Hack steps forward, eyes the priest up and down, taking his measure. He takes the proffered soup and sips at it heartily. he then wipes his mouth with the back of his forearm.
Name's Hack. Mighty good soup here, and the drink is good too. I will be ready for tomorrow.
He returns to a spot against the wall, where he slupms to the floor and reclines back to rest and finish his meal.
Very uncharacteristically, Stefan eats silently. Still smarting from his poor performance up top, he is not eager to draw attention to himself. Besides, its been a long day and the extra work has made bed seem much more inviting.
Suny smiles back at the fellow who's looking at her. (^_^)
When it comes to the meal, she more than appreciates the warmth in this cold climate, nodding and indicating that the meal is good. The lil' griffon continues to amaze and fascinate her.
The priest watches you carefully; seeing that you nod in approval, he seems satisfied with that. But you get the strong impression that – even with all of his oddities thus far – he is the kind of person that is very touchy on people who criticize his cooking.
Very uncharacteristically, Stefan eats silently. Still smarting from his poor performance up top, he is not eager to draw attention to himself. Besides, its been a long day and the extra work has made bed seem much more inviting.
Watching Stefan eat in silence, the priest looks at him.
Placing down the cooking utensils he grabs his staff and moves over to Stefan, leaning hard on it and staring at him with bright eyes under his long hair.
”Oye – you – you eat da food – what do you tink of it, hey?” he asks bluntly, watching him eat; clearly wanting to know his opinion about the meal.
Name's Hack. Mighty good soup here, and the drink is good too.”
The priest beams at the praise, clearly happy that you enjoyed the meal.
”I will be ready for tomorrow,” Hack adds with some confidence.
The priest turns from his pot and watches you carefully for a moment.
”Who can be saying if dey be ready for a ting that has not come? Can you be seeing da future I ask? I don’t tink so, so how can you be knowing dat you be ready true?”
His face darkens a bit, and his fingers slide to a small pouch at his neck which he rubs slowly between them.
”Tomorrow we be seeing da dark ones do deir black magic – dark tings be happening – dark and evil… it be dred, mon – purely dredd…” he says, his eyes looking unfocused and vague, as if he is staring into another realm as he speaks, his voice suddenly lower and darker.
Uraga, Ella and Khal look at him suddenly; their easy comfort snuffed out.
Khal signals to you that you should pay close attention at this point; it seems that the priest is having some sort of premonition about tomorrow, and they listen and take heed, recommending that you all do as well.
”On the first night of no moon der be dem dat try to call on da Old Ones – who can be saying if dey come; and if dey do – what be happening to dem dat call?”
He continues to stare for a moment, as if seeing into a great void.
”On da time when dey call der will be blood; and blood be spilled for true… If dey come true called dey not be killed and we all be dying den – if we stop da call before it sounded den the one who be calling is da one who suffer for it….”
”Kill da one who calls dem before he finish – or all of us be true dead…”
He sits a moment, then shakes himself out of the stupor and looks up at Hack, as if unaware of what he said.
”You have strong heart; if you tink you’re ready – maybe you are,” he says with a pleasant nod, as if he does not even remember what he had just said to all of you, and goes back to ladling out more food to the others.
Taissa looked closely at the skull atop the oak staff. A very young dragon's head. A green dragon by its shape, possibly one frequenting swamps. She wondered how the priest came across such a creature -- did he kill the dragon himself? Taissa held herself in check. Ren said the priest could be dangerous.
When handed the bowl of soup, Taissa takes it with a polite nod of her head, blows over the surface of it and spoons some into her mouth. It was thick and fragrant, but she coughs a little at the spiciness of the dish, not used to the rich seasoning. She takes another spoonful, slower this time, but enjoying it, spiciness aside.
"It is good, priest. Spicy. I thank you."
Taissa sat still as she witnessed some kind of reading from the priest.
"So we kill the summoner of these Old Ones on the moonless night and interrupt the ritual before it is complete." Taissa's husky voice cuts through the quiet.
If there be blood, then I am sure t'be ready. I live to spill the blood of my enemies and send them to the mud, priest. I hope that your words ring true. I look forward to the chance.
Hack smiles broadly, content with the priest's vision.
"It is good, priest. Spicy. I thank you."
He shrugs a little, his face making a look of modest contrition.
"It be fair, to be sure - but next time I be making you someting better to be eatin' - dis is not my best work... but I be glad you like it, true!" he says with a wide smile.
"You got the tongue of beasts on you - dat be powerful good omen, I be tinking. Soon we come to place where if you be knowing da tongue of the beast, dat be a true help," he says, his eyes narrowing as he watches her, studying her.
"But ye know already that beast be beast true - but nay true with dem that are vermin and such... and not all beasts be goodly folk; some are bad - like the Great Serpent... he be making his home in da place where the god kings make houses of stone in da sand... dat be his home... his kind speak wit da forked tongue - dey be not trusty," he says nodding to himself.
"In da northlands ye be looking at dem dat are ravens; dat be good bird, true - but be watching for dem dat are da crows - dey may be only bird, or maybe dey be sons of da Old Crow... but he be making his home far to da north and east... and it be said he fights wit who brings da sun to sky - hoping to stop da sun from rising."
"Dat be far from us - but his brood are not trusty folk... be cautious near dem - dey be bad sorts and feast on bodies of da dead," he says, as if aware you may have already had bad experiences with crows.
Then he hums a little song and turns back to his pot of soup.
"So we kill the summoner of these Old Ones on the moonless night and interrupt the ritual before it is complete."
The priest looks at Taissa with surprise.
