Rogi walked back and forth on the deck, fighting a losing battle with the anger that was welling us from within him, repeating "Well, well, well..." through clenched teeth. He had wanted to fly to the island to avoid the black oil/water. He wanted to keep the ship clear and away from shore. If they had done as he suggested, probably they would not have been in this mess. Democracy in action, he thought disgustedly. This is exactly why officers give orders, not suggestions.
And he couldn't even save the three crewmen. He dove into the water primarily to distract the fiends and give the three men being attacked a chance to get back on the ship, but he was too late.
He stopped pacing and walked over to Marlin. "This is your area, Marlin. I could try casting Lesser Restoration on them, or Dispel Magic, but I have a hunch neither of those will work. You're the genius here, I'm just here to get punched in the face. You tell me what to do." If they couldn't figure this out, they may as well turn the ship around and go back to Waterdeep in utter, ignoble, failure.
Korba does have enough wherewithal to at least understand that he doesn't understand, he replies about the rest and drink, "That... might be... good. Need to clear head... all... black inside..."
Unlike Korba, Dabbert didn't have the wherewithal to know...well...basically anything. He wasn't precisely in a vegetative state, but he seemed to have drawn into himself, keeping quiet. He sat on part of a busted wooden box, his hands in his lap, his eyes nailed to his digits as they laced and unlaced, laced and unlaced. He looked lost. Not blank; something was rolling around in his head at least, but the damage that had been done was catastrophic, and it was clear that Dabbert was absolutely no good to anyone in his current state. Occasionally he strung together sentences of words that made no sense. Some of it was in Common, yes, but it wasn't good common, grammatically correct, and only a handful of the words made sense at all. Something about 'froags', his head hurting, and...well that was basically all the intelligible part, really.
After the fight he'd at least picked up his halberd...for a moment. But it was clear after a moments observation of the warrior that this was more of a conditioned reaction than a conscious decision. Once he had picked it up, he hadn't known what to do with it. It was like a dog that had fetched a stick but then didn't have a master to take it to.
"This is certainly some sort of magical affliction," says Marlin, responding to Rogi. "A restorative spell could probably reverse it, though I have a feeling it would have to be of the more powerful variety. I don't know if a dispelling effect would work, considering it is less of a spell and more of a direct property of the water. One of the frogs also did it to Dabbert, and it seems to be the exact same effect. That would make me consider it more of a spell, but the fact that all of the water has that effect means that there would have to be an unbelievably potent spell cast on it, in order to cause the effect no matter where you touch. Imagine the effort that would have to be taken to create a whole lake of potions. I need to think on this..."
Marlin fiddles with his watch absentmindedly, causing the hands to whir forward, then backward, then forward again as he thinks. "Affecting a wide area... yet also originating from a single being. I doubt these beings are potent enough to have caused all this, so it couldn't be something relating to a lair, and three fiends is too few to cause any sort of incursion. That's more of a demon's area of expertise, anyhow. Affecting a large area, and an individual... a curse, perhaps? It's debilitating, and a cursed body of water is not too far out of the realm of possibility. And I've certainly heard tales of creatures casting hexes and curses. Mostly fey, not fiend, but it could be the same principle. Let me try something."
Marlin stands up, and heads to Gwin. He places his watch on Gwin's head, and twists a dial on his arm."If this doesn't work, I'll be drained for the day. I'll have to rest for around an hour, recalibrate my instruments. So let's hope I can free Gwinlynn's mind from the grasp of the depths." As he speaks, the device on his back whirs into action, and Marlin presses a button. A pulse of temporal energy surges through Gwin's body, probing through her metaphysical self for anything resembling a curse, then reversing it back to a time before she was afflicted.
(Casting Remove Curse on Gwin, Mizzium roll(oh god please don't blow her brains out with a fireball): 30)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Marlin's spell goes as planned, and moments later Gwin stands before the group confused but restored to her full capacity. Her halting speech disappears, and her memories coming rushing back to her.
