am always one for trying new things?"
"By all means, old chap - don't inhale too deeply the first time, they carry something of a kick."
While Beren was healing in the Jorasco enclave, Valessa came by several times to visit. “I am so glad you survived.” he said to her. “I would have given my life to ensure your safety.“
Her visits were bittersweet. Although he was always glad to see her, Beren was unaccustomed to being seen in a weakened state by her. He could not understand why this made him feel so uncomfortable. He was injured in battle before and stuck to a bed for several days, but it troubled him to have her see him like this.
Valessa told him about the platinum they were all given. She mentioned that they were given living arrangements for one week without charge. The goblin too.
“Goblin,” he snarled in a throaty voice, coughing and touching his wound when he raised his head in astonishment. Then he rested back down, and said, “Well, at least it is not some filthy orc,” giving her a toothy grin from ear to ear.
Valessa was also there when he was released and she showed him the way to the house. He was thankful for the company. The walk was slow, his healing scars stretching with every movement. He took in the sights. The current buildings seemed to be built into, around, and on top of ancient structures too large for a human.
‘Another strange city so far away from Orcbone and the wilderness,’ he thought. The smells were also strange. The freedom of the salty air mixing with the grime of civilization made him long to be out of the city.
During the walk she explained that Raustikin saved his life and pulled him out of the ocean. She described the meeting with Ein, and it was explained that Tessik paid for his stay of healing. “Tessik? He is the whole reason those Sea-Devils attacked in the first place. Once I get settled, we should go talk to him.”
They arrived at the house and a wall of putrid smoke permeated his sensitive nostrils. “Ah! What is that reek.” he walked into the living area to see the goblin, Rokko was it?, sitting with Ruuz. Both were engaged in casual conversation with thick pieces of smoking wood in their mouths. “What are those things? They smell like burnt death” he held his breath while Valessa showed him to his room.
It looked like he would be sharing a room with Raustikin. This pleased Beren. He had not had a shifter companion since visiting the shifter villages settled around Orcbone. “My brother,” seeing Raustikin, “I owe you my life. I have a debt to you now.”
After Beren settled in and Valessa brought him his share of Ein’s payment, he went to the local weapon smith and bowyer. While he was buying his new long sword, checking it for balance and flaws, he watched two fighters spar. They were both fighting using the two-weapon style that he was trying to learn himself. He noticed how they gripped the weapons and shifted their feet for defense and attack. He watched the rhythm of the battle recognizing the errors he was making during his own personal training. He gained new incite into this style and would start incorporating it into his morning training regiment. He also picked out a nice bow with a bit of a kick. When he first pulled back on the string, he felt the strain in his arms and back, and he felt the power of release into the practice target.
While resting in his quarters, gathering his strength, he noticed movement in the sky through the open window. It was some type of eagle, and very large compared to the eagles around Breland. It flew close and landed on a branch 15 ft away. It tilted its head and looked at Beren. Before Beren could whistle to the marvelous raptor, it looked away and swooped down and easily caught a city rat that came out of hiding. With dinner in hand, the bird flew off out of the city. Over the next several days, Beren would see the eagle. It would land on the branch and stare at him a little bit longer each time.
On the day of Beren’s return, Valessa’s mood improves markedly, although she can still be somewhat snarky, continuing the roll her eyes or return cutting comments at Ruuz’ suggestions, whilst admonishing Rokko for smoking within the apartment.
Once Beren is back, she calls the household together. “Well boys,” she says, “it seems that circumstance has thrown us together, but between us we have a useful set of skills, and we work pretty well together in a crisis. It seems that most of us are looking for excitement, or have personal missions that could probably benefit from some additional help. So what say you to the idea of forming some sort of adventuring company, and sticking together for a while? Don’t give me that look Ruuz, you know what I mean!
“So, are we agreed? Good! Lets go out to that inn on the corner for a big dinner, welcome Beren back to the land of the living and discuss what we do from here.”
“Goblin,” he snarled in a throaty voice, coughing and touching his wound when he raised his head in astonishment. Then he rested back down, and said, “Well, at least it is not some filthy orc,” giving her a toothy grin from ear to ear.
