Episode 1: A Helping Hand

The crew completes their preparations quickly, thanks to your assistance, and the sails fill with the breeze coming off the island as though Eglar itself was bidding you farewell. The sea is relatively calm at this hour and there is a favorable wind. You feel the ship slip across the waves, the creak of rope and timber keeping time in your passage.

Rhodrick and Tordek each receive appreciative nods from a few deckhands, before the crew separate to their designated stations. The lookout ascends to the crow's nest, somewhat surprised at the presence of an owl above him. The navigator sets the course and the Red Cutter is away. Captain Yokgrumli transfers the wheel to the helmsman and, after giving a casual glance across the ship, enters into his quarters.

The days pass somewhat slowly. The crew seem reluctant to talk to you, perhaps under orders to not bother the chartered passengers. Rhodrick and Tordek are given a measure of respect for their seamanship, and for the most part your group is not bothered. Meals are offered to you, stale bread and fish, with a bit of fish oil for flavor. Most of the crew take their meals topside, while the captain dines in his office. At night, your quarters are cramped, even after deciding who among the 6 of you gets to use the hammocks and who sleeps on the floor.

It is the fourth day of travel, and the sea is a featureless plain of dark blue water stretching to the horizon. This morning there is a cold mist, and the crew is unusually quiet. All hands are at their stations, but quiet. Even the rope and wood of the Red Cutter falls silent in apparent vigil. No one looks at you, nor do they address you at this time, seemingly intent on the surrounding fog. Captain Yokgrumli is by the helmsman, eyes on the water and hands on the railing as though feeling the waves underneath the ship.

Rhodrick made small talk with the crew during his time working; nothing fancy, just the typical tradesman talk that all sailors hold in common. One of the hands, eager perhaps to share some secret, whispered to his shipmates that while he was in Eglar, he heard from someone who heard it from someone else that a real metallic dragon was spotted in Barad Sari.

No one sees anything, straining your senses against the mist.