Lost Journal of the Sea King

[Abrahms]

Hestia shifted her telepathic bond once more to Longclaw after enjoying the chin rub. "Bird want you live. Show fishkind? Teach of fishkind? Want find."

As she finished the message while the bird-person and the scrawny-person who smelled like death were busy talking amongst themselves, her eyes caught sight of movement from the ropes that held Longclaw.

Quickly, on all fours, he began to dart off down the beach, with Hestia launching herself off Vesper's shoulders and in close pursuit. Still with her telepathic connection tied to Longclaw, both vocally and mentally she screeched at him, "I dragon! No escape!" as she brought around her tail, sinking the stinger right into Longclaw's bare back, and he tumbled along the ground from his momentum before once again being knocked out.

Landing on his form she looked back towards the bird-person and scrawny-person, shifting the bond again towards Vesper: "Tie better! Good I here, do all work, yes." She flicked her small tongue towards the pair before returning her mental bond to Amadeus for the moment.

"Lizard try escape! I stop, I dragon. Come?"

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During the past few minutes Amadeus had been sitting near the entrance to the cave, making sure nothing entered without being noticed. He had considered conversation with Serres, but when he looked back she seemed to have settled herself down for the time being. He shook his head slightly, if he didn't know better, he almost wondered if she was a cat in a half-elven body. Maybe it had something to do with being half-elf?

With Hestia's bond being shifted elsewhere and her near constant chatter not there to drone out everything else, for awhile he sat merely listening to an almost constant repeat of "destroy the thrall ; destroy the necromancer". There was definitely going to be a conversation later. When the chorus seemed to grow especially loud, he couldn't help closing his eyes to try and deal with the mental pain though he felt like he was weeping for some reason. Opening his eyes again when the chorus subsided, he wiped a hand across his face and noted the shimmery light on his fingers. He groaned softly with annoyance and tried to get rid of the light as he mentally yelled at the chorus, "I know alright? Sometimes things have to be tolerated for a little while..."

Before the chant could return to its prior volume, Amadeus felt Hestia's bond reconnect, almost in a sense smothering the noise of the chorus. He felt relieved at first, thinking she was merely informing him the rest were on their way, but after hearing her message he grew concerned. He stood again and moved towards Serres, gently trying to wake her, hoping she wasn't too far asleep just yet.

 

[DevilishEgg]

He stood again and moved towards Serres, gently trying to wake her, hoping she wasn't too far asleep just yet.

Serres shot awake leaping to her feet and drawing her sword almost stabbing Amadeus in the motion. Seeing no immediate signs of danger, she relaxed and sheathed her weapon again. "Sorry for that. I guess I was still feeling a bit twitchy." She grinned apologetically.

They had both food and shelter now and a limited supply of water so she thought it was high time they addressed the issue of the bodies. "Let's go join the others. We still have a lot of unfinished business."

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Serres jogged the last few steps towards the group before seeing the spectacle before her. "I see Longclaw tried to run again." She moved over the lizardman and checked his vitals for sign of life. "He is still alive but barely holding on for the moment." She sized up the group with a thoughtful expression. "I don't like having him there but I think the safest plan now is taking him with us inside the cave. That way when we guard him we only have to worry about further escape attempts and not another ambush by his brethren."

"I don't think it is fair to Vesper that she is the only one to stand guard so I will take my turn now. Most of the immediate survival matters have been addressed except for firewood for the campfire and that shouldn't take too long." She heaved the body of the lizardman one shoulder wincing at the weight before dropping him gently on the ground. She held his legs and started to drag the unconscious body towards the cave the cave before stopping abruptly and looking for Leo. "If you are free please start identifying the bodies before the sun sets and the nightlife starts nibbling on our fallen."

 

[PopsPaladin]

Landing on his form she looked back towards the bird-person and scrawny-person, shifting the bond again towards Vesper: "Tie better! Good I here, do all work, yes."

"Aye, q'yr-alii, of that there is no doubt, Hestia."

Vesper treads through the sand, careful not to slip, and helps Serres move the inert body of Longclaw into the cave. She then wanders back out, gathers up the rest of her gear and her weapon, and helps finish bringing in what kindling and goods they had scavenged.

 

[Varis Delta]

When the lizardman prisoner had broken free, Leothyc had readied his staff and observed. If it succeeded in escaping their circumstances would become much worse, thus he was prepared to kill it if required. Fortunately, the priest's familiar had brought it down, even without much assistance from the avian no less. 'Surprising capabilities. Does the link enhance it?' he pondered. Its master was not nearby, but he was still leery.

---

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or so they say. Well, the priest would be the polar opposite of a devil, but evidently the phrase still rang true, as the man himself appears with the female. Serres, as he recalls. A half-breed, indeed, but he could not care less about prejudice. If the mixed blood affected performance, what effects the genetics had, those facts he had interest in.

