Reckonings: Umberlee's Belly

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Cortez aboard the Pirate's Bane
Day 5, 8:00 PM

See the new thread regarding the conversation out at the lifeboat. I'm declaring passage of time equal to an hour and a half, which puts us at eight o' clock. During that hour and a half, the following things will happen, unless people object or interfere:

* Peregrine departs in favor of his other charges.

* Ciera reestablishes her network with all the PC's, captains, and flagmen, and casts foresight again. This puts her spells left down to 0/0/1/1/4/7/7/4/2/2.

* Anders and Sariel find some potentially useful spells in Ashkar's library. See the overlook.

* Ciera and others expand on the lexicon of the complex Saragossan slang. Details on the overlook.

* First Mate Uraun Selagin continues working on the map, with occasional input from Toby.

* Toby, Anders, Duke Arbrund and Wolffe prepare the Serpent for Harrin's arrival. They put the wheel in irons and give the keys to Cortez, so that even if Harrin dominates everyone aboard, the Serpent can't be stolen without Harrin first facing down Cortez. They distribute a password in case Harrin possesses anyone, and make cheesecloth blindfolds for the marines so they can see Harrin's outline without making eye contact.

* Moriarun scries: Prince Dhardos has arrived! "He's a little sick," Moriarun reports, "but some food from Arcadius' magical table wiped it out right away. I didn't know this magical food heals disease; we should figure out a way to get some to the Bane!"

* Kinketsu reports to Ciera that he saw a ghost that looked like Balin, waving to him in the crew quarters of the Pirate's Bane.

[The Giamarga]

OOC:

* Ciera reestablishes her network with all the PC's, captains, and flagmen, and casts foresight again. This puts her spells left down to 0/0/1/1/4/7/7/4/2/2.

Do you use the quite natural houserule of bonus cantrips by Int? (I.e. you extrapolate the bonus spells rule to apply to cantrips too.)

* Anders and Sariel find some potentially useful spells in Ashkar's library. See the

... other thread?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

OOC:

* Ciera reestablishes her network with all the PC's, captains, and flagmen, and casts foresight again. This puts her spells left down to 0/0/1/1/4/7/7/4/2/2.

Do you use the quite natural houserule of bonus cantrips by Int? (I.e. you extrapolate the bonus spells rule to apply to cantrips too.)

No, but that wouldn't help much; she's already burned higher-level spells to cast message.

* Anders and Sariel find some potentially useful spells in Ashkar's library. See the

... other thread?

Fixed it, thanks!

[Nathan of the FoS]

* Ciera reestablishes her network with all the PC's, captains, and flagmen, and casts foresight again. This puts her spells left down to 0/0/1/1/4/7/7/4/2/2.

Does this include Peregrine?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Yes, she can maintain the link through a scrying field.

[LostVoices]

Ciera wrinkles her nose at the question of her age. Shrugging her shoulders at length with an unreadable expression. "The magic that brought me to this time in my life is both powerul and dangerous, even on my own plane, but it was wrought before we came here. If anything it may be more real now than before. I am glad of it, I.. have need of a child's eyes for this task."

Smoothing her dress with tiny fingers she brightens again. "It is working, at least so far. Perhaps if we return home safely I will be able to live a new life. I'm not so tired that the thought of being a young woman again doesn't have it's appeal."

[Nathan of the FoS]

Ciera wrinkles her nose at the question of her age. Shrugging her shoulders at length with an unreadable expression. "The magic that brought me to this time in my life is both powerul and dangerous, even on my own plane, but it was wrought before we came here. If anything it may be more real now than before. I am glad of it, I.. have need of a child's eyes for this task."

Peregrine asks, "But could another duplicate this magic to disguise himself?

Smoothing her dress with tiny fingers she brightens again. "It is working, at least so far. Perhaps if we return home safely I will be able to live a new life. I'm not so tired that the thought of being a young woman again doesn't have it's appeal."

Peregrine seems to be about to say something in response to this, then (apparently) thinks better of it and asks, "You are outlanders--do you really expect to be able to return to the Misty Border?"

OOC: Should we put this bit in the "Cortez' Lifeboat" thread?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Probably. This thread has now moved ahead to 8:00, so things will get very confusing if we have a 6:30 conversation and an 8:05 fight going on at the same time. Not to say you'll be fighting at 8:05, but...

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Peregrine returns to the Liberte
Day 5, 7:00 PM

After what seemed like twice as long as the other trip had taken, Peregrine arrived on the Liberte, trailed by Ciera's scrying sensor. Jethlil stood in the light of a lantern, a sword in either hand, his posture daring anything in the darkness to show itself. Rast remained hidden, covering Jethlil from within the shadowy shelter of the sterncastle stairwell. What meager sleep the others had caught had lasted them this far.

Jethlil snapped to a salute as the Grand Inquisitor solidified on the deck. His face held mostly the same detached stoicness as before, but he seemed to have fallen into a soldiering routine that gave him some comfort, or at least some sense of order. He regarded Peregrine with respect and trepidation, as one might a stern commanding officer, and Peregrine was reminded once again of Tau Company.

