Chapter 8: Wistful and Weathered

[Darren]

Kal watches Streko rant and his face goes sad. With a sigh, he gets to his feet and steps carefully around the puddle that the halfling left on the floor. Going next to his friend, he slides down next to him. "I understand, Streko. And we will get back to Varn and we will take care of Larest. It will all be done. But we have to be smart about it, right? We can't get back to Varna if we're all dead. Trust me, my friend." Kal grins. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

Placing his hands on his knees, Kal pushes himself to his feet and moves to the door, once again avoiding the pool of halfling sick. Opening the door, Kal pokes his head out and looks left and right. "Could we perhaps borrow a mop? And a bucket of water?" he calls out.

[Ken]

"Brilliant," says Belarin, clearly annoyed and trying again to contain his own gorge from rising after Streko's act. "Fine. You're upset. Hit a wall next time! Self-pity accomplishes nothing. Nothing."

He moves into the center of the room as Kal requests a mop. "Worse still, I've forgotten the clever retort I had for Kal's weak insult. Moving on... If you'll listen, I have a couple of suggestions on how to handle our unfortunate voyage and how to get the crew to side with us when things with Larest come to a head. And that is 'when,' not 'if.'" He looks at Adamant. "But first, though, I'd like to hear your thoughts on our situation, Adamant. I've known you only a short time, yet you seem very observant, picking up little details the way a dry sponge soaks up water, or um, clerical vomit. And you haven't let your emotions -- and I know you have them -- get in the way. What do you think?"

[Dave W.]

"I remind you that i am a simple creature, but since you request my thoughts..."

"i will warn you that there are some thoughts you may not like. I know this because I find them bitter myself."

"First, we are on this ship. Unless one of you can call upon a power to take us back (and consider for a moment how much power that is) this is where we are."

"That being true, the Captain, the crew,  and the ship are all necessary for us. Damning or insulting them does not serve us. You may as well damn the air you need to breathe."

"I will add that I also think it unjust to accuse the Captain. Clearly she is unhappy with our abduction; or was until we acted so poorly. But for now let us set that aside."

"But I wonder if perhaps this is where we are meant to be. I have been taught that this life is a Test; that at the end of it we all are Judged. It is these moments where we prove ourselves. I beg you not to despair but to look for purpose instead."

"Perhaps there is more to our being here. Hold firmly to that while I share the bitterest thought. I do not believe we can attack Larest, neither on board nor when we dock."

"this is difficult... Know that if you ignore my thoughts and attack him, I will fight beside you with all my skill and strength..."

"But I must tell you, I am uncertain that we can take Larest by force. Belarin, Kal, could you duplicate the spells we have already seem him use? How much power do you suspect he has? And we have seen how he plans. He will be prepared for us on the dock."

"I am not afraid of ceasing that comes for all creatures. But he has defeated us once I am not ready for him to defeat us again."

"And even if we are able to put him down, we can not."

"We must assume that part of what he told us is true. There is a relic of great power. In that case we also need his knowledge."

"Suppose the thing exists and knowledge of it is spreading as he says. Suppose then that we kill him on the docks? Every power will try for it. Just the attempting may restart the war. And what if it is the Emerald Claw that wins it? Or the Blood of Vol? Or if Larest gains this power?"

"As Kal said there is the short game and the long game. It is possible that the Host has placed us in position to win the long game."

"in any event, I suggest we work to defeat Larest by finding and destroying this artifact and worry about killing him afterwards."

"those are my thoughts; but, again I am simple... I could be wrong in every particular."
--------
with apologies for the length

[Brian]

Condign stops pushing the hammock and listens to Adamant. He slowly turns and faces his friend, his hands falling to his sides. What he is hearing is no less than a concise summary of the tactical dynamics of the groups current situation. When Adamant is done, Condign walks over and stops before the tall warforged. Then he bows deeply, the first such show of unconditional respect he has ever given any construct, creatures that he'd previously abhorred.

"Well said, my lord Adamant. You honor us with your knowledge." He gestures to everyone. "He is right, you know. Acting on our anger, while justified, may be as futile as trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind." He smiles. "I tried it once as a boy. Useless." He turns his attention to Belarin. "You also continue to surprise me. That was a subtle but brilliant move."

