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Pathfinder - Souls for Smuggler's Shiv

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The Garundi man sat across from Darian and Vallios, eyeing the half-elf's food hungrily. When the man pointed out the footlocker, he said excitedly, "Those are my belongings! Thank the father, my gear! You must have raided the captains cabin, yeah? Did you happen to come across anything that might free me?" The man turned and offered his manacled wrists. "I won't waste my time arguing my innocence, everyone in chains says that they are innocent, but free me and I can help you make camp, hunt, whatever you need. I beg of you!"
 
Thea glanced over to her new companion, trying to remember his name. "Um... Darian right? I found one oddity out there, but I don't think a snake had anything to do with it. Tangled up in a tree was a dead monkey. Normal enough in a jungle, but the odd thing was that it had been drained of blood."

She shuddered as she remembered it.
 
The gnome Gelik bit into an apple as he took a break from camp-building. "My question, 'sides from the shipwreck and all, of course, is how did we all end up lined up in a nice neat line on the beach, with our belongings stacked high in a pile? Sad to say I can't remember a thing after sitting down to dinner with the rest of you, but I hardly remember the ship crashing, nor a storm, nor swimming to shore. Any of you have any idea how we got from that heaving wreck to that nice soft beach?" the well-dressed, though filthy, little man asked everyone.
 
In the course of setting up the new camp Sacco would inform the dwarf to call him Dujek, as that is what he would have introduced himself as to all individuals on board the ship. While they were busy he kept his eye on the man in chains, wondering what foul deed he could have performed and what was the likelihood of him being a man worth saving.

When the others returned with the chest he was amused with how excited the man became. Stopping what he was doing he stepped forward, producing a basic set of thieves' tools.

"I can open that, and I could free our good sir."

((+9 for Disable Device))
 
dyll said:
The Garundi man sat across from Darian and Vallios, eyeing the half-elf's food hungrily. When the man pointed out the footlocker, he said excitedly, "Those are my belongings! Thank the father, my gear! You must have raided the captains cabin, yeah? Did you happen to come across anything that might free me?" The man turned and offered his manacled wrists. "I won't waste my time arguing my innocence, everyone in chains says that they are innocent, but free me and I can help you make camp, hunt, whatever you need. I beg of you!"
Click to expand...

"Continue staring at my food and I'll make sure you're Gravetooth's next meal. I think you can stay chained for awhile."

The great tiger, who'd seemed fast asleep perked up immediately at the word 'meal', baleful amber eyes locked on the Garundi man and her tongue slid slowly along those prominent fangs. Vallios merely shrugged and resumed eating. If the man was truly hungry he'd crawl to the food pile and eat without hands or dignity. Until that point was reached Vallios really didn't care what the man said or did. Without knowing why the man had been chained, Vallios felt it completely reasonable that he stay chained.

When Thea mentioned the blood-drained monkey Vallios' eyes immediately narrowed. (SOMEBODY HAS VAMPIRE AIDS NOW!) Now that was something worth noting! Few natural creatures found sustenance in blood save very certain species of bats...And the wounds sounded as if they matched the marks found on the chef's neck. Obviously whatever had killed the chef and the monkey had been introduced to the island from the ship and was loose. Vallios began wracking his brains, thinking of any manner of beast that lived within the lands near Avistan or Garland, or even anywhere along their journey and drank blood to survive.
<Knowledge: Nature. 1 rank, 3 wisdom for total of 7 bonus to the roll.>
 
Thea glanced over at the chained man, then walked over to him. Sahar plodded along at her heels. She kept her tone neutral as she gave Sahar his orders, this time in Common for effect. "Sahar, if he lies to me, hit him. No claws though."

Turning back to the Garundi, The asked two questions. "What is it that you are accused of? Also, do you have any idea what killed the cook and that monkey I saw?"

