Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Hon Yin leans against the edge of the boat, watching the people Daomei mill about there business before him. His familiar stands vigil at his side, chirping wildly when Chen Wu approaches. He turns and gives the alchemist a smile, using the opportunity to quickly scan the deck and spot who among the crew would be close enough to overhear them. "Hmm. They crew lie about their cargo. I can not say for certain though I suspect they are moving weapons across the region - most likely for whoever can pay them the most. We should not expect trouble so long as our goals and our recent windfall remain undiscovered. Still keep your guard up just to be on the safe side. I would recommend we leave this ship before we reach our destination. One of the smaller villages before we reach Soenglau should suffice."
_________________
Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
The monk watches the sisters as they retreat towards the dragon's head. They approach a priest in the back, in long green robes and a little black hat. The bottom of his robes drip with water and he holds a bundle of incense sticks in hand. Zheng Sao starts to speak quietly to the man, but their conversation can't be heard over the distance, the splash of the waterfall, and the murmuring of prayers.
The sapphire eyes of the dragon's head seem to glint with intelligence.
Hon Yin
The only crew member left near the boat is Thu, on top of the cabin as usual.
Swift Snake smiles to himself. The sensation of being watched makes his ears itch. "Lesson of Water...learn to adapt" he thinks to himself. He moves toward the center of the room and he lets himself be embraced by the water. Soon only his tengai can be seen emerging from the water.
Action
He uses the mask of the wild feature of the wood elves and the shadows of the temple as well as the body of water to silently move against the flow towards the sisters. He plans to move near the dragon head and follow their conversation using the cascade to better hide. In the mean time he has fastened his tengai to the weight of some of his gear to make the sisters think he is still there. I don't know if you need these rolls or not but here goes Athletics:
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20+3 and got a total of 4:
to swim Stealth:
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20+5 and got a total of 19:
to hide and approach the others Perception:
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20+5 and got a total of 24:
to better follow the discussion and notice as much as possible of the priest and the meeting
Some of the petitioners look at Swift Snake strangely as he submerges into the water, but Zheng Sao and Mad Mei do not notice him. As he draws near, he can hear their voices below the gentle roar of the cascading water.
"—has changed. We still do not have that level of power. And that's assuming clerical magic will work at all," says the priest.
"What do you mean?" demanded Zheng Sao.
"Sickness of the mind is not like sickness of the body. A powerful restorative spell may bring relief to your sister, but it may not, just as she may one day wake up better or not. It is now in the hands of the shen."
Zheng Sao looks furious for a moment and then bites her lip. "Is there nothing to be done?"
The priest raises his hands. "I still recommend that your sister join the nuns at one of the mountain temples, perhaps at [b]Ceonling. A quiet life, one of prayer and clean air may do her much good. This business of yours is too much excitement."[/b]
Zheng Sao shakes her head. "No, I need her to be where I can keep an eye on her."
Mad Mei, during this conversation, is sitting on the steps with her feet in the water. Her shoes sit next to her.
The two adventurers, on the deck of the Snow Owl, watch the scene about them. Though it is noon, the sun is weak, barely warming up any exposed skin before another autumn breeze snatches away any effect. The boat gently rocks aboard the churning waters. Though Gold River has been somewhat fast as it winds through the hills, it had been relatively smooth. The stones in the water though break up the current and form eddies, perhaps on purpose. The transparent green of the water flashes with the golden riverbed and the scaly oranges, blacks, and blues of fish and other fauna.
The boat suddenly rocks and tilts and Thu can be heard calling out in surprise. Other boats further down the boardwalk also rock, as though a sudden current has passed under the anchored boats. There are some splashes and profane yells. Thu's head pops over the edge of the canopy in consternation but sees Chen Wu and Hon Yin are surprised and apparently innocent.
Swift Snake listens carefully the discussion. He can't help but wonder what the rest of the visit has in hold for him. The captain had said that she would be absent for three whole hours, too many for a simple temple visit. Besides Mei tagging along seemed almost like an afterthought after he had forced his presence. So far things had taken an unexpected turn and he was curious to learn more. Zheng Sao is proving to be a loving sister, not different from his own...no that was another man, another time, another world. He shakes his head and concentrates again on the scene before him. At the earliest hint of the discussion ending he will return stealthily toward his gear and put on his tengai hat.
Action
By the way I was also curious about the dragon so I wanted to know if by any means I know something about it. Rolls: a) History
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20-1 and got a total of 1:
for lore on this particular temple and the dragon head (I shouldn't be that versed in the history of this region, perhaps this should be a roll with disadvantage b) Religion
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20-1 and got a total of 0:
for lore on the religious significance of dragons and this one in particular c) Stealth
drvonwolfen rolled 1d20+5 and got a total of 20:
eventually to remain hidden while returning towards my stuff
Joined: Sep 11, 2014 Posts: 979 Location: Right behind you!
Spoiler
"A simple misunderstanding," Sai says. "I apologize again if I unnerved you. As for your offer, you are correct. A drink isn't really the sort of distraction I was looking for. Good I found out now, eh?
"Enjoy your drink. I'll see what other trouble I can get into in half an hour."
Sai continues smiling, but leaves as soon as he can without upsetting the tiefling.
He then briefly tours any street vendors on his way back to the boat, muttering to himself how it's been too long since he's used his better skills and that he should not let himself get so rusty.