[Jeff]

Kal:

"Could we perhaps borrow a mop? And a bucket of water?" he calls out.

One of the crew, a woman—Kal has counted four of them so far—hears him call out. She looks a few years older than him, has a salt-scoured complexion and the lines of hard living in her face but, being Kal, he immediately notes her attractive qualities. She's got a very athletic body...

"Aye?" she says, friendly enough, approaching, then pauses when she catches the smell. Her face wrinkles in disgust. She turns, walks away, and returns shortly with a mop and a bucket. Leaves them in the hall for him to come and get, then walks off again.

[Darren]

"My thanks, beautiful," Kal calls to her as she darts off. "It wasn't me, by the way! It was the halfling!" Pointing back into the room, Kal trails off as he repeats, "The halfling...." With a sigh at her retreating back, Kal grabs the mop and bucket and returns to the room to begin cleaning up. It is an odd thing to see from someone who generally believes he is entitled to the finer things, but he offers no complaint as he does the work, though he avoids making eye contact with any of his companions.

[Jeff]

Meanwhile, Tangat, who has been subdued and drowsy this whole time, now walks over and sits by Streko. The dog presses his body up against him and lays his head in Streko's lap. When the halfling seems so withdrawn, he starts nosing at his hand, trying to get him to interact. He whines.

[Mike]

As the halfling retches, Syrdan covers his face with a gloved hand. "This is usually why I work alone ..." the elf mutters quietly. He nods, though, in grim approval as Belarin speaks.

The elf listens quietly to Adamant, waiting until the warforged is finished. "There is much wisdom in what you say," Syrdan says quietly. "I don't necessarily agree with all your thoughts, but I understand your reasoning, and respect it."

"As a mentor of mine once told me, there's more than one way to flay a bugbear. I don't think we need the foul professor's knowledge to retrieve this artifact - and that assumes it even exists, and is as dangerous as the lying bastard claims." Syrdan absently wipes dirt away from his cloak. "Remember, everything we know of this supposed artifact comes from lips that are not to be trusted. I'm sure some of what he's told us is true ... but certainly not all of it."

"But if we choose to find this artifact, and if it's indeed as dangerous a threat as he claims, then yes ... using him as a resource makes things simpler."

"I prefer to kill snakes when I see them ... I don't like letting them slither around so they can bite and perhaps slay me later, no matter how helpful they may prove to be in other ways." He looks solemnly at Adamant. "But know this ... whatever we decide together, I swear by my ancestors that I'll abide by that decision. No matter what my own personal inclinations may be."

[Darren]

Kal stops mopping for a moment and leans on the end of the handle. It is oddly reminiscent of the sight of the man with his usual oversized Halfling sharrash. "Of course we can't just kill Larest the minute we get off the ship. But as the captain said, we have several days of sailing ahead of us. With an ego as big as he has, I doubt the nutty professor will stay silent the entire time. I'm certain we'll learn more of his plans. Then we can decide what to do about him once we land."

Kal returns to mopping. Without looking up, he says, "There was a halfling I met while on the Talenta Plains during the war who told me something very wise. He said, 'Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.'"

[Ken]

Belarin has a puzzled look as Adamant speaks, but he says nothing for a moment, although he actually seems to blush a bit at Condign's comment.

After Kal speaks, he says, "That vomit-soaked weapon may be more lethal than your sharrash, Kal. But... yes." Then, turning to Condign, he says with a look of mild surprise, "And thank you, Condign. I'm not sure I deserve the praise, but I'll happily take credit if someone believe I've done something brilliant and clever.

"Now... like Syrdan, I agree with most, if not all, of what Wise Adamant says about our options. Yes, Larest is lying scum. That said, I actually got the sense that he was telling the truth about this artifact ... or at least what he believes to be the truth. If it is that important, we may need his help to retrieve it -- just as he obviously needs ours. While Adamant's right to point out that we're now dependent on Morsha and the crew, Larest is dependent on us. So that's something in our favor.

