Golden Age of Sail IC

[TheBarbecueChip]

Port-au-Prince, the central hub in the wheel that is the Caribbean, a city where the buzz of the populace never quiets down, but merely changes tone. Walking through the streets a traveler is subjected to assaults upon all of their senses. The thick tropical air, heavy with the sea makes a body sticky with sweat in moments regardless of dress. It carries with it the smell of sea brine, often laced with the heady spices of fresh cooked native foods or the perfumes of courtesans and, in certain districts, other considerably less pleasant aromas.

The people and styles of clothing on display are no less varied than the smells of the city. Dutch, English, and French gentlemen and their wives, or possibly their mistresses, pass from stately carriages into opulent row houses in flashes of fine silks of many colors. Merchants and traders, often much more sensibly dressed, given the climate, hawk their wares all over the city, and any would be trade baron with the coin has teams of criers set up on every street corner. These polyglots call out eagerly in a dozen tongues directing customers to the best, most honest houses of business in all of the Caribbean.

Native and foreign day laborers toil side by side at the docks unloading cargos of manufactured goods from far away Europe and refilling those holds with tonnes of spice, sugar, silver, and all the other bounty of the Caribbean. When the sun sinks low in the sky and turns the bay of Port-au-Prince in to a sheet of beaten gold these same workers retreat to their seaside bars and taverns to drink, gamble, and brawl with each other and the sailors who are staying in port.

Those looking for work and a life at sea have to search no further than such places, for there are always tables set aside for captains seeking to add to their rosters new hands. Each captain and often their officers watch carefully for the skills they need and their contracts are as varied as the people of the city. Some sail under national colors and wage undeclared wars against their country's foemen and merchants. Others are commissioned to explore the region, mapping out trade lanes and marking suitable locations for resupply or demarcating zones of poor wind and dangerous seas.

It is just such a table, laden with food and drink, that has drawn the eyes of our would-be sailors. A wealthy captain, dressed in fine yet practical clothes, sips from a rune carved goblet. A chilly mist falls from the gold capped rim, clearly his trade has made him a wealthy man, yet the rum has not dulled his senses. Sharp blue eyes peer out from heavy black brows and his words, spoken in quick whispers to his officers and shrewd questions to his applicants, are all clear, if distinctly accented. This man sounds Spanish, yet with years of Caribbean familiarity.

His officers, while less wealthy perhaps, seem no less seasoned than he. One is large, heavily muscled with cropped blonde hair and stands in almost comical contrast to the slender woman across from him with twisted black braids. It would seem that the unanimous assent of all three is required to sign on aboard the Vensinda. Their contract offers day rates and a sum upon return to port. Their aim is to scout the Lesser Antilles.

The Vensinda is a light and fast vessel perfect for such a job. She can navigate the reefs and shallows more easily than the heavy merchant or war ships that ply the lanes and still winds hold less fear for her and her crew. However, given the size of her holds, it is likely that her captain's contract is the only source of wealth the voyage is likely to realize, unless the expedition is remarkably lucky. Thus the need for a carefully picked crew.

Ubirajara stands before the table, looking up over its edge, and the captain addresses him in Spanish translating his answers to Dutch for his blonde officer. "Aye, we have need of a good cook," the captain says raising his goblet to his lips.

The woman looks at Ubirajara, eyes sparkling, "Aye, I love native... food."

"Stem voor," the Dutchman says with a hard look at his counterpart.

The blonde man calls out to Rattlebone in English, "You! I have heard of you. We could use your talents." The captain nods to his man and the woman eyes Rattlebone closely. She addresses the big man in Dutch and he answers strongly in the affirmative. She shrugs and looks back at Rattlebone with a sly smile and a nod.

The captain smiles at Sophie and addresses her in perfect French. He even seems to be able to hold something of a conversation on the topics of science and magic, having no fear or qualms about the latter. The Dutchman seems to take some convincing but the woman takes to Sophie quite quickly.

The debate goes around the table several time in a language Ota doesn't understand, but the big man talks very clearly with his hands. He seems to be arguing in favor of the small sailor. Gradually the other two come around and give their approval. The Dutchman turns to Ota with a broad grin and a wink, gesturing for him to mark the contract.

Eldon arrives just as the three sailors are preparing to leave. The captain has already rolled up the contract and his female companion has gone to pay for their meal and drinks. The two men seem almost ready to dismiss their late applicant, but after a moment listening to him plead his case to join their crew, they nod to each other. The woman returns and eyes Eldon up and down. "I like this one," she says turning for the door. The captain unfurls the role again and lets Eldon make his mark upon it.

After signing the captain says the same thing to each of his new hands. "We sail at first light."


The docks are never really quiet or still, and not just for the creak and rock of the dozens of ships. Many a brave, foolish, or impatient captain has been known to dock in the dead of night and call for the harbor master so that he or she may begin their task of unloading and resupplying. But this morning is quieter and stiller than most as the sky begins to lighten and turn a soft pink with the rising of the sun. The some two dozen crew of the Vensinda begin quickly and precisely casting off under the booming voice of the Dutchman, while the captain stands ready at the helm and the woman crouches at the bow of a longboat, ready to tow the ship out of the harbor.

So for your first posts please go ahead and introduce your characters to the story and let me know where you are aboard the vessel. Are you up in the rigging waiting to unfurl the sails, are you in the longboat ready to heave at the oars, are you below decks stowing your personal belongings? You ultimate role aboard ship might inform your choice but it doesn't have to dictate it. The Vensinda has a large enough crew and is a small enough vessel that people can work in shifts, and even something as fairly complicated and delicate as setting off doesn't require all hands to be involved. If a part of the story seems lacking please feel free to embellish or ask for details.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie was sick when she showed up at Port-au-Prince. She had been sea sick for most of the journey from England to the Caribbean, and her insistence to read through the waves and storms certainly hadn't helped. With her legs on firm ground she was finally able to hold something down, and although the local fare was exotic to her, everything tastes good when you're starving. After a few days some of her natural color had returned, though she still felt out of place half way across the world.

She had spent the few days before the Vensinda started hiring crew mostly in the room she had rented, preparing for her meeting with the captain and officers the way one would for a job interview. Partially because that was just how she did things, partly because Sophie had no idea what she would do if she was refused. She had no money to charter a ship home, and she didn't have many practical skills that could translate to a paying job here.

She was nervous approaching the group. Her letter of recommendation was her main leverage point, but there was always the possibility the captain would simply discard it. As it turned out, her apprehension was unfounded, even comical. She was pleasantly surprised with the captain's apparent relaxed attitude to magic, and happily gave her practiced, fanciful signature. She turns away to pack her things and passes a short, truly 'sailor and explorer' looking man headed to the same table. Am I in over my head..? Sophie shakes her head. Far too late for that now.

Sophie packs her things, then unpacks and packs them better, then tries to sleep for a few hours. She paces around the room, lights a lamp and reads in bed for a bit, and eventually gets a few hours of sleep. Needless to say, she arrives at the Vensinda early. Standing on the dock, she watches the boat bob up and down, and presses her hand against the hull, deep in though. Her eyes linger on the name set into the side of the vessel. "I suppose I am," she says softly in Portuguese, seemingly to no one. The young scientist carries her things on board: a fairly normal amount of clothes and personal effects; a larger box of notes, books, and binders full of writings; a crate on hinges full of display boxes, pins, an inspection stage, and a small array of chemicals: mostly formaldehyde and other preserving agents; and less durable box filled mostly with blank books and pages and inks of a few colors.

By the time pink bands of light have started to stretch across the sky, Sophie has everything packed neatly away into the corner of her bunk space and tied down in case of rough weather. She sits on a box on the top deck watching the sunrise. She's happy to help if called out, but doesn't know what needs doing.

Based on the number of people on board, I assume we don't have our own personal spaces, beyond whatever area near our bunks we can claim? Are we all staying in basically the same cabin?

[remetagross]

Ota has been led to Port-au-Prince by a tasty rumor. He has caught wind of a certain silverware merchant, having himself heard the tale from the mouth of a resting fisherman, that has been claiming he had had an exchange with a marine surgeon, according to which a beast most resembling a dragon of yore would have been sighted near the island of Barbados - the easternmost end of the Lesser Antilles. Hm. Ota has heard a fair share of similar gossips for the past fifteen years spent crisscrossing the Caribbean, but you know, that one rumor you're too incredulous to investigate might be the one true story you come across once every six months. That's the burden of the treasure seekers and the information gatherers - and Ota likes to think of himself as being both. So there he is, the flamboyant Pygmee, strolling around the bustling city, trying to pin down the aforementioned cutlery salesman. The explorer likes this kind of place. He leisurely walks by the market, trying to find a smell reminding him of home, and buying some grains for his parrot, Ntwa. He comes across the red quarter, not shy of lustfully staring once or twice. He engages in thoughtful debates with the priests of the sea gods about the magical creatures they sometimes deign to cast down on Earth to assist their faithfuls in combat - are any dragonlike ? The small black sailor is pleased when his name is thrown around him by someone who recognized him - which happens once or twice in that big a city.


But in the end, the quest is fruitless: there was no silverware merchant at all, only a drunken port clerk that invented whatever he could to have the attention of the ale-offering Pygmee that much longer. Ah well. What to do now?...find the next rumor, of course. It is thus that Ota catches wind of a certain captain looking for crewmen in order to explore...the Lesser Antilles. Dragons, no dragons? Best than remaining motionless, at any rate, and that'll remind him of some glorious moment of his past: it was near the coast of the island chain that, fifteen years ago, the dragon broke free of its links and allowed the slaver's rebellion that saw Ota free.


Tall Tale finds himself poring over a tediously well-written sailor contract. The captain seems promisingly competent, as do his two hench(wo)men. Official mission: exploration. That suits him too. Now, to persuade the three that he suits them as well...Ah, but he isn't given the opportunity to really defend his cause. The big man, however, seems to be convinced...by my dashing personality, of course interiorly grins Ota. Ah, this is it, their approval is obtained. Ota flashes his best smile in return to the enthusiastic...German, maybe, given the language? and eagerly signs the contract.


The Following day, Ota arrives almost too late to board. His oversized trunk, much too heavy for him to heave, is carried by his Tenser's Floating Disk, generated by his talisman. Not being overly concerned, the Pygmee carefully stores his belongings near the corner that has been attributed to him, happy to begin a new adventure. Ota then lets Ntwa take flight and perch itself amongst the nooks and ropes of the ship, while he himself nonchalantly walks around the deck, being careful not to be in the path of anyone however. He sets himself in position to admire the setting off from the prow.

[Dimers]

After both have received the blessing of the trio, Rattlebone shakes Ubirajara's hand, a custom each has become familiar with in their years of contact with various Europeans. "It will be good to continue traveling with you, avaré. You're a good man. I will see you on board."

The bokor retrieves his belongings from his innkeeper's care, then walks out to a rocky area on the shore to sit and wait. In the dead of night, when the moon is obscured by clouds and no person is nearby, he goes from barely visible to invisible. He moves from stone to stone out to the ocean, then walks toward the Vensinda with water up to his calves, the waves erasing his footprints as soon as they're made. Then he quietly paddles out to the ship with his goods resting invisibly atop his head, puts his hands to the hull, and climbs up as easily as if a ladder were there. Another fine performance of my "ghost-walking", he thinks with an unseen smirk.

Rattlebone finds where other crew have stashed their personal effects and adds his to the pile, changes his clothes, and goes to the deck to nap seated at the foot of the mast. The dark circles of glass over his eyes protect the illusion of omnipotence when sailors re-board in the predawn dimness -- no one can tell his eyes are closed until their exclamations of surprise have wakened him. "Welcome and blessings, fellow crew of Rattlebone ..."

[Chimaera]

The indigenous man walks through the crowded street of Port-au Prince trying not to raise much attention to himself, which was a hard thing in the past three ports he traveled too, but not too hard in such a busy and diverse city as this one, cockade or not.

But still, the last time he stayed too long in the same place he was almost caught by those traitors from the Black Wisp. Eçaiara seems to feel that his friend is rather tense and crawl with her cold body around his right arm, popping its head out of Ubirajara's simple clothes.

The indigean gaze at its eyes and grant her a smile, "All is good", and then looking as some people granted him space to walk unhindered after seeing the snake on the man's arm he add, "Now go back to hiding before those dogs finds us. I'll find a good shade for us to rest".

He always speak to Eçaiara in his native language, Tupi.

Ubirajara's eyes waters as the sun shine bright in the sky. Saying a silent curse to the star, he find refuge in a tavern and order some food and beer. A fellow friend have tipped him about this place, seems like there will be recruiting for an exploration far from the busy Port-au Prince. A perfect way to remove himself from the wary eyes of his former pirate friends.

Once his turn comes around, he walk to the two men and the woman that will judge if he's fit to join the crew.
"Have you tasted thi tavern's special? Yes? I can cook better than that", he says as one of his advantages, "And if the exploration is on some wild land, I can lived most of my life in the wilderness so I can help with that as well", he tell the captain in Spanish.

"And Eçaiara's here can help keeping the ship rat-free", he says and pet his snake's head.

After they discuss and approve him, Ubirajara shake their hands and thanks them, leaving for the bar where he meet Rattlebone and shake his hands, "You made it too, avaré? Wonderful. I'll meet you in the ship, just need to run some errands for the kitchen".

The rest of the day is spent bargaining and buying food and cooking utensils for the voyage to come and then drinking when night comes around. He make sure to buy a couple bottles of rum, a drink he learned to drink at Alejandro's ships.

The next day, Ubirajara is grumpy due the morning light and cant wait to check the kitchen when he hear a maíra speaking to no one in Portuguese and, curious as he is, Ubirajara ask her in that same language, "And what it is?", he ask her and seeing confusion in her eyes he add, "The thing you suppose you are".

Avaré: male friend
maíra: blonde woman (usually used to describe french women).

[El'the Ellie]

"Hmm?" Sophie turns around, clearly not expecting anyone to have been listening her. "Oh, Vensinda. The ship asks a question. I suppose I am coming. It's inviting, I suppose, if nothing else."

She studies the man in front of her for a moment. "Are you a member of her crew as well? I can't imagine there are too many other reasons to be here this early."

On board the ship, Sophie walks a wide circle around the man wearing a human skull on his face. The bits of bone gave her no pause - she had seen her fair share of cadavers, all in a medical context - but the obvious sign it was meant to be did. Were they victims of people that crossed him? Conquests? Either way, this man was a proud killer, a scoundrel, and worthy of her caution. She says nothing to him, but fixes her glasses and keeps her wide eyes on him as she carries her box across the deck to the cabins.

[Chimaera]

"Ah, pardon me. I'm Ubirajara and I'll be your cook", he says and look at the ship, "Well, not yours, but Vensinda's". His pet snake pop its head out of his clothing and spy to whom its master is talking to, "And this is Eçaiara, our rat hunter. If you see her aboard dont worry as she wont attack anyone from the crew".

Deciding not to bother her any longer, he give her a nod and take his things aboard and decide to seek shelter from the cruel sun above and check his kitchen.

[Almostdead]

Walking out of the local church, Eldon feels the weight of his backpack. He arrived at Port-au-Prince few days ago, following the Archangel's direction. Though he is not really a disciple, the church here accommodated him and prepared all the things he needs in his next journey. They even gave him a couple of rare magical items.

"A ship called Vensinda." Eldon looks at the bustling city and mutters to himself. This is a name that appeared in his dream last night and he is going to find it. On his way to the port, he ceased a fight, calmed a quarrel and healed a kid. Those were things that he couldn't easily ignore, which also slowed him down. He almost missed the captain at the port. But after his speech about the importance of speech, the captain allows him to sign on the contract.

He boards the ship and puts his belongings down. It is a fine ship indeed. But he has plenty of time to appreciate it in the future. He goes back to the church to help the poor for the rest of day.



Donates 20GP to help the poor.



Next day early morning, before the sun rises, Eldon left the church and board the Vensinda. Several weird looking persons are already there. And he heard their self introduction. "Hello, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Eldon, the new crew member." He bows slightly.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie actually claps her hands together once, she is so excited to see the snake poke it's head out like a pet.

"Ooh! A Bothrops Jararaca, how exciting! I didn't realize they could be tamed! I'm curious to see how she reacts to being at sea for an extended period of time. Hello Eçaiara, I'm Sophie."

She doesn't seem to notice the fact that she properly introduced herself to the snake, and not the man.

Sophie misidentified Eçaiara, but I see no reason she would be aware of the species' existence, since it's mostly limited to a not commonly known island.

[remetagross]

Ota, not having felt complied to properly introduce himself to the rest of the crew, reacts when he hears someone introducing themselves behind him. He turns around, bends his neck and raises his eyes to meet the gaze of the newcomer - as they will invariably be head and shoulders above him - and finds himself staring at the sky. Lowering his stare, the Pygmee finds himself locking eyes with a...white Pygmee of sorts. He raises his eyebrows high and flashes a bright smile to the young man.
"Hello there, Mister...Eldon. My name is Ota "Tall Tale" Likola." The adventurer gracefully bows in return.
"I'm new as well on the ship. I guess we both got recruited as part of yesterday's recruitment wave. It's a pleasure to meet you, and a greater pleasure even to talk to someone that doesn't leave my neck sore after a couple minutes. Tell you what, you're the first person I ever meet in the Caribbeans that's both that small and not from my birthplace...care to swap stories here?"

Ota engagingly walks across the deck as he listens to Eldon, while muttering appreciatively here and there.

[Chimaera]

"Tamed?", Ubirajara ask with a little confusion as the snake move its head to inspect the french woman, "She is trained, yes. But she is wild still. Say hello, Eçaiara".

The indigean offer his hand (the one with the poisonous snake) to the woman, "Pleased to meet you, Sophie".

If she shakes his hands the snake will crawl to wrap herself on Sophie's hand and raise its head to become face to face with the scientist for a few seconds before returning to Ubiraja.

Hearing others new recruits introducing themselves, Ubirajara look at both pygmee and do as well, "So you're new to the Vensinda as well? I'm Ubirajara, the new cook. This is Eçaiara, our pest control.

[remetagross]

Raising his head for good this time, Ota reaches up to the indigenous man with the snake, and offers an outstretched hand, grinning.
"We are, dear fellow. I'm Ota Likola, our new...well...I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do here for the time being, to be honest. But that big German man assisting the captain seemed to like me for some reason. Anyway, I'm forgetting all my manners! This is Eldon, who was about to introduce himself a little more", adds a mischevious little adventurer as he moves aside and gestures to his neighbor.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie hesitates for a moment, then shakes the man's hand. She watches the snake closely: with a small push to adjust the glasses on the bridge of her nose, she peers closely, clearly remembering every last detail she can. For a moment it's uncertain whose gaze is more intense: her's or the viper's.

When Eçaiara slithers back to her master, Sophie has a fleeting look of disappointment. Nevertheless, she follows the two of them on board. Not being directly spoken to by Ota or the others, she gives their conversation an awkward breadth and attempts to pass by without a word.

[Dimers]

"Ota? Ota Likola is you?" Rattlebone takes off his dark glasses as he walks closer to the conversation. He squats down and offers his hand to the pygmy man. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Lady, gentlemen, Ota is already practically a living legend! They say he has spoken with dragons and lived to tell the tale -- some think he's turning into a dragon himself." The bokor smiles. "The legend of Rattlebone is not so grand as that, but the two of us joining forces for a venture should truly be a sight to see."

[Almostdead]

"Well, It's a pleasure to know that you feel comfortable when we talk." Eldon smiles sincerely in response to Ota. "And stories, I think I got plenty of "good" stories to share."

Then Eldon notice the snake and his master. "Hello, Ubirajara. A cook with a...poisonous snake?" He recognized its species. "You must be a very talented cook." Eldon hesitates a little but still nods to Ubirajara.

"Rattlebone, well met." Eldon looks at his dark glasses curiously. "You're a distinctive person with a distinctive name. I sure hope we can all venture in the name of goodness."

While Eldon is talking with others, he sees a female figure leaving this room. "Sophie, Is it? I overheard your introduction. I sense a special aura from your body. Perhaps we should speak more often?"


Yeah, I copied the wrong name.:smalltongue:

[TheBarbecueChip]

Below Decks

The stairs leading down from the main deck open directly onto the gun deck. A dozen heavy canons, six on a side, resting on locked rollers sit before closed gun ports. Piles of shot and barrels of powder are all stacked neatly near the canons and the various tools for loading and cleaning them are also precisely organized to facilitate efficiency in battle.

The Vensinda is not so grand as to have cabins, even for her officers. It would appear that the captain and his two lieutenants share the gunnery quarters at the stern between them, and the hands all share a forward storage hold. Net hammocks are slung haphazardly between various anchor points in the structure of the ship. Personal belongings are stashed and stowed wherever there is room.

The muted glow of the sun filtered through the wood plants of the main deck to the gun deck, but the galley is located even deeper within the bowels of the ship, at the bow. The only source of light in the cluttered room is a small port hole. The iron stove squats in one corner of the room is grated mouth giving it the appearance of a scowl. The various cabinetry and counter tops are all designed for someone of average height, but it would appear that the captain had a pair of stools purchased for Ubirajara since they stand out quite noticeably from the clutter.

A trio of chickens and goats greet the new cook, and his reptilian companion, with bleats and clucks. They are all caged on the far side of the kitchen. The chickens are obviously kept for their eggs and the goats for their milk. Beside them stands a collection of fishing poles, nets, and harpoons. The Vensinda carries some supplies be it is clear that half the job of its cook is to compliment those supplies daily.

The absolute disarray of the room lead Ubirajara to wonder under what circumstances the previous cook departed. While it would appear that there is everything needed to supply a functioning kitchen, and more, it is scattered all over the place with no though to function or efficiency.

Above Deck

As the rowers begin to pull at their oars the Vensinda turns and makes her way smoothly towards the mouth of the harbor. Even at this hour she is not the only vessel trying to make her way through the relatively narrow straight, and occasionally voices are lifted from the decks of other ships, sometimes in greeting, other times in anger. The captain stands at the helm and bellows back in whatever language comes to his ears, giving as good as he gets.

The various deckhands milling about seem friendly enough. Calls to make way or look out are made in polite tones that communicate the message even if it is not always in a language that everybody understands. Crates and barrels are still being shifted below decks as the final preparations are ended even as the ship begins its journey.

Ubirajara, or perhaps more specifically Eçaiara, gets a few second glances. Men mutter that they prefer a ship's cat to a ship's snake and wonder not to quietly if their new cook will be able to make up the difference with his skills in the galley.

A fire haired pale skinned woman pauses her work in the rigging not far above the heads of the gathering of new hands. She slips down a line to hang upside down near the gunwale and offers a piece of advice. Her Spanish is passable but it is clearly a second tongue and she has no ability at all to roll her r's, "Take care who you call German, mister, or Piet might load you into one of his cannons. He's a proud one, our Master Gunner, and several of his scar were won against the Prussians. But I'm being rude." She extends her hand and drops one leg off the line so that her body twists over and her thumb points upwards "You all and call me Roisin, mistress of the rigging." her eyes sparkle at this last flourish and you get the feeling she might be poking fun at Ota and Rattlebone's interaction.

Before anyone can actually take the offered hand the captain barks out and order and several people, Roisin included, drop to the deck and take hold of a two sets of lines. The Vensinda has cleared the harbor and the crew of the longship climb up ladders lowered over the side of the vessel. Piet, the large blonde gunnery officer takes hold of one of the ropes himself and calls out, the meaning clear, ""Ready!"

[El'the Ellie]

There's a moment of hesitation where Sophie isn't quite sure how to respond to Eldon. Special aura? What is he talking about?

Her reply trundles out haphazardly, the way it usually does when meeting new people. "Venomous."

Then, after realizing her point wasn't clear, she follows up. "Eçaiara is venomous, not poisonous. Poison will kill you if you eat it, but you can digest venom. It has to be introduced to the blood. That's why they have... you know." Sophie puts two curled index fingers on either side of her mouth and mimics a biting motion. "The fangs. To pierce the skin and inject the venom.

Um, but that's not really what you asked. This ship isn't very large as far as ships go, so us speaking will be something of an inevitability. Not to imply that I'm not looking forward to it."

She can't help but feel like she had botch that particular introduction. That's twice I've talked about the snake instead of introducing myself correctly. Am I going to do this right for even a single one of these people?

But that thought is quickly wicked away from her mind as the ship takes full sail. The view is stunning, of course, the orange and pink sunrise splattered across untold miles of open ocean. But the queasy feeling in her stomach starts to return. If Sophie's prior trip to Port-au-Prince is any indication, she'll soon be leaving her breakfast in the harbor. Anyone with a moderate amount of seaman experience can probably tell, as she puts a hand on the railing to steady herself and watches the incoming waves, trying futilely to predict each bounce and dip.

Eçaiara is the snake, Vensinda is the ship. :smallwink:

[remetagross]

Crap.

Ota bows to the woman that admonished him, feeling indeed sorry for his mistake. He calmly answers in the same language:
"Ah, well, that's duly noted. I don'thave the ear for languages, and so I mistook his speech for German. I'll make sure not to make that mistake again. And it's an honor to meet you, Mistress Roisin, aye." He adds the last word to make his sentence more pirate-like.

But the tranquil Pygmee is never down for long, and Rattlebone offers him the opportunity to gracefully bounce back. Ota vigorously shakes the offered hand, and performs an exaggerated salute, his parrot mimicking the latter gesture. He continues in Spanish:
Hey, dear Rattlebone, I can't say I'm not pleased to be given such an introduction! You know what they say, these are all of course pure rumors and affabulations. A Pygmee turning into a dragon? Preposterous!...or is it?, adds Ota in a malicious smile.
But you're diminishing your own merits. Who hasn't heard of the marvellous Rattlebone, the bokor shrouded in mystery, whose mere presence is said to bring about luck? Look, fellows!"
Raising his voice a little, Ota gestures for his neighbors to watch what is going to happen. He takes out a coin, flips it high in the air, and while the coin flies:
"Rattlebone, head or tails?"

[Dimers]

"Bird," Rattlebone responds with a sly smile. A fraction of a second after the coin lands in Ota's palm, so does a pale dove. The creature stretches its wings slowly and utters a "Coo-oo", then flaps back into the air. It's not clear just where the dove came from -- there hadn't been one in sight a minute ago.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara first trip to the kitchen was... not that bad. Everything is messed up, but one of his kitchens was a rock so he wasnt going to complain about this one specially given how dark it was inside it. No more cursing sun burning my eyes and skin.

He decide that the sooner he started to organize the kitchen the better and it seemed that once Vensinda sails things would be harder to do. Checking the living stock, Ubirajara makes sure to instruct Eçaiara not to prey on those, but the snake got the best of negotiation and was promise a few eggs from time to time.

Back from the kitchen, Ubirajara listen to people talking and just join in for the magic trick which fool him as he try to understand what happened. These small people have different kind of magic.

Since Eçaiara seemed more interested in Sophie, Ubirajara draw closer. "You dont look so good. And I guess have seen that face before... Sea sickness? Want me to brew you a tea to help things staying inside?", the cook and herbalist offer.

[remetagross]

"By the balls of Davy Jones, what was this??" Ota is half adding some for showoff purposes, and half honestly flabbergasted. And fully pleased to see Rattlebone is going to play the same game as him.
"There there Ntwa, don't get mad", as he calms his parrot down who started to cawk vigorously at the unknown bird popping out of nowhere. "It's simply our dear Rattlebone, who rattled us all a little here..."

[Dimers]

Rattlebone stops and looks more intently at the parrot. "Mmmmm, you're quite a smart creature, aren't you? Smart enough to be surprised ... A trickster like me would do well to learn from a wise bird like you." He slowly offers an untensed hand to Ntwa, murmuring the quiet sort of rrrwwk noises some contented pet birds make. "Can we be friends, Ntwa?"

Wild empathy doesn't work on Int 3+ magical beasts, but Rattlebone wouldn't suspect Ntwa is that smart. He has little familiarity with familiars.

A little later, Rattlebone looks for the other short man. "Eldon. Well met. When y--" He pauses as a thought crosses his mind. In English, he continues, "Is English your native tongue? Your accent sounds more Anglo than Castillian. Anyway. When you gave me your name earlier, you suggested we work 'in the name of goodness'. Tell me, are you a man of the cloth? Religious?" Rattlebone isn't giving any special emphasis to the Church of the Living God holy symbol he wears on a chain, but the question serves to highlight it anyway. The symbol is silver -- untarnished; it's been polished recently.

[Almostdead]

"Actually, Spanish is my mother tongue. But I met an otherworldly teacher, that changed the way I speak. Hard to believe, isn't it? You may consider this the first story I shared with you." Eldon grins and nods to both Rattlebone and Ota.

