Chapter 20: Coming Dawn

[Dave W.]

"I'll be fine Kal. Perhaps a rest. Come Streko, Sem. Let's see if we can find a dry place for a nap."

Adamant helps them down below deck with the intention of taking a rest.

---

Assuming they're up for it, he will help them find a place to sleep and he will start a short rest of his own.

[Ken]

Dammit, thinks Belarin in reply. I was hoping for alone time with Histra. Kalarian can't quite tell if Belarin is serious, and the mental "echoes" of tittering voices in the warlock's thoughts don't help.

"Are you ready to look at the corpses of giant crabs and serpents?" Belarin says to Histra. "Of course you are. Let's go. By the way, the skeleton did well. Tangat! Up! Kal wants to see you!"

As Belarin starts moving, he sees Adamant coming down. "Hey, didn't we have to deal with curses the last time we tangled with that damn thing? How is everyone feeling?"

[Joe]

Streko recalls the spell he needed to remove whatever affliction that damnable serpent's headlight pulsed into them. "Brother, all of us afflicted by the serpent's beam must have that affliction magically removed. Only magic will work. If you have that spell available, cast it upon me. I shall, in turn, cast mine upon Sem, Shorak and yourself. Let us get as close to the edge of the railing as possible. If we are sick, best to send that poison back into the river. Then, I believe, I will take you up on that rest."

Seeing Belarin, Histra and Tangat well brings a smile to the halfling's face. "Yes, my friend. I am working at making sure the serpent's poison doesn't linger in any of us."
_______________________________________________________________

Simul-posted with Ken. Streko will cast Lesser Restoration on Addy, Sem and Shorak.

[Brian]

The rain is just too heavy. Melethos can't see far past the end of his hand. He considers heading back the way they came, seeing if he can spot something, but he doesn't want to get lost in the storm's fury.

Drenched, he brings the soarsled to a gentle landing on the deck, right at the same spot from which he took off. He steps off, looks at Starg, and thanks the minotaur.

"Did everyone survive?" he asks Starg. "No one seriously hurt?"

[Dave B.]

With everyone talking about getting some rest, Shorak is about to tell them that magic is required after suffering from that damnable serpent's ray of poison, when Streko pipes up with just that information and then offers to cast the required magic. "Thank you, yet again, good Streko." Shorak says, after he vomits the dregs of the poison's affect over the rail, into the river. "Yes, I think sleep would be quite welcome. But, I should look at the gem in the serpent's head first." Shorak examines the serpent's gem.

[Jeff]

Kal flies above and behind the ship, where Calirataia stands. Some of the vines wrap around her, but not aggressively. The rain makes quiet conversation impossible, and she doesn't seem to have the strength or desire to shout anymore. The Deneith heir can see the vines untangling themselves. Once they're finally free, the kelplike vines drop back into the river and vanish.

Then Kal sees her turn around and speak closely with Brack. A minute later, the shifter walks over to the corpse of one of the invaders. The humanoid creature with a piscine face, wearing clothes. He crouches down and looks puzzled by something.

Jun 4, 2021 15:43:46 GMT -4 Ken said:

"Are you ready to look at the corpses of giant crabs and serpents?" Belarin says to Histra. "Of course you are. Let's go. By the way, the skeleton did well. Tangat! Up! Kal wants to see you!"

"Crabs?" she says, climbing to her feet. Belarin now sees that Histra did more than hide from the poisonous cloud. A long, pale arm lies detached on the floor of the cabin he shares with her. From the long-nailed fingers of the hand and the withered, blackened opposite end where the arm would have attached to a shoulder, Belarin suspects it's from one of those screeching creatures. The porthole in the cabin was broken open. Histra stoops and examines it closer. "It's . . . different now. We can dispose of that. I have little in these things." She looks at Belarin. "Would you mind?"

Tangat pads out of the room, tail moving only a little, whining. He looks very weak. "The poison," Histra says, eyeing the dog and the open hatch (where rain is pouring in). "We both got a breath-full before shutting the door against it. Tell Kal to come down and be with him, or Streko. He does not have the strength to go up."

Histra goes up, then, and surveys the rain-slicked deck and the aftermath of the battle.

Jun 4, 2021 15:46:34 GMT -4 Joe said:

Streko will cast Lesser Restoration on Addy, Sem and Shorak.

Streko's magic makes Adamant feel immediately better. When Shorak and Sem are purged, they, too, both miserably reject whatever food remains in their stomaches. But the nausea passes quickly. Streko himself still doesn't feel well.

