The sun over Baldur's Gate beats down on your back. You each have your own reasons for attempting to reach the far away and mysterious land of Chult and heard of a ship sailing from Baldur's Gate to the island. The ship is said to have been hired by the Order of the Gauntlet to bring volunteers to Chult for an expedition they are planning. As you approach the ship, you see a middle aged elven woman shouting commands to the crew and looking around in a confused manner.
Walking on the docks Grahl will stop 30feet from the woman shouting her commands. His bald head reflecting the sun as he stands firmly looking around at the ship to see if he came to the right place.
His broad shoulders carry the weight of his chainmail, which has seen better days. Some rings in his mail are damaged, most have shaded to a rustier brown. A leather strap going from shoulder to hip diagonally holds his round wooden shield on his back.
He sets down his backpack a moment taking in the sights. He looks down and says Human not delay Grahl enough. Grahlfound ship in time. He appears to be speaking to himself but for those looking more carefully Grahl has a set of human ears dangling from his belt by a small piece of rope. Reaching in his backpack he takes out a waterskin to take a gulp of water.
Grahl then walks towards the elven woman. From afar Grahl could easily be mistaken for a sturdy human, but his face clearly shows his half orc blood. He does not have very large tusks but still very visible. His jawline somewhat hidden by a beard but Grahl makes no attempt to hide his face.
Standing in front of the woman he speaks to her just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the crew. Grahl need to go on ship to Chult. Grahl not have money but strong worker. He raises his arms to flex his biceps at the woman and looks to the crew darting around. Grahl go on ship?he asks waiting on the womans response
From down the street you can see him, really can't miss him in fact. He's one of the oddest characters around the dock. You see a dwarf in somewhat dirty leather armor with a shield strapped to his backpack, carrying a staff and wearing a wolf's skull helmet strapped to his head, animatedly talking to himself and walking in an odd manner. He has a map in the other hand, frequently looking down at it, pausing and looking up at the sky, taking in his surroundings. He is walking in large steps like he is pacing out yards, takes a turn, looking down at his feet, back of the map, and then keeps going. He is looking at his map and has his head in it, almost walks directly into the middle aged elven woman. "Here. Right here. This is where it all begins...." he says to himself in dwarvish. He rolls up his map and looks at Grahl, then at the elvish woman. He does a double take with Grahl. "Yes, that wasn't clear, I knew there would be others, 4 others as a matter of fact. Hmm, I know I'm right though, it said right here, and right here I am."
He then switches to common. He announces himself to Grahl and the elvish woman. "Reedfellow. My name. Oh that's right, come out properly, they don't know. Barkas, my name is Barkas. I need to board that ship. I'll tell you all about it once we've begun, but just know that I need to board that ship. I need to be in Chult you see. We need to head to Nyanzaru and pronto." He is rather excitable, trying to convince you, but his words stumble out and come out in a word salad. He reaches out and shakes Grahl's hand vigorously, in a friendly manner. "I know that you are to be there with me. I know there are others, they are coming aren't they? Where are they, time... time." He looks up and then over to the ship. "I know they will be here any moment you see. Hah! Off we go then right?" He looks to the elvish woman and then starts nodding vigorously and smiling at her, hopping from one foot to another, showing his enthusiasm to board the ship. After a minute or two he sits down on the ground cross legged and looks up at her intently, occasionally glancing back at the ship. He unrolls his map again, points to a particular spot tapping it, starts nodding again and rolls it up. Convinced and sure of himself, a big smile crosses his face. He clears his throat and spits a large gob of something on the ground, then stands again, rocking back and forth on his feet, like a child needing to urinate, or rather, waiting in line for a roller coaster.
"...over there then, a thousand blessings for you Sir." The stunningly beautiful half-elf of obvious calishite descent leaves the helpful dockworker to his work and heads for the ship anchored a bit further down the dock. She wears a blood red cloak over dark brown calishite style robes and high soft leather boots. She also wears a talisman of some kind and carries a backpack and a crossbow of calishite design. As she confidently walks down the dock she admires the mighty ships of the baldurian harbor, while catching the eyes of many a dockworker.
When she approaches the middle aged elven woman she notices the mighty half-orc and the rambling eccentric dwarf. She looks from one to the other back and forth a few times smiling, thinking that this expedition clearly attracted some most peculiar adventurers.
"Excuse me for interjecting, but I was told this is the ship taking volunteers to Chult for an expedition planned by the Order of the Gauntlet. My name is Yasheira and I have travelled all the way from Calimshan to join this glorious enterprise. Is there anything else you need before I board the ship madam?" She says to the elf with a distinct Calimshan accent.
