Ilura flew over the ship and suppressed her urge to leave a big white present on the head of Vixen as she passed.  Landing beside the captain, she resumed her form.

"The enemy vessel is limping a bit.  If we come around to check on the sinking vessel at our current speed, we'll cross the horizon before the enemy leaves.  There's some debris near the sinking vessel that I might be able to ignite to give us cover to approach sooner.  But I can't tell if there are survivors amongst it."

She didn't bother sharing the recently flogged triton's destination.  If the woman chose to betray them, that would be made obvious by the enemy changing course.  Hopefully she was only scouting or would find a way to further disable the pirates and reduce the threat.

EDIT: Adjusted description to reflect OOC discussion
This message was last edited by the player at 20:23, Tue 12 Feb 2019.

"I agree, milady," Eryn politely responded to the fairy. "The captain is getting desperate to deliver the cargo. If she takes us across the Hazy Sea like Brigg suggests, then she may very well sink us all in pursuit of her own freedom. We would need to seize control if she gives that order, but preferably earlier." Even as she said this, the warrior didn't feel entirely certain they could take on both Frost and the crew at the same time. She did not voice these concerns to the two others in the room.

"Is there any way to counter the ice magic and weaken Frost further? Fire would be effective, I imagine? Eryn asked, once again finding herself wishing that Hiran had come with them. His extensive knowledge of sorcery would come in handy if they were dealing with a magical being for sure.

"Oh, and don't worry about the ghost," she continued. "The halfling's with us. I didn't think he was coming, but he hid himself on board anyway. I've been feeding him with some rations I brought with me. Didn't want the crew to wonder," she explained. The warrior furrowed her brow and considered their options. "We haven't been able to lay any plans for a mutiny either. I know Marcus - that's the paladin - sent a letter to find out more about the demonic contract, to find a way to break it that Frost may agree with. If he doesn't receive a reply soon, we'll just have to gear up and go for our own plan. We'll gather your men, have our halfling help distract your opposing officers, and then confront Frost in as isolated a setting as we can manage during the midday sun." She shrugged. "Then it's all about strength of arms, us against her."

"I will need to speak with the others, and gather my mind for a bit. We may have a few tricks up our sleeves, if we put our heads together. Can I count on you to let me out when time comes, or should we have the halfling help make it look like I escaped on my own?"

---

Would there be time to Prepare Spells in the brig, before we reach Cliffport?

Should I strike the entire ration pack from my inventory, since I'm letting Mouse have it anyway?

“Well ahoy there, little friend.” Mithralan said with a cheery grin when Opal joined him. “Been a while since I’ve seen a gargoyle. What brings you away from your roost, eh? Your kin don’t usually fly far from your chosen perches.”
He conversed happily with the gargoyle as he worked, glad to speak with someone who wasn’t either the unfriendly Crew or one of Sybilla’s more... intense new friends. Not that there was anything wrong with that, he was just used to a more simple and calm way of life.

When he was called over to look at the Odd critters, Mithralan had to restrain himself from going into loud guffaws, such was his surprise and delight. “Why, those are glammer crabs!” He exclaimed “A misleading name, since they’re neither crabs nor use glamours to mask themselves. They’re shapeshifting mollusks. Completely harmless, which is actually why they grew to develop such strong natural shapeshifting powers. They Can turn into almost anything around their size, and have an incredible eye for learning the shape of whatever surrounds them. I’ve never seen any that managed to get aboard a ship or mimic tools, though. I suppose someone could have put them there? Why, though...” Mithralan ended his explanation on a questioning note. He had no idea what the glammer crabs where doing on the ship. They were such shy creatures, usually staying far away from anything remotely smart enough to figure out what they where.

Eryn
Brigg thought about Eryn's question about Frost's weaknesses for a moment before saying, "Fire would make sense. Or anything that produces heat. But I really don't know enough to say for sure. I am glad to hear that there is no ghost though," he added with a chuckle. "I'll try to assist in keeping your friend's presence a secret."

Then, with a frown he said, "I will try to help as much as I can when you do enact your plan, but I have no idea where I will be at the time. There is no way I can promise I would be able to unlock you." At this point he finally closed the cell door and turned a key in the lock. He then walked a few paces across the room and hung the key on a hook on the wall. "I'm afraid you're stuck in there forever." The sarcasm was evident in his voice, and aided by the fact that he winked at Lady Mirrorsheen. The fairy fluttered from the porthole, squeezed through the cell bars, and landed on the table beneath the key hook.

