DM Kathy Tuesday October 31st, 2017 8:47:24 PM
It comes without warning.
One minute you are discussing strategy and planning to give the Bloodkin ship exactly what it deserves, and the next you are plunged into a nightmare. The sky darkens. The wind begins to howl.
From his place behind the mast, Ky also begins to howl. "Mommie!" he wails. "Mommie!" Reggie is struck with a paralyzing fear. How can she be responsible for another person? She is no fit mother for Ky! Worse, the entire world is closing in around her. Doom lies just over the horizon. Everything is darkness and despair.
Tahni suddenly realizes that she is among strangers. What does she really know about these people? Are they stalwart companions? Or is she merely their pawn as they lead her down a path do death and destruction? What have any of her companions done except desert her, leave her to face danger and darkness all alone? And now, she will be alone again!
Zeoll, so in tune with dreams and prophecy, so accustomed to being aware of what the future lies, cries out and falls to the deck, unconscious. But not still. His twitching tail and wordless cries betoken a world of terrors.
Rill, accustomed to consulting his god for hints of the future, is bombarded by images of doom and despair. All around is endless suffering, endless darkness, the ever-present threat of horrible death. He cannot see the ship around him, or his companions; all he can see are the terrifying images.
Bralin is suddenly aware that he, a dwarf, is standing on wooden planks balanced precariously above a tossing sea. A sea that will surely swallow him up--if the sea-creatures don't do it first. Miles from home and kin, he is doomed, doomed to a world of watery darkness and terror.
Jozhur sees the darkening sky and remembers the time he nearly drowned, only to be brought back to life by Goodie Bess. He realizes now that it was only a temporary reprieve. He was doomed from the start. The gods have only been toying with him since; now the darkness and despair are closing in all around him. There is no way out.
Terser realizes that he has been fooling himself his entire life. All the brawling, all the fighting, and what did it get him? He cannot fight fate! He cannot defeat death! And now that the darkness is closing in all around him, there is nothing he can do but wait for the inevitable end.
All around you, the crew are variously screaming, running, sobbing, and clutching at one another. Nobody is sailing the ship--which is kind of a pity because the wind is really picking up. But with doom and darkness closing in, the wind seems like a minor consideration.
(Brock) Jozhur AC24 (Current AC: 28) / Touch 17/Flat 17--CMD 27--HP81/105 ---------Shadow companion: 53/53 HP Tuesday October 31st, 2017 10:01:22 PM
Jozhur explains to Bralin that the Elf-Bloods are a criminal gang with a hatred for elves. If I recall, they also dabble in slavery, which would explain their ship being here. We've been in a scuffle or two with them in the past."
Jozhur shakes his head at Rill. "I guess we've grown used to killing, we've done so much of it. I honestly haven't even thought much of it lately. It's sad we've become so hardened to it, but its been necessary for all the good we've accomplished." He begins explaining they don't necessarily need to kill the elf bloods, but they need to be incapacitated, but he is suddenly plunged into a nightmare...
RobC - Tahni Wyrmrider -- AC 20/13/17 -- CMD 19 -- HP 125/125 Wednesday November 1st, 2017 7:50:19 AM
Tahni looks about to the party, trying to hold back the tears. Was she being used? She just doesn't know anymore. Terser wouldn't would he? He's one of her oldest friends.
She looks to her feet as she feels her self-esteem fade away.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 172/172, DR 1/-] (25% no crit, rage 30/30, channel 5/5) Wednesday November 1st, 2017 11:10:19 AM
Terser screams into the wind, as if daring the storm to manifest itself and come fight him like a proper warrior! If there's nothing to be gained from fighting, there's certainly nothing lost by it either. If fate is determined to take him down, then he'll take fate with him.
Rill (MarkB) HP 111/111 - AC 25/15/23 CMD 23 Wednesday November 1st, 2017 11:59:20 AM
Everything is dark for Rillett Savenport, as feelings of doom and despair press in on him. He is brought to his knees with a momentary sense of panic at being be cut off from his God and unable to help his friends. But the panic is fleeting. He’s faced despair before, and it was that despair that brought him to follow the God of Life and Death in the first place. He reaches out with his senses, and his Status spell tells him his friends are all still nearby and unhurt. Zeoll is unconscious though - that’s not good.
