Chapter 3: The Enemy Within

[Darren]

"You just have to keep your eyes open," Kal says to Lever. "Or...well....your eyes, I guess."

To Mist, Kal says, "Your captain trusts my decisions, and I think you should, as well. Besides, I'm not asking you to throw Misha overboard. I'm asking you to watch out for the protection of the ship. Now, unless you have a better suggestion, go watch the starboard side of the ship."

[Jeff]

Mist's crystalline eyes flicker for a moment as she regards Kal with her expressionless face. "There is no hierarchy here that I must follow save one: Captain Ralsor d'Lyrandar is my temporary superior."

She turns and walks to the port side of the ship.

Lever turns, forces a shrug, and moves toward starboard awkwardly.

[mike]

Torhak takes the second watch, along with Grafth.

He hopes that his axe would be sharp again by now.

[Ken]

Belarin practically pounces when he first hears Grafth's offer of dinner. "You mean real, cooked food? By the Host, that would be a welcome change!"

He makes his way down to the dining area, making sure he has made the acquaintance of each of these people whose fate oddly seems linked to his own. A couple of times during these conversations, he acts as though distracted by another presence and he mutters, "Yes, hmm, that seems likely..." or "I haven't considered that..." before refocusing his attention on the person in front of him. He clearly seems pleased by this night's turn of events.

"Captain," he says to Ralsor after eavesdropping on the verbal tour of the ship, "where might I find a bed for the night? I can pay you for your ship's hospitality, in coin or by deed. As I hinted at earlier, should you ever have certain documentation problems...."

Later, he finds Goran in a quiet corner. "This is all I know, friend: Starting about a year ago -- very quietly at first -- groups of men in armor started raids on parts of the Towering Wood, backed up by at least one wizard. Innocents were taken, and those who opposed them were slain, including my friend. And I know that necromancy was used to kill him.

"It's taken many months, but this is where my quest has led me. To this land. To that dark stone. And to this ship." He utters the next few words in a growl. "And I won't return home until I have vengeance and dance on my enemies' bloody corpses." He lets the moment hang darkly.

Then he slaps a friendly hand on Goran's shoulder, all smiles once more. "So, what's your tale? How did you get involved? And where did you come across your dragon?"

After these conversations, Belarin will gladly rest for the remainder of the evening.

[Jeremy]

I appear to have missed a flurry of about fifty entries!

---

Goran will use three of his slots on Streko, and keep the fourth for an emergency.

[Jeff]

At Belarin's request, Ralsor becomes thoughtful. "One moment."

After disappearing for a short while he moves among his passengers and "crew" and designated a new system: assigned rooms. He takes a very serious and authoritative tone when describing the new layout, making it clear that it's not subject to negotiation. "If you can swindle this ship out of my possession in a game of chance, perhaps you can change the rules when you're Captain," he declares with a smile.

"In case you haven't noticed," the half-elf says, "My passengers are increasing. Some of you are considered my crew." He looks to Mist and Lever.

"While some of you are...let's call you 'guests.'" He gestures to Kal and Amal, Goran, Grafth, Streko, and Torhak. "Because right now, we're acting on the same mission. You're helping me figure things out and I'm providing you with free passage board this ship.

"Still others of you are less certain. You were apparently prisoners or test subjects for our enemy's...shall we call them 'diabolical schemes'?" He looks to Belarin and Charis.

"One of you is almost something of a stowaway." He looks to Fherina, who smiles prettily.

"And finally, for all intents and purposes, we've got two prisoners. Pel, your former companion, now possessed by said enemy. And the newcomer, a captain in the Emerald Claw. I'll be locking both of them in a separate windowless room now, and if you want to speak with any of them, come see me first as I carry the key. I don't want our prisoners conversing with one another. Moreover, until all secrets are laid bare I really can't say we can trust anyone completely. So no one takes a room alone, except our prisoners."

"Grafth, Streko, and Torhak: you will be occupying the cabin across from my own. You already know it to be comfortable and spacious, since it was built to hold a lot more than three."

"Goran and Belarin: You're both Reachers, so you two can share a room the next one over. Belarin, with all due respect, we don't know you yet, so Goran is charged with keeping an eye on you. You can share Eldeen tea and commiserate about the captain's orders if you like."

"Charis, my lady...you and Fherina, a reporter with the Korranberg Chronicle, will share the room next to mine. Keep an eye on each other, eh? Do me a favor, Lady ir'Vanatar: don't let our chronicler friend go belowdecks if you can help it, or she'll unfreeze us some more passengers, or perhaps a great deal of trouble." With no further explanation to that point, he moves on....

