As Draegar predicts, the Knights don't look very enthusiastic about him picking the lock, but they don't stop him or say anything.
Draegar gets to work, and finds that the lock is well-made but nothing crazy, and after a little work finds the right angle for the tumblers and opens the door. The Knights nod to him, indicating to get back.
They stack around the door, and the one in front opens it slowly. He pauses for a moment as he sees what's inside, then slowly pushes open the door and scans the rest of the room.
This is the cabin of the Head Technologist for the ship. There is a small sleeping room in the back, but most of the area is devoted to schematics of the ship and nautical maps and cheat sheets for long-distance signals and various other tools to help run the ship properly. There is a large table in the center of the room with a detailed map of Yundal rolled out and almost twenty chairs. But the map is crumpled and damaged and half of the chairs are on their sides. Blood stains the cabin floor and some of the walls. In the corner are roughly a dozen people, mostly men, wearing nothing but their undergarments and a collection of fresh wounds. Rope binds their wrists and ankles, and not one is moving. Lying with them is Sir Ronius, still wearing his armor but bleeding and not moving like the rest.
One of the Knights mutters a prayer, and they all draw their weapons. The 'lead' Knight quickly starts giving orders in Kellish. "Inform Sir Marcellun, immediately. We need a healer and reinforcements. Tell him the level is four, but to err on the side of caution. Every ship technologist is to be treated as a threat until proven otherwise." The Knights start mobilizing, one moving to the beaten and stripped technologists to cut their bindings and check on their health, while the rest exit towards the rear of the ship. As one gets near the door the 'lead' Knight grabs his shoulder, and after a pause he puts his weapon away before continuing out.
"Lord Martalen, Master Ironhide, it seems you were right. Technologists being attacked and their outfits stolen falls right in line with your story of protecting the ship from sabotage."
In the corner of the room, one of the men starts rolling over. The Knight next to him stows a now-empty vial away, helping him to his feet. The man coughs a few times, then speaks in a hoarse voice. "The High Cardinal...they're going for the High Cardinal...four of them..."
There's a beat of silence, then the 'lead' Knight mutters a swear under his breath. "Level 5, and we don't have time to wait." The other Knight quickly sets the man down, drawing his weapon and shield. The 'lead' Knight looks at Esdras and Draegar for a moment, then briskly walks over and places Esdras's key in his hand, and returns the rest of their weapons. "We have no time to wait for reinforcements, I am putting my faith in you two to back us up." He takes out a small collection of potions, passing them over. The other Knight quickly moves and passes his as well.
"The High Cardinal's room is right across from here. My brother and I shall breach and take the brunt of whatever is waiting for us. The first, highest, and only priority is keeping the High Cardinal safe. Nothing else is important. Including our own lives." He looks hard at the two, waiting for a confirmation to this.
"Whoever these guys are, they don't know we are onto them yet. If you want to buy yourselves as much time as possible, don't advertise this. As soon as they figure out they've been made, they'll jump to their endgame," Draegar advised as he slipped his weapons back into their sheathes.
He tapped his pack and his automaton unfolded. "Retrieval. Sword." His automaton left skittering down the hall as fast as it could go.
Esdras accepts the healing potions and his key back, quickly unlocking his sword and stows his locks back into his pocket. He then takes a look on Sir Ronius. "Is Sir Ronius in fighting condition? If not, I'd request his armor... I believe there is no time for me to get my plate back in my room."
The Knights don't seem willing to compromise on immediately moving to secure the High Cardinal.
"I don't even know if he's still alive. But even if his armor would fit you, which I doubt, we don't have the time." He stands stoically, waiting for a confirmation from Draegar and Esdras on securing the High Cardinal.
Esdras sighs but nods. "Very well. Led the way to His chambers."
Jaidev appears besides Esdras, laughing. "Oh, looks like you don't have the time for you to clad yourself in armor, Esdras! A quite nice comprimisse when all the sirs themselves are actually covered from head to toe in steel! You are f&%%ed!" Esdras does his best to ignore the annoying spirit presence and comments but is unable to partly agree with it. That was something rare.
Before they moved, however, Esdras approached the knight, whispering to him. "There is no time for me to explain why or how, but while we make sure the High Cardinal is safe, if you find yourself in critical doubt between different courses of actions, please tell me. It will take me a whole minute, but I'll be able to help you with your decision."
