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The Hunt Has Begun
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Midday, Hot, Humid, Sunny

Quark answers the frail she elf who seems worried about her belongings. "Anything ye leave on board will be waiting for ye at the dock in Beachtown. I will keep them guarded until ye return me my boat."

Without much more thought, the eager newcomers do as they are told and begin their decent over the rail. Feanol has serious problems with the cargo net, unable to lower her weakened self alone. Luckily, Keyon is right there to aid her in every way. The Knife carries on another conversation with himself, or with his knife, nobody is really quite sure at this point.

Once the adventurers have all climbed into the dingy, they shove off and begin rowing towards the area at the end of the beach. The Twisted Fate turns back towards town and speeds away so they can get their huge catch ashore without further incident.

Keyon sings an amusing ditty as he and Brandy row the old boat towards the sandy shore. Anyone not manning the oars must keep themselves busy with the bail bucket as water leaks inside of the craft at a steady stream. As they approach the shoreline around mid day, the stiflingly hot sun beats down on them without mercy. Right at the point where the sandy beach ends and the trees grow up to the edge of the water, several dark shapes can be seen slowly easing their way around the bottom of the shallows several hundred yards away.

Actions?

I just need a quick idea as to how you plan to approach. Stay in the boat? Beach the boat? Other? Etc.

map:Keyon elven thief (Paladin)
Brandy half-elven cleric/ranger (Darklin)
Feanol elven magic user (Ahlmzhad)
Elnaerel elven cleric (Baldorar)
Jinx halfling fighter/thief (Storm)
The Knife gnomish thief (Jernau)

The Knife

"Mmm....good idea, I was thinking the same thing", says The Knife quietly. Then, louder, he continues. "Hey everyone! Stopping the boat here would be best I think. Six of us in a leaky bucket are too vulnerable. And if we watch those things from the beach for a while, we might spot a weak point".

Jinx is all for getting onto the beach and some dry safe land.

If it comes to an attack, perhaps we can use the flat of our blades to subdue the creature instead of harm it? What do you think? If the sleep spell works we could just tie one up and plonk it in the leaky cauldron we call a boat and hoof it back to Quark.

Elnaerel looks to the beach, also looking for a fine spot to land. "Yes, I think the sooner we land, the better. I really feel like stepping on solid land!" She points to whatever point on the beach the DM deems suitable by a landlubber standards. "I think that's a fine one."

Keyon

"So I signed onto a whaling ship and my very first day at sea
I seen a mermaid in the waves reaching out to me
Come live with me in the sea said she and down on the ocean's floor
I'll show you a million wonderous things you never seen before
Oh you never seen before

So over I jumped and she pulled me down down to her seaweed bed
And the pillow made of tortoise shell she placed beneath my head
She fed me shrimps and caviar upon the silver dish
From her head to her waist she was my taste but the bottom part was a fish
Oh her bottom part was a fish."

Keyon pulls a roguish grin and looks landward. "I'm content to row in whatever direction you please," he says. "Wouldn't hurt to have a look at these creatures, wherever we go."

Brandy

I think we are on the right track. If we can get one netted and into the dingy we should be home free. I will stand by with a javelin, just in case one tries to attack us. But I won't let them all get away. A dead one is better than none at all.

You should probably stop singing now. You are going to scare off the things. Everyone be quiet and row up to the beach quietly.

Feanol

"Yes if we can get close enough with one near the surface I'll try the sleep spell. I don't know if it will affect them or not, but it won't harm trying it."

Keyon

The elf gives Brandy a deep, irreverent bow. "I defer to the wisdom of my comrades." He winks at her. "I am but an ignorant lad who cut his teeth on sailing ships and ran barefoot on the docks catching rays to sell the stingers for pocket money."

Despite his cheek, he flashes the woman a good-natured grin and continues in a low voice. "Dotty old elf down the merchant quarter bought them from us to grind into medicine in his apothecary shop. Said it made his own sticker poke out." He scratches his head and stifles laughter. "Never realized what he meant till we got older."

He falls silent and thinks of old friends and old times. Finally, he shakes his head as they beach the boat and gathers himself for the next leg of their mission.

