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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6829456" data-attributes="member: 9546">22 Arodus, 4716 - 9 Rova, 4716 - The Voyage of the FrosthamarACT 3: FIRE AXEWhen Elise Zadaria exited Cardinal Thorn's study, there was a distinctly sour expression on her face. When her gaze fell upon the members of the Nessian Knot standing outside the office she struggled visibly to wipe the expression away. That failed when she saw Kelvin's smirk. Scowling, she stalked down the stairs."The cardinal will see you know, dear ones," Tiadora said, motioning them through the door."Welcome, my children," Thorn said in a deep resonant voice that had an almost inhuman quality to it. "Training is at an end. You have proven yourselves worthy. Now it is time for you to use that training and take your first mission. Your mission is war, my apprentices. You will bring war to Talingarde. You have two objectives. First, you will see a shipment of munitions delivered to a bugbear chieftain named Sakkarot Fire-Axe. He makes his camp on the northern coast of Lake Tarik beyond the Watch Wall. With this shipment, the Fire-Axe will have resources enough to unite the barbarous humanoid tribes of the north and light the fire of war. Sitting on the dock as we speak is the longship Frosthamar, captained by Kargeld Odenkirk. Tomorrow, when the ship is resupplied, it will be your transport. The captain is a ruthless mercenary and not to be trusted. He knows nothing of the specifics of our mission and you should keep it that way. He knows he is smuggling cargo to the north beyond the Watch Wall. That is all he need know. Once the cargo is safely delivered, he will take you south across the lake under cover of darkness and land you near the town of Aldencross. There our contract with Captain Odenkirk will be concluded. It is a shame how greedy he has proven. I had hoped to let the captain serve me again, but it seems he is too much of a liability. Kill him. Kill his crew. Burn his ship and leave no survivors. It is crucial that no one suspect our involvement and that loose ends are taken care of. Be sure to reclaim the coin I gave him. Best not to be wasteful. That done, you will begin your second task. We will do more still to aid our ally the Fire-Axe. The bugbears are mighty warriors but poor siege engineers. You will infiltrate the tower Balentyne, keystone of the Watch Wall, kill its commander and open the gate for Sakkarot's horde. Once the shaggy monstrosities pierce the Watch Wall, the bugbears will pillage and lay waste to the townships of the north, and the local garrisons will have no choice but to meet the Fire-Axe in the open field. Sakkarot is the most brilliant, gifted and murderous bugbear of his generation. I expect these battles will go poorly for the knights and yeoman of fair Talingarde. Do all of this and then when your task is done, break this clay seal."He handed them a delicately carved clay seal adorned with a tangled knot of thorns surrounding the holy symbol of Asmodeus."I will have more instructions then. Succeed and I will see you rewarded handsomely. Fail or betray me and you will pray for the comfort of Hell before I am done with you. The mission you start upon today is a holy mission. The people of Talingarde think they have seen the last of the mighty Asmodeus. Soon enough we will remind them that there is no escaping the grasp of Hell. Let us toast our success!"He poured one glass of deep red wine for each member of the knot and then finally poured one for himself. He raised the glass and offered a toast."To war."___________________________________________________________________"What a happy coincidence and good fortune for us that this tower Balentyne just happens to be Timeon's home post!" Dakota beamed as she and Tardaesha packed their belongings for the trip."Asmodeus works in mysterious ways," her twin returned her smile. "That boy is a true treasure. Have you already sent him on his way?""He departed last night," Dakota nodded. "He will wait for us to contact him.""Well done, little sister," Tardaesha slapped Dakota on the rump. "Now, let's talk about plans for this little voyage."_____________________________________________________________________The Frosthamar was a single-masted knarr with a square sail. It was similar to a longship, but wider and with a deeper hull better suited to carrying cargo, and the Frosthamar was obviously loaded with cargo. She sat heavy in the water, loaded with twenty-four tons of weaponry, arrows and shields, according to Tiadora. The captain was a grizzled north-man with a wiry beard, pale blonde hair and countless scars. His crew consisted of a half-dozen grim sailors who spoke little of the common Talirean tongue."You will guard our boat all the way north, yes?" Odenkirk asked as the members of the Knot boarded."That's correct," Kelvin replied."Then I will take you to the cursed north past hope and life," the captain grunted. "Oh, you are quite the charmer, aren't you?" Tardaesha asked with a teasing smile as she let her fingers linger on Odenkirk's chest when she walked by.Odenkirk watched her go with an appreciative stare, then grunted again, a half smile concealed by his beard.