Lastly, pointing both hands at Korba, it says, "Good boss."
Korba chuckles at this response and says, "At least it's some sense about it!"
He then nods in reply to Marlin, saying, "This thing seems right up your alley, and it does track with the rumors you've said." Then listening to the mental communication, holds up his hands to his head after a moment of the repeated droning and says, "Ok... that's enough of that. Can we have it stop or get it out our heads? But this... 'square' or '6-face' also tracks with the stories I was told of a cube crashing from the heavens. As I said... it seems likely that each thing we've heard will have at least some small basis of truth."
Captain Pike's "voice" comes across the telepathic bond. It was bobbin' like a cork in the inky water about the island. I've met smarter tea kettles than that one. Its business is on the island it seems; so you'll take it along with you. Now outta me head, wizard.
Approaching the docks Gwin takes in a deep breath and opens her arms wide as if embracing the invisible air. Ahhhh. I love the smell of the sea. It smells like adventure!
As she finishes informing her companions of what was learned at the temple, the cleric gasps in delight at seeing a monodrone first-hand. Rubbing an invisible beard she mutters to herself, Well, now, this is unusual. Bad boss, hmmm? Gwin places a hand on the mondrone's head, quietly uttering an almost imperceptible incantation: Detect Magic
She then says, You're a long way from home, my mechanical friend. Who is your bad boss? Surely, not Primus.
The monodrone offers no reaction to the name Primus; it does, however, stare at Gwin and say, "Small bad six break big six. Big six give death. Six six six six six six six death."
Gwin's spell doesn't reveal that anything magical is affecting the monodrone.
(Marlin will end the telepathic link with the monodrone and the captain, but will keep it up with the rest of the party. Going forward, he’ll be casting telepathic bond every hour to ensure that the party has a silent line of communication.)
Pike's not a man to have his time wasted, and he sets his crew to work as soon as the party is aboard. "You'll see the island within an hour," he explains.
The day is fair and the breeze gentle, making it difficult to believe that you might be headed toward anything troublesome. The monodrone seems committed to Korba, uttering the words good boss a few times and never straying too far from the warlock.
Roughly an hour after leaving Waterdeep you take in your first glimpse of the island. Maybe a mile to the west, it rises from the Sea of Swords, and over it hovers a thick fog. After drawing closer to the eerie piece of land, Pike begins to circumnavigate the island. It is a barren, rocky landscape of strangely geometrical terraces in various colors. These terraces are built up of square and rectangular lumps of gray, brown, black and red stone or clay, though some areas glitter as if lumps of bronze are buried in the ground. Despite the time of day--mid afternoon--the thick fog gives the surface an eerie, twilight look.
Keeping the island approximately 800 feet off the port side, the Faranak slowly makes its circuit around the place. The stories you've heard about the dark water surrounding the island are true. A hundred feet or so from the ship, the clear blue-green water of the sea meets a current of silty black liquid, which inexplicably does not mix with the sea water. From where you stand aboard the ship, you detect a strange smell reminiscent of alchemy and sweet perfume rising from the black water.
"I'll take you closer to the island after you've seen all sides of it," explains Pike. "Need to know which side seems best for you, of course, although they all seem the same to me."
As the Faranak begins to make its final turn around the square island, another ship comes into view. A large black and lavender galley with torn sails floats aimlessly through the fog approximately one hundred yards off the southern shore. By counting the number of oars protruding from the ship, you estimate the galley has (or had) a crew of at least one hundred. Many of the oars, however, have been shattered. You see no signs of life or activity on the galley.
"By the gods," mutters Pike, "I know an abandoned ship when I see one. That's a drow trireme. What are they doing here?"
"Should I send Tick to investigate? I haven't a clue why drow would be anywhere near this place. Hells, I didn't even know that they sailed. Not much wind underground, after all."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
(Inspiring Leader speech to grant 16 temp hp to each PC and Tick as well. Action to cast aid at 4th level to grant himself, Dab and Gwin 15 hp.)
"... Oil of some sort?" Rogi wondered out loud seeing the black liquid not mixing with the water. He shrugged and stepped back from the edge of the boat and turned to the rest of the group. He addressed them, his voice filled with calm and confidence and his steady eyes shifting between them, seeking to impart confidence and inspiration. "Friends, from here onward we're effectively in enemy territory. We know a bunch of shadow elves went here. We can guess drow did as well." He pointed at the ship. "Such types don't go places for the fun of it. And until we find out otherwise, we should conduct ourselves as though they were hostile to us. Normally in such a situation our first task would be to gather intel about the place. However it seems to be warded from divination magic, and I'm reluctant to send a scout. Even Tick. We should not be separated in such a place."
