Aoi takes a long drink from his mug before addressing Darwin's question.
"I was much younger when I first started sailing aboard the Ravensmast. I had heard stories about pirates growing up, about sunken treasure and daring sword fights. I thought I could make a fortune after a few years of pirating and then use that money to travel." Aoi casts his eyes skyward while he speaks. "We did find treasure once; that's when I learned only the captain would be making his fortune. The rest of us, we got enough money to buy some drinks while we were in port and then it was back to the ship unless we wanted to starve. I was still foolish then and thought I could just find another job at a larger port. Problem was, I now had a reputation from being a pirate and no upstanding crew was willing to hire me. There were of course other unsavory jobs I could have taken to stop pirating, but that would just be trading one devil for another. "
Aoi brings his gaze back down to look at those seated around the Captain's table. "I think I've droned on about my foolish self enough now. I hope that one of you might be willing to put in a good word for me when we reach port. As I mentioned, being a pirate can make it difficult to find employment and I will need someway to make money so I don't starve." Aoi bows his head slightly while making his request.
"Thank you for your honesty, Aoi. We all carry the burden of decisions made in ignorance, hoping to do something grand. I know when I was younger, I had similar thoughts about becoming a knight, but the reality was much different. I will make sure your reputation is in the best standing when we reach port. And you will not starve while abord this ship.
Is there anything we need to be aware of before reaching our destination? Difficult waters or crew members we should be cautious of?"
"It could have been worse", Darwin adds to the conversation between more bites of food.
"You could have fallen through a portal into another plane, had to join a carnival to survive in the hope that you would be able to return home but then get left behind in another plane because you got thrown in jail for something you may or may not have done", he says with wink.
At this point Caper, a small cat sized faerie dragon, suddenly appears out of nowhere.
"Smells good", Caper says in Sylvan whilst sniffing Darwin's food.
"Hold on, I'll get you your own portion", Darwin replies in Sylvan as he gets up to grab another bowl full.
Whilst Darwin is away from the table Caper happily finishes Darwin's portion.
Aoi goes to answer Dame Ida but is briefly stunned into silence by the appearance of Caper.
"What kind of dragon is that?", Aoi whispers to Dame Ida. "And the only members of the crew I was leery of joined the former Captain in attacking Solvig and yourselves."
Aoi watches Caper in fascination as the small dragon eats Darwin's portion of food.
Hamish nods thoughtfully at Aoi's story and opens his mouth to speak when Caper appears. He smiles and when Darwin steps away, Hamish says in Sylvan, "Hello, Caper."
Hamish turns his attention back to Aoi. "I think people can learn to look past piracy. I killed a priest, by accident ... with lightning, and Darwin and Ida still helped me out."
Darwin returns in time to see Caper finish off his meal and sighs.
"I guess I will have this one then", Darwin says as he sits back down
Caper cocks his head to Hamish, almost seeming to bow his head slightly as he does so, before he wanders across the table to sniff at Aoi. He then jumps off the table seemingly satisfied and wanders off to find somewhere to curl up, turning invisible as he goes.
"So, how long until we reach our destination, Aoi?", Darwin asks.
"I'm not sure what kind of dragon he is, but I'm sure his plate-mate could tell you more about him," Ida says chuckling and motioning to Darwin. "And thank you for helping keep us on course. Have you been to Porto Di Baio recently? Or did you normally steer clear of it?"
"I've been to Porto Di Baio before, though not much in recent years. Word among the crew was the previous first mate was keen to avoid a jilted lover."
Aoi turns to face Darwin.
"May I ask what kind of dragon that was Darwin? It reminds me of a dragon from a story I was told during my adolescence."
"Caper is a Faerie Dragon from the Feywild. He is an inquisitive sort and looking to explore the material plane and go on some adventures. He couldn't have picked better travelling companions in truth, we always seem to get mixed up in one drama or another", he explains with a chuckle.
"What were these stories of which you speak? And where was it you grew up, if it's not delving too deeply?".
"I was born in a small village in Okoku. One of the elderly members of the village would often regale myself and the other children with stories about dragons, pirates, and adventure. I had stopped believing his stories had any truth to them after I found out for myself what being a pirate was really like," Aoi says with a sigh.