________________________________________________________________________The Frosthamar was a fine ship, but not one that catered to delicate sensibilities. It had no cabins, so the passengers had to sleep under the stars with the rest of the crew. There were no garderobes nor chamber pots. The crew simply relieved themselves over the railing. Tardaesha and Dakota had no problem with such exhibitionism, taking great delight in the leers of the sailors. Katarina was a bit more modest, requiring either Dorian of Kelvin to stand in front of her whenever nature called. It took half a day for the Frosthamar to sail down the Varnyn River and out into the open ocean. It hugged the coast, and passed countless farming communities and fishing villages along the shore. More than a few fishermen waved as the vessel passed, and Odenkirk was always sure to wave back. "Wouldn't want'em to get suspicious, eh?" he said with a glower. He informed his guests that it would take the better part of a week before they saw the great city of Daveryn, the largest center of civilization along the east coast, off their port bow. He quickly squashed any talk of stopping there, however."This is no pleasure cruise," he growled. "Besides, I won't get our cargo within a mile of a Talirean harbormaster."It was during that first week of sailing that Tardaesha took it upon herself to get to know the captain a bit better. It just so happened that she spoke Skald, the native tongue of Odenkirk and his crew, and this alone would have gotten the northman's attention, even if the lady's ample physical attributes hadn't. It wasn't long before she and the captain started disappearing below deck when all was quiet above. There, in the cramped confines of the overstuffed hold, Tardaesha taught a few new tricks to a man who thought he new just about everything there was to know about the doings between men and women. Not long after that, Dakota joined them, and though the younger sister had taken a technical vow of chastity, saving herself for the "right" man, that didn't stop her from teaching Odenkirk a few tricks of her own. Soon, the sisters learned of a private stash of whiskey that he kept for himself, as well as the location of the payroll box that he kept for his men. Good, honest work on their part._______________________________________________________________When they were perhaps a day past Daveryn, about the time they were passing the Watch Wall, the crew and passengers of the Frosthamar ran into their first bit of trouble in the form of a Talirean patrol ship. 'The Blade of St. Martius,' was emblazoned along the ship's prow, and its course carried it towards a direct intercept of the larger vessel. "She's seen us, sure as damnation," Odenkirk snarled. "And there is no way we'll outrun her loaded like this. One look at our cargo and they'll know us for exactly what we are...weapon smugglers.""What do you suggest?" Tardaesha asked, one hand absently rubbing the back of the captain's neck."I'll be damned if they're taking my ship," Odenkirk snapped. "I say we heave to, wait for them to board, then kill them all.""I like it," Tardaesha nodded. "And it may come to that, but I'd like to suggest an alternative. Allow my sister and me to try a more diplomatic approach first. You know how charming we can be. If that fails, then plan B goes into effect."When the Talirean ship drew close enough, the sailors began shouting."Heave to in the name of the king!"Odenkirk complied, and the captain of the other ship, along with four of his men, boarded the Frosthamar once they'd come alongside. "I am Captain Edward Sambryl of the Royal Talirean Navy," the commander said brusquely. "Who is in charge here?""That'd be me," Odenkirk stepped forward and introduced himself."Your ship is riding quite low in the water, Captain," Sambryl said. "You are also a foreign vessel well north of civilized lands. Do you mind telling me what your cargo is, and where are you bound?"Tardaesha took that moment to step forward. She had used the magic of her circlet to turn her hair almost white blonde, and her eyes deep blue. She had also altered her attire to that of a priestess of Iomedae. Beside her, Dakota had likewise changed her appearance, save that her hair was now dark, and her