There are at least two 'modifications' that I can think of that would most certainly put you on the run . . . check your DMG (around pg 281 for example).
Cannibalism, technically, is devouring one's own species - so (as any self-respecting Athasian hobbit would tell you) devouring other humanoids outside of one's own subtype is perfectly acceptable. Body modification is rather on the hardly-worthwhile as a motivation to be on the lam.
Those on a player character now ? Interesting ... hope he can disguise those in some fashion or he'll be made short work of in a hurry by a certain cult...
I wouldn't allow them on a PC come hell or high water at the beginning of a campaign, although they are indeed 'body modifications' of a sort...
Gonna make being a pimp a tad strange I think ...
He doesn't have those particular items of course, I was only using them as an example, mainly to show how 'body modification' could indeed be a very potant reason to flee. I may have also been hinting at something similar that may occur later on in the story . . .
Those on a player character now ? Interesting ... hope he can disguise those in some fashion or he'll be made short work of in a hurry by a certain cult...I wouldn't allow them on a PC come hell or high water at the beginning of a campaign, although they are indeed 'body modifications' of a sort...
Gonna make being a pimp a tad strange I think ...
Well, that WILL add an interesting wrinkle indeed.
Still no other takers on random, baseless speculations about the new peep I see ...
Fragments of the Lidu Diaries – five days at Tamoachan
. . .
Buffy’s first attempts at breaking the curse have failed. It seems to remove the disease that plagues Kiki we must first remove the curse. This is a difficult task. Thankfully Buffy’s medical skills are sufficient to stop the progression of the disease. As long as Kiki gets plenty of rest and Buffy is there to look after her Kiki shouldn’t get any worse. Tomorrow Buffy will try again.
In the mean time I’ve busied myself by constructing some shelter. Sleeping under the stars is all well and good, but I could do without the morning dew, and I have no desire to be sleeping under the stars should it start to rain. Turns out that Orlani knows quite a bit about carpentry, combined with my understanding of architecture, and the brute strength of Kale, James, and Fredrick, we were able to build a couple of rough shelters for the night. They were no country houses, but at least we weren’t sleeping on the ground. Urol also proved to be quite a help, he showed us vines that could be used as ropes, and leaves that would make excellent roofs and bedding. He also tried to show us what was safe to eat . . . that didn’t go as well . . . on the bright side Buffy has assured Fredrick that the skin will grow back quite quickly.
The rest of the day went slowly. I paced the beach. I glared at the ship. I argued with Kale. I checked in on Kiki about eighteen times. I sat in the shade. I looked at the Blue Nixie and wondered what Lavinia was doing, what she was wearing, and what she was thinking. I saw her on deck a few times but I stayed out of sight . . . what would she think of a captain that couldn’t even control her own crew? I was ashamed that I couldn’t manage them. I wondered if I should have been more assertive yesterday. Eventually the ship sent out supplies. I promised myself I wouldn’t yell at anyone.
Churtle came with the others to bring food and water . . . she seemed to wait for me to say something. I had a good idea what she wanted: the magic words that would unleash her (and her cooking) on the crew. Instead I switched her focus to other things.
“Churtle,” I said, “did you know that if you had dragon blood in you, and that’s a big ‘if’ because it’s quite rare, but if you did, you might be able to cast magic spells.”
“Really?” she chirped.
“It’s rare, but possible.”
“How can I casts spells?” she asked.
“Well I can show you some meditation feats, and teach you a bit about the craft, but the rest would have to come from you. I’m afraid I know very little about casting without preparation.”
“Ok boss!” she chirped, “You show me and I works every day at it, I promises!”
I hoped this would keep busy and stop her from trying to fix the crew’s ‘obedience’ problem.
Although the others have suggested that I could return to the ship I refused to leave one of my friends behind. Instead I sent James back. I wanted someone from our group aboard ship. I needed for him to share tales of our exploits. I wanted the crew to realize that I was staying ashore because of my friend and if I wanted to come back aboard they couldn’t stop me. I could take Kiki back aboard by force if need be but for now we’d play the waiting game. Tomorrow Buffy may succeed.
. . .
Kiki still seems in high spirits despite Buffy’s failures. She still doesn’t look healthy but she seems otherwise unaffected by the ordeal. Perhaps she’s putting on a brave face for the rest of us.
I spent that morning directing further improvements to our camp. Seems we’re doomed to spend another night on this beach unless I took drastic action against the crew. James brought some supplies from the ship, including some saws, hammers, and shovels. Kale went into the jungle to dig us a latrine. We improved the size and stability of our shelters and added a rough base to them so we were off the ground and weren’t just sleeping on a pile of leaves. We also dug a fire pit. Kale, Urol, and Fredrick then spent the afternoon foraging for improvements, mainly firewood, but Fredrick found a flat rock that could be used to cover the fire at night, and Urol found a rotten tree that he claimed was a great source of grubs and termites. There were no takers though.
. . .
Churtle seemed somewhat despondent when she arrived with the supplies that evening.
“I tries and I tries all yesterday and nothings happens,” she said dejectedly, “I guess I’m no spell caster.”
“Churtle,” I said, “how long do you think it took me to become a wizard?”
“A couple of weeks . . . no,” she said quickly correcting herself, “Days, I meant days! The boss is really smart so once they showed you what to do . . .”
“It took over a year for me to cast my first spell,” I said cutting her off, “and even that was a simple cantrip. Magic isn’t an easy path to follow Churtle. It’s like training to be a warrior except you need to train your mind more then your body.”
“Oh,” she said, suddenly lost in thought, “so training might take a year . . .”
“Maybe,” I said, “Maybe not, magic just sort of happens with natural casters. There’s no way of knowing how long it will take. All we can do is prepare your mind for that eventuality. But if you are capable of casting spells, and if you are set to learn how to cast spells, then you should be prepared for a long journey. Nothing like this happens overnight Churtle.”
“I was almost kobold warrior you know,” Churtle said.
“You were?” I asked, somewhat surprised, “What happened?”
“Priest says to me ‘you be destined for warrior class’ so I goes to lives with warriors, but later that night chief poison maker accidentally poisons himself so the priest calls me back the next day, ‘seeing as you be small kobold, and seeing as I gets a funny feeling like a snout full of wine before I reads your destiny, I try reading it again.’ So priest tries reading destiny again, ‘ah yes,’ he says, ‘I see now I makes mistake! You be destined to be poison-maker. You go live with trap-makers.’
“Trap-makes be very important members of Kobold society, and poison-maker almost as important as trap-maker, so I bes very happy to be poison maker. I also learn to cook and hid and make traps, kobold can’t learn too many skills, but I makes it all the way through basic training so I knows what it like to be a soldier. Takes lots of work to learn to hold spear strait and not to run, but I works very hard, and had old poison-maker not died, I might have been best-est warrior in whole tribe. You trains me boss and I be best . . . er . . . second best wizard ever!”
I nodded. “I’ll give you some exercises, a bit of writing to read, and I’ll give you a test tomorrow.” I said finding a bit of scrap paper from one of my books and writing out a quick lesson, “I want you to look this over and think about it. I don’t care if you get the answer or not, I just want you to prove to me that you’re willing to think and work at it.”
I gave her some of my mind clearing exercises and sent her on her way. Perhaps the work I gave her was too complex, I wanted to challenge her, but I could just end up frustrating her. Time will tell.
. . .
Third time was not a charm! I’m starting to get really frustrated with the delays. I know it’s not Buffy’s fault – overcoming powerful spells can be very difficult. I just wish there was something I could do to help.
. . .
I flew to the ship because Buffy, Kiki, and I wanted a few things from our room, and although Churtle could have seen to them, I wanted the crew to know that I was quite capable of getting back to the ship at anytime. I didn’t talk to anyone. I went strait to our rooms, got what we needed, and flew back – but I don’t doubt the ruckus it caused. The crew is without a doubt looking over their shoulders right now wondering if their captain is back!
. . .
After a particularly nasty shouting match with Kale I found myself sitting on the far end of the beach with Fredrick. I hadn’t really talked with him (even in our school days) and I found myself searching for something to say. Thankfully Fredrick must have been feeling the same way as he found an easy way to break the ice first.
“Aren’t you worried that James is going to steal the ship?” he asked jokingly.
I laughed. It felt good to laugh again.
“In all seriousness,” I said, “no. Not with Lavinia leading this expedition. She’d never allow him to escape with our boat. And he’d need to convince Amella. She’s a sound head. He’d have to do some awful fancy talking to convince her to give up honest sure work and take up the life of a pirate. Plus I have Churtle. I think she’s pretty loyal to me.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” he said looking me over.
“I can’t help it. My mother drilled this sort of thing into me for some reason. Growing up I just thought every noble has to learn to think like that.”
“I was supposed to lean business,” he said with a shrug.
“So,” I said, trying to think of a better way of changing the subject, but failing, “why don’t you tell me what you’re running from?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“When you came to us for the job you said that you ‘needed out’ and I didn’t press you on it, but now that we’re out in the middle of nowhere, why don’t you tell me why you needed to get out of Sasserine so bad?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh,” I snapped, “is that because I’m a girl or . . .”
“No,” he said waving his hands, “It’s just that . . . are you a first born Tristan?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I am.”
“Well you must know the pressure I’m under.”
“That’s it?” I asked, “You’re running from your parents?”
“What? No! Responsibility. The beast is called responsibility. I’m expected to take over the family business, starting with a little ferry service along the Thunder River. Imagine all those hours learning navigation, learning languages, and learning diplomacy, and all so I could float on a barge never more then sixty miles from home. No thank you! You might not be able to kill responsibility, but I can escape her starched collars, buttons, and cuffs for a while yet.”
“And here I thought you killed someone in a duel or got a woman pregnant,” I said with a laugh, “you’re just running from an honest life.”
“Laugh if you will,” he said with a serious look on his face, “but I see my current predicament as dreadful as the two you just suggested. Unless something dreadful happens this trip might be my first and last adventure.”
“If something dreadful happens this could very well be your first and last adventure.”
“Well then, hopefully, I’ll at least get to go out with a bang. Better that then dying in bed wondering what might have been.”
“Very poignant, I guess, me I think I’d rather be anywhere except adventuring.”
“Then why are you here?” he asked, picking a long piece of grass to chew.
“Because . . .” I had to think, why was I here? “because you guys would be lost without me. How would you have dealt with that basilisk? I’m here because Lavinia needs me. She needs friends right now more then she needs employees. And I’m here because without me something terrible might happen to the lot of you.”
“And we’re your responsibility?”
“I guess so,” I said with a shrug, “I don’t like it anymore then you do. If I could trust at least one of you not to do something rash then I’d have let you go in a heart beat . . .”
“And you’d just return to your quite life in the city, get married, and raise a family eh?”
“Maybe,” I thought, “and hey! A woman doesn’t need to get married to have a productive life! I could go into magical research, maybe go back to Blenak,” that sounded unlikely even in my head, “maybe I might do some work for the witchwardens, maybe the Dawn Council, and I’d do whatever it took to look into this black pearl business and track down Vanthus.”
“Black pearl? Vanthus?” he asked. I forgot he wasn’t there for those adventures.
“I’ll tell you about it after supper,” I said, “if we’re stuck here for another day I might as well save some of our stories.”
. . .
“Maybe magic is like water?” Churtle said. I was impressed.
“What makes you say that?” I prompted.
“Am I wrong?” Churtle said peeking up at me.
“I didn’t say that,” I said with a smile, “but I didn’t say you were right either. I want you to explain your thoughts. Why do you think magic is like water?”
“Because it . . . because water is in everything, even rocks, and when it’s channeled it is really powerful. Like the rivers.”
I smiled. “Very good Churtle, wonderful observations, I’m going to write something down for your lessons tomorrow.”
“Boss?” Churtle asked.
“Yes Churtle,” I said.
“Is Kiki going to get better?”
“Without a doubt,” I said glancing over to the hut she was sleeping in, “It’s just going to take time. More time then I thought already.”
“In my old village the sick get thrown out,” she whispered, “or we have them test traps. If priest can’t cure you then you has to go.”
“That’s not how we do things here,” I said, “we don’t give up on people.”
Churtle nodded. “Things not always easy for us kobolds, things always wants to eat us, peoples always wants to fight us. There’s no room for kobold that can’t carry own weight. I think yous humans gots it easy.”
“Maybe,” I said, “but I don’t think we started out on top. We must be doing something right to have survived this long to build cities and kingdoms.”
“I never though of that,” she said, scratching her chin, “I thinks I likes your way better. If I gets sick or hurt maybe you guys won’t leave me.”
“Of course not!” I said, rather shocked that she could think such a thing, “You’re a valuable member of our team and the crew, and even if you gave me grief, I know I can trust you, as you can trust me, to look out for one another.”
“Yep,” Churtle said with a smile, “me definitely likes your way better.”
“Good,” I said smiling back, “now let’s look at this homework . . .”
. . .
I pulled James aside when he came ashore that morning.
“We need to talk,” I said, dragging him by the arm.
“About what?” he asked.
