Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"What, now? By hand?" The man suddenly looked nervous. "I'm not exactly a cartographer. It's off the coast of Anudor."

"Ha! So's half the ocean. Could you point it out on a map?" His 'friend' seemed in the mood to argue.

"Well, obviously it isn't marked on most maps! There's lots of islands around there! I could find my way back, though. I'll never forget it!"

"Liar. You made it all up, or someone would have been after the gold again by now."

"Of course they are! I told you I wasn't the only one on the boat when it went away. The navigator was left back when the rest of us went to shore, and I heard he was going to sell maps to anyone who was willing to pay!"

"Ah. But you don't happen to have any of these, I suppose?"

"I told you, I ain't no cartographer! And why would I buy a map to a place I never want to see again? I could point it out on a map, though. More or less. Or you could try to find someone who bought a map, I suppose." The man drained the last of his beer, and tapped at the rim thoughtfully.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber gave a sigh at the man's reluctance, but it did stand to reason that he wouldn't be able to draw out an accurate map and plot the location of the secret island on it from blank paper. There were few enough who possessed the skills to manage that. She fixed him with a hard stare, looking for any trace of deception. "So if I got you a decent map, could you pin point the location of the island? Yes or no."

After the man gave a definitive answer, she would relax her stare and lean back. "And what of the cartographer, where could I find him?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"I could get pretty close, I think. Probably. Yes. I'm sure someone has a map in this town. Maybe a little wet..." The man was starting to slur his words a bit.

He seemed to think for a moment. "And our navigator? Bah, he was always an unsavory type. And he'd be looking for someone to sell that map to, mark my words. But I sorta lost track of where everyone else went. Got a little drunk. Well, a lot, really. Might have blacked out for a few days, woke up a hundred miles from the sea."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

More bad news didn't really surprise Amber. It seemed she would have to locate a good map somewhere in this town. And the alcohol was clearly starting to affect him.

"So the navigator, what was his name? And you don't know where to find him, well where did you wake up from your blackout?"

After giving the sailor a chance to answer she had one more question pertaining to the island. "Lastly, what about the ship you took to the island, could the navigator still be on it?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"His name was... John." The man gave Amber a defensive look. "Well, it was! Called him 'Big John', on account of he was pretty big. Didn't really look like a navigator, more like a bouncer."

"And... I suppose he could still be on the ship, but with so many crew lost it got sold. I was long gone by the time someone bought it, but new captains usually don't keep the old crew. 'Twas the Blue Beagle."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

It seemed like Amber wasn't going to be able to get much more out of the man. With a shrug she asked, "So is there anything else you could tell me about where I could find 'Big John' or the Blue Beagle? Maybe there's a lead on their whereabouts where you woke up from your drunk blackout?"

Once the man had answered those questions and if there was no follow up needed, she asked the group a question that had been bothering her since she had gotten back to this mainland. "By the way, what happened to that ship in the harbor, the one that is more in the water than on it?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"I dunno. Maybe North a bit, looking for people to sell his maps to? And I woke up in some field in Badaria, so I doubt there's much help there. If you're really interested in seeing the island, I could at least point you to the general area. Big John would probably be in the nearest town on the coast. Cept I still don't have a map." He burped, and got unsteadily to his feet to stumble towards the bar.

Which left the other two to answer her other question. "Ah, now that! That's more interesting. More real. We were out in the deep ocean, a few dozen miles out from the harbor here, when suddenly it weren't so deep. It looked like the floor had risen up from the depths until it was just under the waves, and suddenly we bottomed out. Weren't for nearly an hour before we reached the edge and realized that what we hit was alive! Miles across, it was, and took a hunk out of our bottom! Didn't even make it all the way back to the dock, though we got close enough to swim the rest..."

"Usually that would be as tall a tale as what our 'friend' over by the bar fed you. But it turns out we aren't the first ship to limp in here after hitting something where there shouldn't be nothing." The older man nodded agreement to this last, though he still didn't speak up.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber gave the man a patient smile. "Of course, I'll see what I can do about getting a map for you."

