'Naut steps aboard the ship, and immediately heads below-decks, wasting no time on meticulously counting out every resource they have at their disposal, every crossbow bolt, every spare board, every nail. When their census is complete, they travel about the ship, providing minor repairs with their carpenter's tools and casting mending wherever it is needed, ensuring that the ship's shape is in shipshape. 

As 'Naut and Sayyida are going over the ship with a fine-toothed comb, the sound of wood against wood alerts you to someone boarding the ship. It is none other than Admiral North, accompanied by a female wood elf

Oisinmac, please introduce us to your character!

Merigar climbs aboard, and immediately rushes to the officers quarters. It had been a long time since he had slept on a ship and he was happy to be there again. He takes out his backpack and throws his bed roll into his hammock. He takes a swig from his waterskin and heads up to the deck.

The wood elf approaches you noiselessly, her scuffed leather armor oiled and padded and the rapier in her back sheath absolutely motionless.  As she dips her close-shaven head to each of you in a brief greeting, you have a feeling you have seen her before but so fleetingly that only that sense remains.  Her face is unreadable, neither smiling nor frowning; no emotion whatever is visible.  A shortbow is strapped to her traveling pack, as are a pair of handaxes, and a shortsword swings at her hip that is polished so silver-bright it shimmers like clear moonlight.  Her first words to you both confirm and explain that sense of nagging familiarity:

"Been trying to catch up with you for a while, but you're a hard bunch to track down.  I like that.  To a point.  Finally had to ask our mutual employer if he had any word of your whereabouts."

Sae Ivui a'Naïlo. Taurë Tavárii"One thing I make clear to any associates at the start.  

My heartlove and my clan mates were murdered by an ogre. If any of you have any giantkin, or giant, blood, and have not repented of your evil at least as much as the supposedly "good" giant races have, there will be trouble immediately.

If we are fighting a giant, do *NOT* get between me and it. I *WILL* cut you down to get at it. At that point, no other foe will exist on the Prime Material or any other plane until that giant is dead. If you want another foe killed, that foe is your responsibility. Other than that ... "

*she does truly smile at last. Faintly, but she smiles*

"...you might not find me all that unpleasant to work with.  My only interest in the treasure is to fund my war against evil giantkind.  So I have enough for that, you can keep the rest for all I care -- or sink it back into the sea before that pirate's ghost comes back for it."

Sayyida cocked an eyebrow at the newcomer, she had no arguments with her aims.....its not like Sayyida didn't feel the same way about pirates....though piracy was a choice and being born a giant was not. She especially noted that the young woman would not be a reliable compatriot in any combats with giants or their ilk.

" Well, welcome I suppose.....not sure your going to find any giants anywhere on the waves though..."

'Naut pauses as Emrys asks them a question, briefly setting down their tools. "We have no ships where I come from. There's no need for them. You need a ship because your body isn't built for life in water. Mine is. There was one ship, however, that-"

'Naut pauses, as Sae boards the ship and introduces herself. Afterwards, they lean over to Emrys and whisper, a hissy, tinny sound that escapes from somewhere just below their faceplate. "Correct me if I'm wrong in this, but between you and me, this doesn't strike me as the healthiest of mindsets."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be all that surprised if Blackstone has allied himself with an ogre or a cyclopes," the Admiral says with a chuckle. "The life of a pirate does tend to attract some of the most unpleasant of creatures... but I can assure you right now that none of the assembled crew are of giant descent. Now then, you all know your mission... the ship will set sail within the hour. If any of you feel that you cannot complete this mission for any reason, this is your final opportunity to leave, and I won't hold any grudges if you decide to do so."

(OOC: I'm not sure how much you've seen reading through the thread, OisinmacCameron, but I'll just say the Admiral filled you in on the basic mission: you guys are going to be carrying a shipment of firearms and then 'accidentally' get boarded by one Captain Blackstone for a chance to infiltrate his crew and arrest this cunning pirate.)

His first reaction to ‘Naut’s answer was to think if the hydrozoan’s people didn’t have vehicles. He even considered to voice such thought but then realized how strange it was to think of an aquatic vehicle necessarily as a ship. What kind of transportation do they use on the abyssal waters? Another question the halfling didn’t have time to voice, for the Admiral arrived and not alone.

