[Game Thread] Strange Maps

[LeDragon]

Rhazor Blackhand Rhazor looks down at the camp, his right hand over his eyes as sunscreen. "Those are some snakes, all right," he notes. "If there're another temple guards or something like that are hanging around in the bushes, they'll pull the wool over our eyes." He looks to the others. "I'm for going around the camp. There's no reason to march right in there and get killed." Strictly speakinmg, Rhazor saw no reason at all to risk his life since finding the silver scales. In his mind, he was - two scales strapped to his back, two scales strapped to his chest - on his way back to the secure ship.

Link to the character sheet.

[Mindsiege]

Yuan-ti Camp The party looked out from the mountaintop after they had climbed up a sinuous path to reach its peak. And now, as they were standing in the shadow of the incredible dragon of stone and silver against the setting sun, they saw the forested foothill on the other side as well as a large structure looking similar to the temple of the fey which they had crossed right before committing to the arduous ascent that was now behind them. Just like Duha had scouted for its master before, the adventurers could now recognize the camp of yuan-ti which just barely stuck out from between the trees. From their current vantage point the dancing shapes weren't even in shouting distance, and the serpentfolk were so far unaware of the adventurers' presence as they presided over their ritual on a forested plateau that lay about a quarter of the mountain's height below its peak. The path on this side of the mountain was not as steep and would eventually lose itself in the forested foothills, but nonetheless, the scarcity of cover on the descending track would still bring the party precariously close to their encampment, and there would be a great likelihood of being seen by any yuan-ti sentries. For the moment, as the sun began its steady decline towards dusk and then night, the party was stuck contemplating how they would plan their next step. Besides the group of five adventurous individuals stood the grung who had led them up the mountain, and his arms stayed firmly crossed since last he had spoken. He had already been silent for bigger patches of time during their climb up the mountain, and now his frog-like face suggested that he was either quite confused or incredibly displeased with something. It really could have been either one, or possibly even both.

 

GM instructions I've chosen to pick up the narration with this post, but apologies if there was anything left open that's yet unanswered. I think that I might have puzzled together where this was going, or at least I've now made the story my own. Let's have some fun with it. I have a clear image of the scene in mind. If you require any clarifications, let's pick it up in the OOC.

[secretID]

Arrogaio Deveste, Champion of Skuld, Beacon of Estagund Human Tank - AC 20 | HP: 28/28 | +7/1d8+5 | Status: normal Tactical Wit | Heavy Armor Master | Defensive Style | Arcane Deflection | Second Wind 1/1 |Arcane Recovery 1/1| HD 1/1d10, 2/2d6 For no apparent reason, Arrogaio squatted with a blade of grass in his mouth while he considered the snakefolk camp, the approach of the path ahead, and the waning daylight. Maybe it helped him think, and it did look cool. “I could make it to the camp,” he estimated, “or to the woods, before nightfall, but I must be considerate of your limitations; I doubt that all of you could keep up. Creatures such as these, I would expect them to have good night vision.” He paused to look around at the other party members. “Few, if any, of us do. We would then be doubly at a disadvantage, handicapped and – how do you say? – on their turf. “We should camp for the night nearby,” Arrogaio decided. “But we do not want them to see our fires.” He looked back up toward The Silver Wyrm. “We will make camp on the other side of the plateau, keeping our light to a minimum,” he said, “and meet them in the morning. Duha keeps excellent watch.” Before others could respond, Arrogaio held up his hand. “I will consult with our guide,” he announced. Arrogaio translated these thoughts into the tongue he shared with the grung, then asked the guide, “Is there anything else that we should know? You seem unhappy to see these snakefolk.”

 

Skills and statuses: Grappling spawn, Tactical Wit, Heavy Armor Master, Arcane Deflection
Abilities with charges: Second Wind 1/1, Action Surge 1/1, Spells 3/3
Initiative: 15
Movement: After Grappling spawn, back onto boat
Action: Grapple last spawn - 22 Athletics versus enemy's 20 STR, for a success
Bonus action:
Free action: Sheathe sword
Reaction: Arcane Deflection if it will turn a hit into a miss, or Silvery Barbs otherwise if hit, or any OA, whichever comes first
Duha: Dodge

 

none

 

AC: 11 | HP: 1 | PERC +3 | Stealth +3 | Fly 60ft. | Darkvision 120ft.
Flyby: doesn’t provoke OAs when flying away | Keen senses: ADV on PERC checks using hearing or sight

 

