High seas adventures

[Savannah]

You’re in the Seaspray Tavern, a popular tavern for sailors in Osta. It’s located right on the docks, overhanging the water, allowing local aquatic folk to enter the tavern through an open section in the floor. The tavern is packed and loud tonight, although you notice the locals and some of the sailors seem on edge, even more so than they have been in the previous nights.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

A white-haired man sits at the edge of the open floor section, talking to some sea creature below. After a while, he gets up, waves goodbye to his friend down there, and walks over to the bar. It seems his white hair is not a sign of old age; he looks to be in his mid-forties or so, hair bleached and skin tanned from long hours in the sun. After heading to the bar and ordering something strong, he heads over to Nathaniel's table and takes a seat. "Well, mate, all the other folks here seem a mite skittish," he says softly. "I'm guessing there might be other ships a bit late into port. Think there's something out there what could waylay a bunch of ships?"

[Obrysii]

A rather unusual child stepped in - or rather - stumbled into the tavern. She had long slender legs bare to the world, a long white sun dress clinging to her form as if it were slightly damp. She had large, sparkling eyes and her skin seemed to have faint iridescent specks to it, almost as if it had tiny scales. Her hair was long and greenish black.

Appearing to be perhaps seventeen, eighteen the girl came inside with simple sandles flip-flopping around, and she acted as if she only recently learned how to walk.

Which was true.

She spotted the white-haired man, knowing him or at least hazarding a guess. It was then she realized she didn't have to use one of her spells to have come in here. Blushing slightly - with the look that could make the oldest, gruffest old man break a smile, she continued on.

"Hiya!" she said - her voice high but beautiful, her words almost sing-song, sitting rather unceremoniously on a table near the white-haired man.

Sophysia has Fins to Feet active.

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

The changeling stares into the mirror and sighs despondently. Something just wasn't right about this one. A handsome half-elf stared back at him, his features human enough to be approachable, but exotic enough to invite interest. His face was warm and friendly, his hair a feathery gold cut in such a way so that it framed his slightly pointed ears. But something just wasn't right. He sighs, again, and adjusts his nose, slimming it somewhat and lowering the nostrils just a hair's width. His mouth stretches into a satisfied smile. There. Now it was right. He slides his chair back from the mirror and stands up before examining himself fully. He was well dressed, a result of the magic built into his garments, in a pair of dark tan pants and a light green shirt trimmed with silver thread. The colors complimented his chosen body, although he tended towards blues more than he did to greens and earth tones. Nevertheless, he was pleased with his appearance and made his way down into the bar. He'd been the same half-elf when he'd signed on with Rosenthal and the Seagull, so there shouldn't be any confusion as to his identity. He might come around and tell his crew-mates about his natural abilities at some point, but they already knew that he was a practitioner of magic - so what if he could look like anyone? That was just something that magicians could do. No reason to chase him about with torches and pitchforks and cruel, hurtful words, toss him over the railings and keelhaul him. He shakes his head. Why was it easier for people to trust a mindbending magician than a changeling? That didn't make sense.

What was the world coming to?

He sighs, again, for an entirely different reason this time, and heads down into the bar. He liked it here; the sea breeze was refreshingly tangy in his nose, the people were tough but friendly enough after he'd bought them a round or two of their local grog, things were overall going very smoothly. Getting a position on a ship was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. He could travel the world in any number of guises and gather stories to share with the Court upon his return. It had been a stroke of great luck or divine provenance that Captain Rosenthal had accepted his application and hired him on. He reaches the noisy bar and spots Tristian and Nathaniel. And then, a moment later, Sophysia. Like Etaoin, the mermaid wore a body that wasn't quite her own. She looked a little unsteady on her new legs but, to her credit, the legs were shapely and attractive enough. He decided against complimenting her on he workmanship. She might take it the wrong way.

With a smile on his face, he strides over to the table and says hello.

[Zerkai]

Iridansa Brightwave

At a table next to the others sat the Healer of the ship they traveled on, an woman that stood six feet tall, her skin a light blue with webbed hands long pointed ears, and gills on the sides of her neck. Her hair was long and wavy, dark blue in color hip-length and her eyes gold.

The Aquatic Elf was wearing a green tunic with dark green britches underneath and a matching wide-brimmed hat, as well as a pale blue mithril breastplate over her tunic.

