It seems Russel wanders off the ship and into the city to go explore.  Meanwhile, Chen and Mirica head ashore together, Chen taking the risk very seriously, while Mirica, seems not too worried. To be honest, the city seemed much like any other. Though perhaps the people looked a bit grumpier, and the view across the river to the slums is rather atrocious. The city does seem to have quite the collection of shops though and commerce here seems in full swing. The only difference is that there seems to be a jeweller on every corner selling ..****y the finest... in Vesperin stones and metals. Rings, necklaces, chains, armbands, earrings, nose rings, toe rings, oooh my....that sort of ring....Tessa was right...there's something for everyone. 

Chen eventually finds a fresh market area and begins purchasing foods. The selection is not as wide as in Hillsfar, the food here seems all....Vesperin....in nature...with a limited selection of many fruits. But there are some unique herbs, cheeses, and their fondness for salami's seems to have gone a bit overboard with hundreds of kinds of dry cured sausages and meat for any and all occasions. Chen and Mirica do note a presence of the thieves guild. At one point they are tailed for a short time, but nothing comes of it. They also see themselves under the watch of the cities soldiers. One friendly merchant called them "The Teeth of Calaunt, ever watchful for an opportunity to earn a little coin on the side. Ha!  Enjoy the beet and pepper sausage, that one is my favorite!" 

Book stores, nick knack stores, weapon smiths, clothing, and trade gear are all common, spaced evenly between the jewellery stores.  At one point a group of six Teeth of Calaunt, along with a man in a suit walk by, and the man's gaze lingers on Mirica. He holds up, and steps towards her, "Excuse me there, ma'am. May I inquire, are you new to Calaunt?"  He glances up and down her, as if undressing her with his eyes, but maintains a polite smile on his face the entire time.  The soldiers watch on, eyes alert. 

(Russel, if you're looking for any sort of store in particular, let me know. Also let me know if you go with Chen/Mirica, I got the impression you wanted to go explore alone.)

------------------------------

Fianna sits aboard the ship, laying back on the upper deck enjoying the warm sun on her skin. Her head is propped up on a firm pillow and her eyes are closed. Fi'finella flies above the market, watching Mirica and Chen navigate the crowd below. Chen stops at another baker, and engages in a discussion. Does he need to stop at every vendor and make small talk? The two of them seem to be keeping their wits about them. She notices them notice their street rat tail, but are eventually left to their own devices. When the bureaucrat with the six guards stop her, Fianna does not think their passing is a mistake though, having seen the bureaucrat from a far moving at random with his escort. 

While browsing the market, if Chen finds somewhere to get an eyebrow piercing (not that he has eyebrows as such, but the ridge above his eyes) and that seems sanitary enough, then he will ask Mirica what she thinks about getting one as a souvenir. 

When the sleazy bloke with the armed escort approaches Mirica, Chen moves up right behind her, keeping a friendly smile on his face but using his bulk and puffing out his chest in an effort to advertise his readiness to protect his companion...

The salami section was the best! Mirica found one charcuterie that was selling particularly dry and well seasoned (meaning, where spices are just an addition, not the main course) and now was carrying a couple of (very expensive but oh-so-good!) rings wrapped into the parchment paper, enjoying the very thought of tasting it. The welcoming committee somewhat soured the mood but did not ruin it completely so far. Mirica did not bother do disguise herself in this place and he smile to the "inspector" came off as a toothy one.

"I am, the ship is refreshing its stocks and I do too." She demonstrated the salami but did not add anything waiting for the man's move while assessing the potential battlefield - six guards, more could come... Not the best situation but we will see.

     Fi’Finella alights upon a nearby rooftop and watches invisibly.  The imp can’t do much but watch and listen but sometimes that is enough.

     Fianna, if she knows where Chen stashed his axe, will move closer to its location.  Just in case.  Otherwise Fianna stays aware and ready, but doesn’t get too bothered.  Chen and Mirica versus a half dozen or so guards really doesn’t seem like that big a deal...

It's with a bit of disappointment that the man says, "Oh, I see."  Glancing at her shield with great interest, he seems to eventually relent on any scheme and says, "Well ma'am, have yourself a lovely day then, enjoy our fine city. If you wish to stay longer, I encourage you to reach out, I can introduce you to to some of the local people more suited to your station. My name is Luke Senderson. Have a lovely day."  He nods again to her, politely, and all but ignores the large looming protective shape behind her.  He and his soldiers wander off.

Unless there are any other shops or things the group is looking for, they return to the ship a while later, stocked with additional food stuffs. Two street boys carry a crate of food along with them, Chen having picked up more than just a couple items. They place it gently on deck and scamper away. 

 "The loveliest evening you too," Mirica's tone was as serene as this wonderful day. She watched the guards walking away, quietly whistling "The handsome butcher" but not smiling anymore. Interest to her shield was noted, though... It could be taken only from her dead body, and should she die this way - Osgard would know and would find the one who did it. The death of the thieve would not be an easy one.