“It’s been four days and still no cure. We needed to make plans. Is Amella still assigning the watches?” I asked.
“You know she is,” James said with a shrug, “Why?”
“Who’s on watch tomorrow night after dark?”
“Tomorrow? I think that’s Rodger and Anne, Skald and Tavey, then Lirith and Dorent. Again – why?”
“I want you to switch with Skald. Better yet, you and Orlani switch with Skald and Tavey. If they ask why just say you want some alone time with the lady.”
“I’m not sure I like were this is going . . .”
“We can’t stay on this beach James, tomorrow morning we try to fix Kiki one more time, and if that fails we sail away the next morning. You two are going to help me smuggle her onboard.”
“What if we’re caught? We could have a mutiny on our hands . . .”
“You can’t really think that? You, Kale, Fredrick, Buffy, and me on ship and you think they’d try to mutiny?”
“These things don’t usually happen during convenient times,” he said, “suppose they made their move when you and Buffy were out of spells or when Kale or Fredrick were unarmed?”
“Then I imagine Kale would have to bludgeon them to death with that thick skull of his. I’m not going to debate this with you James. Make it happen. Tomorrow night, success or failure, we are going to be back on board the Sea Wyvern.”
James nodded, but he looked nervous, like he was worried about getting caught. It was almost as though he had never done anything underhanded before. I waited for the supply boat to return before I told the others about my plan.
“I don’t like it,” Kale said.
“Then you better pray that Buffy succeeds tomorrow,” I snapped back. I was getting sick and tired of him second guessing me.
“I don’t know,” Kale continued, “what if someone notices, what if things get violent? Are you going to blast your own crew?”
“Maybe you don’t remember that sleep spell I used on the assassins? Well I can assure you it puts down unruly sailors just as well.”
“Look maybe there’s another way,” Kale said, “skullduggery doesn’t seem like the best first option, maybe we should try talking again?”
“We’ll run out of supplies,” Kiki said, she still wasn’t looking bad, but she was nowhere near her old chipper self. “We can’t wait here forever; we’re going to be cutting it close as is. If we don’t get moving soon we might have to turn back to Fort Blackwell.”
“We’re not turning back,” I said, “tomorrow is our last day here, one way or another. Now if you want to continue talking about this you’re more then welcome, but I’m finished.” I quickly walked away to avoid anymore arguments. Kale thankfully didn’t try following me.
‘You have a short temper these days Tristan,’ Hop-Toy croaked.
“I thought you said I should let my emotions flow rather then bottle them up?” I said.
‘I’m just making an observation,’ Hop-Toy said, ‘like its cooler in your belt pouch then it is in this breast pocket.’
I got the hint. I quickly moved my toad to my belt pouch. The problem with cold blooded animals is that they’re never happy, in the early morning he wants to be someplace warm, in the heat of the afternoon he wants to be someplace cool. I guess you could say that of all creatures though. None of us are ever satisfied.
‘Where did you get that idea?’ asked Hop-Toy, reading my thoughts, ‘happiness is the invention of sentient beings. Most creatures are just content to be alive. It’s only we free thinking monsters that have the misguided belief that we’re supposed to be happy.’
“I’m not sure I’m in the mood to listen to you right now frog,” I snapped.
‘I’m glad you’re trying to vent your emotions Tristan,’ Hop-Toy continued, normally when I call him frog that shuts him right up and puts him into a sulk for hours, but not this time. ‘But I fear that you’re not venting them in the right places. It’s no good snapping at me or the others if they’re not responsible for your anger.’
“Really,” I said, “Kale isn’t the source of my anger?”
‘Kale is an ass,’ Hop-Toy snapped, ‘but in this case no. He has valid concerns. Maybe we should try to figure out what else might be vexing you.’
“That bloody crew,” I snapped, “they need to smarten up!”
‘Well yes,’ Hop-Toy said, ‘that would be nice. Uneducated and superstitious, they aren’t really your kind of people, but I don’t think you expect them to change. They’re going to be a constant strain this entire trip. Best not think about them too much. Does it really make you angry that they won’t listen to you?’
“Yes,” I growled.
‘Really?’ Hop-Toy asked, ‘because normally you’re very accepting of others. Maybe there’s something else that’s bothering you.’
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered.
‘Kiki is sick,’ Hop-Toy said, ‘and you’re concerned about your friend.’
“Yes,” I said, not quite connecting the dots yet.
‘And this delay makes you feel as though you’re failing Lavinia,’ Hop-Toy continued.
“You leave her out of this,” I snapped.
‘Well,’ Hop-Toy said, quickly moving from the sensitive subject, ‘seems to me that this entire mess can be traced back to one single incident: the disaster that was the trapped pyramid. Who’s to blame for that?’
“Me,” I said sadly.
‘Really?’ Hop-Toy croaked, ‘because from my angle it looked like Kiki opening the box and not you.’
“No,” I said, “but I should have warned her. She’s very impulsive. I should have known she wouldn’t take her time.”
‘So it’s your fault that Kiki is impulsive,’ Hop-Toy said, paraphrasing, ‘does that even make sense in that twisted head of yours?’
“Look,” I snapped, “she’s sick, I can hardly blame her, I think she’s suffered enough!”
‘Bah,’ he croaked, ‘you’re the one that wants to lay blame on everyone else! Don’t yell at her, talk to her. Avoiding this issue is just making you snappy with everyone. I’m not sure if you remember this but you even called me a frog just now when I was trying to help you. Are you going to continue to fight with everyone you come across or are you going to talk to Kiki?’
“Give me a minute to think about this,” I said.
‘Fine,’ Hop-Toy croaked, ‘just do it in the shade.’
. . .
The camp had settled down when I returned. Kale and Fredrick were out fetching firewood no doubt and Buffy was sweeping out the camp with a bundle of twigs. Urol was probably sitting on a rock somewhere stuffing bugs up his nose. Kiki was laying in the shade of our modest shelter.
“Hey Kiki,” I said as I sat next to her, “How are you feeling?”
“Alright,” Kiki said, “I feel fine really, I get tired a bit quicker, but I think we should get back to our trip. Buffy says I need to rest to keep my strength up, but I could be doing that on board our ship.”
“Well I’m glad to hear that, I must say you gave us all quite a scare . . .”
“Ya, sorry about that.”
“You want to tell me what happened back there?”
“What do you mean?” she asked giving me a semi guilty stare.
“In that temple, with the pyramid, how come you didn’t see that trap?”
“Well it was a gas trap. They’re very difficult to find. There’s usually no wires or triggers . . .”
“But they’re not impossible to find right?”
Kiki looked up at me. I could tell she was hurting inside.
“Tristan, I’m sorry,” she cried, “I messed up real bad didn’t I?”
“Well . . . yes,” I said, trying to think of a more pleasant way of phrasing this but failing, “I guess you did. You could have been killed Kiki, and then were would we be? Thankfully we have Buffy to heal you, but just think of what might have happened if Buffy wasn’t here! Kiki you’re my friend and I don’t want to loose you. Your life is a million times more valuable then any golden gem incrusted doodad you could find. I can’t stand to see you practically throwing your life away looking for trinkets. I want . . . no; I need you to be more careful in the future. I can’t stand the thought of loosing you. I want you to promise me that you’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Ok Tristan,” she said.
“Promise!” I snapped.
“Ok,” Kiki said, “I promise . . .”
I signaled for her to continue.
“I promise to be more careful in the future . . .”
“Especially . . .” I prompted
“Especially when dealing with gas traps . . .”
“All traps,” I growled.
“Especially when dealing with traps,” she said.
“Good,” I said, giving her a hug, “I’m glad we had this little talk. I’ve been very irritable these last few days . . .”
“We hadn’t noticed,” Kiki muttered dryly.
“Because I was worried sick over you,” I said ignoring her, “and now I think we can put this whole mess behind us. Tomorrow will be our last day on this damn beach. Hopefully we won’t have to crack any skulls or twist any arms to do it. Now you get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Yes Tristan,” Kiki said closing her eyes, “and . . . thanks.”
I left it at that.
‘There,’ muttered Hop-Toy, ‘you feel better now?’
“Don’t be so smug all the time,” I snarled, “without me you’d have been stork food long ago.”
. . .
“I did it,” Buffy mumbled with disbelief.
“What?!” I said, snapping awake and crawling out of bed.
“I did it!” Buffy laughed, “I finally did it!”
Everyone in camp was up in an instant jumping and laughing. Even though Kiki still didn’t look one hundred percent better even I could tell she was cured.
“You did it! You did it! You did it!” I cried as I laughed and danced around with the others. It had been a long time on that beach and our excitement was clearly difficult to contain. Still, when I finally realized that I was jumping in circles with Kale, and I was still in my shift, I was quickly able to regain my composure.
“Well,” I said, as everyone settled down, “I suppose we should get dressed and packed. I’d like to be off this beach and sailing before breakfast.”
. . .
As we finally climbed aboard ship Kale stood next to me as if he expected me to lunge at the crew. It’s true that I was still mad at them, I despise cowardice, but I wasn’t about to physically attack any of them! Still, with Kale standing so close, and my brooding and quite glare, the crew’s tension seemed practically palatable. I could tell they expected there to be trouble. It seemed a shame to disappoint them. I walked quietly to the door to our cabin then suddenly turned on everyone. Some actually jumped.
“The first one of you to so much as get the sniffles between here and Farshore gets tossed over the side!” I snapped. The crew seemed to gasp in horror.
“Tristan . . .” Kale was saying.
“Now get this ship ready to sail!” I barked, “I want to be gone five minutes ago! And you filthy curs better know I’ll be working you long and hard for the next month, thanks to your yellow bellied cowardice we have five days to make up! Now hop to it before I loose my temper!”
Then I quickly turned and stepped into my room as the ship seemed to explode with activity.
It was good to be back aboard ship,
Cthulhu dreams
Today’s violence might have seemed comical had they not been so potentially tragic. Fredrick and Kale are alive and well but I trust this encounter has taught them some humility.
Before Lydia’s bright face peeked over Xerbo’s broad back Livinia brought our ships close so we could have a conference.
“Today’s journey,” Lavinia said, looking to the crew of both ships, “could quite possibly be the most dangerous point in this expedition. We need to sail through waters that are frequently patrolled by the Scarlet Brotherhood.”
I heard Amella mutter something beside me but couldn’t quite make out what it was. The crews of both ships were quite free with their expletives and Lavinia waited for everyone to calm down before she continued.
“The brotherhood has grown quite lax over the last few years, there is the possibility that we won’t even encounter any opposition as sail round the horn, but we need to prepare ourselves for the worst. I would like to come aboard to discuss our options Tristan.”
I felt a jolt as she said my name.
“Yes of course,” I said, “prepare the planks,” I yelled to my crew, “you two clear up that room so it’s presentable,” I hissed to Buffy and Kiki. I oversaw the planks and made sure it was Kale or Fredrick that offered his had to Lavinia as she crossed over to our ship. Lavinia hadn’t been aboard our ship sense it left Sasserine and I wanted to make sure her visit would be as pleasant as possible. I found myself practically hovering by the side of the ship as Lavinia made her way over . . . and then quickly darting to our rooms once I saw she was safely over. Buffy and Kiki had very little cleaning to do (we keep the room fairly tidy) but I still wanted to make sure everything was presentable for Lavinia. I gasped as I saw some of my books (including this diary) piled carelessly beside my bed.
“This way Lavinia,” Kale was saying as he led her into my room, “Tristan’s probably just doing some last minute tidying.”
‘How dare he say that,’ I thought as I pushed the books under the bed. I was just standing to greet Lavinia when I noticed my spare shift that I left to dry on a chair beside my bed! I snatched it up just as Lavinia entered. I glared at Buffy and Kiki. This was exactly the sort of thing that I wanted them to clean up. Kiki stuck her tongue out at me! Instead of giving the imp the jolt she deserved I turned to Lavinia.
“Welcome,” I said, keeping the damp shift hidden behind my back, “please have a seat wherever you’d like and we’ll get right to business.” I waited till she had turned her head before pitching the laundry behind the bed.
“Hey stand aside you cretin,” Avner was saying to James just outside the door, “this is important business concerning my expedition!”
“Sorry,” James said as he gave Avner a open handed shove away from the door, “no molest-a-aches allowed.” James then shut the door leaving himself, Lavinia, Kiki, Buffy, Kale, Fredrick, Amella, and myself inside to discuss important matters.
“Hey! Let me in!” Avner hollered as he pounded on the other side of the door. Thankfully the door was reinforced oak and his protests went largely unnoticed.
“I’ve already consulted with my captain and senior officers,” Lavinia said over the slight disturbance outside, “they’ve assured me that the best course of action would be to head through one at a time, at about half an hours distance between us, that way we’re less likely to draw Brotherhood attention, but I would like to hear what you think.”
She looked to each of us as she spoke but she finished her sentence looking at me.
“It’s an idea,” Amella said, “Two ships might draw everything they got in the area; one ship might go unnoticed . . .”
