Beyond the Ragnarök

Seeing the bear run, Kora is disappointed and impressed.  The young druid was indeed proving his worth.  But now they had to focus on what they were doing next.  Unfortunately the excitement of it was marred with their extra passenger.

Turning to Leif, "Well, rope is indeed necessary.  Going to grab myself a hooded lantern since I cannot see in the dark and then well, a crowbar... just in case." and she winks at him with that as turns to get these essentials.

When the conversation turns to the ships, she agrees with the others, "Leopard sounds like a good idea to me as well."

(OOC: FYI - we already have 2 crowbars from Halp and Sólmyrkvi.)

Merros speaks to the captain of the Leopard and secures your passage. Your requested gear is gathered and awaits you aboard.

Halp you are surprised to find a small package waiting there for you amidst the gear. The captain points it out, stating that Merros left it for you. You open it to find a single portion of rations and a vial of red liquid you would recognise as a healing potion. 

The ship cuts a silent, charcoal-grey silhouette through the morning mist, its low-slung hull vibrating with the rhythm of the rising tide. As you haul your gear over the gunwales, Captain Elara Vane watches from the tiller with a predatory focus, her minimalist crew; a scarred boatswain Kaelen, a keen-eyed scout Miri, and a small band of  six silent oarsmen, all move with practiced efficiency. With a sharp command, the dark sails unfurl and snap tight, propelling the sleek vessel North along the coastline.

The salt air soon turns brackish as Elara banks the ship North-West, steering the Leopard into the wide, silt-heavy mouth of the nearby estuary. The open horizon vanishes, replaced by the embrace of the estuary banks, rising either side onto low set hills dotted with gnarled trees struggling to recover from the frost of winter.  As the blue--black sea fades into murky river greens, the true weight of the expedition settles over the party; you are no longer merely traveling, but piercing the veil of these untamed wilds.

Veldir sits in silence at the bow, his eyes fixed on the settlement to the south. He is clearly not happy to be sent away, or to find himself in this company.

OOC: feel free to move around the ship and interact with the crew as you travel, and as you do everyone please make a survival roll for the first day.

Leif thanks Captain Elara for the permission to board and greets all of the crew by name following accepted naval protocols. He then finds a place to stow his gear, lightening his load just as The Leopard pulls away from shore.

Keeping his distance from Veldir, Leif seeks out the scout, Miri. If he catches them on deck (not up in the rigging), he’ll inquire if they or any of the crew will be or are able to sketch out a rough map of their travels. He will also run the idea of his summoning a fey spirit in the form of an owl. Not to replace their keen-eyes, but to supplement them. If he receives no objection, he will seek out the Captain and boatswain as well, to seek their permission to add another ‘passenger’.

If all is approved, Leif will utilize one of his Wild Shapes and summon a Snowy Owl familiar of which he will name Hjálpar. Telepathically, he will instruct the spirit to fly ahead and to the sides of the ship, up to a half-mile radius, remaining at least a couple hundred feet above the ground. Hjálpar is instructed to return to the ship and alight upon the yard every hour or so and telepathically relay anything of interest seen on its last flight (approaching rapids or rocky shallows, structures, animals, peoples, etc.).

Leif settles into the rhythms of the oarsmen, passing scenery, and reports from Hjálpar. Throughout the day he nibbles on some hardtack and jerky as well as some nuts, washing it down with water, which he has made citrus flavored via Prestidigitation. A few times he began to feel unsettled by the motions of the ship, but he would consistently find his sister’s wicker doll to meditate upon it and to comfort his mind and body.

Survival: 12

If it seems nobody else can or will be trying to sketch out a map of their travels, Leif will volunteer his service. He is proficient with Calligrapher’s Supplies, but has no pen, ink, or paper/parchment to document any of this. Did he remember seeing some of those supplies while staying with Sólmyrkvi?

Halp waits until they are under way.

He quietly lets the captain know that he can row if needs be (OoC: STR 15, CON 14) - but only if an extra pair of arms will be of use. He wishes to cast no shame on the oarsfolk. 

When he sees him alone in the bow, Halp approaches Veldir and leans against the gunwale beside him. He's in no hurry to start a conversation. 

After a while Halp nods then says, "We may have a friction between us, I'll not pretend otherwise. And I'll not try to convince you you are wrong to hold a grudge. What's in folks' heart is in there and will dwell according to its season. But, look you, we've a job now and whether we make it back to your market or no depends on all of us making it back. All. Of us. You included.

"... Well...." 

Halp nods again, done with his piece. He goes back to the others.

From there he watches the shore on each side and Leif's eldritch owl, circling above. 

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

• Climber's Kit (25 gp) - mostly just in case they encounter a bluff or other steep cliff on their expedition.  ("I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm definitely not enthusiastic about falling!")
• Holy Water (25 gp)

If the others cannot spare room for it in their gear requests, he'll also see whether he can purchase a set of Manacles (2 gp) or have Eldon construct a set before they leave.  

(OOC: @Dreamhobbit - Was Sólmyrkvi also able to purchase a set of manacles? ⤴ )

Other than the final escape from Midgard, Sólmyrkvi has very little experience with the longships.  He's glad when the Leopard turns into the estuary.  As the ship makes its way up the estuary, he finds the lack of waves and the smooth motion of the sleek ship much easier to stomach.  He tries to stay out-of-the-way of the crew until the refugee encampment disappears from view.  Then he spends a little time playing with the Climber's Kit, practicing putting on the harness and attaching a rope to it, affixing the spiked tips to his boots, etc.  He also studies his little book with the black cover.

After a while, Sólmyrkvi grows bored and spends some time chatting with the crew.  After Ragnorök, he's always expecting some unforeseen disaster to befall them, and he knows the value of meeting people and establishing some sort of rapport before that happens!  He keeps the conversation light, sharing gossip or funny stories that he heard from other refugees over the last few days in the encampment.  He's also curious to hear from Kaelen what the botswain's duties are and from Miri about what her role entails.  He asks Captain Vane various questions about the Leopard and its capabilities.  He wonders whether her crew usually sleeps on the ship or whether they would normally pull the ship ashore to make camp on the banks of the estuary / fjord / river.  He's friendly, as usual, but perhaps talks overlong with some of the crew.

Sólmyrkvi is less industrious than Leif, mostly just occupying his time as the banks flow past.  Once the novelty of the crew wears off -- or once the Captain hints that he's distracting her crew -- he turns to his companions for distraction, speculating about what they might find on this expedition. 

When Sólmyrkvi has a moment to speak with Kora separately, he mentions to her he has a strange feeling, "Like there's something I'm supposed to find on this expedition.  I mean -- I know that this is a scouting mission.  We're supposed to look for resources and do some reconnaissance.  But...it's like there's something waiting for me.  Out there."  He gestures vaguely in the direction the ship is moving up the estuary, his little book is still in his left hand as he talks.

Survival: 18 (in game log)
The change of pace is apparently good for Sólmyrkvi, who seems much more in tune with their environment than usual.