"Greetings Captain," Ssilax says to the human with a nod of his robed and cowled head. "While I never set foot upon a ship before, I'm more than willing to learn. I'm a healer by trade, myself." He looks around at the crew of the small ship and nods to them in turn as they are introduced by Captain Jaq. He glances down at this soaked wide boots, thinking about their weight, and the rest of the heavy fabric he wore.
"Where should we put our gear, captain?" Ssilax asks after hoisting Dog up from the rowboat.
Arms clasped around the opposite forearm and entombed within his robes, the elf slightly inclines his head as the captain introduces himself. It is a haughty air of superiority that Wrathe offers, as he does not wish to offer his name, or prolong the interaction anymore than he has to.
They were a memorable lot, though the loss of two of their membership, and him wearing different skin might help to deflect some attention.
Argon bows his head slightly and says, "Thank you for taking us, Captain. I'm Argon, and this is Ssilax, Daxniss, and Wrathe. I won't be needing armor or weapons, I hope. I was on a ship as a child, when I sailed here from Almas. So essentially, I know nothing of sailing."
He smiles at all the crew, and hopes he and his friends will be treated reasonably.
|
The Captain looks at his new crew, nodding in acknowledgment. His wife, Barbary, seems unimpressed by you lot.
Barbary shows you to your quarters, the section at the front on the main deck (below the forecastle, area 6 on the map). The room is small, but clean, though there is a smell of fish, blood, vinegar and other things. Several barrels are piled against the wall the door is in, and tied fast with rope; these take up a good third of the room, or more. "Stow your gear and come on back on deck," she says dryly.
The day is spent learning the ropes, both figuratively and literally. You are a month from Doldrom, and the ship is full of food and water to support you all for that time. In addition there are other goods for selling in Doldrom or perhaps Bryn. Everyone has a job, and you realize the crew is mostly full, so you are not required to work full time, as it were. Davie, the old man, is the cook, and cooks you breakfast and dinner. Lunch or other snacks during the day is limited to dried fish, flatbread or ricebread, and water.
Young Otter is first to befriend you all. It seems as if everyone is his best buddy, like it or not. His voice hasn't changed yet, though you suspect it will soon. Otter tells you many of the things the others will not.
In private, Argon asks Wrathe what he means about Lilith and Dorian. "They're gone, Wrathe. Do you want to bring them back?"
After a full day of learning about the ship, when they lay in their "quarters" when Wrathe and Argon begin talking about raising the dead. Ssilax looks over at the two.
"Lilith's soul was devoured by the demon. There is no coming back from that. I doubt Dorian will want to come back to life. Secondly, I'm not sure if you really understand how much gold you would have to spend for even the attempt. Do you think a bunch of nobodies will be able to do a favor for a church and they'll just agree to Resurrect him?" The Theurge says quietly, looking at the two. "Magic can't fix everything. " the dragonkin says before rolling over and appearing to go to sleep.
Daxniss thanked Rygear for his gifts, it was more then she had expected, since he had given the group so much before. " Thanks Rygear for everything, now do me another favor and don't get yourself killed. " Daxniss says with a genuine smile. Daxniss split the scrolls with Argon keeping her enjoyment with having access to the magic in the scrolls somewhat muted.
Daxniss had spent enough time in the dock district so the smell of the ship didn't bother her although she had never taken part of working on a ship before, she did fill a thrill at being on the ocean. Quickly stowing her gear, she assists with whatever task that is assigned to her involving the ropes.
Wrathe silently considers his companions, an unreadable look upon his face reminiscent of the one that was splayed across his features when he spoke of freeing the slaves of Siranor.
He nods, and never mentions it again.
"If possible, it would be wise to always have one of us with our gear, both to defend against light fingers, but also prying eyes." Considering that two of them carried arcane paraphernalia, this suggestion was likely obvious.
The elven wizard throws himself into his labour with relish, loving physical activity, and any opportunity to learn.
As long as he's not eaten by a shark...he really would like to avoid that eventuality.
Going through the motions of learning the ship and his duties, Ssilax finds himself slipping deeper into depression. Otter is an interesting distraction from his own thoughts, and he answers the young human's questions as best as he can.
For an odd twist of fate, the dragonkin isn't hit by sea sickness except for the first day aboard the ship. Dog, however, is sick enough for both of them. The familiar spends a great deal of time sleeping, or attempting it.
