Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
Sign in- Marketplace
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
Sign in
Seeing the bear run, Kora is disappointed and impressed. The young druid was indeed proving his worth. But now they had to focus on what they were doing next. Unfortunately the excitement of it was marred with their extra passenger.
Turning to Leif, "Well, rope is indeed necessary. Going to grab myself a hooded lantern since I cannot see in the dark and then well, a crowbar... just in case." and she winks at him with that as turns to get these essentials.
When the conversation turns to the ships, she agrees with the others, "Leopard sounds like a good idea to me as well."
(OOC: FYI - we already have 2 crowbars from Halp and Sólmyrkvi.)
Merros speaks to the captain of the Leopard and secures your passage. Your requested gear is gathered and awaits you aboard.
Halp you are surprised to find a small package waiting there for you amidst the gear. The captain points it out, stating that Merros left it for you. You open it to find a single portion of rations and a vial of red liquid you would recognise as a healing potion.
The ship cuts a silent, charcoal-grey silhouette through the morning mist, its low-slung hull vibrating with the rhythm of the rising tide. As you haul your gear over the gunwales, Captain Elara Vane watches from the tiller with a predatory focus, her minimalist crew; a scarred boatswain Kaelen, a keen-eyed scout Miri, and a small band of six silent oarsmen, all move with practiced efficiency. With a sharp command, the dark sails unfurl and snap tight, propelling the sleek vessel North along the coastline.
The salt air soon turns brackish as Elara banks the ship North-West, steering the Leopard into the wide, silt-heavy mouth of the nearby estuary. The open horizon vanishes, replaced by the embrace of the estuary banks, rising either side onto low set hills dotted with gnarled trees struggling to recover from the frost of winter. As the blue--black sea fades into murky river greens, the true weight of the expedition settles over the party; you are no longer merely traveling, but piercing the veil of these untamed wilds.
Veldir sits in silence at the bow, his eyes fixed on the settlement to the south. He is clearly not happy to be sent away, or to find himself in this company.
OOC: feel free to move around the ship and interact with the crew as you travel, and as you do everyone please make a survival roll for the first day.
DM - Caves of the Kobold Slave Masters
Leif thanks Captain Elara for the permission to board and greets all of the crew by name following accepted naval protocols. He then finds a place to stow his gear, lightening his load just as The Leopard pulls away from shore.
Keeping his distance from Veldir, Leif seeks out the scout, Miri. If he catches them on deck (not up in the rigging), he’ll inquire if they or any of the crew will be or are able to sketch out a rough map of their travels. He will also run the idea of his summoning a fey spirit in the form of an owl. Not to replace their keen-eyes, but to supplement them. If he receives no objection, he will seek out the Captain and boatswain as well, to seek their permission to add another ‘passenger’.
If all is approved, Leif will utilize one of his Wild Shapes and summon a Snowy Owl familiar of which he will name Hjálpar. Telepathically, he will instruct the spirit to fly ahead and to the sides of the ship, up to a half-mile radius, remaining at least a couple hundred feet above the ground. Hjálpar is instructed to return to the ship and alight upon the yard every hour or so and telepathically relay anything of interest seen on its last flight (approaching rapids or rocky shallows, structures, animals, peoples, etc.).
Leif settles into the rhythms of the oarsmen, passing scenery, and reports from Hjálpar. Throughout the day he nibbles on some hardtack and jerky as well as some nuts, washing it down with water, which he has made citrus flavored via Prestidigitation. A few times he began to feel unsettled by the motions of the ship, but he would consistently find his sister’s wicker doll to meditate upon it and to comfort his mind and body.
Survival: 12
If it seems nobody else can or will be trying to sketch out a map of their travels, Leif will volunteer his service. He is proficient with Calligrapher’s Supplies, but has no pen, ink, or paper/parchment to document any of this. Did he remember seeing some of those supplies while staying with Sólmyrkvi?
Leif Pedersen - Human Druid - Beyond the Ragnarök
”I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” - Douglas Adams
Halp waits until they are under way.
He quietly lets the captain know that he can row if needs be (OoC: STR 15, CON 14) - but only if an extra pair of arms will be of use. He wishes to cast no shame on the oarsfolk.
