Crown Jewels (IC) Part 2

[MikelaC1]

Same deal as OOC.

[MikelaC1]

Natasha leads the group down to the docks, passing by many ships until she arrives at what is clearly the grandest sailing vessel of them all, the Amazonian. If it isnt the flagship of Natasha’s fleet, you cant imagine how big the other ship would have to be.
This will be the ship to take you to New Kroy. Be careful when you get to that city, its quite unlike any other city you have ever been in. Years ago, organized government broke down in that city and a state of total anarchy reigns there now. There are no laws and no one there to enforce them even if there were. If someone decides to knife you, you’d better be ready to defend yourself. When you arrive, head to the Headless Horse Inn, and by then, I should have a lead on where you can find some “things”. We don’t know for sure if any of the jewels landed in Amazonia, but given the size of the continent, we know some had to have.
At this point, Zanthia joins the group, she is carrying several cloaks with her, and hands one to each of you.
We know most of you do not have the ability to swim, and even if you did, the Marilitas Ocean is far too large and dangerous to be swum by any sort of normal swimmer. Should you be swept overboard or the ship rammed and destroyed Natasha grimaces at the thought these cloaks will grant you the ability to breathe water as if you were a fish, and will also aid in your swimming. We cant have our task force being taken from us by some sort of maritime accident.
The captain comes down the gangplank, and looks you over as he gives a salute to Natasha.
We’re already to cast off mistress, the shipment is loaded, although who you plan to sell it to in that rats nest is beyond me, and the crew is all aboard. Are these the landlubbers you said would be joining us?
Natasha nods in the affirmative, and the captain whistles for one of his crew to come down and show you to your cabin. Each of you have a single cabin for yourself, about the only other person on board who has such luxury would be the captain himself. You spend some time settling in, and while you are doing so, you hear all sorts of activity going on, and with a sudden lurch, you feel the ship being loosed from the moorings and beginning to move out.
It takes some time for the Amazonian to clear the harbour, and during that time it moves very slowly and under almost no sail. Once it hits open water however, there is a rush of activity as all the sails are unfurled, and the ship almost leaps out of the water as it picks up to full speed in no time at all. A good wind is present, pushing the ship perfectly, and if you were in any condition to notice it, you would see that you were making good time.
Unfortunately, you are not. None of you have any sort of maritime or ocean going experience, and the Amazonian is, after all, a cargo ship and not a cruise ship equipped with massive stabilizers. Seasickness overtakes you less than an hour into your journey, and between heaving over the side what is left in your bellies or lying in your bed turning a dozen shades of green, you are totally unaware of anything else, other than every massive heave of the ship as each wave hits you. The first 2-3 days of your passage are spent in abject agony (and Kiera thought land travel sucked) and only slowly do you gain your “sea legs” and finally able to come up on deck to do something else other than lose your lunch.
The day that you are finally ready to venture on deck, those of you who made arrangements to purchase new items find them waiting for you in your cabin. You don’t remember anyone coming in to give them to you, but then again, youre not sure if you would have even noticed a herd of elephants trampling through your cabin, given the way you were.

[Iun]

Some of you might have noticed a raven from time to time during the previous adventure, flying over you, or sitting in a nearby tree. Now you know the animal belongs to William since he commanded it to follow him onto the ship where it has been sitting in the very same spot for the whole voyage. If you bothered to take a closer look you notice some fiendish heritage about it.

William himself has been his usual (but armorless) silent self, presenting himself as stoic as possible under the circumstances; his ring of sustenance helped mitigate some of the more disgusting effects of being seasick.

Right now he and his axe are in the cargo hold, where he is trying to find/make enough space to do his exercises.

[lostsole31]

Ebby marvels over the beauty of the ship ... several times. Once underway, however, he is the hardest hit in the group from the seasickness.

On the other hand, the most Alewalker is likely to experience - given how he is trained to fight in a manner that is almost like a storm-tossed deck, and his cast-iron stomach - is a bad migraine and the wisdom he should eat a biscuit "just in case." Once the headache clears, he enjoys the deck, even using it as a means to challenge his normal fighting style and adjusting.