"Here's another point in our favor: a lower threshold of success! For Larest, success means going through a gauntlet of challenges, retrieving a rare item supposedly capable of destroying the Five Nations and pulling blackberry jam from the skies, and surviving long enough to return to Khorvaire to use it. For us? Our goal is to return to Sharn alive. That's it. As far as I'm concerned, if the artifact mysteriously ends up lodged in Larest's ass, that's fine. The bigger, the better."

He addresses Syrdan and smiles. "I like snakes, actually. But if one bites me, I'll stomp on it, blast it with eldritch fire, find its nest and drop a stone on its eggs, and then turn it into my new belt. Larest will die. It won't be on this ship, and probably not while we're in Xen'drik, but Larest will become my new belt." He holds out his hand for Syrdan to shake. "Even if his death doesn't come on this voyage, can we agree on the final outcome? I'll make sure there's enough left for you to make new shoes. "

Then he turns to the others, the puzzled expression back on his face. "So ... getting back to what Adamant said ... what power did Larest display? If I'm the only idiot who had wine, how by the Host did he manage to subdue the rest of you?!"

[Jeff]

Shorak

Eventually another sailor approaches Shorak, this one on an errand. He's barrel-shaped, like a dwarf, but he's human. "You, drow."

"His name's Sherk," the dwarf woman says. "Some respect, eh?"

"Sherk?" the man repeats. "Fine. Captain wants to know if you'll share the cabin with the passengers. Not the mage or the, uhh, bull-man. Not them. The other ones, the angry ones." He offers an apologetic smile. "She says you haven't really earned any privacy, but it's only for sleeping. You can still go where you wish at other times. If you've got a problem with this...well, I'll tell her. But she's in a foul mood now, I'll warn you."

[Brian]

Belarin:

"So ... getting back to what Adamant said ... what power did Larest display? If I'm the only idiot who had wine, how by the Host did he manage to subdue the rest of you?!"

"It was some kind of poison," says Condign as he edges slowly away from the mop and bucket being so skillfully wielded by Kalarian. "It spread through the air until it consumed the entire group. Except for my lord Adamant, we all fell unconscious. A few of us tried to get out, but some force or power kept us from leaving the patio area. As to how we got here, I have no idea. I do not remember anything after I collapsed."

Condign crosses the room and sits on one of the bunks. Looking up at the others, he says, "Whatever Larest is, he is not stupid. Forcibly bringing us set us against him. He will expect us to not cooperate, even to work against him. And at some point to exact our revenge. He knows all of this, yet he still went ahead with his plans. I am worried that he has found some means by which he can guarantee our cooperation. Some threat he can hold over our heads that is severe enough to compel us go along with his plans. I have no idea what that could be. And I am afraid to find out."

He lays down on the bunk, folds his hands behind his head, and stares silently at the ceiling.

[Darren]

"Condign raises an excellent point," Kal says as he swirls up the mop with a flick of his wrist, lands it in the bucket, and pushes the entire thing against the wall near the door in one smooth motion. "It must have cost Larest quite a bit to get us here, and he knows we're dangerous and wouldn't be happy about it. He wouldn't have wasted the money if he didn't think he could make us agree to work with him. At minimum, we'll have to hear him out."

Opening the door, Kal pushes the mop outside and leans it against the opposite wall. Coming back into the freshly cleaned room, he falls heavily onto one of the beds. "Now, I think we know what our next course of action is, yes? I don't know about you, but I feel awful after our rough treatment by the fool professor. Perhaps everything will look better in the light of the morning?" Saying that, Kal puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes.

[Dave B.]

"It's Shorak, actually."

He looks at the messenger and sighs. "Not a problem for me, but I'm not sure how the 'angry ones' are going to feel about it. Oh well, show me where the cabin is. I better let them know sooner than later. If they don't want me, I'll just have to bed down in my cell for the night until matters sort themselves out. I have no desire to add to the Captain's foul mood."

Shorak will follow the sailor or the sailor's directions to the cabin.

[Joe]

Streko listens to his friends make plans. His heart aches and his mind is a jumble.

Meanwhile, Tangat, who has been subdued and drowsy this whole time, now walks over and sits by Streko. The dog presses his body up against him and lays his head in Streko's lap. When the halfling seems so withdrawn, he starts nosing at his hand, trying to get him to interact. He whines.

