Zaxarii sees the bodyguard walk out, and ruefully replies, "Yes, and I carry more armor than mo-" Zaxarii abruptly breaks off, his eyes snapping to the storm as he feels the unnaturalness of it. His voice having lost all the cultured tones and sounding now like metal clashing with a hint of Orc, He grates, "Kerri, with the teachings of the Ancestors' you have, can you tell if this storm is of nature or ?" Zaxarii's ears now lie flat against his head, and his expression is hard with a hint of building fury.
'I will see what they tell me.'
Knowledge (Nature)
Knowledge (Arcana)
'I wonder if i can create lightening, i must go try; i must, i really must.'
With that I sit on the floor and starting mixing some Alchemical ingredients together.
Gustav chuckles, puts his cards away into his pack, and grabs for the neares loose rope to lash himself to the railing of the ship. "Been a time since I've endured a good storm. They don't look to hit this hard in the River Kingdoms."
You both can tell that this storm is not natural, but magical in nature, though you have no way of telling the origin.
The winds begin to pick up speed, it is starting to seem rather dangerous to stay on deck.
The captain yells out. All passengers below decks.
"No need to tell me twice," Gustav remarks. He untangles himself from the rope on the rail and heads into the hold.
'Zaxarii, this storm is not a natural storm, it was "summoned" as you put it. I am afraid the Ancestors are unable to help me locate where it came from though. But I can't see the Ancestors creating this storm, if it was going to hit us. So who has the power to create a storm, other than the Ancestors? Captain wants us to go below deck, shall we go?'
Bandavaar hears Zaxarii's comment and turns to him, simply saying; "You were saying?
It looks like you'd best get below deck my friend. I'll join you in a bit. I just feel as though I need to ensure the safety of yourself and the other passengers before my own. I have little fear and even less to worry about such a trivial thing as a storm. Magical or not.
The gods seem to have favoured me so far, so I have very little to be concerned over."
Bandavaar looks to the other passengers and announces "Guys, I think it's time you all got inside. Things are going to get a little more interesting from here on out. I'll be in soon myself. I just like the feeling of being close to death every so often. Anyway, single file guys. There's no need to panic"".....yet", he mutters shortly after.
Zaxarii, not the type to be concerned about panicking anyone, calls out, "Captain, the storm is magic, not of nature, view it as an attack."
Zax looks down and says, "Yes we will go below decks, but I will stand at the door, ready if there is a follow-up." Looking at Bandavaar he says, "There is ONE passenger that is your greatest concern, Bodyguard, her life is in your hands. If you can use my assistance, call for me at once, I have the Favor of Gorum for battle and healing."
Going below, Zax checks on Kerri's well-being and then helps people get in below. When all that come are there, he stands at the doorway, prepared for anything further he can do. In the process he says to Kerri, "I do not know your Ancestors but there are a number of people in the world, great followers of some weather god or a wizards of great power, that could do this. But why and to whom is the question."
Zaxarii stands at the doorway, waiting for whatever may come.
As Zaxarii goes back to the door; after making sure I am safely below decks and he has informed me that there are people with Ancestor like powers, I starting whispering some strange words (casting "Message") and whisper to Zaxarii 'Be careful'.
"Aye Zaxarii speaks sense, magical storms don't appear simply to water the crops. This is an attack of some sorts." Harbador shoulders his pack and follows the others below, stopping momentarily near the bodyguard and saying under his breath "Warrior, who would want your master dead? What sort of threat could we be facing?"
You all go below the ships deck in the general crew area, save Bandavaar who goes back to the Captain's cabin. You are there for what seems like days, but is in actuality just over an hour. You here the shouts of the captain and crew as they try to keep control of the ship and feel the ship being tossed by the waves, but somehow not overturning. Towards the end, you hear a loud crack as wood splintering, and a crash above you. Minutes later, you heave forward as the ship seems to lunge backward, then all movement stops. Then as suddenly as it began, silence.
You emerge from the ships cabins, the sail mast has split and collapsed onto the deck, and the boat has been beached on northern end of the lake. The captain is rushing around shouting orders to his men, which number slightly fewer than when you entered cabins. Bandavaar emerges slightly after the rest of the crew with Elanna following behind. As they near your group, the captain spots them.
