UNDER THE SEA

DM's Screen:

The Sea Mare adventure really did turn out to be one encapsulated by the 'high risk, high reward' theme, and Kairus is quite excited about it. In fact, he seems excited enough to almost attempt nabbing some loot on his own. However, the lack of any easily attainable trinket nearby convinces him of the high risk of the operation. Instead, the triton continues to take advantage of his invisibility to calmly swim away without raising any metaphorical alarms. 

On his way back, Kairus swims near what is left of the Virago. He can see the rotted-out lower deck and keel of the ship, which are buried deep in the sand below. The triton's cursory look does not flag anything of major interest. It is not a detailed investigation but, from what he can see in passing, Myldred was probably right when she claimed that nothing of value could be salvaged from this wreck.

A few minutes later, Kairus walks out of the sea and onto the beach where both Hun and Rhogal wait for him.

Almost as soon as Hun sees Kairus, the Kobold hurriedly smooth out the hem of his jacket, before then turning his nose up and folding his non-shield hand behind his back in an imperious stance. "Well, I assume things went, uh... well. For you. Hn?" He asked, jumping straight to the point. If at that point he sees the Triton even remotely still being cheery, he sorta deflates a little and has a look in his expression that practically screamed 'Ah shit, he's actually found something'.

Hun did see Kairus. Eventually. Very excited lad planned the dramatic appearance at the campsite, but the beach was even better. He emerged from the waters shook the water like a dog (pure showoff, he liked the feeling of the drops on his skin) and began to gradually lose the invisibility as he did so. Once he was visible, he dramatically exclaimed "Treasure!".

Unable to keep his excitement bottled (and grateful for support or shared curiosity) Kairus immediately described what he saw to Hun and Rhogal. And repeated back at the camp too with maybe a few more colourful details. "If there is any treasure on that wrecks - it's there! Huge sarcophagus. And the undead walking about was the captain. He would not guard it if there was nothing inside, would he? I say we go! Yes, the beast is there too but if we can slay it, the amount of meat the turtles will breathe easier. And think of it - there is a fellow sailor, stuck in this world as undead. Should not we free him and let to pass finally? Oh, and on the way back I realized, I can even make us all invisible too to save some trouble. At dawn, sadly, but I can!"

Taking Eeyal's advice Yulmiath wanders to the edge of the cliff and watches the water.  After waiting a while, the dragonborn settles himself on the edge, his legs dangling over the cliff edge.

After a while, he turns excitedly to Krodhen and Eeyal and marks Karius' return.

"He's back! In one piece too!"

Despite his initial disappointment in discovering their actually being a discovery, Hun listened respectfully to the first telling on the beach, and would spend the journey back to camp playing the details back in his head. But following the second telling, his demeanor had shifted from the thoughtful to the stern once again. "No." He stated firmly as he locked eyes with the bard. "I can spend the next several hours pointing out every flaw with your "plan", your ideal, and so many other factors that you aren't thinking of... But the long and short of it is this: We aren't prepared for a dealing with the Sea Mare business. Not yet. Not tomorrow. And perhaps not even the day after that." He expresses, looking to everyone else during the final points.

"But enough is enough with these wrecks for now. That beast and old captain ain't goin' nowhere anytime soon. Let's finish our exploration of the island, gather what other resources their are, and then -- AND THEN return here. Agreed?" He stated more than asked, but still seemed to wait for the others responses.

Krodhen is seen to be nodding at the warning being given about the Sea Mare and adds "I agree, we have been a little lucky fighting Myldred and the decapus so far, but that fight sounds far riskier just now.  My vote is for to take Eeyal up on guiding us to the shrine and take a look at that, perhaps after another nights sleep though"

Kairus rejoins his companions, makes himself visible, and relays his discoveries once at the beach and then again at camp. Yulmiath even announces the triton's arrival from afar for those who might not have noticed it.

Despite the potential promise of valuable rewards, Hun and Krodhen do not share the bard's enthusiasm for the risky retrieval mission. The kobold proposes continuing their exploration inland and then turning to the Sea Mare at a later date. A decision is yet to be made, and Eeyal seems happy either way: "Shrine or ship, I'll be your guide for the next two and a half days at a minimum."

The one thing the group seems to agree at this point is on their collective need for some recovery time. It is still late afternoon, but perhaps they could use an extra long rest.

(OOC: If you'd like to start your long rest, please describe what you do into the evening and overnight, and roll perception checks for your watches.)

Kairus made a pretentiously offended grimace (you wounded me!) and dramatically exclaimed "Just a couple fights and all sense of adventure is gone!" It was all a jest, though, and he was the first to laugh. "As you wish. It is risky, I know, and I probably got carried away with the invisibility part. Never tested it before but seems it can be only one person. No "ghost brigade", sadly. But have to return later when better prepared! Just think what is waiting in there! And who is waiting too, the captain needs our help." "Never shy away from doing the good thing!" added he definitely imitating someone's voice.  

