Chult Hex Crawl - IC

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn merely looks on with worry as Red comforts the injured elf, but only leaves the hellym's side once the artificer begins to gather the other adventurers. She gently squeezes the woman's shoulder before she gets up and tells her, unhelpfully, that if the former prisoner needs anything, she can translate for her. On the way over to Ondros and Red, she stops to ask a favor of Krieger. "She'll probably need more food than she's eaten. Whoever's on duty should help her with that when she's ready," she informs the kobold, "I don't think she eats meat."

Quickly trying to get her mind into a more analytical mood, Nolwenn listens as Red continues to explain his plan. "Armor? When you're swimming?!" she comments comments, looking skeptical. The wizard herself certainly wouldn't consider it, but she concedes that Ondros, at least, looks like he could practically carry a whole oxcart so who is she to judge. "As the only one who's been in the water, I suspect that a mere cantrip won't be a foolproof solution--don't underestimate the ocean's depths--but it couldn't hurt." She nods, though, agreeing that Red's plan is sound but for one thing: it would require an exceptionally sturdy harpoon, as the tiefling said, to pin even one of the barbsnare's enormous tentacles.

"Let's see it," she tells the kobold.

[Pyrophilios]

"Armor is only a problem in the water, if you can't control your buoyancy. Magic and some strategically placed air bladders should alleviate the weight. The cloak will take care of it for Ondros entirely.
I'll take a look at the harpoon and see if I can reinforce it."

The Red Horns got up and indicated to Krieger to show him the implement.

[agignac]

There's a brief, quiet argument ensues between a few members of the crew. Finally Archer shrugs, then brings up a crate from below. Inside are three harpoons, each with a coil of rope attached. "These are part of a delivery for another client. If you destroy them, we'll need to charge you so we can give them their money back. And hope that's enough to satisfy them."

The harpoons are about four feet long, with a strong wooden shaft and a thick, barbed hook at the end. Each one weighs ten pounds.

[The Hellbug]

Frankly, Nolwenn is disappointed by the size of the harpoons after Krieger's description, but she tries not to let it show. She probably shouldn't have expected the boat to conveniently have a monster-slaying-sized harpoon on the ship, and, to the kobold, it is quite large. In actuality, it's extremely doubtful if the wizard herself could throw one of them any great distance. And as she inspects them, the finds that they are well made and imagines that if multiple of them could be pierced through the creature's tentacle, it would have a hard time retracting it. Of course, still best to give Red every opportunity to work his magic with them.

"These look like they should be sufficient," she answers, "and, regardless of if we lose some of them, let your captain know that we need to talk about additional payment when this is done. I imagine there's one or two other favors we may need before this voyage is over."

Nolwenn produces the immovable rod from her bag and holds it out to Red. "Do you think this could be attached to one of these in some way? It may be to our benefit."

[agignac]

The night passes quietly. There is no moon, and the stars fill the sky from horizon to the mountains. Early in the morning, a shower of stars falls overhead, perhaps to splash down beyond the horizon.

Clouds roll in just before dawn, and a light rain begins to fall. The wind picks up, making the journey back to the tower a bit rougher than you're used to. The hellym retreats below and refuses to come up while the rain is falling. The halfling twins convince the captain stops to allow her to stay down there, and they join her, finding her huddled among the containers.

Declaring her too dirty for their ship, Barb and Starr make it their task to clean her up. They bring in fresh water, cloths and towels, brushes and combs. They tend to her, chattering to her in a friendly, completely unintelligible patter. When they're done with her, she looks surprisingly better. She's clean, her hair washed and brushed. She even looks less emaciated. She's still thin, but her bones don't jut out in such a painful way. "We really need a name to call her," they say to Nolwenn. "What should we use?"

The Brazen Pegasus finally returns to the tower, which appears as you left it. The water is choppy and slate grey, reflecting the clouds above. Draelin shudders, and huddles in a blanket under the shelter you've rigged on deck. Eku has been tending to him, and says that when he nearly died, his soul had a close encounter with the Soulmonger.

Azaka stands on the deck, her expression fierce. "Where do you want me? In the water with you? Or in the tower?" She shows no fear at all.

[The Hellbug]

"Hmmm," Nolwenn considers the halflings' request, "she has a name, but it's practically unpronounceable, at least to me. Sounds a bit like a flute." It's not as easy as she'd think. On the one hand, the hellym already has a name, and the wizard doesn't want to give her a new one without her assent, but on the other, she clearly has no experience with the common language and 'the hellym' isn't going to cut it. And so, Nolwenn decides to pick something with a fair bit of artificiality to it, something descriptive that could be a personal name but could just as easily be discarded. Of all her qualities, the hellym's beautiful voice and almost-birdsong-like language seem the most appropriate choice of inspiration.