It's him, not me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so please tell me if I do so. If you see Arrogaio creeping here, I've already asked the target permission OOC. And I have no intention of him following through - certainly not on-camera. (:

[LeDragon]

Rhazor Blackhand Rhazor still looks indecisively down at the camp of the snake people. He noticed that the frogman seems impatient and annoyed, but Rhazor sees no reason to risk his life - or even the precious silver. However, he is also not comfortable with the idea of resting in the middle of the jungle either. Rhazor is a city kid. He usually sleeps in beds, maybe on floors or benches, but always with walls and a roof between him and the environment. And there is a lot of environment here. Huge beetles, spiders, centipedes and other insects are crawling around everywhere. In his mind he can already see his warm sleeping bag full of these bugs.... The thought makes him shiver coldly despite the sultriness. "OK. Best ask him for a cave or something. There we could defend ourselves better in case of an emergency. Otherwise a hunter or scout will find us at night.... Light, smoke, the smell..." he shrugs. If they sleep here tonight, it will probably be without a fire but with a cold dinner.

Link to the character sheet.

[Yoshimi]

Snap Kick Snap Kick gazes upslope at the yuan-ti, the feathers on his nape standing on end. But Arrogaio has said that the party must rest until morning. He clenches and unclenches his fists several times, and a low dog-like growl rumbles in his throat. But other than that he looks at the rest of the party and shrugs. awaiting instructions or directions to the nearest cave.

 

Out of Combat:
Action:
Move:
Bonus Action:
Rolls:
Other:

 

Snap Kick | kenku, monk | level 5 | xp: 0 | Monastic Tradition: Way of the Drunken Master

---

hp: 29 | ki: 3/5| Inspiration: 1

---

ac: 16 | speed: 40 ft

---

stats: str 10 (+0), dex 18 (+4), con 10 (+0), int 13 (+1), wis 16 (+3), cha 14 (+2)

---

saving throws: str(+2), dex(+6), con(+0), int(+1), wis(+3), cha(+2)

---

weapons: bo staff: 1d20+6 hit, 1d6+3 or 1d8+3 damage | Darts 1d20+6 hit, 1d4+4 damage | unarmed strike: 1d20+6 hit, 1d4+4 damage | spear 1d20+6 hit, 1d6+4 or 1d8+4 damage

---

proficiencies: common, auranlanguages | simple, short swordweapon proficiencies | Thieves’ Kit, Disguise Kit, Calligrapher’s Suppliestool proficiencies | acrobatics, athletics, deception, insight, sleight of hand, stealthskills

---

features and abilities: advantage on rolls to forge or duplicateexpert forgery | imitate sounds with deception check, opposed by insightexpert mimicry | travel through cities at 2x speed outside of combatcity secrets | 1 ki point = 2 unarmed attacks as bonusflurry of blows | 1 ki point = dodge action as bonuspatient defense | | 1 ki point = disengage or dash, jump doublesstep of the wind | when using flurry of blows, gain disengage and +10 speeddrunken technique | reaction reduces ranged damage by 1d10+6, if reduced to 0 1 ki point for ranged attackdeflect arrows | spend 1 ki on successful attack to stun with DC Con savestunning strike | reduce falling damage by 20slow fall | | take 2 attacks when Attack action is usedextra attack

[secretID]

Arrogaio Deveste, Champion of Skuld, Beacon of Estagund Human Tank - AC 20 | HP: 28/28 | +7/1d8+5 | Status: normal Tactical Wit | Heavy Armor Master | Defensive Style | Arcane Deflection | Second Wind 1/1 |Arcane Recovery 1/1| HD 1/1d10, 2/2d6 Arrogaio flashes a smile of amusement at Rhazor. "I have no fear of a scout or two," he informs him, "but if you prefer your back to a wall, I will see if our guide can accommodate you. I saw no such place between here and the lady gardener other than the temple, which is probably best avoided." Arrogaio then passed on the query to the taciturn grung.