Rogi applauded. "Genius... genius!" Relieved, he refrained from pounding on the wizard's back and settled for a thumbs up instead. "We should get the two men who went to the island in the meantime. Can you fly us there, just you and me? Or teleport?"
The vines of confusion that had wound themselves throughout the wee cleric's brain begin to shrivel under Marlin's spell. In a few moments the haze has lifted from Gwin's mind and it is once again sharp like a fresh blade.
Seeing the bewildered expressions on both Korba and Dabbert's faces the dwarf is filled with holy fury. THIS WILL NOT STAND.
Approaching Korba first she pulls out her component pouch and reaches inside with the utmost care. Producing a handful of diamond dust, Gwin motions for the warlock to kneel and as he does so she utters these words while sprinkling the dust on his head, Haze no more, this mind restore.
First Korba, and then Dabbert, is freed from whatever curse is caused by the black silty water. Gwin, Korba, and Dabbert feel a tremendous sense of mental weariness, but they know they've returned to a state of normalcy.
As the party assesses the next course of action, Captain Pike explains his intent to keep the Faranak anchored where it is through the night. "A bit of sleep, and with fresh eyes and renewed spirit I'll take on the challenge of a new day tomorrow. But if you're set on landing on that island as darkness approaches, then..."
((Just for the sake of keeping things moving, since we have a solution, I’m going to just go ahead and post as Korba having woken up. We can get the timing to work out easily enough I think…)) ((also, just for ‘flavor’ purposes, Korba doesn’t consider himself a ‘warlock’ exactly. He is/was a weapon’s and war trainer for a noble house of Drow, he just now happens to be on a slightly different path, and has found himself with an interesting connection with a being stronger than he who sometimes ‘guides his path’ a bit))
Also @dm - can I assume a short rest? If so, does that reset the max hp from Aid and the temp HP from inspiring leader?
Korba, blinking as his reality comes flooding back to his head looks around and says, “Already we can see how someone like Kivari, or others, could easily succumb to this island. There area clearly things stronger than those beasts ashore as well. I am grateful to be working with all of you, and see why Kivari has done so in the past…“Then looking around says, with a quick rap to their metal follower, and looking towards Pike, “Glad you’re still with us Metalhead. And we will find the men who swam ashore.” Adding, “I too can allow 3 of us to fly. We definitely need to avoid that water again…”
Dabbert had said nothing before going to sleep. He'd basically climbed down off the box he was sitting on, stretched out on the deck, and passed out where he was, not stirring during the night.
When he awoke in the morning, it wasn't until the sun had begun to crawl up over the edge of the world and bathe him in its warm glow. He sat up, his hair stringy with dew, his clothes and armor damp, but clearly better off than he'd been the night before. He raised one hand and gently pressed the heel of his palm against one eye.
"Holy Tetrea..." He murmured under his voice, taking a deep breath and exhaling it with a groan before he shoved himself to his feet and looked around. "What the #$%& happened? Where are we?"
He looked over the edge of the Faranak and sighed easy when he saw the clear water. He digs some jerky from his pack and begins to gnaw on it as he steps around the deck, trying to figure out what happened. He does at least remember Gwin helping him.
"I uh...morning Gwin." He says when he finds her. He reaches up and pushes his ear length hair back, letting it stick wetly to the top of his head. "I uh...thank you. Not sure what happened...but I remember that...you're the first face I remember afterwards?"
He pauses, chewing on these words, then nods. It looks like he's unsure if their whole situation but is trying to roll with it.
After that, he begins taking stock of himself and his equipment...
Dabbertsleeps the sleep of the dead on the ship's deck; Gwin collapses for the night in a pile of musty old sailcloth in the ship's hold; and Korba awakes with a sore neck, learning that a sack of potatoes doesn't make for a good pillow. Nonetheless, all three heroes who suffered the effects of the cursed black water are ready to face a new day with full strength and full wits.
