"A big ship with a deep hold is best, yeah. That'll be trade ships, probably and we'll likely be able to get passage on one without too many questions... and if it's not a passenger ship, we'll have less to worry about about looking or acting odd. We won't really be able to use 'being silkie' to be weird around people who go to the Silklands."
"It would yeah." Liisa agrees with a small chuckle and gazes out over the water. Silkie ships? They have those silly sails, if Total War didn't lie to me... "Should we head for a tavern first? Might be a good idea to eavesdrop a bit and pick up some local manners."
As the group walks around the docks, they find that most of the ships are similar to what they would expect to see in a Pirates of the Carribean movie, other than being somewhat smaller than they expected. They don't see anything truly spectacularly large, at most they see ships up to about 125-150 ft, not the big 200-250 foot heavy cargo vessels.
They do notice one ship that might be eastern, but it's hard to be sure, if it is, it's been influenced by years of western style ships.
The docks are busy, with more people in a tight space than even the rest of the city, and the patrols seem to be less here, probably because of how many people are coming and going.
[small]"How about we ask about the ship and then grab lunch at a tavern nearby? Though perhaps someone else might want to do the questioning; if I'm supposed to be 'asian' it might look weird for me to ask about it."[/small] Johnny continues to keep a look out for priests and pickpockets as he talks.
"Sounds good...." Liisa mumbled and took a deep breath. It felt saltier then she was used to, but being in a harbour again brought back memories from home. I could almost pretend that this was just some medieval fair ... With a sigh she stopped staring into the distance. "All right! How about we see what we can find and meet back here in an hour or so?"
"So... how to tell between a bar and a brothel. Or do we really care?" Neri asks as he looks around for any particularly busy buildings. If he doesn't spot any, he'll head for the strange looking boat, instead.
"Well, I'd guess the bar will ask for your ID ..." Liisa chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe by the tones of the yelling?"
The group manages to book passage to the east without araising too much suspicion or being caught. They find the ocean is a wild storm of magic, hostile magic, that tries to lure them into traps and deadly situations. Unfortunately, the ship they book passage on has lost it's navigator, and the new navigator is not as skilled. He gets off course, and the ship is snagged in a whirlpool and breaks apart.
Johnny finds himself in a deep dark area, barely lit, on a wreck of a ship at the bottom of the ocean. Exploring it by himself, he finds that it is a ship dedicated to him, and manages to 'heal' it much as Liisa managed to heal her tree. The ship surges to the surface, pulling his companions with it (although the crew and passengers of the ship they booked passage on are lost). Johnny's new ship gives them the ability to pass through the mana storm unhindered, as well as the ability to sail on the ocean, or under the ocean.
The group then explores the ocean, finding a way past the blockade to Rentharin, an ancient city protected by cliffs and powers. Within that city, they find shrines dedicated to each of them. With each shrine they awaken, they find they have a new way back to their valley, including from the ship. The find new resources and information on the Usurpers, as the Rentharin's call the Three. They came to this world many generations ago, attacking the gods and killing the Elder god, Eo, who gave birth to the gods.
The group begins to realize they are Avatars of the Old Gods, the children of Eo, and the voices in their heads are the voices of the Old Gods. With the help of Rentharin, they are able to take the war to the Three, attacking first their fleet, and then their ports, splitting the forces of the Three in two.
Turning to the 'eastern' cultures, they wage war on that side of the continent, killing avatar after avatar, and consuming the powers of the Three. As they do so, the Three begin to consume their own followers to replenish their powers, and the Avatars of the Old Gods realize that the souls of the humans they live with are food, to both them and the Usurpers, raw power to wage war.
The Avatars finally forge an alliance with one of the Three, the god of Birth and Harvest, who is sickened by the use of his followers by the other Usurpers for power, and a final battle in the very heart of the Three's followers. The city of Elvartha, the capital of the Empire, is the site of the final battle, with the Gods themselves walking the earth.
By the end of the battle, the two Usurper's are forced to leave, and the New Gods, the former Avatars, take over trying to repair the damage done to the World. It will be a long struggle, and one that may not succeed, but at the least the world is cleansed of the Usurpers.