Ssilax doesn't really speak unless spoken too, his responses are polite, but he sounds tired and distant. Even when soaked by rain or sea spray, the young Theurge remains covered by his robes and cowl.
Argon longs for open spaces. Throughout his training he was kept in a barracks with other youths, and it was the monthly 'time off' in which he had run of the city that gave him room to breathe. Since Dainoth's house a few days ago, the group had been chased and forced to sleep in hidden places. Now they are under the open sky, but they still sleep in cramped quarters, and have nowhere to go unless they would like a very long swim.
He works hard to learn the ways of the crew. It is not that hard, and most of it makes sense, though they use strange words he's never heard for just about everything. It's not a hole, it's a hawespipe. It's not a platform, but a forecastle. At the end of the day he reviews all those words with the others, explaining his own understanding of them and asking them about new words they'd learned. Of all the people he knew, few were sharper, quicker learners, and had better memories than his (now) three friends, and he realizes he may be the least quick in that regard. Back in his training, there was only the commander and one lieutenant who were probably smarter than he was - the vast majority of the recruits had no aptitude or interest in learning new words, or how many inches in a fathom. So he tries hard to learn the terminology, because that vocabulary will help him understand the other tasks he has to perform.
With time off, he likes to spend time on the deck, and goes up to the crowsnest as often as he is allowed. His eyes scan the horizon; back, toward Caern, and out, searching for Almas.
Back in the cabin, he talks privately to Ssilax. "Everything okay? Is it the food?"
|
|
Davie and Barbary set you to tasks. Davie is tough and old, and calls you all sorts of horrible names until you do things perfectly. He takes no back talk and doesn't like talking while you're performing any task. At first you take it personally, but soon realize it is just the old ways of sailors. None of it is personal, and any epithets he spews are just part of all that; they're friendly, even, and underneath it all you can sense Davie's good will toward you and a bit of humor; and perhaps his age makes him care about the certain jobs a little less than a younger man might. Still, it may get on your nerves. You are lucky you are not a full crew member or your work would be almost double, and you'd have to endure more.
Barbary is quieter but somehow less forgiving, less friendly. She's concerned with running the ship, getting to your destination safely so that the ship can move onto its next gig, whatever that is. She expects every job to be done well, and with efficiency. She doesn't call you names, but you get the feeling she almost did several times, whenever you performed less than ideally.
The others mostly stay out of the way, letting those two have their way with you. You get the feeling they will be more friendly with you once that is all out of the way.
On the first day you see sharks and huge manta rays: great flat swimming blankets. That, and at one point Goran (the mute) points to the sky, and you look to see a great flying thing, off to the north. Surely a dragon, for what else could be so large?
On the second day, farther out, you see a few whales in the distance, one spewing watery air out its spout.
The third day is wet. Even though you move with the wind, the wind does not move with you. It buffets you around the deck, and the rain seems to move sideways, and no matter how you turn, it gets in your face, your clothes, your boots. You don't see any sea life on the third day.
During mealtime conversation is animated. Davie tells stories, and others do too. You soon learn that this is not so much a pirate ship as it is a rogue trader, at odds with most navies and the kings and queens behind them. Captain Jaq's least favorite is the Caern royalty, because he is from there. Others seem to hate those in power wherever they're from the most. Fortunately for the Lickety Split, most nations have small navies, mainly for defending their cities. So out on the open sea, there is no law - the law of the cutlass and grappling hook prevail. Everyone on the ship has weapons in their bunk, and can fight. They train sporadically, and Argon enjoys the time to practice and even offer advice to a few of the crew.
Daxniss stopped herself from cursing at Davie's biting comments, it had taken some time to adjust to the old sea dog's attitude and manner. Daxniss finds the working life of being at sea, taxing but somewhat enjoyable. Keeping her snark to herself wasn't challenging, taxing at times, she throws herself into the work. Daxniss does find herself counting down the hours until the end of the day, as she finds muscles that were not used so much, protesting.
Upon seeing the sharks, Daxniss shudders at the thought of being knocked over board and having on the water predators taking a nibble. Daxniss also takes note of Ssilax's mood, as it could the fact that he has lost another home, not to mention his mentor. Daxniss ponders the loss of what she had grown accustomed too, the difficult life of 'finding' things of worth to be fenced for the coins, along with the limited social 'clubs' that she managed to pass for human that she would spend time overhearing things.
