The Savage Tide: There is No Honor

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sasserine is a city not without it's upsides and downsides for those living in it but it looks as if life is looking up for you when a withered old halfling woman delivers a finely written note from one of the noble families in the city...

Greetings, and I trust this missive finds you in good health!
My name is Lavinia Vanderboren, and I humbly request your attendance at dinner at my estate on festival street and Blue Skink Lane tomorrow evening. I think that I can present you with an opportunity uniquely suited to your skills. Please inform the carrier of this letter of your response to this invitation and I hope to be speaking to you soon!

-Lavinia Vanderboren

Though each of you come for different reasons, the four of you assemble at the corner of Festival Street and Blue Skink Lane in response to the dinner invitation offered by Lavinia. Vanderboren Manor is located in the eastern section of the Merchant District; the seven-foot-hall stone wall that surronds the estate is impossible to miss, as is the towering, gothic, three-story house that dominates the grounds within. Leering gargoyles and capering nymphs festoon the eaves of the manor's roof, and several trees give the manor grounds a nice buffer from the bustle of the city.

The front gates have been left open for you, but the front doors remain shut until you reach them. After but a few moments, the same wizened halfling woman answers the door. With a solemn silence that denotes a professional house servant, she leads each of you to a quaint atrium..

"Thank you for arriving on time, sir. Please wait here. Lady Vanderboren shall be with you shortly."

OOC: Enjoy some time to talk and introduce yourselves.

[Kaolins]

Evan Rahllentide

Evan walks up through the front gates with the others, curious as to who they are, and if they got the same note he had earlier. Suddenly very self-conscious, Evan starts to pat down his blue Scholar's outfit and run his fingers through his hair, which only leads to messing up the long blond hair that he'd earlier spent a fair deal of time fixing up.

Being a rather short man, at 5'8", Evan starts to feel rather intimidated by the other people around him... While waiting for the Lady Vanderboren to arrive, he looks around and finally breaks the silence.

"Uhhh... So I'm guessing you're all here for dinner? Name's Evan." Evan extends his hand as he says this, with a nervous smile.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Standing in the hall awaiting the host, Tristan does his best not to display his nervousness. Certainly it was a good opportunity; Lady Vanderboren was, of course, a Lady. She was reportedly rich, assuredly influential, and most probably single. Beggars are not choosers, but he'd be a fool not to take the opportunity.

Tristan gave an inward sigh, as that was definitely not the reason he had been invited to dinner. The most likely case would be that he, and clearly the others standing among him, were going to be offered positions at her recently acquired estate. Perhaps it wasn't quite the opportunity he was looking for, but it was again one that would be foolish to pass up. It would take a good deal of his inner strength to remain professional through-out the meeting.

Straitening his formal attire, he reaches his hand out and shakes the Sage's. "Tristan Wolfe, Private Investigator, and yes, I've been invited to dinner as well."

With the proximity of the handshake, it becomes clear that he is wearing some perfume or cologne, causing him to smell lightly of roses. The dim light reflects off of his hairless head.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Lakaran joined in the round of handshaking going on. "Lakaran Tolivar, pleased to meet you," said Lakaran politely to each guest. Every piece of clothing he wore was purchased only hours ago. The finely woven blue shirt fit his lanky frame better than any other shirt he currently owned, though after what he had paid the tailor, that seemed a given.

A small white rat poked its head out of his front shirt pocket, squeaked quietly at Lakaran, and ducked back into the deep pocket. Lakaran patted the pocket comfortingly and rubbed his neatly trimmed, dark red beard. This was an opportunity not to be spent frivolously. He had invested a good deal of his savings buying new clothes and a well needed haircut. He was ready.

After handshakes were exchanged with everyone he tucked his thumbs behind the broad, black belt he wore, affixed a slight smile on his face, and waited.

[GimliFett]

A tall and dark-skinned, human with golden eyes and a bald head enters, with a wide-brimmed leather hat hangs from his neck on his back. A woolen poncho covers studded leather armor. His equipment seems to be in immaculate condition; some might think it was newly purchased or just kept well.

He looks at those assembled and bows with courtly grace. "Erech Agius at your service, gents. G'day!"

[Callos_DeTerran]

An almost uncomfortable silence descends over the small gathering as they wait for some sort of sign that their patron was getting ready to meet them. Before you could be invited in four figures emerge from the doorway and head towards your small group, with the elderly halfling racing behind them, which include a jaunty male half-elf dressed in leather armor and armed with a half dozen daggers of different shapes, a dark-skinned dwarf with a sour expression dressed in green and brown robes and clutching a large curved spear, an attractive but haughty-looking woman dressed in dark purple robes and with a tattoo of a crescent moon on one cheek, and lastly, a tall and handsome man dressed in a polished breastplate and carrying a bastard sword.

The group looks like they have little time or interest in your own, but the man in the breastplate does pause for a moment to size each of you up for a moment before announcing, "Hmm. You must be the help Lavinia's bringing in to do the chores. Best of luck to ya!" with a grin and shake of his head. He hardly sticks around for you to question his statement before turning on his heels to follow his own group which was waiting impatiently for him to catch up.

After the four leave the atrium, the elderly halfling returns with an irate look in her eyes and slightly out of breath.

"Lady Vanderboren will see you now. Please follow me."

=============================================

The private dining hall is comfortable and cozy, softly lite by wall mounted lanterns (That do nothing to relieve the humidity). A window overlooks the manor's central courtyard and the carpet is thick and soft. A large portrait hangs on the wall, a fine work depicting a handsome young man with a short beard. Standing before the portrait is an attractive human woman wearing a long flowing blue dress. She smiles as you enter and gestures for you all to sit.

"Thank you Kora, I can take it from here. Greetings friends, as you can probably guess, I am Lavinia Vanderboren. As you may have heard, I recently inherited my parents' estate. Along with this fine house, unfortunately, came a fine amount of debt owed the Dawn Council, the harbormaster, and quite a few guildhalls. It seems my parents, for all their skill as adventurers, were not as skilled at finances as one might expect. If I am to get these taxes paid, I'll need access to my family's vault under Castle Teraknian." She paused then and took a seat at the very head of the table with a serious and upset expression crossing her face. "And that's the problem, you see. The vaults are magically locked-keyed to special signet rings. Both of my parents had these rings, at least, until recently. My mother lost hers a few months ago. She arranged for a replacement, but it won't be done for another month or so, too late for me. Which leaves my father's ring. He never wore it-he had a thing about men wearing jewelry. He kept it hidden somewhere on his ship, the Blue Nixie. The problem there is that the harbormaster's seized the ship until someone pays for the last four months of mooring. I've pair the fines to the man the harbormaster's put in charge of my ship, a brute named Soller Vark. Yet when I went to claim my ship, Vark's men wouldn't let me board, claiming that I hadn't paid the fines. I spoke to Vark again and he denied ever receiving my payment. My complaints to the harbormaster have fallen on deaf ears-he's a doddering old fool who trusts his man and won't relent."

Lavinia paused once more to sigh remorsefully but when she spoke next a hidden steel had come into her eyes and voice. Seriousness dripped from her tone right along with suspicion. "Vark and his men are up to something on my ship, I know it. What I need is to find out exactly what they're up to. Unfortunately, Vark's not the type to react well to diplomacy or logic. I need someone who speaks his language...which is where you come in. If you can find out what he's using my ship for, or even better, recover the money I paid him, I'll pay each of you two hundred gold pieces in return once I've access to my vault." The way she ends her monologue hints that she'd be open to receiving any questions from you even as one index finger taps out a sharp stattaco on the table top.

OOC: You can make a Knowledge: Local check to identify the four people. A picture of Lavinia and the portrait are below. The picture! (http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/825/landvya6.jpg)

[GimliFett]

Erech looks at the others seated around him. "Basically, you need some agressive negtiotiaters? What does Vark look like? How many men does he have? Are these basic thugs or a more organized force? Oh, and what does the ring look like?"

He removes his hat from around his neck and leans it against the back of his seat. "Sorry for the inundation of questions. Just helps to have as much information as possible. What about you gents?" he asks as he looks at each of the others around the room.

[Saterus]

Lakaran waits until Lady Vanderboren answers Erech's question to speak.

Lakaran looks everyone in the room up and down. "Aggressive negotiations? Us? Are we supposed to be the brains and the thugs we passed when we came in supposed to act as the muscle? I hate to say it, but I'm not sure we could intimidate this Soller Vark if he is as rough a man as you make him sound," says Lakaran. This was not the opportunity from Lady Vanderboren he had expected. However, finding more information about this job might prove worthwhile.

Lakaran waits until that issue is dealt with before asking his next series of questions. "Also, could you enlighten us on your parent's untimely demise? I don't want to rely on gossip and the details seem like they may be important for something like this," says Lakaran delicately. The wound of her parent's death would still be fresh in her mind, but he had to have more reliable information. "It seems too convenient that your mother would lose her ring only to have your father have his impounded by the harbormaster. It sounds like you already suspect foul play. Being straight with us would help everyone involved. Lakaran keeps his eyes leveled at Lady Vanderboren, not wanting to have this issue blown off as unimportant.

From what I have been told so far, I have no descriptions of any of the other dinner guests saying anyone is particularly burly or intimidating. If people are in fact pretty large/scary, Lakaran will think twice about asking the first questions.

Knowledge (Local) Check to identify 4 thugs walking out: [roll0]
Knowledge (Local) Check to identify the 3 other dinner guests: [roll1]

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan stays seated for the entirety of the conversation, simplemindedly playing with his clothes under the table, that no one can see.

After the Lady finishes explaining the situation, Evan looks to each of the seated men to see if they plan to respond. It takes a moment, so Evan almost starts to speak when Erech asks his questions. Again, Evan remains quiet, and takes particular interest in the number of men Vark has.

After all questions are finished and answered, Evan will quietly say. "Directions to where your ship is harbored would be fantastic." Not letting his obvious nervousness of the situation escape in his voice.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Lavinia waits silently through Erech's questions, waiting for him to finish before she spoke again and when she did, her jaw was set. "All I ask is that you don't throw the first punch if it comes to it, but in the end, why would Vark's men put up a fight unless their up to no goo? Its my ship, after all! As for the number, I only saw three on deck when I went to try and reason with him, and they appeared to be no more then hired thugs and cowards at that. The ring itself is as other signet rings though my father most likely hid it away from plain sight so no one could easily find it."

But when Lakaran asked her about her parents' deaths she looked taken back and took a moment to collect her thoughts before answering the blunt inquiry in a quiet voice, "They burned to death in a ship fire about a month ago-they were taking a recently purchased ship for a cruise when something cause the ship to catch fire and it burned to the waterline. No one survived the blaze." Taking a deep breath, the young woman sat up a bit straighter before speaking again. "I appreciate your concern Master Lakaran but I think it is merely a coincidence. Theres simply no way that the harbormaster or Vark could know about the ring's existence, let alone its hiding place, I'm afraid this is but an unfortunate event. Keltar (the harbormaster) has been short staffed recently and has been forced to hire out for certain tasks. The Blue Nixie's docked at pier five in this district. It's the long pier between the Merchant's Guildhall and the Smith's Guildhall."

Lakaran's Knowledge Check Result:
The 'thugs' were the Jade Ravens, a mercenary company thats been in the Vanderboren's employ for several years. The leader of the group is a man named Tolin Kientai (Most likely the one in the breastplate, while the others include Zan Oldavin, Kaskus Kiel, and Liamae Teslikaria (Presumably the female with the tattoo form the sound of the name. Word on the street is that the new heiress is relying more and more on this group since her parents' death.

[Saterus]

"I'm sorry to bring up your parents, I really am, but I'm not convinced that all of this is mere happenstance," says Lakaran apologetically. "If you are so quick to discount them, you might truly be surprised what people can find out if they start snooping where you don't expect them to look." The truth of that stung. He paused before saying more.

"I wouldn't put trust in what they can't know. I would start worrying about why some thug employed by the harbor master got it in his head to try and extort a noble. The man either knows more than he should or has something that gives him more confidence than he deserves. So if he doesn't know about the ring, start worrying about what other leverage he could have on you." Lakaran stopped, a little surprised by himself. Impressed. He was indent on not waste this chance, and at least in his mind, he was doing accomplishing that goal.

[GimliFett]

Erech looks at Lakaran with a bit of a glint in his eye and a slight upward twist at the edges of his mouth. "Well, said, Lakaran. You've a shrewd mind, I think, to pick up so much so quickly."

Turning back to Lady Lavinia, Erech nods slightly. "My lady. I am saddened for your loss. We shall endeavor to our utmost to avoid any sort of unprovoked incident, though from what I've heard, that will be a very unlikely outcome. However, since we can't have ruffians holding good folks' personal property hostage," Erech trailed off with a grin as he adjusted the dark blue poncho he wore over his armor, revealing a glint of weaponry underneath. "We shall be prepared for contingencies nonetheless," he finished as he gazed around the table at the others gathered.

[Kaolins]

Evan

"At least three men? Well. Considering we'll be coordinated, we should be able to either persuade them into honesty, or get your money back easily." Evan says when all the chatter about parents has died, trying to keep the subject light hearted, and keep the potential employer happy.

"I do have two quick questions before I leave..." Evan adds quickly. "First, when this is all over... Will there be further employment opportunity offered? I could use a change of pace. And secondly, if for some reason we come into possession of your ring while on the Blue Nixie, should we leave it aboard or bring it to you?" Evan asks these questions quietly, knowing the likely answer for both, but being sure.


When he has his answers, Evan will quietly sit through dinner, give his regards and wait for the other three guests.

"Well.. Shall we go tonight? No time like the present."

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Tristan had been quite at the table up until a few moments ago. It was often best to let someone else tire themselves out before making any statement. Not to mention, it was darned fun to watch these three make fools of themselves.

"Come now, we just sat down to dinner and you want to leave?" he says smartly, chiding their eagerness. To be honest with himself, he was barely constraining his own sense of impetuousness. "From what I am gathering from all this, this can be a relatively simple affair. I often am required to find lost or stolen objects, and as a result may occasionally require a warrant from the city to search a premises for the item. I have dealt with the guard a number of times in this area, and they know I am no thief to use such a warrant to my advantage. If I were to explain how retrieving this item from your ship would allow you to pay your dues, I am certain they would grant the warrant as well as a small party of guards to muscle any unruly harbor men out of the way."