Streko pats Tangat's head and hugs him gently. "I'm sorry, Tangat," he whispers. "This must be much worse for you than me."

Kal watches Streko rant and his face goes sad. With a sigh, he gets to his feet and steps carefully around the puddle that the halfling left on the floor. Going next to his friend, he slides down next to him. "I understand, Streko. And we will get back to Varn and we will take care of Larest. It will all be done. But we have to be smart about it, right? We can't get back to Varna if we're all dead. Trust me, my friend." Kal grins. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

"No, you haven't," he whispers again. "Not once."

"Brilliant," says Belarin, clearly annoyed and trying again to contain his own gorge from rising after Streko's act. "Fine. You're upset. Hit a wall next time! Self-pity accomplishes nothing. Nothing."

Streko blushes and nods almost imperceptably.

"But I must tell you, I am uncertain that we can take Larest by force. Belarin, Kal, could you duplicate the spells we have already seem him use? How much power do you suspect he has? And we have seen how he plans. He will be prepared for us on the dock."

Streko clears his throat and again nods.

"He is right, you know. Acting on our anger, while justified, may be as futile as trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind."

"Wise," Streko says.

"But if we choose to find this artifact, and if it's indeed as dangerous a threat as he claims, then yes ... using him as a resource makes things simpler."

"I understand," he softly agrees.

"So ... getting back to what Adamant said ... what power did Larest display? If I'm the only idiot who had wine, how by the Host did he manage to subdue the rest of you?!"

"It spread through the air until it consumed the entire group. Except for my lord Adamant, we all fell unconscious. A few of us tried to get out, but some force or power kept us from leaving the patio area. As to how we got here, I have no idea. I do not remember anything after I collapsed."

"Perhaps everything will look better in the light of the morning?"

Streko stands weakly and moves toward the center of the room. He addresses Belarin. "He useda shield of some kind or perhaps something akin to your teleporting ability. I remember the outside world got dim. Olladra's fury reached out to him and stopped at a wall. No one saw us inside the room. No one heard our calls for help. It was almost as if we weren't where we thought we were or he moved us."

"It may come as no surpise to any of you, but I agree with Kal. We need our rest, badly. For what it's worth, I can promise you that there is nothign left in my stomach to heave up, so you will not have that worry again. And I apologize for my selfish actions."

He steps over to Kalarian and places his hand over the man's heart. "Thank you, my friend. For everything you did for me just now, for everything you've done. I will stand at your side should Khyber himself pay a visit."

He turns back to his friends. "Loyalty is earned, as is trust and respect. If I have damaged any of that with you, who have protected me and my family, then make your requests of me. I am at your service. I shall stay up and watch over you as you sleep. I doubt I could rest even if I wished it now."

He reaches back for his haversack and realizes it isn't there. He sighs, but says nothing else.

[Jeff]

The sailor escorts Shorak down belowdecks and to the cabin in question...

Streko:

"I shall stay up and watch over you as you sleep. I doubt I could rest even if I wished it now...."

With the door to the outer hall still open, the human and drow approach right then. Adamant is the first to notice them, then the rest of you.

"Captain says the drow'll be sharing this cabin with you," the sailor says nonchalantly. "For tonight, anyway. Things'll be settled more on the morrow."

Shorak stands there, looking cautious and not particularly thrilled to be thrown in with the wolves. And there is an unpleasant tang in the air that reminds him of some of the alleyways of Stormreach. It does, at least, appear that there's just enough room to accommodate him. With two bunks on the ground and four hammocks (Adamant not requiring a place to sleep).

"He's got no weapons, neither," the sailor says to you all, indicated the ash-skinned drow. "So you'll be fine."

Before anyone can say anything, Spindrift himself appears at the door, peering in. "Apologies," he says. "I would advise you to get some rest now. Clean water will be provided, and in the morning, you may go to the back of this deck for breakfast." He looks at Adamant. "Tomorrow we may be able to find something for you to do."

