Your group finds themselves on a small sailing ship on a crystal-clear, sapphire-blue sea. The ship is called The Boundless Glory and it is hauling you and several other adventuring groups out to a small group of rocky islands on behalf of a mysterious benefactor who promised "QUICK EASY RICHES!" and "Safe adventuring work" on local job boards. The skies are clear, save the stray cloud, and the sun is hot on your skin. In the distance, you can see your destination coming into view.
Borax stood at attention beside the mast watching off the forward bow. He stood motionless, trying to stay out of the way of the crew who worked around him. The clear skies meant smooth sailing and the journey had been uneventful. In a few days, Borax would be back to port with the funds to carry out his next experiments. As the sea rolled beneath the hull of the boat, Borax made a few minor adjustments to keep his balance, while flexing all his joints to ensure that he was functioning properly. The hammer that hung from his hip swung gently to the motion and the shield over his shoulder tapped against his armour in time with the sea.
On the horizon, he could just make out the shape of islands disrupting the meeting of surf and sky. Borax began to intone a series of prayers in a barely audible fashion, calling on Gond to add strength to his heart, courage to his soul and clarity to his mind.
V'rekh stood holding the rail at the ship's bow. He was amazed at the travel speed and fascinated to have found a seat on the expedition.
The tortle was younger than his looks. The wrinkled skin and moss growing on his shell fooled most people into thinking he was ancient. He felt joyful, and looked at the water intensely, trying to catch a glimpse of any exotic creature swimming below.
A voice calls out from the crow's nest alerting the captain that they've reached their destination. The captain, a severe looking woman with slightly pointed ears that hint to an elven ancestry, sends a pair of crewmain to drop anchor. Others begin working quickly to lower the sails and prepare a pair of rowboats. They move quickly and rushing around the passengers above deck.
Approaching the small rocky islands, they seem utterly barren. Aside from stray clump of seaweed, they are purely clumps of igneous rock. In contrast, the clear water reveals a world below the waves. V'rekh sees schools of colorful fish, vibrant and bizarre coral structures, and the odd crustacean sifting through the sand. Large stray shadows in the distance may give some pause, but maybe it was just a passing cloud.
Once the boats are rigged, they are lower with groups of adventures and a rower from the ship. In shifts they begin to taxi over to the nearest island.
Borax clambers into the rowboat and takes a seat beside the Tortle. They had been travellers on the boat together but, besides the early introductions, they had shared very few words. Little had been needed to be said, and while the sailing was good, Borax had taken the time to meditate. "I look forward to having my feet on the shore again. Though the waves do little for my constitution, the thought of not sinking beneath the water will put my mind much at rest. What brings you to these shores my friend?"
Jarrett has spent much of the journey on the seas tinkering with his numerous contraptions that he was continually removing from his backpack. They were strange mechanisms that could emit a small amount of light and/or smoke, repeat messages that he would whisper into the them, or even create a poor visual representation of anything he wished. He liked to sneak the items into incredulous places to prank some of the more superstitious members of the crew. He was never without the small leather rolled-up pack that was attached to his belt which was filled with any number of strange instruments and tools. He would speak when spoken to, but rarely seemed to seek out conversation, far more interested in his tinkering.
As the adventurers are slowly lowered into the waters below, Jarrett removes a strange crossbow-type weapon from his backpack and pulls a lever backward from the underneath of the weapon as a sort of cocking device to retract the string as he fits a bolt into position. "You never know." He says with a smile to the others in his boat.
V'rekh turns to Borax in the rowboat "no particular reason, I want to travel the world and this was the first ship that would have me on board" he looks a the oncoming shore "but I agree that having solid ground under my feet will be a welcome change. My current name is V'rekh, how should I address you?"
"Borax. I am a servant of Gond. As his teachings say, 'The gears of life will run until time itself dies.' We have obviously been brought together for some purpose. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for us." As Borax mentions the name of his god, he spreads his fingers in a circle and turns his hand slowly clockwise then anti-clockwise. He then resumes his quiet study of the island, wondering on the dissonance of the idea of a safe adventure.
Your group is taken out to one of the small islands, couldn't be more than a hundred feet to a side. The rock is sharp but not dangerously so. The crewman helps you disembark and starts rowing back to the ship. You are left on the island with your gear and a singer large barrel. You begin to notice that other groups are in similar situations, alone on their individual islands with barrels.
A figure none of you can remember seeing on your trip, emerges from below deck. He is a human with jet black hair and is wearing gray, almost silver, tunic. He begins speaking in a magically amplified voice. "I bet you are all wondering why you're out here! There is a special kind of octopus that lives in the reefs below that produces an ink great for scribing spell scrolls! They look like this!" He casts a spell and a giant image of a black and silver octopus appears in the air. "Now they're actually much smaller, but you get the idea! Five living specimen will get you paid and a ride to shore! Bonus for the group who catches the most! If you don't meet the quota, I hope you can swim!"