Wrathe pulls Ssilax aside, "What is the matter?"
He had been warned by his master to ware the dragonkin's falls into depression, which made him especially sensitive when they looked to be on the horizon.
It's later in the third day when Argon corners Ssilax on the small vessel. The dragonkin is sitting in his soaking robes, staring blankly at his untouched meal. Looking up from his meal the young Theurge looks at the Slayer from behind dull sapphire orbs. Blinking a few times, Ssilax looks down at his meal and then back to Argon.
"No, it's fine, I'm just not very hungry today." Ssilax says, sounding tired, his tongue thick and unresponsive. Unusual for the almost always hungry dragonkin, he begins to eat slowly and mechanically.
When Wrathe mentions one of them always keeping their magical gear on them Ssilax shrugs his shoulder and mutters ,"'kay." Dog was pretty much laying on the dragonkin's backpack and spellbooks. Apathy was creeping into his thoughts, looking for a good place in his mind to nest.
Ssilax mutters that he is just tired when Wrathe asks whats wrong, the dragonkin politely and mechanically excuses himself, leaving over half of his meal unfinished. Shuffling his wet booted feet, the young theurge heads to his hammock. Muttering a spell, he dries his robes enough so that he won't drip onto Dog. Laying down, he turns to stare at the rough wooden wall of the ship.
|
|
On the fourth day the ship starts heading east rather than south-southeast, and then northeast as it rounds Cape Grit and tries to keep its distance from the ever-present storm known only as Kharbdys. Kharbdys spawns tornado-like waterspouts that head in any and every direction, and that turn at Cape Grit is the closest you will get to it.
One such waterspout lies northwest, directly in your path, and the wind is high and wet. Captain Jaq slows the ship, and stops it, in order to wait and see what the deadly spout will do, but it does not last longer than it takes to eat a fruit, slowly. What élan it possesses is soon dissipated and added to that of the storm. Chaos on the seas is the norm, and Captain Jaq orders the ship full sail ahead - this storm is just wind with some water to him, and a chance to make some good time.
The fisherman's boat is on its side. Dead ahead of you, so much so that the captain takes the tiller and starts to steer around. The one child huddled on top, crouched into a ball, is asleep or dead, frozen like that for now, since he doesn't even see the Lickety Split as she makes to pass.
Even Captain Jaq, even his wife Barbary, are not so cruel as to pass by a child who will surely die, if not already dead, in a situation such as this. Orders are yelled and the ship is slowed to a stop, but a short distance from the boat. The boat is caught on some rocks, broken into three pieces at least, and the ship cannot get closer. Instead, the rowboat is taken out and three volunteers are petitioned to man it.
Daxniss almost stops in her task as she notices Ssilax's shadow, deciding that she had seen enough she waits until after dinner and talks to the Dragonkin.
" Not hungry little brother, I see that a melancholy spell has taken you. I see also something amiss about your other gift. I know I am not the only one with a misbehaving shadow living in my shadow. ". She says softly. Letting Ssilax alone for the evening.
" Perhaps it merely enjoys causing you pain. Perhaps the greatest gift you can show is by living fully, not just surviving as a food source to misery. Do come back to us body and mind, someone needs to keep Wrathe on his toes. "
Day 4
" Aye I'll go over on the rowboat. They could use the help Cap! " Daxniss says fiercely.
When Daxniss takes a moment to speak to Ssilax, the dragonkin had a strange look in his orbs. With an empty 1000 yard stare he had simply says, "It's not that easy."
The Theurge had looked like he was going to say more, but falls silent once more, looking down at his shadow. One had the distinct impression it was looking back at him.
Looking at the ruined vessel stuck upon the rocks, the sound of the wood shuddering as the waves pounded against the rapidly weakening hull reaches his ear slits. His sapphire orbs seem to alive for the first time in days.
"I'll go as well," the dragonkin says firmly. With a few quick motions, the young Theurge slips out of his midnight blue robe and pulls the off white cowl. He slips out of the over sized boots and gloves. Aside from the short trousers and loose fitting tunic, the brilliant platinum and golden scales displayed for all to see. He wasn't going to risk falling over and drowning due to the weight of his garments.