The Knight gives a confused look. "Uhh, sure. I'll keep that in mind." He doesn't seem to be dismissing the offer out of hand, but rather thinks it's unlikely he will have an entire minute to make a tough decision if one comes up.
Draegar was ready. His automaton would find him when it finished it's task. "Lead the way."
The two remaining Knights slowly walk out, drawing their blades. They lead across the room outside, do the door that was on the right when the group entered earlier. They glance back to Draegar and Esdras to confirm they're ready, then nod and one kicks up the door.
Inside is an ornately decorated cabin with multiple rooms. There are several tables and chairs scattered about the room, as well as five men, four of which are dressed in technologist outfits. One sits at a chair with his feet propped up, two are in the middle of the room and look like they were running when the door was kicked open, and the last has a mask and is holding a dagger to the High Cardinal's throat. The High Cardinal himself stands still, but with a quiet fury upon his face, like the eye of a storm. A line of blood runs from his neck over the blade.
SPLASH! One of the cabin windows is wide open, and it sounds like something heavy just landed in the water right outside of it. Once that sound hits the sitting man's face turns to anger and panic. "Don't move, don't f@%+ing move or he dies!" He cries as he scrambles to his feet and jabs a finger at the High Cardinal. All the men freeze with scowls heavy and weapons drawn to watch what their confronters do.
The Knights move slowly, intently staring at the High Cardinal. "Surrender, you have no escape."
F!*! Draegar swore inside his own head. A hostage situation. He had no plan for this.
He looked at the open window, and thought about the splash they'd heard. Did they throw something overboard? Someone?
He stepped to the side where the enemy couldn't see him and looked around for someone, anyone who he could tell to go check for a man overboard.
"Gentlemen... lets talk. None of us is moving." Esdras starts. "Gentlemen, lets think this situation straight. We don't know your initial intent in entering this ship, but I'm sure it was not a suicide mission to kill the High Cardinal... if it was, he would already be dead and you'd be fighting us or fleeing through that window."
"Now that we've cleared that, lets talk about your options... you have a hostage. The High Cardinal is your only card, but even so, your options are extremely limited. These knights would gladly die to protect the High Cardinal and if unable to save him, can you imagine the length they will go to avenge him? Meaning no disrespect, Your Highness, but gentlemen, have you considered the amount of torture you'll face for doing that? As holy men, the priests of Azgar have access to healing magic, and this means that despite being tortured, you'll only die of old age." He lets his words sink for a moment before continuing.
"In the end, I believe you four already reached the conclusion that you utterly can't kill the High Cardinal. As I've said, you have a great card, but limited ways to use it... your only way is to make an exchange. What do you want?"
"They don't know we fixed the engines. They're going to delay. Keep them talking," Draegar whispered to Esdras from just outside the doorframe. Then he took off at a quiet jog.
Draegar stops on a dime, quickly wheeling about and planting himself against the wall.
Luckily the bulky frames of the Knights were in front of him, obscuring good line of sight. None of the men seemed to notice him. He quietly sneaks off towards the front deck...
Meanwhile in the room everybody stares at each other with weapons drawn. Esdras begins speaking before anybody moves. As his words ring out, they do seem more interested in talking than in violence. They recognize that even if they could take a pair of Knights (which would be hard given their level of training and superior equipment), more and more will swarm them until they lose.
When Esdras begins to lay out their options and mentions torture, the High Cardinal doesn't respond, tacitly acknowledging that torture is not something above the Church. The men seem to shift nervously at this idea.
The leader has a bead of sweat roll down from his head, but gives a crooked smile regardless. "You think killing him is our only card? Oh no. There are other things going on below the surface." He gives a knowing chuckle. "You have far less options than you think old man. Back out, and we will leave in peace. Trust me, we have no interest in ending his life a whole two years early."
The voices fade out behind Draegar as he reaches the front deck. His face is immediately assaulted by the stinging salt air, whipping his clothes around him. He climbs up a ladder to get on the top deck and searches around for any rope. He seems some rigged up around the ship, tying down cargo and rowboats, but any loose or spare rope seems to have been neatly packed away.
