Hammerhead
Explorer
Evidently, it was ass-kicking time.
JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
What can I say...a perfect game, guys. Congratulations, you're prize is the attention of Big D. ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
carborundum
Adventurer
Been away for a few days - back in time to catch up.
What a fantastic comeback! So many great moments, though I think Tower Cleaver's "I see ... everything" was one of the best! I could just see his big bovine mouth opening in wonder
Can't wait for the next update, JD!
PS: What was that spell Mandi used at the start that 'froze' Khala?
What a fantastic comeback! So many great moments, though I think Tower Cleaver's "I see ... everything" was one of the best! I could just see his big bovine mouth opening in wonder
Can't wait for the next update, JD!
PS: What was that spell Mandi used at the start that 'froze' Khala?
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JollyDoc
Explorer
carborundum said:Been away for a few days - back in time to catch up.
What a fantastic comeback! So many great moments, though I think Tower Cleaver's "I see ... everything" was one of the best! I could just see his big bovine mouth opening in wonder
Can't wait for the next update, JD!
PS: What was that spell Mandi used at the start that 'froze' Khala?
Thanks! It was a poetic battle, expertly executed from start to finish. The spell was Final Rebuke. If it doesn't kill you outright (which it ultimately did the second time) it still dazes you for one round, and in this case, Mandi extended it, so Khala was dazed for two rounds. She'd also hit him with a Ray of Clumsiness, empowered, which reduced his Dex by 16. All-in-all, she made him easy pickings for her cronies.
Hope to have the second part of this update up by Tuesday.
carborundum
Adventurer
JollyDoc said:
Wow! I couldn't find Final Rebuke for a while - turned out it was in the SC as Rebuke, Final
And she beat the spell resistance every time too - sweet! Can't wait to see what happens next!
We played Red Hand of Doom last week and had a string of battles one after the other - blacked out mild spoiler time
defending the city. We're all out of spells, powers & potions and there is still more to come! The toughest yet, says the DM
Nothing like fighting on empty to get a good idea of how cool your characters are!
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Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Doesn't Joachim also have a Red Hand of Doom story hour?
JollyDoc
Explorer
Neverwinter Knight said:Doesn't Joachim also have a Red Hand of Doom story hour?
That's a vicious rumor, on the scale of the escapades of Leroy Jenkins...
As for Mandi beating SR, Joachim will have to give you the specifics, but she has a string of feat cheese that allows her to take 10 on SR checks, which, when she casts Assay Resistance, ends up being somewhere around 32.
JollyDoc
Explorer
…BEST SERVED COLD
From the moment the Legionnaires entered Farshore, they knew something was wrong. Townspeople stopped and stared as they passed, and some stood in small clusters, pointing and whispering. As they made their way through the streets towards Lavinia’s manor, a small throng followed them at a discrete distance. They could see that several shops and homes had been boarded up, obviously quite hastily. The feeling of wrongness became even stronger as Lavinia’s home came into view. The house had obviously been damaged by fire, and quite recently from the look of it. Mongrelfolk laborers worked on a section of the roof on the northern face that had been completely burned away. That area was directly above Lavinia’s bedroom.
Mandi and the others turned towards the gathered crowd, and saw a small group making its way over. It was comprised of several of the more prominent members of the community, including Professor Aldwattle, Vesserin Catherly and Jakara, Militia Captain Ulvar Kabbanja, and Jeran Emrikad. At the edge of the crowd they could see Urol Forol as well as Tavey Nesk, standing near his foster parents. Ruby the Weaver was there as well, looking with pain-filled eyes at Sepoto, obviously torn between rushing to his side and keeping a cautious distance.
“What exactly is going on here?” Mandi snapped as the group of Elders came closer.
“There’s been an attack,” Captain Kabbanja said.
“By whom?” Sepoto asked. “The Kraken Society again?”
“Possibly,” the Captain answered. “We’re not sure. The only thing we are sure of is that Vanthus Vanderboren was behind it!”
“What are you blabbering about?” Mandi asked. “Vanthus is dead. You all saw us kill him, and then bury him!”
