Celene strides forward hoping to finish this once and for all; perhaps somewhat foolishly. She was tired, confused, and deeply saddened by the death of her friend. She moved in front of the nearest pirate and once more attempted to call on the fire coursing through her blood.

She sent the flames coursing over the pirates and the woman; it wasn’t her best effort.

---

Free : | Swft : | Move : to B:6 | Stnd : Cast Burning Hands | Full :

Cast Defensively DC 17

08:58, Today: Celene rolled 19 using 1d20+7.  Cast Defensively.

08:59, Today: Celene rolled 4 using 3d4.  Damage. Ugh...

Reflex Save DC 15 for Half.

---

HP: 2/21 |  AC: 14/14/14  | CMD : 10 | Saves: +3/+1/+8

Special Notes:

  (De)Buffs :
 Conditions :
  L0 Spells :
   - Unlim. : Detect poison, Dancing Lights, Daze (DC15), Flame Burst,
              Mage Hand, Message,
              Guidance, Detect Magic, Resistance)
   - 1/day  : Detect Magic, Light , Prestidigitation
  L1 Spells :
   - 1/6    : Burning Disarm (DC 15), Burning Hands (DC 15), Charm person (DC16), Grease, Sleep (DC16), Summon Monster I,
   - 1/day  : Bless, Sanctuary, Disguise Self,
  Abilities : Flame lance (7/7), Divine Vessel (3/5), Copycat (5/5), Channeling (3/7, DC14), Blessing Faithful (-), Magic Missile (45)

Spell hits these squares.


This message was last edited by the player at 13:06, Wed 22 June 2016.

OOC: Geez dude. Bonus XP for actually marking up the map with the squares affected by the spell. I guess that is one way to make sure your dense DM actually remembers it is an area of effect spell.

Celene raises her hands and unleashes a fiery burst of raw fire energy. Well, less than a burst, more like a spray. Perhaps 'dribble' might be a better word. Pirates 3 & 8 take 4 hp damage, 4 & 7 take 2 points of damage. The lone swordswoman (who automatically makes her reflex saves) takes 2 points of damage, and this seems to bring the party to her attention for the first time.

"Ouch! Who the frac are you little girl? Why is there an... albino tiger here? Urol, you mouldy little pevert, is that you? Did YOU actually survive." The leathered armoured warrior returns to the job at hand. "Jebidiah, is that you?" she asks as she fends off another of the savage pirate mutants. "You've looked better son - that second head doesn't suit you. Here, let me send you on your way." She lashes out at him with her sabre.

Urol squinted at the pirate-captain cutting into the deformed mutants.  "Captain Javell!  Good to see you!  I told you all that loco-weed was good for your health, and I was right!  It saved me from whatever turned these pirates.  And what's this about a pervert?  I told you when I left your ship that what you saw me doing with that fruticose lichen was perfectly natural, and I don't know why you made such a fuss over it."

The gnome grunted and pulled out his crossbow again, saving his last bomb for later.  Aiming for the most-burned pirate in the back, he let a bolt fly.

---

Free: Swift: Standard: Crossbow vs #3 Move: C5
Hit 5 damage vs AC 21

---

HP: 28/28     AC: 15/12/14     Saves: 6/5/4
Active Effects: Blur (2 minutes, 20% miss chance as per concealment)

12:05, Today: Urol Forol rolled 5 using 1d6+1.  Crossbow Damage.
12:04, Today: Urol Forol rolled 21 using 1d20+6.  Crossbow Attack.

1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation, speak with animals.
Bombs: 54321
Extracts/Day
1: 43

Kassius feels an oddly surreal sense of focus in the fight. Arrow knocked, he fires casually, grabbing the next arrow and firing it at the next foe, hardly worried, simply knowing. Both arrows catch a pirate directly between the eyes, dropping them immediately.

Kibeti is less successful, but he does deal a slight bit of damage with his bite, and hopefully keeping the enemy from focusing on Celene.