Eyes still on the curled up for, the dragonkin speaks once more.
"I'll need hot water and warm, dry blankets as I'm betting the child is almost frozen from the exposure to the elements" Ssilax says as he tightens the length of rope that he uses as belt. Moving with a purpose, the dragonkin quickly runs back to his gear to grab his Healer's kit returning within a few short moments.
Dog had managed to lift his head, his tail thumping against the floor before clamping his eyes closed once more. The familiar was handling the sea voyage about as well as a dwarf does.
Wrathe busies himself learning every single thing possible about the ship, it's occupants, and sailing in general. His voracious appetite is not sated until his mind has run its finger around the bottom of the bowl to sop up the dregs.
Moving to the rail, he leaves the last spot aboard the boat to Argon, since the man's strength and skill at close quarters combat makes him an ideal candidate to lend a hand in a rescue.
He scans the area for the telltale wisps of magical energy, and for predators of the deep.
Kicking off his shoes, he is prepared to shift into a merfolk if needed.
Yelling to rouse the child, "HAIL BOY!", he fears for the worst.
Daxniss grabs her pack along and with her grappling hook, it would make sure that if she needed to climb or secure the rowboat if needed.
|
|
Ssilax and Daxniss get in the rowboat along with Aliny. The boat is lowered from its position next to the hull, and you climb in, then row out to the overturned fishing vessel. When you reach it, the child's eyes open slightly, as if aware that someone is there, but does not otherwise move.
Wrathe senses no magic on the fishing boat or the girl, and spots a few very large rays in the water below. They seem to have found a supply of fish, which are likely dropping from the fishing boat into the depths.
Gentle hands move the girl (for it is a girl, with very short hair) into your little boat and Ssilax looks at her while you row back. She is clammy and cold, and when your warm hands touch her she starts to shiver, almost violently. You wrap her in the two blankets that were dropped into the boat by Goran.
She is handed up and brought wrapped in blanket to the warmer eating area. Ssilax is pretty well pulled and tossed up to the ship by Argon demonstrating his full strength; he then hurries to join his patient in the eating area, where he finds the child, more blankets, and a pot of hot water and a few cups. She is still shivering, and you are not sure if she will survive.
Wrathe turns to the crew of the Lickety Split, trying to read their reaction to this situation, as they had been introduced as pirates by Rygear, but nothing he had seen to this point supported that moniker.
Ears craned fall in synch with eyes scanning as he feverishly searches for other survivors. He is ready to dive in at a moment's notice if there's someone trapped inside the ship.
Damn the rocks.
Nodding his thanks to Argon, the dragonkin rushes down after his nearly frozen charge. Calling for Daxniss, the Theurge's eyes appraise what he had to work with for about two heartbeats before turning to the child. With barely a thought, he dries off the child's clothing with a spell, then the blankets themselves. At the sight of his friend, Ssilax rapidly casts Prestidigitation again, drying the dragon-touched clothing.
"She needs heat, since I've dried her clothing and yours, get under the blankets hold her close." Ssilax says a clawed finger pointing to the table where the human girl lay. The young Theurge pauses as he thinks of something. "Don't move her around, I haven't checked for broken bones, or internal injuries." Ssilax cautions. He turns back to the pot of hot water. "I need to check that before I get her core temperature up. If she does have any internal injuries, being nearly frozen might have kept her alive."
Looking at the blankets he was given, Ssliax selects the one he things will absorb water the best. Reaching under his tunic, Ssilax grabs one of the daggers he kept hidden on his body. Using whomever happens to be closest to him, the dragonkin hands them the blanket and tells them to hold it up and spread out. Using the razor sharp dagger he cuts the blanket into even strips. Gathering up the strips of cloth, he places several in the hot water.
Returning to Daxniss and the girl, he gently moves the blanket back to quickly and carefully check for broken bones or bruising to indicate internal damage. Finished, the dragonkin places the blanket back and returns to the hot water. Ssilax pulls out 4 strips, one at a time squeezing out the excess water. The dragonkin was glad that he had scales keeping the hot water from cooking his flesh.
Gather up the hot damp cloth, Ssilax turns and quickly moves back to his charge. About to wrap the girls limbs in the hot strips, Ssilax pauses. The pain of her limbs awakening would be severe if he did that. Tracing her limbs out under the blanket, he applies the strips so that the heat would soak through. The dampness he would literally be erasing with Prestidigitation.
