Chapter 3: The Enemy Within

[Jeff]

Both Torhak and Goran are finding Pel otherwise cooperative.

_________________________________________

Is Goran or Torhak still insistent upon gagging Pel?

If there's nothing more, we're jumping to the "hunting" bit. Shouldn't take long. Goran and Grafth will be doing the primary hunting, while anyone else is free to join them. Expect varying degrees of success there.

Josh, Jeremy, if you're able to roll your Survival check, please do.

One more time: who has Pel's gear? If no one volunteers to secure them, then they will become Ralsor's possessions.

[Jeremy]

Goran is fine with not gagging Pel for now.

Hunting it is!

---

Where do we go to roll again? Or should I just do a D20 and go with the honor system?

Goran will ask Streko to see about Pel's stuff.

[Jeff]

Doesn't always work for everyone; it's fickle like that. But give it a try. Go here, type in Goran under character name, 1 die, 20 sides, no modifier (I'll handle that for you), and put "Survival check" in the note box.

[mike]

Torhak won't gag Pel, although he thinks it's a bad idea not to do so. Since the rest of the group seems willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, he'll abide by that sentiment.

[Joe]

Jeremy, don't take this the wrong way, but Streko is going to refuse to go near Pel again...at least for the time being. He will let Ralsor know that Kal will keep track of her gear for her and when Kal wakes up from his nap, Streko will let him know that he is responsible for keeping her belongings secure.

Streko, however, will not go anywhere near the room at this juncture.

[Josh]

Let's just say Grafth stowed Pels items in his quarters when he was in there for a moment. Also, Grafth got a 22 on his survival check. (1d20 @ 15 +7, if I did that right)


Grafth, waiting expectantly for the hunt, is visibly excited. Whether it is the thought of food or some deeper animal instinct, one cannot tell.

[Jeff]

The Thunderhead and the air elemental swirling without and around it churn through the misty sky. The fog eventuallly passes away and the rain lets up, revealing a bright, if gray day.

Pel is left in sullen silence, bound within her room. Amal, Goran, and Torhak keep an eye on her in shifts over the next couple of hours. The changeling's equipment and weapons have been stashed in Grafth's room*. There are small chests within each room, a suitable place for such things.

Streko (who is also made aware of the location of her gear) and Grafth observe the following items once in her possession:

• a light mace
  
• a shortbow
  
• 17 arrows
  
• studded leather armor
  
• backpack
  
• a handful of caltrops
  
• 10 pieces of chalk
  
• 3 thunderstones
  
• a spell components pouch
  
• a set of thieves' tools
  
• identification papers
  
• Fenwolt Ferenthoron's identification papers
  
• a blue-glass wand
  
• a clear-glass wand
  
• an ivory white wand
  
• a gold ring
  
• Emerald Claw helmet
  
• copper

[/b](crowns): 3
[/li][li]silver (sovereigns): 8
[/li][li]gold (galifars): 471[/li][/ul]
If either Grafth or Streko intends to pocket any of these items, say so (or else they stay in the chest).[/color]

A short while later, Streko spots Matheu crawling around atop the forecastle. The pseudodragon meets his eye for a moment. Go. Tell your friends to hunt first. I will impart what I have learned about this dagger when you have finished.

A moment later, the Thunderhead slows down. You look down and see the forest canopy of a new forest approaching. Ralsor comes down from the wheelhouse. Mist and Lever follow him. "That's the Chanthwood. I'll find a suitable place and you scare us up some dinner, eh?" He looks pointedly to Grafth. Lever disappears into the hold.

Half an hour later, Ralsor has found a half-clearing, just large enough for him to lower the airship closer to the ground. The forest is thick (a good sign for game) and damp, filled with the sounds of life. The air is verdant and clean. When you go down to the cargo deck, you find that Lever has adjusted the drop-rope and fashioned true ladder rungs into it. It's much easier to climb now; even Kal can probably climb it, if slowly, with Tangat under one arm.

Once they reach the forest floor, Goran and Grafth seem to become one with their environment. Each goes his own way, accustomed to foraging and hunting alone.

Will anyone else deign to try and hunt as well?

______________________________

* Which room is he taking more permanently? The same one he and the others were sharing?

[Darren]

Once Kal reached the room he chose, sleep had come quickly. He remains in his silent slumber, unaware even that the ship has stopped.

[mike]

Will anyone else deign to try and hunt as well?

As long as it doesn't interfere with the need to guard Pel - Torhak wants to make sure that she's watched at all times - then he'll try and hunt as well.

[Jeff]

Mist approaches Torhak at the door, her scimitar open in her hand. "I understand that you and your companions need to eat. If you would like to join them on the ground, I will guard the changeling. I will make no physical contact with her, in the event that her possession can be transmitted in such a way."

Torhak is thus able to join Goran and Grafth. Everyone else remains aboard the ship. The fresh smell of the forest is invigorating to those who stand on the upper deck, breathing in the rich air.

The entire hunting expedition lasts for about two hours and it is an enormous success.

