A Tale of Two Dragons


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The group of adventurers taking lodge in the Aglarondan barracks of Velprintalar are treated almost as well as visiting ambassadors. An attendant and a guard are posted outside their rooms during their entire stay, and all it takes Brak to get his alcohol is a loud, dwarven shout through the heavy wooden door. Within minutes, the attendant knocks and enters politely with several mugs and a well-muscled man behind carrying a great keg. Satisfied, Brak drinks as only a dwarf can.

After a pleasant, uneventful evening, Penthar finds his way back to his traveling companions and tells them of his meeting with the captain. (OOC: Whether he tells them of the gate ring now in his possession I leave up to Harvey.) They discuss their options some and decide on taking a ship.

The next day, Penthar calls in some favors and arranges for the group to be transported to Uthmere on one of the double masted sailing ships, one that boasts being the fastest ship in the sea and able to make the journey in less than 7 days. Whether or not this is true is indeterminable, as only the crew knows when they leave and when they arrive. Regardless, Penthar's friend trusts the captain, one Ebenezer Falcon, a name that Penthar has heard spoken with some reverence and fear. As luck would have it, the ship leaves port this very afternoon, so the group gathers its belongings, makes its last minute purchases (OOC: Anyone? Last chance before you're out to sea.), and heads to the dock.

They arrive just past noon, and most of the cargo has been loaded already. A few sailors are still hoisting some small crates up the gangway, but the largest pieces have already been loaded and stowed. They are greeted by a refined gentleman who introduces himself as "Mr. Tibbons, first mate aboard this fine ship, the Majesty. I must say, the captain is very pleased that you'll be joining us on this voyage..." His voice drops to whisper. "We've quite a cargo aboard, a lot of gold invested in this run. I must admit, we were a tad worried about security and very concerned about hiring unknown security, but when we heard of good Sir Penthar and his friends here in need of transport, why, we were happy to oblige. Free of charge, of course, and you'll be treated as well as the captain, I can assure you." He raises his volume back to normal. "Now! If you'll follow me aboard, I can show you where to put your things and where you'll be sleeping. Then we'll head to the captain's cabin. Come along then."

Everyone is led down into the belly of the ship, into a small room with nine hammocks, a round table with five backless chairs, and four large chests against a wall with two circular windows looking out on the port side of the ship. Mr. Tibbons informs everyone that this is their private cabin and that the chests are empty for their use. Once everyone has deposited their gear, he leads them up and out, to the captain's cabin.

OOC: I'm taking a break for a while, feel free to interject.
 

OOC: I typed this giant thing and lost it. I'm disappointed and discouraged, so I'm not going to rewrite it now. I'll try again when I'm not on a laptop.
 


Mr. Tibbons leads the group across the deck to a heavy wooden door. He looks as though he is about to turn the latch, and then pauses, and knocks loudly instead. There is a low grunt and a rustling of cloth, then a quick succession of thumping and knocking on the ground, and the door is yanked open.

In the doorway now stands, at a full four foot three inches of height, a dwarf with a great black beard. He wears a navy drop back coat with many silver buttons down the front, a white shirt with a ruffled collar and cuffs, and a tricorn hat with a jaunty white feather in it. At his hip rests a beautifully crafted scimitar, very clean but not without evidence of battle use. He shouts at the first mate, “Tibbons! Ye’re here! We’re good t’go then, aye? Alrigh’!” The dwarf blows past Mr. Tibbons and up the three stairs from the cabin door onto the deck. His coat flying back in the wind, it is now clear that the dwarf is missing one leg and it has been replaced by a great wooden peg. As he runs, his footsteps make a signature thud clunk, thud clunk. “Come on, ye sea dogs, get t’work, we got a ship to sail! Move yer arse!” He gives one deckhand, bent over tying some ropes, a swift kick in the pants, almost knocking the poor man overboard. He grabs some rope ladder and climbs, swift as a monkey, up a mast and jumps onto the helm, scaring the daylights out of another sailor. The captain grabs the wheel and whisks his hat off his head shouting, “Alrigh’ mates, we’re off! To home, the high seas!”

Mr. Tibbons straightens his clothes and turns to the group. “That… is Captain Ebenezer Falcon.” He turns to the helm and shouts, “Ahem… Captain! I need you down here to speak with our guests!” The dwarf’s head jerks around, he grabs the deckhand he startled earlier and shoves him into place at the wheel. Then he jumps off the helm and lands next to Mr. Tibbons, his peg leg driving a dent into the deck’s wood. He looks down and shouts, “Bah! Who let me deck get this bloody hole in it?! C’mere, you, aye, you!” His sword in hand, he points at a sailor who happened to be walking by. “Fix this up! What do I pay you blokes for, anyway?! Come on! Faster, faster, faster!” He slaps the sailor he selected for the repair on the rear as he scurries away to get the tools to fix the deck.

