It has been an uneventful three days since arriving in this new, apparently unknown plane. After the first day, the sun chariot has been replaced by a glowing yellow orb that appears orange as it nears the horizon, much like the normal sun. Everything here, though, seems bigger; the sun, the moons, the wildlife -- a roc way too big to be believed was spotted a few miles off in the direction you're headed. * Curuar takes the opportunity to talk to Bourne *to Curuar* "What's up?" You're approaching a natural cove in the islands right now * Legis idly stretches, catlike, on the deck, having recently dropped down out of the rigging post-nap. "Sir, I've been thinking over a few things, and the more I consider them the less I like my conclusions. WOuld it be at all possible for you to arrange a chance for me to speak with Keegis?" GM: Is keegis still alive, and if so, where is she? ( Please use teh OOC channel. ) * Arianna stretches her arms, and takes in the fresh air. She doesn't seem to be as bothered by plane-hopping (as this was directly related to IC events, I'm allowing it here) * Legis squints at the evil daystar. Blinks. "Hey, weeeeird... the sun finally makes sense!" Keegis is alive, and being held on the _Cold Steel_. Rumor is she's been stoned. * Josh is up in the crow's nest, sight-seeing--er, keeping watch. GM: with rocks, or dope? Medusas Aah. with medusa petrification gaze * Neil is now known as RustAngel *to Curuar* "I've no objection, at least if she's still alive and unpetrified. Speak to Captain Duras when the fleet lands." "Thank you, sir." "Say, you guys alright?" "I'm fine. Curuar has known Keegis longer than I have." "I'm fine. I'm just concerned about Aunt Keegis." "Not bad, ish, kinda thing..." She bounces up off the deck and starts randomly pacing. "... Please forget I said that." "Hrm?" the fleet, now missing two ships, pulls into cove and drop anchors. The place appears to be a deserted sub=tropical island: white sandy beach, palm trees taller than you could imagine, coconuts the size of watermelons.... * Bourne looks at the trees with curiosity academic and more. . o O (If we've shrunk, I hope the Redwater guards have done the same.) * Josh runs down the mast from the crow's nest, grinning excitedly. "Are we going ashore now?" * Legis looks at the trees with curiousity less academic. "Ooh, what're those brown things? Are they tasty?" "People tend to love 'em or hate 'em." "Yes. But in an organized fashion. Neil, you'll join me for the captains' meeting. Arianna, please start organizing parties to collect edibles and fresh water to restore our supplies." * Curuar returns to the crows nest for a moment to collect his bow and quiver * Bourne leans over to Arianna and says more quietly, "Keep our stowaway in sight." * Arianna nods at Bourne. "Gotcha, cutter." * Josh nods. "Organized, right, sir!" He rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet. * Curuar returns to the deck after he's gotten his boots and a few other things from his sea chest * Arianna decides to dividing up the crew. And keeps Josh with her. Yay. "Josh, you're with me." "Yes, ma'am." *sticks with her, obediently. He keeps glancing towards shore, though he looks quite eager to help with anything that might need doing* * Bourne whistles up the dinghy and gets ashore with Neil and the others captains. * Legis looks expectantly from Arianna to Curuar. * Curuar is just a crewman. Waiting to be assigned a party * Arianna works on diving people up into specialized groups instead of just having a ton of generalist groups. * Arianna glances at Curuar. "What's your specialty?" *to Arianna* "In what manner, ma'am?" "Have you got a keen eye? If so, you'd be good for finding new kinds of food. If you're tough, you can climb trees and take extended searches. That sorta thing. Gotta resupply." "Ah, in that case, I'm good for about anything you'd like to use me for. I'm usually the look-out for the ship, climbing is a given for any sailor, and I'm not bad with a bow." * Arianna nods. "Sounds like you'd make for a good scout, then." * Arianna glances at Legis. "What about you?" "Moi? I dunno... I get around and stuff, but food's tricky..." * Curuar checks his bow's string, tests the draw, makes sure his quiver is full "Hm..." "What would you say you'd be best for doing?" "Uhm..." She looks thoughtful, trying to remember what was said needed doing. "Er, water maybe?" "Well, you did spend all that time in that tiny raft. I guess you'd know something about dealing with getting drinkable water." ( *blink* Ring of Sustenance... Bad Idea ) * Josh bites his lip, listening. "Ah... eheh..." "Yeah!" * Josh clears his throat quietly. "Um, maybe she's a cleric?" okay: Cur, Legis, to keep this simple, I want Survival checks from both of you. * Legis blinks. "Cleric... whazzat, is it tasty?" 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20) and gets 19. ((Wilderness Lore kind of thing?)) (same skill. ;) 1d20+4 * Prozac throws the bones for Legis (1d20+4) and gets 7. "Clerics pray to God, and He grants them their requests. They can sustain themselves in His bounty for as long as He requires them to." "Oh, so no then." "Oh, okay." He looks a bit...relieved?...or something. "I just wander around and occasionally hit people." "Oh." He edges over so that Arianna's a bit more between him and Legis. * Legis hrms. "Water carrier thingie..." she runs around the boat looking for some suitable container, finds it after several minutes of looking in wrong places, and jumps overboard. * Arianna blinks at Legis. "What..." * Josh blinks, too. But doesn't say anything. * Bourne is blissfully aware of any of this, onshore. :^) s/aware/unaware/ * Curuar looks at Arianna dubiously. "Is she really going ashore, ma'am?" * Legis walks/swims ashore, and scampers gleefully into the undergrowth in search of fresh water. (speaking of Bourne on shore...) "I can do lots of things, but not anticipate