Ok, so his magic still works and we’re not all dead. That’s a start.
On his knees, he can feel the wooden planks of the deck and the sway of the sea beneath him. Another good sign. He rises to stand.
We must still be on the ship, but Rill cannot see. He pulls out his amulet with Continual Fame from beneath his robes as he moves to place a hand on the prone Zeoll. The old liontaur’s warm fur is a comfort. Since the darkness is not pushed back by his light, he activates his Greater Insight ability to grant Tremorsense allowing him to immediately sense those within 20’ of him. His divine connection to his God has not been severed. Good.
Rill begins to hum as he recalls a silly bar song from his childhood.
Gloom, despair and agony on me. Deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair and agony on me.
Rill smiles as he hears Terser yell out in defiance! He calls out to his friends through the wind and the darkness. “Do not despair! We are all still here and we are still on the ship. None are hurt, but Zeoll is unconscious here by me. I do not yet know what has happened, but none of us face this alone.”
--------------------------------------------- Free Action - Use Status to locate folks and assess their condition. Move Action - pull out amulet as he moves to Zeoll based on the Status spell and his blind-fighting ability. Standard Action - Activate Greater Insight
(Brock) Jozhur AC24 (Current AC: 28) / Touch 17/Flat 17--CMD 27--HP81/105 ---------Shadow companion: 53/53 HP d20+10=16 ; d20+19=38 ; d20+21=41 ; d20+2=12 ; Wednesday November 1st, 2017 4:58:35 PM
Darkness was closing in on Jozhur, but the dark was now his ally. He had no reason to fear darkness. The wind and storm were another matter, however. Jozhur freezes up for a moment as the wind and waves pick up and he briefly relives the worst thing that ever happened to him, drowning. He couldn't go through that again, and he couldn't let his companions go through that nightmare. The gods had no say in the matter, he would not allow it happen.
The sound of Rill's voice brings Jozhur to his senses. He looks about the deck of the Lionfish. The first thing he notices is Ky, yelling for help, and also the ship's most experienced sailor not moving. "Reggie! Grab Ky, and help me navigate this storm!" With Zeoll down, Jozhur steps back into his old role of captain. He appeals to the crew to man their stations, "The Lionfish has weathered worse storms! Man the rigging! We will survive this one too!"
As he pilots the Lionfish, he observes the sea and the skies. He doesn't know much about weather, but he has seen a few storms. He wonders whether this is a natural tropical storm, or something more sinister. He also tries to note whether the island is still visible, lest he crash into it.
(MikeK)Bralin (AC35 / T15 / FF29)CMD 30 - HP 151/151) Wednesday November 1st, 2017 9:03:56 PM
Bralin's eyes flick wildly about as the wind and waves toss about this frail vessel. He must get off. The dwarf activates his winged boots, and rises above the deck.
Free from the careening ship, he hovers in the wind, eyes closed, hands tightly grasping his obsidian stone, and murmuring his mantra over and over in dwarvish Highlight to display spoiler: { I Am Rock. I Am Rock. I Am Rock...}
Rill (MarkB) HP 111/111 - AC 25/15/23 CMD 23 Wednesday November 1st, 2017 9:46:54 PM
(wait. Are we blind? I thought we were blind. I'm so confused.)
DM Kathy Wednesday November 1st, 2017 10:22:43 PM
Sudden terror makes Bralin activate his winged boots to get off the ship! Tahni looks about her, wondering whom she can trust. Terser calls defiance to the wind and waves.
But, terrifying though the sudden change was, you are all fundamentally brave people. Rill checks on the status of his teammates, and tries to bring forth a light. (Is this the same Continual Flame medallion that you gave to Lion? Or did you have two? If you only had the one, you don't have it anymore.) Jozhur slips back into his former role as Captain, and begins calling out instructions and encouragement.
[OOC: Nobody was blinded. Zeoll, because he is a seer, was struck unconscious by the sheer awfulness of what he saw. Rill, though not a seer per se, does use a lot of divination, so he was momentarily overwhelmed by visions of terror and suffering and doom and darkness. So he was seeing visions rather than the world around him, but he was never blinded. And he's fine now.]