“Yes,” James cut in, “but if they’re patrolling these waters efficiently going one at a time effectively doubles the chances of one of us getting spotted.”
“What kind of a response is one ship going to draw?” Amella snapped, “Two ships will draw smoke signals for sure!”
“Pirates are cowards and bullies,” I muttered, “They wouldn’t attack two ships unless they had the numbers.”
“The scurvy bastards pray on fear,” Amella said, “They want the other crew to roll over, and even when it comes to arms, they’re counting on facing a greater band of pushovers then themselves.”
“Let’s not make assumptions about all pirates,” James said, “some are cowards and cheats looking for easy money, some are men that got pushed too far and are now looking for revenge, but all too often they’re despite men looking to do whatever it takes to survive. That type ain’t got nothing to loose, and they’re the worst sort to tangle with because they can’t be reasoned with.”
“Well we ain’t gonna see too many of them types in these waters,” Amella said, “They’re all fat Brotherhood slavers.”
“Let’s make a choice people,” I said, “we can save the debate for later.”
I watched as hands went up, I didn’t want to split the ships, but I was outvoted.
“Who goes through first?” Amella asked.
“Lavinia,” I said without consulting the others, “our ship has the weapons. If she follows and something happens to her ship it might be more then a half hour before we can offer aid. This way the most heavily armed ship is here for backup.”
Everyone seemed to agree with that. I still had fears though. I wanted us to stay together. I wanted Lavinia to promise me that she’d stay out of the fighting. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. All I could do was escort her back to her ship and pray that she made it through the blockade safely.
“How dare you lay a hand on me!” Avner said as soon as we opened the door, “I am an investor in this enterprise and I demand . . .”
“Avner,” Kale said without raising his voice or even looking at the disgruntled noble, “perhaps you should go bellow deck before someone get’s hurt.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Avner asked.
Kale turned and gave Avner a look that seemed to drain the color from noble’s face. Avner quickly made his way below deck. Interesting trick, I would like to learn it, but I suspect that it’s strictly a male thing.
Lavinia returned to her ship and I immediately saw to the preparations for battle. I had the decks cleared. I made sure everyone ate a big breakfast because there was no telling when we’d get the chance to eat again. I had Dorent and Morlond look over our two ballistae to make sure they were fully operational. I made sure the passengers knew to stay below deck and told the crew to be prepared to guard the stairs in case we were boarded. The sun was up by the time we raised anchor and set sail after the Blue Nixie.
The Sea Wyvern was, by most accounts, a good fast sturdy ship. Although the Blue Nixie was just a speck on the horizon when we started after her, just before noon, just as the Nixie started to turn the horn, we could make out the sails. I knew we’d only gain on her at that point. The Blue Nixie was fast under full sails with a strong wind behind her but she was sloppy tacking and turning. The Wyvern was faster in most situations, and when Amella or James were on the crew, the Sea Wyvern was faster still. We had a fast ship. Kiki often stood at the prow of the ship where it must have felt like she was flying over the waves. We lost sight of the Nixie for a while but by noon we spotted her again. We were both racing around the horn, and for a while it seemed as though we’d make it through without a fight, but when I returned to the helm after my lunch James pointed out another dot coming from the Olman islands.
“Can we out run her?” I asked.
“The Nixie should be through,” James said stroking his goatee, “but if this thing keeps swinging over it’ll fall just behind us.”
“They’ve spotted us for sure,” Amella said, “they might not see the Nixie though, seeing as we’re almost in the middle, but even if they do they can’t chase both of us.”
“We’ll have to see if we can out run her,” James said, “The Wyvern’s fast, but she’s also got a belly full of supplies and provisions. If this thing’s fat, and sitting deep in the water, I like our chances, but if she’s hungry there’s almost no way we can out run her.”
As the ship came into view our worst fears were confirmed: it was a Scarlet Brotherhood ship. It was too far out to cut us off, but they changed course to give pursuit, and within half an hour we saw that we weren’t going to outrun her. The Brotherhood ship was riding high on the waves. Their ship was practically empty. Within an hour we could make out near a dozen people lining the decks of the Brotherhood ship, all were armed, and all of them looked hungry.
“What do we do?” Amella asked.
“For now,” I said, “nothing.”
“We can’t wait forever,” Amella snapped.
“We have to choose the type of battle we’re going to fight,” James said, “let them think we’re rolling over for them. Let them go to the trouble of boarding. Let’s let them think they’re having their way with us, it’ll be that much more of a surprise when we make our move! It’s good thinking Tristan.”
I nodded. I was still running scenario after scenario in my head wondering how I was going to play this out. I could possibly end the fight before it even began with a well placed fireball . . . but if that ship also had a mage the return fire could be equally deadly. Waiting till our crew could surge across and besiege an enemy spell caster seemed to be the best option. Waiting seemed dangerous, but it was really in our best interest, an enemy caster might not even open fire on us if the caster thinks he can capture our ship completely undamaged. I would be betting on our opponent’s greed. Perhaps not the most ideal situation, but given our choices, this was the safest bet.
As it the Brotherhood ship drew within spell range I held my breath. I had chosen to wait, but another spell caster might not have my patience, and the next few moments might deicide our fate. Nothing happened. It came within missile range. We didn’t open fire, and as the other ship drew closer still, it held its attacks as well. The other ship, we could now see, was called Purity’s Prow. It finally drew within shouting distance.
“Lower your sails and stay away clear of those ballista,” came the shout from the other ship.
“Do as they say!” James shouted, but he had already told everyone what to expect, and our crew knew about the ruse. “We don’t want any trouble!”
The Brotherhood ship pulled alongside ours. “You’re in Brotherhood waters,” Came the call from the gruff looking captain, “prepare to be boarded for inspection.”
They threw over grappling hooks, pulled our ships together, and set up planks for boarding.
“Now,” the filthy pirate captain said with a laugh through his rotten yellow teeth, “Throw down yer weapons ya yellow bellies and we’ll tie ya up so we can run a proper inspection.”
His laughter was cut short by a crossbow bolt in his belly. For a moment nobody moved. The pirate captain slowly looked down to see the bolt . . . then looked up at us in surprise. For a moment I could almost read his mind: ‘where did that come from,’ he wondered. Then he probably spotted Kiki reloading. ‘Hey they’re not supposed to do that,’ he must have thought, ‘they’re supposed to surrender without a fight.’ His crew looked up at their captain as he backed away from the rail gripping his wound. They suddenly turned to us with fire in their eyes. Their captain merely pointed.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
The pirates surged across the planks, I tried to finish the fight quickly with a well placed fireball, but the spell unraveled as it leapt from my fingers! Someone had countered my spell! This was my worst fear: facing off against another mage. I spotted the enemy caster easily enough, he stood on the aft castle next to the captain, and I knew I’d need to take him out if we were going to survive this encounter. Bellow me chaos had broken out, Kale, James, and Fredrick met the pirate surge and started pushing them back. Arrows and bolts flew from both sides. I watched as the pirates struggled to load their own siege weaponry. My focus remained on my opponent though.
My opponent made the first move: he cast magic missiles. It was a simple spell that I knew (well enough) was very effective, but I wasn’t worried. Long ago, in the lotus dragon lair, we had discovered a broach of shielding, and I smiled as it harmlessly absorbed the spell. I decided to return the favorer . . . but this was a rookie mistake, had I been paying attention I would have noticed Kiki’s crossbow bolts being defected harmlessly from some unseen force; my spell was absorbed by the mage’s shield spell.
Meanwhile, bellow me, the poorly trained pirates began dropping like flies – within moments our three swordsmen had cleared our ship of enemy combatants and were now looking across to the enemy ship. Kale jumped up upon the gangway planks, took three steps, then suddenly teetered, and then dropped into the water between the two ships! At that same moment Fredrick attempted to jump the distance between the two ships, he climbed up upon the railing, and just as he was preparing to jump, he lost his footing and he too tumbled over the side of the ship! Fredrick’s arm shot out at the last moment however and he found himself clinging to the side of our ship by just his wrist (his hand still gripping one of his swords). Orlani threw a rope to Kale and Fredrick struggled to save himself (and his swords) from the drink. James (on the other hand) managed to run across the planks and was able to take the fight directly to our enemy.
My opponent ran down the stairs to the main deck and cast some unknown spell beside the ballista. I took the opportunity to cast some defensive magic on myself. I watched as Fredrick barely pulled himself up and saw the rope go taut as Kale tried to climb the rope. Then the ships bumped together. I watched in horror as the rope seemed to go slack! Was Kale crushed? I didn’t have time to be concerned for him, the mage took hold of the controls of the ballista, turned the massive siege weapon towards me . . . and fired.
I’ve read in books that at the moment of a near death experience your whole life flashes before your eyes. This didn’t happen to me, maybe because deep down I knew I wasn’t going to die, maybe I simply hadn’t had enough of a life in my seventeen years for there to be any regrets or revelations, but I do remember myself thinking ‘Wee Jas! Don’t you dare let me die like this!’ That bit of blasphemy aside I felt nothing . . . until after I found myself spun completely around by the force of the ballista bolt! The spear had grazed my hip, somehow it failed to hit anything vital or shatter any bones, but the blow jarred me something fierce. I practically threw myself down the stairs to the main deck where I could find cover to compose myself for a moment. The wound itself didn’t really hurt that much, it felt like every muscle in my body did though, I felt my neck, calves, and lower back start to painfully cramp up or twinge. I pushed aside the pain and began summoning.
When my horrid hippogriff finally manifested I moved out of my cover and found my opponent.
“Kill him,” I muttered as I pointed out my adversary, “Kill him and anyone that tries to stop you!”
The creature, incapable of mimicking human speech, screamed confirmation with its malformed vocal cords and swooped over to the enemy ship. The captain, who was desperately trying to hold the stairs from James and Orlani, now found himself between predator and prey. The mage, rather than try to save his doomed captain, instead cast mirror image. Moments later James dropped the captain, freeing my monster to assault its target, and a few moments after that all that remand was the gruesome sound of my creature feasting on still living human flesh. The fight was over. Not a single soul belonging to Purity’s Prow remained, our side had been bloodied, but we had no serious injuries.
Kale lived. He hadn’t been directly between the two ships as they bumped together, thankfully, but he hadn’t been in a safe area either. He had nearly had all the stuffing squeezed out of him and was still having trouble breathing when Buffy found and healed him. Fredrick seemed none the worse for wear, despite his embarrassing performance, and had even managed to get involved in the mop up operation. Kiki and Buffy had both performed admirably but it had been James that had been the hero of the day. He was the first member of our party aboard the enemy ship, he had assaulted their archers, had attacked and scattered their ballista crew, and had even taken down the captain on his way to the enemy mage. We might have still won the day without James’ valiant effort but it would have been a much closer affair for sure.
We survived the Purity’s Prow. It was a sorry sight. The wood was old and warped, the sails were nearly tattered, and even the ropes seemed old and frayed. The ship was in need of repairs from top to bottom. Their supplies were nearly exhausted and there was scarcely a pittance of gold and treasure in the hold. The captain wrote in his log that if they didn’t find treasure soon then he and his crew might face execution or slavery when they returned to Narisban. With less than a week’s worth of food left in their stores they must have been desperate.
“I say we put aboard a skeleton crew and fix it up when we get to Farshore,” James said.
“This scow ain’t fit for salvage,” Amella muttered, “she ain’t going to Farshore unless it’s as Kraken crap.”
“Well we can’t just set it adrift,” I said, “I don’t want this ship back in pirate hands and we still need to get through these waters . . .”
“We tow this ship through Scarlet Brotherhood waters then,” James said with a shrug, “might fool other ships into thinking one ship is captured booty.”
“Then we scuttle it once we’re clear,” Amella said.
“Or we keep it,” James said hopefully.
“This ship doesn’t look very good James,” I said.
“Nonsense,” James said, “a little paint, a little tar, some putty, and a couple of patches on the sails it’ll be good as new. It’s a fixer-upper but . . .”
“And where are you gonna get the crew to sail it?” Amella snapped, “Not from our ship! You get this fool idea out of your head or I’ll go down to the hold and kick a hole in this great rotten crate to sink it right now.”
“Fine,” James said with a sigh, “we’ll tow her and sink her.”
“Shouldn’t we tow our ship to make it look like the Sea Wyvern was captured,” I asked.
Amella turned to me and said, “If you were on this ship, and you captured the Sea Wyvern, which ship would you prefer to sail?” she asked.
“Ah,” I said understanding, “this is why I need you two. I’m afraid I’m not very good at the trickery or the underhanded stuff and I’m guessing you need to know these things to be captain.”
We sailed until dusk. It was then when we finally met up again with the Blue Nixie. We stripped the Purity’s Prow of everything of value, then Kale put two holes in the hull (a small one bellow the waterline and a larger hole above the waterline), then we watched as the Purity’s Prow sank bellow the waves with the setting sun.
