CH 4: Heart of Darkness

[JadedDM]

Andar appears thoughtful. "I suppose I could petition to get my job back as a sailor, but...I think I need time to myself for awhile. Perhaps I'll travel somewhere, perhaps Hashadeth, and settle down for a few months, until my mind and soul can heal from the wounds inflicted here."

[HorizonsDream]

"That is an odd place to settled down to try to heal," Jocelyn says. "I mean, I would pick Sanctuary myself if I needed to heal from an ordeal like yours. Why Hashadeth?"

[JadedDM]

"I have family there," Andar explains. "My cousin and his wife. I have not seen them in many years, but they are the only family I still have left."

[HorizonsDream]

"Oh, then I guess that makes sense. Family should be able to help you through it," Jocelyn says with a nod. "What about after you heal?" she asks. "Did you enjoy being a sailor?"

[JadedDM]

"That I did. But it feels so long ago, like a lifetime. I can scarcely remember it anymore," Andar says, suddenly rather sullen. "A year ago, my dream was to captain my own ship. But now? I'm just glad to be alive and free. Nothing else seems to matter."

[HorizonsDream]

"Hmm, being on the sea makes you feel alive and free," Jocelyn says in understanding. "How did these people manage to capture you?" she asks. "You look...well, you look like the type of person who wouldn't go without a fight."

[JadedDM]

"They outnumbered me by quite a bit," Andar says. "They avoided lethal blows, but that doesn't mean they didn't do their best to beat me down. In the end, it was their high shaman. She is incredibly powerful--capable of even controlling the weather to some extent. She controlled the plants, making them hold me down until the tribals beat me unconscious. When I awoke, I was in my prison, tied up and weak."

[Breila]

Ouragana walks in silence, not looking right or left, going through the necessary motions unspirited.

[JadedDM]

The party moves on. It takes another hour and a half to pass through the lighter jungle and reach the shoreline again. The small rowing boat they hid is still present and untouched. It will be a little more crowded in there with Andar, especially considering how big he is, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

There's still plenty of sunlight, as it is summer, and the Lucky Mermaid is clearly visible in the distance, still anchored at sea.

"Let's get going," Dalaim says impatiently.

"Hold on," Oren says. "What about her?" he asks, jerking a thumb toward the zombie.

"Oh, yes. Forgot about her," Dalaim mutters. He retrieves his backpack from her, then mutters an incantation. The zombie freezes, then drops like a rag doll to the ground, no longer animated.

==============

It is now 4:50 PM.

[Jenara]

Arei says nothing, she rows if needed but doesn't really interact with anyone.

[HorizonsDream]

Jocelyn gets in the row boat, looking at all of the silent members with a shake of her head. Though, she turns back to Andar. "Well, now that we are almost to safety, I want to wish you well on your healing, and I hope that Octhanus watches over you."

[JadedDM]

"Thank you," Andar says. "All of you, and the gods as well, for freeing me," he adds humbly. "Now it is merely a matter of picking up the pieces and trying to put my life back together again."

[Jenara]

"The sea is good for forgetting things." Arei says with a lamentful tone, "This I know."

[Breila]

Ouragana keeps to herself, on their way back she will only talk when necessary, e.g., if she has to help with navigation.

She will cast "grease" when there is an opportunity (for example, to lubricate the anchor chain), and learn "feather fall", her default spell while at sea.

[JadedDM]

The party rows back to the ship, and the crew quickly drop a rope ladder down to allow everyone back on board before hoisting the rowboat back up to the ship.

The captain, Boffi Scragsplitter, is waiting for them on deck when they arrive. "Andar!" he says, clearly caught off-guard. "By the gods, you're still alive. And the others?"

Andar shakes his head. "I'm sorry, captain. All dead."

"I see. Well, at least this trip wasn't a total waste of time, if you were retrieved," the captain says. He looks to Dalaim. "Are you done? Are we leaving?"

"Not exactly," the cleric says. "But yes, we are leaving."

"Hot damn!" the captain exclaims. "Hoist anchor, raise the sails! Let's put some distance between us and this cursed island while we still have daylight. Hop to it!" he orders his crew.

Noah comes up from below, hearing all of the commotion. "Oh, hey, you're all okay. And with an extra person, too. Good job!" he declares, holding up both thumbs.

The captain turns toward Andar. "You're half-nekkid son. Some of your stuff is still below, I think."

"My thanks, captain," Andar says. He heads downstairs.

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(OOC: The rest of this thread is dedicated to downtime. Feel free to interact with each other or any NPC you like. Andar is down below, and Boffi is on deck, near the center. Oren will be at the bow of the ship, with Grey on the stern-castle. Dalaim will be on the starboard side, Noah on the port side.

Make sure to speak to Dalaim to get paid! Inquire about the ship's storm sorcerer to deal with magical item transactions, including identification and spell purchases.

Also, remember, this is a merchant ship. So you can do some buying and selling to prepare for the next adventure, if you like. The next quest will start pretty much as soon as you arrive in Narin, so there might not be time for shopping later, just so you know.

When you're done, have your character retire for the night. The thread ends when everyone retires or we hit around 30 pages, whichever comes first.)