what barmies are gonna do." (the camera pans away from the madness on board the _Horizon_ and over to the _Rage of Darkness_, where a captain's meeting is taking place) Drake, Charboneau, Duras, a bugbear, a gnome in an aviator jacket and mirrored glasses, a Hong, and an orc are already there when Bourne and Neil walk in. as it would happen, Drake and the bugbear are in each other's faces, speaking the same language... grunts and growls. "I hope we're getting some hard data on the Vault now. Surprises like our route so far do bad things to ship's crews when they involve attacking an enemy fortification." "Drake! You never told Davies the route?!" "That's why Davies isn't here." * Bourne sits down. "It alters our potential shares as well as our manpower. Whether I'm complaining or not depends on what we're facing. If you please." Drake looks away from the captain of the _Dragon's Breadth_ momentarily. "I *did* tell him the route. Hell, I even showed him the map." "Well, you never told him it went through the barrier." "He didn't. Faroun did." "Okay. We're short our cannon. I think we can still do this. We'll still have air superiority." * Bourne leans forward and listens. Is there anything resembling a map of the Vault on the table? yes (unfortunately, I don't have one drawn up to show you) ( That's fine, retcon if I extemporize anything wrong. ) "I've been thinking of a way we might be able to make up for that a bit." * Bourne pulls the map toward him, points at one part. "This dock here, where ships unload their cargo. The gate is pretty well-protected. But what if we could pull an inside job? We have a Redwater ship now." According to the map, the Vault is built as a bailey castle on a large island. To the east of it sits a natural cove large enough for three warships. The rear of it is just a solid granite wall. "Inside job? What did you have in mind?" "Two possibilities, depending on the timing and the style of attack the captains would prefer. As a Redwater ship, we can pull in and unload some of the cargo that the ship is carrying. We have several large crates, which can be variously filled...." "...one idea is with men. We get the crates in, wait several hours until nightfall, and have a few men break out of the boxes and take the gate from inside. The rest of the fleet sails in to the cove and enters this way, and we hit the defenses from inside the wall." "A second idea is a good bit more abrupt, but suffers less chance of being found out before it goes in to operation. We have the ability to load one of the crates with a significant amount of blackpowder. If we can time a bolt or fireball right from Neil here, we can set off that crate right as it's in the gate, destroying any ability to close completely. The rest of the fleet sails in and attacks." "We could also do both: fewer men, one crate of blackpowder. The men set a fuse and head for the gate. While the defense are dealing with the explosionthat just happened further inside, our men are opening the gate. I like this idea the best." "It'll take some really gutsy warriors, though. Or maybe sneakers." * Bourne sits back. "It's not going to so easy." Somehow, he pulls out what appear to be actual images, not just drawings, of the Vault. "We did a high- altitude fly-by of the place. Six ships in the harbor right now." Thought you said it was big enough for three? Or are these smaller than warships? The gnome's slightly exaggerating. There are three in the cove, and three waiting around it Ah. * Bourne peers at the images. "Wow, those are some good paintings. Yeah, I can see the ships." "They aren't paintings. But primitives as yourself wouldn't understand." * Bourne is slightly miffed but says nothing. About the "primitives" bit, at any rate. "So we'll need to get rid of the ships somehow. Without signaling the fleet's presence." the images show two cargo ships, three warships, and one that you really can't place. it's an unusual design * NovaSeaker has joined #HighSeas * NovaSeaker is now known as Che-Chen Che-Cen, yay! (Nova!) (#wet_bar for the OOC and being brought up-to-date) "I think we could do a diversion to pull some ships away. And the defensive wall in the rear has a weakness here. It's a drainage port; blow that up, and the longship can unload." * Bourne has said his piece, listens to the other captains. Bourne: the plan comes up as such: Have the Horizon unload two crates of powder and some personnel, blow the front gate and the drainage at close to the same time. Meanwhile, the gnomes show off their stuff and the Rage, Dragon, Inverse, and Steel move in to enage the ships. "Neil, can you time two fireballs that close?" Neil shakes his head. "No can do, boss. They're too far apart." * Curuar sets mode: +o Che-Chen "Okay. So one of them will need to be on a fuse. The drainage port, I think. You can get that one into position, wait for the blast, and use that as a cue to take the gate." "Bah, just shoot one of them!" "It's only logical." "So, we know our plan?" "It'll take a few days to cook up two barrels of powder." "Let me make sure I have it right. The _Horizon_ will sail in and unload two crates filled with blackpowder, and let off some of our men to accompany them. The first one will be taken inside and set off by its accompanying team as near the drainage port as possible. The second will be blown at the gate.... "...at this time, the remainder of the fleet closes to engage, seeking to take out the sea defenses and land men to enter the Vault via the gate and the drainage port. We take out any defenders. Is that accurate?" "Couldn't've said it better meself, me boy!" "Okay." *to Neil* "Do you have all the..." waves hands... "...ingredients? Whatever it takes to cook up powder?" "What about contingencies?" "We'll never get another chance at this. If something goes wrong, we improvise, or cut and run. I'd rather improvise." Neil: "Not for what we need. We'll