Chapter 2: Smoke on the Water

Perhaps. May also be a trap.

Captain Valrakas nods sagely. "My thinkin' as well. Still, better'n this monotony. Maintain our distance, keep an eye on it. Take 'nother look in daylight."

The minotaur scowls at the overcast sky. "I wish we could see th' fuckin' stars!"

Aye...He sighs. Tis a bloody mess we're in

"We get closer and I can send Domare over to see what this is. That or fly over. No sense getting ourselves in a mess."

Khiiral looks up at the overcast sky "Aye cap’n, I should be able to get us found once the sky clears."

That fire worries me....

Khiiral stares at the fire, resting his chin and hands on top of his unstrung longbow "It could be trouble. But no one gets rich on the high seas without getting into some trouble." he says with a smile. "Let’s go check it out."

bites his lip.
Get closer, but nae too close. If it is distress, do what we can. Stil fear a trap

"Aye. Tell th' men, party's over. I want everyone well-rested tomorrow."

Dawn breaks some hours later.* The cloud cover finally parts for the first time since the storm, revealing a pink and gold sky. Ribbons of smoke rise from the spot where the glow was in the night.

"It isn't a ship," Valrakas grunts as he squints at it through his spyglass, "it's a flotilla of small craft, all burning. Could still be a trap. Battle stations." The captain turns the Kestrel to starboard, headed for the flotilla with both the sun and the wind at her back.

On Nela's suggestion, Domare is sent flying ahead of the Kestrel.** The Kestrel makes 5 knots at full sail - you should come upon the flotilla in about half an hour.

"Go. But keep yer distance."

As Valrakas turns her to run downwind, the Kestrel leaps forward with a snap of the sails and a burst of sea spray. Though still missing a topmast, the agile ship makes good time and doesn't fall too far behind the vanguard, comprised of Nela, Shine, and Domare.

Nela counts five small outrigger craft of strange design, and a large, gaudily-painted one shaped like a water beetle that looks like it could carry several families. All appear to have been set ablaze in the night, and most are hardly more than charred husks now. Shine has to circle wide to avoid all the smoke. Curiously, she doesn't see any corpses on the wrecks, nor in the water.

Miraculously, survivors are spotted: an old woman with a baby in her arms huddles atop a piece of debris.

The Kestrel is 200 feet from the wrecks, and closing.

Nela quickly flies back, "Lots of odd sea crafts burnt, but I spotted one survivor. Looks like we will find out what happened. Might want to bring her in slow."

"It might be best if I went down under the water here and took a look. Before we get too far?" Nela asks.

moves cautiously to the rail.