When he sees him alone in the bow, Halp approaches Veldir and leans against the gunwale beside him. He's in no hurry to start a conversation.
After a while Halp nods then says, "We may have a friction between us, I'll not pretend otherwise. And I'll not try to convince you you are wrong to hold a grudge. What's in folks' heart is in there and will dwell according to its season. But, look you, we've a job now and whether we make it back to your market or no depends on all of us making it back. All. Of us. You included.
"... Well...."
Halp nods again, done with his piece. He goes back to the others.
From there he watches the shore on each side and Leif's eldritch owl, circling above.
(OOC: @Dreamhobbit - Was Sólmyrkvi also able to purchase a set of manacles? ⤴ )
Other than the final escape from Midgard, Sólmyrkvi has very little experience with the longships. He's glad when the Leopard turns into the estuary. As the ship makes its way up the estuary, he finds the lack of waves and the smooth motion of the sleek ship much easier to stomach. He tries to stay out-of-the-way of the crew until the refugee encampment disappears from view. Then he spends a little time playing with the Climber's Kit, practicing putting on the harness and attaching a rope to it, affixing the spiked tips to his boots, etc. He also studies his little book with the black cover.
After a while, Sólmyrkvi grows bored and spends some time chatting with the crew. After Ragnorök, he's always expecting some unforeseen disaster to befall them, and he knows the value of meeting people and establishing some sort of rapport before that happens! He keeps the conversation light, sharing gossip or funny stories that he heard from other refugees over the last few days in the encampment. He's also curious to hear from Kaelen what the botswain's duties are and from Miri about what her role entails. He asks Captain Vane various questions about the Leopard and its capabilities. He wonders whether her crew usually sleeps on the ship or whether they would normally pull the ship ashore to make camp on the banks of the estuary / fjord / river. He's friendly, as usual, but perhaps talks overlong with some of the crew.
Sólmyrkvi is less industrious than Leif, mostly just occupying his time as the banks flow past. Once the novelty of the crew wears off -- or once the Captain hints that he's distracting her crew -- he turns to his companions for distraction, speculating about what they might find on this expedition.
When Sólmyrkvi has a moment to speak with Kora separately, he mentions to her he has a strange feeling, "Like there's something I'm supposed to find on this expedition. I mean -- I know that this is a scouting mission. We're supposed to look for resources and do some reconnaissance. But...it's like there's something waiting for me. Out there." He gestures vaguely in the direction the ship is moving up the estuary, his little book is still in his left hand as he talks.
Survival: 18 (in game log)
The change of pace is apparently good for Sólmyrkvi, who seems much more in tune with their environment than usual.
Kora is ready to move off of the little scrap the people had claimed by the salty beach and attempt to find something more inhabitable. She herself wasn't used to traveling by boat, and the memories of the arrival here had her almost seasick.. (first roll on survival - nat 1, but used inspiration - Survival: 23) but she finds herself quickly at home when they weren't running for their life and carves out a little area for herself on deck.
She had debated heading over to talk to Veldir, try and clear the air if they were going to spend such close quarters together, but she is beaten to the punch by Halp. She finds she likes this better and continues to watch both inside and outside the boat as they make their journey.
When Leif brings forth his scouting owl, she finds she isn't surprised. He has shown his worth so far, and being the son of the Great One (she finds she can't not think of Edda sarcastically) it's no wonder. She turns away from this and sees Drekise absorbed with a little black book. Now this intrigues her, she wouldn't think of him as the bookworm type.
As he comes over to chat with her and divulge his strange feeling, she raises an eyebrow, "And what makes you think this? Find something in that book of yours? Sure has caught your interest."
(OOC: In case anyone forgot, Drekise is Sólmyrkvi's childhood nickname.)
Drekise seems to lose his regular, carefree confidence. He glances around to check that no one else is too close before saying, "I...I'm not exactly sure. A hunch maybe? Maybe more? You know how something can seem solid and certain in a dream, but then moments after you wake up, you can't remember any of the details? But the feeling stays with you: joy or anger or maybe just a sense of danger nearby. It's like that. It feels like I received some message or heard some voice, I can't quite remember what it said."