Then he looks at Rattlebone's chain."And about the second question. I have faith, but I'm not a disciple of any gods. As far as I can see, goodness is the ultimate faith of most religions in the world, except those evil cults. I pursue the same faith as theirs. So, it's fine to call me religious."

After that, he points to Rattlebone's human-skull jewelry"What about you? Do you have any stories to share?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie closes her eyes and lets out a controlled breath as the ship jostles over a wave. "No, no. ... Okay, maybe that would be wise. Thank you... what did you say your name was?"

If Ubirajara leaves, she tries to distract herself watching the others, and the distraction proves fruitful, as the man being called 'Rattlebone' seems to conjure a bird from nowhere.
Huh... Clearly magic of some kind. A prestidigitation, or some kind of illusion? Either way, perhaps there's a fellow arcanist aboard! Hopefully he's not as... barbaric as his facial decoration would suggest. She makes a mental note to discuss it with him soon. She almost said something in the moment, but as the conversation switches to boisterous laughter, religion, and stories, Sophie can't help but feel ill equipped to join in. Instead she listens and watches the others from a few paces away, but by the time Ubirajara returns she has both palms on the rail, leaning over a bit.

[Chimaera]

"Ubirajara", he says and leave Sophie and Eçaiara abovedeck and make his way back to the kitchen where he boil some water and look into his bag of herbs for some chamomile and, failing to find any, he look around and ask the spirits for some.

[Spoiler=Minor Creation]Creating a handful of chamomile.[/spoiler ]

A handful of sprouts in Ubirajara's right hand from thin air, as if they were always there. He then proceed to prepare a small cauldron of tea. If she have a weak stomach she'll probably be needing more of this later.

Once the brew is done, he serve a mug and go back abovedeck. "Here! This will help with you stomach but it isnt good for pregnants. Are you?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie looks up and accepts the mug with a grateful look. "No, that should be fine. Thank you."

She continues listening to the others discussion as she sips the tea. "You seem well versed in physiology. Moreso than most men tend to concern themselves with things like pregnancies, at any rate."

Despite the fact that it's a statement, it sounds like a question.

[remetagross]

The parrot lowers its head to examine the offered hand, intrigued. Raising his head back to Ota's ear, it then very audibly cawks to him in Spanish:
"I don't know, Boss. What do you think?"
Ota pretends to ponder for a second, before answering in an exaggeratedly serious manner:
"...I think he's fine. Go ahead!"
Ntwa then cawks back in a thoughtful tone:
"Alright, if you say so...Rattlebone, I think we can be friends."
And that being said, the parrot perches himself atop Rattlebone's extended wrist before jumping to his shoulder in a flap of wing. Ota has a hard time keeping his face level, as he is extremely pleased to have had the occasion to pull off one of their classical tricks.
"Congratulations, Rattlebone!"


Ntwa is mechanically a raven familiar, and as such has the Supernatural ability to speak one language, which is Spanish.

Leaving Ntwa to Rattlebone for as long as each of them enjoys it, the Pygmee strolls around the deck, briefly introducing himself here and there. He comes in view of Ubirajara and Sophie.
"Hello there, fellows. Would you happen to have a spare cup of tea?"

[Chimaera]

"I was not the strongest warrior in my tribe, so I trained to become a herbalist and healer", he answer her, "Cooking being a good mix of both".

When the pigmee interrupt them Ubirajara look at the man, "There should be some left in the kitchen. Are you also seasick?", he asks the man and add, "Feel free to get some once you go belowdeck".
On the deck floor, Eçaiara look hungrily towards the colored bird flying not so far from them and turn its head to Ubirajara, who frown at the snake and veto it to eat the bird. "Is that araguaci with you? My captain had one like that but it spoke only a few curses and insults".

[remetagross]

"I'm not, but thanks for the enquiry. I just like tea. As to this bird - I assume that word meant bird? -yes, it's with me. It can and will spit curses and insults, but it can do more than that. Ask it!" answers Ota with a smile.
"And I guess that's the same for this snake, isn't it? It's a travelmate of yours? I like snakes. They remind me of dragons."

Ota leaves to take the tea as the new cook has told him to, and after coming back on deck, sipping his cup while resting on the gunwale. He stretches out the hand not holding the tea to Ubirajara and Sophie.
"I'm Ota Likola. How about you fellows?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie shrugs, then takes another deep breath as the ship rocks over another wave. The tea seems to be helping, although the french woman's hand is still firmly attached to the railing of the boat for now.

"Feh, all the better for you then. Any idiot with a sword can cut his fellow man. It takes a person of bravery and mental fortitude to fix those so injured. Not to mention a brain, if you're to have any real proficiency."

She watches the bird, and Ota as he joins their conversation. "Your parrot is lovely. How did you teach it to mimic names like that?"

When he returns, she somehow answers as if he never left: a very jarring situation that might explain the confusion. "No, not really. I can see why, but much of a dragon's nature rises out of its innate connection to the Arcane and its powerful build. They remind me more of felines with scales and wings than anything, I suppose, but I've never really put them on par with any animal. I would love to see one though. Even academic texts are all hearsay and speculation."

[remetagross]

It takes Ota a few moments to process what he just heard and to complete the puzzle.
"Ah. Well, I suppose you might say that. I've had the honor to actually encounter a dragon once, fifteen years ago. In the way it wanted to free itself from all shackles...yeah, catlike I suppose. In this way. But...much more than that, too. I wish you to be given the same chance." Ota gazes into the horizon as he recalls these moments. He absentmindedly reaches up to pet Ntwa, only to realize the bird is not on his shoulder. Having felt the mental surge, the parrot gently flies up to his master, and nudges its head below the raised hand to encourage the stroke. Ota turns to Sophie again, taking the time to switch to another conversation thread. Regaining his vivacity, he eagerly explains:
"Ntwa is no ordinary parrot. It's an extension of my person, isn't it?"
"I'm his familiar", adds the colored bird with an educational tone.

[El'the Ellie]

"Did you really!" Sophie looks ecstatic. "Where? Did you speak to it? What species was it, and how large?" It's clear that she only stopped to breathe and give him time to answer. Judging by her laser focus, there won't be an end to these questions any time soon.

The small revelation that Ntwa is a familiar only serves to increase Sophie's interest. "Oh of course! I should have figured. You're a student of the arcane as well then?"

For the moment, it seems her seasickenss is gone. Perhaps it's all in the mind.

[remetagross]

Aaaah, basking in the feeling of one's own awesomeness...I'll never get tired of it. Sophie unfortunately triggers all the least savory traits of personality of Ota, who revels in being the hero of his own fabulous stories. He's got a public! An attentive one, eager to ask, who wants to know everything! The only sane response is, of course, to answer
"Now, wouldn't that be too easy to spill the beans all on the first day? And how would we occupy the long windless days, or the campfire nights then? Someday, but not today, not yet!" Ota cannot refrain but to grin smugly to both Sophie and himself. Ntwa, exasperated, nibbles at his ear angrily. But the Pygmee does not care and turns around to ostensibly take a long view at the faraway, intentionally letting Sophie marinate in her enthusiasm.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie looked crestfallen. Her life was filled with teachers, mentors, and educators. At every step, her curiosity and adherence to previously laid out teachings were consistently and predictably rewarded with answers from those she spoke to. When it wasn't, it was either for very good reason that was also explained, such as building a proper understanding before addressing a new topic, or because public answers and understanding hadn't yet reached an answer. The latter would launch her into a rigorous cycle of presenting and discarding theories. In rare cases, people would simply refuse to share what they knew on principle: Sophie was quick to write these people off as mean, secretive, liars, or otherwise unworthy of her attention.

But never, not ever, has someone simply delayed an answer, simply... why? Especially something so fascinating, dropped in front of her and pulled out of the water like bait. Behind her thin glasses, Sophie's brain works overtime. The idea that someone might wield their naturalistic account like a play or, as he said, a campfire story, simply doesn't compute to the young scientist. Instead, she stands mostly still, staring off into the distance but not really looking at anything. Her thoughts gain no traction like a spinning wheel, the way one feels when they have the same thought over again. Same thought over again. Same thought over again, and over again. Before you realize you're so lost in your head you haven't actually been thinking about anything for the last few moments.

She is so thoroughly phased out she's unaware she's been staring directly at Rattlebone's chest for quite some time.

[TheBarbecueChip]

With Piet calling the tempo, two teams of deckhand haul the longboat out of the water and secure her aboard the ship. When that task is done a high sharp whistle disrupts all conversation aboard ship and the captain's leather-lunged voice rings out calling for the crew to gather before the helm.

The captain, tall and darkly bearded stands leaning over the wheel, flanked by Piet and the raven-haired woman. The sea wind blows through the woman's hair and ruffles Piet's shirt as it tugs at the feather stuck in the captain's hat. "Come, shipmates, new and old, and be welcome." the captain calls in Spanish stepping to the rail of the aft castle. "I am Esteban María Vicencio del Ripperdá y López del Hierro, of the crimson bannerette, your humble captain." Esteban gives a deep bow, with a noticeably less than humble flourish of his hat directing attention to the small triangle of bright red silk flying atop the main. "These are my officers and longtime companions, Piet Akker, your master of arms, and Genoveva, our first mate."

Piet crosses his trunk-like arms and fixes the crowd of sailors with a look somewhere between a glare and an appraising squint. Genoveva dazzles with a smile as bight as Piet's expression is dour, but her eyes too move carefully among the collected faces. "As you all know, this is no navy vessel. There will be no floggings, no keelhaulings, no bells or whistles. However, you don't work, you don't eat. You are free to leave whenever you wish, however we have no plans to make port again until our survey is complete. You will all receive your pay at that time. If you are maimed in the course of our voyage you will be paid double.

Esteban claps his hands with a loud pop, "But enough of such talk, I mentioned food! Where is our new cook?" Of course Esteban finds Ubirajara quickly and motions him forward. "Yes, this is Ubirajara Snake, and the galley is his personal domain, he has also graciously volunteered Eçaiara to be our vermin hunter. Some of you may find that unnerving but I'm sure if you eschew scripture in this case and 'crush not her head' she will in turn 'strike not your ankle.'" Genoveva chuckles quietly, eyes on Ubirajara. Piet says something to her and she turns and answers him in his native tongue before he too lets out a belt of laughter at the captain's jest.

"Now then," Esteban continues, "I believe Piet has need of a new cannoneer or two and Genoveva will give instructions to those of you who have never sailed with us before. We have a full day ahead of us. Keep your eyes open, storms can come up sudden and strong in these waters, not to mention the dangers posed by man. We make for the southeast, and we drop anchor at sunset. Madam Roisin, a tune if you please!"

Roisin, who never came down out of the rigging, draws a small pipe from her sleeve and begins to play a surprisingly loud, jaunty melody that everyone knows about two-thirds of the crew breaks off, scrambling up lines to loose and trim sails while others tidy the deck, coiling and stowing various lines mostly. Piet and Genoveva approach the small group of remaining sailors, Rattlebone, Sophie, Ota, Eldon and three others.

Piet says something, presumably in Dutch to which one of the sailors, a lanky blonde man of middling age responds. Piet looks him up and down asking a few more questions then nods and gestures for the man to head below. He then turns back to the group and says, "What about English? I need at least two new gunners." His accent is heavy but his words are still understandable. Genoveva simply smile and tucks her hands behind her back happy to wait for the Dutchman to finish his interrogation of the new crew members.

[remetagross]

"I like him", whispers Ntwa (as much as parrots can whisper) to the ear of Ota, speaking of the captain.
"So do I", answers in a low voice the Pygmee. "This is exactly the kind of seamanship that I like. Alright, let's see what we can do to be useful".

Assembled near the Dutchman (not German, right), Ota wonders if he can be of any help at the gunnery. He looks at his miserably Str 5 feeble arms. The Pygmee speaks up to answer Piet's demand:
"Erm, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to even move around a cannonball or a big keg of powder...I don't think I can help here. Except I'm exceptionnally skilled in lighting up wicks, but I don't know that's enough to be useful at this post...your call, Mister Piet."

[Dimers]

"...I think he's fine. Go ahead!"
Ntwa then cawks back in a thoughtful tone:
"Alright, if you say so...Rattlebone, I think we can be friends."

After a moment's shock, Rattlebone snorts. Yes, the two would-be legends will make quite a scene together, no doubt. "I'm so glad, Ntwa. Your boss is a good judge of character."


Sophie is so thoroughly phased out she's unaware she's been staring directly at Rattlebone's chest for quite some time.

After a couple minutes, the bokor addresses her. "Sophie. Are you alright? You look like someone just threw your favorite puppy on a fire ... stunned and dismayed." He has a look of honest concern (with just a splash of curiosity).

Then the captain makes his big introduction and shipboard activity starts in earnest. Not yet assigned any particular task, Rattlebone soaks up the rhythm Roisin is using to orchestrate, watching sailors unconsciously falling into time. He sways and dances in place until Piet comes over.


"What about English? I need at least two new gunners."

Rattlebone replies in strange-accented English, "I know how to work the lines, officer, but I will handle whatever task you see fit to assign. Learning a new skill is never a bad idea."


Ota wonders if he can be of any help at the gunnery. He looks at his miserably Str 5 feeble arms. The Pygmee speaks up to answer Piet's demand:
"Erm, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to even move around a cannonball or a big keg of powder..."

After Piet has had the chance to respond to the pygmy, Rattlebone falls back into Spanish and says, "Aye, the cannonball might outweigh you, at that. I admit to curiosity, friend Ota. This being the sometimes suspicious and often brutal world that it is, you must have been in a fight or seven. How do you protect yourself?"

[Chimaera]

"But back in the tribe being a warrior was a big deal: the warriors fought to protect the women, elders and children. It does needed a great deal of courage and actual fortitude", he answer the maíra and after a second thought add, "It also happen I wasnt the most brave of the warriors as well".

He stop talking to listen to the captain's introduction and move closer when called, "Eçaiara may be a very venomous snake, but she wont attack anyone on board. She'll only attack if attacked so as long as you dont mess with her, she wont mess with you. She'll start knowing the crew and soon you wont even notice her". He purposedly dont tell that it will attack if he order it to.

Once the captain leave and Piet and Genoveva come to give the new sailors a tutorial, Ubirajara listen to Piet and - not understanding a word other than "English" - answers, "Me no English. Portuguese and Spanish", he makes a thumbs up, "English...", he turn the thumb down and frown.

[El'the Ellie]

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm fine." Rattlebone shakes Sophie out of her stupor with a small shake of her head.

She follows the transition to English easily enough, which is apparent by the fact that she doesn't seem confused by the situation. However her response when the master-at-arms looks at her doesn't inspire confidence. She understood the mechanics of a cannon, certainly: her father had a rather detailed manual in his study of ship mounted cannon combat. But actually doing the tamping, ramming, loading shot and cleaning? She expressed as much back in English to the man.

"Oh, you don't want me on a cannon. I'm afraid I might be terribly slow on the load like Ota. Plus I've only ever really used a quadrant and plummet for celestial movements, not for anything fast moving. Well, fast and close."

[remetagross]

Switching to Spanish as well, Ota first points to the pistol at his hip, then at his familiar.
"Good question, Rattlebone. Well, for one, this doesn't need much strength to be used. Then, Ntwa here can poke out an eye or two. And if all that fails, well, those rumors about Tall Tale Likola having dragonlike powers must come from somewhere, don't they?" He winks as he finishes the sentence.

"But what about you, though? Similarly, creating doves out of nowhere is impressive, but you must have more than that up your sleeve, don't you?"

[Dimers]

"Ntwa here can poke out an eye or two."

"Good thing we're friends now!"


"But what about you, though? Similarly, creating doves out of nowhere is impressive, but you must have more than that up your sleeve, don't you?"

"I do indeed, friend Ota; these sleeves hold a lot. But words not spoken can't be overheard -- and so I must remain a man of many mysteries." The man smiles and puts his dark glasses back on. "Though I encourage you to look at the crossbow in the crew's commons, the one of wood a bit darker than my skin. It's a weapon as deadly as it is elegant." Pride of ownership is evident in Rattlebone's voice.

[Almostdead]

Eldon nods beside Ota. "Yeah, just like what Ota has said. I'm not strong enough to be a cannoneer." He shrugs with a helpless smile in his face. "I prefer to speak, listen and communicate. The greatest victory in war is one attained without fighting. Don't you agree?"

Eldon grins. "Well, I understand the idea is over optimistic. So if I have to protect myself, I can deal damage in a short distance with a special energy. Does this count? Other than that. I have been given an artifact that can heal wounds a limited number of times per day. It's not a powerful artifact, but it's certainly useful on the sea."

"So, It's your call. I'm new to life at sea. But I'm willing to help." He looks at Piet and Genoveva.

[TheBarbecueChip]

Genoveva laughs melodiously at Ubirajara's response to Piet's questioning. Speaking in Spanish she says, "Of course you will not be one of our new gunners, dear. You will have too many other responsibilities. In fact, you will need an assistant of your own if our journeys are to go smoothly." She gestures to Ubirajara's fellow hands. "I would suggest picking someone who either knows how to cook, knows how to fish, or, barring either of those, who simply loves food." Genoveva makes a circular motion with her hand near her stomach, miming a large belly, and winks at Ubirajara.

Piet looks appraisingly at his pool of candidates, but doesn't seem particularly impressed with his choices. None of the other newcomers seem to speak Dutch or English. Finally the burly Dutchman points at Rattlebone. "I suppose you'll do. If nothing else that death's head peering out of the gunport might strike fear into any enemy gun crews. Come below. We will start with the basics."

As Piet leads his two new gunners off to learn how to clean, load, aim, and fire canons, Genoveva claps her hands and studies the remaining crew. She gives Ubirajara pick of the litter and sends them off to begin preparing the day's meal before getting down to the task of learning her new subordinates' skills and talents. Up until now the ship has been mostly running under direct orders from the captain, but Genoveva quickly integrates her evaluation process with the trimming of the sails, the charting of the course, and the general maintenance of the deck.

Sailors scramble up and down the masts, back and forth across the spars, and all over the deck to comply with Genoveva's commands. The woman assigns Sophie to check their travel against the parallels, but doesn't seem to find an immediate use for Ota or Eldon. Others are certainly faster through the rigging, stronger on the lines, and more able at the various bits of menial labor required to keep a ship functioning. Full-sized hands can just cover more deck with a stone or a mop than the smaller men. Genoveva gives a thoughtful sigh tapping her lip with a finger, "Just what am I to do with you two?"

The first day aboard ship is new and hectic for those of you not used to sailing.

Rattlebone: Please give me an intelligence check to see how well/quickly you pick up on the fundamentals of gunnery

Ubirajara: Please give me a Survival check to represent your day's catch and a Profession (Cook) check for the day's meal. Also please pick a kitchen assistant, it can be either one of your three fellow players who does not have a specific role or a generic crew member who I will flesh out for you.

Sophie: Please give me a Knowledge (Nature) check to plot the ships course. You have been given access to maps and instruments which give you a +2 circumstance bonus on this check.

Ota & Eldon: I'm kinda at a loss for where to assign you guys so your input would be appreciated. Pick a task, describe it, and roll an appropriate skill.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie nods and takes up the role without complaint: she's just happy to not be expected to fire a cannon at anyone today. She sets to her task with meticulous precision. Again, she knew the basics of tracking position from such manuals back at home. For someone already practiced in vectors and radial coordinates, tracking their progress became a breeze.

The first hour or so looked a bit goofy, as Sophie struggled to drop and pull back the chip, but it quickly became a rhythm. By noon, the mathematician had it down to a science: she dropped the chip log and let the line run through her fingers as the Vensinda pulled ahead of it, counting as the knots rolled past her thumb and middle finger. At the same time, she watched her pocket watch - a tarnished, much loved silver piece attached to her jacket by a chain - and counted out twenty-eight seconds at a time, before grabbing the line, noting the space between knots, and pulled the whole line back in. Then she scurried back to the box she had a map and few pieces of scratch paper set up on, weighted down by a compass, protractor and calipers. Every quarter hour, on the quarter hour, she would repeat this, and jot down the speed and radial coordinate from East in a meticulously ordered table with headings like Time | Actual Knots | Heading | Correction Vector.
All in all, it was probably a fair bit of overkill, but the comparatively easy calculations gave her something to think about other than the rocking of the boat. The ability to busy her mind with it did more wonders against sea sickness than Ujirabara's tea could.

The measuring was the easy part: that was the sort of thing she had been trained in for years: observation and recording. Actually conveying that to people is the hard part. A good amount of her time is spent trying to get Roisin's attention whenever they needed to correct. This was made harder by the fact that Sophie rarely actually spoke up to the busy crew woman, and when she did her tiny voice was swept away by the wind.

[Chimaera]

"Ah, I see", Ubirajara says after the woman explain what it was all about, "And I get an assistant? Hmm...".

The indigean look at the two small men and the nauseated girl. Of them all, he spent more time chatting with Sophie, but since she was already given a task he turn his attention to Ota and Eldon.

"Any of you know how to cook or fish? Nope?", he wait for an answer and sigh, "I'll pick Ota then".

Gesturing to the pygmee, he escort him to the dark kitchen, "I hope it isnt too dark for you. Here, let ne teach you the basics".

"First secret of the cooking is to learn how to use the knife and cleaver. Also, avoid working drunk on the kitchen or you may as well be nicknamed Four Fingers". He spent the next hours teaching what little he can so that Ota can aid him and that he can navigate through the kitchen without burning or slashing himself. After the kitchen tour is done, he go proceed to give him the basics of fishing and enjoy to chat and know this little fellow a little better.

"One of the weirdest thing I learned when I traveled away from my tribe was that you civilized folk dont learn soemthing so essential like how to fish and hunt. On my tribe the children learned fishing and foraging at a young age, while the olders were set to hunt. Always made me wonder what you foreign kids were taught".

Despise it not being a question, Ubirajara stay quiet waiting either for a fish to bit the bait or Ota to answer.

He spend the rest of the day setting up nets and preparing the day's catch for the crew along whatever he have to serve along. Eventually he task Ota with in delivering another mug of tea to Sophie and share what ia left with his assistant.

As for Eçaiara spent her day knowing the crew by face a d smell, which cause some people to get startled a few times as the snake crawl through the ship looking for snacks and looking at the colorful bird on board and cursing Ubirajara from vetoing her to eat it.

[remetagross]

Ota smiles helplessly to Genoveva.
"I can't do much when it comes to physical labor, but I'll give it my best."
The Pygmee is then opportunely rescued by Ubirajara, who offers him a task more suited to his abilities.
"Becoming second cook? I guess one can never know too much trades! Alright, I'm following you!" Ota happily queues the Indigen towards the kitchen. Ntwa mockingly whispers to his ear:
"Hey boss, I guess I'll get to have something better than dried nuts for lunch from now on, eh!" Ota smiles and pets him as he takes care to do as Ubirajara instructs him.
It's pretty dark down here, but we Pygmees have good eyes. That's enough light for me to work with. And yeah, I don't plan to losing a finger. I'm already only three feet tall, I don't want to get any shorter! Ha!"

Ota takes care to stash his classy clothes away before dirtying himself at work. Shirtless, he takes care to handle the fishing nets as he is told. The snakemaster and him wait for any fish to take the bait...as nothing happens for quite a while, Ota answers his fellow.
"Well, I was trained as a shipworker, actually. My people used to fish along the river and the sea shores with those little wooden boats, you know? Because I was too physically weak to be able to hunt properly. Later, I became a bard of sorts...But that's why I've never got any practical knowledge about foraging."
Ota watches with amusement as Ubirajara's snake circles and hisses around Ntwa, who carefully remains a few meters away from her.
"Even the men of my village that knew how to hunt didn't have a pet snake, though. How come?" asks Ota.

As the day passes on, Ota brings some more stomach-calming tea to Sophie, as he is instructed. He finds her busy with tools and calculations. Taking care not to put down the tea to a place where it could spill on the maps, Ota nods appreciatively.
"Special delivery for our brand new navigant! It's on the house."
He gazes at Sophie's focused visage and precise movements.
"...but it seems you've found your own remedy against sea sickness! Look at you, you don't seem ill at all!...can I steal you a sip, then?"

[Dimers]

The bokor takes off his decoration and dives into learning this skill that may prove vital some day. He finds Piet pleasingly straightforward and honest. Piet, for his part, finds Rattlebone surprisingly open to instruction, both emotionally and intellectually. He may enjoy his shock value, but Rattlebone is no individualist. After hearing a lecture, the gun crew runs through two practice shots with a cannon and two with a ballista, and when Piet leaves, the bokor is cleaning bores and applying mineral oil to fight corrosion.

[Almostdead]

"Hmm..." Eldon thinks for a moment as he watches Ota and Ubirajara walk into the kitchen. Then he looks at Genoveva with a bitter smile , "Well, I wish I could be of more help. Maybe later there will be a appropriate job for me. But for now, can I join Ubirajara's team of cooks? They have to prepare food for all of the crew members. An extra hand would surely increase their efficiency and quality of their food."

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie is roused from her concentration by the smaller man's arrival. She dries the pen on a small rag and sets it aside. Her work, even with her level of detail, didn't keep her so busy that she didn't have several minutes at a time to talk to people.

"Hmm? Oh, no, I haven't quite figured out how to deal with that yet." She doesn't seem to have arrived at the same conclusion as Ota. "Please, help yourself. I still have this.

I saw you fishing earlier: have you seen any of the indigenous ichthyes yet?"

[remetagross]

"Oh well, alright then. I'm most grateful", answers the Pygmee as he starts to drink the tea in earnest. He ponders a moment, thinking about the afternoon's fishing.
"You mean the fish, right? We've caught a couple, yes. To be honest, they all look like standard Caribbean fish to me, no particular Port-au-Prince fish, though your expert eye might say otherwise." Ota then circles around the table to stand by Sophie's side and have a clearer view of the map.

"Say, where are we heading currently? This one?" He points to the nearest of the Lesser Antilles islands.

After spending a while discussing geography, Ota returns to the kitchen - and discovers a new cook-in-second has been joining.
"Hey, hello Eldon!" Ota quickly rinses off the cup of tea and stashes it to dry.

"So you're going to be a master of the food as well? Congratulations! Here, let me show you how this is done - Ubirajara, I'm speaking under your control -" The small sailor then proceeds to repeat everything the snakemaster has been teaching him on the afternoon: where to store the tools, how to keep the kitchen clean and well organized, how to plan the menus ahead of time given what's in the larder...

[JbeJ275]

The next three days pass in a blur of anarchy that steadily approaches monotony, the food is simple fare. Fish stews are always good sailor food and these are served large and often enough to keep the hard-working crew from any complaints. The course is set well, allowing for good time and avoiding all but one very sudden period of high winds and while the Dutchman continues grumbling he's glad to see the guns will remain in good condition should they ever be needed. The ship's belly is as raucous as any you've seen before, with coin, blades and ration being lost or won in a set of card and dice games that run long into the night. For those of you unused to working on this sort of small compact vessel it's bizarre. For those who have lived it before it's almost homely.

(How do you settle in now a routine aboard the ship has been established?)

The routine changes early on the third day, when the Captain emerges at dawn just as the shifts are switching out. You were all lucky enough to avoid this night shift, and so are fresh and rested.

”Listen up now good sailors! For our mission is now to truly begin.” He calls from the forecastle, a booming voice louder than it perhaps should be.
”Soon we shall approach Granada, the southernmost Ile in our scouting mission. For a long time known to those who sail these waters, but we must scout her nonetheless as new mysteries still stand to be uncovered.” He points forwards, and those sailors near the side or still in the rigging can look to see a slight green smudge on the horizon.

”Now, one half of your number will be staying aboard the ship to ensure this beauty is free to carry us onwards along with the good Piet, while the others travel inwards to gather provisions or scout out the coast for rivers, coves and sites of great importance. Accompanied of course by myself, Esteban María Vicencio del Ripperdá y López del Hierro, your humble captain.”

He accentuates the final sentence with a grin and a flourish as Genoveva steps forward, still grinning at the sailors below. Those of you who have just come up will be travelling onto the island today, with the exception of Roisin, Olavo Lopes and Gwres Conway. The rest of you, prepare yourselves and your equipment. First boats cast off in a half hour as I reckon it. If you wish to see the islands again, I’d advise you not to be tardy.

