Fantasy Arva: Tides of Darkness [IC]

[joshuadim]

At Aelestra's ( Beann ) request Arnas began to look over the selection of items and whatnot that the blacksmith had for sale on the various racks and tables strewn about his forge and workspace. (1d10 = 9) Prefer to fight with fists... Arnas though to himself before coming across a well crafted set of gauntlets that, when picked up, felt extremely light compared to the material it was made from. This intrigued him and he waved over Fazrul for his attention: "What are these made of? They're incredibly light..." he asked only to be met with a chuckle from the orc who quickly returned back to his work and pounded away at a hot piece of metal again.

"Not spilling the secrets of my people's craft, not even to you boy." the orc replied in a slightly condescending manner, "I assume you're interested in it?"

"Well yes but... can you take payment at a later date? I'm about to head out on a job, so I'll have payment when I return." Arnas spoke with confidence which brought the orc to stop and think for a moment before he grunted.

"Fine. If you don't pay when you return, I'll rip out your spine myself."

Arnas wasn't sure if the orc was joking or not and he gave off a nervous chuckle before taking the gauntlets and bringing them over to Aelestra. "How's these? Good for punching, just as you like it." he said as he handed the pair over to her.

Aelestra - Item Acquired

- Orc-Forged Gauntlets

Aelestra's Health: 10 → 12
Aelestra's Damage: 1 → 2

"Alright, we should probably head for the docks. Don't wanna keep everyone waiting." he then spoke, motioning his head over towards the general direction they needed to go. "You can tell me how the gauntlets feel on the way."

---

Hughin gave a nod to Alarael( SniperComZero ) once she finished speaking: "Alright, thanks for the heads up." he simply stated before motioning her to follow to the docks. As the two walked, another good point came into his head as he realized the situation of having an elf in his company when potentially coming across unexplored elvish ruins where they were planning on traveling to. Inscriptions, writings, or anything of the kind would potentially fall under his ability to translate and so he kept that on his mind for a later point. Hopefully with regards to such things it would lead to either a decent payout or a discovery worth something to pay for the group's finances in the future.

---

One by one the rest of the company trickled in to the docks of Gwell and gathered amongst themselves as time passed. Among those that remained to explore the city, talk, or do other thins first came Fraskia, followed by Hughin and Alareal and shortly thereafter by Arnas and Aelestra as the company found themselves united completely once more. Under the afternoon sun they found themselves waiting for a bit before Hughin saw Gerwin wave them on over to the pier. "That's our cue." he stated aloud for everyone to hear as everyone gathered their belongings and headed for the barge. The vessel itself, like it was to everyone working in the harbor when it first arrived, was an impressive sight from sheer scale alone.

For what was essentially a merchant vessel, it could go toe to toe with the war vessels used in the warring neighbors of Kalpurnia and Lithurnia in size but likely lacked the capacity for its occupants to defend themselves from opponents that were more often than not larger than them. That was where Hughin's company came into the picture as they boarded one by one from the gangplank onto the vessel. As each member would see as they boarded onto the main deck of the barge, they would see many other Utterlins going about their business in preparing the vessel for the waters ahead. Although many of the group would receive looks of curiosity from the crew members, they were left unharassed by any talk or comments from the older members of Gerwin's crew.

The same could not be said for the younglings aboard who audibly whispered to each other and scurried about to get a better look at the strangers coming aboard their home. A few passed around and beneath the group as they scampered on all fours in their rudimentary investigations of curiosity as they got settled aboard. To outsiders, it was a strange sight to see children aboard a vessel that likely embarked through turbulent and dangerous waters from time to time but for Utterlins it was simply how they lived aboard their vessels. For Gerwin, the honor to have his own barge was also a home for his close, and distant, family upon the waves. In truth, it was practically its own small town that could move wherever and whenever it wanted to with a freedom that any seafaring people would love.

"Welcome aboard ta me barge!" Gerwin announced to the Company as the ship began to make its way out from the docks and into the greater waters beyond, "Oer next destination be Dandolio, ta resupply quickly befahr we leave for ta seas. If tha winds be fortunate, t'will be a few day. But fer now, make yerselves comfortable... 'ammocks be two decks down if ye need shut-eye, tha mess be one deck down if ye need a drink or food in yer bellies. But tonight, we be 'avin a feast! Celebrating tha start o' this great adventure!" He gave off a wide, toothed grin as he looked about at the company before chuckling, "Tha missus been cookin' all day fer this, t'would be a shame if ye didn't at least try. 'Till then, make yerselves comfy aboard me humble vessel."

As Gerwin returned to his duties in captaining and navigating as he spoke to his helmsman who manned the wheel at the behest of her leader, the group was left to converse with one another, explore what would be their new home for the foreseeable future, or do other things. Arnas went over the one of the railings on the ship's starboard side and watched the image of Gwell grow smaller as they made further distance from it, while Hughin looked out to the water's on the ship's portside and went into his thoughts. Zakala meanwhile went below deck, she had other things on her mind given the nature of their journey as she went to the sleeping areas on the second deck, found herself a nice corner, and sat cross legged in a corner by herself. She drew out a small pendant from her possessions and sighed: "I... I know I haven't been one to be religious in years... or to pray. But, I ask for protection on this journey Empress Avena, oh Holy Lady. With your love, I ask that our journey be safe... and that those I care about be safe too." she spoke softly to herself in a quiet plea to her people's chief goddess.