That night I had Buffy look at my hip. It wasn’t bad. It was very tender but Buffy said the bruise would start to fade in a week and any pain or discomfort (like my pulled muscles) would probably go in a couple of days. She was amazed that nothing was broken. I guess I was amazed that I wasn’t dead. I prayed to the stern lady that night. I haven’t been a very diligent follower up to this point, but today, even after that bit of sacrilege, Wee Jas had chosen to spare me. I knew I needed to show my thanks.
My thanks to you great Ruby Sorceress,
Cthulhu Dreams
I can release the first entry in Kale's journal, since it's more of a welcome entry and is written the day after the attack.
First entry:
So here I am. Writing in a journal. Something I thought I'd never do. So here I am though, writing
away in a dead man's book. I'm not really sure how these things are really work, but I'm stuck
on a ship with nothing else to do. My companions and I are heading to an island called the Island of
Dread under the employment of Lady Vanderborn. My close companions are Buff, Tristan and Kiki.
Surrounded by women. Who would have known? Buffy is a loyal, bubble headed cleric. Tristan
summons..........things. That's all I have to write about that. She's an odd person. Her morals are
all messed up. She's never given me a reason not to trust her, but I worry about her intentions at
times. Kiki is the fun loving halfling. Even though she hails from Shadowshore (which probably means
she's a thief) she has never given much reason for me to miss trust her. Kiki has shown her loyalty
on many occasions. That's all for today. With how boring this part of the trip has been, I'll have lots
of time to write more tomorrow.
Starting today we have to ration our food. Fort Greenrock lies in ruins. Kiki assures me that our stores will hold for another three weeks (and Renkrue is only a week away) but I don’t want to take any chances.
The day started out promisingly enough: the mist that had been dogging us for the past two days finally let up. It was nice to finally finish a shift not soaked to the bone. The sun was a welcome stranger. Many of us had cloths to hang outside to dry. I also took the opportunity to update my journal outside in the fresh air for a change. I couldn’t help but notice Kale doing the same thing.
Truth be told, I had just assumed that all the books we found aboard the Purity’s Prow would go to me as a matter of course. The wizards spell book was turned over to me with no questions asked; but I was just as surprised as the others when Kale asked for the captain’s logbook. I could have used the book for scrap paper, or I might have turned it into an exercise book for Churtle, but Kale made a special point of asking for it so I didn’t object.
As to why he started keeping a journal I can only guess, perhaps he wishes to mock/mimic me, although I’m not sure Kale is even observant enough to have noticed that I keep a journal. It seems only yesterday that he finally realized that I had a toad familiar. It’s possible that Kale took up writing for the same reason that most do: to have something to reflect, remember, and grow with. I somehow doubt that Kale is big on self examination or discovery though . . . in fact I’d speculate that most of his words and thoughts are forgotten the moment they stop echoing in that massive cranium of his. No, I’m sure Kale has started writing to fight boredom that is taxing all of us.
Many of our crew have taken to gambling, something I don’t approve of, but am more then willing to tolerate so long as it doesn’t lead to fighting. Carving scrimshaw is another, perhaps more constructive, activity that some have taken up to pass the time. Perhaps I should find some way of encouraging carving over gambling. Maybe I should offer a prize for the most creative piece of work. Other’s have turned to romance. I see young Merriam making doe eyes at Will, I know James and Orlani have become quite close this expedition, and I’ve caught Lirith eying Avner. That last pairing I’ll have to nip in the bud before it starts. While I don’t think Lirith is exactly naive to the ways of the world, I’m sure she has no experiences with a callous lout like Avner. Of course if I actually forbade her from seeing Avner that would practically drive her into his arms. It’s really a no win situation for me. Maybe I should simply explain to Avner sometime that as Captain I have the power to perform marriages. Avner is a fool but I doubt that even he would miss that warning shot. All things considered Kale could have chosen a worse hobby.
I couldn’t imagine what he was writing about though, probably something about how evil and wicked I was and how just and noble he was, either that or a record of his kills. Maybe both? How would I describe this sight of Kale writing in his journal to friends and colleges back home? The truth would be boring, instead I’ll offer them a more comical look at Kale the author: I see can see him now, crayon gripped in his meaty fist, tongue tucked into the corner of his mouth, and his eyes crossed and focused intently on his little doodles and letters I suppose I shouldn’t be so cruel to Kale, in his own misguided way he tries to help, but his ignorance and intolerance has really been grating on my spirits these last few weeks. The worst part about being on a ship is that there’s almost no escaping someone if you’re trying to avoid them.
Odd that I should think about Kale’s writing considering what happened later that day, but I suppose I’d want to write about it eventually, and considering how little there is to say about events that happened later I guess this was as good a time as any.
Our destination for the day, Fort Greenrock, was to be a welcome stop on our long voyage. We needed supplies and provisions, the crew would welcome the change in scenery, and I wanted to distance myself from certain individuals. Talk about what exactly we’d do when we landed was pervasive. Everyone had plans, including myself, and while the others spoke of food, or drinking, or baser desires, I wanted nothing more then a long hot soak in tub. I needed some alone time. I needed some time to think things over away from the constant clatter of the ship. I needed to forget about all my worries and responsibilities for a time. Sadly there was to be no rest for any of us. We rounded the bend in the coastline and all chatter faded to silence. Fort Greenrock was no more.
There was no smoke, no vultures, just the burnt ruined husk of a once distant and isolated fortress. We saw no movement or any signs of survivors. We put a search party ashore anyways. There were no bodies, no supplies, only the occasional broken weapon, and the odd sign of impression of dried blood. The north western wall had been peppered with arrows suggesting that the attack had come inland from the savage Amedio jungle. Whatever the source of the attack and whatever the fate of inhabitants of the fort remains a mystery. We can only speculate. What is certain is that Fort Greenrock had been destroyed months ago and we’ll find no rest or supplies here.
Technically we’re only about a week away from Renkreu but I don’t want to take any chances. Supposing something happens between here and there, or supposing that we can’t re-supply there for some reason. Renkrue is our last chance to get supplies before the Isle of Dread and I don’t want us to land there on an empty stomach. We’ll start taking precautions now rather then face starvation later. Everyone (including all the officers and myself) is now on three quarters rations. Mr. Carpenter and Urol have offered their services to help supplement our diets, Mike does know a thing or two about fishing, but I fear Urol’s scavenging isn’t terribly effective at sea. Buffy can also ask her Palor for food and water. I know we won’t starve but I’m taking no chances.
Time to tighten our belts,
Cthulhu Dreams
You said earlier that your group was working through Lightless Depths right now. Are you finding it tough to write your journal when you are about three adventures ahead of where your journal is at? I suppose your journal doesn't really get into the nitty gritty of the various combat encounters, but I think I would find my memory a little foggy. If you ever get through this journal to the end of the campaign you will proabably have been done the campaign about a year before you finish your journal. Not that you shouldn't continue- go for it; it's coming well.
Kale's Diary doesn't update until after the hydra attack.
Last night I had a nightmare. I dreamed that I fell overboard and sank to the very bottom the ocean. There I breathed water like a fish and I found myself walking along an ancient road at the bottom of the sea. How or why these things happened I couldn’t even begin to guess . . .
I walked till I found myself in an ancient city. The immense size of the place couldn’t be put into words, there were stone pillars a mile high, archways that you could sail ships through, and buildings as massive as mountains. All were built from stones that would take a hundred men to move. As I walked the streets of this colossal city I felt this incredible dread, like some kind of primeval fear, growing in me with each passing step. Something horrible dwelt in this city . . . and although every fibre of my psyche wanted to flee . . . my body continued ever forward.
Finally I found myself outside of an ancient temple. There I saw arcane runes and glyphs carved into the very living stone. There I saw sculptures of unspeakable terrors lining the walls. Creatures that, to my knowledge, have never excited in the age of man. Inside the great temple I found a great well. A well so wide I could scarcely see the far side and so deep that I couldn’t see the bottom. For a time I looked down the dark bottomless well and saw nothing . . . and then, somewhere far bellow, I saw an eye open. At first the eye seemed no larger then a fist, then as it rose up to me, the eye grew ever larger! Soon it was the size of my head, then it grew to the size of a shield, I fled when I finally grasped the size of the creature. It was barely halfway up!
I fled from the temple . . .
Fled the ancient city . . .
Fled back along the ancient road . . .
And I swam up toward my ship . . . the whole time I knew it was pursuing me . . . yet I dared not look back for fear of being frozen in terror. I knew escape was impossible, I knew running was futile, but how could I give up? How could I simply submit and die? Finally I saw the keel of our ship. For some reason, at that moment, I choose to look back at the thing chasing me: it was horrible . . . a thing beyond words . . . a creature that shouldn’t exist . . . I knew as I saw and felt those massive tentacles reaching me that I was looking upon the visage of mighty Cthulhu!
I snapped up. Suddenly awake, covered in sweat, and sitting in my bed aboard Sea Wyvern. My mouth was still open in a silent scream. The room was quite. Buffy knelt at her makeshift alter for her morning prayers. The sun crept through our open windows.
“Bad dream?” Buffy asked. Kiki still hadn’t stirred in her bed on the far wall. Churtle had already left to prepare breakfast for the crew.
I climbed out of bed and stripped off my sweat soaked bedclothes and found a towel to dry myself with.
“No worse then usual,” I said. I’ve had these dreams from the time after I started reading that damn book some five or six years ago. My dreams of the lost city of R’lyeh have only grown more vivid over the years, and my dreams of the great old one, have only grown more terrible. Cthulhu’s eye, that was a new dream, and I shuttered to remember that last image, that of Cthulhu’s eye glaring up at me, an eye so large that we could have sailed our ship across one of it’s tears . . .
I knew the source of this nightmare though, three days ago, just after sunset, some of the crew spotted a great black shape pass under the ship. I ran over to the rail preparing spells in my mind, and wondering if we were going to be attacked, and there, just bellow the surface of the water, was a great eye! The sight stunned me. The eye was the size of a tower shield . . . and it seemed to glare up at us, regarding us curiously, and then it sank bellow the waves and was never seen again. I’ve been shaken ever since. I periodically asked Kiki to scout out under the ship for fear that the thing was following us . . . but it’s been three days and there hasn’t been a sign of it. I found myself shuddering again.
“Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” Buffy asked. Kiki was now yawning and stretching. Perhaps if we’d been alone I might have shared some of my fears with the priestess, but I had no desire to burden Kiki, or any of the others, with my forbidden knowledge.
“No,” I said, putting on the bullywug crown, “it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
I liked the crown, after I had the thing sized so it fit snugly on my head, I found that the white willow wood defected the heat of the sun quite well. It also added about half a foot to my height. The crew was always quick about their business when I wore it. Kiki said that was because they thought I was insane, but I didn’t care, my head was cool, and the crew were doing their jobs without any lollygagging. What they thought of me didn’t matter as far as I was concerned. I found my rod of metamagic and went fetch my logbook to start the day.
“Tristan!” Kiki called from her bed.
“What?” I asked.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked with a bemused smile on her face.
“Like what?”
“Cloths?” Buffy suggested.
I glanced down. I wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. I felt my face grow flush. While I was unlikely to have left our rooms stark naked, I was embarrassed at allowing my mind to wander to the point where I forgot such an essential part of my morning routine.
“Where would you carry that toad of your’s” Kiki laughed.
“Listen you two,” I explained, “I’m under a lot of pressure . . . that thing really bothered me for some reason . . . and I haven’t been sleeping well either . . .”
“Relax Tristan,” Kiki said, “I was only teasing you. If you’re worried about the stores don’t be. We have tons more then enough to last till Renkrue, and if that’s no good, we’ll have enough to make it to Farshore under half rations. We’re not going to starve . . .”
“And I can ask Palor for food and water.” Buffy added.
“And we’ll be getting plenty of clean drinking water today,” Kiki pointed out, “meat can go a long way when turned into broth. Remember Tristan water is more important then food.”
I regarded my friends for a moment. They were right of course, but that didn’t stop me from worrying. I had a million other worries as well. I worried about the open seas, I worried about the crew, I worried about our stores, I worried about every decision I made as captain, I worried about the Isle of Dread, I worried about that sea monster, and most of all, I worried about my friends and companions. I wanted them safe, to keep them safe, and I knew that where we were headed that wasn’t going to happen. All I could do was try to perfect my magic so I’d have the strength to protect them when I was needed. I walked over to our desk.
“Tristan . . .” Kiki said.
“Your cloths . . .” Buffy added.
I groaned and rubbed my temples. This was going to be a long day.
“You know Tristan,” Kiki said as she pulled on her own leather jerkin, “James once said ‘you can’t spell embarrassed without bare assed’, but I doubt that he had this in mind!”
I pulled out one of my dresses and pulled it on. It was already too hot for a shift underneath. I picked up Hop-Toy and stuck him under the crown on my head
‘What treachery is this!?’ he croaked.
“Quite,” I said tapping the crown, “you’ll be cooler under there.”
I didn’t bother with shoes, they didn’t give me good traction on deck anyways, and after I grabbed my belt and log book I left our cabin and took to the helm of the ship.
“Prepare to weigh anchor!” Amella shouted as she saw me on the stairs. ‘Does that woman ever sleep’ I wondered.
