Sayyida smiles to herself.

Sae nods, keeping her face still on the surface except for the slight twitch against her leather cheekguard that would let the thought reading spell ghost away as quickly and quietly as she could possibly get it to disperse.  There were several entities whispered of in the darkest wood elven legends who might  be able to warp a mind as this man's had been warped; ... and she didn't want to risk drawing the attention of any of them any more than she already had just brushing  the thoughts of one of their vessels.

By popular demand, fast-forwarding through the pleasantries.

Within a few hours you all are in the brig of the flagship... on the very handwavy basis of the pirates don't consider you 'real' prisoners and they just need you to get the okay from 'Captain Hailstorm' and have you partake in the trial before you can officially join the crew, they did not confiscate your equipment. The Princess Serenity is towed along behind the two pirate ships, floating lazily in the water with one or two pirates acting as a skeleton crew (no pun intended regarding the Deathlocks).

"Oh by the way, see if you can talk some sense into the holy man while you're down there," the Commander says with a forced laugh and a twitch of the left eye that might or might not have been an attempt to wink as he turns to go. "He's been a wee bit reluctant to join up, but I know how much kitties hate to get wet, so I wanted to give him a chance to rethink his decision before tossin' him in the drink."

And indeed, as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see that you aren't the first ones to find your way into Commander Richards' brig. In an adjacent cell you can see a Tabaxi sitting and looking rather forlorn...

Wade Evershore, please introduce yourself!

Sayyida cradled her blade, cleaning it of the blood of those she had slain.

She looked across towards the ' holy man' unsure what she...the one who least wanted to be here...should say.

Sae moves forward slowly with her hands in plain view until she is near enough to the other cell to speak softly and still be heard by the tabaxi's sensitive feline ears.  Once there, she leans her back against the wall and slowly lowers herself to a sitting position.  Once again, she casually brushes her forehead as she does and inconspicuously rubs the trigger of her helm as part of the motion.  Also, though her face is still her eyes are quickly scanning the shadows and corners of the two cells to try and spot any hidden listeners.  If she does not detect spies by either of these means she will speak to the fellow prisoner as quietly as she can.

"So you've been netted by this Hailspit bastard too, yes?  And now his creepy puppetmaster wants you to join up with the crude stinking boor.  Same with us.  But what if you had a chance to spike his pistols for him in a way that the fool won't even know it?"

========================

Action: detect thoughts from helm

BA: Eye for Detail (Perception 6) to spot hidden listeners

In the corner you see a Tabaxi, orange and black fur, praying while holding his amulet. He's wearing a suite of scale mail and has a strange weapon either a sword with a long handle or a spear with a long blade. As you approach he finishes his prayers with a kiss to his amulet and looks up. "Welcome fellow sinners of sea" he says. "My name is Wade Evershore and I presume you are the newest guests from our captor/benefactor."

"  Sayyida.  Your not going to sign on?  The longer you live the better your chance of escape.", she muttered noncommittally.

Areleo sizes the large furry land dweller, never seeing his kind before and he would want to see if this being is a weathered warrior. 

"As a marine I once had a despicable captain and I don't know this bloke as far as I can throw him. Now, I'm not saying I won't. I just want to figure this guy out."

Seeing Areleo looking him up and down "I've sailed on board the HMS Victory under a few captains. Got this at the battle of Proud Reef and this one over here at Pirates cove." As he shows you his various scars and burn marks.

Turning the group "Why did you all sign up?"

" It was either that or watch the less able among my shipmates be slaughtered........also, pirates kill each other a lot....so I still get to keep my hobbies.", Sayyida purred, she turned the scarred portion of her face towards the feline gentleman.

" Plus, we're all getting thrown into a pit to die soon....so having someone with the gods on their side around wouldn't hurt."

"I have a good feeling about you all. My Divine said something was going to happen soon. I guess this is it." He says with a chuckle.

"What we're figuring is, it will be easier to figure this guy out the closer we are to him."   Sae watches the stranger carefully as she continues on, allowing the voices of her thought reading spell to become nothing more than a quiet whisper in the background.  And the voices that she allowed to remain in her attention were the ones that cast new aspects of light on the information she was gaining from her other senses.  "I wouldn't think you'd feel too grateful to him for shanghaing you this way.  Now, it's for my captain to say anything more, but ... "  She leaves her remark hanging in a cloud of significant ambiguity, and carefully watches the tabaxi's reaction.

