Jewel relaxes when Remy comes out. She leans against a crate that she'd been searching. "Oh Remy! It's so good to see you again. Mr. Plugg was.... Well, he was the mate on the pirate ship. The captain sent him with us to be the captain here. But he was a cruel person. He had us beat for really minor stuff. And he killed one man by dragging him under the ship so the ship cut his skin to shreds. I didn't know ship hulls were so sharp and dangerous."
"How are you doing here? I haven't seen any other rats down here. Have you seen any? The pirates didn't kill all of them when they were taking the valuables back to their ship did they? I was trying to think of some way to force Plugg to take us to Annesley and thought about asking the rats here to join the fight.... But then the rum caught fire and it spilled on Plugg and the ship, and things got out of control."
"So it is good that Plugg is dead." Rémy concludes. "This ship has rats to, but they are all of the garbage eating kind with no ambition to change that. It is frustrating." he sighs.
"What's in Annesley?" Rémy inquires with a sudden excitement.
"Annesley is where my granny lives and we can get home from there." Clara explains.
Sandara checks the markings on the map and finds where their current position is. "We are here." she points out. "That would make a three day travel to Annesley. Do you know anything about that town? Do they have military? Will they know that this ship was captured by pirates?"
"Anyhow, we should make sure that the crew of this Rahadoumi merchant ship looks like sailors and not like pirates. Because if they have any kind of town militia in Annesley, they'd throw us into jail."
"But it is Varisia and not Cheliax, so we have a fair chance to walk away."
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"Do you know anything about that town?
"No," Tarjun answers concisely. "But not telling 'em we're pirates sounds like a good idea!"
"Are we going to wear disguises? Do we have to take our Jolly Roger down? Are we gonna have to learn -whatever language they speak in Rahadoum? What does Rahadoum look like? Have you been there? Can you point it on the map?" In his newfound excitement, he doesn't even realize that -yet again- he's peppering Sandara with questions.
Sandara points to the desert island on the map. "Maybe they were on the way to Varisia anyhow. You should know." she states looking at Pierce. "He can also answer all your questions about Rahadoum."
Pierce looks guilty, like a teacher caught him not paying attention. "Me? I dunno where we were going! Nobody tells me nothin'!" He squints and looks up as he tries to jog his memory. "I don't remember much about Rahadoum, either, since I been on this ship since after I was born. It's hot there?" He shrugs. "An' it's funny how everyone on this ship cares about what the gods want. None of the people here before were all that clerical."
Jewel thinks about Remy's comment. Is it good that Plugg is dead? She doesn't remember anything about Erastil's teaching that indicated it was ever a good thing when someone was killed.... But Plugg was evil! He had tricked them to get them aboard the ship, and had caused them to be hurt and the thief to be killed. She decided to leave those thoughts alone until they got back home and she could have a long.... talk with her father.
"Annesley? Some of Clara's family live there. I think she said her grandmother is there. And if we can get there we should be able to get home!"
"You will come with me when we leave, right? I'd like to take you home and introduce you to my Mother. She's a really good cook. Not a fancy chef like you of course. But we have better spices available than that pirate ship, or this ship...."
She feels some frustration at the lack of organization, the crates and supplies. "I'm trying to find spices or decent food. The pirates took a lot, and some of the food that I've found is moldy or rancid. I can use a spell to purify it, but it won't fix the flavor or lack of it! You haven't seen any decent spices have you? Even just some pepper would be nice!"
Once she is done below she rejoins the group up on deck. Coming in at the end of whatever discussion was going on she asks "What is Rahadoum?"
In her best spooky voice Clara says "Raha-DOOM" with her eyes wide open and her hands hands shaking besides her head. "Sounds spooky - are there ghosts in Raha-DOOM?"
Pierce gets a wicked smile. "There are! Ghosts, I mean. I heard a story from one of the crew about an old man who sailed these very waters, but was killed by pirates. He cursed them as they made him walk the plank, and swore that one day he would rise again and take back what was his. I wonder if that's how this ship got its name, The Man's Promise? Anyway, they say his spirit follows it, floating in its wake-- an' sometimes, if you listen carefully, you can hear him knocking on the side of the boat, hoping someone will toss down a rope for him to climb back aboard."
He speaks softly, dramatically, but still smiling like he's telling a fun joke. Then he pauses for dramatic effect and cocks his head like he's listening. A chill wind blows through the room-- similar to what happens when someone casts a spell, though Pierce doesn't gesture or say any magic words-- and suddenly there is indeed the faint, urgent sound of knocking on the outer hull.
"I know that trick." Clara states. But she takes a quick look over her shoulder anyhow, just in case.
Jewel enjoys the ghost story from Pierce, until the knocking noise is heard. She feels a chill run up her spine until Clara mentions knowing 'the trick'. Then she openly giggles. "That was a good one Pierce. So you've got a bit of magic of your own? Wait.... You asked me something a while back when I mentioned changing prepared spells? I'm a cleric... and yes, a witch. My familiar has been hiding up in the sails. I call her down if I need to change my spells in the morning. And of course I change my clerical spells with my morning prayers. My God is Erastil. I know most of the pirates don't even know of him, and the few that do don't like him. He was appropriate for our families back home, even though Clara didn't agree." She glances at Clara, knowing her friend would likely add a comment....