[MikelaC1]

After several days, all of you, more or less, get your sea legs under you, and for the most part, the next few days are quite uneventful. The captain and crew seem to be in good spirits, the wind is at your back, you are making good time and no sea monster has seen fit to eat you (yet :smallwink:)
At one point, the captain comes by to tell you that you are all about half way to your destination, when there is a sudden call out from the crows nest.
As people go to the side of the ship to see what has prompted an alarm, they see an unsettling sight. At first, you see only one, but as you continue to move slowly forward, you see more and more in the ocean. There are dead bodies in the water, the bodies of dolphins, one of the few benign creatures of the sea. One dead dolphin might not be cause for alarm, but there are dozens and dozens of bodies here. The captain signals, and the ship comes to a halt.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel keeps to himself for the most part. He seems to enjoy the travel, staying up on deck whenever possible, and puking from there as well. His puking earned him the nickname The Green Wizard for all the times he vomited. After obtaining his sea legs, he stays up on deck with the wind in his air and playing a game of seemingly random moves against himself. If anyone is interested, he would explain the game to them (think something like Checkers) and then play them. Otherwise he played against himself analyzing moves and critically thinking moves through. When the call for alarm goes up, he puts his board away and heads toward to front and looks upon the scene. Muttering silently, he casts a spell.


Casting Detect Magic to see if they died of magical means.

[MikelaC1]

There are no magical auras still present around the dolphins. That doesnt totally mean that magic was not present in the cause of death, only that it is no longer there.

[lostsole31]

Eibhir is fascinated by Samuel's magic game, and desires to be taught. Even if he doesn't cast these spells that Samuel uses, he still pays attention to the mechanics, not just the game.

Alewalker is horrified by the carcasses in the ocean. Unlike most city-by-the sea, starry-eyed, superstitious sailors, dolphins mean nothing to him in particular ... maybe passing stories of reputed intelligence, or whatever. What fuels a powerful fire in his belly, is a care he had forgotten from long ago ... from when he was a hunter before being taken to the Forest Temple as boy. Rage and sadness fill him til there is no more room for grief. He mutters, "There is no honor in this. There is no bravery in this. This is destruction, not purpose or hunting."

He turns to the Captain as the ship is brought to all stop. "Captain, request permission to go a-sea. I need rope. A lot of rope. No man has a heart that would pass by this scene without giving the sea its respect for its massacred children."Alewalker's not trying to Intimidate, and he's not good at it ... but he is angry enough to have a don't-mess-with-me demeanor. His request is made more as a statement than an actual request. Intimidate [roll0]

EDIT: With that roll ... it still might be effective, but where Alewalker internally is angry, what comes out is a blubbering mess. This big man is brought to tears.

[MikelaC1]

As Alewalker is lowered in a boat into the ocean, he notices something else. There are a few dolphins that are alive, amongst the corpses. They seem to be completely healthy, whatever did the others in didnt affect them, perhaps they came from somewhere else. They chitter in a way that could almost be described as excited (if they were human) when they see Alewalker coming towards them.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker calls up, "We got some live ones here!"

Alewalker, ties a rope around a dead dolphin and calls to the boat to pull it up on deck so the group can try to figure things out. Meanwhile, he looks at the live ones and shrugs. "Sorry, fishies, but I gather your dead ones up .... burn 'em, I guess, with a prayer to the Sea that she not look at us as having done this, or passed by and done nuthin'."

He starts the long task of bringing the dead dolphins together and binding them just so they stay in a big mass...

[Iun]

William watches with visibly growing impatience, eventually he leaves to start his daily exercises.

[MikelaC1]

As Ale begins to gather the bodies together, the still living dolphins begin to swim around him, chirping at him. They bump against him and then dive down into the water, and then return to see what he does.

[Simba]

Fran

After a few days spent below deck Fran appears again just as Alewalker goes for a swim. She moves over to the side of the ship, her eyes widening in alarm.


Sorry, I did not get the last post in thread one until today.

Can Fran see what might have killed the dolphins?

Knowledge: Nature [roll0]
Knowledge: Arcana [roll1]
Heal: [roll2]

[MikelaC1]

From where Fran is standing, she does not see any marks on the bodies of the dolphins and there is no blood in the water as far as she can see.

[Iun]

Just as William disappears below deck, his raven comes flying down from his usual place and, after a few rounds above the corpses, sits down on one and starts eating (unless instinct tells him different).


No idea if I actually should play the raven, or if he's more of an npc...

Raven checks (assuming bonus hid dice give skill points and feats, otherwise -4 on both):
Listen: [roll0], Spot:[roll1]

[MikelaC1]

The raven thinks about the idea of eating one of the dead dolphins, but two things dissuade him. First of all, the still living dolphins all look at him when he is about to land on one, and they dont look happy about his intentions. As well, as he comes close to one of the dead bodies, he can tell that these dolphins did not die from natural causes, and he wants no part of whatever might be left in them that killed them.

