Feather Fall
Minor Energy Resistance (fire)
Daniel carefully unloads his crossbow.
"Well that went well."
I hate violence. There is always the chance I might get hurt.
Patch scooped up two of the rings and examined them for a few moments, then bounced them in his hand as he raised his voice to address the others. "Got a bit 'o magic here, buckos. Looks like protection from a bad fall - Nimwi coulda used that - and a bit of protection from fire." He eyed Lunthawg as he said the last, thinking that with all the fire the goblin slung around, he could probably use such a ring. In case of accidents.
Once the loot was divvied up to everyone's satisfaction, Patch went below to knock on the door of the room the girls were staying in. He was still a bit curious about the one whose picture was in the locket he had.
Signe and Tashi had gone back to what was the empty hold of the ship and is filled with whatever extra blankets were on the ship and the seven girls that you lot had rescued. The hold is lit up by several lanterns and the girls are listening to Signed telling them about the slavers fate.
Up on deck, the normal routine of the ship begins again as you set sail again for Cheliax.
Signe and Tashi had gone back to what was the empty hold of the ship and is filled with whatever extra blankets were on the ship and the seven girls that you lot had rescued. The hold is lit up by several lanterns and the girls are listening to Signed telling them about the slavers fate.
Patch joins the girls quietly, waiting until Signe is finished to see if he can draw Luciana aside to talk.
"Listen, lass, I know you've been through the storm with them slavers, but I have to ask - how did you get into this mess? Were you sold to them?"
Luciana's eyes begin to fill with tears as she responds to Patch's question. Yes, I was sold to them. The lord of my home town had requested that a six young girls be sent to him to be handmaids to his new bride. We thought it was quite an honor to be picked. It was quite a surprise to find out that he had different plans for us. He sold the lot of us to slavers. Why he would do such a thing I don't know. I don't even know if my family has any idea of what has happened to me.
Lunthawg will take the fire resistance ring and put it on unless anyone physically stops him. He'll then start trying to hit the fleeing sailors with flaming rags.
Hoga likes the idea of dropping in on his foes. He'll take the other ring if no one objects. Then he'll join Lunthawg in flame throwing.
Luciana's eyes begin to fill with tears as she responds to Patch's question. Yes, I was sold to them. The lord of my home town had requested that a six young girls be sent to him to be handmaids to his new bride. We thought it was quite an honor to be picked. It was quite a surprise to find out that he had different plans for us. He sold the lot of us to slavers. Why he would do such a thing I don't know. I don't even know if my family has any idea of what has happened to me.
Patch patted the girl's arm awkwardly. "You know, we found Tashi on a wrecked ship with a nobleman from Cheliax." He described the dead nobleman to Luciana. "Was that the man what sold you? Are you a noble your own self, lass?"
Seeing the slavers gone and remembering the wounded, Daniel stows his crossbow and begins moving through the ship healing the wounded.
Luciana responds with a shrug, "Minor nobility, nothing special which is why my father jumped at the chance to send me off to become one of the Lady's handmaidens. He thought I might catch the eye of one of our Lord's men so that he could arrange a good marriage for me. The man you described sounds like one of my older brothers, probably Casius. Did he board your ship with Tashi? Did he find out what happened and was coming to rescue me? Do you know where he is?
Deron thanks Daniel for the healing and continues to walk the deck silently.
Luciana responds with a shrug, "Minor nobility, nothing special which is why my father jumped at the chance to send me off to become one of the Lady's handmaidens. He thought I might catch the eye of one of our Lord's men so that he could arrange a good marriage for me. The man you described sounds like one of my older brothers, probably Casius. Did he board your ship with Tashi? Did he find out what happened and was coming to rescue me? Do you know where he is?
Patch shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, lass... but if'n that man be one of your brothers, the gods have taken him in now. That wreck was scavenged by fish-men, and your brother fought them off together with the captain 'til they couldn't fight no more. He was carrying these, which I reckon belong to you now."
Patch fished the pouch of gold from his vest and pulled from it the signet ring and locket with Luciana's portrait within. Tucking the pouch away again, he dropped them into her hands and clasped his hands around hers. "I'm sorry for your loss, lass," he repeated with sympathy.
