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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Justinian" data-source="post: 1168094" data-attributes="member: 6358">PCs:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Popo, gnome savant</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Othi, elf druid</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Baikal, human fighter</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Vash, human shaman</li> </ul>Notable NPCs: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wallace, human shaper</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Haakon, orc psychic warrior</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Riguallaun, gnome rogue</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Iayen, human shugenja</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sigarda, orc sohei</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Adrian, wild elf shaman</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The brewer </li> </ul>------------------------------Session 1a: A Shipwreck, and a Meeting with Cannibals The good ship Sea-Falcon left Sadir on the evening of Midsummer’s Day, carrying about two dozen people who were ready to depart immediately for Erendar. Though the sailors were worried about the disappearance of Pontos’s Lane*, the captain ignored their objections and pushed ahead. He had been able to charge a very good rate for this early passage, and didn’t intend to waste the opportunity.The sea was relatively calm for the first three days of the voyage, and the sailors began to relax. The journey was half over, and nothing untoward had occurred. They stopped doubling the watches, and started consuming more of the ale, making up for lost time. Since none of them were cursed with foresight, most went drunk and unaware to their deaths. A mighty wind came up from nowhere, blowing the ship out to sea, and out of sight of land. The few sailors on watch were not skilled enough to face the challenge of the storm, and the ship was helplessly driven before the wind. A small set of islands appeared to the east, and the captain ordered the ship sent towards them. As it approached, a fog formed around the ship in a matter of seconds, causing the sailors to lose all hope. Those who were awake began to abandon the ship, but the captain, still thinking of his fares, began to wake the passengers. He packed them all on his skiff, and sailed in the direction of the islands, as best he could remember. Aided by some of the passengers, he managed to beach the boat on an unknown shore. As soon as they left the boat, the fog vanished. Several hundred yards away, the Sea-Falcon was fixed on a reef. As they watched, the ship suddenly broke in half and went under. Nothing came to the surface. No sailors swam to the beach, in fact, the sea was calm. The survivors stood in a small cove bordered by trees. The passengers discussed what actions should be taken, since some of them were more experienced in dangerous situations. It was agreed that they should bring the boat far up onto the beach, tie it to a tree, and camp nearby for the night. As some began arming themselves in preparation for any danger, others went through the ship’s supplies, cataloguing the food. Only minutes after they had landed, while they were still arguing over the schedule of rations, a hail of darts flew out of the forest. Some of the passengers died in that first attack, but most survived. Though no one knew their names, a merchant, a chandler, and blacksmith were the first casualties of the island. Immediately, the more warlike of the passengers prepared to fight back as a horde of small yellow humanoids poured out of the trees. They looked like twisted halflings, and fought with dart and claw.First to charge the enemy was Sigarda. She was successful in her attack, spitting one of the enemy on her blade, but was soon surrounded. Wallace summoned an ectoplasmic form to draw fire, and indeed, many of the small humanoids attempted to attack it. Baikal sheathed his spiked chain and began to attack with a bow, not wanted to get surrounded like Sigarda. The second wave of darts flew out, split between more targets this time. The captain took several darts, though, and dropped unconscious to the ground. Othi, Popo, and Riguallaun began to attack with their bows and crossbows, with little effect. However, Vash’s wolf companion charged into battle beside Sigarda. Iayen, screaming a war cry, rushed into battle with her longsword, but was clearly outclassed. Adrian informed those near him that these creatures were known as tasloi, and began to heal the captain.As the tasloi continued to attack, the wisdom of Wallace’s summonings became apparent. Though his ectoplasmic allies killed few of the tasloi, they were also less likely to hit by claw and dart. Sigarda continued to cut through the tasloi, and Vash’s wolf was almost as dangerous. The battle was clearly turning against the small attackers, but they refused to flee. Without warning, another hail of darts came out of the forest on the other side of the cove, hitting Adrian and the noncombatants (sailors, a brewer, and a blacksmith) that he had brought with him to shelter in the boat. At this, Baikal abandoned his bow and rushed into battle with his spiked chain, wreaking havoc on the second line of tasloi. Vash joined Adrian in healing, and Riguallaun also turned to face this new enemy, with better result.Quickly, the tasloi realized that even on two fronts they were outclassed, and fled. Sigarda, the wolf, and the crossbows of Popo and Riguallaun accounted for several as they fled, however, with only a few escaping. After this, the group burned the bodies in a huge pyre and set up watches for the evening. As they made their preparations, a screeching started in the forest, but the tasloi did not attack again. Instead, they screeched all night, attempting to disturb the group’s rest. ------------------------------ *In return for offerings, Pontos maintained a sea lane between some cities free of enemies and storms, and with constant wind. Edited to add the brewer to the list of NPCs. He was a popular man. Luckily, he survived.</blockquote>

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