[lostsole31]

Does Alewalker feel hampered in his efforts from the dolphin? Your description made them seem social or playful, not threatening.

[MikelaC1]

Alewalker is not hampered in his efforts, but the dophins seem to be quite insistent in what they are doing to him. The reaction to the raven was different, they seemed to recognize it as a scavenger.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker doesn't stop what he's doing (they're wasting enough time as it is), but he tries to see if they are like dogs ... dogs are good at leading a person to something.

Knowledge: Nature[?] - [roll0]

[MikelaC1]

How are you trying to see if the dolphins are attempting to lead you to something. You cant just see that from a "Know" check.

[MikelaC1]

Seeing that they are at least getting Alewalker's attention, the dolphins seem to increase their efforts. They bump insistently at him, and then dive down into the water, coming up quickly after to see what he is doing.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel frowns from above watching the dolphins. Something wasn't right here. I'm not sure if I'm thinking here clearly Alewalker, but I do believe that they want us to dive into the water.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker was just coming to the same thought. He looks at the new cloak. "Well, here's go nuthin'."

He dives out of the boat and into the water.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel mutters. Well that was a bit rash. You could have waited for me. Stripping his clothes off quickly except for the cape, he casts a spell and jumps in quickly. He has no shyness or doesn't show it in front of Fran and the others.


Casting Swim as stated in the OOC if I can. If not, I'll probably cast something else.

[MikelaC1]

spells okay

Alewalker has a brief moment of panic as he dives into the water, how is he supposed to breath in this watery environment. But then the cloak seems to close up around his neck and head, and miraculously his lungs continue to fill with life giving air, instead of watery doom. The dolphins all come up for a huge lungful of air and then dive down after him, swimming quickly to get in front of him and then leading him on. Samuel is right behind them, diving in from the ship.

The rest?

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel looks at Alewalker, and probably much to Alewalker's surprise, he hears Samuel's voice in his head. Slow down for a moment. Let the others decide whether or not they wish to join us and let me cast a spell to help you swim.

Spell Selection
4th
Charm Monster
Charm Monster
Polymorph
Suggestion
3rd
Fly
Water Breathing x2
Dispel Magic
Dispel Magic
Deep Slumber
2nd
Swim x3 Swim x2
Darkvision
Daze Monster
1st
Charm Person
Charm Person
Enlarge Person
Magic Missile x2
Expeditious Retreat

[Savannah]

Kiera rolls her eyes and mutters something under her breath -- it sounds like "waste of time" and possibly "stupid fish" -- but she jumps into the water eagerly enough.

(I'd like to do a smooth dive, but I'm not sure what skill. Tumble? It's the most acrobatic-y one that I can think of.)

[lostsole31]

It's Mikela's call, but I've always used Tumbling since it deals with "dives".
Ebby shrugs and says, "I think he should've waited, but ..." and jumps into the water.

[Simba]

Fran

With a wink, Fran turns to Kiera "No fish...mammals."

To all: I am afraid I can not swim at all, my friends. Sorry.

[MikelaC1]

Kiera executes a beautiful dive into the water, earning her 5.9s and 6s across the board (except a 5.6 from the stupid Russian judge) and joins her companions in being lead by the dolphins.
After only 5 minutes of swimming, the party sees several shapes moving up from below them, on an intercept course. The dolphins that are with the party seem to back off, which is unusual, dolphins are canny in dealing with sharks and can hold their own against them, but this time, they want nothing to do with these beasts. As you get closer, you can see that the sharks eyes appear to be glowing, and they are closing rapidly. You have one, perhaps two rounds of action before they are on you, and there are 3 of them.

[lostsole31]

ALEWALKER & ÉIBHIR
I just 'removed' the cloaks of resistance from these guys. Well, the cloaks are listed, but they are marked as "Carried" but not "Worn" ... and the bonuses have been removed from the saving throw chart. Ouch.
Alewalker has only the basics of how to swim, but it is enough for him to know that smashing with his fists or the stock of the heavy crossbow will be useless. Instead he takes out his grappling hook with its several pointed projections. He lets William take the lead, but he stands side-by-side with William to protect the others (at least Éibhir, whom he currently stands afore). The concept of 3D attack angles is not lost on the mobility expert, but he figures these sharks will come in to take advantage of a straight-line charge. He waves his hand to get the sharks' attention, and pays particular attention to the first two that might get to him.Round 1
* MA1/MA2: Draw grappling hook, then tie the rope around his waist about 10' back from the hook itself ... so if he dropped it or was dragged along, he'd be only 10' behind hook ... not 50'.
* FA: Swaying Waist (+2 Dodge AC) to shark most likely to attack him. Dodge (+1 Dodge AC) against next most likely attacker.