With the morning sun comes a surprise: the nearness of the drow trireme. Unanchored as it is, it slowly drifted in the night and now looms over the Faranak, just off the starboard bow. Three of the party members--Dabbert, Rogi, and Marlin--awake to a telepathic voice demanding that it be freed from its captivity. The precise nature of the voice is undiscernible, but its desire is unmistakable: come aboard the drow vessel and free me! I've been brought aboard and forsaken!
Whoever, or whatever, is communicating telepathically from the trireme is relentless; the voice will not be quieted. Neither Pike nor anyone else senses the voice, but Pike is uncomfortable with the nearness of the drow vessel. "Pull up anchor and let's row to the north, I say." And the crew prepares to do so.
Looking to the island, the two crew members are visible. They stand on the edge of the island, waving their arms vigorously to make certain they have the attention of the crew members aboard the ship.
Dabbert raises a hand and rubs his forehead like he's developing a headache.
"I uh...does anyone else hear that?" He says, squinting. He turns his face toward the trireme and sighs a bit, remembering what happened the previous evening when they'd thought about boarding. "Captain, hold. I uh...I hear something. Someone is aboard that ship, and they're calling for..."
Help? That wasn't quite a call for help. Dabbert had been arrested for drunken shenanigans enough times to know that you could hear the same plea in a stockade.
"...they say they've been abandoned or uh...something to that effect."
“I knew there was more to the ship than we were able to see…”Korba says, half to himself, as he looks towards the raising sun through his dark glasses. Hearing Dab talk of it as well, he tries to mentally reply back, saying, “Who are you?” If he gets a reply, he’ll share with the others ((are we always to have that telepathic connection?)), before saying, “We may not be done with that ship after all…”
The response to Korba's query comes quickly: Prisoners of the dark elves! Demons slaughtered our captors but we remain imprisoned! Free us and take the wealth they've left here!
Rogi opens his awareness in an effort to locate any fiendish presence upon the drow ship. What he senses most acutely is a place of desecration in one of the cabins in the aftcastle.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I'm wary as well. In case it is some sort of fiend, I believe I have an elegant solution, but it'll take me a minute. Allow me some time to prepare."
As the others do what they can to scout out the ship, Marlin pulls out a couple vials of holy water, takes off his clock-backpack, and pops open the top. He pours the holy water within, and begins adjusting settings, twisting dials, spinning hands, and slapping it around a couple of times when it jams.
(Mizzium check for magic circle, using Arcane Abeyance: 18)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Rogi takes this feeling as confirmation (even though its not surprising that drow would have an unholy place on their ship). He relates this information to his friends, adding "Telepathy is not so common among the goodly races of this world. It takes a powerful mage to do it over long distances. I say we assume whoever is contacting us is a menace, and behave accordingly."
He addressed them all formally and gave a speech, reminding them of the dangers they faced as well as the fact that they've overcome them.
(Edit: since we rested, Rogi will give his speech again and distribute 16 temp hp to everyone, as well as cast Aid to give 15 regular hp to Dab, Gwin and himself)
Guiding the Faranak ever so carefully, Pike places his ship adjacent to the abandoned trireme. Stepping from one ship's deck to the other is an easy matter, even for the dwarf. The scene on the open-air main deck is exactly what was conveyed to Marlin by his familiar: blood and gore everywhere. Bodies of multiple drown lay strewn about the place, demon ichor stains the deck, and frog-like footprints can be seen in multiple places. The deck is roughly 30' wide and 60' long. Enclosed cabins stand at the front and rear of the ship. Two sets of stairs lead below to the rowers' deck.
The telepathic voices continue to cry out. Free us! Do not leave us here!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Rogi walked back and forth on the deck, fighting a losing battle with the anger that was welling us from within him, repeating "Well, well, well..." through clenched teeth. He had wanted to fly to the island to avoid the black oil/water. He wanted to keep the ship clear and away from shore. If they had done as he suggested, probably they would not have been in this mess. Democracy in action, he thought disgustedly. This is exactly why officers give orders, not suggestions.
