[Adventure] Serpent's Skull: Souls for Smuggler's Shiv (DM: Mewness; Judge: THB)

[Dekana]

Jade takes the books, comprehension slowly dawning. "Kinkarian!" he cries. "You have find Kinkarian's books! I can't believe--I must look over, very carefully. Dese come from his ship? It is here?"

"What's left of it, at least. The ship smashed onto the shore as ours did. We... didn't find any survivors. But I do hope the ledger is enough to prove your innocence."

OOC: Castile will stand watch with Jade.

 

[GROMkill]

"No," says Sasha, "although I did find another nest. I'll show it to you! But we stayed in camp today, because the Captain was very concerned. He absolutely insisted. He says there's a tribe of murderers on the island. Did you see them? Did you fight them?"

Takahaan nods solemnly. "Cannibals. They consumed the flesh and blood of their enemies. But please, do not worry yourself, we crippled their tribe." Then, with a lighter tone, he smirks and elbows Noriaki in the ribs. "If only you could've seen. Noriaki fought bravely, among the others."

OOC: Takahaan would like the first watch of the night.

 

[Pentius]

Noriaki settles into camp and finds a bite to eat. As he sits, he motions for Sasha to join him. "I'm surprised the Captain didn't spin you the whole tale. It all started when we began to find odd traps in the jungle..."

OOC: Noriaki will be glad to not take a watch. It seems we have it covered anyway, with so many people. He will keep recounting the tale to Sasha in vivid detail until it is over or she stops listening, whichever comes first. Hm. I need to pick a feat.

 

[Mewness]

Takahaan nods solemnly. "Cannibals. They consumed the flesh and blood of their enemies. But please, do not worry yourself, we crippled their tribe." Then, with a lighter tone, he smirks and elbows Noriaki in the ribs. "If only you could've seen. Noriaki fought bravely, among the others."

Noriaki settles into camp and finds a bite to eat. As he sits, he motions for Sasha to join him. "I'm surprised the Captain didn't spin you the whole tale. It all started when we began to find odd traps in the jungle..."

Sasha laughs. "I pestered him for hours! He kept saying that you would no doubt tell it much better."

Sasha's attention remains glued to Noriaki, but the others gather around as Kane shows Aerys the calendar disk.

"It's very beautiful," says Aerys. "But what is it?"

Jade bends over the disk, tracing the images gently with his finger, although he avoids touching the image of Malinalxochitl. "It is a Magari calendar, very ancient," he says. "Some ignorant people would say it is blasphemous, because it depicts the Serpent Goddess. But it is a reminder of a happier time, when my people had few troubles. Such a treasure! Someone must have steal it very long ago. I cannot imagine any Magari would sell or give away." He lingers admiringly over the disk for a while, but Kinkarian's ledgers soon claim his attention again.

 

[GROMkill]

Quietly getting up and leaving Noriaki to enrapture Sasha with his retelling of the days' events, the dragonborn steps over to Jade, still peering through the hefty ledgers.

"Jade, I take it that this will be enough information to prove your innocence. Once we get off this wretched isle, you'll be a free man, able to rejoin your place." Nodding to him, he next makes his way over to Gelik.

"The Nightvoice... Tell me again about it."

OOC: I'm all for uncovering the whole map. Unless we go ptero-hunting for Sasha tomorrow, we should check out the blank spot between E and J on the map. Perhaps we will find the Nightvoice, or clues about the captain and his strange lover.

 

[BenBrown]

Hú Lí listens intensely to the conversation, keeping up a slow rhythmic tapping on her drum which is more soothing that irritating.

"Wake me when you wake," she says to Aerys. "I enjoy seeing the sun rise."
[sblock=Hú Lí]The Black Fox Fox Spirit (Changeling) Bard 4
Initiative: +3, Passive Perception: 18, Passive Insight: 20
AC:19, Fort:13, Reflex:17, Will:18
+4 vs. AC, 1d6-1 damage

HP:39/39, Bloodied:19, Surge Value:9, Surges left:8/8
Action Points: 1, Second Wind: unused
Powers: Fox Spirit Disguise, Wild Shape, Staggering Note, Vicious Mockery
Blunder, Fox Spirit Trick, Grasping Claws, Majestic Word x2, Words of Friendship, Noble Presence, Painted Drum
Stirring Shout, Canon of Avoidance

Virtue of Cunning: Once per round, when an enemy misses an ally within 9 squares of the Black Fox, the Fox may slide the ally 1 square as a free action.

Conditions:
none
[/sblock]

 

[jbear]

Kane falls quickly off to sleep exhausted from the long day. He wakes only if woken.