 

Skills and statuses: Grappling spawn, Tactical Wit, Heavy Armor Master, Arcane Deflection
Abilities with charges: Second Wind 1/1, Action Surge 1/1, Spells 3/3
Initiative: 15
Movement: After Grappling spawn, back onto boat
Action: Grapple last spawn - 22 Athletics versus enemy's 20 STR, for a success
Bonus action:
Free action: Sheathe sword
Reaction: Arcane Deflection if it will turn a hit into a miss, or Silvery Barbs otherwise if hit, or any OA, whichever comes first
Duha: Dodge

 

none

 

AC: 11 | HP: 1 | PERC +3 | Stealth +3 | Fly 60ft. | Darkvision 120ft.
Flyby: doesn’t provoke OAs when flying away | Keen senses: ADV on PERC checks using hearing or sight

 

It's him, not me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so please tell me if I do so. If you see Arrogaio creeping here, I've already asked the target permission OOC. And I have no intention of him following through - certainly not on-camera. (:

[Mindsiege]

Under the Open Sky If the ragtag bunch of aspiring pirates thought that Arrogaio looked cool while the handsome foreigner was posing against the beginning of dusk in the background, they certainly failed to show their appreciation as two of the four were still heaving from the climb up the mountain, one of them was taking a piss off the mountainside, and the final one already lay on his back while staring up into the sky as if he was sleeping with open eyes. Thinking back, the adventurers had accepted these four crooks as pawns to come along on their adventure after Confor had won them over with warm words initially. And although the actual experts might have never really considered that the pirates would ever make it this far, up till now, following the strange maps which Cha-kra had plundered in the past had been pretty smooth sailing. For the pirates at least, because the adventurers had actually been risking their hides while these four had been mostly tending to their hangovers. From the look of their current state, it was only a matter of time before these amateurs would drag the true adventurers down, though going by their listless expressions paired with their blatant hunger for the silver scales on the ground, mutiny or something worse could be an actual possibility on the horizon as well. Arrogaio had his work cut out for him for sure if he wanted to mime the successful leader of the party at its current size. But the composition of the currently assembled group of fortune seekers was certainly not the least of all worries, because as the sun had begun to set and a camp of unnerving serpentfolk awaited the party further down the mountain, Arrogaio concluded his musings by deciding that they would spend the night up here on the flat mountaintop. The Thri-kreen of the group maintained the camouflaging color of his carapace as he didn't seem intent on voicing any complaints, though when Arrogaio mentioned that Duha would stand watch over their party, the mantis projected his alien thoughts into everybody's head. ~I never sleep.~ It appeared that the insectoid assumed that was enough to assert his intent. As the cool temperature on top of the mountain was already beginning to drop with the continued decline of the sun, Rhazor offered that he would much rather sleep in a cave rather than face the weather up there, especially since there was barely any cover against the sheering wind that might pick up under the cloudy weather. Magnanimously Arrogaio deigned to heed his companion's wishes, and together with his own interest in the grung's latest attitude, the plated human posed that their elected guide should finally get up to some guiding, though even Arroagio found words to convey this in a more diplomatic way. In the gurgling dialect of water elementals, Snap Kick understood the conversation in primordial as it was related enough to the tongue of the wind spirits which all kenku could understand from birth. But although the sidekick could follow his new leader's words, it didn't change that the grung's reply was not a whole lot more helpful than it had been before. << Should know? There is much to know. I don't know. >> Either he was intentionally cryptic or still upset. << I don't know about the... snakefolk? They are not Stone Serpent. I have not heard. >> He looked back at the silver wyrm, shaking his toad-like head. << Unhappy? I'm not. >> He seemed to think. << I am unhappy. So dry up here. >> The grung shook his head again. << I have guided you. Far enough, yes? >> He pointed a musk-coated finger down the mountain at the supposed Temple of Shadow. << Defeat Stone Serpent. Easy to find, yes? I can go? >> As taciturn as the grung had been and as much as it might have bothered Arrogaio before, he could certainly not deny that it was pretty dry up here with no water in sight. Almost as if he was able to listen to the conversation in primordial as well, suddenly Briggs spoke up as he shook his empty waterskin after failing to take a sip from it. "Does anybody have some water left? It seems like I'm out." When Arrogaio hopefully inquired with the grung about local caves and water sources, the warrior shrugged his rubbery shoulders. << Not know. First time this north. >>

 

GM instructions Just like the post suggests, your party is running out of water. You barely have enough left for tonight and will wake up thirsty. You can't recall any water sources on your way here, though you suspect the garden tender or the thorp of delusions would have some water supplies. Apparently, the grung is not a very useful guide. He cannot lead you to any caves on this mountain. A quick spin to walk around the mountaintop will reveal that there are exactly two paths down. The winding path to the south and the one to the north. As for Cha-kra, it appears he is willing to be a sentry if you want to camp on the mountaintop. As for the pirates, I have nothing more to add. They're your problem now, though not a particularly difficult one to solve. Finally, I hope everybody brought rations.