Luciana stare down at the locket and ring for a few moments as what Patch said sinks in and she realizes that her brother is dead. Then she starts crying loudly which gets everyone else's attention. Signe rushes over hissing, What did you say to her? and then tries to comfort the poor girl.
Up on deck the weather has continued to improve as you sail into fair weather. The sun is out and shining, the clouds have parted and there is a decent wind blowing. Eventually it becomes dinner time and Olaf and Jens bring the food above deck for the lot of you to eat. Ragnar also joins you for dinner, but Signe and Tashi stay below deck with girls who would rather eat below deck.
Captain Ragnar ask, So lads, have you given thought to what we shall do with the extra cargo we picked up? I have no idea if Lord Wintrish would appreciate it if we dumped them all on him.
Lunthawg shrugs as he eats, pausing long enough to talk.
Well...what do people that aren't pirates do with them? I'm used to being part of the pirate side of the equation...wait, do any of them have people that will pay large rewards waiting for them? Because large rewards sound good.
Luciana stare down at the locket and ring for a few moments as what Patch said sinks in and she realizes that her brother is dead. Then she starts crying loudly which gets everyone else's attention. Signe rushes over hissing, What did you say to her? and then tries to comfort the poor girl.
Patch made a warding gesture with his arms, hoping Signe wasn't about to pound him. "Er, just that we found her brother on the first shipwreck we saw on the way from Cheliax..." He too tried to soothe the distraught girl, though considerably more awkwardly than Signe.
Up on deck the weather has continued to improve as you sail into fair weather. The sun is out and shining, the clouds have parted and there is a decent wind blowing. Eventually it becomes dinner time and Olaf and Jens bring the food above deck for the lot of you to eat. Ragnar also joins you for dinner, but Signe and Tashi stay below deck with girls who would rather eat below deck.
Captain Ragnar ask, So lads, have you given thought to what we shall do with the extra cargo we picked up? I have no idea if Lord Wintrish would appreciate it if we dumped them all on him.
Patch nodded at Lunthawg's idea. "Surely at least some of the girls are from homes that are missin' 'em." With a guilty glance back, he added, "A'course, that'd just be in the way of a 'thank you' an' not a demand or nothin'."
[b]We could just drop them off at our next port. Most of them will either have family there or have to work for passage home, but they will be safer than as slaves from a pirate den."[/b
I wish I could do more for them , but I am also on the run.
Ragnar replies, I don't like the thought of just dropping the girls off anywhere. Marked as they are they could easily end up on the auction block again. He sighs and shakes his head. Must be from having a daughter of my own. I guess we can ask what ports they hail from and if we are lucky their families may offer up some kind of reward. Assuming of course their families weren't killed in some raids.
Oooh, aren't there like good churches or something? Maybe they would pay us for stealing people from slavers and dropping them off there if you know, the families are dead?
Deron seems to be completely uninterested in what is done with the girls.
Daniel nods at Ragnar's words.
"That makes sense as well. I had no right to volunteer your ship for such a duty and so kept my peace about it."
Turning to the others, Daniel straightens.
"It seems I have been cast on the tides, and it is Gozreh's will that I accompany you for a time. If you have no objections of course."
Hoga's rather sensitive on the issue, too, given his history.
I guess the best we can do is get them closer to home, wherever that is. They may be sorely missed, but perhaps some of them aren't. It would be a shame to free them only to see them recaptured and treated even worse.
I'm with the captain. It would be wise to find out what each of them wants, and try to respect their wishes as best we can.
He turns to Daniel. You've been a big help in all this. Hopefully, Gozreh will keep you with us to see it through.
"Aye, the captain's plan is fair," Patch chimed in. He looked a bit relieved - he hadn't been looking forward to the girls' reactions at being dropped off somewhere to fend for themselves, or worse, essentially toss them back into slavery.
Then he clapped Daniel on the back. "And you've proven your worth, patching us all up. Who can argue with the gods?" he shrugged with a grin. "Now all we need is to be treated as saviors and not pirates by what kin the girls have left."
It's settled then. All that needs done now is to question the girls and find out where their homes are and we can get them returned right after we return the Wintrish girl and collect what is owed us.
"I thank you both for your kind words. I will take the silence of the other two as acceptance as well. Truth be told I would not know what to do otherwise."
Daniel will begin the task of finding out who the girls are and where they came from.
"What is your name and where here are you from child? We are going to try to return you to your parents."
