Celene spent a few weeks brooding. The life she had known had come crumbling down around her. For a while she resisted the notion that she would need to forge a new life for herself. She decided instead to focus on research and study. She called on Urol, to learn more about alchemy, and found him all too happy to oblige. She spent the next few weeks pouring all of herself in learning the process and more importantly how it could be applied to her magic.

Eventually she could no longer hide from ruined wreck of her life. She had been relying upon her allies to gather any materials she needed from the city as it was too difficult to be done on her own. She wasn’t adept at disguises and if she made frequent trips to
Sasserine she was bound to be caught and persecuted.

Celene began to writing letters and researching the strange tea that Eseriel had used to take her life. There was no doubt that she would be able to prove the woman had been killed with a lethal dose of the leaves; but she doubted she could prove the woman had taken that dose willingly. Celene often wondered why the church had seen to the truth themselves? Laziness perhaps on the part of their opulent and rotund high priestess?

Celene decided that he only way to clear her name was to have Eseriel speak on her behalf. She began to pen anonymous letters to the priestesses below Magus Annah Teranaki.  In the letters she spoke of the death of Eseriel and pleaded with them to attempt speaking with the deceased high priestess that it would be in their best interest and that it related to the fall of the opera house. She implied that the Temple and Sasserine could not be sure they weren’t still in danger until they knew the reasons for Eseriel’s death.

Each letter she penned was delivered through a third party within the city and she arranged each to be delivered on the same day so each of the priestesses received the information with a short time of one another. She hoped this would work. She had faith that Eseriel would set the record straight; that was the least she could do for Celene after all she had kept from her.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:08, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

As the party are considering Lavinia's 'Modest Proposal', Urol can't help but pull some charts onto the top of the pile on the table to show them what their journey entails.


32 hexes at 72 miles / hex = 2,300 miles

It will truly be an epic journey, not so much in distance but in terms of the treacherous waters that they must transverse. It will take them about five weeks of sailing against the prevailing wind along the northern coast of the continent to reach the peninsula that marks the end of the Thyatian conquests. Then they will strike out to the north-west until they make landfall on the southern coast of the Isle of Dread.

In their way lie pirates, shark invested waters, fierce storms and of course the legendary wandering gyre known as 'Journey's End'. This patch of becalmed waters filled with sargasso doesn't seem to lie in any particular one spot, but move around the Sea of Dread entrapping unwary sailors in its doldrums.

OOC: The journey will take you along the coast of proto-Africa (the continent of Davinia) into the ocean between it and proto-North America.



It is a little hard to compare with modern day land masses since everything has moved since the time this map was based on (155 million years ago). But Sasserine is in the instep of Libya and the Isle of Dread is out in the middle of the Atlantic although with far more tropical climate since it is not as far north.



Since Sasserine is 3°N and 10°W, and the Isle of Dread is 20°N and 45°W, it is a bit like travelling from the western coast of Malaysia to Pakistan. Sure, not a big journey for a modern day cruise liner, but not an insubstantial trip for a medieval sailing ship!

And one more map because I can tell that you are all really enjoying then. This one is from a Mystara world globe perspective.

Lavinia pulls out another map. This one is a wonderful and incredibly detailed pencil drawn map of an island.



"My mother, Larissa, made this one," says Lavinia, pausing for a second.

"I helped her a little!" chips in Urol. "She was a great geographer in her own right though. Shame we didn't get to explore much of the interior though - it was dangerous and tough going to get through the jungle too."

The little gnome points out the geographical highlights from his first trip to the 'Isle of Dread'.

"The south-eastern peninsula is actually civilised by the standards of the region with half a dozen villages on the coasts. The people consider themselves direct descendants of the Olmen Empire although if that is true there is little left of that great culture. Although there is a huge wall that guards it from the rest of the island, maybe the ancient Olmen's made that? Our village of 'Farshore' is on a small island to the south of the peninsula."

"There is a great central plateau - the natives say it is cursed - but we never made it that far inland to get a look at it."

"Um, let me see. A pair of active volvanoes in the south-west corner. Razor sharp reefs on most of the approaches. A gargantuan dragon turtle lives in the northern bay the natives say - Larissa drew him on the map just to be safe. Lots of 'Thunder Lizards'. Yeah, that's about that."

OOC: Um, any questions before you embark on this suicide mission? Or should I just get the show rolling?

OOC: Okay, someone has to post something in character here. Anything...

Angati whistled appreciatively "WoW !!!! there seem to be more monsters than there is territory !!! just look at all those drawings !! its really detailed, your mother had quite a hand for this it seems... incredible!".

"So... ok, going to revive the commerce of the village that was founded in the south seems safe enough.. but... what do you want us to do in the rest of the island ? exploring it seems quite pointless without having any more information.... also, do you think Vanthus is heading that way too for some reason ?"