Tristan looks around the table momentarily at the other three, adding, "Of course, if that is too simple, I'll be the first to document your assault on the harbor."

[Callos_DeTerran]

"If you find the ring, then please, do bring it back to me as swiftly as you can. The sooner the better in fact. And depending on how this entire mess turns out, I'd be happy to call on you in case some other problems might come my way. I am always on the look out for promising talent to help me out." Lavinia replied with a hint of startlement on her face. Apparently she had expected a question like that so soon she had given them their first job.

Mention of the guard though had it quickly fade to a more serious one. "I do not believe that the guard will be a great deal of aid in your efforts. I wouldn't involve them in any of your plans too greatly.."

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan smiles when Lavinia mentions the guards, and their potential waste.
"Well, since the guard isn't desired, nor potentially helpful in this case. I'm entirely up for plan 'a'. Which in my eyes, consists of walking to where the ship resides, making at least some effort at conversation, and then... Proceeding to get the Lady Lavinia's money back." Evan smiles at the three people who will potentially have a part in him ending up a bloody mess tonight.

"Tristan, if you really want, I have no objections to contacting the guard first. But on that same point, I've been around long enough to know that if something like what's happening with the Ladies ship is going on... Usually there's at least some involvement with the guard. If it could just make things worse, I'd like to avoid it." Evan pauses, and adds thoughtfully...

"You said you were a private investigator when we met at the doorstop... You know that the Lady is entitled to everything aboard that ship, having already paid her fee's. I would appreciate it, tremendously, if you would accompany me, and these other two fine gentlemen if they plan on accepting the ladies offer." With this, Evan stands up and nods to the Lady Lavina, showing that he intends to take her up on this offer, and makes for the door, to wait outside for the other three.



(OOC: About the sitting down and leaving, comment... I had ended my post with a comment about waiting for dinner to finish before making my statement... No chance in heck I'd pass up rich-people food. ;))

[GimliFett]

Once dinner is completed and the others are preparing to leave, Erech picks up his hat and clears his throat. "My Lady. Before we depart, is there somewhere I can meditate for a few minutes? I only need a little time to prepare properly for this situation." Erech keeps his eyes focused on Lady Lavinia.

"I hope this is acceptable to you gents, as well?" He asks with no inflection whatsoever, though he still keeps his eyes on Lady Lavinia. His hands are continuously turning the hat 'round and 'round as he awaits an answer from the lady or the others in the room.

[Saterus]

"I think it might be useful to go and speak with Harbormaster Keltar before we confront Vark. He might be able to clear up the whole issue before it gets started. At very least, we could find out more about Vark and his men," suggests Lakaran. He did not like being ignored, even if it was a noblewoman doing it. "If we can show up at the ship with knowledge we can use against Vark, we may prevent the situation from escalating before it begins." The whole story sounded hollow. A hired thug doesn't grow the courage to extort a noble without having something to keep him safe. Lakaran does not rise, he waits for some sort of confirmation from Lady Vanderboren or the other guests before readying himself to leave.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan took a deep breath. He knew that neither plan was particularly good or wise, but employment was at stake, and he did want move out of the scavengers guild at some point. Having to take a bath every evening because one smelled like the shadowshore was not an appealing job consequence.

"I would suppose if we wished to follow your plan, we might as well. It's too late in the evening for me to think of much else," he concedes, agreeing to go along. "But if at first our attempt fails, it might be better to retreat than head into confrontation, and for all of this hurrying to solve the problem I say it would be better to wait. The later in the night we go out, the less resistance we might meet if we wish to board the Lady's ship."

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech tilts his head toward Lakaran. "Nice thought, but will the harbormaster be there himself this late? Or some lesser adjunct. However, maybe we could do a little digging on Vark on our way over there?"

He shrugs as he turns to Tristan. "Should be right up your alley, eh? A couple hours of trying to get some dirt on him should work nicely with arriving at a later time as well." He adds with a grin. "If you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I'll rejoin you shortly," Erech adds as he excuses himself to an antechamber.

[Kaolins]

Evan

Assuming Erech gets back... And the others are ready to head out than... Evan politely thanks the Lady for dinner again, and will head out onto the streets.

Again assuming, it seemed like the plan was to go talk to the harbor master before going to the ship.. So if he hears no objections, Evan will make his way there.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Lavinia sits quietly as the four of you discuss different courses of action and plans, but otherwise remains silent. When Erech asks if he could be shown a place to meditate for a couple of minutes, she nods and calls for Kora.

"Please show him back to the atrium Kora, and please have no one disturb him. I believe that his meditation requires peace and quiet, correct?" She asks curiously before redirecting her attention to the conversation. With a plan seemingly decided on, Lavinia rises up from her seat and walks with you towards the private dining hall door. "I can't claim to know how long it will take you to do this for me, so I'd like to extend my hospitality to you. If you need a place to stay, there are a couple of extra rooms for you to use..."

================================================== ======
With a plan in mind the three of you wait for Erech to return before deciding to seek out the harbormaster to try and get an audience with him. The travel to the Azure district takes longer then you had originally planned for it too since many of the people were returning home from their own jobs to get in a good nights sleep before the next gruelingly hot day. Things only got worst in the Azure district since it seemed as if it was still thriving with life. The closer the four of you get to the docks the more it seems is going on.

It didn't take much to overhear what was happening though. More then a few merchant's vessels had been spotted heading towards Sasserine and preperations had to be made so that the ships could dock, a tough deal since there was already a great deal of space occupied by other ships. Islaran manor is in and of itself a bee's hive of activity with gruff sailors and couriers waiting to get in side by side. There looks to be quite a line...

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech groans as the he sees how long the line is. "There goes that idea, I guess," he grumbles. His voice seems to have deepened somewhat, gaining a gravelly timbre to it that wasn't present before. "If I can at least see the harbormaster, I might still be able to make this work. Although..." he trails off for a moment into a growl.

Turning to the others, he growls, "This might be our best opportunity. Vark may be too preoccupied with this situation to be overseeing the Lady's ship. Shall we hurry on to the ship, or try to get a glimpse of the harbormaster?" He looks from Tristan to Lakaran to Evan, waiting for some form of assent or counter to his suggestion.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Lines, long ones at that. At this time of night, queuing up is the last thing one wants to do, especially if it was only for buisness. Still, it would be best to retrieve some sort of permission to board the ship, or at least try to, before attempting to do so on their own accord.

"I sympathize with your eagerness, but I do not believe that the rush in this area extends all the way back to the merchant district. Still, it is quite a waste of time for all of us to stay here. I'm going to take a gondola back and investigate the matter personally. I'll take you with me, but the rest of you should stay here and see what you can accomplish. After that, I'm going to return home. We can meet tomorrow morning at the Bent Goblin Inn."

With this, Tristan walks off to find the nearest Gondola service to return to the Merchant district and locate the Blue Nixie.

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech glares at Tristan's retreating back for some time. "There goes a team player, eh?" he growls. Turning back to Evan and Lakaran, he continues. "If I can get a look at the harbormaster, I can impersonate him and it might help to allay any suspicions at the Lady Lavinia's ship later. I would like to go take a look at the ship tonight, regardless of us doing anything there tonight. What do you gents think?" he asks with a raised eyebrow before he glances back at the line, fidgeting somewhat. Erech tries to gauge the amount of time it will take to get through the throng.

[Kaolins]

Evan


If finding the harbor master would make this easier in anyway, Evan was all for it. He nodded his approval to Erech. "If it'll work, than I'm all for it. It honestly can't do any harm."

Evan starts flittering coins in his pocket to pass the time.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

As Tristan walks away without any discussion, Lakaran turns back to the others to work out a plan. "Erech, how do you plan to impersonate the harbormaster? It could be useful. However, I don't think going to the ship tonight is the best plan," says Lakaran.

Lakaran folds his arms across his chest and his facial expression shows he is deep in thought. "With all of this commotion, I'm not sure if they harbor master will want to talk to us about Lady Vanderboren's problem. It seems he has his hands full already. We might be best to come back and try to speak with him in the morning when he wouldn't be so busy and might be more willing to listen," suggests Lakaran. "We might make things very hard for ourselves if we try to board the ship without obtaining permission from the harbormaster first. Vark and his men were specifically hired to keep people from just showing up and boarding the ship without permission. They would be justified in stopping us. If we wait, I don't think we lose out on much. But if we press forward before we are ready, we may compound our problems. He unfolds his arms and stuff his hands in his pockets, waiting for a response from the others.

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech grins at Lakaran. "Like this," he growls as his features shift and are replaced by Lakaran's own. Even Erech's clothes now match Lakaran's. It lasts just a moment before dissolving back into Erech's own attributes. Erech grins hugely. "See? No worries, though I can't do anything about the voice at the mo--" Erech suddenly looks very apprehensive and looks around to make sure no one noticed his alterations.

He ducks his head down somewhat and continues speaking, "Anyway, I don't know about needing to involve the harbormaster. Didn't Lady Lavinia already say he had pretty much washed his hands of it?" he asks looking at his companions from underneath the broad brim of his hat.

"Look, I just want to take a look at the ship. It's called reconnoitering or reconnaissance. If no one's around maybe we can get on, find the ring, and get off before anyone comes back. Easy as pie, eh?" He asks as his characteristic grin returns, flashing bright white teeth.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

As Erech's features shift into this own, Lakaran's jaw drops open. Erech had cast no spell, Lakaran was sure he would have noticed. The man's features once again return to normal, though Lakaran can still see his own face on the man in his mind. Smiling, Lakaran says, "that's quite the trick you've got there. Spooky." Lakaran's face becomes deadly serious. "Don't do that again. Ever. Not my face.

After a moment, Lakaran smiles to lighten the mood again. "That will be undeniably useful. You can't do the voice though? That makes things a tad harder. Any ideas on how to fool Vark without the voice? With a trick like that, you have to have some more experience with it and working around its shortcomings. Lakaran looks hopeful. This could be a very easy way to accomplish our goals with minimal complications.

"Anyway, the whole reason I think we should wait to talk to the Harbormaster Keltar isn't that I really think he will intervene. It is that if try and board the ship with no attempts at getting permission, they have every right to make things get ugly. It's their job. But if we go through the motions of getting permission to board the vessel, we are in the right. If they make things get ugly, it's their fault, not ours. The job is only partly getting the ring, we also have to worry about the way in which we get it. I'm sure Lady Vanderboren wouldn't like to be associated with us if we showed up and started causing trouble and breaking laws. A little damage control could go a long way. Especially if the authorities get involved.

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech's grin fades at Lakaran's reaction. "Sure, no problem." he growls, obviously crestfallen. "As far as the voice goes, I could bluff my way through the voice if I can hear the harbormaster speak for a bit," he grumbles as he continues fidgeting with his poncho, tugging lightly at one of the corners.

As Lakaran explains his reasons, understanding clearly comes over Erech's face. "I get it now, Lak. That makes sense to me, and I think it's a good idea. Maybe we can just get close enough tonight for me to observe Harbormaster Keltar for a bit, then tomorrow when we go to the ship, I-- I mean he can accompany you fine gentlemen to the ship and try and clear up this mess!" Erech finishes with a flourish as his grin returns.

He turns to Evan. "What do you think?"

[Kaolins]

Evan

(Sigh. Sniped. Leaving original post in tags) Evan quietly watches the masquerade party going on before his eyes, not seeming too shocked, but noticeably impressed by the feat. He listens through the conversation until the problem of voices arises.

"The harbor master works near salt water all day... I've fished for a living for a couple years, it tends to weigh heavily on your throat... We could be escorting the... Ahem.. Harbor master, and being his linguists... Seeing as he lost his voice recently." Evan suggests this, knowing it would take a good lie for it to all go through, but at least partially knowledgeable about the subject.

"Really, all we need is for them to grant us permission to see over the boat. Given that, we can most assuredly find the ring, and maybe the money that the lady spent.... And possibly gather a motive, as well.

Evan

Evan laughs and pats Erech on the shoulder. "I thought that was wonderful mate. You'll have to try me sometime, maybe in a less public area."

"Seems to me we've got something to go on now. I'm all for it." Evan says this with a smile, and thinks quietly to himself... Especially since I can't think of anything better..

"When we get on the ship however, I think it'll be crucial to get the ring above all else... We can worry about the money and motives later, no?"

[GimliFett]

Erech

"Sure, mate. Love to," Erech growls at Evan's suggestion to try to impersonate himself, attempting to mimic Evan's accent, though with a much deeper tone.

Erech nods his head towards the line. "S'pose we need to stay in line, at least get closer to the front, eh? And I agree, Evan, the ring is the primary concern, with the others secondary. But enough of that for now. What brings y'all to our empoyer's employ?" Erech furrows his brow, realizing that didn't sound quite right, before shrugging and looking from Evan to Lakaran.

"I'll go first. My father's very minor nobility, and I'm the third son, so off to Church I go. Blech. Boring. Dull. Tedious. Choose your description. I was hoping to become a cleric, but I never heard The Call as they like to name it. It's just not my idiom," he says this last with a big grin. "'Sides, Heironeous is stuffy. Anyway, I took the few useful things I had picked up and exited the temple for home. Got a bit of money from my father's senechal and a letter which had arrived for me from the Lady Lavinia. The rest is history, as they say."

Erech leans in towards his companions, whispering conspiratorially, "How does she know who we are and what we can do? Any guesses?"

[Saterus]

As the three of them move to the back of the line to wait to speak with the harbor master, Lakaran decides to making smalltalk with Erech would speed things up considerably. "You know, I hadn't thought about that until now. I have no idea how she knew about me, I haven't done much to give myself much of a reputation. My father used to own a large company..." Lakaran trails off. "I don't think that has anything to do with us. I've been working at Orimander's Emporium of the Soul. I came home from work yesterday and got the letter from Lady Vanderboren. I really don't understand why Lady Vanderboren chose to contact me for this, but I plan to make the most of it. I can get a few days off work to deal with this. The pay is going to be outstanding." Lakaran grins. "Should be exciting too, if nothing less." Lakaran leans up against the wall, props his foot up and settles in for the long haul. He reaches up and takes Lemix out of his pocket to pet him. After a few minutes, he sets him on his shoulder to climb around.