Jun 4, 2021 17:20:06 GMT -4 Brian said:

Drenched, he brings the soarsled to a gentle landing on the deck, right at the same spot from which he took off. He steps off, looks at Starg, and thanks the minotaur.

"Did everyone survive?" he asks Starg. "No one seriously hurt?"

"You are exceptionally courageous," the minotaur answers, eyeing the soarsled. "I have never enjoyed even my own spell-flight." He looks around. "I do not know. I have not accomplished or seen very much of this battle."

Jun 5, 2021 2:17:43 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

But, I should look at the gem in the serpent's head first." Shorak examines the serpent's gem.

The skeleton takes a guard position beside Histra when she looks around the ship. Eyeing the giant crab, she just shakes her head. 

Shorak and Histra both then approach the serpent's body where it is still mostly coiled around the wing of the ship. They look at each other, both standing with hair plastered to their heads in the rain, like professional treasure hunters. "I do not have the time to experiment with the body," she says loudly to be heard clearly by the halfdrow. "But Shorak, if you will remove the gem, perhaps we can make use of it. Can you . . . " She reaches a finger out to trace the length of the sweeping horns that also crown the serpent's head. "Can you remove any of these without damaging them too much? Leave the fangs; I would like to avoid the venom, and you should, too." 

Up close, Shorak can see that the gem appears to be fused to the skull of the creature. It's huge, emerald-like, and even appears faceted like a worked jewel. He can't imagine how such a thing could be naturally occurring in any beast, but he's seen stranger things in his homeland.

After Kurra speaks with Brack, she goes over to the giant dead crab and beckons Thul and Melethos both to join her, and anyone else who wishes to help. She shouts to make sure everyone can hear her. "Aye, this thing is too damned big to just leave here! I want it off the deck. But it's going to take some doing. And we can salvage some meat, I think. I know crabs. I know how and where . . . just haven't worked on one so damned big. The rest we just chop off and throw overboard. Feed the Hydra, aye? Will you help?"

---

Shorak, Sem, and Streko are no longer afflicted. Adamant still is. The mechanical effects of this curse/disease is that he cannot benefit from a short or long rest until purged.

If Shorak wishes to try to pry the gem and the two main horns free, give me a Strength (sleight of hand) check for each.

[Brian]

Jun 5, 2021 8:37:15 GMT -4 Jeff said:

After Kurra speaks with Brack, she goes over to the giant dead crab and beckons Thul and Melethos both to join her, and anyone else who wishes to help. She shouts to make sure everyone can hear her. "Aye, this thing is too damned big to just leave here! I want it off the deck. But it's going to take some doing. And we can salvage some meat, I think. I know crabs. I know how and where . . . just haven't worked on one so damned big. The rest we just chop off and throw overboard. Feed the Hydra, aye? Will you help?"

Uncomfortable with the minotaur's praise, Melethos merely nods. When Kurra calls his name, he crosses the deck to stand with her and Thul.

"I will aid you," the tielfing says, eyeing the large crab. He knows the creature's shell is thick, and will be difficult to cut. Nevertheless, he draws his blade. "Just tell me where to cut and what to throw overboard."

Melethos will follow Kurra's instructions, working methodically to rid the deck of the crab parts the dwarf doesn't want to keep.

[Dave W.]

Adamant feels better… sharper. Seeing Streko still suffering, he asks the halfling, “Is it poison? I can help with that.” Adamant touches his friend and lets Dol Arrah’s healing flow into him.

“Is anyone else affected?” He goes up to look for Calirataia

---

I’m pretty sure you mean Streko is still affected since Joe cast Lesser Res on Addy but not himself. If not Addy will do the lay on hands to himself.

Addy does Lay on Hands, spending 5 point to remove a poison. If that doesn’t seem to work he’ll do it again but spending to remove a disease.

[Darren]

Kal floats down to the deck beside Brack. His elven cloak billows in the air as he descends, swirling around him when he lands on the deck. He kneels down to get a closer look at what Brack is looking at. He sees the twitch of the fine hairs by the shifter's eyes. "What is it, captain?" he asks. "Have you encountered these creatures before? I doubt they were simply aligned with the snake. Perhaps convinced to follow someone stronger, or perhaps their will was compelled. Either way, you seem troubled."

[Ken]

Belarin stays with Tangat as Histra goes up the ladder. He communicates telepathically, Kal, come down here when you can. Tangat is fine, but weak. He got a lungful of the poison. He could do with some cheering up.