The pair brought good tidings for their chances of survival. Shelter and sustenance has been acquired, and given the current state of affairs, one could not complain. Well, it would be up to him to improve their discernibly basic meal with some class. Or at least, that would be his intention if the female did not seek to pester him about the shipwreck victims.

In truth, he had only agreed to appease her, and also for his own curiosity. While he had indeed observed many being aboard the ship, few stayed in his mind beyond basic details. What use was there in memorizing people he would never see again?

And so he grumbles and walks towards the bodies laid out along the treeline, retrieving paper and a pen from his bag. 'Race and gender should suffice.' he muses. 'Though no reason not to make my own observations.'

 

[Lughaidh]

The survivors of the Red Valiant spend the next several hours preparing their shelter and taking care of necessary tasks. With Longclaw dragged from the beach and secured, Serres goes to assist Leothyc with identifying the dead. Drowned, bloated, and sunbaked... it proves to be a more difficult task than anticipated. A crimson skinned Tiefling with silver hair dressed in brown leathers lies before Leothyc; was she part of the crew? Next to her an elven.. Male? With honey blonde hair and vibrant clothing, a copper amulet hangs from his neck. Another elf, a halfling, humans, dwarves, so many faces but no names. So many lives washed away by the sea.

Vesper and Amadeus use their time to salvage what they can from the beach. The linens and wine are brought into the cave along with any wood that is serviceable. Amadeus uses his dart-like blasts to knock a few more coconuts from the tree and collects them at their camp. A dozen of them sit stacked a loose pile to one side of the cave. Vesper, meanwhile, carves into the crocodile separating enough meat for an evening meal. Bringing it back to the cave she lays it down on a large waxy leaf set on the ground. Tired from a day of hard work the avian monk grabs a few coconuts and opens holes so the group can refresh themselves with drink.

Finally the sun begins to set and the party gathers at the mouth of the cave.

 

[Abrahms]

With things calm for the moment, and something to keep his mind busy, Amadeus had to admit shooting the "coconuts" down was decently amusing. Hestia enjoyed pouncing on the ones that rolled a short distance as they fell, bringing them into a pile for collection. The others each went to their own tasks, for once the group seeming to work together without too much complaint, though he could tell there were still thoughts hanging in the air that wanted to be released at some point.

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Finally with everything essentially set up for camp, Amadeus busied himself for a few moments taking inventory while Hestia kept herself busy playing with one of the smaller coconuts they'd found. He'd taken a sip or two of the liquid inside the coconuts -- it wasn't something he was familiar with, but if it meant they could save their clean water, he'd deal with the odd flavor. Every so often he'd look through his various pouches, still curious about what Vesper had said earlier -- Leothyc had taken something from him? From what he could tell, all his things were there ... Either way, if he really had taken something, Amadeus knew with pretty good certainty there was only so far Leothyc could attempt to go.

Setting himself up along the wall, keeping an eye towards the entrance, he set to work checking over Nemesis for any water damage, cleaning the sand out, making sure his bolts hadn't been warped. Hestia curled up next to his hip, tongue flicking every so often as she watched the others settle themselves as well.

"So ..." he started, slowly taking Nemesis apart, laying each piece out on the ground, "I believe Vesper earlier said something about honest speech. I think that's a good idea -- especially if we seem to be stuck with each other for the time being." His eyes moved over each of the others before he continued, "I'll fully introduce myself: I'm Amadeus, the little one by my hip is Hestia," Hestia raised her head slightly, almost in a nod, "and then this last one is referred to as Nemesis." He lifted the stock of the crossbow, most of its pieces on the ground at this point, spread around him -- the stock was a dark walnut wood, though there seemed to be a pattern built into the wood with silver, mimicking a skeletal arm that continued into a fist at the head of the crossbow. The limbs of the crossbow were patterned like the bars of a scale -- as Amadeus held it up, the group could see the design is meant to mimic the design that covers some of his clothing: a skeletal arm holding a scale.

"I'm a ... cleric I suppose, for lack of a better word, of Kelemvor, though I'm not one that is usually found in the Temple. Typically I'm sent out to either clear out ..." he glances towards Leothyc and the scaly thrall staring blankly into space, "things that are considered disrespectful towards the deceased, or to aid in special funeral rites." He continued working on Nemesis, slowly putting it back together. "I was using the Red Valiant as a way to get to my next destination when it seems the ocean decided to act up." Amadeus glanced up with a smirk, as he reached for one of the wine bottles and used it to gesture towards Vesper and Serres, "Though it seems maybe there was more going on on that ship than I thought. Is it typical to hide wine in with the linens?"