And he couldn't even save the three crewmen. He dove into the water primarily to distract the fiends and give the three men being attacked a chance to get back on the ship, but he was too late.
He stopped pacing and walked over to Marlin. "This is your area, Marlin. I could try casting Lesser Restoration on them, or Dispel Magic, but I have a hunch neither of those will work. You're the genius here, I'm just here to get punched in the face. You tell me what to do." If they couldn't figure this out, they may as well turn the ship around and go back to Waterdeep in utter, ignoble, failure.
Korba does have enough wherewithal to at least understand that he doesn't understand, he replies about the rest and drink, "That... might be... good. Need to clear head... all... black inside..."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Unlike Korba, Dabbert didn't have the wherewithal to know...well...basically anything. He wasn't precisely in a vegetative state, but he seemed to have drawn into himself, keeping quiet. He sat on part of a busted wooden box, his hands in his lap, his eyes nailed to his digits as they laced and unlaced, laced and unlaced. He looked lost. Not blank; something was rolling around in his head at least, but the damage that had been done was catastrophic, and it was clear that Dabbert was absolutely no good to anyone in his current state. Occasionally he strung together sentences of words that made no sense. Some of it was in Common, yes, but it wasn't good common, grammatically correct, and only a handful of the words made sense at all. Something about 'froags', his head hurting, and...well that was basically all the intelligible part, really.
After the fight he'd at least picked up his halberd...for a moment. But it was clear after a moments observation of the warrior that this was more of a conditioned reaction than a conscious decision. Once he had picked it up, he hadn't known what to do with it. It was like a dog that had fetched a stick but then didn't have a master to take it to.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"This is certainly some sort of magical affliction," says Marlin, responding to Rogi. "A restorative spell could probably reverse it, though I have a feeling it would have to be of the more powerful variety. I don't know if a dispelling effect would work, considering it is less of a spell and more of a direct property of the water. One of the frogs also did it to Dabbert, and it seems to be the exact same effect. That would make me consider it more of a spell, but the fact that all of the water has that effect means that there would have to be an unbelievably potent spell cast on it, in order to cause the effect no matter where you touch. Imagine the effort that would have to be taken to create a whole lake of potions. I need to think on this..."
Marlin fiddles with his watch absentmindedly, causing the hands to whir forward, then backward, then forward again as he thinks. "Affecting a wide area... yet also originating from a single being. I doubt these beings are potent enough to have caused all this, so it couldn't be something relating to a lair, and three fiends is too few to cause any sort of incursion. That's more of a demon's area of expertise, anyhow. Affecting a large area, and an individual... a curse, perhaps? It's debilitating, and a cursed body of water is not too far out of the realm of possibility. And I've certainly heard tales of creatures casting hexes and curses. Mostly fey, not fiend, but it could be the same principle. Let me try something."
Marlin stands up, and heads to Gwin. He places his watch on Gwin's head, and twists a dial on his arm. "If this doesn't work, I'll be drained for the day. I'll have to rest for around an hour, recalibrate my instruments. So let's hope I can free Gwinlynn's mind from the grasp of the depths." As he speaks, the device on his back whirs into action, and Marlin presses a button. A pulse of temporal energy surges through Gwin's body, probing through her metaphysical self for anything resembling a curse, then reversing it back to a time before she was afflicted.
(Casting Remove Curse on Gwin, Mizzium roll(oh god please don't blow her brains out with a fireball): 30)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Marlin's spell goes as planned, and moments later Gwin stands before the group confused but restored to her full capacity. Her halting speech disappears, and her memories coming rushing back to her.