eyes darker. Her clothing identified her as an inquisitor of Iomedae's church. The other members of the Knot had disguised themselves as more of Odenkirk's sailors."Captain," Tardaesha said, addressing the Talirean as if speaking to an underling, "what is the meaning of this? I am Sister Katlyn, and this is Sister Ellise. We are on a holy mission for the church, delivering much-needed supplies to whaling colony up the coast."Sambryl eyed her dubiously. "I find that hard to believe, Sister," he replied. "Why would the church be involved in something so trivial?"Dakota's eyes flared. "You dare to question an anointed member of the clergy!? Do not presume to speak on matters that do not concern you! There are missionaries stranded at that colony, and every day we are delayed means a chance that one or more of them may not survive! Perhaps you would like to explain to the Bishop in person why you allowed his favorite nephew to perish from privation and frost bite!?"Sembryl's face paled visibly beneath Dakota's withering stare. "I...I...apologize, Sisters," he bowed. "It's just that these waters are known to be frequented by smugglers and pirates, w...which you clearly are not! Please give the Bishop my regards, and be on your way."He quickly gathered his men and boarded his ship. They detached from the Frosthamar and began to pull away. Odenkirk smiled broadly and smacked Dakota on her backside. "Well done, 'Sister,'" he said, eyeing her appreciatively. "Remind me to thank you personally later on."_______________________________________________________________Dark had been Nerianus' dreams of late. A haunted triton oracle of Iomedae, Nerianus had always been regarded as mad by his tribe. He had foreseen that a great evil was coming, and had become convinced that only he could stop it. He gathered a small group of believers and their dolphin allies, and in the dead of night, moved to intercept the strange ship sailing their waters.________________________________________________________________Lemmy was freezing. To make matters worse, he was freezing on the deck of a ship! A ship that floated on water! A trifecta of bad luck on his part. He prowled the boat, grumbling to himself. Every night the captain anchored the Frosthamar, likely so he could spend more time fornicating with the Dannister wenches, Lemmy though darkly. So every night watch detail had to be shared. It was currently his and Roger's duty, along with the three sailors who tended the needs of the ship, alternating the work with their comrades after midnight. At least he had Roger to keep him company and swap war stories to pass the tedium of the long hours. The dwarf didn't know what on earth they were keeping watch for. It was black as pitch out there. Not like they would actually be able to see anything coming....A scream sounded from behind him. Lemmy spun around, and froze in place, not quite grasping what he was seeing. One of the formerly sleeping sailors writhed on the deck, clutching one arm which hung at an odd angle. Looming over him was, for lack any better description, what appeared to be an animate column of water about the size of a donkey. As Lemmy stood staring, another of the...things...appeared as if out of thin air, right next to one of the sailors on watch. It surged towards the man, ramming into him and bull-rushing him towards the railing. Just then, a high-pitched whining sound went past Lemmy's ear, followed by a hollow thunk. He looked, and saw a quarrel protruding from the mast. More confused than ever, he turned back towards the railing, and in the water below saw several figures swimming about. There were a couple of ship fish leaping into the air, squealing and clicking as they breached. The other individuals were scaly, finned humanoids with athletic builds and blue green coloration. As they ducked and surfaced in the water, Lemmy could see that their legs ended in wide flippers rather than feet. Four of them held heavy crossbows, while a fifth grasped some sort of three-pronged spear. Lemmy didn't know what in the Hells he was looking at, nor did he much care. He flung out one hand and sent a bombardment of rocks at the nearest creature in the water, then began shouting at the top of his lungs to wake the others. _________________________________________________________________"Did you hear something?" Dakota asked sleepily, raising her head from Odenkirk's bare chest and looking across at her sister."Sounds like that loud-mouthed dwarf shouting about something," Tardaesha yawned, disentangling herself from the still-snoring captain. "Wakey, wakey, lover," she slapped his face gently. "I think we've got trouble."