Hurried but professional preparations begin for the Shrike's return to deep water. Ropes are stowed, sails are re-checked, knots are tied....but most importantly, down below the armory is cracked open and a quick inspection of the swords and cutlasses there is performed.
A palpable tremor of excitement passes through the ship's crew...action is coming! Wreckers! Scum!
Orders are barked by the senior crew as the launch is put into the water with some of the more broader backed crew. The tow ropes grow taut as the launch crew pull on their oars, pulling the bow of the Shrike back into the deeper water of the port.
Once satisfied they can catch the wind, the Captain orders the launch recovered and sails are unfurled, snapping as they are filled by the breeze....the Shrike surging forward.
His hand easy on the wheel, Isaac the captain looks to his Navigator for a bearing...
Isaac needs a bearing, and Jaina provides one.
Diana will, as usual cast Read Weather the night before gaining 48 hours of weather knowledge. She will also cast Guiding Star at port which should aid navigation in general and prevent getting lost for 7 days. And finally she can use her Star Chart Oracle power once/day to cast Commune.
I'll be consulting with Besmara I will. But its not wise to waste a deities time with idle questions so I'd appreciate your thoughts on how to word my questions for best effect. Keep in mind the answer will only be yes or no.
Isaac scratches his chin before saying, "Ho' abou' 'Ar' th' wreck'rs o' Th' Lady's Sting currently in their hid'ou'?'"
"Hmm. Is the Lady's Sting hidden by magic?
Never know if magic is involved in its hiding, or if mere mundane searching would do the trick."
"Do th' wreck'rs curren'ly hav' th' artifac' from Th' Lady's Sting? Do th' wreck'rs hav' traps in their hid'ou'? Ar' ther' any oth'r peopl' in th' hid'ou' besid's th' wreck'rs?"
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Diana casts her spell after listening to the advise of captain and crew.
1) Are the wreckers we seek hidden by magic?
2) Are they in possession of the Lady's Sting?
3) Are they in possession of the artifact from the Lady's Sting?
4) Besides their wizard leader, do they have other casters with them?
5) Is their hidden island within sight of the the Rampore Islands? [ooc]Would mean within 20 miles based on visual distance to the horizon)
6) Are there other dangers to us on the island and immediate surrounds besides the wreckers?
7) Do the wreckers have traps that we will have to contend with?
The senior crew retire to the chartroom at the stern of the ship, and Diana makes her preparations for the ritual.
Kneeling before a basin of fresh seawater, she speaks a prayer with the rhythm of a sea shanty, beseeching the attention of the Pirate Queen, Besmara.
Soon enough, evidence of the goddesses' regard begin to show as motes of soft blue and green begin to form in the sea water, emitting ripples of light as if the room was under water or in a sea grotto.
A heaviness descends on the ship, pausing even the busiest of the sailors in their work as they turn reverently towards the stern of the Shrike.
Within the chartroom, the smell of saltwater grows ever stronger as Diana intuits that the time to ask her questions is nigh...
"Are the wreckers we seek hidden by magic?" she intones, and after a pause a clear , female voice emanates from the basin, "Sometimes..."
"Are they in possession of the Lady's Sting? Julia asks, "Yes" answers the voice.
"Are they in possession of the artifact from the Lady's Sting? Julia asks, "Yes" answers the voice.
"Besides their wizard leader, do they have other casters with them? Julia asks, "No" answers the voice.
"Is their hidden island within sight of the the Rampore Islands? Julia asks, "Yes" answers the voice.
"Are there other dangers to us on the island and immediate surrounds besides the wreckers? Julia asks, "You are in the Shackles..." answers the voice, with a distinct hint of sarcasm.
"Do the wreckers have traps that we will have to contend with?" Julia asks, "Yes...beware the easy prey...." answers the voice, trailing off as the power of the ritual fades.
Slowly the light returns to normal as the sea water in the basin, boils away like spray from rough surf. The sailors outside share a look or comment, glad to know that their leaders are in such high esteem with the Pirate Queen.
We are truly blessed by Besmera. And with her blessing we are forewarned. Let us use this knowledge to best prepare.
Isaac nods with a smile on his face. "Ay'. We be needin' to mak' preparations. Bu', firs' thin's firs'. Findin' 'em. Can anyon' sens' magic?"
"Nope." Jaina shakes her head.
"Yup."
Lets be off to the Rampore Islands and from there lets see what we can see. If the need is great I can recast the spell on the morrow.
Isaac nods. "Then we be havin' our headin'."