 

[PopsPaladin]

Vesper listens attentively while Amadeus speaks. She had been quiet all afternoon while working; the physical and spiritual strain from the shipwreck, scavenge, ambush, death, undeath – it all took a toll.

Sitting half in and half out if the cave's mouth, it felt good to finally sit and to sup. By the Lady, worse things than coconuts to eat, there are, she thinks to herself.

Amadeus certainly was an interesting person. He struck Vesper as quite devoted to his god, and to his way of life which included Hestia and even a beloved weapon.

"Kelemvor?" she murmurs when Amadeus speaks the name. She couldn't bring to mind that god. Perhaps it was a human name for a deity she knew.

" Is it typical to hide wine in with the linens?"

Vesper scrapes a bit of coconut flesh out of her shell with her beak, thinking of her response. She responds carefully, "In truth, I think it was certain that the Valiant was hauling unlisted cargo. Not much reason had I, yr-dree'wi, to descend below; still, our ports and the Captain's behavior..." She trailed off thoughtfully. "Nothing with me did she share of any such smuggling. But the bottle stands by you."

She falls silent once more, merely listening and eating. While the others speak a bit more, she takes a large scrap of the crocodile meat Leothyc had prepared, places it in a coconut half-shell, and brings it in to Longclaw.

His plight worried her greatly, for she was beginning to fear that he simply could not understand what they desired of him, nor even that they did not wish to hurt him. His fear – or perhaps simply powerful survival instincts – made it seem increasingly certain that they would remain enemies. Still, she desired to treat him well while he was with them.

 

[DevilishEgg]

Amadeus glanced up with a smirk, as he reached for one of the wine bottles and used it to gesture towards Vesper and Serres, "Though it seems maybe there was more going on on that ship than I thought. Is it typical to hide wine in with the linens?"

Serres was in the middle of brushing her unbraided hair picking of the sand granules that seemed to stick to everything when she heard Amadeus. “Wine? Where did you find wine on this island?” She mulled the idea. “The only thing the captain tild me was that she needed a new guard on short notice and since I was free...” She shrugged. “I didn’t ask questions. I had my orders and that-“ She pointed her brush towards the bottle. “-doesn’t change anything. I still have a job to wrap up.”

She rebraided her hair and took one of the coconut wedges from the pile and, confused, tried to figure out how to take a bite from it.

 

[Abrahms]

Amadeus turned the wine bottle in his hand as he looked for any maker marks or lables, "I just explained: it seemed to be buried in the linens -- the crates that washed up near us. Makes me wonder, if we find any other crates still in decent shape, what else might we find?"

She pointed her brush towards the bottle. “-doesn’t change anything. I still have A job to wrap up.”

He finished putting Nemesis back together and grabbed a small piece of the cooked crocodile to gnaw on for the moment. Hestia looked with interest until he cut a small piece for her as well. "Are you really considering yourself still on job duty?" He shrugged, "Alright then, can I ask if you've always been a guard on ships? Been anywhere interesting?"

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres stopped playing with the coconut chunk in her hands and looked confused. “Of course, my job doesn’t stop when there is trouble. That tends to be when I am most needed.”

She decided to take a cautious nibble from the coconut. “This is my first time guarding a ship. I used to be part of a group of mercenaries called the Okhrana that guarded trade caravans in route from place to place. This is my first solo job.”

She threw the whole chunk in her mouth before eyeing the untrusty looking sizzling croc bits. Her stomach gave a low, deep grumble that convinced her to skewer one of the smaller pieces on Hertz and bring it for closer inspection.

“I have been pretty much to every corner of the globe. Name any empire or city on the continent and I probably passed through it. I had never been sailing though so when an opportunity opened up to be a part of the Red Valiant crew I had to give it a shot.”

 

[Abrahms]

"Hm, I suppose I'm more used to being called in after the trouble's started." He smiled as Hestia attempted to crawl into his lap, "'We opened up a crypt and oh no! Turns out the inhabitants woke up!' or 'I found a spellbook and suddenly the undead are rising from their graves!'" He looked towards Serres, "Usually the only time I'm there before things happen is when it's mostly a ... hm, political job, you might say. Someone from the Kelemvor Church has to be present, and sometimes I'm in the area."

Hestia chirped and trilled as Amadeus gently rubbed under her chin, "Aside from my two traveling companions, I'm used to being a solo-act so to speak." He paused, "Doubt I can claim to've traveled as much as you say you have though." Adjusting his small cloak again, "This is actually the furthest I've been away from the Temple in a long while. Generally they keep me fairly close to home." Reaching into one of his small side pockets, Amadeus brought out a small prayer wheel, various symbols and designs matching to Kelemvor etched into it, and he began spinning it in one hand with his thumb as the other kept petting Hestia. Thankfully the wheel didn't squeak, but instead spun freely, evidently another habit of his when he was thinking.

