Edges of the Map (Inactive)

Game Master Timespiraled

The following morning finds the four of you on the piers of Strand's Port. A fine sailing ship, The Azure is docked and gently rocks in the waves as it is loaded with some basic supplies for the short two day trip up to Keldanny.

Edgar Lowes is dressed in suitable attire for a journey, trading the business like attire of a museum official for more rugged and resilient weatherproof threads.

He smiles as he spots you and waves you over.

"The Azure is gorgeous isn't she? One of the two ships the Museum still has operational. Of course, who knows what we'll find eh? I wouldn't say no to renovating a few sloops and galleons if we find any."

A loud shrill whistle from the deck signals it is time to embark.

"Now we're talking!" Melusine quips as she plucks the feather quill from her cap and jots down some notes in the unused spaces of her spellbook.

Melusine goes by the markets and picks up supplies to make 15 paper cartridges; three with silver bullets, three with adamantine, three with salt, and six with lead; as well as two flare and two tangle cartridges.She picks up a few days of extra rations, rope, and a potion of CLW. After finishing crafting her ammo she meets up with the group.

Ompeet, who has opted not to buy anything, is distracted from his annoyance at having to safeguard the imaginary value that society has decided he "owns" (i.e. his gold) when he looks at The Azure.

"Oh, she is indeed impressive, Mr. Lowes. You can tell she was built and is maintained by people who care about their craft."

Ompeet boards the ship when whistle blows.

Kha'Rassi takes a whiff of the port air as she looks over the ship. "As long as it stays above the water and not below, it is a good ship to Kha'Rassi. If it is comfortable as well? Then it is a very good ship." Checking her pack one last time, she nods in satisfaction before stepping up the gangplank.

Would like to purchase 2 potions of air bubble, 3 CLW, and 2 touch of the sea, all level 1. Unless any of those are unavailable?

Do we have our own cabins? Lily is very friendly but many people are still a bit disconcerted about titanoboas, no matter how many times I tell them she's trained."

The grippli sits crosslegged on the snake as it makes its way down the dock, patting its scales fondly.

"Let them be uncomfortable," Ompeet shrugs. "How others feel is not your concern."

Nothing is unavailable at this moment. Potions are especially fair game in a large city like Strand.

Edgar answers all your questions in turn. "We do indeed take good care of the ship, Mr. Ndongo. As for cabins, we have a few but not enough for everyone to get their own. I think you'll be bunking two per room. Might I suggest Mr. Ndongo and Mr. Chirru-Chirru bunk together, and the ladies can take the other cabin? I'm sure we can find room for Lily somewhere comfortable. Does she enjoy dry or damp areas?"

As you discuss accomodations, you make your way onboard. You are shown the cabins and left to make arrangements yourselves. Edgar heads off to discuss with the Captain.

Men and women clamber around the deck and the riggings, getting The Azure ready to set sail.

A quarter of an hour later, and the ship finally departs Strand. As you slowly leave the city behind, the ship begins its two day course along the Edenmarch coastline, heading north to Keldanny Island.

Edgar makes sure to let you know that you can find him in the galley if you need anything.

"As long as it isn't trying to eat me," Melusine jokes with a shrug before finding a familiar place and makes herself useful on deck.

As the ship departs, Kha'Rassi takes a few moments to settle in to her quarters, then steps out on deck, taking a brief pause to try to acclimate to the ship's movement before turning her gaze skyward, examining the layout of the ship before setting her eyes on the main mast. She plots a course to the top, scans for a suitable perch, then starts her climb.

climb speed 20 for the win.

The crewmmebers of The Azure gladly welcome Melusine's help and soon the lot of them are singing traditional chanties as they coax the ship along the coastline.

Kha'Rassi easily makes her way to the top of the main mast, to the cries of excitement of the sailors and hollers of "Now don't fall ya hear me?" and "Ah, doncha' worry, she'll land on her if she falls I bet."

There is an air of excitement on board, the energy coursing through the crew. After the industrial smogginess of Strand, it feels good to taste the sea air and be off on an adventure.

"Oh, dry is preferable, though warmth is most important. She'll probably want to spend some time each day basking as well, so I'll let the crew know that she'll be visible napping on the deck every so often. Hopefully I'm not being trouble."

