You find yourselves in the dockside office of shipping magnate Uweya, a tall yellow skinned Githzerai woman. "The best crew the hiring department could find us is a bunch of primes?" She sighs.
"Alright, listen up. This will be the maiden voyage of our newest sloop, the Void Skipper. Prove me wrong in thinking that I'm making a huge mistake in letting you louts take her. Aella Drakos here is now your captain. You will follow her every instruction."
Uweya walks about a bit. "Your first trade mission is so simple even a prime couldn't screw it up. The Void Skipper has been loaded with a cargo of psionic crystals. You will trade these for pickled devil-shark meat from the Marids at the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls in the Plane of Water, then trade that to the Efreet at the City of Brass in the Plane of Fire in exchange for enchanted damask steel scimitars, which you will then bring back here to Shra’kt’lor in Limbo."
She pauses. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of my office and prepare to shove off!"
- - -
The eight of you head to the pier where the Void Skipper is moored. Before boarding, now would be a good time to introduce yourselves to the rest of the crew.
Approaching the ship Aella delicately runs her hand along the hull, she gets bow of the ship before turning around to observe her crew "Well boys, she's gorgeous isn't she !" stands upon a large crate to elevate her self above the crowd. "As Captain it's my pleasure to welcome you aboard" she gives a small bow "I hope that our voyage together is as exciting and interesting as the void it'self many terrors lurk beneath it's surface if you haven't seen a slaad youngling explode from the chest of a fully grown man prepare yourself as that is the least of your concerns. Any questions ?" She give small waveringly slightly as she slowly teeters from side to side, hoping off the box she whispers in her brothers ear "Let us depart Immediately I'm feeling sick again."
Looking out at the ship before them a slow whistle could be heard from Luci. Placing his hands in his hips he notes to his sister "That'll be one hell of a ship to crash this time" before giving her a wink and moving to survey what rest of the crew there is and size them up. Taking a step away from his sister and leaning on a nearby post. Keeping an eye on everyone's reactions he paid no attention to whatever she was saying. Once she was done he turned back to face Aella giving a nod. "You get on then, I'll follow behind everyone. Make it quick, I'm getting it too" and with a smile he made his way behind the crowd, tail waving behind him to keep his balance steady.
"Captain Drakos." calls out an oddly accented voice. "Permission to inspect perishables before loading."
The speaker both tall and broad - a tiefling in well-worn, faded clothes and leathers, with a battered brown cloak hanging down over the back like a cape, nearly covering a thick, forked tail. His eyes are tinted with accents of orange and yellow, giving them the appearance of molten metal, as contrasted with the dark red of his skin, nearly a deep brown, and the thick, branching horns above his brow. He carries a large, uneven pack over his pack, and shifts it frequently, as if finding it heavy. "If I am to prepare inaugural dinner for crew, I will need supplies loaded quick-quick." As he speaks, he accents his words with hand motions, his face bright and expressive.
Pausing for a moment, he addresses the crew.
"My name is for you to be calling Sweet James, I am official master of quarter, so if you need something, find me. I will be mostly in the galley, where tonight we will feast after we embark!"
"Permission granted !" she cheers with a hearty smile now beginning to lean on the on crate for balance playing with her tail with one hand "If i may ask what in particular is tonight's menu? I took great interest in your resume so I am excited to see what you have in store for us" pointing to some of the crates stacked by the entrance " those are some of food supplies we'll be taking feel free to check through them let my brother know if we're missing anything he will personally assist you" She smirks locking eyes with Luci
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
She had rushed over as quick as possible. She was normally late to things. It happens when you think time to be relative. But, by all that is and that was, this is clearly one of her favorite planes. The just under five foot, black feathered, kenku was on the vessel.
Her dark eyes looked to the small pseudo-dragon sitting across her shoulders. ~Is it a ship if it’s in the air, or a boat?~ Her mind called out to her friend and familiar. ~You don’t care do you...~. The critter was too busy looking behind, hearing the words supplies and quartermaster. Her own stomach growled a bit. A hand reached into the pocket of her old sailors jacket and some tattered robes. Seeing what she may have absent-mindedly grabbed while racing over from street vendors and the like. (Sleight of Hand9 if I happened to grab anything not of value to anyone.)
