(OOC: @Ori did the coin math in the OOC Chat. Also, for Song of Rest, we go with the same roll for everyone, so we'll go with the first d6, which was @Blue's 3. You only get it if rolling your own hit dice. @MuggsHill: It looks like you forgot to add your CON modifier to that hit die. Finally, here's the advantage roll for Mr. Thicc's help action: 15 (15).)

SHORT REST

• Kairus recovers 9 HP.
• Yulmiath recovers 21 HP.
• Krodhen recovers 6 HP.

The party can't help but smile and show their satisfaction at finally hitting a decent score that wasn't either swallowed by a Xorn and plastered over by a Flail Snail. With the battle over, the spoils yet to be divided, and some fresh kills to be portioned into meals, the Snack Pack agrees to set camp just outside the cave for at least an hour worth's of respite.

Rhogal, Mr. Thicc, and Yulmiath busy themselves with the carcasses. They have skinned and butchered animals in this island plenty of times over recent weeks, so the task is starting to feel like second nature to them. There is enough meat to feed the party for many days to come, though these portions would likely spoil before they are actually eaten based on how plentiful they are. They also roll up a fair amount of useful lizard skins.

(OOC: You are welcome to add as many rations to your inventory as you'd like, up to a maximum of 15 per character, with the caveat that they might go bad before you actually get to consume them.)

While Kairus plays a restful tune, Hun and Krodhen take up the task of making five equal piles of coins and gems. The bard claims the pile with the lapis lazuli on it, but the others are up for grabs. At some point, Krodhen also spares a prayer to Tyr, refreshing his magical stores (Channel Divinity.)

Over the course of the short rest, the group also studies the two magical items they found. They are a ring of jumping and a pair of boots of striding and springing.

(OOC: Are you continuing your march to High Horn after the short rest?)  

Listening to the descriptions of the magic items, Yulmiath lets the others take their pick, "They don't sound like things I need much help with, besides, I got this hat, remember." As he speaks he pulls the battered hat out of his pack, then begins to pack away his new lizard rations, wondering how the meat will taste and whether there might be any market for them back in Ahoyhoy.

Krodhen will take a pile with one of the tiger eye's, as well as another 10 rations, commenting "Thanks for the fine fare, perhaps a cook up is needed when we find some rest" and having pack the new food away turns to the items that have now been identified, and presumably some sort of explanation of what they do has been shared.  "Those boots might speed you up a bit Rhogal, and they look like they're made for a dwarf" after which he adds "That ring on the other hand might help getting around in any fights we get into, I reckon I could use that unless it would help one of spellcasters more to get you out of any trouble you get yourself into" 

@Lerus - if you are okay with backing up the Short Rest actions a bit Krodhen would have pulled that Mace out to see if this could be identified by the smarter ones in the group

As the ring and the boots are examined, Krodhen remembers the Mace that he took from the body of the cave monster, and reaches into his pack to pull it out "Anyone want to take a guess whether this is magical as well?"

"Aye, thanks. I seem ta have been laggin' behind during most o' our travels. But I ain't the only one with that problem." Rhogal says. He then turns to Hun, just to be sure. "Hun. Jus' checking. You need anything like these?"

(@Muggs: Had to dig around, and found it was a flail and not mace. But I am surprise we never took the time to identify it! Excellent callback, 'cause I sho' forgot to record the digestive sack Hun picked up from back then as well. Not sure what he might need a solvent for just yet, but... I'm sure something will come up. +.+)

Earlier(aka prior to SR): "Hm? Oh that thing! Geeze, that totally slipped my mind. Uh... well, I could whip up something to check if its magic real quick. But that ain't happening." Hun replied plainly. "Still got a bit of traveling to do today 'n all that. Now, if had a pearl worth about one-hundred dragons, or gold pieces as most would say outside of waterdeep, I'd be able to do something a bit sooner. But honestly I think you can manage well enough on your own with Krodhen. We're kinda gonna chill out for the next hour anyhow, so just, uh... just embrace your inner Gondite, I guess. Test it out. Maybe infuse a bit of your weird magic into it. Or meditate on it over the next hour. Might not be quick, but I'm sure you can manage it." With that and dismissive wave, Hun had returned to counting coin, splitting it up, examining the other stuff, and generally keeping himself busy over the short rest... 

Present(presumably): "Need? No. Want tho'?" Hun gives a sly grin that almost immediately breaks into an amused one as he lets out a chuckle. "It would be nice, but I'm good. Got me medallion 'n all that, and it's served me pretty good so far. Of course, if we find something interesting in the temple or by are underwater undead tho', that might be a different story! And if any of ya want to come with me to Waterdeep once we leave the island, I do know a certain priestess waukeen that might be willing to buy up our more magical spoils should anyone not want them by then." He snorts. Noticing afterwards that the lizard team were done, Hun volunteers to store the hides at least in his bag of holding for ease of transport, and did much the same with his ration portion as well.