You hear groans and protestations from many of the groups while others begin diving or filling their barrels with seawater.
Jarrett looks around at the water and those assembled around him. "Well, friends, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am not a very accomplished swimmer." He glances over at V'rekh. "I understand your people are very accustomed to the water? Would you feel comfortable going below the surface to search for these creatures? We can prepare the barrel and fill it with water for their collection."
A small, unobtrusive half-elf girl giggles and darts from behind Jarrett. "No swimming?" She smiles. "I am looking forward to this, and the payment, you see? Much to do with a lot of money, wouldn't you say?"
She glances over at one of the deck hands who has been watching the interaction of her small group and she winks. "A lot of money, indeed."
V'rekh turns to Jarrett "swim and take a look around I can, but I don't think I would be fast enough to catch any of them."
The tortle sets his backpack on the ground, walks towards the water and casts light on a pendant around his neck. He waddles into the water and when it finds a spot deep enough, takes a deep breath and submerges to take a good look around.
Borax follows the tortle into the water. "Even in the depths of the ocean, the fires of Gond will guide our way." As the water rises around his legs and midsection, the density of his construction and heavy armour counteract any attempts by the ocean to keep him buoyant. Plodding along the bottom of the shore, he picks his way around rocks and debris. Following V'rekh's example, Borax casts Light on his the symbol of Gond that was fused to his chest. The cog glows with a fiery yellow glow, that fought to penetrate the salt water.
OOC: Reminder that as a warforged I don't need to breathe.
A deck hand waves from the now increasingly distant ship, before he is yelled at to return to his duties. It doesn't take long for Jarrett to fill the barrel while his companions wade, of walk, out. On the other islands groups are stripping down gear they don't want to get wet, trying to rig fishing lures, and a few are even just returning with distinctly black and silver blobs squirming in their hands.
The sea floor immediately between the islands is fortunately shallow, five to fifteen feet with reefs reaching up toward the surface. The bright sun and clear water means visibility is out to sixty feet before fading into a curtain of blue. The magic light generated by the divers doesn't illuminate more here but will certainly be useful in cracks and crevasses. The side of your island that faces the sea boasts a much steeper drop into the water. A virtual cliff of jagged rock with life clinging to it's vertical face.
Four places your group catches glimpses of these silvery sea creatures. There is a very lively reef nearby where you see several, however, you also see the occasional shark. A large formation of coral and porous rock seem to be a hiding place for some, but hard to reach. Down the cliff face there are faint glimpses of a few, on the edge of your vision. Also, of course, there are now a couple in the barrels of the competing teams.
"I am in agreement with this human, lads. Swimming seems a fools' errand. Keep it up, however. Let me go make friends," Faylen murmurs to her group. She studies the closest groups that scatter the other islands, and noticing one with several of the creatures already captured, saunters closer to make their acquaintance.
V'rekh comes out of the water, "there are a few places here where I can see silver octopi, the most populated place also has some sharks swimming nearby". He points the group to the locations he saw and goes back into the water "I''ll see if I can catch one of them".
The tortle walks towards the nearest silver blob until he's some 25 feet away from it. Focusing on the magic around him, he summons a spectral hand and commands it to catch the creature. If the hand is succesful, he'll command it to carry the octopus back to the barrel.
Faylen makes her way to the island's edge, it's a few hundred feet from here to an island where a group of humans with a net are just emerging from the water to deposit their catch. She can see the four of them working to get the cephalopod into the barrel. Despite the waves and seabirds, Faylen could shout to this group, but they don't seem to notice her currently.
V'rekh tries to approach the closest group in the coral formation. The octopi seem to be on alert and dart in and out of the jagged structure.
(Please roll me a Dexterity(Stealth) check to sneak up on them and a Charisma(Athletics) check to grab one with mage hand)
V'rekh checks are here. Not really sure about using charisma for an athletics check, so I'm going to roll for all options and let you decide which ones apply here.
Stealth (DEX): 15 Athletics (STR): 17 Charisma: 20 Athletics (using CHA instead of STR): 22
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Borax waits in the water as V'rekh reports back to the others. As he returns, Borax sees him head toward the reef. Still a little unsure of his own abilities in the water, Borax decides it is probably best to stay away from the underwater killers and head instead toward the more tranquil coral. Not needing to surface to breath would make it a little easier for him to search that area. Slowly plodding his way through the water, Borax examines the closest of the holes amongst the oral for any signs of the silvery fish.
