Lera hung back, casting disguise self again. This time, she changed her face to look like a nondescript, bland Fist. The sorcerer waited a minute after everyone else had gone above decks, wanting to look like she wasn’t with them. Lera then mingled on the deck away from her party, blending in with the crowd.
Koll makes sure his pack is well-hidden. Knowing how thieves operate, he doesn't want any nosy sort of person taking advantage of this distraction. He hangs back and sees Lera's magical transformation. He keeps to the shadows and follows her up, sneaking quietly to a spot where he can observe the goings on without being noticed.
As the group heads out into the hallway, they see the other cabin doors opening and people sticking their heads out to see what the yelling is all about. From another cabin, and rather large man in fancy clothing emerged, grumbling to himself. "All this yelling. Who do I talk to about this? What is going on?" He makes his way to the stairs, which is guarded by a crew member. "Let me through, young man! I demand some answers! A stowaway? On this ship?"
"Sir, please. If you could go back to your cabin-" the Fist began, but was quickly cut off as the large man pushed through him, clearing the way for everyone else to follow. Once on deck, it's clear to see that chaos has erupted. Crew members are converging on a specific section of the ship, each following directions being yelled out by the Flame. "Circle around her. She can't go anywhere but overboard. C'mere kid! You wanna go for a swim?"
Moving around on deck, the group can now see the stowaway. Standing against the port side railing, is Polly wearing some sort of glass backpack, filled with water. The tank is open, and a serpentine creature composed of water is coiled around the child, waiting to strike. She looks scared, and rightfully so. "Grab the kid," the Flame yelled, pointing at Polly. The Flaming Fist pushed closer. Another crew member yelled out, "You're going overboard for stealing food, you filthy little rat!" Moments after this chaos erupted, Grasalfan ran up the stairs, looking disheveled. He paused at the group. "Oh, Scarlet Dawn, good. What's happened? I was napping when I heard yelling."
“EVERYONE BACK AWAY FROM THE KID,” Lera used minor illusion to make her voice boom menacingly across the deck. She dropped her disguise as she strode forward, attempting to push through and grab Polly. “EVERYONE FREEZE OR I WILL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE, CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED.”
Shanolia draws her rapier, walking close behind Lera.
"Step back, else you want Lord Viscardi to flay you all alive!"She shouts, trying in vain to match Lera's volume. "That is his kid sister you are attempting to cast overboard, and I doubt you want your name to be the one which graces his ears as her killer."
As Lera pushes her way through the crew members, one of them tried to grab her. "Hey, stop right there!" As he reached out for her, she ducked under his reach, and slid forward. Another crew member, this one more heavily armed, stepped in front of Shanolia. "I suggest you stop that," he growled at her, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. A piercing whistle rang out, and everything stilled for a moment. Heads turned to the upper aft section of the ship, where Flame Wyre had been calling out commands. "You and you," she yelled out, pointing at Lera and Shanolia. Her face was flushed with anger. "If you don't stand down immediately, you will not see tomorrow."
With a hidden scowl, Shanolia sheathes her weapon, raising her hands in the air.
"Apologies, Flame Wyre... Habit. We are merely looking out for our employer's kid sister - the 'stowaway'. Wouldn't look good on us if she ends up swimming with the fish, would it?"
“I stand down when you do,” Lera growled. “You release Polly to me, and I won’t do anything stupid. But if anyone so much as lays a hand on her... it’s not going to be me who won’t be seeing tomorrow.”
Seeing where this is heading, Zamar to calls out to her, “Flame Wyre! A word before this gets any further out of hand. I am willing to pay for whatever food the stowaway has stolen. I just ask that you let my daughter watch her while we talk. The child is known to us and I think it would go poorly for us all if she were harmed. She knows she should not be here, but her head is full of dreams.”
Flame Wyre seethed with anger. "This is my ship," she screamed. Every Flaming Fist on the ship froze, knowing not to draw the ire of the Flame. "My ship, my rules. Rules that you..." she screamed, pointing a finger at Lera. "...agreed upon before you ever set foot upon my ship! You not only broke the rules, but you dare threaten my men?" Keeping her eyes on Lera, she pointed to two heavily armored guards. "You are under arrest, until we arrive at Port Nyanzaru. Take her into custody." The two guards move to Lera, taking her by the arms.