---

Kassius
18:48, Today: Kassius rolled 22,21,21,14 using 1d20+6,4d6+4,1d20+6,4d6+4.  Confirm crit(s!).
18:47, Today: Kassius rolled 26,9,26,10 using 1d20+6,2d6+2,1d20+6,2d6+2.  Rapid shot attack, damage.
HOLY SHIT DOUBLE CRITS!!
Total Damage: 30 (shot 1), 24 (shot 2)
Full Round Action: Rapid shot vs pirate 7 (and 6, assuming the first attack drops 7).

---

HP: 27/27  AC 19, Saves+6/+9/+4
Spells Slots: 1st: 2/4; 2nd: 1/2;  Animal Focus Minutes Left: 3/4, Door Sight 6/6
Current Buffs: Gravity Bow

---

Kibeti
18:51, Today: Kibeti rolled 17,6,13,9,16,5 using 1d20+6,1d6+3,1d20+6,1d6+3,1d20+6,1d6+3.  Full attack (bite/claw/claw), damage.
Full Round Action: Full Attack P8

---

HP: 28/28AC 23(25 vs evil), Saves+6/+8/+3
Current Animal Focus: Bull(+2 str)
Current Buffs: Protection from Evil, Mage Armor

This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Fri 24 June 2016.

Alohan continues his battle rage, swinging the taiaha in an attempt to measure up against his companions prowess. His body was badly savaged and his life blood was spilling onto the sand but his pele disallowed him a measure of peace -he was too consumed by his emotions to make any rash decisions. Any sane warrior would recognize victory was imminent. Any sane warrior would feel a bit of self preservation, retreating to mend themselves and live to fight another day. Not Alohan.

He jabbed out with his wood, spinning it about in quick succession to cut and slice, beat and bludgeon. He glanced at the lady he wanted to save, realizing she was no worse for wear. It didn't matter, Alohan continued with reckless abandon.

---

Kassius: Double crit? This is ridiculous.

---

22:03, Today: Alohan Nuari rolled 23,8,24,11 using 1d20+9,1d10+5,1d20+9,1d6+5 ((14,3,15,6)) Attack,Damage. Doesn't factor in any potential flanking.
Standard Action: Attack -the closest still standing after Kassius's demolition?
Move Action: - any 5ft steps necessary
Free/Swift Action:

---

HP: 18/39(+8hp Rage)  AC: 18(16)  CMD: 17(15)  | 19(17) vs grapple Saves: +8/+6/+0
Rage: 6  |  8  Stunning Fist: 0  |  1  Note: JESUS KASSIUS!
This message was last edited by the player at 14:36, Fri 24 June 2016.

Captain Javell grunts, but does not pause in the business of cutting down pirates. "Humph. Well maybe, but you relationship with that violet fungus just ain't proper!" She pounces force to squewer the next former member of her crew.

Urol hits a pirate in the centre of the chest and... does no damage at all.

Kassius lands an arrow in each eye. One pirate simply seizes to exist in a gigantic spray for acidic blood. Kibeti scratches another pirate (1 hp damage).

Alohan finally lands two good honest blows and takes out another pirate.

This leaves two of the savage creatures and the pirate captain wastes no time in dispatching them with her swirling blades.

The battleground is now empty of cursed victims but the swashbuckler doesn't lower her weapons, indeed she raises them slightly and holds them barely an arms length from Alohan. What with the pirates the party saw her kill and the half dozen patches of acid around the room that where there when the entered, it appears that this lady killed a dozen of the creatures herself and is a skilful swordsperson.

"What is your name, bucko?" she barks out. "I only ask so's I can cut your letters inta' yer chest and save the undertaken some asking 'round."

She looks around the rest of the group. "And what manner of driftwood are the rest of yer? What are you doing in our secret base. Urol, is this yer doin'?!!" She glowers at the little gnome.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Fri 24 June 2016.

"Not much of a secret base. We found it easily enough, and it seems to be overrun with monsters." Kassius comments snidely, still feeling the afterglow of supreme confidence he had felt right at the end of the fight.

