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Although the snowstorm is much worse than the rain before, almost everyone manages to huddle up and keep warm. Drago and Taggrik wake up with sore and grainy eyes, tired from the responsibilities on them. Normally a ship would have beached by now. The sunlit dawn is masked by flurries of snow and heavy sleet, making the wooden deck treacherous under foot. Thankfully Kurn's lines will probably save anyone who slips nears the sides.
The two leaders hold a heated discussion away from everyone, with Taggrik helplessly pointing all around and Drago staying fixed and stubborn. Eventually Taggrik lowers his head a little and walks off with his own private thunderstorm on his brow.
Profession (Sailor):
Ragnar dusts the snow off of his shoulders after his uneasy sleep. He surveys the sea and the skies with a troubled expression, but says nothing.
"Excuse me captain". "Maybe I can help" Stefnir says approaching carefully over the frozen deck.
"Ragnar, take the tiller" shouts Kurn at the waking Ragnar. Once Ragnar takes the tiller, Kurn moves toward Drago, Taggrik and Stefnir. "Drago, we are way off course!" Kurn points at the sun rise hardly visible amongst the rain and clouds. "With respect, we must head east until we sight land again. Another night in this weather may be the death of some of the crew Drago. Taggrik, do you not agree?"
Wisdom check:
Anya frowns heavily as she overhears the argument, she's overheard enough stories of ships and storms to guess what it must be about. Stomping over and arriving at about the same time as Stefner, she glares as he goes about his business and when done asks him sternly
"Are you Sure? Our lives depend on your skill priest."
Wisdom check: 1d20+2
Anya frowns heavily as she overhears the argument, she's overheard enough stories of ships and storms to guess what it must be about. Stomping over and arriving at about the same time as Stefner, she glares as he goes about his business and when done asks him sternly
"Are you Sure? Our lives depend on your skill priest."
"Yes I am sure". "I do not question your abilities, why would you question mine".
Ragnar calls to Anya from where he's taken the tiller from Kurn.
"Stufnuh's uh Drood. 'ou cuhn tuhst hum."
He taps his temple, nodding.
"Smuht."
"I hope so - it'd be terribly embarrassing if our great adventure consists of sailing around lost for weeks," Helga grins, in relatively good spirits.
Not lessening her glare in the slightest, Anya merely replies with
"Hmph. You Better be."
Turning away she mumbles mostly to herself "Never had no truck with sissy, interfering Druids anyhow. 'Anya! Put that boy down!', 'Anya, why do you always have to react with your fists?'....Bah! Druids!"
Ari awoken by the argument,tries to overhear what is being said.
Wisdom
Saorise wakes bleary eyed and sits quietly as she readies her spells for the day. The first thing she does is recast the endure elements on herself, a routine she has come to treat like any other daily chore.
She pays little attention to what is happening with Drago and Taggrik, trusting that if anything needs to be brought to her attention, then Jorgen will do so. Instead, she makes her way around the confines of the ship, taking in what little it has to offer.
Wisdom check
"I'd listen to the man if I were you," Jorgen mutters, observing the discussion while occasionally glancing over at Saorise's wanderings.
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Taggrik and Drago listen to Stefnir. The ship master ignores Kurn at first while he thinks about the direction that the druid points.
"So north is pretty much straight ahead. So long as you can keep pointing the right direction, then that's just what I need. This storm isn't getting any better and your spell will help me keep us heading north by west towards Ackrieg."
Drago looks at Stefnir's face gauging just how much the druid can be trusted. "Kurn, Anya, this druid says that that is north and that is good enough for me."
Around the ship, Ragnar and Ari see swirls of snow blotting out the horizon and very dark clouds overhead, mirrored by the colour of the sea. The cries on the whistling wind is like Krakis laughing at the ship. Visibility is down to about twenty feet or so.
About five minutes later, Taggrik nods to Stefnir to cast the orison again, "better check in this weather, I have no way of knowing if I'm being blown off course. Which way is north?"
Most of the crew stay huddled in small groups down each sidewall trying to use the wooden walls as small kind of comfort. Kanud of Urgen comes over to the Ice Maiden and Jorgen, his teeth chattering a bit, "Miiistre-ress, than-cue ffor hel-hel-helping my brudders." He then stands close to listen in to the conversation at the tiller. "Wah-waht is up?"
Helga drifts over to Saorise and Kanud, stamping her feet to keep her circulation going.