talk outside." "If we miss one of the two entrances, obviously we head for the other. If the _Horizon_ crewmembers get found out at the main gate, I'll have them clear away and ignite a crate then and there. We'll be fighting to stay alive at that point, so please hurry up and get to us." "Anything else, wing it. Pirate's life, and all that." All of a sudden, Drake seems more like a tired old man than a veteran pirate, as he says, "Let's get working on the prep, then." * Bourne nods, rises, and salutes just to be polite. "Good luck, Captains." * Bourne heads out with Neil. *to Neil* "You wanted some privacy to speak?" * Curuar has quit IRC (Ping timeout ) okay, and the camera pans back to the crew as Bourne and Neil walk back * Curuar has joined #highseas * Arsenal sets mode: +o Curuar re * Legis had headed somewhere out in the foresty thing on the island. There's dims sound of signing, then a louder cracking, then a tree falls down somewhere inland. Singing, rather. * Che-Chen leans against the rail, arms crossed over a bare chest. Apparently he's enjoying the comfortable extraplanar weather. What's the news, Cap'n? (remember the quotes?; I'll edit this line) -; Che: Bourne's not back yet A few moments pass. The wind carries a faint "Eeeew!" then, a minute later, another series of cracks and another tree falls. but if you want to direct that Q to Ari, who happens to be the one in- charge right now * Josh is pacing, watching the shore and trying to be patient. Cur: you bring in a pair of Rabbits of Unusual Size; they're as tall at the shoulder as you are *to Arianna* "Should I go make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble?" "That'd probably be best. I have to admit, I'm pretty worried." "I might need help when i catch up to her. Che might be useful in that reguard." -u "How do you figure?" "Most likely in restraining her before she hurts herself or the island." *sardonic* "Not that I'd mind coming to her rescue." Che gets a funny look in his eye. "You are from Gehong, yes? I thought you might know some holds or wrestling moves should we need to restrain her." "Restraints eh? Hmm, not my style." Che grins, apparently intending the comment in jest. * Che-Chen runs a hand through his perpetually floating hair. "Sorry, not quite sure what you're talking about." * Che-Chen is now known as Che-Cen "Either way, the extra pair of hands may be useful. Shall we?" *gets into a dinghy and waits for Che * Sure. * Che-Cen dives into the water besides the dinghy and starts swimming to shore. * Curuar paddles to the shore and secures the boat * Che-Cen is already leaning against a tree waiting for Curuar. * Josh turns to Arianna. "Anything else to get done? Or that you need me to do?" "Let's go. Keep your eyes open for anything we might be able to use." * Curuar leads us into the forest "Water's probably going to be our main concern." * Arianna follows Curuar. "I'll help provide backup if needed." * Che-Cen follows, drawing his extra long rapier. Che: gimme a survival roll * Che-Cen lets Arianna pass him. 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Che-Cen (1d20) and gets 14. * Josh follows as well. He's unarmed, though, since no one gave him back that sabre he had before. 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20) and gets 14. * Legis mutters, stares at the giant coconuts on the second tree she knocked down and tries to figure out how to bite into it. Not too far way is a giant, economy sized Bananna with a bite taken out of it; not peeled. Ari, Josh: you two, too d20+2 * Prozac throws the bones for Arianna (d20+2) and gets 7. d20+4 * Prozac throws the bones for Josh (d20+4) and gets 19. okay, Che and Cur manage to follow Legis's rather chaotic trail, and find her sitting near a rather algae-filled pool of water. trying to eat a coconut of unusual size and having taken a bite out of an oversized banana * Legis mutters some more, kicks the coconut and frowns slightly. the coconut starts to crack "Heeeey..." "Hello there my ebony princess." ^_^ * Legis blinks, turns around. "Hiya! Oh... hey... uh, do you know how you're supposed to eat these things?" "No... but you did crack that one when you kicked it." * Curuar keeps an arrow ready at his bowstring, keeps an eye open for trouble. "Coconuts are supposed to be crack open and milked before cutting out the meat. Didn't you bring a knife?" "Are you sure you're supposed to eat them without making bread, first? It looks like a seed..." "Ah... no, no knife? Oh, I found water too... the green stuff adds a bit of flavor to it!" "Green...? That means the water's fouled." "May I see, please?" "You.. drank the water, Legis?" * Arianna looks at the water. "That looks kinda... nasty." "Yeah, why?" "That can't be healthy..." ( Is the water in a container, or just lying out in a pond/puddle/whatever? ) "Uh, Legis. How exactly did you survive out at sea if you don't know good water from bad?" "Hrm? Oh, you mean not dying of thirst or something?" (it's a pool) "Yes." "Or bacteria. >_>" * Josh walks over to the pool and looks down into it. "...if this is the best we can find, we can make use of it." "Oh, that's simple! They gave me this ring thingie when I left the temple; they said I didn't have enough sense to remember to eat or drink water regularily enough..." She giggles as if it's a joke. * Josh eyes her hand, and the ring, and shivers a bit. "You have some pretty nice elders at your temple, Legis." * Curuar looks at Che, then Arianna. "That can't be very healthy, either. Don't magics of that sort start eating the body after a while?" "Yep! They told me not to come back until I had located the... ooooh... I mean... fnord!" Josh: the ocean-water looks cleaner "Arianna, ma'am? Do we have something to carry the water in?" * Arianna blinks. "Yeah, I've brought a few waterskins." "Until you located the fnord?" "...that won't provision a ship... It might really just be easier to bring in