Once her limbs began to show signs of blood flow, he would wrap them individually. In the mean time, he had an idea. Turning and looking down at Dog for a few seconds, Ssilax nods to himself. Walking over, the dragonkin gently scoops up his 60 pound, sea sick familiar. Moving back over to the table, Ssilax lays out Dog against the other side of the near frozen human.
|
|
Wrathe suspects Rygear was exaggerating about the crew, though the ship is one that does jobs outside the purview and laws of all known legal entities. For the most part the crew merely wants to get the job done, stay alive, and earn a living. If that means transporting suspected criminals, illegal arms, or goods disguised as other goods, so be it.
Ssilax enlists the others to try to save the girl. She is in a bad state, and though Ssilax is fairly sure he's doing everything according to his training, and she seems to warm up on the outside, she doesn't seem to be getting better.
(Please make two more Heal Checks)
You do notice something strange, though you do not have time to ponder it at the moment; she has a row of numbers burned into her left calf - seven digits in all; and she has a circle of five more numbers burned into her right calf. Below the circle is a small symbol that looks like a ram, sort of: Symbol
Argon helps Ssilax with whatever he needs, and offers opinions on what to do, though he defers to the healer do make the decisions. He had little experience with this kind of condition, but had had some basic training in healing wounds as well as diseases.
He realizes this girl might have lost one of her parents just this day, but she might not, and she might have another waiting at home for her. He does his best, knowing the solution is more than just warming her up.
Daxniss nods at Ssilax's words since she didn't know how to treat someone who has been in freezing waters except to get them warm. Holding the girl close under the blanket, she hopes that they were not too late in the girls case.
Frowning slightly as he checks the human's thready pulse, Ssilax looks at the bundled up child. Something wasn't right, she should be showing some signs of recovering. While his mind begins to sort through medical texts that he had read, Ssilax thinks about the numbers burned into the girls flesh as he replaces the hot strips.
As the dragonkin's body goes about the task, his mind whirls, sorting through information, memories of lessons from the elder elf, and read text. Calling for Wrathe, the dragonkin waits until his friend arrives.
"Do you recall reading about markings like these?" Ssilax asks Wrathe, pointing out the brands and the Ram-like symbol. The dragonkin exposes the burns for a brief moment before covering them once and reapplying the blanket and hot strips. He takes a second to erase some of the dampness before it can cool.
Wrathe tears his eyes from his survey of the waters to glance the little boy's way, then while padding over he realizes it is a little girl, and his eyes fall upon the mark; automatically looking for the telltale perfume of magic about it.
As a reflex prestidigitation magics are added to Ssilax's efforts, in a hope to remove as much frigid water as quickly as possible.
|
|
Wrathe recalls seeing the symbol out of context, while Ssilax recalls a bit more. It is the symbol of a faction of devils, under the command of one devil Lord Caricante. Its presence on someone's skin indicates that person is "owned" by that faction.
Numbers, for someone dwelling in one of the Hells, would indicate an identification for that person, probably unique, or possibly a link or connection to some other person or item that the numbered one "goes along with" (i.e. when the item, land, or other chattel is bought or sold, the numbered one would stay with it). Since this girl has two numbers, both might apply.
With this knowledge, it is fairly certain that this girl, who is perhaps eight years old, has been through much in her short life.
Ssilax:
Wrathe:
Ssilax's magic touch seems to work, with help from Argon, Wrathe and Daxniss. The girl's temperature seems to be increasing, and her breathing steadies. At one point she has a bit of a coughing fit, and some color returns to her face. She sleeps deeply, but you think she is on the mend.
Captain Jaq is standing at the door. Once he realizes she will likely recover, he says, "Now, what to do with her..."
" Um what pray tell do you mean? I understand that she has no coin as far as I can see, unless I missed something that is. Should we find a port nearby? Or take her with us to the same port. " Daxniss asks, glancing at Ssilax and Wrathe with a questing look on her face.
"If your of the mind set, we can pay for her passage to our destination," Ssilax says, looking up briefly from where he is tending the marked human.
The dragonkin turns his head to look at Wrathe. Looking at his friends marked hand he raises an eye ridge. Questions where percolating in his mind, but he didn't want the crew to overhear their discussion.
