Book 1, Part 3: Investigating the Fires

[theredshirtwholive]

 Kyla

AC: 19 | Fort: +7 | Ref: +7 | Will: +8
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +10 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

---

Kyla wrings her hands worriedly. "I'm...afraid not. I need to be a lot closer if you want me to do anything... But if we can get our hands on, say, a bucket of fish, and if one of you can throw it a really long way...I might have an idea."

OOC

 

 

[ripleycat]

It's disgusting work that earns some decidedly confused looks from the fisherfolk cleaning their catches nearby, but the rest of the dock is a working area, big burned hole or not, and ultimately, nobody really cares if Kyla wants to grab a big handful of fish innards out of one of the foul barrels and rush back over to the wharf's edge. Now someone just needs to throw it far enough into the river to attract the shark - easier said than done, given that the three strongest Silver Ravens are currently underwater, and nobody on the dock is exactly a paragon of strength. "I can carry... some. Drop it on the big bitey fish from above?" A doubtful Vendalfek volunteers.

Temperance's shot inflicted a relatively minor wound, but certainly got the shark's attention. It shifts direction and begins swimming in earnest towards the musket's report, which also means the three swimmers in the ruins of the Thrashing Badger! The dark mass of the bull shark beneath the fin comes into focus as it swims past the dock. It's big, easily 12 feet long, stout and bulky, built like its namesake. From below, the dead man perceives this new threat as it looms above him. Deep in the back rooms of the Badger, Maria and Kjersti remain blissfully unaware, worried only about how long they have until their lungs start to burn.

Down the dark hallway turned underwater tunnel, the tavern splits into four much smaller rooms, all in various states of collapse. A storeroom, an almost completely destroyed wreck of what might have been the kitchen, and the living quarters of the Falcos, the redoubtable dwarven family who'd owned the Thrashing Badger for several generations. The furniture in the two bedrooms is strewn about like a sand-drift, piled up against the walls in a great mass. It'd be a mess to sort through even if one were perfectly safe, on the surface. A chest of drawers, a broken bed, drifts of clothes, a rug billowing in the water like a manta ray. Shelves of broken knick-nacks, an old weatherbeaten hammer in place of pride above the little hearth. There's a rolltop desk that might hold clues - if anything has somehow stayed dry. How to approach all this in the few moments they have down here?

OOC

The shark takes two move (swim) actions, and one to just sort of sniff around, on account of it being a shark. It is now only 20 feet away, for attacking/fish-throwing purposes. Those on the dock can see it clearly, and take no range penalties. Deadman notices the immense thing swimming around through the silty water (it's not in melee range without a move action, but you can use the already rolled grapple roll if that's still what you want to do). Kjersti and Maria do not notice the shark.

 

[Mister Doctor]

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

---

KAC: 18/17 Fort: +8 Ref: +4 Will: +5
HP: 23/23 THP: 4/4 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +5

---

Watching the large aquatic predator skulk through the silt and ashes, the corpse waited, ready to pounce. The size of the shark seemed not to enter into the unnatural thing's equations of threat and danger. Allowing the shark to interrupt the important tasks of the living was simply not an option, no matter the potential harm that might come to the corpse.

There was something they needed to help them hurt Thrune, something that the living would be able to find and utilize. That was all that mattered to the corpse.

Entering rage

Maintaining my readied grapple: 25

Stealth, if that means anything here: 10

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Mister Doctor (see edit history)

[Toraka_Stormheart]

Temperance - Character Sheet

---

AC: 19 Fort: +6 Ref: +10 Will: +4

HP: 24/24 Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +6

Ammunition: 17/20 (40 Reserve) | Alchemy PreparedAlchemical Cartridges: 20 | ConditionsNone

---

Seeing the shark start making a beeline for them, Temperance quickly closed the action of her rifle, loading a percussion cap under the hammer as she let out a hissing growl as she saw the surface party's response, making her frustration clear.

"Figures. Trying to revive the name of the Silver Ravens and the only ones putting themselves on the line are the Shelo'kahren help. Great impression."

another rapport of gunfire echoed out as she sighted the shark, landing center mass as she rapidly reloaded and fired again, the second going wide. Her jaw set, the tiefling focused on one task: bringing the threat down.