• Goran, with his excellent marksmanship, collects several deer and a handful of conies in this short time—a true hunter of the forest. He has enough venison and cony to feed not only himself but eight other people for the next twenty-four hours. And all this without using up any of his arrows; unlike fighting undead and battling soldiers, Goran knows how to hunt without breaking his arrows.
  
• And Grafth, who went his own way, returns with a sizable wild boar over his shoulder which he lured away from its fellows. A thrust from his new shortspear and a single blow from his axe ended the animal's life relatively painlessly. The boar is enough meat for himself and six others!
  
• Torhak realized quickly, moving about the forest floor, that he wasn't stealthy enough to assist the half-elf or the shifter, but with his pick was able to take down a single buck. He returns with enough meat for himself and one other.

The sound of their return—an impressed applause from Ralsor and Fherina, a scowl from Misha, and a "Well done" from Lever—rouses Kal from his nap. Mist has not moved from guarding Pel's room.

__________________________

Goran's Survival check = 19 + 8 = 27 (food for Goran + 8 people)
Grafth's Survival check = 15 + 7 = 22 (food for Grafth + 6 people)
Torhak's Survival check = 10 + 3 = 13 (food for Torhak + 1 person)

[Joe]

While his friends were away at their hunt, Streko took the time to sit alone at the bow of the Thunderhead, where he prayed fervently to Olladra for guidance, strength and a safety for all concerned with this quest. The solitary time was beneficial for him, as even he noticeda lightness to his step that had been missing the past half-day.

[Darren]

Kalarian sits up slowly, rubbing his hands across his face. He stretches his leg a few times, testing it before he stands up. He reaches over and retrives his sharash, then opens the door to find Mist standing in the hallway.

"Any rumblings from in there?" he asks, nodding towards Pel's room. "Have you seen the little dragon?"

[Jeff]

"Pel has been silent," Mist says. "And the pseudodragon has not been by here. I have not moved from this spot since you slept."

She pauses, then indicates the door frame she's been looking at for some time. "This wall and frame could use some repair. Perhaps Leverage can take of that."

[Josh]

"I can tell you," the shifter says, grinning, "I feel much better. Nothing like a little solitude to refresh one's perspective."

Grafth addresses the captain, "We should clean our kills, and if you have the means aboard this ship, cure some rations."

[Jeff]

"Of course!" Ralsor says with a smile. "Do your thing, the galley's all yours. I know nothing about that. I'm used to eating fully-prepared foods in elegant restaurants, so I'm utterly useless to you. Misha...." he looks to the Karrn woman. "Will be happy to show you the way."

Misha, the ship's designated cook and irritable captain's girlfriend, leads Goran and Grafth belowdecks. As it turns out, the galley is the room at the stern of the ship on the quarters deck, just past the ballistae rooms. There, Misha shows them all the usual tools—the galley is fairly well stocked with supplies, just not as much actual food.

"Don't break anything," she warns. Then, after a short while, she looks to Grafth. "Ralsor's reputation was already in the mires before you and your friends came aboard this ship. You should know that it's going to be pretty much unsalvageable at this point."

"Not that you care," she adds, quieter, as she stares out one of the portholes.

[Josh]

"Reputations do not concern me," says the shifter in a matter of fact tone. "A man should be judged by his deeds, not his level of prestige." He begins to render the boar meat into thick strips, sectioning out fattier cuts for cooking.

[Darren]

"Do you need someone to relieve you, Mist, or will you be okay for a while longer?" Once Kalarian has an answer, he heads off to find Matheu, beginning his search on the top deck at the wheelhouse. As he sees Ralsor (who I assume to be in the wheelhouse), he says, "Now that Lever's here, maybe we can see to those large weapons you've got poking out the sides of your boat?"

[Jeff]

Sickbay

"You are wishing to be elsewhere," Mist replies to Kal. "I will wait here for a time."

"Now that Lever's here, maybe we can see to those large weapons you've got poking out the sides of your boat?"

"Now's as good a time as any," Ralsor replies.

Or do you wish to know what this Lady Korvine has given to you, Matheu interupts, circling down from his perch atop the forecastle. He lands at the edge of the bow with the dagger in his claws, ready to speak to whoever wishes to hear.

Galley

Misha scowls. "That is because you have no reputation to go sour," she says to Grafth. "You are no one, and you know it. He is someone, someone who has much to lose. What have you?"

[Darren]

Kal nods to Ralsor. "Perfect timing, Matheu," he says. "Please, tell me what you've learned." He holds out his hand for the dagger, hoping to look at it while the psuedodragon gives what will no doubt be a long lecture.

[Jeremy]

Goran looks at Misha. His patience is pushed far enough.

"If it's Ralsor's reputation you are so concerned with, you should look to him. It was his choice to become a part of this, not ours. He could've kicked us off his ship at any time. But he didn't."

Goran barely suppresses a snarl.

"Don't put your righteous blame on us. Our lives are full enough with darkness, do you think we are in this hellish brew of trouble for our own enrichment? Your self-righteousness is ill-placed."

