Squid-ward

An outpouring of freezing rain mixed with the occasional snowflake falls from the sky. The clouds are ominous and the wind is heavy. The deck of the boat you are on is icy and it makes the terrain that you are on even more dangerous. As if the ever-shifting waters weren't making things challenging enough. There's no sign of the sky, and occasionally one can hear the rumble of thunder like a warning though there is no sign of lightning. Yet.

"Wizard that gave us the information said that we'd meet the disaster around midday if we made headway as best we could until then. Which means you should ready yourselves!" The captain yells at you above the sound of creaking wood and heavy rainfall. It's no insult but rather that you'd never hear him if he were talking normally.

Nessa had signed up- her first real adventure. The cheery cleric is doing her best to keep her spirits up despite the best efforts of the sky. There's something particularly miserable about sleet that neither rain nor snow manages on their own. She's bundled up with an oiled wool cloak, black of course, against the weather. And she has a weapon with her, today- several in fact. A khopesh hangs from her hip and a simple round wooden shield is slung over her back, but it is a crossbow she has at the ready. "I'll speak a prayer to the Lady!" she yells back over the din.

The mul'niessa man on deck has his hair tied back in a neat ponytail, with his usual grandiose clothing that he wears on stage at the TarRaCe as Zero, the magnificent pianist and songbird (as determined by himself, of course), exchanged for more mundane leather trousers and a chain shirt hidden underneath a long leather overcoat and a black tunic. A hand crossbow is affixed to the bracer wrapped around his right hand, which he finishes loading with a bolt. "Alright, I think I'm ready," he states. "It's been a little while since I've done this, but I assure you that the rust comes off /quite/ quickly, my darlings."

GAME: Nessa casts Bless. Caster Level: 1 DC: 14

Carver's slicker poncho is soaked, and despite her best efforts, so is she. Between the wind, the unsure footing, and just how awful visibility is, she rather doubts she can manage to even use her preferred tools when dealing with the world's assorted difficulties. She gives a sullen glare at her two companions, who manage to look 'dashing' in the rain while she more appropriately feels like a drowned cat. She doesn't bother trying to shriek over the horrible ambience, instead just giving a thumbs up. She's as ready as she's going to be it says.

GAME: Nessa rolls perception: (11)+9: 20
GAME: Carver rolls PERCEPTION: (16)+10: 26
GAME: Zerthos rolls Perception: (11)+9: 20

Ahead of you, you can just barely make out the forms of fish jumping out of the water. They race past your boat, and then there's a light lull before there is something about the same size as the fish leaping out of the water - obviously chasing after the school of fish that were desperately chasing after them. At first glance they look to be squid, but as one hits the mainmast and slides down you realize that they aren't squid. They're octopi. And there's a LOT of them.

GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (13)+8+-2: 19
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+6: (6)+6: 12

Carver quickly scuttles across the rocking deck, over to the edge of the boat. One arrow is drawn to her cheek, before she reconsiders and dashes toward the mast, each footstep kicking up puddled water from the deluge. It's only when she slides to a stop does she finally take a shot, arrow to cheek and pling: "One for me!"

GAME: Nessa rolls weapon3: (14)+2: 16
GAME: Nessa rolls damage3: aliased to 1d8+0: (4)+0: 4

It's not the usual thing one might think of when a ship's assailed by octopi, but it is what comes to mind for Zero: he begins to sing. It's a song in Sildanyari, of course, but it's a beautiful aria that's about braving the tempest.

Which, octopi might count as a tempest if you're not squinting terribly hard. Either way, the song's inspiring as the songbird makes his way to the back of the melee.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+4: (19)+4: 23
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d3+2: (3)+2: 5

Nessa still her a silver harp pendant in hand- her holy symbol, and her eyes closed. "Grey lady, all our times may come, but by your grace, let it be another day." she says softly, calling upon Vardama for divine intercession. The cool, calm embrace of the grey lady is felt by her allies, guiding their blows.

"I'm sorry, little ones." She says, then, her eyes snapping open- liner running down her face in streaks with the rain. "Today is your day." she says, smiling sadly as she lifts her crossbow. She looses a bolt, catching one of them in the rubbery flesh of a tentacle.