"Who can say? But if we be finding dem dat are priests to Old One's true - den it be better to stop dem from finishing what dey start - for all our sake," he said, his tone suggesting that he isn't entirely sure what you're talking about - but more so - he's clearly not aware that it was his own words earlier which prompted your comment.
If there be blood, then I am sure t'be ready. I live to spill the blood of my enemies and send them to the mud, priest. I hope that your words ring true. I look forward to the chance.
The priest turns a look to the northman, then he looks over Khal.
"Dis one be speaking much like you - as if you be kinfolk to him," he says with a dry chuckle.
He looks over at Hack.
"You be sending dem to mud already, eh? And you want more killing?" he says, his voice dropping quietly to a harsh whisper.
He chuckles low in his throat.
"Tomorrow night when the Black Moon rises you be seeing much killing I tink... but beware to love da killing too much. You be like him der," he says pointing to Khal "but if you be dat way, den maybe you best remember da truth of Ragnarök, eh?" and he chuckles again as Khal seems to pale at the mention of this word.
"Who knows what be happening to you den, or tomorrow," he adds.
Khal glances at Hack.
"Either way; live or die - tomorrow we will at least have honor," he says to Hack quietly and nods comfortingly at your enthusiasm.
"In da northlands ye be looking at dem dat are ravens; dat be good bird, true - but be watching for dem dat are da crows - dey may be only bird, or maybe dey be sons of da Old Crow... but he be making his home far to da north and east... and it be said he fights wit who brings da sun to sky - hoping to stop da sun from rising."
"Dat be far from us - but his brood are not trusty folk... be cautious near dem - dey be bad sorts and feast on bodies of da dead," he says, as if aware you may have already had bad experiences with crows.
Taissa's sapphire eyes widened at the mention of the crows. Taissa looked the strange priest in the eye, gauging how much he "knew" of her interaction with the large one in Beacon.
"I was given a warning, Beware, by a very large crow, when I arrived in Beacon. It flew off toward the east. I took it for omen."
Taissa kept petting Kit's wing for the little griffon seemed to gain pleasure from the attention.
He was an arrogant hatchling but that did not turn her favour. Daya could be just as arrogant -- it was part of their honour.
She softly cooed and purred between bites at Kit. Not wanting Daya to become jealous of the attention she was giving the griffon, she smiled at her beloved Roc and whistled her favourite melody.
Taissa ate her soup and drank her coffee. There was a looming darkness waiting ahead, requiring them to remove its taint. Spirits, guide my resolve to remove unnatural darkness from the natural world.
Turning her attention to the other crew members assembled, she takes stock of them before asking, "What will the open sea be like between here and our destination? Are we expecting certain trouble with pirates, storms or sea creatures? Not all of us are experienced aboard a ship and it would be wise to know what is in store for us."
Asan took a bowl and poured some of the soup, watching the condensation rise from the hot liquid in wisps and swirls. He watched the slight bob of the chunks of fish as they dipped below the surface and the little flat beans rushed in to fill the space. It was like a dance, and dipping his spoon in to take a taste of the meal, he imagined the speech of the others around him a song.
"I'd like to try a bit of that sake if there's enough." he said after a few spoonfuls of the spicy soup.
Settling into a seat next to Khal, he listened to the interchange between the crew members. It was interesting to hear their ease with one another, despite their various backgrounds. I wonder if we new travelers will become that close. As much as he felt his mission was not up to him, but the Mother, he hoped so.
When the priest spoke of the coming trouble, a chill passed over Asan, as if he had heard those words before, in a dream, when he was much younger.
Nodding to the priest,
"Yes, who can say what tomorrow brings. We can only open our eyes and see, fix our ears and listen, steele our souls and prepare"
When Taissa recalled her encounter with the crow on the streets of beacon, Asan looked over to her and Daya. Seeing Kit, the gryphon, for the first time he fixed his eyes on the creature, studying its form and colors. Still watching the hybrid beast, he commented to both the priest and Taissa.
"You are quite correct, seer. Taissa is blessed. Would that all men knew the languages of the beasts, we would be that much closer to enlightenment. On a more practical level, I expect that ability will prove quite useful as Taissa could gain knowledge from the creatures native to our destination."
He smiled at Taissa, finally breaking from his fugue that Kit brought on, and raised his cup.
"What will the open sea be like between here and our destination? Are we expecting certain trouble with pirates, storms or sea creatures? Not all of us are experienced aboard a ship and it would be wise to know what is in store for us."
The priest seems to be oblivious to the questions at this time, suddenly noticing that his soup was not flavored just right, he quickly works to correct that problem.
Meanwhile, the tension easing from the others, Khal leans back comfortably and glances at you.
”I do not think we will face trouble with pirates or sea beasts between now and then,” he says thoughtfully.
”We may have issues with the weather, but I do not think so. Before we sailed I watched the skies and tasted the wind – it should be clear skies for the next two days; but I think it will still be very cold.”
He begins to strip himself of his weapons and stows them while he talks.
”I do not think we will see many pirates; they do not normally attack this time of year. The waters are cold and there are few merchant ships to attack in any case.”
”But we go to old places on the sea – islands that have once had great buildings of the past; before they were struck by fire from the heavens and sent beneath the seas.”
Uraga watches with interest as Ella takes out her tools and begins to check their readiness even as she listens, but it seems that she already knows a great deal of these stories, and is not really paying much attention at this point.
”Many of these islands have old ruins on them; explorers seek treasure and old lore, but generally there is nothing left that has not been plundered. Still, this place may be different. An old ruin to some may be the remains of an ancient holy place for where they will make this ritual. But who knows?”