As far as first impressions went, Sae managed to do worse than Areleo. Far worse. The triton only seemed impolite and overconfident, if a bit ethnocentric. The elf was obsessed, compulsive and not exactly justified. To hate and seek vengeance against those who killed her loved ones was to be expected. To deem an entire kind fit for extermination because of personal experience? Speak of its cultures and ways without so much as understanding them? Not at all. Not at all, the voice of the man in the chair echoed in his memory.

“You are absolutely correct.” Goldenleaf whispered to ‘Naut, resisting the impulse to say her behavior was the very definition of unhealthy. “Though it would be smarter of our part to not say that to her.”

The newcomer herself clearly stated to be beyond reason on the matter. Hopefully Sayyida was right. Is there any sea giants? Emrys hadn’t the faintest idea.

“I’m Emrys.” He spoke with the face of the merchant, hiding all his distaste. “Do you have any preference on how we would like to be called?”

'Naut steps forward, unfurling their boneless hand. If Sae takes it, the fingers wrap around her hand, fully enveloping it in a neatly interlocking grasp of tough rubberized fabric.

"Hello," the bronze-clad creature booms. "I've been referred to as the Aquanaut, and I figure that is as good a name as any to call me by. You know, your introduction reminds me of a surfacer-story I was told once, one that I was just relating to the Admiral. A little, at least, I suppose I was rather vague about it with him. Your story is not quite the same either, though I do find many similarities in its themes of monomania. Perhaps the monomania is really the only trait you share, but there is certainly enough of that to go around. Perhaps it was the talk of sea-giants that got me on it. Anyways. I do find the peculiarities of your people quite endearing. It's a pleasure to meet you. To a point, that is, it is also rather offputting to meet you, but I am equally excited to observe your unusual mental state as I am wildly concerned about your reckless condemnation of an entire genus of being solely off of a limited experience. Did I say that you may call me Aquanaut yet? Or 'Naut. I believe I have. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've already said that as well."

'Naut pauses, realizing that they have held on to Sae's hand for far too long. Slowly, they free it from their rough grasp.

Aerleo looks judgemental down at Sae and says nothing to them and walks onto the boat. 

" Anyway............get your shit stowed, the rest of you look lively. We've needs cast off soon and I want folks manning the rigging for when we clear port. Mains reefed and the light jib loose...I don't want to have to kedge to clear."

Sayidda looked to Emrys for permission to keep yelling at folks.

Quote from TheHumbug >>

'Naut steps forward, unfurling their boneless hand. If Sae takes it, the fingers wrap around her hand, fully enveloping it in a neatly interlocking grasp of tough rubberized fabric.

"Hello," the bronze-clad creature booms. "I've been referred to as the Aquanaut, and I figure that is as good a name as any to call me by. You know, your introduction reminds me of a surfacer-story I was told once, one that I was just relating to the Admiral. A little, at least, I suppose I was rather vague about it with him. Your story is not quite the same either, though I do find many similarities in its themes of monomania. Perhaps the monomania is really the only trait you share, but there is certainly enough of that to go around. Perhaps it was the talk of sea-giants that got me on it. Anyways. I do find the peculiarities of your people quite endearing. It's a pleasure to meet you. To a point, that is, it is also rather offputting to meet you, but I am equally excited to observe your unusual mental state as I am wildly concerned about your reckless condemnation of an entire genus of being solely off of a limited experience. Did I say that you may call me Aquanaut yet? Or 'Naut. I believe I have. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've already said that as well."

'Naut pauses, realizing that they have held on to Sae's hand for far too long. Slowly, they free it from their rough grasp.

Quote from Damian_May >>

" Anyway............get your shit stowed, the rest of you look lively. We've needs cast off soon and I want folks manning the rigging for when we clear port. Mains reefed and the light jib loose...I don't want to have to kedge to clear."

Sayidda looked to Emrys for permission to keep yelling at folks.