Round 2 (after enlarge)
* MA: Swim forward 10'. This makes him a more accessible target, but also gives him a reach-occupy-reach area of 30' across and 30' deep (10' reach on one side, 10' of occupied space, then 10' reach on the other side).
* FA: Swaying Waist, as above ... adjusting targets, if sharks trying to swim zig-zaggy.

In cases of Power Attack or flanking see Elusive Target feat. Effectively PA is negated (but not penalites to attacker); and, if flanked, he'll designate first attacking shark to miss automatically.

The first shark in reach - assuming Large sharks, long creatures, and only 5' reach themselves; or attempting to bypass him to get elsewhere - offers an AOO to Alewalker (including bonuses from inspire courage):
* Attack with grappling hook [roll0], damage [roll1] points of piercing damage; no penalty to hit or damage with piercing weapon underwater.

Battle Initiative: [roll2]
Éibhir, for his part, realizes that with the ability for his throat and lungs to handle water, he is now able to vocalize. His voice sounds funny, but no longer has the 'bubble' sound one makes when trying to shout under water. It is surprisingly clear ... and travels farther and faster than when his voice is airborne.

"Alewalker, let me size you up for these things," he says while taking out his wand and tapping Alewalker with it .... the latter growing to 12'2" and a weight of 1520 lbs.

As Alewalker swims forward to (hopefully with William) protect he and his fellow squishies, Éibhir starts to orate a telling story about a lover who dove into the sea to brave many dangers to save his love from being sacrificed by an evil triton sorcerer, boosting the story with a little touch of magic.Round 1
* MA: Draw wand of enlarge person.
* SA: Use wand on Alewalker. UMD is +19, so 20 is minimum result - automatic success.

Round 2
* SwA: Cast inspirational boost.
* SA: Inspire courage for the group.
***** GROUP: +3 morale bonus on attack/ weapon damage rolls, and +3 morale bonus on saves vs charm and fear effects.
* MA: Put wand of enlarge person away.

Battle Initiative: [roll3]

[MikelaC1]

Kiera and Samuel chose not to take tactical advantage of the approach of the sharks, although Ale and Eibhir do. The shark coming for Ale suffers a nasty blow from his grappling hook, but its not enough to stop him. That shark continues to come at him, while the other two sharks break formation, one going after Kiera and the other going after Eibhir.

Roll initiative in OOC, Fran and William are effectively out of this battle.

[lostsole31]

Éibhir

Éibhir's elven heritage manifests in enhanced reflexes. Be sure the shark can get to him, the half-elf throws up a spell with a strong thrumming energy all around him in the water, and he then draws his rapier.Sonic Shield (PH2-125)
* +4 defl to AC.
* Lasts 10 rounds.
* Any opponent successfully hitting automatically takes 1d8 sonic damage and must make a Fort save (DC 18) or be knocked 5' away into unoccupied space of Éibhir's choice.

[MikelaC1]

The sharks close the distance to what they think is their next meal. Eibhir's sonic shield deflects the first attack on him, however Alewalker and Kiera are not so lucky, both get to feel the chomp of the shark jaws on them. Alewalker is bitten for 6 points, while Kiera fares a bit worse, taking 8 from her foe.

Kiera up, Alewalker on deck, Samuel to follow.

[Savannah]

Kiera dives down, rolls beneath the shark, and comes up on the other side, flanking it with Alewalker.

Tumble [roll0], Swim [roll1]+?? from cloak

[MikelaC1]

Kiera is tricky, moving under the shark to flank with Alewalker however her own shark is still following after her, and will probably be biting at her rear next round.

Alewalker up, now with flanking advantage on his shark.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker is definitely liking the upgrade on his greater iron ward diamond crystal as he ends up taking only half damage.

Alewalker focuses into a single-strike and attacks the shark with the grappling hook.Fighting defensively
Decisive strike: [roll0], Damage [roll1]

All AC dodge bonuses to current target = AC 30.

[MikelaC1]

Alewalkers powerful blow finishes off the first of the sharks, but the two others are still circling.

Samuel up.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel locks eyes on the one of the sharks, and sticks his hand out in its general direction, attempting to establish a link with its mind.


DC 21 Will save: Eternal Charm - Range 100'. DC 14+int. Dispel magic does not break the effect but break enchantment does. Duration: Permanent. Can only have 1 living creature of size Large or smaller.

