Bolgrith sighs as he sees Bolo come abovedecks. "It would appear you were half correct Rolg, my apologies." He turns to a few idle crewmen, "Well come with me then." Glancing towards the helm he waits to see if the captain objects. Satisfied he makes his way below decks and begins helping to collect all scrap wood and tar, as well as any other materials that seem like they could be used to plug holes.
Anyone who goes below deck hears knocking in different parts of the hull as the ship pulls away from the Merspires. The thudding becomes more infrequent as the distance spans, until it settles to a constant pounding directly on the center of the belly, similar to the beating of a hammer.
Above deck, three mermen surface at the stern with bared teeth and bone javelins. Amid them is a wrinkly, puce-skinned sea witch. Her hair resembles rotting seaweed, and it flings as she points a bony finger at Rolg and shrieks!
The visage of the sea witch is terrible to behold, and several of the shipmates cry out in debilitating fear. The hag fixes her gaze on one of the patrolling sailors beside Rolg.
His face pales in terror, before he shuts his eyes and shakes his head as he nocks an arrow to his longbow.
The three mermen cast their javelins toward Rolg, the nearby sailor, and Captain Rettley.
One sails over Rolg's head, the other sticks into the railing in front of the sailor, but the last buries itself into the captain's spine, who grunts in pain.
Below deck, water begins to seep between boards, locating the exact position of the pounds. One of the boards pops up suddenly, and water starts to gush in!
Bolgrith rumbles over to the damaged floor piece, stomping on it he calls to the sailors who followed him down. "I know little of ship repair, but you are sailors. Use the pitch and wood to reinforce where you think best!" With the last word he slams his booted foot down on the plank.
7 hells but I hate it when I'm right.
Rolg barks orders as though he were captain in a tone that brooks no argument or back talk.
"Rettley, keep this great wood coffin in the wind and keep us moving, and for gods' sake keep your head down!"
"Sailors! Keep below the rails, don't give 'em no targets. I want 4 watchers aft and 4 on the prow. Give me 8 port and starboard. Call out if they throw ropes or try to board. The rest of you, below decks now! Blade and hammer on every man or I'll know the reason why!"
Rolg snatches up a hammer from a work board as he plunges into the hold.
"Report! What's happening down here!?"
Balion grips his longsword in his hand standing about the main mast looking towards the sea witch.
Looking at the sea witch in the water Balion scoffs at her ridiculous seaweed hair. Yelling at Rolg,"Lets use my fishing net to tangle up those monsters closest to the hull." Pausing to think for a moment."We should weight the ends to drag them down." He looks about the ship for anchor weights.
Rolg's head pops up from below deck just after it disappears.
"I need most hands to keep the old gal going, gobo! If I spare more than three, she slows down." The captain growls as he pulls out the javelin head, suddenly paling under the pain. "You three! Help below and stay out of range of these bastards!"
He looks to the ranger. "Looking for weight, boy? The prow anchors are too heavy for you to carry alone. Search the crates behind you, might find a warhammer or two."
Balion thrashes through the crates and pulls up four warhammers.
Aladdin runs over to help the dwarf stomp down boards.
"Blast! Maybe if we stomp at the same time dwarf! Move the heavy objects over the sound of the pounding! Don't let them break through!"
Balion begins to tie the warhammers to the corners of the net.
The sailor at the stern looses an arrow before running below deck.
The arrow sinks deep into a merman's chest, and a dark pool spreads as he begins to sink, dying.
The three assigned sailors thunder down the stairs. Two see the leak and concert their efforts.
In their zeal, their stomps get in each others way, and hit the wrong boards.
The two remaining mermen lob two more javelins before disappearing beneath the waves.
This time, the captain ducks, but the projectile strikes a sailor mid-stride. The railing protects a kneeling Balion from an incoming attack.
The sea hag swims portside, and finds Golo's eyes.
The surly hobgoblin spits back at her terrible glare.
The underbelly is hammered again, and another board is loosened. The lower deck is beginning to flood.
Looking towards the sorcerer, Bolgrith counts out; "Three, two, one, now!" He stomps on the loose planking.
"Anyone not repairing the hull set up a bucket chain and start bailing this water!"
Aladdin times his stomping with the dwarf. "COME ON!"
The first board is stomped into place, though water still seeps through the cracks. There is one board that is still loose, and water continues to surge into the cargo hold.
"Pitch and tar, now! Don't make us ask again!"
Rolg slams his foot down on the loose boards as hard as he can, hoping to rattle a merfolk that may be too close to the gap.
The other board is hammered into place under Rolg's mighty foot. Muffled language is heard beneath. The seawater stops gushing in, but the thin layer sloshing in the hull makes it difficult to tell if it is completely sealed.
The Ranger now begins to untangle the net and place it upon the deck at the bow of the ship. Tying each corner of the net to either side of the ship and allowing two of the weighted sides to drop in the water and pass underneath the boat, he allows the net to fall into position.
"If ye no crafsman, stan’ aside, git t’is water outta ‘ere!"
One sailor applies pitch, and the other two lay a board over the seams of the loosened boards, and stand on it as the first begins to drag a large crate over. "T’is might work f’ now."
Golo stands at the top of the stairway. "Gozreh's gash, da's a lotta water! 'ere, pass up a full bucket, so we don' join tah bastards fra' swim."
He points to the buckets within arms reach near the prow storage.
