The 2nd Fleet: Journey to the Edge of the Known World — IC

[ratwizard]

Sister Armantine is too disgusted by the sight to roll her eyes at Doran's jest. I can only imagine what sort of disease might fester in these vermin's ranks.

Grimacing, she moves over to the opening in the floor. "Zemi, could you lend us some light?"

OOC

What do I see?

[Scratcherclaw]

"I am almost grateful that they have been eating well," Raj says through a frown as he sees what remains of supplies. "Better grain and seed than growing ravenous and swarming us. I recall a story of a Tenant who bred them for research purposes. Yet after funding stopped, he could no longer feed the creatures. They found him not long after..." He pauses for a bit of dramatic flair. "His bones picked clean amidst the swarm." Though perhaps just a tale to keep a man and his coin in the tavern.

[Namelessjake]

Zemi steps forward with Armantine, illuminating more of the lower level, which similarly is a mess of crates and barrels scattered by the Wanderer's grounding. The rats too are in the lower section of the cargo hold, seemingly crawling over every surface.

Doran

Are you heading down into the lower level or examining the crate from afar?

If dropping down please make an acrobatics check or a perception check if examining from afar.

[BartNL]

Mechanics

Acrobatics check to drop down: [1d20+7]=19+7=26

[Namelessjake]

Doran deftly drops down the hole into the lower level of the cargo hold, landing gracefully atop an upturned barrel. Hoping down, he makes his way over to the iron banded crate he spotted from above.

Doran

Pushing a couple of rats aside, you examine the crate for any markings, however you don't see any writing stamped or carved into the container's exterior.

[BartNL]

"Can anyone help get this up?" Doran says pointing at the pully.

[ratwizard]

"I can help pull," Armantine offers, stepping over to one of the pulleys on the upper floor and lowering a rope for Doran.

[Scratcherclaw]

"That looks to be quite the sturdy crate," Raj says, content to let the others do the lifting. "I wouldn't imagine grain or other foodstuffs would require that. Perhaps something of more value?" But what? I suppose we're soon to find out. As long as it is not just a box of even more rats.

 

[Namelessjake]

"Me too," Ko says, joining Armantine by the rope. Doran is able to tie the rope to the rope and, with a few heaves from the dwarf and the member of the New Congregration, it is lifted up to the upper level of the cargo hold, with a couple of rats losing their grip and falling from the crate as it is raised aloft.

[ratwizard]

Armantine gingerly flicks a few remaining rats from the crate with the butt of her halberd, before stepping toward their find. "Let us hope its protective seal is warranted for what we may find." She turns toward Ko, nodding at his hammer. "Perhaps you could remove one of these bands with care? We will need to replace it after."

[Fialova]

"If we need a pully to move it, we're not getting that on our rowboat," Heidi says, as she watches the others moving the crate. "Hopefully its contents are small enough to move once opened, because that isn't going anywhere." She peers around the room for any other crates that might be of interest while the others focus on the one. Surely that's not the only thing we can use in this hold.

Mechanics

Perception to look around for other interesting/untouched stuff: [1d20+6]=14+6=20

[Scratcherclaw]

"That is true," Raj responds to Heidi, still eyeing the box with curiosity. "That colossal fish was already quite the task. Should this crate be too heavy, it may sink us." What secrets are you holding? Weapons, perhaps?
 

[Namelessjake]

Ko grunts in the affirmative, removing his hammer from his belt. A pair of quick strikes see the iron bands fall from the crate, allowing for the container to be cracked open, revealing its contents.

Inside, nestled amongst some stale packing straw, are three items; a basalt stoneware bowl etched with gold inlaid writings of a poem in elvish, a pair of well made buckskin hiking boots with reinforcement and tread added to the soles to provide extra grip, and a suit of leather armour studded with ornate brass.