Citizens of Baldur's Gate were used to strangeness. Few other places in the Sword Coast could a full-blooded orc wander the streets without citizens screaming in fear and alerting the guards, but in Baldur's Gate an orc was more likely to simply be running the local butcher's shop than to be raiding the gates. The city was home to peoples of all origins and walks of life - skin, scale, fur and feather, all added their color to Baldur's Gate.
Which didn't stop the denizens of the city from giving wide berth to pissed off, heavily armed travelers muttering balefully to themselves as they walked.
The orc walking the streets just then moved in a little bubble of angry personal space. She was scrawny for her kind, not even quite seven feet tall and built more like a half-orc than a pureblooded member of the tribes. There was no mistaking those features for anything but orc, though. Full tusks, bared to the world without a hint of shame. Deep earthy-green skin, liberally marked with scars wherever it was visible. Piercing, poisonous yellow-green eyes made all the more striking by a band of dark war paint drawn across her face. Battle-notched ears bearing the sort of ornaments common to tribal warriors - bone loops and bundled feathers, simple yet skillfully crafted. Simple, sturdy traveler's furs and leathers over tribal leather armor, with fur-lined leather boots and bone-backed gauntlets marking her as definitely Not From Around Here. A makeshift shaman's pouch hung at her waist, bearing the little tools of her newest trade. A plethora of blades, multiple axes and daggers both, hung wherever there was conveniently empty space.
But most noticeable of all was just how mad she was. Those eyes glowed with barely-contained frustration, and she hadn't stopped cursing under her breath for most of the last twenty minutes. That palpable aura of anger kept others at bay, letting the orc woman progress unhindered through the town. If not unwatched. Her muttering, irritated wanderings continued for another minute or two before she came upon a sweetmeats stall along the road.
"Oiy! You!" she barked, stabbing a finger at the startled vendor. "Where are all the damned boats?! Can't find anything in this miserable brick rat's nest of a city..."
After receiving brief, stressed-out directions - and disappointing the merchant when she didn't make a purchase - the orc woman continued her journey, eventually making her way through the city to the docks districts. A few more accosted foodsellers later, and she was walking down a specific dock towards a specific ship, watching an elven woman bellow orders at her crew while a pale-looking half-orc, a bouncy dwarf, and a fancy-looking half-elf just sorta stood around. She stomped up to the little group, her eyes shimmering briefly with golden light as she finally located her objective.
"This the boat going to Chult? If it ain't, where the Hells is that boat? Supposed to be on it," she grumbled, sizing up the other three for a moment before turning her attention to the elven woman apparently in charge of this mess.
The hooded and cloaked figure hurried through the shadows and alleyways toward the harbor, staying off of the heavily traveled main thoroughfares and trying to avoid crowds in any case. He had only just arrived in Baldur’s Gate this morning, and had already had his fill of the place and the stinking, swirling mass of humanity that lived within its walls. He yearns to escape the city walls, but he has a voyage to undertake and the only boat he could find heading to Chult was departing from here. So he shoulders his pack and follows the scent of saltwater and his innate sense of direction to the west and the harbor.
Tall and broad-shouldered, he is covered in furs and leather hide of all varieties, including a dire wolf pelt as a mantle on his traveling cloak, and the shine of well-worn mail is visible through his hide tunic. A unstrung longbow and quiver is slung across his back next to his pack, and two mismatched hand axes hang on his belt. His fingers drum the haft of one ax nervously as he reaches the harbor at last.
He makes his way to the ship in the harbor, noticing every detail of the party gathered at the gangway, are those two half-orcs?, but not acknowledging their presence as he steps up to the lady in charge. He keeps his hood up, but two bright green eyes pierce the darkness under the hood as he addresses her in a deep, gravely voice “I am here for passage to Chult.”
Barkas looks to all, and claps his hands together. He turns to the elvish woman and says "We are all here now, we must be away! One, two, three, four, five. As it should be." He stops and turns to look at the as yet unnamed orc and Grahl, and says "An orc and a half-orc, I knew it! I saw that big oval shape in the sky that night, lying on my back. Grumush One-Eye! I thought it was the shape of a bean, I had a bad batch of beans that night, I don't think the squirrels or the wolves could sleep that night, boy I'll tell you. But it wasn't the beans, it was Grumush! And here you are." He does a half bow, awkward-as-all-get-out kneeling maneuver, then stands up with a big smile on his face, offering his hand in friendship. "Welcome aboard!" He turns to Yasheira, and says "I am not familiar with your land my lady, but I knew from my charts that there was one to join us from across the Sea of Fallen Stars. Welcome to you as well." He turns to the newly arrived hooded figure and looks underneath in a completely curious and nonthreatening way. "And across the Planes you have come to us, I have had a vision of the moon and trailing stars, do your ancestors hail from Zakhara? Please feel welcome, you are meant to be here." Barkas suddenly feels self conscious that he has been talking a lot, sharing too much of what he has forseen. "But enough of all that. Explanations later. We must go now. Come come come! Pretend I've just said whatever words are necessary, let's get on that ship! Yes, yes, we will help your "Order of the Gauntlet"(he acts like he is putting on a glove as he says it). Thank you!" He smiles and starts to pack up his things.