She grabbed her backpack and the few other sacks that were full of... things. They were for her. She scurried over to the group that was gathered around. Her feathers ruffling, the light hitting her in such a way that clearly showed some faint red tattoos that were covering her arms, legs, and chest. To anyone watching, runes flicked inside her pupils. She raised her hands, while addressing the group. A series of maps in one hand. A sextant in the other. Both with dozens of bits of string and rope falling from them. When she opened her beak, the sound coming out. The sounds of a breeze on a tropical beach. Winds sailing across the sand and hitting the ocean. She stopped, and repeated. Hoping they would understand that this is her name. This sound.
She then turned to the captain. Her eyes looking up and locking in on Aella. A voice called out. ~I am Breeze. I am your Navigator. I am the one who knows the way.~ The voice wasn’t out loud. It was... inside. In Aella’s head.
Her hands moved back down to her sides, placing her instruments and maps back into their sacks. Her pseuodragon nudging her beak over to the quartermaster. With a roll of her eyes there was a faint shake of the head. As she waited to see who else would be of note.
In his leave he heard the mention of himself from his sibling, making him freeze midstep and look back, meeting her gaze with a brief annoyed glance at the motion that he had to do any work. Looking over to the tiefling next to her however he set a smile on his lips and headed over to introduce himself so the other would know who the Aella had been referring to when she had spoken of 'her brother'. Holding out a hand toward the chef in introduction he looked him over with his black eyes. "And by that she means me, pleasure to meet you. The names Leuceus Drakos but my friends call me Luci." He spoke out through pointed teeth. His head covered in the same red locks of his sister and framed with a pair of ram horns. He wore a similar jacket to his sibling; the difference being his was a deep blue instead.
Alphonse's eyes shone with curiosity, as he leisurely walks up to the ship, admiring it's design. Hearing his captain speak, he walks up to her, before performing a rather deep bow. "Greetings, Captain Drakos!" His voice is loud and eager, wearing a wide, manic grin as he introduces himself. He makes for an odd sight: his black hair and pencil moustache are rather well-groomed and he possessed a rather wiry frame at a mere 5'4, looking little like a man who works on a ship, and yet his face is dotted with small scars and burns. His clothes, which looked to have been at one point of rather high quality, was covered in stains and dirt. He ends his bow, and continues in the same over-loud voice. "My name is Alphonse d'Cannith, and it is a pleasure to give my services as gunner on this ship of ours." He extends his left arm, as if offering to shake, except that instead of a hand, the limb ends on a stump with a hand crossbow attached to it.
She scans the horizon looking for the source of the voice before spotting breeze's hands held aloft. she takes a step forward and bows "Ah Yes breeze it is quite lovely to meet you I'm happy to have another lady aboard" her smile turns to a grin as she spots the pseudo-dragon perched on the kenku's shoulder. After giving him a gentle tap to get his attention she says [ In draconian tongue] "And it's a pleasure to meet you two let me know if you want anything whilst we're aboard" Turning she then met eyes with the young man "The pleasure is all mine" she says with a smile and grabbing his hand to shake, quickly recoiling once she gripped the crossbow Aella was taken aback "WOAH" she exclaimed jumping aside "IS THAT THING LOADED?!"
Alphonse looks at Aella confused, before he realizes what she means. "Oh! You mean this thing!" Alphonse raises his arm, displaying the crossbow for everyone to see, before he continues with some embarassment, "I sometimes forget I have this old thing, but don't worry, it isn't loaded." The crossbow chooses that moment to let a bolt loose into the sky. Alphonse stares at it in silence, before speaking again in a cheery voice: "Or maybe it was! Oh well, accidents happen. At least I was prepared for danger. Now, let me see where that bolt went."