He approaches your group and Elanna. My lady. I apologize profusely for the trouble this has caused, but that storm was not natural. I lost three men, and as you can see, this ship will not be leaving. We will have to wait for another ship to find us, or send a group to Silverhall to dispatch rescue.
Elanna listens intently to the captain. Bandavaar told me much the same regarding the storm captain. Thank you for your efforts to save the ship and its passengers and cargo. I fear this may have been an assassination attempt. There are those that do not appreciate how close I have grown to the new king. I was returning to Silverhall both for my brother's 15th naming day, his ascension to the head of our house, as well as to obtain a retinue to protect me while I am at the capital. I fear, it is unsafe for me to remain aboard this vessel, as those who turned this storm on us will surely send someone to find the wreckage. Abadar willing, they spent most of their funds on the weather. I will need protectors while I travel. Bandavaar will obviously go with me as I have already paid for his services, and your crew needs to stay with this boat to protect its cargo from brigands. She turns toward Zaxarii. Cousin, will you accompany me? I understand you have been trained by your mother to be effective in battle. Several of the passengers on this boat appear to be battle hardened as well. I will reward those who go generously when we reach Silverhall. I'd say we are only a day or two from the fairy crossing by foot. Who will accompany me?
Gustav nods. "Clearly the ship isn't going anywhere. I've been walking and rowing for hundreds of miles now. What's two more days?" He pulls out each piece of gear, inspects them, and repacks everything for hiking. "Ready to haul out." he reports.
'If Zaxarii is willing to go, then I too shall go. I may not be battle hardened, but I am sure the Ancestors will protect me and my companions. What about you Kiana, you going to come along?'
Before the boat was beached:
Whilst watching the crew and passengers travel down to the lower quarters, Bandavaar looks at the Half-Elf and responds with an amused look on his face. "Master? Elanna is not my master. She needed a bodyguard and I needed a job. Besides, working for her will hopefully benefit my own personal goals and desires.
As for people wanting Elanna dead? Well, I'm sure there are lots of people who envy her high status as the sister of the soon to be head of House Lebedar. Jealousy is a harsh emotion. However, it's my job to protect her and see to it that such an act doesn't happen.
Just to let you know, even if a crew member, passenger or the Captain himself is found responsible for plotting to kill Elanna, I won't hold back. I trust nobody right now and have been paid for my services. If the perpetrator is found and resists, he or she will meet a swift end. If he or she gives themselves in, they'll be taken to trial."
After the boat was beached:
"Man, what a mess" Bandavaar said quietly.
Bandavaar speaks quietly to Elanna; "Lady Elanna, is there anyone amongst us who may have a personal dislike towards you? I don't trust anyone around here yet, but I have to ask. I heard you refer to Zaxarii as cousin and I briefly spoke to him on board myself, but people often say the ones who can most easily betray you are your own family members. How much do you trust Zaxarii and how likely or unlikely is it that he could be behind any possible assassination attempts?
He might have nothing to do with this, but as your bodyguard, I need to know my options and in order to best do my job, ruling out the most extreme possibilities first will bring us much closer to the truth."
Bandavaar sighs but keeps a watchful eye on the other passengers and crew members with Zaxarii being his main focus, remaining alert for any dangers that may arise.
Elanna responds quietly to your question. Zaxarii is my mother's cousin by birth, he has at least 5 other male heirs in line before him, and besides, I doubt the house would allow him to be head given his paternal lineage. His mother and my mother do not see eye to eye on many matters, but she has no desire to head the house either. She seeks only to elevate herself within her church. No, I am sure this has more to do with the king, and my intentions toward him. Someone doesn't want to see Lebeda's influence with the crown strengthened.
Zaxarii does what he can to keep people safe during the shipwreck especially Kerri.
When his cousin approaches him Zaxarii goes to one knee, and kisses her ring. He waits for her to finish talking, then rising, if so cued to do so, then says, "Of course Elanna, whatever you need. I expect the ferry point will be guarded it is an obvious move. For a less or more obvious move, I would be careful of that one," Zaxarii waves toward Harbador Hex. "he made seditious statements against the nobility; I took him for a harmless fool but now I have greater suspicions. He must be watched and not let too close, but 'Keep friends close and enemies closer' may apply in this case." Kerri talks. "Oh, let me introduce you to Kerri Corynian, late of the deep Grozni, on a quest of ancestral knowledge to better serve her people, she wields some of her ancestors' power." Gustav talks. "Presenting: Gustav Weynolt, on his way to the Crusade. He has the look of a professional soldier. And yes there are some others that appear to be arms-men. And Kiana here is an un- , I was going to say an unusual Gnome but I don't think there is such a person as a usual Gnome."
