Lost Journal of the Sea King

[Lughaidh]

​

You awake to the lapping of water against your cheeks; you close your hand only to get a handful of wet sand. Your head aches, your lungs burn, and as you rise you find yourself left for dead on the shores of a beautiful island. A short distance away are several small groves of palm trees and rock outcroppings. All around you are planks of wood, ruined cargo and corpses. You recognize many of the faces as passengers and crew of the Red Valiant, the ship you’ve been on for the past fortnight. Fortunately for you, there are a few other survivors also beginning to find consciousness amongst the wreckage.

 

[Abrahms]

It was difficult to prevent the cough that worked it's way out of his lungs, lungs that felt raw and exhausted, though it took Amadeus a moment to recall what had even happened. Slowly he pushed himself upright, clothing heavy from the water and covered in sand.

He coughed again, mentally calling out for Hestia, unsure if she had managed to survive whatever it was that had happened. Running a hand through his hair and across his face he tried to clear out the sand as best he could while still listening for any sounds of chirping that tended to signal his mischievous familiar. Sitting with his legs outstretched , back towards the sun, he began patting himself down, attempting to check for any wounds or injuries that might not have been overly obvious. For a moment he slightly panicked, thinking his small cloak had been torn off and lost until he found it laying a little distance away from him -- quickly he scrambled to grab it and put it back on, just as he saw a small mound in the sand shift and reveal a similarly exhausted Hestia.

On his knees, slowly, he moved towards Hestia, helping shift the sand off of her small form, taking care to not injure her delicate wings, nor get sand in her petite snout. She chirped weakly as he worked until he got her loose and placed her on his shoulders, her claws hooking into the leathers he wore, and her head nestled next to his neck. Amadeus gave a small smile as he gently rubbed her neck and began looking across the beach once again.

"I found one of my ladies ... now where's the other?" he murmured as he began to stand, trying to find his beloved crossbow, Nemesis. As he searched, his right hand went absentmindedly to the small holy symbol he wore as a necklace -- a small crystal in the shape of a sword -- fiddling with it as he started to walk the beach, slowly gathering most of his equipment he had brought along with him for the journey.

Finally he found his crossbow, thankfully not too damaged, though he knew he'd have to do maintenance on Nemesis before he could feel comfortable attempting to fire her on anything. By this point, while he was still damp, at least the top layer of his vestments had begun to dry, and as he reaffixed his quiver to his hip and Nemesis across his shoulders, he looked further down the shore and noticed a few others that seemed to be stirring.

He gave Hestia's head a gentle pet as he spoke, "Well ... shall we see who made it? Seems I might have some work to do in many ways..."

 

[Varis Delta]

Sleep was not a familiar sensation to an elf, being a race that could achieve the same effect through meditation. So when Leothyc awoke, his face in the sand and waves lapping at his heels, it was obvious that something had gone awry. Rising cautiously, the sight of broken ship-pieces and cargo, along with the multitude of bodies confirms the fact.

With heavy, air-denied breaths, he quickly scans his surroundings. A cursory examination merely informs him that he is currently on an island beach, and that the bodies around him either drowned or died then suffered water damage. An inspection of his own personage reveals his travelling bag at his side, still damp but its contents kept safe with a protective lining. 'A mage must always be prepared indeed.' he thinks. His memory was still fuzzy, thus he could not recall what exactly caused this disaster, nor why his belongings are with him when they should have been set aside in his cabin.

All his belongings but one, his staff. 'Pity, it was an excellent focus. Alas, it may well be at the bottom of this cruel ocean.' were his thoughts, until the glint of metal in a particularly familiar shape catches his eye. 'The odds of that... Never mind, best not question my luck' The staff, a combined metal and wood creation of the elves, is an artifact he would prefer not to lose.

Retrieving the staff, his mind moves on to the next step in his plan. Safety and sanitation, or at least moving out of this godsforsaken sun giving him a throbbing headache. Spotting the nearest tree, a leafy palm, he trudges over and sits himself down against the trunk. Looking down to the sand clutching to his still-damp tunic, he glares at the grains, as if the force of his irritation would force them off. It did not, so instead a flowing motion of his fingers and a muttered "Purgare" would do.

And so, he sits. Cleaning himself, mending any tears in his clothing, and waiting for something to happen. What, he was not sure.

 

[DevilishEgg]

Consciousness flitted back to Serres but she kept her eyes closed. She rolled over trying to get more comfortable and tried to go back to sleep. This wasn’t her first time sleeping on the uncomfortable ground and she was still exhausted from yesterday. It was her first sea storm after all.

Wait, what?

She smacked her lips together, her mouth felt almost unbearably dry. Her mind started to catch up with the hazy memory. She remembered a vicious storm. She remembered seeing Ian, the poor cook, whipped off of the ship by a sudden gale of wind. She had tried to grab his hand as he was thrown overboard but the last thing she remembered was a big, dark structure swinging towards her face.

