Setting Sail Southward¶

2022-Nov-27

• Kleb spends some time inspecting his scroll and discovers that it is missing the safeguards for the caster (and any safety measures at all for that matter), suggesting that the necrotic energy may leak out of the target area
• Match specializes in natural decomposition. He mentions to Rulkorf a recent phenomenon he’s noticed – in the last few weeks, the lifeforce of those who die seems to extinguish quicker than it used to. He is not particularly alarmed, but he asks Rulkorf to look into it when he seeks knowledge to the south
• Rowan goes for a walk and ends up at a library, trying to get some insight into the mirror realm symbol by showing the clerks Kleb’s sketch. A crazy old man eats the paper to prevent the paladin from “cursing him”
• Bright and early, the party heads down to the docks to catch their ride. Rowan and Kleb (calling himself Cap’n Klubch) meet Captain Alabaster of the Oremaster
  • The Oremaster is a double-masted cargo ship with a crew of 18. It has no fixed armaments on the deck but there are two magic-users on board from the Merchant Arcane
  • The mages, a wizard named Mezzos and a witch named Tesia, serve in a utility role and have defensive capability as needed
• At the captain’s advisement, Kleb and Rowan both doff their metal armor so as to avoid an untimely drowning
  • Captain Alabaster refers the inexperienced pair to the boatswain, Tim, to receive their tasks. “Brosun” Tim shows them the ropes they should pull as needed, and tells them to follow the lead of the other sailors
  • Rulkorf gets oriented at the helm. Alabaster says that they had been hiring interim navigators at port for the last few months, so this arrangement worked out well. They are expecting a roughly 3 day journey before the first stop
• Kleb gets his ego bruised trying to impress the female mage
• Rulkorf sets them on a good heading before passing off responsibility to a lackey and taking some time to himself. Being back in a crew on the open ocean is a bit disconcerting, and the dwarf climbs the rigging and quietly looks out to the horizon
• Rowan sings some shanties with the crew and Kleb inserts himself anywhere that an impressive amount is being lifted, pulled, or carried
• At the evening meal and shift change, the party discovers that the cook is Hanano Borami, Rulkorf’s old friend and crewmate
  • The dwarf introduces him to the other members of the party, and they spend some time reminiscing and sharing information about what happened since they last saw each other
  • Hanano mentions that Zamar is still running their old ship, but he doesn’t have the skill to maintain the morale of the crew and lead them in the face of rumors about a curse
  • The pair teach Rowan about many nautical superstitions, most of which are real but some of which are pranks
• Kleb tries to chat up the witch once again, but fails to hold his own in a discussion of meteorology
  • Not only does he not impress Tesia, but Mezzos traps him in a conversation about clouds
• Rowan shares a “superstition” he learned with Kleb. The next day, the fighter tries to carry it out so he can earn some good luck: traverse the entire height of the ship from the bottom of the hold to the top of the mast in one go, without getting sick or hurt
  • Kleb slips off the mast and starts to fall, but manages to use his broom for a gentle hovering landing and a couple victorious orbiting laps around the ship
• Rulkorf swipes some salted meat from the kitchen, which Hanano notices but lets him get away with for old times sake
• That night, there is a dense fog blanketing everything and reducing visibility. Tesia is hailed psychically via a Message spell, and relays an ultimatum to Alabaster: surrender or face a massacre
  • The captain calls out for everyone to prepare for battle, as the crew rushes to the deck. Off the starboard bow, Rulkorf notices with his spyglass that one bank of fog has been magically conjured. It was obscuring a pirate ship, which pulls up next to the Oremaster and looses a barrage of harpoons for tethering and boarding
  • Kleb grabs the bag of holding from belowdecks and retrieves his swords so he can jump into the fray
  • Rowan, shieldless and armorless but undaunted, meets the attackers with his new sword
  • Rulkorf gets slashed by a pirate but summons a hail of ice and sleet to blanket the enemy ship
  • The pirate captain, a menacing figure with a beard black as obsidian, throws two cutlasses, one of which dances through the air and slashes Kleb