Jammers: Pt 2 Turn 25, Chapter 7 Summary

The Ongoing adventures of my Spelljammer PBEM game.

Here's the Jammers web address:

http://jammers.s5.com/

Comments, questions always welcome:)

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...
{} = Actions and descriptions within these brackets take place within
the psionic mindscape and are OOC knowledge for all accept the
parties directly involved.

IC:
<continued from part 1>

Holland goes over to the scroll case and the wooden case and asks,
"Talus, are there any traps on these?" Talus nods no, so Holland
opens them.

The scroll case contains half a dozen or so charts to the flow and spheres.

The larger case contains one dozen translucent egg-shaped crystals
approximately 3" in diameter that fit comfortably in the palm of an
average-size humanoid hand. Each Orb glows with its own inner light:
White, Dull Green, Bright Red, Bright red with swirling yellow
sparks, yellow with white sparks, Deep blue with white swirls,
swirling rainbow, glowing with bright light, deep purple with white
electric sparks, Deep red with yellow swirls, yellow gray swirling
cloud. The twelfth crystal appears to have been broken, and it
doesn't glow at all but looks cracked and dull.

The smaller case holds three crystal vials filled with liquid. Each
is marked in common: ESP, Persuasiveness, Heroics.

Holland looks at the bow, then over at Raken and Ferric with a
question on his lips, "Angvoncael?"

Raken nods.  "Apparently so.  A rare treasure indeed, and it is but
one of many in this horde.  One horde of many, or so the legends say.
Blackjammer was truly a successful buccaneer, before his demise."

"Aye, lad. That he was. I sailed with 'em a long time." the Cutlass says.

Holland points to the figurehead and says, "Ives, do you think you
could you carry this, please?"

"Of course I can what!" Ives says "Or I could very well take at least
one if not two of the chests. The weapons and other items in the
third can be carried separately." Moving to show his points Ives
lifts the chest filled with
gems and jewlry onto the one filled with coin.

Allagan says, "Ives, it might be easier just to empty the chests than
try to carry them.  Who will carry the figurehead?"

Looking at the pearl Allagan says, "The villagers mentioned something
about a 'great pearl'."

"Right then." Ferric says.  "Cutlass we'll put you in a chest and get
everything topside on the double.  Once above we can prepare for
whatever is left of those creatures and figure out what to do next.
Talus, if you aren't too squeamish get those bones picked clean of
any valuables. I think I can manage the figurehead and Nilaroo and
Ives can grab the chests with the valuables and the rest of you can
split the magic items in the third amongst yourselves.  Now, I'm
going to put that blade in a chest and if I don't do so immediately
someone be ready to force me." Ferric takes a breath to steel himself
then reaches for the cutlass...

'I won't bite, lad." the Cutlass says as he lifts it.

...and places it in the nearest chest.

"That wasn't so bad." Ferric says and moves to the figurehead.
Lifting it experimentally he says, "Alright lets move out before we
get company."

Talus quickly fills his two belt pouches with gems, saying "Just in
case," before the lids are shut again and the chests are carried off.

Talus shoves on one of the elven shortswords and the dagger in his
belt.  Using the hilt of the shortsword, Talus tries to break through
the minerals at the
logical places to see if the skeleton has any items on it, but he is
unsuccessful.

Talus asks, "What about the throne?  Do you think it might be a helm?"

Considering the difficulty in trying get any rings off the skeleton's
fingers, if the throne was a helm it's long since destroyed and
useless.

Nilaroo helps with the transfer of goods.  "Ives, what about, hoom,
using the canoe between the two of us?"

Holland keeps a hold of the scroll case and the wooden case.  He
leans over the chest and slips the emerald into his sashling and then
quickly buckles on a shortsword.

Holland then says as he lifts the items out of the chest and hands
them out, "Leera, please carry the potion case and flasks.  Dhebun,
the axe.  Sekeht, a shortsword and the cloak.  Raken the elvish bow,
and Allagan the statue."