The painful throbbing in her head finally made sense. Grabbing a handful of sand - sand! - she shot up from where she had been lying down and looked around her.

She saw a dwarf face down nearby and rushed towards him trying to shake him awake but the unfocused eyes refused to blink. She ran from man, to woman, to child trying in vain to get any response from any of them, any glimmer that she wasn’t the only survivor from this shipwreck stranded who knew were.

“Captain!” She couldn’t miss the black velvet coat of the half-orc female anywhere. Seeing the mighty captain reduced to a corpse on a nameless land the reality of the matter hit her like a warhammer to the chest. She sat there and finally broke down.

Wiping her nose, she noticed something dark rustling in the gentle wind and went to inspect it She saw it was the captain’s hat. She picked it up and brushed away the sand before placing it gently below the captain’s stiff arm. She closed the half-orc’s eyes out of respect. “Thank you for your service, Captain Luga Blackwater. I hope you are sailing in calmer seas now.”

When she felt that her tongue had become as dry as sandpaper and she couldn’t handle the thirst any longer she started looking around and trying to formulate an immediate plan of action.

 

[PopsPaladin]

"Ah, Vesper, old girl! You'll not mind givin' my regards to the winds, will ye? The watch is grateful whenever you spy out for us. Your Marcus will see if he can hold fast to an extra tot for you tonight." A flashing grin in that famililar tanned face.

Marcus Jaeger, 33, foretopman. Deceased.

"Now, that spar..." Rasping of whiskers as they're stroked in thought. "She's nae long for it if the Captain cracks on so. We're heelin' bad. Still..."

"Sir, the lashing's sound. I can have the boys jig up something else if you'd like." A young voice, earnest but confident.

Hemmet Nilward Mornbrew II, 210, carpenter. Deceased.

Morvu Trisk, 17, carpenter's mate. Deceased.

Vesper trilled softly to herself. After coming to and spotting two or three figures wandering about the beach further down from her, she had immediately begun checking for signs of life among the bodies nearby. Her efforts were clumsy, hampered as she was by fatigue and pain, and she kept stopping to vomit up seawater. Everyone she had examined so far was dead. Dead shipmates, dead passengers.

She collapsed in the sand, blinking away hot tears. T'chka, lyreeki nok! O Wind-Mother... save them. Grant their spirits swiftness as they fly to you. Were the old prayers suitable for these earthbound beings? Humans, dwarves... Vesper didn't know. Number them among the just. Grant them peace in the afterlife and joy as they, eh, soar endlessly with your messengers and the righteous dead, until all creation is renewed once more.

Vesper took a moment to smooth away some of the raggedness in her feathers and to still her quivering inner energy, though the intensity of her circumstances kept the small feathers of her head roused. She glanced about. The air was warm, even hot. Shaggy palm trees crowded together comfortably just past some intriguing rocky protrusions close by. Wind ruffled the hair of Morvu's body and a lone scrap of colorful cloth fluttered heavily from where it was stuck on a jagged splinter of deck, but otherwise the beach was remarkably quiet. Vesper peered out into the waves: she saw nothing other than some floating wreckage and bright sunlight glittering off the crests of the water.

Beak agape in the growing heat, Vesper struggled to her feet. She retrieved the colorful cloth – a signal flag from the Valiant – and began walking toward the other survivors. Her talons slipped in the hot sand, not finding any purchase, so her progress was slow.

Water, we will need, she thought. Pah! Sheltering too. Gather us wood, search this land. The dead enclose in earth-clay.

Her eyes grew bright, pupils contracting as she stomped along. She felt determination welling up inside her, enveloping the sorrow within and caring for it while watering her spirit with fresh hope and strength. The glare of her gaze was fierce as she experienced this renewal; and thus it was that Vesper-Song, Sh'kikree of the White Cloud, sole known surviving crewmember of the noble Red Valiant, approached the other survivors.

They will need my strength. Yes, and I will need theirs.

---

Vesper clacks her beak and calls out. "T'chka! Hoy, friends. Have you found any living? Come, let us gather together."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres turned around to face the voice and saw the welcome sight of the Aarakocra, Vesper.

"You sure are a sight for sore eyes!" She grinned widely now, the situation had just turned more hopeful. "I had almost despaired from finding any others. I have only been awake a short while though so maybe you have had more luck finding the rest."

The burning ache in her throat flared up. "We need to find a source of clean water and soon." She said in a raspy voice. "I have a water skin that should tide us over in the short term if it wasn't damaged." She started looking along the coast for her pack.

 

[Abrahms]

As Amadeus crossed the beach, it was hard to make any distance before coming across another waterlogged corpse. It made his travel slow -- not because of trying to find a route around them, but because at each one he made an attempt to clean them slightly, placing them in a more appropriate resting position, and asking Kelemvor to weigh them fairly for their lives, and keep their bodies from being abused by undeath.