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan smiles at the question and lets both men say there stories first, moving with the line and listening to both stories with equal interest. When his turn finally comes around... "Honestly? A run in with some thugs, I think. It's the only thing I've ever done that would even run close into this kind of venture. At least we know why Tristan's here. The lady must have spotted his ego while he was out privately investigating'." Evan finishes with a mild smile, and a joking tone.. However poor the joke.

Thinking for a moment, and then breaking the silence... "Where do you think he got off to, anyway?"

[GimliFett]

Erech

Chuckling at Evan's joke, Erech grumbles, "He said he was going to do some investigating. I assume he's looking into Vark's background or something like that. I do know he mentioned meeting him at the Bent Goblin in the morning, though. I hope his hunting is fruitful." Erech adds quietly.

"So we've got our stories, now. So what else can you two do?" Erech asks with a great degree of interest, curiosity clearly showing through. "I can reset my abilities each day depending on what I need to be able to do. You've seen part of what I can do today. I can also briefly force someone to do as I say for a single action. You know like jump, run, drop, fall."

[Kaolins]

Evan

Just shrugging, Evan looks a bit past Erech when he answers. "Just your run of the mill magic user. I imagine I can be slightly useful, and I've studied alot about plants... Know a fair bit about scrolls and potions.. That's about it. Nothing near as amazing as what you can do, my friend." Evan's face turns a slight shade of red, and steps forward as the line moves.

[Saterus]

Catching Lemix as he jumped off his shoulder, Lakaran pets the small rat and replaces him on his shoulder."My parents sent me through a great deal of schooling. I eventually apprenticed under Wizard Selven Torst. I feel like I had learned a lot, but my training came to an end after the family business collapsed." Lakaran goes silent again. "Since I ended my training, I've been studying the magic items at Orimander's shop as a way to keep learning."

After a small pause, Lakaran changes the subject. "Erech, you aren't casting spells. Or at least spells that I can tell. How do you do what you do?"

Callos, are we going to RP 4 hours of standing in line? Or are we gonna fast forward a bit?

[GimliFett]

Erech

Erech shrugs, but smiles broadly. "They're just abilities, not spells. I suppose they're a bit easier than spells, since I don't have to worry about components or gestures," he explains. He tilts his head to one side as he continues in his gravelly rumble, "Basically, I meditate for a bit in order to get varied sets of abilities. I'm not very accomplished at the moment, but eventually I should be able to have a few different sets at a time."

After a brief pause, he perks up and seems to take a posture of a lecturer. "You see, there are entities known as vestiges, which exist outside the normal purview of deities. In order to experience some semblance of existance again, they lend their powers to people who know the proper routines to ask for their aid." Beaming, Erech growls, "I am one of those people. We are called Binders."

Sheesh. I didn't even think about the stinking filter. I had to change the word to tilted.

[Kaolins]

Evan

"Wow... It's amazing the number of things someone can learn in a day..." Evan sighs and looks ahead of them in the line... After a moments thought, "Wonder just how long this is gonna be..."

Evan sighs and sits while the line doesn't move, reading through a book.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The night line seems to take forever and forever to progress with only a couple feet of movement after a long period of waiting. At the very least though you talk more amongst yourselves and learn some interesting facts about each other while you attempt to get in to see the harbor master. Events of note were few and far between with a couple of minor scuffles breaking out among several sailors in line seeking to advance their position. At one point there was also a great deal of commotion out in the harbor when a mishap happened during the course of the unloading of one of the ships.

After a long and restless (and probably irritating)night though, you can watch the sun coming up over the horizon to reveal just how much progress had been made in your line. The result was...disheartening to say the least bit. With a collective groan the three head off to the Bent Goblin in order to meet up with Tristan to see what the bald man might possibly have learned.

The Bent Goblin was a dimly lite establishment that seemed to cater to those seeking privacy in their dealings and what not. Behind the bar counter an old wizened goblin could be seen rubbing down the counter top and peering out at the patrons with sharp beady eyes. Taking a seat in one of the more...easily visible tables, you resign yourselves to wait for Tristan as business begins to pick up. Time passes and no Tristan made himself apparent...

Just when worry begins to gnaw at you though he comes stumbling through the door way making a bee-line for the stairs leading to the second floor. Unlike his bright and aware appearence the night before, Tristan seems dead tired.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

As the three of groggy men sit around, drinking coffee to stay awake this morning, Tristan stumbles in. Without looking at them, or even realizing they are waiting for him, Tristan walks up the stairs and disappears. Lakaran points to Tristan as he walks by, half asleep. He stands, pushes his chair in, and buys another coffee to take to Tristan and himself. The little sleep he did manage to get last night was always short lived and uncomfortable. In hindsight, going home and sleeping in his soft bed would have been a much better plan.

"What room is that man in? He's so exhausted he didn't even see us," Lakaran asks the innkeeper as he pays for the coffee. Both cups in hand, Lakaran begins to walk up the stairs to find Tristan.

[GimliFett]

Erech

"Now, what d'ya think that's all about?" Erech growls to Evan as Tristan heads upstairs. When Lakaran follows, Erech stands and stretches, arching his back like a cat. "I suppose we should follow, too. Maybe he doesn't wish to share information with the lovely patronage of this establishment," he finishes with a wink to Evan as he heads up the stairs.

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan watches Tristan and Lakaran move up the stairs, and groggily looks over to Erech. After hearing his ideas on the situation, Evan sighs. "He would make this harder than it needs to be. Why am I not surprised?" Evan stands up and stretches... Sighs... and follows everyone upstairs.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan was in work mode. Nothing else would come across his mind except how to handle the current task he had set for the job. Everything was completely planned out in his head; Watch until sun comes up, Watch another hour, go back and take a four hour nap, return for six more hours. Admittedly, it wasn't a particularly clever or demanding task, but paying rapt attention for the eight or so hours one should be sleeping did have a habit of being exhausting.

Still, it was exciting, and in a way, fun, to sit around watching a boat in the dead of night for illegal activities. It was the whole reason he set out on this course of work. Perhaps if it was fun enough, he might just waive any reward of Lady Vanderboren's.

That was yet to be seen, and currently, the 'nap phase' of his stake-out plan demanded his attention. He pulls the room key from his pocket and unlocks the door, but doesn't bother locking it again once he's in. No point really if he wasn't going into complete unconsciousness.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The inn owner's directions seem to be mostly un-need, just jerking a thumb to point at the top of the stairs and one of the two doors that are up there. One of which Tristan is opening and stumbling into. Once the three of you come into the unkept room you can easily find the bundle on the bed that is a sleep starved Tristan and a quick yank of curtains and blankets is enough to force the bald headed man to pay attention to you.

[GimliFett]

Erech

"Look, Tristan," Erech growls out, "Lak brought you coffe. Now spill the beans." Erech chuckles lightly at his own pun as he leans against the wall behind the door. He tips his wide-brimmed hat back, folds his arms across his chest and crosses his right ankle over his left as he glares as the other bald man in the room.

"We've all been awake a long time, now. Unfortunately, our little escapade didn't really work out so well, but hopefully we've got a plan and some information."

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan having fallen onto the bed on his stomach, rolls onto his back to spy whoever it was that wanted to bother him. Sitting up, puts his hand on top of his head and tries to recollect the previous night.

"Your... Your the ones I met last night, right?", he says, clearly not entirely on the ball. "Yah, that's right. Horrible pun, by the way. I wouldn't recommended making a career of it." Tristan takes a deep breath, and tries to put into words what he remembers.

"Somethings definitely afoot here. I watched the ship all night and was rewarded. The Blue Nixie, though harbored a good distance from the dock, has plenty of activity on its deck. Sometime during the night, a foreign vessel sailed in and had some large pieces of cargo transferred to it. Otherwise, there was nothing else.

"Now, I'm tired, but I'm not done monitoring what's going on. Some organization or gang is using the ship, and so at some point must have the people on it move on or off, or at the least have more cargo moved to it. If one of you could, go monitor the ship's activity for me and watch for any movement on or off the ship. If anyone moves off the ship, follow them, and find out who they are or who they work for."

At this point, Tristan lets out a yawn. "As for a plan, that can wait. I'll take over watching the ship in four hours if nothing new comes up. 'Till then, I'm getting some rest." he says, falling back onto his pillow and pulling his sheet over his head.

[Kaolins]

Evan


Evan stands up after hearing all this, stretches yet again, and makes for the door. Just before leaving he turns around. "Oh. Yeah. I'll go. I'll come back if I find anything out. Don't mean to seem like a loner or anything.. But four men in a single inn bedroom... Meh. Not my thing." Evan winks and makes his way down to the harbor.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Realizing the extra cup of coffee isn't needed here, Lakaran turns and offers the fresh cup to the others in the room. "Coffee? Looks like he is too tired to drink it. It will be cold by the time he wakes up," says Lakaran. He takes a sip of his own. "From the sounds of it, we should go check the ship out. While we are there, we can form a plan. Sounds like more than the handful of men we bargained for will be there." Lakaran exits the room, closing the door quietly behind them and begins down the stairs. "Who wants to bet that the harbormaster is in on whatever shady dealings are happening on that ship?"

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan moves under his sheet, trying to roll onto the other. In doing so, the sheet rolls with him, leaving his back uncovered (save for the shirt he did not take off). "Though I intend to rest, I'm not going to be able to reach a state of deep sleep. If wouldn't mind..." he trails off, assuming the others could guess to leave him be. Before they do, he rolls over again and adds, "Harbor Master probably doesn't have a clue, but that Vark guy sounds like he's bribed. Don't trust him farther than your willing to pay him."

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech nods to Evan as he departs the room. "Be careful, Evan. Just because we've been hired to take care of this doesn't mean someone else may not be interested as well," he advises with a grumble.

Erech takes the offered coffee from Lakaran and takes a sip. "Ugh. Needs sugar," he growls as his face screws up in distaste. "Sleep well, Tristan. See you in a few," Erech adds as he follows Lakaran out of the room. "I think maybe we should catch up with Evan and check on the ship." After several moments in which he drinks the coffee down, Erech speaks up again. "I agree with Tristan on the Harbormaster. Most likely, he's simply incompetent."

[Callos_DeTerran]

The morning finds pier five in the Merchant's District hectic as people bustle about to ready ships for departure, but it was nothing like the chaos of the Azure District from the previous night. True to Tristan's words the Blue Nixie sat out in the harbor, bobbing up and down gently in the waves with the morning sun beating down on it's deck and the nearby waters.

All three of you peer out across the water to the ship, trying to make out an figures on board and are rewarded for your efforts. It looks as if the various grungy looking people on board are preparing to bring the ship back to the pier.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech observes the movement of people around the harbor, both aboard ship and walking the piers and dockside wharves. When the Blue Nixie begins coming about and heading into dock, he stands up straight from his position leaning against the wall of one of the warehouses.

"She's coming in. I'll assume we're still in observe mode until Tristan arrives?" he growls out, though not in an unfriendly manner. "Maybe I'll saunter a bit closer and see what I can hear." So saying, Erech steps back into the shadows. His features and appearance change somewhat to look like a common dockworker, plain and unremarkable. "Ahoy!" he grunts to the wizards. "Whaddya think?"

Disguise Self; Disguise:[roll0]

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan stares and smiles at his newly disguised companion.

"Looks great on yah. Mate."

When the ship makes it back to the pier. Evan does something nuts. He walks over to the closest method of entry onto the ship, and will take a better look aboard.

(About how big is the Nixie? And from where Evan is, how far would the 'farthest' part of the ship be?)

[Callos_DeTerran]

(The Nixie is roughly 55-60 feet in length. And I don't know what your asking with that second question.)

Evan's mode of entry, or at least the best one, proves to be a single extended gangplank. Once it came to the pier anyway. Once he started up it towards the main deck he spies two rough looking men and a woman bustling about with various ropes and other sailor things. They were busy bringing the ship into port after all, but they paused when one of them caught sight of Evan and they glanced at each other worriedly as one descended below decks and the other two approached. Hands drifting down to the daggers on their belts as the woman called out to him.

"Hey you, what are you doin' up here? Get back on the pier!"

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech smacks his forehead at Evan's maneuver, but quickly recovers. "Lak? Cover us if you're able if this blows up in our faces." With that he rushes from their hiding spot and heads towards the Blue Nixie.

"Oy! Bim!" he shouts as he approaches the ship's gangplank. "Sorry, mates. M' brother's a bit simple, but he loves the boats. This'n's pretty nice, eh?" Erech says as he tries to take Evan by the elbow. As he does so, he whispers to Evan, "Act simple, Ev. Avoid me while you make it a game."

Aloud, Erech says, "C'mon, Bim. Let's go!"

Remember I'm disguised as a local sailor-type.
Bluff: [roll0]

[Kaolins]

(The second part of the question was more a range theory, but your last post nullified it.. And I had worded it poorly to start.)

Evan

Evan quickly adopts the 'stupid brother' routine, but doesn't let himself be pulled much farther from scene than the end of the gangplank. Safely on the pier, Evan looks back to the Nixie to see if the man who went below decks resurfaces, and if so, whom with.

Quietly he looks over to Erech and mutters... "If we just grab Tristan and Lakaran, we'd be good.. Assuming there ain't twenty of them below decks..."

And then loudly... "Oh commin' then bro'fir! Just a peak! These men 'prolly let us on 'fer a few shinies, and we's got plenty!"

Not quiiiiite sure if it'd work as a separate check, not that my roll would matter much, but can't hurt, and might be considered 'aid other'.
[roll0]

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Lakaran watches as the two men approach the ship from the base of the pier. He makes himself look busy by talking to Lemix. The shouting from the ship draws his attention, and he tries to listen without looking too interested.

