Iron Heroes - Dark Harbor

[Iron Captain]

Subotai smiles at Damien's last words. He gets up and leans on the side of the ship looking out into the dark night to see if he can already catch a glimpse of the towers.

For the rest of the evening he will see if he can coax any of the others into playing dice with him perhaps earning a copper coin or two.

He'll try and get some early sleep. The unfamiliar voyage across the ocean has made him quite tired and he wants to be rested for their arrival at the towers.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Grendel politely refuses Subotai's offer of a game of dice. The only thing worse than finding out that he had bad luck was confirming it and giving rise to the thought that he would continue to have bad luck in the future. Not worth it, all things considered. He settles in a comfortable spot on deck and watches the stars until he falls asleep.

 

[Ambrus]

Being the outgoing sort, Damien spends the better part of the day chatting alternatively with his own companions, the new passengers, the Captain, his first mate or the other sailors. The young sage manages to ingratiate himself with the strangers and keep most people talking by asking them simple questions about themselves and then allowing the conversation to flow naturally. By the end of the day, he's managed to get a better idea of what each person is about.

Damien stands at the prow taking in the sight silently when the sun begins to sink into the sea and the drowning towers and barges come into view. As a clerk he'd sailed out to the barges a few times before, working on the Excise House's behalf to tally the loot plundered by others. He'd never had to venture into the towers themselves though. What have I gotten myself into?...

Late into the evening, as the Take a Chance sways gently at anchor, Damien softly serenades the resting sailors, adventurers and towers guards with his flute. The sound carries far across the still waters until the young sage finally falls asleep himself.[Sblock=OOC]EH, has Damien had any luck with his political mastermind feat, gaining manipulation tokens against the sailors, first mate or Covis?[/sblock]

 

[Erekose13]

After a time, Ghuntomas opens up a bit to the new comers, sharing minor pleasantries and speaking little of himself. It'll take time for him to trust them even as much as Damien and Grendel. For the most part he sits by the rail, staring out into sea; the face of his son's murderer fixed firmly in mind.

 

[ByteRynn]

Bendis sticks around the other adventurers, looking on, laughing at the story, but says very little most of the next night. After a while, he takes out one of his shortswords and begins sharpening.

 

[Dalamar]

Listening in on the conversation about the dangers of the Towers, one of the sailors comments on it.
"It's quite possible to run into both riches and traps in the Towers even in this day. A single expedition usually clears just one or two, maybe three, floors in a given Tower even though some of the tallest ones have even more than ten floors over the water, so a given Tower can support over three expeditions before running dry, if you pardon the play on words."

The night proves uneventful, and in the morning Take a Chance gets to the fortress rafts. Tower guards enter the keelboat and go through all of the items onboard, including everybody's possessions. After the thorough inspection, you are on your way towards your first foray into the famous Drowning Towers. The boat passes a couple of the imposing buildings, heading deeper into the area.
"If nothing strange comes across, we should reach the Tower I have in mind in half an hour at most," Covis informs his now-numbering-five passengers, "I suggest you do a last minute check on your equipment."

Damien earns one manipulation token on Covis (you had to spend one to succeed on the check, so net gain of one). He also gains two each on two different crew members, one of them the newcomer of the bunch.

 

[Erekose13]

Ghuntomas does as Covis suggests and checks all his stuff. With nothing amiss, he is ready as always to face the dangers that he can see. In his mind he hopes that he will find his son's murderer somewhere in these cursed towers.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Grendel grabs his pack and the rope, carefully tying the grapple on to it. He looks as Ghuntomas and Damien and nods. Turning to Bendis and Subotai, the scarred sailor grins grimly. "Ready, lads?"

 

[ByteRynn]

Bendis hitches up his stuff, and checks to be sure both of his blades are secure.

"Ready then."

 

[Ambrus]

During the official inspection of the Take a Chance, Damien will cooperate fully while remaining unobtrusive and vigilant. He's careful to note which guards board the ship, how the search is conducted, what is searched, what is found and how it is all tallied. The young clerk with the prodigious intellect keeps his own mental record of every valuable object the guards make note of.

Damien returns Grendel's nod silently. The young sage's preparations simply involve rolling and stowing his bedroll, standing up and slinging his mariner's bag across his back. Turning to face the towers looming ever larger ahead, Damien runs his hands down his sides to straighten his clothes. Nervously brushing his hair back allows him to run his fingers over the pommel of the dagger he wears concealed beneath his leather jerkin between his shoulder blades. Closing his eyes, the young arcanist clears his mind and turns his attention to the eldritch forces pervading the area. Unseen by any, reality twists itself into and out of a knot shape in his closed left hand.