Session Twenty: Ship Happens

General Summary

White Swan   The group questions Cissa on what exactly is going on and why she’s hurting. Still very much in pain, Cissa explains that the pain is called “the Beacon”. It’s the spirit of the fallen calling her to bid them one last goodbye. The closer she is to the fallen one, the less in pain she’ll be. And, as the Duchess collects the body, it means that the Beacon is calling her back to Aerenal. Once the Duchess guides his spirit to the afterlife, Cissa will no longer be hurting.   As the group try to ask further, Corvus casts Sending to Cissa. She replies sadly with “Freeze the arrow, Corvus. Please. Freeze the arrow”. Cissa then explains that Corvus just apologised to her about Atratus. That her mother, Cygnus, killed him. And that the Duchess was neither involved nor approves of what happened.   Tatalla arrives on deck, eyes bloodshot and hair in a zapped mess. She has been trying to sleep as she had night shift before someone screamed on deck. After Tatalla sees Cissa doubled over, she demands that the group explain what the hell is going on.   Mia angrily tells her that Cissa is in this state due to the “Evil Undead Elven Bitch Queen who feeds on suffering” and proceeds to graphically explain how she is going to bomb Aerenal with glitter and rainbow pooping unicorns. The “Evil Undead Elven Bitch Queen” will not know how to deal with ALL THAT FUCKING HAPPINESS. Tatalla then asks where the other elf is, to which Mia explains that he’s gone to the EUEBQ.   Emir then tries to explain that Cissa’s father has been killed but Tatalla is barely listening. She tells the group time is of the essence. She demands that Cissa is taken to sick bay and the rest then get ready for their Basic Sailing Training. She also tells Mia to visit her in her quarters after training.     Sensei Silmer   Emir and April help take Cissa to Sick Bay. Silmer leads the way as the others don’t actually know where it is. The Healer on duty has Cissa lie down and shoos them out. Silmer looks around to see if Bryan is doing ok but the curtains are currently drawn around his bed.   Silmer then has everyone meet in the Dojo for the training. Being a sailor and a trainer, he takes it upon himself to go through the basics with the group. He teaches them about knots, about maneuvering the sails (using George and his “Big Ass Log” as a stand in for the mast), basic map reading/navigation and reading the weather.   Mia and April, both having had experience working on a ship, do well while Nesza and Emir do their best. Malak, however, struggles. His mind is elsewhere and he’s barely able to concentrate…     Ilmatar   After training, Mia visits Tatalla in her quarters. Tatalla is visibly distracted but invites Mia in.   She takes out a small wooden box. Inside is a small translucent Khyber Shard with the word “Ilmatar” embossed in elven at the base in bronze. Tatalla explains to Mia that this is the name of the air elemental that is bound to the vessel Mia will be captaining.   Knowing the struggle inside Mia at the moment, Tatalla explains that Mia needs to remain calm while handling Ilmatar. Air elementals tend to have turbulent moods and the captain needs to remain calm around them to avoid them becoming unpredictable. She needs to create a bond with the elemental. The stronger the bond, the easier they are to control.   Tatalla tells Mia that she has faith in Mia’s capabilities in controlling Ilmatar as she’s quite proficient in wind magic. Mia previously had trouble with controlling Jules, the electric elemental used for the Silver Bird, because she is not as proficient with that sort of magic.   Tatalla also tells Mia to ensure that Cissa is removed from the ship when they arrive in Thaliost.   After being given some instructions on how to bond with Ilmatar, Mia heads to the Dojo to try to calm her mind.     Trust No one   Emir heads to the common area and shifts into Thaen in a corner. Thaen casts sending to Taliashanna in Quori. He tells her that the trail has been jeopardized. Asir is in hiding. She and her group are in danger. He asks for her location and says that she should trust no one.   She replies explaining that she’s in Breland. Asir has contacted her already. She’s currently safe. And that it’s good to hear from him again.   Halfway through his casting, Malak enters the common area, seeing the back of Thaen’s Changeling form and hearing him speak in a different language.   After the reply from Talia, Thaen shifts into Vence and walks past Malak wordlessly.     