”Pirates are dumb. Sea monsters are weak. Kit killed a rat. Kit can kill sea monsters. No more questions about pirates. Talk more about how good Kit is. It is good to pet Kit. Petting Kit is good “omen”. Do you have bacon? Kit would like bacon. Giving Kit bacon is also good omen. Kit needs more petting!”
Clearly the griffon has taken to you, and has no trouble letting you know that. You suspect that as he ages he will grow more mature and more intelligent with his speech – and hopefully more focused on a single subject for more than a moment.
Still, even as cats can be distracted easily, and birds are often flighty – it seems somehow appropriate that Kit can’t concentrate on one thing for very long at this age. But he does like your attention.
Seeing that Kit is all over you, Ella gives him a stern glance.
”Kit, don’t bother miss Taissa – she’s not your petting machine,” she says and Kit gives her a beaky frown.
”Go on, Khal…” she says.
He warrior grins as he pulls himself into the hammock.
”I would think we will find some old island that is no longer populated and then find our enemy on the island practicing their dark ritual. I do not know, though. And in any case, I do not know where this place is, not really – though the priest claims to,” he says with a glance over to the back of the priest.
”But in the morning, we will see what happens next,” he adds.
”Oye – you – you eat da food – what do you tink of it, hey?” he asks bluntly, watching him eat; clearly wanting to know his opinion about the meal."
"It is a fine repast, good priest, I feel better already, thank you." Stefan replies in as good of cheer as he can muster.
Upon hearing the priest's exchange with Hack, he comments,"One does not need to see the future to know one is ready. I am sure Hack, like myself, is fully confident in his skill to do what is necessary. Worry is an emotion I find needless and wasteful. It saps confidence and courage leaving oneself vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy."
"I'd like to try a bit of that sake if there's enough."
Uraga grins and hops up, taking the flask from the stove and taking two small cups from his pack. They are porcelain and very finely painted.
He pours you a small cup and hands it to you, then pours himself a cup as well and lifts it in salute.
"Banzai!" he says with pleasure, than drinks it.
The sake is sweet and potent and it warms you instantly.
As you enjoy it, you glance again at the priest.
"You are quite correct, seer. Taissa is blessed. Would that all men knew the languages of the beasts, we would be that much closer to enlightenment. On a more practical level, I expect that ability will prove quite useful as Taissa could gain knowledge from the creatures native to our destination."
The priest turns to you and grins; but the effect is more eerie than reassuring for some reason. He moves over to you and peers at your face.
"Hmm..."
"You be saying many fine tings - I like dat... You got power in your heart, I see it clear... it be like a fire... if you want it to burn hot, all you must do is keep it lit... as long as you keep your fire lit; you will burn ever greater... I see it and I know it to be true..." he says, looking at you over the edge of the skull on his staff.
"It is a fine repast, good priest, I feel better already, thank you." Stefan replies in as good of cheer as he can muster.
The priest seems pleased with this answer and he nods.
"One does not need to see the future to know one is ready. I am sure Hack, like myself, is fully confident in his skill to do what is necessary. Worry is an emotion I find needless and wasteful. It saps confidence and courage leaving oneself vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy."
The priest turns to fix you with a stern look.
"How can you be ready for what you don't be knowing? How can a man be ready to swim if he don't know the sea - or be ready to fly if he got no wings?" he says with a dark voice.
"Be sure of yourself, aye - dat be good to be sure of your skill; but be sure dat you cannot be ready for what you don't know come."
"How can you be sure dat you do what is "necessary" until you be knowing what dat is?" he says, prodding you with his eyes.
"But I don't be saying to worry on what may come - dat be fool talk; to worry on future. How can worry change what is coming to you?" he adds with a growl.
"I say only dat you do not know what come - so you cannot be sure of how ready you are. But maybe you be ready for what you are sure of, eh?" he says watching you.
"Death come - dat be sure - if you ready for death, den you ready for anything. If you see death come calling - be sure that he be coming for you one day or another - don't be fearing it; he come like Fate come. One day - and no man knows that day - death call for you."
"If you ready for death, you got no worry at all left. But - dat don't make you ready, true - to be ready, you got to know what be coming so you know how to fight it."
"Or else death come to meet you too soon," he says seriously.
"But I don't be saying worry. I say to ask what come - to find da truth - and when you know what be out dere - den you be ready, true... or as best as you can be, eh?" he says with a nod at Stefan, then turns back to his soup.
Polux digests both the soup and the words, though the first is really not to his taste, and the second too vague for his liking. He keeps his thoughts to himself for most of the meal, but when the opportunity presents itself, he addresses the priest - "Well met - I am Polux. First of all thank you for the nourishng soup, and thanks also to the crew for making us feel welcome" - he offers an obvious nod to Ella.
Taking another taste of the soup, he adds - "I would like to ask if we have any detail of what we are up against? From what I have heard so far, I guess we can expect to face some sort of cultists... But... Do we know anything else? Do they command magical powers? Divine or Arcane? Are they mostly combatants?" - he looks at everyone in the cabin, than back at the priest - "Most likely, we do not possess such information, but if there is any shred of a clue, I would be interested in knowing about it - I have had enough of "not being prepared" for the time being, after almost freezing out there..." - he shakes his head.
"Apologies, I have no bacon, fierce one", Taissa responded to the griffon, giving him one last tickle on his wing before concentrating on the flow of words in the cabin.
