Story 10 (aka. The Jim saga)

Jim decides that he has had enough of these fools on his island.  He gathers up all the vines he can find in the forest, spending most of the night while they were asleep doing so.  He then collects some rocks in his giant sack, and heads over to the beach.  Upon arrival, he jumps in, collects some clams, and a few urchins.  He fashions a belt out of vines, and is proud of his creation.  After doing a quick hero pose, he continues on.  He ties a vine around an urchin, making a makeshift flail.  Upon creation, he repeats this for the rest of his urchins.  Arriving at another idea, he crafts up some clam flails.  Realizing that a more permanent home would probably be best, he heads inside the cave...

Inside, there is an intense buzzing.  It gets louder the closer he gets.  He lights a whip, and uses it as a torch.  He comes face to face with a giant bee-creature the size of a football.  Seeing this as a wirefly, he pulls out his ANCHOR OF RETALIATION, and gives it a preemptive strike.  Unfortunately, he just misses.  Fortunately, it didn't notice.  Swinging again with extra power, he connects with the wirefly and spikes it.  It plummets across the room and hits the wall, smashing itself into a pile of scrap.  He goes over and picks up the scrap.  The mess of scrap is made of several different types of metal.  Further examination of the cave reveals a darker entrance that leads off to much louder buzzing.  After taking a few minutes to breathe, he prepares himself for the louder buzzing.  Jumping through the entrance, he sees 3 wireflies buzzing.  Throwing 2 clamflails, he misses with both of them.  The wireflies jump off the wall and fly towards him.  His reflexes allow him to swing with his anchor, and nail one of them before it has the chance to attack.  It falls to the ground, sputtering.  The second one swings with it's stinger, but narrowly misses, and the third one doesn't even get close.  Jim swings up 2 clams again, and missing with both yet again.  Both of the flies miss as they take another jab.  2 more clams spin up, and one of them connect and send a wirefly in a downward spiral.  The third wirefly attacks on relentlessly, this time connecting with a ram.  It grapples on, and refuses to let go. In a burst of greater-than-hornet strength, Jim pulls the wirefly off and reverses the grapple.  Holding the creature down with one hand, he smashes it in with a final clam.  Looking around, he sees a fancy stone walled room.  He entered from the south through a cave-in.  There are doors North, East, and West.  The first door he tries is the North door, which is locked.  Swinging the anchor as a lever, he busts the door open. There is a gap in the floor that crosses the room, falling for about 20 feet, and 5 feet across.  On the other side is a pile of something, you can't quite tell what, and a box.  Jim swiftly jumps the gap, and notices that the mound of dirt is actually clay, and has a humanoid shape to it.  Taking no chances,  he spins up a clam, and instead of hitting the mound, rails his face.  The mound stays put.  Tending to his wounds, he rests for a few minutes.  Leaning over, he identifies the mound as a golem.  Jim takes out the script in it's head.  A quick scrawl of, "Jim is best friend and obey Jim and Jim only" makes the golem complete.  Placing the script back into it's head, the golem's eyes light up.  It looks at Jim.  Jim checks the box, and finds a flask filled with a starry blue liquid, corked and sealed with wax.  Jim identifies this as an "Adaptive Advantage" elixer.  When given an element of another power, such as magic or psionic abilities, or elements of a skill, the drinker gains a permanent genetic advantage related to that object.  Jim tells the golem to pick up the box.  It silently does.  Jim hands one end of a long vine to the golem, and rappels down the gap.  Finding nothing at the bottom, he climbs back out, and goes back into the main room.  Opening the east door now, there is a bland stone-wall room.  Upon further investigation, there is a hidden indentation in the wall.  The anchor is quickly used as a crowbar, and the false wall comes tumbling down.  There are 2 boxes inside this room, as if someone would figure no one would find them.  Opening the first box provides a stick, standing on it's end.  Inside the second box is another potion, this one identified as a bonus to Health and Strength.  Jim rapidly quaffs the potion.

Story

Balthier pokes around on the beach, but does not find any food.  He does find, however, a little inlet.  The water slowly passes into a small cave entrance on the inside, and the river is teeming with fish.  Continuing on, he continues on the beach, finding that to his belief, this is an island, and not a spit of land coming off of a larger continent.

Aldrec finds that the "mechanisms" that hold the platform together are simple physics, and that they are simple posts tied together with lashings.  The fire spews black smoke from the leaves that he adds to the fire, allowing Balthier to explore the island even farther.

Feeling confident, Balthier steps towards the cave.  The buzzing sound is louder, and seems to be coming from inside.

However, from outside the cave, he is being watched.  Jim peers down at Balthier, hidden in a bush above the cave entrance.  Beside him is a sack.  Jim knows the contents of his sack already.  He knows very well what is inside.

Story

There seems to be no flint or steel around, but there is some tinder.  A faint buzzing can be heard in the distance.  Aldrec shivers as a chill rolls through the forest.  There are a few embers left on the firespot.  A quick adding of tinder and some blowing causes a small fire to spring to life.  Balthier checks the lashings on the platform, tightening a few, and ensuring that the vine can continue to hold up the house.

Story

Aldrec pries open the clams with his knife, and begins to burn a few.
Bob steps in, and carefully roasts them over the fire.  This novel idea tastes very good, whether because everyone is hungry, or it is simply tasty, no one will know.  As the conversation wanes into the night, the party falls asleep, comforted by the feeling that someone or something is watching out for them.