"Luci? Sweet. Let's get started." Sweet pulls a manifest from one of the crates, swiftly and efficiently cataloging each item to ensure its wholesomeness. "Flour, salt, S. beef, S. pork, ham... pickled vegtables, jarred vegetables, fruits, and pigs feet. Vinegar, oil, and rice. Sugar and wine. Tack and aged butter. Beer, rum, and 16 barrels of water. Half a dozen chickens. Corn, peas, beans. Lots of beans. Whetstones, ballista munitions, spare tackle, pitch, extra sails, approximately kilometer of rope, spare baskets, sacks, hammers, nails, metal rings... all accounted for. Except..." Sweet James flips through the manifest one more time.
"Sugarplums." (Italicized meaning in Infernal, thus sounding like some terrifying swear word.) "Where are the spices?"
She stares up at the void, flabbergasted her mouth agape, slowly she cracks a smile that then breaks into a laugh "HAAHAHA that bolt is gone, I'm sorry for your loss but please in future don't point loaded weapons at me and we'll get on greatly, you had much experience with the ballista on the ship?" she says gesturing the void skipper "I know it's a little bigger than what you're used to, but nothing you can't handle right?" she said grinning before gripping him by the right arm to give him a hearty hand hand shake ( strength roll for powerplay handshake 13 )
Planting his hand in his pocket he nods "So what do we need sweet?" Following him around as he checked the crates, ensuring each was closed properly as they moved on to the next. Making faces at a few of the items mentioned he seemed to make no say or gesture of any importance, only absentmindedly listening as they went on through the items. As they neared the end of the list and the last crate they had come to was properly secured he paused politely until he got the all clear for everything, when he heard the shuffling paper he looked back to the other. Being half tiefling he couldn't help but quietly chuckle at the others unusual curse he cast a glance over the crates, craning over a little in case the crate was placed behind one of the larger crates (Investigation check 8 if he finds anything) . "They must be around here somewhere"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Luci helps search for the missing sugarplums, finds ginger, garlic and freeze-dried goodberries among the cargo but not sugarplums.
Breeze finds she has absentmindedly pocketed somebody's cheap pocket watch; it is broken, the hands stuck in place, not that time means much on the plane of Limbo.
Alphonse's bolt, well, it goes off deep into Limbo's void; lets roll to see what it hits if anything! (11) Deep in Limbo's void, a storm of stone and sand roils; the bolt enters this cloud of rock and is crushed between two boulders. Just another reminder of the dangers that constantly appear and disappear on a whim in the plane of Limbo.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll learn it quickly enough, if it's not something I'm familiar with. And don't you worry, I don't go around shooting employers. Intentionally." That last bit he says more to himself, as he tries to return Aella's vigorous hand shake. (Strength roll: 19)
"Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to see these ballista for myself, see what condition their in."(Investigation check: 16)
Alphonse sees that the ballistae appear to be in working condition; it would be a bad idea to test-fire them to see if they truly work while at dock, however.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Hmm, it appears to be in good condition. Let's see..." Alphonse begins to scan the immediate surrounding, contemplating whether or not to give it a test-fire and what to shoot. (Perception check: 8)
"Aha! Here we are." Sweet pulls a small, flat box from behind a crate of ginger roots. Opening the box for inspection, a small puff of particles ascends, filling the immediate area with a confused aroma of sixty odd herbs and spices. "All provisions accounted for, Captain! Now, on for the cargo."
Pulling out another manifest, Sweet James takes a brisk walk through another small loading zone of equally spaced, identical crates, checking off numbers and storage protocols for each. In a few minutes, the results are in, and loading may commence.
Dag shuffles solemnly and quietly onto the sloop. His hat is wide-brimmed, and casts a shadow over his dark green eyes, his two large fists wrapped tightly around whatever tools he has scrounged in his vagrancy.
He sniffs sharply at the charged air of the port, and furtively glances around, hoping to keep to himself until he's onboard and situated. Shipwright. Easy. He's worked on stone and metal his whole life. Wood? What can be so different? Ha!
Upon passing the Captain he gives a requisite, "Cap'n", with a nod, then he immediately works his way below deck, into the dark, and into the quiet.
You find yourselves in the dockside office of shipping magnate Uweya, a tall yellow skinned Githzerai woman. "The best crew the hiring department could find us is a bunch of primes?" She sighs.