When Khal mentioned the cold weather, Taissa remembered that some of the group did not have proper gear. "Polux was fortunate to gain some woollen, furred clothing to keep the chill at bay. But there are some still without appropriate garb. Suny, mayhap you need more than the winter blanket to stave the chill on this journey?"
When Khal confessed he didn't know the location of the island with the ruins and only the priest did, she turned her deep blue eyes on the strange seer for a moment.
"It is good the priest knows the location. We have little time to travel from isle to isle in search of ruins and rituals." Taissa paused, hoping her words did not come out wrongly and anger the priest or Khal and she lowered her gaze to a more meek stance.
At Asan's admiration of her ability to speak with animals and his boast of her skill, Taissa directs a tentative smile at the dark-skinned human. "If there are animals with which to speak, I shall attempt to gain information". Turning to the gnome, she asked plainly, "Ella, can you speak with animals?" It would be a boon if there were two of them with such facility.
Suny finishes her meal, eating just enough to help raise her core temperature, before helping clean, wash and put away the utensils.
Setting up her hammock along in the same place the rest of the crew is/are she helps those no accustomed to such things with the details. Even going so far as to help explain how one gets into and out of such a bed-set. (^_^)
As she gets ready for sleep, casually begining to strip out of her armor, she turns to Taissa's offer of warmer clothing and smiles.
"Aye, thank'e muchly. I got's ta' say I din't rilly believe tha' tales of how cold it does get here!" She gives a theatrical faux shiver.
Skipping over Suny examines what Taissa has on offer. Observing with much interest how this mew clothing all works.
"Ah! Buttons!" Suny exclaims about some of the items. (^_^)
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As Kit stares up at Taissa she looks down at him.
"Apologies, I have no bacon, fierce one"
Kit seems aghast at this statement, however.
"No bacon is very bad. More petting, less talk. You are smart. I am very fierce. Yes. Fierce is good word for me. I shall not destroy you for lack of bacon. You called me fierce. That is good word. I am cold now. I want to snuggle. You have petted me good. Now I am tired. Good night."
Seeing that the petting is done, he instantly turns to head over to Ella for some more snuggling.
"Ella, can you speak with animals?"
She gives you a quick glance as she gets comfy.
”Oh yeah, all the time,” she says then sighs.
”But I ain’t got the talent that you got! I speak to them plenty, but I can’t understand a word they say; except for my handsome little ball of fuzz over here… who’s a good boy, who's a good boy?” she says as Kit looks pleased at the words, then sees everyone else and looks slightly embarrassed at what she is saying.
Pollux turns from this display, his military mind clearly more interested in information at this point.
"I would like to ask if we have any detail of what we are up against? From what I have heard so far, I guess we can expect to face some sort of cultists... But... Do we know anything else? Do they command magical powers? Divine or Arcane? Are they mostly combatants?"
The others kind of look at you a bit oddly, trying to decipher your first question.
”Who cares what type of sorcery it is? Witchcraft is witchcraft, if they get their magic from an old tome or some foul demon,” Khal says with a shrug.
”They call on a black god and seek to make blood sacrifices… this we know,” he says thoughtfully ”and if that is correct, that tells us much,” he adds.
Uraga gives him a glance.
”Explain, please,” he says, getting comfortable in his rack.
Before Khal can answer, Ella interrupts.
”First thing for sure is that they don’t live on the island – if they did, we’d have all heard of it by now. That means they get there with a ship, so we’ll likely see some kind of ship around the place from a ways out,” she says in a matter-of-fact tone, calling over Kit, who hops up on her lap, then she pulls her blanket over him.
Kit promptly pushes his head out to peak around at everyone and try to fix all with an imposing – if sleepy – stare.
”If they’re making sacrifices – and more than one, as it seems – that’s likely the sacrifices aren’t happy about it – so it’s likely they got folk prisoners who need saving,” she adds.
”Most priest types got power; but they also tend to be pretty special in the order of things… like a noble type, generally; there’s a good chance that there’s likely a pecking order – you know, high priest, maybe some acolytes and possibly servants or the like…”
”If that’s the case, and it seems likely given the padre’s comment about killing the boss priest doing the ritual earlier… I’d figure there’d be one main guy who’s got more magic than the rest and maybe some of his aids and all and probably a bunch of thugs to help crew the ship and guard the boss priest and his aids. Probably got a bunch of sailors, too, as most priests don't spend their time learning to sail... not to mention some likely guards for them that’d be sacrificed,” she says with a shrug.
She looks over at Uraga.
”But hell, it’s all kind of there if you think about it.”
"Most likely, we do not possess such information, but if there is any shred of a clue, I would be interested in knowing about it - I have had enough of "not being prepared" for the time being, after almost freezing out there..." - he shakes his head.
Ella gives Pollux a quick glance and grins.
”Well, like I said – we don’t know for sure, but that was some good guesses on the few clues we got,” she says thoughtfully as Kit yawns a bit.
”But I hear you on the "being prepared" part. Once we get a fix on the island, we can check the charts and sort of guess we’re they’ll likely land, and then plan our move from there. Still, I guess we’ll find out more, soon, though, as we can't be too far out from it,” she adds.
”Hell, we’ve dropped anchor; so if we really needed to get there fast we’d be all working a double shift through the night and be tired in the morning regardless. But that ain’t the way of things, so we got no particular worries on time, I figure, as being fully rested and fresh for the fight seems more important now,” she adds.
At that point John comes downs the hatch and glances at you all.
”Hey gang,” he says brightly.
”What’s cooking? It smells great,” he says to the priest in the corner, then hops down the last part of the stairs and looks at you all with a grin.