"What a lovely people! Walked across the the city only to say hello. I think I like this town." On the way back she tried to softly discourage Chen from piercing - strategic weakness at best, and his scale really did not need that kind of decoration, it would be lost against golden plates. Unless, of course, he would consider something truly glistering, but that in turn might create the wrong image.

Aside from the salami (truly delicious, by the way, and Mirica shared that wonder with everyone) nothing kept her here anymore and she was ready leave when the ship was ready.

     Fianna relaxes once the others return to the ship.  Fi'Finella would follow the questionable fellow a little bit but unless something interest happened quickly they would eventually return to a more general scouting and observing and return to the ship at much the same time as the rest.

     In the evenings Fianna would refrain from checking on the Book of Tongues anymore and will instead focus her evenings to studies and research in regards to turning the wonderful bag Russel made into an actual working magical Bag of Holding...  She doesn't expect this to be a quick thing, and she really wants to take her time and do this right this time.  But each time she finds something of note or relating to the task, she points it out to Russel and shares the building excitement of the possibility.

Russel returns to the ship, perhaps an hour after Mirica and Chen return to the ship. Tic can been seen on deck wandering around briefly, before returning to his cabin he shares with Nuzej. Nuzej has been out and about as well, finding time to read peacefully in the sun while staying aboard the ship. Fianna also cracks a book, reading up on the extradimensional spaces and their relationship to objects as she attempts to figure out how to enchant the very fine bag Russel has crafted. She begins carefully planning the process. Russel returns below to his space near the galley where he seems to have arranged some of his own private cooking space, and checks on whatever it is he is brewing. 

The night passes uneventfully and the morning comes with a literal ton of noise as they load the hold full of iron bars. By noon the ship is underway, pulling from of the port and heading south once more. 

The sun is hiding behind a screen of grey clouds today, and a brisk wind is afoot that warns of summers end. The water is choppy as you creep along southward along the coast. By the time evening is settling in you are passing by the port city of Tantras, just smaller than Calaunt but glowing beautifully in the evening with sparkling lights across it's tumbled terrain. She ship sails on through the evening and by the time it's ready for everyone but the night crew to retire you are passing by the last port city in Vesperin, the city of Ravens Bluff. A place as varied and multi-racial as Hillsfar is not....the city has outstripped Calaunt as Vesperins largest city and is the gateway to the east from the west.  It would be a fabulous city to visit, full of intrigue, adventurers and mercantile opportunity. But for now, the glowing city slips by in the night as a monstrous line of mountains seems to block your way south...the Earthfast mountains. The ship curls west to angle around the mountains invasion into the sea. 

The evening passes uneventfully and you awake to sun light sparkling through the port holds and.....waves. The ship rides the waves up and down in a sickening irregular rhythm...the BANG of the hull slamming down on the water as it breaches waves...followed by the sound of the sea spray across the deck and hull is constant. The wind is up and the sky is clear as you each stumble your way onto deck. During the night you've entered the Sea of Fallen Stars proper and there is nothing but water in every direction.  The horizon rises and lowers before you as the ship rides the waves...the wind tugging at hard at the sails as they tack their way south easterly. 

(Con Save for everyone DC 12. Failure results in sea sickness.  If you have any sort of sea faring experience/background you gain advantage on the save).

Even for this seasoned crew the waves are something and several crew member can be seen pausing...to hurl over the bannister before wiping their mouth and wobbly going about their tasks.

Fianna Con Save: 23

Fianna will poof Fi'Finella into their little pocket dimension so they don't have to deal with the waves.

Mirica Con Save: 24

Mirica managed to handle herself better than even she expected - that is seasickness-wise. The waves, however was not something she was prepared to despite all her traveling experience. Someone in the crew earlier was entertaining those willing to listen with legends about the Inner Sea, and one was talking about an aquatic race of dwarves, that nobody ever saw, though. Now, watching that black mountains of water that played with the ship as if it was a nut shell, she was asking herself if the group and the crew would be the first one to meet that elusive race.

She tried to secure herself (and Fianna, of course) in the cabin, so to stay out of the way of the busy crew.

CON save: 12 (That was a close one!)

Something is definitely wrong... Chen doesn't eat breakfast this morning! From the moment he comes out on deck, he goes to stand near the bow of the ship, and doesn't move from the same spot, but just grips the gunwhales and stares at the horizon with a grim expression, hardly speaking if spoken to, keeping the sea breeze and the salt spray on his face, as the ship rises... and falls... and rises... and falls...

Con save: 9

The group notices Russel make his way to the edge of the ship. His beak opens and he makes a strange clucking noise before vomiting off the ship. He sways as he clings to the railings. 

The waves last for about an hour before the wind abruptly dies down, followed by the waves. Less than ten minutes later the ship is sailing across what is nothing more than a bit of chop. The sun breaks through the clouds and begins drying the deck from the sea foam washed into every nook and cranny. 

