Sailors on the Starless Sea - IC

[cailano]

Sailors on the Starless Sea

Written by Harley Stroh

 

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Villagers	Player
Molly Hatchet, Minstrel and Oswald Cobblepot, Beggar	Excior
Bernard, Human Noble and Therin, Dwarven Rat-Catcher	Shocker
Brar Moonblade, Hunter and Lyra, Ostler	TheDragonOfFlame (NPCs)
Tabitha Denari, Jewler and Eli Busker, Corn Farmer	Malkavian Grin
Helge Haisley, Healer and Hugo Harfoot, Halfling Haberdasher	Tecumseh
Obraun Wolvsbane, Squire and Gwenlen Firemane, Dwarven Blacksmith	Draidden
Preston Pena, Wizard's Apprentice and Seamus Steele, Gravedigger	Rogueblade0729 (NPCS)
Thugnar Bottlebrewer, Dwarven Apothacarist and Ivor Panry, Rice Farmer	Dixi

 

JUDGE

Cailano

[cailano]

You stand before the ruined keep, which squats atop a low, craggy hill, its walls of toppled stone and massive granite blocks hinting at forgotten battles and the clash of mighty armies. Now the ruins seem host only to creeping vines and the foul miasma that drifts down from the keep.

The air is overrun with pestilence. Fat flies bite at you incessantly, and clouds of small black insects choke your every breath. The long-abandoned land is strangled with thorny vines that drape the sickly trees and hang from the ruined walls. There is an odor of rot and decay as if the hill was decomposing from within.

A sight gives you pause: a ragged banner depicting a crimson skull on a black field stands high atop the ruined walls. Whatever lurks within has terrorized you and your village for far too long.

You turn to your companions and ready your meager weapons. The time for retribution has come.

[cailano]

You are a mob of angry villagers, worked into a frenzy by a combination of grief, wrath, and fear. You came together spontaneously, with almost nothing in the way of preparation.

It is evening and the air is thick and stifling. Eli brought his cow with him.

As you stare up at the ruined keep, you think back on what little you know of it.

[cailano]

I need one d10 roll from each player (not character.)

[Shocker]

roll

[cailano]

Bernard: During your youth, you heard tell that two chaos lords once ruled the Ruined Keep: warriors who had dedicated themselves to the service of dark powers. According to legend, their corpses were never recovered. Some say they are in the keep even still.

[Dixi]

Eli was not the only one with a cow. Ivor's Letty accompanied him as well (there was no time to return to the farm first). Though, Ivor was beginning to question his rash decision. 

[Tecumseh]

Helge Haisley

Helge, a kindly if simpleminded healer, looks at the ruined keep and scowls at the thick and stifling air. She swats at the fat flies and claws at the clouds of small black insects.

"There is an odor of rot and decay as if the hill is decomposing from within," she says with distaste. "The land needs healing so that it might breathe again."

She clutches her holy symbol and her holy water in the hopes that they will protect her.

Hugo Harfoot

Hugo Harfoot is a halfling haberdasher with a thin physique envied by no man. However, he is impeccably dressed, even on the doorstep of death. While terrified, he has been worked into a frenzy by a combination of grief, worry, and fear.

"Whatever lurks within has terrorized us and our village for far too long!" he says loudly, mostly to bolster his own bravery. "Better to meet fate head-on than to wait for it to catch us with our pants down."

He has his favorite pair of scissors, three fine suits, and a righteous heart. He looks over the ruined keep, searching for an obvious way inside.

Using his eye as a tailor, he tries to judge the level of ruin in the banner. Has it been there for ages, since before the keep fell into ruins, or is it a new addition that might imply recent occupants?

[rogueblade0729]

OOC: Okay, so uh... just gonna use this post to test the dice rolling system. I'll add an IC post right after.

[rogueblade0729]

Preston Pena

"By the stars," Preston proclaimed, pinching his nose as the stench of the ruined keep wafted over him, "this is really a most unpleasant place! Well... here's hoping that when we kick out whatever's been bothering the lot of us, we'll have something worthwhile to bring back with us." As the scholarly yet somewhat gaunt looking young man peered deeper inside, he stopped himself from immediately walking forward out of pure curiosity, instead turning to the nearest person to him.Anyone feel free to self-insert yourself here! "Keep that thing close to you! If the descriptions in my master's bestiaries are anything to go by, we may be in for some nasty surprises."