Lakaran watches for anyone who walks down the pier towards the Nixie, hoping the other two men don't send up an alert on the ship.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Both of the sailors gave each other knowing looks as Erech and Evan played the part of 'simple' brother and the parenting one trying to keep the simple one out of trouble. And with it came the almost audible sound of success as a greedy look came to the man's eyes when he glanced over quickly the woman who looked back with an equally wicked glimmer in her eyes.

"I suppose we could let'em look around for a price, what do ya think?"

"...coudn't hurt to let Bim have a quick look around the deck...for a gold or two." The man said practically salivating at the thought of the money. On the other hand the female sailor looked fairly dissuaded with the price, after all what commoner could afford that sort of price?

Almost expectantly the man jabbed his hand out palm up for the offering while the other came to rest on the hilt of his dagger in a not so subtle suggestion to pay or get away.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech seems to consider the offer a moment, then shakes his head as he reaches into his belt pouch. If it'll get Bim ta calm down and come back, I don't see it'll hurt much, seein's how I just got inta port an' paid. He steps forward and places a coin into the man's palm, then flips another to the woman. It'll make things a bit lean, but we'll make do. He says with the sigh of infinite patience of an older brother resigned to dealing with his simpleton brother.

A'right, Bim. Get yer gaze on, hm? He turns to the man, trying to set him at ease and involved in a conversation. She is a lovely ship, mate. How long ya been crewin' her?

[Kaolins]

Evan

Evan walks up onto the ship, turning his head and looking at everything FAR more often then a... well... More mature person, might. He takes great interest in several things... Crates... Riggings... Stairs... But no touching. His brother used to smack him hard for touching things that didn't belong to him. (Snicker.)

Evan 'accidentally' lets a few coins slip from his pocket... Eight or so gold pieces, right down the stairs the other crew mate went down...

"Oops..."

[Callos_DeTerran]

With Kaolin's bold gamble of letting gold fall down the stairs below decks the battle for the Blue Nixie began as sailors boiled up from below decks to battle the 'invaders' who had suddenly come aboard, lead by none other then Vark. A thuggish one eyed brute who showed more valor then his comrades who fled with the first blows that Erech, Evan, and Lakaran landed on them. He fought to the death and after he fell things had seemed over...until the terrified feminine scream that came from below. When the three investigated they discovered a vicious spider-like monster that Erech identified as a 'black-fang rhagodessa (spelling off on that)'. It had been in the middle of assaulting the small wooden cage of a raccoon-monkey hybrid, but with the arrival of fresh meat it's attention had quickly shifted to the larger people. Battle began in earnest and things looked bad until the furry little biped in the cage broke free to help it's rescuers.

After the spider-like creature had been felled they discovered that the monkey thing was a creature known as a phanaton and named Xuzaxa. After a small little talk amongst yourselves it was decided that Xuzaxa would be allowed to join with everyone else as part of their group to help out Lavinia. In any case it didn't take long after that to find what you came there looking for, the key to the Vanderboren vault. A small signet ring with a sheet of parchment slipped through it that you swiftly returned to Lavinia. She was delighted with your accomplishment and invited you to come with her to the vault so that she could pay all of you as soon as she got inside. Once there though you and Lavania discovered an old guardian set there to keep thieves out of the Vanderboren vault. But that was hardly the greatest surprise to be found as you all discovered that the vault had practically been picked clean by none other then Lavinia's brother Vanthus, however the good news was that she had enough gold (and an odd little journal that was written by her parents) in there to pay all of you and to get by until her uncle and aunt in Cauldron to send some financial aid to her.

Which lead into Lavinia's request to locate Vanthus and bring him so she could question him and try to get her gold back. Tristan's experience as a private investigator came in handy then as it lead you all to a man who claimed to have seen Vanthus recently and was ready to guide them to him at Parrot Island. Parrot Island was one of the small islands that were out in Sasserine's bay that wasn't inhabited...or at least that was what everyone thought. It proved to be wrong when your guide lead you to an old pirate smuggling hideout underneath of the island's surface. Not long after you entered your guide's body was dropped down in after you by the same brown haired man who's picture had been in the Vanderboren private dining hall. Vanthus as he proclaimed himself to be. The last you saw of him was the man pulling a stone over the entrance leaving you in darkness, a darkness that was hardly uninhabited. The pirates who used to dwell there, now undead zombies and worse, had swarmed out in the darkness to attack you until they had all been destroyed and some rather startling evidence was found that proved Vanthus's treachery wasn't just limited to inquisitive strangers but also the men under his own command, thieves in the employ of the Lotus Dragon thieves guild. It was a bit of a trial to figure out a way out but a dangerous underwater escaped proved to be just what the cleric ordered.

With this new revelation the five of you decided to infiltrate the Lotus Dragon headquarters to find Vanthus and bring him back to the rightful judgment that was waiting for him. But not before you were assaulted by a gang or two of Lotus Dragon thugs trying to deter you from your path, not that it worked. Despite your confidence the Dragon headquarters proved to be a hard battle with thieves seeming to lurk behind every corner and tamed monsters slavering after you. The greatest monster proved not to be one of these 'pets' or the beautiful Rowyn Kellani who tried to sway you with a sweet offer and the threat of violence (but she was quick to flee when the battle turned against her). It was the letter you found that Vanthus wrote to Rowyn (As seen below) that showed the true monster in all of this.


Click here for the letter. (http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/2073/letterio4.jpg)


It took much courage to report back to Lavinia to tell her that it was her brother who had arranged to kill her parents. Despite her shock and dismay she gladly put you on the official payroll so she could call on you when needed, not to mention providing some much needed stability for some of you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day didn't seem quite as bright or hopeful as the previous one. At Lavinia's encouragement, she had you all put up in your own rooms in Vanderboren manor insisting that you have better accomadations then what she thought you had. Humidity hung oppressively in the air and the small elderly halfling woman woke each of you for breakfast in the main dining hall. Lavinia herself wasn't there at first but it was still a nice solid spread. Partidge eggs, ham, imported jelly on toast, and some overly sweet tea. Only when you were about half way through did Lavinia descend and it didn't take a master inquisitor to notice she was still upset by what she had been told, however the mission was clear. Vanthus was still at large and Lavinia still wanted him brought in, but it was for justice this time and not redemption, which meant that the location of this...'Kraken's Cove' would need to be found before you can set out to catch the evil bastard who was related to Lavinia.

She seemed to have taken a liking to the phanaton, though her behavior towards him could be seen as insulting since she thought of him more an intelligent pet. At the moment she was busy trying to feed him little pieces of fruit with the journal sitting on her empty plate.

You can take this time to ask questions of Lavinia (who will act as a proxy for me for more details about what has already happened) and can set out whenever you wish.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

After finishing his last partridge egg and dabbing his mouth with his napkin, Erech gently cleared his throat. My lady? Have you had any luck with your parents' journal? If you need assistance with deciphering anything, I'm fairly adept in that regard, and would be more than pleased to aid you, he offers. Maybe this will let Xuzaxa have a few moments of peace, at least, he thinks to himself.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

The three and a half foot monkey/raccoon hybrid has changed a lot overnight. The party is surprised to see that a shirt covers up most of his luxurious gray fur. Truthfully, it's high quality studded leather, but it is a shirt nonetheless. His bark brown paws however, are still vacant of gloves or boots. The armor obviously has an open spot where his tail, almost half a foot longer than him, protrudes. His piercing bright yellow eyes still stare at you from behind his black raccoon robber mask, and he seems to not care for a helmet. His bow and short spear are nowhere to be seen, but he is wearing his backpack and also has a shiny buckler attached to his forearm. He wears a new quiver attached to his belt, and it is surprisingly ornate compared to his other gear. Startlingly, the quiver appears to be empty; however, whenever Xuzaxa moves his hand near it, arrows seem to materialize ready to be withdrawn.

Xuzaxa doesn't talk much at breakfast. He seems not to talk much at all, as his knowledge of the common tongue is halting and slow. He appears to be aware that Lavinia's treatment of him is odd, but does not seem to be insulted by it. He figures he'll start to worry about that once the fruit stops tasting so good. He stops eating once Erech starts talking, regarding him with a curious grin. The grin and his attention quickly shift to the journal as it is mentioned, and he picks it up and examines the cover. If it is unreadable, something should be done. Should take it to tribal elders.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The pretty blond woman pauses in her feeding to look over at Erech when he speaks up, a wane little smile on her face before she answers him, leaving the little phanton to his own devices for the moment. "Hm? No, I'm not having too much trouble it's just taking some time. My mother encoded the whole thing in Sylvan, I'm guessing so it'd be harder to read if someone stole it and it's just taking some time to translate it into common."

It was a fairly plain journal and the cover was unadorned with any flippant little engravings or anything but was a good size. From the variety of bookmarks and such towards the back it looked as if Lavinia had started with some of the more recent entries and worked her way to the back from there. When she saw that Xuzaxa had 'pilfered' the journal she let out a laugh and pried it out from his hands.

"You can't have this book, it's mine and I need it. Here, have a grape." She offered and held out a dark red/purple (You know what I mean) grape for the phanaton to take. It could have been seen as insulting but there was no malice in the way Lavinia treated Xuzaxa and apparently he held her no grudge either.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Lakaran smiles at the exchange between Lavinia and Xuzaxa. "Have you found any useful information since you start translating it? All of us are involved now," inquires Lakaran. The remnants of his breakfast litter his plate. He picks up last corner of a piece of toast, smears more jelly on it, and pops it in his mouth. "None of us want to see a killer such as your brother run unchecked. No offense, of course, but he must be stopped," Lakaran catches himself, trying not to offend.

Changing the subject, Lakaran asks, "What was written on the parchment we brought back with the signet ring?"

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Indeed, the day was not quite as bright or hopeful than it had been previously. He had found the greatest woman ever; Attractive, wealthy, loads of connections and henchmen. Yet, that Vanthus had already courted her with more money than he could ever hope to acquire. Sure, he never would have really fallen for her, but just the thought that she was hopelessly beyond his grasp put a damper on his mood.

He sighed, I wonder if that flower-shop girl would be worth a try about now?

He takes a bite of his toast and looks curiously over at Xuzaxa. He seemed much more like a very hairy halfling prepared to cut someones throat than a cute monkey-thing. Then again, he'd seem much less like an aging, bald man if he wore that armor of his every now and then.

He waves the hybrid over to his end of the table, "Can I take a look at that quiver of yours? I don't suppose I could ask you to store a few extra things in there for me? I bought some new daggers and I don't really want to get rid of the old ones."

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa gives up the book very quickly. I don't know what a Sylvan is. The book is no use to me if all it is about are Sylvans. Not that I even like reading. It's too difficult the way they make it. He takes the grape from Lavinia and listens to Lakaran. He offers his opinion on Lavinia's brother when he is mentioned. "When hunt for family kill abomination? Xuzaxa don't want see more family die."

His opinion= voiced, Xuzaxa wanders over to Tristan. He looks at his quiver examining the three different compartments and shrugs. "Xuzaxa do not care. Man say for arrows, javelins, and bows. If they fit... Xuzaxa will keep they for you." He indicates each compartment as he announces what they are for, then shrugs again.

[Callos_DeTerran]

"Surely you remember the combination Master Lakaran. 'Chimera looks to sunrise. Cyclops looks to sunset. Medusa looks to sunrise. Umber hulk looks to sunset. Basilisk looks to sunrise.' A curious puzzle to be sure but we manage to get through it just fine." Lavinia replies to the mage as she opens the journal distractedly and flips to the very first page marker. "Nothing too useful yet, merely records of their preparations for another journey. It looks promising though and I have hope something will come to fruit soon. Do you have any useful leads on Vanthus yet?"

Remember people, reactionary!

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech nods at the Lady's question. Yes, in fact. We've been looking for this Kraken's Cove, but I haven't turned anything up yet. Perhaps Tristan would fare better than I? Erech turns to the other bald man in the room. What say you? As soon as we can locate this locale, Erech grins broadly, we could probably set out shortly thereafter, hm?

Something seems to click in Erech's mind, as he clucks his tongue and turns back to Lady Lavinia. Who is Brissa? Vanthus spoke of her in his journal.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa looks up at Erech as he suggests they move out. The phanaton immediately begins nodding his agreement. "Yes. To Kraken's Cove we are headed? Will be week or more we don't have boat. Also very dangerful." The phanaton grins his goofy grin as he motions towards the door, hopeful to hunt the kinslaying abomination.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan gives a short nods to Erech as he inhales another piece of jam covered toast. "I'll go ask a few people I know what they know later today, maybe even see if we can't obtain some fisherman's boat to sail us to wherever the place is. I have a letter I need to write first though, so, if you would excuse me from your presence Lady, I'll be off to the room you've so generously provided."

Tristan slides his chair back under the table, giving a bow to Lavina before heading off to the stairs, motioning for Xuzaxa to follow him up. Once upstairs, he retrieves a small bundle of daggers and hands them to the hybrid before sitting down at a nearby desk with a few sheets of parchment and ink well.

-----

Dear Dex,

How are you holding up you old goat? Yes, I know that by comparison of the ratios of current over maximum age, your about as young as I am, but I must confess you will not change my perspective; eighty-five years is a long time regardless of race, so you're still an old goat.

I must apologize for my prolonged absence this last week, as I have been added to the payroll of none other than Lady Lavina Vanderboren. My skill have proven quite useful to her, and have subsequently been well used. I am unsure whether or not this torrent of searches and chases in her name will come to a slow soon, or perhaps take on more regular intervals, though I do know my present task will require much effort on my part.

Because of this, I must ask for a temporary 'holiday' from my duties at the Scavengers Guild. I'm sure Jonathen Mace is fully capable of handling anything of mine while I am away, so do tell the lad I have my confidence in him. Once events become more stable, I will be sure to return.

Investigator,
Tristan Wolfe

----------

Dear Gortash,

I'm leaving my room at your Inn to take up residence with a beautiful woman. I want you to take me off tab for now, and I'll send you all I owe for last week as soon as I get back from a little excursion.

The relationship is unstable, and I expect if things do not go well, I might get kicked out forcefully. If you keep a room open for me should this occur, I promise to return to adding my gold to your purse.