"Either way, not keen on sailing again, assuming we manage to get off this island."

 

[PopsPaladin]

After sitting with Longclaw long enough to determine that he would do nothing while she was near, Vesper quietly returns to her spot with the others. She stares at the sky while they talk. How clear it is! Ai'kree, I remember... I ache to remember. The stars soon will be a-twinkling.

She pipes up suddenly, "Oh, we will leave the island, either bodily or out of the body," and then begins chuckling in her fashion, with low muffled grunts that do seem most hawk- or eagle-like.

Seemingly cheered by her own odd joke, Vesper looks up, eyes a bit brighter now that she's no longer lost in her own weary thoughts. "Serres – young Serres of the flashing steel, okyiin! – tell us of your days as mercenary. Oft considered that path, have I. Chreek n'yir, but it could be a cruel hard life, I deem. What of your companions? Where now are they?"

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres rolled the hilt of her sword speared with the croc piece with one hand pondering the question. "It isn't quite as exciting as the rumors, I am afraid to say. The rare bouts of action were interspersed throughout the long periods spent waiting and watching. After fighting your fifth bandit attack they become another routine ambush by some desperate hungry, skinny kids."

Her eyes glazed over thinking of happier times. "I preferred it when we were hired to get rid of a beast or monster that was terrorizing an otherwise sleepy town Or when we went through the odd dungeon rumored to contain some hidden treasure. We never found much of the way of shiny things but it was a nice change of pace. These jobs felt more exciting than the admittedly more steady pay the guard jobs provided."

"There was this time this new guy Anatoly, the cockiest halfling you ever saw, craved rabbit stew something fierce and decided to abandon his watch one night to go out alone hunt one down. So he sneaks off and finds what he thinks to be a rabbit nest and long story short we were all rudely awakened by him screaming his head off covered with two dozen or so of these giant insects called vengas that were crawling all over him."

"He was kindly asked to leave the group at the next town shortly after that. The Okhrana didn't have place for slackers, especially those who left their posts at night. Mistakes in our line of work can become quickly fatal." Serres looked down gravely at her boots before lightly tapping the sandy ground of the cave and tossing the skewered crocodile piece skillfully back.

"That's my story. I am interested in hearing yours, Vesper. Where do you come from?"

 

[PopsPaladin]

"Voistinu, Serres, indeed you have had adventures!"

Vesper had unbuckled her harness once more and began preening her wing while she speaks, drawing her fingers through the feathers and shaking out the sandy remnants of the beach.

"I am from K'ryala, where my tribe the White Cloud abides. Do you know it? Far to the north, it is... there is sea-ice to be seen, sometimes: aye, and good fishing, both from the sea and inland rivers. The sweetest salmon, the richest herring. Honey a-plenty, dark from wildflowers, drips from the combs – cloudberries and cranberries and blueberries – mushrooms and onions, bedded deep in the blackest soil – t'chrii! but I miss it all sometimes.

"Even the sky, some nights, it shimmers with radiant light of such color – have you seen it? If seen these lights, you would not forget. That is when I – when we – would sing. Great songs, yes, of praise; tales told of heroes and fools; or sometimes, the silent songs. The music, so deep, only the heart can hear it.

"K'ryala, one small land of such wonder. Before us there were men and elves, for the goliaths have found ancient dwellings and tools left behind. Some are strange, of make and kind I cannot even describe. But old, very old. It concerns us not, mostly: what have land-dwellers to do with the sky and the songs? Yet I always wondered about it all..."

She shakes her head. "T'chka, but from the purpose I wander. At the foot of the White Cloud eyrie I left my wing, and in the sweet breath of K'ryalian breezes I buried my heart. How long has it been? S'us'kry vokiil nok, a'lethos-vit aichreen... six years from the egg, I was, or nearly, when home I left. A-wandering and a-sailing I have been for the last three. Seen many strange things, I have, and met such good peoples – and such strange ones! Though hard, I would not change a thing."

She falls back into thoughtful silence, though remains attentive to the others.

 

[Abrahms]

While the others speak, Amadeus listens with interest, a faint smile on his lips as he gently pets Hestia, curled up and at rest on his lap for the moment. So many interesting stories they had, places they'd seen ... even songs sung or people known. He thought back on his years, what he had considered his own adventures ... they all basically followed the same line, the same tempo. He spun the prayer wheel slightly faster as a flicker of annoyance crossed his face before quickly fading.

He had known for a long time now he basically had a tether one way or another, but listening to the others made him wish he'd had more of a say in his own life. Leaving his thoughts aside, before there was too much risk of a headache rising again, he returned to listening to Vesper's tale.