Her trident was resting against the table within arms reach to her right, and her shield was on top of her backpack, which was currently on the table next to her drink. Iridansa had her hands clasped around her holy symbol, and her eyes closed as she gave a silent prayer that Captain Silvermoon and her crew, as well as the others that don't seem to have arrived, return to port safely.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Tristan smiles at the newcomers and pulls up extra chairs from an empty table nearby. "Evening, Etaoin, and....Sophysia, was it? Good to have a new face aboard. This here's Nathaniel, and that's Iridansa, if you haven't met them already." He takes a long drink from his mug and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Don't suppose either of you's heard aught about the Wayfarer, have you? Rosenthal's not coming for a while yet, I hear, and from the talk around these parts, other folks are worried about missing things, too." He leans back and takes another gulp of ale. "Course, I ain't going to talk business if you don't want; far be it from me to end leave earlier than need be. I wouldn't mind hearing a mite about yourself and why you signed on, young lady." This last is directed at Sophysia.

[Savannah]

One of the barmaids comes by your table, "Can I get you anything?"

OOCI'm not sure where Nathanial is. I PMed Tichrondrius, so hopefully he'll turn up.

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

The smile is perfectly calibrated, every muscle moved in exquisite concert, not a single solitary movement out of place. His teeth are white and straight, not a one of them out of line. He's proud of his teeth - they had taken him a good half of an hour to perfect. He would get faster at it as time went on. "Good evening," he replies, his voice friendly and slightly melodious, as though it would be a good one for singing with. "And no, I've not heard a word of the missing Wayfarer. A sad bit of news, that. I was hoping we'd have been off sailing before now." He shrugs his perfect shoulders and takes a seat. He wants to ask about the rumors, but it would appear that the man is more concerned with talking to Sophysia, and so he turns to the barmaid. "Ah! Good. Yes, I think that a wine would be nice, if you would be so kind? An elven one, preferably. Not too old a vintage, please? I've got no mind to bankrupt myself for a drink."

[Obrysii]

"Do you have samples?" the girl asked cheerfully - she had very little money, and it wasn't something she went and spent freviously. She learned too well before why that was a big deal. She seemed preoccupied, too - her hands running down her own legs - not sensually, but as if to see if they were still there.

She looked down at the table as they discussed the wayfarer. "Wait, so ... it was a person who got lost? I thought it was a ship! Heh..."

[Savannah]

The barmaid nods to Etaoin, "Oh, you won't bankrupt yourself here, sir, our prices are quite good. I know just the wine for you," but frowns slightly at Sophysia's request, "I'm afraid we don't; most everyone who's here comes in knowing what they want. Most of 'em are after our ale or rum, if you'd like one of those."

She starts to leave to fetch the drinks when she hears Sophysia's comment and hesitates. "Yes, the Wayfarer's a ship. Comes through here often. She's not the first to have not turned up recently, either."

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

The half-elf nods, politely. "Thank you," he says. "I'm sure it'll be lovely."

There's a short pause, while she addresses others, and then he speaks again.

"Might you have some time for gossip, miss? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on these missing ships."

[Savannah]

She glances around the tavern. "Well, I don't suppose it would hurt if I took a little break.

"I don't know all that much, no one does. It's just that maybe one or two ships each month for the past couple of months haven't been arriving when they're supposed to -- or at all. At first, we weren't too worried, sometimes ships get delayed, or the captain decides to go to a different port. Now though....Well, it's not bad enough that we're hurting for want of trade, but if it gets much worse...."

[Obrysii]

"Any word on where they're missing? Or where they're disappearing at?" Sophysia asked, hands on her knees, body leaning forward with eyes wide with curiosity.

[Savannah]

The barmaid frowns slightly, "I'm not sure...I haven't really thought about that. Like I said, it took a while for us to even notice that it was more than an occasional change of plans. One of the dockworkers or the harbormaster would probably know better than I would; they were the first to notice that there were too many ships not turning up when expected."

[Savannah]

"Well, I'd best get back to work. I'll have your wine in a moment, sir." The maid goes back to work, and returns shortly with a glass of wine (7 cp).

Not long after that, you see Captain Rosenthal and the first mate, Ellicia Highhill, come into the tavern. They look around, then spot you sitting together. They wander over towards your table, stopping briefly to pick up a mug at the bar along the way. Rosenthal looks rather tired, while Highhill is grim. "Mind if we join you?", the Captain asks.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Not at all, Cap'n," Tristan says with a smile, pulling out chairs for him and Ellicia. "Sure's good to see you two; we were starting to worry you weren't going to show, what with all the strange happenings hereabouts."

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

The half-elf nods in agreement before lifting the wineglass to his lips. "We have heard some disturbing gossip," he says, after swallowing. "Something about vanishing ships and suchlike." He presses a fingertip on the surface of the table. "Were were advised to speak to a dockworker, or the harbormaster, for more information." He studies the faces of the new arrivals. "Are you two all right?"

[Obrysii]

The mermaid would scoot a little closer to the captain's chair, a faint red blush moving across her face - though to her this was all calculated, all part of the plan. She smiled faintly, "Good day, Captain!"

It had been his vessel that had fished her nearly-lifeless form from the abyss, it had been his people who had saved her life. It didn't hurt to want to get closer to the man who commanded it all, right?