"If there is nothing else, I really should get back up top to help with the situation." Officer Brigg paused just long enough for Eryn to ask anything else, but seemed poised to head out the door.

What do you do?

---

Ilura, Marcus, and Mithralan

Thomas cawed his agreement to Ilura, then flew off toward the pirate ship even as the ranger made her way back to speak with the captain. The captain listened to Ilura's assessment of the situation and seemed to be examining the crates on deck as she did so. She considered the situation for a few moments before replying.

"I think... Whether there are survivors or not, we should go investigate. If you could go ignite the debris you mentioned, that would be well. We will turn toward the wreckage when we spot it rising into the air. Feel free to ask some of your friends to assist you if needed." The captain gave Ilura a nod, signaling the end of her "orders."

Marcus, who was not far away, did notice something odd about the exchange, however. It was difficult for him to place at first, but he eventually made a mental connection. The way she looked at the crates and the way she added that little extra emphasis on "not" when referring to survivors... The paladin recalled way back from when Eryn and Ilura first found out about the Devil's Bargain that Captain Frost was a few bodies short of the quota the contract needed. Frost didn't really want to go investigate the wreck. Not in the way she implied. She wanted to go collect bodies!

Meanwhile, Mithralan was having a much better time, hanging out with Opal and discovering a glammer crab. Opal would only respond to his questions with one word answers in a rough gravely voice, but seemed happy to do so. For instance, the gargoyle's answer for what brought it here was, "Hired. Protect." But answering brought a wide toothless grin to the little critter's face.

When Mithralan explained exactly what the glammer crab was, Officer Tonya Star sighed and shrugged. "Well, do you think you could try and find some way to deal with our... infestation? Throw it overboard? Cook it up? Something? It keeps replacing our hatchet blades and it is becoming a problem. I tried killing it a couple times and threw it overboard, but it seems nigh indestructible and keeps climbing back into that barrel. Squishy bugger." The officer shrugged in annoyance and walked off. "I really don't have time for this right now..."

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Shortly after Sybilla gave the signal whistle, several heads poked over the side of the ship and it wasn't long before a rope was lowered. As Sybilla climbed up she could hear gossiping among the crew about a triton woman who knew their signal and half a dozen crew members poked their heads over the side to take peeks. By the time she stepped foot on the deck, a small crowd had gathered. From a door that Sybilla knew led to the galley, a familiar face appeared.

"Aye, look what the seagulls scavenged!" Cecil Stowaway said in a friendly booming voice. "When I heard the rumor, I knew who it must be. Our lost Fish-girl, come home at last." The halfling was a round old man with a mop of frizzy grey hair and big mutton chops. He wore an apron and walked on a peg leg that he did not have the last time Sybilla saw him. The older guy walked right up to Sybilla, tilted his head back, and looked down his nose at her with a sideways look, despite being several feet shorter than her. "What brings you bobbing back to The Cork?"

Several crew members still surrounded the two, murmuring among themselves. They kept their hands near their weapons. They didn't draw them just yet, but seemed ready to use them if the need arose. Some even seemed prepared to cast spells! And over their heads in the rigging, Sybilla could see a crow that she could almost swear looked familiar.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Brigg can't reliably let you out, but the keys to your cell are on a hook across the room, and Lady Mirrorsheen is there, so... Yeah, you shouldn't have any trouble getting out whenever you want to.

"Would there be time to Prepare Spells in the brig, before we reach Cliffport?" The ship has gone past Cliffport already, just earlier today. You should have just enough time to prepare spells before the ship reaches the wreckage though.

"Should I strike the entire ration pack from my inventory, since I'm letting Mouse have it anyway?" I will leave that decision up to you. You can give Mouse as much or as little food as you would like.

Marcus
What here is not what it appears to be?
Captain Frost's intents for why she wants to head toward the wreck are not what they appear to be. She really just wants to collect more bodies for her contract with the Overlord's brother.

Ilura made her way forward to where Mithralan was chatting with one of the crew-members.

