HSI: The Island

Fafnir tries unsuccessfully (and not very hard) to stifle a laugh. A thief worried about somebody stealing their stolen goods? Mauve was so honest even while she was being duplicitous! Life was truly rife with comedy. "Aye Mauve, you stole them fair and square!"

He answers her questions while he searches for the wayward coins. "Honestly? I have no idea what we hit. I figure those men of action above were up to the task and came down here. Too many cooks spoil the stew, right? And since we are alive and not swimming in the water among a pile of splintered timbers and corpses, I guess I was right!"

"Say, if there's any chance I might get off this cursed boat and onto solid land, I'll take it. I'd rather die in the gullet of a giant lizard or cooked by cannibals than be on this rocking ship another minute. Odds are they'll send folk over to the island to fetch fresh timbers for repairs and stock up on food. I aim to be with that party. You in?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. I'm ready to get off this stinking ship. But first..."

She's down on all fours looking for the gold coins.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me, Halor. With the Captain's permission of course. Gwydion's voice holds none of the deference that second statement should. "Those mangrove trees are a good sign. Should mean birds and shellfish aplenty."

Fafnir toss the one coin he finds to Mauve. "Better you hang on to that than me. I'm terrible with money! If that's settled, let's go find out ticket onto that island."

He climbs back above deck and sees Halor waving them over. He listens to the plan and it seems reasonable enough to him, although given how badly he wanted off this boat his benchmark for reasonable wasn't hard to clear.

"To the island then. I'll take an oar."

As you are discussing taking the ship's boat across to the island, Stockley approaches with a few men from the crew. "I couldn't help but overhear ... are you are heading to the island?" A half dozen crew members stand behind him their faces filled with anticipation. "It might be best if you move quickly. The Captain is still recovering, but he's not happy that you ran his ship aground." Stockley looks back across the boat. Berwyn is surrounded by men. He slaps a helping hand away and attempts to stand on his own. The Captain wobbles a bit and falls back onto the deck.

"Some of us would be willing to come with you if you want some help. Most of us are sailors through and through, but we're all able bodied men. We can port supplies, maybe help with hunting or foraging." Stockley excitedly grabs one of the sailors by his frayed shirt and pulls him to the front. "Alcott! Alcott is always fixing things. He'd be a great help." Stockley pushes the man back behind him. "Me? Well, I've got the keenest set of eyes on the ship. There's good reason why I'm kept up in the crow's nest. What do you say? Do you have room for a few more?"

Mauve wiggles her eyebrows at Fafnir, grabs the coin and stashes both in a pocket as she quickly makes her way back up to the deck behind the Northlander.

She listens to the crew and their offers of help, looks at the lifeboat, and then back at the crew and shrugs.

"Maybe we'll scout it out first, make sure it's safe enough and then come back for more. We'll take one of you though. Keen Eyes, you're with us. You have weapons?"

"That does make sense Fafnir so it does, hard as that is to believe," she teases playfully.

"We don't know what we will be stepping into. Probably be best if we are quiet on arrival, huh lads?"

"Quiet, yes. My specialty!" he booms.

"Hah!" Halor says at the crew's willingness to venture into the unknown, "Brave lads! I welcome one and all that wish to come of their own accord to seek valor, but as my fur-clothed friend has pointed out, we have but space for one right now."

He looks to Fafnir, then the others, "The choice is a good one, I think. More eyes to find more danger - I like this. I do feel obligated to point out, if the captain thinks to blame us for this disaster, I wonder what he will say as his crew deserts to join us. I don't much like having a blade at my back, to strike when I'm not looking. Perhaps we ought do something about this now."

Gonnar just watches and listens to all the back and forth as he makes ready. There is a lot of noise and wasted breath as waves lap against the beached ship, but he speaks up when there are calls from the crew about them running the ship aground.

"We be dashed on the shore if he stayed on the wheel!" the man growls, pointing a yellowed, split-nailed finger at the captain. Then, gesturing up at damaged spars and rigging, the desertlander adds, "You'll need some trees felled and cut to fix what's broke from the storm. You lot get to that, we'll see about what's on this isle beyond the beach."

"Possession is 9 tenths of the law. Gwydion quotes. "So let's possess that boat and worry about the consequences later."

Stockley jumps to attention. "I have one in my footlocker. Give me just a minute. I have a couple of things to grab before we head out." With that, he rushes across the ship and disappears down the steps to the hold.

The smiles on the other sailors drop off. They all move away back towards the Captain and the rest of their crew, leaving only Lothar behind. Lothar is the largest of the ship's crew. He is tall, well muscled and keeps his face and head closely shaven. His face darkens when you select Stockley. He keeps his eyes on you, but turns slightly and yells to the Captain. "Berwyn, this lot is looking to steal your ship's boat and leave us stranded."
The Captain finally gets to his feet. He's not a tall man, but thick and muscular through the arms and shoulders. He gets to his feet and pushes off a sailor that was helping to hold him up. "What! Dashed upon the shore? You pushed me from my own helm and left my men scrambling to figure out how what to do. No, Gonnar. I did not fail this crew ... you did! And now you aim to rob me? You'll have to kill me before I let you strand us to deal with your mess!"

"No one is stealing nothing!" Gonnar says with a shake of his head, looking at Gwydion. "I was saying we take the boat to scout the shore, then you men use it and gather wood and supplies needed to fix the ship."

When the captain gets to his feet and tensions rise, the wastelander approaches him and lowers his voice. "You were frozen at the wheel, man. Steering neither this way nor that, just striking right for the isle's rocky middle. We'd have wrecked."

Then holding his forearms aloft, he shows that one is tattooed heavily with small, pictographic warrior figures, while the other is bare save for some runes and markings of his tribe. He eyes the crew. "No need to give your lifeblood today, just to live forever on my skin."

"I saw it as well," Halor says, but he directs his words at the sailors gathered about. "We were all taken by surprise when this island appeared, that is true. But a captain..." He bites his tongue, "...your captain, was frozen up. The fact your hull is intact is pure dumb luck, and the quick thinking of our tattooed friend here." He heft his warhammer up onto his shoulder. "Show some damned gratitude. We'll bring your bloody boat back."

He felt ire for the captain, blaming them for the problems at hand. Vulkir frowned upon men who refuse to face the challenges before them. Conquering fear is a stepping stone towards a blessed soul, but the path should be long walked before one chooses to be a leader of men.

A quick glance of mutual knowing and understanding passes between Gonnar and the priest.

Fafnir laughs heartily. "He's... he's blaming us for the crash? Bwahaha! A good joke, Captain, well played." He knew he wasn't joking, but sometimes giving a man a way to back down saved you from having to kill him.

He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Gonnar and Hallor, making of a show of strength. " Now, if there's nothing else we'll be off on that scouting mission."

"Of course if you'd rather scout yourself feel free." Gwydion adds. "I'm sure you know all about the dangers of a mangrove swamp: how to spot the sucking sands that drag you under, how to keep being eaten alive by mosquitos and stirges, the best way to fight off crocodiles. I'm sure you boys will be fine."