"I am at ease," she says, embarrassed by the amount of attention that is being paid to her by the captain. "But...I have to ask...where are we sailing and what is our aim?"
The Captain looks out over the crew making sure most can hear what he is about to say
"We are heading for unknown waters, for the dangers beyond the shores of Carajan to sights unknown, where danger lurks for the unprepared and the foolish will sleep with the black bones."
The captain ominously warns and then says
"However for those with the courage to seize their destiny and the strength to strive for their dreams there shall be sights no Human or Orc have seen before and riches beyond our wildest dreams. Put your faith to the test and let De La Vent fill our sails with wind and then seize the luck that Maitre Mer promise us, stand defiant like the holy Saint Christine. When we return Mr. Whalend's dream will be fulfilled and so shall our hull, however not with dreams but with the spoils and riches enough to satisfy every man and woman on board."
With this he turns back to Lucille
Lucille's face remains passive until the captain mentions "riches" and "spoils." She nods solemnly before saying, "It is good I am on board. I eagerly await your orders to ship out."
The Orc grins and gives her a nod
"Get ready then Miss Bluth we sail as soon as everything is on board and the tide is right, so the faster everything is ready the faster we can leave."
Rodrigo nods once after the Captain finishes speaking to him. "Certainly." He turns on a heel, and goes immediately to see to his task. He will assemble first the men, and then the women. He will examine each crew member in groups of two to speed the process, asking them to strip down and then listening to their heart, respiration and giving them a good look over. Once the exam is complete he will note anything out of the ordinary on a piece of paper. He informs each one about the personal storage they've been granted before releasing them back to their duties. The whole time he never removes his gloves, and is careful to touch the crew as little as possible. Whenever he does, they can all feel how peculiarly cold he radiates, even through the leather covering his skin.
After he is finished he will return to the Captain with his notes, written in a neat, very un-orclike Orcish script. "Here are the notes from my examinations Captain." he says, handing them over. "Will there be anything else Sir?" As always his voice is so flat that it takes a second to realize he's asking a question.
"Aye captain, the goods are stored and I'm ready for departure. Let me know if there are any other tasks I can help with for the preparation of our voyage. "
Delmar walks up on deck and takes charge of getting everything ready to sail. As the crew emerge from seeing the doc he'll give them jobs. He'll chat away with the crew as they work, firstly getting an idea of each of their experience and speciality and secondly starting to build a repour.
As the crew makes final preparations to sail, Mathurin comes above deck and makes his way over to Grask. He now has on his cutlass, dagger, sextant, and a waterproof bag.
"Captain, I have poured over the maps and am ready to sail. At your command."
When Grask acknowledges his statement, he then makes his way over to and strolls about the poop deck till it is time to sail.
"Very well, Mr. de Aradia, Mr. Dantares, Mr. Kerbouchard and Mr. Markley, prepare the ship for depature."
The Captain tightens his fist around the railing of the poop deck and leans forward looking out over the main deck with a grin.
Gjurn waves off the doctor. Im fine. Im still alive, and please pay more attention to those that truly need it. If you are still insistant, then come see me in my cabin once we set out to sea. I would share a drink with you and learn more about you, my friend
a lone man walks down the docks leading a mule loaded with packages and trunks.
Ah, my personal effects are here Gjurn says with an exacerbated sigh.
Running down the gang plank, Gjurn greets the man, and helps him grab the few items off the mule. Carrying them up the plank Gjurn and the man go below decks. A minute later the man is back up and down the gangplank, a pseudodragon resting on his shoulder.
Ahh, much better. I missed my friend William Gjurn says to no one in particular, climbing the stairs to the poop deck, leaning against the deck, watching and mentally critiquing the casting off process.
In a low voice, Gjurn comments to himself, but could be heard with a good set of ears Hmmm...need to set the line otherwise the sail will lash about, injuring those on the rigging
As the last of the supplies are boarded upon the RSS Paradiso and stored in their various storage rooms and in the hold, the crew is gathered up from wherever they had spent their time in Saltport.