Unfortunately, the crew are not brave adventurers, and neither is little Ky. He continues to wail his distress, and the crew are still too frightened and overwhelmed to do much good. A few of them, notably Tula, make some attempt to follow Jozhur's orders, but their terror and despair makes them slow to act.
Jozhur knows instantly that this is not a normal storm. He can confirm this with Tahni, who was actually scanning the skies when all this started. True, she was looking for foes rather than unusual weather patterns, but she distinctly remembers looking into a cloudless, sunny day. This storm (and it is shaping up to be a storm) came literally out of the clear blue sky.
The wind is getting stronger. Dark clouds roil overhead. You have now been blown some distance from Market Island, although you think you remember where it is.
Zeoll (Cayzle) (AC29/31; HP47+34=81) Wednesday November 1st, 2017 10:46:02 PM
Zeoll wanders in a mental storm, aimless, lost, always seeking to turn away from ... from ...
Rill (MarkB) HP 111/111 - AC 25/15/23 CMD 23 Thursday November 2nd, 2017 1:20:54 AM
As the disturbing visions subside for Rill, he looks around.
The winds are picking up, unnatural dark clouds are overhead, the island is gone. These visions may be worse.
Rill's white robes whip wildly around him in the wind, and Continual Flame shines from the ring on a cord around his neck. He can see that the Black Lions will be fine. It's the crew that needs encouragement. "C'mon. We've been through worse. Jozur's at the helm, and I have back up plans for my back up plans. Tula - get your crew in line! Everyone, move quickly to secure the ship - it looks like we're going to have to ride this out."
He turn to Zeoll, and gently shakes the creature. "Hey Zeoll, you gotta wake up. The crew needs you."
(Rill carries about a dozen items with Continual Flame cast on them. In addition, there are several aboard this ship to provide light that does not post a fire threat in rough seas.)
RobC - Tahni Wyrmrider -- AC 20/13/17 -- CMD 19 -- HP 125/125 d20+6=9 ; d20=17 ; d20=20 ; Thursday November 2nd, 2017 6:58:21 AM
Tahni does her best to pull herself together. She tries to push her doubts from her mind and thinks about what she can do for the others (even if they ARE using her)
She kneels beside Zeoll and watches Rill gently shake him "Hang on, I think I remember reading something about this sort of thing" (Heal check: 9. Ooops) Tahni raises her hand and delivers a solid slap to Zeoll's cheek.
"Uh, maybe I should help with the ship"
She has absolutely no experience on a ship it turns out. But when the chips are down her mind focuses.
It turns out that Tahni isn't as bad as she thought. She tries to help Tula and the crew, and looks to the sky to try and determine if/when this storm will pass. (Profession Sailor: 17. Survival: 20)
(Ed) Reggie | AC : 24 / Touch 20/ flat: 20 | HP: 154 / 154 | Rage used 4 /18 Thursday November 2nd, 2017 8:16:27 AM
Reggie was paralyzed with the fear that she can not explain. this can only be the result of magic she deduces in her mind, looking for some way to rationalize everything.
this only serves to solidify her disdain for magic.
Jozhur's voice soon breaks her paralysis and she immediately rushes to grab Ky, despite wanting to help with the ship, she can't help but comfort Ky. hoping to lead him below decks.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 172/172, DR 1/-] (25% no crit, rage 30/30, channel 5/5) d20+2=17 ; Thursday November 2nd, 2017 5:10:24 PM
Now that things are starting to get organized, Terser turns his strength to getting the loose lines and flapping canvas under control. profession sailor 17 He struggles to hear orders from the captain over the wind, but hopefully has enough experience at sea by now to at least know which rope should be tied where. He shouts encouragingly at Tahni, impressed with how quickly she's taken to life on a boat, but ready to catch her should she trip and start to fall overboard.
(Brock) Jozhur AC24 (Current AC: 28) / Touch 17/Flat 17--CMD 27--HP105/105 ---------Shadow companion: 53/53 HP d20+11=24 ; d20+19=28 ; Thursday November 2nd, 2017 5:21:37 PM
Jozhur continues guiding the Lionfish through the storm. He has become a competent sailor over time, but he fears this storm may overwhelm his limited experience. He understands Reggie's need to care for Ky, but pleads for everyone else to help with sailing. "Steel yourselves! We can and must sail through this, there is no other choice! To your stations, now! Those who don't know how to sail, help others with their tasks!"