Show Mechanics

Action 1: Strike, critically hits for 22 damage (2 electricity)

Action 2: Reload

Action 3: Strike, misses

 

[pi4t]

  

Star

AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

 

Star draws a dagger from her belt, taking aim at the shark and trying to ingore the sense of impending dread as it gets nearer. She's never really practiced throwing weapons, though - at least, not since she broke her good arm and had to learn to fight with her left hand. Through cracks in the rubble, she catches shadowy glimpses of Kjersti and Maria as they explore, unaware of the danger lurking outside. No...I ain't just watchin' this time. Acting on impulse, Star throws her dagger, but the shark is too far away, and the dagger just misses, sinking into the silt. It was tactically stupid, but Star feels stronger for having tried something. She mutters under her breath, trying to will Kjersti and Maria to notice the shark.

 

In the ruins of the tavern, Maria suddenly hears Star's voice in her ears, undistorted by the water. She's muttering: "C'm'on, get outta there, 's a damn shark outside, don't you dare-" and then her voice is cut off. A moment later, Kjersti hears Star's voice: "-drown down there, the shark's gonna get in 'f you don't leave quick..."

 

Mechanics:

Spent a rebel point for fluff matters, following a discussion with ripley

Action 1: Throw dagger at the shark (12 roll + 8 to hit - 2 range increment = 18: miss)

Actions 2-3: Accidental Message*2 to Kjersti and Maria. Technically, each of you can reply as a free action on your turn if you want to, which would certainly surprise Star - although that would require you to use up breath.

[theredshirtwholive]

 Kyla

AC: 19 | Fort: +7 | Ref: +7 | Will: +8
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +10 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

---

Kyla hands Vendalfek the fish guts, then dips her hands in the water to clean herself off. "C'mon, Vendalfek," she urges the little dragon. "Fly like your life depends on it-because theirs certainly do!"

OOC

 

 

[Fletcher]

Kjersti Volden

AC: 19 | Fort: +8 | Ref: +4 | Will: +7
HP: 24/24 | Focus: 0/1 | Hero: 0/3 | Perception: +5
ConditionsNone

---

Their choice sealed despite Deadman's agitated state, Kjersti floats closer to Maria and points at herself then at what seems to be the proprietor's quarters. Likely they'd want to search two separate places to use their time wisely.

The farmgirl grips the doorframe and propels herself into the dark space, squinting as the shapes of strewn furniture and a broken livelihood emerge from the silt. There's no telling where something of value would be stashed in a place like this (or if it was even still there). In all likelihood, their most precious things had been gathered in a panic on the way out the door. Still, it's worth pulling out a few drawers and flipping a few mattresses to make sure.

So Kjersti does just that, moving about the room and "upturning" the already tossed space.... until a voice suddenly, startlingly, rings out in her head. She grabs her ears for a second, looks about like she might see someone floating next to her. Then as she focuses on the voice and what... is that Star?... she is saying, she furrows her brow and continues digging through the Falco's life. As she does, she musters a mental answer.

<What's a shark?>

[ccanary]

Maria Callus

Maria Callus — Human Monk (medic)

At the sunken remains of the Badger

Maria went to tap Kjersti on the shoulder and point her at the hammer, but the young woman swam off before she got a chance. Huffing and rolling her eyes silently in the water she took it into her own hands and swam up to the hammer-on-a-plaque. She grabbed it just as Star's voice rang in her head.

 

Shark? Shark?!! Time to go! This time she did swim towards Kjersti to get her attention then went to the surface as best she could swim with the hammer under one arm. She motioned to Deadman on the way out as well hopefully communicating that she was heading up and he should too. But would a shark even go after him? Did they consume carrion? She had no idea, but better safe than sorry.

 

 

Mechanics

 

Action 1:
Action 2:
Action 3:

 

 

 

[ripleycat]

"Yes ma'am!" Vendalfek gathers up as much of the fish innards as he can carry while remaining safely airborne, and sets out on his bombing run, dropping the mess right on top of the shark as it came up close to the surface during its investigation.

The foul fish bits certainly get the shark's attention, and despite its agitation, the great predator is content to swim about devouring its free meal. It doesn't leave the dockside, though, remaining distressingly between the living swimmers and their sorely needed fresh air. It does make the shark an easier target, though, and Temperance's first shot strikes true, inflicting a grievous wound.

In response, the shark dives deep, heading straight for the nearest shelter - the ruins of the Thrashing Badger! It's a tight squeeze for the big fish, one that becomes even tighter as it is seized by the undead sentinel waiting within. The thrashing battle threatens to bring down the remains of the tavern, but the furious might of the dead man keeps the shark in place for the moment, even as it thrashes and bites wildly at any piece of its foe within range of its gaping jaws!

