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

Kane takes his time to look at the maps and drawings before rolling them back up, his brow furrowed with thought, his head only snapping up to look at Ishirou when he says the words 'I am a commoner...'

Unsure who exactly to show these to he decides to say something to Ishirou first. He watches fascinated as Noriaki whispers the katana and then wrinkles his nose at the mention of being sworn into his service. At that point he interrupts his coin spinning suddenly in the air.

"Th-thank you ...for the g-gift. Useful p-perhaps."

He reaches and pats Ishirou upon the heart.

"N-noble is w-what you do, n-not w-what you are b-born".

He turns to Noriaki, a twinkle in his eye.

"You w-whisper the sword."

He gives him a look of approval.

"M-maybe one day y-you wil f-find the sword th-that w-whispers away some of the n-nonsense of c-class th-that c-clutters your head."

He then hunts down Hú Lí and shows her the two drawings of the Shiv.

"L-look w-what it says. East Shiv. F-from h-here we c-can see th-the whole island. And here the s-sun rises b-between these r-rocks. W-west. M-maybe they m-mark something imp-portant ... Wh-whoever drew th-this w-was here. And f-found a w-way off... M-maybe this is th-the w-way..."

Pentius said:

"This blade confirms your tale." he says, looking up, and into Ishirou's eyes. "It is a shameful thing you did, in your youth. But you know that, and by consigning your fate to me, by having learned that it is better to leave a blade sheathed than to draw it in dishonor, even in defense of one's life, you have proven yourself worthy." A hint of his normal smile shows. "I can't honorably hand this sword back to a peasant. But I can swear you into my service, and then you will be a peasant no longer. Lucky for you, I know the ceremony. Not many do, these days. What do you say?"

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A light comes into the older man's eyes. "I agree." He bows his head.

Mewness said:

“I--need help. I’m going to be a mess. When I tried last time, there was something that helped--viper nettle berries. They grow on some of these islands, supposedly. If we can find some....”

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Hú Lí nods. "I will keep watch for these berries. I hope they will ease your mind."

jbear said:

"L-look w-what it says. East Shiv. F-from h-here we c-can see th-the whole island. And here the s-sun rises b-between these r-rocks. W-west. M-maybe they m-mark something imp-portant ... Wh-whoever drew th-this w-was here. And f-found a w-way off... M-maybe this is th-the w-way..."

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Hú Lí examines the drawings.
"Yes," she says, "I see. Even if this is not the way to depart this island, this will give us some better idea of where we are. . . but I believe, master Kane, that you are referring to the sun setting. The shifting seas are always strange, but I have not heard of anywhere where the sun rises in the west." She smiles cheekily.

Kane blushes and smiles.

"S-sets, y-yes. Of c-course."

Mewness said:

A light comes into the older man's eyes. "I agree." He bows his head.

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Noriaki lets Kane's remarks flow off of him. As he walks off, Noriaki whispers softly in Tsugo. "I always knew these otherlanders did things strangely, but to find one so off base is still off putting, after all these months." He shakes his head, and his smile returns. "Give me a moment to prepare, and we'll get started."

Noriaki scrounges around the campsite for a minute, taking a spare cup from two of the Fitzpatricks. He casts around for paper, before remembering the logbook. Flipping to the back, where there are empty pages left, he rips a few of them out. He pokes through the fire, drawing out a half burnt stick. Finally, he seems to have what he seeks.

He lays out the pages on a smooth surface and uses the charred edge of the stick to write on them in Tsugo. His strokes are smooth and precise, reminding one slightly of sword strokes. His calligraphy is exquisite, though even the native speakers among the onlookers have to read them twice, the forms of the glyphs are so old. He sticks three on the side of the shelter, above his head. On top, one reads "Master". Below that, two more read "Clan" and "Storm". In front of himself he lays three more pieces. One reads "Vassal". Two more each read "Aspirant". He indicates that Ishirou should kneel upon the two "Aspirant" papers, and goes to the stream to fill the cup.

Returning to his place at the side of the shelter, Noriaki places Ishirou's katana lengthwise on the ground between them, unsheathed. He holds the cup in one hand, and runs the index finger of his other hand around the rim at a slow, even pace. As he does, he begins a low chant, the words always seeming just a little too soft and too quickly spoken to be heard. As he does, a small breeze picks up again, and begins to play lightly with Ishirou's hair and robes, though it leaves the papers alone, curiously. A small electrical current begins to visibly course around the edge of the cup, following Noriaki's finger.

Abruptly, Noriaki's chant stops. He dips a finger in the water, and wipes it along the blade of Ishirou's katana. The current flashes playfully along the blade, feint enough one could convince oneself it wasn't even there. He dips again and looks at Ishirou, speaking in loud, authoritative Tsugo. "You are summoned here by Matsumoto Noriaki, trueborn son of the House of Storms, to serve that House, in their name. The class you once held is washed away." he draws his finger from the water, and drips a few drops on Ishirou's head. "The name you once held is washed away. Take your sword, Vassal of the House of Storms. Rise, as Matsumoto Ishirou."

