Dwal looks around a little more, surveying the surroundings. He thinks for a few short moments and turns and makes his way back to the ruins and starwell. Once inside he will once again down the hall and look for the party, though this will take a while. Along this trip he says little, not even muttering to himself, focused on sorting out the thoughts and plans in his head.
Rockfall it is. Giving the door a wide berth, Peri's unseen hand pulls open the last door. A massive block drops with a deafening thud. There is nothing on the other side of the door but solid rock. A last trap.
Peri feels a sense of completion as the last door is ruled out. "That's the whole thing, right? We just need to get these two treasure chests back to the others and we can go? Hopefully the weather's eased up and we can get across without too much trouble."
He carries the chest with both arms, practicing a strained look to make it look as though the chest is loaded with a heap of coins.
”We can give the place a once-over, maybe chalk the illusory floor traps too if you want, but I think we are pretty much done here,” replies Gerrard. “Is that man-eating bird still lurking about outside, or are we clear to go fetch our stranded rescuer at the sea tower? he asks, wondering still what is in that chest he put into his bag of holding.
Boko decides to follow along behind Dwal, back to the party, but not before replying to Bayleaf: "If you have no love for the Sea Princes, you might just get on my good side."
Coming out of his thoughts to Boko's statement Dwal responds.
"I have no love fer tha Princes or anyone else that steals lives an' purposes fer their own gain." he says. "I joined this little band ta fight pirates an' tha like but..." Dwal's voice trails off as he makes his way back.
As the dust settles a lightbulb goes off in Kei's mind. "The treasure isn't here, aside from that locked chest, it's on Peleg's island. Once he's free he'll magic us a deserving reward!" He vocalises his internal musings. Gerrard's suggestion brings his thought patterns back to the present. With his new found understanding he responds "I think you're right Lord Feldren. It seems like this... dungeon has been cleared. We should head back to the entry and discuss the busting of that snow globe thing." He begins to whistle a tune as they walk back towards the main entry, an upbeat and lively tune.
Peri eyes Kei a little dubiously as they make their way around the traps, back to the entrance room. He's never held half as much as their reward from Aubrek, then they claimed a pretty impressive pile in the treasury room, and they still have another chest -- a magically sealed chest! -- to open. What kind of treasure was the bard expecting? He remembered Kei being filled with avarice over a pile of copper pennies; it seemed his idea of a "deserving reward" had grown a good bit since then. Ah well, he had to admit he himself would no longer be tempted by a 5 gp ship sign-on bonus.
”Ah, but good Peleg has already given us the greatest treasure—he gave us our lives! Without him we may well have starved, floating on the barren ocean after the attack by the Iuz sorcerer,” replies Gerrard.
”Not to say we don’t have gold and gems aplenty from the treasure room here, plus whatever is inside this sealed box. But what good is it if we can’t use it to benefit those we love and the citizens we have sworn to protect? We have cleared the island of the cultist’s threat so close to Saltmarsh, yes, but there are the minions of Iuz, other cultists of dark and ancient sea gods, pirates, and—yes—the Sahuagin who stole the Lizardfolk’s home and grievously wounded my fair Esmerelda! Let us use what we have found here to fund those noble efforts, that we may make this region safe for all the free peoples of the land and sea!” exhorts Gerrard, sharing more of his heart than he has in a while as he dreams of a peaceful and prosperous future.
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Love the Sea Princes? Are you kidding?" replies Bayleaf. "They're two-faced scoundrels. You want revenge? Sign me up!"
Outside, the storm continues to abate. The weather is starting to cool again, even as the sky begins to lighten. The booming roar has subsided somewhat. No giant birds or other wildlife is visible.
"We gotta dead man in here ready to plant in the garden," continues the bard from behind the sealed kitchen door. "Are you ready to sail?"
Now it's Gerrard's turn to receive Peri's side-eye. Kei's treasure fever he could understand, but Gerrard's speech of righteous glory was another thing altogether. All well and good for someone with a vested interest in this place, but I've no real skin in this game. This gets him wondering, why exactly was he here? He'd taken that first job at the Alchemist's House for some coin and a bit of adventure, and then the goblins for the same reason. Then of course he'd been curious about what was in the hole Toktok had fallen into. Aubrek's offer had been too good to pass up, especially blinded as he was by the prospect of salvaging his own ship. And then things had sort of spiraled out of control ever since.