Angati had made it to the battle ground with Celene  just about in time to hear the last exchanges and do little more. She was thoroughly impressed with the woman's competence with her weapons, but her pronunciation clearly needed some thorough work.

"Good day to you too Lady. I am afraid we are not following you, we are after the tracks of Vanthus, he is the one that has done this to you... we happen to be hear in his search to end with him and found Urol along the way.".

She paused for a second, "Urol, you mentioned something about some kind of remedy for this ? could you spare some for me please ? I am certainly not feeling good".

Urol nodded eagerly along with Angati's story.  "It's true!  I was all sealed up in my lab.  They found me and forced the door open.  I was looking for a way to escape, what with all the monsters running around.  I most certainly did not lead them here."

The gnome harrumphed and patted the moist sack on his belt.  "There, there," he whispered to the bag.  "She doesn't mean it."

Looking up again, he taps a small amount of loco-weed into some rolling paper and offers it to Angati.  "This is the stuff.  Good to ward off whatever's changing these people into monsters.  It worked on me, after all!"

Angati did not trust her judgement all that much so, she asked "Just chew it up ?" while she was putting the fungus or whatever it was already into her mouth.

In reply to Angati (msg # 355):

Urol burst out laughing. "You've never heard of loco weed?!  No, you need to inhale it for full effect.  Here, let me show you."  The gnome takes back the home-made cigarette, fumbles in his back for his tinderbox, then finally lights it. He takes a deep drag, and a look of bliss replaces his anxious expression. Suddenly, the gnome coughs and apologizes, passing the lit cigarette back to Angati.

Celene watched as the gnome rolled a fat lump of weed into some paper and handed it to Angati. Urol had done some fascinating things with alchemy in just the short time they had been allied together. She hoped she would be able to pick his brain once this accursed place was behind them. She banished the thought from her mind and approached Harliss ”Miss Javell is it? Do you know anything about Vanthus? Or the reason so many ships came together here? Can you tell us anything about the attack that left the ships on fire in the bay?” she asked pleadingly.

Meanwhile Angati was taking the first steps to a terrible vice that would accompany her for the rest of her live....

Alohan's head swam and Angati's new found hobby smelled foul enough that he almost lost what little was left in his stomach. He looked at Urol, glaringly. He didn't particularly like the newcomer and already he was convincing the others to partake in something he wouldn't recommend. He had seen the effects of this... loco weed on the Pearl Islands. The stuff didn't grow naturally but yet, with the influx of foreign influence, had found it's way into his brethren's lungs. Where once they were an active people, now most want to sit by the fire eating haupia & banana cake. Alohan wasn't one to pass judgement for other people's hobbies -what with his drunken debauchery- but this was something he despised.

He looked to the lady, unsure if her brash personality was going to continue to ruin his desire for her. "And mah name be Alohan Nuari" he announced when the others had asked their questions. He was thankful for the inquiries -gave the world time to cease it's unnecessary spinning. "And de only way ya be touchin dis chest, is in de heat of passion," he said in jest, his tone a bit more harsher than he intended.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 00:46, Wed 29 June 2016.

The swordswoman glowers at the half-orc and her hands move back towards the hilts of her swords. "Yeh got some sas in you half-breed," she mutters. "You remind me of the first mate on me ship, and not in a good way..."



"I ain't no lady!" she barks. "The name is 'Javell' to you," she says, eyeing the elderly Sasserine noblewoman up and down. "So you lot found me, what are you going to do now? What is your business in this little piece o' hell? Why did you follow me in here?"



"Vanthus? VANTHUS VANDERBOREN?! That pile of human excrement! He will be paid back! I have made sure of that already."



The pirate grits her teeth. "CAPTAIN Javell. All hail the master of the savage tide! But look," she relaxes a bit. "If yer have some beef with Vanthus then maybe we ain't on the wrong side of each other... yet." She wipes the sweat from her brow and continues.

OOC: Celene pushes the exposition button again and gets the pay out.