But when finished with her improvised prayer, Zakala found herself to be met only with silence as she retreated into her thoughts once more shortly thereafter.

 

[Anne Boolean]

When told how soon they would be leaving and to go get ready, Kahzel found himself feeling quite apprehensive. Both Zakala and Hughin seemed to be busy though, so he went ahead and followed orders. Ideally, especially for such a dangerous mission, he would have taken the day to properly check his equipment and make sure it was in good shape, or go out and buy replacements, but the process this time would have to be expedited. He tried to be as thorough as possible, despite wanting to rush in hopes of catching Hughin or Zakala before the trip started, but the paranoia of the consequences of questioning his superiors kept his scrutiny sharp. In the end, he found himself boarding the barge with the rest of the crew, despite how hesitant he was about this. He himself may have had a death wish, but that didn't mean innocent people needed to die alongside him.

His uncertainty was immediately lifted when he saw children aboard, happily playing and going about their days with no clue to the potential dangers ahead. After the welcome from the captain and the brief directions around the vessel, the Lusvoni immediately went to find Hughin ( joshuadim ) for their overdue talk. When coming face to face with his superior though, Kahzel once again found himself anxious.

"Forgive me for questioning your decisions, but... is this really the best idea?" he asked after a moment of silence. "We found these new hires just today and without any training or time to prepare we are throwing them into danger. On top of that, there are children aboard... I volunteered for this expedition and I am in no way backing down, but... shouldn't we approach this in a better way?"

 

[Breadman]

After getting to know her quarters for the trip, Fraskia left what she didn't need on hand there and walked up towards the upper deck of the ship. Lora close to her master dodging and escaping from the children on board. The witch didn't exactly care too much for their presence. Younglings are a curious lot and its normal for them to be drawn to things they don't see often. Like mages and odd people for instance. Plenty of those on board. Once she was on the deck of the ship, she breathed in the salty air and looked as the land they left behind grow smaller and smaller until it would be engulfed by the infinite blue of the air and sea.

"You want me to be on look out, boss?" Her other familiar cawed

"You wouldn't have anything else of use to do." Fraskia gave him a curt answer "Be our eyes Oros."

The crow shook his head and took flight, leaving her alone with the other familiar.

"You're not just going sit around or do idle talk huh?"

"There is time for that, dear." The witch spoke as she sat down in a spot next to some crates in a meditative position. "But first a nature whisperer would be a poor professional if she would not help the expedition in her ways."

"Would it work?"

"Those regents will be of great use." She said as she picked from the mage and silver leaf pouches. Picking out one of each, she stuffed them in her pipe along with her regular mixture. A snap of the finger to summon a flame and the ingredients were already fuming. Fraskia began to smoke through the pipe and after a few moments exhaled a dense cloud through her mouth and nose. In the past someone compared her to a bellowing dragon guarding its nest while she does that. An amusing thought, even if her hoard would be a nothing really of worth to anyone not trained in the arts as she was.

The cloud of smoke didn't evaporate as it should, instead lingering around her head. She began to speak in a tongue only written in old tomes and spoken by academics or spellcasters as any other use has fallen out of favor. The smoke began to take shapes of signs, runes and words. Almost forgotten by mortals were it not for those same tomes. To outsiders this may look like some show the witch was putting on for entertainment for an invisible audience, but it was with purpose. She wanted to speak with the air itself. To ask it for favorable wind to blow in their sails. Strong enough to take them to their destination, but not too strong as to make sure nothing would be damaged. Next came the water. Out of all the elements this one was the hardest to talk to as it was like a child. A very mischievous one. Fire was like anger infused madman, Earth behaved like an old coot and Air had a very high opinion of itself. Those are easy to talk to and manipulate, but not Water. She made sure to carefully word the request for a favorable current as to not invite anything else and if it didn't like what it was hearing it would just not bother with them.

Once the ritual was complete she inhaled one last time and exhaled a gust that scattered the clouds away. A look around would reveal that some of the children had stopped and watched her do her ritual. The witch simply rolled her eyes and took out more of her regular mixture.

"Show's over little ones." She told them "Unless you want to watch me breathe in the smoke, I suggest you scatter like those clouds back to your parents and chores."

 

[joshuadim]

Hughin's train of thought was interrupted by the concern's of Kahzel ( Anne Boolean ) as he turned his head to face his compatriot. Once he heard what the demon had to say he simply shrugged, "I'd say in normal circumstances you'd be right. I'd have a week or two to figure this all out, but..." he started before sighing, "Money's tight. And unless we want to grovel our way back to the Golden Company and go along with slaver work, I'd rather take this job. I know Gerwin, he's got the coin and he does pay. But..." He then turned around and leaned with his back on the ship's railing while facing Kahzel, "I think something's off. Gerwin seemed jumpy and anxious to leave which makes me wonder what exactly he has up his sleeve." He then approached Kahzel and muttered as he stood next to him: "I'd like you to keep an eye on things with Gerwin, just in case. If you see anything off report it to me."

Meanwhile, the small gathering of younglings that had clustered around Fraskia( Breadman ) mostly dispersed as she waved them off although a few stragglers remained to see what would happen. Those that did stay chittered among themselves in the Utterlin tongue which was practically incomprehensible to anyone outside of their race as it consisted of harsh phonetics intertwined with clicks and squeaks, but to them they were discussing what would happen next with the witch out of curiosity. Many of the others that had left or been scampering around the top deck as the vessel continued to sail now went about observing the others of the group.