seawater. But we should still look further." "Yep!" "What in the depths is a fnord?" * Legis grins widely and snickers. "I think she means 'fjord'. Maybe somewhere north of Redwater?" * Arianna rubs her eyes. * Che-Cen smiles down at Legis as she grins. "Anyone ever tell you you have a beautiful smile, Legis?" "You're supposed to find a fjord? Why?" I prolly shouldn't, but those of you who have Knowledge (religion), gimme rolls. "No, no a fjord, a fnord." d20+3 * Prozac throws the bones for Josh (d20+3) and gets 20. "It's one of those things, y'know?" d20+3 * Prozac throws the bones for Arianna (d20+3) and gets 9. * Josh smiles a bit in spite of himself. "No, I don't. That is why I am asking, ma'am." * Curuar decides not to persue it. "Miss Arianna, perhaps you should take charge of Legis. Che and I might do better scouting ahead on our own." * Che-Cen gives Curuar an annoyed look. "Alright. Just be careful with the wildlife. Wouldn't want you penned in the book this early." "... awww." She droops slightly. "I'll be good?" "We'll be careful, ma'am. Che?" * Josh eyes Legis, consideringly. * Curuar heads into the woods moving northesasterly -s "Yeah yeah, I'm going." Che moves to leave, but before disappearing into the foliage, he turns around and bows to the ladies. "Until later, beauties." * Che-Cen goes off to follow Curuar Cur: you come across a hutch of ROUSes... Rabbits Of Unusual Size * Legis blinks, looks over at Arianna as if to ask what the hell that was about. * Curuar keeps hidden, looking them over 1d20+8 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20+8) and gets 26. * Arianna blinks at Legis. "Something wrong, basher?" "I dunno. Did I do something wrong?" "Well... in a manner of speaking, but nothing serious. JUst a tad worried about your safety in general." "Oh, safety I'm good at. I may not know where I'm going, but I know how to get there..." She smiles slightly. Cur: strike and damage rolls for as many as you want to bring home? That include the Sneak Attack bonus and Feat bonuses? "Do you? How?" "Aye, I suppose so. You've managed to survive this long. Somehow." (aye( Gonna try for the three best filled out ones. Try for good meat 3 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (3 1d20) and gets 19 15 18. "I know where I'm going because it's the way I'm going. And surviving I'm good at... don't need to eat and I'm awful wiry." (all three hit) * Josh shakes his head, black hair shedding grime in the process, and changes the subject. "Should we try to find purer water, or settle for this? Or use the sea water, instead? We really do need to fill the barrels back on the ship, not just some water pouches. Don't we?" 1d8 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d8) and gets 7. 2d6 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (2d6) and gets 6. 13 for one 1d8 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d8) and gets 3. 2d6 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (2d6) and gets 7. 1d8 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d8) and gets 7. 2d6 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (2d6) and gets 12. you bag two and wound one I'll try to hit that last one while it's running *nod* 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20) and gets 8. (mind you, that Survival roll earlier was to bad food for eceryone anyways) * Che-Cen holds his rapier out, boredly watching Curuar snipe at bunnies. s/c/v/ Che: These are no ordinary rabbits! (Insert Monty Python reference here) (okay, Bourne bags three very large rabbits) O_o Curuar. :^) * Legis pokes at the Coconut some more. "Looks like we'll have a good dinner tonight, Che. Lend a hand getting them back to the ship?" "Sure. I thought we were gonna look for water though." "Arianna, ma'am?" "We are. Where you have wildlife like this, my guess is water isn't too far away." "So you wanna take the dire bunnies back to the ship first or lug them around as we search for water?" okay, everyone in the foraging party... Listen checks d20+3 * Prozac throws the bones for Josh (d20+3) and gets 20. * Curuar cuts a few good size branches and puts together a travoi to drag the kills home. "Better do it now. If these are the normal size of rabbits, I'd hate to leave the carcasses here to attract predators." 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20) and gets 9. 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Che-Cen (1d20) and gets 14. 1d20+6 * Prozac throws the bones for Legis (1d20+6) and gets 12. * Legis idly kicks Prozac someplace delicate. ( travois; the term's of french origin, I think. I forget what the plains indians called it ) anyways, everyone except Curuar hears running water off to the north * Legis blinks. "Hey, speaking of water..." Curuar hears the bunnies fart "This sounds promising." snrk "Lets leave a marker here. To the north is some running water." * Josh turns in the direction of the water sound. "Let's go. Water's this way." He gestures, and runs off that way. "Good idea." *cuts down another branch and leaves it standing in the ground with an arrow next to it pointing north* "Ah, yes JOsh?" Cur: Spot and Listen 2 1d20+1 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (2 1d20+1) and gets 21 7. respectively "Water, ma'am. We should bring the barrels to fill, shouldn't we?" Forgot the +1 bonus last Listen roll Session Time: Sat Sep 03 00:00:00 2005 "Alright, let's go." "Well, we want to make sure this is good before we drag something that heavy over this kind of distance. Gotta save our strength after all. THe animals in this place are pretty big. It'd be pretty awful if we dragged the barrels all the way up here and found out the sound was just a hundred foot dog relieving himself. Thouhg that'd be quite a story." * Legis giggles. Cur: you spot an uber-hawk circling your kills * Josh chuckles. "That it would. Let's go see!" He sounds almost as if he'd prefer to see that 100 