"All this yeh see here," the flamboyant woman says as she waves her hand at the slaughtered deformities, "and whatever nightmares ye must have fought through t'get t'me; t'was all Vanthus Vanderboren's doing! That vomitous pig came t'me with his hussy 'n asked t'see our wares, made like he were a black marketer lookin' fer some fur or scale t'move. Told him we had a ship coming in today that were full of exotica for him ta'shop, so stayed on a few nights. Seemed like a fine enough chap, but then a couple of hours ago he dumped a hold full of whale oil into the cove and LIT IT UP! As for why there were so many ships here little cleric... that is entirely normal. Each full moon Crimson Fleet ships that might be in this area pull into this little cove to exchange news, plan, trade and drink their full of rum."

"But anyway. I was below decks on my ship, the Slippery Eel, at the time and came topside to find the bay on fire, half of our ships on fire, and Vanthus and his girl on board in the process of robbing me! Can ye imagine that? A pair of base curs tryin' t'rob Captain Harliss Javill? Ha! Anyway, I called out for the crew to get on deck double quick-like and then I stuck that fool Vanthus in his arm with me blade. He yelped like a little girl and then dropped what he was trying to shove into his backpack. It was only the special delivery I was making from head-quarters. A black pearl the size of a man's fist!"

"It didn't drop far, but damn me if the thing didn't crack like an egg when it hit the deck then this whole bunch of smelly green gas bubbled and churned out of it, a crazy amount of gas! The gas just kept coming out, more and more, until we were all surrounded and in the middle of some sort of cloud flashing with light. By that point most of my crew were on deck but the gas was causing us all to choke and was so acidic it was blackening the damn wood of the deck. I cursed Vanthus, who was cowering like a baby, and went to finish him off but then... things got weird."

"The green mist seemed to be inside my head, inside my vision, and I felt strange. Like other things was in my mind. Someone angry and evil and someone just as evil but more sneaky. And I felt a rage and hunger like I have never felt before! I gritted my teeth and managed to resist it, but by the time I opened my eyes Vanthus an his little girly were gone. And I had other things to think about because that stinky cloud has turned all me crew bad. Turned them into something you might throw back if you found it in a net on account of it having no place in the sun!" Harliss gives the slimy, acidic remains of one of the deformed two-headed pirates a hefty kick.

"Whatever that damnable pearl is, it turned three score of our men into cannibalistic freaks! I realized I couldn't fight them all so I dived into the water t'get away, and made it back to the caves. I found my first matte, Drevoraz, and also the boss of this place, Kigate may the shades take mercy on his soul. And about a half dozen others who had resisted the change and we tried to make a stand against the rest, but we were nothing but a banquet for those things. They tore apart the others like sharks until only Drevoraz and me were left."

"Oh, and one more thing. I think they got sick in their maws. The spots they done bit me burn like the fires of the abyss and it's hard to think straight..." She staggers a little. "But hey! Yeh fought yer way in here. That means there ain't much left of them out there, yeah?"



Captain Harliss Javill raises an eyebrow at the indefatigable native. "Well, it might just come to that bucko. Assuming we get out of here in one piece and I can get a ship up and sailing."
This message was last updated by the player at 09:17, Wed 29 June 2016.

Needless to say, Angati partaking of Urols 'miricale weed' does not seem to calm her fever or halt the spread of the disease. It does make her slightly woozy and rather hungry though. I guess (having never tried it myself) that she also feels quite relaxed.

"Yes, all hail the prince of the savage tides !" cried out Angati as when the captain mentioned the savage tide, looking immediately flustered and breaking this into a laugh "Did I just say that ?" she muttered in between giggles, "Was that me or was it you Anansi ?, tell me... you are not trying to drive me mad are you ? cuz that sounded very much like my voice.. but I did not say that did I?".

Angati rubbed her face with her hands trying to gain a bit of focus, massaging her eyes as she did so... "I really don't think this is helping Urol... it makes it... funnier but no better".