The rest of the evening Kairus spend in preparations for tomorrow's departure, his watch duty and singing of sea ballads about lost souls, lost treasures, and anything adventurous he could think of.

"Plus we likely ain't nothing but an annoying meal to a dinosaur! A workout AND a snack. If we're going out there, let's make sure we can make it back here."

With that he will take a piece of Eblis jerky, lie back in a comfortable, sunny spot and take in some warming rays, chewing contentedly on his snack.

"Not bad. Smoky. Touch of sweetness. Could do with a bit of spice maybe?"

Finishing his mouthful, he gives his verdict: "It's good."

With the rest of the afternoon and evening to kill, Yulmiath buddies himself sharpening his small collection of axes, never know when a sharp blade will come in handy.

(OOC Mr Yully is happy with whatever watch he gets allocated. Perception - 18.)

"Yes. Good things such as making deals with Sea Witches for trinkets." Hun says sarcastically and with a smirk. "But no matter. Ultimately, you did good young blue scouting things out before risking the group. We'll make a good Kobold out of you yet." He jests, standing up to pat Kairus on the shoulder if the Triton happened to be sitting, but otherwise throwing a thumbs up the triton's way.

He then looks to the others, and in seeing most appearing to settle in for the afternoon, breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, now that things are settled, let's retire early and head out just as early. If we're lucky, this islands blasted birds aren't early risers." He announced, prior to then going back checking on the meat as well, and seeing to it that it got properly distributed among everyone. After which, Hun was very, very content to spend the next little while running maintenance on his various gadget and gears, as well as repurposing some of the odd trinkets and doo-dads collected into replacement parts. And if there's yet time still, again he makes of point of digging out a decent burrow to climb in before finding his rest, awakening only to take 3rd watch if none of the others don't beat him to managing watches.

Thirdwatception: 20. (since its a long term watch, no guidance)

"Damned feathery fiends have been bothering us ever since we left Ahoyhoy." Rhogal says as chews on a piece of jerky. "Wishin' that the birds won't attack will give something else an invitation to try to get a literal piece of us."

He takes the last watch: 17

DM's Screen:

Through conversation, the group gradually reaches an agreement. First, they will rest. Then, they will head inland to explore the Shrine of Fangs. A return to High Horn is penciled in for a later date.

The afternoon snack blends in with an early supper of leftover gumbo and plenty of Eblis jerky. The group is happy to eat fresher food and save their dried foodstuffs for harsher times. Judging that the past couple of days have been enough time for the whole bird to smoke through completely, Hun examines the makeshift smokehouse and portions out all of the smoked meat. It is plain to see that some of it did not dry properly and, after a few days untouched, is best used as campfire fuel than ingested. Nonetheless, there is plenty of food here for days to come. The kobold portions out 21 rations among the entire group. Eeyal won't refuse some travel food herself, but accepts a smaller portion since she had no part in killing the bird. (Eeyal takes 2 portions, leaving the other to equally claim 4 each.)

Since they allow themselves plenty of time to rest, the whole group enjoys a few hours of fraternizing before sleep time arrives. Kairus volunteers for the first watch and Eeyal partners up with the triton.

(OOC: I'll resolve watches in a separate port as not to risk messing up the rolls in this one.) 

(@Blue: Since there is no roll, I'll use your passive perception. This means you are not actively paying attention to your watch duties. This is not a complaint, I'm just being transparent regarding my interpretation.)

@Kairus: Excited about the discovery of the sarcophagus and the adventures to come, you spend most of your watch paying attention to the soft songs you elect to play and/or compose by the campfire. Luckily, Eeyal is also awake and covering most of your shift. She misses a couple of your songs as her mind is focused on the task at hand. She raises no alarm during the first watch and tasks you with waking up Yulmiath for the next bout.

@Yulmiath: Much like Eeyal, Krodhen elects to wake up and partner up with you for the second watch. Much like Kairus, the half-orc ends up daydreaming more than actively watching, which means the burden falls mostly on you. This does not seem to bother you much and you keep a keen eye out. Apart from the sloshing of the waves and the change of the tides, you have nothing to report to Hun when it is time to wake the kobold up for the third shift.

@Hun: You are the first to take a lonely shift. Despite dedicating a part of your watch to cartography, you are fairly certain no dangers have approached camp, especially no nocturnal birds. A glint of reflected moonlight shined from the water far away, as if bouncing off tiny eyes in the distance. However, they do not move closer to the beach and simply disappear a few minutes later. You doubt whatever that was succeeded in gleaming lots of information on the camp giving the distance and angle of vision. Soon, you decide it is time to rest a bit more and shake Rhogal awake.