[secretID]

Arrogaio Deveste, Champion of Skuld, Beacon of Estagund Human Tank - AC 20 | HP: 28/28 | +7/1d8+5 | Status: normal Tactical Wit | Heavy Armor Master | Defensive Style | Arcane Deflection | Second Wind 1/1 |Arcane Recovery 1/1| HD 1/1d10, 2/2d6 Arrogaio sighed at Briggs’ remark and looked around skeptically at his crew. They seemed to be offering little more than complaints. Briggs was out of water, and the stringy sailors had already emptied the reserve skins that only Arrogaio had had the wisdom to carry. He took no mind of the fact that he himself had brought neither food nor even a bedroll. “Here is the state of things,” he began his announcement. “Our supposed guide is worthless. We should dismiss him before he shrivels up. You four seamen…” Arrogaio trailed off as he realized that only one was even pretending to pay attention. “Why are you here?” he asked them. “I think we should send you back to wait for us. Perhaps you can befriend the gardener. And if you lose patience, you can try the run back to the beach. “But,” Arrogaio emphasized, raising a finger in warning, “you will take nothing. If you value your lives, that is. If you choose to ignore this advice, we will bring home one fewer henchmen, but an amusing story in your place.” Arrogaio turned toward the marginally more useful party members. As the temperature dropped, a breeze fluttered through his luxurious locks. “As I said,” he reiterated, “we must camp. We know of no shelter closer than the temple, and we know not what is inside.” He turned to Cha-kra. “It is good that you do not need sleep,” he confirmed. “What about light? – can you see well in the dark?” Before the insectoid could answer, Arrogaio continued. “Perhaps more pressing than sleep, we need water.” Arrogaio’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. He regarded the darkening sky again. “I doubt that we have time to find any now. We should camp on the far side of the plateau, and get water in the morning. I will set Duha to searching for a source immediately. “I think it warm enough that we can do without a fire,” Arrogaio proposed. “We may need to keep close, so share body heat.” As he said this last, his eyes lingered on Briggs, before moving on to Cha-kra. “But I suppose that you will be on watch all night.”

 

Skills and statuses: Grappling spawn, Tactical Wit, Heavy Armor Master, Arcane Deflection
Abilities with charges: Second Wind 1/1, Action Surge 1/1, Spells 3/3
Initiative: 15
Movement: After Grappling spawn, back onto boat
Action: Grapple last spawn - 22 Athletics versus enemy's 20 STR, for a success
Bonus action:
Free action: Sheathe sword
Reaction: Arcane Deflection if it will turn a hit into a miss, or Silvery Barbs otherwise if hit, or any OA, whichever comes first
Duha: Dodge

 

none

 

AC: 11 | HP: 1 | PERC +3 | Stealth +3 | Fly 60ft. | Darkvision 120ft.
Flyby: doesn’t provoke OAs when flying away | Keen senses: ADV on PERC checks using hearing or sight

 

It's him, not me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so please tell me if I do so. If you see Arrogaio creeping here, I've already asked the target permission OOC. And I have no intention of him following through - certainly not on-camera. (:

[LeDragon]

Rhazor Blackhand Rhazor looks at the pirates while eating a piece of bread and some cheese. Quite useless fellows... He shrugs his shoulders. After the long climb, he is mostly tired, hungry and thirsty. He eats another piece of bread. But the water is gone. Rhazor looks around. "Aren't there any plants here that collect water in the leaves, or?" He heard of them once, but his knowledge of jungle flora and fauna is limited to colorful pictures from a stolen book on Westhaven's herbalism. With a questioning look around, he eats half a sausage and another piece of bread. If there is no water, Rhazor follows every self-appointed scout to whatever is defined as best sleeping place, spreads out his bedroll there, slides the backpack into the foot end and then slips in. With his weapons close at hand, he tightens the lacing on his head, hoping to be spared from many-legged visitors.

Link to the character sheet.

