Chapter 20: Coming Dawn

[Darren]

Kal retrieves his staff from the corner, leaning heavily on it. "I attempted to contact the Keeper of Secrets again," he begins. "I've been thinking lately about destiny and had questions about it. I was foolish to tangle with the unknown that way." Kal looks down at his hand, a small flame rising up from his palm. He squeezes his hand shut, extinguishing the fire. "Power can be a trap. This was a reminder that I do not control it as much as I think I do. I will not make that mistake again." Kal meets Melethos' eyes.

[Brian]

Melethos rests his hands on Kal's shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with the attempt. We all know you possess no small amount of bravery. The problem arose from keeping it secret from us. We work as a team, help one another during difficult times. You need to be more open about the risks you feel are necessary."

He grips Kal's shoulders briefly, then releases him and returns to Histra's side. "Problem solved," he says, summarizing what had happened for everyone's benefit. "I'll remain here and help you finish," he adds to the necromancer.

[Jeff]

With Belarin already present, Histra continues her work, allowing (requiring) both him and Melethos to assist. She has them dispose of all the non-bone remains entirely; when she begins her spell, clumps of remaining flesh shrink or peel away from the bones so that eventually it is is quite clean. Or relatively so. There is a slight reddish hue to them now, a stain from the gore. But eventually nothing remains at all.

Then Histra summons forth her wraith from her staff of bone. It hovers ten feet away from the trio, seeming to suck the warmth from the air, pinpoint eyes fixed on the living. Then she begins her incantation, which lasts for a full minute. As she speaks her words of necromancy, the gathered bones assemble themselves into a proper skeleton. It stands erect, awaiting orders. But Histra isn't done just yet. She turns to the tiefling and eyes one of the pages of her book.

"Melethos, can you furnish this guardian with your favored weapon? Your sword, I would think, unless you have another preference. I will take responsibility for it and will return it to you in the morning. It is simply part of the ritual."

[Ken]

Belarin avoids breathing through his nose as he conducts the grisly tasks. He finds that repeated uses of the prestidigitation cantrip does wonders for masking unpleasant odors, too.

"Sorry, Adamant," he says in a nasally voice. "Kal's mind was affected by ... something. But Streko will take care of it, if he hasn't already."

As he resumes assisting Histra, the voices in his head mock him. Sad mortal wants to live in bliss! But now he's scooping dung and piss! Unfortunately, he can't think of a potent rejoinder. They're not wrong... but he also thinks back to what Sem said earlier. Why hasn't he questioned the voices for information about things other than what's in front of him? Even as annoying as they can be, they represent some sort of connection to Thelanis.

He asks Histra, "How old were you when you first created an undead?"

__________________

Simul-posted with Jeff, but still works.

[Brian]

Melethos's eyes narrow at Histra's request. Warriors simply do not give up their weapons. As a spellcaster, she doesn't seem to understand what she is asking.

Despite his reservations, he has come to trust the woman. She may be harsh, some might call pragmatic, but she hasn't let them down. He slowly draws his sword and hands it over to her.

"If you do not need me," he says, "I would like to resume my watch."

He waits to see if Histra dismisses him.

[Joe]

Streko nods with a smile. He doesn't realize he has blood on his face at first and wonders at Tangat's zeal in licking him. When he is reminded of the blood of Kal's hands, he chuckles. "Tangat has a taste for your blood now, Kal! I'd be very worried if I were you!" He pats the dog's head with loving gentleness. "Very worried, indeed!"

[Jeff]

When Melethos offers his sword, she gestures instead toward her new servant. "Thank you. Give it to the skeleton directly." The bony hand opens. "I assure you, nothing will happen with your sword, and it will return to you in the morning."

[Brian]

"I hope you understand how much this gesture means I trust you," Melethos says, handing the sword over to the skeleton. He doesn't like seeing his weapon in the boney grip of the undead creature but understands the need.

Leaving Histra to her work, he heads to the bow of the ship, where he starts another watch.

[Jeff]

"Where we're going, and where we've been together," Histra answers, "has surely shown that already."