May your wallet never run dry,
Tristan Wolfe

----------

Tristan ties the two letters up with some string and sets out to find the halfling servent. When he does, he instructs her as to where to deliver each letter, thanking her kindly.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa follows Tristan to his quarters. The phanaton takes the bundle and spends a minute examining them and his quiver. After the examination, he carefully tries to fit them into each compartment, starting with the arrows section. He takes special pains to inflict no damage upon his new quiver. At the end of his trials, he looks quizzically at his quiver and shrugs. He steps over for a second to watch Tristan write. Temporary 'holiday' from my duties at the Scaven- Ohhh! Shiny. It doesn't take him long to lose interest, and he picks up a dagger and starts tossing it up in the air and catching it.

The description of the quiver says it will hold things, approximately the size and shape of an arrow, javelin, or bow. It's Callos's decision as to whether the daggers fit in any of the compartments. When in doubt, leave it up to the DM.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Having finished breakfast as well, Erech excuses himself, My Lady. Friends. I must prepare for our venture. I'll be back in a few minutes. He bows and turns sharply on his heal, headed for his room.

Once there, he takes a pitcher of water and dips an inkpen into it before considering the floor space and the day's needs before he begins drawing an intricate design upon the floor, tracing it in wet lines that do not seem to dry.

Once done, he stands back and calls out, Focalor, Prince of Tears! Come and grant me your powers of storm and sea!

A single tear falls from thin air into the drawn seal. A pair of weaping eyes appear above the floor, followed by a body becoming slowly visible. Finally a handsome human male stands within the seal, his face twisted by grief. He is naked, though a set of griffin's wings sprout from his back and cover his form. His body shudders with wracking sobs.

Erech and the being within the seal face off, a silent communication between them.
Bind Check: [roll0]

After several moments Erech bows his head and nods as the image of the man as well and the seal upon the floor disappear. He digs into his pack and withdraws a mirror, checking his appearance.

Erech returns to where the others wait. He seems to be withdrawn somewhat as he nods to the others in acknowledgement, but doesn't make eye contact, nor approach them, taking a seat away from everyone else. Can we get moving? he asks with a hint of plaintiveness in his voice.

[Callos_DeTerran]

OOC:

Three things:

A) I omitted one minor thing from the fast forward. The dock master you were trying to see was murdered shortly before you escaped from Vanthus's trap. Not very important but I thought I'd put that in here.

B) Heres the options for getting to Kraken's Cove. You can make a DC 25 Diplomacy check for a round-trip passage to Kraken's Cove for 8 gold per passenger. If none of you can make that check then it's 20 gold per passenger. If you want the transport to wait for you then its a further 10 gold a day due to the dangerous and notorious nature of the region.

Of course if any of you have ranks in Profession Sailor then you can buy the boat yourself for outright 50 gold and you have a free boat.

C) This is mostly a 'time' issue. Rowing non-stop in shifts will get you to Kraken's Cove in just under two days. If you go in eight hour shifts though it'll take five days. It's mostly up to you.

Just respond in the OOC thread then I'll put a real post in here that'll deal with the negotitions for the boat and setting out into the water.


With Erech's eager urging the five of you gather together and seek out someone willing to part with a row boat in the Azure District. News of Harbormaster Keltar's demise was still buzzing about the streets as the hottest news but most of the activity seems to have died down since that tragic event. The most eager person that you find to sell to, a disheartened young man who hadn't found any of the riches supposedly out at sea, proved the quickest to sell his boat to all of you, though he proved rather obstinate about the price (determined to get some money out of the whole fishing endeavor) and Tristan reluctantly forked over the gold pieces to buy the fairly ordinary but sturdy craft from him.

The shifts were fairly easy to determine since all of you decided that haste would be the best way to get to the Cove and Xuzaxa proved too short to make an effective rower but was rather adept at bucketing out the occasional leak of water back out of the craft. Erech and Evan took the first shift and the power rowing put Sasserine behind all of you with a threatening coastline on the other side, high cliffs running down to the waterline and deceptively boggy and deep. Hot summertime(ish) heat beating down on you made the trip a little bit less then pleasant considering that the humidity of the Amedio Region was always through the roof in the first place. Your only company the slightly patterned noise of oars passing in and out of the water even as the sun began it's descent down to the other side of the horizon, chased by it's jealous sister the moon as Tristan and Evan replaced their comrades at the oars.

OOC: Here ya guys go. A chance to RP amongst yourselves for some EXP and to craft things if you want to.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech winces as he rubs his sore shoulders. I've not done such labor since the summer my father had me work in the stables. Ugh. I'm no weakling, but I don't see how anyone can do this for a living, he indicates the small boat and oars. He turns to the littlest member of their group. Xu, why don't you tell us about yourself and your people? I think it might help pass the time to hear of it, the dark-skinned man adjusts his wide-brimmed hat, making sure it shades his eyes.

I guess everyone will get to watch me bind on our second day, if there's enough room to do it. Is there? If so it should be interesting...

In an aside, my default Pact Augmentation is the +1AC insight bonus. Yay!

[Kaolins]

Evan


Evan gets to work at putting the city behind him right away. Eager not only to get to the groups destination, but to finally get a change in his life. Mom and Dad would be proud, he was doing some real, hard work for a change.

The heat became unbearable, reaaaal fast. The scholars robes covering his body were light however, and allowed his skin to breath. The cold water spraying up occasionally was enough to keep him going.


Evan stops rowing for a moment to take a drink from his canteen, sweating quite profusely, but not altogether too worried. Erech had proved to be quite an impressive partner to row with. When Erech asks Xu about his people, Evan listens with intent... Which is mildly feigned, as it doesn't stem out into the realm of 'exciting' for him.



(So.. First shift, Me and Erech.. Second shift... Me and Tristan?

I R MAN ROWER, I NO NEED BRAKE)

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa seems to enjoy his job of bailing water. Whenever one of his fellow companions complain about the heat however, he will ignore bailing long enough to splash them with water. He spends a lot of time dumping water on himself also, although he takes care not to get it on anything it might damage. He shrugs when Erech asks him about his past. Now I have to make a speech in their language. This will probably not go very well. "Xuzaxa born in forest. Many of the people live in forests. Like climb and glide through trees. Is fun. We gather the fruit of world." He pauses for a second and looks over at the shore. When he speaks again, there is a harsher edge to his tone. "Xuzaxa's forest gone. Nearby human camp cut trees. Men want the people gone. Other men put the people in box of bars with many bad men. Many the people gone. Next box near spider. Xuzaxa hate spider. Spider want to kill all the people. Xuzaxa here now." Xuzaxa looks at Erech and grins at him. "Why you here?"

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech's smile seems sad. Sorry to hear about your people's plight. Maybe we could help out someday? Erech stares off over the water, back towards Sessarine. What am I doing here? he asks quietly. Avoiding my fate, I suppose. Being the youngest son of a minor, very minor, noble, the best thing that could be offered me was a position in church. My father, a staunch follower of the Valorous Knight, pulled a string and got me an initiate position at the temple of Heironeous. I've never been one for religion, especially someone as stuffy as Heironeous. He's impressive, sure, but not my style. Erech pauses, letting his hand trail in the water for a moment, his mind far away.

He comes back to himself with a start. Sorry. Anyway, one thing led to another, it became apparent to me that clerical duties were not my future, and I happened to come across something in the library that actually did interest me. Vestiges. A sharp gleam seems to come into his eyes, though he seems to be crying. Beings of power, not beholden to the gods, they yearn to experience life once more. In order to do so, they grant abilities to those who know how to properly contact them. There can be some unpleasant side effects, and apparently most religions don't care for the vestiges existence, but I feel like it's what I should be doing. Using their granted abilities to better the world, and my own life admittedly, in what ways I am able. Erech takes a long pull of his waterskin, then holds it out to the phanaton, offering a drink, before he continues. Anyway, I left the church and returned home, avoiding my father, and the next day I met Lady Lavinia's halfling messenger, same as y'all, Erech indicates Evan, Lakaran and Tristan with a flick of his hand. Now I'm here, he adds with a small, sad smile.

I assumed the second Evan rowing was Lak. :smallsmile:

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Hearing Erech's voice, Lakaran removes the damp white towel from his face as he sits up. His nap in the tiny bow of the boat had been better than he could have hoped, but left a lot to wish for. He listens quietly to the conversation, grabbing some food out of his pack. Eating the few perishables they brought, Lakaran tries to reason out how much longer there is before it is his shift to row. Deciding its easier to just let the others tell him, he finishes his meal and returns the cloth to his face. He continues to listen to the conversation until he falls asleep again.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Hot.

The balmy weather was wearing down on Tristans mind, inducing a state of drowsiness. Maybe it was a good thing to sleep, since he was going to be rowing a later shift but he was just too bored to do much of anything, even nap. The stories didn't interest him much either; Erech, his pseudo-nobility and spirit stuff. Xuzaxa and his fruit. Ignoring the others, he day-dreams in his own head, consumed mostly with the thought of fruit he could have bought beforehand instead of a boat.

Forty pieces of gold.... There was a sale on apples, down to three pennies... I could have had one thousand, three hundred apples to snack on instead of this piece of wood.

He sighs, still lying down on one end of the boat. Might as well have the boat. Saves on having to walk, and who would I get to carry all those apples anyway?

[Callos_DeTerran]

With the light conversation to pass the time, the rowing and paddling seemed more bearable then it had been before though it was far from enjoyable to people used to living in the city. The only thing that even seemed interesting was when the rowboat passed by a large wooden fort that Tristan and Xu identified as Fort Fendawor and it soon passed into the distance as night fell and the shifts changed once more to let the tired people rest after their ordeal. Luckily no hostile natives or creatures on the shore even seemed to take notice of the boat at night or during most of the following day.

All five of you give an almost audible sigh of relief when the phanaton tells you that your approaching Blood Bay and the rowing seemed less of a burden or a trial then it had before. Soon the waters around the boat began to turn a muddy sort of red that steadily turned a darker and darker red as you progress farther on your little boat ride until you entered into Blood Bay where the waters were crimson and drew steadily closer to the Cove itself when Lakaran gave a call of alarm. Even with Kraken's Cove close to a mile away it was still easy to see the ominous column of smoke that was rising into the air like a thick black oily finger. Haste seemed to be called for and the speed of the rowing increased as the five of you sped to the closest point to the cove to dock without going near the dangerous reefs they had heard about. Even the jungle where you beached was quiet and it was making Xu more then a little nervous. Where was all the hoots, clicks, shrieks, and buzzing that was the normal noise of the jungle?

Need a general formation to go by.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

After covering their boat with leaves and branches, giving at least anod towards concealing the craft, Erech looks at the others. "Any guesses how far off that smoke is from us?" he asks quietly, not wanting to disturb the quiet overmuch, fearing drawing unwanted attention to the group. The dark-skinned human waves the little phanaton forward. "Care to take the lead? You're probably best equipped to get us where we wish to go, I think," Erech says with a small smile, though his eyes seem to continue to water, as if he were crying.

He readies his new crossbow, loading a bolt into it, then holds it pointed down and to the right of everyone else. "How 'bout Tristan next, then Lak and Ev, and I can bring up the rear?"

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa's eyes narrow as the boat lands. He quickly produces both his bow and an arrow from his quiver. He looks around for anything out of the ordinary. He pauses a few seconds after the group is all ashore and tries to hear if there is anything alive in the forest. He casts another furtive glance around before knocking his arrow and taking off towards their destination with a quiet tread.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

The creepy silence of the noiseless jungle sends a shiver down Lakaran's spine. "Sure, that'll be fine. I don't know where I'm going, nor how to figure it out," Lakaran responds to Erech's suggestion. The sand of the beach has started clinging to Lakaran's shoes, so he kicks the hidden boat to knock off most of the sand. He is clearly not in his element, but does not complain. He walks up behind Xu and waits for the rest of the group to take position.

[Callos_DeTerran]

With no other ideas offered to among the other four, you all uneasily put your hands on your weapons and follow after Xu as he darts off into the deathly silent jungle. The farther you go though, the more you see the reason why all the jungle is silent. The ravaged and mutilated corpses of birds, animals, snakes, anything that could have been alive lay on the ground, teeth and claw marks easily visible on their bodies. But the truly curious thing were that none of the animals were truly...whole, each seemed to have grown or developed some sort of deformity either before or after it's death.

Soon the phanaton returned to the group, eyes wide as he continued to lead the way to areas were life still flourish. Hisses and screeches echoed in the woods as the five witnessed the animal life tearing each other to pieces, a viciously clawed and spiked parrot tore into a tapir with fangs growing from it's back, a snake that had grown legs writhed in agony before finally growing still and those were some of the more...mild sights to be seen. Despite the highly unusual surroundings, none of the animals seemed to even bother with the intruders to their domain, too involved in their own pitched battles. That was until Xu gave a shriek of alarm. Four tiny shapes slipped and squirmed among the tree branches until falling to the ground on the left side of the line. Hideous little deformed monkey's with fang filled mouths and opening weeping sores covering their furry forms hissed and hooted at the five of you and broke into shambling gaits towards their new prey...

I need initiatives. Xu can act in the surprise round and for his normal round (Just let me know which actions are which Erikken.)

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round One Action

Erech takes a step back as he brings up his crossbow and fires at the nearest monkey-thing, not wanting to let it near him. "Never seen these fellas before!" he calls to his companions. He then grabs his morningstar from his belt.

Initiative: [roll0]
5-foot step away from monkey-things.
Attack: [roll1]
Damage (if hit): [roll2]
Draw weapon -- move action.
My AC is currently 16 with my Pact Augmentation insight bonus;
HPs 22.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa looks curiously and disgustedly at the lead monkey. He quickly draws back his bowstring. He chatters a very brief semi-prayer to his phanaton god in his native language before releasing the arrow at the deformed monkey. "Uf save the abominations' spirits." After releasing the first arrow, he takes a quick hop backwards and releases two more arrows in quick succession at the same monkey. What are these abominations? Are they assaulting me because I'm similar? Why did most ignore us? Something is extremely wrong.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
OOC: He fires once in the surprise round. In the first round, he takes a five foot step back and rapid shots the one he shot in the surprise round. 19 AC 24 HP

Also, [roll7] to figure out something, anything about what might be going on.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

This steaming jungle had so far been the most frightening experience of Lakaran's life. Mutilated animals with horrifying deformities attacking each other seemingly without regard for self preservation. Lakaran had been gripping the stout wooden walking stick he'd grabbed before they set out since they had left the beach. As the monkeys take notice of them and begin towards them, he readies himself. As soon as they fall to the ground, Lakaran slams the stick into the chest of the monkey nearest him.