He was among the man who knew of her true nature.

[Savannah]

The captain sits down heavily and rubs his eyes. "Yes, I'd heard the same when I was asking about the Wayfarer." He smiles at Sophysia when she moves closer, then glances around at everyone. "It seems that a number of ships have gone missing, and I wonder if they weren't all waylaid by the same thing, as it's too many to be coincidence. I was planning on talking to someone about where they were coming from to see if I could narrow down the location where they ran into trouble. Then Ellicia pointed out that without the Wayfarer and whatever Leala was bringing me, we don't have any job at the moment, so I need to see if I can't track down some work here, too." He sighs "Seems this wasn't the ideal time for you to sign on, although I hope it will pick up from here."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Tristan drums his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "Y'know, Cap'n, you might want to be asking around for news about this mysterious location. I'm sure any cap'ns we rescued would be a mite grateful for the help, or if not that their widows might appreciate some word on their demise. If'n they express their gratitude in gold, it'd go quite a ways toward padding our pockets while there's a dry spell of work."

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

The half-elf frowns, although it looks handsome on his face. "That's a terrible shame," he says, once the captain has finished his speech. He falls silent, then, as Tristan outlines a plan of action. "Oh," he says, his attention peaked. "Yes! I think that's a grand idea. We could do some good and get paid for it. What could be better than that?"

[Obrysii]

"Revenge," Sophysia said simply. The way her voice tugged at that word, it was clear that, to her, there was little more sweeter than enacting revenge against someone who had wronged you.

[Savannah]

The captain nods, "Yes, that seems like a good idea. I suppose I'd best start asking around."

OOCHint: He's not going to ask you to help, since as far as he knows you're just ordinary crew members. If, however, you volunteer to help investigate, he wouldn't say no. If you'd rather not investigate and skip ahead to when he's discovered all that he can, that's fine too.

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

"Sir," he says, and raises a hand with five slender fingers.

"If I might offer my services in this endeavor? I'm good with people, sir, and that might be helpful."

[Obrysii]

"I, too, have some skill with people - but as a spell caster I can learn the arts of sailing. It is always nice to have a sorcerer when sailing..." Sophysia said, although the captain would already know this from her.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"You can count me in, o'course, Cap'n," says Tristan. "Wouldn't want to leave my mates out high and dry without me."

[DoctorHobo]

The front door to the tavern was thrown open, exposing behind it a giant moonlit figure. The creature stepped in, scaled feet baring sharp claws making a distinctive scratch against the floor as he walked. A round wooden shield was strapped to the man's back, and he carried a trident in one clawed hand.

Ressan stepped inside and stood still for a moment as he glanced over the busy tavern, then made his way to an empty bar stool once the door had swung shut behind him.

[Savannah]

The Captain nods a greeting to Ressan, then turns back to Etaoin and the other volunteers. "That....that is actually a very good idea. I've been pestering the harbormaster about the Wayfarer's whereabouts all week, and he's starting to find something very important to attend to elsewhere whenever he sees me coming. Perhaps you would have better luck. I will return to the ship, then, and make sure she's ready to sail when you return with the information."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Sounds mighty fine, Cap'n." After the captain leaves, Tristan gives Ressan an appraising look and walks up to him. "Oy, Muscles, we're looking to intimidate a shifty sort, and you look right frightful. Interested in a job?"

[DoctorHobo]

A smile curled the ends of Ressan's mouth as he heard of the job. He'd been told of his intimidating look before, and wanted to see if his mere presence was enough to make an impact on the "shifty sort."

"I came here looking for work anyway. Who are you? What's the job?"
He stood up from his stool before ordering anything and stood to face Tristan.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Name's Tristan, Tristan Mallento," Tristan introduces himself, offering his hand. "Don't know if you've heard the talk 'round these parts, but there've been a right troubling number of ships gone missing, and we hear there's a harbormaster what doesn't want to tell our Cap'n what's going on. We're thinking to ask him a few pointed questions, maybe with some pointed implements. Can't promise you any pay, but if'n this turns out well our cap'n might be inclined to hire you on as crew. You in?"

[DoctorHobo]

"Pointed questions carry more force when delivered with pointed teeth."
The great lizard let out a great laugh as he threw his trident into his shield hand, freeing his main palm to grasp the offered hand and shake it.
"This harbormaster will tell us of the missing ships, or I'll bite his head off."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Tristan smiles encouragingly and takes Ressan over to meet the other crewmembers. Once he's made the appropriate introductions, he orders another drink and takes a long gulp before asking, "Right, then, folks, where d'you reckon we should start? Busting into the harbormaster's office is plenty straightforward, but I bet there are folks what might object to that and make our job harder than it need be."

