Balik jumps off the line, not sure if the bucking of the cut line would unbalance him and cause him to fall in the water.
Looking about Balik insures that whatever enemies on the poop are dead, administers his remaining cure spell to the most seriously wounded person, offers Iroris blessings for thsoe afflicted by any spells or poisons, and then begins policing the poop deck by helping gather the bodies of the enemies, hauling in the line and so forth.
When the work is done, Balik checks on his traveling companions, saddened by the fate of Kolb.
Balick steps off the skeletal line just as its cut by the humanoid and falls into the sea.
There are several skeletal Dire Rats scuttling around the deck that are quickly hunted down and killed. The bones are swept off the deck.
You save the life of a sailor who's bleeding out with you Cure Light wounds. He wakes and thanks you and presses a metal token into your hand.
The Crew is called to attention for roster check.
You find Immthic sitting against one of the bulwarks. Coming up you see green gray ooze seeping still from his wounds there is a small pool under him.
Empanada is snuggled up against him.
"Three are lost, just us three are left. I think I'm not to far behind."
Looking close he looks like he's been really sick for a long time.
"Mystic poison I think, Oved was collected and is being bagged up for delivery to his family, the other two are lost to the deep and to the ship."
Immthic points at the departing Black Ship.
"Theres a chest as big as a helm in my bag, take it, use it to track down the problem. Key is attached to it. Could I have some ale and some of your mothers mushroom bread?"
Balick runs and brings back ale and mushroom bread for Immthic. While he eats, Balik prays over him, praying that he is granted a little healing and resistance in this final moment.
Balick thinks to himself "Who is left of our adventuring group?"
"Thank you for the taste of home."
He bites and swallows the bread.
Looking closely you see that he looks even sicker.
"Dag fell overboard, would be like him to climb up the hull of the ship, he can get out of armor faster than anyone I know."
He drinks some ale.
"Kolb could come back he and his god are close."
Coughs a bit and the green/grey ooze flows a bit faster.
"You saw Oved."
"It's on you now, I know you are planning on heading off after this quest, so you will have to set up with the captain to deliver your report when you finish. My journals in the chest, write your findings in that, use that to report back to home."
As he raises his ale you see the skin has retracted on his fingers, looking almost skeletal.
He takes a piece of bread and puts it on his lap.
The porcupine crawls up and eats it then looks at the slice.
"Empanada, go with Balik, he needs your help, its what Oved would want."
Empanada looks at you and back to Immthic.
Balik prays, waiting with Immthic, till his final moments, saying a final prayer after he finally expires.
Picking up the bread, Balik uses it to coax the porcupine into his hands. For the next few hours, he will gently carry the creature about, trying to give it time to grieve after the loss of it's companion.
Though he thinks it unlikely, he respects Immthic's opinion. Balik makes a point to check the sides of the ship, the stern castle and any lines that may be dragging in the water for any signs of Dag.
Finally, he informs the Captain of the death of Immthic and offers to assist the crew in anyway the Captain may need.
Later that day, still carrying the porcupine (if it seesm to want to be held), Balik sits and examines Immthic's chest.
Immthic is about to expire. "I am hearing things in my head from the Black Ship, I think when I expire my body will be a undead. Tie me up and take care of me."
He does become a undead, your not sure what, and the crewmen throw his body over the side.
Empanada comes with you and stays with you. He does appear to be depressed, he's not as up and friendly as he used to be.
Looking for Dag yields nothing but a clutching beast holding on to the hull which is quickly dispatched.
You are given Oveds double Crossbow. A standard crossbow on top and a heavy crossbow 'underneath', Its a masterwork but given the complicated design and weight distribution its -1 with the standard and -2 with the heavy.
In the Chest:
Immthics journal with about 15 pages written in a neat hand.
three pens and five vials of ink
Brass Knuckles
Compass
A small one eyed spyglass
four meters (by 2 feet) of earthy green raw silk
Bottle of Dwarven whiskey
map of the river and southern coast of where your going
about 200 gold stuck n Razmiran style
5 platinum struck the same
The captain accepts the report and understand you still want to go.