"...How long has it been? S'us'kry vokiil nok, a'lethos-vit aichreen... six years from the egg, I was, or nearly, when home I left. A-wandering and a-sailing I have been for the last three...."

Amadeus sat up slighty, "Wait, does that mean you're only nine years old?" He paused in spinning the wheel before continuing, "The way you spoke, I almost thought you were closer to my age perhaps. Though ... I suppose I can't assume all races have the same view of time." Pointing the prayer wheel towards Leothyc he added, "He's basically a perfect example of that. The few elves I've met on my travels usually ignore those who have lifespans shorter than a few centuries -- I guess because they don't want to bother with such a short-term investment." Catching Leothyc's glare, Amadeus responded with a sly smirk, "Not saying all elves are like that of course, just as you claim not all necromancers are keen for destruction of the natural order, and so on. Just as not all churches agree on all things."

"Though, it seems we're all sharing a little of our tale before we call it a night, do you have anything you'd like say? Maybe what set you on your path? Might help those of us who're a little less keen on your practice feel more at ease."

 

[Varis Delta]

Having 'identified' enough cadavers to satisfy the armed female, Leothyc had taken the mantle of chef upon himself to add a degree of sophistication to the otherwise primitive meal. Giant-crocodile meat it may have been, but it was nothing some scavenged herbs and precise application of fire could not improve. Decades spent alone gives one certain skills. Though skills and habits that slip his mind when it counts, as he would still bitterly recall the lack of survival supplies on the voyage. 'Note to self. Short voyages are still prone to complications. Always be prepared.'

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As the group settles down to rest and unwind from the rigors of their first day surviving on the island, Leothyc seats himself against the wall opposite the priest. The campfire used to prepare their meal crackles near him, set to the side of the cave so as to prevent it being easily seen from outside. As the glowing flames bathe the open space of the cave, his eyes sweep the room.

The holy man, set up against the wall opposite him, keeping watch as he cleans the ornate crossbow he carries. Relaxed, but also alert.

The avian, Vesper, seated at the cave entrance as if afraid to enter. Seems claustrophobia is another trait they share with their primitive, bestial kin.

The female, Serres, sitting on the other side of the fire, brushing her hair. She may try to bury it, but there is are always hints of an upper class (for a human) upbringing about her.

And finally, the captured lizardman, secured at the back of the room. Quiet, wary, and probably planning on escaping if not for the malignant form of 1373 'standing' close by. The lizardman's fear is palpable each time it glances towards the crooked form of the unread.

An unlikely group, one he must rely on in days to come. A smirk adorning his lips, Leothyc looks down, rummaging in his bag and pulling out his research journal. If he could survive and escape this place with such a group, the miracle of resurrection should be a simpler miracle in comparison.

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Listening on the others' conversation was an enlightening experience to the character of his current companions. Revealing their life story as a bit of dinner table conversation. An effective tactic in forming bonds, to be sure. Willingly revealing one's secrets as a sign of trust will usually be reciprocated. However, having no incentive or reason to do the same, Leothyc was content to merely listen, gazing not at them but his book while occasionally partaking in the food set beside him on tree leaves.

Amadeus... Finally the holy man introduces himself, and a rather apropos name it is. Hm, a cleric of Kelemvor no less. 'Judge of the Damned? How droll' Leothyc mutters in his mind. The church of the Lord of the Dead had been rather troublesome in the past, their abhorrence for undead directly contesting his work. Pity they refused to see that he too wished to understand death. Though then again, he wished to understand it so as to control it, not accept it as a natural part of life.

The runaway noble, Serres's past as a mercenary was nothing he had not heard before from his own past hired help. Well, 'runaway noble' was his current theory. Certainly explains certain mannerisms. A half-breed noble-turned mercenary was an interesting enough specimen to devote some time to.

The avian hails from Kryala? He knew of the land, far north-east of his own, on the other side of the Gigas Sea, but he had no reason to venture too far inwards. The revelation of her age did not faze him, for one already in his 300s, such a lifespan would be but a passing day. It made sense for the avian race to be such simple folk. What else could they do with such a short life but attempt to enjoy it.

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​

As the embers of twilight fade and dusk approaches to give way to night, Leothyc is seen scribbling into his book when the conversation is directed towards him.

Pointing the prayer wheel towards Leothyc he added, "He's basically a perfect example of that. The few elves I've met on my travels usually ignore those who have lifespans shorter than a few centuries -- I guess because they don't want to bother with such a short-term investment." Catching Leothyc's flat stare, Amadeus responded with a sly smirk, "Not saying all elves are like that of course, just as you claim not all necromancers are keen for destruction of the natural order, and so on. Just as not all churches agree on all things."

"Though, it seems we're all sharing a little of our tale before we call it a night, do you have anything you'd like say? Maybe what set you on your path? Might help those of us who're a little less keen on your practice feel more at ease."