"Come on lads, the Captain will be waiting!" Connor shouts out to everyone.
As the crew begins readying the ship for departure, Connor takes all of you aside into his personal cabin.
"I'm glad I managed to find such a fine crew. You all seem like the most capable men I could have aboard and I'd not have it any other way. I hope each one of you is alright with his or her position aboard the ship. Remember though, everyone is equal aboard the ship and I highly suggest that the Captain pay attention the rest of the crew's opinions."
Now, as to our destination. We are going to start by making a heading directly west to Last Point, a penal island at the each of the known waters. We'll be able to restock on the food we used as well as any other minor items we need to purchase. Now, the journey shouldn't be too difficult but we need to be at the ready in case of pirate attacks or storms and the like."
"From there, we sail directly into the Mistwall and then... well, who knows. No one has ever returned. So, I suggest everyone find his or her place aboard the ship and we will be underway!"
Day 1
7 Days until Last Point
Weather: Good winds and sunlight
Events: The RSS Paradiso sets off from Saltport and makes its heading away from the coast. The sea is calm and the wind strong, so the ship makes good time.
Lucille, obviously thrilled to be underway, heads straight for the Crow's Nest, where she settles in with her spyglass. When not looking out across the water, she can be seen absentmindedly juggling her daggers.
Gjurn will spend the morning of at sea locked up in his cabin, copying magic spells traped on the scrolls to his spell book.
hmmm, should've thought of this sooner. Bah, too busy being a captain
at lunch time, Gjurn will break from his studies, and go up on deck to get some fresh air, stretch his legs, and see about the happenings of the ship. Walking with his hands behind his back, he casts a critical eye upon the sailors and their work. Knowing he isnt the captain, he still feels compelled to educate the other sailors. He wanders about, making strong suggestions on how to do things, how to splice a rope, patch a sail, swab the deck.
Never lending a hand, but always encouraging, Gjurn slowly makes his way around the deck, leaving a wake of comments like didnt think of it that way or Hmm, your right, it is better that way
Stopping at the Bow, Gjurn gazes out to the sea, a sigh of longing escaping his lips. Oh how ive missed you, my love. Glancing down, he sees dolphins leaping out of the water along side the ship. Laughing he points out the simple beauty to an unknown sailor.
Never lending a hand, but always encouraging, Gjurn slowly makes his way around the deck, leaving a wake of comments like didnt think of it that way or Hmm, your right, it is better that way1d20+12
Mathurin will be at the wheel on this fine day. Using his sextant he will keep the ship on course.
Graskkator gets up before dawn and makes himself presentable before heading up on deck to watch the sunrise, taking a measure of the weather for the day.
When the sun have risen he takes measure of how the weather is going to be
After which he inspects the ship from top to bottom with calm ease, making a grunt or a nod of acknowledgement when he comes across a sailor doing a good job.
During his morning meal he inquires from the cook
"Is everything in order, any problems?"
Assuming none are given he then processed to ask this same question of Mr. Villette, Mr. Kerbouchard, Mr. de Arcadia, Mr. Dantares, Mr. Hawkwood, Mr. Swurn, Miss Bluth, Mr. Markley and finally of Mr. Whalend going to each man's position and listening and appraising their works quietly without making much comment unless serious problems arise.
To Mr. de Arcadia he also relays
"Mr. de Arcadia, I believe if we ration the Ale in the cargo, every sailor could be allotted a pint of Ale a day."
Finally during the evening meal he lay out the following to the other "officers":
"Mr. Danteres have taken an assistant, which I believe is a splendid idea, in fact I would suggest each of us take an assistant and spend one hour every day teaching them that basics of our individual trades so they can help or in worst case scenario replace us should the need arise. What say you?"
When Grask comes by the wheel and asks his question Mathurin will reply:
"Everything is in order, Captain. No problems."