“We’ll hit the Atikula River a few hours before lunch,” Fredrick said as I took my place next to the wheel. “If my calculations are correct,” he added, “and then it’s only another two days till Renkrue. We’re over halfway there distance wise, but far less if you’re talking time wise, we’ll really start to pick up distance once we’re able to sail through the night.”
I nodded. In three weeks, if all went well, we’d be standing in Farshore.
“Everything ship shape?” I asked Amella.
“As ship shape as she gets,” Amella responded as usual. I gave her the nod and Amella had the crew set the sails and lift the anchor. I watched behind me as The Blue Nixie followed suit. We followed the same routine we always had sense leaving Sasserine.
‘Three weeks,’ I thought, ‘three weeks and this journey will be over. But in a few days we start sailing in open waters . . . and that’s where the real danger begins.’
We came across the picturesque lagoon and waterfall right on schedule. The Atikula River formed a massive waterfall, over a hundred feet up, and practically ten times as wide! The sheltered little harbour seemed perfect for swimming . . . especially on such a hot day . . .
The Blue Nixie sailed up beside us.
“Why don’t you go first!” Lavinia generously offered. The narrow little harbour couldn’t fit two ships, and with no beach, the water barrels would have to be filled by rowboat. Amella was about to give the order to sail into the harbour when I stopped her.
Something wasn’t sitting right with me.
“Give me your spyglass James,” I said.
“Why,” he asked as I peered through it, scanning every inch of the harbour, “what’s wrong?”
“Something’s not right,” I said handing the telescope back. I couldn’t put my finger on it but something about that narrow little harbour seemed dangerous. It was the perfect place to lay a trap. James took his spyglass and had a look as well. Then Amella had a look.
“The place is deserted,” Amella muttered with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
“You’d expect something,” James said.
“Posts, hooks, or mooring lines maybe . . .” Amella said with a shrug.
“It’s one of the few spots to get clean water,” James nodded, “you’d think there might be something . . .”
“The harbour is dead,” Amella said, “nothing living there that I can see . . . above the water anyways . . .”
I felt a sudden tinge of fear as I remembered that sea creature . . . and more recently, my dream.
“Kiki,” I called, the halfling climbed down from her usual spot at the prow and ran all the way to the helm located on the stern of the ship.
“What can I do for you Tristan?” she asked.
“I have a favour to ask,” I said.
“What is it?” she said rolling her eyes. She already knew what I was going to ask.
“I need you to scout out that harbour.”
“Again?” she asked, she probably thought I was being paranoid, and if I was wrong, perhaps I was, but I didn’t want to take chances with the lives of our crew.
“Please Kiki,” I said, “I have a bad feeling. And please be very careful . . . first sign of trouble come right back to the ship.”
“Yea, yea,” she said pulling off her boots, “I’ll be sure to watch out for sea monsters . . .”
I wasn’t the only one to have seen the great eye so I know it wasn’t a figment of my imagination, but Kiki liked to tease me about it, especially after the second or third time I asked her to check under the ship, and if the harbour turned out to be safe I knew she’d never let me forget it. ‘Ah oh Tristan’ she’d say pointing over the side, ‘sea monster!’ Then she’d laugh as I’d inevitably look. I almost hoped that there was something out there so Kiki wouldn’t be able to tease me.
Kiki dove into the water.
Time passed.
I suddenly began to worry that I’d sent Kiki to her doom! I anxiously paced the side of the ship waiting for her to return. Finally Kiki resurfaced. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Kiki’s face was almost white with fear.
“There’s something down there,” Kiki almost whispered as we pulled her aboard. She kept looking over her shoulder at the harbour. “There are all sorts of sunken ships down there as well. I only caught a glimpse of the thing but I think it might have been a hydra. I’ve never seen one before but it was huge and had a bunch of heads.”
I listened to the others as they debated what to do. Sailing away and avoiding conflict was normally what I’d prefer, but even if Renkrue had enough supplies they were on an island, and they might not have enough well water to fill ours and the Blue Nixie’s stores. This creature would have to die, as I knew it couldn’t be reasoned with, and I knew that would be the consensus of the others. I walked over to the railing as I waited for the others to come to their inevitable conclusion.
“What’s the hold up?” shouted Tolin from the deck of The Blue Nixie.
“Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about,” I shouted back, “we’re just having a serious adult conversation, nothing that could interest you, maybe you should go back to your mirror or something.”
“How dare you!” he snapped, “I haven’t the time for your petty insults, we’re on a lengthy sea voyage here, and if you’re not going to fill your stores, then make way and let us do it!”
“Sorry Tolin,” I shouted back, cupping my ear, “I don’t speak pompous or self-righteous; you’re going to have to repeat that.”
Tolin seemed to choke on his outrage, giving me a much needed smile, but Lavinia and her captain approached the side of the Nixie as well.
“Tristan,” Lavinia asked, “what’s the hold up?”
“We may have a problem,” I said, “but don’t worry, we’re discussing how to deal with it.”
“Nothing serious, I hope,” Lavinia said.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” I told her as much as I told myself, “We’ll be just a few more minutes.”
The others turned to me as I rejoined the group.
“We need to kill it,” Kale said.
“I have some spells that can help us out,” Buffy said, “I can make us walk on water as well as breath.”
“We’ll need to draw it to the surface,” James pointed out, “most of our weapons are useless underwater.”
“Leave that to me,” I said, “I’ll summon something to draw it to the surface. I’ll get my creatures to draw its attention and attacks then all you’ll have to do is rush in for the kill.” Everyone nodded. “Then it’s decided. Buffy, cast your spells, and I’ll start summoning.”
While Buffy cast her spells on the others I summoned two pseudonatural porpoises. I commanded them to seek out the monster at the bottom of the harbour and to draw it to the surface. I didn’t expect them to survive but I hoped they’d do their job . . . then I summoned something larger, something to hopefully circle and flank the monster . . . an otherworldly crocodile.
My companions moved onto the water (thanks to Buffy’s water walk spell).
Suddenly the water exploded with red and white froth. Monstrous lizard-like heads erupted from the water. One of my porpoises was torn in half before it faded back to its native plane but the other flew out of the water still attached to the hydra! My crocodile swam in drawing the attention of 3 of its heads. James and Fredrick used their agility to avoid the snapping heads as they moved into attack the thing. Kiki opened fire with her crossbow at range. Buffy charged into the fray as well, earning attacks as she entered the thing’s zone of terror, but her mace struck true. I used my magic on the thing, blasting it with scorching rays of fire. Then, as the thing was staggering about with its heads flailing about wildly, Kale surged in and drove his sword deep into the monster’s body. Blood exploded from the massive chest wound. The Hydra let out this horrible scream, spasmed wildly, and then sank bellow the waves.
“It’s heart!” I hollered, “Bring me its heart!”
“Why?” Kale asked.
“So we can eat it!”
“Get it yourself,” Kale snapped.
“Buffy didn’t cast water breathing on me!” I cried, “I can’t do it, I had to stay on the ship to cast magic!”
“Then I guess you’re out of luck then,” Kale said with a laugh.
“I’ll get it for you Tristan,” Kiki said, and as Buffy dismissed the water walking spell so our team mates could search the harbour floor, Kiki drew her knife and dove after the remains of the hydra.
I was thankful for her kindness.
I wondered why Kale had refused me. It seems he did it simply out of spite. There seemed to be no reason for his refusal. I glanced to the crew. Many of them had witnessed Kale’s rebuff and now regarded me with curiously. I knew my credibility with them had just suffered quite severally. I gave orders for Amella to sail the ship into the harbour and to refill the water barrels. Then I excused myself to quarters.
After the door was closed behind me I felt the tears begin to flow. I had no idea why Kale hated me so much. I tried to be civil to him, tried to show him respect, but Kale seemed to have nothing but contempt for me . . . what was worse, he seemed to take great pride in rejecting my opinions and orders in front of others . . . like denying me anything was some great accomplishment. I sank to the floor as the trickle of tears quickly became a torrent.
‘Stop this,’ muttered Hop-Toy, ‘stop this blubbering! Crying will solve nothing.’
“What’s the point?” I sobbed, “I try to be a good captain. I try to be a good leader . . .”
‘Stop it!’ Hop-Toy croaked, ‘Kale is an ass. He doesn’t care about your feelings. He probably doesn’t care about anything you do. Some people are like that. Some people only take. Caring about his feelings is a waste of your facilities. You could learn a new language, a new spell, or a new skill with the mental faculties you’re wasting on that . . . bullfrog! Those tears you’re spilling could be better used for removing dirt and debris from your eyes. Forget Kale, concentrate on the friends you have . . .”
“How can I go out there and face them Hop-Toy?” I asked, referring to the crew, “after they saw how he treated me, how can I ever face them again?”
‘Tristan Lidu!’ Hop-Toy snapped, ‘You pull yourself together this instant! If you’re going to act this like this all the time, maybe you shouldn’t be captain!’
I choked back the tears.
“What was that?” I asked.
‘I told you to pull yourself together . . .’
“After that,” I said with a sniff, “you said I shouldn’t be captain.”
‘Well not if you’re going to take everything so personally and allow and insolent pig like Kale . . .’
“I could turn the ship over to Amella,” I almost laughed. The relief was palatable. I didn’t need to be captain!
‘Amella is a good choice,’ Hop-Toy cautiously added, ‘but I hardly see how demoting yourself is going to solve your problems . . . as first mate you’d still . . .’
“No,” I said wiping my eyes, “I’m going to turn over the ship to her completely! James can take over Amella’s old job.”
‘This will hardly . . .’
“Not now,” I said standing up, “when we get to Renkrue. I’ll turn it over there. She’s a far better sailor then me, and the crew really respect her. James is a natural leader. They’ll run the ship far better then I could . . . in fact the last little while I felt as though I was in their way, and it’ll free me up to study my magic!”
I looked to the spell book we plundered from the pirates. I’d had a little time to look through the thing, I added the scorching ray spell to my own book, but for the most part I’d been too busy to scribe anything else. Magic is a complex and difficult thing and transcribing a spell can take days or even weeks. Also I’d been feeling stressed and trapped over the last few weeks, I felt the weight of responsibility crushing me, but now I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I ran over to our wash table to wash my face.
‘I hope you’re not running from a challenge Tristan,’ Hop-Toy muttered, ‘you took on this responsibility . . .’
“Don’t you see Hop-Toy,” I said as I fixed my face, “I don’t need to be captain. I have people that are better qualified. I don’t need to be overseeing the day to day affairs of the ship. If I hand over control to Amella and James it makes me quasi-retired captain of the ship. They may still look to me for leadership, but I’ll be free from the daily worries and concerns, and I won’t have to deal with Kale anymore. Heck I might not even have to see him for the remainder of this trip. Besides, we’ll be sailing on open waters soon, I want our best running this ship . . . and Hop-Toy, I think you’ll agree, I’m not the best.”
‘hmmmph, perhaps you have a point,’ Hop-Toy muttered, ‘if you applied yourself you could be, but you have other things that you must study. I just don’t like the idea of Kale winning . . .’
I laughed.
“A moment ago you told me not to be concerned with Kale . . .”
‘I said you, not me! I can be concerned with him all I want. I hate that bully, and while you don’t handle confrontation well, I am perfectly capable of focusing my outrage and displeasure.’
I shrugged. I checked my mirror. It wouldn’t do to let the crew know I’d been crying. They were like wolves or jackals – always looking for a sign of weakness. By the time I returned to the main deck Kiki was climbing out of the water with the massive reptilian heart. She dropped it on the deck with a sickening splat.
“There you go Tristan,” she said wiping her hands, “you really going to eat that thing?”
“Dragon hearts are a great delicacy,” I said, “and a hydra is likely distantly related to the dragon. Also there are possible health benefits, the hydra was an incredible regenerative health system, and seeing as the heart is the centre of the body and seat of the soul, it’s possible that we may gain some healthful benefits from eating this. And finally Kiki, this is our largest, most impressive battle to date, it just wouldn’t seem appropriate to let this auspicious occasion pass without celebrating and offering thanks to the gods. And because our supplies are low I had to be a bit inventive to find meat for our table.”
Kiki smiled.
“Kale thinks you’re crazy but I just think your mind works on a different level.” She said, “And even if you are going crazy, I think crazy Tristan is funnier then serious Tristan.”
“Thanks . . . I think,” Kiki smiled and nodded, and then dove back over the side to continue searching. I picked up the weighty organ and took it bellow to the galley.
“What is it?” Churtle chirped as I plopped the thing down in front of her.
“A hydra heart,” Churtle’s eyes went wide, “we defeated it in battle and now we want to have a feast to honour it, the gods, and ourselves.”
Churtle seemed to relax when I put it that way. She scratched her head.
“You wants it tender or tough?” she asked.
“Well seeing as so few of us aboard have sharp teeth, why not make it as tender as you can?”
“Suit yourself boss,” Churtle said, “Chewing is good for digestion though. I thinks maybe boss got’s upset tummy most of the time, you’re so very snappy . . . either that or . . .”