He tries to talk you out of it but agrees when you don't back down.
"We still have to get thru the patrol, so we need to get the ship looking ship state. So if you can help one of the repair crews that would be a bonus. WE don't want to give them a reason to deny our entry."
Balik turns red, stifling his desire to scream in rage, to scream at the crewmen. Calmly, coldly, Balik says "Put him down. NOW!" In an effort to spread a bit of wisdom amoungst the naive crewmen, Balik explains "Can you imagine siting on the bottom of the ocean, bound head and foot? For a week? A year? A decade? A thousand years? But most of all, siting down there for the eons of time, being nibbled by fishes, but most importnatly never receiving Pharasma's judgement, NEVER GOING TO THE AFTERLIFE?!?"
Balik gathers an impromptu gang of sailors. he intructs them all in standing around a corpse and simulataneously delivering coup de grace. "They probably can't feel anything, but on the off chance they can, it is best they are dispached as mercifully as we can."
Balik leads the party in dispatching sailors that may have turned into unread, if any, before delivering coup de grace to Immthic, and then dispatching the remains overboard.
Once this is finished, Balik seeks out a repair party to assist with.
You kick in with a crew that is repairing and repainting the side. Filling in with oakum, pitch, rope and sawdust. Then sanding down and painting.
You work for a few hours until everyone is happy. "We can check it in the morning." You sleep in a quiet stateroom waking with the morning bell.
The ship is at anchor even though there is a easterly heading stiff wind.
The Officers are on the bridge and the crew is cleaning and brushing the deck.
|
That evening, before going to bed, Balik spends some time with Empanada while reading from Immthic's journal. On the first blank page, Balik writes an account of the fight with the black ship and the death of Immthic.
The next morning, Balik goes to find an officer. "Where are we? What can I do for the ship? Will there be some kind of inspection?"
You can finish the journal.
Empanada stays with you, he seems to prefer cheddar cheese and root vegetables.
Immithic thinks the ship was grabbed along the river for some reason. Scryers do not believe the Razmiran government is involved.
Description and background of each person on the mission. Including you and talks about you practicing your skills on the Razmiran guard.
Plans include checking around the three villages on the way to the town it never reached.
He is hopeful for the mission and notes that you are likely taking off after the finish of the mission. "Would like to get to know him better, if he fulfills what people say about him I could use him in my business."
First Officer:
"Heh, your the cargo, there is no inspection, just a customs stop, they want to keep track of who goes down the river in Razmira. Relax, you got a big job ahead of you."
Balik nods and takes the time to play with Empanada and to double check his gear.
The ship heads East and about 2 hours before sundown it is intercepted by a small 20 man longship where its boarded by a Official that looks at the papers generated back at the capital and drinks some of the wine provided, toddles around the deck and inspects under deck and allows the ship to head into the river.
Once you enter the head of the river and the officials are well behind you the Captain asks you to come to his cabin,
He has some of the same wine out for you. "We should pass the first village about second bell in the morning, I'll have a crew drop you off on the south bank a mile west of it if thats alright? Is a week ok, or do you want longer. We plan on a leisurely trip up to the main city and poking around for a long time, uncovering false clues and demanding to stay in port. There are three villages on the way, how long do you need?"
Balik says nothing, but observes the official closely - paying particular attention to his style of dress and any insignia he has on.
"That would be satisfactory, Captain. A will try to do what I need to in a week. If I am longer than a week, I will send someone with a letter for you." Balik pulls out a sheet of paper and writes upon it
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Blank E T O A N S H R
3 B C D F G I J K L M
7 N O P Q U V W X Y Z
"I will use this table if I need to send you a private message. It is not very secure, so I will keep the message short, but I have the table memorized already which allows me to travel without any incriminating ciphers on my person. Also if you get a message using this technicque, you could be fairly certain it is from me, baring the use of magic of course. Since this table generates a series of numbers, I could very well do something like embed a message in something like price quotes, or other list of numbers."