Initiative: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Tristan shivers as he turns his head from the deformed, fighting animals, though only in reflex. It was terrible, yes, but it wasn't much more frightening than those zombies....

He waste no time when he sees Xuzaxa being head upon by the deformed creatures, drawing his rapier and bounding in between him and the creatures, making a lunge for the nearest one.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Tristans AC is 17, 18 with his Dodge Partner[The creature he attacked]. His HP is 19.

[Callos_DeTerran]

All five of you respond with a an almost trained readiness as the monkey's chase after the chattering Xuzaxa as he releases an arrow at the lead monkey to have it thunk solidly into his target...only to have the arrow forced out of the screaming primate as the wound closed up behind the arrow. Before he could draw more arrows, Lakaran swung his walking stick at another of the little deformed monkeys only to have it nimbly leap over the blow to sink it's hook-like teeth into his hand before falling back to the ground. (1 damage)

With two loud twangs the phanaton released his next two arrows at the same monkey, noting some success when the second arrow remained partially lodged in the defiled animal's flesh as Tristan approached the same target and deftly plunged his rapier into it. With a loud shriek though, the creature shook off the blow and snap at him angerily, though his scalemail proved sturdy enough to prevent the little ape from getting through.

Only one of the monkeys kept on it's original target, shrieking madly as it dove at it's prey only for Xuzaxa to step aside and swat it with his bow (just a cinematic :smallwink: ) to push it farther back from himself.

Tristan didn't have as much luck when the last monkey went right for him, grabbing hold of his leg and sinking sharp little teeth into his lower leg and shaking it's head before the bald man was able to kick it off and make an awkward pass at it with his rapier only to have the little critter evade him. Luckily the missed stab pulled him out of the way of the wayward crossbow bolt that went flying past and when he looked over at Erech incredulously, the man gave an apologetic shrug.

Xuzaxa's Knowledge check information: The closest thing he's heard of to this is when animals have become diseased or ill (Rabies for civilized folk), but never has he heard of it actually twisting an animal into something else.

Just a note: Some things I'll add into combat descriptions to make it look neater to read or for my own enjoyment but have no actual effect mechanically, if your against this just lemme know and I won't do it for you. Also, certain rolls that your character wouldn't know about (Certain saves (Poison, disease, failing a drained level save), skill checks (passively listening/spotting/searching), etc.) I'll make in private because they send up red flags to you guys and may influence your characters when it shouldn't. Nothing personal, and look at it this way. If a failed roll I make for you would otherwise mess up my storyline I may fudge it a bit in your favor...not entirely, but just a little. :smallwink:

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Two Action

The dark-skinned man aims a finger at the monkey-thing attacking Lakaran. A bolt of lightning sizzles from the sky and strikes the creature, imposing a distinct stench upon the area. "Sorry, but I must end your misery, little one," he mutters under his breath.

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
If I need to move to within 30', please do so. :smallsmile:
My AC is currently 16 with my Pact Augmentation insight bonus;
HPs 22.
As far as making certain rolls for us goes, I've no complaints. It makes good sense. And I like the summarized round of actions edited for appearance. It's a nice touch.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa frowns as his arrows appear defective. He takes a quick hop back and fires two more arrows at the one he injured. They are weak but powerful. We must take them out one at a time!

Five foot step back. Still rapid shooting.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan freaks out when the monkey grabs on, losing all sense to stab it while it's still stuck to leg and not moving. As he kicks it off, he misses his chance to poke it. He side steps around it, waving his sword menacingly on the right of the creature before feinting over to the opposite side and making a stab.


[roll0]
[roll1]

Tristans AC is 17, 18 with his Dodge Partner[The creature he attacked]. His HP is 19.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Lakaran tries desperately to get the primate's jaws off of him by kicking futilely at the small creature. It seems to let go and fall back to the ground, rather than responding to his inept kicks. Shocked more than hurt, Lakaran prepares for a second swing with his staff. Not wanting a repeat of the primate's successful attack, he puts every ounce of attention and strength into the swing.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

In some ways it seemed as if everyone had merely repeated what they had done, but to different effects then before. Lakaran once again proved that the little deformed animals were nimble as he took a swing at the hook-mouthed monkey, just to have it avoid the blow and try to bite him once more. Thankfully he was able to yank back his tender flesh before the...animal could get a hold of him. Xuzaxa's arrows proved to be about as effective as before except for the first arrow that went whizzing by it's mark while the other thunked into it's target and stuck to it.

Tristan's troubles seemed only to have just begun as his blows swung wide but at least his opponents were having just as much luck, hissing and clawing at him but unwilling to get close enough for him to stick them with his rapier. But with a crack and a boom a lightening bolt came out of the sky and struck one of the miserable animals dead on, jerking and spasming until it was over. The smell of scorched pus and flesh came off of the bolt's target but it remained standing. How, was a mystery though since it seemed to be at the point where it should have dropped to the ground unconcsious.

Round of misses on my side. x.x

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Three Action

Erech shakes his head and directs another bolt at the same creature even as he moves a little away from his companions. "Please rest in peace, little one," he says quietly.

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
Move so I'm 20' or so from the guys, and within 30' of the creature I'm blasting.
My AC is currently 16 with my Pact Augmentation insight bonus;
HPs 22.

[Saterus]

Lakaran Tolivar

Seeing the one little beast struck by lighting still standing, Lakaran asks to no one in particular, "what are these things?"

Annoyed with the nimble creature, Lakaran tries to slam the blunt end of the staff into it's neck like a spear. Hopefully the creature won't foresee the change in tactics and will be caught off guard when it expects another wild, arcing swing.

Attack: [roll0] Note: My change in tactics isn't meant to change anything rules-wise, just flavor-wise and hopefully luck-wise.
Damage: [roll1]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan wasn't very happy with his successive misses, though there was no need to risk himself to make a connection with his blade. The monkeys didn't seem to be having much luck hitting him either, so it was only a matter of time. He sticks as far away from the monkey being pelted with lighting; He didn't want anything to do with the little lightning rod.

He keeps strafing around his target, looking for an opening. He kicks some dust up off to the side with his foot, hoping the monkey follows the dust long enough to succeed in his strike.


[roll0]
[roll1]

Tristans AC is 17, 18 with his Dodge Partner[The creature he attacked]. His HP is 19.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xu is becoming extremely annoyed with the monkeys. He chatters on in his native language. The other party members are unsure whether he is screaming curses, praying for accuracy, or praying for the monkeys' spirits. He once more launches two arrows at the same monkey.

Still rapid shooting same monkey. He's my arch-nemesis.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Callos_DeTerran]

The swift change of style didn't accomplish quite what Lakaran was hoping to, missing the primate of his own accord this time rather then simply having it dodge out of his way. But it proved more then a little successful in keeping the violent creature away from him and his soft flesh as it snapped it's jaws at him once more, lines of caustic looking drool hanging from it's lower jaw.

Xuzaxa's foe proved to be more resilient and canny this time around, avoiding one arrow and having the other pop back out of it, but more alarming was when it leaped for it's prey. Jaws wide, Xuzaxa didn't prove as lucky when hook-shaped teeth sank into the membrane of his wings before he was able to beat back the smaller animal.

Again Tristan and his foes danced around each other, none of them able to land a solid hit on each other. Whither or not that was a fortunate thing or not couldn't truly be told as another lightening bolt thundered from the sky to strike one of them, this time it'd didn't remain standing and instead collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

Lakaran's change in style didn't seem to help to much. Wrong style perhaps? Just as Xu's arch-nemisis continues to frustrate him. But Monkey C has fallen to lightening. Can you keep doing that round after round? I was fairly certain that you had to wait five rounds between lightening..

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

With the monkey he was fight fried, Tristan steps back towards the group and frowns. He wasn't able to hit it very much, as little training as he had put into using his weapon, but at least he was able to spare himself any blows (however much skill it requires to dodge sick little monkey-things) Peeved as he was, he pulls out a potion bottle from his belt and pours the contents on his rapier. Spilling quite a bit all over the place, he fans his rapier around drys it out, leaving it with a peculiar blue glow.

Stepping back 20 feet and using up a potion of Magic Weapon which will last for 1 minute and provide a +1 bonus to attack.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa drops his bow and quickly comes up with his spear. Still chattering angrily, he jabs the spear at the monkey attached to him. His jab is slow, and he focuses mostly on the monkey, preparing to dodge the thing once he gets it off.

Fighting Defensively: AC=21 HP=24? I didn't see a damage listed for the monkey.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Four Action

Tears seem to fall freely from the dark man's eyes. He moves once more, closing somewhat with the phanaton and his assailant and directs a bolt to strike the misshapen creature. "Help's on its way, Xu!" he calls out to the little ranger.

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
My AC is currently 16 with my Pact Augmentation insight bonus;
HPs 22.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Time seemed to go by faster and faster as the battle progressed among you. Lakran's staff finally seemed to find the target it was looking for and knocked the savage critter away just as it was about to bite into him once more. Xu proved lucky in much the same manner as the lightening bolt cracked down against his foe, making it shake from the electrical discharge. Unfortunately his arrows swerved wide and missed his foe. Once the bright light finally faded from the phanaton's eyes he saw the simian animal laid out on the ground, smoke rising up from blackened fur. It shuddered once before it began crawling along the ground, a line of drool leaking from the corner of it's mouth as it slowly pulled itself along after the phanaton and ineffectively snapped at him.

Tristan's other little friend proved adamant in it's pursuit of him, chasing after him and ignoring any of the dangers that might come from such a reckless charge. At the last second though Tristan kicked out and caught the monkey in the face before it's sharply hooked fangs could find sensitive flesh. (Tristan gets an AoO) Evan finally shook off his fright, voice becoming high-pitched as his hands went through the motions of a spell, two bright blue darts of magical energy exploding from his hands to pound into Lakran's foe and the weakened monkey crawling after Xuzaxa which finally went limp while the other looked more feverish and wild then ever.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan gave a satisfied grin as he hits the monkey in the face. Sure, it didn't do much but knock it back, but it opened up an opportunity to strike. Of course, it should be mentioned it was the first hit since he got bit in the leg, and it felt real good to get payback.

Not one to get caught up in how absolutely wonderful it was to kick ugly, festering monkeys, he followed up during its disorientation to jab at it with his glowing weapon, taking a bit long on the withdrawal but able to get in a series of hasty pokes at the creature, hoping one might strike it's mark.


AoO
[roll0]; Rapier now counts as a magic weapon for DR
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

HP is still 18/19, AC with current Dodge Partner is 18

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa moves slowly towards the closest live monkey. He warily circles his opponent. Cautiously, he attacks the monkey with his spear. The cautious attack allows him to quickly swing back into defense against the monkey's counterattack.

OOC: Still fighting defensively. AC: 21, HP: 19(24)
[roll0]
[roll1]
Sorry for checking in late, but Xuzaxa's character sheet was lost.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Five Action

Erech directs yet another bolt of lightning down upon the creature harassing Xuzaxa, even as he moves to keep it between himself and the phanaton. "How's everyone else doin'?" he calls out to his companions.

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
My AC is currently 16 with my Pact Augmentation insight bonus;
HPs 22.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Lakran and his foe continued their deadly dance of swing and miss, eyeing each other warily as the remaining three of the spellcaster's companions finished off the other two. Xuxaza's arrow thudded into the ground beside his target, aim shaky from the bite he had taken to his wing but in the end it didn't matter. The little primate bled out on the ground as it crawled after him. With one final shudder, the horribly deformed animal went still on the ground as it's eyes glazed over...

Tristan, to his great surprise, missed the ape's opening but was able to sink the tip of his weapon into the monkey and drew a rather startled reaction from it. It shrieked with pain and writhed as Tristan hastily withdrew his weapon in surprise. Not only had he hit it, but the wound wasn't beginning to close either. Lacking his former target Erech shifted his aim over to the one that had been harassing Lakran, calling down another bolt of lightening with a loud crack that laid the little beast low...

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa quickly switches from his spear back to his bow. He takes a quick look at his battling companions. Seeing that they have everything under control, he stalks forward a little and looks for any other enemies.

OOC: [roll0]
Also, Xu had been using his spear for the past few attacks, not his bow.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Six Action

After having downed another of the creatures, Erech turns to see how the others progress in their own battles. Seeing Lakaran's situation, the binder calls down another bolt upon the creature. "You all right, Lak?" he calls out to the mage.

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
AC is currently 16 with Pact Augmentation insight bonuses;
HPs 22.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

As Tristan moved in circles with his primate counterpart, dodging, parrying and lunging, he couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't been kicked over the next tree by now. They seemed diseased, but aggressiveness or not, they did not function at all like they were sick; It should be about now they collapsed in exhaustion.

I REALLY don't like this at all...


[roll0]
[roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Lakran's foe seemed ready to leap upon him once more, fangs bared and mad eyes gleaming in what little sunlight made it through the canopy, when another crack broke the sound of battle. The lightening bolt left the monkey a burnt husk, the smell of charred meat in the air and dark smoke rising up off of the body. Erech, the maestro of the bolt, looked sadly at the deformed creature before Lakran, Evan, and Erech turned to the last of the hideous monkeys...

Xuzaxa left the last of the foes in the capable hands of his comrades as he scampered forward in search of any more foes ready to descend upon them. Peering around he finds no more deformed monkeys in the immiedete area or any other living thing either, only the torn up remains of what was once the native wild life. It would seem that as the frenzied battle in the area had begun to die out, the primates had been the last survivors. But it was something else that drew his sharp eyes, a thick column of black smoke was reaching up into the air but it was hard to distinguish how far away it was from his position on the jungle floor.