[remetagross]

The last three days have been restful and instructive, Ota learning the trade of being a fisherman and a cook from Ubirajara's lead. On this morning, Ota, still have asleep, refrains a yawn as all the sailors are assembled to hear the captain speaking. However, his announcement wakes him up in an instant. The Pygmee throws an elbow in Eldon's side, grinning.
"Hey Eldon, the captain said half of us were to go ashore, but the crew's an odd number! Do you think us two combined count for only one man"

After which the Pygmee prepares himself for the ongoing exploration. He verifies his pistol is properly fastened and the powder is dry. He checks for his dagger one more time. He fills his waterskin with fresh water. The Pygmee then fills his Pocket with miscellaneous small trinkets he has amassed over the years, finishing by a measure of Shapesand, one of his most useful possessions. Then, looking around to ensure he is not heard, Ota murmures to himself twice, and touches his Parrot in a comforting stroke. The small man feels a surge of power course his body, and basks in the pleasant feeling. The sailor then returns on the deck, preparing to embark on the raft that will lead them all ashore.


Using Aquatic Adaptation invocation: fo 24 hours, Ota gains a 20ft swim speed, can breathe underwater, and can make his breath weapon work underwater.
Using Endure Exposure invocation on himself and on his Parrot familiar Ntwa: for 24 hours, they benefit from the effects of Endure Elements, and Ntwa is now immune to Ota's breath weapon.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara give the small man a nod and eventually correct something or another. He spend the following days trainning them to run his errands, help prepare ingredients, check the lines and net and washes dishes. By the end of the third day there was less people yelping when Eçaiara crawled too close.

The indigenous cook cant help but curse a bit in his native tongue when he's awakened at dawn. Eyeing the sun in the horizon he say one last curse before he prepare breakfast, tasking both Eldon and Ota to help out.

"Captain want to go soon, so lets be quick. Warm the milk and water, you help me prepare something for our breakfast", he says and start preparing some gruel for those go gearing up for the exploration. Once they're done eating, he gear up and fill his waterskin with water and prepare a few snacks for the go.

When time comes to get on board the boat to the island, Ubirajara whistle and wait for Eçaiara to climb him and wrap itself around his right hand. He double check his equipments and make sure to take the healer's kit along for this exploration.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie was up early, as she was every morning. Over the past few days, she was starting to handle seasickness better, though there were still a few... missed meals. Regardless, belowdecks the feeling wasn't as bad, and with a bit of concentration she could even study her spellbook. It was for that reason that she was up early sitting in the mess area, snacking on some old biscuits in the morning.

With her mind fresh with arcane studies, she packs up and heads excitedly out to explore Grenada. Her backpack is weighed down a bit with a few glass jars, a large mostly empty notebook, and what appears to be a bug catcher's net strapped to the side. She stands towards the front of the ship, eagerly watching the nearing green island...

[Almostdead]

Eldon washes the last dish in the kitchen while laughs at Ota's joke. "Ha! We're certainly more capable than one man if we combined together. And I hope the captain won't give us half-man salary because of that." He nods to Ubirajara and goes to check his package.

The church or the archangel did prepare everything he would need. "Bedroll, flint and steel, magic rations... That will come in handy." Then he picks up the dagger and wears it on his belt. "Wish I don't need to use it." Finally he walks out of cabin and joins with other crews. He makes a deep breath. This is his first adventure, he certainly hope he can meet some locals and offer his help.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone falls more easily into the shipboard routine than some fellow sailors; the Captain's crew selection seems to include more neonates than is typical. But at the same time, he holds himself somewhat apart from the older hands. The crew's quarters are too rowdy to concentrate well on the presence of the loa.

The bokor even finds someone rifling through his equipment, about to drink down the ritual rum used to draw veves. The flash of anger in his eyes scares away the sot, and he gets more space and more quiet thereafter, but he has to spend some time repairing his reputation with the sailors. The profession draws many superstitious people, and a magician can't afford to ignore superstitions. Taking the 'graveyard shift' helps earn some goodwill while also strengthening Rattlebone's occult reputation. How can he do his work so quickly in almost complete darkness? ...

Sophie and Rattlebone cross paths around dawn a couple days, when she's starting her day and he's ending his. When the captain makes his announcement, though, the bokor is fresh up from a nap, taken off the night shift by Genoveva. He finds himself eager to leave the Vensinda for a while. Preparing his luggage at the same time as Eldon and Ota, he addresses the 'pair of deuces', as some sailors have started calling them. "You'll be going to shore? Hah, I think they're pushing off their problems for a while -- the creepy man, the two dwarfs who don't know ships; I would bet gold to your silver that Ubirajara is coming too. I hope so. He's an honorable and smart man, and he knows plants better than most." Rattlebone hefts his pack. "Come to think of it, that scholar woman, Sophie, I'm sure won't miss a chance to stare at the plants and animals. A good thing, too. They won't leave us behind while she's ashore -- wouldn't want to leave without the navigator!"

[remetagross]

Ota grins back at Rattlebone.
"I don't have any silver, but I'll take your gold all the same! All the more if we're paid half the wage", winking to Eldon. Ota indicates to Rattlebone as Sophie comes atop the main deck, burdened with all her observation tools, and Ubirajara pets his snake that has coiled around his arm.
"Which one of us you think will embarrass himself first when we leave the ship? I'm hesitating between one of us two needing a stool to hop off the rowboat, or Sophie gracefully bringing the fish of this morning's breakfast back to the sea on the way to the coast..." the Pygmee poiting first at both himself and Eldon and then their navigator.

Ota closes in towards Sophie a little.
"I hope you take no offense from the joke, tell me if that's the case. You know, at some point you'll get used to seasickness, while I'll never stop being four feet tall. So while your joke opportunities are endless, I enjoy mine while they last!" On his shoulder, Ntwa facepalms.

More serious, Ota thinks about what the tales say about the island of Granada. He raises his hand to attract the attention of the captain.
"Captain, if I may?" Once granted the authorisation to talk, he explains to the crew going to the shore:
"I recall that the place was tentatively colonised several times, but the natives thwarted all attempts, until a French squad came in and butchered them all. The French didn"t carry on the colonization, though, and the place's occupied again by some scrappy Caribs...so pay attention, all, the place's not uninhabited."

[JbeJ275]

Ah, thank you Tall Tale but do not worry. By all accounts the French drove off the Caribs some time ago. Some may have travelled here from other islands since but they stick to the interior and have rightly learned to fear our guns and steel. Any account of them striking down more recent arrivals is nothing more than a ghost story. Now get set to packing, the sooner we’re there the sooner we’re gone and the less worrying you must do about the old tribes.

Discussions continue on as near half the sailors fall down into the hammocks and other bunks hoping to rest with many more clamouring to get their kit ready, or else to be the first in line for breakfast. A small group stay on the rigging for a few more minutes as you draw ever closer to the verdant island and within thirty minutes the anchor has been cast and the ship stops. The longboats are lowered down slowly into the water and begin being loaded with crew, nets and those barrels or water skins that have been emptied so far.

The small craft take several trips to unload the full complement onto the beautiful white beach, looking ahead there is a stretch of rocky land with only short coarse grasses and behind that a huge expanse of jungle that seems to reach up over the islands volcanic peak. Clear blue waters fill the shallow bay you emerged from and no clear sign of previous human habitation can be observed.

The Captain takes charge of many sailors and sets them to unload the equipment off the boats while Genoveva organises all the rest into groups of two or three, the kitchen crew are swiftly put into one group and a lack on enthusiasm to work with either the academic or the Pygmy leads to them being set as a pair.

With that Genoveva approaches and lays out the two sites they need extra hands at, either group can go to either place or both groups may choose the same.
”The first site we must see to is the heights to the west, that the French called the Tour de la mer. It would make a good watchtower. It’s said the natives lived there once, so there must be wood, game and water. The other is Grand Anse beach, a section of marshland and beach that could prove a lovely landing site and is rich in crabs, birds and fresh water to replenish our own stocks.

So where does each group go?

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara is quiet during the short sailing to the unknown island, doing his best to avoid the sunlight and get a little bit more rest before they land.

He listen to the captain and nods, "So we explore and headback in an hour, right?".

Upon confirmation, Ubirajara gather the cooking team and, seeing Rattlebone and Sophie not being picked, waves to the navigator and cannoneer.

"Maybe we can tag along: if we are to have crabs for dinner we better have as much hands as needed". Truth be told, he wanted as much numbers as he could, being the coward he is. Also the small helpers probably wont be able to gather much crabs before their weight slowed them down and Ubirajara wasnt exactly fond of hard work.

Grand Anse Beach

As if trying to convince the other group to tag along, the indigean look at Sophie, "Maybe you can even draw some crabs there".

[Dimers]

Considering Ubirajara's proposal, Rattlebone gazes uphill to the west with a studiedly stoic expression. He grasps his Living God symbol and murmurs for a short time in an unfamiliar African-sounding language.

"I'll return to the mountains some day, but I don't think this day is the one. I'll go with you folk to Grand Anse. A moment while I prepare. Caribs there may not be, but territorial beasts or unknown pirates ..." He takes a crossbow from his personal supplies -- a beautiful ebon mechanism with a wicked blade secured to the front. It issues a quiet creak as he pulls back and locks the string without emplacing a bolt. After resettling his gear, he indicates he's ready to leave. "Ladies first. Dragons, cooks and charmers too. If danger should approach from ahead, I'll shoot over your shoulder; if from behind, may my rattling bones get stuck in its craw."

Some of the sailors give Rattlebone strange and wary looks, his caution seeming out of place for a bright day on a lusciously green island. One shakes herself and glances toward the group already heading west.

[Almostdead]

Hearing Ubirajara's plan, Eldon hesitates a second. He would rather go to find the natives, or what was left of them. But he is part of the kitchen crew now, and cooperation is important in this place. So he nods to Ubirajara and picks up some equipment. "Crabs and birds. Got any thoughts on this two?"

Then he hears Rattlebone's guarantee. "Well, locals must know something about this island that we don't. It will be better if we talk to them first. Besides, you have to shoot over many shoulders to hit the front target. I'm going to count your word for it." Eldon gesticulates a flying arrow and shrugs.

And he remembers the famous "Tall tale".
"So, Ota. You're an experienced adventurer. Have you ever met any pirates?"

[remetagross]

"I don't particularly care one way or the other," answers cheerfully Ota to his cook. He gives a small wink to the indigean, and picks up a pebble to skip it in the sea. His attention is then caught by Rattlebone mumbling in some strange dialect.

"Uh? What was that, mate? Doesn't seem like a European language...where did that come from?" As Rattlebone only answers with a mysterious smile, Ota smiles in return.
"Alright, alright. Fair enough. I guess I owed you one for your introduction about my dragon abilities, the other day :smallamused:".

"And, mate, why so serious? There's not a hint of danger ahead, is there? We're not at war with anyone here, it's juste a peaceful exploration mission, right?" That obtains some relieved nods from the sailors that were estranged by Rattlebone's somewhat sinister behaviour. Ota nonchalantly marches along with the group heading towards the marsh, while Ntwa enjoys the opportunity to roost in the forest.

The Pygmee starts to chatter with the exalted sailor.
"Well, have I ever met pirates? Certainly. I used to be one, from time to time. I mean, technically, when we overthrew that French slaver crew back then, we became pirates with regard to the French kingdom, so that's that,", chuckles Tall Tale. "It happened once or twice I had the opportunity to investigate a rumor in a particularly pirate-friendly hideout, and you know, when in Rome do as the Romans do. And that got me the chance to see a fair share of pirates up close too. The thing is, I never got in a full-on pirate board attack, and maybe that was your question." Ota drinks a sip from his waterskin, as speaking a lot parches out his throat.
"What about you, though? Any encounter with a scourge of the seas or three?" Ota is pleased, this is exactly the kind of discussion he enjoys most. He listens to Eldon's tale with enthusiasm.

[Dimers]

"And, mate, why so serious? There's not a hint of danger ahead, is there? We're not at war with anyone here, it's juste a peaceful exploration mission, right?"

"That's possible, friend Ota," Rattlebone replies. "But peace is easier to keep when the warlike can count your cannons." His posture does ease somewhat thanks to the Pygmee subtly pointing out the effect he had on the other sailors.

"Why so serious, Batman?" :smalltongue:

[JbeJ275]

Genoveva sternly reminds you to be back within eight hours, and to bring full waterskins back with you if there’s. She then heads over to another group and gets to work organising them.

Soon after you head off and a short trek through the jungle later you arrive at a mangrove lagoon, thick roots plunging into the murky salty water. Muddy banks either side of the main lagoon are covered in small shellfish and birds looking for food buried in the sands, most of the larger crabs live in amongst the root bundles of these trees.

Slightly inland there is a clear stream that feeds the lagoon with fresh water. It flows down from an overgrown slope with a few rocky outcrops emerging beyond it, all covered in heavy vegetation. You can see many insects flit through this stretch of jungle but no larger animals are readily apparent.

[remetagross]

"Aaah, there we go!" Ota happily exclaims at the lovely sight before his eyes. "Alright boss," he says to Ubirajara, "so my job is all about catching some crabs, right? Let's get to work."

Ota reaches the sandy shore, and looks for the crabs scuttling through the roots. He does his best to catch them before they disappear, and to store them in his fishing net as best as he can. The small Pygmee asks one of the crewmen to help him maneuver the rather heavy - for Ota, at least - fishnet.

Untrained Survival check to catch the crabs: [roll0]

[Chimaera]

"Eight hours?", he confirm with Genoveva before taking a look at the sky and cursing. The sun will be high before they're done. With a sigh, he take his crew to catch some crabs, but seems unusually moody today. Maybe it was the pirate talk or maybe it was the curse bestowed upon him.

He's dazzled for as long as he remains in bright light.

@DM: Since Ubirajara is duergar, I've talked to the ither DM to roleplay it as being a curse he reveived from his crimes back in his tribe - which also inckuded the exile on Snake's Island

Once they reach the beach, he whisper something to Eçaiara and the snake almost seem to nod back to him.

"Alright guys, let me.guide through this crab hunt...", he says and start to give them direction and a quick tutorial on catching those pincer-happy, murk water dwellers. He demonstrated a couple of times before letting them try their luck. While the rest is busy hunting, he walk a close perimeter, looking for signs wild beasts or other humanoids, as well as foraging for crab, herbs (specially poisonous ones), fresh water and remarkable land sites that could be useful for the Vensinda's crew.

Ubirajara plan on trekking around the party looking for game and danger. He'll cast Detect Poison once away from hearing but wont go far enough for the others to lose sight of him. Ecaiara will help him looking for tracks and acenting the presence of any animals.

[El'the Ellie]

With the go ahead from Genoveva, Sophie eagerly hurries towards the lagoon. It's beautiful, certainly: the unspoiled nature of the Caribbean lagoon. But Sophie is a scientist! Beauty is secondary to understanding.

She takes her time picking through the lagoon, looking closely at the wildlife that roams the area. She spends her time gathering a few snails and other small specimens in her glass jars, doing her best to turn the jar into a microcosm of the place she found them. She's far from quiet: anyone that draws to close to her she sucks into a vortex of conversation about what she's seeing.

"Rattlebone, look!" She excitedly holds up a fairly large gecko that is clinging to her hand. "Haha, a turnip-tail! I've only seen reports of them in the Americas! I wonder how they got to this island. Do you think they can swim all that distance..?"
---
She walks across the rocks and helps Ota, a bit, with the net. "Ooh, Coral Crabs! Usually they don't come up this far onto shore, but it makes sense they're in the area. Do you think some storm washed them up recently?"
---
"Ujirabara, stop!" It's the most forceful Sophie's seemed since boarding the Vensinda. She scurries over to him and crouches down next to a brownish looking frog. "God, he could have hopped right under your foot. Hello... I've never seen you before. What a lovely solid brown... large toe discs..." She flips him over, much to the frog's chagrin. "Are you a Pristimantis of some kind..." She starts coaxing it into her jar.

[remetagross]

Ota, guided bu Ubirajara'x expert hand, is quick to retrive the crustaceans. He is slowly moving his hand towards an unsuspecting crab so as not to startle it away, knee deep in the murky water, when Sophie arrives and makes an excited comment. The animal is quick to escape behind a gnarly root. Ota, half-smiling, turns to answer Sophie before seeing she has already stormed away, asking new questions to their cook. That gets him to smile even more.
"Alright, alright. Let's take a break here." Tall Tale asks his sailor partner if he can carry on without him for a few moments, and joins Sophie as she is busy capturing an exotic-looking toad.

"Impressionnant. I have to admire your enthusiasm," says Ota in a fluent French. "They say you can never know too much things. Show me some, if you will, and then give me a hand again for the crabs?" Ota then follows Sophie around as she exposes him the wonders of nature around them, trying to commit the maximum to memory.

[Dimers]

"Rattlebone, look!" She excitedly holds up a fairly large gecko that is clinging to her hand. "Haha, a turnip-tail! I've only seen reports of them in the Americas! I wonder how they got to this island. Do you think they can swim all that distance..?"

"It holds on tight, eh? Maybe it caught a ride on a pelican. Or an early French ship." He seems bemused but interested, lacking familiarity with the methods and goals of science.

Rattlebone watches for a while as the more experienced people draw and bag crustaceans. He can't really get the concept, though, and when he offers to help he causes about as much trouble as he saves, including knocking heads with another worker. Even with the waves, wind and wildlife making noise, a "KLOK!" is audible several paces away. A few minutes later, predator becomes prey when something under the water nips his foot hard enough to draw blood. With ill grace he decides to sit the rest out.

[Chimaera]

"Ah, a little one", he suspend his step and wait for Sophie to pick it, "Just be cautious: some froga are poisonous and touching then with your barehands might be deadly", he says and focuses on the frog, "Not this one though".

Ubirajara mood seems to have improved a little bit as the indigean work to catch the crabs and even get a chuckle a few times as Rattlebone is attacked by a few crabs.

"Maybe you can fill the waterskins since water dont bite?", he suggest to the odd character.

[Almostdead]

Eldon follows Ubirajara's instruction and somehow masters crab hunting pretty quick. His movement is fast and accurate despite the water reflection."Ha, this is easier than I thought. I always feels the connection between me and the ocean." He thinks for a moment and goes back to crab hunting.

With Sophie running around and collecting staffs, Eldon has to stop his work for a while. "Hey, Sophie. Just out of curiosity. What are you going to do with these creatures? I mean, they won't live long in jars right?"

Then he hears Ubirajara's suggestion. He walks towards Rattlebone, "Are you all right, Rattlebone? Do you need healing? If you're fine. Maybe we can go get some water for the ship crew."

[JbeJ275]

As you all wade amongst the Lagoon you take in a good haul of crab and a few crayfish, filling up a large net. Ubirajara’s search goes quite well, he spies a manchineel tree some way further along the coast. Sophie spies many small creatures she has a varying familiarity with, Rattkebone is having less fun but overall all remains peaceful.

That is until Eldon wades up the Lagoon, intending to fetch the fresh water. One moment he’s slipping past what looks like a simple dead log floating in the water. The next, the flat water has erupted and a huge shout filled with uncountable teeth reaches towards him. A black scaly crocodile.

Crocodile Attack (Eldon is flat-footed) [roll0] for [roll1]

Grapple Check: Crocodile: [roll2] Eldon: [roll3]

Iniative:
Uribaja: [roll4]
Rattlebone: [roll5]
Sophie: [roll6]
Ota : [roll7]
Eldon: [roll8]
Crocodile: [roll9]

(Everyone else is 40ft away from this point, if Rattlebone came with Eldon he will instead be 10ft away)

The crocodile goes to strike the simple sailor only to veer off course and bite down on air, Eldon is saved seemingly by the whims of fate.

[remetagross]

"What the...Wow, watch out Eldon!" Alerted by the noise of the reptile, Ota, who was kneeling and observing a flower Sophie was pointing him, jumps on his feet and rushes to the scene of the fight. Ntwa, panicked, flees to perch in a high branch, far away from the crocodile's reach.


Ota scuttles along on his little legs as soon as they allow him to. He reaches the edge of the bog, where he has a clear sight to the crocodile apart from the anguished Eldon.
"Eldon, don't move yet!"
Concentrating, the small sailor takes his aim...rears his head back to take a deep breath...and opens his mouth to unleash a white-hot lightning bolt, that sizzles through the air with a deafening clap of thunder. The arc of energy imprints upon everyone's retina for a few dazzling moments, and even though it has only lasted a split second before vanishing in the air, its imprinted image persists long enough for those who pay attention to figure out the bolt's trajectory. In a jagged line from Ota's mouth through the crocodile's scaly silhouette, to a dead tree behind in which the bolt dissipates. All the while missing Eldon's skin by a matter of inches.



Move action: move 15ft towards the crocodile so as to have a clear shot on it without striking Eldon as well.
Standard action: breath weapon with the Lightning Breath effect applied: the breath weapon is turned into a 30ft long electricity line. Reflex save DC 15 for half, damage: [roll0]

[Almostdead]

"¡Maldición!" Eldon has no time to react when the log suddenly attacks him. It could be the moment of life or death. But with the Archangel's blessing, the creature misses its attack by merely few mils.
With Eldon's limited knowledge, he still manages to recognize the crocodile. And since he has no way to communicate with it, he has to fight for his survival.
"Guys! Stay away from the crocodile! It will try to pin you down with its bite. HOPS!"
He activates one of his artifact and teleport back to the shore. Then he makes a few gestures and points it to the crocodile.


Swift Action: activate anklet of translocation to teleport 10ft away to the shore.

Standard Action: shoot eldritch blast at the crocodile.
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

Move Action: Move 20ft towards the other crews.


A string of black fire appears from his palm and strikes the crocodile. Without assessing the damage, Eldon turns around and run towards his crews.

[Chimaera]

And he just told the water didnt bite. The indinegean is quick to react and get his bow but not before both little guys show their european magic.

Too late to peacefully cower the crocodile and avoid a combat. At least they would have some exotic meat for dinner.

Moving to get a clear shot, he aim the bow and once more complain about the sun burning his sight. He let out a single shot at the water predator.

[roll0] dmg [roll1]

He's using normal arrows (not interested in poisoning the dinner tonight). Added bonus from PBS and penalty from being dazzled.

[JbeJ275]

The crocodile’s reptilian eyes go wide as it misses what it thought was easy prey. Shudders in pain as magic and arrows alike shudder into it’s scaly flank. It bursts back into the deep parts of the water and swims swiftly 15ft upstream out of the lagoon and up into the freshwater stream.

(Still in initiative, but unless you want to hunt the crocodile down no other enemies are apparent.)

[Chimaera]

The indingean knows that its the way of Nature to both be predator and prey and thus give the fleeing crocodile no respite: his mood was still sour despise the friendly and peaceful morning and he already had planned a few good dinners with it as the main course that he could use to impress his new captain.

"Dont let it escape! It's our dinner!", the cook shout as he follow the beast and send another arrow flying into the water toward the crocodile.

According to the underwater combat rules, ranged attacks take -2 for every 5ft of water they cross.

Attack: [roll0] dmg [roll1]

The rolls are counting PBS but if Ubirajara can move to get into 30ft of it, reduce his attack and damage by -1.
Reduce it by -2 for every 5ft as the situation is.

[El'the Ellie]

The sound of crackling electricity causes Sophie to jump up from what she was doing. She is startled at all the action going on. "What? Are we hunting now? Ooh, look at that black coloration! Wonderful!"

She has a happy smile on her face as she watches the crocodile swim away. "This place is positively teeming with critters!"

She makes no moves to attack the crocodile. In fact, if there was a fight going on at all, she doesn't seem to be any the wiser.

[remetagross]

"Is it, boss? Ok, got it!" Ota is a little surprised to hear there's to be crocodile stew at the menu of the sailors tonight, but as long as there's no Eldon stew at the menu of the crocodile...relieved to see Eldon out of danger, the Pygmee moves closer to keep the fleeing reptile within range of his power, and once again unleashes a streak of lightning that goes striking the beast in the river.



Move action: get 15ft closer to the croc to keep it within 30ft range.
Standard action: electricity line, Ref DC 15 for half. [roll0].

[Almostdead]

Eldon looks back, the crocodile is under fierce attacks by the kitchen crew. It has been hit hard and now tries to escape. He is not interested in crocodile cuisine. But it is probably better to clear out this threat for future water fetching. So he raises his hand again and activate his gloves. "ENTROPY!"


Swift Action: activate gloves of eldritch admixture to spend 1 charge.

Standard Action: shoot eldritch blast (ranged touch attack) at the crocodile.
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

(not sure about the underwater battle penalty, please deduct it for me. :smalltongue:)

[Dimers]

Momentarily flummoxed, Rattlebone recovers quickly enough to snap off a shot with that crossbow he's been bragging about. "The wildlife tries to make dinner of me, seems fair enough ... and the hide should be valuable, too."

I can probably get multiple shots in before facing range penalties, one per round. Here's a few for the first 240' of range and/or any crit confirmation needed, threatening on a 19 or 20.
[roll0] to hit, [roll1] damage
[roll2] to hit, [roll3] damage
[roll4] to hit, [roll5] damage
[roll6] to hit, [roll7] damage
[roll8] to hit, [roll9] damage
[roll10] to hit, [roll11] damage

While placing another bolt on the stock, Rattlebone says, "Ota, that was astonishing. I'll have to ask you ..." TWANG!! "... more about those dragon stories. The truth seems more vivid than the tales I've heard!"

[JbeJ275]

The crocodile puts on a burst of speed, making it out of sight and around the corner within a few seconds. Still Rattlebone fires a few arcing shots after it. You don’t see anything, but a few seconds later the corpse of the beast drifts round the bend and back into sight.

(Everybody gains 150 XP)

[remetagross]

"Boss, the dinner is here!" yells Ota to Ubirajara. He jogs to the corpse and pokes it with a stick to ensure the beast is truly dead. The crocodile, both shot through with mundane and magical bolts, is a sore sight.

Ota checks his clothes are all alright, and washes off the sweat from his brow. A relieved Ntwa comes back perching on his shoulder. Ota walks up to Rattlebone and Sophie, grinning.
"They don't call me Tall Tale for nothing, do they? The truth is even taller! What you've seen here is more or less what I witnessed on the day the dragon broke free, aboard the slaver's ship that was carrying me to be sold off in Europe. Dragons have a way of leaving a profound imprint on you, you see...what you guys witnessed here was a manifestation of that imprint, if you want...perhaps you'll get the opportunity to see more of it later!". The mischevious Pygmee winks at both of them. He has made sure all the other sailors have heard as well.
"Sophie, here was the first part of the story I have refused to deliver on our first day on board! I hope you agree it was worth waiting a little for it!"

The little sailor then goes on to check on Eldon.
"Are you alright? By the arse of Davy Jones, its jaws got so close! I was really scared we'd lose you there...though it turns out you know quite well how to defend yourself. What about those blasts you just produced earlier?" Ota squints to see right into Eldon's forthright eyes. He takes a serious, secretive tone.
"You've seen one too?"

[Dimers]

The little sailor then goes on to check on Eldon.
"Are you alright? By the arse of Davy Jones, its jaws got so close! I was really scared we'd lose you there..."

"I told you before, I'm good luck to have around." Rattlebone is wearing that smile again. He starts stripping off his light jacket -- a French design, it looks like, with bronze buttons -- and says, "I'll make a litter to haul the beastie back, if one or two of you gentlemen will donate a shirt."

[Almostdead]

“Well, I’m fine. That was really close.” Eldon swallows when he thinks of it. “If the crocodile bit me, I would be as good as dead. This could be divine intervention, you know?” He looks at sky and thinks for a moment.
Hearing Ota's mysterious tone. He lowers his head at looks at Ota..“Seen one? No, sorry. I've never seen a dragon before. But judging by the power you showed. We’re similar in approach but different in source. Remember that I mentioned an otherworldly mentor before? I don’t think it is what you’re looking for.” He shakes his head regretfully.

"Anyway. I learnt a lesson today. Water does bite, sometimes." Eldon shrugs and takes off his cloth shirt. He hands it to Rattlebone. "Is it good enough for a crocodile?"

[Chimaera]

The indigean put his bow back to his shoulders and ran to check on his staff, "I wasnt really thinking that when I told you water dont bite. Are you hurt?", he give the small Eldon a quick look before stoping Eldon, "Let me give the shirt myself: I never understood why you civilized guys walk dressed anyway. Way diferent back in my tribe where people would paint themselves and only use ceremonial clothes during rituals".

The snakemaster remove his shirt and give to Ota, revealing a slim and scarred torso and back, "What you plan to do with it anyway?"

With the sun burning in his back, he take a look at the water and look out for more crocodiles or aumilar predators, "I think we already found enough crabs and the crocodile was an interesting boon of nature for us. Let's fill the waterskins and start to get ready to return to the ship. I'll give ine last look around to see if I can find ant fruitbearing tree or any herb that could be useful for our travels".