Jewel's brow furrows a second at Tarjun's comment. "Dawnbreeze was a little spooky at first, bursting out of his coffin like he did. But Breathnach did a lot to be scary at first. He knocked a lot of things. And the blight he caused was nasty!It was hard figuring out the ceremony to put him to rest...."
"Yeah, Erastil is really cool god for communities. Makes them villagers motivated to do all the work necessary. Reliable folks, those followers of Erastil." Clara comments with a smirk.
"But what about Annesley. Can we now set a proper course?" she inquires from Sandara.
"Yes we can. But do we want to?" Sandara replies. "If we have real pirates in the crew, they might not want to go there. I suggest we have a vote. If all are fine, we go to Annesley. And if not, we bring you in sight of it and you can leave with the last boat we have."
"If we have only a few pirates, we give them the boat to leave before we reach Annesley."
"Only if you start another one." Sandara replies. "Or do you belive someone will start a mutiny against captain Clara?" she asks amused.
Jewel looks around, understanding that any vote would almost surely be against them.... But they had to get to Annesley. "A captain doesn't lead by majority vote though. Or are we suggesting to change the command structure of this ship?"
She looks straight at Sandara and adds, "Personally I'd be fine with taking the boat if we get in sight of the city. But I don't know how to make the boat, or this ship go in the direction that we'd need to go. And what would we do with it when we got on shore? Better that a couple of the.... sailors here help us get to shore, and then take the boat back out. We'd be gone so you wouldn't have to deal with the trouble we've caused, and you'd have your ship's boat back." She glances over to Clara, "And Clara? You have to come with us! We don't know your grandmother that well, nor does she know us. And we're not going to get home and explain to your mother that we left you on a ship, pirate or otherwise!"
"Landlubbers." Sandara sighs.
"We go to Annesley. None of the crew can show up in front of the pirate captain again without losing their head. Plugg is dead and no one did anything about it."
"But if you are a pirate - a real pirate, not a sailor, mugged and forced on a pirate ship - you don't want to go on land in Annesley and ask around when the next ship leaves to the Shackles. Because then you could easily end up in shackles instead."
"And in case the majority of the crea wants to stay on the ship and you can't manage to row a boat towards a city in sight without getting lost, you don't deserve to reach it."
Sandara decides that the discussion ends there and leaves the cabin. Outside she calls the crew together. "We have a decision to make. We know where Annesley is and we will go there. It is a small unimportant town at the coast of Varisia. The decision we need to take is, whether we will sail into the harbor, or if we put everyone who wants to leave into the ships boat, as soon as the town comes in sight and sail on with this bucket."
"To sail on you need a crew and we're already short on hands. And the kids are leaving for sure. If most want to go to the port, the rest can take the ships boat and leave before if they like. I don't care one way or the other. So hands up for sailing to the prot of Annesley."
There is only a dozen crew on the ship anyhow. Sandara doesn't rise her hand. Some seem undecisive.
Rosie rises her hand. "I didn't want to be on a pirate ship in the first place. And it sucks. I'm leaving. F+*@ pirate life." She spits on the deck.
"But I'm not sailing into the harbor for everyone to see. I want to keep my earnings."
"I'm not going to be stranded at some hick village in the middle of nowhere." Conchobhar folds his arms.
"I say, we sail to Rickety Squibs like the captain planned before he sent us off."
"I'll only be captain until we reach Annesley. Then someone else can have that job, as I'm leaving." Clara states. Full of herself, as ever.
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"It ain't like we're asking you all to buy a house in Annesley or something," Tarjun clarifies. "We go there, those who want to stay on land do that... Ship won't stay there. You do whatever you want afterwards."
"And won't the captain kinda react badly if you sail right where he told you to after a mutiny?"
Jewel watches and listens, unsure what will happen next. It seems like they are going to Annesley? "Seems to me that you could tell the captain that the trouble-making kids cast spells on Plugg and killed him. Then you all over-powered us and tossed us overboard. And you saved his ship."
"But if anyone is hungry I'm going to have to start making a dinner with the supplies I've found."
"If Cogword dares to sail this ship with a crew of three..." Sandara comments.
"Into the riggs, we're sailing to Annesley." Sandara commands. She then walks to the steering weel and sets the proper course.
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After three weeeks, two storms and an usuccessful hunt for a white whale finally Annesley comes into sight.
Clara, who decides to be captain in the crow's nest, mainly to be as far away as possible from any actual labor jumps with joy as the town comes in sight. Recognizing some of the features of the town's skyline she calls down "Annesley! Over there! There is Annesley!"
Jewel does her best, with Remy's help, to make good meals for the crew. For the crew that still want to drink she uses Enhance Water to provide ale.
Seeing the skyline of a town, Jewel hopes is Annesley, she wonders. Would anyone be content again once they got home? She is fairly certain that she would.... But how about Clara? And Tarjun? They weren't the same kids that had somehow "wished" themselves out to an adventure. Had that been just a couple of months ago?