"Alright, listen up. This will be the maiden voyage of our newest sloop, the Void Skipper. Prove me wrong in thinking that I'm making a huge mistake in letting you louts take her. Aella Drakos here is now your captain. You will follow her every instruction."
Uweya walks about a bit. "Your first trade mission is so simple even a prime couldn't screw it up. The Void Skipper has been loaded with a cargo of psionic crystals. You will trade these for pickled devil-shark meat from the Marids at the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls in the Plane of Water, then trade that to the Efreet at the City of Brass in the Plane of Fire in exchange for enchanted damask steel scimitars, which you will then bring back here to Shra’kt’lor in Limbo."
She pauses. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of my office and prepare to shove off!"
- - -
The eight of you head to the pier where the Void Skipper is moored. Before boarding, now would be a good time to introduce yourselves to the rest of the crew.
Approaching the ship Aella delicately runs her hand along the hull, she gets bow of the ship before turning around to observe her crew
"Well boys, she's gorgeous isn't she !" stands upon a large crate to elevate her self above the crowd.
"As Captain it's my pleasure to welcome you aboard" she gives a small bow "I hope that our voyage together is as exciting and interesting as the void it'self many terrors lurk beneath it's surface if you haven't seen a slaad youngling explode from the chest of a fully grown man prepare yourself as that is the least of your concerns. Any questions ?"
She give small waveringly slightly as she slowly teeters from side to side, hoping off the box she whispers in her brothers ear
"Let us depart Immediately I'm feeling sick again."
Looking out at the ship before them a slow whistle could be heard from Luci. Placing his hands in his hips he notes to his sister
"That'll be one hell of a ship to crash this time" before giving her a wink and moving to survey what rest of the crew there is and size them up.
Taking a step away from his sister and leaning on a nearby post. Keeping an eye on everyone's reactions he paid no attention to whatever she was saying. Once she was done he turned back to face Aella giving a nod.
"You get on then, I'll follow behind everyone. Make it quick, I'm getting it too" and with a smile he made his way behind the crowd, tail waving behind him to keep his balance steady.
"Captain Drakos." calls out an oddly accented voice. "Permission to inspect perishables before loading."
The speaker both tall and broad - a tiefling in well-worn, faded clothes and leathers, with a battered brown cloak hanging down over the back like a cape, nearly covering a thick, forked tail. His eyes are tinted with accents of orange and yellow, giving them the appearance of molten metal, as contrasted with the dark red of his skin, nearly a deep brown, and the thick, branching horns above his brow. He carries a large, uneven pack over his pack, and shifts it frequently, as if finding it heavy. "If I am to prepare inaugural dinner for crew, I will need supplies loaded quick-quick." As he speaks, he accents his words with hand motions, his face bright and expressive.
Pausing for a moment, he addresses the crew.
"My name is for you to be calling Sweet James, I am official master of quarter, so if you need something, find me. I will be mostly in the galley, where tonight we will feast after we embark!"
"Permission granted !" she cheers with a hearty smile now beginning to lean on the on crate for balance playing with her tail with one hand
"If i may ask what in particular is tonight's menu? I took great interest in your resume so I am excited to see what you have in store for us"
pointing to some of the crates stacked by the entrance
" those are some of food supplies we'll be taking feel free to check through them let my brother know if we're missing anything he will personally assist you"
She smirks locking eyes with Luci
She had rushed over as quick as possible. She was normally late to things. It happens when you think time to be relative. But, by all that is and that was, this is clearly one of her favorite planes. The just under five foot, black feathered, kenku was on the vessel.
Her dark eyes looked to the small pseudo-dragon sitting across her shoulders. ~Is it a ship if it’s in the air, or a boat?~ Her mind called out to her friend and familiar. ~You don’t care do you...~. The critter was too busy looking behind, hearing the words supplies and quartermaster. Her own stomach growled a bit. A hand reached into the pocket of her old sailors jacket and some tattered robes. Seeing what she may have absent-mindedly grabbed while racing over from street vendors and the like. (Sleight of Hand 9 if I happened to grab anything not of value to anyone.)