While rummaging through the remnants of the Falcos' lives, Kjersti finds waterlogged junk and broken bits, but also a few small trinkets - little figurines and talismans that were likely far more valuable as keepsakes and memories than as treasure. One of the drawers she pulls out catches suddenly, then pulls free completely from the desk, revealing a hidden compartment behind, where a scroll case bobs in the water. Buoyant - and perhaps still sealed, preserved and watertight?

Star's mental warning sends Maria rushing for the exit, hammer and Kjersti in tow, letting her get out of the claustrophobic backrooms before the shark arrived, but now there was another terrible obstacle, as the huge predator was held fast in the dead man's grip, blocking the path out of the sunken tavern (and providing a very direct answer as to what, exactly, a shark was.)!

OOC

The shark moves down into the tavern (currently blocking the exit!), where it is successfully grappled by Deadman. It attempts to break free, and fails. The shark currently has the flat-footed and immobilized conditions, at least until the end of Deadman's next turn.

The shark uses its last action to strike, and hits, even with the penalties for being grappled. It does 13 piercing damage to deadman.

The shark is also concealed from those on the surface, requiring a DC 5 flat check to make an attack.

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by ripleycat (see edit history)

[Toraka_Stormheart]

Temperance - Character Sheet

---

AC: 19 Fort: +6 Ref: +10 Will: +4

HP: 24/24 Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +6

Ammunition: 16/20 (40 Reserve) | Alchemy PreparedAlchemical Cartridges: 20 | ConditionsNone

---

The entire time she was reloading, Temperance had her eyes scanning everything that happened. from the bucket of chum haphazardly dropped to the shark, to seeing a single knife thrown, to the shark going down into the murky bottom of the relatively shallow water. Eyes unblinking, her hands moved with practiced efficiency, closing the lever and chambering the round. Cursing in some tongue, the tiefling twirled the rifle into position for a near directly downward shot, watching for signs of the large beast. Nothing...nothing...nothing...a shape! Firing directly down, the splash of the bullet cutting through the water sent a light spray back at her.

For the Deadman below, all he would notice is the shark suddenly stopped writhing in his grasp, going limp as the dark murky depths gained a cloud of dark crimson around him.

Turning on her heel away from the dock's edge, the blonde tiefling paused, seeing Star, Kyla, and Beq all standing there, her expression hardening. "Your movement is doomed. If this is the best you have to offer." Without waiting, the tiefling started walking, heading away from the docks.

Show Mechanics

Action 1: Reload

Action 2: Strike, critically hits shark for 33 piercing damage, killing it.

Action 3: Stride

 

[Mister Doctor]

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

---

KAC: 18/17 Fort: +8 Ref: +4 Will: +5
HP: 14/23 THP: 0/4 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +5

---

Lashing out and grabbing the shark around its meaty neck, the corpse dug its feet into the silty bottom of the harbor as best it could. It jammed fingers into one of the shark's gills, gripping with unnatural stubbornness. Even as it did so its other arm scrabbled in an attempt to find purchase on the sandpaper hide of the aquatic apex predator and, as the beast thrashed, black ichor stained the water as well.

The dead thing did not register pain like the living, nor panic. Only rage, mindless rage.

Even as its jaws opened unnaturally wide to return the favor to the shark there was another muffled crack from Temperance's weapon and the shark sagged suddenly in the corpse's grip. In the murky gloom, the corpse did something it very rarely did, it blinked.

A few moments later and the corpse was hauling itself out of the water, taking a second to forcibly press brackish water from its lungs and draw in a ragged breath in preparation for speaking to the living. The dead thing was in a sorry state, soaked quite literally to the bone in places.

The flesh of its left arm and a not inconsiderable section of its chest looked to have been savaged, putrid flesh torn and shredded. It appeared that in the beast's blind fury it had managed to tear poorly maintained sections of the corpse's breastplate away. If it were anything less than what it was, the corpse may well have died from such an injury. A thick, tarry substance that might have once been blood welled from the wounds in gummy, lethargic smears.

Seeing the retreating form of the tiefling that had very likely saved its unnatural existence. It thrust itself to its feet and called after her. "Hrrrhk-Tim-prance."

Shambling after her, the corpse hove to an unsteady stop and fixed her with a difficult look from its one good eye. Being soaked and having been savaged by a shark did not do its countenance any favors, nor the fact that it appeared to be considering something hard at the limits of its necrotic brain. It was a very similar look to the one it had when denied something it wanted. Something slightly worrying considering what the corpse most often wanted was the opportunity to do terrible violence.

Finally, though, it seemed to give up on words and instead reached into one of the wounds on its upper arm and pried loose a large shark tooth about as long as its thumb that had very likely been embedded in the bone there without so much as a wince. Studiously, it wiped the tooth clean and held it out to Temperance.

