3) The Return to the Not Exactly Haunted House

[OGRE MAGE]

The group decides that it might be best to try an approach from the water, hoping that they will have a better chance of surprising the enemy. Ben uses his status as a sailor to not only secure the group a boat, but he also agrees to act as the navigator while someone else does the rowing. Doubtful pitches in on the cost and says they can figure out the compensation at a later time. He brings along his homemade personal floatation devices and passes them out to whoever wants one.

It is around noon when everyone in the group finally finds their way to the private slip and boards the small craft, the BFF3 as it is humbly named. It looks to be a stout little dingy that will hold up to 10 passengers. There are 4 oars that can each be manned individually, leaving the fore and aft sections available for passengers and storage.

Ben thinks that it will take about 4 hours at a leisurely pace to row to the place in the cliffs where the house sits. That estimation is dependent on the wind and currents, of course. The party stows their gear and gets ready for a lovely afternoon on the beautiful but dangerous waters of the Azure Sea.

Alright gang, let’s do this…….
I will need to know a few things before you depart.
1) Who is all wearing the life jackets?
2) Who wants to do the rowing? (this can be done in shifts as well if you want to share the burden)
3) How exactly would you like to approach the house this time? (straight ahead and full blast to the caves? Stay a long ways off shore and just do a row by to see what you can see? Keep tight to the cliffs to avoid possible detection? Etc. etc…
Once I get a course laid out for me, I can resume the action.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Before stepping foot onto the boat, Keilif kneels before the vessel and makes a prayer to Shileil, humbly asking the goddess of the sea to permit safe passage.

He then takes seat at one of the oars and asserts, "Well done, Master Ben! I promise to repay my share as soon as I have acquired more coin. You have my word." The priest looks quiet embarrassed that he has no money to contribute, but he assures the young sailor that he is a man of his word. He shakes Ben's hand firmly. "Until I can contribute financially, I will be happy to contribute by the sweat of my brow."

He then turns to Doubtful, "Might I make use one of your life preservers, good sir? I am a splendid swimmer, but one can never be too careful when out at sea."

[coil23]

Doubtful

After a silent prayer to Pelor Doubtful boards and makes his way to a seat with an oar. He keeps one of the buoys right beside him. It has a rope loop on each side so that two people can use it to stay afloat. He has one arm looped through one of the ropes to be prepared. He wouldn't say this to the others but he is nervous about being out on the open water. It's not natural, he says to himself, then chuckles for no apparent reason.

I'll help row. I wonder about staying close to shore as we approach to better stay hidden. What say you, crew?

[hedgeknight]

Burleson > sharp dressed baker

Burly provides the remaining 25 gold for the boat and then climbs aboard. "I'll take a turn at the oars if someone can spare me about halfway. And I'm with Doubtful > hugging the shoreline seems safer to me."
Burly also takes a life jacket...assuming no one else wants it.

[ravenn4544]

Ben suggests a slow sail by and if we can make it look like we are fishing it would be believable - a group of men from the ship that is in port a while looking for free food or more likely by order of the captain!

Do we have any equipment to make it look like that?

[wolfpack]

Jervis hands over 15 gold.

I am the strongest amoung us, I will row.

jervis will also wear a life jacket.

[coil23]

Doubtful

I have a fishing rod at home but didn't think to bring it with me. I have twine and a staff that might fool a blind man from a distance.

[wolfpack]

Do we even need to pretend? I would think the area we are going is not well traveled by anyone but the smugglers or elese they would not use that place.

[Urson]

Alec nods, shrugging into a life vest. True enough. The only ones who are likely to see us are smugglers- and if they are smart, they wion't allow _anyone_ close to their base, fishermen or otherwise.

If there are enough oars, Alec will row. Otherwise, he'll be the first to relieve someone when they need a break.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

"Yes, I agree. Reavers are probably the only ones who prowl these waters; however, the ruse as fisherman may prevent them from perceiving us as a threat." Keilif checks the straps on his life vest to ensure they are taut then leans into his oar.

[OGRE MAGE]

Seasickness and Sore Forearms


Our crew of now full fledged adventurers sets out on its maiden voyage. The boat is loaded and the floaties are distributed. The oars are manned and soon the vessel is well on its way back to the house on the cliffs. The seas are calm on this sunny afternoon, so nobody has to puke too much.

The decision to hug the coast seems sound, even though it completely contradicts the thoughts of your most knowledgeable sailor, Ben. The idea that you would not be rowing into heavily traveled waters is proven true only a short while out of port. You begin seeing less and less and eventually no other boats around anywhere near yours.