And so, for-warned , the crew of the Shrike sail on, buoyed by the grace of their patron Diety.
Several hours pass until the ship makes it's way though the strait between Bag Island and Dahak's Fang.
At one point an alert from the crow's nest as the lookout shouted out a sighting of a flight of wyverns rising from the coast to starboard.
However, the giant lizard-things weren't interested in the Shrike and set off southwards.
With Jaina's expert headings, the Shrike navigates the smaller islands in the transit towards Rampore Isles proper.
Consulting their charts the crew can see that a number of islands make up the circular shape of the Rampores....and judge that it be unlikely that the wreckers would hold up on the interior shore, the central island of Ghrinishanara has a sinister reputation.
There are a number of settlements on the Rampores...but there are two stretches of unoccupied coast , one on the near coast and the other, quite larger on the far side of the Rampores...
In the last 30 year, Rampore has become the center of a thriving business in humanoid slaves. Any ship not allied with Rampore entering the circle of islands can expect to be taken. Even making the transit around the less populated outer coast is risky...
Edward's usually carefree demeanor changes to serious, as he frowns faintly at seeing the infamous isle.
"That island. It's said to be the home of a heavy slaving business.
Whatever you prefer, is most likely to be found somewhere."
"Isaac, we should not, unless fate makes us, enter that central island.
To boot, any vessel not associated with Rampore, is fair game for plunder and enslavement, as far as its occupants are concerned."
Isaac listens to Edward's knowledge. He thinks it over before saying, "Then we be cautious. Avo'd th' cent'r isl'. Search th' unoccupi'd coasts. An' keep an ey' ou' fer oth'r ships. I wan' full vigilanc'."
At the Captains' statement, commands ring out and the watch is immediately doubled, each sailor is kitted out with sword and knife and the palpable excitement that had pervaded the crew went up a notch.
The crew of the Shrike, consulting charts and each other's experience, draws the ship closer to the shore. Weaving around sand bars and reefs, keeping an eye on sea and shore, the uninhabited coast slides by, an unending line of teeming jungle. For a time the only other sign of life is the occasional burst of birds from the foliage or a cavorting pod of dolphins at the Shrike's bow.
After some hours travelling North up the coast, a cry from the crow's nest, "Sail Ho! ". Looking up, the crew sees the sailor pointing to starboard, astern.
All eyes peer to the seas to the stern of the ship, and indeed all see a ship coming out of the lee of a small island, The Shrike passed about 15 minutes ago, so it is somewhat distant...but its aggressive turn to the North to follow The Shrike cannot be missed.
It a ship about the same size as The Shrike, but has a lot more crew...
The ship is definitely out of Rampore, it's purple hued Davey Jones fluttering hard in the stiff breeze.
Using a hand to block the sun Diana peers out over her beloved ocean and makes out quite a few details. She's about the same size as The Shrike, but has a lot more crew... And she flies a purple hued Davey Jones. Definitely out of Rampore.
Due to the sun and its glare, Isaac can't make out the ship. Luckily, Diana is able to make it out. Isaac frowns at this. "Any sugg'stions? Giv'n their crew siz', it may be difficul' to figh' 'em. It may tak' a considerabl' amoun' o' effor' to evad' 'em."
Edward has an idea, perhaps far fetched, but worth to try.
He calls out to the crew, "Do we have a Yellow banner or large sized yellow sheet?"
He turns to Isaac.
"Perhaps we can fool them into believing we're carrying a viral disease."
Oh, we can fight them but it would be wise not to let them board. All that crew has to be heavy so we may be both faster and more agile.
Isaac nods at Edward and Diana. "Good ideas. Mayhaps we can ev'n combin' 'em. Us' th' yello' flag an' th'n attac' 'em when their guard is down. Mayhaps they kno' wher' th' wreck'rs ar'."
Tha' yellow banner's bad juju, lads. - says the Dwarf, finally waking up from his slumbering silence - Dunno if we should attract tha' kind o'luck tae us.
He scratches the long beard, before continuing.
But I am absah-lutely onboard with tha' idea of boarding 'em instead of letting 'em step in our planks.
The corsair stops for a moment.
Maybe we could consider... Sinking 'em? Simply feeding tha' sharks? Do we truly need anything of thees' fah'saken wreckers? Are we able tae get them tae kiss the deep sands?
They've many more crew than us. Likely most extras are marines for boarding action, so boarding is a last resort. I say we let them chase us as we hammer them with our siege and maybe a spell or two. If we are faster, we win at this. If somehow they are faster despite the weight of their extra crew then we use he time they need to close to try to clear their decks or slow them with our siege and spells and even the odds when they manage to close.