Most notably was the Utterlins poking and lightly pulling on Erizthra's( FloweryMuffin ) beard: "Why she 'ave a beard? Ladies dun 'ave beards!" one of them squeaked out as she giggled in excitement before what was likely a sibling chimed in soon after. "Maybe they not be a lady?" he teased, "Dunnae think tha beard is real!"

Others went about and scurried around both Alarael( SniperComZero ) and Serge( Roda the Red ) in curiosity about their armor, "Are ye knights?" one asked aloud before another quickly spoke up, "Is tha armor heavy fer ye?" "Can ye breathe in that?" "Well 'ave ye slain a drake?" The whole barrage of questions ranged from outlandish to the mundane for the both of them and there seemed to be no stop to them as they continued to chitter and speak to the two armored figures. Brikaria ( Oreo Cookie ) would not be spared either as a few curious younglings quickly approached the demoness with their own questions: "What arr tha 'orns fer?" "Are ye dead? Yer skin be grey." "Do ye 'ave a tail?" "Can ye eat souls?" Once again, many of the questions postulated were of the absurd nature but stemmed more from the curiosity of children rather than from malice it seemed.

However, while Da'Vost ( Dmaster ) would receive his own questions about things like his feathers or if he could fly he would notice a more reserved Utterlin standing back away from the crowds of her kin and siblings as they harassed the company. She simply stood behind one of the masts and watch the Aervis from a distance. Whether she was too nervous or simply was waiting to approach later was difficult to discern but the youngling remained intent on watching for the time being.

 

[Dmaster]

Da'Vost crept onto the immense barge with a great amount of curiosity yet the slightest bit of caution. Of all of his kin he was by far the most limited by his means of travel, having only his talons to move from place to place. While he had been on a trading barge or five in his past pilgrimages across Argos he had never set foot on a sea vessel as immense as this. Part of him could not help but wonder if it would capsize or collapse under its own weight, though even with complete explanations of the feat of engineering it was such science would likely be lost on his arcane mind.

When the company began to disperse across the deck he crooned quietly and twisted his head about, taking in the sights before he started to shuffle deeper onto the ship. Such an effort was greeted by a whole cavalcade of tiny otter children barraging him with questions, though they would be elated to see that the Fateseeker was patient and would answer each one as best he could. "Yes, my feathers molt with the passage of seasons." Da'Vost would answer with a twitching nod, swiveling his head over to the next question. "I cannot fly, though a great number of my kind can. And they are quite good at it."

He would answer those questions and many more, going into great detail as childish questions only bred more of their ilk. Though like a towering lecture professor the Aervis calmly answered all of them, a slight smile behind his beak. It would fade when he noted that one of the Utterlin children appeared to be hiding, yet she was staring straight at him. With a slight click of his beak he politely excused himself from the group of kids, telling him that he would be back to answer their questions in short order.

Slowly he came to the Utterlin hiding behind the masts, hands behind his back before he crouched down on to one of his knees to extend a hand to the child. "I must apologize in advance. This is your home, and my friends and I will be staying here for a time it seems. Complete strangers wandering in without warning, wearing clothes and having appearances you may have never seen before. I can only imagine how jarring it is." Da'Vost explains with a slight chirp, his hand hanging loosely before her. "I am Da'Vost, a Fateseeker of the South Spire. It is good to meet you, and I hope to show you that there is no reason to fear us."

 

[Anne Boolean]

So money seemed to be the driving force behind this decision. Kahzel was all too familiar with not getting enough to eat so he could understand. And the thought of going back to the Golden Company certainly did not sit right with him. He raised an eyebrow when the other spoke of his concerns. Kahzel, usually fairly vigilant and watchful of any odd behavior of those around him, had not picked up on such from Gerwin. Perhaps he was too preoccupied with this suicide mission, or perhaps his mind had slowed a bit from the comfort of not risking life and limb on a daily basis.

The Lusvoni gave a nod. "I'll make sure to do that, sir," he said. Satisfied with the information from Hughin, Kahzel returned deeper into the ship in search for the man he was meant to keep an eye on.

joshuadim

 

[Breadman]

"Did you not hear me?" Fraskia snapped towards the remaining younglings "Go, scatter!"

"They're not doing anything wrong." Lora talked out of turn, gaining the witch's scolding eye "Come on. Why not show them a magic trick or two?"

"Am I to perform some parlor trick now?" Fraskia scoffed "May I find the fine suit then and twirl a wand around?"

"You might look good in one" The looked as if it was smiling "Perhaps one with a fancy hat? Those are very popular among the nobility."

"Fine, you want a trick, I'll give you one." Fraskia exhaled another cloud that took form in front of her. With slight movements of her pipe, she formed it into a hand, then she jerked it to her right and the ghostly appendage shot towards the familiar. It let out a yelp as it was hoisted into the air by its soft spot. A slight wiggle and it then floated above the water splashing against the ship's hull.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"You're immortal, remember?" A smile crept on the witch's face as she snapped her fingers and the hand evaporated, sending the cat to the waves. A loud scream was heard followed by a splash. Above Oros could be heard cawing. At least to the regular people it would seem so, Fraskia recognized his sinister laugh at Lora's expense. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Fraskia inhaled more smoke and exhaled a thin cloud "Now then, is your curiosity satisfied?"