The elf turns, "Oh, finally. You all are here with the Order of the Gauntlet? Wonderful. One of your group is already on the ship." She looks over you for a moment. In a confused voice she asks, "You are with the Order of the Gauntlet's expedition right? You are.... not what I was expecting." She bows slightly before you and introduces herself, "Captain Ortimay at your service. This is my vessel, The Brazen Pegasus. The other member of your organization is already on board below decks, a priest.... ah I forget her name."
Grahl turns to the dwarf as he arrives listening to his words with an ever growing frown on his head.
Barkas.. he repeats while the dwarf rambles on.
Dwarf know Grahl would be here? He says with a surprised look but before an answer can be given the others start to arrive. Checking out what kind of people came to this ship with his eyes lingering on the orc as Grahl tries to recognize a tribe.
As Barkas begins to speak again he turns back to him Gruumsh speak to dwarf..His voice filled with anger. Grahl grits his teeth wanted to scold the dwarf for lying about Gruumsh. But he could not be sure if it was a lie so held himself back to not anger Gruumsh.
With the elf introducing herself Grahl walks towards the boat to get away from this group a moment and to see who this other member was.
His thoughts still on the dwarfs words. How could Gruumsh speak to a dwarf but never to Grahl.
As the fierce orc and the cloaked figure arrives Yasheiras first impression seems to be a correct one, but she realizes that her old family, The Tombseekers, wasn´t all that different when she met them. She missed them now, a lot. Travelling with these expedition members might ease the pain of her loss though but she had other things to worry about now, like getting results for the old thing in the desert she thought, feeling the weight of the talisman she wore.
"No I came here with the Intrepid Marid from Calimport this very morning, and I´m fairly sure we didn´t at any point cross the Sea of stars. You must confuse me with someone else I´m afraid Barkas." Yasheira says smiling to the eccentric dwarf.
"Many thanks Captain Ortimay. The Brazen Pegasus, a beautiful name for a beautiful ship." She says, bowing to the captain. "I will go on board and meet with that priest then." Yasheira adds and follows the half-orc, walking quickly to catch up with him.
"Grahl was it? I´m Yasheira. Glad to have you on the expedition, you seem really strong. I wouldn´t think too much about what that dwarf said, he is clearly not that reliable in his foretellings." She says smiling to the half-orc trying to comfort him while they seek out the priest below deck.
(OOC: What if anything would Yasheira know of The Order of the Gauntlet? Knowledge if needed:7 )
The dwarf seems to be flummoxed by the news that his predictions - - were wrong? His jaw drops open, he promptly sits back down on the ground and puts his map out on it again, muttering to himself. "A sixth? There wasn't supposed to be six, it was five, did I count wrong?" He has a necklace around his neck with various teeth on it, some broad and made for prying, some narrow and very sharp for fine cutting, or pulling the mud out from under his nails, what appears to be a chickens foot, apparently for measuring. He leans down to the star map and starts measuring again, counting out lengths and spaces in between. "Hmmm." He starts rubbing his beard, scratching underneath, and a few twigs and a couple of small leaves fall out. "Nevermind. It will all become clear soon" he says to himself and stands up, nodding to Captain Ortimay and putting the map back in his pack, preparing to go.
The hooded figure nods his thanks to the elf and moves to board the ship. He pauses at Barkas’ question, puzzled “I am from the Savage Frontier. I do not know my ancestors, perhaps it is as you speak. Perhaps not.” He turns to the group and gives a polite nod of his head, still covered “I am called Mica. I know little of this Order, but this ship gets me where I need to go. May fortune favor a safe journey to us all.” He moves toward the ship, pausing slightly at the gangplank, then moving unsteadily up it and onto the ship.
As Mica says she knows little of the Order, Ortimay looks over at you. "Wait, are you not part of their expedition? We were only chartered for them." Under her breath she mutters, "Though they are running late if any more are coming."
(Yasheira would know that the Order is an organization that fights against evil, no specifics or anything though.)
Urzhol watched the dwarf natter for a moment before putting the noise out of her mind. That was a problem for Future Urzhol, not for Right-Now Urzhol. Turning her focus back to the elf captain and the talking happening there, the orcish woman took note of the mention of Gruumsh and of the half-man's reaction to that mention. The back of her skull itched for a moment, provoking a grimace. She used to carry a talisman of Gruumsh herself, before...before.