When the drunk sailor left and his companion told her about the way the ship had been laid low. His account surprised her, she hadn't expected another account of the Chisei, the monstrous crab, in the same port. It begged the question, what was he doing here? It seemed like he should have moved on by now, was he planning on coming ashore and destroying the port? It seemed pointless to try to fathom the reasons behind the leviathan's actions without more to go on though. She recalled that it was known to speak converse with others, unlike the other leviathans. However, she didn't relish such the prospect of a riddle game with something that could potentially eat or crush her with no real effort on its part. That left talking to the sailor for the time being. "That does not sound bode well. Just the other day I spoke to a man in this very bar who told tale of something very similar. I'm not sure if his ship is still in harbor or not. Unfortunately, his crew did not believe him and fired him for being drunk on duty..."

Amber paused to let the man absorb the information and perhaps respond before continuing, "At any rate, what sort of cargo was your ship carrying? The captain's likely furious to have lost it all like that."

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"You're telling me." The man nodded glumly. "It was mostly silk. He was happy to have survived, the first night. Today, he's practically inconsolable over the cargo. Tomorrow, someone will tell him the ship probably isn't worth salvaging..."

"And yea, heard about that. What we saw wasn't quite the same - bigger, browner. Much bigger. But it was enough that people are starting to wonder if maybe there aren't a few things out there out of legend..."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

In the back of her mind, Amber wondered if it might be worth her time to pay the sunken ship a visit later. Perhaps there was something of value that she could salvage. The sailor's description of the leviathan was more unsettling. It sounded like the creature his ship encountered wasn't Chisei, the description more matched Dromar, the Titan. She didn't know about the color of the giant fish, but it seemed likely that that was the only one they could spend an entire hour passing over. The good news was, he was generally more benign than the other leviathans, but it begged the question, what were two leviathans doing in this area?

"I see, too bad about the cargo. And the ship. That is a mess if ever there was one. I hate to bring it up, knowing your skepticism, but do you know where I could find a good map to bring to your friend?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The other sailor thought for a moment. "Well... there were a few good charts on board the 'Gull. Not sure if they've been salvaged yet, but if they have they might be for sale. Might be some others about the town as well, for all I know."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber nodded respectfully to the man. "Thank you for your help, best of luck to you." She then proceeded to leave the bar, deciding that now might be the best time to investigate the boat since the darkness would ideally keep other people away.

Outside the bar, she would go find a secluded spot to enter the water and peel off the common clothes she wore, revealing the battle mage armor she preferred, and shifting into her true form once she was in deep enough water. From there, she sat out towards the boat, casting a perception buff just in case.

Spoiler

Transform into mermaid, approach mostly-sunk boat, cast lv 2 body buff: perception
+14 perception

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Finding a secluded spot to enter the water proved easy enough in the early night, and almost immediately Amber was able to slip into her true form. Subtle magic sharpened her senses as she approached the wreck, which seemed to be free of people at the moment.

Swimming around the ship would show that it was indeed resting on the bottom, gashes torn in the bottom similar - but not quite the same - as the ones she'd seen the last time she'd inspected a boat in this harbor. One hole was easily big enough to swim through, or she could try a rope ladder helpfully hanging over one railing. The tilt of the wreck was even enough that crawling up the side might prove possible, if difficult.

Spoiler

51 HP, 62 PP, 65/67 EP; +14 perception

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber was somewhat dismayed to see that the wreck had pretty much finished sinking. While it didn't necessarily make her search more difficult since water wasn't a boundary for her it did dim her prospects of finding salvageable items, namely an accurate map.

Briefly scoping out the ship, Amber decided the best course of action was to swim through the hole in the bottom of the ship and see what she could find. The map would probably be in the captain's cabin or some other important room closer to the back of the ship and topside, something she kept in mind as she entered. Of course, she was sure to keep an eye out for other items of interest as well.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Perception: ???

Gain a waterproof leather tube.
Gain 15 denarii.