The skeleton grasps the sword, and Melethos feels a ghostly chill run through him. It then turns away from him, wielding but not swinging the sword around. Her ritual proceeds for a time, and the wraith observes. From time to time, wisps of energy seem to float down from the spectral undead to the animate bones.

---

If anyone else has anything they wish to discuss or do, now's the time. Otherwise, we're moving into the first watch and the rest of the night.

[Joe]

Streko pulls Kalarian aside. "I need you to take less risks, Kal. We will need you for the end of this journey. All of us will need you," he says, gesturing toward Tangat. "Be more careful, and, as Melethos said, let someone know your plans. Don't do things alone anymore. Trust us to help."

[Darren]

May 5, 2021 21:36:49 GMT -4 Joe said:

Streko pulls Kalarian aside. "I need you to take less risks, Kal. We will need you for the end of this journey. All of us will need you," he says, gesturing toward Tangat. "Be more careful, and, as Melethos said, let someone know your plans. Don't do things alone anymore. Trust us to help."

"Of course, my friend," Kal says, leaning on his friend as he settles himself back down onto his cot. "I can be foolish at times. Thank you for bringing me back." Kal pulls off his boots and lays down onto the cot. "I am very tired, Streko. You can berate me more later."

[Dave B.]

"I knew you could do it, Streko." Shorak says with a gentle squeeze of the halfling's shoulder. "I'm going back. to sleep. Kal, try to get some rest." Shorak goes back to bed.

[Jeff]

"Go and rest," Histra tells Belarin when he begins to yawn, bidding him to go below. "I will follow later." She is too fixated on seeing her ritual through. Though the skeleton has been created, she is refining something about it and isn't explaining it to him. The wraith remains, and Belarin finds it hard to choose to remain in its company. The skeleton continues to hold Melethos's sword, and the necromancer continually speaks words of magic around it, occasionally "inscribing" something on both the sternum and skull.

The night deepens and the watches begin, with Streko and Melethos taking first watch. Adamant remains on deck, of course, and Calirataia one again returns to the wheel to keep the ship in (slower) motion during the dark hours of night.

Melethos feels somewhat defanged by standing watch with only his dagger and magical javelin, but at least he can see where his sword is at all times, and he knows now that he has other less obvious weapons at his disposal. Shorak and Kal (with Tangat) take the second watch, and finally Thul and Belarin.

Zol, the 3rd of Zaranytr 999 YK

Belarin finds Histra is still awake, looking spent, consulting her spellbook and looking over her skeleton. The wraith is gone now. Histra gives him only a weak smile when he approaches. "I am all right, I will sleep now. Tell Melethos he may reclaim his weapon." Belarin looks over to see the skeleton wielding two identical swords. "One is a facsimile," she explains. "Not enchanted like the tiefling's sword, but imbued with a small measure of his skill as a warrior. This servant will obey the commands of any of us. I'm . . . trying that out, to see if is useful or destructive."

When Thul comes up, sleepy-eyed and brooding, he walks over to the other two humans and the skeleton. "Good," he says, eyeing the undead. "But if he does anything I don't like, I'm breaking him."

Histra goes below, and the third watch finishes. Day has dawned, though it looks to be a wet, drizzly day.

When Kurra appears, she immediately sets to work rigging the ballista into its fishing net form.

Long rests done, spell slots, hit points, and hit dice updated. Those who prepare spells, choose away!

[Dave W.]

Adamant is pleased the night goes quietly, only disturbed by Histra's ritual.

In the morning he will chant his morning prayers and then find Kurra. He tries to help her rig the nets but mostly just awkwardly holds things. "Do you need me to create food for the day?" He asks.

"When you have time, and I very much appreciate how busy you are, Calirataia and I have some thoughts on designs as well. Obviously not a top priority."

[Ken]

Jeff, I tucked this question in at the end of my previous post:

He asks Histra, "How old were you when you first created an undead?"