 

[FloweryMuffin]

Since that was the first time she stepped on a barge, Erizthra was of course, elated. She took her time observing the way it was built, how long was the main deck. She wondered how exactly it could managed to hold up so many people on it. The crew, their entire families, the company. All of those questions would be asked and even be answered in due time. Until then, Erizthra had found herself in the middle a swarm of little children poking at her. The drawf woman placed an arm on top of the head of one of the little otter children who was tugging at her beard, in an attempt to get him to stop.

“Lil’ pal, where I’m from beards are very appreciated. Not many a lady bothers with ‘em, but still ye could appreciate it a little. Lest I won’t let ya near it.” She spoke to the sibling too, “Ye try to braid it ta see if it’s real.”

Looking past their pestering, the children were actually an adorable little bunch. So, while they continued teasing her about her appearance and question her gender, she set out on the task to slowly pat them away from her and occasionally flick one unlucky child’s forehead.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Leaning against the barge's mast with arms crossed was Brikaria. She had chosen to lounge in the spot soon after boarding the vessel, and to any passersby the demoness appeared to be sleeping while on her feet. Their assumptions would be partially correct. She had certainly dozed off during their departure, but for the most part she had been observing the Utterlin sailors through half lidded eyes. The way they scampered about and performed their duties was strangely fascinating to her. She had wanted to get a sense of who was who and who did what, but that had proven difficult since, at least in her eyes, all the Utterlins looked practically identical. She had given up on trying to distinguish them and dozed off once more, only to be soon be awoken by the questions of curious younglings that now surrounded her.

"Er. Horns are for headbutt'n things. I think. No. I'm not dead. Not yet anyway. Aye. My skin do be grey just as ye be furry. No I don't have a tail. At least I don't think I do." Brikaria made an exaggerated effort to look behind herself and check. "Aye. All Morginthians eat souls. I find the souls of bad Utterlin younglings the tastiest." She answered with a devilish grin. "None of ye have been bad have ye?"

The younglings genuine curiosity was a novel experience to Brikaria, and she found herself sitting crossed legged amongst the Utterlin children, their outlandish questions being answered by her equally outlandish answers.

 

[Beann]

Aelestra was no experienced mercenary, everything she had learned was from the monastery and those skills were used to defend herself and protect those that needed it. She had no idea what separated a good sword from a bad one nor did she know what kind of weapon would comfortably fit her fighting style. As such, she watched Arnas look over the selection of crafted items around the blacksmith's shop. He did look rather...nice…in armor. Mercenary work seemed to suit him and she could only hope his own skills with a blade would prove that. Aelestra tilted her head as he stopped to inspect a pair of gauntlets. She wasn't interested in anything weighing her down and hindering her movement. However, her curiosity only grew when he commented about how light they were. She looked from Arnas, to the blacksmith, and then back to Arnas as they had their small conversation about the gauntlets. The blacksmith did appear to be very proud of his work so she actually believed he would tear out Arnas' spine if there was no payment after the job.

Before she could contemplate the threat, her attention was pulled back to Arnas as he handed her the gauntlets. Carefully taking them from his hands, she inspected them herself. They did feel incredibly light...how interesting. She nodded slightly as he motioned her to follow but at the same time she needed to concentrate on fixing the gauntlets accordingly. Without a thought, she hooked her arm around his as they walked, allowing him to guide her while she fixed her attention on the gauntlets. After she slipped them on and adjusted the pieces to be set in place, she flexed her fingers to get used to the feeling. Not bad. Aelestra pulled her arm away from Arnas and threw a quick jab outwards, testing how it felt in action. Not bad at all. She quickly took out her writing tools but before she could begin, she fumbled around with the charcoal and ended up snapping it in half. Blinking for a moment, she removed her gauntlets, tying them to her waistband before retrieving another piece of charcoal from her bag.

"Hard to write with them on but feel good otherwise. Thank you."

 

[joshuadim]

As Kahzel( Anne Boolean ) walked off to carry out his task, Hughin gave off a reassuring nod as he was confident in his subordinate's ability to carry out the task given and soon after returned to watching the waters of the lake. As the demon went below deck to search for the Utterlin captain, he found his task to be easier than expected as his chittering and yelling could be heard from practically anywhere on the deck below. On closer investigation, Kahzel was brought to the mess which directly connected to the galley where the food was audibly being worked on. He could hear Gerwin's voice coming from there intertwined with what was assumed to be his mate and whoever else was cooking there, albeit muffled, but what struck Kahzel the most was the various aromas that lingered in the air that ranged from pungent to mouth-watering which instinctively raised questions as to what exactly comprised Uttelrin cuisine to create such smells to the point where he didn't even notice Zakala approaching from behind who then tapped him on the shoulder: "Hey, what are you doing down here?" she asked with curiosity, "Trouble from the little critters up above?"

Back atop the ship's main deck, the Utterlin younglings with Fraskia( Breadman ) were enamored by her manipulation of the smoke and cheered and laughed as the familiar was both hoisted up into the air and then dropped into the water's below. With their cravings for entertainment satisfied for the time being, the younglings around the witch dispersed and went about their own business that they had been up to prior to the Company's arrival on the barge. For Erizthra's( FloweryMuffin ) group of younglings, it became apparent that once the novelty of a bearded woman wore off for them they became quickly bored with her and so dispersed themselves without much incident apart from a few stragglers that continued to observe the dwarvish lady with curiosity.