The motions tired him, and occasionally Hestia decided to stretch her wings as her 2-legged pet went about muttering things under his breath, but it helped keep his mind busy and occupied before the full scale of everything came crashing down on him -- just like the waves the night before. The sun beat down on him, making him sweat under his leathers and vestments -- though thankfully unlike other priests and clerics, his faith favored lighter colors.

Eventually after finishing another small rite, he overheard some conversation -- though at first he mistook it for Hestia chattering at him once more if she thought he took too long. Slowly standing, he motioned for Hestia to return to him as he looked over to see a few others that seemed to be in better shape than those he had found so far. He squinted in the light, trying to ignore the headache that kept creeping up every now and then, and saw what looked to be one of the crewmembers, a small bird-like creature, and one he assumed was a fellow passenger.

Making sure his small cloak was fastened, and Nemesis at his side, he worked his way across the beach to approach them, noticing here and there it seemed some others had also attempted funeral rites or at least some level of respect for the deceased.

Catching the tail-end of conversation, he gave a small wave, attempting to catch their attention. "Hello? Are you also survivors from the Red Valiant? I don't suppose you've spotted anyone else yet, no?"

Reaching up to his shoulder he stroked Hestia along her neck as she gave a soft rumble that was her equivalent of a purr. "Honestly, I didn't care for ships before, and now, even less so. I think ... I think I saw you both on the ship, but maybe never had a formal introduction." Bowing slightly, he motioned to himself, "The name's Amadeus," moving his hand towards Hestia, "this is Hestia, and last but not least," he continued, gesturing towards the crossbow on his shoulder, "this is Nemesis."

 

[DevilishEgg]

"It is wonderful to see another survivor!" She found herself curtsying out of habit. "I am Serres, I was one of guards hired on the Red Valiant. As for finding other survivors, I am afraid to say that we might be all that's left." Her face fell somber, the hope extinguished from her eyes and she looked at the outstretched body of the captain. The waves were starting to lap the half-orcs's feet by that point.

"I think we should move the bodies out of the way of the tide so we can at least give them a proper burial. Since we seem to be the only survivors, getting word out to their next of kin will probably be our duty. It is the least thing that we can do for those poor souls now."

She grabbed the captain's body and had started to drag her when she noticed something leathery, green and very familiar half buried under the body. "My pack! I thought I had lost it!"

She flung the bag open and found her water skin. Grabbing it, she checked to see how much water was left. "Damn, it is emptier than I remembered. I think there is just enough for the three of us to drink for now but we need to make finding drinking water a priority." She took a short gulp which did little to soothe her burning throat and passed the water skin on to the Aarakocra.

 

[PopsPaladin]

Serres turned around to face the voice and saw the welcome sight of the Aarakocra, Vesper.

"You sure are a sight for sore eyes!" She grinned widely now, the situation had just turned more hopeful. [...] "We need to find a source of clean water and soon."

After Serres' cheerful greeting, Vesper smiles back as best as she is physically able and bows her head. "Thank you for your smile, miss," she replies. "Water, yes." She tilts her head slightly and flares her pupils at Serres. "But shade first. Now, what is your hurt? Sore eyes, you are saying?"

"Hello? Are you also survivors from the Red Valiant? I don't suppose you've spotted anyone else yet, no?" [...] "I think I saw you both on the ship, but maybe never had a formal introduction." Bowing slightly, he motioned to himself, "The name's Amadeus," moving his hand towards Hestia, "this is Hestia, and last but not least," he continued, gesturing towards the crossbow on his shoulder, "this is Nemesis."

Vesper examines Amadeus and Hestia quietly while Serres responds to the friendly overture.

How extraordinary are his manners, she muses. These two people, I think, are strong of spirit to be so easy in their speech. This is most well.

"It is wonderful to see another survivor!" She found herself curtsying out of habit. "I am Serres, I was one of guards hired on the Red Valiant." [...] "I think we should move the bodies out of the way of the tide so we can at least give them a proper burial."

Vesper's feathers fluff and she shakes herself quickly, a sigh-like gesture.

"Yes. Thank you, it is good to honor the dead. Left here they must not be, qra'vsk-vsk!"

After gratefully accepting a small sip of water – how good it felt in her throat! – Vesper helps carry the bodies of their fallen shipmates further up the beach. It is difficult but necessary work, and she talks very little during it, finding herself nearly overwhelmed again – this time accompanied by a feeling of gratitude for the presence of Serres and Amadeus that verges, strangely, on shame.

Once done, she scans the immediate area for any other signs of life, searching particularly at this point for useful cargo.

 

[Lughaidh]

The work of pulling the bodies further up the beach is indeed difficult. The sand is hot and difficult to tread through. As your shadows grow short and the sun rises in the sky the heat continues to be uncomfortable. If not for the strong seabreeze, the work not would not have been completed. Together your small group manages to pull over a dozen dead bodies away from the water.

During your work you see a few crates amongst the wreckage. When you take time to inspect them, you find the boxes filled with linen soaked through with seawater. You surmise this is what is left from a shipment the Red Valiant had been carrying in addition to its passengers. The rest of the beach is littered with planks of wood.