Sparring Paid Off   Before the group arrive in Thaliost, Nesza takes a moment to talk with Silmer. He explains that the sparring from the day before seemed to help him learn something new.   Using the sparring dummy, Nesza shows off his Zephyr Strike. Silmer, in turn, shows Nesza what else can be done with the wind, and uses his Fist of Unbroken Air.   The Deciding Arrow The group arrive in Thaliost at night time. Unlike Fairhaven, there are no Everbright lanterns lighting the streets. So other than some light streaming out from windows, the city looks very dark.   The Silver Bird docks at a scaffolding tower that is only big enough to host four airship vessels (unlike the airship harbour in Fairhaven). The group disembark, April holding up a hurting Cissa. Tatalla casts message on Silmer, telling him that he knows how to reach her if he needs her.   Upon reaching the ground of the scaffolding, April takes a sample of the dirt between the muddy cobble stones. The group follow the instructions on how to get to the Deciding Arrow Tavern, where the House Vadalis informant will be. The group was told they would immediately know who it was upon entering the tavern. All buildings seem to look the same (rectangular two story, flat roofed and white washed) but they could locate the tavern based on the sign at the front and the merriment that seems to be coming from inside.   Silmer uses his hat of disguise to turn into his Hayon form. Nesza disguises his Aasimar features. Malak keeps his. Mia, who initially wanted to braid her hair over her ears, did not seem to get the chance to. The group go inside.   There are four wooden tables, a large bar and an armchair by a roaring fire place. There’s a bar maid, five strangers at varying tables, two dogs playing by the fireplace and a weathered looking man sitting in the armchair, who turns to look at the group entering. He has a House Vadalis dragon mark over his right eye.     Griff   The man looks expectantly at the group…. who all just stare back at him. When no one takes action, the man turns back towards the fireplace.   Silmer orders a drink while Nesza goes to the lady behind the bar. He asks her if they were at the Deciding Arrow Tavern. The lady looks annoyed and said that it was on the sign at the door. Nesza asks for her to confirm and she gets more annoyed but confirms.   April sits Cissa down by one of the tables and remains by her side. Vence heads to the man in the arm chair and introduces himself. The man looks at Vence expectantly.After a few moments of staring, the man ignores Vence again.   April calls after Nesza, saying that the man requires “the secret handshake” that Nesza knows. Upon hearing the name “Nesza”, one of the the dogs pounces Nesza. The dog then turns into a big burly man who gives Nesza a big bear hug.   He loudly exclaims to his “Uncle Teddy” that this is Nesza Greenthorn! Sarah’s boy! It takes Nesza a moment to recognize Griff d’Vadalis, a druid from House Vadalis who is affiliated with the Wardens of the Woods. He greets him warmly.   Uncle Teddy, the man by the fireplace, doesn’t seem very impressed. He looks at Nesza expectantly. Nesza comes over and gives Uncle Teddy the Wardens’ secret Handshake. Uncle Teddy finally acknowledges the group, very annoyed that Nesza ignored him, grumbling about how that handshake could possibly have been a complicated task to complete.   Nesza calls for a round of drinks for all patrons and the group and everyone sits down at a table with some ale. After Nesza pays 2GP for all drinks, Vence slips him 2GP, knowing that Nesza has just used up a lot of his own money.   Uncle Teddy tells the group that he will guide them to a ship just outside of Thaliost. The group will need to leave at once, while it’s dark out. Uncle Teddy then explains that the group set up looks nothing like previously described to him. There’s an elf and another humanoid missing. And one extra Half Elf (Silmer in disguise). He then looks at Cissa wincing in pain, and tells the group that she can’t possibly sail in this state. They are one man short to be able to sail.   Griff, hearing this discussion, offers his services. He tells the group that he’s actually on holiday, visiting his uncle. He’s already seen the sights. He’s always willing to help out the Wardens as he knows them well.   Nesza then turns to Silmer and asks Silmer if he believes that Griff can be trusted. The rest look at Nesza in confusion. Silmer says that he thinks they need all the help they can get at this point. And Griff looks strong.   