Ivan spends the next week toiling away on repairing his fathers shield. He had never worked with mithril before, at least, not as a primary craftsman. He was actually excited to have the chance. It was light, easy to mold, but difficult to control. His hammer blows were rhythmic as he worked on melding the metals, folding them, and setting them to shape. It was work, but a work he loved. He felt at home as he worked, and distant memories of learning under his uncle found their way into his head and warmed his mood and heart, just like the heat from the furnace warmed his skin. He put great effort and love into the shield, and, on the final day, paid a little extra for silver and gold to fill the engravings he had etched into it. The front held a depiction of an elegantly and intricately crafted hammer and pick, crossing at the middle of their grips overlaying a mystical looking anvil. The gold and silver trim ran around the edges of each, and the edge of the shield. It was his clans symbol, showiing their pride as metallurgists and craftsmen. Around it, were other dwarven runes, symbols of strength, endurance, honor, and more. each just as carefully etched and lined so that they each held a soft glow to them. Ivan took no less care in his work one the chain shirt, enjoying the chance to work with mithril ore again, and, despite thinking that the goblin may not care for it made sure it looked nice.
With a piece of chalk Daseem sketched the outline of a greatsword on a long and thin slate. He selected a length of round stock and was about to put it in the fire to forge it out when he hesitated. Slowly he shook his head, he wasn't good enough yet. Instead he rubbed out the greatsword and sketched a simple longsword. He selected a shorter bar of steel and put it in the fire until it glowed cherry red. Then he took it out with tongs and started hammering it on two sides. The metal stretched out the width of his thumb before cooling too much. He put it back and waited for it to come back up to temperature. Over the next few hours he drew out the blade until it was three feet long, roughly sword shaped with a distal taper. He then set to work drawing out the tang, once that was done he needed to run normalizing cycles to prevent the metal from becoming brittle, and then he would need to harden the blade and pray it didn't warp. He glanced out the window, it was full dark and he had been working all day. He'd have to finish it tomorrow.
The life in Trunau slowly reverts to normal. The training in the commons starts again, the patrol does the normal rounds through the wilderness and finds nothing out of the ordinary. The damage to the town is being repaired. The burnt down houses are still a terrific reminder of the past battle, but the rubble is cleared from the roads and the wall is closed again.
After a week Kurst comes with news. He informs Ivan and Menrozzar that the ship that will take them to the Ghostlight March and Redlake Fort will arrive in two days. It is about 20 miles of travel north to meet at the Kestrel River. "Once you are ready to leave, you can get your letter of introduction from Halgra. And don't forget to get that special lamp from Silvermane. If you want we can accompany you there with a patrol."
Bupkis buys a good supply of rations to take on the journey, and hopes that he can persuade Daseem, Ivan or Menrozzar to carry it for him. He thinks that the riverboat will have it's own supplies, but he doesn't want to risk running short.
He goes to explain to Alicia and her parents why he has to leave Trunau for a while. "Giant that sends orcs against Trunau lives at Redlake Fort. Bupkis must go with Daseem, Ivan, Menrozzar and Scrabbler to stop another attack! Maybe it takes a month."
"A month? That would be..." she starts counting days with her fingers. Giving up she asks Bupkis "... how many days are a month?"
"Eight!" Scrabbler answered excitedly from nearby, where he was practicing juggling while doing a headstand.
Ivan shifts around a bit again
and ye are Surin' we can't jus' walk there? I've ne'er taken well ta' travelin' over deep water. Bah. Ivan waves his hand dismissively before there was an answer, already knowing it would be a no.
I'll go ahead an' get the letter an' lamp. An no need fer ye to go out O' ya way ta' escort us. The lads can handle themselves well enough, an I'm tough as stone and steady as a mountain bwahaha.
Ivan waves as he trundles off towards Silvermane.
Oi, elf, er silvermane. I've come to get that lantern ye said we would need ifn' we wanted to check out that druid cache. Now don't ye go wavin' yer hands at me, I don't know what ye sayin' just hand me the lantern an' I'll thank ye and be on me way, ifn' you got something important to say, ye gonna have to write it down.
Bupkis thinks for a moment, before replying, "Bupkis thinks count fingers three times; one month also time between full moons.
"Bupkis will be OK, because Bear watches!"
Silvermane reaches inside his flowing robes and pulls out very special bullseye lantern and hands it over with a wise smile saying nothing.
Menrozzar sets about ensuring they have sufficient food supplies for the journey - this wasn't a short hunting trip after all, although he hoped to be able to supplement their food with some hunting as they traveled. It would be dangerous, true, but they had to make sure Grenseldek didn't try to attack Trunau again. This was his home - and no giant chieftain was going to come after them again.