Morning comes around, Balthier wakes up first, and notices that Bob is not there.  Aldrec is awoken by Balthier, and they both eat the last of the clams.  A new day stretches ahead of them.  Dew rests lightly on the tree canopy.

Story

Aldrec climbs up, finds no food.  Bob has no food.  Balthier has clams.

Balthier also has a strange rock and plant.  Bob doesn't recognize it, but he does go into a slight trance for a second there.  He shakes his head.  Aldrec thinks the rock is shaped stupid.

Story

Bob calls down for the newcomer to come up and be new.  There's space for everyone.

...Darkness falls.

Story

Aldrec decides to attempt to find people.  Fortunately for the universe, they are close by.  Up a tree are two such people with a fire somehow not burning down the forest. (yes much better)

Balthier finds out that if you burn the burnable material, it acts as a pure carbon insulator.  Part of the platform is burnt, and in the middle is a burnt out firespot. (+1 woodworking)

Story

Balthier returns to the shelter to find a small platform, about 10'x10' lashed to the tree.  Bob is hoisting a rather leafy roof onto the top of it, and there is a light coming from above.  There is the faint smell of smoke.  Lashed to the tree about every 3 feet are wooden planks.

Aldrec looks at the trees, gets interested in the glowing one, and heads off in that direction.

Story

Balthier quickly makes a makeshift glove, and picks up the rock and plant.  He can feel a connection between the two, albeit very faint.  He feels slightly queasy trying to tell what is connecting the two.  He stops, and continues back to the camp.  The sun is starting to set, and there is only a little daylight left.

Story

Aldrec Thorton wakes up with a pounding head.  Surroundings are a sandy beach, ocean as far as you can see, and a thick forest.  You are wearing average rags.  You have a sack.

Balthier wakes up stuck in a tree, haning by his once above-average threads.  They are reduced to average rags.  All you can see are trees.  A faint salty breeze ruffles your hair.  There is a sack about 20 feet below you on the forest floor.

---

Aldrec opens up his sack all over the sand.  All kidding side though, there is a small knife inside.

Balthier climbs up to the highest branch he can get to, so fast he surprises himself (+1 climbing from crit)  Looking around, he can see most of what looks to be an island shore.  There's some bloke dicking around with his sack on one of the sandbars

---

Aldrec tucks away his knife into his sack, and carrys his sack.  He then sacks around while waiting for sack.  Then takes a quick sack.  I mean nap.

...sack...

Balthier spots someone else on the way down from the tree.  There seems to be another bloke up a tree as well.  Continuing down, he finds in his sack a bucket and hatchet.

---

Balthier shouts out to the other tree-fairing man, but to no avail.  He is too far away to hear, or is doing something rather loud.  In other news, The trees are oak, tough and sturdy, and the smaller ones could be cut down with a little work.  There are also vines, and copious piles of acorns the squirrles have yet to discover.

---

Balthier heads off in the direction of the man in the tree.  Along the way, he finds a few plants with 4" needles.  He can't quite remember what they were called, but he thinks they are some varient of the nettle plant, and they carry a potent knock-out poison.  He manages to collect 6 mature spikes, and stores them safely in his bucket.

---

Balthier calles up to the man in the tree:  "Hallo, chap!  How and who are you?"

From Balthier's point of view, the tree replies, "My name is Bob, and I'm doing just fine aside from the memory loss.  What brings you 'round these parts?"

After explaining his situation, Bob invites Balthier up into his tree.  Bob is cutting oak tree branches into planks, and collecting vines.

---

Bob looks at you quizzically.  I do not know of anyone on the beach, but there are some great big shells out there.  Size of a man's head and whatnot.  Fairly creepy if you ask me.  I was gathering these here branches for a shelter, ive got about 8 planks.  I have me trusty hatchet, me father gave it to me.  And before that it was me grandfather's.  It goes all the way back to before my family can remember.  I'd be much thankful if you helped me build a bit here, I'll even show you a few tricks of the trade. (+1 woodworking, +1 woodcutting, +4 oak planks given to bob)

---

Balthier helps Bob gather some wood planks for a few hours.  Unfortunately, Balthier falls out of the tree.  Upon climbing back up, he slips again.  After carefully arriving at the top again, he proceeds to drop the axe down the side.  His efforts are not in vain, and he does manage to cut some more oak planks for Bob.  After testing the potential for the bucket to be used as a tool, the rounded edges are a little too rounded to dig through the hard forest dirt, but it would go right through topsoil or sand.  It is a strong lightweight metal bucket, and is watertight.  After all his adventuring, he climbs safely back up to the branches again.  There is about 4 hours of sunlight left in the day.  (+6 oak planks to Bob, -4hp, -1 appearance due to dirt in face)

---

Bob agrees that more hands equals more progress, and wishes you luck in finding that wayward sacker.

Upon returning, you notice a strange plant.  Only about 6" high, It looks like a miniature bamboo plant.  For some reason it stands out, but you can't see why.  There is also no bamboo on the island that you have seen so far.  Upon further examination, you see the roots are wrapped around a small rock the size of a man's fist.  This rock also holds your attention, but you can't quite place why.