April and Mia are a bit concerned about leaving Cissa behind and would prefer taking her along. Griff asks the lady behind the bar if she could help by watching over her, loudly saying Cissa’s name. This piques the interest of quite a few patrons and the lady. Mia tells the lady that Cissa might also be in danger of “undead elves” coming after her. And that if any are to show up her door, she is to show no mercy. As in there should not even be a building left standing where they had entered.   April asks Vence what he feels should be done and Vence agrees that Cissa would be safer in the tavern. When Nesza asks what would happen if Cissa is attacked, Cissa speaks up.   She says that even in her weakened state she will be able to protect herself. To prove a point, she unsheathes one of her swords (Vence moves aside), whispers something to it and throws it at Nesza. It stops in front of Nesza’s nose.   So the group decide to have Cissa stay in the tavern while they are on the mission. They ask the bar maid to not tell the world Cissa is in town.   Before they leave, April gives Cissa a potion of boldness to help her feel better and Mia gives her a hug. Cissa then squeezes Vence on the shoulder and he hands her a letter.   She bids goodbye to the rest of the group as well. As they file out of the tavern, Griff turns to Cissa. During the conversations, he had noticed her wearing a Thranian soldier’s cloak and realised she must have fought in the war. So as the group leave, he opens his coat and flashes an insignia at her, reassuring her that the group are in good hands. She smiles at him in acknowledgement.     The Nereid   Uncle Teddy takes the group past Thaliost’s large harbour (making Silmer squee with excitement) and then through the city gates away from all the pretty ships (deflating Silmer once more). He takes the group to a small dock by the river. Moored to the dock is a Shitik, a single masted river sailing ship. On the sides, Lyrandar tech can be seen where the Elemental will be bound to.   Uncle Teddy asks who will be navigating and April raises her hand. He gives her an amulet in the shape of a teardrop, explaining that it will show them the location of the nearest Prismatic Cavern.   The group then bids Uncle Teddy good bye and board the ship. Mia slots the Khyber Shard into a slot in the centre of the ship’s wheel. She then attempts to bond with Ilmatar.   The Wind Elemental, Imatar, was really having a day. She has been stuck in the bowels of this dingy ship for a long time. When the new master called to her, she was ready to lash out. How dare they leave her there! But little did Ilmatar know that she was going to connect with a like-minded individual. Although Mia has been trying to calm herself all day, the talk in the tavern agitated her again. This turbulent soul intrigued Ilmatar. She understood her.   Mia asks for Ilmatar’s help in sailing the ship. And Ilmatar willingly assists. So, with Mia at the wheel as Captain, Silmer at the ropes, April navigating, Griff at the sails, Nesza on look out and Vence singing shanties, the group set off. All working hard… except for Malak. He is lost in thought and has zero motivation to do anything.     Ishim!?   As the ship sails under the moonlight and everything seems calm, Silmer goes to cook some stew. Vence eventually stops playing music.   Griff, seeing Malak looking very off, goes and sits with him. He tells Malak that he notices the group is struggling with something. Malak tells Griff a bit about the group. How everyone is conflicted and not always reliable. Certain people cannot be trusted at all (Vence hears him mention this). He does think that Nesza tends to be the most reliable of all of them.   Griff tells Malak that he knew Nesza as a little boy. Nesza’s mother tended to Griff’s wounds whenever Griff “hugged something that he should not have” during his training as a druid. Griff then talks a little about his holiday and that someone told him to take a break. He’s been working non-stop, even after the war. Griff decided to learn about Thrane and try to understand “the other side of the war”, seeing as they were previously enemies with Aundair. He acknowledges Malak’s accent and armour as distinctly Thranian.   He tells Malak that he’s seen a lot of horrors in the war. Some caused by Aundair. Some by Thrane. But there was one regiment that intrigued him. A regiment that, it was rumoured amongst soldiers, that somehow never had any casualties.   Griff then returns to manning the sails. A few minutes pass before a light bulb goes on in his head. Nesza and his mother had shiny hair… He knew of only one other Thranian Aasimar. He asks if Malak’s last name was Ishim.   