After setting up Lily in an appropriate spot, the grippli hops back up tot he deck to drink in the sights of the sea. A small journal appears from his pack as he sits near the gunwales, sketching some seabirds and trying to immitate their cries.

The sailors seem more curious than worried about Lily, and you catch one of them every so often trying to get as near to her as possible before jumping back.

As you sit sketching the seabirds, one of the off-duty sailors comes down to lean on the railing beside you.

"That's a fine job you're doing there with those drawings sir. It's nice to see someone interested in nature. Don't mean to pry but between your interest here and that lovely creature you brought on board, I can only assume you have strong connection with Orbis?"

He smiles down, weather-beaten skin creasing beneath his grizzled salt and pepper beard.

"Traveled the sea my whole life, but nowhere near as exotic as wherever you come from I'm sure. I'd be very interested, and I reckon so would the crew, to hear about your own travels friend."

The grippli blushes a bit, his small cheeks turning forest green.

"Oh, I'm not nearly as exciting as you think I might be. Sure, I grew up in Tarakona- the grippli territories down in Cetza- but I've spent the last 7 years right here in Strand, studying at Reynesford. Lily and my heritage are really the only things I have left of my childhood. My mother was one of the village elders in Tarakona and I studied herbalism and druidcraft with her, so when a group of Strandish explorers and scientists visited our village, she had them take me back and promise to enroll me in a proper school. I know she just wanted to ensure I could pursue my full potential, but I still miss home sometimes, and it's awfully expensive to visit.

And if you'd like a sketch, you're free to have it. I've got plenty of anatomy studies from my last few papers, I'm more doodling out of habit now."

"You'd truly be fine with giving one to me? I wouldn't say no, to be sure. The missus and girls would love to have something like this framed at our home. In fact, I'm hoping the captain gives me permission to see the folk once we reach Keldanny. Born and raised there. Ever been there before now? It's a bit colder than what you may be used to do, but there's no place better to be growing up. Soaring cliffs and stormy seas, that builds character it does."

The two of you continue discussing and sea gazing until eventually the man bids farewell and takes up his shift.

==

The hours fly by and soon you find yourselves in the late evening having supper with Edgar. A decent meal for a voyage at sea, some passable wine and water and a hearty tale. Everyone seems to be having a good time.

Melusine joins the table, producing the bottle of rum taking a swig before passing it around. "This is the life! I feel like a guest, not a deck hand for once... How long is this jaunt? I can put some wind in the sails, just don't wanna be spent when it's time to do the real work."

Edgar checks the logs.

"We should be there sometime tomorrow. Keldanny's not a far course from Strand."

He shuffles around some more papers, careful to not spill any food on them.

"When we reach Keldanny, the Azure will be our base of operations. We'll scour the island in teams and try our best to locate any clues or indications of the Northwest Passage. Me and some of the museum hires will talk over with the mine workers and see about checking some of the digs. We'd like for you four to scour across the island's countryside and see if you can find it aboveground. This work for you?"

Ompeet nods around a mouthful of potatoes. Then he spears a piece of fish.

Kha'Rassi bites off a piece of fish, licking her lips at the salty flavor. "Aboveground is good. Sand, sun, rocks and trees are where Kha'Rassi is at home."

She picks up a cup of wine, taking a sip to chase down the mouthful of fish. "How many teams will there be?"

"We're only two teams. It's a small excursion, we're not trying to draw undue attention to ourselves. My first order of business will be rendezvousing with Mannix, a local colleague who runs the Keldanny branch of the museum. He's a real Keldanny boy but he's got his heart and mind in the right place."

"Any final queries, questions or ponderings? We'll be arriving tomorrow and this is our last supper to discuss this matter. I'd be more than happy to talk."

Putting his silverware down, Ompeet considers Edgar for a moment before asking, "Mr. Lowes, I have heard that people from Keldanny Island do not like people from Strand City. Is this true? If so, how much hostility are we going to encounter?"

"Bias don't bother me none, I'm just ready to get off this boat. Love hate relationship with the sea ya kno... Are we to be fightin or pilferin 'morrow?"