"Kal, you and Amal will take the next cabin. And your dog should stay with you. Please keep him out of the galley. Misha told me he's been trying to steal food. And you know we have limited stores right now."

"Mist, Lever: you don't really require rooms of your own, is that right?"

"Not for sleeping, Captain," Lever replies.

"Right. Well, Mist, please maintain security of the ship, as before. And please stop by the prisoners' rooms now and again. Lever, please do whatever you feel you need to and go wherever you think the ship needs you."

"If anyone has any complaints about my new system," Ralsor concludes, "Just let me know, and I'll see if I can find a suitable berth for your imminent departure."

______________________________________

Please take a moment and look at the updated map and the character's "assigned seats."

Goran has healed Streko of 3 more hit points.

[Darren]

Kalarian offers Ralsor the deepest, most flourshing, most ridiculous bow he can. "As you wish, my High Lord Captain d'Lyrander the Mighty," he says, giving the half-elf a wide grin. He laughs as he slaps the captain on the shoulder and returns to his patrol on the top deck.

[Marcy]

Charis goes to her newly-assigned room to clean up a bit, then joins the others at dinner. She engages Fherina in conversation, trying to learn a bit more about her new roommate, especially in light of Ralsor's "unfreezing" comment.

She offers to take whatever watch still needs manning after she gets a few hours of un-drugged sleep.

[Jeremy]

Goran nods and shrugs at Belarin, and a shrug.

"I hope you don't snore."

Goran rubs his aching eyes, finding himself more weary than he thought.

"I'll take next watch, someone come and get me when it's time." And to Belarin:

"He's not kidding...I do have some most delightful tea, if you'd like to partake. I'm having some, anyway...assuming I can cozen the hot water from our hostess, of course"

With that, Goran will gird himself and take to the daunting task of asking Misha for some hot water, a pot and two cups.

[Joe]

Streko leaves without speaking to anyone (except for a cursory "Thank you," to Goran for the healing asist) and makes his way down to the room in which Pel is being kept.

He enters cautiously.

[Jeff]

Streko reaches the new "brig" for Pel and finds it locked. Ralsor approaches from behind him. "You really must, right now? If you are going to speak to him, be mindful of where we are. Don't reveal our location."

[Joe]

"Traveller's Breath! Must you sneak up on a man?" He looks around. "I simply wanted to ensure that Pel was okay...not to speak with him. Host, I just want a moment of peace and quiet." He goes back to his room, enters and closes the door behind him without another word.

[Ken]

"Snore?" says Belarin incredulously to Goran. "Ha! I sleep peacefully and quietly as my dreaming mind dances through pixie dust. ...Of course, that may make me sneeze... but snore? Never.

"As for tea, yes! That would be excellent, thank you, Goran. And if your group needs help with the watches, please include me. But I'll understand if you don't. "

[Josh]

Grafth swiftly prepares some of the uncured meat from their earlier hunt and, grabbing a few other items from the remaining ship supplies, puts out a plate for others to help themselves. Having no issues with Ralsor's room assignments, he heads back to his quarters, taking a few moments to write in his bound journal.

Unless there's anything of import brought to his attention, Grafth will write until his watch shift, and after that has passed, he will sleep.

[Jeff]

Based on Kal's original idea for a "rotating 4-man watch" system, Ralsor designates the following 3-hour shifts to pass the night:

1st watch ---> Mist, Kal, Amal, Ralsor
2nd watch --->Mist, Grafth, Goran, Belarin
3rd watch --->Mist, Streko, Torhak, Fherina, Charis

Ralsor reminds everyone that guarding the ship isn't like guarding a house. "By all rights, now one but the high-flying night birds of the Whisper Woods should know about this ship. We're less visible when we're not moving and the lanterns are kept dim like this. But keep your eyes and ears open, circle the decks...all of them."

Matheu continues to perch in various places about the ship—railings, lanterns, the forecastle and sterncastle—never deigning to settle on the deck itself.

[Joe]

Streko, feeling quite drained, decides to go to sleep until his watch is called for or someone needs his healing skills.

[Darren]

As Kalarian walks the deck and sees Matheu flitting about, he calls the pseudodragon over. Holding up the Rekkenmark sword, he asks, "I know where this weapon comes from, but is there anything else about it I should know?"

[Jeff]

I am a sage of obscure lore, history, and, arcana, Matheu replies matter-of-factly. Not human weaponry. I would recommend asking an artificer, such as the warforged Leverage, or perhaps the warlock.

[Darren]

"And yet you knew so much about Skyfang. How curious," Kal says, clearly trying to agitate the little dragon. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to ask someone with more knowledge. Thanks for trying, Matheu. I'm sure you did your best."

