As the ship is listing on the currents, it may need help.
But why does the ship need help?
Is because it simply ran into a minor storm; or possibly was damaged by an errant beast or attack?
Horatio is not so optimistic.
His mind instantly tacks back to when their own ship was weakened by a plague.
This ship may be in the same straights.
He turns to Dhaavan.
”Dhaavan, is there any chance that we could get a closer view, but from a far enough distance that we don’t pick up any diseases?” he asks tentatively, wondering if Jack can move forth to scout at a reasonable distance without suffering any great risk.
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After an hour of being up at the helm contemplating the events that just transpired, Variel's surge of adrenaline had left and he found himself extremely tired. Motioning to Jiro to resume his place at the helm Variel heads down to his bed. Pausing to nod to Neko and kissing Rain on the brow Variel drifts off to a deep sleep.
In the morning Variel listens as Flynn talks through his thoughts. I can understand your frustration and wanting to protect those that you feel in charge over. I have that same feeling myself for the entire crew and officers as well. However I am not going to let that control me or let the actions of others control me either. I may change some practices but will not alter who I am. I will still spend time with Rain as I see fit. Likewise I will hold onto my pendant as long as I an. I do not ask you to understand or even need you to Nederland why. I just need you to know that this pendant means more to me than you will ever know.
---------------
When the call goes out for the ship Variel first thinks to let it be, but curiosity gets the better of him and he indicates he is willing to explore it to determine why it is listing so badly.
retcooooooon!!!
Dhaavan pauses briefly at Amen-set's embrace, but quickly wraps his arms around the worried girl, chuckling as she makes her lacivious suggestion of keeping watch over him that evening, and gives a bemused sigh as he examines sht spider-silk cloths when Jiro heads into their room. Still nice to have pleasant company, and I wouldn't displace the poor fox after such a harrowing experience. "Well, i Know how he got in yer room Cap'n. Looks like this weave'll let a body turn the physical form to sommat not-corporial, walk through walls an' such."
"An all what he had ta do was get his-self smuggeled in by gettin his Bag on board with this an nobody's the wiser. I'll figger how that happened, no worries," he tells the Captain and present officers as Amen-set quells the crew. Easy enough for a bg ta get on a ship, but if a body were asked ta carry it onto the ship, then there may be reason ta worry, a body complicit in the attack. But we'll see, i'll find out...
Dhaavan will retire, offering an arm to the young lady, "Does yer offer o' protection still stand darling?" he will ask Amen-set.
Jack perches on Variel's shoulder and chirps, "Aye Cap'n. Dhaavan says what he wonders if there's any reason what the ship is sailin' strange. Maybe the Fisherman's seen sommat interestin, or needs a hand," not that Jack cares about helping the fishermen in the least, "But Dhaavan thinks it'd be help for the reputation or some sort as reasonable folk, or sumthing?"
Dhaavan remains in the cabin working, not interested enough to come on deck yet, as he s rather busy with a detailed and important diagram at the moment...
Horatio shrugs and takes back the flask.
Pulling out a smoke from his pocket and lights up as he leans against the bulkhead, thinking for a moment.
”I hear you,” he says easily, taking a long exhale.
”But you know, there’s a hell of a lot of things I’d like to be doing, too. But I don’t; not because I’m a slave, but because the way I figure it, if you care about someone, sometimes you got to put aside your own personal needs to protect the people you care about."
"Hell, if I did whatever I wanted, in the way I wanted to, people I care about may end up dead.”
He eyes Variel sidelong for a minute after his comments about the pendent.
”Right… well, here’s the thing; you’re actually wrong about what you just said,” he responds slowly.
”You told me that you don’t need me to understand, right? But that’s not true. You do need me to understand; just like you need everyone else to understand. As long as you continue to sail with us, you put all of our lives in danger. We could have all died; that’s a problem,” he says casually.
”Don't get me wrong, no one is telling you what to do. But you’re an equal partner in this ship – same as every one of the other officers. But if you got something that keeps drawing people who are trying to kill us all just to get to you, you owe it to everyone on board to give us as much information as you have and do what it takes to protect the crew from any harm. As your partner's you owe it to us to make sure we do understand what’s going on; so we can try to help prevent it from happening,” he adds the last gently.
He turns and blows a stream of smoke to the lee of the wind.
”Hell, if it matters much, at this point I doubt it’s even the pendent; though it sure doesn’t help things.”
He glances aloft for a while.
”We started running into trouble with these ninja shortly after that tango with the monkey-man from Tian Xi, if you recall?”