"Lots of crew? Good. More for me to beat down."
Jaina cracks her knuckles.
Isaac nods. "Ay' th'n. Avoid th' flag an' ge' ready to send 'em on a chas'."
As the senior crew debate the response to the appearance of the slaver ship, commands are given to move The Shrike out into deeper waters, the ship's crew continuing the business of the ship as it tacks and jibes with and against the wind.
Peering back at the following ship, the concerns of the crew are made moot by the sudden deceleration of the Rampore vessel. It appears it hita patch of bad air, and it falls appreciably behind.
Finally it seems that the Rampore captain gives up the chase, as the other vessel comes about and sails South, looking for easier prey, quickly disappearing into the shimmering horizon...
Eye-ing the sky, the senior crew of The Shrike see that the day is getting long, putting some distance between them and the Rampore ship and finding a safe anchorage for the night suddenly become the priority...
On edge, Diana operates at the top of her game.
Indeed.
Diana climbs some rigging to get a clearer picture of the sea and wind.
She sees an outflow current between two islands and directs the pilot to change course. Once The Shrike hits the current, the ship lurches forward, gaining speed.
Later, she spies a well-hidden cove with a burbling clear water stream and a deep anchorage. The Cook is overjoyed to find a colony of turtles living there as well, exclaiming, "Turtle soup for everyone!"
As evening turns to night, the crew is well fed, but thoughts and talk return to the appearance of the slaver's ship.
The senior crew convene to plan their next moves...
So, lads... I guess we keep circling 'round tha' coast line? I like what we... saw... sah' far. - says the Dwarf, quoting the "saw" as to mean they didn't cross paths with the prey yet - Of course I'd rather we got tae them already, but tha' turtles were great!
Isaac says, "Tha' be th' plan. Bu' I be wond'rin' iff'n anyon' can conjur' som' animals or somethin' to help scou' thin's ou'. Eith'r tha' or I can div' down an' scou' b'neath th' wav's."
Opinions abound as night descends and the ship rocks gently in the protected cove Diana had found. A clear sky drapes over the island, revealing the stars in their multitude.
Watches are picked from the crew, always pairs, one of which has night vision of some sort. Despite the turtle soup and the protected anchorage, the crew were nervous and many found finding sleep difficult.
The night passes quietly, only the occasional large animal moving through the nearby jungle to disrupt the tedium of keeping watch.
It was near dawn, and the Captain was Officer of the Deck, supervising those on watch, when a whispered alert came down from the Crow's Nest.
Looking up in the dim light, Issac could see the sailors pointing out to see, where when he himself ran to the railing , could see two ships passing by, headed South. Through the gaps in the forest, he could easily make out the colors of Rampore flying high on the ship's masts.
Soon it became obvious that neither ship had seen The Shike, so well hidden the cove proved to be.
A nearby sailor, joked to his Captain, "We better be findin' them wrecker's Cap'n, 'fore we're wrecked ourselves!"
Isaac watches as the ships move passed the cove. At his sailor's jest, Isaac chuckles. "Ay'. It be quit' busy her'. Thank ye, lads an' lasses fer spottin' 'em. Keep it up." He then moves to inform the senior staff of the two passing ships.
Once again Diana requests The Pirate Queen's regard, a hush fall over the crew of the Shrike as she completes her ritual, the air in the map room of The Shrike becoming saltier, more damp.
Slowly she intones the chosen questions....
"Were any of those ships the Wreckers?"
No
"Are we closer to the Wreckers?"
Yes
"What direction is the Wreckers' hideout?"
North...North...then West
"How far is the Wreckers' hideout?"
If Gozreh blows forth, 2 days hard sailing
Finished her questions, the divine presence lingers for a few moments, awaiting any more queries, then like water draining away, the presence departs.
Edward summons a lute and plays a tune to lighten the mood.
Thus advised, the crew of The Shrike strike out along the dangerous shores of Rampore Island, eyes sharp for signs of the slavers' ships and other dangers.
Late in the first day of sailing, with nothing of note seen besides some dolphins, the lookout calls out sighting of sails in the distance. Quickly it's determined that it was at trio of Rahadoumi merchantman sprinting north west to avoid the Eye of Abendego. The shiver of excitement that ran through the ship was palpable....plunder! But , alas the merchantmen were too far away and any plans of pursuit were curtailed.
Having caught good winds and currents, the crew finds themselves on the eastern side of the strangely shaped Rampor Island.
Once again, a safe place to anchor was needed...