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Tarjun spends most of the trip enjoying his newfound peace and quiet, helping out here and there when people need an extra hand -especially if he can do the work with low effort. Staying at the bilge doesn't bother him, since he can simply purify the water, and use the alone time to practice playing his flute. Sandara is especially glad to see him stay below deck since that one incident when he climbed up the bird's nest to enjoy the view and claimed he had spotted a sperm whale.
It took days to bring the ship back on its original course.
Still, navigating the sea gets surprisingly boring after the first couple of days, and Tarjun was beginning to feel quite sick with the endless sea and the unchanging landscape when Annesley finally came into view. "Holy hell!" he grips the taffrail of the ship in his excitement. As he peers at the distant buildings, however, the more -well, unremarkable the city seems. It defuses his enthusiasm somewhat, though at this point, he'd take anything just to get off the damned ship. "So we're docking there?"
Coming closer it becomes clear that docking directly at the coast might not work. There are some peirs with fishing boats along, but who knows if it would be deep enough for the merchant ship to not run on ground. Just to be sure Sandara orders anchoring the Man's Promise 500 feet off the coast.
All sails are reefed, the anchor is dropped and then the ships boat is let down into the water. The pirates who want to come along pack their stuff. Taking a closer look at the city, even Cogword decides to go for a shore leave commenting 'Eh, what are they going to do about pirates in that backwater village'.
"Straight to the port, or somewhere off the village?" Sandara inquires, unsure about the best way to move forward here.
Once the ship gets close to shore and obviously letting down the anchor Jewel goes below to call for Remy. "Remy? We'll be going ashore soon. And then hopefully home. Will you be coming along with us? I'd like you to come home with me but it still has to be your decision."
Jewel looks at the town, and back to Sandara. She is surprised to see uncertainty in the eyes of the woman. Her life really did seem to belong aboard the vessel. "My father always said that honesty was best. But.... Maybe this time not so much. But this is a merchant ship, not a pirate ship. I'd suggest using that. Head to the port. You are undermanned, and some crew leaving. Keep it simple and say that this ship was attacked by pirates. You fought them off but lost many of your crew. Now some of your sailors no longer want to live with the risk anymore. So, you're putting in here to let those off, plus a couple of kids that the pirates had. And you're looking for new crew if any of the folk in this town have the stomach for the life on a merchant ship!" She frowns a moment, then adds. "We await your orders Captain Sandara!"
"Traitor!" Clara protests and punches Jewel on the shoulder. "I'm the captain!"
After a moment of silence - hopefully silence and not someone laughing - Clara notices, that there was a decision to be made and as a captain it falls to her to make the decision.
"Well, I say we go straight to the port, leave the boat and everyone goes where they want. And I, Caprain Clara, will talk to the port artoci..., authrosi..., important people and tell them, that they have an extra ship now, that we don't need any more. And that they can probably get some reward if they manage to message the former owner of the ship."
"And if they don't want to listen or make problems, Tarjun can put them to sleep."
"Yeah, no, I'm not taking any risks. I'm swimming."
"I'm fine going to the port. I'll disappear, as soon as we are on dry land."
Sandara bags her tricorn and hides her holy symbol. "Ridiculous. But all we need is time to disperse into town, before anyone gets suspocious. And if you kids can keep them busy until we are gone, that is fine with me. No matter if Captain Clara, or honest to the bone Cleric of Erastil Jewel, or Sandman Tarjun. As long as it is not me. Because I'm the opposite of unsuspicious."
"So in case we don't meet again - it was an honor to sail with all of you." sandara steps into the boat.
One after the other enters the boat and four of the stronger ones get to row. As the boat arrives at the pier and the trained sailors jump out to tie it to the posts, there is no one to greet them.
There are some gawkers who noticed the approach and are curious, but no one looking official and no one asking the strangers what they want here.
Only one guy leaning at one of the posts calls out "You got some work? I can help load and unload the ship."
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Jewel hears Sandara's words and wonders. An honor? But she had a place on the ship. She was accepted. She fit in. How had she read the spell so wrong and put the three of them on that ship? But maybe they were supposed to be there? To get some of the sailors away from the life of pirates? That was something that she couldn't interfere with then.
Getting off of the boat, up on the dock Jewel stretches and looks around. She moves close to Tarjun and Clara. "So let's get off the shore here and try to find Clara's Grandmother. Clara? How do we find her? Do you know where her house is? Or what we can ask to find it?"
"Where's Pierce? Is he coming along with us?"
Clara is kind of disapointed, that no important person appears for her to captain around "I have no clue. But that's no problem. We can simply ask the people here." Because you can ask anyone in Oakstedt about anyone living there. Why should it be different here.
She approaches the closest person and asks "Hello. I want to visit my Gandma. Her name is Johnson. Do you know where her house is?"
After several hours of asking around while watching the day pass and the sun set, the kids finally manage to find the house of Mrs. Johnson. It is a large house built from stone in an alley where all houses stand wall to wall. Three stairs lead up to the entrance of the three story building.
"That's it! That's Granny's house." Clara calls out and charges up the stairs. She hammers at the heavy wooden door with her small fist.