"Wonderful. Give me one hour, I should be able to free the others. Then I suggest a rest, to regain our resources and prepare for the journey ahead."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Rogi applauded. "Genius... genius!" Relieved, he refrained from pounding on the wizard's back and settled for a thumbs up instead. "We should get the two men who went to the island in the meantime. Can you fly us there, just you and me? Or teleport?"
The vines of confusion that had wound themselves throughout the wee cleric's brain begin to shrivel under Marlin's spell. In a few moments the haze has lifted from Gwin's mind and it is once again sharp like a fresh blade.
Seeing the bewildered expressions on both Korba and Dabbert's faces the dwarf is filled with holy fury. THIS WILL NOT STAND.
Approaching Korba first she pulls out her component pouch and reaches inside with the utmost care. Producing a handful of diamond dust, Gwin motions for the warlock to kneel and as he does so she utters these words while sprinkling the dust on his head, Haze no more, this mind restore.
Greater Restoration
(If the spell is effective, Gwin will repeat the same for Dabbert)
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
First Korba, and then Dabbert, is freed from whatever curse is caused by the black silty water. Gwin, Korba, and Dabbert feel a tremendous sense of mental weariness, but they know they've returned to a state of normalcy.
As the party assesses the next course of action, Captain Pike explains his intent to keep the Faranak anchored where it is through the night. "A bit of sleep, and with fresh eyes and renewed spirit I'll take on the challenge of a new day tomorrow. But if you're set on landing on that island as darkness approaches, then..."
((Just for the sake of keeping things moving, since we have a solution, I’m going to just go ahead and post as Korba having woken up. We can get the timing to work out easily enough I think…)) ((also, just for ‘flavor’ purposes, Korba doesn’t consider himself a ‘warlock’ exactly. He is/was a weapon’s and war trainer for a noble house of Drow, he just now happens to be on a slightly different path, and has found himself with an interesting connection with a being stronger than he who sometimes ‘guides his path’ a bit))
Also @dm - can I assume a short rest? If so, does that reset the max hp from Aid and the temp HP from inspiring leader?
Korba, blinking as his reality comes flooding back to his head looks around and says, “Already we can see how someone like Kivari, or others, could easily succumb to this island. There area clearly things stronger than those beasts ashore as well. I am grateful to be working with all of you, and see why Kivari has done so in the past…“ Then looking around says, with a quick rap to their metal follower, and looking towards Pike, “Glad you’re still with us Metalhead. And we will find the men who swam ashore.” Adding, “I too can allow 3 of us to fly. We definitely need to avoid that water again…”
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Dabbert had said nothing before going to sleep. He'd basically climbed down off the box he was sitting on, stretched out on the deck, and passed out where he was, not stirring during the night.
When he awoke in the morning, it wasn't until the sun had begun to crawl up over the edge of the world and bathe him in its warm glow. He sat up, his hair stringy with dew, his clothes and armor damp, but clearly better off than he'd been the night before. He raised one hand and gently pressed the heel of his palm against one eye.
"Holy Tetrea..." He murmured under his voice, taking a deep breath and exhaling it with a groan before he shoved himself to his feet and looked around. "What the #$%& happened? Where are we?"
He looked over the edge of the Faranak and sighed easy when he saw the clear water. He digs some jerky from his pack and begins to gnaw on it as he steps around the deck, trying to figure out what happened. He does at least remember Gwin helping him.
"I uh...morning Gwin." He says when he finds her. He reaches up and pushes his ear length hair back, letting it stick wetly to the top of his head. "I uh...thank you. Not sure what happened...but I remember that...you're the first face I remember afterwards?"
He pauses, chewing on these words, then nods. It looks like he's unsure if their whole situation but is trying to roll with it.
After that, he begins taking stock of himself and his equipment...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Dabbert sleeps the sleep of the dead on the ship's deck; Gwin collapses for the night in a pile of musty old sailcloth in the ship's hold; and Korba awakes with a sore neck, learning that a sack of potatoes doesn't make for a good pillow. Nonetheless, all three heroes who suffered the effects of the cursed black water are ready to face a new day with full strength and full wits.