"If we're lucky, these aughta keep till we get back to town at the village at the very least. Then we can share'm with the locals. A bit of, uh... thanks for hospitality 'n all that." He mentions offhandedly, though by now most of the party might've picked up on a certain soft spot the kobold had for the Tortles... in his own way. "Now on to more important business. Much as I'd like for us to just camp out here in relative safety for the rest of the day and night, best we be making tracks to High Horn. We won't reach there by even dusk without really pushing it, but closer we are, the quicker it'll be to leave once we've finished up our deep diving business there. Agreed!?" 

(@MuggsHill & @Ori: An excellent callback indeed. I went digging myself but you beat me to it. Thanks for the link. And, yes, we can certainly say someone looked into it during the short rest.)

The group continues to go over the spoils, which also include a certain flail the party had found long ago but never had a chance to study until now. After a long practice session with the weapon, Krodhen shares with the group that the weapon has been enchanted to be more resilient, be either while swinging offensively or enduring damage dealt to it by armor, acid, or age. (This is a Flail, +1, with a side serving of alliteration.)

Yulmiath is happy to let others stake a claim on the magical items in front of them, satisfied with his own Hat of Vermin, and currently more interested in selling the party's surplus of meat to the folk back in Ahoyhoy. Hun has a similar but more altruistic approach to sharing the meaty spoils with the tortles.

Krodhen proposes that Rhogal can uniquely benefit from the Boots of Striding and Springing, but the dwarf feels the need to first confirm that Hun is not interested in them. The kobold is tempted but, like Yulmiath, seems satisfied with previously earned bounty for now. Rhogal then claims the boots while the artificer turns his attention to storing several pounds of meat into the bag of holding that he himself created.

As for the Ring of Jumping, Krodhen seems to be the only one interested in it for now. Nonetheless, he looks at Kairus, wondering if the bardic spellcaster can put the added mobility to good use.

Before too long, the group is better rested and ready to continue their trip to High Horn. Hun wisely reminds the group they wont be able to beat the sun to their respective destinations, but there seems to be little reason to waste daylight. With that, the group is off. The rest of the trip down the lonely mountain and through the final portion of jungle is a tiring one, but the party is, at least, not interrupted or hunted by any birds or reptiles. By the time they reach the rolling hills near the long cliff in the northern shore of the island, they know they have been pushing into the evening a bit more than they probably should. Their eyes can see, that's not the problem, but their legs are tired. Nonetheless, perhaps there is some appetite for reaching High Horn as soon as possible.

A decision stands ahead of them: will they set camp for the evening or push into the night for another 2 to 3 hours of hiking to their destination?

(OOC: If choosing the long rest, go ahead and set watches. If pushing forward, I'll instead need endurance checks, that is, CON saving throws.)

Between there being no real need to hurry and the opportunity to really get into cooking up some of the lizard meat, Hun for one certainly urged taking a break in the hills. "Plus, thanks to us getting rid of those big bird b*****ds, we aughta be pretty safe to camp out here to." He further assured the group. And if able to almost immediately afterwards, he happily sets out helping getting a campfire started for some lizard meat on a stick! 

What he lacked in seasoning for said meat, the Kobold appeared to have gained an uncanny perceptiveness for cooking it. He even broke out a few cook utensils conjured as if by magic(which it kinda of was using a certain feature >.>) to better carve up meat for optimum cooking consumption!  Unfortunately, Hun's altruism pretty much ended there. For when it came to his turn to take last watch, it is ultimately left to Mr. Thicc, as the Kobold had taken to sleeping in another makeshift little burrow. 

-Mr. Thicc's Watch: 11. 

-If not able to convince able to convince the group: 

Kairus did not need the ring (or would take it for decorative purposes, like that Umberlee medallion) so if Krodhen can put it to good use, it's fine with the triton.

"Don't know about "safe" - there were those crazy giant turtles too, as I recall, and who said we saw everyone living on this patch of grass? But since we are not staying in that mud pit anyway, I am all for pushing forward!"

Con save: 15 (Reroll with a Luck point if needed: 10)

With Kairus not that interested in the ring, Krodhen shrugs and slips it onto another finger, then picks up the flail and gives it a few swings, deciding to give the magic weapon a trial.

Assuming that they at least stop for a feed, he pulls out a serve of the lizard meat and tosses it on the fire, eager to have his fill.  As talk goes to camping versus pushing on he expresses a middle ground "Stay, go....doesn't bother me much...but maybe a recharge would put us all in a better spot to deal with whatever the island throws at us next"

Krodhen will attune to the ring as required....