Flame Wyre turned to Zamar. "As for you lot. No muster for the rest of the trip. Guards will come around, cabin to cabin, and take head count. If you cannot respect my rules, you get no luxuries. As for the stowaway, it has nothing to do with the food stolen. We have limited storage, limited cabins, and know exactly how many mouths we have to feed. When that number is off, people starve. Stealing food means my crew or guests lives are at risk." She looks over everyone gathered on deck, her own crew included. "We have rules for a reason," she screamed, allowing the silence after to settle on everyone. Turning back to Zamar, she continued, lowering her voice once again. "Take the child. Feed her from your dinner. I don't want to see her, or any of you, again until we get to Port." Flame Wyre glared daggers at the members of Scarlet Dawn. "Do I make myself clear?"
Zamar whispers to Flame Wyre, “Thank you. I know the precarious position we put you in. I will not forget you mercy, even as I keep it between us.” He holds out his hand to Polly and raises an eyebrow to suggest that she will be safer with him.”
Flame Wyre simply looks at him, expressionless. "Get your people off my deck," she growls and sets her men back to work. Polly watches everything with wide eyes. Once she's sure the danger is over, she reaches behind her, putting a hand on the lid to the tank. The serpentine figure uncoils from around her, and sinks back into the tank, before Polly closes it once again. Grasalfan watches her, chuckling to himself. "Clever girl stole my back-up tank." He shakes his head, and makes his way back below deck.
Polly steps forward, cautiously, as the crew start heading back to their jobs. Finally convinced she's safe, she runs to Zamar and wraps her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into him, sobbing loudly. She didn't even notice when the two guards shackled Lera, and lead her below deck.
Zamar lifts Polly into his arms and carries her below. "Come, little one," he says. "Time enough for your story later. Right now, you need rest, a bed, and probably something to eat. We have you now. You are safe." Seeing the Gnome walking away, he strides after him, calling out, "Grasalfan! A word?"
Singe stands and walks into the door to the cabin. He feels the door as he watches from Zamar's shoulder the scene playing out upstairs. He finally opens the door and briefly sees most of the guests filling the hall. "Excuse me! My seeing eye hawk flew off, I think it went upstairs, could someone help me find him? I'm also deaf!" Singe bumbles his way down the hall, bouncing off people, they may have said something but Singe is too focused the drama upstairs. When Flame Wyre's verdict is made, Barry caws a disappointed crow and disappears. "My vision has returned to me!" Singe cries before walking back to his room confidently.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Grasalfan closes in closer to Zamar. "Sir?" He asks.
The walk back to the cabin is quiet, two crewmen follow behind to make sure the group goes directly to their cabin. The Flaming Fist and guests aboard the ship part from the hallway into their own cabins to let the Scarlet Dawn pass. One of the crewmen calls out, "All Musters will be in your cabin from this point forward. You have the Scarlet Dawn to thank for that!" You can hear the grumbling sound from all around you. This is not going to be a pleasant cruise for anyone. As if to accompany that thought, thunder roars from outside.
As the rest of the Scarlet Dawn heads below, Zamar catches up with the little Gnome, slowed only a little by the child and her new friend. “Your spare tank?” Zamar asks doing his best to control his emotions. Polly’s safety is paramount and he does not want to upset her further. “Why are you both unsurprised and unfazed by this turn of events?”
"I merely respect the sheer effort it had to have taken for the girl to get to where she is," he responds. Zamar gets the feeling he sees the positive in nearly everything. "It's my spare coolant tank for my flying machine. A weird rests inside and it takes considerable effort to bond with it and control it. Marvelous!" He says. "The girl must have remembered where the secret latch was," he says, entering the cabin. "It's nearly impossible to spot without seeing it previously."
Zamar cools down a bit and files this information away for future reference. He will need to have a chat with Polly, but now is definitely not the time. "Thank you for the information, Grasalfan, and for not taking the tank back. I think we will need it for Polly's weird. What exactly is a weird?"
