"No no, not so little as a pony," she replies to Helna. "We all have horses, and a pony, and my beast of burden, who is quite proficient at pulling heavy weights. If we would find it there, we can have quite the team of pulling strength..." she looks with a grin again to the eyeing dockmaster, well aware of his attraction to the Osirion. "What do you think?" If accepted as temporary employees, she will do as Boram suggests and will begin to load up some ropes.
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Anduriel stifles the grin of amusement as she watches the boys bristle at the dockmaster's leering, ready to jump to the rescue, while being entirely oblivious that it was the exact desired effect of Elann's approach.
The girl definitely knows how to use her charms
Smiling at D'witt's observation, he was clearly right. Fortunatly Boram was prepaired, he'd packed lunch the night before.
Raising an eyebrow at Helna's question, Boram tried to not let his feather get ruffled, but unable to keep from responded, "Hey, Bill is a very strong pony."
Watching from Elann to the dock master, he waited for the dock master to answer her question, hoping they'd be able to get moving soon.
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For a moment the dock master looks at you all incredulously. After all it wasnt his problem the ship was late or even not at the dock, he was paid to make sure dues were collected and the loading and unloading of good was orderly. He did seem amused however.
"I will tell you what. I can not pay you for your acts but You can take the rope. I will speak with the mayor on your good deeds, and You will have my thanks and favor. Good deal yes?"
He asked sounded very pleased with himself.
Elann, being the daughter of a salesman wonders if this man is lying about not being able to pay them. She assumes he speaks the truth, but one can never be sure.
If successful in detecting that there is some way this man makes money from the ships arriving and that he is just trying to keep it for himself, Elann will shake her head, will give a pout and will wait, merely stating, "While the approval of the mayor is wonderful, what if our horses become injured? What if one of our lives is lost in the mud? Some compensation could help ease us into action..." Blinking of eyes and she rocks a bit on her heels while biting a lip innocently.
"Very well. You are a kind man. I am Elann Amuel." Now that he knows her name, he may have a reference to the party for the purpose of telling the mayor. If she can detect he is apprehensive about going to the mayor or just plain doesn't want to, she will recognize it but let it go. She will curtsy in farewell, taking hold of her armored battle skirt as if it were made of cotton and performing a dip with her leg crossed. Shortly after, she will quickly start grabbing the large shipping ropes and handing them over to Boram on his pony.
She will then return to her own horse and beast of burden to bring them along the way south of the city. Hopefully, everyone rides as well to ensure they are able to pull the ship free if it is indeed stuck.
Amrus' gaze narrows at the Dockmaster. It seems like such a cheap, easy offer to make up front with little risk of not following through...
The little pony started to shift under the weight of the rope, Boram, realizing the pony was getting impatient, looked from Elann to the dock master, pleased that she was dealing with the man instead of himself.
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As far as the party could tell, the dockmaster was indeed telling truths.. the happenings of ships outside his harbor was out of his jurisdiction for sure. Your audience and procession were startng to draw the eyes of the busy docks at least for sure. The journey to the south gate of the town was uneventful... you passed by a few businesses... there was a fancy looking hair salon, right next door to a barber. Two inns/taverns sat on opposite corners of a busy road right next to a bawdry house. It was early enough in the day that not a lot of activity came from that establishment. You did see what looked to be five wagons outside of a general store that looked to be literally brand new brand new you could all see a curvy halfling woman standing on a stump in a brilliant white dress directing traffic.
For a moment you all 'felt' like her gaze was on you studying..... but the moment you started to make eye contact she shifted her gaze yelling at a dayworker to be carful with a barrel being brought in. Once clear of the town and gates it was easy enough to follow the river along the road... it wasnt long before a thin column of black smoke was seen in the distance . . .
As they pass by, she will look to the woman in the cart they are passing. A cute halfling. The fact she is giving orders is even more adorable to Elann. A smile spreads on her face and if there is nothing odd about her, she will focus on their path and hurry along.
She makes the bend in the road and notices a column of smoke rises in the distance.
"Look! Quickly now. I can't see how a ship stuck in the mud would be on fire!"
She hurries her horse to a near gallop. She isn't the best rider, so she will do what she can to stay steady on her horse and remain at speed. To those in the party, she expects trouble will be ahead and establishes a connection with them to ensure their safety.
She will ride forward and will take up the rear, as there are more capable fighters among them than she is.