”Ren’s on duty above ‘till eight bells this watch, then I want Khal to swap out so Ren can get some shut eye,” he says and the big man nods from his place in the corner.
John glances at you all.
”Everything good?” he asks.
"Polux was fortunate to gain some woollen, furred clothing to keep the chill at bay. But there are some still without appropriate garb. Suny, mayhap you need more than the winter blanket to stave the chill on this journey?"
John frowns at his crew from his place by the hatch.
”Come on, guys – we got new crew and it’s cold weather. You mean to tell me you didn’t plan on sharing gear with them? You know I don’t want sick folk on this packet,” he says look over his people with a bit of a frown.
”Hell, Johnny, you can’t blame us,” Ella grumbles from her place on the bunk.
”You only asked them a million times if they got questions and such – and no one even asked for warmer gear… how the hell are we supposed to know?” she says with a grumble.
John rolls his eyes.
”Oh I don’t know… maybe you got to ask a bit,” he says with a shake of his head, looking at Sunny, then back to Ella with a bit of a frown.
”That one’s traipsing about in naught but an old tarp and barely enough to cover her bits and pieces… what – ya’ll didn’t think to ask her if she needed warmer gear? Come on, guys. Start thinking things through!” he says to his folk.
He moves to a locker and tugs it open, pulling out some wool trousers, a wool shirt and heavy frockcoat and knit hat and tosses one after the other to Sunny, shaking his head at the crew.
"Aye, thank'e muchly. I got's ta' say I din't rilly believe tha' tales of how cold it does get here!"
He glances at Suny as she examines the geear.
”Yeah, well – it does get cold in the winter time,” John says a bit dryly.
He turns to the others.
”Right! Anyone else need gear? Don’t be shy, just say ask,” he says looking around, clearly a bit frustrated with his folk for not taking a little more initiative with the new people.
As his crew looks a bit sheepish at his glance, Taissa offers some more positive thoughts.
"It is good the priest knows the location. We have little time to travel from isle to isle in search of ruins and rituals."
John looks at her.
”Aye! That’s a fair certain. But now I got it marked on my charts above – after the padre gave me the tip earlier tonight. Just spent the last hour trying to plot the best course to get there, on account of all the trouble with the cold weather and stuff,” he adds.
He moves over and helps himself to a bowl of the soup and sets to with gusto.
”Way I figure it,” he adds as he slurps the hot soup quickly ”We head out at dawn and we’ll get there sometime near sunset, maybe a bit sooner or later, depending on the wind. That means we got some cover of dark to bring the ship about to move without any prying eyes to see us coming.”
He slurps another piping mouthful of the soup.
”The islands kind of crescent shape. There’s a tall hill on the northwest end with some old buildings on the top – nothing fancy, but I reckon that’s where they’ll do the job.”
”The island’s got two long spurs which come down from the hill to form a nice little bay which faces the north east. That’ll likely be where their ship’ll be moored.”
”Our plan so far is to come up from the south side and moor our ship on the southern end of things behind the treeline and out of the way of the bay. Then we’ll stab up through the trees to the beachhead where they made their landing and see if they got a camp on the surf. If so, we’ll split up there and one group will take them at the camp – assuming there’s any folk worth taking – and the other will move up hard to top of the hill.”
”When the fighting starts I don’t want any basterds come running up to reinforce the position or slipping through the trees to snipe at us while we’re doing knife work, that’s why we’ll need to split up,” he adds.
”There’s a good chance things at the top of the hill be rough if sorcery’s there… if you know how to handle magic, that’s one thing. If not… maybe sticking to the other group will be better,” he says, lifting the bowl to finish the soup.
He glances at Taissa thoughtfully.
”If you know how to talk to animals and such, we could use your help scouting the place out from a distance,” he says.
”I’d sure like to know what kind of ship they got, and how many men, too – before we do this thing. Sending over something above that could see them than swing back to give us the tip be helpful,” he adds as Kit promptly dives his head under the covers by Ella.
He puts his bowl down and wipes his hands briskly.
”Well, that’s pretty much it. Anyone got any questions?” he says glancing around.
While he waits for an answer, he glances over at Taissa.
”Oh yeah – Ren told me to tell you he’s sorry he can’t come down now, but he’s on watch. He’ll talk more in the morning – but I told him I wanted all ya’ll to get some sleep before you do this thing,” he says by way of explanation on Ren’s absence.
He looks at the others thoughtfully.
”You all seem like a tough bunch and good to go. Stefan, Polux, Hack and Asan - I reckon ya'll be on point? That'd leave maybe Taisa, Geser and Suny back with ranged weapons... or whatever your style, is. Hell, I don't know - that's just a guess, but ya'll know better what you're good at than I do, I reckon. Anyhow, that may be something ya'll want to figure out before you hit dirt, though, so you got some tactics planned before you get into it."
"As for me, well, if you got any more things to ask – gear you need, or whatever – just holler… “ he adds.
She refrained from chuckling aloud at the young griffon's words and antics. Instead she inclined her head in small bow and bid him goodnight, "Sleep well, fierce, handsome Kit."
When talk turned to the dark ritual and where the occultists were located, Taissa noted what Khal had said before the Capatin joined them, "Earlier, Khal mentioned that due to the cold weather, shipping lanes would not be bustling with vessels. So if they are travelling by ship, mayhap we may sight and waylay them before they hit shore? I will ask Daya to scout from the skies and relay anything she sees. Otherwise, as said, we will fight them on land."
It was a shame that Ella could not speak the language of animals, so that would be left up to her alone.