His face poofs and his eyes raise, a twinkle alight. "A weird is an elemental beast from the elemental plane of water. It is often summoned and contained within a plot of water. Well... I have used these weirds to power my flying machine. Steam Powered with the combination of Fire Elementals and Weirds working in conjunction. This weird was a backup coolant in case the Fire Elementals got out of line. They're well trained now, I'd say. So yes... I suppose since it's so protective of her, she can keep it for a bit. We are going into dangerous territory!" He wears a large grin on his face, unfazed by the thought of what Whistler or Viscardi must be feeling at this moment.
Zamar sighs and thanks him again. Grasalfan is clearly cut from a different cloth. "One last thing. Have you any way to get in touch with his Lordship or Whistler? Any device or artifact?"
"Nope!" He responds. "We're on our own!"
'Terrific!" Zamar heads back to the room with Polly, soothing her the best he can. As they get to the room, he places her on the cleanest bunk he can see and asks if someone might have some water for her. Then he sets next to her, lets her lean on him, and waits.
Polly cries into Zamar's chest for a while, then sits up and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I got you all into trouble!" She sniffles and wipes her nose on one of her sleeves. "I didn't mean to! I thought I could make it the whole way!" More tears begin to slide down her face. She looked around the room, at all the faces staring at her, and shied away for a moment. Then she quickly looked around the room again. "Where's Lera?"
'Dry your tears, little one. She will be all right. She got a little angry at the Captain and she is going to have to have a talk with them for a while. You were very foolish, but also very brave and very resourceful. For now, drink something. We need to find a way to let your brother know you are all right. When you are feeling rested, I am sure we would all like to hear your tale." Zamar looks over to Perrin, "Do you think your friend Talle could be persuaded to let me talk to Lera?"
Lera hung back, casting disguise self again. This time, she changed her face to look like a nondescript, bland Fist. The sorcerer waited a minute after everyone else had gone above decks, wanting to look like she wasn’t with them. Lera then mingled on the deck away from her party, blending in with the crowd.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Koll makes sure his pack is well-hidden. Knowing how thieves operate, he doesn't want any nosy sort of person taking advantage of this distraction. He hangs back and sees Lera's magical transformation. He keeps to the shadows and follows her up, sneaking quietly to a spot where he can observe the goings on without being noticed.
As the group heads out into the hallway, they see the other cabin doors opening and people sticking their heads out to see what the yelling is all about. From another cabin, and rather large man in fancy clothing emerged, grumbling to himself. "All this yelling. Who do I talk to about this? What is going on?" He makes his way to the stairs, which is guarded by a crew member. "Let me through, young man! I demand some answers! A stowaway? On this ship?"
"Sir, please. If you could go back to your cabin-" the Fist began, but was quickly cut off as the large man pushed through him, clearing the way for everyone else to follow. Once on deck, it's clear to see that chaos has erupted. Crew members are converging on a specific section of the ship, each following directions being yelled out by the Flame. "Circle around her. She can't go anywhere but overboard. C'mere kid! You wanna go for a swim?"
Moving around on deck, the group can now see the stowaway. Standing against the port side railing, is Polly wearing some sort of glass backpack, filled with water. The tank is open, and a serpentine creature composed of water is coiled around the child, waiting to strike. She looks scared, and rightfully so. "Grab the kid," the Flame yelled, pointing at Polly. The Flaming Fist pushed closer. Another crew member yelled out, "You're going overboard for stealing food, you filthy little rat!" Moments after this chaos erupted, Grasalfan ran up the stairs, looking disheveled. He paused at the group. "Oh, Scarlet Dawn, good. What's happened? I was napping when I heard yelling."
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
“EVERYONE BACK AWAY FROM THE KID,” Lera used minor illusion to make her voice boom menacingly across the deck. She dropped her disguise as she strode forward, attempting to push through and grab Polly. “EVERYONE FREEZE OR I WILL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE, CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Shanolia draws her rapier, walking close behind Lera.
"Step back, else you want Lord Viscardi to flay you all alive!" She shouts, trying in vain to match Lera's volume. "That is his kid sister you are attempting to cast overboard, and I doubt you want your name to be the one which graces his ears as her killer."
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
As Lera pushes her way through the crew members, one of them tried to grab her. "Hey, stop right there!" As he reached out for her, she ducked under his reach, and slid forward. Another crew member, this one more heavily armed, stepped in front of Shanolia. "I suggest you stop that," he growled at her, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. A piercing whistle rang out, and everything stilled for a moment. Heads turned to the upper aft section of the ship, where Flame Wyre had been calling out commands. "You and you," she yelled out, pointing at Lera and Shanolia. Her face was flushed with anger. "If you don't stand down immediately, you will not see tomorrow."
