Looking up at Gorn; "It looks to be flying away...is it true?"

"So far," as he keeps glancing back towards the sky. "It appears it has been driven away for now. We should make haste as best we can as I doubt it will stay away long."

"Agreed, make all haste!" Brodd says as he rises from behind the rail.

"UP! Pull me UP you lice-infested walking hair-shedder!" The voice was that of Regdoc who was hanging from the side of the ship! It was difficult to tell what exactly had transpired whilst the captain and crew had their attention focused on the skyward foe.

"Pull me back in! It was your clumsiness that pushed me over in the first place! Pull me in or I'll change your name from Chomper to Gummer and with good reason!"

One look at the faithful hound which had the sleeve of Regdoc's faded robes in his teeth, indicated that the old man had likely tried to jump ship at the sight of the manticore and then changed his mind halfway through the execution...

Chomper pulled as Regdoc scrambled to the deck, wheezing and sputtering.

"Bumped me over..." was muttered by the cleric - very defensively.

Meanwhile...

Harald doffed his gaudy hat and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Alas! The realization occurred to me that our merry band was about to be violently dispersed and sent knocking upon our respective Heavens' Doors!"

Returning his hat, and no doubt fueled by the rush of excitement, Harald stepped to the upper deck and began to play a strange tune^* upon the battered lute which had somehow managed to survive the depths of the mountain.


^*Archival notes seem to indicate the song likely to sound something like the following, though this has yet to be verified by the Council of Antiquities and the Ministry of Minstrels...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IQMhecBBnc

First Mate Jarvak realizes the new lake is extremely shallow where they were sailing and has to turn hard to port!

[Make a Save vs. Paralyzation to steer away from the shore in time, you can add your DEX modifier]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:55, Sun 02 Feb 2020.

Jarvak turned the ship hard away from shore.

He had to, they were coming in too fast, or it was too shallow.

It was a tight squeeze, he would know in a moment if he had reacted in time.

Amalrik moves to help Chomper pull the Wandering One from the water. I need to find a shield too. But that is too himself. I dare say the boat rolls a bit as Amalrik makes way to Chomper's assistance, perhaps inadvertently helping Jarvis turn the boat.

In reply to Amalrik (msg # 24):

If you really need a shield, you could just put a handle on any old plank of wood.

Jarvak spins the wheel and strains with all his might, and just barely avoids the rocks!

Durek grabs ahold of the railing as Jarvik turns the boat.

Everyone holds on tight as Jarvak steers away from the rocks, there's a loud THUMP on the aft of the ship. She might need a new coat of paint but no structural damage.

Meanwhile down in the hold, Dwarghar and Pock dive for cover as the crash sends the crate tumbling to shatter against the bulkhead, spilling a human out from where they were buried and hidden, and littering the hold with raisins!
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:36, Mon 03 Feb 2020.

"Whoaaa, who are you?" Brodd says to the newcomer when she spills out.

In reply to Leohart (msg # 5):

Leohart starts to aim his wand, but his aim and his activation words are interrupted as he holds onto the rail during the hard turn to port. When he raises the wand again he doesn't feel the tingle in his palm that tells him the wand is locked on a target. The manticore is now barely a dot in the sky and too far away to hit. No charge is expended.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:00, Mon 03 Feb 2020.

Jarvak doesn't even notice the newcomer spill forth from the raisinous grave.

His eyes on the water, he maintains his focus and steers the ship to keep it in the middle of the river they are in.

His eyes were darting like they did as a kid, watching the shell game that was played in the back streets of a seedy gambling den.

Watch where you are steering, look ahead at how the river turned to prepare, and look to see if the manticore was still flying away or decided to come back.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Mon 03 Feb 2020.

"Steer in the middle, it should be deepest there. This seems to be more a flooding than actual river, though..." Manaku offers perhaps a useless advice to their new helmsman Jarvak. "Let me go to bow and scan for tree trunks and stones..." His voice dies out when a human form is forced out from its hiding place among raisins.

The elf tilts his head to side in curiosity when the new human appears, studying the newcomer keenly. "And who are you, stranger? Why were you hiding there?"

"My...my hero,"  Alietra had gasped, after being spared the doom of impalement.

"I - I will never forget you."    She was gazing down upon the slain seagull, wringing her hands aggrievedly over its carcass.

"Haha, just kidding!  Hells, that was close."   She flipped the departing manticore the bird.    Then called out to Amalrik:

"I owe you one, big man!   Thanks for that."    She then turned her attention toward this matter of raisins, and a stowaway.    Maybe it was a fellow guild member?    The average adventuring shmoe didn't come up with a plan such as hiding in raisins...

The five-and-a-half foot woman rises smoothly, trying to brush as many raisins as she can from her otherwise smooth, dusky face. Of course, she misses a few.

"I have been waylaid, it seems."

Her hand clutches at her back, seeming to find something missing.

"First mugged, robbed and now humiliated." She sighs a moment then grins. "And now I get thrown off a ship."

She raised one slender hand above he brow. "At least not too far."

"Name's Kalandra," she offers. "Sometimes clever, sometimes a fool, but always following where the road takes me."

Leohart steadies himself after the jolting turn, then eases his wand back into the folds of his robes. He pledges to learn more about such creatures, then returns to the task that had been interrupted.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:55, Tue 04 Feb 2020.

Dwarghar who has been refilling his raisin bag and snacking non -stop sputters to see a person has been living in them ew  .
Uh ... now hold on a minute ... are you a raisin spirit? Like one of those tree women but for raisins? I’ll have you know I can’t be charmed or trifled with. He shakes his beard making a fist.

"Well, Abradoc did say something about keeping me safe from certain... dissatisfied patrons of the arts."

 She shook the last raisins free from her hair. "Where is he, anyway?  I might have a word with him."

Kalandra bows theatrically to the dwarf. "Apologies for ruining your meal. Might I get your name?"

"Abradoc is not with us, I'm afraid." The pale-skinned and red-eyed Moon Elf smiles politely at Kalandra and gracefully flings the longbow on his shoulder.

"...and having said that, we may have stolen his ship. Well, stolen is a strong expression, I'll say we have merely borrowed it and will return it to him as soon as possible. We are Exemplar Endeavors, a party of... " He pauses in search of a good  phrasing and looks at various individuals on the deck in turn while trying decide how to say it.

"... various adventurers of many useful skill sets and abilities, united for a common quest."

Kalandra smiles widely. "Adventurers, you say? I do have some small talents for use when things get perilous."

Her dark eyes settle on a nearby boating hook. ""And curiosity has gotten the better of me. Or simple restlessness. Adventure to what end?"

She purses her lips. "And I don't mean to sound rude, but by what names should I call you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Tue 04 Feb 2020.

"I am Brother Brodd." Brodd announces.

Slowly recovering his footing from the near miss; the sea sick dwarf carefully finds his way back to an oar- trying to focus on work vs getting sick again.  "Another newcomer.  This group attracts adventures like fly's to a cow" he muttered to himself.  "I'm Durek, a recent addition myself.  Plucked from the waters you an say.  Welcome aboard."