Tristan, emboldened by his new found success with his rapier proved to be a bit overconfident in his ability to hurt his enemy. Lines of drool hanging down to the ground, the monkey leaped away from the attacks, warily circling before it's madness compelled it to leap for Tristan's throat only to be batted away like a rag doll when Evan solidly thwacked it with a handy piece of wood.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius
Round Seven Action

Seeing only the creature still battling Tristan, Erech directs a bolt at it hoping to finish the creature off so the group can finally move forward. "Are they being directed, or just wantonly attacking?"

Lightning Strike Damage (Ref DC 15): [roll0]
AC is currently 16 with Pact Augmentation insight bonuses;
HPs 22.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

"They are plagued. Stalling us from cove arrival. Something is burning. Xuzaxa thinks is a ship. Deal with last one; we must hurry!"

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan takes a final stab at the monkey, stepping back quickly before Erechs' lighting bares down. "No objections here, fuzzy one.", he says, prepared to get moving to the next point if the monkey was dead or not.


Attack then 5-foot step away

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

...This worries me...its not you guys aren't good characters and whatnot...but misses and rolls like that worry me.

With Evan and Tristan keeping the small critter at bay it was simple for Erech to blast it yet another time with a bolt of lightening...And then it lay still, mouth open as if in another hungry shriek with smoke rising from it's 'cooked' flesh. Xuzaxa's news proved worrying though and with nary any hesitance all of you turn towards Kraken's Cove...except for one.

Evan stood where he had been before the attack, looking ashamed and ashamed of himself. When asked why he was waiting though he could only respond. "I can't take this anymore...not stuff like this. I'm...I'm going to go back to the boat...wait for you guys there."

With a mournful look in his eyes the wizard waves a farewell to you as he turns to trek back along the path that had lead him here in the first place. After waiting a silent moment it a nervous titter by Xuzaxa that brought all of you back to reality and your goal. Forsaking stealth, everything that could hurt you seemed to be dead, the four of you set out at a brisk jog with the phanaton as your guide.

Tristan: As you proceed towards the cove, you can feel the bite on your foot pulse painfully at the jarring pace that had been set. Despite the heat of the jungle, or rather maybe because of, your already sweating badly...

Soon all of you can see the pillar of smoke in the sky, towering ominously in an otherwise clear day. The smell of something burning wasn't too far off and through a break in the tree's ahead, you can glimpse the blood red waters of Blood Bay and Kraken's Cove. Picking up the pace, nothing a moment or two's rest wouldn't fix, you stumble out of the jungle undergrowth into the harsh glare of sun. Blinking rapidly, it's hard to make out the scene down below but when you do it's more then a little alarming.

Kraken's Cove was on fire.

In the sheltered cove below, an inferno rages atop the water. Several ships, including a two-masted caravel, a sizeable frigate, a long barge, and what might have once been a schooner are all ablaze. Further out, a three-masted caravel seems to have escaped the fire-for now. A shiny slick on the surface of the water itself burns as well, creating a wall of wood and flame. The heat rises in searing sheets, and the roar of the flaming maelstrom mixed with the crashing surf masks any other sounds that might be issuing up from below. Through periodic gaps in the smoke, however, movement on the beach is visible-something still lives in the inferno below.

Smoke could possibly fill the air at this spot with the wrong breeze, but none of you feel that worry. Instead the curious thing was that none of the ships had any noise from them, like that of a desperate crew trying to snuff out the flames or even of those who had been trapped and screaming in terror. For a pirate cove, things were awfully quiet...

A worn and old looking walkway descends down the eastern side of the Cove's walls to a small stretch of beach pressed against the rock face. It doesn't appear to have been used in a long while but the rocky protrusions of the Cove's walls offer plenty of handhold for one to keep their balance on the rickety wooden path.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

The dark-skinned binder stands agape for a long moment before snapping his mouth shut and snorting. "Well. There's somethin' ya don't see everyday, huh? Or hear. Or don't hear. Ya get the point," he says. "Down the steps, then, gents?" Erech asks with a flourish of his hand indicating the staircase.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

The phanaton looks on the scene with horror. Something was wrong. The ships should not be burning like that. He couldn't see or hear any of the crew, so he assumed that they must have already been 'dealt with.' He brings out his bow and readies an arrow. As the others head down the stairs, he gazes out over the water at the non-flaming boat, trying to make out any crew or action on board. Perhaps something out of the ordinary.

[roll0]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan grits his teeth as he runs, slipping once or twice as he runs as the pain in his leg makes it difficult to step on it. He keeps up with the two others, but only with a crooked look on his face. He wipes his brow, sweating profusely in the jungle heat. None the less, he shivers once he reaches a stop.

He looks down at the boats, striking a thought at the edge of his mind. He closes his eyes and tries to focus on it. "Hey guys, don't all of these flaming ships remind you of our Employer's siblings mode of operation? I'll put a silver to it he might have been here, but let's find out."

Curling his arms around his chest, he proceeds down with the others, curious to what they'll see once getting closer.

[Callos_DeTerran]

After a moment of hesitation deciding who'd be going first and second, that sort of thing, and in the end it was decided Tristan would go first, followed by Erech, and Xuzaxa, with Lakaran bringing up the rear after arguing with the phanaton about it. The mage seemed pale faced and a little shakey, but then again lots of people are scared of heights.

Xuzaxa:
Though you peer closely down at the only ship still intact, you find it absent of any life aboard it. No crew or anything else walks about the deck, though the ship looks well-used from your limited experience with them.

With this in mind, the four of you began to set down the rickety wooden walkway when something alarming is heard. Once Xuzaxa stepped unto the walkway as well, it began to creak ominously under the strain, and with a worried look amongst yourselves the small ranger wisely steps back unto firm ground. So instead of traveling down all at once you decide to spread out to lessen the weight at any given point. Traveling down the sea-water slicked boards prove tricky, and Lakaran almost slipped twice if it wasn't for desperate grabs and Xuzaxa's agile reaction-time.

White-tipped blood red waves crashed against the walls of the cove, the noise of the blaze on the water nearly overwhelming it...

Need Spot and Listen checks from everyone.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

As they continue along the walkway, Xuzaxa can't help but inwardly congratulate himself on his superior dexterity helping prevent falling. He remains alert as they progress along.


[roll=Listen:]1d20+8

[Erikkin]

My bad...

[roll0]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan stops and observes the waves for a few moments, pondering on their appearance. It wasn't a mystery for sure, but..

"This would make a wonderful painting, don't you think? Really, this is a classic image in the making right here."


[roll0]
[roll1]

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

The binder snickers at Tristan's comment. "I think your sense of aesthetics is a little skewed, friend! An' yes, it does remind of the Lady's brother's modus operandi," he adds quietly as he surveys the scene.

Sorry, gang! I'm around, but busy and slowly catching up to the present postings.
Baby + Holiday = No Time... :smallfrown:
'Preciate y'all's patience. :smallbiggrin:
Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Wow! How's that for Far Ends of the Spectrum?!

[Callos_DeTerran]

All three of you see the two masted flaming caravel moving farther out then it's moorings should allow, but only the phanaton can hear the snap as those very same moorings broke free to allow the ship to drift with the tide.

At first that didn't seem so bad....until one noticed the flaming ship was careening towards the very same walkway that you all were standing on. Kraken's Cove drove the flaming ship towards the rickety walkway and it suddenly become a lot more pressing to get to the bottom as the heat from the fire could be felt and the ship turned so it's starboard side was faced towards the cliff.

Balance checks are needed if your going to run...which I assume you will.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"OY! Move, mates!" Erech cries as he sprints forward, awkwardly trying to keep his balance.

Balance: [roll0]
Please gimme a good roll..... :smalleek:
Ugh. Two cookies says my next roll is an 11...

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

The phanaton immediately takes off down the walkway. "Move! Quickly speedy fastness! Runrunrun!" His eyes are wide in fear and immediately after he stops warning his companions he immediately begins chattering in his native language what seems to be a prayer to a diety called Uf.

[roll0]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Tristan gazes wide-eyed at the moving ship, not sure whether to be frightened or amused at being run down by an unmanned sea vessel while still standing. Right along with Erech and Xuzaxa, he runs for his life.


[roll0]

[Callos_DeTerran]

With the word haste given entirely new significance, the four of you quickly run as fast as the slippery walkway would allow down to the safe looking stretch of sand at the very bottom of it. Just as Erech and Tristan reached the base of the walkway, turning around to shout encouragement to their comrades still in danger of the flaming caravel, they heard a shout of dismay come from the mage Lakaran seconds before he tumbled free of the walkway.

Flailing his arms desperately, Lakaran managed to grab hold of the rocky cliff face nary five feet down from where he had fallen, but the ship was coming on fast. Xuzaxa paused in his flight to scurry back, chattering in a panic as he extended his spear down towards the human so he could grab hold and perhaps climb back up, but it went unnoticed. Lakaran was staring down at the frothing waves below with the inborn terror of someone who was confronted with one of their worst fears and never noticed the helping hand. Finally it seemed too late, Xuzaxa could feel the heat stronger then ever and when he looked up, he could see the broadside of the ship swiftly closing in. The phanaton could even see the bronze nameplate for the ship, emblazoned with the name The Slippery Eel on it before he was forced to flee. Scampering along desperately, Xu flung himself off the ramp once he had gained enough distance and spread his 'wings' wide.

Not a moment too soon either as the Eel crashed into the cliff wall with a thunderous boom and the creak of of stressed and broken timber. Lakaran couldn't be seen inside of that inferno and red hot cinders went flying in every direction. The blast of heated air that had been forced out when the ship had hit the wall sent Xu tumbling through the air, unable to right himself until he felt soft sand encompassing him...

When Tristan and Erech hurried over to see if the phanaton was okay, the only ill effects seemed to be having sand practically...well everywhere and being a little dizzy, luckily he hadn't hurt anything in his glide. Now that they were on the beach though, they could see several things much more clearly. The fifty-foot wide beach separates the burning waters of Kraken's Cove from the cliffs to the north. A ten-foot-wide cave opens at the base of the cliff to the northwest, while to the northeast several planks provide a crude bridge across a tide pool to a second, smaller cave entrance. The swaths of blood and ragged body parts strewn across the beach testify to a terrible and recent battle upon the sands here. Broken crates and bamboo cages litter the area, blood and bits of bone sprayed across bolts of silk and cracked barrels of ambergris seeping into the coarse, rocky sand. A number of mangled corpses, each stripped nearly clean of flesh and bone cracked open, lie strewn about the beach. The casualties are staggering, with a quick count putting the dead at nearly twenty. Not too far away though was the only whole ship in the entire Cove...

It was a surprisingly majestic and proud looking three-masted caravel. Her sails are decorated with a stylized wyvren; tail raised threateningly over it's back as if ready to strike at an enemy. Even it's fearsome figurehead continues this motif: a powerful wyvern with wings, crouches at the prow. This ship has seen plenty of action too; her hull marred with scrapes and dents, and a single huge claw mark rakes across starboard a scar deliberately left in place. From what you can tell from your vantage point, you can even see wyvern heads acting as the spokes for the ship's wheel.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"That was intense. Poor Lak!" he says solemnly, bowing his head a moment before looking up and out over the water, even as he makes sure the little phanaton is steady on his own feet. "And that," Erech indicates the only whole ship present, "is the best-lookin' ship I think I've ever seen. Must be the baddie's, eh?" he adds with a chuckle.

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa looks in petrified fear at the remains of the ship. The quest was dangerous, but he hadn't expected any of them to die. They needed to get this finished before the body count got any bigger. "We go! Kill the treacherous friend and family slaying evil!" Xuzaxa gabs his bow and an arrow from his quiver. He nocks the arrow to his bow and looks to the cave entrance. He pauses a second, his foot still hovering in the air and looks over at the wyvern ship. "Cave or ship? Should torch his ship too?"

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Tristan bows his head at the horrific death of Lakaran, maintaining silence for some time before turning around enthusiastically and nodding to his furry companion."Quite a good idea you have there my friend! I would normally suggest saving any valuables from such a lovely ship prior to burning, but I think Vanthus has harmed our lady enough to leave his dirty gems to the fire."

He gazes again at the ship with it's wyverns, spying back and forward across its length and gives a short whistle before hesitantly looking back at his two companions. "But... It is a very nice ship. Be a shame to burn it. No way we could commandeer the vessel, or with us three is such impossible?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

The question Tristan brought up was indeed a valuable one, and he and Erech approached the vessel with a certain degree of caution to try and determine just that. As the two drew closer to the ship they could make out the brass nameplate set into the side of the caravel, declaring the ship the Sea Wyvern by name. Unfortunately, few as they were, it'd be close to impossible to be able to realistically pilot the ship out of Kraken's Cove. Especially since it didn't appear as if the three had the skills necessary to captain or guide the ship especially well or even have the bare minimum crew to ensure everything at least could be run.

Xuzaxa approached the ship from the shadowed side, easier to try and hide if need be, and looked for a good place to start climbing aboard. His course of action was abruptly shortened when his left foot caught on something jagged in the sand and tripped him. After the surprise had faded, the phanaton hesitantly crawled back and began to dust the reddish-beige sand from his discovery. A discovery that appeared as the metallic statue of a man, though one 7 feet tall and of an exaggeratedly masculine physique. His blue-grey 'skin' occasionally sparkles through encrustations of barnacles, coral, and other oceanic growths. His head is mostly clear, though is made mainly of warped, grayed wood outlined, perhaps once artistically, with rusty metal, zig-zagging about his cranium. He is dented and crushed in spots, and several enromous, serrated teeth are still embedded here and there about him.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The head remains motionless but for a moment before slowly turning to look at the being that unearthed it with the screech of protesting metal. Slanted, predatory eyes made of polished, blood-red gems gleam in the light, one of the few bits of the creature not seeming to be dulled or encrusted.

A gravely burbling comes from its gaping mouth.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Shaking his head, Erech looks at Tristan. "What now, Captain Courageous? I don't think we can manage this beast by ourselves."