[Mindsiege]

The Stuff of Adventurers Taking charge of his current litter of companions, Arrogaio admonished the roguish sailors which he had only been able to tolerate coming along up to this point, before he asked Cha-kra about his capability in darkness without waiting for the Thri-kreen's answer, swiftly progressing to clarify their need for water as well as the conservation of body heat now that they would apparently be camping on this mountain. Rhazor helpfully offered that the jungle should offer plenty of plants that would contain some life-giving fluids, though at least here at the peak the terrain was solid rock, and maybe calling the Silver Wyrm's resting place a mountain spire would have been more accurate. Resigned to his thirst, Rhazor stepped over to the resting place which Arrogaio had decided on for his party, though unfortunately this still put him pretty much into conversation range with the rest of his misaligned party. While Duha took flight and began his search for water, hopefully finding it before the sun would set and bring out the nighttime predators, the rest of the party was still regarding Arrogaio who had butted a few heads without ever receiving any replies so far. As Cha-kra wasn't the first to use his telepathy, one of the sailors began to pipe up, glancing over at Briggs before he began to gesture and talk at the same time. "Thieves' cant: Who made this guy king?We's been promised treasure if we come and help out, hasn't we, boys?" There was a bit of swagger to the sailor, and among the four he appeared the most coherent and the least tuckered out. He had a bit of a languid tone, though his speech wasn't too confrontational. "Thieves' cant: Seems to me the treasure is lying around us already anyways. This is far enough. Let's split and carry off what we can when he sleeps.Do I savvy your diction correctly that now, as the end of the treasure map has risen upon our sights, you'd rather that me and me boys excuse weselves? That sounds like a mighty greedy decision if you don't mind me sass, but we ain't have them weapons or the daftness to challenge your stance, if and so that you'd see us cut out of the spoils, Beacon of Splendor. If that it will be, we can leave come morn. When me and me boys' legs be steady again." Both Briggs and even Rhazor on his bedroll were well aware of the double-speak that was staged by the pirate's hand, most likely to gauge everybody's interest in mutiny under Arrogaio's rule. It wasn't clear from his lack of facial expressions on his chitinous face, but maybe the sailor's terrible dialogue provoked Cha-kra to immediately project his thoughts once the sailor was forced to catch a breath at the end of his sentence. It was quite discourteous to interrupt the conversation like this, but the sailor fell silent anyways. Although he did insist to make some Thieves' cant: The bug is a monster anyways, right? Nobody will miss it. You two (Rhazor and Briggs) have the skill to deal with it, right?possibly rude gestures while the Thri-kreen already conveyed his own opinion. ~In the jungle, food and water is everywhere. I pity you.~ Although the mantis hunter usually struggled to emote well, right then his condescension was conveyed quite clearly. Everybody could take a good guess that Cha-kra possessed no pity for anything on this earth. ~I can see in the darkness. I will stand vigil until you become useful again.~ The insectoid already stalked over to the southern edge, finding a spot that would allow him to overlook the plateau, the winding path to the fey temple, and the bedrolls of his humanoid companions. Looking a bit distracted with internal thoughts, Briggs suddenly spoke up again, gesturing subtly and with evidently more experience than the sailor before him. "Thieves' cant: What do you think, Rhazor?We also could steal the yuan-ti's water. There's supposed to be monsters in the jungle and I think we have plenty of capable scouts with us, right Rhazor?" With Briggs wearing a poker face and his proposal hanging ominously in the air, the grung began to feel ignored and let out a croak as well as more words in his aquan dialect of primordial. <<You will find and fight Stone Serpent now, heroes? I can go back to village?>>

 

GM instructions I'm sorry, but the scene isn't exactly ready to be progressed into the night watch yet. I'm not meaning to drag things out, but right now we're setting everything up for the last part of this treasure hunt. So please bear with me. Duha is underway to scout for water. He'll be back in a few minutes probably but is currently out of Arrogaio's telepathy range. As discussed I made Briggs bring up stealing water from the yuan-ti. While I mentioned that Cha-kra has more input about that, he's not going to offer it before there's more interest in the idea. I think that works pace-wise since you'll have to deal with the sailors first anyways. The whole thing with the brewing mutiny and thieves' cant will be mostly on Rhazor to figure out as he makes some choices for himself, though Briggs might assert his influence too. Everybody else can get involved, but Insight won't give you mindreading or make you understand thieves' cant.

