Sea Stories: Chapter 1

Some of you have been aboard Selûne's Grace before, for some this is your first time aboard the vessel. Either way, over the last two days you've fallen into the comfortable working pattern that you've come to expect of one another from your times adventuring together in the past. This morning was no different from those previous: warm salty air blowing steadily across the crystalline teal waters of the sea. No clouds in the sky, and overall a very happy crew, you've been steady making your way towards the mouth of Asavir's Channel.

You had spent nearly a week before departing in meetings with Helane Mardon, the captain of the vessel. The half-elf has earned her reputation as a hard-ass captain and a vicious combatant. In your meetings she was confident and had the kind of personality that screamed "I'm in charge" without having to make an effort to that end. Aboard the Grace, this was even more obvious as the crew worked together like a well-oiled clockwork machine.

Amid the creaking boards and slightly rolling deck, you find yourselves on the main deck, talking in a circle with the Captain, the other officers, and their support staff.

Alright all, we're a few hours out from the mouth of the channel and the chances of us being set upon just went up three damned fold. Hopefully you've all managed to get your folks back into operational shape the last few days. We're goin' on three sets of four hour watches starting now. I want to make sure when we get hit, we're fresh. Set your crews. Now, discussing combat plans, as we're sailing under new privateer papers, we've got the salvage rights, so I want to aim for not sinking any other ships, unless we have to. It'll make us all filthy rich if we can capture one or two and bring 'em home as part of this. Anyone have any open concerns before we move on?

"No ma'am. The sea and sky's have been in our favor, let's hope they stay that way." He steps back then leaps up with a flourish of wind as he grabs the shrouds and climbs to the crowd nest, his typical spot.

Oxandren scoffed. Not at the captain, he had the utmost respect for her, but at the mention of concerns "If we had any concerns we never would of stepped foot on this ship!" he said with a lighthearted laugh and cheers of his mug with Durric "But in all seriousness you need to talk some sense into Srisa, last time she pulled an arrow out of my back she was fuckin’ three sheets to the wind and did more damage taking it out than when it went in!" he said again laughing.

Shouting from halfway up the shrouds. "The only concerns Ox has is running low on ale." He sends a playful gust down his way then continues to climb.

Seated on a cushion perched on a chair rocking with the ship's gentle sway, a slight and slender figure reads from a small leather bound book. Her almost naturally pouting lips softly whisper the words as her eyes flutter over them at a feverish pace. Wind-tousled tresses of fiery red hair tumble down from her bowed head, stark in colour on her fair skin and white shirt. A silver anchor on a slim chain around her neck catches the noon sun. Resting on the stitching along the sides of her leggings is a rugged leather holster, in which an elegantly carved wand lies in wait.

The voice of the captain rouses Miri from her reading. Still too relaxed compared to the many others hurrying about the deck in various directions, the mage gives the captain a disinterested look over her shoulder as she listens. The two more lively voices of Ox and Zeph she gives a little more attention.
"It wouldn't do for you pair to have concerns now would it? When you two start worrying, events must have really taken a dark turn," she smiles, recalling more than a few instances of the aeromancers' antics. Those two were good friends, ones whom Miri had shared (or perhaps endured) drinks, adventures, laughs and fights with. Their carefree attitude was one she empathised with, up to a point.
Suddenly remembering the captain's hanging question, she cast an eye out over the water and calls, "It would behoove us to listen out. The pirate clans of the Nelanther take this as their raiding season, as much against eachother as visitors like us. We might hear them coming... if we don't get caught in a crossfire between to ther clans."

Oxandren roars as his hair is mussed up by Zephyranthes. He returns the jest by placing an illusion of barbed wire on the rope ladder right where he is about to place his hand.

Leaning over the railing, an 'elf' stares out at the sea with her mind focused elsewhere. Deciding to dress the part of a dashing corsair, her motley clothing is only matched by her blue-tinted skin. Everywhere she goes odd looks follow, but she doesn't mind the attention anymore.

Someday I will find that sea-devil. Cecillia thinks absentmindedly before processing the captain's question. "More money is always good. Are we to take any of these pirates...alive?" She asks inquisitively, not completely used to this lifestyle.

Joyfully climbing the genasi reaches up for the next rope when h sees the wire. It's too late to change positioning and his hand misses the rope trying to avoid the wire.