Setting the book down and the pen aside, Leothyc sighs and looks up towards the expectant faces. "And why must I justify myself to you?" he asks, a slight edge of contempt (and weariness?) in his voice. "My reasons are my own, and what you need to know I have already stated. I seek neither pity nor false acceptance."

Shifting his posture to relax a tad, he looks towards the cave opening, to the slowly emerging starry sky. Opening his mouth as if to say something, he pauses, before pursing his lips and looking back to the group. "I am well aware of your church's view on death and life, and I can agree with the need to understand death." he says calmly. "However, what I cannot agree with is your decision to accept it and do nothing. Death can be controlled as with any natural force, if one has the will and the knowledge."

Brushing some dirt off his otherwise immaculate pants, he continues, "I will say this; it is merely a tool, as is all of magic. You do not think a person evil merely because they carry a knife." He picks his book back up, leaning it against a knee while slowly twirling the pen. Pausing, he looks back up before remarking, "Oh, and I shall be taking second or third watch." before his attention is seemingly directed back to paper and ink.

 

[Abrahms]

Amadeus couldn't help but roll his eyes as he listened to Leothyc. "Look, I'm not going to say I completely agree with everything the Temple taught me, or repeated at sermons, but ... I feel at least for me, the most damning thing about necromancy is that control. You stop thinking of the bodies as the people they once were, and, even as you say, turn them into a tool."

Leaning against the wall, adjusting himself slightly as a flicker of discomfort bothered him, he looked up at the ceiling for a moment, watching the firelight dance, "I ... I think maybe if raising the dead was closer to making a contract with the soul, I'd be more okay with it. It bothers me that the soul of that body might have desired to return, but now is stuck in a mimicry of life." He shrugged, "And honestly, I'm not really sure if after that, resurrection -- true resurrection, that is -- is still possible."

Still spinning the prayer wheel absentmindedly with one hand, the other is run through his hair. "I don't think a person evil because of the knife they carry, I look to see how they use it. And for pretty much all of my life, I've seen necromancy used by cruel people, so apologies if I was a bit on edge when your ... other 'friend' decided to stumble forward."

Leaving a hand on his brow as another pulse of the headache came, "I'll take a watch as well. I expect I'll have difficulty sleeping tonight as it is, I might as well be productive."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres finished brushing her hair with a final flourish and started rebraiding it. Shifting uncomfortably she looked at the zombie, “I can’t say that I like the idea of someone having that much control over my body if I was gone...” Her hands stopped mid-action and seemingly lost in her thoughts.

“I don’t like the idea of a stranger using my corpse to serve them instead of simply hiring some help but let’s all be honest here, none of us are each other’s ideal companions. We are all stuck together in circumstances that are beyond our control and we have to learn to live with each other’s pecularities for the time being if we wanted to have the slightest chance for survival and escape.”

She gave each of her companions a long, hard searching look before going back to the task at hand with a smile curling at the end of her lips.

 

[Lughaidh]

Longclaw lays there in silence while while the soft ones feed their bellies. At one point the large bird brings him some meats. Not wanting to show weakness, he waits until the creature leaves before he eats. He offers none to the other Lizardfolk. Earlier he had tried to whisper to him, he thought it odd that he was unbound. He got no response and could smell the pungent stink of death on him... dark majicks the soft ones used on you tribe brother... he hissed to himself.

The sun now long vanished and darkness covering the island, it was time for slumber and the night watch. One by one the survivors took their turn; the psudodragon staying up through most of it seemingly not in need of sleep. At one point during the night, Vesper hears some clicking noises coming from the beach. Though the Aarakocra are not blessed with nightvision, the night is clear and the moon bright, with her keen eyesight she can see what look like a dozen massive insects crawling all over the body of the dead crocodile. By the grace of Aerdrie Faenya she was not spotted and the insects went about their business, leaving before Vesper’s watch was over.

The remainder of the evening is uneventful and the sun now rises. A gentle breeze finds its way into the cave and tropical birds can be heard in the distance.

 

[PopsPaladin]

Even as weary as she was, sleep was elusive. Many thoughts swirled in Vesper's mind, and her heart was not easy about what to do with Longclaw – or Leothyc Sylwen and his dread compulsions.

The night, as the day, was full of strange sounds and sensations. Altogether, even though survival was completely uncertain (one more great concern that occupied her in the night), being on this place was... thrilling.

---

As dawn first spread her rosy fingers across the sea's vast horizon, Vesper murmurs her centering meditations and trills a quiet morning hymn. She clacks her beak in distaste at the remains of the insect-eaten crocodile (those bugs, how fearfully fascinating!), then enters the cave and makes her way past the sleepers to Longclaw. She regards him for quite some time, unsure if he is awake or not at first.

