The group manage to get into the chest in Percival’s old cabin, though the lock is not likely to be of much use again.
Squirreled away in the chest the party finds 1700cp, 1400sp, and 70gp. Looking more closely at the contents of the captain’s cabin, Marrin realizes old Percival had decent taste and you find a collection of paintings and small sculptures (11 art pieces worth 25gp each).
In the kitchen, inside an old rusty pot you also find a 50gp gem stone.
Tammer and Slick didn’t have much on them – only 17cp each. But they both have plenty of vile, dark words and looks to share with everyone.
Around the rest of the ship you find a set of navigator’s tools and a spyglass – that from what Bigge suggests, should really stay near the helm.
Among the provisions in the hold, you do find a little more valuable cargo with 8lbs of pepper, 5 sq yd of linen, 3 sq yd silk, 2 lb saffron, though what any of that is worth will depend on where you can find a buyer.
4 rapiers, 3 shields, 6 leather armor, and one chainmail shirt are found in what amounts to an armory midship.
After that Ula decides to put on a bit of a pub feast with what she finds in the galley and enlists the help of the two goblins, who turn out to be capable cooks.
While she cooks, the others are able to rest and reflect on where they’ve been and where they may be headed.
---------------------------
Ethel studies the coded pages of Godrick’s notes. Ethel’s first impression is that Godrick may be slipping into madness. The pages seem like the ravings of a mad man, with line after line about releasing Osiris and being rewarded under the sand. Several lines just repeat gibberish words over and over but end with mention of 'the Unthalass catacombs.'
One page seems to be a trial and error list of spell components, each one crossed out, and angry slashes of ink across the page. It appears to be an attempt to create a spell that is a cross between raising the dead and creating undead.
Near the very end though, Ethel does find two intact spells – Animate Dead and Wither and Bloom (treat these two pages as scrolls to be used or to copy into a spell book).
-----------------------
Jan barely closes her eyes to rest when she finds herself looking at a sunset across a desert expanse, rocky hills, like islands rising from the sea of sand. As the shadows lengthen Jan sees the sand begin to churn and roll, almost like boiling water.
Five dragons, their flesh scrubbed away in places, letting the underlying skeletons show through, burst up out of the sandy ground. As they begin to take flight, a black shadow sweeps over the rocky hills and down to the sand, the sand stained black even after the shadow moves on. The dragons turn and face the shadow, their mouths opening but only silence. As the shadow and dragons slam into each other, the ground around them explodes, the rocky hills smashed to pieces. Everything getting tossed together into a rapidly forming sandstorm.
Jan blinks several times but the swirling cloud of sand comes towards her. As it advances, a face takes shape, a massive face, the size of a castle wall. The face looms over her.
When the eyes and mouth of the face open, Jan sees a familiar sight; a dao noble looks down on her.
The sound of the sandstorm suddenly stops and an eerie silence surrounds Jan. Finally her patron looks closely at her and in a booming voice says “Do not let this pass.”
The sand swirls around her head and drives at her eyes. She closes them tight. After a moment she opens them and finds herself on the bed in the captain’s cabin of the Rose Marie.
----------------------------------------
Ula ends up serving several specialties her parents regularly serve in their tavern. Even with the odd off note, everyone on the ship, except for Tammer and Slick, enjoy the entertainment. Harry Dodds brings Gertrude down to mingle with the survivors. Initially the reception is frosty but once the group understands Gertie’s roll in their escape and reflect that she always went out of her way to make sure no one was hurt in the arena when she was in charge, the iciness eventually gives way to indifference at worst, and cautious friendliness at best.
After a well deserved celebration, almost everyone finds themselves exhausted.
As cabins and hammocks and beds are filled, and night watch set for the helm, everyone get a good night’s rest (uninterrupted long rest).
In the morning, the sky is clear and the waves are rolling but manageable, with a favourable wind in the sails. Bigge announces that with this wind you’ll make it to Spandeliyon before night fall.