 Sae looks Naut in the faceplate with a faint smile. "You are certainly direct.  I respect that.  And when I have avenged my losses on those of giantkind who truly are evil, my heart may have cooled enough by then to consider whether I might have been too hasty in condemning the rest.  But as the Admiral says, the issue isn't likely to come up any time soon."  She turns to Sayidda.  "This may be my first cruise, but I know enough to respect authority.  I don't have all that much to stow, and after that, if there's any work a green hand could do I'd be willing to pitch in.  And when it comes time to meet our new "employers" I know a thing or two about lying and seeing through lies; or holding my own in a fight, when it comes to that."  She shoulders her backpack and heads below to stow her gear; you notice as she passes that a quiver is strapped to one side of the pack and three seemingly empty pouches of green leather dangle at her side.  If anyone is taking on the role of quartermaster for this cruise, Sae approaches them before she goes below and asks to fill two of these pouches with pitch and tow; cwhen she shows them to you, you see that one has a bundle of strings lashed to it that would be ideal for tying a twist of tow to an arrow shaft.

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EDIT:

“I’m Emrys.” He spoke with the face of the merchant, hiding all his distaste. “Do you have any preference on how we would like to be called?”

She nods to Emrys courteously, showing no sign of having picked up anything from his manner.  "Sae will do just fine, sir.,." she says, seeming to have been filled in by the Admiral on the role Emrys would be playing.  "It's quicker in case of emergency, anyway."  She allows a faint dry laugh to escape her one brief moment; then her face is still once more.

As everyone is doing what needs to be done, the Admiral beckons to Gridolpho and the two of them leave the ship. Gridolpho does not return (don't worry, he's still alive and not arrested... though he did take a bullet in the last fight that I will use as flimsy justification for why he's staying back).

If there's nothing else that needs to be done, we can go ahead and move on to the open sea. As I understand it, Emrys is the captain and I don't remember everyone else's positions off the top of my head.

It took him a moment to understand the meaning behind Sayyida look. Truth be told, up to that moment, he was certain that if they were to sail a ship she would be the one in command. A thought that failed to take into consideration was their cover. To everyone outside of the Admiral’s inner circle they were body guards with the mission of guarding him, the merchant brokering a trade for Northport.

“The deck is yours, first mate.” Goldenleaf nodded to Sayyida before turning his eyes to Jameson. “One of the pirates that attacked us scaped. He is likely connected to our target so it shouldn’t take long for the mission to truly start.” He would find it either way, the halfling thought. “I’ll check the navigating tools.”

The route was ready and Emrys used the respite to recover the energy spent casting Hex at the earlier fight. It was surprising to see Ninefingers staying in the port. All things considered that could only mean North found another task to be tended by a thief. So our elf is obsessed with killing an entire kind but also dexterous and honest, a thought that strangely enough brought some comfort. She did complement the team quite well. Hells, they might even succeed. Let’s hope there is no wreck this time.

Areleo will walk up to Sayyida and ask," What does Sayyida need of Aerleo?" 

Quote from ZelocktheDragon >>

Areleo will walk up to Sayyida and ask," What does Sayyida need of Aerleo?" 

 " Your strong, get on the halyard for the mainsail and get ready to haul up once we've cleared harbour."

The first day or two at sea are mostly uneventful... just sailing.

But about halfway into the third day of the trip, you can see what appears to be a large storm approaching in the distance. What do you do?

Sayyida swore,  then bellowed, " Time to earn our keep, Ladies."

" Check charts for windbreaks we can put on our windward side."

" Reef the sails! Reduce to Storm Sails. Permission to deploy drift anchor, Sir? "

"Batten down the hatches!"

"Close and fix guns."

"Secure the officers' cabin doors."

"Secure other doors, drawers, hatches, boxes, barrels and loose items."

" Damp down the galley (kitchen) fire. Ensure there is dry tinder, kindling and fuel somewhere watertight."

What does each person do to prepare the ship for the storm? (I'm going to have each player make an appropriate skill check for whatever task they decide to perform)

Quote from Damian_May >>

Sayyida swore,  then bellowed, " Time to earn our keep, Ladies."

" Check charts for windbreaks we can put on our windward side."

" Reef the sails! Reduce to Storm Sails. Permission to deploy drift anchor, Sir? "

"Batten down the hatches!"

"Close and fix guns."

"Secure the officers' cabin doors."

"Secure other doors, drawers, hatches, boxes, barrels and loose items."

" Damp down the galley (kitchen) fire. Ensure there is dry tinder, kindling and fuel somewhere watertight."

 

 Sae replies, "May not know much about the rest, Ma'am, but I have had to learn a thing or two about fires in more camps than I care to remember.  I'll tend to the galley fire and the cacheing of what we'll need to build it again after."  If no one objects, she heads off to do as she has said.