With the morning sun comes a surprise: the nearness of the drow trireme. Unanchored as it is, it slowly drifted in the night and now looms over the Faranak, just off the starboard bow. Three of the party members--Dabbert, Rogi, and Marlin--awake to a telepathic voice demanding that it be freed from its captivity. The precise nature of the voice is undiscernible, but its desire is unmistakable: come aboard the drow vessel and free me! I've been brought aboard and forsaken!
Whoever, or whatever, is communicating telepathically from the trireme is relentless; the voice will not be quieted. Neither Pike nor anyone else senses the voice, but Pike is uncomfortable with the nearness of the drow vessel. "Pull up anchor and let's row to the north, I say." And the crew prepares to do so.
Looking to the island, the two crew members are visible. They stand on the edge of the island, waving their arms vigorously to make certain they have the attention of the crew members aboard the ship.
Dabbert raises a hand and rubs his forehead like he's developing a headache.
"I uh...does anyone else hear that?" He says, squinting. He turns his face toward the trireme and sighs a bit, remembering what happened the previous evening when they'd thought about boarding. "Captain, hold. I uh...I hear something. Someone is aboard that ship, and they're calling for..."
Help? That wasn't quite a call for help. Dabbert had been arrested for drunken shenanigans enough times to know that you could hear the same plea in a stockade.
"...they say they've been abandoned or uh...something to that effect."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
“I knew there was more to the ship than we were able to see…” Korba says, half to himself, as he looks towards the raising sun through his dark glasses. Hearing Dab talk of it as well, he tries to mentally reply back, saying, “Who are you?” If he gets a reply, he’ll share with the others ((are we always to have that telepathic connection?)), before saying, “We may not be done with that ship after all…”
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
The response to Korba's query comes quickly: Prisoners of the dark elves! Demons slaughtered our captors but we remain imprisoned! Free us and take the wealth they've left here!
Rogi scowls, sensing a trap. "Something seems very off about this. Even if they are captives of the drow, it doesn't mean they are our friends. "
Rogi opens his awareness in an effort to locate any fiendish presence upon the drow ship. What he senses most acutely is a place of desecration in one of the cabins in the aftcastle.
"I'm wary as well. In case it is some sort of fiend, I believe I have an elegant solution, but it'll take me a minute. Allow me some time to prepare."
As the others do what they can to scout out the ship, Marlin pulls out a couple vials of holy water, takes off his clock-backpack, and pops open the top. He pours the holy water within, and begins adjusting settings, twisting dials, spinning hands, and slapping it around a couple of times when it jams.
(Mizzium check for magic circle, using Arcane Abeyance: 18)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Rogi takes this feeling as confirmation (even though its not surprising that drow would have an unholy place on their ship). He relates this information to his friends, adding "Telepathy is not so common among the goodly races of this world. It takes a powerful mage to do it over long distances. I say we assume whoever is contacting us is a menace, and behave accordingly."
He addressed them all formally and gave a speech, reminding them of the dangers they faced as well as the fact that they've overcome them.
(Edit: since we rested, Rogi will give his speech again and distribute 16 temp hp to everyone, as well as cast Aid to give 15 regular hp to Dab, Gwin and himself)
Guiding the Faranak ever so carefully, Pike places his ship adjacent to the abandoned trireme. Stepping from one ship's deck to the other is an easy matter, even for the dwarf. The scene on the open-air main deck is exactly what was conveyed to Marlin by his familiar: blood and gore everywhere. Bodies of multiple drown lay strewn about the place, demon ichor stains the deck, and frog-like footprints can be seen in multiple places. The deck is roughly 30' wide and 60' long. Enclosed cabins stand at the front and rear of the ship. Two sets of stairs lead below to the rowers' deck.
The telepathic voices continue to cry out. Free us! Do not leave us here!