[secretID]

Arrogaio Deveste, Champion of Skuld, Beacon of Estagund Human Tank - AC 20 | HP: 28/28 | +7/1d8+5 | Status: normal Tactical Wit | Heavy Armor Master | Defensive Style | Arcane Deflection | Second Wind 1/1 |Arcane Recovery 1/1| HD 1/1d10, 2/2d6 Arrogaio raised an eyebrow at the sailor’s speech. “Oh?” he asked. “I made you no promise. Do you have an agreement with someone else here?” Pausing just a moment to imply the “No,” Arrogaio concluded his remarks to the quartet. “I gave you some good advice,” he said. “Ignore it and stay if you like, but do not expect me to give you more of my water, or to carry you out of trouble again.” The fighter-mage was more interested in collaborating with Cha-kra, who certainly claimed to have some useful skills. “If this water is everywhere,” he asked the aloof bug-man, “why don’t you lead us to it? Or can you do without water as well as sleep?” Before the insectoid responded, Briggs offered both a reason to avoid foraging for water and an interesting alternative. “Ah! – you are a bold one, Briggs," said Arrogaio. "And lithe.” He looked around at the others. “Yes, you may have the makings of a raiding party…but can you all navigate this path in the dark?” At this point, the grung interrupted. “Yes, yes,” Arrogaio told him with a dismissive wave, “go.”

 

Skills and statuses: Grappling spawn, Tactical Wit, Heavy Armor Master, Arcane Deflection
Abilities with charges: Second Wind 1/1, Action Surge 1/1, Spells 3/3
Initiative: 15
Movement: After Grappling spawn, back onto boat
Action: Grapple last spawn - 22 Athletics versus enemy's 20 STR, for a success
Bonus action:
Free action: Sheathe sword
Reaction: Arcane Deflection if it will turn a hit into a miss, or Silvery Barbs otherwise if hit, or any OA, whichever comes first
Duha: Dodge

 

none

 

AC: 11 | HP: 1 | PERC +3 | Stealth +3 | Fly 60ft. | Darkvision 120ft.
Flyby: doesn’t provoke OAs when flying away | Keen senses: ADV on PERC checks using hearing or sight

 

It's him, not me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so please tell me if I do so. If you see Arrogaio creeping here, I've already asked the target permission OOC. And I have no intention of him following through - certainly not on-camera. (:

[LeDragon]

Rhazor Blackhand Rhazor loosens the lacing of his bedroll again and rises. "Wait guys, before there's any misunderstanding here, let's hold off on this and see if our flying scout can find a water source." He turns to Briggs. "Asking for water from the serpent creatures, or breaking in there for it, I think is a dangerous idea." Then he turns back to the pirates. "The great treasure is at the Stone Serpent, and we all want it, don't we? Gold! Gems! Magic!" He pauses briefly so that everyone could imagine the treasure as they see fit. "So my suggestion: if there is water nearby, we go there, drink and spend the night together. Our friend here, Cha-kra, will guard us. Then in the morning we will go fresh to the great treasure." He lets his words sink in for a moment. "Without water, we part. You return to the ship and notify the captain..." Rhazor is fully aware that the pirates think they are particularly clever, and collect a few silver scales on the way back - but then he would also find out right away if the dragon wakes up and eats the thieves. Either way - it would be a win-win for him. "... And we'll try to make our way as far as we can to the Stone Serpent."

Rhazor Blackhand (level 4 rogue) AC 15, 33/33 HP, passive perception 18 Link to the character sheet.

[Mindsiege]