"Doesn't sound terribly difficult. I'm ready."

Kha'Rassi stops chewing at Ompeet's question. How did I forget that? The ponders for a moment, then shrugs and resumes chewing. "If we are quiet and cautious like cats, we will meet no resistance at all, yes?"

Edgar considers Ompeet's question a bit.

"No, I don't think there should be any worries. We're leaving from Strand, but we're hardly a Strand-centric expedition. I mean, look at the lot of you. With Mannix assisting I'm sure we should have no issues whatsoever."

"And I doubt we'll meet any reason to be fighting tomorrow. Keldanny's not the wilderness. However, you never know what could be lurking in the Northwest Passage should we find it. Also, maybe let's be careful about using the word pilfering. We're more professional than that. Excavating? Discovering maybe?"

The rest of the supper, and the following day's journey flies by. Fair winds bring The Azure coasting gently into port in Keldanny.

As the crew anchors, a small crowd of Keldannish have gathered.

Edgar turns to address you. "I will go see if Mannix is ready for us. How about you take the time to visit the town, see the local sights. If anything happens, meet back here."

"Oh, right, of course... I love... 'discovering' new things!"
Melusine gets some rest, prepares her spells [identify, grease], and trots of towards the town. She asks the folk on the street of a pub nearby to get a feel for the port.

Alexander heads to the general store o purchase fresh supplies and rations, as well as some rope and some healing potions in case of emergencies.

@Melusine: "The port? Busy as can be miss. Keldanny's phlogiston is being shipped out every single day. Strand practically runs off the stuff. Of course, that means plenty of business for the town but it also brings in some rougher crowds. We've been pretty lucky so far though."

The hours pass, and soon all of you find yourself gathered around a fine bottle of wine in Mannix's private study.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Edgar's been talking my ear off about you. It's my pleasure to welcome you all to Keldanny."

He goes into some finer details about the lore and history before a sharp look from Edgar cuts him off.

"Guess I can fill the room as well huh?"

Edgar motions for him to continue.

"In any case, here you all are. A map of Keldanny with a few key spots circled. I figure if the Northwest Passage is here, these are some of the places most likely to harbor it."

Three spots are circled: the Northern Sea Caves, the Old Church of the Dominions, and the Roqueford Phlogiston Mines.

"Each of these areas has some deep underground networks and have easy sea access. However, none of them have ever provided me with a clue."

Edgar cuts in.

"We'll be tackling the phlogiston mine, but if you can, I'd appreciate it if you could check out the other two. When you're set of course."

Kha'Rassi scans the map, taking in pertinent details, skipping right over the sea caves and pointing to the church. "Then we explore there. Sea caves are too obvious, but pirate treasure in an old church? Some pirate ghosts must be laughing at this irony, yes?"

"I suppose the Church is the less, or maybe more, obvious choice then. I can agree with that logic. I assume its abandoned and haunted? Otherwise it wouldn't take us to look through the premises."

"The church certainly sounds interesting. Is this church abandoned or still active? Either way, I like going there first."

"Agreed," Melusine nods approvingly, "is this place abandoned? I mean... should we expect someone to be guarding their things or do we help ourselves?" Melusine says rubbing her hands together excitedly. The thrill of finding treasures shines brightly in her eyes.

Mannix answers your questions as best as he can. "The Church has been abandoned for a while, the village around it is no longer in use. I wouldn't expect anyone to be guarding either of these places. Children dare each other to spend nights in the Old Church but aside from that no one really goes there."

---

After a good night's rest, you head out on foot to the Old Church. The going is quick and the sky is bright and blue.

Old Church A1 - Churchgrounds
The Old Church sits precariously beside a sea cliff. The grass around it grows wild and untamed. The paint on the church is slowly peeling and fading away, a testament to its age. Sea birds call in the distance.

The front door of the church hangs ajar. Windows around the rest of the church are curtained or shuttered.

Melusine knocks back a load of powder from the horn to the bell of her gun and topped with a handful of pellets, tamping it down carefully. She aproaches the door and breaches the room, weapon ready.

Kha'Rassi checks her gear, draws her dagger and slinks off to the side of the door just as Melusine bursts through it, eyes scanning for vantage points, reflections of the light and movement.