She grabbed her backpack and the few other sacks that were full of... things. They were for her. She scurried over to the group that was gathered around. Her feathers ruffling, the light hitting her in such a way that clearly showed some faint red tattoos that were covering her arms, legs, and chest. To anyone watching, runes flicked inside her pupils. She raised her hands, while addressing the group. A series of maps in one hand. A sextant in the other. Both with dozens of bits of string and rope falling from them. When she opened her beak, the sound coming out. The sounds of a breeze on a tropical beach. Winds sailing across the sand and hitting the ocean. She stopped, and repeated. Hoping they would understand that this is her name. This sound.
She then turned to the captain. Her eyes looking up and locking in on Aella. A voice called out. ~I am Breeze. I am your Navigator. I am the one who knows the way.~ The voice wasn’t out loud. It was... inside. In Aella’s head.
Her hands moved back down to her sides, placing her instruments and maps back into their sacks. Her pseuodragon nudging her beak over to the quartermaster. With a roll of her eyes there was a faint shake of the head. As she waited to see who else would be of note.
DM PbP Series (Completed) : The Blackmire Company, Voyage of the Windhook ,Shanty of Soulripper, The Streets of Dunnour
In his leave he heard the mention of himself from his sibling, making him freeze midstep and look back, meeting her gaze with a brief annoyed glance at the motion that he had to do any work. Looking over to the tiefling next to her however he set a smile on his lips and headed over to introduce himself so the other would know who the Aella had been referring to when she had spoken of 'her brother'. Holding out a hand toward the chef in introduction he looked him over with his black eyes.
"And by that she means me, pleasure to meet you. The names Leuceus Drakos but my friends call me Luci." He spoke out through pointed teeth. His head covered in the same red locks of his sister and framed with a pair of ram horns. He wore a similar jacket to his sibling; the difference being his was a deep blue instead.
Alphonse's eyes shone with curiosity, as he leisurely walks up to the ship, admiring it's design. Hearing his captain speak, he walks up to her, before performing a rather deep bow. "Greetings, Captain Drakos!" His voice is loud and eager, wearing a wide, manic grin as he introduces himself. He makes for an odd sight: his black hair and pencil moustache are rather well-groomed and he possessed a rather wiry frame at a mere 5'4, looking little like a man who works on a ship, and yet his face is dotted with small scars and burns. His clothes, which looked to have been at one point of rather high quality, was covered in stains and dirt. He ends his bow, and continues in the same over-loud voice. "My name is Alphonse d'Cannith, and it is a pleasure to give my services as gunner on this ship of ours." He extends his left arm, as if offering to shake, except that instead of a hand, the limb ends on a stump with a hand crossbow attached to it.
She scans the horizon looking for the source of the voice before spotting breeze's hands held aloft. she takes a step forward and bows
"Ah Yes breeze it is quite lovely to meet you I'm happy to have another lady aboard" her smile turns to a grin as she spots the pseudo-dragon perched on the kenku's shoulder. After giving him a gentle tap to get his attention she says [ In draconian tongue] "And it's a pleasure to meet you two let me know if you want anything whilst we're aboard"
Turning she then met eyes with the young man
"The pleasure is all mine" she says with a smile and grabbing his hand to shake,
quickly recoiling once she gripped the crossbow Aella was taken aback
"WOAH" she exclaimed jumping aside "IS THAT THING LOADED?!"
Alphonse looks at Aella confused, before he realizes what she means. "Oh! You mean this thing!" Alphonse raises his arm, displaying the crossbow for everyone to see, before he continues with some embarassment, "I sometimes forget I have this old thing, but don't worry, it isn't loaded." The crossbow chooses that moment to let a bolt loose into the sky. Alphonse stares at it in silence, before speaking again in a cheery voice: "Or maybe it was! Oh well, accidents happen. At least I was prepared for danger. Now, let me see where that bolt went."