<Sahar uses Sense Motive, +6 to the roll.>
 
Jask sighed, "Very well. A long time ago, I was in the employ of Sargava, I worked in the government. One day, I found evidence that someone in our department was involved in an illicit deal with the Free Captains of the Shackles, though I could not be sure who. I went to the only man in the department I knew I could trust, my superior officer, and brought the evidence before him, hoping we could find the man together - instead, he betrayed me and framed me for the same crimes. I faced a life sentence, but Jask Derinidi does not give up so freely.

"I fled all the way to Corentyn, where I lived a modest live as a scribe, trying to avoid notice. I was successful for ten good years. I thought my enemies in Sargava had forgotten me, but one day a Sargavan agent caught up with me and put me in irons. He handed me over to Captain Kovack with instructions to return me to Sargava for trial.

"The last thing I remember is waking in the dark, feeling someone pick me up and sling me over their shoulder. It is a brief memory, and foggy. I never met the cook, nor have I seen a monkey. I apologize."

Sahar looked from Jask to Thea, and remained still.
 
Thea nodded slowly, then motioned for Sahar to leave him alone. "I can't make the decision to free you by myself, if I could you would be free. I can tell you that if you need help, let me know."
 
"Looks like Gravetooth won't be having such an easy meal after all."

If tigers could sigh, the animal would have let out an enormous one. The great cat settled back down with an air of disappointment, no longer interested in what the humanoids were discussing. Vallios turned to Sacco and addressed him in that rough common of his. Eventually, he'd get a hold of the blasted language! It was just going to take practice...Lots of it. Remembering that Thea spoke sylvan Vallios opted for the easier route, turning instead to her. The other half-elf made Vallios' life much easier. Damn, it was nice to have a translator around!

"If you trust this man's story allow the gnome to release him. If you are not satisfied, I'm sure a nibble or two from Gravetooth would convince this man to tell things how they truly stand." Flowing, flawless sylvan. It really was remarkable how eloquent he sounded when you compared the words to his attempts at common.
 
Thea listened to Vallios, then nodded and addressed Sacco, or, as she knew him, Dujek, in Common. "I see no reason to leave him chained up. All he is now is a hindrance."

Thea then began to divide the food she brought back into day's rations for each person.
 
"No one should stand in shackles, it is abhorrent whether in physical manifestation of irons or the enslavement of the soul to debased institutions of power."

As he spoke Sacco went up to the bound man and with his lock picks fiddled with the simplistic lock. Less there was some misfortune the task should pose a simple one.

((+9 Disable Device, Thieves' Tools))
 
"Funny how that kind of thinking does not apply to nature." The words were spat in sylvan, an angry snarl.

It was strange to hear the lilting, airy syllables of the fae-language spoken with such venom. Vallios eyed the other gnome, Gelik, with open enmity. The druid judgedthe small man by his fine threads, regardless of whether or not he'd been a part of the conversation. Wealth and opulence disgusted Vallios. Noblemen had passed through the Eastern Boughs in the past. Men who thought they owned the world, thought that they were above the laws of nature. They'd hunted and killed for no reason other reason than finding a trophy to commemorate their own 'achievements'. They'd felled oaks older than their family line to use a few branches for firewood instead of scavenging...And they'd paid for their crimes with their lives. Vallios remembered well the nobles who'd abused his land, and remembered how they died like cowards. At his call the forest floor itself had curled tight around the horses the noblemen rode. Their prized hunting dogs abandoned them when Gravetooth ripped the men from their saddles, the men too terrified to fight back as Vallios delivered justice with the tip of his spear. The horses were let free and the bodies left for the scavengers of the forest to pick clean, bones left as a warning to any who would abuse the Eastern Boughs.
 
Dujek confidently stepped to Jask, lock pick in hand, but was dismayed to find that the lock was not as simple as it appeared...this lock was of high quality. Made sense, for a government prisoner, he figured. After 10 minutes of fiddling, his wrists began to ache with the effort. "Sorry," he said to Jask. Maybe he could give it another go in awhile.
 
"Try these."