"This is bad weather for this time of year," she comments. "I think our druid is directing our helmsman - no bad thing either. The only good thing about this murk is that damnable archer won't be able to find us even if he did get himself a boat. Meanwhile, we're all freezing ..."
Helga thinks a moment, looking at the dispirited crew.
Kurn isn't sure about Drago, but Taggrik has a good reputation as a Master so he will bow to his judgement. Kurn turns to move back to the tiller and help Ragnar now the storm is getting worse. However, first he says to Stefnir and Jorgen "the storm is getting worse and there is fell presence in the air. Keep your wits about you and lets hope none of the crew die of exposure!"
Jorgen puts a hand on the boy's shoulder and quickly mutters a phrase, chanelling a lettle strength into the boy's system.
"You're all brave men, braver than many who stood by."
If she can even hear them, Anya ignores Jorgen's and Drogo's comments. Moving to the front of the ship she keeps her blanket wrapped about her, though not as tightly as she had the night before as her regular tolerance toward the cold seems to have returned.
Standing at the prow of the ship she sulks and glowers about, well, everything while thinking that the least she can do in this damnable weather is to try and keep a sharp lookout.
Perception:
But she far to self-involved in her internal anger to see much of anything past the tip of her nose.
Kanud of Urgen comes over to the Ice Maiden and Jorgen, his teeth chattering a bit, "Miiistre-ress, than-cue ffor hel-hel-helping my brudders."
Saorise sighs and nods her head at the man. As he turns to walk away, she reaches out and speaks a few Arcane syllables. Immediately Kanud feels the biting cold start to abate and warmth start to return to his limbs.
"What are you smirking at," she says to Jorgen as she catches him grinning at her kindness. "If he dies that just means I have to row and that's not something I want to see happen."
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Stefnir
Kanud grins as he realises what the woman has done, like a younster the teenager runs back to his brothers to show them that he has the magical power in him too. Olaf and Thorsten huddle round him laughing in the snow flurries.
"I can certainly tell you the direction a few times per day, but don't want to overtax the spirits by asking for their aid constantly."
DM
Kurn moves to the tiller and joins Ragnar. "This is a bad storm Ragnar, lets hope Krakis is watching over us". Kurn then prays to Krakis silently.
Ragnar nods at Kurn's assessment.
"Nnn. Muh-ve Kuhguhs uz tuzztin uhz. Uh duhnnuh."
His brow furrows, looking over the crew and the ship. Adding up boons and subtracting omens as if that would somehow provide greater insight to the situation.
Saorise sighs and nods her head at the man. As he turns to walk away, she reaches out and speaks a few Arcane syllables. Immediately Kanud feels the biting cold start to abate and warmth start to return to his limbs.
"What are you smirking at," she says to Jorgen as she catches him grinning at her kindness. "If he dies that just means I have to row and that's not something I want to see happen."
Jorgen's grin widens. "If you're not careful you might melt around the edges Ice Maiden"
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"I can certainly tell you the direction a few times per day, but don't want to overtax the spirits by asking for their aid constantly."
DM ** spoiler omitted **
Stefnir
Whispered to Stefnir/Perception check DC16 everyone else nearby or listening in
Taggrik looks over at Kurn, Ragnar and Befroi as he takes the tiller back, "check the ropes and sail, make sure that the snow isn't about to weigh it down too much. If that sail rips then we have no spare."
Perception:
With ears like a cat's, Helga picks up on the comment and moves up to the two of them, looking around at the heaving sea.
"I heard what uou said, master Taggrik, Druid Stefnir," she says quietly. "Master Taggrik, do the waves change direction they are moving in much when you are at sea? Because if they usually keep moving from the same direction, can't you use them to guide yourselves by, once you know which way is north?"
"Yes Taggrik. Come on Ragnar lets sort that sail out". Kurn will help Ragnar with the sail as ordered.
Ari jumps up and down to get his body going and get some warmth into those cold bones. As he does he tries to overhear something being whispered to Stefnir.
Perception
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Morning turns into afternoon and the storm shows no sign of slacking. The light snow flurries mask visibility for most of the time, occasionally someone spots a hint of the horizon.
Ragnar and Kurn have no problems with the ropes and the sail is tough enough to withstand the storm. The sail looks to be about five to ten years old, and the mast shows signs of being a from a much older time, maybe even from a different vessel.
Many of the crew stay huddled together, not daring to look Drago in the eye. Ingjald and his cronies mutter in a cluster near the burnt prow.