Is we stay, Krodhen's Perception check 8

Kairus perception if we stay: 16

"Reckon we stay put. We've secured a safe space to sleep in, can grill up a steak or two each, have a breather in between getting attacked?"

Finding a dry patch to set himself a nest in, Yulmiath checks on the animals that live in his hat, setting them out to scurry around. "Go on, little ones. Be back in the hat when we're getting ready to leave, alright?"

Yully's watch: Perception - 18

DM's Screen:

Mostly satisfied with the progress they have made today, the Snack Pack decides to camp for the night, even it it takes some convincing of the more eager among the party.

@Krodhen: Yearning to put your new toys to use, you volunteer for the first watch. However, it can't be said you did much watching. As your companions catch the first Zs of the night, you spend the next couple of hours mostly practicing with your new flail and testing your new jumping ability. The goods news is that you feel pretty comfortable using both items by the time your watch comes to an end. The bad news is that, if anything happened during your watch, you wouldn't know much about it.

@Kairus: Part of you wanted to keep moving to maximize your time at High Horn tomorrow, while the other part was concerned about camping out in the open here in the northern hills. As it turns out, though, you were the odd one out, and now, here you are taking a watch at camp. You can hear nocturnal creatures on the prowl but, luckily, none of them are coming close to your camp's bonfire.

@Yulmiath: You can't resist cooking another slab of fresh meat to enjoy during your watch. Once that snack is taken care of, you let the critters in your hat fly and scurry about so they can stretch their legs and wings. You could've sworn the rat was gray-furred last time, not beige. Oh well... Nothing of note happens during your watch.

@Hun: Mr. Thicc does not disturb you during his watch, and you trust this to mean that no event that warranted your attention occurred.

On the morrow, the group has steak for breakfast, picks up their camp, and sets out for another 2- to 3-hour hike. You arrive at the edge of High Horn sometime in the mid-morning. The large humanoid statue still plays its horn silently. It is a beautiful clear day and it is not that hot just yet. You look down the tall cliff and notice that you are currently in high tide. Will you climb down and dive?

During Breakfast:

A troubled look crossed Hun's face after tearing into his steak. But it would not be until the last bite that the often grouchy old Kobold finally looked up Yulmiath with an apologetic expression. "I hate to this, Mr. Yully. But I'm gonna need to take off those enhancement to the axe. Just for the day, mind you. 'cause as a safety precaution, I need the parts to make a breathing bubble. Won't exactly help all of us, but on the off chance we're gonna have to dive deep to reach this undead or get caught out fighting the two headed beast, it wouldn't hurt to have... ya feel me?" He request.

"If you want to in the meantime, you can borrow Shield and Shishkabober here." He gestures to the Yklwa at his side, fully in one piece after some earlier adjustments. "Without more mods, I can't exactly use Shishy at the moment, and I can adjust the straps on the shield." He eyes the dragonborn up and down with a critical eye. "Hmn, yes. On you, it'll be just large enough to be in the light class. Perfect for swimming about with, if I do say so myself. But what do you say?" He asks, and so long as Yulmiath is at least in agreement with having the axe downgraded again, Hun quickly molds the pieces into a ring large enough to fit around someone's head.

In the Present:

"Ah shoot. I forgot about the tides. Well, uh... s'pose we can chill out here for a few hours if not the day. 'cause I don't know about you all -- well, most of you--" He eyes Kairus in particular. "But I rather we need to do as little swimming as needed. Plus in the meantime, we can cook up some strategies on how to deal with the sea witch or the local monster should we encounter it. Or heck, even the undead for the matter."

Hun could be absolutely sure that Kairus would rather do as much swimming as possible. Life on the surface had its bright sides but he missed the deeps. Some stop to make another batch of smoked meat, though (not only to preserve the numerous rations but he liked the taste too) could be good, though.

"Not sure how we should approach it. I mean, I have to probably scout ahead, because if the undead Captain does not leave the sight of the sarcophagus, that two-headed plesiosaurus does and sure will. I have not seen the creature back then, but the shadow it left was massive. If it's there - the battle will be tough."

"If we can safely reach the sarcophagus, can try to cover us from above with the fog. Though... Never used it underwater before."

(The post with the description of what we are up against is here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post/121751-the-tortle-package-dm-lerus?comment=714)

Yulmiath shrugs. It was nice while it lasted and it might come round again. "If you need it, Hun. You got it. Besides, it's still a great axe..."

The dragonborn waits expectantly given his clever word play... 

“If ya like, I might help move ‘round underwater. Jus’ tie something ta me and I’ll pull ya along.” Rhogal offers.