Episode 1: A Helping Hand

Inside the captain's cabin, the game is a close one. Captain Yokgrumli regales Jandral with a few bawdy seafaring tales to try and shake the half-elf's concentration, but Jandral sees through the captain's ploy and effectively counters with several key moves. Jandral has the captain sweating now.

"Blast!" shouts the dwarf, smashing a fist onto the table and knocking over some pieces. He concedes the game. "You didn't take the bait! Damn it all, I thought I had ya!"

On the main deck, Golwen communion is briefly shaken as that strange melody intrudes into his senses. With a frown, he looks across the deck to see several men standing at loose attention, silent and still as though concentrating on the music.In the galley, the raucous shanty involving an amorous crab and an angry squid grows louder as some of the singers raise their voices. The stamping and clanging also increase, an unspoken signal for everyone to keep time or keep quiet. Unfortunately, someone's still singing off-rhythm and almost off-key from the song, but it's harder to hear now.

Golwen watches as six crewmen walk to the port side of the ship, where they stand by the rail, looking out over the ocean. Their eyes seem glassy, as though their minds are drawn to the source of that strange song.

The ship's bell, which normally sounds the watch, peals repeatedly in alarm. Captain Yokgrumli momentarily pauses his mournful tirade at losing and grumbles, "What in the bloody Hells is going on?" He stands from the table and steps around Jandral, to head out and investigate.

Below in the galley, the shanty and stomping slowly ebb as the incessant bell rings. The crew look confusedly at one another; surely the next watch isn't until much later. It also sounds like someone is yelling. Slowly they begin to wonder if it is an alarm, and then they start scrambling to get out from the table.

The six crewmen at the port rail do not seem to notice the bell. One by one, they climb over the side and dive into the water below.

Captain Yokgrumli asks Golwen irritatedly, "What the Hells does that mean?!"

As the bell quiets, and Golwen's words are processed by those recently arrived on the main deck, everyone can now hear a lilting melody, something that grabs at your heart with images of love, passion, and warm embrace.