Brandy

Well if you have experience doing this speak up. I for one have not tried to capture any of these creatures. What is the best way to take one alive??

Keyon

The elf grins and suppresses a chuckle. "Only teasing you, pretty one. No insult intended." He motions toward the rays. "Always caught them on a hook and line, like any other fish. Or in a cast-net. Often screaming and laughing like wee savages the while. They hung around the docks, weaving between the pilings." He shrugs. "No real secrets to it. Provided these aren't magical in nature, at any rate."

"You look a capable hand with a net," he says. "If our lovely wizard here can put a few to sleep, perhaps you might cast it and dredge up several. The meat tastes like shark. It's good...might help the hungry folk here."

The Knife

"Those trees over there", says The Knife. "If one of us was up there, we could look down into the water. Get a better view of them swimming around. Maybe act as a signaler or something."

After a moment The Knife nudges Jinx. "That was my idea you know," he says softly. "Not you-know-who". He looks furtively downwards.

Jinx looks unsure for a moment, looks at the knife in its belt, then at the gnome. She puts on a wide grin and double thumbs up him and pats his back.

So .... she says carefully. What’s the plan?

The Hunt Has Begun
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Midday, Hot, Humid, Sunny

After beaching the dingy a short distance away from the trees, the party exits the boat and heads up the soft, sandy beach towards their prize.

Finally on land again, the bugs seem much worse here. They flit around your heads buzzing in your ears and being generally annoying, as is their way. Looking towards the jungle, many, many more insects can be seen and heard, these fortunately staying in the comfort of the shaded bush until the scorching sun goes away. The noise from the jungle is loud, but not overly so. If it weren't for the insects, and the stifling heat, the whole place would seem like a tropical paradise to most of you.

A trail of some kind appears to head off into the jungle, not far from the end of the sandy beach, but there is no indication that it has been used in a while. The rays have been spotted swimming around in the shallows near the trees, but a few of them appear to be further away from the min group, possibly scouting out the surrounding bottom for food. Two of these rays come within about 100 feet of the party on shore, safely keeping their distance for now. The Knife suggests using the trees to get a better view of these majestic looking creatures while the others discuss a few possible options as well.

Actions?

map:Keyon elven thief (Paladin)
Brandy half-elven cleric/ranger (Darklin)
Feanol elven magic user (Ahlmzhad)
Elnaerel elven cleric (Baldorar)
Jinx halfling fighter/thief (Storm)
The Knife gnomish thief (Jernau)

The Knife

"Trees...trees...trees", mumbles the arboreally-obsessed gnome. Then he shouts, "Ah-ha! Got it!"

He turns to the rest of the party. "See there, where they are swimming in the shallows under the trees? We take that fishing net, attach a couple of ropes to it, bury it just below the sand right there."

"Then we catch a few lizards, frogs, big bugs, whatever and use them as bait in the net. One of those rays swims in, the watcher in the tree yells out and everybody else yanks the net out of the water. Then we scoot back to the boat". The Knife holds out his hands. "What do you think?"

Suddenly he shouts again. "NO! NO! No, we don't slice it into tiny little pieces." The Knife rolls his eyes and sighs. "Honestly...some people."

Elnaerel smiles at The Knife's suggestions and then is taken aback by his last reaction. "I think I'll end up getting used to that... some day." She mutters to herself.

"You know, Knife? You had an excellent idea." She says seriously. "Let's do that."

She contemplates the trees and, for a moment, she doesn't seem to be thinking on the hunt, but just captivated by the nature and beauty of this jungle.

Feanol

Feanol fights the blush from Keyon's indiscriminate remark, then tries to get the discussion back on business. "If we could get me above them in a tree, and if the water is clear enough that might be the best way to put some to sleep. Or herding some into a shallow pool. I don't think just casting at an area in the water would be of much use."

Keyon

The rogue masks a grin at their mage's blush and glances down at the Knife. "Good ideas, on both counts." He examines the shoreline. "I'm game to aid in any plan you choose." He strides cautiously toward the trail for a look around, scanning the treeline and the ground in front of him, looking up into the high boughs and down the beach.

"What a lonely place," he says quietly. A far cry from the bustle of the city and the confines of a ship. It is at once soothing and jarring to the city-bred thief.