As the others started to move up the ship, Urzhol moved to follow. "Gauntlet. Sure. If this Gauntlet is sending people to Chult, then I'm with them," she said, nodding authoritatively. "See?" she added, pausing long enough to pull a grubby, much-stained, badly crumpled flyer from her pack and show it to the captain. It looked like a call to adventure from the Order of the Gauntlet, something posted in a mead hall somewhere that Urzhol had pulled down and carried with her, extolling the virtues of traveling to Chult and aiding the order in their endeavors.
A moment after holding the flyer up, Urzhol packed it away again and made her way further up the gangplank. Gingerly, unused to the movement of the ship beneath her feet even in dock, and trying not to bump into anything. Or fall off. "Stupid boats," she muttered. "Make no sense...if the gods wanted us to cross the ocean they would'a given us fins, not feet. Anywhere you can't get to by walking's nowhere you're supposed to be..."
The running, quiet diatribe continued as she made her way up onto the deck, looking around at the ship and realizing she had absolutely no idea where to go now. Seeing another traveler ahead of her, the orcish warrior called out. "OIY! You! Hooded man! Where's the warrior's hall on this boat? Or whatever it's called in Kingfolk lands?"
By the time Captain Ortimay finishes her comment about expecting others from the Order Grahl will be halfway on the ship and keeps walking. Making big strides on the gangplank making his hammer bounce of his leg but still carefully placed inside a loophole attached to his waist.
As Yasheira catches up to him Grahl sizes her up and nods. Grahl strong yes.
His eyes move away from her and he gazes forward as she mentions Barkas's foretellings were wrong. Perhaps dwarf wrong. Perhaps dwarf shaman who speak to gods.
Standing on the ship he looks around checking out the deck and trying to determine if he can spot someone thats not part of the crew, who would be their 6th.
Dwarf know about group coming.He looks to Yasheira again. Yash.. he stops as he forgot the rest of her name. warrior too?
Perception to spot their 6th on the deck of the ship: 22
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"No Grahl, I´m no warrior like you I´m afraid, but I have other talents." She says smiling confidently, although not expecting anything but brute strength to impress the half-orc. "And the name is Ya-shei-ra." She says slowly before continuing their search.
“Captain Ortimay, we are on the way! Hurray! (Like a ray, heading out today, no delay!) How far, that is how long until we reach Nyanzaru? I can’t wait to look at the stars from this point of view!” The excitable dwarf heads up the gang plank and onto the ship, trying to find a comfy spot to sit. He starts to look around for a priest, an unforeseen sixth member…
Mica ignores the captain’s question as he moves up the gangplank. Yes, he did see the Orders call, but he knows very little about who they are or what they are doing in Chult. Not that it matters much anyway if it gets him to Chult and helps him find his path.
As he boards the ship, Mica is startled by the Orc’s question and turns and regards her warily for a moment. He is already uneasy from his trek across the city and the boat is disturbing his connection with the earth. A drink would be a nice distraction, assuming that is what she is talking about. “I don’t know, I only just arrived myself. But there must be some place on this bucket to get a drink. Let’s go find it together. I am Mica, what do they call you?”
He moves up to the other members of the party. Looks around to observe the crew, get his bearings on the ship and looking for a way below decks while making ready for the start of the voyage.
"Um... well... I guess if you claim to be the rest of the Gauntlet's folk we can set off. Running late as is." Ortimay begins to call out for the crew to prepare to set sail.
A couple of the crew chuckle at Urzhol's comments about the ocean. One calls out, "Ye get used to it. How else could we see such wonderful sights. Just you wait till we are out with nothing but water around." He laughs a bit to himself as he goes on his way.
Looking around the ship, you don't see any sign of your group but as you ask each other about where the other member of the Gauntlet may be, a small dwarven fellow with a rough unkempt beard grunts, "The priest is below decks." He shakes his head as he loads a large crate onto the ship muttering about landlubbers.
If you go below deck, you find a younger female half-orc sitting down working on a letter. She is dressed in heavy chainmail armor with an embroidered sword being grasped mid-blade by a metal gauntlet affixed to her chest. On her right arm is a token showing her devotion to Torm. "Ah are you the rest of the Order of the Gauntlet's soldiers going to reinforce our camp in Chult?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"My name is Yasheira."The calishite half-elf says to the warrior-priest with a bow. "I can only speak for myself, I am no soldier but I am interested in taking part in the expedition being mounted by the the illustrious Order of the Gauntlet. I´m not sure about the rest of us..." motioning to the others coming below deck "...but my belief is that you would do well with recruiting them too, although the dwarf might seem like a rarified taste." She finishes with a smirk.
Persuasion if needed to get employment for all who would want it:10 never mind :-P
The sun over Baldur's Gate beats down on your back. You each have your own reasons for attempting to reach the far away and mysterious land of Chult and heard of a ship sailing from Baldur's Gate to the island. The ship is said to have been hired by the Order of the Gauntlet to bring volunteers to Chult for an expedition they are planning. As you approach the ship, you see a middle aged elven woman shouting commands to the crew and looking around in a confused manner.
