"Well said!" says the portly sailor in response to Gale's remarks.

Mithro adds, "Aye, but I'll not speak for the cap'n, of course, master cleric."

He straps down the lids to the baskets that are holding the crabs, indicating he's ready to put his arms to the oars and return to the ship. "Ready then?"

Gale nods, "Of course not.  Just letting you know of my services for when we're at sea.  If it burns when you pee... I can do something about that."

A rather blank expression crosses Mithro's face, and he acts as if he's going to respond to Gale's offer. He says nothing, however. The other sailor chuckles heartily, slaps Mithro on the back, and blurts, "Master cleric knows somethin', eh, Mith? Ha ha!"

A quarter of an hour later, everyone is aboard ship, and the captain--who is cordial but a man of few words--has agreed to having a few extra passengers. Looking at Elsa, he says, "A bit of music will take you half the way to Neverwinter...." then looking at Gale, he says, "And any service we might need from you will take you the rest of the way." 

“Any reasonable service, of course.”

Gale smiles and speaks to the captain out of earshot of the sailors, "Of course captain.  Any sailors on light duty because of aches and pains, I can fix that for you."

Elsewhere nods to the captain. "Good to see you again Captain, of course I'll play for you and yours, and thank you for your kindness and generosity." 

She makes her way to the top of the aftcastle (??? don't look at me, I don't know from boats) to get to a high point on the ship where her song will carry well to as much of the crew as possible. She leaves her lyre wrapped, thinking that with the wind and waves, its sound might not carry well, but clears her throat and begins to sing a merry sea shanty.

performance+bardic inspiration : 15 

Up jumps a crab with his crooked legs
Saying "you play the cribbage and I'll stick the pegs"
Singing blow the wind easterly, let the wind blow
By a gentle nor'easter how steady she goes

Up jumps a dolphin with his chuckle-head
He jumps on the deck saying "pull out the lead!"

Up jumps a flounder so flat on the ground
Saying "damn your old chocolate, mind how you sound"

Up jumps a salmon so bright as the sun
He jumped down between the decks and fired off a gun

Up jumps a whale, the biggest of all
He jumped up aloft and he's pawl after pawl

Up jumps a herring, the king of the sea
He jumps up on deck saying "helms a-lee!"

Up jumps a shark with his big row of teeth
He jumped up between the decks and shook out the reefs

Elsa's bit of musical levity doesn't quite marvel the crew as she had hoped, but it serves as a beginning, something she builds on during the next five days as the ship--the Verrinak--makes its way northward to Neverwinter. Additionally, Gale is called upon a few times to say a healing word for an injured crew member. Each of the five days is marked by mild weather and generally cooperative winds. Simply put, the voyage is uneventful, and, as such, it grants the siblings ample time to reflect on the words of Kuyutha and to consider carefully what their next course of action should be. 

21 Marpenoth

The shoreline, at first indistinct and gray from a distance, gradually comes into view, and by midday the silhouettes of buildings and towers can be discerned. An hour later, the ship is moored, and the five siblings are ready to say their farewells to the captain and crew of the Verrinak and enter the bustle and noise of a large city--a city that clearly shows the scars from the destruction caused by the eruption of Mount Hotenow decades ago, but a city that also is taking great pains to rebuild and reclaim its former glory. 

Mithro offers one last bit of advice. "The Winged Wyvern. That's the place for a drink and a square game o' cards. Indeed."

The portly sailor--whose name is, oddly enough, Scrawn,--adds, "Well said, Mith!" 

During the voyage, Gale will ask his siblings, "Now that we are on the move, where is our destination after Neverwinter?"

“The House of Knowlegde may be a good place to start,” Preah says, remembering her original arrival to the city. “The people there were helpful enough three years ago, I can’t imagine why that would change.”

The mid-day sun shimmers brightly along Elsa's silver scales and she basks a while standing in the light on the docks. She gathers her things and looks around. "Ah Neverwinter, I've read so much about it, but it's good to finally see it with my own eyes!" She takes a moment to take in the beauty of the city, the smell of the ocean, and the glint of the sun on the water.

When Preah speaks, she replies, "Agreed, we should spend some time trying to find out what Mother was trying to tell us, and I think we should start with some research on Bahamut and his opposing gods. But should we not at least stop for a drink and some merriment? We've only just been reunited and it might be good for us to take a moment to enjoy being reunited. What do you all think? I hear the Winged Wyvern is a great place to make merry!"

