Hangovers and Handaxes

After a night of celebrating a successful battle, a rescued child in need, and new friends, we awoke with heavy heads from lack of liquidation. Guinevere's sobs persisted through the morning light, still processing the pain of loss, audible through the door to her tavern room. Eikellan had promised to give her a home and likely a bright future, but the reality was her family had been lost and world completely changed.
 
Neoon did her best to console her, and I'm sure she did better than most could. Meanwhile my head was wracked with feeling several times larger than my skull actually could contain, and found my way down to the bar for some morning perpetual stew and water to nurse the aching.
 
After breakfast, we began to search for new path and progress on our journey. Blue began to forage for rations, and the rest of us began to prepare for a new venture. Kico had decided to sleep in, putting us all at a late start, and also held up by the tavern keep who made quite a bit of conversation despite our want to depart. Wellby had apparently taken a liking to the fae girl and given her preferential treatment, with fresh bacon and sweet mead. But before long we were on our way and looking for more clues for the Aether shards and their origin.
 
Fenburn was a medium sized town with many of the typical amenities. Magnus decided to search for a shop to look for weapons available, so I chose to tag along. We found a shop in tatters that all rights should have been condemned if there were any regulators in the region to enforce such safeties, dimly lit with mushrooms of some arcane and strange power. There we met a half-halfling with bizarre freedom of footwear, or lack thereof. She showed us various wares, baubles and adventuring equipment. Some of which interested us, and Magnus looked through their selection of axes, though none seemed of any particular interest. She showed me a collection of small bucklers, a metallic one in particular, while the others browsed her other items. Neoon asked for a set of maps, and while she began to bargain I offered to barter with spare equipment of which I no longer had use, bringing down the considerable price in exchange for knowledge of the surrounding territory.
 
While Neoon finished up her trading, I asked Blue to teach me how to use the shiny pieces of the Aether shards. The rest of the party had gotten to hold it, why not me as well? Granted, I didn't understand the importance at the time, I wanted to know how it worked, and why not?! Blue seemed very confused at first, but taught me to use the shard to commune with the universe... or something. I admit I wasn't really sure what in the world it does or meant to do, but it did change color when I touched it, and it did cure my hangover. Really, I felt like I could do 100 pushups without any sweat, or lift Magnus with my motivation alone.
 
We found a ship bound on the way to Wallsardand then on to Gyte, and after a conversation with the fair miss that led the crew, we were able to haggle a bit for the ware since we came with so many people and thus a large expense on our part. Ms Shinye Dadan drove a hard bargain, but gladly agreed to take us on her ship to guarantee safe travel. We departed in the next morning, which gave us time for more relaxation at the tavern that evening. I challenged Magnus to another night of drinking, determined to best him despite my severe stature disadvantage.
 
Shinye wrangled a sailor from her crew into the tavern to make him answer for his prankster tricks on the locals, tossing him down to apologize and shame him in a public display. He reluctantly apologized, and in walked what presumably was the captain. Bonaparte Constatine of the Well-Scorned Coast, Esquire, The Third. After a hearty chat about amenable agreements, it was determined that part of the deal would be to earn back our deposit of 250gp for the group, and if we ran into trouble we would be entitled to not only a portion of our coin back, but also any special items of arcane nature we happen to find, as a matter of clever persuasion on the part of yours truly.
 
And after a strong, very strong handshake, our loquacious linguist shared a drink or three as we planned our path towards Wallsard. Shinye had seemed embarrassed at first, but I truly don't understand as he seemed quite well spoken, at least at times, and very generous with his praise and manners. To take a load off, Magnus and I had a proper drinking match, but unfortunately he drank me under the table properly.
 
We awoke the next morning, some slower than others, to embark on the Aurorae, Captain Constantine's freight ship, with a new clear goal in front of us and the horizon pointing towards the tip of the horn of Wallsard.
 
On the boat, Neoon and I kept watch while the others helped guide our path. The first night was quiet and we enjoyed the open sea and the salty brisk air that seemed to refresh our spirits all but briefly. We enjoyed more drinks with the crew, singing songs of plundering treasure and loves long lost and other mild debaucheries out on the sea.
 
The second night approached, and Kico made use of her skills to seemingly conjure a tuna from the water, and the crew all had a wonderful feast that seemed to replenish our strength beyond our weary bones to a previous vigor. We played cards, enjoyed friendly banter, when a sudden impulse rocked the boat. Not once but twice we were physically displaced and thrown out of our seats. We scrambled to the deck to take up defenses as the captain yelled orders to protect the ship.
 
A giant figure loomed from the waters, towering over the side and dwarfing our crew, reminding us how mortal we were and humbling us in the process. A second figure rose with a spray and a great splash, drenching the crew as it rose even higher, and then a third. The light from the moon illuminated what once was merely unknown but terrifying into a visceral form that could be clearly discerned -- a giant squid had appeared and began threatening us with at least two of its tentacles. We froze in shock as the enormity became obvious, and it was then we prepared to defend our lives against the largest beast the ravaging waves could summon.
 
It would be a long and dreary night indeed, one to remember if our fortunes would give way to another day and a fate to persevere to our destiny...