___________________________________________________________________Lemmy whirled and sent another geokinetic blast at the water creature trying to force the sailor over the side. At that moment, Dorian woke with a start and leaped to his feet, still sleep-addled."What's going on?" he asked blearily."Get down!" Lemmy warned, but it came too late.With a twang from the water, a crossbow quarrel sprouted from the priest's shoulder, spinning him around. Across the deck, the second water-thing continued to rain blows down upon the still supine sailor with the broken arm. Kelvin lay with his eyes open, having heard Lemmy's warning. He rolled to his belly and spoke an incantation. Three glowing missiles streaked towards the elemental (for the wizard had quickly deduced what they were facing) Lemmy had bombarded, and as they struck the creature, it abruptly vanished. 'Summoned,' Kelvin thought to himself. 'Now where is the summoner?'He didn't have a chance to find out, as another elemental appeared right next to him and, using one stubby, rudimentary arm, punched him in the stomach...hard. The other sleeping sailors were rousing from their sleep, but as they rolled to their feet, the elementals smashed into them, leaving one staggering around like a drunkard. To make matters worse, more elementals continue to pop into existence around the deck, resulting in a chaotic melee from bow to stern of the Frosthamar. Suddenly, the hatch to the hold flew open and Captain Odenkirk emerged, naked as the day he was born, frothing at the mouth, and gripping a massive great-axe with both hands. He was closely followed by Tardaesha and Dakota, both clad in little more than their small clothes, but with weapons drawn."GET OFF MY SHIP!!" Odenkirk bellowed.Heedless of his lack of any proper defenses, he waded out into the fray, swinging his axe like a mad man. Each time he connected, however, he completely obliterated an elemental. "Well there's somethin' ya don't see every day," Lemmy grumbled to Roger."Let's just hope the ladies have him softened up a bit when it comes time to tie up loose ends," Roger replied. Then they were moving again, trying to avoid being bowled overboard by the elementals, while at the same time dodging the crossbow bolts that continue whizzing through the air. Meanwhile, Katarina rushed to assist Kelvin, who was still on the ground, his arms held protectively over his head as he tried in vain to ward off the blows of the elemental assaulting him. As the creature turned towards the new threat, Kelvin finally managed to roll to his feet and staggered towards Dorian. "Let me guess," the priest said, glancing over at his brother, "you need me to heal you. Is that all you think I'm good for?""Just shut up and get to it," Kelvin snarled through blood-frothed lips, not in the mood for his sibling's jokes.Dorian drew his bone wand and tapped the wizard, beginning the infernal healing process."Try not to get hit again," he chided.Kelvin just glared at him, and then began looking around at the fracas, trying to find Lemmy. "Lemmy!" he called when he'd spotted the dwarf. "There's a summoner out there somewhere! See if you can find him and put a stop to this!"Lemmy nodded and made his way back towards the rail, suffering a glancing blow from an elemental as he passed. He saw the fish men still swimming about, but noticed that four of them were surrounding the one with the pitchfork in a protective circle."There ya are," he grinned. "I gotcha now!"He pointed towards the leader, and unleashed a blast. Nerianus recoiled in shock and pain as the fist-sized rocks pelted him. His followers returned fire at the dwarf, while the oracle began a prayer of sanctuary, designed to shield him from the mind's of his foes. Before he could complete the chant, however, a flash of light from the deck of the ship caught his eye a split-second before three bolts of energy struck his chest, burning and bruising his flesh. Worse, they broke his concentration, and the prayer was gone, wasted. Kelvin grinned in triumph when he saw the effect his magic missiles had on the triton. While he was still disoriented, the young mage sent another salvo at him. This time the bolts struck the triton's head, and he went limp and sank beneath the waves. The other tritons looked stricken. They glanced hesitantly at the ship, and then caught their dolphins by their dorsals and dove under water."They're leaving!" Kelvin called over his shoulder to his comrades."These little bastards aren't!" Odenkirk shouted.He destroyed another elemental that had Tardaesha backed into a corner, then Roger put an end to one that was sneaking up behind the captain while his back was turned. Gradually, the tide continued to turn in their favor. Even the sailors were able to take down one of the elementals by ganging up on it. Finally, the last one winked