Swift Snake, soaked, returns to the front of the temple without notice from the sisters. Zheng Sao and Mad Mei appear shortly after he has corrected himself and Zheng Sao cocks her head. "Did you go for a swim?" asks the captain.
"Anyway," she continues, "Mei and I will be taking our midday in town. I hope your time in the temple was more productive than ours." The sisters turn to leave, heading further into town.
Swift Snake knows nothing of this particular temple, nor does he recognize this dragon. He does know that dragons are creatures of water. The opulence of the dragon's head suggests it is a greedy creature though, perhaps a local god of river trade and wealth. Proper propitiation would be money or gold, like that which the river is named after, and its blessing would protect traders and others who make their fortune from the river. The water falling from the idol's head must be a metaphor for a windfall of riches.
Sai Yun
Charopos only smiles as the paladin backs off. As he wanders back towards the boat, he passes mixed crowds of well-dressed merchants, peasants both happy and dour, and gruff thugs. The street vendors call out their wares of the last of the autumn fruits, religious or mystic trinkets of healing or protection, winter shawls. The layout of the town as it is, he is walking downhill as he approaches the riverbank and he witnesses the unusual sight of the line of boats and piers rocking in turn. He sees one person vaulted off a boat as it hops upward and land in the water.
Perhaps unnoticeable up close, here, Sai Yun sees a green shadow snake away as it reaches the end of the line of boats, curling and swaying downstream. The people around him mutter and gasp. The woman next to the paladin immediately turns around and heads to one of the merchants of religious goods.
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Hon Yin braces himself as the boat buckles beneath him, instinctively grabbing out for both the barrier and Chen Wu. Hearing surprised voices from all around him and noting that more boats then there own were effected the priest pulls himself to the edge of the ship and gazes down into the waters below, hoping to see something that would explain the strange event.
Actions
Perception:22
_________________
Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
Zheng Sao holds up a hand. "We would prefer to dine alone, Swift Snake. I can recommend some other fine establishments here for your own meal, or some interesting shops." Her words attempt to be gracious but her tone is hard again.
Hon Yin
When Hon Yin looks over the gunwale, he only sees the water rippling in the wake of something. When he looks up and ahead, already heading downstream and away from town is a long green shadow, almost blending into the green of the water and winding through the water like the eels of his coastal home at Hoi Lan Fa.
Sai Yun
The paladin starts to run toward the riverbank but it is half a mile away. The shadow has left the dock area even as he started to run. Some children and youth run beside him, calling out and whooping. When Sai Yun reaches the boardwalk, the shadow had long passed from sight. The people around him murmur with excitement. Some are openly praying.
"The long of Gold River, of course! Who else could it be!?" exults a woman. "Oh, I should get a blessing at the temple, and tell my husband! Where is Aiwei?" The woman smiles at Sai Yun distractedly and hurries away. Some of the crowd are scattering a few coins into the river, in the wake of the shadow.
The temple breaks out into a flurry of activity suddenly. A small rowboat with a procession of priests and priestesses is launched out of the temple into the river, voices and instruments rippling out over the waters. The excited words around Swift Snake and the sisters include "dragon" and "gold", and many are pulling out coins to throw into the temple waters or exchange for religious goods with the temple attendants.
Devotional music begins to wash over the dock area and the excitement, as a small boat of men and women in robes and hats appear to float and sway over the eddies of the river. All can hear this music, and men and women scatter flower petals and coins over the water. On the other side of the river, barefoot children and dirty adults do the same, but with more petals and other objects than coinage.
Just a few steely words aren't enough to sway Swift Snake from his intended path of action, normally he wouldn't even correct his tone but some place inside him the remnants of his older self urge him to be more polite. He is about to reply when the flurry of activity begins.
"Offerings for the Dragon of the Golden River", he thinks to himself, "but why now?"
He turns to the sisters and instead of insisting to tag along he asks "Any idea what is happening captain? This seems quite out of the ordinary"
He points towards the people rushing towards the waters or the various merchants of religious paraphernalia as well as the boat full of priests to make his point.
"They saw the dragon! gasps Mad Mei. She points out to the river. The boats at dock, the priests' boat, and the throngs of people tossing offerings into the water can all be seen, but no dragon.
Zheng Sao looks out sourly and, seeing nothing, turns back. "Well, it's gone now regardless. Come, Mei Mei, we need to eat."
"I want to see the dragon! pouts the paler sister, but she follows the taller sister uphill.
"Well, maybe now is the best time to investigate..."Chen Wu's words cut by the sudden sway of the Owl, he looks alarmed to Hon Yin as the Cleric lreaches the edge of the ship to look for clues. "What the hell was that?" His face turns from fright to confusion when he hears the music and see the populace celebrating.
checks
History: 6 Religion: 2 Perception: 15
Trying to make anything out of what's happening. I also have the Researcher feat, meaning that I at least know where or from whom I can obtain any info I don't have, if it matters.
_________________
Yes, I'm from Brazil and no, I'm not an annoying ****.
When Chen Wu looks over the gunwale, he only sees the water rippling in the wake of something. When he looks up and ahead, he sees a long green shadow already heading downstream and away from town. It is hard to see in the green water, but the form and movement of the creature reminds the sorcerer of past experiments.
Chen Wu is not familiar with religious topics, though he could probably inquire at the temple from which the music-playing priests came. Or any of the excited locals here. He does recognize that Oshi in general is known for its spirituality, perhaps because they have little else to do in the bare hills and mountains but worship the spirits.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
Login
Register
Card Search
NGAWiki
Search
