Brin replies to Merka with a sigh of frustration,

"Ahh, no Merka, my friend.  The dwarves quickly saw through our pretend, given our obviously novice trading skills, and then refused to speak further when we brought up the topic of missing dwarves.  We did find out there were two other dwarves gone missing last night, however...and by the way, what is the situation here on the pier?  There seems to be quite the suspicious grouping over yonder."

Brin points in the direction of the men on the pier and takes another look himself...

(OOC: 23:12, Today: Brin rolled 22 using 1d20+3. Spot Check. )
This message was last edited by the player at 04:13, Fri 14 Jan 2005.

"Just those two over there, at the moment.  We've debated over taking one of them with us to the next port and questioning them while we're at sea.  I think we finally decided that was a bad idea."

"The Harbormaster came by to see us, though." Merka briefly related the facts of the Harbormaster's visit -- leaving out the embarrassing detail about his failed spell. "And as he left, he practically ordered us to leave. Captain Dale is anxious and eager to go."

"Well then, let's be off already. Looks like there's not much more for us to do anyways." Rystro says, moving to jump onboard.

"I agree" said the ranger in a flat voice. His eyes however never left the forms of the beggar and his friends. His bow still had the arrow ready to fire at a moments notice.

With the party back together, Captain Dale gives the necessary orders and in few minutes the sloop is moving away from the dock.  The beggar on the dock give you an alarmed look and runs to the Moonsea Gate.  The other beggar and crewman on the other sloop breaks out into a run and climb on board it.  You notice that they are also making way to sail.

By the time you are about 50 yards from the dock, you see a band of about dozen rough and tough men come out of the Moonsea Gate and head toward the other sloop.

Captain Dale looks at the other other sloop and calls out, "Someone get below and get a couple of those heavy crossbow fire-bolts.  Once they are clear of the dock we can set their sails on fire and not bring the anger of Malvaunt down on us for attacking someone on their docks."

By the time the other sloop is loaded with the dozen men and is getting free of the dock, the Spirit of Gall has her sails up and in a goodly wind blowing west.  Captain Dale keeps the sloop headed into the setting sun.  About a hundred yards separate the two sloops.

Geth's hunter instincts begin to surge forth. Now a chase was on, predator and prey. This is something he was very used too. Who will survive now lay in the hands hands of fate, though he could help push it in their direction a little.

Looking to the others he yelled "I'm going up top. Gives me a better firing position. My bow has better range than a crossbow. As he is about to head for the mast and the crows nest above he turned to Captain Dale and shouted across the deck "Do you have any oil and something to light it with? I can fire my arrows and help stop their chase as well"

Korgan secretly hopes that the other boat will catch up on them so he can apply HIS trade, but he knows that the best thing that can happen now is to avoid a confrontation all together. "So mister Dale, this is the time to show us what seamanship really is. We know you have an excellent ship here, and it's hardly loaded at all. I suspect it should be quite possible to simply outrun that other ship? Of coure, setting their sails on fire would make it easier, just take care not to set ours on fire too. I have little need for a rowing competition"

Merka ran to his pack and pulled out three flasks of oil.  He hurried over to Geth to share the stash.  With a street magician's flourish, Merka pushed up his robe sleeves.  "Watch this," he told Geth.

"Incindiere digitoso," he snapped.  At will, Merka began producing a half-foot jet of flame from the extended index finger of his right hand. Confidentially, he whispered hoarsely to Geth, "Chicks really dig this."

Looking back at the other vessel he added, "I can only do this for about an hour.  I hope we have them long dispatched by then."

Geth nodded to Merka with a small smile of respect.

"Well done!" he said as he quickly soaked the tips of two arrows in oil. Then he placed one on the string of the bow and another in his teeth.

Taking a bead on the sails of the ship (a bigger target you could not have found) he closed his eyes a moment to centre himself and feel the strength of the wind. Trying to adjust for it he angled his bow up slightly and then he tilted it slightly so the flame from Merka ignited the tip.

Quicker than the eye could perceive he released the arrow, removed the next from his teeth, nocked it to the string, adjusted for range, tilted to ignite and and fired it again.

Then he watched calmly and analytically to see what the result would be. If all went well it would be a set of burning sails.

Brin smiles at Merka's trick.  Although wary of flame, he understands its usefulness in many situations.  Eldath has provided Brin a similar spell that may prove as useful.  But he has other ideas as well...

