Day 11, Bosum Strand Docks 11am
Captain Rutger Smith arrives and greets Chretien, Johnathan and Angus warmly. 'Ah! The heroes of the Coaltongue. I'll never forget how you saved my ship last Spring.' He lights a cigar, inspecting the crew's preparations from the dock. 'Off on a mission to save the world I take it!' He shakes his head. 'It's always the same. As the old monk William Miller said, all conflict would be avoided by sufficient understanding between opposing groups. Wouldn't it be much easier to just sit down with whomever this criminal enemy is and try and sort it out like adults, instead of sailing half-way round the world to pursue them? I was asked to captain this cutter for you while my ship is in dry dock being upgraded.'
Captain Smith's fondness for the Malice-era philosophical writings of the monk William Miller, combined with the fact that he has never led his ship into battle, has made him the target of mockery by more established naval officers. For his own part, Smith seems unaffected by the criticism and appears content to drill his crew twice as hard as any other captain, encouraging them with philosophical aphorisms.
'Are ye ready to depart then?' he asks.
"Oh, but there are always those cantankerous sorts who are unwilling to compromise..."
"The Coaltongue...last spring? Feels like it was a decade ago," he glances at Cretien.
Indeed captain i see that time has taken a good care of you. I am quite happy to be on this vessel once again. She and her crew will probably poved herself invaluable once again he says saluting the captain
The captain looks at Angus and says, "The Invincible is in drydock, you must not be very good at ships. Oh well. You are right professor, some people just don't know when to give up."
Angus
Angus
Rock has gotten his own personal cell with some decent amenities, and you find him tapping and humming tunes as he works out possible new songs. Unlike the rest of the prisoners, he’s cleanly dressed and has on plenty of jewelry, with no less than eight monocles to choose from tucked into his pockets. 'We are thinking of letting him out on bail' admits the policeman who escorts you to his cell, 'just to get some peace.'
'Yo, whassup!' Rock says and even more delighted at the flyer, appreciating the angle of his face on the drawing. 'Man I can't wait to get out. Yeah I guess its ok in here, not like the palace I stayed in when I went to visit the Unseen Court - man you should have seen the bedroom, and the little fey maidens!' he demonstrates a sex act involving three of them with his hands - 'Debauched!'. 'A bit more like when I was a dock worker and signed up for a tour on a merchant ship and we crashed in the Malice Lands. Tough times. Still, we found a treasure chest and it made for some good songs. I'm working on one now, actually. Called Jailhouse Slammer Rock'. He plays a few bars. It's simple, but catchy. 'Like it?'
Once everyone is aboard, the ship sets sail out of Flint Bay and through the Avery Sea towards Ber. The journey takes three days, during which you get to know the crew a little.
The coordinates that you found in Bergeron's room lies a half mile off the coast of a small fishing village, Pezarillo, a couple hundred miles northwest of Ber’s capital city Seobriga. The waters between Flint and there are fairly well patrolled, so the journey is uneventful.
On the afternoon of the 14th you get near the site. Captain Rutgar-Smith calls you to the main deck and shows you through his telescope. 'Look, we've been beaten to the site by three boats: one tiny fishing boat and two larger ones. But look over here'.
Half-way between you and the site a fourth boat is also present. A tiny cutter named Dagger, flying under the flag of Risur. It appears to be slowing down, keeping its distance from the other three vessels. You can reach it in twenty minutes, or go around it and head straight for the group of three boats (it will take 2 hours to go around the Dagger), or head inland to the fishing village, or just wait and see what happens.
"That one's trouble. Shall we deal with it now, or later?" Johnathan points at the boat in the distance.
He's been mostly peaceful for the sea voyage, mostly staring up at the sky as the boat rocked around, giving quiet advice to the captain.
"If we don't deal with them, they will likely try to deal with us later."