Not sure how long we got before time is over and how far the ship is.

If the water seems free of more crocodiles, he'll task the others to either fish those waters or fill the waterskins while he take another look around the area searching for herbs and fruits.

"You know about the nature world, right?", he direct his attention to Sophie, "Maybe you can help me herbpicking or you could draw the area. That why you took the notes with you, right?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie watches with a interest as the others make quick work of the crocodile. She can't hide her fascination with Ota's breath, nor does she try to.

"I just have more questions now! Was that purely magical, or have you grown some sort of galvanic organ? For that matter, how did you not expose your own body to the path of lightening? Did the dragon do the same? That is, emit electrical charges from its maw?"

Ujirabara saves Ota from the endless stream by asking her to be useful, however. "Oh... sure! But no, these are biological notes," she turns the book towards Ujirabara, showing a few anatomical-looking lizard sketches. "I think the best way to handle charting the island might be to start from the boat and circumnavigate. But I can help looking for edible foods and potable water."

Survival check? [roll0]

[remetagross]

Eyes still locked with Eldon's, Ota feels a surge of the same disappointment.
"Ah...I see. We're both imprinted souls, but not because of the same source. I still respect that kind of marked spirit. You've witnessed something greater than yourself too."
Ntwa gently nibbles at his master's ear to comfort him. For a moment they had thought they had found a kindred dragon seeker.

Lost in thought, Ota resumes his waterskin-filling process, at Ubirajara's urging. All the while, he organizes his thoughts to answer Sophie's multiple enquiries. Were he in a more light-hearted mood, he would find her ever-increasing enthusiasm endearing. Handing over an empty waterskin to another sailor for a moment, Ota swipes the sweat from his brow before answering the scientist.
"Hmm. Tell you what Sophie, I've never once thought about that for the past fifteen years. I actually have no idea of the inner workings of my powers! I just sort of received the gift, not asking any questions about the specifics...Come to think of it, that applies to Eldon's powers as well!" Ota adds with more enthusiasm as his mental cogs start stirring.
"And no, it was breathing acid, not lightning. But hey! I'd be glad to investigate that with you, Sophie!" Ota finishes with renewed motivation and a smile, resuming work at that.

[JbeJ275]

You eventually return to the launching beach well laden, taking in nets of crab and full waterskins as well as pouches of herbs and your full crocodile. You’re among the earlier groups to return and many are impressed with your bounty. Others return with different foods, baskets of small pomegranate-like fruits and several flanks of lizard flesh. More still were chosen to journey to the most distant parts of the island and only recorded the presence, rough location and potential utility of certain features.

As the captain’s group return you all re-embark the ship. The island is rounded once in the last good daylight to allow you to better place the scouted locations, then you continue northwards. Onwards into the knight.

Stories are shared aboard the ship about your expierience on the island and the sailing is fairly straightforward giving you enough free time to engage in some personal activity beyond your work. What do you do with it?

[remetagross]

Once aboard again, Ota makes sure to properly store the various items he had laden himself with on the way in, and takes the time to scrub his clothes clean. Between the time spent helping Ubirajara at the kitchen, Ota takes the time to ponder the mysteries of the gift he has received. At the very least, he can help quench the curiosity of his fellow sailors, who have witnessed him spit out a gout of lightning with their own eyes. Oddly enough, the Pygmee has not been questioned about this any more by the crew after they have boarded back.
I might have intimidated them into not wanting to know anymore than meets the eye. Well, I can change that for the better.

One morning, Ota goes to see Piet, the cannonmaster that seems to have taken a liking to his person. Walking over various ropes, oars and fishing equipment with the ease that comes with practise aboard a ship, the small man requests the attention of the booming giant, in English.
"My respects, Mister Piet. If I can take five minutes from you, there is something I'd like to show to the whole crew about the abilities I've displayed on the island a few days ago. I want to show and to explain to everyone the way my gift works, to gain the trust of those that have felt estranged by what I have done. I'm going to see the Captain and ask him about that, unless you feel it's not worth his time and you want to fill him in personally later on. I'm ttelling you first, because I guess I can't have all the crew on the deck watching, so I'll have to explain to the crew a few batches of sailors at a time. I need ten minutes, no more, for the explanarion."

That said, Ota either sees to the captain directly, or waits for Piet to do so and bring the answer to him. He then goes to see Rattlebone.
"Hey Rattlebone! Can, I steal five minutes of your time?" Once the sailor manages to free up some time for him, Ota walks him at the prow, where they're somewhat isolated. The Pygmee talks to the bokor in a somewhat confiential tone.
"You know, about my dragonlike powers. You've reacted quite phlegmatically to that - I guess you've seen your share of bizarre stuff around here, your bird trick not being the least" Ota grins.
"Thing is, it sort of freaked out some of the sailors with us back then. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I'm going to explain what's it's about to everyone. No good to have some distrust around in the crew. So here's the thing."
Ota mentally calls to Ntwa, which flies down to perch atop the railing. The Pygmee extends his hand to gently touch the bird on the beak. Taking a step back, he then unleashes a small gout of lightning right on his familiar, making sure to have the effect small and unnoticable. The bird seems completely impervious to the effect of the breath.
"You see, I can make whoever I touch immune to my gift. As an aside, it also makes people resistant to extreme heat or extreme cold. I want to show that to people - but I'm not sure they'll trust me if I use Ntwa for this purpose. So here you come. Would you agree to volonteer, before everyone, to my immunity-granting power and to be subsequently tested under my breath?"

[Chimaera]

Itsba long walk dragging the many crabs and the heavy crocodile back to the ship, but well worth it in the cook's eyes.

Once back to the ship he give a simple report and get ready to prepare tonight's dinner. But not before approaching Genoveva, to whom he speaks with in Spanish, "I have a feeling you'll enjoy tonight's dinner", he says and show the dead crocodile to her, "You like exotic things, right?"

He offer her a smile and disappear belowdecks, tasking his assistants to bring the foraged food, fruit and water to the kitchen so they can organize and calculate how many days worth they can keep sailing with what was caught today. He also make sure the five of them get each a fruit from the island as a reward for the good work in the cooking team.

Ubirajara spend the rest of his day doing kitchen stuff and eventually let both his small assistants take a break and share stories, but he dont seen very interested in going abovedeck until the sun is gone, using the meantime to sever the crocodile head so thatbit would make a good decor for his small feast for the captain and his crew.

When the sun sets in the ocean to the west, he insult the star's ancestors and take a break and go upstairs to listen to the day's tales while Eçaiara happyly hunt a few rodents that made their way to their ship when people returned from the isle.

[Dimers]

Others return with different foods, baskets of small pomegranate-like fruits and several flanks of lizard flesh. More still were chosen to journey to the most distant parts of the island and only recorded the presence, rough location and potential utility of certain features.

Rattlebone muses about what the geographer sailors will have to say. They'll probably have to exaggerate their retelling so they don't feel inferior to the teams that found edibles or valuable goods. I should take those stories with a grain of salt.


Ota mentally calls to Ntwa, which flies down to perch atop the railing. The Pygmee extends his hand to gently touch the bird on the beak. Taking a step back, he then unleashes a small gout of lightning right on his familiar, making sure to have the effect small and unnoticable. The bird seems completely impervious to the effect of the breath.
"You see, I can make whoever I touch immune to my gift. As an aside, it also makes people resistant to extreme heat or extreme cold. I want to show that to people - but I'm not sure they'll trust me if I use Ntwa for this purpose. So here you come. Would you agree to volunteer, before everyone, to my immunity-granting power and to be subsequently tested under my breath?"

"By Silibo's burning cloak--" The bokor traces a sigil in the air with one hand and mouths a word silently. "That's intensely useful! You can tap my beak as often as you like; I was raised under trees and roofs, and this open sunshine bakes my brain. But I have some questions before I volunteer."

Rattlebone ticks off points on his fingers. "Most crucially, do you think they would find me any more convincing than Ntwa? I'm expected to have magical powers myself, after all. Have you considered Sophie? -- she seems like the sort to want direct experience. Do you need a sacrificial victim as well? For that, if there are no chickens to cook or violators to punish, you may use my gift from Erzulie Freda." He reaches behind his back, and when his hand is visible again, it carries a white dove. "If this pretty lady dies, she will be back as soon as I need her, no hard feelings against your or me. Next question. Clearly your blessing is not everlasting, else you wouldn't have needed to grant it to Ntwa anew; what are its limitations? Can you bless the ship as well? A vessel that can't be lit on fire would have a crucial advantage in battle ... How will you react to those who refuse the gift because they think you consort with the Devil for such powers?"

[remetagross]

Ota stops at Rattlebone's many questions. He is quite taken aback by the points they raise. After a moment pondering, he scratches his head quizzically.
"These...are actually very good questions. Uh. Let's see. Hmmmm..."

The Pygmee then answers with more conviction.
"You know what? I think you're right. Sailors could attribute your resistance to some magical power you wield - that you might actually, for all I know!" He chuckles.

"Sophie is seen as the scientist, rational and no-nonsense. The sailors have no reason to disbelieve or put her judgement in question. They can relate to her more - the European ones, that's to say. Hmmmm...and maybe we could ask Ubirajara and Eldon as well. Ubirajara might win over the trust of the sailors native to the Caribbean, while Eldon has this aura of honesty around him...Yeah that could work!"

Ntwa cawks loudly as another one of these magical doves appears out of nowhere. Ota smiles and pats his soulmate.
"Ah, yes, that's a good idea too. I suppose no one will volunteer to suffer my breath without my protective effect, just to highlight the difference...let's do it that way, then. As to the limits of my power...yeah, it wears off about 24 hours or so. So it's quite durable actually, I can renew it each Morning, you see. As far as I know, it doesn't work on objects -" Ota puts his finger on the railing, and breathes a tiny flame on it. A small, black dot appears quickly.
"Just wanted to be sure. Yeah, that'd be pretty useful, but no, unfortunately. And about sailors's hésitations because of a possible acquaintance with devils and stuff...well, I can get pretty convincing when I want! It helps that dragons have a better reputation than devils :smallwink:" Ota grins.

"Besides, as long as a majority of the sailors accepts to be warded, the ones that Don't want to know they'll have to fight far from me during a battle - but that ship's big, there's plenty enough room for this. I don't think that'll be an issue."

The two keep adjusting the various details of their plan. Once most of the specifics are ironed out, Ota leaves to include the other members of the crew that will be needed for the demonstration in the confidence. The Pygmee first reaches out to Sophie.

"Hello there, mademoiselle Dubois!" How about we discussed a little more about what you saw of my powers that day on the island?" The small sailor then goes on to explain the gist of what Rattlebone and himself have concluded.

[Almostdead]

After processed those food they brought back earlier. Ubirajara gives his kitchen crew a break. Eldon takes the time and goes to the main deck. He just stands there and watches the sun goes down. Now it is clear that the natives of this island have been eradicated. There are only dangerous animals, maybe pirates too, in this island. Why did the Archangel direct him to this place? How could he fulfill his promise when there are no one left to help? The pirates? He seriously doubts if they would accept his help.

"Sign..." Eldon moves his stiff body. Maybe it is not the natives on this island that needs his help. He did meet some interesting persons on this ship, and the other crews too. He smiles to himself and walk down the stairs to join the others.

[El'the Ellie]

When Ota arrives below decks, he finds Sophie's head entirely swallowed inside the alligator's maw.

Hearing his presence, she extricates herself with a bit of difficulty and brushes a loose strand of blond hair out of her eyes. "Oh, hello Ota!". The alligator deflates a bit, given that all it's meat and most of it's bones had been removed by Ujirabara for dinner. In her right hand she holds a notebook that seems to contain the majority of an anatomical drawing of the alligator's mouth, and in her left she holds an inkpen: mundane, except that its other end radiates a bright, clearly magical light.

She nods in agreement and turns her chair around to give Ota her full attention as he launches into his discussion with Rattlebone.

"Absolutely." She needs no convincing to be shot with electricity, apparently. She chatters on, as much to herself as to Ota, as they travel to wherever he has planned for them to conduct this test. "This abjuration, it sounds like one I know of that insulates the target from the elements. But the galvanic resistance is... not normally associated with it. Casting this isn't a strain upon you? And you've never experienced Variance with it?"

[remetagross]

Ota goofs around the crocodile's body, curious to see Sophie at work. He notices her exact drawing of the creature's mouth.
"Oooh, nice one! You've really got the knack for these drawings! And how about that pen you're using?" He indicates the glowing inkpen.

As they walk around, Ota answers her various questions.
"Well, not really, no. As far as I can tell, I can do it over and over without feeling any exhaustion...I guess that's not the way your magic works, is it?" To test this, Ota brushes Ntwa's beak over and over, and each time he feels power surging through the bird while feeling none the weaker.

"And there's never been variance either. Though what do you call Variance? You mean the effect being a little different each time I use it? Well, no, it's complete immunity each time. Is that the case of the magic you know that duplicates that effect?"

As they walk along the lower deck, the pair finally finds Eldon.

"Ah, here you are, fellow!" greets Ota.
"So, I've been wanting to tell you, there's this extremely interesting experiment I'm about to achieve...I was wondering...would you join in?" The Pygmee then explains to the exalted how he would submit himself to a test before all the assembled sailors, alongwith Sophie. His honesty, and Sophie's scientific rigor, would convince the crew that Ota's power does not come from any devil and is actually a boon to be enjoyed.


Sorting out the details with his crewmates, Ota sends Ntwa to look for Piet. After all, he has asked him to tell the Captain about his idea, and he has not had any answers from him. Ntwa, finally finding the big, burly man by the fore perches atop the railing to ask him in Spanish:
"Sir, what about the idea Ota has put forth?"

[JbeJ275]

Ah, you’re his bird then? Asks pier, seemingly disappointed.

Well I brought it up to the captain and he seemed quite indifferent, it’s your buissness who you show it to but we can’t stop the sailing just to give your owner down there a chance to show off. It’s an amazing ability and all that but this isn’t one of those old European towns with everything rote and regulated. Means the guns and charter houses are worse here but the magic and the bars are better.

He begins walking down as he talks, looking around for Ota himself.

Anyhow, you can do it at evening mess if you like and don’t worry to much about the crew. Unless we find a full fledged psi on aboutships they’ll worry more about you working for pirates than devils, the damn fools.

[remetagross]

Ntwa flies back to Ota, repeating to him what the cannon master has declared. Sophie and Eldon being within earshot, hear the recount as well.
"Yeah," says Ota to his comrades.

"I guess it's not that easy to impress a sailor like the Captain or Mister Piet. All good then. I'll have to find something more impressive next time!" Ota winks to his crewmates.


The Pygmee looks for Rattlebone and Ubirajara, and keeps them up to date with the latest developments.
Maybe I'm acting as a drama queen for something that, in the end, isn't that important...oh well..

Comes the evening mess. After all the relevant news for today have been passed on, Ota raises his hand. At the Captain's invitation, he climbs up to the aft castle, Sophie and Eldon with him. The Captain leaves him the poop stage. The Pygmee clears his throat, and climbs up the railing to be more visible. The assembled sailors seem mildly curious about what the excentric little man is about to say.
"Hello, all. Just a little word on Something that might prove useful for the whole lot of us. As some of you may have seen, on the last island we visited...I am able to produce a magical breath shape." To prove his point, Ota opens his mouth wide and unleashes first a bolt of Lightning, then a gout of fire, towards the evening sky. The constrast with the Sunset colors of the air is striking.
"Some others might have heard that I, Ota Likola, named Tall Tale, am a dragonseeker that has inherited some magical powers from the dragons themselves. What I have just shown you is a testimony that this is true. This gift has been bestowed by a dragon I encountered fifteen years ago, which changed my life." Ntwa circles around the sailors, flying low, so as to catch their mutterings and to transmit to Ota the general mood of the assembly.
They don't seem super impressed, boss. Piet was right, they're kinda hardass guys. This momentarily distracts the flow of Ota's discourse.
Got it. Straight to the point then.
"Another gift I have received is the ability to bestow immunity to my elemental breath to anyone I am touching. This touch also provides protection against coldness and hotness, which I am sure will prove quite useful in the future. Now, as a proof of that...I believe all of us here trust our dear Sophie Dubois, our current geographer, for her no-nonsense approach of phenomena and her scientific exactness. Similarly, our sailor Eldon right here has already stricken us with his sheer fervor. No one would put his word in doubt - I certainly would not. Both have accepted to experiment my magical touch before your eyes. I hope this way, you all won't mind your dear Tall Tale gushing you with a spread of flame in case a battle turns dire - provided I have granted you my protection beforehand."

Ntwa discreetly perches atop Rattlebone's shoulder.
"If you would be so kind as to release that eternal dove of yours!"
As the bird flaps away from the assembled sailors and rises up to Ota's level, the Pygmee roasts it clean with a precise gout of flame and a roaring noise of fire. Immediately after, he manifestly holds Sophie and Eldon by the wrists, infusing them with his power. Still on the railing, turning to face them, Tall Tale unleashes another blast of flame, engulfing both at the same time. After the flames have receded, Ota triumphantly points to their intact persons. Ntwa circles around the assembled crew, cawking impressively to enhance the grandness of the scene.
"See the difference between them and that bird? That's what I wanted to point out. In case a battle seems likely to occur, I'll grant that benediction to whomever of you wants it, so that we'll all be more effective in the incoming fight. Thank you for your attention. Sophie, Eldon," "Rattlebone" whispers Ntwa, "thank you for your help."

And with that, the small man remains on the railing for a few seconds, gauging the sailors's reaction, then hops off to the poop scene.


Diplomacy check so that everything happens smoothly (Ntwa using Aid Another and taking 10, for a result of 13, thus adding a +2 bonus): d20+5

[Dimers]

Rattlebone offers applause at the spectacular display. It's clearly more than entertainment -- but it is entertaining and beautiful as well.

The dove -- what little remains of it -- looks and smells like a normal burnt bird should. After the sailors have had a little while to view the results of the show, Rattlebone picks it up and offers it to Ubirajara's Eçaiara with a slight smile. " 'Eternal' she may be, but the loa generally frown on waste."

[JbeJ275]

The crew is widely impressed by Ota’s display of prowess, even Piet and the captain seem a little taken aback, expecting a more limited effect. For the next few day’s Ota become quite a figure among the crew, as they’d offer a little extra of the better frog for stories of the dragon, or challenge him in the day to take in the flying fish that crossed he crow using his strange abilities. Piet takes him aside as well, and asks about using the breath as a long distance signalling tool.

Days pass quietly, you remain resting on the ship as other members of the crew visit Barbados, charting it put and taking Figs and water back on board. The Grenadines, St Lucia and St Vincent all pass in a similiar manner. The next island of particular intrest to you will be Dominica, with a still present population of Taino and Caribs.

Once again you are taken to the beach and deposited in those earlier groups that seem now to have set. The options are different though, you could head to a settlement of natives by the mouth of the river. They may have items to trade and the captain says anyone heading there should see what information about the islands they can get. Alternatively, there are a few hill in the west that have recently gained a small cluster of European style buildings on that could also do with investigation.

[Almostdead]

Eldon cuts in while everyone is discussing their next destination. "Ahem! Excuse me everyone! I really would like to visit the local settlement. To be honest with you, I joint this voyage to meet new people and provide my service to those in need. Besides, It would be better if we collected some information first before venturing into rural area. Which is also the task given by our captain. Other than that, maybe we could buy some necessities in the settlement too, for exploration, study or cooking. What do you think?" He looks at his teammates eagerly.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone laughs. "I can get European wares and words back in Port-au-Prince whenever I care to. I'm with you, Eldon. We can branch out a bit from what we know."

[El'the Ellie]

"Oh... Hm." Sophie seems more critical of her drawing than Ota, but says nothing else on it. "The pen? Just a simple luminescence. Well, not simple. It's a practical extrapolation of the Honagth Equation that accounts for the Index of Ether Refraction in the tethering object that... Actually why don't you mention why you came in first."

She shakes her head. "No. Even on a good day, manipulating the Ether - Magic, you'd probably call it - takes a great amount of mental fortitude. Variance is... this 'magic' has strict, predictable rules. But those rules change from time to time, often in a way that is unpredictable. And when you don't account for it, you can get unintended side effects. Yet somehow you managed to ignore both of those rules, which is why this is so fascinating."

On the deck

Sophie feels a pang of guilt as the bird is burned alive. Supposedly it would come back, but still... did it not feel that? With the image sent to the back of her mind for now, she payed rapt attention as Ota imparted his magic on her and Eldon. But besides the notable evening of the ambient temperature, there was nothing particular to note. And more annoyingly, no clue as to how the affect was done.

As Ota bathes the two of them in flames, she can't help but jump backwards a bit on instinct. Luckily it's not necessary, because it also doesn't get her out of the gout of fire. Instead she is stunned for a minute, watching her hands as the fire passes harmlessly over her.

"Erm, yes, I can confirm there's no immediately noticeable affects."

Later

Sophie looks up from her analysis on the crocodile at Eldon's request and shrugs. "I suppose that's fine. Given little information about any of the islands, all of them are effectively the same."

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara watches the circus performance and applauded as it was done. He was way more haopy now that the sun was set that he actually smiles as Rattlebone offer him the burnt bird, "Why not, right? But I doubt I can salvage much of this bird", he bag the bird, "But not now, as I'm on my break".

The indigean bask in the moonlght for a while and then approaches the captain and Genoveva. "Pardon", he says in Spanish, "The dinner is ready so whenever you want it just call for me or one of my assistants. The menu will be crocodile fillets seasoned with herbs. There will also be some boiled crab cake, cookies and the catch of the day. I believe the sailors would prefer to share their tales over food and drink".

The next days go by and Ubirajara keep his work as usual, tasking the little assistants for doing whatever needed to be done outside the kitchen so that he could stay as much as he could deep in his dark kitchen. As promised he try to salvage some of the bird and deliver at his plate, "I made it extra spicy to camouflage the burnt taste". Eventually they're tasked to to go on land once again and the cook was happy to see they kept the same party.

He listens to Eldon's enthusiasm for going to the civilized city so he just agreed with a nod. He would rather meet the natives as he wasnt a civilized person himself, but since he chose last he let the small man pick this time. He also felt kinda sorry due the water dont bite part of their last field trip.

[remetagross]

Ota enjoys his momentarily bout of fame aboard the ship, and is not shy about recounting his dragon stories over and over. In addition, in the morning, while the assisting cook serves each sailors with its breakfast portion, he taps on the shoulder whoever wishes to, and infuses them with his protective power. The small man keeps on discussins about the mysterious nature of his gift with Sophie for the next few days as well. He also convenes of a code between him and Piet. Unleashing a gout of flame means "." while firing off a lightning bolt stands for "-". This way, Ota can signal off in morse code.

When about to set foot on the island of Dominica, Ota is telling the scientist an interesting finding about his abilities.
"So you said I was supposed to experience what you called Variance when I use my gift...well, there's at least some when I breath fire or lightning. It hurts more or less, from time to time. So that's it, I guess, it's more similar to magic as you know it that we thought. Can't you cast any spell with zero variance in it?"

Once on the beach, Ota nods at Eldon's proposal.
"Sure, why not. As Rattlebone said, we all know about European settlements a fair bit already." The Pygmee idly skips rocks while everyone is getting ready to depart for the natives' village.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone finds himself fascinated by Ota's concept of building words from elemental blasts. He's seen references to a similar idea in an old Chinese text, the I Ching, where binary markers gained meaning when arranged in sets. He takes time to record the specific code on a page margin in one of his bibles.

On the beach, the bokor waits to see how many sailors might follow Eldon's lead. When the group seems settled, he announces, "I will stay ahead as we walk. My ti bon ange and I will watch for dangers and for signs of the people we seek. Ubirajara can track my path easily, and I will come back if I find something important." He straps on his pack of equipment, ready to scout the way.

I'll be invisible and I'm fairly stealthy (+5 bonus, +1 more for staying quiet). The bird will fly above so I can see the lay of the land. My Perception isn't great, and Ubirajara would be a better scout in terms of numbers, but the character considers himself the best one for the job anyway. Invisibility is powerful and the bird's-eye view can be a game changer.

I'm not trying to hide my trail.

@Jbe, let me know if I should make some rolls.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara slap his head, "Ah! You meant the natives. Sure, let's check them first then", the indigean was more interested in finding them first but reading posts while almost sleeping he misubderstood what Eldon had proposed.

He follow their scout and keep tracking him and any other tracks, with his snake crawling between his foot, scenting her way and looking for predators and other relevant stuff.

"What do we know about the natives?", he ask the others as they trek in the strange island, "Do we have reason to fear hostility?". Regardless of the answer, he keep his bow ready on his back and carry a well carved quarterstaff at his hand, using it to check bushes and help his steps.

[remetagross]

Ota walks by his master cook, his hand on his pistol. Not that he needs it much, but that's information would-be ambushers need not know. He walks among his crewmates, head craned upwards and around, while his bird circles some height above their group.

"To bring some answer to your question, Ubirajara, well, I myself was a native at some point - that got raided and captured by foreign sailors. That kind of things teaches you to be very defiant of any visiting explorer, however peaceful they first appear to be. That was in Africa, mind you, not in the Caribbean, but I'm pretty confident that scheme is just as applicable around here. So yeah."

The Pygmee makes sure to position himself among those of the sailors that have agreed to receive his morning blessing, so as not to be hindered by those who have not come the time of battle.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone replies to Ota, "I'm only partly native myself. Feral, you might say. Do you think a live-and-let-live policy is best? Or would you advise being very friendly, or very scary?"

[JbeJ275]

As you talk you make your way towards the village, taking the road around the beach is a common choice. As you begin to gain line of sight you see a strange village, with both distinctly European and native touches. In the windows of one building you see small crosses and rosary beads hanging next to the tools of Carib ancestor worship. Hunters haggle in the market square with fishermen, holding native bows and European forged knives. None of the buildings are of European style but a well worn footpath leads up into the hills, leading roughly where the European buildings were last seen. There are many houses as well as a granary, a small market, a primitive set of docks and a larger house likely intended for the chief.

Who goes in first and where do you go?

[Dimers]

Rattlebone rejoins the group shortly before they reach the first building. He's already put away his weapon. "I saw nothing worrisome. There's an obvious place we can go to discuss trades. Alejandro," he says, addressing one of the Spanish crewmen. "I know the Crimson Banneret talked with you about what the Vensinda would like to take on. You and Eldon should find someone willing to trade, and keep in mind that a chief or priest may need to approve any deals. Eldon, tell me more about how you want to aid the people here; we can all keep our eyes open for opportunities."

[remetagross]

Tall Tale shortly explains to the group that the place is a mix of native and missionary influences, hence the odd architectural combinations. Turning to Ubirajara, the Pygmee then asks:
"Alright boss, what about us cooks? Are we going to look for some condiments that are missing aboard? Some spices, some exotic fruits?"

Once Ota is given a buying list, he strolls around the village, heading towards the busy fishermen. He approaches towards one of them, clears his throat, and then politely asks in Spanish:
"Excuse me sir...can I buy a few cooking ingrédients around here?"
In case he is not understood, Ota repeats the same sentence in English, then in French. If all fails, he returns to his teammates and asks for someone that know more exotic languages than those. If not, Ota proceeds to bargain with the native, heading to whichever place is indicated to him as the shop where he will be able to buy what he needs.

[Chimaera]

The cook walk with the others toward the small village and once asked by one of his assistants, he stop to ponder.

"Let's check if they have spices, meat, fishes and beverages as well. Also, find out what else they have to sell that could be useful and cheap to cook with", he says and make sure to come along the small man to buy. Since the captain never gave him a list of things to buy, he think it would be better if he was along to pick what was best for the kitchen needs. He does let the pygmee do the talking.

[El'the Ellie]

As the crew venture onto the island, Sophie remains fairly distracted with whatever forms of life she finds along the trail. She keeps pace with the group, but only with repeated prodding, which she seems not to mind. In the actual settlement she follows behind, as her nose is buried in A Fieldman's Guide to Birds of Western Asia. How she walks and reads at the same time is a trick honed by many years of practice, clearly.

[Almostdead]

Eldon smiles at Rattlebone, "Thanks! That's very kind of you!"
Then he tells his story while walking with others. "See, back to day when I was a normal fisherman. I was always bullied by other villagers. One day an outsider came to me, it taught me how to deal with this kind of problems. I was grateful for its help and made an vow to help others in need. That's basically the story. But to be honest with you, I can't do much as an individual. So I usually go to local church and take part in their charity activities. Maybe we should do the same thing here."
He calls out to Tall Tale, "Ota, you mentioned missionary influences here. Do you think we can find a church or missionary group here?"