"I wonder if there is a way I could disable their rudder by swimming beneath their keel and perhaps jamming a piece of debris into a crucial spot. Though I am not very knowledgable in the ways of ship- building, I can take one person with me who would have an idea of how to do this..."

Ashes claps quietly.

"With my crossbow I couldn't come near to that shot.  But I have some tricks up my sleeve in case they get closer.  I know little about ships myself and my swimming leaves a lot to be desired.  I and Thug will sit that adventure out Brin.  We will keep guard here.", Ashes says feeding Thug a piece of cheese into his pocket.

With each passing moment, the Spirit is putting more distance between it and the other vessel.  Their sails go up and they start the come about and follow.  They too catch the same wind that has been moving the Spirit to the west.

As their sails come up, Geth finishes making his fire arrows and Merka uses his magic to light them for him.  His first shot misses and goes harmlessly into the water.  However his second shot hits near the top of the sail, catching it on fire.  The activity level on the other vessel increases as the sailors and the fighters get in each others way.  With the few sailors trying to lower the sail and put the fire out and the fighters trying to do something and not knowing what to do.  In the middle of all the confusion, one of the bigger fighters draws his sword and cut all the ropes, bringing the burning sail down on top of everyone on the front half of the sloop.

As the other vessel slows down to a stop and the Spirit speeds into the sunset, you can hear yelling and see several figures with their clothes on fire, jump into the water.

Captain Dale smiles, ”Tis as nice a piece of work as I ever seen!”

Captain Dale continues sailing west into the sunset until it is dark and then he turns south for the night.

"Good job, my friends!" Rystro celebrates momentarily as he watches the chaos on the other boat. "I think we've gotten ourselves a breather for the time being." He smiles, "I do wonder why they were chasing us...and I wonder if they know where we are going."

Geth smiled a small smile of satisfaction at the result of his and Merka's work. He turned to the mage and nodded with respect.

'Your victory Merka. The flames are yours.'

He slapped Merka in the shoulder with one hand in a friendly way and then looked to the others.

"I'll head for the crows nest and keep watch."

Remembering to take some oil and flint with him he headed for his favorite spot and made himself comfortable (as long as there was no other business on deck). His eyes scanned the horizon for any potential problems, including the return of the ship they just fired.

Merka held up his index finger, pointing it toward the sky, and blew on it.  "Ah, well, nothing someone couldn't have done with flint and steel.  I just added some entertainment value."

He added awkwardly, "This spell is going to last a little longer.  There a couple of other things it can do..."  In an almost embarassed manner, Merka went about waving his hands over and around his companions and the crew.  All of the dirt and moisture in their clothing vanished, odors dissipated, and wrinkles disappeared.  Everyone was fresh as the morning dew.  "You don't have to tell anyone...about...that."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 04:52, Wed 19 Jan 2005.

"Nothing embarraseing about keeping it clean Merka" Korgan smiled. "We never know when we'll hvae a chance to get a bath."

He looked at the sea and laughed.

"Well, I guess I would rather the history books remember me as something other than 'Merka the Tidy' or 'Merka the Unsullied.' So, I try to keep quiet about it for posterity's sake."

Merka looked at the sea, also, but didn't laugh.  He absently stroked Grup's leathery hide and wondered how history would remember him.  What lay ahead?  Fame?  Infamy?  Obscurity?  Of those three possibilities, he dreaded the last one most of all.  Enough of that sort of thinking, Grup.  Let's focus on the matters at hand.  Missing dwarves.

"It would still be better than Merka the Soiled - or The Muddy Mage" Korgan smiles, then turns to more serious matters.

"Well, now we know that the dwarves are also going missing here, and the deal was to check out the situation in the cities on the north coast. I suggest we simply go on to Thentia and see if the dwarves there are more cooperative."

"Very true.  I do not have that ability.  My magic is much less regimented.  I can make doors open and close silently, fire small blasts of corrosive liquid and some other tricks but nothing truly substantial.  I wish I could clean my cloths.  THAT would be useful.", Ashes says.

"I really have no clue where my powers come from.  I don't have to study that much I know.  That is why I stay away from most wizards.  They are jealous and try to "study" me."

Merka's empty looking hood turned to face Ashes.  Slowly, in an otherworldly voice, he replied to Ashes, "It's not that we are jealous, Ashes.  It's that we're hunnngrrreeeee...  Strange smacking noises followed.