Deron gives Daniel a curt nod.
@Daniel -
You know Valeria Wintrish already as the groups original objective.
Luciana Montaevia from Renwelk, a town a little less than a day's sail up the coast North of Corentyn.
The other 5 girls are survivors of a pirate attack on their ship that had been returning to Corentyn from Sargava. All have family of some sort either in or around the Corentyn area.
Lyssanna - half-elf girl
(Father died on ship, Mother living in Corentyn)
Kerra - halfing girl
(Both parents dead, had been traveling to visit aunt and uncle in Corentyn.)
Seranna and Miranna Caius
(Sisters traveling with older brother who died on ship, both parents alive in Corentyn.)
Tessara Rintain
(Daughter to navigator on ship who died, mother lives near Corentyn)
As the day slips away and night falls once again, you assign your watches and patrol the ship, peering far out across the waters. Searching for any sign of light that may be a pursuing vessel. The night passes without incident though and you feel that you may have been able to shake off any pursuit with the unexpected route you took.
The sun rises again, signaling a start to what looks to be a beautiful day. The storm clouds fled during the night, leaving a wide blue sky overhead. Over the course of the day, the girls seem to take turns coming up on the deck. Cautiously peering around, seemingly afraid of pirates who may jump out of thin air to take them back to the Shackles. Most of the girls are ignorant regarding the day to day tasks required to keep the ship going and will ask the occasional question after long silences to muster up their courage. The exceptions are Tessara who had spent many trips alongside her father, an experienced navigator and Kerra, the daughter of merchants who had made many voyages together as a family.
Always eager to show off in front of the ladies, Patch made a show of doing his work and answered questions readily enough - but ruined whatever impression he might have made by playing his birdpipes when he had the time, obviously convinced his music was quite good rather than the horrifying noise he actually produced. It didn't help that he appeared to be sweating heavily, though it wasn't too warm. Thankfully, he didn't actually smell of sweat, despite his damp clothing, but the shrill music was enough to drive anyone away.
I'm glad I can cheer those poor girls up with some music, he thought obliviously. It will take their mind off their problems.
In that, it was possible he was right.
Hoga will go about his business, ignore the caterwaul of Patch's "music," and try to not scare the girls.
Oddly enough, Hoga finds himself with very small shadow. Kerra seems fascinated by the half-orc and follows him about while he's working.
Tessara has attached herself to Signe after confiding her desire to be a navigator like her father and Signe is allowing her to assist in her duties.
Hoga lets her follow him, then. He shows her how to tie knots and such, and lets her try it. He also asks her what she wants to see happen regarding her situation when they get back to Corentyn.
Daniel compiles a list of girls and where they are from for the Captain. After that he moves about the ship and attempts to help in any task that doesn't require much skill or movement on his leg.
Ragnar thanks Daniel for the list and comments that even though they are doing a good thing, he will be happier when his ship feels like a ship again and not a floating home for wayward girls. He also just shakes his head when he notices that the sisters have been following Daniel around the deck, quietly giggling together.
The halfling's fingers are quite adept at tieing the knots shown her and she offers to help with mending the sails that picked up a couple small tears in the storm. Her father was a clothing merchant and mother a seamstress so she is quite good with a needle. She has no idea what she plans to do once they get back to Corentyn and tries to avoid that subject.
If Patch offers to play anymore songs on his birdpipes, any nearby girl tries to quickly think of another task that he could show them instead. Lyssanna was desperate enough once to ask him to show her how to climb up and down from the crowsnest so she could "enjoy" the view. Though she looked a bit green from all the swaying motion once they got up there.
Most of the girls appear to have mixed feelings about their return to Corentyn. For while they are glad to return, they do so with the news of a loved ones death.
"Honestly Captain if it bothers you that much you could take them on as crew. Any that do not wish to return home of course. What are our plans after returning the girls?"
"Honestly Captain if it bothers you that much you could take them on as crew. Any that do not wish to return home of course. What are our plans after returning the girls?"
I know I'm short on sailors, but to take a bunch of girls on as crew? Ragnar appears quite surprised at that idea. I know I have Signe on board, but she's my daughter. To be honest I never stopped to think that any of them might not want to go home. I just thought that I could send a messenger out to their families once we get into port and that they could then pick up the girls.
Stealing crew members is an efficient use of resources.