Looking out into the ocean you notice strong tidal waves that are unusually violent and a jagged reef further out that goes in either direction parallel to the horizon. It would prove difficult for any ship to reach this island. There also doesn’t appear to be any other islands in the horizon. Gazing down along the beach in either direction, Amadeus and Vesper can gauge that the island must be about a quarter of a mile wide. Strange as it is, you think for a moment that you see a figure standing over a body on the shore in the distance.

It is when the work with the bodies is finally done, around Noon, that Amadeus and Vesper notice someone sitting down against a palm tree further into the island. It’s difficult to know at this distance, but they do seem fairly familiar... is it the figure from before? Fair skinned with honey colored hair; a staff set down beside them. You can't be sure if it is the same person.

 

[Varis Delta]

Leothyc had noticed the other survivors of course. He simply had far better things to do than participate in a meet-and-greet, also the fact that the one with the holy aura was with them.

And so, clean and orderly once more, and having confirmed the safety of his belongings, he had turned his attention to the bodies on the beach. 'It would be such a waste to leave such lovely specimens behind.' he mused. ' And a wonderful opportunity to examine the effects of reanimation against water damage.'

While he would have preferred to examine his options in detail and select the best candidate to be his guard/minion, the other survivors' inane decision to grant the unfortunate carcasses a burial, it seemed like, forced him to accelerate his plan to pilfer one. He did not work well rushed, and he was sure he was spotted at some point, but finally he had found a remotely suitable corpse, a dwarf by the looks of it, and dragged it into the treeline so as not to be seen while he worked.

He quite liked this part, it was soothing. Setting aside Mort, his constant companion and conversation partner, he looks to it with a bemused smile yet cold eyes. "And what shall we name this one, Mort? Hm, Specimen 1372? Lovely." he says to the skull, pausing between questions as if the skull was replying, though there was none to be heard. Thus, he set about his work. Realigning bones, stitching holes where he could, and preparing the cadaver for the honorable task of being his servant and guard. "If the situation was not as it is, I could well have taken the time to be perfect. Alas, this will have to do." he remarks to the skull, before grabbing his staff. Moving the staff over the corpse, he intones, "Surge ex gravis et pareo. Servus meus es tu" as greenish energy, flexing with unholy light, flows into the body.

There is long pause, where Leothyc, the skull, and the body all stay motionless, when the corpse's eyes fly open and gurgling groan is emitted. 'Right, salt water in the lungs.' thinks the necromancer, for a necromancer was he, as the zombie lurches upright, spine bending in ways a mortal spine should not.

Leothyc straightens, glaring at the zombie, "You are Specimen 1372. You will obey my words and my words alone. You're task is to guard me. Understood?" he declares. The zombie, now Specimen 1372, merely stares blankly, green glow in its blank eyes. "Right. Follow and stay hidden."

The pair make their way back to the palm tree Leothyc first sat by, 1372 being constantly fussed to stop walking into trees. He would be needing comrades to survive, temporary as prayed this locale would be on his journey. Posting 1372 hidden behind the tree, he sits down and retrieves his spell book, planning to go through his reportorial until engaged. He hoped they would not too judgmental of his occupation, though he knew such a hope was foolish.

And it is in this state that the other survivors would find him.

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres dropped in exhaustion onto the warm sun and lay under the hot, sticky sun. “I just...need a...minute.” She sat up, panting, with her hand raised palm up.

She looked up at the sky and tried to tell the time with the raised hand shielding her from the sun. It was still noon and they still had to move the rest of the bodies. The water skin was long dry now but it served its purpose. The burning in the back of her throat was more manageable now.

“So much linen. What use is linen for us now!” She dropped on her back again and looked up at her companions for the day. It was her duty to guard them but it looked like the island was relatively safe and peaceful so did she really need to keep her guard up. “Maybe we should rest for a bit. Catch our...breath and then get to work.” She hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary anyway, what more could go wrong?

She fell asleep, snoring, as soon as her head hit her pack.

 

[Abrahms]

Amadeus felt at least some level of relief that the other two survivors he had found also desired to treat the dead with respect. Though he had not interacted much with the other passengers, or even crew for that matter, he noticed a few times that the others seemed to recognize the bodies as they worked.

He kept quiet for the most part as they went, he had been part of many funerals and rites while he had been at the Temple, and sometimes silence was the best way to help those that were grieving. However while he was quietly helping the small bird-person and the woman who introduced herself as Serres, Hestia had grown bored and decided to explore -- stretching her wings as she darted around, crawling over crates, pouncing on small bits of cloth that blew in the wind, or attempting to climb some of the trees near the shore. Amadeus let her be, it was easier to have her out of the way while they worked, though he made sure she stayed closeby just incase something thought she'd make a tasty snack.

When they finally finished, at least for now, as Amadeus thought back to the other bodies he had dealt with further down the beach -- some potentially taken by the tide at this point -- he stretched, knowing already by tomorrow he was going to be sore. Reaching up, he messed with his necklace again, investigating the various crates nearby, using a broken plank to try and pry them open ... only to find linens, soaked and heavy with water.