Leera nods and places the potion case and flasks in her pack,
wrapping them in her blanket.

Allagan secures the statue and then leads the way ahead of the guys
carrying the chests, with his spear at the ready.

Kain stuffs the empty sacks back where they came from. He takes the
elven blade Holland hands him and sticks it in his belt. Then he
gathers his things, pack on his back and his crossbow in his hand. He
takes a final look around the terracing and starts squelching back
across the mud towards the stairs.

Sekeht looks dubiously at the shortsword, then picks it up and
secures it to his belt. He folds the cloak over his left arm and
follows Allagan with this scimitar ready.

Raken takes the bow reverantly and secures it.  He then collects any
items that have not been picked up.

After the treasure has been collected, Raken stops in front of the
throne. "For whatever wrongs you may have done in your life, may your
soul slip the bonds of the mortal world and find your place, in the
stars."

Pointing to his right Kain calls "I think there might be a passageway
over that way. You think we should investigate, or just head back up
stairs?

"Head back up."  Ferric says his voice betraying the moderate strain
of carrying the figurehead.  "We need to get back to ground we know
and start shaping the battlefield in case those things come back in
force."

Holland says, "We will need to use the canoe to transport the chests
and figurehead in the large caved-in room to get from door to door.
I don't think you guys will be able to carry those burdens and stay
afloat at the same time."

Holland adds, "Talus, would you please go scout ahead?  We need to
make sure that Dred's boys are not waiting at the top of the pit for
us to hand carry the treasure to them."

Talus responds, "Right."  Talus finishes up at Rory's skeleton and
then turns invisible.

Following Talus, the party with some effort drags their canoe and
prizes up the slide and through the door they had slid past in the
rush of water.  They find it leads to a long corridor, which in turns
leads to a room filled with disturbing statues of the fish creatures,
and a trap door in the ceiling.

The trapdoor leads up into a secret room the party had not discovered
earlier, looking out over the chamber where the native ambush took
place.  These passages are clean and dry, it is clear this is how the
fish creatures and warriors of Panitubi came and went when meeting
each other.  The room has nothing additional of value. It seemed to
only be used for speaking down to the warriors through the giant face
head above the lower corridor.

It has now been about half an hour since the battle in the mud geyser
room below.

Setting down the figurehead with a thump Ferric wipes his brow and
says, "Nilaroo lets go up and let Ives hand us the loot.  I think a
couple of those statues could fit through as well and make a nice
door stop with which our fishy foes will be forced to contend."
Ferric hauls himself up and works at hauling up loot and companions.

Nilaroo ambles behind Ferric and assists.

Holland smiles, "My thoughts exactly."

Holland says, "Talus, please scout ahead to see if there is a ship
waiting to ambush us."  Holland quickly adds, "But be careful!"

Talus' voice is heard, "I am on it."

Raken asks, "what should we do with the prisoners?  If we leave them
here, they will either be enslaved once more or slain.  If we take
them with us, at least they could help carry what few provisions we
have, and perhaps guide us through the jungle."

Holland frowns as he thinks and then says, "I am going to guess that
our competition will be arriving shortly.  Maybe we should position
ourselves for an ambush.  That seems like the best way to gain a
ship.  I don't think we would survive if we had to cross the isle by
foot."

Raken frowns, "do you think we could survive an attack on a
fully-armed spelljammer, with our resources so depleted?  Besides, it
may be days before they arrive, never mind this would be a horrible
place to fight from.  Our backs would be against the wall, nowhere to
run, and potentially having to fight two enemies at once."

Raken muses, "Though I do wonder what purpose they had in this
temple.  What were the fish planning on doing with a company of
mind-slaved villagers?"

Holland nods, "I've wondered where these natives came from.  There
are no women, no children, no obvious signs of food production, no
boats to explain how they made their way to this island.."

"Perhaps they were taken from the villages?" Raken asks.  "If they
were kidnapped, the villagers might not want to talk about it,
especially with outsiders."