“Goblin,” he snarled in a throaty voice, coughing and touching his wound when he raised his head in astonishment. Then he rested back down, and said, “Well, at least it is not some filthy orc,” giving her a toothy grin from ear to ear.
The actively seems to increased now that Beren had returned from the Jorasco enclave and everyone seems to be finally getting to now each other.
Ruuz continues to spend most of his time smoking with Rokko, amazingly he has kind of taken to the smelly cigars. The first time he did smoke one he thought he was back a boat again with how it made his head spin. Afterward his eyes were red for three days straight and he though he would never get ride of the taste in his mouth but now if he limits him self to one a day they taste pretty good.
Every night Ruuz does manage to lock himself away to work on some of his scrolls and he's decided that he might try some potions if he can get his hands on a small lab but his money Valessa gave him is quickly running low with his scroll making and new cigar habit.
After everyone agrees that starting an adventuring group sounded great and are preparing to head out to the inn to eat Ruuz throws out an idea.
"I have been reading up on some the alchemy books I have and I was thinking about starting to brew my own potions and since a lot of you could benefit from that I was wondering if we could pools some funds together and find the equipment I would need? Really by the time most of you buy the potions you want I could make them for less than half the price. What do you say?"
It had surprised Valessa somewhat to learn that Ruuz was an artificer. For some reason she had assumed that he was more of a rogue, conman or sneak thief. Only, she realised with a start, it was probably her that filled that role in the group, for all that she preferred to present herself as an explorer and scholar. She’d really have to stop this unconscious racial stereotyping, given that apart from the changeling artificer, she was now hanging about with a goblin arcanist and a warforged who appeared to be a cleric or adept of some sort.
Anyway, Ruuz’ suggestion made sense, but despite her earlier assertion, she was still not completely sure she trusted the changeling with her gold. “What sort of outlay are we talking Ruuz?” she asks warily. “And when would we see a return on our investment? Come to that, what sort of potions can you make? Healing potions never seem to go astray…” she looks wryly at Beren.
"I feel the idea has merit, certainly."
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For Raustikin:
You spend a few minutes searching the place, but find no indications of a struggle, you almost give up on finding any clue at all, until you find a small scrap of paper, obviously torn from something else, which was concealed under the pillow of your pallet. The paper bore only the words 'Dream Lightly' written in a smooth and flowing script.
Looking at Valessa, "Dinner tonight sounds good. Just not on a ship, okay?" Beren gives another one of his toothy grins.
Beren spends the day stretching, monitoring his scars, and practicing with double blades. Every once and a while he sees that eagle flying overhead. He also keeps an eye on Ruuz and waits until he can get the changling alone. Finding out that Ruuz is an artificer only helped confirm his suspicions about his new companion.
When Beren feels that he catches Ruuz alone he asks to speak to him:
While at dinner that night, Beren's voice sounds a serious tone, "Tomorrow night I have some business to take care. I do not expect any of you to accompany me. Things could get ugly." While saying this he is unconsciously stroking the sheath of his long sword.
“What sort of outlay are we talking Ruuz?” she asks warily. “And when would we see a return on our investment? Come to that, what sort of potions can you make? Healing potions never seem to go astray…” she looks wryly at Beren.
Ruuz does some quick calculations in his head, "I think I could get all the stuff I need for about 100 gp's and I could throw in about 25 now. Anyone that decides to 'donate' in will get there share back in potions in about a week. As far as what kind I can make I should be able to make all sorts depending on what the need is."
When Beren feels that he catches Ruuz alone he asks to speak to him:
for Beren
Ruuz takes out the cigar puts it out and looks back to Beren, "I would be grateful if you would keep that to yourself. I took advantage of an opportunity in my youth and it caught up to me about six month ago and now I am on the run. I had not intended for Valessa to latch on to my cover story as much as she did. If you think I can trust her to not sell me out I will tell her that my story was a lie and apologize for misleading her."
While at dinner that night, Beren's voice sounds a serious tone, "Tomorrow night I have some business to take care. I do not expect any of you to accompany me. Things could get ugly." While saying this he is unconsciously stroking the sheath of his long sword.
Ruuz looks around the table and looks back to Beren, "I know we all have our own little projects but if you need help I think that is what this little gathering is all about. Joining together to see if we can live a little longer and hopefully make some money while we are at it."