Your group finds themselves on a small sailing ship on a crystal-clear, sapphire-blue sea. The ship is called The Boundless Glory and it is hauling you and several other adventuring groups out to a small group of rocky islands on behalf of a mysterious benefactor who promised "QUICK EASY RICHES!" and "Safe adventuring work" on local job boards. The skies are clear, save the stray cloud, and the sun is hot on your skin. In the distance, you can see your destination coming into view.
Borax stood at attention beside the mast watching off the forward bow. He stood motionless, trying to stay out of the way of the crew who worked around him. The clear skies meant smooth sailing and the journey had been uneventful. In a few days, Borax would be back to port with the funds to carry out his next experiments. As the sea rolled beneath the hull of the boat, Borax made a few minor adjustments to keep his balance, while flexing all his joints to ensure that he was functioning properly. The hammer that hung from his hip swung gently to the motion and the shield over his shoulder tapped against his armour in time with the sea.
On the horizon, he could just make out the shape of islands disrupting the meeting of surf and sky. Borax began to intone a series of prayers in a barely audible fashion, calling on Gond to add strength to his heart, courage to his soul and clarity to his mind.
V'rekh stood holding the rail at the ship's bow. He was amazed at the travel speed and fascinated to have found a seat on the expedition.
The tortle was younger than his looks. The wrinkled skin and moss growing on his shell fooled most people into thinking he was ancient. He felt joyful, and looked at the water intensely, trying to catch a glimpse of any exotic creature swimming below.
A voice calls out from the crow's nest alerting the captain that they've reached their destination. The captain, a severe looking woman with slightly pointed ears that hint to an elven ancestry, sends a pair of crewmain to drop anchor. Others begin working quickly to lower the sails and prepare a pair of rowboats. They move quickly and rushing around the passengers above deck.
Approaching the small rocky islands, they seem utterly barren. Aside from stray clump of seaweed, they are purely clumps of igneous rock. In contrast, the clear water reveals a world below the waves. V'rekh sees schools of colorful fish, vibrant and bizarre coral structures, and the odd crustacean sifting through the sand. Large stray shadows in the distance may give some pause, but maybe it was just a passing cloud.
Once the boats are rigged, they are lower with groups of adventures and a rower from the ship. In shifts they begin to taxi over to the nearest island.
Borax clambers into the rowboat and takes a seat beside the Tortle. They had been travellers on the boat together but, besides the early introductions, they had shared very few words. Little had been needed to be said, and while the sailing was good, Borax had taken the time to meditate. "I look forward to having my feet on the shore again. Though the waves do little for my constitution, the thought of not sinking beneath the water will put my mind much at rest. What brings you to these shores my friend?"
Jarrett has spent much of the journey on the seas tinkering with his numerous contraptions that he was continually removing from his backpack. They were strange mechanisms that could emit a small amount of light and/or smoke, repeat messages that he would whisper into the them, or even create a poor visual representation of anything he wished. He liked to sneak the items into incredulous places to prank some of the more superstitious members of the crew. He was never without the small leather rolled-up pack that was attached to his belt which was filled with any number of strange instruments and tools. He would speak when spoken to, but rarely seemed to seek out conversation, far more interested in his tinkering.
As the adventurers are slowly lowered into the waters below, Jarrett removes a strange crossbow-type weapon from his backpack and pulls a lever backward from the underneath of the weapon as a sort of cocking device to retract the string as he fits a bolt into position. "You never know." He says with a smile to the others in his boat.
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
V'rekh turns to Borax in the rowboat "no particular reason, I want to travel the world and this was the first ship that would have me on board" he looks a the oncoming shore "but I agree that having solid ground under my feet will be a welcome change. My current name is V'rekh, how should I address you?"
"Borax. I am a servant of Gond. As his teachings say, 'The gears of life will run until time itself dies.' We have obviously been brought together for some purpose. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for us." As Borax mentions the name of his god, he spreads his fingers in a circle and turns his hand slowly clockwise then anti-clockwise. He then resumes his quiet study of the island, wondering on the dissonance of the idea of a safe adventure.
Your group is taken out to one of the small islands, couldn't be more than a hundred feet to a side. The rock is sharp but not dangerously so. The crewman helps you disembark and starts rowing back to the ship. You are left on the island with your gear and a singer large barrel. You begin to notice that other groups are in similar situations, alone on their individual islands with barrels.
A figure none of you can remember seeing on your trip, emerges from below deck. He is a human with jet black hair and is wearing gray, almost silver, tunic. He begins speaking in a magically amplified voice. "I bet you are all wondering why you're out here! There is a special kind of octopus that lives in the reefs below that produces an ink great for scribing spell scrolls! They look like this!" He casts a spell and a giant image of a black and silver octopus appears in the air. "Now they're actually much smaller, but you get the idea! Five living specimen will get you paid and a ride to shore! Bonus for the group who catches the most! If you don't meet the quota, I hope you can swim!"