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Shield in front of him, Ompeet has his cudgel in hand as he pushes the door aside and steps inside.

"Hello?" he calls out.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

I'm assuming that there's enough light in here to see?

There's enough light, yes

The three of you step into the darkened interior of the church.

Old Church A2 - Church Nave
Dust chokes the interior of the church. Worn out and rotted pews line the aisle, a cracked and moss covered altar sits at the front, decayed paintings of various domain representations decorate the walls of the building.

A flutter of wings startles Melusine but Kha'Rassi and Ompeet barely flinch, having spotted the birds before they were startled. The gulls flutter by in a panic, spreading their wings and heading out to open air.

Ompeet hears the sound the of wood creaking in the loft above but cannot see enough to make out the shape.

"Hello? He calls out again. May we talk to you?"

He starts advancing into the church, noting where any potential stairs up may be, as well as any balconies that something above them may use to ambush them.

"AaAchchkk!" Melusine gasps as the birds fly past her, waving her gun around. She pauses and examines her surroundings, sidelining her bravado for a moment.
Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Moving forward down the aisle, you spot a stone staircase built into a pillar. It seems to go up to the loft above.

On the opposite side of the aisle, another staircase descends down into the stone floor.

No answer comes from above, but Melusine clearly hears something move across wooden floorboards. The creaking is unmistakable.

I'll be refreshing every hour or so and will keep updating as much as possible.

I'm trying to picture the church. When you mention the church's "loft," I'm picturing a balcony or something that has one wall open to the main part of the church. Someone from below could potentially see into part of it. Is this correct? And if so, is it something that could potentially be climbed up to without using the stairs?

Yep exactly like you've pictured. The balcony alongside the edge of the church's second story. There's no actual floor blocking your view to it. You could climb up using the stonework of the church interior can be climbed relatively easily (DC 10).

I'll aim to be more clear when describing the environment.

Ompeet catches Kha'Rassi's eye. He makes a climbing motion with his hands and points up to the balcony. He wonders briefly if Alexander can jump up to the balcony, but thinks it would be insensitive to ask. Instead he indicates the stairs up to the grippli, Melusine, and Alasdair with a jerk of his head and leads any of them that want to follow up it.

Alexander stays by the door to keep one eye on the surroundings outside, in case ancient ghost pirates encircle the building. It's always good to have an escape plan. That's why he's still at the door. No other reason.

"Somting definitely there," she whispers "n it ne'pas talking... I be right behind you Ndongo. Les go see." She creeps up to the staircase.

Kha'Rassi glances at Ompeet, then up to the balcony, nodding. She sheathes her dagger, then slinks over to the nearby wall, smirking as she scans the stonework. Heh, a ladder would be harder... she muses to herself, hopping from handhold to handhold as if they were just another floor. She stops before the balcony, trying to get a good look before she dares to make a landing anywhere.

Climb speed 20, baby. perception to look around on the balcony for danger: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 Wow, really dice?

The group, minus one doorkeeper, make their way to the top of the church's second floor.

Old Church A3 - Loft
Dust and cobwebs, broken floorboards and rotting bannisters. The loft is an intricate mess of pitfalls. The loft consists of a wide (10 ft.) balcony that runs around the second floor exterior. The interior is empty and you can see down below into the nave.

At the far end of the loft, you spy a wooden table, with a spilled glass bottle of what looks and smells of bad alcohol, playing cards and other discarded bits.

The sound of the noise still eludes you.

"Look, we just want to talk! We don't care at all who you are or why you're here. But I swear if you jump out at me or do anything to raise my heart rate I will crack your skull open. In self defense, of course."

Ompeet heads around the balcony in the opposite direction of Kha'Rassi, not giving the catfolk's position away if he wants to stay hidden.

Keeping his eyes peeled: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Still hugging the doorframe, Alex pats Lily-White above the saddle in a short pattern. The snake, previously relaxing somewhat in the sun, lifts her snout higher and flicks her tongue out a few times, getting a sense of the area.

Perception using Scent: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Melusine sticks to Ompeet's back, biting her tongue. She's ready to unload some lead on any sign of danger.