Knowing Draegar was intending to enter through the windows, Esdras though carefully about his words, taking as much time as he imagined possible before answering calmly. "You know very well these men will not back out without the High Cardinal in their care. Now... if you have no intention in killing the High Cardinal and indeed wishes to leave, lets work on a way so we both get what we want: the High Cardinal safe and sound and you on your way out." He pauses before continuing. "How you wish to escape? If the window is your way out, go ahead and jump... I I'm sure these knights will no try to stop you if you do not harm the High Cardinal."
When he finished talking, Esdras summoned Jaidev in his mind, making him to appear in the middle of the room. "Jaidev... lets try to put some doubts in the heads of these men. Focus and speak... I'll channel the power to you. This is your chance to prove you are here to help me, otherwise I'll cast you into the Dark as Jideon has instructed me repeatedly..."
With a scowl, Jaidev turned around, giving Esdras his middle finger while smiling and walking towards the bald thug. When he was close enough to whisper in his ear, he whispered. "The mission is failing... you will take the blame... you know it... you'll be betrayed..."
Draegar did a quick scan of the deck and went for the rope that he thought would cause the fewest problems to remove. When he was done, he went to the edge, looked over to find the open window, and the one next to it. That was the important one. The closed one behind the guy with the knife. Once he'd found the right window, he looked for a secure point to tie the rope to.
~~~Benjamin~~~
The water hits Benjamin like a wall of cold, not taking his breath due to his elemental form but still jarring. He transforms back to normal and begins trying to tread water. After a moment he realizes the undertow of the ship is starting to pull him towards the engine. It takes all of his strength just to maintain the same distance from the ship, but he manages to avoid the churning engines and ends up treading water as the Lord's Refuge starts to move past him. He looks back and sees movement on the top deck of the ship...then suddenly a collection of heavy boxes start clanging down the side of the ship before splashing into the water! Some of them sink, but the majority start floating in the water.
~~~Draegar~~~
Draegar quickly scans the options present and decides to cut the ropes holding a collection of boxes together. The instant his blade falls through, however, they all tumble loose and splash into the water below after banging off the side of the hull. He mutters a swear and looks down to see the boxes.
Draegar's eye catches a flicker of movement drifting away from the ship towards the rear. He narrows his eyes and sees that somebody has fallen overboard! A young Briecan nobleman with a dark complexion, by the look of him. He is floundering in the water, staying afloat for now but the only dry land is too far for any but the strongest swimmer, and the ship is quickly leaving him behind.
~~~Esdras~~~
The bald man goes pale when Jaidev speaks in his ear. The leader's face shifts into a scowl and his eyes go to Esdras's sword. "No tricks you noble bastard!"
He looks around the room and sees the bald man hesitating. "It's just a damned trick, a fledgling magician could do it!"
The man nods, but doesn't look very reassured.
The Knights don't move forward, but also don't move back or lower their weapons. "Listen to him. Our duty above all else is His Holiness's safety. How about a boat? We-" His negotiations are interrupted as a number of heavy objects contact the side of the ship right outside the window, and from Esdras's point of view he sees several wooden boxes falling past the windows.
The loud noise startles the battle-ready men, who flinch and turn around to see what the noise is...
"Sonofa... don't have time for this," Draegar swore. Draegar took his rope and tied it to the handle of a smaller crate. Then he took a few runnign steps and hurled the entire thing into the water after the floundering man.
Drask overshoots, but only slightly, landing the box five feet away from the overboard man. Actually rather terrifying for Benjamin as it crashes down beside him.
As he had leaped out of the window, Benjsmin's eyes widened ad he'd been caught by surprise as it was not the deck a few feet below him bit a much longer drop down into the ocean.
Not good!..
Fighting against the ocean's crushing waves proved very difficult but not impossible as he struggled to keep above the surface.
As the boxes suddenly banged off the ship and landed in the water surrounding him, the young noble looked up and noticed a figure standing on the side of the ship. He silently thanked the man for the floating crates but then found himself half ducking, half sinking to avoid the box only then he sees the rope attached to it. He knew this was literally his only lifeline being given to him and he swam for it, desperately intending not to miss his chance.
Taking advantage of the sudden noise and distraction, Esdras burst into action, whispering to the knights in front of him. "Now!"
While drawing his sword with his right hand, Esdras darted for the High Cardinal, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright. With his left hand, he grabbed the old man's vest and moved him behind him and away from the criminals.
