The Unforgiving River Okeanos

[OGRE MAGE]

Perils On The Hyperborean Sea

As the modified Viking knarr heads out into deeper waters, the assembled group gets to know each other a bit better, and not all in a good way.

Captain Lazereth cringes every time a name he doesn't like is invoked, shaking his fist and hissing at anyone who continues to mention the kraken on board a vessel already out to sea. He stares at Valkrina a little too much, especially after she mentions the other fleet and possible maleficence. "Well any ship wishing to do us harm will have to catch us first, darlin." When asked about the totems they received, the man looks at the skald sternly. "Yes, of course I have seen them before. They act as a way for us to recognize the explorers we are transporting. But I have some bad news for you, my dear. We aren't stopping anywhere near that gods-forsaken string of crab-man infested dung heaps."

Valkrina shows an interest in the 4 extra rolled up sails that were carried on board just before they departed, wondering if they have a certain monetary value over the others. Though anytime she gets close enough to inspect them in detail, she is ushered away by any nearby sailors. They look at the bard with concern on their weathered faces, shaking their heads as if to say she shouldn't bother thinking about them. (give me a d20 INT roll please)

The others continue to discuss any immediate concerns, pointing out the attention Euripides has gotten so far. He, Drest, and Xenos listen on as the others in their group speak. Kumaglak verbally expresses his distaste in his kinswoman for her poorly chosen words, before eventually tossing even more disrespect at the newcomer, Kaul. If he thought he was going to get away without a verbal rebuttal from the Kimmerian, he was dead wrong, as the barbarian seems quite adept at defending himself with sword and tongue alike.

The captain doesn't seem fooled by the squat fishmongers praise, though he does answer his questions in a very matter-of-fact manner. "My business affairs are my own, as is the destination of our first port, but I will warn you to stop harassing the hired sword. As an unofficial part of my crew, I cant be held responsible for any of his actions." He winks at Kaul with his uncovered eye before finishing. "I don't know what black witch you refer to, or who this Kazeffron is, but I will caution you to speak to me with respect out here, as I have been known to deal harshly with such insubordination." The sailors all nod their heads emphatically at that comment.

"I am paid periodically.....and quite well I might add.....by a mysterious unnamed stranger, to deliver groups of explorers to an undisclosed island well beyond the mainland. THAT is where I will be transporting you. It is not an island in the archipelago you mentioned, but a good distance beyond it. So, why doesn't everyone find a spot to stretch out, store your things, and sit back to enjoy the several day journey."

Ragnarr and Hakon, unable to participate in the questioning so far due to their incessant vomiting over the side rail, look a little green behind the gills as the journey gets underway. Once the harbor is nothing more than a spec on the horizon in the eyes of the party, one of the crewmen at the front of the vessel calls out to the captain. "Black humps ahead, sir!" Anyone looking in that direction sees several tiny black specks cresting the surface of the water over and over far off in the distance.

Questions, Comments, Actions?

[shaidar]

Xenos tries to hide his concern at the captains words.

He does his best to look casual as he assesses the number of crewmembers, their arms and armour.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Her interest piqued in the sails she finds that the sailors marshall her and others away from enquiring too much.

Valkrina intelligence skill check vs 8 [1d20] = 16

"Interesting" she thinks. That they haven't been rigged already. So they are not an aid to speed? What other purpose lies hidden within their folds? Emblazoned with pirate insignia or designs declaring allegiance to a particular cause? Maybe enchanted to endure the maelstrom winds and hold course in the undying storms? She muses, intent on finding answers in other ways.

"Well, whatever 'big shiny island' you are commissioned to navigate to, I am sure we are in the safest of hands," she replies to Captain Lazereth.

She would settle down, whittling a new carved rune in her scrimshaw as a memorial to the expedition sailing but the cry of the crew who point to creatures breaching the distant wave catches her attention.

"Whales or dolphins?" she asks the lookouts and goes to the prow of the ship to look out herself trying to discern the patterns of breach, spread of the underwater pod, any spurt of whale blown air or flap of tail fins or the myriad rythymic jumps of dolphins.

Valkrina whale watching wisdom recall roll vs 15 [1d20] = 19

Despite her experience, against the still dark horizon, the humps remain unidentifiable to her. She watches the tack of the ship. The specks are ahead when first spotted. She would worry if the specks stayed on course to collide with the ship, indicating perhaps the humps are not migratory whales or shoal seeking dolphins but something more sinister.