The first mate turns to go, then stops himself and looks in again. "I am sorry for your situation. I promise you, the captain was deceived and is quite unhappy with Professor ir'Zathyran. This is not a slave ship, nor a prison vessel. The Merrow Down carries cargo, and sometimes passengers. Nothing more. I hope you understand that. I am trying to convince her to return your possessions, so that none are disadvantaged; but right now she is convinced there will be a bloodbath if she does. Please prove to her that I am correct."

[Dave W.]

all kinds of simul-posting... Obviously this happens before the drow shows up.
--------------
"Please, Condign, I am no Lord; I have neither holdings nor dragonmarks. It isn't ... proper."

"As for how we got here," Adamant turns to Belarin, "I can tell the story..."

"The poison was in a flask, that was no great feat.  But we were blocked from leaving the patio room by an invisible shield."

"From the reaction of the wait staff, Larest's block on the door also blocked sound and cast an illusion of an empty room."

"Trapped, the light of the sun was blocked next. I believe some of you were still aware as that began."

"I do not know how long I stood waiting to be attacked. At some point I became idle. I should explain that a warforged idling is unlike your sleeping in that warforged remain aware."

"I do not know why he waited for this, perhaps he doesn't know I would remember it. In either case, somehow Larest caused the room to simply fade and the boat appeared in it's place."

"It seems powerful to me, but I am also not a mage. I would like your opinion."

[Brian]

Jeff:

"Captain says the drow'll be sharing this cabin with you," the sailor says nonchalantly. "For tonight, anyway. Things'll be settled more on the morrow."

Upon hearing the warforged, Condign rises from his bunk and greets the newcomer.

"Welcome!" he says, extending a hand. "I am called Condign. And you are. . . SherK? Shork? Shrek? I am sorry, but names confuse me. Either way, it is a pleasure having you here. This bunk under the halfling? It is the best spot on the ship. Please, make yourself comfortable."

[Dave W.]

"Thank you Master Spindrift." Adamant replies to the Mate's comments. "We appreciate your efforts."

"Shorak, welcome, there is plenty of room. We were just preparing for rest. But I would be very pleased to hear about you and your homeland later, if you don't mind indulging my curiosity."

"If no one objects I might sit on that chest for a while. I've been stNding for... Well, as it turns out I can't honestly say how long."

[Dave W.]

"Streko, please, we have all had a difficult time of it... We have all been poorly used. We are still you friends."

"if you wish to stay up a while that is fine, but you do also need to idle at some point. I will be reset in a few hours, you should try to find rest when I stir."
--------
warforged only sleep for 4 hours. Addy will be "on watch" for the second half of the night

[Dave B.]

Shorak shakes Condign's hand, "Shorak. Thank you, but I would be more comfortable in one of the hammocks."

"And thank you Adamant. Perhaps over breakfast we can share our tales with one another."

With that he nimbly throws himself into one of the empty hammocks and settles himself down for the night.

[Darren]

Kal does not open his eyes or react to the arrival of Spindrift or the newcomer, but anyone paying close attention will notice that he is clearly not asleep.

[Mike]

Feb 4, 2011 0:18:16 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

Adamant: "If no one objects I might sit on that chest for a while. I've been standing for... Well, as it turns out I can't honestly say how long."

Syrdan, still sitting on one of the chests, grins and raps a gloved fist on the other. "No one objects, my friend," says the elf. "Like you, I must 'reset' ... a curious word, that. I'd be curious to know how that actually works someday."

"But first, I must also rest. I'll take a second watch, if need be."

The elf, sitting cross-legged atop the chest, takes a deep breath and clasps his gloved hands together in his lap. His eyes close, and he sits up straight, his body calm and still. He remains motionless as his breathing slows.

[Brian]

"I would be glad to sit first watch also," Condign says. "I need the time to think."

[Ken]

Feb 3, 2011 22:35:28 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

"It seems powerful to me, but I am also not a mage. I would like your opinion."

As Belarin listens to Adamant's account of what happened after he fell unconscious, his eyes widen and then his face again becomes a puzzled frown. Looking around, he sees that his friends' expression confirm Adamant's description. He's about to respond when Shorak enters, with Spindrift appearing a few seconds later. "Yes," he says to the first mate, "we understand. Please let the captain know that we appreciate her situation, and you could perhaps suggest she consider what her initial reaction would be were our positions reversed. Thank you." After Spindrift leaves, he says to his friends, "That's a positive shift. Let's keep that going tomorrow."