If it is size Large or smaller.

If not, he will attempt to Daze One of them via Daze Monster (DC 21 Will) or take no actions next round.


Either way, upon completion, he sends out a mental message to everyone nearby. Do not attack my shark. It is the one on the right.

[MikelaC1]

@ Deathslayer
The one on Eibhir, or the one on Kiera?

The shark targeted by William's spell suddenly ceases its attacks, circling slowly under his mental control.

End round 1, begin round 2 with Eibhir, pending clarification of which shark has been charmed.

[MikelaC1]

With no one left to attack, Eibhir holds his actions, awaiting the outcome of the battle.
The shark pursueing Kiera chomps at her butt, but only scores a minor hit on one of her legs, dealing 4 points. Alewalker swims forward, and launches another decisive strike at the beast and connects, dealing the underwater horror enough damage to finish it off.
The party is no longer menaced by any creatures of the deep (for now) and have one shark swimming around under Samuels mental control. With the sharks defeated, the dolphins move back into the scene.

[Deathslayer7]

Seeing an oppurtunity and wondering why he hadn't thought of it before, Samuel tries to establish a mental link with the dolphins to see if they are just ordinary dolphins or something more.

Can you understand me? he asks them mentally feeling quite a bit silly at asking a dolphin such a question. If he gets no response, he will try again asking the asking. If you can understand me, nod your head.

[Savannah]

Kiera, despite her stated dislike, reaches out towards one of the dolphins, gently rubbing its head if it will let her touch it.

[MikelaC1]

Its hard to understand dolphin thoughts, because they seem primarily concerned with food and froliking in the surf. However, Samuel does get the impression that these dolphins are also concerned with a great evil deeper in the ocean, although his inability to really understand their thoughts prevents him from knowing more. One other thing, the sharks that the party just fought, they are enslaved by this evil.
The dolphin that Kiera tries to touch has no problem with it, letting her rub its head, and bumps against her after a moment.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel relates this information to the group mentally. There is something evil deep in the ocean. I cannot tell what, but these sharks were enslaved by whatever the thing or things was. And the dolphins are afraid of it, but want it gone. I'm not sure if continuing onwards is a wise course though.

OOC: People can respond mentally to him if they wish to talk.

[Savannah]

Kiera looks back at Samuel, "Can't you talk like a normal person? And what choice but to continue do we have?"

She continues to pet the dolphin, running her hand down its back until she grabs its dorsal fin to let it pull her along as it frolics.

[lostsole31]

Éibhir, who loves the sound of his voice, speaks as well. "My friends, there are many evils in this world. Would this be a few months ago, then I and Alewalker would race headlong as wanderers of fortune. But we have an evil we're already racing against. Potentates and hidden terrors abound. Few of them, however, either know of or contend with us in collection of the Crown Jewels. Besides, Fran - our primary healer - is aboard ship and cannot swim."

Alewalker listens to the talk, and as usual doesn't interrupt the man that usually speaks for both of them. Taking Kiera's view, he finds himself drawn to the simple playfulness of the dolphins, and caresses them as they swim by and nudge him (putting the grapnel away).

[MikelaC1]

Éibhir, who loves the sound of his voice, speaks as well. "My friends, there are many evils in this world. Would this be a few months ago, then I and Alewalker would race headlong as wanderers of fortune. But we have an evil we're already racing against. Potentates and hidden terrors abound. Few of them, however, either know of or contend with us in collection of the Crown Jewels. Besides, Fran - our primary healer - is aboard ship and cannot swim."

When you were given the cloaks, you were told that they not only granted the ability to breathe water, but also granted you a bonus to swimming ability, so there is no real reason for Fran and William to not be in the water.

When discussing the dangers of potential evil in the water, vis a vis potential evil that the party is chasing after, Samuel is continuing in his mental contact with one of the dolphins, and gets a fleeting vision from one of them, a mermaid that appears to be wearing a rather elaborate crown, and wielding an ornate staff.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel's words enter everyone's minds. I fear that we must regroup immediately or press on. It seems that two of the Crown jewels have landed in a mermaid's hands deep within this ocean. I would prefer to have all of our strength at our disposal, but we run the risk of losing her if we do. So what is our plan?

[lostsole31]

Alewalker has been quietly in thought, head down. He doesn't trust that Samuel actually knows all of what to look for, anymore than the group itself ....

[Looks like either Samuel was given a special briefing with exatly what to look for, or regardless of the DM's 'public tally' Death has divine insight ...]