Daseem was excited and scared by the prospect of setting out to find those responsible for the raid and hopefully putting them to the sword. That part was exciting! The part he was dreading was telling Tessa. She wanted him to help the town, surely this counted right? At least that's what he tried to tell himself, but deep down he knew it wouldn't cut any ice. Tessa was going to be livid.
Ivan gives a nod as he takes it and heads off towards Halgra.
As he enters ivan leans slightly on his shield.
Mornin', I'm 'ere for the papers what were mentioned for the ferry.
"Sure. I have it here." Halgra tells. "Give it to Raag Bloodtusk with my best wishes. He's an old friend of mine. I have secured passage for you aboard a keelboat that regularly plies the rivers of southern Belkzen. Raag Bloodtusk has agreed to transport you to Ghostlight Marsh and then up the River Esk to a location near Redlake Fort in exchange for your efforts in helping sail the boat and defending it from any dangerous river denizens. I know you're no fan of that, but overland travel to Redlake Fort would be foolhardy and dangerous, as it would take you right through the orc-infested Hold of Belkzen. Bloodtusk’s riverboat, on the other hand, is well known among the orc tribes along the river, and the gladiator-turned-riverboat-captain enjoys rights of safe passage from these tribes’ chieftains, which makes a river journey far safer." the chief explains.
Bah, I'd rather cut me way through an army O' orcs, but, I'll take yer word this is the best way, if not for me own sake for the others. Thank ye, an ye keep the place safe till we get back ye hear? Ivan lets out a small chuckle before heading back to meet up with the others.
"Sure thing. We'll dig in here until our great heroes come back to keep us safe." Halgra answers with a grin.
Ivan chuckles aye, ye do that. he says and shakes a finger toward her in jest.
Ivan then trundles back to the group ye lads ready then?
Bupkis replies to Ivan,"Bupkis ready!"
He struggles to lift up a comically large sack filled with rations, and asks, "Big person carries for Bupkis?"
Finally everything is prepared and all goodbyes are said and the group leaves for the meeting point at Kestrel River. The River, where Raag Bloodtusk’s keelboat is waiting for them, lies approximately 18 miles north of Trunau. The short trip to the river is uneventful, and with Halgra’s letter of introduction, they have no trouble boarding the boat.
They are greeted by Raag himself. He eyes them all, and tells "Yer know what ye signed up for? This is no holidays. Ye have ta work for ye passage. Coxswain Halrex will show ye where ta work and where ta sleep."
"Yer lucky. Ye get ta start with sleep. We start downriver tomorrow."
Halrex, a full blooded orc woman takes over and gives the group a short tour through the parts of the ship, they need to know. Bloodtusk’s riverboat is a large, modified keelboat with a sturdy wooden hull. Assembled from the scavenged wrecks of several other vessels, the riverboat looks ungainly, with a wide forecastle and towerlike structure at the bow, and a high aftcastle at the stern. The boat is 120 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a draft of 10 feet. It has a single mast with a large sail as well as rowing banks. To assist in traveling upstream, the riverboat also carries eight horses that can be put ashore to pull the boat upstream. The boat is cramped, with ceilings only 5 feet high. Cabins and interior cabins are usually unlit during the day, with a single hooded lantern providing illumination at night in inhabited areas.
"You will sleep in this room." Halrex tells in a room full with hammoks . "As for jobs, you can help the cook, help fishing, rowing, support the pilot, or be the watchout."
"All rooms I have not shown you are off limits."
"Me's a good watchout!" Scrabbler said happily. "Mes very good at watching out."
Bupkis knows he isn't strong enough to row, and he doesn't know how to cook, or fish. "Bupkis supports pilot!", he volunteers; he doesn't know what that involves, but at least he doesn't know yet that he can't do it.
A moment later, he is seized by doubt, as he realizes that he has no idea what he has agreed to do. "What is pilot?", he whispers to his friends. "Is pilot heavy?"
Halrex laughs out loud. "The captain does the piloting of the ship. Helping him, you'd have to watch out that the ship doesn't run on ground."
Sounding: Helping the keelboat’s pilot avoid the shallows along the riverbeds requires a successful DC 10 Profession (sailor) check or DC 15 Perception check from the forecastle (area A3). If a PC fails this check by 5 or more, the ship runs aground and must be towed free by the horses, adding 1 day of travel to the journey.
Menrozzar, bent double, sighed at the height of the ceilings and said, ”I can help row- I’m used to physical labor.”