He strokes the wolfdog's head a few times, then he picks up the nearby severed limb by the wrist, sticks it out the porthole, and drops it. "Hail and well met."

[Jeff]

Belarin could have sworn this limb was . . . fishier than it appears now. But out it goes.

Jun 5, 2021 14:49:06 GMT -4 Darren said:

"What is it, captain?" he asks. "Have you encountered these creatures before? I doubt they were simply aligned with the snake. Perhaps convinced to follow someone stronger, or perhaps their will was compelled. Either way, you seem troubled."

"I think I have," the shifter admits. "Look." He points right to the dead thing's head, and Kal sees . . . a very dead but very human face. No gills, no barracuda mouth. Just long hair plastered to the skin, the wrinkles of a middle-aged man. His skin is discolored, but that seems to be from the poisonous fog. "There are things in the sea, and the rivers, that change people. Can't say I know what does it. There's a power in the deep, and it probably commanded those weeds. It's not that damned snake, and not these men."

Sem comes up and sees that the fish-man is now just a dead man. "The serpent seemed good at finding allies. You fought some mud-worms, too, at the shore, right? Well, hopefully, that's the last of them."

Brack looks a moment longer at the dead human. "I've seen some of these before, is all. Not recently." He doesn't seem eager to discuss it. "Whatever. Help me toss this poor sod over?" he asks Kal.

Kurra ropes in Adamant to help with the crab, and the hard work begins. But it does look like a great deal of crab meat will be harvested! "I'm cooking this one tonight, meself" the dwarf says with a grin, saying like a sailor who's been stuck on land for too long. "You can probably get some off that arm, too!" she says to Adamant, indicating the severed claw of the crab that went back into the river.

Sorry, Dave. Yeah, I got them backwards. In any case, Adamant is purged now as well. No need to specify poison or disease in this case.

[Darren]

Kal's heels thud as he settles fully into the deck. "Of course," he says to Brack as he releases his flight spell and instead concentrates his power on picking up the dead body to toss it overboard. "Sem," he says as the body floats towards the railing, "do you think it's all connected to the group that seeks to protect the dragon's treasure? What did you call them? Allies of the Green Watcher or some such thing?"

______________
I know it's wasteful to cast Telekinesis right now, but hey...that's what Kal would do.

[Dave B.]

Shorak nods to Histra. "I will do the best I can." He tells her and pulls out his pouch of tools and a couple of daggers. He carefully begins working on the gem. After finishing that intricate work, Shorak works on removing the horns as well. The rain doesn't help, but Shorak doesn't rush, his hands moving deftly, occassionally switching between a dagger and one of his finer tools. A small file here, a tiny chisel there, then back to the dagger.

Sleight of hand check: 1d20+8=21 for the gem. 1d20+8=20 for the horns.

[Dave W.]

Jun 5, 2021 20:39:10 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Kurra ropes in Adamant to help with the crab, and the hard work begins. But it does look like a great deal of crab meat will be harvested! "I'm cooking this one tonight, meself" the dwarf says with a grin, saying like a sailor who's been stuck on land for too long. "You can probably get some off that arm, too!" she says to Adamant, indicating the severed claw of the crab that went back into the river

“Of course.” As Adamant move to the crab corpse, he mentions (shouting over the storm) to Kal and Barak that he can clear the lingering effect of the poison. And they may send anyone needing care to him where he works on the crab.

The waraforged applies his strength and hammer (surprisingly, a good tool for breaking the crab shell to get at the meat) to gather food. The rain impedes the work but Adamant is generally more at ease doing work that helps people than standing idle.

[Jeff]

Shorak's telekinesis makes disposal of the dead man's body easy. "Thanks," Brack says, then looks toward the crab-smashing side of the ship. "Help them?"

Shorak removes the gem deftly, though it is not a clean break. Chips of bone from the serpent's skull still adhere to it. But Histra immediately holds up a pouch and prompts Shorak to drop it in. "Best not to make physical contact with it," she says through the rain. "I will safely examine it another time."

The horns come free, though not evenly. These Histra gathers in cloth that's already soaked through. "Thank you," she says, then disappears into the hold below.

[Darren]

"Of course," Kal says to Brack as he makes his way to that side of the ship. Passing the snake and Belarin, Kal asks, "Can you do your thing," he twiddles his fingers, "and talk to it? Might be helpful..."

On the far side of the ship, Kal helps his friends make short work of the crabs, tossing whatever bits Kurra doesn't want to keep into the river. "Eat up, boys!" Kal calls over the edge of the ship.