[Obrysii]

"The sooner the better - I should rather like to get back to the captain's ship soon ... I don't like being out on my own," Sophysia said gently - playing up the 'innocent' image she was attempting to build.

[Zerkai]

"If, something foul is happening to these ships and their crew, we should find out the cause and set out quickly..." Iridansa spoke up, standing from the table she had been sitting at by herself.

"He maybe able to give us some clues, but getting on the harbormaster's bad side does not sound like a good idea."

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

After being introduced to Ressan and subsequently filing his appearance away for later (you never know when another giant lizard person is going to come in handy, after all) he shakes his head and takes a stand. "I agree that the most direct approach is the most prudent, but there's no point in being rude about it. We should just talk to the harbormaster or his aides, if he's not available, and find out what's going on. There shouldn't be any reason or justification for head-biting-offing." Besides, he thinks, whatever can be accomplished with violence can be accomplished much less messily with subterfuge.

[Obrysii]

It took only a little bit to pay for the food the girl had eaten, the drink the girl had drank, and any mess her clumsiness may have caused; in no time at all she had returned to the vessel, relieved herself of those legs, and resumed her Merfolk appearance, sitting at the deck's side.

She stretched out, looking out at the waves. What was causing the ships to disappear? she thought to herself – contemplating; It couldn't be anything major, could it?

She sighed. Perhaps it was time to summon a familiar – something that could scout ahead, that could alert them …

[Savannah]

Okay, so those of you looking for information, where do you want to start?

[Savannah]

The docks are ....if not quiet, at least not as busy as they could be. Maybe two thirds of the maximum number of ships are currently docked here.

The town is located in a small bay, and the docks run roughly east to west along the shore. On the east end, your ship, the Seagull, is waiting to set sail and there is little movement around her. There is more movement around the rest of the ships; dockhands and the crews are busy loading or unloading them. As you noted in the tavern, the natives seem a bit tense as they go about their business.

The harbormaster keeps an office near the center of the docks, the better to monitor who comes in and make sure they pay their fees. Anyone coming or going from the town along the main path passes the office.

[Sophistemon]

Etaoin Shrdlu

Following the discussion at the tavern, the half-elf that both is and is not a half-elf for at least two reasons makes his way towards the docks and the domain of the harbormaster. He travels easily through the crowds, exchanging pleasantries as he goes - a wink, a nod, a smile; enough so that these people will remember him later, if he should need an alibi. It's become habit by now, a force of his nature, to make sure that his masks are remembered. It allows for each one to feel more real, to assume a semblance of life and thus be more comfortable when he wears it. He's been the half-elf for a few months now and, although it's not his favorite mask, it suits him well enough for the time being. He considers exchanging it for that of a particularly buxom seductress by the name of Antoinette but he decides against it - if the harbormaster won't open up to another sailor, he was likely not to be trusted in the first place. He soon locates the office in question and heads inside. He glances around, smiling, for any sign of an official.

[Obrysii]

Sophysia was in the lower deck of the Seagull, focusing her arcane energies - a rich scent of various burned components around her: she was in the midst of some ritual, and she was preparing herself and her surroundings.

She would be vulnerable, but in the hold of the ship, she felt safe enough - and so, partly covered by a rough linen blanket, she began her spellwork.

Soon she would have a companion all her own.

[Savannah]

Etaoin (and anyone else who's going with him) finds himself in a small office. To your left, a row of (currently empty) chairs line the wall. Straight ahead, a door leads further back into the office. To your right, a rather tired looking halfling man is sitting behind a desk that is sized for a larger person, writing something in a ledger. He looks up when you enter. "Ah, welcome to Osta. Are you here to pay your docking fees?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Tristan pushes past Etaoin and strides confidently up to the desk. "Not exactly. Our ship's already in port, and her cap'n done paid them already. Nah, we're here to ask you 'bout a mite of trouble what's been going on, 'cause no one in these here parts seems to want to talk 'bout them and scuttlebutt has it that you might know what's up." He leans over the desk, hands splayed out, and looks the harbormaster in the eye--he's not really trying to intimidate the halfling with his height, but he's used to getting his way. "What do you know about the ships what've gone missing?"

[Savannah]

The halfling leans back and stammers "I-I'm not supposed- Er- Mister Berton knows more about that. I can get him for you?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"You're not in charge here?" Tristan asks. He looks a bit annoyed that this wasn't the harbormaster, as he'd thought; why did landlubbers always have to have underlings instead of just doing their own damn jobs? "Then get whoever's in charge, if'n it's this Berton fellow or whoever else."

[Savannah]

The halfling nods and hops down off his stool. He hurries to the door leading further back into the building, glancing over his shoulder at you as he goes. "Why don't you take a seat, and I'll go let Mister Berton know you're wanting to see him."