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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MightyBob" data-source="post: 4095211" data-attributes="member: 61532">Session 1Shatterhold Island.  Not exactly the best sounding name for a stop on a trading run, but it was exactly where the Taskers Drift was headed, once again.  Of course, for this ship, it was a normal run.  Despite the fact that the place was, apparently, only inhabited by the self-styled Queen, for whom the ship was named, and the earth elementals that served her, Captain Mervermars did a good business, finding and selling antiquities for the reclusive elf woman.As far as Tasmia was concerned, such things were for the captain to care about.  The tanned and tattooed woman was like a beacon on the deck of the ship, a small woman in a black silk dress that hugged her form and left bare her arms and legs, which were themselves adorned with silver.  An odd figure on a trading ship, to be sure.  Over the year or so she had been on the ship, the crew had learned to adjust to having such a woman around as the master-at-arms.The ones who didn't had been left at port to have their bones set.So, Tasmia was left to eye the island as the crew readied to dock the ship.  As the land drew near, she pondered why the captain was having her go with him.  There would be a pair of the rock-folks to act as escort, as always, so he hardly needed a guard, and they didn't even have any cargo to unload this time.  She respected the captain, but his moods went like the tide, and today he was nervous as he had ever been.There was no reason to be worried.  They had gotten the last things the queen had asked for, and the only reason he'd have taken the ship in empty would mean she called for him.  He had done plenty of trading with her in the time Tasmia had been on the ship, so she just couldn't figure why he'd be nervous, aside from his normal shifty moods.Once the ship was docked, Tasmia headed down the ramp to great the expected escorts.  The mounds of somewhat-human shaped rock stood, impassive as their kind always is.“Good day.”  Tasmia growled out, as best she could.  Her grandfather taught her Terran, but there were limits to how accurate a human could reproduce the sounds.  One of the elementals was clearly puzzled by the greeting; they were simple creatures, so it didn't take much to baffle one.“Dirt Head.”  the other creature ground out, by way of explanation to the first.  Tasmia smiled again at the nick-name.  The rock folk had taken to calling her that due to her brown hair.  They weren't talkative creatures, but the mere fact that she could speak to them at all was quite a significant feat as far as they were concerned.As usual, that was the full extent of the conversation, Captain 'Mers arriving shortly after Tasmia.  Still sullen, the quartet made the trek up into the foothills and one of the entrances to the underground demise of the queen.Tasmia, waiting outside with the escorts, leaned back to try and meditate on her combat forms.  She was interrupted, some time latter, as one of the elementals growled out “Play.”  The mistress-at-arms quietly slid into the mouth of the cave, wanting to be well out of the way as the pair began to play a game of catch.With a boulder.They were simple creatures, and the fact that a bad toss could well kill her didn't even enter into there minds, forcing Tasmia to keep a careful eye on the game.  She'd lived through enough battles and had no intention of being crushed to death out of boredom.Eventually, Captain 'Mers emerged, smiling brightly.  “Come on, Tasmia, time to pick up our passengers.”  he stated as he strolled past her, leading the pit-fighter to blink for a moment as the elementals suspended their game, uncomfortable to play around someone other than her.“Passengers?”***The 'passengers' were on the other side of the small island.  Not a great distance, but there was a patch of jungle in the way.  The now cheerful captain didn't mind, but he was wearing pants.  Of course, it was over 100 degrees, as it had been for weeks, so it was hard to say who was the better dressed.When the pair emerged from the underbrush, they were at the edge of a camp.  On the nearby shoreline was the remains of wreckage, obviously explaining why there were passengers here to being with.  Four humans, a half-elf woman and another woman with wings.  A pretty rag-tag looking group as far as she could tell.Almost as soon as they emerged, one of the armored humans had his blade out in challenge.  “Stand back and identify yourselves.”“Ah, Sir Magnious, I presume?”  the captain started, calm and cool as rain.  “I am Captain Mervermars of the Taskers Drift, and...”'Sir' Magnious spat, interrupting the captain.  “Another servant of that foul queen.”Tasmia eyed the fellow.  Armored.  Sword and Shield.  Defiantly trouble.The captain, however, just chuckled.  “Servant?  No, my good sir, I am an independent trader and she is but a client, though I have to admit that she has been, by leagues, the best client I've ever traded with.”The man looked unconvinced.  “So you say.  What errand does she have you on, then, to come out here with a girl?”Tasmia's jaw clenched.  'Girl?'“Tasmia?”  The captain practically beamed.  “Well,”  he stroked his chin in thought.  “I suppose you could say she's acting as my bodyguard at the moment.”While the captain's grin was practically impish, the armored man sneered.  “A bodyguard?”“Of course.”  'Mers replied.  “You seem doubtful.  Care to test that?  I'll put 50 gold on her.”“Fight a woman?”  The  man flatly replied as his blade was sheathed.“100 gold.”“Ha.  If you are so insistent, perhaps an arm wrestling contest...”Tasmia had enough, striding up to the man.  He had a good six inches on her, so it was no surprise he didn't seem to see her coming.Or her fist.The crack of the impact was as resounding as the spray of blood from the proud man's nose - or what was left of it.[sblock='notes']Mountain Hammer = pain.  17 points of nonlethal.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The session went a bit past this point, but I came in after the combat and didn't do much interaction with the others for the rest of the evening, so I think this'll make for a nice cut off.Next time:A trio of trolls vs 7 PCs.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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