If there were no complaints, Marrin would have sent the fallen to rest in the sea after the ceremony.
She would have also, quietly as to not wake the nightmare having Jan up, then went to inspect the good captain's clothes.
Marrin will play a jauntier tune for dinner and then have a quiet conversation about the goods in the hold and best place to offload them. She would have conferred with awake/interested team as well about the money/valuables they found and how it distributed among the ex-prisoners to get them moving again. Perhaps a generous donation in the form of paintings and sculptures to Ula's church would be best?
Otherwise, she'd have tried to sleep in the captain's bed too, if there was room. Otherwise she'll just setup a bedroll and on the floor there.
((Some of these can happen during the next day before Spandeliyon as well, whatever works out.))
Jan wipes some sand from the corner of her eye, and cleans the grit from her hair and clothes. Patron dreams will never not be a bit unnerving to one unaccustomed to the sleep and vivid dreams that non-elves describe.
She will look though the Captain's things for a pen and parchment, if he has any, to jot down her vision before she forgets details.
*edit: Actually, she had a pen, ink and parchment with her stuff, was EVERYTHING we had when we were taken found on the ship? For Jan that would have been: 20 Gold, Book, Crossbow Bolts 16, Crossbow, light, Ink (1 ounce bottle), Ink Pen, Leather Armor, Little Bag of Sand, Parchment (10 sheet), Small Knife.
Jan goes down for dinner, to make sure to get something to eat, and help smooth the Gertie and Dodds introduction as much as she can, but doesn't linger, heading back up to the Captain's cabin to rest.
When Marrin enters the same cabin to sleep, she finds that Jan is not there.
Jan would slip out of the cabin ~4 hours after entering, and spend the rest of the night while others rested just enjoying the night air, perhaps from the lookout atop the mast. She's breathing much better with the new day.
Avaria takes the time to rest, being quite beat up from the escape off the Hargrove island. As they sit around and chat, she'll ask her friends where they were originally heading when they boarded this ship. And if that want for their original destination has changed or not.
Enjoying the goblins cooking, she thinks of Jisthelik. She doesn't say anything to the goblins as she noted the disregard they seemed to hold for one another, but she missed their apparent leader and wished they could have done more.
She does watch Gertrude and Dodds whenever they are around. She knows it was because of them that started all this... yet she doesn't trust them.
Ethel commits to memory what she is able to decode from the book, initially intending to destroy it. That is, until she comes upon the complete, intact spells near the end of his notes. Tired from their escape, exhausted from decoding the text, she is nevertheless overcome with elation at the spells.
This... this is what I have been looking for... the keys to bringing life from death...
Instead of destroying it, she packs the notebook away with the rest of her belongings.
When Ethlehyn comes down for dinner, she is possessed of a euphoric delirium and says little beyond vague commendations and congratulations on the good deeds done this day.
She sleeps deeply and, if she dreams, she does not remember.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Jan will practice in the crow's nest and get some pointers from Marrin, honing her skill at impersonating others to go along with her ability to shift her face to match.
((Actor Feat))
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
When asked by Jan to help her impersonation skills, Marrin will quietly appraise the other woman. After several seconds she says,
"...Sure. I've seen you have the appearance down but your mannerisms and voice work need to some attention. Do Percival again, please. Walk around a bit and then say a few lines in your best Percival voice."
She watches closely and listens before giving a small shake of her head,
"Hmm. Stiffer movements in the upper body and neck. More looking down your nose at everyone and everything. Despite all of that, he still had the fluidity of a life-long sailor. Legs slightly akimbo, arms held loose. Rolling gait." She watches then adds, "But you still need to keep those shoulders tense. Just like your expression. A little bit annoyed."
She demonstrates the walk and posture and nods as Jan does better.