"One of those stories was about a group that came upon a faerie dragon. They were traveling through the woods and items kept disappearing from their belongings: a trinket here, a sweet there, and some of their smaller weapons too. At first they suspected each other of stealing and almost came to arms over it, but they began to realize it was someone else when they started to hear laughter from seemingly no one. It was only when they were exiting the forest that one member of the group saw the small dragon watching them and snickering. The story never mentioned what kind of dragon it was, only its appearance and penchant for mischief."
Aoi rises and addresses the whole group. "Thank you again for letting me be your navigator. I will go make sure we are on course and then rest for the night."
The next day, you see the port of Porto Di Baio on the horizon.
'We're going to need a body in the crows nest, keeping an eye out, someone on the wheel and it wouldn't hurt to have someone calling the commands. Aoi will plot the course, I'll get on the oars and help the crew bring her in.' Agnarr says to his companions, quiet enough that the crew don't overhear and think he is undermining the authority of Captain Ida.
Crows nest will be, predicably, a perception check, command will be a charisma check of the rollers choosing based on the manner in which they are given and the helmsman for this little jaunt will be an insight check. Aoi, I'm going to need a survival check from you.
"Darwin, please request Caper to be our eyes from above, and let us know what you see as needed. Hamish, you're on the wheel, Aoi will be giving you the directions. Don't worry, this will go smoothly, the crew have plenty of experience. I'll see if I can command correctly enough to get us in." Ida says quietly to keep any additional ears out of the conversation, and winks to the two of them as finishes.
"Well now, who's ready for a break from the seas after our adventures yesterday?!?" Ida smiles as she yells loudly to the crew from the quarterdeck.
Hamish steps up to the wheel and grasps it in his sweaty hands. Suddenly all the knowledge he had acquired through watching the crew and listening to Aoi and Agnarr flies from his mind and he blanks entirely. "Ehhhhhhh." He starts to emit sound that can only be one of a rising confused panic.
((Rolled a Nat 1 for a 4, invoked Tides of Chaos for a reroll that got me a total of 7))
As the ship is being pulled into Port by a strong set of arms pulling the oars, Caper telepathically reports his sights and scenes to Darwin who relays this information to Aoi who plots the course and gives guidance to Hamish on the wheel.
Unfortunately, Aoi miscalculates the trajectories and Hamish is unable to properly guide the ship.
Another ship is cruising in to port at the same trajectory. A collision is imminent. Caper reports this, Darwin relays.
Hamish, give me a dex save and a panic roll on the wild magic table.
Sheer and utter panic is something that Hamish knows how to navigate and handle better than most and he sharply drags the ship away from the impending collision. Big vessels don't turn quickly however and the two ships come along side and kiss almost gently. But when two vessels kiss gently, the force is still immense.
All persons aboard both ships are thrown prone and there's a very loud splintering sound.
'All Starboard side oars are broke!' Agnarr's voice calls from below decks. 'We'll be moving slower till we can fix them.
Any further damage to the ship is not immediately recognizable. Once the ships have been seperated, the Ravensmast limps into a dock at a sluggish pace under half her oars. The crew immediately set to with practiced hands to secure her to the pier.
'We got a little bit of damage and to the starboard planks but nothing extreme.' a crew member informs Agnarr who relays it to the party.
Welcome to Porto Di Baio. The scene from the docks is that of marble stone and columns in the classical Aurelian style. The humidity seems thicker here than it did a few hundred miles down the coast in Haukberg and you see people clad in loose fitting robes and sheets as opposed to the customary fashions that you're accustomed to.
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Aoi takes a long drink from his mug before addressing Darwin's question.