Seeing that the knights followed him and formed a makeshift wall protecting the High Cardinal, Esdras tried once more to reach some peaceful solution. "Now, surrender. Your mission has failed. Your sabotage was discovered and averted. You have no hostages and no way out, for we are too far away from shore for any man to swim."
He glances at the bald thug before continuing. "More knights will arrive at any moment, so there is no chance for you to fight us all. Drop your weapons now, it will be the best for everyone... do not complicate your situation even more!"
~~~Esdras~~~
Esdras takes advantage of the situation and immediately darts forward, grabbing the High Cardinal and pulling him away from the would-be-assassin, who seethes through his teeth at the sudden change in events. The Knights follow him into the room and take up defensive positions around the High Cardinal, blocking any easy access to the religious leader.
Esdras continues to try diplomacy, now with a significantly better position. However the men only seem more panicked as their situation quickly deteriorates. Weapons raise and the leader begins an incantation. "Kluchuduun ing-"
"Halt." The voice is firm and commanding, carrying with it so much power that Esdras himself nearly freezes in place. The thugs and their leader all freeze, mouths still open and arms still raises in preparation of combat. Their eyes dart around quickly, but otherwise it is as if they are statues. The High Cardinal takes a deep inhale, sweeping his assailants with a withering look in his eyes. "Arrest them all."
The Knights cautiously put away their weapons, taking out manacles. They start to disarm the assailants when the hooded man suddenly darts for the window! "Halt!" Cries one of the Knights, but obviously his voice carries far less weight, as the man launches himself out the window.
~~~Draegar~~~
As soon as Draegar throws the second box, he hears shouting and loud stomping from the open window next to the High Cardinal's cabin. Evidently discussions have ended, but he doesn't hear any follow up sounds that would indicate combat. There is a pause, then somebody shouts and it sounds like somebody is running.
~~~Benjamin~~~
Benjamin claws his way onto the box, getting his upper torso over the top of it. After a moment he feels the rope go taut and it tugs him after the boat, pulling him through the ocean after it.
It takes constant exertion from his arms to keep a grip, and the moving water over his lower torso and legs quickly saps the heat from his body. It's a cold, exhausting, and miserable experience. But it will keep him from drifting into the ocean or drowning for long enough for somebody to haul in the box and get him back on deck. So for now, he is 'safe'.
Esdras moves to the window but doesn't jump. Imagining the assassin would have more than one dagger with him, he would have to chance of fighting it while in the water. On top of that, he would not take the risk of drawing his sword in the ocean and lose it forever. Instead, he watched the assassin, intending to figure if the incantation muttered was something that would give him an edge.
He yelled outside, imagining that Draegar would be close. "Draegar! The High Cardinal is safe, but one of them jumped through the window!"
~~~Esdras~~~
Esdras quickly runs to the window after the would-be-assassin and looks down. However, he doesn't see the man in the water. In fact, he doesn't even remember hearing a splash.
~~~Draegar~~~
"This is odd..." Esdras comments to those inside the room. "There is no sign of the man who jumped... only a little cloud of smoke above the water where he should have landed. Your Holiness, I imagine you need some rest from all this madness, but I'm unfamiliar with magic and I do not know what that man did."
Draegar ran to the railing, but didn't see anything.
"I don't see him!" Draegar shouted down.
Benjamin clung to the rope and box, it was extremely uncomfortable for him but he supposed it was better than the alternative. That said, he wasn't going to just sit there and do nothing. He tried to cast a simple enchantment to help ward off the uncomfortable feeling of the ocean's waves.
"Scleamshenn sephwem"
He almost had it but the rushing motion and biting cold caused him to stutter the last few moments of his spell, causing the gentle waves of divine light to fizzle out.
As he consigned himself to simply be miserable he watched from below as the hooded figure of the assassin like man disappeared in a puff of smoke, mid-fall. His eyes widened and suddenly the warning his father had given him about never losing the ring he wore came back to him.
'A golden circle on the body halts teleportation.' He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that people like them had something like that.
After a moment of that realization his heart sank. "Oh no! Did they take the High Cardinal?!"
Despite the interference of whoever was on the edge of the ship above, he felt foolish for abandoning the man the way he had. Maybe if he had stayed he could have altered things but he hadn't. Any one of his gifts would have been useful but he'd been a coward. He hoped he was wrong, but he would have no way of knowing until he would be pulled up the rope by somebody else.