"The voice though. Hm. He had a lot deeper voice than you do naturally so you're going to really have to strain to match his intonation and cadence to make up for any shortfalls depth. You can get away with a lot if you're saying what you should at the pace you should but only a bit higher or lower. Maybe think his pants are too tight or something. She gives Jan a wink at that and smiles. This will go on as long as Jan would like."
She gives Jan a wink at that.
"A cracking voice something you want to avoid, that will draw attention."
The lesson will continue as long as Jan would like, Marrin clearly enjoys teaching people how to pretend to be other people.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
[Training montage of Jan struggling to nail the voices and posture, getting disheartened, Marrin giving her encouragement and support, them watching Bigge issuing orders and mimicking him, Jan making mistakes and Marrin correcting her. Some tough love coach moments, Jan down on herself, but Marring giving her a strong talking to. A clenched fist and determination as Jan starts doing better and better, a changing room mirror scene with Jan coming out as various people that they've encountered, Marrin being critical at first, but approving of her turn as Gillian Hargrove, laughing and clapping. The montage fades out and cut to Marrin looking over the rail of the ship as Spandeliyon nears. Adelysia approaches.]
"Marrin? Mister Bigge and the other two seem to be capable and reasonably trustworthy, do we really need to take on a new crew in Spandeliyon? If we must, I think we need some way to ensure they aren't going to take over the ship and try to sell us all back to the Hargroves. If you intend to remain aboard, that is.", the merchant explains patiently.
((Marrin's Insight vs Jan's Deception: 21))
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Ethel nods to Jan. "Of course." She says little else over supper, and soon returns to her studies.
She spends most of the rest of the journey to Spandeliyon sequestered with her studies. Pondering her own cursed frailty, she completes her research into two spells which should help keep her alive if they find themselves in combat again. [She takes mirror image and web at level up.] She carefully preserves the two spell scrolls and considers where she might acquire additional inks with which to add them to her book later.
She finds a few quiet moments to converse with the goblin survivors. She is less interested in what they have to say, than in her ability to speak with them fluently. Irritated that she had been unable to follow much of the conversations of their hobgoblin guards, she made a point to teach herself Ghukliak, and she sees that her ability to speak and understand it is at least passable now. She also practices moving silently on the ship, well aware that she is not the most dextrous... but neither is she strong or resiliant, and the ability to pass unseen could be a lifesaver. Finally, she looks over some of the designs in Godrick's journal and makes notes of certain tools she will need to acquire to further her studies of human anatomy.
[At Level four, Ethlehyn takes the Prodigy feat. She learns to speak Goblin, gains expertise in Arcana, proficiency in Stealth and (assuming DM permission for a custom tool) Autopsy Tools.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
That is enough to get Ethel to set her books down. As she ponders the answer, she cannot help but ask… “And, just where is this question coming from? Some new revelation from Hammerdasher?”
[Dm: roll to determine if she has heard anything? Or is this too far out there?]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
[Autopsy Tools sound pretty good - aid in Investigation? and no, at this point there's nothing in any books you've read, that would help with five dragon skeletons and a black shadow - perhaps in the archives in distant Candlekeep - but you suspect given the desert part of the image, the Arcanum in Ghledaneth will be a more likely source of information]
"No, he's not much of one for revelations, more into the denial and fuming.", Jan has a seat nearby when it is clear Ethel has both time and interest in helping her parse her vision.
"We've not discussed the nature of my abilities at length, but I am certain it is clear to you I don't come by them through diligent study," she waves a hand at Ethel's tomes, "but rather, certain capabilities have been gifted to me. The source of those abilities also sent along a vison, in which five undead or undying dragons wriggled up from the sand, worn down to bone in places... given recent events, my first thoughts went to Godrick, though I certainly hope that this would be beyond him, and that he wasn't merely lacking the raw materials on the island. They burst forth, and a black shadow swept down across the sand towards the dragons as they begin to take off. But not a normal shadow, something denser and more... tangible. Where it passed across the sand, it stayed black. The dragons didn't seem able to use their breath weapons on it, and it slammed into them in an explosion that swirled into a sandstorm. It's been made clear to me that this cannot be permitted to happen, but I was wondering if this was something that was prophesied, something symbolic, or something more literal."
