After emerging from your training within Mordenkainen's timeless dimensional space, you have returned to Luskan to find that only days have passed. It has only been a tenday since the battle with Doramor left Luskan's streets littered with broken bodies and buildings, the result of the crazed halfling's lookalike Ser Mary slaadi, but for you it feels like an eternity ago. Gradually, however, the mental strain of the timeless training lessens, and your memories begin to repair themselves to see the situation facing you in the correct timeframe: a tenday ago, Denorian flew his floating island into the Trackless Sea to face the end of the world by himself, a doom that only he seems to understand, and he did so without enough of the Staffs of the Magi that he claims are needed to stop it.
You have in your possession, however, a crystal Staff of the Magi that Wes studied carefully during your training. It is broken and fragmented, but according to the gnomish wizard, that seems to be intentional. Once repaired, if the missing pieces could be found, the power this staff would wield could be enough to make up for the loss of the staffs that Doramor destroyed.
Ser Mary has returned to Sundabar in your absence, working hard to repair the city left in broken chaos by the destruction of the Hivemind. The slaadi had truly infiltrated the city, and its citizens are reeling from the sudden knowledge. In Luskan, Ritska and Roccar have procured for you a ship. Unnamed and unmanned, the longboat is equipped with enough storage for a long sea journey - barrels of dried and salted meats, casks of fresh water, and enough space for the mounts that you have purchased to roam about below deck. The ship is outfitted for speed; it has no weaponry, but it is lighter than most in Luskan's docks, and has both sails and oars for traversing when the wind is not in your favor.
The first leg of the journey was pleasant, with the sun's warm rays countered by pleasant sea breezes and the calm spray of waves. However, the Trackless Sea roughens the further you travel in the direction of Denorian's departure, traversing currents uncharted so far west of the Sword Coast, and one night you encounter a massive storm, almost unnatural in its anger. After a tiring night keeping your ship afloat, you find yourselves blown off course. The horses, pony, and mastiff below deck are as shaken as you. Some of your stores perished in the waves, though you still have enough to prevent any serious worry.
This morning, the ship glides in silence through a blinding fog. Impossible to determine your course, you press forward, with some of the party below decks rowing through the lack of wind, until you find the first sign of another presence in this endless ocean in what seems like an eternity: A small longboat, painted red, floating in the still waters ahead of you, seemingly empty of passengers.
Our Party:
Aradurk: Half-Orc Fighter (Battle Master) Gruun Dendweller: Bugbear Barbarian (Path of the Totem Warrior) Hox: Kobold Rogue (Assassin) Killian Joy: Human Paladin/Sorcerer (Oathbreaker/Shadow Magic) Rycider Pillerton: Human Bard (College of Lore) Tanakir Dreiden: Fire Genasi Paladin/Warlock (Oathbreaker/The Celestial) Wes Fiddletum: Rock Gnome Wizard (School of Transmutation)
OOC: As you react to the scene, feel free to fill out the details of the journey so far. Does the ship have a name? What roles has everyone taken on the ship so far (the ship is built for two people to be able to row on each side)? Are your characters enjoying or hating the freedoms and frustrations of the ocean?
Aradurk, thinking whimsically and longingly about the half-orc female he encountered back at the bar, stands by Coulter, scanning about. The current confines aren't unlike those of the encampments in the mountains as a soldier and actually provide a certain sense of security to him. He strokes the horse's neck to calm its nerves. As he sees the longboat, he calls out to the others, "Anyone got eyes on the bogey?"
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Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A) Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter -Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5) Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Gruun weathered the storm rather shakily, while he is use to withstanding storms the ground shifting beneath him clearly offset him. He has spent a fair amount of time working the oars, taking fairly frequent breaks to go above deck to stretch. With Aradurk's shout he comes above deck once more to take a look as well. "Does a red ship mean anything?"
"In this fog, a ship of any color means trouble," Killian says, coming up from the oars behind Gruun, already working into her armor.