"Aye, captain, an assistant would be good, I'll teach the man what I know. In fact, any of the sailors is welcome to join me for morning stretching routines on the deck and afternoon practice with the boarding gaff and boarding pike so we can repel any pirate attacks. It'll be good for the whole crew." The big man smiles, happy to be starting an adventure.
Lucille, surprised to see the captain scale the netting and come to see her in the nest, nods that all is well and tries to think of something clever or intelligent to say. She is unsuccessful.
Location: Crow's Nest
Time: Midday
(Situation: Hilarious)
Graskkator grins broadly at Miss Bluth
"Better luck tomorrow."
Then he descends to the deck once more.
********************
Time: Dinner
The Orc nods at Markley and elaborate
"A good idea, but I am not just talking about the "fun" stuff but also all the more tediousness duties like keeping inventory or preparing the security details for when we are in harbor and so on."
"All is well with me Captian, I have nothing to report." Rodrigo says when the Captain comes inquiring. "If you're not too busy, perhaps you could tell me more about yourself. I like to know the men that I serve under." He motions for the captain to sit on the edge of one of the operating tables that he had been using as a desk.
While we are at evening meal:
"Having an assistant would be most welcome. There will be times that I need to leave the wheel and will need someone to take over. Plus any other duties that may require my attention on or off the ship."
"Compliments to Pickles on the food."
"Aye captain, understood, I'll take daily inventory of all arms and armor and at the same time tend to them to be sure the salt air of the sea doesn't ruin our gear.
I'll also spend an hour each day with my assistant to teach him what I can of the craft skills I know.
When you have time, we should decide upon a watch detail for stops at port, especially for our first stop at Last Point in case any escapees try to stow-away on our ship.
We've only two cannons, I suppose the gunner would be the best to handle one of them, but we should find the next best man among our crew to take charge of the second.
I've brought some basic gear for outfitting our sailors, we should be sure the men know where to get it and how to use it when necessary.
Finally, we should discuss tactics with the crew. Teach them the basics of fighting as a group, coordinating attacks, and protecting the flanks of their allies."
Location: The Doctor's Quarters
Time: Day 1, midday
The Orc studies the seat for a few moment in thoughts then walks over and sits down heavily on the operating table.
"Well I'm Graskkator One-Eye and it is pretty obvious why it is one eye."
The Orc grins broadly his sharp teeth glinting white and sickly yellow in the light of the everburning torch.
"Hmm I started out as a common warrior on the Blood Prize and worked my way up there, it was a harsh and quite often short life with plenty of opportunities for advancement, and if none presented themselves you could create them yourself."
The Orc smiles evilly and at this before going on.
"Eventually I was selected or promoted for the position of quartermaster on board another ship called Dread Raven, however she went down during a battle..."
Hesitating a moment, Grask thinks back closing his eye for a moment then shrugs
"Well that was my last voyage on an Orc vessel, after a few years I got to sail on the Lily Marie, a fine merchantman which i was doing up until a few months ago, she ended up being sold and scuttled as part of a business deal."
Stretching his back he looks at the doctor
"So beyond my record on ships, what would you like to know?"
******************
Time: Dinner
"Excellent as for the guns I am sure Mr. Hawkswood is the one best suited to know who to assign to it, so I will leave that matter to the two of you unless a problem should arise. As for Last port, draw up a watch detail and show it to me when it is ready, then the two of us can go over it together and see if it needs any adjustments. As to the equipment hmm... Mr. de Arcadia is your man."
The Orc drains the rest of the water from his mug
Location: The Doctor's Quarters
Time: Day 1, midday
"That will suffice for now sir. I don't wish to take up too much of your time. Thank you." Rodrigo inclines his head forward fourty-five degrees in a mechanical nod. He turns back to his books without further comment.