“I’m sorry if I’ve been curt with you Churtle,” I said.
“S’ok,” she chirped, “I know the boss has gots lots on her mind. Can’t always be thinking about manors . . .”
“That’s not true at all,” I said, “Churtle I want you to tell me if I’m ever rude to you. You’re a good friend, a sympathetic ear, someone I can talk magic with, and an excellent cook. If I’m ever impolite to you I want to know, ok?”
“Ok boss,” Churtle said, “and just so yous know, it’s rude to cuts someone off.”
“Sorry Churtle,” I said with a blush, “and thank you for your friendship.”
“S’ok,” she said with that elusive smile of hers, “but now I gots to get cooking! This has gots to stew for a long time if it’s going ta be tender enough for Tristan’s dull teeth!”
When I returned to the main deck James, Fredrick, Buffy, Kiki, and Kale where returning to the ship after searching the harbour floor. They had with them treasure that they had collected from the ocean bottom including some chain mail and a strange looking green cloak. It took another half an hour before our water supplies had been refilled. Afterwards, as we sailed out of the harbour to allow Lavinia’s ship access to restock, we passed within shouting distance.
“Lavinia!” I called over, “Lavinia!”
Lavinia quickly came to the side of her ship.
“Tristan is everyone ok?” she asked, I loved that she had so much concern for my crew, and our safety was the first thing she thought of. “We saw a bit of the fight. I hope no one is hurt.”
“We’re fine!” I called back, “No one is seriously hurt! Would you like to come over to our ship tonight? We’re celebrating our victory! Churtle is cooking up something special!”
“I’d love to!” she yelled as her ship sailed past, “what time?”
“Supper time! When we drop anchor tonight!” I shouted, but she was already out of range, and I had no way of knowing if she heard me.
It didn’t matter, it was the obvious meeting time, I quickly saw to making the arrangements for our dinner. I decided to host Lavinia in the captain’s quarters, it was the biggest room aboard the ship, and it already had a small table for eating. I had the writing desk removed, three spare planks brought up from the hold (they were rough and splintery but fairly strait and flat), and then, using two barrels for a base, used the boards to make a small banquette table! By the time I was finished I had a private dinning hall that could easily seat a dozen people. I returned to the helm pleased with my work.
“You seem strangely cheerful,” Amella commented as I took my place by the wheel.
“Getting this water was a huge relief,” I honestly said, “and we’re having a bit of a calibration tonight. Lavinia will be joining us, you as well I hope, and so we’ll have a bit of a gathering and feast.”
“Avner going to be there?” Amella asked.
“He’ll be sitting next to Kale. He’ll be at one end of the table and you and Lavinia and I will be sitting at the other end.”
“And what exactly are you going to be eating?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary . . .”
“Besides the heart,” Amella muttered.
“Nothing out of the ordinary . . . besides the heart,” I assured her, “I’d be very pleased if you’d come.”
“I’ll be there then,” Amella said. I smiled at her.
I made then quickly went bellow decks to check on Churtle. She assured me everything was fine. I made sure the rest of the crew would also receive a decent meal. It wouldn’t seem fair if we had a feast and they were still on rations. I also tried to see if there was anything sweet to be had for desert when Churtle shooed me out of her kitchen. I made my way back to the helm and tried to will the day to pass.
It took about half a day to finish re-supplying between the two ships. After, we sailed on till evening. I could hardly contain my excitement as we pulled the two ships together. I asked Fredrick to lend his hand to Lavinia. She was very graceful, and clearly didn’t need his assistance, but she kindly took his hand anyways. Once aboard I re-introduced her to the other guests. There were eleven of us, Lavinia, Amella, Churtle, Kiki, Buffy, Orlani, Avner, James, Kale, Fredrick, and myself (Urol didn’t want any part in ‘devouring such a magnificent beast’, and my other crew that I might have invited, like Lirith and Skald, were on duty or otherwise occupied). We made a small talk until supper was ready.
I had Lavinia sit next to me; Kiki sat on my other side, and Amella sat next to her. I had Buffy lead us in a prayer, first to her god, and then I said a word to Wee Jas, Kiki said a word to Olidomarra, and then Lavinia gave her thanks to Fharlanghn. The meal was quite simple, a bit of salted beef, some hard tack that Churtle had softened in water, some sauerkraut, and some beans served with red vinegar and dried herbs . . . basically the same food our crew would eat, but the pièce de résistance, for us, was the Hydra heart. Churtle had outdone herself. She had somehow braised the meat and then cooked in a red wine sauce with some fresh onions and herbs. Kale wanted nothing to do with the thing but Lavinia, Kiki, Churtle, Buffy, and even Avner all had a piece of the main dish. It had a strong robust flavour, not unlike liver, and remained quite chewy despite having cooked most of the day. I was very pleased with the meal and had seconds of the main dish.
For drinks I brought out the last bottle of whisky I had from Fort Blackwell. The bottle didn’t last long between the eleven of us, but I thought it was a wonderful addition to an already magnificent evening. I enjoyed Lavinia’s company. I was proud of our modest spread, I was very pleased with Churtle’s cooking, and I felt sorry to see the evening come to a close. Tomorrow would come quickly though and Lavinia had to get back to her ship. We said our good byes, she thanked me for the meal, and then she returned to the Blue Nixie.
I was sad to see the evening end, but I felt very optimistic about the future, and I was suddenly looking forward to the rest of this voyage instead of dreading it. I still had fears and worries . . . but these were things that I felt I could handle . . .
Cthulhu Dreams,
I pray I don’t dream of him!
Kale's diary entry two:
"Today we fought a hydra! Nasty beast! It was held up in a bay, with a narrow entrance. This is a
stopping point for most sea travelers it seems. There is a fresh water waterfall that drains into the
bay. The hydra was snatching boats that came into the bay. Buffy had a spell that let a bunch of
us walk on water as if it were land. Interesting experience! After we beat the beast, Buffy used a
spell that let us breath underwater! Kiki can breath and swim like a fish even without a spell. So the
underwater looting of the sunken ships was not unusual to her. Tristan had the heart of the hydra
cooked and served at dinner that night. Tristan and Kiki were the only ones I seen eat any of it.
Sometimes I wonder if they're evil. After the atrocity at dinner, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight."
*Crude drawing of a hydra*
A quiet hobbit takes a peak in Churtle's recipe box...
A most excellent recipe Churtle. Such large hearts are often quite difficult for those lacking proper carnivorous chompers to handle without several hours' tenderization.
Shares his recipe for Heart of Stone Giant.
Also, I'll add this much, this is not the most exotic thing Tristan has eaten.
Tell us more...
Btw, I could contribute a wonderful recipe for "soufflé a la cube gelatinique" for the halloween dinner's desert, courtesy of "Engulfing Terror". One serving will usually eat the entire table and the guests.... never again despair of washing the dishes !
That should really weird out poor old Kale, hehe
Wish I could vikingson, but I promised no spoilers in this thread . . . :(
I have patience ( in fact I have patience here in my pocket, the poor little thing ....) and this allusion really set me wondering - who of the opposition throughout the STAP would make a tasty snack ? hmmm
hehe, sounds great, but that sounds a bit too complicated for poor old Churtle at this time . . . maybe in a couple of levels though! Then again - there's always room for gelatin. (sorry someone had to say it;))
What ? Churtle isn't a mighty sorceress of the sixth circle yet ? Unable to create the terrible and lovely Gelantinous Cube ? Take away her frying pans and make her practise _immediately_ , I say ! There is not a moment to be wasted !
Hrm... being too lazy to see if dear Rowyn has resurfaced to personally collect her payback (although I seem to recall that pseudonatural hippogriff having snacked on her face a while back), I note the emphasis on NIGHT in your previous post regarding your group's Ladies of Hack getting themselves some shore leave... although Renkru hardly strikes me as anything on par with Tahiti ...
Hrm... being too lazy to see if dear Rowyn has resurfaced to personally collect her payback (although I seem to recall that pseudonatural hippogriff having snacked on her face a while back)Rowyn was mauled, partially digested, and then thrown overboard (to feed the fishes) by Kale, so it's unlikely she will be joining us.
I note the emphasis on NIGHT in your previous post regarding your group's Ladies of Hack getting themselves some shore leave... although Renkru hardly strikes me as anything on par with Tahiti ...I imagine it's on Par with the Tahiti of 1789
To be honest though, I can't remember why I capitalized 'night'
I was doing some Wikipedia backstory research for a GURPS character this past weekend. Seems Tahiti was until relatively recently (< 4 generations) a French colonial possession, complete with Foreign Legionnaire garrisons and other fun tidbits. Some pretty fascinating web-browsing...
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No updates this week but I have previews:
After weeks aboard ship the team has finally reached Renkrue . . . and you know what that means: Girls NIGHT Out! All the Ladies from the SWW together for the first time! What will they talk about? What will they do? Also: who is this mysterious Brent character? What does he have to say to Tristan? Find out Next week!
I'm having a total geekgasm. Only a few more days til my name appears in the illustrious Lidu Diaries. *shiver down my spine*
I was doing some Wikipedia backstory research for a GURPS character this past weekend. Seems Tahiti was until relatively recently (< 4 generations) a French colonial possession, complete with Foreign Legionnaire garrisons and other fun tidbits. Some pretty fascinating web-browsing...
Hi everybody!
First, congratulations and many thanks to Guy for his inventive and entertaining story. A fine read, indeed !
Second, to help Turin the Mad with his research, I have to add that Tahiti is still a french territory (technically, a TOM - Territoire d'Outre Mer, which translate in 'Overseas Territory') with limited political autonomy. Moreso, it was until a very recent date crawling with soldiers just because the french nuclear tests were done in the neighbourhood, in the Mururoa atoll. Sorry for the hijack, write on!
Renkrue was paradise. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. I wish we were staying for more than a day.
We arrived before breakfast. We had left the Amedio coast and hit the island just before nightfall yesterday, and starting at first light this morning, sailing under favorable winds, we made it to the peaceful village of Renkrue before Churtle had finished cooking the porridge.
Kiki and I met Lavinia and her captain on the rough pier. The villagers had already begun to amass along the shoreline by the time we had secured our rowboats and climbed up onto the pier. Seeing white skinned foreigners was still rare enough to be a novelty for these people and children peaked out at us from behind their mother’s skirts. Thankfully Lavinia’s captain had been to this island before, first with her mother all those years before, and most recently with both of her parents when they founded the colony of Farshore. Not only did the aged captain speak Oman but he knew the villagers and their chief. This made negotiations much smoother. The village chief (and a few of the elders) also spoke the common tongue.
“Welcome Grey Hair,” said Chief Ixawhani, “You’ve finally returned to us.”
“Greetings Ixawhani,” Said Lavinia’s captain (I never did catch his name), “I’ve brought with me Lavinia Vanderboren, you must remember her mother? This is Tristan Lidu, captain of the Sea Wyvern, and this is Kiki, her quartermaster. We bring gifts,” he said presenting a quiver of arrows and a masterwork knife,” and we’d like permission to dock and trade with your village.”
“Of course you and your people are always welcome here,” said the chief examining his new knife, “stay as long as you need. Trade with my people. Tonight we shall have a celebration and a feast. All will be welcome,” he said looking to me and Kiki, “There will be great food and beer. Now, let us go and make the preparations and you, dock your ships, and let your crew rest and enjoy our beautiful island.”
I left Kiki with Lavinia’s Captain. They would see to the trading and re-supplying of our ships. I returned to the ship to oversee the docking, to check the watches, and of course to see that someone brought breakfast out to Kiki.
Lavinia decided that we’d spend a full day at Renkrue for rest and relaxation. Everyone welcomed the change. The morning was there’s to do with as they pleased, but I planned a lady’s night out for that evening. I did this for a few reasons: first I needed a reason to get Amella off the ship so I could officially pass the title of captain of the ship over to her. She seemed to prefer to stay aboard the ship for whatever reason and I needed to find some way to convince her to come ashore with us. I also needed a reason to get away from Kale. The man was driving me insane. Perhaps more so then usual. Also I wanted to a chance to talk with Lavinia, we had a few private conversations before we left Sasserine, but we hardly spoke outside of an official capacity these days.
I dismissed the crew under the strict instructions not to get into trouble. I then decided to take some alone time for myself. I explored the village. It was mainly a collection of straw huts but, at its center, stood two well constructed wooden buildings. One looked like a church, the other a refectory, yet both were void of any religious symbols. The villagers had obviously converted them for non religious use.
I walked the island. Renkrue felt safe. The jungles outside of Sasserine were extremely dangerous. Bullywugs were a constant threat. Lizard folk occasionally swarmed from the jungles. Great red dragons (including the dread Hookface) were said to live in the mountain to the south. Tales of adventures and explorers gone missing were all too common. But here, on Renkrue, separated from the Amedio by miles of water, I felt safe to walk in these woods.