The sea witch thrashes in the water in fury, and spots a frightened sailor, turning to him her evil eye.
The poor sailor staggers back, and begins to waver. He drops to his knees, as though under a tremendous weight.
This time, the force behind the hammering increases twofold and the two seamen standing on the seal lose their footing and fall. Seawater sprays out the side of the seal, and a trident is thrust through the opening.
The barbed weapon jabs at a fallen sailor, but he pulls away just in time. The trident retracts just as quickly back inside the gushing hole.
Rolg stomps twice and manages to just get the boards back in place. Then he falls upon the breach bodily.
"Help me! Cover the breach!"
Balion finally releases the net, into section 2.
Bolgrith rushes to the hobgoblins aid, belly-flopping into the thin pool of water and landing near the hole. Pressing his hand against the planks beside the breach he starts chanting an age-old mantra. A soft blue light appears around his hand when suddenly a gust of air bursts forth! Pressing the water out and away, as well as back through the hole. "I can only hold back the water for a minute! Get this hole fixed!"
Aladdin rushes over and puts his hand on the seal where the trident was thrusted through the opening and concentrates to where the thudding noises are. He aims and fires out into the murky waters.
The gurgled chatter beyond the wood stops, though it is difficult to see what is going on. Balion sees three mermen begin to limply sink as the stern of the ship passes over them. Their bodies miss his net. Hissing in rage, the sea witch splashes below the waves, swimming straight down.
With a dry area to work, the sailors quickly repatch the hull, and form a line with Golo to bucket out the seawater taken in.
By this time, the sun is set, and the full moon covers the top deck in a low, pale light. The captain wearily passes the helm to Golo, and helps patch up the wounded sailors before retiring to his quarters. Golo orders "Simon Do-Nothing" and two other sailors to accompany him on night watch.
"I'll take a watch. No doubt Simon is tired and needs his rest."
Rolg tries weakly to keep the sarcasm out of his tone.
Simon stubbornly stays up and patrols the deck. It soon becomes obvious that he cannot see far beyond the light of the top deck lanterns, even with the moonlight.
Aladdin returns to his room to rest and to pray to his deity Valani.
Valani... I was so close. I thought the mermen would have information about Azlant. I've been searching all my life to find out the legacy of my lost lands. Please guide me in this search, this quest to find your forgotten lands. I just don't have the strength to do this without your help.
As Aladdin prayed and looked over his old arcane tomes, there was a pull at his mind. Puzzled, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the pull, hoping to make a connection. He took a deep breath and delved inside himself searching, focusing the magic in his blood on the one point. What he found shocked him.
.... A door? Why is there a door in my mind? he wondered as his essence floated in his subconscious.
Open it.... something whispered.
Aladdin looked at the door. My blood is telling me to do this... How can I resist? He floats toward the door and pushes it open.
Aladdin's dark room flashed as light poured from Aladdin's eyes and mouth for the briefest of moments. Darkness returned an instant later, and the only noise that could be heard in the room was the creaking of the wood, the water lapping at the sides of the ship and Aladdin's snoring as he drifted off into slumber.
Bolgrith stay above decks for a time, studying the stars with more help from Golo. Eventually he returns to his cabin to meditate and finally sleep.
The next seven days since the attack from the Merspires pass without event. The rest of the water is cleared below deck, though the faint smell of mold lingers as the time goes on. The breach is sealed properly, though the captain mutters about a day in dry dock to see the other side. The rest of the crew resume a normal sleep schedule, and those wounded seem to be recovering. The one that suffered the sea witch’s evil eye is sometimes caught staring blankly, but otherwise seems hale as a horse. Since passing the Merspires, the skies have remained a clear blue, and the sun shines brightly. The change in climate may come as a surprise, as Hamonreld was still in winter’s clutches when the Wanderlust departed.
Rolg tries to get to know Golo and learn all he can about the Sunderlands.
Bolgrith spends his time tending to the wounded and talking to the crew about their homes and people. At night he studies the stars and how to read the weather as well as meditating and training.
He especially spends time with the sailor who is out of sorts. The first time he catches him staring into the distance he asks; "How are you feeling?"
"Aw, foine 'n sproy, m'stuh dwarf," the sailor shakes out of his daze, "Nuthin' wrong 'ere. Dam'd seawetch ga' me a scare, es all. Loike she peerin' ento me soul, ga' me soights a fella never won' t' see, suh."
"Don' worry you-self on me accoun', suh. 'ard loife fuh 'ard men."
After spending the last week around Golo, Rolg senses that these left-handed gestures are in fact a sign language of sorts. Any attempts to mimic his hand motions are met with a frown, and a "Ouu'n' u otoud."
Balion spends his time assisting the sailors with their daily tasks and attempting to learn as much about sailing as possible. However, he spends most of his time in silence brooding over his lost fishing net.
Although not frightened by sea hag or her ridiculous hair, the thought of holes in the ship flooding the cargo hold is terrifying. The ranger chooses to sleep on the deck most nights on his bedroll, under the stars.
The eighth morning greets our adventurers with buffeting north-easterly winds, a bit stronger and more sudden than usual. By midday, the Wanderlust deck pitches at the raising waves and clouds can be seen approaching in the south. The waves begin to splash the deck, eventually rushing over in great surges.
Watching the clouds from the topdeck Bolgrith attempts to hold his ground in the swells.
Scanning the horizon he contemplates the weather.