Wants and Needs The quartet of unreliable aids seemed barely offended when Arrogaio rebuked their spokesman while reminding them of the care he had provided for them so far, which was mostly because other than the one who had engaged in dialogue they appeared to be quite spaced out or simply exhausted. One of them commented distractedly. "He did and has done that..." Another one had largely missed most of the conversation. "Wait. We're not gonna get paid?" Ruefully the confused human looked over at the silver scales that lay strewn about. Meanwhile, the mouthiest of the sailors held back his words as he awaited to see what fruits his silent conversation with Briggs and Rhazor would earn him. For the moment though Arrogaio dominated the scene and while Snap Kick stood silently to the plated foreigner's side, the Champion of Skuld challenged his aloof companion Cha-kra who seemed to be lacking in cooperation as much as he was lacking in facial expressions. But before the Thri-kreen could respond to the inquiry about water, the idea of raiding the yuan-ti's water supply was raised by Briggs. And although Arrogaio considered it as well as the difficulty that nightfall would bring to such a task of thievery, it was Rhazor who spoke up first as the burden of deterring a mutiny appeared to have fallen to him somehow. The rogue quickly contradicted the pirate's considerations as well as Brigg's, clarifying that the treasure at the end of their map should be their common goal and that as long as they could find water through scouting, there was no reason to leave anybody behind quite yet. His hidden thoughts about leaving the pirates to experiment for him he kept to himself. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Honestly, the lack of moonlight that we would be facing didn't really occur to me." Brigg's gave an apologetic smile, apparently on the same page as Rhazor about their current party constellation. Suddenly there was a loud thrumming noise that had everybody turn their heads, noticing that it simply had been Cha-kra who for some reason had fired his bow without notching an arrow. Without pointing it at anybody he repeated the gesture, replicating the same noise with his bowstring. It wasn't clear if this was just another of his aberrant behaviors, or if it was a response to something that had been said, but even the telepathic communication that followed shed no light on that mystery. ~I can lead you to water easily. But you are blind at night.~ The hunter's mandibles shut with an audible crunching noise. ~The yuan-ti will be sacrificing for a long time. I am prepared for them to still be there for longer than you'll sleep. We should attack and kill them. Once your eyes work again.~ Having let his betters speak before him, the self-appointed leader of his boys finally decided it was his time to speak again. This time he was not gesticulating as much. "Aye. This be acceptable terms. The real treasure promises to be great, Confor as well spoke of many riches." He gestured at the other three deadbeats. "Me and me boys will be just back to full glory come morning. Half of them might be sober by then too, but treasure, now that's a mighty motivator, ain't it so?" He grinned, and surprisingly he had all of his teeth. Before the sailor could keep acting more important than he was and before the yuan-ti or water business had been fully addressed, Arrogaio suddenly received a telepathic communication from his owl familiar, and under Duha's directions, the warrior disengaged from the group and walked over to the eastern side of the mountain crag. There he looked down and could see a small rivulet pushing out of the mountain, alas so far below that without Duha directing his gaze he might have missed it before it disappeared between the trees. As for reaching the water, it looked to be quite the journey on foot. The adventurers would still need to use one of the winding tracks, either in the north or the south, to fully descend the mountain and then would have to take a hike through the jungle terrain closest to the mountain. Getting to the rivulet before nightfall seemed quite unlikely.

 

GM instructions Let me know what you're going to do with your night. If you're going to rely on Cha-kra, I won't need you to give me an order for your night watch. I hope the narration covered any of the available insights about the pirate, yuan-ti, and water situation. Feel free to ask questions OOC, as well as to discuss your party's course of action. I don't care which character brings up the solution IC, so you may all participate equally. I hope the range of your options is clear by now, but if not, let me know. Please repeat the light situation for me in your next round of posts. It's not fully dark yet, but it won't stay that way.

[secretID]

Arrogaio Deveste, Champion of Skuld, Beacon of Estagund Human Tank - AC 20 | HP: 28/28 | +7/1d8+5 | Status: normal Tactical Wit | Heavy Armor Master | Defensive Style | Arcane Deflection | Second Wind 1/1 |Arcane Recovery 1/1| HD 1/1d10, 2/2d6 "Kill them," Arrogaio repeated aloud. "Without cause?" He looked back down the hill at the camp. From this distance, they seemed not so different than the human villagers or the satyrs he had met in his time in the Marches. He turned back to Cha-kra, the most unusual looking intelligent creature he had yet encountered. "As I said," he reiterated, "cold-blooded." He left the comment in the air a moment. "We are not murderers," he asserted, rather inclusively. "Some humanoids, I know, are in a state of war with the civilized peoples - gnolls, kobolds...even the grung, perhaps. As I said, I do not know these snake people. But you seem to, Cha-kra. You know that they are performing a sacrifice? - of what? And you know that we must call them enemies?"

 

Skills and statuses: Grappling spawn, Tactical Wit, Heavy Armor Master, Arcane Deflection
Abilities with charges: Second Wind 1/1, Action Surge 1/1, Spells 3/3
Initiative: 15
Movement: After Grappling spawn, back onto boat
Action: Grapple last spawn - 22 Athletics versus enemy's 20 STR, for a success
Bonus action:
Free action: Sheathe sword
Reaction: Arcane Deflection if it will turn a hit into a miss, or Silvery Barbs otherwise if hit, or any OA, whichever comes first
Duha: Dodge

 

none

 

AC: 11 | HP: 1 | PERC +3 | Stealth +3 | Fly 60ft. | Darkvision 120ft.
Flyby: doesn’t provoke OAs when flying away | Keen senses: ADV on PERC checks using hearing or sight

 

It's him, not me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so please tell me if I do so. If you see Arrogaio creeping here, I've already asked the target permission OOC. And I have no intention of him following through - certainly not on-camera. (:

[Mindsiege]

Cha-kra There were many moments and even prolonged periods of time in which the brash Thri-kreen appeared quite taciturn. Right now though, Cha-kra appeared plenty motivated to engage with Arrogaio's rhetoric. ~They'll tell you that they are civilized in your definition of the term. These down there are sacrificing your kin.~ The coldness in the insectoid's telepathy was almost palpable. ~I do not care. Yet I will help you act like a champion of men. These yuan-ti are your enemies, whether we avoid them or not.~ Cha-kra pointed at Arrogaio with one of his secondary limbs. ~They'll lie to you if you let them. But if you lack the bravery to challenge them, the terrain seems quite suitable to circumvent them. If we can descend the mountain unseen. I am capable of any of these things. I can't yet tell what you are capable of.~ The mantis delivered his taunts without any flourish or change in his chitinous expression. There was a moment of audible silence that followed Cha-kra's telepathic assertions. Then he pulled his bowstring and let it snap back with a dull thrumming noise. The motion seemed wasteful, but to him it must have served some kind of point.

 

Actions Movement: - Action: - Bonus Action: - Reaction: Parry if dmg higher than 5 or lethal Notes: - Rolls: Lady Luck

Stat Block Cha-kra | Fighter / Wizard (Bladesinger)Psionic Mantis | Level 3 HP: 16/16| HD: 1/1d10 2/2d6 | AC: 20/16 | Prof Bonus: +2 | PP: 13 | INI: +3 | Speed: 30 ft. Attributes & Saves: Str 13 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 8 (-1), Int 18 (+4), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 12 (+1) Skill proficiencies: Acrobatics (+5), Perception (+3), Performance (+3), Stealth (+5), Survival (+3) Other proficiencies: Common, Elven, Thri-kreenLanguages | All armor, shieldsArmor Proficiencies | Simple weapons, martial weaponsWeapon Proficiencies | Poisoner's kitTool Proficiencies Racial abilities: You are a Monstrosity.Creature Type | While you aren't wearing armor, your carapace gives you a base AC of 13 + your DEX modifier. As an action you can change the color of your carapace to match the color and texture of your surroundings, giving you advantage on DEX (Stealth) checks made to made in those surroundings.Chameleon Carapace | You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.Darkvision | You have two slightly smaller secondary arms below your primary pair of arms. The secondary arms can manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, pick up or set down a Tiny object, or wield a weapon that has the Light property.Secondary arms | You do not require sleep and can remain conscious during a long rest, though you must still refrain from strenuous activity to gain the benefit of the rest.Sleepless | Without the assistance of magic, you can't speak the non-thri-kreen languages you know. Instead you use telepathy to convey your thoughts. You have the magical ability to transmit your thoughts mentally to willing creatures you see within 120' of yourself. A contacted creature doesn't need to share a language with you to understand your thoughts, but it must be able to understand at least one language. Your telepathic link to a creature is broken if you and the creature move more than 120' apart, if either of you is incapacitated, or if either of you mentally breaks the contact (no action required).Thri-kreen Telepathy Class abilities: You learn one maneuver of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.) You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.Fighting Style: Superior Technique | When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to reduce the damage by the number you roll on your superiority die + your Dexterity modifier.Parry 1/1 | You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.Second Wind 1/1 | Arcane Recovery: You have learned to regain some of your psionic energy. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.Psionic Recovery | Bladesong: Starting at 2nd level, you can invoke a psionic trance, provided that you aren't wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield. It graces you with supernatural speed, agility, and focus. You can use a bonus action to start the trance, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. You can also dismiss the trance at any time (no action required). While your trance is active, you gain the following benefits: - You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1) - Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. - You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. - You gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw you make to maintain your concentration on a spell. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1). You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.Psionic Trance 2/2 Feats & Background: You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth.Wanderer Equipment: Reflavoured rapier: Attack bonus (+5), piercing damage (1d8+3), FinesseGythka | Reflavoured dart: Attack bonus (+5), piercing damage (1d4+3), Thrown (range 20/60), finesseChatkcha | Attack bonus (+5), piercing damage (1d8+3), Ammunition (range 150/600), heavy, two-handedLongbow | Reflavoured handaxe: Attack bonus (+3), slashing damage (1d6+1), Light, Thrown (range 20/60)Jagged machete | Shield | Healing potion (Confor's) Spellcasting: Spell DC (14) | Spell Attackbonus (+6) Cantrips: Booming Blade, Mage Hand, Mind Sliver Level 1 Spells (3/3): Absorb Elements, Catapult, Expeditious Retreat, Jump, Shield