"How about 'Meadowlark' or just 'Lark'?" Nolwenn answers after a minute or two of thought. She turns to the hellym to try to ask if that will work for her. Repeating her routine from earlier, she points to herself and names herself, then points to the hellym and uses a spell to make the sound that appears to be her name. The wizard then gets as close as she can to saying the other woman's name normally before pointing to her own throat and shaking her head. She repeats this and saying the hellym's name by spell for emphasis. Finally, she points to the former prisoner and offers her the new moniker. "Lark," she says, pointing back and forth once more, "Nol-wenn, Lark. Will that work?"

___________

"That depends on if this works," Nolwenn replies to the fierce guide later, just before the team is getting ready to dive, "just give me one moment." The wizard adjusts her magical headwear and attempts a modified spell.

Spoiler: OOC

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Going with Alter Help. Let's see if this works. Spells reset for the day.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns looked at the rod: "Hm, indeed, fixing it to the harpoon will be a challenge, but with enough wire, this would make a very nice combination to pin the tentacle in place. I'll get to it - just after activating the manta ray cloak and the lantern."


Taking the harpoon with him as well as the rod, The Red Horns retreated to his workplace. Having to sacrifice his bag of holding, he had to store his belongings in a bunch of barrels.
After a bit of work, he returned with the harpoon, that now was tightly bonded with the rod through coils upon coils of tightly wound wire.

Spoiler

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Smithing tool use (Expertise)DEX w/ advantage through help action from construct + Guidance + Knowledge from another life

(1d20+9)[11]/(1d20+9)[17]+(1d4)[4]+(1d6)[5]

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: Swim Speed 60ft, Water Breathing Ondros puts on the magic cloak that Red put together for him, and takes the harpoon. He asks the shipmates to lower him down with the crane used for cargo, so as not to make a large splash entering the water and alerting anything else nearby. The group waits until the construct is in the water leading the jellyfish in before they begin their attack.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns commanded the construct to move and draw attention from the jellyfish and if possible kill some of them, while he flew overhead, ready to throw his yklwa.

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn admires her handiwork in modifying her spell to affect Azaka, a process that is sudden, clinical, and perhaps a bit too familiar. Satisfied, the wizard steps back. "Perfect. Be careful when you leap in, though," she warns the guide, "it will feel like you're drowning--you still have lungs, after all--but you'll be perfectly suited to surviving underwater as long as the spell lasts--up to an hour, by the way. Just breathe the water in, even if that feels like the last thing you should do. For most it becomes tolerable in a few seconds. Hopefully you won't need to get too used to it."

The wizard stands at the rail as the construct is ordered overboard, ready to unleash her magic on any corrupted minion that comes to investigate.

Spoiler: OOC

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See invisible and Arcane Armor already cast as well as the Alter Help.

Perception to try to see down into the water (probably worse than others' but can see invisible stuff): (1d20+1)[6]

[agignac]

The construct begins bobbing in the water not far from the ship, being tethered to it by Cyril. The dragonborn has looped the rope around a cleat, then held onto it so she could play it out and give the construct more room to maneuver.

It took several minutes in the choppy seas to see the jellyfish. First one came bobbing along, definitely moving with a will towards the construct. When it was about 7 feet away, many tentacles darted out with un-jellyfish-like speed, attacking the construct.

At the same time, Barb cried out, "There's the second one! I see it, off the stern, hanging back!" The other jellyfish is about twenty-five feet back, bobbing a few feet below the surface, keeping its distance.

No need to roll for initiative, everybody can go before the jellys get another turn. Barb, Starr and Krieger will happily throw magic stones, so TRH can roll for them.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns gave the signal, and had his group attack the second jellyfish that tried to hang back.

Spoiler

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(1d20+9)[25] damage (1d8+6)[10], if crit (1d8)[4]
(1d20+9)[20] damage (1d8+6)[12], if crit (1d8)[4]

Magic stone

(1d20+7)[26] damage (1d6+5)[8], if crit (1d6)[6]
(1d20+7)[23] damage (1d6+5)[6], if crit (1d6)[5]
(1d20+7)[23] damage (1d6+5)[7], if crit (1d6)[3]

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn is beginning to doubt that the jellyfish are with the barbsnare--they hadn't bothered her when she initially dove in the water, after all. Maybe they were just a coincidence, a jellyfish-like creature that no one on the boat could identify. But the one attacking Red's new construct immediately puts any doubts to rest. Seeing how effective Red's directed fusillade of stones is at tearing up one of the jellies (alongside his own spear) but not wanting to accidentally harm his grappled construct, Nolwenn's only choice is to conjure her basic magical projectiles which she directs to slam into the remaining foe.

Spoiler: OOC

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Nolwenn casts Magic Missile.

(3d4+3)[13]

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: Swim Speed 60ft, Water Breathing Ondros has two javelins in hand, and throws both at the jellyfish attacking the construct. Spoiler: Turn 1 Show Action - Attack Jellyfish grappling Construct Attack - (1d20+8)[18] Piercing - (1d6+5)[11] Extra Attack - (1d20+8)[19] Piercing - (1d6+5)[8] Object Interaction - Draw another javelin