”Like as not we’ve been feeling the pinch of near death because he sent his bully boys after us on account of the fact that we shamed him.”
”Hell, for all we know this whole bit about your past is a dodge seeking to pit us one against the other.”
”I mean, they deal with jade pretty heavy in their culture, right? It’s pretty damn convenient that we just find a mysterious jade statue with your past etched on it.”
"We keep finding these mysterious clues linked to you every we all almost die; maybe we all decide to fight each other on what to do with you," he adds with a wry grin.
"But then again, I may be way off base. Gods damn, who knows, right? But hell, I'm just trying to play the percentages and cover all options, just in case."
He sighs and looks at Variel.
”So here’s what I’m recommending. I got a hunch that between now and whatever trouble may pop up we’ll have some time to chat as a group.”
”Why don’t you rustle up the others and set a time we can all put our heads together and figure out what is going on?” he adds.
He takes another pull from the smoke.
”And, while you’re about it, maybe you could drop the whole thing when you’re all telling me about how you’ll "live life on your terms" bit. I mean, I got it, okay?” he adds, his tone friendly.
”The thing is, I’m just tossing out suggestions because I’d rather stay alive rather than be dead. If those suggestions help, then it may be a good idea to listen to them. If not, well; that’s your call. But either way, try relaxing a bit; I'm trying to be friendly with you, not push you around or argue. Enjoy it, be happy, have fun with things. Hell, you’ll live longer,” he adds with a smile.
Seijiro takes over the watch at the helm when Variel retires... and then relinquishes it to Rain in the morning, when he retires to his bunk for a little rest. Expecting to get called at any moment for an officer's meeting, he dozes fitfully in the heat. When the call goes out that there is a ship nearby, he staggers out of the heatbox known as the officer's quarters into heat just as bad on deck and looks out toward the horizon, spotting the ship. Wonder why she her sails are fluttering so... Bad sailing that, or maybe no sailing... perhaps the crew are sick or dead, no sailing master could be that poor and still have made it this far out to sea.
retcooooooon!!!
Dhaavan will retire, offering an arm to the young lady, "Does yer offer o' protection still stand darling?" he will ask Amen-set.
Hearing Dhaavan’s comment, Amen-set’s eyes narrow.
”The magic sack was found among fruit. Such crates are not open like a sack of barley. No. They are filled to the brim and nailed shut, so they do not come open during transhipment. That means that it is likely that the package was put inside shortly before it was given to us; but it also means that the assassin had someone aiding him in sealing the crate."
"It is not likely that one of our own men would have done this. If the assassin had an ally, they would have moved together. I think the job was done before the crate was loaded on to our ship."
"Very good. Now, a merchant sold us the fruit, yes? If this assassin belonged to a guild hall, that means that the assassin's patron may have arranged for us to have a “special” surprise in one of the crates as it was being delivered to the ship,” she adds, musing aloud.
”The crate was filled with pineapples; an unusual but valuable fruit. To discover more about the merchant and their possible patron we would first ask where that crate came from; and what merchant sold it to us."
"Of course, it is possible the merchant may be innocent of any knowledge; but he may also be an agent for a guild who is contracted for certain smuggling jobs.”
She shrugs.
”But that is only a thought,” she adds casually.
When she returns from below deck, her face is a bit concerned.
”My natural gifts were great; but regrettably the crew was moved to barely controlled anger at the situation. You should have seen them when I had arrived…”
She frowns.
”They seemed to be very angry that they were trapped like men in grave; and further, they seemed equally angry that they could not help, and that the situation with the assassin occurred at all.”
”Through the Great Father, I pacified their concerns,” she adds coolly.
”I am skilled with calming folk; luckily, or there may have been real trouble for those who are in command…” she adds, clearly not happy with that possibility.
The problem taken care of, she dismisses it from her mind, and her lips smile somewhat coyly.
Then she appraises you for a moment and speaks in a completely business-like tone.
”You are too weak to be fighting so; and you are bloodied besides. I deem that your sorcery will not cleanse the blood with ease. This is regrettable; it means I will be forced to bathe your wounds by hand…”
”Further, I must examine your wounds. You may be hurt deep in your body; such examinations could require deft and adroit probing and touching. Never fear, I will search your flesh until I find any wound or stiffness. I am confident that my fingers shall discover the right spot, and with the right touch, they will unlock any stiffness and let your body collapse with ease… "
She looks at you, as if weighing you.
