The New World

[ludoge]

Today was a busy day. It took the whole morning and most of the afternoon to finish loading the five ships. The small, but great fleet set sail from the port city of Tarradell, at the mouth of the river Dal, chasing the sunset.

The voyage should take a month at most - the spring winds are strong and steady. Not a very exciting prospect, but what lies ahead more than makes up for it.

You happen to be embarked on the flagship - the Wyvern - and you remember very well the speech the Captain delivered as the fleet set off:
"Men, elves, and other folk big and small - this is a great day. Today we set sail for the New World. Towards the vast unknown. Whatever lies there, we shall leave our mark - be it as explorers, traders, or bringers of civilization. I am an old man, and I have seen most of the Old World and what is known of the New. Our brave cousins who settled there are an example to us all. But they have tamed a few islands, met almost no resistance. We shall push into the interior, and share into its fabled riches and ancient knowledge.
They say dragons rule there, as they did in this very land until less than a century ago. Or is it demons ? Little is known about those lands. Only the panicked reports of runaway slaves and the laconic tales of lizardfolk hunters. Perhaps this is all nonsense, and we shall open up this New World to trade with the Old. But perhaps it isn't, and, by the Gods, we shall free its people from those wicked tyrants. Whatever happens, we shall be rich and famous. I am already both of those things, but I do grow old and yearn for one last adventure. Before the sun sets on me, I shall lead you to chase the sunset ! About you. You, on the other hand, have little to lose, and everything to gain. Enough of this old man's babble ! Anchors aweigh, and onwards, to our fate !"

Amplified by some cheap magic, "Grand Captain" Jacques Thalos' speech resounded all across the fleet. A bit pompous, perhaps. But the man was a hero of many wars, saving the lives of two kings thirty years apart. The most honorable turncoat around, they say - he turned to Dala as the king of Vyronne stripped him of his titles and land. It isn't hard to believe that three hundred people would follow such a man to the other side of the great sea.

As the fleet sails into the sunset, a sailor opens the door to the cabin you all were just settling into to deliver a message.
Ye've been, ahem... invited to th'Captain's table t'night. Dinner's serv'd soon's th'sun's down. Ahem."

[Armored Walrus]

Lopo the Rogue (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=870196)

Almost bouncing with anticipation, Lopo looks forward to this chance to prove himself, or to start over. As soon as dinner is announced, he rushes to the door to see how close the sun is to setting.

"Adventure, and dinner with the Captain! This is going to be a great voyage!"

[Vesth]

Gruzmet grunts, acknowledging the sailors words. He gets up slowly, ironing out the kinks is his old bones. He looked every bit like an old dwarven warrior, with worn armor and a white, scraggy beard.

"Keep it down, young whippersnapper." he barks at Loop. "Ye enthusiam's brighter than the morning sun, it is."

[coffeegoblin]

Iella has already settled in, laying on her back staring at nothing.

"Ugh." She groans. "I just got comfortable, someone wake me at sunset."

[JackOfAllBuilds]

There is a saying that the walls have ears. Generally this is allegorical, except for a five-foot long section of wall along the floor beneath one of the bunks. This wall is eavesdropping and overhears everything said by this intrepid group of adventurers.

my tiny gnome has set up his bedroll underneath a bunk snugged up against a wall, and has a Minor illusion ready (somatic and material only, non-verbal) to interpose an image of the wall behind him

[Urzamax]

Igel and his wife murmur together in the Dwarvish tongue. "I don't understand, darling. Why send a messenger to this cabin? What makes all of us so special?"
"I don't know, dearest. Maybe it's just chance. The Captain wants to dine with every cabin in turn?"
"Hmph. I suppose we'll have to see. Hopefully it won't all be nasty bland human food."
"Oh, hush, dear. You survived for years on elvish food. You can manage one human dinner, don't you think?"
Igel chortles at that, a sound like rocks grinding issuing from his throat. "Don't remind me, dear. You're right, as usual. Though I hope you brought along the rock salt."
Dala smiles and pats her pack. "Of course, dear. You reminded me about it more than often enough, Moradin knows."

[ludoge]

As the sun touches the ocean and begins to sink, the cabin door swings open. Behind it stands the Captain, who greets you.

"Dinner's almost served, folks ! Ah, but you appear to be short a gnome..."

He chuckles heartily.

"Ah, never mind. More chicken for us ! Now let's go, shall we ?"