((@DM: Did the non-skeletized portions of the dragons have any notable colors to their scales, or horn/fin arrangements that would denote their type? Jan would have sketched out what she could recall of the rocks, dragons, etc immediately after the vision, to the best of her ability at the time, but not sure what sort of roll you might want for that. Would she be able to make a roll now that she's bouncing things off of Ethel? Perhaps Insight into her patron's intent?))
Marrin glances briefly at Jandelysia, not noting anything amiss as she mentally prepares herself for something annoying. She pauses then refocuses on the woman,
"Adelysia, Bigge has already pointed out that three sailors is a skeleton crew. I trust his judgement as should you. If you don't trust him then I would encourage you to disembark here."
She doesn't notice anything unless Jan comes out herself. She also doesn't reveal her plans to the woman and refocuses on the the approaching town.
((Not sure how much time we have onboard but Marrin would also like to expand her goblin vocabulary beyond what she learned from Jisthelek.))
Jan will similarly turn to the town as she returns her face to her own. She'll let Marrin make the realization whenever she looks over to wonder what Adelysia is still near her.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
TH 13 7 9
30
6
T 46
S 96
The group manage to get into the chest in Percival’s old cabin, though the lock is not likely to be of much use again.
Squirreled away in the chest the party finds 1700cp, 1400sp, and 70gp. Looking more closely at the contents of the captain’s cabin, Marrin realizes old Percival had decent taste and you find a collection of paintings and small sculptures (11 art pieces worth 25gp each).
In the kitchen, inside an old rusty pot you also find a 50gp gem stone.
Tammer and Slick didn’t have much on them – only 17cp each. But they both have plenty of vile, dark words and looks to share with everyone.
Around the rest of the ship you find a set of navigator’s tools and a spyglass – that from what Bigge suggests, should really stay near the helm.
Among the provisions in the hold, you do find a little more valuable cargo with 8lbs of pepper, 5 sq yd of linen, 3 sq yd silk, 2 lb saffron, though what any of that is worth will depend on where you can find a buyer.
4 rapiers, 3 shields, 6 leather armor, and one chainmail shirt are found in what amounts to an armory midship.
After that Ula decides to put on a bit of a pub feast with what she finds in the galley and enlists the help of the two goblins, who turn out to be capable cooks.
While she cooks, the others are able to rest and reflect on where they’ve been and where they may be headed.
---------------------------
Ethel studies the coded pages of Godrick’s notes. Ethel’s first impression is that Godrick may be slipping into madness. The pages seem like the ravings of a mad man, with line after line about releasing Osiris and being rewarded under the sand. Several lines just repeat gibberish words over and over but end with mention of 'the Unthalass catacombs.'
One page seems to be a trial and error list of spell components, each one crossed out, and angry slashes of ink across the page. It appears to be an attempt to create a spell that is a cross between raising the dead and creating undead.
Near the very end though, Ethel does find two intact spells – Animate Dead and Wither and Bloom (treat these two pages as scrolls to be used or to copy into a spell book).
-----------------------
Jan barely closes her eyes to rest when she finds herself looking at a sunset across a desert expanse, rocky hills, like islands rising from the sea of sand. As the shadows lengthen Jan sees the sand begin to churn and roll, almost like boiling water.
Five dragons, their flesh scrubbed away in places, letting the underlying skeletons show through, burst up out of the sandy ground. As they begin to take flight, a black shadow sweeps over the rocky hills and down to the sand, the sand stained black even after the shadow moves on. The dragons turn and face the shadow, their mouths opening but only silence. As the shadow and dragons slam into each other, the ground around them explodes, the rocky hills smashed to pieces. Everything getting tossed together into a rapidly forming sandstorm.