"The pirate ship's moving slowly.  By the time it's out of site, I expect the victim ship will have sunk.  However, there's some oily debris between the two ships that I might be able to set alight which would give us cover to approach sooner.  I figure I can light it with some arrows, but I'll need a stable to platform to do that from.  Are you, perhaps, able to assume a larger form than the one you showed earlier?  One big enough for me to crouch on?  And if so, would you be willing to help me?"

Ilura was actually quite curious about just what variety of forms the druid could assume, but they hadn't had a whole lot of time to talk since the 'rescue'.

Mithralan looked up from the barrel where the glammer crab hid at Ilura’s question, scrunching his brow thoughtfully.
“Well, I don’t know any flying form that’s big enough to carry you, but if ye don’t mind gettin’ yer feet wet I Can help ye easy enough. Just give me a moment to parley with our little shiftin’ cousin here. Glammer crabs are actually quite easy to talk to. Smarter than dolphins they are, but like most animals they tend to fixate on certain things. Dolphins only ever Think about playin’ and eatin’. Glammers think about safe hidin’ spots. You just gotta know how to get their attention. And speak their tongue, obviously.”

Leaning over the barrel, Mithralan made a cooing noise to calm any nervousness the glammer crab might feel, before talking in a low, soothing voice. “Hello there little cousin. I hate to tell ye this, but you ain’t exactly in the best hidin’ spot there. Sure, you look like the other hatchets, but those are sailor things. And the sailors use them pretty often. So they’re gonna keep finding you and getting angry at you. Now, I Think I know how you could stay on the ship, and be much safer. You just gotta turn into something that isn’t a tool. Like a large sea shell. Then I’ll tell the sailors that you’re a sea shell, so they won’t touch you. I know, I know, part of hiding is others not knowing what you’re lookin’ Like, but hear me out. See, people like to make deals. And I know that your kind have very keen senses. You Can sense very large sea creatures from miles away, and steer clear of them. Now, if you made a deal with the sailors to warn them when those Big creatures were near, they would want to keep you as safe as possible. They’d probably feed you too. No more risking being found while looking for food. How’s that Sound, eh?”

Having come up with a way to solve the glammer problem without hurting the thing or ousting it from it’s chosen home, Mithralan relayed the offer he’d made it to Tonya Star as Well. If the glammer and the sailor were even reasonably smart, they’d see how they’d both benefit from this deal, and sort it out between them. Satisfied with his mediating between counting as his one druid feed of the Day, Mithralan turned to Ilura once more.
“Right, natural transportation coming up.” He said, before moving over to the side of the boat and Jumping over the railing.
As he Dove towards the water, he already started shifting, hos body rippling and growing both longer and wider as he fell. When he hit the water a fin had already started taking shape on his back.

When Lan’s form next broke the water once more, it was in the form of a magnificent Orca that jumped from the water, before laying still, it’s back above water and awaiting it’s passenger, a merry gleam in it’s intelligent eyes.

OOC:
Someone gonna ride the waves? The gonna ride waves in style, ya’ll.

1:19, Today: Mithralan rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Shapeshifting into an orca. (+wis).

So that’s one Orca express, with Two hold for Orca moves ;)

This message was last edited by the player at 00:25, Fri 15 Feb 2019.

Sybilla smiled and laughed before feigning looking around for the halfling "What reaks of tuna past its prime? Oh why if it isn't little Cecil Stowaway. We disguising ourselves as part of the furniture now?" She pointed at his wooden leg, she was interested in who or what could have caught the sneaky burger and losing limbs had always been part and parcel of the pirate life. She looked at each suspicious face,  she gestured to show she had no weapon on her, and then turned back to Cecil "You know I am the type to travel, if my waves crashing against some new shore then what's the point of living? Could you point me in the direction of whoever is captaining this chum bucket now? I saw your handiwork back there and I know where you can find a fine ship to plunder, or better yet, take over." She hoped to entice the captain into helping to take over her former ship, though they would have to iron out details like making sure her new companions stayed safe. Always better to have the additional manpower and if she could get herself a greater position on a ship she would.

"I might fly there.  But I'll need a place to land and fire from.  Just follow me and stop when I circle."