[Dave B.]

After Histra leaves with the gem and horns, Shorak carefully packs up his tools and stows it and the daggers away and then goes over to help with the crabs. "So, I assume we'll be keeping some of the pieces to cook up?" He calls out through the rain and wind as he lends a hand in tossing the unwanted bits over the side of the ship.

[Darren]

Kal is irritated when Belarin doesn't answer. Then, turning, he realizes Belarin isn't there. "Huh," he says aloud. He shakes his head. He must be getting tired. He's got to be more careful, more clear headed for the sake of his friends. He goes below to find Tangat, and once there he seeks out the warlock. "There you are Belarin. Can you....? Wait. How were you in my head? You don't have the ring on...."

[Brian]

Working with Shorak and Adamant, Melethos makes short work of dismembering the crab. He sets one of the massive claws on the deck, unsure is it is the one that tried to split him in half. Then, with Kurra's guidance, he carefully cracks open the chitinous shell to access the meat.

"How long before this meat begins to spoil?" he asks Kurra. "Do you know a way to preserve it?"

[Jeff]

Jun 5, 2021 21:50:33 GMT -4 Darren said:

"Sem . . . do you think it's all connected to the group that seeks to protect the dragon's treasure? What did you call them? Allies of the Green Watcher or some such thing?"

The gnome blinks through the rain, having watched Shorak's removal of the green gemstone and the horns of the serpent. "My best professional guess is, this thing had some 'academic' interest in the affairs of dragons, but wasn't in the club, in a manner of speaking. The scroll that we read, intended for the Green Watcher, referred to a group called the Eyes of Chronepsis. No relation to the Eye of Azalar, I'd say, and Chronepsis is a constellation. The name of some god of fate to dragons, possibly related to the Host. I don't know religions of the world nearly as well as cultures of Xen'drik." He shrugs. "One hopes that the serpent was a free agent. I'm not very fond of its ability to recruit monsters."

Kal's Telekinesis expedites the crab-ejecting process, but eventually his spells wears out and he heads down to find Tangat. The dog happily noses up to him, and Kal can see how weary the dog is. He falls quickly asleep with his head in Kal's lap.

Jun 6, 2021 19:17:19 GMT -4 Darren said:

Kal asks, "Can you do your thing," he twiddles his fingers, "and talk to it? Might be helpful..."

When Shorak and Kal walk away from the serpent, Thul gives Belarin a look. "Or leave it to me." He indicates the serpent's now maimed head and raises Syndra to show his intent. The flaming hammer blazes and hisses in the rain. "

Jun 7, 2021 7:33:08 GMT -4 Brian said:

"How long before this meat begins to spoil?" he asks Kurra. "Do you know a way to preserve it?"

Kurra stops from her own work, wiping her brow and for the moment, enjoying the rain. "I'm gonna make some ice, which will give us only a couple of days. We're eating as much as we can tonight. My suggestion is to cook most of it. We can't spread it out for long. You can always take some with you, if you've got the room.

Tangat's at 1 hit point.

Readying to jump forward to later in the day.

[Brian]

Ready to move on.

[Ken]

Jun 7, 2021 6:48:31 GMT -4 Darren said:

"There you are Belarin. Can you....? Wait. How were you in my head? You don't have the ring on...."

Belarin smiles. "It was the crazy Triptych I grabbed from the hoard. The fight with the Serpent didn't seem like it was going well, so I activated it, hoping for something explosive. But instead.... telepathy. I'll be in your heads for a while, or at least until dawn."

When Kal expresses his interest in having Belarin speak with the Serpent's spirit, the warlock says, "That'll be interesting. Can it wait until the damn rain stops, though? I can't be dramatic when I'm soaking wet."

__________________________

Ready to move on.

[Darren]

"Hm?" Kal responds, distracted by worry for Tangat. "Oh, yes. Of course. Just tell everyone not to toss it overboard, yet."

Quietly, he adds, "Would you see if Streko can help, please?"

[Jeff]

Thul grunts. "This thing isn't a godsdamned ship-decoration, warlock," he says, indicating the serpentine corpse where its coiled loosely. "Do the treewoman a favor and let me get rid of it. So it's now or not." He indicates Syndra again and gives Belarin a final glance that says: I'm doing this now.

Meanwhile, the seaweed vines are soon completely loosed, without anyone's need for chopping them, and the Dragonfly is able to move again unimpeded. Brack remains at the wheel, and Calirataia walks around for a time looking trance-like. You've seen her do this enough now to know that she is assessing the condition of the ship itself. But in the process, she sinks into the wood . . .