out of existence as Dorian channelled negative energy through its body."Who was on watch!?" Odenkirk raged once the deck was clear. "I'll have him keelhauled!""Yer welcome to try," Lemmy snarled back, clenching his fists, Roger at his back."There is no one to blame here," Kelvin interjected diplomatically. "These were summoned creatures. Their summoners were tritons. They live underwater and so were able to approach unseen and then conjure their minions directly in our midst, although why such creatures would take issue with us is a mystery. They are generally goodly individuals who are not known to waylay travelers.""Well, whatever their reason, they failed and it's over now," Tardaesha said, taking Odenkirk's hand and leading him back towards the hold. "I'm sure this will all seem like a bad dream in the morning."__________________________________________________________________"We're a little light on fresh water, I think," Odenkirk said, scratching his beard idly. He was standing at the bow with Tardaesha by his side, gazing at the nearby coast. "We're passing Seal Isle and there's a stream that feeds into the bay there. We'll take on water there. I'll send a party to shore. Of course that means we'll spend a day in some of the richest fur seal hunting grounds all along this coast. I'm thinking of organizing a hunting expedition. Interested?"Tardaesha glanced sidelong at him."My brother Dorian is a priest," she said. "With his prayers, he can create fresh water at will. I see no need to waste any more time."Odenkirk's face turned beet red. "Dammit woman!" he snapped, turning on her. "You may have your uses and talents, but this is my godsdamned boat, and I'll do whatever I damned well please!"He stomped off across the deck, his men staring after him. Tardaesha continued to stare out at the sea, a faint smile playing across her lips."We'll see," she murmured.It took half the day more of sailing to reach the isle's harbor, but even as they drew close, the amount of seals they saw frolicking in the waves was astounding. Odenkirk lowered anchor and sent a dingy ashore with a couple of sailors. He and two other sailors then boarded a second dingy."If any of you are want to come along, there's one more dingy," he said."I think Dakota and I will stay here," Tardaesha smiled. "Salt water is terrible for our hair.""I'm stayin' too," Lemmy growled. "A big boat's bad enough. Ain't no way I'm gettin' on a smaller one."Kelvin, Roger, Dorian and Kat, however, seemed eager to join the hunt. They piled into the last boat and began rowing after the captain."I hope you know," Tardaesha said, speaking Skald as she turned to one of the remaining sailors, "that your captain is raping my sister and I every night. He says if we don't allow it, he'll have us thrown overboard. This is the kind of man you serve."The sailor just shrugged."You're salt wives," he said. "Cap'n can do what he wants, long as he pays in gold."He went about his business."So much for a mutiny," Tardaesha whispered to her sister.___________________________________________________________________Dorian had to admit, he was actually enjoying himself. A bit of a sadist at heart, he took pleasure in clubbing the seals who, out of curiosity, swam up alongside the dingy. So far he and his crew had managed to take five of them. Not a bad haul considering Odenkirk's band had only killed two. He felt a bump underneath the hull of the boat."Looks like we have another one," he said gleefully.The bump came again, but this time it was much more forceful, rocking the dingy violently from side to side. "Seems like a big one," Roger said. "Brace yourselves. I think its breaching."Something surfaced, alright, but it was no seal. Instead it looked to be a disturbing combination of seal and shark, with brown fur and a wide mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. It came up right under the boat, heaving it into the air on its broad back, and capsizing it. Roger and the Dannisters went flying into the surf. Dorian landed near the overturned boat and was able to grab the keel and hang on. Kelvin and Roger fell nearby, but still close enough to swim and grab on as well. Only Kat was not so fortunate, and even worse for her, she was a poor swimmer. An errant wave crashed into her as she struggled to tread water, causing her to gag and choke, her head dipping beneath the surface. That's when she saw the creature that had rammed them circling below her. Suddenly, it surged upwards, it's jaws gaping, and clamped onto Kat's leg. It took everything she had not to scream underwater and lose what precious little breath was still in her lungs. She drew her dagger from her belt and began stabbing madly at the beast, hoping it would at least let her go."You