His eyes shifted to the modron, for an instant. "The construct may prove useful, or it may not. We'll have to rely on our own wits, skills and experience. Fortunately, we've all of these in abundance. We're the best at what we do, and our friend Kivari is depending on us." He continued, addressing each of them and reminding them of their own excellence, drawing parallels between their accomplishments and the present situation. When he finished, he held up his holy symbol and asked Tempus to aid them.
"Gwin, ask for Tyr's aid for Korba and Marlin, please. Your blessings are always more effective." He turned to the magic users. "That black stuff, I don't want to touch it. Preferably, we should not let the ship get too close, either. No telling what depth is under that black stuff. If we run aground we'd be in trouble. Can you two give us flight?"
“I can grant flight, but I think we’ll probably be safe. That ship seems to be floating fine in the black water. Also, I’m not sure if the island would even have coastlines, if it is indeed a cube of rock fallen from the sky.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Korba smiles as the construct calls him boss again, and with another tap to its head says, "You gotta name metal head? If you're gonna be following us around I need to know what to call you?"
As they see the ship, Korba listens to the others talk, quite used to the hatred most drow get, even though they are almost his people. He says to the others, "Might it be good to see what we can learn of that ship, and why it's abandoned, before we head ashore?"
Rogi considers that before replying. "Gwin tells us that the one sailor who was brought back was... impaired. Mentally. I'm guessing either the fumes or the oil itself did it. Heck, could've been both. Would you like to find out?" He pointed at the broken oars on the abandoned ship. "What happened here? Did they strike rock? Oars wouldn't break just from oil. And oars don't even get that deep, they mainly push against the surface."
He shrugged. "You're the magic users. If you think we don't need to fly, maybe we can get in on a boat." He then asked the captain, "Do you have a small boat for the six of us? Counting the construct."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I uh...yeah, I'll be your friend." Dabbert says when the little construct makes its reply. He watches as Marlin begins conversing with the little creature, as it points at Tick, and then listens as the weird telepathic connection is made. He studies what the thing is saying and furrows his brow; most of this sounds like gibberish to him.
Dabbert was watching the fog as the island came into view and they began to pass around it, gathering intel and looking for a suitable place to go ashore. When the trireme comes into view, he leans against the railing and looks at the damage to the side, investigating both the overall condition of the ship and paying special attention to the oars, looking for signs of what caused the damage; did it run aground and break them, or did another vessel run down its length and shatter them during naval combat?
The monodrone, showing its skill at mimicry, taps itself on the head as Korba had just done and says, "Metalhead."
Captain Pike has been listening to the discussion and decides its time to chime in. "Enemy territory indeed, Rogi. Other than this monodrone, I've seen nothing auspicious about this place. And Marlin here is right. No shoreline to speak of. Just an uneven rise of ten feet or so straight out of the water. Take a look."
He then hands over a spyglass, allowing each of you to study the shoreline a bit more closely. Dabbert, using the spyglass to scrutinize the adrift trireme, is able to discern a few details. The main (top) deck which is by design open and exposed to the elements, is littered with the bodies of dead humanoids of some sort. Secondly, the port side railing that runs along the main deck is badly damaged in one location, almost as if a heavy object of some kind crashed through the railing and fell into the sea. Regarding the broken oars--of which there are eleven--Dabbert cannot come to any convincing conclusion.
Pike adds, "Fished this monodrone out of the black water with a rope we did. Rowed the Faranak toward the island, coming within two hundred feet of the shore. Nothing ill befell us. Maybe we were lucky. Maybe the drow weren't."
Metalhead, for whatever reason, begins to speak while pointing at the black water. "Small wet friend. Big wet enemy."
Addressing Rogi, Pike says, "Aye, there's a smallboat aboard; it'll do the job."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Looking through his own spyglass towards the drow ship, would Korba recognize any signs or flags or anything that might tell him about who these drow were, or what they might have been doing out here?
Korba’s basic backstory was that he, as a mostly drow half-elf (probably actually closer to 3/4 or even 7/8 - elf), lived among the drow nobles until he met his patron (I have more details if you want). So this type of history might be a thing he would know. two rolls in case adv/dis (or just use the first if neither) - 15 / 27
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Small wet friend? Big wet enemy? What is it talking about? Is there something in the water?"
