Garri returns to the temple one last time before departing Trunau. Upon his request High Priestess Tyari gladly blesses him and his companions before they depart without explaining too many details of their secret mission. With that underway, the potions brewed, provisions purchased and languages learned - the party sets out for the river!
The Kestrel River lies some eighteen miles directly north of Trunau, though of course the road was anything by direct. Without hurrying, for Halgrim had informed you that as long as you showed up before dark, you'd not miss the keelboat, you traveled the trail. The sun was high in the sky when everyone but Lialda noticed something amiss. Shapes in the trees seemed a little too regular. It almost looked like a box set up about 15 feet off the ground, and there was someone in it...
Their warning shouts came too late as an arrow pinged off of Garri's new armor. Another kicked up a puff of dust in the path to his left. Shouts rose from all around you as a small group of orcs rushed in from their hiding spots in the woods. Everyone but Lialda (who had her face in a book) is able to draw their weapon and prepare for the battle.
The orcs all currently have bows equipped, but you can cleary see blades hanging by their sides as well.
Sarada charges the nearest Orc.
Her surprise over with Lialda quickly shifted her position so that she could get a nice field of fire on the attacking orcs and cast a spell sending a flurry of snowballs out to pummel their ranks. AS the spell dwindled off there was one final splurge of snowballs, not as big as the first, that flew into the orcish ranks.
You manage to take the upper hand in the combat, with Storn killing one orc and Sander finishing off another. The swarm continued to eat away at the fleeing orc, bringing him to the ground and covering him in a writhing mass of legs.
The remaining pair of orcs in the high hides threw their bows over their shoulders and turned. Both jumped off the platforms and somehow sped off into the forest, almost as fast as a horse could run, disappearing in the foliage.
Kreagor moved over to investigate the area just off the trail where the orcs attacked from. He saw orcish footprints about, but nothing untoward. There wasn't any evidence of anything other than a standard ambush along a small, but frequently used trail.
What was unusual was the high hides - the platforms hidden in the tree foliage about fifteen feet off the ground had perfect line of sight along the trail. What was even more unusual was that the orcs had pre-planned escape routes from the hides. Thick ropes had been tied to the tree trunks and led off through the woods, with nearby branches clipped away. These channels apparently allowed the orcs to slide down the ropes and get away far more quickly than any pursuing force on foot could follow.
The rest of the hike to the river was uneventful, though you moved slower as the group paid closer attention to the woods around the trail. Finally, in late afternoon, you exit the woods to see sunlight reflecting off the Kestrel River.
Moored to the bank is a large, modified keelboat with what appears to be a sturdy wooden hull. It looks as if it has been assembled from the scavenged wrecks of other vessels, few of which look as if they were very seaworthy in their former lives, much less in their current one. The boat is about 120 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a single mast with a large sail, as well as two rowing banks.A small herd of eight horses are picketed on the bank, their harnesses nearby showing that the horses are likely used to drag the keelboat upstream.
A number of humanoid figures are gathered around a fire, with a large kettle steaming over the fire. One stands as you emerge from the woods, raising his hand in greeting.
"Hail the camp. Is Raag Bloodtusk among you?" Kreagor says as he approaches the camp.
As you approached, the figure turned out to be a big half-orc male. He smiled a toothy smile and said in a gravely voice, "I ain't the captain. He's aboard doing captainy things. I'm Oorug. You must be the 'new crew members' we was told to expect. Looks like you ran into some trouble coming in. Better come aboard and talk to the captain."
The other seven figures around the fire - five male and two female - stared at you as you approached, but none offered any word of greeting.
Oorug leads you onto the boat, which, despite its ragged appearance, feels solid and stable under your feet. He led you to the captain's cabin at the rear - he called it the stern - of the boat. He knocked on the door, then entered as a voice inside instructed him.
The ceiling was low - six feet or so - cramped for most of the party, but just right for someone of Sander's stature. A scarred half-orc man sat at a side table, turned to greet you.