"I've got a man overboard here!" Draegar shouted down.
Then he went back to his rope and started hauling the swimmer up to the deck.
Draegar begins hauling in the noble out on the box. It's hard work because the water is constantly pulling against him, and if he lets up for a moment he loses all is progress as the rope will snap taut again.
Result 0-4 (or nat 1): Completely lose the rope
Result 5-9: Lose 10 feet of progress
Result 10-14: Make no progress
Result 15-24: Make 10 feet of progress
Result 20+ (or nat 20): Make 20 feet of progress
Draegar takes a few tries to figure out the grip he wants, and ultimately decides to bend the rope around part of the ship to act as a pulley. He gets the man most of the way in, but when he releases the weight with one hand to help him up, the rope slips! Moving quickly he grabs the now-loose rope, quickly coiling it around his arm. The rope snaps taut and burns into his arm, but he holds fast and only slides a few inches before coming to a halt. With teeth clenched he forces the rope back over the makeshift pulley, and with enough effort hauls him the rest of the way in.
Esdras asks for the High Cardinal's assistance, who seems to be regaining his calm demeanor as he moves to the window. He looks down, then scans the water for a moment and raises an eyebrow. "A cloud of smoke you say? Hmm." He looks back and sees the man being hauled in slowly by Draegar. "Benjamin! Oh thank the Five that you're alright. You said that was Draegar up top?" He says with a look to Esdras. "Well, it seems I am in debt to both of you. Once Benjamin is safely aboard we should talk." He looks back to his Knights, who are now being reinforced by more of their brothers. "Lock these men away. Search the ship for any more. And if anybody is wearing a hood or a mask that obscures their face, treat them as deadly."
Esdras nods to confirm that it was indeed Draegar that was pulling the man from the water. He then sheathes his sword. "From my part, I can say there is no debt at all. I did what I did because that was the right thing to do."
Once the bandits are manacled, Esdras turns to the leader of the knights. "Now that the High Cardinal is safe, me and Draegar can answer any question you might have." He then reaches for his pocket and retrieves his chain and locks and starts to lock his sword once more. Once finished, he'll offer the key back to the knight or the High Cardinal.
Eventually the men start moving again, although by this time they are manacled and gagged. One of the thugs fights his manacles for a moment before one of the Knights gives him a sharp rap on the back of the head, then they are lead out of the room.
The High Cardinal continues to stare down at the water, as if scrutinizing the waves can tell him where the man went. He turns back and gives a smile; although the fury in his face is now gone, Esdras can't help but still think of that dangerous look on his face despite the friendly look now. "Oh nonsense Esdras, doing the right thing would be telling the Knights and letting them do their job, you went above and beyond the call." He waves a hand dismissively as Esdras offers the key. "I think we are beyond that."
After more than a minute of difficult pulling, Draegar hinally hauled the waterlogged man back on deck. After making sure the man was on his feet and looking him over for serious injuries, Draegar clapped him on the shoulder and said "Stay out of the water next time."
Then he took off at a run, heading back down belowdecks.
Benjamin was tired from the physically taxing exertions of just hanging on from being completely drenched from the icy cold ocean water and wind whipped as he was pulled up. He was under no illusions as to what would have happened to him if he hadn't been rescued.
Crushing, cold, choking death. Just like my nightmare.
As he stood appraising the man who had just saved his life and catching his breath, he started to offer his thanks when the man clapped him on the shoulder and spoke first before he took off running.
Wait, was that the Half-Skive Sir Edwin had mentioned?
"Wait, your name!" he called after him. But the man was already on his way.
Benjamin glanced back at the ocean and shook his head. Then decided to head back to the High Cardinal's cabin.
A whirlwind of activity soon ensues. The High Cardinal's cabin is quickly swarmed with Knights, who usher Esdras outside and prevent Draegar's entrance. Benjamin is gathered and escorted downstairs, where he is offered a dry towel and healing magic, and shown to his room where he can change and get a dry set of clothes. The Knights start moving quickly around the ship, detaining nobles (gently) on occasion, and searching through the various rooms and cabins on the ship. The entire atmosphere has shifted, and everyone present is reminded that the Knights are an elite guard unit as opposed to decorative servants, and despite the decadence of the party, the fragile political situation still hangs over them.