The whole crew seems to be sighing in relief. 

Russel is about to return down below when he glances up. He notices a hawk high in the air, about a thousand feet to the south and pretty high. The bird circles and then begins flying away. Watching in interest...he sees it slowly fade away, too far to see. But..then, about fifteen minutes later from the same direction he sees the mast of a ship speckling the horizon. Then another. And another. 

Everyone hears the sailor in the crows nest shout down, "Sightin!!!! Bunch o' ships from da south! I spy five! Makin hard tack for us. They're movin fast!"

Faces are grim all around. The Captain comes out and heads straight to the wheel. "Bear us north. Get the soldiers on deck!" 

Tessa comes over and says, "It ain't called the pirate isles for nothin."

Nuzej has indeed been quiet since the ship departed Hillsfar. He spends a staggering amount of time in his spellbook, newly expanded. Checking in with Toc via sending and passing messages along from him to the party or from the party to him. Absolutely decimating Chen's cooking, and trying to help him in the kitchen, a very quiet sous chef, if the dragonborn will allow it, interested in the chemical reactions that make food change. Offering to cast fly on Russel should he sneak a peek at the kenku pretending to fly in the crow's nest. Chatting with Tic, trying to teach him things and exploring what he knows and can remember. Poring over other books with Fianna, trying to test their collective knowledge together. He's engaging, asking and answering questions, but in this, as with many other activities, he's got one foot in and one foot out. Trying to stay below radar. He's not sure when he won't wake up the following morning, and so committing to a group of people is problematic. He acts a bit older than he appears, so it's an easy guess this is not the first time such worries have weighed on him.

He begins ritually casting water breathing on the party, as well as any crew who wish it, at sunrise each day.

He also disappears for hourlong stretches, jumping overboard and [Tooltip Not Found]ing into various aquatic beasts to practice, look at other aquatic beasts to add to his repertoire, inspect the hull for anything hinky, and also help protect the ship.

CON save: 24

     Fianna summons Fi’Finella from her pocket dimension.  The imp turns invisible immediately and starts heading off in the direction of the ships to get a birds eye view of what’s up...

     Fianna herself asks Tessa if she is sure they’re hostile. “I’d hate to sink a passenger ship or someone who just happened to be in the same part of the water as us,” Fianna says.  She doesn’t really think the odds are likely they’re not pirates but she asks more due to not knowing proper ship protocol than anything else.

     Otherwise Fianna waits impatiently for them to come within range...

Nuzej joins the conversation with Tessa and Fianna. He asks what their usual defenses are, and what pirates like this tend to do. Is this a shooting war until they can close to board? Will they ram their ship? He offers to mess up their ships from afar.

Tessa looks to the two of them, "Well, merchant vessels sometime travel it groups, for safety....but they don't pursue ships. They're headed straight at us and have altered course to follow us.  Tactics? It depends on the pirates. You've got all your standard fare...which includes firing ballistas at the water line, arrows, sometimes catapults. The max effective range on the ballistas is about 500 feet. Anything past that an you're wasting your ammo, and...we have limited ballista bolts. The pirates goal is to get our ship and our shipment...as well sometimes they'll hope for some nobles or other types they can ransom. So, they probably won't use fire and they're trying to stop the ship, not totally sink it. They may try to take the main sail down, then they can force us to surrender and tow the ship back to whatever pirate cove they've come from. Now, there are some things that could make this more interesting. If they have some spell casters, I've seen them send 'runners' over the water to assault the ships. Generally armored soldiers with axes to hack at the ships water line.  If we start taking on water and listing, we'll lose the ability to move, and then they just wait us out until we surrender. I've also heard of pirates with flying wizards who cast spells from above, or...with griffin riders who fly really high and just drop big rocks from out of range....until they put enough holes in our deck and hull to stop us. I also heard once of these water genesi pirates who would just swim under the water, and use hand drills to start poking holes in the hull until the ship was done for.  It's tough to anticipate all the possibilities."

"Sounds more like an army than bandits. Do you think we can outrun them? Say, with little help?" She toched her shield, whispering the short prayer, and made a gesture as if drowing a line along the main mast. The steady flow of the air came off it, filling the sails. Mirica torned to see the effect, not sure the efford was enough. 

The wind fills the sails suddenly and the ship lurches forward.  The crew looks on impressed as you begin to move away from the ships at a good speed....but the speed is short lived, and a minute later the wind dies down and the ship slows to its more plodding velocity.

"Short-lived effect, I'm afraid, but should we need some edge I could do it a couple more times. Just say when." Sea battles were not familiar to Mirica and she was going to follow the general orders and try to keep the crew alive as much as she could. "If you know some patch of sea-weed around, I might convince it to grow a bit thicker and slow down our pursuers. But maybe that distance is enough? How fast are they anyway?"