Alewalker looks up at Éibhir, the salt water of the ocean hiding any other facially 'indigenous' fluids. He heaves his shoulders and drops them, saying "No."

He looks at Éibhir, and then at the others. "Samuel, maybe it's crown jewels, or maybe whatever you see has you excited for treasure. But right now, it doesn't matter.

"Sure, savin' the world. I threw my lot in with the Jewels and the like. But there's only so much I can take before we have to remember why we're savin' the world in the first place.

"Before I was anything else, I was a hunter whose respect and bravery and skill earned me the right to study at a temple of Michael Binder, the God of Courage, to be a protector of our forest tribe ... until Juan Furcan blasted the temple and everyone in it for a piece of rock that was part of the holy site, and his devil minions slaughtered animals in the countryside for sport. The balance was upset.

"I hunted Furcan for years out of hatred and anger, but when I finally caught up with him, but I found out hatred isn't courage ... and so I 'earned' my moniker because of my cowardice. So I hit the road, hit the bottle, and I ain't ever tried to help with causes that got off the beaten path.

"Now, I got the greatest respect for our mission, but I'm done ignoring what happens among the good creatures that don't have two legs, and I just ain't gonna make excuses about our mission. If the gods is lookin' out for us, and if destiny means a damn thing, then CJs or no CJs, whatever comes outta' this is for the best.

"I ain't askin' for nobody to come with me, given our dope leads us elsewhere. But I ain't leavin' this behind either. You're coming or you're not, and feel free to invite the other two, but I'm in the mood for a good swim, and the water's fine."

Alewalker lets the others make their own call, but sends up a prayer. "Michael Bindar, I haven't prayed to you in 10 years, when I lost the right to my name because I failed to let you strengthen my resolve. Give me the courage to face whatever dangers are ahead; give me the resolve to succeed; and help bless me with the right to bear my name again."

[Simba]

Fran

Seeing that the immediate danger seems to have passed, Fran prepares to enter the water herself. As she dons the cloak that should grant her some ability to move and survive under water her fear of the element is clearly visible.

[MikelaC1]

Its been a long time since Gedeon has prayed, and its been a long time since he felt the resolve of the god strengthen him....he doesnt fully feel it now, but there was just a tiny bit of stirring within him, as he calls on the power of Michael Bindar.
With a splash born of not being a natural diver, Fran enters the water, ready to join with the rest of the group. They turn back, waiting for William to join them.

[Iun]

Once enough time has passed for William to safely assume that something is not going smoothly he grabs anything that works as a spear.
He looks for a while at the water before he jumps in with a resentful sigh.

"What are you still doing here? There is no reason to delay our mission for some dead critters."

[lostsole31]

Éibhir catches up William and Fran on Alewalker's decision.

"I understand the importance of our mission," says the half-elf exemplar afterwards. "But we have been inseparable for two years now, and whenever we try to go on independent ops, invariably the other one has to come to the other's rescue. I will go with him, because I understand what this means to him."

He looks and says, "But with a stealth expert, a cleric, a wizard, and a great warrior ... I think you'll be just fine if you won't come with us. We'll try to follow after somehow. Still ..... Samuel did say that he thought this mermaid might have crown jewels. Our intel was to a crown jewel, not the rest of them. We've already been lucky in finding these things accidentally while searching for another, more particular one. Alewalker's sense that the gods guide us through instinct may have something here."Diplomacy check [roll0]

[Iun]

"'He said that he thought', 'the gods guide us'... That is all? Do you even know where to find whatever mermaid you are talking about? Did any of you actually receive a message from any of the gods?"

[Savannah]

Kiera laughs, "Actually, yes, we did receive a message from the gods. Daren Philisar. Showed up in Natasha's meeting room to tell us to get cracking."

[lostsole31]

Éibhir smiles at Kiera, "My dear, by 'get cracking', do I divine that you shall join us for a prolonged dip?"

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel explains his reasoning. These dolphins will show us the way. I'm sure of that. They already told us that there was a problem, I'm sure that they know where that problem is. Secondly, this shark, he says patting it, and the other two were under the control of this so called mermaid. How I do not know. Third, I got a glance of a mental image of this mermaid carrying a crown and staff from the dolphins. I do not doubt that some of the Crown jewels could have ended up on the bottom of the ocean. So needless to say, we should still check it out.

So, let us start our journey deep beneath the sea. He turns to the dolphins. Show us the way please.

[Deathslayer7]

With that being said, Samuel motions to everyone. The shark should be able to lead us there as well. It was under its control. So let us follow it. Go home. he mentally tells the shark while holding onto its dorsal fin.