Asher busies himself on the trip with triple checking everyone's firearms, specifically Johnathan's to a paranoid degree. He checks his rounds, checks the rounds of others, and gives the captain/navigator regular reports on the changing expectation of the future weather. He'll marvel at the canons, eat sparingly, and smile like a wolf in to the wind at the horizon toward their destination.
Upon seeing the dagger. "That's our fish, isn't it? Let's go catch it before they make up their mind and slip us."
You approach the Dagger cautiously, prepared for the worst. Falko is concentrating hard on the ritual Detect Planar Energy: Apet. As you get closer, he nods grimly to you. Yes. There is a strong presence of Apet energy on board this ship.
You all prepare mental defenses as you get closer, from what Chretien learned from his contact. The Dagger makes no evasive maneuvers. It's crew of three peer suspiciously at you. The Captain - an unshaven and unsavory looking docker whose bad breath you can somehow detect from 100 yards away - leers at you and says something disgusting. Captain Rutgar Smith prepares the cannons and the naval personnel on board are armed and ready.
'Oh Hi! It's you!' yells Dr. Xambria Meredith, leaving her cabin, waving gaily. 'Hi constables. What on earth are you guys doing out here!'[/b] She looks great; sea air agrees with her. She holds a parasol to keep the sun from her fair skin.
'I assume you came for the same reason as me. To stop them opening the seal? I'm so relieved you're here; I don't really have a plan to stop them. Mind if I jump over to your ship for a cup of tea and a catch up?'
Falko, Dr. Meredith appears to be the source of the Apet energy.
---
First things first Dr Meredith, who is "they" and how come "they" know about the seal ? and you didn't report anything to the RHC before embarking to stop them without a plan ?
Angus
She says, "Bergeron's men. He sent them here. I was in a hurry. I don't work for you. sheessh. How should I have known you were to be trusted, plus it is out of Risuri waters. Hmmm I don't know."
Asher growls low to his comrades, trying to keep his voice from being heard on the next ship.
"Are you lads sure about her being the villain in this? What she says matches my own suspicions."
Out loud to Xambria. "Yes, 'they'. Describe them!"
Asher remembers the story of the teifling woman, the foppish man and the half-orc, and wonders if Xambria would match those descriptions.
Dr. Meredith says, "But I never saw them but wait how do I remember them when I never met them, there was a tiefling woman, some sort of foppish man, a couple of dwarves and a half-orc but how do I know this I have strange memories piercing my brain. People referring to me as Monsieur Bergeron, my Danoran is good but I seem to have been conversing fluently like a native speaker, wait I can speak it so. This is so utterly confusing."
She taps her head with a well manicured finger and says to herself, "What?"
----
Yell now you know. So what do you know about the other party's strength en composition and tell us everything you know about this seal if you could he replied to her
Johnathan whispers to Falko, "We should take her captive for now, especially if she'll cooperate."
Asher talks low to Johnathan, and the others. "She has memories from Bergeron. Maybe whatever is in her used to be in him, and could be in one of us as well. Do you think it's a good idea to let her close to us if that is a possibility?"
If he does, he'll say the same as I posted before to the group.
Asher turns to look at the woman again, and turns his head to ask the party. "Want me to put a bullet in her leg? See how she reacts?"
"Sink the whole boat and hope they cant jump into fish." Cretien whispers.
Johnathan looks down, sad. "You're probably right...it's just...there's innocent people too."
Angus
Dr. Meredith says, "A what? Yes I have been accosted by some foul being, from Apet. I am not sure how long but I noticed a break of its grip on me on the 9th. It compelled me to do thing and I had no choice!', Xambria explains to Falko. 'There was a horrible creature, with tentacles and eyes. Nobody believes me - it was like the things in the ziggurat. It accosted me in my hotel room, just after I got away from Caius. After what happened at Caius', then the creature, I just panicked. I ran out of my hotel room and went straight to the docks to hire a ship. I don't even remember thinking about where I was going - it was just instinctive. A blur. I needed to get away from Flint.'