However, the group that surrounded Brikaria( Oreo Cookie ) were more enthralled by the demoness' answers and stayed put. Her last answer regarding eating souls brought out a few frightened shrieks from the more feeble members of the group which led to those around them chuckling and teasing their peers. But the tallest, and largest, among them looked unfazed and simply puffed up his chest. "I'm not afraid of ye!" he squeaked out as he marched over right next to the Morganthi demon and planted himself firmly next to her arm, "I betcha cen't stand up ta me!" It seemed as though this youngling was the leader of the others in a sense, and stood up to assert his authority in the area. He remained puffed up with both his chest and fur in a show of force that looked cute but was entirely serious for him.

Once Da'Vost( Dmaster ) left his group of younglings to approach the one that had been watching from afar, they too dispersed after having their curiosity sufficiently satisfied and left to join their peers which left the Aervis alone with the one he sought out. As he made his introduction to her, the Utterlin youngling simply stared and listened before giving off a slow nod. "I... I weren't afraid." she replied quietly, "I joost like ta be alone." She then reached on her toes to shake the Aervis' hand in reciprocation, which notably brought about her small stature and somewhat crooked appearance. Strangely, her eyes were different than the usual brown of her kin and other Utterlins aboard the vessel as her irises were a deep purple which lent to her awkward looks compared to those around her. "What be a 'fateseeker'?" she then asked, "It be a title? Job?"

Aelestra's( Beann ) response to the gloves caught Arnas off guard as he had been observing the now tiny outline of Gwell fade off into the distance before noticing the note from the monk in the periphery of his vision. He quickly read what she had written down and grinned, "Hey, no problem. I hope they serve you well." he said as he turned to face Aelestra while leaning on the ship's railing still, "You don't have to worry about Fazrul either, he's really nice once you get to know him. I know he wouldn't rip out my spine for missing a payment... I think."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Either the ship's structure caused sound to be carried or Gerwin was just loud. Either way, Kahzel had found the man he had been looking for. He tried his best to overhear anything the Utterlin captain said which would be of use to Hughin, but the aromatic cuisine was a powerful distraction. Although it wouldn't disrupt any of the goings-on around him, the sound of his stomach growling still added to the noise. He had half a mind to step in closer and perhaps grab himself a bite, though wondered if he had the necessary permission from both Hughin and Gerwin to have a meal at the moment. He wasn't aiming for a reprimand, but perhaps he could at least spin the excuse of attempting to blend in at the mess hall if Hughin found fault with it.

The Lusvoni jumped when he felt the tap on his shoulder, instinctively turning around and taking a defensive stance. Upon seeing who it was that had approached him though, he allowed himself to relax.

"Sorry," Kahzel said somewhat sheepishly before hearing what the woman had to say. "Oh, ah, no," he said, though had half a mind to air his grievances with the children being aboard during a dangerous mission to Zakala as well. He glanced over at his mark to make sure he hadn't taken notice of him before returning his attention to Zakala. Kahzel understood discretion, but she was Hughin's second in command. Certainly she should be informed, if she wasn't already. "Hughin asked me to keep an eye on Gerwin," he explained. "He says he's been hasty with the expedition and worries he's hiding something."

joshuadim

 

[Dmaster]

The Aervis nods his head at the young Utterlin's words, clacking his beak twice for good measure to communicate a sort of nonverbal understanding. "There is a certain... serenity in distance from others, I do admit." Da'Vost replies, smiling as she shook his hand. The coloration of her eyes were unusual indeed, and it had him wondering if she may have some more unique traits when compared to her kin as a result. Red eyes among Aervis were significant, what of purple eyes for Utterlin? "Still, it is best not to ruminate in loneliness for too long. Time weathers all, and you may find yourself wishing you spent more time around others in the end."

Seeing that she was calm yet somewhat apprehensive, the Fateseeker began to stand up to his full height yet kept his neck craned downward to address her properly. "We Aervis are connected to a cosmic force known as the Aether, a source of great magic that binds all celestial objects and those on them together. It flows like water but is tethered like string, and Fateseekers are able to see and feel the pulls and pushes of the Aether. In a sense we can see its affects on space and time, gleaning possible futures from visions. It is our task to make certain that we create the most benevolent fate for the benefit of all." he explains.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Brikaria turned her attention to the brave youngling, her eyes alight with amusement. Between the youngling's puffed out chest and squeaky voice, she wasn't sure whether she should find his display comical or impressive. "I admit, ye got more guts than most people I meet." She remarked as she lightly poked him in the chest with her index finger. "For that, I won't gobble down yer soul. But..." The demoness stood up sharply and leaned forward with her hands on her hips, slightly looming over the bold youngling before her. "I never back down from a challenge. 'Specially not one from a tiny fluffball like yerself." Her expression was smug as she leaned even closer. "Sure ye want to do this, fluffball?"

 

[Breadman]

With her business talking to the elements concluded, the children entertained and her familiars disciplined, Fraskia felt confident in what she had done for now was enough to aid them. The witch got up from her seat and straightened her clothes. At the same time Lora was clawing herself up the hull and back to the deck of the ship.

"Come now." The witch motioned to her familiar to follow "Lets see if there is something else that we can do." She walked about the ship, observing the crew as they were working or in the case of some, pretending to work. Not her business to chide them. Let their captain and his officers worry about that. Eventually she neared the mercenary leader as he was doing his own observations. Now was a good time as any to talk to him since there was time still "Hughin, the elements seem to be in our favor and this crew seems in an alright shape." The witch began "Maybe this expedition is off to a very good start."