Suny didn't seem to grasp the drop in temperature and the effect it would have on her out here on the sea. "Take the warm clothing, Suny. The Captain is right, we can't afford anyone getting sick and spreading it to the others. If you have trouble with buttons, I can help you."
When Captain John mentioned that Ren was staying topside and not retiring until watch was over and then only to sleep, she nodded her head to show she understood and accepted. She asked, "Captain John, do you want me to join Ren on watch? Or just find my bunk and sleep?"
Geser notices people gradually filtering belowdecks, but he has not been sent down himself yet; as such, he will remain on duty--even recognizing that he's fairly useless at the task of sailing. Eventually hunger grips him and the cold gnaws at him like the food he'd like to have, but still he remains at his post. He eventually approaches whoever he can find to offer to take watch this night.
Polux finishes his meal as he listens to the words from Ella, taking it all in, then shrugging his shoulders - "Your reasoning is sound. There is only so much we can anticipate about what lies ahead. Guess we'll prepare as we can, make the best of it once we get there, and have more information to work with"
”You all seem like a tough bunch and good to go. Stefan, Polux, Hack and Asan - I reckon ya'll be on point? That'd leave maybe Taisa, Geser and Suny back with ranged weapons... or whatever your style, is. Hell, I don't know - that's just a guess, but ya'll know better what you're good at than I do, I reckon. Anyhow, that may be something ya'll want to figure out before you hit dirt, though, so you got some tactics planned before you get into it."
"Now there is something we haven't discussed at all" - he comments - "I am more of a in your face combatant, though I know how to use a bow effectively. If we are expecting a lot of natural hazards or barriers while travelling I'll stick with my light armour - it allows more freedom of movement, if we need to be silent, or otherwise more reliable on finesse than strength. Even in combat, it allows me more mobility, the way I like it" - he seems to ponder for a second, then adds - "I have nothing against slapping on some heavier armour, and play the front role, and I can do it as well as any other" - he pats the banded mail in his backpack - "But if given the opportunity, I'd rather have more freedom of movement and action to find my place in a tussle"
When talk turned to the dark ritual and where the occultists were located, Taissa noted what Khal had said before the Capatin joined them, "Earlier, Khal mentioned that due to the cold weather, shipping lanes would not be bustling with vessels. So if they are travelling by ship, mayhap we may sight and waylay them before they hit shore? I will ask Daya to scout from the skies and relay anything she sees. Otherwise, as said, we will fight them on land."
"I like the idea Taissa. If we could manage a way to prevent them from reaching their appointed destination, it could go a long way as far as catching them by surprise, avoiding them the time to get set up defensively on solid ground, which I expect they will do once they reach the island"
You all seem like a tough bunch and good to go. Stefan, Polux, Hack and Asan - I reckon ya'll be on point? That'd leave maybe Taisa, Geser and Suny back with ranged weapons... or whatever your style, is. Hell, I don't know - that's just a guess, but ya'll know better what you're good at than I do, I reckon. Anyhow, that may be something ya'll want to figure out before you hit dirt, though, so you got some tactics planned before you get into it."
After Hack responds, Stefan adds, "I also do not like heavy armor. Although my preference is because I do not like the binding quality of such. However, I will stand toe to toe with any opponents as opposed to moving around. It is the nonphysical threats that concern me more."
Aye, Stefan and I can handle the front lines. I rush headlong into battle in a fit of rage! I send many to the mud with my axe.
Suny hapily accepts Taissa's helping in learning about how all these new clothes work.
"I prefer my light armour, too. I am best with my bow, but can wield the lucerne hammer well enough if there is need to. I will remain in the back, firing arrows into the fray or before you all jump into face-to-face combat."
Taissa had a picture in her mind of Hack in rage, cutting down his foe with axe. The Northern man was certainly a sight - both tall and strong.
"Daya, of course, is good to attack from above with beak and talons. Yet, she goes in after all others, for she is still young. She will only heed my commands."
Turning to Suny, who is standing beside her now, "Suny, you look like you are good with bow? Perhaps together we can defend from the rear." Taissa silently noted that Polux had declared a fair hand with the bow.
Redirecting her focus onto the priest, Taissa adds mindfully, "Priest, if they come at us with magic, will you use your power to counter? Stefan has raised a valid point with his concern for the non-physical threat."
"A plan is forming then - We have Hack and Stefan taking front duty, and Taissa providing ranged support, which leaves me kinda free to fill in the gaps if everyone agrees" - he nods seriously - "Suny, what about you..?"
Looking around for a moment, Polux adds raising an eyebrow - "And where is Geser? Still up top? We should get him down here - this talk is important"
"It is good to plan such things. I have no skill with armor, and mostly rely on speed in a fight, but I will stand by anyone's side and assist with combat."
He frowns slightly.
"I'd like to bring up again, though, that we should investigate as much as possible before acting. Indeed, if people are being held against their will, they should be freed, but they are being sacrificed voluntarily, however unlikely that is, or have been coerced, we must show restraint."
Geser joins the group and takes up as comfortable a position as he can where he doesn't have to displace anyone. He digs out his warmer clothes and, at long last, puts them on.
"If we are discussing combat, I prefer my firearms. I will get in close if need be."
Geser helps himself to the food and takes a good look at the Padre.
"You are the Padre? If I may ask, which god do you serve?"
"You are the Padre? If I may ask, which god do you serve?"
The priest turns from his cooking, seeming oblivious to the all that John was saying and he looks Geser up and down.
”I be serving no god, me good half-man,” he says giving you a wry smile.