"I was much younger when I first started sailing aboard the Ravensmast. I had heard stories about pirates growing up, about sunken treasure and daring sword fights. I thought I could make a fortune after a few years of pirating and then use that money to travel." Aoi casts his eyes skyward while he speaks. "We did find treasure once; that's when I learned only the captain would be making his fortune. The rest of us, we got enough money to buy some drinks while we were in port and then it was back to the ship unless we wanted to starve. I was still foolish then and thought I could just find another job at a larger port. Problem was, I now had a reputation from being a pirate and no upstanding crew was willing to hire me. There were of course other unsavory jobs I could have taken to stop pirating, but that would just be trading one devil for another. "
Aoi brings his gaze back down to look at those seated around the Captain's table. "I think I've droned on about my foolish self enough now. I hope that one of you might be willing to put in a good word for me when we reach port. As I mentioned, being a pirate can make it difficult to find employment and I will need someway to make money so I don't starve." Aoi bows his head slightly while making his request.
"Thank you for your honesty, Aoi. We all carry the burden of decisions made in ignorance, hoping to do something grand. I know when I was younger, I had similar thoughts about becoming a knight, but the reality was much different. I will make sure your reputation is in the best standing when we reach port. And you will not starve while abord this ship.
Is there anything we need to be aware of before reaching our destination? Difficult waters or crew members we should be cautious of?"
"It could have been worse", Darwin adds to the conversation between more bites of food.
"You could have fallen through a portal into another plane, had to join a carnival to survive in the hope that you would be able to return home but then get left behind in another plane because you got thrown in jail for something you may or may not have done", he says with wink.
At this point Caper, a small cat sized faerie dragon, suddenly appears out of nowhere.
"Smells good", Caper says in Sylvan whilst sniffing Darwin's food.
"Hold on, I'll get you your own portion", Darwin replies in Sylvan as he gets up to grab another bowl full.
Whilst Darwin is away from the table Caper happily finishes Darwin's portion.
Aoi goes to answer Dame Ida but is briefly stunned into silence by the appearance of Caper.
"What kind of dragon is that?", Aoi whispers to Dame Ida. "And the only members of the crew I was leery of joined the former Captain in attacking Solvig and yourselves."
Aoi watches Caper in fascination as the small dragon eats Darwin's portion of food.
Hamish nods thoughtfully at Aoi's story and opens his mouth to speak when Caper appears. He smiles and when Darwin steps away, Hamish says in Sylvan, "Hello, Caper."
Hamish turns his attention back to Aoi. "I think people can learn to look past piracy. I killed a priest, by accident ... with lightning, and Darwin and Ida still helped me out."
Darwin returns in time to see Caper finish off his meal and sighs.
"I guess I will have this one then", Darwin says as he sits back down
Caper cocks his head to Hamish, almost seeming to bow his head slightly as he does so, before he wanders across the table to sniff at Aoi. He then jumps off the table seemingly satisfied and wanders off to find somewhere to curl up, turning invisible as he goes.
"So, how long until we reach our destination, Aoi?", Darwin asks.
Aoi snaps back to the conversation as Caper disappears from sight. "We should arrive at Porto Di Baio on the morrow at about mid-morning."
"I'm not sure what kind of dragon he is, but I'm sure his plate-mate could tell you more about him," Ida says chuckling and motioning to Darwin. "And thank you for helping keep us on course. Have you been to Porto Di Baio recently? Or did you normally steer clear of it?"
"I've been to Porto Di Baio before, though not much in recent years. Word among the crew was the previous first mate was keen to avoid a jilted lover."
Aoi turns to face Darwin.
"May I ask what kind of dragon that was Darwin? It reminds me of a dragon from a story I was told during my adolescence."
"Of course", Darwin says in reply to Aoi.
"Caper is a Faerie Dragon from the Feywild. He is an inquisitive sort and looking to explore the material plane and go on some adventures. He couldn't have picked better travelling companions in truth, we always seem to get mixed up in one drama or another", he explains with a chuckle.
"What were these stories of which you speak? And where was it you grew up, if it's not delving too deeply?".
"I was born in a small village in Okoku. One of the elderly members of the village would often regale myself and the other children with stories about dragons, pirates, and adventure. I had stopped believing his stories had any truth to them after I found out for myself what being a pirate was really like," Aoi says with a sigh.