She heralds Euripedes "Can you discern them with your aquamarine senses? Whales or a herd of hippocampi?"

[Rex]

Drest

Drest wanders the ship, looking for a good spot to crash and to case where everything is stored, how many crew members etc.

"I heard of a Big Shiny Island once, strange tale indeed."

[dice_monkey]

"Black humps ahead, sir!" Anyone looking in that direction sees several tiny black specks cresting the surface of the water over and over far off in the distance.

Kaul hears the cry and lifts his head, eyes narrowing at the specks off in the distance. Dropping down to his kit, the Kimmerian buckles on his sword and strings his horn bow, yelling at an idler, "Grab a weapon. Better to be safe than sorry, eh?" With the surefootedness of a cat, Kaul makes his way forward until he is next to Euripides and Valkrina. "Aye, Atlantean! What do your eyes tell you? What are these creatures yonder?"

[shaidar]

Xenos looks around the group, astounded

"By Krimmr, are none of you are concerned that we are on this ship under false pretences? This mission we were recruited for is a lie, and the gods know what foul purpose this journey has"

[OGRE MAGE]

DM aside:

The "ship" (Knarr) is not a huge sailing vessel, and is much smaller than a Drekar or Carrack you might normally find out to sea. Only 60 feet long and about 15 wide, there is little extra space on board. With no castle's or cabin's to bunk in, the 15 or so sailors spend most of their time manning the three sails and protecting/securing the crates and casks of cargo that is spread out across the bottom of the deck. There is always one man positioned at the prow of the boat, looking out over the sea or down into the water below.

The sailors are not wearing any armor, for obvious reasons, but all of them are armed. Most are equipped with a short sword, dagger, or hand ax. All of them have a least a small knife on them as well.

Neither captain or crew looks overly concerned about the distant sighting of shapes in the water, and Valkrina/Kumaglak recognize them as some type of whale or other huge marine mammal.


I will give the others a bit more time before I update officially.

[Scott308]

Euripides Nereos

Valkrina
She heralds Euripedes "Can you discern them with your aquamarine senses?harbour.

The Atlanten shrugs. I don't know. I've never been farther than swimming in the harbour.

[OGRE MAGE]

Perils On The Hyperborean Sea

Valkrina doesn't notice anything else about the rolled up humps of cloth in the bottom of the ship, and the sailors don't let her in for a closer look. Captain Lazereth looks sideways at Xenos when he starts stammering about being hijacked, snickering once he hears the mans opinion of the journey so far.

Gathering at the prow of the ship, the specks on the dimly lit horizon are difficult to make out for any non sailors, but these seasoned sea dogs know exactly what they are watching. Lazereth starts to shout out commands.

"Well boys! Looks like we found our escort already!!!" Taking out a collapsible looking glass, he stares into it for a while before continuing.

"Get yourselves into position now men, and the rest of you hang on to something." The men grab onto dangling ropes that hang from the sides of each of the three sails and hold onto them tightly as the captain moves to the very rear of the vessel. He looks over each passenger carefully before pointing with his finger towards the anomaly beyond the front of the ship.

"Everyone stare out that way now, and see if you can figure out what we are about to do here!"

Actions?

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Hippocampus? You are going to lasso a herd of hippocampi and get a tow across the ocean?"

[Rex]

Drest

Drest finds a spot where he can see whats going on around him and hold on to something secure. If there is any loose rope around he will grab it and tie himself off to something secure.

[shaidar]

Xenos finds something secure to grab onto.

[dice_monkey]

Kaul takes a thick line and quickly wraps it around the mast, taking hold of it in his large calloused hands. He takes up the slack and holds it, his arm and muscles tense and he strains to look ahead of the prow. A sliver of exhilaration jumps through him and he laughs heartily. There's no fear in his voice.

[OGRE MAGE]

What Vile Sorcery Is This?

For the most part, the group follows the captains instructions, all except Valkrina, Kumaglak, Hakon, and Ragnarr, the latter pair still trying to drain the last few drops of the ale cask, when the ship suddenly lurches forward from a sudden unexpected gust of wind that fills her sails and doubles her speed.