"I should add, you seem like the type who would squirm under the hand of an expert. This is dangerous, for you could injure yourself. Therefore, you must place yourself in my hands completely so you do not cause trouble, or I shall be forced to bind you… for your own safety, of course,” she adds briskly and with a cool professional manner, taking your arm and escorting you back to your cabin.
She turns quickly to Rain and gives her a series of knowing winks that seem to suggest her plans for you were not completely medicinal…
Dhaavan remains in the cabin working, not interested enough to come on deck yet, as he s rather busy with a detailed and important diagram at the moment...
As Horatio is still talking to Variel, he notices the ship.
Seeing Jack fly about, he looks at the bird with a cocked eyebrow and decides that he should attempt to repeat the question directly, as Dhaavan is obviously engaged.
"”Dhaavan - that is, Jack... Is there any chance that we could get a closer view, but from a far enough distance that we don’t pick up any diseases?”
"If the ship is not moving it may be damaged by a storm or attack. But it may also be that the crew has suffered from a plague. If so, all of the men could have died on board, but the disease may still be clinging to the ship."
"So if you do go over there, maybe you could keep a safe distance, eh?" he adds dryly.
You may or may not be able to tell, as birds facial expressions are all rather similar, but giving the most condescending glare a bird can give one of these featherless pink beasts, "You can sail close as yea care and i'll look from the boat, thanks. You can go flying out in the exposed open if you like and want a closer look."
in case we get close to the ship and want info conveyed by the bird right off the bat and can make better decisions whenever Imm has a chance to reply...
"You can sail close as yea care and i'll look from the boat, thanks. You can go flying out in the exposed open if you like and want a closer look."
Horatio looks at the magical creature in front of him.
"That was just a suggestion, Jack."
"You don't want to go look, don't look. I was asking for help. If you don't want to help... well, whatever," he says easily as he blows a stream of smoke.
As he leans against the bulkhead he ponders the help that Jack could offer, and weighs against the help he himself has offered people in the past.
He considers the risks involved in flying near a ship that was drifting with sails ripped from their rigging and no men on the deck.
Then he simply shrugs with disinterest.
Horatio considers the unusual heat wave for early Rova and frowns a bit.
Noticing the ship; especially the damaged sails he wonders if the ship had been pirated and simply left to drift.
Possibly; or possibly something worse…
Calling Amen-set to him, he orders her to grab her gear and prepare herself for combat.
He calmly does the same, donning his armor and weapons and checking the priming on his pistols.
”Oye, gun crews; action stations,” he calls out.
It’s probably just a floating hulk; nothing very dangerous there… but on the other hand; it doesn’t hurt to be prepared...
Amen-set will move to stand near Horatio’s forward gun crew, armed and armored in her gear.
Horus rests on her shoulder, and he turns his fearless gaze at Jack.
Her eyes strain against the horizon, staring at the ship and her hand grips her spear easily.
Adular will seek the captain and any others out, "Just what do you want me to ask the corpse precisely? Damn spirits are worse than barristers. I think I can squeeze maybe two questions out of it."
As you all get closer you can see that the ship is riding very low in the water and heeling several degrees to port. It is obviously taking on water. The sails flap loosely from the yards and a fishing net drags in the water on the starboard side. You can see a small breach in the hull on the port side just above the waterline but the waves are continuously pushing a bit more water into the ship with each swell.
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Adular: Although I suspect the answer to be cryptic I want to know who his employer was. It will help to make sure it is still only one entity and not another faction seeking my head. Also how he was able to bypass my defenses. If we know that, then perhaps we can find a way to protect ourselves next time.
----------------------
Drifting ship:
Although they had just had a brush with a plague, it did not seem to be such a case here. This was an attack on a fishing vessel for a purpose. What that purpose was and who did it made Variel inquisitive and willing to risk the chance of disease. Knowledge was power and Variel wanted all the knowledge he could get from this vessel. To that end he checks with the officers before issuing his desire to approach closer and inspect the ship.
Adular will seek the captain and any others out, "Just what do you want me to ask the corpse precisely? Damn spirits are worse than barristers. I think I can squeeze maybe two questions out of it."
Horatio hears the priest and considers the options.
So many questions; so many possibilities… the first one being, as it’s a Drow whore who made the attack; can anyone on board speak the Underdark lingo? If not, that could be a problem… but who knows? It may speak other tongues, too...
And what would I ask it?
Horatio ponders it for a bit, but decides to leave the real questions to Variel, as the elf is most directly linked to these issues and probably has the best chance of guessing what needs to be asked.