-----------
Time: Day 1, Dinner
As the officers are gathered together for their evening meal Rodrigo sits quietly through much of the conversation. He keeps his food meticulously seperated on his plate, and eats in a very dignified manner. He places a napkin across his lap, his elbows never touch the table, and when the utensils aren't in his hands they are rested gracefully along the edge of the trencher . At some point when there is a lull in conversation he interjects in his frozen monotone, "I've been thinking, and perhaps its just the devious nature of my blood..." He pauses to see if anyone laughs. This humor...so difficult"..that perhaps Mr. Kerbouchard and I could fashion hidden ports for the two cannon. It would take up a certain amount of the cargo hold, but I feel it would provide us a great advantage to appear defenseless." He looks at each of the other officers in turn to gauge their reactions.
Time: Day 1, Dinner
The Orc harrumph and shakes his head and quickly adds
"No offense meant Doctor, however my Orc blood screams out that it is a bad idea, better to be a nearly toothless shark then a seal oozing blood in the same waters. A few teeth might keep the worst pirates at bay, those that come will come anyway, but then I am an Orc not an Elf to hide in the bushes when not humping a defenseless tree."
The Orc looks around at the others
"What do the rest of you say?"
"Sir, does met your requirements? If so who would you like as watch captain on each watch?"
Graskkator will notice that Delmar's cabin looks sparse, all of his equipment is neat in his backpack even the items he must have used.
"Mr. de Arcadia, I believe if we ration the Ale in the cargo, every sailor could be allotted a pint of Ale a day."
"Yes sir"
Delmar spend most of the day pacing up and down the deck, complementing quietly the crew that are doing well. He makes sure to find a reason to genuinely complement every rigger and swab during the day. He is often seen looking out to holding his holy symbol. Delmar only climbs the rigging once in the during the day, checking over the new sail and visiting Ms Bluth. Lucille will notice while he is quite capable in the rigging he doesn't seem to be at home in it.
[b"]Miss, if you ever get need anything just let me know."[/b]
Like the doctor Delmar seems meticulous, he seems to oddly make sure his mug (or any other item he puts down) is firmly on the table before letting go of it.
"While I'm sure Mr. Kerbouchard could hide the canons I for one would much prefer to have the canons highly visible. Any battle we can avoid either by being too fast to catch or looking too highly armed to be worth it the better. If you want to go for deception I would suggest a creating fake canons to make us look more scary."
Time: Dinner
After the initial feedback to his suggestions Rodrigo blinks, once, and says "I suppose you're right. We're more prey than predator. I was thinking it would allow us to take our enemies by surprise, but I guess the whole point is not to make enemies. Not many 'civilized' ships are willing to take on a tiefling. I've been forced to travel with some rather, shall we say, 'offensively' oriented crews in the past. Forgive me. Are there any other uses you all can think of for our carpentry skills?" he asks.
Delmar thinks for a moment. "Well I can think of several I hope we never need, however with only two canons having them both on the side that we are being attacked from quickly might be very important. So perhaps some system to move the canon move quickly could be built." Delmar looks questioningly at Elwood and the Doc.
Time: Dinner
Lucille joins the crew for the first time that day. She sits at a table with one of the other female crew members and introduces herself.
She doesn't engage in much conversation, choosing instead to eat quietly while those around her shared bawdy stories. She laughs loudly at the captain's joke, but other than that remains mostly silent.
When given her pint of ale, she downs it in a single swig, instantly regretting her decision. She had forgotten that she would be limited to one a day.
A rude banging interrupts Gjurn's studies and research. Waving his hand and muttering under his breath, he seals the door against undue intrusions. probably an admirer looking to talk. he mutters to himself. In a louder voice, he commands
Go away. Visiting hours are when I am on deck, or when i invite you in.
With that, he turns back to his studies, successfully ignoring the rude banging.
Gjurn swoops in, taking seat at one end of the table. He pauses a moment, looking at everyone and making eye contact, giving each person a simple nod of greeting. A slight clacking from William draws everyones attention to the Pseudodragon. Cutting of a chunk of meat, Gjurn sets its on a plate and allows William to climb down to eat.
