Welby looks at his compass device as they travel out from Ioco, getting a feel for its use and bearing indicator. As they approach the wall of water, he looks up in wonder, "Well ain't that a thing? I've never come out this far. Heard tales of this thing, but damn that's a sight ta see." 

Zeflan looked in surprise at the wall of water welling up before them. He knew of the barrier, like everyone else on Ioco, but he had always fancied it more like a natural transition like walking from the beach sand into the greenery. He kept his eyes fixated on the creatures that constituted the wall but leaned in a bit closer to hear the answer to Eradius' question.

"I'd bore you with an explanation of all our research and whatnot, but we don't really have the time for that. Long story short, we haven't a bloody clue. Either way, we're thankful for them. They protect us from the harsh waters beyond. Now shut up, I need to concentrate on this next part."

She raises her arms, and begins incanting. The wall of Flish rises up further, and you understand that it means to stop your boat from leaving, one way or another. Then it shudders, and splits in two, parting to let your boat through. Meredith is panting, and it's clear that this is taking a lot out of her. Your boat makes its way through the gap, Meredith backing up as it goes to keep her body behind the barrier. Finally, she runs out of room, and she leaps off the back of the boat. The walls of water crash together, just barely clipping the boat's edge, yet even that contact causes it to shake wildly. After a moment the boat rights itself, and the wall of living water descends, the water becoming as flat and calm as it was before you came along, as if nothing had ever happened.

"GOODBYE, FRIENDS! AND THANK YOU!"

You can just barely spot Meredith bobbing at the surface just behind the barrier, waving and smiling.

Welby waves back at Meredith, then turns to face the wide open ocean ahead. "Well friends, we're on our own now." He looks down at his compass for a direction to lay course for, and turns the helm so that ship heads in that direction. "Now then, keep an eye out all. We have no idea what's out here. We can break up our initial nervousness by tellin' each other a bit about ourselves. You all know I'm Welby, but apart from being captain of this fine little vessel, I'm also a bard. So we've got entertainment an' inspiration galore!" Welby laughs out loud at this last part, then looks again out to the sea while he waits for another crew member to pipe up.

(Perception: 15)

Aoth, silent as they had approached the wall of water out of awe, breaks his silence as the ship leaves the waters of Ioco. "Well, there's no going back now." 

Aoth glances back at Ioco, before quickly turning back to Welby. "I'm sure you all know me - I've spun stories for years at the tavern, ever since I was a boy." As he speaks, Aoth's eyes change color from their usual blue to a sea-green, then to a purple before returning to blue. As his eyes change color, Aoth weaves a sign with his hands, then makes a beckoning motion with two fingers. As he does this, water flows out from his waterskin, and moves as Aoth's fingers move back and forth, weaving through the air. "I'm a sorcerer myself, though I play a flute like nobody else. I'll be your surgeon, healing anyone who gets hurt, and also probably your cook, if you'd have me. I'm not too terrible at cooking, though my sister was much better than I."

Zeflan waited for the others to finish. He suddenly had a terrifying flashback to a much younger Zeflan, a child really, when his grandfather took him on a trip around the island and he had to politely introduce himself to everyone they met. He never did have a silver tongue like some of his friends had.

'I built this boat.' Zeflan's eyes wandered over the deck. 'Parts of it anyway. I'm in charge of repairs, should we have need of any.' He took a moment to think of any other interesting tidbits he could share about himself with the rest. 'I fish and hunt so that'll give our cook something to work with.'

He slammed a closed fist into an upright open hand as he just remembered something important. 'I can breathe underwater, figure that might come in handy. And I'm a good swimmer.' He smiled, seemingly very proud of that last fact.

'I also sing.' Zeflan said as he returned his face back to a solemn expression. A couple of seconds passed in silence. 'I'm not very good at it.' He concluded in dull surprise. 

"Well met all, my new friends and crew!" Welby gives a broad smile. "I'm sure our singin' voices won't offend too many out here." He chuckles at this last part.

(OOC - I'm assuming our ship has a crow's nest?)

"Does someone want to scuttle up top an' keep an eye out for trouble, land, or anythin' of interest really, from up in the crow's nest?" He points up as he says this. 

(I'm afraid not, though it does have easily climbable rigging.)

Welby sees nothing besides the quickly receding island and the endless ocean. You weren't given any location to head to, as... well, no one really knows where anything is. Currently the ship is pointed (3) east.

Zeflan:

(OOC - does our compass not point us towards one of the hearthstones?)

Zeflan took a discrete look at the heartstone, stashed it away and yelled out to captain Welby.

'If we don't have a set destination, I'd suggest keeping Ioco behind us and just sail until we bump into something.' He pointed towards the bow of the ship. 'We're currently going east, if that means anything to any of you.'

OOC: does the heartstone look like an actual compass? I'm picturing some Jack Sparrow's compass lookalike thingie, unless they have a specific design?

(A hearthstone does not point to a hearth it hasn't been linked to. Your hearthstone has only been linked to Ioco, as it was newly created. And yeah, a hearthstone looks like a compass, with a little dial on the side that allows you to change the hearth it tracks.)

Welby nods to Zeflan, "Right then. East we continue. Keep a look out everyone. If you notice anything, land, creature or otherwise, call it out!"