[remetagross]

While haggling with the locals, under the supervision of Ubirajara, Ota answers Eldon's question.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure there will be that sort of stuff around here. See that?" He points to a nearby window within which a rosary can be seen.
"The influence is still strong. I'd advise you to ask to this house. They'll probably be able to give a more precise answer. Ntwa will help too."

At the mention of his name, the parrot takes to the air and circles around the settlement, looking for any buildings harboring big crosses or looking like churches. If it finds such one, it flies back to Eldon and gently cawks at him the results of his search. Meanwhile, Ota keeps on piling on the ingredients.

[El'the Ellie]

You make your way through the market at Dominica's settlement, slowly filling a small cart with local fair: pungent herbs and spices, alien fruits and vegetables, and an array of fish which the locals assure you cook well. All told it should be enough to feed the crew for a while, and with the Vensinda's journey half over with little trouble, spirits about the Lower Antilles in general are high. A more authentic diet true to the local lifestyle feels right.

It's not long before Ntwa returns cawking proudly and looking in the direction down the dirt road. The church is far back, set a bit into the jungle of the island and almost two hundred feet higher sitting on a ledge at the base of the mountain that forms the bulk of Dominica. It's not the grandest church you've seen. Nothing on this small settlement claims that, but it stands proud looming over the city as if the watchful gaze of God Himself. It's a fairly small building made of wood and painted a bright white. A simple iron cross mounted atop the steeple adds a bit of height and grandeur to what would otherwise be a boxy set of four walls. The front set of double doors are open wide, as if inviting all to come worship. In front of the church is a simple wooden path that switchbacks a bit down the hill, over a wooden bridge that crosses a stream, and trundles back into the center of town.

We can assume captain Estban gave Ujirabara money needed to buy supplies.

[remetagross]

All the while haggling, Ota senses his familiar's satisfaction at having located the church through their empathic bond. He finishes his tour of the varied stalls at the market, before heading back to Ubirajara.
"Here you go, boss. Now tell you what, N'twa has found out the church Eldon was looking for. I don't have much better to do than to accompany him up there. Want to join?"
He shares the invitation to Sophie and Rattlebone.

Once up the hill, Ota makes sure to let Eldon make the first foray at announcing the venue of their crew and presenting themselves. Once that is done, the Pygmee intrepidely follows the exalted inside the church, and starts wandering inside the holy place.

[Almostdead]

Eldon looks at the beautiful church and its surroundings, "Well, they surely put a lot of efforts on this building. Let's hope they're as enthusiastic at making friends as building the church."
He walks into the church, and talks to the nearest priest. "Hello, brother! May the blessing of Archangel be upon you! I'm Eldon, and I'm traveling to fulfill God's calling. I and my teammates have just arrived at this island. Could you answer some of our questions?"


[roll0]

[Chimaera]

After the buying was done Ubirajara was happy to let Eldon guide the others but made up some excuse not to tag along.

"I'll meet you later on the church. Just want to see some more vegetables. We can meet back here if I take too long".

He insist to everyone to move away and start wandering the market, as he wanted to be alone for what he had in mind. Once they're gone, he ask some of the natives if they saw any pirate activity, making sure to pay a drink or two if needed to help people remember anything useful.

Ubirajara want to check if there has been any pirate attack or activity lately with the excuse that he was affraid their ship might be sailing dangerous seas.

His Gather Info mod is -3, but he's willing to spend up to 10gp to help it.

[El'the Ellie]

In general, diplomacy checks should be saved for an IC attempt to explicitly change someone's attitude or convince them to your point. If you're just meeting someone and trying to be friendly, their reaction to you will be dependent on how you approach them IC. In this case, Eldon seems to just be having a friendly conversation: no roll needed. :smallsmile:

@Dimers: The party is splitting up a bit. Feel free to join either one.

@Eldon & Ota: You approach the church with Sophie as Ubirajara heads back to town for one or two more items. Heading past what looks to be a small shed - for landscaping tools, if you had to guess - you enter the double doors. There are perhaps two dozen people inside and while most were preoccupied with either prayer or quiet discussions, they all suddenly stop what they were doing and watch. The Vensinda's crew might have gotten used to your stature, but not so for most people. As you approach a priest standing in the aisle, you can hear a few whispers, and perhaps even a chuckle.

"Good morning, Eldon," the priest says in English, ignoring the quiet commentary of the others. "I'm Father Morense. I'm glad to hear His will is being done even on the open seas. How can I help?"

@Ubirajara: With enough time aboard the Black Wisp, you developed a sense of port towns like these, seeing them through the eyes of a pirate. Even if you didn't have interest in raiding the place, the rest of the crew's comments were hard to ignore. Dominia, with it's open port and apparent lack of defenses, would be an easy mark for a coordinated crew. But besides whatever the town had for food and simple supplies, there's nothing much that would interest wealth-seeking folks here. Nevertheless, you ask around.

Mostly, you're met with confused looks and shrugs, sometimes responses in words you don't understand. It would seem not a lot of people here speak any of the languages you tried. You're about to give up when...

"Hey!" A shout from a dozen paces away across the street. You lock eyes with a group of four European-looking men in simple fishing outfits. One of them is huge: maybe over six feet and muscled. He taps an oar in his hand in a way that makes you think his boat isn't near by. Two of the men are smaller: one with long dark hair, another with a deep scar across his right cheek, but you can see the one with the scar palming a knife poorly. The fourth man is the one that spoke, and you can tell by the way he leans has a limp on his left leg. He continues in passable Portuguese.

"You have some nerve coming back here. You ask around for pirates because you want to see us be scared of you? Peh." He spits on the ground. "And you think we forget the look of you that fast? You are stupid then. Go tell your crew they are-" And he continues with a long string of insults so colorful and well-formed that you wonder if cursing is the real reason he learned Portuguese.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara halt and listen to the man who shout at him and listen to his tale, threats and curses.

"You surely seem to be mistaken as I've never set foot on this village before: me and my friends are just buying wares before we set sail again", the indigean says and look at the group, "By the way your friend walk and the the big one carry the oar I take you got troubles with the dogs of the sea and we would like to avoid pirates ourselves, as they're a plague in the sea", he says and point to the one who has a limp then to the giant of a man, "I'll forgive your insults since I have no quarry with none of you and can feel sympathy those who had a bad time, so if you can put your knife back to its sheath and tell me how long the pirates have been here I'll even pay each a beer for your tale".

He dont move and keep looking at the man, "Or you can take the knife and attack a visitor who paid for all he bought: given you're armed and I'm not I can hardly see the need of the other three to proof yourself a man", he says and show his hands before he adds, "Unless the pirates took your balls as well so that you need four guys to beat such a small man like me".

The cook give the man a smile, "I'd rather spill beer instead of blood though".

[El'the Ellie]

@Ubirajara: The man narrows his eyes and seems unwilling to budge, until the scarred man to his left whispers something in what you recognize as English. He whispers back without taking his eyes off you, then responds.
"Dogs of the sea... You can say that again. Fine. My friend says you look different than one we saw." He points his thumb towards a bar a few steps down the road. "Fine. You can buy us drinks, we'll tell you things."

The bar, Ahau's, is a simple place. There are no lights inside, but the building's walls are stripped tree trunks, and the gaps between let in enough light to see by. A very dark skinned man stands behind the counter and gives you a curious look. Besides him, the place is empty. The man with the limp, which is evident now that he's walking, says something in English and holds up five fingers. The gang of men and you sit at a rough hewn and splintery table. A moment later the barkeep - Ahau, presumably - puts a mug of beer in front of each of you and looks at you. "Fifteen pence."

Monetary conversions may vary depending on what types of coins you have. Since we didn't specify before, we're going to assume it's all British currency, as it's the most common. Everyone please turn your current bronze, silver, and gold pieces into pence, shilling and pound, respectively. Platinum is just 10 pounds

12 pence = 1 shilling
20 shilling = 1 pound

Yes, this will mess around with how much wealth you have a bit. Also, feel free to break your coinage up into denominations as you choose. If you had 12.4 gp (or 12 gold and 4 silver), you'll now have £12, 4s. Or £11, 20s, 48d, or however you want to split it up. Welcome to Olde Times, where denominations are made up and the points don't matter! :smalltongue:

The man with the limp taps his finger against the table a bit as he sizes you up, and takes a sip of his beer.
"You want to know about the pirates. Fine." He takes a deep breath. "A couple days ago, they came. Big ship with black sails. Maybe twenty people. Some looked like you. That's why people didn't want to talk to you. We told them we don't have much money, so they took what we had. And food and drink. Ahau here lost almost everything. That would be bad enough, but..."
He shakes his head. "There was a woman. Dressed in green and blue. They called her..." He thinks for a while, not able to find the right word. He calls out to Ahau, who shouts, "The Seafoam Lady."
The man continues again. "Fine. The Seafoam Lady. She... was terrifying. Even Hamilton was scared." He points at the big man, who has put his oar down and has the mug at his lips. "And nothing scares him."
Hamilton nods, although it looks like he's barely following the conversation. "Yes."
"Anyway. She walked though the town looking at people. Just... looking at them. Like they were horses at a show. Do you know what horses are? Anyway. She pointed at two of our people. A couple. The crew took them. We fought back. Peter got cut bad by a sword." He nods his head towards the man with the scar along his face. "Reed got shot." All four of them pour a bit of beer on the floor that that comment. "We..." He fumbles for a word again. "One of the pirates was... killed? No, not killed. I don't know the word. He's asleep, in a cage here. He should hang for what he did, but... Our mayor wants to question him." He shrugs. "But I don't know why. Even if we know where they went, what are we going to do? Bah." He curses again. "That's it. If you want my advice on pirates: turn around and go the other way. Thanks for the beer."

[Dimers]

Rattlebone nods at Ota's offer. "I'll meet you up at the church building shortly." After spending some time looking for rum, tobacco and other suitable temptations to call the loa ...

That's largely a flavor thing, but I'm happy to spend money if something fitting is available here.

... he does follow his companions toward the church. But despite what's implied by the symbol hanging around his neck, the bokor doesn't start with an attitude of trust for followers of the Living God, not after what happened to his mountain village. He approaches invisibly and as quietly as he can, listening at the door of the shed, looking around for the graveyard that often accompanies a church, and then listening to what's going on inside the church proper.

[remetagross]

Ota waits patiently while Father Morense and Eldon engage in a discussion about religious matters, but the gnome quickly grows restless of it. Besides, the stares of the rest of the clergymen provide him with an irresistible hook to show off a little. He approaches the largest group of the clerics, smiling wildly.

"No, my dear fellows, you are not mistaken! You have discovered an authentic midget of yore, of the race that dwells at the foot of rainbows and brings luck to whomever manages to snatch their pointed hat!" Ota executes a grotesque somersault, and finishes with an exaggerated reverence, wisps of flame dancing around his lips.
Then, all of a sudden, he straightens himself and speaks with a less bombastic tone.
"Too bad others found my hat first. More seriously, my name is Ota "Tall Tale" Likola, and I come from a very remote place in Africa, among a tribe of small men like me: Pygmees. The flaming mouth, though, is a special trick of yours truly, not a Pygmee characteristic. I'll be happy to share more about myself, if you first do about you."

As the discussion progresses back and forth, Ota waits for the moment when he feels the audience is comfortable enough with him to delve deeper than small talk in the conversation.
"In such a remote place, it might be that they are not yet all extinct...Tell me, friends, has anyone of you ever heard about a true Dragon roaming the island or its neighbours?"

[Chimaera]

Seeing the man putting the knife away, Ubirajara relax and nod to the group, "Beer then".

He let them show him the way and is happy to see the bar is a dark one and as promised he pay each a mug of beer and drink while listening to their narrative, "Looked like me as in... indigean?", he ask but let the man finish the story.

"And seafoam lady? Maybe a witch or something?", he drink from his beer and remain silent for a moment, "You should hang the captured one, but it might be wise to ask him why they took the couple away, where they were heading and more about this strange seafoam lady".

As promised, Ubirajara pays for their beers before bidding them farewell, "I'll let my captain know there are pirates in the area. Should we cross path with them and take them down, I'll make sure to look for the couple and have them sailed back here. Thanks for the story and may the pirates never show their ugly faces around here again".

Leaving the bar, the cook decide its time to join the others at the church, content with the information he gathered.

[El'the Ellie]

@Rattlebone: Dominia is decently large, for a young island settlement. You roam the vibrant town, stopping at some of the tradesman's stalls set up near the docks. It would seem Dominia is interested in establishing as a trading post for the ships that will be visiting these islands and the Americas. A few of the sellers try to tempt you with their wares as they pass:
"Jewelry here. Keen on winning a lass's heart, perhaps?"
"Cigars and Cocoa here. Twelve shilling for a box or two and six per. Ten shilling seven for a pound of cocoa, but if you get a box of cigars and cocoa, it's a pound."
"Rum from the Americas, clear or dark, what's your poison? Two shillings for a jug, three for that tall one! Two pence for a taste, if ya like."
"Nah, f**k his rum, come here. This here's tequila: only made in Central America. Anything good about booze, Tequila does ten times over. Five shilling for a bottle. I'll give you a taste for two pence too. But I'll warn you: after this, you can't go back to that p**s water rum."

You even spot a bordello further down the road, though if you're planning on meeting back up with the others, you might not have the time.

Whatever your purchases you make your way back to the church and, with the power of the loa, fade from sight.

First you stop by the shed. The white walled building is small, perhaps seven feet on either side. The door is locked, but there's a window on the side that you peer into. As you expected, nothing too surprising: mundane equipment line the walls: a few shovels, gardening tools, a pickaxe, a hoe. A few buckets filled with odds and ends are stacked on the ground, and on a workbench inside is a few buckets of paint: the same white color of the shed and church.

Then you pass around the side yard of the church (and past an outhouse set a bit away from the church) to the back, where the graveyard sits. It's small: evidence to suggest that this settlement isn't particularly old. There's a trio of headstones in the yard, one of which sits before a prepared grave. Stepping carefully around the open pit, you read the stone.

Reed Dolund
1783 - 1814
Died defending what he loved

Besides that, nothing of note immediately catches your eye back here, though as you turn around you see a small black and white cat sitting in the yard. It seems to see you, or perhaps at least smell you, since it rolls on its side expecting to be pet.

The church has two general portions to it: the main hall where mass is held, and a few rooms in back that seem to be where someone lives: probably the priest. Looking through the windows of the living area doesn't reveal much: a bedroom, well kept but boring. A living space with a bookshelf. A humble kitchen and the remains of a meal. A door back here connects to the other side of the church, and looks unlocked. Spying inside the main church, you hear peals of laughter coming from a group of people. You can't make out exactly what is being said, but you can clearly see Ota talking to them. Eldon is speaking to the priest, and Sophie - who looks put off by all the attention the townsfolk are giving to the visitors - is hanging back, looking like she would turn invisible if she had your powers.

@Ubirijara: "Looked like you... Indigean?" He stumbles, the word clearly new to him. "Darker skin, black hair. But his face was colored. Red and yellow and black."
When you mention that this Seafoam Lady might be a witch, he shakes his head darkly. Not out of disagreement, but moreso because he hates the thought. "God, a witch? Normally I would say you are crazy for saying that. But you might not be far off. I don't know if I've ever seen a witch, but if I have, she was one."
He nods at your parting words. "If you do that I'll buy you all the beer you want for a week, ok? Stay safe though."

One mediocre beer and a story later, you head back to the church. Ota has grabbed the attention of the townsfolk, although the priest looks less than excited about the commotion going on in his house.

@Ota: Those gathered laugh and a few clap at your performance, several gasping and backing away as flames appear around your mouth. In the back you hear someone worriedly whisper "Is it a demon?" You're spared an attempted exorcism, however, by a man in front that seems delighted. "Are you a performer, then? Like for a Circus?"
More people seem to latch onto this idea. "Do you work with animals?" you hear someone call out.

At your request, they tell you bits about themselves. The worshipers here in Dominia are, with no disrespect, plain. Most people sailed over from Britain and started a colony here about twelve years ago. Since then they've been carving out a living on the island, though much of it remains unexplored. After a few minutes of listening to their story and sharing a bit of yourself they've warmed up to you more than when you entered, and you decide to ask about dragons. There's a small pause, followed by a uproarious laughter.

Father Morense tries and generally fails to get a hold of his flock. "People, people! This is a house of God, not a theater! Ah... well I suppose there are worse things in the world. Ota, was it? Is there something I can do for you? If you're keen on entertaining the masses, I kindly suggest you find somewhere out of this roof to do so."

[Dimers]

"Cigars and Cocoa here. Twelve shilling for a box or two and six per. Ten shilling seven for a pound of cocoa, but if you get a box of cigars and cocoa, it's a pound."
"Rum from the Americas, clear or dark, what's your poison? Two shillings for a jug, three for that tall one! Two pence for a taste, if ya like."
"Nah, f**k his rum, come here. This here's tequila: only made in Central America. Anything good about booze, Tequila does ten times over. Five shilling for a bottle. I'll give you a taste for two pence too. But I'll warn you: after this, you can't go back to that p**s water rum."

Rattlebone enjoys his market run, especially when it yields prices lower than he's come to expect in the cities. And the cocoa will make a good addition to his offerings. With some taste-tests to assure himself of the quality, he makes a few purchases. But he only smiles to hear the tequila merchant's speech. "Sorry, friend, it's not for me. The ladies and lords want what they want."

~-~-~ ~-~-~ ~-~-~

After inspecting the church grounds, the bokor checks that his less friendly equipment -- skull jewelry, crossbow, dagger -- is securely stowed and goes to an inconspicuous place in the foliage before fading back into view. Arriving at the open double doors in time to hear Morense's beleaguered question, he takes a seat to see how his fellow showman will turn this to his advantage. No doubt he will, of course.

[remetagross]

Ota basks in the laughter he generates, even though that last one was quite involuntary. Pleasant fellows.

When asked about the details of the situation by Father Morense, the small Pygmee addresses him a helpless smile and shrugs.
"Father Morense, far from me from wanting to turn this holy place into a circus...I tend to generate this kind of reaction wherever I go, quite regardless of my intentions. Mates, shall we go out?" The sailor makes an inviting gesture to all to gather outside the church, and makes the first move to initiate the movement.
"Life at sea tends to do that. It can be so boring at times, it tends to bring the funniest sailors to the front scene, because everyone needs a distraction. And tell you what, I'm not even the funniest sailor aboard. Wait till you encounter Master Piet." Ota immediately engages in a raucous imitation of the burly Dutchman, taking on a rocky voice, shouting out exaggerated orders and mimicking bossing around poor N'twa, who flies about cawking desperately.

If Ota manages to soften Father Morense, he lets the discussion go back and forth, until he takes the opportunity to ask him on a more serious and respectful tone:
"I am not pure swagger, however, Father Morense, I also stand as one of the Vensinda's scholars. Here is another one: Let me introduce Mademoiselle Sophie Dubois, our cartographer and onboard scentist." Ota indicates the absent-minded Frenchwoman, who has been somewhat intimidated into silence by the magnitude of the social exchange involved.

"I myself am more of an historian. Hence my earlier question, which was asked in earnest and not to spark a bout of laughter: maybe you, Father Morense, would be more knowledgeable about this topic?"

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara give the men a handshake and depart to the church to meet the others and see Ota already turned it into a circus.

"Eldon, Ota", he calls out as he enter the holy grounds, "Whenever you're ready we can go back to the Vensinda as the dinner wont be made by itself".

He however dont seem to press on them to hurry and instead fall into the background and allow his assistant to please his heart out in the church. A small compensation after the whole crocodile incident.

[Almostdead]

Eldon bows slightly to the priest, "Father Morense, It's a pleasure to meet another soul of goodness. I was expecting a small settlement on Dominica, but business seems going quite well here. I would like to know more about the locals. What is their attitude towards outsiders? What can you tell me about their cultures and religions? What..."
Eldon is about to finish his questions but interrupt by the laughter behind. He looks back and finds Ota's little talk show. He turns to Father Morense with a sorry smile, "Please forgive Ota, he means no harm but to provide little entertainment." Then Ota leaves the church under the priest's request.
"Well, sorry about that. I should've finish my questions. What do locals usually trade with outsiders? What do you know about the buildings on the west hills? Most importantly, is there anything I can do for god? I know that's a lot to ask. I appreciate any information that you can share. And maybe my friends here also have some questions?" He looks at other crews who stays with him.

[Dimers]

"I appreciate any information that you can share. And maybe my friends here also have some questions?" He looks at other crews who stays with him.

Eldon sees that Rattlebone has come into the building and taken off his dark glasses. The bokor makes a hand gesture to show he doesn't have anything to add, and waits impassively for Morense's reply.

[El'the Ellie]

@Eldon: While Ota strikes up conversation with the citizens, yours with the father is more reserved. He chuckles.

"We are small, though you might not know it from looking around. Just over two hundred of us, at last count. But we're industrious, and God has been kind to this island. People here like seeing visitors: we have to be, considering how dependent we are on trading with any merchant ships. There haven't been many recently, but word is that is changing. What people need is a good map of these islands, then official trade routs can open up. Although recently I would use caution: we've had some trouble with pirates in the area. Nothing you need to concern yourself here, but I would pass the warning along to your captain.

As for those here. We're British, if the accents didn't already give it away. A colony, and as such we borrow much of our values and traditions from the Empire. --" Just like you, he is cut off by the antics.

@All: Father Morense and a few of the Practitioners move a few paces outside, though some remain in the church and resume they were doing before your arrival. The man turns to Eldon and says, "I think the merchants would be better suited to trade questions. Food, mostly, but occasional exotic goods. Lumber from trees from the Americas. Fish. As for what you can do for God?" He pauses, considering the question for a bit. "That's a big question. You are a devout man, that much is plain to see, and you seem like you already follow His word. Keep on that path. I don't know you enough to give you more specific advice than that.
Good afternoon Miss Dubois." He greets the french woman, though gives only a small wave in response. As you press him on the matter of dragons, Father Morense grows more stern.
"Mister Ota, if you fancy yourself a man of science and history, then I suggest you break the habit of treating fairy tales as anything but. Great winged beasts that breath fire? There are a number of dangerous creatures in this world, but none such as the children's bedtime stories describe."

[Chimaera]

The cook listen and waits for the rest in silence: even though it wasnt an awe-inspiring church, the temples made by the europeans usually gave him pause and disconfort. He wait for the preacher to stop speaking and then look to Eldon and the others.

"We need to warn the crew about the pirates and bring the food back to the Vensinda", he says and start moving away.

Once away from the church and any bystander, he speak to them, "One of the villagers got killed by pirates and two were taken. Some of them mistook me as a pirate due my hair and skin, but I was quick to clarify the mistake. Still I'd rather leave now before someone else make the same mistake".

[remetagross]

Ah, well. Too bad. I was hoping there could be something here.
Ota knows better than to start an uphill struggle to prove his point with Father Morense. He has had this exact same discussion development more than once. Sighting Ubirajara, Ota understands it is time to make way back to the ship.
"Well, Father Morense, I would be remiss not to thank you for your kind welcome here on Dominia. I am seeing our cook has come back from purchasing our food-related needs, and now is the time, for me at least, to bring them back aboard our Vensinda..
Ota also thanks the crowd of the faithful for the enjoyable time they have spent together, and instructs N'twa to remain there with Sophie and Eldon.
"If you stay a little while longer, send him to me when you start heading back to the ship, so that we'll know you've started moving."

The Pygmee rejoins his master cook, and walks alongwith him.
"What was it you just said? Pirates? Ok, that island just got a whole less peaceful at once. Have you seen our bokor? I'd like to have him with us to scout the way back as well."

[Almostdead]

Eldon nods while listening to Father Morense and the others, "Thank you, all of you. It's time that we go back to the ship and inform our captain about this. I'm not sure how long we will stay. But if you ever need my help, you can find me there." Then he takes out 20 pounds from his purse and gives them to Father Morense. "It's a donation to the church. May Archangel watch over you! " He bows again and walks out of the church.

Eldon joins with Ubirajara and Ota outside. And they decides to return to the ship and finds Rattlebone on their way back.

[El'the Ellie]

Father Morense takes the pouch of pounds with a surprised, but thankful expression. "Your kindness is greatly appreciated, Eldon. And may the Lord watch over you. I'll ask the parish to pray for your safe journey."

Remember that the generic 'gold pieces' isn't a thing in this world. You may find pieces of gold that you can sell or barter with, and certain coinage uses gold, but no one knows what a GP is. :smalltongue:

Sophie follows the rest of you readily as you ready to leave. "I appreciate being on land again, but if there is piracy afoot, we might not want to stay in a place they could return to for long."

With the supplies in tow, the five of you head back through the main, packed-dirt street of Dominia. At the docks of the settlement, you find your small rowboat where you left it tied up, waiting to return to the Vensinda.

Whoever decides to row, a handful of minutes later Roisin and a few shiphands of the Vensinda scurry down ropes and affix them to baskets and crates, and start hauling the goods up. They also drop a rope ladder for the boat's five passengers and, when it's empty, haul up the ship itself.

Back aboard, you can hear the dutchman shouting orders to the crew to start shoving off. After a moment, Esteban approaches you with his usual swagger.

"So, what's the word on Dominia? No trouble getting things, I see."

[Dimers]

"No, Captain, the supplies were easy enough, and trade here could prosper. But we had two separate reports of pirate activity nearby. The people are troubled. Ubirajara heard the most -- you'd be best informed by heading to the galley. Have you heard anything from those who went to the western hills?" Rattlebone's response seems a bit distant, as if the prospect of pirates bears no emotional significance.

[Chimaera]

Leading the others, the cook take rows and sail back to the ship, were he begin to order his assistants to take all the wares to the kitchen area when the captain ask about what they heard about.

"Pirates, yes", he agree with Rattlebone, "Took two of the villagers away and killed another for trying to stop them. They also seemed to have a witch or something that they called Seafoam Lady. Other than that, their village seems a good trading post: good prices and a good variety of stuff to spend money on".

He wait for the captain to dismiss him before going belowdeck and start preparing dinner and watch over the work of his assistants.

[remetagross]

Ota adds his own observations.
"The local folk is quite welcoming, Captain, that's a given, and they rather enjoyed having some fresh people visiting. I thinks life down here is satisfactory, if a bit bland. For my taste, anyway. Dominia would make a rather good fallback place in case we run into problems around these islands."

The Pygmee makes a friendly handwave towards his cannonmaster, somehat feeling guilty for having mimicked him not in the most advantageous manner back at the church. He will then follow Ubirajara in the kitchen, to start preparing dinner. At some point during the evening, he reaches out to Rattlebone. His rather detached report has not gone unnoticed by the small sailor.
"Hello, mate. I haven't seen much of you during our visit back then. How did you occupy yourself? And doesn't the prospect of encountering pirates around here worry you? Seems like it's gliding against your mind like fresh water against a fish. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not overjoyed by the idea, even more so if they're brutal enough to not hesitate before killing."

[El'the Ellie]

The captain scratches his chin and considers your reports of the island.

"Bah, I don't like hearing that. It's been smooth sailing so far, and I aim to keep it that way. Pirates aren't known to make things go smooth. And witchcraft?" He shakes his head. "Probably just superstitious folk...

No news from the others yet. But that's expected, they shouldn't be back for a few hours." He nods. "I'll make a note in case we need to come back here. Could be a good place to weather out a storm if needs be. Alright, help get these things belowdecks, and then get ready to set sail. We leave after the others are back aboard."

* * *

The next few hours pass in normalcy as you unpack and discuss your trip. Eventually, commotion around the ship clues you in that the others have returned. The group of five crew members look unharmed and in good spirits.

"Ubirajara! Hey, cook! Reckon you can make something out of this?" One of the crew, a young dutch man named Coen, shouts up to the Vensinda as their boat approaches. In his arms - and the arms of two of the others - is an enormously long tentacle. Blue on one side, white on the other, the thing is almost eight feet long and as big around as a man's waist. Judging from their strain lifting it, it must be over two hundred pounds.

"Oi!" Piet roars out to the men in dutch. "What the nine hells is that?"

"I dunno! We found it rolling along the shore. Musta come from something f*ckin' big. Figured our cook can turn it into soup or something!"

The crew heaves it on board along with the rowboat, and the tentacle hits the deck with a wet slap.

Anyone can make a knowledge nature and/or heal check.

Piet slaps his hands to his forehead even as Coen and the others start excitedly chattering to each other. The captain corrals them for just long enough to get their report of the other side of the island: fairly tame, though uninhabited, and with little place to drop anchor.