Vallios had completely forgotten about the key ring he'd found. Okay, not completely forgotten. It was funny to see the gnome tinker with the lock, growing more and more agitated by the second. Vallios threw the key-ring onto the sand beside Dujek and then began to poke Idly at Gravetooth's paws. The great cat let out a murr and swatted at Vallios' hand. With a quiet laugh Vallios continued poking, deftly evading Gravetooth's counter swats until the great cat leaped on Vallios and pinned him down with relative ease. A thunderous roar rumbled from the tiger's throat...And then she started to lick Vallios' face. Squirming and kicking Vallios tried to crawl away, knowing the damned tiger was trying to "bathe" him. Eventually Vallios pulled himself free, wiping slobber away from his cheeks with the back of his hand.
 
Accepting the keys Sacco tried to hide is annoyance at his ill gotten comrades failure. He'd take them and unlock the manacles, being sure to pocket them along with the key as such an item could come in handy.
 
As Dujek unlocked his manacles, Jask eagerly rubbed his arms and wrist and hands all together, feeling the ache. "Thank you!" The man turned and happily hugged the gnome. "Thank you so much!" Realizing that the hug was possibly inappropriate, he let go, and instead grabbed the small man's hand, shaking it excitedly. He went to Thea and Vallios, doing the same. "I promise to be as much help to you as I possibly can - I will show rather than tell that my story is true, if fate is kind to me."

He looked to the gnome Gelik. "I found your question to be interesting, friend."
 
When Jask went to grasp Vallios' hand survival instincts kicked in. Unaccustomed to the gestures of civilization Vallios mistook the gesture for an attempt to establish dominance. The wild druid responded by giving Jask's hand a squeeze with all of his considerable strength, holding the other man's arm in almost a dead-lock. Those topaz eyes narrowed and locked on Jask, lips curling back almost into a snarl. Gravetooth responded to the change in Vallios' demeanor by immediately getting to her feet and crouching low, threatening growls rumbling from her throat. This had disaster written in bold print all over it. Vallios maintained that vice-like grip even as Jask continued introducing himself to Ishirou.

<Strength check, +4 to roll>
 
<Vallios STR check, 15 overall>
<Jask makes opposed STR check, natural 20+bonuses>

Jask met the half-elf's strong grip easily, still overcome with pleasure at his newfound freedom, continuing the conversation with the rest of his Common-speaking companions, and letting go of Vallios after a moment.
 
Vallios nodded at Jask, seeing the man as an equal after the two met grips. Jask's joy was misinterpreted as discretion, and discretion was something Vallios could respect. Gravetooth calmed quickly, settling by Vallios and beginning to lick at her paws. It was a shame Jask hadn't addressed Vallios in Sylvan, such an action would have possibly garnered a positive response from the reserved druid. A thought piqued Vallios' curiosity. What sort of life dwelled on this island? Perhaps tomorrow he'd get a chance to explore.
 
Things had gotten serious once everyone gathered in one place. Hafaga peeked out from the giant leaf in his hands, behind which he'd been following the party at a distance. While they could clearly see the dwarf through the trees—Hafaga found this phrasing clever—they were less likely to engage something not in plain sight. But now Hafaga faced a problem common to survivors stranded on vicious uncharted islands during late afternoon: he was cold. At his size, both hands were required to keep the massive leaf steady. So the options left were to either blow cover to rub his shoulders, or freeze alone and undetected.

You can't hide in that closet forever! shouted drunken Papa Greatvein. Hafaga let out a defeated sigh and abandoned his leaf. "Hey, uh... gettin' cold. Anyone know how to make a fire?"

<survival check = 17>
 
Vallios went about gathering some of the harvested lumber from the wreck of the Jenivere. Enough wood was gathered to build a fire that would burn throughout the night if fed at reasonable intervals. Once the fire was shaped Vallios cast the extremely useful Spark cantrip, fanning the ember until it caught. The fire was sufficient in size for all survivors to fit comfortably around it and warm themselves. Vallios settled into a prime spot by the fire, Gravetooth slinking over and settling behind him, acting as a backrest of sorts for the druid.

"Warm yourself."
 