Balik shows the Captain how to use the code table, ending with "So, my name Balik Blackrock could be written
31539 36383 13953 23804 3238
You see?"
If the Captain has no other items to discuss, Balik will take his leave. Going to the Ships's quartermaster to top off his water skin and to see if he can get three days of hardtack. Back in the stateroom, he wraps the hardtack in paper, then coats the paper heavily with candle wax, making the package waterproof, and store it in his bandoleer.
Balik packs everything in the trunk into his purse, belt, bandoleer or backpack. Finally he gathers up Empanada and goes up to the main deck to wait.
You are given the three days of hardtack and filled up on water.
You are put in a dingy and rowed to the shore while dark, your told the village of Garum is a mile East.
Your put off on a skinny stony shore with a decigious forest south of you.
"Good Luk Sirra, sea ya inna wik." The Bosun winks at you and hesitates for a moment, looking in a way asking if there is anything else. Then he pushes off, the rowers turning and heading for the ship.
Balik jogs along the shore till he reaches the edge of the forest, then turns Eastward.
Just inside the forest edge, he hides. Balik waits about an hour, silently, to see if anyone follows him. Once he is sure he is not being tracked, he turns Eastward and slowly makes his way towards Garum, hoping to find a spot overlooking the village will it is still dark.
The forest here is lighter than the forest on the southern shore of the lake, but its a bit greener. It seems that Empanada is used to traveling on the top of a backpack.
You arrive at the edge of a farm, it appears to be some sort of fruit trees, the fruit is budding with a light fragrant scent. There is forest on the left to cover it being seen from the fiver and stretches at least a quarter might to the right. You see a smokestack of a cottage a bit in the distance set a bit farther back from the river and forest cover.
Balik will circle around the cottage, as far away as possible and still have the chimney in sight, trying to get an idea if there are any other habitation within shouting distance of the cottage
After seeing what is close by, Balik stops and crouches. Holding Empanada, he scratches under it's chin and asks the hedgehog "What do you think? Should we risk contact?"
Not waiting for Empenada to answer, Balik circles to the front of the cottage and walks openly to the front door.
Empanada's furrows his brow, wiggles his nose and looks around but does nothging that you can tell if he understood you.
Its early in the day, but there is a fire at least starting given the slight smoke from the chimney.
Its a large field of trees and anything outside a large explosion should not be heard by anyone nearby.
Perception:
As you move towards the house you see a burrow under one of the larger trees with recent pushing of the ground around it. Dark down there, but it does turn to the right after half a foot, the hole opening is about a foot wide and 4" tall.
It is facing almost directly away from the house. Empanada does not appear interested in it at all, except he twitched his nose at it and alternately flexed both cheek muscles a couple times.
Balik, not having much interest in badgers or other forest creatures, at least at the moment, continues towards the cottage, and knocks upon the front door.
As you move towards the house:
Perception:
You get the impression that there are are no women in the area, the wash line is sagging, garden is not weeded after early planting and back door has refuse in a thrown from the inside pattern.
You knock on the front door and after a moment you hear a young ttenage voice on the other side of the door.
"Yes?" Somewhat shaky and a slight accent
Second perception:
"Peace. I am but a weary traveler, looking for a warm meal, dreading another cold meal of hard tack. Do you have anything to share? I have coin to pay." says Balik, trying to sound as friendly as possible.
There is a muffled bit of words behind the wall.
Perception:
There are two people talking one is older.
The same voice:
"Show your coppers thru the window to your left and leave it on the windowsill and have a seat by the shed, we are starting breakfast and can spare some porridge and tea."
Balik puts 5cp on the left window ledge and then walks over to the shed. He takes a seat near the shed and examines around the exterior of the house and the yard carefully as he waits.
Besides you is a rough wooden box, covered with a skin tarp, but you see what you believe to be nails inside. You recall Dwarven nails were one of the things on the inventory.