(Perception: 18)

Aoth, with some sort of strange gesture resembling a two-finger salute, grins and begins to peer over the side of the ship, looking into the sea for anything interesting.

(Perception: 21)

Zeflan, upon seeing that both Aoth  and Eradius are taking up post on either side of the ship, decided that there was only one option left: up. He secured his trident and rope on his person and climbed up onto the rigging for a better view of the surroundings.

Perception: 12
If Favourite Terrain (Coast) could be applied, then it would be a 14

(Eradius, roll for navigation, and if any of you choose to forage, you can roll for that as well, though only one of you)

Up upon the rigging Zeflan took a deep breath of the salty air. It was different from what he was used to back on Ioco. Very different. The strange part was: he enjoyed it, far more than he thought he would. Maybe it was just the sensation of something new but deep in his stomach, Zeflan felt that is was right. His stomach then replied with a slight growl that it itself was not right and could use a bite or two.

Zeflan descended from the rigging onto the deck. He felt the weight of his trident and rope on his person and when he looked at the railing of the ship, an idea began the form in his mind. An idea he soon discarded, for it would not bode well to just jump off the ship into unfamiliar waters with only a rope keeping him attached. Rather, Zeflan made his way back down below to retrieve his fishing tackle, a far more safer option. They had rations stowed away but it would be best to keep those stashed for emergencies. No one knew how long they would be on the Sea Scout or what might happen in the future.

Zeflan returned back on deck. He picked a suitable spot, one where he could cast his line far and wide, and sat down cross-legged. He felt a little more at ease now, doing something familiar in an unfamiliar place.

Survival to fish: 21
Amount of fish: 7
If Favourite Terrain: Coast applies to the sea, that the Survival roll is 15 and Zeflan gets twice as many food.

EDIT: The manipulated dice remark is because I accidently rolled eleven d20's rather than one when I first posted.

Zeflan manages to find a good amount of food, enough to sustain the crew for almost two days. While he is experienced enough with fishing at Ioco, he quickly learns that casting a line off the edge of a moving ship is very different. Still, the food is good enough, and he manages to pull quite a few interesting fish out of the water, none of which are anything like what he's found back home. Most notable was a small fish, not really large enough to be used as food, with an incredibly long, iridescent, ribbon-like tail that was almost five times its length. The thing is practically a scarf, albeit a slimy one.

As you depart, the air is filled with fog, so thick you can barely see beyond the tips of your noses(only those of you who have noses, of course). It does not last long, and clears up by the end of the day. Eradius is able to keep you all on course, even through the fog. Looking behind you, the fog remains, completely obscuring any sign of your old home.

Day 1 - Complete

Food: +3(43)

Water: -4(36)

Travel: 72 miles east

65th of Flowertime, 978 PD

For the first time in most of your lives, you wake up somewhere that's not home. It's a new day, full of adventure and excitement, or just... fishing and sitting around. I don't even know which one, I haven't rolled yet.

Zeflan enjoyed his little fishing experience in silence. He had some trouble at first, as normally he would remain still instead of on a moving platform but after some time and a couple of tries, he got the hang of it. He got a decent haul too, albeit all were fish he had never seen before. He just hoped their volunteer cook could work with it.

One of the last fish Zeflan caught, was the most interesting one of the day. It was small, too small to make a meal, but it had a most beautiful tail, like a piece of cloth trailing behind it. Had he not recognised the creature as an actual fish, he might have thought he had caught a sea snake.

'You're too pretty to eat.' Zeflan said softly to the fish and removed the hook. He heard Eradius calling behind him asking if the fish's could be made into a scarf. 'It's too warm to wear a scarf.' Zeflan replied to the tortle. He turned back to the railing. 'Off you go, little fishie.' Zeflan lowered the fish back to the water, holding it by the tip of its tail until it was close enough to the surface to be safely dropped.

The rest of the day and night went by rather quickly. Zeflan enjoyed being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat. It reminded him of when he would take naps on the beaches of Ioco, half submerged in the water with the soft lapping of waves over his feet. He did not dream per se but he found that going through memories had a similar effect.

Four hours later, Zeflan awoke amidst the sleeping crew. He did not need much sleep, one of the perks of his Elven heritage, and he quietly made his way back onto the deck. He had resolved himself to a schedule of sorts and a routine check of the boat and rigging was something he was keen on doing at the start of each day. Under the fading light of the stars and the dawn of a new day, Zeflan went through the motions of getting to know the Sea Scout. It took him longer than he thought but chalked it up to inexperience and the need to check everything twice or even thrice.

After he was sufficiently satisfied with the Sea Scout's condition, Zeflan took his fishing tackle and settled in for a day of putting food on the table. He took up a different spot than yesterday, just to see if such a thing had any influence on what he might catch.

Survival check: 23
Amount of food: 6

Zeflan has the Friend of the Sea racial trait if that has any bearing on talking to the fishie.

Welby continues to watch out for anything on the horizon (perception: 19), and sings a shanty he'd heard one of the entertainers back on Ioco sing once.

Aoth, observing Zeflan's catch, decides to go at it and try to make something on the fly to supplement the crew's rations. With a grin and some fish, Aoth sets to work on throwing together a dish.

(Cooking check: 6 (and utterly fails))