[Dimers]

"Hello, mate. I haven't seen much of you during our visit back then. How did you occupy yourself?"

"Getting some personal supplies. And enjoying a little time off duty and on land. Nothing of consequence." Rattlebone seems just as mild about this as he seemed about piracy.


"And doesn't the prospect of encountering pirates around here worry you? Seems like it's gliding against your mind like fresh water against a fish. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not overjoyed by the idea, even more so if they're brutal enough to not hesitate before killing."

"Ah. To tell you God's honest truth, Ota, I'm of two minds about a pirate attack, and the much larger of those two has no more enthusiasm for conflict than you. But the other, the other, the one I won't throw in the face of our own allies ..." Rattlebone glances about to make sure no one is following the conversation. "In the right circumstances, I could strike terror into the hearts of an entire ship's crew, and I would deeply enjoy seeing the animal fear on their faces. All the more because it would turn around the fear they have inflicted on others. I won't create my own danger, but should pirates try to engage us, they will sorely regret giving me my excuse." He wears a small and cold smile, exuding the confidence of a dragon.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara was on his way to his dark kitchen when he hear the sailors calling out his name and wait to see and check that big tentacle they got their hands on.

"I can make no promises, but I'll see if I can make something out of it...", he then grab the thing and drag it belowdeck, refusing help of anyone to carry the rubbery thing.

Once on the confort of his kitchen, he leave the tentacle on a far corner and look at both hos assistants.

"Pay attention, little ones", he point to the tentacle, "I dont want any of you messing or poking that thing. Am I clear?", he stare at both and let Eçaiara free from his clothes and allow her to hunt rodents for the night, "Also make sure yo pour a tad larger portion of food for those who found this thing: not too much, but enough for them to not feel so bad for carrying such thing for nothing".

With the tentacle dealt with, he ran the kitchen and after the dinner is long gone, he give the rest of the night for the Eldon and Ota to do as they please, but away from the kitchen. It's just after he's left alone that he begin to evaluate the grim treasure he was given.

Picking some tools from thin air, he start cutting it and working to get the most out of it.

[remetagross]

"He. Didn't know you were the one to speak for God's truth - which god, exactly?" comments Ota with a mischevious wink. The rest of the bokor's answer, however, dampens a little his mood to crack jokes.
"Wowow, mate. That's a little scary right here right now, actually. Is that a manifestation of your special gifts as well? You can do more than pull doves out of nowhere? Tell you what, I'm torn being wanting to see what you can do, and not wanting to see what you can do. But I guess that's something less publicly acceptable than roasting shipmates alive, since you didn't display your powers to everyone like I did...or it's not really your way to show the ace your sleeve?" Ota is both intrigued and somewhat creeped out.
"Well anyway, as long as there's nothing I need to know beforehand in order to not get in your way, fine by me. I guess we all have our time for our big reveal at some point."

The two discuss for a little while. When the big fleshy tentacle hits the deck, Ota is also very interested.
"Woah! By the beard of Davy Jones...wait a minute, this is the beard of Davy Jones! Seen him around, mates?" Ota smiles to Cohen and his crew, having spoken in Spanish.
Knowledge (History) check to recall any giant squid legend or story: [roll0]
A little later, Ota is relieved to be ordered not to handle the thing by his master cook. Alongwith Eldon, he happily serves the dishes for dinner, serving a slightly larger portion to Cohen's crew as instructed. When the time comes to hand out his bowl of soup to Captain Esteban, Ota takes his chance to ask a question.
"Here you go, Captain. Beware, it's very hot...it's not kraken soup yet, Ubirajara is still scratching his head about how to get something edible out of that nightmare stuff." Ota, being warded by his aura, passes around the hot bowls without any discomfort however.
Protection from Elements makes you comfortable around temperatures up to 140 degrees F, that should make it possible to handle hot bowls once they've cooled off just a little bit.
"But now Captain, if I may ask: What's the next destination?"

[Dimers]

"Tell you what, I'm torn being wanting to see what you can do, and not wanting to see what you can do. But I guess that's something less publicly acceptable than roasting shipmates alive, since you didn't display your powers to everyone like I did...or it's not really your way to show the ace up your sleeve?" Ota is both intrigued and somewhat creeped out.

"A man must have his mysteries." Rattlebone keeps a straight face, but Ota can tell he appreciates the impact his words have had. "Suffice it to say, friend, that many of the stories are true. This reflects your own circumstances. But unlike your reputation, proof of mine won't be lauded or applauded. Implying it will be enough for now."

[El'the Ellie]

@Ota: Stories are full of sailors encountering massive creatures out on the ocean. Half of them are no doubt blown way out of proportion -literally- or are the ramblings of men that lost their vessel in a bad storm and came back with only half their wits. But the other half..? Certainly there are huge things in the open ocean. Whales are common enough and can be dozens of feet long, but no trustworthy record you've read has ever mentioned a tentacled creature as large as that. Stories, though, mention some things: a kraken, a leviathan, the Jörmungandr. The people of Japan tell stories of Umibōzu, shadowy tentacled people that can take down ships. The ancient Greek tale of the Scylla is famous among historians.

Your joke gets a boisterous laugh from Coen and the others, and the young man replies. "Well, we ain't seen him on this island. Maybe if he comes for us we can trade him back part of his beard huh?"

Later, as you pass around steaming bowls of fish stew, Dominica is already stretching into the horizon, and you ask the Captain about the path forward. He accepts the bowl with a smile, and talks between bites. "Well Ota, I'd give you a name if it had one. Sizeable chunk of land, about a day north east of here. Less, if the winds are favorable. As near as I can tell we're one of the first to really lay eyes on it, so we'll sure be the first to chart it. Hell, if fortune is on our side, we may even get to name it."

@All: It's a chilly night for this party of the world, which is a welcome change from the baking heat, and sleep comes easier than most nights. Early in the morning, you hear a load call come from the crow's nest. Not urgent, like you might expect in the case of danger, but certainly unexpected. Whether it wakes you up or rouses you from your early rituals, curiosity draws you above decks.

The sea is fairly calm, though a stiff breeze pushes at your back. The sky is dark and overcast, threatening to rain any moment. Far in the distance, you can make out an island: it's profile is shaped a bit like a claw, with a jagged peak rising up on one side.

On deck, you see the Captain, Genoveva, and Piet all having a serious, heated discussion in French. Roisin sits on a crossbeam for the sail with her hair tied back, turning a spyglass a bit nervously in her hands. Sophie sits on a supply crate off to the side, not part of the discussion but following along.

"-- and we weren't hired to be cowards! Do you want to just run every time we see anyone?" Piet's boisterous attitude is noticeable, even if you don't understand the words.
"This is dangerous Piet. I'm not about to risk what has been a safe venture because we don't know how to pick our battles." The Captain's voice is just as raised as the dutchman's which strikes you as the only time you've heard him shout without needing to be louder than the sea.
"Ah hell, the whole damn ocean is dangerous. We knew that -- no, they knew that when they took the job."
Genoveva cuts in, her words far more measured than either of the men. "Suppose we do go. What then? It's hardly as if we won't be noticed. Do we tell them to just carry on? Can we really be so blind to whatever they are doing?"
"Turning back would be making the same choice, but sooner!" Piet grumbles and looks up at the sky in exasperation. It's unclear exactly what they're arguing about, though Piet seems a bit outnumbered.

[remetagross]

Ota hurries to the deck at the sound of the vigil's cry. His eyes first set on the vague outline of the island before them, but his attention is promptly attracted to the discussion taking place between the captain and his first mates. Remembering that Eldon does not speak French, Ota translates the gist of the exchange to him in Spanish. The Pygmee exchanges a meaningful look with Rattlebone.

"Tell you what mate, I've got the feeling I'll get to witness what you're capable of sooner rather than later."

Ota gathers near his shipmates, waiting for the Captain to actually explain what the matter at hand is. The crew, alerted by the signal, starts to press near the heated debate, and the Pygmee can see manysailors both anxious to know what is happening, and too intimidated by the gloominess of the exchange to dare intervene. He finally takes the opportunity to pipe up at a moment when the discussion seems to come to a brief halt.

"Erm, hello Captain, hello Roisin, hello Master Piet, beg your pardon for this question...so it seems this island ahead of us is not one on which we're the first to lay eyes on?"

[El'the Ellie]

@Ubirajara: Work on extracting the poison is slow and tedious, but it is also fruitful. Several hours later, you have the liquid pulled out and suspended in a common solution to prevent it from going bad, and know just a bit more about it. Although you're immune to the worst effects of the poison, you've accidentally pricked your fingers enough to know what the effects might be: a powerful paralytic, though by itself it shouldn't kill. In it's natural state a proper dose could paralyze a whale, though you've had to dilute it substantially to keep it preserved. Enough for three doses, divided as you like among one, two, or three vials.

@All: The four gathered (and Sophie from a bit farther away) turn to open the conversation up to you all. Roisin seems like she saw you approaching, but the others were so invested in the discussion that it seems like they only recently noticed you. The captain sighs, lifts his hat and anxiously runs his hand through his long hair.

"Not exactly, Ota. Roisin saw sails there already. Black sails: probably the pirates the people of Dominica mentioned, if I had to guess."
Piet cuts in. "And these two want to turn tail!"
Genoveva opens her mouth to respond, but decides against it as Estoban growls back. "I want to keep my crew safe. We've had blessed fortune these past months with little hardship. I'm not eager to spit in Lady Luck's face and go pick a fight with a crew of violent, pillaging criminals!"
Finally Genoveva does speak up, her voice more accustomed to French than the other two. "Thanks to you all, we know that they have innocent people with them. Now we must decide: are we going to do nothing and leave them to their fate? Or risk our own crew, our own selves, to help them?"

[Almostdead]

Eldon listens to Ota's translation with a worried look.
Then he waves his hands to get other's attention before he speaks. "Captain and good fellows, may I have a word with you? I understand that not all of us are obligated to help others. And I respect your choice. However, please consider this. In this callous world where people can be so focused on what they're doing, a simple act of kindness can make all the difference. We all hopes that someone would give us a helping hand in a moment of dire need. It would be unfair to ask you to risk your life. But shouldn't we at least try to make it right instead of just running away?
He takes a breath and continues, "Besides, Dominica is a well established settlement and trade post. It's in our best interest to help them. After all, the fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose."
Eldon finishes his speech and look at others. Especially his teammates, waiting for their opinions.

[Chimaera]

After many hours laboring, the indigean look at the three vials of poison he extracted from the tentacle and gve them a small smile. In his native tongue he speaks to Eçaiara, "Interesting that the even in death one can find a boon".

He close his eyes for what seems to be a few seconds, before the arguing managed to wake him from his sleep. Grumbling, the cook make his way abovedeck and stay close to be able to listen to Ota's translation and later Eldon's speech.

"I'd rather save them", he says outloud in spanish, "a good relation with the city might proof very profitable and maybe the pirates got a treasure that we could put to a better use". He keep the promise of a large ammount of beer as well as the will to find more about the pirate's movements to himself.

[remetagross]

Ota ponders with a serious figure what the leading trio just told the crew. He can see the sailors hesitating, the general mood of the crown being uneasiness.
Okay, let's choose our words carefully there. The crew is waiting to see how that'll turn out...

Then, Eldon speaks up, quickly followed by Ubirajara. Ota raises an eyebrow. If Eldon's intervention and opinion was quite expected, Ubirajara's reaction is more surprising.
Really? It doesn't sound that much like him, who prefers to stay by himself whenever he can...and given that Rattlebone will probably just shrug at the news without voicing one opinion or the other...the rule here is not to appear split, else we'll lose persuasiveness. As to me, I'd prefer to avoid a full-on fight, but I'll sure learn more by exchanging with pirates than with buttheaded priests...that can be done without necessarily fighting to the death.

Ntwa coming to rest atop his hat, so as to make him appear a little bit taller, Ota slowly speaks up, with measured words. He addresses the Captain and his assistants as much as the rank and file crewmates.
"I don't want to rush myself to the tip of an ennemy sword...but neither do the pirates themselves. Going down to the island does not mean we'll slaughter each other to the last man - the pirates have their own wounded to tend to after their raid at Dominica, and they're full of plunder enough they won't want to pillage us out of desperation. Even more, they'll fear they can lose what they've stolen, in case we win a frontal fight. If we head down there, I would bet the pirates will want to fight only if they're cornered. Which means they'll probably leave us to our own devices - unless they're in the middle of another raid. In which case we'll catch them from behind with their boats on the shore. And in any event, if they've decided to head down there, that means there's something of value to be found: either a settlement, or some natural resources to exploit, or at the very least a nice little creek to catch one's breath - we never have too much of those in our maps. Long story short, a fight there is not the most probable outcome, and if a fight does occur we will be in a much better situation than them to win it. If there is no fight, we'll have gained information about the isle and about the pirates anyway, which is useful in its own right, and maybe we can take advantage of whatever attracted the pirates to that island. I propose we go."

[Dimers]

"Captain, Genoveva." Rattlebone approaches the discussion from the side opposite Eldon. "Our commission is to map the islands, yes? It will be hard to fulfill that if we allow ourselves to be driven off course by threats of what might be -- there may also be horrendous monsters or volcanoes or furious natives on any of the islands, yet we still explore them. The Crown would be rather put out to hear that its agents fled from the first appearance of danger."

He shakes his head and continues. "And if we presume the black-sails has seen us too, and has seen us turn away ... We will appear as prey, and we will likely be pursued, through waters more familiar to them than to us. Better to act the aggressor. If they flee, well enough. If they fight ..." Menace suddenly drips off the bokor, and several sailors step away from him wide-eyed. "They will wish they had not."

I'm not exactly trying to intimidate the decision-makers. I just want to impress on them that we have scarier things than cannon on board, and to show viscerally that acting bold and frightening may solve the problem directly. An Intimidate check still seems to fit that best. If you agree ...

[roll0] possibly plus some modifier for a strong Reputation

[El'the Ellie]

Piet waves his hands towards your agreement. "See? The new lads agree."

Captain Esteban stares at the island once more, deep in thought, then sighs. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we're doing this right. Piet, I want you to pick out a crew for the Vensinda and enough gunners for the cannons. We'll drop off a party on the shore and have Piet lurking behind that main mountain and snoop around what they're doing on the island. If we're not back, say, five hours after we leave or if we send up a flare, you pull up to their ship and start putting holes in it."

He raises his voice, now calling out in Spanish to his crew, which has mostly assembled on the deck. "Ladies and men, listen up! The pirates we found out about yesterday are holed up on that island, and they took some innocent people for God knows what reason. We're going to save them.

We're splitting off into four groups. Piet will pick out some of you to stay on the ship. You're backup if things go sideways. The other three will land.

One of the groups will cut through the island and spy on the ship. Might be we can learn something about what they're doing here or where the prisoners are.

One group will head to that peak. It's tall enough that we should be able to keep an eye on everything.

The last will investigate on the island. If those pirates have explored the land too, they might have left a trail to follow. There are better places they could have landed: I want to know why they chose here.

Piet will form the crew on the ship. Genoveva and I will each gather people to our groups. For now, we sail to the island, towards that sandy edge there."

As the vessel approaches, the Captain gathers the four of you and Sophie.

"Right, the five of you proved yourselves to work together well on someone of the islands, and with that alligator fiasco a while back. I see no reason to change that. But you're of more... eclectic talents than some of the crew. Which of those three jobs can you lot do best? Genoveva and I will figure out the remaining two."

Sophie immediately starts to protest. "Captain, I'm not well suited for fighting. I--"

"And hopefully you won't run into a fight. The main thing we need is information, as Ota said. That's something I can trust you to do."

The woman chews on these words for a moment, and just nods.

* * *

Over the next hour, the Vensinda makes its way to the island, carried by a strong breeze that seems likely to bring a storm with it. Despite being the middle of the day, the island is covered in a dim grey half-light. Each group, now formed and ready for anything, descends the Vensinda's sides and crews a rowboat to the shore. The shore spreads out to either side for a few hundred feet before curving around. A forest of coconut, ficus, and other tropical trees fans out after the shore grows more rocky, a few dozen feet in front of you. Beyond it the jagged, claw-like mountain looms in front of you. As planned, it seems to block any sight between you and the black sailed ship across the island. With luck, they didn't even see you arrive.

[Almostdead]

Eldon feels relieved when his teammates support his idea. He realizes how wonderful they are. Though not everyone is fighting for the same cause. Their action is on the right track. He nods to each of them as a way appreciation.

Then the captain announces his final decision. They are going to split into 3 groups and gather more information about those pirates before engaging them. Although Eldon is capable of protecting himself and surviving in wilderness. He is not a good scout or athlete. Considering this, he speaks to his teammates with a smile, "I'm willing to help in whatever way I can. But I'm not skilled in spying or climbing. So the group that investigates on the island might be a good option. However, we cooperated very well last time. I would like to stay with you guys if possible. What do you think?"

[remetagross]

Ota is satisfied to see his opinion has been adopted by the Captain. As the Vensinda makes her way towards the island ahead, the small sailor makes sure to ask to each and every crewman aboard if they want to receive his blessing.
"If we have to endure heavy rain or to swim for extended periods of time, my gift will also protect you from the cold." The Pygmee also blesses himself with the ability to swim and breathe like a fish under the waves.


Endure Exposure on all sailors that agree to it, and Ocean's Blessing on self.

As their destination grows nearer, Ota looks at the sky with a creased brow. Some rain is likely to occur. The Pygmee takes care to store his most probably useless gun in his chest, and comes back aboard to see Sophie being admonished by the Captain. Ota smiles at her and pats her in the back (good think she's not as tall as Ubirajara, else he'd have to pat a more embarrassing area of her backside).
"Cheer up, Miss Dubois. Of all the sailors with whom you are about to explore the isle, Mister Rattlebone here is by far the scariest. I bet any pirate we chance upon will turn back and flee rather than fight, if ever we encounter one. "

Ota then turns towards Eldon, his tone a little more down to earth.
"I'm not that skilled to spying or climbing either - though Ntwa is. But I can send it with the exploration group, given - "
"- that I can speak Spanish", cawks the bird in an eerie echo of his master's voice.
"My talents lend themselves better to explore, and I agree we formed a fine squadron back to the alligator incident. I am with you, Eldon."

[El'the Ellie]

@Ota: In the time before landing you make your way around the crew, offering your blessing. Some have trepidation, but the demonstration several weeks ago must have assuaged their fears: each member of the crew accepts your protection. Some mumbling thanks or looking nervous, but most are more wholeheartedly appreciative.

Sophie nods and offers a small smile, though you can tell she doesn't completely agree.

@Ota and Rattlebone: Ntwa and Rattlebone's dove take to the gray skies, flying ahead of the party as you make your way to the shore. The island is longer than it is across: a bit rectangular shaped. It's about four miles across, give or take, but no more than half that wide.

A few things are obvious to the bird's keen eyes: The pirate ship is anchored across the island, and seems to be the only other ship here. The beach in front of it has a few tents and a large fire built up, though any finer details would require someone being close. The island is mostly covered in forest: the spire is mostly bare, but all around it is a swath of trees that stop only for the shore.

Rattlebone's eyes, through the dove, pick up a bit more than Ntwa. To the west of the spire is a pit. It's impossible to tell if it's natural or manmade, but many trees growing on it suggest it has been here for some time. The pit is a few hundred feet across and round, but the foliage blocks any view of what might be in it. Between the pit and the spire there is a small clearing, with a few gray stones poking up from the island like teeth. Rattlebone just barely catches two glimpses of movement: one, a head with black hair exiting the clearing and becoming lost in the foliage. The other, a larger shaking of trees, but further to the east. It could have just been the wind, or it could have been something larger moving under the foliage.

@All: Now on the shore, the Captain speaks to you all, as well as Genoveva.

"Alright crew. We have five hours to learn what we can, then get back to Piet. We'll meet back up there, so if you don't need the full five hours, or if something happens, don't wait up for the other groups. These people are thieves, murderers, and kidnappers, so don't go easy on them. We're not looking for a fight - not yet, anyway - but if you can make their lives hell or pick some of them off, do it.

We're headed up that mountain to get a lay of the land. Genoveva, your group will scout our friends on the other side of the island. The last of you, I agree, investigating the island makes sense. Good luck, I'll see you all in a few hours."

He turns and calls his group to head off though the foliage. Genoveva does the same but following the beach. Soon enough, the five of you are alone.

[remetagross]

Ntwa flies back to Ota, and perches on his shoulder.
"I haven't seen much"", the parrot cawks. "Just that the pirates have established an encampment at the beach where they've set anchor. Have you seen more, Rattlebone?"

Ota strokes his familiar, before the bird flies off and perches itself atop the inviting shoulder of Coen, in Genoveva's group. The bird will remain there and assist this group's exploration. The Pygmee starts rubbing his hands together to exert his muscles.
"Alright, lads, shall we go? Rattlebone, would you want to take the lead as you did back on Dominia?"

[Chimaera]

Once the decision to check and possible engage the pirates was made, Ubirajara retired himself to his kitchen to pray to the ancient spirits for cunning, guile and strength for the next hour. Eçaiara coils itself around its human friend's right arm and remain there.

With his mind calmed by the spirits, he starts to paint his face, torso and arms for battle, like a true indigean warrior. Picking up his weapons and survival tools, he make sure to poison ten arrows with the giant tentacle's poison.

It is only after the they land on the island that he speak again.
"May the spirits watch over you, captain. Genoveva", he says and watch as both parties leave before returning attention to his own, "So where you want to start from?"

[Almostdead]

“We'd better wait for Rattlebone's bird to return. We need more information before making any decisions.” Eldon looks around. "Maybe we can look for a high spot first?"

[Dimers]

"Have you seen more, Rattlebone?"

Rattlebone holds up a hand as if to say, "Wait." His eyes are open but are plainly focused on something that isn't here.


“We'd better wait for Rattlebone's bird to return. We need more information before making any decisions.”

His focus comes back to the group on the beach. "No need to delay for the dove, my friends. She and I have seen all we're likely to without drawing attention. Someone seems to be here, and I won't gamble on them overlooking a bird not native to this area." Rattlebone describes roughly what he discovered: the pit, the movement, the patch of gray stone teeth. He tries to draw the outline of the island from the bird's-eye view. "There, the larger shaking. Here, the spiked clearing. The Vensinda may or may not be visible from within the trees within this area ..." He points to a broad swath. "If someone happens to be looking."


"Alright, lads, shall we go? Rattlebone, would you want to take the lead as you did back on Dominia?"

"Yes. Let's be off, heading for that pit. So far it's the only hint of something besides lush forest, and I doubt pirates are interested in uncultivated plant life ... either for beauty or for cataloging," he adds, with a wink to Sophie. He prepares his crossbow and checks the position of the sun, then heads for the cover of the forest to start marking a trail for Ubirajara.

[remetagross]

Ota follows suit as Rattlebone starts off.
"Five hours, give or take, right? Sophie, do you happen to carry a sundial or something? Else, I guess we should all do as Rattlebone. Let's try to memorize Sun's position." Squinting towards the orb, Ota tries to commit to memory its place in the sky. That said, the Pygmee walks behind the bokor, keeping an eye out. His small size means he's globally glairing at tree trunks and sprout roots, but perhaps he'll chance upon a flash of a foe's foot.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie nods, already glancing at the pocket watch she uses to help chart the ship's course.

"It is ten twenty three right now. I'll let people know when its one, in case we need to start heading back."

With the bokor taking the lead, the five of you press into the island's dense forest, headed towards the pit Rattlebone saw.

http://magic.wizards.com/sites/mtg/files/image_legacy_migration/mtg/images/daily/stf/stf54_naya.jpg

An odd sense begins to creep upon you as you fight through ferns, trees, rocks and puddles. The island is eerie, but beautiful at the same time. Somewhere in the distance, some kind of bird calls for a mate with a Roooook, roooook. Sophie seems particularly interested, as is expected by now, by an environment full of unfamiliar life. To her credit though, she makes only mental notes.

More than once, a creature skitters across your path. They catch you unawares, looking almost indistinguishable from a fallen log or patch of fungus. Luckily, they also don't seem interested in causing you trouble, as they quickly disappear back into the forest. Still, they look like no animal you've seen before.

https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/mtgsalvation_gamepedia/e/e6/Saproling.jpg

@Eldon & Ubirajara: After several minutes of travelling through the brush, your ears pick up the sound of human speech. Two men, one with a gruff lower tone and the other with a distinct English accent, speaking Spanish. The conversation comes in front of you to your right, though they're keeping their voices low and trying not to be heard. Although it's several meters away, your group is noisy moving through the underbrush. Unless you all try to keep quiet, there's little chance they won't hear you as you pass.

"-- middle of the f**king night, is all I'm saying." The English man seems angry.
"Maybe don't bet against Jak then. This isn't the first time you've b**ched to me after losing." The man with the deeper voice is more relaxed. It sounds like he finds his companions frustration amusing. "Besides, it ain't that bad. A couple of hours of walking through the woods won't kill you."
"Oh, p*ss off, Mateo. You're only happy because it's a couple more hours you get to leer at her like some dog."
"Ey! I don't leer." There's a pause and an exhale, where you figure he must be smoking as well. "I... appreciate. Anyone with a pulse does."
"She's creepy and evil."
"She's devilishly seductive and you're a coward. If you wanted nice girls you should have stayed in London."
"Yeah yeah. Maybe she'll take your ****s too, like the captain."
"Eh, if it means she sleeps in my bunk instead of his--"
"Oh, you're pathetic."

There's a beat, where you assume something nonverbal happens. Then at the same time, they appear to have reached the same revelation and exclaim, "That's what's in that box!"
You can hear them laughing to themselves, and another puff from the second man, Mateo.

[Almostdead]

As Eldon hears the voice, he trots ahead quietly and pats Rattlebone's shoulder. He speaks nothing but gestures Rattlebone and other teammates to stop moving and keep silence. He put his hand near his ear then points to the origin of the sound and raises two fingers.
He scans through the faces of every teammates to see if they understand. When he and Ubirajara makes eye contact, he realizes that Ubirajara also heard the voice. So Eldon makes a gesture of crawling towards the sound and looks questioningly at Ubirajara.

[Chimaera]

Upon eavesdropping the conversarion, Ubirajara stop on his track and look at the others. When his gaze meets Eldon's he nods and silently sneak toward the source of the sounds, with Eçaiara slithering behind him.

Ubirajara: [roll0]
Eçaiara: [roll1]

If he get a clear shot of them without being noticed, he ger his bow ready and wait to see where their conversation will lead and what theyre doing and wearing as weapons and armor.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone hears speech, and though he can't make out the words from here, he does stop moving and let himself fade back to visibility.


As Eldon hears the voice, he trots ahead quietly and pats Rattlebone's shoulder ... Eldon makes a gesture of crawling towards the sound and looks questioningly at Ubirajara.


Ubirajara nods and silently sneaks toward the source of the sounds, with Eçaiara slithering behind him.

A few steps behind, Rattlebone creeps forward, covering himself again with the shadow of the loa. I wish I'd thought to ask Ubi for some venom for my bolts, he muses. That's worked well for us.

At game start, I'd described working with Ubirajara in the past, so I'm harkening back to that here.

Resume invisibility and try to stay close behind Ubi. With a +1 bonus from mundane gear, my Stealth is +6 for hearing, +25 for sight. [roll0]

[remetagross]

"Huh?" Hey mates did you just hear... Ota stops himself upon realizing what's going on, and seeing Eldon's gesture. Knowing he has little to bring on the discretion front, he freezes and tries his best to remain utterly still and silent. He waits for the sneakier ones among the team to work their magic - litteraly, in Rattlebone's case.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie takes the cue from Ota quieting himself that something is amiss, and stops along with the group. With a brief couple of gestures you all decide to have Rattlebone scout ahead.

@Rattlebone & Ubirajara: Invisible or quietly, you creep through the forest towards the sound of the voices. You do your best to step quietly, but the thick blanket of foliage makes it hard to see where you're stepping, and more often than you'd like your steps crunch on leaves and knock rocks loose. Eventually you make it to the source of the voices, but not before Rattlebone stumbles harshly over a loose log and catching himself on a tall brush lined with tiny hair-like thorns. A few of those thorns stick in his fingers like splinters and smart, but he manages not to make any audible noises of pain.