"So, you're the Heros of Trunau, eh? Halgra couldn't stop talking about you. Neither could Barka, truth to tell. She was in town for the raid, and she feels lucky that you stopped that scrumling human from killing Brinya. Barka seems to feel that as a half-breed herself, she'd have been next in line. So, what are the plans for this journey upriver? I probably don't have to tell you that the region's a bit prickly right now. We're going to need the gods' own luck to avoid trouble."
Renliat has to stoop an uncomfortable amount in the short dwelling, especially as they pass low hanging cross beams.
At the captain he bows slightly more than the quarters are already forcing him to do. "We did our part." He looms quietly behind the others, inspecting the room.
"Then let us hope the gods are with us, and that some of their luck rubs off on us." Kreagor says with a chuckle before explaining what is needed of the captain.
"Also, we were instructed to give this to you, Raag Bloodtusk." Kreagor says as he give him the delivery.
As they were escorted onto the ship Lialda found herself looking around in curiosity. She'd never seen a ship before and it was intriguing to say the least. As they entered the captain's cabin she found herself fairly comfortable. She was relieved she wasn't that tall and found herself rather comfortable in the low ceilinged room.
She looked at the man who must be the captain and said, "I guess that would be us, yes. I don't think of myself as a hero but it seems the town does." Her smile turned sad, "Mom would have been proud." Her expression turned much angry as she thought of what almost happened to Brinya and said, "I'm honestly ashamed at the townsfolk's reaction, they know better but fear will make people do shameful things." She smiled slightly, "I'm just relieved we could help her."
Shrugging at Lialda he responds, "The folk of Trunau have been mighty welcoming to half-breeds like myself and my crew. Unusual, given their history, but I'd hate to see that one bigot and some misguided fools could change a hundred years or more of tradition...and good sense. Glad you lot are doing what you are doing though, someone has to keep things in order."
"Ah, thank you." the captain said as Kreagor handed over the introduction letter and the sealed envelope. He read through the letter of introduction and grinned.
"Says here that Halgra thinks you should be working passengers. Well, we already knew that based on our original discussions with her. I wonder how she thinks we are supposed to disguise a gnoll, and a hobgoblin in with my crew. Be the smallest half-orcs anyone's ever seen!"
"Still, there's work enough to be done out of sight of the riverbanks for them that needs it, and I think I've got some face paints to doctor up the rest of you. Good enough from the banks, not so much if we get boarded. So, let's not get boarded, hey?"
"I'll have Oorug show you to your quarters, where you can dump your stuff, and then introduce you to the rest of the crew. But, before that, let's go over the rules of the boat. One, you may be paying passengers, but I'm the captain of the ship. You do what I say, when I say, and how I say to do it, and I'll not be overstepping my bounds."
"Two, you'll work for your passage. Halgra's paying me some, but the expectation is you'll blend in with the others by doing your share of the work. Three, no pissing on my deck. She may not look like much, but she's mine, and I'll not have you besmirching her. Four, no fires outside of the galley. I don't know what you lot can do, but I'll be damned if some wizard is going to set my boat on fire. That's pretty much it. If you have a problem with the crew, take it up with Halrex. She's my Coxswain, and she's in charge of the crew."
"Questions?"
Renliat cocks his eyebrow at the peculiar set of rules. What...what happened that made him require those? He wonders. Still he knows he looks the part so he decides to set the captain's mind at ease. "In full disclosure I am exactly the kind of mage you are worried about, but I have a...dislike of fire, and regardless I promise to not sow destruction on your ship unless it is absolutely necessary."
"I haven't any. When do we depart?" Kreagor asks.
I hope we leave tonight...
Looking to Garri he responds "Coxswain Halrex mends those that truly need it. Be talking to he about that business."
Bloodtusk narrows his eyes at Renliat and squares his hips to the elf. He folds his arms across his chest and studies him for a moment before repeating, "No. Fire."
With that states he nods to Kreagor and says, "We'll leave at dawn."