Lunthawg says as he wanders by.
If Patch offers to play anymore songs on his birdpipes, any nearby girl tries to quickly think of another task that he could show them instead. Lyssanna was desperate enough once to ask him to show her how to climb up and down from the crowsnest so she could "enjoy" the view. Though she looked a bit green from all the swaying motion once they got up there.
Patch was happy to do anything the girls asked, and thankfully put his birdpipes away to do it. Clambering back down from the crow's nest with Lyssanna, he instead regaled her with outrageously false stories about the things he had seen on his journeys.
I know I'm short on sailors, but to take a bunch of girls on as crew? Ragnar appears quite surprised at that idea. I know I have Signe on board, but she's my daughter. To be honest I never stopped to think that any of them might not want to go home. I just thought that I could send a messenger out to their families once we get into port and that they could then pick up the girls.
Patch rather liked the idea, and was quick to say so. "Hard to find a crew more loyal than one you've saved from a fate worse than death," he said. "And it'd help to have extra crew aboard when we next see pirates. Signe could whip them into shape in no time, I bet. Besides, could be it ain't all of 'em what want to stay."
Hmph, well, I suppose I could talk to Signe about it. I'd have to turn the smaller hold into quarters for female crewmembers since I doubt that they'd want to share with you lot. As long as no one actually objects to this idea, I'll make the offer this evening so that they have plenty of time to think about it before we port in Corentyn.
Especially if the large brand on the halfling looks hideous, Lunthawg will approach her in the evening after Ragnar's announcement with some bread, smiling.
Uh...Kerra? That's your name, right? I'm Lunthawg, how are you?
He'll try to make small talk and, assuming that the response from Ragnar is that the girls can stay, he'll add, So thinking of becoming a pirate? It's more fun than you think. We get to burn almost anything we want to.
Hoga quietly wonders if having such young girls as crew is a good idea. At the same time, the thought of having his new friend around permanently is a pleasant one. She is a natural with ropes and sails...
Deron goes about his business and mostly ignores the girls.
That evening, Ragnar invites all the girls, including Tashi, up on deck for dinner and makes his offer as dinner is being passed around. If I could have your attention young ladies, I'd like to ask if any of you have given thought to where you will be going when we get to Corentyn. If you want, I can have a messenger sent to whomever you wish so that they can make arrangements to come and get you or you can simply leave the ship on your own. A third option that I would like to offer to the lot of you is that anyone who wishes may stay on board, learn how to be a sailor and become a member of my crew. I don't expect any answers just yet, take the time to think about and ask any questions you want of me or my crew. Ragnar then goes and sits down to eat his dinner.
The girls are all a bit surprised by the offer and after a few moments of silence, begin to talk quietly amongst themselves while they eat their dinner. Daniel and Patch both recieve a number of glances from various girls during their quiet discussions which are followed by a bit of blushing.
Kerra is a bit shy when Lunthawg approaches her, you doubt she's had much contact with goblins before. Nice to meet you Lunthawg. I don't know if I could be a pirate....aren't I too small? Do you get along ok as one? You're not that much bigger than me.
Daniel smiles at the laughter and continue to eat.
Is this the life for me? I don't even know anything about sailing. I could learn. Are they really pirates? I don't think I'd make a good pirate.
Lunthawg shrugs. I've been a pirate a long time. I didn't really start by choice, but there's not a lot of other stuff to do. Besides, you just have to...come up with talents other than hitting things with sticks. Burning things is a lot of fun plus we even get money sometimes. I cast spells...if you can do that you could work on it.
Patch grinned at the blushing girls and winked whenever one caught his eye. He had a hearty appetite, though, and was too busy eating to threaten anyone with more pipe playing.
The girls all retired early that night, no doubt to talk amongst themselves about Ragnar's offer. Signe returns back on deck after a short while, shaking her head still at all the talk going on down there and opinions that, You boys had best behave yourselves if any of those girls decide to stay on board.
That nights watch again goes without incident. The only things sighted, a merchant's cargo ship traveling off in the distance and a pod of dolphins that swam alongside the ship for several hours.
Not surprisingly, the first girl to approach Ragnar the next day is Tashi. Sold into slavery by a mother who worked in one of Quent's pleasure houses, she says that she has no where else to go and would like to remain on the ship as one of its crew.