With little effort he grabs the rope just below stopping his decent. "Haha. Nice one Ox, but I'm just too quick for you." He has had an uncanny way of not falling, ever. You always seems much more alive while climbing or up in his nest.

Srisa watched the sky with wide eyes and her unsuppressible smile. The sky was the first thing she saw when she came to the Surface World, and the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. A canvas that stretches into infinity, displaying an ever-changing palette of colors in an ever-changing configuration of suns and clouds and moons and stars and lightning and comets and ... how was she ever going to return to her kingdom?

She watched as a fleet of carefree clouds soared toward the mainland. Her people told a story about the clouds, that they were water born of the ocean but seduced by the sun and the sky to leave. They would travel the sky but unwittingly head toward The Land and crash into mountains, their great adventure in the sky turning into centuries of tedium trapped within mud and muck. But eventually, all water found its way back to the ocean, no matter how lost it got.

She sighed. She was the cloud right now. Maybe she should quit while she's ahead before the muck. But Srisa of the Eastern Reef was never very good at doing the wise thing.

It was then she heard the Captain summoning the crew of the Selûne's Grace. Captain Helane Mardon, what a beautiful creature! She wore the mantle of authority with ease, and that comforted Srisa. At the end of the day, no matter how bad things could get, the Captain was in charge and she knew what she was doing. Srisa fell into the crowd quickly, blending in with the low ranking serving men and women of this fantastic vessel.

When Ox piped up, she laughed with the fullness of her heart, not caring that her voice sounded ridiculous in air for a change (maybe she was getting used to it?). She retorted with feigned consternation.

"Hey, you can't blame me Ox, I have to drink a lifetime's supply in the next few years; we don't have booze in the Eastern Reefs! Besides, if you had quit squirming like a cabin boy who just seen his first battle, I would have been able to figure out which of the three of you was the real you!"

She couldn't help but laugh again. Not at Ox, but just out of pure joy for the moment she was living in. On the Surface, things could be brutish and nasty at times, but she was always surrounded by good people, and she was as free as a cloud in the beautiful sky.

Finishing his climb he faces round, taking note of the area.

Zale straightens slightly from his slouch by the port rail at the Captain's call to order. The water genasi cook and brewmaster has been watching Srisa for the past few minutes. Though he hasn't said as much, maybe not even admitting it to himself either, Zale is awed and maybe a little intimidated by the triton. He may or may not have pretended to be unwell on one or two occasions just to see her in the sick bay. He definitely feels a little flutter in his chest every time she talks about drinking his booze, which to his surprise she took quite a liking to.

"No concerns here, Captain. Avoid sinking ships, if possible, got it. And what about their crews?"

From atop the mast a shout rings out. LAND HO!

"LAND HO!" Srisa echoed.

Land! How exotic. I hope we see a Tree again! And those creatures that swim in the air!

"Are there any pirates on it?" Cecillia asks giddily, frantically searching for this island. I should've brought a spyglass.

"Nelanther, at last," Miri sighs sarcastically. "Right on time." With a flourish, she whips her book onto a buckle at her belt, then glides over to the starboard railing to confirm the view on the horizon. She hops over the railing, taking a seat atop it and dangling her legs over the side. Stretching and leaning back to get a better view of the crow's nest, she hollers up to Zeph, but to the others on dedk as well. "If we can see them, they can see us. Better hope its a clanless isle!"

"We'll find out soon enough." He leaps out of the crows nest and falls toward the ground. Just a few feet from the ground a vortex of air appears right below him and he softly lands. "I'll inform the captain." He runs off to tell the captain.39/39 HP | 15AC | 1st 3/4 | 2nd 3/3

Zale shades his eyes with his hand as he looks towards the land sighted.

What've you found Quartermaster Ariti? Helane calls as she pulls a sleek brass spyglass from an oiled holster on her hip. As she follows your indication of the land, she turns back to you. What is our course Ariti? Are these islands safe to approach, or should we continue along the channel?

Zale, as you stare out towards the land, you can barely tell there's anything there.

Zephyranthes, go ahead and give me a Wisdom (navigator's tool check). DC 15 to figure out where you are and the likely risk to your craft.

"I don't see anything," Zale mutters, taking a swig from the gourd at his hip.