“So much linen. What use is linen for us now!”

Amadeus rubbed the back of his neck as he looked in the crate at the linen while Hestia crawled over the sides of the crate, sniffing every so often at the saltwater smell in the sun. "Well ... if we get it to dry out, we can make some small tents maybe? We could ... use it for bandages at the very least ..." He leaned on the crate and watched as Hestia started digging into the linens. He smiled a little as he watched her play, before mentally commanding her to crawl back onto his shoulder for now. She gave a small chirp as she left the linens, moving up his arm and wrapping herself around his neck, her long tail with its stinger draped across his chest.

Shielding his eyes as he looked up and down the beach, he got the feeling the island wasn't that large, at least on this side, but what caught his eye more were the waves and what little of the reef he could see through the water. Rubbing Hestia's neck he muttered, "You know ... those almost look like defenses to me, if I'm honest..." Hestia merely purred in reply. Looking back down the shore, Amadeus noticed again a figure he thought he had seen earlier, another survivor? He half wondered why they hadn't approached yet -- the trio hadn't exactly been stealthy about moving the bodies, and it had taken them a fair amount of time to do so.

Glancing back at the other two, he motioned towards the figure in the distance. He began speaking just as he saw Serres decide to take a nap. "Hey, I think -- oh. I guess she's resting for a little while then." Moving back closer towards the pair, and speaking to the small bird-person, "I think I see another survivor. Not sure why they didn't approach yet, maybe they think we're ... natives or something? Either way, we should probably stick together -- I'm gonna see if I can bring them over here, and maybe they found some supplies too?"

As he turned to go, he gestured towards Serres, "Keep an eye on her yeah? She seems to be wearing herself out pretty quickly."

Making his way across the beach he worked towards approaching the figure who seemed to be sitting by himself under a tree, reading casually.

 

[Varis Delta]

Leothyc looks up at the approaching being and frowns, 'It's the one with the aura.' He had hoped it would be someone more receptive to his profession, so he may persuade them that mutual survival outweighed personal morals. But the ridiculously goatee'd man whom Leothyc suspected was a paladin, though the creature he had with him was rather odd for a holy knight, would take no quarter when it came to undead. Nonetheless, he would persevere.

"Ah, greetings." he calls out, snapping his spellbook shut and putting it back inside his bag. "I was starting to wonder if you perhaps thought I was an illusion of the heat. No matter, I'm sure you have questions." He rises from the ground, picking up his staff and motioning the man over. "Let's see. Yes, I am a fellow passenger from the ship. No, I am not responsible for what happened, and my own memory is uncooperative on recalling the events. And finally, I have my own reasons for not joining your soirée on the sand. One of which is this blasted sun." he says, with a smile fixed upon his face that does not seem to reach his eyes, which are instead staring calculatingly.

He holds out one hand, other cradling his staff in the crook of him arm like a fancy cane. "Leothyc Sylwen. A pleasure to meet you, I'm sure. Though circumstances could be better. Tell me, what are your feelings towards undead?"

 

[Abrahms]

Working his way across the beach, Amadeus could feel the heat starting to bother him, though the ocassional breeze did help somewhat. He glanced out across the water a few times, musing that if circumstances were nicer, it was actually a very nice view.

As he finally got closer to the other figure he recognized them as being one of the passengers he had overheard a few times -- the one that acted like everyone was below them. The figure began speaking, a short concise conversation, which Amadeus listened to slightly amused, as he readjusted Nemesis on his shoulder.

When the person reached out a hand, introducing themselves as Leothyc, Amadeus began to stretch a hand out as well, until the figure ended his statement with a question on the undead. Amadeus pulled his hand back a little, looking at Leothyc with a questioning expression.

"Ah... well. Leothyc .. Sill-wen, was it? That's an interesting question to just spring on someone. Maybe you don't recognize it, but I do bear the symbol of Kelemvor, so I'm not entirely fond of the idea of a person's corpse being used like a puppet."

After a moment of looking him over, Amadeus grabbed Leothyc's oustretched hand, attempting to pull him a little closer, trying to make Leothyc look him in the eyes. "Tell me, why do you ask?"

 

[Varis Delta]

Drat, he could have worded that better. Now the man was suspicious. Time to employ the utmost caution and charisma.

Putting up a calming gesture with his hands, Leothyc explains, "Nothing of concern. I was merely gauging your faith. On an island such as this, far from civilized life, evil undead formed of those dead at sea may well be common." Unfortunately, 1372 chose this exact moment to cease function of its feet, and topples from its hiding spot behind the tree and into plain sight.

There is a pause. "Well, that one's mine."

 

[DevilishEgg]

For the second time that day Serres found herself lying on the sandy ground. She coughed up a handful of sand that had sneaked into her open mouth. Her head throbbed to the twin melodies of a recent lump and the high noon sun. "Neeh...wa...er. Ouch." She held her face between her hands struggling to form a coherent sentence. "What..." She tilted her head at the figure standing watch near her. Wasn't this bird unusually tall? "Oh, you are Mr...Mr Veslil, wait no, Mrs Vesper, right?"