Still, the noise is enough the catch the notice of the two men in front of you. They area they stand in is clear of any large plants, as the ground here is one large exposed rock. Neither of them were facing your direction a moment ago, but the noise is enough to cause them to turn around. The man on the left is tall and fairly muscular, perhaps a few inches over six feet. His skin is deeply tanned, and his dark hair is long enough to be tied behind his head in a ponytail. His painter's mustache is trimmed nicer than his hair. Although his face bears a scar along the cheek that suggests he's seen plenty of fights, his eyes lack the hardness you might expect from a pirate. In his mouth is a cigar, still with a bit of length left.
His companion couldn't be more different. The English man is pale and almost scrawny. His face seems etched with eternal marks of irritation and anxiety. Half-exposed under his coat is a tattoo of a spider along his neck, though you can see a few scars from where he must have picked at it.

Both of the men wear nicely made coats and outfits. However they're both faded a bit from the ocean spray, and despite their good make they don't quite match or fit their wearers. Undoubtedly they were liberated from someone else. At each of their hips is a curved blade. The larger man carries a bow along his back, and the smaller has a firearm on his hip as well. They both approach you as soon as they hear the rustling and watch as a brush bird, summoned by Rattlebone, flutters out of the bush and into the woods.

"F**kin' what was that?" The younger English man turns around with a sharp, almost paranoid gaze.
Mateo laughs. "It's a bird, El. God above, you need to relax."
"Was a big sounding bird. Maybe it got spooked by one of the munchers."
"Eh, maybe. Ed says they like the smell of this." He waves his cigar around. Sure enough, the two of you notice what was easily missed before: many of those plant-like creatures are perched somewhere around the area, even a few right next to you. They seem to be drawn to the tobacco smell.

Mateo and El both turn to the noise. El appears on edge, but they both linger where they are. There's a pause, made awkward only by the fact that you are creeping on them.

Mateo and El are both twenty feet away from each of you, and the few feet of underbrush between you all is enough to give them partial cover. (You also have partial cover from them)

If you guys want to start combat, please post a surprise round's worth of actions. I'll work on getting a map up, not quite sure exactly how I plan on doing that yet...

If you'd rather wait for him to move along or move somewhere else, post something describing those actions (or lack thereof)

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara was almost shooting the man when the Rattlebone's bird flew and created an escapegoat for their failed silent approach. The indigean then warrior hold his breath and remain silent until the other pirate break the tension and they get back to their bickering.

With his bow pointed at the couple, he wait for a signal from Rattlebone to attack.

[remetagross]

Ota, tense, sees Ubirajara readying his bow. Understanding a fight might be about to break out, the Pygmee mentally prepares himself to dive into the fray. He assesses the distance and angle between himself and the probable location of the sources of the voices, mapping out an ideal position to unleash his gift. Concentrating to keep his breathing calm and regular, the small sailor has his eyes locked on Ubirajara's bow hand, ready to jump into position as soon as the finger releases the arrow.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone waits a moment, but clearly the two men remain suspicious. He triggers his crossbow, gritting his teeth at the pain that provokes from the tiny thorns. A small but clear snapp! announces to all that hostilities have begun.

Attack roll [roll0]. This is against the thin Englishman, who gets +4 to AC from cover but loses any Dex bonus since I'm invisible. Damage [roll1] plus [roll2] sudden strike. If a crit threat, [roll3], +[roll4] damage.

Assuming this is still considered a surprise round, that's all I get. If it's just plain old Round 1, I'll also move straight west -- probably only getting 15' away, not 30', due to dense vegetation.

[Chimaera]

Seeing Rattlebone start combat, Ubirajara unleash one of his poisoned arrows at the closest of the pirates. Eçaiara remain hidden close by Ubirajara, lurking and waiting for someone to reach her companion before attacking the unaware assailant.

Surprise Bow Shot [roll0] dmg [roll1] plus Fort DC 11 or be poisoned for [roll2] Con damage plus [roll3] Con damage 1 minute later. Forgot to add +1 on attack from PBS (not that it would help with a natural 1).

Eçaiara will remain hidden within 10ft of Ubirajara and will get ready to attack anyone moving to reach Ubirajara on melee:

Stealth [roll4]
Bite Attack [roll5] dmg [roll6] plus Fort DC 11 or be poisoned for [roll7] Con damage plus [roll8] Con damage 1 minute later.

[El'the Ellie]

@Ubirajara and Rattlebone: With no warning for the two men, two shots fire out from the brush. One goes wide and sticks into the tree behind him, but the smaller bolt punches through his shirt, splitting open his skin and tearing into his lung. He clutches his chest and gasps. Both of the men are slow on the uptake, but Mateo notices the blossoming circle of red on his friend's chest.

"What the hell? Hey what the F**K! There's f**king savages on this place!"

@All: You hear that shout, and it's not hard to figure out roughly what happened. Sophie turns to Ota and Eldon, worried. "Sounds like trouble. Come on!" She swats brushes out of the way and hurries towards the source of the noise, just visible beyond the foliage.

@Ubirajara and Rattlebone: Mateo catches his friend from falling, and spins the two of them around. They see Rattlebone, still holding the crossbow.

"Hey, don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

Initiative:
Ubirajara
Sophie
El
Ota
Mateo
Rattlebone
Eldon

[El'the Ellie]

@Ubirajara and Rattlebone: Ubirajara, seeing that he's been apparently unnoticed for now, lies in wait. He draws another arrow back on his bow with only the faint tense sound of the wood bending. But for now, he holds his shot.

The Englishman looks livid, and reaches for his gun, but Mateo puts his hand on his arm, and extends his other hand towards Rattlebone.

"Wait! Do you speak Spanish?" Then he switches to Portuguese, "Or Portuguese? Don't shoot, we don't want to fight."

Ubirajara has a readied action to shoot again if Rattlebone does something hostile or gives him the signal.
The pirates delayed their action and are waiting to see what you all do, though they still don't seem to have seen Ubirajara.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

Initiative:
Ubirajara
Sophie
Ota
Rattlebone
Eldon
El
Mateo

[Dimers]

Drifting counterclockwise around the edge of the clearing while he re-arms his crossbow, the bokor growls in Spanish, "Naturally, I won't kill everyone -- who would spread the dark legend of Rattlebone if I did that? Tell me, "dear friend", if you don't want to fight, what do you want? What brought you to this isle?" He keeps his gaze on the one who spoke, to show that he doesn't feel threatened by the bleeding man's pistol.

[Almostdead]

Eldon lays low under a bush until he hears the shout. He is going to consult his teammates first but Sophie reacts immediately and storms out. He follows Sophie quickly towards Ubirajara and Rattlebone.


Double movements towards Ubirajara and Rattlebone.

[remetagross]

Ota follows suit and rushes to the site of the confrontation.


Double move towards the action scene.

[El'the Ellie]

@Eldon and Ota: Trudging haphazardly through the forest, you and Sophie get close enough to the clearing to at least hear the conversation. The two pirates, as well as Rattlebone, are barely visible between the trees, but too obscured to make out clearly.

You can't see details about what is happening in the clearing, but assume that you can hear and generally see what is going on ahead.

@Rattlebone and Ubirajara: Something about the way Rattlebone announces himself seems to rub the larger man, Mateo, wrong. He glares at you and moves between you and the other pirate, standing in the way of a shot. He opens his mouth to say something, when all four of you clearly hear a loud rustling in the woods behind you. Too loud to be a critter: it must be something about human-sized, and Mateo comes to the same conclusion.

"El, get out of here, go get help."

El nods, apparently needing little motivation to leave his friend, and bolts with surprising speed into the woods.

You had a readied action to shoot. I'll let you take it now if you'd like, as El runs away. Whether you choose to take it or not, it's also the party's turn.

"You want to talk, 'Rattlebone'? Put that thing down and tell your friends to stay where they are."

I'll update the positions of Sophie (who double-moves again), and Mateo later today. El is also running away to the north west, but at the time that Ubirajara takes his readied action (if he chooses), El is where he currently is. After Ubirajara's readied action, assuming he is still up, El will have double moved into the woods.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

Initiative:
Ubirajara (& a potential Readied Action to shoot)
Sophie
Ota
Rattlebone
Eldon
El
Mateo

[Chimaera]

Hidden until the very last moment, the indigean watch as the hurt pirate start running away and aim his arrow to hus back.

Sure, Rattlebone seems intend on talking with them, but being pirate himself he's aware that the pirates wouldbt have any mercy on them at all and if this one alert their ship then the rest of the crew might have a lot more of trouble, as their presence would be made clear. By killing this one man he might be able to save those from Vensinda and his loyalty is to his captain and crew. And Rattlebone just need one of them alive to speak to.

He release the arrow and let the spirits decide if this man was to live or to die.

Against FF AC
[roll0] dmg [roll1] plus SA [roll2]

The arrow is poisoned with Eçaiara's poison and El must make a Fort save DC 11 or take [roll3] Con damage.

"Stand still and surrender", he order in Spanish to both of them, although one might not be alive to listen to his command.

[El'the Ellie]

The second arrow that Ubirajara fires is dead on, and hits El in the back of the head as he turns to run. He falls forward and lies motionless with a heavy thud. Mateo looks towards Ubirajara with shock, and fury.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

Initiative:
Ubirajara
Sophie
Ota
Rattlebone
Eldon
Mateo

[Dimers]

"You should have listened more closely to your fear. Your friend would not lay dying," Rattlebone says flatly. As he fades from sight, he demands, "Now, why are you here?"

Invisibility, then move to AN4. Shouldn't provoke an attack unless he can see invisible. If Mateo moves out of my threatened area, bayonet attack: [roll0] without Dexterity to AC, damage [roll1] and [roll2] sudden strike. If 19-20, confirm crit [roll3], damage [roll4].

[remetagross]

Ota hurries as much as he can, weaving and bobbing through the heavy underbrush. When he first gets his eyes on the clearing, he just has time to see Rattlebone vanish into thin air, while one of the pirates seems stone dead on the ground and the other enraged and ready to fight. No good.

"Surrender!" bellows the small sailor in Spanish, as he has heard the others speak, though not so loudly that it can be heard from too far away.


Double move action to AH8.

[Almostdead]

Eldon rushes through bushes, trying to catch up with Ota and Sophie. But there is a growing gap between him and the other two. "Rats, I'm too slow. I hope Ubirajara and Rattlebone are safe." He thinks to himself.


Double move again

[El'the Ellie]

@All: Ota, Sophie, and Eldon arrive, perhaps a bit out of breath from the run through the underbrush, to see a dead pirate, and a living one furiously gritting his teeth and holding a scimitar. He seems shocked when Rattlebone vanishes, but given the severity of the situation he finds himself in, it's not the first thing on his mind right now.

He spits on the ground in the direction of Ubirajara, but then throws down his scimitar in anger. "F**k you all. Fine.

Hand to God, I don't really know why we're here. We dropped anchor after hitting an island town. Most of us are just getting some time with our feet in the sand. Enjoying spoils of war and all that."

He looks at the five of you, a mixed bag of sailors. "What the hell are you all doing here?"

Blood and Water, Part 1
Ubirajara, Rattlebone, and Ota get 450 xp
Eldon gets 500 xp (considering he is level 2)

At this point everyone should have either 3600 xp (for those that are level 3) or 1650 xp (for Eldon, being level 2).

Mateo has surrendered so we can leave combat. If you'd prefer to keep fighting him you can, and I'll put initiative back up.

[remetagross]

Ota, panting a little, first indicates the body lying on the ground.
"*Hurf* Let's see...if it's still time to save him..."
Having witnessed that the fight has gone out of Matteo, the Pygmee kneels near El, and applies a Blessed Bandage to his bloody chest.


Is the Blessed Bandage used up all the same if the poor sod's already dead?

All the while, he speaks up to Matteo with a severe look. This is not a time for cracking jokes.
"We're here because of your spoils of war. We want them back at Dominia, both goods and prisoners. What about them?"

[El'the Ellie]

If a bandage is applied to an already dead person, then it would still be used.

@Ota: You hustle towards the unconscious Englishman. The other pirate takes a step towards you, but backs away when he sees the bandages in your hand. You wrap them around his chest, and after a moment of worry, they begin glowing a faint blue color. But that much would be expected even if he had already died from his wounds. As you're turning him over, you see his chest rise just a bit. Immaculately, he's alive! But barely. If you had been a moment later, chances are it would have been too late.

@All: Mateo barks out a laugh, devoid of any actual humor. "Oh I see, the noble guard. Of what? There are no laws out here, and no country to answer to. You want to take things back then I won't stop you, but the others might. Our ship's that way; good luck." He points deeper into the jungle, in the direction you know their ship to be. "You might be a bit late for the couple we took."

He looks up at the sky, completely obscured by gray clouds swollen with rain. A smile briefly flickers across his face. "Then again, maybe not. They're that way, maybe a ten minute walk. Could be longer for short folk like you. I doubt you'll get within a dozen yards of them, though." He points again, this time northwest, in the direction that El had been about to run to.

[remetagross]

"By the beard of Davy Jones! It was not too late." Ota stands up from his position, and turns to fully face Mateo. His face is hard and his gaze level.

"No laws, no countries to answer to. Exactly. Meaning there's no one to prevent us from counter-raiding you and plundering back all that you've taken. And given the fight you've been able to put up, you and your friend, I doubt there'll be much resistance from the rest of your crew either." It's pretty much exactly one of the possible situations I was advocating for, back on the Vensinda.

Ota enjoins the rest of his team to enter the fray as well with a wide gesture of the hand.
"Alright, tell us what we're up to when we get to your ship. Maybe we'll be able to spare some more lives of your crew. Maybe not. It's up to you. We remain here for two minutes, including the time to take care of you, before we go. Start talking."

I'll gladly Aid Another someone more scary than Ota into an Intimidate check: DC 10 [roll0]

[Almostdead]

As Eldon catches up from behind, he hears his teammate interrogating their prisoner. He sees another Englishman lying on the ground a few steps away. Eldon is going to help the wounded man but Ota takes the action first. He patches the man up and clearly stabilized the man's condition.

Relieved, Eldon turns his attention to the yelling prisoner. Through the prisoner's speech, he realizes there is no time for gentle persuasion, so he takes a different approach. He summons his eldritch energy in his palm and show it to the Englishman deliberately, "Stop pretending you don't care. It is up to us to save or destroy you. And we've been mercy to you and your friend. That's the chance you don't want to blow. Now talk! Tell us whatever you know. Or I will burn you alive with my flame, bits by bits. Then torture your soul for millions of years." Eldon ends his statement by shooting the eldritch blast on the ground beside the man, before he resummons another dark flame in his palm and stares at the Englishman threateningly.


[roll0]

19 + 2(aid from Ota) = 21

[El'the Ellie]

The man jumps back as the bolt of black flame strikes the rock. He whispers a few choice cursewords, and looks at Ota without quite meeting his sharp gaze.

"I don't know what to tell you about our ship little man! She's a galleon, named Blackmark's Gold. We've got... I don't know, two hundred fifty men and women as crew. Maybe more. 'S why I don't think the five of you are gonna do much. Most of 'em are fighters. Even if you get the drop on them like you did us, I don't think they're going to give up the ship easily. Like I said, they're all on the ship or on the shore drinking, whoring, fighting: you know, relaxing."

He hesitates, but continues under Ota and Eldon's piercing gazes. Clearly he has no real concerns sharing information about the crew of the Blackmark's Gold, but rest takes a bit more convincing to get out.

"The two we took aren't there though. Look, me and Elmore didn't touch them, you know? We haven't laid a finger on them, so really if you're pissed at people taking them you have to take it up with someone else. Like I said, they're over there." He points towards the pit the five of you were already headed towards. "We got a good size group with them." He spends a second counting in his head. "Eight of us, besides me and El, Captain, plus a couple of dogs, and a wen-- uh... a lady." A side glance at Sophie makes him rethink his word choice.

"Look, I'm glad you all didn't kill El. Is he gonna be ok? Whatever suicide mission you five have in mind ain't worth our life over. You let us go and we'll stay out of your hair, ok?"

[Dimers]

"What are they doing with the captives?" Rattlebone's disembodied voice floats across the clearing in the direction the pirate pointed.

[remetagross]

His gaze still stony, Ota answers the terrified Matteo.
"Your comrade will be fine. Pay attention not to move him around too roughly to not reopen the wounds. And tell you what, whatever mission we five have in mind is not worth your life either. So you'd better answer the question that was just asked. And then we might decide to let you go out of our hair."

[El'the Ellie]

Mateo searches with anxious eyes for the source of the voice, at least recognizing it as the man that originally ambushed him. Unable to find it, he looks at Ota when talking.

"By God, I don't know. Some sort of witchcraft. But I guess you all already have some experience with that." He notes the black fire Eldon holds and invisible Rattlebone. "We asked her about it, but she was cryptic. Some sort of rhyme, but it was in English. El said it was like... She was supposed to kill them, and then it would start raining? There's more, but hand to God I don't remember it."

[Almostdead]

Eldon squints at Mateo, the thing he just said brings back his memory. "She? Tell us what you know about she. Is she the mastermind behind all this? What kind of power she possess? Speak!" Eldon closes his palm and dismisses his eldritch flame, but still stares at Matro.

[remetagross]

Ota checks one last time that El is doing fine, while Matteo spits out whatever he can about that mysterious "she" person. Once all is said and done, the Pygmee readies himself to move again.

"Time for us to disrupt that ritual, whatever it is. Time for you to take care of your crewmate and avoid being a nuisance to any of us in the meantime. If I were you, I'd remain here by El's side, because if you leave to start off the alarm, you could come back here and find him half-eaten by these plant-animal-things, if not by worse stuff."

That being said, Ota waits for everyone else to be ready to go, and starts hustling towards the pit as fast as the undergrowth allows him to. As soon as the crew gets out of earshot of the two pirates they've faced, Ota asks the others between two pants:
"What d'you think we should do about the ship? We can't take it by force. We could signal its location to Piet maybe, if I send Ntwa. Opinions?"


Hustling towards the chasm (running is made impossible by the difficult terrain) so double move action per round, when accounting for difficult terrain penalty that's 15ft per round.

[El'the Ellie]

"Okay, okay!" Mateo hold up his hands defensively at Eldon's continued demand. "Captain Blackmark picked her up in the Port of Spain. Edge of the southern America. At first we thought she was just some whore from the island..." He shakes his head. "They call her the Seafoam Lady, though I've heard Captain say her name was Maria. She's..." He shrugs, "a witch. Caplata, I hear people say. One of our crew was running his mouth about her: she made him drown there and then. I've seen her bring a wave down on a man and strip his flesh from his bones. And what was left she made turn around and fight. People stopped questioning her after that. I guess Blackmark's still in charge, but these days..."

He nods in vigorous agreement with Ota, happy that you all seem to be leaving.

[Dimers]

"Send him," Rattlebone agrees, fading into view as he pushes through the heavy foliage. "Does he know everything we've heard?"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

When he judges that the group is getting close to the pit, Rattlebone drops down to one knee and makes a gathering gesture to beckon the others close. "Ubirajara. May I have Eçaiara's blessing, please?" He offers the head of a crossbow bolt for venemous anointing. Speaking with quiet haste, he tells his companions, "When you see me again, I'll have Mateo's appearance, the better to sow confusion. Sophie -- what time do you mark now, and will you have any magical aid to offer for either charming or battle?"

[remetagross]

Ota silently acquiesces. The dragonblessed reaches into his empathic link with his familiar. He sends out a wave of need, of mild distress, of wanting, of longing. Ntwa would understand.

"Ntwa cannot hear through me, so it'll first have to reach us so that I can tell it everything directly." mutters Ota. "Then, it'll fly to Piet. It'll be a little while before it arrives here, given we're quite far apart. But I guess the pirates aren't leaving anytime soon anyway."

When close to the pit, Ota readies himself for potential battle. He slowly inhales, exhales, and calms himself while Rattlebone prepares. He raises an eyebrow at the bokor's mentioning of him taking the appearance of Matteo. But they're now too close to the ennemy to allow himself a witty remark.

[Almostdead]

Satisfied with Mateo's answers, Eldon walks to El. He mumbles something, then puts his hand on El's head. A shining wave of energy appears in between, healing El's body. Eldon then stands up and looks at Mateo again, "Your friend will wake up soon. You can leave and take him with you. You've earned it, don't waste this chance. And I'm warning you: if I ever find out that you're relate to piracy again, I will pay you a friendly visit. Do remind your friend and yourself." He makes a evil grin and leaves with his teammate.


Use healing belt on El (1 charge)
[roll0]

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara keep quiet and pointing his bow to Mateo while the others question him, but frown and sigh when Eldon save the dying man.

"The spirits seem keen to keep you alive. Stay out of the way and we'll see that you stay alive for tomorrow".

When the others start to leave, he make a gesture with his hand and have Eçaiara follow suit. When they're away from them, the cook think in asking them why they were merciful to those two, but decide to watch and understand instead of voicing his doubts.

"Eçaiara's blessing is bitter and sweet, but may not be the best for today", he says to Rattlebone before taking a flask from a pouch, "This one would be better suited for today". He dip some of Rattlebone's bolts in the poison extracted from the tentacle and give it back carefully to him.

"This is strong. Be careful", he says and hand another flask to him "In case you sting yourself, drink this".

Applying tentacle poison to ten bolts and giving it back to Rattlebone as well as giving him his antitoxin vial

[El'the Ellie]

@Ota: You reconnect mentally with Ntwa, sharing with it your need for it's return, and within a moment Ntwa comes fluttering down to you. Sharing the details with the bird, you send it off to find Piet and inform the master-at-arms.

@Eldon: You place your hand on El's forehead, sending healing magic to him. He doesn't wake, but that's not surprising given how hurt he was. The man is not quite at death's door now. Mateo hesitates for a moment, then nods to you. "Aye. To be honest, I don't plan on ever crossing paths with the lot of you again." As you all prepare to leave, he hefts his friend onto his shoulder and starts making his way back into the woods, in the direction of the ship.

@All: The four of you and Sophie pass through the woods in the direction Mateo pointed, more quickly than before with a hint at what is at stake. Your way through the underbrush is relatively unimpeded, though the foliage and menacing storm clouds make the woods quite dimly lit. Despite being just before noon, it's as dark as late evening. As you go, you walk past another one of those plant-like creatures almost five feet tall. Sophie gasps in amazement as it runs off (and looks for a moment like she quite wants to follow). Despite it's great size, it seems to be just as skittish as the rest.

Once again, you hear a voice before you see its owner. A feminine voice, chanting loudly and passionately. The language is unfamiliar to any of you, but it sounds harsh and demanding.

You all draw closer, finding a hiding spot among the roots and trunk of a large tree. For the first time you get a good look at the pit and those inside it.

You stand on the edge of a circular ring, almost two hundred feet across. Like a bullseye, this pit is formed into rings ending in a circle in the center. The edge you all stand on drops sharply down about ten feet before creating another ring about thirty feet wide. Then it does the same thing again: ten feet down and thirty feet wide. Then it drops the same distance once more, before ending in a stone circular platform. In this way, the pit has four tiers, with you all standing on the topmost.

Scattered on the tier below you are six other pirates, all dressed similarly to El and Mateo. They look on edge. Two of them hold the leashes to dogs, and all of them have weapons held out: half of them carry bows, two with pistols, and one with a longer gun. A few trees have also managed to take root on this tier. They're not as large as the one you all hide behind now, but they could serve as cover for one or two of you.

On the third tier, you find what you came here for. Across the circle from you, you can just barely make out six people, though from this distance its hard to make out many details. In the center, with their hands tied to a simple wooden post, is a man and woman. They are perhaps early twenties, and their clothing is torn and sullied with dirt and blood. In front of them is the one chanting: a woman, dressed in teal silk robes. She moves around them energetically as she speaks. To the right of all this is Captain Blackmark: his position is obvious from the black and gold embroidered clothes he wears. Flanking the group are two more crew members, each holding the chains to a dog as well. This tier has a few trees as well, though not as many. None of them are larger around than a man's waist, so it seems like they'd get in your way more than anything else.

The final tier is more or less empty: the stone circle in the center is etched with deep carvings of some type, and around the edge is a divot a bit deeper, almost like a storm drain. Those same carved runes cover the entirety of the pit. Whatever their original purpose, they would also make fantastic hand and foot holds for climbing up or down tiers.

Sophie looks down curiously, and scratches at the dirt around the tree root. As she pulls a bit of earth out of the ground, you realize these carvings continue out to at least where you are standing. It's uncertain how far they stretch, though. The young wizard looks at it in interest and mutters, "Negatives..."

Rattlebone pulls her out of her thoughts with more practical concerns. She pulls out her pocket watch.

"It's been... One hour, forty-seven minutes. We have a lot of time before Piet knows to do anything." She nods as well to his second question. "I was about to say as much, yes. A few. Gather around, it's harder the further away people are."

Sophie pulls a few hairs from the pouch at her side and mutters under her breath. The hairs are quickly consumed in a green light that, hopefully, isn't too visible. It spreads to all of you before fading away, though you can still feel the spell's heartwarming effects.

Each of you gains a +4 enhancement bonus to constitution, as per the Bear's Endurance spell.

When she's done, she appears to be sweating faintly, as if the spell took no small amount of effort. She takes a drink from her water skin, then continues speaking. "I have two others as well. One of them is short lived, so it would be best to save it until just before we make our move. The other lasts longer but... might make us obvious. A can make one of you much larger: I'm not much of a fighter myself, but I imagine a larger reach can be valuable in close combat. But I'm afraid if I do it now, we will certainly be seen."

@Eldon, Rattlebone, and Ota: The runes in the circle are not just fanciful carvings. You all recognize them as arcane runes. Their purpose is unclear, but they mark this area in some way.

@Eldon: For a moment, the runes puzzle you. They seem off. Then it snaps into place: these are 'runes in the negative'. The space between the carvings, not the stone itself, make the arcane runes of this area. Runes in the negative were tossed out of practice and study by the world's artificers long ago: they are hard to make, and have a tendency to make any craft much, much larger than it needs to be. They would be completely impractical for anything one would carry. However, they have a few advantages over typical runecraft.
First, they are simply generally more potent than traditional runes. Second, because the magic lies in the space between the runes, the medium between the stone can have some impact on the effects. Typically this is air, but anything could fill the space. A clever arcanist could tweak the effects with some other medium. Third, runes in the negative hold up better over time, and are more resilient to attempts to smash, erase, or obfuscate them.

@Ota: Beneath the loud chanting, you hear a bit more. First, two dogs barking at each other. Then, the woman, calling out for help. And fainter, the man frantically reciting the Hail Mary. To save him, or to prepare his spirit for what comes next? Not even he knows.

I'll have a map up tonight to help clarify this picture. Imagine an upside down wedding cake, with four tiers.

The bottom most tier is a circle. It contains a number of carvings on it's surface, as well as a divot that runs along its outer edge, but is otherwise unoccupied.

The second tier from the bottom has the most points of interest: the two captives, whose hands are tied to a post. The chanting woman, who is presumably this 'Seafoam Lady'. Captain Blackmark, obvious from his attire. And two pirates, each holding a dog on a chain.

On the third tier, six pirates are positioned, mostly close to the side that the Captain and woman are on, but they are a bit scattered out. The two of them closest to you have dogs as well.

Everyone (except the dogs and captives) have weapons drawn, but only as a preparation: they don't seem to have seen you. Three of the pirates on the third tier have bows, two have pistols, and one has a longer barreled gun that may be unfamiliar to your character: a musket. Each of them also carry a scimitar on their hip. The two pirates on the second tier have bows slung across their back, but are carrying large axes. Captain Blackmark has a shortsword and pistol at his hip, and a longsword drawn. The Seafoam Lady has in her hand a simple iron dagger, and no other weapons to speak of that you can see.

[Almostdead]

Eldon studies the runes for a while. He is confused at first, until he hears the word 'negatives' from Sophie. Suddenly all things come together, these are 'runes in the negative'. Eldon knows the natures of this runes. "They are probably trying to create something there, something big and terrible. Using the two captives as medium." He whispers his speculation to teammates. "We're seriously outnumbered. But our goal is to save the two captives. So we've still got chances."

"I wonder if we can use these runes to our advantage." Eldon thinks to himself.



Do Eldon know any ways to "tweak" the runes? E.g. To create distraction or stop the runes from functioning?

[roll0]

[El'the Ellie]

@Eldon: The area these runes cover is huge: too huge to be able to quickly understand. With a few days or weeks of study you might be able to understand the runecraft going on here, but short of that all you can do is guess. They could be broken, of course: any magical system like this can be. But breaking runes are always prone to dangerous and unpredictable side effects, and runes in the negative are naturally more resistant to breaking. it could take hours of hard labor smashing rock to break this.

So your thoughts wander to manipulating the ritual taking place here. To do so in a calculated way would require a deep study of this particular configuration, and an even deeper study of artificery. However, simply ruining that woman's plans might be enough. The easiest and most direct way to change things would be to change the medium that fills the runes. Right now, it's 'filled' only by the air around you, but the runes are, physically, just a groove. You know as well that, generally speaking, centrally located runes are more important to the overall structure than those on the outside.