“Be that as it may,” Catherly interjected gently, “it was indeed he that we saw lead this assault. He rode a terrible steed that flew through the air, and whose mane and hooves burned. Vanthus himself still looked like the corpse you interred, yet he was somehow horribly alive. He set the roof aflame, and then entered the manor, accompanied by several demonic-looking apes, some of them branded with the sigil of the Kraken Society. They emerged moments later with Lavinia in tow, and then some of the folk overheard Vanthus speak to his sister, just before they vanished.”
“What did he say?” Sepoto asked before Mandi could loose her vicious tongue again.
“He said, ‘It is time for you to love me again, sister. The Lord of the Kraken Society can awaken it in you when I bring you before him. Your time here is over,’” Catherly replied.
Before the Legionnaires could question the Elders further, a commotion started in the crowd, and it began to part as a horseman urged his mount through its midst. Lord Manthalay Meravanchi had arrived.
“Well, well,” the nobleman tsked, staring down at the company as if they were something stuck to the bottom of his boot. “If it isn’t the prodigal sons…and daughter,” he nodded at Mandi.
“As you can see,” he continued, “you’ve arrived too late to help your patron, but just in time to face justice for your crimes.”
Mandi cocked her head at him, murder in her eyes. “What, exactly, is it you are speaking of, Meravanchi?” She intentionally omitted his title. The Deputy Lord Mayor smiled mirthlessly at her.
“I’m sure your companions will understand precisely what I am talking about.”
His house entourage then proceeded to force the crowd further apart so that a young man could make his way through. He looked to be in his early twenties, though his eyes spoke of experiences beyond his years, not all of them pleasant. He was pale, and thin, but his bearing was, if anything, even more haughty than Manthalay’s, and the family resemblance could not be missed.
“Avner?” Sepoto asked, eyes widening.
“So you remember your victims,” Manthalay hissed. “Good. That will make it easier to convince a jury of your guilt!”
“What is that we are supposed to be guilty of?” Marius interjected smoothly. “To the best of our knowledge,” he nodded at Sepoto, and then at the crowd where Urol and Tavey looked shocked, “your nephew drowned during the wreck of the Sea Wyvern. We feel nothing but relief that the rumors of his death where…exaggerated.”
“Liars!” Avner said, his face red, the veins in his neck bulging. He lunged forward, but two of Manthalay’s retainers restrained him. “You and that devil Anwar left me in that gods-forsaken village to rot among those savages!”
At that, some of the Mazticans in the crowd began to grumble.
“I’m certain I don’t know what you mean,” Marius beamed an oily grin. “You were aboard ship with us to the very end. Oh, and I’d watch my tongue if I were you. Some of those ‘savages’ don’t exactly take to being called that.”
“To the Hells with what they like!” Avner shrieked. “I was enslaved for most of a year! Only a fortunate happenstance that a merchant vessel on its way here managed to negotiate my freedom, or I’d be there still! Anwar tricked me! He handed me over to those…villagers! He sold me into slavery!”
“You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead,” Marius said, wagging a finger. “If there was some altercation between you and Anwar, then Sepoto and I knew nothing about it. I suppose he tricked us all, but he’s more than paid for his crimes, and you seem no worse for your alleged trials. At least you’re still alive, which is more than I can say for poor Anwar. In any event, we had no part of it, and certainly our new companions cannot be held accountable.”
“How dare you!?” Avner screamed. “You have no idea what those mongrels put me through! You will pay! You’ll all pay!”
The crowd grew more restive, especially the mongrelfolk, who had surreptitiously palmed their tools as makeshift weapons. Sepoto loosened his chain, and Octurus gripped the hilts of his scimitars. Cleaver growled low in his chest, his thumb sliding restlessly up and down the blade of his axe. Lord Meravanchi’s eyes shifted across the scene rapidly, and he held up a hand for order.
“Peace, Avner,” he said calmly. “Unfortunately, lying is not a crime, and it is equally unfortunate that it comes down to your word against theirs, but it matters not. Members of the so-called Legion,” he continued more formally, “as acting mayor of Farshore, it is my duty to inform you that your services here are no longer required. This little project of the Vanderborens has been proven to be folly at every turn. Now Vanthus Vanderboren has apparently risen from the grave, and undoubtedly will be returning here with more Kraken Society ships. I say it is time to give up this cursed endeavor and cut our losses! We can take the remaining ships and set sail for the main land within the week. Who’s with me?!”
At that, many in the crowd shouted their approval. Others remained silent, eyeing their neighbors skeptically. Only the mongrelfolk voiced their dissent, and when they did, Meravanchi smiled broadly.
“Ah, look!” he shouted above the tumult. “The mud-blood rabble that these ‘heroes’ have forced upon us do not agree! So be it! Let them stay here, and their saviors with them! Pirates and demons take them all!”
Many in the crowd roared again, but then a sudden explosion of fire in the air above them abruptly quieted their cries.
“Silence!!!” Mandi’s voice boomed as she climbed up onto a wagon and stood above the townsfolk. “Have you people forgotten why you came here in the first place? This was Lars Vanderboren’s dream…a new beginning, free of the despotic rule of a corrupt government! All of you agreed, or else you’d never have come! Now, when his last surviving scion needs you most, you are going to simply abandon all hope? Cowards! All of you!”
An angry murmur rippled through the mob, but no one raised their voice to speak out. Sepoto gauged the mood of those assembled and knew that they were at a dangerous cusp. The right word, or the wrong one, could tip them over the edge. Steeling his resolve, he climbed up to stand next to Mandi.
“People of Farshore,” his basso voice boomed, “hear me! You know each and every one of us, and since our arrival here, we’ve done all within our power to aid you and advance the cause of our town! At this time of crisis, we will do so again! I implore you, do not abandon hope! My comrades and I will go in search of Lady Vanderboren, and we will find her and return her home! This I swear, on Savras’ name!”
This drew many nods of approval from those assembled, and uncertain glances from the more vocal ones. Then, Meravanchi’s voice rose up again.
“You’re too late!” he laughed. “The Jade Ravens have already taken the Devil Fish and departed for Scuttlecove! If Lavinia is to be saved, then her truly loyal servants will do so! In any event, you are no longer welcome here! Go on your fool-hardy mission if it suits you, but go nonetheless!”
Sepoto stared daggers at the nobleman, and when he spoke again, his voice was pitched dangerously low, but could be heard distinctly nonetheless.
“Aye, we will go, Meravanchi, but we shall return. I have sworn a blood-oath thus. And when we return, we shall bring the rightful and duly elected leader of Farshore with us. When that time comes, perhaps it is you who should think about seeking another place of residence.”
The goliath then stepped down from the wagon and, shouldering his way silently through the dumb-struck throng, he began walking towards the town walls. His colleagues watched his departure, and then followed in his wake, none of them looking back, save for one. At the edge of the crowd, Mandi turned.
“People of Farshore,” she said, “you would be wise to mark those you hearken to by deeds rather than words. Let each of you allow your own heart your guide.”
______________________________________________________
Some time later, Mandi stood alone in Lavinia’s bedchamber. The others had gone to investigate Vanthus’ grave site, but she was certain all they would find would be an empty hole in the ground. As she paced around the room, she closed her eyes, her lips murmuring arcane words. The chamber swirled and distorted around her, only to coalesce into what it had been several days back. Now she saw Lavinia, asleep in her bed. Suddenly, the ceiling erupted in flames, and as the young noblewoman started from sleep in panic, four of the demonic bar-igura dropped down from above. They seized her, dragged her from her bed, and held her while their master drifted languidly down from the roof. Vanthus Vanderboren did indeed look more dead than alive, his eyes burning with unholy fire. He spoke the words to his sister that Catherly had recounted, then ordered his minions to take her. Abruptly, they vanished. Vanthus then climbed back to the rooftop, mounted his abyssal steed, and disappeard into the night sky. Mandi saw it all, and the first seeds of despair began to take root beside the seething anger in her heart.
_______________________________________________________________
Within days, the Legionnaires had the Sea Wyvern outfitted for her voyage. Scuttlecove lay over a thousand miles northeast of the Isle of Dread, in the Nelanther isles, a notorious haven of pirates and cutthroats. Mandi would captain the ship herself, while Urol Forol volunteered to be navigator. The company was at no loss for volunteers to fill out the rest of the crew as well, most of them mongrelfolk. Before they set sail, Mandi warned them that they would be traveling by somewhat…unconventional means, and that they should all be prepared to see and experience things they had never seen.
Prior to setting sail, Mandi secluded herself in her cabin for a short time. During her meditation, she sent her thoughts traveling, far across the sea to two separate individuals. The first one she found was Lavinia.
‘My lady,’ she sent, ‘we returned from our endeavor victorious, only to hear of your dilemma. Rest assured, we are coming for you. Do not abandon hope.’
‘Mandi?’ It was Lavinia’s voice, sounding strained and desperate. ‘You must take care! It is Vanthus! He has been transformed! I know not where he has brought me, but I fear my time…’
The message trailed off, having exceeded its limit, but Mandi had accomplished what she had hoped for. She had confirmed that Lavinia still lived. Her thoughts quested out again, this time touching the mind of Bombur, the Jade Raven’s resident priest.
‘We know of your mission. What is your status and condition?’
‘We are only a few days out from Scuttlecove,’ the dwarf replied. ‘We will watch for your arrival and attempt to rendezvous with you when possible.’
Satisfied, Mandi returned to the deck and instructed the crew to prepare for departure. A sizeable crowd had gathered on the docks to watch them go, including both Meravanchis. Mandi stood on the wheel deck, hands clasped behind her, staring back at the wharf. As the Sea Wyvern weighed anchor, a shimmering globe of energy surrounded the vessel. The ship drifted into the harbor, and then, to the amazement and shock of all the onlookers, it began to sink slowly beneath the waves. At the last moment before she submerged, Mandi unclasped her hands, and raised her right hand into a single-fingered salute to the acting Lord Mayor and his wayward nephew.
From the moment the Legionnaires entered Farshore, they knew something was wrong. Townspeople stopped and stared as they passed, and some stood in small clusters, pointing and whispering. As they made their way through the streets towards Lavinia’s manor, a small throng followed them at a discrete distance. They could see that several shops and homes had been boarded up, obviously quite hastily. The feeling of wrongness became even stronger as Lavinia’s home came into view. The house had obviously been damaged by fire, and quite recently from the look of it. Mongrelfolk laborers worked on a section of the roof on the northern face that had been completely burned away. That area was directly above Lavinia’s bedroom.
Mandi and the others turned towards the gathered crowd, and saw a small group making its way over. It was comprised of several of the more prominent members of the community, including Professor Aldwattle, Vesserin Catherly and Jakara, Militia Captain Ulvar Kabbanja, and Jeran Emrikad. At the edge of the crowd they could see Urol Forol as well as Tavey Nesk, standing near his foster parents. Ruby the Weaver was there as well, looking with pain-filled eyes at Sepoto, obviously torn between rushing to his side and keeping a cautious distance.
“What exactly is going on here?” Mandi snapped as the group of Elders came closer.
“There’s been an attack,” Captain Kabbanja said.
“By whom?” Sepoto asked. “The Kraken Society again?”
“Possibly,” the Captain answered. “We’re not sure. The only thing we are sure of is that Vanthus Vanderboren was behind it!”
“What are you blabbering about?” Mandi asked. “Vanthus is dead. You all saw us kill him, and then bury him!”
“Be that as it may,” Catherly interjected gently, “it was indeed he that we saw lead this assault. He rode a terrible steed that flew through the air, and whose mane and hooves burned. Vanthus himself still looked like the corpse you interred, yet he was somehow horribly alive. He set the roof aflame, and then entered the manor, accompanied by several demonic-looking apes, some of them branded with the sigil of the Kraken Society. They emerged moments later with Lavinia in tow, and then some of the folk overheard Vanthus speak to his sister, just before they vanished.”
“What did he say?” Sepoto asked before Mandi could loose her vicious tongue again.
“He said, ‘It is time for you to love me again, sister. The Lord of the Kraken Society can awaken it in you when I bring you before him. Your time here is over,’” Catherly replied.
Before the Legionnaires could question the Elders further, a commotion started in the crowd, and it began to part as a horseman urged his mount through its midst. Lord Manthalay Meravanchi had arrived.
“Well, well,” the nobleman tsked, staring down at the company as if they were something stuck to the bottom of his boot. “If it isn’t the prodigal sons…and daughter,” he nodded at Mandi.
“As you can see,” he continued, “you’ve arrived too late to help your patron, but just in time to face justice for your crimes.”
Mandi cocked her head at him, murder in her eyes. “What, exactly, is it you are speaking of, Meravanchi?” She intentionally omitted his title. The Deputy Lord Mayor smiled mirthlessly at her.
“I’m sure your companions will understand precisely what I am talking about.”
His house entourage then proceeded to force the crowd further apart so that a young man could make his way through. He looked to be in his early twenties, though his eyes spoke of experiences beyond his years, not all of them pleasant. He was pale, and thin, but his bearing was, if anything, even more haughty than Manthalay’s, and the family resemblance could not be missed.
“Avner?” Sepoto asked, eyes widening.
“So you remember your victims,” Manthalay hissed. “Good. That will make it easier to convince a jury of your guilt!”
“What is that we are supposed to be guilty of?” Marius interjected smoothly. “To the best of our knowledge,” he nodded at Sepoto, and then at the crowd where Urol and Tavey looked shocked, “your nephew drowned during the wreck of the Sea Wyvern. We feel nothing but relief that the rumors of his death where…exaggerated.”
“Liars!” Avner said, his face red, the veins in his neck bulging. He lunged forward, but two of Manthalay’s retainers restrained him. “You and that devil Anwar left me in that gods-forsaken village to rot among those savages!”
At that, some of the Mazticans in the crowd began to grumble.
“I’m certain I don’t know what you mean,” Marius beamed an oily grin. “You were aboard ship with us to the very end. Oh, and I’d watch my tongue if I were you. Some of those ‘savages’ don’t exactly take to being called that.”
“To the Hells with what they like!” Avner shrieked. “I was enslaved for most of a year! Only a fortunate happenstance that a merchant vessel on its way here managed to negotiate my freedom, or I’d be there still! Anwar tricked me! He handed me over to those…villagers! He sold me into slavery!”
“You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead,” Marius said, wagging a finger. “If there was some altercation between you and Anwar, then Sepoto and I knew nothing about it. I suppose he tricked us all, but he’s more than paid for his crimes, and you seem no worse for your alleged trials. At least you’re still alive, which is more than I can say for poor Anwar. In any event, we had no part of it, and certainly our new companions cannot be held accountable.”
“How dare you!?” Avner screamed. “You have no idea what those mongrels put me through! You will pay! You’ll all pay!”
The crowd grew more restive, especially the mongrelfolk, who had surreptitiously palmed their tools as makeshift weapons. Sepoto loosened his chain, and Octurus gripped the hilts of his scimitars. Cleaver growled low in his chest, his thumb sliding restlessly up and down the blade of his axe. Lord Meravanchi’s eyes shifted across the scene rapidly, and he held up a hand for order.
“Peace, Avner,” he said calmly. “Unfortunately, lying is not a crime, and it is equally unfortunate that it comes down to your word against theirs, but it matters not. Members of the so-called Legion,” he continued more formally, “as acting mayor of Farshore, it is my duty to inform you that your services here are no longer required. This little project of the Vanderborens has been proven to be folly at every turn. Now Vanthus Vanderboren has apparently risen from the grave, and undoubtedly will be returning here with more Kraken Society ships. I say it is time to give up this cursed endeavor and cut our losses! We can take the remaining ships and set sail for the main land within the week. Who’s with me?!”
At that, many in the crowd shouted their approval. Others remained silent, eyeing their neighbors skeptically. Only the mongrelfolk voiced their dissent, and when they did, Meravanchi smiled broadly.
“Ah, look!” he shouted above the tumult. “The mud-blood rabble that these ‘heroes’ have forced upon us do not agree! So be it! Let them stay here, and their saviors with them! Pirates and demons take them all!”
Many in the crowd roared again, but then a sudden explosion of fire in the air above them abruptly quieted their cries.
“Silence!!!” Mandi’s voice boomed as she climbed up onto a wagon and stood above the townsfolk. “Have you people forgotten why you came here in the first place? This was Lars Vanderboren’s dream…a new beginning, free of the despotic rule of a corrupt government! All of you agreed, or else you’d never have come! Now, when his last surviving scion needs you most, you are going to simply abandon all hope? Cowards! All of you!”
An angry murmur rippled through the mob, but no one raised their voice to speak out. Sepoto gauged the mood of those assembled and knew that they were at a dangerous cusp. The right word, or the wrong one, could tip them over the edge. Steeling his resolve, he climbed up to stand next to Mandi.
“People of Farshore,” his basso voice boomed, “hear me! You know each and every one of us, and since our arrival here, we’ve done all within our power to aid you and advance the cause of our town! At this time of crisis, we will do so again! I implore you, do not abandon hope! My comrades and I will go in search of Lady Vanderboren, and we will find her and return her home! This I swear, on Savras’ name!”