I eventually found a little path that snaked through the jungle and up into the mountains. It was peaceful up there. It felt good to free of people and the constant press of the ship. I eventually caught the sound of a waterfall; Hop-Toy was more excited about that then I was about that. After weeks and weeks of being surrounded by salt water he was thrilled with the opportunity to soak in some fresh water. The waterfall was only a small one, only a few feet wide and dropping only a little over a dozen feet into the clear white waters . . . but it was the pond that Hop-Toy was interested in. I found a small a small well sheltered and secure looking side of the pond and put Hop-Toy down in the shallows. He really wasn’t much of a swimmer despite being born and raised in the water - Hop-Toy sank, like a rock, and began walking along the bottom. I watched as he splashed along the water’s edge, finally spotting some insects for him to stalk, and resisted the urge to join him.
‘Come on in Tristan,’ Hop-Toy said, sensing my dilemma, ‘the water is fine.’
“I didn’t bring anything to swim in,” I said glancing about, “and I’d rather not risk having someone stumble across me splashing around in my birthday suit.”
‘Why?’ Hop-Toy asked, ‘I thought you were pretty by human standards.’
“Because, you wart covered frog, we humanoid are born with a thing called modesty!”
‘Oh yes,’ Hop-Toy mussed, ‘the thing that forces you to get mate and get dressed in the dark, but allows you to fight and kill and say any old thing that pops into your head.’
I splashed the water, scaring away the water bugs he was stalking.
‘Swim or don’t swim,’ Hop-Toy snapped, ‘I don’t care; but don’t scare away my snacks! You haven’t lived off of dried crickets for the last month. If you’re not going to swim you could at least look for a slug or two.’
I suppressed a shudder. As long as I’ve had Hop-Toy I still couldn’t get used to handling slugs. They were just too slimy. I glanced about. The woods were deserted. I quickly undid my belt and kicked off my shoes. After another quick glance I pulled off my dress, folded it neatly, and then slid into the water. It was lovely. Even under the thick canopy of the Renkrue jungle it was hot and sticky, but in that small clear mountain pool, the water was cool and refreshing. I soaked for a while, watching ‘the mighty hunter’ as he stalked and captured his prey, but after a while I grew bold and swam out into the center of the pool.
The water didn’t go over my head, at its deepest point I could keep my toes on the bottom and still keep my chin above the water. I was never a strong swimmer, and as a child I’d been afraid of monsters lurking beneath the water . . . that fear that almost seems ironic now. I decided to explore the waterfall. I had to climb out of the pool over several slippery wet stones to get to it but feeling that cold refreshing water pour over my head and body felt refreshing, invigorating, and almost sensual . . . for the briefest moment I had a vision of me . . . and Lavinia of all people . . . together . . . sharing the pool and waterfall . . . me washing her soft golden tresses . . .
What snapped me back to reality was not the scandalous nature of my fantasy but the sound of a crash several feet away! There on the path was a man with a small cart, gently urging his donkey down the path towards the village. His cart had somehow veered dangerously close to the edge of the path and one wheel had rolled into a rut. The crash had been the sound of one of the barrels he was transporting rolling off the wagon and into water bellow. The man seemed oblivious to me thus far, but it wouldn’t take much (turning his head a little over 90 degrees for example) for him to spot me. I made a cautious move back to the pool and my cloths.
I didn’t recognize the man from our ships. He wasn’t Oman but his cloths looked native. He began cursing in Oman (it doesn’t take long to pick up swear words of other cultures) and he climbed down from the path towards the pool of water. He sat down and began pulling off his boots just as I climbed back into the water, and as I ever so carefully began creeping back towards my things, he began rolling up his pant legs. I thought for a moment I might sneak past him and back to my things, but then, as I was climbing out of the water, and as he began climbing in to retrieve his keg, he suddenly turned . . . and to my surprise, he screamed! And then I screamed . . . then immediately ducked down and covered up. Meanwhile, the man had nearly fallen over backing up from me!
After stammering something in Oman he apologized in common, “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t think there’d be anyone up here . . . it’s normally deserted . . .”
“Turn around!” I snapped, still huddling to hide my body.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, looking away, “I knew there were a couple of ships on the dock, but I didn’t expect anyone to be up at the waterfall at this time of day . . .”
I quickly climbed out of the water and pulled on my dress.
“You gave me quite a start. When I was a child my mother told me stories of fey and other such creatures. I always thought that this little pool of water would be the perfect place for them. I thought for a moment there I was seeing a nymph and was going to die. You’re so pale compared to the Omans I thought for sure I must be seeing a fey or a ghost. Most of the locals don’t even bother coming up here, it’s a shame because it’s such a beautiful location, but when you live right on the ocean a half hour hike seems a bit much for a swim.”
He took a half glance over his shoulder to gage my progress. I quickly put on my spell component pouch . . . I was now ready for business!
“Turn around!” I said, “I’m not dressed yet!”
“Sorry,” he said, “Normally I wouldn’t even be up here, but the caves are the only cool enough place on the island to let beer ferment. Maybe you heard, there’s going to be a celebration tonight? Well the chief loves his beer, and seeing as I’m the village brew master, he sent me up to the caves to fetch enough beer for the party. I’m Brent by the way; I didn’t catch your name . . .”
“That’s because I didn’t give it.”
“Yes I know, but normally when someone says that, the other person normally responds with their own name.”
“Tristan Lidu,” I finally said, “Ok Brent, you can turn around.”
He turned and looked me over. I glared at him.
“I’m sorry again,” he said with a sheepish half smile, “but it’s not every day you find yourself in that situation . . . I’m at a loss as to what to say . . .”
“Maybe you should get your barrel?”
“Right you are,” he said wading into the water after the small keg, thankfully it hadn’t floated anywhere. Brent rolled the thing in the water. “Well I don’t see any bubbles,” he said, “that’s a good sign, maybe the fall didn’t crack the thing.”
He pulled the keg to shore, then hoisted it out of the water, and climbed back to the road and the wagon.
“Where about are you from?” he asked.
“Sasserine,” I said, “what about you?”
“Well,” he said after thinking for a moment, “I pretty much call Renkrue my home these days, but my uncle and I were originally from Keoland, in the Principality of Ulek.”
“Isn’t that Dwarven lands?” I asked. I really didn’t know much about the world outside of Sasserine except from books and history.
“Well ruled and run by dwarves, but humans out number them by a fair amount these days. If you’re ready to go I’ll walk you back to town. Not that there’s anything to fear in these woods, except maybe the fey, but there’s still no point in taking chances. There could be boars or wild dogs about.”
I tried not to laugh. A few months ago such beasts would have given me a scare but these days they seemed only minor inconveniences rather than serious threats. Still, it would be rude to laugh, and this Brent character was one of the few natives on the island that spoke the common tongue. Perhaps this Brent might teach me enough Oman to get by. I always did have a knack for languages, and learning Oman might be useful once I got to Isle of Dread.
“Hang on,” I said, “I have to collect my toad.”
Hop-Toy had his fill of water bugs and had moved to the shore to look at the underside of rocks and fallen trees for his favorite food . . . slugs . . .
“Wait,” Brent said, “did you say toad? What’s a pretty girl like you . . . you’re not a wizard or sorcerer or something?”
“Conjuror actually,” I said picking up my toad, “that’s sort of splitting hairs though, for the average person saying wizard is good enough . . . unless you’re actually a wizard or a specialist, some of those people take the distinction very seriously!”
“I never would have guessed,” he said with a laugh, “well maybe sorcerer or enchantress . . .”
“If that was supposed to be a pick up line . . .”
“Where are my manors today?” he said with a nervous laugh, “no, what I meant was you look so young, most wizards have grey beards and such. You must have one of those faces or . . .”
“I’ll be eighteen in the fall,” I said, “and learning magic is a long drawn out process, I’m nowhere near finished my studies, but if I seem young I’ll remind you some of us simply have a knack for magic.”
After a few moments Brent managed to get his cart wheel out of the rut and back on the trail and we slowly made our way down the winding trail to the village bellow.
“So,” Brent eventually asked, “what brings you to Renkrue?”
“We’re on our way to the Isle of Dread,” I groaned.
“You don’t seem happy about it,” he observed, “any particular reason you’re going?”
“Well Lavinia, she’s the one funding this expedition, her family has holdings around the Isle of Dread, and due to treachery and evil she’s been thrust into matriarch position of her family. It’s been a few years, so she needs to check on her investments and bring supplies and provisions to the fledgling colony.”
“How’s she related to you?” he asked.
“Oh,” I said thinking, “she and I are friends.”
“She must be a really good friend to risk your life for.”
“Well, yes,” I said, trying to think of a way of changing the subject, “If you met her you’d probably see why. I was wondering Brent,” I said pulling a small notebook from by belt pouch, “could you teach me a bit of Oman?”
“Sure,” he said smiling, “what do you want to know.”
I picked his brain for the rest of the trip. Brent, from what I could tell, was bilingual, and he was able to answer most of my questions with ease. By the time we reached the village it was near noon and I was growing hungry. I said my goodbyes (in Oman), then returned to our ship to check on the re-supplying process. Kiki and Amella were overseeing the loading of the ship when I returned.
“Finished already?” I asked.
“Yep,” Kiki said, “we got something other than salted meat as well, smoked fish and wind dried sausage, and lots of sun dried fruits as well. It’ll be a nice change. Won’t be long before we’re sick of that as well though . . .”
“The ship is well stocked again,” Amella said, “we can go ten days over our estimations before we have to start rationing. This is important, because from what I gather about this Isle of Dread, it’s not a place you’d want to get stuck foraging for food at.”
“Alright Ladies,” I said rubbing my hands together, “enough business, is everyone looking forward to our ladies night out?”
“You bet!” Kiki said, “I’m gonna get so hammered!”
“Yes,” Amella started, “about that . . .”
“You’re coming no matter what,” I said, “even if I have to drag you there myself.”
“Well it’s just that . . .” Amella tried to say.
“No dice!” I said, “I want you there tonight. You skipped our last shore leave; I’m not letting you miss this one as well. All work and no play, and all that.”
“Fine . . .” Amella grumbled.
“It’ll be fun!” I said stepping behind her and rubbing her shoulders, “girl’s night out: just us ladies. Good food, good drink, and lots of talk. Plus no awkward advances from the hairy knuckle dragging goons we call friend and crew.”
“If you say so . . .” Amella muttered.
“Trust me Amella,” I said, “you’re going to have a good time tonight.”
She continued to grumble but I knew she had buckled. Amella would be there. Now I had to check on the others. Kiki and Buffy I knew would be there for sure, but I wanted to make sure Orlani was going (she spent entirely too much time with James for my liking), and I wanted to offer a special invitation to Lavinia and Liamae. Mainly Lavinia though. On my way over to the Blue Nixie I came across Lirith.
“I heard you’re planning a lady’s night out,” she said catching up and walking along side me, “can I come?”
“Of course,” I said with a nervous laugh, “the more the merrier.”
I had forgotten to invite her . . . and she was a member of my own crew. I had been hesitant to invite her because I wasn’t certain that she’d want to drink with her captain. I had been pretty tough on her over the last few weeks and I wasn’t certain she sure she would want to cross paths
“Ok good,” Lirith said, “you and Avner let it drop that you’d been out once and you’ve been keeping the details for far too long! Time to dish! Also, I want to know how James is in the sack. Orlani’s been holding out on us. I can hardly wait! See you guys tonight!”
I can hardly wait; I thought sarcastically to myself, the last thing I wanted to talk about was men. I saw enough of them every day without having to talk about them once we were finally free of them.
I found Lavinia near her ship, but a short way down the beach, and away from the dock. It must have been time for her morning constitutional because I found her in the midst of a fencing lesson with Tolin. I felt a tinge of anger as a watched Tolin run his hands down her arms and hips to try and show her the proper stances . . . I’m not sure why though, I’m sure Lavinia can take care of herself. Perhaps it was the smirk on Tolin’s smug face that did it . . . I decided to wait until the lesson was over before approaching, it was too nice a day to get sucked into another argument with Tolin . . . and he always seemed to start one when I was around . . .
Some of the local villagers had started to sell food by the docks, village woman sold bowls of stew, and little village children ran about selling some sort of meat that had been roasted on a stick. My belly growled as one of the children ran past and despite my better judgment I bought three pieces of mystery meat for three coppers each. It was highway robbery. Back in Sasserine I could get a bowl of broth and a big slice of crusty bread at the Ancestor’s Rest for nearly the same amount. Out of habit I used Blenak’s glasses on them . . . the meat appeared safe. It smelled good. I took a tentative bite. It was rubbery but with a rich smoky flavor.
“You’re very brave,” Brent said from behind me, I glanced over my shoulder as I chewed my lunch.
“It’s not rat is it?” I asked fearing the answer.
“No,” he said with a slight shake of his head (indicating that it might be far worse), “it’s not rat . . .”
“Well then I don’t care,” I said as I took another bite, “I’m too hungry to care at this point.”
“You might have noticed that we don’t have any cows, sheep, or pigs,” Brent said sitting on a large rock near the beach, “what do you suppose that is?” he said pointing to my other two sticks.