He again greets Shorak, saying, "Good choice of the hammock. I hope you get some rest."

Then seeing as how his friends are also yielding to the stress of the past few hours, he walks over to the hammock he had selected and lays down.

Brian said:

"I would be glad to sit first watch also," Condign says. "I need the time to think."

"Then think about this, all of you," he says into the shadows. "Larest is not as formidable as he made you believe. Take the expert word of a trickster. With advance knowledge of the location and a small mountain of galifars, anyone could have done that. Even Kal. We'll talk more in the morning. Please wake me for second watch with Syrdan. Good night, friends."

Pause.

"Kal?"

Another pause.

"Thank you for cleaning up the vomit."

[Jeff]

Exhaustion quickly overtakes all of you.

The worldly need for sleep eventually reaches both Syrdan and Shorak; though their ancestors may have originated in the fey realm of Thelanis, the true mortal trait for slumber calls to them.

You swap watches, but at one time or another each person succumbs to deep, much-needed sleep.

Except Adamant. Once again he stands sentinel, left with only his thoughts. But though he has little to do but guard his fleshy companions, it's a world more interesting than the last time. There is no grey void to snuff out all time. This time there is a steady shifting motion of the ground, the creak of old but strong wood, the distant murmur of sailors, occasional footfalls (but not sinister).

And there is a window in this room, that looks out into the outer hallway, and directly across from it is a porthole. The horizon outside is invisible now, swallowed in the gloom, but he can hear the lapping of water against the hull. For someone accustomed to standing still for hours at a time, this is an environment full of stimuli.

Adamant knows nothing of the sea. Although Cyre was not a landlocked nation, by the time of his creation the borders had been redrawn and contested many times, and his service never brought him to the shores of southern Cyre. He has known only battlefields, vast open plains, and a few woodlands.

And though he knows little about the sea and the vessels that carry people across it, he knows this galleon, the Merrow Down, is quite large. Formidable. But he hasn't seen any ballistae; so this cannot be a war ship. Either way, it's got a large crew and it's clearly manned at all hours. The sailors work in shifts, so throughout his nocturnal wait he can hear them distantly moving about.

Wir, the 18th of Sypheros 998 YK

And the morning comes.

All of you awake at different times, but eventually you're all feeling much better....perhaps frustrated ot be here, but safe and among your allies.

Shorak woke earliest, left to consider his bunkmates in silence.

But once everyone's awake, you find fresh water has been placed in buckets just outside the door, and true to Spindrift's word, the smell of breakfast wafts in from the galley at the aft of the lower deck. Only a few sailors are walking about right here, and of the professor or his hirelings you see or here nothing at this time.

__________________________

Everyone's back up to max hit points. (With 6th level hit points, mind you. The world is your oyster.)

[Dave B.]

Shorak slowly wakens from a very deep sleep. He has not slept so well in weeks. Looking around, he notices that he is the first to rise. "Good morning Adamant," being careful to keep his voice low.

"Oh my, that smells wonderful. I think this morning I'm going to gorge myself a bit. It has been a while since I've had a hot meal."

He climbs out of his hammock, his stomach growling quite loudly.

[Brian]

Condign slowly opens his eyes. The first thing he notices is the smell of food. The second is that his stomach is not bothering him as much. He'll take all the small favors he can get.

When everyone is awake, he suggests they find the galley and then follows his nose.

[Mike]

"Excellent suggestion, Condign," Syrdan says. "I think we could all do with some breakfast."

The elf cautiously steps out of their cabin, and begins to head aft. He walks slowly, fully prepared to stop if need be, still not quite sure how much 'freedom' he and his companions have below the decks of the Merrow Down.

[Darren]

Kal's eyes open quite suddenly. He remains motionless for a moment, the lingering dream, so similar to the one he had after Larest's poison, still haunting him. He sits up and reaches out for his sharrash - an unconscious gesture. He frowns when he realizes it is not there. Pushing himself to his feet, he yawns and stretches. Despite everything, he does feel rested. With a look at his companions, but no words exchanged, he also heads out the door to seek food.