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Varor draws his scimitar and holds it at the ready, not daring to move in without any armor and test his odds against a hippogriff.
As he does so he looks around at the hippogryphs and tries to think of something, something nagging at the back of his head, but it takes a moment for him to realize what it is. "Hey guys you don't suppose that these hippogryphs belonged to the now disband Sable Company do you?"
Bash: Attack and Hit
Zamanda: Miss
Kalem: Attack, Hit and Kill
Pel: MM
Ilsa: Scary Stare
Varor: Full Defense
- failed
Bashiel and Kalem split into different directions, each picking out one of the hippogriffs. Kalem's drops immediately while Bashiel grievously wounds the other. Pel fires off a burst of magic missiles at a third, while Zamanda's arrow goes wild. The last locks eyes with Ilsa for a brief moment, then begins to screech in panic before it turns and flies back off into the sky.
The one in combat with Bashiel unleashes a flurry of bloodied claws and beak but only scratches harmlessly against the paladin's armor. The last charges at Pel, trying to bite the offending arm that threw the magic missiles at it but misses.
With two down or gone and the last two injured, Clara is merely twirling about, half-frozen in shock at how quickly she went from thinking she was about to die to how dangerous her escort is.
[ooc]Hmm. Oh well! That's it for them. Your turn!]/ooc]
Spinning on his heels, Kalem raised his flaming hammer. Blood sizzled as it dropped. With a burst of speed and a grin on his face he charged at the one attacking Pel.
The hammer burst through it’s spine, causing the creature to fall to the ground. Looking at Pel, Kalem burst into laughter. The power...it felt good
Cayden's lucky cup! That was close! Pel thinks as the hippogryph nearly bites into his arm. Clara is right behind him. He can't back off now, not an open her up for an attack.
Then Kalem charges in and attacks it. Pel is about to look over and smile at Kalem in thanks when he looks at the tiefling's face. Something doesn't seem quite right.
Almost unconsciously, Pel steps a little more in-between Kalem and Clara and says to him, "Kalem... or Shadow... are you okay?"
Bashiel eyes the hippogriff carefully and then goes for a two-handed thrust, sweeping the blade free of the hippogriff in a single smooth motion.
Hearing Varor's comment about the origin of the hippogriffs, Bashiel calls out "I don't think so! That one seemed far too wild. I'd hope the Sable Company trained the ones they had better." He turns to see the rest of the hippogriffs dealt with.
The last of the hippogriffs are dispatched, leaving you with the sounds of Kalem's crackling and sizzling hammer and the screeches of the fleeing hippogriff as it takes to the air and flies away.
Clara looks about wide-eyed, then bursts out, "That was AMAZING! I thought we were done for sure!"
Kalem took a deep breath. The flames died, his claws receded, and the light in his eyes vanished. Looking at Pel with a smile, he said ”Okay? I feel great. Never better. You use magic, so I’m sure you know how it feels. The power flowing through you? There’s nothing like it.”
Pel offers a small smile back to Kalem while he thinks, I don't think my magic feels like what you're experiencing right now.
Finally, the arcanist says, "I'm glad you're on our side, Kalem."
To Clara, Pel says, "I told you we would keep you safe. Just stay near us in case there are anymore hippogriffs about."
To everyone, he says, "We should keep moving. I'd prefer not to encounter anymore of those, or anything else, before we make it to our destination."
"I don't know about anything else but," Varor says, sheathing his scimitar, "I certainly don't want to be here if the one that ran comes back with backup. Shame we can't bury the bodies though, but the beasts of the world will take care of that."
As he offers a silent prayer to the now dead hippogryphs he casts a quick glance at Ilsa. 'Why did that first hippogryph leave Ilsa? All you did was look at it and it fled.'
Zamanda smiles at Clara's outburst.
She picks up her arrows and looks around, wondering what a Hippogriff nest would look like. Then she goes with the others, continuing their journey.
Bashiel quickly cleans off his longsword and spares a long look for the hippogriff he killed. This could have been Blackbeak, if he hadn't been trained by Mirya. Attacking travelers on the main road out of Korvosa... and I thought the worst dangers were the ones inside the city.
He turns and gives Clara a grin "Not a problem. If there's anything we're suited to, its protecting people from terrible beasts."
He nods at Pel's and Varor's comments "Onwards. I'll keep lookout for any more." He brings out his longbow so that he can discourage any additional hippogriffs (or other dangers) before they can get as close as these did.