Gorgeous maps by the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:39, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

Logan tried to keep his expression indifferent, but the reveal of each new danger that might meet them when they left Sasserine made his expression drop a little more.  Logan knew Sasserine, knew its streets and dangers.  He accepted them, and had learned to live with them.  But an ocean voyage into an unknown land...he shuddered thinking about the outcome of the last time he had set foot on a boat with Lavinia.

Still...if it was successful.  Logan's green overruled his sense of self preservation once again.  He'd risk it, because Lavinia would undoubtedly richly reward them if this colony thing paid off.  Wouldn't hurt to ask, though.

The rogue cleared his throat.  "I know we're all on retainer, and thank you for that.  My mother is quite happy with the room I managed to secure for her.  But this trip...well, as safe as it might be, there's still an element of risk.  I mean, we're going to a place called the Isle of Dread!  I get why you're doing it - preserving your parents' legacy.  I don't suppose you would be willing to give us a stake in it?  Some percentage of whatever profits you - we - manage to get out of the trade with Farshore?"

"Err... yes... um...," mutters Urol. "I told her to just leave the bits we hadn't surveyed blank but she said it looked ugly so hence all the monsters drawn all over the place. <sigh>"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

"The rest of the island. Hmm... well, no plans, as yet. Just get me, the colonists and the supplies we need to Farshore and then we'll take it from here. I would love to search out that central plateau though. It is pretty much cut off from the rest of the island, imagine what might be up there!"

"Vanthus?" her face falls at the mention of her disgraced sibling. "I have no reason to believe that my wretch of a brother is going that way. I don't think he even knew about my family's business venture there."




OOC: Thanks! I stole them all by myself!

Seriously, after lurking in Ron 'Buried Contempt' game I am almost too embarrassed to post a map in this game ever again. He just keeps raising the bar for presentation higher and higher.



"Hmm... well... I can't promise a straight share of the profits, you see, well, it is more complex than that..." the young noble woman screws up her face. "My family went into a partnership with the Meravanchi family, well, namely Zebula Meravanchi." Everyone in the party recognise the name. The Meravanchi's are the second family in the noble district and famous for their unscrupulous business tactics and decadence. Zebula's youngest son is also none other than Avner Meravanchi, the young nobleman who accosted Angati in the 'Mermaid's Secret' and how was blocking the street while the tavern burned in 'The Bullywug's Gambit'.

"But according to Urol's very skilful calculations... <The thickly bearded gnome beams and puts one arm around Lavinia waist in a gesture of affection. This brings his head directly level with her bosom. Lavinia clears her throat and deftly pulls herself free with a pat on his head> ...we won't need all of the cargo hold in the Sea Wyvern for vital supplies, so you can bring a bit extra and sell that for profit. And, well... well... you would all be grant an exception from any tariffs at all that there might be in the future. You could import and export totally free of charge, what do you think about that?! I can't offer any cash up front you understand, I, well... find myself a little cash strapped again..."

OOC: Assuming that your thirst for adventure remains unquenched:

Lavinia and the party work into the night hours on plans and preparations. First of all is the matter of the crew for the Sea Wyvern. Lavinia of course has her own crew prepared - Captain Rodrigo will continue as the leader of the Blue Nixie with Lavinia acting a navigator if necessary.

Alohan (acting in NPC mode) reveals that he has not be lax over the last couple of months and has been putting together a crew of his own. He had planned to use the vessel for his own business ventures, but a high risk / high reward trip to the Isle of Dread is just what he had in mind anyway! He says that if the party meet him down on the docks tomorrow morning he will introduce the 'able seamen' he has found to his friends. The ships roster shapes out like this:

1: Captain Alohan Nuari
2: Young Mistress Angati Lidu
3: Logan Merrion
4: Celene
5: Young Master Kassius Cadogan
6: Kibeti

7: First mate Amella Venkallie (of course he found a woman to be his first mate)
8: Navigator Urol Forol
9: Bosun Skald
10: Able Seaman Lirith Veldirose
11: Sailor #1
12: Sailor #2
13: Sailor #3
14: Sailor #4
15: Sailor #5
16: Sailor #6
17: Sailor #7
18: Sailor #8

19: Cleric & Surgeon Father Feres
20: Cabinboy Tavey Nesk
21: Cook Shefton Rask
22: One representative from the Meravanchi family

23-53: 30 colonists squeezed into the main bunkroom

OOC: Please study the Sea Wyvern in the other thread and decide how you want to allocate the bunks.

Then comes the matter of supplies and cargo. The Sea Syvern's holds can carry a total of about 120 tons of supplies. About 60 tons of critical supplies are desperately needed in Farshore, then 10 tons of equipment will be needed as 'repair supplies' for the ship itself. Then there will be able 10 tons of food and water needed for the crew and passengers. This leaves about 40 tons of supply space for the party to bring extra things to sell... if they want to.