Things seem a little less bright after that. Less smiles, voices are quieter, and the day seems to pass slower.
After an hour a pair of Knights comes to Draegar and Esdras, and a pair to Benjamin as well. "The High Cardinal requests your presence." Although they use the word 'request', their stoic stances imply it's not optional.
They are each escorted back to the High Cardinal's cabin, which now has half a dozen Knights stationed in front of it who are standing at the ready. The Knights raise their visors to show each other's faces before they are allowed inside.
Once inside the door is promptly shut, and the High Cardinal looks up from his position at a table, where it looks like he was writing a letter. "Lord Martalen, Lord Abbey, Master Ironhide. Please, come." He pulls a roll of parchment over the letter he was writing, obscuring it from view. He walks up to the Benjamin, lowering his head. "I have failed many people today that were in my safety, but you I have failed most of all." He moves to Draegar and Esdras. "And I owe a great debt to you both as well. I am told of what happened below decks by Forg, who confessed everything." He hard look returns to his eyes for just a brief flash. "And further, Lord Martalen you went above and beyond your diplomatic duties and defended me personally, putting your life on the line. You have done Almor proud, and Brieca will not forget this." He gives a smile that crinkles the skin around his eyes. "And Master Draegar, without your aid we may have lost Lord Abbey to the cold sea, who is a beacon of hope for the Church and his loss would have been a devastating blow. You had no responsibility as a foreign guest, but still risked yourself." He lets this hang for a moment, then steps back.
"I would reward you two for your service, and Benjamin I owe you as well as an apology. Please, let me know what is is I can gift, and I will do so if it is within my power. And if I may be so bold, I was told what transpired below by Forg, and I have strong reason to believe his testimony was true, but I would like to hear what transpired from your own perspective." He stares on intently.
Draegar was brash and bold and quick in times of crisis, but so unused to being praised or rewarded that his mind seemed to seize up. His discomfort and embarrassment at being the center of such attention and praise was obvious.
"Uh, thanks... I mean, you're welcome... Your Grace. I... I'm not sure what to say here,"
He tried to deflect attention of of himself. "There's a Docker who came aboard with us. Topaz. If she hadn't recognized Forg we wouldn't have gotten involved at all. If there's a rewards being given out, she should be part of them."
Benjamin felt fully aware of his surroundings as he was escorted back to his room by the Knights of Theveste. He did not speak to anyone and felt invigorated in a way he had not for as long as he could remember. The day could not have been any more exciting or dangerous but he thought about the problem he had faced in the ocean. He spent the hour in none-too-quiet contemplation pacing back and forth. The smell of ocean water still clung to him. He would have perished had he not been saved.
"I have got to learn how to swim."
When the Knights came for him and they arrived in back at the High Cardinal's cabin, he nodded to all of the knights as they showed their respect.
In the room he was almost taken aback by the man's demeanor as the High Cardinal spoke with him first. Benjamin hung his mouth open for a moment but he recovered his composure and spoke.
"No." he said, shaking his head.
"There is nothing to forgive here. No one could have predicted what these men would do nor their capability. Not only that but you acted to save my life as well. I'm more upset I did nothing to assist you in the same manner."
He then looked to the man who had save him from the ocean depths.
"Dragar Ironhide. You may not be a noble, and a foreigner, but you saved my life and earned the High Cardinal's respect. Though my own resources are paltry compared to the High Cardinal's, I do owe you a debt of gratitude and will do what I can to repay you." he held out his hand to the man.
Finally looking at the older man, Lord Martalen, he nodded impressed at his exploits.
"You have my thanks for assisting in this situation as well, Lord Martalen. From what I saw these men, some of them at least, were prepared to escape through means of teleportation and wanted to take the High Cardinal prisoner."
"Uh, thanks. I feel like I should come clean here. My intent wasn't to save you, I was going to try to come in through the window there. I was just in the right place at the right time, and already looking for rope. It was... pure luck. Which reminds me... A bunch of stuff that was tied down on deck went overboard because I cut the rope. It was probably important and... I'll pay for it," Draegar looked chagrined and ran his hand over his bald head.
The High Cardinal gives a welcoming smile to Draegar. "Please do not feel rushed. We have much more time aboard the ship today so you will have many hours to decide." His presence seems to instill a burst of confidence in Draegar despite the awkward situation. He definitely has the kind of charisma that brings the whole room up with him.