see that!?" Lemmy shouted, pointing out at the capsized dingy."I see it," Tardaesha said, her lips tight. "Didn't you ask Tiadora to procure a flying elixir for you?""Yeah," Lemmy said, "but I was savin' it case I ended up in the drink.""I'll owe you," Tardaesha snapped. "Give it to me."Reluctantly, the dwarf did, and she quickly upended it, quaffing the bitter drink. Concentrating, she rose into the air, and after a moment to get her bearings, soared out over the waves towards her siblings and Roger.Kelvin saw blood frothing in the water and violent thrashing at the spot where Kat had gone under. Cursing, he used his free hand to cast a spell, conjuring a glowing orb of electricity, which he then directed towards the back of the sea creature as it tossed and rolled. When the orb stuck, blue lightning crackled across the monster, and it released Kat, wheeling away to consider another pass. She tried to struggle to the surface, but she was bleeding profusely, and her leg wouldn't quite do what she wanted it to. She glanced below and saw the predator coming towards her again. She slashed down with her dagger, desperately trying to keep it at bay. It flinched but didn't back off that time. It opened its maw again and rushed her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable, but suddenly, she felt herself being lifted. She felt hands beneath her armpits, and her eyes popped open. She turned her head and saw Tardaesha behind her. The monster was swimming after them, not wanting to let its prey escape. Her sister extended one hand and a flash of black energy leaped towards the beast. It roared and veered off. Then they were out of the water, rising up into the air."No!" Kat cried. "Put me down! The others are still back there! We can't leave them!""Be still!" Tardaesha snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, you're bleeding to death! I'm getting you to safety then I'll go back for them!"Directly below, Kat saw Odenkirk's boat, headed towards the overturned dingy. Tardaesha swept in low and dropped Kat into the boat, then turned and flew back towards Roger and her brothers.Roger watched Kat and Tardaesha fly away with mixed feelings. He was glad Katarina wasn't dead, but he resented being abandoned. He looked around, trying to spot the beast beneath them. He needn't have bothered. The creature surfaced, it's mouth wide, and raked its fangs across his chest. Luckily, his mail held, but the sheer force of the bite felt like it may have cracked a rib. Kelvin, thinking quickly, called his electrical orb back to the surface and sent it at the beast again. It screeched in pain, then rolled on its back, floating limply. Roger quickly scrambled atop the hull of the boat and pulled Dorian up behind him. Kelvin moved to follow, but something grabbed him around the waist. He didn't even have time to register the pain as he was shaken violently from side to side, seized in the jaws of another of the beasts like a salmon snapping up a dragonfly. "No!" Roger shouted.He fumbled his sword from its sheath and slashed down at the creature, opening a huge rent in its blubbery hide. Then, he heard a sharp swishing sound, and an arrow miraculously sprouted from the thing's back. Roger looked up and saw, well over a hundred feet in the distance, Dakota standing at the rail of the Frosthamar, her bow in hand. Next to her was Lemmy, his hands outstretched. Unbelievably, rocks flew out of his hands, covering the incredible distance like they were flung from a trebuchet. They pelted the creature with tremendous force, and it reared back, preparing to dive again. Before it had the chance, however, Roger gripped the hilt of his sword in both hands and drove the blade straight down through the top of its skull. It went limp and heaved over, nearly tearing the half-orc's weapon from his hands.________________________________________________________________While the sailors righted the overturned dingy, Odenkirk helped Roger and Tardaesha bring Kelvin aboard his boat, where Dorian set about tending his wounds as well as Kat's."Never thought there'd be bunyips in these waters," the captain mused, staring at the floating corpses.Tardaesha glared at him. "Do you have what you came here for?" she asked tightly.Odenkirk smiled at her."Now, now, don't be mad, sweetheart. No permanent harm done. Your people are alive, and we bagged over three-hundred gold worth of seal pelts. Not a bad day's work if you ask me. I think we'll spend a couple more days here."Tardaesha stared for a moment more, then nodded once before turning back to her siblings. 'Just a little longer,' she told herself. 'Then we'll really see what a good day's work looks like.'</blockquote>

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