ft. dog. "We have company." *points at the hawks, readies another flight of arrows * * Arianna moseys along, in a laid back paladin sort of way. She's good at that. "Yeah, let's. Yay!" Legis grins and follows along. * Che-Cen looks up and readies his thinblade. * Curuar gets the bunnies moving, keeping an eye on that hawk ...wow. I wonder if it's rideable. (" ") Let me do that, you keep "Let me do that, you keep your bow trained on that bird." * Josh keeps looking for this water source, and would be running if it wasn't so overgrown here. As-is, he's probably going to have some cuts on his feet before this is over. "Right." Legis, Josh, Ari: you come across a *wide* stream of running water "Hrm, this is no good, it's... wait, no, the green stuff was bad, wasn't it." * Josh splashes a few steps into it before stumbling to a stop. "Hey! Found the water-noise!" * Arianna blinks. "This looks good. VERY good. Now looks like a good time to get those barrels." * Josh 's feet are getting cleaner than they've been in days. okay, FF a bit... * Legis sniffs the water, peers in and dunks her head under, looking for fish. Bourne: as you and Neil return from the meeting, Che and Cur are bringing in some *large* rabbits, and Josh and the girls are rolling in some barrels of water. * Curuar doesn't like the way that hawk is looking at his kills. . o O (Go find your own, fellah. Or I'll have your pinnions for fletching.) * Bourne notes that Arianna is *returning* to the ship. Mm. * Josh is smiling cheerfully, picking up sand with his wet feet on the beach. * Bourne blushes as he suddenly remembers that he forgot to ask the other captains about Curuar's request. "Curuar!" * Josh lets the barrel carry itself forward on its own momentum for a moment, and waves cheerfully at Bourne. "We found water, Sir!" * Legis does, assumedly, chores related to the fetching of water, whistling a weird little tune as she works. And I brought you bunnies! Bad Bourne! "Good work with those rabbits. You wanted to ask Drake about Keegis; nip down the beach and see to it. We'll be here long enough to pick a few more things." * Bourne turns to Josh and grins. "Well done, lad! That'll keep this crew for a good bit." *we're close enough to the ship and around enough people. That hawk shouldn't be much trouble for now* "Thank you, sir." *heads for Drake's camp* * Josh beams, and resumes pushing the barrel as it slows down. * Curuar asks for Drake when he gets to where Drake's crew has set up * Legis hrms, pauses once she's got the barrel she's pushing onto the boat. "Hrrrm..." "Neil, what will you need in the way of search parties? I haven't the foggiest idea where to find the materials you described." Cur: Drake and the bugbear are arm-wresting again * Curuar waits for the two to finish their contest the bugbear wins, but not easily... Drake lets out a very deep sigh when finished. "Captain Drake? Captain Bourne said I might speak with you about Keegis." "Keegis? Why do you ask?" * Che-Cen finishes dragging off the rabbit carcasses and washes his hands off with a quick dip in the ocean. "Well, sir, she's... been a friend of me and my family for a while. I'd like the chance to talk with her and find out what happened to get her into the trouble she's in." "That'll be difficult, at best. We felt it best, for the time being, that she visit Wynn." "Wynn, sir?" "The medusa you befriended on the pirate island." "Ah... she didn't... did she?" * Arianna blinks. "Keegis will be the first to be brought back once this is over. After that, you can ask her all you want." "... thank you, sir." *heads back to the _Horizon_ in a foul enough mood to take random pot shots at the hawk* (attack roll?) Maybe later I just want to see if you hit it. ;) 'k 1d20+2 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20+2) and gets 18. nah, you missed * Josh oocly blargles. Bourne: Neil lays out what he needs: sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal. (I'll have to look up the mixture) The charcoal will be the easy part * Curuar goes through the resat of the day in a funk For the record, saltpeter will be found under accumulations of guano, preferably in any bat caves nearby, and sulphur will probably be near tar pits in this sort of area. Neil goes about describing what he's looking for. * Legis mops her brow. "Erf... good thing we finally got this water on the boat, I'm thirsty." so... hmm... * Che-Cen climbs up the side of the boat at that moment. "Care to join me for a drink then, Legis?" * Josh notices Curuar's funk, and approaches Bourne. "...what's wrong with Curuar? He get some bad news?" * Bourne looks over at Josh. "Friend of his got in some legal trouble recently. Being held on on of the other ships." : . o O (Tried to assassinate multiple captains. I can't believe they left her even potentially alive.) * Josh nods, accepting that explanation easilly. "Oh. That makes sense. Will he be okay?" "I don't know. Neither does Curuar. Hence the funk." *to Neil* "Wow. Okay, we'll need to organize a *lot* of search parties. Sounds rare enough that we may not even have suitable deposits on this island. I hope we do." * Legis hrms, glances over at Bourne and then some others to see if anyone's watching. "Look a way for a sec, wouldya?" she says to Che-Cen with a grin, then surreptitiously pulls a bottle of wine out of her pack. "I meant Curuar, but okay. ...can I help look for whatever it is we're looking for? The island's neat. What -are- we looking for?" "Well, the biggest part will be the easiest, assuming there's caves around. Dig enough under the bat shit, and you'll see the saltpeter." * Curuar spends the rest of the day in the crows nest, staring vaguely at nothing and running what he knows about Keegis, what she's done, and why through his head to try and come up with some reason (any reason) why she'd do what she done. "The bats here are probably pretty big." * Bourne answers Josh's question