"Thh-Thank."

Edited October 9, 2023 by Mister Doctor (see edit history)

[Fletcher]

Kjersti Volden

AC: 19 | Fort: +8 | Ref: +4 | Will: +7
HP: 24/24 | Focus: 0/1 | Hero: 0/3 | Perception: +5
ConditionsNone

---

There is no answer to the question Kjersti wills back into the unknown, giving her only a moment's pause. Shrugging off the confusion, she digs more quickly into the Falco's ruined belongings in case a shark is actually something to be afraid of. She has just hauled the drawer out and found the scroll case when Maria gives her the heave-ho away from the rest of it and drags her bodily towards the opening in the darkened backroom.

There, a flood of bubbles escapes her mouth as she sees Deadman attached to an absolutely massive fish and a cloud of crimson spreading into the water around them. With that much of her air supply spent on the inaudible outburst, the farmgirl kicks powerfully upwards with her own hammer and scroll case in tow. Cresting the murky water with a great gasp, she treads for a moment and squints up at the figures still on the dock and blurts, "Is that a shark!? Them things live in this river?" Helping Maria up and out of the water, then taking her hand in return, Kjersti clambers onto the dock and remains laying down to recover and allow the water to drain from her form back into the river.

"I don't like that at all," she adds, head lolling to one side to watch the ripples slowly turn red. Once she finally sits up, she watches Deadman stomp after Temperance and stop her. She really did save their asses again, didn't she? The girl was something else. Kjersti shakes her head and then proceeds to flush water out of her nose with two sharp blows. "I hope this thing's worth it... cause it seemed pretty secret. We think the tavern was in on somethin'?"

[pi4t]

  

Star

AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

 

Star breathes a sigh of relief as she sees Kjersti and Maria emerge, and another as Temperance kills the shark. But the other tiefling's savage comment seems to provoke her, and she rushes after Temperance, easily catching her up.

"Doomed? Course we're doomed. I'm a street kid that lived longer 'n most. Rexus knows stuff, but he ain't a fighter an' he can't spot a thief to save his life. Abyss, our best warrior's already dead! An' we're goin' up against the literal legions of Hell! Of course we're not gonna win! But you know what?" Star pauses for breath, tears forming in her eyes as she glares at Temperance. "You know what? I'm still gonna fight. We're still gonna fight. Cause there's some things that you have to fight for, even if you ain't got a hope of winnin'. Some things that are so bad, so...wrong...that you can't hide away an' let it happen. Look, you can go off somewhere else, waitin' for your perfect time to fight back if you want. Who knows? Maybe it'll even happen 'fore you die of old age. But me? I've already lived longer 'n most street rats. I ain't got time to wait for that. None of us have. We're fightin' back now. An' I'm gonna keep fightin' till it...till it kills me. 'Cause..."

"What else can I do?"

[Mister Doctor]

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

---

KAC: 18/17 Fort: +8 Ref: +4 Will: +5
HP: 14/23 THP: 0/4 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +5

---

A heavy, skinless hand landed on Star's shoulder. It was connected to the corpse, but just barely given the awful rents torn in necrotic and desiccated flesh by the teeth of the shark. The corpse never looked well in the best of times but this was by far the most damage it had taken in their presence. The look it gave Star however, with ruined mouth drawn mostly closed, single eye turned to her, felt almost like something from a living man instead of the walking mockery of one.

Chewing over difficult words and concepts the corpse ordered its thoughts as best it could before proverbially shambling forward with the same indefatigability that served it so well in other matters. "Nnn-nn-need help. I... I break or be broken. Hhhrk-I kill. Nn-nothing left."

It tapped the shark tooth to its cold heart, "Nnn-nothing here," then its forehead, seeming not to notice the light cut the sharp edge left in the skin. "Nn-nothing here."

It looked down at Star and then back at the others, "Hhhrrrn-not killers, not dead. Hhh-help keep?"

It offered the shark tooth again to Temperance, giving Star a surprisingly gentle squeeze of the shoulder as it did so. That squeeze was still a hair too strong to be properly reassuring, but the corpse was trying.

[theredshirtwholive]

 Kyla

AC: 19 | Fort: +7 | Ref: +7 | Will: +8
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +10 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

---

Kyla lays one hand on Star's and the other on the corpse's...leg? It's about as far as she can reach. "And you both will, uh, continue," she declares with an awkward look at the corpse, "to exist, and you will see the end of that fight, if I have something to say about it." She grins. "And I'm a bard. So I've got quite a bit to say."

OOC