 

[joshuadim]

"I'll have to agree with Hughin's assessment on that." Zakala quickly replied to Kahzel( Anne Boolean ) before looking back towards where the cooking was happening and lowering her voice, "Even if such sentiment is from caution more than facts, Gerwin is... eccentric to say the least. And more than once he's been a pain in the ass for me and him. I just hope that whatever Gerwin has planned, it isn't involving something abhorrently dangerous." She wanted to add more but was cut off by the sound of the door to the galley opening and Gerwin exiting to head back topside which got her to quickly stop speaking to let the Utterlin captain pass by without issue. "Food'll be soon, ya can take a seat while yer down 'ere." he commented before taking the steps upstairs which left the two Lusvoni demons by themselves again. "Might as well take him up on that offer." Zakala then commented before moving to one of the nearby tables and setting herself down to wait.

Arriving topside, Gerwin spotted Brikaria( Oreo Cookie ) having a 'confrontation' with one of his more rowdy pups and he simply scoffed and walked elsewhere to continue navigating the vessel. "Kid be always gettin' inta trouble." he muttered to himself as he stood next to his helmsman. The youngling meanwhile maintained its posture in a bid to look confident but was clearly wavering from the indirect threat by the demoness as he let off an almost inaudible whimper. The other younglings near Brikaria watched the exchange between the two and chittered amongst themselves as they anticipated what would happen next before gasping as the one confronting Brikaria finally found his will broken as he scampered off quickly in embarrassment. The rest quickly followed their unofficial leader elsewhere on the ship which finally left Brikaria alone in peace.

Unbeknownst to her, Hughin had been partly paying attention to the events unfolding around the demoness and chuckled as the younglings dispersed before noticing Fraskia( Breadman ) approaching. Once she delivered her findings of this expedition's fortunates he shrugged: "Well, that's good." he simply said before returning his attention to the waters below, "Pray that the same remains the true for the rest of the way." He then returned his attention to Fraskia for a moment to ask the witch a question: "I don't know much 'bout magic... or anything of the sort, nor am I that superstitious. But aren't there something that can be placed to... y'know, protect the ship?"

Lanya listened to Da'Vost ( Dmaster ) speak about the Aether and how it worked for someone of his position as a Fateseeker which all interested her for a variety of reasons. She thought about what he had spoke about for a moment before nodding slowly: "...like water?" she then asked, "It be like 'ow I can 'eer tha salts? Whispers and voices coming from thar." She pointed over to the waters the barge was sailing on without hesitation, excited at the prospect that someone might actually understand what she might be talking about.

 

[Breadman]

"A protective ward or totem?" Fraskia thought about the proposition "I did ask the Air and Water for favorable wind and waves to speed us along, but that requires a simple contact." Lora had caught up to her master and shook off the remaining water from her fur before sitting down to listen. "I can cast a hex to protect this ship from outsiders such as pirates and raiders. Sea creatures would be another one entirely. Now if I had something say...a token from the captain, I can fashion a totem that binds the ship to him...even beyond this life if their will is strong enough."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Kahzel's eyes narrowed on the Utterlin as he heard Zakala's words. When he noticed him turning around and coming towards them, he let his gaze fixate on the food being prepared.

"Thank you," he said to the man's words before watching him disappear into another part of the ship. Despite the invitation from Gerwin, he didn't dare make a move until given permission from Zakala, who was actually one of his superiors. With a simple nod, he followed her to the table and took a seat across from her, doing his best to hide his eagerness for the meal that was to come.

"I also hope whatever we get into isn't too dangerous," he responded to her statement from earlier, "especially with the kids onboard. I had mentioned being unsure of jumping into work so fast with new recruits, without even training them, but Hughin said it was necessary in order to stay independent from Golden. I just hope we won't unnecessarily lose the lives of the people we are trying to get pay for."

joshuadim

 

[Dmaster]

The Aervis tilted his head from one side to the next upon hearing her line of questioning, though he clicked his beak to ponder what that may have meant. "I... cannot speak for communicating with the ocean. My kin tend to fly high above it, and we do not have as great of a connection to it as you might." Da'Vost begins. "Though with the Aether it sometimes comes through as a voice, or a whisper. Visions can be all sorts of things, wrapped in different meanings or metaphorical. Though we Fateseekers find that the more detailed and concrete the vision, the more likely it is that it shall come to pass."

With a quiet croon he taps the side of his beak with a clawed hand. "Though I am curious, if you will entertain it. What sort of things does the ocean tell you?"

 

[joshuadim]

"Well I don't want him haunting me from the afterlife in case something bad happens to him," Hughin joked to Fraskia( Breadman ), "I already have enough headaches as is. So I guess that hex you're taking about will be enough for now. No need to go overboard, really. Save whatever you need for later if need be."

Lanya was quiet for a moment after Da'Vost( Dmaster ) posed his question as if gathering her thoughts and what to say before sighing. "It... it not be dey talk ta me. Moor like I hear dem talk ta each other." she started to explain as she walked to the nearby ship's railing and looked down below, "Many voices in tha salts, dey be just like... people? Dey talk normal like we be now... some be 'appy, some be scared. Others be angry... angry dat dey cahnt move ahn." She then looked at Da'Vost once more with a curious look plastered onto her small face: "Me ma say t'is a gift from Noctis, but me sibs tell me I be a loon. What do ye think?"