[lostsole31]

Éibhir looks at Fran and William, "Well, I guess that leaves the two of you .... unless, of course, you'd like to take this detour down into the depths? Fran, the four of us have been together this long. Coming?"

[Iun]

William observes Samuel for nearly a minute, then he takes a look at everyone else. And although it is clearly visible that he is clenching his teeth behind his closed mouth, in the end he follows the group.

[Simba]

Éibhir looks at Fran and William, "Well, I guess that leaves the two of you .... unless, of course, you'd like to take this detour down into the depths? Fran, the four of us have been together this long. Coming?"

Fran

Fran nods and with a frown that clearly shows her fear of the deep she joins the others.

[MikelaC1]

With the party more or less formed up behind the shark, they head off deeper into the ocean while the dolphins head back to the surface.
The group swims downward, it seems like a long time but without the passage of the sun, its hard to judge time. After a while, even the feeble rays of the sun no longer illuminate things, however Fran has a spell for those who do not possess natural darkvision. Using the spell, she is able to enable the group to continue their progress.
After about 15 minutes (give or take) more of swimming downward, the group begins to see the outline of what must be a massive underwater mountain. The shark is now veering toward the "mountain", at the moment the party does not see anything swimming around the outside, but that could change at any moment.
Do you continue to follow the shark?

[lostsole31]

Alewalker does ... and this time, he is probably in the lead more out of motivation than tactics. Still, he does look to Shmuel every now and then since the wizard has the link with the shark.

[MikelaC1]

Sorry for the delay in posting, things are...complicated

The group continues to follow the shark, who has veered towards a strange rock formation. As the group continues forward, two shapes seem to come out of the mountain, and move towards the group. They are the same general shape and body style as the dolphins, but much bigger.
You have two rounds before the shapes will be in melee range. What do you do?

[Savannah]

Kiera slowly sinks down into the darkness, wrapping herself in the cloak -- after freeing her rapier.

Hide [roll0] (move silently, if needed, [roll1]).

Basically, she wants to position herself so that she'll be under anything that comes at the party head-on.

[Iun]

William copies Kiera's idea, trying to position himself so he will be able to quickly get into a flanking position once (if) the fight has started.


Time to try out William's stealthy side a bit more:
Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

[Simba]

Fran

Uttering a prayer to her god, Fran creates a shield to protect all her friends, a Shield of Faith.

[lostsole31]

The bobsey twins ready, Alewalker swimming foward on point, and Ebby hanging back-center for protection.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel casts a spell on Alewalker seeing Kiera and William try to hide. He then prepares a spell to disable on of the attackers the moment it charges them. He tells his shark to get ready to attack as well as it swims beside Alewalker.


Casting Shield on Alewalker then preparing an action to cast Daze Monster on one of the attackers.

OOC: +4 AC Alewalker.

[MikelaC1]

The orcas split up as they approach, one going after William and the other going after Fran. As they split however, Samuel's spell goes off and the one going after Fran gets dazed by the spell, and pauses in its actions. Samuel notices that his shark will not approach the orcas, they out rank him in the mermaids heirarchy appearantly.

Eibhir up, one orca going after William, the other dazed and likely going after Fran.

[lostsole31]

Éibhir begins to tell a story about an older fisherman (Richard of Harris) who fought against an orca, while throwing in a tiny flash of arcane power to boot.Inspirational boost + bardic music =
+3 morale bonus on attack and melee weapon damage rolls
+3 morale bonus on saves vs fear

[MikelaC1]

da-nah...da-nah...dun..dun..dun..dun..dun

Eibhirs power bolsters the spirits of the group, and they prepare to fight on against the oncoming orcas.

Fran up, Kiera to follow.

[Simba]

Fran

Faced with a giant of an enemy, Fran decides to go on the offensive. Casting quickly, she unleashes a small disturbance in the water that speeds off to hit the Orca, causing a loud noise.


Casting Lesser Orb of Sound on the Orca.
ranged touch attack: [roll0] +1 (knowledge devotion) + 3 (Éibhir) = 14
damage: [roll1] +1 (knowledge devotion) = 18

[Simba]

Reroll for the attack (luck domain): [roll0] +1 (knowledge devotion) + 3 (Éibhir) = 29

[MikelaC1]

Fran's orb looks like it will miss the target completely, but then an unexpected shift in the current (El Nino?) causes it to swerve and connect with the orca, wounding it badly.
Kiera up, orca to follow (only the one going after William)

[Savannah]

Kiera swims up silently from the depths, rapier aimed at the orca's undefended underbelly.