”I be serving dem dat da folk know only as da Fates – and I offer my spirit to dem dat are da Fate, for dey be da ones dat give me my power,” he adds with a low chuckle.
”No ting – not man or beast or god or demon can do naught if it ain’t be deir fate to do it, eh? So even da gods – dey be bowing to deir Fate, and so dat be da ting I give my service to,” he says, turning back to his soup.
John takes out a cheroot and lights it casually, his eyes flicking back and forth and again and again. It’s as if he can’t keep with up with all the words himself, which is unusual, as he typically tends to have no problem with communication.
Finally, he puts up his hands.
”Right! Wow – okay, so many questions… gods, where to begin?” he says with a little chuckle.
Then he takes a breath and starts.
”First thing’s first; the island itself…”
”Now, I never been there, but enough folk have for us to have it clear on the charts."
"The thing is, there’s a lot of broken up ruins and old buildings in the seas near Varisia. Of course, a lot of treasure hunters and explorers have gone tomb raiding and so on, looking for old junk or what-have-you, and generally most of it's been cleared out of anything of note…”
”Well, as most of the places have been picked over, I really can't think of much that'd be at this one, like I said – the place we’re heading to isn't that special. Hell, it's only on a lot of charts because even though it's a small island it's got a pretty secure bay; good for careening ships and so on.”
”But folks don’t normally go to there on account of it’s supposed to be haunted – or some crap like that.”
Ella is snuggling with Kit and seems to be dozing while Uraga is already asleep, having already heard the tale. Khal alone is awake, but he’s clearly just up for the company while the priest continues to work at the kitchen.
John seems to come to his point with a slow relish.
”Right! So… the rumor is that there used to be a village that had some sea elves there… a few lads did trading with them… one time they came back and the village was there but all the elves were gone; except one – he was gibbering like a madman and kept on rambling about something called the Black Stone… no one could get much out of him; in the end he died in a crazy house, screaming of how they disturbed things that should be left alone…” he pauses, the tale normally a fun ghost story now seeming somehow far less entertaining given the nuances of this quest.
He clears his throat.
”Over the years a few sailors have stopped there during storms for shelter – most of them reported on the remains of a decent dock and some old ruins, but nothing fancy or worth it.”
”One fella said he heard strange drums in the night, but it’s all pretty much wrapped up in superstitious nonsense for the most part.”
He takes a pull on his smoke.
”What we do know for sure is the layout of the island; which I already went over. Nothing too special about it, most folks wouldn’t notice it – but during this Black Moon thing? Hell… that’s another story altogether,” he says thoughtfully.
He exhales the smoke through his nostrils, thinking a moment.
”Right – someone said something on tactics…” he says to the others.
”Ya’ll know that bows are kind of… well, they’re alright – but there’s a lot of lads using these,” he says slipping his pistol from the holster at his side and spinning quickly then holstering it.
”Swords are alright, too… but… well, I remember this one time I squared off with a lad with a sword. It didn’t go too well, as I recall...” he says with a grin.
He thinks a moment.
”From what the texts say that the padre showed us, this ritual is kind of tricky. They need to begin prepping the temple at daybreak… that’s in a few hours and why we ain’t pushing hard now. We don’t want to interrupt them when they’re all moving from their ship up the hill.”
”The plan is to get there at night – if we do get there, it’s likely that they’ll have some lads down by the docks or wherever – to ferry the priests back when they’re done. Also, it’s a good bet that most sailors don’t want to be closer to priests more than they need to. After all… if they’re really calling on demons, I’d not even want to be on the damn island, even if they were paying me to ferry ‘em around. So I’d probably wait down by the beach, and I’m hoping most of their regular sailors do, too.”
He squats down and begins to make a crude map on the deck with small slivers of wood that he picks up and slowly arranges.
”Now – the plan is that we have two groups.”
”The cave that this thing is supposed to be happening at is about a quarter mile up the hill from the dock area, according to the padre,” he adds.
”I’m heading up there with him, Khal, Uraga and Ren. We’re leaving Ella to guard the ship. She’s can pick off any that try to come near us in a pinch,” he adds, glancing up you all, then continuing.
”We’ll be dealing with their witchcraft, or whatever the hell’s going on – we’ll sort of ease in slow and then hopefully take a few shots at them to try to bust things up while the padre works his magic.”
”When we start shooting we’re hoping any of the rest of them down by the beach hear the gunshots. At only a quarter of a mile away, it’s damn likely they will.”
”By then ya’ll should be in position to make your move. When they hop up to investigate, they’ll likely come charging hard up – and if all goes as plan, right into your ambush,” he says with a grin.
”At which point they won’t be able to move up to support their crew on the peak – we’ll deal with them.”
”Ya’ll be on the beach or in the woods doing what you got to do so that they’re put down hard so they don’t reinforce.”
”I don’t expect them to be too tough; just scum who’re probably drinking or napping, maybe.”
”The trick is – you could hit ‘em first. But if you do and we ain’t ready that might mess our ambush up, as a fight by the beach will be loud enough to tip our hand too early. That can’t happen – ‘cause we need to be able to do what we go to without having it get messed up. Magic can be pretty particular that way, I hear,” he says with a shake of his head.
He looks at the others.
”Now, I wasn’t planning on giving ya’ll armor – the thing is, we only got enough of that gear for each other – unless you count things like a few spare shields and such.”
”But we got some weapons for any that might want ‘em?” he adds.
”We got a few good axes, some belaying clubs, some odd swords and such; but the real trick is that we got a score of muskets on board. Most of them we’re taking with us for Uraga and Ren to use; but we can spare some if any of you got a hankering for them?” he says looking at the group.