I quickly polished off the first and tore into the second with my pearly white teeth to show him I wasn’t going to be put off my meal. He shrugged realizing that he wasn’t going to elicit the reaction he wanted with this routine.
“Is that Lavinia?” he said pointing to the Lady as she spared with Tolin. I nodded intent on finishing my meal. “She’s quite stunning,” he said. I nodded. “That man she’s with, is that her significant other?”
I gave a quick mocking laugh at that idea.
“He wishes he was though,” Brent said knowingly, his eyes following Tolin, and then he looked to Lavinia, “she’s a bit more difficult to read though,” Lavinia caught sight of me at that point and gave me a smile and a wave, I almost dropped my last piece of mystery meat as I waved back. This time it was Brent that had a quick knowing laugh.
“What?” I asked when my mouth was empty.
Brent glanced up at me, seeming to study me for a time, and then he shrugged. “Nothing, I just remembered something that was funny.”
I shrugged as well and turned my attention to the last piece. After I was finished eating Brent was kind enough to continue answering my questions about the Oman language. He even helped me with some of the pronunciation. I think he may have been surprised at how quickly I picked it up.
Finally Lavinia Dismissed Tolin. I watched her approach out of the corner of my eye. She smiled as she drew close.
“Tristan what were you eating?” she said with a laugh.
“Some sort of meat on a stick,” I said glancing at Brent, “probably snake, lizard, eel, or something.”
“Don’t look at me,” Brent laughed, “I’m not telling. It tastes better if you don’t know, and now if you’ll excuse me I’d better look after a few things.”
I waited till he left before turning to Lavinia. “The girls from our ship are having a little get together tonight and I was hoping that you and Liamae might want to join us.”
“Kiki already invited me,” Lavinia said with a smile, “she said you’d probably forget. Who was that?” she asked looking to Brent.
“Oh the village brew master,” I said with a dismissive wave, “I think his uncle built the church in town or something, you didn’t say if you were going to come with us tonight or not!”
“No I didn’t,” she said with a mischievous smile, “what were you two talking about?”
“This and that,” I said with a shrug, “why don’t you tell me for certain so we can meet you somewhere?”
“A lady should never commit to late invitations,” Lavinia said as if she was quoting something, “or else seem too available or desperate.”
“But it’s just going to be us girls,” I said.
“That’s beside the point,” she said giving me a funny look, “How’d you meet this Brent fellow?”
“Oh he stumbled across me bathing in the jungle . . .”
“What?!” She said, her eyes practically bulging. It’s odd, but even considering all that we’ve been through, I don’t think I’ve seen Lavinia shocked or surprised before. “When was this?” she demanded
“Can we stick to the matter at hand?” I asked, “Some things are more pressing then others, namely I want to know if you’re coming to the party tonight?”
“You can’t just drop a tale like that and not finish it!”
“Well come out with us tonight and I’ll finish it . . . scandalous details and all . . .” I added to sweeten the pot. There weren’t really any scandalous details in my mind but Lavinia didn’t know that.
Lavinia crossed her arms and looked for a moment if she were about to pout, but thankfully she glared up at me with the fire spirit that I’ve always admired, “Well then,” she growled, “You leave me no choice. But this had better be a darn good story Tristan; I mean to force me into accepting such a late invitation. What will people think?”
“All sorts of naughty thoughts I’m sure,” I said for some reason, but thankfully Lavinia laughed, eliminating any possible awkwardness. I decided to not press my luck and quickly make my exit (claiming I had matters elsewhere) to avoid saying anything odd or boring. I always seemed to care what I said around Lavinia for some reason. I didn’t care what most people thought about me . . . but these days I found I cared very deeply for Lavinia’s opinion.
That afternoon I made sure the captain’s logs were up to date. I wanted everything in order for when I handed the ship over to Amella. I didn’t doubt for a second that she couldn’t handle the crew or the responsibility but I wanted to be sure that everything on my end was in order. I wanted to be sure all the paper work was in order. After I corrected anything that needed tidying up I left the log with one final note of confidence for Amella:
From here on in the Wyvern is yours,
Sail her as you feel fit.
I know you’ll do a wonderful job,
Far better then I managed I’m sure,
But if ever you need me, be it friend or confidante,
Know that I’ll always be willing to share whatever burdens you entrust with me.
Tristan
Kiki and Buffy were in the room deciding what to wear for our little night out by the time I’d finished. For me the choice was obvious: my grey silk. No other dress fit me as well or looked as good. When I stood in front of the mirror I thought I was looking at another woman, a stately, regal, and powerful one. I was not longer the scrawny little lab assistant of a few months ago, but I was now a powerful and successful wizard. I could even be considered pretty or even beautiful in the eyes of some.
When everyone was dressed and groomed (I was amazed at how long Churtle took to oil her scales) we left the ship and after regrouping with the woman of our ship, namely Amella, Orlani, and Lirith, and the women from the Blue Nixie, namely Lavinia and Laimae, we descended upon the village in full force. The primary calibrations were set in and around the town’s great hall and there was food being offered fresh from the great cook fires outside, and drink (namely beer) being offered inside . . . naturally we elected to set up on the inside. We found a table and chairs that we could claim as our own, and after establishing a home base, we sent small gathering parties out to fetch food and drink.
“So,” Lirith said as she returned with a big plate of food for us to pick at, “spill the goods about Avner!”
“Ladies,” I said, handing out the glasses of beer, “before we get into the actual heart of our ladies night, namely the eating and drinking . . .”
“And the gossip!” shouted Lirith.
“ . . . Well, before we get into any of that,” I said, continuing, “I have an important announcement. As many of you know we’ve been through a lot together, and our journey thus far has been quite difficult, but as we prepare to hit the open waters, you all must realize that our journey may become far, far more difficult.” I waited for those words to set in before continuing, “The open waters of the Vohoun Ocean will present a whole new host of dangers and problems and only an experienced captain should tempt Osprem’s humor. That’s why, effective immediately; I’ll be stepping down as captain and appointing the most competent person I know for the job: Amella Venkalie!”
Amella looked surprised when I said I was stepping down, I was a little disappointed when Lirith and Orlani cheered, but I wondered why Lavinia’s face remained neutral. Amella stood and looked to me before I announced her name.
“Are you sure,” she said . . . although the way she said it didn’t make it sound exactly like a question.
“Positive,” I said glaring at the two malcontents, “I’ve spread myself too thin as of late and this next portion of our journey needs a dedicated captain. Even if I felt capable I’d need to focus all my time and energy on this portion of the voyage and right now, considering everything, I simply can’t do that. I need to concentrate on my magic, I’ve spent so little of my time on that already, and I feel the best way for me to contribute now is to focus on what I do best. I’m the only wizard aboard so I need to work at perfecting and improving my art. Amella you’re a sailor, sail water practically flows through your veins, and it’s high time for me to get out of the way and let you do what you do best.”
Amella nodded, and she raised her chin as if feeling a touch of pride, “fine Tristan,” she said, “you did a fine job getting her here, I’ll see her the rest of the way.”
“I’ll be willing to take a turn at the helm as needed,” I said looking to Amella, “but I’m removing myself from all other duties. Promote whoever you feel is best to share your new work load, but I’d recommend James as your right. Now that the serious business is over, let’s get to the business at hand! Let’s drink!”
I had hoped that Lirith had forgotten about her agenda for the evening by the time I was done with the serious talk, but no sooner did I sit back down, then she was back at me asking about Avner. There wasn’t nearly enough scandalous details to satisfy Lirith and she quickly turned to Orlani for details about James. It was the kind of talk that made my cheeks burn. Thankfully I was able to blame it on the beer.
Speaking of the beer, the food and drink was excellent. The beer was surprisingly cool and crisp, although it would have tasted better with something salty, but I welcomed the taste of fresh fruit and vegetables. There were kabobs (made with fish), fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, some rather poor cheese, raw oysters, cooked shellfish, and more mystery meat. I tried everything, some of the more squeamish among us avoided anything strange or different, but as long as it wasn’t rat or slugs I was willing to try anything.
The conversation continued along the same path, much to my chagrin, for quite some time, but welcome respite in the conversation came in a most unwelcome way. The hall suddenly began buzzing with angry shouts and many of the villagers stormed outside. I knew something was up so I quickly followed. Outside I found a crowd gathered around Avner, his servants, and a local village girl. The shouts were directed (of course) at Avner. People being angry at Avner was nothing new, so I struggled with my basic understanding of Oman to discover the particular source of this particular rage. Avner’s shouts aided me greatly:
“I just wanted to buy her,” Avner was shouting, “I was going to offer her father a good price!”
Thankfully Kale stepped in before I had to do something . . . and in my particular mood I wasn’t sure what that something would have been.
“Avner,” Kale said in a low growl, “get your ass to the ship right now.”
“No see here . . .” Avner tried to interject.
“Now!” Kale shouted, causing even some of the villagers to jump. Avner left with as much dignity as he could muster, but went directly to the ship. Kale followed to make sure the imbecile didn’t try to double back or venture anywhere else on the island.
“Lady captain,” said the chief, suddenly approaching me from the crowd, “this man has greatly insulted our honor . . .”
“Just be thankful you don’t have to live with him,” I growled as I glared at Avner’s retreating form, “I’ve come close to strangling him more times than I care to count.”
“Why do you allow him to keep doing these things?” the chief asked.
“Let me tell you a bit about Avner,” I said turning to the chief, “he was born into wealth and privilege, he hasn’t worked an honest day in his life, and yet he somehow believes this is an accomplishment or that he’s better than everyone else. He is quite possibly the most stupid, self centered, pompous twit I have ever had the misfortune of meeting, and yet, and this will surprise you, and yet I feel sorry for him. He’s too stupid to realize that everyone, including his own father, thinks he’s a waste of human flesh. Nobody who knows him wants anything to do with him. I have no doubts that he’ll die alone and forgotten. We’re heading to the Isle of Dread soon and I have a feeling that Avner won’t survive long there. In fact I’d speculate that he won’t survive the year but knowing these things doesn’t except him from his current actions.” I turned to my nearest crew mate, which happened to be Fredrick, “Fredrick, pass the word on that Avner is confined to the ship for the rest of our visit.”
“There is still the mater of the girl’s family,” said the chief.
“And please talk with this girl’s family and see that there are no hard feelings?” I quickly added.
“I’ll look after it immediately,” Fredrick said turning to the chief, “please mighty chief, show me the people that this buffoon has offended.”
I returned (with some of the others who had ventured out) to our little gathering. Thankful there was no more unpleasantness. Liamae did ask me if I was dating Kale though. I nearly choked on my drink.
“What?!” I asked when I could breath.
“It’s just that you two always seem to be at each other’s throats,” Liamae laughed, “I always assumed it was sexual tension.”
“No!” I snapped, “No, no, no, no; a million times no. That’s just . . . no! Kale is, I guess, a fairly decent human being, but I don’t find him attractive mentally or physically. I mean he’s not without his good qualities . . . he’s head and shoulders above Avner, but he’d still need a telescope to even see anyone I’d consider dating as a last resort. He’s a friend and that’s it. If anyone is interested please don’t let me stand in the way!”
“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,” Liamae laughed.
I ignored the laughs and comments. Kale was about the last person on the ship I’d choose. To be honest I don’t find any of the men interesting but if I was forced to choose one I guess I’d pick Fredrick. He’s quite and he comes from a similar background as me. He’s educated, at times he seems quite amiable, and he’s not big and muscular like the others. I digress though; thankfully I didn’t have to put up with too much more of that talk.
We drank well into the night. Some of us drank more than others, Lirith in particular . . . sometime after the Avner incident Lirith spotted James wandering near our tables and she stood and demanded a dual. James, a true equal opportunity employer, accepted the challenge. The two stood a few paces apart and drew swords. Lirith moved first, she swung low; James hopped over her blade, switched his sword from a single to a double handed grip, and smashed Lirith (in the head) with the broad side of his broadsword: Lirith practically cartwheeled across the room! We all jumped to come to her aid but she was already struggling to stand by the time we reached her. We did advise her to concede the fight to James as well to stay down till her head cleared. The alcohol and the smash she took to the head practically guaranteed the later. James sulked off after that, I can’t blame him after the looks he got from some of the others, but I can’t blame him for smashing the silly girl . . . she picked the fight, she deserved the consequences.
I think I’ll trail off here, it’s late, and we sail at first light. Suffice to say the rest of the evening went well. Amella will be looking after things from here on in, but I doubt that I’ll be able to shake my morning routine so easily. Kiki seems to have passed out, Buffy is happily sawing logs, and Churtle, though quite droopy eyed, is trying to do some last minute scribbles in her work book.
Thanks to the gods for these welcome interludes,
Cthulhu dreams
I'm really impressed so far. You certainly could be a contender if there was a novelization. One thing I really like about how you depict your character is that she is complex; she's at once vulnerable, really tough and ruthless, intelligent, climbing out of her 'box' with difficulty at times, sometimes pushy and at other times humble. She's not easy to put into a box herself, which I quite like. And thanks for giving me a sly little link in my questions thread that led me here.