The ranger grabbed her bow, flint and steel and prepped a few arrows with cloth and pitch to burn, then took to the skies again, flying low so the whale could see her.  As she approached the debris, she kept an eye out for a patch she could easily ignite without posing a danger to any survivors.

quote:

08:53, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Back to a seagull.
08:53, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What here is useful to me?

"Nothing I can think of right now, Brigg. You should get back to the others before they start wondering what's taking so long," Eryn said, and nodded a goodbye to the officer. With him gone, she stole a glance towards Lady Mirrorsheen beneath the hanging key, then sat down with her legs in a circle and began doing the rote preparation for the few spells she knew how to cast.

"There is something I wish to tell you," she said to the fairy, whilst methodically tracing magial runes from her notebook with her fingertip. "Back in the caves near Markarth, where we beat back the overlord's minions, there was a child I couldn't save. A sea witch spirited a young girl away to become her apprentice, and the rest of us could only stand and watch as she did so. I thought to myself: 'This will never happen again if I can help it'. Now that we are faced with the dilemma of stopping the overlord or saving the Captain's soul, however, I don't know what to do." She looked away and chewed on her words for a few seconds before continuing. "I may not like Frost, but I don't feel comfortable trading away a soul for an uncertain victory. Yet the amount of people we save by foiling the overlord's plan at every step is so much greater. I really hope we can get Captain Frost to see reason, or else..." Eryn let the words trail off. Switching subjects to something she knew more about, the warrior instead focused on the potential for battle.

"I didn't want to tell Brigg, but thanks to Hiran's teachings I've been able to work out how to create fire through a spell. It is wild and uncontrollable, however; only good for one big burst. I don't think I could produce a stable flame that only weakens her, so I was wondering if perhaps you have any magic that can produce heat?"

---

I may prepare Fireball, but it may be a bit risky. If Mirrorsheen can produce heat or flame I'll just reaffirm the other spells I've had so far.

Marcus watched Captain Frost as she left to continue organizing the desperation-driven attempt, considering how it must feel to know that your very soul depended on the actions of others. He shook his head slowly and wiped a tear that formed at the thought.

The shape-shifters provided a temporary distraction and the paladin marveled at the huge form that Mithralan took as he returned to check the preparations on the balista. He promised himself that he'll finally gather the courage to talk to the captain after they were in the clear.

Ilura and Mithralan
The glammer crab looked at Mithralan with a whole lot of skepticism, but went with the officer regardless. Tonya looked similarly skeptical, but wandered off with the little critter in her pocket. It was currently still in the shape of a hatchet blade, as it hadn't yet decided which new form to take.

Out in the sea, Mithralan easily made it through the waves in his powerful new form, and Ilura flew effortlessly overhead. It did not take long for the two of them to pull ahead of the ship and reach the wreck once more. The debris was spread out quite wide now. The ship itself was three quarters sunken, on its side, and heavily damaged. Whatever air pockets were holding it up did not seem like they would be letting it sink completely any time soon, however.

Under the water Mithralan could see that there was even more wreckage floating around. In addition to the grim sight of sailors motionless in the water, there were also a pelthora of broken boards and loose items floating about. Large portions of the ship floated separate from each other, connected by only a few loose ropes and nets. It could be dangerous to try swimming beneath the wreckage, but it was easy enough to avoid. The druid was able to get into a position where Ilura would be able to fire a bow from his back without too much trouble. His antlers would even provide a handy hand-hold for her. A handhold that Opal also took advantage of any time Mithralan broke the surface of the sea.

Up in the air Ilura didn't spot much that she hadn't spotted her first time through here. The only really useful thing she spotted was a container of lamp oil she might be able to use to speed up the ignition process. It was floating near the surface and easily accessible, since oil is lighter than water.

It wasn't long before the druid and ranger managed to get a sizable fire going, throwing black smoke up into the air to block vision between the wreck and the pirate ship. It wasn't even a minute later when both Ilura and Mithralan could hear a soft pounding sound coming from the hull of the nearly sunken ship...

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Cecil scratched at his mutton chops as he thought about Sybilla's words, but the old halfling soon motioned for the crew members to lower their weapons. "Donnie died a few months back, so Rutherford is captain these days. He's tending to a harpoon wound he got during our last hit, but I'm sure he would love to hear your proposition." Cecil turned and began walking down the length of the ship. He didn't say it, but it was obvious he expected Sybilla to follow.

