@Tamamo @mrz84 @TheDarkOne
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@Search Party (Granberia, Cecette, Zataka, Katrien, and Sancireph)
Dusk falls over the grim ship graveyard known as GRAVEBLOSSOM GROTTO. One by one, the search party returns to the shattered remains of the KATRIEN'S GLORY.
With the sharply crossing shadows of the ship's tattered ruin dancing on the deck, the devastation of the explosion is even more apparent. You enter the cabin.
Each unloads their burden of salvaged supplies:
A few crab traps
A barrel of salted meats (What happened to the other one?)
Blood samples and a giant silver scale from some sea monster (yet to be identified)
A box of harpoons
A net
Some questionable weeds which look poisonous
and a music box, which is locked and seems to be retaining water.
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@Defense Party (Rose, Wallace, Goldleaf, and Jons)
During the course of the day, the defense party shared stories while working to salvage the remaining cannons. Thankfully Jons, the CANNONEER, was one of the crew to wash up and be rescued by the captain that morning.
Unfortunately there is no black powder left to actually load the cannons. Wallace--the one-armed chef--insists that simply setting them up outside the captain's cabin might be enough to scare off any other scavengers that could be lurking in this place. He also asserts that he can make more black powder if the ingredients can be salvaged from another wreck. He recommends that be a priority with the next day's search.
With the remaining portion of the day you gather blankets and potato sacks to use as pillows and bedrolls, since everyone will have to sleep in Katrien's cabin (it is the only fully intact portion of the ship).
The search party returns after a long day with a modest haul, but they bring grim news. The ship they searched was torn to pieces by some giant sea monster, and there's evidence of some kind of population of amphibious beings in the grotto. There was no direct encounter with these creatures, but the prints were fresh considering their location near the water.
Rose agrees to stand the night watch, since she is rested from the day and doesn't require much sleep.
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@Everyone
After a long day in this salty tropical prison, you've worked up quite an appetite. Wallace cooks some of the salted meat from the barrel and rations a portion to everyone. It's a little sparse considering all of the work you've done for the day. He also takes small amounts of the meat and baits the crab traps with them, tossing them into the water behind the KATRIEN'S GLORY.
You are free to ask for another portion if you wish, but be warned it might come with a lecture. Wallace seems prepared to have to stay here for an extended period of time, and his rationing will gradually sap your strength unless you can convince him supplies will become more plentiful.
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@Tamamo
Granberia,
You ask Cecette if she was able to discern anything from the teeth and the scale.
"Beats me. As far as I can tell it's a dragon scale, but I've never seen one that big. I certainly wasn't that big. But don't worry about it. As long as we stay near the center of the island, we should be fine."
As you sleep you have a flashback, standing on the spire with the princess. D'Arsonius is wrapped around the building. His scales are even more massive than the one you found on the beach. They're great tower shields of steel plating his body.
Odd... you don't remember being on the spire with the Princess. You were in the courtyard with her. You also note that D'Arsonius' eyes weren't red at the time... they were green. Was he not a vampire when he attacked?
You start to get a headache. Then you recall that many of the 'true' dragons borrowed magical practices from this reality. MATH MAGIC has the capacity to alter small details like this. Could he be casting even contained in the remaining pearls? Perhaps this is even how you came to drop them in the fight.
You are filled with a worrying sensation, as if a web of illusions is slowly snaring you.
Suddenly, Rose bursts into the room. It is just before dawn, and she is rambling about lurking frogs or some such thing. She insists on a call to arms.
You're still tired.
Will you fight?
Rose,
The dark of this ship graveyard is comforting to you. It has been quite a while since you've been to a place so tropical. Audamar is unseasonably cold year-round and Red's palace is frequently stormy, even when it is warm.
Strange, there's an ache when you think about her. Familiar, but not agonizing. Have you already begun to heal?
You look out into the grotto and watch as the various flowers bloom. Many of them seem to be nocturnal in nature, emitting gentle light from their petals and twisting towards the moon as they move. You turn your gaze upward.
The moon. Since the spirit of the hunt was torn from your body it hasn't had the same power. You used to draw such inspiration from the moonlight. Now, it is little more than a mirror, reflecting the harsh light of the sun and giving your skin a slight rash. You draw the cloak of darkness around you for protection.
Unfortunate, however, is the quiet. No crickets. No birds. This place really is a graveyard in the center of the ocean.
You take a sip from the blood sample Granberia collected earlier in the day. Suddenly, you feel as if you see something moving in the distance. You convince yourself it was just a shadow, adjusting to the changing light of the night.
Another sip. This time you feel something different. You look down at your hands and notice that you can see every vein in your body. You can watch the blood making its circuits in the arterial tubes, transporting the darkness of vampirism throughout your system. You blink, and your vision returns to normal.