by organizing just about everybody into parties to look for the necessary cave systems and mineral deposits. Fortunately, the ship doesn't need too much in the way of crew at anchor. * Legis pulls the cork out with her teeth, and takes a swallow of the red before passing the bottle over. "Crew from the other ships could help..." *checks Neil's reaction* "...if you're okay with letting them know what goes in to black powder." * Che-Cen grins and hops over the railing onto the deck and takes a swing of the bottle before passing it back. "A woman with taste, I see." Neil shakes his head "no" emphatically. "Okay." * Josh 's ears perk up, and he grins excitedly, ready to take part in this little adventure. "You, yes you alone, can locate the vital supplies we need to make our plan work! Go now, and bring us victory!" "Yessir!" *salutes, and heads out! Or does when the group he's with does. He stays with them* "Water's fine for swimmin', but wine's better for women. Or something." She snickers and takes another swig. "Wiser words have never been spoken, my lady. Although going for a swim later might be nice..." okay, you spread out... everyone give me Survival/Wilderness checks *funk* d20+3 * Prozac throws the bones for Arianna (d20+3) and gets 10. d20+4 * Prozac throws the bones for Josh (d20+4) and gets 7. 1d20 * Prozac throws the bones for Curuar (1d20) and gets 17. "I dunno... I've seen some real wise words. Or wise guys anyway... nyuk nyuk nyuk." * Che-Cen chuckles genuinly, although Legis probably can't tell it's just because the sound "nyuk" exited her mouth several times, not her actual joke. Legis? Bourne? Survival checks for someone staying on the ship? oh, n/m, then * Legis shrugs, then suddenly corks the bottle and dives overboard to go help like the responsible person that she isn't. I guess I could stretch my legs. Neil's in charge, then. 3d6 * Prozac throws the bones for Bourne (3d6) and gets 12. * Curuar is in the crows nest, funking 1d20+4 * Prozac throws the bones for Legis (1d20+4) and gets 15. Fail on a Survival (Tropical) default on my part. You have Scrounging or something similar? Legis, ironically enough, finds a large cavern entrance about a mile in; not far from the stream. Nope. I have studied absolutely no skill which might be applicable here, unless I can meteorologically predict a rain of sulfur from the sky. ;^) * Che-Cen looks over at Legis and dives after her, catching up with relative easy. "Ooooh... hey..." ease* *rolls in secret* No, no fire and brimstone storms in the foreseeable future. ;) * Che-Cen backstrokes besides Legis. "Where you going off to in such a hurry?" "Over there; everyone's looking for... stuff." * Bourne looks down at his feet. * Bourne looks over to Josh, whom he is with at the moment. He raises a signaling finger. "Found one of those tar pits Neil wanted. Smells like sulfur. Would you be a good lad and fetch a rope, please?" "Oh were they? Well.. alright, lets look together." :D * Legis hrms and starts wandering into the cave. "Hrm, do you remember what we were supposed to get from here?" * Josh nods, "Yessir!" and runs off to fetch some rope as requested. (( * Josh nods, says "Yessir!" and runs off to fetch some rope as requested. )) "What? No, not really. Wasn't paying attention" "Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to me." * Che-Cen nods. * Bourne stands there and waits, very still. * Che-Cen puts a hand on the small of Legis's back, gently. "Lets stay together, just in case." * Josh comes running back, skidding to what must be a painful stop without shoes on, and holds out a very large coil of rope to Bourne with a grin. * Bourne takes the end of the rope and ties it around his waist, wrapping another couple of coils around his wrists. "Thank you. Now, slow and steady tension back that way, as strong as you can." "In case? I dunno, I can see in the dark..." * Josh takes firm hold of the other end, and nods seriously. "Yes, sir," he says, taking a step back and beginning the tension. "You can? Well even more reason to stay together, I can't." * Bourne steps slowly backward, unable to avoid leaving first his boots and then his stockings in the tar pit. By the time he gets to solid ground again he is as barefoot as Josh. "Oh, heh heh... you need some sort of light, then?" "I liked those boots." "Yeah, although I don't have any on me." "Probably go back we should, that and find someone who knows what we're looking for in the first place." * Josh smiles appologetically. "My condolences on losing them, then. I'll remind you to take them off, next time you go tar-pit-wading, Sir." * Bourne looks over at Josh, and comes to a decision. "You may have just saved my life, lad. Oh, I might have been able to walk out of that, but I'm glad I didn't have to risk it. In return, I think I ought to level with you." "Level with me, Sir?" * Curuar is now known as TFB71 * TFB71 has quit IRC (Quit: People who run from God keep forgetting that He is an excellent sniper. ) * Bourne heads back toward the ship, Josh in tow. "Are you aware of our mission on this trip?" "Sounds good to me. If you hold onto my hand, I can get us back pretty fast." "Just remember, I need to breathe..." "I can stay to the surface don't worry." * Che-Cen walks out of the cave and to the shore and holds his hand out to her. "Not that there aren't tricks around that..." * Legis takes Che-Cen's hand. "Only vaguely, sir. Something involving something called the Black Vault. I'm guessing you mean to try to find it. If it really exists, it's proably going to be a grand adventure. ...already is; just look at this place!" His not-yet- changed voice pipes with youthful enthusiasm as he gestures to encompas the whole island. "I dunno, eating I got used to missing but breathing..." * Bourne chuckles. "So you don't know what the Black Vault is?" "Not exactly. I've only heard a couple stories involving it, and then only in the last