Marlin is going to peer over the side of the boat and gaze down into the water, looking for any ripples or disturbances that might signify something beneath it.
Investigation(subtract 5 if perception): 20
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Korba studies the drow vessel, trying to connect any clues he can find with what he knows of his own ancestry. He's aware that in a few secret, guarded places along the Sword Coast, the drow control large cave openings that serve as inlets for the sea into the Underdark. This trireme's point of origin is likely one of those places. Only for highly important matters do the drow head into the open sea with their vessels, however. So, he speculates at least one high priestess of Lolth would have been aboard. Korba knows that the hands at the oars of such a ship would not be drow; they use slaves for such purposes.
The Faranak has been allowed to drift slightly, and the inky water now slaps softly against its hull. Marlin peers into its depths, looking for any signs of life or movement. He detects the tell-tale ripples created by the movement of at least one large shape.
For everyone aboard, the smell of the water is significantly stronger now, tinged with notes of spice, minerals, and something else you can't quite recognize. All in all, it isn't unpleasant, and other than its unusual aroma, it isn't affecting anything or anyone.
Dabbert passes on the information he has learned, speaking of the bodies and that lot to the rest of his group as he passes the spyglass off. It continues staring out toward the trireme, somber and quiet for a moment before he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, clearly not wanting to say what he's about to say.
"I uh...maybe we should board and have a look around."
"I agree," Korba says, looking to the ship. "If nothing else, perhaps we could learn how they died to know what dangers the island, or the sea here, may hold."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Boarding a ghost ship of dark elves near the shores of an evil cube that fell from the sky? What could go wrong? Gwin chimes in with a wink. I'd feel better sending Tick first, but will go along with what the majority decides and be ready to channel some divinity if we encounter any undead.
In the meantime, dearest Korba and Marlin, please accept myAid (4th level).
Raising her nose to the air, Gwin tries to identify what she smells in the water. Something she can't quite figure out....
DM: Please add the appropriate bonus (Nature, Arcana, etc.) to this check: 15
How helpful.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Korba chuckles at this response and says, "At least it's some sense about it!"
He then nods in reply to Marlin, saying, "This thing seems right up your alley, and it does track with the rumors you've said." Then listening to the mental communication, holds up his hands to his head after a moment of the repeated droning and says, "Ok... that's enough of that. Can we have it stop or get it out our heads? But this... 'square' or '6-face' also tracks with the stories I was told of a cube crashing from the heavens. As I said... it seems likely that each thing we've heard will have at least some small basis of truth."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Captain Pike's "voice" comes across the telepathic bond. It was bobbin' like a cork in the inky water about the island. I've met smarter tea kettles than that one. Its business is on the island it seems; so you'll take it along with you. Now outta me head, wizard.
Approaching the docks Gwin takes in a deep breath and opens her arms wide as if embracing the invisible air. Ahhhh. I love the smell of the sea. It smells like adventure!
As she finishes informing her companions of what was learned at the temple, the cleric gasps in delight at seeing a monodrone first-hand. Rubbing an invisible beard she mutters to herself, Well, now, this is unusual. Bad boss, hmmm? Gwin places a hand on the mondrone's head, quietly uttering an almost imperceptible incantation: Detect Magic
She then says, You're a long way from home, my mechanical friend. Who is your bad boss? Surely, not Primus.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
The monodrone offers no reaction to the name Primus; it does, however, stare at Gwin and say, "Small bad six break big six. Big six give death. Six six six six six six six death."
Gwin's spell doesn't reveal that anything magical is affecting the monodrone.
(Marlin will end the telepathic link with the monodrone and the captain, but will keep it up with the rest of the party. Going forward, he’ll be casting telepathic bond every hour to ensure that the party has a silent line of communication.)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Pike's not a man to have his time wasted, and he sets his crew to work as soon as the party is aboard. "You'll see the island within an hour," he explains.
The day is fair and the breeze gentle, making it difficult to believe that you might be headed toward anything troublesome. The monodrone seems committed to Korba, uttering the words good boss a few times and never straying too far from the warlock.