A young human of about 12 yo comes out with a bowl of porridge flavored with apples, a big mug of tea and and several dried pears.
"What are you doing here?"
When he talks you see the window open and the copper disappear.
Balik sighs "I ask my self that too. 'What AM I doing here??'. My efforts to find a market for our silk has been for nought so far."
"Thank you" he says as he takes the dish.
"You probably have never seen a dwarf before."
"They are down south of the lake, right, is that where your from. I have seen a couple, now one more. You sell that fancy cloth, you should go two town east of here, they have a big market, 4 days I think. Ours was yesterday and Wayfarer is 2 days from now."
He seems to believe what he's saying.
"You've seen dwarves before? Impossible! When did you see these dwarves?"
"If you please Sir, at market day, they sell dwarves things, axes, force hammers, whatever."
He is moving back seemingly scared.
Balik realizing that he is scaring the boy, tries to put him at,ease by beginning to eat his porridge. "This is pretty good."
Balik does not want to distress the boy, so he refrains from asking questions unless he calms down. If he does calm he asks, while handing the dishes back "What did you say the name of the town two over that has the big market?"
"Xu sir, its the big city about four days by fast travel. Oats are from there, fruit are ours." He appears to be willing to talk, but a bit scared.
The front door opens.
A man frames himself in the door, "Alex, are you done giving the dishes?"
"Yes Da."
"Come on then."
The boy falls back.
The man comes halfway forward, "Heading to Xu for the market?"
"You think I'd find cloth merchants in Xu?" he reponds to the man.
Balik looks downward (as it happens, at the bucket of nails) as if in thought. Do the nails look Dwarven to him?
"You will find buyers, both shopkeepers and housewives."
And yes they do look like recent (less than one year old) Dwarven manufacture.
The man collects your plates, the boy comes out and they talk about something, the boy heads off behind the house and heads into the trees.
He comes back from the direction you originally came from carrying several bowls and covers and a large jug.
Perception:
There is a big clog of dirt on the top of the plates.
Dirt?! Balik is puzzled by this.
He continues hiding and watching
He walked from the house, into the orchid the direction you came from originally and retired about three minutes later carrying the covered dishes and jug.
The dirt looks like loam and you recognize the covered dishes as something your mother would use when making something for a group and it will need to stay warm for a while before its eaten.
The father has gone back into the house and your hear flowing water from inside.
Balik quietly searches in the direction the boy brought the dishes from, trying.to find and follow the boys steps.
On your way you step on and break a branch, , and in your frustration turn and fall on your rear
Going around and this time seeing a bit of a worn down area with a walked path between two rows of the pear trees you see it heads to the tree you looked at earlier today when the sun was just cresting. You see knee prints in front of the hole under the tree.
Balik examines the hole closely.
It is much wider and bigger past the opening, which is well camouflaged. Inside is a 2x3' 18" high space. You find a cheap tin spoon covered under some dirt.
Balik returns to watching the cabin.
After two hours of normal farm activities and noises, a dog comes out of the house and runs over to where you were sitting and starts sniffing.
About 30 seconds later the younger human comes out and yells. "its just a dwarf Ogre, lets go fishing."
The dog sniffs a couple more time and heads to the young human and they head towards the river.
Balik follows the bpy. Trying not to scare him he makes some noise as he approaches.
"Excuse me....." he calls out.
You have to follow him a bit, away from the house.
You catch up to him and are about to say something and the dog turns and growls slightly.
The boy turns and crouches down next to the dog, quickly you notice.
"What is it Ogre?"
"It is I the dwarf. Is that your dog?"
"What are you doing here, Are you here to be the example of the new boss?"
He keeps his arm around 'Ogres' chest."
"You know a bit about the new boss? Well I dont. I am a traveler from far away. I even managed to stray off the road to the market. Isn't that pitiful?"
Balik makes a point of backing up, holding his hands out, squating ap he is on eye level with the boy, and talking in,a slow calm manner.
"So can you tell me about this new boss and examples, which are so mysterious to me?"