As he waits for their thoughts, he shrugs.
”Anyhow, it’s been a long day,” he says flexing the fingers on his bandaged hand a bit.
”I’m going to get some solid sack time before tomorrow."
"You all do what you need to, just remember; this thing’s going to be rough. So do what you need to do to get ready for it…” he adds, then gives a quick salute and heads aloft.
Redirecting her focus onto the priest, Taissa adds mindfully, "Priest, if they come at us with magic, will you use your power to counter? Stefan has raised a valid point with his concern for the non-physical threat."
The priest turns from his place near the fire slowly and watches Taissa with a flinty expression for a moment.
Then he chuckles darkly, and his eyes slowly relax.
"Aye... I be using me magics on dem for true; den dey dat be calling on deir Dark Ones to be comming be seeing what deir Fate be holding for dem..."
He laughs again, the sound somehow eerie.
"Aye... I be showing dem true power; den it be dem dat know da meaning of dred," he adds the last to himself, his eyes staring off into the distance.
Then he looks up at her and smiles.
The priest was certainly a strange, foreboding man and Taissa believed him when he said he held true power. No, she did not mock him. She wondered whether his Fates and her Spirits were connected and hoped their combined forces resulted in victory against the dark acolytes.
Taissa respectfully inclined her head to the priest.
She turned her deep gaze on the Captain, wanting to enquire of the firearm, "I haven't fired a musket before. If someone can show me how it is done, I will take one with me if my bow fails to find quarry."
Having listened to Captain's John's plan of attack, Taissa voiced her thoughts to those in her group, "So, we form the second attack. Do we divide the group? Say, the front-line fighters quietly lie in wait halfway up the hill from the beach, and the rest of us proficient with ranged weapons at top, at the edge of the woods or up in the trees firing down upon the enemy as they rush up once gunshots go off? Then we aren't all congregated together and easier to pick off. I could have Daya closer to the cave, high in the trees or cunningly manning the skies." Taissa was simply making a suggestion regarding the combat and willing to listen to those more experienced in fighting tactics.
Turning to Suny, who is standing beside her now, "Suny, you look like you are good with bow? Perhaps together we can defend from the rear." Taissa silently noted that Polux had declared a fair hand with the bow.
Suny continues to giggle as she twiddles with her new clothes. "Hehehe! I haz BUTTONS!" (^_^)
Then, having gotten the hang of things for now, she deftly removes them, folding each item carefully and placing it gently on the end of her hammock before dragging her trunk/chest out into the open for every one to see as she wraps her blanket about herself again and kneels beside her luggage. Opening the lid Suny begins to take things out, laying them gently on the deck as she explains them.
"Okeys...here be my long sword..." Suny places an two handed, Elven curved blade upon the deck.
"Then, I gots me small swords..." And Suny puts a pair of short swords beside the first weapon.
"Now, I gots a bow, an' some arrows, an' a cross-bow an' some bolts, an' me sticks..." So saying she draws a pair of wooden items shaped some what like "├ " upon the boards. "An' I gots me lil' stickers..." And here Suny puts a bundle of what simply appears to be wooden spikes. Clenching a fist, Suny takes a 'jab' at the air,
"An' if'n I get rilly upset with some one? I can give 'em a good boppin!" She declares proudly. (^_^)
The group notes that pretty much all of Suny's gear, except the swords, are made of wood or other natural materials.
"Now, I gots two armors. Me comfy one an' tha' one whut's made of heaver shells..." And Suny lays out her two sets of lamellar armor which have been woven together from the various shells of marine creatures. She smiles at every one. (^_^)
"Now...um...about whut ye were sayin' in regards ta' tha' bad peoples?" Suny asks, "Why is it we's splittin' our group when it makes more sense ta' me ta' remove one group at a time?" Suny nibbles absently on her lip for a moment before continueing.
'Ya see, ta' me, it makes much more sense we sail in't harbour an' make them's whut are waitin' think we's pirates, jus' like they is. We have a couple of extra peoples trussed up as 'gifts' fer them's doin' all'a song an' dancin'." And here Suny gives a wink to indicate it is herself who's willing to act as just such a target,
"Heck, we jus' say that them Summonin' folks be keepin' tha' left hand an' tha' right hand from knowin' whut each other be doin' ta' explain why there's two groups of us. Then, if they asks why there's more sacrifices...Jus' point out that t'is better fer more sacrifices than they selfs bein' eated, right?" Suny smiles.
"Then, when we's all close an' personal like, we nab 'em pirates and take 'em down, all quick as ye Uncle! Once they be out'a tha' way...Heck, maybe make some of 'em offers ta' share in'a more shiny even. Give us more numbers. We go an' deal with them's whut be doin' all'a nasty stuffs." SUny's grin grows wider,
"An' I gots a naffy idea as ta how ta' gets them nasty peoples in'a cave ta' accept they extra sacrifice..." She looks to the crew, "You guys got a net fer fishin', right?" Suny sits back and waits for others reactions to her ideas.
(^_^)
Hearing a rundown of Suny's weaponry and armour was interesting, but Taissa wanted to know something more specific. "What are you best at? Are you fairer with a bow or one of your swords and such?"
Captain John had explained that he wanted them to arrive in the cover of night when there would be less of the enemy by the dock and shore, so they could take them by surprise. Suny's idea was less covert and open to more problems. Taissa didn't believe the enemy would take them for other pirates with further sacrifices for the ritual. But Taissa held her tongue. She waited to hear what the others had to say.