'Nice to meet you; your ladyship. Zaxarii is willing to help you and go with you, so I too shall go with you. There are some personal reasons for me to accompany Zaxarii, firstly I would not like to have this new friendship cut short, secondly I may be able to find out more knowledge about the Ancestors and thirdly I wou...' I start to choke and seem to be struggling to breath. I start to turn blue in the face at the lack of air.
Heal DC: 10 - To stop the choking.
'I shall come with you Kerri; yes I will. I want to learn more about these ancestors of yours; yes I do. Plus I could find more special ingredients to improve my concoctions; I might, I might! Usual, I am definitly not usual; no I am not.'
I grab Kerri from behind and turn her away from Elanna before trying to clear her throat by squeezing on her chest.
Heal
Concern leaps on Zaxarii's face as Kerri starts to choke, when Kiana's ministrations seem to fail, he tries, inexpertly, to help by slapping her on the back.
Heal
His mild slap on the back knocks Kiana to her knees, he picks her up like she was a kitten. "Are you all right, Kerri?"
Seeing she is still in distress, he calls for a healer. "Help, please, any healers here?"
Harbador lets outs a whoop of joy when he emerges alive from the confines of the ship yet his demeanor immediately sours at the state the ship is in.
"Seditious fool? Come now surely you could've come up with a wittier jape than that. Seditious I may be, but I do need to get to Silverhall and I never fancied myself much of a swimmer so I'll accompany you over land if you require a quick blade and a subtly that many of my stalwart companions seem to slack. Safety in numbers after all."
After pouring water from his hat and adjusting his wig, Harbador speaks again "The question still remains though, what enemy do you have capable of calling down a storm such as this? State-security aside, I'm sure we'd all rest more easily having some sort of an idea about the enemy we face"
Alistair bows slightly to Elanna.
"Mi'Lady, I would gladly help escort you to Silverhall."
[b]"I'm not that familiar with the geography around here. What lies between our current location and Silverhall?"[/b[
If the DM permits, I'll try again.
Heal
Apply any other mods for multiple attempts.
Zaxarii looks to be about to have kittens, not a pleasant sight!
This time, the slap on the back is enough to clear my throat and stop me from choking. But as Zaxarii slaps my back a small, marble like thing comes flying out and lands 30 feet away on the deck. Upon closer inspection, it is made of ice! I hug Zaxarii for the help (well as far around his body as my arms will go) and thank him profusely.
'Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! It would seem that the Ancestors wanted me to become stronger, so I would not be a burden. So they gave me a new power. Although I would have preferred them to bestow me with it, in a manner that wasn't so painful and life threatening! But the fact it was means they are concerned about this journey, there will be pain and maybe close calls of death. Alas spitting ice doesn't seem very powerful, just disgusting, but I am surprised at how far it went! At least I know there are 2 people who tried to help me, therefore I will try everything in my power and the Ancestors power to help both of you Zaxarii, Kiana.'
As I mention Kiana's name, I finally stop hugging Zaxarii and turn to face her.
While Zaxarii is patting Kerry's back, I will be assisting his Heal check.
Aid Another
Very well though. If you're happy, I'm happy, but if you get any sneaking suspicions about the intentions of others, come to me right away. I'll see about speaking to Zaxarii more, as I feel his skills will come in handy during our current objective."
Bandavaar looks over to Zaxarii and marches towards him with a big grin on his face.
"We meet again, friend. I've just had a quiet word with Elanna about a possible assassination attempt and wondered if you knew of anyone who may hold a personal grudge against her?
Politics and assassination missions aren't really my thing and I care little for nobility, but I'm loyal to my word and like to be at the top of my game with everything I do, so any information would be helpful about now.
As for my comment about nobility, I mean no disrespect by it, but I just feel being a noble is more of a risk than fighting Gladiatorial matches in an arena.