Once they shattered the globe and set Peleg loose he'd be free of any obligations. So what was he going to do next? He really did want to see the sahuagin horrors driven from this coast, and Othokent's people deserved to get their home back, but there were whole armies being assembled to deal with that. Well, maybe not armies, but a heckuva lot more soldiers than you've any reason to be around. He could hop on a ship and leave this whole fiasco behind; with his share of the treasure they'd accumulated he could return home and retire, if not quite like a king then at least like a king's poorer relation. And then what? Sit outside the general store with the oldsters, playing checkers and telling the same old stories of my adventures? That'd be great for about 3 months, then you'd have the itch again.
If he wasn't going home, and he didn't have any other destination in mind, he might as well stay and finish what they'd started. If you're going to risk your neck anyway, might as well be for a good cause. And what better than to kill those eel-headed devils? He supposed breaking the Sea Princes would be even better, but that was well beyond him so this battle against the sahuagin was about the best he could do.
He walked into the main entrance hall and heaved the biscuit chest onto the table, giving a groan as if lifting a few hundredweight of gold. "You two did the hard work but missed out on all the fun! After about two dozen more traps we found another treasure room, and this here chest chock full of such works as even the best dwarven smiths couldn't forge!" He says it loudly enough to be heard through the door -- Dwal and Boko might not fall for treasure talk, though the goad about dwarven work might get to Dwal, but he'd bet a whole chestful of hardtack that Bayleaf would be eager to see it. He smiled widely to mask his smirk.
"If you're looking to invest, I have some friends up in the Styes who will double whatever you've found in three months," calls out Bayleaf from behind the door. "I'll introduce you when we arrive! I'm telling you, you met the right guy if you want to get rich!"
Peri is mildly disappointed Dwal hasn't taken the bait. He leaves the lid shut anyway; someone will want to look inside eventually. "Fer the resta what?" he asks, imitating Dwal's gruf voice. "We've got to get back across to Saltmarsh now. There's five of us plus the three prisoners. If we have to we can leave the old man here with Bayleaf to watch him. Or we leave both cultists and take Bayleaf back, then come back for 'em later. Then we gotta go to Peleg's Rock, smash the globe, and ferry him back to land. I suppose we could do that first; leave all three of 'em here while we go get Peleg. Not like there's a lot they can get up to."
”If I am thinking about it correctly, going from here to Peleg’s tower, then back here to pick up the others and heading back to Saltmarsh will be our shortest route,” contributes Gerrard, letting Peri’s attempted prank on Dwal play out as it may.
Unwilling to announce too loudly about another locked treasure chest within the hearing of the bard with questionable scruples, Gerrard waits for the opportunity to quietly inform Boko and Dwal of its existence, perhaps suggesting they deal with it once they have returned to their home in Saltmarsh.
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Kei's whistling continues all the way back to the main hall. His own frustration ebbs a little as he watches Peri's attempt to catch Dwal with the treasure chest gag. The fact that the grumpy dwarf paid no heed to Peri's ploy was highly amusing. He chuckles as Peri sets out the necessary tasks ahead. "I say we just head straight for Peleg's tower and leave the riff raff here until we've dealt with setting the old man free."
"Speaking of Peleg" he looks at Boko, "you do still have that globe yes?"
Peri shrugs. "Sure, let's go free the geezer. More important than bringin' some fools to the headsman." He raises his voice to be heard through the door. "You hear that riff raff? We're off to fetch your prisoner. Don't go wanderin' about, now. There's still a buncha traps scattered throughout the rest of the temple."
He looks to Dwal. "So what was the deal with the big bird you saw? It still out there? Are we gonna have to fight it to get to Peleg's?"
((Peri is ready to set sail whenever the others are.))
The storm has abated somewhat. The winds are still gusting from the ESE, and the roar to the west has noticeably subsided (but still audible). The rain has stopped, but the clouds are low and black. Visibility isn't great. It's about a mile along the path to get to the bluffs on the south side of the island, and then you'll need to traverse the Skull Dunes again to get to your boat.
Are you releasing your captives or leaving them locked in the kitchen?
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Dwal looks around a little more, surveying the surroundings. He thinks for a few short moments and turns and makes his way back to the ruins and starwell. Once inside he will once again down the hall and look for the party, though this will take a while. Along this trip he says little, not even muttering to himself, focused on sorting out the thoughts and plans in his head.