May 6, 2021 8:33:17 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Go and rest," Histra tells Belarin when he begins to yawn, bidding him to go below. "I will follow later." She is too fixated on seeing her ritual through. Though the skeleton has been created, she is refining something about it and isn't explaining it to him. The wraith remains, and Belarin finds it hard to choose to remain in its company. The skeleton continues to hold Melethos's sword, and the necromancer continually speaks words of magic around it, occasionally "inscribing" something on both the sternum and skull.

After Histra finishes explaining how the skeleton may be more "advanced" than some of her previous creations, Belarin says, "Nicely done." And he's serious about it. Histra continually seeks to develop and expand her skills. Can he honestly say to himself that he's done the same?

He stands near the skeleton for a few minutes even after Histra goes below, just staring at it and pondering his own choices.

After a while, when Melethos comes onto the deck, Belarin walks over to him. "Melethos," he says, "can we talk? I mean, really talk?"

[Brian]

Having spent the night with unpleasant dreams of skeletons and pit fiends, Melethos wakes with a dry, unpleasant taste in his mouth. He rises, washes his face and hands, rinses his mouth, then methodically dons his armor. He grabs a slice of bread and heads up the ladder to the upper deck. There he sees Belarin approaching.

May 6, 2021 16:34:49 GMT -4 Ken said:

After a while, when Melethos comes onto the deck, Belarin walks over to him. "Melethos," he says, "can we talk? I mean, really talk?"

Giving the warlock a puzzled look, he says, "Let me get my sword first. I'll meet you at the bow."

The skeleton stands still nearby holding two swords, but he can tell which one is his. Melethos holds out a hand. "Give me my sword."

Assuming the skeleton does as commanded, Melethos will walk to the bow of the ship and stands next to Belarin.

"You have something on your mind." The tiefling doesn't phrase it as a question.

[Jeff]

The skeleton holds out one sword and, standing this close to it now, Melethos can easily see which one is his. Because the other isn't a proper sword at all. It gleams almost like one, but the more he looks at it the more the other sword (shaped like his) appears to be bone, as though it had grown there. It even appears to be fused with the skeleton's fingerbones clasped tightly around it. A curious thing.

But he feels better having his back.

[Dave B.]

Shorak rises and gets something to eat right off. After stretching a bit and gearing up, Shorak heads up on deck and just strolls around looking out at the water and the shorelines. He is in no rush to get back up to the crow's nest. He does a few exercises now and then between his stroll. "Curious." Shorak says when he comes upon the skeleton. He gives it a looking over and then just continues on.

[Ken]

Belarin watches in amazement as the skeleton actually responds to Melethos' command. Even as the tiefling approaches him, the warlock is still wide-eyed. "It obeyed you!" he says. "She actually did it..."

May 6, 2021 17:34:53 GMT -4 Brian said:

"You have something on your mind." The tiefling doesn't phrase it as a question.

"All right," he says. "About what happened on the shore... you crossed a line. I heard your apology, and I accept it. But you embarrassed me, badly." He pauses. "This is much more than vain pride. My arcane power comes from Raeshara -- mostly. A number of fey have had a hand, or talon, in my tutelage, including a few who are not as seductive and charming as a nymph. The powrie - redcaps - taught me how to fight, and they've made vicious, unforgiving mockery not merely an art form, but a source of power." He looks hard at the tiefling. "Melethos, why do you think all of my magic is draped in insults?

"What you did... it's only because you are my friend that I didn't do my level best to fry your brain, because that's what my power demanded." He looks toward the bow. "Should anything like that happen again - and I don't respond in kind - I don't know what will happen. Mistress Blackteeth will...." He smirks. "Well, that's another story."

He looks again at Melethos. "Honestly, I want to put this behind us. There's too much uncertainty already about our future, and I know I'll need your advice. Are we still friends?" He holds out his hand.

[Darren]

Kal stands near the stern of the ship, watching as the others rise and come on deck. He frowns at the skeleton. Somehow, despite his upbringing, he has never quite been comfortable around them. Still, he must admit that Histra's servants will be of great value to them, especially since the Gold Blades are no longer available to them. He frowns again. After this expedition, he may never have access to the resources of his House again. He looks down at the faintly glowing tattoo on his arm. A problem for another time.