Kanud and his warm younger brothers keep themselves busy on watch, thanks to endure elements magicks they do not feel the cold. They are like a group of young lads laughing and joking an this big adventure when all of a sudden, the youngest boy points into the storm ahead.
"Iceberg ahead!" he shouts and sure enough the dark outline of a massive berg looms out of the snow. Taggrik wipes the snow from his eyes as he leans hard against the tiller "get away from the sides!" he cries out loud.
Kanud, Olaf and Thorsten all stand with mouths open at the front as the grey-blue ice carves towards them at the slowly turning prow, hypnotised by the sight.
"He said get away!" Helga repeats, grabbing the nearest two by their shoulders and jerking them back from the sides. If she has time and he still fails to move, she hauls back the third.
Never having moved from the prow, Anya tolerates the laughing presence of the three boys. Although she does not show it, she actually enjoys their carefree ways. When the warning of the icebergs rings out though she is much less gentle than her sister and shoves the remaining boy to safety.
Then, ignoring the warning herself, she readies the blunt end of her spear, and will attempt to push the ship away from the berg if it looks like they will pass too close. At the top of her lungs she yells to the strongest among them "Ari! Help Taggrik with the tiller!"
(Strength & Dex check if needed: & )
"Ragnar! Grab an oar and help Anya to push us away from the iceberg if necessary". Kurn will also pick up an oar and move to a position to help Anya and Ragnar.
Ari jumps to his feet and rushes over to help with the tiller.
Having less experience sailing Jorgen takes Saorise with him to the center of the boat, away from the dangerous sides, ready to pitch in wherever needed most.
If she sees Anya struggling with an oar, Helga will move to help her.
Stefnir puts his sharp senses to use peering intently into the storm to try and help the ship navigate a safe passage through the ice floes.
Perception
Ragnar runs for the prow, helping Anya manage the unwieldy oar.
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The snow flurries part to show the sheer size of the iceberg, easily three times the height of the sail to the top, but the steep slopes fall away to the water before the Albatross.
Stefnir
As the oars bend into the ice, the Albatross is already moving to the left.
Strength:
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It is lucky that Taggrik reacted so quickly and with Ari's help the Albatross managed to avoid a head on collision with the iceberg. The oars prove little or no help as the massive growler plows past the ship on its right. Despite the valiant efforts of Anya, Helga, Ragnar and Kurn, the oars just bend a little then spring the women and men away towards Jorgen and Soarise.
Stefnir is first to notice that as the ship passes the front of the berg, there are ice formations rising ahead, part of the same large berg that Taggrik just missed.
The ship was travelling at its best speed but the turn has bled some of that away when the ship suddenly runs aground facing the long ice wall ahead that curve all around the left of the Albatross too.
There is a shriek from the hull as the ship stops in the shallow water, its keel stuck in the ice of the berg. Worse is to come as there is the pinging of ropes and the sail boom spins above before dropping like a stone onto those in the very centre of the ship.
Drago dives forwards into the huddle under the mast and manages to tackle three sailors out of the way, however this puts him directly under the mast as it lands with a loud crash.
The ship cants over to the left a little and everyone can see through the snow flurries at what stands above the ten foot high ice wall. The ice plateaus and then shows a beautifully angled black entrance into the ice peak, carved with ice creatures. Two tall men stand at the sides as guardians and the sea serpent, Krakis, biting his tail in anger.
Seeing the boy moving towards Saorise Jorgen makes a decision that may be his last. Stepping forward he holds his position, buying the boy time to push the sorceress clear.
Seeing Jorgen disappear under the falling mast, Kurn moves to his body and examines him.
Heal Check
Kurn sees that Jorgen is badly hurt, but wonders if saving him will just keep another enemy alive. However, Kurn channels positive energy
"I hope the evil witch is worth risking your life for warrior?" Kurn whispers to Jorgen as he gains consciousness.
"The Captain, Anya help me!" Helga scrambles amid the wreckage of the sail and boom, searching for Drago, fearing he's been crushed and pined beneath the boom.
Cursing under his breath as the symbols appear on the ice, Stefnir attempts to dive away from the tangled mess.
And is able to dive under the ship's side as the riggings fall.
Ari rushes from the tiller to where Helga is trying to move the wreckage.
He will help her with any heavy lifting she may need, trying to reach anyone hurt and pull then to safety.
Throwing down the useless oar with a curse, Anya rushes to lend her strength to lifting the mast off of Drago.