(MikeK)Bralin (AC35 / T15 / FF29)CMD 30 - HP 151/151) Thursday November 2nd, 2017 9:20:10 PM
Bralin pulls himself together, and stows his holy symbol.
Having little sailing experience, the dwarf instead uses his winged boots and darkvision to identify and get to those sailors most in distress.
Bralin effortlessly hauls any of the crew his finds to his feet, echoing Jozhur's command "To your stations! The Black Lions are with you! To your stations!"
Zeoll (Cayzle) (AC29/31; HP47+34=81) Thursday November 2nd, 2017 10:18:12 PM
Zeoll wakes up and looks around. He tries to remember his dreams ... honestly, he tries to remember where he is and what his name is!
"Wha...?"
DM Kathy Friday November 3rd, 2017 12:26:51 AM Reggie takes the wailing Ky belowdecks, and begins looking for a safe place to put him. It isn't easy. You're out of the wind down here, but the ship has started tossing over the suddenly growing waves, and anything loose down here is going to be banged around quite a bit. Maybe you could get him to stay in a hammock?
Zeoll finally awakens, but for now, his dreams seem more real than his reality. Or maybe he is the dream. Or maybe..... He notices that he is getting wet.
For it has started raining, and the wind continues to rise.
The rest of the Lionfishers have started rallying the crew and helping sail the ship where they can. Tula is one of the first to come back to herself. "Reef those sails!" she barks. "Or we're done for!"
The crew, recovering, scramble to obey. But the lashing wind and driving rain make the task difficult. Tahni and Terser try to help, but can't quite make the flailing canvas do what they want. Jozhur has better luck, but there's still more to do. Still aloft, Bralin tries to help guide the ship, but for the moment, she is at the mercy of the wind and the waves. And even Bralin's darkvision has a hard time seeing through the sheets of falling rain.
Tula clings to the helm. "We've still got too much sail!" she calls.
Rill (MarkB) HP 111/111 - AC 25/15/23 CMD 23 d20+26=28 ; Friday November 3rd, 2017 12:32:53 AM
Rill is relieved Zeoll is coming to. "Easy there. You passed out, and my vision was clouded for a bit. All of us seem to have been shaken."
Rill responds to Jozhur, and lends a hand with the ship, but keeps a sharp eye out for any that may fall overboard. (Profession Sailor 15, Perception 28)
RobC - Tahni Wyrmrider -- AC 20/13/17 -- CMD 19 -- HP 125/125 d20=6 ; Friday November 3rd, 2017 7:23:16 AM
Tahni has no idea what "too much sail means", but by the way Tula sys it she's guessing it's not a good thing.
She tries to help with the ropes but probably does more harm than good (Prof Sailor: 6)
(Brock) Jozhur AC24 (Current AC: 28) / Touch 17/Flat 17--CMD 27--HP105/105 ---------Shadow companion: 53/53 HP d20+11=21 ; d20+19=33 ; d20+21=22 ; Friday November 3rd, 2017 1:18:22 PM
Jozhur continues to struggle with piloting the 'Fish through the strange storm while directing and encouraging the crew, "Reef sails, NOW! We may capsize if we don't reduce sail! The 'Fish can handle this!"
He a squints through the driving rain, hoping for a way out of this mess.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 172/172, DR 1/-] (25% no crit, rage 30/30, channel 5/5) d20+2=22 ; Friday November 3rd, 2017 2:27:41 PM
Terser assists Jozhur at following Tula's directions. She knows better how to direct their efforts.
Prof sailor - Nat 20
Rill (MarkB) HP 111/111 - AC 25/15/23 CMD 23 Friday November 3rd, 2017 2:55:26 PM
"Bralin - see if you can fly over there and just cut the lines holding up that mainsail! We have plenty of line to re-rig that sail later!"
Rill hopes Tula has plenty of line to re-rig that sail later.
(MikeK)Bralin (AC35 / T15 / FF29)CMD 30 - HP 151/151) Saturday November 4th, 2017 9:11:04 AM
Brain looks around. He understands 'cut the lines' and 'Main Sail' must be the big one.
The dwarf flies around the biggest sail, hacking apart anything connecting it to the mast.
LOG ON