The quiet paladin has spent most of the trip helping with the oars, since she is strong, and otherwise tending to her duties, but not engaging in any revelry. Her new connection to eldritch shadow manifests itself mostly in curling wisps of smoke-like darkness that trail behind her. And, apparently, now she can see in the dark to a great distance.
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Rycider takes to the sea like most things she encounters, with gusto and a little too much enthusiasm for other peoples liking.
Knowing the traditions of the sea, due to a rather tumultuous tryst a few years back, Rycider breaks a bottle of wine over the ships bow before it's launch, and if everybody is in agreement, christen the vessel Maverick. She will paint her new name on the side of the boat in an intricate byzantine font.
Ricky will play shanties when folks are in the mood and drum when people are rowing. After the storm she will play to the animals to try and calm them.
Does any of ye scalawags have a spyglass? she asks the group as she gazes upon the empty red longboat
Gruun will make an attempt to look for anyone on the boat and any markings that could help identify the boat/occupants. Afterward he will go retrieve his Grappling Hook and chain making ready to try and catch the boat.
Tanakir has spent these days quite uncomfortable at being surrounded by so much water. He helps out with the rowing, using his magic to augment his (relatively) meager strength. He still has yet to find his sea legs, and often goes running for a bucket whenever the weather is anything less than pristine.
When they see the ship, he peers at it, though he doesn't move to the edge of their boat to get a closer look.
"It seems empty, perhaps we should bring it closer to get a better look? Though, it may be some sort of trap, or the leftovers of some monster."
OOC: The boat is about 150 feet away when you first spot it in the fog, about 50 feet away when it comes into full view.
As Maverick nears the red longboat, the waters around it are still. The boat is not large enough to have anything below its deck, and its six oars are unmanned; the boat is devoid of any presence. Gruun arrives on deck, tossing the grappling hook easily across the distance and hooking the ship, drawing it closer with his chain.
At close distance you can see that the red coloring of this boat is not evenly distributed, but rather coats the wood underneath in splatters. The deck of the boat is completely empty aside from a single item: A large sheet of parchment spread over a bench that looks from this distance like it could be a map.
Hox wakes up among the feed of his pony. He gives a yawn as he pats the tiny horse, "Morning Beast." He walks sluggishly to the top of the deck. He has not done much to help with rowing the oars but does well in scouting ahead in the sky and has mostly spent the time bonding with the pony he calls Beast. With a stretch, letting his wings spread out, he joins the party at looking at they mysterious ship.
"...Last ship had pale ones...but day is now so Hox can fly to ship to see it."
Wes has been quiet, petunia seemingly calm as well as she has been relaxing in the sun and lounging about in the warm wooden deck of the ship.
Keeping his hands busy without his tool bench Wes uses his small Magic’s to help the ship as he can. Using gust to keep the sails full and mending to keep the ship in order after the storm. At night, and during the rain he will use Leomund’s tiny hut around the wheel to keep it comfortable and clear to ease viewing and sailing.
“You May bring Petunia and drop her down on the ship first, if you like. Make sure it’s safe.” He will add to the directions for Hox
Hox doesn't object, since the familiar was smaller than him. He hops off the ship and flies for the empty ship, hovering about to let Petunia drop down first. Hox takes the moment to look about the abandoned vessel.
Petunia senses no danger on the abandoned boat, but does register alarm while sniffing at the red coloration. The feeling communicated to Wes is clear: Blood.
Hox flies the parchment back to land on Maverick, unfolding it fully to confirm that it is indeed a map. It depicts a series of islands, with arrows moving in sequence from one to the next, forming a sort of spiral. In addition, unfolding it reveals something else.
Written in blood on the back of the map are two instructions:
After emerging from your training within Mordenkainen's timeless dimensional space, you have returned to Luskan to find that only days have passed. It has only been a tenday since the battle with Doramor left Luskan's streets littered with broken bodies and buildings, the result of the crazed halfling's lookalike Ser Mary slaadi, but for you it feels like an eternity ago. Gradually, however, the mental strain of the timeless training lessens, and your memories begin to repair themselves to see the situation facing you in the correct timeframe: a tenday ago, Denorian flew his floating island into the Trackless Sea to face the end of the world by himself, a doom that only he seems to understand, and he did so without enough of the Staffs of the Magi that he claims are needed to stop it.