She continues to stare, wrestling inwardly with her conflicting feelings. Ultimately, though she came close to pursuing a desperate course of action, she does nothing except remove herself back to the beach where, sun glinting off their foaming crests, she watches the waves until the others rise.

 

[Abrahms]

As Amadeus set himself to truly sleep after his share of the night watch, he made sure his back was to the wall while he slept on his side. He was a little saddened that Hestia wasn't curled up with him as usual, but it was more important she be another set of eyes overnight. The ground was painful, but he eventually made do -- the weariness of the day slowly took him as he managed to fall asleep.

Unfortunately for him, sleep was rarely as restful as he assumed it was for others. After a few moments Amadeus opened his eyes again, instead of the cave and the resting forms of the other survivors, he saw the Temple he considered home. Peaceful, quiet, and empty except for him, the large scale representing Kelemvor against the far wall, slowly shifting up and down. He knew truly it was merely reacting to any air movement, but many worshippers believed it to represent souls being weighed at all times.

Like usual, he was seated at one of the front pews, the same spot he always sat in while he had lived at the Temple. He leaned against the back of the pew, arms stretched as he thought back to when he was younger, all the times he considered the Temple more of a cage than anything else. In a sense it had been, until he had managed to annoy the priests enough to let him out of their sight. He doubted they had expected him to be gone this long ...

His thoughts trailed off as he looked around the interior, everything as he remembered it from when he was last there. He enjoyed these moments, they were the rare times when they only voice in his mind was his own.

"Amadeus."

He closed his eyes and sighed under his breath as a voice called his name in Celestial. It wasn't really understood as words, but the intent: calling his attention. Either way, he knew this conversation had been coming, though he had hoped maybe she'd be busy elsewhere.

Opening his eyes again, he saw a female form sitting on the scale of Kelemvor, though the scale didn't seem to react at all as she moved her wings slightly. Her pale blonde hair drifted in the air around her, as if she were underwater, and while her eyes were pupil-less, Amadeus knew she was focused on him. The expression on her face was as hard to read as it ever was, but he had a pretty good idea what she wanted to talk about.

Rising from the pew, he nodded towards the woman. "Mykiel." He spoke in Celestial as well -- mostly as a formality, something that had been established years ago. Continuing into common, "Do we really need to talk? I was enjo--"

"Silence." This time Mykiel also spoke in common, though the voice was delicate, there was force behind it, both implied and felt as Amadeus stiffened slightly. Amadeus blinked and she was no longer on the scale, instead standing near him, her golden fabric moving like it was always in a slight breeze as she glided near.

"A Necromancer in your midst. Yet you did not destroy him." Her gaze locked onto Amadeus, the unspoken "Why?" hanging in the air.

He crossed his arms as he leaned against the pew, "Sometimes you have to find allies amongst enemies. Why would I destroy the Necromancer when he could still help me in getting back to known territory?"

Mykiel's eyes never left Amadeus as he spoke, for others it likely would have been intimating, but this was an old song and dance for him. "You are to destroy those that mock the purity of death. That does not and will not change, regardless of circumstance." As Mykiel finished speaking, Amadeus stiffened again, the force in her words pushing against him.

Growling under his breath, Amadeus turned away from Mykiel, only to see her reappear seated in one of the pews, still with her gaze focused on him. "Do not pout as a child does. You have known your task for a long time. You do not waver. Do not waver in this."

Amadeus grew quiet for a moment as he reached for his necklace, "I don't intend to waver -- I intend to survive. Survival means needing to ignore certain ... things, in order to focus on others." He brought a hand to his forehead as he met Mykiel's gaze, "I'm no use to anyone, not you, not Kelemvor, not ..." Amadeus paused as he brought a hand towards his back, "... if I'm stuck on this damned island." He walked back towards the large scale, "I don't care right now if you're upset about the Necromancer. Right now, I'm the one stuck dealing with him directly, and I'm also the one that's stuck on an island after a shipwreck." He looked to his right as Mykiel was suddenly there again, watching him, her face practically expressionless still. "If you want me to deal with him, how about some 'divine intervention'? The sooner I can get back to the mainland, the sooner I don't have to rely on him anymore." He matched her gaze as long as he could until he felt forced to look away.

The silence was deafening, and he wished he'd wake up already, but he knew it wasn't that simple. He had done his equivalent of yelling at a parent while demanding a gift, and was waiting for the retribution.

A delicate hand entered his vision as Mykiel reached for his face, turning him to face her. Her touch burned slightly as she held him, looking into his eyes for what felt like forever. "You know not to ask for gifts, for you are our gift to the material plane. Be mindful of who you speak to, and in what manner."