The owl flies silently across the river ahead of the ship as it crosses over from one bank to the other, scouting, and Drekise pauses a moment to watch it. The he heaves sigh and says, "Leif seems young for one so sure of his command of magic. The way he talked to that bear this morning and convinced it to leave?" He shakes his head as though he still can't believe it. "And you! But for your spell, Glimgriss would have gotten away again that first day. I must say that I'm impressed! What I wouldn't give to command some real power like that! I mean, I did learn some tricks from an old wizard back in Midgard, but that's not real power. Maybe if I had studied harder when I was younger, I could have protected...?" His voice dies off for a moment, but he hitches a smile back on his face and says, "But -- no -- I was never that interested in books!" His tone implies that an undue interest in books in a boy is suspicious or embarrassing. That finally reminds him of the book Kora mentioned. He looks down at his hand as though surprised he's still holding it.
Drekise says, "Oh, this? Yeah. I...uh...'found' this book last week on the beach. It has some interesting rituals." He flips it open to show Kora, but the pages seem to be filled with an indecipherable script. You don't even recognize the letters or runes, much less the language. For example
Drekise seems surprised that Kora can't read it. Or maybe that he can? But to show that he's not just pulling some sort of prank, he says, "Look!" Then, referring to one of the pages, he cases a brief spell, and a small mound of acorns suddenly appears in the boat at his feet. He says, "Go ahead! Try to take one." If Kora tries, her hand passes right through the acorns, and the pile that originally looked real suddenly appears misty and translucent to her. He says, "It's a glamour. Like from one of the Good People."
Drekise seems happy to be able to demonstrate a new power to his old friend. He doesn't seem concerned that he's learning "fey glamours" from an apparently indecipherable book that he "found" after arriving here in Nyrgard.
Day One : Morning
The oars dip in rhythmic tandem with the pulse of the river, a steady heartbeat against the glass-like surface of the water. The curve of the river soon has you traveling west, your backs warmed against the cool air by the rising sun.
The air carries the sharp, sweet scent of thawing earth and wild garlic. Spring is taking hold here; the banks are a riot of electric green as willow branches weep into the current, their new buds dragging like fingers through the water. Because you are traveling upstream, the resistance is a constant reminder of the land’s raw power, but the longboat handles the surge with grace.
Leif. High above, Hjálpar is a silent silhouette against the pale blue sky. Through its eyes, the world becomes a tapestry of shifting shadows. His words paint a picture of more woodlands to be found beyond the north bank. Dense thickets of silver birch and a flicker of movement between the pale trunks. Deer perhaps?
There is a sense of profound stillness on this stretch of the river. This land feels unburdened by the footsteps of the "civilized" world, though the owl catches glimpses of narrow, overgrown paths that suggest someone, or something, walked here a long time ago.
Sólmyrkvi the crew are friendly enough and respond to your conversation. You learn that as boatswain Kaelan is responsible for the management of the boats rigging and and the supervision of the oarsmen. "The Captain says where we go and I make sure we are still floating when we get there." is her succinct explanation of the role. From Miri you gather that when the boat comes to land she is first overboard, scouting the local area, she has little else to say on the subject. The Captain is less receptive to your questioning, when you ask about the boats capabilities she shrugs and says, "She does what I want her to do." and when asking about where they sleep you get another shrug and a single word, "depends." Not a talkative woman it would seem.
Kora (with a 23) it is around midday when the river curves south around a low hill before curving back to the north and west. Looking up from your conversation with Sólmyrkvi toward the north bank you see movement at the top of the hill, where a small copse of trees is growing.
OOC: I will work on some sort of map as the journey progresses :)
DM - Caves of the Kobold Slave Masters
As the ship curves around the low hill, Sólmyrkvi asks, "So, Father Halp, what's the plan? Are we going to ask the captain to stop at regular intervals along the river so that we can explore the woods? Maybe when the oarsmen take a rest break? Or are we just going to stick to the boat as far as the river will take us before we venture into the wilderness and away from the river's banks? Or are we just waiting until someone spots something particularly interesting to explore?" He makes no secret of this question and attempts to include Leif and Kora in the discussion, and even Veldir, if he's interested.