Turning to the gnoll and witch he asks, "And you two?"
Lialda gave the captain an understanding smile and said, "I'm afraid I'd be of little help in crewing the ship, I haven't the stamina or strength for it." She approached him slowly and held out a hand to touch his skin gently, "And as you can tell from my touch my magic lends itself to cold" She backed away then and gained a thoughtful look, "As for what I could do to earn my way I am a healer primarily, but I can also brew potions. I would be honored to spend some time creating some potions for the use of your crew for my portions of the workload."
The tiny fox popped her head out of Lialda's pack just then and made the "yi-ing" sounds that foxes do as she gave the witch a reproachful look.
Lialda looked over at Hivita, scratched the snow white fox's ears, and said, "And for Hivita's portion as well. I promise she won't make a mess and will behave herself Captain."
"No fire. Agreed." More likely have to worry about freezing the ship, although that requires a much more dramatic display to cause serious damage... Renliat muses. In the meantime he gets himself out of the way, knowing he doesn't have the back strength to help with loading.
Sarada bows to the captain. ”I don’t know much about ships but I can lift and carry quite a lot. Just point me at something that needs doing.”
"Yes I know they sound the same, but they're all spelled differently, and they all mean different things. It's important to understand the distinction..."
Satisfied that you all understood to see Halrex if you had further questions, he dismisses you, though he keeps a wary sidelong glance at Renliat as he does so. "I have a letter to read before the light's all gone." He waved the sealed envelope in the air and pointed to the door.
Outside the captain's cabin, Oorug was waiting. He took you to the crew quarters, where ten hammocks were strung up. "We take turns on watches, so there's enough room for everyone to grab a hammock when its your time to crash. There's footlockers for storage, and the unspoken rule is if you get caught stealing, you end up in the river with nothing but your skin to protect you from the crocs."
Oorug led you through the rest of the ship as the sun ate the horizon. The enveloping darkness made finding footing difficult in some of the holds, as he pointed out the rowing galley, the cargo area, the galley, the watchtower, and the pilot's deck. Then, he led you back down the gangplank to introduce you to the rest of the crew.
The regular crew entirely consisted of half-orcs. Barka, Gashnahk, Krothu, and Taug were male. The women were Ghorza, Sharg, and Urul. They all seemed friendly enough, though a little wary. Coxswain Halrex was a large, full-blooded orc. The suspicious look on her face as Oorug introduced you was easily enough to make you realize that she was likely a harsh taskmistresss.
Coxswain Halrex said, "Captain tells me you're to be acting as crew, so you'll be treated as crew. Put in your day's effort or you'll have to deal with me. There's nothing wrong with sweat and hard labor, so don't shirk and we won't have issues. There's lots to be done on the boat, so even noodle arms like you," she sneered at Lialda and Renliat, "will have something to do. If we're attacked, I expect everyone to jump in and defend the boat. As for jobs, the gnoll and hobgoblin here can take a stint on the oars. I expect the rest of you to as well, though I don't see how most of you would last more than a half hour. There's also the stables to be mucked, horses to tend, fishing and cooking, sounding the riverbed, and lookout duty. I expect you to rotate through those jobs to make sure no one is shirking, but I'm not too much of a fool to identify talent and use it."
"Before I add you to the duty watch, I need to know your capabilities and strengths. Specifically, since night is upon us, I need to know if you can see in the darkness."
Lialda exited the Captain's cabin and listened as Oorug spoke. What he said made her very nervous as she knew she couldn't most, if any, of the tasks crewing on a ship would require. She didn't have the strength or the skills for it and she knew that Oorug knew it. In order to show her willingness to pull her part she stepped up first when he asked their skills and said, "I can't see as well in the dark as a half-orc can but as long as there is light I see better than a human would. As for other skills of use, I don't have many, the best I could do is tend to injuries and illness."
Sarada bows the to taskmistress and waits for Lialda to finish speaking before he opens his mouth. "I can see in the dark, and I'm useful for physical labour."