"Topaz, the docker? Yes I remember inviting her aboard. I had not realized she was involved, neither the testimony of the Knights nor Forg has mentioned her." Without any sort of physical or audible call, the doors open and two Knights step in. "Find the woman named Topaz, she deserves recognition as well." They nod, bowing their heads and leaving, closing the door behind them once more.
Next he turns to Benjamin. "I am honored, and glad I could do what little I could for you. I only tried to do what was best for all of us."
The High Cardinal chuckles at Draegar's words. "Well, humble too, and honest. Always good qualities." Another beat of silence and the doors open. "Check the above deck supplies, we appear to have lost some." Another nod, and the doors close. He looks back to Draegar. "I am sure whatever it was could not possibly be worth Benjamin's life. A price I am glad to pay for his safety."
Benjamin could only laugh at the nature of this surprisingly humble man. "Ha ha ha! Really! Well regardless of your whether it was your intention to save me or a happy circumstance, I'm alive because of your rather impromptu choice. You say you were planning to save the High Cardinal by jumping through the window but you took time to save a man who was drowning overboard. It would have been just as easy to decide you didn't have time to save me in favor of rescuing the High Cardinal and no one would have blamed you for it, not even me."
He clapped the surprisingly large man on the shoulder.
"You're a hero today. If there was any debts to be levied over lost equipment, the least, and I mean the absolute least I could do would be to pay for those."
He nodded to the High Cardinal.
"That's why I tied off the rope and left you in the water for a while," Draegar admitted. "Turned out Esdras didn't need my help, so I came back and hauled you up. Glad you were able to hang on."
Draegar was one of those people who's reaction to nerves was to talk, so with everyone looking at him still he just kept going, while on the inside he felt like his mouth was a horse with the bit in it's teeth.
"This whole day's felt like a mad scramble from place to place, one crisis after another," Draegar said with a sheepish grin on his face. "From the moment we went down into the engines, I knew something was really wrong. They did a number down below. Rigged the doors with electricity, cut the walkways, overrode the safety governors and pressure alarms, cut the wires to the claxons, superheated the boilers, aerosolized stabilizing compounds and vented it into the air, and basically turned the whole system into a bomb. We didn't figure out the rest of the plot until after we'd cleaned up that whole mess and gotten arrested. My lungs feel kinda like they've been peeled."
"Oh, that's another thing I forgot. I don't know if the engineers have gone below decks yet, but they really need to be careful of traps I didn't catch."
Draegar finally realized he'd been rambling and quickly shut up.
Esdras remains in silent for a couple minutes before speaking. "After hearing all sides of the story, I believe our friend Draegar actually saved everyone here more than once... Yes, I was trying to negotiate the High Cardinal's release, but even if I think I was on the right track, I was only able to save the Him because the assassins were distracted by the crates that Draegar accidently released." He can't help himself but laugh. "Unknowing, by choosing the wrong piece of rope to cut, Draegar managed to save both Benjamin and the High Cardinal."
"Now, as you requested, Your Holiness, here is my report of what happened... As Draegar mentioned, this girl Topaz confided to us that she was on a secret mission aboard this ship. As it happens, she is an agent against slavery and she claimed that Forg was in the business of child slavery and was here to negotiate a deal with an unknown nobleman." He makes a short pause. "As you can imagine, we decided it was unacceptable, so we asked Mr. Pilus for an assistance and he promptly helped us in pointing out that Forg was on tour around the ship. Sir Ronius then escorted me and Draegar on a reverse tour."
"As Draegar already explained, we found the bowels of the ship trapped and sabotaged. We confronted Forg and one of his man there and then Draegar fixed what damage they had caused thus far. With the villain tied, we searched for your Knights and were soon found by them." He makes another pause. "Some of them escorted Forg while others escorted us in a mission to find Sir Ronius, who failed to reach the infirmary after a crisis of heatstroke. We found him and other technicians wounded or dead and discovered Your Holiness was in danger. We then arrived at your quarters soon after."
He then added once his report was complete. "If anything wasn't as clear as I intended, I'd be happy to elaborate more." He once more smiled, remembering his years during the war. "In the end, even if the war is gone, I'm still used to give battle reports."