Roughly an hour after leaving Waterdeep you take in your first glimpse of the island. Maybe a mile to the west, it rises from the Sea of Swords, and over it hovers a thick fog. After drawing closer to the eerie piece of land, Pike begins to circumnavigate the island. It is a barren, rocky landscape of strangely geometrical terraces in various colors. These terraces are built up of square and rectangular lumps of gray, brown, black and red stone or clay, though some areas glitter as if lumps of bronze are buried in the ground. Despite the time of day--mid afternoon--the thick fog gives the surface an eerie, twilight look.
Keeping the island approximately 800 feet off the port side, the Faranak slowly makes its circuit around the place. The stories you've heard about the dark water surrounding the island are true. A hundred feet or so from the ship, the clear blue-green water of the sea meets a current of silty black liquid, which inexplicably does not mix with the sea water. From where you stand aboard the ship, you detect a strange smell reminiscent of alchemy and sweet perfume rising from the black water.
"I'll take you closer to the island after you've seen all sides of it," explains Pike. "Need to know which side seems best for you, of course, although they all seem the same to me."
As the Faranak begins to make its final turn around the square island, another ship comes into view. A large black and lavender galley with torn sails floats aimlessly through the fog approximately one hundred yards off the southern shore. By counting the number of oars protruding from the ship, you estimate the galley has (or had) a crew of at least one hundred. Many of the oars, however, have been shattered. You see no signs of life or activity on the galley.
"By the gods," mutters Pike, "I know an abandoned ship when I see one. That's a drow trireme. What are they doing here?"
"Should I send Tick to investigate? I haven't a clue why drow would be anywhere near this place. Hells, I didn't even know that they sailed. Not much wind underground, after all."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
(Inspiring Leader speech to grant 16 temp hp to each PC and Tick as well. Action to cast aid at 4th level to grant himself, Dab and Gwin 15 hp.)
"... Oil of some sort?" Rogi wondered out loud seeing the black liquid not mixing with the water. He shrugged and stepped back from the edge of the boat and turned to the rest of the group. He addressed them, his voice filled with calm and confidence and his steady eyes shifting between them, seeking to impart confidence and inspiration. "Friends, from here onward we're effectively in enemy territory. We know a bunch of shadow elves went here. We can guess drow did as well." He pointed at the ship. "Such types don't go places for the fun of it. And until we find out otherwise, we should conduct ourselves as though they were hostile to us. Normally in such a situation our first task would be to gather intel about the place. However it seems to be warded from divination magic, and I'm reluctant to send a scout. Even Tick. We should not be separated in such a place."
His eyes shifted to the modron, for an instant. "The construct may prove useful, or it may not. We'll have to rely on our own wits, skills and experience. Fortunately, we've all of these in abundance. We're the best at what we do, and our friend Kivari is depending on us." He continued, addressing each of them and reminding them of their own excellence, drawing parallels between their accomplishments and the present situation. When he finished, he held up his holy symbol and asked Tempus to aid them.
"Gwin, ask for Tyr's aid for Korba and Marlin, please. Your blessings are always more effective." He turned to the magic users. "That black stuff, I don't want to touch it. Preferably, we should not let the ship get too close, either. No telling what depth is under that black stuff. If we run aground we'd be in trouble. Can you two give us flight?"
“I can grant flight, but I think we’ll probably be safe. That ship seems to be floating fine in the black water. Also, I’m not sure if the island would even have coastlines, if it is indeed a cube of rock fallen from the sky.”
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Korba smiles as the construct calls him boss again, and with another tap to its head says, "You gotta name metal head? If you're gonna be following us around I need to know what to call you?"
As they see the ship, Korba listens to the others talk, quite used to the hatred most drow get, even though they are almost his people. He says to the others, "Might it be good to see what we can learn of that ship, and why it's abandoned, before we head ashore?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Rogi considers that before replying. "Gwin tells us that the one sailor who was brought back was... impaired. Mentally. I'm guessing either the fumes or the oil itself did it. Heck, could've been both. Would you like to find out?" He pointed at the broken oars on the abandoned ship. "What happened here? Did they strike rock? Oars wouldn't break just from oil. And oars don't even get that deep, they mainly push against the surface."
He shrugged. "You're the magic users. If you think we don't need to fly, maybe we can get in on a boat." He then asked the captain, "Do you have a small boat for the six of us? Counting the construct."
"I uh...yeah, I'll be your friend." Dabbert says when the little construct makes its reply. He watches as Marlin begins conversing with the little creature, as it points at Tick, and then listens as the weird telepathic connection is made. He studies what the thing is saying and furrows his brow; most of this sounds like gibberish to him.