Her stomach turned and rolled till she couldn't focus on anything else except the nausea and pain that threatened to overwhelm her senses. All she could make out from the mess that her mind had become was thirst. Acute, overpowering, keen thirst. "Water! I need water!" She struggled to open the straps her pack and reach the water skin within, her fingers were so unresponsive.

 

[PopsPaladin]

Serres dropped in exhaustion onto the warm sand and lay under the hot, sticky sun. “I just...need a...minute.”
[...]She fell asleep, snoring, as soon as her head hit her pack.

As he turned to go, he gestured towards Serres, "Keep an eye on her yeah? She seems to be wearing herself out pretty quickly."

Vesper nodded. The weary elf definitely needed a bit of looking after, and Vesper appreciated that Amadeus seemed able to notice that and delegate with quiet, confident authority.

As Amadeus walked away to greet the other soul, golden Hestia on his shoulder, Vesper bowed her head. What a weary morning. She still hadn't processed it all; her heart shied away from thinking about the storm, the wreck. Oh bright mothers... oh fierce fathers... It was horrible. What else could they have done? Beating up in response to the storm, even to the point of veering so far off course – it was by the book. The captain did all that she could, and the hands had responded admirably.

Vesper tied her signal flag to her spear and thrust it into the ground near her pack, a few feet from where Serres had flopped down. Serres...

The elf stirred with a slight moan, and Vesper turned her attention back to her. It was possibly foolish that they had expended such effort in moving and burying the dead so soon after waking, not that Vesper felt there was much of an alternative – right was right. Still, young Serres needed to get out of the heat.

Glancing about and seeing nothing but Amadeus still approaching the other survivor, Vesper began unbuckling her harness. Her wings were sore, and it felt good to unbind them. She removed her memento of Yrkreesh, reverently setting it aside on the ground – his beautiful black feathers were a bit bedraggled from the sea, but otherwise intact.

"Lie still, sweet one," Vesper murmured to Serres. Stretching out her left wing over her for shade (and leaving the right stump to droop at her side), Vesper began chittering a lullabye, soothingly, quietly, in her native tongue:

"Low the sun, high the nest;
Rest your head under my breast.
Naught to fear, mother is near.
Sleep in peace, rest with love..."

---

Trusting that the shade of her one good wing will help, Vesper ponders their situation. They would need shelter before long, clearly, and fresh water. There was enough in the waterskins to stave off death from thirst for – two days, at most? There was surely rain water in the crowns of the palms, if nothing else, but necessity might give way to folly: they would have to be cautious as they broached the interior lest any beasts or hostile creatures be drawn to them.

For the second time that day Serres found herself lying on the sandy ground. She coughed up a handful of sand that had sneaked into her open mouth. Her head throbbed to the twin melodies of a recent lump and the high noon sun. "Neeh...wa...er. Ouch." She held her face between her hands struggling to form a coherent sentence. "What..." She tilted her head at the figure standing watch near her. Wasn't this bird unusually tall? "Oh, you are Mr...Mr Veslil, wait no, Mrs Vesper, right?" [...] "Water! I need water!" She struggled to open the straps her pack and reach the water skin within, her fingers were so unresponsive.

Startled, Vesper recovers from her brooding and stares down at Serres, sudden concern flooding her.

"Ah! Hush, hush. Good you are. Vesper is here, just Vesper. Here's some water. Gently, girl; gently."

Cupping a hand behind Serres' head, Vesper attempts to help her sit up and sip from her own full waterskin. If she is able to drink and seems to have the strength, Vesper intends to support her – walking if she can, but carried if she must be – the last few yards up the beach into the shade of the first few trees. She thinks of the linen and wishes she had had the foresight to roll out the cloth to dry... maybe soon.

 

[Abrahms]

Out the corner of his eye, Amadeus saw a form shuffle forward -- at first he thought maybe it was another survivor, one that was a bit worse for wear, until Amadeus noted the glazed over, unblinking eyes, as the figure promptly faceplanted into the ground.

There is a pause. "Well, that one's mine."

Hestia hissed from her perch on Amadeus as he quickly reached and drew Nemesis, aiming towards Leothyc's chest. "And you have an undead thrall because...?"

Leothyc lazily put his hands up in a gesture of surrender as he shifted his weight, still keeping his staff in one hand, "I happen to be a scholar of the arcane arts, those pertaining to life and death in particular."

From the ground came a low groan as Leothyc rolled his eyes, continuing, "I suppose the layman's term for that is 'necromancer', though I assure you I have little in common with those megalomaniac cretins."

Amadeus kept his aim towards Leothyc as he reached with one hand towards his holy symbol, rubbing his fingers on the crystal sword. "I've heard that claim quite a few times. Usually tends to end the same, however." Hestia gave another hiss towards Leothyc before gliding off Amadeus' shoulder down to the ground by the thrall as Amadeus asked, "What makes you so different?"