As you all get closer you can see that the ship is riding very low in the water and heeling several degrees to port. It is obviously taking on water. The sails flap loosely from the yards and a fishing net drags in the water on the starboard side. You can see a small breach in the hull on the port side just above the waterline but the waves are continuously pushing a bit more water into the ship with each swell.
Horatio scans the hull of the ship and notices it is sinking quickly.
He rubs his chin for a moment, and considers fastening a quick plug for the hole with one of the spare sails.
With the ship listing and the sails damaged, it was likely that it had suffered from either an attack or a storm.
If it was an attack, it was likely that the bulk of their gear was already pirated. If it was a storm, then there may be supplies on board that had not yet been touched.
Either way, there may be survivors.
Glancing aft to the quarterdeck, he calls out to others –
”She’s listing badly, and may be sinking. Still, there could be supplies on board, and possibly survivors. Should we attempt to signal her? If there is anyone on board, we could at least dispatch a longboat to pick them up...”
Then he waits for an answer…
As the Lady pulls up closer, Seijiro scans the listing vessel for any sign of movement (other than the sails) or life.
As you get closer you see that there are what look like hastily cleaned up signs of a fight of some sort and you see the longboat deep in the water beneath the ship and sinking rapidly.
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Not wanting the longboat to disappear under the water along with whatever informant it may hold to this strange site, Variel calls for lines to be thrown overboard. Calling out to two of the sailors, Overboard with me, tie off that longboat and have the rest hoist her up.
With that Variel drops the cutlass to the deck and dives overboard into the water to start tying the longboat off to prevent it from going any deeper.
As Variel swims in the water, Horatio will keep the artillery pieces trained in case any threat or enemy should appear.
A sinking longboat does not draw his attention as much as the actual ship, and his eyes scan the decks again, searching for signs of movement.
Frustrated at the lack of response he eventually calls out in a loud voice – ”Ahoy, the ship!” and hopes that, if anyone is on board and did not notice their own ship thirty feet away, they may at least hear his voice and possibly respond.
With nothing to do, and no ranged weapons at hand, Amen-set will move back to the quarterdeck and stand next to Rain.
”What do you think of this, senet? My heart eyes tell me it is only a sinking fishing ship; but my heart suspects there is more afoot.”
She continues to watch the action, curious to know what Rain may have to say, yet she grips her spear tightly as she watches.
Dhaavan makes it to the deck just as the ship pulls up and Variel dives into the water, "Well I guess the Cap'n fancies a swim then?". Jack perches on the sorcerer's shoulder and they look over the ship for movement from the new vantage point
Ready for attack by hidden foes, by casuallt standing in a space to give cover behind the rails
(Takes partial cover)
Variel: The longboat is about 50' below the water but you manage to make it to it relatively quickly. The ropes that normally hold it to the ship are frayed as if torn. In the dim light you do not see anything else of interest in the boat.
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Not seeing anything in hte boat that would hold any clues to the ship being destroyed Variel heads to the surface. If he sees any of the sailors that jumped in with him he indicates for them to head to the surface as well. Once at the surface VAriel will grab on of the lines tossed over and climb his way up to the deck and retrieve his cutlass.
Adular: Although I suspect the answer to be cryptic I want to know who his employer was. It will help to make sure it is still only one entity and not another faction seeking my head. Also how he was able to bypass my defenses. If we know that, then perhaps we can find a way to protect ourselves next time.
"Will do, Captain. We'll see how it goes," Adular answers.
Variel you are able to return to the ship without incident and relay the information. There is no response to calls from the steadily sinking ship.
In a safe location, no doubt the shrine of the ship, Adular sets down an array of candles around the body of assassin. Adular did his best to keep the body in good repair, and as one. He makes a small sacrifice to the goddess, and then begins to invoke.
"By the black queen of the sea, Besmara, I do invoke the spirit tied to this shell! I do call forth the soul to answer!"
The candles waver, but do not snuff, and he can see the lips move.
Now to get them to speak:
"Who sent you to kill Variel Nightstorm?"
And he awaits an answer
Then he asks anew, "How, precisely, were you able to bypass Variel's defenses and magics?"
Spirits can be treacherous, or even lie if they are strongwilled, so he tries to keep his head clear for any deception.
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Speak with dead time with Adular:
Variel watches and does not interrupt the cleric as he goes about his ritual. Hopefully Adular can coerce the dead to speak and they can get a few more answers this time around. When the dead speaks the hair stands on the back of Variel's neck just like it did with the seer before. Although this was unnatural it was a necessity and Variel was going to see it through.