Ssilax could barely believe the turn of events. 'What are the odds we would find another devil marked individual?' The young Theurge thinks to himself.
Taking a knee next to the girl, for his search for other survivors had not been fruitful, he protectively takes her hand and brushes errant strands of half-frozen hair from her face.
With a barely perceptible nod of his head he acknowledges Ssilax's query. This girl had been through much of the same horrors that were intimately familiar to the Xthian.
Wrathe casually glances up at Captain Jaq as he waits for the man to elaborate on his comment, though there is a flash of fire in his eyes if the man's intent was cruelty.
Seeing that the human was stable for the moment, Ssilax moves over to his pile of backpacks and gear. Digging out his coffee pot, and some of a small pouch of strong, exotic coffee. Stopping by the thawing human, he bends over and listens to the breathing to make sure her lungs didn't have water in them. Standing back up and grabbing his Healer's kit, the dragonkin looks around and asks permission to use the stove for a few minutes.
Assuming he is given said permission, the Theurge goes to make his coffee. Plus he need near boiling water to help to dissolve some dried herbs that would help the young human sleep strongly. While the water heats up, Ssilax goes and grabs his shed garb, putting it back on as he returns to the coffee.
|
|
The captain nods, "Those are the option I see too. We can't feed her to the sharks after stopping to pick her up, can we? I'd like to make the decision on this now, but she's not awake now. She must have family somewhere, but we don't have time to look around for them. If she were awake she might be able to tell us the name of her town. Oh, we've found a body, too. A grown man, fairly young."
Permission to use the stove is given.
Argon pats Ssilax on the back and says, "You've go this, I see. Call me if you need me to help. I'll check the body."
He turns to the captain and says, "Captain, I see your concern. If we go to the nearest village on the shore, they might not know her, and not want to take her in. If she comes with us she'll be safe, at least. We can pay for her passage."
|
|
The captain says, "Aye, but what if her mother is ashore? No, I think we need to check the nearest port at least. If she's still asleep, and they don't know her, we keep her and leave word. If they do know her we may be able to leave her there. If she wakes, it may change everything as she lets us know where she is from."
Wrathe's eyes play over the girl, wondering if her injuries were simply associated with exposure, or something else.
Another body?
Wrathe had specifically been searching for others just moments prior, so the words surprised him. He gently sets the girl's hand down and moves to examine the man.
He looks at the body, wondering what had caused the man's fall.
Asking the captain, "Is it surprising to find a ship battered against the rocks - or is this relatively common?"
The were close to the Maelstrom, so perhaps that explained this tragedy.
|
|
Wrathe is assured by all Ssilax and the others have done that the girl's condition is caused by exposure to cold for too long. It is more complex than it seems, as the body shuts down some parts, and the person's thinking becomes clouded. Some people shed their clothes, and it seems she may have done that too as she was wearing very little.
The other body, by all evidence, died by drowning.
Captain Jaq, standing and looking at the man, says, "He was found on the other side of the ship. It's not surprising to find a ship like that after a tornado. That, or torn to pieces. A small ship like that can be picked right up and flung afar. I'm going to take us to Morstown. Maybe they'll know the girl."
" Sounds like a good idea, if no one knows her then we can make better plans on that front. " Daxniss says while looking at the new passenger, idly wondering if no one knew who this ship wreaked survivor at Morstown.
" How many days passage is it to Morstown? Provided we have less hostile seas? "
Opening a small pouch, Ssliax carefully takes a pinch of the orangish colored powder with his claws. Pouring some hot water into the cup, he mixes the water until the powder dissolves. Cleaning off his claws, he waits for his strong coffee to finish brewing. While waiting, he puts his the pouch of coffee and Healer's kit back in his back.
Checking on the young human, the dragonkin observes for a few minutes before going to check on the second body. Running a practiced eye over the dead man, Ssilax checks his limbs for brands. After checking the torso, he rolls the body, returning it to laying onto it's back. He stands back up, turning his head to look back over at the ruined ship.
Frowning slightly as he thinks, Ssilax returns to his brewing coffee.
Wrathe nods to the captain, then returns to the his protective place beside the unconscious girl.
|
|
The Captain says to Daxniss, "Morstown is close; that's why we're going there."