[Private to GM: OOC: and I wonder if the captain and I can get into a loop:
Cap: Yes, all hail the prince of the savage tides
Me:  Yes, all hail the prince of the savage tides
Cap: Yes, all hail the prince of the savage tides
]

"Yes, the two halves that were split will become whole again!" snarls the pirate captain, reaching for one of her blades. She manages to catch herself at the last minute and instead places the palm of her hand on her forehead and wobbles a bit. "I don't know what is coming over me..." she mutters.

OOC: Geez Beni, are you actually trying to trigger her to transform into one of these beasts?

Alohan's hand reflexively went to his injuries. The bites on his forearms and the wicked slash across his chest stung but had otherwise clotted up enough to not be life threatening. He would have asked Celene to cleanse his skin (as she normally had done) but seeing Angati begin to lose her mind -and hearing Captain Javell's story- Alohan gave pause. He felt sane. A bit fatigued but otherwise he was in his right mind. Was the disease delayed? Would he lose his mind in transit back to Sasserine? None-the-less, it wouldn't do him well dwelling on it.

He walked forward, looking to Celene. "My friend," he whispered, holding up his ruined arms. He leaned heavily on his taiaha. "Do ya have any magics ta help me wit de's wounds?"

Captain Javell's sudden digress of topic gave Alohan pause. He normally wouldn't interject but he wanted everyone to focus at the task at hand. "Captain!" he snapped, elevating his voice to command attention. "What of de Vandus? Any idea where he be going? And dis black... pearl? Where did de Crimson ships find such treasure?"

"Well t's'not like he announced it out loud before he slunk off like the low'life gutter cur he is, bucko! But he let slip some info when we were socializing-like. Apparently he's got a manner house in Sasserine. So I've arranged for him to be taken care off, don't yer waste a second thought about him now." Harliss smiles in an unpleasant way.



The pirate captain hesitates before answering. That question actually intrudes on Crimson Fleet business and Crimson business is not something you're meant to talk about with outsiders... but the fever pulsing through her veins has made her a bit more loose lipped, and in any case, there is something she needs to get off her chest.

"I don't know exactly where we got that thing from, but it was an order from high up in the echelons that I should pick it up from Ierendi City and then bring it all the way here to Kraken's Cove where it would be picked up tonight by a 'representative' of Sasserine. Obviously not that piece of maggot meat Vanthus, he didn't know anything about it, but another one of your soft city folk." She looks the party up and down again. They don't look like they know much about the seas.

There was a sign I was meant to look for," she adds softly, musing almost to herself.

If what she says is true then the 'Black Pearl' made a very long journey before it's evil energies were prematurely released. Ierendi City is the capital of the lawless Pirate Isles located clear across the other side of the Sea of Dread, a good 2,000 miles to the north-west of here.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Since defeating the Lotus Dragons the party has variously: captured the world’s biggest rust monster, taken a drug fuelled rampage through the bullywug nation’s most sacred shrine, been beaten half to death with gym equipment, fought with not one, but two evil gangs of intelligent weapons, bashed their way through the cursed pirate base and survived (well, most of them survived). They have all learnt a lot from the experience, blah, blah, blah…

WELCOME TO LEVEL FIVE!

I was going to do this on the ride back to Sasserine, but maybe you want to muse over the best spell and feat combinations over summer break so here you go!

Celene looked at Alohan's wounds but was quickly pulled away by a comment Javell made. "His manor house? That isn't his house it's Lavinia's!" she said exclaimed "What have you done? Can you call it off?" she asked the captain.

08:01, Today: Celene rolled 8 using 3d6.  Channel Energy.

“Well who the frac is Lavnia? Call it off? Bllllll.” The pirate blows a wet raspberry. “Why the frac would I want to call it off after I went to all the trouble with Drevoraz to organise it? Vanthus needs to get given some pay-back little girl. That little frac needs to suffer for what he did.”

Don't worry about the healing. We're at the end of the day and very soon all the spell casters will be free to heal up the whole party 100%. I'll just write that it happens, no need to roll for it.