The flood of octopi continues, several members of the crew taken down by flying calamari. They seem to be getting... larger. One particular specimen flies through the air and hits Zerthos in the face, biting his nose viciously and then sliding down his lovely features. It does muffle the beautiful song for a few seconds.

GAME: Carver rolls ranged at 1: (12)+ranged at 1: 13
GAME: Carver rolls ranged+1: (4)+8+1: 13
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+3: (7)+3: 10
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+3: (7)+3: 10

Carver has planted her feet! This is her favorite time. No half-oruch bullying her to try to hit things ineffectively with her axe, or vines grabbing at her trousers to trip her. She's got beauty in her confidence despite slick hair sticking everywhere and squinting desperately into the wind and rain. Pling, Pling: "That's three!"

GAME: Zerthos rolls weapon1+2: (8)+6+2: 16
GAME: Zerthos rolls damage1+1: aliased to 1d4+0+1: (4)+0+1: 5
GAME: Nessa rolls weapon3+2: (1)+2+2: 5 (EPIC FAIL)

Some performers would stop and scream at having octopus in their face, let alone one that's now dead and hanging off him like an adoring fan. But Zero... Zero is a professional. He keeps singing, even as he takes aim and fires with his hand crossbow. The bolt lands a solid hit on one octopus, and he reloads without missing a note.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+8: (2)+8: 10
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+8: (13)+8: 21
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+4: (14)+4: 18

Nessa winces as Zerthos takes a cephelopd to the face and hastens to reload her crossbow. She brings it back up, but the shifting of the deck below her feet causes her to loose the bolt before she's ready and it flies straight into the decking of the boat, "Sorry!" she calls out, perhaps for the benefit of her allies, or for the owner of the boat whos deck has sprouted a new appendage.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d3+2: (2)+2: 4

Several more... quite a bit larger octopi heft themselves out of the water and fling themselves at the crew. One lands right next to Carver and tries to grasp her, but it fails. Another lands practically on top of Zerthos and eagerly grabs ahold of his leg and begins gnawing on it!

"NO, GROSS!" Carver's shriek is far less confident as one of them finally decides to target her, and she doesn't use her bow but instead her incredibly graceful martial artistry that she has been practicing since the day she was old enough to ride; panicked flailing. Hi-EW!

GAME: Carver rolls melee+2: (16)+6+2: 24
GAME: Carver rolls 1d4+3: (1)+3: 4
GAME: Zerthos rolls weapon1+2: (4)+6+2: 12
GAME: Zerthos rolls weapon1+2: (7)+6+2: 15
GAME: Zerthos rolls damage1+1: aliased to 1d4+0+1: (1)+0+1: 2
GAME: Nessa casts Shield of Faith. Caster Level: 1 DC: 14
GAME: Nessa rolls 1d8+1: (8)+1: 9

It's nice to have adoring fans. It's even nicer to have them throwing at you. It's just not so nice when they're octopi that want to kill you. Even as the cephalopod tries to introduce Zero to its definition of love, Zero manages to keep singing--turning the direction of his hand-crossbow down to the thing that's gripped tightly to his leg and firing, replacing the bolt swiftly after.

GAME: Zerthos rolls Perception: (20)+9: 29
GAME: Carver rolls perception: (19)+10: 29

Nessa watches with concern as a large octopus makes another pass at Zerthos, and she gives up on reloading her crossbow for now- the chill wind numbing her fingers was not making it easy. She moves up to behind her ally, placing a hand upon his back. "The Lady waits patiently, but today you will not meet her." she murmurs softly- calm, cool spreads through Zerthos, knitting his wounds together and stemming his bleeding.

GAME: Nessa rolls perception: (10)+9: 19

The octopi on the ship scurry hurriedly away - wounded or not. They seem in a terrible hurry actually and ahead you can see the reason why. A massive wave is headed for your ship. The captain yells orders to the quickly-moving crew and Zerthos and Carver might well note that the wave? Has EYES.