He leans against the rail of the ship, feeling the breeze and the enjoying the quiet moment. There may not be many more in the coming days.

[Brian]

May 6, 2021 23:23:55 GMT -4 Ken said:

Belarin watches in amazement as the skeleton actually responds to Melethos' command. Even as the tiefling approaches him, the warlock is still wide-eyed. "It obeyed you!" he says. "She actually did it..."

May 6, 2021 17:34:53 GMT -4 Brian said:

"You have something on your mind." The tiefling doesn't phrase it as a question.

"All right," he says. "About what happened on the shore... you crossed a line. I heard your apology, and I accept it. But you embarrassed me, badly." He pauses. "This is much more than vain pride. My arcane power comes from Raeshara -- mostly. A number of fey have had a hand, or talon, in my tutelage, including a few who are not as seductive and charming as a nymph. The powrie - redcaps - taught me how to fight, and they've made vicious, unforgiving mockery not merely an art form, but a source of power." He looks hard at the tiefling. "Melethos, why do you think all of my magic is draped in insults?

"What you did... it's only because you are my friend that I didn't do my level best to fry your brain, because that's what my power demanded." He looks toward the bow. "Should anything like that happen again - and I don't respond in kind - I don't know what will happen. Mistress Blackteeth will...." He smirks. "Well, that's another story."

He looks again at Melethos. "Honestly, I want to put this behind us. There's too much uncertainty already about our future, and I know I'll need your advice. Are we still friends?" He holds out his hand.

Melethos listens to Belarin, the warlock’s words interrupted only occasionally by the sound of water lapping against the ship’s hull. When his friend holds out his hand, Melethos takes it.

“Of course, we’re still friends,” the tiefling says. “I don’t pretend to understand the capriciousness of the fey, but it helps knowing how it affects you. I will not ignore your plight, should we run afoul of a similar situation.” Now Melethos’s voice grows hard, and his golden eyes narrow. “But you are missing the other side of the coin.

“You speak of tutelage and taunts, and draping your magic in insults. How it’s your source of power. I understand that, more so after recent events.” He gestures to his recently transformed horns. “But much of that is hidden. I’ve known you how long and I’m just learning of this? No, it’s a struggle you have privately, with yourself and those voices in your head.

“Now look at me, Belarin. I sport horns and a tail, red skin and pupilless eyes. My heritage is obvious… and public. Since my youth, people have pointed at me. When I came to Aundair and visited its cities, people crossed streets to avoid me, grabbed their children and fled from me. They assume because of how I look I’m a thing of evil. They made me a pariah, an outcast, without bothering to even learn my name.

“Can you imagine the pain that prejudice caused? That it still causes me?” He shakes his head. “That only compounded the problem. Because of my heritage—the devil inside, you could say—rage made my life difficult. It also helped me survive. If I didn’t have my anger to draw on, I might have ended my life long ago. But the years of constant shunning only fueled my anger until it now lives just below the surface, ready to be unleashed at any moment. That’s a very dangerous way to live, Belarin. To think that I might lose control and hurt people I care about? It’s constantly with me, day after day. Only through my commitment did I find some peace with myself.

“That commitment is to protect you, Kal, and everyone else.” His voice grows softer. “To protect the only real friends I’ve ever had.” He blinks, then continues. “I channel my rage through an absolute vow to keep us alive. If I don’t, I fear it will consume me and I’ll become something I abhor. I won’t let that happen.” He taps the crystal hanging from his neck. “Especially now. The struggle is even worse.”

Melethos stops for a moment, realizing he’s been talking nonstop for minutes. He seems to hesitate, then shrugs his shoulders as if he’s made a decision.

“I challenged you because I felt the safety of the party was at risk. Not by you, but by something the dragon had placed on that chest. We all felt something when you dispelled whatever had been cast on it. Ever since my possession by the ghost Rath I’ve learned mistrust. It’s now part of my commitment. I will not assume all is well, just because someone tell me it is. I hope you understand that.