@Rhogal: You get the early morning shift, which allows you to enjoy the sunrise and the gradual receding of the tide. Off in the distant waters, you think you see the shadow of the twin-necked dinosaur swimming near the Sea Mare once again. The beast does not linger. Eventually, much like a roaster, you wake up the rest of camp by implementing loud noises.

(OOC: Congratulations of surviving your partially shipwrecked adventure so far, especially considering you faced a lot more random encounters than probability theory would have demanded of you, on average. You may all LEVEL UP TO THIRD LEVEL. )

After a fairly uneventful doze, Yulmiath wakes for what he hopes every turn at watch will be: boring. Having the Half-Orc join is no bad thing; someone else to fight beside should something happen. But, just as he likes it, nothing does. Yulmiath bids his watch companion goodnight, and settles himself down for the rest of the night, happy to let Hun take his turn.

Yulmiath's eyes flash open and he is stood on the deck of the Wagtail once more. Waves crash about the ship and water sloshes across the deck as wind and rain batter the ship from above. Thunder deafens and lighting cracks down onto the surface of the waves. Sails in full unfurl whip back and forth furiously, unsecured ropes slide around causing chaos underfoot.

A brief moment passes until Yul slips back into the life, bellowing commands to his ship mates and trying to secure the sails, lending his strength to battle the storm. Feeling his anger rise, he raises his head, shooting back into the storm, attempting to quell its fury with his own.  Opening his mouth he unleashes what he thinks will be flame, doing little to help his crew in the storm, but making him feel better. It is not. A crackle of blue energy, arcs from him, returning a bolt of lighting towards the vortex of clouds above the ship.

He blinks and suddenly he is alone. No Wagtail. No crew. No storm. Just Yulmiath. Stood atop the water, calm as a millpond. A slight breeze runs along his spine and...

Morning. Yulmiath blinks in the light and props himself up. A camp fire on the cliff, everything as it should be. Rising and standing by the sea, he feels a deeper connection to the expanse of water than he did before, almost as if he understands some aspect of it on a deeper level. Descending to the surf, he wades into the sea and kneels, letting the waves wash over him. Standing and coping some water into his hands he looks upon his reflection.

Startled, he drops the water from his hands before refilling for another, closer look. His eyes once familiar pools of amber, now show a swirl of blues and greys intertwining, circling each other, moving?

Shaking it off as a remnant of his dream, he heads back to camp and shoulders his pack.

"When we heading out? We're burning daylight."

Who would not daydream with events like this! Kairuses dreams (and the normal, nighttime too) were filled with the treasures, heroic battles with the monsters - not the real, which were at the same time horrifying and boring because of familiarity, but fantastical, like sea dragons, and the most beautiful sounds in the world - waves softly beating at the beach (that one was probably real, though).

"Good morning!" Welcomed Kairus awaken dragonborn (no, no one could beat Kairus to sunrise - he loved the show ever since he came to the land and never got tired of it). "Sure you want to leave? Look," he pointed at the crow nest of the Sea Mare, "it's right there. And we are right here! So close! You know, I dreamed of a new tune. Might help in the battle..." He glanced at the unmoving decision-set-on-stone warrior, weighted and made carefree gesture waving concerns away. "Sure, we can test it on land first. They say walking extends your life. Never understood how, might be the drylander's thing, but let's give you a few extra days."

Hun had started the project so long ago that its purpose was but a distant memory, if even if that at this point. Yet not once could he recall a day in which some little tidbit -- some piece scrap, wire, pipe, plate and more had been added to it with a deligence of the most devout and selfless priest. There had been days that he'd willfully gone without seeking food and comfort in the past just to make sure some pieces fit right before retiring for the day; his mind and spirit at least satisfied on yet more progress made on 'the project'.

But always did it felt that some piece had been missing from it! Some key component or core unit ever out of reach, and seeming destined to never be found before the end of his days. As that worry drifted into mind, he thoughtless found himself during the usual maintenance pulling out a face plate. One he set about quickly engraving the symbol of Gond on what would be between the brow of his creation, before then stuffing the plate back into his bag of holding. There was no reason to carve the symbol. No divine inspiration influencing the decision. He just... did it. And as he sat there after reflecting over the years spent on the project, a smile bloomed on his face realizing he wasn't regretful about the time spent, bruther satisfied in the work itself. Even the odd gleam in the ocean during his watch could do little to dim or distort the warm feelings that swelled in his heart.

Feelings that would go on to fill his dreams that night, and lingered even the next morning. Unable to help himself at that point,  he thoughtlessly emptied out his bag that morning and began at an almost breakneck pace assembling the various parts (including the arm that would occasionally be summoned from the bag) into an easily six and a half foot tall and lanky machine man with wire frame latch on its chest covering a largely empty space. One complete with its own Doughboy helmet and special fold out ladder on its back so that the Kobold could climb aboard in a pinch and stand fairly comfortably from there.