'Cauis Bergeron told me another seal had been discovered. He had dragged me to his inn asking me questions about some 'Star Map' or something. I had no idea what he was talking about. I tried to convince him not to open it, considering what happened back in the High Bayou. I knew where it was, obviously: I had worked out the co'ordinates in the map room of the Ziggurat of Apet.'
'Anyway, we need to stop them opening the seal. At the very least, we need to warn them about the dangers. I have a scroll of Water Walk and Water Breathing here, which might come in handy. Maybe you should lock me up, I don't know what the beast within me will do'
"Shit." Asher growls. "I don't like anything about this. Sure, let's take her in chains unless any of you have any way to draw out some alien creature? Let's learn what he can from her, then leave her with the ship while we go after the teifling woman's group."
Johnathan says softly to the team, "I know it would be best to just sink the ship, but I just, I can't. Look, I'll put the cuffs on her. Just...kill us both if it takes me."
He then raises his voice, "I believe you. We'll have to take you into custody to be safe. May I come aboard?"
He'll board once able and approach Dr.Meredith, and cuff her if possible, assuming her cooperation etc.
Angus will try to sense deceit coming from her
doctor I don't know if you can "hear" me but you can count on this team to go after the seal and do its best efforts to stop whatever is going on he says getting ready just in case
I thank you for the magical help. We shall uses those powers if we need them but as the others officers for the moment we are taking you under custody where the alien inside you can't do worse harm
Falko, John and Chretien
Rock has gotten his own personal cell with some decent amenities. And you...
Dr. Meredith says, "You can lock me up but I will tell the captain of my ship to be at your disposal."
Captain Smith says, "Look we have two other ships here, one Beran and one Chryssiliri the latter is well equipped."
Falko
If we try to board those ship we are in probably for an international problem. Who's water are we currently sailing on ? he says drawing his weapon
I can knock her out gently if needed
Falko
The captain says, "Well, with our armament we cannot hope to slug it out with the big one over yonder but we definitely outgun the Beran ship."
A seaman climbs down the rigging of your ship and beats feet to the Captain and says, "Sir, we have flagged messages from both the Beran and Chryssiliri vessels. The Beran wishes to talk with us and the Chryssiliri has ordered us not to get any closer."
"Captain, I suggest flagging the ships that we intend to approach under peaceful conditions to parlay. If the Crisillyir vessel still warns us off, then we can ask the Ber vessel out here to talk. The Beran's aren't fast friends with the Crisilliri, so maybe they could help us."
Asher turns to the rest of the constables. "Maybe we can cross onto their vessel after our talks and enter the port from their ship, while you, captain, stay anchored here and keep an eye on this ship." gesturing to the ship Meredith is on.
"I suggest constables Escheus and Holbrook apprehend and question Doctor Meredith while Dufrene, McCormick and I parlay with Ber. Constable Dufrene, it might be best to keep a hood up and your back toward the island. If the Crisilliri are already so hostile, having a tiefling on board won't earn us any favors with them. Better yet, it might be good for you to question Meredith with the others below deck.
"The emanation from beneath could be witch oil cargo or the like."
Captain Smith sends his man to get semaforeing to the other ships and the man comes back and says, "Sir, the Beran ship will be docking with us shortly. The Chryssiliri repeats its earlier message warning us now to come any closer to her."
Captain Smith says, "Thank you Ensign." and then turns to you "We can go to port nearby if you wish."
Meredith says, "You can knock me out if you wish but you need to stop those people from taking anymore ancient things."
Angus, Falko, Chretien, John
Will do he says as he knoks her out.
Captain it my be a little easier for diplomatic reason later if they fire on us first. So can you signal them that we are carrying a professor who has a message for them. And continue sailing forward
AFCJ
The captain looks at Angus and says, "Shouldn't we meet with the Berans first, and the Chryssiliri vessel is much better equipped than we are."