Entering through the bottom of the ship put Amber in the cargo hold, a disarray of crates and loose bales of cloth. A peek into one of the damaged crates revealed more of the silk, all undoubtedly ruined after hours or more in seawater. None of them looked watertight.

Further investigation revealed a disgusting muck in the bilges, and crew quarters that looked stripped empty of anything remotely valuable. A small mess was in complete ruin, a small cloud of minnows swarming around some of the decaying food.

Finally, Amber made her way to the deck, and then to the captain's cabin. A large chart lay pinned to a desk, completely illegible with the water. Another quick glance showed something that might be of more interest, a metal safe set under the desk.

Reaching out to touch it was enough to open the door, and was almost empty. But someone had left a leather tube behind, which looked as if it might be watertight.

Another, more thorough search around the room found a pair of discarded boots in front of the bed. And inside one, a small bag of coins.

Spoiler

51 HP, 62 PP, 65/67 EP; +14 perception

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The search about the ship yielded disappointingly little until Amber reached the Captain's cabin. Unfortunately the chart pinned to the desk looked to be ruined after its exposure to water. The water-tight tube she founded seemed likely to be more interesting and she took it, intending to check its contents once she reached dry land. She grabbed to coins for good measure, they would likely be more than enough to rent a low cost room for the night.

After a cursory look around to make sure she hadn't missed anything, Amber would return to the water and make her way back to shore. Assuming nothing happened in the interim, she would find a tavern or an inn to rent her a cheap room. Preferably one that didn't look especially seedy.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The leather tube opened to reveal a piece of paper, remarkably dry for its time under the waves. The paper unrolled to reveal a map; not as large as the one on the desk had been, and with consequently less detail, but perhaps suitable for her purposes.

Amber wasn't exactly spoiled for choice - there seemed to be only two inns in the town, and only one of them really looked reputable. The inn looked fairly full, but the innkeeper would offer Amber a room for five denarii. "Last room still open. Kinda small and up under the eves, but I'll throw in a meal for free."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Aura decided she would try to find the man tomorrow and see if he could indicate where the island was, and maybe some ports close to it. Then she went to find somewhere to stay.

The offer from the innkeeper seemed agreeable enough, "Your offer seems fair. I accept, and I'll come for my meal in the morning." She handed in the coins in return for a key to the room before going to check out her temporary accommodations. It had been a long day and she intended to get some sleep before too long.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The innkeeper accepted the money, counting out the five coins for herself before handing over a key. Upstairs, Amber found her room at the end of a hallway, and opened the door to find that it was much as advertised. A bed stood against one wall, while the ceiling sloped down to touch the floor against the opposite wall, leaving the mermaid unable to stand in half the meager space. But the bed seemed clean, and a small sturdy window let in a little light from a lantern on the street outside.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

After a brief look around her cramped room, Amber found it to her liking. Even if it was on the small side. She decided it would be for the best to make a ward to alert her to anyone entering during the night. It didn't take long for the mermaid to gather the necessary items to create the ward, and setting it up went by fairly quickly as well.

Once she felt the room was somewhat secure, at least enough that nobody would be able to sneak in without her knowing, she would bed down for the night.

Spoiler

Ward: The caster walks slowly around a region three times. The first time they scatter a reagent to make a physical barrier. The second time they drain energy to make a spiritual barrier. The third time they fix the barrier in their mind to make a mental barrier.
The caster chooses the effects. They can prevent spells by any combination of caster, school, level, and specific spell, or they can prevent entry of spirits. The strength of the effect determines the material and EP cost, and combining multiple effects drastically increases. The most basic spell might use ash and no EP, but would only warn the caster when the ward was violated. The most advanced might be a nearly inviolable barrier against magic, but would require diamond dust and would leave the caster drained after warding only a small room. The barrier lasts for a number of days equal to the caster's mind/10 or until dispelled.

Perhaps sand or ash or pebbles

Spend 10 xp: 2 on mind, and 8 to get focus in lightning