Loot

Leather Armor of Dark Majesty +2
Level 9
Value: 3 Requisition Points
Enchantment: +2 AC
Properties: You gain an item bonus to Bluff and Intimidate checks equal to this armor's enhancement bonus. You gain a +2 item bonus to all defenses against enemies under your Warlock's Curse.
Power (Daily): Minor Action. Place your Warlock's Curse on any enemy you can see, rather than the nearest enemy.
Rarity: Uncommon

Boots of Equilibrium
Level 6
Value: 2 Requisition Points
Item Slot: Feet
Property: You move normally on slippery surfaces, such as grease or ice.
Rarity: Common

Heidi

Looking around the hold, you spot a teak traveler's trunk amongst the heap of crates and barrels on the lower level. The trunk's hardwood exterior appears to have prevented any significant damage during the ship's grounding or from the subsequent rodent infestation.

[Chanchabruhh]

Eldrin looks around at his companions. "We should decide who can make the best use of these items. Each one could give us an edge in our exploration and survival out here."

[ratwizard]

Armantine removes the stoneware bowl with careful hands, admiring the beautiful etchings and script. "This is beautiful. I wonder what it says. Taliesin, is this something you could read?" she asks, holding it up to him. "I know, the lighting in here isn't conducive to translation work." She smiles.

[Namelessjake]

Taliesin

Examining the bowl you see that it reads;

Sibrydion tawel yn codi,
Mae mwg arogldarth yn cyrlio ac yn drifftio'n uchel,
Mae hynafiaid yn falch.

Translation

Silent whispers rise,
Incense smoke curls and drifts high,
Ancestors are pleased.

[Scratcherclaw]

"You needn't say more," Raj says, shining his lantern light more directly upon the bowl. "I do wonder who these may have belonged to. They certainly took great care with packing them." For all the good it did them. It is now our treasure to plunder. You have our thanks, mysterious voyager.

[BartNL]

"Excellent craftmanship." Doran says regarding the loot found. Before being distracted by Heidi looking for more useful items. "See anything you need help with Heidi?"

OOC

Doran will take everything not claimed with him to bring it back to camp.

[Fialova]

Spotting the trunk, Heidi makes her way towards it and moves to pull it more into the open. "Yeah, this trunk seems untouched as well," she responds to Doran's question, as she attempts to open it. A bowl, some armor, some boots. What else do we have here?

OOC

Is the trunk under anything that would make it hard to move? Does it appear locked?

[Namelessjake]

Heidi

The trunk is upturned, on its side, but easy enough to turn back upright. Examining it, you find it appears to be locked with a simple mechanism.

[Fialova]

Mechanics

Thievery to open the lock: [1d20+7]=2+7=9 ._.

[Namelessjake]

Heidi

You attempt to finesse the lock open and appear to be successful as you hear a mechanical click, however when you go to open the trunk you find it still firmly shut, your efforts only serving to damage the lock.

[FinalTemplar]

Taliesin examines the bowl carefully, tilting his head; "This seems to have been used in elvish rituals; They would burn incense in here to please the ancestors." He says softly, smiling at this piece of seemingly ancient elvish history.

[Fialova]

"Lock's busted," Heidi says, as her poor attempt at lockpicking yields no results. "Anyone got a hammer or something so we can try to smash it off? Or maybe something corrosive?" It's not too heavy so worst case scenario we just take it with us, but the less we have to haul the better.

[ratwizard]

"I may be able to pry it open," Armantine offers, wedging the tipped butt of her halberd into a seam. She leans onto it, using it as a fulcrum to deliver more pressure against the locked box.

Mechanics

Strength check: [1d20+8]=7+8=15

Anyone wanna Aid Another? lol

[Fialova]

Heidi attempts to aid Armantine in leveraging her Halberd to undo the lock, but her grip and physique is too weak to be of any use. And this is why I asked for the others, strength is not my forte.

Mechanics

Strength, to aid Armantine: [1d20+2]=4+2=6 ._.

[Namelessjake]

Heidi tries to help Amantine with leverage on her halberd, but despite their combined efforts, the seam splinters and the halberd slips free, having caused only light damage to the trunk.