Rockfall it is. Giving the door a wide berth, Peri's unseen hand pulls open the last door. A massive block drops with a deafening thud. There is nothing on the other side of the door but solid rock. A last trap.
Peri:
Peri feels a sense of completion as the last door is ruled out. "That's the whole thing, right? We just need to get these two treasure chests back to the others and we can go? Hopefully the weather's eased up and we can get across without too much trouble."
He carries the chest with both arms, practicing a strained look to make it look as though the chest is loaded with a heap of coins.
Gerrard:
”We can give the place a once-over, maybe chalk the illusory floor traps too if you want, but I think we are pretty much done here,” replies Gerrard. “Is that man-eating bird still lurking about outside, or are we clear to go fetch our stranded rescuer at the sea tower? he asks, wondering still what is in that chest he put into his bag of holding.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Boko decides to follow along behind Dwal, back to the party, but not before replying to Bayleaf: "If you have no love for the Sea Princes, you might just get on my good side."
Coming out of his thoughts to Boko's statement Dwal responds.
"I have no love fer tha Princes or anyone else that steals lives an' purposes fer their own gain." he says. "I joined this little band ta fight pirates an' tha like but..." Dwal's voice trails off as he makes his way back.
Kei
As the dust settles a lightbulb goes off in Kei's mind. "The treasure isn't here, aside from that locked chest, it's on Peleg's island. Once he's free he'll magic us a deserving reward!" He vocalises his internal musings. Gerrard's suggestion brings his thought patterns back to the present. With his new found understanding he responds "I think you're right Lord Feldren. It seems like this... dungeon has been cleared. We should head back to the entry and discuss the busting of that snow globe thing." He begins to whistle a tune as they walk back towards the main entry, an upbeat and lively tune.
Peri:
Peri eyes Kei a little dubiously as they make their way around the traps, back to the entrance room. He's never held half as much as their reward from Aubrek, then they claimed a pretty impressive pile in the treasury room, and they still have another chest -- a magically sealed chest! -- to open. What kind of treasure was the bard expecting? He remembered Kei being filled with avarice over a pile of copper pennies; it seemed his idea of a "deserving reward" had grown a good bit since then. Ah well, he had to admit he himself would no longer be tempted by a 5 gp ship sign-on bonus.
Gerrard:
”Ah, but good Peleg has already given us the greatest treasure—he gave us our lives! Without him we may well have starved, floating on the barren ocean after the attack by the Iuz sorcerer,” replies Gerrard.
”Not to say we don’t have gold and gems aplenty from the treasure room here, plus whatever is inside this sealed box. But what good is it if we can’t use it to benefit those we love and the citizens we have sworn to protect? We have cleared the island of the cultist’s threat so close to Saltmarsh, yes, but there are the minions of Iuz, other cultists of dark and ancient sea gods, pirates, and—yes—the Sahuagin who stole the Lizardfolk’s home and grievously wounded my fair Esmerelda! Let us use what we have found here to fund those noble efforts, that we may make this region safe for all the free peoples of the land and sea!” exhorts Gerrard, sharing more of his heart than he has in a while as he dreams of a peaceful and prosperous future.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Love the Sea Princes? Are you kidding?" replies Bayleaf. "They're two-faced scoundrels. You want revenge? Sign me up!"
Outside, the storm continues to abate. The weather is starting to cool again, even as the sky begins to lighten. The booming roar has subsided somewhat. No giant birds or other wildlife is visible.
"We gotta dead man in here ready to plant in the garden," continues the bard from behind the sealed kitchen door. "Are you ready to sail?"
Peri:
Now it's Gerrard's turn to receive Peri's side-eye. Kei's treasure fever he could understand, but Gerrard's speech of righteous glory was another thing altogether. All well and good for someone with a vested interest in this place, but I've no real skin in this game. This gets him wondering, why exactly was he here? He'd taken that first job at the Alchemist's House for some coin and a bit of adventure, and then the goblins for the same reason. Then of course he'd been curious about what was in the hole Toktok had fallen into. Aubrek's offer had been too good to pass up, especially blinded as he was by the prospect of salvaging his own ship. And then things had sort of spiraled out of control ever since.