"I can see in the dark, and am good for physical labor as well." Kreagor states once Sarada finishes.
Coxswain Halrex looks over each of you in turn as you respond to her. To Sarada and Kreagor she responds "Good. We'll see you to the oars." Rolling her eyes at Lialda's response she adds "I'm sure someone as useless as that can find work assisting Gashnakh in meal preparation."
Turning to Renliat she asks, "And you quiet elf? Do you know how to work your tongue or shall I just assign you to mucking the stables right now?"
"Miss Lialda isn't useless, she is a wonderful healer and a great boon and friend to have." Sarada sternly responds.
Glaring at Sarada she adds, "Noted. However, given that this isn't a war vessel and I'm not here to be your friend, those are two qualities that are useless on this ship at this moment."
Turning her attentions back to Renliat, she folds her arms on her chest waiting for a response.
Sarada blinks. "You yourself said if this vessel is attacked you expect everyone to jump in and defend it. You know how dangerous these waterways can be, I would hope you would know how valuable a healer can be."
Without looking at Sarada and keeping her arms folded on her chest the large orc responds "After an attack when healing is required those skills would provide extremely useful. However. Being as we aren't currently under attack, are not usually under attack and I do not plan on attacking anyone anytime soon they currently useful to me."
"Yet."
Only if you get caught stealing. Renliat gives a silent exhale of amusement.
As they are introduced to the crew and their taskmaster, Renliat quietly stifles his dislike of orcs. He knows it's wrong to make assumptions...but he still can't help but to feel uneasy.
As Halrex quickly goes through all the jobs, Renliat barely memorizes the tasks while trying to identify what some of them are.
Renliat speaks up softly once the others are done. "Typical elf sight, nothing in darkness but more than humans in moonlight. I...can cast an array of destructive spells." He goes quiet for a moment. "I am well educated in various fields and studies." ... "I speak nine languages." He quickly realizes he's not an ideal crew member.
"Hhhmmmph. Destructive spells? I don't expect the captain would like to see any fire magic about his ship, got that? Sounds like if we're getting into any fights that you lot be my best option is it?"
Turning to Kreagor she says, "You there, Hobgoblin. You're on night watch, mid-shift with Sharg and Taug. The rest of you will be rotating on and off throughout the day. While on watch, if it looks large enough to damage the boat or its crew, alert your watch-mates. If it looks like it is taking a violent interest in the boat or crew, call the alarm."
"Now then. See me in the morning for your duties. For now, get some food, get to the know the rest of the crew, and get some sleep."
"Will do Halrex." Kreagor says.
"I suggest we go get some food like she says. I'd like to get to sleep early as well." Kreagor says to his companions as he goes to find some chow.
Dinner was good, and the evening passed quickly. When the time came for the night watches, the off-duty crew went promptly to sleep, with little grousing or conversation. Oorug bade you do the same, and the night passed swiftly without incident.
The morrow brought the hustle and bustle of getting the keelboat into the water. There was no wind to speak of, so it was up to the horses and rowers to make the ramshackle boat move downstream at any speed faster than the sluggish current. Sarada, unsurprisingly, ended up on the first rowing shift, with Kreagor pulling the oar in front of him.
Renliat, having drawn mid-watch, slept in a little later than the others to find himself on breakfast duty. After that, it was a stint on the lookout tower.
Lialda was tasked with helping cook breakfast and serving it to the crew at their stations. After that, it was time to muck out the stables and then fishing to try and augment the boat's supplies.
Coxswain Halrex made it clear that you would be rotating through the duty roster in the six days that it is estimated that the trip will take. She also makes no concealment of the fact that she feels anyone not doing their share at rowing is a slothful wasted piece of flesh. But, maybe that's just because she hasn't gotten to know you very well yet.
Still a bit tired from his watch in the night, Kreagor sits down to row, ready to simply let the physical activity take his mind.
Kreagor takes the coxswains attitude in stride, there's little reason to fret about it right now and she seems to be like that even with the regular crew.