Expedition 79: Orca Hunt 1

*From the notes of Ark'fayed, transcribed from their personal cipher and translated to Common.*

4th Monpel, 365th year of the Age of Pain

Early start to catch damned ferry. Seems boats inescapable here. Hunting orcas? Need boats. Hunting alligators? Same. Orcas more lucrative. Without pay will starve. Food prices soaring with doubling of population. Should have been expected. Whose brilliant plan was this? Idiot.

Ferry ride miserable. Hunters easy to find, lodge warm. Tried not to look at octopus. Mistook strapping blue dragonborn for hunter, actually Tempus cleric. Yezra. Hunters look up to her. Afraid of her?

Hunters show off boats. Rubbed with salmon oil, painted with large fish on hull. Discuss strategy in not alerting orca to approach. Hunters plan to capture orcas with harpoon, get to safety while Yezra and I fight beast. Yezra casts Water Walk on us, precaution. If seasick can get out and walk. Good.

Hunters practiced and efficient. Separate young orca from herd, then harpoon. Yezra takes aim before it notices us. Shadow sinks into water. Firebolt ineffective in water. With water walk melee possible, moonblade makes quick work of calf. Return to shore. Hunters impressed with efficiency, suggest targeting larger orca. Willing. Yezra recasts water walk.

New orca quite large. Notices us and approaches boat, flips boat. Clinging for dear life, stay in boat. But Yezra tossed out, loses concentration on lightening storm. Cat and mouse with large orca adept at hiding beneath waves. Orca skewers Yezra with a huge stinger that pierces all the way through her. But she stays up. Assist with shortbow. Moonblade ineffective against submerged beast. Next stinger brings her down. Luckily she carries healing potion. Hasten to feed it to her. Orca hides beneath waves. But Yezra spots the edge of its tail, plunges her spear down. Great beast caught. Huge stinger a worthy trophy. Hunters explain orca must be very old to have had so few stingers. Return to shore. With two spells Yezra returns herself to health. That is power.

Suggest one more fight but smaller one. Yezra agrees. Hunters as efficient but orca intent on escape, drags boat behind it from beneath waves. Inaccessible to moonblade, difficult to see. Shortbow misses. Targeted by stinger but deflect with Shield. Orca leads chase, hides well. Out on water to taunt, attempts a bite but fails, attack of opportunity hits. Yezra cannot see orca but reels it in. Orca beneath waves, out of reach, rush back to boat for bow. Hit by stinger. Two arrows hit orca despite difficulty seeing. Orca’s speed slowly flags until Yezra’s reeling meets no resistance.

Back on shore, Yezra negotiates with hunters. Hunters need only the blubber, explain orca meat poisonous. Yezra ritually cleanses meat, explains wishes to help with food shortage. Yezra vaunts over huge stinger (24 in) and kill of huge orca. Own stinger 8 in. Hunters nevertheless congratulate for two small orca kills. Reputation with dragonborn? Perhaps worth seasickness to live in lodge if dragonborn ~~like~~ respect me.

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For later: research spellcraft charm against seasickness.

Yezra invigorated by hunt, begins conversation. Embarrassed to admit needed employment so as not to starve during food shortage. Yezra explains these orcas unusual, unlike whale hunts from her childhood. Seems dragonborn adapting to new island but much has changed. Admit curiosity about clan practice of painting boats with fish. Is this merely tradition or proven to be effective? Yezra seems convinced of effectiveness as camouflage.

Unsure what Yezra wishes to discuss. Attempt to choose topic of conversation.

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*From last entry*: “Perhaps those blessed by the divine have insights on ‘being chosen,’ meaning of larger tale for personal story.”

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 Ask Yezra about being chosen by Tempus, explain current meditations on V’s statement

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Strange responses. Apparently Yezra does what she wishes and feels no responsibility toward Tempus. Yezra surprised I have ‘done nothing’ for past 100 years. Explains she does not compare herself with others, does not adventure for glory or expectations of others but prosperity of clan.

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Insight: when a people struggling, assuring survival and prosperity for them a worthy legacy. Silver Valley and Fayed family established, safe, prosperous, needs met: we strive for more. Yezra confused why feeling unworthy of moonblade, unsure of destiny. Conversation unresolved but valuable. Return to mainland and finally purchase food, repay Uzmir. At least of some service to dragonborn.