You have absorbed powers such as these from other vampires in your travels, but this one's new. Could it be from the blood of the sea monster? But... you can tell it isn't vampire blood. So what is the cause of this?
More shifting in the dark. This time you are sure it is not an illusion. Focusing on your new sense, you see the throbbing hearts of hundreds of bodies, roughly the size of men, inching forward two by two towards your position.
You run inside to alert the others that an attack is imminent.
You've been standing watch all night. Still, you are invigorated by the power of the mysterious blood.
Will you fight?
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@mrz84
Zataka,
You're particularly frustrated about the rationing, since it was you who thought ahead to bring the barrels of salted meat in the first place. Still, you do your best to fall asleep despite the uncomfortable conditions of the situation, as you would be loathe to repeat another Audamar battle of ogres.
As you sleep, you dream of your wife Milani. Her amulet has been protecting you and it is the only memento of her you've brought on your journey. How long has it been since you were together? You wonder if perhaps your pursuit of the dark lord across dimensions has been foolish. Perhaps you should return home, so that you can be with her. Shaking your head, you strengthen your resolve. There's no guarantee your opponent hasn't fled into the multiverse, and if you were to abandon your pursuit he could easily return to your world and wreak vengeance on those who designed his defeat.
Your thoughts drift to the pendant. Earlier, before the fight with the two-headed dragon, it had frozen to your chest. But it was more than that.
It had frozen INTO your chest. Your sternum was turning to ice. You're no magician but you wonder if this is the bizarre physics of this dimension slowly seeping into your body. Could you be transforming into some sort of ELEMENTAL? If so, why did D'Arsonius's body counteract the process? Could it be because he, too, is a dimensional traveler? The idea fills you with concern; it would mean you need to hunt other dimension-walkers to retain your physical integrity. What's worse, the very magic you channel and the very magic which protects you might be accelerating the process.
You do not have more time to ponder this, however, as Rose bursts into the room. She's talking about an army of frog people encroaching on the ship.
It is nearly dawn, and you feel somewhat rested.
Will you fight?
Katrien did not sleep during the night, as she worried for her remaining crew and wanted to protect them. She may fight, but she is exhausted.
Will she fight?
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@TheDarkOne
Sancireph,
Cecette was a perfect lady during the scavenging. She even risked her life swimming into the wrecked crab boat for supplies. Still, you can't help but get a bad vibe from her. She feels much like Telivar... there's something about her mannerisms that feel duplicitous.
Still... you were SORT OF wrong about Telivar, since it was his squirmy assistant who was growing the Wraithwood tree. But you want to be sure, so you wait until Cecette is asleep before you pick a bedroll and rest for the night.
You have a bizarre dream while you rest. You're standing next to a bath tub, filled with soapy bubbles and toy ships. Looking closely at them, you can see they are model ships... perfectly to scale. One looks like the crab boat you searched during the day. Actually... it has the same damage, too.
Before the dream can continue, you are awakened by the vampire ROSE, who storms in shouting about an army of frog men at your doorstep.
It is nearly dawn. Since you waited until Cecette was asleep before you went to bedroll, and since your REM was interrupted, you are still quite tired.
Will you fight?
Goldleaf,
You settle down on some of the bedding you prepared earlier in the day and begin to meditate, hoping that it will lead to a more restful sleep. The food has helped your fatigue in the use of the staff, but you are still feeling somewhat drained. You fall asleep easily, though. In fact, as far as you can tell you are the first to do so.
As you sleep, you dream about your staff. More specifically, you fixate on its origin. It is a memento from your teacher, the one who first showed you how to scry. You recall being warned that magic is a funny thing and branching into other fields would take years of practice. You've had such struggles in your approach to DARKSPACE, but when you attempted GOURMAND magic it came to you quite easily. Are there certain branches of magic which are easier to master in tandem than others? It could be like language. Magic is, after all, a language of the universe. In that case, similar magics could be classified into MAGIC FAMILIES. You wonder if someone has researched this in the past, and you resolve that the next time you're in civilization you'll seek the answer.
Your staff flashes and you are instantly awakened. You can sense danger nearby. Grabbing a bucket of water you make an ice mirror (as you frequently do) and you see the amphibious faces of some kind of frog men, dressed in the garb of sailors and wielding harpoons. Just as you are about to warn everyone of your vision, ROSE the VAMPIRE bursts into the cabin and shouts about the approaching attack.
It's nice to know your staff will warn you of such danger, but you wonder if you can't train to give it more advance notice.
You feel well rested.
Will you fight?
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EDIT: Oops, formatting error (I forgot mentions delete a line break). Nothing was changed in the text.
