After sorting your personal nutritional requirements, you make your way down to the wharf, where it was indicated the ship that is to take you out to the Strangers was waiting. You contemplated asking after the Hawk, but it was immediately apparent which was the ship you were looking for, with a huge hawks head carved as the figurehead being the most obvious hint.

The ship is quiet at the moment, but what smells like pipe weed is drifting over the side and down the planks of the wharf, and when you get closer to the 2 masted ship, you can hear a sea shanty being hummed loudly and tunelessly from the deck.

Eleni takes a minute to observe the ship. She does not have a lot of knowledge of the sea, but has a decent head and an inquisitive eye. She looks at the condition of the rigging, the sails, and the sides of the ship. Specifically looking at the hard to reach areas, as she would as an acolyte tasked with cleaning the arms and armor. She figured the level of care for the ship would reflect on the crew's ability, as it had with her own cleaning duties. If they had the time and respect to keep the ship clean, it meant they were comfortable in their ability to sail her and understood that the ship was all they had aside from each other on the ocean.

She then goes to the walkway to the ship and looks to get a crewman's attention, calling out "Hello there!"

[Private to GM: 19:58, Today: Secret Roll: Eleni of the Final Embrace rolled 33 using 1d20+13.  Perception.]

At your words, you hear the sounds of a pair of boots on the wooden deck and soon see the face of a sailor looking out over the handrail. He is clearly the nephew of the innkeeper, as he mentioned, though his face is almost clean-shaven, and he has short brown hair. He looks to be in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and is wearing a simple tunic with a leather belt. He has a pipe in his hand as he spots you and speaks.

"Oi, well met to ya. How might I help a maiden of such visual contrasts as yourself?"

The ship itself looks to be in exceptional shape for one as old as the elder Addan seemed to indicate. You have not been on deck yet, but every place you can see is spotless. There is not even so much as a single barnacle on the hull.

Eleni looks the man over, realizing his familial connection and offers a warm smile before speaking. "Well met. I am Eleni, one of the group who is to go meet the foreign ship. I came to look over the Hawk, familiarize myself with it and ensure it was ready for our mission. I was taught to care for the tools and steeds that carry us through battle. Even from here I can tell you treat her with great reverence and respect. I harbor no doubts as to the quality of care of the rest of the ship. Might I come aboard to see the layout of the fine lady?"

"Aye, you are welcome aboard my humble vessel, Lady Eleni."

He gestures to the gangplank, still down while the crew is away, and when you board he begins pointing out things of note.

"To the aft you will see the captain's cabin, with the wheel just above. We have 6 passenger cabins below deck, with crew quarters fore of those. Below it all is cargo, but we have a hatch that drops down between the crew and passenger quarters, so we can lift things in and out. All ship shape and clean enough to lick." He seems to be making a very suggestive face when he says the word lick.

"Best feature though? The Hawk's head. Carved of one solid piece of Ebon Pine."

You know already that Ebon Pine is native to the forest to the north, and is prized as a decorative wood, but is not great for construction.

Eleni slowly walks up the gangway and looks over the ship. She notes the immaculate deck, tidy lines, and organized appearance. "The figurehead is well crafted  and beautiful. Is it normal to use the less sturdy wood for those? I only have experience with small fishing vessels, this is the first large ship I will travel on."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:28, Thu 17 Aug 2023.

Jhonson nodded. "I would never sail on it. It's too brittle and porous. Might as well sail on sackcloth. But for decoration? Aye, it works a treat."

He looks pensive, then asks in a rush, "Do you think there is much danger with this ship? I'll admit, me boys and me, we ain't great adventurers like yourselves. I just want to keep my head."

She looks to the bow of the ship as she considers how to answer his request. To give him an empty promise of safety wouldn't be right, but describing the likely danger would not aid things either. She chose her words carefully. "I think the ship itself likely saw danger and some of that lingers there. I don't think it will spill over to the Hawk, especially if we keep from tying the vessels together. But I do not believe you have any reason to fear aiding us. I will face whatever is inside, whether it be beast, monster, or worse....politicians." she says with a smile. There is a sincerity underneath the light joke but the rest of her speech was said in a serious tone. It is easy to see she considers the job part of her duties and will treat it appropriately. "You will be able to tell everyone how you helped us with this task, might even make a bit of a name for the Hawk and her crew." she explains.

She walks about, looking at the places easy to grab onto and places to hold if the sea got rough. She'd never tried to swim in armor, but assumed it would be difficult as it restricted movement even on land. It might be prudent to see if someone could make quick releases for an emergency, but that would have to wait. She said a silent prayer to avoid testing her armor's buoyancy.

[Private to GM: 18:35, Today: Secret Roll: Eleni of the Final Embrace rolled 30 using 1d20+17.  Diplomacy to comfort Jhonson Addan.]
This message was last edited by the player at 01:36, Fri 18 Aug 2023.

Vharza paced easily back along the docks, with plenty to occupy his thoughts. His meeting with Elliottia, though brief, had given him a very different view on the Maelstrom. For so long, it had been little more than a dark shadow on the horizon. Now not only had someone breached it, but the Maelstrom might not be willing to let them go even after escaping its grasp. He'd never thought of the Maelstrom as living before, but if Elliottia was correct...