"Beautiful, ain't it?" He'd ask of everyone once the group reassembled. "Think of calling it... Mr. Thicc For someday, my young compatriots... Someday this guy is gonna become big, I tell ya. Big! .... Ah, better dissemble it now." Before Hun can even finish pulling out a tool to begin the process, the symbol on it shimmered gold for just a moment before the lights in its eyes began glowing with with a pale white light, startling its creator. "I... I can't believe it! You're alive, Mr. Thicc! Wait! How are you -- No! Actually, I don't care! You're alive 'n that's all that matters!" He exclaimed while immediately rushing over to hug its legs. Then appearing into realize the mixed company about, he promptly shuffled back and waving off the defenders efforts to pet him in some calming gesture, before then turning to address to others, "Ahem... Right, uh, ready to go whenever the rest of you are. Time's, uh... burning and... yea... Ahem!"

Final Imagery for Mr. Thicc: 

Krodhen's sleep was filled with scene after scene of confrontations with his father, of battles, some lost, some won, but the one most vivid was he last before waking, of his father, bruised and bleeding, with him standing over him, his words echoing hollowly "You have been judged by combat and found wanting, you have earned what is coming to you" the scene fading quickly to be replaced with a vision of his father, bound with stone weights, kneeling at the edge of the deck, back to the waves below, a look of fear on his face for the first time Krodhen can remember "For your actions you deserve far worse punishment, but that would demean me, so feel instead the embrace of the ocean, and the knowledge that you are going to die as you are pulled into the depths" and with that he kicks him squarely in the chest, toppling him backwards into the ocean below, and as the struggling form sinks from view there is a whispered "......and so it is done, rest in peace now mother...."

And as the dream fades and conciousness is regained, he feels more determined, and indeed more capable, of walking the path of vengeance and justice that his father's actions set him upon.  Rousing to his feet, he greets everyone and the day

"Morning.....indeed the day is a good one!  Let's get some food into us and then be away.....the day should not be wasted, that's for sure"

And with that Krodhen grabs a portion of rations, or whatever is available from last night and quickly eats, eager to be away

"I guess Eeyal will be upfront as the guide, who want's to keep her company, I will do it none other claims it, but my eyesight has not proven all that good on the island so far?" 

DM's Screen:

(OOC: Nice way to interpret the level-ups while in character everyone!)

The party wakes up with the sun, their spirits high. After a light breakfast and some morning hygiene, the group gets ready to finally break this camp and be on their way. Pumped by their sense of adventure, refreshed resolve, some new powers, and a new mechanical companion, the group of seven eventually moves away from High Horn. Early in the trip, Eeyal warns: "I'll do my best to avoid danger we can spot from afar, but by now you know just as well as I do that this islands' threats have a way of finding you. Be alert."

It doesn't take long for Eeyal's words to be put into practice. Later this same morning, while still traversing the grassy hills that lead away from High Horn and back toward the jungle, the tortle guide raises a fist and comes to a halt. She invites you all to come closer to her and then points to a large brown rock in the distance. She waits for the rock to move forward, slowly, before confirming her suspicions and whispering her next words out of an abundance of caution: "That, dear friends, is a Giant Snapping Turtle. They are fairly aggressive creatures who like to bask on the island’s warm rocks and shores, but occasionally one will venture inland to find food. I think this is a case of the latter, which means it must be extra aggressive."

She gives the group a moment to assess the situation by themselves. This monster of a turtle is still far, some 70 feet away, but is on the direct path the party was following. Not only that, but it is gradually turning to face the party as is continues on its own walk. It appears slow and ponderous, but doesn't seem to have noticed the party just yet. Nonetheless, Eeyal must have halted the party this far away from the creature for a reason. "Should we try to avoid it..." Eeyal finally asks, "...or do we want to expand our meal options a bit more?"

Both Hun and Mr. Thicc, the former having been riding the latter to better see the course ahead, canted their heads simultaneously from one side to the other in thought, seriously seeming to consider the option. But as they then looked to the Tortle herself, Hun frowned before admitting in a whisper, "While I would not be adversed, I feel it would be in poor taste; especially given present company... But if it were to spot us however, we would be remised. not to accept the bounty of the world, as one might say." 

He briefly shoots a glance the Turtle's way again, trying to guage how long they may have, before then bidding Mr. Thicc to lower himself a bit more to stay better out of sight. "Dwarfmen. Er, uhm.... Rhogir? No, Rhogal. *Ahem*... You seem to have a way with nature, as it were. While I can perhaps distract it with a trinket in mind, might you have a means to, uh... better distract or keep it calm?"

Yulmiath stalks forward to sneak a look at the beast. Taking in its size, Yulmiath considers that giving this one the swerve might not be such a bad idea.

"Aye, let's leave it well enough alone. No need to poke the bear, uh, giant snapping turtle."