[remetagross]

Following Eldon's remark, Ota wracks his brains to see if these carvings under their feet brings something up to memory. From an ancient tome he has pored over, or a magical event of the past?


With Trivial Knowledge feat, Ota rolls twice on Knowledge checks and picks the best result.
Knowledge (History): [roll0]+7
Knowledge (Arcana): [roll1]+7

Yeah, didn't think about that. Will reroll in the OOC.

Alarmed, the gnome mutters to his companions.
"One of the captives is praying for his soul! That must mean he believes he's about to die! And the dogs will sniff us if we try to sneak in...what can we do?"

[El'the Ellie]

@Ota: From your vantage point, you can recognize some of the runes in the pit below you. However, trying to ascertain their purpose from just a glimpse would be like trying to describe the plot of a book just from reading a few letters of it.

Runic circles aren't uncommon: many parts of old towns, castles, and so on have protective runes carved among them. But their nature tends to be a closely guarded secret. In your study, those runes tend to be inscribed upon something, usually to preserve or augment what is already there. Here, the runecraft is the main feature, not supporting something else.

[Chimaera]

"If we can delay a minute, I may be able to ask the spirits' guidance to help us", he sayd and look to.Tall Tale, "But I'll also need your help as well".

"Those plant creatures were attracted by the smell of burning tobaco and the spirits may grant me a large ammount of that. Maybe if we set ir on fire we can attract a large group of them to make a distraction and change the numbers of the battle".

He look at the others and see if they agree or not, "I do ask secrecy about this ability as the spirit's boon isnt to be used on trivial things and many find it creepy or out-right blasphemous". After a pause, the cook give them another option, "Or we could sharpshoot theor sacrifices and prevent them to do whatever they on doing".

If the rest agree, Ubirajara will spend a minute to manifest Minor.Creation to make 2 cubic ft of tobaco and ask Ota to set it on fire

[remetagross]

Ota, having failed to glean anything useful from the runes, throws a pissed look at the scene below them. The cook's suggestion brings him out of his resentment. The Pygmee raises his eyebrows high at this very surprising proposal.
"You got such a power, and you've kept it hidden from the crew all along? You're better at that than Rattlebone or myself. But alright -" the small sailor remembers the oddish creatures they've encounterer earlier. Some of them were fairly big, and he has no doubt enough of them can be brought forth to overrun the defenders of the pit.
"I can inflame the stuff. Though then we'd need a way to throw the burning tobacco down there in order to direct the mob of creatures there. And then, we don't really know what they can do - they didn't seem aggressive. But yeah, that can make a very good distraction - all the more so for small guys like Eldon and me, or for invisible/discreet ones like you too. We could sneak through with the herd towards the centre...maybe you won't want to do that, Sophie though?"

Ota strokes his chin, as he tries to process the possibilities before them.
"If that fails...Eldon, d'you think if we shoot down the captives, that'll interrupt the ongoing ritual somehow? I'd like to avoid coming to that if possible, I'd prefer trying to overcome the pirates by ourselves, but if that ritual is as dire as it seems..." Ota's brow creases with worry.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara listen to Ota's comment about his secrecy and shrugs, "Rattlebone is far from discrete with his skull hat and you...", he look at the pygmee and smile, "You've got a big mouth for such a small man".

"And if the crew knew that secret I would have to summon rum and tobaco and who know what else on a daily basis and I would rather not: one thing is to use these powers to get a handful of herbs to make tea to calm down Maíra's stomach", he steal a glance to Sophie, "Other would be to use it for futility".

[Dimers]

Rattlebone grins and laughs silently. "I work hard for this reputation, yes. Ubi, avaré, I like your idea. Give me the tobacco and I'll bless it with rum -- the loa will love that sacrifice and it will burn quite readily. Then I'll carry it invisibly to the center and light it afire. I left my sparker on the ship, though, so I should bring a torch or burning stick as well, if one of you will kindly provide."

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie gives a noncomittal shrug when asked about the creatures. "If it helps us rescue them, then I think it is okay. But whatever we do, we should do it quickly: it will take the smoke time to disperse, and more time for those creatures to locate the source and arrive." She glances up at the sky. "The rain could ruin our plans for burning, if we take too long."

[Almostdead]

Eldon shakes his head as he can't think of a perfect way to sabotage the ritual. Luckily, Ubirajara makes a good suggestion. "It sounds like a good plan. We should proceed as you said. And look for opportunities to save those hostages."

He sighs after hearing Ota's question. "Let's hope it won't come to that. But if we fail to rescue them before the ritual ends, they're going to die anyway. And the ritual might pose a bigger threat after that. So..." He nods to Ota without saying anything else.

[Dimers]

Rattlebone readies his tools while Ubirajara works his own wonders: a fine-looking straight dagger, a flask, a charcoal stick and a small jar of white paste. He marks his hands, arms, face and chest with practiced motions, whispering invocations. The sudden smell of tobacco is joined by that of fine alcohol as he upends the rum bottle over the block, soaking the top quickly. Finally, the bokor brings one drop of rum to the earth and one drop to his tongue, dons his pack, picks up the tobacco block and vanishes.

[remetagross]

Ota shoots a long glance to Eldon. He says nothing, but looks rather gloomy.

Upon Rattlebone's preparation, the Pygmee whispers to the empty space where the bokor stood a moment ago:
"Hand me the coal over for a moment."
Extending an open hand, Ota suddenly feels and see the stick appear in his palm. He then walks a few feet away from the crater, to make sure what he is about to do will not be seen from the pirates, and produces a very small jet of flame to ignite the combustible.
"Here you go, mate. Good luck." whispers Ota to the air while holding out the charcoal, ready to let go of it once he feels it is taken away. He then cautiously climbs back to the others, ready to witness the plan in motion.

[Chimaera]

Ir take some time for the indigean to ask the spirits for a boon made of tobaco. He sit cross legged and picture the gift asked and slowly start to see as it slowly start to appear on his empty hands.

It takes a minute for the entire block to materialize and become real and part of this world, even if its life is going to be short.

"Here", he hand the block and grab hos bow and check his arrows, "We'll be waiting for your signal to start the assault".

[El'the Ellie]

@Rattlebone: You feel yourself blessed with the gift of the loa, and once again fade from view. You step quietly, so that people will hear you as much as they see you: which is to say, not at all. Descending into the pit is rather simple. The ledges are tall, but the drop is one you can prepare for, and lightly makes you smart with the shock of landing on stone. Soon enough you arrive at the edge of the pit, and have a better look around.

First, you are vividly aware that you are surrounded by and below many enemies. The gift of the loa hasn't failed you before, and you sorely hope that holds true. Even one with a fearsome reputation such as yourself could be shot dead rather quickly from the these pirates... If they see you.

Second, on the inside wall of this bottom tier, behind you such that the others wouldn't be able to see if from where they're standing, is a door. Or at least, an impression that is door shaped. The arched area along the wall has no hinges or handle, but the idea that it is supposed to lead the way to somewhere is undeniable.

Third, you have a better vantage of the Seafoam Lady, the Captain, and the captives. The captives are a young European couple, just barely adults: a brown haired woman and black haired man, both of whom are beaten and bruised, though their injuries look like they've had a day or two to start healing. The woman sports a puffy black eye, and the man a matted patch of blood and scab on his head where he was hit, in addition to the numerous minor nicks and bruises they both have, as well as rope burns on their wrists from struggling against their bonds.
The Seafoam Lady paces back and forth in front of them, continuing her intonation and holding a book in her hands that she reads from. Mateo wasn't wrong: the woman is certainly eye-catching: the design of her robes hanging loose around her shoulders suggests that she knows this. Her origin is harder to place, though her black hair, tanned skin, and accent suggest she might be from Spain, or possibly a native to one of the islands or the Americas. Her eyes are wild, and she seems excited.
A thin silvery ring hangs in the air at knee level around all of them. It's clearly some kind of magic, but you haven't the faintest clue what it might be.

The Seafoam Lady seems to reach an end to her intonations and shoves a page into the captive woman's hands.
"Read." She commands, in English. The prisoner glares at her for a moment, then spits. The Lady's face twists in rage for a moment, then she regains composure. She presses her knife against the man's neck, who flinches back as much as his bonds will allow. "Read it, or he dies." She commands again. This time the threat is enough. The captive woman holds the page awkwardly between her hands and starts speaking, fumbling over the unfamiliar words.

You can tell she is lying, although she is good at it. She plans to kill him anyway. But presumably the other woman doesn't know that.

"Sicut sol in nubibus angustos, et ego semet offerentem lucem refugiat Dei. Ego sapientia habito in potestate--"

There is, quite suddenly, a flash of lightening overhead and the crash of thunder that causes the guards, captives, and even the captive to flinch. With a stern look from the Lady, she continues. You feel the beginning drops of rain on your skin: it's a meager rain for now, but you suspect it's going to get much worse. Having finally arrived at the bottom of the pit, you touch the burning charcoal to Ubirajara's bundle of tobacco, and use your body to keep it invisible and block it from any rain. The smell is immediate, and rapidly getting more pungent. So far your plan has been successful, but the tobacco smoke might quickly become overwhelming and fill your lungs if you continue to stand right near the burning mass.

@Ubirajara, Eldon, and Ota: You all watch Rattlebone slip out of sight.

Eventually, the Seafoam Lady quiets down, and hands something to the female captive. After a moment, she starts speaking in the same language, much less confidently than the one driving this ritual. There's a sudden flash of lightening overhead, followed by a boom of thunder and the beginnings of rain. You hear the sleight pattering of rain on the leaves and forest floor and... yes, if you strain your senses, smell a bit of tobacco.

[remetagross]

Ota sniffs out the air, as discreetely as he can muster. Ah, there it is.
"Alright mates, it's started. Let's get ready to intervene...
The Pygmee point to the left of the crater to his cook and his assistant.
"Look, there are less pirates this side, and no dogs. We'd better rush this way around the crater, that'll be easier to make progress before getting spotted, and less pirates to fight through. I don't have any long-range fighting power, unless you guys, so I'll have to close in a little bit. I hope Rattlebone's hiding this way too. Ubirajara, I know you're able to snipe them from where you are. Wanna remain here? Eldon, wanna join me in getting closer to start firing?"

The Pygmee stretches a little, paces restlessly around while the scent of the smoke makes itself more known.
"I hope the rain won't drench all the tobacco out before it gets to attract the little critters." Speaking of them, the sailor tries to squint all around his position to notice any incoming sapling.

Spot: [roll0]

[Almostdead]

Eldon squints at the direction of The Seafoam Lady. He can not find any trace of Rattlebone, which is a relief.

After a while, Ota senses something and asks everyone to prepare for the fight. Considering his fighting capability, Eldon nods to Ota, "Yes, I'll go with you. I can strike those pirates with my blast. But definitely not from here." He takes a deep breath, "When the fight starts, should we target The Seafoam Lady first? She is the immediate threat to those hostages. We can deal with other pirates later."

[Dimers]

The bokor leaves the charcoal stick out of sight behind a plant. To keep the smoke's source secret as long as possible, he lies down with one hand stretched along the ground, downwind, still holding the tobacco.

In the growing wind, little of the smoke comes to interfere with Rattlebone's breathing. The scent is strong regardless -- and quite nice, really. Smells like a great party at that candy-maker's shop in Port-au-Prince, he thinks with an invisible grin.

[El'the Ellie]

@Rattlebone: The leaves in your hands continue to burn, despite the pattering of rain. Curls of pungent smoke rise up as the fire catches, but you manage to tuck you mouth and nose into your sleeve and keep from coughing: it's hardly the first time you've had the smoke in your lungs. You know that you will reek of it for days after this, though.

Meanwhile, the captive woman reaches the end of her reading, and her captor once again takes over. She cuts her hand with the knife she's holding and winces a bit as she does so. A few drops of dark red blood fall from her closed fist onto the stone below. As if in response the rain gathers intensity, soon coming down in a steady shower. Your bundle of leaves, perhaps surprisingly, stay aflame: the top layer is soaked, but it shields the rest from the rain. In fact, the heat of the bundle picks up, and you reflexively drop it, like pulling your hand away from a stove. The bundle immediately becomes visible and, fearing being noticed, you scurry quickly up the side of the pit.

"Oy, what is that?" A gruff voice calls out in Spanish, coming from Captain Blackmark. "Sam, check it out." He raises his voice and waves his sword in the direction of one of the men on the upper tier, who nods and starts climbing down. He passes within a few feet of you, though shows no sign of seeing you, despite the faint outline of water rolling off your body now.

@Ubirajara, Ota, and Eldon: After a tense few moments, you hear the captain call out and see one of his crew go down to investigate a smoldering black lump on the ground.

"Hello friend." Sophie whispers quietly next to you, but not to you. One of the plant-like creatures has arrived, seemingly drawn by the scent. It gets astonishingly close to you, enough the Sophie holds her hand out to it, though it ignores her. Behind it, you see a few more, in several shapes and sizes. They move timidly forward, a few brave ones clambering down towards the pit.

[Chimaera]

Seeing that the tobaco smell has began attraction the attention of both the pirates and the plant creatures, the indigean cook ready his bow aimed at the Seafoam Lady. He look at his allies and give them a nod as a signal to start the assault on them.

Picking one of the deadly poisonous arrows, Ubirajara take a deep breath before letting his arrow go.

arrow [roll0] dmg [roll1] plus tentacle poison.

I believe she is further than the Sneak Attack allow, but if not: SA dmg [roll2]

[remetagross]

Ota, alerted by Sophie's words, looks around. Sure enough, the little critters have started to gather. He calmly closes near them and extends a friendly hand.

"Hello, there. How about some protection against the incoming fire?"
If the creatures do not shy away from his hand, Ota gently pats the saplings, careful of any brusque movement they could initiate. He tries to convey his gift to them.

RAW I think no save is allowed, even if the creatures are not willing (which I'm quite sure can be exploited for cheese somehow), but I don't particularly mind one way or the other. Just a chance to not cook those that might be taken in the path of Ota's attacks.

When Ubirajara's bow twangs, however, the gnome immediately crouches and hides behind the nearest tree.
"There we are", he whispers to Eldon. "Ready to jump on them when they try to come for Ubi?"

Hide check: [roll0]

[El'the Ellie]

From your hiding place several meters up, Ubirajara fires a poisoned arrow at the woman. The ammunition is easy to lose in the rain, but it seems to go a bit wide. A shout a moment later from Captain Blackmark gathers his men's attention.

"Look alive crew, we've got trouble!"

The woman, for her part, doesn't pause from the arrow that came close to striking her. Instead she makes her way to the post of captives and cuts the rope of the man that ties him to the post. His arms are still bound together, however, and she grabs this binding and pulls him forward roughly.

The pirate sent to check on the bundle approaches and looks down. "It looks like... tobacco leaf, Captain."

Back behind the tree, Ota extends a hand to a critter. It scurries away a bit, but not before he pats it on the side, extending protection from his fire.

Sophie swallows a bit of worry. "I guess it's time to go. Move quickly, I'll help how I can."
She speaks a brief arcane incantation and rubs her hands together quickly. A few flickering sparks form, that jump to Ota, Eldon, Ubirajara, and Eçaiara, and you feel yourself invigorated with an unearthly speed.

Some ongoing/worsening effects:
The rain is not currently bad enough to impose visibility penalties or penalties to ranged attack rolls, but if it worsens that may change.
There are creatures underfoot at occasional intervals. They are small/few enough (and readily run away) that they don't hamper any movement. If more of them gather, that could change.

Sophie casts Haste on herself, Ota, Eldon, Ubirajara, and Eçaiara.
Rattlebone had no way of knowing when Ubirajara would fire, so he does not act in this surprise round. Eldon may, however. After Eldon, it will be top of the initative with Seafoam Lady.

Initiative:
Seafoam Lady
Captain Blackmark
Dogs
Ota
Eldon
Sophie
Ubirajara
Rattlebone
Pirates

[Almostdead]

Eldon moves out of the bush after Sophie cast the spell. He wants to stay undetected before he gets close to those hostages. So he tries to move as quietly as possible without slowing down. When he reaches the small tree, he hides behind it.


Double move to the small tree.
(We are still using PF skills right? -5 penalty for moving at normal speed according to New Stealth Rule (https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lckz?Stealth-PlaytestStealth") )

Stealth for moving: 1d20+1 20 (rolled at OOC post)

Stealth for hiding: [roll0]

[El'the Ellie]

@Eldon: With the speed from Sophie's incantation, you rapidly dash several feet further down into the pit, keeping a low profile. Scrambling across the stones, you make it to the tree, growing out of the cracks, and duck for cover. The smaller tree shakes a bit, drawing the attention of one of the pirates above.

He points at you and calls out in Spanish. "There he is! Behind the tree!"

@All: The Seafoam Lady peers out in the rain, but doesn't waste too long looking for Eldon: she seems to be more preoccupied with what she's doing. She gives a look to the Captain who nods.

"On it."

She pushes the man onto his knees at the mouth of the pit and continues the verses in some old language.

The Captain walks confidently towards the tree Eldon is hiding behind with surprising agility, unhooking his pistol as he does.

"Come on out, little man..." He smiles, revealing a golden tooth.

@Ubirajara & Ota: You all hear the pirate call out, and know that for at least some of you, the element of surprise is gone. Sophie seems to agree, as she dashes from around her hiding place towards Eldon.

"I'm going to help him. Good luck!"

@All: Sophie sprints across the stones in almost the same path Eldon took, but unlike him she doesn't bother trying to remain hidden.

"And you brought a girl with you! I'm sorry, is this supposed to be heroic?" Blackmark points his gun forward, apparently deciding whom to shoot first.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

Initiative:
Seafoam Lady
Captain Blackmark
Dogs
Ota
Eldon
Sophie
Ubirajara
Rattlebone
Pirates

[remetagross]

Ota sees that all element of surprise is lost, Sophie rushing headlong towards the hostile captain. Whispering to his teammate so as not to have his hiding place given away;
"I'm going in, Ubirajara, keep up the sniping! Good luck!, the small sailor hustles through the undergrowth as fast as he can, helped by the enhancing magic of their wizard. He swiftly undoes his head scarf and frantically waves it at the attention of Captain Blackmarck as he nears Eldon and Sophie.

"Hello Captain, here is yet another target for you!"

Ota takes a double move action to move 40ft (because of Haste) then 40ft again towards Eldon and Sophie.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara nods to the others as they go with Eldon, but he remains in his hiding spot.

"If anyone get close, bite at will",Ubirajara whispers in his indigean tongue to Eçaiara and try to shoot atthe witch twice more, as the spell cast by Sophie made him extra fast.

Aiming for the Seafoam Lady and using two more arrows with the tentacle poison.

1st [roll0] dmg [roll1] plus SA [roll2]
2nd [roll3] dmg [roll4] plus SA [roll5]

I'm unsure if the second attack get the SA damage as well, but left the roll there in case it does. If hir she must save vs the poison, but I dont know the DC nor the damage or does.

Eçaiara, ever obedient to her human friend, keep hidden in the foliage close to him and get ready to bite any pirate that move in to attack him.

[Almostdead]

Eldon watches as Sophie and Ota charges through the battlefield. He decides it is time to act before his teammates suffers. He moves away from the short tree and faces the man with embroidered clothes.

"Sacrificing innocents for foul purpose. Obedient and grovelling to a witch. You must be proud of yourself, little captain." Eldon speaks with disgust.

"Entropy!" He calls out the name of his gloves and shoots an enhanced eldritch ray at the captain.


Move to Z38
Swift action to activate gloves (1 charges)
Shoot blast at captain
ranged touch attack [roll0]
damage [roll1]

[remetagross]

"Davy Jones' groin" curses Ota as he sees Eldon's fire go wide astray. They haven' made much progress so far in stopping the pirates, and to top it off the saplings haven't really begun to congregate in any threatening number so far. "Let's see how the others are doing...I hope Ntwa has reached Piet already."

Without taking his eyes off the menacing captain, Ota clears his mind of the ongoing stress, before sending forth a surge of questioning and curiosity through his empathic channel with Ntwa. His other self would understand and answer in kind.

[Dimers]

Practiced in walking unseen where he shouldn't be found, Rattlebone calmly strides over to the male captive. The woman seems too upset to take any action while he's still under threat, he thinks. So, him first. And I wish I'd thought to bring an extra knife, so he could be helpful instead of merely loose.

More Stealth: [roll0]
Attack roll on the ropes: [roll1]. That's to get him off the post. If I can also manage a roll to separate one hand from the other, [roll2].

[El'the Ellie]

@Ota: You share your worry and need with Ntwa, feeling for its own thoughts. Ntwa is... worry. Cold. Resolved. Hopeful.

@Ubirajara: With Eçaiara watching your back, you fire two more arrows quickly at the mysterious woman. They both miss, the second by a small margin. In fact, the second keeps going and narrowly misses one of the critters that have been drawn to the smoke that is now so pungent in the air. There's enough of these guys around now that it's hard not to hit them with a missed shot. Perhaps they will have to be casualties of the fight.

@Eldon: Your shot of eldritch fire misses its mark by quite a bit, although it gives the captain pause: he clearly wasn't expecting that.

"Oh please, we're doing them a favor ending their pathetic lives. Scraping by life and crying to God every day. Because the world doesn't have enough of that. But you," He steps forward. "Are special. Killing you is actually going to be fun."

@Rattlebone: You tiptoe towards the woman invisible and, with a flick of the wrist, cut the man's ropes. You register a look of shock on her face, though it seems she pieces together what happened astonishingly quickly. However, she doesn't have much time to react: the man flips over and uses his newly freed hands as well as his feet to try to put some distance between him and his captor.

They struggle for a moment in a mess of arms and legs and one knife waving wildly, dangerously around. Perhaps on a good day this man might have come out on top, but he's already beaten and seems weak with hunger. The woman manages to shove him down hitting his head against the rocks and stunning him long enough for her to sit atop his chest with her legs on either side.

With another phrase in that unknown language, she cuts the man's neck from one end to the other. She grins wickedly, and as if on cue the clouds above truly open up. A flash of light is followed quickly with the chest-filling boom of thunder overhead. The rain comes down in sheets now, quickly mixing with the spray of blood running down the man's side and into the basin below.

Rattlebone can make an Attack of Opportunity against the Seafoam Lady if he wants.

The woman cries out in anger and anguish as she watches her partner's fate, and struggles against the ropes. Rattlebone can see that she had been sawing them back and forth against the pole and though it frayed them, it wasn't quite enough the cut herself free. But every pull stretches the fraying even more, so it is only a matter of time before the binding snaps.

The pirates above are a bit slow to react but finally do: those with dogs unhitch them, point towards the party and give the attack order. The dogs are off like rockets, snarling and baring their teeth towards the party. Those of Blackmark's crew without dogs fire down with their guns and bows.

Around the pit, they rush towards the attackers they can see: Sophie, Eldon and Ota. The man with the musket looks down the iron sights and fires at Ota, a searing metal shot cutting badly along his arm. Another, armed with just a pistol, takes a hasty shot at Eldon that arc far to the side and connects with the tree. One of the men with the bow aims better, and sticks an arrow into Sophie's side, just above the hip. Not a mortal wound by any means, but a bad one. She lets out a surprised gasp and staggers back, hanging on to the tree.

Ota takes 6 piercing damage and 3 fire damage (not counting any of his resistances).

The captain himself wipes his face and spits out some rainwater.

"I think yer too late there hero. But yer right on time to die!"

He takes a heavy-handed swing at Eldon with his blade and cuts him once, badly, along the left shoulder. He flicks his sword, and you watch a few drops of your blood hit the stones below, in case the searing pain on your left wasn't enough to know you'd been cut.

Eldon takes 7 slashing damage. Note that I'm not taking into account any resistances you might have, so apply those if relevant.

Freed from their chains, the dogs pounce forward on the first one of you they can see as they've been trained to do. ... Or those they can smell. Most of the dogs rush down into the basin and bark wildly around Rattlebone. They can smell him, but their noses work furiously to distinguish human smell from the smoky scent lingering in the air. One takes a wild bite but isn't even aiming in the right direction.

Another charges down the steep rocks at Sophie baring its teeth viciously as it runs by the smaller man.

Eldon can make an AoO on the dog as it goes by.

Sophie chants something arcane under her breath as a crackling ball of flame appears in her hands, hissing in the downpour. The captain's eyes go wide for a moment, then he steps out of the way as a gout of flame shoots from her hands. He steps around the first, right into the second, searing his skin, hair and jacket.

@Rattlebone: Between her victim bleeding out, her chanting, the rain, and you, the Seafoam Lady has a lot going on right now. However, you see her eyes flick over to Sophie as the french woman casts her spell. She seems surprised... excited. No, almost... greedy.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IYiNv4qYakqrNZVpzOEyyjUlTQJYMqNOe9CjaKTZ6JQ/edit#gid=0)

It's raining heavily now, enough that Rattlebone's invisibility is essentially negated any closer than 10 feet. At that range, it's obvious where he is by the rainfall being stopped.

Initiative:
Seafoam Lady
Captain Blackmark
Dogs
Ota
Eldon
Sophie
Ubirajara
Rattlebone
Pirates
Captives

[remetagross]

Good, this means Ntwa will have reached Piety and -
"Gah!" Ota cradles his arm, feeling a spike of fire and pain wedged into it. Looking around, the Pygmee sees the rest of the crew is under duress as well. While a little further away, a confusion seems to indicate Rattlebone has it handled, nearer to him Ota witnesses Eldon suffering a grievous blow.
"NO! Captain, have a taste of this!"
In the middle of the raging storm, Ota opens his mouth and expels a flashing lightning bolt that briefly paints everything white. The arcing energy surges straight to the Captain, washing over Sophie, Eldon and the guard dog on its way. The electricity harmlessly dissipates around the former two. The bolt, upon encountering the dog and the sailor, splits into a myriad of tiny bands that run over their bodies up and down, and tighten themselves around their arms, legs, and paws, constricting them. The Pygmee then rushes to the side of Sophie and the wounded Exalted, so as to ward him off of the incoming rush of pirates.
"Move back Eldon, they're going to swarm you!"


Standard action: Breath weapon shaped as a 30ft long electricity line. The starting point is the southeast corner of square U35 and the endpoint the northwest corner of square AA38. Eldon and Sophie are unaffected thanks to the Endure Exposure invocation they're under. The dog and the captain are affected.
Using Entangling Exhalation feat: the breath weapon deals half damage (so 1d6 instead of 2d6), but for 1d4 rounds the targets are now entangled (-2 to attack rolls, -4 to Dex, move at half speed, can't run or charge, Concentration required to cast spells) and suffer an additional 1d6 points of damage at the beginning of Ota's turn.
Ref save 17 for half damage (but does not avert the entangled condition nor the extra damage on subsequent turns): [roll0] electricity.

Move action: Ota goes to X38.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara feels the rain falling over the messy battlefield and curses as both his arrows miss their target.

He pause for a moment and take a breath, focusing his aim for the next shots. If they dont strike true the others will have a hard time down there after all.

1st Arrow [roll0] dmg [roll1] plus SA [roll2]
Hasted Arrow [roll3] dmg [roll4] plus SA [roll5]

Both have the tentacle poison.

[Almostdead]

“Ahh!” Eldon groans in pain as the pirate’s blade cuts through his armor and flesh. He puts his hand to the wound and sees a guard dog charging at him. All of a sudden, a strong energy surge pass through his body and hampers movement of the captain and the dog. Taking this opportunity, Eldon activates his anklet and teleports away.

“Thank you, captain. I learnt something from you.” Eldon stares at the captain, “People like you don’t deserve God’s mercy. I will do you a favor too. Send you down to hell where you belong.”

He raises his arms again and aim at the captain.


Swift action to active Anklet of Translocation
Teleport to Z40
Shoot blast at captain [roll0] ranged touch attack
DMG [roll1]
Move to Z43 after that

[Dimers]

Well, that didn't work out, Rattlebone thinks, flinching at the gristle exposed in the man's neck. Time to save my own skin. He hops over the dogs and dashes toward the mess around the vicious captain.

Just moving southwest. If it's possible to Run using a climb speed, I can get past Sophie and will stop in, say, U37. (Not sure what the yellow squares represent, but Sophie's in one, so I figure they must be okay.) Otherwise, looks like AB32 is as far as I can go.

If I understand correctly, I won't provoke attacks for the movement due to invisibility, even though I'm targetable from the downpour. Regardless, a Withdraw action means that the demented person and one of the dogs don't get AoOs anyway.