couple months, Sir." "Heh, maybe I'll tell you about it some other time. Well, lets go." * Che-Cen heads out into the water and starts undulating his body almost like a dolphin would, skiming the surface so Legis can keep her head above water. "Before I go further... You're obviously a Redwater citizen. What's your position on the party line? Nonhumans, magic, and the like. You seem pretty respectful to the crew, a little nervous whenever I'm adjusting the wind. You might be aware that Redwater sends out... shall we say, fishing expeditions. Hunting enchanted items and such, taking them away from those using them. What do you think of that?" * Arianna watches Josh curiously. * RustAngel is now known as Neil "Magic is a temptation. We should avoid it, and place our faith in God, instead." He swallows. "I can understand why...the army...might need to remove dangerous, unholy weapons from those who would harm...us with them. I wouldn't want that duty, myself. But we all do as God requires." That last bit is spoken with a nervous sort of reverence, as if he's not sure he lives up to it. * Bourne stops on the beach. He looks out over the endless waves of water and the pure blue air, and feels the magic that runs through them. "Do you think what I do is unholy?" he asks quietly. * Josh holds up his hands defensively. "That's not to say we should hunt down all practitioners of magic. You, Sir, use it in an attempt to be good, and help your people. ...I know you do not believe it to be a sin, so I do not blame you for it. It is not my place to judge; I'm just your cabin boy." "It's every man's place to judge what is right and wrong for himself. You will need to do so now." "Sir?" "The Black Vault is where Redwater stores such of those items as it takes and cannot destroy. We go to unburden Redwater of its stolen property. To us, you see, it is theft, and a thief needs to be punished." "There is gain involved. I won't be disingenuous. We're not planning to scatter our take to mages across the Settled Lands." "What I want to know is, what do you intend to do now that you know this?" * Josh swallows. "We would only capture such devices from those using them against us. That is not theft; it is self-defense. I... Sir, I do not know why I am here, at this place and time. I know that I am just one boy, and could not stop you. I... I cannot tell if I am to help you, or to have my faith here tested. M--" he pauses, and swallows, clearly uncomfortable. "May I have a few minutes, to pray?" "Of course." * Arianna places her hand on Josh's shoulder. "I don't think you're a bad sort. Kinda gives me hope for Redwater here. I kinda came here to do good deeds, among them, helping to set that country straight. I think you'll do well." * Legis clambers up the side of the boat at one point and waits for the pause to go up to Bourne. "'scuse me bossman, but I came across a cave. Need lights and help and stuff..." "Thank you, Sir." He drops the rope he's carrying unceremoniously, and starts for the treeline. He pauses when Arianna puts her hand on his shoulder, and, without turning to face her, says, "Thank you, ma'am." He then continues, settling for distance to be his privacy. Pulling something out of his shirt, he clasps his hands around it, and kneels, bowing his head in prayer. * Bourne steps away and lets Ari tend to her flock. *to Legis* "Sounds like a good possibility. When more of the crew comes back we'll get together some diggers. We'll need kegs full of the stuff." "Excellent. In the meantime, wanna go back to that wine, Legis?" * Josh kneels for some time, at first mouthing words, almost like he's just talking to someone, then finally stilling, just kneeling there quietly with some beads wrapped around his folded hands. * Neil looks to Legis, glaws hands waving a casual greeting when he makes it onto the boar. "Hello." "Hoky, diggers are good. It's fairly close to a stream, so possibly easier to get to there." "Welcome back... as I just told the cap'n, I think we found... er... well, a cave anyway, for that stuff." "Fine, fine, that'll work wonders for blowing things up or what have you I suppose. * J-Rock has joined #highseas * Josh looks up, smiling at the sky for a bit, before rising. He doesn't even brush off his knees, though he slips whatever he was holding back around his neck and under his shirt before walking over, looking quite serene. Well, okay, maybe just a bit excited, too. 'llo * Josh walks up to Bourne. "Sir?" "Yeah, I think there was some sort of plan or vague type of cleverness..." She shrugs. Avast! * Arsenal sets mode: +o J-Rock *to Neil* "I also found one of those tar pits that suggested a sulfur deposit nearby. Left my boots in it, in fact..." He turns to Josh. "Yes, Josh. Have you decided?" ( J-Rock! LTNS!) (Yes yes yo....) * Josh smiles broadly. "I am with you, Sir." "I'll have to get on land and do some first-hanmd surveying myself then, since you couldn't find any on your own." * Arianna smiles a bit. "Anyhow, have it loaded up in my lab, and tell them to be careful." * Neil looks to Josh. (We're on an island a few days' sail from the Black Vault, doing Repair and Resupply stuffles. Is Monika coming out to play? ) "Whose he? You didn't tell me you bought a parrot." "Oh, Neil, I believe you were still in your cabin when we found our stowaway. Neil, meet Josh. Josh, our first mate." * Neil extends a clawed hand to Josh. Ars: good question * Josh 's smile dims a bit, but doesn't vanish. "Hello, Sir. I'm Josh." He takes the proffered hand with only a little bit of hesitation. (I have this little thing called d'huty every six days now) (OOC in the #wet_bar ) His hands thrum with electrical energy, involuntarily giving josh a jolt and cutting off the handshake, his claws scraping josh's palm and making it bleed slightly. * Neil passively snaps his fingers, the blood clearing from underneath his claws. "Sorry." *to Neil* "Well, if you need