Please introduce your characters
Walking on the docks Grahl will stop 30feet from the woman shouting her commands. His bald head reflecting the sun as he stands firmly looking around at the ship to see if he came to the right place.
His broad shoulders carry the weight of his chainmail, which has seen better days. Some rings in his mail are damaged, most have shaded to a rustier brown. A leather strap going from shoulder to hip diagonally holds his round wooden shield on his back.
He sets down his backpack a moment taking in the sights. He looks down and says Human not delay Grahl enough. Grahl found ship in time. He appears to be speaking to himself but for those looking more carefully Grahl has a set of human ears dangling from his belt by a small piece of rope.
Reaching in his backpack he takes out a waterskin to take a gulp of water.
Grahl then walks towards the elven woman. From afar Grahl could easily be mistaken for a sturdy human, but his face clearly shows his half orc blood. He does not have very large tusks but still very visible. His jawline somewhat hidden by a beard but Grahl makes no attempt to hide his face.
Standing in front of the woman he speaks to her just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the crew. Grahl need to go on ship to Chult. Grahl not have money but strong worker. He raises his arms to flex his biceps at the woman and looks to the crew darting around. Grahl go on ship? he asks waiting on the womans response
From down the street you can see him, really can't miss him in fact. He's one of the oddest characters around the dock. You see a dwarf in somewhat dirty leather armor with a shield strapped to his backpack, carrying a staff and wearing a wolf's skull helmet strapped to his head, animatedly talking to himself and walking in an odd manner. He has a map in the other hand, frequently looking down at it, pausing and looking up at the sky, taking in his surroundings. He is walking in large steps like he is pacing out yards, takes a turn, looking down at his feet, back of the map, and then keeps going. He is looking at his map and has his head in it, almost walks directly into the middle aged elven woman. "Here. Right here. This is where it all begins...." he says to himself in dwarvish. He rolls up his map and looks at Grahl, then at the elvish woman. He does a double take with Grahl. "Yes, that wasn't clear, I knew there would be others, 4 others as a matter of fact. Hmm, I know I'm right though, it said right here, and right here I am."
He then switches to common. He announces himself to Grahl and the elvish woman. "Reedfellow. My name. Oh that's right, come out properly, they don't know. Barkas, my name is Barkas. I need to board that ship. I'll tell you all about it once we've begun, but just know that I need to board that ship. I need to be in Chult you see. We need to head to Nyanzaru and pronto." He is rather excitable, trying to convince you, but his words stumble out and come out in a word salad. He reaches out and shakes Grahl's hand vigorously, in a friendly manner. "I know that you are to be there with me. I know there are others, they are coming aren't they? Where are they, time... time." He looks up and then over to the ship. "I know they will be here any moment you see. Hah! Off we go then right?" He looks to the elvish woman and then starts nodding vigorously and smiling at her, hopping from one foot to another, showing his enthusiasm to board the ship. After a minute or two he sits down on the ground cross legged and looks up at her intently, occasionally glancing back at the ship. He unrolls his map again, points to a particular spot tapping it, starts nodding again and rolls it up. Convinced and sure of himself, a big smile crosses his face. He clears his throat and spits a large gob of something on the ground, then stands again, rocking back and forth on his feet, like a child needing to urinate, or rather, waiting in line for a roller coaster.
"...over there then, a thousand blessings for you Sir."
The stunningly beautiful half-elf of obvious calishite descent leaves the helpful dockworker to his work and heads for the ship anchored a bit further down the dock. She wears a blood red cloak over dark brown calishite style robes and high soft leather boots. She also wears a talisman of some kind and carries a backpack and a crossbow of calishite design. As she confidently walks down the dock she admires the mighty ships of the baldurian harbor, while catching the eyes of many a dockworker.
When she approaches the middle aged elven woman she notices the mighty half-orc and the rambling eccentric dwarf. She looks from one to the other back and forth a few times smiling, thinking that this expedition clearly attracted some most peculiar adventurers.
"Excuse me for interjecting, but I was told this is the ship taking volunteers to Chult for an expedition planned by the Order of the Gauntlet. My name is Yasheira and I have travelled all the way from Calimshan to join this glorious enterprise. Is there anything else you need before I board the ship madam?" She says to the elf with a distinct Calimshan accent.
Elsewhere in the city...
Citizens of Baldur's Gate were used to strangeness. Few other places in the Sword Coast could a full-blooded orc wander the streets without citizens screaming in fear and alerting the guards, but in Baldur's Gate an orc was more likely to simply be running the local butcher's shop than to be raiding the gates. The city was home to peoples of all origins and walks of life - skin, scale, fur and feather, all added their color to Baldur's Gate.