GAME: Zerthos rolls Reflex: (14)+6: 20
GAME: Nessa rolls reflex: (8)+4: 12
GAME: Carver rolls reflex: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Zerthos casts Saving Finale. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
GAME: Nessa rolls reflex: (17)+4: 21
GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (18)+8+-2: 24
GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (14)+8+-2: 20
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (7)+7: 14
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (3)+7: 10

"Whoa," Carver exhales, before shaking off the awe with a grimace. Her eyes narrow to slits and she plings off a pair of shots, which rather than disappearing into the water, 'stick' to something. If it can bleed…

GAME: Zerthos rolls weapon1+2: (5)+6+2: 13
GAME: Nessa rolls weapon3+2: (14)+2+2: 18

Even as Zero's aria concludes on a high note, the magic that's associated with his sonorous voice keeping the Vardaman cleric steady on the boat in repayment for her healing, the bard doesn't stop. He takes aim and... He's a little too wide. Only in shot, not in form.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+14: (15)+14: 29

Nessa stumbles but doesn't quite fall as the massive wave strikes the ship, and she looks up at it wide-eyed, "What in the world is that thing?" she asks- though perhaps doesn't necessarily expect an answer. She hurriedly loads another bolt into her crossbow, levers back its drawstring and looses it- but the buffeting wind and rain affects her aim, and the bolt sails off into the chop and surf.

The giant squid comes out of the wave of water and reaches out, grabbing the boat with it's large tentacles. It stares down at the boat and the crew is largely... terrified. What are _they_ supposed to do against this thing?

GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (16)+8+-2: 22
GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (20)+8+-2: 26 (THREAT)
GAME: Carver rolls ranged-2: (1)+8+-2: 7 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (1)+7: 8
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (3)+7: 10

"Axes!" Carver yells, "Hooks! Throw off it's grip before it it throws us off!" She will not yet reach for her own axe, waiting to see if any crewman make for the attempt first. Instead, she will try to keep peppering the creature enough to convince it that they're not tasty enough to be eaten at the cost of the damage they'll do first

While Carver takes her aim at the squid again and barks orders, Zero sees the hesitant crew. A glint comes to his eye as he breaks out into another song, this time in Tradespeak so that all men may hear, that exalts glory and victory for all who may try. The bard is not nearly so deadly a shot as the ranger, but inspiration may be what his allies and what the crew needs.

GAME: Nessa casts Forced Quiet. Caster Level: 1 DC: 15
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (4)+5: 9

Nessa holds out her hand, "It's singing. I wonder if it's what's causing the smaller ones to be so aggressive." she says. She closes her eyes, "Hush, now." she murmurs softly- her voice buried by the howling winds, but her words need not be heard to be felt by the creature, reducing its calls to a muffled keening.

GAME: Carver rolls knowledge/nature: (20)+7: 27

The squid lets go of the ship and sinks below the waves, its cries much quieter now. As it does so, you notice that it has a huge open wound on its back and is missing a couple of its limbs. It is gone quickly and does not return. Leaving you with a grateful crew who cheers their victory.

Nessa does not join in with the Celebration as the squid breaks off- she heads over to the edge and watches it go. She closes her eyes, as she leans on the railing. "Loving tide sweep in and bear you down." she sings after it, and then takes a deep breath and pushes it out in a sigh. "Poor thing looked hurt, its song sounded sad." she says, leaning back against the railing. "I wonder if those others were its young." Carver stares into the murky depth for a long moment, clearly lost in thought. She cuts a proper tragic ranger figure, a dark hooded silhouette in the rain, holding her bow in one hand with head bowed. Until...

She's dashing across the deck to grab the Zerthos by his fancy collar. "WHAT'S BIGGER THAN A BIG SQUID?!"

Zero was in the middle of pulling a dead octopus off his neck, finally, when Carver came over to grip him by the collar. "Hrrr--easy, darling, easy, I've already been manhandled too much today," Zero says with a slight (and pained) chuckle. "Your guess is as good as mine--perhaps a... whale?"

Carver's dark eyes are like wide, deep pools of panic. The hushed whisper of dread comes from her lips between strikes of lighting. "Kraken."

-End