The ship makes its way to the north to Morstown. The storm is moderate, and it is merely cold and rain that slows down your actions as you work the ship.
The girl wakes, and is hungry. Ssilax is next to her when this happens, she having been moved to your quarters so that others can eat normally. Luckily for Ssilax he is not on shift when she wakes, though the rest of you are.
" Well now, it's good to see that you are awake now, I'm sure you could use something in your belly, I've got some jerky here that if you are up to it. I'll see what else we can get for you in a few moments, I'm Daxniss. "
Feeling eyes upon him, Ssilax looks up from where he is penning his thoughts in his personal journal. Looking at the young human from where he sits, close by to keep an eye on her condidtion, the dragonkin realizes that his cowl is down as well as his hood. 'Damnit, you let yourself get lazy with your disguise!' the Theurge thinks to himself, somewhat annoyed with his laziness.
Smiling without showing any of his sharp teeth, Ssilax take a sip from his cup of black coffee. "Blah, cold coffee," he mutters.
"Hello," the dragonkin says politely to the young human. The black and white scales on his snouted face warmly catch the lantern light. "I hope you are feeling better, youngling." He picks up a chuck of fish jerky and carefully tears several small chunks for the girl to gnaw on.
Placing the jerky on a small plate, he carefully places it near the human hand. Placing it near her hand had two purposes. For starters, he wanted to make sure that the youngling was capable of moving her limbs. Ssilax had been a little concerned about possible spine or brain damage. Second, given the brands upon her calf, he could only guess at what she had experienced in her short life up to this point.
Given that it was the mark of a devil, Ssilax figured it was nothing good.
"My name is Ssilax," the young dragonkin says warmly, once more keeping his fangs covered as he smiles warmly. "What is your name?" asks the Theurge.
Frigid salt spray cuts into the young wizard's ear-to-ear grin as he takes his shift on watch. His elven eyes were perfect for such a job,
Wrathe longed for such distractions, as his thoughts remained with the fallen members of their group, those children slaves trapped in Siranor, and the many that he left behind screaming in perdition.
He would return with sufficient power to challenge even death itself, of that he vows.
|
|
The girl sees Ssilax there, and screams in surprise. After a moment, she starts crying, saying she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to get burned again. The color is definitely back in her face.
It takes some time to calm her down, but luckily she is very tired, physically, and can't maintain her fear for too long. Eventually she starts actually listening to you, and tells you her name is Nadi. Once she realizes she's on a ship, and not heading back to wherever it is she fears so much, you are able to extract her story from her. It doesn't come out in a smooth timeline, more like bits and pieces you have to puzzle together.
She's eight years old, she thinks, and she lived in Caern. When her mother died, she was taken from her father and brought by cruel people to a cold dungeon, where she stayed for a long time (days? weeks?). Then they took these red hot implements and burned numbers and the symbol into her legs. That was the most pain she's ever felt, by far, and she certainly will do anything in her power to avoid feeling it again. The five numbers in a circle are "her numbers", she says, while the seven numbers in a line are for something else; she knows not what. The symbol was supposed to indicate her "new home," but she never reached there.
During her time in the dungeon, she used to go to a room to eat cold food that was really horrible. The last time, some of the guards were not around for some reason, and an old elf, who was also a prisoner, showed Nadi and four other children a door, a way out, and told them to run for it. She did, they all did, and she ended up alone, running through the streets of Caern. She kept running and found herself on the docks. Scared they were after her, she ran all the way to the end of one dock, and onto a boat, to hide. It happened to be a fishing boat, and the young fisherman, whose name was Raye, let her stay. She stayed with him, in his boat and in his home in Morstown, where his sister also lives.
She has been staying with them for over a year, she thinks. She went out fishing with Raye fairly often. It all ended when this horrendous hurricane came suddenly, lifting up the boat and throwing it back in the water like a child's toy. She was able to climb up on it, but she couldn't see Raye. And that's the last thing she remembers - feeling so cold, trying to stay afloat on the boat.
And then she wants to know what manner of person Ssilax is, and why he can talk so normally.
Daxniss grumbles under her breath as she notices the start of her poorly tied line, taking a deep breath she starts the retying the line to the proper fashion of a sailor as she had been shown. After a few minutes she finishes tying the line the correct way, and moves on to her second task, climbing up the crows nest to relieve Otter who, was always pleased to see Daxniss and had begged stories out of the rogue whom, had kept some most of the incriminating evidence out of them.