Which didn't stop the denizens of the city from giving wide berth to pissed off, heavily armed travelers muttering balefully to themselves as they walked.
The orc walking the streets just then moved in a little bubble of angry personal space. She was scrawny for her kind, not even quite seven feet tall and built more like a half-orc than a pureblooded member of the tribes. There was no mistaking those features for anything but orc, though. Full tusks, bared to the world without a hint of shame. Deep earthy-green skin, liberally marked with scars wherever it was visible. Piercing, poisonous yellow-green eyes made all the more striking by a band of dark war paint drawn across her face. Battle-notched ears bearing the sort of ornaments common to tribal warriors - bone loops and bundled feathers, simple yet skillfully crafted. Simple, sturdy traveler's furs and leathers over tribal leather armor, with fur-lined leather boots and bone-backed gauntlets marking her as definitely Not From Around Here. A makeshift shaman's pouch hung at her waist, bearing the little tools of her newest trade. A plethora of blades, multiple axes and daggers both, hung wherever there was conveniently empty space.
But most noticeable of all was just how mad she was. Those eyes glowed with barely-contained frustration, and she hadn't stopped cursing under her breath for most of the last twenty minutes. That palpable aura of anger kept others at bay, letting the orc woman progress unhindered through the town. If not unwatched. Her muttering, irritated wanderings continued for another minute or two before she came upon a sweetmeats stall along the road.
"Oiy! You!" she barked, stabbing a finger at the startled vendor. "Where are all the damned boats?! Can't find anything in this miserable brick rat's nest of a city..."
After receiving brief, stressed-out directions - and disappointing the merchant when she didn't make a purchase - the orc woman continued her journey, eventually making her way through the city to the docks districts. A few more accosted foodsellers later, and she was walking down a specific dock towards a specific ship, watching an elven woman bellow orders at her crew while a pale-looking half-orc, a bouncy dwarf, and a fancy-looking half-elf just sorta stood around. She stomped up to the little group, her eyes shimmering briefly with golden light as she finally located her objective.
"This the boat going to Chult? If it ain't, where the Hells is that boat? Supposed to be on it," she grumbled, sizing up the other three for a moment before turning her attention to the elven woman apparently in charge of this mess.
Why you shouldn't start ANOTHER thread about DDB not giving away free redeems on your hardcopy book purchases.
Thinking of starting ANOTHER thread asking why Epic Boons haven't been implemented? Read this first to learn why you shouldn't!
The hooded and cloaked figure hurried through the shadows and alleyways toward the harbor, staying off of the heavily traveled main thoroughfares and trying to avoid crowds in any case. He had only just arrived in Baldur’s Gate this morning, and had already had his fill of the place and the stinking, swirling mass of humanity that lived within its walls. He yearns to escape the city walls, but he has a voyage to undertake and the only boat he could find heading to Chult was departing from here. So he shoulders his pack and follows the scent of saltwater and his innate sense of direction to the west and the harbor.
Tall and broad-shouldered, he is covered in furs and leather hide of all varieties, including a dire wolf pelt as a mantle on his traveling cloak, and the shine of well-worn mail is visible through his hide tunic. A unstrung longbow and quiver is slung across his back next to his pack, and two mismatched hand axes hang on his belt. His fingers drum the haft of one ax nervously as he reaches the harbor at last.
He makes his way to the ship in the harbor, noticing every detail of the party gathered at the gangway, are those two half-orcs?, but not acknowledging their presence as he steps up to the lady in charge. He keeps his hood up, but two bright green eyes pierce the darkness under the hood as he addresses her in a deep, gravely voice “I am here for passage to Chult.”
Barkas looks to all, and claps his hands together. He turns to the elvish woman and says "We are all here now, we must be away! One, two, three, four, five. As it should be." He stops and turns to look at the as yet unnamed orc and Grahl, and says "An orc and a half-orc, I knew it! I saw that big oval shape in the sky that night, lying on my back. Grumush One-Eye! I thought it was the shape of a bean, I had a bad batch of beans that night, I don't think the squirrels or the wolves could sleep that night, boy I'll tell you. But it wasn't the beans, it was Grumush! And here you are." He does a half bow, awkward-as-all-get-out kneeling maneuver, then stands up with a big smile on his face, offering his hand in friendship. "Welcome aboard!" He turns to Yasheira, and says "I am not familiar with your land my lady, but I knew from my charts that there was one to join us from across the Sea of Fallen Stars. Welcome to you as well." He turns to the newly arrived hooded figure and looks underneath in a completely curious and nonthreatening way. "And across the Planes you have come to us, I have had a vision of the moon and trailing stars, do your ancestors hail from Zakhara? Please feel welcome, you are meant to be here." Barkas suddenly feels self conscious that he has been talking a lot, sharing too much of what he has forseen. "But enough of all that. Explanations later. We must go now. Come come come! Pretend I've just said whatever words are necessary, let's get on that ship! Yes, yes, we will help your "Order of the Gauntlet" (he acts like he is putting on a glove as he says it). Thank you!" He smiles and starts to pack up his things.