Pel offers a small smile back to Kalem while he thinks, I don't think my magic feels like what you're experiencing right now.
Finally, the arcanist says, "I'm glad you're on our side, Kalem."
To Clara, Pel says, "I told you we would keep you safe. Just stay near us in case there are anymore hippogriffs about."
To everyone, he says, "We should keep moving. I'd prefer not to encounter anymore of those, or anything else, before we make it to our destination."
As they turned to leave, Kalem looked at Pel with a smile. "And I'm glad you're on mine too. We'll have to talk one of these days. I'm just happy to know that there is someone else here who knows what this feels like. It's good not to be alone." With that he slapped Pel on the shoulder and went back to taking point as they walked.
Later that evening, you arrive at Trots. The fare is bland and the accommodations are vermin-free -- mostly. After settling in to the common room for a meal, you eventually are approached by a large, barrel-chested man with a face weathered by years in the sun. "Cousin Clara! So good to see you!" He smiles broadly and steps next to the table, hands open and at his sides. He wears a leather jerkin, worn with age, with an axe strapped to his back. It doesn't look like it's seen much use. "And you must be the friends of Master Orisini. Name's Jasan. Mind if I sit and join you?"
Indicating the axe, Zamanda says You know how to use that thing, right?
She smiles, but she also wants to make sure that Clara will be safe.
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Pel simply nods in response to Kalem, still not entirely sure how he feels about the tiefling.
Once the party arrives at Trots and meets Jasan, Pel walks over and shakes the man's hand before saying, "Good to meet you, Jasan. I trust your cousin is in good hands. Please, feel free to sit with us. How are things in this part of Varisia?"
Bashiel pulls up a chair for Jasan. "Go ahead." He crosses his arms. We just turn her over to this fellow? I suppose if he has Orisini's trust, he should be fine.
Following up from Pel's comment, Bashiel mentions "We came across a group of wild hippogriffs while on the way to Trots. If there are hippogriffs attacking travelers on major roads, it can't be too good."
Jasan exchanges pleasantries with you for a while and explains he knows Vencarlo from back when Jasan worked as a blacksmith in Korvosa and made weapons for the academy. He moved out of the city a few years ago and hasn't looked back. When you ask about the axe, he chuckles a little, pulls it from his back, and it changes shape before your eyes into a finely-wrought bastard sword. "Made it myself but Vencarlo paid to have someone enchant it with a glamer. Attracts much less attention." It returns to its 'original' shape as he puts it back. "Don't worry, Clara will be safe. Oh! I almost forgot..." He pats himself down slightly before finally finding the objects he needs in a small haversack. He sets a dagger and a polished switch of purpleheart wood on the table. "Vencarlo said to give Clara's escort these. They're from a stash he's been keeping out here. Guess he figures they'll do more good in your hands than sitting out here." There is a beautiful mithril dagger and the other is likely a wand.
They book a room with two beds, though Jasan imagines he won't be getting much sleep as he'd prefer to keep watch in case anyone is after the girl. You're also able to book some rooms and find them to be mostly comfortable. The following morning, you return to Korvosa and the trip is uneventful, arriving shortly before noon. The guards and even the people seem a tad distracted and you overhear snippets of conversation about a ship that was sunk last night in the middle of the Jeggare.
(To gather information)
Zamanda starts mingling with the crowd and asking about the ship. Did anyone survive? Did they come here? Were any of them sick?
Bashiel shakes hands with Jasan, offering "Good luck, seems like its wild and dangerous out there." As he steps back, he silently prays Osiris, protect these two!
The news of a ship sinking in the Jeggare seems somewhat strange. He leans over to Ilsa and quietly says "Do you want to bet that's one of Devargo's ships? We left them leaderless when we took Devargo. When a power structure falls apart, things can turn... chaotic. Chaotic enough that one of the ships on that cluster could have taken enough damage to sink."
Interested, he does some of his own sleuthing in the crowd.
After the trip from Korvosa to Trots and back Varor is ready to get back to the temple of Sarenrae, having done more than enough walking as far as he was concerned. The news of the a sunken ship does catch his interest momentarily, but only because he knows that ships rarely sail on their own, and sink even less so.
At Bashiel's theory he shakes his head, "If that was the case I don't think it would draw that much attention. It's most likely a ship from outside of Korvosa but whatever the case it doesn't really concern us, we have more important problems to deal with, like informing people that there might be an oncoming plague."
Pel considers the sunken ship in the Jeggare River. It doesn't seem like something that happens very often. And how was it sunk, anyway?