Spooning the meal onto his plate, Gjurn eats in silence as everyone chatters about random things, taking mental notes of what everyone says, learning their character.
Upopn hearing Graskkator talking about apprentices, Gjurn studies him for a long moment.
very well, i accept your apprenticeship, Graskkator. It the mark of a true man, no matter what breed, to step up and constantly seek out greater understanding and knowledge about their chosen profession from amongst their peers. Well done sir. I applaud you. I shall meet you tomorrow at noon for lunch and we shall begin to learn from each other, for no matter how much of an expert the master is, he can still learn something from his student. With that he holds up a cup of water, nods to Graskkator, and drinks from the cup.
A slight clacking from William draws everyone's attention to the Pseudodragon.
Mathurin ignores the cat dragon.
Upon hearing Graskkator talking about apprentices, Gjurn studies him for a long moment.
very well, i accept your apprenticeship, Graskkator. It the mark of a true man, no matter what breed, to step up and constantly seek out greater understanding and knowledge about their chosen profession from amongst their peers. Well done sir. I applaud you. I shall meet you tomorrow at noon for lunch and we shall begin to learn from each other, for no matter how much of an expert the master is, he can still learn something from his student. With that he holds up a cup of water, nods to Graskkator, and drinks from the cup.
Mathurin snorts and then chuckles at hearing this.
Summary of Day 1
- Lucille, you met with the lovely and charming Miata Pae. She is of fair height, light brown hair that falls to her neck, golden earrings in classic Malaina fashion, tight fitting clothes to easily climb the riggings. She seems amiable enough and you both have a good long chat.
- Mathurin, you manage to keep the ship and a true heading and yes, you can always call out to a swab to hold the wheel for a fair bit while you need to spend time alone.
- To all who hadn't noticed, your cook is a goblin named Pickles. He appreciates all comments about his food.
Day 2
6 Days until Last Point
456 food left
Weather: Good winds and sunlight
Events: With a day behind them, the coastline is just out of sight. The sea and weather remain fair. Some clouds can be seen further on the horizon towards open water but nothing serious. A shout comes up from the men around noon as they spy a great shoal of fish just under the ship and ask permission from the Captain to fish them up. If you do, this will increase the food stores by 48 points but you'll lose some time.
Mathurin continues the heading and tries to keep her on course.
The captain and anyone else who is up early will see Delmar climbing back on board after having a swim shortly after sun rise.
"Sir, Maitre Mer has blessed us with his bounty. Permission to furl the sails and put out the lines?"
Time: Day 1, Dinner
"Mr. Swurn let me make this very clear, you are the ship's mage as such the only thing you will be teaching anyone is how to be a mage and only that."
The Orc growls menacingly at the insolent mage.
"Concerning the cannons, an alternative would be to construct a few ballistas to help improve our fire power, if we have the expertise that is for such."
********************
Day 2
Graskkator follows his usual routine checking the bearing as well as the weather, he gives a nod to Mr. de Arcadia when the man return from his swim, the continues his inspection of the ship.
Time: Day 2, Noon
Permission granted Mr. de Arcadia, more food is an excellent, get to work on it.
After this Graskkator heads up into the mast to Miss. Bluth
"Everything in order, any problems Miss Bluth?"
He will of course approach all to see if there are problems.
"The captain is right 'bout the cannons, keep them on deck, in sight, and ready to go. Show yer teeth and be ready to use them is what I say." Elwood confidently pats the iron cannons. "But Delmar makes a good point, if we need both cannons on one side it would serve us well to have a system for moving them quickly and then keeping them secured once in position."
"I'd be glad to craft a few ballista if you deem it a worthy use of our supplies captain. I've even brought the tools I'll need for the work, so just point me at the materials and we'll see what I can produce."
Elwood shirks his visit to the doctor, clearly trying to avoid the check-up. Despite the man's bravado, the doctor's office scares him.