The elf turns, "Oh, finally. You all are here with the Order of the Gauntlet? Wonderful. One of your group is already on the ship." She looks over you for a moment. In a confused voice she asks, "You are with the Order of the Gauntlet's expedition right? You are.... not what I was expecting." She bows slightly before you and introduces herself, "Captain Ortimay at your service. This is my vessel, The Brazen Pegasus. The other member of your organization is already on board below decks, a priest.... ah I forget her name."
Grahl turns to the dwarf as he arrives listening to his words with an ever growing frown on his head.
Barkas.. he repeats while the dwarf rambles on.
Dwarf know Grahl would be here? He says with a surprised look but before an answer can be given the others start to arrive. Checking out what kind of people came to this ship with his eyes lingering on the orc as Grahl tries to recognize a tribe.
As Barkas begins to speak again he turns back to him Gruumsh speak to dwarf.. His voice filled with anger. Grahl grits his teeth wanted to scold the dwarf for lying about Gruumsh. But he could not be sure if it was a lie so held himself back to not anger Gruumsh.
With the elf introducing herself Grahl walks towards the boat to get away from this group a moment and to see who this other member was.
His thoughts still on the dwarfs words. How could Gruumsh speak to a dwarf but never to Grahl.
As the fierce orc and the cloaked figure arrives Yasheiras first impression seems to be a correct one, but she realizes that her old family, The Tombseekers, wasn´t all that different when she met them. She missed them now, a lot. Travelling with these expedition members might ease the pain of her loss though but she had other things to worry about now, like getting results for the old thing in the desert she thought, feeling the weight of the talisman she wore.
"No I came here with the Intrepid Marid from Calimport this very morning, and I´m fairly sure we didn´t at any point cross the Sea of stars. You must confuse me with someone else I´m afraid Barkas." Yasheira says smiling to the eccentric dwarf.
"Many thanks Captain Ortimay. The Brazen Pegasus, a beautiful name for a beautiful ship." She says, bowing to the captain. "I will go on board and meet with that priest then." Yasheira adds and follows the half-orc, walking quickly to catch up with him.
"Grahl was it? I´m Yasheira. Glad to have you on the expedition, you seem really strong. I wouldn´t think too much about what that dwarf said, he is clearly not that reliable in his foretellings." She says smiling to the half-orc trying to comfort him while they seek out the priest below deck.
(OOC: What if anything would Yasheira know of The Order of the Gauntlet? Knowledge if needed:7 )
The dwarf seems to be flummoxed by the news that his predictions - - were wrong? His jaw drops open, he promptly sits back down on the ground and puts his map out on it again, muttering to himself. "A sixth? There wasn't supposed to be six, it was five, did I count wrong?" He has a necklace around his neck with various teeth on it, some broad and made for prying, some narrow and very sharp for fine cutting, or pulling the mud out from under his nails, what appears to be a chickens foot, apparently for measuring. He leans down to the star map and starts measuring again, counting out lengths and spaces in between. "Hmmm." He starts rubbing his beard, scratching underneath, and a few twigs and a couple of small leaves fall out. "Nevermind. It will all become clear soon" he says to himself and stands up, nodding to Captain Ortimay and putting the map back in his pack, preparing to go.
The hooded figure nods his thanks to the elf and moves to board the ship. He pauses at Barkas’ question, puzzled “I am from the Savage Frontier. I do not know my ancestors, perhaps it is as you speak. Perhaps not.” He turns to the group and gives a polite nod of his head, still covered “I am called Mica. I know little of this Order, but this ship gets me where I need to go. May fortune favor a safe journey to us all.” He moves toward the ship, pausing slightly at the gangplank, then moving unsteadily up it and onto the ship.
As Mica says she knows little of the Order, Ortimay looks over at you. "Wait, are you not part of their expedition? We were only chartered for them." Under her breath she mutters, "Though they are running late if any more are coming."
(Yasheira would know that the Order is an organization that fights against evil, no specifics or anything though.)
Urzhol watched the dwarf natter for a moment before putting the noise out of her mind. That was a problem for Future Urzhol, not for Right-Now Urzhol. Turning her focus back to the elf captain and the talking happening there, the orcish woman took note of the mention of Gruumsh and of the half-man's reaction to that mention. The back of her skull itched for a moment, provoking a grimace. She used to carry a talisman of Gruumsh herself, before...before.