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
With a hidden scowl, Shanolia sheathes her weapon, raising her hands in the air.
"Apologies, Flame Wyre... Habit. We are merely looking out for our employer's kid sister - the 'stowaway'. Wouldn't look good on us if she ends up swimming with the fish, would it?"
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
“I stand down when you do,” Lera growled. “You release Polly to me, and I won’t do anything stupid. But if anyone so much as lays a hand on her... it’s not going to be me who won’t be seeing tomorrow.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Seeing where this is heading, Zamar to calls out to her, “Flame Wyre! A word before this gets any further out of hand. I am willing to pay for whatever food the stowaway has stolen. I just ask that you let my daughter watch her while we talk. The child is known to us and I think it would go poorly for us all if she were harmed. She knows she should not be here, but her head is full of dreams.”
(Persuasion: 20 using DM inspiration)
Zamar Zahuv - Level 4 Aasimar Bard in Whispers of Dissent
Golos - Level 1 Halfling Barbarian in Night's Dark Terror
Jerrok Flametongue - Level 6 Human Barbarian in Zendikar - Whispers of the Aeons
R'thr Ka'ri - Level 5 Paladin in The Adventures of Bubbles (every other Wednesday)
Johnathan Moonspeaker - Level 6 Druid in Web of Lies (every other Friday)
DM of Something Wicked This Way Comes - D&D Modernverse (every other Tuesday)
Perrin is going to turn to the others in his group and whisper to them
”That watery snake things. It’s protecting Polly; do you think Mr.Piggles is magical and can turn into that?”
//Insight: 1d20+1 = 11+1 = 12//
Flame Wyre seethed with anger. "This is my ship," she screamed. Every Flaming Fist on the ship froze, knowing not to draw the ire of the Flame. "My ship, my rules. Rules that you..." she screamed, pointing a finger at Lera. "...agreed upon before you ever set foot upon my ship! You not only broke the rules, but you dare threaten my men?" Keeping her eyes on Lera, she pointed to two heavily armored guards. "You are under arrest, until we arrive at Port Nyanzaru. Take her into custody." The two guards move to Lera, taking her by the arms.
Flame Wyre turned to Zamar. "As for you lot. No muster for the rest of the trip. Guards will come around, cabin to cabin, and take head count. If you cannot respect my rules, you get no luxuries. As for the stowaway, it has nothing to do with the food stolen. We have limited storage, limited cabins, and know exactly how many mouths we have to feed. When that number is off, people starve. Stealing food means my crew or guests lives are at risk." She looks over everyone gathered on deck, her own crew included. "We have rules for a reason," she screamed, allowing the silence after to settle on everyone. Turning back to Zamar, she continued, lowering her voice once again. "Take the child. Feed her from your dinner. I don't want to see her, or any of you, again until we get to Port." Flame Wyre glared daggers at the members of Scarlet Dawn. "Do I make myself clear?"
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Zamar whispers to Flame Wyre, “Thank you. I know the precarious position we put you in. I will not forget you mercy, even as I keep it between us.” He holds out his hand to Polly and raises an eyebrow to suggest that she will be safer with him.”
Zamar Zahuv - Level 4 Aasimar Bard in Whispers of Dissent
Golos - Level 1 Halfling Barbarian in Night's Dark Terror
Jerrok Flametongue - Level 6 Human Barbarian in Zendikar - Whispers of the Aeons
R'thr Ka'ri - Level 5 Paladin in The Adventures of Bubbles (every other Wednesday)
Johnathan Moonspeaker - Level 6 Druid in Web of Lies (every other Friday)
DM of Something Wicked This Way Comes - D&D Modernverse (every other Tuesday)
Flame Wyre simply looks at him, expressionless. "Get your people off my deck," she growls and sets her men back to work. Polly watches everything with wide eyes. Once she's sure the danger is over, she reaches behind her, putting a hand on the lid to the tank. The serpentine figure uncoils from around her, and sinks back into the tank, before Polly closes it once again. Grasalfan watches her, chuckling to himself. "Clever girl stole my back-up tank." He shakes his head, and makes his way back below deck.