Griff is excited to find out that Malak is Myranna’s father. He raves about her and the Flameless. But he’s most excited about her horse. It was raised by House Vadalis.   This particular off shoot of the breed was known to be incredibly stubborn. And for a tiny fourteen year old girl to have the moxy to ride one, let alone control one… Griff tells Malak that “Myranna was the best of us”. This isn’t the first time someone had told Malak this and it makes Malak feel a little bit better.   When Griff goes back to manning the sails, Vence creates an illusion in the air in front of Malak of a letter written in Dwarven. It reads “Do we need to talk?” Malak reads it but doesn’t respond to it.     Rocks Captain!   Meanwhile, the water is starting become choppy. At a fork in the river, the teardrop seems to indicate that the ship needs to veer towards the rapids. Malak goes to get Silmer, who secures the stew, and the group work on keeping the ship afloat and moving in the right direction.   The ship starts to rock. Most party members, due to previous experiences with the airship, were able to stay on their feet or grab onto something. Griff, however, loses his footing and falls off of the boat. Luckily Mia is able to help him out again through shape water.   Mia croons in Primordial to Ilmatar and Imatar does her best to help. With all their efforts combined, they manage to maneuver through the rapids. But unfortunately they were moving too fast. As the ship leaves the rapids, it shoots into a lake and crashes into some rocks.   April gives Malak the Teardrop amulet and goes below deck to check on the damage. She is able to locate and Mend a few leaks. But with the ship being wedged into the rocks, there might be more damage and it could be more apparent if they moved the ship.   Surveying the area, the party realise they have found their way to a lake. A few streams run into it. On the far side from the rocks that the ship is wedged into, a 100ft waterfall is thundering into the lake.   While wielding the Teardrop amulet, Malak sees that the teardrop is pointing towards the waterfall. Malak mentions this to the group. Griff turns into a shark and swims towards the waterfall to have a closer look. He sees that there is an alcove through the waterfall, meaning there might be a cave beyond. He sees nothing else.     Camping   The group decide to camp for the night. Some head to shore while others stay on the ship.   April decides to forgo standing watch and instead sleeps on the floor below deck, ensuring that no new leaks start spouting.   Vence and Nesza take the first watch. Nesza hears occasional splashes that don’t match the pattern of the waterfall’s movement. But he sees nothing. Nesza and Vence then chat for a bit. Nesza asks Vence about the ins and outs of being a changeling.   Vence shifts into Emir, saying that he’s better at explaining these things. Emir goes on to explain the difference between personas, masks and also the story of the creation of changelings by the hand of the Traveler.   Nesza then opens up about his own experiences as an aasimar and also as an ex soldier. As the two switch watch, Emir casts Sending to Cissa just to say good night to her. She replies with “Sleep well, Dove”.   Nesza tells Malak about the splashing water. So Malak, who is on watch by himself, sits by the water and observes it. He sees the occasional swirls by the base of the waterfall. He sends Message to a swirl, saying that they are not enemies. No reply. He spends the rest of the time reading from tome while Myri, who has been hiding behind his neck during everything, plays nearby and enjoys the wilderness.   Malak fills Mia and Silmer in on what he and Nesza had noticed. Unfortunately, Mia, who has been riding a high all day due to finally being able to captain a ship, was emotionally drained. Silmer, heading his sister’s words, focused more on Mia than his surroundings. Silmer does, at one point, decide to take his hat off and go for a swim. While circling around, he feels something brush against his foot when he was closer to the waterfall. But he couldn’t see anything. Before the watch was over, Silmer puts the hat on again, thinking that his tortle form might freak Griff out a bit.   Final watch was Griff. Mia gives him all information encountered that evening. So Griff shapes into a Giant Constrictor Snake, allowing some coils to drift in the water. As with other party members, he notices some patterns in the water that do not match the falling water. But he sees nothing. He shifts back into himself as dawn breaks.   The group wake up and start getting ready to head to the cave.