[JackOfAllBuilds]

Warryn silently freaks out, holding a hand over his mouth and pulling up even tighter against the wall, and with a gesture of his hand holding a scrap of fleece, throws up another curved illusion around himself of the wall behind him underneath the bed.

[coffeegoblin]

Iella struggles to sleep for the ships gentle rocking and worries what effect heavy weather might have on her, by the time the Captain comes round she is just starting to doze off and so gets up slowly and groggily.

"Sorry I guess it was rude not to introduce myself earlier, I'm Iella and my appearance might off putting if your not also from Vyronne but I make no apologies for my race." She is nonchalant saying this and punctuates with yawns, but she then smiles attempting to undercut any hostility. "Let's all enjoy dinner."

[Urzamax]

Igel raises an eyebrow and tightens his grip ever so slightly around his focus when this 'Iella' speaks up, but says nothing. A name for her species floats from the depths of his memory: 'Tiefling'. He hasn't seen one in ages, and they were largely kill-on-sight back when he did. Since when had Vyronne accepted them in? Hmph. Well, this one deserves the benefit of the doubt, at least. They are sentient creatures, if nothing else, and not all of them innately bad. Just someone to watch carefully.
Dala holds no similar apprehensions, and practically dashes forward. She's always loved meeting new people, and hasn't seen this many new faces in decades. She's just been waiting for an excuse to start introducing herself--awfully bad manners to just jump in without an invitation, after all. "Hello there!" She exclaims brightly, "I'm Dala, that's Igel, and I LOVE what you've done with your hair!"
Igel just shakes his head and hides his grin behind an upraised hand.

[coffeegoblin]

"Thanks I, uh woke up like this, its good to meet you both, your beard is lovely." Iella turns, addressing the Captain. "Ï hope you have plenty of ale on board."

[ludoge]

"Heh, I see you're already making friends with each other ! I myself prefer a good Sablon red, but we do have ale. And chicken. And fresh bread, the last you'll see in some weeks, I'm afraid. Now let's be off, shall we ? You certainly have many stories to tell, but that is better done around a table, is it not ?"
He leads you out of your cabin, across a "corridor" up some tightly-wound, steep stairs and out on the top deck. The sun is, by now, a golden half-disk sinking beneath the horizon. There isn't a cloud in sight. The sailors appear to be changing shifts - you'll be sailing non-stop, it seems. Some are already enjoying some rest and a meal of... something out of their canteens.

The Captain leads you to the base of the aft castle: its interior is what looks to be his private quarters. As he opens the door, you see a small but well-furnished dining room, with a table laid out for about a dozen people. In the middle are four roast chickens, baskets of bread and some clay pitchers. The whole place is lit by oil lamps in the corners, and there are two small doors at the other end.

"Welcome to my great hall, brave travellers ! Now have a seat, eat and drink well, and tell me some of your story. Ah, but where are my manners - " - he mutters, having downed half a cup of wine - " - I ought to start. But my life is well-known... here, I will tell you why I invited you here tonight. It is simple, really: of all the people aboard this awful tub, you are - how do I put it - the most interesting. So, there it is. Ah, but I babble on, and the chicken gets cold...

He grabs half a chicken and starts gnawing on it unashamedly, yet keeping his eys up to follow an eventual conversation.

*munch*

[JackOfAllBuilds]

Warryn follows the group at a distance, darting from cover to cover, hiding behind corners and such, avoiding every set of eyes he is aware of.
Stealth [roll0]

[coffeegoblin]

Iella sits as close to the Captain and Dala as she can, taking a modest amount of food and a much larger serving of wine and beer which she starts drinking as soon as she's seated.

"Captain you spoil us, I was preparing myself to rough it, a meal such as this will help me to tolerate those condition for longer, thank you." Her smile is quite genuine as is her gratitude though she is already planning ways to convince the Captain to supply her with more comforts. "I'm sure others have more interesting tales than I, but my time in the courts of Vyronne was colorful, I'm embarrassed to say I never performed, I mostly helped the costumer a young, open-minded and rather attractive elf." As Iella talks she delicately pulls apart tufts of bread. "Among brocades of silk, pearl embroidery and rich velvet I dare say we fell in love a little, but perhaps tales of romance and fabric do not interest a tough and rugged fellow such as yourself Jacques?" At this she places a few morsel in her mouth to savoir.