This drew many nods of approval from those assembled, and uncertain glances from the more vocal ones. Then, Meravanchi’s voice rose up again.
“You’re too late!” he laughed. “The Jade Ravens have already taken the Devil Fish and departed for Scuttlecove! If Lavinia is to be saved, then her truly loyal servants will do so! In any event, you are no longer welcome here! Go on your fool-hardy mission if it suits you, but go nonetheless!”
Sepoto stared daggers at the nobleman, and when he spoke again, his voice was pitched dangerously low, but could be heard distinctly nonetheless.
“Aye, we will go, Meravanchi, but we shall return. I have sworn a blood-oath thus. And when we return, we shall bring the rightful and duly elected leader of Farshore with us. When that time comes, perhaps it is you who should think about seeking another place of residence.”
The goliath then stepped down from the wagon and, shouldering his way silently through the dumb-struck throng, he began walking towards the town walls. His colleagues watched his departure, and then followed in his wake, none of them looking back, save for one. At the edge of the crowd, Mandi turned.
“People of Farshore,” she said, “you would be wise to mark those you hearken to by deeds rather than words. Let each of you allow your own heart your guide.”
______________________________________________________
Some time later, Mandi stood alone in Lavinia’s bedchamber. The others had gone to investigate Vanthus’ grave site, but she was certain all they would find would be an empty hole in the ground. As she paced around the room, she closed her eyes, her lips murmuring arcane words. The chamber swirled and distorted around her, only to coalesce into what it had been several days back. Now she saw Lavinia, asleep in her bed. Suddenly, the ceiling erupted in flames, and as the young noblewoman started from sleep in panic, four of the demonic bar-igura dropped down from above. They seized her, dragged her from her bed, and held her while their master drifted languidly down from the roof. Vanthus Vanderboren did indeed look more dead than alive, his eyes burning with unholy fire. He spoke the words to his sister that Catherly had recounted, then ordered his minions to take her. Abruptly, they vanished. Vanthus then climbed back to the rooftop, mounted his abyssal steed, and disappeard into the night sky. Mandi saw it all, and the first seeds of despair began to take root beside the seething anger in her heart.
_______________________________________________________________
Within days, the Legionnaires had the Sea Wyvern outfitted for her voyage. Scuttlecove lay over a thousand miles northeast of the Isle of Dread, in the Nelanther isles, a notorious haven of pirates and cutthroats. Mandi would captain the ship herself, while Urol Forol volunteered to be navigator. The company was at no loss for volunteers to fill out the rest of the crew as well, most of them mongrelfolk. Before they set sail, Mandi warned them that they would be traveling by somewhat…unconventional means, and that they should all be prepared to see and experience things they had never seen.
Prior to setting sail, Mandi secluded herself in her cabin for a short time. During her meditation, she sent her thoughts traveling, far across the sea to two separate individuals. The first one she found was Lavinia.
‘My lady,’ she sent, ‘we returned from our endeavor victorious, only to hear of your dilemma. Rest assured, we are coming for you. Do not abandon hope.’
‘Mandi?’ It was Lavinia’s voice, sounding strained and desperate. ‘You must take care! It is Vanthus! He has been transformed! I know not where he has brought me, but I fear my time…’
The message trailed off, having exceeded its limit, but Mandi had accomplished what she had hoped for. She had confirmed that Lavinia still lived. Her thoughts quested out again, this time touching the mind of Bombur, the Jade Raven’s resident priest.
‘We know of your mission. What is your status and condition?’
‘We are only a few days out from Scuttlecove,’ the dwarf replied. ‘We will watch for your arrival and attempt to rendezvous with you when possible.’
Satisfied, Mandi returned to the deck and instructed the crew to prepare for departure. A sizeable crowd had gathered on the docks to watch them go, including both Meravanchis. Mandi stood on the wheel deck, hands clasped behind her, staring back at the wharf. As the Sea Wyvern weighed anchor, a shimmering globe of energy surrounded the vessel. The ship drifted into the harbor, and then, to the amazement and shock of all the onlookers, it began to sink slowly beneath the waves. At the last moment before she submerged, Mandi unclasped her hands, and raised her right hand into a single-fingered salute to the acting Lord Mayor and his wayward nephew.