==================

Insight 3

“You have talent for marks and slogans.” Emrys started lightheaded. In a better word the two would have meeting by a port, where the risk of death was low and the merchant would think about commissioning a pitch or two from the cleric. “Sinners of sea…” The halfling repeated, tasting the words. He really liked them. “Forgive me if I speak something too out there. Took too many hits and heats and got knocked out three or four times.” He turned to Sayyida e Sae. “Three or four times, right?” He was genuinely unsure. “We basically got attacked by the pirates and made a number on them. Enough that they lost a good deal of men in battle and had to bring out the big guns. Piracy was never a dream to any of us, but since now we can only choose between being killed or filling the job positions we opened through our self-defense… Can’t observe without time and won’t have time here if you don’t sign in. Which does not mean that you can’t just slip away in a port to never return. Besides a healer can help a lot on what comes next.” He clearly needed one and the trial didn’t even begin.  “Do you know the Silence spell? Did I ask what you divine said? Said my name?” Emrys putted a consistent effort to sound drunk. “Don’t think I did.”

"Grateful" He laughs "Well I'm definitely not grateful for our captors, but it is the Lord's will that I am here."

"The Divine said no specific name, as is normal, and a bit frustrating at times." Gritting his teeth as he looks up in frustration. "No. No specific name. Regarding the 'Silence' spell, yes I am aware of that spell and for what ever reason my Lord has given me that spell this morning, though I did not ask for it."

"What do we do next?"

(Sae, please let me know what you might be looking for. Wade is pretty much an open book. He relies much on faith and the flow of life is as it is meant to be by his Lord. )

" We wait. We fight. We survive.  As for what comes later? That is later.", Sayyida says simply.

Quote from GR_Mustang >>

(Sae, please let me know what you might be looking for. Wade is pretty much an open book. He relies much on faith and the flow of life is as it is meant to be by his Lord. )

 (That was it, essentially.  Sae doesn't like what she felt of the commander's mind at all, and she wants to make absolutely certain anyone he's asked us to talk to is no more than what they seem.  Also she was in a wood elven stealth scouting unit in her early life, and she absorbed enough military discipline to be reluctant to speak before her commanding officer does if there's a question whether to reveal something to someone or not)

(OOC: Okay, I'm going to go ahead and fast forward a bit; everyone, feel free to take a Long Rest as your journey takes about a day and a half).

You spend the next day or two getting to know Wade in the pirates' brig. It seems that, after the chaos you caused, it takes them a bit longer to reach their destination than they normally would. At least, that's what Yevelda has told you when she comes down here to hang out periodically.

During a long stretch of boredom, you suddenly hear the thud of numerous boots on the deck. It sounds like the ship is being boarded... though probably not by hostiles, as you don't hear the sounds of gunfire or screams of rage. After a few moments, you can hear some people talking above. One of the voices is the now-familiar one of Commander Richards. The second voice you do not recognize... but it is a deep, commanding voice. After a few minutes, the door to the brig creaks open, and a person walks slowly down the steps. You instantly get an uneasy feeling as you see him... well, you assume the figure is male, but it's impossible to tell for sure. The person is garbed head-to-toe, with half-plate armor and a long cloak. Most notably, the man's face is covered by some kind of metal mask; even his eyes are obscured in the shadow of his hat.



Commander Richards follows a few feet behind the person, an uneasy look on his face. It seems that the very presence of the masked individual is sapping away what is left of the Commander's already damaged sanity.

The masked figure approaches your cells, looking at each of you one-by-one, taking a minute or so to appraise each one of you in silence. If any of you are paying attention, you may notice that the masked figure has a large ring on their left hand, one that looks extremely similar to the one that a certain dwarf most of you once knew always wore. At last, the tall figure speaks. His voice is deep and commanding.

"So, Commander, these are the lot who nearly decimated the crews of both your ships... most intriguing."

The commander nods, seemingly not daring to speak lest he say the wrong thing to the imposing being. The figure then turns his attention back to you.

"I suppose I should introduce myself... but I doubt I truly need any introduction. I am Captain Hailstorm, and I am here to determine if you are worthy to join our crew, or if you would be better used as bait for the sharks. If what the commander tells me is true, then you should be a valuable asset to me. But I must see with my own eyes. There is one final trial for you to partake in, which should be ready within the hour... I strongly suggest that you do not disappoint me."

For Sayyida:

What do you want to do or say?

Sayyidas lip curled and she rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, waves of vengeance rolled over her like the oceans swell, but beneath it the deep cold calm of the depths. Time....even the stone gave way before the brine over time....so she would bide hers and then plant her blade straight through that metal mask.

Areleo, is excited for the battle