Over the course of the five days it takes them to get to Neverwinter Irthos spent the majority of his time studying the copy of The Wars of Dragonkind that he had taken from their mother's library, doing his best to take as much in as possible but mainly focused on the details surrounding the death of Gruemar and confirming that the Nether Mountains really are what is referred to as the "Peaks of Nether". In between his studies he joined in with the odd performance of Elsa', using his illusions to add a little extra comedy to the more humorous of her tunes and very much enjoying the moments of levity as he brooded on the meanings of the prophecy. He also took a short bit of time to enact a comprehend languages ritual to find out the title of the ancient Elven tome he had pinched too.

As they arrive in Neverwinter Irthos finds that he can only agree with Preah's suggestion, but that his little sister is right they haven't taken any time for themselves since they met: "I am definitely keen to find some more material and figure out what we've got ourselves into...well I guess what we were born into hah! But Elsa is right, we've barely spent five minutes together that weren't dark and ominous. I would love to hear all about what you've all been up to these last three years...that and I'm dying for a taste of something a little nicer than ships rations!"

During the journey to Neverwinter, Irthos was, every now and then, able to find a place of quiet and solitude on the Verrinak. Taking advantage of one of those occasions he devoted his time and skill to learning the title of the small book he had brought with him from Dahlimé's library: One Path through the Multi-verse. Its author is Sydarius Mar. 

"You see? Even Irthos agrees with me, which means that it's settled!" She says, chiding, eyes wide with excitement. The smallest dragonborn grabs her sister's hand, expecting Preah to be the most obstinate against celebration with her dour and stalwart demeanor. She's not strong enough to pull her sister along, but she hopes that by taking the lead she can convince her to follow. She practically skips along the dock and asks several people for directions, trying to find the way to the Winged Wyvern. She makes sure to look back frequently to make sure her siblings are in tow.  

When Elsa asks the local for directions, Gale interjects, "Hey Sis, I've made port here several times.  I know where the Winged Wyvern is."

As Elsa grabs her hand and then skips ahead, Preah chuckles and moves to follow. “Alright, alright, the research can wait for us to get a drink or two.”

Passing by the imposing edifice of Castle Never, the groups makes its way through the busy streets of Neverwinter. After crossing over the river, the dragonborn are first greeted by the sight of the Winged Wyvern; not long after, they are greeted by the noisy din coming from within the place. Like any other public hall in a port city on the Sword Coast, the Winged Wyvern is entertaining a diverse crowd. Sailors and merchants from both near and far, local craftsmen and laborers, and a few nobles as well. 

Despite the cosmopolitan nature of a large city like Neverwinter, a group of dragonborn traveling together is an uncommon sight, not necessarily a sight that creates suspicion, but one that generates interest and possibly a few comments. So, the five siblings sense that a few conversations go quiet and that several sets of eyes are following them as they make their way to some open seats around a large rectangular table in the back of the main room. 

At the table to the right, two humans and a half-orc are rolling dice, drinking ale, and doing a good bit of laughing. Everything about their appearance and dialogue suggests they're crew members on one of the ships moored in the harbor. To the left, two dwarfs--one silver-haired and one red-haired--are filling the air with earthy-smelling smoke from their large tobacco pipes while they talk and share a bottle of brandy.  Just behind the dragonborn, a halfling and half-elf are taking turns throwing darts at a target on the wall.

Gale looks to his siblings and asks, "So, what are your poisons of choice, now that you have been out in the world?"

Irthos doesn't hesitate for a second as his brother asks what they would like to drink: "A nice wine for me brother, and if they have something from Tethyr then that would be great!"

Elsa is looking around the room distracted by all the activity, and answers softly, "Wine, ale, mead, just nothing too strong... how can anyone have fun at a tavern if there's no music?" She is half standing, but then remembers that she is here to spend time with her siblings and sits down and puts on a sort of insincere looking smile.

"The Wyvern welcomes you," declares a swift forest gnome who seems to appear from nowhere.

"Wine from Tethyr?" he asks with a mild look of surprise on his face as he looks at Irthos. "I daresay I'll need to live another century before I hear that one again. Not a common request but one that I can fulfill nonetheless. That I can." 

Turning his attention to Elsa, he says with a grin, "Nothing too strong. Of course, of course. Someone in the group needs to keep her wits about her. A bit of mead coming up!"

The gnome's attention quickly shifts to the nearby halfling who just flicked another dart at the target on the wall. "Another pint'll improve your aim, Tully!"

Returning his focus to the dragonborn siblings, the gnome eyes Preah and Gale. "Throwing caution to the wind then? Since she..." he gestures toward Elsa, "...will make sure you arrive safely home, eh?"