But before any answer could be received, Gerwin resurfaced from below deck and called upon everyone except those who were navigating and steering the ship. As the rest of the company headed down along with much of the crew and extended family they would be treated with the sight of tables nearly stuffed to the brim with various platters and foods of all kinds both known and strange to them which varied from regular things such as pork sausages and fried cabbage to the more strange such as squid eye soup, pungent fermented shark meat and the unappetizing, to everyone except the Utterlins, grilled sea-cucumber. The drinks that were passed around and served also ranged from the normal to strange as the standard wine and mead were passed about as well as a strange clear blue drink that were passed about in very small quantities.

To the newcomers, it would be explained that the contents of such a drink were only known as 'sea-booze' and were purported to be made of mysterious ingredients that only the brewers in Shantytown, the homeland of the Utterlins, knew about. The pungent odor made it unappealing to even put in one's mouth for most but those among the group that dared try their luck would find themselves either enjoying a pleasant warm feeling spread from their chests outwards and relax or, if they were unlucky, knocked out momentarily from the sheer strength of such a brew. Some time passed as the food and drink on board were devoured at a rapid pace and many of the Utterlin's appetites seemed insatiable, especially the younglings who were also throwing bits of food at each other in a war between two sides of one of the tables. Gerwin meanwhile sat at the head of the table, as was his position, before muttering to one of the Utterlin females that was heading back and forth between the tables and the kitchen: "Make sure tha lads up top get thar fill, aye?" he muttered to her which resulted in her rushing back with a few plates with food and heading topside.

Shortly after, Gerwin quickly stood up and tapped on his cup loudly to garner attention from everyone: "Tonite, we be celebrating," he began to speak as he scanned the room of the people around him, familiar and not, "We celebrate 'erhaps tha greatest joorney ta be taken by a child o' Noctis! Ta sail beyond tha accursed salts west and find that which be lost. Many sailed and many die tryin' ta find it." His first comments brought about the approval of his kin as they knocked their cups on the table in unison and some approving grunts, which spurred him on to continue speaking: "Tha lost continent, Pengiros. We be doin' what not even Occar could do! We shall 'ave our names be engraved on tha Tidestone fer our deeds!" The crowd of utterlins cheered and hollered at the prospect of such an honor, "An we shall be remembered fer all time among all realms! Men, Goats, an' Elf alike!" he finished, brandishing his acquired sea-charts which broke the Utterlins into a frenzy of cheers.

"So drink yer fill and eat ta yer hearts content! Fer tomorrow, tha journey ta glory begins!"

​

"I'll drink ta that!" one of the Utterlin crewmates shouted in response which brought about a chorus of celebratory shouts following it. Soon after, the feasting continued as Gerwin returned down to his seat and sipped away at a cup of sea-booze, lost in thought which was unusual to Hughin as he observed the captain's demeaner. Shouldn't he be celebrating as well like the others? he thought, keeping the image in the back of his head as he returned to his food. It wasn't something glaringly wrong given the current situation, since not everyone celebrates during a feast the same way, but still odd nonetheless to keep in mind for the future.

 

[joshuadim]

The Next Day

The celebrations of the journey's start was without much trouble save for a few fistfights between a few of the crew members over trivial matters, and as night progressed so too did the vessel as it sailed non stop as it shifted between crews above and below deck. Hughin's company did manage to get a good night's sleep but were awakened to the noticeable stilling of the vessel as it came to a complete halt. Hughin was first to head up topside to check what was happening, followed by Zakala and then everyone else one by one as they found themselves anchored in the river leading away from the lake and a visibly fuming Gerwin shouting curses in the Utterlin tongue to what was in front of him: the river crossing had been blocked off by large logs and felled trees jammed into the river itself, as well as what was noticeably a very large troll angrily shouting back at Gerwin.

"I dunnae give a FOOK what ye want ya big oaf!" Gerwin shouted at the creature, "I pay tha toll ta move, so I demand ya move yet shite!" The troll only responded with its own grunts and screams off in the distance next to the wooden drawbridge. Hughin himself was puzzled as to what exactly was the matter and pried into the matter: "What's going on here?" he asked with concern as he looked over at the creature in the distance holding its ground.

"Do ye think I fookin' know what go on in tha lumberin' moron's head?" Gerwin replied in a curt manner as he stomped a foot onto the board beneath him in frustration, "We can't be movin' on past those damn logs in tha watar..."

"Trolls usually don't block off a passage unless they're angry over something. Maybe we ought to find out what exactly caused this one to act up?" Arnas asked as he observed the developing situation, which prompted a shrug from Zakala in response. "Or we could kill it and-" she began to speak before the Utterlin captain quickly turned around to face her. "NO! No killin'." Gerwin intervened to nip that line of thought in the bud, "I dunnae want ta' draw attention like this... nor waste time movin' tha logs arselves. We be burnin' precious daylight already."

Hughin stayed quiet for a moment to deliberate before sighing: "Alright then, lets go try to talk to it first." Hughing spoke up, "But if we can't get it to move, we'll be forced to move it one way or another. Company, form up on me." A gangway was soon let down from the ship that barely managed to reach the shore which allowed the Company to disembark one by one back onto solid ground of the riverbank. It was a short walk to where the passage was which made evident to the group what exactly they were dealing with: a forest troll that lumbered over everyone by a large margin in both height and width and snorted as it watched the group approach.