"I actually got promoted to first mate myself," he said conversationally as he walked. "Still got kitchen duty though. I insisted on it, actually. Working on a nice victory feast right now... Ah, here we are." He knocked rhythmically on the wooden door of the captain's quarters, then entered without waiting. "Captain. Got an old fish friend here who showed up sayin' she's got a juicy target for us."

Inside the room was a shirtless elf, having his arm being wound up in bandages by what appeared to by a teenage deckswab. Captain Rutherford was short for an elf, and his skin was tanned from being out in the sun for countless hours. He was quite muscular and had the look of eternal youth that was so common among his kind. The glowing tattoos up and down his arms marked him as one of the pirate gang's magical lightning casters.

With almost no expression on his narrow face, he looked to Sybilla and asked, "Indeed? And what juicy morsel might you have brought wriggling into our maws today?" The elf's voice rang with an unsettling mixture of aristocracy and fisher-talk.

What do you do?

---

Eryn

Lady Mirrorsheen sat on the edge of the table as she pondered Eryn's question. "I am not as skilled at spellwork as you are. Not by a long shot. Most of my knowledge lies in how to augment spellwork. How to modify it. Not how to produce it outright. The circle where I learned my techniques was run by one or two masters who knew the spells, and I, along with the other apprentices, were merely taught how to empower their magics. Over time I may have been able to graduate to a level where I would be allowed to learn the actual spells, but, well, there is a reason I no longer associate with them..." The fairy's tone hinted that there was more to her story that she did not wish to get into at the moment.

"So no, I do not think I am able to do what you ask. Sorry." She seemed genuinely upset that she was unable to assist with Eryn's request. But then witha little bit of sparkle returning to hereye, she said, "I could probably make any fire you produce last longer, reach further, or burn hotter though. Or possibly even help create a non-magical flame..."

What do you do?

---

Marcus

Back on the ship, all seems to be going as one might expect. Before too long smoke begins to rise in the distance and the ship turns to head in its direction. With the help of Westley and Silas, the paladin got the ballista prepared in no time.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Same Seagull moves as before.

What here is useful to me?
Some lamp oil that got the smoke rising even faster than it otherwise would have. I had the smoke go up already to save a bit of time, but still feel free to describe your process.

Mithralan
Orca moves:
Belly flop
Redirect prey
Echolocate in detail

Sybilla
You have the captain's attention.

Eryn
Lady Mirrorsheen doesn't seem to think she could do what you asked of her.

Marcus
Everything seems to be running smoothly aboard the ship at the moment.

Ilura lit on Mithralan's antlers, then hopped down onto his back before resuming her human form.  Her arrows remained dry and the first one caught easily.  She sighted on the barrel a good 50 feet away and stuck it on her first draw.  The leaking oil quickly caught fire and she returned the bow to her back.  She'd have to transform again quickly if she wanted to keep the string dry.

[Thank you.  That was much easier with your help]

It was then that she heard the knocking.

Her first thought was to swim under the ship and try to help the person from inside.  However, if they were knocking, odds were that that the entrance to whatever room the knocker was in was blocked, and she wasn't exactly a paragon of strength to be moving things around at the best of times, let alone while trying to hold her breath underwater.

[I have a form that could probably spit some acid and eat through the wood, unless you've got a better idea?]

Can I add Orca to my list of forms?

Preparations done, Marcus considered asking a crewmember for any further tasks they might have for the three men. There was a lot of goodwill to be rebuilt. Before he could, the dark smoke rose and the paladin took it as a sign. There could very well be darkness they need to be aware of. He grasped Lusiny's symbol and prayed for a moment, his eyes closed
"Silver goddess that shines forever,
In this time of uncertainty, please guide me.
What here is evil?"

His hand still holding the holy symbol, Marcus opened his eyes and observed the crew and the captain in a new light.

Guidance

Sybilla took one last look to at the familiar bird before going to meet the captain. She looked the elven man over, he seemed the type to have on your side, especially in a mutiny. She spoke with confidence "Aye, there is a ship near here captained by some Captain called Frost. We had a falling out, heard she is carrying slaves and working with some truely awful man, you know that's means something, coming from a pirate." She hoped that didn't offend him but rather underlined just how bad this Overlord guy could be. From what Sibella heard at least.
"Pretty decent ship though, you could do to add it to the fleet rather than sink it to the briny deep. There might be a few treasures on it to pick off at your leisure as well. What say you, I lead you to this ship, you knock off the old captain and we all make out like bandits?"