Jan blinks several times but the swirling cloud of sand comes towards her. As it advances, a face takes shape, a massive face, the size of a castle wall. The face looms over her.
When the eyes and mouth of the face open, Jan sees a familiar sight; a dao noble looks down on her.
The sound of the sandstorm suddenly stops and an eerie silence surrounds Jan. Finally her patron looks closely at her and in a booming voice says “Do not let this pass.”
The sand swirls around her head and drives at her eyes. She closes them tight. After a moment she opens them and finds herself on the bed in the captain’s cabin of the Rose Marie.
----------------------------------------
Ula ends up serving several specialties her parents regularly serve in their tavern. Even with the odd off note, everyone on the ship, except for Tammer and Slick, enjoy the entertainment. Harry Dodds brings Gertrude down to mingle with the survivors. Initially the reception is frosty but once the group understands Gertie’s roll in their escape and reflect that she always went out of her way to make sure no one was hurt in the arena when she was in charge, the iciness eventually gives way to indifference at worst, and cautious friendliness at best.
After a well deserved celebration, almost everyone finds themselves exhausted.
As cabins and hammocks and beds are filled, and night watch set for the helm, everyone get a good night’s rest (uninterrupted long rest).
In the morning, the sky is clear and the waves are rolling but manageable, with a favourable wind in the sails. Bigge announces that with this wind you’ll make it to Spandeliyon before night fall.
----------------------------------------------------
If there’s anything you want to do during this day of sailing let me know, otherwise we can jump to the docks.
If there were no complaints, Marrin would have sent the fallen to rest in the sea after the ceremony.
She would have also, quietly as to not wake the nightmare having Jan up, then went to inspect the good captain's clothes.
Marrin will play a jauntier tune for dinner and then have a quiet conversation about the goods in the hold and best place to offload them. She would have conferred with awake/interested team as well about the money/valuables they found and how it distributed among the ex-prisoners to get them moving again. Perhaps a generous donation in the form of paintings and sculptures to Ula's church would be best?
Otherwise, she'd have tried to sleep in the captain's bed too, if there was room. Otherwise she'll just setup a bedroll and on the floor there.
((Some of these can happen during the next day before Spandeliyon as well, whatever works out.))
Jan wipes some sand from the corner of her eye, and cleans the grit from her hair and clothes. Patron dreams will never not be a bit unnerving to one unaccustomed to the sleep and vivid dreams that non-elves describe.
She will look though the Captain's things for a pen and parchment, if he has any, to jot down her vision before she forgets details.
*edit: Actually, she had a pen, ink and parchment with her stuff, was EVERYTHING we had when we were taken found on the ship? For Jan that would have been: 20 Gold, Book, Crossbow Bolts 16, Crossbow, light, Ink (1 ounce bottle), Ink Pen, Leather Armor, Little Bag of Sand, Parchment (10 sheet), Small Knife.
Jan goes down for dinner, to make sure to get something to eat, and help smooth the Gertie and Dodds introduction as much as she can, but doesn't linger, heading back up to the Captain's cabin to rest.
When Marrin enters the same cabin to sleep, she finds that Jan is not there.
Jan would slip out of the cabin ~4 hours after entering, and spend the rest of the night while others rested just enjoying the night air, perhaps from the lookout atop the mast. She's breathing much better with the new day.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Avaria takes the time to rest, being quite beat up from the escape off the Hargrove island. As they sit around and chat, she'll ask her friends where they were originally heading when they boarded this ship. And if that want for their original destination has changed or not.
Enjoying the goblins cooking, she thinks of Jisthelik. She doesn't say anything to the goblins as she noted the disregard they seemed to hold for one another, but she missed their apparent leader and wished they could have done more.
She does watch Gertrude and Dodds whenever they are around. She knows it was because of them that started all this... yet she doesn't trust them.