"Luci? Sweet. Let's get started." Sweet pulls a manifest from one of the crates, swiftly and efficiently cataloging each item to ensure its wholesomeness. "Flour, salt, S. beef, S. pork, ham... pickled vegtables, jarred vegetables, fruits, and pigs feet. Vinegar, oil, and rice. Sugar and wine. Tack and aged butter. Beer, rum, and 16 barrels of water. Half a dozen chickens. Corn, peas, beans. Lots of beans. Whetstones, ballista munitions, spare tackle, pitch, extra sails, approximately kilometer of rope, spare baskets, sacks, hammers, nails, metal rings... all accounted for. Except..." Sweet James flips through the manifest one more time.
"Sugarplums." (Italicized meaning in Infernal, thus sounding like some terrifying swear word.) "Where are the spices?"
She stares up at the void, flabbergasted her mouth agape, slowly she cracks a smile that then breaks into a laugh
"HAAHAHA that bolt is gone, I'm sorry for your loss but please in future don't point loaded weapons at me and we'll get on greatly, you had much experience with the ballista on the ship?" she says gesturing the void skipper "I know it's a little bigger than what you're used to, but nothing you can't handle right?" she said grinning
before gripping him by the right arm to give him a hearty hand hand shake ( strength roll for powerplay handshake 13 )
Planting his hand in his pocket he nods "So what do we need sweet?"
Following him around as he checked the crates, ensuring each was closed properly as they moved on to the next. Making faces at a few of the items mentioned he seemed to make no say or gesture of any importance, only absentmindedly listening as they went on through the items. As they neared the end of the list and the last crate they had come to was properly secured he paused politely until he got the all clear for everything, when he heard the shuffling paper he looked back to the other.
Being half tiefling he couldn't help but quietly chuckle at the others unusual curse he cast a glance over the crates, craning over a little in case the crate was placed behind one of the larger crates (Investigation check 8 if he finds anything) . "They must be around here somewhere"
Luci helps search for the missing sugarplums, finds ginger, garlic and freeze-dried goodberries among the cargo but not sugarplums.
Breeze finds she has absentmindedly pocketed somebody's cheap pocket watch; it is broken, the hands stuck in place, not that time means much on the plane of Limbo.
Alphonse's bolt, well, it goes off deep into Limbo's void; lets roll to see what it hits if anything! (11) Deep in Limbo's void, a storm of stone and sand roils; the bolt enters this cloud of rock and is crushed between two boulders. Just another reminder of the dangers that constantly appear and disappear on a whim in the plane of Limbo.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll learn it quickly enough, if it's not something I'm familiar with. And don't you worry, I don't go around shooting employers. Intentionally." That last bit he says more to himself, as he tries to return Aella's vigorous hand shake. (Strength roll: 19)
"Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to see these ballista for myself, see what condition their in." (Investigation check: 16)
Alphonse sees that the ballistae appear to be in working condition; it would be a bad idea to test-fire them to see if they truly work while at dock, however.
"Hmm, it appears to be in good condition. Let's see..." Alphonse begins to scan the immediate surrounding, contemplating whether or not to give it a test-fire and what to shoot. (Perception check: 8)
The ship is moored between other ships; it would be unwise to fire the ballista while at port.
"Aha! Here we are." Sweet pulls a small, flat box from behind a crate of ginger roots. Opening the box for inspection, a small puff of particles ascends, filling the immediate area with a confused aroma of sixty odd herbs and spices. "All provisions accounted for, Captain! Now, on for the cargo."
Pulling out another manifest, Sweet James takes a brisk walk through another small loading zone of equally spaced, identical crates, checking off numbers and storage protocols for each. In a few minutes, the results are in, and loading may commence.
Dag shuffles solemnly and quietly onto the sloop. His hat is wide-brimmed, and casts a shadow over his dark green eyes, his two large fists wrapped tightly around whatever tools he has scrounged in his vagrancy.
He sniffs sharply at the charged air of the port, and furtively glances around, hoping to keep to himself until he's onboard and situated. Shipwright. Easy. He's worked on stone and metal his whole life. Wood? What can be so different? Ha!
Upon passing the Captain he gives a requisite, "Cap'n", with a nod, then he immediately works his way below deck, into the dark, and into the quiet.
Toremar, Paladin 6 / Dez, Gnome Wizard 5 / Perios, Elf Wizard 10 / Skadr, Dwarf Pugilist 7