Once they shattered the globe and set Peleg loose he'd be free of any obligations. So what was he going to do next? He really did want to see the sahuagin horrors driven from this coast, and Othokent's people deserved to get their home back, but there were whole armies being assembled to deal with that. Well, maybe not armies, but a heckuva lot more soldiers than you've any reason to be around. He could hop on a ship and leave this whole fiasco behind; with his share of the treasure they'd accumulated he could return home and retire, if not quite like a king then at least like a king's poorer relation. And then what? Sit outside the general store with the oldsters, playing checkers and telling the same old stories of my adventures? That'd be great for about 3 months, then you'd have the itch again.
If he wasn't going home, and he didn't have any other destination in mind, he might as well stay and finish what they'd started. If you're going to risk your neck anyway, might as well be for a good cause. And what better than to kill those eel-headed devils? He supposed breaking the Sea Princes would be even better, but that was well beyond him so this battle against the sahuagin was about the best he could do.
He walked into the main entrance hall and heaved the biscuit chest onto the table, giving a groan as if lifting a few hundredweight of gold. "You two did the hard work but missed out on all the fun! After about two dozen more traps we found another treasure room, and this here chest chock full of such works as even the best dwarven smiths couldn't forge!" He says it loudly enough to be heard through the door -- Dwal and Boko might not fall for treasure talk, though the goad about dwarven work might get to Dwal, but he'd bet a whole chestful of hardtack that Bayleaf would be eager to see it. He smiled widely to mask his smirk.
Boko leans close to the door and says while the old man might not have made it, she wants to know if the old woman is still active.
"I'm only 34," calls back Kavanax, flatly, to Boko, from behind the door.
"Treasure!" responds Bayleaf triumphantly to Peri's announcement. "See? See? Bayleaf won't let you down!"
"Well, I'm glad yer satisfied with yer efforts." Dwal says flatly. "So what's yer plan fer the rest of it?"
"If you're looking to invest, I have some friends up in the Styes who will double whatever you've found in three months," calls out Bayleaf from behind the door. "I'll introduce you when we arrive! I'm telling you, you met the right guy if you want to get rich!"
Peri:
Peri is mildly disappointed Dwal hasn't taken the bait. He leaves the lid shut anyway; someone will want to look inside eventually. "Fer the resta what?" he asks, imitating Dwal's gruf voice. "We've got to get back across to Saltmarsh now. There's five of us plus the three prisoners. If we have to we can leave the old man here with Bayleaf to watch him. Or we leave both cultists and take Bayleaf back, then come back for 'em later. Then we gotta go to Peleg's Rock, smash the globe, and ferry him back to land. I suppose we could do that first; leave all three of 'em here while we go get Peleg. Not like there's a lot they can get up to."
Gerrard:
”If I am thinking about it correctly, going from here to Peleg’s tower, then back here to pick up the others and heading back to Saltmarsh will be our shortest route,” contributes Gerrard, letting Peri’s attempted prank on Dwal play out as it may.
Unwilling to announce too loudly about another locked treasure chest within the hearing of the bard with questionable scruples, Gerrard waits for the opportunity to quietly inform Boko and Dwal of its existence, perhaps suggesting they deal with it once they have returned to their home in Saltmarsh.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Kei
Kei's whistling continues all the way back to the main hall. His own frustration ebbs a little as he watches Peri's attempt to catch Dwal with the treasure chest gag. The fact that the grumpy dwarf paid no heed to Peri's ploy was highly amusing. He chuckles as Peri sets out the necessary tasks ahead. "I say we just head straight for Peleg's tower and leave the riff raff here until we've dealt with setting the old man free."
"Speaking of Peleg" he looks at Boko, "you do still have that globe yes?"
Peri:
Peri shrugs. "Sure, let's go free the geezer. More important than bringin' some fools to the headsman." He raises his voice to be heard through the door. "You hear that riff raff? We're off to fetch your prisoner. Don't go wanderin' about, now. There's still a buncha traps scattered throughout the rest of the temple."
He looks to Dwal. "So what was the deal with the big bird you saw? It still out there? Are we gonna have to fight it to get to Peleg's?"
((Peri is ready to set sail whenever the others are.))
The storm has abated somewhat. The winds are still gusting from the ESE, and the roar to the west has noticeably subsided (but still audible). The rain has stopped, but the clouds are low and black. Visibility isn't great. It's about a mile along the path to get to the bluffs on the south side of the island, and then you'll need to traverse the Skull Dunes again to get to your boat.
Are you releasing your captives or leaving them locked in the kitchen?