Darian sighed to himself as he settled next to the fire. He wasn't trained to deal with locks, so it didn't bother him that he couldn't open the footlocker. It was the situation they were in that bothered him. They were on a island that was usually avoided, with a madman captain and something that drained blood on the loose. Someone had dragged them off the ship, and there was no sign of Ieana or any of the other crewmembers. It would be reasonable to assume that the someone had survived to drag them off was still alive, somewhere on Smuggler's Shiv. The question was finding them, and whatever had attacked. "I think we should take shifts keeping a watch tonight." Darian says to the entire group when it's quiet enough for him to be heard, but before anyone sleeps. "We don't know what's on the island at the moment, and some animals could attack us while we're sleeping." Or the captain, or something worse, Darian left unsaid. He didn't know for sure the captain was alive, and wasn't sure who could be the cause of the captain's madness. Ieana was just his best guess. The person who caused this could be amoung them, having just the bad timing to get caught in their own trap.
 
"I think you're right," Sasha nodded to Darian. "I'll gladly take a shift tonight."

The Tian man, Ishirou, said quietly, to no one in particular, "We need a plan."

"Aye," replied Aerys, taking a large swig from her wine bottle.

"We'll talk in the morning, then. Figure out where we go from here," Gelik said sadly.

The night fell, and everyone began sleeping.

<DM NOTE: Except in special circumstances, we'll assume all spells are prepared in the morning. No need to manually explain it every new day.>

<FUN FACT TIME: Here's pics of all the NPCs
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/JaskDerindi.jpg?t=1298418820
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/Ishirou.jpg?t=1298418821
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/SashaNevah.jpg?t=1298418824
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/AerysMavato.jpg?t=1298418823
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/GelikAberwhinge.jpg?t=1298418834>
 
dyll said:
"I think you're right," Sasha nodded to Darian. "I'll gladly take a shift tonight."

The Tian man, Ishirou, said quietly, to no one in particular, "We need a plan."

"Aye," replied Aerys, taking a large swig from her wine bottle.

"We'll talk in the morning, then. Figure out where we go from here," Gelik said sadly.

The night fell, and everyone began sleeping.

<DM NOTE: Except in special circumstances, we'll assume all spells are prepared in the morning. No need to manually explain it every new day.>

<FUN FACT TIME: Here's pics of all the NPCs
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/JaskDerindi.jpg?t=1298418820
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/Ishirou.jpg?t=1298418821
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/SashaNevah.jpg?t=1298418824
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/AerysMavato.jpg?t=1298418823
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/TonberryFan_photos/GelikAberwhinge.jpg?t=1298418834>
Click to expand...
<Gravetooth has been ordered to Defend Vallios and any around him. She's also on watch :D >
 
<DM Note: There are plenty of hidden systems, but I'll include this for your benefit. Last night Sasha served as a guard. There are five roles that the NPCs (and if you want, you, but it is somewhat of a full-time job kinda thing) are able to serve at camp, however, the only one currently known to you is guard, and only that thanks to Darian's wise thinking. Not all the NPCs are currently friendly enough to serve in roles, nor to offer ideas on what roles might serve the camp. Talking to the NPCs (along with making Diplomacy checks) can help increase the helpfulness of the NPCs, and perhaps keep them from falling into despair over the group's current situation. If anyone has questions about the rules, always feel free to ask me in a PM or elsewhere.>

The night passed by without too much alarm. Sasha thought she heard something in the bushes nearby early into the morning before dawn, but Gravetooth's presence seemed to scare away whatever it was.

However, in the night, Hafaga stirred with strange dreams. In the dream, he was back aboard the Jenivere, bent over the railing being seasick. After his latest bout of retching, he slumped back and saw the rest of the passengers and crew were on deck as well, all sick except the captain and the quiet Varisian scholar, Ieana. She whispered into the captain's ear, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. At that point the captain held up a wooden soup spoon, and Hafaga realized he was holding one as well. Everyone had a spoon. The ship was sinking, and the only way to stop it was to bail out the hold with his spoon! He worked feverishly, but the waters kept rushing in. Just before he woke, he saw monstrous things with pincers in the water trying to claw their way into the ship...
 
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