Polly steps forward, cautiously, as the crew start heading back to their jobs. Finally convinced she's safe, she runs to Zamar and wraps her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into him, sobbing loudly. She didn't even notice when the two guards shackled Lera, and lead her below deck.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Shanolia lowers her hands and returns to the others, shaking her head softly.
"Stupid girl, maybe some time behind bars will help her see clearer." She mutters in Abyssal. Gently, she pats Polly's head.
"Little one, are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
Zamar lifts Polly into his arms and carries her below. "Come, little one," he says. "Time enough for your story later. Right now, you need rest, a bed, and probably something to eat. We have you now. You are safe." Seeing the Gnome walking away, he strides after him, calling out, "Grasalfan! A word?"
Zamar Zahuv - Level 4 Aasimar Bard in Whispers of Dissent
Golos - Level 1 Halfling Barbarian in Night's Dark Terror
Jerrok Flametongue - Level 6 Human Barbarian in Zendikar - Whispers of the Aeons
R'thr Ka'ri - Level 5 Paladin in The Adventures of Bubbles (every other Wednesday)
Johnathan Moonspeaker - Level 6 Druid in Web of Lies (every other Friday)
DM of Something Wicked This Way Comes - D&D Modernverse (every other Tuesday)
Singe stands and walks into the door to the cabin. He feels the door as he watches from Zamar's shoulder the scene playing out upstairs. He finally opens the door and briefly sees most of the guests filling the hall. "Excuse me! My seeing eye hawk flew off, I think it went upstairs, could someone help me find him? I'm also deaf!" Singe bumbles his way down the hall, bouncing off people, they may have said something but Singe is too focused the drama upstairs. When Flame Wyre's verdict is made, Barry caws a disappointed crow and disappears. "My vision has returned to me!" Singe cries before walking back to his room confidently.
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Grasalfan closes in closer to Zamar. "Sir?" He asks.
The walk back to the cabin is quiet, two crewmen follow behind to make sure the group goes directly to their cabin. The Flaming Fist and guests aboard the ship part from the hallway into their own cabins to let the Scarlet Dawn pass. One of the crewmen calls out, "All Musters will be in your cabin from this point forward. You have the Scarlet Dawn to thank for that!" You can hear the grumbling sound from all around you. This is not going to be a pleasant cruise for anyone. As if to accompany that thought, thunder roars from outside.
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Zamar Zahuv - Level 4 Aasimar Bard in Whispers of Dissent
Golos - Level 1 Halfling Barbarian in Night's Dark Terror
Jerrok Flametongue - Level 6 Human Barbarian in Zendikar - Whispers of the Aeons
R'thr Ka'ri - Level 5 Paladin in The Adventures of Bubbles (every other Wednesday)
Johnathan Moonspeaker - Level 6 Druid in Web of Lies (every other Friday)
DM of Something Wicked This Way Comes - D&D Modernverse (every other Tuesday)
Polly cries into Zamar's chest for a while, then sits up and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I got you all into trouble!" She sniffles and wipes her nose on one of her sleeves. "I didn't mean to! I thought I could make it the whole way!" More tears begin to slide down her face. She looked around the room, at all the faces staring at her, and shied away for a moment. Then she quickly looked around the room again. "Where's Lera?"
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
'Dry your tears, little one. She will be all right. She got a little angry at the Captain and she is going to have to have a talk with them for a while. You were very foolish, but also very brave and very resourceful. For now, drink something. We need to find a way to let your brother know you are all right. When you are feeling rested, I am sure we would all like to hear your tale." Zamar looks over to Perrin, "Do you think your friend Talle could be persuaded to let me talk to Lera?"
Zamar Zahuv - Level 4 Aasimar Bard in Whispers of Dissent
Golos - Level 1 Halfling Barbarian in Night's Dark Terror
Jerrok Flametongue - Level 6 Human Barbarian in Zendikar - Whispers of the Aeons
R'thr Ka'ri - Level 5 Paladin in The Adventures of Bubbles (every other Wednesday)
Johnathan Moonspeaker - Level 6 Druid in Web of Lies (every other Friday)
DM of Something Wicked This Way Comes - D&D Modernverse (every other Tuesday)