The captain turns to Tibbons and says, “Alrigh’, what d’ye need now, Tibbons?” The mate gestures behind him at the group. Falcon shouts out, “Oh, aye! Security, aye, aye, move aside, Tibbons, I’ve got business to conduct.” He roughly pushes past Mr. Tibbons, who walks off, scowling, to the side of the boat. Falcon addresses the group in his gruff, dwarven voice, “Nah! I hear ye all need t’get t’Uthmere, eh? Well, I’m happy t’serve the Simbul in any way I can, seein’ as how it’s by her grace, gods bless ‘er, that I’ve gotten where I am today! But since ye’re aboard, ye can help me out a bit, eh? Pirates are rampant these days, and they’re getting’ bolder with each successful pillage. I need you mates t’keep alert an’ ready t’fight, in case we come across one. I’ve got me own sailors t’watch fer ships on the horizon, don’ worry ‘bout that, but if we spot one, I want you to give ‘em yer all, eh? That’ll show them pirates who’s who in my sea! Other ‘an tha’, ye got no duties. Mess’ll be served to yer cabin at dusk an’ dawn, or ye can eat with the crew if ye like.”

He looks up at Hareka. “He eat normal stuff? I’ve got a few live animals in the ‘old, if that’s what ye like.” Then he scans over Regalclaw. “And that… er, him… er… Well, he kin eat what ‘e likes and sleep where ‘e wants. Don’ know if he’ll fit down below, though…” Falcon taps his good foot on the deck and looks about, then shoots his head toward the group. “Alrigh’ then! Any questions? Good! We’re off!” He leaps up to the helm again and shoves the sailor at the wheel aside, calling out orders and cursing at his sailors like only a dwarven ship captain might.

The first 2 days of the voyage go by uneventfully. Several ships are sighted and hailed, but they are simply passing merchants, docking in Velprintalar. The third day, the Majesty sails by the burning corpse of another vessel and Falcon doubles the watch. That night, after dinner, the crow’s nest sights another vessel, flying no flag. Falcon orders all hands on deck. The other ship is headed straight for the Majesty, and with his scope, Falcon can see cutlass wielding men dressed in ragged cloth on deck.

The captain says quietly to the group, “Nah, I’d like to see this through without a single man lost, on our side anyway. To Hell with them pirates, but I’ve got sailors with families and lives aboard. I don’ know what each o’ ye can do, so tell me nah if ye’ve got any ideas other than jus’ waitin’ fer the bastards to come to us.” He waits for an answer.
 

Rae ArdGaoth said:
Then he jumps off the helm and lands next to Mr. Tibbons, his peg leg driving a dent into the deck’s wood. He looks down and shouts, “Bah! Who let me deck get this bloody hole in it?! C’mere, you, aye, you!” His sword in hand, he points at a sailor who happened to be walking by. “Fix this up! What do I pay you blokes for, anyway?! Come on! Faster, faster, faster!” He slaps the sailor he selected for the repair on the rear as he scurries away to get the tools to fix the deck.

OOC: If a Mending spell will repair the dent, Hareka will channel the arcane energies to mend the dent in the plank.

He looks up at Hareka. “He eat normal stuff? I’ve got a few live animals in the ‘old, if that’s what ye like.”

Hareka grins his toothy grin, saying nothing for the moment, amusing fellow.

The first 2 days of the voyage go by uneventfully. Several ships are sighted and hailed, but they are simply passing merchants, docking in Velprintalar. The third day, the Majesty sails by the burning corpse of another vessel and Falcon doubles the watch. That night, after dinner, the crow’s nest sights another vessel, flying no flag. Falcon orders all hands on deck. The other ship is headed straight for the Majesty, and with his scope, Falcon can see cutlass wielding men dressed in ragged cloth on deck.

The captain says quietly to the group, “Nah, I’d like to see this through without a single man lost, on our side anyway. To Hell with them pirates, but I’ve got sailors with families and lives aboard. I don’ know what each o’ ye can do, so tell me nah if ye’ve got any ideas other than jus’ waitin’ fer the bastards to come to us.” He waits for an answer.

Spreading his wings, Hareka speaks out "it'll be taken care of." Muttering a verse in draconic which seems to twist the air around him, the dragonspawn disappears into a veil of obscurity and there is only the shudder of the deck and the rush of wind as he launches himself into the air and his wings lift him higher.

Winging through the air, he'll survey the approaching ship to potentially locate any particularly dangerous or important looking individuals.

OOC: Cast Greater Invisibility on self, take Flight. How far away is the approaching ship? How big? That will mostly determine my course of action.
 



The ship is still a ways off, two ship lengths, approximately 200'. It is approaching at a rate of about 2 mph (15' per round).

Hareka: Flying high above the sea, Hareka can see that the boats are very similar in size and design: both are double-masted, and both are about 90' long, bow to stern, and 20' wide. A quick count reveals about 20 cutlass wielding pirates, give or take, one at the helm, and one regal looking fellow with a falchion in hand, probably the captain.

Zithran: The ship is much too distant for Zithran to make out more than vague silhouettes of humanoids aboard the ship.
 
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