Armaments: The Sea Wyvern is currently equipped with two ballista. They live down in the upper hold unless they are needed, and then they can be installed on the forecastle or poop deck.

OOC: Whew! More tomorrow.

"The ancient Olmen you say?" Kassius mutters, more to himself than anyone else.

Memories of a cat-inspired, drug-induced hallucination come back to him. He had remembered the life of Macutotnal, their greatest warrior. More than that, he had been Macutotnal. He could still remember the thrumming hum of the the Nimbus bow, the ozone smell as it launched lightning, the terror and horror of the deeps washing down upon him.

"What, you thought those visions were just so I could laugh at you acting stupid? Kibeti asked him. Kassius looked at the cat. He knew, consciously, that Kibeti had not spoken, at least not in the common tongue. The others were all acting as if the cat had simply purred lightly and given one of those weirdly knowing stares, but Kassius somehow knew exactly what the cat had been saying.
"Not that that wasn't a fun bonus!" The cat finished with a yowl that Kassius could tell was full of cheerful mockery.


He blinked in confusion, and completely missed the entire discussion about profit and pay. "I'm in." He repeated from earlier. Maybe this Isle of Dread would have the answers of what the FRAK was happening to him!

Agree, awesome maps.
All, FYI to everyone else, Kibeti gained the ability to speak with master this level. However, it's only with Kassius, so whenever he says something, it sound to you as yowls, purrs, or non-verbal cat communication. Feel free to decide for yourselves whether Kassius having seemingly one-sided conversation with his albino panther is indicative of his lack of sanity, or simply confirmation of an already known fact. :-)

This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

Logan nodded, and thought about Lavinia's offer.  "So we can scrape together some trade goods for the Farshore colonists to get these rare timbers and such that we can sell back in Sasserine?  Sounds like a good deal!"

Logan will spend 500 gp buying trade goods fro the ship

OOC: Angati puts in her remaining 438gp.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:04, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

Celene was intrigued by the prospects of reaching the island. Not just to see the wonders that might lay within its borders but also to test her new found abilities to their fullest. She had kept quiet through most of the presentation and afterwards as the others talked of investing in trade goods. The sorceress had little in the way of money to spend currently.

She was more concerned about the colony that had been started on Farshore. "Lavinia, what word do you have from the colony? Assuming you learned of it from the journal and from Urol. How do you know that anyone still lives there? Have you sent word to the colony? Have you received any missives from them? You seem sure that our arrival with supplies will reignite trade." Celene trailed off stopping short of implying the colony might be destroyed.

Lavinia chews her bottom lip. "Those are good questions Celene. <sigh> No, we haven't had any word, but then it has only been about six months. Besides my parents, only the Meravanchi family knew about the colony and... er... they didn't come and tell me about it. I think they may have hope to have it all to themselves. Actually, they say they sent their own ship three months ago but that hasn't returned."

"So... no word sent nor received from the colony... but then they wouldn't have had a ship to send in any case. You're right... things may have gone very poorly there... we will never know until we sail over there and check things out ourselves."

"As for igniting trade... well... they must have stocked up on a lot of precious materials that can be only be found in the island since they've had almost half a year. I mean, my mother's journal talks about pearls the size of a man's fist! And precious stones, exotic coral, gold collected by the natives from the interior, thunder lizards skins, Olman artifacts, rare woods, therapeutic plants <Urol's smile widens>, spices from the jungle..."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

Urol offers his own comment. "Verik and Larissa, those are, well, um, were, Lavinia's parents, did a great job of setting up the colony. The villages was well stocked to last at least a year in terms of food, although they must be running short of building materials by now."

"The bad news is that 'Lord' <Urol spits that word out> Manthalay Meravanchi, that big hairy brute, was left in charge. He is the one who threw me out of the colony! I had to go live in one of the native villages - it was a miracle in a way that the Crimson Fleet pirates picked me up."

The party are reminded of how they met the swarthy gnome. He had been serving a chief alchemist for the Crimson Fleet base in Kraken's Cove after being kicked out of Farshore for dealing in the therapeutic herb 'Locoweed'.

"So in that respect it is important that we get back as soon as possible. Under his leadership the colony will not prosper."

Earlier she mentioned her parents left four years ago with colonists. Now she said they have been there 6 months.

Can we clarify the timeline?




This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

OOC: Umm, they founded the colony four years ago and stayed 3½ years, then they returned about six months ago.

Who knows what Urol is on about. Timelines are not his strong suit.

Alright. That makes sense at least. 6 months ago there were still people alive there.

The party continue to plan with Lavinia and Urol into the night. Candles are lit and good meal are prepared to allow them to continue into the wee hours and discuss every aspect of the upcoming adventure.