During the first few days of the voyage, Elwood will take the time to speak with the other sailors about their experiences with weapons and battle, mentally making a list of who can handle martial weapons and who will be best suited to use the ranged attack options.
"Captain, what is our call to battle, is there a bell we can ring that will bring everyone topside at their quickest pace? Is there any signal from Lucille that indicates a threat?"
Time: Day 1, dinner
"Find out what it will do to our stockpiles first then we can see if it is a good use of our resources."
*****************
Time: Day 2, noon
"Well I suggest miss Bluth shouts out ship ahoy or Monster ahoy or reef off the stem and if all else fails a loud scream will get our attention. And ringing the bell energetically should get people's attention right?"
Graskkator grins.
Time: Morning of Day Two
Rodrigo seeks out the Captain when there seems to be a lull in activity. "Captain, I was unable to perform the medical examination you requested on both Mr. Markley and Mr. Swurn. It appears that their prejudices against my profession have convinced them that nothing could be wrong with them. From my distance observations, they appear to be relatively healthy for men of their age. How would you like to proceed?"
Time: Day Two, Noon
Seeing the captain climb the rigging, Lucille stows her daggers and pulls out her personal spyglass. When asked how things are going, she affirms that all is well. As soon as he leaves, she pulls the daggers back out and continues to play with them.
Time: Day 1, Dinner.
"In the event that someone purchased a signal horn, we can use that for signaling the crew. Just a thought."
Time: Day 2, Noon.
Mathurin nods when the Captain comes over.
"Captain. All is well."
Time: Morning of Day Two (Dantares, Graskkator)
The Orc narrow his eyes and frowns
"Tell them they have a turn of the glass to be examined and if they are not, we will treat them as plague carriers, meaning tossed overboard and not allowed back up. I am disappointed that you have not completed this task yet Mr. Dantares, health is something you can never joke about."
Time: Morning of Day Two (Dantares, Graskkator)
"I simply wanted your permission before going further. I will proceed immediately." With that Rodrigo leaves the captain to seek out Elwood. Finding him wandering the ship complementing people, Rodrigo steps in front of him and says monotonously, "A moment of your time please Mr. Markley." He removes his gloves to reveal the pale blueish-white skin of his hands, then pulls a small vial of clear liquid from somewhere inside his sleeve, and downs it in a single gulp.
A second after he drinks the liquid he bends over and begins coughing, his body shuddering and shifting inside his robes. He quickly grows taller, the color draining from his hair and flesh until it is translucent as ice. The horns on his forehead shudder and ripple out longer, sprouting tines of ice to form an impressive rack of antlers. He spasms backwards and screams as his spine lets off a loud CRACK! Two long downward curving spines of glassy material burst forth from his shoulders, through cleverly concealed slits in his robe. A column of misty breath streams upward out of his mouth as the scream dies out and then he straightens to his new massive height. Including his 'antlers' the Doctor now tops seven feet. He rolls his shoulders and head back and forth to the accompaniment of several more joints cracking. His lips now bulging outward over his icicle like fangs, he says in a voice like the winter wind, He leans in close to Elwood's face, his frigid breath causing the sweat on his brow to freeze and roars, Not waiting for a response, he walks to the center of the deck and roars,
Time: Noon of Day Two
"Bring in the main sail. Mr Markley bring the Paradiso around to follow the school. Mr Aubaigne and Mr Videls you will assist Mr Markley by manning the foresail. The rest of you bring out the fishing lines."
Delmar will supervise for a little to make sure everyone knows what they are doing. Then disappears into his cabin and returns with a spear. He then climbs down onto the water which he stands on as if it were solid ground. He waits patently for a fish come near the him at which point he lashes out the spear, sometimes hitting and sometimes missing.
After the fishing is finished Delmar supervises them storing them in the hold. He will stay down there for a while casting Purify food and drink on the stores.