His mind spoken (lot of good it'll do!), Goran sets to work in the kitchen, being careful not to break anything.

---

Sorry I missed the survival roll (I just did it).

[Jeff]

I do not desire to repeat my explanation, Matheu says, patiently maintaining his perch—and his grip on the sheathed dagger. It becomes clear to Kal that Matheu is going to wait until everyone has gathered. He does not relinquish the dagger to Kal yet.

Misha assists Grafth and Goran for only a few minutes more in stony silence, eventually leaving the galley to them. Only when everyone else has assembled—food treated and stored, Olladran prayers finished—does Matheu speak again. Mist maintains the guard on Pel's "brig."

"I have not seen a pseudodragon before today," Lever tells no one in particular when everyone, Ralsor included, stand near the bow of the ship before Matheu.

Listen, now, Matheu begins. This dagger was crafted by the hands of a native of the plane of Syrania, the Azure Sky, presumably in opposition to the fiends such beings occassionally war against. It is named Skyfang, and is enspelled to cause devastating damage—far beyond what a dagger blade can normally inflict—to such creatures by channeling the energy of Syrania. Any being that is not a native to Eberron itself and is morally bound to the tenets of evil, as defined by the dagger's crafter, will be subject to its radiant fire. In addition, I believe the blade of this weapon may also be able to reveal the presence of such denizens of the other planes, should it come in close proximity to them.

With two claws, Matheu unsheathes the weapon. The blade maintains a soft white glow. This will probably brighten if brought before one of said denizens.

This is quite a vuable weapon, and a remarkable tool to be given as a mere gift. Is it on loan? Lady Korvine of House Deneith either trusted you a great deal or understood the nature of your enemy and felt your role against him a vital one. Yet all that I've heard of Malov so far suggests that he is a mortal wizard—not an outside such as this dagger was made to kill. Can you explain it?

______________________________

Having been identified by Matheu, these are the basic stats of the dagger:

+1 evil outsider bane dagger (1d4+1 damage, 19-20/x2) (Against "evil outsiders" it becomes a +3 weapon and inflicts an additional 2d6 damage)

[Darren]

Again, Kalarian holds out his hand for the dagger. "Why is it so hard to believe that Lady Korvine d'Deneith would entrust such an item to a scion of House Deneith?"

[Jeff]

Matheu jumps nimbly down from the railing, touching his clawed feet to the deck only long enough to place the dagger there—not in Kal's hands. He flies back up to his perch.

Was it entrusted to you? the pseudodragon asks. I recall this weapon was in Goran's possession when you asked me to examine it for you. You said it was given to him by a high-ranking member of House Deneith. And was it not he who used it against the lemures in Phorem's tower? It seems to me the dagger is a trifle to you, Deneith scion. The crafter of this weapon would be disappointed if he learned its fate.

[mike]

Torhak assists Grafth and Goran in the kitchen as best he can. Occasionally, he looks over at Misha with a wary eye, but says nothing to her.

When his work in the kitchen is complete, the dwarf goes looking for Matheu, hoping to ask the pseudodragon a few more questions.

[Jeff]

Hey, Mike. Everyone's gathered before Matheu right now. So you can speak with him here and now.

[Josh]

I've heard of Malov so far suggests that he is a mortal wizard—not an outside such as this dagger was made to kill. Can you explain it?

"Perhaps he is in league with such a creature? Or perhaps Lady Korvine knew much more about Malov's plan than she told us, and gave us this dagger as a boon? If we hadn't been so distrustful during that meeting, perhaps we would have learned more."

[Darren]

Kalarian picks up the dagger and places it within the straps surrounding his right leg, near the other dagger that is already stashed there. "Lady Korvine handed it to Goran because I was already out of the room, chasing down a dangerous enemy. I left it in Goran's care because I did not wish to take from him something he may have felt was his. You can keep your judgements to yourself, Matheu. What we need from you is information." Kalarian turns for a moment to Goran and offers him a grin as he says in a low voice, "No offense meant, ranger."

Kalarian starts to pace. "You're right about that, Grafth," he says, only a hint of bitterness in his voice. "What's done is done, though. Matheu, I think it's time for you to examine Pel. Will you do that?" Kal silently grits his teeth as he looks at the psuedodragon.

[Jeff]

I had begun to suspect, Matheu says in reply to Kal, that the wealth of lore my presence entails on this ship was not....appreciated or valued. Perhaps I was mistaken?

Matheu also seems to be waiting to see if anyone else wishes to ask him anything.

[Joe]

Streko, uncharacteristically forlorn, glances up at the pseudodragon and bows. "Your presence, good dragon, is not only appreciated, but is essential to our well-beings. The information you provide to us all will save our lives and for that, you not only have my thanks, but the thanks of my family as well. If there is anything that you should need, I am your humble servant."

[Darren]

"Hopefully that's enough to stroke his ego," Kalarian mutters under his breath to Ralsor.