Jan doesn't volunteer her original destination when Ava asks, glancing around at the others on the boat instead while staying busy with her dinner.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
When asked where she was going Marrin smiles broadly,
"To fame and fortune, Avaria! Still on my way there in fact."
She gives her a wink.
"But seriously, someplace bigger and better than Spandeliyon and all the small town pubs."
She'll bring up her thought on sending the ex-prisoners with some money and making a donation to the temple to help with getting them home.
Marrin would also explain to them that she'd like to bury both Xanthe and Jisthelek when they get to Spandeliyon. Probably at the same temple.
Ethel commits to memory what she is able to decode from the book, initially intending to destroy it. That is, until she comes upon the complete, intact spells near the end of his notes. Tired from their escape, exhausted from decoding the text, she is nevertheless overcome with elation at the spells.
This... this is what I have been looking for... the keys to bringing life from death...
Instead of destroying it, she packs the notebook away with the rest of her belongings.
When Ethlehyn comes down for dinner, she is possessed of a euphoric delirium and says little beyond vague commendations and congratulations on the good deeds done this day.
She sleeps deeply and, if she dreams, she does not remember.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Jan will find her way over to Ethel at dinner.
"It's been a long day at the end of some long weeks, but I'd like to ask use of your knowledge and insight tomorrow."
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Jan will practice in the crow's nest and get some pointers from Marrin, honing her skill at impersonating others to go along with her ability to shift her face to match.
((Actor Feat))
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
When asked by Jan to help her impersonation skills, Marrin will quietly appraise the other woman. After several seconds she says,
"...Sure. I've seen you have the appearance down but your mannerisms and voice work need to some attention. Do Percival again, please. Walk around a bit and then say a few lines in your best Percival voice."
She watches closely and listens before giving a small shake of her head,
"Hmm. Stiffer movements in the upper body and neck. More looking down your nose at everyone and everything. Despite all of that, he still had the fluidity of a life-long sailor. Legs slightly akimbo, arms held loose. Rolling gait." She watches then adds, "But you still need to keep those shoulders tense. Just like your expression. A little bit annoyed."
She demonstrates the walk and posture and nods as Jan does better.
"The voice though. Hm. He had a lot deeper voice than you do naturally so you're going to really have to strain to match his intonation and cadence to make up for any shortfalls depth. You can get away with a lot if you're saying what you should at the pace you should but only a bit higher or lower. Maybe think his pants are too tight or something. She gives Jan a wink at that and smiles. This will go on as long as Jan would like."
She gives Jan a wink at that.
"A cracking voice something you want to avoid, that will draw attention."
The lesson will continue as long as Jan would like, Marrin clearly enjoys teaching people how to pretend to be other people.
[Training montage of Jan struggling to nail the voices and posture, getting disheartened, Marrin giving her encouragement and support, them watching Bigge issuing orders and mimicking him, Jan making mistakes and Marrin correcting her. Some tough love coach moments, Jan down on herself, but Marring giving her a strong talking to. A clenched fist and determination as Jan starts doing better and better, a changing room mirror scene with Jan coming out as various people that they've encountered, Marrin being critical at first, but approving of her turn as Gillian Hargrove, laughing and clapping. The montage fades out and cut to Marrin looking over the rail of the ship as Spandeliyon nears. Adelysia approaches.]
"Marrin? Mister Bigge and the other two seem to be capable and reasonably trustworthy, do we really need to take on a new crew in Spandeliyon? If we must, I think we need some way to ensure they aren't going to take over the ship and try to sell us all back to the Hargroves. If you intend to remain aboard, that is.", the merchant explains patiently.
((Marrin's Insight vs Jan's Deception: 21))
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Ethel nods to Jan. "Of course." She says little else over supper, and soon returns to her studies.