At least in the arena you know who your enemies are. Out here, when you're given even just a small amount of power or nobility, someone's already plotting to kill you. It's a cowardly way of fighting. Far too much worry and backstabbing for my liking.
Oh and one last thing; My name's Bandavaar. Pleasure to meet you."
Zaxarii is stunned by all the events, but is roused to action by Kerri's incessant hugging. Untangling himself, he says, "Kerri, please, you're ruining my image as a terrifying Bloodletter of Gorum."
Zaxarri looks slightly bewildered by Kerri's explanation but then says, " Well, Gorum wants all to be prepared for battle as that is the heart of life itself. As for your ancestors, I wonder if one of them was a White Dragon, a power both frosty and mean would match their reputation."
The large man that is Elanna's bodyguard marches over to Zaxarii, who turns and listens to his quiet questions. Zaxarii introduces himself, "Zaxarii Domnoff Lebeda, Bloodletter of Gorum, Iron Lord of Battle at Elanna's service. Think nothing of it, your feelings about politics matches mother's rather well, it's not just the nobles though, it applies to any that seek favor or advantage. Nobles just have the power that others desperately seek. To answer your questions, I must ask you to pledge not to reveal it to anyone not trustworthy, even to a later employer, on oath to Gorum; I trust you but my family is at stake."
If Bandavaar gives the oath Zaxarii says, "That is a long, hard question. If my cousin becomes Queen, there are many who would not want that. In the King's service there would be some that would lose influence with him, even a Surtova house member might strike down a rival. House Garess may feel squeezed between the Surtovas to their north and the Lebedas to their south. Orlovsky avoids conflict but are not friends with the Surtovas. House Lodovka has long been allies of Surtova, but I do not believe they would be threatened by a Lebeda link.House Medvyed I know little of, they are a strange house, close to the mysterious Grozni Forest that Kerri is from. House Rogarvia is gone and its disappearance unsettles everyone, even today. Oh and the Aldori swordlords would be hostile to this, House Lebeda is the most favorable of all the great Issian houses to the Aldori, but they view the King as an enemy, that could give cause to do anything to prevent such an unfavorable alliance for them."
Knowledge(Nobility)
The Blessing of Strife and Battle upon you Bandavaar, and my prayers are with you as you do your honorable task."
Elanna turns toward Gustav. "The landscape is fairly unsettled until we get closer to Silverhall. We are in the beginnings of the foothills of the Golushkin Mountains, within the fringes of the Gronzi Forest. We should be out of the forest by nightfall. We will follow the river closely in case we see a passing vessel."
She then speaks to everyone. "Thank you all for agreeing to escort me to Silverhall. I wish I could say the danger is over. This could be an attack aimed at me, but it could have been aimed at Lebeda in general, or if we are truly fortunate, aimed at someone else entirely and we were just unlucky. Gather your belongings, and we will set out as soon as possible."
'Sorry I didn't mean to ruin your image and will try to give you the reputation and image you desire. How did you guess about the Ancestors? Not many of the village know what they are, it is a closely guarded secret!' I cast "Message" and whisper quietly to Zaxarii 'Well they were Linnorms, which I have been told are more snake like than other dragons. Please keep the identity of the Ancestors a secret, I do not wish to have people look at me differently because of who they are.'
"Very good then," Gustav notes as he listens to the exchange between the others.
When they finish, he calls out "Anyone care to take point for our little band here? I would prefer center ranks."
Harbador listens intently as he gathers his supplies.
"I've traversed the wilderness enough in my days to gain a keen eye for pitfalls, traps, and ambushes. I would put my skills to good use if no one is against it. Elanna, what can you tell of the dangers of these woods? Is banditry common in these woods and hills?"
Know Local
Elanna
"I know little of this area, beyond the geography and the its products. I know there are some sheep farms as we get closer to Silverhall, and east of here there are some logging camps. I've heard little of banditry or other dangers, but that doesn't mean they dont exist.'
Zaxarii lifts his eyebrows at hearing Kerri's message but goes blank quickly as she talks. My, I wasn't woolgathering earlier, she does have real power, her lack of knowledge of the world is a weakness that must be remedied, with that gone she will be able to battle as well as anyone, and protect her people. ... and I want her to be able to. Gorum sent her and me here for that purpose, I'm sure of it!