"I can't say I am all that skilled myself yet," Eryn said, truthfully. "My spells are still as likely to falter as they are to have the intended effect. Luckily the purpose of this spell is only to wreak havoc, so any aid you can offer towards that end is welcome." The warrior thought about it for a moment, then finally laid her book open on the page she needed. She looked over at Lady Mirrorsheen again, and found herself happy to have the fairy around. "I will prepare the fire spell for now, along with one that lets me communicate through thought alone. I can only manage one of those at a time, however, so I was wondering if you would like to be my eyes and ears, or if not: If you could fetch me one of my comrades for the same purpose?"

Eryn stroked her chin contemplatively. "Actually, come to think of it, I best speak with one of them in any case. I escalated the situation with the captain due to my temper. I best ask before I start setting fire to everything," she added with a grin.

---

I will prepare Fireball and Telepathy, along with cantrips. That fills my capacity of spells for now.

Would Mouse happen to be lurking around nearby?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

Eryn

"I will fetch one or more of your comrades and let you decide from there who you would like to be your eyes and ears. I am certainly willing, should you decide I am the best candidate." Lady Mirrorsheen gave a kind smile, then fluttered back through the cell bars and out through the porthole into the sunny sea air.

She wasn't gone long before Eryn heard a familiar voice whispering loudly from just outside the door. "If I heard correctly, there is now an officer I no longer need to hide from? That's cool." It was Mouse, the halfling stowaway, peeking around the door frame. Apparently they had been listening in. By the looks of it, Mouse was still worried about being spotted, and so did not fully enter the room in case they needed to dash for a hiding spot on short notice.

What do you do?

---

Marcus

When Marcus opened his eyes, he saw the ship in a way he had never seen before. It was as if the entire vessel had had most of the color sucked out of it and it was now a grey husk. Most of the sailors were a similar grey color. Some a lighter grey and others darker. Frost was rater neutral herself, but on the darker side. A few of the sailors, however, had an aura of black about them. Vixen was one, and Officer Gravelborough was another, as well as a few whom Marcus did not know the names of. Additionally, many of the crates on the top deck looked as if black wisps of evil were wafting out of them, being blown away by the wind.

"Excuse me," a voice said. It was lady Mirrorsheen, hovering beside him. When he looked over to her, all the colors of the ship and crew returned to their normal hues. "Miss Eryn wishes to speak with you when you have the time. She has things she would like to discuss..." The fairy's words trailed off as the smoke in the distance caught her gaze. Her only comment on the matter was, "Hmm."

What do you do?

---

Ilura and Mithralan

As Ilura awaited a reply from Mitralan, the wind shifted slightly. It caused the smoke from the oil fire to blow in their direction, making it more difficult to breathe in their current location. Opal the gargoyle made sounds of dissatisfaction from its perch on Mithralan's antler beside Ilura.

The sound of pounding continued to echo from the ship's hull.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Captain Rutherford looked down his chin at Sybilla and brushed his deckswab assistant away with a little bolt of static shock magic. "That sounds like a scrumptious morsel indeed. If you are to be trusted," he looked over to Cecil, who nodded, then back over to Sybilla, "then we are interested. But you may notice that our ship is not at full maneuverability right now. Still, perhaps you can fix that disadvantage for us. If you can do me a favor and sneak aboard their ship and drop their anchor for me at just the right moment, I think we can come to an understanding."

The elf stood up and his long black hair fell over his shoulders dramatically. He crabbed a cutlass from atop his bed and strapped it around his waist, but didn't bother with a shirt. "Cecil, I am afraid our victory feast will need to be postponed. We have a battle to prepare for."

Cecil nodded and gave a wide grin. "Yes Captain. Aye aye!" The halfling turned and went to go make preparations, his peg leg thumping against the planks of the ship.

"Now," Captain Rutherford said, regaining Sybilla's attention, "tell me more about what we are about to face. Who they are, and where we will find them."

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Mouse is lurking nearby if you wanted to say or do something regarding them.