There are eight other crew members aboard. Barka, Gashnakh, Ghorza, Krothu, Oorug, Sharg, Taug, and Urul. All half orcs. You are not introduced, but you catch the names up as they talk to each other. The only one you all get to know is Gashnkh as he does the cooking on board and it is supper time.
Daseem spent all morning at the grinding wheel, roughing out the profile of the longsword to match the design he'd sketched out. He was pleased with the distal taper and the overall look but the sword needed hardening and that was tricky... First he performed something Sara Morninghawk called a normalizing cycle, he'd gently up the steel until it was the color of straw before letting it cool slowly. This needed to be done three times, and supposedly it changed something in the steel that resulted in a longer lasting blade. Once that was done he needed to harden it, this involved heating it to a dull red heat and then quenching in oil. This was always exciting and nerve-wracking because blades would often warp.
He added coal to the fire and stared spinning the wheel which powered the bellows which made the fire roar. With a pair of tongues he gripped the blade by the tang and placed it into the fire, moving it around to get an even heat. After a few minutes it was up to temperature and he deftly plunged it into a vat of cool oil sending a plume of smoke and fire up several feet. He pulled it out, looked down the blades's length and frowned, there was a warp but one he could grind out.
So back to the grinding wheel he went, putting steel to spinning stone, sending sparks flying. After half an hour he'd straightened out the blade and slimmed it down to it's final dimensions. Before he put an edge on the blade, he needed to fit a cross guard, pommel and handle. This involved lots of tedious filing and the use of blue ink on the tang to check the blade was properly contacting the wood of the handle and the pommel. Hours later he had a good fit, so he took it apart and sharpened the blade. Now all that was needed to do was to attach the pommel by peening the tang so it would no longer come off. He wrapped the assemble in a rag and placed it in a vice and started hammering gently. Slowly the still soft metal of the tang spread and widened securing the pommel tightly.
Done! He looked around it was dark and only Sara was left. He passed it to her before realizing with in panic, 'Tessa! She wanted us to have dinner tonight!'[i] Without a word he bolted from the workshop and raced round to Aunt Lessie's. Inside he found Tessa in the kitchen staring into a candle, arrayed on the table was a hearty meal. He glanced at Tessa, her cheeks where streaked by dried tears. "Uhh..." he didn't know what to say. She didn't meet his eyes as she said, "So I heard you're leaving. Tomorrow... Would have been nice to hear it from you first."
"I uh" he replied lamely, hoping to explain it had to be done for the good of Trunau.
Looking him suddenly in the eye, she muttered "Don't try to explain Daseem. I've heard the elder's reasons. [i]I also know why you're going." She paused for a moment before fixing him with a steely gaze, "There's no need to discuss that. Instead we need to discuss why you're going to come back and in one piece. I am with child Daseem. Don't think I'm going to let you shirk your duties by getting yourself killed. Promise me you're coming straight back here!" A powerful swirl of emotions took Daseem and he put an arm round her protectively and whispered, "I will!"
Scrabbler had volunteered to act as lookout. Daseem fancied he'd make a good lookout too, but perhaps he could assist the pilot by sounding. Of course he had never done anything like that before... Uncertainly he suggests, "M-m-maybe I could help with tha' sounding?"
Ivan didn't like it the boat swayed as it went, Ivan hadn't been on it for more than a day and already he greatly missed the stability of rock and stone. Not only that, but there was always a dampness in wind as the boat plyed along its course which always seemed to aggravate his beard and made it hard to keep it properly groomed.
I'll help the cook, I wager he needs a bit O' guidance on some dwarven dishes, despite me distaste O' ships, I've had fish an the like 'afore and its one O me favorite types O dish, right behind red meats bwahaha! Oh, an I think I may just have a few spices stashed away as well. Sides, I ain't comfortable bein' round open side of water. Daseem, can ye fish laddie?
As the rocking water was unrelenting Ivan thought to himself. bugger me, I'm bound ta wind up sick! Wouldn't that be shameful! Bah! Come on Ivan, ye ain't gonna lose to no durned water.
"You can cook? Then come along to the galley. I need to prepare supper and can use two more hands with all the new mouths to feed." Gashnakh tells.
Bupkis explores the boat, which is the biggest vessel he's ever seen. He's only ever been in a rowboat before, so something with multiple decks and enclosed cabins is amazing to him. He is particularly fascinated by the balista on the pilot deck, and has to be told not to play with it.
He looks into the stables with a mixture of fear and fascination. The scary horses are safely confined — for now. He doesn't go too close to the massive beasts; he's heard how dangerous their hooves are.