She spends most of the rest of the journey to Spandeliyon sequestered with her studies. Pondering her own cursed frailty, she completes her research into two spells which should help keep her alive if they find themselves in combat again. [She takes mirror image and web at level up.] She carefully preserves the two spell scrolls and considers where she might acquire additional inks with which to add them to her book later.
She finds a few quiet moments to converse with the goblin survivors. She is less interested in what they have to say, than in her ability to speak with them fluently. Irritated that she had been unable to follow much of the conversations of their hobgoblin guards, she made a point to teach herself Ghukliak, and she sees that her ability to speak and understand it is at least passable now. She also practices moving silently on the ship, well aware that she is not the most dextrous... but neither is she strong or resiliant, and the ability to pass unseen could be a lifesaver. Finally, she looks over some of the designs in Godrick's journal and makes notes of certain tools she will need to acquire to further her studies of human anatomy.
[At Level four, Ethlehyn takes the Prodigy feat. She learns to speak Goblin, gains expertise in Arcana, proficiency in Stealth and (assuming DM permission for a custom tool) Autopsy Tools.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Jan will find a moment when Ethel seems to be in between pursuits that require her whole attention, "You have time to chat?"
"Would five undead dragon skeletons rising from the sand only to be obliterated by a black shadow mean anything to you from books you've read?"
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
That is enough to get Ethel to set her books down. As she ponders the answer, she cannot help but ask… “And, just where is this question coming from? Some new revelation from Hammerdasher?”
[Dm: roll to determine if she has heard anything? Or is this too far out there?]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
[Autopsy Tools sound pretty good - aid in Investigation? and no, at this point there's nothing in any books you've read, that would help with five dragon skeletons and a black shadow - perhaps in the archives in distant Candlekeep - but you suspect given the desert part of the image, the Arcanum in Ghledaneth will be a more likely source of information]
"No, he's not much of one for revelations, more into the denial and fuming.", Jan has a seat nearby when it is clear Ethel has both time and interest in helping her parse her vision.
"We've not discussed the nature of my abilities at length, but I am certain it is clear to you I don't come by them through diligent study," she waves a hand at Ethel's tomes, "but rather, certain capabilities have been gifted to me. The source of those abilities also sent along a vison, in which five undead or undying dragons wriggled up from the sand, worn down to bone in places... given recent events, my first thoughts went to Godrick, though I certainly hope that this would be beyond him, and that he wasn't merely lacking the raw materials on the island. They burst forth, and a black shadow swept down across the sand towards the dragons as they begin to take off. But not a normal shadow, something denser and more... tangible. Where it passed across the sand, it stayed black. The dragons didn't seem able to use their breath weapons on it, and it slammed into them in an explosion that swirled into a sandstorm. It's been made clear to me that this cannot be permitted to happen, but I was wondering if this was something that was prophesied, something symbolic, or something more literal."
((@DM: Did the non-skeletized portions of the dragons have any notable colors to their scales, or horn/fin arrangements that would denote their type? Jan would have sketched out what she could recall of the rocks, dragons, etc immediately after the vision, to the best of her ability at the time, but not sure what sort of roll you might want for that. Would she be able to make a roll now that she's bouncing things off of Ethel? Perhaps Insight into her patron's intent?))
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Insight: 3
Marrin glances briefly at Jandelysia, not noting anything amiss as she mentally prepares herself for something annoying. She pauses then refocuses on the woman,
"Adelysia, Bigge has already pointed out that three sailors is a skeleton crew. I trust his judgement as should you. If you don't trust him then I would encourage you to disembark here."
She doesn't notice anything unless Jan comes out herself. She also doesn't reveal her plans to the woman and refocuses on the the approaching town.
((Not sure how much time we have onboard but Marrin would also like to expand her goblin vocabulary beyond what she learned from Jisthelek.))
Jan will similarly turn to the town as she returns her face to her own. She'll let Marrin make the realization whenever she looks over to wonder what Adelysia is still near her.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock