Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

Chapter 54: The Nǎoké - Introduction

This scenario begins with a scene from the Necromancer Games adventure, “The Isle of Bonjo Tombo” from the Dead Man’s Chest supplement, set in the Arcanis setting and continues with “The Viceroy of India” adapted from the Tatters of the King Call of Cthulhu supplement by Tim Wiseman. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
• Ilmarė Galen (elf bard/fighter/seeker of the cerulean sign) played by Amber Tresca
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://jeremyrobertortiz.blogspot.com/)
• Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer

Where last we left our heroes, they were in dire straits. Sebastian had sacrificed himself to save Arcanis by leading the King in Yellow to Carcosa. Kham, who ended up being the key to opening the gate to Carcosa, had his throat slit by the King in Yellow and barely survived. Ilmarė was pregnant and exhausted from her journey through a Ssethregoran portal. And their allies had been taken hostage by Cho Sun, the dreaded Khitani pirate. With no way home and few options, Vlad and Beldin are getting frustrated. And there’s nothing more dangerous that two frustrated fighters.

I changed the name of the ship from the original adventure (it was called the Rapier) to the Kitana, for want of a better “Khitani-sounding” name. But as Jeremy pointed out, that’s not much better. So I changed it to Nǎoké. It means “skull” in Chinese. I thought it fitting since Cho Sun and his men were known as the Brotherhood of the Skull.

This is the adventure where Beldin picks up a magic item that changes his relationship with the sea, for the better. This is also our heroes’ first real nautical adventure, complete with swashbuckling heroics, giant sea monsters (two!), romance, betrayal, and the pirate life. As Beldin soon discovers, the life of a pirate may seem glamorous on the surface, but deep down it ain’t pretty.

 

[talien]

Naoke: Prologue

Vlad handed one of the oars to Kham. They were in the open sea, somewhere off the coast of Nyambe, completely at the mercy of Khitani pirates.

The Milandisian warrior didn’t need to look at his Solani companion to know that they were of the same mind. They weren’t going to go down without a fight.

“Do you think you can hit him from here?” asked Beldin. The dwarf squinted. It was over a hundred yards to the ship, and even further to reach the crow’s nest where Cho Sun held Yolanda hostage.

“No.” Vlad cranked his crossbow, his back concealing his actions to the pirates. “I don’t.”

Beldin grinned beneath his bushy beard. “Good. I was afraid this would be too easy.” He cranked his own crossbow.

Kham was uncharacteristically silent. With his throat cut by the King in Yellow he had difficulty speaking. He set to rowing, brow furrowed.

“Any wizards?” asked Vlad.

Beldin scanned the deck. “Hard to tell. Not familiar with Khitanis. But there’s a woman in robes on the aft deck. She’s as good a candidate as any.”

Vlad nodded. “This may be our only shot.”

“If I die, throw my body overboard.” Beldin loaded his crossbow. “I don’t want my stone in the hands of those mongrels.”

Vlad held his crossbow tight to his chest. “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to survive long enough to see you die. Ready?”

“Ready.”

Suddenly, the pirates, who had been jeering at them from the decks, went utterly silent. Vlad turned to see what happened.

The pirates were looking at each other in shock. Cho Sun struggled with Yolanda in the crow’s nest. The Khitani wizard was gesturing helplessly. Someone had magically silenced the ship.

Vlad dropped to one knee and took aim. “Now!”

He and Beldin fired simultaneously. The shots went wide.

“That was a mistake!” shouted Cho Sun in his clipped speech. He backhanded Yolanda, who crumpled. Then he stretched out one hand and concentrated.

Vlad looked up as a thundercloud formed overhead. “Oh crap.”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 1 – The Nǎoké

Ilmarė, in a small boat rowed by Mashudu, watched the pirates stare at each other in shock as her magic took hold. If there were any wizards on board, they wouldn’t be casting any spells.

But she hadn’t counted on the pirate captain. She was on the other side of the Nǎoké; with all the attention focused on Vlad and Beldin, they hadn’t seen her boat.

She slumped backwards, exhausted. It would have to be enough.

The crack of thunder boomed overhead and suddenly it started hailing around her. Mashudu bravely did his best to keep the rowboat steady, but it was a lost cause. She dove off the boat into the water; she was safer in the ocean than exposed in the rowboat.

Mashudu was not so fortunate. Seconds later, Cho Sun pointed at their tiny vessel and a swirling vortex pulled the rowboat under. She gasped for air, struggling to find the surface.

Osalian help us, she prayed. If not for me, then for my child.

A trail of bubbles streamed from her nostrils. She followed them heavenwards…

And burst through the surface of the choppy ocean, taking in a great lungful of air. Mashudu was nowhere to be found.

Surely the pirates would see her. She was an easy target.

Cho Sun’s attention was divided between the two rowboats on either side of the Nǎoké. He turned again to Ilmarė.

A woman popped up next to him in the crow’s nest. She kicked and Cho Sun hurdled over the edge, his scream choked off by Ilmarė’s magic. He spattered on the deck without a sound.

An eternity passed and the elorii wondered if her god had abandoned her.

Then a rope dangled in front of her. As Ilmarė clambered up the side of the ship, she saw Kham at the other end, leaning over the deck.

He smiled and managed to croak out. “Welcome back.”

Ilmarė put her hands on her hips and looked the crew up and down. “You’re the last person I’d expect to throw me a rope from this ship.”

“Pirate rules,” said Kham, his voice gravelly. The assorted men aboard ship, a motley bunch to be sure, had resumed their tasks. “Killed captain…take ship.”

“Actually,” Vlad frowned at Kham, “Cho Sun was pushed off his deck.”

Beldin held a white ring up to the sunlight, spattered with the captain’s blood. “Now that I have his ring.” He put it on one stubby finger. “I don’t think they’ll give us any trouble.”

Ilmarė leaned back on the rails of the ship. The exertion of swimming for so long had exhausted her.

“Are you all right?” asked Vlad, concerned.

She waved them off. “I’ll be fine. I am elorii, we don’t have the problems your human women do with childbirth.”

“I meant the part about where you nearly drowned.”

Ilmarė looked over the side of the ship. “Mashudu is dead. Osalian watches over me.”

“Thought he was…dead too,” croaked Kham.

Ilmarė ignored him. “There are not enough men to crew this ship.” Indeed, the pirates were busy tossing the corpses of their companions overboard.

Yolanda, recently freed from her bindings, rubbed her wrists. “When you didn’t return, we decided to go looking for you.” She looked sideways at Brother Egil, who was busy untying the others. “Baldric and his men preferred to wait.”

Kham smirked. “Let’s go get…our captain,” he husked.

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 2 – Pirates

“I don’t care how good Baldric is,” muttered Ilmarė. She had her eyes closed, enjoying the warm temperature of Nyambe’s calmer seas. The sun felt good on her skin. “These pirates can’t be trusted.”

Kham rubbed his throat. It had been three days since they had boarded the Nǎoké. The men muttered to each other in Khitani. Only Kham could understand them, but he didn’t share what they said.

“They’re the only crew we’ve got.” Kham’s voice was still gravelly. “We gave them a choice: join us or be marooned. They joined us.” Sometimes it hurt to speak.

Ilmarė opened her eyes. “Then tell me how that ship got so close to us without the lookout spotting it.”

Kham blinked. “What…” He looked over the side. “…ship?”

“All hands to battle stations!” shouted Baldric.

A smaller ship had pulled along side of the Nǎoké. On its sails was painted a yellow dwarf head.

“It’s the Fang!” Kham clambered up the main mast.

“The Fang?” Beldin picked up Windcutter and his shield. “It’s captained by Yulfario, a mean dwarf if there ever was one.”

Ilmarė watched the dwarf in disbelief. “Where are you going?”

“To go talk to him.” And with that the dwarf hopped overboard. A moment later they caught a glimpse of Beldin walking along the waters, buoyed by the magic of Cho Sun’s ring.

A volley flew back and forth between the two ships, peppering the decks with arrows and bolts.

Kham wrapped one arm around some of the rigging, Coomb’s knife clenched between his teeth. He raised Talon up and slashed the rigging, sending him sailing across the gap between the two ships.

Kham landed on the ship’s mainmast, facing Yulfario himself.

“Ye can’t board me ship!” snarled Yulfario. He hacked at Kham’s head, forcing the val to dance back along the yardarm. “I’m boardin’ YER ship!”

Kham didn’t say anything. He sheathed Talon and gripped Coomb’s knife with both hands. Then he lunged at the sail.

The air whistling past him, Kham sliced his way down the sail, cleaving it in twain. He landed in front of the ship’s wheel.

The first mate that was at the helm drew his blade in a flash. Kham jumped backwards to avoid the attack.

Yulfario landed behind him. “Now yer tryin’ t’ take over tha Fang? I’ll send yer head back to yer crewmates!” He swung his blade in a wicked arc. Kham ducked.

The blade connected squarely in the center of the wheel where it was connected to the rest of the ship. It groaned and fell right off, landing on the first mate.

The ship lurched hard, sending Kham, Yulfario, and the first mate flying.

“They’re going to ram the Nǎoké!” Vlad was in a rowboat with Ilmarė between the two ships.

“Not if Beldin can help it.” Ilmarė pointed. “Look.”

The dwarf, standing calmly on the surface of the ocean as if he were merely lingering on a beach, stretched out one hand towards the ship’s rudder. Ice formed in a growing fin from Beldin to the Fang, engulfing the ship’s rudder. The Fang yawed drastically with a terrible shriek of wood and metal.

“My ship!” shouted Yulfario on the deck, spittle flying from his lips. “You’ll pay fer this!”

The Fang, its course abruptly corrected, couldn’t handle the strain of the ice on the rudder. With a terrific crack, much of the aft began to splinter apart.

Kham winked at the pirate captain and hopped off the deck, landing safely in Vlad’s rowboat.

Yulfario raised a crossbow, but he was struck down by the sudden crash of the Fang’s mast, smashing him into the sodden deck. The Fang was rapidly disintegrating.

Vlad rowed Kham and Ilmarė back to their ship. The ocean lifted them up gently with a wave of his hand and deposited them on the Nǎoké’s deck, courtesy of Beldin’s ring.

“We lost some men,” muttered Baldric. He nodded at Kham.

Kham stood before the drenched pirates, smiling. “I’m giving you a choice…”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 3 – Sea Serpent

The ship’s sails were struck to permit a handful of sailors some time to attend to a leak in the Nǎoké’s keel.

“So…” asked Kham as nonchalantly as possible. “Who’s the father?”

Ilmarė was unflapped. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh I know. I just figured I should ask.”

“It’s not who you think.”

Kham smirked. His throat was feeling better, although he would have the ugly scar across his throat for the rest of his life. “Well it’s not me. And I’m pretty sure it’s not Quintus…” he was watching her reactions, but the elorii’s beautiful features were impassive, as usual. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I’m fine.” She turned to look out at the ocean.

“Look...” Kham rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about pushing you through the portal.”

The elorii didn’t look at him. “I would have done the same to you, were you to reveal something I wanted to conceal about my past.” She patted her stomach. “Fortunately for the both of us, the child is fine.”

Kham stared at the deck. “Maybe you should consider…you know, retiring. It’s one thing for us to get into danger, but you’ve got responsibility now.”

Ilmarė didn’t say anything. She was staring upwards.

“I know, I know, I’m one to talk about responsibility. But I’m sure the father, whoever he is, would agree that he wants the child safe.”

Ilmarė blinked, speechless. The sea churned beyond the deck of the ship.

Kham continued to stare at the deck. “So it’s the silent treatment huh?”

“Sea serpent!” shouted Baldric from the stern. “Evasive maneuvers!”

Kham looked up.

A column of flesh and scales reared out of the surf. The beast spread its fins outwards like wings and the shadow encompassed the whole of the Nǎoké.

“Get back!” Ilmarė shoved Kham. A huge cord of tail slapped across the center of the ship, wrapping around it.

Crossbows fired, but they were nothing to such a huge beast. Its light green underbelly sparkled in the sunlight.

“She’s gonna drag us down!” shouted Baldric.

“Not if I can help it!” shouted Beldin. The dwarf threw a hand ax at the beast. The blade, infinitesimally small compared to the sea serpent, bounced off its snout.

The sea serpent’s head whipped about. It had red flukes along the side of its skull and equally glaring red eyes. The sea serpent’s maw opened impossibly wide, revealing two pairs of yellow fangs.

“Got your attention now?” shouted the dwarf. “Pick on someone your own size!”

More coils slapped around the bow of the ship as it entwined the Nǎoké like a python.

The head shot downwards with blinding speed, gouging out planks of wood where the dwarf had stood only moments before. The sea serpent lifted its head and swallowed.

Kham stared, agog. “I think we just lost our dwarf.”

The serpent’s head swayed, its glaring eyes tracking the tiny figures on board the ship. It focused on Ilmarė.

“Ilmarė, look out!” shouted Vlad. He fired a crossbow from the aft of the ship. The sea serpent ignored him.

The head reared backwards. Ilmarė stared upwards at the beast unafraid.

With a shriek, the sea serpent’s head darted forward and then abruptly stopped. Its eyes crossed. Then it began whipping back and forth, jerking to and fro. The coils loosened.

The sea serpent convulsed and vomited onto the ship. Beldin, along with dead fish, seaweed, and all manner of debris, splashed onto the deck.

With another bone-shaking roar, the sea serpent sank into the depths and disappeared.

Beldin rose to his feet, brushing seaweed out of his beard.

The pirates looked on in shock.

“Guess it doesn’t like the taste of dwarves,” said Beldin gruffly.

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 4 – Whaler

“Ship to the starboard!” rang out from above as the Nǎoké approached a becalmed ship, her sails furled. The ship in question was listing badly to one side, nearly taking on water because of the severe angle of the deck.

“I don’t believe it,” said Vlad.

Hanging from a spar by a complicated assembly of block and tackle was the sea serpent they had encountered the day before. The beast was a pincushion of spears, bleeding from countless wounds. Into the open mouth, a man lowered a bucket and retrieved an oily substance that was transferred onto the deck to large barrels. The ship was alive with activity, despite the pervading smell of death.

“They stole my fish!” snarled Beldin.

“That be the Long Day’s Night, out o’ Freeport,” said Baldric. “Th’ ship and crew are well known as mariners o’ exceptional skill and whale hunters unparalleled.”

Ilmarė sneered. “A disgusting habit. Osalian’s creatures should not be harvested in such a fashion.”

“I know this ship,” said Kham. “Their captain, John Amos, has a knack for avoiding dangerous seas. Wonder what he’s doing out here?”

The Nǎoké pulled alongside the Long Day’s Night. Amos waved from the deck. “What ho, Baldric? Seems like Cho Sun caught up with you!”

“More like we caught up with him!” Baldric shouted back. “What be ye doin’ so far out t’sea?”

“War, my friend.” The ships came close enough so they didn’t have to shout. The stench of dead serpent assailed their nostrils. “Coryan is in the midst of a civil war and Freeport is caught in the middle. The seas aren’t safe for a decent fishing man.”

“So then what be ye doin’ out here?” said Baldric with a gap-toothed grin. “But I know yer meanin’. Th’ political climate in Freeport ‘tis why I took this job, fer all th’ good it did th’ Shrike, Yarris rest her soul.”

Amos nodded solemnly. “She was a good ship. But you’ve got a new crew and a new ship, and a fine one at that!”

“Aye, aye. What news then?”

“Ominous storms ahead, my friend. It’s why we’re moving quickly, we need to get back with this catch.”

“My catch,” muttered Beldin.

“Someone is trying to swim to our ship, Baldric,” Ilmarė said quietly.

Baldric leaned over the rail. “Why th’ lass is right! Who be ye?”

The man, caught in the act of floating with a small barrel between ships, waved helplessly. “Help! I need to get off this ship!”

Amos looked down. “Gods, not this again.”

“So he’s yours then?” asked Baldric suspiciously.

“Aye. Clem is a bit mad.”

Ilmarė drew her bow. “I can kill him now and be done with it.”

“Easy, lass.” Baldric put one hand out to stop her. “That’s still a member of Amos’ crew and ‘tis his t’ deal with.”

“We don’t want him!” shouted Amos with a broad smile. “He’s nuttier than a loon and a terrible whaler.”

“What makes you think we want him?” asked Ilmarė.

“Oh come on!” chimed in Kham. “Let him on board. We can put him to work. We’re short-handed anyway, right Baldric?”

Baldric grunted. “We could use someone who speaks Low Coryan. If yer sure…”

“I’m sure,” said Kham with a broad smile. “He’ll be my responsibility.”

“Fine. We’ll let him on board.”

Ropes were thrown down and Clem clambered onto the deck.

“This is a mistake.” Ilmarė put down her bow. “If he makes one wrong move I will slit his throat.”

Kham nodded. When the elorii walked away he turned to Vlad. “Isn’t motherhood grand?”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 5 – The Isle of Song

They had come upon an uncharted island. Baldric called for a longboat to approach the isle and conduct reconnaissance. Clem and Vlad rowed, with Beldin, Kham, and Ilmarė in the center.

“It’s just a barren piece of rock,” said Ilmarė. “This is a waste of time.”

The island was only three hundred feet across, comprised almost entirely of jagged rock. Birds beyond number had roosted on it, as the stony barren provided the perfect resting place for a long flight between islands. Much of the island was covered in bird droppings, and several crags contained nests.

Kham hopped onto the island. “C’mon Clem, let’s go check it out.”

“Yes, sir!” Clem had a wide-eyed, starved look about him. Hair stood out in tufts on his cheeks and chin.

“This entire place smells of feathers and fish,” said Ilmarė in disgust.

Kham climbed one of the outcroppings. He brushed against something that tumbled down the rock face. It was a ribcage.

Kham reached the top. “Looks like a nest.”

Clem reached him a moment later. “Do you hear that?”

Kham sifted through the debris. “Hear what?”

“The singing. They’re calling us.”

“Calling us?” He looked at Clem. “You okay?”

Clem reached down and snatched something out of the nest.

“What have you got there Clem?” Kham’s hands slowly moved to his pistols.

“Nothing. We have to go to them. Can’t you hear them?”

Kham froze. He could hear something. Calling him. Tempting him. It was mixed in with the crashing of the waves, but it was soft and beautiful and longing.

“I think we should go.”

“Yes!” Clem clutched whatever it was in his hand to his breast. “We must go to them!” He started to walk off the side of the cliff.

Kham put one hand on Clem’s shoulder.

“Don’t try to stop me!” The man spun around and stabbed Kham in the arm with a sliver of what looked like glass.

Kham cursed and grabbed Clem’s wrist. Clem knocked Kham down, attempting to plunge the dagger into his eye. They struggled perilously close to the edge.

Suddenly, Ilmarė’s voice cut through the song. She sang of dawn turning to silver glass, of a light on the water, of souls passing.

Clem suddenly dropped the crystal blade and got up. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

Kham stood up, dusting himself off. Blood was seeping through his overcoat. “It’s all right. We’d better go now.” He picked up the crystal knife. “And just to be safe, I’ll take this.”

They made it down to the boat just as Ilmarė’s song finished.

Vlad noticed Kham’s wound. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Kham exchanged looks with Clem. “We were just enjoying Ilmarė’s song.” He turned to Ilmarė. “Have I mentioned that I’m glad you came with us?”

Ilmarė was unimpressed. “You can explore the next island by yourself.”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 6 – Sea Spider

Vlad squinted out at the ocean. It was his turn to be on watch. Eight days had passed since the journey began, and there was something to see almost every day.

Nothing.

Beldin, who couldn’t see quite as high over the rail, kept him company.

“We’ve encountered just about everything the Pale Sea can throw at us,” the dwarf said gruffly. “Sirens. Sea serpents. Pirates. I thought for sure that island we were on was going to turn out to be a giant turtle.”

“You thought that too?” Vlad laughed. “Captain Baldric says we’re a third of the way there. Hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out.”

Beldin grunted. “I doubt that. I have half a mind to become a pirate myself.”

“With that ring you took off of Cho Sun, you probably could be.”

Beldin looked down at his feet. “Did you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

Dripping saltwater, the huge furry leg of an arachnid slapped onto the deck, sending sailors flying.

“That!”

Two huge fangs were visible next, topped by a crown of beady black eyes.

“Sea spider!” someone shouted.

“Sea spider?” Vlad asked in disbelief. “Seriously?”

Two more legs reached the deck. The ship listed hard as the spider clung to the side of the Nǎoké. Its torso arched underneath the spider.

“Oh no,” said Vlad, “it’s going to—“

Sticky webbing sprayed the deck, entangling everyone and everything. The trapdoors from the decks below were glued shut. Vlad could hear the crew pounding on the doors to let them out.

Vlad skidded in front of the thing, sword and shield at the ready. “Now I’ve seen everything.” He hacked at one of the creature’s legs.

The sea spider screeched and recoiled. Then it darted forward, both fangs sinking into Vlad’s torso. It tossed him effortlessly across the deck. He skidded to a stop, unconscious and foaming at the mouth, ensnared in a cocoon of webbing.

Beldin skidded to a halt in front of Vlad’s unconscious body.

The spider lurched forward again, slapping at Beldin with one of its legs. The dwarf was knocked back several feet but held his ground. Its fangs followed soon after, striking home around Beldin’s shield

“Poison, eh?” Beldin snarled. “You’ll have to do better…than that…to stop…a dwarf.”

He took two steps forward and then fell over the side of the ship.

More crewmen wailed in despair. On the forecastle, Henry Tranco continued to play solitaire on a table bolted to the deck.

Yolanda pounded the table. Besides the crew, Vlad, and Beldin, they were the only ones on deck. “Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Nah,” said Tranco. “It’s under control.”

“Does that look like it’s under control? Vlad has been poisoned and Beldin just went overboard!”

“Yep,” said Tranco. “But you forgot something.”

Thunder boomed overhead. The spider hesitated, startled by the sound. Swirling white clouds formed in a vortex above the ship.

“What’s that?”

Then hail fell. And fell. And fell. The hailstones started out small but increased in size. The deck became covered in snow and ice.

“Beldin has Cho Sun’s ring.”

Tranco kept flipping cards. He flicked some ice off of the table.

Finally, a huge hailstone the size of a man smashed into the arachnid’s head. With another screech it slipped off the side of the ship. Tranco put one hand at the far end of the table and his cards slid into his open palm as the ship righted itself.

Tranco sauntered over to the one of the trapdoors and sliced it open with his knife. Brother Egil poked his head out.

Beldin collapsed back onto the deck. The dwarf was purple from the poison and drenched in seawater. But he was still alive.

“You may want to help out the Milandisian,” Tranco said to Egil. “He’s been poisoned.”

Tranco turned to Yolanda, who was shivering from the sudden cold snap. “There, see? I helped.”

“You’re a real jerk,” she huffed off.

Tranco shrugged. “What can I say? I never make a bad bet.”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 7 – Soothsayer

It was the elorii’s turn to stand watch when she sounded the alarm. In the distance, two hundred yards off the starboard stern, a great geyser erupted from the ocean’s surface. At first it appeared to be a whale emitting air through its blowhole, but after a moment it became apparent that the phenomenon was all together different.

“What is that?” asked Vlad.

The jet of water rose thirty feet into the air, its source remaining hidden beneath the surface. The water was a majestic white plume and it sparkled as if motes of silver were contained in its stream.

“The Oracle of Osalian,” Ilmarė said in awe. “We must go to it.”

“Go to it?” Kham looked at the elorii sideways. “Didn’t you say before that you weren’t rowing out to any other islands?”

“This is different. The Oracle of Osalian has not appeared for hundreds of years. It is a sign of Osalian’s blessing that he has chosen to reveal its presence to me. I shall go alone.”

“Oh no you don’t,” said Kham. “I’m going with you.”

Beldin was already helping winch the rowboat down to the surface of the ocean. “We’re both going.”

They rowed out to the geyser. It stood immobile like a pillar, unwavering in its motion.

“Now what do we do?” asked Beldin.

”We must touch—“

But before Ilmarė could finish speaking, Kham dove into it…

The walls of the room were covered with mosaics depicting courtly scenes. The floor was polished marble. Two thrones sat atop a raised dais. At the east end of the room a red velvet carpet ran from the double doors to the thrones.

In his vision, Kham wore a white mask and a silken robe on which the Yellow Sign was embroidered. A woman, who Kham instinctively knew to be Cassilda, turned to look at him. She was the Queen of Carcosa Castle.

With a quick and violent motion, Cassilda plucked a torch from a sconce and hurled it from the balcony into the Lake. There was only starlight.

“I have not seen you! I have not seen you!”

“You echo you priest,” said the Stranger. “You are all blind and deaf—obviously by choice.”

“I…suppose it is too late to be afraid,” said Cassilda. “Well then; I am not.”

“Well spoken, Queen. There is in fact nothing to be afraid of."

“Please, phantom, no nonsense.” Cassilda pointed at his robes. “You wear the Sign.”

“How do you know that?” asked the Stranger. “You have never seen the Yellow Sign.”

“Oh, I know. The Sign is in the blood. That is why I…” he hesitated. “That is why I choose to abdicate to Aldones.”

Uncharacteristically, all the Stranger said was, “uh…”

Cassilda wasn’t following the script. This was all wrong. He had followed the ebb and flow of the play for countless months, maybe years, ever since he had ventured into Carcosa Castle and became trapped there. He lived it over and over.