"Ohh, Ashes, I'm hunnnngrrrreee for sssorcerer sssausssages...  Jussst a few finngerrrs, that's alllll...  Yooo have plenty of themmm... Yooooo won't missss a feeeeewwww, Ashezzzzzz..."  Merka's drummed his fingertips together and staggered a few clumsy steps toward Ashes before he broke into laughter.

"Sorcerer sausages!  Now there's a product whose time has come!  'The magical meat that's a tasty treat!'  We'll all be rich!"  Merka laughed so hard he began coughing and wiping tears from his eyes.

About an hour after the sun sets, Captain Dale changes course to the south.  ”We will stay on the southward track until midnight and then change to the southeast.  That way if we are followed, they should head west and not follow us to Thentia.”

The trip to Thentia takes about about two days with the current winds.  Looking at the scroll that Olive gave the party just a couple of days ago, your contact in Thentia is a human named Elmer.  It appears that he can be found at Elmer’s Outfitters.

OOC: Continue your Roleplay if you want, otherwise, I will post the Spirit of Gall docking at Thentia next.

NOTE: XPs posted in OOC Forum.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:20, Fri 21 Jan 2005.

"Stop it Merka, you clown!", Ashes says laughing.  "The Cloaks of Mulmaster sure wanted to cut a steak off me at one time. Thank god we aren't going there.", he says with a slightly nervous smile.

Brin smiles at the banter between his friends, but his mind is still troubled by their apparent lack of success in Malvaunt.  If only he could have convinced the trading master to trust them...As he looks toward the sun setting over the shimmering Moonsea he seesan image that remainds him of the "Water Hearth", one of his goddess' most holy icons. Brin bows his head in silent prayer to Eldath, asking for guidance and strength in the coming days.  He is rewarded with a comforting glow within his breast, and an invigoration of his faith.  Brin is more sure than ever that Eldath hears and understands him, and he thanks her aloud for her presence in he life.

Geth had felt something stirring inside of him for many weeks and after the fight with the pursuing sloop it had ignited in full force within him. Not knowing what it was and what to do about it he bowed his head slightly and shut his eyes. For the first time in a very long time he prayed, not to the gods themselves but to nature. To him that was the only thing worth praying to. Hig in the crows nest he silently asked for help and as he did so he felt the stirring inside him settle and a warmth come over him. At the same time a distant screech of a eagle broke the air, a calming sound that seemed to him to be some sort of a sign.

Opening his eyes again he knew something had changed. His eyes, much like the eagle themselves, looked up into the sky and saw the dot of a gliding bird high in the air above him. It circled, it's wings catching every updraft it could to make it's gliding as easy as possible. Geth knew what he must do. Pulling a small piece of dried meat from his puch he raised it to the air. Another screech came from high above and the eagle locked its wings back and dived. Moments later, just as it was about to hit Geth full force it flared its wings wide and came to a gentle rest on his outstretched arm. It then cocked its head to the side and looked at the ranger with intelligent eyes. geth smiled and the eagle began to eat the offered meat.

Geth closed his eyes again.

'Thank you' he said in his mind, giving thanks to nature for this most blessed gift.

He then spent much of the next few hours getting to know his new companion.

The next two days pass without any major problems, Captain Dale does enforce no light burning at night.  However the portholes in the cabin have clothes that can be dropped down to keep the light from getting out the cabin.  Therefore an oil lamp is kept lit in the main cabin at night until the party turns in.

On the night before they reach Thentia, another dark shadow is seen in the sky above the ship.  Only the sharpest of eyes could see it as it passed over on its way south from the northern shore.  It was also dragon shaped.

About mid-day the Spirit of Gall sails into the Thentia harbor.  It is different from Malvaunt.  There are two docks sticking out into the water.  There are five sloops very similar in design to the Spirit, either loading or unloading cargo on these two docks.  There is room for several more vessels.

Captain Dale has Dalton pull in the sails and comes to stop about 100 yards out from the dock.  ”Have to wait on the Harbor Master, he assigns the place to dock.  Plus he will do the inspection out here.  He is a decent sort, no nonsense about him, but hell on wheels if you get on his wrong side.  He is not the one to lie to, best to tell the truth or avoid it.  Not lies to him, he seems to know where any contraband is hidden. Almost as if he has some magical sense about things like that.”