And emerges again in the lower deck, right beside Kal and Tangat. She sits cross-legged in front of the dog. She strokes Tangat on the head and speaks words of druidic magic. His tail immediately starts wagging. She plants a kiss on his furry head, then tree-strides away again without a word, leaving the room smelling like juniper for some reason.

---

Tangat regains 12 hit points from Calirataia's 2nd-level Cure Wounds.

My "moving on" will be a few hours, rain or no rain.

[Dave W.]

Adamant retrieves crab meat as Kurra directs. If it is brought to his attention that anyone is sill unwell he will tend to it with Lay on Hands as before.

At some point when Calirataia is tree strides near by, he will take a break and quickly ask her, "You are well? The poison had a lingering effect for some of us." But he knows she is busy and will not keep her engaged for long.

---

ready to move on

[Ken]

Relieved that Tangat is getting some much-needed healing, Belarin goes above, where Thul immediately starts yelling at him about the Serpent's corpse. Fabulous.

"Oh, I just want the head for a few hours, Thul" he says cheerily. "Bash the rest of it to your blackened heart's content!"

[Darren]

Kal opens his mouth to thank Calirataia, but she's already gone. He scratches Tangat's ears. "Perhaps tonight would be a good time for Calira's feast," he says to the dog. "With the snake no longer a threat, this may be our last peaceful moment."

_____
Ready to move on.

[Jeff]

Thul just looks at Belarin for a moment. Then he turns and pounds at the neck of the serpent just behind the head. Repeatedly, cracking bones after the first few hits. Then he just holds it in place while Syndra burns away the flesh. Eventually it breaks. He nudges the head over, a heavy head much bigger than any human's that would take two hands to carry around for anyone. It thuds to the deck at Belarin's feet, splattering more blood around.

Then Thul works to uncoil the body, dropping it into the river.

What is Belarin doing with the serpent's head?

Calirataia gives Adamant only a quick smile of assurance when he checks in on her. But she becomes hard to pin down right now.

Just as the last of the crab-parts have been thrown overboard and Kurra's crated up the salvageable meat—which thankfully smells similar enough to regular crab meat—the rain storm begins to let up, becoming a drizzle. Nearly everyone is exhausted, but as the next few hours pass and the early afternoon fades into later afternoon, the rain stops altogether and the sky brightens significantly. Something about the air is especially refreshing. The artificer freezes the crab-crates with some infusions, then asks Melethos and Adamant to help her move them into the hold.

Kurra then turns her full attention on repairing the ship. A number of ratlines and rigging have been snapped by the claws of the crabs, but her artifice is more than sufficient to the task of rejoining them. Then she goes to inspect the hold to make sure all is in order. She even begins the process of replacing the glass portholes that were broken open.

Adamant is glad to see the sun appearing again, even though it is mostly veiled by the last remaining clouds. It now descends toward the horizon, which lies just left of the bowsprit. From the scent of faded rain in the air and the hue of the sky, and maybe his own attunement to the light of Dol Arrah, Adamant suspects there is a glorious sunset approaching. Calirataia is suddenly beside him and gives him a knowing look. She can sense it, too. Although still thoroughly wet, the dryad looks happy. In twenty-four hours or maybe a little more, Adamant knows he will be leaving her behind.

[Brian]

Melethos helps Adamant carry the crates of crabmeat down to the hold, where he sets them where Kurra indicates. It's an impressive amount of succulent seafood and will be a welcome change from their ordinary fare.

After thanking Adamant for his help--his warforeged friend strides up the ladder to the top deck, probably in search of the dryad--Melethos finds Kal.

"I need to dry my armor," he says to his friend. "Then I need some rest. That crab nearly squeezed the shit out of me, literally." He holds up his hand wearing the telepathy ring. "Give a mental shout if you need me."

____________________________________________________

Providing Kal doesn't object, Melethos will take an hour or two for a short rest. He regains his Second Wind and Action Surge features. He will also spend three fighter hit die to regain hit points.

Melethos: repeat 3D10 + 3#hit points regained from short rest → 9; 10; 9(6 + 3);(7 + 3);(6 + 3)

[Dave W.]

Jun 7, 2021 16:52:29 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Although still thoroughly wet, the dryad looks happy. In twenty-four hours or maybe a little more, Adamant knows he will be leaving her behind.

Adamant suppresses the thought as soon as it arises, instead he simply takes her hand, says nothing, just shares the moment.