Knowing that Peregrine can see him even in the dark, Rast gave the Inquisitor a two-finger wave and returned to lookout, confident the Inquisitor would clue him in if he needed to be told anything. Likewise, Jethlil went back to his post without a word. All around them the sleeping forms of cannibals and marines gave an eerie ambiance to the situation, as if they were all in a nursery and feared to speak for waking the children.

[I've got nothing specifically on the Liberte for several hours or more. Talk to them if you want, otherwise the next thing here is around 7:45, when Moriarun scries to tell Peregrine that Marta is "getting out of sorts."]

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Invictus Guarding Draga
Day 5, 8:00 PM

From his post below the lifeboat-cell, Invictus hears the sonorous tones of conversation between sea devils. Their speech is intended to carry far underwater, but Invictus is still too far away. If he closes in so that his magical helmet can interpret, he'll risk leaving Cortez alone, but then again, this conversation might be worth the trouble of eavesdropping.

[Invictus would have to travel about a hundred yards to hear the conversation clearly.]

[Nathan of the FoS]

Peregrine returns to the Liberte

Day 5, 7:00 PM
Jethlil snapped to a salute as the Grand Inquisitor solidified on the deck. His face held mostly the same detached stoicness as before, but he seemed to have fallen into a soldiering routine that gave him some comfort, or at least some sense of order. He regarded Peregrine with respect and trepidation, as one might a stern commanding officer, and Peregrine was reminded once again of Tau Company.

Peregrine returns the salute, noting the return of something like discipline to Jethlil's demeanor with approval. Casting a glance around the deck, he takes in Rast's wave and responds in kind. After a moment's thought he motions the two over and shows them the scrying sensor, speaking to it in a low voice calculated not to rouse a sleeper.

"These worthies are Jethlil, in service to your king, and Rast Tellwith, able-bodied seaman from the Rogue's Wake," Peregrine says, pointing to each. "If I am called away from the ship for some reason, please keep your attention here; or, if it is possible, please create another sensorium for this location while this one accompanies me."

To the two men Peregrine explains, "There is a great sorceress, Ciera, observing the several parts of our company through this teleophthalamos, and I wish her to be informed of our situation here in the event that we need to communicate with the main body of the company, which at present is some ten miles west of us*. If I am called away please inform your fellows of its presence at the changing of the watch. Have you anything to report?"

*Is this distance and bearing reasonably accurate?

[Fuzzball]

Invictus

Invictus looks at the bottom of the lifeboat then down into the darkness. No one had told him to stay put, and Tessius would want him to investigate.

He floated a bit away then turned back uncertainly. ...but would Cortez prefer his protection to the information that might be gathered... It occurred to Invictus that Cortez and Tessius might not be as different from one another as he had at first believed. He shook the thought away and continued toward the sound. It should only take a moment...

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Invictus Spying on the Sahuagin
Day 5, 8:05 PM

The singsong call is a formal summons: the local baron and some of his men have been challenged, and the dispute will be resolved through a series of contests. As befits bloodthirsty sahuagin, the contests will feature assaults on air-dwellers by two teams of elite sea-devils, representing the current baron and the contender. The baron whose team takes the most prisoners will be declared master of Sekolah's Larder, and the loser and his retinue will seek another home in the Mists. The current baron and his retinue are going first, as is their right.

Details of the dispute are not included in the formal summons, but Invictus finds a pair of sahuagin eagerly discussing the issue.

"But why now? Kalexis has sown the Larder thrice over with his sly innuendos, and Ch'lect chooses now to sieze on one of them as a challenge?"

"To those who see clearly, it is the best of times. Kalexis cannot refuse, lest he lose his chance forever, and with what Ch'lect has learned of the merchant's plans, he'll have his fill of offerings."

"The merchant--since when do we follows orders from a dead human?"

"We're not following his orders. Waiting for him to draw their attention is simply prudent. Using their weapon was approved of by the Great Shark--and Sekolah. The timing is Ch'lect's to choose, and that's what makes him so shrewd."

"Agreed. It will be a welcome sight to see Kalexis and his oafs flee into the Mists. The Larder belongs to the favored."

"To the favored the Larder belongs."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Peregrine on the Liberte
Day 5, 7:05 PM

Rast and Jethlil accept the introduction of Ciera with a small measure of happiness, grateful at least to have more allies in this accursed place. Rast has nothing further to report, but Jethlil has a small request:

"Moriarun has, no doubt, informed you of the safe return of Prince Dhardos. I'm still sworn to protect the royal family, and I'd like to continue doing so even...especially if he's all that's left. At the very least, I think he needs to know how his sister and her husband died."

[Fuzzball]

Invictus

Invictus listens curiously to the conversation, but doesn't really understand. It seems important. He makes his way back to the small lifeboat quickly and lifts his head timidly above the surface, "Excuse me ma...Cortez...Ciera...something is happening below that I feel I should report on immediately."