He replies to Bashiel, "Devargo was deposed several days ago, though. Do you think it could have taken this long to spiral that much out of control? And did he actually have operable ships or just the ones forming his...establishment? If it truly sunk in the middle of the Jeggare, that seems unlikely."
To Varor's statement, Pel says, "I wouldn't be so hasty, Varor. A ship sinking at the same time a plague may be coming seems like a pretty big coincidence. Does anyone else think they might be related?"
Generally, what you do hear that's fairly consistent is a description of the ship, which is that of a black-sailed vessel with a yellow lantern burning at the bow.
After asking around, Kalem returned looking confused. ”I talked to an off duty guard. He said that none of the guards who signaled or shouted out to the ship received a response. He doesn’t believe anyone was onboard at all.”
Or they were all dead. We need to investigate. What happened to the ship? Is it just sitting there, or are bodies washing ashore? Were they diseased, is that water getting into the town's supply....?
Zamanda goes down to the docks to find a sailor bar and asks what a yellow lantern means.
(To gather information from sailors)
Pel scatches his head at Kalem and Zamanda's words. "They couldn't have all been dead. The ship had to get into the Jeggare River somehow. Maybe it was a skeleton crew... no pun intended... but if they all died, it couldn't have been till the end. Unless there's some magical means of piloting a ship that I'm not thinking of."
"So not anything related to Devargo. And if there were bodies washing up, I would think that's the first thing we'd hear about." Bashiel crosses his arms "While I agree that this ghost ship is worth investigating, I think we should spare an hour to locate Vencarlo's townhouse, secure it, and contact Zellara. It doesn't seem that we have an immediate crisis on our hands here, so now's the right time, if ever."
Whether or not the ship is related to the Urgathoans, "ghost ship" may still be accurate based on how they described it. Zellara was in tune with the city, so she may have some insight. Its also worrying that that the watch was so quick to destroy it. They're jumpy. Cressida might know more.
Pel thinks this is pretty rare, but the city's defenses have been built around the possibility (that part of Korvosa is heavily walled and fortified). Indeed, the ship was sunk by the firing of wall-mounted stationary catapults at it.
Zamanda gets a few wolf-whistles and catcalls, but after suffering through some indignities (and perhaps flashing some steel), she gets an answer. It's the sign of a ship infected with the plague. A warning of quarantine. Stay away.
”I agree with Bash. And while we are at it, get something to protect us from the plague.”
At this point, Pel is dying to know who this Zellara is and how exactly the others plan to contact her. He's ready for that mystery to be solved.
He says, "Establishing the townhouse as a base of operations sounds like a good plan. I'd also like to finally know who this Zellara is.
"As for this ship, it's pretty rare for that kind of thing to happen, so I don't think we can just dismiss it as a coincidence. It may have something to do with the Urgathoans' plans."
Zamanda thanks the soldiers, and, somewhat shaken, stops by to inform her father about the plague ship to ensure that they take precautions, and hoping he can use his influence for good to protect the city somehow.
She then goes back to tell the group that her worst fears are confirmed.
Zamanda finds her father is not at the house, having left for some urgent business at the Longacre Building.
Okay. Zamanda tells Otto and her mother about the coming plague while she is home, encouraging them to prepare for the worst.
She then goes to the safehouse to let everyone know what she learned, and after Ilsa has updated her about Zellara, she says Wow. That is a crazy story. So, you are saying that she is going to come to talk to us now?
Bashiel arrives at the safe house with most of the group, Zamanda excluded. While the group waits for Zamanda to return he sets out candles and incense in anticipation of summoning Zellara. Soon, a thin smoky haze fills the house's sitting room, drawn curtains block out the light of the day, and candles provide a flickering illumination.
He thinks back to the group's first meeting with Zellara at her house on 3 Lancet Street. At that time the lighting and incense had been largely illusory, but if his learnings with his ancestors were any indication, a recreation of an emotionally resonant past event tends to help them manifest.
When Zamanda returns with her dire news, he gets up in a hurry. "I'd hoped... well, I'd hoped we had more time. Even if the ship was successfully destroyed, disease has a way of moving by waterways, by contact, or even by the air. If we can work out where the ship came from... maybe we can limit any future exposures." He shakes his head. "Before we start planning our next move, lets see what Zellara has to say. Seems we'll be busy from now on and we might not have another chance."
"She's not exactly going to 'come' to talk to us... Ilsa has the deck her ghost is bound to. Ilsa, want to do the honors?"
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