"One of those stories was about a group that came upon a faerie dragon. They were traveling through the woods and items kept disappearing from their belongings: a trinket here, a sweet there, and some of their smaller weapons too. At first they suspected each other of stealing and almost came to arms over it, but they began to realize it was someone else when they started to hear laughter from seemingly no one. It was only when they were exiting the forest that one member of the group saw the small dragon watching them and snickering. The story never mentioned what kind of dragon it was, only its appearance and penchant for mischief."
Aoi rises and addresses the whole group. "Thank you again for letting me be your navigator. I will go make sure we are on course and then rest for the night."
Darwin nods to Aoi.
"Yeah, I can imagine", he replies looking at his first bowl with a chuckle.
"Good night".
The next day, you see the port of Porto Di Baio on the horizon.
'We're going to need a body in the crows nest, keeping an eye out, someone on the wheel and it wouldn't hurt to have someone calling the commands. Aoi will plot the course, I'll get on the oars and help the crew bring her in.' Agnarr says to his companions, quiet enough that the crew don't overhear and think he is undermining the authority of Captain Ida.
Crows nest will be, predicably, a perception check, command will be a charisma check of the rollers choosing based on the manner in which they are given and the helmsman for this little jaunt will be an insight check. Aoi, I'm going to need a survival check from you.
Survival: 7+7=14
"Darwin, please request Caper to be our eyes from above, and let us know what you see as needed. Hamish, you're on the wheel, Aoi will be giving you the directions. Don't worry, this will go smoothly, the crew have plenty of experience. I'll see if I can command correctly enough to get us in." Ida says quietly to keep any additional ears out of the conversation, and winks to the two of them as finishes.
"Well now, who's ready for a break from the seas after our adventures yesterday?!?" Ida smiles as she yells loudly to the crew from the quarterdeck.
Persuasion Check: 13+5 = 18
"Of course", Darwin replies, and telepathically reaches out to Caper to request his assistance.
As Caper flies up to the crow's nest, Darwin finds a safe place near to Ida to sit and then moves his senses into Caper.
Telling Ida what he sees as he sees it, with Caper flying to wherever gets the best view for what they need.
Perception: 17+3=20
Hamish steps up to the wheel and grasps it in his sweaty hands. Suddenly all the knowledge he had acquired through watching the crew and listening to Aoi and Agnarr flies from his mind and he blanks entirely. "Ehhhhhhh." He starts to emit sound that can only be one of a rising confused panic.
((Rolled a Nat 1 for a 4, invoked Tides of Chaos for a reroll that got me a total of 7))
As the ship is being pulled into Port by a strong set of arms pulling the oars, Caper telepathically reports his sights and scenes to Darwin who relays this information to Aoi who plots the course and gives guidance to Hamish on the wheel.
Unfortunately, Aoi miscalculates the trajectories and Hamish is unable to properly guide the ship.
Another ship is cruising in to port at the same trajectory. A collision is imminent. Caper reports this, Darwin relays.
Hamish, give me a dex save and a panic roll on the wild magic table.
Hamish's eyes flash purple and he wrenches the wheel to the side, trying to avoid the oncoming ship.
((22 for the Dex Save, 74 on Wild Magic: A random creature within 60 feet of you becomes poisoned for 1d4 hours.))
Sheer and utter panic is something that Hamish knows how to navigate and handle better than most and he sharply drags the ship away from the impending collision. Big vessels don't turn quickly however and the two ships come along side and kiss almost gently. But when two vessels kiss gently, the force is still immense.
All persons aboard both ships are thrown prone and there's a very loud splintering sound.
'All Starboard side oars are broke!' Agnarr's voice calls from below decks. 'We'll be moving slower till we can fix them.
Any further damage to the ship is not immediately recognizable. Once the ships have been seperated, the Ravensmast limps into a dock at a sluggish pace under half her oars. The crew immediately set to with practiced hands to secure her to the pier.
'We got a little bit of damage and to the starboard planks but nothing extreme.' a crew member informs Agnarr who relays it to the party.
Welcome to Porto Di Baio. The scene from the docks is that of marble stone and columns in the classical Aurelian style. The humidity seems thicker here than it did a few hundred miles down the coast in Haukberg and you see people clad in loose fitting robes and sheets as opposed to the customary fashions that you're accustomed to.