---------------------------------------
Arriving back on the ship dripping wet, Variel notices that the the ship continues to sink. Any answer they might get would be lost soon. Hoping some action happens soon to prevent that from occurring, Variel prepares to hop over with anyone else to search the ship while Rain hold the Lday steady.
Speak with dead time with Adular:
Horatio gives Variel a nod at his presence on the ship.
He turns a quick glance to the gun crew...
"Cover us; we're hopping over there and hoping to find survivors; if something happens, shoot first," he adds, his eyes narrowed at the ship.
Turning to Variel he loosens his weapons in his belt.
"Let's do it," he says with a grin, tipping his forelock in a brief salute.
"I'll come along too, if you'll have me."
Seijiro joins the 'away team' on the other ship, helping to search it as quickly as possible, looking for any possible survivors, or if none, for anything of value that can be salvaged for our own ship.
"I'll come along too, if you'll have me."
Seijiro joins the 'away team' on the other ship, helping to search it as quickly as possible, looking for any possible survivors, or if none, for anything of value that can be salvaged for our own ship.
Horatio turns a quick glance to Seijiro and nods briskly and gives him the thumbs up.
Seijiro leaves Tomo on the Lady for his own safety...
-------------------------------------
Once you get to the other ship, you don't see much of use beyond what has already been said on the uppermost deck. The boat is small and stinks of fish. You would guess a crew of no more than 12 worked this boat.
The head of the drow begins to laugh, a vicious evil laugh and says Pathetic worm. You all will die at the hands of my brethren. I go on to paradise and your b%%@+ queen can rot in the ocean depths where your corpses soon will lie.
Horatio frowns at the stench of rotting fish.
If all the boats are gone, he will take time to examine the ship a bit more closer; though he does what he can to move quickly, as he suspects time is short.
He'll draw his gun and move fast.
Meanwhile, he’ll search the ship for traps and other crew quickly.
With the others on-board, Dhaavan looks over the proceedings, ready to call forth a blast of water should any hostiles apper .
"Jack..." Dhaavan says, with a gesture, "stay safe. indicating Jack assist in the search.
The bird flies over to join the othere, keeping idden in the shadows, remaining a less valuable target than the others
The head of the drow begins to laugh, a vicious evil laugh and says Pathetic worm. You all will die at the hands of my brethren. I go on to paradise and your b++!+ queen can rot in the ocean depths where your corpses soon will lie.
As the spell ends, the cleric looks at Variel, "She was too strong willed, but we do know she's not working alone...and you can expect more."
** spoiler omitted **
Horatio scowls at the corpse of the assassin.
”Filthy whore…" he mutters darkly at the corpse.
"Well, that said, I guess there’s not much else that can be done.”
As he moves through the ship, Horatio’s eyes flick quickly around, seeking for either signs of life, or what may have caused the damage.
Frowning, Horatio calls out, hoping to hear a survivor or get a response –
”Hello? Is there anyone here?”
He glances at the others.
”Did you see anything?” he asks, wondering at what may have happened.
Something’s not right here… the ship is damaged bad; which means that whatever happened was at least in past hour or so; maybe less. But there were no storms in the past hour, so something hit it.
It may have been pirates; but what type of pirate wastes time attacking a fishing ship – they have no plunder of note, the only thing of value on board is warm bodies… so if it was attacked, it may have been hit by a slaver. But if so; where is she?
He frowns, trying to puzzle it out, and looks at the others.
”If it was pirates, they may have hit the ship looking for men they could press into service or slaves… but it may not have been… it may have been something else…”
His eyes narrow, as a sudden thought occurs to him.
”Oye! Do you lads remember when we got hit by those Sahuagin a while back? Could be the same thing here…”
That said, he grips his pistol tighter and proceeds cautiously.
Rain holds the Lady steady, as ordered by Variel, at 30 ft distance from the other vessel.
Rain is vigilant and scans her surroundings, the waters and skies for any possible threats or signs of danger. Neko sits on the rail beside her.
Horatio glances at the others, wondering what their opinion is of the possible threat from Sahuagin.
As he waits, he now analyzes the clues that he and the others have put together with their excellent observations.
If it was pirates, they've likely looted the ship of anything of value.
If it was Sahuagin, or other similar scum, they may have only taken the sailors and left things we can use...
"We don't have much time... should we split up, or move as one?" he asks the other two.
Rain holds the Lady steady.
Curious to know what Rain will say, Amen-set merely waits, but does rest her spear a moment to reach to rub the bridge of Neko's head a bit and scratch around her ears....