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

[sblock=jbear]ENWorld die rolls: the earlier one will appear lower on the page.

I would leave it up to your discretion how much Kane knows about the Kingdom of Jade, since knowledge about that subject is color as far as this adventure is concerned. He would know at the very least that it is ruled by the Iron Shogun and has been at war with demons (Oni) for a very long time.[/sblock]
The group continues to follow the ridge south under the guidance of the Pict. Presently they hear a faint trickling sound, and not long after cresting the hill discover a narrow stream. On the south side of the hill, the jungle clears, and the high vantage point offers a view of the stream flowing south down the incline as well as another stretch of coastal cliff to the west. The eastern prospect is obscured by more thick jungle.

Not long after the stream is discovered, the anticipated rain arrives. It is, as promised, a real downpour, hard and blinding. It goes on for the best part of an hour, soaks everyone to the skin, turns the trickling stream into a noisy gush, and makes the ground soggy.

[sblock=time, consolidated map]I made an error in my time calculations before (had you all traveling too fast). After the rain ends, it's getting on towards 6 pm. There's still a couple of hours of daylight left, so this might be a good time to make camp (which will be a skill challenge). If anyone has any other actions they want to take, let me know. (Dartmoor can still spend healing surges with the benefit of Hú Lí's song of rest if he likes.)

I’ve crammed a scale onto the map to help you judge distances. Information provided by Kane is in yellow green.

A: Beach where the main group was attacked by giant lobster-things. This is only part of the coastline you’ve seen so far that is not a rocky cliff.
B: Wreck of the Jenivere.
C1: Cliffside nests that seem to be inhabited by large, flying, predatory reptiles. Kane didn’t want to approach the nests, as these things look pretty dangerous, and so he hasn’t had a good look at the view from these cliffs.
C2: Joompin spider’s nest.
D1: Wreck of Kane’s ship.
Red Dot: current location.[/sblock]

Castile keeps her head down, her mood soured by the deluge. Her long brown skirt becomes a drenched mess in the downpour. She has to constantly take care not to step on and trip over it.

Taking no enjoyment from the downpour, Takahaan determinedly trudges along the wet ground, feeling soaked and starting to feel a bit of a chill as the water permeates his armor and cloth. Turning back to his group, he addresses all of his companions. "The sun has almost fallen in the sky, and I feel that this rain will prove any more traveling to be miserable and slow. Perhaps we should find shelter in this clearing until the morning?

OOC: Irregulars will spend one surge, recovering 11 HP and returning to max.

Many of the Irregulars behave as children in the rain, and the captain doesn’t stop them. He watches as they dance and jump in puddles with a wry smile on his face.

The search for Jennifer Sara Lynn had been sadly called off, but while the group was recuperating at the stream she was discovered napping in Noriaki’s satchel. The Captain is away from the group for quite a span of time while reprimanding her. While he’s away one of the grigs gets washed off in the now raging stream and a group of the Fitzpatricks are sent off to find him. The group doesn’t take long to return, however.

Taking all of this in, the Pict looks to Castille.“We should make camp. Uphill better than down.”

[sblock=Dartmoor Irregulars]Dartmoor Irregulars – Piskie Swarm (Druid) 1
Passive Insight: 13, Passive Perception: 18
AC:16 Fort:13 Ref:14, Will:14 -- Speed:6
HP:28/28, Bloodied:14, Surge Value:7, Surges Left: 7/10
Action Points: 1, Second Wind: not used
Powers:
Grasping Tide
Grasping Claws
Swarming Locusts
Scattered Form
Summon Giant Toad
Fiddlin’ Grig
Conditions:
Notes:-3 damage from melee/ranged attacks in Beast Form
[/sblock]

Kane waits to see what the Piskie swarm intends to do to set up camp and then willingly joins in on any task they set themselves to make a comfortable place to rest for the night.
He doesn't rest until they are satisfied with the result. He does so with good cheer and a grin on his face, though he is loathe to talk and resorts to body and sign language to make himself understood.

As the party decides what to do with the few hours of sunlight left, Takahaan turns to Kane.

"Friend, how did you receive such an injury that cost you your eye? Such pain and perseverance is inspiring." he says, gleaming-eyed.

The rain makes further travel next to impossible, impeding both vision and movement. There seems little to do but wait it out. Aerys, Sasha, Gelik, and Jade crouch down in a miserable huddle; Ishirou remains standing, enduring the rain in silence.

When the deluge is over, the group prepares to make camp.



[sblock=Task 1: Persuade an NPC to help]Maximum 3 successes (one per unpersuaded NPC, i.e. Aerys, Gelik, and Ishirou). This is a DC 19 Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check, depending on your approach. Note that telling outrageous lies or bullying the NPCs will work fine for this challenge but may negatively affect their attitude in the future.

Persuading an NPC not only counts as a success, but allows the party to call upon the NPC’s help during this challenge. The benefits of getting help from an NPC are as follows:

--An NPC can grant a +2 bonus on any skill check that a PC makes as part of this challenge. (Effectively, the NPC takes the Aid Another action and does not need to roll.)

--When a PC makes a skill check as part of this challenge, an NPC who has a skill that is relevant to the task being performed can roll a check using that skill at the same time, with the higher check result counting toward the challenge.

Each NPC can help out only once. You must decide whether you want an NPC’s help and which option you are taking before rolling. Any PC can draw upon a helpful NPC’s aid, not just the one who persuaded that NPC to help.

Jade and Sasha are already helpful and don’t need to be persuaded. Jade has no skills useful for this challenge, so you can only use him for the first option. Sasha has Nature +7, Perception +7, and Stealth +9.[/sblock]
[sblock=Task 2: Find and Prepare the Site]Maximum 1 success. Finding a good spot and clearing it is a DC 14 Nature or Perception check.[/sblock]
[sblock=Task 3: Gather Materials]Maximum 2 successes. Gathering building materials, firewood, etc. is a DC 14 Athletics or Endurance check.[/sblock]
[sblock=Task 4: Build Shelter]Maximum 3 successes. Requires a DC 19 Nature or Athletics check.[/sblock]
[sblock=Task 5: Conceal the Camp]Arranging materials to camouflage the shelters and removing traces of the group’s activities requires a DC 19 Nature, Perception, or Stealth check.[/sblock]

"Let us make camp quickly, then," Hú Lí says. "Aerys, my friend, shall we join in setting up camp? I remember you were helping the sailors on the ship. I am confident you have skills that will be very useful. When we are done, we can gather around, and I will sing for you the rest of the song of the sea voyage that I was singing earlier. I know that you dislike this island, and it does indeed seem dangerous, but we have strong warriors here, and we will find a way to leave this place. So let us join in making camp, so we may get what rest we may here in more comfort and safety."[sblock=actions]Using Words of Friendship to get a +5 to my diplomacy roll

Diplomacy (Aerys): 9(1d20) +14 = 23[/sblock]