Marcus
A few of the crew appear to be evil, but most are somewhere in between good and evil. Some of the crates also exude an evil aura. And in case you were wondering, Silas and Westley and Lady Mirrorsheen do not register as evil either.

Ilura and Mithralan
Smoke is blowing in your direction now. It is unclear yet if it will become a bigger issue or not.

Sybilla
Captain Rutherford has agreed to go after the ship so long as you promise to sneak aboard and drop Frost's anchor for him (or otherwise disable the ship).

"We are alone, but I don't know how long, so I'll speak quickly," Eryn said. She pulled out her packet of rations and offered it to Mouse through the bars of the prison she was stuck in. "There's three days worth of food in here," she explained. "I'm set for now, but I don't know if we'll be able to stay in touch once the mutiny happens."

The warrior thought about what to say next, as she hadn't really made up her mind about what to do, but she decided that any agreement she could make with the halfling was better than nothing. "I suspect you may not want to put yourself in harm's way, but if a fight breaks out, have you thought about what you will do?"

Sibella tells Rutherford the extent of the route she was told they were taking and as much as she knows about the captain and her crew. She stresses that there are others on that ship they would be way more useful as allies than killed/captured. After the discussion and agreement between them, with the captain's permission she dives off the boat in search of Captain Frost's ship. On the way she thinks about the best way to get aboard without notice.

Marucs frowned at the sight of darkness and tried to commit the faces and locations of the crates to his memory. At least their belief in Frost wasn't misguided. Much. The fairy's message broke his concentration sooner than he hoped, but he nodded and gave a slight smile. "Thank you. I'll go right away." Waving at the two men and offering "Keep an eye out, I'll be back soon." he set off down towards the ship's brig.

Shrugging at the whale's silence, Ilura removed her bow and quiver and left them on the creature's back.  [Try to keep them drive, and for the love of the moons, don't lose them].  She concentrated briefly and her body shifted and grew, returning to the ugly form of the queen buzzard before launching herself into the air.  The smoke was acrid and burned unpleasantly in her lungs, but it wasn't yet thick enough to cause her any real problems.

Alighting atop the overturned ship she positioned herself to the side of the knocking and leaned forward.  The other queen had been able to do so, so presumably she could too.  It took a bit of work, but eventually she was able to vomit forth a considerable blob of stomach acid on the side of the ship.  She watchedas it began eating through the wood even as it slowly dripped down closer to the water's edge.  The ship wouldn't last long once the sealed air could get out and even less long once the acid reached the water line.  She leanded forward to see what she could as soon as the first bits of wood desolved all the way through, thankful again for the Goddess's gift of enhanced sight as she tried to figure out what was going on inside the ship - and how she was going to rescue whoever was knocking before the ship sank...

quote:

10:24, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Back to sea buzzard queen.
10:32, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

It seems we may have lost Mithralan. I will NPC him for the time being.

---

Sybilla

Before she jumped into the water, Captain Rutherford assured Sybilla that he would spare her friends during the battle so long as they did not endanger his crew. He then ordered the ship to change course to intercept captain Frost's ship, assuming it was in fact in the direction Sybilla directed them. As Sybilla dove into the sea once more, she could spot Ilura's crow taking flight as well.

When Sybilla located the ship again, she could see that it was on its way to the wreckage of the pirates' previous target. It had nearly arrived too. Getting back aboard the ship was certainly more difficult than exiting it, but there seemed to be at least one or two places where she could probably climb aboard if she timed a leap with the bobbing of the ship just right. One spot was near the rear where some fishing nets had been hastily withdrawn from the water, but not pulled in completely. Another spot was near the front where a rope temporarily dangled down from a crew member's adjustments. It was near the anchor itself, but more likely that she would be spotted.

Granted, since the ship's crew didn't know she was planning on betraying them, being unseen might not even be strictly necessary for the triton's re-boarding.

What do you do?

---

Marcus and Eryn

Mouse entered the room just long enough to grab the rations from Eryn, then retreated beck to the doorway. The halfling stowaway pondered the fighter's question for a moment before replying. "If a fight breaks out, I suppose I would try to keep out of it. Find a nice hiding spot during the chaos maybe? Unless, of course, I had incentive to do otherwise..." Mouse rubbed their fingers together, indicating they were alluding to payment.