to survey further, go ahead. I'm going to get a change of boots. Josh can lead you to the pit we found, I'll get some diggers going for the saltpeter at the cave, assuming there's a sufficient bat population." * Josh jerks his hand a way, an in-drawn hiss of breath at the jolt and scratches. "Sorry, Sir." He does seem truly abashed. ^^; O_o "Hey, careful there." "Hey Neil.. you okay? You look like you need a good grooming." "Or a rubdown with cat fur...." * Neil looks to Che. "I shave my head, change my clothes, take a bath, and I need a grooming?" * Josh clasps his hands together and mutters something quietly; the wounds on his hand vanish. "I'm fine. Thank you, though." * Arianna watches Josh curiously. "What did you do there?" "If you're speaking on the changes in my physiology, I apologize. It seems my death and resurrection had opened some latent bloodline traits in me that are just now awakening." "It's... an impressive new physique." "Kinda pokey in places." "Ah, I see. Well, mind the claws then. Might've slit the poor boy's wrists." * Bourne asks with a sudden burst of honest curiosity, "Do the wings work?" * Josh looks to Arianna. "God protects His children. I am sent here, just as you are, ma'am," he answers in a reverent voice. "Yes, actually, they do, sort of." * Che-Cen looks over at Josh. "Did you just mature ten or twenty years, boy?" "Could come in handy. We'll have to keep you out of sight while we're pretending to be a Redwater cargo ship, though." * Josh replies to Che-Cen, "Er, I don't think so. Why?" ^^; "I can still turn into gas." * Josh 's voice is still piping, so that certainly hasn't matured. ;P "Probably pretty out of sight." "Well, this tour of duty is not so much sent as it is a self-imposed one. Though as this is common among my people, perhaps it isn't entirely up to our own free will after all "The way you speak. Sounds like the elders of my home." * Neil raises a hand. "Can't file these off, can't clip my wings." "I learned a new trick though." * J-Rock has quit IRC (Ping timeout ) "Oh. Does it? Sorry." * Che-Cen punches the kid in the shoulder, and grins. "Nothin to appologize over kid!" * Josh stumbles, and chuckles as he rubs his 'wounded' shoulder. "Ow. Okay." ^_^ * Bourne is glad that some sort of accord seems to have been worked out. "Allright people, let's get those materials. We've all got our jobs. Josh, take Neil to the tar pit and look nearby for usable sulfur. Legis, take Arianna and any sailors that have come back to the cave with some kegs and digging tools. Remember, you're digging for the white crystals at the bottom of the... guano. Have fun." * Che-Cen ruffles Josh's hair. "That's the spirit." "Yes, Sir!" He starts to salute Bourne, but the effort is ruined by the hair-ruffling (which leaves Che's hand stained black with grime and something greasy), and the lad disolves into an embarassed giggle. "Heh. Come on, Neil, Sir, it's this way." "...Hey Josh." "Wait a sec." * Che-Cen glances at his hand. "Yeah?" * Che-Cen suddenly gets Josh in a headlock. "Ack! Hey! Lemme go!" *struggles after a moment of surprised stillness* * Legis has quit IRC (Ping timeout ) * Che-Cen drags him off to the side of the ship. "When was the last time you had a *bath*?" "Hey! Come on, this isn't funny! Bourne ordered me to take Neil to the tar pit!" "In a second." * Josh is dragged, squirming all the way. * Che-Cen leans overboard with Josh, making both of them plunge into the water." * Neil taps his staff on the deck impassively. * Arianna shakes her head. "Ulp!" *gasps and tries to hold his breath as he falls in!* * Che-Cen drags Josh to the surface to let him breath. "You okay?" * Josh splashes, and clings to Che's arms tightly. "I can--" he coughs as a wave hits his mouth, "I can't swim!" "Don't worry, I gotcha." * Josh 's face is not exactly cleaner, just now smudged differently. "Quite the stowaway." "Now hold your breath." "And cover your nose." "Gets on a boat and he can't even swim." * Josh 's eyes go wide, and he does as instructed, looking a bit afraid. "Motivation to keep the ship afloat, I suppose." * Che-Cen pushes Josh underwater and gives his face and hair a good scrubbing. * Legis has joined #highseas * Josh struggles, trying to get out of Che's grip. Especially when he's attacking his hair; it seems to hurt. He even tries kicking the bigger man. * Che-Cen swims around him deftly, much more manuverable in the water. * Che-Cen lets him up after a second. "I'm grabbing YOU if we sink, cap'n." * Che-Cen inspects Josh's grime. Josh's face is clean, and his hair has gone from a dirty black to a clean dark brown. * Josh sputters, and tries to catch his breath. He won't look at Che-Cen, though he's holding on for dear life. "Alright, kid, that's good enough." * Che-Cen drags Josh to shore. * Bourne wouldn't say it in front of the crew, but he's really glad it's other people who are going to be digging through the batshit and not him. Perks of command coming in handy for the first time. * Josh finally seems to be breathing right again, and swallows. "...thanks...I think?" He looks nervously at Che-Cen for a bit before calming down, once on land. * Legis watches the spectacle, quietly chuckling. * Neil strides off calmly, following josh * Arianna watches out for everyone's safety. * Josh leads the way to the tar pit! He seems in better spirits, now. ^_^ "No problem." ^_^ * Legis looks to Arianna. "Ah... suppose we have to go get people to dig up... guano?" "What is guano?" "You'll do. Grab a shovel." "Bat shit." "Probably lanterns." "Shit." "Exactly." "So, cabin boy, you know divine magic, do you?" "Sort of. God allows me a small portion of His grace, at times." "Hm. A spontaneous caster of divine blessings?" "Oh no. I have to pray for His guidance in advance, usually. Excepting the small things He would have done, such as the healing of injuries." and... we'll pick up at the cave next game... tis 2:15 here