OOC: I think it would be good to do Sasha's quest which would get Noriaki his theme, putting us all on a level playing ground. Up by D there is a shipwreck we haven't explored as well

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

[sblock=Judgment]

GM: DAYS 4-5 REWARDS (pending judge approval) EXPERIENCE POINTS Encounter 1: Ghouls in the Shaft 2 x elite skirmisher 3 (savage ghoul ambushers), 600 2 x soldier 3 (hungry ghouls), 300 1 x lurker 3 (ghoul flesh seeker), 150 Total: 1050, x 2 = 2100 XP Minor Quest: Find the treasure at the end of Ishirou’s treasure map 1 x L2 quest, 125 Total: 125, x 2 = 250 XP Minor Quest: Find evidence to exonerate Jade 1 x L2 quest, 125 Total: 125, x 2 = 250 XP Time Experience Black Fox, Castile, Noriaki, and Takahaan: 3 months @ level 3 (Oct 30 to Jan 30) = 750 XP Kane: 2 months @ level 2 (Nov 6 - Jan 6) + 1 month @ level 3 (Jan 6 to Feb 6) = 668 XP Experience Totals Black Fox, Castile, Noriaki, Takahaan: 2100/5 + 250/5 + 250/5 + 750 = 1270 XP Kane: 2100/5 + 250/5 + 250/5 + 668 = 1188 XP DM CREDITS 3 months (Oct 30 - Jan 30) = 6 credits for Mewness. LOOT Items Kane: Shimmering cloth armor +1 (L4 item) Noriaki: Battlecrazed fullblade +1 (L4 item; replaces starting weapon) Takahaan: Dwarven chainmail +1 (L2 item) Special Gold magari calendar disk Eternal Pen (L1 item; as Eternal Chalk, but it’s a pen. It can even write upside down!) An unspecified quantity of monetary treasure (to be finalized at the end of the adventure) Time Gold Black Fox, Castile, Noriaki, and Takahaan: 3 months @ level 3 (Oct 30 to Jan 30) = 762 gp Kane: 2 months @ level 2 (Nov 6 - Jan 6) + 1 month @ level 3 (Jan 6 to Feb 6) = 610 gp Take an extended rest and level up. Themes are now active!

Approved.[/sblock]

 

[Mewness]

GM: Welcome to TwoHeadsBarking, who has agreed to be our judge

"Jade, I take it that this will be enough information to prove your innocence. Once we get off this wretched isle, you'll be a free man, able to rejoin your place." Nodding to him, he next makes his way over to Gelik.

Jade nods absently, running his finger slowly down a page with rapt attention.

"The Nightvoice... Tell me again about it."

Gelik frowns. "I wish I could tell you something more helpful. The ship's figurehead looks like a seahorse. I think I mentioned that. Boats aren't my area of expertise. Fortunately, it's hardly vital that we find it."

[sblock=Insight 19 (active or passive)]Finding the Nightvoice is much more important to Gelik than he lets on.[/sblock]

Sasha listens to Noriaki until he goes to bed, then stays up for the first watch, chatting with Takahaan. The watch is uneventful. Jade also remains awake, reading Kinkarian's ledgers by firelight.

Castile is woken for the next watch, and finds Jade hard at work. He is grinning from ear to ear, having found some very good evidence that Kinkarian was selling goods stolen from King Itztecolotl and colluding with one of the king's close advisors.

[sblock=Castile]During your watch, you notice something very large flying overhead. It blocks out the stars as it passes under them, but its shape is very indistinct. Nothing more untoward happens.[/sblock]

Kane and Alkas are on the next watch, which passes peacefully.

[sblock=Hú Lí]The pursuers are coming, and you flee. You double back briefly to hide your tracks, but they are not fooled. You roll in cherry blossoms to disguise your scent, but still they come. Finally you come to a swift-flowing stream and jump in, swimming all the way across. On the other side, you listen. You do not hear them. You try shake the water out of your fur, but you cannot seem to get dry. Your tail drags on the ground, heavy with water. Even the blossoms still cling to you.

You see a small boy sitting at the side of the stream. He releases a toy boat. “Why do you play with your boat in the stream?” you ask. “The stream flows fast; it will run away with your little boat.”

“You are lying,” says the little boy. “All foxes are liars! My boat will come back.”

“But you can see the truth with your own eyes,” you say. “Even now the boat drifts away. Why do you not play with it on the pond, where the water is still?”

“NO!” says the boy. “A fox’s words are never true! My boat will drift down the stream, and then the stream will bring it back!”

“But that is impossible,” you say. “A river runs in only one direction. Is that a lie? I can say that you are a little boy. Will you disbelieve that as well?”

“I am NOT a little boy!” shouts the boy, turning so red and purple with rage that he looks like an overripe plum. “The boat will come back!” he slaps furiously at the water with his hand, generating a wave that causes the boat to pitch violently. “It is MY BOAT and it will come back to ME!” he slaps the water again and the boat capsizes. The boy does not see, because he is advancing toward you. “You lying fox, I’ll have your skin!” You turn to flee, but your paws scrabble uselessly in the dirt. The boy is standing on your tail. Suddenly, you wake up to hear Aerys calling you for your watch.[/sblock]

The final watch is taken by Hú Lí and Aerys, who looks askance at Kane as he hurries off to bed without even making eye contact with her.

"What an odd fellow," Aerys says to Hú Lí, once Kane is asleep again. "Where's he from, do you know? I can't really place him."

 

[BenBrown]

"I do not know." Hú Lí says. "I can't tell from his speech, of course. Perhaps he is a traveler, forever voyaging."