"WHAT YOU WANT?" the troll then asked angrily, "YOU STEAL FROM ME TOO?"

 

[Breadman]

Fraskia took a more reserved role in the celebrations, opting to stay sober during the revelry just in case of her talents been needed and not be dulled by alcohol. But as the night drew on, she eventually drank the ale and smoked her pipeweed.

Now as the day was clear and her mind lacking any fog, she was among the party trying to understand why exactly they had stopped and not made any progress. She wasn't angry or frustrated as the path forward was fogged by the hands of fate, but other members of the expedition were quickly running out of their own patience.

"You have nothing for us to take, troll." She gave a dry answer "If we were interested in your trinkets, we'd be in your dwelling by now." Orso landed on her shoulder after finishing scouting the area. "But who did steal from you?"

 

[FloweryMuffin]

She would have probably spent the entire time on the ship’s deck, staring off into the distance, almost in an attempt to see where the water ends and land begins. It being the first time Erizthra had ever stepped on a ship, she planned on making the most of it by taking in the view as much as she could and appreciate how the ship slowly and steadily cut through the waves.

Although, her stomach did break her out of her reverie, rather unceremoniously as well, and thus she found herself amidst the celebrations of the beginning of the journey. She ate her fill and more than made up on the drinks, going as far as to try the Utterlin’s terrible smelling drink.

The next day the ship came to a halt. It turned out that the passage had been blocked by the sole residing troll. The creature seemed rather angry about some of his belongings missing.

“There ain’t much to be stolen, like tha witch said. Though, we could find ye stolen stuff if that’ll make ya let us through.” Erizthra hoped that proposal would appease the creature by at least a litte bit, but that remained to be seen.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Celebratory feasts were nothing new to Kahzel, yet the ones he was most used to were with his peers, not with any superiors. Among peers, the consequences of a slip of the tongue from too much drink was a brawl, but with superiors, things could get more complicated. Yet, he couldn't fight the feeling that rejecting any of the offered beverages would be considered disrespectful to the client, no matter how... exotic they were. To his surprise though, the most intimidating drinks were actually fairly decent once they went down.

It was a similar situation with food, although the Lusvoni's acceptance of any hearty meat was much more genuine. The days he had spent living as a fighter in a near-starving state had left their mark on him and led him to overindulge. He promised himself some training on the deck tomorrow to keep in shape and maintain his skills though, which allowed him to feel less guilty.

After sufficiently inebriated, in an effort to not be betrayed by his own words, Kahzel mostly kept to himself. Like Hughin though, he also noticed the focused state Gerwin returned to after giving his rousing speech. The mission his boss had given him earlier still rang true in his head, so he made a note of the behavior to discuss with Hughin the next day.

Kahzel was one of the first to retire, though didn't miss the sound of drunken altercations due to the light sleeping he had developed. His full stomach and somewhat spinning head must have caused in to sleep in a bit, as he only woke the next morning from the sound of commotion upstairs and his crewmates clambering to climb on deck. He followed his companions into the morning light and was soon able to pick up what was taking place from the exchange between Gerwin, Hughin, and Zakala.

Although Zakala's suggestion on how to deal with it was what he was most familiar with, he assumed that Gerwin's idea of not drawing attention to them would probably be best. Thankfully, his boss seemed to be willing to go along with the Captain as well.

Upon stepping off the ship, it felt somewhat strange to be on solid ground once again for a few moments. When confronted, the troll that had obstructed their way accused them of wanting to steal from it as well. Two of his companions pointed out that there wasn't anything they would want from the troll, which led Kahzel to wonder just what exactly trolls kept as valuables. They also proposed the idea of finding what was stolen from it if it would let them pass.

"I'm not much of a tracker, but I'm willing to help retrieve your lost goods as well," he commented.

 

[joshuadim]

"You have nothing for us to take, troll. If we were interested in your trinkets, we'd be in your dwelling by now. But who did steal from you?"

“There ain’t much to be stolen, like tha witch said. Though, we could find ye stolen stuff if that’ll make ya let us through.”

"I'm not much of a tracker, but I'm willing to help retrieve your lost goods as well,"

"I'm in agreement with my subordinates on this here," Hughin then announced to the troll who was listening intently on the intentions of the Company, "We aren't here to steal, or fight, you. We simply want passage. Will helping whatever it is that was stolen from you get us through?" A few moments passed as the troll seemingly pondered what was put before it as it scratched its head almost in confusion as to what exactly was being talked about. It then slowly spoke: "SO... YOU NO STEAL?" it asked with confusion which prompted Arnas to chime in.

"Yes! We're here to help, we can bring back what you need." the young man spoke slowly and loudly as to not confuse the troll any more than it already was by this point to which it finally responded with a toothy grin, revealing its yellowed teeth.

"Now, what did they take?" Zakala then asked in a similarly slow pace as Arnas had, after all they couldn't go after something without knowing what it was in the first place.

"STEAL PEARL. MY PEARL." the troll then spoke up, as if almost weeping at such a horrendous loss in its life. Clearly, it was very important to the creature.

"A pearl, huh?" Hughin inquired under his breath, "Pearls are valuable... and shiny. Trolls are drawn to such things with their childish minds." He made sure not to speak loud enough for the troll to actually hear his remarks. "Though... it's not a lot to go off of right now. What do you lot think?" he then asked the others nearby, looking for inquiry and potential courses of action to take.