The heat from her hand slowly increased to the point it became unbearable, and he felt like his skin was actually starting to burn. He shut his eyes from the pain within his dream, and woke up with a strong desire to cough. He sat up quickly, hand covering his mouth, he glanced around -- seeing only Serres still sleeping and Leothyc apparently in a world of his own, with Vesper nowhere in sight. Still attempting to hold the cough in, his lungs and throat feeling like they were burning, he quickly stepped to the entrance of the cave and off to the side, finally coughing freely. It was a harsh cough, and burned his mouth as well. Wiping his lips after he finished, he again saw the glimmery light, though instead of just being light, it stung his skin. He leaned against the rock as he slowly slid down to a seated position, Hestia gliding to join him, concerned thoughts pelting his mind as he gently rubbed her neck.

He sighed, "Nothing like pissing off your divine babysitter..."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres' eyes shot open at the foreign sound. She looked at Leo and tried to poke his forehead to check his reflexes before heading out. She gathered her stuff and stepped out seeing Amadeus near the entrance and approached him slightly hesitantly. "Are you ok?." She looked hesitantly. "I hope you didn't get a cold from the storm because I am simply rubbish at this healing stuff. My best friend used to tell me he would take his chances dying than me try to heal him because at least it would be a painless death." She grinned, a fond look on her face.

"It is looking to be one mighty fine day, maybe we can even begin exploring the jungle. Who knows, we might even find hidden treasure!" She grinned and started her morning routine. "Oh, how I would kill for a hot bath right now."

 

[Abrahms]

Amadeus had been dealing with his own thoughts when Serres' words caught his attention and he jumped slightly. He rose to his feet, Hestia on her usual perch, as he adjusted his smallcloak before rubbing his eyes.

"Mm, no ... I don't think I have a cold. Just had some issues from sleeping, happens sometimes." He gave Serres a weak smile as Hestia chirped her own greeting. "When it comes to healing though, I feel like I'll probably be the one to rely on if it becomes needed. Hopefully my methods are better than yours, from the sounds of it."

Running a hand through his hair, he looked across the beach, noting Vesper seeming to watch the waves, his eyes continued, noting the fresh crocodile skeleton on the beach ... and apparent lack of other corpses.

"Er, before you get too excited for hidden treasure, I think we ... lost some bodies." He pointed towards where they had placed the corpses the day prior, a place now empty. "Ultimately it's probably for the best ... hopefully Leothyc managed to mark them down."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Serres was in the middle of some stretches torso almost reaching her legs when she heard Amadeus. "What do you mean? It couldn't have been Leo, or maybe he is more powerful than I gave him credit." She got up and looked at the crocodile skeleton before moving to over to where the corpses were the night before. "Do you think it was the work of the lizardmen? I did not think they had a taste for humanoid flesh." Looking disturbed and slightly repulsed at the idea she started combing the area for any clues to the thieves.

 

[Varis Delta]

Leothyc's watch was uneventful, for which he was thankful for. The soft sound of the waves on one side and the muffled noises of the jungle on the other lent a calming ambiance as he pored over his notes. He was confident enough in his paranoia-fueled senses, refined over decades of his work, to keep his watch passive. Nothing of note occurred, at least nothing he noticed.

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Dawn comes to find the necromancer still trancing with his back against the wall, staff and bag set aside within easy reach. Well, he would have preferred to have stayed that way, undisturbed, well into morning. Alas, life derives amusement from annoying him. The floating equations, arcane matrices, and marked cadavers fade away to his senses alerting him of an object prodding his forehead. A beast wandered in to their shelter? Or the priest's idea of petty revenge? Either way, he decided it would be wiser to feign 'sleep'.

Footsteps shuffling about and fading away proving it was not a beast, Leothyc slowly open his eyes. 'I wake on my own terms.' He sighs before beginning his morning ritual with the retrieval of his spell book, an intricate tome of fine elven paper bound by a combination of thin metal and a tough leathery material. Revising his arsenal of arcana each morning was a practice driven in to him from decades at the Academy, and it was one he did not question the use of.

Finally, spells revised, belongings cleaned with several casts of Prestidigitation, and mind steeled for the day ahead, Leothyc emerges from the cave entrance. 1373 trudges behind, having been a pseudo-guard for their prisoner through the night. Noting that he is the last to rise, with the avian looking to the sea as the holy man and the female are engages in a conversation, he strolls towards the pair.

"What do you mean? It couldn't have been Leo, or maybe he is more powerful than I gave him credit." She got up and looked at the crocodile skeleton before moving to over to where the corpses were the night before.

Leothyc catches a string of the discussion as he approaches, and calls out, "Whatever crime I am suspected of committing, I assure you I am innocent." He gives a dry chuckle, adding, "Though I shall take the 'power' comment as a compliment."