Relaxed on his little pony, Boram enjoyed riding through town. He noticed the curvy haflfling woman on the stump in white. It seemed she was in charge of getting the wagons being unloaded and into general store. Making a mental note to return and introduce himself to the owner of the establishment, he continued to follow the others out of town,
Seeing the smoke about the same time as Elann, Boram tapped his heels to the pony's flanks. "She's right Bill, we need to hurry." As his dark haired friend bolted past, Bill began to trot along. While the larger horses sped away, Boram tried to hold on to the bouncing Bill.
Noting the attractive halfling directing things, Anduriel takes it all in, memorizing the businesses and trying to commit notable faces to memory, before they note the smoke ahead. "Whether it's the boat or not, smoke of that color usually isn't good." she says, guiding her horse into a run as well.
As they rode through town Amrus was possibly the only one who didn't notice the curvy halfling in particular. He was moreso looking over the inventory in her wagons, wondering what might be soon saturating the local market and taking mental notes.
"Look! Quickly now. I can't see how a ship stuck in the mud would be on fire!"
Oh, I suspect it could burn down to the mud just fine. Whatever it is we should check it out fast.
He speeds along with the others.
Helna clicks her pony into motion down the path. As she passes Boram, she looks at him and remarks but still a pony.
falling in behind whomever takes lead, Helna pulls out a large dagger from her bandolier and begins to run three fingers over the edge of the blade.
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As you suspected and feared You see a large river barge run aground on the east side of the bank (you are all on the east side of the bank) a plume of smoke is rising from the bow of the vessel ran aground. While not very large, its clear the fire is slowly spreading and if nothing is done it will consume the vessal. One of the Looms of Destiny is on board... and while something so simple as a mundane fire shouldnt ruin it... it might certainly harm it.
Riding up to the ship, Anduriel dismounts, quickly casting a spell that sends a euphoric rush of energy flowing though her as she launches herself into a spectacular leap to get up on the grounded ship. "The ship's abandoned, looks like it was attacked...but we need to deal with the fire...NOW!!"
The small clues are interesting but more immediately there is still a fire.
Elann! Do you have the ability to create water? Some divine adherents can do this and it would be useful now!
D’witt rode along with the other through the bustling city. He notice the this and that but pay most little mind. The halfling in white caught his attention more, but her dress was meant to catch the eye. There was something about her gaze that felt ‘weighty’, but then they were a curious gathering were they not. And scrutiny from someone with obviously some kind of authority was to be expected he supposed.
He did manage to veer off slightly and grab a bite to eat as they rode out of town. He was quiet as he ate until he spotted the column of smoke above the trees. He gave a small curse around a mouthful of meat and tossed the rest of the kabob aside as he spurred Jool on a bit faster.
D’witt slowed as they group approached the grounded vessel he sniffed at the smoke, looking for the telltale scents of catalysts. Though he may have to get closer for a proper look.
At a glance the side boats were missing. It spoke to the crew abandoning the ship, but something else bothered him. After he dismounted, D’witt took a moment to walk the roadway near the grounding. Looking for signs of any activity to or from the Serpent. He turned his attention to the side of the road opposite the river, his eyes scanning the tree line. His hand sat on the handle of one pistol but he didn’t draw it yet.
”Don’t like this.”
He said out loud.
”This is recent, but they shouldn’t have just fled. And if they had, they would have reached town and stirred up a fuss by now.”
The tiefling’s tail flicked nervously, announcing plainly his agitation.
”We need to secure the loom, get it back to town and report this to the town watch.”
He added as his eyes flicked further down the road, then back around.
"Yes!" she answers Amrus with gusto. "I most certainly do!"
Elann will begin to chant and hold the symbol upon her breasts tight in one hand. Once she is close enough, the blessings of Bes, for the good of all, begin to create water dispersed in a wider area. 4 gallons of water are created in an area of 12ft each time she casts, creating a minor downpour of deluge over the ship in certain areas.
If and when the fires begin to wane, she will more focusedly drench the parts of the ship that may have embers still causing steam. The cantrip, cast and recast, should do the job nicely; unless this is some strange magical fire.
To D'Witt, she shakes her head.
"Reporting back? Briefly yes. Piloting the ship back to the dock? No way. I'm not 10 sailors in one Benshie girl. I've been on ships but I'd steer it into the docks...," She shrugs, being truthful, "...but we need to go make sure these people are alright ourselves. It's our duty. The town guard cares about the town only right? Don't you all think? Isn't this why the gods have put US here?"