As the others started to move up the ship, Urzhol moved to follow. "Gauntlet. Sure. If this Gauntlet is sending people to Chult, then I'm with them," she said, nodding authoritatively. "See?" she added, pausing long enough to pull a grubby, much-stained, badly crumpled flyer from her pack and show it to the captain. It looked like a call to adventure from the Order of the Gauntlet, something posted in a mead hall somewhere that Urzhol had pulled down and carried with her, extolling the virtues of traveling to Chult and aiding the order in their endeavors.
A moment after holding the flyer up, Urzhol packed it away again and made her way further up the gangplank. Gingerly, unused to the movement of the ship beneath her feet even in dock, and trying not to bump into anything. Or fall off. "Stupid boats," she muttered. "Make no sense...if the gods wanted us to cross the ocean they would'a given us fins, not feet. Anywhere you can't get to by walking's nowhere you're supposed to be..."
The running, quiet diatribe continued as she made her way up onto the deck, looking around at the ship and realizing she had absolutely no idea where to go now. Seeing another traveler ahead of her, the orcish warrior called out. "OIY! You! Hooded man! Where's the warrior's hall on this boat? Or whatever it's called in Kingfolk lands?"
Why you shouldn't start ANOTHER thread about DDB not giving away free redeems on your hardcopy book purchases.
Thinking of starting ANOTHER thread asking why Epic Boons haven't been implemented? Read this first to learn why you shouldn't!
By the time Captain Ortimay finishes her comment about expecting others from the Order Grahl will be halfway on the ship and keeps walking. Making big strides on the gangplank making his hammer bounce of his leg but still carefully placed inside a loophole attached to his waist.
As Yasheira catches up to him Grahl sizes her up and nods. Grahl strong yes.
His eyes move away from her and he gazes forward as she mentions Barkas's foretellings were wrong. Perhaps dwarf wrong. Perhaps dwarf shaman who speak to gods.
Standing on the ship he looks around checking out the deck and trying to determine if he can spot someone thats not part of the crew, who would be their 6th.
Dwarf know about group coming. He looks to Yasheira again. Yash.. he stops as he forgot the rest of her name. warrior too?
"No Grahl, I´m no warrior like you I´m afraid, but I have other talents." She says smiling confidently, although not expecting anything but brute strength to impress the half-orc. "And the name is Ya-shei-ra." She says slowly before continuing their search.
Perception if needed:21
“Captain Ortimay, we are on the way! Hurray! (Like a ray, heading out today, no delay!) How far, that is how long until we reach Nyanzaru? I can’t wait to look at the stars from this point of view!” The excitable dwarf heads up the gang plank and onto the ship, trying to find a comfy spot to sit. He starts to look around for a priest, an unforeseen sixth member…
Mica ignores the captain’s question as he moves up the gangplank. Yes, he did see the Orders call, but he knows very little about who they are or what they are doing in Chult. Not that it matters much anyway if it gets him to Chult and helps him find his path.
As he boards the ship, Mica is startled by the Orc’s question and turns and regards her warily for a moment. He is already uneasy from his trek across the city and the boat is disturbing his connection with the earth. A drink would be a nice distraction, assuming that is what she is talking about. “I don’t know, I only just arrived myself. But there must be some place on this bucket to get a drink. Let’s go find it together. I am Mica, what do they call you?”
He moves up to the other members of the party. Looks around to observe the crew, get his bearings on the ship and looking for a way below decks while making ready for the start of the voyage.
Perception 12
"Um... well... I guess if you claim to be the rest of the Gauntlet's folk we can set off. Running late as is." Ortimay begins to call out for the crew to prepare to set sail.
A couple of the crew chuckle at Urzhol's comments about the ocean. One calls out, "Ye get used to it. How else could we see such wonderful sights. Just you wait till we are out with nothing but water around." He laughs a bit to himself as he goes on his way.
Looking around the ship, you don't see any sign of your group but as you ask each other about where the other member of the Gauntlet may be, a small dwarven fellow with a rough unkempt beard grunts, "The priest is below decks." He shakes his head as he loads a large crate onto the ship muttering about landlubbers.
If you go below deck, you find a younger female half-orc sitting down working on a letter. She is dressed in heavy chainmail armor with an embroidered sword being grasped mid-blade by a metal gauntlet affixed to her chest. On her right arm is a token showing her devotion to Torm. "Ah are you the rest of the Order of the Gauntlet's soldiers going to reinforce our camp in Chult?"
"My name is Yasheira." The calishite half-elf says to the warrior-priest with a bow. "I can only speak for myself, I am no soldier but I am interested in taking part in the expedition being mounted by the the illustrious Order of the Gauntlet. I´m not sure about the rest of us..." motioning to the others coming below deck "...but my belief is that you would do well with recruiting them too, although the dwarf might seem like a rarified taste." She finishes with a smirk.
Persuasion if needed to get employment for all who would want it:10 never mind :-P