As he lowered his hands, Leothyc gave Amadeus a smug look, responding, "I would show you my research, but I have doubts you would be capable of comprehending any of it."

A frown crossed Amadeus' face as he brought both hands back to aiming Nemesis, "I don't need to comprehend it -- I just need to know the mess it typically leaves in its wake."

The high elf sighed, "This is why I am loathed to reveal my profession. The actions of my less than intelligent..." he waved a hand in the air as he searched for the right phrase, "'colleagues' for lack of a better word, leave me with such a repulsive reputation."

By this point Hestia was busy investigating the corpse, giving Amadeus faint messages, mostly consisting of, "Stinky ... rotting ... squishy," and so on. Amadeus glanced down every so often during the conversation towards the corpse, trying to keep an eye on it in case it suddenly moved again, though currently it seemed to be enjoying the dirt.

Leothyc began again, "I shall repeat myself. I am a researcher. I am not seeking power," under his breath he added, "though that would be a nice bonus." Continuing, "I do not desire conquest or destruction. I merely seek the secrets of life and death so that one day, immortality could be achieved for all." He gave Amadeus a sidelong glance, "Or does that fall under the church's purview of heresy as well?"

Amadeus closed his eyes for a moment as the sneaky headache suddenly rose to a crescendo at the front of his mind. "It's ... it's not that simple." He opened his eyes again, lowering Nemesis for the moment. "Everyone always says immortality for all, but no one considers what that actually means. For some, death is release from the pain of this world, an ease to their suffering." Motioning towards the corpse with Nemesis, "I seriously hope as well you don't intend to claim that is immortality. That's disrespect to the soul that used to live within that form. Would you approve of your form being reduced to that?"

Looking down he heard another gurgling groan as he caught sight of Hestia giving the corpse a tentative nibble. "Hestia, no!" He sighed, bringing a hand to his head, "Please don't eat the corpse..."

 

[Lughaidh]

Moving slowly in rhythm with the waves, waiting patiently for the right moment... NOW!

It all happens in a flash. The huge leathery mass erupts from the water and flies at an incredible speed towards Vesper and Serres. Now illuminated by the sun you see a crocodile of giant proportions open up its maw to snap down on your avian friend and lift her off the ground. Riding on top of the scaley monstrous beast are two humanoid figures with similar rough greenish hide wielding javelins which they quickly loose. Fortunately for Serres they miss their mark, one drives itself deep into the sand next to her... the other into the tree trunk above. The scaled men move quickly and start their descent from their fearsome mount.

Spoiler

 

[Varis Delta]

Motioning towards the corpse with Nemesis, "I seriously hope as well you don't intend to claim that is immortality. That's disrespect to the soul that used to live within that form. Would you approve of your form being reduced to that?"

Choosing to stay silent rather than argue morality with a holy man, Leothyc huffs at the mention of 1372. "It is a work in progress, one that took centuries of work to achieve. And if I was to be chosen to further the advance of science, then so be it. 'Tis not something you would understand I suppose, when the limit of your understanding is what your gods choose to reveal to you." He smirks, adding, "If they do not twist the truth, that is."

Looking down he heard another gurgling groan as he caught sight of Hestia giving the corpse a tentative nibble. "Hestia, no!" He sighed, bringing a hand to his head, "Please don't eat the corpse..."

"I would recommend withdrawing your pet from 1372, I am not yet entirely familiar about the consequences of consuming the flesh of reanimated corpse." Leothyc remarks in an off-hand manner.

As 1372 gurgles once more and attempts to get up, Leothyc is reminded about the sun. Turning to Amadeus once more, he sighs and says, "Look, I would love argue morality at a later time, however at this moment survival is a larger concern. We must find or create our own shelter come nightfall, along with procuring supplies to survive. We can either be enemies, or we can put this squabble aside and agree on a temporary truce to survive. What say you?"

---

What could have been an uneasy truce is pushed aside as what appears to be a giant crocodile attacks with two lizardmen in tow. While the survivor's had expected trouble, the attack was still wholly unexpected. As Leothyc and Amadeus react their newly-acquired companions have already been attacked. "Too late, our period of grace is up." Leothyc declares with finality, mentally commanding 1372 to get up and tightening his own grip on his staff.

 

[PopsPaladin]

"Graah!" Disorientation as she is wrenched into the air. Crushing pressure around her middle. Fear. Pain.

Wriggling in the crocodile's huge jaws, head and left wing a-dangle from the monster's mouth, Vesper is trapped at the waist. She desperately reaches inward for calm energy, but the sudden terror of the situation overcomes her efforts to escape.

"Se-Serres! Autta, pelkokeer, oh, zhatutt'osh. Help! No... run!"

Spoiler

Vesper attempts to escape the grapple with an Acrobatics check of 9. If she succeeds, she will ki-disengage to the nearest weapon – either her spear or one of the thrown javelins. If unsuccessful – she'll try again next round!