The High Cardinal's brows furrow again, and the flash of dark fury shows. "Child smuggling? And one of the invited nobles is involved? That is dark news. I will have to root out this evil." He moves aside the issue for the moment and gives a soft smile again. "Well, the interrogation of Forg is still ongoing. I am sure we will discover all the information we need in that regard."
He looks down sadly. "I regret to inform you that Sir Ronius, and two other Knights, have died in the line of duty." He pauses, letting the silence stretch out for a moment as he closes his eyes and hangs his head. After a span passes he continues. "My technologists were badly beaten, but the saboteurs only killed those that they couldn't subdue."
"Without your aid, the casualties would have been far worse. I am told that Forg's plan was to overheat most of the ship and cause as many of the Knights to fall from heatstroke as possible, then commander the ship by using fire magic to deal with any that still had endured the heat. We are still ascertaining his reason for doing this, but it sounds like it had to do with slavery, although that makes little sense to me why he would attempt to commandeer the most notorious vessel in the area for what should have been a covert smuggling mission."
The High Cardinal goes to the table on the north section of the room, picking up his wine glass. "Master Ironhide, I hope you will pardon my rudeness and ignorance, but my informants have lead me to believe that the Skive people were hardy but leaned to more primitive interests." The High Cardinal's word choice was careful here, trying to be accurate but not condescending or offensive. "But you seem to know more about the workings of my ship than I do after seeing them once, and you use much of the same verbiage as my technologists. I always find firsthand information to be better, so could you enlighten an old man? I wish to know more of your people so I can better understand them and better foster peace."
Draegar was lost in his thoughts at the news of Sir Ronius' death. He'd barely known the knight, but he'd liked him. Not many people would have listened to Draegar like Sir Ronius did. It took the big man a moment for the Cardinal's words to sink in.
"Oh. I was a war orphan," Draegar explained. "I grew up in a Thanite orphanage in the borderlands. The Thane Technical Academies recruit apprentices out of those orphanages. They don't usually take Skive kids, but I had a knack for it."
Benjamin was shocked at the revelation of child smuggling activities as well. His respect was growing ever more for these two as he learned of them.
Benjamin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Ah, I had no idea Thane ran institutes for Skive children. From the rumors I'd been hearing there seemed to be more pressing problems between the tribes and Thane's government. Seems as though there are good people all around, and like something we could take a lesson from."
He then turned his attention to Lord Martalen.
"From your choice of words, Lord Martalen, it would seem you were involved in the Berivian war. It was before my time but I have met several others on board who were part of it and I must say I hold the upmost respect for your service, I'd like to talk to you more about that later, if you'd be willing."
"They don't run institutes for Skive children," Draegar shrugged. "They run institutes for their own children. As far a I know I'm the only Skive to be recruited."
"I used to think I was lucky, but they weren't looking to do me any favors. I was just meat for the grinder. They recruit from orphanages because no one cares what happens to those kids. The less prestigious academies secure their funding by ignoring safety and letting apprentices run all the dangerous experiments. There's a lot of "accidents." I eventually caught on to what they were doing and left."
Esdras nods at Benjamin's request. "Yes... in fact, I was deeply involved. When the proper war began, I had just joined the army. I was fourteen years old when the war began and thirty three when it ended. However, I must warn you that if you wish to hear tales about those 'Great Times', you are asking to the wrong person... that war, like most of them, was a mistake that cost more than any nation should have paid..."
The High Cardinal seems very interested in Draegar's story. "Ah, so would it be fair to say you are an exception? And these institutes, hmm..."
He listens to the others touch upon the topic of the war. With a resolute expression he looks to Esdras. "I would also be interested in knowing more about the war, directly from the perspective of those involved."
He looks over the group present. "There are so many things I have grown ignorant of as I sat in a throne across the ocean. I can no longer rely on secondhand accounts of information. I know I have already taken your day from you, but I wish to invite you to my evening supper so we can discuss things in further detail. Draegar you seem to have insight into the darker aspects of Thane in addition to your heritage, and Esdras you have been involved in the war for as long as Almor had been a part of it. I already had another matter that needed to be addressed with Benjamin, so I want to see if I can kill three birds with one stone."
"I believe I'd already given my word I would meet you for supper later. I would be remiss if I were to change my mind now with such interesting guests."