[ratwizard]

Sister Armantine shrinks, her head hung lower than usual. "I'm sorry, Heidi, I thought that might have worked." She turns to the others. "Any ideas other than destroying this wretched trunk? Though we may compromise what may be inside."

[Scratcherclaw]

"Were the lock not broken, I could have a go. But I am afraid my options are quite limited," Raj says, dusting a few rogue splinters from his hair. "Not unless my dagger might sear a hole around the lock, but it may prove too thick."

[BartNL]

Doran takes a good look at the trunk.

OOC

Does the trunk look sturdy from all angles, including the bottom?

[Namelessjake]

Doran

The trunk appears to be of a sturdy construction, showing no signs of any obvious weak points.

[BartNL]

"Let's drag it with us to the boat at least. We can always recover it later." Doran says about the mysterious trunk.

[ratwizard]

"It seems small enough for that to be worth the effort," Armantine agrees. "Surely someone in the expedition will have the right tool for the job." She peers around, looking for anything else of worth. "We should keep moving. We don't want to be out here while it is still dark."

OOC

Is this a dead-end, or is there another door / area of the upper plus lower cargo holds that we haven't looked into yet?

[Namelessjake]

Looking around the cargo hold, you can see there is another exit on the upper level, on the far side of the room opposite the door you entered via. There is also another door on the lower level which leads in the same direction, towards the aft of the ship.

[ratwizard]

Armantine moves towards the door on the far side of the room, towards the aft of the ship. "This way next," she suggests, standing beside the door with halberd at hand. "Ready when you are."

OOC

I'm beat up. Somebody else take point. Doran? Taliesin?

[Fialova]

"Yes, let's take it with us. It shouldn't take up too much space in the boat," Heidi responds, as the trunk appears to be beyond their combined expertise for the time being. That something so small could cause so much problems. Hopefully its contents are worth the effort.

"Right, I'm ready," she contines, following after Armantine towards the door. She stands several feet back from it, rifle at the ready in case anything is waiting for them on the other side.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Let us see what else lurks in these musky depths," Raj says with a level of apprehension, stepping up to the door. "I pray nothing larger than a rat." With weapons at their ready behind him, he slowly creaks the door open.
 

[Namelessjake]

The door opens with a loud creak, and Raj's torch light illuminates a small room. To your left, the space appears to have be used as further storage, with several wooden casks and large burlap sacks piled up against the wall. While, like the goods in the cargo hold, they have clearly shifted from their usual positions with the grounding of the ship, they do appear to be untouched by the rat infestation, with this room noticeably absent of any rodents, save for one or two that scurried inside when you opened the door.

Meanwhile, to your right, a series of rusted iron bars run the length of the room, forming what must have been the ship's brig. Inside a pile of skeletal remains dressed in decaying fabrics lay resting against the bars.

"Poor sod must've been forgotten about down here," Ko says, peering around those at the door to look at the corpse.

[BartNL]

Doran enters, and starts looking around for hidden chests and valuables, seeing the have found plenty materials already. "Going down with the ship, an explorers death." Doran replies to Ko, with a smile less cheerful than his usual.

Mechanics

Perception check: [1d20+14]=13+14=27

[FinalTemplar]

Taliesin hesitates momentarily, then puts the bowl back where he found it. It does no good desecrating the dead's belongings. He follows the others into this new room and looks around.

Mechanics

Perception: [1d20+12]=10+12=22

[Scratcherclaw]

Hm. They had time to gather their belongings, but not release their prisoner? Perhaps they truly were forgotten in a selfish panic. He casts a frown upon the remains, stepping further in to give the others room. He steps to some of the burlap sacks, checking for their contents. Hopefully they are not all rotten.

[Chanchabruhh]

Turning to the others, he adds, "Even if the food is spoiled, we might find other useful items. Let's not leave any stone unturned."

[ratwizard]

"No rats," Armantine says with a sigh of relief, before turning to the jailed skeleton. "Perhaps they've already had their prize and moved on."