[Vesth]

Gruzmet ignores the bread and goes straight for the wine. "Aye, nothing better than ale and wine to keep ye company. Best drink in the world, I say! Ye want to know about my life, but there's nothin' to know, and that's why I'm on this boat. Life's the same, day after day, and I still have some wanderlust left in this old bones of mine."[color] He lets out a good burp. [color=darkorchid]"Here's to hopin' that we live short but exciting lives eh? Maybe if we get there and get eaten by a Tarresque, that'll be a laugh."

[ludoge]

Jacques smiles as he listens to Iella.
"Eh, love's about the only good thing that can happen at court, at least as long as that bastard Florent sits on the throne. Took an arrow for his father, and how does he repay me? Some day he'll regret not having me in his service any longer, heh ! I can only imagine his face when the news of our exploits in his rival's name reaches him... and what will you do then, heh ?
The Captain grins, and you get a good look at his two golden molars. He turns to Gruzmet:
"Tarrasque, you say ? A blue dragon ate my great-great-uncle Robert. Wasn't a pleasant sight. First thing I remember, I was three. One of the last to dare come down frome the mountains. Are there still dragons up there? They say there's still plenty in the New World... "

He pauses, and takes a long sip of wine.

[Urzamax]

Igel shrugs. "Arbel higgins kalif..." he mumbles, trailing off when he receives only blank stares. He scowls and clears his throat. "I don't know why joo called ushere, Captain. V'ife'nt any tales to share."
Dela comes to his rescue as soon as he starts mixing his Common and Dwarvish, explaining "We don't really have any tales to share, sir. We are simply two herbalists out looking for one of our daughters. We're...a bit confused about why you called on us."

[coffeegoblin]

Iella raises a mug and a cheer in salute to Gruzmet's declaration.

The Captains words cause her to wonder before answering. "You know I hadn't really considered that, I might have to make a home in this New World, I hope they don't judge on appearances or words, actions, credit records or demonic pacts, I jest of course." She offers a toothy grin and adds. "I always pay my debts."

Iella is a little sobered by Igel and Dela's reason for traveling. "Your daughter? I'm surprised you're a mother you don't look a year over 200, but how did she end up in the New World?"

[JackOfAllBuilds]

The little gnome gathered his courage and attempted to make his way under the table when no one was looking. There he waits for several long minutes, eavesdropping on the conversation, before hunger gets the better of sense and he tries to steal food from the table unnoticed.

i wrote the above before rolling...
[roll0] Stealth
[roll1] Sleight of hand
edit*:...and a natural ONE on stealing...

[Urzamax]

Igel suddenly slams his hand flat against the table, causing all upon it to wobble...and pulls a squirming gnome up to eye-level, holding tight to his wrist.
He shrugs at Iella's question, and directs his answer to the gnome: "Awfully adventurous."

[ludoge]

"Now, now. We're supposed to be friends in here ! That applies to you as well, little friend. There's not much sense in sneaking about my ship, you know. Ah, forest gnome, I was right ! Thought owlbears ate the last of your kind when I was three feet tall. It's good to be proven wrong ! Now, as you are a stowaway, I should toss you overboard. Unless... you make yourself acquainted to us. Heh ! Scared you. Now, ahem, with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking, Sir Gnome ?"

[JackOfAllBuilds]

The gnome wriggles around at odd angles, dangling by his wrist from the dwarfs grasp. He gives a nervous chuckle as he meekly grins at the assemblage "Uhh...Warryn of Timbers, but that's the clan name...you can call me Badger" His eyes dart around a bit nervously, as forest gnomes prefer to remain unseen by those not of the wilds.

[coffeegoblin]

"Well Badger aren't you just the cutest little thing." Iella pinches the gnomes cheeks marveling at the diminutive ranger and ignoring his discomfort. "Warryn of Timbers, how quaint, of course you'll join us exploring wont you?"

[JackOfAllBuilds]

Coughs and clears his throat, obviously still quite on guard "Well exploration and adventure was definitely my aim ... I hadn't thought of joining," He turns his eyes to the dwarf still holding him midair "Gnomes keep to themselves, for obvious reasons."

[Urzamax]

"Oh. Fair enough." Igel clears his throat and gently sets the gnome down on the floor next to him.

[coffeegoblin]

"Hmm, obvious? Oh well." Iella eat and drinks freely, her jokes and stories becoming more lewd and scandalous as the evening goes on.