You have in your possession, however, a crystal Staff of the Magi that Wes studied carefully during your training. It is broken and fragmented, but according to the gnomish wizard, that seems to be intentional. Once repaired, if the missing pieces could be found, the power this staff would wield could be enough to make up for the loss of the staffs that Doramor destroyed.
Ser Mary has returned to Sundabar in your absence, working hard to repair the city left in broken chaos by the destruction of the Hivemind. The slaadi had truly infiltrated the city, and its citizens are reeling from the sudden knowledge. In Luskan, Ritska and Roccar have procured for you a ship. Unnamed and unmanned, the longboat is equipped with enough storage for a long sea journey - barrels of dried and salted meats, casks of fresh water, and enough space for the mounts that you have purchased to roam about below deck. The ship is outfitted for speed; it has no weaponry, but it is lighter than most in Luskan's docks, and has both sails and oars for traversing when the wind is not in your favor.
The first leg of the journey was pleasant, with the sun's warm rays countered by pleasant sea breezes and the calm spray of waves. However, the Trackless Sea roughens the further you travel in the direction of Denorian's departure, traversing currents uncharted so far west of the Sword Coast, and one night you encounter a massive storm, almost unnatural in its anger. After a tiring night keeping your ship afloat, you find yourselves blown off course. The horses, pony, and mastiff below deck are as shaken as you. Some of your stores perished in the waves, though you still have enough to prevent any serious worry.
This morning, the ship glides in silence through a blinding fog. Impossible to determine your course, you press forward, with some of the party below decks rowing through the lack of wind, until you find the first sign of another presence in this endless ocean in what seems like an eternity: A small longboat, painted red, floating in the still waters ahead of you, seemingly empty of passengers.
Our Party:
Aradurk: Half-Orc Fighter (Battle Master)
Gruun Dendweller: Bugbear Barbarian (Path of the Totem Warrior)
Hox: Kobold Rogue (Assassin)
Killian Joy: Human Paladin/Sorcerer (Oathbreaker/Shadow Magic)
Rycider Pillerton: Human Bard (College of Lore)
Tanakir Dreiden: Fire Genasi Paladin/Warlock (Oathbreaker/The Celestial)
Wes Fiddletum: Rock Gnome Wizard (School of Transmutation)
OOC: As you react to the scene, feel free to fill out the details of the journey so far. Does the ship have a name? What roles has everyone taken on the ship so far (the ship is built for two people to be able to row on each side)? Are your characters enjoying or hating the freedoms and frustrations of the ocean?
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Aradurk, thinking whimsically and longingly about the half-orc female he encountered back at the bar, stands by Coulter, scanning about. The current confines aren't unlike those of the encampments in the mountains as a soldier and actually provide a certain sense of security to him. He strokes the horse's neck to calm its nerves. As he sees the longboat, he calls out to the others, "Anyone got eyes on the bogey?"
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Gruun weathered the storm rather shakily, while he is use to withstanding storms the ground shifting beneath him clearly offset him.
He has spent a fair amount of time working the oars, taking fairly frequent breaks to go above deck to stretch. With Aradurk's shout he comes above deck once more to take a look as well. "Does a red ship mean anything?"
"In this fog, a ship of any color means trouble," Killian says, coming up from the oars behind Gruun, already working into her armor.
The quiet paladin has spent most of the trip helping with the oars, since she is strong, and otherwise tending to her duties, but not engaging in any revelry. Her new connection to eldritch shadow manifests itself mostly in curling wisps of smoke-like darkness that trail behind her. And, apparently, now she can see in the dark to a great distance.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Rycider takes to the sea like most things she encounters, with gusto and a little too much enthusiasm for other peoples liking.