You hear groans and protestations from many of the groups while others begin diving or filling their barrels with seawater.
Jarrett looks around at the water and those assembled around him. "Well, friends, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am not a very accomplished swimmer." He glances over at V'rekh. "I understand your people are very accustomed to the water? Would you feel comfortable going below the surface to search for these creatures? We can prepare the barrel and fill it with water for their collection."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
A small, unobtrusive half-elf girl giggles and darts from behind Jarrett. "No swimming?" She smiles. "I am looking forward to this, and the payment, you see? Much to do with a lot of money, wouldn't you say?"
She glances over at one of the deck hands who has been watching the interaction of her small group and she winks. "A lot of money, indeed."
Ooc Placeholder, sorry but this week I am on vacation
,
V'rekh turns to Jarrett "swim and take a look around I can, but I don't think I would be fast enough to catch any of them."
The tortle sets his backpack on the ground, walks towards the water and casts light on a pendant around his neck. He waddles into the water and when it finds a spot deep enough, takes a deep breath and submerges to take a good look around.
Borax follows the tortle into the water. "Even in the depths of the ocean, the fires of Gond will guide our way." As the water rises around his legs and midsection, the density of his construction and heavy armour counteract any attempts by the ocean to keep him buoyant. Plodding along the bottom of the shore, he picks his way around rocks and debris. Following V'rekh's example, Borax casts Light on his the symbol of Gond that was fused to his chest. The cog glows with a fiery yellow glow, that fought to penetrate the salt water.
OOC: Reminder that as a warforged I don't need to breathe.
A deck hand waves from the now increasingly distant ship, before he is yelled at to return to his duties. It doesn't take long for Jarrett to fill the barrel while his companions wade, of walk, out. On the other islands groups are stripping down gear they don't want to get wet, trying to rig fishing lures, and a few are even just returning with distinctly black and silver blobs squirming in their hands.
The sea floor immediately between the islands is fortunately shallow, five to fifteen feet with reefs reaching up toward the surface. The bright sun and clear water means visibility is out to sixty feet before fading into a curtain of blue. The magic light generated by the divers doesn't illuminate more here but will certainly be useful in cracks and crevasses. The side of your island that faces the sea boasts a much steeper drop into the water. A virtual cliff of jagged rock with life clinging to it's vertical face.
Four places your group catches glimpses of these silvery sea creatures. There is a very lively reef nearby where you see several, however, you also see the occasional shark. A large formation of coral and porous rock seem to be a hiding place for some, but hard to reach. Down the cliff face there are faint glimpses of a few, on the edge of your vision. Also, of course, there are now a couple in the barrels of the competing teams.
"I am in agreement with this human, lads. Swimming seems a fools' errand. Keep it up, however. Let me go make friends," Faylen murmurs to her group. She studies the closest groups that scatter the other islands, and noticing one with several of the creatures already captured, saunters closer to make their acquaintance.
V'rekh comes out of the water, "there are a few places here where I can see silver octopi, the most populated place also has some sharks swimming nearby". He points the group to the locations he saw and goes back into the water "I''ll see if I can catch one of them".
The tortle walks towards the nearest silver blob until he's some 25 feet away from it. Focusing on the magic around him, he summons a spectral hand and commands it to catch the creature. If the hand is succesful, he'll command it to carry the octopus back to the barrel.
Faylen makes her way to the island's edge, it's a few hundred feet from here to an island where a group of humans with a net are just emerging from the water to deposit their catch. She can see the four of them working to get the cephalopod into the barrel. Despite the waves and seabirds, Faylen could shout to this group, but they don't seem to notice her currently.
V'rekh tries to approach the closest group in the coral formation. The octopi seem to be on alert and dart in and out of the jagged structure.
(Please roll me a Dexterity(Stealth) check to sneak up on them and a Charisma(Athletics) check to grab one with mage hand)
V'rekh checks are here. Not really sure about using charisma for an athletics check, so I'm going to roll for all options and let you decide which ones apply here.
Stealth (DEX): 15
Athletics (STR): 17
Charisma: 20
Athletics (using CHA instead of STR): 22
Borax waits in the water as V'rekh reports back to the others. As he returns, Borax sees him head toward the reef. Still a little unsure of his own abilities in the water, Borax decides it is probably best to stay away from the underwater killers and head instead toward the more tranquil coral. Not needing to surface to breath would make it a little easier for him to search that area. Slowly plodding his way through the water, Borax examines the closest of the holes amongst the oral for any signs of the silvery fish.