Eventually reaching the scene, Boram takes in the situation quickly as Bill stands placisdly in spite of the smoke. When Anduriel declares it looked to be attacked, Boram pays better attention to the bank and a path leading away. It seemed to be a mystery; like pulling on loose yarn from a sweater, Boram is unable to ignore a mystery.
As the long shanks focus on the boat and the loom, Boram moves Bill closer to the bank. Eventually seeing the cut ropes, gouges and the railing and the tale-tell sign of blood. After realizing the ship had been attacked, knowing what to look for, Boram eventually found the tracks.
Realizing the others were talking about the ship and what to do, Boram points at the tracks and asks, "Should we take the boat up river, or should we follow the tracks and try and rescue the crew from the large creatures that have taken them prisoner?"
Amrus nods at Elann and smiles as her divine water source makes short work of the fire.
I thought you might have such a trick up your sleeve!
He turns to the tracks and, stroking his chin thoughtfully, replies to Boram.
As soon as we're sure the fire is out, and we've verified the loom is present and relatively undamaged, I do think we ought to go after the crew.
"I can kind of keep the flames down, but I don't think we can save the ship. I think for now, I'm going to keep casting my spell. You all work to get that loom off the ship!"
Her voice gets a little squealy with anticipation. The sentence, spoken hastily and in a manner hard to understand. And given that common is not her native tongue, it is impressive that she can be understood at all.
The reason for her haste is seen, as not a moment passes in the break of her spellcasting and the flames seem to gain ground. She quickly returns to flooding the top of the ship.
"If you want to try to save the ship, someone who is brave and wants to try to carry water down the stairs, can try to hit the base of the fires. With me hitting the top, that might save us the ship! But don't put your lives on the line for it!" she mutters out quickly and then casts more. The quick jerking movements of her hands to form the somatic components, as well as the chanting seems to tax her a bit as she is just repetitively casting the spell.
Completing her climb onto the ship, Anduriel races across the deck, to get a better grasp of where the fire was inside, and where the cargo was that needed saving.
Noding at Amrus' idea Boram dismounts the little pony, tying its reins to a bush, so he could help. Responding to Elenna's question about saving the ship, Boram shakes his head. "I think our priority should be the loom." Pointing at the winch he continues, "Can we use that to lift the loom over the rail and to the ground?"
Unable to make an acrobatic jump like Anduriel, Boram finds a place he can climb up. Moving towards the wooden contraption he begins to inspect it, looking to see if he can figure out how it works.
D’witt glanced back at the boat and frowned. The fire fighting wasn’t making enough headway, it sound like. He gave one last glance around then turned back to the ground vessel. He gave a growl as he unbuckled his outer belts. Pulling off his holsters and belt pouch he quickly hung them off his horse’s saddle. Open flames and blackpowder tended to not mix well.
He ran to the boat and leap up onto the side, climbing up on to deck. D’witt started towards Boram and the winch when he spotted Anduriel running towards the stairs down in to the bowls.
“Wait!”
He cried out trying to stop the woman.
Helna will rush forward and climb up next to Anduriel.
It's the heat you have to worry about. The dwarf shouts sharply to the tall woman. where it's the brightest of color you should direct your water. Concentrate on that! Bright white burns hottest! Work you way from bright white to cherry red! Be mindful of the black heat! You can still burn, but the wood of this ship should survive the black heat long enough for us to get the loom. Remember! the brightest light first!
The mage frowns at Elann's discouraged expression.
You're doing your best, and the water is helping enough to give us an opening!
Amrus manifests his arcane hand and guides it towards the winch. He hopes to coordinate it with the others from this safe distance, but he's not sure how well it will work...
It was nice to have someone else who seem to understand the dangers fire presented. D’witt ran over to meet up with Anduriel.
”If your going below, be smart about it.”
He said quickly as he tore two a wide strip from his shirt and held it out to her.
”Cover your nose and mouth. Try to breath through the cloth.”
He quickly tore a second strip and started tying it over his own nose and mouth. He looked back to Elann.
”Elann! Douse us!”
He turned back to half-elf.
”Never run into a fire alone if you can help it. I don’t burn that easy, but every advantage helps. ”
Elann seems to bristle with inner strength as Amrus encourages her. Even the water surging from the raindrops falling on the top of the ship seem to increase their flow for a moment (though effectively doing nothing more to the fire). Regardless, it is clearly appreciated by the look on her face.