Zaxarii whispers back. "Sorry, if I said anything alarming. You keep secrets well, Kerri, I had no idea that you knew who the Ancestors were. When that ice spit happened I just thought of a storyteller last winter. He spun a tale of a beautiful seductress coming into a gentle home and wrecking havoc with her ways. She looked pale and at first the suspicious thought she was a vampire. But she married the master and had his children, that ended the rumors. The children were strange and odd tragedies occurred and she was hurtful whenever she could be. It was quite the horror story ending with her turning into a white dragon and flying away, having caused as much pain as possible. That's all there is to it, I have no idea what a .. a Linnorm is, I have only heard of the Land of the Linnorm Kings, but know nothing of it."
Zaxarii hears the discussion of marching order. "Capital idea! Have Harbador lead." Where I can keep an eye on him and away from Elanna. "Put Gustav in front of Elanna with Bandavar next to her, the small ones behind them. I will follow. I'm not sure what the best place for Alistair is though, rear guard perhaps? "
Okay, I'm close to Elanna and Kerri, and the ones I don't trust are up front and away. I hope I didn't forget anyone, treachery can come from any side.
I whisper my reply to Zaxarii. 'That is a horrible story, I would never try to hurt anyone like that. All I want is to be able to protect my fellow Hin and as you saved my life and have been kind to me, I also want to help protect you; if I can. But if you ever need anything and it is in mine or the Ancestors power, I shall try to do it. There was this one story the Elder told me, the previous "gifted" was able to make himself grow in size. Which is the complete opposite of mine gift, but maybe if I begged the Ancestors they could bestow that power upon me, to help you in battle? The is a Land of the Linnorm kings? That sounds like the perfect place to learn about the Ancestors and why they came to my people!'
I pick up my backpack and put it on my back, after a few moments of struggling. All the talk folk who see my pack would be surprised at how small it is and how light it looks.
Bandavaar listens to Zaxarii's wish and respectfully agrees to keep all information passed onto him in confidence.
"Don't worry Zaxarii, I won't be doing anything to jeopardise any relationships or put your family at risk. As I say, I'm a man of my word. I have no time for back stabbers or people who get off on hurting others for their own personal gain."
Following Zaxarii's wish, Bandavaar responds....
"Ah, so it could go either way really. It sounds as though some important figures would prefer someone new to take over House Lebeda while others would be riled up and disgusted by the idea. I guess that's pretty usual. It'd be impossible to get everyone to agree on something, haha.
I don't know anything about the houses myself as I'm not really familiar with nobility, so I'm just going by what you've told me.
I know you've mentioned Kerri a few times, so I'm guessing she's the halfling you seem pretty close to right now. How did you two meet and what kind of relationship do you have? In Katapesh where I come from, it'd be a little odd to say the least if a Halfling had an amorous relationship with a Half-Orc.
Still, I'm not really one to judge, so whatever works for you two.
One thing I will say is that so far aside from Elanna, you're the only one to have had a proper conversation with me, so I'll back you in a fight. I'm here for the whole adventure, not just temporarily.
I want to see how things turn out."
Bandavaar smirks and looks up to the sky where he lets out a very deep breath.
"Good call on the formation by the way. Ideally if I were in this group with you on my own mission, I'd have probably gone at the back so I could protect everyone from behind, but due to the fact I need to ensure Elanna's safety, it's best to keep her in the middle where she's least likely to get ambushed and have me by her side, keeping tabs on the surroundings."
Harbador fails to stifle a laugh as Bandavaar alludes to the relationship between the Bloodletter and the halfling. Quickly he tries to change the subject. "Perhaps, with her leave I could disguise your charge. That goes for all those traveling over land. We are..."
His eyes dart over towards the gnome, half-orc, and halfling as he searches for the right words.
"...something of a unique band. A sight such as ourselves will surely attract attention and word can travel fast to ears who wish to hear. I would recommend to that we avoid these sheep farms in the area, while they may be a comfortable place to rest our heads but we'll stand out worse than...well I don't think we could stand out more than we already are."
Whilst standing next to Zaxarii, Bandavaar looks to the Half-Elf puzzled and simply says "Hmm".
"Right then," Gustav nods, "I'll follow Harbador when he takes point. Though you'll not need to alter my appearance, friend. I am not so remarkable a sight."