Move to get to the orca (flanking if at all possible -- I'm not sure who's where).
Attack [roll0] (does include Eibhir's inspiration, does not include any flanking) for [roll1] and [roll2] sneak attack.

[MikelaC1]

Kiera is clearly not used to this swimming and attacking thing, and her rapier stab goes well wide of the target. The orca going after William closes on him and then bites. William almost gets swallowed whole by the whale, he manages to avoid that fate, but still takes 18 points of damage. Meanwhile, the other orca manages to shake off the effects of Samuel's spell, but cannot act this round
Alewalker and William both can attack.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker sees how he can use the grapnel to pierce the blubber of the whale and then move longways down its body to open it up. He focuses his strength and tears at it once carefully.Decisive Strike + Inspire Courage (3) + Fight Defensively (FD)
* Attack = [roll0]
* Damage = [roll1]

AC = 32, t 23, f 21 (Dodge, Swaying Waist, FD)
* I doubt the orca has Power Attack, so I'm not reposting Elusive Target.

[Iun]

Some bubbles escape William's mouth as he takes a look at the damage done; then he starts plunging his spear into the beast.


Full attack, power attack for -5/+10, +3/+3 from buffs, +2 if flanking (not included), adding sneak attack damage rolls just in case. Assuming the spear is just a mundane weapon:

[roll0], [roll1](+[roll2])
[roll3], [roll4](+[roll5])
[roll6], [roll7](+[roll8])

[MikelaC1]

The combined damage from William and Alewalker leaves the orca as a floating mass of blood and spilled insides. The other orca recovers from the dazed condition that ended its actions last round and once again, it begins its pursuit of Fran

End first round.
Second round starts, Samuel up.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel goes through the same motions again, preparing himself mentally. Biding his time and waiting for the orca to come closer. Seeing that William and Alewalker handled the first one effectively, he knows this one won't last long either.


Readying an action to to cast Daze Monster again.
Condition: The moment it tries to attack so that Samuel interrupts it. Movement will not provoke it, only attacking.
DC 21 Will or lose its action.

[MikelaC1]

Samuel delays his action, reading himself to attack the orca if it returns to its previous course of attacking Fran.
Eibhir up, Fran to follow.

[lostsole31]

Ebby sees no need to waste magics or 'effort' (bardic music) on the orca when greater challenges lie ahead. He conducts Total Defense (+6 dodge to AC because of high Tumble).

[Simba]

Fran

As that spell seems to be a good choice against the Orca, Fran repeats the same phrase and casts the spell again.


Casting Lesser Orb of Sound on the Orca.
ranged touch attack: [roll0] +1 (knowledge devotion) + 3 (Éibhir) = 22
damage: [roll1] +1 (knowledge devotion) = 17

[BuckGodot]

Just posting in case I needed to do so to get the updates....Oh and btw....Did I get my CON fixed? In my reading I never came across any mention of being healed from when the spookies touched me.....

[Simba]

Just posting in case I needed to do so to get the updates....Oh and btw....Did I get my CON fixed? In my reading I never came across any mention of being healed from when the spookies touched me.....

This is of course depending on our most esteemed DM's decission, but Fran could have helped you and she asked if anyone needed healing. iIrc, that is.

[MikelaC1]

Frans second orb connects with the orca again, it is clearly in trouble but not quite dead yet.

Kiera up, orca after.

[Savannah]

Kiera quickly swims to catch the orca between her and another member of the party, and stabs.

Attack [roll0] for [roll1] and [roll2] sneak attack.

[MikelaC1]

Mastering the art of swimming and stabbing with her second try, Kiera connects with the orca for a nasty blow that finishes it off.
With both the orcas dead, the shark moves back into position, ready to lead the group to the rock formation that the orcas came out of.

[lostsole31]

Alewalker takes the 'lead PC position' behind the shark.

[Deathslayer7]

Samuel mentally sends a signal to the others. It knows we are here. Be careful.

[Simba]

Fran

Fran falls in behind most of the others, in her usual position, her holy symbol in hand, ready to cast if the need arises.

[MikelaC1]

The shark guides the party to an opening in the rock formation, and the party is relieved to see that at least for now, they will be walking on something solid, although for how long remains to be seen. The cave opening is wide enough for two people to walk in, side by side.

Marching order, please.

[MikelaC1]

The party is able to begin to make their way into the cave formation, but they have been "walking" for no more than a minute or two before they suddenly see 4 mermen, armed with tridents, swimming towards them. The mermen seem quite hostile.

(roll init, OOC thread)