Finally, they agree to meet the next morning down at the docks.

--------

The day breaks over the far end of dock eight where both the Blue Nixie and the Sea Wyvern are moored. Alohan is in a good mood as he welcomes the other on board - it appears that he has been sleeping on board the vessel since the party claimed ownership of it four months earlier.

A fair haired woman in her late twenties appears from the stairs leading down to the hold.

She stares at the newcomers with undisguised surprise, then turns to Alohan. "Go' morning skipper. I didn't think you'd be up so early. We have guests I see."

Alohan smiles broadly. "Dis be correct Amella!" The native puts a huge arm around the shoulder of the female sailor. "Dis be my friends. Dey be setting seil with us."
The woman raises an eyebrow in surprise. "I little joyride around the harbour skipper," she asks, without any apparent attempt at sarcasim.

"Oh no Kuuipo! We are going on a long journey. Come! Get the crew together and I will tell you all."

The woman shrugs and disappears below decks.

"She be a good woman, my Amella. She be first mate on the fair Sea Wyvern. She knows her way around a ship like I know my way around..." he just sort of tails off.

"Get up yeh bunch of lilly livered, scurvy ridden shipsrats! Get up and earn ya keep!" There is a loud commotion as the first mate uses something, probably a pot and spoon, to blast the rest of the crew into consciousness and harry them up on deck. They fill up the stairs with groans, blurry eyes, coughing, farting and scratching of many orifices. Amella chases up the rearguard until about a dozen sailors stand in front of the party.

They are a rough looking collection of misfits - apparently Alohan has a very relaxed hiring policy. The first mate starts introducing them to the party.

"Skald, step forward ya sorry elf wantabe!"


"This here be Skald, the fair Wyvern's bosun. <pokes the man in the side> Step forward I said! Introduce yourself!"

The very pasty half-elf takes a step forward, his eyes never leaving the deck. He mutters something under his breath. It might be 'pleased to make your acquaintance'. Or not. He didn't say it very loud. Despite the dawn having only just broken, he winces at the sun and covers his eyes with his hand. He mutters something else - another sentence that this time definitely ends with... 'hat'.

"What do ya mean you need to go below and get ya hat. Frac... Be excusing me ladies... but what the frac, it's only dawn man!"

Amella turns in disgust to her next victim. "Right. This is Father Feres. Cleric and ship's surgeon." A bald man with only a few whips of grey hair at his temples bows his chrome dome to them.



"Bless you my children. I will ensure that we have a healthy and prosperous journey under the guidance of Saint Cuthbert."

"Take it somewhere else god boy!" says Amella curtly, pushing the man back so hard he almost trips over.

"Who's next?" The first mate quickly introduces another eight sailors to the party before reaching the final couple of crewmembers on deck.

"Right that leaves us with... the ship's cook this is..."

A young man bounds forward, his thick dark hair greasy and unkept. "Mistress Celene, it's me! Shefton!"

Indeed, Shefton Rask, former Dragon Lotus guildsmember now stands before them. Apparently Alohan has given him a chance to turn a new page in his life... and continue his hero worship of Celene.

"And rounding out this useless bunch of ballest is the cabin boy. Tavey! Come and introduce yourself like I taught you!"



A young lad of not more than 15 steps up, a sly grin on his face. "Good morning to you ladies and gents," he says with no trace of shyness.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

Alohan beams at his crew. "Right. Dis is the reason that I have ya all onboard deck this morning so early. We be having our first job."

There is the sound of running feet on the stairs leading below and a young woman - surely not more than about 20 - appears on deck.



"Gods damn it Lirith! I thought I was one short," booms the first mate. "Where were you?"

The girl shrugs. "Sorry ma'am. I was down in the lower hold."

"Well, what in the blazes were you doing down there."

"Err. Checking provisioning ma'am?"

"What? We aren't gone no further than the Azure district. What the frac do you mean 'checking provisions', you're meant to be an able seaman not some scury rat wasting time..."

Alohan holds his hand up for silence, a slightly crossed look passing over his face.

"Dis is no matter Amella. Lirith, fall in."

The barbarian pauses then continues.

"As I was saying, we be having our first job. The good lady Vanderboren wants us to take a load for colonists and supplies to her village. Dis be far away."

Amella nods. "Good to have some proper work to do Skipper. Where are we heading?"

Alohan smiles. "It be good that you be asking dis Amella because it is de best part. We be going to de fantastic island of de dread!"

His crew freeze, not seeming to understand at first. Then chuckles break out, followed by solid laughter.

"Ahh, bless you my son!" laughs Father Feres. "You had us there. The Isle of Dread indeed. As though we could make that!"

"I not be joking Father. We be seiling there! As soon as we take on what we need!" says the Captain adamantly.