Daxniss briefly wonders if the girl will recover with little harm from her frozen dip into the waters, but reasons that of the party Ssilax would be the person to be her physician. Perhaps caring for the girl would drag the melancholy mood out of the dragonkin, as caring for others seemed to help him, or so she hoped.
Glancing back down on her climb she spots Wrathe, taking not that he had a grin on his face, frowning at that grin she wonders if he was thinking of something that would be getting him a stern look from Dainoth. Wrathe had something on his mind, and gives an internal shrug; she had other things to ponder.
With playful eyes the observant Wrathe throws Daxniss a playful wink, and then goes back to his assigned task.
It provided time to plot and plan.
Ssilax had almost jumped out of the chair when Nadi had screamed at the surprise of his visage. It had taken a few minutes to get Nadi calmed down, mostly involving him sitting still and patiently reassuring the young human. The dragonkin knew that physical gesture would seem threatening do to his appearance. A comforting hand on the shoulder would seems more like a golden clawed hand going for the throat.
"I'm glad to hear that Raye's sister lives in Morstown. That is where the Captain of this vessel was going to stop first to check," Ssilax informs Nadi. He wrestles with whether or not to tell her that they had found another body. He decided to wait for a little bit longer, wanting to let Nadi focus on feeling safe for a while longer, not sad.
Smiling at Nadi's question as to what he is, the dragonkin was impressed by the young human's curiosity.
"I am of the Dragonkin race, we are decedents of both dragons and humans, created a very long time ago. It was a time when the races where treated more equally. This was a time before the human empire ruled all, and there where many other kingdoms, even among humankind." The young Theurge says as he gets up to freshen his coffee. "Owing to wars, time and the dragons separating themselves from human affairs, we are a dwindling people." Ssilax says with a faint smile. Turning his head to look away for a few moments he thinks, 'Dwindling, yeah right, more likely extinct.' He pushes the the thought to the back of his thoughts.
"I can speak many languages," the dragonkin says with a short chuckle. He taps the side of his snout. "Because I have a snout, and my tongue is shaped a little differently, I have to take care how I pronounces some words." A smile twists the side of dragonkin's scaled snout. "I tend to draw my S's in most languages."
Ssilax hands Nadi a cup that he had grabbed when he was freshening his coffee. The sleepy tea tasted a bit like oranges.
"You still look pretty tired there Nadi. This is a sleepy tea, it will help you sleep for a little while. Nobody on the ship is going to harm you, so you can sleep safe." Reaching out, Ssilax pets Dog's side. The familiar was fine with being a source of heat, plus it gave the canine something solid to lie against. Dog licks Nadi's finger tips and "Wuffs" wagging his tail. "And Dog will keep you company."
Ssilax sits and waits, talking with Nadi for a little bit longer until she falls asleep.
Once Nadi is snoozing away, Ssilax quietly goes to the deck of the ship to inform his friends, and the rest of the crew of Nadi. Being a small ship, it was handled pretty much all at once.
Quickly sliding down the bracingly of the ladder, as he had seen more veteran sailors do, Wrathe mistimes his impact with the deck, with bone-jarring results and bites his tongue. Warm scarlet fills his mouth, and the aches overwhelmes his attention for awhile.
It appears that his time on ship was formulative, considering the string of salty epithets that falls forth from his blood-flecked mouth afterward.
Joining Ssilax and Nadi, once he is relieved of his duty, he takes in her story with a two-pronged sigh. Her story was horrible, unimaginable to most, but there is relief that she avoided anything like what he had suffered.
When the girl awakes he introduces himself with a softened voice and leans back against the hull with a little smile on his face, sketching the girl so he can give her the portrait.
|
|
The girl Radi says "Dog, that's a funny name for a dog..." and then nods off.
Barbary comes in to ask about the health of the girl. You get the impression she is more concerned with the ship continuing its journey than a little girl's well-being.
Radi wakes as the ship is approaching the walled town of Morstown. She looks around and sees more people than before, and her eyes look panicked until she remembers where she is. She gives dog a hug. She has recovered remarkably well. She laughs with delight with the picture of herself. "Do I look like that?"
After a bit, she looks around the cabin. "Did you find Raye? The fisherman?"