He pokes around in the cargo hold, and then walks up and down the rowing banks. He wonders what's behind the big iron doors at the end.
Scrabbler loved the rigging. When he wasn't eating he was living up to his name, crawling all over the beams and ropes looking out across the water and pointing out everything he saw (whether it was important or not).
Ivan does his best to aid the chef, but finds it a bit difficult to keep up, especially with the, at least to him, noticeable swaying of the ship
"We are still anchored for the night. Stop shouting around." Raag shouts at Scrabbler. Ivan doesn't feel comfortable in the galley, but the result is edible and all are happy over supper.
There is nothing special found in the common rooms. Only some lockers might pique the curiosity of some characters.
After an uneventful night, and a breakfast, the anchor is lifted, sail is set and the journey goes down the River Kestrel.
Finally the boat gets underway. Bupkis stands on the forecastle, peering into the water ahead to avoid hazards. Everything goes fine, and he warns Raag of a sandbar ahead.
Then it's his turn in the rowing banks, which is about as successful as one would expect from a 35 lb goblin. He pretends to row, but doesn't do much to help the boat's progress.
At the end of the day, his muscles ache, even though his rowing was ineffectual.
'Tongue tided! Look where that's got you fool!' Daseem berated himself as he sat in a rowing bench, 'Rowing all day long while the goblins caper about. My eyes are just as sharp if not better.'
Stewing himself up into a fury he spent the morning pulling far too hard on the oars pulling muscle in his back in the process which really threw his rhythm off.
Scrabbler didn't know why he was rowing. He didn't want to row. He was small, and not strong, and really just wanted to be climbing and looking around. He decided this boat captain was not good at her job. It was not smart to make people do things they were bad at when they could be doing things they were good at instead.
Menrozzar has some experience mucking stables, and so he did that when he didn’t have to tow.
Unfortunately there was less space to work with in the stables than he was used to, so he kept bumping into the walls and spooking the horses.
Ivan Rows with a stoic mood on the first day.
Before doing what he can with the food to help out even suggesting a new type of dish called "sushi".
"Sushi?" Gashnakh inquires. On getting explained that it is something with fish in it he suggests "Go choose one of your companions and throw out the nets first to get the fish."
Finding Menrozzar on deck, Ivan takes him along to do as told. Getting some fish in this river with a net isn't hard. One simply throws out the net and waits as it fills while it is dragged along by the boat. But it is hard to get the full net back on the boat. Leaning over the rail it has to be pulled in, foot by foot.
That is the task Ivan and Menrozzar busy themselves with, as the rail breaks, throwing them off balance.
As the rail breaks, Ivan literally freezes in place, as if turning to stone. His feet are planted almost IN the ships deck. After a few moments he sniffs.
Right then, time ta' see about makin' this task easier.
The rail breaks on Menrozzar, pitching him over the edge and into the river with a yell.
"Man overboard! Stop rowing. Get some rope to pull him out." Raag shouts.
Bupkis hears the order to stop rowing; he immediately abandons his station and runs for the deck (he doesn't want to row, anyway).
Unable to swim and not noticing the crocs, Daseem stays put and watches.
alright lad, can ye grab hold O' the net? I'll try to pull ye up!
Ivan would lower the net if needed and then heave to try and pull him up.
Menrozzar manages to keep a tthe surface, but the boat moves faster than the river. The crocodile comes closer and Menrozzar is in danger of becoming crocodile snack.
Menrozzar did not miss the crocodiles sliding into the water, and had no desire to further make their acquaintance. He turned and swam after the boat, shouting, ”Shooting the crocodiles would be helpful!”
Menrozzar manages to reach the net, but the croc is faster. Nevertheless it only gets a mouth full of net.
Bupkis climbs up onto the deck. "What happens?", he shouts, looking around.
Ivan tries to heft up the net once Menrozzar grabs on.
Daseem was surprised when the crocodiles surfaced to menace Menrozzar. Still he had a crossbow near by and he had the presence of mind to load and fire a bolt off. His aim however was poor and the bolt went wide.
The boat slows down, which makes it easier for Menrozzar to keep on to the net. But it is also easier for the other crocodile to catch up. It bites into his leg and holds on to it.
Two half orcs of the crew help pulling the net with menrozzar up, but now you have also the crocodile on board.
Ivan is irritable, aggravated, and rather annoyed at the recent chain of events, and decides to take this opportunity to take out his frustrations. He draws angrimosh grips it in both his hands, and moves beside the croc, trying to get into a slightly blind spot.
Ivan then hammers into the croc with his hammer aiming right for its head.