Dabbert was watching the fog as the island came into view and they began to pass around it, gathering intel and looking for a suitable place to go ashore. When the trireme comes into view, he leans against the railing and looks at the damage to the side, investigating both the overall condition of the ship and paying special attention to the oars, looking for signs of what caused the damage; did it run aground and break them, or did another vessel run down its length and shatter them during naval combat?
Passive Investigation: 15
Investigation Roll-
13
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
The monodrone, showing its skill at mimicry, taps itself on the head as Korba had just done and says, "Metalhead."
Captain Pike has been listening to the discussion and decides its time to chime in. "Enemy territory indeed, Rogi. Other than this monodrone, I've seen nothing auspicious about this place. And Marlin here is right. No shoreline to speak of. Just an uneven rise of ten feet or so straight out of the water. Take a look."
He then hands over a spyglass, allowing each of you to study the shoreline a bit more closely. Dabbert, using the spyglass to scrutinize the adrift trireme, is able to discern a few details. The main (top) deck which is by design open and exposed to the elements, is littered with the bodies of dead humanoids of some sort. Secondly, the port side railing that runs along the main deck is badly damaged in one location, almost as if a heavy object of some kind crashed through the railing and fell into the sea. Regarding the broken oars--of which there are eleven--Dabbert cannot come to any convincing conclusion.
Pike adds, "Fished this monodrone out of the black water with a rope we did. Rowed the Faranak toward the island, coming within two hundred feet of the shore. Nothing ill befell us. Maybe we were lucky. Maybe the drow weren't."
Metalhead, for whatever reason, begins to speak while pointing at the black water. "Small wet friend. Big wet enemy."
Addressing Rogi, Pike says, "Aye, there's a smallboat aboard; it'll do the job."
Looking through his own spyglass towards the drow ship, would Korba recognize any signs or flags or anything that might tell him about who these drow were, or what they might have been doing out here?
Korba’s basic backstory was that he, as a mostly drow half-elf (probably actually closer to 3/4 or even 7/8 - elf), lived among the drow nobles until he met his patron (I have more details if you want). So this type of history might be a thing he would know.
two rolls in case adv/dis (or just use the first if neither) - 15 / 27
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
"Small wet friend? Big wet enemy? What is it talking about? Is there something in the water?"
Marlin is going to peer over the side of the boat and gaze down into the water, looking for any ripples or disturbances that might signify something beneath it.
Investigation(subtract 5 if perception): 20
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Korba studies the drow vessel, trying to connect any clues he can find with what he knows of his own ancestry. He's aware that in a few secret, guarded places along the Sword Coast, the drow control large cave openings that serve as inlets for the sea into the Underdark. This trireme's point of origin is likely one of those places. Only for highly important matters do the drow head into the open sea with their vessels, however. So, he speculates at least one high priestess of Lolth would have been aboard. Korba knows that the hands at the oars of such a ship would not be drow; they use slaves for such purposes.
The Faranak has been allowed to drift slightly, and the inky water now slaps softly against its hull. Marlin peers into its depths, looking for any signs of life or movement. He detects the tell-tale ripples created by the movement of at least one large shape.
For everyone aboard, the smell of the water is significantly stronger now, tinged with notes of spice, minerals, and something else you can't quite recognize. All in all, it isn't unpleasant, and other than its unusual aroma, it isn't affecting anything or anyone.
Dabbert passes on the information he has learned, speaking of the bodies and that lot to the rest of his group as he passes the spyglass off. It continues staring out toward the trireme, somber and quiet for a moment before he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, clearly not wanting to say what he's about to say.
"I uh...maybe we should board and have a look around."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
"I agree," Korba says, looking to the ship. "If nothing else, perhaps we could learn how they died to know what dangers the island, or the sea here, may hold."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Boarding a ghost ship of dark elves near the shores of an evil cube that fell from the sky? What could go wrong? Gwin chimes in with a wink. I'd feel better sending Tick first, but will go along with what the majority decides and be ready to channel some divinity if we encounter any undead.
In the meantime, dearest Korba and Marlin, please accept my Aid (4th level).
Raising her nose to the air, Gwin tries to identify what she smells in the water. Something she can't quite figure out....
DM: Please add the appropriate bonus (Nature, Arcana, etc.) to this check: 15
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers