Character Journals Mk II

[Kelly]

Ship's Log

We have left the port of Hedrad with 30 tons of iron ore in the hold. We have also left with a new passenger, Chey. She is a local cartographer and appears knowledgable of the waters that we will be in and surrounding the island we sail to.

The trip to the island was uneventful. We passed several other ships in the southern trading lanes though we had no interaction with any of them.

Several sargents are beginnning to stand out from the marines that we hired. We will keep a close eye on them to determine if they are worthy to join the Fists of the Dragon. I am giving them more authority for the immediate time and the opportunity to prove themselves. So far, it seems that they will be worthy additions to our chartered group.

We have landed on the island on the far side on a hidden beach. The passage was through treacherous reefs, however our navigator, pilot and Chey all easily steered us through the danger.

We have taken a small recon party ashore, and left the ship with instructions to be at a quiet, yet high state of alert and preparedness. The recon party scaled the slopes of a volcano where we observed the cave of the Steel Giant, as well as many ratmen and the largest of the Wrack Dragons.

We also observed the Wrack Dragon blow a signal on a conch horn, which summoned the smaller dragons and ratmen from the opposite volcano. They hauled a chest of unknown items back to the other volcano and the largest of the Dragons returned to the Giant's cave below our position.

We have returned to the ship and will formulate our final plan. Tomorrow, if weather and other circumstances permits, we will attack the evil creatures at the Steel Giant's cave. For now, I pray to Corean that all goes well and we remain undetected as surprise is our only real advantage over these very formidable opponents.

[shadowbane]

Excerpt from the book she’s writing called Chey the wanderer

The last few days have been well unexpected to say the least, I was dreading the end of the monsoons as my ill fated reputation has spread to the local ships captains and none will let me travel with neither for love nor money. Few openly comment of the quality of my work but even they are too wary of what happened to let me travel with them. I thought I would be spending this year in the library and the surrounding hills surveying, but it was not what happened.

As I was in the library I heard of two gentlemen who had been inquiring about a few unusual topics, things better left unsaid. So I approached them and it was then I saw they were with the foreign ship that had taken in for mayor refitting and repairs. Their vessel was bigger than the Golden Swan and suspiciously heavily armed. This was defiantly she ship of a privateer and seeing as the numbers of marines they had been hiring to crew it was getting ready for something big.

From my contacts at the docks I always try to keep up to date on matters regarding the ships in harbor, but this ship was something else, for its size it was already heavily over crewed. I think over one hundred marines had been taken on as crew and this had started a few rumors. So it picked my interest when several of the officers slipped into the library to look up that island, the one that had almost cost me my life the year before.

I dug out all the maps and charts I could pertaining to the island and pointed out a few errors in the chart they were trying to read. They tried to brush away the matter as though they had no interest in the island, until they realized I had seen the island myself and I told them of my interest. Then they left me to discuss over the matter.

I’ll miss my ‘mother’ and the library but I must go to complete the sea chart I promised to make. Needless to saw they accepted my offer to help navigate them to the island, and it was then just a simple matter of getting the sea chest where everything precious to me is stored delivered to the ship. They wanted this venture to be a secret, so for my part I did not say a word about it but rumors about the ship were already spreading around the taverns.

They did extensive tests on me and asked me a few questions, luckily they didn’t inquire about my last voyage. And soon we were off, they asked me to assist with the navigator charting the ships path, I have to say it even though he’s a nice person his map reading skills are a bit lacking, he’s obviously had training but seems to have picked up a few bad habits as well. I helped him and he seemed impressed by my skill.

We made good time and past some interesting reefs and islands which I mapped and updated some of my older maps. We arrived at the island ands this time the weather was clear.

They trusted me to navigate though the reef it seems as though they are starting to notice my talent. I charted the reef and lay down a careful route though the treacherous rocks. The pilot was quite skilled and we soon arrived at the beach.

As the others prepared the boats I sketched a rough map of the island, I’ll take notes and correct it as I go along and turn it into a proper map later on. We were soon trekking across the side of the dormant volcano, and within hours we had reached a good vantage point over the cave.

What we saw still has me in Awe, wrack dragons and a small army of ratlings. This is why they needed the troops but personally I dought if they have enough men for the task. They are planning an attack now. I will help them if I can; I know a few inspiring tales and a little magic, though I loathe using that around this crew.

While they planned I set about correcting the map of the reef, I hope they don’t notice the alteration I made, one of my estimates was off slightly. The maps corrected now and everything should be fine for the return journey. I’ll rest now and think over the last few days hopefully I’ll be able to find better words.

[CosmicHorror]

Apoctus unravels his hammock, finally getting a chance to use it and a small book falls out. "Oh, that's where I put it." He finishes setting up his hammock, then takes the book and a pen and starts to write.

(For the sake of authenticity, and some fun on my part, I'll be doing my journals as images which I will be hosting on my photobucket acount, which is also available for other people to use for this game, ie: minis, and other stuff. A journal will be up by friday at the latest.)

[Hussar]

Cool Cos, sounds good. Just be careful of the pic sizes. Some people are on dialup modems and huge jpegs could be a problem. I keep mine all under 100k.

[CosmicHorror]

Well, so that I don't suck badwidth, I'm going to be posting links to the entries, that way people checking other journals won't have to load mine, and I'll keep them small.

[Kelly]

Ships Log

We attempted to engage the Dragons and ratmen at the Steel Giant's cave. Unfortunately, we now know that the Dragons can see anything invisible b/c they detected our use of an arcane eye. We were attempting to use the arcane eye to see the layout of the cave, when the dragon came storming out of the cave looking for us.

Since we were way out of range and since it would be almost suicide to try to get within range and attack, we instead chose the better part of valor and fled to the ship. We immediately set sail to get out of sight.

Using a commune spell, I contacted Corean and asked 9 yes or no questions. This contact made it clear that the Steel Giant is being held against its will and that we must attempt to free it. We also know that the Dragons know our ship and that we cannot attempt to sail in their sight and deceive them. Among other things, we learned that the Dragons are expecting a shipment of supplies by ship and we have sailed on a course designed to intercept that ship. For now the plan is to attempt to either take that ship, or sink it and starve the dragons out.

We are also brainstorming in an attempt to devise a backup plan whereby we can somehow return to the island and free the giant and defeat the dragons. This plan is in case we cannot simply starve the dragons into submission.

[Hussar]

A view of the natural harbour of the island of the Steel Giant during the dawn assault.



Courtesy of ME. (Heh, I really love Terragen.)

[Merkuri]

There is what looks like an old logbook with a fraying brown cover. There are pages missing, torn out by the looks of it, but whatever was written there was removed completely, there are no fragments of it left. Written on the remaining pages in a small, neat hand, are scraps of poetry. They are obviously drafts, because there are many places where words or lines are crossed out, and some places where the paper has been scraped clean. The poem with the freshest ink is this:

The great ship comes to isle of storms,
A giant there to free
From slaving to the dragons old,
Across the great Blood Sea.

The crew is brave, the ship is strong
Her captain wise and true.
The Tallywhacker she is called,
To sail seas, red and blue.

But dragon eyes see through the mist
And pierce ev'ry disguise.
The beast of old sees through the spells
And sees the spying eyes.

To sea again the Tally goes,
To council with their Lord.
Great Corean bids them return:
'Destroy the dragon's hoard.'

And so the great ship spins its plan:
Upon the sea to wait
In hiding for the ship that brings
Supplies to their foes' gate.

The men do bleed, the sea does cry
The ships fight brave and long
But at the bloody battle's end
One ship sands brave and strong.

So 'Victory!' the Tally cries.
And boards their wounded foe.
And then two ships take to the seas
To bring the dragons woe!

[Kelly]

Ships Log

We intercepted the ratman supply ship bound for the Steel Giant's Island at sea. Our helmsman skillfully navigated our ship to within striking distance several times during the encounter. We attacked with Ballistae and marines crossbowmen twice. One ballistae hit the deck of the ship causing minor damage, but the crossbowmen were uniquely effective sweeping the deck of all ratmen with merely two leathal volleys of bolts.

Without a ratman crew to sail the supply ship, we were able to easily intercept her and take control. The bloodiest of the dead ratmen were thrown overboard after I blessed the dead in the name of Corean. We have saved several of the intact bodies to use in our deception to get close to the island. The decks have been cleaned of blood, the ship inspected and searched, and the ship has been cleaned up below decks to make it slightly more inhabitable for us. We also dumped the food supplies and water overboard. Anything of value (not much) has been moved to the Tally, and the rest has been dumped into the sea.

We now are sailing both ships toward the Giant's island and plan to use the supply ship to get close to strike the dragon and ratmen at the Giant's cave. We will hide 60 marines plus most of the party and a skeleton crew on board the supply ship and sail her directly into the harbor and dock.

The Tallywhacker will appear to be chasing the supply ship into the harbor. We hope to lure the dragon out and hit it with a volley of ranged weapon fire and spells. The Tally will swing into position and provide extra firepower as well as guarding the beach approach to prevent reinforcements from reaching us from the other caves in the southern volcano.

We have also used magic to question the dead ratman leader. Primarily we determined how the supply ship is to sail into the harbor and unload. We also determined that no signal or password is used. Finally, we learned that no other ships are expected within the next week so we should not be surprised with the arrival of another ship of ratmen during our battle.

May Corean bless our efforts to free the Steel Giant and keep us safe in this most dangerous endeavor.

[Kelly]

Ships Log (Recorded at a later time)

We have engaged the Wrack Dragons and allied Ratmen. They have proven to be considerable foes. Turjan was killed in an initial volley of arrows. A couple of the dragons made it upon or to the ship. Fortunately we were able to summon allies (sea lions and porpoises) using spells and the horn of the tritons to help fight them. A few lucky hits by our catapults and ballistae coupled with high level spells and a wand of extended fireballs has killed a few of the dragons and several of the ratmen.

Most of our weapons cannot do enough damage to even dent the hides of these creatures. For now, the surviving ratmen and dragon have returned to shore. Our commandeered supply ship has crashed into the shoreline and the Tally is circling at sea. I imagine we will have to pursue the remaining foes ashore, but unfortunately most of our high level offensive spells have been depleted and we are little match for the enemy in hand to claw combat. Only time will tell the outcome of this encounter, but we must strive to free the steel giant and defeat the plans of this evil enemy regardless of the personal costs.

[Kelly]

Ship's Log

We defeated the smaller dragon that was on our ship, but the biggest dragon got away right after swearing to revenge itself on our party. The ratmen minions of the dragon also escaped.

The Steel Giant dug himself out of where he was buried by the dragons and is safe and again free. He showed us the plans of the dragons. They were forcing the Giant to make MW weapons and armor to equip an army to attack a city on the mainland known as Hedrad. In return for our help the giant gave us these weapons, unbeached the ship and agreed to make weapons for our ship and myself.

We gave the giant the iron ore in our hold (30 tons), and agreed to return to the island in a few weeks. We also used a bird token to send a message to Hedrad warning them of the possible attack. We repaired the ratmen's cog and set sail for Hedrad.

Upon arriving in the town, we met with the city council and warned them of the possible danger and also disclosed the plans of the dragons that we had foiled. Apparently the dragons were never able to ship any weapons or armor to the mainland before we stopped them. The council thanked us and agreed to buy our load of MW weapons for 600,000 GP. We also sold the cog for an additional 20,000 GP.

Upon receiving so much money and based in part on the high casualities on our adventure, the crew is demanding we return to Mithril. We set sail for the giant's island. Upon our arrival he rewarded us with incredibly powerful ballistae for our ship and an enchanted long sword for me. I have not yet discovered the abilities of the sword, but it is a fine weapon. The 14 ballistae have been installed on the ship and make us a formidible foe on the high seas.

We have set sail for Mithril to disembark the crew. We will settle up their accounts, and then retire to our home there to rest a while and also to recruit a new crew and marines. During the voyage, Chey and Nikkia were invited to join the Fists of the Dragon, to become officers on the Tallywhacker, and if they agreed to receive a full officer's cut of the profits of the last adventure.

Both accepted the membership and agreed to become officers. Chey is now the official lookout, quartermaster and back-up navigator. Nikkia is the officer in charge of the crew and the back-up pilot. Both of them agreed to devote themselves to our group and to also educate themselves so that they can perform the duties of their new positions on board. For now the ship is docked, and we are at our home for some much needed rest and relaxation.......and if I know Palai, I can only imagine what he will be busy with.

Reports and Logs submitted to the local Temple of Corean. Met with my superiors and mentor Father Generic to catch up on the news and also to determine if they have any need of my services. I will likely do some shopping while in town, and will make a monetary sacrifice to the Temple as well once I know what my budget is.

[aaronp]

I have just escaped a harrowing experience. I was dead for a short time, spitted on the arrows of an evil Wrack Dragon.

During that time, all I remeber is this:
I ran into a desert and found a comfortable tree to rest by. As I began to fall asleep, I heard an old friend, the priest Kelly calling me. He called me back to the world. I realized that my dream had not been a dream at all. Unfortunately, in the dream I saw the futility of arcane might and resigned myself to give up the magical ways. When I was revived into the world, I realized I had lost some of my magical abilities. Now I must relearn them, but I fear I will be overly governed by caution in the future.

Turjan of the Red Swamiis

[Kelly]

While resting and refitting the ship in Mithril, the officers of the Tallywhacker and I were invited to a private club for notable ship's captains and officers. We met most of the people in attendance at the club and also learned some information in the process. 1. A Leviathan is threatening the southeastern seaways, 2. A ghostly group of red creatures were sighted by a ship's captain but they did not harm anyone, 3. A reward of 50,000 GP is being offered for the pirates of the Shattered Skull who reportedly have an unsinkable ship, 4. Colonists have been going to the island that we re-discovered, and 5. Red barnacles on a ship's hull can cause madness with long-term exposure.

After meeting and speaking to all the ship's captains and thanking them for the invitation, I received a message and a bag containing 50 GP. It asked us to come to a local tavern and meet Captain Bobo with the promise of 100 more GP just for listening. Upon meeting Captain Bobo, I was surprised that he has been cursed by a sea hag and turned into a monkey.

The captain asked for passage for himself, his large right hand man and 6 loyal crew members to sail to a lost island deep in the blood sea. There he says he has buried a treasure there, and has agreed to pay us 20% of the treasure when it is recovered. He has also agreed to pay to raise any fallen officers from the dead from this treasure. Then we will return him to Mithril or another friendly port. He also confirmed that the treasure was not gotten by improper means and that the sea hag who cast the curse on him was killed. I cast Zone of Truth and Detect Evil spells on the Captain and it appears that he is telling us the truth.

We have agreed to transport him and his crew to the island to recover the treasure. We will sail in about one week. Before we sail, I think some research is in order on the following topics: 1) Sea Hags, 2) Leviathan, and 3) Captain Bobo and his lost ship.

I have purchased a periapt of Wisdom +4 and a Heward's Handy Haversack with my funds. I will report in to the church, and also inform them that the Tally sails within the week to an undisclosed location. We still need to hire a crew, marines and seige engineers and to restock the ship which will be done by the new quartermaster. Also, we need to sell the old ballistae that were replaced on the ship.