Seamus Steele

A graybeard wielding a dirty shovel stepped forward then. While he was older than most of the others present, he certainly did not seem immediately phased by what everyone experienced. As the town gravedigger, the scent of death always seemed to faintly follow him, no matter how vigorously he scrubbed in the bath. Still, having lived so many years, he probably was about as ready as anyone to face what awaited them inside.

"I've had to put one too many friends in the ground this season," he said, his voice soft and soothing to the ears. "Whatever happens, we've got to stop it, once and for all!" At that point, Seamus turned to the most uneasy-looking townsperson among them, and offered a kind, toothy smile. "You alright, kid? Hope ya haven't lost your nerve now, after all that talk at the tavern."

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by rogueblade0729 (see edit history)

[Dixi]

"We are not here to smell the thing but to crash it. Can not make two steps nowadays to not stumble upon a rotting plant. How is one supposed to make a living?" Thugnar Bottlebrewer, the dwarven apothecarist well known in the village and around, stroked his beard, swung the cudgel, checking its weight and precision of his aim, and bravely stepped forward, studying the runs (counting for his ability to somewhat see in the dark).

"You two had to lose the cows. Though they might work well as bait, we'll see."

The young rice farmer stopped shivering and looked at the dwarf angrily. "Use your own property! I'm not letting Letty out of my sight!" He shook his head then clutched a holy symbol hanging from his neck and looked around still nervously but with a glimpse of angry confidence now.

(The roll is above, it was 3)

[Malkavian Grin]

A human woman in a dress and apron that was just a smidge above a common person's clothing took a ginger step forward and then immediately stepped back. She clutched a dagger tightly in both hands before her, clearly scared out of her mind. She was the village jeweler and had never wielded a weapon before today. "N-no...no... well, maybe," Tabitha said to Seamus. "I've got to find my son in there... or at least a clue to where he is!"

"Wull, seems we got ta get in der'n take care ah... hmmm... somethin'," offered a dirty looking farmer. "Whaddya think, Maude?" he asked his cow. He seemed much more laid back about the situation given the severity of it all. He scratched at his unshaven neck, lazily swatting away the flies. He was used to the insects and hard work. The villagers knew Eli was a man of his word, and a man that often stuck his nose where it just plain didn't belong. Some said he was just looking for trouble because he was bored.

Eli looked up at the ruins then over to Thugnar. "Mmm nope. Don't rightly believe so, sir," he replied. "Maude's 'bout uh close uh family's I got. Jus' don't tell my wife that!" he said with a whooping laugh, slapping his thigh.

[Excior]

Molly Hatchet

Molly was a young man in his early twenties, even though the young minstrel had not been in the village for very long he had been there long enough to catch the eye of a pretty young farmers daughter who turned up missing a few months ago and was found dead a few days ago not far from the rotting and

Desolate ruin they now stood before, her body was mutilated very badly and her family was grieved to the point of despair.  He clutches his Dagger in his right hand and an old grappling hook in his left. His only other possession of note was an old Ukulele strapped to his back.  “ What ever lives within will pay for killing my Becky!” he says with more than a little hint of fear in his voice.

Oswald Cobblepot

Oswald was far more than he appeared the town beggar was good at making himself look weaker and older than he actually was, however being a professional beggar was not what the young man wanted to be all his life and even though this ruin and its rotting lands means nothing to him Oswald does realize that it might be the stepping stone to something far better.  “ What ever is up there probably has treasure, enough to change all our lives if we can just claim it.”

 

He stoops down and picks up as many rocks as he can carry for his sling.  He then discards one of his crutches and swings the other one around to see how it felt. You can see a small hammer tucked into his belt.

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Excior (see edit history)

[TheDragonOfFlame]

Dice:

[cailano]

Thugnar

While your job in the apothecary is a step removed from the legendary deeds of your ancestors, you have nonetheless paid attention to rumors regarding the Ruined Keep. It isn't really a polite topic to bring up in town, but you've heard it has always been a place of evil. You've heard that armies aligned with the forces of Law laid siege to the place long ago and overthrew whatever was living there, but you've also heard they didn't do a thorough job. They say evil still festers within its walls, awaiting the day it can emerge. Based on current events, you'd say that time has arrived.