“Let us indeed put this behind us. But first, I want an honest answer from you. What happened on the shore? Something was attempted. Either it succeeded or failed. Come clean, Belarin. Tell me the truth.”

Melethos simply stops and stares at his friend, waiting for an answer.

[Jeff]

The drizzling weather continues. Anyone standing on deck slowly gets wet, but in the warm air it's somewhat refreshing.

May 6, 2021 11:33:30 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

In the morning he will chant his morning prayers and then find Kurra. He tries to help her rig the nets but mostly just awkwardly holds things. "Do you need me to create food for the day?" He asks.

Kurra considers it. "Let's give it another day, at least? We've got just enough for today, and I think we can catch some fish for today and tomorrow. Something tells me you're going to use your food-conjuration a lot more once you're on land again."

May 6, 2021 11:33:30 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

"When you have time, and I very much appreciate how busy you are, Calirataia and I have some thoughts on designs as well. Obviously not a top priority."

"Aye, we'll get to that." When she finishes the trawling net, she leaves it, beckoning Adamant and Kal to follow. "I got an early start today. Come." Starg and Sem both take an interest and follow as well. "Shorak, Streko, you, too. Anyone else?" She eyes Belarin and Melethos at the bow, but doesn't bother calling them over right now. Those two are in conversation.

Kurra sits on a small barrel just outside Brack's cabin and keeps a hood up over her head to minimize the wet. To anyone who gathers around her, she first holds up that candlestick-shaped wand from the dragon-chest.

"The Wand of Whispers, this is," she says, holding it up. She points to the finely wrought metal of the candlestick, where three small heads have been shaped with fingers to their lips. "This is a spell focus, like any good wand, but with it you can Message like Kal or even cast a Sending without using any of your own magic. But the wand's real purpose is to silent other spells." She gives a brief explanation* about particulars*, but also points out that anyone who wishes to use the wand would need to attune themselves to it. Kurra gives
Shorak a look. "Aye, you need to know some magic to use this."

But she then holds up the jar of blue powder that was also in the chest. "But I also had a look at this. Dust of Dryness*. One sprinkle of this stuff can suck up and retain a lot of water, holding into a tiny bead. Could be useful in some battles, but also might be worth bringing this into the desert, if that's really where you're going someday. Store up some water ahead of time." She shrugs.

"I'll get to the rest soon. That hammer, the armor..."

Sem pulls out his Bag of Holding, grinning. "We've got plenty of room for this. But who wants the wand? I'll take it if no one else does, but honestly, that silencing effect might be wasted on me..."

---

Descriptions below. For the time being, I've added these to the Bag of Holding entry in the DE Stats document. Discuss?

*Wand of Whispers (requires attunement) / Charges: (7) 7

● This wand's magic wax and iron design resembles a candle and candlestick.
● While holding the wand, you can extinguish or relight the flame as a bonus action with a simple gesture. It is a magical flame indistinguishable from normal candlelight, although the wax never melts or changes shape. The flame casts bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for another 5 feet.
● While holding the wand, you can use an action to expend some of its charges to cast either the Message (no charges) or Sending spell (3 charges) from it.
● Alternatively, when you cast a spell of 5th level or lower while holding the wand, you can expend 1 of the wand's charges per spell slot level to ignore the spell's verbal components. Any spell that requires a target to hear its verbal component gains no benefit from this property.
● The wand regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dusk. If you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the magical flame burns out and the wand becomes a mundane candle and candlestick.

**Dust of Dryness:

You can use an action to sprinkle a pinch of it over water. The dust turns a cube of water 15 feet on a side into one marble-sized pellet, which floats or rests near where the dust was sprinkled. The pellet’s weight is negligible. Someone can use an action to smash the pellet against a hard surface, causing the pellet to shatter and release the water the dust absorbed. Doing so ends that pellet’s magic. An elemental composed mostly of water that is exposed to a pinch of the dust must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 10d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Attachments:

[Ken]

May 7, 2021 9:12:26 GMT -4 Brian said:

“Let us indeed put this behind us. But first, I want an honest answer from you. What happened on the shore? Something was attempted. Either it succeeded or failed. Come clean, Belarin. Tell me the truth.”