The crowfolk let out a long breath and closed his eyes, letting the breeze flow over him, carrying the sounds of the docks flow over him. The gulls screaming overhead, the lap of the waves... And a familiar voice, not so far away. He glanced around, noting the flash of red over on one of the ships.

Well, he was headed back to the inn anyway. Linking up with Eleni was hardly objectionable, assuming that she would be heading that way soon enough. So he switch course towards that banner of red hair, stopping on the shore and waiting for her to finish her conversation with the boatman. No need to interrupt.

"Thank you for reassuring me. I put on a brave face for the boys, but I was secretly quaking in my boots."

He walks you through the easy handholds and also goes over the plan for getting everyone to the other ship. "So, we have a special method of quickly moving off the ship and onto another one or whatever. See the rope worked into the design of the Hawk's head?" You do see, now that it is pointed out, that there is a rope worked into the design. Strangely, the railing does not extend over the head, and instead the deck extends into the top of the head, and seems to make a ramp up.

"We call it the jump rope. If you run past it and jump forward, it launches you into the air and gives you a lightness that is quite fun. Its great for diving in the water, but it should give you enough of a boost to reach the ship. On a good run, you can easily clear 40 or 50 yards, and get quite high in the air."

She listens with interest, and considers the nature of the rope. "That seems useful for boarding or getting to the pier to assist in docking. My only concern would be getting back, though it definitely has uses." she explains. Looking at the pier, she picks out Vharza and decides that she has seen enough at the Hawk. "It appears one of my companions has come to escort me. I should take my leave, but look forward to sailing with you and your crew tomorrow. Until then." she politely nods and makes her way to her companion.

"Of course. We will be waiting for you in the morning, and ready to depart just as soon as you arrive. We are fast but plan for about a 2 to 3-hour trip to get to the ship.

"Thank you again for your time and hospitality." she replies as she crosses onto the gangway. Approaching Vharza she smiles warmly at her avian friend. "Hello again. How did you outing go? Learn anything interesting?" she enquires.

The crowfolk's tilted his head, amused by what he had overheard. "Somehow I don't think you need an escort." He commented dryly, his beak clicking softly as he spoke. "And I can hardly provide a full armed escort. Just myself, and Reed. And he's probably asleep."

He had to look up at Eleni- the woman was significantly taller than him. "It was... enlightening. A local associate who has taken the time to inspect the ship herself." He tilted his head again, feathers ruffling and settling before he continued. "She thinks the Maelstrom is unwilling to let them escape, even though they have left its bounds. And was thoughtful enough to provide both a solution for the sickening aura and a remedy the Maelstrom's grasp."

"I may not need an escort, but I would be a fool to think you could not perform that job well. I remember how the denizens of the swamp regarded you, and that level of deference is only due to your innate power." she compliments. She had always figured him for one who does not desire praise, but he had helped her in the past and she knew it was the right thing to do. "It sounds like it was a productive meeting. Did she have any guesses or suspicions as to what we would find there? My fear is the Maelstrom will have broken the minds of the crew, which is why they might not be able to respond. Either that or something interacted magically within the ship causing the odd phenomena that has been reported. Talking with the innkeeper's son aboard the Hawk, he expressed the crew was a bit nervous but was reassured that we would be the ones doing the work on the foreign ship. He also said it would take 2 to 3 hours to get there, and described a rope they use to send people to other ships like a catapult. I think it will be interesting to see in action, even if I am a bit hesitant to use it myself." she pauses as her stomach grumbles. She can hear a series of heartbeats with a soft double rhythm. "I think it might be time to find a meal. Perhaps we should return to the inn for the night?" she offers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:48, Sun 20 Aug 2023.

The crowfolk clicked his beak, a low chuckle bubbling up from his chest. "Power- such a nebulous concept. But any troop I muster is unlikely to make a decent parade. More likely to start a panic." He chuckled at the mental image that conjured. The motley collection of creatures that would answer his call would be terrible at marching.

That chuckle cut off abruptly at Eleni's question about the ship. "Apparently, it stinks of old death, pain and terror, but without the rage or hate of war. Her nose is much better than mine." The crowfolk shrugged. "I think we will find a small cluster of survivors, and more than a few bodies. The Maelstrom's grasp she spoke of as a taint, or curse. Or maybe a poison that needs to be drawn out." He shrugged again, his feathers fluffing and settling. "I can't confirm until I see it myself."

Vharza tilted his head to look up at Eleni again, his black eyes seemingly expressionless. "No objections from me. Besides, Reed finds these climes too cold, and desperately wants to get back to the fireplace." The crowfolk's backpack let out a low hiss in agreement.

Eleni considers the description of the ship and the conditions suspected. "Well, that isn't good but I guessed it was a possibility. Hopefully there is someone who can explain how they broke through. We'll just have to see, though it might be prudent to prepare spells to ward off the undead and malignant magic."

A smile crossed her lips as Reed's hiss came to her ears. The little guy tried so hard to be fierce but she'd still thought of him as cute. "Best not to keep him waiting then. I think we are in for an eventful day tomorrow." she says as she walks to the inn.