Elanna listens as the group discusses how they will proceed. "It seems that the seven of you have more experience and training for this kind of thing, so I will defer to you when it comes to our strategy."
Zaxarii listens to Bandavaar's comments on the politics but is diverted from replying by his ridiculous statements about him and Kerri. What is this fool saying? His ears flatten again, and a dangerous look lights his face. How dare he - Hmm he knows nothing of us except what was here, why AM I so protective of Kerri that he could make such an error? Control yourself, battle will soon come and you need his good will. His face then goes blank and with a flat voice he says, "You are mistaken friend, there is no romance between her and I. I just met her a few hours ago, and she was lost in a wider world she did not understand, so I placed her under my protection. A friendship is quickly growing, but I believe Gorum has brought us together that I might have the honor of guiding her through important battles, at this critical stage of her life." Zaxarii looks toward Kerri then slowly his gaze sweeps all the others. His voice deeper and with a tone of reverence he says. "This is a day of fate, lives will be remade today, paths open and close in ways never expected by those involved, in the battles sure to come we will have the chance to make ourselves what we wish to be. Choose wisely, my friend "
"With our numbers few there is not much to do with the formation, the silent swordsman is a follower of Gorum so the rear seems best, and you need to stay with my cousin as you say."
After Harbador has his say. "I don't think it matters, I doubt they could predict where landfall would be made exactly, I would guard crossing points mostly if I had few men. Anyway we are not prepared for wilderness travel so we will need to get food at a farm anyway, hunger could weaken us more then the small chance they would get warning. And unless they are locals, the peasants are not likely to cooperate, 'mind your own business' is words the people live by. "
"Thank you, Gustav." Zaxarii doesn't have much to say as yet to Gustav, but is aware he is there.
"Guess we should move out now, sooner we begin, sooner home." Zaxarii falls into formation, checks that everyone is in place, looks to Ehlanna for an indication that she is ready, when he gets it he signals Harbador to lead them out.
Alistair listens to the conversation going back and forth, trying to get a better feel for the skill and substance of his new traveling companions.
The rear guard shall be a good spot to watch from, it is the safe conduct of the lady that matters. I suppose the rest shall do, but the little one may need to be protected instead of doing any protecting.
"I think your plan is sound, Zaxarii. I will watch the back and help with any stragglers." Alistair responds with a smile.
Bandavaar realises that he may have made a mistake, but is shocked due to the seemingly strong emotions between the two regardless.
Ah, so they're not together? Everything indicates that there's a great deal of interest between the two, especially as they've only just met, but I guess the joke's on me. Ah well, that could have gone better.
The tall man looks to Zaxarii, noticing the blank expression on his face and responds; "Well, I guess I must be mistaken then. I didn't mean to offend so apologies for that. You just seem so close to one another, as if you're on the same wave length you know?
Ah well, forget I ever mentioned it. Who knows, maybe I took too many blows to the head in the arena. Forget it friend, I meant nothing by it."
Bandavaar puts out his hand, offering a hand shake, then readies himself for his journey by Elanna's side.
What else can I say to accidentally upset those around me? I wonder. The Half-Elf seems a little smug and assumed Elanna was my master, just as I assumed Kerri and Zaxarii had a thing for each other, so that can be forgiven, but I haven't really greeted any of the other surrounding people.
Bandavaar sighs with a small grin on his face
Ah well, I've got plenty of time to talk to everyone else. I'll worry about things later but will have a chat with the Half-Elf at some point. I still don't know his name, unless he introduced himself already and I just somehow remained oblivious to it. I doubt that though.
The Ex-Gladiator puts his right hand on his hilt and keeps it there for the remainder of the journey, ready to draw at any given moment.
You set out from the Zintare, heading west toward Silverhall. You follow the river fairly closely. It is about 6pm when you leave, and with the long days of summer, you have about 4 hours of sunshine left. The land is pretty much as Elanna described, the land near the lake is relatively flat, with sparse trees, and becomes more hilly as you head west. North of you, the hills are more pronounced as the land slowly rises.
As the sun starts to set, you decide to stop for the night so as not to injure yourselves in the little light available.
Edit: I really thought I added an equipment section just for my armour and weapon, but apparently I didn't. I'll just edit that now, but my money is still correct as after spending on my armour and weapon, I have 75gp left.