Stepping behind Ko, she takes a knee and leans against the iron bars, looking within. "What a cruel fate — abandoned within an abandoned ship." I wonder what might have gotten them locked up in the first place?

Mechanics

Quick autopsy if possible, trying to figure out if they may have died from dehydration, the elements, getting eaten, etc. Any remnants of their clothes? What race? Man or woman?

Heal: [1d20+10]=6+10=16

[Fialova]

Heidi gives the deceased prisoners a quick glance, but otherwise ignores them in favor of continuing their mission, joining in the search for anything useful. Must have done something pretty egregious to get locked up on an expedition ship you had to join willingly. A shame they had to perish in a cell, but it is not looking like the others fared much better than they.

Mechanics

Perception, also to look for stuff: [1d20+6]=10+6=16

[Namelessjake]

Doran

The room appears to be a fairly simple store room, and you are confident nothing else is hidden inside beyond the sacks and barrels. Without opening them you are able to tell that the sacks appear to contain a grain of some kind, while the barrels probably contain either water or ale.

Looking around the room, you do notice what appear to be markings of some kind etched into the wooden hull on the far side of the cell, although in the dim light and this far from them, you are unable to make out what they are or what they say if they are words.[

Taliesin

Without opening them you are able to tell that the sacks appear to contain a grain of some kind, while the barrels probably contain either water or ale.

Looking around the room, you notice what appear to be markings of some kind etched into the wooden hull on the far side of the cell, although in the dim light and this far from them, you are unable to make out what they are or what they say if they are words.

Heidi

The room appears to be a fairly simple store room and you don't spot anything useful, beyond the sacks and barrels. Without opening them you are able to tell that the sacks appear to contain a grain of some kind, while the barrels probably contain either water or ale.

Armantine

You bend down to examine the corpse. This far into the expedition, you are no stranger to death, however this body seems strange to you. Their clothes are mostly rags, although you notice several decorative talons or animal teeth that have survived the passage of time. They show no signs of any major injuries, so likely succumbed to thirst or hunger, however the remains don't immediately stand out to you as human, elvish, dwarven or orc. With the state of the corpse, it is hard for you to be sure, but what remains of any skin appears scaled in some way, while the skull is elongated, the teeth and finger nails sharp and pointed.

[ratwizard]

"This is quite strange," Armantine says aloud as she examines the corpse in the cell. "Look here at the skull. Do you see that?" She points to the elongated shape, one that doesn't match any known races. "And their teeth. And nails. Or should I say fang, and claw. They are a rather bestial shape."

She turns to the other members of the expedition. "Have you ever seen such a thing? Perhaps they found this creature here, and locked them away."

The thought unsettles her. Dying alone, afraid, and among those unfamiliar to you.

[Fialova]

"Some grain and alcohol over here," Heidi calls out, before quickly turning and stepping towards Armantine at her discovery. What sorts of abominations are these? Surely not goddess' creations, they must be some local creatures of unknown origin.

"They do not appear like anything I've ever seen, no. Do you think they are natives of this land? Perhaps the crew of this ship were studying them before whatever ill fate befell them." Sentient or no, it is cruel to have kept this thing locked in here. You do not win converts by imprisoning them, but by spreading the goddess' teachings. It must have been some of the goddless heathens on the crew who did this.

[FinalTemplar]

Taliesin steps forward into the room and examines the lock on the cage. He tries to pull and push on the door to see if anything happens.

[Scratcherclaw]

Raj eyes the strange skeleton with unease, stepping up to the brig's bars. "No doubt that you learned types are keen to take a closer look," he says, kneeling down by the lock as he tries to finesse it open. Curiosity may kill the cat, but this cat will take a hasty step back as soon as this is open.

Mechanics

Thievery: [1d20+13]=8+13=21
That's how it's done, Fia :^)

[Namelessjake]

Taliesin shakes the cell door, finding it locked up tight. Raj steps up to the door and is able to pop it open in a matter of seconds. The door creaks as the list of ship causes it to swing open, coming to rest on its hinges.