But something was different. Cassilda had always chosen to marry Camilla, her daughter, to one of her own sons, either Thale or Uoht. Sebastian never discovered whom she chose; the King saw to that. Who was Aldones?

“No blood should have to carry such knowledge through a human heart,” continued Cassilda. “No children’s teeth so set on edge.”

The Stranger’s relief was palpable. They were back on track. “You face facts. That is a good beginning. Very well, then; yes, in fact, this is the Sign. Nevertheless, Cassilda—“

“Your Majesty—“

“—Cassilda, there is nothing to fear. You see how I wear it with impunity. Be reassured; it has no power left.”

“Is that…a truth?”

“It is the shadow cast by a truth. Nothing else is ever vouchsafed us, Queen Cassilda. That is why I am white: In order to survive such colored shadows. And the Pallid Mask protects me—as it will protect you.”

“How?” asked Cassilda.

“It deceives,” said the Stranger. “That is the function of a mask. What else?”

“You are not very full of straight answers.”

“There are no straight answers. But I tell you this: Anyone who wears the Pallid Mask need never fear the Yellow Sign. You tremble. All the same, my Queen, that era is over. Whatever else could you need to know? Now your Dynasty can start again; again there can be a king in Hastur; and again, Cassilda, the Black Stars can mount the sky once more against the Hyades. The mists can be lifted. Humankind can have its future back.”

The mists had surrounded the castle since the Stranger had entered the grounds. He tried several times to leave, but it would not let him. He experienced nightmarish visions of the King in Yellow, and the pain grew more intense with each passing second until he returned.

“So many dreams!”

“Only wear the Mask, and these are given,” said the Stranger. “There’s no other thing required of us.”

“Who tells me this?”

“I am called Sebastian.” That was new. He had never been able to say his own name.

“That is only Alaran for ‘stranger.’”

“And Aldones is only Hasturic for ‘father.’ What of that?” The words came out of the Stranger’s mouth but he didn’t know why he said them. Whoever Aldones was, he had altered the outcome of the play.

“Your facts are bitterer than your mysteries. And what will happen to you, Sebastian, you with the Yellow Sign on your bosom, when the Sign is sent for?”

“Nothing at all. What has Carcosa ever had to do with the human world, since you all lived in mud huts? The King in Yellow has other concerns, as is only supernatural. Once you don the Pallid Mask, he cannot even see you. Do you doubt me? You have only to look again for yourself across the Lake. Carcosa does not sit upon this world. It is, perhaps, not even real; or not so real as you and I. Certainly, the Living God does not believe it. Then why should you?”

“You are plausible, you in your ghost face. You talk as if you know the Living God. Do you also hear the Hyades sing in the evening of the world?”

“No,” the Stranger said shortly. “That is strictly the King’s business. It is of no earthly interest to me.”

Cassilda recovered a little of her aplomb. “I daresay. How can I trust any of these answers? Do we indeed have to do nothing more to be saved than don white masks? It sounds to me like a suspiciously easy answer.”

“Test it then.”

“And die? Thank you very much.”

“Not so fast,” said the Stranger. “I would not kill you, or myself.”

The Stranger had killed many outside the city, but he chose his victims in Carcosa Castle carefully. In all the incarnations, he had yet to kill the Queen, or indeed any of the key players. But the servants and guards were all fair game.

“I propose a masque, if you will pardon me the wordplay. All will wear exactly what they choose, except that all will also wear the Pallid Mask. I myself shall wear the Yellow Sign, just as I do now. When you are all convinced, the masks will be doffed; and then you may announce the Succession, all in perfect safety.”

“Oh, indeed. And then the King descends.”

“And if the King should then descend, we are all lost, and I have lost my bet. I have nothing to lose but my life. You have more. And if the King does not descend, what then? Think! The Yellow Sign denatured, human life suddenly charged with meaning, hope flowering everywhere, the Phantom of Truth laid forever, and the Dynasty free of all fear of Carcosa and whatever monsters live there, free of all fear of the King in Yellow and his tattered, smothering, inhuman robes!"

The moon rose slowly, contrary to the direction of sunset, and the stars faded, though they did not quite disappear.

“Oh Living God!” exclaimed Cassilda. “How would I dare to believe you?”

“You do not dare not to.“

Long waves of clouds began to pass over the surface of the Lake of Hali, which sighed and heaved. Spray rose. They stared at each other in a dawn and sunset of complicity and hatred.

“Why would I not dare?” challenged the Queen. “I who am Cassilda? I! I who am I?”

“Because, Cassilda, risk nothing, and you risk it all. That is the first law of rulership. And, too, because, Cassilda, in your ancient heart you love your children.”

“Oh, you are a demon! You have found me out.”

The Stranger laughed. He hadn’t laughed in previous versions of the play, but the Queen’s accusation was apt. She had never called him a demon before; but he most certainly was one, of that he was sure.

“That is what I came for. Very well. I shall see you tomorrow, after sunset. Wear the Mask, and all eyes will be opened, all ears unstopped. Good night, my Queen.”

“If you are human, you’ll regret this.”

“Utterly. And so, good night.”

Then Kham was out of the Oracle and back in the ship. He looked around, focusing on his companions.

Beldin and Ilmarė looked crestfallen.

“We saw nothing,” said Beldin. “What did you see?”

Kham rose to his feet, a new determination in his eyes. “Sebastian’s still alive.”

 

[talien]

Naoke: Part 8 – Needful Things

The lookout spotted an approach vessel. The ship flew the colors of Freeport.

“Looks like an unarmed merchant schooner,” said Baldric. “Crazy Bob! Flag her down!”

Crazy Bob used semaphore flags to contact the ship. In a few minutes, the two vessels were exchanging greetings and presently pulled abreast of each other. On the schooner’s hull were painted the words, “Jungle Scout”.

To their surprise, Aljandros Haddon stepped out onto the deck. He was a fabric merchant they had encountered on so many other occasions.

“Aljandros?” asked Kham. “You old dog, what are you doing out here?”

“My friend, is that you?” Aljandros seemed genuinely surprised. “It is! And you’re alive! That is wonderful!”

“How’s the family?” asked Vlad.

Aljandros turned serious. “They are with me, including my daughter.” He nodded back at the Jungle Scout. “It is no longer safe in Freeport these days for an aspiring merchant like myself.”

“We heard you had plans to join the Captain’s Council.”

“I did indeed. But then, with the dogs of war unleashed, you are either a politician or you are dead. So we venture out here, further away from the Hinterland pirate raids. Speaking of which, wasn’t this Cho Sun’s ship?”

“It was.” That was all Beldin said.

“What’s this about a war?” asked Ilmarė.

“During your absence, the mainland civil war has escalated considerably,” said Aljandros. “The Hinterlanders and the Entaris elorii are threatening the Captain’s Council in an attempt to force Freeport to pick a side and join the war. The time for playing both sides and profiteering is over.”

“Great,” said Kham. “Can’t wait to get back home.”

“But come, let us trade! I have much you would like, yes?”

They threw planks across the two ships to allow the crew to browse Aljandros’ wares.

Kham held up the crystal knife he found. “Ever seen this before?”

Aljandros took it from Kham. “Hmm. Yes, it is made of onium. It resembles iron in many ways, except that it is perfectly transparent. It’s found only in minute deposits. Where did you find it?”

Kham was disappointed. He took it back. “Never mind. I’m guessing you have some special cargo for special people. What have you got today?”

There was a twinkle in Aljandros’ eye. “Oh yes, yes. Come, come.” Vlad followed Kham below deck.

Aljandros showed them a dizzying variety of bizarre products. There was a special wood that was as strong as metal, and another kind of wood that dissolved when it came into contact with saltwater. There was an ample supply of Abyss Dust, a parrot that could memorize spells, and a crate of coconuts whose milk protected the drinker from the effects of heat and humidity.

He pulled out a bag. “But this, this is my most special item,” said Aljandros with his clipped accent.

Aljandros pulled out a shrunken organ in a small net. He let it dangle before Kham and Vlad for a moment.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” said Aljandros. “What is it?”

“This, my friends, is none other than a cannibal heart. The tcho-tchos trade them to me in exchange for spices and steel.”

“Tcho-tchos?” Kham frowned. “Forget it…”

“I have offended you? I meant no disrespect!”

Vlad smiled. “It’s just that tcho-tchos tried to kill us recently. Perhaps to make the cannibal hearts you’re purchasing from them.”

“Supply and demand is a cruel mistress, yes?” said Aljandros. “I will give these to you for my special price, twenty-five hundred doubloons.”

“What a rip-off.” Kham stomped out of the ship.

Vlad arrived a few minutes later, his purse lighter and something strange tucked into his belt pouch.