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

As soon as the thing starts moving, Xuzaxa scampers away from its burial place chattering in his language. Once he is far enough away from it, he turns and aims his bow at the giant. When he speaks, his voice is curious, but with an undertone of fear. "Smart? What happens to bury you?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The creature tries to sit up, but can only manage a partial tilt. It appears highly corroded and when it moves its jaws again brine pours forth, frothing slightly.

It manages to move one arm slightly, which holds a mighty harpoon at least as tall as the wielder that seems untouched by the elements. The edges are serrated and razor sharp, and the handle could have been polished that morning. The metallic fingers seem to be rusted into a permanent grip upon the weapon.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Tristan does not take his eyes off the construction to answer Erechs question. I... I'm not sure," he said with a bit of fear. Those eyes didn't exactly seem happy to him. "All things considered, we ought to get onto that boat immediately."

Slowly, Capitan Courageous backs away from the rusted creature, "We'll run on three, alright guys?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

*CRRRREAAKAAAATE*

The creature turns its head again to observe Tristan with a seeming attempt at alacrity. It gurps slightly less liquidly this time but still nothing but waterlogged noises come from its mouth... and the pincher of a large crab. It crawls out and scuttles along to wedge itself between some growths amongst the metallic being's back.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Turning to see what it is that Tristan is so afraid of, Erech notices the creature. "Well, what 'ave we 'ere?" he asks amiably, though he neither moves forward or retreats a step. "I may be wrong -- an' that'd be bad for us, or me, I dunno -- but 'e doesn't look like 'e's part of the pillagin' crew to me."

Callos: Do I have any ideas of what it/he might be?
Sorry for the delayed post. Busy-busy weekend!

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa retreats a few more paces back from the creature. "Does not look friendly happy. Dangerous. Where are we going? Let it help itself." The phanaton looks at the ship with hatred in his eyes.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The being allows itself to fall to the side, gallons of water spilling out onto the sand from his mouth.

"Repair!" it croaks, the voice muffled by it lying face-down. "I have special oils. Administer to me."

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan Wolfe

Catiously, Tristan looks over to Erech. "I don't suppose you'd be so kind as to administer said oils to the statue? Xu and I have your back." Out of nowhere, two silvered daggers appear in his hand, ready to be throw at the first sign of treachery.

Gah! Oil... Willing person... Why couldn't the darn thing look more feminine!? The gods must be laughing at me now...

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech hesitates a moment, contemplating the situation. With a shrug, he moves to and kneels beside the living statue. He glances back at Tristan and Xu and nods.

Turning back to face the tin man, Erech asks with a note of concern, "Where, friend, are yer oils?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The being motions in the general area of its shoulder covered in marine growths. Though the face does not allow for motion, the creature seems almost... embarrassed. As if its condition was shameful.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Erech clears the barnacles away, looking for the indicated oils.

[Callos_DeTerran]

As the metal and wood being had indicated, Erech cleared away the obstructing barnacles, mollusks, and crabs in the proper area to find a cleverly concealed compartment installed there. Upon opening it up he discovers it to be holding a fair quantity of sea-water, not to mention several vials that usually contained potions, poisons, alchemist's fire, and things of that nature. With the assumption that these were in fact the things the being meant, the man un-stoppered one of the vials and handed to the creature who began to rub it over various busted looking parts.

Xuzaxa, who had quickly turned his attention to the beach and was poking around the various rubble curiously, stopped for a moment as he heard a noise. Like that of wood or glass falling unto wet sand. Before the phanaton could investigate though the source made itself readily apparent. There where was only one of the...things, and like the monkeys in the woods the sight of it was more then a little revolting. It may have once been a man, but now its gray skin, strangly flapping arms and legs, and the vacant eyed vestigal head hanging from it's neck make it anything but. Yet perhaps worse of all is the creature's mouth, a cavernous wound in its twisted face filled with a twisting landscape of teeth, a mouth designed for one thing only-the tearing of flesh from bone. Dressed in tattered studded leather it also clutched a rusty scimitar in one hand and looked down the beach with hunger in it's black eyes.

Just after the first crawled out of the rubble, another followed after it with a line of drool hanging down from the vestigal head's maw as if eager for a new meal. A meal that, if the red tinge on the blades and teeth where any indication, would be soon after a previous one...

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan looks over at the noise being driven up from Xuzaxa's direction, dropping his daggers instantly at the sight. "Erech... Thing. We've got another one of those sickly creatures coming."

Hands free, Tristan claps them together for a moment in prayer like fashion, then draws them apart and readies his rapier for the monster.

Casting Divine Favor, +1 to attack and damage for 10 rounds. Dodge partner set to the first monster.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"Dammit!" the binder curses as he notices the newcomers. He stands and draws his rapier from his belt. "I'm just gonna blast 'em like before, Tristan, but not til they're within ten yards of me. I'll start with the back one, eh?"

Hold action until it's within 60 feet or so, then move to 30 feet distant and drop Lightning Strike on the second one.
Lightning Strike (Ref DC 15): [roll0]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The oils work magic upon the metallic fellow. Rust gives way to a vibrant sheen of metallic blue and the wood becomes richly polished mangrove. Though the sea encrustations do not appear affected the being now seems to wear them like another would a battle scar. Itstands slowly as if expecting resistance but then straightens proudly.

"OOOOOO ARGHHH WAAAAA TEEE eee eee eee!!!" it sings in a strange, warbly cry.

It then looks down at Erech and bows deeply to him.

"A debt I owe now to you." it intones when the creatures show themselves.

"What beasts be these?" it questions curiously.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"Don't worry 'bout it." Erech shrugs, but smiles at the newly risen creature. "Them? I dunno. Some sorta twisted or infected man. We ran into some monkeys with similar issues in the jungle. Whatever they are, they don't like us much," he says. "Oi. I'm Erech, that's Tristan and the little one is Xu. How're you called?" the binder indicates his companions in turn.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Sharkbait." the being says proudly, as if it were a title. It then steps forward towards the creatures and holds its spear before it.

"BEGONE! GO!" it roars and slams the handle of his spear against his chest with a metallic bong.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan shakes his head at Sharkbait. "That's not going to work friend."

Giving only silent acknowledgment back to Erech, he steps between him and the first of the monsters, preparing himself for what will be the first blow.


Final part of first round, move action.
[roll0]

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

The creatures were back. Xuzaxa looked upon the revolting creatures with anger welling up in him once more. These things threatened the life of him and his companions, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Hurriedly, he rushes back to the group, once more chattering a prayer to Uf in his native language. He stops when he is once more with the group and takes up his spear in a defensive stance.

OOC: Run back to the group then start fighting defensively.

[roll0]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Beady black eyes swerved over to follow the brown furry being as it scampered back over stand in front of his fellows with his spear held out to defend himself, and the lead creature broke into a lurching run over the sand and debris. Angled to cut off Xuzaxa, the toothy maw snapped shut a second to late to catch the fleeing morsel's foot as the chattering phanaton rejoined his companions and set himself properly for a defensive approach.

The closest of the monsterous beings broke into it's own lurching charge as Sharkbait creaked to 'his' feet. With a squeal like that of a cat being run over by a rusty wagon Sharkbait lurches his arm back and launches his harpoon with surprising force towards the charging monster. Despite the impressive power behind the throw, the agile creature side-stepped the missile as Tristan stepped in front of Erech. A crack of thunder announced the lightening bolt as the blue bolt streaked out of the sky for the second and farther away creature, who only managed to partially leap out of it's path.

Tensing, Tristan readied his weapon as the first one neared, raising it in a simple guard that was easy to defend from. Only to have the monster batter aside his rapier as if it were a small stick and tackle him to the ground. A ball of kicking and biting, the two rolled across the sand and rubble as the powerful creature struggled to force the smaller man to the ground. A line of yellow spit dangled from the vestigial head as Tristan stared eye to eye with the creature, one arm pressed against it's throat to keep it's gaping fang-filled mouth from his face. Then, to his surprise it spoke to him in gibbering common.

"Are you with him?! You'll pay for this ill work and feed me hunger!" were the only words he could make out before the creature, which he was beginning to get the horrifying clue it used to be a man, was again leaping for his throat.

Creature Two misses Xuzaxa and is blasted, though partially dodged. Creature One successfully iniate's a grapple attack and STR check on Tristan ((Rolled those for you for speed's sake))

Creature 2: -6 HP
Creature 1: No damage taken so far.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"Sharkbait! Help Tristan, please!" the binder bellows as he assesses the situation, pointing his rapier towards his grappled companion and hoping the newly restored creature was a capable warrior. With a thought, Erech directs another lightning strike down on his previous target.

Another Lightning Strike on the second one, move to keep it within 30'.
Lightning Strike (Ref DC 15): [roll0]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

With a practiced motion Sharkbait yanks hard on the rope attached to the harpoon and it sails back, smacking with a clunk against his hand.

In the same moment he bends his knees and leaps towards the struggling couple. His grip shifts to the middle of the shaft and facing directly behind the creature he comes down with the serrated point.



Attack - [roll0]
Damage (using power attack) - [roll1]

GAH! A nat 1... hope I don't take out my team mate...

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!" is about all Tristan can manage as he's dragged into the sand. There really isn't much more a man can add to the previous statement to describe to his companions exactly what he was experiencing. The drool alone hanging over his face was enough to drive him into a fit of fear (gods only know what it had eaten post-mutation), but to have such a man, if you could still call him such, directly in your face trying to rip your head off by the neck was not something that did not leave at least some noticeable shiver in the spine.

Too caught up in his own survival, Tristan barely takes account of the creatures words and completely misses any meaning they have. "Get off of me!", he shouts out as he attempts to turn the situation in his favor, unaware of the harpoon heading his way.

Opposed Grapple Check to Pin Creature #1, with a whooping +2 (+3 if you counted Divine Favor towards it).
[roll0]

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa looks helplessly at Tristan, but then diverts his attention to the next creature. As he worries about it assaulting him in the same way, he moves between it and Erech, spear still held defensively.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Xuzaxa's foe crouched low in the sand, passing it's weapon back from one hand to the other as if pondering how best to eat the phanaton. Seconds later the sharp weapon lashed out to be handily picked off by the phanaton's spear drawing a frustrated growl from the creature. Erech's lightening bolt all but sheared off one of it's arms from it's torso, and black blood spurted from the wound. As if un-phased, it switched it's weapon to the good hand and let out a pained howl.

Sharkbait had even less luck this time then it had before, burying itself into the sand inches past Tristan's and the creature's heads, drawing startled looks from them both. Twisting back to look at each other Tristan's struggles proved futile as the creature kept him pinned. A second later Tristan let out another yell as the previously limp head opened it's eyes and lunged for him. Only a reflex let Tristan bring his buckler around to bash the toothy maw away before it could find his flesh.

Creature Two misses Xuzaxa and is blasted, though partially dodged...again. Creature One keeps his grapple, but Tristan's shield saves him from a bite.

Creature 2: -12 HP
Creature 1: No damage taken so far.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

Shaking his head, the binder grins ferally. "Xu. I'm gonna give Trist a hand, try and hold it off for a bit," he growls then directs a bolt into Tristan's assailant. "Do for yourself," he mutters to himself, "for that's all you can rely on."

Lightning Strike on Tristan's buddy, move to keep it within 30'.
Lightning Strike (Ref DC 15): [roll0]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

Tristan continues to struggle, all the more in case the next harpoon might hit a target. He keeps his shield angled towards the second head, more to avoid looking at the deformity and vomiting on his foe than a true protective stance.

[roll0]

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa looks upon his opponent's face only out of pure necessity. The horrid features are revolting to him and he is sure that the abomination of nature needs to be destroyed. He does not attack; however, he remembers how ineffective his spear and bow were against the monkeys. There's little hope that his weapons would be effective against there larger beasts. The phanaton continues standing in the monster's path, focusing all his efforts on defense. Hopefully his friends will be able to defeat the creatures.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

OOC: What's the initiative?

[GimliFett]

OOC:Pretty much we post our round's actions and go from there. We actually didn't do Init, except Xu, I think.

If needed: Initiative: [roll0]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Sharkbait's eyes seem to glow with a great annoyance. Instead of going for his harpoon he clutches his hands together and brings them down upon the back of the creature with all it's strength.


Attack = [roll0]
Damage = [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

The facedown in the sand continued, the two eying each other warily as if waiting for the other to make his move and it was the creature that acted first. It's sword arm snapped out with lightening quickness at his furry little target and scored a deep bloody groove in Xuzaxa's right arm. Erech looked desperately for a moment to throw another lightening bolt at the creature atop Tristan, but the two men in the sand never gave a clear shot for the frustrated binder.

Sharkbait proved the one to give the flailing Tristan the aid he needed, bringing down those heavy hands on the transmuted man's back and making him buckle for a moment. Head whipping around to glare daggers from those beady black eye as Tristan took advantage of the distraction. Working his legs up until his feet were planted in his opponent's chest the bald man heaved and bodily threw the creature off him and away, giving Erech the perfect chance to aim another lightening bolt at the frantically scrambling being.

Tristan escapes from the grapple! Xuzaxa takes 7 points of damage from his opponent!

Creature One: -7 hp
Creature Two: -12 hp

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

"Good! You're on yer feet! I'll help Xu now!" Erech says with a nod as he turns back to the phanaton and his opponent. "I'm comin', Xu!" With a thought another bolt of lightning strikes the creature.

Lightning Strike on Xu's buddy, move to keep it within 30'.
Lightning Strike (Ref DC 15): [roll0]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Tristan

After kicking off the creature, Tristan flips his legs over his back then swings them forward to get up onto his feet, though faltering backwards a step due to the weight of his armor. He gives his rapier a flourish in his hand to returns its feeling of balance before lunging at the creature.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

OOC: *returns from a several day internet downage*

Is the creature even close to alive anymore for me to bother posting an attack?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Sharkbait rolls to the side and onto the ground to fetch its harpoon. It comes up to one knee with the brutal weapon and leans forward powerfully to spit the beastman right through.


Attack = [roll0]
Damage (with power attack) = [roll1]

[Erikkin]

Xuzaxa:

Xuzaxa grimaces in pain, but keeps his eyes focused on the monster confronting him. His spear is ready to interpose any blow the creature sends his way. "Abomination. Xuzaxa sickened by your face."