Makeshift fishing poles are constructed by the non-rowers along the way. Even though the weather is nice and the waters calm, it still seems to take forever to row through the swirling currents of the near coastline waters. After a grueling 5 hour row, you finally round a large outcropping of cliffs and spot the house you seek high up on the cliffs and only a little ways ahead.

You instantly go into stealth mode, trying not to make noise with the oars and staying even closer to the rocky coastline than before. It seems to be paying off so far as you hear and see no hints that you have set off any alerts yet. You slowly make your way around the many ins and outs of the cliffs walls, trying not to make a sound. Just as you think you are almost right under the house, you see a disturbing sight.

Hanging from an outcropping off of the cliff face, right at the tide line, is a rusty iron cage. You can tell that the cage was hung deliberately at this height in order to make it completely submerged at high tide. You assume that this is a grisly seaman's torture device of some kind. The cage is just above the waterline at the moment but in a few more hours will undoubtedly be completely under the waves.

Amazingly enough, the cage is currently occupied by a large gnome. In fact, the largest gnome you can ever remember seeing. Not that any in the group has ever seen a lot of gnomes, other than Alec, but you get the point. When the gnome first sees your group coming, his look changes from complete horror and agony, to absolute relief and delight instantly. After a second more thought, it changes again, this time to major concern.

He begins waving his hands rapidly in front of him with his palms facing you. It seems as though he is telling you to stop. He also presses his finger tightly to his lips, the universal sign for silence. He then points towards the opposite side of the outcropping that you are nearing and shakes his head back and forth. You get the impression that he is possibly trying to give you a warning about something or someone that you cannot currently see. He gives you the come closer signal with his index finger while the other points to the large padlock on the outside of the drowning cage.

Actions!

[hedgeknight]

Burly gapes in disbelief at the caged gnome and then feels sick in his gut when he figures out the meaning of the gnome's gestures. "Friends, we may be sailing right into a trap. Any being who would cage another like that, cannot be of the savory sort!"

[wolfpack]

agreed the smell of evil is in the air.

jervis will chnage his stroke to direct the boat towards the cage.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Keilif looks to the others and nervously licks his lips. He remembers the last time they encountered someone unfamiliar in this wicked place. It ended with the death of one of their companions... He quietly adds, "Let us hear what the man has to say, but, for now, our trust should only extend so far. Let us remember the fate of poor, brave Ermulf..." The young priest pauses in the midst of his rowing to make the holy sign of Lunia over his chest.

[coil23]

Doubtful

Doubtful gestures to stop rowing and he whispers to the others,

Should we try to land before that outcropping so we can sneak around to whatever he was warning us about? Just continuing like this, I'm not sure how accurate we could be with missile weapons in a rocking boat.

[OGRE MAGE]

The party looks around for a safe spot to land the boat but finds that no such place exists on this side of the outcropping. The waves from the sea crash right into the 70' sheer cliff face. You can't tell if there is an opening on the other side of the outcropping unless you row around it and look. That seems to be exactly what the imprisoned gnome is desperately trying to stop you from doing.

Once the rowing stops, the currents begin to push the boat right towards the cliff wall that the cage hangs on. Since the seas are rather calm at the moment, you presume that it might be possible to float right up to the cage, using the oars to keep the boat propped far enough away to prevent the dingy from smashing into the rock cliffs.

The gnome continues to urge you towards his tiny prison. He continues to press his finger to his lips and point at the heavy padlock.

He lets out the faintest Shhhhhhhhhh! sound as you draw nearer.

[wolfpack]

I can't imagine he is a fake, who would ake the chnace we would be here before high tide and he would drown.

[coil23]

Doubtful

I think we should row further out and then see what is on the other side of that outcropping. At least we'll be more out of range if it is as bad as the gnome seems to be saying.

While the rowing is stopped in the moment, Doubtful puts his sling and stones within easy reach before taking the oar back up. He also grabs his flotation device to more fully secure it to himself.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

"Agreed, let us row further out for a better view." Keilif gestures to the captive gnome to keep quiet, and he quietly mouths, "We'll be back."

Keilif stares at the caged man and suddenly feels a deep sympathy for the gnome. He then asserts, "Master Jervis is right. This man is not out here to lure would-be rescuers. He should be freed...now."

[OGRE MAGE]

After hearing your new ideas discussed out loud and right in front of him, the gnome now looks at you in complete horror and confusion.

I am easily confused.

If there is a lookout on the other side of the outcropping, How do you plan on staying undetected if you start rowing out to sea right in front of him?