"We might be able to use rescuing them to get our own ship back,"
Sekeht suggests. "The villagers might be willing to help us as a kind
of reward, if they understand that sort of thing."

"Did not the Matriarch say that there were other clans in other parts
of this land," asks Freneth.  "Perhaps these warriors are from a
different village? "

Raken shrugs.  "Reward enough would be them helping us defeat or
delay our competition."

"Right," says Sekeht. "And any allies are better than no allies."

Raken thinks for a moment, then says, "Holland, wait.  Would not us
ambushing our competition be considered an act of piracy and even
murder? After all, they have not attack us.  We may be rivals, but we
must follow the laws of the spheres.  Attacking them may very well
sign our own death warrants, given how powerful the Cartan family is.
We might as well make our escape now, into the jungle, recover our
ship, and return to Bral with our loot, and let him return
empty-handed.  Humiliation would be a much safer means of defeating
them, and almost as satisfying."

Sighing Ferric says, "I think Raken is right.  We can use Kain to
find out where Oquid took our ship, hike through a forest infested
with giant lizards, then retake our vessel.  With our numbers and
skills we will be able to contend with whatever problems the wildlife
may give us. I would feel much safer though if we got away from this
lake and those fishy monstrosities."

The rest of the group raises a couple statues, as well as the rest of
the gear, the canoe, and the treasure.

Allagan helps bring all of the treasure up and then helps position
statues onto the trap door to seal it shut.

Talus returns and turns visible, "The natives are still tied up and
there isn't any sign of life or ships anywhere around.  Dougal hasn't
found us yet."

Allagan asks Raken, "Do you have a spell that will allow you to
communicate with the prisoners?  I don't think they speak our
language."

Raken nods no.  "Not unless one of them happens to be a wild animal
in the skin of a human."

While helping with the preparations Kain replies, "Um... I might be able
to... um... help with... um... that if we can't... um talk to them directly."

Allagan asks Holland and the others, "Are we going to split up the
treasure for carrying?"  Allagan adds with a grin, "I don't think
lugging the chests around
is the best answer."

Kain suggests, "I don't know we... um... seem to be doing ok with
the... um... chests, at least for the... um... moment. Its easier to
guard the.... um... treasure while it is all in chests, if it was...
um... split up it would be more likely for some of it to be... um...
mislaid."

Raken grins, "Could always hire porters.  Perhaps something like
their freedom and safety to haul the goods for us.  Besides, I doubt
they have much use for most of the treasures found.  Gold is a pretty
but useless metal to people that survive by hunting and bartering."
He pauses for a moment, "though I'm sure a gold necklass or two to a
few chieftesses might make them solid friends."

Ferric shakes his head in disbelief, "They ambushed us, killed some
of our companions, and stole our ship.  Pardon me for holding a
grudge but I am disinclined to trust them.  I think we can manage by
ourselves and be a lot better off not having to guard against
treachery every minute of the day. Even if they are enspelled and not
just vicious bastards we can't do anything to ensure their loyalty.
I say we leave them bound here while we use Kain's powers to guide us
to the ship."

"This one believes you mean to leave them with some means of escape?"
inputs Freneth.  "Though it would not be comfortable to have those
that have attacked one, nearby,  would it not be a horror to sentence
those which were unwilling victims to death?  Master Nilaroo and
friend Ives were controlled by the fish creatures, and we do not
leave them behind."

After a few moments thought Kain suggests "Um... Holland maybe we
should take a closer look at those... um... charts Blackjammer left.
Perhaps there will be one of... um... this sphere or even this planet.

Date/Time: 3:50 pm, 7th day of the 11th Month, 5049 OC
--
"...And nobody is to be killed at all, if it can be helped. Keep your
tempers and hold your hands until the last possible moment!"
"But if there are many of these ruffians," said Merry, "it will
certainly mean fighting. You won't rescue Lotho, or the Shire, just
by being shocked and sad, my dear Frodo."

Paul Westermeyer,  pwestermeyer@????????.??.com