[Kelly]

Ship's Log

Before leaving the Mithril harbor, we hired a crew, marines, and artillerists. We also had the ship modified to allow the hanging of tower shields along the deck rails to provide cover. Water barrells were filled and food for a month was purchased. Finally, we acquired several items for the ship: Lyre of Building, 2 CLW Staves, and three 5000 GP diamonds.

While sailing to the island where Captain Bobo buried his treasure, we encountered a ship from Hedrad west of the Toe Islands. We raised our colors and also signalled to it our intentions and asked their intentions.

No response was forthcoming from the Hedrad ship. She intercepted us and fired upon us. Fortunately, we were prepared and were using the new Lyre of Building so the attack did not hurt our ship. However, several crew and artillerists were killed in action. We returned fire and damaged the opposing ship. After the exchange of several volleys and spells, the Hedrad ship fled. The Hedrad ship apparently carried a fairly high level mage and also a cleric from Hedrad.

We sailed away but on a new course until we were well out of sight. This was done to throw the Hedrad ship off if they try to follow us based on our last known course. Once clearly out of range, we resumed our original course.

None of us have any idea why a Hedrad ship would attack us. They were a pirate hunting ship. Captain Bobo was also questioned and he too knows of no reason for the attack. Upon our return to a friendly port, we must send a communication to Hedrad informing them of the attack and requesting an explanation. It is possible that the Hedrad ship was commandeered and does not represent the position of the Hedrad government toward us, but this matter must be investigated further.

For now, the lost crew men have been properly blessed and prayed over, then buried at sea. We continue to sail in the unknown waters deep in the Blood Sea toward the island where the treasure is secretly buried. May Corean bless us on the remainder of this trip and grant us a safe return to Mithril.

[Kelly]

Ship's Log

We have successfully arrived at the island where Captain Bobo supposedly buried his treasure. We have not encountered the Hedrad ship nor the strange wake that was being caused in the ocean that we observed on our way here. We encountered no further resistance getting to the island and hope to get the treasure and set sail as soon as possible. This voyage makes me edgey for some unexplainable reason.

The ship is anchored in the island's natural harbor facing out to sea in case it needs to flee quickly. Evelyn is in charge of the ship during my absence and we have pre-arranged a signal should the ship need to flee so that we can rendezvous with them later. (At noon, a fireball shot into the sky means come to the island, and a color spray shot into the air means return to sea for one more day). The watches and guards on deck have been doubled to protect the ship, and Evelyn has been ordered to err on the side of caution.

Captain Bobo, Horse, Bobo's crew, 2 marines, Chey, Apoctus, Turjan, Palai, Nikkia and I have taken a long boat up a river through an insect infested jungle over the course of several days. Finally, we made landfall on an old trail that Cap'n Bobo says will lead us to the treasure. We have started to head inland on the trail.

While marching on the trail, we were suddenly attacked by swarms of undead ooze and skeletons. Their number exceeded 75 at the start of the battle. I used my turning ability to destroy 16 skeletons in the first seconds of battle. The rest of our officers fought bravely and have destroyed many other skeletons and one or two of the oozes. During my next action, I created a wall of fire to our northern flank destroying a significant number of ooze's trying to attack us from that direction and injuring several others.

Nikkia and myself were set upon by the nasty ooze and both of us were engulfed in separate creatures. I managed to free myself by grappling my way out, and Palai killed the ooze holding Nikkia freeing her as well. Captain Bobo and his crew were of absolutely no help at all. They all huddled around their primate Captain, then chose to flee into the jungle to the south.

For now we are barely holding our own with the ooze, but continue to valiantly fight on. I hope that Captain Bobo will at least stay within ear shot during his cowardly flight to safety so that he can rejoin us and lead us to the treasure when this battle is over. There is something I dislike about the man/monkey which I cannot put my finger on, and I have instructed several of my officers to keep a constant and close eye on him and his men. May Corean be with us and help us to destroy this foul undead evil.