When Kal's watch is finished, he will ask Lever to look at the sword and determine if its properties extend beyond its fine craftsmanship.

[Jeff]

Matheu's tail flicks back and forth, the barbed tip gleaming in the faint lanternlight. It is surprising that a practitioner of magic such as you, human, knows so little about it. One must use a spell to determine the properties of an enchanted item, not merely glance it. He says nothing more, letting Kal seek out someone else.

When Kal finds Lever and asks him about it, the warforged considers for a moment. "I know an infusion that can identify the magical properties of this sword, if it possesses them. But I find I must consider my duties. With every infusion I provide on your behalf, you, or the Captain, are incurring fees owed to House Cannith for my services. I think I should clear this with Captain Ralsor first. "

The warforged sounds genuinely apologetic.

[Darren]

Kalarian sighs heavily. "Can no one on this ship be of any use?" he mutters under his breath. Kal calms himself, takes a deep breath, then says to Lever, "Fine, then. How much will it cost me?"

[Jeremy]

As for tea, yes! That would be excellent, thank you, Goran. And if your group needs help with the watches, please include me. But I'll understand if you don't.

Goran grins like an elf-child with genuine pleasure.

"Indeed? Then let us enjoy a pot or two, and discuss whatever we wish. We can discuss this infernal business, or news of the Reaches...or perhaps take bets on why Misha hates us so."

---

Jeff, any luck on getting that hot water from Misha? Oh yes, and Goran will grab a slice of that cooked meat!

[Jeff]

Misha has temporarily vacated the kitchen, allowing Goran to get hot water unmolested.

Kal calms himself, takes a deep breath, then says to Lever, "Fine, then. How much will it cost me?"

"Oh, no," Lever answers. "Payments are not made to me. They would be collected by clerks or officials of House Cannith directly. It may be possible that the captain maintains a line of credit with the House of Making, as many nobles do."

[Darren]

"For the love of the Gods!" Kalarian exclaims, throwing his hands in the air and half turning from Lever. Again, he takes a deep breath, then turns back to Lever, speaking slowly, as if to a child. "Lever, tell me what this sword does and put it on our tab. I will see that House Cannith receives its proper payment. Okay?"

[Jeff]

Lever stares silently back at Kal for a moment, and it's impossible to read his expressionless warforged face. He holds out his hands to take the sword from Kal. "One must wonder if, in boarding this ship, I have traded one imperious boss for another. I had begun to suspect that humans were a disparate people. Perhaps they are not."

[Darren]

Kal crosses his arms and watches silently watches Lever work, choosing not to respond to the warforged's comments. In his mind, he knows that he can be as magnanamous (sp?) as anyone, but that in times of crisis, the good of the whole must be considered, and that often it is necessary for soldiers to simply follow orders and not always question what is asked of them.

[Jeff]

With Captain Relith's sword in his hands, Lever walks away; apparently the infusion takes a short while to perform and he doesn't like to do such work out on the open deck.

However, about one hour later the warforged seeks Kal out again and hands him the blade.

"This weapon was forged with exceptional skill. I have seen Rekkenmark blades before, and most of them are of considerable quality. However, this one was crafted with a permanent dweomer, one that keeps the blade exceptionally sharp and able to inflict particularly deadly wounds."

Lever taps one thick metal finger against the fine filigree of the hilt and pommel. "This sword appears to have been custom-made for the captain's family, for 'Relith' is carved in Draconic upon it. I would assume it to be a very valuable heirloom in his bloodline. The weapon would be worth a few thousand galifars, depending on the buyer. A House Cannith armory might consider purchasing it for as much as four thousand."

__________________________________________

In game terms, Relith's sword is a +1 keen longsword. +1 on attack rolls and +1 on damage rolls, while keen means its critical threat range is doubled, which means on a roll of 17-20 (normally, longswords have a critical threat range of 19 or 20) iit has a good change of dealing twice as much damage.

[Darren]

"My thanks, Leverage," Kal says with a slight incline of his head. "What would it cost to have such an infusion placed upon a weapon such as this one?" he asks, tapping the Deneith longsword at his side.

[Jeff]

"That is a bit more difficult to say, Lord Kalarian. I would need to examine your weapon as carefully as I did Captain Relith's sword. But that would only tell me if I would be able to enchant the weapon. Cost varies greatly, depending on the resources at hand. I would estimate, however, a minimum of four or five thousand galifars."

_____________________________________

If anyone else wishes to do anything other than sleep or stand watch for the night, say so now. We move on soon!

[Darren]

"Hm," is Kalarian's only thoughtful reply as he takes the Rekkenmark sword and straps it to his waist.