 

[Varis Delta]

Mentally commanding 1372 to advance and hinder the giant beast, Leothyc holds his staff out towards the lizards, other hand making complex motions around it. "Tela manu," he intones, moving hand gaining a pale purple glow. "Unum, duo, tres, quattuor." With each word of power, a glowing purple dart of arcane energy manifests and orbits around the staff, stopping at four and bathing Leothyc in their emanated glow. With his final word, "Ferrire!" they launch.

The darts zoom past 1372, who is charging towards its target with a shuffling, gurgling zeal. The darts speed through the air, shifting and changing directions in the air with no regard for momentum, nearer the lizards before splitting off. Two darts zig and zag past the foremost lizardman's guard, impacting its torso with precision, while the other two twist past and sneak under the beast to strike at its softer underbelly. Once they have struck their targets, the darts remain only for a few seconds before dissipating.

'The Academy provided me useful spells and an acceptable base, if nothing else' Leothyc smiles grimly.

Spoiler: Magic Missile

Magic Missile cast at 2nd level (1 level higher, one additional dart). Damage rolled is 5, 5, 4, 4, splitting the damage evenly between the beast and the lizardman nearest to Leo with 9 force damage for each.

Meanwhile 1372 takes the dash action to rush the croc (40 total feet movement).

 

[DevilishEgg]

"Se-Serres! Autta, pelkokeer, oh, zhatutt'osh. Help! No... run!"

"Run!"

The aarakcora started to fly overhead. Serres wished she had the ability to fly like that. Wings would have made it easier running away from home at least.

Run?

She didn't feel like running at the moment though. Her head ached and everything felt too disorientating.

"Serres!"

The crocodile with its riders came into sudden, sharp focus. The beast was flinging around what seemed like a ragged doll. Vesper!

She shot up standing, adrenaline pumping like bolts of energy throughout her being. She had already failed in her duty to protect the rest of the Red Valiant. She would NOT be failing this one too.

She drew out Herz and Stolz from their scabbards at her side and with a practiced swoop she pierced the soft underbelly of the beast. She tried to take a slice at his jaws to make it drop Vesper with her second attack. With her third and final attack she aimed for its lashing tail.

"Let go of her or you will swiftly die!" That creature had chosen the wrong day to pick on her friends.

Spoiler: Attacks

1st Attack (crit) - 25 to hit [11 damage]
2nd Attack - 11
3rd Attack - 17 [10 damage]

21 Total Damage to the crocodile

 

[Abrahms]

'Tis not something you would understand I suppose, when the limit of your understanding is what your gods choose to reveal to you." He smirks, adding, "If they do not twist the truth, that is."

Once again Amadeus raised a hand to his forehead as the headache rose to another surge of pain, though he was trying to ignore it at the moment. This Leothyc was clearly going to lead to an intense discussion at some point, be it an actual conversation, or one in his dreams. Before he could respond though, he heard a screech from behind him as Leothyc declared,

"Too late, our period of grace is up."

Hestia quickly climbed back to Amadeus' shoulder as the thrall on the ground slowly stood up, then proceeded to charge as fast as its uncoordinated form could manage towards the chaos that was now visible on the other side of the beach -- back where he had left the small bird-person and Serres as she napped.

Glancing back at Leothyc as he heard muttering, four small purple darts zoomed past him, dancing through the air and impacting the forms further down the beach -- following the darts through the air he noticed the larger creature seemed to have something in its mouth ... something that seemed to be leaving feathers in its wake as it was tossed and jostled in the creature's mouth.

Amadeus gave a frustrated sigh as he shouldered Nemesis and began running down the beach, looking back at Leothyc, informing him, "This conversation isn't over just yet!" As he ran, Nemesis bumping into his shoulder and Hestia digging into his leathers with her claws to hold on, he reached with one hand to the crystal sword necklace he wore, squeezed it tightly before letting go, and aimed a hand at the large reptilian creature. As he motioned with his hand and snapped his fingers, two feather-like darts shot across the air -- similar almost to what Leothyc had created -- and struck into the side of the creature. At first there was no reaction until half a moment later the creature's form rippled and deformed like it had been punched by some unseen force.

Unfortunately the beast wasn't down, but as he ran Amadeus could still see small talons kicking and struggling from the creature's maw, and this time, reached forward with an open hand, creating a small shaft of light that snaked through the air and flowed into what little of the person Amadeus could actually see. Trailing behind the thrall that seemed to be referred to as "1372", Amadeus muttered under his breath, "I could always 'miss' and just get rid of that at the same time ..."

Spoiler: Amadeus Combat Info

Eldritch Blast -- 2 bolts
25 & 20 to hit the large crocodile creature
Damage: 11 + 9 = 20 force dmg total

Moved 30ft (to position P14)
Hestia moved with Amadeus (on him currently)

Bonus action: Healing light
2d6 -> totaled 7
Healed Vesper