"Don't think that I haven't gone over those events in my head," says Belarin. "There was an enchantment on the chest, which I did remove. Now, on the flip side, I also learned things about the chest, Rhashaak, and Zartaxis - and that's not how dispelling works! So, to answer your question.... I don't know. I felt like giving the chest to Zartaxis was probably our best move to avoid problems in the future - I mean, we already have enough enemies! It just seemed... right. So, how do I feel about that now? Eh. I like shiny things, too, so I'm happy to keep what we found. Like I said, the effect of my spell was... unusual, and I've seen enough not to rule out anything. I've certainly cast my share of suggestion spells. But me being a threat to everyone? Definitely not."

He shrugs, then puts his hand on Melethos' shoulder. "I know you did what you felt right, and - certainly - you've had bad experiences that justified your behavior. I swear, I don't hold it against you. Oooooh, Kurra is looking at the shiny things! Shall we peek?"

[Brian]

Melethos frowns, then chuckles and smiles. "Sure, let's go look at the shiny things."

He follows Belarin over to where Kurra and the others are gathered.

______________________________________________

Thank you, Ken, for this. You made me think, and think hard, about motivation and response. It was tremendous fun, and quite challenging.

[Dave W.]

To Kurra's suggestion that they have fish instead of mana today and tomorrow, Adamant nods, "Agreed. I am sure I will be creating food and especially water pretty much daily when we are in the desert. Perhaps I can help with the fishing instead."

When the conversation comes to his symbol plans, he again nods, "I know you are very busy. I will wait until you have time… I am grateful for all that you do for us. It does not go unnoticed. As always I am eager to do what labor I can, set me to work."

Adamant listens intently, rain dripping from his bald head, as the dwarf woman introduces the group to the new items.

"As much as I would value being able to send messages and communicate with distant friends… I never seem to know what's going on past the reach of my hands… the power of the wand seems more of a benefit in other… ummm, hands. "

"I'm not certain what to make of the dust. Making large quantities of water portable seems like a benefit but both Good Streko and I can conjure up water if needed."

[Joe]

Streko listens in as he stands next to Adamant, still wiping the sleep from his eyes and attempting to shrug off the effects of a good night's rest. "Funny, brother, I was thinking how useful this would be to sprinkle it behind us as the cogship approaches. Wouldn't that light their fire?"

"Thank you, Kurra, for looking into all of our requests. As my brother said, you are appreciated more than you know."

He glances at Melethos and Belarin, looking friendly towards one another and the oddest thing crosses his mind: A fey-touch, tiefling, and halfling walk into a bar. What would they order? As much chaos as possible, though the halfling would grumble about it.

He shakes his head. "Best check on Kalarian, get something to help wake me up, a good breakfast always does that, and prepare for the events of the day."

Streko glances over at Shorak briefly and realizes how little the two of them have ever talked. He waves at the other man and calls out, "Good morning!"

Then, oddly, he finds himself at a loss for words.

He smiles.

"Damn," he mutters, making his way toward the railing where Kal stands to check on his friend.

[Jeff]

Kurra gives Streko a wink. "It'sa a hobby. But also, it's practical for everyone to know. And then there's the coinage: 60 percent is the Dragonfly's, aye? We'll go through it together later to make sure all is fair."

She holds up the Dust of Dryness. "No, this would be wasted in the river. Too much water. It would give the Cogship a little dip for a moment, that's it. Save it for something better."

[Darren]

Kal looks between the wand and Belarin. "I think this might be best suited for you, Belarin," he says. "Should we encounter someone whose magic silences us, you would still be able to dispel it, as I've seen you do before."

_______________
Also, Kal already has too much stuff attuned.

[Joe]

Streko nods and laughs. "Plus, what better way to insult your enemies than to shut them up before they can even respond to your biting wit!"

[Ken]

"Hmmmm, that would be interesting," says Belarin, who picks up the wand and examines it. "All right, I'll try it out. The candle part gives it an odd flair I find appealing."