Knowing the traditions of the sea, due to a rather tumultuous tryst a few years back, Rycider breaks a bottle of wine over the ships bow before it's launch, and if everybody is in agreement, christen the vessel Maverick. She will paint her new name on the side of the boat in an intricate byzantine font.
Ricky will play shanties when folks are in the mood and drum when people are rowing. After the storm she will play to the animals to try and calm them.
Does any of ye scalawags have a spyglass? she asks the group as she gazes upon the empty red longboat
How far away is the red boat?
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Gruun will make an attempt to look for anyone on the boat and any markings that could help identify the boat/occupants. Afterward he will go retrieve his Grappling Hook and chain making ready to try and catch the boat.
Tanakir has spent these days quite uncomfortable at being surrounded by so much water. He helps out with the rowing, using his magic to augment his (relatively) meager strength. He still has yet to find his sea legs, and often goes running for a bucket whenever the weather is anything less than pristine.
When they see the ship, he peers at it, though he doesn't move to the edge of their boat to get a closer look.
"It seems empty, perhaps we should bring it closer to get a better look? Though, it may be some sort of trap, or the leftovers of some monster."
OOC: The boat is about 150 feet away when you first spot it in the fog, about 50 feet away when it comes into full view.
As Maverick nears the red longboat, the waters around it are still. The boat is not large enough to have anything below its deck, and its six oars are unmanned; the boat is devoid of any presence. Gruun arrives on deck, tossing the grappling hook easily across the distance and hooking the ship, drawing it closer with his chain.
At close distance you can see that the red coloring of this boat is not evenly distributed, but rather coats the wood underneath in splatters. The deck of the boat is completely empty aside from a single item: A large sheet of parchment spread over a bench that looks from this distance like it could be a map.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Hox wakes up among the feed of his pony. He gives a yawn as he pats the tiny horse, "Morning Beast." He walks sluggishly to the top of the deck. He has not done much to help with rowing the oars but does well in scouting ahead in the sky and has mostly spent the time bonding with the pony he calls Beast. With a stretch, letting his wings spread out, he joins the party at looking at they mysterious ship.
"...Last ship had pale ones...but day is now so Hox can fly to ship to see it."
“Hox, can you please bring that parchment to us?” Killian asks the Kobold.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Wes has been quiet, petunia seemingly calm as well as she has been relaxing in the sun and lounging about in the warm wooden deck of the ship.
Keeping his hands busy without his tool bench Wes uses his small Magic’s to help the ship as he can. Using gust to keep the sails full and mending to keep the ship in order after the storm. At night, and during the rain he will use Leomund’s tiny hut around the wheel to keep it comfortable and clear to ease viewing and sailing.
“You May bring Petunia and drop her down on the ship first, if you like. Make sure it’s safe.” He will add to the directions for Hox
Aradurk surveys the scene, walking closer and draws his bow, an arrow loosely nocked in case something gets handsy with Petunia.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Hox doesn't object, since the familiar was smaller than him. He hops off the ship and flies for the empty ship, hovering about to let Petunia drop down first. Hox takes the moment to look about the abandoned vessel.
(Disadvantage since its morning.)
Perception: 8
Petunia perception as she scurries along. Advantage on smell: 20
Petunia senses no danger on the abandoned boat, but does register alarm while sniffing at the red coloration. The feeling communicated to Wes is clear: Blood.
Hox flies the parchment back to land on Maverick, unfolding it fully to confirm that it is indeed a map. It depicts a series of islands, with arrows moving in sequence from one to the next, forming a sort of spiral. In addition, unfolding it reveals something else.
Written in blood on the back of the map are two instructions:
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rycider looks over Wes's shoulder at the parchment.
Well... that be disconcerting.
“Perhaps this is a message for some other group, coming behind us,” Killian says, in a rare joke.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
OOC: Ready to advance once the next action is taken. Are we all finished here with the longboat?
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Wes snaps Petunia back to his shoulder. “We ready?”