When the others go to head onboard, the radius of the falling water is enough to where they already will be getting soaked quickly.
"Thanks!" Anduriel says, accepting the strip of cloth and tying it over her nose and mouth as the water falls over her. "Alright, lets see if we can save the cargo, if not the ship."
Reaching the winch, Boram starts to fiddle with it, looking to see how it works. Calling over to Anduriel, "I think I can get this thing to work, give me a moment."
Not being able to figure out the deck crane, Boram calls to the others. "I can't figure out the winch!" Realizing he'd be of no assistance trying to lift the heavy loom, he returns to where they'd left the animals determined to keep a keen eye out to make sure his companions aren't attacked while they rescue the freight.
"Someone on the boat, throw some water on the base! Even just a little might turn the tide! The other try to help Amrus with the winch!" she calls out in desperation as her arms are getting a little tired from casting. Her horse is getting a little irritated from the jerking motions as well. Recognizing this, Elann slips from her horse's back and loops its guide through her arm as she casts so it doesn't run away but also isn't bothered by her casting. She can't even be sure her words are heard over the roaring, crackling blaze.
Down below, Anduriel runs to the front of the boat with
D’witt right behind her, heading towards the fire to evaluate how bad things were.
Staying near his pony, Boram continues keeping a keen eye out for any threats land side.
Amrus sighs and approaches the burning boat. Getting a dowsing from Anduriel, carefully navigates the burning structure to approach the winch.
Hey, I think I have it working! Can I get some eyes down below to help me target the loom with it?
With Boram keeping an eye on the forest and everyone else busy, including her, she calls out to him.
"Boram, can you help Amrus with that? You will direct him where that winch needs to go. Also, maybe take one of these ropes and toss one end of it to Amrus to help secure to the load? Your pony can keep it from spinning."
It is clear that Elann has seen a ship unloaded quite a number of times. Unfortunately, she cannot help or stop casting or the fire will grow.
Hearing Elann call his name, Boram looks from the forest towards her then towards the tiefling. Frowning, he didn't want her to think him lazy, but realizing he's not really suited for toting and lifting, he calls to Amrus. "Amrus, what can I do to help you?" Not seeing Anduriel he asks, "Anduriel's in the hold can she direct the rope?"
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Anduriel you are no expert but from where you stand looking at the flames slowly spreading across the hold, the ship is probably a loss. at best the flame might spare the outer hull and frame, but the ship would still be unsalvageble. You do notice several of the crates in the hold appear to have been hastily broken into. a gleam of metal can bee seen from one. and the other has various bottles in a shape that resembles wine? it looks like the door to the captains cabin had been forced open. and lastly there are several (12) footlookers along the port wall where there are some hammocks strung up that probably belonged to the crew.
Anduriel and D'witt each have time to investigate 1 of the locations before you might start taking incidental damage from the fire.
D’witt had followed Anduriel down into the hull of the ship. The heat didn’t bother him but he knew better the to stay below too long. As the moves deeper it started to look more and more like the ship wasn’t going to be salvageable. It was likely to be little more than a burnt husk on the riverbed unless the sky itself opened up to drown them.
As the two looked around he noticed the crates and lockers, but the door to the captain’s quarters was probably where anything important might be found. He stepped closer to Anduriel and leaned in to be heard over the fire and cloth over his nose and mouth.
“I’m going to check the captain’s room.”
He wanted to let her know where he was going. Both so someone knew and if she didn’t want to split up.
With a quick nod Anduriel races to check out the crates, for some sign of what the thieves might be after.
Elann also frowns when Boram doesn't take the rope and tie it to his pony. He perhaps doesn't understand, so she will try to grab an end of the rope and fasten it to the horn of his pony's saddle for him, then will lead his pony by the mouth at an angle that provides just the right guide for the rope. He himself doesn't have to hold anything. Eventually, this will steady the loom and make it safe to swing out over onto the land. Meanwhile, she keeps casting her spell.
Once the loom is out over the shoreline, she will nod to Amrus to lower the load. To show Boram she holds no ill will to his misunderstanding and inaction, she winks at him and pinches his thigh fat while he sits on the pony. Her attention is brief to him and she returns to cast yet another spell.
"Make sure they are okay down there. Amrus, if you can, get a bucket and help throw water down so they have a path back up!"
"I have dumped hundreds of gallons upon gallons of water on this ship, but yet it still burns too hot. We are far too late to save it." she grumbles cutely to Boram in between taking a deep breath and casting again.