Just then, the sound of footsteps down the hall caused Mouse to retreat back out of sight. But when Marcus entered the room, Lady Mirrorsheen hovering close behind, Mouse poked their head back around the door frame once more. "Feel free to make an offer and we can move our business relationship up past merely helping each other survive." Mouse held up their new bundle of rations and grinned.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Ilura could hear the sound of nails clinking to the floor below as her acid ate away the wood around it. The pounding sound had stopped, and when the hole was large enough, Ilura could see two figures huddling among the wreckage of the room within, terrified of the monstrous sea buzzard looming over them. They were not human, but certainly humanoid. They were finely dressed, but they bore the markings of servitude. It appeared these two once belonged to someone aboard the ship. The room itself seemed to be a private quarters of some sort. There were clothes strewn about and other everyday items. Most were of high quality. One tophat in particular seemed to stand out above the rest as it floated in the rising water.

With a way for the air to escape, The ship was sinking much faster now. The room below her was quickly filling with sea water. The ranger knew that once the ship sank below the waves, it would probably pull things nearby down with it. The suction force it created would be difficult to escape.

As Ilura decided what to do, her loyal friend Thomas returned. He landed beside her on the upturned ship and said, [The pirates are coming back this way!]

What do you do?

---

Sybilla
There are two spots where you can get aboard the ship. If you wish to remain unseen, I'll need a Defy Danger roll. The danger being you being spotted sneaking aboard. If you sneak in the front, you will be closer to the anchor but risk being spotted as you climb aboard. If you climb up the rear, you can get aboard just fine, but you will need to avoid being spotted as you hide or traverse the length of the ship.

Eryn and Marcus
You are now both in the brig with Lady Mirrorsheen and Mouse. You have the opportunity to hire Mouse as an official Hireling if you would like to. Otherwise you can keep the relationship as-is, where Mouse passes notes in exchange for rations, etc.

Loyalty: 1
Cost: Money
Skills: Burglar 4, Warrior 2

Ilura
Your Sea Buzzard moves are the same as usual. You have found two trapped servants in the wrecked ship. What type of non-humans are they? What marks them as servants?

What should I be on the lookout for?
The ship is sinking fast now. It will create quite a bit of suction once it goes under completely. Best not to get caught up in the pull.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There is a tophat floating in the water that seems more... unique, than the other clothing floating around.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The two people are marked as property of someone. They were not crew members, but essentially slaves of someone who had been aboard the ship.

[Mithralan, get over here!  I've got two slaves and I doubt they can swim]

She was happy to see Thomas again.  She'd been a bit worried leaving him on his own.
[Did the Triton sell us out?]

Ilura changed form back to human, then reached her hand into the room.  "Come quickly.  I can save you, but if you wait too long, you will die"  The hat was interesting, but her priority had to be the people.  She took slight comfort from the fact that whoever had "owned" this sorry pair had likely already drowned.

"How much would you be looking for, exactly?" Eryn asked, but dropped the matter when she saw the paladin enter. "Marcus," she acknowledged, then moved quickly onto business. "Sorry for the trouble above deck. Sounds like this situation may be falling apart quickly anyway, though. Parts of the crew is getting antsy with the captain, and the pirates may be upon us soon."

The warrior closed her notebook and rose to her feet, all preparations done. "I can get out of here if need be," Eryn continued, nodding towards the keys hanging on the wall, "but I was thinking we should have some way of communicating. I would like to use one of the spells Hiran helped me with, and form a mental connection with either you or Lady Mirrorsheen. That way we can stay in touch. What do you say?"

As the pair moved/swam into the light, the slave brands on their forehead were clear.  Their skin was gray and mostly hairless.  Drugar.  Likely captured during a raid and retained either for their strength or as novelties. One of them looked to be a female, which was unusual.  She gestured more urgently.  "Come!  Live!"

Sybilla weighed her options on both directions of approach. Ultimately she decided it would be quite a waste of time to sneak in the back way since as soon as the anchor was dropped they would come running to see what the situation was. She  made her way carefully and slowly up the front of the ship. When she was close to the deck, she took a quick peek and provided there was noone near she would toss herself over the rail and try to quickly get a hidden position. She wasn't  sure what her backup plan would be.