Even with her strong sea legs, Valkrina stumbles backwards, landing on her rump in the bottom of the wet boat. The pair of drunk and bumbling Vikings tumble over as well, Hakon nearly falling over the side of the speeding craft, dropping the empty cask overboard with a groan.

The spray of the sea mists the faces of all who took heed, securing themselves before the sudden acceleration. As the ship eventually planes off, now screaming over the surface of the water, the sailors keep a tight grip on the full sails as the wind form the stern continues blowing intensely. Crazed laughter from the captain is heard coming from behind you as well, apparently enjoying the chase as much as the show, while the boat steadily gains on the pod of swimming behemoths off in the distance.

“Aaaarghhhhh! That’s what we long for, ain’t it boys! The feel o’ the wind and the sting o’ the mist! Hold em tight lads! We’ll be on top of her in no time!”

Actions?

[Scott308]

Euripides Nereos

Hanging on tightly to the ship, the Atlantean is excited to feel the wind and the spray on his face, eagerly anticipating discovering the wonderful surprise toward which the ship races.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

"Oh for the wings of an eagle." she cries, standing up.

"It's the storm winds flowing from Mt Ymir. They drive the currents super fast. Hence the whales swim in the flow. Lazereth wishes to catch the wind as one flies a kite." she answers to the captains question.

If she can lash herself to the bow and any bowsprit or figurehead she will do that, otherwise hang onto a mast rope.

[shaidar]

Xenos

Initially his hands grab the ship tightly, his knuckles white and his face grim, but after seeing the reaction of the others and getting used to the experience he seems to relax a little and start to enjoy himself.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest holds on and does his best to try and see what they approach.

[OGRE MAGE]

I apologize everyone. I am not sure why it has been so difficult to keep players interested in this game. (Is it really that bad?) I know we are going through some strange times in real life right now, but when I see people posting in their other games and not here, it really makes me think that I am doing something wrong. Maybe it is the lack of action so far? Or that my intro was drawn out too long? I'm not sure, but I have never had this difficult a start in any game I have ever run before.

I don't normally do this, but under the circumstances, I feel the need to try something desperate. So, I am going to skip over this water journey/information gathering portion of the game so we can get right to some action for the few players who remain interested. (before we lose anyone else) Thanks for sticking with me so far!!!


Land Ho!

Anyone looking back at the captain sees the man waving what appears to be a white feather in the air. He is smiling from ear to ear as the ship picks up even more speed, reveling in the spray of mist that splashes up off the surface of the sea.

Once the passengers become more used to the speed of the craft, they are able to loosen their iron grips on rope and mast alike as the ship quickly catches up with the black shapes in the water. Though they disappear under the surface before they are overtaken, Valkrina's assumption seems to be fairly close to the mark. The captain stows his feather when the craft reaches the intense currents that the animals were using to propel themselves through the sea, but the ship hardly slows at all.

After a few days of travel like this, the group becomes accustomed to the routine of the sailors, and life aboard the small craft becomes a bit more bearable, though it is still far from pleasant. There are two separate occasions where the vessel needs to veer away from their steady course to avoid huge whirlpools that develop suddenly on the surface of the water, but each time the crew warns of the hazards with plenty of time to react.

Eventually, on the fourth day of the speedy journey, spotting only two other huge ships off in the distance the entire trip so far, the crewman at the bow shouts out an announcement that he has found land ahead. Plotting a course straight for it, the party sees a small island appear off in the distance. A wide beach of dark colored sand appears to be their destination.

"We have made it to our first stop, friends," shouts Lazereth. "The boys and I have a bit of business to attend here. Do you think you are up to watching the boat for a spell while we're gone?"

Actions?

[shaidar]

Xenos

Over the last few days Xenos seems to have come to terms with the current situation, although he still throws the captain the odd dark look when he thinks he's not looking. He is friendly enough, but avoids answering any personal questions.

"We have made it to our first stop, friends," shouts Lazereth. "The boys and I have a bit of business to attend here. Do you think you are up to watching the boat for a spell while we're gone?"

Actions?

Xenos looks at the captain "I'm sure we can manage that. It's in our interest that the ship survives the stop. Is there anything in particular we should be wary of?"

While we are guarding the ship, Xenos will take the opportunity to check over his weapons and armour for any damage from the salt air and apply any maintenance required. He makes sure his loaded crossbow is within easy reach.