After Ishirou rises, Noriaki reaches into his satchel and pulls out his old silk sash, it's vibrant blue catching the morning light. He presents it to Ishirou. "I don't have a full raiment to give you, at this time. For now, wear this, and we will get you outfitted as soon as we can.'

[sblock=ooc]I'll attempt to clarify. Pretend that this is actually a nice drawing.

In the top picture, the view is from a low vantage point, looking up at a hill. There is jungle in the foreground. The sun is setting in the background.

In the bottom picture, the view is from a high vantage point. There is grassy ground in the foreground, then jungle receding, then the rocky coast, and then the sun rising between two rocks projecting out of the ocean.[/sblock]

Ishirou shakes his head slightly at Kane. He clearly thinks that these radical ideas about equality are utterly misguided but is too polite to say anything.

He does everything as Noriaki commands. When Noriaki gives him back the sword, tears start in his eyes, but he swears his oath of fealty to the House of Storms with ceremonious dignity.

[sblock=ooc]Pentius--I'm playing the Kingdom of Jade stuff by ear as well. It seems reasonable to me that a person of high caste would be able to "adopt" someone into the clan.[/sblock]

Noriaki smiles broadly. "Well then, now that the ceremony is concluded, I think we should find some breakfast! When that's done, if this lot doesn't just insist on something more mundane, we'll do a bit of morning sword practice. How much do you know about that sword's use?"

Noriaki and Ishirou go about their sword practice. Ishirou, though more massive than Noriaki, is not as strong as the slender youth, but he is quick on his feet. He handles his sword with precision, though there are eccentricities to his technique (unsurprising in one who was never trained by proper masters). Sasha comes over as the two are practicing and sits down to watch. Aerys returns from her tête-à-tête with Hú Lí and helps herself to some breakfast. Jade sets himself a little apart to say his morning prayers.

[sblock=Your Quest Log Has Been Updated]Major Quest: Get safely off the island.

Minor Quests (one per NPC): Keep Aerys, Gelik, Ishirou, Jade, and Sasha alive.

Minor Quest: Find a supply of viper nettle berries to help Aerys kick her drinking habit. NEW!

Minor Quest: Find the Nightvoice for Gelik. NEW!

Minor Quest: Figure out Ishirou’s treasure map and find what is hidden at the end of it. NEW!

Minor Quest: Find evidence that can exonerate Jade. NEW![/sblock]

[sblock=OOC: Decisions, Decisions]Some decisions for players to make:

What should the NPCs do today? Ishirou prefers either to stay and guard the camp or to accompany Noriaki. Sasha prefers to either do a bit of exploring/foraging without going too far from the camp (perhaps taking Alkas along) or to accompany the PCs. Aerys, Gelik, and Jade prefer to stay in the camp and do whatever they can think of to improve it (carve stuff out of wood, weave mats, make little magical improvements, whatever). However you can get them to do whatever you like (although in order to keep things manageable I would prefer that you don’t take more than one with you on your adventures).

[sblock=More about the NPCs]I have generated the NPCs as companion characters. If you take one along, they will be treated much like a summoned creature--if an NPC is to take an action, a PC must spend an equivalent action. (The idea is to allow you to use NPCs to make the group more versatile without increasing its overall killing power much.)

Here’s a rough idea of their capabilities (they’re designed to be useful, but strictly less effective than PCs with the same role):

Aerys: defender, battlemind powers (refluffed--she’s supposed to be martial, not psionic)
Alkas: defender, warden powers (obviously)
Gelik: controller, wizard powers
Jade: controller, invoker powers
Ishirou: striker, monk powers (uses a katana)
Sasha: striker, ranger powers (uses a bow)[/sblock]

Marching Order: You’ll need a new one now that the party makeup has changed (and you may have different ideas about what will work best, having had one fight in the jungle).

Where to go?: Decide which direction you’re going in. I’ve updated the map to show your camp.

Map
A: Beach where the lobster-things attacked.
B: Wreck of the Jenivere.
C1: Cliffside nests that seem to be inhabited by large, flying, predatory reptiles.
C2: Joompin spider’s nest.
D1: Wreck of Kane’s ship.
• Party's camp.[/sblock]

Takahaan stands, arms crossed at his chest, intently listening to the back-and-forth between Noriaki and Ishirou. As Noriaki prepares the ceremony, Takahaan scratches his head, anxious to see the events unfold. Silently, the dragonborn interestedly watches over the curious ritual, as Noriaki anoints Ishirou with the water and deems him part of the Matsumoto clan.

When it is his turn to speak, he raises his voice. "Ishirou, I am honored to witness your journey from a common man to a honored warrior. May you bring respect to your people and honor to yourself now that you are one with the sword in not only our eyes, but yours as well." With deference, Takahaan bows to the older man, showing a friendly smile as well.

Witnessing their sword practice, Takahaan tries to throw in a few helpful comments here and there, but most of all keeps to himself throughout the training session.

Looking toward Sasha, Takahaan raises his voice and speaks to her as they both watch the swordsman spar. "In such calamity as our ship being wrecked and us finding ourselves stranded on this island, we seem to be having a well time." he says, straight-faced, while hastily throwing a finger in the direction of the two sparring men for emphasis. "Once we get off this forsaken island, we will be legends among men... The survivors of the Shiv."